So we tore off three more weeks of workouts and it's difficult to see any progress. Worse yet, July started with a case of the dreaded DOMS, which is somehting I never experienced except for after a marathon.
I guess this is what happens when a guy gets old.
Nevertheless, June was pretty uneventful. I missed one workout because I was up until 4:30 a.m. covering the NBA Draft and struggled with some heat and humidity while with the kids at the beach.
On the plus side, I got to run a bunch of flat loops in Philadelphia and the beach, which is a good way to check out strength and leg turnover. It also begs the question if there are any hills at all in Philadelphia?
The city is flat as a pancake.
Anyway, here's the non-eventful June. Let's hope July offers more progress and challenges. Tentatively, I'm hoping to turn out some good runs in Colorado, like an ascent of Longs Peak, as well as some quality miles in Detroit at the end of the month.
That town looks flat, too.
Anyway, here's how we're building up for the Harrisburg Marathon in November ...
June 24-30
June 30, 2013
10.3 miles
Tired legs and a weak hamstring after running nine miles of hills on Saturday. Wasn't into it, but as the run progressed there was no point in stopping before 10 miles.
June 29, 2013
12.03 miles
After running on flat roads for a week, why not try a roller coaster loop for nine miles in the Lancaster County Park? The good part about the run is there was lots of shade in the park. I also saw a deer even though crossing paths with wild animals on a run freaks me out. The rough part? Up and down those hills. Oh well ... hills are a good way to build strength.
June 28, 2013
ZERO
Up all night the day before covering the NBA Draft. I didn't get home until 4 a.m. and didn't get to bed until a while after that. Rather than run tired and risk an injury with a weak muscle, I stayed indoors. Otherwise, it was a pretty crazy night. The Sixers didn't just blow it up, they nuked it. Hard to imagine that there will be many survivors from past seasons.
June 27, 2013
5.01 miles
Started out with some solid 7s and then the heat/humidity and a stomach ache ended the run. It didn't feel like typical stomach pain from heat cramps, but maybe it was. Whatever. Sucked.
June 26, 2013
6.25 miles in morning
4.11 miles in early evening
Felt a little better in the morning with the heat. Still tough to acclimate, though. The evening runs have been fun and I felt fairly fresh.
June 25, 2013
5.04 miles in morning
5.07 miles in early evening
Doubled up. Remember when doubles were 12 to 15 in the morning and 5 in the early evening? Doesn't seem like it was all that long ago. Nevertheless, the short, quick doubles are a good way to beat the heat. Seem to get more out of it, too.
June 24, 2013
3.6 miles
Planned to take a day off after driving all morning to Ocean City. But then I thought about Gary Player and how he always worked out after traveling as a way to combat fatigue and jetlag.
Week: 51.4 (more like weak).
June 17-23
June 23, 2013
8.35 miles
Covered the Phillies game all day and ran on Kelly Drive on the way out of town. Hadn't planned on running, but realized I would have felt like a piece of trash if I didn't do it. Ran steady 7s around the flat, river route.
June 22, 2013
10.01 miles
Slow.
June 21, 2013
10.26 miles
Slooooow.
June 20, 2013
10.14 miles
Hamstring grabbed a bit. Nothing to get worried about. Ran most of the time on grass. The change in surface may have caused the hamstring thing.
June 19, 2013
10 miles
Moved a little bit. Didn't slow down until the last 5K.
June 18, 2013
10.01 miles
Solid. Ran in the rain. No big deal.
June 17, 2013
10.07 miles
Just a boring, old 10-miler. Nothing to see here.