10 miles at 101 degrees

A hot day but fortunately there was some shade out at Pittman Wash on this thursday evening run with the Village Runners. Most were doing 6 miles but with Portland in only 6 weeks I needed to do 10. The mileage felt good except for the heat, which topped out at 105 today but was probably only 100 or 101 at the time of the run, and with the shade it was tolerable. It's really only direct sunlight that bothers me. I had my hydration bottle and used all of it.

I think I could've done 655 average but I ran the first 3 miles with the slower runners to chat some. Perhaps tomorrow morning I'll take a swing at sub 7.

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Two longer runs

12 miles Sunday morning with the marathon training group (for the Rock n Roll Vegas marathon), a little slower pace than I would normally do but it was worth it for the social aspect.

Then 12.4 miles this morning at wetlands park at 7:10 pace. I felt strong and comfortable for most of it. The hydration belt came in handy one again, I am really getting used to having it on and don't have to fiddle with it as much now. In the final few miles I tried to emphasize better form, lifting my chin, pulling my elbows in - they tend to swing out as I fatigue - and lifting my legs just a bit higher.

I am upping my mileage over the next 5 weeks because the Portland Marathon is only 7 weeks away and I've been letting the heat be an excuse for not getting in sufficient distance. But if I don't address this now it will soon be too late to make a difference. Also running a 12 person relay in southern Utah on Sept 4th and 5th - the Red Rock Relay - and I'll be an anchor runner for them and so I want to be in solid shape for that.

Two nice runs, moderate temps in the 80s, very pleasant experiences, reminds me of why I love to do this. Grateful for my health and a good place to run near to home.

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Prog run in the AM at the park with the bunnies

6 miles in the AM at 6:58 pace. A "progression run" getting faster with each mile: 7:13, 7:09, 7:06, 7:00, 6:49, 6:29. I can't usually make that last mile the quickest so I was pleasantly surprised to be able to do that this time.

Three observations:
1. running in the morning really is great if you can just get out of bed...
2. hydration belts bounce less sitting low on the hips
3. what a great way to start a day - and if you can't run, then jog, go for a hike or a walk, just as good

Quick 5k at the dog park

20:48 with mile splits of 6:41, 6:44, 6:42. A bit of speed practice, fun to see the dogs at the park, close to home - a nice little workout.

Also tried out some new Adidas Megabounce trainers that were on sale at the Finish Line and I'd say they're basically the same as the Nike Shox but with a little less support in the upper and a little more cushioning in the sole. Good shoes, they do the job. My fourth pair this year (2 shox, 2 megabounce) - all still in use, I rotate, they say it makes them last longer, I aim to get 400 to 500 miles on each pair. I like that both shoes have a big fat heel - I don't know for certain that this equates to more cushioning, but it sure looks and feels that way, and I'll take a good placebo effect any day.

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5.8 miles at 6:58 pace at 103 degrees

First 4 miles under 7 min pace, 5k time of 20:39, at 103 degrees at 1 pm. 6:31, 6:44, 6:49, 6:57. So that was a good workout considering the heat. Only problem? I had nothing left at the end of the run and the last 1.8 miles were at 7:30 pace or so. It would be nice to be able to maintain 6:45 through a 10k in this heat. That would set me up for maintaining 6:45 through 13.1 at normal temperatures which I will need to be able to do this fall.

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Excerpt #2 from "Once a Runner"

"An interval workout," Cassidy once explained to a sportswriter,"is the modern distance runner's equivalent of the once popular Iron Maiden, a device as you know used by ancient truth seekers." Although overdistance laid the foundation, intervals made the runner racing mean. Quenton Cassidy liked them. Others preferred bamboo splinters under their nails. Everyone, the winner in his painful glory as well as the loser many seconds behind in his equally painful anonymity, suffers the physical bankruptcy of total oxygen debt." -p. 217

Arrgh interval workouts. None for me this summer - too hot. I'll cruise along at marathon race pace in my more intense workouts and hope that is enough to get me to a good place for the fall races.

10 miles at 7:08 pace at Wetlands Park at 101 degrees

Even though it was 7 pm when I started this run it was still 101 degrees out here - effin Vegas! Still after the first 3 miles I got used to the heat and was moving fast enough that there was a little breeze.

Mile splits: 7:17, 7:24 - Ack! It's 100 degrees!, 7:30, 7:13, 7:00 - making the adjustment, 7:05 - feeling better, 7:07, 6:45 - feeling the flow!, 6:52, 7:10. 1100 calories burned, brought the hydration belt and used it at mile 8, feel pretty good with this run on a hot summer evening at the devil's porchlight:

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They say it's a dry heat - but you know what else is a dry heat? An oven.