Denouement

AM: Ran my workout that was supposed to be done Thursday.  Windy and warm morning.  It never really cooled off last night because of cloud cover.  Also rainy during the night so have som nice humidity.  28-29C (abt 82-84F), 75% humidity. Windy.  Not as bad as Thursday, though.  So while not ideal conditions, the call to switch workouts was the right one.  TM still not an option today since the gym is closed for some other bizarro hk holiday.  

Warmed up 30 min.  Feeling better than Friday.  Not tapered good, but not trashed, somewhere in between.  Stretched in the middle of the warm up really well.  Plan was 4 miles at HM pace, one mile easy (but not jogging) then 2 miles at 10k pace.  I tried to make it so I was going into the wind for the first 4 miles, and away from the wind the 10k miles.  Splits were 6:26, 6:29, 6:13 (less wind in this mile), 6:17, rest mile was 7:20 (had bathroom break and accidentally turned off watch for it, got some water), "10k" miles (you'll see why they're in parenthesis) were 5:59 (pathetic, roughly the same mile as the 6:13 mile, somewhat more protected from wind), 5:47.  So this was not a stellar workout, but I tried to stay true to the pace effort, and the effort of this workout is money in the bank.  

I think the miles I have been running are keeping my legs tired.  Cool to hit 100 miles this week (haven't yet, but will with my afternoon run today), though it's only because of my Sunday race miles.  I will take a once in a lifetime 100 mile week and cash it in in eight weeks :D 

PM: stretching session, some exercises, then 5.03 with Ben on his new-used bike, dodging recreational HKers on the bike trail.

100 miles baby! 

13.4k in 60 min.  Felt good, and was challenged by a guy who did not like me passing him.

Core, weights, exercises and sports massage.  This is a full time job! 

AM: 8.11k in 40 min

PM: Aberdeen track workout.  Took abt 50 min to get there, including waiting for bus and walking so I got there early.  6.6k warm up, lots of stretching a couple of strides.  Changed into my Saucony A2.  Plan was 4x1600 @ 10k pace, 1x 1000m @ 5k pace.  I, of course, wanted to negative split, and I was lucky enough to have Colin Fishwick (a 33 minute 10ker, ranked #1 in 10k and 5k in HK) to pace me.  He was really good.  Forced me to run even splits for the most part.  I wanted 5:50 for the first one and wanted to work down to 5:40 by the end, with 5:30 pace for the 1000m. 400m jog rest between each.  Did the following: 5:49 (seemed ridiculously easy, 2:13 rest), 5:44 (2:21 rest), 5:41 (2:28 rest, including shoe retie), 5:33 (fastest flat mile I have done since college, 2:59 rest), 3:20 for the 1000m.  Those last two were fast and felt fast.  6.19k for cool down.  So thrilled to have a great workout after the workouts last week (kind of blah with tired legs).  lesson relearned: a pacer is worth the effort and travel--fosure.   

15.54k @ 4:50 ave pace.  Met Roberto and he was decked out in professional biker apparel, too sore to run, so he leisurely biked next to me.  Early morning in the am, meant not needed to deal with much bike/ped traffic.

AM: 8.36k in 4:48 ave pace.  Wore patellar straps for the first time.  Felt funky first mile then ok after that.

PM: warmed up 5.93k at HKSI, Allison was there so was able to discuss her race and future plans with her.  I didn't know it would be her first workout, but I must be clarevoyent (sp?) because there she was.  I got there late so she started her workout before I started mine.  I had 2x3miles with a mile rest, first one at HM pace, second at 10k pace.  Coach Paul suggested doing the first one on the road and doing the second on the track, so that's what I did.  I did 2x5ks since I am trying to convert to k's and that made the workout just a bit tougher.  First set averaged 3:49/k, 19:02.  Then ran a mile as well as hit a bathroom and got water, so about 9 min rest, then started second 10k.  No coach Paul so I was on my own to track splits.  There was some wind, and I was trying to do 43-44, but it ended up being often 43-45-42-44-43-45.  This 5k was hard to stay strong.  First mile was 5:48, then 5:51, then must have sped up last mile (I told myself I did not have to do the 5k, but then did tack on the 200m for the 5k, aren't I mean?), total 5k time 18:09, 3:37.8 ave/k.  Then 30 min cool down.  Total 24.02k at night. 

