Recovering From Microfracture Surgery

Ok, I have finally decided to start blogging again. After moving to Kansas and deploying to Iraq I kind of fell off the blog wagon. I also did not feel up to blogging until I was committed to really putting in the miles again. After a 70 mile week last week I guess I am ready to start blogging again. 

Just an easy recovery run. First 70 mile week in probably 2+ years last week. Plan is to try and maintain 70 mile weeks until Army Ten Miler race on 21 October.

Hilly course with 5 miles at average of 6:30 pace. Did not feel very good today, legs tired and heavy from mileage increase.

Easy 11 miles all between 7-8 min mile pace. Legs tired and heavy still.

Easy run again but with some hills. All between 7-8 minute mile pace. Legs still heavy and tired.

Ran total of 11 miles today with a 3 mile tempo in middle. Mile splits were 5:56; 5:58; 6:00. Considering how tired I have felt lately I am happy with the effort. 

11 miles in average pace of 7:05. First 7 fairly easy, then picked up last three running 6:42, 6:24 and 6:14 last three. Legs felt tired and heavy when we picked up the pace. Two 70+ mile weeks in a row.

Easy

Total of 11 miles today at average pace of 7:25. So after two weeks of 70+ miles my legs are still dead tired. Body not adjusting to the miles as fast as I would like. Oh well all I can do is keep putting in the miles and hope the body comes around. With only 10 weeks until 10 mile race I don't have much options. 

Total of 11 miles today. Had great weather for once. It was rainy and in mid 60s, wow. What a relief from the 100+ degree days. Ran 4x1600 repeats with 2:30 rest. I was worried going in about how the workout would go with how my legs have been feeling from the mileage but was pleasantly surprised with results. Had splits of 5:39; 5:32; 5:33; 5:32. Ran first one conservative with first 800 in 2:55 and last 800 2:44. Was pleased that I maintained even splits the rest of the workout. Overall good day.

Easy 11 miles total. Easy is relative as it was hilly. Legs started feeling tired last couple of miles when we approached 7 min pace.

Total of 9 easy miles. Legs still have that high miles tired sluggish feeling. Oh the feeling of progress!

11.5 miles total today with a very hilly course doing fartlek type run. After first mile started 1min hard/1min easy/2min hard/2min easy/3/3/4/4/5/5/4/4/3/3/2/2/1/1 workout. All of the fast stuff was between 5:30-45 pace. Averaged sub 7:00 pace for the run. Legs were very tired at the end but a good tough workout.

Ran 9 easy this morning. First 4.5 miles with 13 year old son Jared. After the 9 miles watched son James run first XC race of year. He ran well running 16:26 for 5k on a slightly hilly course. He set a PR and was almost a minute faster than the start of last season. He looked good and said he was not really pushing too hard today either. Looks like he is well on track to go sub 16:00 this year in XC. Overall their team is looking strong with about 4 guys under 17:00. Now they just need a fifth to dip under 17:00 and they will have a shot at a state title.

Will run three or four more tonight with James and end up with about a 73 mile week.

Easy run day with tired but not exhausted legs. Finished the week out with 73+ miles. Three weeks in a row over 70 miles. 9 weeks until goal race.

Logged 10 miles on the legs today at average pace of 7:35. Not much else exciting other working about 12 hours a day.

Tough workout today. This is a workout that I dread before hand but is definitely worthwhile. Total of 12 miles today with 7 miles at sub 6 paces.

After warm-up ran the following on track.

3200m - 11:54 {6:00|5:54} 5min rest

3 x 1600m - 5:41|5:41|5:40 3min rest between

3200 - 11:36 {5:48|5:48}

Overall pleased with results of this workout. Used to do this much faster but I am getting there step by step.

12 easy miles on tired legs, not much else to say.

Easy 8 at 7:35 avg pace. Another tough workout scheduled tomorrow.

Big thunderstorm changed workout plans this morning. Ended up doing 7 miles on treadmill at 7:30 pace. Will get some more miles later and then do harder workout tomorrow instead of today. Added 2 more miles with 8 and 13 year old sons.

13 mile run today with about 8 miles at 7:00 or under pace. Overall averaged 7:10 for 13 miles in the rain. Today was interesting as first couple miles the legs felt bad but then from 3 to 7 miles they felt ok. From mile 7 or 8 until 13 the legs were fried. Maintained 7 min pace or just under but it was hard work with heavy tired legs.

