Training for 8/31/09

This morning was weight training. Summer is over, folks. It was barely 70 degrees today. I’m sad.

This weekend, I did my last long run. It was only seven miles, but I ran it in 58:41, at what turned out to be my goal pace. I felt really good when it was over, like I could have kept up that pace for another 6.1 miles.

The plan for the rest of the week is some short, easy runs of 4.5 to 5 miles each tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday, a rest day Friday and maybe a couple of very slow, easy miles Saturday morning before leaving for Virginia Beach. I don’t really know how to properly do a taper, so I’m playing it by ear. I just want to feel fresh Sunday morning, but not like I’ve lost some of the fitness I’ve gained in training. Tapering is tricky stuff, apparently.

And since it’s the last day of the month, it’s time to recap what I did in August.

Mileage:

• Week 1 (Aug. 1): 10.5 miles
• Week 2 (Aug. 2-8): 24.5
• Week 3 (Aug. 9-15): 25.5
• Week 4 (Aug. 16-22): 23
• Week 5 (Aug. 23-29): 19.5

Total: 103 miles, my first month in which I ran more than 100 miles! I also ran my longest distance ever, 13.1 miles on Aug. 15.

In speed work, I ran my fastest mile yet (6:46 on Aug. 13) and my fastest mile and a half ever (10:21 on Aug. 27).

And for the second straight month, I suffered zero injuries.

September’s mileage is going to suffer dramatically compared to August’s, but I have two races — the half on the 6th and a 5K on the 26th. I will obviously PR in the half, since it’ll be my first time running one. I’m hoping to run a sub-22 in the 5K, but I would be happy just to set a new PR. My current is 23:42.

In non-running excitement for the upcoming month, I’m going to the NASCAR races in Richmond and Dover, a friend’s wedding and, oh yeah, my own wedding on the 19th. Big month!

Training for 8/28/09

This morning was weight training.

I’ve got seven easy miles planned for tomorrow, my last long run before the race. Then Clark and I are packing a year of wedding planning into a day — we’re headed to the tux shop, jeweler, cake baker and hotel where the ceremony and reception will be held.

My dress and photography are already taken care of, so after tomorrow, only the flowers will remain. That should be checked off next week.

Sunday is a rest day, from everything. Unless there really is practically a hurricane tomorrow. Then the long run will be moved to Sunday morning.

Training for 8/27/09

This morning was my last tempo run, and my last speed work of any kind, before the race in a mere 10 days. When I was in the Air Force, we had to run 1.5 miles as part of our annual fitness test. My fastest time was 11:23 or 11:28, I can’t remember exactly. So today, I extended one of the tempo miles to 1.5 miles, just to see if this torture has really made me faster.

I would have to say it has. I ran it in 10:21 — more than a minute faster than my previous best and an average pace of 6:54/mile.

I would almost reenlist for a couple of years just to show off how much faster I got at the fitness test. Just kidding. Only a six-figure, non-taxable bonus could make me consider reenlisting.

Anyway, after a recovery half mile, I wanted to do my second tempo mile at my goal race pace, 8:23, but I finished in 7:52.

Then I did another half mile and called it a day.

Bring on the half!

Training for 8/26/09

Another Wednesday morning, another half-hour trail run. That big-ass spider was in the same spot as last week, but I was expecting it, so I didn’t almost run into it and I didn’t almost have a panic attack.

I saw something I’ve never seen on that trail before — another person! I got out there earlier than usual, and there was an old guy walking the trail. He was heading down a trail I’d already run, so I hope he appreciated all the spider webs I knocked out for him.

Training for 8/25/09

This morning, I did my 4.5 miles of speed intervals as usual. It was the last time I’ll do that run before the race, and Thursday will be the last day of any speed work at all before the race. The run went really well, which was nice after the crappiest long run of my entire training plan on Saturday. I think I got back some of my confidence.

There was actually a slight chill in the air at 6:45 a.m. today, like it had cooled down overnight for the first time in forever. As nice as it was to not be smacked in the face by sweltering heat, it still made me a little sad that summer’s ending soon. But I won’t be deeply depressed until about January, when it’s dark before 5 p.m. and freezing cold.

Training for 8/24/09

Happy first day of school, suckers!

Since today was in fact the first day of school in Caroline County, I had to get up nice and early to get pictures of all the little kiddies reluctantly heading back to class. Since I stupidly forgot to bring home a camera Friday, I had to get up REALLY nice and early to drive all the way to the office to get one before backtracking to Colonel. Go me.