Did some new weights and exercises assigned by my coach to strengthen around my knees. 

17.05k @ 4:39 ave pace.  Wore my patellar bands again.

AM: met Curtis at Sunny Bay.  Plan was 20 miles, last two at marathon pace.  Did some loops so we had water and a bathroom at 6.2, 9.7, 14.8.  Pace for first 10 miles was 7:14, pace for next 8 was 7:27.  Took a gu at 9.6 and 14.8.  It was hotter and more sunny than I bargained for, should have wore sunglasses.  Curtis was worn down so I was on my own after 14.8, and I got a bit lost so my pace suffered a bit.  I sorted out where my 2 mile would start, involved a one way stretch with some construction and a down hill in the first mile.  I started my 2 mile marathon pace bit with a downhill which was great, except at .2 there were two trucks trying to negotiate a one way stretch of road and here I come barreling down the road at 5:xx pace and I don't stop so the trucks come to a dead stop, I felt so bad for the construction truck going uphill, whose momentum was ruined by me.  I am next on the one way section and the other truck is behind me, reluctant to pass me.  A bit of shoulder is up ahead so I keep tempoing that, getting to it at .33 miles and 5:3x pace then pull to the side at a dead stop and let the truck pass, and I don't stop my watch.  Kills my momentum since downhill is over, but I still manage a 6:14 on this mile, which ends with a bit of uphill.  Last mile is flat, sunny, telling myself, "what if you had to do a 6:10 to get the OTQ?" so was headed for 6:04 but in the last .25 had to go to the bathroom bad so backed off and got a 6:07.  Still not bad.  Felt under watered, overheated and should have had some sunscreen and some shades, but a good workout nonetheless. Left knee a bit niggly but nothing serious or unexpected after a long run at the end of a long mileage week.

PM: 5.1 on the TM in 40 min.  I am temporarily at the top of the mileage board (until y'all put in your saturday runs).  Let me tell you, the view from up here is AMAZING :D :D :D 

7.85 in abt 57 minutes.  Can't type much, our stuff is here from Utah!  Sent it off July 6th, arrived Oct 10th.  I hope it's not all smashed.  This unpacking will be the end of our transition to Hong Kong.  Item I am most excited for in the shipment:  Its a toss up between my metal fruit basket and our sign "Houses are made of bricks and beams.  Homes are made of love and dreams".  Given to me by Lupita (love you Pete) and made its way to HK.

AM: about 4.2 miles watchless

PM: met Aberdeen track group.  Did 5 x 1 1600m tempo interval, with 400m jogging rest.  No pacer this week plus windier so I knew I likely wouldn't be able to pull off another 5:33. I wanted to negative split still, but do it more even than last weeks 4x1 plus 1-1k (5:49, 5:44, 5:41, 5:33) or the prior 5x1 I did (5:56, 5:53, 5:47, 5:43, 5:38).  Today did:  5:43 (2:16 rest), 5:40 (2:41), 5:39 (2:53), 5:37 (3:01), 5:35.  The last one's splits were 84, 86, 85, 80.  Hard but successful and done.  

This week is a cutback week for miles, then a couple more weeks of high mileage then taper baby. 

easy 10k in 48:33.  Windy and lots of rain.  Core workout and weights. 5.75 pull ups :/

Finished Running Within yesterday and restarted it. 

AM: 6k at 4:55 ave pace.

