Training Highlights

7/31-8/6

Hardest Workout

Tuesday Morning Tempo

2 mile warm up that turned into a 3 mile warm up…

6 mile tempo with a speed limit of 7:00/mile pace…actual average pace 7:06/mile

1.5 mile cool down

Afternoon Run

3 miles easy

Best Run 

Tuesday Tempo

Splits (6:56, 7:04, 7:07, 7:06, 7:16, 7:05)  These splits are a huge improvement for me.  I have not mastered the art of pacing, but I think I did a good job on this run.

Tempo runs are always a challenge for me.  They are the workouts that I believe make the difference on race day.  In the first mile, I get slightly out of breath, then my lungs open up a little, my stride gets longer, and if I am pacing myself correctly, I reach a point where the target pace is still hard but manageable.  My lungs and pacing make tempo runs difficult.  Being out of breath and unable to reach that hard but manageable state makes me nervous.  This is one of very few successful tempo runs.

Long Run

16 miles @  8:15/mile (average)

I ran at the lake this morning, and the humidity got the best of me for the second half of this run.  A 2hr 15min run plus a 1hr 15min drive to Euless and back to pick up my kids gave me enough reason to make the ‘Mommy is taking a nap for an hour’ announcement after I took a much needed shower.

Weather

Not quite as hot.  Still humid.  Current heat index… 107 degrees.

Gear Notes

On Monday, I ran in my Vibram Five Finger V-Run Road Running Shoes for the last time.

For every mile after Monday, I ran in my Altra Escalantes.

Upcoming Races

Hottest Half on August 13, 2017

This will be a training run.  A place to practice mid race hydration and running negative splits.

Coming Up Next Week…

High Mileage.  Tempo Run Tuesday.   No Taper.

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Day 2

Another day without running…

At LA Fitness, I swam 360 yards which is a new distance record for me.  I felt completely out of breath and had to take breaks, but it felt good to take on a new challenge!

I ate Fritos.  

Even though I limit my Frito intake during hard training, they are not that unhealthy.  There are only three ingredients.  Corn, corn oil, and salt.

I’ve read where corn can increase inflammation, but corn does not seem to hurt Kenyan runners.  A staple in their diet is Ugali, which is corn flour and water, so a bag of Fritos every now and then can’t hurt too much!

I went on a walk in my flip flops!

And I rode my son’s scooter.  I am not very fast.  But it was fun trying.

Two days down, five to go!

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Random Unorganized Running Updates and a Boring Intro

This week began as an ‘off week.’  Not a taking off from running week, but a feeling off kind of week.  My whole family seemed to feel under the weather.  My son and I felt terrible on Memorial Day.  I managed to get in my 10 mile run, but afterwards, my son and I chilled at home, and then went to see a movie in the afternoon.  Going to the movies ended up being a weird experience, because in the middle of a ninja scene where the screen was mostly black with a little red, everything went black.  

An Easy Solution to a Painful Problem

For the past two and a half months, my left achilles tendon has given me trouble.  Not constant trouble.  But enough trouble that I am writing about it.  I eased back on miles run in my racing flats, but I increased my training otherwise.  I knew I needed to work on my form, so I started focusing more on keeping my stride even, staying light on my feet, and maintaining a natural and relaxed arm swing.  While all of this helped, it required what seemed like too much focus, and something still felt off.  I would get done with a run, and within thirty minutes my left achilles tendon would tighten up, and my left hamstring and calf would ache.  It felt like nerve pain was shooting down the back of my left leg.