Boston: Pre-race

I’m sorry I didn’t post some goals and pre-Boston thoughts here, but I just got pretty busy tying up loose ends before our trip. Actually, as the weather forecast kept changing, I wasn’t even sure what my goals would be!

By the day before the race, it looked like the rain and wind would have lessened by race time, and the temperature would be mid to high 60’s throughout. It was also forecast to be cloudy and humid, with humidity in the 90’s. The wind would be a crosswind for my wave, but its impact would be negligible anyway, as the winds were light at ground level. That sounded fine to me. While we were blessed with great weather for most of our Boston training cycle, I’m no stranger to heat and humidity, so those conditions did not seem bad. Since before the race we heard all about various likely weather - torrential rains, cold air, hot temperatures, wind - I packed two options, our new team uniform crop top versus a singlet and arm warmers. I also packed a hat and sunglasses. Who knew what the weather would be race morning?

I was pretty sure I was in 3 hour shape going into this race. How I came up with that was based on my tune-up 10k. I ran that race in 39:06, which, plugged into the Jack Daniels equivalent calculator, predicted 3:00:43. Part of me thought I could actually run faster than that: after all, that 10k had been un-tapered, and I felt like I’d left something in the tank. But part of me also figured I would probably run slower than that, because the 10k was on a fast course in perfect weather and basically ideal conditions, compared to the challenging timing, weather, and course that Boston presented. I decided that those two factors basically cancelled out, and if I got decent weather - anything short of last year’s hurricane - I would shoot for sub-3.

The Powermilers had a group of twenty qualifiers, and nineteen who chose to race. During this training cycle, I started out running with one other girl near my pace, but as training progressed and I got faster, I ended up all alone for most weeks. Then I moved up to do my weekly speedwork with Mike, Jeff, and Van. They are all faster than I am, with faster goal times, but I could usually hang on for workouts, generally falling off on the last rep. They were all projecting times under 3, between 2:56 and 2:59. Because I would always lose them on the last rep, I had some trepidation in placing my goal so close to theirs, but I also knew that a 3:05ish effort at Rock n Roll had felt more like a hard workout than a race. So 3 hours sounded reasonable.

We did a tour of the Tiffany glass windows in Arlington church

I spent the day before the race doing way too much walking, but overall it was a good day. I started my morning with a 3-mile jog (including 8 strides) from our hotel in Cambridge. We stayed in the Porter Square hotel and it ended up being perfect - right at a T stop and very easy travel without being crowded for the race weekend. And the neighborhood was cute. I was just jogging along, looking at the little shops, when I heard my name. It was Audrey, from one of my favorite blogs, Hurdling Ham! I was jogging in her neighborhood! I stopped and got to catch up with her (we met when she raced RnR New Orleans) and we wished each other good luck for the race. I loved that serendipitous meeting! After my run, David and I attended Palm Sunday services at nearby St. John the Evangelist, then headed downtown for the rest of the day. We had a busy, busy day but fit a lot of fun activities in. We hadn’t thought out ANY logistics for the next day, so we went to the hotel bar for a happy hour Old Fashioned to plan for the race and work out all the timing and meetups. I knew that would push dinner pretty late, but that was the plan - eat late, race late. Unfortunately we ate MUCH later than we thought we would. The Thai restaurant we went to was packed, clearly understaffed, and we waited for our food for an hour after we sat down. But it was just what I needed - protein, rice, veggies - so it served its purpose.

On race day, I slept until almost 6, waking at 5:53 without my alarm. The weather was horrible! Storms, ferocious wind, and cold rain. But later it would clear up, and it would be close to 70, so I wore my crop top and shorts, skipped the hat, and brought sunglasses - just to block the wind, I thought. I did not expect sun because the forecast was for almost complete cloud cover. I was wearing my ZoomFly SPs , which I mostly like, except that the laces are slippery and flat and come untied all the time. But they do ok if triple knotted and tucked in, so I took my chances. I threw a throw away sweater I’d taken out of our Goodwill pile over my crop top, grabbed my oatmeal for the bus ride, tucked five gels into my shorts, and we headed out.

