A clydesdale no more!

Didn't feel very well when I woke again. Not sure if it is a bug coming on or just fatigue/stress/etc. Ran an easy 5 miles because I typically feel better after running. The pace felt pretty slow but the splits were faster than my previous recovery days.

Avg HR = 145

Total Time = 38:31

Decided to see how my body would respond to doing both speed and tempo runs in the same week. Warmed up with 2.25 easy miles then ran 5 miles at tempo pace. I've been running 6:30/mile for my shorter tempo runs but I think that this is a little too fast. Plan was to keep the splits somewhere between 6:35 and 6:40. Averaged 6:33/mile and the splits were:

Mile 1 = 6:35

Mile 2 = 6:35

Mile 3 = 6:25 (a little extra downhill)

Mile 4 = 6:39 (got lazy and wasn't paying attention to my pace)

Mile 5 = 6:31

Avg HR = 159

Avg HR during tempo = 170 (peaked at 178 towards the end of mile 5)

Total Time = 1:05:58

Legs are a little fatigued so I didn't want to push too hard today. Ran to NSL then up to Orchard Drive then looped back home. I haven't run this route for a while and I forgot the distance. It was 1 mile further than I planned on running. There is a slight elevation gain for the first 6 miles then drops the last 2 miles. The uphill portions took a little more work than I expected. Felt good coming back down the last 2.5 miles.

Avg HR = 156

Total Time = 1:06:59

Over slept again so I was limited to 90 minutes running. It was too wet to run the Farmington Bay route so I just stayed on the roads and ran the Target loop. Legs are still a little tired but I was able to hold a decent pace most of the run. The first 3 miles were a little slow but once I warmed up I was able to hit 7:30/mile or faster for the rest of the run. This pace is now very comfortable. It feels like 8:00/mile pace used to feel. Ran 11 miles and realized I had a few extra minutes before Amy had to leave for work. Went back out to put in 2 more miles. The rain really started to come down. I was soaking wet when I got home and it felt great. I love running in the rain.

Avg HR = 152

Total Time = 1:38:05

Avg Pace = 7:33/mile

2.25 mile warmup then 3 X 1 miles @ 5K pace (6:00/mile) with 0.5 mile jog in between each. I couldn't get comfortable during the first mile. My upper body felt very tense. Finished in 5:54 and felt alright. Was a little more comfortable during the second but it hurt more. Got a little nauseous towards the end. Ran it in 5:52. Didn't really feel like running the last one. First quarter felt slow but was a little ahead of pace. Slowed down the second and third quarter and was 2 seconds behind at 0.75 miles so I sped up to make up the difference. Actually started to feel good during the last 0.25. Finished in 5:58. Ran 1.75 miles to cool down. While I wasn't as comfortable as I would have liked, it did feel good to get through it with faster splits than I had planned on.

Avg HR = 148 (peaked at 175)

Total Time = 1:01:25

Legs are tired so I took it relatively easy today. Run to Orchard Drive then looped back home. Going uphill seemed to take too much work but coming downhill felt quite a bit better.

Avg HR = 152

Total Time = 1:05:52 (7:45/mile)

Very easy recovery run (past the golf course and back). My leg muscles are sore. I take this as a good sign that I am running outside of my comfort zone more often and taxing my body more.

Avg HR = 140

Total Time = 42:50 (8:34/mile)

Warmed up with 2.25 then ran 3 miles at tempo pace. Wanted to keep each mile below 6:30. First mile (6:24) was a lot more work than it should have been. My legs did not want to move. Started to loosen up during the second mile (6:24) and felt a lot better. Now that I was warmed up, the third mile (6:24) was pretty comfortable. ended up a little further from home than I planned and ran 3.75 miles to cool down.

Avg HR = 157 (peaked at 178)

Total Time = 1:07:04

Felt really good today. After feeling beat up the past couple of weeks it was nice to have a run where I felt good. Tried to keep it at a good general aerobic pace but got carried away during the middle miles and got about 1 minute ahead of the 7:30 guy. Decided to back off a bit but still kept my pace below 7:30 the rest of the way. The pace felt very comfortable.

Avg HR = 158

Total Time = 53:48 (7:22/mile)

Wanted to take it easy today and not worry about the pace - just enjoy the run. I found my SuperFeet insoles which I haven't worn for over a year and decided to give them a try. I could feel added pressure on my right medial tibia (site of previous stress fracture). I could also feel a blister coming on so I stopped by the house after 9 miles and put the old insoles back in. Finished up with another 4 miles. Other than the insole issue, I felt really good during this run. I was very relaxed and didn't feel as though I was pushing at all. The pace was slightly faster than my LSD pace during racing season.

Avg HR = 148

Total Time = 1:44:55 (7:50/mile)

It was very windy and rainy. In lieu of speed work today, I decided to hit a hill that has been calling my name. It is a 600 foot climb over 0.85 miles. It is hard enough as it is but running into a 20 mph headwind made it quite difficult. It was a struggle just to average 10:30/mile. It burned but it sure felt good.

Avg HR=151

Total Time = 1:11:37 (7:57/mile)

Cold, wet and slushy. Had a hard time staying in a non-slushy track on the road and avoiding the puddles. My feet and legs were soaking wet and cold. To top it off, a snow plow driver decided that he didn't want to wait for me to turn and forced me to stop abrubtly. Only problem was that it was too slick to stop and I fell on my back side. Aggrevated my calf and hamstring a little but nothing too serious. The run itself felt good and the pace felt comfortable.

