Adapting!

Not quite out the woods with my hamstring/pirifomis issue but certainly far better than last week. Since my last post it's been weighing heavy on my mind and definitely letting me know who's in charge while running. My mind and body have a fairly cohesive relationship. I am kind to my body and in turn it treats me well. Even when I ask it to go beyond it's limits I generally get my way. Each run my issues have lessoned which is great. I am for sure on the mend. I can run Chuckanut and though I assume I will have some trouble and pain on the last flat 6 heading to the finish I will be fine and cause no further problems. Dogging a bullet is always awesome but I am not out of the woods and need to continue strengthening some weak areas. Another possibility is my body is just adapting to the different kind of workload. Maybe a mini protest. I am hoping we have come to an agreement and a new understanding. ;)

I have been getting my butt kicked on training runs. I am the last to arrive at the junctions and the most thrashed. It's been humbling and rewarding at the same time. Watching my friends gain speed and strength is exciting. I am nervous with anticipation every time I show up at the trail head. What's in store for today? These workouts have been really hard but I am certain it's just what the doctor ordered. As a good friend said, "You needed to work on your short game". Those words really hit home because their so right on. Well, this weekend I will get to see if all this trail tempo work is starting to make a difference.

Looking back I found I have run Chuckanut 3 times. I must have blocked out the 6:10 finish because I completely forgot about it. The other two times I ran 5:44 and 5:43. Do you think those are close enough? I hope to run this in the 5:35 to 5:40 range. My plan is to control myself on the first 8 which are fairly flat. I don't think my hamstring can take the fast start. Once I get it good and warmed up I should be fine. If I feel like I am cured I will run faster. It's probably a good strategy to practice self control on the first 8 anyway. Since all the 4000+ feet of climbing comes in the middle going out too fast probably will leave me shuffling very slow on the flat finish. It's going to be a quick but fun trip with friends. The weather looks awesome too!

Oops!

In the process of getting my butt kicked it kicked me back. Piriformis pain hurts! I have never really had any piriformis issues but my lower head got so pissed off last week I was seriously worried. What started as mild tightness led to right down pain after a leg workout. Not only my piriformis but the outer head of my hamstring attachment also got flared up. Have you have had a swollen butt cheek? Well not only is it ugly it's painful. I didn't get any sciatic stuff probably because it was more in the lower portion of the piriformis. Last Thursday's 10 mile run was darn painful and I found myself dragging my left leg along to the finish. All the downhill running was awful. It hurt so bad with every step. The flat stuff was not good either but manageable. When I got done and home I got busy. I needed information and I needed it fast. Here is what I found and it hits the nail on the head for me.

The obvious cause of piriformis syndrome is overuse. Ultra runners are a walking overuse injury. I know there has to be more to it. Since I haven't suffered from this kind of pain before and I have run a lot miles and at times overuse would be an understatement I knew there was another reason this hit my like a brick.

First ah ha: The movement pattern. The piriformis can get pissed when you do 3 things:

1. When the thigh bone swings too far back (hip joint in hyper-extension). Check! I do this and have blogged about it before.

2. The knee pointing too far outward (hip joint lateral rotation). No! I think I tend to do the opposite more.

3. Thigh bone swung too far out to the side (hip joint abduction). Not sure, so I would say this is not an issue for me.

Part 2 of the movement pattern theory is:

1. Glute Maximus is slow to activate leaving the piriformis as the sole workhorse for rotational movements of the hip.

2. The pirifomis muscle is being asked to do its solo effort working over a shorter range.

This movement theory is really interesting and part 1 causes part 2. So far I think I only do one of the bad movement habits. But, there is another part of the movement pattern and that is postural issues. The postural issues that most likely aid in a poor movement pattern are:

1. The shoulders are behind the line through the back of the butt hence "sway back". BINGO! That is me. With my natural anterior tilt to my pelvis and my years in the weight room I can have a sway back position while running. In my attempt to stand proud with my shoulders back which is a requirement for proper lifting form I have taken that a bit to far. Finding that neutral pelvis is always hard for me but now I have added a very proud chest resulting in the exact issue described here. I knew I was doing this especially on my downhill running. Well now I need to STOP doing it.

