Bog Standard Blog

No big thoughts this week, so let’s recap last week’s training like I did before Rehoboth:

Sunday: 8 miles, slow but not easy. Came home and made that Mother’s Day brunch I wrote about last week.

Monday: No planned run. Planned core. No core.

Tuesday: 5 miles in some lousy, muggy weather. Did some strides that felt good.

Wednesday: 5 x 1′ hills on a loop in town. I’ve been doing these a few times a month to really lift those knees and drive for power, and I think it’s helping even though I’m too tired most of the time to see the results. This set was a bit slower than my last few outings, but I felt more in control and had some gas at the end.

I’m trying hard to balance my effort so I don’t burn out. Right now I’m riding a month-long streak of 30+ miles per week, and I think my legs are starting to notice. Like I said, I’m tired a lot of the time, but it seems like just the right amount. I find myself able to run a little farther on my easy days without feeling like it’s too far. I want to see how long I can keep this up, adding a mile here, a mile there while soaking up some consistent training. I think it’s going to pay off soon.

Thursday: Another bog swamp kind of day. Did 6 easy. Utterly neglected to do core exercises again.

Friday: 4 easy, swampy again, with strides.

Saturday: 3 x 1 mile at tempo pace (6:04 average) with 1′ rest. Humid again; came home soaked like I’d been rained on. Ran too hard. Took the second and third reps out in 89 and didn’t learn any lessons. Just had to hold on. I felt pretty tired on the cooldown but knocked out some split squats and calf raises when I got home, which felt good.

This Week: 36 miles. This morning I did my first Monday run in a while, so I’m hoping I’ll see 40 soon enough. I think this is a pretty good place to be with a not-quite-four-month-old at home, but it’s still frustrating having lost a step from last year’s marathon blocks. I wasn’t running hills like this last year, or doing any sort of strength, so I think that’s keeping me tired but hopefully also making me strong. I want to keep dialing in this routine until I find out.

Baby: My son is teething. There’s really no good way to do it, is there? He’s crankier than usual, but he’s holding up and so are we. Some friends of ours recommended chilling his pacifiers which has been a good quick fix. We’re opening up lots of new devices to help him with the pain, and we’re figuring it out as we go. He needs a little more love these days. Twist my arm.