Log for September 12-13 – 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.
Monday
- 7-Mile Trail Run – It had been a couple of weeks since my last trail run, so it was good to get back out there today with Paxton on the White + Red trails at Percy Warner Park. The temps are much cooler, and this made for a very enjoyable run. We kept the pace pretty relaxed throughout, but I could tell a huge difference in my ability to breathe while going up some of the steeper inclines. On a normal trail run during the summer it was common for us to take a quick break at the top of some of the more extreme slopes, but today we just kept going with only one bathroom break and one stop when my shoe came untied. Not bad after a 20-mile marathon workout on Saturday, and not bad on a 7-mile course with over 1,400 ft of elevation gain. Great run.
- Cross Training – Tonight was P90X: Ab-Ripper X with Olivia and then P90X: Shoulders and Arms.
Tuesday
- 10-Mile Tempo Run – My training schedule originally called for a 9-mile tempo run today at goal marathon pace (7:26). However, with the hard marathon workout on Saturday (which included almost 15 miles at or below goal marathon pace), I knew that doing another marathon pace workout so soon would likely do more harm than good. With that in mind, I decided to dial it back just a bit today and bump the mileage up to 10.
Nathan, Paxton and I ended up running out and back on Old Natchez and Del Rio. We started off fairly easy through the hilly section with a 9:05 first mile. After this, we picked up considerably for the next three miles with times of 8:07, 8:02, and 7:43. Just before the end of mile 4, we stopped for a hydration break and Paxton decided to head back early due to some discomfort in his calf muscle.
Nathan and I continued on down Old Natchez and then onto Del Rio for the next two miles with times of 7:56 and 7:58. After another quick hydration break, we finished out the run strong with miles of 7:25, 7:37, 7:42 (back in the hilly section), and 6:53 for a total of 10-miles with an average pace of 7:50.
My legs felt really good today, and at no point (except the very, very end) did the pace feel fast or out of control. My average heart rate was 151 for the run, and it only got as high as 171 even at the end. I’m starting to feel more and more confident about Chicago, though the butterflies are also starting creep in as the race gets closer.
- Injury Update – Quick update on my “freak” back injury from tripping while turning off my alarm in the dark on Saturday morning. I’m lucky that it doesn’t really affect my running motion, but it is a constant aggravation that seems to get worse after a run and throughout the day. Sometimes it is just really sore. Other times it goes into spasm. There is now a visible bruise where I hit the chair when I fell. I’m not sure how well it is going to heal as I continue to run, but have no plans to cut back on training unless it gets to the point where it affects the mechanics of my run.