Week Four Report

Week three ended on a good note with a PR in the MLB Charity 5K on Sunday (all whining notwithstanding). This launched me in a good mental state into week four. Some credit for my good humor has to go to the fact that it coincided with week last of summer school.

I followed Hal Higdon pretty close to the letter with one change. It's easier for me to do my strength Monday, Wednesday and Friday to keep it consistent so I switched Tuesdays 3 mile run with Wednesdays Tempo run and Strength. Speaking of my strength training, I have been pushing it fairly hard in the weight room and seeing some progress there, most of which is directly tied to my vanity, however (sagging skin is tightening up a bit).

As far as my running goes I have been getting faster in my regular 3.1 mile runs in JB Park. I always discount the hills in this run but they are paying dividends when I get out on the flats. I'm convinced that's where my speed came from on my two recent 5K PRs. My "slow" runs are improving and I feel really good when I run. I've been confining my running to early morning hours to avoid the heat and it works great. The park is my own private world, at least for a bit.

My tempo run was a first for me so I was a bit tentative about what I was doing. I ran on the track at school which is sweet - a really nice composite track that is very fast. My first mile was 9:31, followed by a 9:08. The second mile is the pace I need to reach to achieve my 2 hour 1/2 marathon goal in September. Seems good. Oh, wait. This is a 35 minute tempo run, pick up the pace. So mile 3 was 8:41! Finished with a time of 8:24 for 3 laps (timed run, remember).

One thing I noticed, however, was that if you figure my last four fast quarters I had a time of 8:25! Now we're talking! I'm finally doing meaningful speedwork.

Wednesday and Thursday were good runs of 3.1 and 4 miles respectively. Friday is a rest day and Saturday back to the grind on the hills for a comfortable 3.1 miles. Good run in very pleasant weather. I got to run later in the day because of the mild temperatures.

Sunday I slept in a bit as well. I headed out to Grant's Trail for my long run at about 8:00 a.m. This paved trail is perfect for distance work because it's relatively flat and marked every 1/2 mile for almost 10 miles. I put water out at the 2.5 mile marker. I was able to get water here at 2.5 miles and then 4.5 miles because I turned around at 3.5 miles. This was a very workable solution and it allowed me to practice hydrating as I run. The good news is that my final time, including two water breaks and four intersection hassles was 1:08! Still maintaining a sub 10 min/mile pace over the long haul. This time equates to 9:45 per mile. This is about three seconds off my pace for six miles but considering the water stops, it's progress in my opinion.

I've got work to do still to get down to the 9:09 miles I'll need to average to get my goal in September but I feel good about what I've done. I have nothing standing in my way this time. My schedule is set and I will be able to work the program with the resources I have available to me. I'm starting to feel very good about my progress.