Monday: PM: 12.5 miles
Tuesday: AM: 5 miles, PM: 9 miles
Wednesday: PM: 9.5 miles
Thursday: AM: 7 miles, PM: 8 miles
Friday: AM: 5.5 miles, PM: 8.5 miles
Saturday: PM: 16 miles
Sunday: AM: 9 miles
Total: 91 Miles/Week
Run Houston
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Florida
I arrived in Naples, Florida today for a vacation with Beth and her family. It is nice to relax and kick back for a bit. I have worked hard over the past year in not only my running, but also my job, and of course being the best man I can be for Beth. Beth has also worked really hard with finishing her Undergraduate Degree in Psychology and deserves to relax. So we are going to enjoy ourselves this week on the beach and in the sun.After Swarthmore I have gotten back to just mileage for my running and have been increasing the mileage again but also decreasing intensity(no workouts). It is nice to not workout during the week and just run. I am fit as I have ever been and I'd be lying if I didn't say I feel absolutely fantastic...even with my Spring of PRs just behind me. I finished up the end of this week with 73 miles(with one day off), so I am clearly headed for the 80-90 miles/week range again. But again, just general running. It is nice to not workout right now. My legs are recovering yet I am maintaining my aerobic fitness...
THE SUMMER:
This summer will be my next phase of racing but will be very short. I have 3 races lined up in July that will all be within 3 weeks of eachother. The first will be the MidSummer Night's Mile on July 8 and I will plan to attack a much overdue mile PR(my last mile PR is from HighSchool!) to strengthen my pure speed as a runner. The second will be one of my favorites(and must do's since its on my home turf and right in front of the =PR= store)...The Rockville Twilight 8K on July 16. The third race will be the evil pacers' Crystal City 5K on July 23 where I'll try to take down as many pacers runners as I can. These races will be "maintenance races" to keep my body used to racing and also to keep my speed up...but ultimately my major focus will be this fall.
Monday, May 16, 2011
ALL OUT
My last Spring race is just under me and I am feeling very good about it. Though for the Spring of 2011, I already PRed in 10K, 10Miles, 13.1Miles, I really wanted to make this the icing on the cake with a new PR in the 5000 Meters. I PRed in this event earlier in the year, in January at the MD Indoor Track Invite, my first race of the year which sparked many good things to come after. I ran 15:26 that day, and though pleased with my effort, knew I could run faster this Spring. So, I decided to enter the Swarthmore Last Chance Meet on 5/14 to close my season out and hopefully end on a high note.
On Saturday we left MD around 3:00 PM in the megavan Joe rented. It was like a bus. Others who came were Karl Dusen, crazy Charlie Ban, Joe's coach Jerry(who I owe for getting me into this race), Patrick Murphy, Dave Wertz, and Michelle Miller and her husband Brian. The one day trip was a blast and we made it to Swarthmore around 6:00 PM, with 3 hours to spare before the race. So we killed some time and watched some events going on. The weather was on and off-at times it rained and others it was just a drizzle or mist. The track was clearly wet however. The Mens 5000 was to go off a little after 9:00 PM, so I made sure to eat something. I also got a very nasty cold in the beginning of the week. I actually developed a raspy voice from it as well. But I knew I could do this race based on the workout I did on Wednesday when I also wasn't feeling great. The cold certainly wasn't ideal, but it wasn't anything in the chest. Just snot rockets pretty much. Nasty. This was a weird time to race...so late, and I certainly wasn't used to it. We warmed up around 8:10 and I felt good on the warm-up, running through the campus as it darkened. It was not raining at this point, but the humidity certainly was higher. As we got back to our stuff, I found that the 5000 was in 3 sections. Joe, Karl, and I were in the first and fastest...I was pretty much the back of the pack of the first heat-I had a good reason to be nervous.
