Shins 17, This guy 1?

Mon: 40 mins aquajogging
Tue: Day off
Wed: 8 miles, 55:48
Thu: 2 mile w/u, 12.3 mile tempo. 1.7 mile c/d

Despite the shins feeling pretty decent on Sunday's long run, I was sufficiently concerned by a sore point on the shin when icing afterwards to get back in the pool for Monday's effort. And might actually maintain this routine for a couple of weeks at least as I got a better aerobic effort than running 7:45's for a recovery run and zero pounding.
Moved the day off to Tuesday from Wednesday a) because of the shins and b) I was getting a bone marrow aspiration that morning and didn't feel like attempting to run afterwards.
Wednesday was a test to see how training would progress over the next couple of weeks. A positive result from the shins would mean getting back in the saddle while any pain would mean at least a week of no running and no 10 miler next week. Thankfully the shins were fine; a couple of niggles and barks out of them occasionally during the run but nothing to worry about. Felt pretty happy about this and feel comfortable enough to continue training.
This morning I headed out to the park for a 2-lap tempo. Forgot to steal borrow the HR monitor from the lab on my way out last night but knew the pace I was looking for. Last year did this run in 73:47 which was bang on 6 minute pace, but had a bit of a struggle with it late on (mainly due to pints the night before as Churchill was in Ireland that week). Starting out today I could tell the legs felt good. Felt very relaxed in my running and was clicking off the miles nice and steadily. Passed through the 1st lap in 36:15 (5:55 pace) and felt very good. Probably pushed the 1st two miles of the 2nd lap a bit too hard up the hill as it was the only stage I really had any tiredness in the legs. Picked up 5 seconds on the 1st 2 miles compared to the first lap, another 5 seconds from 2-4 but then lost about 5 on the 5th mile. Finished nice and strong though with a ~5:40 last mile for a 35:58 2nd lap and 72:13 overall. Very pleased with how this felt as it was as relaxed as marathon pace should be, and the shins were fine throughout. They tightened up a bit during the cool down, but since finishing the run and ice-cupping they're feeling fine. Might this be the first time I get it right? Not getting ahead of myself but feeling confident. Going to aquajog again tomorrow just to be safe, but feeling content right now.

In other slightly-running related news, while at the hospital on Tuesday I decided it might be a good idea to get my cholesterol checked along with the other tests I was getting done. Last time I did was 2 years ago just after I got back from Abu Dhabi with a huge beer gut and zero fitness. Then it was on the high side at 5.2, but figured since the diet has improved and I'm back running it should have come down. Uh uh. 5.4. Shitballs, need to revamp the diet as this is pretty shocking (normal range is 3-5). Breakfast fries at the weekend are the first to go, and will be trimming the fat (literally) from the diet over the next few days.

4 x 2 mile effort

Target: 4 x 2 miles in 10:40-10:45 w/ 3 mins recovery.

Result:
1) 10:54 (5:38, 5:16; HR = 185), 2:57 (HR = 133);
2) 11:00 (5:40, 5:20; HR = 185), 2:57 (HR = 143);
3) 10:49 (5:34, 5:15; HR = 189), 2:57 (HR = 146);
4) 10:50 (5:34, 5:16; HR = 190), HR after 1 min = 145.

Overall I'm pretty satisfied with this effort. This workout last year was probably the best I had during the training program for the marathon. That day I had pretty much perfect conditions, whereas today the breeze was blowing and from 200m to 2k I had a pretty strong headwind that is evident in the splits. The 2nd time I did this workout last year I had a similar breeze blowing and the splits were even a bit slower than today, although off 30 seconds less rest but an extra month's training. Looking back at the older workouts, there is a roughly 6-8 second difference between the first (slower) and second mile due to the gradient, so estimate I was losing between 10-15 seconds due to the wind, which would put the effort in the range I was hoping for.
Pleased because the HR and the breathing were pretty much under control for the majority of the workout. Felt a bit limited by the legs, as the tiredness of the last 2 weeks was still present. Only interval I wasn't happy with was the 2nd one, as I was a little too much into 'tempo' type effort and not pushing myself quite hard enough. Definitely did not have that problem on the last one, really took some mental verbal abuse to push through that one as the legs were filling with lactic very early on. Got a nice lift from seeing the split from the first mile of the interval, and was able to hold it together down the remainder of the interval.
Since ending the workout, did a lot of work on stretching, especially the calves, and no adverse reactions in the shins/anywhere else since. Legs feel decent, although tomorrow may be a different story.
          

