What am I thinking about this morning?

After watching Kipchoge dismantle the men’s Olympic Marathon field and then the second-place finisher encouraging his friend to bronze, I was satisfied with how the race went. I had wanted Kipchoge to win Gold, because from everything that I have watched and read about him, he does things the correct way and is a gentleman with iron determination to be the best. He is the marathon’s GOAT.

Today, I am not sure of what I will do for a run, I changed my long run yesterday, because we decided to do something for someone else in the morning and by the time, I got around to running, it was too hot for a longer run. The conditions were like what the Olympians encountered, with a little lower temps/humidity, but I am no Olympian, so I didn’t feel the need to abuse the old body like that. 

I did 30:00-minutes of easy running, dreamed of what it would be like to run fast and thought about the sacrifices and lifestyle necessary to achieve that level of running. It wasn’t for me when I was young, and it certainly isn’t for me at this point in my life. I did my first run in the Hoka Carbon X2s and was happy with how they felt. Although I had to change out the insole before the run, it just didn’t fit my foot correctly.

Tomorrow I will be starting the Stryd 5K plan again, but I will be tweaking it to add a little more challenge and time on my feet than I did the first time through. The speed workouts will look a bit different and if the Achilles decided it will let me, maybe the longer runs will stretch out a bit more too. I know that I am not quite ready for the 10K plan but need a little more than the original 5K one provides. What I really need is for the 2-3 inches of Achilles tendon on my left leg to stop bothering.

I need to keep running smart and not let my ego and fantasies get in the way of what I will be doing, not dreaming about doing.

Also, early last week I put a minimum bid for a pair of Puma Deviate Nitro’s on eBay and somehow ended up winning the bid. I liked Puma’s running shoes in the past and if I had been a size 9.0, would have been a wear-tester for them back in 2014, my size 8.0s didn’t quite make the cut. However, I did run in several pair from 2014 to 2016 and liked them quite a bit (especially the Mobium Elites and Speed 500’s). Then Puma’s running shoe division went off on a tangent and I went in a different direction. So, I am excited to see how the Deviate Nitro’s work.

Today’s Challenge Description: 

• 60:00-minute recovery run.

This morning while I am planning on doing a longer run (for me), however, if I end up not doing anything, that is okay too.

Per Stryd: “A one hour recovery run is a fairly standard recommendation for recovery days. If you feel your easy targets are too easy, it might be time to do a Time Trial to ensure your Stryd Auto-Calculated Critical Power is accurate.”

Running Focus

Listen to my body.

What I Did Today: 

• Goodhue 10K

Primary Workout – 60:00-minute recovery

Target Range	Duration	Distance	Power	Heart Rate	Pace	Cadence	Stride Length
151-186	59:59	5.94	194	136	10:05	166	.94

Unplanned 

Target Range	Duration	Distance	Power	Heart Rate	Pace	Cadence	Stride Length
None	2:45	.27	186	142	10:20	165	.89

Did the workout go as planned?

Pretty much.

I purposely went out slow and got slower as the run went on. The Achilles got cranky around mile four or so and I struggled to finish. Although as soon as I stopped running and walked back to the house, it calmed down quickly.

Lots of sweating during the run, a woods walk to do battle with the mosquitoes and just putting one foot in front of the other most of the rest of the time

Not the run I was looking for, but it wasn’t too bad and while the Achilles was grouchy, it was still better than it has been.

Injuries/Niggles: The Achilles got cranky, and I shut it down at 10K just to be good.

Weather: Few clouds, 75°F, Feels like 76°F, Humidity 79%, Wind 9mph from NNE

Shoes: Hoka Carbon X2 – I like the feel underfoot, but to me the Carbon X2 is more of a daily trainer than it is a “go faster” shoe. That is how I will use them going forward. However, with the 5mm drop I have a feeling that the Achilles is not crazy about the lower drop on longer runs at this time. 

What did I learn today?

On longer runs, I need to wear higher drop shoes, until the Achilles heals up and not to wear lower-drop shoes two days in a row.

I like the Hoka Carbon X2 after the first two runs in them, but I needed to change out the insole to make them more comfortable. They are what I am looking for in a daily trainer: smooth, quiet, and comfortable.

It was hot and humid during the run, but I am starting to get acclimated to it and it didn’t bother as much as it has been. I am feeling better about the heat/humidity, not that I enjoy it, but I can deal with it better than I had been.