Goals for the unstable

It was pointed out to me that just because some algorithm made to predict times says that I can run a 3:06, I should not assume a 3:05 is a good goal. That is all too true. Lest I appear too greedy, let me assure you all that 3:05 is NOT the goal for this marathon. 3:03 is! Why you ask? Because it's a 6:59 pace, of course.

Obviously, like all marathoners, I have a range of goals. However, I can assure you that "just to finish" is not among them. Really, "just to finish" was the minimum acceptable goal even in my first, under-prepared marathon. I'm competitive. Unfortunately, from a data gathering perspective, I bombed my last real distance race, and although I've totally moved on from that, it's somewhat disconcerting to have not had a chance to do a real live-race fitness test at an endurance distance. So to date the goals have not really developed beyond the tentative stage they were in way back on the first day of this training cycle, June 27, to wit:

The tenative goal is to hit about 3:05 for the race, beat all but about 250 people in the field, and then have a grand time in Hopkinton, Mass. in April.

So, this 3:05 isn't something that I've just pulled out of an algorithm. However, until I actually, really race a race (which will happen October 1 at Grete's Gallop) I won't really know how good this or any other goal is. On the other hand, that the predicted equivalent of my 5 mile time -- quite fatigued, in heat and humidity, on a hilly difficult course -- is 3:06 makes me feel good for a marathon for which I'll be fresh, on a very flat course that I'm familiar with, after 10 more weeks of fitness gains. The only real potential hang ups are injury or weather, but if Jesus really does truly love me, the high on October 29 will be 62F.

Just to put things on the table, here's the breakdown of how I'd like the MCM to shake out:

• C: 3:22 -- my time in my first marathon. Since this was on an average weekly mileage of 20 with a peak of 30, and I'm now averaging 43 with a peak (so far) of 55, I'd consider only getting 3:22 an unmitigated disaster. Really, since MCM is an easier course the the Pig and I've done so much work, anything slower than about 3:15 I'd lump into this category too. This would be worse than running "just to finish." Unless it was due to weather or something dire -- like a broken limb -- I'd seriously consider a new hobby.
• B: 3:10 -- My required time for Boston. Really the minimum acceptable goal.
• B+: 3:05 -- Doable. Will be a challenge, but reachable.
• A-: 3:03 -- Even more challenging. 6:59/mile. I'm not even sure if this is doable yet. Grete will tell me.
• A: 2:59:59 -- This would require a tail wind, and a tectonic shift to make the DC course no longer flat, but a net downhill, and a pack of rabid dogs chasing me during the last 2 miles. Might also require a hand from the Marines.

So, that's it. Some of these will be challenges. Some may be pie in the sky. But although from dreams begins responsibility, meeting responsibility allows one to reach for dreams. And with that said . . .

Tuesday: 6.1 miles - 47:57 (7:52/mile)
Wednesday: 14.8 miles - 1:58:06 (7:59/mile)

Check, Check

So much has happened in the past week, and I've been so lacking in diligence when it comes to posting that I'm not even sure where to start. I guess since this blog is ostensibly about running, I should write about the Club Championship races yesterday. However, before I get to that, let me just say first that Dave Eggers is freaking brilliant! If you have not already done so, stop reading this drivel and go buy, borrow, or beg for a copy of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. This book is, in Egger's terms, a "memoir-y thing" that he's admittedly conflicted about because he's not Irish. Although the work is indeed heartbreaking in places, Eggers avoids all the "woe-is-me" aspects that breed like a putrescent bacterial glob in many memoirs and one finishes the work with the impression that he views the entire genre as a giant joke. Please, please. Go read it.

OK. Moving on to the race. I considered this a "pseudo-race." By that I mean, that I intended to race it as hard as I could, but I was doing no taper nor otherwise materially changing my training leading up to it (other than to replace a Friday tempo run with a regular run on Thursday). Add to that my having just finished a week with my then highest mileage ever (54) and my being in the middle of my new highest mileage ever week (55) and I was in no shape to really hammer this one. My goals were as follows:

• 32:30 -- this is the time that the Magical McMillan Calculator tells me equates to a BQ marathon effort.
• 31:48 -- my time in my one and only 5 miler, back in June; running the same time on fatigued legs would bode well for my training program.
• Anything faster -- that'd just be cake.

