Winning Back What I Lost

930PM: Sunday is usually a rest day for me but I wasn't able to run yesterday due to travel and I didn't want to go 2 days in a row w/o any training. This is my last hard week of training before I begin to taper for UVM and the last week where I have any hope of making any fitness gains that may have an impact on my performance.  Making a conscious effort to be smart about my diet, substitute water for my habitual diet mt. dew and get more sleep if possible. 

PM: Recovery + speed: 1.42M to the club; weather was perfect for running outside but I wanted to catch as much of the Dallas v. OKC game as I could; 4.42M in 37 mins. on TM w/ 8 x 100m strides; 1.34M back home.

PM:  Slow, easy medium long run; got a late start because I wanted to see the end of the Chicago v. Miami, Game 4; felt really sluggish tonight; hip flexors were sore for some reason and I just couldn't get any turnover; saw a really weird scene about a block from my house as I was finishing my run: 3 cats sitting in the middle of the street evenly spaced about 5 feet apart from one another just staring in the same direction off in the distance; looked like something out of a Hitchcock movie. 

PM: Hard driving rainstorm tonight so I headed inside again; Not exactly a bad thing because it allowed me to catch the Mavs close out the Thunder in a pretty good game.  Easy run; 6M in 50 mins + cooldown.  Still experiencing some mild pain in the hip flexors and a flare up in my PF.  Nothing too painful but I'll need to stretch and ice good before it gets much worse.

Noon: Lunchtime run on the GB from Ann Morrison to Vets Pkwy and back.  Started raining and hailing halfway through the run.  Bad weather just in time for the 3 day holiday weekend.  It happens every year.  5+ miles in 40 mins w/ 6 x 100m strides. 

830PM: Rained pretty hard this evening and then it cleared up rather nicely.  Temp in upper 50's w/ no wind. Progression run starting out at current MP and finishing the last 5.5M at goal MP (7:30ish).  Felt really good despite eating a really big dinner and running on a full stomach. 

5PM:  Little bit of everything on today's run: sun, wind, rain.  Temp in the 50's, perfect for running but certainly doesn't feel like the unofficial beginning of summer.  Last long run before UVM.  Start a 2 week taper next week. Aside from a rogue toenail that was digging into another toe (always seems to happen w/ the Kinvaras due to the narrow toe box), felt pretty good.  Started easy and finished strong.  Overall pace was 2 secs faster than current MP.  Last 10k was around 7:48/mi pace.  Didn't take in any fluids or stop for bathroom breaks.  Felt relaxed and easy. I'm hopeful that my current MP will now become my slowdown marathon pace.  We'll see in a couple of weeks.