Training Run

Distance: 9 kilometers (5.58 miles)
Time: 47.26 minutes
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather Conditions: cool, overcast, 60s, noon run
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru

Comments: And thus endeth the joyus interlude. Lima's grey winter skies were back in force today - but that's OK. The one thing this crappy weather is perfect for is running.

Needless to say, I am still dealing with the impact of my long run. I still felt a bit sore heading out and my knees were tender as well. I started slow and never got into the type of groove I had yesterday. This one was work, the whole way.

Which isn't to say it was a bad run. Unlike six months ago where I would not have the strength or energy to do the run, I knew I could get through the whole thing perfectly well. It just took a concentrated effort that isn't needed on really good days.

Recovery Run

Distance: 6.43 kilometers (4 miles)
Time: 33.47 minutes
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather Conditions: cool, sunny, 60s, noon run
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru

Comments: Sun! Glorious sun! 

I got out of the door a little later than usual and just as I got into the groove of the run, the mist dissipated and the sun poured onto the streets of Lima. Luckily, I wore my short-sleeved shirt cause it got nicely warm.

Not a crazy effort today, more of a recovery run in the wake of Sunday's herculean effort. But it turned into a nice solid run. I felt strong the whole way. 

Which isn't to say I had completely recovered from the long run this weekend. My legs, particularly my calves, were pretty sore heading out. No real pain, though, and no problems at all kneewise.

Week Wrapup

Distance: 71.5 kilometers (44.40 miles)
Time: 6 hours 17 minutes

Comments: Attack of the monster distance runner. By far the greatest effort I have put in since I was a teenager and, very likely, the longest weekly run total I have ever accumulated.

Which is all well and good but I need to keep it in perspective. Trying to crank out this type of mileage weekly is asking a bit too much of my body at this point. I got through this week with a minimum of pain and injury. I doubt I would be as lucky if I kept up this regimen another seven days.

Where it helps me is knowing that by cutting back when I formally start my 'training' in a few weeks, getting up to the mileage levels I want to hit in December or so is a completely realistic goal.

So I am going to head out and get some seriously carb loaded soup for lunch, sit down at the bar with satellite TV on Larco and watch football for an afternoon. And feel completely justified doing it.

I had played around with starting the training in two weeks or so but, looking at my still-incomplete schedule, it made sense to kick it off next week as I originally intended.

At the present time it looks like I am going to lose two weeks from traveling so I will get my 15-week schedule anyway by starting now. And how am I going to inaugurate my four-month odyssey? 

With a rest day. 

But, after the super long run yesterday, that's the only option that makes sense. I'll shoot for a realistic 30 miles this week but I am more than ready to call it off if I develop any problems.

So next week is pretty much the same as my usual routine over the last few months with a priority on getting the long repeats in that I keep putting off. In fact, that's the only true 'priority' for this seven-day stretch.

Long Run

Distance: 26 kilometers (16.14 miles)
Time: 140 minutes
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather Conditions: cool, misty, overcast, 60s, morning run
Location: Miraflores/Barranco/Chorrillos/San Isidro/Magdalena de Mar, Lima, Peru

Comments: I wanted to put in a huge run today and 'lo' that is what I did. I took it easy yesterday, carbed up pretty well and got in the mindset. Felt rested this morning so had a bannana and an energy bar with lots of water to get ready. Then I hit the road with two gel packs and two bottles of Gatorade.

Started very slow and deliberate. My knees were achy and I focused on taking smaller steps to get going. I went a slightly different route through the streets of Barranco and Chorrillos to cut out at least two big hills... and for the slight change of pace.

I was able to pick it up again when I came back from Playa Herradura and kept to the beachfront. Going out a bit early kept me from the sidewalk congestion of the Sunday morning walkers on this section. 

Humped it up the hill to the San Isidro exit and back down to Magdalena de Mar - further that way than I have ever gone. Heading up the cliffs there was the toughest part of the run. When I got back up onto the street level I was running badly.

But, when I got back on the Malecon, the Pixies came up on the iPod and I said "screw it" and decided to feel some real pain. I picked up my stride the whole final 20 minutes and ran full out on the last kilometer when the Nine Inch Nails song came on.

