August Is In The Books

Well, today marks the first day of September and officially closes the books on August of 2010. August was a great month on many levels for me, running included.  I truly started engaging in the London Runner Distance Club by attending the final practices of the track & field season and I got started on the XC season.

I've improved leaps and bounds worth in my mileage and speed, clocking 162km in August (capping the month off with a 50km week and a massive 10km road race!) and my legs, though still adjusting to the new load, are doing remarkably well.  For every hour I spend running I find myself doing an hour of cross training/physio/massage/stretching.  So far this has worked wonders, keeping me fresh and pain free ('cept for this recent heel pain) and I do wonder if this is what my training program of old was missing all along. This balance is a key part to my success in August.

September brings new things. New running grounds, new challenges and new races. I purchased some new racing flats and I am aching to give them a proper spin, and in the meantime I am breaking them in around the house. I clocked in 160km+ last month and I'd like to keep that steady in September to allow me to adjust a little more to the distance and speed work I built up in August (keep in mind this is my first hard month in 7 years, I do not want to injure myself again!).  So I'm thinking 160 to 200km TOPS in September, and maybe October can see me move on from here, or not.  Time to talk with my coach.

I am running a 5km road race on September 12th and I am aiming for a sub 20:00 time. Will I actually get it? I don't know to be honest. It's a lofty goal and if the course is fast, it will go a long way towards helping me. After running a 43:27 10km, I'm confident I'll be at about 20:30 for the 5km race, I want to dip under 20 though. Mind over matter. Mind over matter. Mind over matter.