Week 12

I'm feeling great at the end of another big week, especially with a couple of major workouts including a new 5K PR (see Thursday!). I feel like I should be more sore and tired than I am, but I continue pushing those "too good to be true" doubts out of my head and making sure that I'm following my own rules for staying strong, healthy and focused. There's still a lot more work to do, but that home stretch is almost in sight.


Monday - xtrain/rest

I'm all over the rest!!!



Tuesday - 24K medium-long (2 runs) with "triple threat" intervals

I headed out over lunch for a steady 8K. I knew I wasn't supposed to "cheat" by taking it too easy before my intervals after work, so I just cruised at a pretty "normal" pace and finished with negative splits.

8.3KM (5.1mi) - 45:12 - 5:27/KM (8:46/mi)

Run # 2 is when things got serious!

"Doozie Twosday"

800 @ 5K - 1600 @ 10K - 3200 @ MRP [back-to-back]
1000 recovery
3200 @ MRP - 1600 @ 10K - 800 @ 5K [back-to-back]

800 [goal 3:28] - 3:25
1600 [goal 7:12] - 7:09
3200 [goal 16:42] - 16:30
1000 recovery
3200 [goal 16:42] - 16:28
1600 [goal 7:12] - 7:09
800 [goal 3:28] - 3:24

16.2KM (10.1mi) - 1:22:46 - 5:07/KM (8:13/mi)



Wednesday - 10K recovery

Thanks to an unwelcome gift from Mother Nature, I resorted to the treadmill for my recovery run. I knew I needed to take it really easy, and that simply would not be possible when trudging through snow. I plugged along reading my ereader and got it done. Legs felt pretty good.



10.0KM (6.2mi) - 1:00:00 - 6:00/KM (9:39/mi)






Thursday - 13K with speedwork TBD

I wasn't sure what we had on the plan for clinic night. The majority of the group wanted to keep it on the lighter side since they were planning on a hard effort at Around the Bay on Sunday, so we settled on a tempo run of 4-6K after a warm-up jog to the park. The path had been flooded and then frozen over so there were a few treacherous patches which required stepping lightly.


I took off with my group and looked down to see something closer to 5K race pace than tempo pace when my Garmin chimed after the first K. Oops! I backed off slightly, but the pace was still much faster than intended. As I approached 2.5K I realized that I was on target for a 5K PR, so I decided to go for it.
 
Previous PR was 22:35 last July (which nearly killed me).
 
Thursday night splits: 4:25 - 4:38 - 4:25 - 4:23 - 4:22 (avg pace 4:25/KM = 7:06/mi)
 
22:03 5K! 
 
I was definitely working at the end, but it certainly didn't feel like a 5K race effort. I can't wait to see what I can do at a race in a couple weeks.

13.0KM (8.1mi) - 1:08:24 - 5:16/KM (8:28/mi)



Friday - 8K recovery

Cold and sunny lunch run. You know the drill! My legs were only slightly sore and tired from the night before, but I kept it nice and easy and ran the usual "square."

8.4KM (5.2mi) - 48:26 - 5:46/KM (9:17/mi)



Saturday - 7K easy

Hubs and I headed out on another cold but sunny day for a nice morning run. Legs felt good!

7.2KM (4.5mi) - 39:29 - 5:29/KM (8:50/mi)



Sunday - 35K long (incl. 30K race)

Hubs and I added on a few miles before the run. It was beneficial for taking us to a washroom far enough away from the starting area that there weren't lines, as well as helping with last minute wardrobe decisions. for the race.

4.6KM (2.9mi) - 26:19 - 5:43/KM (9:12/mi)

Around the Bay 30K - race report to follow!

30.3KM (18.8mi) - 2:55:49 - 5:48/KM (9:20/mi) [I did some back-tracking]



Week 12 Total: 98.0 KM (60.9mi)
Total time: 9:06:25
Average pace: 5:35/KM (8:58/mi)

7 weeks to Mississauga Marathon! (less than 50 days!)