A brief repreive

After having some GI issues this week (I think I need to cut back on the Kashi) - I was feeling pretty depleted. After looking at my log I realized that I haven't had a day off since May 10th. With a 22 miler planned for today and my longest week ever planned for next week - I decided that Saturday would be a good time to take the day off.

It felt kind of weird not running for a day - kind of like skipping a meal or pulling an all nighter. Running for an hour or more each day has just become another bodily function. In a way that's what all this training is about - I need to trick my body into thinking that 26.2 miles on October 10th run in 2.5 hours is a natural thing to do. Marathons are never "easy" - but the more I've completed the less painful they've become.

Next week I do something that is somewhat controversial among runners - I'm going to run a marathon to train for a marathon. Some people claim that running over 22 miles isn't a good idea because you won't recover sufficiently. For me it won't be the distance that's the challenge it's the pace. If I can't recover from running 26.2 miles in a little under 3 hours - then it's going to be almost impossible to run under 2 hours and 30 minutes in an "all out" marathon. I did the same thing before Boston in 2009 and ended up with a 3 and a half minute PR. All I want is another 2 min 33 sec - is that so much to ask?

Last Week
Monday morning: 7 miles
Monday evening: 10.5 miles
Tuesday: 10.5 miles
Wednesday morning: 14 miles 3X5.5 min T pace 30 sec rest 1 mi easy 4X5.5 min T pace 30 sec rest
Wednesday evening: 6.5 miles
Thursday: 13.5 miles
Friday: 12 miles
Saturday: 0 miles
Sunday: 22 miles 4X1 mi 1 min rest 11.5 miles easy 2 mi @ T pace
Total: 96 miles

Next Week
Monday morning: 7 miles
Monday evening: 10.5 miles
Tuesday: 10.5 miles
Wednesday morning: 16 miles 4mi T pace 2 mi easy 4 mi T pace
Wednesday evening: 5.5 miles
Thursday: 14 miles
Friday morning: 10.5 miles
Friday evening: 8 miles
Saturday: 12 miles
Sunday: 26.2 miles
Total: 120.2 miles