#fartlek

[goldenwingediris]

Oops, I fartlek-ed. 11 am and it's already pretty 🔥

[runveganwankerrun]

Long run - the next day

Mon 23rd Jan '23

Thoughts the day after the long run.

I think the Tailwind helped a lot. I made up 750 ml and put it in my backpack. I took three small sips each time my watch buzzed the km markers, and it was just the right amount of liquid. It was my first time in ages using fuelling. I’ve avoided it so I could run with less kit. It was time to get used to it again, and it was time to see if it would make a difference to the run. I think it definitely did. I don’t think I tired as quickly as last week. I was at pretty much the same level of discomfort all the way through. That’s bloody good over 20k. If I can maintain that for a whole marathon, I’ll be well chuffed. I think another effect of the fuelling was on my muscles after the run. I don’t think they were quite as sore at the end, didn’t seize up as much. Conclusion? I will use it again on the next long run, which is 21k, but I will make up slightly more. 

Boredom is a proper issue on these longer runs. Even with good music and a podcast that I’m enjoying, I just don’t want to be out, or on my feet, for that length of time. Over two hours is a long time, and by the time I get another few weeks in, it will be over three hours. That’s why I’ve said before that I need to fine a different, more positive mindset of the longer runs. I think my main option might be to find a training partner. I have a major problem here though, routed in my awkward, contrary personality. I get annoyed when I’m by myself, but I also get annoyed when I’m with someone else. As the miles get longer, it takes less and less to bug the fuck out of me. Is it wise to subject another personality to my repellent moods? I want people to remain friends with me! 😆 I don’t know what I’m going to do about it yet. Suffer alone for a while yet, me thinks.

I have a couple of niggles now. When the run was over, there was just the standard tiredness, and as I mentioned above, my legs didn’t seem to feel quite as heavy as last week. A few hours afterwards however, my right foot, inside of the ankle, was hurting a little. I taped it up before going to club training to hopefully keep any pain under control. It’s not too bad, I just don’t want it to turn in to anything. That was yesterday after the run. Today, my right knee hurt a little. Sound as if I’m starting to fall apart, but neither the foot nor the knee are even at a four out of ten. Nothing to worry about thus far, but worth keeping an eye on.

My time yesterday would suggest that my predicted marathon time will be about the five hour mark. I will try to make myself okay with that. It feels like a step down, but it’s really not. I can’t pretend though that I wouldn’t rather be closer to four hours than five. A drop in weight would help, but I’ve stayed in around 160lb for ages now.

I sent Coach my run report yesterday. This is my plan for the week.

1. Club Fartlek

2. Easy peasy 7km

3. Club 400s. Like FAST! But steadily paced

4. 21 km

5.Optional 5km

Today’s club Fartlek session. I’m really pleased. I ran an average pace which was under 6 min per km. First time I’ve managed 5k in under thirty minutes. YAY! The steady sections were a good effort. They were the main bulk of the session. The fast bits could have been faster, but they were still okay. It was a good night’s work, especially as I nearly talked myself out of it. Around six o’clock I was seriously considering putting my pyjamas on and vegging out in front of the telly. I went upstairs and nearly did get undressed. Instead I got into my running gear, telling myself that if I wasted this evening as an opportunity to run, then I’d have less of a comfort zone for the rest of the week. I should really run at least two days in a row before I take a rest day.  As is always the case, I was glad I ran. 

You never regret a run. This is today’s lesson. 

[angwe-blog]

Ran 9.39 km doing my classic Long #Fartlek run (5 min warmup, 5x 1k on/0.5k off, 5 min cooldown). And the data imported to #Nike #Run Club @nikerunning from my @corosglobal #Pace2 and #CorosPOD via the latest version of the app! Woo! Also featured: my @noxgear_nation light! It clips right into my #Tracer360 vest as the front clasp. #puppy #dogsofinstagram (at La Grange, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkhVX3rMcjX/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[bsaka7]

marathon im coming 4u....

[platinum-iridium]

my run today was kinda miserable. hot and humid asf. and the park was way more gravel than pavement which i would have chosen different shoes for. ended up being more walk/run than the jog that i planned but it's just mentally way easier for me that way. discipline is good and all but i don't typically make it a habit to force myself too hard to do anything in fitness. enjoyment goes a long way for consistency

[middleagerunblog]

XX.

A certain type of perfection can only be realised through a limitless accumulation of the imperfect.

- Oshima to Kafka, explaining why he likes Schubert's Sonata in D Major in Kafka on the Shore

Also what I'm telling myself after another day of eating sugary Christmas sweets the day after Christmas. Actually ate a good lunch, good snack, good dinner. Just opted for a half dozen cookies plus a couple chocolates after dinner. Not as bad as Christmas Day itself. And no alcohol, so, progress?

Woke up feeling full, not ideal 'ready to run' condition, but better than the day before, so I was able to soldier through the interval workout.

There seems to be some leeway with how these are done per Hal Higdon, so here's what I opted for. 1 easy mile, then my six 0.25 intervals with 0.20 jogs in between without stopping to walk, finishing with a 0.25 jog for a 3.75 total mileage. The 0.25 and 0.2 would all be 2 minutes because my 5K race pace plan is 8:00 and my jogs would be at a 10:00 east pace. Everything being 2 minutes would minimizing the thinking I had to do during this workout.

Why 3.75 miles? Because my only run remaining this month is Saturday's 5K and I needed my run to end with 0.75 to get to a whole number for the month. Going to end up with only 71 miles in December, my lowest mileage month in a while, my first sub-100 mile month since March.

Before this training program, the only semblance of speedwork I'd do would be a 30-minute fartlek workout. That is, 10 minutes of jogging, then five 30-second sprints with 3-minute jogs in between, finishing with 2 minutes jogging after the 5th sprint. Those almost feels easier since the sprint is so short and the rest is so long. But my intervals were only at 5K race pace, so I don't really know what I think.

I did my first mile at 10:11. These 10-10:30 miles are getting simpler and simpler to do. I did my first 400m in 2:10, my 2nd in 2:00, my 3rd in 10:03, my 4th and 5th each around 1:55 I think, my 6th around 1:50 I think. All my easy 0.2s came in right around 2:00, I didn't really notice the final 0.25, I assume my pace was appropriately easy.

The run looked like this:

Feeling good about my runnings. Wish I could say the same about my eating.

[joelalorian]

Petals of Affection - Part I

A floral mystery in three parts featuring Jackson!Joel x f!reader

Summary: A secret admirer gifts you a different flower and a riddle ten times before you put the clues together and discover that he's been right in front of your face the whole time.

Written for @morallyinept's Flora & Fauna challenge. Please check out all the wonderful works created in Jett's honor!

I know enough about flowers to fill a thimble. Really, all I know is how to kill them, accidentally or otherwise. Everything to do with the flowers in this story is courtesy of Google, so please suspend disbelief at how some of these could exist in Wyoming, yada yada. I just picked ones that fit the narrative.

Word count: 4,284

Warnings: 18+ MDNI, humor, cursing, gratuitous use of poor floral descriptions, scheming, clueless reader, fluff, eventual smut, alcohol, food, coffee, terms of endearment. POV flops around like a fish outta water. Reader has no physical description aside from having hair that gets frizzy with humidity and often dirt-covered hands, because greenhouses, ya know? No use of y/n, none whatsoever.

Dividers courtesy of the wonderful @saradika-graphics. Gif chosen because of the wonderful floral wallpaper ;)

Hope you enjoy!

Part II | Part III | Masterlist

An oasis in a world rife with death and devastation, you clung to the life the reinforced walls of Jackson offered. After years of struggling to survive each new day, you felt like you could finally take a deep breath. Everyone was no nice and welcoming, some more than others, and you slipped right into the fabric of the small community.

Within a month of your arrival, Maria assigned you to the greenhouses, having picked up on your knowledge and love of plants – particularly flowers. You must have bored her to death one too many times regaling the language of flowers over a bottle or two of aged wine while seated together on her couch. The two of you became fast friends, the kind that felt like you’ve known each other forever. It was exactly what you needed, longed for even, after long bouts of solitude.

Being close to Maria meant you visited their house often. And equally often, you would find Joel Miller there, deep in conversation with his brother about one matter or another. His eyes always flashed when you entered the house, and he’d stop mid-sentence to greet you with an effortless, “Howdy darlin’” as you followed Maria to the kitchen.

Soon enough, the soft greetings turned into more substantial conversation as the four of you dined together or gathered at Maria and Tommy’s for game night, playing whatever new board game the men found while on patrol. Laughter and friendly arguments filled the air on those nights, making it easier than ever to forget about the carnage and desolation beyond the walls.

Tonight, the four of you played Scrabble – it took Tommy finding three sets of the game to get all the letter tiles required to actually play – and your belly hurt from how hard you laughed whenever Maria challenged Joel on a word. He was better at the game than you would have thought – his reserved nature and southern twang not giving away how well-read he was.

“Denied! Fartlek is not a word, Joel. There’s no way!” Maria insisted, not willing to give into Joel’s apparent triple word score on the word that would have him take the lead in total score.

“Is to a word,” Joel returned stubbornly, refusing to remove the letters from the board. “Look it up if ya don’t believe me. It’s in the fuckin’ Oxford dictionary.”

“Oh, it is, is it? Is it in the Cambridge one, too? What does it mean then?” Maria wasn’t backing down, ripping a battered dictionary right out of Tommy’s hands to see for herself.

“Hey! I was looking it up,” Tommy yelped, shooting a wink at you as you both watched the drama unfold.

Ignoring his brother, Joel rattled off something about the word being related to running. At least, that’s what you thought he said, you were too busy fighting back tears from laughing too hard. Sure enough, he was right.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Maria grumbled, flopping back into the couch cushions. “It’s a training technique for running. Screw you, Miller.”

Unsurprisingly, the game ended shortly thereafter with Joel the victor by a healthy margin. After helping to clean up, you offered appreciation and hugs to Maria and Tommy for a delightful evening. “Next time, let’s play something less…”

“Cerebral?” Maria supplied with a frown.

“Annoying?” Tommy interjected with a grin.

Joel stayed quiet, a half-smile gracing his lips as he waited for you to finish your sentence.

“Just something that doesn’t require a dictionary or cause so much arguing,” you laughed. Waving between Joel and Maria, you added, “You two can never agree on anything! See you all tomorrow.”

“I’ll walk you home, darlin’,” Joel said, rushing to put his jacket and boots on and catch up with you. When you opened your mouth to let him know you’d be fine on your own, he added, “Gotta check in on Ellie anyway.”

Maria and Tommy shared a look as Joel opened the door to usher you through. You caught them and frowned, feeling like you weren’t in on a joke or something.

The two of you walked in comfortable silence, the last remnants of winter’s snowy wrath crunching beneath your boots the only sound. You looked up at the night sky as you walked, gasping at the flash of colors in the otherwise darkened sky. Joel stopped, following your gaze upwards as you both stood mouths agape.

“That’s the northern lights, right? I’ve never seen it before.”

“Mmhmm. Aurora borealis. Pretty amazin’.”

“Beautiful,” you sighed, breath a cloud billowing in the crisp air, eyes soaking in every bit of the cosmic phenomenon.

You didn’t realize it staring up at the sky as you were, but Joel’s umber eyes were fixed on you when he replied, “Sure is.”

You stayed like, shoulders gently bumping as you both enjoyed nature’s show, until the temperature dropped further and you shivered. An awed smile remained plastered on your face the rest of the walk to your house, one Joel would never forget.

The dichotomy of the humid, warm air within the greenhouses and the chilled breeze outside confused your body, but you loved it. Sure, the humidity did nothing good for your hair, leaving it a frizzy mass around your head sometimes, but the dewy feeling on your skin always reminded you of childhood summers spent at the beach.

Tending to the various fruit and vegetable plants all morning, in what you deemed Greenhouse 1, you saved your favorite duties – the ones associated with flowers – for the afternoon. While you enjoyed caring for all the plants, you loved tending to the flowers, humming as you pruned and replanted clippings, expanding your every growing collection. If the patrol teams kept bringing you seeds and specimen back, you’d need yet another greenhouse. The council would just love that.

The creak of the door to Greenhouse Two drew your attention shortly after you switched gears and you stood, brushing the dirt from your jeans before glancing up. Your face shifted into a soft smile at the sight of Joel standing hesitantly just inside the door.

“Hey Joel, what did you bring me today?” You knew he had patrol duty and likely found some interesting plant during his travels. “Better not be western baneberry again. You know how poisonous those berries are!”

Stepping forward, Joel chuckled as you teased him. “I know now! It was one time and you’ll never let me live it down, will ya?” Thrusting his hand toward you, he dropped a small pile of seeds onto your dirt-covered palm. “Not sure what these are, but we found down by the ol’ mill. Might be something cool.”

“Might be,” you hummed, poking the seeds a little. Hopefully the cold didn’t get to them. You grabbed the nearest pot, quickly filled it with soil and sprinkled the seeds in as you tilled the top few inches. “We’ll find out soon enough what kind of treasure these are.”

Leaning back against a messy tabletop, hands on hips, Joel watched you tend to the new addition before finding the perfect place for the pot, nestled on a table amongst other seedlings. “Do you –”

Joel’s mouth snapped shut as the greenhouse door banged open next to him, a boisterous voice carrying into the warm space before its body did.

“Tangerine! Check out what I found today,” Alex, another member of the patrol team, called as he strolled right past Joel without acknowledgement. Younger and not as broad as Joel, the man held a growing affection for you, which irked the older man.

“Alex,” you sighed playfully. He was cute in a youthful, untrained puppy kind of way and had an annoying habit of calling you nicknames that made no sense. “I told you to stop calling me that. We don’t even have tangerines here.”

Snickering under his breath, Joel observed the younger man falling all over himself to impress you. Why you indulged the idiot, he would never understand.

Alex waved you off. “You love it, and you know it. Lookit here,” he said, thrusting his hand toward you. Slight though he was, Alex had large hands, and in his right one were three clusters of small, bell-shaped blooms with a purple hue.

“Prairie bluebell! Where did you find these?” Your face lit up as you took the blooms in a gentle grasp, admiring them for a moment before setting to work on replanting.

Alex prattled on boastfully about finding them just off a rocky path down near the river while Joel focused on watching you work. When Alex finally paused for breath, you chimed in with some flower lore.

“Did you know that bluebells are often called fairy flowers? It is said that the bluebells are rung to summon fairies to a meeting. But, since fairies aren’t always good, the flowers could be enchanted leaving anyone who wanders into a ring of bluebells lost in fairy woods.”

Joel snorted at the idea of Alex becoming lost in fairy woods, never to be found again. If only they could be so lucky, he thought. He knew there was more you could share about the symbolism of the delicate flowers, but it would be lost on someone like Alex.

Rolling his eyes, Joel was about to take his leave when Alex blurted, “Would you join me for dinner tonight? I heard they just got in some fresh venison.”

Absorbed in your work, you hardly heard him, and Alex repeated himself, a hint of annoyance in his tone. Joel froze, holding his breath in anticipation of your answer. Please say no, he thought. You could do so much better than this moron.

Brow furrowed, you stared at Alex, considering your response. “Like a date?”

The younger man nodded eagerly, a broad smile spreading across his lips. You glanced at Joel, not certain what you were hoping to see, and found him staring back, stone faced, arms crossed in front of his chest tightly. Giving you nothing to work with, your shoulders slumped, resigned. “Sure, I guess.”

Not the most enthusiastic answer, but you couldn’t remember the last time you went on a date and Alex was the only one asking.

You didn’t even realize Joel moved until the door closed heavily behind his retreating form.

The breeze carried a sense of change as you strolled home from your shift in the greenhouse. The weather was finally warming, ever so slightly, as Mother Nature loosened her grip on winter, letting spring slowly creep in.

Mixed emotions tumbled through your mind as your feet carried you through the streets of Jackson by muscle memory alone. Alex asking you to dinner caught you off guard – you had a feeling he was interested, but he never made any sort of bold move. The fact he finally did while Joel was standing right there threw you off balance.

Did you even like this guy?

Sure, Alex was attractive, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and tanned skin. But his personality made him seem more like a golden retriever, goofy and too eager to impress, than someone you could fall for. It made you wonder if there was any substance lurking under the surface.

In the absence of any other offers, did it even matter?

No, you guessed it really didn’t.

These thoughts carried you right to your front steps and you stopped, taken by the presence of something unusual waiting in front of your door.

A solitary stalk with a gorgeous jasmine bloom, a slip of paper wrapped around the stem held in place by nondescript string.

Picking it up, you held the flower to your nose, breathing in the rich, sensual aroma. The scent brightened your mood, and you slipped the scrap of paper from beneath the string. You whispered the words printed in a block scrawl you didn’t recognize.

Joyful moments shared; the answer lies in the air.

What did it mean?

Glancing around, you searched the street and neighboring homes for a sign of who might have left the flower and note for you. The only people in sight were your elderly neighbors, married couples, and the kids from a few houses down. None of them would have left you such a gift.

Who in the world left this for you?

Would Alex do something romantic like this? You doubted it, but what else did you have to go on?

Once inside, you trimmed the stem and put the flower in a container on the counter, placing the scrap of paper in front of it.

You gazed at the flower, mulling over the riddle before you. The note indicated that you’ve shared moments with whomever left the flower. Jasmine itself symbolized love and romance. You made friends with a lot of people since you came to town – too many shared experiences and moments to choose from.

Twenty minutes and too much thinking in circles, you were no closer to understanding the clues and teetering on the verge of being late for your date. You needed more data before hazarding any reasonable guesses.

“Why do you torture yourself like this?” Tommy questioned. Sitting at the bar watching his brother pining over you was not his idea of a fun Friday night. “You should just bite the bullet and ask her out already.”

Joel shook his head. He had no explanation for why he hadn’t made a move yet. For months now, he knew he liked you as more than friends, pined over you in silence, yet he never took the next step. Joel Miller was not a coward, but his fear of losing one of the few friends he had left in the world had him frozen in place, afraid to make any moves. He couldn’t take that chance. Finally putting words to the feelings roiling inside him, he told his brother as much.

“I get it, brother. I do,” Tommy replied, thumping Joel on the back in commiseration. “But can you really say you’re ok watchin’ her go on dates with asshats like Alex? ‘Cause that’s gonna keep happenin’ unless you do something about it. And I don’t mean killin’ the dude.”

Joel shook his head. Hunched over the bar, shooting surreptitious glances your way, he had to admit Tommy was right. He could think of few things worse than watching you go on a date with someone other than him, especially with dipshits like that guy.

“I ain’t killin’ anyone, but I do have a plan. Already put it in motion, in fact.” Picking at a scratch in the bar, Joel shifted his gaze from you to Tommy. “I might need your help with some of it. Maria’s too.”

“Oh yeah? Tell me all about this grand plan then.”

Unsurprisingly, the date was a dud.

Alex had the personality of a goldfish rather than a golden retriever, and the two of you had nothing in common. He also interrupted you mid-sentence no less than three times – once could be considered a mistake, but three times was an unforgiveable offense as far as you were concerned. You stopped making an effort about halfway through dinner and wished for a hole to open up beneath your seat and swallow you whole.

Worst of all, he acted like an entitled dickhead when you refused dessert, thanked him for the date, and let him know there wouldn’t be a second one. He’s lucky you didn’t knee him in the nuts before walking away from the table.

How unfortunate that dating sucked nearly as much now as it did before the fucking apocalypse. It was unfair, really. At what point did being a woman stop sucking?

Lamenting your lack of success in the relationship department, you trudged home. You wondered what Joel was up to – you caught a glimpse of him at the bar with Tommy earlier and he didn’t look happy, but you didn’t see him when you left. Part of you longed to visit him, maybe have a drink and sit on his porch gazing at the stars together like you’ve done before. But it was already late, and you didn’t want to bother him. Hell, he could have a woman over already, which would be mortifying if you interrupted. The thought sank unpleasantly in your mind until you got to your house and pushed it away.

A little gift waited for you on the porch, just like earlier. An orchid this time. Symbol of love, thoughtfulness, and charm. Your index finger traced the delicate petals with the gentlest touch as a smile slowly crept its way across your lips.

Another note was attached, and you plucked it from beneath the same kind of string, eyes devouring the words.

Overwhelmed by your grace, the answer hides in this place.

