Last big track workout

The 20x 400 has become one of my pinnacle workouts before a marathon, similar to the the 10x 800. The 400s though feel like a much more intense and bigger workout though. More speed, and it takes forever given the recovery time. Yeah, I know, it doesn't hold a candle to Quentin Cassidy's 3x 20x 400, but its still pretty large.

Tonight's 20 were a fraction slower than a couple weeks ago, when I did 16. That extra mile had me a little more cautious early. All in all, the whole workout was pretty comfortable and I finished strong. It's hard to tell if I felt better tonight than when I ran them before Rotterdam.

Also, I think I got Monday's knotted up quad all sorted out. It's taken a couple massages -aka pretty much a bazooka to the leg, but it didn't phase me one bit tonight.

I'm still not sure how I feel about missing my mileage this week. I know it's just a number, but I've been meticulous about my miles for the last several weeks. My all-important goal of "3 big weeks" becomes only 2 and a an 80s. Maybe it doesn't matter, and I'm actually better off for being cautious? I'd certainly feel better if I ran a bit harder tonight or during last week's 800's... or had a faster tempo on Monday... This is a shining example of a marathoner's OCD when it comes to training.

I have a couple more days and then it's officially taper time for 2 weeks. The Buffalo Turkey Trot next week will tell me what to expect in the marathon.

Split Recap:
1- 73.9
2- 73.4
3- 73.7
4- 73.1
5- 74.4
6- 73.1
7- 73.5
8- 72.9
9- 73.4
10- 73.7
11- 73.2
12- 71.9
13- 73.1
14- 71.9
15- 71.7
16- 72.0
17- 71.3
18- 70.7
19- 70.6
20- 70.3
Avg- 72.6