Glimpses of Peaking

Weekend Recap
On Saturday, I ran my 16 mile steady state run a little too fast. Again. I felt very, very good running 9:42 pace up until about mile 13. THAT'S when it occurred to me that I was probably running too fast. I began to feel like I was entering the final miles of a marathon.

Seems to me that it's a bit of a learned art to be able to hit just the right pace for a steady run or to be able to run hard for the right amount of time in a progression run. All in all, I was happy with the hard effort and the extra time spent on holding my stride together under heavy fatigue.
By the way I felt afterward, I assumed I was going to die need to take Sunday off. So it was a pleasant surprise to feel virtually recovered the next day. I ran an easy six with Nancy, Ty and Leopold. It was so nice to talk about the upcoming marathon trip, and enjoy an easy, fun, run together. I train almost exclusively by myself, so there are times I really miss the companionship of other people on a run.

Training Update
I'm pretty excited to say I don't believe I've peaked for this race yet. That's progress in itself- a sign I'm getting better at learning how to train! I peaked waaaay to early for my last 2 marathons- about 4 weeks early for Buffalo, and about 6 weeks early for Charlotte. I learned that while a 24 week training cycle might be ideal, you have to factor in your fitness level when you start, and deduct weeks accordingly. I also learned that I personally respond much faster to speed work than I do to the longer MP work, so I need to play around with my marathon buildup time, maximize my speed early (so it's not the limiting factor), and spend more time on marathon specific endurance work (which also shortens the training cycle).

Anyways, to suddenly realize that I don't quite feel ready for 4/25 was ... a relief! I feel like I still need the final little bit of training to get me there (vs. going into the race feeling like I just want it over with already).

There are signs I'm beginning to peak... One sign is much faster recoveries.. A few weeks ago, I was needing to take the next day off from a long key workout, and now I can push really hard- and be recovered the very next day. I also just feel really good. Things seem to be right on target. Warm fuzzies all around.

Road Trip

After Leopold and I went camping, I was telling him I wished we could take the tent with us to the race and camp out in Nancy's sister's backyard. I was joking, but I repeated this to Nancy on Sunday and she thought it was a great idea. She says her sister has a big backyard with a tent platform in a .... this is so cool....wait for it...TREE!

We get to sleep in a tent in a tree, people! I want to leave NOW.