Miles for the week: 8 (2/1/5)
5 miles LSD: 1:01:21, average heart rate 158
Weight: 119
Resting heart rate: 47
Fitness test: 50

Horribly humid today, which slowed me down significantly. I even walked a little bit on one of the hills because my heart rate was so elevated, and it took a long time to drop. There was a cool breeze off Quaker Lake, and it rained a little near the end, which both helped. But it’s summer already (spring, my favorite season, is so short!), so I’d better get used to this. I need some better gear–cotton T-shirt feels clammy, my tights are too heavy, etc. This coming week I start adding a mile each week in preparation for “real training” (starts June 21st). I missed 2 miles this week due to early-morning work commitments…I’m going to do my best not to let that happen again.

I’ve been thinking about why I’m so slow. I know it’s primarily just genetic, but it still puzzles me. Yes, I’m short (5’2″), but my legs are a little long for my height. No, I’m not skinny, but I’m certainly not plump. I’m considered strong for my size. I’m sure my form could use some improvement, but there’s nothing glaringly wrong with it; arm and leg movements symmetrical, arms swinging where they should, shoulders relaxed, etc. I was reading that the difference between elite and normal runners is not how fast they move their legs but how strongly they push off the ground…so if my legs are normally strong, why don’t I run as fast as a typical woman my age? I have Daniels’ Running Formula, which I’ve only browsed so far, but he talks about the importance of turnover speed and says that elite runners take at least 180 steps a minute. I counted today and I’m right around there. Hmmm…. Not that it really matters, I’m just curious about it. I have a Hal Higdon book, Run Fast, which I’ve also only browsed. As the marathon approaches, I’ll probably start poring over these books.

Wildflowers blooming now: birdsfoot trefoil just starting, buttercups everywhere, speedwell started last week but I forgot to mention it (one of my favorite flowers), chickweed, mouse ear, cinquefoil, a shrub that’s either elderberry or viburnum, Herb Robert (love that name), honey locust just budding, hawthorns starting. Phlox is flowering everywhere in the county, but there doesn’t seem to be any on this 5-mile stretch, which is a little strange. I saw two robins squabbling from a distance, flying up at each other–couldn’t tell whether it was territorial disputes, or one was an overgrown baby trying to get its parent to feed it.