Another summer, another marathon season.

Montrose at 6:00 am

I will be continuing to be a pace leader at the Montrose site for the Chicago Area Runners Association (CARA). Two years ago, I was a participant, and the social experience is what got me through training and to the start line. Last year, as a pace leader, helping to bring all of the runners through the long runs and the hot runs and the wet runs is what got me through training and to the start line. This year, I hope to bring my experience, enthusiasm, and energy to a new group of runners.

Pacing at 8:30/mile

I was on the fence about whether to continue pacing with the Six Niners or move up to the 8:30/mile pace group. There was a fair amount of interest among my runners from last year in doing an 8:45/mile pace group (we would call ourselves the Eight Forty Five Bandits). By the time it came around for me to make a firm decision, the site coordinator for Montrose (who shall not remain nameless) had already told the front office to put me down for the faster group. Thus, the decision was made for me.

Running in Saucony Kinvara Shoes

Over the winter, I added a pair of Kinvara 5 shoes to my rotation. I would do my long runs in the Kinvara pair and my weekly runs in one of two pairs of Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 30+ (which they don't make anymore). By the end of training, I had switched almost entirely to the Kinvara shoes. My calves would be extremely tight the day or two after each Saturday run, but work itself out by Wednesday or Thursday. However, once I started doing my weekday runs in the shoes with the smaller drop, my calves recovered even faster. My form has improved as a result, my hips and knee (i.e. IT band) are less of an issue, and the shoes just look faster. The weight difference between the two models is amazing and noticeable while running. I am looking forward to switching entirely to the lighter shoe. I will be buying a second pair of Kinvara 5 shoes for the summer, and probably add a pair of Kinvara 6's to wrap up training and take to the Chicago Marathon in October.

Increased Miles, Decreased Days

Due to changes in my scheduling compared to last year, I will be changing my running schedule from the official book. I am planning on doing the following:

• Sunday: Recovery run as planned in Advanced (9:00/mile)
• Monday: Moderate run as planned in Advanced (8:30/mile)
• Tuesday: Speed Training (whatever Coach tells us) or Day Off (depends on social obligations)
• Wednesday: Short Morning Run or Day Off - if I take Tuesday off, I'll do some speed work in the morning (6:45/mile) before I leave for work.
• Thursday: Tempo runs, mileage from Intermediate plan (7:20/mile)
• Friday: Day Off
• Saturday: Long Run as planned in Advanced + 2 miles (8:30/mile)

Best Laid Plans…

…and all that jazz. I'll see how this goes, and adjust as needed.

The only race between now and the Chicago Marathon is the Burgers & Beer 5k race (need to beat 20:47 for a PR). I may squeeze in a half marathon on a Sunday, but that is still open for debate. After Chicago is the Disney Dopey Challenge and then F^3 Lake Half Marathon race in January (it is a busy month).