Tempo fun

2.5 mile w/u
8 mile tempo
2.5 mile c/d

Waited till last night before settling on this workout as attempted the same thing last year and sandbagged half way through as the legs hadn't recovered from the Saturday race fully. Wasn't anticipating the same thing happening but would have been annoyed if I hadn't learned the lesson from last year. Those fears were baseless as the run went extremely well. Did the loop in 45:49, with the HR in much better shape than the last tempo a couple of weeks back (avg HR = 179, peak = 186). Didn't get too many splits along the way but ran a consistent pace, always felt strong and in control, and despite a little bit of heaviness in the legs felt like I had another gear or two in reserve. Pretty much how a tempo should feel really. Very pleased with the last couple of week's running; fingers crossed I can keep it going.

Umm what just happened?

Thu: 8 miles w/ 3 x ~200-250m strides mixed in, 53:31; some light core
Fri: 6 miles, 42:50
Sat: 3 mile w/u, 20:48; 5 mile race, 26:06; 5 mile c/d, 39:02; 1.5 mile jog to bus ~15 mins.

Difficult to explain this race, came in having done pretty much the same training/times in tempo's as I did prior to the same race last year (27:28). About the only differences this time around were that a) I wore flats this year, and b) it was less humid. Aside from that I have no idea how I just ran that time. Definitely think the mile markers were off (not a chance I ran 4:37 to open, even if it was downhill). In terms of how the race felt, I got out steady, in and around 25th place or so. Following the downhill stretch I was a little isolated, but once we turned up the hill around 1.5 miles and into the wind I started to pull in some of the guys in front of me. Pushed up the hill and hit the 2nd mile in ~5:27. 3rd mile was all uphill and into the wind so just tucked in and felt I recovered somewhat (5:43 - think this was a bit long but not by much). Pushed on the 4th mile as the group Enda was in was about 10secs in front of me. Passed through the 4th mile in 4:57 (again, don't think this is right) and closed pretty strong, although the watch said 5:20 for the last one. Felt pretty strong the whole way round, didn't really have a bad patch, although tucking in the 3rd mile allowed me to regather and finish strong. Very pleased and very very surprised with the time, although it seems everyone had a big improvement on last year (top 5 all under 24 vs. winning time of 24:14 last year), so maybe the conditions were a lot more favourable.
Got in a nice easy cooldown despite the onset of a downpour midway through. Happy with the day's work I was getting the shuttle bus back to town afterwards, but after moving a grand total of 25 yards in 20 mins decided to run out of the park despite the rain for the extra 1.5 miles at the end.
After that run and the birthday during the week, I think I deserve a couple of pints tonight. Happy days!

1st Workout

Mon: 8 miles, 55:00
Tue: 9.2 miles, 66:30
Wed: Day off
Thu: 2.6 mile w/u, 6.15 mile tempo, 2.25 mile c/d; 70:26 total

Nothing much to note from the early week runs. Today was the first tempo of the marathon program, with which I'm reasonably satisfied. Was a little bit faster than the same tempo last year (35:45 today vs. 36:03 last year). The problem today was I was almost 30 seconds quicker today through two miles. As a result I started to rig pretty bad through the 3rd mile, and had to back off the rest of the run. It took a lot of "You're a f*cking pussy, man up"'s to not stop after 4, but once I had backed off a little I recovered sufficiently by the 5th and 6th mile to feel a little better by the end. Was still pretty spent though. Meant to take the HR monitor from the lab yesterday but forgot, but definitely have the feeling I was pushing too hard early on to call this a legitimate tempo effort. Better pace control and I'm confident I would have been another ~20secs faster than I was today, but such is life. Looking forward to the next one.