So, the race honestly could not have gone better except for two minor (and I mean very minor) snafus. First, when I arrived, I didn't want to race. It was bizarre because normally I'm totally all about competition. Hell, one of my biggest training flaws is that it takes a huge mental effort for me to not try to race people over the Williamsburg Bridge on easy days. But for some reason, yesterday morning I did NOT want to run. Didn't want to race, didn't want to warm up, didn't want to stretch. Kept having thoughts like: "Why am I here? I could be in bed. This will suck." The really weird part is that my thoughts completely shifted about 5 minutes to start and I was totally into kicking ass. I'm really at a loss, but I have no doubt that all this "doubt" cost me some mental sharpness.

The second snafu was that I was nearly hit by a garbage truck. That's right. Less than 800 meters to the finish and a garbage truck pulls out onto the closed to traffic Central Park loop through a stream of runners. To top it off, he's oblivious to the race and commences yelling at the racers while being yelled at by the race official. For the runners' part, we all yelled and scattered around the truck and off the course. Ridiculous. However, the best part of the whole thing was when, after the race while I recounted the story, NY Flygirl responded with one of the smart-ass lines I had written on her blog in response to her complaints about the crowded park: "But isn't this little inconvenience worth it to race in the greatest park on Earth?" Touché Mademoiselle. Touché. So, in the end, the race went off, I finished in 31:41, which is a 7s P.R. (for what that's worth, since it's only my second ever 5 mile race). But more importantly, this fatigued time equals a predicted 3:06 marathon according to McMillan. That makes 3:05 a reasonable target and means that things are progressing more or less on pace.

---

Shot of me in the last 200m. I caught the GNY guy at the line.

---

After the race, I joined a group of Flyer guys as we ran the course backwards so we could cheer on the women racing who'd be coming towards us. It was a really fun 5 mile cool-down and I hope we do it again. After the women finished up, we had a picnic with all the other Flyers and lots of Flyer kids. Bagels and what had to be the best orange juice I've ever had in my whole life! It was nice to see so much of the club; so many people I'd never seen before. But, as Dorian put it, the Flyer's have so many events you can't make them all!

Today I finished off the week with what I'm calling 14.5, a run across the Williamsburg Bridge, then across the Manhattan and Brooklyn, around the Battery, up to 40th Street on the West Side and then back down to the subway at 14th and 8th Ave. Time was 1:58.

Week-in-Review

Monday	Tuesday	Wed.	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Total
Rest	13.1 miles	6.0 miles	11.5 miles	Rest	5 mile race 5 miles	14.5 miles	55.1
--	7:53/m	7:43/m	7:50/m	--	6:20/m 9:00ish	8:10/m	--

Runner's High

Not a lot of time for posting today, but wanted to put up a quote from this article on sun tan addiction. (Sorry for the source. I'd seen the same content on CNN yesterday, but couldn't locate the piece.)

The study [was] published in the journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. . . . Half of tanners were given an inactive drug and half were given a drug (naltrexone) to block the effects of endorphins and other brain opioids.

The researchers found that with the opioid-blocking medication . . . surprisingly, four of the eight frequent tanners reported nausea or jitteriness. . . . "The finding was unexpected and is consistent with the hypothesis that frequent tanning may be driven in part by a mild dependence on opioids, most likely endorphins," said co-researcher Steven Feldman. "The nausea and jitteriness induced by the medication are consistent with symptoms of mild opiate withdrawal."

While the study is small, it supports the hypothesis that tanning behavior may be driven by endorphins in much the same way that the so-called "runner's high" helps to motivate runners.

Perhaps we do need a 12 step program?

Ran 13.1 today, the Queensboro Loop plus an add-on of two loops around McCarren Park in 1:43:13.

If you'd told me 2 years ago that I'd run a half marathon in sub-8's, I'd have just barely thought it doable. If you'd told me that I'd do it before work I'd have thought you crazy. If you'd added that it was three days after doing 21 miles also at sub-8, I'd have probably had a coronary from laughing so hard. Oh how things do change!

On Strength

Zeke has been conducting an informal survey of marathon times versus mileage over the past few weeks and just posted the results. It's really interesting in that it shows an almost linear correlation between average weekly mileage run and marathon time improvement, that is, up to about 80 miles weekly average where the line begins to flatten out. The survey results depict graphically what many people know (even if we've never personally experienced it) to be true -- more miles equals better results. Although statisticians may quibble over the details, it's sufficient to alleviate whatever doubts I may have had about mileage.

