This Week's Number is 5

As in 5 miles every day this week. Today was a 1-2-3-2-1 fartlek day, and even though it hurts like crazy to run fast up those hills, I know it will pay off on race day. I'm just over 7 weeks out from the marathon, and today I was checking it out online. There's a video of the course, and it looks like...a long distance. But days like today make me hopeful that I can run the 26.2 without hobbling myself for the week after.

Great Run

If all easy runs were as easy as this one, life would be good. Two times around the neighborhood for a total of 5 miles with an overcast sky and temps in the upper 70s. Prime running conditions. And don't think I don't appreciate that.

Good Tempo Run

Tonight I waited until the sun went down to try and actually get some good speedwork in, and it paid off. I went 5 miles to Target and back. The hills, as previously mentioned on this page, are absolute killers, especially on the way back. For some reason this week I've got some extra energy, and tonight I ran the hills pretty hard. I did 22 minutes of the tempo run, and in that time did 2.5 miles. If I'm doing the math correctly, that averages to less than 9 minutes/mile. I'm pretty happy with that, especially when you throw in the hills. Maybe there's hope for me yet. It just needs to be cool is all.

Oh Good, It's Hot Again

Yahoo! Weather says 96 degrees with a heat index of 101 as I finished up today's run. I would agree that it's at least that hot.

I probably went farther than I should have in today's easy recovery run, but 5 miles seemed like a good number to me. And at least there was something that resembled a breeze. It still amazes me how fast the block of ice that is in my water bottle when I start becomes totally thawed and almost warm by the time I finish. And actually it doesn't even take that long. By the time I'm to the halfway point the ice is gone. I like summer much better than winter, but this extreme heat is getting old.

It's a Miracle!

The weather, that is. Rain last night, and this morning was nice and cool, below 70 degrees when I started out at 6 a.m. That's the coolest it's been in what seems like months. It was great! I ran my 18 miles and learned that my water bottle won't last that long. I stopped at one of the model homes in our neighborhood and topped it off.

This was definitely my highest-mileage week so far, hitting 36 on the mileage scale. My long run probably shouldn't be 50% of the total, but as it starts cooling off in the next month that will probably change. I'm also going to switch some of my long runs around so that when I'm in St. Louis in three weeks I'm not trying to do a 20-miler while on vacation. Just trying to use a little common sense is all.

And now back to our regularly scheduled hot weather.

Thursday Intervals

I'm still not up to speed, as it were, with my interval work. Today was supposed to be 6x800, but it ended up being 4x800 for an overall total of 4 miles. I think the combination of rotten sleep at night for the past two weeks, four weeks or so of running in the heat, a 25-mph wind blowing in my face, and a sore right calf combined to beat me down today. But I have two extra weeks built into my schedule, so I think in the long run (again, no pun intended) things will work out okay.

Exploring

Took a new route tonight through a nearby neighborhood just for fun. It was a little tough getting out of said neighborhood because I wasn't sure where it emptied out onto the main street, but I eventually got there. All in all I figure the distance was at least 5.5 miles, if not more. But I'll leave it at that since I'm not exactly sure. I do know there were some big hills in that neighborhood, and with the high humidity it sure seemed like a good long run.

Lesson Learned

So I've said before that I'm not the speediest of runners. Today I learned that in a big way.

This afternoon's session was supposed to be 20 minutes of intervals. I started out thinking that I would run my warmup doing 10-minute miles and then increase my speed after about 15 minutes. Come to find out - doing a 10-minute IS my fast pace. I was hoping to run 10-minute miles in the marathon, but unless something drastic happens in the next 8 1/2 weeks, that pace would freaking kill me! So now I know I'm slow, but I guess I can live with it since my goal all along was to finish, not to finish in a certain amount of time.

The total for the day was 3.5 miles, the first three at the 10-minute/mile pace, and then a final run up Killer Hill, and I attacked it pretty well, doing at a pretty good clip. Not the speed work I set out to do, but it'll work.

