Training Week 5
Feb 3- Feb 9
2/3/14
Mon - AM: 6 Road miles
Cold day, easy run. Just down Monument and back Patterson. Trails are still nasty from the rain and snow.
2/4/14
Tues - AM: 4 mi easy
Very easy run today. Everything is smooth and easy as we start to ramp up miles in the coming days.
2/5/14
Wed - AM: 6 mi Speed work
This was my first speed workout of the year. Very cold out and cloudy. Getting very tired of the bitter chill in the air. I went over to the lake in Maymount Park and did .25 mi repeats (5) at 10K pace. Its about 1.5 mi warm up there and coming back I did the last mile in tempo pace, sub 7min/mile. Very good, first hard run.
2/6/14
Thurs - PM: 4mi easy
Just an easy 4 today to recover from yesterday and gear up for Fri, Sat, and Sun.
2/7/14
Fri - AM: 10mi road
Very early morning run. Forgot my headlamp, so I had to be very patient in the beginning, as the sidewalks in the fan sucks and are easy to trip and fall. As the sun came up, I was able to stretch out the stride and go harder. I went through the fan down to Monument up to Libbe and back down Patterson. I finished up with the 2 mi loop that Jaclyn and I do. 8:10 avg the whole way, which I'm happy with, considering the first few miles were slow. Legs feel good.
2/8/14
Sat - AM: 15mi road
Taking Jaclyn up to DC later, so had to get this in early. Headed over the Nickel Bridge and west on Riverside. Amazing houses and rolling steep hills. Turned around at the main road 1.8 in and headed back east on Riverside past Forest hill park and over to the Mayan ruins/14th street bridge. Hit Brown's isle and up the steep steps to VCU gym. Main to Lombardy to Monument and home. Great run, legs started to really feel the hills around mile 10. Tough push home keeping 8:15 pace.
2/9/14
Sun - PM: 15mi road
I knew today was going to be a tough run. I could feel the miles on my legs, but I knew that this feeling I have now will be nothing like mile 60 at the Keys 100. Another cold day. Got home from DC around 11am and suited up for the tough push. Even though my legs were tired, I felt comfortable for the first 10 miles. The hills were the real pain for me. My pace got faster as I went though. Around mile 12, I felt completely exhausted. I thought to myself that I need more runs like this to get myself prepared for that 'edge' that I'm going to have to take myself to and go beyond. Last few miles I actually sped up, cause I just wanted to get this over with.
61.1 miles - 8:16
Great Training week. Started easy, got in some speed work, and finished long. Very tired of this bitter weather. Probably drank a few too many beers this week, but oh well. Next few weeks its going to be critical that I listen to my body and plan my miles out as work gets busy and distances get longer. I didn't get on the trails at all this week. They were nasty and time didn't permit. I hope this week I can get on them a few times.
