7/17/16 to 7/23/16: Summer Running Part 6

Did you, dear reader, stumble upon my running (b)log to find some nuggets of wisdom about training in the heat and humidity?  Are you looking for tricks to make you feel cooler?  or an uplifting anecdote or two?  Well there is no wisdom here, and no tricks that I'm aware of.  All I know is that friggin A it is hot out.  Here's a little anecdote though...one morning when it was really hot out I went for a run.  I ran slow, my breathing was labored, and I was a sweaty mess.  Then, in the afternoon, I did the same thing.  Then again the following morning...then again in the afternoon...the morning...the afternoon...

What a story!!!  Well, that is me as of late.  A slow sweaty mess.  Here is the stuff:

17-Jul		Long Run		2:24:27		18.11		AM: Battle Road!  18+ at 7:50ish.  Good crew, and kept it conversational due to the warmer weather.  Very nice having company.
		Off		0:26:43		3.01		PM: Easy shakeout with Raleigh.   Also did drills and barefoot strides.
18-Jul		Easy		0:57:10		7.06		AM: I am tired.  7+ at 8+.
		Moderate		0:59:46		7.34		PM: I remain tired. 7+ at 8+.
19-Jul		Easy		0:59:06		7.23		AM: 7+ at 8+.
		Tempo & Ultimate		1:12:30		10.61		PM: 10+ averaging 6:50.  Pretty much a 5+5 tempo.  Then ultimate.  Left hamstring was really funky.
20-Jul		Easy		0:40:32		5.06		AM: Early morning meeting for work meant short mileage.
		Easy		1:03:40		8.28		PM: 8+ at 7:41/mile.
21-Jul		Easy		0:50:18		6.16		AM: 6+ at 8:10/mile.
		Easy & Ultimate		0:47:06		6.02		PM: 6+ at 7:49/mile.
22-Jul		Easy		0:41:42		5.24		AM: 5+ at 7:57/mile.
		Friday Night Lights 10k		1:18:00		10.55		PM: FNL10k.  Holy hell what a sufferfest.  36:09 and it was pain train the whole time.
23-Jul		Workout		0:44:40		6		AM:  Did Fresh Pond at basically 6min miles for the 1-lapper.  Just because.
		Easy		0:00:00		0		PM: Brother Mike's party, then drive to the Cape.

No splits, but I did play two games of ultimate.  Doesn't count towards the mileage, but I've been feeling quicker.

Total: 100.67

7/3/16 to 7/16/16: Summer Running Parts 4 & 5

Jon had a blog post recently about the human body's adaptability, specifically as it relates the recent stretch of heat and humidity.  He followed that up with a post about a recent study that suggests long term endurance related exercise can 'make you smarter.'  Well...my recent experience indicates that long term endurance related exercise in the heat and humidity is stupid!

I've been able to hold the weekly mileage at 100+, but it has been a tough task.  All of my commuting runs have been substantially slower than usual.  And not only are the runs slower, but I feel like my form deteriorates awfully quickly if I lose focus.  Don't get me wrong, I love the summer - but day dreams of that first run on a cool fall evening are starting to creep into my consciousness.  I haven't been running as long as most, but I'm no fool - I recognize that the struggle now will translate come racing season.  As it is, I'll continue going through the trials:

3-Jul		Long Run / Wellfleet 5m		0:52:00		7.54		AM: Wellfleet 5 Mile Road Race, 2nd place.  Terrible idea to run this.  Not a pounding headache hangover, but my equilibrium was way out of whack.  I'll consider it a good tempo.
		Off		0:47:25		5.01		PM: Good trail run with Eli.  Still mildly hungover.  Ugh.
4-Jul		Easy		1:41:48		12.5		AM: Some on my own and some with Eli and Raleigh.  Fun exploring run.
		Moderate		0:00:00		0		PM: Drive
5-Jul		Easy		1:12:10		9.24		AM: Extended commute at 7:48/mile.  Rainy.  Bloody nipples. Woo. Hoo.
		Harvard Track		2:15:15		16.82		PM: Commute home and to track.  Really humid.  800/1200/800/1200/800/400x2  5k/8k/mile pacing.  Really tough workout tonight.  Gutted it out with lots of self-bargaining.  Good.
6-Jul		Easy		0:59:55		7.13		AM:  Tired and achy morning commute.
		Easy		0:51:14		6.19		PM: What a death march.  Brutal humidity.
7-Jul		Easy		0:58:12		7.18		AM: Another brutal commute.   Interrupted by a meeting with Albert to make it even better…
		MLR & Ultimate		1:26:47		11.92		PM: MLR from Newton to the ultimate game in Sudbury.  Went quicker than I realized at 7:17/mile.  A respectable pace on a hilly route and hot night.  Then I played ultimate.
8-Jul		Easy		0:59:09		7.37		AM: Very tired from last night.  7+ at 8+.
		Easy		0:47:50		6.23		PM: Commute home then drive to Truro.  6+ at 7:41/mile.
9-Jul		Easy		0:33:34		4.08		AM: 4m at 8:14/mile with a couple strides at the end.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Took out a bunch of stumps.  That's work!  The Kingston Bugbee's came by for a great visit in the evening as well.  Good fun.
10-Jul		Long Run		1:59:14		16.03		AM: 16+ at 7:26/mile.  Hilly.  Not bad, Bugbee!
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Drive.
11-Jul		Easy		0:55:25		7.06		AM: 7+ commute at 7:52/mile.
		Moderate		1:23:35		10.19		PM: Commute home, then a few miles with Eli & Raleigh. 10+ averaging 8:12/mile.
12-Jul		Easy		0:51:32		6.32		AM: Commute 6+ at 8:09/mile.  Albert interruption.
		Tempo & Ultimate		1:18:25		10.58		PM: Commute home then tempo to Ultimate.  Very warm.  10+ averaging 7:24/mile.
13-Jul		Easy		0:56:16		7.14		AM: 7+ at 7:53/mile.
		Easy		0:50:34		6.30		PM: 6+ at 8/mile.  Hot as heck.
14-Jul		Easy		0:50:15		6		AM: 6 even at 8:37/mile.  Had a meeting in the woods.  Again.  Wonderful.
		Easy & Strides		1:01:00		7.54		PM: 6+ commute home (albert again. wtf.) followed by 10 Poplar strides.  I felt really good on the strides minus a stray right foot clipping my left knee - almost biffed it going full speed on the pavement.  Full array of drills too.
15-Jul		Easy		0:55:56		7.11		AM: 7+ at around 7:50/mile.  Stomach still freaking messed up.
		Easy		1:10:16		8.71		PM: 8+ at 8+.  I'm slogging lately.
16-Jul		Workout		0:59:40		8.08		AM: Fresh Pond 2.5 in 14:10ish.  Pretty darn warm, and I just didn't feel great.  Still - that's an ok short tempo.
		Easy				0		PM: Did a lot of stuff around the house, but no second run.

Splits:

800-2:39.2

1200-4:07.9

800-2:42.0

1200-4:09.9

800-2:41.8

400-1:14.1

400-1:13.7

Totals: 101.21 & 101.06

Wellfleet 5 Miler 2016 Race Report

The idea of racing this wasn't so bad, but the execution of the idea was MEH!  After staying up until 2am and having a very enjoyable and silly night dancing and drinking wine, I woke up at 6am and was in no shape to race.  But it was a Sunday, and my chances of getting in a good long run were poor, so I figured I'd go run the race and hopefully sweat out some of the wine.

