Week Ending Feb. 12

I got really physically run down last week.  I was exhausted and feared I had some sickness coming on, but some rest and, yes, a couple of days off from running seem to have perked me up again.  A lot of times, instead of having the physical manifestations of a cold or flu, my body just gets really run down trying to fight it off.  I've always had a pretty good immune system, but sometimes between fighting off a bug and running a lot, I just crash. 

So, with that in mind, I think some augmentation to my training plan is in order.  When I initially started planning this year's schedule last fall, I had planned to do a two up, one down cycle.  For some reason I decided to switch to a three up, one down cycle at the beginning of the year.  Given past experience, I should have stuck with the two up, one down.  My body, since the very beginning of my running days, has always seemed to function on a two week cycle.  I'd train well for two weeks and then have a couple of days of not feeling great before I'd perk up and have another good two weeks.

That explains why I crashed about the middle of last week.  And another cursory look back through some old training logs show that back when I first started running under Sanchez, he had me doing a two up, one down mileage build-up on six days a week.  I've been trying to get three full weeks in before I back off and take one day off.  That may not be enough rest for me.  So, the crash last week sets me up to start anew with a two up, one down cycle with a little more rest built in.  I think that will work better.

Mon. Feb. 6 - 4 miles in 28 min (7:05 pace).  I was really worn out from the previous day's 18-miler.  I went out in the afternoon for an easy run.  Core work after.

Tues. Feb. 7 - A.M. 3 miles in 23 min (7:30 pace).  A dusting of snow during the night made the Greenbelt pretty slick.  Feeling better than yesterday, but still pretty tired.

P.M. 10 miles in 72 min (7:12 pace).  Tuesday Night Hills.  Warm-up to hospital hill.  Focused on taking less rest since I took too much last week.  Jeff and I averaged between 3:00 and 3:10 on the rests.  I hit the reps in 1:53, 1:57, 1:57, 1:57, 1:58, and 1:55.  Cool down run home.

Wed. Feb. 8 - 6.5 miles in 50 min (7:41 pace).  Met Jeff and Patrick for a lunch run.  I felt like 10 pounds of shit in a five pound bag.  It was nice and windy, I was really tired, I was pissed about stupid things, and generally in a bad mood.  Glad Jeff and Patrick put up with my bitching.  Those guys are cool.

Thurs. Feb. 9 - A.M. 3 miles in 21 min (6:55 pace).  Quick morning run on the Greenbelt.  Felt much better than yesterday.

P.M. 4 miles in 27 min (6:38 pace).  Quick post-work run on the Greenbelt.  Core work after before heading to the Eastmans' for a wonderful dinner, followed by dessert and drinks at the Frenchs'.  Just what I needed.

Fri. Feb. 10 - 6.5 miles in 44 min (6:44 pace).  Warm-up to the fieldhouse for the Friday usual.  Form drills with 8x one laps.  Averaged 36 on the laps with 30 sec rest.  Not much in the way of speed this morning.  Cool down home.

Totals:
Week's Miles: 37
Running Time: 4:24
Year to Date: 287 (35:09 running time)

I left for Cheyenne Friday afternoon in order to beat the brunt of a storm rolling through the area.  It snowed 5 inches or so overnight in Cheyenne, making for some slick roads Saturday.  It also didn't get above single digits temperature wise, so I, much like Walter Sobchak, said "%&*$ it, Dude."  I went to the Kevin Salverson Memorial indoor track meet at Central, visited with the Salverson/Johnson clan as well as the Central coaching staff, and generally relaxed.  That felt so good that on Sunday I thought I'd go ahead and do the same thing.

Gear: Asics Sky Speed (80 miles) Saucony Peregrine (185 miles)