Best week of training - Week of 10/22-28

My recent posts have been far too long, so I'm going to keep this one short. Bottom line, this was perhaps my best single week of training ever. After coming off a cutback week, and not feeling any ill effects from the 10K, I was psyched to put in one last hard week of training before tapering. Here's the recap:

Summary of 10/22-28
Mon: 6 miles @ 7:40; invigorating trail run
Tue: 11.2 miles including 2x2 miles @ 6:17, comfortable track workout
Wed: 6 miles @ 10:00, easy recovery run with wife; 30 min. core work
Thu: 11 miles including 10 @ 6:33, great tempo run
Fri: off
Sat: 22.5 miles @ 7:45, nice long trail run with great scenery
Sun: 3 miles @ 8:00, easy shake out run
Total: 59.7 miles

The recent climate change has brought about some decidedly unfall-like weather. This was the first consistently cool week, and its reflected in the faster paces of my runs. I was pretty tired and not looking forward to the tempo run on Thursday. In fact, I usually have the hardest time motivating for these runs. I don't know why... Funny thing is once I get going, they don't feel so bad. I ended up dropping 3 or 4 6:20s and by the end, I had averaged a 6:33 mile for the 10 miler, including a warm-up mile. I was a little surprised I had gone that fast, and I could have comfortably run another 3 miles on my way to a 1:25 half. Things are coming together! The 22 miler started out with the sky dropping buckets, which gave me flashbacks of the Boston Marathon Nor'easter. I met up with Ramses and we ran down to Millenium Park. From there, he split off to go back home and I ran through the gorgeous trails of Cutler Park. The trails of Cutler Park are truly a hidden gem and have made my long runs infinitely more interesting. In fact, I find time flies by when I'm doing trails. I threw in one hard hill interval at the end and finished comfortably. Overall, this week has really given me confidence that i can run a sub-3:00 at Philly.

Alright, taper time!

Race Report - Boston Firefighter 10K

This is the first time I have implemented consistent cut-back weeks in my training (one every four weeks) and I have to say its really helped get me through the high mileage weeks. Whether or not this strategy eventually pays off won't be evident until race day. For now, I'll just enjoy the lightness I feel after a 40 mile week. Here how it went:

Summary week of 10/15-21:
Mon: 30 min. pool run, 30 min. core work; legs feeling much better after Hartford
Tue: 12.7 miles - 2.7 mile w/u; 1600, 4x800, 1600 @ 5:38; feeling sharp today with cooler weather. Pace felt comfortable. Had a nice long cool down.
Wed: 30 min. pool run, 30 min. core
Thu: 11 miles @ 7:50, comfortable fall run on the trails of the Arboretum.
Fri: off
Sat: 5.6 miles @ 8:38; easy run around Jamaica Pond, last Boston Fit run of the season
Sun: 10.2 miles including Boston Firefighter 10K.
Total: 39.5 miles

There were a couple factors that convinced me to run a race this weekend. For one, I was coming off a cutback week, so I would be well rested. I also wanted one last test of my fitness, and with 4 weeks to go until Philly, this was the perfect time. So I set out looking for a local race, anything from 5-8 miles. I came across the Boston Firefighter 10K on the Racer's Resource, but there was no website. After some targeted web surfing, I found last year's results and the course. The course starts just south of Neponset circle, goes straight up Route 203, does a loop around the UMass Boston campus, and then comes back. I haven't raced a 10K since the James Joyce Ramble. It was 2 weeks after Boston and predictably slow (38:41). The clincher for me was the winning time of 36:55, which I thought was well within my range. Wow, I would actually have a chance of winning a race.

Race day arrived and it was sunny, but a little on the warm side (high 60s). I didn't have a specific race strategy today other than to start out behind the leaders and then try to finish strong on the way back, starting around mile 4. I had no idea about the competition, but figured it would be similar to last year's race. My wife drove me down to the start line, which was very easy to find, and I got changed with plenty of time to spare. I was more nervous than usual before a race and during my warm-up jog (which was definitely slower than an 8 min/mile), my HR was up to 155. I scouted out the last mile and didn't notice anything worth noting. After getting back to the car and changing into my racing flats, I did a quick series of strides, thanked Christina for coming with me and headed off for the start line. By the time I got there, the bagpipes were playing and they were making pre-race announcements.

