Perfect Weather

Sunday, Aug 10:

For running. Ten miles today, mostly on my favorite dirt road alongside the railroad tracks. 52 degrees when I started, ideal for a t-shirt, shorts, shoes, and a visor to handle the rising sun. Cool enough I almost wished I had gloves - this is the weather I wait for all year. I flushed up two coveys of pheasants resting in the weeds along the tracks, saw plenty of bunnies and red-winged blackbirds. Running doesn’t get much better.

Following 36- and 40-mile weeks, this next week will be a cutback week, only 30 miles, intended to help consolidate the benefit of the previous two weeks of training and to encourage the body to recover and heal if any injuries have started. With five miles yesterday and ten today, the 30 miles are already half-completed. No pains today - all is well. I think maybe I can stop using the hip flexors as an excuse to walk up hills now - time to run up a few hills and see what happens :-)

Splits: 9:16, 9:03, 57:06 (6 mi), 9:02, 9:03, total 1:33:30, pace 9:21, very good considering that more than six miles of the run was on the soft dirt trail and I slowed four times for water. Further, I stopped once for a pee break, without stopping the watch, and reversed briefly to run with friend Luke who happened to run by in the other direction. I’m happy with the time, and best of all I found myself getting stronger in the last miles, rather than weaker. That is a happy sign. On the advice of our naturopath I have started eating more meat recently - perhaps that helps.

Saturday, Aug 9:

Saint Croix Valley Runners, five miles as always. Several of our group ran the Gopher to Badger Half Marathon today, and I had visions of having to run alone. Not so! Cal showed up for the first time in over a year, along with Burr and Luke, Mary, Roy, Dave1, Dave2, Doug, plus my sweeties, we had a decent size running group.

I felt tired this morning, and attributed it to the 20-mile run just a couple of days ago. That could be a reason. Roy and Dave ran my pace, and we three finished in 45:12, for a pace of 9:02. I like to be under 9:00, but today this will do.

	Three breakfasts. On top of the oatmeal: organic walnuts, blueberries, organic strawberries, organic cashews, mango, Dove dark chocolate, papaya, organic nectarine, banana, organic brazil nuts, organic nonfat milk.