Monday, July 09, 2012

10K w/2x5' @20K pace

I was supposed to do 12K w/2x5' @20K pace, but I overslept a little and only had time for 10K. I toyed w/the idea of going to work a bit early and doing the 12K at work, but the weather dictated otherwise. It was already 76F (24C) when I headed out at 6:45 am, and it was 81F (27C) when I finished. This week is supposed to be very hot; it's not atypical for the highs to be around 100F (38C) or above in July, but what is weird is that the lows are so high. Upper 70s for a low is definitely toasty.

Yesterday I took a rest day after the 30K on Saturday, but my legs still felt tired today. I didn't push too hard, as I have 25K tomorrow. Needless to say, I wasn't very fast today. My fast segments were from 3-4km and 5-6 km, and were good enough, at 2:55ish and 2:49ish for the 1st fast 500m of each. By the end of the workout I was slogging it, though, with a 500m as slow as 3:33.

Total time: 1:03:10 for 6:19/km with ave HR 147.

Garmin data here.

***

Today it's back to work after my staycation. I like my job, so I don't mind too much. I just have to get back into the swing of things again, schedule-wise. Training for the 40K is a big commitment and I haven't taken it seriously enough by going to bed earlier and taking good care of myself. I've not gotten enough sleep, stayed up late relaxing, but then felt tired the next day, overeaten, and regretted it. Repeat cycle. Not good. Result: bad mood, weight gain, general irritation and lack of motivation.

I have not bought my plane tickets yet for the 40K or Portland-to-Coast. I think I have some ambivalence about the 40K now, mostly because I haven't properly addressed the schedule changes I will have to embrace to make it work. Is it worth it? I asked Loren if he thought I was too obsessed with walking and he said no, which is a good sign. I try to keep my training from interfering with family life as much as possible by doing it early in the day. And it's not as time-consuming as triathlon training where you are focusing on several sports. Still, I have to carefully consider everything. 25K tomorrow morning is a lot for a weekday. Is it worth it? Am I taking on too much? Am I staying in balance? There's not a lot of wiggle room, but it's only for 2 more months. All the same, again I ask, is it worth it?

1 comment:

Harriet said...

yeah, interesting. High level training (as you are doing now) is something that you won't be able to do forever.

On the other hand, this is supposed to add to your life, not detract from it.