back to basics? to the drawing board? to the future?

Wow, tough week. After some really good workouts, my 3k did not go as I had hoped. And it wasn't even like I was a bit off what I was expecting. I was WAY off. I don't understand it, really. I ran 9:29, which is 43 secs off my PB and about 30 secs off what I figured I could do. Having run in the 8:45-9:00 range several times, I didn't think it would be that hard to get back there, especially given the good workouts I had. But, maybe my own instinct for shorter recoveries is a good one. Maybe 3-4min rest between intervals is too much--it doesn't simulate the race enough. In a race you don't get to recover. Or, maybe the workouts were designed for a 1500 and that tree will bear fruit next week. I suppose we will see.

Friday I tried to do a workout, but it just wasn't happening. The plan was 2x5x400 in 67-68 with 200m rec and 5min set rec. Pretty reasonable. I did the first one in 68 and I knew it was going to be ugly. The next two were 70 and 72 (37,35 with wind, but still). I did one more without my watch, just by effort. I honestly felt like I was about 50 years old (actually, that's not fair because I know some 50-year-olds who could probably knock that one back).

Reasons? Looking forward to shopping with hot new girlfriend? Sounds like a good excuse, but that's not really the reason. More likely: very little sleep last week, esp post-race, and Thursday night (which also included 3 pints and a drunken bike ride...oops!). So I took Saturday completely off. And when I say completely, I mean completely. I got out of bed to make us breakfast and to get the paper. It was a pleasant and necessary indulgence.

Regardless, I think I need to re-evaluate the goals. Probably 4:15-18 would be reasonable for next week, and if all continues to go well, I can still shoot for a PB of 4:08 in Ottawa. The chiro is working well, so that should help, too.

Sunday I did the Tour de L'ile: about 65k total, including the trip from my house to Parc Maisonneuve and back. It was a fun day, and I almost acheived my goal of taking it easy. I stayed with Katy and Yasmin and Mike for most of the first part. I satisfied my urge to go fast by falling back first to call Christina to see if she was home to lend me a jacket (she didn't answer) and then to call her mom to see if I could just stop by the house. Franca answered and got me Chrissy's Concordia jacket. So then I had to pedal pretty hard to catch the group. It was fun. I held back until the half-way stop. There I had to really keep it under wraps not to want to go out again too soon. We got our free cheese and milk (dumbest promotional idea ever: milk and cheese on a hot day!), and layed about on the grass. I was thinking in my head: all these people, they're leaving, they're getting ahead of me! But I held it back. Once we got going again, at about 30k or so Katy met up with some more Concordia people. I got a bit ahead of her and when I looked back I couldn't see her. She had said she wanted to find the next bathroom, so I didn't want to wait around too long in case she had stopped. So onward I went, fast, as I like to go. The last rest-stop is a forced one, and I got a Super Ice, and enjoyed that, asked who Wayne was (there were a lot of "I'm with Wayne" t-shirts). Turns out he was doing his 20th tour. Nice. I biked the last 8k pretty fast (for me). I figure it was about 30kph, except for the last bit through the Olympic stadium. It was good to finish with a bunch of little kids, just to put the point on it: IT'S NOT A RACE!

So yeah, I feel much more rested now and hopefully this week will help me get ready for the 1500 on the 13th. My motivation to do well is low, but my motivation to run is not flagging much. I did a nice easy run with Sarah Jane this morning and I'm giong to do the tempo with the kids tonight. Only a double because SJ was in town: she is big soup. I met her in the lobby of the Queen Elizabeth hotel. Meeting the personal trainer/nephew is very big soup. Haha.

Let's see what this week brings. Go Ducks.