our choices show what we truly are

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.