A Passion for Running

Worst long run I’ve had this training season. Felt sluggish and had stiff calves for the first half. I had no energy from the start to when I packed it in 15 minutes earlier than scheduled.

Time: 2:15:30
Distance: 14.75 miles
Pace: 9:11 minutes/mile
Average Heart Rate: 146 bpm

Although it was an extremely frustrating run, it was not without something positive. It felt like I was running very slowly and my average heart rate was extremely low – as low as it has been in past runs paced at close to a minute per mile slower.

Positive aside, I traded emails with Coach Andrew where we agreed it’s a good idea to do my next several runs at recovery pace. It’s time for a bit of healing before the next stage in training which Andrew says is coming within the next several weeks.

What a brutal run. Today’s hard run was compounded by: Sluggishness, unbelievable wind and slush/water puddles. It felt enormously exhausting even though I was unable to get my heart rate and pace where I would have liked them to be.

Time: 61:20 minutes
Distance: 7.36 miles
Pace: 8:20 minutes per mile
Average Heart Rate: 163 bpm

I hope things are better for tomorrow’s long run (2.5 hours).

For the first time this winter, yesterday I wussed out on a run because of the weather.

What’s unusual about my wussing out is it came when the weather warmed up – as opposed to all the other days/weeks/months of cold and snow I’d endured prior to yesterday.

So, if not the snow or cold, then what stopped me you ask? Well, all the snow we’ve had is now starting to melt so I ran through quite a bit of slush on Thursday. Cold, wet slush. My feet were wet and frozen by the time I got home.

Friday was warmer and slushier so all I had to look forward to was more of the same. I did not want that so…

I ditched.

As I shared with Andrew in an email, ditching yesterday’s run seemed funny to me with all the cold, snowy bitterness I’d endured up till then but I guess it just goes to show you how trying the long winter has been. Totally mentally draining.

I ran today. Nice and easy.

My heart rate was ok today but the effort felt like a lot more because of the terrible, slippery, sloppy melting snow I had to run on.

ugg.

But, it it looks like (read: I hope) the weather is making a turn for the better (it was 4C/39F today). Would it be too much to hope winter is almost over? Probably.

Details about today’s run:

Time: 1:32 hours
Distance: 10.92 miles
Pace: 8:25 minute per mile
Average Heart Rate: 162