Weekly wrap-up and a plan for Eugene

Whew, what a week or two have just passed and it's just going to get busier :-)

My training was terrible last week while I was in Chicago; I got in two measly treadmill runs of 4 miles each.  Running improved though when I got home; I got in a BRUTAL 13 mile run Saturday morning, it felt like all 13 miles were uphill.  Now, we all know that that can't possibly be true; but oh well.  It was an awesome day for a long run in Portland; mild temperatures and no rain. 

On Sunday I did the Brews to Bridges 10k; I finished in a respectable 56:49, definitely not a PR but I wasn't trying to PR.  This was a cool race because we got to run over the Fremont Bridge, which is never open to pedestrian traffic.  It's amazing how different things look when you are on foot; I drive over this bridge every day but running over it gives you a completely different perspective.  Other than running over the bridge, pretty much everything about the event SUCKED - packet pick-up was chaos, the start was disorganized and the food & drink at the end was beyond chaotic. 

Later in the afternoon I met with my new coach and we did pace work; yes, it is true I am not very bright.  Scheduling is tough and this is when we could both fit it in and I figured that if I took it easy at the 10K I would be o.k. for pace work and I was right.  I did a one mile warm-up; two one mile repeats; two 200 meter all out springs and a one mile cool down - yowza.  I was supposed to run my mile repeats at 8:40, I ran one at 8:05 and one at 8:09.

I FEEL GREAT, even after some pretty significant miles/pace workouts over the weekend.; my legs were tired Sunday evening but that's about it - I am so happy.

After we finished the workout my coach was curious about why I hadn't broken the elusive 4:00 marathon mark; she indicated that with all the information I had provided her and with her observations of my running over the past two weeks - I SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO IT, so why hadn't I?  She said I was totally there, what was holding me back?  We talked for a while about this and I told her that I think it boils down to two things:

1.  I really don't have a race pace versus a training pace; my pace is consistent
2.  The 8 inches between my ears

I have gotten faster over the past year; I added in some intervals and hills into my workouts.  I also think I have worked through some of the mental issues associated with running a marathon.  What I still haven't been able to wrap my arms around is how I can train at one pace and race at another pace.  So now she knows she has someone capable of busting four hours physically and she needs to work on the mental aspect of my training.  She also indicated that she trains her athletes to cruise through the first 20 miles and then race a 10k - we will see how it goes.  Bottom line; her comments went miles to help my confidence - hearing someone say that all the pieces are in place is really important and will carry me far.  That being said, I also know that on any given day you might have it or you might not have it - but I'm feeling so much better that I am ready; the rest is up to race day.

Here is what she wants me to do for Eugene:

First third of the race        9:45 pace
Second third of the race   8:50 pace
Last third of the race        9:45 pace

The question is "Can I do it?"; can I step back from the race atmosphere and run those miles at 9:45 - I guess we will see come May 2nd.  I have to be honest, if I feel really good on race day I am thinking of going for it.  What do you guys think?

I am doing a great job on Amanda's Three challenges in 30 Days Challenge; I wanted to work on picking up the phone instead of using email - SUCCESS, I called two people that in the past I would have emailed.  I also wanted to work on being more productive at work - SUCCESS, I'm having a great week at work & have made progress on some projects that have been languishing.  And last, but not least, I am working on being less critical/judgmental - SUCCESS "mostly", I need to work harder on this but I am making progress.

Have a great week