Tough effort but worth it. I don't plan on running this far again for several months but it was nice to get a personal best under the belt.

The gels today were Clif Shots which tasted of overly salted cookie dough. The vanilla was putrid but the chocolate wasn't too bad.

Training Run

Distance: 6.9 kilometers (4.28 miles)
Time: 33.52 minutes
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather Conditions: cool, misty, overcast, 60s, morning run
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru

Comments: Just a straightforward effort down the Malencon and back. After taking yesterday off I just wanted a good solid short run to get ready for the long run tomorrow.

No problems, except for the idiot Peruvian drivers and pedestrians. I'm not asking for the whole road or sidewalk, I just want you to be consistent enough in your forward progress that I can make a reasonable guess where you are going to be when I pass you by. 

No pains. No issues. I did focus on trying to take shorter strides in order to be nice to my knees before the hills they will have to get me over tomorrow.

Training Run

Distance: 12.2 kilometers (7.57 miles)
Time: 65.40 minutes
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather Conditions: cool, misty, overcast, 60s, morning run
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru

Comments: I felt pretty good going out - strong and with enough in the tank to put in a slightly-longer-than-usual effort. But my legs were noticeably sore the whole way. 

Took a slightly different route through Barranco and so I am not really sure about my distance measurement. 

While it was nice to get a bit of variation in my route this detour also gave me my first encounter with guard dogs. Turns out my accuracy slinging stones on the run is better than I expected.

Tomorrow is an off day and I'll take it a bit easy on Saturday before putting in the long run on Sunday.

Training Run

Distance: 9.2 kilometers (5.71 miles)
Time: 46.46 minutes
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather Conditions: cool, misty, overcast, 60s, morning run
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru

Comments: Felt very very stiff this morning. I got out on the road and put in a slightly different route to liven it up but then cut it down from my projected distance. Which had me hit my projected time pretty close so it worked out.

I am really feeling the miles now. My knees are tender and my legs are sore. I have the energy levels for the runs but I just feel like I am out of it a little. It's like I am out of synch with my rhythm or something.

Training Run

Distance: 6.2 kilometers (3.85 miles)
Time: 33.43 minutes
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather Conditions: cool, overcast, 60s, noon run
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru

Comments: I felt a bit sore after the longer than expected jaunt yesterday but not so bad I didn't want to go run. I was aiming for about half-an-hour and did another beach run to get the long hill in as well. 

The effort was noticably more difficult and I felt a little bit lacking in 'omph.' But I never really had a spot where I felt like giving in.

The knee was noticably tender but, again, not actually hurting. So, again, I was very careful about it the whole way. I'll stick to level routes for the next few days as well.

Training Run

Distance: 11 kilometers (6.83 miles)
Time: 58.30 minutes
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather Conditions: cool, misty, overcast, 60s, morning run
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru

Comments: I didn't intend to put in a long run but it turned out that way. I got diverted pretty early on due to the Monday morning traffic and ended up on the beach. So I pushed it to the hill at Av. Ejercito and then back on the Malencon. 

After about a week off I felt pretty sloppy out on the road. I made it a point to keep my pace a bit slower than normal throughout so the longer distance probably worked in my favor by giving me time to find my rhythm.

No aches and pains to speak of. My left knee felt somewhat achy over the last week so I was mindful of it throughout the run and nada. I did get a stitch pretty early on though, but I will chalk that up to being out of the swing of it.

Week Wrapup

Distance: 26.80 kilometers (16.64 miles)
Time: 2 hours 11 minutes

Comments: As Saturday wore on I felt worse and worse and upon waking today I wasn't feeling any better. So I scrapped the long run and called it a week.

As a result, this week came to less than half of my initial goal mileage-wise. While it isn't a critical setback, it is disappointing. I will be traveling most of the coming week and there will be little opportunity to get back on schedule for some time.

The other issue this week's illness brings up is a concern about overtraining. I don't know how much the increased miles contributed to my coming down with the grippe. But, despite that, there was no injury so I'll still take it as a win.