The flower wasn’t completely cold, so it had to have been left recently. Brow furrowed; you glanced around but there was no one in sight. You wracked your brain trying to figure out the identity of your secret admirer, but you were at a loss. Prior to dinner, you briefly thought Alex was the culprit, but now it was obvious he didn’t have a romantic bone in his lanky body.

You heart knew who it longed for it to be, but you refused to consider it. He didn’t want you that way, of that you were certain.

Giving the orchid the same treatment as the jasmine earlier, you tucked the stem into the same container and placed it on the coffee table so you could admire the blossoms while you fell asleep on the couch. After all, why bother with a big bed without someone to share it with?

Saturdays were your day off, but the sun shining through the curtains you forgot to close the night before ruined your plans of sleeping in. Grumbling at the unnecessary brightness, you stumbled into the kitchen desperate for coffee. The coffee tin felt light in your hand when you reached for it and, sure enough, you saw nothing but a tiny amount of powdery remains of coffee beans at the bottom.

God dammit. Barely eight o’clock in the morning and this day already had two strikes against it. It wasn’t looking good so far.

Not caring that you still wore the clothes from your date the night before, you quickly brushed your teeth and finger-combed your hair into submission before leaving the house. Pausing at the door for a moment, you debated whose house to go to. Joel always had coffee – it was his drug of choice – but Maria and Tommy were closer.

Not awake enough for decision-making, you let your feet carry you in whichever direction they wanted… which was exactly three feet onto the porch before they stopped. Another flower with a note sat waiting for you.

Your mood brightened considerably at the sight of the double-flowered, funnel-shaped Eustoma, petals a pale purple. The rose-like flowers weren’t native to Wyoming, but you got lucky months ago when someone found a seed packet. You were shocked the seeds were still viable. Did someone pluck it from the greenhouse? You gave away a few cuttings not that long ago, but unless they were replanted, there’s no way they’d last this long. It had to be from the greenhouse. Where the hell else would they get one?

The addiction-like need for coffee temporarily forgotten, you rubbed the Eustoma gently against your nose, confirming the lack of scent when you breathed in and wondered what the little note would say this time.

Endless thoughts of you, the answer is in the view.

Stepping back into the house, you added the flower with the others, mulling over the symbolism of the Eustoma. Whoever left it must be trying to tell you that they appreciate and admire you. But when you add it with the others, what did it all mean?

As good as you were with flowers, you were awful at solving mysteries. A detective you were not. Besides, it was still too early for this kind of puzzle.

The desire for coffee returned and you left the flower quandary behind as you made your way to Joel’s.

Joel didn’t expect to see you today, his day looking up when he opened the door to find you on his doorstep. His heart immediately sank when he noticed you wearing the same clothes from the night before, hair mussed.

“Your date must have gone well,” he said, eyes roving over your clothing, knowing his tone was less friendly than you were used to from him. “What are you doin’ here this early?”

You were clearly thrown off kilter by his remark, frowning as he stepped back to let you in.

“Wha—” you started to question him but shook your head. “I just came to see if you had any spare coffee. I ran out without realizing it.”

“Didn’t have any to offer Alex this morning? That’s a damn shame.” Joel felt the heat of your confused gaze on his back as you followed him into the kitchen.

“What are you talking about?” You sighed, staring at him with furrowed brows.

Avoiding your searching gaze, Joel poured a cup of coffee, adding the perfect amount of sugar you liked, and glowered at the cup as he handed it over. “You’re wearing the same clothes as last night. I assume you did the walk of shame this morning only to find you didn’t have any coffee.”

“It’s too early for your judgmental shit, Joel. You can be a real ass sometimes, you know that?” You turned to leave, mind trying to wrap itself around why this day was turning out so oddly. Mercury was in retrograde again, it had to be. You and Joel never spoke to each other like this. As you reached the door, not caring that you basically stole his coffee cup, you called over your shoulder, “And the date wasn’t even like that, for the record.”

“You’re welcome for the coffee,” Joel muttered as you let yourself out of his house.

“You didn’t have to be such a dick, you know.” Ellie appeared around the corner; arms crossed over her chest.

“I know. I couldn’t help it. The thought of her with that jackass just…” he sighed. “I got a little carried away, but it’s fine. The plan is still in play. Did you take care of what I asked you to?”

“You come up with some strange plans, old man. Yeah, I got it done.”

Fed up with the day and everyone in town before noon, you hid away in your house for the rest of the day. The interaction with Joel weighed on you the entire afternoon and well into the night. What was up with him? Were you being too sensitive, taking his comments personally?

If you didn’t know better, you’d think he was jealous you went on a date with Alex.

Unsurprisingly, you slept poorly and woke up groggy and unfocused Sunday morning. It was going to be a long day in the greenhouse if you didn’t find some coffee to power you up. Getting ready earlier than normal, you planned to stop at Maria and Tommy’s to see if they had coffee – there was no way you were going back to Joel’s after yesterday.

Opening the door to another brisk, early spring morning, the glint of sunlight on the porch drew your eyes to yet another flower waiting for you. Four in a row now, how long would this carry on for?

One of your favorites, you picked up the stalk with six lavender blossoms, violet in hue, and breathed in the fresh, light scent, savoring the sweet undertones. Fingers caressed the downy leaves, making you feel calmer, mellower, which was exactly what you needed.

You kept sniffing the floral scent as you read the accompanying note, finding it fitting.

 Lost in your scent, the answer is present.

“Tell me you have a secret admirer!”

Startled, you gasped, gaze shooting to Maria as she approached your house, two mugs of coffee in hand. You face shifted into a smile at the sight.

“I’m… um, I guess. I’m not sure?” You shrugged accepting the mug Maria held out toward you. “Thanks for this, I ran out.”

“I heard,” she replied. “Joel’s on the hunt for more, don’t worry.”

“Of course he is,” you rolled your eyes.

“Soooo…” Maria gestured to the flowers and note in your hand, seeking an explanation. “I feel like there’s a story here.”

“There is, I just don’t know what it is yet,” you admitted. Inhaling the calming scent of the lavender once again, you added, “This is the fourth one I’ve received. Each one has its own riddle. Let me show you.”

Leading the way into your house – you still had an hour before your shift started – you showed Maria the flowers and each note that accompanied them. In small print, you added what each flower symbolized to the corresponding note and numbered them in the order you received them, hoping every little detail would help you sort out the puzzle.

Maria looked over everything, smiling softly at each note. “Whoever this mystery man is, he’s quite romantic.”

“Right?”

“What do today’s flowers mean?”

“In the context of the rest of the flowers so far, love and devotion,” you replied, heat warming your cheeks.

Maria whistled softly. “Someone is down bad for you, girl. Any ideas who it could be?”

Shrugging defeatedly, you admitted, “Not a clue. The one person I’d want it to be would never do something like this.”

Maria hid a smile behind her mug as she sipped her coffee. “How can you be sure?”

tbc

[maxybabyy]

part two to this (run coach Max)

There’s a disclaimer that he has to click away before it lets him start the download, ‘Parts of the audio may be corrupted, this run can be replaced with – ‘ Daniel barely reads it before he clicks away to press start.

“This will be a lovely run, I can already tell,” Max says on the app. “You of course pressed start, so here we are. Always this makes me feel really good because I get to coach you, so thank you for starting this speed run with me!”

He lets out a tiny laugh, and Daniel echoes it, kicks his feet into a run.

“Right now, we are of course just warming up, so you have to run nice and easy,” Max says as he goes over the structure of the run, the five minutes of warm-up before they begin on the fartlek, on the ever-changing paces that already seem daunting. “If a 7 is your 5k pace, then this should be a 3 or a 4 only.”

There’s a noise on Max’s end of the recording, a voice that doesn’t belong to him or his sound engineer. The quality is worse too, he reckons, a quiet static in the background that isn’t usually there in Max’s runs.  

Daniel doesn’t mind, Max’s voice is clear in his ears, and that’s all he needs.

He runs the first three intervals with no strain in his knee, pumps his legs to match the pace Max tells him to hit, forces himself to keep running when Max reminds him to move during the recovery periods, “Do not stop, you are doing so well for me. This is a really lovely time to get your breath back, but please do not stop moving!” Max says in his ears. He sounds breathless too, and it takes Daniel another moment to realise that Max must be running along on his side of the recording.

Usually, Max is the voice of composure, steady and calm in his ear as he guides Daniel through his run. Sometimes GP will chip in, reign him in if Max wanders too far off a tangent, but it’s clear from the clean and crisp audio that they’re usually in a studio somewhere.

It makes something stir low in his stomach, the thought of Max off on his own, in his running kit and pocket microphone as he pushes himself to set another best time, to make himself feel good too. If Daniel listens harder, picks at the more pronounced accents of Max’s words, he can almost convince himself Max sounds younger too.

His body aches, but he’s barely running, too busy listening to the way Max’s voice is heavy in his ears, how he pants through another 30-second interval at mile pace.

“Next, you will have the last 30 second interval, so make sure you keep going hard,” Max says. “You will maybe want to deflate but keep your pace strong. Promise me you will not stop until we finish, can you do that for me?”

Daniel groans and digs his nails into the meat of his palm, wills his dick to stay soft. He’s almost home, almost at the house where he can strip off and touch himself without being labelled as the fucking neighbourhood pervert who gets off on running.

“For the last interval, I want of course your best pace,” Max tells him in between punched-out breaths.

It should be illegal for guided runs to sound like this, breathless and demanding, erotic, almost pornographic if it wasn’t for how often Max tells him to keep running. Like this, he can almost pretend, close his eyes and lose himself in the way his body feels, just a hair’s breadth away from the real fucking thing.

It makes sense then how hard it had been to find. The recording hidden away in the depths of Max-guided runs, without their usual flair and light-hearted descriptions that had drawn him in the first time. Left to be forgotten, unheard and unused lest anyone else stumble upon it.

He wonders if GP had to tell him. If GP had listened to the recording, to Max panting into his ear, begging him not to stop, to keep going hard, to make it the best he’d ever done, and knew what it sounded like. If Daniel is the only one getting hard during fartlek runs.

“It is maybe not your fastest pace, but it is what makes you feel the best at this point,” Max continues, voice soft like silk. It makes a shiver run down his sweaty back. “Keep going until I tell you to stop, just a little more, please do not stop! Three, two, one – “

Daniel slams into the door as his legs shake underneath him.