Easy 10 miles today at just under 8 min avg. Here's hoping I am feeling better than I have the last few days.

Easy 10 miles today pace wise but with some decent hills. Ran all miles between 7:15-7:45 pace. Feels like I amy be coming down with a cold or something. Going to try and do the EmergenC thing and hope for the best. Definetely not going to stop running.

So today was 5x1600 workout with 2:30 rest. I was feeling like I was coming down with something last night and woke up with a very sore throat so I was not expecting things to go very well. Even though I felt flat and my throat felt swollen things went better than expected. 

First 800 of first 1600 was a 2:51 and felt terrible. However, instead of giving in I tried to pick it up and was able to hit a 5:34 with a second 800 of 2:43. Things continued to go decent hitting 5:30/5:31/5:34/5:32 for the next four repeats. Overall average of 5:32 which I was surprised and pleased with. Two weeks ago we only did 4x1600 and I averaged 5:36 and I was not feeling sick then. So sometimes we end up getting pleasant surprises.

Overall pleased with how things are progressing. Starting to believe a 57 minute 10 mile race on October 21st is within reach?

Eight miles between 7-7:30 pace. Was planning more but am getting hit with a double whammy right now. Have come down with a nasty head cold and at same time my left knee has been bugging me. Doesn't hurt so much when running but front part of leg just below knee cap is very stiff and sore especially when I first get up after sitting for awhile. Did some icing and am going to bed early hoping for a better day tomorrow. I refuse to give in at this point.

Easy 10 miles at 7:20 to 7:40 pace. Knee still hurts but ice helped a little. Still did not feel it much during run. Seems to stiffen up throughout day/night. Possible tendonitis?

Survived another day with a cold and knee pain. Actually today was not too bad knee wise. The cold progressed to the yellow mucus spitting phase. We did a 5 mile tempo on slightly rolling terrain dirt trail. Splits were 6:00, 6:03, 6:03, 6:03, 5:50 for a 29:59 5 mile. Overall first mile felt pretty good, miles two and three were just ok, but mile 4 and 5 were tough. It was pretty warm and humid today as well with temps around 75 and humidity in the 93% range. So mixed feelings about the workout. I would have liked to feel a little better than I did at that pace but with the head cold and knee issues this week I guess I should be happy with results. At least I am still running and keeping the miles above 70!

A very warm and humid morning. Surprisingly felt ok today. Still kept it easy running 14 miles at just under 7:25 pace. Was completely drenched due to how humid it was today. Only down side is a blister under my little toe that will most likely result in losing the toenail. It is pretty swollen and sore. Knee feels better but now the toe, from one thing to another I guess.

Just another easy 10 miles at around 8min pace. Pinky toe is killing me with blister under toenail. I have drained it 3 times but it is still very swollen and painful. I think it would be better if the nail just came off. I may try wrapping it with tape to hold nail down during next run. Would be nice to be healthy. First the head cold, then knee pain, and now a blister under toe nail. Bad enough if it was only one of these things but all three at the same time, come on. Here's hoping for an upswing in health this week.

Supposed to be an easy run day but group was obviously feeling good and wanting to run a little faster. As the group started picking up the pace I picked it up to about 6:50 to 7 min pace but didn't feel like pushing any faster. Ended up with 9 miles at 6:59 avg pace. Most others were about 40 secs in front. Will get 2-3 more miles tonight and then time for another hard workout tomorrow. Added 2 more easy miles.

Well today was a smoker. I pulled out an old log book from Oregon college days for this one. After 1 mile warm up did the following.

400 - 73 secs then 400 jog rest

800 - 2:37 then 200 jog rest

1200 - 4:00 then 400 jog rest

4 mile tempo run over hilly course - 6:40, 6:30, 6:20, 6:15

5min rest

1200 - 4:05 then 200 jog rest

800 - 2:39 then 200 jog rest

400 - 74 secs then 1.25 mile cool down

It was about 75 degrees again with 95% humidity which really made this feel even tougher. I think this is one of the tougher workouts I've done and had forgot how tough this was back in college. Another decent workout in the books and tired legs tonight.

Just an easy recovery day after yesterday's tough workout. Ran total of 12 miles at just under 7:30 average. So things are improving overall. Still have lingering effects of head cold, knee pain is less throughout day than before, and right blister under toe nail is less painful as long as I drain it daily. However, now it seems that I have another bruised toe nail on my opposite foot. So may end up losing two toe nails. Not sure why as this has not been a big issue in the past. Oh well.

Nothing exciting today. 10 easy miles along a hilly course at average of about 7:40 pace.

Another tough workout today. We did 2x3 mile repeats on the track with a 400 jog rest (3min). Overall did not feel great but made it through workout.

First 3 miles = 17:35 (5:53, 5:52, 5:50)

Second 3 miles = 17:55 (5:56, 6:02, 5:57)

I guess I am overall happy with workout but not sure what to think about times at this point. I guess considering how I felt they are decent.

Long run day and weather finally cooperated with temp right at 50. Ran relaxed and ended up running every mile faster than previous mile with last couple under 7min pace. I did not look at GPS until after run so I was pleased to see that I ended up with 15 miles at an average pace of 7:19 with last 10 miles at 7:09 average. Did not feel great and did not think I was going that fast. So I will take a long run like that Sunday especially after yesterday hard workout.

Easy 10 miles with son James. Recovery run at 7:40 pace. 

Eight easy miles at 7:35 avg pace. Felt pretty bad all day today. Not sure why I am feeling so down but did not run second run.

So the past two days have not been so great. Yesterdays easy run I did not feel very good at all and then todays fast workout I felt awful. Today was stomach issues and overall legs just felt heavy and would not respond. The only upside is I at least finished the workout and although I did not feel good and was probably a little slower than I would have wanted the times were still ok I guess. Ultimately I just remind myself that days like this come along and the worst day running is still better than any day that you are unable to run at all. Well workout is below: We did a 400 jog (2min rest between every repeat)

1600 - 5:35 (did not look at splits each lap but thought I was going faster based on how hard it felt)

6x400 - 80/80/80/79/80/79 (again it took all I had to just hit 79-80 secs for each 400)

800 - 2:44 (even splits of 82secs and just happy to finish workout at this point)

I think the last two days are the worst I have felt in a long time. So not sure what to think of the above times but hope things feel better the next couple days.

Easy 9 miles at 7:35 avg. Felt a little better today but not 100% still.

8 miles today in pouring rain at 7:25 avg pace. Still not feeling great but better.

Easy 6 miles at 7:35 avg pace. Felt better today than past four days.

I decided to jump in a 10K race today for part of my long run. Warmed up 3 miles and then took off in the race. The course was terrible. It wasn't marked very well and had tons of turns all over the place. Overall hilly course that not only had tons of turns it also went up a two flights of stairs and down four flights of stairs during the race. So between the fact that the course did not have a straight section longer than about 400 meters at any given point and the stair cases it was not a very fast race. I ended up running 35:50 so I was actually satisfied with that time all things considering. I ended up 5th overall and 1st masters runner. Afterwards I went for another 6 miles easy. Not a great week overall, as far as how I felt but still got in almost 70 miles and some ok workouts I guess. Hopefully this was just a plateau week and things will ramp up again next week.

Easy 10 miles with James at 7:40 avg pace. Felt ok, still some lingering effects hanging around in throat from cold about a week ago. Going to try and push towards 80 miles this week.

Total of 12 miles at 7:30 avg pace. Felt ok but still feel a little congested in back of throat.

Track workout day again and another workout where I feel like I just survived. Between the stuff choking me in the back of my throat and stomach issues today was tough. We ran 6x1600 with 2:30 rest.

1 - 5:39

2 - 5:34

3 - 5:36

4 - 5:37

5 - 5:39

6 - 5:39

Wanted to quit multiple times but pushed through. Had to use bathroom after #4 and #5.

So surviving is good as it at least works on mental toughness.

Things were a little better today. 12 miles at average pace of 7:35.

Legs felt much better today. Cough is still hanging around but at least I felt a bit better overall. Total of 11 miles today at average pace of 7:10. Last 4 miles were at 6:45 pace.

On another note I think I have decided to retire from the military. After 22 years I think it will be time to move on. So I guess I will be looking for a new career starting next summer.

Total of 12 miles today over very hilly course. First two miles easy then started a 6 mile progressive tempo. Finished with four easy miles. Tempo splits on hills below.

6:50, 6:45, 6:40, 6:20, 6:10, 5:55

Overall felt ok. Not good but could have been worse. Slowly coming around.