David walked me to the station under an umbrella , which was useless. We were drenched immediately. He rode with me and walked me all the way to bus boarding, trying to keep me dry, but the swirling rain and wind meant that my shoes were saturated before I ever got to the buses. I kissed him goodbye, found a bus, and took my seat.

Here I am with two other friends of my friend Kate: all of us taking shelter at the home of the Calkins. What a sweet family and a great idea! We had food, water, Gatorade, bathrooms, even vaseline and moleskin available. It was a little mini athlete's village...without the port-a-potty lines!

The bus ride turned out to be... interesting. My driver and a few other buses got lost, all following one mislead bus, and we rode that thing for an hour and forty minutes! Luckily I was early, and our driver navigated us to athletes village by some back routes. And it gave me time to sort of dry off, along with meeting some great runners with wonderful stories (like the guy from the running group called something like "The north side stallions" and he made them change the name to "striders" or something less of a turn-off to women! And now they have several women running with them!). Once I got to the village, I borrowed a phone and texted a friend of a friend. She and her husband live near the start, and host their own “athlete’s village” each year. She kindly reached out to host me, and the prospect of a house and a real bathroom was very appealing!

I followed her instructions to our meeting point, and her husband picked me up. There were a dozen runners at their house already. As I arrived, the wave one runners were getting ready to leave. I had enough time for a bathroom stop and to eat a croissant before I also got a ride back to the start. This was such a great perk and I just love the word-of-mouth running community that made this possible!

I actually cut it way too close getting to the start. I was in wave 2, corral 1, and didn’t realize how hard it would be to get up there. I wanted to meet up with my training partners Jeff and Van and pace with them for some of the race (Mike had a faster qualifying time and was in wave one). But with a minute to the start, I had to choose - squirm up to where I saw Jeff, or stay in the back of the corral and retie my shoe. Obviously I picked shoe! No sooner had I tucked my laces under then we were off. My Boston marathon had begun!

Oh, yeah, and the crime part

For some reason, in my last post, I forgot to mention that I was also the victim of two athletic-related crimes during this training cycle! Which probably means that they didn't impact me too much, so shouldn't have been included anyway. But they're stories worth telling, so...
(Many thanks, by the way, for the kind thoughts on my last post - I am grateful).

Crime number one occurred on a Monday night, when my schedule requires me to run from downtown at dusk. I chose to run on the Lafitte Greenway, which is a new bike/pedestrian path from Midcity to Downtown. It's lit, so I thought I'd be safe, despite the sketchy neighborhoods it runs through. But actually, I was attacked by a gang of kids and teens. Without getting into too much detail, there were some decoy kids and older teens were hiding in the tall grass and brush in the "Louisiana meadow" area of the green space. Apparently this is a favorite spot for attacks on pedestrians, as it not only offers cover, but is also outside the crime cameras range. I was struck by one of the ten or eleven year olds, hard enough to cause me to actually fall over - more from loss of balance (I was totally surprised!) than from force, although it was quite hard. To the gang's surprise, I leaped to my feet and lunged toward the perpetrator, and they scattered in surprise. I gave chase, a response I can only blame on my body choosing "fight" over "flight", but most of the kids jumped a fence. But after I turned away, they immediately returned, this time preying on a group of kids who had just peddled up, and stealing the youngest one's bike. Now the oldest kid of the group was swinging a baseball bat. But I was still riled up, and I silently ran over and snatched the bike out of the thief's hands! At this moment a car passed on the nearby road, and the gang again scattered for cover. The biking kids and I huddled together and we were surrounded by this gang of about 12 kids and teens. Luckily, another pedestrian soon approached, and I used his phone to call 9-1-1. The gang vanished for good when the police arrived, and they escorted the biking kids (who were so sweet, they had actually biked over because they saw me get punched!) and myself safely to our destinations. Because I chased these kids, I forced them into an area with a crime camera, so NOPD does now have them on film, which might help their enforcement efforts (although another very similar attack happened there just a few weeks ago, so I doubt they've gotten very far). I still have to run on Monday nights from downtown, but now I either go down Rampart to Esplanade or deal with the traffic and go down St. Charles. No more Greenway for me!

