Marathon - Week 3

This week started off nicely with some recovery runs and a speed workout on the treadmill.  I really like running speed workouts on the treadmill as it forces me to maintain a steady pace and not back off when things get tough.  The 6:30 pace is starting to feel comfortable but the 400 @ 6:00 is still tough. I still am amused by the noises that the treadmills make when running at 10mph and the looks I get by people in the gym.

The highlight of my week was the tempo run as it was pretty comfortable and the weather was pretty nice as I was able to get out early because Tina took Colin to day care.  The heat and humidity of the summer are starting to take a toll for sure and that really showed on my long run this weekend.

My long run was probably the hardest workout I have ever done. I went out early to try and beat the heat but it all caught up as the day heated up quicker than expected.  At about 13 miles I started feeling nauseous (good sign heatstroke is creeping in) so I took a break walked a few blocks and stopped into Dunkin Donuts for some water.  While inside some guy came up to me and said, "Hey, you should be on the commercials for Dunkin Donuts, I guess America does run to Dunkin."  Despite his good intentions, he was a moron, wrong slogan and I was just there to get some water so I didn't die.  The run was decent for the next 3 miles until I found myself about 2 miles from the house and with mild heatstroke.  I walked a few blocks and ended up covering the whole 18.3 miles but only ran 17.8 of it.

In case any of you run into a situation like this, after the run an ice bath made all the difference in the world and Tina seemed to take a sense of enjoyment in dumping ice into the freezing cold water I was sitting in and watching me freak out.  Next week is a step back week which I am long over due for and then moving up to the next mileage milestone which is 50-55 mpw.

Weekly Total: 43.8 miles.

Monday: 32 minutes easy. 4 miles.
Tuesday: Speed workout 2x[800@7:00;400@6:30;200@6:00;1200@7:30]. 7 miles.
Wednesday: 48 minutes easy. 6 miles.
Thursday: Rest.
Friday:  66 minutes tempo @ 7:25 pace. 9 miles.
Saturday: Rest.
Sunday: Long Run @ 8:02 pace. 17.8 miles.