2. The gluteal development is poor, "flat butt syndrome". NO! I may have a bit of weakness in some of glutes but overall they are strong. I don't think this applies to me.

My action plan started on Thursday because I knew if I didn't get a handle on it was going to be a full blown injury. Not simply the piriformis but the compensation due to the pain was setting in my outer hamstring head. That was causing some serious pain as well. I started with some mild stretching but not over stretching the already limp muscle. I did not stretch my hamstring but instead rolled it out with a roller and sat on a massage ball which was positioned right in the sweet spot of my hamstring attachment. I cut short my track workout when I realized the lack length in my hip and hamstring along with the pain was not worth the workout. I trigger pointed the lower head of the piriformis with roller and my thumper (electric thumping device). I sat on ice 3 times a day for 20 minutes with 1.5 hours off. The inflammation and pain got better and last night I did some hip and gluteal exercises to help re-connect those muscles with their action and my brain. I also took Advil on my long run Friday. It's been at least 2 years since I have resorted to anti inflammatory stuff but I felt it better to dull the pain and not compensate. I still felt quite a bit of pain on the downhills but it was doable. With last Thursday's run being a 7-8 on the pain meter meaning my mouth would occasionally water it hurt so bad to today being a 2-3 I think I have made progress.

Watching my sway back positioning is key along with the hyper striding especially on the downhills. I sure hope I have dodged a bullet here but thought I would share the info. I found. The article on www.easyvigour.net which outlines all of this.

Despite the pain in the butt, which I deserved, training has been good. Absent the un-productive track workout I am getting stronger on the trails. I am ready for Chuckanut and excited to race. I have run this race 2 times and need to go back and dig up my best but I think it's somewhere around 5:40ish. I am hoping to better this but I remember being in pretty good shape when I ran it last. Plus I had Kris to chase but this year I will have Cheri to chase.

I have been eating non-stop! All great food an my body is digging the higher calories and the abundance of carbs. I have moved to almost all fish for protein. I used to eat tons of chicken but felt so bogged down in the digestion. Since I like to keep my lean muscle I need the protein. Fish is quick to digest so I can get more food in. I have grown a love for salmon and cod. If you have asked me a year ago about fish I would have scrunched up my face big time. The benefits are too good to pass up. The bonus is Alex loves fish, Bill not so much but he's coming around :). For me the issue while training hard is to feed myself enough food to sustain my training and fat loss. Pizza and hamburgers are not part of the plan. :) I made some other changes I am finding beneficial with food timing. Adding fruit at just the right times, recovery drinks directly followed up by a well rounded meal is helping. I am drinking a fair amount of BCAA's because along with running I am doing at least 4 weight workouts. Cheri gave me the book, "Racing Weight" and I have just started it. I am curious to see how the theory differs from the one I follow now.

Extreme!

(I got pooped on in the woods)

I love the word extreme. It simply defines things that are out of the norm. However much I love the word people over use it all the time. I am not sure why in so many cases the word extreme brings so many emotions. I know all you ultra runners have heard it over and over again when asked about what you do and why. Certainly you have heard the word extreme used to define the sport. I love it because ultra runnering extreme but in the most positive and wonderful ways.

I don't find myself to be extreme. I am simply a 40 something mom who likes to push herself. There is a song on my IPOD that has a line that comes after a powerful chorus that says, "And why am I so intense". Every single time I hear that I smile. I live to be intense or maybe because I am intense I live. Who knows but the more intense I am the more I feel content. Now the hard part. Sharing that intensity can be dangerous. Not everyone can handle intensity nor do they want to. When you are allowed to embrace your personal attributes with freedom it's amazing. Challenge yourself to find those folks who embrace your attributes and the most exciting things will happen. Ignore the ones that don't but give them grace as they struggle to wiggle out of their own box.

