Did you miss the recaps of our fabulous time is Boston this weekend?
We did a LOT of walking, but unfortunately no runs. I still have hope to log some quality miles this week, but it’s so hard to get back into a routine after vacation! In the meantime, I’ve got some pre-vacation runs to recap.
My last 2 long runs were very different experiences. Two weeks ago, I tackled a 16-miler on the hilly downtown route that is part of the marathon course. I recently compared 2 other runs on this route, so I included them with my splits here:
| |
Sunday 6/20 |
Sunday 6/27 |
Sunday 7/18 |
| Total Mileage |
10.51 mi |
15.01 mi |
16.00 mi |
| Total Time |
1:48:52 |
2:32:46 |
2:56:28 |
| Average Pace/Mile |
10:22 |
10:11 |
11:02 |
| Mile Splits: |
|
|
|
| Mile 1 |
9:03 |
9:56 |
9:15 |
| Mile 2 |
11:01 |
9:59 |
10:34 |
| Mile 3 |
10:39 |
9:56 |
10:30 |
| Mile 4 |
10:02 |
9:26 |
10:17 |
| Mile 5 |
11:26 |
10:40 |
10:27 |
| Mile 6 |
10:33 |
9:47 |
10:36 |
| Mile 7 |
10:08 |
10:58 |
10:38 |
| Mile 8 |
11:11 |
10:26 |
10:19 |
| Mile 9 |
10:25 |
9:54 |
10:45 |
| Mile 10 |
9:21 |
10:21 |
10:35 |
| Mile 11 |
5:03 |
10:11 |
10:35 |
| Mile 12 |
|
9:51 |
11:12 |
| Mile 13 |
|
10:06 |
11:41 |
| Mile 14 |
|
10:37 |
12:49 |
| Mile 15 |
|
10:38 |
13:54 |
| Mile 16 |
|
|
12:21 |
I was feeling sluggish but steady for the first 12 miles or so. I could tell I was going slower than usual (plus, I had my Garmin to tell me), but I knew I had it in me to keep trekking on.
There was another guy in the group who was running 16, so we ran most of the way together. He and I usually have about the same pace, but he uses the Galloway (run/walk) method so we’re not always side by side. Near the end of the run, I decided to join him in his walk/run intervals, and I think it was my downfall.
We got to talking and it became easy to convince each other to keep walking instead of running. Plus, I think his running pace is actually faster than mine, so when he slowed to run with me, our overall pace dropped. Oh well. All miles are good miles, as long as you’re not injuring yourself, right?!
Post-Run “Glow” Downtown
Post-Run Fuel
Post-Run Torture
Last week, I set off on an 18-miler on the lovely Wabash Trail. It was nearly 10 degrees cooler than it has been recently which made a HUGE difference. This combined with ample amounts of shade, beautiful surroundings (I saw horses, cows, and sheep!), and a crushed limestone trail, made for a really comfortable run. I ended up with a great negative split:
Overall Mileage = 18 Overall Time = 2:58 Overall Pace = 9:55
- Mile 1 – 10:32
- Mile 2 – 10:04
- Mile 3 – 9:59
- Mile 4 – 10:10
- Mile 5 – 10:10
- Mile 6 – 10:18
- Mile 7 – 9:42
- Mile 8 – 9:38
- Mile 9 – 10:11
- Mile 10 – 9:59
- Mile 11 – 9:22
- Mile 12 – 9:17
- Mile 13 – 9:42
- Mile 14 – 9:39
- Mile 15 – 9:56
- Mile 16 – 10:31
- Mile 17 – 9:44
- Mile 18 – 8:42 (wahoo!)
I felt great on this run! My last mile was my fastest by far, which shows me that I had energy to spare….this is good because although 18 miles is a lot of miles, the marathon will be 8 miles longer!
Yay!!
Look at all the crap I bring with me…this does not include all the junk I wear while I run!
I finished feeling like I could have done 20 without too much arm twisting, but 26 did not sound fun. I think this is a great position to be in 2 months out from the marathon. Last year, while I was training for my 1st marathon, my 18-milers were really, really hard on me. 19 was worse, and 20 was a disaster. My mental outlook on those kinds of runs is much better after successfully tackling 18 this time around.
Right before the cafeteria closed, I ran down to snag something to eat.