After getting pictures at Colonel and Federalsburg (where Aunt Helen was buzzing around like a hummingbird), I went home and lifted weights before showering and coming into the office. I knew I would be too tired to lift when I get home from work this evening.

This Saturday’s long run was just… ugh. I did 10.5 painfully slow and tiring miles. Since I no longer have to go to those alcohol classes in Georgetown, I didn’t have to get up at 5 a.m. to run. So the night before, Clark and I went to Salisbury, where we drank too much at dinner and then went to a late movie to sober up. That movie was Inglorious Basterds, which was my first Quentin Tarantino film and HOLY CRAP there was a lot of people getting shot the hell up with machine guns. It was 1 a.m. when we got out of the theater, and 2 a.m. when we got home and went to bed.

Then, when we woke up at 7:30 a.m., it was on the verge of pouring its butt off outside. I was going to run anyway, but the pouring rain was accompanied by thunder and plenty of lightning.

When that cleared up, it was 9 a.m. The sun came out and it was nice and hot and muggy. I got about three miles down the road when I knew I just wasn’t feeling it. I kept stopping to walk and sip on the water bottle I had. Usually that bottle is more than enough, even for the 13 miles I did last week, but I could have finished it before the 5-mile mark, I was sweating so much.

There were many times I passed a road and almost took it, just to get a shortcut home. But I made myself do the whole 10.5 miles I’d planned on.

When I finally made it home (I didn’t time it, but it was probably close to 1hr40min, which is pitiful for me), the sweat was literally dripping off the hem of the quick-dry wicking shorts I was wearing. Everything I was wearing, even my shoes, was thoroughly soaked through. Even after hanging up everything to dry, it was still wet several hours later. And it was all made of material that’s supposed to dry out quickly.

After that debacle, I was pretty happy Sunday was a rest day. I just wish the crappy long run had happened a few weeks ago, when I still had some long runs left. Now that’s going to be the last one I’ll remember. I still have a 7-miler scheduled for this Saturday, but that’s not really all that long for me anymore. Blah.

Training for 8/21/09

This morning was weight training in the upstairs room. Very hot already at 8 a.m. I’m not usually one to complain about heat, but I’m looking forward to this “cold front” that’s supposed to be coming through tonight. Especially since I have 10.5 miles scheduled for tomorrow and no 9 a.m. alcohol class that will force me to get out of bed early enough to run before it gets hot.

Training for 8/20/09

I did 4.5 miles at the high school track this morning. Though I intended to run two of those miles at a 7:00 pace, that didn’t work out, thanks to the oppressive humidity (even though I got there 30 minutes earlier than usual.) The first mile clocked in at 7:10, and the second was cut short to a half mile, though it was on pace to be 7:00. I’m just pretty sure I would have passed out before finishing it.

This is the first time I let the weather slow me down, and, though I know it’s best to pull back on your effort in heat like this, I still feel like a big wuss. It didn’t help when, as soon as I slowed down from the half-mile at tempo, my iPod queued up “I’m a Loser” by the Beatles. Really, thanks.

Training for 8/19/09

This morning’s 30-minute trail run featured more wildlife than usual. Two deer went speeding past me, a little turtle was trying to get run over in the middle of the trail and I almost ran face-first into an enormous spiderweb — with the huge red-brown spider still sitting in the center of it. I came very close to just cutting the run short and heading back to my car at that point, but I made it the rest of the way without any more close calls. I have this inexplicable fear that any spider that gets on me will shoot straight for my mouth. And that sucker would have choked me. Yuck.

You know how you don’t hear about something for a long time and then it suddenly starts popping up all over the place? This morning, Clark found a deer tick on his stomach and said he hoped he didn’t get Lyme disease. Then, as I was about to get in my car after my run, this old guy pulled up to me in his car and asked if I ever got ticks while on the trail. He said he goes walking on the trail, and the last time, he hadn’t even made it into the woods yet when he found a tick on his hand, so he left. Then he said his daughter is a nurse at a hospital, and she told him several people have come in this summer with Lyme disease.

Up until today, I never thought about ticks. You better believe I took those two incidents as a sign that I better start thinking about them. I checked myself thoroughly as soon as I got home, and I’m happy to report I found no ticks.

Training for 8/18/09

Yes, it’s August. Yes, it’s hot out there. That’s all I’m going to say about the weather here today.

Today was my usual Tuesday morning speed intervals on the usual 4.5-mile route. Since I’ll be tapering and taking it easy the last week before the race, I realized next Tuesday will be the last time I do these intervals before the race. In fact, next week will be the last time I do any speed work before the race. It’s so close!