February 2, 2024
If last run was my worst run, then today was my best. I felt amazing, my body felt amazing, and I ran at my fastest tempo pace yet. The difference maker has been the stretching protocol I have been sticking to. We will see how this week’s long run goes.
Today went extremely well. I ended up doing the 6 mile run, 1 mile warmup, 4 mile tempo, then 1 mile cool down. The first mile I ran nice and slow to get my body back up to speed, then pushed the pace for the entire 4 miles, staying under a 7:45 pace for all 4 miles. It was uncomfortable, but it felt really good. The last mile was a nice little jog out as well around the beautiful city of Paris.
I think all the difference has been in my stretching. I had no aches and pains in any part of my body, and my right leg felt great. There was no tightness in my calf or hamstring, and there was no feeling of the tendon that had been bugging me. This works out nicely for me, as now I can run another 6 miles tomorrow, then prep myself with the 14 miler on Sunday.
Another thing I have been thinking about is toning down the drinking. Not that I drink a lot by any means, but with this heavy training schedule, all the drinking is doing is de-hydrating me and slowing me down. Especially since I want to start incorporating weight training back into my schedule, as I finally have a solid place to stay in the city for a while. So I think my rules are going to be no casual beers with meals, and only allow myself to have a couple drinks Thursday and Friday, and keep the diet extremely clean on Saturdays to prepare for the long distance end-week run.
Got suggestions or comments? Send me an email! contact@jakeruns.com