Yeah, so... ?

Last bigger track workout before the marathon.
Yasso's 10x 800's... run at 2:35 pace w/ 1:30 seconds of rest.

I've done this workout a number of times. The last time I did it, it was 10x 800 back in August at basically the same pace (...If I remember correctly, it may have actually been marginally better weather though - last night was cooler but extremely humid).

Bart Yasso's theory is that if you can run 10x 800 before your marathon, you should be able to run the marathon at the pace of your 800's. Such as, if I can run at a consistent pace of 2:35 without being destroyed, then I could shoot for a 2:35 marathon. From experience, I know this isn't true... at least not for me. But it's definitely fair to say that if I couldn't run a 2:35 workout, then I have no business even attempting a 2:35 marathon... or a 2:40 marathon, for that matter.

Point being - I ran the workout faster than I intend on even attempting the marathon. 2:35 is way out of my league right now. But 2:40 may not be. Let's call that 5 seconds of cushion built into Yasso's theory.

In spite of the humidity and being sluggish for the warm up and first rep, I felt pretty smooth and comfortable for the entire workout. The consistency in my splits shows this. After the cool down, I was still hungry for more miles, and the thought occurred to me after that maybe I should have done 12 reps instead of 10? I don't think it would've been a problem. Oh well... after all, I am in a taper.

Splits:
1 - 2:40.5
2 - 2:35.4
3 - 2:35.6
4 - 2:35.7
5 - 2:35.5
6 - 2:36.8
7 - 2:35.8
8 - 2:34.6
9 - 2:35.3
10 - 2:30.1
2:35.5avg (77.5 pace)

The only thing I have to fear, is fear itself.

Last night's tempo run was ridiculous. Hands down, it was the best workout I've had all year.

I was sweating the run all day. I was tired. I was still feeling last week’s mileage. I was especially still feeling some remnants of Sunday's nasty hangover. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to pull together mid-5:40's for a total tempo of 8 or 9 miles.

Once I finally got moving though, that pressure let up. My body woke up from its self-induced coma. On the warm up, I started to realize that maybe I needed to man-up and hang with the big boys. Rob Chenoweth and a few others were going an eye popping 10. I've never done a 10 tempo before...

It was myself, Rob, Derek Holland, Mark Wherman, and another guy. They're all faster and more experienced runners than I am. Since we were basically going out with my half pace, I figured I should be able to hang with them to the turn and then see what happens from there. The goal would then become to hold that pace until the finish.

I never really fell off the back of the pack. Everything was going smoothly. I was particularly paying attention to holding my stride together... and it did! The pack eventually shook up around me. Derek went shorter and starting hammering some blistering sub 5:20’s; Rob dropped off after 6 with some stomach issues; and I rode with Mark and the other guy until they dropped the hammer at 8.5. Myself: There was no way I was able to hold Mark’s pace at the end but I pulled my own trigger late in the run. I went from 5:40's to posting a nice 5:36 in the last mile. I have to admit it was pretty motivating to roll with them, and hang on the way I did.

We rolled about 9.95mi (the 2nd and 9th mile are a little short). 57:09 total, 5:43 average, a big 41 sec negative split! Not only was it my longest, but also one of my fastest tempos of the year! It was also roughly my 10mi PR to boot. Not too shabby considering it was on the heels of my peak week. A nice consolation prize for my Chicago 1/2.

I'm gradually pulling together what looks to be a potential ballz-to-the-wall marathon in 3 weeks time.


Splits:
1 - 5:55.6
2 - 5:38.4
3 - 5:47.5
4 - 5:41.3
5 - 5:52.2
6 - 5:40.1
7 - 5:40.0
8 - 5:41.0
9 - 5:36.3
10 - 5:36.7
Total - 57:09.1
5:42.9 avg, 41sec neg split

100

ONE HUNDRED.

100.

It is such a nice number. So clean. So round. So big!

Years ago, this would've been an unfathomable goal for me. I would've called bullshit anytime I heard that anyone ran over 100 miles in a week. How’s that even possible? Isn’t it like 15 miles in a day??

