One month to go...

The Pasadena area air quality is back to moderate, and it feels great to be running outside again without having to drive a long distance!

This was a stepback week per the schedule. The midweek run was 6.3 mi @9:11 min/mi, and the long run was 14.5 mi @10:00 min/mi. (No, I wasn't trying for exactly 10:00 pace but that's what it worked out to on MapMyRun).  Plus four crosstraining days, yet more elliptical and Lifecycle, up to 90 min for the longest crosstraining day. After the long run, I did what's become the usual drill: stretching, then cold water spray on legs for a few min before showering, then ice knees and hamstrings afterwards. 10:00 pace is on the fast end of McMillan's recommendation, but this run was "relatively" short, so to speak, so my legs felt pretty reasonable afterwards.

Next weekend will be the second 20-miler. I probably will not need to flee down to the beach for that one. In order to calibrate pace, I may be doing it at the Rose Bowl - there's a convenient and popular 3.1 mile loop - so that will be 6.5 times around the Bowl. I'd better have real good music on the iPod for that run (haha). And after that it will be 3 weeks of taper.