Boston Marathon Countdown: 6 Weeks

Spring is in the air!  Although I had to take my runs inside a couple of days last week due to sub-zero morning temps, this week we've seen a major warm-up.  The snow is starting to melt, roads are clear and dry (no sidewalk running yet), and the sun has been shining.  The upcoming week is looking fantastic weather-wise.  I just might be able to break out my new Guides, which thus far have only seen the treadmill and indoor track!  

I hit my highest mileage to date these past two weeks, with 64 and 63 miles.  In week 9 I went to an indoor track for my first real speed work session.  I had no idea what I was doing but was with some very experienced track runners who coached me along.  We did the following interval: 

1 mile warm up, 2 x (800m-600m-400m-200m), 1 x (800m-600m-600m), cool down

The plan was to do 4 intervals but the track was closing.  I was okay with what we did, considering this was my first track workout and I was holding a 6:30 pace (translation - I was DYING!).  Since one of my goals for the year is to run a faster 5K, this is definitely going to be the way to do it! Now I just need to make sure I do it on a regular basis.

I've been getting my weekly tempo run in on Saturday at RUNdetroit, thanks to a fast running partner.  We do the run together at or faster than my marathon pace for the full 10 miles, talking the whole time.  No recovery.  On race day we'll really fly when we AREN'T talking to anyone!  haha

Today I finally got in my first 20-miler.  I've done two 18's, both in brutally cold and snowy conditions.  Today was sunny and dry - wahoo!  I went back to Kensington Metropark to run the hills and although I obviously slowed down on the inclines, I managed a 7:49/mile overall pace.  It's no marathon pace to be sure but for a training run, I was okay with it. And I felt good at the end, so even better!

Here's a look at my daily mileage from the past two weeks:

Next week I have another 20 miler but it's the same day as the Cork Town 5K, so I'm trying to figure that out.  I'm excited about the race because I've never run it before and I hear it's a lot of fun.  We'll see how it all shakes out.  I'll keep you posted!

Happy running!

Previous Boston Marathon Countdown Posts: 12 Weeks, 14 Weeks, 10 Weeks, 8 Weeks