After winding my way to the front, I spent the next 5 minutes just trying to stay loose. I got an intense staredown from a fast looking guy in a long sleeve shirt and figured he was competition. I looked at the flashing LED display up ahead and saw 65 degrees; warm, but not too bad. The gun went off (5 minutes early) and I went with the leaders. The front runner, whom I saw during the warm-ups, looked really comfortable. The guy in second was none other than the staredown dude. To my right was a guy who already looked like he was struggling, so I focused on Staredown as my main rival. As we rounded Neponset Circle, I felt like I was already going too fast and I let Staredown pull away. He was already starting to look less fluid, but I didn't want to blow it on the 1st mile. Still, it was way to fast for me (5:37) and I had already broken my pre-race mantra of going out slow. I found a good rhythm by the 2nd mile (5:59) and Staredown had a good 100m lead on me. Oh well, I thought, podium placing ain't bad. Shortly after mile 2, another guy wearing a blue jersey came up on me and shortly thereafter passed me. He looked pretty comfortable and it was still too early to go with him, so I also let him go by. Crap, now I'm in 4th! We made a sharp right turn on the UMass Boston campus, and I was quickly falling into no-man's land. I wasn't sure if I was paying for the fast start, but I just didn't feel comfortable (not that anyone does during a 10K). When I went by the 3rd mile marker in 6:05, I knew I was slowing down. I tried to hold it together coming out of the campus and just limit my losses. My legs felt ok, but I was breathing pretty heavily and just didn't feel like I was in a groove.

As I neared mile 4, I noticed that I hadn't lost any ground to the kid in the blue jersey and this was my first positive thought since the start of the race. When I passed the mile marker (6:13), I just decided to pick it up. I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to hold it, but I reasoned that I'm in marathon shape now and should have plenty left in the tank. I slowly reeled in the kid in the blue jersey and passed him on the crest of small hill, almost at the same spot where he had passed me earlier, but on the opposite side of the road. He tried to hang with me for a bit, motivated also by the thought of a podium placing, but I could tell his breathing was getting ragged and he lasted for about 400m before fading back. I was trying to maintain enough pressure to make him work, but not wear myself out. Staredown was also back in sight, but he was a good 200m ahead of me by now, and catching him was going to require some work. I was still maintaining the same pace, and although it didn't feel good, I thought I could hold it for another mile and a half. When I reached mile 5 (5:59), I had cut the deficit in half. By now, I could tell that he was laboring as well. His stride was choppier than before, and he was carrying some tension in his shoulders. That was all the motivation I needed to just keep pounding. I don't think he realized I was catching up. Even when I was within 10m or so, I don't think he realized I was coming because of the crowds near the finish. I passed Staredown with about half a mile to go, on a curving right bend heading into Neponset Circle. I don't think he made an attempt to stay with me, but at this point, I was just focused on keeping a high cadence. I was feeling pretty lousy by now (see pic on left) and just wanted to get to the finish line. The finishing straight was mercifully short, but I felt like I was going to dry heave. I slowed briefly for a partial dry heave, and then made the last push to the finish line.

                      25th Annual Boston Firefighters 10k Road Race
PLC   Time  Pace  PLC/Group  PLC/Sex Bib#   Name                     Town, State  
1       35:39  5:45     Age?            1 M     753    Paul Hughes             Scituate,MA     
2       36:58  5:58     Age?            2 M     604    Wayne Chan            Brookline,MA    
3       37:04  5:59     Age?            3 M     509    Frederic Baillif        Saint Louis,UN      

Wow... I came in 2nd! I couldn't believe it. Even though I hadn't won the race, I was extremely happy with my effort today. Besides, 1st place was so far ahead of me that even if I had tried harder... I just wasn't in the same class as him. Although I

had gone out a little fast, I didn't panic when I fell into 4th place. I was confident in my training and I pushed through the pain. After being disappointed with my finishing fortitude at the BAA Half, I told myself during this race that I wasn't going to do that again. The only crtique I have is I think I could have gone out slower. This was the first time I stuck around for the awards ceremony... so cool to get a trophy. All in all a very satisfying day of racing.