PM: Warmed up 6k, then started 8k (5mile) tempo.  Wanted to start between 3:44-3:49, then drop from there and average 3:44 or better along the whole thing.  Had watch lapping at 5k intervals to see how I like that for the marathon.  First k was 3:44, so far so good, but pace started to creep up, by 2.5k I had to go to the bathroom, and I had to stop at 4.3k to prevent an incident, ave pace was 3:49 so far.  Took 1000m jog to nearest bathroom, then did 600m more to give a mile between the tempo intervals I am now doing.  So started again to do the remaining 3.7k.  Started first k feeling great, 3:40, but pace crept up again as at 2k or so I felt like I had to go to the bathroom AGAIN!  I ate mildly today but must have eaten too much in the afternoon. . .Fought through it and got 3:43 ave pace for that 3.7k.  It was a pretty lame workout overall, but still helpful to my fitness even though I didn't do the workout as planned and didn't quite hit my target paces.  It was quite humid  (drizzling of and on, so must have been 85-90% humidity) and I was sweating alot.  Cool down was 3.76 km in 5:06 ave pace.  

Ran shorter today in honor of cutback week. 8.75k in 4:37 ave pace.  Also core and weights. 

Adventure run today.  Woke up at 5:10.  Took metro then taxi, taxi went partway down my half marathon course and I dropped water then returned to start.  Warmed up 6k, then met Alexis at the start of my half marathon course in two weeks.  We ran the course.  The first hill starts about a k from the start (depending on where the start actually is) and it is steep.  In this first hill I am thinking already "this course is no good, I can't do this" but that first hill is the worst one.  The whole course is a rolly one.  Here is a link to the race on map my run, but it doesn't seem like the elevation chart. http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/54223238, it seems much more rolly (other than the first hill).  I think I can race it except take that first hill kind of easy.  I'll wait to hear what my coach has to say about the whole thing.  I will post my k splits of the course just to show what it is like (tried to keep even effort, though hard to be perfect with that) 5:27, 4:31, 4:37, 5:04, 5:24, 4:58, 5:06, 4:10, 4:35, 4:53, 5:31, 4:33, 4:17, 4:18, 4:34, 4:47, 4:41, 4:40.  Only 18k of data since we didn't do an out and back on a couple of places.  Then Alexis needed a marathon pace 8k (4:10-4:15), so I did that with or behind her: 4:14, 4:10, 4:17, 4:13, 4:07, 4:14, 4:02, 4:34 (tempo stopped halfway through this one).  24 miles total.

80 min, 17k at 4:42 ave pace. Tried to obey my coaches advice and just enjoy the run and not worry about pace. Core workout and weights. 4.75 pull ups :( Amber-not sure what a swinging pull up is, I just hang down then go up and that's one, and keep doing it till I cant any more. Sometimes I curl up my legs, esp on the last one, but they aren't swinging to give me momentum.

AM: 20.08k in 90 min, 4:29 ave/k. This week and my next week's hard workouts on Tuesday are a medium long run. Easy peasy. This Saturday will make up for it, though, mega hard run. 22 miles with last 6-8 at marathon pace.

PM: massage, lots of hurty work on my left hip which is still sore. 5 miles on the tm in 40 min

7.74 miles in 61 min. Nice and easy. Left hip more sore than usual, maybe because of the treatment yesterday? You know you are massaged hard when you can't talk or if you do it's in a strained whisper.

AM: watchless 5 miles

PM: 2 x 5k at HM pace.  Nervous about this one going in.  Did 6.14 warm up, stopping to stretch really well.  Adductors are sore from weights on wednesday.  Goal was to keep 3:49 for the first 5k, and 3:44 for the second.  Reason being is I think 3:49 (around 6:08) might be the realistic pace for a half in current weather and 3:44 is pace per mcmillan calculator if I am in 2:46 pace.  So had watch on 5k split, so I would only see the overall average to see how I liked it.  It was fine for this workout.  In the first 5k I felt good, focused on running relaxed and at a sustainable fast pace.  Ended up 18:35, 3:43 ave pace.  Then 1 mile at easy pace (7:22) then started the second 5k.  Was helped greatly by a young man who did not want to get passed (he was on a bike) and who stayed right ahead of me for the last half of this 5k.  Got an 18:19, 3:40/k.  Felt so good, but in cool down realized I lost my octopus card (how you pay for the metro) so turned around and looked for it a bit, never found it, so cool down was longer than the 30 min max (33:02, 6.73k).

