week of 26 October

Mo - Rest
Tu am - 10.34 1:28:31 8:34 144 (72%)
Tu pm - 5.01 45:07 9:00 147 (73%)
We - 9.27 1:14:53 8:05 150 (75%)
Th- 5.48 0:52:36 9:36 135 (67%)
Fr - 10.70 1:24:59 7:56 149 (75%)
Sa - 6.00 0:55:53 9:19 133 (67%)
Su - 22.28 3:07:47 8:26 149 (75%)
This Week 69.09 9:49:46 8:32 146 (73%)

Everyone who ran MCM today should thank me for the perfect weather since I didn't run today. It was 44 degrees when I started my long run and only 54 at 10:30 when I finished.

My legs felt fresh and this was a very easy run. BUT, at about 10 miles, I took a turn and felt a pinch on the medial side of my left achilles. The pinch grew into a dull ache over time and I could feel each footfall. Fortunately, I don't think it's my achilles. I believe it's the muscle between your achilles and medial ankle (to make up a term) that you stretch if you rotate your foot out and lift your toes. Muscles heal better than tendons and I believe this is the same injury as I had in April. I was able to run through that, so hopefully I'll have the same good fortune this time.

Aside from the injury, the run was perfect. If I'd run MCM today, I'm about 90% sure I'd have qualified. I ran 22.3 at 8:25 pace and 149 bpm. My old rule of thumb was MP is 80 secs faster than my 20-mile run pace at 149 bpm (I lock in on that in these runs). On the way back from the lake I picked it up and my miles were 7:59/152, 8:17/159, 7:56/161, 7:44/162, 7:52/162, 8:06/164, 7:57/166. The last two miles are significantly uphill. I like this route because it simulates the last 2 uphill miles of the marathon I'm running and I never like to give in and slow up too much on those miles.

69 was pretty decent mileage for the week with a complete off-day on Monday. I didn't get in the second double I was hoping for to push me over 70 for the week, but that's all right. I'm probably better off.