October Training: Many States

Once again it’s time for another training log and another month that went by fast. Where is time going?

For me, I spent a good portion of October away from the desert. I went on a long trip to the east coast from October 1-14th, then spent a few days in Anaheim for a conference. So in reality, I only spent about 50% of my time in the desert. I’ve started to really enjoy my desert time. Who would have thought?

Miles: 324

Range of Paces: 6:09-15:30-untimed

Races: 5

Crawlin Crab Half Marathon 1:32.32

Heroes to Hero 5k (19:51)

Spacerock Trail Half Marathon (2:30.04)

Whittier 5k (20:09)

Finish the Ride 5k (20:11)

Workouts: 6

Swimming: 8 hours (28,000 yards)

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Thoughts:

Being gone from the desert so much last month made me realize, I’ve enjoy it. While driving 45 minutes anywhere is not ideal for anyone, I do enjoy how peaceful it is. The closest towns are roughly 50 miles away.

Running has gotten more enjoyable again. When I left in late September, we were dealing with 110 degree days. The first run I did getting back in mid-October, was 32 degrees. Before we moved here, I thought I would never deal with winter again but sadly that is not the case. Our winter lows here are low (around 20 degrees) and our summer highs are over 100. So it’s been a learning and adjusting period for me. I am glad I didn’t get rid of my winter jackets.

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As far as my own running, I’m looking at a few spring half marathons. I’ve struggled a lot with running under 90 minute half marathons. While 90 minutes is a great time for many, my PR is over 8 minutes faster and I haven’t been able to come close in years. It also isn’t like I’m not putting in the work.

I’ve also thought about what happens if I never can again? But a topic for another day. The last few years have been hard in my own running field as I compare myself to races I ran minutes faster only a few years ago. Many people have said: “you’ll get back there” but when? What else do I need to do? That sounds sad, but when you train hard with no progress, it is challenging to keep going. Which is where I’ve felt the last 3 years.

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Not to end on a negative note: it isn’t that I’m not enjoying running, it’s just been hard to compare myself to past results. I have some fun races planned in the future and I’m looking forward to running more California races.