Week Recap (11 May 2008 - 17 May 2008) - 79 Miles

I was planning to cut back the mileage some this week, shooting for something close to 75, in an attempt to give my legs a break and help my workouts a bit. I did try to front load the mileage so that I could finish the week with a couple of easy days and keep the legs more fresh for Bay to Breakers. Eventually this turned out to be a pretty good week, I managed to run a good workout on Wednesday and felt good enough to keep the mileage close to 80.

Saturday, May 17, 2008 [6M]

Alameda - San Carlos. I got out around 1PM today, which probably wasn't the best time to run because of the heat but I didn't have too many options since I wanted to sleep in today and I had to go to the city in the afternoon to pick up my race packet for Bay to Breakers. I ran the usual loop backwards and stopped by the track at Carlmont high school for some strides before heading back home. I was taking it easy today and my legs felt fairly fresh, which hopefully bodes well for tomorrow's race.

Friday PM, May 16. 2008 [4M]

Foster City. I didn't really need any more mileage for the day so I wasn't set on going for a second run this afternoon. I had an appointment for a haircut at 6:30 and figured I would decide if I would run after that but by 5 I wasn't doing anything productive at work so I thought I might as well get in a run beforehand. Schmeck hasn't been slacking this week and I'll be going short tomorrow so I figured I might need this to stay ahead. There's not much to say about the run itself, it was just a casual loop in Foster City.

Friday AM, May 16, 2008 [8M]

Redwood Shores. I got out from Club O before noon and opted to put in my long run of the day. I was in at work early for a long meeting so I needed the break. It was in the high 80s today , a bit cooler than yesterday, but running in the middle of the day made it tougher. I have been doing a good job at staying hydrated, though, and I'm gradually rebuilding my heat tolerance. I was feeling decent this morning, clipping 6:40s most of the way. I ran some good strides afterwards but slacked a bit on stretching and headed straight for a cool shower.

Thursday, May 15, 2008 [10M]

Redwood Shores. I debated running at noon today, thinking of going for a 4-miler and adding another 8 in the afternoon, but seeing that the weather was in the mid 90s I figured it would best to avoid running in the middle of the day. I ended up working a bit late and didn't get started until 7:30 PM, which probably turned out to be a good thing as it was much cooler with the sun setting down. I wanted to take things easy today and started out at a casual pace but after the first couple of miles the run progressed in a somewhat unusual fashion. I was feeling good and started rolling at a brisk pace but after a few miles my legs started feeling crappy all of a sudden and for the last couple of miles I was kind of dragging myself back. I don't know what to attribute this roller coaster ride on, maybe I need some time to get used to running in the heat.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008 [12M]

5M decreasing pace. 5:51, 5:42, 5:28, 5:17, 5:01. Ordinarily I would have ran some intervals on the track today but since I'm running Bay to Breakers on Sunday and this will be the only workout of the week I opted for a decreasing pace 5-miler. I wanted to be a little more conservative today, start out at 6:00 as usual but only drop 15 seconds a mile. My last few workouts have been disappointing so I needed something to boost my confidence. I even ran the workout in my new Asics Hyperspeed 2 flats but that was mostly because I wanted to break in the shoes before Sunday's race. I drove out to Sequoia high school and started my warm-up around 6PM. The track was pretty crowded when I finished my warm-up so I took my time before starting the workout, stretching and running some strides. We had a rather sudden increase in temperature today, it was in the high 80s when I started the workout, about 20 degrees warmer than what it has been lately. I wet myself down before starting but that didn't really help things out much. I started out a bit faster than goal pace on the first mile, coming through in 1:25 and 2:52, even though it felt like I was jogging. I slowed down to the right pace for the last half and easily transitioned to the second mile. I ran even paced, comfortably hitting mid 85s. The third mile went by without much trouble, running remarkably even again and hitting 82s the whole way. I wanted to hit 78s for the 4th mile but wasn't as aggressive as I should have been and only managed 79s. I was hoping to dip under 5:00 for the last mile but I was only able to run 76s for the first 3 laps. I had something left, though, and managed to finish with a 71 for the last lap. I was pretty spent when I finished, partly because of the heat taking its toll. I jogged one lap on the infield then drank and poured some water over me and felt much better. I was feeling better than I expected on the cool-down and ended up going a bit longer than I was planning. Finished back at the track for some cool-down strides and stretching before heading back home to pour down the gatorade. I was pleased with how things turned out today, I was pretty much right on goal pace and running even pace on each mile. I was working hard at the end but I could have been a bit more aggressive in the last two miles, seeing how I was able to close fast at the end. I still need to work more on the mental aspect of my workouts but this was definitely a big improvement compared to my last few workouts. I ran fairly similar times to this workout (after adjusting for the shorter track), which I ran the week before my last half marathon, so if this means I'm in similar shape then I'll definitely take it.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008 [11M]

Run with the San Carlos Road Runners Club. I was planning to go out for a short run at noon but got dragged into a last minute meeting and by the time I got out it was too late to get a run in. We always do an 8 mile run on these group runs and I wanted to get some more mileage for the day so I got to San Carlos a bit earlier than usual and managed to put in about 3 miles before joining the group. Actually it wasn't much of a group today, just Doug and myself. Doug was feeling a bit tired today and I didn't mind having an easy day so we kept it casual the whole way. My right hip was hurting a bit so I had one more reason to take it easy. I've never had any issues with my hips before so I don't know if it's anything I should be worried about but at the moment it doesn't seem like it's anything serious.

Monday, May 12, 2008 [13M]

Hallmark Park - Brittan Ave. I came home early this afternoon and worked while waiting for UPS to deliver a package. If there's one thing I miss from living in a dorm is having a front desk to pick up my packages. I got the package around 5:30 and took off half an hour later. I took the usual route to Hallmark, ran one big loop on the cross country course, then got out on the streets and went all the way to Brittan Ave. I was feeling great today, started out with a nice climb to Hallmark and made it there a couple of minutes faster than usual. I got more into it on the xc course and put a good effort on the hills. I split a 6:45 for one of the miles on the course, which is decently fast considering how hilly the course is. It didn't really feel like I was pushing it, I was feeling strong going uphill and made sure I topped the hills well. I wound up back home in just under 1:30, which I would ordinarily be hesitant to round up but I think today I can fully justify it. I mentioned that I was thinking of cutting back the mileage a bit this week and it doesn't look like I started with such intentions but I'll probably take it easier towards the end of the week. After all I like to front load my weeks and I couldn't pass on the opportunity to get some decent mileage on a good day.

Sunday, May 11, 2008 [15M]

Rancho San Antonio. I wanted to get some good sleep today so I didn't wake up early to meet the guys at 8:15AM and slept in almost until 11. I drove out to Rancho San Antonio about an hour later and hit the trails by 12:30. I stayed on the lower trails a bit longer than usual, wanting to give my legs a good warm-up before going on any serious climbs. Seing how crappy I felt yesterday I wasn't sure what to expect but fortunately today I was feeling a lot better. I went up High Meadow trail for my first long climb and continued up to PG&E trail. I have avoided that the last few times I came over here, dreading the steep climb near the top and the downhill part on the way back, which always takes it out of my legs. After coming down I still had enough time to go up Upper Wildcat Canyon Trail, putting in another long climb. I came down High Meadow trail and headed back to the car, finishing the run in 1:47. I felt strong on the hills and was moving at a good pace the entire time, so 15 should be a fairly safe bet. It blows my mind how different I can feel from one day to the other. It's always good of course if the change is in the positive direction.