Winning Back What I Lost

Noon: Easy lunchtime run from the workplace to the GB and back. Very hot. Hotter than hot. Some like it hot, I don't.

9PM: I really need to do these long runs in the early AM. It was 90+ when I left the house and didn't cool off much even after the sun went down. Brought water but no calories. Ended up running out of gas at about 10 miles so I cut my planned 17 miler to 14 miles. Made no sense to push it if I'm just shuffling on a death march.

615AM: Only 5 hrs sleep. Legs still sore from Saturday. The rout I chose on Saturday night was fairly hilly so my quads definitely got a workout. Took it easy this AM w/ 1 mile at 80% effort.

620AM: 5.5 hrs of sleep. An extra half hour over last night! Mixed in a half dozen 100m strides. Aiming for 10M today so I'll try to get a short run in tonight if possible.

630AM: 5.5 hrs of sleep. Hit the alarm a couple times. Try to get another short run in tonight, but I said that yesterday too. :(

615AM: 5.5 hrs of sleep. Seems to be my max sleep no matter what time I try to go to bed. Easy + 6-7 strides. 

6AM: Easy + strides. Cool morning. Legs felt better. Ate half a bagel which seemed to help my energy level. Still running very slow. Pulled out my heart monitor yesterday and I'm only running at 125-128 bpm. This confirms what I've felt, my cardio condition is good but my legs are not strong. Obviously, the strength will come as I lose weight. Unfortunately, not enough time to get down to my typical racing weight of 170 lbs. Looking more and more like I'll probably be in the 185-188 lb range for SGM. Won't hit my ideal racing weight until my spring marathon.

830PM: Very warm- 90 degrees when I left the house. But still, it was the best I've felt on a long run. Right hamstring started to cramp about halfway but never gave out. Drank as much water as I could but unfortunately all of the park fountains had very warm water. Yuck.

615AM: 5.5 hours of sleep. Very slow w/ 1M cooldown. A little sore this morning. Back has been cranky since Saturday when I made the ill-advised decision to till our garden plot in the backyard w/ a shovel. Certain movement really aggravate my back & shoveling is one of them. 

615AM: 5.5 hrs sleep. 2.5M warm then 4x800 (400m recovery) on MVHS track. 1.5M cool. Very muggy this morning. Gonna be uncomfortable today. My AC broke in my truck for the 3rd time in the past year. Ugh.

630: 5 hours of sleep. Easy recovery run. Cloudy and muggy.

Noon: Easy lunchtime run on the GB from AM Park to Vets Memorial Park. Very warm.

930PM: Didn't get up for the 2nd day in a row. Just not getting to bed early enough and the sleep debt piled up on me. Legs felt really good though. Going camping tomorrow so this might be my last run this week.

Hiked from trailhead to the Lake w/ a heavy (60 lbs) pack. Horrible thunder/lightning/rain/hail storm hit when we got to within a half mile of the lake. Toughest hike I've ever been on. 

Hiked to another lake until a storm chased us back to basecamp. 

We decided that 4 days of living in or near our tents was enough and hiked out. Turned my ankle at least 3 times on the way down on the mud-filled and rocky trail.

9PM: Tried to get up in the morning but it wasn't happening. I think it will take me a few days to get back into the morning groove after last week's backpacking trip. Legs and lungs felt really good though. I think last week refueled my tank.

930PM: Late start. Temps are cooling in the evening and mornings. Legs and lungs still feeling very good.

630AM: Slept through this short run. Felt like I barely got home from last night's run and I was on the road again. Will try for another short run tonight before transitioning fully to morning run. 

630AM: 5.5 hrs of sleep. Transitioning back to morning runs. It'll take me at least a week before I'm fully accustomed and no longer sleepwalking. 

Noon: Lunchtime run on the GB. Very warm. Looks like we're in for a cool down starting on Monday. 

830PM: Went camping w/ the kiddos this weekend so I got back late. Need to squeeze in a couple of 20 milers soon but its been near impossible to find the time. Hopefully things will slow down soon. On the upside, I felt really strong and springy. I attribute that mostly to my Hoka's and the extra rest. I'm so impressed that I think I'm going to buy the Hoka Cliftons this week, which are essentially are lighter version of the Rapa Nui.