SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2007

I am running better than I have for many months. Speed is great and being able to run decently longer than 13 miles is a joy!

Thursday night was our Spivey track workout. Tough/great track workout! 2 miles warm-up faster than recently in 17:15, 6x100 strides, 5x250 “fresh” “across the grass” on 80 seconds [600], 3x250f (150) [400], 4x200 f+ (1 min standing), 2x150f (50). Last 2 200s in “across the grass” (where we run 200 on the track and run across the football field on the 50 yard line back to where we started and start the next interval on the 90 second mark) were 43.6 HR 166/172 and 43.8 170/177. Tough! The four “fresh+” 200s were run more “good-“. Splits were 46.6 145/168, 44.5 154/167, 42.0 158/174, 42.0 157/174. Fastest repeat 200s in a long while.

Saturday was my last long run before Chicago Marathon in 15 days. 18.4 miles, 140 hr average, 8:48 per mile average pace. Started sore from track, great tempo, faded but OK! 3 miles early from home, 6 miles with buddies including 1 mile tempo, 9.4 miles solo on Prairie Path and then home. Splits: 8:41 8:32 7:39 9:06 9:29 8:26 7:14 (161/175 tempo uphill!) 8:41 7:58 9:02 9:28 8:40 8:53 9:04 8:53 9:17 9:30 4:12 9:54.

Time to taper!