A clydesdale no more!

WINDY!  Not much else to say.  Mostly a crosswind but when I turned into the wind it felt like I wasn't moving at all.  Fortunately, I only had to run into the wind for a couple of 1/2 mile stretches.  I felt really good at the beginning of the run but my legs started to tighten up towards the end.  

Total Time: 1:57:11 (7:49/mile) 

All the wind that we've had blew in a lot of cold air.  Went outside then had to go back in to re-dress.  Felt pretty good during the run except my hamstring started to burn towards the end of the run.  I'm going to start icing it to see if that will help alleviate some of the pain.  I guess the approach of ignoring it and hoping it takes care of itself isn't really working.  I wore my FRB jacket during the run and when I got home and took it off a gallon of sweat came pouring out of the sleeves (I know, that is gross).  It is probably good for warm up and cool down but not for longer runs.

Total Time: 1:18:42 (7:43/mile) 

Warmed up with 3 miles then attempted 4 miles at tempo pace.  First 2 miles were painfully slow.  The effort was way too hard for how slow the pace was (6:42/mile).  The next 2 miles were a little under 6:30 and felt a lot better.  This pace is definitely hard on the hamstring.  Cooled down with a few miles at an easy pace.  

Total Time: 1:15:54 (7:35/mile) 

It was windy again.  Hopefully it will blow in some warm air.  Kept the pace easy and I felt good for the first 12 but started to wear down towards the end.  It was encouraging to feel that good for most of the run.

Total Time: 1:49:30 (7:49/mile) 

Felt like I was just going through the motions this morning.  I felt good physically but just couldn't get into the run mentally.  Finished the run in the freezing rain.  This weather is getting ridiculous.  

AM - 6 miles

Easy recovery run. I have a few aches and pains that I think taking it easy today will take care of. I will try to hit the treadmill for a few super easy miles this afternoon. Still cold but it is starting to smell like warmer weather. I can't explain it but it just had that warmer weather feel even though it was cold.

PM - 4 miles

My girls had a play date with a friend from school so I decided to take advantage of the free time and put in a few more easy miles.  I suffered from the usual side stitch that I get when I run in the afternoon.  My body just isn't used to running in the afternoon.  Pace felt a lot smoother than it has lately and my hamstring didn't hurt at all. 

I knew that there was no way that I would survive 20 miles around the neighborhood so I extended the loop a little.  I first started by running to 7-11 to get some Gatorade and the 1.5 mile return while holding 2 big bottles wasn't very comfortable.  I then ran a 4 mile loop that extended through the adjacent neighborhood and returned home for a drink and to check on the kids.  I ran another 3 or 4 mile loop in another direction.  I continued this pattern a few times running a loop that was 3-4 miles and returning home to make sure that everything was alright.  Fortunately, the kids were tired and stayed asleep the entire run.  I kept the pace pretty easy (7:40-8:00 / mile depending on the terrain).  I live near the Front Runner stop in Woods Cross and they are getting ready for the free ride day today.  They have a few port-o-potties set up and there is something about the smell of them that reminds me of races.  Every time that I would run by, memories of past races would come back.

I was only planning on 20 miles but extended it to 20.8 so that I would have 90 miles for the past 7 days.  This is a weekly pr for me even though it is artificially high because I had to move my long run last week from Saturday to Sunday. 

Total Time: 2:43:00 (7:50/mile)