A clydesdale no more!

Didn't have as much time as I planned this morning.  Decided to run 7:00 miles and get in as many miles as time would allow.  The pace felt much harder than it should have.  My legs felt a little heavy and were tired for most of the run.  First 2 miles were a little slow but the others were right on pace.  I would like to get in a few easy miles tonight to make up for the missed miles this morning.

Total Time: 42:08 (7:01/mile)

Woke up late so I didn't have enough time to put in a long run before Amy had to go to work.  I figured that I could get in about 9-10 miles so I decided to put in a good hill workout.  Ran up to the mouth of Mueller Park canyon then back home.  This was exactly 9 miles.  When I got home my two youngest kids were still asleep so I told my son to keep an eye on them while I ran around the block.  I ran a figure 8 loop which crossed by my house every mile.  I was never more than 1/2 mile away from home and told my son to come out and wait for me if he needed anything.  I checked in on them each time I passed the house.  Took my in-laws, dog which we are dog sitting, for the first two miles.  She is a miniature pincher puppy and is full of energy.  I was hoping that this would wipe her out and make her want to sleep the rest of the day.  Dropped her off then ran 3 more miles.  Miles were slow because of the hills and I could never get in a groove because of all the stopping and starting.  Not the greatest run but at least I was able to get the mileage in for the day.

 Total Time: 1:53:05 (8:05/mile)

I want to start running my general aerobic runs a little faster so I pressed the pace a little today.   Ran a few miles at or below 7:00/mile.  I was a little more tired toward the end of the run than I usually am.  I guess that this is a good thing.  It was good to see so many people out exercising this morning.  Not sure if it is because it is warmer or because school is out.

Total Time: 1:05:42 (7:18/mile) 

It was hot and windy this morning.  Warmed up with 3 miles at an easy pace into the wind then ran a 4 mile tempo run.  Most of the tempo run was with the wind or with a cross wind.  The last mile was into the wind.  Splits were: 6:21, 6:13 (too fast), 6:28 (over compensated), 6:19.  I was dead tired at the end.  Tempo runs aren't supposed to be this much work so I obviously pushed harder than I should have.  Cooled down with 2 miles into the wind and it was a lot of work.  Not sure why it was so much work this morning.  During the cool down, I was attacked by two black birds.  I don't know what I did to them but they kept swooping down at me.  As I would turn towards them, would back off and perch themselves on a telephone pole.  As soon as I turned my back on them, they would swoop down at me again.  This continued for about 1/4 mile.

 Total Time: 1:06:55 (7:26/mile)
 

Six easy miles in a torrential downpour.  Weather has gone from hot and windy to cold and rainy.  I can't remember the last time that it rained this hard.  I was completely soaked.  Other than a little tightness in the usual areas, I felt pretty good today.  

Total Time: 48:09 (8:01/mile) 

Weather looked good as I headed out the door but the rain started falling shortly after leaving.  It really started to fall and I was quickly soaked.  I really wasn't in the mood to run this morning so I thought that running a good hilly run would get me motivated.  Ran up to the entrance of Mueller Park canyon and back home.  The further I went up, the harder it was raining.  I really didn't push hard and just tried to enjoy the run.  Felt pretty good on the way down.  Didn't force the pace but form felt relatively in control.

Total Time: 1:21:18 (8:08/mile - 45:40 going up, 35:38 coming down) 

I'm starting to get in the mode where it takes a lot to get myself out the door but once I get going I feel good.  It's probably due to the colder temperatures the last few days.  My form felt really forced and didn't feel very natural.  I think that my biggest problem is that I have a lazy push off.  I've noticed this in the past but can't seem to fix it.  

There was a health fair at my work yesterday and I was a little disappointed in a couple of the results.  I have high blood pressure and my body fat measured at 17%.  There is no way that my body fat is that high.  Makes my wonder why I bother running this much.

