Week in Review w/c 11/19/12

Wasn’t sure how the legs would react to last week’s 70 mile “recovery” week, but things turned out good! Seems like my fitness is coming back nicely…

Monday:
Planned – AM 35 minutes easy. PM 40 minutes steady.
Actual – just over 5 misty, morning miles @ 6:53/mile pace to start the week. The afternoon run was a little quicker (6:20/mile), but very blustery. Legs and lungs feeling strong!

Tuesday
Planned – Rest day.
Actual – A planned rest day. Didn’t really need it, but I’m sure these recovery days will pay dividends a month or two down the line.

Wednesday
Planned – 40 minutes: 20 easy, 20 steady.
Actual – a thoroughly enjoyable lunch run. The first 20 minutes were comfortable in the “easy” zone (143bpm), but it felt great to push the pace for the closing 20 minutes. Managed just over 6 miles @ 6:29/mile pace.

Thursday
Planned – Turkey Trot 10K.
Actual – a rare mid-week race, with a warm up of just under a mile and a half. Started the race a little too aggressively and went through the 5K mark in a fraction under 18 minutes. Struggled to maintain pace in the closing miles, but still finished in a faster-than-expected 36:38 – my quickest 10K in the last 18 months or so. Finished 1st in the 45-49 age group, which was also the fastest time for male runners over the age of 35. Can’t be bad.

Decided to log an extended cool down, so ran the 6 miles from Mount Trashmore back to the house at a nice relaxed pace.

Friday
Planned – 10 miles w/ 5 x 50m strides in each of the last 3 miles.
Actual – Nothing like a double digit recovery run to wake up the legs after a tough 10K! This one went kind of well. Kept things in the “easy” zone (143bpm) for the first 7 miles, then threw in 5 x 50m strides in each of the closing 3 miles to keep the legs primed. Great conditions for a run. Really happy with the 6:47/mile pace!

Saturday
Planned – 17 miles easy with 5 easy and 12 @ MP (Marathon Pace)
Actual – wasn’t exactly looking forward to this run to be honest. It’s been non-stop since the Richmond Marathon and I was a teeny bit unsure of how I’d deal with the 12 miles at goal marathon pace. The first couple of miles I felt cold and a bit fatigued. The legs loosened up a bit in the next mile, and by the time Mile 6 arrived I was raring to go. Weird how that happens!

I decided to shoot for a marathon pace of 6:45/mile for the 12 mile stint, and aside from a couple of miles into a stiff headwind, I honestly had no issues hitting the goal. Even more surprising was the average heart rate for the 17 miles – just 143bpm, which is the upper limit of my “easy” training zone. 17 miles @ 6:41/mile pace = good stuff!

Sunday
Planned – 8 miles w/ 5 easy, 3 steady
Actual – a pleasant run to close out the week, with the first 5 miles cruising in the “easy” zone. I didn’t bother glancing at the Garmin for the closing 3 miles, and just ran by feel instead. Definitely happy with the 6:06, 6:02 and 5:58 splits!

Summary
Surprised how well this 66 mile week panned out, but am more happy at how fresh my legs seem to feel at the moment. Somehow I’ve logged 200 miles in the last 3 weeks at an average 6:43/mile pace. I haven’t checked the stats, but can’t recall ever having a mini-training block like that before.

This coming week features a bit of a taper as I head towards my 4th Cayman Islands Marathon next weekend. Thankfully the pressure is well and truly OFF as last year’s impressive winner, Justin Grunewald, will be lining up to defend his title. My plan is to have fun, run my own race and enjoy the wonderful event that the Cayman Marathon folks put on.

Have a great week!