Down to the final 6 weeks of training and feeling pretty good!

It’s been awhile since I last posted and the past 3 weeks have been up and down. Was finally able to update the training log (had some issues with Google docs) and you can see that I had one good week, one bonk and then last week was pretty solid. In terms of long runs (which I base the success or failure of a week on), I completed 18 miles of a scheduled 18, 13 miles of 20 and then 21 miles of 22 just this past Sunday. There is no question that running the 21 miler with my buddy Jeff Babich made it a success. Having someone else to talk to when you’re running over 3 hours straight is HUGE and once again he took the trouble to map out the route. Thanks again Mr. Babich and good luck with the Columbus Marathon! 

The week prior my sister came to the burgh, we partied & I bonked. I didn’t sleep enough and underestimated my need for hydration leading up to the long run. Having a Guinness or two on a Friday isn’t a big deal, but 4 or 5 Sapphire & Tonics the Saturday night before at Mardi Gras (a Pittsburgh dive notorious for stiff beverages) was just plain dumb. I did bounce back 2 days later though with a quick 5.9 miler. Got it done in 45:33 (7:11 pace) and wasn’t really going for it. 

So, this is a step back week (16 miles for the long run), then 2 weeks of building (22 & 24 miles) and I’ll finish it all off with a 2 week taper. I signed up for a couple of races last night, Pittsburgh’s Great Race and the 2008 Tecumseh Trail Marathon. Why am I doing another 26.2 only 5 weeks after New York, I’m not really sure, but my old college buddy and fellow endurance freak, Chris Cahee talked me into it. I’ve never done anything this long off road (especially in the beginning of December) but somehow I’m pumped up for it. 

To wrap this up, I bought some new Asics GT-2130’s last night, and plan to run at least NYC and Tecumseh in them. I really like the Asics, they just seem to fit better than any other running shoe and there’s plenty of room up front for when my toes swell.

Overall great week! Went a mile over the goal of 34 total miles and feeling pretty healthy. This week I’m looking at 36 miles, capping it off with a long run of 18 miles on Sunday. The New York Mets are coming to Pittsburgh on Friday, so I’ll be laying low (no travel) and should be able to have another productive week… Figure with all the beers and dogs I’ll be eating at the games, I should be good fuel-wise

Last weeks long run was just under 17 miles (going roughly 9 minute pace). The conditions were incredible, beautiful sunny day, cool breeze whipping through, tons of people out on Pittsburgh’s rivers and I was able to manage my hydration perfectly. Actually saw a good buddy who I ran my first marathon with, Dr. Glenn Updike. Great guy, runs a fast 26.2 but apparently never stretches… Not me, I stretch like a mainiac. In fact I’ve been trying to do yoga once a week to keep the muscles even more flexible. There is a place called School House Yoga just down the street from my apartment that hooks it up.

The long run took me past the South Side Works where I was able to catch a pretty good concert the night before; American Eagle Outfitters and Anthony Kiedis pulled together Gnarls Barkley, Spoon, The Racoteurs & Bob Dylan. Missed Mr. Gnarls, but the rest of the show was decent.

An old college buddy and fellow endurance freak Chris Cahee, recently turned me onto athlinks.com which is a pretty cool site that digs up all of your past race results and provides access to tons of other athletes. There’s a really good search feature for local events as well, definitely worth a look.

Ran 5.6 miles this morning at a pace just under 8 minutes. Labored through it, but good to get it out of the way before work…

I’ll be tracking my runs through an xls spreadsheet that I’ve published through google docs. For the rest of the week I’m looking at some cross training, the Brookline Breeze 5k on Saturday (8/09) and a 16 miler on Sunday (8/10). Target is 34 miles for the week…

Rock!