Week 3, Run 2

Thursday, Sep 3, 2009
My knees have been feeling pretty good the last couple of days. I recovered better from my 8 mile run on Monday than on any other run during this 3 week training period. In the back of my mind, I am vaguely hopeful I can break 2 hours for the half marathon on Monday. For that to happen, I'll need to average 9:09 per mile, about 50 seconds faster than what I averaged on my 8 mile run earlier in the week. I feel like I could increase the effort somewhat, but the real savings would be to skip the 1 minute run, which costs me 30 seconds.

Today, I ran 4 miles in the heat of the day, on the Sante Fe Trail near Colorado College. My goal was to comfortably beat the 9:09 pace. I skipped the 1 minute walk during each mile for this run. I wore my heart monitor, to see how much higher my heart rate would be with the faster pace. I ended up running 4 miles in 35:40, which is almost 15 seconds faster per mile that the pace required. However, my heart rate did escalate to aabout 162 beats per minute during the second half of the run. I felt this pace was difficult, but not necessarily all-out. That heart rate, however, is what I would expect to match during a hard ride in competition. I doubt that I can keep that up for a full 2 hour run. I will have a bit of an advantage on race of having cooler temperatures, and will be better hydrated (I had no water today on the run). I do believe I can achieve the 9:09 pace for the first half of the race, the uphill portion. So my tentative plan is to hit the half-way mark at 1 hour. I'll see how I feel on the downhill portion, and at least give myself a chance. At the same time, the faster first half pace will build a very nice buffer. If I hit the proverbial wall (is there a "wall" in a half-marathon, or is that just for the full marathon?), I will have ample buffer built up to slow down, add walk-rest intervals, and still comfortably beat the 2:30 mark.

I have gradually shifted my running style towards Chi Running, moving slightly away from the Pose running method. The two styles are actually very similar. In both cases, the stride is short, and you focus on an early "lift-off" at the end of the stride to prevent the impulse to deliberately push off. I am still focusing on landing on the ball of my foot rather than the heel. I believe the Chi style, along with mid-foot landing, is the best of both worlds for me, and is the reason my knees have felt better that last week. This is the style I will use during the race.

Saturday, September 5, 2009
I went on a 14 mile ride today, my last workout before the race on Monday. I averaged 22.0 MPH over a very flat course in Denver. I was up there for my daughter's soccer game, and rode during her warmup. Boy, its nice to get a flat ride in once in a while! I believe its helpful for me to prepare for competition as well, as most events are fairly flat, unlike the terrain I train on here in Colorado Springs.

Sunday, September 6, 2009
Tomorrow (Monday) is the race. Brenda and I picked up our packets today. She's excited for her second marathon tomorrow, after following the Higdon Marathon Training program. I feel I'm ready for my first half-marathon, or at least as ready as can be expected with just a 3 week training plan. I will have rested my knees for three days, and in that 3 day period, will have had just the single moderate workout consisting of a 14 mile bike ride. I believe my legs overall will feel rested and ready to go.

We will be waking up at 4:30, and leaving the house at 5:00. I'll drop her off at the marathon start, 26 miles north of the finish line. The finish line is my starting line, as the half-marathon course starts there, runs 6.6 miles north, then turns around and comes back down.