Long Easy Run

Tonight's easy recovery run was 5 miles, the longest Monday run I've had in...well, at least since I started this plan. I ran the usual Monday route, but threw in a twist by doing a loop through a nearby neighborhood that just had a new street paved last week. It was probably too much given the temperature was 94 degrees and, according the 5 o'clock news, the humidity was over 70%. Yuck. I almost didn't take my water bottle, but I wouldn't have made it if I'd left it at home.

Saturday Morning Run

Today was a relatively modest 14-miler, and I was out the door before 6 a.m. Compared to last week's long run it wasn't as hot, but it was definitely more humid. I was sweating profusely about 2 miles into the run, and I do have to say it wasn't the easiest run I've had. I was wondering if maybe there was something sinister about this particular distance (see my previous 14-mile effort), but I put that worry to rest.

Lots of people out this morning walking and running, plus a few bikers. One thing I learned is that if I'm going to set a time goal for my marathon I'll have to pick up the pace a little. I think today averaged out to about 11 minutes/mile, and really I'd rather be closer to 10. I'm also way below the mark on the recommended mileage per week on my plan. For instance, this week's total was supposed to be 40 miles and my total was 31.5. I don't run the day before the long run, so that takes away 4-5 miles right there, but maybe I need to add a little extra on the other days. I don't want to increase it too much, though, since therein lies an easy path to injury. It would also help my cause if this heat wave would take a hike, but the next few days look like more of the same.

Fartlek Night!

Okay, so I was going to wait until later in the evening, but clouds rolled in and the temps dropped to the low 90's. Since I had computer work to do, I went for it. 5 miles including fartleks, and of course it had the usual bit of drama.

I was doing 6-4-3-2-1 intervals, and halfway through the 3-minute speed run I felt a sharp pain in my right calf. I went about 200 yards to see if it would go away quickly, and it didn't. So I walked for a little bit, found a curb, stretched my calves, and continued on. No problems after that, but for a few moments I thought I was going to have to hobble back home. I blame the new shorts. Or the new socks. It had to be one of the two.

Almost Like Cheating

Just reeled off a 5-miler, and yes, it really felt like it was "reeled off." After several weeks of running in the blazingly direct sunlight, which I'm convinced has a cumulative effect, I waited until 8 o'clock tonight before setting out. What a difference! Running in the last light of the day was incredibly refreshing. My pace was quicker, the hills seemed like mere bumps in the path, and I was hardly sweating compared to what's come lately. Since tomorrow is speed work I will probably wait until late to run again.

Taking that Extra Credit

Today was a hot one, 100 degrees with a heat index of 105. So I ran a generously measured 3.5 miles, and yes, I am taking that extra credit. This run included a 15-minute tempo run. I'm behind the schedule on my tempo runs, since today was supposed to last 24 minutes. My thought is to be smart and not push it too hard when it's so stinking hot. I can catch up on tempo runs in a few weeks when it cools down.

Extra Credit?

I mean, seriously, shouldn't I get extra credit for running when the heat index is above 100 degrees? That was the case again today, when I ran 4 miles and carried my new best friend, the trusty water bottle, with me. The distance isn't that bad, but the bad thing about living in a new neighborhood surrounded by other new developments is that shade is almost non-existent. It's so bad that the minimal shade of the saplings planted by the side of the road is a welcome relief.

On another note, this is the 100th post on my little blog here. Which means that due to a couple of extraneous posts, I've probably run 97 or 98 times since starting this thing. Maybe when it's all said and done I'll add up how many miles that represents.

