Long Run....a good one...FINALLY

I've had an exhausting few weeks.  Concert preparation (lots of practicing), increase in mileage for marathon training, built a chicken coop and run out of random material laying around at my dad's wood shop and then researched and purchased 22 laying hens.  My right hamstring has been getting pissed weekly (after speed workouts and tempo workouts).  I foam roll, massage, compress, etc.It gets a little better, then I go out and run hard again and it all comes back.  Got a killer massage on Wednesday that I mostly cried through but felt SOOO much better afterwards. Thursday's 7-mile tempo run brought nearly a total mental breakdown with the tight-again hamstring.  I chose my "long run" route to do the tempo run since my river route was under construction, which means some pretty good uphill for the first 4 miles (400-500 feet of rise).  Well, I got to mile 3ish and just couldn't hit marathon pace.  I was pushing so hard and was so tired and it just wasn't happening.  I literally stopped (which I never do on a run) and walked (which I only do in absolute dire circumstances) and had a small temper tantrum and a serious discussion with myself about whether or not we are really going to do this thing....cause if so, we need to find a way to run 7:38s today.Period. After my 1 minute breakdown I only had another half mile of uphill, then there was some flat and then downhill.  My pace picked up (not 7:38 exactly but 7:41s were close enough for me).  When I got home I still felt angry and a little crushed.  Maybe the pace isn't right for me. Maybe my goals are too lofty. Maybe it's too soon to get that much faster.  Friday's run was easy and nice with my gorgeous puppy dog (I still call him puppy even though he is nearly 2 1/2).  7 miles. Hamstring was tight.  I went and got a new pair of shoes (both my other pairs are done...400 miles on one pair and at least 600 on the other). I got Brooks Pure Connects (my third pair of them)...this time in ORANGE:

Saturday was 7 miles easy and I kept going quite a bit faster than my "easy" should have been.  Kept having to tell myself to slow down.  Helped my parents do a bunch of painting on ladders and scaffolding and my hamstring screamed the whole time. Last night when I got home I decided to try using some heat on my hamstring, and then roll it and do some serious quad and butt stretching.  Woke up this morning feeling way better.

I'm doing the Hansons Marathon Method.  Speed and Strength workouts are faster than marathon pace.  Tempo runs are AT marathon pace.  Long runs are in between marathon pace and easy. Easy runs are...well, easy.

So, Long Run today.  14 miles.  Need to hold 8:18-8:42.
Today was the day I needed it to be. Beautiful. Fast. Good. Encouraging. Empowering.
DH decided to go with me on his bike (he has plantar fasciitis and has increased to running 2.5 miles) so we'd stop at the track first for him to do his running and then we'd head to the river trail. When we arrived at the track, the National Guard was there running....2 miles for time.  They were on the inside of the track so we took the very outside lane.  I kept having to slow down. I felt fast and strong. My first three miles on the track were too fast. When we got to the river, I was able to hold conversations with DH pretty easily.  Now, this is not a "pace" run but it's definitely not easy either...and it's on tired legs (rest day was Wednesday).  Pace needs to be 8:18-8:42.
Paces were:
8:48 (on the slower end to let the hamstring warm-up)
7:53
8:01
8:09
8:25
8:24
8:20
8:18
8:14
8:20
8:11
8:23
8:39
8:25

Finally, the run I needed.