However, I would note that the survye doesn't take into account a person's being on the so-called "improvement curve" as a new runner. In personal experience, my half-marathon time dropped over 15 minutes after 2 years of averaging about 20 miles a week. On the other hand, in a way this further illustrates Zeke's point that more mileage equals better results. The weekly view simply doesn't capture what was happening. Allow me to illustrate, although I was running 20 miles/week during my first half marathon build-up, my 3 year rolling average was much less:

• Year 1 = 0, Year 2 = 0 Year 2.0-2.5=0 Year 2.5-3.0= 20/week.
  
• That comes up to about 500 miles over three years--an average of about 3 miles per week for the period

In my second half-mary, the three year rolling average was more like:

• Year 1=15/week, Year 2=15/week, Year 3=20/week
  
• That comes up to about 2500 miles over three years -- a rolling average of about 16 miles per week for the period

So, even though weekly mileage didn't increase, leading into the second race my yearly average mileage was much, much higher. This is why the most successful marathoners are in their late 20's and 30's. It takes time to build up the yearly rolling average necessary to be a great marathoner.

Fascinating. This is a fantastic survey in that, if nothing else, it promises continued improvement over time for anyone willing to put in the effort to succeed. This is truly a sport that rewards the patient.

Week-in-Review

Monday	Tuesday	Wed.	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Total
Rest	10.7 miles	4.1 miles	11.3 miles	Rest	21 miles	6.75 miles	53.9
--	Tempo	7:39/m	7:46/m	--	7:43/m	7:47/m	--

This is my first week over 50 -- ever. However, in line with Zeke's survey, I can report some personal successes that I'd attribute to the increased mileage. In my first marathon training, wherein I averaged approximately 20 miles per week for the duration, my 21 mile run knocked me flat for 2 days. In this cycle, as you can see from this week, I followed up 21 with a relatively quick 6 and change the following day. Also, I find it encouraging that this 21 mile training run was faster than my marathon race pace during my last Mary. Some of that is due to starting training at what I peaked at the last time (30 miles/week). Some is due to having a few more years to build my rolling yearly average mileage. Hopefully these positive signs will carry forward. There are 11 weeks to go, and I'm itching to hit a fitness-gauge race to see where I am and what goals I should shoot for. I don't think my ability to hit the 3:10 BQ is in question, I'm wondering how far below that to aim. Although the Club Championship next week should give me some good information, I'm dying for Greta's Gallop Half Marathon, which is four weeks before the MCM and should give me a solid view of what I can expect. Can't wait!

Memories

It's funny how life can suddenly put you in a place that you've been before, but everything is different. For today's run, I decided for a change of scene to loop around Battery Park and then head up the Hudson. The upper Hudson part of the route passed through Riverside Park, which was a run that I used to do quite often when I was in Law School during my first New York life, but haven't at all since I moved back to the City at the beginning of the year. So, it shouldn't have been a surprise as I headed up past all the sights and sounds of the West Side that I'd think back to the last time I did that run and how things have changed.

It was the spring of '04. I'd just picked up running regularly after I'd gone home for Christmas break and my Mom had told me I was putting on a few pounds -- as she patted my belly. Love you, Mom. I'd targeted the Brooklyn Half Marathon as a race because (1) I'm a competitive S.O.B., (2) if I didn't have a target on the calendar that'd be a challenge I wouldn't stick with it, (3) the race was in April, which would let me run it as a farewell to N.Y.C., if Erin and I needed to move away.

I hit this point in the reminiscing at the northern part of the Cherry Walk portion of Riverside Park, with both the tower of Riverside Church in sight and Grant's Tomb, which I'd see at the finish of every run from Columbia and I viewed as a giant beacon calling me to the finish. That really brought back some memories of how things were then. See, at the time that this was going on, Erin had a job offer in D.C. I had nothing. Thanks in part to the economy's tailspin in '02 and in part my own uncertainty and lack of direction, I'd utterly and miserably failed at landing a post-graduation job. If I could list the firms I interviewed with -- and had callbacks to -- it'd be impressive. A who's who list of the New York legal world that impressed (I later learned) the friends I'd make in D.C. simply because they'd offered me interviews. "wow, they talked to you?" Of course, that was neither the standard for myself nor any other Columbia graduate. I must have done 50, maybe 75, interviews over my second and the first half of my third year of law school, and the rejections flowed like water. So, we were going to move to D.C. Erin had a job there. I could get a fresh start -- although we were really uncertain about how things would turn out. I don't think either of us were really thrilled about the move, but both viewed it as the best shot we had of coming out ahead.

