Hey everyone! Our first taper week is history and I enjoyed the rest. Week 3 I chose to reduce my mileage to 65-70%.
On Tuesday, my legs were still tight after my previous Saturday long run. On Wednesday I ran over my lunch hour (no more of those early morning runs … too dangerous) and after a slow first mile, I was able to maintain my marathon pace. On Thursday I saw Jamie, my physical therapist, and after being twisted into a pretzel, ran an easy 6.7.
On Saturday I ran the Parlor City Trot Half Marathon in Bluffton, IN. This race is promoted as a very scenic and aromatic race, and it lived up to its billing. After the first three miles, the rest of the race is either in Ouabache State Park (pronounced Wabash) or on a River Greenway trail that follows the Wabash River. The trail winds through thick forests, fragrant meadows and around a peaceful lake. The course also goes through the campground where the air was filled with the smells of breakfast cooking over an open campfire.
This was a different sort of race for me, as I purposefully tried to not go as fast as I could. I geared everything to simulate the Chicago Marathon including race-day clothes, pre-race food, method of carrying gels, aid station practice, etc. My goals were to control my starting pace, run consistent 9:30-9:45 min/mi splits, have negative splits, have a strong kick, and have plenty of energy left at the finish.
It was tough fighting back the temptation to go fast. I held back for a 9:24 first mile. My splits for miles 2-12 ranged from 9:33 to 9:47. My last 6 miles were 25 seconds faster than my first 6. From mile 9 on, each mile split was slightly faster. My final 1.1 miles was sub-9:00 and I crossed the line at a sub-7:00 pace. Except for the energy expended the last mile, I felt like I had enough energy left to go another 13.1. According to the record books, my 2:06:08 (9:37) finish time is my worst performance, but it will go down in my book as a very successful training run.
It will also go down as a race I lost to a dog. One of the competitors ran the whole race with his canine training partner. Of course, having four legs, the dog had a distinct advantage. I hope I get a rematch in the future when I’m running for time.
That was my last double-digit run before the big day. I’m actually kinda sad. This week I’m only running 21-23 miles and the final week only 12. I hope I don’t go stir-crazy.
Two weeks to go! I can’t wait.
One step at a time,
Dave
No comments:
Post a Comment