For Whom the Dogs Bark

75F, clear, wind WSW 2 mph, 43% humidity.  Great running weather this morning -- clear, sunshine and almost no humidity.  Very little sweat on my shirt despite the higher temperatures.  We are going up to 90 today and yesterday was 92, basically mid-summer temperatures.  Ran 6.21 miles in 1:01:22, average pace 9:53 per mile, regular shoes and no heart rate monitor.  Slept in trying to get past the jet-lag fog and finally made it out the door at about 9 o'clock.  I was hoping my left ankle would not be an issue and for the most part it wasn't.  I could feel it a little bit, though it never affected my form or my speed.  As a result I decided to cut the run short and see how the ankle feels throughout the day.  If it still feels OK after walking on it all day and getting a good night's sleep, I'll ramp up some more tomorrow.  It's great to be home.

76F, clear, wind SW 7mph, humidity 52%, great running weather.  Ran 10.05 miles in 1:38:37, average pace 9:49 per mile, no heart rate monitor and regular shoes.  I was on pace to average 9:30 per mile through about mile 7.5, then got stopped by a big red-neck hound dog off its leash and never got going very well after that, not that I wanted to push too hard today anyway.  I got out late this morning after working late last night so heat was a definite factor, but I believe that I have lost some conditioning as a result of my ankle problems.  The cross-training helped some but didn't completely compensate.  Interesting that my quads were sore from the 6 miles I ran yesterday at a pretty modest speed.  No ankle issues, so assuming that holds throughout the day I will go back to my regular long, slow pace tomorrow, with fast miles at the end, and eventually get in some time in my very fashionable flats as well.  I still think the best way to train is either slow or hard.  I am a little skeptical of in-between miles like I ran today, although certainly the main thing is just being out there and going at it.

66F, cloudy wind SE 1 mph, 95% humidity, great morning for running, except that I slept in.  A thunderstorm came through last night and reset my clock back to midnight, so I woke up with light seeping through the windows.  Felt great to get 8 hours though.  Only had time for 4 before taking my daughter to school.  Plus the dog ate my homework.  Average pace 11:29, low heart rate and regular shoes.  Definitely not back to normal.  Might go out again later today, depending on how my ankle feels.  It started hurting yesterday afternoon, but never got to the limping stage and felt OK this morning. 

70F, 90% humidity, wind S 6 mph at start, 72F, 94% humidity, wind S 8-16 mph at end.  Beautiful morning for running.  Worked late and got to bed late last night but went ahead and set the alarm for 5:00 so as to sure and have adequate time to run before the day started.  Instead I woke up at 4:00 (lovely being old), finally got up at 4:45 and was out the door by 5:15.  Ran 8 at low heart rate, which this morning meant a pace just slightly under 12, not too good but my ankle felt fine.  After a quick bathroom and water break (yep, Bald, I stopped the clock), I ran the last 2 and change at marathon pace, splits were 8:36 and 8:14, with an 8:13 pace for the stub split.  It actually felt pretty easy, though I could feel residual weakness in my ankle as soon as I sped up.  Assuming my legs hold up I can probably start doing some 7s again before long.  My next milestone is a 10K at 7:00 pace, not sure how long it will take to get there, especially in the heat.  Overall pace this morning was 11:12, but it was really two runs.

We are headed to 93 today, almost a record.  Then the wind is turning to the north tonight and tomorrow, supposed to be in the 10-20 range but it won't cool much, only down to 67F tonight and hitting mid-80s tomorrow.  Our breezes might not be much by Abilene or Kansas standards, but I'm gonna go ahead and call it windy here.  If my ankle stays OK today I'll probably attempt a regular long slow run in the morning.

71F, wind NE 3 mph, humidity 73%, wind picked up a little and temperature up a little during the run.  It was a great morning for running, clear at first and then clouding over right about sunrise.  I ran 20.28 in 3:47:02, average pace 11:12, regular shoes.  I ran the first 10 at low heart rate, which was about a 12-minute pace, not sure why but I think it is the heat.  Then I picked it up the next 10, intended to run low 11s, but ended up mid-10s.  My last 6 splits were 10:30 (153), 10:26 (154), 10:40 (152), 10:22 (157), 10:20 (159) and 10:06 (162).  So my heart rate was moving up gradually the whole time but it never broke 160 until mile 19. 

Basically I had quite a bit in reserve, but my ankle was a little sore from running fast yesterday and I didn't want to dig myself a hole for Monday's session.  The other good thing I did was manage hydration better.  I have been a bad boy when it comes to drinking (don't get the wrong idea, we are only talking about water here), basically I don't bother.  But a long run in the heat and humidity forces the issue.  This time I started early and took a respectable drink every two miles or so, hauling a water bottle with me so I could do it.  It wasn't enough water to make my stomach slosh but it staved off dehydration.  I felt cramps coming on a couple of times and they might have been an issue if I had been running faster, but as it was I was able to control it by changing my stride a little to stretch my left hamstring.  In order to control cramping I need to think about taking salt, but that stuff really sends my stomach into orbit.

Well, no St. George for me and my siblings this year.  As a group we whiffed in the Lotto, and my brother who entered with my cousin also whiffed.  We are just not good gamblers.  One alternative is simply to do another fall marathon and I'll probably do that anyway.  But I'm thinking about doing the Utah Valley Marathon on June 12.  The course looks sweet, just not sure if it's too soon to BQ.  According to the McMillan Calculator, I can BQ if I can run a 10K at a 7:47 pace.  I have already done 7:53 for a 10K about a month ago, and I'm thinking that the course might be just fast enough to make up for the altitude.  But I might be pushing my ankle injury too hard, and I am close enough to the magic pace that if anything goes wrong it will probably do me in.  Lots to think about and not a lot of time to decide.