Go figure my first week back blogging and of my 6 proposed runs I only managed 3 and the last two ended up DNF's........#whodbeafeckinrunner
So I wrote the week up as follows:
Monday 9 miler
Tuesday 9 miler
Wednesday 8 Mile Tempo Run
Thursday 9 Miler
Friday Rest Day{Pagan Sabbath}
Saturday 14 miler
Sunday 6 miler...........
However......the best laid plans of Mice & Men .......and Runners.........
Monday
I ended up blowing everything off on Monday,the run,Laundry,Starbucks to have a rare FOD{Fuck Off Day} they come around once in a blue moon and frankly w/ a tweak I could log a 50mpw
I spent the day in bed reading the Lol Tolhurst book 'Cured:The Tale Of Two Imaginary Boys" it was just one of those books I couldn't put down and must say altered my opinion of Lol and his time in The Cure
I identified w/ his struggles w/ alcohol,the black outs,waking up w/ cuts and bruises,alienating friends and co workers etc and the ability to turn it all around,make amends to the ones he'd hurt and start a new life for himself,it's a worthwhile read even if you're not a Cure fan
Tuesday
10 Miler,new plan 10 & 10 eitherside of my 8 mile Tempo run and the 14-8 on the weekend...5day/50mpw......love it when a plan comes together.....
Again since I was off work I had the luxury of a mid morning run which as Heatwave #3 was about to begin was a blessing
The previous Thursday I was off and thought I was being clever getting said run in midmorning however I discovered heading up and down Spruce St b4 and during lunchtime is NOT a great idea as it felt every fecking CHOP & HUP employee was lined up at the several lunch trucks between 37th & 34th St and weaving in and out of them feckers wasn't fun......SO armed w/ trusty Garmin I went "the road less travelled" and down Powelton Ave and Mantua to reach West River Drive,marking off the 2 mile,2.5 mile splits
The foot of the ramp down to W. River Dr was mile 3,that particular day was a 12 miler so I "eyeballed" the 4,4.5, and 5 mile marks b4 my 6 mile turnaround which afforded me the knowledge of where to turn today on a 10 miler
Roughly 10 min mile pace for a 1.40 time,time and pace were not options I just wanted the miles in but even at 10.40am I was cognizant of the already rising heat.......
Wednesday
8 Mile Tempo
From Early March till early May I'd made a point of using my Wednesdays off to do my 8 mile tempo run around the Art Museum Loop,starting at Lloyd Hall at the beginning of Boathouse Row and going counter clockwise up Kelly Dr,over Falls Bridge,down W.River Dr and finishing in front of the Art Museum Steps
On a good day I shoot for 7 min mile pace or sub 7,the previous Sunday I logged my first Tempo Run in 2 months and gone 7.30 mile pace for a 60.05 time so the hope was to better that......
Even at 10.30am it was hot and humid when I set off and while I opened in an identical 7.03 to Sundays run,the next two splits went 7.33,7.34 and I was beginning to feel the heat and this pace,a far cry from the 10 min miles I was running yesterday
The slight uphill towards Falls Bridge felt harder than it should but I was confident the slight downhill on the otherside on W.River Dr would negate that........he said hopefully......
Just b4 the 4 mile mark I stopped.....43 years of running have taught me"when you aint got it,you aint got it" and today I didn't have it
The time honoured"Walk Of Shame" when you bonk/dnf is never fun.....at least at that hour on a Wednesday mid morning there were few witnesses to my shame as I humbly walked down W. River Dr and back to 30th Station to jump on the trolley home
Ever the optimist I told myself I could have a second crack at it Sunday since I was now rescheduled to do 8miles not 6 as I originally wrote........
Thursday
There are four things you can depend on in life,Death,Taxes,Septa NOT running to schedule and Work"fucking up a Teddy Bear's Picnic"!!!!!!!
My first day after a well earnt week off and feckin Skids up the wazoo,upshot it was 4.40pm when I got done work,5.50pm when I got home,stick a fork in doing 10 miles between 6pm-7.30pm period but again the heat was playing havoc as a Heat Advisory Warning for the area was in full effect.
Saturday
14 Miler
Two weeks ago I'd gotten up at 6am to get out by 6.35am to get my long run in b4 it became too hot and humid to run so I opted to go that route again and by 7am when I reached the Schuylkill Footpath that leads to Kelly & W. River Dr it was already populated w/ other runners,walkers and bikers who had thought likewise
2 weeks ago I misjudged the turnaround and turned a 1/4 too early,last week I had to extend my run to the 3/4 mile marker to compensate losing 1/2 a mile between 4-4.5 miles when a "call of nature" required a pit stop in the Lloyd Hall rest room and this week I just plain overshot the 1/2 marker
In my defense I didn't see either the 1/4 marker,1/2 mile marker or 3/4 mile markers beyond Strawberry Mansion Bridge and b4 I knew I was now upto the 3 miler mark which given it's 4.5 miles from my front door to Lloyd Hall meant I was now at 7.5 miles,did I turnback now,weave thro the rowers congregated at St Joe's Boathouse and either take a mile off the end of the run.....OR continue doing the loop and make it a 15 miler via trusty Powelton Ave?
For the second time in 4 days just b4 the Conrail Bridge on W. River Dr my legs said"no mas" at this stage I had 8.5 miles in,I walked 1/2 a mile and got going again after wringing out my not so dry drifit sleeveless running shirt which even at 7.30am was dripping in sweat but w/in 1/2 a mile I was toast......
Another dnf,another "walk of shame" home this time witnessed by other runners who were able to keep going as they made their way south along W. River Dr.
At this point I said "feck it" as my ex coach GP often said"you can't chase lost miles" rather than fuck w/ an even hotter day Sunday I stuck a fork in my week and settled for the 23 miles I had,Monday begins a new week and sees this bastard heatwave brake
In running as in life you get knocked down, you have set backs but you take it on the chin and ready yourself for the next week......
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