week 3

Still don't have my Garmin/GPS. But, I did get a new heart rate monitor strap. It arrived on Friday. Called Garmin on Wednesday, because they never did contact me by email. I'd tried calling them on Monday, but the hold time was 20 minutes, that's about how long I ended up waiting to talk with them on Wednesday. They don't have anymore new Forerunner 305's, just refurbished ones. Still going to repair/replace mine with a refurbished one for $79. That's a smokin' deal, considering the new heart rate monitor strap and new 305's are still $139 plus shipping. I wasn't really interested in the newer generations of GPS, the face is smaller and I think I'd have a harder time seeing the numbers.

No GPS, so I'm at the mercy of everyone else's, running on routes I've already measured or guesstimates based on my Timex times. Got 2 miles before the guys showed up this morning. It was a easy one mile out and back. Storm was brewing in the distance with lots of lightning. Really thought it was just heat lighting because it was so frequent. Pretty cool display, lots of low clouds and just before sunrise. Ended a tenth of a mile short of 17 miles. Only because I was so far behind everyone when I finished. Still a decent long run.

Starting to feel stronger on the runs. Weight is back were it should be. Just need to make it to the starting line healthy. Discussion on RunningAhead regarding the need for long runs. This is the article from Running Times. My take away, recovery is very important. That's the one thing I've noticed comparing my training plan with the plan the W brothers are using. It doesn't do much good to have 2 quality workouts a week and a long run if you haven't recovered enough to pull off the workouts.

I'll be running six long runs of at least 20 miles. Plus mileage of close to 70-80 miles per week. The W brothers will still be running as quick or quicker than me, with less mileage. I've tried that route before and it didn't work for me. I need the miles. That's one cool thing about running, what works for one doesn't necessarily work for the others. And there's always someone who can pull off the spectacular. How about winning a marathon without any long runs farther than 16 miles.