After a good 8-day training cycle, it’s time to begin tapering for the 50k.
Because I walked 50k in 4:37 last Sunday and 20k in 1:39 Thursday, I took 2 easy days in a row. After watching the kids in ski races most of the day, I got to the indoor track around 3. I wanted to walk 30 to 40k at a decent pace, 55 per 10k or better. I was really hoping to drop to 53s in the last 20k.
I did 3 laps warmup and stretched, a little more warming up than usual, so I could start off like in a 50k race. I ended up doing 175 laps (7 laps per 1600m) for 40k. The splits are for each 1600m, unless otherwise indicated.
My first split time was 9:03. then 851, 846, 842, and I felt very good with just 21 miles to go. I decided I could risk going a bit faster. 8:26, 8:18 and a 400m in 2:05 brought me to 10k in 54:11. The next 1600m splits were 820, 820, 819, 820, 8:18, 817, and another 800m in 4:07 for 1:46:07. It is easy to keep such an even pace on the track — 71 seconds times 7 is 8:17 for 1600m or about 8:20 per mile, so I just stayed on that pace.
I was feeling good, starting to push the pace a bit too much — 813, 811, 814, 816, 818 and my breathing was still good but there was a dull ache in my left hip. I stopped the watch for about 30 seconds and took 3 ibuprofen. I hadn’t stopped it to that point, grabbing my drinks off a chair for a lap at a time, barely slowing. Another “mile” in 8:23 and 5.25 more laps brought me through 30k in 2:37:52. I had just clipped off my last 20k in under 1:44, but I figured I would get stiff and have to settle for a 55 last 10k. At that point I was hoping to crack the 3:32 range with a couple more miles under 9. I just wanted to keep the miles well under 9 as long as possible. I passed the metric “19 miles” in 2:40:00 with an 8:25 1600m, them 832 got me to 32 k, about a minute shy of a real 20 miles, in 2:48:32. I expected to hit 9:00 from there. I did 8:35 for the next 1600m, but maybe the pills were kicking in, or maybe it was just getting near the end psychologically, because I dropped a couple of 8:21s after that, for 3;13:49 with just under 2 miles left. At this point, sub 3;31 was assured. I thought I just might have a chance at breaking 3:30 so I pushed hard. My penultimate 1600 was 8:03 and the last was 7:52 for a time of 3:29:44 for 40. I only stopped the watch at 17 miles; the rest was continuous, picking up my RC cola along the way. I drank 3 bottles of cola.
My 10k splits were 54:11, 51:56, 51:45, 51:52. I walked the whole way with good straight legs. I am feeling very good about the 50k race in 3 weeks. I plan to take 3 very easy days, which fits with my work schedule, then some easy speedplay next Thusday. This will be a recovery week. Then the following week, some good work, and the last week recovery for the race. They say doing hard speedwork degrades your endurance, a “fact” I have not been able to verify, but I am going to resist the temptation to test myself with a 46:00 10k or somesuch. I will focus on good technique and some relaxed 5;10 per km walking mainly.

Isabel Sophie "Swift Legs" Sharp