I put on my PR racing singlet, slipped on my Nike Victory Spikes and was ready to go. The rain was gone, but there were puddles on the track. We watched Michelle run the womens 5000 as we did some strides. I felt light and fast. I saw many runners who looked very strong and ready to tear it up. We lined up.
READY...SET..CRACK!!!
Elbows, shuffling around, and pushing happened all in the first 100 meters. I fought for a good position. I was towards the back, with a few runners hanging right behind me. The front surged ahead and Joe and Karl went with them. Immediately my legs and breathing were already working. It is the nature of this race to be cruel in the way that it is run at your maximum capacity for oxygen. VO2Max is the test of this race. It is hard the whole way, after the first 400 meters you already start to feel it.
We stormed around the track, lap after lap. I went through the first 400 in 72, right on target pacing, and I was in LAST PLACE. There was once runner right ahead who i hung onto to keep contact. Must keep contact. Gotta keep contact. We went through the first 800 was 2:23. I hit 1000 meters in 3:00 and the first 1600(1 mile) in 4:49. I was either last or second to last, trading places with the runner I was competing with. There were, however, a few runners just ahead that I was keying off of. I was already starting to feel the fatigue set in, in fact, I was already in pain after the 1st mile. The race hurts like a mother...and it's not like the marathon...it's only 15 minutes of running, but it is INTENSE...a different kind of pain. Anything is painful when you are running all out. But I told myself just get through 2 laps at a time, and hang with the train...
The next mile I still stayed in contact with the pack right in front of me, as well as the guy right on my heels the whole way. Literally, he kept passing me on the back straight, while I kept passing him on the opposing straight. Back and forth, back and forth. 2000 meters I hit in 6:02ish so was just over 15:00 pace. Pain started to set in.
2 miles in I split 9:42(technically a PR). I knew I wasn't going to break 15:00, but was in the cards for a nice PR. I just needed to hang tough. Then, as I went through the 2-mile mark, I began to see runners ahead falling off the pace. I was gaining on them. Friends cheered for me as I began passing a few runners on the back straight. I may have been last place from the beginning, but now I was eating up as many runners as I could! My endurance was kicking in-it is my strength as a runner. The first runner I passed was Kyle Carrick, a great guy who I was running with during the Shamrock Half Marathon(he ended up running 1:09:40something for the half just ahead of me in that race)-he nudged me 'go get em.' As I closed on another runner, the runner who was with me all along from the beginning made a move and passed me again. DAMN! I clung on to him as best I could. We ran down the other runners together. I had no idea what my splits were at this point. I was just competing and running as hard as I damn well could.
With only a few laps to go, I closed on a pack of runners and went through 14:01 with 1 lap to go. I could hear the leaders behind me finishing up their final lap. I stormed around the track with all my might and was so close to the pack...so close...
200 METERS TO GO!!!!! ALL OUT!!!!
I ran with as much turnover I had and gave a kick at the end to pass the pack of runners, going in the outside lane to do so. I could see the finishing clock at the end...barely holding it together...but damn...a few of the runners I just passed re-passed me right at the end, and I had no turnover left to give. It was as fast as I could go. I looked at the clock at this point...15:12...15:13. I crossed the line in pain and went over and layed down on the track for a moment. I was shot. spent. nothing left. all out.
15:13 was my official time, a 13 second PR, I was 24th out of 28 in my heat. 32nd overall out of 77 total runners.
Over the past 8 weeks, each race I have run has been decreased in distance, with the pace increasing. the half marathon in march: 5:20 pace. the CB 10 miler: 5:17 pace. Pikes Peek 10K: 5:03 pace. and now the 5000, 4:53 pace. This race concludes a very successful spring season, and it is now time to take a break from racing for a while and just run some mileage. I am going to Florida this Saturday with Beth's family and will enjoy a great week there. I do have a few races lined up for the summer, but it probably won't be until July that I will race again. There is a time to race, and there is a time not to race. I really want to focus on having a successful fall season, something I haven't been able to do very well. That is my next focus.
