A clydesdale no more!

Nice run at a brisk pace.  Felt really good this morning.  First time in a long time.

So very sleepy this morning.  Struggled to get myself out of bed.  Took a couple of miles to get the body going but felt good once it woke up.

I crashed hard during the run today.  I could say that I have no idea why it happened and it was just one of those days but I know exactly what went wrong.  I ate very little yesterday and didn't run until 11 a.m. today without eating anything in the morning.  Obviously I did not have enough gas in the tank.  Becky had to run 12 and I was shooting for 14-15 so we went to the Legacy Trail.  Ran the first mile with her then took off with the intent of meeting her sometime on the way back.  I was running 7 minute miles on my own.  The first few felt really good but then they started to hurt after 5 of them.  Once I turned into the wind I was really hurting.  Still pushed knowing that Becky was up ahead and I told myself as soon as I caught up to her I would run the rest with her.  Finally saw her on the trail but it took another mile to close the gap.  I was really hurting and it felt like the end of a race.  Ran the last 3.5 miles with her and the wind was really nasty.  Honestly, I had a hard time keeping up with her and if it weren't for her, I probably would have walked back to the car.  She ran 12 miles in 1:50 with a nasty head wind for the last half.  She is definitely ready to run under 2 hours in Moab.

Nice run in cool, crisp weather.  Aside from a little soreness in my legs, I felt really good this morning.  I spent a lot of the run thinking about how I need to find a way to get the passion for running back.  It has been a real struggle the last couple of months.  

So much for spring.  This was probably the worst snow storm of the year.  Instead of giving into the excuses for not running I put in a few easy miles just to try to re-build the habit.  

Paced back and forth debating whether or not I should run today.  I was late and didn't have time for a full run so I thought maybe it wasn't worth it.  Forced myself out the door and put in a few miles.  Felt good and am glad I went.

Battling a headache.  Form felt clunky.  Pace felt fine.

Windy, windy.  Loved running with the wind but hated running into it.  Legs feel very tight.  The half marathon on Saturday is going to be very ugly.

Three super slow miles that took too much effort.  Ran 2 miles at 6:30/mile just to get a feel for the pace.  It felt good although it was a bit harder than what 1/2 marathon pace should feel like.  

Just a quick shake out run.  Ran 1/2 mile at goal pace just as a reminder.  Felt a little labored.

Surprisingly enough, the low mileage, low intensity training method did not generate great results.  This was a really tough race but I am not surprised at how it turned out.  I really have not put in enough work in the last 6 months to expect anything other than what I got.  Woke up on Saturday and the temps felt great.  Once we got off the buses at the starting line, the wind was blowing hard up the canyon.  Left Becky for a quick warm up run then we wandered around trying to keep ourselves busy.  Had to convince her to get past her fear of the port a potties.  Port a potties are a runner's friend.  The wind picked up more and more as the start time approached.  Went towards the front and waited for the race to start. 

The race started and so did the fun.  The first 1/2 mile is a steep downhill and, despite the headwind., I was running below 6:00/mile.  It felt really comfortable and I was not pushing at all.  Settled into a comfortable pace and the first mile came in at 6:26.  The course flattened a little but was still predominantly downhill.  The headwind had it's affect on the pace but I was still able to maintain 6:40 for the second mile.  Not as much downhill during mile 3 and the wind was really killing me.  Split for this mile was 6:52.  This was my goal pace so I felt good about it.  Much of the same during mile 4 (6:47).  I tried tucking behind other runners but it didn't seem to help.  Felt alright through miles 5 and 6 (6:56, 6:54) but I could tell that trouble was looming.  I just didn't have the endurance to maintain the pace.  A large pack of runners moved by me during the 7th mile and I surged to stay with them.  There was a good climb during this mile so the split was slower (7:00) but it took a lot more effort.  I think this was the final nail in my coffin.  Miles 8 and 9 were 7:02 and I was in trouble.  The tenth mile has the short but steep climb and I thought I was going to die (7:23).  The only thing that kept me going was seeing the big downhill that followed.  My legs were trashed so I couldn't take advantage of the downhill.  Switched to survival mode at the start of the 11th mile (7:23).  That has never happened to me in a half before.  Came out of the canyon and the 12th mile was beyond painful (7:57).  The wind was unbearable.  I was running slower than when I hit the wall in a marathon.  Last mile was om 7:34 and I was just happy to finish.  Final time was 1:33:13 - by far my worst half marathon ever.

After I crossed the finish line, I grabbed a quick drink and completely ignored my sever glycogen depletion and started running back to meet Becky.  Based on my estimate of when she would finish, I thought I would be able to run the last 2 miles with her.  Slowly jogged back and tried to cheer everybody on.  As I was approaching mile 12, I decided to start walking and just meet up when I could.  At that moment, she completely surprised me and made the turn at the 12 mile marker.  She was way ahead of schedule.  Ran the last mile with her and really struggled to keep up.  I couldn't believe how well she was doing.  She finished in 1:53 and would have been below 1:50 if it were not for the wind. 

After all was said and done, it is time for me to get back training serious.  It was a nice little break but I hated the feeling that I had for the last 3 miles.  I am better than this and need to get back to where I should be.

Typical post race heavy legs. A little extra soreness in my ankles and achilles tendons but that is normal for me.  Just took it easy today.  The goal for the week is to get out every day to start building the habit of running again. 

I am being pressured into running the Salt Lake half next month.  Is it a good idea knowing that I am not in as good of shape as I would like to be?  Maybe I will try using races to get into shape this year.  I have never really tried that.

Spring, where did you go?  Nice and easy run in a light snowfall.  Not cold enough for it to stick to the ground so the roads were clear.  I can't wait to start running in shorts and a tshirt.

Was out late last night at a concert so I was very tired this morning.  Got a late start so had to cut the run short.  I felt like I just slogged through the run.  Not a whole lot of energy.

I was very snacky yesterday and I could really feel it this morning.  Garbage in, garbage out.  Les were very uncooperative.  

I would have taken today off if I hadn't told myself that I will run everyday this week.  My legs are very tight and have been slow to recover from the race.  The slow recovery is probably due to the lower base mileage.

Very low energy and my legs are tight.  Didn't feel much like a runner this morning.  Maybe it's all in the attitude.

Nice run at a brisk pace.  The last 5 miles were sub 7 and felt good.  I'm trying to create the habit of pushing myself a little more each day.  I have said that before but I really mean it this time.  I love the feeling after a good run.  The last 6 months of slogging along were not as enjoyable and I want to start having fun again.  

Goal for the week is to run 6 days including 1 tempo run and have 35 miles before Saturday.

Good run.  Legs are a little tight.  Had to be home at 7 so cut the run a mile short.

Warmed up with 3 easy miles then attempted 4 miles at half marathon pace.  When the first warm up mile came in at 9:00 I should have known to bag the tempo miles.  Averaged 6:45/mile for the tempo miles and it took way too much of an effort.  I was not happy with the run at all.  It was a tough run but I got through it.  I guess the numbers are less important than the effort.

So much for my goal for the week.  I'm sick so I decided not to run today.  I thought about going out for just a couple of miles but realized that was just silly.