Indianapolis 500

Yes, it did.  Your explanation even explained another person's strategy that I was told a few years ago, but didn't understand, until your explanation broke the code.

I'll have to work on tuning in to how my legs are doing on the 3 upcoming races to see if I might be able to go faster or not.  More to learn.

Grasshopper thanks you.

Nice job on the Half Michele.

It will be fun to "watch" your full.  You seem like you're going to be ready to go.

Last peak week before taper begins.  Ran my last 20 yesterday (21 actually) and averaged a 9:16 pace.  This was 10 sec per mile faster than my last 20 and the weather was pretty similar - I just felt better, I guess.  Started off pretty slow, and when I knew that I only had 5 miles left, I just let it go and the miles went by pretty quick and felt good.  Ran 10.5 today which I expected to be difficult, but they weren't and I was very happy with that as well (ave. 9:15) so I am in a good place I believe.  I've got 5-6 on the schedule for tomorrow to finish my week with my mileage topped out at 56 which is the highest weekly mileage that I have run since before NY in the fall of 2011.  Let's hope it pays off.  I'm a bit worried since I really haven't had a bad run in a few weeks and I'm not sure what to really make of that.

I'll report in tomorrow and see how it goes.  Then it will be watching the Chicago marathon.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:I'm a bit worried since I really haven't had a bad run in a few weeks and I'm not sure what to really make of that.

I do! Taper madness is setting in early.

6 miles this morning that felt good in spite of the fact that it was a bit warmer (64F) and more humid (84%) than I would have liked.  wonder how Nick got the 39F when I'm still seeing temps in the 60s.  Finished the week with 56.5 miles which is indeed my highest total since NYC training in the fall of 2011, and I feel good.

Recap of the week:

Mon - Day off
Tues-  8 miles done as 2 x 800 (3:45, 3:42); 2 x 1600 (7:45, 7:38), 2 x 400 (1:42, 1:40).  Core work before.  Speedwork was to be done at a slightly slower pace due to the harder weekend
Wed - 5 easy miles
Thurs - 6 miles with striders; Core work
Fri - 21 miles @ 9:16 pace; Stretching class later in the day
Sat - 10.5 miles easy 
Sun - 6 miles 

WTD:  56.5 miles

Me too Michele...me too   Good work on your finally week before taper.  Let's take it home strong!!!

Mark B wrote:

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:I'm a bit worried since I really haven't had a bad run in a few weeks and I'm not sure what to really make of that.

I do! Taper madness is setting in early.

NO!  Not another case of TAPER MADNESS!!!!!!!!!!

Nice finish to a successful training period...enjoy the taper.

After a good run last night - 7 miles done with 24 min of threshold work (2 min hard followed by 1 min easy), I finally had a bad run.  So bad that I turned back after 1.5 miles to complete only 3 of the scheduled 5.  Yeah!  Believe me I have wanted to get that out of my system.  I think I was dehydrated, it was still warm and humid with a little drizzle and my legs felt like dead weight.  Welcome to taper!!

Tomorrow I have a fast finish long run (16 miles) on the docket before a trip to Boston for Parents Weekend at BU.  I expect to run on the river both Saturday and Sunday morning, but I knew that I wouldn't get in real long mileage.  Let's hope that today is the only yucky run of the week.

Crappy run? Woot! Congrats. You definitely in taper!

Last night, I was reading my running log from the last time I did a two-week taper (yep, it must be taper time if I'm reading old running logs!), and came across a really bad 13 mile run that I wrote a little note about. Dehydrated, tired, no energy. Awful. But when I got to that marathon, it was one of my best!

Taper on!

She's human, after all.  Let's hear it for TAPER MADNESS!!!!   

Well as I surmised, there was good after the bad.  16 miles this morning at 9 min average.  I was to do the first 10 at 9:30 and the last 6 at MP, but I was a little fast in the first 10 averaging about 9:20, and then I ran a solid final 6 at 8:40 pace.  It was very chilly at the start (43F) and I actually wore a lightweight long sleeve shirt for the first time this fall.  It warmed up when the sun came out to about 55F at the end of the run.  I was pleased since I seemed to settle into MP for the last few miles and felt like I could run at least another 5 or 6 miles - not sure about 10 though  !

That cooler weather makes the faster paces so much easier, doesn't it? Nice job on the run.

I bet if you get a cool day at Indy, you'll hit those 8:40s (or better) with surprising ease.

Mark B wrote:That cooler weather makes the faster paces so much easier, doesn't it? Nice job on the run.

I bet if you get a cool day at Indy, you'll hit those 8:40s (or better) with surprising ease.

Thanks, Mark.  I felt like I was putting in too much effort when I first dropped the pace, but once I settled in, the miles went by with ease.

I now have to get on a plane and have been eating Airborne like candy already.  I am not succumbing to any damn germs on a plane. Nope, not me.

Take your hand sanitizer with you, too...the alcohol based one!  Have a fantastic weekend in Boston.  Know you'll love running in familiar territory and seeing your sweet daughter.

Nice job on the long run!  That has to feel good going into taper. 

Stay healthy as you travel.

Any plans to watch a ball game while you're in Boston?

Great 16 miler, sounds like just about perfect weather, too. I hope your trip goes well and you stay healthy. Drink lots on the plane!

Good weekend to spend in Boston! BU beat Wisconsin in hockey, Georgia lost, the weather was beautiful and it rained at home and most importantly , the Red Sox won! Second time a team of mine has gone worst to first (Braves in 1991), let's hope they can continue on this roll. First week of taper is done and gone. Quite tired at the beginning with a real crappy run in the middle, but finished off with a solid long run and two good runs in Boston. Lucked out as the weather in Cleveland is wet and cold, but here it is sunny and brisk. Made for a fun 8 miles yesterday watching Head of the Charles whilst running along the river. Getting a bit worried as two friends that I train with ran ok in Columbus this morning but both had major pace drop offs after 20 miles. I can tell that one may have gone out fast but she was hoping for 3:19 and ran 3:30. I am not excited about going out for 3:50 and running 4+. I am ready for 3:50 but I'm also getting antsy. (McMillan calculator points to faster but I'm not sure about that at all). I know. It is some Taper Madness and I'll be home alone with just the dog until after my race so if I hibernate I shouldn't pick up any germs .

Good work getting in the first week of taper.  Remember that you should feel a little tired going into taper.  These last couple of weeks are meant to freshen you up   It sounds like you have a little bit of Taper Madness starting to set in     As for me, so far I have been the calmest that I have been during taper.  Of course, that all could change as we get closer.

Keep up the good work  

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Getting a bit worried as two friends that I train with ran ok in Columbus this morning but both had major pace drop offs after 20 miles.  I can tell that one may have gone out fast but she was hoping for 3:19 and ran 3:30

Columbus can be a very fast course...and it can also be too fast once you pass the governor's mansion leaving you flat for the run up High Street.  Unless she's a veteran of Columbus, I wouldn't be too worried about what will happen at the Monumental.

Should my year go well (for a change), you'll see me in Columbus next fall going for another BQ.  THAT is and always has been my course to Boston. 

Taper on, my friend...

Nice training, Michele! You had a great half a couple weekends back and the long runs look solid.  I think a bad run here and there is almost like good luck for a good race.

Nothing wrong with airborne, but I think the best way to not get sick is hand sanitizer.  Use it every hour on the hour or something, and even though you'll feel neurotic, you won't get sick.  I forgot how much fun taper madness is! I remember not stepping up on a 1 foot stool to change a lightbulb for about 10 days before a marathon, fearing I'd twist an ankle or worse.  

Glad you enjoyed Boston!!

Hey Michele, you're training looks good and I see that taper madness has set in.  Have fun with that and I hope you're able to avoid any bugs that are going around.

I remember seeing a thread about dinner the night before Monumental but I can't find it now.  At the time I didn't know if we were going to be in town the night before but now I can tell you that we'll be staying in Indy.  We have plans with another couple but I think that we all may be up to meet with you and whoever else for dinner.  If you're still planning a dinner and have some flexibility with respect to the size of the party then I can check with the others in my group and see if they're up for it.

I predict you will do really well, Michele. Taper well.

It is weird not running 6 of 7 days and running so "short" distance-wise.  I have not really gone through a real taper since Boston 2012 and then the weather cursed us all that year.  So really I haven't "raced" a marathon since NY in November of 2011. I hope that this means I am due.  Weather is now saying a low of 40 and high of 50, so if I can package that - it will be glorious for running.  Of course, it will change again I am sure.  Weather around here had been nothing but crazy for the last two days with these weird snow showers.  We finished our run last night and went back into the store to grab some hot cider (it was 39F) and came out to a hail/snow shower.  Truly wild.  Some communities on the east side received up to 5" of snow, power lines were done, and schools were closed.  And to think that it was so warm and humid at the race on 10/6 that people were upset.

So far for the week, I have 17.5 miles.  Tuesday I was supposed to either do 3-4 x 1600 or 4-5 x 7 min hard and since there was a soccer tournie going on, I opted to do the latter.  It went quite well as I was able to actually run the 7 min segments at 7:30-7:40 pace which felt comfortably hard (is that like comfortably numb?).  I then followed up with an easy 35 min recovery run on Wednesday and 6 miles yesterday at a 9:19 pace which felt great.  We started off slow and sped up even running up the hillout of the valley much faster than when we went in.  Got 10 for tomorrow and an easy 3 on Sunday or possibly off if the weather is uncooperative.

It is getting closer and my trainer yelled at me today for beginning to talk myself out of it.