A clydesdale no more!

Just a plain old run.  Nothing exciting.

Total Time: 38:00 (7:36/mile)
Avg HR: 144

Was planning on doing a 6 mile tempo run this morning but woke up to a blizzard.  Very hard to see and footing was unstable.  Decided to just get in a good GA run.  Other than the white out conditions, the run was pretty enjoyable.  Had to climb over a train that was parked at a rail road crossing for some reason.

Total Time: 1:06:22 (7:22/mile)
Avg HR: 153

I was going to complain about how cold it was this morning (13 degrees) until I saw that it was -10 degrees in Logan.  It's got to start warming up sometime.  Looks like Puxatony Phil was wrong this year.  I had very low energy this morning so I ran very slowly just to get the mileage in.  I kind of struggled throughout the run mentally.  Right tibia sore after the run. 

Total Time: 2:30:32 (8:08/mile)
Avg HR: 138

Very low motivation to run this morning.  I knew that I was going to struggle through this workout.  Warmed up with 2.25 easy miles.  Ran 5 X 0.63 miles (as close to 1,000 meters as I could get on my Garmin) at 5K pace with 1/4 mile jog in between each.  Plan was to run at 6:00/mile pace (3:47/repeat).

Repeat	Time	Pace/Mile	Note
1	3:45	5:57	Just about right
2	3:50	6:05	Way too tired.  This isn't going to be fun
3	3:47	6:00	Felt alright
4	3:41	5:51	Gravity assisted
5	3:46	5:59	Happy to be done
Avg	3:46	5:58

I am a little disappointed with the effort and results today.  It was an odd feeling of fatigue.  I didn't feel completely wiped out but I had a hard time holding my pace.  My heart rate was higher than I expected.  It was around 170 for the first couple of repeats but then was in the 180's on the last couple (peaking at 184).  My calculated max HR is 186 but I suspect my actual max is a little higher.  Finished the run with 2.6 easy miles.

Total Time: 1:08:13 (7:35/mile)
Avg HR: 156

I feel like my legs have healed enough to start incorporating hills back into my training.  I didn't want to do too much so I just ran up to Davis Blvd.  Pretty good climb for the first few miles then rolling for a few miles then down hill to flat for the last few.  I wanted to push the pace a little and keep my HR above 160.  Felt really good.  Felt very smooth and in control on the downhill.

Total Time: 1:18:16 (7:27/mile)
Avg HR: 161

Very easy recovery run.  Legs felt a little heavy.

Total Time: 49:14 (8:12/mile)
Avg HR: 138

Was very sleepy this morning.  Had a hard time getting myself to get out the door.  Once I got out and got a few miles in I started feeling quite a bit better.  Picked up the pace a little and ran that last few miles a little faster than marathon pace.  It was raining pretty hard for the last 3 miles.  I guess it is better than snow.

Total Time: 1:14:00 (7:24/mile)
Avg HR: 157

Easy run.  Instead of running on my usual flat recovery course, I decided to run easy on a hilly course.  Felt pretty good for the most part.

Total Time: 50:50 (7:49/mile)
Avg HR: 148

Warmed up with 3 easy miles then ran 14 at marathon pace.  Still trying to get a feel for my marathon pace.  Wasn't expecting to run much faster than 7:15-7:20/mile.  After starting off with a 7:04 mile, the second mile came in at 7:50 and it took more work to get it.  Normally I would panic at this point but since I plugged the route into Sasha's Course Tool last night I knew this mile would be slow because of the elevation gain (it actually came in very close to the predicted time on the tool).  Settled back into a decent pace and all the remaining mile splits came in between 6:55 and 7:10.  Ran the last mile in 6:30.  I intentionally ran without my fuel belt so I could be lighter and get used to running on less fuel.  I actually felt really good during this run.  Heart rate was around 155 most of the run then crept up to 160-164 the last 3 miles (peaked at 174 during the last mile).  It is getting warmer and other than the rain the weather was perfect.  I had to ditch my jacket at my sister's house half way into the run.

Total Time: 2:04:12 (7:18/mile)
Avg HR: 153

MP Miles Time: 1:39:11 (7:05/mile)
MP Miles Avg HR: 157

The schedule called for 5X600 but I decided to bump this up to 5X800 again with 1/4 mile jog in between each.  Warmed up with 2.25 miles of easy running and my legs felt heavy.  I was targeting 6:00/mile pace and plugged the course into Sasha's Course Tool to get an idea of what the real pace would be.  According to the tool, the first repeat should come in around 3:05 and the remaining repeats should be around 2:55.  These time are consistent with times that I have run in the past.

