A clydesdale no more!

AM - 7.7 miles

Starting to shift to the morning runs now that it is warming up.  Problem is that it isn't warming up.  It was still quite cold and there were a few snow flurries while running.  1.5 miles into the run, mine and Becky's paths crossed.  She was putting in a few miles after her cross fit class so I ran a little over a mile with her.  Wasn't quite sure how many miles I wanted to run this morning so I just headed up to Orchard Drive and did my standard loop.  Legs still a little tired and I had some tibial soreness.

PM - 2 miles

There is a strength and toning class taught at my work every Wednesday that I have come to enjoy.  Not an overly hard workout but just enough to work some different muscles.  After the class I hit the treadmill just for fun.  Started at 7.5 mph and progressed to 11 mph to see how the pace felt.  9 mph was fast but felt good, 10 mph was a push but sustainable.  Biomechanically, I'm not sure my body could handle 11 mph for very long right now. 

Yesterday's bonus miles ended up being a mistake.  I didn't need the extra miles, the treadmill always causes problems for me and the pace was outside of where I should be running.  From my hip down to my ankle on my right side were bother me today.  I could tell while I was on the treamill yesterday that my right leg wasn't moving as well as the left.  Probably a muscle imbalance.

Took it slow today.  Just enjoyed being outside in perfect weather while I should have been working. 

Had a great time pacing the 2 hour group at the Dino Half with Becky.  This is the first time that we have paced together and it went very well.  We work well together because she is a great cheerleader and I excel at being a task master. 

It's a small race (200 racers) so pacing the 2 hour group gave us the best crowd.  For the first half of the race we had about 10 runners around us including a 10 year old girl that was running her 4th half marathon.  We also ran with Tara who we found out was friends with Don and Adrian who I have paced a few races with.  The running world is such a small world.  We started out a little ahead of our targeted pace because the first 2 miles are steeper downhill than we expected.  We settled into a good pace and maintained a 30 second cushion for the first half of the race.  To spice things up, they added a Sprintasaurus award for the fastest half mile from 6.2 to 6.7.  As we approached it, we let our runners know that we were going to run it a little faster to help them push.  We started out at a decent pace.  I pushed a little harder to catch the runners ahead.  Half way into it, I caught up to Tara and ran along side of her to help her push to the end.  She ended up winning the Sprintasaurus Queen award.  After that, we took a little walking break to get back on pace.  The herd thinned out a little bit for the rest of the race.  We had a guy that was recovering from injury and hadn't run in a month and another who was targeting us after starting 3 minutes after us because he was waiting in the POP line at the start.  They both stuck with us until the last mile when we told them to push ahead.  We were 20 seconds ahead of pace at the 12 mile mark so we backed off the pace and encouraged the last couple of runners that were around us.  Crossed the finish line in 1:59:57. 

Last week was an unintentional recovery week.  I didn't plan on running fewer, slower paced miles but it just worked out that way.  It was a good thing as I think I needed a cut back week.  With an easy week behind me, I thought today would be a good time to introduce some "speed" work.  Of course, I started the day with a poor nutrition choice (Mt. Dew for breakfast).  I could feel it during my warm up mile to the JRP.  Once I hit the trail, I decided to go at a comfortably hard pace and see what the watch would say at the end of 1 mile.  I pushed a little more than I probably should have and finished in 6:30.  It was hard but sustainable.  Ran 1/2 mile at 8:30/mile pace then started the second mile.  The effort wasn't as hard but it was a lot less comfortable (if that makes sense).  Gave an extra little push at the end and finished in 6:26.  Wasn't sure that I wanted to do another.  After another 1/2 mile at 8:30 pace, figured I would take a shot at a 3rd mile at the same pace.  A little more difficult.  I was pretty worn out after 1/2 mile but I was able to push though know I only had 1/2 mile to go (along with some grunting and groaning).  Another little push with 0.1 to go brought me in at 6:25.  The pace is still somewhat slow but I am glad I was able to mentally sustain the effort.  I'm not quite ready for a sub-20 5k attempt as this took most of what I had, even with the 1/2 mile recoveries.  I am getting close.  Finished with 2 cool down miles.  Kept the pace close to 8:00/mile because I wanted to finish the run with an average pace below 7:30/mile. 

