Maria's Running Blog

I was supposed to do mile repeats today, but wasn't up to it mentally. Dealing with some family problems, and my mind was elsewhere (and I felt pretty exhausted running). So just took it easy to try and clear my mind. Total time 45:08.

Long run with the marathon pace segment in the middle. Did 6mi. easy, then 6mi. in 48:00 (8:00 pace), then 5.3mi. easy. I really tried to pace myself properly and not start out too fast on the marathon piece. So I started at 8:05 (still 10 sec. faster than my projected MP) and it felt completely easy. I hardly heard myself breathing. Practiced taking gel at marathon pace. It took some time and extra energy fumbling with water flask, but I was able to do it and not lose my pace at all. After about 3 miles at MP, I noticed my pace dropping and in the end I did 6mi in 48:00. It still felt easy at the end. I planned on doing 16mi. total, but then I felt good enough to extend it a bit. Took 2 gels, at 6.5 mi. and at 12 miles.

My only complaint today were crowded sidewalks especially by the London Zoo. It was a nice day, and people were out with kids, strollers, etc. I had to dodge people like crazy. But overall it was a very good run. I ran in DS Trainers again - no problems. Total time 2:27:24 (8:31 pace).

easy recovery run, time 49:08 (8:57 pace). Total 50.8 miles for the week.

Stride workout: warmup, then 10x30sec. pickups with 2min. jog between, cooldown. I did the strides on the track. I finally found out the exact length of the track I'm running on - it is 387 meters. I knew it was short (not to mention very tight turns), but I know exactly. It makes it a bit hard to know where 400m (or 800, or any other distance) ends as there are no markings at all on this track. They paint them once in a while, but since it's a cinder track, they get erased easily with rain and just people running over the markings. It also confirms my suspicion that Garmin is not accurate on tracks. Today, most of the strides were around 150-160 meters.

Anyway, the strides went well, it seems that the ones where I had to run the curve were slower than the straights, but maybe it's just Garmin errors again, not sure. I felt lactic acid accumulating in legs in the last 10 sec. on the last 3-4 strides. Here are the splits:

Time, min	Distance, ft	Pace, min/mile
0:33	457	6:24
0:30	468	5:49
0:30	482	5:38
0:30	476	5:41
0:30	503	5:25
0:30	485	5:29
0:30	475	5:40
0:31	524	5:15
0:31	491	5:34
0:31	503	5:31

Both quads and hamstring are pretty sore today after yesterday's faster running. I considered just doing an easy run today, but then decided to do marathon tempo, only 4 miles instead of usual 5.

I ran 2.3mi. warmup, then 4mi in 31:57 (7:59 pace) and 2.05mi. cooldown. The tempo pace felt a bit harder than last week, but I attribute it to back to back workouts without enough recovery between yesterday and today. Total time 1:10:09.

Tomorrow is another hard day, I have 6x800m planned, so all the more reasons to take it easier today. We're also supposed to get some snow tomorrow, so it could be a slushy workout.

What a miserable run today! It's been snowing, and nobody cleans the snow here, so it was about an inch of wet snow/slush. Footing was awful, I was sliding and slipping all the way, and my feet were wet and freezing from splashing chunks of snow that were melting into my shoes.

On top of that, I had to do 6x800. Track was out of the question, completely snowed in, so I ran on the roads, trying to pick drier spots. Some of the repeats were a bit uphill, and in combination with bad footing, times were totally off. I did 5, and had enough. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. Total time 1:13:50. Here are the splits for 800s:

Time	Rest
3:35	4:11 (looking for better footing)
3:48 (uphill + snow)	4:22
3:31 (finally decent patch of road)	3:30
3:40 (started going uphill at the end)	3:40
3:54 (more uphill and awful footing)

just an easy run in the park. Snow is gone, except in few places, so footing was very decent today. I didn't feel that great - still some soreness from Tuesday, plus I felt sore left adductor, probably due to trying to run hard in the snow yesterday. Time 53:49 (8:49 pace).

Did a long run today. It was one of the toughest runs I've had so far. I decided to teach my body to be more efficient with burning fat for fuel, and so I took only 2 Squeezy gels with me. Squeezy gels have only 65 calories per gel, compared to 100-110 of GU and PowerGel. I started the run 3 hours after my normal breakfast, so I wasn't topped up.

