This past week basically concluded my spring ramp in training. I've been trying to pull together some decent mileage in order to have a good showing at a few of the early spring races. A couple weeks ago was my first test, at the Lakefront 10 Miler. This coming weekend will be the Shamrock Shuffle 8K, and the following week is Oak Park 5K.
LF10 certainly put a smile on my face. I ran a solid 55:53. Ironically, that's my second fastest 10 mile race ever, and the course was considerably more difficult than last year's Soldier Field PR. I ran about as strong and steady as I could've possibly wanted too... averaging about 5:35 most of the way. A couple of miles were slower due to turns on the course, and a few faster due to straightaways, wind, or the final mile. I walked away with 17th place and 3rd AG. It was much more competitive than previous years, and conditions actually quite decent... both of which helped a lot for a mid-March race on the lakefront.
I'm now sitting on three weeks of 80 miles. I've had a couple 20 milers and at least three decent workouts. I actually touched 90 in 7-days at one point. Today is my first day off in four weeks, and it was much needed.
The most notable workout was last Friday's 8x800. I ran them on the indoor track at East Bank Club. The track itself isn't the best location for a workout, as it has a very cushy surface and very tight turns. I also had to deal with the occasional traffic of slower runners. Fortunately this time around, I wore spikes and it definitely helped my grip. I averaged 2:34.73, with 80-85 seconds recovery.
8x800 Recap:
1- 236.0
2- 236.9
3- 235.4
4- 235.0
5- 233.8
6- 235.3
7- 232.5
8- 233.0
Avg: 234.73
This should put me in a good position for Shamrock and Oak Park. I feel healthy and at this point, the hay is in the barn. I'll merely be doing maintenance running over the next several days to get through the races. My training has been somewhat similar to what I did last spring, which left me in the position to PR Ravenswood and SF10. Now I just need to 1) not sabotage myself, and 2) get a little help from mother nature on race day.