Crime number two is less dramatic and more a moving violation than a real crime, ha ha. But just two days after being punched by a kid on the Greenway, a pickup truck frustrated with traffic jerked into the designated, protected bike line and struck me as I biked to work. Luckily only his mirror hit me, but I flew...like twenty feet in the air (having the sense to drop the bike before I landed, or that would have hurt a lot!). We were right outside Audubon park, with many pedestrians around, and there was a collective scream as he hit me. Luckily, he was honest, and stopped and gave me insurance info. I was in terrible pain, but it was just bruising and swelling. I couldn't move my arm or neck for a week!

I was a little bruised. 

So yeah. That's how this training cycle has gone. Oh, but I do have a follow up! My doctor scheduled my surgery for May 2nd, so no sooner am I back from Boston and recovered, then I have to have surgery. I am mostly eager to get this done. The women reading here know what it's like to be a female runner and have to deal with a period sometimes, even worse if it is during a race or a workout. Well, imagine that except ten times worse, and almost nonstop for six months. Yeah. At this point if the doctor told me, "Oh sorry, we also had to take off your left leg" I'd be ok with it. The pain (I often throw up from pain), the inconvenience and embarrassment, and the anemia are not something I want to live with any more, and I am lucky to live in an age where an outpatient procedure can solve the problem!

Tumultuous training

Phew. Wrapped up a marathon training cycle, and for once - I took no time off for injuries! I felt like my fitness and speed improved, but man, was this ever a tough cycle. Not in terms of running: I actually think the training plan was a little easier, since I was grouped with the low mileage bunch, a decision I wholeheartedly agree with. Rather, outside factors made the last few months especially tough.

• I lost my grandmother unexpectedly. She was in her late 80's, but was in good health, and had actually begun traveling recently. Her sudden stroke was a sad shock. Our sense of loss is compounded my complicated family relationships that made it difficult to form and maintain a good relationship with her (no fault of grandma, who always answered the phone with "Gracie! My darling!" no matter how thorny relationships with my mother became). My grandmother and I had a lot in common, loved each other dearly - and besides that, she was an icon to me. She represented a lifestyle that embraced beauty, something my childhood sorely lacked, and gave me so much to hope for as a child. 
• I also have been, as you all know, struggling with not just ill-health, but the trepidation the accompanies a long wait for a diagnosis. Receiving an ultrasound report that shows an unidentified mass that could be a carcinoma is, well, distressing. Especially when you have to wait a month for an appointment. 
• Plus, let's not forget why I went to the doctor to begin with... I feel terrible all the time! 
• And meanwhile, I am still on thin ice as far as my iron goes. I continue to lose iron at an incredible rate, and have to be diligent to maintain normal levels (as of last week, my hemoglobin has recovered, but my ferritin remains low and my blood work shows lots of baby RBCs and platelets, as my body works frantically to replace the ones I keep losing).
• My duties both at church and as a board member of the Power Miler Track Club really picked up in the last month. Both services are ones I am happy to undertake, but let's be honest here - free time would be nice, too! I wouldn't call these late hours and extra events stressful (in fact, both are things I truly enjoy), it's just that a packed schedule with no down time isn't really the best way to refresh a tired, training body. 

These various inputs in my life have certainly made this training cycle challenging, but a lot of good occurred over the last few months, too. 

• I finally began to benefit from the iron I started taking last fall. My iron stores were so low that it took quite a while before I began to feel improvement, but when I did, it was AMAZING. I am no longer constantly out of breath. I don't faint when I stand up. I am not quite as cold all the time. I can run long distances without getting light-headed. And finally, I can reap the benefits of training without feeling so exhausted that I am doing more harm than good. 
• I do have a treatment plan for the endometrial mass that has been causing so many symptoms. After a visit to a gynecological surgeon, I decided to undergo a biopsy/hysteroscopy. I'll have the biopsy analyzed while I am in the OR, and the surgeon will then complete the surgery as guided by the pathology. Unfortunately, the mass just isn't identifiable any other way - it's not a fibroid, but what it actually IS is not apparent from imaging. But at this point, I really don't even care. I feel so bad so much of the time that I was practically begging the doctor to take it out. I'll schedule this for after Boston. 
• Hey, I got faster! I don't know exactly how Boston will shake out, but it's undeniable that I have had a good training cycle. I had no idea how much my anemia was hurting my running, but now that I am on iron, I am running better than I ever have before! 