Switched up the training this year. First the marathon now the trails. Given the goals in my previous post I have some work to do. Things need to be changed up, challenged and a new edge needs to be found. After one week of recovery post marathon it's been nothing but intense. I love it. I have been running trail for almost every workout. All my M-Pace and T-Pace type workouts have moved to the trail and it's hard. I have actually had the opportunity to blow my own mind. Running harder and faster than I thought I could, changing my own perceptions and ideas of how to run trail. Here's the the reason why. Because someone said I could. How wonderful. Have you ever had anyone believe in you more than you did yourself? My hubby thinks I can do anything but for some reason that doesn't sink in. :) It almost like I expect that from him so it carries less weight. Plus I know he loves me no matter what I accomplish.

Goal number 2 was to push my Sunday runs like I never had before. Last Sunday was the first session of implementing and I can say though it was super tough it was incredibly satisfying. Setting a PR for a common Gorge route was awesome and I was elated! It's so early and I have run that route so many times working to better myself. Here I was in February cutting nearly 7 minutes off my best. Was I intense? Most definitely. Better yet so was everyone else. Pushing each other and having a total blast doing it was really cool. The heck with Black Saturday's. Every other day is a Black Saturday. No worries it's a controlled BS but it feels the same. I am dressing in camo now to hide from my intense friends. :) There are a 2 things I need to work on. First, I need to stop running uphill like a girl! Just kidding, I am a girl and most certainly like to be girly. But, I need to RUN hard uphill. I can shuffle and trot uphill for 3,000 and not break 155 on my heart rate. With years of hill repeats I have gotten fairly efficient with the small stride. I need to power up the hills in training to get stronger. Secondly I need to find in inner bomber. My down hill running is weak! I know I will get better as the season progresses but I really suck right now. Time to grow some quads!

Going mental!

I have thought long and hard about what I want to do this year with ultra running. Where do I want to take myself next and how do I want to get there. Being someone who is constantly busy inside my head, sometimes good and sometimes bad I thought it would be interesting to set some specific goals. I always have goals with races I want to do, how I want to finish but not necessarily how I want to go about it. This year I have 2 goals. Both have more to do with the training aspect than a race. However one of the spills over into a race. It's time to go mental!

If you have spent any time with me it becomes obnoxiously obvious I am a in depth thinker and feeler. I notice everything, hear everything and think about it all. I can drive myself and others crazy! As annoying as that sounds it's a gift. I think this aspect of my personality has served me well, pushing me, forcing me to reckon with ideas and paradigms. Channeling it appropriately is the challenge. Knocking on 43 years old it would seem I should have this all figured out. How to shut off the voices in my head, how to create and foster the voices to help propel me forward not drag me down. I certainly have grown immensely in this area and have learned how to control and maneuver my crazy mind in the right direction but not enough. So many people comment on how determined and relentless I am in my endeavours. I would completely agree with that description however I am super sensitive. My heightened awareness and overactive mind can bog me down at times. Why am I bringing this up and spilling my inner self in such detail? Because it is a critical part of my goals. I am so fortunate to have my family and some close friends who live in the positive. They push themselves to be the best people they can. They hold themselves to high standards and are not wishy washy about who they are, their values and morals. In turn they hold me to a higher standard...just the way I like it. But, just because I have a great support system doesn't mean I am immune to the negative side. It doesn't mean I can just brush thoughts, feeling and judgment off like dust on my shoulder. Self doubt, insecurity and fear of rejection can weigh heavily. This is the part I want to squash. I have made so much progress in this area over the last couple of years but this year I plan to remove it completely when it comes to trail time. I am anxious to test myself here and am certain I have got some good skills to put in play when I feel or hear doubt. When negativity or judgment comes my way I am prepared to work it in my favor!

