Bret

10.0 miles on the treadmill.  Was planning to do my long run today, but I really felt very tired and flat - even before I started.  Sometimes a few miles of running will wake me up - but I really never felt very good and instead of pushing through for another 10 miles I decided my body needed rest.  Felt really tired and lethargic afterwards for a few hours too.  Will take tomorrow off completely.

Complete day of rest.

AM - easy 3 miles early before heading to the airport this morning.  Busy day at work, had to fly to Ft. Lauderdale for a meeting.  Finished up early enough to catch a stand by flight home in time to see Delaney's cross country meet - Countryside Invitational (race report below).  Then went to Riley's swim meet at the Y - where she swam a relay (just under 30 in the 50 Fly) and then;

PM run - after Riley's race I went into the gym and did 9 miles on the treadmill.  First 2 miles at a moderate warm up and then 7 miles at 6:24 pace (1% grade).  Very good tempo run.  Was going to do 6 miles but felt good enough to do an extra mile.  Great workout after feeling so flat and tired on Sunday.  The day off really helped.  Started reading Matt Fitzgerald's Brain Training for Runners.

Delaney had another PR today - running 22:58 in the 5k on the same course that last week she ran 24:39.  Better competition and I think perhaps better feel for the course.  Dropped 1:43 in one week off of her best time.  She was 4 on her squad again and 22nd overall in a much deeper field than last week's 6 way meet.  We thought her goal should be to run in the 23's by the end of the season - but it looks like we will need to reset some new goals.  The winning time in the race today was around 20:15. 

PM - lunchtime 6.0 mile run.  Very hot and humid again today.  Quads were heavy after last night's tempo run on the treadmill.  Did not run particularly fast, but the perceived effort was more difficult than it perhaps should have been.  Scheduled to do another run later today.  See how I feel later.

AM - treadmill / track workout.  2 x mile @ 5:50 pace; 2 min rest; 2 x 1/2 mile @ 2:45 w/ 1.5 min rest; 4 x 1/4 mile at 78 secs w/ 1 min rest.  2 mile warm up 1 mile cool down - total of 7 miles.  Felt very heavy, and not really up for the speed of the workout when I started this morning.  I don't usually do my fast workouts before 6 am - but a busy work schedule today made this my only option.  The second mile of the was pretty ragged - I was suffering at the end of it.  The halves were fine - and the quarters (except for one that I did at 75) were on the edge but manageable mentally and physically. 

May squeeze in an easy 3 later today if my schedule permits.  There is a 5k on Saturday evening in Dunedin - The Dunedin Brewery 5k - to kick off OctoBEERfest month.  May do that if I feel recovered enough from the two quality workouts this week and the weather cooperates.   

PM - easy 4.0 mile recovery run at lunchtime.  Felt pretty good considering I had done the hard workout earlier this morning. 

PM - lunchtime run.  7.0 miles easy on the treadmill to stay out of the heat.  Decided today to to a 5k tomorrow morning - so kept the pace very light. 

The time is not indicative of the effort or the actual distance for this race.  It was actually over 3.2 miles on my GPS Garmin - Very "hilly" course for Florida.  Run  went from downtown Clearwater at Coachman park.  Started at the bottom of the hill on Drew and then turned onto Osceola right on the Court and the across the Bridge to the Clearwater Memorial Causeway.  The elevation of the Bridge is about 100 ft and so the first mile was a start with a sharp uphill then a gradual incline to the bridge which then has about a .3 of a mile of another sharp climb to the top.  Then down the other side and turn around and back over the bridge.  Coming back the course did not give the full benefit of the downhill of the bridge but instead went down a "helix" (sort of spiral ramp to the road below) then back up another hill.  I was right at 6 min pace at the 2 mile mark - but really suffered a bit on the uphill third mile and though I was at about 18:35 at three miles - the finish line location was evidently mismeasured.  Came in 5th overall.  Felt as though I gave this a better effort  than my most recent 5k - and really for the most part, handled a non-typical Florida course pretty well. 

Immediately left race to drive to Brandon to catch Delaney's club soccer game - missed the first 15 minutes or so.  Then went to delicious late breakfast with Tracy and Delaney at Mimi's Cafe.