Avg HR = 153

Total Time = 59:22 (7:25/mile)

Very easy recovery run. Right calf a little sore from yesterday's fall.

Avg HR = 140

Total Time = 48:32 (8:05/mile)

Very low energy today. I just didn't feel right. After 2.25 miles running at GA pace I started my 3 mile tempo run. First mile felt horrible (6:40). I knew I wasn't going to hit my pace and considered not finishing the tempo run. Figured I may as well put in 1 more mile at tempo pace to see how it goes. Ran mile 2 in 6:28 but still didn't feel great. Started to feel quite a bit better during the third mile and finished it in 6:14. Overall pace for the 3 miles was right were I wanted it to be but I didn't feel like I should have. Finished with 2.75 miles at an easy pace.

Avg HR = 159 (172 during tempo)

Total Time = 58:32 (7:19/mile)

Lower legs are hurting today and feel really stiff (left knee, left ankle, right calf and both tibias). I'm hoping that it is just my body acclimating to the colder temperatures. Just wanted to put in a few miles at a comfortable pace. Picked up the pace during the last mile and felt alright. Considered stretching the run out a bit longer but decided that it would be better to give my legs a rest.

Avg HR = 148

Total Time = 38:05 (7:37/mile)

Left knee hurt most of the day yesterday. Today's plan was to only run as far as the knee would take me. It wasn't as sore this morning as it was yesterday so I figured 12 miles would be about right. Four miles into the run, I saw a hill that I have always wondered how much work it would take to climb (250 ft climb over 0.5 miles). Decided to give it a shot. Run up the hill at it felt pretty good. As the run continued, I started feeling better and ended up running 14 to make this week's total 50 miles.

Avg HR = 153

Total Time = 1:48:27 (7:45/mile)

This week is going to be a "just running" week. I'm not doing any speedwork or tempo runs. I will keep everything at a comfortable pace and only run as far as feels right for that day. I have 3 weeks until training for Boston starts and I want to go into it without any nagging injuries.

Avg HR = 151

Total Time = 47:50

Felt like running some hills today so I headed up towards Mueller Park canyon. Turned around at the 4 mile mark (just past the junior high). It was a 1,000 ft climb and felt pretty good. Took it easy coming down for the first 2 miles then picked up the pace the last 2 miles. It was much warmer than I thought so I was overdressed. Ended up shedding the gloves, hat and long sleeve shirt half way into the run.

Avg HR = 150

Total Time = 1:04:19 (8:02/mile)

Very easy paced run. Didn't bother wearing the HR monitor but checked it when I finished and it was 140.

Total Time = 48:20

Thought about running a 5k race today but didn't feel mentally ready for a race so I decided to head up to Mueller Park canyon and run up to Elephant Rock. It's 3.5 miles from the start of the trail to Elephant Rock and climbs about 900 feet. As I started out, I wasn't feeling all that great and was glad that I ddin't run a race because I definitely was not in the right state of mind. After warming up, I felt a lot better and started to really enjoy the run. I started out on the heels (or should I say pedals) of a couple of mountain bikers so I stopped for a minute to let them get ahead of me. Caught back up to them after a few minutes and stopped again to let them gain some ground. I didn't see any point in passing them because they would be able to fly by me on the flats and downhills. Towards the top, the trail got a little sloppy and was slushy in some spots but was still a lot of fun. Caught the mountain bikers one last time right before I got to Elephant Rock. Stopped for a couple of minutes at the top to enjoy the view. Running back down was great and I started to push the pace once I was comfortable with the downhill trail running. I wish I had started doing this earlier in the year. It was a lot of fun and reminded me of the reason why I started running. I started getting burned out always thinking about the next marathon or making sure that I follow the right schedule and am running the right pace every run. This was a great Thanksgiving day run.

Felt really good today. Kept it at very comfortable pace.

Total Time = 53:50 (7:29/mile)

First time in a long time that I almost chose sleep over running. Wasn't very motivated but got out the door anyway. Felt like I was asleep most of the run. Good to get the run in but it wasn't the greatest.

Total Time = 1:19:08

Very windy this morning. Going into the wind was tough but running with the wind felt great. Ran about 8:00/mile into the wind and 7:00/mile with the wind and somewhere in between the 2 when there was a cross wind. Was just a little ahead of the 7:30 guy with 1 mile to go but had to finish going uphill into the wind. Pushed it on the last mile and finished well ahead of what I thought I would.

Total Time = 59:12 (7:24/mile)

Feeling a little run down today. Most likely due to stresses at work. Just wanted to take a leisurely run today. Ran a little uphill just to keep it interesting (about 400 ft elevation gain over 2 of the first 3 miles). Didn't feel great at the beginning but started to feel better as the run progressed.

Total Time = 54:50 (8:04/mile)

The plan was to do some speed work on the track. Too much snow on the ground prevented that from happening. Thought I could get a few tempo miles in but the roads weren't plowed very well and it was very slippery. I couldn't get solid enough footing to run at a decent pace. Ended up with just a plain old GA run.

Total Time = 1:00:34 (7:34/mile)

It was cold this morning (8 degrees with -3 wind chill). Planned on some tempo miles but wasn't sure how my body would respond in the cold. Warmed up with 2.25 miles. Started the tempo run and I felt slow and really had to focus to keep a decent pace. Ran it in 6:34 and was surprised that it was that fast. Started to warm up during the second mile and felt a lot more comfortable (6:20). Continued to chug along the third mile and ran it in 6:14. After the first mile, I felt very comfortable and didn't feel like I was running as fast as I was. Cooled down with 2.75 miles at GA pace.

Total Time = 58:26