My hope for Boston is that I can put all of these outside factors aside and run well, despite the stressors, or maybe even channel them. And of course I'm worried about my health, so I also hope that race day isn't one of the days I wake up feeling terrible! It's just a week away, so I'll find out how I handle the day soon enough. Looking forward to it! 

My Mobile mini-getaway

When the Power Milers traveled to Mobile to run the 10k, we decided that Boston racers should stay an extra day to complete our weekly long run in a hillier area than we can get at home. Mobile isn't insanely hilly, but we mapped a route with some long inclines and some nice hills near the Spring Hill campus. Since I'd have all day Saturday in Mobile, I made it into a little weekend get-away!

Friday: I was arriving late since I left work at 5:15 or so, but I planned some quiet alone time before meeting up with the group. Instead of going to the hotel, I went to dinner first, where I had dinner and a glass of wine and read my book for an hour.

It was lovely and relaxing! I am in general a gregarious person, and definitely an extrovert, but I have no problem eating alone and reading at the bar. I actually think it's quite a luxurious way to spend an evening. Although - the bar tender asked if I was in town for the race, and when I said yes, he asked me my goal. I told him I was running with a women's team, and the goal was to win, and he...laughed. I guess I didn't look all that serious. After dinner I walked around downtown Mobile for a bit, since it was a lovely cool night. Finally I did head to the hotel, and sat with the group on the veranda for some late night beers and conversation.

Saturday: After the race, our whole team headed to the awards ceremony, but from there we met up at a pub for lunch. We were finished pretty early, and I'd already planned the rest of the day: I was going to the USS Alabama. I'd never visited this WWII warship, and this was a great opportunity. I drove over and ended up spending the entire rest of the afternoon there; I stayed outside a good bit, too, since the weather was perfect. The only bad part of this afternoon was the bizarre couple taking sexy photos all over the tanks. I mean, it was so weird. It's a solemn memorial, and here they are pole dancing with the guns. So disrespectful. I shot them the JUDGING eye and moved on.

After I completed touring the ship, I drove to the sketchiest massage parlor ever to take advantage of a $50/hr special.

The rest of the club heckled me enormously for this, but hey, I'm never one to miss a bargain. I am pretty sure I didn't contract MRSA in there, and even though it wasn't the best massage in the world, it wasn't as bad as everyone expected.

We all met back up for dinner at a Mexican restaurant, which was fun. I missed the group dinner the night before due to my late arrival, so I was glad I could fit another in. After dinner, Paige and I headed back to the room, where she worked and I read some more (and had some more wine!).

We were up bright and early for the planned long run, even though so many people had bailed that we only had a group of six. But I am SO glad I stayed. We hit a bunch of hills, and I know I needed that badly. My little 25-foot levees aren't going to cut it for Boston training! We had a good group and again, perfect weather, and our "no specific pacing" 20-miler was most enjoyable. All in all, a great time in Mobile! A trip with friends, good food, books and wine, history, a massage, running, and a PR? Perfect weekend, I'd say!

Azalea Trail 10k - a stepping stone

A big group of Power Milers traveled over to Mobile for the Azalea Trail 10k this past weekend. I ran this race before with a team, and was excited to run it again, this time with the Power Milers. It's Saturday morning, so I left straight from work Friday night, getting in around 7:30 pm. I went directly to dinner, since it was growing late, before meeting the team at our hotel. Sara had booked us a double queen and Paige, Rachel, and I shared it with her. The location was perfect, and it was very affordable: for two nights we paid $73 each. 

