Time: 4:36:02
Pace: 9:08 min/mi
Comments: The recovery week worked out pretty much like I hoped. I not only eased up a bit on the workouts during the week, I allowed myself an additional rest day before the weekend tempo/long run effort. The fitness chart (below) really shows how the decrease in intensity but the overall level of fitness remains very stable.
Next week will be a return to big miles. I'll up my mileage during weekly runs a bit, completely eliminate additional off days and get restarted on the serious long runs. This will very much be a test on how ready I am for the heart of the training program. I feel pretty positive about it given the last month of training but there's a good bit of anxiety hanging around as well.
On another front, I have been doing regular upper body workouts for most of the year. Nothing fancy, pull up, chin ups, push ups and planks. The goal is 1) better posture and 2) enough strength to handle holding my arms up for a full four hours. I've laid off for the last week or so but intend to pick that back up this week.
Injury update: My lower back is still stiff but got noticeably better over the course of the week. I had soreness in my left quad after the tempo run and a little bit in my right knee after the long run. Neither lasted particularly long.
