To DC

I'm going to Washington DC this week for a meeting with other nuke engineers. I'm hoping it will be a little cooler. After one my slowest 5Ks in years, I was hoping to redeem myself at the Mosquito Chase this morning. I ran a little better (19:20), but I really wanted to be under 19. Oh well. It was a little warmer and more humid than last weekend. 82°F from 7AM to 8AM at Clute.

RAIN!

Days Since Last Run Below 80°F: 1 It was 78°F Sunday Morning!
Days Since Last Run Below 70°F: 61 (May 21, a pretty nice Spring this year)

47½ miles for the week of July 13th through 19th

M – 5½ miles, average pace 8:10 mpm, 85°F to 85°F from 8AM but dewpoint in the low 60s [Glen Rose 2xStadium-Paluxy Loop]
Tu - 5½ miles, average pace 6:59 mpm, 82°F from 7AM with the dewpoint in the low 60s [Glen Rose 2xStadium-Paluxy Loop]
W – 5¾ miles, 6x400/200, average pace 7:34 mpm, 400s in 83, 83, 81, 82, 81, and 79 (a little better than last week), 87°F at 7PM [B’Wood]
Th – 4 miles, average pace 8:51 mpm, 84°F at 4AM [Dow-]
F - 7½ miles, overall average pace 9:06, 86°F at 9AM [SeaC/SSTrail-MBTrail/SeaC]
Sa – 6¼ miles, with a 5K race at an average pace 6:17, 77°F at 7:53AM at Houston Clover Field [Lunar Rendezvous 5K]
Su – 13 miles, average pace of 7:40 mpm, cooler temperatures after some rains 78°F from before 8AM [SeaC/SSTrail-3x2M/SeaC]

This wasn't too bad a week for running, but Saturday's 5K race was very disappointing. I went to Glen Rose last Sunday and was able to run up there on Monday and Tuesday. The drier air up in Glen Rose was very nice. We received some much needed rain this weekend and it helped cool the temperatures down a little. Sunday's run was very enjoyable, even though I was still soaked in sweat.

I don't know what happened to me in the Lunar Rendezvous. I saw the first and second place runners in my age group pass me at the beginning of the third mile and then saw third place pass me by 0.1 second at the very end. I don't really care that much about the placing, but it just demonstrates how poorly I ran. I've gotten pretty sleazy about starting weekend runs late, and then crashing in the heat. After the race, LanceC raised a good point about getting up early for the important runs. We're already as heat acclimated as we're ever going to be. Running important training runs when it's hot just keeps you from accomplishing the purpose of that workout. I took that to heart and was able to get out early enough Sunday morning for a decent 13-miler. It's so much better to work the legs instead of fighting heat exhaustion.

Same Temperature, But Not As Hot

Days Since Last Run Below 80°F: 23 It was 77°F on June 25th.
Days Since Last Run Below 70°F: 56 (May 21, a pretty nice Spring this year)


37½ miles for the week of July 6th through 12th

M – 4 miles, average pace 8:51 mpm, 84°F at 4AM [Dow-]
Tu - 4¾ miles, average pace 7:24 mpm, 84°F at 4AM [Dow]
W – 4¼ miles, 6x400/200, average pace 7:28 mpm, 400s in 85, 84, 80, 82, 81, and 81 (a little better than last week), 87°F at 7PM [B’Wood]
Th – sleep, 84°F at 4AM
F - 7¾ miles, overall average pace 8:12, 92°F at Noon [SeaC/SSTrail-BR/SeaC]
Sa – 7¾ miles, overall average pace 7:56, 89°F at 10AM [SeaC/SSTrail-BR/SeaC]
Su – 9 miles, average pace of 8:31 mpm, crashed in the heat after about six miles, 83°F from 8AM [SeaC/SSTrail-2M/SeaC]

I went to Glen Rose Sunday and was able to run up there on Monday and Tuesday. I started Monday's run just before 8AM and it was heating up fast. The Glen Rose High School had 85°F to 88°F and that was about the same temperature recorded up at the Granbury Airport. But the dewpoint was way down in the lower 60s and a recovery run at 8:10 pace felt nice and easy. Tuesday morning I got out a little earlier and was able to run in 81°F conditions at 7AM with no dew or fog anywhere! Even though the high temperatures both days were around 105°F, running was much easier.

Here are couple of pictures from the courthouse square in Glen Rose:

Balance Training?

I ran across this article in The New York Times. I haven't had ankle sprains, but I've never had very good balance. I wonder if standing on one foot might help resolve some of my lower leg problems?

I love this word.
pro·pri·o·cep·tion (prō'prē-ō-sĕp'shən)
n. The unconscious perception of movement and spatial orientation arising from stimuli within the body itself.
[Latin proprius , one's own + (RE)CEPTION.]

Hottest Morning of the Year

Days Since Last Run Below 80°F: 11 It was 77°F Wednesday morning last week.
Days Since Last Run Below 70°F: 45 (May 21, a pretty nice Spring this year)


41¾ miles for the week of June 29th through July 5th

M – 4 miles, average pace 8:27 mpm (125 bpm), 80°F at 4AM [Dow-]
Tu - 4¾ miles, average pace 6:51 mpm (153 bpm), 80°F at 4AM [Dow]
W – 4¼ miles, 6x400/200, average pace 7:27 mpm (150 bpm), 400s in 84, 85, 85, 83, 82, and 81 (first time on the track since June 10th), 89°F at 7PM [B’Wood]
Th – 4 miles, average pace 8:34 mpm, 80°F at 4AM [Dow-]
F - 7 miles, overall average pace 9:04, 93°F at 3PM [SeaC/SSTrail/SeaC]
Sa – 6¾ miles, with a 4 mile race at average pace 6:25, mile splits were 6:11, 6:34, 6:36, and 6:21, 86°F, start at 7:30AM [LJ Firecracker 4]
Su – 11 miles, average pace of 7:50 mpm, the race motivated me to start this run earlier, 85°F from 6:50AM [SeaC/SSTrail-2x2M/SeaC]

I think I drowned my GPS watch Wednesday evening. I can't coax it back to life.
Saturday's race was tough. The morning low for Clute was 85.3°F and that was from 4 to 5AM. The race started early enough, but Clute had 86.2°F from 7 to 8AM. Farther inland, the airport in Angleton had 84°F with a dew point of 78°F during the race at 7:53AM. That's a heat index of 95°F. I knew this was not my day when I ran a 6:34 second mile. OH well, this race motivated me to get off my rear and start my training runs earlier.

Here are couple of pictures from an article for the local paper:




Here's the topside watch of the USS Ohio enjoying 4th of July fireworks in Pearl Harbor: