Training

For most of the year, I have a rough sense of what a good workout looks like in terms of pace. An easy long run through Fort Clinch singletrack comes in around 9:30 to 10:00 per mile. A solid tempo effort on the Parkway sits somewhere in the 7:30 to 8:00 range. I’ve run these routes often enough that I mostly check my watch to confirm what I already feel. Then late April arrives. Not all of April — the first two weeks are still fine. But somewhere around the third week, the numbers start lying. ...

There’s a reason I log my highest mileage weeks of the year in March and April. Once June arrives, everything shifts — early mornings only, heart rate carefully managed, hydration mandatory every 45 minutes whether I’m thirsty or not. But right now, in this narrow spring window, I can run 12 miles at noon and actually enjoy it. Temps are cooperating. The humidity hasn’t gotten bad yet. This is the time to do the work. ...