And then the hail left...

It has been busy since returning from Ontario. Three days of school in an abbreviated week, running, volunteering for a race and trying to deal with the crazy weather has been draining.

The 45k sojourn took its toll on me as I was reduced to a walking tempo on Tuesday. I was supposed to do 22k, but after a mere 12k, I was slowly grinding to a halt. It wasn't that I was aerobically challenged, but rather my legs just gave out underneath me. I had not strength to get through the work out. I was speaking to Paul or Simon (I forget which one) about this on Saturday and he mentioned that Coach John believes that throughout a marathon build you have two throw-away workouts - workouts where things are not working and there is no point in pushing through it. Tuesday was my first throw-away workout. Fortunately for me (note the sarcasm), I get to have another crack at it this coming Tuesday.

My Thursday workout was good though. Meeting up with VFAC again, Paul and Jay and I ran a hilly 3k, 2k, 2k (10:05, 6:10, 6:06). I was pleased with the workout, especially after the debacle on Tuesday, but it was interesting to note that none of us were feeling that hot. I always find it incredible interesting (and somewhat comforting) that we all experience similar highs and lows and similar times. The human experience isn't all that unique in the end.

Saturday I volunteered at the VFAC Spring Classic 5k. This the first time I have volunteered for a race and I really enjoyed it. It was great to be in the culture of a race, but not have the pressure or expectation of racing. I was a course marshall at the Gluekos Power Mile (the first man and woman to the mile won $50), and it was very cool to see the leaders hammering through. The event was a success and the home baked goodies that the VFAC crew brought were appreciated by everyone (including me!). The run that afternoon was 10 x 1 minute on/ 1 minute off, which felt surprisingly good, even as hail pelted me in the forehead for the first half of the run.

Today was another 35k-ish, which I chose to do on the treadmill so that I could watch the Elite Eight of the NCAA Basketball tournament. This was harder than I thought as you become acutely aware of how boring the end of a basketball game can be when one team is up by 20 points. But, it is done and I am done.

This is supposed to be a much nicer week here, and Graeme Wilson and Ynuk Bosse are coming back out to Thursday workouts, so our group is almost all back together (Simon is still too busy to make it out consistently). With only three weeks left until Boston, most of the work is done. However, I am also planning out life AB (after Boston), where I once again get to do fun things (like running in the trails more!).

And a BIG SHOUT OUT to Mr. Paul Tichelaar, Mr. Kyle Jones, and Mr. Colin Jenkins who, after spending a month training their brains out at altitude in Flagstaff, had amazing results in their first World Cup triathlon of the season (respectively 7th, 10th, and 49th with the fastest swim). Well done, boys. I am glad to say that I taught them nothing at all about triathlon, which might be why they are having so much success.