week of 27 August

Mo - 10.07
3 nbrhd loops (3x2.93), plus the 1.11 loop, plus running back to my house (0.17). Had to get to the scheduled 10! I ran this
wp7-3

Tu - Rest
Flew out to California and drove into the desert as is my custom. Couldn't get myself out of bed early enough to run and make it to the airport. I'm really having a hard time getting motivated to get up lately. My flight was canceled and I got there too late to consider running without screwing up tomorrow's VO2max run. Running after flying all day is usually a no-no anyway. (I always pull something.)

We -- 9.0 w/ 6 x ~2min @ 5K w/ 90 sec jog
Jogged from my hotel 2.25 out to the "2-mile square" (a block of roads a half mile on a side). Each side of the square is within 0.01 of a half mile on gmap. Gotta love the desert. Continued another 0.5 down the first side (2.75 in 25:17, 9:12 pace), then did the 6 intervals:

1. 2:13/169 (peak 176), jog 1:33/164
2. 2:04/170 (174), jog 1:32/167
3. 2:07/174 (183), 1:38/171,
4. 2:04/181 (171 -- HRM graph looks wrong), jog 1:33/169,
5. 2:19/174 (172 -- HRM graph looks wrong), jog 1:34/170,
6. 2:09/179 (184).

The six intervals left me in the middle of my sixth "side." I felt like I was going too slow in the first couple of intervals and didn't get going until the third one, where I managed to hit 187. I was just dying in the last two. I didn't really tie up, I just was tired like running the last 500 meters of a 5K. I don't know what the matter with me. I'm also wondering whether my HRM was messed up. The graph only show normal looking peaks for intervals 1, 2, 3, and 6.

I can't quite tell how fast I did the intervals but it felt very slow. 5.5 sides is 2.75 miles. I'm not sure where I was on the side, but I'm guessing I was in the middle to within .1. The total time (including jogs) was 20:53 in 2.75 +/- 0.1 is 7:36 +/- :17. If I exclude the jogs (8m10s) and assume they were 10 min/mi that's 2.75 - 0.82 = 1.93 in 12:43 or 6:35 min/mi. That's pretty funny, because my PR 5K is 5K in 20:32 or 6:37 per mile. It looks like I ran a reasonable pace, but that was too hard for 5K pace probably. It felt pleasant, but looking at the weather it was 79 degrees, which is still pretty warm even if it's dry.

Jogged 12:10 to complete the last 2.5 sides, this jogged back to the hotel really slowly and even took some walk breaks to try and get my heart rate down (2.75 in 27:22, 9:57 pace, 154 bpm average).

I could still really feel my right hamstring from Sunday, but the knee felt fine and the achilles thing is gone.
wp 7-2

Th - 6.5
Ran out to the square, did one lap around, and ran back. Forgot the HRM belt, so I have time only. 9:58 min/mi. I'm a 10 min/mi machine :) It was crazy hot at 5:30 in the morning. The desert is usually nice at this time but not today. It was a dry 84 degrees, but it was still 84 degrees. Still felt the hamstring.
wp 7-2

Fr - 11.0
Compared to recent runs, the weather seemed fantastic and I ran a little faster. I got to lake A in under 21 for the first time in a long time. As I've said, I'm trying to make these medium long runs stronger. I got up to 145 bpm and was feeling great. My heart rate started to climb a little more than expected though, but I kept up the pace and increased it on the way back. It felt harder on the way back and I was wondering if maybe the weather wasn't so great or maybe I wasn't in great shape. The first 41:09 was 141 bpm average and the last 57:26 was 158 bpm average.. The out was about 51 minutes (9:16) and the back was about 47:30 (8:38), but I screwed up deleting the wrong splits and lost the exact numbers. Weather was 71/67 (dew point) the whole time. Overall average was 8:58 @ 151 bpm, which isn't really good at all. A couple of weeks ago I did 20 at 8:51 and 149 bpm average. Ugh. I think I need to improve.

The hamstring thing has spread more over the back of my leg, but is much less intense.
wp7-3

Sa - 8.3 w/ strides
The weather was fantastic. 63 degrees with a dew point of 51! (Warmed just a bit to 66/52 by the time I got back.) Didn't feel the hamstring except at the very beginning. I slightly tweaked the balky left knee stepping off a curb, but it seems OK. Weather is supposed to be good again tomorrow. I'm scheduled for 15, but I'm considering doing 20. Despite the absolutely perfect weather, I was still slow for my heart rate -- 9:19 min/mi, 143 bpm average. I'm really doubting I'll run 3:15 at the moment.
wp 7-3

Su - 20.3
Excited about the dry weather, I tried to repeat my 20-miler from two weeks ago. It didn't go as planned. The run was much harder (average 5 bpm higher!) than two weeks and was only 30 seconds faster. I'm not even sure of the time because I forgot to start my watch again after a bathroom break. I figure I'm +/- 30 secs though. Checking the weather, it still wasn't a spring like day. 72 degrees/ 58 dew point at the beginning and 81/59 at the end. It was dry, but still pretty warm. It's hard to compare to two weeks ago when it was 61 to 71 degrees and I had an off day the day before. I considered abandoning Pfitz and going back to Benji, but I guess I'll stick with it for now.
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week
65 miles, 10h1m
(scheduled 59 -- I was right on distance, but decided to do 20 instead of 15 today because the relatively few number of 20-mile runs in Pfitz's schedule made me nervous)
shoes
wp7-2: 312 + 15 = 327
wp7-3: 135 + 50 = 185