Then as I ran more, I thought only true studs hit 100. Certainly not me. Disclosure: I’m not saying that everyone who runs 100 is a stud, nor that you can't be a stud if you run fewer than 100... I'm just saying... It’s a shitload of miles. Most guys that do it AND can live to tell about it 2 or 3 weeks later… are kind of in good shape.

100 really wasn't even a goal in my current training. When I built my marathon schedule back in the spring, I was planning on only topping out around 90 miles. However, after feeling comfortable pushing well into the 90's over a 7 day period at the cabin, I decided that I needed to make a go for 100.

After last Sunday's 1/2 marathon I was pretty banged up. My right ITB got knotted up. Both calves were a mess at one point or another. I had something with my left achilles for a day. The top of my left foot had some sort of soreness...(And still does?)... Going for 100 in my peak week seemed once again improbable.

I'd be lying if I told you it felt good. It's debatable if it was a smart thing to do. Only time will tell. Recovery from that half was a big struggle. Garbage sleep didn’t help the cause. 3 of my runs felt like death marches by the final mile. I did have some good runs though.

So did it hurt? Yes.

Was it fun? No.

How's my social life? Yeah, take a guess. If you need help, ask my girlfriend, Sarah, or ask Myra.

Did I need to go 100? Probably not.

Did I consider bailing on this stupid goal? Every day. But fuck it, it had to happen at some point. Be a man.

That glowing, shiny “1-double-0” kept staring at me. Now was as good of a time as any.

That was my motivation.

So I did it. I clocked 100 miles in a week. I'm proud of it. I've come a long way. If nothing else, I can say at the end of the day (or week) that I can run 100 miles

An HUGE special thank you to Sarah! She gave me two much needed massages during the week. After the 1/2 marathon, that made it possible to keep going. By the time Saturday's 24 miler rolled around, I was pretty much back to normal.
The 24 was mostly at an easier 7:15 pace, and then I felt totally fine picking it up and hitting a 6:10s for the last 3 miles. I felt like I could've easily (if that's possible) gone another 5 or 6 miles. But I had to stop at some point... I mean come on, that would've been overkill! 100 was good enough.

The peak is in. Now I taper my mileage for 3 weeks, then it's Chicago Marathon #5. Marathon #10.

Chicago 1/2 Marathon

The Chicago 1/2 Marathon was my first decent race since the Boston Marathon. It was also my first opportunity to gauge how well my training has been going. Unfortunately, I don't think it was an accurate gauge.

The race took place on the south side of the city - near Jackson/Hyde Park area. It’s a large competitive race (nearly 20,000), but unfortunately the directors and sponsors have changed hands a number of times in the last few years. As best I can estimate, the course was a little long - probably by about 150-200m (or 30-45 seconds). The fact that the race started 15 minutes late also gives a little validity to my lament. An attempt to re-draw the course on USATF.

I wound up finishing 1:16:43, in 32nd place, 7th age group. I'm guessing I would've come close or broke 1:16 if the course was accurately measured. That would’ve been faster than my Cary 1/2 back in March.

Mind you, I’m not crying about my time. More importantly, I just wanted some sort of measure of my current fitness. I haven’t had much in the way of tempo or track work since August. I certainly have had my share of hill work and distance though. From as best I could tell, I ran this race with an honest / even effort and pace. Knowing that, gives me a little confidence in my training.

Race recap:
I went out somewhat easy through the first three miles and then settled into a steady mid-to-high 5:40’s effort. Weather was warm and sunny (maybe 70 for the race); wind was a steady 10mph from the north.

The first three miles snaked its way around Jackson Park, before going on a five mile out and back on LSD. By the time I hit LSD, I had set myself up to draft off a string of 10-15 runners while heading into the wind for the next 5 miles. Packs were far and few between by now, but 2 or 3 of us were able to work together for quite some time as we jumped from wind-blocker to wind-blocker.