Long story short, I started feeling bad (energy-wise) already at 12 miles, only 1:40 into my run! First 12 miles were 8:36 pace average, but after that Garmin lost the signal, but I could tell I slowed down a lot. I took one gel at 9 miles, and another one at close to 15, but they didn't do much. I was also starving. On top of that, my stomach was cramping, and it started even before I took the gel, so gels were not a problem. I can't really pinpoint waht caused the cramps this time, I did everything I could beforehand to prevent them. I think I'll have to accept them as consequence of my surgery 5 years ago and missing part of the small intestine. I think my GI system just became more sensitive, and all that pounding of running (especially on long runs) is causing the cramps. I worry it can affect me on marathon day, but I'll do all I can and hope for the best.

So, the last 8 miles were pretty miserable, and I was very happy to get this run over with. In the end, my time was 2:55:58, 8:42 average, so I didn't slow down as badly as it seemed, despite the bonking.

very easy recovery run, 36:50 (9:09 pace). Started off feeling stiff and tired, but felt better towards the end. Shorts weather again, 48F. 54 miles for the week.

Did aerobic fartlek today, 5x4' + 1x2' with equal jog recovery. I planned on running ~7:20 pace for 4' intervals, but they ended up faster. In general, I felt strong today, it was a good run. One strange thing happened in the park, though: on one of my faster segments, there was a group of teenagers standing on the path. One of them waited until I was passing them, and executed a karate-style kick that ended inches from my face!! I didn't have time to get scared, but I was startled. But since I was running fast, I just continued, not paying attention to them. Even if they decided to pursue me, I don't think they could run 7:00 pace for very long! But it was one of the stranger incidents that happened to me. Total time 1:09:50. 

Time, min.	Distance, mi.	Pace, min/mi.
4:01	0.55	7:18
4:01	0.56	7:10
4:01	0.57	7:01
4:00	0.55	7:14
4:03	0.57	7:04
2:05	0.31	6:45

Did 40-minute tempo today. I felt the same as last wek, but ran 5 sec/mi faster, 5.07mi (7:54 pace). Afterwards did 4x100m strides and ran home. Total time 1:12:22, not counting strides.

In the evening, we all went to the opera, and not knowing if they had dress code or not, I wore my high heeled boots. My feet were killing me! I can't wear heels at all. Turns out, they don't have dress code, so I suffered for nothing. Hopefully, my feet can recover for tomorrow.

I finally got to doing mile repeats today. My feet were sore due to stupid high heels, as I was afraid they would. Warmed up 2.6mi and ran 3x1mile with equal time jog between. I ran on the non-standard track that is 387m long, so I tried to run extra 45m but it was hard to tell. I also decided to wear HR monitor today just out of curiosity. Here is how it went:

Distance	Time	HR
1.02	7:19	162
1.00	7:05	168
0.99	7:00	170

I felt much harder effort on the second repeat, and on the third I really felt bad the entire time, but the pace stayed the same, and I even was able to accelerate the last 300m. Hard workout, but I felt pretty strong, all things considered. Total time 1:13:03. Again, I had 3 quality days back to back. Tomorrow is just an easy day, finally.

I felt tired today, but it was another shorts day - 54F. Unbelievable! I remember how I struggled with my training last winter, running so much of it on the treadmill due to snow/ice/cold. This winter conditions are so much better, I have no excuse whatsoever to slack off.

Ran very easy, 54:30 (8:56 pace). I hope I recover enough for tomorrow...

Marathon pace run on another shorts running day with temps still in the 50s. I started out feeling not too fresh, not surprising after the whole week of training, and several weeks in a row of over 50 miles. Ran 6 miles easy, took my first gel (I'm starting to take gels at the same intervals I'll be taking them in the marathon, and in Rotterdam, they will have water stops only every 5K - not ideal, but I'll have to live with it.), and started on the marathon tempo. Since I had to run 8 miles at MP, the longest I've ever run it as of yet, I decided to start conservatively (8:10 pace) and see what happens. If I felt good, I would speed up naturally, if not, I could maintain this pace, and still run MP. So, I started at 8:10, and it did not feel particularly easy. My breathing was perfectly fine, but my legs were tired. I assume it's just cumulative fatigue from training. Nevertheless, gradually, my pace dropped, first to 8:06 average, then to 8:01 average, and finally, after 6 miles, to 7:57 average. I was surprised as I did not increase the effort consciously. I took the second gel 6 miles into the MP segment. My legs started to tighten up towards the end, but overall I still felt good. My stomach was cramping again, but not too bad. After I finished MP tempo, though, it cramped up big time, I guess it didn't like change in pace. Jogged home another 3 miles. Total time 2:27:28. Now 17+ miles do not seem so long, after I did 20 last week. Oh, and I ran in DS Trainers again - no problems whatsoever.