In the Hurt Locker

Thu: Off
Fri: 7 miles, no time
Sat: 5 miles; 34:37 + a few strides
Sun: ~12 miles, 82 mins  (Weeks total: 6 runs, 41 miles)
Mon: 5 miles, 38:16 (seriously)

A good few days running (except today). Legs felt great Friday after physio on Wednesday and day of rest on Thursday. Kept it easy Saturday, and then had a great run with Kim and Tarpy on Sunday. Was longer than the planned 10, but felt good and enjoyed the run. Stiffened up quite a bit after though, and combined with the roughly 10 beers during the rest of the day the body is not feeling too good today. The run this morning was a pure slog.
Had a great weekend with Tarpy doing the 5 year thing here in Dublin. Had good craic Saturday evening with the PC crew over for the Jonesy/Quinn wedding, and then a great Sunday with Tarpy and Ed. Got some good running, good beers and good craic. Definitely not as aggressive as the weekends of yesteryear might have been but did the best we could. Feeling happy with the progress made running wise over the last few weeks, and am pretty confident I am fit enough to begin following last years schedule leading into the marathon. The 20 week training program starts next Monday.

Happy days

3 mile w/u

13.1 miles, 74:13

2 mile c/d

Conditions were pretty much perfect for this and after waking up knew I was feeling good. The foot felt good prior to the race, and I was looking to run about 75 mins (5:43 pace).

Splits: 5:26, 5:36, 5:27, 5:52, 5:42 (28:04 5 mile), 5:30, 5:31, 5:42, 5:45, 5:38 (56:12 10 mile), 5:48, 5:58, 5:38 + 36secs.

I had a feeling I might have been out a bit too quick when I was 3rd after about 400m. Given that I'd finished ~25th in the first 2 races of the series I backed off a little. After about 2 miles, a group was forming but given my splits I decided to let them go. Mistake as I ended up running the rest of the race alone about 10secs behind this group. Think the 3 mile mark was 10secs too early as I was running consistently. Had a bit of a panic at the fact that I was running quite a bit quicker than planned, but was feeling good and trying to get back in contact. The course for the first 7 miles was quick, with the 8th mile the first one uphill. Was glad to see I was still on pace up the hill. Passed through the 10 mile mark 1:20 faster than I ran in the race 6 weeks ago and knew I was on a good one. The 11th mile was uphill again, and was happy to keep relatively on pace. I paid for this big time on the 12th mile. I rigged badly, and was convinced I was going to see about 6:30. Really died and was struggling for 400-500mtrs, but recovered a little, and got a lift going into the last mile seeing that I'd still broken 6 mins. Ran strong in, but felt like absolute toast at the finish.

Ended up in 13th place with €50 of vouchers in prize money. Delighted with the day as a whole, Spurs are 2-0 up as I type, all looks rosy except for the fact that right now my foot hurts quite a lot. Thanks to Jokin, I'm pretty sure its peroneal tendonitis. Glad to feel confidant in what it is. Now I just have to get it sorted.

Rollin'

2.5 mile w/u

Goal: 3x 3 mile @ 10 mile race pace (5:40-5:45), 3 min rec

3 mile c/d

1. 16:59 (5:38, 5:37, 5:44), 2:59;

2. 16:50 (5:34, 5:37, 5:39, 2:59;

3. 16:35 (5:32, 5:33, 5:30).

Running for the bus on the way out to the park I was knew I was feeling good. However the workout was nearly derailed by the need to go 2'sies. Thankfully there was a John in hospitable condition, and we were good to go. Still, amateur mistake to be making at this stage.

