Arie's Running Blog

They installed new machines in our gym and I had to check them. So since it is my rest day I just did 8 minutes slow run and played with the treadmill options. It was fun. It's 100F outside and I have the feeling that running on a treadmill, as much as I hate it, will be a viable option.

I also did some core training but very light.
 

6:20AM start, 72F, 80% humidity. Got up early and hit the trail. Did two loops one clockwise and the second counter clockwise, less boring that way and the slopes are different. It's not an easy trail. I avareged 8:00 pace but the first loop was definately faster (it was the easier direction too).

0:46:22

6:40AM, 75F, 80% humidity. Started a little later than I was hoping. I took it easy today on purpose. I plan to do some speed work tomorrow. The pace was a bit slow (8:14) but the splits were quite even. It's a tough course with nothing but hills and hills. One can't expect to do as well in 75F and 80% humidity as in 55F and 60% humidity. I just hope I'm not getting slower by the day.

0:47:45 

Running on a trail as its risks. One of them are the bugs. I swallowed one today. The big risk is that one gets in your eye. That can be really painful. Anyway, it reminds me the following song:

There was an old runner who swallowed a fly

I don't know why he/she swallowed a fly

Perhaps he/she will die... 

Did 40 minutes on the treadmill this evening and included 4 800meter intervals at 5K pace (6:40). Ran total of 5.25 miles. I had a lot of energy after the nap and this speed work was not too har on me. Next week I'll try 5 800meter intervals in a 6M run.

0:40:00

7:30PM start 80F 80% humidity. But the weather was not the worse part. Apparantly there were some wild fires about 200 miles east of us and the wind brough lots of smoke with it. They declared code Orange for air quality. I hope I didn't do something stupid by running outside. It didn't feel bad on the trail inside the forest. Anyway, it was hot and I took it easy (8:13 average pace).

0:47:45

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wildfires/2008-06-12-north-carolina-smoke-fire_N.htm

Gym run. The new treadmills have a 5K race program on them. I had to try it. For some reasone the new treadmills are giving me aches in places I haven't felt before. Yet another reason to run outside even in the heat.

0:24:35