our choices show what we truly are

I started again with a light rain but then the conditions improved and a pale sun came out. Finished 13.1 miles at MP in 1:45:42 5:02/k AP.

4 easy miles, it was a sunny, warm morning.

Speed workout. 8X800 with 2minutes recovery jog. It took me 5k to warm up and not feeling freezing and then I started. This time my pace never went above 3:10 and the AP at the end of the 8 repeats was 3:04 with the last four faster than the first 4. The total average pace for the run, including the warm up, was 4:46.

I am feeling confident that on a flat terrain I can do the same workout under 3:00.

Tonight was a little bit warmer than yesterday, 8 easy miles at 5:30/k. 

Cold night, near freezing temperatures with a strong breeze from the north. 6.2 miles in 55 minutes.

I wish it was a LT run but it was in reality a speed workout. I started with a 5k warm up and then I started a 5k continuous run at 4:10/k. I finished with 4:08 AP, so overall it was not bad, but it was a 10k effort, not an HM effort. 2k at the end to cool down. It was cold (below freezing) but the road was dry and I had no problems with traction.

After 4k and 2k of rain, meaning wet and cold, I packed up and went home. I did 30 minutes on the bike trainer and then had dinner. 

This morning we had sub freezing temperatures, but the sun was out and the sky was blue, as added bonus I had company. My running buddy wanted to do an easy 10 miler and I couldn't agree more. My legs were tired and heavy, two speed workout in a week are a lot for my old body. After he stopped I did 3.1 more miles at 5:00/k to finish an HM. I had heavy legs until the end.

Another cold day with a strong wind from the north, but the sun was out and skies were really clear.

I went running in the afternoon, I did a progression run starting at 6:00/k finishing at 4:00/k with the last 4k at HM pace. 

Speed workout night, 8X800 with 2m recovery jog.

Tonight it was hard since the beginning, my legs were still tired and the cold wind from the north didn't make things easier. I finished the workout (that in itself it was already an accomplishment) at 3:11 AP, covering at least 300m during the 2 minutes of recovery. It was slower than last week and the head wind on the uphill portion was a battle during each loop.

I am happy that the workout is done and it is monday, I will have a couple of days to recover and then thursday I will give my legs another shot of speed.

13k at easy pace, temperatures below freezing.

Not enough time and will power to run under the rain.

Strange speed workout, I wanted to do a fast 6k tempo run at an aggressive HM pace (approx 4:10/k). I started really comfortable at 4:06(hill), 4:06, 4:03(hill) for the first 3k, at that point I was confident I was able to push even more and finish the last 3k at 3:59, 4:08(hill), 3:55(half-hill). The average pace was just above 4:03 that would be right now a 10k pace but except for the last one when I was "racing" all out, I was well below the pain treshold of a 10k pace. I can't say either that was a HM pace and I tend to  believe that right now that was a fast HM pace, but sustainable only for a 15k. To add some confidence to my selfesteem this training (as the rest of my winter evening runs) was done on 1700m loop with a hill and a downhill and a 180 degrees turn where I was forced to stop turn around and restart. I am planning to extend this kind of run up to 10k in the next months and see if I can transform this pace/run in a HM training.

Relaxing run tonight, 6.2 miles in 58 minutes. Not sore from last night just tired.

I waited for 1 hour hoping that the rain would stop and I could go running, eventually went downstairs in the basement to ride my bike on the trainer for 1 hour. I wasted one good hour biking.

Speed workout, my usual 8X800 with 2minutes recovery jog. These were my splits:

 3:01, 3:01, 3:00, 3:03, 3:05, 3:02, 3:02, 3:01. 3:02 AP, final AP 4:52.

Tonight I was well rested, no wind and just perfect the temperature to run. I was really consistent, just during the two central 800 I lost some concentration, but I knew I had it in my legs. I have to learn to start with a precise goal time rather than a time bracket, for tonight my goal was to stay between 3:05-3:10, I was constantly ahead of my goal time but sometimes it easy to get lazy and give up, I have to learn to be focused on a specific time and fight for that until the end.

