Two Trials

Medium long run of 16 miles.  I felt pretty slow and lame again today.  I’m not sure why.  I’m hoping for some better workouts in the final days leading up to the Trials.

A little up tempo session.  On/off 6 mile workout.  “On” miles were marathon pace minus 10 seconds and “off” miles were marathon pace plus 10 seconds.  I felt a little sluggish and lame today.  I think mentally I wasn’t into the workout, so it became a bit of a struggle.

Two Trials “Fund” Run in Portland at the Maine Running Company.  A big “thank you” to everyone who came out tonight.  The event raised $3,938 for Two Trials.  We had a group of close to 100 people (I would guess) run/walk the Back Cove path in Portland.  Maddie enjoyed her first run in the BabyJogger this spring, and I can say definitively that she has grown and gained some weight since I pushed her in the Jogger last fall.  Then, Sheri, Kristen, and I gave a talk about training for the Olympic Trials.  Finally this spring, we had some good weather, and it was great to see, hear, and feel so much positive energy in the group.  John Rogers and the Maine Running Company deserve a lot of credit for hosting and promoting the event.  Also, a big thanks to Wright Express for a matching donation.  The  Maine running community really came from far and wide (Farmington and Rangeley area – that’s quite a trip!) to support us tonight.   Please know that your support will help us reach our goals.

A medium-long run with 6 X 3 minute surges at marathon pace.  This workout felt great.  I was starting to get a little bored with just a 12 miler.  Throwing in some surges made the run more interesting and more challenging.  My legs felt a little tired toward the end after a tempo session yesterday.

Tempo session.  1 X 3 miles at 5:45 and 1 X 2 mile at 5:39 with a 2-mile warm-up and cool-down.  This workout felt great.  I settled nicely into a groove during both of the segments.  My legs felt strong and fresh and my breathing was controlled.

Easy 10 miles today.  My legs seem to have finally recovered from the half marathon race on Saturday and the long run on Sunday.

Running on the Olympic Trials course!  After I arrived in Portland last night, I drove to Boston to run on the Trials course this morning.  I met up with Brett and Kasie and a few other BAA runners to preview the course.  It was a chilly morning; Brett and Kasie both chastised me to no end for wanting to wear shorts.  Luckily, I listened to them and donned the tights and a hat and gloves.  We headed out for our run at 8am, the same time that the Trials race will start in three weeks.  All of us wondered what the weather would be like on that day.  It did warm up nicely as we progressed.

Many people ask what the course is like.  Some wonder if it is the same course as the Boston Marathon.  It is a specially designed course, designed just for the Women’s Trials on April 20.  It starts and ends at the finish line for the Boston Marathon on Boylston St. by the Boston Public Library.  It consists of a 2.2 mile jaunt around the Boston Common followed by four 6-mile loops that follow the Charles River.  We started with the stretch around the Boston Common, which contains the only thing that even resembles a hill on the course, and then we did the 6 mile loop a few times.  I liked the course.  It is, as they say, “pancake flat”, which could mean fast times.  The wind off the Charles could be a factor, but it will be a headwind for part of each loop and a tailwind for the other part.  We logged about 20 miles at a leisurely pace chatting most of the way about the Trials, training, jobs, new homes, etc.  Jeff and Murphy met us at different intervals to check in on how things were going.  After the run, Brett hooked Kasie and me up with some pizza and banana bread for trip to VT and ME.  Thanks, Brett, the food kept me going on the drive back home.

So after a week of 2 days of chemotherapy, one day of work, one day of travel to VT and back, a blood draw and a plane flight to DC, I made it to the race.  I ran in the SunTrust National Half Marathon.  The race went OK.  I didn’t run as fast as I had hoped, but I had a great time.  The race was well organized, the course was fair and fairly scenic.  Kudos to Keith and Marc for all the work they did in making the race a good one.  I got to run with several other Olympic Trials qualifiers, which was fun.  While my results weren’t quite what I had hoped for, I appreciated the opportunity to run with other Trials runners.  Good luck gals in a few weeks in Boston.

An easy day before the race tomorrow.

Speed session today.  8 X 1k at 10k pace.  A good, solid workout.  This week has been a bit crazy, so I’m having a hard time fitting workouts in.  Off to work at 11am.