Boston Firefighter 10K by the numbers:

Mile	Split	Lap	Avg. HR	Max HR	Average
1	5:37	5:36.9	173	180	5:36.9
2	11:35	5:58.6	177	179	5:47.8
3	17:41	6:05.3	176	179	5:53.6
4	23:54	6:13.2	177	179	5:58.5
5	29:53	5:59.2	180	183	5:58.6
6	35:46	5:53.0	183	184	5:57.7
6.2	36:58	1:11.8	184	185	5:57.7

This next week will be my last hard week of training before the marathon. It will be tough, but I think with the cut back, I should be able to handle it.

Plan for next week:
Mon: 6 miles EZ, core work
Tue: 10 miles including 2x2 miles at half-marathon pace
Wed: 6 miles EZ, core work
Thu: 10 miles @ marathon pace
Fri: off
Sat: 22 miles at a comfortable pace
Sun: 4 miles recovery run
Total: 59 miles

Driving the 3:40 Bus - Week of 10/8-14

This is now getting into the meaty part of my training program. When I was mapping out my training regimen, I was a little concerned about these back-to-back hard weeks encompassing the BAA Half and leading the 3:40 pace group at the Hartford Marathon. Primarily, I was balancing doing 26 miles on tired legs against doing it at a relatively easy pace. I'm happy to report that my legs recovered relatively quickly (thanks to a relaxing pool run), and I managed to get in a little quality work before the weekend festivities. Here how the week went.

Week in review: 10/8-14
Mon: AM - 30 min. pool run
Tue: AM - 5 miles @ 7:17, PM - 5 miles @ 7:30, 30 min. core work; both runs felt easy, but were actually faster than expected.
Wed: AM - 11 miles including 3x2000m @ 6:20, great morning track workout w/ Anuj
Thu: PM - 30 min. pool run, exhausted from intervals and basketball, so skipped the run
Fri: AM - 3.9 miles @ 8:28, rehearsal run for Hartford just to get a feel for an 8:23 mile
Sat: 27.2 miles - 1 mile w/u, then pacing for Hartford in 3:41:52, beautiful day for a marathon
Sun: 5.4 miles @ 8:14, legs stiff at first, but felt looser by the end.
Total: 56.7 miles

Overall, this was a strong week. I recovered relatively quickly, as the runs on Tuesday ended up being much quicker than expected. It's still hard for me to imagine that sub-7:30s are now a normal training pace for me. The track workout on Wednesday was solid. I wanted to get in a little speedwork, but nothing fast, so I compromised and did 2000s based on my half-marathon pace. It was also good to see my friend Anuj, who had suffered an injury that put his marathon training on hold, running smoothly again. I got a little ambitious and joined my friend for his corporate league game the same evening. As a result, I woke up on Thursday absolutely exhausted and decided a rest day was in the cards. In truth, I probably hadn't completely recovered from the half (its supposed to take at least 13 days), and the hard double Wednesday just pushed me over the edge. Lesson learned! Fortunately, I felt much fresher by Friday.

So you're probably wondering why anyone would volunteer to run a marathon for fun? Well, the seeds of inspiration were planted back in February at the Austin Marathon. If you read my blog entry, you'll see that the pacers played an instrumental role in my BQ (Boston Qualifying) effort. So, this was my way of paying it forward. Still...I had no idea what I was getting into. I also didn't have a good feel for a 8:23-8:24 because all my runs have either been faster than this, or much slower. Do I try to run even splits? What time should I shoot for, 3:40:00 or 3:40:30? These and other questions were eventually answered by the pace group organizer:

"For strategy, the safest bet is to aim for a steady pace throughout. This can be tricky, e.g. the foot traffic is slow at the start of the race, but it's simple to make gentle pace corrections over the duration of the race. Every mile of the course is clearly marked. Runners will ask you whether you're running at "gun time" or "chip time". I find it simplest to aim for 3:40 gun time, so that any discrepancies can only benefit the runner. During the last few miles, the runners in a pace group may grow tired and despair. For those trying for a Boston qualifier, it's handy to remind them that the BAA permits a cushion of 59 seconds over the stated qualifying time. So it's not a bad idea for the pace leader to slow the pace down a bit, in response to runners' pleas. This stratagem usually has the desired effect: the runners discover their second wind and speed up when the finish line approaches. And then you can finish right at 3:40 as advertised."

