Training Summary: Aug 8-14

Aug 8-14
Mon: 7 miles, incl turnover workout (7X60 sec, 1X90 sec)
Tue: 5.5 miles easy
Wed: 8.5 miles, incl fartlek workout (:30/1/2/3/3/2/1/:30)
Thu: 5 miles easy
Fri: 5 miles easy
Sat: 3 miles easy
Sun: AM – 9 miles, incl aerobic interval workout (2 X 1.5 miles); PM – 3.5 miles easy
Total: 46.5 miles

This week had some positives, but it also had one major negative, the heat/humidity. I implemented my plan to start running more workouts, and the first one on Monday went well. Aside from feeling like I hadn’t done hardly any workouts in the last 8 months (hmmmm, wonder why that was?), I ran at the expected paces or faster and then felt pretty good the next day as well. From there, however, things went south quickly.

Wednesday saw the return of high temps and high humidity, and it was 91 degrees with a heat index even higher than that when we did the scheduled fartlek workout on the Salem Distance Run 5k course. Now, the SDR course is tough in the best of circumstances, but when the heat index is approaching triple digits, it’s just plain brutal. I felt bad from the start, including during the w-up, but since I was determined to run workouts this week, I went through with everything as planned, although I was smart enough to temper my expectations and not try to pursue a very fast pace. Unfortunately, that didn’t matter. By the second half of the workout, I was just cooked. That night I got multiple calf cramps and couldn’t even sleep well. A couple days later I jokingly said I thought I had a heat stroke, which I know wasn’t the case, but I did put myself in a major hole that took 3 days to dig out of. So much for a really solid week of training! I did recover well enough to do a workout on Sunday. I can’t say I felt good during that one, but I got some work done and wasn’t totally trashed after like I was on Wednesday.

Honestly I’m frustrated and unsure of what to do at the moment. I want to make a return to racing, but I don’t feel my fitness level is quite good enough yet to do so, and thanks to one of the worst summers for running I can remember, I don’t know how I can change that. It’s so hot I can’t run enough volume and/or enough quality to improve my fitness. Very many miles, and I’m feeling burned out; reduced miles with workouts, and I get something like this past week. There just doesn’t seem to be a good answer. I guess all I can do is try to strike the best balance of training I can and wait for it to get cooler. Morning workouts might be an option, but with my work schedule they’re pretty hard to pull off, especially on a consistent basis.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got for now. Try to stay cool, everyone, and remember, fall is on its way!