Hard Days and Easy Days

One of the earliest things I learned about running schedules was to let your hard days be followed by easy days.  But this week was an exception, partly because of the overpowering need to run after two days off because of rain, and partly because I was not sure I would have time to run on Saturday because of other obligations.

So on Friday I ran another set of short hill sprints (see post of June 14), this time a total of ten of them.  My friend and long-time running partner Skip told me about this workout, which is supposed to wake up "dead legs" and perhaps energize a runner who may be in a rut.  It has been working very well!  They are so short (10 seconds or so) that they are over before you know it, and as I reported to him, I was "enjoying them (especially the part where I walk downhill)."  And they do seem to be making me a little faster and more eager to run hills on my other days.  But this week I ran them on Friday, and then showed up for my usual Saturday morning long slow distance run (the venerable LSD run) without any rest day.  It seemed as if every runner I found myself with - Anthony, Morris, Jim - was going WAY faster than I wanted to go, and my legs were still a little shaky after yesterday's workout, but I was determined not to be left behind.  So again and again I found myself pushing the pace, and five miles was all that I could complete.  My total mileage for the week was pitifully low.

Still, it was encouraging to run two hard days in a row and not only escape without injury but come away feeling pretty good after I had hydrated and eaten some lunch.  Perhaps every runner should break the hard/easy rule from time to time.

And now we have decided for sure to postpone that hike up Mt. Leconte until the Fall, when the air will be cool and dry and the vistas long and clear.  So I am back on the regular training program for now.