Runners in the courtyard on race morning

Our veranda

 We got up around six and all met downstairs for a warm up at 7:15. We got two miles in before lining up. I realized at the start that, beyond a vague, "I should PR", I had barely thought about race pace or strategy. Not good. I find that I do not race well without a definite plan. Even worse, I have this mental block around the whole concept of 10k - I just can't envision what a 10k feels like. So I can't trust myself to race by feel. I realized all this as the gun went off, and the thought popped into my head, "Run 39". So that became my default goal.

The weather was perfect, the course is flat and fast, and despite my trepidation, I was confident I would PR. My PR going in to the race was 40:59 from another perfect-weather day at the Crescent City Classic. But I was in much better shape now. Unfortunately, as you know, my health has not been perfect, and I keep having issues with intermittent hemorrhaging. Naturally (unnaturally?!), this had started up again on Friday night, accompanied by considerable pain. But I am so used to it by now that honestly, I barely thought about it. During the race I had to remind myself a few times to keep running through the pain and to stand up straight (the pain tends to make me hunch or double over), but otherwise, I am now a pro at ignoring these symptoms. What I mean to say is - I had NO excuse not to PR Saturday! 

The race started FAST. The elites tore off the line, and people were passing me left and right and, in fact, almost knocking me over. I took off, too, and the whole first mile was just stabilizing and settling in. But I started too fast - I ran 6:10 for the first mile (6:06 on my Garmin, which terrified me, but it beeped short, thank goodness. It didn't feel like a 6:06, but that would have probably cooked the rest of my race!). Mile two was more spread out, more chilled out, more zoned out. My problem here was that I started conflating my race goal with 6:20's - the night before the race, Paige had told me that we could possibly get the women's team course record. I asked what I would need to run to achieve that and, based on everyone else's goal time, she said "6:20's". In actuality, to make MY goal, I'd want 6:15ish. Anyway, this is why you need a race plan! I ran 6:18 for mile 2, but after that settled solidly into 6:20's. And I just cruised. 

Because of my too-fast start, I had the uncomfortable experience of being passed by quite a few people around mile four. Not fun at all! My own fault, though. And here's the thing. After running 6:20 for miles 3,4, and 5, I didn't feel bad. I didn't hurt. I wasn't working as hard as I should. But it didn't occur to me that I should speed up, because I am so unfamiliar with 10ks! I should have hurt THE WHOLE TIME. 

In the final mile, the 10k and 5k merge, and that provided some excitement. For some reason I still didn't pick up the pace. Sure, I was tired, but it was 55 degrees, the course was shaded and pancake flat, my New Balance 1400s were perfect for my pace, I wasn't working hard - and I was at the end of a race. But I was holding something back. Suddenly, out of nowhere, an elite Kenyan woman passed me. WHAT?! In that last mile?! And then - another one flew by! I was immediately thrown off. What was going on? Did the course change, and have a final loop now? Impossible! Had I gone the wrong way?! No, people were all around me. What was going on? But I couldn't stop to think - I could see the finish line. I tucked my doubts away and suddenly realized that another women was in front of me - ten yards, maybe 12 - I tried, but I didn't catch her. I crossed the line in 39:05 just as a realized that the lead pack must have been lead the wrong way. 

After the race, I thought: 

• Wow, huge PR, 1:54 off my PR and 2:40 faster than my last 10k race!
• I am not nearly tired enough.
• Huh? Pat and Rich? Tyler behind me? Crap, they went off course too! 
• Paige WON! Due to elite woman's wrong turn, one of our Power Milers crossed first!
• Why didn't I sprint...or cut just ONE second off each mile?! Or start slower?! Or finish faster, my last mile was 6:19!

TEAM.

Basically, mayhem reigned for a while. After I caught my breath, I decided that taking 18+ seconds per mile off my 10k PR was enough for now. I was happy with it. Now, I'm more confident in predicting my 10k pace and ability. I definitely need a better sense of 10k race pace and a better race strategy next time, but this race was more about learning the distance. I think I can PR again in the 10k easily - even though this was a perfect-conditions race. I needed one good race to get a grip on the distance and get my mind right about 10ks! I'd had too many bad ones in a row!

