EUGENE WEEK 5 OF 17: Speed + Hotness + I have no time this week.

Gaaaaaaah it is almost Wednesday and I am behind because WORK and LIFE and whatever else. I don't really have time to write, like, a full-on blog post, so here's some quick hits, which is all I can really do in ten frenzied minutes when I'm supposed to be sleeping.

• Jeebus. Speed work (like, real, on-the-actual-ground speed work) when you haven't done it in six months is a freaking BITCH. What a confidence killer. Please die in a fire.
• El Niño + climate change = really kind of insane February long runs. YOU GUYS, IT WAS ALMOST 80°. On Sunday I ran my longest long run post-sfx (10 miles) & a) it was 10-11 minute miles the whole time (no joking) while b) my heart rate was in half marathon race territory. That's some bullshit right there.
  
  You know we're back to proper-length runs when the Conservatory of Flowers makes an appearance! (Please try to ignore the Superbowl 50 statue, speaking of other things that can go die in a fire, along with the entire NFL.)

  (On the other hand, still feeling good in the skeletal department, so kinda-sorta win??)

• I can't even tell you how much better I feel when I actually spend some time stretching & rolling after a long or harder run. Maybe if I can manage to remember I'll actually develop, like, a real habit. That would be rad.
• I AM FREAKING RACING THIS WEEKEND AAAAHHHHHAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!111!!1 Cannot even handle it.
  

~*~*~EUGENE MARATHON WEEK 5 OF 17~*~*~

Some Numbers:

* 24.1 miles running (less than planned, but I think all my body could handle this week, actually)
* 1:00:00 elliptical (as planned; would have been nice to get a little more since I didn't do all the running miles, but so it goes)
* 3:00:00 strength work (woohoo!)
* 40:00 stretch & roll (meh. Hey, I haven't quit!)

Monday: a.m. strength work / p.m. karate

Tuesday: 2 wu, 3 x 1600m @ LT pace / 1:30 jog, 2 cd = 7.3 miles, + 20:00 stretch/roll

Wednesday: a.m. strength work / p.m. karate. We had a bunch of people out sick/injured or traveling, so no karate that night.

Thursday: 1.4 easy to gym, 45:00 easy elliptical, 1.4 home. I really wanted to try doing the pace workouts this week as actual runs, so shifting more of the "easy" stuff to the elliptical so that I don't jump up my weekly mileage too quickly.

Friday: a.m. strength work / p.m. 2 wu, 30:00 @ 8:35, 2 cd 4 easy

Re: doing the pace runs for real & jumping the weekly mileage up too soon, I shouldn't have worried. On Friday I just ran out of time. I got stuck at work late and we had dinner plans with friends, so squeezing in 4 easy miles was all I could do. Which was fine because my legs were *SOOO* unhappy, I'm assuming because of Tuesday's speed work.

Saturday: Rest.

Sunday: 10 miles + 15:00 elliptical + 20:00 stretch/roll. SO FREAKING HOT! Also worth noting that right now, 10 miles definitely feels like a long run, which is not surprising since I haven't run that far since July. Less time total assigned this week, though, since I'm racing on Saturday. I'm still slowly closing the gap between elliptical time and actual running miles, though!