1:02:40 :: 9 miles

Easy run. Stayed below 131HR for the whole run, and just tried to relax. Didn't sleep nearly enough, and was really, really tired this morning.

1:51:23 :: 17 miles

Longest run since the marathon. Started out very relaxed and picked up toward the end. Felt great the whole way. Low 6:40s until about nine miles (took a gel and some water at 50 minutes), then low 6:30s to 13, and the last four in 6:25(146) | 6:26(149) | 6:11(154) | 5:27(169). Last couple of miles was just striding out, feeling really relaxed, controlled, and easy, (despite the fact that 5:27 is quite fast!). Legs felt really great, feeling really fresh mentally right now, and looking forward to assaulting my 10K PR this summer, both on the road and the track.

49:00 :: 7 miles

Easy run on the treadmill (watching the women's 10k trials). Didn't get much of a run earlier today at the race, so I wanted to add a few.

5K Race :: 16:26 - 1st

Not a day or a course for a full race effort, so I just went out steady and finished strong once the course straightened out. It was 55F with 20mph winds and some rain, so not a great day. The course had a lot of tight turns, was 2/3 gravel road or trail, and rolled just a bit. It was actually a nice course for running, but certainly not for running fast. I was able to talk to a few people that I hadn't seen in a lot of years, so I was really happy I got out there to run.

5:22(153) | 5:25(165) | 5:03(170) | :38(173)

Cindy ran an excellent race, and got second place overall in 19:36! A very good time for her. It looks like she's starting off with a lot of the fitness she had last year at this time. Very cool!

47:00 :: 7 miles

Easy run. Still feeling a bit tired, though I think it's sleepy tired and not running tired. The hours are low right now (6-7 per week), and I remember from last year, when the mileage is low, so goes the energy level. Seems like the less I run, the less I want to run, and the lower my overall energy level is. I'm still getting 7-7.5 hours of sleep a night, which is normal, so there may be something to the hypothesis.

1:03:00 :: 9.3 miles

Easy run. Felt a bit tired at the start and got better as the run went on. Threw in four 200m strides throughout the run. Tuesday's workout was a bit harder than it should have been. I was supposed to have run the five miles like the start of a marathon, more of a progression from 5:55 to 5:35. I didn't ask for clarification prior to the workout, and just did the typical pre-race taper workout. No big deal. It was nice to see that the recovery is almost complete, as the heart rate was within a couple of bpm of pre-marathon levels for that pace. Moving right along.

1:06:00 :: 10.7 miles

Taper workout. Getting ready for a low-key 5K on Saturday morning. Very nice weather, slight breeze, 61F and sunny.

10 minute warmup
5:35(152) | 5:33(157) | 5:31(158)
5:33(160) | 5:33(162)
2 miles steady
6:15(152) | 6:20(149)
3x1000m on 5:00
3:07(165-:61) | 3:05(163-:57) | 3:04(164-:63)

Felt like crap on the first 1000, and considered stopping. Otherwise the workout was good to very good. Last mile of the five miles was a bit difficult, but still under control.

1:20:00 :: 12.7 miles

MP-10 run. Went really well. Weather was pretty good, about 55F, and not much wind. Felt good through four miles, then mile five was a bit harder, feeling the legs a bit, and mile six and seven felt better, but much like the last couple of miles of a fast finish longer run.

Ran with the Ninja Marshmallow Running Club, three miles to warm up in 21-ish, then seven (alone...no takers at 7:30am. And you guys call yourselves ninjas!) at MP-10 pace (~5:35 right now according to the Mystery Coach), followed by a 2.7 mile cooldown at of about 14 minutes. Here's the breakdown...

5:32(159) | 5:32(162) | 5:29(164) | 5:34(164)
5:32(166) | 5:33(166) | 5:31(166)
Recovered to 130HR-:45 120HR-1:05 110HR-2:17!

Good run. Heading up to Winnipeg later this afternoon to watch a couple of friends in the Manitoba Marathon, either of whom have a good shot at the win. Very exciting!

50:00 :: 7.4 miles

Workout. 1-10 x 1000 in 3:10-3:20 on 5:00. Checking the marathon recovery, looking for a solid comfortable stride. Slight north wind (6-8mph) and 52F with a bit of mist/rain--really perfect weather for running. Felt really good through five, then form started to loosen up and legs tired a bit on six, so I stopped. Recovery to 120HR was excellent, so I would say I'm very well recovered from the marathon at this point.

3mi warmup 20:00

Key: 1000m(avgHR-120HR)
3:10(160-:40) | 3:09(160-:48) | 3:08(163-:61*)
3:09(164-:54) | 3:07(165-:59**) | 3:07(164-:48)
* HR was 114 following Garmin lockup
** HR was 115 following Garmin lockup

Garmin HRM locked up following two of the repeats. This has become a fairly common problem lately. Not sure what the cause is, but it is annoying. Went a bit faster on these than Mystery Coach suggested, but the speed felt how he suggested it should, so I wasn't too worried about one or two seconds. I figured I would be good for a max of eight reps today, and more likely six, and it worked out just right. I was just looking to feel comfortable running near 10K pace, and, most importantly, demonstrate good recovery from the marathon.

