When last we spoke I was issuing a loud cry for discipline. There was talk of spankings and leather and it was getting a little hot in here. I love it when you talk to me like that.

I’d like to thank all of you for your helpful suggestions. The funny thing is, I’ve always had a plan. I’ve had a calendar and a goal – I just lost my running groove thing in the midst of my youngest child’s high school graduation.

Yesterday she turned 18, headed for Berkeley to get a tattoo (no kidding!) and when she got back discovered that her Mom had arrange a surprise party. The really surprising part is that the guests were the same group of girls she went to Berkeley with. Clever, eh? She never suspected a thing!

Of course the party was awash in potato chips and tortilla chips and guacamole and s’mores and I ate copious quantities of all of them. I enjoyed every second knowing that I was carbing up for an 18 mile run tomorrow. I should also mention that early yesterday morning I did a run to the track and a track workout so I seem to be all better. I ate well today if you ignore the fact that I had 2 handfuls of potato chips for lunch but I did have some grapes, too so all was not lost. I didn’t go swimming because I stayed up too late partying but THAT’S IT! I mean it. I’ve attended more parties in the last week than I’ve attended in the previous year, maybe the previous 2 years. Unlike some of you I have no intention of going to parties for Father’s Day or July 4 or anything else. I’m going straight again – really.

Tonight I am plumping up my cells with water, ate an excellent dinner of rainbow tortellini, bread and Cesar salad and am fully ready to hit the road early tomorrow for 18 good solid miles at a pretty good clip as I am transitioning to the FIRST program I turned David on to. I’m all for a plan that requires only 3 days of running a week since that seems to be about what I can handle. Also, I’m anxious to get back in the water and get on my bike. On July 15 I will be participating in the ‘Soup Chicken’ triathlon, to be described at a later date.

Shot Blok review:

They are yummy but too bulky to carry. They come 6 to a packet and are not individually wrapped. 3 Bloks equals 1 pack of Gu but takes up about twice as much space. It takes longer to consume them and requires chewing. Conclusion: I liked them but I find them impractical for long runs. I tried the cranberry flavor.

The Plan:

Here is the plan I need you to help me stick to. I am modifying the standard track workout to Yasso 800s.

 

Week   Tuesday      Thursday                   Saturday      Dates 
Speed        Tempo                       Long
1     8x400 mtrs    3 miles                     10 miles
2     4x1200m       5 miles                     12 miles
3     6x800m        7 miles                     13 miles
4     3x1600m       3 miles                     10 miles
5    10x400m        5 miles                     14 miles
6     5x1200m       5 miles                     15 miles
7     7x800m        8 miles                     17 miles
8     3x1600m      10 miles                     13 miles
9     12x400m       3 miles                     18 miles
---------------   Start Program
10    4 Yassos      5 miles                     15 miles 11-Jun 17-Jun *
11    6 Yassos      8 miles                     20 miles 18-Jun 24-Jun
12    8 Yassos      5 miles                     15 miles 25-Jun  1-Jul
13   10 Yassos      5 miles                     20 miles 2-Jul   8-Jul
14    7 Yassos      4 miles       soup chicken triathlon 9-Jul  15-Jul **
15     3x1600m      8 miles                     10 miles 16-Jul 22-Jun
16 30 min easy w 5x60s  20 min easy w 3 or 4 pickups     23-Jul 29-Jul
Sunday    Marathon

* Tomorrow is supposed to be 15 miles but I did that 2 weeks ago so I’ll do 18, instead. I did 6 miles on Tuesday and 5 miles running + 2 on track Thursday (so I didn’t quite start the plan but you get the idea).
**The week of the soup chicken triathlon is supposed to be a 15 mile run. We’ll see.

Am I crazy to switch plans at this point? I don’t think so. My overall mileage is about the same and I did some hill work already but no track work. I will have to include hill work in the tempo runs because I need those hills! I’m going for it! The funny thing about this plan is that they talk about a 3 week taper. Do you see a 3 week taper in there? I don’t. Running 15 miles on Saturday hardly seems like it counts as the beginning of a taper. That’s why I figured the tri would be okay.

In any case, I’ve got my groove back and I feel good!