What am I thinking about this morning?

Foggy and overcast start to the day, with the Air Quality Index projected to go through the crapper, today’s run could be a challenging beast. The smoke from the wildfires is drifting in, the heatwave is adding a haymaker and the goldenrod is blooming, so breathing seems to be optional or at least miserable. However, I will get through it and be ready to go before it gets too hot. Well…once we get done the Thursday pickups at Wal Mart and Tractor Supply.

Planned Stryd Challenge Description: 

• Easy with 6x :30-second strides with 1:00-minute recoveries

Per Stryd: “Strides” are defined as short bursts of faster running to get your body used to running at a higher intensity. Your goal for strides should be to start a bit above your Stryd Auto-Calculated Critical Power and practice running at a fast speed without straining. After a brief warm up, you will run :30s repeats with an easy 1:00 recovery. After you have completed the number of repetitions, cool down with an easy segment of running.”

Today’s Running Focus

• Breathe well

What I Did Today: 

Course: Philbrick Laps

Location: Sidney

Warm-up – 10:30-Minutes

Target Range	Duration	Distance	Power	Heart Rate	Pace	Cadence	Stride Length
163-186	10:27	1.08	202	127	9:42	163	.95

Primary Workout – 6 x :30-second strides with 1:00-minute recoveries

Target Range	Duration	Distance	Power	Heart Rate	Pace	Cadence	Stride Length
249-258	3:00	0.44	291	149	6:49	187	1.28
116-163	6:00	0.56	189	154	10:44	162	.93

Cool Down – 10:30 – Minutes

Target Range	Duration	Distance	Power	Heart Rate	Pace	Cadence	Stride Length
151-175	10:30	1.03	197	152	10:09	164	.97

Unplanned – 

Target Range	Duration	Distance	Power	Heart Rate	Pace	Cadence	Stride Length
None	2:30	.33	251	151	7:39	177	1.16

Nasty day out there, the humidity and heat did impact the workout, but the wildfire smoke was the worst part of the run and the goldenrod didn’t make it any easier. I did put on my mask after my last stride and wore it the rest of the workout, not because of COVID, but due to the poor AQI and the fact that my throat was getting sore and my eyes were burning. It is the first time in a very long time that I have felt that way on a run. There is no need to be a hero or stoopid and not put on my mask to protect myself from inhaling wildfire particulates. That shit ain’t good for you either.

Gee, I wonder why I will wear a mask in other circumstances if it protects me from breathing in crap that I don’t want in my lungs…oh never mind, I won’t go there.

Did the workout go as planned?

Yes.

As usual I was above the recommended target for the slower parts and today I was above the target by quite a bit for the strides. I didn’t feel like I was pushing that hard and if the weather had been a bit better, I had another gear left. Even after all these years, the shorter distances feel more natural.

Injuries/Niggles: 

Weather: Fog, 72°F, Feels like 73°F, Humidity 95%, Wind 0mph from N. Just a nasty day.

Shoes: Reebok RunFast – The RunFasts felt great, and it was so nice to just focus on the workout versus how my feet were feeling. I thought about how great the RunFast v1s are and that I run so well in them.

FEDEX suddenly appeared in the yard after I got through running and left a box on the front steps. Then I got an alert on my phone that my shoes had arrived. I wasn’t expecting them until next week. At the start of 2020 I had three pairs of running shoes that I wanted to get/try at some point this year and in March I added a fourth.

The Puma Deviate Nitro

I wasn’t going to pay retail price for a pair, even though I really, really wanted them when they became available. My feet are hard to find shoes that fit correctly, so unless I can actually try a pair on, I wait until the price comes down to a point where I can take a chance on whether they fit or not. That is what I did with the PDNs and last week a pair of new in the box became available on eBay (before Molly’s achievements). I made a minimum bid and waited for someone else to hop on at the last minute.

No one did and I got them for considerably less than I have seen them anywhere 

They fit.

Now to get a run in them. Tomorrow is supposed to be a rest day and another nasty weather day, so I am not sure I will run in them then. If I do I will get a chance to see how they work on an easy run.

What did I learn today?

That I still enjoy running fast for me at short distances.

I can run in hot/humid weather, but when the AQI gets bad like it did today that it is okay to cut the workout shorter or even put on a mask to protect myself from the wildfire smoke when necessary.

The Reebok RunFast v1 are a running shoe that I run well in and will remain in my rotation for the foreseeable future. It is too bad that Reebok changed some things about this model in versions 2 and 3, that made it less of a shoe than the first version.

Yes, I am very excited about getting the Puma Deviate Nitro and can’t wait to try them out. Walking around in them was very comfortable tonight, so I am pretty sure that I will give them a go tomorrow morning. 

I managed to breathe well enough to get the workout done.