Lady Power Milers!

 As far as the elite women, and the Power Milers' fastest guys, yes - they took a wrong turn. The elite men took off so fast that they, and the lead bike, were quickly out of site. Someone took a wrong turn, and everyone followed. After doubling back, the poor runners ended up with 7.2 miles! 

All showered and waiting for awards

But all's well that ends well. Once we scored our teams, the three Power Miler men's teams scored 1-2-3, and the women won! 

Four weeks to go and a mini-taper week

Long runs with the stupid hamstring wrap. 

Four weeks to Boston! You know what that means? That means that two weeks ago, when I pulled my hamstring, I was six weeks from Boston, which means...I once again got an injury six weeks out from a goal marathon (same over a year ago for Houston and recently for Rocket City). Somehow, I weathered this one without any time off, so perhaps I'm getting more tolerant of the miles: but! I can't help but wonder if long training cycles just aren't for me. I think I do better with shorter cycles and shorter tapers, but I am not experienced enough to go off on my own for a whole training cycle. Our plans are written by the Power Milers group coach. While he can't individualize them for our 50+ strong group, obviously, this year he kindly separated us into two general groups, low and high mileage. It's super nice of him to write this stuff up for us, and even take into account the other group races we'll probably be running, and he doesn't get paid. So I want to both appreciate his time and skill (he has many paying clients and loads of experience, plus he learned at the feet of a master: his dad is a coaching legend in NOLA) and also acknowledge that I've gotten faster running with this group. More injured? Yes, for marathons, I have been more injured (2/2 with training cycles!). But I've never yet completed one of the marathon training plans, either. I want to at least complete a cycle once before I decide that they're too intense for me or too many miles. If I make it to Boston healthy, it will be a litmus test. Will I be fast enough to justify the tougher training?

Speaking of group races, the Power Milers are traveling to Mobile for the Azalea Trail 10k next week. I am very excited to be competing as a team. We're sending one women's team and three men's teams. To add to the fun, the men's teams are speed-balanced, so this is going to be an all-out competition for place! Heading into the race, we're pulling back on mileage a touch this week: our easy days are 5 minutes shorter, and our long Friday tempo is replaced by Saturday's race. I hope those changes make the difference between tired legs and fresh legs, because I'd REALLY like a 10k PR. My PR is 40:59, and that's from years ago. Since then, every 10k race has been a disaster one way or another. As recently as January I ran a painful 41+ 10k, but that was a day when I was really very ill. And now that I have a better grasp on my anemia situation, I should be able to avoid that scenario. I am making sure not to miss a single iron dose leading up to the race, since every single milligram counts right now (until I replenish my iron stores, my day-to-day iron intake impacts how I feel. Normally you have a huge buffer of stored iron to prevent those swings). I'm also trying to get this concept of the 10k being my Achilles heal out of my head. There's no reason that this race will be bad just because it's a 10k. I just need to figure out a workable race strategy, stick to it, and run my ability. Sure, it's not a distance I am "good" at, but that's why it needs practice! So if any of you have any 10k tips or strategies, please share. I remember a good friend and the coach of Varsity Sports running group gave me the "ten-minute" tip before: think of the 10k in 10-minute segments rather than miles, and run them like this: 1. Go out not too fast or too slow during the excitement of the start. 2. Assess how you feel, choose and settle into a pace. 3. Assess placement in the race and run strategically to pass others. 4. Run as hard as you can, hang on, don't die.
Any other thoughts are appreciated!

Mid-training injury and illness; a long and fast workout

Although I haven't had to take time off, I am actually working through a little injury right now. About ten days ago, I was running tempo mile repeats on wet asphalt and my foot slipped, causing me to pull my hamstring. I immediately had it treated with acupuncture, and I have been able to run on it, but it's still painful. Worse, though, is that I have some compensatory stiffness and pain surrounding the hamstring. Mostly, the pain is in my IT band, which is working overtime to stabilize that knee joint. To make matters worse, I stupidly rolled and massaged that area aggressively, and made it super sore! Right now, I am still running with a compression wrap, and I can feel pain when that leg is fully loaded.

