Mon - 7 miles easy + weights after
Tue - 10 miles including 4+ mile "tempo"
Wed - 11.5 miles steady
Thu - 6.5 miles easy + weights after
Fri - 10 miles including 8X1 min on/off
Sat - 6.5 miles easy
Sun - 17 miles
Total: 68.5 miles
Really can’t complain much about this past week. In fact, I’d say it was about as good of a week of training as I’ve had in a while. The quantity was there; the quality was there; and I felt solid throughout, albeit a little tired and dead-legged at times. If I can keep knocking out weeks like this, I just might get back in shape!
As far as the specifics go, Tuesday night was the infamous Wildwood Short “tempo” run. For those that might not know, Wildwood Short is a classic course of just over four miles that those of us in the area have been using for years. It’s basically a mile and a half uphill, a mile and a half downhill, and then just over a mile that’s basically flat to the finish. Tempo runs over Wildwood Short rarely go as planned (they’re almost always faster), and Tuesday night was no different. Andy pretty much got after it from the start and it was on like Donkey Kong. With the race still in my legs, I did what I could and probably ran better than expected (certainly faster than planned), but it was still a bit of a struggle and my lack of speed definitely showed as Andy and Andrew put the hammer to me.
Andrew, Matthew, and I followed that up with a medium long run on Wednesday over the standard Ramada loop. This was just one of those days for me. After 3 miles around 7 min pace, everything else was high-6:20’s or low-6:30’s, and I felt like I was just cruising and could go on forever. I wish I’d have more of those types of days, and hopefully I will as I get fitter.
Friday, Andrew and I suffered through some mid-90 degree temps with high humidity while running the Hanging Rock loop. I felt the complete opposite of Wednesday. I’m guessing it was a combination of the past several days along with not being acclimated to the conditions, but it was basically a struggle the whole way. We managed to stick to the plan of 8X1 min on/off starting 6 miles in, and we actually ran fairly well. It just wasn’t easy nor a lot of fun.
The week concluded with a new loop in Fincastle. Andy decided he wanted to run Lees Gap Road from the Brian Center, so he, Andrew, and I headed out to blaze a new course. We had a pretty good idea of what was coming, but I still don’t know why we let Andy pick routes. I actually enjoyed the loop, but let’s just say it wasn’t exactly flat!
Anyway, that’s the week that was. More of the same on tap for this coming week. I might throw in a race this weekend, but I’m not 100% sure yet. I’ll see how the first 3 days go and take it from there. The important thing is I’m feeling good, having fun, and definitely making some progress. I’ll take it! Hope everyone has a good week.
No comments:
Post a Comment