Up and At 'Em

I have resumed training in a style that can only be described as:  do what I can.  No more.  No less.

I feel 90% better.  So, I am right on that cusp of being good, but still at the place where I need to be cautious.  No balls to the wall in training right now :)

I am going to continue on with the race plan, if for no other reason than....I think it will be fun!  Some training blocks are less than ideal, and you can choose:  stay home and wait till a better time, or get out there and do it anyways.  I am obviously choosing the latter.  When choosing between two evils, you should always choose the one you haven't chosen before:)

In an ideal situation, I think that I do need a block of good hard training and racing.  Fast stuff.  Tough stuff.  Plateau breaking stuff.  But I doubt my ability to handle that right now so I will put it off, yet again, for a better time. 

The biggest bang for the buck for me usually comes with a lot of aerobic paced work.  I am able to put in good time, less likely to be sick or injured, and I build a more sustainable body through this type of training.  So, I think this is my path of choice right now while I am trying to rebuild my engine and make sure I don't get sick again.

For example, I was able to run longer this Sunday.  I chose to do the run as follows:  1/3 HR below 140 (ignore pace).  It should feel easy and be embarrassingly slow.  2/3 pick it up slightly more MAF pace.  Pace should get faster, but should still be easy.  3/3 HR can creep a bit, pace picks up a bit, but if you can't sustain the pace aerobically then you have to back down.  So, the goal is to run faster in the last 3rd of the run than the beginning, yet keep it aerobic.  And, since I am not fit, my pace is embarrassingly slow.  But, I was able to descend my run and put in some longer miles that were not very taxing. 

When I am aerobically fit, this run can be pretty fast.   Aerobic training for me is really fun.  It is fun to crunch the numbers and work on efficiency.  I love it when I see my paces get faster and at lower HRs. 

But anyways, that is not happening right now, but hopefully I will move back in that direction with some time.

Goal #1:  No zeros in my log.  No sickness.  No injury.
Goal #2:  See goal number 1 and the rest will fall into place. 
Psuedo-Goal #3:  Should be to get more sleep, but I am not going to make that a real goal because I will just disappoint myself when I play on the computer and don't make my goal. 

Night Night!