Had to do some notarization of documents at the US consulate, so did my 80 min run after that on the Island on Bowen Road.  Since had hard long one last night and hard long one tomorrow morning decided to take this absolutely easy with no push.  Which gave me 10.13 in 80 min.  Saving abs and weights for tomorrow.

AM: Met Jane for a long run on the Island.  She took me on a quite hilly-nonhilly run, which included some lovely trail.  I needed 20-22 miles with 6-8 miles at the end at marathon pace.  So I opted for 12k at marathon pace (7.46 miles) which gave me three stretches of Bowen Road, which is marked every .5 k so I could track pace well.  Felt good during tempo.  Will record splits for posterity:  3:49, 4:00, 3:54, 7:43 for two (includes turn around and water, but no stopping), 3:57, 3:55, 7:47 (includes turn around and water but no stopping), 3:53, 3:52, 3:49.  so 3:54 ave pace (wanted 3:55, but would have been satisfied with 4:00 given the weather.  Temperature was 25c and humidity in the 70's. 

PM: weights, core and 40 min run on the TM.

Catching up on my blog.  Horrible, horrible sleep.  Paid big time for my Sunday nap.  Probably got 5 hours after taking ibuprofen PM at 1am.  12.54k @ 4:50 pace.  Have a slight cold (somewhat stuffy, a bit of a sore throat, somewhat tired). Started Sunday so it wasn't from the bad sleep, though i am sure the bad sleep didn't help.  During weights my left knee was not happy, so I skipped a rep on one machine and vowed to not return on Wed if my knee doesn't feel much better over the next couple of days.  Core workout.

AM: 8.04k at 5:00 pace.

PM: 23.9k in 1:46:34, 4:27 ave pace.  Felt hip soreness at times, knee just a bit, back felt pre-pinchy (where it might get a pain that wouldn't resolve for a couple of days, that concerned me), right ankle hurt for one k at around 14k.  At around 15, I thought, "Yeah, I have a bit of a cold, I can feel it sapping me."  It was so windy.  I don't mention it often, but I often think "I am going to blog about this" but I don't.  So, here it is: often I feel headwind both on the way out and the way back.  It is wierd.  I will fight the wind and think that it will get better when i turn around, only to find it's still there.  It may be because the trail is along the water, so it is really a cross wind?  Not sure but it tricks me all the time.  I find myself talking to the blog as I run, is that healthy?  Not sure.  I know I miss my running buddies.  Went to the bathroom every two miles about three times--I am wondering if I am slightly gluten intolerant?  I know--jumping on the anti-gluten bandwagon?  My diet here is heavy on the oatmeal and the pb&j or pb&b (banana) sandwiches, so I am cutting out gluten just for a bit to see if it helps.  I hope it doesn't take long to cycle it out, because I really like my gluten and want to get back to it. 

TMI, I know, but you're the one reading this :D 

Felt crappy so only ran a 10k slow 5:09 pace.  Hip sore, knees ok, work patellar straps, body sluggish.  Still a bit of cold.

Massage today, he got into my glute really good.  Did core but skipped weights.

AM: 4.86 miles, nice and easy, 5:06 pace.  Felt much better waking up this morning, and during my morning run.  Not 100% yet, but closer.

