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Well, tonight I went a little bit off the reservation. After starting to feel better on Tuesday, John had advised me to do all easy runs for the remainder of the week leading up to the 500 Festival Mini Marathon on Saturday. Tonight was supposed to be 4 to 6 miles easy and 4 x 100m stride outs. However I had planned on asking John at track tonight if I could get in 2 to 3 miles at goal race pace with an easy warmup and cool down. When I arrived at Vanderbilt I learned that John would not be there so I just made the executive decision to proceed with my alternate plan.
I have not done a race pace run since last Tuesday morning and have run a lot of easy miles since then. I know it would have been better to do any race pace work earlier in the week, but I really wanted to feel that faster pace again before Saturday. So, I ended up doing a 1.3-mile warmup followed by 3 continuous miles on the track at goal race pace and then a 1-mile cool down.
The 3-miles at race pace were at a 6:41 average and felt good and fairly relaxed. I mentioned yesterday that I could tell my energy level was down after being sick, but the run did not feel like that tonight. However after downloading my Garmin, my heart rate was a bit higher than I was expecting and even higher that what it reached during my 4-mile race pace run last Tuesday. I think a lot of this has to do with the warmer temperatures and humidity, though the conditions are probably going to be even worse on Saturday for the race. I’m thinking that I may start off with a pace around 6:50 on Saturday and then just take it by feel from there based on the conditions.
Beast Mode…ON!
It looks like it is definitely going to be a HOT one for the 500 Festival Mini Marathon in Indianapolis on Saturday with Olivia and my friend Paxton. The forecast just is not relenting. I’m trying to figure out how much I need to adjust my goal to accomodate these conditions. With good weather I was hoping to break 1:28, now I have no idea what to expect.
After missing Monday and Tuesday with a bad head-cold, it was good to get back on the road this morning. My legs felt good after the marathon on Saturday, but my cold just exploded on Sunday and I ended up spending most of the day in the bed after morning worship at Bellevue Church of Christ. On Monday I stayed in bed until after 10am and didn’t go into work until after lunch. I started feeling better on Tuesday, but John advised me to take that day off as well since there wasn’t much to be gained before the 500 Festival Mini Marathon on Saturday.
For the rest of the week, John has me doing easy runs of various distances with 4 x 100m stride outs. Today’s schedule called for 4-miles and I was joined by my friend Paxton running through the streets of Bellevue. I ran in my Saucony Hattoris and we kept the pace very easy which was good because the humidity was crazy even at 6:30am. I was drenched after the run. Overall my legs felt fantastic, but I could tell that my energy level was down a bit from being sick. Hopefully this will come around before the race on Saturday.
We finished with stride outs in the church parking lot, and it felt pretty good to run fast. I’m a bit worried about the forecast for the race on Saturday which is calling for highs in the mid 80s and humidity over 70%. If this turns out to be the case, I’m definitely going to have to dial back my expectations.
Awesome times, but you need a more recent 10k as that PR is way out of line with the rest now. Quest for 39:59?? 🙂
Ha…yeah I guess that one is a little inconsistent. I’ve only run one 10k so far out of my 34 races, and that one was 10 min after I finished a 5k (my current 5k PR). I suppose I need to add another 10k or 2 to my schedule. 🙂
Well, since I was not selected in the lottery for the ING New York City Marathon, we have decided that Team Agee will be headed to the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon on November 10th. I am registered for the full marathon, Olivia is registered for the half marathon, and Kate is registered for the Jr. Miracle Marathon. Unfortunately they do not have a “toddler trot” for Sara, but she will be there in support along with my parents.
The Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon is in its 33rd year and is run through the nation’s oldest military park. In the January 2010 issue of Runner’s World readers selected it as the “most family-friendly” marathon, the runner-up for “most scenic” marathon, and third for best overall marathon.
Races and Personal Records (PR)
– Updated through Country Music Marathon last Saturday.
Recap the 13th annual St Jude Country Music Marathon in Nashville, TN…
Country Music Marathon
April 28, 2012
nashville.competitor.com
My Run: Overall, the Country Music Marathon (CMM) was my 12th full marathon, but this one was quite a bit different than any of my previous 11. For this race I had applied for and was accepted to be the official 4-hour pace team leader for the race. This was something I have wanted to do ever since my first marathon which I completed with the help of a pace team (Chicago 2009).
Have you ever had the sweet potato casserole at South Street here in Nashville…AMAZING!
I have not, but it sounds like I need to give it a try!
Well…the weather forecast for the 500 Festival Mini Marathon this weekend in Indianapolis is not looking much better than the Country Music Marathon last weekend in Nashville. It’s gonna be HOT for racing. Might not be able to go as fast as I’d hoped.
They give you any veggies with that or what?
Ha Ha! I ordered sweet potato casserole to go with it, and while this is technically a vegetable, it is much more like dessert (lots of pecans and brown sugar) 🙂
