I feel better off 5 weeks of training than I think I've felt since Omaha HM in March.  No big goals for next weekend, just hoping for good weather and I'll go out there and enjoy it.

Sometimes this is when the best things happen.

Ch17 Welcome! Three grand a year is impressive!

Mikkey That pup is adorable!

My Week                                                       Time:           Miles:      Kilos:        Pace/mi:      Pace/kilo:

10/24: Easy 7 twice, first                              55:35             7                11.2          7:57               4:57

one had some hill reps in it                          52:27             7                11.2          7:30               4:40

Leg strength work later

10/25: Easy 8 + upper body

and core                                                       1:06:00          8                12.9          8:15               5:08

10/26: 2 miles for both w/u

and c/d, cutdown on the track,

3 mi, 2mi, 1mi, 4min rest, 2min

rest respectively

Splits: 18:10, 12:08, 5:58                             1:09:39          10               16.1          6:58              4:20

10/27: Easy 9.5                                            1:14:10          9.5              15.3          7:49              4:52

10/28: Easy 6.5                                              52:13           6.5              10.4          8:02              5:00

10/29: 20 mile steady/hard

long run.                                                        2:19:21          20              32.2          6:59              4:20

10/20: Recovery 5                                          42:58             5                 8             8:36              5:22

Total: 73 miles, 117.5 kilometers, 9:12:23

Remark 1: As of today, I am at 301 miles for October and 2,001 miles for the year. I have never hit 300 in a month so that's a PR.

Remark 2: (For JMac) The workout on Wednesday felt great and controlled but I intentionally left some in the tank.

Remark 3: For the LR, I didn't check my watch until mile 14, so I was in fact going by feel. I knew I was going a decent pace but not under 7 minute pace, but I felt good at that pace so I kept it. That's by far a 20 mile training run PR. This was the one month out LR, so I made it my hardest one.

Christine - Welcome!  darkwave is a legend round these parts.  I'm sure you'll also fit in nicely.  And also, beer is the best.

Mark - I agree with Dave, I think this could be a very good race for you.  5 weeks out from Southern Lakes I was in bed with Covid and quite sick.  I went into that feeling better and hoping for the best but without huge expectations.

Flavio - I hate that extra anxiety leading into a race.  Hope it comes right.

mmerkle - Really good week.  That workout sounds like the perfect level of fatigue and your approach in the long run also sounds great.  I think your next marathon (in 4 weeks?) is looking good.

Ian - Nice week, your recovery has been impressively fast.

me - I completed my 4 week marathon recovery this week - the plan was 3-4 weeks depending how it went, and obviously we went with 4 since it was a disaster.  My 4 weeks post race have been:

25, 41, 56, 65 (Kms)

16, 26, 35, 41 (Miles)

I've felt a few minor niggles in my left quad, hammy and calf in the last couple of weeks but nothing major.  I'll head into 2 slightly bigger weeks with some workouts before heading into Queenstown.  Nothing too strenuous though, I'm just looking for sub 1:35 on a course that isn't fast and has nailed me before - my best time there is 1:35.11 which was a big positive split (on track for 1:30 at halfway).  I'm much fitter now but not trained for a trail half so if I go out at 1:35 pace I should have a much more enjoyable race and may even be able to lift it a bit towards the end.

Weekly for period: From: 24/10/2022 To 30/10/2022

Total distance: 65.51km (40.72mi)

Steve - flattery will get you everywhere.

DavePNW - I'm sorry about the hammy - at least it was after the half and not before.

Flavio - very sorry about the piriformis - that one is a b1tch (of course, the hamstring is also)

Mikkey- I also love the pup!  Adorable!

Merkle - things are looking good!

Ian - nice week!

My week:

50 miles running, 3 hours pool-running, and 500 yards swimming.

