Easy (unscheduled) — 6.8 km

6.84 km · 39:30 (39:32 elapsed) · 5:46/km · HR 145 avg / 158 max · cadence 173 spm · +42m/-40m

Execution: optional day, nothing scheduled · HR 145 avg (Z2 cap 145)

Second hot run in a row (56 % Z3, HR 145/158) after last week’s full rest – likely temporary detraining, no illness signs. Hip/adductor ‘brittle’ but not painful; the self-assessment: might have started stinging mid-to-late on a 21 km effort. Doing PT exercises heavily this week ahead of Beluga.

The coach’s read

6.84 km in 39:30, HR 145/158 – avg pinned right at the Z2 cap, 56 % Z3, the hottest zone split of the whole block, following Sep 8’s already-hot 36 % Z3 run. No illness signs and wellness numbers are still green (7-day RHR 40.4, HRV 68.0), so this reads as temporary detraining from last week’s full week off rather than something brewing – should resolve with continued easy running. The more useful data point is qualitative: hip/adductor felt ‘brittle’ – not pain, but a specific self-assessment that a 21 km effort today might have produced stinging mid-to-late race. That’s a well-calibrated read given the pattern all block: short runs have stayed fine, it’s specifically the long efforts (Aug 15, Aug 23) that flared. Direct relevance to Beluga (18 km, 600 m of technical descent, Sep 19): close to that stated threshold, and descent loads the adductor/hip harder per km than flat road running. Plan: same contingency that worked for UTFS – if it starts talking mid-race, shift to hiking the rest rather than pushing to finish at effort. PT exercises are being done heavily this week specifically to get ahead of this before Beluga and the Oct 4 half (Beneva).

Part of week 11 of the 30 km build.