After arriving, I jogged over to the registration tent at 7:50, ten minutes before the 8am deadline listed on the race website, and I was surprisingly met with hostility.  I've run a lot of races, and never been turned away at the registration table.  Here I was, ten minutes early, and I was being told, "sorry, but you should've registered online.  No more numbers, that's it.  You should've arrived earlier."  I couldn't help but say, "it's 7:50, isn't that earlier than the 8am deadline you have listed on the website?"  The angry woman responded incredulously, "You call that EARLY!?"  I waited just a few minutes, contemplating my options, when someone showed up with more numbers that they "had to pay $1 for!!!"...oh my, now the charity only receives $29 of my $30 registration fee.  THE HORROR!  Anyways, I paid the stupid registration to the nasty volunteer with a nasty attitude, and continued my now truncated warm-up thanks to that nonsense.

My equilibrium was totally off kilter and I felt awful.  I didn't have a massive headache though, so I figured I'd just do what I could.  The race itself was very hilly, and I did a good portion of the leading heading into the turnaround at the halfway point.  Unfortunately, I made a point to slow down and get some water since I was horribly dehydrated and my mouth was one giant ball of cotton.  The eventual winner was clearly feeling good and he put in a huge surge to open up a big gap.  He also employed the 'turn a corner and accelerate hard' strategy.  Something I frequently like to use on courses with enough turns - nothing like knowing your competitor will see you opened up 10+ meters thanks to a short burst of speed that he/she couldn't see.  Unfortunately, I was on the receiving end of said strategy.

In the end, I finished second...so...whatever.  It was a bad race, but a good tempo and I was none the worse for wear the following day.

6/26/16 to 7/2/16: Summer Running Part 2 & 3

Ehhh, little comment

26-Jun		Long Run		2:08:46		16.52		AM: 16+ hilly miles with Kevin.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Off.
27-Jun		Easy		1:02:30		8.07		AM: 8+ at 7:40ish.  Eh.
		Moderate		1:23:05		10.71		PM: 10+ at a reasonable clip.  I was feeling like crap for like 6 miles, then I found a groove…somehow?
28-Jun		Easy		1:02:19		8.01		AM: A rainy commute. 8+ at whatever.
		Harvard Track		2:00:00		15.62		PM: Commute home and to track.  Felt awful, then warming up & drills, the fog lifted! 1200/600x4/400x2/300x2/200x2.  Paced Amory for the 1200, then continued the workout w/6's at 5k, and the rest at mile pace or quicker.
29-Jun		Easy		1:07:10		8.05		AM: 8+ at 8:21/mile.  Ooof, that felt terrible.
		Easy		0:59:35		7.35		PM: 7+ commute.  Started the run feeling meh, but ok by the ed.
30-Jun		Easy		0:56:24		7.05		AM: 7+ at 8per.  A little slow, and heavy breathing…once again, fine by the end.
		Tempo/Hills		0:50:00		7		PM: Tempo ish home, then ultimate.
1-Jul		Easy		0:47;47		6.06		AM:  Left a little bit too late to squeeze in my preferred 7+.  Truro running.
		Easy				0		PM:  Off.
2-Jul		Workout		0:57:30		6.21		AM:  6+ slower with Eli and Raleigh.
		Easy				0		PM: Off.  Stayed up super late being a goofball and enjoying wine.
3-Jul		Long Run / Wellfleet 5m		0:52:00		7.54		AM: Wellfleet 5 Mile Road Race, 2nd place.  Terrible idea to run this.  Not a pounding headache hangover, but my equilibrium was way out of whack.  I'll consider it a good tempo.
		Off		0:47:25		5.01		PM: Good trail run with Eli.  Still mildly hungover.  Ugh.
4-Jul		Easy		1:41:48		12.5		AM: Some on my own and some with Eli and Raleigh.  Fun exploring run.
		Moderate		0:00:00		0		PM: Drive
5-Jul		Easy		1:12:10		9.24		AM: Extended commute at 7:48/mile.  Rainy.  Bloody nipples. Woo. Hoo.
		Harvard Track		2:15:15		16.82		PM: Commute home and to track.  Really humid.  800/1200/800/1200/800/400x2  5k/8k/mile pacing.  Really tough workout tonight.  Gutted it out with lots of self-bargaining.
6-Jul		Easy		0:59:55		7.13		AM:  Tired and achy morning commute.
		Easy		0:51:14		6.19		PM: What a death march.  Brutal humidity.
7-Jul		Easy		0:58:12		7.18		AM: Another brutal commute.   Interrupted by a meeting with Albert to make it even better…
		MLR & Ultimate		1:26:47		11.92		PM: MLR from Newton to the ultimate game in Sudbury.  Went quicker than I realized at 7:17/mile.  A respectable pace on a hilly route and hot night.
8-Jul		Easy		0:59:09		7.37		AM: Very tired from last night.  7+ at 8+.
		Easy		0:47:50		6.23		PM: Commute home then drive to Truro.  6+ at 7:41/mile.
9-Jul		Easy		0:33:34		4.08		AM: 4m at 8:14/mile with a couple strides at the end.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Took out a bunch of stumps.  That's work.  The Kingston Bugbee's came by for a great visit in the evening as well.  Good fun.

