I think recovery days are getting a little easier for me. I THINK so, anyway. Maybe I'm just kidding myself.
I'm definitely stiff, but only after I've been sitting or laying down. Once I'm up and moving, I feel pretty good. In fact, I could probably convince myself that I could be up for an easy run. But I think the wiser thing to do is to lay off and rest today. The last thing I'd want to do is pull something or aggravate a stress injury, and risk hampering the progress I've made so far. Even though it's still 7 weeks away, June 6th is starting to loom large and I'm starting to let doubts creep in about my ability to finish the marathon strong. I need to make good and judicious use of these remaining training weeks.
I have two long runs of 20 miles or more planned. The first is two weekends from now, at the beginning of May, and then another one two weeks later. After that, it's time to start scaling back and getting fresh for the big 26.2. I need to make those two runs count. As much as I enjoyed running with company and experiencing the Mission Bay course, the pace was much too fast for a training run...at least for me. My main concern is mileage and stamina, not speed. I already know I can run an 8-minute mile for 13 miles or so. I don't need to prove that on the first 13 miles of my training runs. What I need to prove is that I can run a 9 or even 9:30-minute mile for those first 13 and then still feel strong and fresh for the 2nd 13. I've yet to do that. I'm always beginning my fade when I get above 15, until I'm just struggling each mile around 20 and above. The marathon is going to kick my butt if I don't condition myself to relax through the first half and preserve my strength for the latter.
Ah, but this week is a cutback week. Last week was my first time crossing 50 miles. This week, I'll scale back to freshen up for the La Jolla Half Marathon on Sunday. I wonder if running it will stir any memories from 1988?
Monday, April 19, 2010
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