March 27 - April 2
Four weeks until Broad Street Run
Total mileage: 39.0mi
Total time: 6h 6min
Monday: 6 Miles Easy (9:43-10:41); T+D 60+53 = 113 (...)
- 9:28, 9:41, 10:48, 10:55, 9:42, 9:34
The T+D was over 100. I don't want to talk about it.
This was a run club night. I don't worry too much about pace at these. Plus, even at "slower" than I "need," it's still a beneficial run.
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 7 Miles Easy (9:43-10:41); T+D 49+30 = 79
- 10:06, 9:39, 9:43, 9:40, 9:50, 9:38, 9:32
Thursday: Threshold Workout: 1.5 Mi WU + 3x 1 Mi LT (8:06) w/ 1:00 RI + 1.5 Mi CD, T+D: 38+18 = 56
- WU: 9:59, 9:48; CD: 9:41, 9:30
- 3 Mi LT (8:06)
- Mile 1: 8:04
- Mile 2: 8:00
- Mile 3: 7:59
This was my first post-PR (did I tell you I got a PR in a half marathon 2 weeks ago?) interval run. I had been training LT at 8:26, so 20 seconds faster is a pretty sizable jump. And we're not easing into this thing, as it's 3 full miles with only 60 seconds of rest in-between.
I was pretty surprised that the first mile was fairly easy. I was even more surprised when the second mile was tough. I was sucking serious wind by the end of the third mile. I guess running it 7 seconds faster will do that. I'm not too concerned about this being a hard effort because it is the first time I'm running at faster intervals, but it's something to keep in mind. Glancing at V.O2 reveals every week leading up to Broad Street has at least one LT workout (and one week has 2!), so I'll get plenty of opportunities to test this out.
Friday: Rest
Expo day for the Cherry Blossom 10-miler! The expo was open from 3:45 PM to 7:45 PM. I got there a little before 5:00 PM, and there were two lines wrapped all the way around the building. According to those on the scene (because heaven forbid someone would put a sign up), one line was for the 5k and one line was for the 10-miler. If you were a double blossom entrant, you hand to stand in
both lines! Plus, from what friends relayed to me, the line for 5k bib pickup closed at 7 PM because it was too long.
Needless to say, I was very thankful to only be running the 10-miler. I also don't know why Cherry Blossom picks such a small place for their expo considering the event attracts so many runners. I believe the Rock n' Roll half marathon attracts less than half what Cherry Blossom does, and they used the Convention Center for their expo (much like every other large organized race).
Saturday: 7 Miles Easy (9:43-10:41); T+D 65+60 = 125 (...) and rain;
Actually ran 6.25 miles
- 9:19, 8:39, 10:00, 9:56, 9:23, 9:45, 9:34
Another run club day! It was kind of rainy and miserable, plus with the Cherry Blossom 5k that morning there were a record-low number of us out for the run. But that's ok! I cut my run down once I got back home because it was
miserable out there and I knew I'd be getting extra miles Sunday.
Sunday: Cherry Blossom 10-Miler! M Tempo:
2 Mi WU + 10 Mi M Tempo (8:39) T+D 47+30 = 77;
Actually ran 3.5 miles WU
So, with the debacle that was getting to the Rock n' Roll half (paying $50 for an Uber - do not recommend) and Metro not being open prior to the race unlike years' past, I decided just to jog from home to the Washington Monument. V.O2 called for a 10-mile M Tempo workout with a 2-mile warmup, which was basically perfect given it fell on race day. And running more miles easy was fine. Probably.
- 10 Mi M Tempo (8:39)
- Mile 1: 8:53
- Mile 2: 8:44
- Mile 3: 8:29
- Mile 4: 8:33
- Mile 5: 8:48
- Mile 6: 8:35
- Mile 7: 8:43
- Mile 8: 8:42
- Mile 9: 8:43
- Mile 10: 8:24
- Mile 0.14 (brought to you by inflation): 7:43
- Nutrition
- 2 scoops concentrated Tailwind 5 minutes before leaving home
- EGel 15 minutes before race start
- 2 scoops concentrated Tailwind at mile 5
Lots to unpack here! First,
@WillRunForPizza was also here. You already know how this story ends. We were on opposite ends of the same corral with a sea of people between us.
Second, the pre-race and staging areas were a
mess. Long bathroom lines, and the corrals were nowhere near large enough to accommodate the number of runners in each corral. I was assigned to the second corral - orange - and because the corrals were totally full I had to wait outside the corral with lots of other people and simply file in once everyone started. I ended up starting with the third - pink - corral. Oh well. Post-race was also kind of a mess, but I ducked out and went home quickly.
Third, Cherry Blossom is the only big race I'm aware of that the medal is an upcharge. That's kind of a bummer. All things considered, I don't think I'm going to do this race again, which is a shame because it really is a good course with lots of crowd participation at a great time of year where the weather is typically beautiful. Today it was cool and sunny - and very windy, although that was only a bother while waiting for the race to start.
All that being said, none of that matters when I cross a starting line, and I had a great time running this. I finished in 1:27:45. Don't mind me, I'm just here dropping PRs during a training run. This was a little less than 3 minutes off my fastest (and only) 10-miler, also Cherry Blossom, about 18 months ago.
It's a testament not only to my fitness but also my attitude that I've improved this much. 18 months ago, Cherry Blossom was an
awful run for me. I had a bad attitude and it was my first real ego check as a runner. Today, I was focused on the workout, and what do you know, my workout is now faster than my all-out effort. This wasn't a totally easy effort as it was the first workout at my new, faster marathon pace, and yeah I am tired, but it's another day and I'll be running again tomorrow.
2023 has been good to me as a runner. It's allowed me to clear my mind and focus, and I'm avenging bad past experiences one race at a time. I hope to knock down another PR at Broad Street, but even if I don't it's a great feeling knowing I'm beyond my last 10-miler.
It was also a great experience to practice a 10-mile run before my big race in 4 weeks. Not often you get to do that!
Also, I think I like Tailwind? Concentrated Tailwind is way way too sweet, but it does go down easier mid-race than a gel. More testing needed!