For Whom the Dogs Bark

77F, 90%, S 5 mph.   Felt very hot, heart rate faded badly toward the end.  10.04 miles LHR, average pace 10:33 per mile.

76F, 95%, calm and clear.  Better today, even though it was just as hot.  Ran 5.5 LHR then 5 x 1000 at about a 7:25 pace:  7:20 (154), 7:30 (171), 7:18 (178) and 7:23 (184).  Held up a lot better than last week, but it was not as fast either. 

76F, 94%, calm and clear, the sauna continues.  Ran 9.96 at low heart rate, average pace 10:19 per mile, so better than Monday.  Very fatigued at the end.  Pace at the beginning was about 9:55 with a heart rate in the low 120s, deteriorated to about 10:45 by the end.  I guess a long run in the heat is a good metaphor for getting old or something, gonna have to take more naps.

73F, 90%, calm and clear.  Just a few degrees cooler but it made a difference today.  Ran 6 LHR at 9:58 per mile, then a 4-mile tempo run, splits were 7:17 (160), 7:22 (168), 7:09 (175) and 7:07 (182), average pace 7:14, maximum heart rate 188 bpm.  Overall 8:53 per mile.  I feel good after this run, interesting how much better I feel after running fast.  I think it is an indication that my aerobic fitness has declined through the last couple of training cycles.  What I really need to do is to log some serious LHR miles and do only that for a while, but I plan to wait until after SGM to start something like that.  What is also interesting is how much controversy there is over this.  For every expert who says don't neglect speed work while doing base mileage, there is another who claims that you will damage yourself running fast too often.  All  you can do is experiment with your own body to see what works.

77F, 90%, calm and clear.  Another day in paradise.  Woke up very early , so nothing to do but run.  Today is an easy day, 10.04 LHR miles at 10:24 average pace, presumably a combination of heat, tired legs and lack of sleep.  Either that or I'm just a bad person.  Finished just as the sun came up.  I have to drive to San Antonio tonight to pick up my daughter at 7:00 in the morning, not sure how I am going to stay awake on the way or get my run in once I arrive.

I picked up my daughter and some friends from a church camp in San Antonio at 7:00 this morning, so the traditional Saturday morning long run was out the window.  I got back to Houston in the early afternoon and took a nap, to which I am entitled due to my advanced years.  At about 6:30 I thought I might be able to go outside and get 15 in before dinner.  As a precaution I checked the weather channel site for our zip code and it said 98F.  No thank you.  Which is a long way of saying that today was a treadmill day.

I got on the 'mill and ran for a little over two hours before a late dinner.  15.00 miles at 7 mph (8:34 per mile).  Honestly, I don't know how to compare it to street running, other than the excruciating mental aspect, but part of the mental pain was due to watching yet another Astros meltdown, inning by inning, mile by mile.  I was running about 2 machine miles per inning.  My heart rate started out at 134, almost LHR zone, and climbed very slowly throughout the run, finishing at 161.  So you would think this was a very manageable pace, and at first I thought the effort wasn't equivalent to running the same pace outside.  But by the end of the session I was nauseous and practically dead, even though my heart rate was completely under control.  I haven't been running much in this zone right above LHR, so maybe that is part of the problem.  Which is a long way of saying I don't really know how long I ran or how fast I ran it.  Just a whole new experience which I hope I don't have to repeat too often.  Hate those machines.