Bret

PM - 6 miles in the afternoon heat - finished up just before the Euros final began.  Had to awaken quite early this morning to take daughter Delaney to the airport (4 am wake up call) to send her to North Carolina for a distance running camp at Brevard.  She was quite excited to go; had a great time there last year.  Wish they had those camps (or wish I had known about them) when I was in high school.  A bit knackered today after the run possibly from the 20 yesterday or maybe from the lack of a solid nights sleep. 

AM - a sleepy 6 miles this morning before work on a still and humid pre-dawn run.  I got 7 hours of sleep last night, but still cannot seem to shake out the the cobwebs.   

PM - 8 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime.  Kept it at 70% HRR - and my pace was a little bit slower than it has been at that HR - so I must be slightly out of balance with acidosis or a little dehydrated, or both.  Did not feel normal until about halfway through.  Couple of rightly paced aerobic runs should set me straight.

AM - very light 4 miles before work today.  Planning to do the Midnight Run race tonight.  Body felt better than yesterday, but still not quite at a point where it feels good and rested.

PM - Race Report - I had a pretty good  5k race late this evening.  Warm conditions 85 degrees and about 80% humidity, but no rain.  I debated whether to do the 5k or the 10k and settled on the former because I was too chicken to want to push myself for the 10.

Warmed up a little over 3 miles and ran into several people I recognized, none of whom I knew even were runners.  This event, much like the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot, brings out all kinds of folks.  I think they estimated over 2000 were registered this year.  This was the 33rd running of the event, I think I may have run the very first one they held here back when I was in high school. 

First half of the first mile was alarming.  I ended up with a bunch of high school aged boys who ran extremely quickly for my taste - and it was almost unavoidable to keep from doing the same.  So I would estimate my .5 mile time was probably below 5:30, but the first mile split was 5:49 when some sanity resumed to the field.  My breathing was a bit too high, but I settled into a decent rhythm and began reeling people in over the next mile and a half.  Mile 2 split was 6:06 but my expected preciptitous fall off for mile 3 was not really that bad - 6:15 and I ran the last .1 at 5:25 pace.  So I had a nice sprint in - which resulted in a time on the clock and on my watch of 18:57 (official results of 19:00 notwithstanding).

So, while I realize this is not a blazing time to most,  and certainly slower than some of my races in the last couple of years, for some reason this felt very good to me as a positive sign in my training.  I have not done any training other than heavy miles at not more than aerobic efforts for the  last 9 weeks.  This is a tough little course for me too - The last 2 times I have run this, (2011 and 2008) my times were 22-24 seconds slower than last night, and with some speed training to boot.  I am seeing solid improvement and I felt strong throughout the race - although clearly not yet speedy.  I won the old man's division and was 27th overall. 

I did a cool down by running out the causeway again before the 10k started - and did about 4 miles.  Watched the leaders coming by in the 10k and noted that as they were coming down over the drawbridge, the lead runner, out ahead by nearly 100 yards, kept looking back, almost disappointed in no one running with him.  I also noticed how quite things were with just the sound of the pounding of their feet going by.  No one talking and there were no spectators, save for me.  Anyway, I thought it was cool.  Also, I was very tired/sleepy - at 12:30 in the morning it was way past my bedime - I am glad I did not do the 10k just for the that reason. 

AM - 6 miles easy shake out run in the neighborhood.  Legs felt very good following last nights race.

PM - 8 miles moderate aerobic effort on the treadmill at the Y.

AM - easy 6 miles this morning before work.  Sent two of my girls and Tracy off on a road trip beforehand as they head to West Virginia for their annual family reunion.  I will join them by flight on Saturday as I meet Delaney in Charlotte on a connection from her distance running camp.  So, this means two days of free running for me - likely to end up with more miles today and tomorrow than normal.

PM - 6 more at lunchtime outside around the lakes in the Carillon Office Park. 

PM - drove down to Clearwater Beach after work and ran north all the way to Hurricane Pass at the north end of Caledesi Island.  There is no longer any channel at Dunedin Pass - so no water crossing to Caledesi.  I had a very relaxed peaceful run with only the occasional beachcomer for most of the run just before sunset.  Right at 10 miles.  Really enjoyed much of this - although at low tide, the beach was wide but a little on the soft side so the pace was a bit slow.    Perhaps a bit too much running in one day as I was very dehydrated at the end. 

PM - on the treadmill at lunchtime - 8 miles at a moderate aerobic effort.  Feeling a little fatigued.  Weight is dropping to new lows too.

PM - 7.5 miles outside after work.  Good bit slower - kinda dragging.

AM - very early due to an early flight.  Pretty much slept-walked 6 miles before 4 am.  Not sure if my day will permit a run later on.

AM - easy shake out 5 miles from my in-laws home in Moundsville, WV through town to the trail that runs along the banks of the Ohio River.  Very hot day yesterday of nearly 104 degrees - with my wife's family reunion out at the Barn.  Lots of good times with her family playing volleyball and eating lots of bad food.  Not as warm this morning, lots of critters out including some deer and bunnies.

PM - In the evening - ran up Rte 2 through the Narrows and back for 8 miles.  Last 4 were at a pretty brisk pace.  Cooler temps are in the forecast for the next few days here.

AM - 6.5 miles easy around the 12th street park trail - several loops around the trail that is the permeter to ball fields and such.  Tucked at the corner of a couple of mountain ridges and Little Grave Creek, this made for a relaxing morning run on a much cooler morning.

PM - 5.5 miles after a late dinner with the in-laws and family (finding it a bit of a challenge to squeeze the training time in with family committments) - so it was on the slow side up and down the streets of the perimeter of this small town.  Very pleasant evening weather though.

