Getting Back Into It (Final Week Total 40.5)

While I’m not exactly feeling like I’ve returned to the fitness level I was during the spring (far from it still), I am comfortable with this week’s set of workouts (16 weeks out, by the way).  I think that, with the exception of my attempted hard run in the middle of the week, my workouts are falling more into place.  The routine of running (almost) everyday is also setting back in, and it’s giving me something to do consistently as I await for school to start in late September.  It helps that the past few days have cooled down a bit.  Even running into the sun, the heat isn’t as bad as it would be elsewhere in the country.  The tree cover over most of my routes is helping, and I’m starting to go out at a more appropriate time.

Today Jimmy joined me for a new 6 mile lollipop route that took us out, around and back in for a nice recovery.  I’m finding more and more that I don’t get warmed up in my legs until well into the third mile or so, especially after the long, hard workout I had yesterday.  What’s also difficult is that even on these recovery runs, I don’t seem to be able to find a flat, easy run to go out and do.

I’m over 40 miles for the week for the first time in a while, and I think this new mindset that I’m trying to ingrain into my brain – to enjoy the fight and think less about the accumulated miles – is helping me when things get tough on the roads.  I hope that the upcoming week will be even better, and that I’ll find my stride again.  I think I’m going to try to get my workouts closer to those set up by Brian, with a few tweaks here and there to compensate for the fact that I’m still building base/miles up to what he has.  I’ll hopefully get in something closer to the upper 40s, but I’m a little worried that increasing my mileage by 20% again might be a bit much.  A lot of it is going to be easy jogging, since I can’t really do intervals yet (though maybe I can go to the high school and see if I can use the track), but still.

Next weekend I’m going to try to hit something like 18 or 19 miles.  I’m on the listserv for a running club out here called Bainbridge Island Runners, but so far have missed both Sunday runs (their only real scheduled run).  I bring it up because I get invitations to things like the potluck dinners, even though I haven’t met any of them.  One of the things I was invited to was an overnight trip up to the Olympic Mountains for an 18-19 mile trail run over the High Divide, which would be perfect for my long run except that I don’t think I could handle the 3000+ foot gain (yet).  I also think it would be a little awkward since this is the sort of thing that people are going to all be sharing a large condo for.  Maybe next year.  Anyway, I wouldn’t be back in time for Bike for Pie on Sunday, which I’m really excited to do (though I’ve decided that I won’t do it hard, and still run a recovery run that day).

Finally, I’ve may have decided that the following weekend, Labor Day, I’m going to register and run the Super Jock and Jill Half Marathon which will take place in Seattle.  There is also a 4-mile course that Jimmy has agreed to run with me (it helps that it’s at the Red Hook Brewery).  I’m not ever pretend that I’m in good enough shape to try to best my PR here, but the course is mostly flat, which I can appreciate.  The only thing that can really change my mind is the fact that it’s a bit of a hike to the east of Seattle, in a town called Woodinville.

PS  Happy 100th blog entry!  I feel like a professional.