Jaysus.......no sooner do I get a 55 mile week under my belt and then I'm scrambling like a man possessed the following week to make it two in a row.....training.....it's seldom dull!!!
Monday 12 Miles
W/ hindsight{I know a wonderful thing right!} maybe I should have taken advantage of Monday being a holiday {Labor Day} and gone long over 15 miles since I had time but rightly or wrongly I figured I had the whole week ahead of me so I opted for an easy out and back along the Schuylkill mid morning
While the calender says Summer lasts a few weeks longer {Sept 23rd} Labor Day marks the unofficial end of Summer,I've noticed it's dark now b4 8pm and when I arrive at work at 6am and fairly soon the running sleeveless shirts will make way for short sleeves......I don't even want to entertain digging out the 3/4 length bottoms muchless finding my running tights and long sleeve running shirts.....but as they say" the cheque is in the mail"
Wednesday 12 Miles
Mother Of Christ!!!!!!!!
Having gotten me arse handed to me on a plate at work on Tuesday,in at 5.58am,out at 6.18pm.......I shit you not I was balls arsed tired and wanted so badly to get up at 6am to get out and run b4 the heat and humidity kicked in,I'd known for days Wednesday was going to be hot and humid but having lost a day of training on Tuesday I didn't have much wiggle room now
Sadly while the spirit was willing the flesh,bones and muscles were weak and I missed that window of opportunity,now coupled w/ the obligatory phone tag my brother and I have been playing the past week or so I was hamstrung waiting for him to call.......
By 3.30pm no call was forthcoming so I said feck it and headed out for my run
Originally Wednesday was earmarked as a 8 mile tempo run.......but not that late in the day w/ the heat and humidity what it was,so I opted for a repeat 12 miles along the Schuylkill
By 3.5 miles I realized I had zero knee lift and leg turnover and knew the further out I ventured along the Schuylkill via Kelly Dr the longer I'd have to walk back if I bonked,any thoughts of going long over 15 either out and back or round the loop were dismissed as I was forced to dig deep both mentally and physically to reach the 6 mile turn around and head back......
Saturday 13 Miles
The knock on effect of Wednesday scuppered any thoughts of even a 5 miler on Thursday,just as Superman's weakness was Kryptonite{or Lois Lane, your call!!!} mine has become Dewpoints,shit I took for granted 6,12,18 months ago now effects me,let's not lose sight of the fact as I toiled in the heat and humidity on Wednesday I was 71 days removed from my 56th b'day and I'm learning what I can and can't do as freely and w/out care as I previously did
The upshot was 55mpw was still there for the taking........providing I went 13-18 Saturday/Sunday......as the auld fella used to say"it's not a lot when you say it quick!"
Saturday morning was glorious running weather,blue skies no bastard heat,humidity......or fecking dewpoints,I love running in September
Sunday 18 Miles
So the irony,my last 18 mile came a week after last years Rock & Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon and now a week b4 I found myself running "the road less travelled"
Four years ago when the Papel visit shut down parts of the city I was forced to run on Belmont Plateau and realized how much I not only enjoyed it but how close it is to where I live,for the past three years I've raced the once Oddessey Run,now Phila Runfest half marathon which takes me over Strawberry Mansion Bridge and into East Falls where I get to utalize hills
As the old adage goes"Running is a metaphor for life,you get out what you put in and there are no short cuts"
I'm also a believer that "if you put the hard work in training you will be rewarded come race day"
The short term answer will be revealed next Sunday on a much flatter half marathon course,long term don't be surprised if this 18 miler stays in my rotation.........it's "A Rocky Road To Dublin" so they say,maybe it's a hilly road to New Orleans????
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