Christmas party at night with colleagues, no time to run. This will be the common theme for the rest of the week.

4 miles and then went to another dinner party before Christmas. One more to go next friday.

Speed workout night. The plan was to do a tempo run at goal HM pace for 7k, for me it would be a 4:00-4:10/k. That is really an aggressive pace but my last training runs at that pace and the repeats at 3:45/k, seem to suggest that is not an impossible goal.

I started with a 4k warm up at 6:00/k and then I moved to the higher pace. These were my splits: 4:05, 4:02, 4:06, 3:57, 4:11, 4:01, 4:04  (AP 4:03 +5"), the 4:11 was on the slowest K of the series, but effort wise it was a consistent pace across the board. It was an hard pace to maintain during the last two uphills, but otherwise it did feel sustainable for a few more Ks. I will try to get to 10k at this pace in the next few weeks. Final AP (including the warm up 4:56/k).

No time to run, Christmas dinner with the running team, the dinner was organized with the food and money prizes we won during the year (prosciutto, salami and cheese and a few thousand euros). 

I enojoyed the beautiful warm sunny day to go out and to an HM at relaxing pace. I finished 21.1k in 1:56:16 nothing fast just miles in.

HM at MP. 13.1 in 1:42:33. In two days I have completed a marathon in 3:38 something (combining both times), right now I would be happy to finish a marathon with that time.

I went to work this morning, but I was at home for lunch. At 2:30 I started my speed workout 10X800 with 2minutes recovery jog. For the first time in a while was on a flat terrain with natural light. I warmed up my legs with 4 slow kms then I started, these were my splits 3:01, 3:00, 2:59, 2:59, 3:00, 3:00, 3:02, 3:03, 2:59, 3:03 AP 3:01. I slowed down at the end, but overall I was really consistent. I had doubts I could finish them all, but I kept my brain entertained when he was about to give up and in this way I reached the end. After I was done I found a couple of friends running on the same road and I did a long slow cool down with them. A very good run.

Easy to get rid of the Christmas lunch.

Tempo run. My goal is to extend the "distance" of my tempo run to 6-7 miles, trying to keep the pace honest and reasonable as a tempo, without going into the 10k/anaerobic speed.

I started with a 4k warmup and then I started, these were my splits: 3:59, 4:02, 4:05, 3:56, 4:08, 3:58, 4:03, 4:03 AP 4:01 +6". I felt strong and in control until km 5 (it was my slowest one but it is the one with the worst course combination, there is a hill, no downhill and the 180° turn), km 6 and 7 were still good but I had to work, the last 1 I was really happy I was still running hard but fatigue was there. At the end I walked a couple of kms to relax and cool down.

I am really happy about this progression during the last month, especially about feeling really in control during the first 5 kms. I can see myself running during a training run a 10k in 40 minutes in the next couple of months, as a training run. Something I have done a couple of times in the past when I was in the greatest shape of my life (I thought back then). Last month I wasn't able to do that in a race. Perfect night to run.

Easy run under an almost full moon. The lights of my running route are gone for the second consecutive day, I hope someone will fix them otherwise it will hard to run there when the moon will be gone.

HM at MP in 1:49:39. The weather was perfect sunny blue sky, no one single cloud around and temperatures above freezing.

Fun run organized by the RD of the local trail races. We met at 9 am, each person brought some food and beverage to share at the end, and by 9:30 several small groups formed and started this unofficial race. It is a brutal course with a hill 300m higher than the parking lot to climb a couple of times on two different sides. The ground was frozen but the south side in the sun was gorgeous. Our group finished the "race" in about 1:30 we added 5 more km to enjoy more sun and wait for the other people.

9 miles in 1:49:39 not exactly fast but it was a lot of fun.

Short run before going to work, it was cold for our local standards (-4°C). 6.2 miles in 48:06.