AM - easy 25 minutes with Lucy and TZ. I feel really good. While there is touch of fatigue from yesterday's work, it is very very light. There is nothing tweaked, no soreness.
PM - easy 67 minutes. Explored suburbia east and south of the office.
Some post analysis from yesterday's workout ... this is a lot of random thoughts that have bubbling in there. I have not had a ton of time to sit and think, as I am getting back into work, etc.
- The last mile of the Ascent is about desire. When I ran the 2:37, I was racing and really pushed myself. I had just passed a guy in the last mile. He then got passed by somebody else who was looking to get me. Needless to say this motivated me ... it is a motivation that is hard to emulate in a workout. But when you do buckle down, and think "you must run" amazing things happen. I have encountered this quite a bit on the "Elliott Stairs" on Green. I always get there fatigued. It is about my mental state as to what happens next. If I decide to attack, I feel like crap and get up them in three minutes. If I decide to not attack, I feel like crap and get up them in five. I feel like crap either way in the effort but differently post the effort.
- Based on yesterday's work, in a race, I am going up from the A-frame in 45-48 minutes (if things go well). If I look at that, and use that as a projection as to how I pace the lower part based on MC's pace calculator, this sets me up for a 2:50 Ascent. My times in the lower races there have been faster than that. Okay, so what does that mean? It means (I think) that I going to show up at Barr Camp, A-frame faster than the pace calculator suggests, and then run at a slower pace on the upper half. I need to think about this because it a.) defies the logic of everything I have ever read about pacing in a race, b.) it tells a very knowledge-able guy about the mountain that I think his pace calculator does not work for me. Frankly, that does not sit well.
- I think all of this is in place because my ability to execute at very high altitude is compromised. It might be better than others (meaning I slow down less), but I am still not in a position to effectively execute higher. So the question is, do I capitalize on strengths at lower elevations knowing that I will slow higher?
- I also learned that I need to be a bit careful in how deep I dig at the top. In the "2" segment, since I gassed it a bit, I paid for that in the "1" down. In the Ascent, this might not be a big deal but in the round trip, I could do more harm than good in going deep.
- I'd like to get to the mountain, the higher elevations again, but I am not sure my life will allow me to do that (at least in good conscience).
- Given that my hydration and nutrition were very good yesterday, my ability to recover was excellent.
- Still don't know if I double, or just do the marathon. I am pretty sure that I'd not sign up to "just" do the Ascent at this point.
- Plans for this week include getting in a long run (2.5 to 3 hours), and two sessions of harder work. I prefer a longer tempo effort uphill (like Flagstaff Road) and some 4 minute repeat work (like my Lindens substitute) but I have to dig into my schedule a bit to see how it will fit. (Yes, this is my plan of the unplan). I will introduce a variety of stride work (up to 200 meters) to begin to work some elements of turnover. I might join TL for the Tuesday morning fight club for a longer tempo-ish session.
- I still ... need a race before all this.
- TG asked me if I bonked yesterday. I am pretty sure it was not a food bonk. It was a very different feeling than that. Yes, it just feels different. That said, I did not take in anything other than the gatorade at the finish of the "3" (at the end of 75 minutes), although I felt well fueled up to the run (I even topped off 40 minutes prior to the run with a powerbar). I need to work more with the nutrition on the run for this stuff.
Other stuff ...
- ... if you have not seen the video of this race, you should. It is an awesome 2 minutes.
- I made the following prediction for the women's marathon ... 1 Kari Nelson
2 Bronwyn Morrissey
3 Andrea Williams
4 Sharon Kay
5 Tanya Poel
6 Lisa Ledet
7 Sarah Evans
8 Laura Eakin
9 Heather Mcwhitier - Flyover via Google Earth of the Pikes course
Wow, it was a pack of all 10 there coming out of the last turn...and I had to rewind that thing to watch that guy dive at the end. Holy shit he was in like 5th place and that dive absolutely put him in 3rd place at the finish.
ReplyDeleteI would put Heather Stites, Ewen North’s fiancé, up in 10th. She was 6th last year in 5:20.
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