Boston Marathon Training 2019: Week 5, Mid Winter Classic edition

So yes, it was the week where we all get excited for the Mid Winter Classic.

It also felt VERY MUCH like Mid Winter.

We experienced several very cold days. Basically it went from cold.......

Gross

To COLDER.

STOP

And we also got a foot of snow. Jesus.

I hit the road last Monday for some easy miles, prior to the polar vortex and snowmagedon moving in.
Honestly, the roads were basically shit. It's nice that we are getting more daylight hours at this point, but as long as the roads stay this garbage I can't do much for speedwork on them, especially after work when it is dusky.

Disgusting 

It was pretty though.

Pretty stupid.....

Plan A was to run some mile reps on Wednesday and then do some indoor downhill work on Thursday. (it's almost cheating to do indoor downhills indoors, but when it's 5 below, and dark, and ice you do what you gotta do.) It ended up not mattering anyway. I was 100% exhausted garbage on Wednesday, and even after extending my pre speedwork warmup to try to wake the legs, they would not wake. I bailed, and said fuck it.

I managed the workout successfully the following day, with 5 reps at 7:36 (of course.)
I did not get the downhill reps in which is a shame.

Thankfully, Sunday/Race day was warmer. Since Hyannis is still on the table, I felt compelled to run 20 to keep it a viable option. Eric dropped me off, and I ran a carbon copy last year's route to the race start. Around back bay, down Commercial St, over the Casco Bay Bridge, and up 77. It was cold to start, about 14 degrees, but as I ran the final couple miles the sun felt surprisingly warm.

I felt good about my timing, and I arrived just in the nick of time to get my number from Eric and Ellie, and to scoot to the start. .....which was then delayed by 10 minutes.....
One side of my brain doesn't mind this at all. Things happen. No big deal.

The other side of my brain FROZE SOLID because so did my body. I was already hot and sweaty, and standing in the 28 degree shade put me into a world of hurt. One might think that a 14 minute break in between 10 mile efforts would make things easier, but in this case it did NOT.

The first few miles of the race were most unpleasant. I was extremely cold. My hands and butt felt completely frozen. Not really fun. I think the following photo shows me with a pretty unimpressed expression.

I am in the orange hat looking pissed 

Around mile 3 I did warm up, but also decided that I really wasn't feeling that it was "my day." Last year, I felt extremely capable of pushing the pace. I actually felt like I was giving a solid "race" effort. I decided to pull it back and rein it in. I slowed to what felt like a much more casual long run pace than I have been managing lately. I mulled over my slump and thought it could be nutrition related, so I had a couple Humas. More likely, it was due to a pretty major lack of morning hydration, and a pretty major lack of sleep. One I can control (water) the other, I can not!
Thankfully, once I pulled the pace back I felt much more positive about the whole situation.
(and here's the weird thing, my pace actually hardly changed. Go figure. Maybe it was just giving myself permission to chill that made the difference? Who knows.)


I ended up finishing in 1:21:23, an 8:09 pace (which is certainly a MP pace effort.) My first 10 clocked in at an 8:39 pace, I believe, which brought the overall 20 to an 8:22 pace.

I was very happy to see Eric and Ellie, and many friends at the finish! Ellie was extremely popular, and all the socializing really wore her out.

Happy family!!!!

So overall, I would say this was a good day. I'm happy with having 10 MP miles at the end of a workout. I was pleased to feel well at the finish, and not to feel too sore or stiff. I'm not feeling 100% on point like last year, but am certainly more sharp than in some previous seasons.

And I STILL have not decided about Hyannis. I managed to do this 20, so it is now a more real possibility. If I had those extra 5 minutes in hand from aging up, I would feel pretty certain of success. (thanks for NOTHING BAA!!! Haha.) Who knows. I still have the notion of waiting for the 10 day forecast and making sure it isn't going to be 60 degrees, and then making up my mind! (and FYI: 60 is bad. It needs to be chilly!)

Stats:
Mileage: 41.2
Long run: 20.1
Beer at pub: A mix of triple cream and double cream (Can't stop, won't stop)
Coldest day: FFS SO COLD. Negative one million Thursday through Saturday. 
Snow days: None from school (miracle) Close to a foot of snow on Tuesday night. Some random other non plowable little shit.