Spring training: Week 3

Alright, alright, this one is being posted way late. Whoops. Finally back on track and feeling good, mileage-wise, so the weather goes down the drain. A craptastic week.

Didn't run Sunday because ... because ... I didn't feel like it. I laid around all day watching movies instead. And then spent the rest of the week feeling guilty.

Monday I went to tackle my long run, but after seven miles on roads covered in snow and ice, and topped with sand, I gave up. A couple hours later I hit the treadmill to knock out the other 10 miles, which was fine. I believe that was the day I spent most of my treadmill time watching a History Channel show on the Kennedy family. All of them.

It wasn't until Thursday that the roads actually cleared and we could really run. Note my consistent 7:50 pace much of the week. Those days averaged a 150 heart rate, which is about 73% of my max HR. That's fairly low, just a smidge over the 145 bpm or so I use for recovery runs. Which means two things: I'm getting fitter and that I'm not trying very hard. Hello, slacker.

Spring training: Week 2

Just as I had started to forget what cumulative fatigue feels like, it comes creeping in on the coattails of a 65-mile week. And 20 of those were on the treadmill. After Sunday's long run, we survived a recovery run on the trails on Monday and 12 outside on Tuesday. Then I cracked. My chapped face and permafrosted fingertips demanded a break.

Into the gym I went. I logged my longest-ever treadmill run, 11 miles, on Wednesday. Back outside on Thursday and then back inside Friday for 9 miles with 4 miles of tempo. Pretty good heartrates, weight is back down and such.

Ten more weeks. Over and out.

Spring training: Week 1

Am not in shape to hit 60 miles already. Especially not when it's 15 degrees outside every day.

Temperatures dropped throughout the week, as everyone probably noticed. Nice run on Tuesday ... and no run on Wednesday. I ran outta steam. It was cold and dark and everyone was gone. Thursday it was a little warmer but windy, then the weather went to pot.

Sunday we executed a nice Magic Schoolbus Run™ - I ran to Rebekah's, she and I ran to Eileen's, then the three of us ran about 7 miles before dropping off Eileen. Then back to Rebekah's and two miles back to my place. Not bad, pace-wise, 7:40 average and HR average 158.