"Hello darkness, my old friend / I've come to talk with you again" - Paul Simon
(Sunday, December 6th - Saturday, December 19th)
Another healthy, but unremarkable week of training.
Run and recover from my key workouts
- Did a Mile time trial this week and otherwise skipped mid-week intensity. I was hoping to run under 5:00 but ended up at 5:05 which was disappointing. I felt strong, but not fast. Following my Mile, I helped pace Dylan to a 5:36 Mile which addded a quick 1200m for me.
- I combined the planned kilometer repeats and 2 x 4mi at Marathon Effort (ME) into a single workout of 4 x 1200m, 400m jog, 1mi jog, ~4mi ME. I wasn't feeling up to tackle three workouts this week. The result was par with workouts to-date this cycle: solid, but a little slower than desired. I was able to pace Julia to a 5:34 Mile at the beginning of the workout which was fun!
- Similar to last week, by Friday, I was feeling pretty tired so I skipped a second run. With my new watch I've been able to keep track of my sleep which has been pretty consistently a little over seven hours per night. That said, I'm looking forward to when I start realizing the results of this training!
- I was forced to have disciplined warm ups this week since both workouts started from Duniway Track which is just a little over 2 miles from my home.
1) No mindless miles, consider strength (20-30min strength sessions twice per week, 20 pushups daily) or flexibility/mobility work instead. 2) Grow enjoyment and desire to fuel and hydrate well, specifically, two servings of greens and eight glasses of water daily. 3) Grow in disciplined seven hours of sleep daily. 4) Daily flexibility and mobility following runs.
- Two weeks streak with resting well on Fridays as well as getting in two strength workouts. I did a short session on Wednesday after my second run as well as a more robust workout on Friday morning. I wonder how much Friday morning workouts are impacting my ability to run fast on Saturday long runs. I've been much more consistent with my daily pushup goal as well than in past years. The more comprehensive training goals I've set for this cycle have been really helpful on that front. I've been enjoying visiting Tanner Springs Park on days when I don't do an afternoon run.
- I still need to do better with hydration. I did buy some tea on Friday as one of the reasons I don't feel like drinking water is that most of the time I feel cold. I hope having a hot drink will help me with this goal.
- The nights I've worn my new watch, I've been meeting my sleep goals. I've been going to bed pretty early when possible.
- Daily flexibility and mobility needs more focus this coming week. For the runs which butt up against work, I need to do a better job budgeting time for flexibility and mobility following my run. I went in for some chiro treatment this week. My lower back was feeling good, but at the start of runs I had been noticing pain around my knees. Justin focused his treatment on my adductors and recommended I spend some time stretching my quads and hitting my adductors with my foam roller.
This week, I've been listening to:
Simon and Garfunkel - Tuesday's very dark 9 miler reminded me of one of my favorite tunes of this iconic duo, "The Sound of Silence." I vividly recall my dad playing vinyl Simon and Garfunkel albums when we were growing up. It wasn't their talent which I appreciated initially, but rather it was the mystique of "ancient" vinyl albums, the uniqueness of Art Garfunkel's last name which made me and my siblings laugh, and the puzzling lyrics (what sound does silence make?). It also felt kind of rare that my dad would express and share something he enjoyed.
My favorite Simon and Garfunkel songs:
- "The Sound of Silence" - my friend Tony shared this recording of the song which also includes some history about the song and remix which catapulted the duo to stardom
- "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
- "Homeward Bound"