our choices show what we truly are

I am back from 2 weeks of vacation in a small village (200 people during the winter) in the foothills of Mount Majella in central Italy. No internet connection, limited cell phone service and just uphill, downhill trails and a 25m swimming pool. It was cool and at night frankly cold. Most of my miles in the last 2 weeks were just fast hike on some incredibly steep terrain, a typical 3 miler was a 2 hour trip 1 hour and 45 minutes up and 1 hour and 15 minutes down climbing 1200 meters.

Overall it was fun, I also I did some consistent swimming, something I haven't done in a while.

I am back home now and tomorrow I will be back to work. This morning it was an easy 7.5 miler trying to get used to normal running on a flat terrain.

PM 9.5 k to pile up some easy extra miles.

Easy miles to restart my normal weekly schedule.

I got a stomach bug I went running but I stopped after 2 slow miles, I was feeling dizzy.

Tonight I had a friend who wanted to push the pace, but it was not comfortble with my tempo plan. We a modified version instead going steady at 4:05/k for 8k, we would do a 4X2000m with 1k recovery trying to do the first 1000m at 4:05 and the second k 5-10" faster. We did a short uphill 3k warm up and then we started. These were our splits 4:13_4:06, 4:04_3:53, 4:07_3:55, 4:03_3:54, I was quite pleased because I was not all out and I am convinced that I can do a tempo run for the same distance at 4:00/k. We finished with a couple of easy kms. At 7pm in the shade was still humid and hot.

Holiday run, with three running friends we went to the beginning of a rolling trail going mid-mountain on the crater around Vico lake. We went easy and finished the 15.4 k trail in about 1:30minutes.

Easy 6.5 k at night to put some more miles.

Easy 8 miler in the afternoon under a scorching sun. A typical character building run and nothing else.

Unusual fast workout on a hot saturday morning. I wanted to resume my 2 fast workouts per week and this was the only way for this week. I drove to the lake at 8am and most of my route was still in the shade and would be mostly in the shade for the next hour. I could tell that the air was already warm and full of dust, in a few weeks the hazelnut harvest will start and most of the farmers started prepping the soil under the hazelnut trees making giant dust clouds. I warmed up for 3.8 k really slow and then I started. I didn't want to kill myself and most importantly I wanted to finish 12X400 with 200m recovery without bailing out halfway. The first 2 repeats were 88 and 86 just to test whether I could hold the 85" "easily" and then I just went through until the end. These were my remaining splits 82, 85, 80, 85, 85, 86, 85, 87, 84, 85 AP 84.88. I have done better over 10 repeats but today it was more important consistency. I finished with a 5k cooldown (I was overheating by then under the sun high in the sky) and I was really down. Highest mileage week of the year considering that I have done most of the miles in 6 days.

At the beginning I was still tired from last week and yesterday total rest didn't help. The first few miles were really hard and slow then things went progressively better and it was some sort of an unplanned progressive run.

I have to say it was a great evening run, the temperatures are much cooler than the last few days, thanks to a big passing thunderstorm, but most importantly I am feeling good about my running. With a friend of mine we decided to do a relaxed run under 5:00/k and after the 1st km warm up we hit easily 4:40-4:50/k for the next 9k and then we did 5X200m strides at 4:00/k recovering for the next 200m at 4:50/k. We finished 12k at what would be a good MP and it was really easy, I have never felt a run like this so easy. Last year at this time I was struggling doing any training at any speed. I really appreciate right now the last 9-10 months of uninterrupted training.

When I started I was running into a thunderstorm and much cooler temperatures, after 3k it was already done, water everywhere and much cooler than when I started. Tonight I did a 3X3000 at HMP with 500m recovery jog. My target pace was 4:00/k. The three sets were uneventful, I never struggled to maintain the pace and I was always faster during the last k. These were my times: 11:53, 11:57, 11:49.  The last k of the last set was almost all out, I could have done a couple of more kms if had kept my pace under control. A great running evening.

This is the usual hard run, the run after a fast workout. There is no glory in a slow training run on tired legs, are just miles in and sometimes it is hard to convince yourself that it still will be useful for something. At the end of 13.1k I was still happy about what I have done tonight, I didn't think it would be possible at the start.

Easy miles, the first half was uphill for 300m then the same route back downhill. I went at 4pm when it was still warm but a light breeze made it almost perfect.

The right ankle I sprained on august 15 is still half swollen and sore, I decided to avoid a fast workout this morning hoping to speed up the healing process. 8 easy miles around the lake.

Two easy miles to give some rest to my sprained ankle.

Fast workout night, 10x400 with 200m recovery. I did this workout a few months ago averaging 80 seconds, I wanted to see if I was still there or (more probably) a little bit behind considering that a few weeks ago I did 84" and it was not easy. The first six repeats were on target 78, 81, 78, 80, 81, 82 then I was done, my right ankle was sore and my legs were heavy, I finished trying to maintain 85 as upper limit with 85, 85, 86, 85. Average pace was 82,1 closer to 80, but I still have work to do. I kept running into the night until I hit 10 miles, I was surprised that my legs after 2k of a slow jog got some life back in them and I moved at decent pace during the last 4k.

Ten easy recovery miles until il was dark at around 8:30 pm, in about 10 days I will abandon my summer running ground to retreat to the same boring 1.1k loop in the industrial area in town. I am actually looking forward to that, last winter I built a solid training there managing to do 2 hard workouts per week.

Easy miles, I stopped at 7 miles because my right ankle was a little too sore.

Another run before it was too dark to continue. Tonight I started really slow and then I finished fast, my goal was not to tax my legs too much and trying to relax. This should be my micro taper before sunday race.
 

Easy miles around mount Venere with an old friend, it was nice to run with someone.

Easy miles just to have some blood flowing in my legs.