Training Summary: 6/23 - 6/29

Weekly Focus: Volume
Mon: AM – 4.5 miles; PM – 9 miles
Tue: AM – 4.5 miles; PM – 9 miles
Wed: AM – 4.5 miles; PM – 11 miles
Thu: AM – 4.5 miles; PM – 9 miles
Fri: AM – 4.5 miles; PM –11 miles
Sat: 7.5 miles
Sun: 16 miles
Total: 95 miles

After being on track for 90 miles last week only to lose it at the end thanks to having to miss three runs due to a really bad blister, I felt like I had some unfinished business coming into this week. I was determined to finish what I started the week before, and fortunately was able to do so and then some. I went back and looked, and my final total of 95 miles was the most I’ve run since November of 2009. The best news of all is I handled it really well. There were times where I felt tired, of course, but there were also times where I felt scary good. Hopefully I’m on the right track with this new training scheme and will be able to build some momentum from here.

As for the specifics, there’s really not much to report. I doubled Monday through Friday and basically just got out and ran at whatever pace felt manageable at the time. The heat and humidity made it tougher than it otherwise would have been, so I figured between that and adjusting to the volume itself, that was enough for now. Going forward I hope to take this high mileage week up another 5-10 miles and also add some ancillary stuff to it. The point of the week is to run higher than usual volume, so you really don’t want to add too much in the way of quality work, but a day or two of strides and maybe a light progression run or tempo wouldn’t hurt once my body has adapted to the mileage. I also need to do my drills, strength work, etc. but let those slide by this past week as well so as to not overstress myself.

This coming week will be the hybrid week of the micro-cycle where the focus will be on both quality and quantity. I’ll drop the mileage down to around 80 and do a couple of fartlek type workouts. I figure my body is still adjusting to the new scheme, so I’m not planning on making anything too challenging just yet, whether it be the volume or the workouts. The idea is to get in a couple successful 3-4 week cycles, then slowly start to crank up the intensity. If all goes well, by the time September gets here and the weather starts to cool a little, I should be pretty fit and ready to roll.

Overall I’m about as optimistic and excited about running as I have been in a long time. Also, in spite of the fact I know age is not on my side, I’m really not feeling any pressure to make something happen in a certain amount of time like I have in the past. I’m going to do this the right way and see what happens. I hope the end result is some of the best racing I’ve done in the last 10 years, but I’m fully prepared for a lengthy process to get there and also accepting of the fact that it might not happen. All I can do is put in the work, be patient, and wait for time to tell. Onward!