When You Stop You Slow

It's been a great holiday filled with visits by friends and family. It's also been one of over-indulging in calorie-rich foods. Can't wait for those temptations to go away on Wednesday.

After taking a full week off the week of the 10th, I put in a lowly 30 miles the following week and then 54 last week. I ended the week with a pretty difficult speed workout, my first hard running since CC Nationals on December 8th. Going from zero miles one week to 54 miles two weeks later was easy.

The week off had little if any impact on my endurance, but I did notice during Saturday's workout that taking time off will impact your speed much more than endurance.

I hooked up with coach Tom and Mike Sayenko and Mike Heidt, the other two Trials qualifiers from Washington for a tempo run around Green Lake in Seattle. It was a late start for me -- 3pm. Literally as I pulled into the parking lot ay Green Lake it started to rain as if on queue.

Our workout was a 10-mile tempo run witht he first 7 miles at 5:25 pace and the last three in 5:15s. Not having run hard for three straight weeks I didn't know what to expect. The wind was gusty in places and the rain was pouring. Temps were in the high 30s. A very chilly run. At mile 3 my shoelace came undone. So I reluctantly stopped to tie it and spend the next four miles catching up to Heidt. That meant running 5:12-5:15s from mile 3-10. While I was tight due to the cold and working harder to hit those times than I would have had to normally, I felt strong and felt stronger as I went.

I hit or beat all my splits and was very happy with the workout not to mention tired. The worst part was the two-mile cool down in the bitter cold. I had shed my jacket at Mile 7 and didn't get it back until I reached my car.

It was great running with the Mikes. They are younger and more talented but it serves as a good measuring stick for me.

Happy New Year.