Armed with these pearls of wisdom, I was ready to lead my 3:40 flock to the promised land of qualifying for Boston. Overall, the course is pretty flat, but I didn't like the look of the hills over the last 6 miles. I didn't get as much as sleep as I would have liked Friday night, as I was helping a friend to prepare for his medical school interview. With an 8AM start and an hour and a half separating Boston and Hartford, I had to make sure I was out the door by 5:45. Ouch! I spent much of the second half of the drive trying to convince myself NOT to pull over and take a quick nap. The volunteer info was great and I was able to find a reasonably priced parking lot quickly. The next 30 minutes were really frenetic. It took me some time to find the convention center, then I saw the long line for number pick and decided to cut by telling a volunteer that I was a pacer and I needed to get my number ASAP. Then, it was a mad dash to the bathroom and on to the start area in Bushnell Park. I was well warmed up by now. When I arrived in the park, there were no signs for baggage check, so it took another 15 minutes before someone pointed me in the direction of the line of UPS trucks. Duh... why didn't I notice them. Finally, I was ready to run (whew!), and I tucked myself between the 3:35 and 3:45 pacers and introduced myself. Even now, I'm still surprised by the look of relief on the faces of runners when I arrived.

It was an absolutely perfect day for a marathon: partly sunny in the high-40s and almost no wind. Prior to the start, I met Rick, who had an interesting story of his own. Chicago was his first marathon, but due to the now infamous debacle, he called it a day at mile 13 and a couple days later, found that he liked the weather forecast for Hartford and signed up. The only other face I had a name for was Dean, who was running in his 20th marathon, 9th of the year! He clearly had a better idea what he was doing than I. I told my group that I was going to shoot for an even pace.. and then we were off! Its amazing even though it was a low key run for me, I still felt the excitement and anticipation as the gun went off.

It was really neat to hear the banter in the group over the early miles. Everyone looked excited, but comfortable through the 1st couple miles. There were the predictable pointed questions, born from uncertainty, like "how many marathons have you done?" and "what's your PR?" Most seemed satisifed with my answers (5 and 3:09.) There was a bizarre moment, shortly after mile 2, during which the 3:45 pace group passed us. This caused some strange looks and a couple concerned comments. I reassured the group that he was running on gun time... and sure enough we passed the group again at mile 5. The first 3-4 miles were a little erratic, but I quickly found my rhythm and we were more consistent from mile 5-12. This section of the course took us through the beautiful suburb of South Windsor. There were plenty of spectators enjoying their breakfast on the lawns. I tried to be conversational early on, but found that when I shifted focus, I also tended to slow down. This happened most dramatically at mile 13, when I ran what was probably the slowest split of the day (8:41), not including the 1st mile and a couple splits where I missed the mile marker. We passed the half marathon point just a shade over 1:50.

I deliberately picked it up over the next mile and hit this split in 7:50. This was probably my most serious mistake of the day, even though it was a mostly downhill mile. I think I may have a lost a couple of my charges over this mile. After this snafu, I mostly kept my mouth shut except to offer time updates and encouragement at the mile markers. I still had a sizeable group at this point, I'd say between 15-20 people. However, the attrition was slow and steady between mile 15 and 20. It mostly occurred at fluid stops, during which runners would slow and then have difficulty catching up. I felt discouraged for the runners. The biggest drop off was probably from before mile 20 until 21. There was long and steady incline up to the Route 2 bridge back into downtown Hartford, and the runners also had to battle a headwind on the bridge. By this point, it was down to Rick and Dean, and I was committed to getting them to the finish line.