My PRs this Spring:
5000 meters- 15:13
10 kilometers- 31:26
10 miles- 52:54
13.1 miles- 1:10:04
Hard to say which race stands out-they were all unique in their own way. I'll probably write some sort of Spring wrap-up.
On Saturday we left MD around 3:00 PM in the megavan Joe rented. It was like a bus. Others who came were Karl Dusen, crazy Charlie Ban, Joe's coach Jerry(who I owe for getting me into this race), Patrick Murphy, Dave Wertz, and Michelle Miller and her husband Brian. The one day trip was a blast and we made it to Swarthmore around 6:00 PM, with 3 hours to spare before the race. So we killed some time and watched some events going on. The weather was on and off-at times it rained and others it was just a drizzle or mist. The track was clearly wet however. The Mens 5000 was to go off a little after 9:00 PM, so I made sure to eat something. I also got a very nasty cold in the beginning of the week. I actually developed a raspy voice from it as well. But I knew I could do this race based on the workout I did on Wednesday when I also wasn't feeling great. The cold certainly wasn't ideal, but it wasn't anything in the chest. Just snot rockets pretty much. Nasty. This was a weird time to race...so late, and I certainly wasn't used to it. We warmed up around 8:10 and I felt good on the warm-up, running through the campus as it darkened. It was not raining at this point, but the humidity certainly was higher. As we got back to our stuff, I found that the 5000 was in 3 sections. Joe, Karl, and I were in the first and fastest...I was pretty much the back of the pack of the first heat-I had a good reason to be nervous.
I put on my PR racing singlet, slipped on my Nike Victory Spikes and was ready to go. The rain was gone, but there were puddles on the track. We watched Michelle run the womens 5000 as we did some strides. I felt light and fast. I saw many runners who looked very strong and ready to tear it up. We lined up.
READY...SET..CRACK!!!
Elbows, shuffling around, and pushing happened all in the first 100 meters. I fought for a good position. I was towards the back, with a few runners hanging right behind me. The front surged ahead and Joe and Karl went with them. Immediately my legs and breathing were already working. It is the nature of this race to be cruel in the way that it is run at your maximum capacity for oxygen. VO2Max is the test of this race. It is hard the whole way, after the first 400 meters you already start to feel it.
We stormed around the track, lap after lap. I went through the first 400 in 72, right on target pacing, and I was in LAST PLACE. There was once runner right ahead who i hung onto to keep contact. Must keep contact. Gotta keep contact. We went through the first 800 was 2:23. I hit 1000 meters in 3:00 and the first 1600(1 mile) in 4:49. I was either last or second to last, trading places with the runner I was competing with. There were, however, a few runners just ahead that I was keying off of. I was already starting to feel the fatigue set in, in fact, I was already in pain after the 1st mile. The race hurts like a mother...and it's not like the marathon...it's only 15 minutes of running, but it is INTENSE...a different kind of pain. Anything is painful when you are running all out. But I told myself just get through 2 laps at a time, and hang with the train...
The next mile I still stayed in contact with the pack right in front of me, as well as the guy right on my heels the whole way. Literally, he kept passing me on the back straight, while I kept passing him on the opposing straight. Back and forth, back and forth. 2000 meters I hit in 6:02ish so was just over 15:00 pace. Pain started to set in.
2 miles in I split 9:42(technically a PR). I knew I wasn't going to break 15:00, but was in the cards for a nice PR. I just needed to hang tough. Then, as I went through the 2-mile mark, I began to see runners ahead falling off the pace. I was gaining on them. Friends cheered for me as I began passing a few runners on the back straight. I may have been last place from the beginning, but now I was eating up as many runners as I could! My endurance was kicking in-it is my strength as a runner. The first runner I passed was Kyle Carrick, a great guy who I was running with during the Shamrock Half Marathon(he ended up running 1:09:40something for the half just ahead of me in that race)-he nudged me 'go get em.' As I closed on another runner, the runner who was with me all along from the beginning made a move and passed me again. DAMN! I clung on to him as best I could. We ran down the other runners together. I had no idea what my splits were at this point. I was just competing and running as hard as I damn well could.
