our choices show what we truly are

Lots of excuses for not running tonight: long day at wok, long week, nausea and headache, humid hot weather...... I went anyway for a slow 10k and the end I didn't feel any better but at at least I wasn't feeling worse. Time to go to bed.

10 miles in the morning around the lake in 1:12:39. At this point of the year I was hoping this pace (my dream marathon pace) would feel easier, it is not. I will keep training at this pace once a week, but honestly I don't think I will be able to keep it for 26.2 miles in october.

I did an uphill run 4 miles up (about 300m total climb) then 4 miles back down. Overall a good experience trying to avoid the heat.

Today I went to the sport medicine doctor to get my certificate to keep racing (this is mandatory in Italy for racing and for 36 euros you can get some peace of mind).

I have some mild heart problems related to border line high blood pressure, I accidentally discovered this two years ago after 9 marathons and 6 years of running during my first visit to the sport medicine doctor, so every year the outcome is uncertain. I am usually the "star" of the morning because I am doing almost all available tests, all medical students and young resident are there to see the whole set of exams. As a bonus they have right now a machine to test oxygen consumption so I tested that too.

At the end lots of good news: my blood pressure is well under control, my heart is still in good conditions to run and race and my O2 is 43ml/min/kg according to the doc 110% for my age.

Tonight my run was mentally much easier after the visit. 6.2 miles in 52 minutes at a very happy pace.

 Happy 4th of July!!!!

A huge thunderstorm with hail this morning destroyed my tomato, cucumber, pepper plants. The whole road around the lake was flooded with mud and rocks, in many places the black top is gone inside huge potholes. This pathetic introduction just to say that my plans for a speedy workout were gone as soon as I got to the lake, I wanted to do a running tour of the road but it was impassable even on foot, I retreated back to the car and run an half km stretch of clean  road back and forth until I reached the 10 km limit. It was like running on a treadmill.

My speedy workout didn't end up as fast as I wanted but for sure was intense.

Goal: 5x1600m at 6:10-6-20 with 3:00 of jogging recovery.

This was the outcome: 6:20, 6.23, 6:30, 6:32, 6.34.

It was difficult since the beginning to maintain the pace, I am glad I finished it, doing my best effort to maintain whatever fast pace was left in my legs after each one.

I need this kind of "punishment" to learn to keep my fastest pace even when I am slowing down (without giving up).

Started at 7:44pm done by 9pm. 8 nice recovery miles.

Trail run, 10 miles up and down the crater around the lake in 1:45, it was a good escape from the heat, the whole trail was in the woods.

I didn't wake up early enough, so I headed for the hills to beat the heat. I drove to the top of the crater ridge line and run out and back for 11.2 miles in 1:35:22. Up there (at 900m above sea level) temperatures were around 21 degrees Celsius compared to the usual lake road 300 m below with almost 33 degrees.

Back from a vacation on the Appennini. Weather was hotter than expected a 900m above sea level, but for sure more pleasant than Rome.

My running was on a low maintenance mode, with a 20 miler peak up and down a couple of hills that made the whole thing quite challenging. 

Today I did a short 10 k just to relax and enjoy the usual scenery, tomorrow morning back to work.

9 miles around the lake in 1:24:51, cooler temperatures and light breeze, it was a perfect run.

After two weeks I attempted again a 5 X 1600m series.

The average time was exactly the same with the following splits: 6:16, 6:21, 6:29, 6:38, 6:36. Recovery time was 3 minutes.

Two weeks ago I felt a little bit depressed, I thought I was faster (between 6:10 and 6:20) today it was a reality check and I have to conclude that this is where I am right now.

At least I managed to do 8 good miles and another tough run is done.

The worst part of the run were my legs, they were fresh and rested. Usually after a 10 X 800 I am tired for at least a couple of days, tonight I felt good, in spite of this I don't think yesterday I could have pushed any faster pace.

8 miles at 5:24/km nothing really fast but overall a good training run.

Another good 8 miles in 1:07:36. Good weather too, about 72 degrees and light breeze.

10 miles at MP, the first half was done not paying attention to my speed and time, at the turnaround I was only 4 seconds behind then in the last 4km I started pushing and gained 42 seconds at the end. 10 miles in 1:11:18 4:28/km.

I was tired this morning but the "good running weather" (it was raining and the temperatures were below 70) pushed out of the door to do another 10 miler. I ended up with 11 just to finish the week with 60 miles.

Good luck to all Deseret News runners next monday.

6.2 miles in 57:38, good relaxing run.

Congratulations to all DNers, my legs were in Utah today with all you.

The rest of me was here running 10 miles in 1:30.

7 miles in 1:04.

A huge thunderstorm is trasforming the town in a huge pond, no way I could go out and run tonight.

5X1600 with 3 minutes recovery (jogging between 400m and 500m).

This time it went much better than last two times when I did a similar run.

These are the things were different this time: I just did only 600 meters as a warm up and then I used the first 1600m to get blood in my legs, in this way in my first lap I was not sprinting all out as I was chased down by a bear. First lap in 6:22.

Another thing that was different instead progressively accelerating toward the end of the recovery time I started going when the time started, in this way I used the first 200m to reach the cruising speed and then maintained, accelerating a little bit at the end to make up for the first 200m. Second lap 6:19, third 6:18, forth 6:20, fifth 6:18. Much better than the previous times when I could barely hold 6:28 average.

Overall I felt great about this training run but I felt I was cheating because last night I was forced (by the weather) to rest, tonight my legs were much fresher than usual. At least now I know that on rested legs I can go sub 6:20 for 5 repeats.

Nice recovery run around the lake, 8.5 miles in 1:22. Nothing fast but just enough to enjoy the cool evening out.

2X5000m at 4:30/km with 1000 recovery at 5:30. First set was at 4:31, the second one at 4:25. Overall I felt great at the end. I wanted to do 4 sets but I didn't have enough time today. Next weekends I am going to use this scheme (increasing the number of repeats) to do my long runs.

Rest day at the beach, I run a few miles on the shoreline just to enjoy the light breeze.