A clydesdale no more!

It was still a little cold this morning.  I was in shorts and a short sleeve shirt but wore gloves to keep my hand warm.  Warmed up with 3 easy miles then ran a 4 mile tempo run.  It felt like it took a little more work than the previous 2 weeks.  My heart rate jumped up to the mid to high 160's right from the start.  I had a hard time maintaining a decent pace.  The splits were: 6:33, 6:30, 6:27, 6:17.  Ran the last 1/4 mile in 1:30 just to get used to shifting gears at a faster pace. Heart rate peaked at 179 during the last 1/4 mile.  Cooled down with 2 easy miles.  A little disappointed but think that a lot of the problem is due to a bad diet the last few days.  

Total  Time: 1:04:10 (7:08/mile)

Avg HR: 158 

Moderately hilly run today.  Ran from home up to and along Davis Boulevard to 400 North then back home again.  I guess I forgot to take my hill running legs because my legs were dead going up and down the hills.  I picked up the pace after 6 miles as I loosened up a little.  My shoulders felt really tight during and after the run.  Looking forward to the SGM lottery results today.  I wasn't on the initial list which had less than half the entrants.  Hopefully I will be on the revised list.

 Total Time: 1:17:45 (7:33/mile)

Avg HR: 156
 

Very easy recovery run.  Felt like a recovery run should. 

Total Time: 47:08 (7:51/mile)

Avg HR: 140

Did a mini speed workout today.  Didn't want to wear myself out too much before the Ogden 1/2 next week.  Warmed up with 3 easy miles then ran 4 X 1/2 mile repeats at 5K pace with 1/4 mile jog in between each repeat.  Felt good throughout the workout and was able to hold the pace without feeling like I was killing my self.  Splits were: 2:54, 2:55, 2:50, 2:53.  Cooled down with 3.25 moderately paced miles.  Maybe should have pushed a little harder but feel good about today's run.

Total Time: 1:06:59 (7:27/mile)

Avg HR: 150 

Other than a little soreness in my achilles tendons, I felt pretty good this morning.  The shoes that I have been wearing during the day are the cause of my achilles soreness.  I just realized that these are the shoes that I wore most of last year when I had chronic achilles issues.  Maintained a decent effort throughout the run. Picked up the pace towards the end and ran the last 2.7 at 6:53/mile.

Total Time: 56:17 (7:19/mile)

Avg HR: 152 

I saw pair of black Asics 2120's yesterday while doing some Mother's day shopping and I couldn't resist.  I had to buy them.  It was time for new shoes and I am starting to get tired of Brooks.  They felt really good during the run but new shoes always feel good on the first run. 

Thought it would be a good idea to head out to Farmington Bay so that I could run on the dirt road and give my legs a break from pounding the asphalt.  It turns out that running in a mosquito breeding ground in the spring is not a great idea.  I could not believe the amount of bugs that I had to run through.  I was glad that I was wearing my glasses this morning because of the extra protection they provided.  Now I know what a car windshield feels like.  I must have looked like a crazy person running along the road flailing my arms while trying to shoo the bugs away.  At the turnaround point, the wind picked up and it seemed to blow the bugs away from the road.  Never thought that I would be happy to run into the wind.  Picked up the pace the last 4 miles and finished the last 2 miles in 6:55 and 6:42.

Total Time: 1:29:01 (7:25/mile)

Avg HR: 147