16 Miles!

Hard to believe I actually did it, but I did. I got up this morning at the regular time and hit the road by 6 a.m. Three hours and 16 miles later I returned. It actually wasn't too bad since about the first 6 miles were done before the sun came up. The only time I stopped running was to cross the highway three times, but that was so quick it didn't really count. My weekly mileage was down due to shuffling the schedule around to go to cousin Heather's wedding tomorrow, but that's okay. It should pick back up above 30 miles next week. The heat wave continues. Hopefully running a marathon in October won't be so bad if the temperature's not above 100 degrees.

Tough Run

My thought process this afternoon: it's about 5:00, and the temperature is hot. There's a breeze blowing from the south that makes it feel a little better, but it's still scorching outside. I check the forecast. By 8:00 the temperature will drop a whopping five degrees. Five. I'd like to run earlier in the afternoon so I can get a few things done. I can pull my drink out of the freezer and take it with me because I know I'll need it. Throwing common sense to the wind, I go for it.

This is how it goes once I step out the door: It is hot. Scorching doesn't even begin to describe how hot it is. Gamely, I start jogging, keeping it nice and slow. One mile in I'm okay, but I notice that my drink bottle, which was 2/3 ice when I started, is already almost completely melted into nothing but water. Through the next several miles I take swigs of water and spit them out, keeping my mouth from getting dry. About mile three I squirt some water on top of my head. It feels reeeeeaaaaalllly good. Mile four, and it's still hot. I think about walking, but it's still a long way back, and I think I can make it without suffering a heat stroke. By this point when I squirt water on my head it's not the least bit cold any more. After five miles, I make it home.

It was only five miles, but it was one of the toughest runs I've ever had. If I hadn't taken my water bottle I never would have made it. This is one of those outings that I'm proud of. I didn't give up, and even though it was only 5 miles it counts for a lot more in my mind. This is one of those runs that makes me think I can complete a marathon. If I could go out today and finish waht I had planned, I can do 26.2.

Stupid Time

I should have waited another half hour before leaving the house, seeing as how the heat index was still over 100 degrees when I started. That was stupid. But I listened to my body and stopped after 3 miles instead of going the full 5, which was smart. I could use the miles this week, but when the temperature is this hot it's better to play it safe. Living to run another day is better than running too far in the heat just to get a couple more miles under my feet.

Routine but Late

The only thing different about today's 4-mile easy run was that I waited until almost 8 p.m. to head out the door. The temperature gauge hit 100 degrees today and with the heat index it was at least 106. Let's just get this straight...I ain't running outside when it's that hot. Take it to the bank.

An Entourage

Normally I run alone, but this morning I had a nice entourage of flies to keep me company as I ran past some old cow pastures. Yeah, that was fun. I must have looked like a crazy person shuffling along at my slow pace and pawing at the air as I tried to shoo the stupid things away.

I was out the door before 6 this morning, and ran 12 miles. That seems to be an easy enough distance for me so far, easy being a relative term. I'm not sure if it's because my pace is so darn slow, about 11 minutes per mile, or if it's because I ran an out and back route so there was no opportunity for stopping or walking unless I just gave up. Next week is a 16-mile long run, so I have some planning to do so I can ensure it'll go smoother than last week's outing. Today was encouraging, though, and I'd like to carry this momentum forward.

Rain!

I did actually run yesterday afternoon, but was busy taking care of a freezer that decided to spontaneously defrost so I didn't get to make my post-run entry. It was an interesting outing. When I started out it was 90 degrees and humid as all get-out, and I ran 5 miles total, including a series of 5-4-3-2-1 fartleks. Ugh.

Anyway, after doing that last one minute interval, I thought about cutting the route short but decided that I wasn't going to be a weenie, at least not on this run. So I continued on, and about three minutes later it started to rain, glorious rain! It was almost like God said good for you, I'm going to cool you down a little bit since you didn't give up. And even though that freezer was waiting to be dealt with at home, it was still a great ending.

More Fun in the Sun

4 miles of a supposedly easy run today. This is vintage Kansas City in the summer: 90 degrees and so humid that running 4 miles seems like going about 10. Unbelievable.