I am one with the levee and the levee with me

8 easy. The winds are howling.

AM - 12 easy. About 2 miles in I heard gunshots burstout about 1 block from me. Dove off the side of the levee and took cover until it was over. That's a first. The rest of the run was a little quick thanks to the adrenaline burst. There wasn't anything in the news, and I didn't see any emergency vehicles on the return trip, so I assume no one was hurt.

PM - 4 easy

AM - Big workout. 4 x 2mile (2:00 rests) + 2 x 35s sprints

10:30 (5:18.2, 5:11.9)

10:31 (5:14.7, 5:16.5)

10:24 (5:11.6, 5:12.8)

10:25 (5:14.7, 5:09.5)

I just discovered Garmin Connect reports decimal places, and yes, I am anal enough to record them here.

I wanted to do 4 sprints, but I felt a twinge in my posterior tib on #2 and called it good there. Better to be cautious. I have a second appointment with the PT tonight, but things are progressing well enough this may be the last one.

PM - 4 very easy

12 easy. Felt unexpectedly peppy. 6 miles out were about as expected, but I felt like I was cruising sub-7:00 pace coming back, which I rarely do. No watch, just estimated efforts.

12 easy. Felt pretty good. I missed my evening run last night due to working late. Grrr

Big workout/long run. Tempo-long-tempo format. 3E + 2 x 2 mile @ T + 8E + 4T + 1CD

10:35 (5:19, 5:16)

10:25 (5:12, 5:13)

8 miles in ~1hr

20:31 (5:16, 5:07, 5:07, 5:01)

All T segments were aided by a tailwind. Work has kicked my butt this week, and I'm low on sleep. I had low expectations coming into this, but it had to be done today whether it was a train wreck or not. Even with the tailwind, I figured getting through it with a 5:15-5:20 avg would be a win.

So I'm pleased.

It was blowing about 15 mph steady on the levee. The first mile of each block (the 5:19 and 5:16) was a wash as far as aid goes, but the rest of the miles had the wind about square in my back. I'm estimating 5s per mile fast, maybe more. Anyway. Glad it's over with. These sessions give me considerable emotional stress. But I think they're great at learning to run fast when fatigued and low on fuel. That last 4-mile block covered miles 14.3-19.3. No food intake before or during.

I'm excited about my fitness. I finished feeling like I was finishing any other workout, and I've had a lot of energy this morning post-run. When a 20-mile session like this doesn't leave me wasted for half the day, I think it means the training is working.

In Highland UT this week. I plotted a route through Alpine and up to a trailhead, but got lost along the way and ended up with a lot of climbing. These flatlander legs aren't used to that. 7:27 avg and 800 ft elevation gain. That's about a month's worth at home.