Jan 20 - Feb 1: Jantastic - p

Marathontalk is one of my favorite podcasts, and I like listening to it while I run.  It's hosted by two British guys who are really funny, and on my runs, you may see me burst out laughing randomly sometimes.  They're fun running companions.  It's also fun to get a little bit involved in that running community.  Every week, in addition to sharing racing news, they have a "listeners' podium", where they list the top 5 mens and womens performances for the week.  They also have a spring motivation challenge, where there are different goals you set for mileage/distance/time for Jan, Feb, and March.  This is Jantastic.  Next come Febulous and Marchvelous.

My Jantastic goal wasn't too hard, set at 3, but the next highest option would've been 4 runs/week, and that's a bit of a push, even during marathon training.  I wish it could be higher than 3, but eh...


JAN 20, SUNDAY

6.1 in 50:57, 8:18 ave. Sunset run in the park. Woke up feeling mentally blah, and ended up sleeping like crazy until 3pm! Got in a run while I could. Fearing the onset of some sickness, I had lots of green tea and garlic and usual good nutrition. Both knees still a bit yoinky in the middle of the run, but better later on and overall felt good, and would’ve done more with more light. Used headlamp for last lap when got darker, but would’ve been hard in complete darkness. Liked the previous night’s cannonball cooldown for improving bloodflow and recovery.

JAN 21, MONDAY

60 min strength session. Head hot and throat dry today, but not too bad. Now discovered why I was sleepy yesterday. Drinking quickly helped throat heal.

JAN 22, TUESDAY

4.0 in 34:26, 8:37 ave. Treadmill hills. 2 mi warmup in 8:45 and 8:33 @ 1 degree, 2x[1/2 in 4:18 @ 7mph, ¼ in 2:08 @ 10 degrees, ¼ in 2;08 @ 1 degree] (=7mph). Wanted to bike, but it wouldn’t turn on, and wanted workout desperately after being stuck inside and sedentary all day. Would’ve done a long run, but people were in line for the treadmill, so I turned it into a hill session to get bang for buck.

JAN 25, FRIDAY

5.0 in 41:19, 8:15 ave, at 3 degrees. My legs always feel ready to run again the day or two after workouts, but once I get to 2+ days of rest, running is a shock to the legs again…. Inertia. Craved vitamin C today. Kinda getting better, though the run made my head feel hot again.

JAN 27, SUNDAY

6.0 in 51:05, 8:30 ave, at 4 degrees. Head still felt hot-ish (just perception, not absolute temps, based on the thermometer reading). But needed a workout. Fairly challenging. Also in a mood to go long today.

JAN 28, MONDAY

60 min strength session.

>>> 14 hrs in the office on Tuesday, so no workout.

JAN 30, WEDNESDAY

6.0 in 48:59, 8:09 ave, 2 degrees. No trace of sickness, I realized. Another long workday. Run felt more effort-ful than it should’ve been, probably because I was tired, and the gym was set at 76 degrees, vs. the usual 71. Surprised I made it to 6, when 4 seemed a challenge at first.

FEB 1, FRIDAY

4.0 in 32:53, 8:13 ave. Tread hills, to get in a workout in the morning before long flights. 1 mi warmup in 8:23, 2x[ ½ @ 5 degrees, ½ @ 3 degrees] @ 7.3mph (8:16), 1 mi cooldown @ 2 degrees in 7:56.