Training Log Archive: matzah ball

skippo 10k trail trun 52:37, 67 seconds faster than two years ago! 1st in 60+. 48 degrees at start, some clouds, mostly sunny by race end.

so goal, playing into my strengths of shorter distance races, was to motor pretty well in the first flat part, be steady on the 2 big hills and then hang on for the remainder. Thats pretty much how it played out. I was worried about running in my lightweight road/speed shoes (maybe 7ounces ea) and blowing out by running too fast or failing by not running fast enough, but after a few hundred yards felt a calm and relaxation I don't feel very often in races. just focused on breathing and posture and bouncing along. Passed a ton of people on the stairs - I was inspired to hold on to the railings on either side and pull myself up and that made a big difference, kind of like pushing down on your quads on a steep mountain run. A little tentative on the downhills, perhaps because of the road shoes, but overall they were fast and grippy as all my adidas have been (continental rubber of cyclocross fame) and were a net positive. I wish I had pushed a little harder from say 1/2 to 3/4, because I don't think it would have effected how I ran the last part of the race. And indeed, several people blew by me in the last mile and a half, but not as many as usual!

C • Congrats! 3

warmup early in the am, then quickloop thru wilmore pm. legs felt better for the first time in 5 days.

legs still broken down. would push harder if i didnt have skippo 10k on sat.

warmup then cliff cave trails

well, was planning to do a tempo/speed workout today, but recovery is going too slow for Saturdays race. didn't expect a short race to wreck me.

garden to turn on sprinklers.

run good, but legs jello. those were tough 2 miles, apparently.

after dropping off at food pantry, went straight to Cliff Cave for some woods trail therapy. Quads and IT still in bad shape from race, but spirit lifted.

warmup...stretch after

garden, back long way through parks. feels good on the legs.

as I finished my route in the pocket park near my house, I saw a black rag on the grass. I thought, hmm, that looks familiar. On closer inspection, it turned out to be one of my favorite running shirts, a long sleeve patagonia w zipper that I had stashed in a nearby tree on some run. Ah the joys of aging.

Glendale 2.2 mi @ 14:49. Very hilly course. 22s slower overall than last year, 6:44 pace. Not really surprised. Don't think it was age slippage, rather lack of nailing the prep (my successful tempo workouts lately have had a hard warmup before I get to speed, this I only did a couple of lame strides because I mis-timed it) and warm temps (68 deg vs. 48).

C • Glendale 3

despite the heat, another trot in wilmore. bill_l is right,not too bad into the wind, but way hotter seeming than the official air temp w tailwind.