The loop was good, first mile flat, 2nd slightly downhill, and 3rd making up the gain from the 2nd. Was not keen on this workout a few weeks back as I didnt trust my pace judgement but was very pleased with todays effort. At no point was I strained in the run (shouldnt be at 10 mile pace), and decided to try to open up on the last mile but stay relaxed. Was very happy with the results, and recovered pretty much immediately afterwards. Feeling good going into the half next weekend and more importantly the big one itself in 5 weeks. First things first though, I've got to go and pay my last respects to Matt 'Chewy/Easy/Rhino' Emond. Another good man gone after this weekend.

Dilemmas dilemmas

2 mile w/u

12.3 mile @ thon pace (1st lap 36:51, 2nd 36:15; 73:06)

~1.7 mile c/d

This was pleasing.....took occasional splits, passing through 2 miles in 12:13, 6th mile was 6:00, 1st two miles of the 2nd loop in 12:08, and the last mile in 5:45. Did this same workout 3 weeks ago in 73:52 with the difference being pretty much all on the 1st lap, but today was so much easier than that day. Partly due to better conditions, partly because I was coming off the 10 mile race the last time, but overall just felt very smooth and relaxed. Didn't push the last few miles too much as I knew I was running faster than race pace by a few seconds (5:57 average today is not going to be repeated in October) but was happy with the last mile as it didnt feel hard yet was my race pace in that 10 miler from 4 weeks ago. Felt I could have comfortably kept going for another few miles at same tempo. Took on a gel during the run but without water its not to be repeated as it did cause some stomach cramps. Overall though good day.

Having serious issues with my fantasy football team which is causing my dilemmas. Played the transfer wild card last night but since then the midweek internationals have caused injury havoc with my squad. Will have to continue to tinker between now and Saturday. I love football.

You think W had it bad?

2.5 mile w/u

4 x 2 mile with 2.5 min rec

3+ mile c/d

This was a repeat of a workout done 4 weeks ago. However, I wanted to see how much my aerobic capacity had improved since then, so dropped the recovery from 3 to 2.5 mins and had planned on doing a 5th interval. That was until I got through 4 in the following splits:

11:07 (5:47, 5:20), 2:28;

11:01 (5:45, 5:16), 2:28;

10:56 (5:40, 5:16), 2:27;

10:52 (5:35, 5:17).

Needless to say, I was running into a very strong headwind from 200 to 2k, which lead to some crazy splits. Coming into the workout, I was willing to run the intervals a little slower than I had previously in an attempt to get 5 in. While my splits were pretty much the same for the 2nd mile as the previous effort, I did have a tailwind today for the last 3/4 of a mile. I still thought I was up to 5 finishing the 3rd one, but definitely didn't feel as recovered starting the 4th as the previous ones, then ran the first mile of the 4th too hard. As a result I completely rigged on the last mile and was tapped finishing. Overall I'm still pretty pleased with this as without the wind I think my splits would have matched the workout from a month ago (10:36-10:40) on less recovery. Just gotta keep on trucking.

My title is a reference to the recent opinion polls judging the Irish government and in particular our Taoiseach 'The Lip' Brian Cowen. He's got an approval rating right now of, wait for it: 15%. W had it easy.

Week in Review/Catch Up

Behind on blogging due to hosting Erik and Enda this weekend in Dublin and Dundalk. Erik is now the 4th non-Irish Brown grad to visit me here in the homeland. The rest of you should now bow your heads in shame.

Thursday: Hit the Phoenix Park for a long run intended to be done at marathon pace. Instead I ran too hard despite feeling pretty crappy, and was at tempo effort. Warmed up for a half mile, then did 2 loops of the park for 12.25 miles in 73:52 (37:34 first lap, 36:18 second). Annoyed with myself for the faster 2nd loop as the pace on the first was good, and I rigged pretty hard on the 11th mile into the wind which was not the aim for this run. Cooled down for 10 mins for a 14 mile total.

