THOU SHALT BE A COMEBACK

2 hours Chuck e Cheese

1 hour elliptical--HR 170 for most of it

7:41 AP.  10 minutes run, 2 minutes walk, 10 run, 2 walk, 10 run.  4.42 miles in 34 minutes.  Legs feel great.  No "sensations" today!  Hopefully I can do a little core work later, we went "live" on the new electronic system at work today and it is a zoo!

am.  30 minutes recumbent bicycle, 30 minutes adaptive motion elliptical

lunch:  30 minutes cybex bike

7:29 AP--5.07 in 38 minutes.  12 run, 2 walk, 12 run, 2 walk, 10 run.  It was warm outside and I could feel it a bit.  I am not used to being outside working out but thankfully that is changing!  No pain!  I ran into the Y and did 22 minutes elliptical after to make it one hour of cardio.

one hour recumbent bicycle and went 18 miles, 10 minutes abs.

7:56 AP.  I met up with the downtown Y crowd--had a good time chattting with April, Barry, Randy, and Jesse.  I just ran with the group and didn't take my walk breaks today. I decided as long as I was having no pain it would be okay, because it is awfully nice to run in a group again!  And..no pain.  Lots of crosstraining tomorrow but no run again until Sunday!

one hour adaptive motion elliptical keeping heart rate in the 170s the whole time.  30 minutes recumbent bicycle with heart rate 140-160.  I am signed up for a 10K next week.  It is to fund a memorial for our Kansas soldiers who have sacrificed their lives.  The race director is our good friend Tony Clark and his wife Angel.  Tony is fundraising for his Badwater race to benefit the memorial as well, thus the 10k.  It is out and back on dirt.  Perfect--a nice and gentle ride for a post-injury fitness test, and a cause I am more than happy to donate to.  

8:14 AP.  91 degrees, winds SSE 29mph gusiting to 35mph.  Humidity 43%.  3:00 in the afternoon in the baking sun.  A little miserable, I confess, but my joy at being able to run at all overshadowed the misery.  Happy Mother's Day!

I GOT INTO SAINT GEORGE!!!!!

First I ran outside in 90 degrees--5.24 miles at 7:46 AP.  Then I went into the Y and walked 2 miles on treadmill at 11 percent incline in 31:20 while I talked to Adam.  He was on the treadmill doing incline training for Pike's Peak so that's what gave me the idea to walk at incline for my crosstraining today.  It was hard work and kept my heart rate well over 160!  Wow! 

I get to run two days in a row!  Ran with Adam from the downtown Y to oak park and wound around some of the trails before heading back.  7:37 AP. Legs feel great but I am a little out of shape for sure as I was feeling tired at the end.  We got rained on which was A-okay with me!

20 miles in 1:09 on the cybex bike at the downtown Y during lunch

Too spanked at work to get any workout today.  10K race tomorrow.  Nervous with a knot in my stomach.

Well, here it is, first race back since stress fractures, first time I've ran 6 miles in over two months, first time I've tried to find any kind of speed(not a lot there right now).  It was chilly in the 40s and 22mph north wind but fortunately the race was out and back east/west so a crosswind the whole time.  Except for the first and last quarter mile it was on soft shale and dirt which definitely eased the impact on my legs so a good choice to try out racing again.  It was a small race put on by our friends the Clarks for our Kansas Soldiers who have died and a Gold-Star mother was there handing out the medals and prizes.  It was very cool!  I warmed up at a nice jog about .75 mile with Karlee then we shivered and stretched a little.  The start was a laidback 5-4-3-2-1 and we were off.  Four fast dudes took off, I was behind them, and that was that.  I ran by myself the entire time.  I got to see many familar and friendly faces at the turnaround and after.  I dropped the first mile at 6:50 then eased back, got a little lazy in the middle miles, and picked it back up at the end.  I never felt truly miserable but I could tell my legs have gone soft from no impact and I need a base.  I just told myself to "tempo" and have a good run.  So, as far as fitness, it's not as good as I hoped nor as bad as I feared, to this is a good starting point and things will fall back into place from here.  First things first, gotta build my base back up and worry about speed later on.  I hear it comes back relatively quick so I hope it's true.  I had a great time!

Surprise!  Speedwork!  I came charging into the downtown Y over lunch, ran into Randy outside and April in the locker room, and of course joined the rest f  the gang--scott, frank, don,  for an easy 5...or not.  About a quarter mile in they announced that Mondays were fartlek day.  Me and April were surprised but went for it anyway.  6 fartleks from their planned landmarks and a few miles to cool down.  .31 at 6:07 pace, .39 at 5:59 pace, .17 at 6:18 pace, .29 at 6:08 pace, .47 at 6:50 pace, .36 at 5:57 pace.  The first one shocked my system and felt hard but after that I felt great.  I'm kinda happy to visit sub-6 pace today.   Easy 6 or 7 tomorrow.  Legs feel A-okay.

