After surviving last week's heat wave (though running only 36 miles at the end - the plan was 40, but I just couldn't do 10 miles yesterday in the heat), he is the plan for this week:

Week -11:
Long runs 10 and 8 miles.
Track: 6x800 m at 5K pace (3:12 or faster), with 400 m recoveries. Warmup and cooldown should be 1600 m. Altogether ~6.25 miles.
Four easy runs, 6.25 miles each.
Sum: 43 miles.

I'm fucking fed up with the weather. We have a heat wave and the top heat index was 107 F = 42 C today. Even though the temperatures are only in the 90's, my recent experience of running in Hungary validates that 90 F here, in high humidity, and 90 F there in low humidity is sky and ground. If I don't do my run in the morning, I can give up that day. Even late in the evening the temperatures stay high.

E.g. today weather.com gives you a Red Boxed Warning about SEVERE WEATHER in Louisville. Explanation: "Dangerous heat index. Outdoor exposure should be limited." LOL, how about strenuous outdoor exercise? (I did a usual 6 miles this morning.)

Yeah, right. I still ran 6 miles this morning.

I bonked real bad on Sunday when I tried to run 12 miles from my new home (house) to my old home (apartment). The whole idea started with the plan to transport my bicycle over. I would drive from the house to the apartment, then I would ride my bike back to the house, run back to the apartment, drive back to the house. Except it was hot, humid, and I got dehydrated quite fast. I have a bottle that holds 1 quart (=0.95 liter) of fluid. I filled it up with Gatorade, and I drank about a half liter of water just before I left. I assumed that even if I consume a quarter bottle every 20 minutes (which is about as much as my stomach can empty into my bowels in 20 minutes), then I still have 100 minutes, and 12 miles should be done in 100 minutes.

I was on pace, all fine in the first 30 minutes, and I didn't feel I needed to drink before that. Then I drank a quarter of the bottle. I felt I needed a drink again at 45 minutes, but I resisted a bit (the 20 minutes was not up yet), and finally I drank another quarter bottle at 48 minutes. Then I started to have that bad feeling that I want to drink more, but I wanted water, not Gatorade. I was also sweating profoundly - my clothes were dripping wet from the sweat. I was running in the middle of the day (big mistake, but I had to fix a flat tire in the apartment before I left on my ride), and it was right after a rain. We are in the Ohio valley, so the humidity must have been close to 100%.

At 1 hour 5 minutes into the run, I knew I was in trouble. I was in the 8th mile, and I hit a nasty hill at the back of Cherokee Park. I knew I still have more that 4 miles to go, so instead of killing myself on the hill, I stopped running, and I just walked up to the top. I emptied my bottle, because I remembered there is a water fountain just off the path on the top the hill - normally I wouldn't stop, but this was an emergency situation. On the top of the hill I filled up my bottle with water, then I immediately drank half of it. Filled it up again, started to I ran to the bottom of the hill. But this part of the course was really hilly. Another hill started right after that - not very long, but I didn't make it to the top running: I had to walk the last portion. I continued this run-walk thing for another short while, but just before mile 9, I called it quits.

Then of course I had to walk home the remaining 3 miles! That was not very pleasant, either, but I could do it.

I hate when this happens. It is amazing, but 8 oz (= 1/4 quart = 0.24 liter) water/Gatorade is not enough here in the summer, at least not in my state of training/acclimatization.

This morning I was able to run 6 miles without too much trouble, though again, my shorts were dripping sweaty when I got home. This was also the first run from the house, but it was sort of disappointing, because the route was not that nice (lots of concrete sidewalks), and there was an extremely nasty road crossing. I think I'll experiment with a different route tomorrow. And I'll bring water. Even for just 6 miles.

If the organizers can confirm the date for me, I plan to race on October 15, and this time, finally, my "A" race would be a 10K. I plan to get rid of that old, soft PR, but in fact I'll try to get close to 40 minutes. We will see how my shape is at the beginning of the cycle. Even if I don't believe the 19:11 5K PR on that (probably) short course, I should have been capable of something like 19:30, and that already gives a 10K equivalent of 40:30.

That also means that I will run tune up 5Ks on 10/1 and 9/17 (or 18). I don't expect to run PRs, but I should be under 20 minutes in those.

Training schedule:

Race week starts on 10/10.
Week -1: 10/3
Week -2: 9/26
Week -3: 9/19
Week -4: 9/12
Week -5: 9/5
Week -6: 8/29
Week -7: 8/22
Week -8: 8/15
Week -9: 8/8
Week -10: 8/1
Week -11: 7/25

Next week is still base: I'll to ramp up to 40+ miles, because the first week of the training will be 43 miles and there is intensity in it.

I'm back. I did very little running in the last 5 weeks, gained 3-4 pounds, and certainly lost some fitness, but this morning I went for an easy 5 miler, and I feel just fine. I'll build up with ~30 miles this week, then jump into 40 next week, and after that I take it slower with the 10% rule. Considering that I maxed out at 50 miles in the last cycle, I think my body should be able to handle it. Plus, I didn't entirely stop running in my break: I ran 15 miles on the week of 06/20 and 16 on the week on 06/27 (this latter was 4 + 12; the 12-miler was a great run from Veszprem through Balatonalmadi to Felsoors).