Building toward... something?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the hardest part about running is simply getting out the door. But once that commitment has been made and those first, stiff-legged moments have passed, then it’s fun. Too much fun, in fact – sometimes it’s hard to stop.

Imagine that.

That’s the way it went all week. I really had to force myself out the door to start my pre-race routines and calisthenics in my front yard so that the neighbors can watch and wonder if I finally had lost my mind… well yeah, but not because of the running.

Anyway, I put together another consistent week just as I had said I would. I’m definitely getting stronger and should be ready to get into some serious training very soon. The issue with that is what to train for. I have two or three options in mind, but I want to see what happens over the next few weeks before I make a decision.

Like a lot of runners I’m prone to jump into a race or a training program without proper planning and I’m tired of that. The best way to do thing, I’ve learned, is to stick with a plan and follow it through. No secrets or surprises. Yes, it’s that easy.

Here’s how a pretty decent week played out:

Monday - 15.1 miles in 1:42:08
This was another grinder, but not because I was tired and my legs were heavy. It was a grinder because it was more than 80 damn degrees out there. The heat really made it tough, though I started out running at 6:30 pace. I'm definitely in no shape to race, but maybe that will change in a few weeks.

Tuesday - 13.3 miles in 1:28:41
I did the entire run on the grass and had planned on going fairly easy, but for some reason I ran a surge here or there. I started out in 6:57 pace and then took it down to 6:30 and kept it there for a little while. I ran the first 5 in 33:20 and the second 5 in 33:04 before cruising home. It's still hot out though there was a pretty nice breeze blowing that kept me from wilting.

Wednesday - 13.1 miles in 1:27:40
Surprisingly, I felt very strong and alert even though I didn't sleep particularly well. A 6:40 pace felt easy and effortless, which is good. This was definitely one of my better runs and I'm sure I could have done 30 miles at the same pace. Plus, the weather was really great.

Thursday - 10 miles in 66:04
Effortless. Actually, I was surprised that I went through the splits so quickly. The idea was to go easy and it felt that way. If I hadn't gotten out so late I would have run all day.

Friday - 13 miles in 1:26:41
Ran a few extra hills today just because. Other than that, I still feel strong and the weather was still perfect -- it was mid-50s, overcast with a nice breeze. Who knows, maybe I'm getting good at this?

Saturday - 13.2 miles in 1:29:04
The hardest part about running is simply getting out the door. Once you do that and then actually start running, it's a breeze. That's the way today's run felt. I was slow and sluggish in the very beginning, but once I got going, I kind of hammered. From about 30-minutes on I moved well.

Sunday - 8.3 miles in 56:20
The plan was to do a 5k tempo run or time trial today, but I got a late start getting out and the course I was going to run on was littered with people. The target time was 17:00 for 5k, but that will have to wait for another day. Either way, an easy day was the way to go today so that's what I did. Once I got loosened up I felt OK.

That’s 86 miles for the week, which is my most since doing 103 from Dec. 11-to-17.