Tuesday 6/28 Splits:

1200-3:46.2

600-1:57.3

600-1:57.8

600-1:58.3

600-1:57.5

400-1:12.9

400-1:12.4

300-53.5

300-52.5

200-33.5

200-31.0

Tuesday 7/5 Splits:

800-2:39.2

1200-4:07.9

800-2:42.0

1200-4:09.9

800-2:41.8

400-1:14.1

400-1:13.7

6/26 to 7/2 Total: 100.65

7/3 to 7/9 Total: 101.21

6/19/16 to 6/25/16: Summer Running Part 1

The last day of vacation started with a hilly long run with Jonathan.  I was glad to randomly pass by him the prior day on my easy run (while he was biking from the ferry).  The run doesn't look like much on paper, but direct sun makes it pretty challenging.  And company makes it bearable.

Anyways, it certainly feels like summer is here - this week saw quite a few runs where I was totally drenched.

here
is
stuff:

Sunday		19-Jun		Long Run		2:05:03		16.04		AM: 16+ with Jonathan.  Really warm, hilly, and finished somewhat hard.  Averaged 7:48.
				Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Drive home/rest/father's day.
Monday		20-Jun		Easy		1:03:12		8.22		AM: 8+ commute at 7:41.
				Moderate		1:21:01		10.44		PM: 10+ with the last ~half mile with Raleigh. Averaged 7:40 until Raleigh.
Tuesday		21-Jun		Easy		0:57:11		7.15		AM: 7+ commute at about 8min per.  Really hot and humid.  I'm not used to this yet, and man I was drenched.
				Harvard Track		1:57:02		14.21		PM: Commute home and to Harvard.  800/600/1000x2/600/400x2/200x4 - a 5k/mile pacing.
Wednesday		22-Jun		Easy		0:42:38		5.22		AM: Late start due to insulation getting installed.  Worked out though, I took it easy.
				Easy		0:47:19		7.01		PM: Unexpected tempo.  Had to rush to Eli's work to get there for AAA.  6+ at 6:30/mile.  7+ tot.
Thursday		23-Jun		Easy		0:56:47		7.19		AM: Kind of hungover commute, 7+ at 7:55/mile.  Stride felt good though after feeling really choppy the past week+.
				Easy + Ultimate		0:45:05		6.09		PM: Commute home 6+ at 7:24/mile. Then Ultimate.
Friday		24-Jun		Easy		0:54:27		7.08		AM: Tired commute at 7:42/mile.
				Easy		0:47:52		6.24		PM: 6+ commute home at 7:40/mile.
Saturday		25-Jun		Workout		0:47:04		6.02		AM: 6+ averaging 7:50.  Did a couple moderately quick miles before doing 4 ~35s Hart Rd hill repeats.
				Easy		0:00:00		0		PM: I consider the Snail Hill Rd Hike to be exercise.

Tuesday Splits:

800-2:41.6

600-1:57.4

1000-3:26.9

1000-3:25.8

600-?

400-1:15.4

400-1:11.4

200-34.6

200-35.1

200-35.9

200-31.4

Total: 100.91