Total Time: 1:06:21 (7:17/mile)

Felt like my legs needed a little break from the pavement so I headed for the mountains.  Parked my car about 1/2 mile from the B and headed up the dirt road that climbs the mountain.  I wasn't sure how much climbing was going to be involved and I think I may have bit off more than I could chew.  It was a tough run.  I was expecting a few flat sections but it was non-stop climbing.  Reached the snow after about 6 miles and kept going for another 1.5 miles then turned around and headed back to the car.  Towards the top, the dirt road was just wet enough to make it spongy.  It was a great surface to run on.  On the way back down, I focused on a good leg turnover and driving my legs forward.  I think that the uphill running is the cause of my laziness in my push off.  It was a lot more fun coming down than going up.

Still fighting the motivation issues.  I wanted to concentrate on my turnover today and see how close to 180 I could get.  I checked my stride rate a couple of times and was around 175.  The turnover felt fast.  I guess this means that it is something that I really need to focus on.  I want to get to the point were 175-180 feels normal.

Total Time: 1:05:26 (7:16/mile) 

Warmed up with 3 easy miles then ran a 4 mile tempo run.  Last week, my splits were all over the place so I wanted to keep the splits more even this time.  My legs felt like a ton of bricks - especially my quads.  It felt like a lot of work to maintain my pace but was able to hold a consistent pace throughout the run: 6:29, 6:28, 6:28, 6:25.  Finished with a couple of easy mile to cool down.

Total Time: 1:06:24 (7:23/mile) 

Easy run.  Still have absolutely no energy.  Legs are completely wiped out.  Not sure what the problem is.

Total Time:  47:52 (7:59/mile)

Got a late start this morning and was glad I did because the "scenery" was much better. Ran the Davis Blvd loop. I was a little tired at the start but started feeling a little better as the run progressed. Towards the end, I ran completely out of energy. The run was probably 2 more miles than I should have gone this morning.

Edit: Just stepped off the scale and I am 6 pounds lighter this morning than yesterday.  I'm obviously a little dehydrated.  I think that I have a little bug that is affecting my energy level and caused the dehydration. 

Total Time: 1:20:14 (7:47/mile)

Blah.

Total Time: 39:07 (7:49/mile)

PM: My wife wanted me to go to the rec center with her so I hopped on the treadmill for a few minutes.  Ran 3.1 miles in 20:31 including the second mile in 6:00.

I felt about as bad during this run as I ever have during any run. There was just nothing there. Form felt horrible, my feet were hitting the ground funny and I had no energy. This seems to happen every time I get around 60 mpw. It may be time to step back and reassess things. If I can't maintain the mileage and intensity required to reach my goals then maybe the goals are too lofty for me.

Total Time: 2:18:41 (8:07/mile)

I'm following Maria and Sasha's advice and just putting in the miles without worrying about the pace until I can snap out of this funk.  My legs still feel dead.  The running motion just doesn't feel natural right now.  It was nice just running without being concerned about maintaining a certain pace.

Total Time: 1:13:57 (7:42/mile) 

Still taking it easy.  Feel a little better today.  I'm going to finish out the week with just base mileage which should make everything right again.

Total Time: 1:01:08 (7:39/mile) 

Ran an abbreviated version of the Davis Blvd loop due to time constraints.  Feeling a little better but achilles tendons are on fire.  It's time for new shoes which may be causing the achilles problems.

Total Time: 1:04:53 (7:49/mile) 

Total Time: 1:10:12 (7:48/mile)

Legs are pretty sore today for some unknown reason.  Still taking it easy and just putting in the miles.

Total Time: 1:07:00 (7:47/mile) - Time estimated because Garmin died with 2 miles to go. 

Cut the run a little short today because I am sick.  Got some bug in my nose and throat.  I didn't want to push too hard since I figured that it would take my body a little longer to recover with the illness.  Finally got a new pair of shoes and they seemed to help.  My bone spurs were a little more sore as it takes a while for new shoes to form to my feet.

Total Time: 1:36:51 (7:45/mile) 

Feeling a lot better today.  Was able to maintain a decent pace throughout the run and felt relatively well.  Still don't feel 100% but am getting close.  