With only a few laps to go, I closed on a pack of runners and went through 14:01 with 1 lap to go. I could hear the leaders behind me finishing up their final lap. I stormed around the track with all my might and was so close to the pack...so close...
200 METERS TO GO!!!!! ALL OUT!!!!
I ran with as much turnover I had and gave a kick at the end to pass the pack of runners, going in the outside lane to do so. I could see the finishing clock at the end...barely holding it together...but damn...a few of the runners I just passed re-passed me right at the end, and I had no turnover left to give. It was as fast as I could go. I looked at the clock at this point...15:12...15:13. I crossed the line in pain and went over and layed down on the track for a moment. I was shot. spent. nothing left. all out.
15:13 was my official time, a 13 second PR, I was 24th out of 28 in my heat. 32nd overall out of 77 total runners.
Over the past 8 weeks, each race I have run has been decreased in distance, with the pace increasing. the half marathon in march: 5:20 pace. the CB 10 miler: 5:17 pace. Pikes Peek 10K: 5:03 pace. and now the 5000, 4:53 pace. This race concludes a very successful spring season, and it is now time to take a break from racing for a while and just run some mileage. I am going to Florida this Saturday with Beth's family and will enjoy a great week there. I do have a few races lined up for the summer, but it probably won't be until July that I will race again. There is a time to race, and there is a time not to race. I really want to focus on having a successful fall season, something I haven't been able to do very well. That is my next focus.
My PRs this Spring:
5000 meters- 15:13
10 kilometers- 31:26
10 miles- 52:54
13.1 miles- 1:10:04
Hard to say which race stands out-they were all unique in their own way. I'll probably write some sort of Spring wrap-up.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
no sub 15, but 15:13, PR!
The race was separated into 3 heats. I was in the 1st heat, the fastest one, which put me towards the back pretty much. But I fought hard and beat several guys to attempt sub 15 but I just didn't have anything left. I ran as hard as I could and gave it my all. Satisfied with finishing the Spring with a final PR. The 5k has never been easy for me, in fact it is a tough event for me that I have needed to work on. But I have established a decent time and it will help me in my future distances.
15:13, 24th in my heat, 32nd overall. 80 runners.
Race Report coming later...
15:13, 24th in my heat, 32nd overall. 80 runners.
Race Report coming later...
Friday, May 13, 2011
5000m Preview
It will be me and the guys in blue who are going up in the van tomorrow afternoon.
Event 21 Men 5000 Meter Run
===============================================================================
Name Year Team Seed
===============================================================================
1 Dusen, Karl UNATTACHED 14:01.00
2 Beamish, Hugo VILLANOVA 14:05.00
