Log for August 2 – Training for Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 9th. Goal for the fall and winter marathon season is to break 3:15 for the first time.
Tuesday
- 11.25-Mile Tempo Run – My preparation for this tempo run was less than ideal since I had done a 5.25-mile trail run and P90X: Legs & Back AFTER 5pm on Monday. My legs were already very tired. The run started at 5am with Nathan and Paxton in Edwin Warner Park. We had to start early this morning, because I had an 8am meeting at work. I don’t like to get up that early, but the nice thing was that the temps were very mild, though the humidity was still high. For the first 6.5-miles, we did a modified version of our “Nature Center Loop.” Our pace for the first 3 miles was around 7:45, but after that my leg fatigue caught up with me I struggled to keep it under 8:00 min per mile. Paxton and Nathan were strong, and continued the faster pace. After the first loop, we stopped for fluids, before finishing up the run. The break refreshed my legs slightly, and I was again able to push the pace a little. During the last mile, Nathan and Paxton took off like they were running from a pack of wild dogs. There was no way I could match their surge, so I just hung back and tried to finish smooth. All told my average pace was just under 8:00 min pace for 11.25 miles. Didn’t feel nearly as good as our 10.25-mile tempo run last week, but considering the trail run and P90X the night before, I thought it turned out fairly well. It was still a confidence boost to know that I could do an 11-mile tempo run under 8:00 pace with very tired legs and high humidity.
On a side note, I’m very appreciative of Nathan and Paxton getting up super early to accomodate my 8am meeting. It is such a blessing to have good friends to train with who support each other, and who are a pleasure to be around.