Wew! Made it to the end of a very hot week here in Ramat Bet Shemesh, Israel, and this was the temperature posted at 7:00 am when I returned from my run.
The funny thing about this week was that despite the heat, I had my fastest times since returning from my stress fracture. This week's training called for 4 x 11 km easy runs. My times were:
Saturday - 1:06:49 - pace 6:04
Monday - 1:11:04 pace 6:27
Wednesday - 1:06:48 - pace 6:04
Friday - 1:04:02 - pace 5:49
As well, I've been running a low-grade fever all week (thanks to the grand kiddies!), which seemed to drive me to run better (?!) Is that possible?
Probably the most significant part of this improvement in speed has to do with the training. I am following a Runner's World program, and this week called for a slight reduction in mileage, which I think has given me a chance to recover and prepare for the next stage - which is big miles again - yikes!
My heart goes out to Beth from SUAR who will not be able to run the Denver Rock n' Roll Marathon due to a stress fracture. Here's a woman that trains hard, but smart - and I guess sometimes no matter how well we prepare - it's just not the right time. I love her blog and despite the poop talk, she's a real inspiration and motivation.
Get well soon Beth!
Oy, the temps give me goose bumps (from fear not cold 8)
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed you can train in such heat and with such paces.
January will be cooler?
-p
Last year's marathon had a unprecedented heatwave in January. The normal temperature for that time of year is 48 - 65F so here's hoping!
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