PM: Ran warm up at HKSI.  Wanted Coach Paul to watch my stride since my hip might be affecting my stride.  Had 4x2 miles at HM pace, 3 min rest between.  Did first two on the track, with first rest used to discuss form with Paul, then second rest used to run out to the bike path, then did second two on the path.  He said my right leg is fluid and good but my left was often wooden, which is bad.  He said perhaps I wasn't pushing off enough on it (favoring it because of hip or knee soreness or fear of soreness).  On the second set I was angry from the feedback (not at him, but at any prospect of this new injury throwing a kink into my marathon--which is not going to happen!), and I focused on my stride and trying to keep it even.  I think I am going to have to conscientiously do this to keep my stride even between now and then to not mess up my right side or make my left side lazy.  Anyway.  My goal was 90-92 pace, fine with 92 if that's all I can do because of slight cold I have had this week.  First set was 12:07, started at 92, then did 90-91 for the rest of the laps (3:01 rest), 12:00 for second one, all laps at 90, it was awesome to be so even (4 min rest), 12:10 for the third.  Involved a wardrobe malfunction of sorts.  I forgot to take off my tank during my break (they have unwritten preference that athletes wear shirts in HKSI, so I obeyed that, but the weather was 22-23C (71-73F) with 72-82% humidity, so to me that is still uncomfortable and my tank was sweaty). So in the first k I took it off, then threw it in the bushes, but as I looked back I saw it bounced off and landed on the bike path and this place is way too urban to leave it there, so I had to turn around and get the tank squarely into the bush, so this maneuver perhaps cost me 5-10 sec.  I had the watch on ave lap pace, and I wanted 3:49 or better, so after that issue was at 4:05 and eventually crept it down to 3:46, so I was really happy even though it was my slowest one. 2:59 rest , then fourth was11:58.  This one reminded me of how I feel in mile 9 of a half, tired but nowhere near the finish.  So glad to finish strong.  I guess this workout means I am officially over my cold (though i am blogging at 4am because I woke up at 3:30 with major hunger pains-hope the sleep issues doesn't cause a relapse).

10.66k at 4:47/k pace.  Massage appt, weights (did lower weights and knee was fine), core

8.54 k at 4:41/k pace.  Felt good. Stretching/rolling.  Watched 2/3 of Bridges of Madison County.  Had never seen it and wanted to veg before the race.  It was so sad and a bit disturbing.

This is an environmentally friendly 1/2 marathon, the only 1/2 in HK during this training cycle.  It is too hilly to be a good indicator, but ok for good workout and practicing racing in a long race.  Here is the elevation chart http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/54223238.  I think it is a bit more rolly on the top of the hills than the elevation chart shows, but it truly is two nasty hills.  I tracked 5k splits per garmin (theirs were short), and my splits really match the hilliness.

Woke up at 5:30, oatmeal, preping.  Then a short walk to a bus pick up station.  They picked us up at 6:30, but the race started at 7:30, so I knew I would only get a short warm up, which is ok because the first hill is the steepest and so will use the first 2.5k of the race as an additional warm up.  Ran about 1.5 k warm up, good stretching, no strides.  Three stars.  I don't see any Italia running club, so I am on my own. Strategy is to take it easier on the uphills, knowing I haven't trained for them and that they'd kick my butt (esp the first one), then push as much as I could on the downhill and flat.  Race for place not for time.  But it is hard to not look at your watch and watch the time anyway :/  I wanted to keep my overall pace at marathon pace or better (3:55).  My 5k splits were:

20:24 (4:05, net up), started nice and relaxed, hung behind a lot of guys going up the steep hill, then fly by perhaps 15 guys on the first downhill,

18:37 (3:43, net down) in this part of the race, I ran with two guys for a couple of k, one fell back and one pulled forward by the end of this k.

21:00 (4:12, net up) this bugger had a less steep but longer climb.  The first k of this 5k was flatish, then long climb of approx 1.5-2k, then rolling

18:43 (3:45, net down) first part downhill, then rolling then the inverse of the steep hill (so downhill) at the beginning of this race.  This hill was too steep to totally capitalize on.

final 515m: 1:49, or 3:32 pace, decent kick.  Overall pace was 3:56, and the race converts to 1:23:01, just one second above target marathon pace.  I'll take it.

Cooled down Legs felt pretty good, I was afraid they'd be banged up but they are just a bit sore in the hip and the opposite shin. 

No running today.  60 min easy pool running. Core and weights.