I Run

I know that there are volumes written on how to train and run successfully. I've read Daniels and Pfitzinger, applying their concepts to my workouts. And for the most part, their advice works. But there are just so many factors that go into any given run, that science sometimes comes up short. That's when I have to be well attuned to what's going on: my breathing, the heaviness in my legs, the weather, my perspiration rate, etc. And I have to make adjustments based not on what my watch says, but what I intuitively feel will maximize my run at that particular moment. By "maximize", I don't mean high performance. Rather, I'm just reaching for a good feeling. That means I might have to slow to a 12:00 min/mile pace on a steep grade. But at that point I'm not even considering pace. I just want to be in a good spot. Of course, I keep the physiological concepts in the back of my head, but overall I try to keep it fun. That's what will make me a better runner.

In weather like this I sweat just standing still. So I can just forget about my body's natural defense against overheating. It's not going to work. To avoid the heat, I got up at 5:00 yesterday morning and was out the door by about 5:40. Temps were in the 60s to low 70s, but the humidity was pretty high. So my 15-miler was pretty slow: about 8:45 pace overall. I guess I'm training for a marathon now, though I haven't signed up yet and I haven't told anybody. I figure I'll just use Pfitz's 12-week plan and try to peak at anywhere between 55 and 65 miles. I think if I can get a couple of relatively high mileage weeks in before mid-September, I'll have a shot at another PR. And training in this heat and humidity could very well prepare me for a somewhat cooler, drier race day.

It's strange to have the freedom to run whenever, wherever, and however I like. Since I have not yet decided to run a fall marathon, I'm not training. I took more than a week off of running in late June during our vacation to Tennesseee. Starting up after that was a bit difficult. But I did run the Firecracker 4-Miler in Brattleboro on the 4th. I came in at 27:37, about 30 seconds slower than last year. Last year it was hot; this year it was humid. Right now I'm thinking about racing the Bridge of Flowers 10K in August (that's always fun, but tough). And there's the Swanzey Covered Bridges half marathon. If I do a marathon, it would be nice to run Clarence de Mar in Keene (no hotel costs!). But that's on 9/24, which means I'd have to begin training - um - this week (assuming I do a 12-week plan). I'll have to mull it over.