Sweat plus sacrifice equals success

Just enough time for a quick recovery run at lunchtime.  Ran around the soft trail near the office.  Ever have one of those recovery runs where is seems like you are running at least a minute per pace faster than you actually are? Today was one of those days for me.  Overall average pace 8:40.

So much for a good solid recover week - still going to get in 56 for the week.  I would like it to be closer to 50 or high 40's.  Oh well.

Got to the annex early and ran 1.5 easy and then 1.75 easy to Austin High track. Cool morning but the wind was fairly strong. On the schedule was 8 x 800m.  Coach said to run them at 10k pace but heck, I can't run that slow on the track.  I thought if I could run them at a controlled pace around 2:50 that would be good.  Not as fast as I have run them in the past but enough to get some good stimulus and turn over without killing myself.  We eased into the first 2 and then got into a pretty good groove.  We ran very consistent and right on 2:50 each time.  They felt pretty good though I felt like I was working a bit by number 6.  Decided to pick it up on the last one and open up the stride on the last 400m.  I think 2:35 is the fastest I have run an 800m during training. It felt good and this is just the confidence workout I needed.

3.25 easy warm up on the trail followed by 8 x 800m

800m in 2:57 (5:56 pace)

800m in 2:59 (6:00 pace)

800m in 2:50 (5:41 pace)

800m in 2:50

800m in 2:50

800m in 2:50

800m in 2:50

800m in 2:35 (5:11 pace)

2.75 easy miles back to the annex on the trail - 7:20's.

6 recovery miles at the gym.  Nothing special.

The plan this morning was to run a tempo run on the hilliest part of the Austin Marathon course.  This was suggested to Russ and I to prepare for Boston.  We will be doing this several more times.  I got to the annex a bit early so I ran 1 mile warm up then met up with Russ.  Then it was 2.5 easy to the bottom of the course.  This is rolling hill after rolling hill with an elevation gain for 2.75 miles.  At the top at 35th street we took a quick break and then headed back.  This was a baseline run to judge our current fitness and to be able have a measurement stick to progress against.  I have a ways to go, the hills still cause me too much trouble though we made it.  There is a nice stretch at the end with a nice long down hill to practice hammering the quads.  

I am not sure how wise this run was after running these same hills on Saturday at the pace we did, but we survived.  Next time we will run this the Tuesday after a long recovery run instead of a hard long run.

3.6 miles easy followed by 5.5 tempo miles (6:41, 6:38, 6:28, 6:30, 6:25, .5 @ 6:06) followed by 2.5 easy just under 8:00 pace.

Quick trip to the gym - 40 minutes spinning with some core.

Met up with some others at the annex at 7am for a recovery run.  Ran super easy on the trail.  Great morning - low 50's and foggy.  

8:40's overall pace.