Change in Plans
SWEP LEVEL 19, Days 22-28
Monday, 9-03-2007
10 Mile Recovery around Pigeon Hill in 1:09:09
Tuesday, 9-04-2007
AM: 9 Miles Relaxed around Pigeon Hill in 57:37
PM: 5 Miles Relaxed around Kennesaw Mountain Loop in 33:06
Wednesday, 9-05-2007
AM: 2 Mile Warm-Up in 14:00, 5 x 100M Strides
2 x (300, 300, 600, 1000); 1:40 / 4:00 Rest in
:55, :52, 1:48, 3:10, :54, :53, 1:47, 3:08
2 Mile Cool-Down in 14:12
8M Total in 1:00:00
PM: 5 Miles around Kennesaw Mountain Loop in 34:41
Thursday, 9-06-2007
12 Miles Easy up Cheatham Hill in 1:14:31
Friday, 9-07-2007
9 Mile Recovery around Pigeon Hill in 56:32
Saturday, 9-08-2007
2 Mile Warm-Up, 5 x 100M Strides
Mercer-Atlanta Invitational 6K+ in 20:27.77 CR
3 Mile Cool-Down with Brennan Pratt
Sunday, 9-09-2007
20 Mile Run, after 4 Miles Pickups of 1', 1', 5', 1', 1'
every 5' + 10' Easy + 14' Pick-Up + 45' Steady in 2:07:32
Total
87 Miles
* So, concerning the Mercer-Atlanta Invitational 6K... I was not feeling great leading up into this race, but I had no motivation to drive to Gainesville for a much faster and more competitive 8K. I've been doing enough driving. Anyhow, the race started at 9:15AM, quite late, and quite hot. The only team I was concerned about was Kennesaw State, as they swept this race a year ago and have some solid sub-15:00 runners on the squad.
Anyhow, the challenge ended up coming from the course, not the competition. We started out with two 400M loops around a grass infield, and already I'm positioned in the top three, with a Valdosta State runner not letting me pass and an unattached KState runner on my flank. I remember the Race Director stressing how narrow the course is, as it heads into "the woods" for 90% of the race. So, I surge on the second grass loop to position myself first into the woods, but the unattached runner won't let me pass, even though I keep running up on him. Finally, I surge maniacally to get past him and charge up a brutally long and steep hill on the backside of the course.
It is now when I start realizing that perhaps I have gone too hard, too soon and I should have just sat back and learned the first loop, but no way, this is a single-track, BMX-type course, and you have to be leading to run well. So, I was charging up and down hills, flying off trees, taking sharp turns (love my Z2 spikes), just trying to distance myself from the field, using my Steeplechasing blood to my advantage. The great thing was that there was plenty of crazy downhill running that allowed me time to get my legs back under me and calm myself before taking another grass loop and then re-entering "the woods" for another crazy circuit.
By this time the Finnish captain of KState was intent on catching me, as he was the course-record holder (20:47.3), but he was unable to make up much ground and I had an absolutely great final 300M, for one of the few times in my life, actually checking my watch to see if I could break the CR, which I did with my 20:27.77. A solid run, but now my peroneals and ankles are all achy due to the technical nature of the course. Oh well, the pains of victory....
Monday, 9-03-2007
10 Mile Recovery around Pigeon Hill in 1:09:09
Tuesday, 9-04-2007
AM: 9 Miles Relaxed around Pigeon Hill in 57:37
PM: 5 Miles Relaxed around Kennesaw Mountain Loop in 33:06
Wednesday, 9-05-2007
AM: 2 Mile Warm-Up in 14:00, 5 x 100M Strides
2 x (300, 300, 600, 1000); 1:40 / 4:00 Rest in
:55, :52, 1:48, 3:10, :54, :53, 1:47, 3:08
2 Mile Cool-Down in 14:12
8M Total in 1:00:00
PM: 5 Miles around Kennesaw Mountain Loop in 34:41
Thursday, 9-06-2007
12 Miles Easy up Cheatham Hill in 1:14:31
Friday, 9-07-2007
9 Mile Recovery around Pigeon Hill in 56:32
Saturday, 9-08-2007
2 Mile Warm-Up, 5 x 100M Strides
Mercer-Atlanta Invitational 6K+ in 20:27.77 CR
3 Mile Cool-Down with Brennan Pratt
Sunday, 9-09-2007
20 Mile Run, after 4 Miles Pickups of 1', 1', 5', 1', 1'
every 5' + 10' Easy + 14' Pick-Up + 45' Steady in 2:07:32
Total
87 Miles
* So, concerning the Mercer-Atlanta Invitational 6K... I was not feeling great leading up into this race, but I had no motivation to drive to Gainesville for a much faster and more competitive 8K. I've been doing enough driving. Anyhow, the race started at 9:15AM, quite late, and quite hot. The only team I was concerned about was Kennesaw State, as they swept this race a year ago and have some solid sub-15:00 runners on the squad.
Anyhow, the challenge ended up coming from the course, not the competition. We started out with two 400M loops around a grass infield, and already I'm positioned in the top three, with a Valdosta State runner not letting me pass and an unattached KState runner on my flank. I remember the Race Director stressing how narrow the course is, as it heads into "the woods" for 90% of the race. So, I surge on the second grass loop to position myself first into the woods, but the unattached runner won't let me pass, even though I keep running up on him. Finally, I surge maniacally to get past him and charge up a brutally long and steep hill on the backside of the course.
It is now when I start realizing that perhaps I have gone too hard, too soon and I should have just sat back and learned the first loop, but no way, this is a single-track, BMX-type course, and you have to be leading to run well. So, I was charging up and down hills, flying off trees, taking sharp turns (love my Z2 spikes), just trying to distance myself from the field, using my Steeplechasing blood to my advantage. The great thing was that there was plenty of crazy downhill running that allowed me time to get my legs back under me and calm myself before taking another grass loop and then re-entering "the woods" for another crazy circuit.
By this time the Finnish captain of KState was intent on catching me, as he was the course-record holder (20:47.3), but he was unable to make up much ground and I had an absolutely great final 300M, for one of the few times in my life, actually checking my watch to see if I could break the CR, which I did with my 20:27.77. A solid run, but now my peroneals and ankles are all achy due to the technical nature of the course. Oh well, the pains of victory....