Adarq.org

- run 38:57, 7.12 km
very easy, RPE 2. slow pace enforced by conditions: the dreaded wintry mix. i spent like a half hour inventing excuses for why i shouldn't get out the stupid door (it'll be icy, what if i fall, it's gonna be so unpleasant getting sleeted on, i can always run later after it stop snowing). eventually got over it and glad i did. never feels good to quit on myself, always feels good to follow through. incredible that i have to learn that lesson over and over. there were a couple of slippery spots where more snow/slush was sticking, but overall conditions were fine. i just, again took it slow. fat flakes now, looking out the window.

ETA: just signed up for the glass city marathon in toledo, ohio, on april 26. first marathon, and first marathon training block, here i come!

- dreadmill "hills" x 40 mins @ easy pace
RPE 3

- pull ups x 5+5+5+4 w/ 1 min rest
fuck me i'm weak. but at least no neck pain.

- windshield wiper x 4
fuck me i'm weak.

- climb x 40 mins
just working my way through all of the three easiest grades in the big room at the gym. extremely out of climbing shape, no surprise.

- dips x 10,10

- treadmill workout
-- warm up x 10 mins
-- 7 x [3 min @ 9.1mph, 1 min @ 5mph]
RPE 6. workout is from marathon excellence: 7 x 3 @90-92% 5k pace.

thanks y'all! @kf, i do want to get out to hawaii at some point, never been. a destination ultra might be just the excuse...

- run 1:13:09, 14.00 km
was supposed to meet up with the running group for an easy pre-thanksgiving run but ran to the wrong intersection and decided to do a little uphill tempo to see if i could catch them. did manage it, but consequently this was not as short or as easy as it was supposed to be, lol. quads still definitely hurting a bit on the downhills.

- run JFK 50 miler: 8:20:51, 81.65 km
146th overall, ~88th percentile. i'm happy i finished, which was the main goal. i had no idea how fast i could go, so the plan was just to keep running no matter what, until i couldn't, and not worry about pace. in the event, everything after km 54 or or so was hard, and everything after i left the canal towpath and headed onto the rolling roads to the finish (i.e., the final 9 miles) outright sucked. pace fell first by 15-20s/km and then much farther. looking at it in 5 km chunks, i went from around 28 min/5k or a bit under (except along the ridgeline, where i was around 30-31) to 31+ and eventually 33. did manage a small kick in the final mile and especially final km, which means i could maybe have picked it up earlier, but i had been worried about blowing up. kept reminding myself that the goal was to finish and not worry about where or how fast. finished ahead of a guy who passed me but then immediately started cramping. cautionary tale. i don't think the issue was going out too fast. never had any feeling of accumulating lactate, never let my heart rate get too high, and in fact it dropped in the final ten miles because i couldn't make my legs turn over fast enough to run harder. i just don't have the resilience or the muscular endurance to avoid fading badly on a run that long. i guess that shouldn't be surprising.

my wife and parents crewed and did absolutely great. i'm so grateful for them. fueling was excellent, no stomach issues and i was able to take in around 90g carbs/hour. carried one bottle at a time and traded it out for a fresh one each time i saw them. also changed from trail to road shoes around the halfway point, which was a good call. chafing not quite as bad as at the patapsco 50k, thanks to a reapplication of nut butter when i changed shoes, but it's still there. i think i just need to try a different pair of shorts.

so sore today that i'm literally unsteady on my feet.

- track workout
-- warm up
-- 3 x [1 km @ HM-->10k pace w/ 400m jogging rest]
-- extended cool down
Rx today was 5 x 1k @ 5k pace, but obviously with the race this weekend i dialed that way back. legs feeling good, nothing hurts.

i actually have a call with him tonight to talk through my prospective marathon training for winter/spring!

- run 36:52, 6.99 km
just keeping the juices flowing a bit. chilly this morning, just below freezing.