Summery

"Summery."  Get it?  Anyway, it's not quite the end of summer, but I'm hoping this will mark the end of my summertime lackadaisical training.  I'd just been running mileage, and not much of it, until a couple of weeks ago when I realized I was 15 weeks out from the marathon.  Oh my.

Here's from 2 June through

Just slogging around at 10 minute pace.  You have to like the consistency with 10:10, 10:10, 10:11, and 10:13 as my weekly average for four weeks.  The ones that are slightly faster usually include a day where I ran slightly faster for some reason.

Two weeks ago, I decided I needed a plan.   I bought the Hansons book a few months ago and thought I'd give it a shot.  The plan's 18 weeks, so I started with week 4.  The schedule is availabe here (I was starting with week 15 counting down).  Tempo for them means MP.  I like the idea of doing on that MP so I know I'm ready, but that's pretty intimidating.

So here's how I executed the first week (week of 5 August)

• 6.19 at 9:05 on TM (6.6 mph).  I decided to push up the pace from my usual 10:00.
• 7.21.  6x800 @5k pace.  3:27, 3:26, 3:22, 3:25, 3:20, 3:24.  I was shooting for 3:20 (20:30 5k) initially, but I guess I'm lazy or slow.  Wx was 68 and dp of 64, so that's a decent excuse.
• off.
• 5.34.  3 at MP (was supposed to be 6).  At Va beach on vacation.  Nowhere to run where we were really, but there was a track.  Managed to leave my running clothes and had to go to Walmart, so didn't get out until 9:30.  Hot and humid (82 and 88% humidity), but mostly overcast until 2 miles into the MP section when I was in full sun, running on an asphalt (I assume) 1/4-mile "track."  I only tried to keep it a little under 8 min/mi.  "MP" splits were 7:56, 7:51, 7:41.  Turns out this was more like 10M/10k pace and I was dying.
• 4.6 @ 10:14  Hot and humid again.  81 and 84%.  Ran the training course.  Just didn't feel like any more.
• 4.6. @ 10:12. Same as above
• 3.0 @10:00 on TM.  Left early to drive home.  Planned Herculean 12 miler on TM, but gave up at 3.  Ugh.
• Total:  30.9 @ 9:27

Well that didn't go well.  Then for no apparent reason, I decided to try Marius Bakken's 100-day plan (that I impulsively bought quite a while ago), picking up in the second week of the 15 week program.  I've done this for a while before.  It has lots of fartleks and is based mostly on time.  It looks easy on paper, but it's harder than you'd think.  There are lots of fartleks where you run at between MP and HMP (E3) or between HMP and 10k pace (E4) -- basically near threshold and threshold.  The rest is easy running (E1).

Week of 12 August

• 7.80 @ 10:18.  My usual route. This is a good time to complain about my Garmin 410.  My 305 gave me 7.9 for this route and google maps says it's 7.95.
• 5.5 @ 10:00 on TM.
• 8.04 @ 8:16.  1.5 wup, 6x1200 alternating E4 and E3, 1.5 cdn.  1200s were 5:23/158, 5:29/165, 5:08/177, 5:30/173, 5:11/180, 5:30/178.  Close to right, I think.  5:10 is 6:56/mile, 5:30 is 7:23 mile pace, but I think the idea is alternating slightly above and below threshold, which I did.
• 5.3 @ 10:10
• 8.9 @ 8:53 including 30 x 1' at E3 progressing to E4 with 30 sec recovery.  Avg pace over intervals was 8:04 (over same course Garmin cheats me) with avg HR of 164.  This is quite a hilly route, so not too bad.  Gorgeous, no-excuse day.  54 degrees!
• 9.68 @ 10:07.  Schedule 90'.  Ran 98'.  Kind of beat up from yesteday.
• 13.1 @ 11:28.  2h30m run/walk.  5 min run.  5 min walk.  Went at the runs kinda hard.  E2+ instead of E1 like I was supposed to.  I guess I liked the idea of actually running the run legs (~8:45).  I was getting into the 170s at the end on the uphill run segments.  Not used to going past 2 hours. 
• Total:   58.44 @ 10:00

Hey, I ended up at 10:00/mile avg for the week.  I guess there are different ways to get there.  Near 60 with some good quality, so I'm happy about that.  My left psoas/aductor/something-in-there is a bit dicey this afternoon.  Was sore after run and pulled a bit moving furniture.  Hopefully it will be OK tomorrow.

Now the only number that's going to matter:  166.6 pounds.  Gotta get that down.  162 has been my typical weight before this last year.  The years of running only 40mpw (and my increasing age) have shifted my set point I'm afraid.  Over 60 (mpw) and under 160 (pounds) is what I need.

It's been 4 years since I've running a marathon, so I don't know what to expect.  I wish I'd have been able to run one in peak shape 2 years ago, but oh well.  I'd like to run 3:20, but I'm thinking I'll be lucky to crack 3:30.  I need to drop 5 pounds and get in a race.