Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Nothing much to say

It's been harder and harder lately to find things to say and then to make the time to post. At least my running hasn't suffered the same fate, as I was able to manage 64 miles in 6 runs last week. It started off well with a decent (but tiring) 3 hour run last Sunday where I learned that the new Nikes are not friendly to my feet on long runs. The easy run and the cutdown runs were also good as the temperatures have moderated nicely here lately. It's been mostly in the 20's during the day (60-70F) and has been dipping down in the single digits at night already (40's). Perfect!

Thurs - easy 1 hour run after work. Ran into a buddy from work and it was a real slow relaxing recovery run as we chatted away.

Friday - got off work early with time for a longer run including some hills at the end. I did 3 repeats of the Bunny hill at what felt like a strong controlled pace but my watch begged to differ. I'm getting of the opinion that there's something wrong with my watch (take last weeks race for instance) but unfortunately it rarely lies. The end result was 9 slow miles with 3 miles of even slower hills.

Sat. - legs still a bit sore from the 'so-called' hill workout as I cruised along for another 8 miles to get the weekly total up to a nice square 64 which was way better than last week's pitiful 46.

Sunday - up early to send off our Ontario visitors and then on the road shortly after for my long run. It was another perfect running weather day with cool temps ranging from 10-15C and low humidity. Things started kind of slow and it took a few miles to get the stiffness that's been hanging in the legs lately. Maybe it's finally time to start a nightly regimen of stretching and strengthening like I always say I'm going to do. Maybe... But after awhile the running felt much easier as I cruised through 2 loops of our downtown before heading out of town for the planned 'fast' finish. Ha! After 12 miles of running there was no fast finish happening today! It felt like I was working and pushing the pace but at every mile split the watch told me a different story. The fastest mile was a 7:50 and it was downhill from there and a relief to find the end of my driveway after 20 miles in 2:45. At least I got the run in.

Monday - rest day with no aches or pains worth writing about in my log

Tues - (today) a mid-day lunchtime run from work as I delayed departure until all the traffic was gone. The temps were a bit warmer today at 24C but still lovely for running. This started out as a slow easy run but because I did it as an out and back the 2nd half became a bit of a race to beat my time going out 4 miles (32:12). Despite vainly trying to hold back a little to save something for my speed runs planned later in the week, the return leg came in at 30:30. It's amazing sometimes you feel so stiff and slow at the start of a run but before you know it, you're cruising and feeling good. It didn't last for long but it was nice while it lasted (on the downhills at least ;-).

Not much else to write home about I'm afraid and it's now only 8 weeks to go. I'm not overly pleased with how my training has been going but then again I'm not unhappy with it either. I seem to be flailing away but nothing is really happening. There are couple of trips planned over the next few weekends that will keep things interesting with some new places to run.

Meanwhile, have a great week and while you're at it go visit Wild Man Bob where you can always Dream Big!

8 comments:

Phil said...

Hey ... you've got plenty to say and you're still the guy I look to when I get down on myself and start thinking that I'm getting too old to improve.

You've got to love your cool temperatures this time of the year. We're still sweltering down here in the south west.

Have a great week.

Thomas said...

Yeah, I have one of those misbehaving watches, too. Seems to be quite common.

8 weeks is still plenty of time for the legs to come round, especially with the cooler temperatures on the way.

Jamie Anderson said...

That ole frustrating writers' block... Happens to the best of us.

This weather is indeed fantastic. It has the deer flies surrendering faster than the French, and hopefully it'll continue until fall really begins.

DawnB said...

Its funny how I can think of a thousand things on the run but when it comes time to post nothing!! I think thats why I've cut down on posting so much!!

You had a pretty decent week.

Have a great week!!

UMaine Cooperative Extension said...

Maybe you need a run with Andrew to get the creative juices flowing.

We should coordinate our MDI weekend in September (I'll bring my own walker thank you very much).

Bruce said...

Good to see you're staying fit & well and logging some decent miles. Less than a month now till your marathon, I'm sure that will provide you with some good material to post about.

You're right about the hikes down here. I did a five day hike down in the South Island before we had the kids and that was a great week. The trails are way shorter in Auckland where I live but still good for a half day hike.

Hope the training goes well over the next month.

Bob - BlogMYruns.com said...

Well that is good news Mike your training is not suffering and your logging some good miles...

if you need some IDEAS to post you can go to my blog ideas that didn't make the starting lineup :-) they still are good just not good enough -haha

www.missed-the-cut-ideas.com -haha

Have a great week my friend & I hope it's not getting cold up there yet!!

Dubs said...

Hope you have some good runs on your trip. Sounds like fun to be able to mix it up some!