Monday, October 22, 2012

Training 10/22-10/28

10/22- Another strong MLR on Lakeshore.  10 miles in 73:48 (7:23 pace).  Very similar to last week's effort.  Pace was very even (36:57-36:51) with 9 out of 10 miles below 7:30.  However, this one was just a bit more taxing than last week.  I will NOT try to run intervals tomorrow.  Easy for the next 2 days.  Added a 1/2 mile warm and cool.
Grade:A-/2 credits/distance=11.0

10/23- Easy 6 indoors in 45 flat (7:30 pace).  Solid performance but nothing special.  Rather forgettable in fact but it gets the job done.
Grade:B+/1 credit/distance=6.5

10/24- Trak Shak 5.5 in 40:20 (7:20 pace) plus a full mile cool.  Strong performance but once again, it's obvious that the foot will not be completely pain free by race day.  I'll be racing Vulcan slightly banged up.  Hopefully, the taper will help.
Grade:A-/1 credit/distance=6.5

10/25- AM- Pyramid workout at Hoover.  I did my standard (400-800-1200-1200-800-400) with a passive R of 1:00 per lap of the previous interval.  I've been much faster in Johnny's version but he gives a lot more recovery.  Aimed for the same pace for each one with a fast closing 400.  The times were 86-2:56-4:27-4:27-2:56-71.  That's an overall pace of 5:48/mile.  Solid but unspectacular overall.  For the record, my "A" target is a 5:45 pace and the "B" target is 6:00.  There are penalties for being over 4:30 in the 1200 and bonus points for a sub-70 close.  None of those apply today.  Speed still does not feel very sharp but with PF, I can't do short intervals.
Grade:B+/2 credits/distance=5.0

PM- Easy 5 on Wisteria in 37:01 (7:24 pace).  Faded in Mile 5 (7:46), which was partially by design but I did not mean to slow it down that much.  1st half: 18:20, 2nd half: 18:41.  This was still very strong after the interval workout only several hours earlier.  This will be the last time that I will be able to do this route after work because it is very unsafe in the dark.
Grade:A-/1 credit/distance=5.0

10/26- Earned a rest day and I'm taking it even though I feel good enough to run today.  Long and hilly tomorrow then it's time to start the taper.

10/27- Split decision but in a good way this time.  Run with the Gnomes and nobody fast showed up.  I was not about to go break away in the dark so I stayed with the group for 7 miles then made my move.  1st 8 were hilly through Mountain Brook and passed through in 63:44 (7:58 pace) then I turned it up over the final 6 on a relatively flat route that included Lakeshore and the 2nd half of the Trak Shak loop.  I covered the final 6 in a strong 43:10 (7:12 pace) for an overall 14 miles in 1:46:54 (7:38 avg).  Interestingly, I felt better in the final 6 than the first 8.  The foot felt worse than usual esp. in the first half.  Possibly, the change in temperature had something to do with it.  In any event, I will need another shot in my right foot but maybe I can let the left one alone.  1/2 mile warm and cool.
Grade:B+/2 credits/distance=15.0

10/28- Excellent!  5 miles at marathon pace on Lakeshore and it felt easy in spite of chilly and windy conditions.  Finished with a time of 36:13 (7:13 pace) and I actually dialed it down a bit in the last 2 miles.  Still fairly even overall.  This one probably felt easier because yesterday's pace was slower than usual.
Grade:A/1 credit/distance=5.0

Weekly summary:
Strong as a bull again!  5 week winning streak.  If only I can knock out this PF, I can really do some damage to my PRs but I need to be fresher for speed workouts.  The taper has officially begun today so let the madness begin.  With only a "10K marathon" (lol) in my focus, mileage will likely be 25-30 next week but I'll still be on track overall for 2,000.  YTD: 1,694.
Distance=54.0/ GPA= 35.3/10= 3.53

No comments: