Just finished my first real training week in Amman--one where I didnt try and run out an 11 hour plane flight in 30some minutes on a treadmill that went no faster than 6:10 pace and then hold the standard of mediocrity throughout the week.
It feels really good to have put in 6 solid days this week, 8 out of the last 9. I read somewhere that when you're in a different and maybe more difficult time in your life, the best thing to do is live by the same routines. For me, that's running everyday at just after 4, earlier on weekends. 55 miles isn't a lot of training by any means, but it wasnt hard, and it proves that I can in fact build up to some decent mileage here, contrary to what I had been told.
I run essentially the same run every day--the 2.high miles up Istiqlal street to the Sport City park, then around the 1.25 mile (by my 7min pace calculation) dirt trail. Hopefully I wont get too bored of it, at least for a while. I hopped a fence to mostly derelict track beneath the dirt trail, above the soccer fields. It was 6 lanes, 400m, and really pretty in the early afternoon on Saturday, looking out over Amman as I stepped around ancient water bottles and broken hurdles doing strides.
The other benefit of doing training when I'm living essentially on my own (as in not spending most of every afternoon with the team) is I constantly feel I'm in recovery mode. I get to order twice the falafel sandwiches my classmates do, and still complain about being hungry.
It feels really good to have put in 6 solid days this week, 8 out of the last 9. I read somewhere that when you're in a different and maybe more difficult time in your life, the best thing to do is live by the same routines. For me, that's running everyday at just after 4, earlier on weekends. 55 miles isn't a lot of training by any means, but it wasnt hard, and it proves that I can in fact build up to some decent mileage here, contrary to what I had been told.
I run essentially the same run every day--the 2.high miles up Istiqlal street to the Sport City park, then around the 1.25 mile (by my 7min pace calculation) dirt trail. Hopefully I wont get too bored of it, at least for a while. I hopped a fence to mostly derelict track beneath the dirt trail, above the soccer fields. It was 6 lanes, 400m, and really pretty in the early afternoon on Saturday, looking out over Amman as I stepped around ancient water bottles and broken hurdles doing strides.
The other benefit of doing training when I'm living essentially on my own (as in not spending most of every afternoon with the team) is I constantly feel I'm in recovery mode. I get to order twice the falafel sandwiches my classmates do, and still complain about being hungry.
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| A standard dinner: two kinds of pita, cheese, yogurt, lamb stew, hummus, olive oil and thyme |
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