These two guys were putting in a herculean effort in spite of the rolling hills at the finish. There also wasn't much crowd support at this point, as the route was taking us through the beautiful (but empty) Riverside Park. I tried my best to slow at the fluid stations, but ultimately, they fell off pace around mile 24. Another runner actually caught up to me at this point, and I told him we were still on pace. I said that if we got to mile 25 at 3:30, then 3:40 would be well in range. Little did I know that there was yet another long hill leading up to mile 25. This last runner was remarkably strong going up the hill, and I sent him off shortly after mile 25 because he was looking to go sub-3:40. At this point, I was alone and in a dilemma: should I hold my pace to the finish line and cross alone, or toss the pace and help some to finish? I searched in vain for someone to help across the finish line (maybe a woman in range of a BQ). When that didn't happen for the next half mile, I decided to wait for Dean or Rick. I spotted Rick with about a half mile left. He was struggling a bit, so I paced him to the finish line.

Overall, I had a great time pacing. The hardest part was mentally dealing with the attrition. I feel like I really only helped 2 people achieve their time goal. One of them looked very strong at mile 20 and probably could have done it on her own. So, I didn't make my designated time, even though it was perfectly doable. At first, when I crossed the finish line, I thought I had made some rooking pacing mistakes. But, I stuck around to wait for the 3:45 pacer and he crossed solo as well. Was this just a function of the very tough finish? I felt like the course was very unforgiving over the last 5 miles, and not as flat as advertised. I wonder if the course organizers have ever considered reversing the course to get the hilly stuff out of the way at the outset.

Here are the numbers:

Mile	Split	Lap	Avg. HR	Max HR		Average
1	8:54	8:53.5	143	157		8:53.5
2	16:47	7:53.1	143	154		8:23.3
3	24:56	8:09.4	142	150		8:18.7
4	33:20	8:23.6	139	145		8:19.9
5	42:02	8:42.1	136	141		8:24.3
6	50:29	8:27.2	140	147		8:24.8
7	58:50	8:21.5	138	147		8:24.3
8	1:07:08	8:17.2	138	146		8:23.5
9	1:15:31	8:23.6	138	144		8:23.5
10	1:23:47	8:15.8	145	160		8:22.7
11	1:32:19	8:31.8	141	145		8:23.5
12	1:40:40	8:21.0	141	145		8:23.3
13	1:49:20	8:40.6	143	147		8:24.6
14	1:57:10	7:49.5	145	148		8:22.1
15	2:05:41	8:30.8	141	146		8:22.7
16	2:13:58	8:17.3	146	149		8:22.4
17	2:22:31	8:33.3	144	149		8:23.0
18	2:30:51	8:19.2	148	152		8:22.8
19	2:39:53	9:02.5	145	152	long	8:24.9
20	2:47:45	7:52.3	148	156		8:23.3
21	2:56:00	8:14.9	148	155		8:22.9
22	3:04:49	8:48.6	145	150	long	8:24.0
23	3:13:14	8:25.3	144	148		8:24.1
24	3:21:52	8:37.7	147	158	long	8:24.7
25	3:30:03	8:11.4	150	156		8:24.1
26	3:40:09	10:05.4	146	157		8:28.0
26.2	3:41:57	1:48.4	149	151		8:28.3

I'm looking forward to a well deserved cut back week. I'm considering doing the Boston Firefighter 10K next weekend. One of my goals this year has been to race to win, and I think last year's results indicate this race is winnable. We'll see.... off to recover!

Plan for Week of 10/15-21:
Mon: pool run and core work
Tue: 10 miles including intervals
Wed: pool run and core
Thu: 11-12 miles, medium long run
Fri: off
Sat: 6 miles easy run
Sun: 10 miles including Boston Firefighter 10K
Total: 38-39 miles

BAA Half Marathon Race Report 10/7/07

This race will always hold a special place in my heart. Back in 2005, I used this race to kick-off my resurrected running career. Prior to that, I had never raced anything longer than a 10K and hadn't done a run longer than 12 miles. With a 2 year retrospective, its amazing to see the progress I've made as a runner. The course runs through the picturesque Emerald Necklace. With the exception of the Boston Marathon, this is the only race I consider having a home field advantage. It is by no means a flat route, but I love the fact that the second half is mostly downhill. Here's my log entry from two years ago:

Sunday, Oct 9, 2005 Temp: 60	Running Race > Edit or delete	BAA Half Marathon 13.10 miles 1:31:50 (7:00/mile)	Weight: 165 Saucony Fastwitch 2005 (24.4 miles)
	Breakfast: oatmeal at 6:15AM, with 16oz gatorade 7:30 - FRS plus 7:45 - gel packet splits: 7:45, 7:00, 7:00, 7:15, 7:15, 7:05, 6:40, 7:00, 7:00, 7:00, 7:00, 7:00, 6:17 stops: water (2, 4, 6, 8, 10), pee break at mile 3, gel at mile 8. bad burps most of the way until mile 8. GI cramps from mile 7 to mile 9.