3 Eustis, Colin AMERICAN 14:05.00
4 Brannigan, Jeff AMERICAN 14:05.00
5 Brown, Craig AMERICAN 14:10.00
6 Hackett, Everett UNATTACHED 14:11.34
7 Leinenger, Mark AMERICAN 14:22.00
8 Wiegner, Joe UNATTACHED 14:28.00
9 Schilit, Jordan HAVERFORD 14:30.00
10 Steele, Bill UNATTACHED 14:30.00
11 Arbuckle, Luke UNATTACHED 14:30.00
12 Reynolds, Clay GETTYSBURG 14:33.35
13 Straughan, Dylan DICKINSON 14:37.47
14 Kissin, Peter HAVERFORD 14:39.00
15 Simpson, Justin UNATTACHED 14:39.00
16 Carrick, Kyle UNATTACHED 14:40.00
17 Burmeister, Taylor UNATTACHED 14:40.00
18 Mageth, Jordan UNATTACHED 14:45.00
19 Doan, Conor UNATTACHED 14:45.00
20 DuBois, Eric ROWAN 14:47.00
21 Nihen, Rob TCNJ 14:47.50
22 Mynatt, Henry DICKINSON 14:48.82
23 Donnelly, Kevin ST. JOSEPH'S 14:49.78
24 Sullivan, Zach LA SALLE 14:50.00
25 Bowden, Michael LA SALLE 14:50.00
26 Lutcza, Matt MORAVIAN 14:51.00
27 Sloane, Chris UNATTACHED 14:55.00
28 Topita, Ryan LA SALLE 14:55.00
29 Phillips, Jacob SWARTHMORE 14:55.00
30 Watts, John GWYNEDD-MERC 14:58.56
31 Lacey, Matt CENTRAL PARK TRA 14:59.00
32 Haje, Naseem UNATTACHED 14:59.00
33 Lafferty, Steve UNATTACHED 15:00.00
34 Parmenter, Nathan UNATTACHED 15:00.00
35 Roos, Kyle TCNJ 15:02.00
36 Greco, Rich ELIZABETHTOW 15:05.00
37 Campbell, Todd LA SALLE 15:05.00
38 Wasnetsky, Chris UNATTACHED 15:05.00
39 Knowles, Dave NYU 15:06.88
40 Bonilla, Kevin NYU 15:06.89
41 Haneman, Pat HAVERFORD 15:09.00
42 Cutilli, Ben HAVERFORD 15:09.00
43 Galasso, Aidan DELAWARE 15:10.00
44 Finn, Matthew LA SALLE 15:10.00
45 Black, Arthur UNATTACHED 15:12.00
46 Hager, Patrick UNATTACHED 15:12.00
47 Meehan, Joe RUTGERS-CAMD 15:14.00
48 Connelly, Alec RUTGERS-CAMD 15:14.00
49 Megee, Bryan DESALES 15:15.00
50 O'Brian, Mike DELAWARE 15:15.00
51 Cahill, Michael STEVENS INST 15:15.15
52 Fitzgerald, John SALISBURY 15:16.04
53 Wertz, David UNATTACHED 15:19.00
54 Hartung, Tim YORK (PA.) 15:20.00
55 Hopkins, Sean UNATTACHED 15:20.00
56 Morrissey, Drew LA SALLE 15:20.00
57 Hassett, Matt LOYOLA (MD.) 15:20.00
58 Kubiak, Joe GWYNEDD-MERC 15:25.00
59 Tarpey, Jack DESALES 15:28.00
60 Daniels, Thomas GETTYSBURG 15:29.00
61 Murphy, Patrick UNATTACHED 15:29.00
62 Fritz-Mauer, Jossi UNATTACHED 15:30.00
63 Murphy, James LA SALLE 15:30.00
64 Bohenek, Jason UNATTACHED 15:30.00
65 Friesema, Andrew YORK (PA.) 15:30.00
66 Hutcheson, Craig MESSIAH 15:35.00
67 Forde, Kevin UNATTACHED 15:36.00
68 Ban, Charlie UNATTACHED 15:37.00
69 Berstler Jr., Stephen SALISBURY 15:39.04
70 D'Angelo, Nicholas LEBANON VALL 15:45.00
71 Rooke, Tyler GWYNEDD-MERC 15:45.00
72 Springer, Andrew MESSIAH 15:50.00
73 Munnelly, James UNATTACHED 15:55.00
74 Derkacz, Adam ELIZABETHTOW 15:55.17
75 Palmer, Eddy UNATTACHED 15:59.00
76 Bofinger, Eric UNATTACHED 15:59.00
77 Mead, Patrick FROSTBURG ST 16:19.39
78 Ying, Rolland RUTGERS-NEWA 16:20.30
79 Pointer, Maurice UNATTACHED 17:20.00
80 Lara, Jamie UNATTACHED 17:30.00
Event 21 Men 5000 Meter Run
===============================================================================
Name Year Team Seed
