We stamp that stuff in patties

Two weeks out from Lakefront.  Things are better since my last post.  A bit of rest and an easier week has helped the cause.  I was able to complete my 30K marathon pace effort on the track last week.  I enlisted Pski to call out splits, hand me stuff, and keep track of the laps.  We did this workout together 15 years ago so he knows how important it is and how difficult at the end of a training cycle.  I was pleased with how it went and I split the 10K segments 44:45, 44:38, 43:54 which works out to 7:09 pace.  It was a cool 46 degrees at the start and it made this effort easier than the 20K and 25K in that regard. 

This weekend was Al's Run 8k which I was on team Hillrunner.  Always a good time seeing the crew and thanks to Ryan for organizing the event and hosting a big feed up at his place after.  Most of us put on a clinic when it came to chowing.  Before the race I punched a 3:07 marathon into the race conversion calculator and it said I should be able to run an 8K in 32:05 so going sub 32:00 was my goal.  The first mile is the fastest and has a nice net downhill.  I made my mind up I was going to go out conservative and get the pummies flowing.  The second mile has the most net uphill and is typically 20 seconds slower than the first mile.  I went out in 6:37 and was totally aerobic.  I just stayed after it the second mile and ran a 6:38 (13:15).  It flattens out the third mile and I wanted to find my flojo which eventually I did as I saw 2 people I know coming back to me.  You drop down a short hill at the end of three miles and I was able to enjoy a 6:30 (19:45) without feeling gassed.  Now your down by the lakeshore and it is a long flat grind to the finish.  The cooler temps kept me from feeling fried and I made it a point to catch people through a sustained effort.  I did see one of my teammates ahead and it inspired me to dial it up a bit and a 6:17 (26:02) narrowed the gap.  I'm still feeling decent so I just went to race mode and ran a 5:53 for the last 0.97 miles and finished in 31:55.  I am happy with this result.

9/6 - 10.0 (7:56) moderate
9/7 - 12.0 (8:57) moderate/humid
9/8 -  9.0 w/ 8 x 880y w/ 440y jog
9/9 -  6.0 (9:24) easy
9/10 - 10.0 (8:05) moderate
9/11 -  6.0 (7:43) moderate (54th B-day)
9/12 -  6.0 (9:15) easy
9/13 - 21.1 w/ 30K MP 2:13:17 (7:09)
9/14 - OFF
9/15 -  5.0 (9:46) easy
9/16 -  7.0 w/ 9 x 20/40s (2 sets)
9/17 -  6.0 (9:02) easy
9/18 -  4.0 (9:39) easy
9/19 -  7.1 w/ Al's Run 8k in 31:55 (6:25)
9/20 - 17.0 (8:04) moderate