Mon: 7.5 miles
Tue: 4.5 miles (AM); 7.5 miles (PM)
Wed: 9 miles, including turnover work
Thu: 6.5 miles
Fri: 10 miles, including short, progression/tempo
Sat: 6 miles
Sun: 16 miles
Total: 67 miles
I was pretty disappointed with this week for a couple of reasons. First, I was coming off a down week and really wanted to rebound with a good one. In fact, I didn't just want to rebound with a good one; I actually needed to do so because the next three weeks are likely to be somewhat chaotic and less than optimal. However, instead of getting a week in the mid-70's with a couple of solid workouts, I had to settle for about 10 miles less than that and really nothing that spectacular in terms of quality. That lack of quality is the other thing that disappointed me as I just felt run down all week. I was really wondering what the deal was, but as I type this, I think I figured it out. I'm basically sick as a dog right now and was probably fighting a losing battle throughout the week. I'm sure the cool, windy weather that we seem to be stuck with practically seven days a week anymore didn't help.
As far as runs worth mentioning, the Wednesday turnover workout was my worst such session since I started trying to put some speed back in my legs a couple months ago. I completed four sets of 400/300/200 on the track with 200 recovery, but I simply had no legs from the start and it was pretty much a joke. I came back with a short 15 minute progression/tempo on the Hanging Rock Battlefield Trail on Friday, and considering how I'd felt the couple days prior to that along with the fact that the trail is slower than the roads, it wasn't a bad workout. By the end I was down to around 5k pace and feeling decent. The long run on Sunday was very solid and felt really good until not too long after it was over. I completed just over 16 miles in an hour and 46 minutes for an overall average of 6:37 per mile. The whole thing felt like I was just cruising and even holding back a little with the exception of the 15th mile where I let it go a little and ran 6:02 in the process. I was feeling pretty good about myself until like I said a little after it was over when I started to feel very tired and run down again. That turned into achiness in my muscles, lots of coughing, and very stuffed-up nasal passages that as I mentioned earlier I'm still fighting as I type this.
Anyway, the good news is I've topped 300 miles every month so far this year and in doing so I'm sure I've built a pretty solid base. Furthermore, even though I've still got a long way to go, I've put at least a little speed back in my legs. The bad news, however, is that after this past week failed to go according to plan, it looks likely that I'm going to wind up treading water for probably four weeks in a row. That's certainly not what I wanted heading into the late-April and May racing season, but it is what it is. I plan to do the best I can with what I've got to work with and hopefully I won't lose much in the way of fitness and then can go back to making good gains towards the end of the month and beyond. Nothing comes easy, so do what it takes!
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