12/30 - 1/5

Mon: 6-miles treadmill (3-miles @ 7:20 pace, 0.5-miles @ <7:20 pace)
Tues: 6-miles treadmill (1st half @ 8:00 pace, 2nd half @ <8:00 pace)
Wed: Off
Thurs: 6.5-miles (4min easy, 1min hard)
Fri: 6-miles
Sat: 11-miles
Sun: 6-miles
Total: 41.5 miles

Another week of traveling means another week of low(ish) mileage. It was good to catch up with Matt's family, and I did get some runs in. Plus, according to the "advanced" Boston plan, I'm still okay on mileage (week 1 was 25-50 miles). I didn't really do any of the runs they suggested though, so I'm not sure where that leaves me. I haven't been feeling great though (Matt gave us all a head cold, which I started to feel Wed/Thurs). I've been pretty tired, and actually ran later on Sunday because I got really hot and felt pretty sick after we finished eating the first time we got up.

I ran on the treadmill at the YMCA on Monday and Tuesday. It was the coolest treadmill I've ever been on. It had a screen on the front panel that projected a running route from your point of view. I ran on trails through some of the national parks out west both days. It took me a little bit to figure out because it automatically adjusted the elevation, which I didn't know when I started. So, for Monday's run, most of the 7:20 pace was probably between 0-1.5%. Initially I kept trying to fight the elevation and maintain it at at least 1%, but I gave up after a while and decided to just enjoy the "trail" run. Plus, it was early. On Tuesday, I figured out how to adjust the "effort", so most of that run was above 0% incline (probably). I also figured out how to make the trail full screen. Even though it was a slower pace, I think my effort both days was similar.

Running on the treadmill was definitely more interesting than the roads of Rural Hall. Thursday's run was ok. I felt great for the first half, and probably even the first three-quarters. The pickups started getting to me the last two repeats though. I still ran strong, but it took a lot out of me. Friday's run was windy, and Matt and I didn't realize that the wind was at our backs for the first half. It was pretty obvious when we turned around though!

Saturday's run was cold, but it was ok once we got going. I felt a lot better this week compared to last week, and eeked out an extra 0.5-miles. Still, 11-miles is not that long. I actually got to run on Sunday (freezing rain had been forecast earlier in the week). It was pretty slow though, but as I mentioned earlier, I don't think I'm 100% yet.