Total Time: 1:04:07 (7:07/mile)

Avg HR: 156 

I wanted to get in some faster running to get my legs ready for a 5k on Saturday.  Ran up to the Viewmont High track to do some 400 meter repeats (3.5 miles).  When I got to the track I found that they are putting in a new football field and a small section of the track was covered with dirt for the tractors to drive over.  I considered doing the repeats anyway but decided that getting over the dirt track would be too much of a hassle.  Ended up running a 4 mile tempo run instead.  

Mile	Split	Comment
1	6:11	Slightly downhill but still too fast.
2	6:23	Right where I wanted to be.
3	6:31	Got mentally lazy.  Disappointed with the consistent drop in pace.
4	6:19	Pushed the last half mile (HR up to 177).
Average	6:21

 I am overall happy with the run but am a little disappointed with the 3rd mile.  Mentally, I just went into cruise control and wasn't pushing like I should have been.  Cooled down with 1.5 easy miles.

Total Time: 1:04:39 (7:11/mile)

Avg HR: 153 (165 during tempo miles)
 

Easy recovery run.  Decided to add a couple of miles to the usual 6 mile recovery run.  Ran out by Farmington bay.  It's the gates are closed to keep the hunters out until the fall but I ducked under the gate anyway.  I was amazed by the number of birds flying around.

Legs felt a little heavy and chest is starting to feel congested.  Hope that it doesn't turn into anything before Saturday's race.  My ankles were really sore during the first half of the run.  I noticed that my left ankle was popping a lot yesterday which is probably the cause of the soreness.

Total Time: 1:05:42 (8:13/mile)

Avg HR: 141 

The cold is definitely moving to my chest.  On top of that, my legs feel completely wiped out.  I'm hoping that it will clear out in the next couple of days.  First half of the run is slightly uphill and I wasn't feeling very comfortable running.  The last half is slightly downhill and I was able to pick up the pace a little and felt better.

Total Time: 1:10:05 (7:37/mile)

Avg HR: 149 (This is just about right for the effort so I was happy to see that the cold isn't causing my body to work harder.) 

Still not as energetic as I would like to be.  My legs felt like they were sleeping for most of the run.  Threw in a few strides to try to wake them up.  It took a while to get up to speed but felt alright once there.

Total Time: 1:00:02 (7:30/mile)

Avg HR: 151 

Warmed up by running from home to the starting line (2.8 miles).  Threw in a few strides and didn't feel great.  I wasn't expecting a lot from today's race but know that once you lace up the shoes, there are no excuses and you have to give it everything that you have for that day.  At the start of the race, the usual young rabbits darted out and I hung back with the guy who won the last 5K that I ran (he runs a 17:00 5K but seems to start out slow).  After ½ mile the rabbits backed off and everyone settled into their positions (I was in fifth place).  I felt really comfortable and didn’t feel like I was really pushing too hard.  Ran the first mile, which was slightly downhill, in 5:49.  At the 1 mile marker, I moved along side the fourth place runner.  We ran side by side for a while.  I kept trying to break away from him but he kept with me.  I was finally able to shake him at the turn around point.  I then had my sights on the third place runner.  I would move closer then he would move up a little.  We played this game for a few minutes then I was finally able to catch him at about the 2 mile marker.  Second mile split was 6:13 – mostly flat with a short section with a slight incline.  I was now in 3rd place and the 2nd place runner was about 1 minute ahead.  I knew that I wasn’t going to catch him so I just concentrated on holding on to third place.  I still felt alright but I really didn’t have the desire to push the pace.  I’m not sure why I didn’t want to push harder.  I started having the usual waves of nausea with ½ mile to go.  Ran the third mile (which was slightly uphill) in 6:11.  Cruised through the finish line for a final time of 18:48.  I got an unexpected PR by 6 seconds and kept the PR streak alive (6 straight races with a PR).  Feel good about the race considering how I felt prior to the race.  There is still room for improvement, though.  I think that the biggest thing that I have to overcome is allowing others to set my pace.  There were a few times where I was maintaining my position with the other runners when I should have been passing them.  I also have to overcome the marathoners mentality of trying to conserve energy for the end of the race.  Cooled down with 2.8 miles of easy running back home.