For the last 7 days today puts me at 84 miles which is the highest since my micro-fracture surgery. My knee is doing ok. No real issues other than it is a little stiff at times.

Long run day. Most people don't envision Kansas as a hilly place. However, I can tell you the area of Kansas we live in is about one of the hilliest areas we have ever lived. In fact the course I ran today was about as hilly as it gets. 16 Miles total of constant up and down. The hills here are generally between 1/4 to 1/2 mile long but can be pretty steep and non stop. Averaged 7:25 pace for the 16 miles. Legs were tired and I did not think I was running sub 7:30 pace today but I will take it. So 85 miles for the week!

11 easy recovery miles at 7:45 avg.

Starting to feel better. Total of 13 miles today at an average pace of 7:08. More track work tomorrow so hopefully it goes better than last week.

Total of 13.5 miles for the day with some track work. Track work today was 10x800 repeats with 2 min rest between. Goal was to try and start at more comfortable effort and progress as workout went on. I was looking to start between 2:45-50 and finish around 2:35 range. Overall did not hit goals and it was another very tough workout both mental and physical wise. 800 splits were:

2:54 - Did not look at watch and was surprised when it was this slow as it felt way faster. I knew things were going to be rough at this point.

2:47 - Better but still way tougher than it should have been.

2:47 - At least holding steady.

2:46 - Ok but still hurting.

2:45 - Another tough one but happy it was faster at least.

2:45 - Able to hold steady still but had to push.

2:45 - At least I am not getting slower.

2:44 - This one was tough but actually felt a little easier for some odd reason.

2:41 - Ok, that was a surprise as I did not feel like I picked it up that much.

2:39 - So the last one was tough but surprised again at hitting under 2:40 with negative splits of 1:21/1:18. It still did not feel any harder than the 2:54 earlier. In fact the 2:54 first repeat felt the hardest.

So not sure why the the first 3/4 of the workout was the toughest but the last three repeats were the fastest. for the last 7 days I am at 88.5 miles. Looks like I will hit 90 sometime this week. Another post micro-fracture surgery weekly high.

Easy recovery run day of 13.5 miles at 7:35 avg. pace. Still have some congestion in throat but dealing with it. Ran relaxed today but legs were very tired and heavy from 800s yesterday. Hit 90 miles for last seven days today!

Easy 12 miles today at 7:35 avg. pace. Legs felt better than yesterday at least. Also played 18 holes of golf today. Long hours at work lately are killing me. 90 miles this week and about 60 hours at work is not a fun combination. I guess that is why it is time to retire and do something else.Good news is I weighed myself today and am at 134lbs which is what I consider in my racing weight window of 130-135. I have lost 10lbs in the last four months just from the increase in miles.

Total of 10.5 miles today. Ran a fartlek run of 1min, 2min, 3min, 4min, 4min, 3min, 2min, 1min with equal rest periods between. The fast pace was between 5:30 to 5:45 pace with easy pace at 7:30 pace. Decent workout today but legs still feeling high mileage.

Good long run today. We went out on a country road that is a challenging 16 mile out and back course that is rolling hills the entire way. Overall 16.5 miles at 7:09 average pace. Second half was into the wind and overall is a net uphill but we still ran 1:20 faster on way back. What I was more pleased with wax the last 5 miles which is where there is a lot of long uphill stretches. We had splits of 7:00, 6:58, 6:50, 6:48, and 6:35 for last 5 miles. Felt decent today and pace was comfortable/conversational the whole way. Good sign at the end of a 90 mile week and about 60 hours at work.

Easy 12 miles at 7:15 avg. pace. Felt ok following 16.5 mile hilly run yesterday.

Total of 10 miles today. A tough workout but I think one that is valuable. We ran 1.5 mile warm-up and then did 1 mile on track then 4min rest and did a 5 mile steady state tempo. When we got back to track we took 4min rest and finished with another mile on the track. Finished with 1.5 mile cool down. Splits below.

1 mile = 5:25

5 mile steady = 6:12, 6:13, 6:14, 6:13, 6:10

1 mile = 5:30

Another workout in the books.

Relaxed run of 12 miles today with somewhat tired and sore legs from yesterday. Average pace of 7:17 today even with tired legs. Another track workout tomorrow so we will see how it goes. Have been fighting some upper respiratory issues still.

