Buttsweat Towel© season has begun

72F.  7:31 AP.  Skipped a recovery run yesterday - Danielle was out of town and I had the kids; I didn't feel like getting the TM out and felt a little under the weather anyway.  But I woke up early to get in a solid 15 today.  Definitely felt better than the 17 last week.

Last summer I did 3 x 15-mile runs a week, in the heat.  Seems a little nuts but I think that is what was mostly responsible for changing me from a 3:16 guy to a 3:01 guy, the endurance I built from all those longer runs.  So I kind of want to stick with what worked, but I think I would get diminishing returns now that the base has already been built.  Going to aim for 1 x 15-miler a week now, and keep up the 5K training during the week.  I think I can still average 60/week (assuming I don't keep skipping recovery runs) and still be fresh for 2 workouts a week.  So that is the plan for the next 2 months, then I will build mileage up for a fall marathon - I'm leaning toward Tulsa in November now (39F avearge low for that Nov 18 race day!) so that I have time to get in some longer, cooler MP runs.

72F, 8:24 AP

78F.  7:59 AP.  Another easy morning, but a tempo tomorrow.  The high is 108 today so it'll probably be a little warm, even the next morning.

77F, 80%.  Intent today was 6 easy, 6 @ TT (6:37), with 6:40s being acceptable due to the warm morning.  After the 6 easy, I was pretty sure I didn't have my A-game but I started the tempo portion.  Amost immediately missed my turn and went a good ways before I realized it.  I got my bearings and found another way home, but the new route had a lot more ups and downs.  The first 2 miles seemed to have a lot of downhill, and sure enough, for the next 2 miles it was payback time.  I'd pretty much wilted at that point as the sun was fully out.  I did 1 more and called it good at 5, and jogged home.  Survive to run another day..

The 5 tempo miles were 6:45 AP.  6:41, 6:34, 6:51, 6:55, 6:44

Felt completely opposite from 2 weeks ago.  Well, this summer is bound to have some failed runs like this, just the nature of the beast when it's hot.  As long as I keep trying and get in some good efforts, I think I can make it worthwhile.

72F, 8:08 AP

73F, 70%.  7:06 AP.  Went to the track today with the intent of doing 5 x 1200, but I got there and half the track was ripped up - they were doing construction!  Well, this week was long intervals, so I decided I'd switch it to 4 x 1 mile, 2 minute recoveries, and just do it on the roads with Garmin.  I felt good today, and did some pretty good repeats.  Average was 6:08, exactly the same as last time I did this, but that was on the track, and these were on the roads.  3 of the 4 were net uphill - nothing dramatic, as you can see below, but definitely tougher than doing them on the track.

6:12   +14 ft

6:12   +27 ft

5:56   -28 ft

6:11   +23 ft

The last repeat was probably the best - it came out to only 23 ft net uphill on Garmin Connect but I don't believe the map data on that one...seemed like a lot more!  Either way, it redeemed me from Wednesday's tempo.

83F, SSW 12 mph.  mid-morning run, 8:18 AP.