our choices show what we truly are

Slow recovery run in the heat. It was still hot, around 90F. Tomorrow temperatures should finally drop, I am looking forward to that.

Last night a huge thunderstorm finally lowered the temperatures, but the rain came down so fast and furious that created mud slides everywhere. The road where I go running was just a muddy stream with rocks and debris. I managed to do a 10k finishig at 8pm when was completely dark and the visibility close to zero. I felt I "stole" those miles to this strange weather. Good recovery run.

Tonight was the "atypical" perfect day for running, temperatures were around 50F, the road that yesterday  was a mud stream has been completely cleaned up and a strong wind helped keeping the sky clean and the air crisp.

I wanted to do a big tempo run keeping 4:30/km for 10 miles. My legs were ready and I hit 4:30 only for the first km then all the remaining 15 splits were much lower. The wind was a tail wind going out, coming back was a headwind, it is the first time I can say a headwind was a big help because trying to fight it all the way back I kept pushing harder and harder, it was like having someone to fight and at the same time it helped me to keep my brain focused and entertained. I finished 10 miles in 1:08:45 4:18/km average.

7 miles in1 hour. Temperatures are going  up again.

6.2 miles in 58 minutes. I am still running around the lake at dusk.

I wanted to rest tonight then I ended up with shorts and shirt and I went running for a few miles. It was a warm up for tomorrow long run.

Fast long run interval style. 6X5000 with 1km recovery k at slightly slower pace and then final 2km at whatever pace was left.

These  are my splites:

1km 6:08/km

5km 4:45/km - 1"

1km 5:04/km

5km 4:40/km  +3"

1km 5:04/km

5km 4:39/km +4"

1km 5:00/km

5km 4:37/km + 1"

1km 4:59/km

5km 4:39/km +4"

5km 4:40/km

2km 4:53/km

Overall 23 miles in 2:56:12 4:46/km. I went for the last three sets of repeats slower than last saturday to be able to extend my long run up to 23 miles. During the last 2k I was definitively done and "ready" to stop. I started at 7:25am, definitively at least 25 minutes too late and I felt at the end the effect of higher temperatures. I wanted to do 23 miles ideally around 2:55, if I could have pushed the last 2k I would be there. During the last km I started playing, in my anoxic/hypoglicemic state, with the idea of finishing with 26.2 miles with the goal of finishing under 3:24. Fortunately as soon as I hit 23 miles my legs stopped and decided it was good enough. I am very  happy than I am just tired and sore but not injured. I felt I was really done only once at home when I dived in the tub filled with ice and water and I finished screaming, due to the cold water. The most interesting part happened after 20 minutes when I was ready to take a warm shower, after 2 minutes of having warm water on my legs immediately all my muscle in my left leg started cramping and seizing like crazy, they were fine a few seconds before and seconds later they were locked. I managed to stretch the whole leg, turned off the warm water and I finished the shower with lukewarm/cold water and my muscles went back to their resting/relaxed state. Definitively warm water was an incredible trigger of muscle cramps.