Chilly morning run on the LPT.  My legs feel dead from the "speed" work on Monday.  I need to keep in mind that my fitness is still not very high and it is going to take more to recover from harder runs.  Absolutely perfect weather outside. Temperature was cool and it rained last night so the air felt clean. 

Strength and toning class at work this afternoon.

Was too busy with work to run this morning so I packed my clothes hoping for a lunchtime run.  Was too busy at work too.  Finally got to a point where I could step away for a few minutes.  Ran the usual out and back on the JRP.  Kept it at a comfortable pace (7:55/mile).  Legs still a little fatigued.  I can't imagine they are still sore from Monday.  Temperature felt perfect when I was running into the wind but was too warm when the wind was at my back.

Last week was another throw away week.  Just too busy with work, home projects and kid's activities.  Becky signs up for a lot of virtual races.  I used to think it was silly but I now realize that is a way for her to get in speed work.  Today was her Mother's Day 7k.  We went to the LPT and I ran it with her.  Held a 7:30/mile pace for most of the run. 

Going to really make the effort to be consistent this week.  Absolute perfect running weather this morning.  Hoping I can lock into the routine of getting out every morning.  My right ankle is causing fits.  Couldn't get into a decent groove because it was bothering me. 

Another morning of perfect running weather.  Stumbled upon Becky at the 2.5 mile mark while she was putting in a few miles after her gym session.  Ran 1.5 with her then tacked on a few more.  Just kept it at a comfortable crusing pace. 

I'm going to start an 8 week boot camp at Becky's gym on Monday and am not sure how much running I will be able to get in.  Mentally, it is going to be hard letting the miles drop again but I will be gaining in overall fitness which is more important. 

My week of consistency didn't go so well.  Felt great during the run this morning.  Body seemed to be moving well.  My dilemna for tomorrow is that I have to weigh in at the crossfit gym before the 8 week boot camp starts on Monday.  I want to run 15 miles but don't want to have an artifically low weight during my weigh in.  Probably won't have time afterward because of soccer games.  Maybe it will have to be a late night run.  I never seem to be motivated enough to run long unless I do it first thing in the morning.

Ended up going to a father and son's camp with Becky's son on Friday night.  It was a torrential downpour so I got no sleep at all.  Saturday was a busy day so by the time I got a chance to run I was too tired.  Put in a good run today.  Ran from home to Bountiful Blvd. then to Eaglewood and finished the loop home.  Lots of hill work.  Kept the pace/effort nice and easy and enjoyed being out on a perfect day.

Had my weigh in at the gym yesterday.  I'm down 30 pounds and 4% body fat since January.  This will help give me that extra little push for the last 10 pounds.  Hoping the body fat drops another 10%.  When the guy saw my abonormally high body fat %, he had a puzzled look on his face.  He gave my side a little pinch and said, "Oh, that makes sense".  Yes, I am a skinny fat guy.

Day 1 at the crossfit gym.  It was HARD.  I've been going to the strength and toning class at work for the past few months.  That is nothing compared to this.  It is an hour long class going through different cycles.  Pushups, pullups, burpees, lifting tires, TRX, dumbbells, barbells, and a bunch of other things.  I struggled but made it through the workouts.  They require us to go 3 days per week so my plan for now is to go Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  Will run decent mileage on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday with recovery runs on the other days if I can fit them in. 

Good solid run on the Rec Center loop.  Arms, chest and quads are a bit sore from yesterday.  Not deabilitating sore but just enough to know I did something new.  I've been in such a bad place the last few months.  It feels good to be taking steps toward feeling better.

Day 2 at Firehouse Fitness.  I felt less out of place but still struggled through the exercises.  8 cycles of the usual variety spending 6 minutes in each cycle.  I was encouraged that some of the things that I struggled with on Monday were not as hard today (the dumbell jumping jacks and dumbell punches).  Had a real hard time with burpees and the crab crawl.  One of the cycles was a 6 minute run that I was excited for.  Finally, something that I knew how to do. Unfortunately, it was the second to last cycle and I was exhausted and could only maintain 7:30/mile pace.  If nothing else, I am getting used to the feeling of pusuhing myself outside of the comfort range.  After running for a long time, I have gotten used to the feeling and never really pushed myself out of the comfort range.

