Really Winding Down Now

November 19 – November 25 Total Mileage: 18 miles

Things are starting to really wind down now. I was in the bay area this past week for Thanksgiving so I was able to squeeze a few runs in. I broke out the new SeeYa’s on Tuesday to give them a go. My dad joined me (riding his bike) and we cut through a few neighborhoods and hit the iron horse trail. I went out way to fast (sub 8:40 for the first mile and a half) and I paid for it for the rest of the run. I still finished sub 10:00 per, but I struggled.

Wednesday’s run also led me back to the trail. In the spirit of my first 10K run a rear ago, I had a 10k training run. I chose to forgo the Walnut Creek Turkey Trot, and set out on my own. I finished a little slower than the race time from last year, but there was no adrenaline, no crowds, a much hillier course, and no reason for me to sprint the last quarter mile or so. It was raining (not that nice kind of rain, but the rain that blown in sideways or directly in your face) and I was miserable during and after the run. This has been a concerning trend over the last few weeks. My medium and long runs are taking longer, and I seem to be expending way more energy then I should. I hope that it is something that will just work itself out at this point, since I have no idea how to fix it.

I bounced back for my long run of 8 miles and felt pretty good for the most of it. I finished sub 11:00 per (my goal is to avoid 11:00 per during the marathon for as long as I can) and I do not feel wrecked today. I notice that my ankles are more sore than usual, but I attribute this to the new shoes. One more week to go! Good news (or not) is that there is a 60% chance of rain. I hope that this changes for the better in the next week. I want nothing to do with slick surface conditions (there is a portion of the run that is cobblestone).