May 7

AM: 9 miles easy

Still in Atlanta.

May 6

AM: 10 miles moderate/hard

I cranked a run through Atlanta's thick morning air before a round of golf. My golf can be as up-and-down as my running is: I shot a 53 on the front, and then a 40 on the back.

May 5

AM: 12 miles easy

I ran through Peachtree Battle and Buckhead, coming back down Habersham. I passed approximately $1 billion dollars in residential real estate. For this particular run from my mom's house, I always feel like I'm passing through a page of Man in Full. Her houses is in sort of a unique area. If I run 1 mile in one direction, I'm passing not homes but mansions. If I run a mile in another direction, I'm passing pawn shops. Go figure.

May 4

PM: 6 miles easy

I met up for a run with Fellows to catch up for a little bit, taking it through Piedmont Park and Virginia Highlands. As expected, I was ridiculously sore today from the gym yesterday. It hurt to sit down! Bummer.

Word-up to my barrel-chested runners.

May 3

AM: 8 miles easy, gym

Rain and flooding around Memorial Park meant I had to make up a new loop this morning. I contemplated sucking it up and running through the flooded street, seeing cars drive slowly through. Then, I wafted fresh sewage and glanced at some fresh leg wounds earned from a tumble on my long run yesterday, and I realized that course of action might be a recipe for hepatitis.

Immediately afterward, I went to the gym with my mom, where she does a Cross-Fit style of workout with a trainer. I made it through fine, but I'm going to hurt like hell tomorrow.

May 2 (86 miles/week)

AM: 14 miles easy

The heat and humidity continue. Rough weather from Atlanta to Pennsylvania made this weekend a tough one for racing. My long run today was more of a death march in the heat. I'm looking forward to migrating to cooler climates for the summer!

May 1

AM: 5k race, 9 miles

I jumped into a 5k road race in Atlanta this morning for a fitness check, and I more or less had my butt handed to me. I went out in 9:54 and then embarrassingly imploded in the last mile.

The heat and humidity of summer are creeping up, thus I'm making the executive decision to pull the plug on racing for a little while. The racing spark just isn't there right now. I'm also wondering if I'm not getting too old to race road 5ks anymore. I don't really enjoy the distance anymore unless it's on the track.

It's been a rocky few months. I'm looking forward to taking a few recovery weeks to rest before putting in a big base this summer.