From One Training Plan to the Next

In the grand scheme of things, last week was a decent week. I managed to come back from my "slacker" week and put in 20.75 mi. (I know what you are thinking: why not finish off the last .25 to make a nice round number?) Times were okay. I know they can and will be faster. But my big triumph of the week was running 9 mi. (first time since August when I took the gorgeous run from UCB campus up to Wildcat Canyon and back down - see post from 08/21/06). However, this last 9 mi. wasn't quite as scenic, but it got the job done.

I've decided to add miles to my training, just 'cause. Additionally, I already printed up my marathon training plan which I will start after B2B training is finished. I'm feeling pretty good about it. Somehow 14-20 miles seems doable at 11min. miles., but then again, the furthest I have ever run is 12, so.... I could be setting myself up for a BIG surprise. However, I think it is a really good motivational tool to already have another race/training plan lined up so that I don't fall into my couch potato routine. While the Houston marathon isn't until January, I am sure I can find another one either in Austin or Dallas before then.

Week's Summary
Total Distance: 20.75
Total Time: 3:03:04
Avg. Pace: 8:49
Fastest Avg. Pace: 8:15 on a 7 mile run.
Overall Impression: "This wheel's on fire, Rolling down the road, Best notify next of kin, This wheel shall explode!" (TWOFRDTRBNNOKTWSE!) - Don't ask me why that Siouxsie & the Banshees song came into my head, except that I was thinking that my running is on fire this week... ;)

W.W.F.D.(?)

So, when I went out on my balcony yesterday it was raining, borderline sleeting, and cold. Needless to say, I didn't want to run in it and the ensuing inner dispute actually culminated with the conclusion (I swear I am not making this up): "Well, Forest would run in it."

So off I went. (I gave Tessa the day off due to conditions, and she thankfully scurried upstairs and spent the next hour in a hot shower.)
Basically, in terms of weather, imagine Bizarro-Last-Week. I could tell from the ripples in the canals that the wind was literally constantly against me. If I switched directions, so did it. I turned corners, and it did too. (I even twirled in a little circle once and THAT induced a small tornado that uprooted a rose bush.)

I was working both a watch and the Nike(Plus) because I knew that the battery on my iPod was dangerously low and I wanted to be able to register my time in the event that it died (Note: This led to me periodically saving runs on the iPod and starting new ones so I wouldn't risk losing the whole thing if it didn't last. As a result, my 9 miles reads like 350,000 little runs. After my laptop crashed, I am officially Backup obsessed.)

ANNNNDDDD, at about three miles, it started hailing just as the wind picked up hard, meaning I was getting pelted directly in the face by sharp balls of ice. I ended up among a small group of runners, all of which (including me) were running with our arms up in a sort of cross formation, trying to shield our faces from permanent ice-induced disfiguration.

It was kinda funny.

Anyway, things calmed down and I finished without too much event, but Tessa had to follow me around the house placing towels under me in order to protect our newly cleaned floors. I was dripping water everywhere.

The Run:

Distance: 9.1 miles
Time: 1:08:37
Average: 7:32

Somewhere in there I had a really fast mile, because Paula Radcliffe piped up at one point (she lives in my iPod) to tell me I established a new PB in the mile, but when I checked it looked the same as before...Other than that, I was chirpy all day for running that well when things sucked so much, and we celebrated by spending the afternoon in the Netherlands.

The rest of the week's training went pretty well. The speed work is a bit tricky, and I have to write notes on my hand to remember how many laps I have to do at "Cruise Intervals" and how many I do at "Speed Intervals"(?!). Of course, sweat blurs the ink to the point that every number looks like it says either "stop", "slow down", or "Wouldn't you rather be drinking a beer?". I'm not sure exactly how many miles I ran, because I don't always bring the iPod to the track (I'm far too uncoordinated to make it work with everything else, particularly while deciphering my Rohrschach splits). Also, I might have to stop running with Tessa on my optional days, because my legs are on the verge of total revolt. (Don't worry, I'll bike):

Logged Miles: 23.51
Time: 3:03:48
Average: 7:48
Best Weekday Run: 2.1 Miles (14:52)
Overall Impression: Pretty Pleased But Fatiguing (PPBF)

Basically, the blog must be working. If it wasn't for the fact that I read constantly about everything Forest runs through, I would have spent all day either A) in bed, or B) drinking beer in Maastricht.

So cheers, Forest, for helping me run when the conditions are horrible. And cheers, PP, for making me want to be faster, and (as always) cheers to Sixpack, for inspiring me to slog through an ungodly amount of miles.
(And cheers to you too, Tequila, for your comments and general fantasticness.)