Week Seven

The Mercedes Marathon in Birmingham is February 12, and my training in its seventh week. I'm still pleased with how things are going.

Last week's 16-miler went well... It turned into a cross country run for the first half, as I ran the first eight with a friend (several loops) on the course where the collegiate cross country regionals were held on November 12. The red and white lines are still there to mark the course.

The second half was less hilly, but still challenging. I unsuccessfully tried to push the pace a little at times, and ventured into some challenging neighborhoods when I was not at my best. The last mile and a half or so seemed to go by slowly-- my legs never felt like stopping, but I did wish for the run to be over. I don't run with music, since I won't for the marathon. The run timed out at 2:35. My legs felt the worst on the drive home. Never underestimate what a good, hot shower can do. I stood up at work for seven hours that day and didn't feel as bad as I did in the car.

Last week's mileage was 39, 33 this week, and 41 in the week leading up to New Year's Eve. I did intervals during Wednesday's eight-miler, two minutes at 7:45 with a minute rest, eleven times. Saturday features a ten-mile tempo run, where I expect to hold an 8:15 pace for eight miles.

I ran Monday and Tuesday in the new Asics I talked about earlier. They're very stiff, and seemed to pay attention to the very minor case of tendinitis in my right Achilles. Plenty of cushion, but I think they make my feet work harder than they need to, and harder than they do in any of the other shoes I run in.