Winning Back What I Lost

Late evening run w/ my son accompanying on his bike; temp was still in the lower 80's after 1030pm; I stretched it a little further than usual because I didn't sleep much last night and didn't get up for my early run.  Easy slow pace w/ a couple of pickups and 2 miles at MP mixed in. 

AM: This morning came early after last night's 9 miler.  I felt surprisingly strong this morning.  After a slow warmup mile I eased into a nice sub 8 min pace the rest of the way.  Signed up for the Fit for Life 1/2 Marathon.  I promised my kids I'd take them camping near Lowman that weekend, 7/11, so it looks like it will be an early morning race, 730am, and then off to the mountains to soak in a cool stream. 

PM: 6.58 slow, easy miles at 930pm.  Temp still in the upper 80's.  No escaping the heat even well after the sun goes down.  I've been concentrating on my form and more particularly my posture.  I tend to bend over too much and hunch my shoulders but when I stand straight and run from the gut I breathe much easier.  Running is easier when you can breathe. :)

Late evening tempo run: 1M warmup; 7M @ 7:38/mi pace; cool down.  This was a struggle.  I didn't feel like I was locked in until about 4 or 5M into my tempo run.  I picked a route w/ some rollers that sapped my speed a bit which may have had something to do with that.

Lunch:  Moderately paced recovery run during lunch.  Temp was mid-80's but I was surprisingly energetic despite last night's hard tempo run.

845pm:  Temp in mid 80's but overcast until sun went down around 10ish; slow first 6 miles then MP after that w/ some hydration breaks.  I really hammered the straightaways and my last mile was probably my quickest.  I thought I'd be sick b/c it was my wife's b-day today and I ate some ice cream and cake immediately before the run.  I'm thinking this is a good sign given my historical stomach issues.

8pm: I jammed in a recovery run in between the BBQ and fireworks; Just short of 6M at sub MP and it felt really easy, even in 90 degree heat- another good sign that my increased mileage is paying dividends.  I got a nice little cut and rash where my hydration belt was cutting into my "love handles."  I guess they're not so much love handles anymore, more like love safety straps.