week of 20 Nov

 Very light week except the race.  Tapered a bit.  Missed monday leading up for lack of sleep and a little niggle near my heel.  Felt better safe than sorry before race.

Super happy with race - 5 M in 38:25.

Was pretty fried that day and the next.  Didn't run Friday.  Easy Sat but HR still a bit high.  135 vice 133 for usual 10:30 pace for easy 5 miler.

Sunday was going to do two laps at Burke Lake but tired after one and bagged the second.  Kinda grooved at 10:00 pace and kept that regardless of HR.  Was 136 average which isn't terrible.

Total. Only 5 runs totalling 21.3 miles.  @9:43/140 including race - 5 miles in 38:25.

Alexandria Turkey Trot 5M

 

Flat course and perfect weather except some wind.  This shows 16 mph pretty much along the long axis of the race. It didn't feel nearly that bad to me, but I think it had an effect.  Miles 2 and 5 had the tailwind and 5 was 7:37 compared to 7:41 despite feeling like I was fading at the end.

These splits are based on garmin which read long (5.04) and gave 7:37 pace vice overall 7:41, so subtract ~4 sec/mile.

Mile two was the fastest despite including a stop to tie my shoe :-)  Mile 1 had the usual zig-zagging through traffic but was OK about half a mile in.

Super happy.  Was planning to go out at 7:45 with the hope of maybe getting to 7:40 pace, which is equivalent to ~1:20 for 10 miles which is my goal for Cherry Blossom.  So basically got there (and definitely would have without the shoe stop!).

1:20 is because I ran just under 1:20 before running my first (sort of) sub 4 marathon.  (4:00:03 officially -- ouch -- but no chip time -- was 3:59:56 on my watch).

Weighed 181 this morning and used to race at under 165, so long way to go there and opportunity for improvement.

week of 13 Nov

 

Up and down week.  Was going to do 4x hills on Sat 18 Nov but felt off. Did easy instead.

Sunday decided to go to track to try my fast shoes (speed 3s) at at least race pace before turkey trot. 

 Meant to do 6x400 EIM (w/ 400 jog) which would be 1:48 to 1:55 for 48-minute 10k.  First as planned in 1:55, then the rest 1:53, 1:50, 1:46.6, 1:45.6, and 1:41.0.  Max HRs 157, 162, 168, 170, 170, and 178.  Don't think I could run 400 much faster than the last one but wasn't aerobically challenging.  HR recovered pretty nicely.  Generally down to ~141 on the jog (~11:20 pace) except 146 between the last two.

Jog home was fine and not like the old days track runs where HR stays high during cooldown.  10:01/137 on way back.

Would very much like to run a 5 miler at equivalent to 10 miles @8:00, which would be ~7:40 per mile.  Very ambitious to think about 24 per mile faster than a 10k a few weeks ago. Would be counting on better weather and shoes.  Will just run and see what happens.

Week:  48.1 miles @10:10/134.

weeks of 30 Oct and 6 Nov

 

Ran every day but Mon after race.

Week of 30 Oct 

39.2 miles.  10:16@135 bpm.  4739 calories.

Did 8.25 6x800 EIM on wed after race and otherwise easy that week.

Tried speed 3's on that tuesday.  5.5@10:36/129 first time and then 5.5@10:01/132!!!!  Holy cow.  29 secs/mile faster and 1 bpm lower than my reliable 5.5@10:30/133bpm.  47.60 effective vo2max per runalyze compared to usual 44.4.

Week of 6 Nov

50.0 miles@10:48/133.  Started off with decent 5.5@10:15/133 in speeds 3s.  Tues was terrible. Heart rate high and ended up walking most of way home thinking I was off.  Felt off most of week.  5.5@10:40/135 friday.  Took allegra (I think it's the leaf mold) and then felt myself on saturday and sunday.

Ran a new Saturday run I've been thinking of.  Do 4x up the steep incline from spillway to top of trailhead (with a flattish part in middle).  Want to build strength.  Ran  with speed 3's because it was wet and kinvaras have no grip.

Sunday did 9.4 (augmented old gc 8) and happened to give me 50.0 for the week.  Run was old reliable 10:30/133 bpm in the kinvaras.  In away better than the usual 5.5 because longer, but also has some more flat in it.  Legs were very tired and felt like I started 4 miles into my long run, which is kinda what I expected following the hill.  Also woke up hungry at 4am and didn't eat.  Wasn't intending it, but maybe glycogen depleted?

Wish I'd figured out the leaves in 2008

I've suspected I had some allergy because my running always fell off a cliff in November.  My PR marathon was Sat after thanksgiving and I remember lamenting how great my Oct workouts were and though maybe even 3:05, but instead workouts tanked in Nov and hung on to get the 3:15 BQ.

Of course maybe I'm wrong.  (Also some of the runs above are after taking Benadryl the night before.)

Think I'll keep on Allegra through November.

The Plan

I really like this Tue/Th 6x800 and am going to add the Sat 4x long steep hill.  Then maybe increase the Sunday long run (eventually) for the marathon.  Might start swapping in "speed" or parkruns on Saturday.  Just ride getting stronger until diminishing returns.