Sunday, February 13, 2011

A Bad Friday

If you are lucky, sometimes in life you discover keen, if not profound, insights about yourself. Friday was such a day for me. Why? Because on Friday I realized my badassness is limited only by my dumbassness.

Profound eh?

And what event brought me to such an insight? The fact that I realized I was a week off on my training plan. I was supposed to go 10, 13, 15, 12, 18, 13, 18, 20, 22 (there are more, but these are the import numbers for the story). Friday I realized I had gone 10, 13, 15, 12, 18, 20. Seems I forgot about that step-down week of 13M and instead did my first 20M run early. Score a point for my dumbassness.

Therefore, on Friday evening I had to redesign my long run training plan, and I had to decide if I should run the 22M I had been preparing for all week long.

While attempting to rearrange my plan, I did desire to keep my slotted back-to-back 20M (or more) runs. This was something I introduced into my training last fall for Grand Rapids, scheduling a 20M then a 22M. I had an 8:07/M pace for my 20M and a 8:38/M average for a 2 mile shortened run of only 20M. What should be noted about the second 20M run back in August was that it came after getting a massive blister in the CRIM and that I pretty much had a runner out-of-my-mind experience where all comprehension of time was lost and I felt like I was running well past midnight even though it was closer to 10pm. The Redhead will tell you, I returned a different person than when I had left.

But I was feeling confident after my 7:10/M average for my first 20M run last week, and so I decided to go ahead and rearrange my schedule and run 22M on Saturday. I set out with a goal of averaging around 7:15/M pace, with the goal of no mile slower than a 7:30.

Despite dropping one 7:35 during mile 16, I averaged a 7:14/M pace. I’ll be doing that missed 13M next week, and my legs are eagerly looking forward to the step-down.

6 comments:

Sun Runner said...

The Redhead will tell you, I returned a different person than when I had left.

Yeah, because your lovely lady removed half of your foot skin due to that blister. If that's not love I don't know what is.

I think me and the man will be seeing you on Saturday. yay!

Georgia Snail said...

Consider your post successfully high-jacked...I forgot everything you posted after reading that Red doctored up your foot.

Make an honest woman out of her. Now!

Jessie said...

I guess the happy ending to the story is that at least you caught it AND you didn't hurt yourself as in inhibit yourself from running completely!

Ironman By Thirty said...

I've been married over 5 years and I still doctor my own blisters. Red is spoiling you.

Way to rock the back to back long runs! You are going to be wearing that (screen printed and hideously green) Boston jacket in no time!

Jen said...

Wow... you rock. I dont think I ever "skipped" a lower mileage run. Great run!

B. Kramer said...

That's the good thing about being flexible. If you can avoid injury, just move that lame step-down week. It'll still do some good later. It just might hurt sooner. Cheers!