13 weeks down - 3 to go 'til Tampa

MARATHON TRAINING LOG
Week 13 OF 16 RECAP
RUNNING FOR THE TAMPA MARATHON – 2/26/06

Entered 0n Monday, February 6, 2006

Again, I struggled to make entries all week. All of my blog readers have abandoned me as I have been deliquent and updating and commenting on others. I will try to make an effort to get back into the game this week. Here is a look back at Week 13...

Mon 1/30/06

7AM - Monday morning was a rough run. Only 3 miles – but I was sore and tired. Jen’s parents must have worn me out when they visited over the weekend. The 13 miler at 7:24 per mile on Sunday was a push.

3 miles – 23:21 – 7:46/mile – No HRM

Tue 1/31/06 - Much needed day of rest. I was scheduled to run but I needed a break. Legs needed to recover.

Wed 2/1/06 – 7:07 AM – Got back onto my feet with a good morning run.

5 miles – 37:18 – 7:27/mile – Avg HR: 158

Thu 2/2/06 – 6:36 AM – Up and at ‘em for a strong 7-miler in the morning. Nothing unusual about this run.

7 miles – 52:52 – 7:33/mile – Avg HR: 156

Fri 2/3/06 – 4:19 PM – 4-miler from work in the late afternoon sun

4 miles – 29:46 – 7:26/mile – Avg HR: 150

Sat 2/4/06 - Day of rest

Sun 2/5/06 - Super Bowl Sunday - Nothing like a 20-mile run to prep for a Super Bowl viewing

I decided to take some advice from my co-worker, Phil, on how to run this week's long mileage. Phil is in his late 40's and is a borderline elite runner. He is trying to run a 2:40 marathon at age 50 next year.

I probably have been running too fast for my long runs. Most of my training runs seem to have been around the 7:38-7:47 pace. Phil counseled me to try to run a lot slower for the first 15 miles of my 20-miler and then truly crank out my last 5 at 5k pace (or close).

I target 8:15 per mile for the first 15 miles – and then tried for 7:10 for the last 5 miles. My 5k pace is usually around 6:40, but I wasn’t able to hold that kind of pace.

It was difficult but I pulled it off. Psychologically, it was really hard for me to run the 8:15. I felt like I became tired more quickly because I was holding back. The last 5 were tough but I was able to push through at the accelerated pace.

Most notably, the average HR was way, way down to 144. This was exceptionally lower than past runs.

20 miles – 2:39:24 – 7:58/mile – Avg HR: 144

Last 5 were completed in approx 35:55 or 7:11 per mile

SUMMARY FOR WEEK: Total of 39 miles

SUPER BOWL XL – PITTSBURGH: 21 – SEATTLE: 10 -- MVP: Hines Ward