I love it when my training schedule fits in with my non-running schedule. This week I only had four scheduled runs, including an optional run, with a long slow run of 16 miles. My fifth scheduled workout of the week was a "fun workout" -- any kind of fun, non-running exercise. This was a perfect week for a relatively low-intensity running schedule, because my daughter and I took a long weekend to drive up to Nashville for a Taylor Swift concert.
Monday: I had an early appointment in the office Monday morning, and I do realize that wet hair, even in a bun, is not the most professional look, so I took Monday as a rest day.
Tuesday: Scheduled for three easy miles, but after two days of no running, I couldn't help but run a little further. It wasn't an ideal day for running -- it was soupy humid -- but it felt great. Big smiles. 3.83 miles at 9:22 pace.
Wednesday: I was intimidated going into this tempo run. I've done some longer tempo intervals, but never five miles without a break. My goal pace range after the warm up was 8:17 - 8:35. My actual pace for each tempo mile: 8:30, 8:25, 8:20, 8:16, 8:11. Whoa!! That was a huge confidence boost! Lower humidity helped, but I think the biggest aid was keeping my mind in the present. Instead of staring down the thought of five miles at that pace, I just focused on the mile I was running at that moment. I ran a long warm up and cool down too -- even with a few cups of coffee, it takes me a while to get in the groove early morning. Overall distance and pace: 9.19 miles at 8:51. Best run of the week.
Thursday: A beautiful morning. I started running around 5:30 by the light of a full moon, and I ran into the sunrise. Again, it was a little cooler and less humid, so this was a comfortable run. I left my watch at home and let my phone track the run without any cues as to pace or distance. I was supposed to run 7-8 easy miles. Final tally: 7.29 at 9:28.
Friday: My long weekend started with a 16-mile run. All that lovely, cooler, less humid weather? Gone. I ran with the full moon again at 5:30 a.m., with the first couple of miles at an incredibly slow warm up pace, and I was dripping sweat within two miles. Shirt soaked by mile four. Unlike last week's long run, the humidity actually increased the longer I ran. In the grand scheme of things, this was a strong run -- better than some of my earlier long runs -- but it was still hard. During my last half-mile, I was mumbling out loud to the very appropriate Beastie Boys tune that had popped up on my playlist: "Because you can't, you won't, and you don't stop". Total: 16 miles at 9:46 pace.
There was no resting after that long run -- I hurried home, showered, finished packing, and checked my daughter out of school around 11:00 for a 5-hour drive to Birmingham, where we went to a high school football game with some friends, and spent the night. Up to Nashville on Saturday, where it was such a treat to see my daughter so excited at the concert. A little tour of downtown Nashville on Sunday morning, during which I'd guess we walked a mile or two of hills (I'll count that as my fun workout). Then an 8-hour drive back to Florida.
Overall mileage for this week: 36.31
I'll take that hint of fall weather again please. Instead, it looks like thunder storms, humidity, and upper 80's for the upcoming week. Ugh.
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