Track work this morning. We ran 5x800 then 6x400 with 2min rest between repeats. It was pretty chilly this morning at 38'F. I don't know why but the first 800 and the first 400 felt the hardest. Overall not a bad workout. Tried to stay as relaxed as possible. For the times I was hitting the legs felt a little heavier than I would have liked but I will take what I can get right now. Splits below:

800s = 2:40 / 2:45 / 2:43 / 2:43 / 2:40

400s = 78 / 77 / 77 / 76 / 76 / 73

Will add some more miles tonight. Added 3.7 miles with one mile on track with 8 year old son. They run a track race for high schoolers and then a kids race as well afterwards. James (Senior in HS) ran a PR tonight running 4:28. Not bad for middle of cross country season. Jordan (8 yr old) then ran his PR, 6:38. He ran 3:25 first 1/2 and then a 3:13 second half. Pretty good for 8 yrs old.

10 miles this morning. Was planned for an easy run but turned into more of a moderate run. Legs were tired from the hard work lately but did not feel too bad cardio wise. First five was closer to 7:15 or so average and then second five was about 6:45 average or slightly faster. Last couple miles were 6:30s. Average overall pace was 6:59.

Easy, or I guess better put, relaxed run today. The group I am training is really starting to get in great shape. Instructions were to run relaxed pace today and stay conversational. I ended up averaging 6:55 pace for the 8 miles and was slowest of our group of 12 runners. The top three of our group averaged about 6:10 pace today. Of course I am the old man of the group as well and as the coach I expected that as our training progressed the younger runners would start to improve a bunch. Our race is the Army Ten Miler on OCT 21st and we have a pretty strong team. With about two weeks left things are looking good. I am still hoping to be sub 58 and if I have a really good day maybe sub 57. When we started training about three months ago I was the 5th fastest on the team and it is looking like even if I run 57 minutes I will be about number 7 or so for the team, which is a good thing. Most of the guys I am training were only running about 30 miles a week three months ago and now they are up to 70+ miles a week and it is clearly starting to pay off. I think our top runner will be around 52-53 with our next two under 54 minutes. They score top four runners and I think our fourth will be under 55. If that is the case we have a great shot of winning the team title.

Added 5 more easy miles this afternoon.

8 easy miles today. 5k race tomorrow. First truly easy recovery run this week.

Total of 10 miles this morning. Jumped in a local 5K as a good chance to run a tempo. Felt decent the first mile but during second up hill mile I started hacking and coughing like crazy. The course ended up long. Everyone's GPS readings were between 3.16 and 3.20. The course was not certified so I was not surprised it was off. I assume for an accurate course I would have been 17:30s which is not what I was hoping for but again I will take it for now. Just hoping to get 100% healthy soon as I have not felt like I have been 100% healthy for awhile now.

10 miles today at relaxed pace on rolling hills. Average pace was 7:07 with last three miles at 6:50, 6:40, 6:30. Felt decent, still a little coughing.

8 miles today at avg of 7:00 pace with last four sub 7:00.

Cold weather track workout this morning, below freezing. Still having health issues but made it through workout.

2 miles - 11:29 (5:48/5:41)

4min rest

2xmile - 5:41/5:42 with 2min rest

2 miles - 11:45 (5:55/5:50)

Not pleased with last 2 miles. Started having stomach and coughing issues. At least I held on somewhat.

Relaxed 6 mile run at average pace of 7:07 last three miles at sub 7:00.

Felt decent today for once. Ran 9 miles at 7:07 avg. pace. Ran a hilly route and did 10x2minute fast 1 min steady in the middle. 2 minute fast portions were at about 5:20-30 pace and steady 1 minute between was between 6:30-7:00 pace.

Easy hilly 12.5 mile run at average pace of 7:09. Felt ok today. Last 2 miles were pretty much uphill and I could start to feel tiredness in legs at sub 7 pace uphill. Last long run before Army 10 Miler in DC next weekend.

Easy 8 miles today at 7:20 avg. Recovery run and felt good to rest legs. One week until 10 mile race.

Last real hard workout before Sunday race. We ran 1.6 mile tempo with 2min rest and then 3x1000s with .3 mile jog rest. All done on dirt trail in the dark.

Easy 6 miles today.

Easy 6 miles again, for some reason legs are tired and heavy even though I am resting and tapering.

7 miles with one mile at 5:45 pace and then 4x1min fast 1min slow. Travel to DC tomorrow and race on Sunday!

Easy 5.2 miles in DC after flight.

Pre-race easy day.

