Tempo Run and Training Thoughts

The thing about training in the winter in Maine is you have to be flexible and a little creative at times. Sometimes things fall into place, and sometimes they don't. Today, and hopefully the rest of the week, it looks like things are working out nicely.

With a major snowstorm expected on Wednesday (it'll actually start to rev up tomorrow afternoon), I'm planning my weekly rest day, or maybe a light cross training day (snowshoeing or backcountry skiing, light efforts), for that day.

Also, with somewhat fresher legs as a result of yesterday's rest day, I opted to crank out a tempo run this afternoon. Perfect timing for that on a few other fronts:

A) It was a good tune-up for this Sunday's Mid-Winter 10-Mile Classic. Plenty of time to recover and a good gauge of my pacing. Was pretty happy with today's effort.

B) It's been a handful of days since we've had measurable snow, so the roads were relatively clear with snow and pretty safe, making it most likely the best day of the week for a tempo run.

C) Because of 'B', I opted to wear my Brooks Mach 11's, my preferred shoes for speedier workouts. They're racing flats and therefore don't have a lot of traction, so not the best choice if the roads are pretty covered with snow and ice, but not a concern today. Wondered if my feet would still be warm in them since this was the coldest I've run in them, but with wool socks I was perfectly fine, which was good.

D) With today's run and Sunday's race, that's some good speed for this week, so the rest of the runs can be at a moderate or easy pace, which is much more manageable if the roads are crappy. On that note, I'll try to throw in some snowmobile trail runs in between now and the race.

So yeah. Good week for things to fall into place, and I'm entering that phase where I need to incorporate some more speed work for the Boston Marathon. I was looking at my training logs from last summer, when I was training for the MDI Marathon, looking specifically at where I was then and where I'm at now, comparing levels of fitness and workouts at this juncture before each race. Looking good and on track in terms of mileage and speed, even though the past few weeks have been a bit rougher than I'd like. Even with that, still ahead of the game overall, and things worked out really great at MDI. So feeling pretty good about things at this point. Just gotta keep working hard. Onward and upward!

Ran 6.3 miles @ 6:39/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 158/172
Paved roads.
Moderately hilly.
Lower 20s, sunny.
Brooks Mach 11, long pants, windbreaker, long sleeved shirt, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.