Training 5/23-5/29 (race week taper)

5/23- A little bit of everything in today's workout. Another half-assed attempt at the 5K. This time, I hit the 2K mark in 7:45, realized that I wasn't going to make it and quit. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, I walked a lap and ran 3x400 intervals in respectable fashion (75-74-68). I completed the workout with a 2.5 mile cool down in 19:48 (7:55 pace). A disappointment overall as the 5K drought continues. In fairness, I wasn't totally fresh and it was 85 degrees but the heat will only get worse for the next 2 months. I've got to look back and see my workouts leading up to the 19:27. Something felt a little off today and I'll try to bump up my ADHS. I'd rather do that than have to take the chromium. Tomorrow, I plan to return to Johnny's workout even though nobody there can hang with me. The lack of a training partner in interval sessions is clearly hurting my short distance efforts.
Grade:C+/1 credit/distance=5.0

5/24- I took a look at my training from the summer of '09 and it showed that my paces for long tempos were quite slow compared to what I am doing now. However, I ran some phenomenal short intervals with Dave (who no longer trains w/Johnny) that I'm not sure that I could duplicate today. I returned to the track today for Johnny's workout, which was interesting. It started out with 200-300-400-600-800. My times were right on target at 35-54-74-1:56-2:38. I thought the 800 was the top of the pyramid and I ran it hard but got surprised with another one. I showed no heart in struggling through a 2:50 but bounced back with 3 solid 400s in 76-75-69. Overall pace was just under 5:10/mile. As for the Mile and 5K, the raw speed is there and the endurance is there but one critical component needs improvement. Strength or sustained speed must improve if I am to PR at those distances. This workout was geared toward that objective.
Grade:B/2 credits/distance=5.5
* On the medical front, I took half a chromium last night and got the expected negative reaction, which is actually a good thing. As expected, there was no dramatic effect after taking care of the oral infection but it's still possible that the infection was a factor in the chromium dependency. If I can stick with the ADHS and avoid having to take chromium or anything else that is a stimulant, it just might be the path to balanced body chemistry.

5/25- I did some research and found no evidence that an infected root canal has anything to do with any issues with chromium. I did find a case in which a young woman developed symptoms of schizophrenia (yes that's right) after getting a bad root canal but after getting the tooth out, she was fine within a short time. I do think that it's plausible that my infected root canal had something to do with the extreme sensitivity to chromium.

Workout was the Trak Shak 5 at moderate effort with a time of 36:42 (7:21 pace). Slowed a bit in the second half but that's okay. All 5 were 7:30 or under. I was faster than I planned anyway. Temp was close to 90 but not too humid with a bit of a breeze so I didn't find it too unpleasant. I leave for Spokane tomorrow and it will be like another world. Temps will only be in the 50s with cloudy skies and a chance of rain each day. If it's gonna be that chilly, PLEASE no rain during the race. Temps in the 30s-40s with rain is the most uncomfortable weather for running.
Grade:A-/1 credit/distance=5.5

5/26- Travel day. Planned rest. Arrived in a different world in Spokane, Washington with temps in the low 50s. Drive through town for a bit then had ribs at Chili's and went to bed early.

5/27- Easy run on Centennial Trail in Spokane. Pleased with how I felt. The trail had lots of offshoots and was difficult to follow but I did see some impressive whitewater scenery by the river. First 2 miles in 14:12 which sounds way too fast but I did stop numerous times to make sure that I did not get lost. Walked for a few minutes then ran 2.5 miles @ 7:30 pace with a pickup at the end. The opposite direction was much easier to follow. It's only 9 AM and I'm headed to Montana.
Grade:B+/1 credit/distance=5.0

5/28- Lakeside junk run in CDA. 1.25 miles @ 6:58 pace with a pickup at the end. Cloudy, chilly and windy out there. Tomorrow looks pretty good however. Upper 40s at the start with a low chance of rain but wind could be a nuisance. Short pants for sure. May go with a long top. All systems are go for tomorrow.
Grade:Pass/0 credit/distance=1.5

5/29- Coeur d'Alene half marathon in 1:33:21 but the course was measured at 13.31 and I'm 90% sure that it was indeed long. Self-adjusted time is 1:31:57, which is a PR with an asterisk.
Grade:A-/4 credits/distance=14.5

Weekly summary:
Pretty good race even if the course wasn't long though it seems highly doubtful that it was accurate. Time to re-focus on speed and hope the heat and humidity are less intense this summer. Not much of a taper but I really didn't need or deserve one considering the low mileage leading up to the race. I may not hit 40 next week but intend to for most of the summer.
Distance=37.0/ GPA=30.1/9=3.34