August --

Cycled up mileage wise the past three weeks. Ran @ 45 miles in the first week, 48 the second, and @ 55 miles the third week. Once again a mix of base runs or daily runs of around six to seven miles. Longer runs of upwards of fifteen to sixteen miles, speedwork on the track, and some shorter tempo runs of three to four miles. Have also added sprint work on the beach at the end of some runs. Six to eight reps of about twenty second sprints with maybe a minute's rest in between.

My last long run was a bear. Really started to tire about and hour and forty five munites into the run. The heat and humidity undoubtebly played a role, as did the fact that I was running long off of a speed work out two days before, and a six mile run the day before. Read a quote reprinted from Dr. George Sheehan that stated "we are all an experiment of one"... meaning all of us learn thru are own trial and error what works, and what doesn't work for us. The lesson I extracted, being that I need more rest before I go for a longer run.

The last speedwork session I did Sunday morning consisted of 6 reps of 1,000m w/ 200m easy jog in between. Good workout, and quite challenging to me on a more physiological or mental plain. Holding a harder pace on the track for a longer distance, two and half laps worth, as opposed to running 400Ms or one lap. Though the week before I ran 800m repeats, Yasso 800s. 8 reps in about 3:10- 3:15 w/ 3:15 worth of recovery jogging between reps. And at the end of the 1,000Ms I did run to 400Ms in 1:15, and 1:13. Trsut me those "shorter" intervals are as challenging when they start to add up in thier own right.

Being on the track teaches me to be a little bit tougher I think every time I go out there. Pushing thru the lactic acid build-up that occurs more and more as the number of reps increase. Convincing myself to do "just one more", usually a few times each session.

But the long runs/ and or the tempo runs bear thier own lessons of fortitude likewise. Running for seemingly endless stretches of time, telling myself another half hour, another fifteen minutes, another five minutes etc etc.

And then there are the days like this morning that are most welcome and necassary to just go out and sort of run free and easy, with little thought or worry about time or pace. Not that I don't enjoy the challenges of training, but its paramount to me not to lose sight of the daily pleasures of just being to head out the door and do something I love to do for an hour or so out of the day.