The past week I covered 120K, a touch more than the 118K I needed to. While not completely obsessed about distance, I have to admit that I cannot stand falling short by a few hundred metres in a workout now that Mr Garmin is keeping track of nearly all of them.
Unfortunately on cloudy days or when not fully charged, Mr Garmin takes a little longer to warm up than I do so he might miss the first few hundred metres of a session. The timer always starts working immediately but, like Sunday, when Mr Garmin said I'd run 338 metres in 5:12, I know that there's a few hundred missing as the GPS signal is being located.
I still want to see the number that I am meant to do on the Garmin, which means I run farther than I am meant to. Not much, just half a K here and there. Not completely obsessed, just a litte. Of course I could change this newly-developed habit but I don't want to.
It does make me appreciate the benefits of running for time, rather than distance, which I did for most of the previous 15-odd years until changing it up about eight months ago. But for me, right now, this approach - aiming for and keeping track of distance - works.
Just as I tend to be on my sessions that call for recovery pace, I was tired this week, one of recovery. While this might seem strange, it makes complete sense as the relative rest is only needed because of the stresses applied in previous weeks. I believe that there is also a mental component, as we allow our minds to rest and to realize that we are tired.
On Monday, I ran 16K in two runs, both at recovery pace. Tuesday had 14K at a pace faster than recovery but slightly easier than long-run pace. Wednesday was a VO2-max session, with a total of 14K and 6 X 800 metres at 5K race pace. In this workout, I ran closer to 15K.
Thursday called for 11K at recovery pace, I ended up doing 11.6K. Friday had 18K in the morning, at long run pace, with a 6K in the afternoon, at recovery pace. Both days I did some push-ups in a weak attempt to revive my failed plans to attempt a core strength program. (Did 2 sets of 5 on Thursday, 1 set of 5 on Friday, and could feel the effects on Saturday and Sunday - how pathetic).
Saturday had 13K easy, with 10 striders of 100 metres. Sunday had 26K, I ended up running closer to 27K on a windy, though mostly and unexpectedly dry, day. This rounded up the week's volume to 120K in total.
Now I'd better head out for my first run of the day, and the week, a 10K at recovery pace. I have been dragging my sheepskin-boot-covered feet - there's a Dutch saying about crazy weather patterns of this time of year, Maart roert zijn staart, which rougly translates as March stirs its tail. It sounds better in Dutch but it certainly applies to the conditions here in Squamish.
A day after we moved our clocks forward to start Daylight Saving Time, we woke up to snow so I've been safely wrapped in fleece in my office so far today (aside from the 45-minute morning walk with Luka). Now it's time to bite the bullet and head outside for the 'morning' run. I have an afternoon run of 6K later.
This week's the biggest in terms of volume, both ever and in this particular marathon buildup: 140K. Can't wait to see how it goes.
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