Tuesday, May 19, 2009

And On The Seventh Day, He Rested (t.w.s.s.)

Show off. What a slyly arrogant way to brag that you’ve run six days in a row.

I don’t wait for the seventh day of the week to rest. I pretty much rest every other day. Sometimes two days in a row even. I guess you could say I’m a Less Is More kinda guy (that’s what she said – beat you to it.) I run three days a week. Every once in awhile, if I’m feeling frisky, I might go four times.

Far be it for me to question the wisdom of biblical precedent but six days of hard running in a row seems a bit excessive. I needs my rest. Besides, I think there’s some room to quibble here. We have two eyes, ears, arms, legs, kidneys, nipples, and lungs. The thing that makes us go – the heart – works alone. Can you say ‘design flaw’? Where’s my second heart? But two nipples? Really? I don’t claim to be All Knowing (just More Knowing Than You) but I believe the door is open for some serious questioning.

Did anyone hear thunder just now?

Since I take a rest day after every run day, I’m usually able to go hard (that’s what she said) every time out. I don’t run so-called “junk miles” (i.e. accumulated miles to inflate the training log but don’t have a defined purpose.) I know there’s a debate in the running community as to whether these extra miles help (or hurt) a runner. I long ago decided that I didn’t need that extra wear-and-tear and, combined with the various kid activities I seem to attend nightly, three days a week will have to do.

That’s why this weekend was so unusual. Probably pretty unremarkable for most but, for me, a real one time Water Into Wine experience. I ran three days in a row! To be fair, I was only planning to run Thursday, Saturday and Sunday but Thursday night soccer practice (and a date with game 7 of the Red Wings – Ducks series) caused me to shift this run to Friday. Viola! Three days in a row for the first time since, oh, I don’t know, 2005?

Friday was a pretty boring tempo run but Saturday saw the first of my 400 intervals! I targeted 1:20 as my pace with a relaxed lap in between. There was a nasty head(t.w.s.s.)wind to contend with whenever I turned north. I felt like I was parting the Red Sea of wind for each half lap. For the first time out for 400’s, I planned 4 x 400. Ease on into it. I’ll increase the intervals each time out. Intervals? 1:22, 1:23, 1:25, 1:23. Didn’t quite hit the target but I blame the wrathful wind god for punishing me for the consecutive days of running.

It was long run Sunday after that. And for this past Sunday, I defined ‘long run’ as 8 miles. Lame, I know. Without the angry wind, I was able to coast in with a 6:57 negative split pace. Adequate, for now (t.w.s.s.)

So, the SOS2 is off and rolling. A bit sloppy, amateurish and clumsy (t.w.s.s.) at first. I cut a few of the runs off prematurely (t.w.s.s.) Basically, I got a lot of work to do. But, in case you were thinking of leaving me snide comments, Judge Not, Lest Ye Be Judged.

Due to rest days, it might take me two weeks to get done what Others get done in one. That’s okay, I’m not omnipotent. I need to work at it. My running is still a little impotent (t.w.s.s.)

Happy trails.
_________________________________

Soccer Update: My filly completed her short season with a record of 3-2. In games she played, they were 3-1. She netted 7 goals and about 5 more cross bars (or Close But Not Close Enough). Begrudgingly, I congratulated her on a "fine" season. I made sure that the entire team thanked me for the 3 wins and apologized to me for the 2 losses before we broke for the final time. I think I taught them an important lesson on responsibility. They really took it to heart. Several of them were crying while trying to blubber out their apology.

My colt's team is 4-0 with a Goals For/Against of 28-1. How do you punish a team for giving up one goal in four games without seeming unreasonable? I don't know but where there's a will there's a way.

18 comments:

C said...

You took away all my jokes with the t.w.s.s.'s. No fair.

Congrats to the filly and colt.

tfh said...

Oh, come on (t.w.s.s.), Xenia. I actually thought this post was fairly conservative when it came to inserting the t.w.s.s.'s. (t.w.s.s.).

Glad to see even when you shake things up, running-wise, you're still making kids cry!

Marlene said...

If there was a marathon training plan based on resting, you'd have it in the bag (t.w.s.s.).

Vava said...

Nice win by the Wings, so it was time well spent. Imagine if they had lost! Thank goodness that they didn't get beat by the expansion team...

Your running makes me jealous, and your intervals are awesome! I did my first set last week (thanks for your comment, BTW) and had a blast. Of course, now my knee hurts, though I think that it might be that my shoes are dead and not on account of the pick up in speed.

Anyway, nice weekend of running!

Spike said...

actually, I think I saw you at the start of my run Sunday. I was heading east on Sower, towards Okemos Road, and you were headed west. I was going to say hello, but fear of snide comments stymied me.

Razz said...

He should be capitalized. Heathen.

I'm working on quality miles, too. Maybe I should accumulate some miles to do that.

Ian said...

Why does it have to be either quality miles or quantity of miles? Why can't it be both? I'm kind of working on neither right now, I'm doing minimal junk miles.

John at Hella Sound said...

I'm wondering if some Kabalist scholar could look at the select items you've bolded in this post (including the contextually relevant but nonetheless enigmatic 1:20) and come up with (t.w.s.s.) some prophet-like end-of-the-world prediction.
Mmmmmm sacrilicious....

Aileen said...

I don't mind running for a couple of days in a row, but then again, I don't finish as fast as you (t.w.s.s.)

Unknown said...

What you are doing is very smart when it comes to taking a "rest" day! I don't for the record. If I miss a day, I might have to be taken to a psychiatric unit.

Congrats to the filly and colt!

Ace said...

Better watch out, you might start liking those junk mile days! :)

B. Kramer said...

That's what she said.

Wait, am I too late?

To get faster in a 5-K, should I have been doing 400s all this time?

Running and living said...

Running 2 days in a row spells injury for me. I, too, am a 3 runs a day person. So far, it's been working better than when I was running 6 days a week. Ana-Maria

Beth said...

My husband is trying to convince me that three days a week is just average and I can do better... oh, you're talking about running. Never mind!!

X-Country2 said...

I'm the queen of the junk miles! Come on over to the dark side, my friend.

Jessica said...

well if all of us could run that fast with three days, we would!! I for one, like the torture of running more (yet, I am still not even close to as fast as you)!

Anonymous said...

I think you forgot one: "...inflate the training log". (t.w.s.s.)

joyRuN said...

I need you to coach my son's soccer team. We're sitting here at 0-4. ZERO. And there's nothing more unattractive than a mother stomping her feet & screaming at the sidelines of a kindergarten soccer game.

Help.