End of Week Fifteen (2/15/08)

For Week Fifteen I planned on running 27 miles in preparation for speed work and to continue a gradual increase in overall mileage. The week went well and I completed all 27 miles. All the body parts appear to be weathering the storm.

The highlight for the week was the run that Maddie and I did together on Sunday. It was 8.5 miles that looped through Media and finished at my father’s house for Mass and dinner on Sunday. I was sure that I wanted to run faster than the 10:15 MPM pace that I’ve been maintaining for Long Runs. I wanted to see how close to Marathon Pace (9:00) I could run these miles. This was the first serious workout since the 20 miler, three weeks ago. We finished the run in 1:17:55 for a 9:10 MPM pace. It’s close enough for me and I can confidently plan on another Marathon Pace run at a longer distance.

The rest of miles were run at the Y at an easy pace. On Thursday morning, I ran my 6 miler on the treadmill faster than usual. My average pace for the week (9:39) was faster than any of the previous weeks in the Endurance Phase.

Next week, I start the Speed Phase of the plan. This will go on for four weeks, followed by a two week taper. I have a general plan for how I want to run through the next phase. I am trying to be mindful of what I did in the Endurance Phase and not repeat the same mistake. In this case, I need to be careful not to let my fast running miles make up too large a portion of my overall miles. Speed work can break you down as much as distance.

The plan that I have for the next four weeks includes a mix of Tempo runs, 1600 and 800 intervals and Marathon Pace runs. As I indicated in earlier posts, I should wrap plenty of easy miles around this speed work. Contrary to what I planned four months ago, I now realize the need to keep increasing total miles regardless of the phase. In some respect, I’m treating the Speed Phase as a prep for my final 20 miler in five weeks.

My current thinking on the elements of my speed work has me leaning toward more Tempo runs than anything else. In particular, the interval sessions are becoming less important to my training. Tempo runs are done at a pace slightly slower than your 10K pace. For me that will be in the 8:10 – 8:20 range which is significantly faster than my Marathon Pace. Tempo runs are intended to raise, your Lactate Threshold, which improves your ability to keep up the pace for an extended time when you are tired. I plan to start off with a 5 mile Tempo run this weekend.

Yesterday I printed the map for the Ocean Drive Marathon. I saw how the miles are plotted on the course. I posted the map on the office wall at home. When I think about running this course, it looks fun: Cape May, Wildwood (the boardwalk), Stone Harbor, Avalon (revisiting the youth of my 20’s) and finally Sea Isle, with all the family memories. But when I think about racing it at pace, fun isn’t exactly the first thought that crosses my mind:more intriguing than fun, hopefully better, or maybe much worse.