With both of those goals accomplished, I am excited about moving forward! The last 10 days or so have been somewhat boring, and I'm even getting a little soreness and some weird pains in my hamstrings and ankle from running easy every day. Time to switch gears...

1:12:30 :: 10.3 miles

Easy run. Ran in a group of seven, which is a nice change. It's been a long time. Wanted to get out to some trails, but it has been raining, so just hit the bike trails in town. Felt pretty good overall.

30:00 :: 3.5 miles

Easy run on the treadmill. Intended to do an easy run in the morning and a regular run in the afternoon, since I was supposed to have at least half a day off today, but it didn't work out that way. Very slow, avgHR 111 with a maxHR of 129. Ultra easy. Very rare that I do a run this slow. Not a bad run at all though. Definitely would have gone longer if I had known my day was going to go long.

47:04 :: 7 miles

Easy run. Another solid low HR day. 128avgHR at 6:45 pace, very similar to yesterday. I've seen similar bounces like this to a lower HR in the past, after several weeks of good training and a rest period (or an injury), so I would say this change relates back to the marathon itself. The low HR suggests that I have recovered to some extent, although Mystery Coach reminded me that even though the *majority* of the muscle fibers may be recovered, it's important to be considerate of the recovery of the *minority* of fibers--the ones that are difficult to recruit in the first place. Too much, too soon for those fibers can undo a lot of hard work.

1:30:00 :: 13.3 miles

Easy run. Interesting HR data today. 129HR average for the entire run, 144 maxHR, and 6:46 pace average overall. Far and away the lowest HR at that pace in a long time, if not ever. Really nice weather this morning. Not much wind, 50F, and misting. Probably the nicest day so far this spring. Good run.

Sticky :: Fargo Marathon '08 Race Report

I'll condense these down to links and leave them at the top for another week or so.

Part 1
Part 2

Interviews, pictures, and other media coming soon...

1:04:00 :: 10 miles

Evaluation run. Easy three miles, then four miles at 152HR. I added today's workout to the table of results from earlier this year for comparison. Keep in mind, there was quite a difference in weather and dress.

	12/18	1/1	1/15	1/28	6/3
Weather	5F/3mph	-2F/16mph	-3F/19mph	20F/9mph	55F/11mph
WU Time	22:00	20:09	13:43	20:35	20:46
WU Dist	3 mi	3 mi	2 mi	3 mi	3 mi
Mile 1	5:59(152)	6:07(152)	6:01(152)	5:55(151)	5:39(152)
Mile 2	6:08(152)	6:11(152)	6:11(152)	6:02(152)	5:47(152)
Mile 3	6:11(152)	6:14(152)	6:12(153)	6:06(152)	5:50(152)
Mile 4	6:14(152)	6:11(152)	6:10(153)	6:07(152)	5:56(153)
Rec 130	:32	:23	:28	:29	:29
Rec 120	:44	:34	:34	:37	:37

Decent splits, though the times stacked a bit, and very comparable recovery. Not bad for two weeks after a marathon. Felt okay. A little fatigued during the warmup, and mile three felt harder than it should have, but otherwise a comfortable run. Stride was flat due to running no faster than 6:20 pace for two weeks.

Questions...

These kind of got buried under a huge race report, so I thought I would pull them into a separate entry and answer them.

It is hard for someone like me...a nonrunner for sure, to even imagine what the race and training was like...so I have a question for you. You really ran 26 miles at the same pace? Just as fast at the end as in the beginning? How much farther could you go at that pace?

Yes, 26+ miles, but not at the same pace. Much faster at the end. =) Seriously, the pace varied anywhere from around 6:00 per mile at the slowest to 5:00 per mile at the fastest. Most miles were very close to the overall average of 5:44 per mile. I did run the last couple of miles significantly faster than average pace, though--no joke! How much further? Maybe another 15-20 minutes at my average pace. Maybe another 5 minutes at my finishing pace. I was still feeling good, so it's possible. I wouldn't want to keep going though! Race is over!

And then another question...I know from reading your story that you asked a couple of times how far back Rotich was, but did you look over your shoulder at all? Do you think you ran faster from not knowing how close behind you he was or did you just stay with your pace?

I don't look back. I ran as fast as I thought was sensible based on how I was feeling, my fueling, etc. With two miles to go in a marathon, things can change quickly, so you still have to manage risk. I wasn't going all out until half a mile to go, because I knew he wasn't right behind me, there was no risk of losing my position, and it could have been disastrous to go too early. But, if he had been right on my heels or even a bit ahead of me, I would have unleashed hell over the final two miles to win that race! You just have to do what makes sense based on the situation.

Thanks for the questions, Cheryl!

1:15:00 :: 11 miles

Easy run. Felt good this morning. Nice day, not much wind, 50F and overcast. Perfect running weather.

45:00 :: 6.6 miles

Easy run. Scared up a few deer, and found some nice, soft, riverside trails. Even found a few small hills. Very enjoyable run.