JordanRunner’s Race to Grant More Wishes
I’m running Dopey for Give Kids The World and it’s time I give a proper update on my running. If you want the whole backstory you can head over to Our Wish thread. Here I’ll just update on my running progress, which was punctuated last weekend by a total bomb of a half marathon.
https://forum.touringplans.com/t/wdw-uor-our-wish-a-quiet-village-right-where-i-belong/89885
A week after last Dopey I injured my ankle/foot, some soft-tissue strain or maybe a minor tear, and had a hell of a time getting back into running. I was really stubborn about not going to the doc because there was only pain when I tried running. None when walking or standing, even if walking a lot. So I just kept resting and try to run every few weeks. I was finally able to complete easy short runs without any pain by April/May. So 3-4 months of losing endurance, speed, and strength. Not good.
Here’s my training log from January to May (not sure if you can read the tiny text or not):
Although I was able to start running again in May, I was not able to push myself very hard because we had record-breaking heat all summer. Almost all of my runs were in hot weather, and most were in 90+ temps. I set a personal record for completing a run in 109F! And I did that twice! Safe to say my pace has been crap.
I was hoping to get a half marathon PR last weekend to submit my Dopey proof-of-time, but I totally bombed. I was hoping to be close to 2:00 even. I finished in 2:37. But it was 84 degrees and 80% humidity. Not good weather for a PR… However, it was my first in-person race weekend since Dopey and it felt great to be running with the masses again. Now that a few days have passed I’m forgiving myself for bonking the half time. It’s been a crappy training season so far, out of my control. It was hot and humid. Adjusting for that using some data I found online would probably put me closer to 2:15 or 2:20 which makes me feel better. I also ran a 5k the day before at a pretty good pace (this was a 2-race “challenge” event), in fact it was my best run all year. I then stayed on my feet all day after the 5k volunteering at the St. Jude Dallas walk/run, totaling 20,000 steps that day. So I was really fatigued going into the half.
Ok, all that complaining is done. Yesterday, my GKTW jerseys arrived, along with cooler temps! I’m pumped up to get back into my training and hoping that the cooler temps will make a huge difference. Ironically, the temperature got up to 90 on Sunday (the day I ran the half), before a cold front came through in the afternoon. The temps have been in the 50s/60s in the mornings all week. Why couldn’t that front have come through 12 hours earlier?
Had a great 6-mile run this morning, aside from a side stitch that messed me up after mile 3. But my pace is way better than just a week ago. 17-miler coming up in 2 weeks. I’ll be ready!