Ran 7 miles with 12x0:30 strides at 6:20 pace. I slowed the strides down, because I was running them too fast before, they're supposed to be no faster than 3K pace. Hopefully I will avoid the soreness that I had last time. Total time 1:02:07. MY left ankle started hurting just 15 min. into the run - no clue why. Maybe I landed awkwardly and pulled some tendons? It's the same ankle I sprained very badly 10 years ago.

easy recovery run, total time 45:16. My ankle was fine. I like cut back weeks!

easy run, 53:07. Shorts weather again - yay! 54F and bright sunny skies, very spring-like.

Did Yasso 800s workout on the track in the rain and drizzle - 8x800m with equal time jog recovery. I thought I blew it by running the first one in 3:24 - thought it's too fast and I'm going to pay for it later. To my great surprise I managed to hold this pace or faster over the entire set!! I had to dig deep every time after 5th repeat, but I was able to hold it. Here are the splits:

Repeat	Time
1	3:24
2	3:23
3	3:25
4	3:19
5	3:21
6	3:20
7	3:22
8	3:21

This workout (although done with 10 repeats) is supposed to indicate marathon fitness. i.e if I could hold this pace for 10 repeats, it predicts I can run marathon in 3:24. Of course, the track I'm running on is 387m. long, and although I'm running extra distance I can never be sure it's exactly 800m. Garmin reads 0.5mi but I'm still not sure. Also, according to Greg McMillan this workout predicts about 5 minutes too fast, so it's more like 3:29 for me. Even that may be too aggressive. I don't want to read too much into one workout though, I think my half marathon in 3 weeks will be a better predictor.

Total time 1:28:38. I feel very tired now, but hopefully I'll recover in the next 2 days for my race on Sunday.

both hamstrings sore today after yesterday's workout. Garmin ran out of battery so I had to leave it home to charge. It was actually for the best - I couldn't see my pace and just ran very easy. Total time 54:49 (8:59 pace).

easy 4 miles in Regents Park followed by 4x100m strides on the track. Hamstrings still sore, but definitely better than yesterday. Time 35:34 (8:57 pace). 8K race tomorrow.

In a few words, I'm very disappointed. I thought that the last 6 or so weeks of consistent marathon training and higher mileage raised my fitness across the board, and I should be able to have a good race. But it was not to be. I didn't take any days off this week, because I wanted to keep consistent mileage. Maybe it was a mistake and I should have taken Friday off. Most runs were easy, but I didn't really feel fresh and didn't have a spring in my step. Maybe I haven't fully recovered from my 8x800m workout. On top of that, yesterday, after I ran easy 4 miles, we decided to go explore south London and promptly got lost. We then ended up walking a good 2 hours through not so nice parts of London until we got to some civilization again. My feet were pretty tired, but I have no idea if it played any role today. It's most likely an excuse I'm trying to use to explain my lousy performance today.

easy recovery run. I felt very good and was moving at a good clip in the park, but my left achilles and inner side of the ankle were sore. I don't like this one bit, so I'll have to see what happens tomorrow. Total time: 48:23.

Decided to take a day off and take care of my leg. I'm icing it every 3 hours or so (as much as I remember) and taking 600mg Ibuprofen every 4 hours. I'm paranoid about getting injured, especially with achilles. And especially now, when I really can't afford to get injured! Hopefully, it's just a minor problem.

My leg felt fine, so I decided to start running and see how it feels. If it hurts, I would turn back. Lucky for me, it didn't hurt at all! I was able to put in a good workout and I feel good about it. It was very windy, steady at 20 and gusts up to 43 mph, and the last half a mile I got soaked with a hard rain that's been on and off all day, but at least I was able to run!

I did 6.3mi marathon tempo in 50:00 (7:55 avg). It's faster than before, but I felt I worked a bit too hard. Of course, the wind is definitely to blame, I probably should have slowed down to 8:00 pace, but I was too stubborn, seeing 7:55 on my watch and not willing to back off. After the tempo, did 4x100m strides and ran home. Total time 1:17:04 (without strides).

This week may well become a cutback week, because tomorrow I have two job interviews back to back and chances are I won't run. It's ok though, my key workout is Saturday 20+ miler with 10 at marathon pace. As long as I do it, I should be fine for the week.