Buttsweat Towel© season has begun

40F, NW 21-31 mph.  Today was supposed to be 15 @ MP but didn't go quite as planned.  Kind of a miserable run all around.  The wind seemed to be equally bad going north or west, so I picked a 2-mile stretch and did out and backs, so I'd only have to deal with the headwind 2 miles at a time.  I've been feeling "off" the last few days and unfortunately that continued into today.  After the second mile, I knew I didn't have my A-game and started to think of modifications.  I came up with a 2 x 7 mile @ MP effort, with an easy mile inbetween.  That let me jog the toughest mile on one of the out-and-backs.

The 4-mile pattern was Downhill+tailwind, uphill+tailwind, downhill+headwind, uphill+headwind.

First set - 6:40 AP (6:29, 6:38, 6:40, 6:54, 6:31, 6:35, 6:55)

(8:09)

Second set - 6:51 AP (6:36, 6:46, 7:12, 7:13, 6:28, 6:47, 6:53)

Obviously not good, although the wind was truly brutal, especially in the second set.  I could tell I was still not running well though.  Even the tailwind miles felt forced.  The last few MP workouts, 6:40 has been feeling easy/smooth (like MP should feel), and today it was a little frantic.  Hopefully it's a fleeting thing and I won't have to dial anything back.  Kind of in a training rut right now...

AM:  27F, NW 11 mph.  6 @ 8:42 AP.  Maybe the last sub-freezing day of the season....we'll see.  Still say I'm not ready for it to warm up yet.  I'll take an Oklahoma winter year-round.

PM:  58F.  8:33 AP.  New shoes - finally time to lay "1150s red #1" to rest at 1,020 miles.  These 1160s were 40 bucks including shipping so I couldn't pass em up.  It felt like I was running on stilts.

AM:  38F, NE 11 mph.  10 @ 8:00 AP.  just chuggin along, seething about daylight savings time.  Just when I was starting to get a couple miles with some daylight...

PM:  56F.  4 @ 8:45 AP.

AM:  33F.  10 @ 8:02 AP.  Same route as yesterday.  Tomorrow is LT day, but not feeling too spry at the moment.

PM:  61F.  4 @ 8:24 AP.

41F.  7:10 AP.  Today I tried out a tempo loop in a small neigborhood that I've scouted out recently. It runs mostly east/west, and other than a couple annoying dips, is pretty flat.

The workout was 4 x 1.5 mile @ LT with a 2-minute jog between reps.  Legs were still feeling heavy, but they surprised me today and responded when I asked them to.  I was able to start out at the slow end of LT and finish near the fast end without straining at all.  The 4 reps were:

9:32  (6:21 pace)

9:24  (6:16 pace)

9:22  (6:15 pace)

9:14  (6:10 pace)

The recoveries averaged just under 8:00 pace, so about a quarter mile apiece.

With the way I've been struggling the past week or so, it was a relief to get in a quality workout at the correct paces.  It means the ol' legs are just tired from the mileage, not tired from overreaching.  I'm guessing the taper in a few weeks will really work some magic this time.

AM:  48F, S 12 mph.  6 @ 8:37 AP.  Some pain/weird tightness behind my left knee, near the top of the calf.  I stepped in a pretty bad pothole yesterday in the dark that knocked the wind out of me so I think that might be the culprit.  I remember being surprised that no damage was done...  Ibuprofen, then re-assess this evening.

PM:  82F, SSW 17 mph.  5 @ 8:30 AP.  Gott off work early, so I went for a run in the afternoon heat - definitely not ready for summer yet!  Anyway, the upper calf/behind knee pain was muted, at least, with ibuprofen.  Can still feel it twinging dow there though.  Seems like it might be ok, and hopefully heals while I train.

66F, S 18-23 mph.  8:20 AP.  Upper calf/behind knee thing still there, but not getting any worse.

Married 11 years today!  We're getting a babysitter, going hiking, then out to dinner.