Another week things didn't go to plan, another week of rewriting my mileage.....another week of the old mantra don't panic.......to quote an old but always quotable Monty Python quote "still I was getting used to it by now"...........
Monday Aug 12th Finally a dip in the humidity, was tonite the night to finally nail the elusive 12 miler?
83 degrees and 40% humidity at 6pm when I set off, it wasn't lost on me that in my previous 15 marathons over the last 39 years I'm sure there was always that one distance that gave me fits and starts, just so happens to be 12 miles this time out.....
8.16 for the opening mile so I eased off the gas a little up Powelton Ave to clock 8.42 at mile 2, as is its wont the Garmin opted to pile in on my recent woes and gave me a ridiculous 7.27 split for mile 3 which came up b4 I even crossed the Spring Garden St bridge so I knew that was off......like the 7.27 mile split wasn't a big enough clue!!!!
9.00 for mile 4 and things felt on pace, however mile 5 went up to 9.18 now I was starting to have concerns.......9.14 at mile 6 and I made the turnaround between St John's Boathouse and Strawberry Mansion bridge in 51.20 w/ 54.00 being the target time off 9.00 mile pace
In a scene that has become all too familiar not just this summer but the last 3 years the stop/start along Kelly Drive and the inevitable "walk of shame" home, I did manage to cobble together a 7th mile at 9.39 for a disappointing 61.49 off 8.48 mile pace b4 the 4 mile walk home
The "walk of shame" is bad enough an exclamation point on a botched run and having to walk tonight 4 miles last week I believe it was 5 but the added boot in the bollix is watching other runner glide by you as you walk head down, I know I'm better than this!
Less than a month ago on July 19th I got up at 5.15am and ran 10 miles at 5.30am so I know I have the distance in my legs, while humidity has been my kryptonite of late I couldn't use that as a crutch tonight which begs the question is it now a mental block?.....as the old running adage goes often the greatest distance a runner must tackle is the one between both ears........
In running as in life " when you're in a hole, stop digging"!!!! clearly spinning my wheels and failing miserably over 4 attempts now at 12 miles tells me there is a problem so I will scale back my runs and try and get some much needed confidence going......ego can unseat a rider now matter how confident or cocky they are, Mr Lyles got very humbled in the 200m Olympic final, perhaps a little less showboating b4 the gun went off when ye were compromised by covid and ye wouldn't have exited the Olympic stadium in a wheelchair?????
Saturday Aug 17th So the plan was 8 miles this morning......nobody told the weather Gods this as it was 74 degrees but 71% humidity at 8am when I set out....
Having had to walk down Powelton Ave more times that I would like the last few weeks I opted to go the South St bridge route this morning in June and July this was my favoured route and frankly at this point I need all the good juju I can muster, however it was very evident early on the humidity was going to be a factor 8.21 for the opening mile followed by 8.42 for mile 2 b4 crossing the South St bridge the all too familiar shirt dripping in sweat and my breathing becoming laboured b4 mile mile 3 returned...
9.07 at mile 3...heading out to mile 4 at this point was pointless I turned w/ the intention of at least making it a 6 miler but had to settle for 5 miles off two more splits of 8.21-9.30 for a 5 miler in 44.03.5 off 8.49 mile pace
If all I had on my radar was next Sundays Philly 10k I'd be slightly concerned however three weeks beyond the Philly 10k I need to double my mileage and add a mile......and then six weeks after that double a half marathon into a full marathon.....something needs to give and give soon....if not now!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment