Ear plugs, speed runs and other random Friday thoughts

I'm not sure I'm a fan.

Wednesday ended up being an unscheduled rest day due to a hair appointment that got moved around a bit. On the way out of town, I hit up a running store that I knew carried a small selection of swimming gear to buy more earplugs. I am prone to ear infections, so I like to swim with the soft silicon plugs, but all the store had was these flappy jobs above. I didn't have much of a choice, and I tried them out today. Eh -- I don't think I'm a fan. I could feel water in my ears, and I never felt like I had a tight seal. I'll give them another try but I think I need to track down my usual plugs.

Stuff, stuff and more stuff.

I hit the Y today for a swim and a run in one go. It required a lot of stuff: All of my swimming equipment, a smoothie to drink while I was changing into run clothes, all of my running equipment, clothes for afterward, etc. My large gym bag was packed pretty full. I'm going to need to get re-used to this once I start my long training days this summer, having to pack about 17 bags and a cooler.

I mentioned that I had a hair cut a few days ago. I chopped a good 6 inches off, from the middle of my back to above my shoulders. (I go through this cycle every few years.) It was all well and good until I tried to put on a swim cap today. It's too short for a ponytail, but long enough that if I just put the cap on my head, my ends stick out the bottom. Plus, my goggles don't stay on as well without a braid to be anchored on. What to do, what to do.

My swim was mediocre, but my run was awesome. I did a speed workout on the treadmill of one mile at 6.0 mph (10 minute per mile pace), then the next two miles starting at 6.2 increasing every quarter, ending at 7.6 mph (just under an 8-minute mile). After a water break, I did it again, skipping from 6.2 to 6.6 so I could end at 7.8 mph (a 7:42 pace) before cooling down for another easy mile. Whew! It was tough, and probably the fastest I've run all winter. But I hung on and felt great. I was going to drop down to 6.2 every mile but I felt well enough at the end of the first that I kept going. How many other times have I missed out on some extra speed or effort because I THOUGHT I couldn't do it? It makes you think.

Hopefully, I can get in a good amount of training tomorrow. Right now I am binge-watching House of Cards. Will I make it to bed early enough to get up at a decent hour? I guess that depends what Frank gets up to this next episode.