And through all of this, I'd started running. I'm not sure if it was to get away or to get ahead. The goals at the time were modest. 9mm on training runs. 1:45 for the Half. I was thrilled every race where I put in a sub-8 time. Success after success was an amazing (and sometimes melancholy) counterpoint to my professional career. And, by the way, on that Half, I finished in 1:49:44. Four minutes off the pace. Which I was upset with for about 15 minutes -- until I realized that, unlike my job search, the answer here wasn't zero-sum. Even though I missed the goal, the race remained a success. And perhaps, that was something that I could learn to bring to other areas of my life -- sometimes, success isn't winning; sometimes the success is the full effort of the attempt. The simple fact of participating in a sport was uplifting. And, in the end, for every failure we must succeed at something. Too much failure beats down the spirit, tramples the will to even try to excel. I think the running helped in ways that I could only appreciate later.

So, I was on this run in my Second New York Life. Erin and I had spent a miserable 18 months trying to make D.C. work until on a wing and prayer we decided we needed to try New York again. Now, I'm in a career that (although I often bitch about the hours) I enjoy and am proud to be a part of. Erin's in a job that she really likes and can take her places. We've gotten our lives out of the morass of uncertainty that followed us as we left NY 2 1/2 years ago. And the running, well, the goals are a bit different now. So, I ran. Stronger, happier, more certain of my path and my objectives than the last time I'd crossed this way. In a way it was the same. In a way, completely different.

Route: Williamsburg Bridge, Battery Park, N. on Hudson R. to 125th Street, S. on Hudson R. to 14th Street.
Distance: 21.0 miles
Time: 2:41:54 (7:43 pace)

Resolution -- Failed

After reading this article on Joe LeMay, a 2:13 marathoner who works a 9-6 job with a 40+ minute commute and runs two workouts daily, I made a resolution that I wouldn't complain about how work interferes with my running hobby anymore. I figured that if I wanted to do it and do it well, I'd just need to suck it up and make time. However, I've found that I just have to get in one last whine. Getting home from the office at 10:30p makes getting up at 5:30 for a 11-miler really suck! (If I wanted to lawyer-ize this, I'd say I wasn't complaining about work, but lack of sleep. But I can take responsibility for failure, damn it! No arguing on the number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin at this blog.) In lighter fare, Joe LeMay has published the best endorsement for fiber supplements that I've ever read -- ever. (Uh, not that I've read that many plugs for fiber supplements. . .)

Halfway through the 50 mile week! Tonight's the Flyers Summer Social, which should be a good time. I've pre-paid on the theory that'll make me more likely to actually leave the office by 8 to go. Despite lack of sleep the last few days, my runs have been excellent. I think it's that the temps have dropped down into the upper 60's to low 70's in the mornings combined with last week's step-back in mileage. For example, today I felt like I was going slow, but every checkpoint was ahead of plan. Of course, it could just be that I bought new shoes.

Wednesday: Pulaski O&B: 4.1 miles in 31:23 (7:39 pace).
Thursday: Queensboro Bridge Loop: 11.3 miles in 87:44 (7:46 pace)

By the way, the Queensboro Loop's one of my favorite runs. Not because it takes you past the UN, or treats you to vast panoramic views of Midtown, or because it let you run directly along the East River. Oh No. It one of my favorites because it takes you past the Long Island City Taxi Garage! All those bright yellow cabs in the morning make me smile like the bright yellow sun does.

Like a record baby! Right Round Round Round!

Today's workout was supposed to be 10 miles with 5 at tempo pace, which I do at the McCarren Park track -- round and round and round for 20 laps. There's a 7 mile tempo later in the schedule; I may have to come up with a different system by then . . . 28 laps?!? Oh my! Because I missed a turn, the overall distance was closer to 11 than 10, and my 2.5 mile warmup turned into a 3.2 mile warm-up, which I guess is ok. More warmup's better, right?

