Adarq.org

headache was worse yesterday, came in waves all day and i spend big chunks of the day lying down. unusually, it was concentrated on the left side most of the time. no run or exercise.

felt better this morning, although i didn't sleep all that well.

- track intervals
-- warm up
-- 8 x [600m @ 5k pace, 100m walk]
-- cool down
pretty sore quads. did the first six reps in 3:49-3:54, then the last two stuck on the shoulder of a woman who's faster than me, just for fun: 3:39, 3:40. harder but still felt quite doable.

- half marathon in 1:29:54 (watch), 1:30:28 (chip), 1:30:41 (gun)
very happy with this. i didn't red-line as early as i could have, so even at my current fitness i might have knocked off a few seconds. but i did kick enough at the end to pass a few people, including one guy right at the line, so i don't feel like i left too much in the tank. race and learn. pacing other than that was excellent: first third averaging 4:22, second third 4:15, and final third 4:10. i've been hurt twice since january, so training did not go as well as it could have. i only had one week over 40 miles.

and, most amazingly of all, my watch time was under 1:30. 

conditions were great, low 50's fahrenheit and dry, although there were a few sections in the final third into a pretty stiff headwind. but overall, no complaints on that front. the course has some longish hills but they're all pretty gentle. if i don't sign up for the cherry blossom ten-miler next year, i'll probably do this race again.

upon further reflection, i really think it would have been asking for injury to try to ramp up for a 40-miler that soon. i will look for races later in the summer.

- run 38:10, 7.12 km
nice and easy. warm and humid. sunday is supposed to be cool but maybe pretty windy, hope that holds off until later in the day.

just found out i got in off the wait list for a 40-mile trail race in june. i know i was talking about taking a month or so off to focus on weights but i'm honestly kinda tempted to just go for this one. 40 miles doesn't seem that far, especially if i'm just trying to finish and not worry about time (the cutoff is 12 hours, which i could cover at a literal walk). would mean ramping up mileage again after the half, obviously with some care. hmmmmmmm...

i have until friday to decide whether to register. should i do it?

- run 40.25, 6.91 km, strides 4 x 100m
i like adding strides on the track more than trying to do them on the street or sidewalk. not hot this morning but pretty humid: dew point 58. praying that breaks a bit by sunday.

it's race week, so instead of mileage being lower because i'm hurt, it'll be lower because "taper." plan is: tomorrow 3 x 1 mile at HM pace; thursday similar to today; friday rest; saturday 2-3 km or rest; sunday race.

- run 1:17:38, 13.55 km, strides 4 x 100m
strides <2:50 pace, so not quite an all-out sprint but quite fast. everything feels ok, glad i threw the strides in at the end. warm out but not hot.

- knee PT

- climb x 1.5 hours
much more fun this time, a buddy came with and then ran into one of my old colleagues, so we climbed together. hands a bit raw. but felt a little more confident on the wall.