Log for August 6 – Training for Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 9th. Goal for the fall and winter marathon season is to break 3:15 for the first time.
Saturday
- 18-Mile Long Run – Today was another one of those runs where the goal was to maximize my time spent in the aerobic zone and not worry about my pace. I’ve been very pleased with my speed work so far this spring and summer, but endurance is now something that I need to really focus on as I work toward Chicago. Our training group is on a schedule where we do these types of long runs bi-weekly, with marathon and tempo pace intervals workouts on the alternating weekends. Two weeks ago I did my first long run, a 15-miler where I spent a little over 2 hours 15 minutes on my feet. Today, my goal was to push that time to over 2 hours 30 minutes.
Most of our group was meeting at 5:30am to do a series of 4 to 6 mile loops in Belle Meade and Percy Warner Park for a total of 16-miles. Nathan and I decided to meet at 5:00am to make sure that we got in at least 18-miles. We were lucky to get an overcast morning, with temps in the low to mid 70s at the start of the run, and low 80s at the finish. However, I’m not sure I ever remember a running in higher humidity without it actually raining. I had to lose my shirt after 7 miles, because it felt like it weighed 20 lbs. (We looked it up at the finish, and the humidity was at 91%).
I made a small mistake before the run started, because I took a GU gel with 2x caffeine. While this is not unusual, I have recently been trying to cut way back on my overall caffeine intake. After Nathan and I finished our initial 2.5 miles before the group run, it felt like my whole body was shaking. I felt awful, and it was hard to believe how much effect the caffeine had on me. Luckily, this sensation subsided pretty quickly once we started the group run.I felt really good through the first two loops, maintaining an easy pace at just over 9 min per mile. For the last loop, we did the 5.8-mile route through PW park, which is extremely hilly. I still felt pretty good through the first part of this route. However, somewhat predictably, I started struggling once we crossed the 2 hour 15 minute mark, and the last three miles were really a struggle. The total run lasted just over 2 hours 45 minutes, and I was able to finish all 18-miles as planned with over 1,500 ft of total elevation gain.
All-in-all, I’m glad to have this run in the books, and pleased with the overall length of time spent on my feet. My plan calls for three more long runs before Chicago (20, 20, 22), and my goal will be to make sure that I work my way past 3 hours 15 minutes in the aerobic zone, which is my goal time for this fall and winter season.
- Cross Training – Tonight I did P90X: Chest and Back. Glad that I didn’t have anything planned that involved my legs, because they are trashed from the 18-miler this AM.