jpn running : PEAK WEEK! 4 Weeks to Philly (Oct 27-Nov 2)

Planned miles: 48

Actual miles: 64
Planned long run: 22
Actual long run: 23.3
Accumulated pace for the week: 8:13

Links to key runs: 5-4-3-2-1 Long Run; 9 x 800 w/ warmup and cool-down; BC Rez Run

Knowing this was meant to be my peak week, there was no way I was going to back off the 54 miles I did last week and only do the planned 48!

(click to enlarge)

MONDAY: After a rest day the previous Saturday, and a light run after getting back from the wedding, I was primed for a week with some front-loaded miles, so on Monday I ran a double for the second week in a row. Started light with a flat run along the Charles at work, and then a 7 mile Milton hills loop in the evening, no problems there, but I kept both runs in the mid-low 8's for a pace.

TUESDAY was Yasso 9x800's, but I was on my own this week with no company to push me. I ran at the Brookline track on my way home from work, starting around 5pm in decent weather, not too windy, not too chilly at all. I knew I wanted to replicate last week's track workout that turned into a 12 mile run with plenty of easy warm-up and cool-down. Ran 2 miles of warmup close to 8:45 min miles, and 3 miles of cooldown close to 9 min miles. For my 800's, I didn't crack 3:10 during the first 5, but managed the last 4 just fast enough to get the total average down to 3:10, but wasn't able to crack 3:00 in my fastest, so this was a bit slower than the 7x and 8x sessions of past weeks. Knowing what still laid ahead of me in the week for miles, I was not disappointed with this result. 2 days down and 24 miles in the bank!

WEDNESDAY was a scheduled off day (every week in this training schedule has 2 off days) but the weather was a perfect warm fall day, so I went out on a easy 8 min/mile run with people from work. I can't stress how much nicer it is running with other people! The pace is always easier, and and the runs fly by. Also, I'm glad I got out to enjoy the nice weather early in the week, given what was headed our way by the weekend...

THURSDAY was more nice weather, so I decided to mix it up a bit and, instead of running along the pancake flat Charles River path, I decided to run up the hill to the Chestnut Hill Reservoir at BC. This was a place of LOTS of running for me in college, and beyond! I remember that also being my regular run destination when I lived in JP after college and was training for my second marathon...and I haven't run that way in the 14 years since. Thankfully in that time, they've taken down the perimeter fence so that you can run right along the water, and it's fantastic. The hills getting up there are a nice climb, and then headed back to work you can't help but zip down the hill in sub 7's. Average for that little 5 miler was 7:42, so my legs were feeling at least somewhat snappy.

FRIDAY (Halloween) was a 5-6 mile recovery pace day in the Milton hills

A brief pause to talk about hills...I'm not doing nearly enough hill work. My "hill" days almost never involve more than 300 feet of elevation climb, and that really is a function of the topography where I live and work. Certainly, this is something for me to improve in the coming months.

SATURDAY brings us to the long run. I accidentally stumbled upon a nice regiment over the three peak long runs...doing last week's long run on a Friday, this week's long run on a Saturday, and next week's long run on a Sunday, thereby giving myself one extra recover day each week. Smart, right?

Well, I wish I had done my long run on Friday when it was dry and chilly, because Sat in the mid-morning, everything went down the drain...

So, yeah..not a very fun day for a 23 mile run. (I felt less bad about it after watching the NYC marathon the following day, in equally bad wind, running into the headwind for 22 miles straight. OUCH.) There were segments of the run where I was simply swearing loudly (yelling) at the wind and also, there was a 5-6 inch puddle connecting the two loops that you couldn't run around, so I ran right through it. Oddly, it actually felt somewhat refreshing for me feet! But there was so much rain, it was one of those days it is pointless to try and run around/avoid puddles. Better off just accepting wet feet and trucking right through them.

As you can see in the link at the top, I did more loops in PJP park. I drove over to the covered benches in the park that AM and dropped off a bag with 3 small bottles of water and 2 small water bottles filled with gatorade, as well as 2 packets of jelly belly sport beans, and 3 powergel packets (that someone turned into 2 powergel packets...not sure how that happened.) 3 miles of warm up (9:15, 8:45, 8:30) and then I ran the 5-4-3-2-1 workout. 5 miles and marathon pace, 1 mile rest, 4 miles marathon pace, 1 mile rest, 3 miles marathon pace, 1 mile rest, 2 miles HALF marathon pace, 1 mile rest, 1 mile HALF marathon pace. The 5 and 4 mile segments I could hold 7:40 pace, close enough to marathon pace, but the 3-2-1 parts didn't go to plan. I was fighting the winds for long sections and finally decided to do my recovery mile straight into the wind north of the park, giving me an extra half mile with a (mostly) tail wind when I kicked off my fast section. But, really, I could hardly get back below 8:30. Also, for some reason the entire last 30-40 minutes of the run, all I could think about was a) demolishing a million tiny snickers bars from the kids candy stash and b) a tuna fish on toast sandwich.

So, by the end of Saturday's long run (which, at 8:22 minute mile average with 8 miles at slow-ish pace, isn't THAT bad...right?) I was COOKED. Laid low on Sunday, no running, but watched everyone struggle through the NYC Marathon wind. Poor Kara Goucher...touching moment with her son at the finish line. She was in tears, and the little guy in her arms, prob 2-3 years old, leans up to his mom's face and gives her a kiss on the teary cheek and tells her not to cry. Marathoning can really tear you down sometimes...all that training, and everything else that comes with it, and BAM...mother nature lays down heat or wind or snow or whatever...definitely made me start considering all the options I could be facing in late November in Philly.

The plan for the next 3 weeks until the race: 40+ miles this week with as many hills as I can find and an 16-18 mile long run at sub-8 pace with my final yasso 10x800. That will be followed by 2 weeks of taper, probably not doing anything longer than 8 miles at one week prior to the race.