Goal number one is to race a 50K like I run my hill repeat days. For the last 4 years I have compiled endless amounts of data. The one thing that sticks out like a sore thumb is why my hill repeat days are so fast but my 50K times are so slow. I can run a triple hill repeat in the gorge which consists of 26+ miles and 8,000 feet of climbing all on single trace in 4:47 but have not yet run a hilly 50K in under 5:30. The kicker is: following that hill repeat day I can run 7 hours in the gorge with another 8,000+ feet of climbing at a pretty descent clip. So what's my problem? I should be able to push a 50K hard, spend it all and get a better time than I have thus far. Wouldn't it seem possible if I am not running another 8 hours the following day? I think so. Seems easy enough so why haven't I done it? My answer is: pure fear and inexperience. I hate even using the word fear to describe anything. I find it to be a weakness that should be overcome. Not saying it's not valid but simply more of a mindset that is like a cancer and so limiting. What am I afraid of? Blowing up! I don't really know what blowing up feels like. I know what bonking feels like, dehydration, soreness, mental fatigue but not a serious blow up. I don't even know if I could push myself hard enough to have a full blown blow up. I wonder if I know how to push myself that hard. Do I have the guts? My pacers may disagree but I can assure them that anything that appeared to be a blow up was more like a tantrum. :) Now I will qualify this statement in that I am talking about a 50K distance not a 100M distance. In the 100M distance blowing up takes many forms. With the years of ultra running on my legs and in my head I wonder why I won't take myself to that limit. I certainly have pushed hard in training. So, what does that tell me? It tells me I need to let go of my boxed in perception of myself. I know I am a good 100M runner but I am not a horrible 50K runner. Somehow and somewhere I boxed myself in and have decided I am not a good shorter distance runner. I suspect it has to with control. I know how to control my body, fueling and mind for a 100M distance. The slow mountain terrain is a comfortable place for me. The expectations take so many forms there is no failure in that distance. Simply stepping up to the plate is a win. In the 50K distance time is the measure. I have always used that distance as more a social gathering and a training element. This year I will line up to a 50K with the intent to find my edge! I am sweating as I write this. Not because I am typing fast but because I have now committed myself and need to deliver.... for myself!

Goal number two is all about the back to back runs. Generally I do hill repeats then the next day is the long run. The hill repeats are a very defined workout. Whereas the next days long run is not. Well I intend to make that day count more than I ever have. I want to run smarter and more focused on that day. Of course many think I am already to focused well I plan to put measurements in place to ensure I am doing my best job. Why? So I can run even better in the second half of my 100M. I want it to be just another day of pure endorphin bliss when I take that turn at Bighorn this year. I don't want to drag my body out of Footbridge like I did in 2008 and slog the rest of way in. I want strength and power in my body but more importantly in my mind. My mind can find the dark places and pitch a tent. The second day of the back to back is all about the mind. I will focus and tackle the fatigue on those runs. I will uproot my tent and pitch someplace else.

I would say both my goals have very little to do with the physical aspect of my ultra running. Both are so mental. Why do I even care? Because no one will convince me that all we learn and experience in any of these kinds of endeavours doesn't spill out on everything we do. From work, family, raising kids and building relationships of depth. As Alex enters his teenage years and he starts to notice all the angles of life and has to figure out how to handle them mentally I want him to have a good example. Where will he go in his head when he begins to worry about what others think, pleasing, performing and expectations from us and everyone else? Fear and insecurity are intense drivers in so many people and it's limiting. I tell him, "Never make a decision out of fear and insecurity. Always make it from a position of strength". Gain ownership of how you interpret yourself and your ideas. Don't you think his mom should take her own advice? :)

2010 is already shaping up to be a great year.

Surf City Marathon!

THE STATS:

Overall:	131 out of 2353
Women:	14 out of 963
F 40-44:	3 out of 141
Age/Grade:	71.22% Place: 52
Finish:	3:23:40 Pace: 7:47
Tag Time:	3:23:40
Gun Time:	3:24:12

"Welcome to the pleasure dome" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood was my opening song for Surf City. I think it was absolutely fitting and since it was a surprise it felt like a glimpse into a crystal ball. "Don't give up and don't give in" and "We're a long way from home...Welcome to the pleasure dome" pretty much sums up the 13+ minute 80's rocker. Needless to say it was fitting start to my fastest marathon time, yeah!

My high school friends and I have been reminiscing about all our antics as extremely energetic youth. Our high school days were filled with some serious fun and not much control other than our need for adventure. We can't seem to talk about an event without going over the tune of day as we blasted it in one of our cars doing things we shouldn't. I loaded my entire IPOD with 80's tunes and rocked my way though the marathon one hit after another.

When Cheri and I arrived to pouring rain and some pretty gusty winds we did nothing but roll are eyes and talk about how this would be just like home. We were pretty shocked to wake up on Sunday to a dark but clear sky and not much wind by the time we lined up. With 22,000 runners in this race it would be a busy one. To bring order to the event they had 2 start waves for the marathon. They started one group who was supposed to contain runners going for sub 3:30 finishes. One minute later they would start the second wave. When I went to line up they wouldn't let me in the first wave. It was full. That was just fine with me because that meant I was right up front for the start of the second wave. I was actually first out of the gate for about 10 seconds! I am not sure how they determined who got in the first wave of 500 because many of us caught a bulk of them within 40 seconds of our start time.

Andy came out to cheer Cheri and I on, crew us if we needed and run with me for 10 miles. It was a total gift having him out there. The course is flat and fast but winds around so much I had no clue which direction I was going. That played in my favor. It kept me distracted and focused on the moment. I honestly think a marathon all out effort should play that way. Staying focused on the moment is the best way to keep your mind on the task at hand...running as hard as you can without dying! I got in a groove immediately, strong and steady. I was a bit fast and my dream goal of 3:20 was looking pretty good. Even with some serious park path weaving, some sharp turns and a couple of tiny hills I felt good about my effort. By mile 14 the sun was bold and felt so good. The wind was calm and I was on pace. I saw Andy at around mile 13 smiling and snapping shots. He jumped in, took my shirt and asked if I needed anything. I was good to go and was anxious to get his company at mile 16. I carried 7 gels and 3 salt tabs. My lululemon running bra has inserts for support cups. I don't need them and I pull them out and toss the support cups in the garbage. However, I do use the slots for my gels! I stuffed 3 gels in each side. It was easy access and not at all bothersome. The only negative was the bizarre looks when someone was trying to figure out what was wrong with my chest. How come the lumps and bumps were so big and when I would reach in and grabbed one folks were nervous. Anyway, it worked perfectly! I ate a gel every 3 miles, took a salt tab at mile 10 and two at mile 19.

I started feeling the love in my hips and feet (metatarsals) at mile 16. I knew I was going to slow and started to do math in my head. If I could maintain an 8 minute mile for the last 10 I would have it. It seemed perfectly doable, right? Andy jumped in and we ran. Not a bit of talking as I was pushing and focusing. My lower back was sore, my feet were sore, my legs were beginning to feel the deep fatigue, it was getting hot. Those are all my excuses and thoughts. I just loved it though. Andy and I wrapped around onto the boardwalk for 6-7 miles. It was brutal. It seemed to go on forever. The beach is long! Lots of folks out watching and lots of people around made the race interesting. The amount of general people using the boardwalk meant keeping an eye out for a dog or a child while still running like a dead zombie with just one foot in front of the other at your current top speed. It also made for some great motivation as all the people cheered as they drank their refreshing cold beers.

