For Whom the Dogs Bark

66F, 88%, SSW 9 mph.  10.0 in 2:03:10, 12:19/mile.  HRM still not working right, but I think I was easily in the 122 range, maybe a little higher.  I really am going to order a new strap this week.

Followed up with stretching and squats at the gym:  3x10@125 lbs.  Right now trying to get a lot lower on the squat -- the low point is where the good stuff happens (and injuries).

PM:  5.0 on the TM, up and down.

After the race over the weekend, I wasted some time trying to figure out what I need to do to get ready for Heartbreak Hill.  One thing I have started, which is to run several long-long runs, such that being at the 20-mile point (at the base of Heartbreak) isn't as stressful.

But I read a course description that said Mile 21, which includes Heartbreak, is only 80' up, which comes out to a 1.5% grade.  Turns out that Heartbreak Hill itself, though, is only 0.37 miles, meaning a 4.5% grade if you assume that the rest of the mile is flat.  I have only been practicing TM at 3%, so I have to ramp that up.

But in my defense, there was a bridge in the race on Saturday called Fred Hartman Bridge, which I thought was quite steep.  I estimated 4.5%.  Turns out it has 436' of rise over a mile length to the apex, which comes out to 8.25%, and quite a bit steeper than that in the last third.  That doesn't seem entirely correct, but at least the last third was easily over a 5% grade.  On Saturday our overall pace was 8:20.  We climbed the bridge at a 9:15 to 9:30 pace and came down it at a 7:30 pace, so that confirms the steepness at least to some degree.  It was at Mile 7 of the race, not Mile 21.  But I had already run 8 miles before that at faster than race pace (7:59), so the climb on Saturday would have been the equivalent of Mile 15.  So 5% to 8% % for 1 mile at mile 15, versus 4.5% for 1/3 mile at Mile 21 -- the comparison seems fair enough, though Heartbreak of course follows three lesser hills.  Also, being short like that it isn't going to hurt overall results to take it easy going up.  Probably running downhill to get ready for Boston is going to help out almost as much as uphill, there is a lot more of it.  Just a flatlander's analysis here -- I actually don't think that any races should have hills.

35F, 81%, N 11 mph (WC 27F).  10.0 at low heart rate, 11:51/mile.

37F, 80% and calm.  10 more at low heart rate, 1:57:41, 11:46/mile.  Didn't run yesterday because of work obligations, so my plans for a high-mileage week are ruined.  I did order a HRM strap though, should be here by the weekend or early next week.  I found that I can run a while without it because I already know what speeds to run for different workouts.  But it's been long enough without it now that I don't have much of a reference left.

59F, 79%, SE 10 mph to start (4:05 a.m.) and 63F, 75%, SSE 10 mph to end.  Ran long today because we may have thunder and lightning by tomorrow morning.  Didn't want to miss this run (well, I wanted to, but you know what I mean) this week because I am running another half next weekend with Wade and I don't want to crowd these 30-milers too close to Boston.  I ran the last one 2 weeks ago, was about 1.5 minutes slower today, but actually came through the marathon at 3:52:03, close to a minute faster than the last one.  Then I bonked beginning in mile 28, last 3 miles were 9:24, 9:43 and 10:00.  Overall average was 8:56, had an 8:51 average going into the last 3.

Water at 8.25, 16.75 and 25, then the bottle was empty.  At mile 29.6 I was feeling very dehydrated and stopped at a spot where I had found water before, but it was shut down.  I sat down on a bench and felt sorry for myself for a minute, then decided it was pretty stupid to stop with 0.4 miles to go, dehydrated or not.  So I slogged it in.  Really amazing what happens when those little factory things in your legs shut down.  Also interesting, I went to the grocery store immediately after the run and thought I would be in a post-marathon shuffle mode, but I was walking almost normally.  So it wasn't my legs, which feel prety good, just didn't have the conditioning to finish at a constant pace.  Most likely it is the 20+ degree temperature difference, I don't think I'm less conditioned than 2 weeks ago.  59F up to 63F is officially warm enough to make a difference after long miles.

Two more of these.  I hope they work, they are certainly mentally grueling, which is the point of doing them -- and today physically as well.

66F, 88%, SSW 12 mph, gusting to 19.  5.0 in 59:17, 11:52/mile.  Started out badly, but felt OK after a couple of miles.