This past week has been the first 'real' week of training for Dopey, where my run volume has been appreciably higher than it has been in a while. It was also the first week with a progression of runs where distance increased each day in prep for running on tired legs for long distances 4 days in a row. The downfall from that is I haven't been able to do any other training at all. But some days you just need to be a 'runner' and nothing more. So let's look back on the past 9 days or so, shall we?
7/12 - 1500M swim workout, but was cut short at 1300M due to lightning. Yay summer thunderstorms.
7/13 - Rest. Not planned. Parental responsibility.
7/14 - 26 Mile bike ride. This was supposed to be a 20 mile ride. At about the 9 mile mark, I saw a friend of mine running and slowed down to say hi. He was out doing 20 miles in preparation for Ironman Wisconsin. So I figured I need to ride further than he was running, and did.
7/15 - Planned rest day. Needed.
7/16 - 2 mile treadmill run at Pelican Athletic Club.
7/17 - 4 mile treadmill run
This is a typical midweek pattern for me. The fun starts the next day.
7/18 - 2 mile treadmill run
7/19 - 3 mile run that went 3.1 because of runner's neurosis. I have a great 3 mile loop laid out in my neighborhood that works well for distances of 3 or 6 miles. Trying to run 9 miles on that loop makes me a bit nutty though.
7/20 - 4 mile run. Unfortunately a 4 mile run is awkward. Too many turns or repeated segments. And going to the Trace to do it means turning around after about 600 feet on the trace. I hate this distance. Still ran it under 32 minutes though.
7/21 - 8 mile run. Now I'm starting to put in some mileage. It was warm, but felt good on the Trace under the trees. Even slowed down enough to take a couple pics in downtown Abita Springs.
I need to do that more often. I know I'm training and getting ready for a race, but sometimes I just need to enjoy the scenery around me a bit while I'm out in it.
Back to the topic, I felt really good through all my runs, especially the 8 miler. I had to hold myself back quite a bit because I running a sub-8:00 pace early on. I probably could have carried it the whole run, but I'd be wiped out the rest of the day. When the races in Disney start, I'll have to hold back then as well, especially in the 10K and Half-Marathon. I can't go blowing myself up those two days and expect to have an enjoyable Marathon. And the last thing I want is to be in the middle of a death march through the Happiest Place On Earth®.
In other training related amusements, I did find another bike frame on eBay. This one was a Kestrel Airfoil Pro, 50cm, 650c wheel size. I scooped it up and a couple other incidental parts, and put together a new Tri-bike. The frame isn't UCI legal, but I have zero interest in participating in bicycle racing. It is light, and from a short shakedown ride yesterday, quite fast as well. I need to spend an evening with it on my trainer tweaking and adjusting to get my position right.
This week doesn't look nearly as intense in regards to running, so I'll get back in the pool a couple days as well. Mrs. Russ shot some video underwater of me swimming last weekend, and it's amusingly bad. My hips are probably 8-10" lower than my shoulders. It probably has something to do with the lack of bodyfat below my waist. Explains why the pull bouy makes things so much easier. I do have a 13 mile run next Saturday. Which will become 13.1 due to the runner's neurosis. Should be fun. :)
Congrats to Chris Froome on his win of the 100th Tour De France. His climb up Ventoux was the kind of climb that legends are born from. And also, congrats to Nairo Quintana on both the white jersey and polka-dot jersey signifying the best young rider on the tour and the "King of the Mountains". He's got a tremendously bright future in the sport, and I expect to see him in yellow riding into Paris in the next couple years. This was the first year I've watched the TDF in a while, and it was Nairo who had me captivated a couple weeks ago. Hopefully the drug controversies are done and we can go back to enjoying cycling again.
Stay safe and train hard. Those miles aren't going to run themselves.
Many of the truths that we cling to depend on our point of view. - Yoda
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