From the apartment, I went straight down Metopolitan Ave to Kent Street. Kent's an odd street along the Williamsburg waterfront. The pavement's been torn out mostly and the lots closest to the river either hold vacant warehouses that are clearly being stripped out to make room for future yuppie condos or lots that have been leveled and cleared to make room for future yuppie condos. Off the side streets are warehouses that now house stores (some vacant) that will cater to the people who will live in the future yuppie condos. Because Kent's on the water though, it provides clear panoramic views of the entirety of Manhattan below, say, 50th Street. Hopefully, when they start building highrises there, they'll at least build some type of waterfront park that has public access and a bike path. Also, hopefully by that point Erin and I will have enough cash socked away for a down payment on a future yuppie condo. Finger's crossed.

The tempo run went fantastically. The first lap was a little quick, 1:32 instead of 1:40, but by the second lap I'd settled into a steady 1:38-1:40 pace. Felt much stronger this time that two weeks ago too. Unlike last time, where it took a while to find the rhythm, I settled into the fast pace almost immediately and held it strong for most of the run without much difficulty. On the other hand, like last time, I started to struggle a little about a 1.25 miles from the end (but, obvously, this time that was a mile farther along), which isn't surprising to me. However, I held onto the pace knowing that by the time there were only 3 laps left I'd be close enough to home to be mentally over it. Two tough laps out of twenty? I think I can handle that. And if the marathon only involves 800 meters of toughness, I'll be golden!

10.7 miles with 5@32:52 (6:34/mile)

Hey! That's too fast!

So, yesterday I joined a number of other Flyers to pace lead for the NYRCC Long Training Group runs, where:

Participants will be divided into groups by half-minute intervals from 6:30 through 11:00+ minutes per mile. All groups will cover 20 miles, but individuals may shorten their distance to suit their training needs. Runners faster than 7:00 may begin before the 7:00 group; however, no pace leader will be provided.

Since this was a cutback week for me, I only paced for 11 miles with the 8:00 group.

Crack of Dawn
Actually a little before. By the actual crack of dawn, I'd already laid in bed staring at the alarm for ten minutes wondering why it was going off at such an unholy hour, showered, had coffee and a bagel, changed, woken up and hit the subway (in that order). The trip in from Williamsburg to E. 102d Street is a hike at the best of times; I allowed 75 minutes for travel before 6 on a Saturday morning. Fortunately the trains went perfectly. Flyer Nicole, when she, JBL and I went looking for some pre-race snacks, suggested that the run start earlier to beat the heat next time. I was like, "Dear god, Nicole! I'd have to be up at 3:30 to get here earlier. Cut the Brooklyn guy some slack." And honestly, after the heat wave earlier in the week, the 72˚ start seemed downright chilly, which I believe led to . . .

A little fast there
I ran sweeper duties for my group on the first 6 mile loop. Ran at the back of the group to work at keeping up with the stragglers. We were zipping through a little quick, about 7:30 on the first mile and then 7:45's for the next 3. After the second mile, when I got to the mile marker, I'd hang out until my watch said 8:00 to let the people coming know they weren't slow, just the group was fast. The pack slowed on the last two miles to around 8:10's, so a lot of people who'd been strung out behind managed to catch up in the last 1/2 mile. Chatted with a guy who'd run a 60K recently, but said it hurt his knees. He also said that he was running in trail shoes with over 600 miles on them and, because of work, was only running 3 days on a good week. I was thinking, "lucky it only hurt the knees. Nothing about what you've said says, '60K's a good idea'." But, I did my encouragement thing and then moved over to chat with a 47 year old lady who told me all about how Dave Matthews is God's gift to music. "He's very big on the college campuses." It's so funny the stories you here in packs.

The breakaway
On the second loop (5 miles) I switched to the front. However, we absolutely flew through the first mile -- my watch said 7:00 flat, which caused some consternation amongst the pace leaders until we realized that the mile marker was short. We'd only actually done about 7:30. Still way too quick for the 8:00 group. This is where having someone with experience plays in. Our lead pacer notices a group in the front and asks how far they're going. "11" "11" "11" So, he says, "You guys should pick it up then without the group. Go strong to the end." At this point, I volunteer to pace lead the 7:40 group, so we can split off the people pulling the 8:00's too fast. And off we go. I have about 9 runners and we pick up a few more over the next mile or two, 7:40, 7:45, 7:40. The group holds together really well until we start to catch up with the first 8:00 pace group, but by then we were all in the last two miles so it didn't matter so much.

