Boston Strong

Turned off pace and distance from display.  Ran for an hour, was hoping to run for 2, but there was some knee discomfort.  7:38 AP.  Honestly, this is probably marathon pace for me right now if my knee would hold up for 26 miles ... which it wouldn't.  6 weeks to Boston, not good.

Got in a quick 4 as sun was setting, 7:13, 6:58, 6:25, 8:30 ... kinda felt like 5k pace for first 3 miles, and could feel it in my knee the cool down mile, but was good to get out for a 30 minute effort. 

Race at Centennial Park ... part of Georgia Marathon weekend.  Karhu shoes was a sponsor, which is why I signed up.  If you beat 'the bear' (a fast runner in a bear costume), you win a free pair of shoes  (up to 10 people).  

 Everyone went out fast, hit first mile at 5:52 ... in 8th place.  The bear passed me around Mile 2, which was a 6:20 mile.  I basically just fell in behind, as I knew as long as I stayed on his heels, I could out sprint him.  I made my move with about a 1/4 mile to go, as I was not positive I was in Top 10, and there were a couple runners 30-40 yards ahead.  I was gaining on them pretty quick & for some reson I thought the finish was at the end of the block ... I blew by both people only to turn the corner & realize the finish line was still not in site & a ways to go!  Ooops ... I was toast as I had just sprinted all out about 200 yards to pass them ... they quickly passed me back & I let them go, as I looked over my shoulder to see how much distance I had put on the bear.

 It was substantial, but he was gaining ... I gutted it out to keep a safe distance, but did not have it in me to chase the other two people a second time.  No worries, I came in 9th overall, beat the bear by 5 seconds.  My new shoes have shipped, and should be here in a few days.  There was lots of free beer and live music at finish ... so my St. Patricks Day got an early start!

The plan was to get an early start, jog 3 miles to marathon course, run miles 9 to 23 fast, then jog a mile back to my friends where I was staying.  Well ... was up very late celebrating St. Patty's day & it was going to hit 80 degrees ... so when I did finally get up, I started looking at the map for an alternate plan.  Ran a few miles & jumped on course at Mile 19 & saw a friend who I ran with to the finish ... and then a leisurely pace back to my friends.  Left my Garmin on after my 5k the day before, so battery was dead before I started.  Ran about 14 ... all leisurely ... not concerned about pace.  Knee felt ok ... but I feel like I have needed all this time off.  Boston will be run on pure adrenalin ... not training ... always next year!

80 degrees, 7:30 ap

 8:17 pace on new cross country trails behind Alex's school

 http://runnersconnect.net/boston-marathon-coach/pace-calculator/

I think I will follow the 2:58 pace plan for the first 4 miles, then just hang on for dear life the next 22.2!  :)

Got my free Karhu shoes in mail today (won them by beating 'the bear' in a 5k 10 days ago)

Since they were all laced up & feeling good, I stepped out for a fast mile.

5:46, then 1/2 mile cooldown at 8:20. 

Shoes felt great, but I felt like I was going to die running that fast in 80 degree heat!

Just wanted to get a fast mile in them, so hopefully I can contain myself and run an easy 7 or 8 in them later tonight. If they continue to feel good as I break them in, I think I will wear them at Boston.  They are 8.8 ounces, which is still pretty light, and they definitely feel like they provide more cushioning then my Adidas Adios ... which I think are 7.5 ounces.

 I like the listed 'benefits' on the website:  "Precision engineering providing ultimate forward efficiency."

http://www.karhu.com/products/flow-fulcrum-ride-formula-one-scream.html#tab1

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7:30 pm - 77 degrees, 7 miles - no pain  :) , no endurance  :(

7:25, 7:35, 7:46, 7:46, 7:51, 7:51, 7:20

75 degrees ... 10 mile comfortable pace run ... 7:50 AP

Well, considering I have not felt 'comfortable' on a run in 3 months, this is a good step in the right direction.  Pretty much all my runs I have ended up running slower & shorter than I planned, either because of knee discomfort or struggling aerobically.  Today I was determined to start easy & keep it comfortable ... amazing how easy it was keeping the pace sub 8 ... without starting out running the first 2 miles at 7:30, which I usually do. 

The whole run felt comfortable, although the last couple miles were a little harder, I believe this was mostly a fueling issue, they were still relatively easy, just took a little more effort than the first 8.  I think one of the hardest things to regain after time off is the mental strength to push through discomfort ... probably because it hits you so much earlier in the run, it is a little deflating!  Today I had no mental battles to keep going, in fact, if I had a Gu I probably would have kept going.

An encouraging run was just what I needed, considering this is the first time my weekly mileage has surpassed 30 since my injury in mid January.  I think I can gain a lot back in the next 2 weeks with consistent running, which will make 26.2 a little less of a battle ... at least for the first half of the race!

1 - 8:36

2 - 7:57

3 - 7:57

4 - 7:38

5 - 7:47

6 - 7:44

7 - 7:36

8 - 7:41

9 - 7:46

10 - 7:35

PM - 2 miles, 7:43, 7:49

7 @ 8:35

9:29, 9:04, 9:04, 8:47, 8:01, 8:00, 7:39