Training 11/1-7 (planned race week)

11/1- After a 15 miler @ sub-8 the day before, my legs actually felt fresher today than yesterday. I did make a minor tweak with my formula. Today was supposed to be an easy 10 but I felt so good that I took it out at 7:37 (3:20 marathon pace). The last half was a bit of a struggle but I held my own. 9 of 10 miles were 8:00 or less (mile 9 was net uphill). 1st half- 38:26, 2nd half- 39:47 (more hills). Overall time was 78:13 (7:49 pace). Am I surprised by this performance today? Yes, I am. This is the 10th straight day of running and all have been sub-8 pace. That streak will end tomorrow as I plan to go very slow regardless of how I feel. The Fall back was nice this morning but it will suck in evening when it's already dark when I get off work. I may do some morning runs more often.
Grade:A-/2 credits/distance=10.0

11/2- AM daylight run at Veteran's Park. 4 mile recovery jog almost ASAP (as slowly as possible) Should have gone Garmin free but I ran it just under 35 minutes (8:45 pace). For a recovery jog, that's acceptable. Pace was even but I was VERY tired. I don't think it is anything more serious than natural fatigue. I hope that my body will respond almost as if this was a rest day so I'll be ready to roll tomorrow evening.
Grade:C+/1 credit/distance=4.0

11/3-Interesting day. Bizzare dreams probably due to overtraining. I dreamed that my teeth were rotting and falling out and for some reason I was stranded in south Louisiana and ran into some "interesting characters." Woke up still fatigued but by the afternoon, I was ready to run. Speed day today and Johnny wanted me to keep my speed sharp for race day on Saturday. Workout was 8x400 averaging 73-74 (4:55 pace). Range was 71-76. I'm pleased with this workout. The only downer was that my final 400 was only 72 (it's often 67 or below) but that probably indicates a better workout. I feel pleasantly tired, not exhausted. Long cool down.
Grade:A-/2 credits/distance=5.0

11/4- Tempo. Trak Shak 5 @ 7:11. Fortunately, I ran with 2 others so I wasn't alone in the dark. Legs were sore but the rest of my body doesn't feel too beat up. Very easy 3 on the 'mill when I got home. Solid.
Grade:B+/2 credits/distance=8.0

11/5- After 13 straight days of running, back to back quality days and a race in 2 days, it would be dumb to run today. Well deserved day of rest.

11/6- Dreamed about computers and being a victim of identity theft. Why the weird dreams after a rest or recovery day? Elective rest day. Traffic jam on the interstate after packet pick up. It won't make a difference either way.

11/7- Vulcan 10K in 41:43 (6:42 pace). PR. Long cool down.
Grade:A/4 credits/distance=9.5

Weekly summary:
I did not hit my mileage target but that's okay. The missing 3.5 would have been junk anyway. Very pleased with my workouts this week. High mileage until Thanksgiving then my final race of '09 will be a half marathon in December and I have 2 options. Barring bad weather, I will run Baton Rouge (I know it's not a good marathon but since it caters to halfers, I should be okay). If the weather is bad that weekend, I'll run Pt. Clear in South Alabama the following week. If that falls through, my last option chance is Jacksonville. I had my wallet and clothes stolen at a beach there 3 years ago so hopefully, it won't come to that.
Distance=36.5/ GPA= 39.7/11= 3.61