Week 13

Total distance run this week: 59 km
Number of runs: 4
Runs at tempo pace: 0
Hill training: 9 x 270m
Long run: 32 km
Other activities: cycling (44km)
Total training time: 10:15

I wish I'd had it in me to run the extra kilometre I needed to make it a nice round 60km for the week, but my long run this morning was too tough. It was already 24 degrees and humid by the time I headed out the door a little before 7 am. By the time I was schlepping home 4 hours later, the thermometer read 29 degrees with a "feels like" temperature of 38. Needless to say, I was seriously toasted by the time I made it in the door.

On the upside, the first 20km of the run felt pretty good after a bit of rocky week. My foot which had been tight and sore for a couple of weeks finally felt more normal, and I ran through some of my favourite parts of the city -- across the Central Experimental Farm, down Island Park Drive, along the Ottawa River to Parliament Hill, and then along Sussex Drive to old city hall where I picked up the Rideau River pathway back home. Unfortunately, I had somehow never noticed there's not a single water fountain for a stretch of about 12 or 13km along the Rideau River so I ran out of water 5 or 6 km from any source of drinking water -- not a mistake I'll make a second time!

The rest of my training this week went well too, although I continued to struggle with finding the right shoes. It turned out the ones I bought last weekend caused more problems than they solved so they went back yesterday and I got others which seem to work better for me. I ran all 32km in them this morning without major incident. My right leg and foot were a little sore by the end of my run, but I immediately soaked them in an icewater bath and they are feeling much better tonight. Of course, the real test will be getting out of bed tomorrow morning. :-)

Because my foot was acting up, and hill training was tough on Wednesday (again because of high heat and humidity), I skipped my 6km tempo run on Friday and replaced it with a steady 9km run instead. A sensible choice as it turned out.

My plan for the coming week is to take it a easier and let my legs heal a bit before I start building again the week after next. If the weather cooperates, I may bike a little more, but I'll try to keep my total running to a maximum of 35-40 km.

I can hardly believe race day is now only 8 weeks away -- which means there's only 5 more weeks of really hard training ahead. Time is definitely flying by!