Training Week Three Recap (153 days to go)

It was a goofy week of crummy weather. We had two snowfalls this week, which resulted in several near-death experiences as no one around here expects to see a runner, even one in reflective gear, running on the shoulder of the road in 15 degree weather after 6 inches of snow, and heaven forbid everyone in the neighborhood shovel their sidewalks. But there I was...dodging fools driving SUVs. I'm still alive, and better than ever, as you'll see by my mileage total for the week.

Monday: 8.54 miles to ring in the MLK day of work from home. I ran it very, very slow.

Tuesday: To the track! Total mileage of 7.51, including 6x800 in what can best be described as 2:50ish. The track was white with a coat of snow/sleet over it, and imagine my surprise when I finished my final interval with an R-rated outburst...only to realize that a jogger had entered around the first turn gate to run a few laps. Oops!

Wednesday: 8.15 miles, including 4 tempo miles at a 6:39 pace. It hurt, I won't lie.

Thursday: 6.58 miles, including 5 ups and downs my usual hill...in 6 inches of fresh powder! At least it was light out, though, since I worked from home.

Friday: 7.01 miles, in a slow pace again. It was 18 degrees, which is the equivalent of -10 in St. Louis.

Saturday: 20.58 miles on the Green Rock Trail.


My planned workout was something easy. My coach even capitalized the word in his email to me, trying to emphasize its importance: EASY. I ended up doing the hardest trail in St. Louis again, with 4000 feet of incline and decline, plus a good 4-6 inches of barely touched powder to run through. I tried to do it easy, but I'm not sure that was possible on any trail in the area. Around Mile 16, I started feeling it, especially after I finished my water, and the last 4 miles were a sad combination of jogging and death march, punctuated with a nice fall around Mile 18 that left me with a sprained finger. Oops.

Sunday: 12.15 miles, including a bit over 5 at a tempo pace around 7:00. It snowed overnight, and the sidewalks and roads were a mess, so I cheated and did this workout indoors. I started with 2 miles on the indoor track, and then I did the unthinkable: I ran a bit over 10 miles on the treadmill. I think I logged something like, I don't know, eight miles on the treadmill last year. The strangest part of this workout was developing a blister on the inside of my right big toe. I've never had one there before!

Total Week Three Miles: 70.52 miles! This is a new mileage PR by 5 or so miles (and the first time was the week of my 50 mile race where I ran 56 miles in one day!). Back to work tomorrow!