8:46 AP.  4:30 AM.  It's been a long time since I ran outside on my dirt roads in the dark.  It was beautiful and starry but creepy and nerve-racking too.

7:50 AP.  Ran from the downtown Y over lunch for an hour and meandered around the downtown and riverside neighborhoods while listenting to some tunes.  The temps were way cooler today and it was overcast and I felt great!  I ran easy but the cooler temps make easy much faster.

What I listened to:  go ahead, laugh

Cloverton—“Take Me Into the Beautiful”

Kutless—“Strong Tower”

JC Chasez—“Blowin’ me up”

The Verve—“Bittersweet symphony”

The Proclaimers—“I’m Gonna Be(500 miles)”

Blessed Union of Souls—“I Believe”

Crazy Town—“Butterfly”

K’s Choice—“Not an Addict”

Smashing Pumpkins—“Disarm”

Linkin Park—“Waiting for the end”

P. Diddy/Dirty Money—“Coming home”

Scorpions—“Wind of Change”

Eminem—“Love the way you lie”

Katy Perry—“Firework”

Mike Posner—“Please Don’t go”

OneRepublic—“Secrets”

8:13 AP.  It was friggin humid.

8:11 AP.  The air was like syrup with the post-thunderstorm humidity.  I ran nice and slow, listend to music, and was very glad that I have run 5 days in a row now with no pain.  Tomorrow is day 6 and then a day off.  I sprinted one block at 4:05 pace, and was able to really get up on my toes. I haven't been able to get up on 'em quite like that in the past; I think I learned it from pool running where you pretty much are forced to run on your toes.

68 degrees.  90% humidity.  Very Houston marathonish.  Ran 6 miles at 8:25 pace on the dirt then came in and walked 2 miles in 30 minutes on the treadmill at 12% incline.  The walk was sadistically more difficult than the run.

Noon:  Hot and humid from the downtown Y.  Ran 15 minute warm up then 8 x 1 minute hard, 1 minute easy.  My hard minutes deteriorated quickly in the heat and as I failed more and more to recover sufficiently in the off minute.  I meant to do 10 but was so wasted by number 5 that I called it good at 8.  Ran a long cooldown through the park and back to the Y.  Average paces for on minutes were:  5:43, 5:59, 5:52, 6:25, 6:23, 6:03, 6:03, 6:19  AP for 6.77 miles 8:20

 pm.  kids were ready to rock.  1 with Nick, 1 with Ian, and .55 run/walk with Vanessa. 

9:11 AP.  That's what I call recovery. Actually, it's called 4:30 am with insufficient coffee.  I ran early today because we are supposed to get all tornadic by early evening.  I'm posting my splits so you can see my awesome opening mile.  10:27, 9:55, 9:46, 9:39, 9:20, 8:50, 7:53, .57 at 6:41 pace(have to get home quick or won't get a shower).

7:29 AP.  Ran into Adam walking into the downtown Y and snagged up a running partner for the day.  We got pelted with rain and wind the first few miles but then things settled down.  I felt really good today and it felt easy.   Legs and lungs are coming back to life.  

PM:  epic parental fail taking Nick, Ian, and Vanessa to run on the indoor track.  They misbehaved.  I yelled sternly lectured them all the way home.

7.25 at 8:08 pace on my own.  .25 with Vanessa, 1 mile with Nick, 1 mile with Ian.  It was great today.  72 degrees and sunny.

7:50 AP.  Downtown Y to the river and around.  Did mile 3 and mile 5 at a 10K pace effort and they were both 6:51.  Not as fit as when I am at my best but good enough for now.  I am running a 10K next Saturday and will be happy if I can just crank out sub-7 pace on average.  I'm trying to be patient.  I did a one block sprint on my toes at the end and my Garmin says I hit 3:30 pace.  Yeah right but it was fun to see the number.

8:13 AP.  Maybe I shouldn't have, but it felt soooo good!  I needed this!  I needed this run!  I kept the pace relaxed and had no pain and my lungs felt great and I literally practically ran even splits and just relaxed and mulled many things over.  It was...therapeutic.  Besides, that 50K I signed up for many months ago before I was injured is in, ahem, 6 weeks.  I'm just aiming to finish it, that's all, but I'm gonna run it.

Hot.  humid.  22mph headwind.  Summer in Kansas is here.  Ran 6 miles at 8:48 AP outside then ran inside and down the stairs onto the treadmill and made 2 miles at 12% grade in 26 minutes.  Running, power, walking, and an incredible amount of sweat were involved with this.   Then I got a drink and went back out and ran a mile with Ian.

84 degrees but low humidity so pretty pleasant.  I ditched the shirt.  Sorry about the flabby white belly to all those unfortunate witnesses.  7.6 at 8:05 AP on my own on the dirt roads, then 1.1 with Ian and .32 with Vanessa.  One mile in 6:59 that felt very very comfortable.  Goal for 10K Saturday is to just keep the miles under 7 minutes.  Will build from there.