Sunday, October 26, 2014

Tapering for NYC

It's so weird to go from recovery right back into taper mode. That's what you have to do when marathons are just 3 weeks apart. I kept my mileage easy for the most part and logged just a few more miles than last week. I did mix in a little speed this week, but not enough to kill the legs. I plan on taking things easy this week and hope to get to NYC on fresh legs and a lot of rest.

I did attempt my secret mission this week and didn't succeed.  I ran the Pumpkins in the Park 5K and was hoping my fitness levels were good enough to get me to the fabled 20 minute mark. Alas it wasn't meant to be. A few days of restless sleep left my body in recovery mode over the weekend and doomed the attempt before it began. A sudden warm spell and windy conditions that felt like you were always running into a headwind didn't help. I still gave things a shot and wound up with my second fastest 5K time ever.  I can now say I'm consistently in the 21:XX range even on bad days since I've landed there in my last 3 5K races. On the plus side I ran this race with a higher average heart rate than my PR attempt so I've learned to push my limits a bit. That could also be seen as a negative that I worked too hard, but I prefer the positive spin.

This week I get to fly out to NYC very early on Friday. I signed up for the Race to the Finish 5K on Saturday to use as a shake out run and help keep the streak alive. It also means I get to leave NYC with at least 2 long sleeve tech shirts plus whatever other goodies I get at the expo. I'm in wave 3 for the marathon, but am on top the bridge so I get to avoid any misting situations. I expect being so far back will leave me boxed in for a lot of the race which could be good or bad. If it's a day where I'm on, I'm not going to want to hold back. On the other hand it can help me stay conservative and save some juice for running Las Vegas in a few weeks.

Mon - 2.38
Tue - 2.58
Wed - 4.01 (4x800m @5K pace)
Thu - 4.27
Fri - 2.51
Sat - 4.7 (21:20 5K)
Sun - 5.04
Week: 25.4
Month: 112.1

This is my 5th straight month over 100 miles. If feels nice to have such a streak of consistency and remain injury free. I'm also at 1160 miles on the year. That's a full 100 miles further than last year and I'm still going strong.

2 comments:

  1. Congrats on the streak. Too bad the sub-20 attempt did not work out, but you are in full on marathon mode, so you are probably more geared to run marathon pace than 5k pace. Smart move in keeping fresh. Once the race starts you'll be able to get in the swing of things, but if your legs are shredded, it won't be as fun. Good luck in avoiding the misting! :)

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