===============================================================================
1 Dusen, Karl UNATTACHED 14:01.00
2 Beamish, Hugo VILLANOVA 14:05.00
3 Eustis, Colin AMERICAN 14:05.00
4 Brannigan, Jeff AMERICAN 14:05.00
5 Brown, Craig AMERICAN 14:10.00
6 Hackett, Everett UNATTACHED 14:11.34
7 Leinenger, Mark AMERICAN 14:22.00
8 Wiegner, Joe UNATTACHED 14:28.00
9 Schilit, Jordan HAVERFORD 14:30.00
10 Steele, Bill UNATTACHED 14:30.00
11 Arbuckle, Luke UNATTACHED 14:30.00
12 Reynolds, Clay GETTYSBURG 14:33.35
13 Straughan, Dylan DICKINSON 14:37.47
14 Kissin, Peter HAVERFORD 14:39.00
15 Simpson, Justin UNATTACHED 14:39.00
16 Carrick, Kyle UNATTACHED 14:40.00
17 Burmeister, Taylor UNATTACHED 14:40.00
18 Mageth, Jordan UNATTACHED 14:45.00
19 Doan, Conor UNATTACHED 14:45.00
20 DuBois, Eric ROWAN 14:47.00
21 Nihen, Rob TCNJ 14:47.50
22 Mynatt, Henry DICKINSON 14:48.82
23 Donnelly, Kevin ST. JOSEPH'S 14:49.78
24 Sullivan, Zach LA SALLE 14:50.00
25 Bowden, Michael LA SALLE 14:50.00
26 Lutcza, Matt MORAVIAN 14:51.00
27 Sloane, Chris UNATTACHED 14:55.00
28 Topita, Ryan LA SALLE 14:55.00
29 Phillips, Jacob SWARTHMORE 14:55.00
30 Watts, John GWYNEDD-MERC 14:58.56
31 Lacey, Matt CENTRAL PARK TRA 14:59.00
32 Haje, Naseem UNATTACHED 14:59.00
33 Lafferty, Steve UNATTACHED 15:00.00
34 Parmenter, Nathan UNATTACHED 15:00.00
35 Roos, Kyle TCNJ 15:02.00
36 Greco, Rich ELIZABETHTOW 15:05.00
37 Campbell, Todd LA SALLE 15:05.00
38 Wasnetsky, Chris UNATTACHED 15:05.00
39 Knowles, Dave NYU 15:06.88
40 Bonilla, Kevin NYU 15:06.89
41 Haneman, Pat HAVERFORD 15:09.00
42 Cutilli, Ben HAVERFORD 15:09.00
43 Galasso, Aidan DELAWARE 15:10.00
44 Finn, Matthew LA SALLE 15:10.00
45 Black, Arthur UNATTACHED 15:12.00
46 Hager, Patrick UNATTACHED 15:12.00
47 Meehan, Joe RUTGERS-CAMD 15:14.00
48 Connelly, Alec RUTGERS-CAMD 15:14.00
49 Megee, Bryan DESALES 15:15.00
50 O'Brian, Mike DELAWARE 15:15.00
51 Cahill, Michael STEVENS INST 15:15.15
52 Fitzgerald, John SALISBURY 15:16.04
53 Wertz, David UNATTACHED 15:19.00
54 Hartung, Tim YORK (PA.) 15:20.00
55 Hopkins, Sean UNATTACHED 15:20.00
56 Morrissey, Drew LA SALLE 15:20.00
57 Hassett, Matt LOYOLA (MD.) 15:20.00
58 Kubiak, Joe GWYNEDD-MERC 15:25.00
59 Tarpey, Jack DESALES 15:28.00
60 Daniels, Thomas GETTYSBURG 15:29.00
61 Murphy, Patrick UNATTACHED 15:29.00
62 Fritz-Mauer, Jossi UNATTACHED 15:30.00
63 Murphy, James LA SALLE 15:30.00
64 Bohenek, Jason UNATTACHED 15:30.00
65 Friesema, Andrew YORK (PA.) 15:30.00
66 Hutcheson, Craig MESSIAH 15:35.00
67 Forde, Kevin UNATTACHED 15:36.00
68 Ban, Charlie UNATTACHED 15:37.00
69 Berstler Jr., Stephen SALISBURY 15:39.04
70 D'Angelo, Nicholas LEBANON VALL 15:45.00
71 Rooke, Tyler GWYNEDD-MERC 15:45.00
72 Springer, Andrew MESSIAH 15:50.00
73 Munnelly, James UNATTACHED 15:55.00
74 Derkacz, Adam ELIZABETHTOW 15:55.17
75 Palmer, Eddy UNATTACHED 15:59.00
76 Bofinger, Eric UNATTACHED 15:59.00
77 Mead, Patrick FROSTBURG ST 16:19.39
78 Ying, Rolland RUTGERS-NEWA 16:20.30
79 Pointer, Maurice UNATTACHED 17:20.00
80 Lara, Jamie UNATTACHED 17:30.00
