Lazy Summer Already

Summer is really here in Minneapolis. Nice and warm and very humid. Needless to say last week wasn't the best training I've had. Somehow I did manage 73 miles last week. I was hoping for a bit more. Had a really good tempo run on Monday, followed by a hilly run on Tuesday. It was supposed to be 14 miles and only ended up with 13.5. Plus, I cut Thursday's run a half mile short and Saturday's long run two miles. The humid conditions are really bothering me.

Overall training for last week looked like this:
Su - 6/4
M - 10 w/4 Tempo
Tu - 13.5
W - 6
Th - 4/11.5
F - 6
Sa - 14
Overall 73 miles at 7:57/mile

So Chris Carr finished his first marathon in 4:45. Not a bad first time, but could've been a lot better if he trained properly. Made way too many first timer mistakes. Hopefully he sticks with running and keeps his fitness, then tries a marathon next year. I guarantee if he does this he will take an hour of his time.

If you're going to run a marathon on less than a 40 mpw base, please read this article. Another reason why the marathon deserves more respect than a majority of people give it.

Oh, no matter what Runner's World says, running with headphones in a race is bad. Very bad and very dangerous. Another of the reasons I don't read Runner's World. If you're a runner and are going to read a magazine, please read Running Times. It's geared towards runners, not Gallow-walkers.

One of these days I will post my lessons learned and give out all the running secrets I know.

One Long Run Down, 17 to Go

Well the first week of training for Twin Cities is officially in the books. It was a good week, except that start was extremely hot and humid, and I was too lazy to get up early to run. I manged 71 miles, but without any speedwork. I have another easy week of running, before the speedwork starts.

Su - 6/4 recovery
M - 7 easy w/strides (supposed to be 8)
Tu - 13 easy (hilly/7:46/mile)
W - 6 recovery
Th - 12 easy (7:42/mile)
F - 6 recovery
Sa - 17 long run (7:47/mile)

The long run was pretty uneventful. It felt pretty good and I tried to hit all the hills possible. I have to make sure to continue with the hills. I was going to race an 8k on Sunday morning, but a few too many beers the night before put an end to that idea. Fish and chips and beer are so good the night after a long run.

This weekend I'll be in Milwaukee for the Jimmy Buffett concert. For some reason I don't think I'm going to get every mile in. Maybe an easy six on Saturday, then a two hour run along the lakeshore. We'll have to see.

Thursday Run Recap

I struggle to come up with nice, clever headlines. Obviously I'm not a writer.

Had another good, but uncomfortable run last night. We went out around the lakes, along with everybody else. We managed 12 in about 1:34:30 (7:43/mile), but I didn't really feel comfortable at all. Too much people dodging.

I think it's funny how competitive some runners are. Last night as we made it Lake Calhoun, one of the faster local runners was there. We happened to pass him, then he decided to take off. I think he was sending a message or something. Was pretty funny. In races we're usually right behind him.

Has anyone noticed how far downhill Calhoun has gone? It used to a fun, hip lake. Now, I don't know how to explain it, but now it's so crowded and the people are incredibly rude. I miss winter running.

This week should be around 75 miles and next week, I should be up over 80 miles again. Feels good to be putting in some miles.