Tuesday 18 miles

Long run this morning. Ben had a doctors appointment so I ran this late while it was sweltering. I have always liked to break up my long runs- I first learned this from Jack Daniels then refined it with Canova. It never ceases to amaze me that the disparity in HR's and paces between 2 or 3 days can be so huge.
Here was the session- I used my GPS (which I hate).
4 miles in 25:37 at HR 145 max.

4 miles in 23:10 with a max HR of 174 and minimum HR of 168. This was Tempo for me.. a little disappointed in the pace. Part of the reason for this effort early is to deplete my muscles and blood lipids.

2 miles very easy with HR 140-145.

4 miles of a 1 mile hill loop (approximately .75 up/ .25 down).. HR on the ups were at HR 170. HR on the downs were 130. This kicked my ass.

3 miles very easy jogging, HR wasn't coming down much under 150 at this point and my fatigue was quite noticeable.

1 mile with surges to 5:30 pace (~30"-45") with full recoveries at 7:00-7:30 pace. This is really the key to this type of run. Doing this will help me to hold a stronger pace towards the end of my marathon. At Austin I lost it in the middle miles from 13-18. Then was able to run very strong for the last 8. Part of that is from workouts like this. Doing workouts that have you finishing at goal pace is an absolute must for any marathoner or Ironman. The hardest part (and the best part) of this is what is going through your head. I absolutely did not want to crank down the pace to 5:30 after 17 hard miles! The first one sucked.. the second was easier.. the third felt pretty good... and so on.
Now I need to figure out how to run those middle miles strong!

Over-all time was 1:56:57 for an average pace of 6:29 and an average HR of 153.

2 days ago I felt terrible on my MAF test and today I felt strong the whole run.
Bear in mind that the harder we train the less consistent our bodies reaction to stress becomes. What you want is an over-all good training period and try not to rely too much on the results from one workout, good or bad! From time to time I am hard on myself when I have a bad day, or my ego rears it's ugly head when I have a good day. I'm still learning..


Random quote, random thought:
Dexter to Obi Wan"I should think that you Jedi have more respect for the difference between knowledge and wisdom"

There is a HUGE difference between knowledge and wisdom and I think the quote pertains nicely to training and particularly coaching... not to mention being a Jedi. As a coach I rely heavily on my 'wisdom' from past experiences- particularly the negative ones. In my opinion- avoiding pitfalls takes more priority over actually telling an athlete what to do. A coach with extensive 'knowledge' on physiology or a few certifications from a federation may not be the best coach. Being able to tell an athlete what they will be feeling at mile 24 of an Ironman and how to deal with the pain will do more for them than telling them what their mitochondria are doing.