Woke up with a very sore right calf either from the sumo squats or mountain climbers.  With my reduced mileage, I am trying to be better about quality runs.  Opted for a 4 mile tempo run on the Legacy Trail (thanks for the idea Kam).  Warmed up for 2 miles from home to the trail and transitioned right into tempo pace.  Not really sure what that is right now so I targeted 7:00/mile.  Becky needed my Gramin for her long run this morning so I had to use my old school running watch.  Actually prefer to do it this way so I am not constantly looking at my pace.  It is better to pick the pace by feel than by what your watch says.  Unfortunately, my internal speedometer is not quite calibrated so the pace was all over the place (6:48, 6:55, 6:31, 6:48).  Mile 2 seemed to be the most difficult.  There is a very slight elevation gain on the trail (mile markers 3 to 2) but that wouldn't account for the slower, more difficult pace.  Maybe it was mental.  Over compensated during the 3rd mile and I also crossed paths with Becky so I probably felt the need to show off.  Felt good about the run.  Once I got into a groove, it was a good feeling to be moving at a decent clip.

Shorter session of crossfit that ended with a 15 minute run.  I extended it and ran the 5k loop.  Kept the pace around 7:30/mile and it felt really good. 

Very windy run.  Headed south on the LPT as I wanted to put in the work into the wind the first half of the run and half the wind at my back during the second half.  The wind was blowing much harder than I expected and it was tough.  Kept the pace around 8:15/mile and it took a lot of work.  Connected to the JRP and continued on to Rose Park golf course.  Turned around and couldn't believe how much easier it was.  Pace dropped to 7:40 and it felt very comfortable.  Overall, I felt great during the run.  I am slowly but surely making my way down the comeback trail.

We decided late Friday night to run the Memorial Day Classic half marathon in Syracuse put on by Striders Running Store.  It has been a long time since I have been in race mode so the plan was to dip my toe in the racing waters.  Quite frankly, I have been afraid to race because I didn't want the discouragement of the results.  Didn't want to kill myself but wanted to give a good, solid effort.  My plan was to run 7:15/mile and see how it felt.  The course is pancake flat so would give me honest feedback on my fitness level.  The race started and nobody was interested in running fast.  I ended up leading for the first 3/4 mile which forced me to run a little faster than planned.  Modified my goal and locked in 7:00/mile pace and tried to maintain that the rest of the way.  At times, it felt a bit forced.  When it did, I would modify my stride to get in a more comfortable rythmn.  Focused on shorter quicker strides instead of my typical long, loping strides.  Every mile was between 6:56 and 7:01 until mile 12.  At that point, there were 2 runners that were slowly coming back to me that I wanted to catch.  Switched gears and started to lengthen my stride to pick up the pace.  Got by them, moved into fourth place and just tried to hold on to the end.  Last 2 miles were 6:40 and 6:45 and I finished in 1:31:11, missing 3rd place by 9 seconds.  I only had one low moment during the 11th mile.  I certainly had plenty in the tank at the end but the effort was solid the entire race and a good indication that I am moving in the right direction.  It's a strange feeling being happy with a 1:31 half but I'm accepting my place in my third running life.   

Crossfit session included a 7 minute run.  I went a few seconds longer to get in a full mile.  Feel completely exhausted today.  Why aren't holiday weekends more relaxing?

Crossfit:  Today was brutally hard.  A lot of repetitions of each exercise and I'm not experienced enough to accomplish all of them in the allotted time.  Fortunately, the workout included two 6 minute runs.  That is still the only thing that I can do well there.  Even though this is killing me, I am starting to feel better about myself which is what is important.

Run up to Bountiful Blvd and back home.  Wanted to do a more difficult run today since I have only run a couple of times this week.  Decent effort going up and just kind of cruised coming back down.  Legs felt a little worn out and I couldn't get a good turnover on the downhill. 

Crossfit. A different type of workout today.  It was more focused on specific muscle groups.  Tweaked my neck on one of them and it is still killing me.  Included three 6 minute runs.  I got progressively slower on each one (1 mile, 0.9 miles, 0.8 miles).