How Much Discomfort Can I Tolerate?!

Weather - 49 degrees, cloudy.

Was able to run a bit faster today, legs are recovering nicely.

#345

Weather - 37 degrees, cloudy, windy.

First cold day for running this season. One day I am running in shorts and a singlet, the next long underwear, sweats, 3 shirts, jacket, hat and gloves.

I ran 4.50 miles on the arboretum loop to MBK and back, then 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 35 minute walk home.

Legs are feeling 95% recovered.

#346

Weather - 48 degrees, sunny.

Instead of waiting until dusk to take my run, I decided to run at 2:00 pm so that I could get the most warmth out of the day. It felt pretty nice out there, and the leaves on the trees are at their best right now, a luminous cloth of bright colors which shades the world in a soft glow.

Ran around Busey Woods, legs felt 100% today, so it only took 10 days for me to recover from the race.

It is good I am taking a break now because the combination of cold weather and my end of season allergies is potent - it makes me out of breath to run at 8:00/pace. I notice, though, that if I can run very slow for 4 miles, my lungs loosen up and I can then run 7:30 pace with  no problem. I did that today, and it felt good to move quicker than normal.

Thinking back to last year, I don't think I overcame my tight lungs until April, when I ran a 19:13 5k in cold, rainy weather. So I will have to run slow for the next 5 months. Kind of depressing, and I am thinking about not racing until then. I tried some races last year in the winter, and I had poor results each time.

My best months are July and August. When I was in Door County running my 100 mile week I ran consistently at 6:30 pace with more ease than my current 9:00 minute miles. I also ran my best 12k in early August, averaging 6:44 pace on hilly trails.

Knowing the above, I think I should only race May-August, May and June for tune-up races, and July and August for the real thing. For the remaining months only slow and steady running because that is all my body will allow.

During the slow months I need to keep myself motivated, so instead of running short and fast, maybe I can concentrate on participating in long, slow ultras. I ran my first ultra 2 weeks ago without having the ability to run fast, but it did not prevent me from running 6 hours at 9:00-10:30 pace.

My 1 year anniversary on this blog is only a couple of weeks away. Since I can only run fast 2 months out of the year, maybe I should call it quits here and just keep a generic blog. Afterall, this is the Fast Running blog, so what is the point of keeping a record of my slow, plodding months. I do like the abililty of this blog to quickly track all months and miles, so maybe I should stay for that reason alone.

After the run 4 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 30 minute walk home.

#347

Weather - 51 degrees, sunny.

Went out in the afternoon to enjoy the brisk weather. Ran through Busey Woods and enjoyed the leaves and the light.

After the run 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 30 minute walk home.

#348

Weather - 63 degrees, sunny.

A really great day for running, and I ended up going 3 hours around the South Farms, MBK, the Arboretum, Crystal Lake, and Busey Woods. I went easy for most miles, so I am calculating an average of 9:15 pace. 

I felt best at 90 minutes, and ran between 8:00-8:30 pace for 20 minutes after that.

At the 1:50 mark I stopped at Strawberry Fields and bought a sandwich, fruit, and a drink. I sat under a nearby tree and ate, then started running again and stopped at the 3 hour mark.

I feel I could have gone another hour, but I felt it best not to push my body too hard right now, 3 hours is long enough.

#349

Weather - 70 degrees, sunny.

Another great day. My lungs felt 90%, which is better than I have felt in 2 months. Consequently it was very easy to run, and I ran quicker than my normal plodding allergy pace. I even dipped below 7:00 pace when I was doing loops in Busey Woods. 

I planned to do 4 miles, but with the day being so nice I could not resist running further. I wanted to get to South Farms but when I got to the arboretum I had already run over 8 miles, and I did not think it wise to go any further because of yesterday's run.

Afterward 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 30 minute walk home.

#350

Weather - 71 degrees, sunny.

Amazing weather for November 1. My run was very enjoyable, the leaves in town and in the woods are yellow and red, and the warmth feels great.

After the run I stopped at Strawberry Fields, bought a sandwich, fruit, and juice, and sat under a nearby tree and had a satisfying lunch.

#351