… or 12 weeks to go until the Olympic Trials in Manhattan on Nov. 3. Either way, if the fall marathon training season had not begun over the past two weeks, it should be in full force now.
He tough part, of course, is training through the summer months. This past week was particularly tough because of the oppressive heat and humidity, but that’s to be expected in the northeastern United States. I suppose training through such conditions make one tough, at to one’s dementia or make others give it up and get on the bike… you know, go ride a bike 100 miles, which is probably the equivalent to a 10-mile run.
Aw, come on, I’m just kidding. A 100-mile bike ride is like a 15-mile run.
Be that as it is, there was another running story in The New York Times about the contenders for the Trials flocking to Central Park to train over parts of the Olympic Trials course. It’s a pretty interesting story and a good tactic – in 1998 I made a trip to Boston months before the Boston Marathon to train over large sections of the course and it made a difference. I knew what was coming around every corner and where all the tricky climbs and descents were. Sure, I had run the marathon twice before the ’98 race, but the extra runs made me learned. I studied up.
Plus, running up and down Heartbreak Hill for a few days in a row was kind of like taking batting practice at Fenway Park.
Anyway, with 13 weeks to go and the worst of the summertime heat in the past, it will be nice to settle in and get some work in… if I can stay healthy.
Here’s the week of August 6-12:
Monday – 20 miles in 2:15:57
It took me awhile to get warmed up -- 45 minutes actually. Every step I took made me feel like I should turn around and go home. But despite the humidity, which was close to 90 percent, I felt pretty good after that first, difficult 45 minutes. From there I weaved in and out of the streets of my neighborhood, ran a bunch of hills and cranked out the miles. I got pretty tired at the end, but I ran fairly solidly for nearly 2 hours.
Tuesday – 10.5 miles in 1:13:31
Just a miserable day. I struggled the entire time and I was surprised that I went as far as I did because of the ehat and humidity. It seems as if it was 90 and 90 today, which is no good for anyone. If pushed I could have turned out 13 to 15, but it would not have been very fun.
Wednesday – 1st run: 10 miles in 67:11
2nd run: 10 miles in 66:12
Total: 20 miles in 2:13:23
Another nasty, hot and humid day. It was 90 and 90 again this morning/afternoon so I pushed out 10 in 67:11. Needless to say it was very hard work though I'm sure I could have turned in 13 to 15.
I went out again around 7:20 and busted out 10 more when it wasn't as hot or humid. It wasn't great and I was dripping with sweat a few miles into the run, but I was able to go at 6:20 pace through the early miles on the way to a 66:12 10-miler.
Hopefully the relief comes soon.
Thursday – 10 miles in 68:31
It was a bit cooler than the past two days, but still over 90 degrees with high humidity. Either way, I felt pretty good during the beginning of the run, but wilted toward 10 miles in. I went to my house to get something to drink before trying to leg out 3 to 5 more, but I started to feel a little dizzy and nauseous. Upon further review it seemed as if I was starting to dehydrate.
On another note, I'm going to the doctor tomorrow to have my pelvis/groin examined. From talking to people it's possible that I could have a hernia.
God I hope not.
Friday – 16 miles in 1:49:31
Back to my old self for a change. I finally got a chance to run some miles thanks to cooler temps, lower humidity and a relatively clean bill of health. However, the problem during the run was that I was as slow as hell for some reason. Perhaps the heat from the past three days as worn me down a bit? Maybe it's the weakened muscles in my pelvis/lower back area?
Either way, I enjoyed running for a change and it appears as if tomorrow will be another good day in which to crank out some miles.
splits:
1st 5 - 33:52
2nd 5 - 33:55
3rd 5: 34:22
Saturday – 18 miles in 2:01:11
Very similar to yesterday, though I didn't slow down too drastically until the end of the run. However, I did a lot of unstructured fartlek where I surged for a little while before backing off.
The tough part is the muscle strain -- or whatever the hell it is -- in my lower back and abdomen/pelvis. I'm beginning to think it's something that can be "fixed" with a chiropractic adjustment.
I guess it's time to make the call.
Either way, I'm pleased about putting out some miles.
Splits:
1st 5 - 33:34
2nd 5 - 33:32
3rd 5 - 33:51
Sunday – 12.5 miles in 1:23:18
I wanted to go a little more than the normal Sunday five miles so I did. Actually, I was going to wrap it up around 8 or 9 miles, but ran into Dr. Jeff Kirchner and added another 5. That was fine by me... it's always fun to see the good Doctor. Plus, the guy can move.
Anyway, I went a little more than 2 miles to get to the field and then did 5 in 32:54. Either way it was a pretty fun relaxing outing.
There’s 10 straight week in triple digits with a rally for 107. Phew, that was a tough one.