M: 90 minutes pool-running.
T: 10 mile run-commute (10:24) (with 10 pound backpack)
W: 10 miles, including 9 Iwo Jima Hill repeats (2:00 up a 2% incline, 90 second jog, 40 second downhill stride, 1:00 jog), followed with leg strengthwork (meant to do 8 repeats, but miscounted).
Th: 90 minutes pool-running and streaming yoga
F: upper body weights/core and 10 mile run-commute (10:18) (with 10 pound backpack)
Sa: 11 miles, including a workout of 3x10 second hill sprints, 2x1600m at tempo effort; 6x0:30 hills; 2x1600m at tempo effort. Splits for the 1600s were 7:07, 7:02, 6:55, and 6:51; 2:0x-2:5x recovery after each hill section or 1600. Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 yards recovery swimming.
Su: 5 miles jog to Marine Corps Marathon finish area (10:03), cheer at finish, DIY yoga at nearby gym, jog 4 miles home (10:02)

Still reintroducing faster running, with hills that transition to a hybrid hills/track workout.  I also had to go into the office a lot this week, so I ran-commute twice, with a backpack containing laptop/clothes/towel/shampoo/soap/phones (I take the train home after).  There are two nice things about run-commuting - a) I get some beautiful views after the sun rises (the first 3 miles in the dark are hard, even with a lamp) b) running the day after, with no backpack, feels amazing.  I feel that running with the backpack (which challenges my balance) is actually helping my gait issues some.

Dave- nice week.  Hope the hammy resolves quickly.

Flavio- Piriformis was what I suspected with what felt like a back issue before Boston.  Real low almost top of the leg.  Maybe I misidentified mine.  It resolved in a couple weeks.  Hope yours does soon.

DW another very solid week.  My hills are normally 20-30 second sprints.  This week I did 7 @ 2 min and it HURT!  I thought  the sprints were tough but 2 min at 6% was enough for me right now.

MMerk- Excellent week and very strong LR. Keep the momentum up.

Steve- Back at it  Have fun with the half. 

My week:

I know, right? I've occasionally considered switching to Mon-Sun. But I always have a weekly mileage goal, and my LRs are usually Sunday, and I don't want to leave finishing up my week's goal to the very last day, and so here I am, Sun-Sat. BTW, I'm not compulsive at all.

 

Heathen! 
It’s funny, I know Euro calendars are Mon-Sun in general (except, according to Wikipedia, Portugal—Flavio, can you confirm?). However American calendars are always Sun-Sat, except our running calendars are usually Mon-Sun. I’m not sure why.

Merkle - that long run should indicate 2:4X, so I hope you didn't leave your race in training. 2:54 should be very easy.

Fishy - not enough Daniels letters in there!

Darkwave - I've been run commuting a lot this year and I refuse to wear a backpack, it just seems so clunky! Then again I'm lucky that I have a gym at work with lockers where I can store all of that stuff.

Flavio - give me the official details of the race and goal again and I'll throw it up on the big board, didn't know it was this big of a race!

Well, NYCM is looking like a disaster weather-wise. Since I started running this race in 2015, the weather has been good, very good, or perfect every year. Most years you get high temps in the upper 50s. One year I ran it, it was low 60s, but a light drizzle all race kept you cool. Some years  you even get a start in the upper 40s, glorious. Mind you the average high temp of this year is around 57 so it makes sense, and there's very little variability. It's one of the biggest attraction points, very similar to Berlin in terms of the consistency of the weather.

Not this year. 71 degrees is the current high temp forecast with dew points around 60 too. Start temperature for wave 1 is supposed to be 66 degrees. I think I could have dealt with a race in the upper 60s if we got one of those super dry, 30 degree dew point days. This is not that. I'll figure out my goal as I get closer, but I think going out at 2:39:59 pace would be suicidal for me. Right now it does look cloudy. I can probably be okay if it stays cloudy. but upper 60s and sunny/humid is exactly what 2019 Boston was, and that was the race where I almost quit running for good. It's been cooler around here lately as well so I've lost my heat adaptation. Probably not as bad as running a hot spring race, but still not good.

At least I was never going for a PR. I would have been much more upset if that were the case. Now I just literally laugh out loud each time I check the weather app. Will probably have to decide exact pacing the morning of with the forecast, but I think sub 2:45 for a course PR would be good at this point if the weather forecast stays the same.

Keen- Killin' it!!

JMac-  Sorry to hear about the weather. Not at all what you hope for in November! I'm making a concerted effort to reduce both volume and intensity before Philly.  I think the Daniels stuff worked well for me before it didn't.  When I looked back at some of my best races they usually came after a pretty decent taper. Hard to know if it was the taper or age (I was 6-7 years younger) but I plan on finding out

CH- I was Sun-Sat before I caved into the peer pressure here and switched. It was great to see that 20 at the beginning of the week!