Friday: 5.1 miles, 37:31 + Gym. Slow easy run. Thankfully no soreness in the legs but are a bit flat. Dropped the weights on the upper body as the arms felt very heavy and tired on the tempo yesterday.

Sat: Hit the Pats fields at home with Churchill. Ran 8 miles easy, no time. Was a beautiful morning and a really enjoyable run. Easy pace meant I was feeling good about the long run on tap for Sunday.

Sunday: 19 miles, 128:58. Oops, thought this was 20. Ran with Enda and despite a slightly late night out which cost me a car window we both felt great until about a mile to go, and with 800m left I definitely got a little lightheaded, so was happy to wrap it up. Good success with gels/liquids on board, and legs feel good now.

Weeks total: 6 runs, 64.1 miles

Very happy with the long run although wish I'd gotten 20 in, messed up the loop. As for lifestyle, not a good week. Had a couple of pints Wed, more than a couple on Thursday, Fri and Sat. Sleep was down. However, was more than happy to give this up in order to spend time with Churchill and Enda. You can sleep when you're dead. Have a down week next week which I intend to take advantage of.

Somewhere between satisfied and pleased

3 mile w/u

10 mile race, 57:33 (5:33, 5:38, 6:00, 5:58, 11:32 for 5 & 6, 5:40, 5:57, 5:54, 5:18)

6.5 mile c/d

Where to start? If you'd told me beforehand that would be the time I'd run I'd be pissed, but conditions were poor. Took Tarpy's advice and went out slow picking up 2 runners as markers. First guy was a Dundalk runner David Carrie who beat me by 40secs in the 5 mile last month so went out 5-10secs slower at the mile, and Maria McCambridge as a) I didn't want to lose to a chick, b) she ran 58 low here last year and c) she ran 2:36 in the Paris 'thon in May. Was at the back of her group for the first two miles which were very slightly downhill and wind at the back for the first 1.5 miles or so. After the 2 mile marker we hit the uphills and the wind. I ended up leaving the group bar 1 guy and settled into what I thought was a good rhythm for the 3rd mile. Nearly shat myself when I saw the split of 6 mins, and immediately started to hammer. Mistake. I was a little too obsessed with splits and not giving credit to the conditions which were rough as besides the wind, the temp was high (for Ireland) and humidity in the 90s. From 2-4.5 was all uphill and into the wind, but the panic to the slow split led to me getting a side stitch around 5 mile. Had a guy come up on me around this point so latched on through here. 7th mile was a steep downhill for the 1st half, steep up for the 2nd half. Caught a guy at the top of the hill and tucked in for a 1/4 mile despite him running a touch slower as the wind was howling and we were still climbing. This helped a lot as when I got to 8 mile I'd lost the stitch and was ready to try and hammer the last 2. Thought I'd overdone it on the 9th as I was feeling really rough here, so have no clue where the 5:18 came from besides that I was chasing a guy that I eventually got with 250 to go. Despite the strong finish I don't think I left any time out there, and was only 35 seconds behind Carrie today over 10, after being 40 behind over 5 a month ago, and talking to him after he was very pleased, so gave me some perspective.

Did not plan on running so long after. Ran back to the apt, knowing it was 4 mile from the exit of the park, didnt realise it would take me 2.5 miles to get to the exit. At least it means an easy day tomorrow. Despite being 'off the beer', I'm treating myself to a couple of pints tonight. Now for the footie and WCs!

PS I beat all the chicks!

Ooii that's a good one

Target: 4 x 2 miles, 3 min rec.

Splits: 10:37 (5:21, 5:16), 10:36 (5:21, 5:15), 10:38 (5:22, 5:16), 10:40 (5:23, 5:17).

