Welcome to Sam Mackenzie's Training Log

For today's DMR, I got the baton with a huge lead thanks especially to some really quality legs by Kobe (48-low 400 going out in 22) and Jeff (1:52.6 800) and subsequently didn't have to run that hard.  I just kept a really even (slow) pace throughout to avoid blowing up--which would have been the only way we would have lost.  After the relay, I did 3 x 5 minutes at tempo pace.  I know that I really need to get back on track if I want to accomplish my goals for outdoors.  I'm ready for a good month of March.

Medium long on the roads at about 6:15 pace (timed Creek Road).  Slush everywhere.

Early afternoon: Today's workout went great. I ran out about four miles to a fairly steep hill that rises sharply at first, tapers just a bit, and then slopes up again toward the end. I experimented with all sorts of form variations including knee drive, stride length, arm swing, and where I was landing with each footfall. Initially, I seemed to be getting the most "bang for my buck" with a quick acceleration at the start followed by good solid leg drive going heel to toe followed by quick arms/up on my toes for the final third. As I was jogging down the hill after repeat #7, three high school kids passed me coming up the hill at about the half way point. When I got to the bottom, I told myself that I was going to catch them even though they were well over half way done by the time I started. I didn't think about form at all--just about running as hard as I could, trying to make myself see white. I think I scared them when I went by toward the top since I must have looked like a wild man. Below are the splits:

1:13.7
1:15.4
1:12.6
1:11.1
1:14.0
1:11.6
1:15.2
1:06.9

12 miles total.

Evening: 3 miles on the treadmill at 10 mph (6 min pace) then about an hour of weights. I hit the whole circuit. Definitely need to get in the gym on the regular.  (Hey look, I just matched last week's total mileage.)

AM:  3 miles really easy around the indoor track with some stretching and ab work in the middle.

PM:  8 miles around Newark at 7 min pace or just under.

Did the 6 miler on the treadmill since it was cold and pouring rain and

I've been coughing a bit as it is.  5:46, 5:45, 5:46, 5:45, 5:46,

5:29.  I gradually sped it up at the end over the last mile cause I

wanted the thing to be finished faster and it felt a little bit better

to change gears just slightly.  9 miles total for treadmill.  Got the

weight work in as well.  High reps, low weight, all muscle groups. 

Cooled down a bit on the bike, just moving the legs, not pressing at

all.

Ran to the field house and then ran another warm up with PJ and Mike D who were doing an 8 mile tempo on the track. My workout was 12 x 400. There was some good and some bad associated with today. In terms of conditions, it was great to be running in warm weather again (shorts, thin long sleeve and Nike Marathoners), but the wind was gusting up to 30 mph--pretty typical for the UD track. I was supposed to hit 64-67 but this was tough at times with the stand up wind. The big theme, however, were the crazy GI issues during the workout despite going twice before starting. I ended up taking three trips to the porta-potty during the reps which made it pretty tough to get into a rhythm not to mention being freaking annoying.

67.9, 66.6, 68.3, 66.3, 69.1, 67.8, 68.5, 68.0, 66.5, 67.1, 66.5, 63.8

All in all, some reps felt good and some felt really hard. I think it depended mostly on if a gust of wind came through and how my stomach was feeling, but sometimes, the only difference between a tough effort/slow time and easy effort/faster time was form. I think the legs were just a little sluggish from the weights this week. Cooled down sort of long with PJ and Mike who ended up averaging somewhere around 5:15 for their run. Although they're both stronger endurance guys than me, I'm hoping to get some work in with them both as I prepare for my 5,000 opener.

Ran super easy today--probably about 8 minute mile pace--for 1:09.