Training log: Sept 4-10, 2023.
This was a difficult training week. I was on the road and jet lagged. I had a couple of late nights, which resulted in morning training sessions that felt especially grueling. I slept less than usual, and had a higher than normal resting heart rate and slower pace.
I included an interesting chart (well, interesting to me at least) that shows how my resting heart rate increased when I slept less. See the explanation in the caption below this chart. Note that the chart covers a 4 week period.
My sleep score (e.g.: sleep duration and quality) is in PURPLE and the numerical score is on the left.
My resting heart rate is in BLUE and the beats per minute is on the right.
On the bright side, I did have some good threshold training sessions. I had a couple of long Zone 2 runs at a slow pace. I used these runs to enjoy the Ottawa scenery before I left for the semester (see below).
This week’s mileage was a bit over 100 KM. I did fewer double runs than normal. My body felt like it needed to run slower and rest more. Thankfully, this week is a recovery week, because I feel that I need it.
It’s a beautiful time of year in Ottawa and I’m constantly reminded of why it’s such a great city. Although I’ve lived in Ottawa for over a decade, I continue to appreciate the many paths along the canal and the river, around Dow’s lake, through Massey Park, along the greenbelt, and near the arboretum and experimental farm. Plus, we’re close to Gatineau park, which is gigantic and offers many trails for biking, running, and hiking, as well as some lakes for swimming. There are so many good outdoor spaces in Ottawa and Gatineau, and it’s amazing to be in a major city where nature is so accessible.
This past week, I moved to Phoenix for the semester. It is very hot. I prefer this type of dry heat to Ottawa or Montreal’s combination of heat and humidity. The sunrises and sunsets in Phoenix are beautiful. The terrain is very flat, and there is a lot of great street art. The city is very lively.
This coming week is a (much needed) recovery week. As usual, I will cut my weekly mileage by roughly half, and let my body recover from the past three weeks of training. My goal is to do many long and very easy Zone 2 runs.
*All views expressed in this blog are my own. They do not constitute any form of medical, physiotherapy, psychological, or other type of advice.