This was a good 'un. Was debating between this and 3x3 mile for the workout. Went for this because

a) Didn't trust my pacemaking to do the 3x3 properly

b) Longest workout so far had 6 miles of work, so thought this was a better transition

c) I'm a pussy

Going through the first mile, I thought I'd made a balls of it, and was very surprised to see that I'd negative split. However, the last 2/3 of the loop is a slight downhill, that I was very grateful for later in the workout. Struggled mentally after 2, thinking that I wouldn't get through 4 but the 3rd one was a good strong outing that made starting the 4th easy, and felt great through 3/4 of a mile. However, the wind got up coming to the mile marker, and I was rigging badly on the next half mile. But thankfully the sun went behind some cloud cover and I hit the downhill for the last 1000 or so, and managed to get through it ok.

While I was definitely in the hurt locker by the end of the last one, the workout in general was very solid, and am very pleased. Was much quicker than I was expecting (goal was just sub 11's), and at this stage I can say I'm well ahead of where I was anticipating in training. Am not revising any marathon goals until at least after the half in September, just going to keep taking it day by day. But its easily the best shape I've been in for a number of years, and am just hopeful I can keep it going. Seeing the midget horse guy tomorrow for a hip cracking, and already looking forward to getting a long one in on Sunday.

Not what was planned

On tap: 8 mile tempo

Reality: 4 mile tempo, 5 min jog, 8x400 w/ 1 min rec

Splits: 5:35, 5:42, 6:00 (uphill), 5:42 - 22:59
72.96 (59.96), 71.06 (61.2), 73.92 (59.6), 70.5 (59.7), 72.04 (58.3), 70.98 (59.9), 71.69 (58.3), 70.1.

The combination of work, lack of sleep and training caught up to me today. Had a perfect 4 mile loop plotted in the park taking in most of the route from the race on Saturday with the intention of doing 2 loops somewhere between 46-46:20. However, after the uphill 3rd mile my legs were totally gassed. A pity because for the first time in a tempo my breathing was so comfortable and relaxed, but the legs just weren't there. No point trying to force it. So after a few mins jog I did some 400s on the finishing straight for the race last week as the 400 to go and finish line were still on the roadside. All the odd ones were done into the wind, which is pretty evident given they're all 1-2 secs slower. Surprised and pleased with the 400 splits, as I didn't expect them to be this quick at all. Definitely glad I did them as it gave me some pleasure from a poor workout. But had you told me a month or two ago I would have done this I'd probably have thought you were high, so all in all things aren't bad.

Easy trot

13.25 miles, 97:48

Woke up this morning a little hazy after a nights boozing with Enda that was cut a little short as I was refused entry to our last destination for being 'too under the influence'. This was definitely beneficial to this mornings run, although I didn't quite agree at the time. I was also sporting a nice little gash down the front of my shin courtesy of a little concrete wall that came out of nowhere on me last night.
The pace early doors was extremely easy as myself and Enda were accompanied by his brother John whose training for Berlin. Headed out along the canal for the Park. After ~40 mins with John we continued up on a shortened loop through the park before returning home.
The run was a little longer than I intended, but the pace was so gentle that the legs felt good pretty much the whole way, with little to no side effects from yesterday.

Most Impressive Performance by a recent Brown Grad this weekend goes to....

Not this guy, but I'm pretty chuffed

3 mile w/u
5 mile race, 27:28
5 mile c/d

Splits: 5:09, 5:26, 5:36, 5:44, 5:32

If you were to judge this race only by the splits, and not knowing the course, you'd think I'd run like a complete arse. However, the effort was pretty consistent, and after the first half mile I picked up 20-25 places over the course of the run without getting passed by anyone. The first mile had about a 1km straightaway which was pretty flat, possibly a slight decline. A right turn took us towards the mile marker with that 600m gradually downhill. In truth the first mile was too quick, but only by about 5-10 secs, nothing major. Just past the mile marker we had a steep half mile downhill, before a sharp right turn into a steep half mile uphill and into the wind. I tried to conserve as much energy as possible on the downhill and really attacked the uphill, with this section being the area of the race I made up the most ground. The third mile was predominantly flat for the first 1200 before starting to climb, so was pleased to see that the split for this mile was my target pace. The fourth mile was all uphill, although the gradient wasn't too steep. As I was running I did think I had slowed to a greater extent than I actually did and was pleased to get to 4 miles in under 22 mins. At this point however, I was fucked with that capital F, with a pretty severe side stitch. Despite the last mile being flat, I did think I was going to struggle to get home in the 6 mins I needed to break 28. However, drawing on the spirit of Frank the Tank, I managed to keep my composure, not freak out, and realise that the 2 guys ~10 yards ahead of me weren't pulling away despite my struggles. Made a reall effort to make the ground up on them, getting there with about 500 to go, and despite having absolutely no kick at all managed to pass the 2 goys to get in.

