The Final Countdown

This time in two weeks, I will be running my happy little butt off from Hopkinton to Boston!  And I am finally wicked excited!  I do have all the normal runner's nerves and fears, but I am embracing the excitement and hoping it carries me through these final two weeks of tax season and Boston countdown :)

I had a busy, busy weekend.  Friday night when I got off work I headed to the gym because, again, the wind was just AWFUL.  I have been loathing the gym all week, but it seems to be the only place I can get my run on when the wind is just blowing me from side to side.  I had six easy on the books but I just cannot do slow on the treadmill.  Any extended period of time on the thing and I begin to loose my mind!  So, my crazy running brain thought it would be good to get in another speed work out all the while forgetting I had my last 20+ miler the next morning.  Well, the speed work went great...I did a ladder workout and finished the run strong ready to go home and scarf down some Indian food before my big run.
6 miles 44:06  7:21/mi pace  My legs felt strong the whole run, but my knees have been killing me lately again.  I don't know if it is just my head playing games on me because when I stop to think about it all, I have five weeks of races starting this weekend.  It's a little overwhelming when I attempt to wrap my head around it, but at the same time, like I said, I am wicked excited.  But needless to say, my knees were not happy after that run.  I iced like a mofo when I got home, stretched rolled my quads out and hoped for the best.

Saturday morning I had planned on hitting the trails around 7:30.  Like, my butt should have been running at 7:30 am, but my body decided to continue to sleep until 7 am!  I guess I needed the sleep!  I had also planned to head up to Aron's neck of the woods to switch things up for this long run.  I know this can happen to us all - we get tired of running the same routes all. the. time.  The thought of running 20+ miles on the same path I have been doing was too daunting, so Ari and I packed up the car, drove about 45 mins and went to do my run on the Iron Horse Trail.  I was not disappointed either, so worth the drive.  The weather was cool, the path was not crowded and I was able to put my head down and just run.  My knees were still bothering me though.  By mile 5 the pain was kind-of sharp.  I took a Gu and just continued to power through.  At the same time though, in the back of my mind, I knew something was just not right.  I was running in my Nike Lunar Glides that have about 250 miles on the.  I love them so much.  Nice and light, and yet still supportive.  I wanted to use these in Boston so this was going to be our last run together until April 19th.  They were just not doing the trick though.  I even started running on the little dirt path next to the paved path because it made my knees feel better.  By mile 10 they were aching bad.  I took another Gu, and a salt tab, and popped some Advil to get the final 10 in.  They were uneventful other than my knees were just aching.  I'm worried, and yet I don't think it's anything too serious.  I have had a great training cycle and this week I finished up with 52 miles.  All those miles, two speed works and a long run probably are what made them scream.
20.8 miles  2:52:17  8:17/mi pace  I did stop 4 times - twice to Gu, once to tie my shoe and once to pop the Advil and stretch.  Aside from those, my pace was pretty consistent and I would find my pace pretty easily when I was out there.  I am so glad this run is done.  I start my taper next week and I couldn't be more happy.  Just one more week of about 45-50 miles and I will be ready to hit the ground running and hopefully, just hopefully, BQ in Boston :)

When I was done though, I couldn't ignore my knees.  The only thing I was thinking was that it was my shoes.  They do have some significant miles on them, and I had toyed with the idea of getting new ones before Boston.  But I couldn't find a pair of Lunar Glides down by me.  So we headed over the Road Runner Sports to pick up a new pair right away.  When I tried on the new ones, they didn't feel all that great.  They didn't feel like new shoes.  Maybe it was my tired feet - I literally had just ran 20 miles.  But it wasn't the way it should feel.  After talking to the sales guy, and telling him my needs, he brought out a pair of Asics Gel Nimbus 12's.  I was hesitant to try them on.  I love my Nike's.  I have five pairs!  But I tried them on and they felt...awesome.  They are a little different feel, as Nike uses air in their soles, and Asics uses gel.  But nothing I couldn't get used to.  They feel awesome and I'm excited to run in them!

I didn't do my recovery run in them yesterday as it was raining out :(  And I don't think I will today either as the rain is going to continue.  I am hoping to do my med-long run in them on Wednesday/Thursday and see how they feel.  If they are a no go, I do have other Nike's I can wear, but I have a feeling they will be my new best friends.

I got in my recovery miles before Mass yesterday and was able to enjoy a relaxing day with my family knowing that I have filled my tank for Boston.  Not much more I can do to be ready, just one little race next weekend and then I'm off- the final countdown :)  I hope you all had a great Easter and rocked those runs and races!  I'm off to catch up on blogs!
Oh, and one more thing - the core challenge ends on April 9th, so give this week your final push peeps!  I can't wait to see who wins!!
Happy Monday and Happy Running!!!