Army Ten Mile race in Washington DC. Overall a little slower than goal of sub 58. I thought I was in shape to run 57:30 but I guess not on this day. First three miles felt sluggish but tried to stay relaxed and hoped legs would feel better second half. Hit 5 miles in 28:45 so right on pace for goal. However at this point legs were really heavy and sluggish and I lost focus/intensity for the next 3 miles. I settle for running 6min miles from 5-8 and then picked it up a little the last two miles to make sure I was under 59 at least. More important was that our team finished third place. We actually had the fastest team time in the past 8 years but the competition was very fast this year and we ended up third. Our top runners ran 52 / 54 / 56 / 57 / 57 and I ended up our sixth runner. Big improvements across the board for everyone I was coaching the past three months. In three months our runners improved as follows:

July 15th to October 21st Time Improvements:

54:21 - 52:09 = 2:12 improvement

57:30 - 54:14 = 3:16 improvement

62:37 - 56:21 = 6:16 improvement

62:27 - 57:17 = 5:10 improvement

65:47 - 57:37 = 8:10 improvement

62:35 - 58:29 = 4:06 improvement

So for 3 months the results of the training I put together turned out very good so I can at least be happy about that.

Day after race easy run. Except for right hamstring everything feels ok.

Easy run after two days of flights to get back to Kansas.

Was planning an easy run today but a couple of the guys started to pick things up and ended up turning into a thre mile tempo of sorts. Felt ok, right hamstring still a bit sore from race. Feels like a slight pull. Probably will schedule a deep tissue massage soon.

Six miles in AM at following splits : 7:20, 7:00, 6:25, 6:15, 6:05, 6:45 (backed off lastt mile to cool down). It was about 70 degrees out and very windy this morning so overall pleased with run only three days after race. Will possibly get in some more miles tonight after work.

8 miles this morning in frigid, wet weather. It was about 42'F with 20-30mph winds and light rain. Quite the contrast with yesterday's run when it was 72'F at 6:00am. Even with the wind and cold I averaged 6:49 pace for 8 miles. Last two days have been decent runs so I think I am pretty much recovered from 10 mile race.

Big temperature swing that last couple days. Went from low of 72'F two mornings ago to a low of 32'F this morning. Did a hilly run today and ended up moving along at a decent pace. Averaged 6:40 pace for 9 miles with last 7 miles at 6:30 pace average and last couple miles at about 6:15 pace. felt ok, a little tired but 6:00-6:15 pace is starting to feel like marathon pace effort.

Another cold, cold day as it was 25'F this morning (Brrrr). Went to run on some country roads with one of the guys I am coaching, happens to be the one that ran 52 minutes at the 10 miler, so I should have known that the pace would end up being faster than normal. Plan was to run 8-10 miles at relaxed pace today but that quickly changed. When we started running partner said he knew a good, hilly 8 mile loop. He was not joking about the hilly part as right from the start it was nothing but some pretty long and steep hills. Pretty much no flat at all the entire run. I knew the pace was going to be quick when the first mile was 6:55. After the second mile at 6:15 I let running partner pull ahead and just tried to focus on running relaxed but steady. I decided to not look at watch or GPS and just run and try and keep partner in sight since I did not know the course. Caught up to training partner when he stopped at a big intersection to wait for me. When I asked him which way we go to get back he said we were just turning around and going back same way we came. Then I looked at the GPS for first time and it said we had gone 7 miles already, which was a surprise as I was thinking maybe we were at 5 miles. He said he felt good and just decided to keep going. So we ended up getting 15 miles in total and when I looked at  my splits at the end I was pleasantly surprised as I averaged 6:29 pace and ran the last 13.1 (1/2 marathon) of the run in 1:23:50. So, guess I should be pleased with that in 25'F weather on super hilly dirt roads. Overall been some good runs the last three days average pace wise. Onward and upward!

10 miles today on flat terrain for once. Averaged 6:35 pace overall. Legs tired but ok.

Back to a hilly course today. Ran pretty hilly course today and tried to stay rlaxed and not look at mile splits. Effort was what I consider meidum hard as I was not trying to hammer but at same time it was not really easy. I was guessing that I would end up somewhere around 70-72 minutes but was surprised when i looked at GPS at the end. Ended up with 67:40 for hilly ten miles so average pace of 6:46 overall with last eight miles at 6:35 average.

