I would like to think that I’ve found some rather interesting things to write about over the course of this blog’s lifespan. I’m fully ready to admit that some topics may not have had carried much excitement with them outside of my own mind, but that’s ok! However, it occurred to me while I was running this past weekend that I rarely comment on my regular running and training regiment. There is always a race report, a gear review, or an interesting topic to discuss, but 90% of my running life consists of the day-to-day training. So, I thought it would be nice to jump in with a weekly run-down from time to time, lest you think this whole running thing is nothing more than a figment of my imagination. Granted, if recent NSA revelations are any indication, I could still be making all of this up as an elaborate cover for a life of covert ops and espionage, but we won’t go there 
This post comes during what was a rest week for me. My training plan involves 3 weeks of increasing mileage, followed by a recovery week. I’m then able to repeat that pattern with increasing mileage each week.
Monday
In the past year, I’ve typically positioned Monday and Friday as rest days. However, I’ve been ramping up my mileage a bit and I can’t run Tuesday morning now that the fall semester has begun, so quick Monday evening runs have been creeping into my routine. I went out for a quick “sort of” speed workout along a normal route in town.
Distance: 3.3 miles
Pace: 7:50/mile
Tuesday
This whole week was much hotter than normal for the end of August and Tuesday was one of the hotter days, which temps soaring into the upper-90s. I began my run around 4:30, when the sun was still relatively high, and squeezed in some early miles. I met up with a friend with far more speed, and he did a nice job of pushing me hard (even if he denies it!) until we arrived at our normal Tuesday group run. I refueled and set out with our group of friends, and the heat really started to get to me. I’m proud (?) to say that I’ve never thrown up during a workout (yes, I know it’s only a matter of time), but I think this run was about the closest I’ve ever been. The shower afterwards was definitely well-earned.
Distance: 10.2 miles
Pace: 9:14/mile
Wednesday
I had no interest in a repeat of the previous days’ run, and the forecast was for an equally hot day. Thus, I headed out for an early morning run to avoid some of the heat. The temp was still around 80, and the humidity sat at 90%, but it was a relief nonetheless. It provided a nice jumpstart to a productive day as well.
Distance: 4.4 miles
Pace: 8:26/mile (close to intended marathon pace)
Thursday
Tuesdays and Thursdays are particularly busy because not only do I teach, but the beautiful epicurean and I are also auditing a Spanish class. Thus, an evening run will always be in the cards. It was another hot one, and my body was still not a fan so I took it easy. At this point, I’m almost convinced that I am just unable to truly acclimate to hot weather. I am SO excited for fall running weather! I kept my route simple and did a few laps around a local park where I knew I had plenty of easy access to water.
Distance: 6.2 miles
Pace: 9:03/mile
Friday
It was a delightful rest day! Well, as long as “rest” entails plenty of reading, research, and of course planning
Saturday
The biggest difference between other weeks and recovery weeks is the shortened long runs on Saturday and Sunday. This week, I only had 14 miles on the schedule, which meant I could sleep in a bit longer. I ended up meeting up with some friends to begin at 5:30, and we met others at 6:00. My legs felt really good during the whole run, and I was really enjoying the new compression socks I just purchased (review forthcoming!). However, a larger than normal dose of dairy, in the form of a delicious gluten-free pizza the night before, was giving my stomach quite the workout of its own. I’ll spare you the details, but sufficed to say, it wasn’t quite as comfortable of a run as it could have been. The route, the friends, and conversation were fantastic, however, and the miles floated by rather easily. I ended up going a bit long but kept my pace in check so I was still really pleased with the run, as well as getting home early enough to still have the whole day ahead of me. Was anyone else as excited as I was for the first weekend of college football?!
Distance: 18.9 miles
Pace: 8:27/mile
Sunday
This is usually my one day of the week to “sleep in”, by which I mean not being awake by 6:30AM at the latest. We still squeezed in some extra zzz’s but were up early, which meant I could tackle my 10-miler earlier than normal as well. It rained during the night, which cooled things down considerably. The mercury stayed in the low 80s all day, which was wonderful. The result was a very pleasant Sunday morning run. I was able to get back in time to check on a number of friends who had races in the morning.
Distance: 9.7 miles
Pace: 8:33/mile
Total Weekly Mileage: 52.8 miles
Overall, it was a quality training week, despite the heat. I keep telling myself that the heat is just going to make my fall races that much more enjoyable. My mileage for the coming week ramps back up, culminating in a 25-miler on Saturday, so stay tuned and happy running!
