Week 10

Total distance run this week: 47 km
Number of runs: 4
Runs at tempo pace: 1 (7 km)
Runs at race pace: 1 (6 km)
Long run: 26 km
Other activities: 50.5 km cycling
Total training time: 9:10

Because of some pain in my right hip, I skipped hills on Wednesday evening and scheduled myself for an appointment with an ART therapist.

For the unintiated, ART stands for Active Release Therapy -- a lovely name for a treatment that should be listed as a method of torture somewhere. The main technique involves the therapist digging his thumbs and fingers into various tight muscles on the most painful spot he can find, then instructing you to move the affected appendage while he stretches the muscle. Yes, it's as nasty as it sounds. However, it's also remarkably effective. I've run three of the four days since I was treated with much less discomfort. That said, the jury's still out on whether I go back for more.

The other "high" point of the week was my long run today. I dawdled getting out the door today, unsure whether the 30km I cycled yesterday would make completing a planned 26km run today impossible. As it turned out, it wasn't the cycling yesterday that was the problem, it was the heat and humidity.

Contrary to the weather forecast, the sun came out and temperatures soared soon after I started my run. For much of the time, the humidity was so high I felt like I was running through water rather than air. It was bad enough at one point that I thought about cutting the run short, but in the end decided it was a good idea to practice running in the heat even if it meant slowing down in order to be able to go the full distance. It did. For the last 3-4 kms, I was barely shuffling along and taking frequent walk breaks in an effort to keep my heart rate in a reasonable range. I checked the thermometer when I got home and saw that it was 30 degrees in the shade. No wonder it felt warm.

Anyway, altogether a pretty good week of training. In the coming week, I plan to focus on recovery -- meaning I will run less and try to get lots of rest so that I'm ready to begin building again the week after next. At this stage, it feels like my body is ready for a break so I'm looking forward to taking it a bit easier -- especially next weekend when I plan to run only 20km on Sunday.