The last workout

Pfitz has this 3x1600 workout 10 days before the marathon in each of his schedules, and even though I'm not following these any more, doing that workout has become enough of a tradition for me to still do it before every race, even though me and Mike have recently admitted that we don't know what the exact purpose of that workout actually is. But doing the same workout before each marathon has one advantage, you can compare the figures with your previous attempt. On the other hand, conditions are never the same, so any comparisons are flawed.

I used to do these mile repeats on the Ard-na-Sidhe road, but opted to change the venue for the road that passes our driveway because it's a bit flatter. The elevation data I've got gives a drop/gain of 10 feet for 1 mile, and there are two little “hills” in the middle, but I can live with that. Funnily enough, the downhill second mile would turn out to be the slowest one.

I programmed my Garmin for 3x1 miles with 2 minutes break in the middle, and set off. It was slightly drizzly, and the rain got heavier just in time for my first fast mile. I tried to run somewhat controlled in that, but found out that one mile can be bloody long. Then I was surprised just how short 2 minutes can be. The legs started hurting pretty much as soon as the second mile started, and deep inside my mind there was a little voice suggesting bailing out, but I managed to tune out of that channel. The third repeat was really tough, and I can't claim that I was still running in controlled fashion, it was an all-out effort. A minute after the end I got nauseous and would have thrown up had I eaten breakfast beforehand, but with my empty stomach all I had to cope with was acid reflux in my throat. That was a clear sign that I already had enough, and I returned home after a short cool down. I'm still not used to returning home so quickly, a workout of less than an hour feels somewhat wrong. But it's just 10 days to go to the marathon.

And Maia is incredibly cute.

22 May

5 miles, 43:17, 8:39 pace, HR 137

23 May

6.1 miles, 46:24, 7:36 pace, HR 157
with 3x1600 in 6:04, 6:09, 6:01