Repeat	Split	Pace/Mile
1	3:01	6:02
2	2:55	5:50
3	2:57	5:54
4	2:57	5:54
5	2:47	5:34
Average	2:55	5:51

I felt surprisingly good during the repeats.  I was able to run relatively smooth and felt comfortable.  I pushed the pace a little during the last repeat but I wasn't killing myself.  I probably should have added a couple of repeats at the end.  Finished by running 3.25 miles to cool down.  Counted my stride rate during the cool down and it was 172.  I felt as though I was turning over a little quicker than normal since I was counting.  I think that my stride rate is actually a little slower than that.  This is something that I am going to keep an eye on.  I need to focus on a quicker turnover.

Total Time: 1:07:47 (7:32/mile)
Avg HR: 154 (peaked at 177 during repeats)

Ran up to the Bountiful Temple and back home.  Pretty decent hills on this run.  I tried to maintain a steady effort on the way up.  Pace dropped to 10:00/mile during mile 4 but heart rate stayed around 160.  Tried pushing the pace coming down.  Felt good at the beginning of the downhill but then form started to get sloppy so I backed off a bit.  Overall, I feel good about today's effort.  Right tibia flaring up a little.

Total Time: 1:26:22 (7:51/mile) (46:40 on the way up/39:42 on the way down)
Avg HR: 150

Super easy run.  My legs are a little sore from yesterday's hilly run.  Ran the usual recovery run route out to the golf course and back.

Total Time: 49:27 (8:15/mile)
Avg HR: 137

Warmed up with 2.25 easy miles.  Ran 4 miles at 10K pace.  I've never actually run a 10K race so I just estimated what my pace would be.  I wanted to keep the pace below 6:27/mile (40:00 10K).  I felt very good during the run.  Mile splits were: 6:24, 6:22, 6:12 (gravity assisted), 6:25.  I started to wear down a little towards the end but I felt as though I could have held the pace for another 2.2 miles.  Average HR was 168 for the 10K pace miles.  Finished with 3.75 miles averaging 7:28/mile.

Total Time: 1:12:06 (7:13/mile)
Avg HR: 156

Easy effort run on a hilly course.  Right calf is a little sore.  I have noticed for past few weeks that my right tibia is sore immediately after a hard run then my calf is sore the next day.  Haven't used the stick for a while.  It seemed that everything felt better when I was using it regularly.

Total Time: 49:48 (8:02/mile)
Avg HR: 148

Woke up feeling nauseous and light headed.  Not sure what the problem was.  It took a while for me to feel comfortable enough to head out the door.  Was planning on tunning an easy pace today anyway so I just started off at a comfortable pace.  Felt horrible for the first 7 miles.  Couldn't really get in a groove.  Shoulders were tight and legs felt "clunky".  Started to feel a little better and was able to pick up the pace for the last half of the run.

Total Time: 2:22:38 (7:50/mile)
Avg HR: 144

Woke up with heart burn. I've felt a little "yucky" for a few days but nothing serious. Ran the Orchard Drive loop which has a little climbing. Ran at a medium paced effort and felt alright while I was running. Lower legs hurt a little while coming down hill. Didn't feel as smooth as I would have liked.

Checked out the indoor track at the new South Davis Recreation Center yesterday. I was excited to have an indoor track nearby so that I could do speed work during the winter. I am very disappointed with the track. It is not much more than 200 meters around with two hairpin turns. The turns are so tight that you have to slow down significantly. This was definitely designed by an architect, not a runner.

Total Time: 48:13 (7:39/mile)
Avg HR: 147

PM - Mother-in-law took the kids and Amy went to exercise so I decided to get in a few quick miles. Ran out to the golf course and back and intended to take it easy. Felt very good and had a hard time slowing down. Was 15 seconds behind the 7:30 guy with 1 mile to go so I picked up the pace. Ran the last mile in 6:45. Hopefully, this won't affect my run tomorrow morning.

Total Time: 29:32 (7:23/mile)
Avg HR: 144

Warmed up with 2.25 easy miles.  Plan was to run 6X3/4 miles at 5K pace with 1/4 mile jog in between.  I wasn't sure that I would be able to complete this workout.  Right tibia was really sore during the warm up but loosened up and felt fine during the repeats.  Here are the splits:

Repeat	Split	Pace/mile
1	4:31	6:02
2	4:28	5:57
3	4:35	6:07
4	4:28	5:50
5	4:36	6:07
6	4:25	5:54
Average	4:31	6:01

The repeats were not as uneven as they appear.  The odd numbered repeats had a slight gain in elevation and were run into a slight headwind.  Even numbered were run slightly downhill.  The effort was much more consistent today than it has been in the past.  I felt good and in control on all of them except the 5th.  I almost threw up at the end of the fifth but recovered well and felt the best during the last one.  Finished with 2 miles of easy running.