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
5/11: 1x1600, 1x800, 1x400
I did a final tune up workout of 1x1600, 1x800, 1x400 in my nike victory spikes to prepare for the 5000m this Saturday. I hit 4:47 (splits 2:25, 2:22), 2:19 ( splits 70, 69), and 64 seconds, respectively. It was a perfect tune up workout and I am ready to race hopefully so long as the cold I have subsides soon. It's been a pain in the ass but the fact that I completed this final tune up workout is a positive sign. This is my last upcoming race before it's time to take a break from racing(and just train). I intend to have nothing left when I cross the finish line.
Friday, May 6, 2011
5/6: 5x1000m
This morning I did 5x1000m: The perfect 5k workout. It is tough...I wanted to stop after the 3rd interval. But I focused on the task at hand and held things together. This is what makes pain in a race conquerable. I love pushing myself.3:03, 2:58, 2:58, 3:00, 2:59 were the times I hit in the 5x1000m workout I did this morning, averaging goal 14:59 5k pace. Slightly faster pace than last week(where I did 4x1000m), which is very encouraging since I added one more interval this time. I think I do have a shot at breaking 15:00, it will be tough though. I have learned doing this workout that it is not an easy barrier to break-it is 4:49 per mile. It did and will toughen me up for next Saturday's race, and early next week I will do one final tune-up workout using my Nike Victory Spikes(pictured above) to sharpen things up and I'll be good. I've been doing my workouts in 7-8 ounce shoes so once I put on 3 ounce victory spikes I will be ready to tear it up. I am entered in the Swarthmore College Last Chance Meet on May 14 for 14:45-I will most likely be in the fast heat with some pretty fast college guys and other club runners.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
The 15:00 Barrier
This past week I stepped the mileage down but got in a decent workout and a solid long run. The workout I did on Friday afternoon was a 4x1000m on the track with 200m walk rest. The first interval was a bit slow but the next three were more like the pace I wanted to hit. 1000m splits:
3:06 (slow-15:30 pace)
2:59 (target-14:55 pace)
3:00 (15:00 pace)
3:01 (15:05 pace)
3:00 is 15:00 pace for the 5000m and it is my goal to break that barrier. This workout was the first step in that direction but I need to do a few more at a bit faster to really nail it. I averaged 15:07 pace for the 1ks so it is getting there.
Sunday I did a nice AM long run with Murphy and Joe and we met at Old Angler's Inn to do an out and back, cruising on the way back somewhere in the 6:00's. Got in 16.5 miles or so. Only 52 miles this week but thats ok-next week will be more but more importantly I'll ramp the mileage up really high later this summer. I am aiming for a ton of miles this summer to gain a lot of strength and to really work on toughening my body up for the marathon.
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