Resilience in the Heat
This week tested everything: pacing discipline, hydration smarts, mantras, and heat adaptation. From a rocket-fueled progression run to a long Zone 2 slog under heat warning skies, it was a clinic in listening to the body – and a quiet triumph in staying upright, focused, and unshaken when conditions tried to melt me. This is the kind of week where fitness builds below the surface – one drop of sweat at a time.
🏃♂️ Easy Runs & Long Runs
🟢 July 9 – Aerobic Endurance Run
- Duration: 46:16
- Distance: 6.48 km
- Avg Pace: 7:09/km
- NGP: 6:57/km
- rTSS / hrTSS: 66 / 40
- IF (Pace / HR): 0.88 / 0.68
- Avg HR / Max HR: 133 / 148 bpm
- Cadence: 164 spm
- Pa:HR: 15.76% (Adjusted: –8.2%)
🎧 Audio: Shokz + Alpha/Beta beats
💬 Mantra: “I’m a marathoner, breathing easy.”
🧠 Reflections:
“RPE = Zoned In” was today’s vibe. With recovery still in the system from July 8, I felt dialed-in.
✔️ Execution Verdict: Aerobic control and cadence rhythm.
🔵 July 12 – Easy Run (Heat Warning Day)
- Duration: 40:34
- Distance: 5.52 km
- Avg Pace: 7:21/km
- NGP: 7:13/km
- rTSS / hrTSS: 54 / 35
- IF (Pace / HR): 0.85 / 0.69
- Avg HR / Max HR: 138 / 149 bpm
- Pa:HR: 8.46%
- Cadence: 162 spm
☀️ Conditions: 21°C (felt like 30°C), 89% humidity, Heat Warning in effect
🎧 Audio: Shokz OpenMove + Alpha/Beta
🧠 Reflections: “It immediately felt like I was running through a wet blanket.” Yet I adapted. Skipped a climb to protect HR. Trusted RPE, hydration, and HRM over pace.
✔️ Execution Verdict: Handled the heat fairly well. Stuck with my planned fueling, held my RPE discipline.
🔴 July 13 – Aerobic Endurance Long Run
- Duration: 1:30:07
- Distance: 11.5 km
- Avg Pace: 7:51/km
- NGP: 7:37/km
- rTSS / hrTSS: 109 / 82
- IF (Pace / HR): 0.81 / 0.70
- Avg HR / Max HR: 140 / 152 bpm
- Pa:HR: 9.97%
- Cadence: 157 spm
💬 Quote of the Run: “PUMP, PUMP, PUMP!”
🧠 Narrative: Strategic walking, early salt ingestion, and HR capping helped manage the 23°C heat (felt like 30°C). This wasn’t just a long run – it was a test in heat adaptation.
✔️ Execution Verdict: Some HR drift, but aerobic targets and fueling held firm.
💥 Workouts / Tempo / Speed
🟡 July 8 – Progression Run
- Duration: 55:08
- Distance: 8.09 km
- Avg Pace: 6:49/km
- NGP: 6:32/km
- rTSS / hrTSS: 89 / 69
- IF (Pace / HR): 0.94 / 0.82
- Avg HR / Max HR: 154 / 172 bpm
- Cadence: 164 spm
- Pa:HR: 7.49%
🧠 Narrative: Overshot most target zones by 10–20 sec/km. Body seemed to absorb the load well. “Blast Off” describes it best – this was feel-led progression that hinted at rising aerobic ceiling.
✔️ Execution Verdict: A slight overshoot, but intentional. A productive training stimulus – borderline hard, not harmful.
🟠 July 11 – Marathon Pace Intervals
- Duration: 1:01:03
- Distance: 8.76 km
- Avg Pace: 6:58/km
- rTSS / hrTSS: 91 / 72
- IF (Pace / HR): 0.90 / 0.80
- Avg HR / Max HR: 150 / 172 bpm
- Cadence: 164 spm
- Pa:HR: 7.49%
🧠 Narrative: A test of tempo control and mental focus. Despite calf fatigue in the final interval, you stayed composed and leveraged descent and mantra for HR management.
✔️ Execution Verdict: Mission accomplished. A focused and effective MP effort with good fuel and mental support.
📈 rTSS vs hrTSS Comparison
| Date | Session Type | rTSS | hrTSS | Pa:HR |
| July 8 | Progression Run | 89 | 69 | 7.49% |
| July 9 | Easy Run | 66 | 40 | –8.2% (adj) |
| July 11 | Marathon Pace | 91 | 72 | 7.49% |
| July 12 | Easy Run (Heat) | 54 | 35 | 8.46% |
| July 13 | Long Run (Z2) | 109 | 82 | 9.97% |
🧠 What Your Numbers Mean
- TSS (Training Stress Score): A composite score combining duration and intensity. 100 = 1 hour at threshold.
- rTSS: Based on running pace and NGP (Normalized Graded Pace).
- hrTSS: Based on HR relative to threshold HR.
- IF (Intensity Factor): Effort level relative to your threshold. 1.0 = threshold.
- Pa:HR: Measures decoupling between pace and HR. Higher values mean more drift (less aerobic efficiency).
🔁 Conclusion
From the aggressive progression of July 8 to the testy heat adaptations on July 12–13, this week earns its place in the Done and Dusted Plus50Fit hall of grit – where every drop of sweat told a smarter story, and every step meant something more.
I tried to keep my cool – literally and figuratively – and used RPE, hydration, mantras, and HR tech to run smarter, not harder.
Recap, Recover, Relax & Ready.
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