Total Time: 1:13:16 (7:23/mile)
Avg HR: 156 (peaked at 180 during last repeat)

Right tibia really hurt at the start.  It did feel better once I warmed up so I think that it is nothing more than shin splints.  Because of soreness I decided to only run moderate hills.  Had some gentle climbing for the first half and a gentle downhill for the last half.  I was kind of tired and unmotivated so I didn't push too hard.  I was about 10 seconds behind the 8:00 guy at 12 miles so I picked it up for the last 0.2 to just slip by him.

Total Time: 1:37:21 (7:59/mile)
Avg HR: 149

Felt pretty good today.  Started out a little slow but picked up the pace for the last 5 miles.  I have a tendency to get a little lazy during general aerobic runs.  If I focus on pushing myself I always feel better at the end.

Total Time: 58:43 (7:20/mile)
Avg HR: 152

Very easy recovery run.  This is the first real easy run I had this week.  I usually have 2 easy days per week.  Right tibia still bothering me.

Total Time: 41:00 (8:12/mile)
Avg HR: 140

Last real long run before Boston.  Started out pretty slow.  For some reason, I was incredibly hungry.  Not sure why but I had a craving for a cheeseburger during these first few miles.  Stopped at a convenience store and bought some Gatorade and a Nutrigrain bar.  This seemed to hit the spot.  Held the same slow pace for the first 12 miles without much desire to push harder.  Ran mile 13 faster because I had to get to the nearest grocery store quickly for an emergency pit stop.  Felt much better and picked up the pace a little.  Ran the last 2 miles at 7:00/mile pace.  Right tibia was sore at the start again and my left achilles ached a little.  The reduction in miles in the next few weeks should allow these nagging injuries to heal.

Total Time: 2:37:02 (7:49/mile)
Avg HR: 136

Decided to test marathon pace today.  First 3 miles felt forced (7:08/mile).  Started to feel a little more comfortable but still didn't feel as smooth as I would like.  Averaged 6:48/mile for the last 4.1 miles.  Even though the form felt sloppy, the pace felt comfortable and I wasn't too fatigued.  Ended up being quite a bit faster than marathon pace.  Still trying to settle on a goal.  Maybe I can be a little more aggressive than I planned.

Total Time: 49:20 (6:57/mile)
Avg HR: 155

Absolutely perfect running weather (55 degrees).  It's going to snow tomorrow so I had to enjoy the weather while I could.  Ran the Orchard Drive loop which is slightly uphill for the first few miles.  My form still feels a little sloppy.  My shoulders were tight and I didn't feel as though I had a very clean push off.  Tried to maintain a decent effort through the first few uphill miles.  Started to loosen up and pushed the pace a little on the downhill return.  Last 3 miles were 6:50, 6:49 and 6:34.  I wasn't monitoring my pace during the run and I was surprised that these splits were as fast (relative, I know)  as they were.

Total Time: 1:13:09 (7:19/mile)
Avg HR: 155

Easy recovery run past the golf course and back.  Started out in a cold and wet rain storm.  Once I was soaked, it started snowing heavily.  I couldn't believe the size of the snow flakes.  I've been lucky this year in that every time that there is a big storm, I only have a recovery run on the schedule.  There has been very little shuffling workouts around this year.

Total Time: 47:54 (7:59/mile)
Avg HR: 138

Warmed up with 3 miles then ran a 4 mile tempo run.  Wanted to hit 6:30/mile and didn't think that it would be too tough because I have been feeling pretty good lately.  I just couldn't get into it today.  Wasn't hurting physically but I just couldn't get my body to move.  Averaged 6:27/mile but it should have been faster because there was more downhill than up.  It was more work than it should have been (heart rate maxed at 175).  Cooled down with 1.2 miles (had to cut the run short because Amy had to get to work early).  Not the best run but I can think of a few things that caused the poor performance: ran earlier than normal, poor night sleep, cooler temps, too much sugar yesterday.

Total Time: 59:11 (7:13/mile)
Avg HR: 157

Recovery run.  Not as easy as it should have been.  Felt kind of "blah" the whole time.  Had a strange knee pain half way into the run.  Most likely just a phantom taper pain.

Total Time: 47:38 (7:56/mile)
Avg HR: 150 (too high for that pace)

Woke up at 2 a.m. and couldn't fall back asleep.  Tossed and turned for a while then decided I may as well go out and get me long run in early.  I have some non-running related issues weighing on me and I really couldn't focus on my running for the first few miles.  My mind was elsewhere and I was just going through the motions.  About half way into the run, I was able to relax and my mind turned toward my running.  I felt a lot better and was able to quicken the pace a little.  Altered my route and threw in some rolling hills just to spice things up.  One taper week down and two weeks to go.  Glad I got out because I was able to solve all the world's problems during the run (or at least my problems).

Total Time: 2:04:00 (7:45/mile)
Avg HR: 148