A clydesdale no more!

Another few inches of snow on the ground this morning.  It was still coming down pretty hard as I headed out the door.  I didn't bother taking my watch because I knew it wouldn't be very fast and the pace really didn't matter.  I decided to multi task during the run and stopped at the grocery store to pick up some medicine for one of my girls.  I am so tired of the snow.  It looks like we have a few more storms coming in during the next week.

Ran up to the rec center and met up with the running club.  They had a pretty hilly run mapped out and I wasn't sure how my hamstring would hold up.  On top of that, my right ankle has been really sore for some unknown reason.  After I warmed up, the ankle didn't bother me at all.  My form did feel kind of clunky, though.  

I went to Striders yesterday and registered for the 5k, 10k and 1/2 marathon.  I guess it's time to get serious about training again.

Total Time: 1:58:35 (7:45/mile) 

Enough already.  Another run in a snow storm.  The roads weren't quite as bad as they were during the last storms but there were some spots where it was difficult to run.  My legs were a little tight but they don't feel injured anymore.  I'm hoping to get in a couple of speed workouts during the next couple of weeks so my legs can get used to running fast again.

Total Time: 1:08:42 (7:38/mile) 

The temperature dropped again.  It was 10 degrees when I headed out the door this morning.  Legs are feeling better but it is hard to get them going when it is this cold.  I only had a few hours of sleep last night and I could really feel it.  I'm hoping to get in a nap later today if the kids will let me.

Total Time: 1:09:25 (7:43/mile -- too slow!) 

I decided to try something new today and run in a snow storm. The weather this winter has been crazy. Since I wasn't enjoying getting blasted in the face with snow I turned today's run into an easy "just get in some miles" run.

Total Time: 58:16 (8:06/mile)

No more excuses.  The roads were relatively clear, it wasn't too cold and there was only mild discomfort in my legs so I decided to start training again instead of just running.  I need to start out slowly so I only did a 3 mile tempo run.  I was really curious how my body would respond to faster paced miles after 3 months of slow running.  Warmed up with 3 easy miles then transitioned right into tempo pace.  Sometimes I will walk around for a few minutes before the tempo run but knew that if I did that I would talk myself out of the tempo run.  First mile was 6:24 and it felt alright but not great.  Next mile was 6:16 and I was starting to feel better (a little fast because there was a pony tail swishing ahead of me that gave me a little incentive to run faster).  Third mile came in at 6:16 and it was comfortably hard (just like a tempo run should be).  This run accomplished what I wanted.  I wanted to make sure that there was some speed left and get my body used to being pushed a little.  Finished the run with 3 easy miles.  

Nothing exciting about today's run. Just putting in some miles. I stopped to stretch my hamstrings after 7 miles and I couldn't believe how tight they were. I guess that I need to start working on them a little more.

Ran up to the rec center to run with the South Davis Road Runners.  Ran most of the same route as last week but cut a couple of miles out in the middle.  I felt really good this morning.  The warmer temperatures make it a lot easier to run.  Hopefully the weather will be this good next Saturday.  After suffering through the Jonas Brothers concert last night with my daughter standing on my lap for an hour I was worried that my legs would be a little sore.

I needed a head clearing run this morning.  Went out for a few honest paced miles.  Other than a little hamstring tightness, everything felt good.  The run was therapeutic as I was able to work through some things during the run and felt better afterwards.

It is starting to warm up and running is becoming a lot easier.  Started off with 3 easy miles then ran a 4 mile tempo run.  Averaged 6:24/mile and was pretty consistent each mile.  The pace was very comfortable.  I may need to start running my tempo runs a little faster.  I'm starting to get anxious for the race this weekend so that I can shake off some of this winter rust.

 Total Time: 1:04:26 (7:10/mile)
 

I will be confined to the neighborhood loop for the rest of the week.  Not quite as boring as I thought that it would be but I always say that on the first day.  We'll see how I feel about it on Friday after 4 days of running the same loop 6 times/day.  Other than a little soreness in my left hamstring (especially during the small climb) I felt really good.  

Total Time: 1:08:40 (7:23/mile) 

Just an easy run around the neighborhood.  I'm feeling a little worn out for some reason.  I probably need to get a little more sleep.

Total Time: 1:10:48 (7:52/mile) 

The weather has been so nice lately I actually thought that winter was winding down.  Reality hit hard this morning when I woke up to almost a foot of snow.  Fortunately, the Woods Cross snow plow drivers are the best and all the roads around my neighborhood were already cleared.  Did 6 laps around the neighborhood.  Every other lap I would extend the loop 1 extra block so that I could get to 9 miles.  My left hamstring is starting to get sore again.  

Total Time: 1:10:46 (7:42/mile) 

A little shorter run today because I wanted to be a little fresh for tomorrow's 5k.  It was quite a bit colder today which aggravates all my little aches and pains.  I threw in a few strides and my hamstring was not happy about it.  

Total Time: 52:40 (7:31/mile) 

Ran the Striders 5k this morning in the frigid cold. Met Cody and Jon at the packet pick up and ran the course with them before the race to warm up. I'm glad I ran the course first so I was prepared for what was in store. Lined up at the start in just shorts and a long sleeve which may have been a mistake. My legs were very cold for a lot of the race. I didn't have a lot of expectations for this race but was looking forward to it to see where my fitness is. I have a million excuses why I didn't feel race ready (poor night's sleep, kids are sick, hamstring injury, cold temps, going through a divorce) but I always say that once you toe the line, you have to give it all that you have. The pace was pretty slow for everybody from the start. I wasn't too far off the lead pack through the first mile (6:15) and didn't feel like I was really pushing it. It was definitely not 5k effort. I fell asleep during the second mile (6:35) and had a hard time finding the desire to make it hurt. I finally woke up during the third mile but still didn't put in the effort that I should have (5:55). Ran the last 0.1 at 5:24 pace and finished in 19:15 (unofficial). I have no idea what my place was but am guessing that it was around 15th. My finishing time is about what I expected based on the difficulty of the course but my effort was definitely lacking - I feel like I could have gone under 19:00 if I were more mentally prepared. I guess this is to be expected for the first race of the season and after not running any speed workouts in 3 months. Cooled down by running the course backwards with Cody, Jon and Chad.

Update:  Results are up and it has me finishing in 10th place overall and 3rd in my age group (beat by Chad and Walter - I guess that it's ok to lose to fellow bloggers).  They show my final time as 19:33.  I can understand my Garmin showing the wrong distance but how could the time be off by 15 seconds?

Felt good this morning.  Left hamstring started to tighten up half way through the run but it is nothing serious.  Now that I got my first race this year under my belt, I'm hoping that things will start to turn around and I can really start to improve.

Total Time: 1:06:29 (7:23/mile) 

I felt very tired this morning.  The run itself was alright.  Nothing exciting to report.

Total Time: 1:17:38 (7:41/mile) 

Today was a very blah run.  I just put it in cruise control and ran my regular 9 mile loop.  With 1 mile to go I was only 15 seconds behind the 7:30 guy so I picked up the pace a little during the last mile.  I was very tired again this morning.  I really need to get to bed a little earlier.  Five hours of sleep just isn't enough.

Total Time: 1:06:52 (7:26/mile) 

I decided to take it really easy this morning.  It was snowing and I didn't have a ton of energy so I just put in a few easy miles.  I guess that it's better than not running which is what I wanted to do.

Total Time: 47:25 (7:54/mile)
 

Ran 5 miles before having to take my son to orchestra practice.  I put in 4 more miles while he was at practice.  I really hate splitting runs up like this.  There was a 30 minute break between the 2 runs and I had a hard time getting back into a groove during the second run.  I had an intense craving for Cinnamon Toast Crunch during the last 4 miles for some reason.  Sometimes I get really random cravings during runs.  

Met up with the running club this morning.  The course they decided on has a pretty tough climb in the middle of it.  I guess that it is good practice for next week's Striders 10k.  The weather was a little dreary but it had somewhat of a calming effect.  I felt pretty good during the run except my hamstring started to tighten towards the end.  Still going with the 5 hours of sleep per night which is starting to take it's toll. 

Total Time: 1:46:17 (7:34/mile) 

Felt like I had to burn off some of the junk that I ate yesterday so I went for a little run this morning.  It was really windy.  I had a nasty head wind going out but a very nice tail wind on the way back.  

Total Time: 44:03 (7:20/mile) 

The weather at the start of today's run was nice.  It was a light drizzle and the temperature was comfortable.  The light drizzle turned into a heavier rain which eventually turned to snow.  The last 3 miles were less than comfortable.  Physically, I felt pretty good after warming up the first few miles.  It's almost time for me to get new shoes and I could feel it in my tibias.

Total Time: 1:06:26 (7:23/mile) 

Nothing exciting - just miles.

Starting to increase the mileage a little.  Instead of 9's everyday, I am going to add a 12-15 miler during the week in addition to the weekend long run.  Took it pretty slow because my legs were not cooperating.  My left hamstring is a little more sore today.

The backs of my legs feel really tight and sore.  My shoes are at the end of their life cycle so that could be the problem.  After 3 miles things started to feel better but my stride was still a little clunky.
 

Easy day in preparation for tomorrow's race.  Didn't wear a watch but pace was probably around 7:30-7:45.  Legs felt much better than yesterday with very minimal soreness.  Ended the month with 0.6 more miles than last month with 2 fewer days.  I guess that is an improvement.