Max is winding down the run in his ears, recommending another few minutes of running to cool down. But Daniel cannot listen, he’s barely even able to breathe as he forces the run to be over, shaky fingers on the screen.

He kicks off his shoes and marches to the bathroom, his phone left shamefully in his pocket. He’s almost at the door when Scotty finds him. “Looking good, Ric,” he says, touches his arm.

Daniel grunts and turns to look at him, wills himself to stop shaking.

Scotty looks great dressed in a sweater and a nice pair of slacks. His hair is done up nice and there’s an unusual glow to his face. Scotty always looks good, but tonight he looks fucking hot, so Daniel does the only thing he can think of and pulls him in for a kiss.

Daniel feels desperate, turned on by Max’s pants in his ears, the thoughts simmering in his mind all the way home. Scotty kisses back, laughs against his lips and leans into Daniel’s chest when he wraps his arms around him.

“Endorphin high, eh? Must have been a great run,” he says, smirks. His hand rubs lazily over his dick, and Daniel feels his entire body seize. He could come from this he knows, the heat low in stomach coiled and ready for release, but he doesn’t want to. It’s been ages since he’s come from anything that wasn’t a hand, and he aches desperately for a real fuck.  

“Wanna make it even better?” Daniel asks, mouth still pressed against his. His hands find Scotty’s hips, pull him in close until he can grind his dick against his, slow rolls of their hips until Scotty is breathing heavily too. They stumble into the bedroom together, the bed still unmade from how he left it this morning. “You could fuck me, yeah?”

Scotty spreads him out on the bed, pushes his shirt up to his chest, drenched in sweat. He kisses across overheated skin, digs a nail into Daniel’s nipple before he looks up at him, loose smile on his lips, “Had a bum knee, didn’t you?”

Daniel snorts, and it almost doesn’t sound bitter.

They’ve been able to fuck for a while now, longer with Daniel on top, but Scotty has never liked that. Had barely wanted to try it when Daniel had brought it up, bottoming. Daniel had taken it in a stride, doesn’t care either way. Doesn’t want to fuck someone who doesn’t want to be fucked, so they make do.

“Did, but it’s all better now,” he says instead. He pulls Scotty down for a kiss, hooks his good knee around his hip to pull him in, shivers when Scotty finally fucks down against him, “Promise.”

Scotty laughs, sucks his teeth. He raises himself to one of his elbows so he can look down at Daniel, brow furrowed when he finally meets his eyes again, voice almost soft when he adds, “We don’t have the time for that, Ric.”

“It’s fine. Reckon I’m still good from this morning,” Daniel says desperately. It feels worse than before, bitter to almost have to beg Scotty for this, to be fucked.  

He had thought they would do it this morning, got up before the alarm to open himself up. Bent over the sink with too much lube and a shit angle, but it was worth it to slip into bed, to wake Scotty up for a morning fuck. But Scotty had other plans, a breakfast with his agent that couldn’t be moved, lunch with the team.

Daniel had been so annoyed with himself for assuming that he had just sat there watching as Scotty with the tacky lube drying in his ass.

“Need a quick finger or two maybe, but like –“

“Dan, the Strolls are coming over in like forty minutes.”

“The Strolls? What?” Daniel asks, lets his knee fall back onto the bed. He does the maths in his head, knows Lance is supposed to be back in Canada now, preparing for the next race.

“Chloe is joining us for dinner. You offered to make Grace’s pasta for her, remember? I had to go get the wine for it and all,” Scotty says, smiles softly like it’s Dan’s fault but he doesn’t really mind, is fond of him anyway. “Have to get our asses moving, yeah? But like, I can do a handy before your shower. Would you like that?”

Daniel feels the way his dick has started to flag, overwhelmed with emotions he doesn’t remember. But it seems dumb to say no now, when he worked so hard to get them there. So he nods, smiles a little and says, “I mean, if you insist.”

[shorterstrides-fasterpace]

Fartlek complete!

[grey-and-lavender]

Good morning good morning!

I am writing to you from my brother's kitchen table. I'll be dog sitting all week, and have been since I dragged myself here through a migraine on Friday. I am later to working than is ideal, but the weather was so cool and lovely this morning that I took the excuse for a run. And so one fartlek and shower later here I am sitting, at 10:40 am with only my emails behind me.

I am, to be honest, starting to get a touch existential about my work and my ability to do it. I am doing work! Some of it is focused! And yet the dissertation is a project on a scope I've never even approached, and so I feel as though I am accomplishing nothing. My goals feel just as far away as they did a month ago. I also did no work on Friday because of a migraine, and I feel guilty for not pushing myself through that, after a week of not as much focused work as I would have liked. I think all of this is compounding.

This means that today is the chance to start new! Onwards and upwards as they say. I'm trying to figure out if I should try and get some hours of work in at a coffee shop before lunch or if I should work from the kitchen table for most of the day today. We'll see how well I can focus.

[dafitness4shawn]

Yesterday I hopped on the bike after work for about 20 minutes. I asked my coworker how long an active recovery session should be. His words were “think of it as a self love session.” So as soon as I wanted to be done I stopped.

This morning was speed work. Since intervals were last week I did a Fartlek run this week. Definitely happy with it. I think it’s my favorite type of speed work. And like a mad man I hit a leg session afterwards.

