Step 2: keep running

So far the plan is working. After taking a couple days off to get ready for France, I ran nearly every day of the 15 days I was gone. I did 41miles the first week and 44 the next, including 4k of tempo in 15min. I'm basing the tempo off Endurance 5k, so 3:27+20sec per k was about right. My first week back in Montreal, despite classes and coaching, I managed 50miles. I got in some good runs at the cottage on the weekend, including a very solid 90min run that ended with 5k fast over some pretty hilly terrain. Fast being 20min (as opposed to the 23:30 for that stretch on the way out). My first tempo back in Montreal was 2 laps of summit, which I managed in 18min, split evenly. I was hoping to go further (2 laps+1k) but it was hot and I was not feeling as good as I'd hoped. This week, after the solid long run on Saturday, I did 3 laps in 26:50, the first one in 8:52, the second in 9min and the last in 8:58, and I felt much stronger. So already the increase in aerobic work is kicking in. I did a long run today as well. I have found that I feel good 2-3 days after a long run (90min, not 2h30), so since I will be racing 5k on Sunday this week, I thought I'd move the long run up. I have a massage with Eliza on Friday to work on my calves that have been tight (as usual).

With respect to the more philosophical plan, retirement, etc, I think that what happened was this: after the Boston marathon, there is no question that I needed a break. I had some fun with track races that summer, but my back was hurt, and I really should have just laid low. Once September and 1L rolled around, I was able to run a bit, but not really train. In the winter, because of some health problems, I didn't run at all for a period of 6 weeks. That was a big mistake. By the end of February, once I started up again, I started feeling much better. I decided that I would run for fitness rather than competition. I knew I needed to keep running in some respect, and I thought this would do it. I also wanted to dabble a bit in races, and I thought that I would be able to do ok with low volume and more quality than I was used to. I tried it for a good 3.5 months, but as we've seen, it did not work out, at least not on the competitive front. Certainly health-wise I was doing very well. I guess that what I DO want is to be able to run fast, and there is no question that for me, the best recipe for that is volume and aerobic capacity- and threshold-type workouts (as opposed to anaerobic workouts).

So am I un-retired? I guess I discovered what many people (especially Leslie) were saying was true: I was not ready for retirement. I don't know if my current plan and progression will get me to where I want to be competitively. I do feel much better about the training I am doing, and I think that I have room to add a bit more volume and another workout, later this fall. School is much more under control, and if things go as planned this fall, I will be able to enjoy it a little more, knowing that I've got some employment lined up.

I am racing 5k this weekend and I hope that I can bring the time under 17min. I'll base next week's tempo on my race performance, and hopefully that means I can do it a little faster. I hope that Adam, Adrian, Eoin and Stephen and I can start to get together soon as well, as it would really help to have a group. The fact that my day is already packed does not help, but I think we can swing a couple times a week. They are not up to doing workouts yet, but that's fine, as even when they start, they'll still be much faster than me, so I'll use this time to try to catch up as much as I can.