Week in Review – w/c 8/13/12

Monday:
Planned – AM 35 minutes easy, PM 45 steady
Actual – started the week with a surprisingly quick “easy” 35 minutes in which I managed to average 6:30/mile. I’m going with 140bpm for my easy runs from now on – should be interesting…
The afternoon “steady” 45 minutes went well too. Ended up with 7 miles at an average 150bpm. Promising start to the week!

Tuesday
Planned – 90 total: 60 easy <140, 20 steady <150, 10 hard <165 Actual – The first hour was great. Time flew by in cruise-mode, but the last 5 of the steady effort was a challenge and the hard effort was exactly that – HARD! Really happy with the workout though, and pleased as punch to cover 12.5 miles in 90 minutes. Wednesday
Planned – 60 minutes hills
Actual – an afternoon storm kind of ruined my planned hour at Mt. Trashmore, so I hit the dreaded treadmill for some incline/decline work instead. Got bored after 30 minutes, so headed outside to finish off the hour. Poison ivy rash is getting me down a little to be honest. Wil definitely be glad when it finally clears up and I can run itch free again!

Thursday
Planned – AM 35 minutes easy, PM 60 total: 10 easy, 20 steady, 10 LT, 5 easy, 10 LT, 5 steady
Actual – took a little while to get up to the “easy” zone, but still happy with the just-over-5-miles in 35 minutes. The 50m strides in the final mile seem to be beneficial too.
Had some company for the afternoon run, which helped take my mind off the LT efforts. The workout didn’t sound too tough on paper, but the last 20 minutes were a real challenge. Pleased to survive this one to be honest and another 9+ miles in the bank.

Friday
Planned – Rest day OR 35 easy
Actual – decided to take the rest day. Felt a bit weird not running at all, but long-term I think these rest days will be good for me.

Saturday
Planned – AM WU/CD & Strider Mile, PM 2 loops at PWFP
Actual – after a speedy couple of miles to warm up, it was soon time to hit the track for the Strider Mile. I secretly hoped/wished for a sub-5:00 finish, but today was not the day for a fast mile. I ran a very even-paced race (1:18, 1:17, 1:18, 1:17), but just couldn’t change into the next gear. Still happy with my 5th place finish (2nd Masters) considering the tough week of training though.

The afternoon run was a lot of fun. We drove to Prince William Forest Park (Triangle, VA), which is the venue for next month’s 12-HR ATR race. I ran one 6.5 mile loop with Ally to show her the major landmarks of the course, then proceeded to run a solo loop in a brand new pair of shoes – the Hoka One One Mafate 2. The Mafate 2 is a bizarre looking shoe, but based on this initial test, could be the #1 choice for September’s race. We’ll see. Anyway, pleased to average 7:26/mile for the loop, but note to self – do not attempt anything this speedy on race day!

Sunday
Planned – 10 miles w/ 3 easy, 7 steady
Actual – after a few celebratory birthday beers on Saturday night, it was nice to hit PWFP again on Sunday morning. I started off with three easy miles on the smooth, but rolling Scenic Drive, followed by yet another loop of the upcoming 12-HR ATR race course. It was a cool, but humid morning in the park but once again the Mafate 2s were a ton of fun. Great end to a challenging week!

So, a fairly big step up in miles and intensity this week, but I can safely say that my body seems to have handled it well. Happy with the 75 miles for the week, and this was spread over just 6 running days too. Also pleased that I was able to run a bit at Prince William Forest Park, which gives me some confidence as we head towards race day. Last year I managed 10 loops before calling it a day with just over an hour remaining on the race clock. This year I hope to go one better and complete 11 loops for a total 71.5 miles. Seems a bit ambitious, but I’m sure my regular readers know how I love a challenge. Happy Miles!