I'm very happy with this run as I got in ~30secs quicker than I was hoping for, but the most pleasing thing about it was how quickly I recovered afterwards, and the 5 miles after the run was really pretty easy. The base is there, I'm definitely lacking quality work in training, but I'm not changing the plan. If I can keep doing what I'm doing for the next 14 weeks till Marathon Monday then I'm going to have a great base to start thinking about running this type of distance more competitively in the future. Definitely great to be back competing though. I was sitting on the can this morning (Sharing too much??) wondering what the hell I had gotten myself into, when I realised that that type of feeling was what I had missed about running. Definitely helped with the nerves, and totally enjoyed the day.

Ridiculously long post I know, but final point, was there was 5800 people in the race. Surprised but happy that so many people are making an effort to improve their health. Given what I do, I spend a lot of time around out of shape, overweight/obese diabetics who totally abuse their bodies. It's pretty inspiring to see people make the effort to improve themselves.

Temp-ho

2.5 mile w/u (18:05)
6.15 mile tempo (35:18)
2.4 mile c/d (18:32)

HR during tempo = 177 - 189

Very happy with this workout. Was 53 seconds faster than when I did the same thing two weeks ago. 3 reasons why are a) I had the day off yesterday whereas last time out it was the 8th day in a row out; b) I'm a bit fitter; c) I ran a bit too hard today early on. Was about 20-25 seconds quicker through the 1st two miles which are the hardest two on the run being uphill and today into the wind. As a result I started to rig pretty bad on the 3rd mile, but after about 2.75 the park starts to work downhill and I used the downhills very well to recover from the first couple of miles. Last time out I kept a pretty even pace through 5 but rigged pretty on the last mile. Today after the downhill recovery I felt very strong and would guess that the last mile was the fastest which is encouraging. Recovered very quickly afterwards and the legs have felt good all day since.

Got the race number and course map for the 5 miler in the park Saturday week. Of course the course runs in the opposite direction to what I've been running, with the first 2 miles downhill and from 2-4.5 uphill. Going to be tough going. Also the timing chip is attached to the number which has to be the dumbest thing ever. What the hell is wrong with just lacing it into the shoe like the good old days???

Success

14 miles, 91:23
Map

3.95 miles w/u, 28:26; HR range = 149 - 56
6.1 mile tempo, 36:03; Avg HR = 179, range = 174-187, rec after 1 min =41
3.95 mile c/d, 26:52; HR range = 151-58

Combined the long run with the workout on account of this weekends travelling. Warmed up by running to the park along the Canal, which like the rest of the run, breezed by in no time. I hadn't run in the park since an XC race the winter before I went to Brown, so didn't have too much idea of the lay of the land following the road around the perimeter. The first and last mile were the hardest due to being into the wind and predominantly uphill, with the quicker miles being between 2-4. Think I slowed a bit on the last mile but overall very pleased to average sub 6's. It's a long way from the tempo's of college, but then again, I'm a long way from the fitness of college. Recovered very quickly both in terms of HR and the legs, and was surprised to see that the cooldown home from the park was quicker than the recovery as the pace was pedestrian and the aim was to just let the legs get home in one piece. Also very pleased with the distance covered too as it didn't prove taxing to go 14. A good days running.