A Kink in My Plans

I took my brand new iPod Shuffle out for a run on Friday night after my wife got home. I stayed home with Nathan on Friday because he had a bad cold with a low grade fever and a runny nose that wouldn't quit. Nate doesn't like his nose messed with on a good day and I got my butt kicked by a ten month old everytime I came at him with the booger sucker.

I had my Shuffle loaded with some Radiohead, Tom Waits, Modest Mouse and Wilco and I grooved my way through a 4 mile run. I hit my splits in 8:31, 8:39, 8:36 and 8:30 and was pretty proud of myself for running a fairly even pace. Most of the stuff I loaded up was of a slower tempo and I didn't get pumped up enough to run fast. I think I'll load up some of the Clash for a tempo run. Maybe "Clash City Rockers" or "Train in Vain." I think I still have some Static-X and System of a Down from my metal days but I think that stuff would give me a headache now. I must be getting old or something.

I was going to run some 1.5 mile cruise intervals tonight after work but I forgot that Kim was going to work as soon as I got home. Instead of cruise intervals I did the 45 minute Core Secrets workout while my son napped in his crib. When he woke up we spent the rest of the evening playing, listening to this CD I bought him that has Radiohead songs made into lullabies, and watching the Cardinals whip on the Nationals. He ended up taking a bottle and going to sleep about 2100hrs.

If it isn't storming I am going to get up at 0430 to get my cruise interval practice in before I go to work. I already have my coffee pot set up to make me two cups of coffee so I won't be a pain in the rear to work with.

Having my cruise practice has me in a bit of a conundrum for my training this week. I was going to take it easy leading into the 10k on Saturday because my back and right butt cheek have been tight and I don't want to exacerbate that at all. I originally intended to do another ladder type workout on the track Monday with an easy four on Tuesday, a 4 mile tempo on Wednesday, zero miles on Thursday and four on Friday with the race on Saturday. Due to my buttcheek flaring up I was going to eliminate the 4 mile tempo but now I'm not sure what day to do my track workout. I don't want to do it Monday since I'm doing the cruise intervals tomorrow so it is either Tuesday or Wednesday.

This 10k race isn't super important to me, I'm just using it to gauge my fitness. I would still like to have legs that aren't too beat up so that I can run a decent time and maybe improve on my dreadful showing at Abe's Amble last year. I ran 44:05, which isn't bad, it was just 35 seconds slower than I knew I was capable of. My tactics for Abe's were not sound and I suffered for my stupidity. I had never run the course before and I didn't realize that the hills were as bad as they were miles 4 and 5. They probably wouldn't have killed me as bad as they did if I hadn't run my first mile in 6:35 followed by a 6:45 second mile. Before I came to my senses and made myself slow down to a 7:01 third mile it was already too late. I ran miles 4 and 5 in 7:39 and 7:44 before I regrouped and ran a 6:58 6th mile.

Any suggestions for my training schedule this week?