And also - there is the mystery illness I have been dealing with, too. Long story short, I begged my nurse practitioner for an ultrasound because I felt terrible and knew something was wrong. There was a mass on the ultrasound that will require a specialist to diagnose and so now I have to go down that road - but hopefully it is benign and treatable and I can get well and move on. I wish that wasn't a vague post, but the US reading was vague!

Despite all this - I am running well! This past week was a lower-mileage week, and I do think that I am suited to somewhat lower mileage. My easy days are mostly slow five-milers, which allows me plenty of rest, and my workout days have been strong. The focus this cycle seems to be mostly on long runs, and I've been able to get those done with no problem. After a very good 16-miler with 10 at marathon pace (6:47), I was ready for the next big workout: 18 with 15 at marathon pace. Summer is well on its way here, and Sunday was supposed to hit 82F, but it was still low 70's early in the morning. However, it was incredibly foggy and muggy! The Power Milers met at the park as a team, and did this workout as an out-and-back on the levee. It's a good choice if you want to make sure you won't have any stoppage at all, since there are no vehicles and it's a non-stop path. But you can run into some terrible headwind/tailwind situations. Luckily, the wind was minimal Sunday, and our biggest concern was the dense fog. Man, if Boston is 100% humidity, I think we'll be ready!

We tried to group up for this workout, but our team paces are rather strung out this year. We had three strong groups, but then we had a long string of loners. I ended up alone, although in retrospect I was close enough in pace to Mike to run with him. But I got in front of him at the very start, and we stayed in that position throughout. The fog was so dense that I couldn't read my Garmin - even if I'd turned the light on and held it to my face, the moisture clinging to the screen obscured it. So mile one was fast, 6:42. And mile 2 was slow, 7:00. And then I decided to just run by effort, forget trying to read pace. The miles ticked by, and a couple of guys on our team biked between groups with water and Nuun. I grabbed water twice on the way out, and as I turned at 7.5 got a look at the women and men behind me. For the most part, we all ran really strong!

The way back was a bit harder. I wasn't looking at overall pace, but I kept hitting miles in the 6:40's. I did start to get thirsty, but luckily our bikers were there, and I grabbed some Nuun and Powerade Zero on the way back. I had brought a gel with me, but I have done all the workouts this cycle fasted, so figured I should stick with that. I had my eye on the runners ahead of me. Some were struggling, and I passed them or closed in on them, and others were much stronger than I, speeding up on the way back and pulling away. I run the levee pretty often, so on the way back I sometimes play "get to the next landmark" - "Almost to the Huey P Long Bridge. Then get to the flea market." "Pass Causeway Boulevard, then Ochsner is next, then the bend in the river." "Cooter Brown's and St. Charles Ave, then the downhill off the top of the levee. First entrance to the Army Corps building...next entrance...pass my street..." etc. That countdown rolled through my head, and I was astonished to see mile 14 before I knew it. I was suddenly tired, but pulled off a 6:39 for the final mile of the workout. I didn't slow too much for the jog home, because I had coffee duty at church. That left me with a 6:56 average for almost 19 miles, and a shocking (to me) 6:44 for the 15 miles. I ran the second half about a second per mile slower than the first - not good - but then, we also had a tiny headwind on the way back. All in all, I was happy with the workout, but it left me with questions.

• If I can run 15 miles in a workout at 6:44, is 6:54-6:56 too soft a marathon goal?
• Can I...gulp...start looking to break three hours? That's a goal I've had my sights set on for years, but always in a "one day when I am fast" sense. Am I getting close?
• Should I take this workout seriously, or remember that a straight, pancake-flat, on-course assistance workout isn't the same thing as a hilly Boston? 
• Or will I feel faster on race day, between taper and race-day energy? 

Lots of questions over here, and not a lot of answers! Hopefully the next few weeks of training will guide me as I determine marathon pace!