10 the hard way

[Brichard]

Well I have mixed emotions about my run today. On the good side, I did run 9.9 miles. Running that far makes me realize that I am really close to doing the mileage I need to finish the race.

On the bad side of things... I ran in 1 hour and 36 minutes. I need to shave at least 6 minutes offf of my time to complete the race in under 2 hours. I'll need to keep this quicker pace for a little more then 3 more miles.

On the good side of things again... this is why I'm trying to increase my mileage. My hopes are that by running more mileage now I'll be prepared by May 4th! It will be interesting to see how my body responds to the mileage. I almost felt like I was still tired from my 7.2 mile run a few days ago. My first lap was much slower then it was a couple of days ago. I think it was a little hotter today as well.

Ah well... I'll keep at it!

[Jeff]

I am impressed at how quickly you are progressing. How are your knees feeling? I've noticed when its hotter my times increase. I think that may be another reason why I lost almost 8 minutes on my last long run. I would get hot on the runs when it was only 20 degrees in shorts and a sweatshirt w/a t-shirt. At what distance do you add your water bag?

I think I may do one long run the weekend before the mini.

[Brichard]

Originally posted by Jeff
I am impressed at how quickly you are progressing. How are your knees feeling? I've noticed when its hotter my times increase. I think that may be another reason why I lost almost 8 minutes on my last long run. I would get hot on the runs when it was only 20 degrees in shorts and a sweatshirt w/a t-shirt. At what distance do you add your water bag?

I think I may do one long run the weekend before the mini.

Surprisingly, my knees feel fine. I have to think these New Balance Shoes are helping. I need to verify this, but right after I bought the shoes, a friend told me that I probably have a pronation problem. I'm assuming that I inadvertently got some shoes that were correcting what was causing me knee pain.

I'm using the water bag on all of my runs, but I plan on doing this 7.2, 7.2, 9.9 plan for the next two weeks. I'm really glad I ran in a little warmer weather, b/c as you say... heat will probably be an issue on the day of the mini. And although it sucks to train in it, what better way to learn to deal with the heat then to train in it.

The legs are sore today, but they aren't killing me. Here is my plan for the week:

Monday- Rest
Tuesday- 7.2 mile run
Wednesday- 2 mile walk
Thursday- 7.2 mile run
Friday- 2 mile walk
Saturday- 9.9 mile run

I hope I can stick to this schedule, b/c if so... I'll have two consecutive days (Sunday and Monday) to rest after my 10 mile run this week. It will probably be difficult to run 7.2 tomorrow, but it is the only way I can see to get my three runs in and get back on a schedule where I get my two days of rest. I'd also like to get used to running on Saturday, since that will be the actual day of the week of the mini. So far many of my runs have been late morning, afternoon, or evening. I need to try to do some morning runs. Not only will it save me b/c of the reduced temp, but I want to make sure my body is ready to run at that time of day!