A clydesdale no more!

Went to the gym.  Exercises included 2 runs.  Left hamstring was on fire during the first run.  My last cycle was another run so I thought I would try to get a couple of extra miles in by running home.  Hamstring was bothering me so when Becky drove by, I flagged her down and got a ride the rest of the way home.  

Run to the golf course and back.  Nice and easy.

Put in a few miles while driving the support vehicle for Becky and Shantell's long run.  They wanted to run 20+ miles and I wasn't comfortable leaving them out there without support.  Dropped them off at the bottom of little moountain then drove 5 miles down the canyon.  Ran up 2 miles then back to the car while waiting.  Hamstring was bothering me on the way up and groin was a problem on the way down.  I am a mess.  They fueled up then I went down 10 miles to 11th Ave.  Ran to the capitol and back to the car (6 miles).  Had now energy so I called it quits at that point.  I think I'm starting to get a chest cold.  It's been feeling funny for a couple of weeks and is finally making is presence known.  Feels like I am completely falling apart both physically and mentally.  

Usual 5 mile loop.  A little faster finish so my body doesn't forget what the quicker pace feels like.  

Eight on the LPT with Tara.  We went North instead of South this time and neither one of us had our Garmin's which made it a whole new experience.  Since there were no timing devices to say otherwise, I'm sure that every mile was under 7:00.  In reality, average pace was probably around 7:50 for the entire run with the last 2 a little quicker.  My hamstring is still bothering me.  Not a ton of pain but not strong enough to push off effectively which makes the overall running effort higher.

Just a run around the block.

Becky is in Vegas for a nursing conference so I met her down there to run a half marathon.  Neither one of us wanted to race so we just ran at a leisurely pace.  First half was uphill with a gradual downhill during the second half.  We finished in 1:51 ish.  A little slow but it was a decent run.  I pushed the pace during one of the miles to play catch up and the fast pace felt good.  

Met Tara at the LPT for the usual Tuesday run.  My right foot started bothering me yestrerday which made the run today a little more difficult.  We were a little slower on the way out most likely because of my poor effort.  Effort was a little better on the way back (7:28, 7:39, 7:32, 7:06) but felt much harder than it should have.  Foot is still a little achey.  Not sure if it is from my age or extra weight but these constant nagging injuries are getting really annoying.

Eight minute run at Firehouse.  I've been taking a bit of a break from the gym and it really showed today.  Really struggled with some of the exercises.

Just wanted a nice a slow run today.  Didn't make the slightest effort to push the pace.  My foot felt totally fine which is strange since I have struggled to even walk on it the past few days.  Hamstring is still burning.

Three short runs at Firehouse.

Paced the 1:35 group at the Haunted Half.  Well, I guess I should say that I helped pace the first 10 miles.  I had my doubts going into this race based on how I have felt the last couple of weeks.  I tried convincing myself that I would be fine since I ran 1:27 at Cottonwood and this course isn't that much slower.  I also had a pacing partner so knew that if I couldn't finish, the job would still get done.  The race started and I felt fine.  We kept the pace at 7:00/mile coming down the canyon so we could give some back going uphill through Research Park and the U.  As we got towards the bottom of the canyon, the pace wasn't as conversational and I knew I was in trouble.  The first hill was too hard and we were too slow.  After getting to the top of the second hill we lost our entire cushion and I told my pacing partner that I was done and he would have to finish without me.  I stood there for 30 seconds deciding what I should do.  Should I wait for Becky and run with her or just finish as well as I could.  I decided that I want to stop being a quitter so I started running again.  The last climb was tough but once I got to the top and the course started going down again I was able to get back down to the low 7's.  Not happy about the race and where my fitness is.  I need to find a way to get motivated again.  I have been in a funk for almost 4 years.  

Met Tara at the LPT.  Not a good run for me at all.  Left hamstring was bothering me which made it difficult to push off properly.  Had a decent headwind on the way back which made it a slow pace/high effort run.  One of those days where you don't feel like a runner at all.  

One mile at Firehouse.  

Becky and I were assigned the 1:55 spot for the Howloween half marathon.  It started and 6 p.m. so she thought it would be fun to pace the Haunted half in the morning also.  I had no such desire because I had soccer games to watch and I am not insane.  She had been sick all week so I had a feeling that the second race would not go well.  We dressed up as Jack and Sally Skellington.  The race started and we were about 25 seconds ahead of our goal time after 2 miles.  This is the ideal cushion.  After mile 3 she started to feel the earlier race so I told her to drop back.  I actually was hoping that she would just go back to the start because I was worried about her pushing too hard while her body is recovering.  I was pretty much on my own so I decided to try to hit exactly 8:46 every mile for the rest of the way to keep myself entertained.  Each mile was within a second or 2 of my goal.  I picked up a couple of runners during the last 2 miles and I let some of my cushion go so that I was not pushing them too hard.  Turned the last corner and my watch read 12.6 miles which made me come in almost 3 minutes early.  There were no mile markers on the course so I had no idea if my Garmin was accurate or not.  Becky came in about 10 minutes after me (too stubborn to quit).  We ended up winning the costume contest which made the night somewhat of a success.

Just getting out the door felt like a victory.  An easy five around the usual loop.

Three one mile runs at Firehouse.