I've been really sick this week. I really hate being sick -- but especially so when I am on a good training track and trying to peak for a race.
The last 3 weeks since my last race were all about continuing to build my aerobic base while sharpening my tempo and interval work for my favorite race of the season -- the JDRF Nordstrom Beat the Bridge 8K. I had no inclination whatsoever after wrapping up an easy 8.3 mile on Monday with my heart rate in a great place that I was going to suddenly come down with a massive head and chest cold which hit me like a hammer on Tuesday night and continued to crush me Wednesday, Thursday and Friday wiping out what was going to be a couple of more short, but sharp intensity runs leading into Sunday's 8K.
As anyone in Seattle is well aware, it's been a terrible stretch of weather here from October through this week (today being really the first nice day in a long time with more to follow). Choosing to run outside as much as I can which means braving the cold and windy rains of the last 5 months has taxed my immune system as I've often come back completely drenched even when in full rain gear. I heard on the news this morning that today (Saturday) is only the 6th sunny day in Seattle year-to-date with four of those prior sunny days actually falling in January. Breaking a 110 year record for the most rainfall from any 7 month span in the history of weather keeping records in Seattle coupled with 145 days of rain the last 6 months has been a challenge to say the least. The good news -- it looks like it's finally behind us -- and I am hoping this is the last of the nasty colds to pass my way at least until I get through my September marathon.
Tomorrow's race strategy and expectation is pretty much reduced to running mile-1 as fast as I can and then holding on to see what happens. If I can get through mile-2 in around 14:00 and hang on over the uphill stretch of mile-3 maybe I can roll something respectable. If it's not there it's a good 5 mile tempo run with my son Ethan who's hoping to break the 30:00 minute barrier. And -- it's going to be a gorgeous morning for a run with temps at race time around 55 with blue sky. I'll take it!
The last 3 weeks since my last race were all about continuing to build my aerobic base while sharpening my tempo and interval work for my favorite race of the season -- the JDRF Nordstrom Beat the Bridge 8K. I had no inclination whatsoever after wrapping up an easy 8.3 mile on Monday with my heart rate in a great place that I was going to suddenly come down with a massive head and chest cold which hit me like a hammer on Tuesday night and continued to crush me Wednesday, Thursday and Friday wiping out what was going to be a couple of more short, but sharp intensity runs leading into Sunday's 8K.
As anyone in Seattle is well aware, it's been a terrible stretch of weather here from October through this week (today being really the first nice day in a long time with more to follow). Choosing to run outside as much as I can which means braving the cold and windy rains of the last 5 months has taxed my immune system as I've often come back completely drenched even when in full rain gear. I heard on the news this morning that today (Saturday) is only the 6th sunny day in Seattle year-to-date with four of those prior sunny days actually falling in January. Breaking a 110 year record for the most rainfall from any 7 month span in the history of weather keeping records in Seattle coupled with 145 days of rain the last 6 months has been a challenge to say the least. The good news -- it looks like it's finally behind us -- and I am hoping this is the last of the nasty colds to pass my way at least until I get through my September marathon.
Tomorrow's race strategy and expectation is pretty much reduced to running mile-1 as fast as I can and then holding on to see what happens. If I can get through mile-2 in around 14:00 and hang on over the uphill stretch of mile-3 maybe I can roll something respectable. If it's not there it's a good 5 mile tempo run with my son Ethan who's hoping to break the 30:00 minute barrier. And -- it's going to be a gorgeous morning for a run with temps at race time around 55 with blue sky. I'll take it!
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