I think I started the second one around 38:55, then finish just after 42:00, so probably a between 3:00 and 3:15. But that one was run mostly uphill.

Just tell me where and when.

It would appear that you ran another marathon today, Perry. Edit: I read your workout and you gave a pretty detailed synopsis, so now I know most of the race details! I'd say you ran very well for pacing with another person. How do you feel after this one?

Joe, I felt good yesterday. Today my feet hurt. But I usually get sore feet -- all that pounding I guess....

Yeah, I actually tried logstalking back through your recent workouts yesterday, and there aren't many comments to read....

Life got in the way of running last week, so I only got in about 25. This included the 10K last Sunday, the interval workout Wednesday, a 10 mile run on Saturday, and I believe one easier run. I’m happy to say that what I lacked in quantity was made up for in quality. Unfortunately, life will once again be an issue this week, potentially limiting me to three days of running! I have a mid-term to study for tonight, and Saturday will be jammed packed with other activities. I think I’ll be lucky to get my treadmill tempo in on Tuesday, and interval workout on Wednesday or Thursday and then my long run Friday night. I may get close to 25 miles in between those three days, though. I’m going to run through a practice mid-term at lunch today. If I feel comfortable enough with everything, I’ll likely blow off studying tonight in favor of an easy run followed by some hill repeats. If not, hopefully I can squeeze in an easy run on either Wednesday or Thursday just so I don’t end up taking four days off this week. Alden – 18 miles is very strong. I assume by “today” you mean Sunday? Very good weather for running. I made it outside only to get a haircut and to walk Molly, unfortunately. What is your peak run going to be in your training? Will you stop at 20 miles, or may 22?

Perry: did you decide to run the National Marathon at the spur of the moment? If you wanted to go for three marathons in a month, Boston is in a couple weeks! Alden: I assume you're in training for that Frederick marathon in May. Rick: I'd say three solid runs and an easy run in one week hardly constitutes a lack of quantity. Joe: how long is "super long"? Yesterday I returned to the Three Notch Bike Path, where hikers, dog walkers, and slow bicyclists congregated in mass numbers on account of the merry March weather. My scheme was to run two miles out and back on the trail twice, running the first trip at a steady rate and the second at sub-7:00/mi tempo pace --- thus amassing eight fine miles. There were points where I looked up ahead along the straight, flat trail and could literally see obstructions, er, people crowding the trail all the way to the horizon. Small children on bikes weaving from one side of the lane to the other; dogs on retractable leashes, ready to pounce at a moment's notice; parents pushing massive trail strollers ... sometimes two walking parties would converge and stop to shoot the breeze in the midst of the trail, forming a virtually impenetrable wall of bodies across the pavement. They irked me, and I like Perry's suggestion of outfitting myself with a locomotive's cowcatcher. Pedestrian pests aside, I returned to the library in 32:40 (8:10/mi) and, with nary a pause, I hit the LAP button and charged back down the trail. I kept the pace well under 7:00/mi from mile four to mile five, but then realized I would soon lose steam if I kept up that blistering rate of running. So from mile five to mile six I slackened the pace, running more like 7:15-7:45/mi. Upon making the final U-turn at mile six, however, I started racing. To achieve a sub-7:00/mi pace for the second half of the workout, I knew that I'd have to run the final four in under 28:00. Therefore, since the first half was done in 32:40, the time to beat for the overall run was 1:00:40. I soon caught sight of another runner a good ways up ahead, and --- as he seemed to be doing a brisk tempo run himself --- I endeavored to catch him. It took about a mile to do so. When I finally pulled up alongside him and began passing, I kept quiet, as I know how embarrassed I'd be if someone did that to me on a recreational trail. Yet he was soon far behind me as I began pushing harder in the final mile, occasionally dipping into sub-6:00/mi territory. And though I longed to finish eight miles in under an hour, I just missed it with 1:00:03 --- indicating a second half time of 27:23 (6:51/mi) and an overall average pace of 7:30/mi. I originally intended to do tempo-split-short-long-run workouts like this three weekends in a row --- progressing from eight miles (4 moderate/4 hard) to 10 miles (5 mod/5 hard) to 12 miles (6 mod/6 hard) --- but after yesterday I realized that that would wear me the hell out. Thus this weekend I'll just do a basic long run as a sort of "endurance refresher." I haven't decided what the distance will be, but I'm thinking 14 at the least and 18 at the most. And then next week I'll aim for a sub-7:00/mi five-mile tempo with just a short, easy warm up beforehand.

DR, my vague plan is to run SMRSP twice, so 15 miles that first weekend in April. Maybe you could do a 7.5/7.5 mile run that day and run the first half with me! Phil and I started SMRSP at noon this Sunday and it wasn't too crowded, but it was jam-packed when we finished. During the last mile of the trail, we passed numerous people entering the trail. That's definitely motivation to show up early to trails on days that may turn out to have great weather.