It was a little steeper than the stretch of Palomar Airport Rd I used last time. I think that was 5% grade. Dove Canyon is 7% on average, and it sure felt like a stretch near the top is more than that. It kicked my butt. I almost quit afte 6. I managed to grind out 4 more, but that was it. I had to call it after #10.
It might not have just been the steepness. During my warm up mile, my legs felt heavy and I sensed that I might struggle. And I did. I spoke with Mike afterwards and told him I came up short, but he said it wasn't a big deal. 12x is a goal, and he said he frankly thought I might falter at 6x or 8x. Not sure if he was just stroking my confidence, but that put my mind at ease.
One weird thing was that though I felt like I was going to blow a lung, my heart rate at the worst never exceeded 166. I don't know what that means. Without looking, I would have guessed I was nearing 100% max (175). Maybe my max isn't 175, as I've been thinking. Either that or my heart is stronger than I think and just today, my legs and lungs were on the weak side.
Well, it's over now and I get to take a few light days before working a medium distance M pace run. I forgot about my ankle problems until Mike asked me how my ankle held up. It felt fine, and is still holding up even tonight. I've started doing some wobble board exercises to strengthen the joint. And I also applied the electrodes this evening: first time I've done that on my own. I'll do it again tomorrow night and then give it a rest Thursday.
I'm eating well. I'm feeling leaner too. Overall, I think I'm in a good place in my training. I'm looking forward to the first real long run this weekend. Breaking through the 16 mile barrier is big for me. It's wear I started to decay in the marathon. It'll be the first time broaching that distance since the marathon.
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