Here's the annoying part: Mile 8 was blatantly long. In spite of a small side-stitch from drinking too much gatorade, I don’t believe my pace ever faded. In fact I had a small group of 3 that I was working with at the time, and none of us were giving anything up. Yet the 6:11 split was way off! For all I know, we even picked it up? I don't remember getting a jump back on the following miles either. By the time mile 12 rolled around, I was having some tightness in my ITB. But again - here I was actually pressing the pace and gaining ground on anyone near or ahead of me. Somehow that was clocked at 5:59. That had to be off. Mile 13 could also be suspect...? It's difficult to tell if any of the other miles were 'obviously short or long' though.

Bottom line: After talking to a few others with GPS watches and re-drawing the course on USATF or mapmyrun.com, I have slightly more confidence that the course was in fact long. And hence, I'm less concerned about the 1:16:43 time and could say that I might be in similar condition -if not better than I was back in the spring. That gives me a lot of comfort in my current training. I suspect I have a lot more endurance at this point though. I'm certainly putting in more miles right now.

This next week is my peak week of training. I’m sore from the 1/2, but I’m forging ahead with an attempt for 100 miles.


Split recap:
1 - 05:47.4
2 - 05:50.2
3 - 05:52.4
4 - 05:45.7
5 - 05:45.5
6 - 05:53.5
7 - 05:45.8
8 - 06:11.7*Long
9 - 05:48.8
10 - 05:48.8
11 - 05:43.3
12 - 05:59.6*Long
13 - 05:53.4
13.? - 00:37.2
Finish - 1:16:43

ADK Running Camp

Since 2004, my annual pilgrimage up to the family cabin in the Adirondacks has been turned into my own personal running boot-camp.

The landscape is a deep forest chalk full of rolling hills, mountains, dirt roads, trails, lakes, and rivers... my typical 16 mile loop has 2400 feet of elevation change... all perfect for beating the hell out of my body. I've always been hyper-active up here, but in each of the past 5 years I've pushed the limits.

Since I started running more aggressively, I typically try to hit my peak or near peak mileage in the Adirondacks in preparation for a fall marathon. I then ice over the running with water skiing, swimming, bridge jumping, cliff diving, rock climbing, four wheeling, hiking, tree clearing, log splitting, building, and busting my ass with countless other chores around the cabin. ....And in each of the past few years, I've wound up breaking those limits in one sense or another. I've often gone home with some sort of aggravated injury, or chalk full of difficult to cure knots.

This year was different (aside from rolling the four wheeler and almost killing myself)....

It's a great testament to the "base" mileage that I've put together in the last 8 months, and 5 years... This is bigger than my recent two months of basing. My hip injury from the Boston training has forced me to improve my stride and clean up some of my weaknesses, namely in the glutes and my core. For the first time since Boston, I can say that the injury has actually helped me to be a stronger runner. ADK proved that.

My ADK milestones this year: From 8/17-9/3, I streaked for 18 days. A total of 225 miles. I peaked with 97 miles over a 7 day period.... the most I've ever put in a week. 225 miles over 3 weeks isn't anything new to me, but it was steady build that included days off at the beginning and end of the 3 weeks; and all of those miles were on the hills. It used to be that if I touched 80, I'd cry like a baby. That's now a thing of the past. 97 miles and not one double... and it left me chomping at the bit for more.

Since then, I've taken 2 days off. Then turned around and ran 2 doubles, 2 days in a row. I'm often afraid to say this, but I'm feeling good. Aside from some occasional side stitch/psoas problems, I'm rolling. Coming back to the flat lands of Chicago seem like a joke after climbing thousands of feet.

My first post camp test comes this weekend: the Chicago 1/2 Marathon. It should be a flat and fast course (I believe only 1 hair-pin turn). Weather can be a bit dicey in September - hot, humid, raining, windy... whatever. There's no telling. This is my first 1/2 since Cary. My favorite distance. I'm going into it as a training / long tempo run. But if I feel good, I'll roll.

Next week will be my peak week. I'll give it another go for 100 miles.