Mentally I feel like I have turned a corner. My running is starting to improve and I think as the volume increases that physically I am adapting to the workload and recovering more quickly between sessions. Well those were my thoughts at the start of the week...
Sunday:
AM) short fartlek session
The plan was to run an easy 30min recovery session but I was feeling a little frisky. Ended up running a fartlek session using telegraph poles as markers for when to run hard and when to run easy. Felt good!
Monday:
AM) 1h easy w/ strides
PM) 1h easy
Just a couple of easy runs.
Tuesday:
AM) hill session
Today's hill session didn't go to plan at all. I was scheduled to run 15 repeats but after 5 I was completely done with it. Maybe it was the heat and humidity after the rains yesterday which brought me undone. On the climbs my lungs and legs felt heavy. Out of frustration on the way back to the car I started alternating 30 seconds hard with 30 seconds of easy running. Felt better.
Wednesday:
AM) 45min steady
PM) Mid long run
Felt ordinary and expected to have a very poor run. Goes to show how you feel prior to the run is no indication of how you'll perform. Started out struggling but of course that was before I knew we were moving along at quicker than 4min/km pace. Fast runners make it look easy. After a regroup I found a second wind and was able to finish the session with an average pace for the 27-28km just shy of marathon pace.
Thursday:
AM) 1h easy - with Simon for two laps of the river. Great morning for a run!
Friday:
noon) Easy run
Wilted during my run in the heat. Got about 10km into the run when I realised I was in trouble but when you've gone out, you need to come back. Drank from all the bubblers and taps I passed but it didn't seem to help the situation. Even drenching my face, neck, arms, legs and hat didn't help...
PM) Long Interval session
Regrouped a few hours later with the idea of getting in some quality. Started out conservatively but when I started on my first interval running faster felt reasonable and I was able to cover about 4kms on the first. After a 5min recovery jog I started on the second repeat and while it felt tough I was able to get through it covering another 4km. With a hard 5min left to go I tried pushing it a little and managed to average slightly quicker than 3:20/km pace to finish up the quality work. An easy run back to the car completed the day's training with over 30km in the books.
Saturday:
AM) Easy session
The day started off with thoughts of running long but as the heat quickly picked up I decided that the hour of running I had in my planned schedule would be enough. With my wife picking me up on route to my mother's place for her birthday lunch I went a little over the allotted time but I did manage to add a little excitement to the run when I had to jump over a 2m long brown snack as it crawled out of the creek and ended up in front of me on the footpath. It must have been quite a site as I side-stepped and jumped simultaneously.
Summary:-
Another 130+km of running for the week making it (I think) the third in a row. Looking at the schedule for next week it looks like it's going to be a reduced volume week with a 10k race on the weekend. While some runners look forward to their rest (lower volume) weeks I am already starting to fret over the lack of running and the rest that I know I need to take. I'll have to find another way to fight my demons and quieten the voices that compel me to lace up the shoes and hit the road.
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