The perks
Free tank (That Erin says makes me look like a road cone) and company for a long-ish run. Also I got to be an expert for a day. People asking about plans, training advice . . . but I'm not a coach. The Flyers should really think about putting disclaimers on our shirts! And to see some other folks and bloggers (NY Flygirl has a list.)

The downside
Had to go into work afterwards. Into the office by 10:15, but because of a horrendous cab accident on Lexington (I heard the screaming from my 15th Floor window) and the 1/2 hour I spent gawking at the cab that'd jumped the curb, the ambulances and police, etc. I didn't actually get started until about 11:00. Left at 6:30. The reward for this diligence? After I meet a friend who's in town on a salsa tour, I get to go back to the office this afternoon.

Week-in-Review

Monday	Tuesday	Wed.	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Total
Rest	8.6 miles	5.0 miles	8.2 miles	Rest	11 miles	4.25 miles	37.05
--	8:00/m	7:46/m	7:36/m	--	8:00/m	7:17/m	--

Next week: 50 miles. I shouldn't be nervous about it, and I don't think I would be if the target were 49.5 instead of "50". Tomorrow's a day off. Focus starts on Tuesday.

Ouch!

I noticed from your blog that you seemed to be a fan of floyd landis. What do you think about him now that he has had a positive drug test and everybody knows he is a cheater.

... and similar comments from several (about a dozen) other people. So, although I was ignoring it, here's my take on Landis.

First, let me point out that I'm not the only person who was enamoured with the guy. Team CSC rider Bobby Julich said on July 20:

Floyd Landis' Stage 17 ride on Thursday was the most amazing ride I have ever seen in my life and will go down as one of the best rides of all time, and Landis will go down as one of cycling's gutsiest riders.

And similar comments were made throughout the world of cycledom. And why not admire the guy? As I quoted earlier from an article, this was a guy who not only said that he worked harder than everyone else, but published his workout schedule, in a beat me if you can sort of way! That sort of open, "I have more talent and work harder, so screw you" attitude's fantastic in an athlete and worth admiring. (Incidentally, a discussion on Landis with Coach Joe of the Flyers led to one of my new favorite quotes: "The only person who trains too much is the person who beats you.") Work hard and prosper is a great thing to admire for runners especially, because unlike swimming (which is all technique) and amateur cycling (which is very equipment dependent) running is totally based on work. If you do the time, you will improve.

But I digress, let me throw out the first conspiracy theory of the day, because no matter what the results of the 'B' sample, when President Bush says the guy has "amazing strength of character," then there can be no doubt that this is all just a big French plot. Our great leader would not lie! And Lance has said that he's "skeptical" of the lab performing the tests, which has been investigated for questionable practices in the past. It must be a Frenchie plot! We believe in you, Floyd!

Nah, I'm just kidding. If the 'B' test comes out positive on Friday, which is likely, then forget it. The guy's done. Two year ban from cycling. Two more years from Professional racing. Four years out of the sport pretty much ends the Landis career. You may think of cycling as dirty, but a lot of that perception is due to its actually trying to punish (and punish brutally) people that it catches. (How effective it is at catching them is another story.) And note that there's no presumption of innocence in cycling, as shown by the reinstatement of 18 riders suspended on suspicion before the Tour, after they'd been cleared by the Spanish courts. One has to admire cycling for at least trying, unlike most American sports. And if Landis cheated, he gets exactly what he deserves for being stupid and winning a Stage on a day that (1) he knows he's doping (2) with a drug that wouldn't really help him and(3) when he knows the stage winner is always tested.

Of course, if you're an ESPN addict, then you have probably followed their advice and just don't care. For me, I'm going back to my pre-Tour pick: Levi Leipheimer, who's now switching to Team Discovery.

Here's the last few days. . .
Tuesday: 8.6 miles, 68:49 (hot and miserable), 8:00mm
Wednesday: 5.0 miles, 38:48 (treadmill, I love AC), 7:46mm
Thursday: 8.2 miles, 62:21, 7:36mm

Coming up
Saturday: 11 miles as a pace leader (8:00mm) for the NYRRC's Long Training Run.
Sunday: 4 miles, easy.