Today was another fun filled hilly day. Today's run featured 2 major hills, the first one was 1.5 miles long with a 3% grade and was followed by a 1 mile long stretch at 2% grade. Overall average for the run was 6:41 with second half 1 minute faster than first half. Legs feel ok considering all of the hills and faster paces as of late.

Added 2.4 more miles after work.

Easy 7.2 miles. Legs were really tired today so I forced myself to go easier. Ended up running 6:53 average. Still faster than previous easy days so plan to increase daily average pace is going well so far. 

Easy 7 miles at 6:49 average.

10 miles today over mostly flat trails. Ran with son James and one of other Army runners I am coaching. First mile was about 7:10 and then things picked up quickly. Tried to keep it close the first half but James started to pick it up. At 5 miles I was about 10 secs back but hit 32:20. As I watched James pull away with other runner I thought I was slowing down but realized that I had actually picked it up but they were just really moving. Ended up with an overall 6:19 average pace with last 5 miles in 30:50. I was really impressed with son James as he ended up with about 61 minutes and 29 minutes for last 5 miles.

8 miles at average pace of 6:35. Legs tired.

Total of 8.3 miles at average pacce of 6:33 over very hilly course. Pushed the pace on mile 4 which involved rolling hills and ran a 5:40 mile then followed that with 6 x 1min surges at sub 6 pace.

Another eight mile run on same hilly course as lsat week with 1.5 mile up hill section in middle. Legs were very tired today so tried to stay relaxed. ended up averaging 6:49 pace which makes 13 runs in a row at sub 7min pace average.

6.2 miles at avg. pace of 6:35.

6.4 miles at 6:55 avg. pace.

3.4 miles at 6:53 avg. pace.

6.2 miles total with 3 miles at 18:15. 

10.1 very hilly miles at 6:45 average pace.

8.1 miles on dirt trails at 6:45 average pace. Very cold today.

8 miles today at average pace of 6:28. Legs still sore but surprised that I was able to run sub 6:30 pace with medium effort.

Hard to tell my easy days from hard days right now. 8 miles at 6:34 avg. Pace.

Another 8 miles this morning in 25'F weather. I thought I would be a lot slower today but ended up with a 6:39 avg. pace.

11 miles total over very hilly course at 6:44 avg. Pace.

Eight miles again this morning over very hilly terrain. Average pace of 6:29.

Eight miles on another hilly course. Averaged 6:36 pace even with a 2 mile uphill section in middle.

Eight mile easy run this morning with very tired legs but still managed 6:39 per mile pace average. That makes 32 runs in a row (275 miles) at sub 7:00 minute pace average. Actually doing a little quick math I have averaged 6:38 pace for the past 32 runs. No wonder my legs are as tired as they are.

6 easy miles before Thanksgiving meal today at 6:48 average pace.

2 easy miles.

5k race today which was also the Road Runners Club of America Mid-Western Region Championships. Was not expecting much as my legs have been dead lately and I have been dealing with a hamstring injury. Course and conditions were not ideal either. Course is a two loop certified course that has a couple small hills but the tougher part is that it has 16, yes 16, 90 degree turns over 3 miles. The wind was 13mph gusting to 20mph so definitely a factor as well. So as you can see I really was not too excited about this race. Well onto the race report.

Most of the first mile was into the wind. I went out at what felt controlled but comfortably fast. Worked my way through the normal crowd of kids and such that start too fast just before the mile mark. Hit first mile at 5:28. Felt ok and was able to tuck in with two runners from team that I coach. At this point I stuck with then until about 1.5 miles and then had a small lapse mentally and he pulled away a little. At this point is where I needed to be tougher mentally and pushed a little harder to stay with him. Went through 2 mile mark at 11:10, 5:42 split. During next 1/2 mile I felt like I slowed again and sort of losing focus. However, I woke up a little when the lead women caught me with 1/2 mile to go. At this point I did not really fight to not let her pass but I did at least latch on and follow. Not sure why but I have not had that fighting spirit when racing lately but at least I didn't just settle and not try and latch on. I did not really kick much at end but either but did enough to split mile 3 at 5:38 and end up with a 17:26. 

Overall, I am pleased with the time considering the course and conditions. I did run an ok time and better than expected. However, I still need to get healthy and get that competitive, fighting race edge back so I can keep focused through the whole race. Ended winning the Masters Division and my team won team race so I am definitely thankful for those blessings. Back to training!