Its too bad I wasn't more descriptive back then. I distinctively remember regretting eating so much for breakfast and battling bad stomach cramps until mile 9. I was probably worried about running out of gas. Regardless, I didn't start getting comfortable until after mile 9. Anyway, fun to reminisce.

After a very difficult last week of training, things seemed to fall in place this week. I could tell after Monday's run that my body had finally recovered from the relative torture of the previous two weeks. Tuesday track session was a more relaxed affair; instead of hammering the 1200s, I did these at slightly slower than 10K pace. Then, I enjoyed a very relaxing cool-down with my BAA teammates. Wednesday morning, I joined the Flash Bus for a medium long run through the Emerald Necklace. Along with new BAA teammate Nick O'Malley, we followed Josh through some gorgeous trails in the Arboretum. It's always a joy to find undiscovered paths in familiar places. I was the least talented of the trio by far, but I kept a good tempo throughout the run, pulled along by the company. After this reasonably hard effort, I took two days off as a mini-taper for the half. Saturday was unseasonably warm and humid. I met up with my friend Chris, and along with my wife, we did a comfortable jog down to the Clemente stadium to pick up our numbers. I was praying that tomorrow's weather would be more cooperative.

My last real race was the Yankee Homecoming 10 Miler, so I wasn't sure what I kind of shape I was in. Last week's difficulties were also a monkey wrench. Even so, I settled on 3 goals. At a minimum, I wanted to better my PR of 1:26:54 from New Bedford earlier this year. According to most running calculators, in order to reach my goal of a sub-3:00 marathon, I need to be in sub-1:25 shape. In the back of mind, I've always wanted to run the New York City Marathon and fortunately, they have a qualifying standard time for the half marathon of 1:23:00. This translates to a 6:20 pace (which seems ridiculously fast), and so my plan was to lock in on this pace and see how long I could hold it. If I slowed in the end, the downhills would at least pull me into a sub-1:25. My RTB relay teammate Ramses also had a similar goal, but I have a tendency to go out too fast and fade slightly at the end, so we decided not to pace together.

At the start, I deliberately held back so that I wouldn't go out to hard. At the Run to Remember, I was dragged out to an opening mile of 6:07 and really paid for it later. After the opening scrum, I keyed off of teammate Patrick Stumbras (see left) to make sure I stayed conservative. The 1st 3 miles went off without a hitch, and I was averaging about a 6:18 mile. I don't know what happened at mile 4, but for some reason I dropped a 6:11 split, which was way too fast. However, I knew with the big hill leading into Franklin Park looming at mile 5, that the course would naturally reign me back in. Mile 5 turned out to be ridiculously slow (6:52), but not completely unexpected. In the process, I also managed to reel in Patrick. The light mist left this section of pavement damp, making traction a bit dicey. As I made the right turn into the zoo, I started noticing that my legs just didn't feel right, and the dirt path section was a struggle. I began to wonder if I had put too much in the 1st half of the race. Sure enough, as I came back out of the zoo, Pat came by, and passed me shortly after the beginning of the descent.

