Yesterday morning’s run was a total stinker.  I planned for 12 but was PMSy and the previous day I’d fallen flat on my face near the end of a 12-miler so both my knees and palms were scraped and tender, but what was getting me down the most was that pinchy leg niggle that was still there.  Not that it’s so painful (it isn’t, and works itself out during the run) but not being 100% when I’ve got all these races planned is a serious downer.

I ended up cutting it short at 7mi – unheard of for me – and once home, I first whined to my forum pals then did what I should have done 2 weeks ago…took ibuprofen.  I had held off on it initially because I didn’t want to bloat up before my Half but also because this niggle has been so elusive, it seemed worth monitoring “as is” to make sure it wasn’t a scary thing.  Since it’s way better and eases off as I run, I think I can now assume it is not a scary thing. So Vitamin I down the hatch.

A couple hours later, I kicked myself for not doing it sooner.   When I tried the bend-my-leg-and-stand-on-it-just-so-to-replicate-the-pinchy-pain test it felt great…not a peep.  Needless to say, this cheered me up substantially and as the day progressed, I thought “wouldn’t this be the perfect opportunity for my first double?”

So at 5pm I put on some fresh running gear and went out for an easy 6mi.  It was warm, 80 degrees, but it sprinkled and the park was super pretty in that dark rainy afternoon way.  It turned out to be a swell run and my leg was just fine.  The only annoyance were the gnats: swarms of them.  When I got home, I had to disrobe in the shower so as not to fling their little black carcasses all over the bathroom via slingshot (wet sports bra).

Gnats aside, there really is something to be said for short runs, they’re so easy!  My legs will surely appreciate it as well.  I have no regrets about holding off doing it till now, btw, summer’s sweltering temps would have made afternoon runs torture, but the next couple months should be wonderful conditions and now I’m so close to the park…it’s like a Siren call.

In fact, I’m doing another double today – I did 10 already and will go for 6 later.  I’m looking forward to doing some strides in the second run since it’s such a tiny li’l thing.

The Training/Racing Conundrum
Kevin Beck finished his series on volume and it’s a good capper.  I was actually thinking of the “slave to the mileage” thing before I read the article.  I’ve been thinking about what my focus is right now and how I need to prioritize what matters but the question is…what is my priority?  My plan in doing all these races as to use them as training tools enabling me to replace speedwork and also to learn to race better, so basically, I considered it to be something on the way to something better.  But then I got to thinking “why do I train?” and the answer is…to race!

I’m in love with running anyway so the whole “training to train” phrase (generally said with a sneer) is not such a negative thing to me, after all, I just spent the best few months of my running life “just” running.  But now things are getting more interesting in potential improvement so…do I set my sights on the future or concentrate on getting the most from these next couple months?

If the former, I would keep mileage the priority with an eye for next year since I can imagine another improvement bump next Spring (providing nothing weird happens in the interim), or if the latter, I’d make these upcoming races the priority and lower my mileage to get the best outcome in those.  While I’d like to improve my Half PR in Vegas, I’m not sure how much I can milk from this period.

And looking ahead, since I can’t see myself freezing my ass off for 90mpw in the dead of Winter, I’m expecting a mileage drop to the 70s, which in turn, got me wondering if it’d be a waste to keep the volume up now, knowing I’ll just be cutting it come Winter.

All these thoughts were giving me an “oh crap, what’s the most important thing here?” anxiety attack until I unloaded on Coach Adam/A muse who instantly put me at ease.  He assured me that capillaries don’t suddenly disappear and that the miles I bank now will help me in the Spring.  He also reminded me that maintaining aerobic fitness is easier than building it in the first place.  Then he shared his ideas with how to proceed and suddenly,  peace was restored to my swamp of a brain.

The main thing, the framework, will include maintaining high mileage for several weeks but dropping radically before Vegas: “a true taper and we can try to force a peak, too”.  There’ll be some switching of tempos and faster stuff plus some hybrid workouts. He also recommended I reread Joe Rubio’s “Endless Season” approach for frequent racing – an article that, when I read it a few months ago, gave me the heebee jeebies (What? Race a lot? Terrifying!) since it’s a great stepping-off point.

So it looks like there’s a through-line already shaping up, a plan in the making.  And Jim…I didn’t get a single finger-wag.

Race On Saturday
The next time I check in will be after my 5k.  Yikes!  I’m expecting a not-that-great time but I’m expecting to have a great time.   This is a sweet little race, as mentioned before, with nice prizes.  It’s not certified though and last year it was short, but it’s been adjusted and the director said he remeasured it twice so supposedly it’s correct, but if not, I don’t care, it’s merely a rust-buster for short and fast, and goodness knows I have a lot of rust to remove.

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