At the turn with 5 miles to the finish I knew it was going to be tough grind. My heart rate was dropping and I knew if it sagged into the 150's I was not going to get 3:20. I pushed and pleaded with my legs to spin. Please, please, please go around faster. They really wanted to but couldn't. I was seeing 158 and I knew I was not going to pull under 8. I got a couple of them under 8 on the last 5 but not enough. The seconds added up but I never gave up. I ended my musical journey with "Bang your head" by Quiet Riot. I felt that was a fitting song for my final sprint to the finish. I truly spent it all out there. I held nothing back and it was awesome. I loved riding the edge, feeling wild and untamed. The cautious calculated planned rooster stayed home and I am paying the price today. My legs are swollen and my legs have various areas of pain. It's so cool.

This was around a 4-5 minute PR for me. I am really happy with the day but I would do a couple of things different in my training next time. The biggest issue I had was not my speed as much as it was my body's ability to handle the pounding at that fast pace. I have no doubt I could run a 7:36 pace on flat pavement for 26.2 miles but I need to put in some longer than necessary pace runs. I think my body needs to have more experience doing exactly what I want it to do on race day. Since I am asking it to step way out of my speed range I need to train it there longer. I don't need more prep time but I think I need a couple of 24 mile M-Pace runs on my legs. 18-20 will not do for this body. Although I think I would like to test my theory I'm not. I am simply too excited to start hill repeats in the gorge...another type of "pleasure dome"!

High Efficiency!

Tapering is leaving in a "High Efficiency" mode. Seems I get this feeling every now and then during a recovery week but the taper is giving me a max mode of efficiency. There is something truly satisfying about checking things off my list. I have lots of energy to buzz around right now. I think my family prefers me a bit more tired. I really love the feeling of becoming restored and strong. This has been a learned behavior. Tapering was never my strong suit but I think it has more to do with overtraining. I am banking on this sweet taper to help me pull of a PR on Sunday.

Cheri and I are super prepared for Surf City Marathon. This has been a great training session. Starting with base building in mid October was the perfect amount of time to remind my body how to run on flat roads. It's been really fun sharing workouts with a bunch of girls. Cheri, Trisha, Susan, Carrie, Kris, Lisa and Sarah have all been a pleasure to push through pain with. Thanks for all the camaraderie!

My plan for Sunday is to run a 3:20 or a 7:38 pace. I think this will be a stretch goal. Originally I thought I would take advantage of a pace group. I have never run in a pace group before and thought their knowledge and consistency would help me stay evenly paced. I tend to go out to fast rather than to slow so a pace group would be my solution to a good start. However, there is no pace group for 3:20! They have lots but the fastest is 3:10 then the next group is 3:30. Certainly the 3:10 is not going to work so I am left to my own wrist band.

Though I am anxious to run the race I am even more anxious to get training again. My first 2010 ultra will be Chuckanut Mountain 50K. Cheri, Gary and Carrie are all heading up to WA for the race so that means some more fun training time. After Surf City I am taking a week break then starting up again on 2/15. I have got a few other races on my schedule before Bighorn 100M. McDonald Forest 50K for sure. I am also planning on either Diablo 50M or Leona Divide 50M both in April. I can't decide which one I should do. I have done Leona before and loved it. The course is new this year so it would be fun to go back. I have always wanted to do Diablo so that might be a good adventure.

This weekend is the lottery for Wasatch 100M! I hope I get in but already have a back up plan if I don't. Micheal is signed up for Leadville! That means pacing duty for me. Sheesh....more thin air.

Let's get analytical!

Last Sunday I ran the Cascade 1/2 Marathon. My goal was 1:35. My outcome was 1:36:49. I know it's only 1:49 slow but I was pretty confident I should be able to pull off a 7:15 pace. Instead I was only able to run a 7:22 pace. It's taken me a bit of time to over analyze my race because of course I am going to over analyze it. No doubt I have been pondering why I missed. I don't have a ton of experience chasing marathon PR's. I have run a bunch of them (32) but most of them have been simply to run. I think I have chased PR's in about 8 of them. I have followed a strict training plan for 1. I should re-phrase that. I have always had a plan but only one other time have I had expert help. The rest were Rooster Plans! Last Sunday was a mixed bag. There was some good news and some bad news.

Starting with the bad news. Last year at about this exact same time I ran the Vancouver Lake 1/2 at a 7:16 pace. At that time I was training for the Muir Beach 50K. At that time I was building my speed and mileage. Since Muir Beach is held in March I wasn't booking a lot of miles in January but was doing a fair amount of quality workouts. I was rested for Vancouver. I was looking to establish a VDOT for the upcoming training so I went into Vancouver with fresh legs. I am in better shape right now or at least I feel like I am. I wasn't well rested for Sunday's run but I wasn't beat up either. I was ready and anxious to give it a good test. The weather was absolutely perfect for the Cascade 1/2 marathon. Only a bit of rain fell, it was warm and I was wearing shorts and tank for most of the race. Of course mile 1 was fast at 6:52 pace. I throttled it back a bit and found my pace for mile 2. I felt like I stayed there but mile 3 was 7:2???. Wondering if the mile markers were a bit off I felt no stress and forged on. The next mile was another 7:2???. Okay, I need to move it! Uh, guess not. My legs simply wouldn't spin any faster. I looked at my heart rate and see 168. That's way to low. I should be near threshold at 174 or at least knocking on the door at 172. I tried to pump my arms. Again, 7:20. At the turn around I tried to push harder. Wasn't happening. The legs were simply only going to spin fast enough to get me near 7:20. I did have a 7:13 but I think the wind worked in my favor because for the life of me I wasn't going to go faster.

There is good news! I think I could have run many more miles at that pace. After finishing we did a cool down run for about 4 miles. While running the race I was in full control, not overly taxed but the wheels were just not there. How many more miles could I have run at that pace? I don't know but would say at least 8-10.

Why did I miss my mark? After much thought and looking at training diaries I think I might have an answer. However smart I think I am I will qualify this by saying I have no idea if I am right. Here it goes. Since I train using the Daniel's method there are some key workouts. I have talked about them on this blog at nauseum! The M-Pace workout, the T-Pace workout and track workout are key elements. I have been doing them all. My lack of long true T-Pace work might be playing a roll. This method of training makes adjustments to the pace of a "Long Continuous T-Pace" run. When you do T-Pace workouts where you run continuously for more than 30 minutes Daniel's will adjust the pace. Since I am running so many long M-Pace workouts it made no sense to do long T-Pace workouts too. Why? Because my T-Pace would be adjusted and be very close to my M-Pace. Instead I have been doing my T-Pace efforts in the form of "Cruise Intervals" keeping my tempo work at true T-Pace (7:10). The intervals have been 10-15 minutes each and the total time of the T-Pace effort portion 40-60 minutes. Obviously I have trained my body to hold M-Pace for a long duration. My M-Pace is 7:32. On both workouts I have been hitting better numbers but not good enough to move them up a notch. The ultimate goal for race day is to have both workouts play a roll in hitting the PR. I should be able to run faster than 7:32 but not 7:10. I should be able to hit somewhere in the middle. Well, that's exactly what I did! However, I don't know if I will be able to hold a 7:25 pace for the full 26.2.

I am sure most of you have left the room by now. This is way over the top when it comes to numbers but it's important to what I am trying to do right now. What I have learned is I might have benefited from doing some longer Continuous T-Pace efforts. I might have gotten more spin out of my legs by pushing that limit. Swapping a week here and there may have been a good idea. Last year leading up to Vancouver I wasn't doing M-Pace workouts of 12-16 miles at a pop so I had some gruelling long T-Pace sessions. My T-Pace was adjusted down based on the length of session but it was still a bit faster than my M-Pace. I have not done any of that. The real question for the marathon is it a benefit to have more long M-Pace work and less T-Pace. Will I be able to dump lactic acid out my body super efficiently and just race in the strong controlled fashion I did last Sunday? I've got myself so curious now.

I only have one more big workout. Sunday is a 22-24 mile run with 16 at M-Pace. After that's it taper time. I won't have be curious for to much longer!