The week started out hot and silent. With my After Shokz dead, I don’t have a pair of headphones that I want to use (I do have a pair of Plantronics Backbeat Fit, but they block hearing).
Monday: 7 x 0.25 intervals. Despite the heat (72 per Garmin, it was hot and humid out), these went pretty well. Ran the normal route (parks and around the Bengal’s Practice Field). Interval target is 1:51 – 1:55, ran them in 1:50, 1:45, 1:47, 1:46, 1:47, 1:48, 1:50; total workout of 4.75 miles in 39:09 (8:15 pace).
Tuesday: 3 miles + 7 strides. It was hotter, but less humid, this morning. Ran across the Suspension Bridge into Covington, across the Veteran’s Bridge into Newport, and across the Purple People Bridge into Cincinnati. Total of 4 miles in 33:53 (8:27 pace).
Wednesday: 40 minute tempo. It was cooler outside when I left my house, and it had warmed just a little by the time I got into downtown. I did my normal loop (see Monday’s route), but instead of doing a second loop around the Bengal’s Practice Field, I continued back into the park because of dust from some of the trucks around and finished at the entrance to Friendship Park. 6.7 miles in 52:49 (7:53 pace; tempo portion was 5.2 miles in 40 minutes, for a 7:41 pace), my watch told me I had a 10k PR of 48:31 when I saved the workout. Big bonus to the day, I received an email from AfterShokz that my new Trekz Airs were on the way.
Thursday: 3 miles + 7 strides. It felt cooler out in the morning, and I was just doing a short run. Ran the backwards direction of Tuesday. 4 miles in 32:54 (8:12 pace).
Friday: 90 minutes 3/1. Rainy and stormy as well as hot and steamy. The benefit of the rain and storm is that few walkers are out (I saw only 3 or 4 other people, none of them runners). The disadvantage of the rain and storm is that few others are out (major concern if I get nailed by a bolt of lightning!). Saw a few bright flashes (including one that really lit things up). The first 3/4 of the run was 7.54 in 1:07:30 (8:57 pace), the second half was 2.71 in 22:30 (8:17 pace). Overall, 10.4 in 1:30:00 (8:46 pace).
That’s it for this week. Total of just under 30 miles. Four days until my next race (NKU XC Series #1), the one following is eight days away (Batavia Bulldog Blast 5k).
Cheers!