I hope everyone is having a great Tuesday

[runcoachmike]

It's #nationalsunglassesday day so I threw on my cool new @tifosioptics shades and hit the track! My goal was another watch based lactate threshold test. This is an awesome feature on a lot of the newer @garmin watches and a really good way to fine tune your zones even more. I did this test last week but it was almost 100° and it took a couple repeated sections to get right. I wanted to see how much easier it would be with a more hospitable temperature, and also compare the results.

The test went well and I started to do some speed work. My initial thought was to mix up some 400m and 800m repeats. I did a few but the temperature really started to climb so I had aborted that thought and then moved on to a kind of fartlek track workout where I ran faster sections whenever it felt right. Looking at the results after I was done I pretty much ran two 400s, one 800, and 10 striders of about 100m each. Sometimes no structure is fun!

🏃‍♀️😎⌚📈👍

[aguanteactivewear]

Boost Your Speed: Essential Types of Runs for Better Performance

To run faster and perform better, mixing up your training with different types of runs is important. Each type helps improve different aspects of your running. Aguante is here to support your journey with gear that enhances your performance and comfort.

1. Long Slow Distance (LSD) Runs

LSD runs are long runs at a slow, easy pace. These runs help build your endurance, making it easier to run for longer periods without getting tired. They increase the number of small blood vessels (capillaries) in your muscles, helping deliver more oxygen and nutrients. LSD runs also improve how your body uses energy by making it better at burning fat for fuel.

Key Benefit: Better endurance and energy use.

2. Tempo Runs

Tempo runs, or threshold runs, are done at a “comfortably hard” pace, slightly slower than your race pace. These runs help your body handle running at a fast pace for longer by improving your ability to clear out lactic acid, which causes muscle fatigue.

Key Benefit: Run faster for longer periods.

3. Interval Training

Interval training involves short bursts of high-speed running followed by periods of rest or slow running. This type of training increases your VO2 max, which is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise. It also strengthens fast-twitch muscle fibers, which help you run faster.

Key Benefit: Increased speed and endurance.

4. Hill Repeats

Hill repeats involve running up a hill at a fast pace and then jogging or walking back down to recover. Running uphill strengthens your leg muscles and improves your running form, making you more efficient.

Key Benefit: Stronger legs and better running form.

5. Fartlek Training

Fartlek, a Swedish term for “speed play,” mixes continuous running with random bursts of speed. This type of run improves both your aerobic (long-distance) and anaerobic (short, fast) fitness, making you more adaptable to different running conditions.

Key Benefit: Improved speed and adaptability.

6. Recovery Runs

Recovery runs are short, easy runs that help your muscles recover from harder workouts. They increase blood flow to your muscles, helping to clear out waste products and reduce soreness.

Key Benefit: Faster recovery and less muscle soreness.

7. Progression Runs

Progression runs start at a slow pace and gradually get faster. These runs teach you how to pace yourself and finish strong, which is useful for races.

Key Benefit: Better pacing and strong finishes.

Conclusion

Including these different types of runs in your training routine will help you run faster and more efficiently. Each run has a specific purpose, and understanding these can help you train smarter. Aguante’s gear is designed to support you in every type of run, helping you achieve your running goals. Get out there, mix up your runs, and see your performance improve!

Visit our website for the Running Collections: https://aguante.in/collections/running

[angwe-blog]

Ran 4.45 km with #Nike⁠ #Run Club (@nikerunning), #30On30Off with Coach Cox (@coach_chelsc). Great #fartlek #workout and pushing myself appropriately #hard. @phaeton_the_demidog loved it! #running #puppy #dogsofinstagram Swipe to see a #pace graph from @coros_training. (at La Grange, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cj5iAtJr7OZ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[bsaka7]

doing this extra thing for work where i'm gonna be working the occasional thursday night which is like honestly cool whatever but the BIGGER news is. this means i'll be able to run a road half marathon this summer. HUGE but also STRESSFUL. but also so exciting!!!!!

[scarletlizzard]

Also I DONT hate you!! Why would I? You’re an amazing writer who just dropped another well-written piece!! You’re so fun to talk to and you’re like super nice and astoundingly funny. You’re just hands down an all around interesting person!! But anyway how was your day? what’s your favorite kind of weather? do you have any plans for the summer or maybe any goals? What kind of runs do you like to do because if you say fartlek then I think you’re un poquitito loco

😌😌😌😌 (don’t hate me but also like…hate me a little 😏)

- 🧊

Thank you 😭 I wasn't sure how this one was gonna do cause I was digging out of that writers rut!!

Hey, I need you stop before I fall apart 😋 I... don't know how to take compliments I think my brain is wired to not see them... YOU THINK IM FUNNY? Swoon immediately. Anyone who thinks I'm funny it's over

Okay my day actually wasn't too good 😄👎 Better now for sure but yeah the day sucked ass. Favorite weather is fall type of weather! Sun is still shining, but it's cool out you know? Plans for the summer: my job is just beach. (Barbie anyone?) F U C K fartlek. I'm doing if anything intervals. Run a little fast, jog a little, WALK!!!! Repeat 🔫 But if I see gators or wildlife on the trails I stop to see them so really I'm just fucking around in the woods yall

(Ohhhh I see you want me to be a little mean huh)