Officially into the Higdon Intermediate II Marathon Training

Last week I started explicitly training according to the Higdon Intermediate II plan - the same one I did for the Disney Marathon last winter. This is in preparation for the Clarence DeMar Marathon on Sept. 27. I'm jumping into week 8 of the training plan.

Yesterday (Sunday) I ran a 17 miler, using the 5 mile loop I created around Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary in Wenham. This is a run along leafy country roads, occasionally meeting other runners and seeing a lot of competitive bikers - these roads are very popular with the bikers. Also the occasional horseback rider.

Sunday was very hot and humid so it was a good thing I ran in my usual early morning timeframe. The loop format allows me to place a water bottle at my car so I can drink without having to carry water. Even with drinking every 5 miles, I lost close to 5 pounds in water by the end of the run. But nonetheless I was able to run at a pace of 9:45 per mile, which is pretty fast for my training runs. Next Sunday a 19 miler is on deck.

North Andover July 4 10k

The three kids and I ran the 10k in North Andover this morning. It was a real treat to have the whole crew along for the race. A couple of Ellen's friends came along as well to cheer her on.

The weather was good but the course, as I remember it from last year, is very difficult. Pretty much nothing but hills from start to finish - starting with a nice juicy one over the first mile. My goal was to PR and hopefully pull a 7:30 pace - doable I would think as I ran a 7:41 pace for the 10 miler in Beverly two weeks ago. Aaron and Ellen were hoping to break an hour (they are running for a qualifying time for the corrals in the Disney World Half Marathon next January).

Here we are we are prior to the start of the race (all pictures courtesy of Tricia):

And here are Ethan and me waiting for the start of the 10K:

and here is Ellen getting a good start:

I stayed with Ethan for about the first 3 miles when he gradually began pulling away. He was a few hundred yards ahead of me by the last mile, then took it up a notch in the last half mile and I lost sight of him. The hills on this course really do a number on your pacing. It's just impossible to get into a solid groove because you are either working up hill or falling downhill. I never really got settled and never got close to the 7:30 pace I was hoping for (my best mile was about 7:45). In the end, I barely ran 8 minute miles and finished in 49:28, about 50 seconds faster than I did the course last year, which isn't saying much as I've dropped my half marathon time by more than 6 minutes since that time.

Ethan ran steady and strong and finished well, posting a time of 48:17. Aaron and Ellen both broke an hour, Aaron finishing in 57:19 and Ellen in 57:24.

Here is Aaron, me and Ethan passing the same point about a quarter mile from the finish:

 

 

Next up for me is the Triple Threat Half Marathon on August 2. Another difficult course. Aaron, Ellen and I are also planning to run one more 10k before October - this time a flat to get the best time they can. I imagine they can drop a couple of minutes off of their 10k times simply by running an easier course.