May 25

AM: 8 x 400m hill repeats - 11 miles
PM: 4 miles easy

I jogged from my apartment to the WaDuke trail for my first set of hill repeats in a few months. I kept it at eight, starting at the creek at the parking lot of the trail and then trekking up the Cameron Road hill to the gate, which is approximately 400m. I felt that good anaerobic stimulus during the last couple of reps: that old familiar discomfort where is feels like an elephant is stepping on your chest. A short shake-out run on the ATT capped off the day.

Next week is going to bring little to no running while Valerie, Wilson and I drive across the country to Irvine, CA, where I'm working this summer. Honestly, I'm probably due for a few days off before I ramp up the volume this summer, but I wanted to log a few quality but low-key weeks in first, mostly because I have the time and ability to do so before I start working full-time and will need to manage my schedule accordingly.

May 24

AM: 11 miles easy

I met Jason for an early morning run through Forest Hills Park and campus. Even though it was early, I felt like I was trying to breath through mud because the air was so thick.

May 23

AM: 12 miles easy
PM: 4 miles easy

A mid-morning conference call meant that I made the mistake of running in the middle of the day again. I finished the run drenched in sweat and totally gassed, even though I only averaged ~7:10s (albeit on the WaDuke trail). I waited until the evening to go out with Valerie for a leisurely shake-out run.

May 22 (92 miles/week)

AM: 15 miles moderate

I struck out around 11:30 for an out-and-back long run on the ATT, only to immediately realize that my days of running at noon are over in Durham until at least late September. I felt fine enough on the way out that I picked it up some on the way back, which only turned out to be around 6:00 pace no matter how fast I thought I was running as the heat climbed to above 90 degrees. Some GI issues necessitated a "walk in the woods" around mile 12, resulting in a miserable few minutes; the only thing more uncomfortable than dropping trou behind a tree when you're overheated is trying to hold it in when you're overheated.

I ended up jogging the rest of the way in but still managed to average under 6:30 pace and booking my first week over 90 miles since February. Generally speaking, 85-115 miles/week is my training sweet spot that I'm hoping to return to this summer.

We've been lucky in that we've had a relatively mild spring in North Carolina, but that's quickly turning into the harsh reality of summer, which I fortunately will be escaping from in California.

May 21

AM: 11 miles easy

Today was an uneventful run through campus and the WaDuke trail. Since I finished class for the semester, I've rededicated myself to core and strength work (pull-ups and pushups). That's a trend I want to continue because it makes me feel much healthier overall.

May 20

AM: 13+ miles moderate

I met George and Matt for an out-and-back run on the ATT this morning. We picked it up about 3 miles in for George's marathon workout and were cruising between 6:00-6:30 pace the rest of the way. The only downside was some stomach trouble: I had to stop midway through the run and was penguin-stepping during the last mile before rushing back inside for a second trip.

May 19

AM: 4-mile hard tempo - 8 miles
PM: 4 miles easy

I started today with a hard tempo run on the track to see where I am. I honestly did not feel that great doing it, but I wanted to get a feel of where I am going into a base-building period. I followed that up with a slow shake-out run on the ATT at sunset.

Splits: 5:08, 5:08, 5:12, 5:15 (20:43)