Boston Marathon Training-Week 16

Week 16

Monday
40 minutes on spinning bike (hr-145, recovery with some speed bursts)
60 minute full body workout (including legs)  

15 minute ab workout

Tuesday

8.16 miles (w/8x100 meter strides)

6:46 pace
15 minute ab workout

Wednesday

13.27

6:50 pace

This was an excellent confidence boosting run.  I probably ran it a little faster than I should have, but I have been tempted to up the pace lately due to the reduced mileage.  It felt pretty good though for a training run and I ran at a similar pace to that of what I plan on running in the Marathon.

40 minute recovery ride (heart rate avg. 132)

Thursday

8.17 miles (w/8x100 meter strides)

7:16 pace

This was a nice recovery run.  I took it pretty easy today since I went fairly hard the past two days and I have an upcoming race on Saturday.

Friday

5.16 miles 

7:23 pace

This was one of the shortest runs I have done in months.  I have to say, I am not a huge ran of doing such short runs.  I like doing atleast 8 miles and even that now seems miniscule.  I have also been debating as to what shoes I should wear at Boston.  I have these really lightweight racing flats that I wore at the Half Marathon in February and the 5k last month and they felt great but I am a bit nervous about wearing them in a Full Marathon.  So, today I tried out these racing flats that were a bit heavier than those, but still much lighter than my normal shoes.  I was not a fan.  It may however have been due to the slow pace of the recovery run.  I will give them another try on Sunday.

15 minute ab workout

Saturday

Wheels of  Motion 10K in Grand Rapids (at Grand Valley State University

Well, I have a lot to say about this race I guess.  I needed one last tune up before Boston.  Normally I wouldn't drive to Grand Rapids for a 10k, but it was the closest one we could find (plus Jordan and I said we were GVSU students so we got in for just 5 bucks--we're bad kids! lol).  The race didn't start until 10 and Jordan and I went to Panera and got some darn good Hazelnut coffee and a bagel and then hit the road for GR.  We always get to races so early, but we can't help it.  I always feel more in control and at ease if I get there atleast an hour in advance.  We got our race packets and checked out the trophy case in the rec center (GVSU has 4 National Championships for Div. 2 Football, it was kind of cool seeing those).  It was a nice cool 37 degrees and it was starting to drizzle just a bit.  Jordan and I hit the roads for about a 1.5 mile warm up.  The course was marked with chalk, so I was a bit concerned considering it was raining.  The race started down on the track that surrounded the football field.  I warmed up with some drills like I normally do (grapevine, side to side movements, butt kicks, knee raises, backwards running) and then ran a few easy laps around the track.  I had scoped out the competition pretty well and I figured a lot of the people were going to be doing the 5k anyways.  There were a few people there that I thought would be legitimate threats, but I knew I would be up near the front of the pack.  The race started and we took one lap around the track before setting out on the rest of the course.  Immediately, a few people bolted in front of me.  If there is one thing I've learned since I began running, it is to worry about your race strategy and not others.  I always see people that get that adrenaline rush and set out too quickly and then sure enough I pass them later on in the race.  I always have a race strategy that I rehearse in my head before the gun goes off.  Today my plan was to break 37 minutes in a 10k.  I knew I could do it, or thought I could atleast.  To accomplish this I would need to run just under 5:58 average for 6.2 miles.  Anyways, back to the race.  The first mile I held back.  The biggest mistake is going too hard in the first mile.  I planned on running it in 5:58 and that's what I did.  I was in 7th place up until just before the 1st mile but I could tell the people in front of me had made a crucial mistake and gone out way too fast.  I had planned on keeping this pace for the whole race.  Plus, some of them could have been running the 5k, but I wouldn't know for sure until the 10k and 5k runners split at about the 2 mile mark.  I then started passing a few guys just before mile 1 and I was sitting comfortably in 5th and not too much longer in 3rd place.  There was one guy that was way in front of myself and another.  I was hoping he was doing the 5k.  The other guy wasn't too far ahead of me and I figured if I stuck to my plan  I'd catch him eventually.  The good thing about having someone pretty close to you during a race is that it challenges you to push yourself.  This guy was ahead of me for the first 3 miles.  Once the 10k and 5k runners split off I noticed a biker not too far ahead of us.  I eventually caught the guy in front of me and noticed I was behind the biker (a biker usually leads the race so that the lead runner knows where to go).  It wasn't until almost mile 4 that I realized I was actually in first place, because the other guy that was way out in front was doing the 5k.  I pushed the pace as I passed the guy in front of me and thought that maybe we could work together a bit.  That thought passed quickly.  As I upped the pace, I noticed he started to fade a bit, so I upped the pace a bit more.  I wasn't sure if I should really be going this fast, but it felt good and I had it in me.  All of the sudden I noticed that the guy I had passed wasn't even right behind me anymore and as I went around a corner I saw him clinching his side as if he had cramped up.  I shouted some words of encouragement (because I love having competition and I hate to see someone suffer like that).  I continued to push the pace for the last few miles and I realized that I was going to win the race after about the 5 mile mark.  I thought that maybe it would be an exhilarating experience, but as I crossed the line and people cheered and screamed as I won-I just kept jogging and went back to find Jordan and helped him finish strong.  I didn't feel any different winning that race than any other race that I had given my all in.  It's not about winning the race to me or beating others, it's about beating myself and that is what I did.  I ran a 35:14 (6.01 miles) which equated to a 36:22 (5:52 pace) 10k and destroyed my previous time by over 2 minutes in less than 5 months.  I still think I had a little more in me though....

2 mile cooldown

60 minute Full Body Workout

Sunday

18.28 miles

7:14 pace

15 minute ab workout

This was a very rainy and windy day.  I love running in the rain and was excited about it, but when I got out there I just wasn't feeling it.  I think that these races have kind of put a damper on my long runs the last few races, however I think that is kind of the point-to run on tired legs.  I went a lot easier than I did last Sunday.  Plus, I have to start backing off a bit and letting my body recover.  I was only supposed to run 17 miles and of course I had to do more than that.  I tried out the same shoes I wore Friday and they felt better at a faster pace, however my calves were extremely sore after.  This however may be partly due to the all out 10k I ran the day before, but I don't think so.  I have pretty much written these shoes off for the races.  It is between my Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10's that I primarily use in training or my Brook T7 racing flats (they are 6.4 ounces and extremely light).  I still have some time to decide.  I ran a lot more miles than I was supposed to this week.  I just hate cutting back the mileage, but I have to.  I really need to ease it down this coming week.  I did a pretty good job in controlling my caloric intake this week as well.  I am getting very anxious!