13 year old son ran 20:30 for his first official 5k. Afterwards I paced 8 year old son in the community 5k. They had top 100 men and women run separate from community race. 8 year old did great running 22:16 in his first 5k and the first time he has ever run more than 2 miles. His mile splits were 7:11, 7:13, 6:56. On GPS he ended up running 3.15 miles due to the fact that he had to go around all of the walkers he was lapping on second loop.

Well, it is Monday and I am back at it again. Eight miles this morning in cold and windy conditions. Ended up averaging 6:29 pace even though I thought I was going slower as everyone else in training group pulled away from me except one. Turns out they were just feeling great and running fast today as the two groups in front of me averaged 5:40 and 5:58 pace today. And to think when I started training these guys only two of them were faster than me and now I end up about number six guy on our daily runs and workouts. But that is a good thing as I expected with coaching these guys they would pass me up as with their ages they should improve much faster than me.

10 miles of hills if very, very cold weather. It was 12'F this morning so the coldest day of winter so far. I decieded to run at what felt like an aerobically easy pace and not looik at the watch. At end I guessed I would be between 7:00-7:10 average pace and break the sub 7:00 string of training runs but ended up surprised as I ended up averaging 6:52 pace overall.

Another 8 mile hilly course in the bank for winter training. Averaged 6:35 pace. Still tired and sore but pushing on.

7 easy miles at 6:35 average pace.

Eight hilly miles today but took it easy. Ended up with an average pace of 6:58 so the daily sub 7:00 average pace streak stays alive.

Hills, hills and more hills. 11 mile run with plenty of hills. Legs felt very tired and heavy but still averaged 6:45 pace overall. First half at 6:55 average and second half at 6:35 average.

8 miles in unusally warm weather for DEC, it was 63'F at 6:00am. ended up averaging 6:45 pace again over very hilly course with very strong head winds during second half of run. Legs still zonked and exhausted for some reason.

Finally a fairly flat course today. Still a very tough day with legs still feeling completely shot. Averaged 6:40 pace overall for 10 miles. Thinking about getting a blood test to make sure things are ok as legs are just not feeling normal.

Completely exhausted today. Legs felt drained the entire run. ran eight flat miles at 6:27 average pace.

Survived 7 miles of rolling hills at 6:50 avg. Pace.

Eight miles at 6:50 avg. Pace again. I would call it easy but it was a very hilly course and I was very tired.

Today was a little better than most of the week. Still very tired but was able to run 10 miles in 63:40 on trail run. Slightly faster on second half with 6:22 avg. Overall.

Brrr, it was very cold this morning at 06'F before wind chill. Face was frozen by the end of the run. Normal Monday morning 8 mile loop. I though this would be the day to end the consecutive streak of averaging sub 7:00 pace for runs but somehow I ended up averaging 6:38 pace overall even though I thought for sure we were running much slower than that. So if I continue with the streak this week will make eight weeks in a row with every run sub 7:00 average pace. Besides the normal pains and issues I have been having lately my left inside quad was killing me this morning. Hopefully the rest of the week goes well and things get a little warmer out.

Another chilly morning run at 15'F but much warmer than yesterday's 6'F run. We ran one of our normal 10 mile hilly run loops. Was not feeling very good today and was pretty sure I was running slower than 7:00 pace but ended up with a 6:48 average pace for the run. Left inside quad feels like I have a "charlie horse" bruise the last two days, not sure why.

8 miles at 6:39 avg

sick

Still sick but ran 6 miles at 6:28 avg. 

sick in bed with flu and fever

still sick

Easy 7 at 6:52 avg.

3 inches of snow and ice on trail. Ran as fast as we could and only averaged 7:57 pace.

easy 8 at 6:45 avg.

Easy 8 at 6:50 avg.

10 very hilly and cold miles. 6:38 average.

8 very cold miles and hilly. Single digit temps and windy. 6:38 average pace.

6 miles with tempo in middle. 7:27, 7:10, 5:47, 5:19, 7:00, 7:13. 6:39 overall average.

8 miles progressive run, started at 7:30 pace and worked down to 5:18 pace by mile 6 then did last 2 at 6 min pace. Averaged 6:28 overall.

easy 8 at 6:45 avg.

9 miles progressive run started at 7min pace and finished at 6 min pace, 6:30 avg.

easy 10 miles of rolling hills at 6:45 avg. Pace.