Mile 7 was quick (5:57) and I was back on pace. I got a little boost at the roundabout heading out of Franklin Park as I heard my wife, Christina, cheering like crazy as she headed into the Park. Meanwhile, I was still trying to keep Pat in my sights. I was still on pace at mile 8 (6:17), but the effort was beginning to take its toll. Mile 8-11 was a blur. I remember losing focus and just coasting, but I don't know how it happened. I wasn't really getting passed by people, but my rhythm was getting disrupted by the rolling hills bordering Jamaica Pond. My HR data suggests that I was just slowing down because my HR dropped about 4-5 bpm. By mile 11 (6:25), although I didn't realize it at the time, I was behind 1:23 pace. Fortunately for me, I was rescued by Ramses, who passed me just before mile 11 and said, "C'mon buddy!" as he ran by. I awoke from my running stupor and found another gear to hang with him for the next mile. I ended up running the fastest split (6:04) of the day (excluding the mostly downhill mile 7) and was back on pace. Ramses continued to push the pace, but I started to drop back. The only thing keeping me going over the last mile was what a bummer it would be if he made the qualifying standard, and I missed it by a couple seconds. So I put my head down and just grinded out the last mile (6:17). It wasn't pretty, but it did the trick. I had energy left for a surge at the end and managed to cross in 1:22:46 - 14 seconds to spare. More from the results page, if you're interested. Here's the numerical story:

Mile	Split	Lap	Avg. HR	Max HR
1	6:15	6:14.7	167	170
2	12:27	6:12.0	171	174
3	18:53	6:26.6	173	175
4	25:04	6:10.9	172	175
5	31:56	6:52.0	171	175
6	38:24	6:27.8	173	175
7	44:21	5:57.4	169	172
8	50:39	6:17.4	166	171
9	57:07	6:27.7	166	169
10	1:03:26	6:19.5	164	168
11	1:09:51	6:25.1	165	170
12	1:15:55	6:04.3	168	170
13	1:22:12	6:16.8	165	168
13.1	1:22:46	0:34.3	171	173
Total	1:22:46	6:19.1	169	175

Although I was elated that I had made the qualifying standard for New York, I was disappointed with my race strategy. It was very likely that I had expended too much energy between miles 3-6, and I paid for it from miles 8-11. I also wonder if a taper would have give me a bit more pop at the end. But, since this wasn't the goal race of the season, a two day taper was all I could afford. I'm also not happy with the lack of mental fortitude over those dead miles. If it wasn't for a little encouragement from Ramses, I don't think I would have run a sub-1:23. In fact, if mile 12 had been a 6:19, I would have crossed the line at 1:23:01. So credit goes to Ramses for dragging me to the finish line!

Here's my week summarized:
Mon: 6.5 miles @ 7:59, beautiful morning run down in North Falmouth
Tue: 11 miles - 2.6m w/u, 5x1200m @ 6:06 pace w/ BAA, 4.5 mile cool-down
Wed: 12.9 miles @ 7:16, nice run along Emerald Necklace trails
Thu: off
Fri: off
Sat: 4 miles @ 8:23, easy run to pick up BAA Half number
Sun: 17 miles - 2m w/u, BAA Half in 1:22:46 (6:19), 2m c/d
Total: 52.2 miles

I have an exciting week coming as I will be making my maiden voyage as a marathon pace group leader at the Hartford Marathon. Wish me luck!

Plan for next week 10/8-14
Mon: 30 min. pool run
Tue: AM - 5 miles recovery, PM - 5 miles recovery & core work
Wed: AM - 11 miles including 3x2000m @ 6:20, PM - basketball
Thu: 5-6 miles easy
Fri: 4 miles, try to lock in on 8:23 pace
Sat: 26.2 miles, leading 3:40 pace group at the Hartford Marathon
Sun: 5-6 mile recovery run
Total: 57-59 miles

September Weekly Mileage!

Here's my September mileage in review:

Weekly Distance Totals (miles) Aug 27, 2007, to Sep 30, 2007 Printer-friendly graph Sport: Running Workout: all Route: all
Week of	36.4 |	43.4 |	50.4 |	57.4 |	64.4 |	71.4 |
Aug 27, 2007	51.40
Sep 3, 2007	61.30
Sep 10, 2007	58.59
Sep 17, 2007	36.40
Sep 24, 2007	61.63

As a result, I have set a new record for monthly mileage. The comparison between September and May is striking.

Monthly Distance Totals (miles) Apr 1, 2007, to Oct 31, 2007 Printer-friendly graph Sport: Running Workout: all Route: all
Month	134.83 |	160.83 |	186.83 |	212.83 |	238.83 |	264.83 |
Apr, 2007	148.65
May, 2007	134.83
Jun, 2007	152.13
Jul, 2007	207.24
Aug, 2007	223.12
Sep, 2007	236.12