Training 4/30-5/6

4/30- Last day of a rotten month. 
AM- 3 mile progression to tempo effort at the end.  Finished in 21:25 (7:08 pace) with splits of 7:18-7:11-6:56.  That's still a full minute slower than race pace but the first time I've clocked anything under 7 since the flu.  Strength is slowly returning.  Tupelo is on 5/12 and it may be too hot to race all out but I'm going no matter what.  Miss'Sippy will be state #5 out of 10 in the 10K department.
Grade:B-/1 credit/distance=3.0

PM- 6 miles in 45:15 (7:32 pace).  It's now day 7 of the flu and I'm coming along steadily.  I still think I'd be over 45 in a 10K race but this was the first day that I could have finished a half mary (2 days late for Kentucky).  Today, I hit my normal easy pace but the effort was not quite in the easy range.  Faded in Miles 4-5 but did manage to bounce back a bit at the end.  1st half: 22:22, 2nd half: 22:53.  I get a decent grade today because this was not a scheduled hard workout and I hit the planned pace.
Grade:B/1 credit/distance=6.0

5/1- Planned rest day.  I'm interested in seeing if a day off will accelerate the recovery process.  I hope to be back at full speed by Wednesday.

Quick update on the Cal/Mag imbalance:  In short, this is going very well.  It appears that I will be able to stabilize at 5:5 after all.  The need for extra magnesium was slowly trending down but just as I suspected, dropping to a 5:5 too quickly overshot the balance point.  A few days on 5:6 was all I needed.  My struggles with the flu last week had absolutely nothing to do with this.

5/2- Trak Shak 8 hard in 57:12 (7:09 pace) in 85 degree weather.  I wilted after a strong first 5 miles.  1st half: 28:06, 2nd half: 29:06.  Solid overall.  The virus has not completely cleared my system but I expect it will be gone in about 2 days.  Best workout since the flu but I still feel that I'm at least 5% below my peak.  That means that my 10K would be in the 42s.  Chances are slim-none that I can get back to sub-40 form within 10 days.  Still on 5:6 Cal/Mag and I finally got my temporary tooth today.  Very tired after the workout.  Diet must be strictly followed.
Grade:B+/2 credit/distance=9.0

5/3- Yesterday's workout took more out of me than I expected.  I was not up for a sprint workout today but I was fine in a basic training run.  I ran 5 miles with clothes in 37:25 (7:29 pace) then stripped for another half mile at the same effort.  Added another half mile cool.  Felt fine in an easy run but the real test is a quality session.  I feel that I may be ready to try a 5:5 ratio.  Sprint workout tomorrow I hope.
Grade:A-/1 credit/distance=6.0

5/4- Sprint workout at Hoover as planned.   8x100/ 4x200 plus a Mile warm and cool.  Ran naked by choice today because it's so difficult to get an accurate self-time in a 100.  Strong effort and good leg turnover but managed to stay fairly relaxed most of the time.  Need to work on sprinting form.  I do not particularly enjoy intervals less than 400s but if I want to get the long awaited 59.9, I need to do this once a week.  The flu is about 95% gone now but the residual crud could take a while to fully shake out of my system.  Took a 500 mg. calcium and just a trace over 500 mg. magnesium.
Grade:B+/2 credits/distance=3.0

5/5- Summer like weather conditions.  I was too lazy to get up early today and did not get started until 7:30.  By the time I finished, it was already over 80 degrees with high humidity.  I had planned on running 12 but decided to cut it to 9 then added a cool down mile.  Time for 9 miles was an even paced 67:22 (7:29 pace) that did NOT feel easy.  Time would have been slower if not for a few extended water breaks.  Legs were a bit tired from the sprint workout as well.  I may not enjoy running hard 100s and 200s but the "runner's high" that I get from short intervals workouts is far more intense and makes it worth it.  Decent performance.  Took the 5:5 cal/mag today.
Grade:B/2 credits/distance=10.0

5/6- Easy 6 indoors in 45:31 (7:35 pace).  Body felt a bit tight but it's nothing to worry about.  I did go to a Gnome party last night which might explain why I felt a little sluggish.  Still a decent performance.  Nearly dead even pace (22:45/22:46) with every mile between 7:33-7:38.
Grade:B/1 credit/distance=6.0

Weekly summary:
Feels good to be back on the plus side of 3.0 after 3 bad weeks in the last 4.  This is pretty much what summer training will look like.  Rather than drastically slow my paces in the heat, I choose to ramp up the quality and keep the mileage moderate (near 40).  Tupelo weather is looking decent so I may be able to run a good time there after all.
Distance=43.0/ GPA= 31.6/10=3.16 (I like that number)