A Time Trial and Me

Good news - my calf seems to be all healed up and behind me, and I'm more than glad to have that situation over and done with. Now I am moving on and looking toward Houston, which is 17 1/2 weeks away.

Earlier this week, coach and I finally ran that 30 minute time trial we have been talking about all summer. I wouldn't say I was dreading it because I was actually a little excited about it. I was actually a little nervous or maybe anxious about it, because no doubt it wouldn't feel good at all. It was still a little cool, mid 60's, humid and dark. But there is something really cool about running in the dark with the way lighted by the moon. After a warm-up for almost 1.5 miles, it began. Coach was thoughtful, he brought me a piece of black tape to cover my Garmin screen so that I couldn't see anything. He latched on to my HR signal on his Garmin in order to monitor the workout. I was running blindly, but I know that trail like the back of my hand, even in the dark, so I had a slight idea of where we were in the workout. After about mile or so, I started breathing like I was dying. Coach told me not to worry about talking that he would take care of that. We made the turn out past Clyde, and headed back, and the best part about that was the slight downhill that you get when you head east on the trail. I was able to get a slight reprieve with breathing, but it still hurt. Finally we hit 30 minutes, and I was DONE! We took a little walk because I really needed to catch my breath, in a bad way! We jogged it in, and the hour long workout was over. In the 30 minutes, I believe I covered 3.6 miles, with the total workout being 6.65 miles. I'm happy with the workout, but I sure felt like I was running faster than I actually was. But the heart rate doesn't lie. From this workout, he was able to establish some heart rate zones, which we will use in training for Houston. And we get to do this again in a couple of weeks!

Following Tropical Storm Lee, and Tupelo, we have had some great weather. It's looking like the dog days of summer are moving on finally, but in the last few days, it has heated back up a little. This morning was the warmest in about a week and a half. That and the hard run Tuesday took a toll on my run this morning. My 8 miles were much more difficult than they should be, but I did them and ran my pace. I was pretty sore and fatigued after that workout on Tuesday so it wasn't the easy pace it was supposed to be.

So after a tough run on a rather warm humid morning, I told coach that I am ready for the weather to cool off for good so that my paces can start reflecting the efforts I'm putting out. I am ready for that extra burst of energy you get on those cool mornings. I am ready to see my breath!