I literally used to sit in my car before a marathon, with a dip in my mouth, go out and run 26.2 miles, and then have another dip almost immediately after the race. Pretty messed up, I know. But those days are long gone, and I don't miss it all. So way to go, well ... ME!
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As far as running goes, this is going to sound like a broken record ... but it is FREAKING STIFLING OUT THERE RIGHT NOW!!! That's a screen-shot from my phone at 4:30 a.m. when I started my Speed Workout this morning. The temperature wasn't too bad, but yep ... 100% humidity ... AGAIN!!! If you're fortunate enough to live in areas where the humidity is low, I don't think you have any real idea of what it's like to deal with this every day. It's no joke. It's soooo hard to breath, and it just beats you down, man. But if you stay committed to running in it, it usually makes your Fall races go really well. So there's that!
Today's Speed Workout was short by design. I only did a total of six miles, and I'll do another five tonight. The workout consisted of six 800 meter repeats a little below 5K pace, and then a mile at little below half-marathon pace, with about 90 seconds rest between each. Here's how it went ...
1.5 mile warm up
800M ... 3:00 (6:00/mile pace)
800M ... 2:50 (5:40/mile pace)
800M ... 2:58 (5:56/mile pace)
800M ... 2:53 (5:46/mile pace)
800M ... 2:57 (5:54/mile pace)
800M ... 2:50 (5:40/mile pace)
1 Mile ... 6:25
Half mile cool down
Considering my shirt was completely saturated at about 2 miles into the workout, I felt pretty good about holding the pace. Also, I did the workout on the sidewalk, as opposed to a track, so there were some incline/declines. After the run, I got in a quick leg strength workout, mostly squats and hip stuff. I'll do another five miles tonight, but it will be a very slow pace. Hope your week's going well!
... Be Great Today!
Congrats on going tobacco free. I used to smoke (off and on) for a number of years and used chew for about a year as well. That stuff is horrible on your gums and I am so glad I am not trapped by that addiction any longer. However, despite my healthy ways, I still occasionally crave a smoke if the situation is right. But I know tobacco and running generally don't mix.
ReplyDeleteThe humidity isn't fun, especially in the midwest. It can really be a drain on performance as well as motivation. I am dealing with the dry heat now here. Luckily I can run pretty late at night or early morning to avoid it. I actually prefer cold weather running, which is something I can dress accordingly for, versus warmer weather running.
Keep training hard.
Congrats on being dip free. I am going on 9 years without a dip. I still have cravings (like after good Mexican food) but I never want to go through the "quitting" part of it again, so I stay away!
ReplyDeleteUghh 100% humidity is disgusting. It's so energy-sapping. But you do get the upside when you get through summer. Nothing feels as good as that first low-humidity run!
ReplyDeleteCannot BELIEVE you completed that workout with the dew point and humidity shown above.
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