Sunrise, Sunset

Teegan had to be out of the house for work from 700a until 530p today (long day for her). I needed to get a long run in--last weekend of this block--gotta log the time. I couldn't quite bring myself to leave the house at 445a for 2+ hours of running in the dark. So I set the alarm for 445a (how's that for a compromise?) and was on the road with George, a headlamp, and a reflective vest at 530a. We ran a relatively quick 9 miles (in 1:15) and witnessed a pretty nice sunrise as we were returning.

When Teegan got home, I leashed up George and we headed out again for a slightly slower 5+ miles in 45 mins. Legs took a while to get turned over and I never really felt great (I suspect the same was true for him) but we were coming home into the sunset. I don't know what experiences you must have to be able truly to call yourself a runner, but I'd think this one is on the list. It's the first time I've run twice in a day. Not going to make a habit of it, but now I can check that box.

Making Progress

Well, entering the third week of my final base period and things seem to be on track. A little scary to tackle this season self-coaching, but I've created a pretty good plan for myself and I can feel my body responding. Haven't been working the swim too much yet but am just starting to get in twice a week so I can hit about 8,000 yards. In my experience, that's plenty of yardage for me. The numbers on the bike are coming along--I'm in a similar spot as this time last year which is a good thing. Endurance is coming along. Still working on my run but am seeing some progress there too. I seem to have hit a plateau where I settle into running comfortably at sub-9 pace in a low HR zone. The trouble is that if I push a little harder into the next zone (where I really should be), my body and brain conspire to give me signals to slow down. When I make an effort to ignore the signals, I run faster and can hold it for long periods but as soon as I stop focusing on it, I fall back. So I think I just need to push myself though a little discomfort for a while to get myself used to that slightly higher number.

Luckily, I have a stud training partner who is a faster runner than I am and can easily keep me honest. Whitney (aka Pansy) is a serious athlete (women's champ at Vineman last season) who is a great match for me. She's getting ready for a spring marathon so we're a little out of sync on distance but have had success with runs where I stop a bit before she does (I don't need the mileage). I'm seeing myself developing some good habits as a result of this partnership--such as running hard off the bike (like we did yesterday). We have fun and always log every minute--she's type A just like me.

So I'll push though this week and then look forward to taking a cutback to absorb the work. Feeling good about my season--I usually feel behind at this point.

Cheers.