AM - a pleasant 7 miles this morning on the trail along the Ohio River- probably only 59 degrees - tree-lined and smelling like summer.  Enjoyed this one.

PM - headed out at 4:30 pm to run some hills.  The day heated up more than I had expected - the bank sign said 93 degrees as I went by.  Ran up Roberts Ridge (opposite Round Bottom Hill) which is a pretty sharp ascent (for a flatlander at least) - probably going up 800 - 900 feet in a little over a mile - with gradual ups and rollers after that for another 3-4 miles on Lindsay Lane. 1.5 mile or so steep descent on the back side and then ran around on Rt 2 from Washington Lands back to Moundsville.  Picked up the pace quite a bit on the downhill with some sub 6 miles trying to keep my balance.  Ran the last 4 miles at 7:20 pace - which was comfortably steady.  10.5 miles. 

AM - 5.25 easy relaxed miles with Delaney this morning on the river trail.  She chatted the whole time about her distance running camp from last week.  The light pace was good recovery from the hills I ran yesterday afternoon.

PM - 7.25 miles around the 12th street trail.  Unplanned progression run - nearly all aerobic except for the last mile possibly at 6:07.  Averaged 6:53 per mile with the first mile at 7:58 - so this was a nice boost/surprise run.  Did not hurt that the sun had gone under some cloud cover and the temperatures were in the low 80's.

AM - easy 5 miles along the river trail again this morning.  Little bit sore in the the quads, probably DOMS from the hill running on Tuesday.

PM - 8 miles from the center of town up, climbed up to Grand Vue Park and then over to Rte 250 back into town.  Very steep sharp hill at over 11% gradient - about a mile or more.  Legs and body a bit on the fatigued side this evening.  Need a good dinner.

AM - long run of 20 miles from the center of town out 4th street along Middle Grave Creek and back.  Very rural and occasionally a little sketchy - some dwellings with large hunting dogs who were un-pleased to see me.  Uneventful, though.  It should have been a pretty enjoyable run, but it was basically a climb most of the way out and instead of being rewarded with a gradual descent coming back, the wind shifted and was in my face most of the way.  No fluids, clearly dehydrated at the end. 

AM - 6 very slow easy miles this morning.  Legs were quite sore after a week of hill running.  Saw several more deer out on the trail this morning - a doe and two fawns, and then a buck that I kind of surprised and he just stared at me as I passed within about 15 feet of him.  Cloudy and drizzling this morning - Tracy's mother's side family reunion is today. 

PM - after a day of "reunion food" and lots of good visiting with family, I went out and did the same route at this morning - 6 miles - just a little bit faster.  Heading home early tomorrow morning.

PM - after an early start for a 7 am flight back home that connected in Philly and delayed - I finally got out for run around 6 pm this evening as a thundershower began to wind down.  Very enjoyable for the the first part which was just light rain, but as it got heavier and windier midway through, it was a bit of a slog.  Got 12.5 miles in when I thought I was just going to run about half of that, so that was a nice surprise.  May be catching a cold or have some allergy issues - suddenly found myself with a runny nose after my flight today. 

AM - 4.0 very easy slow miles this morning before work.  Very tired and achy, probably from the cold I think I am catching or have caught. 

PM - 9 miles on the treadmill which consisted of a mile warm up and then 7 miles at between 70 and 75% HRR - which I progressively edged upward with faster pace until the last 2 miles which were at MRP - then about a mile cool down.  Total effort was 140 bpm at 6:55 average including the warm up and cool down.  Pleased with the measure of fitness to date.  Was tired and fatigued most of the day today, so was pleasantly surprised with how good I felt in the workout. 

Noon - easy - light 5 miles around the office park at Carillon.  Very warm and humid, felt a bit out of sync today.  Did not get a morning run in, so will resume with a longer one this evening.  Good news -- I received confirmation that my entry into the London Marathon 2013 was accepted. 

PM - after work - 12 miles on the treadmill good steady but easy pace.  Felt much better than the earlier run today. 

Noon - treadmill fartlek run of 8 miles.  Good workout, lots of speed changes and inclines.  Need an easy gentle run to shake out my legs - hopefully later today or this evening.

Late PM - drove up to Gainesville after work with wife and daughter #2, Riley, for her freshman orientation for the University of Florida.  Quick dinner at the Swamp and then a short easy 4 miles before bed.

AM - 6.5 miles easy around the perimeter of the campus of my alma mater.  Stiff and slow to start on a muggy morning before daylight.  I ran up 34th to Archer past Shands Hospital and then up 13th street to University.  Ran past my old dormatories and the impressive football stadium.  The football team was on the practice fields for training at 6:30 am - lights on, whistles tweeting out instructively.  Finally loosened up to a more normal pace about 4 miles into the run and so enjoyed the downhill next to the golf course where I once ran cross country meets in high school.  All in all, a very nostalgic morning.

PM - still very humid and close this afternoon.  I escaped from some orientation lectures and got in 11.50 miles.  Have to head back to dinner with them etc.  Kept thinking during the run how this town is the basis for the fictional college town written about in the book Once a Runner.  And that made my run better.

AM - very light easy untimed 5 miles around the interior of the UF campus.  Ran past the dome with swimmers all lined up waiting to get inside for their warm ups for competition.  Junior Olympics for swimming is taking place here.  We saw Riley's old swim coach yesterday morning.  Took a few loops around the track - which is brightly colored blue - but doesn't seem to be Gator blue - but more akin to UCLA blue.  Don't know why but I always seem to feel a need to run around the track when I am here.  Ran back along Fraternity Row and Lake Alice.  Saw no alligators lurking about this morning.  All in all, a very pleasant run on a fogging morning.

AM - 7 miles easy on a warm humid summer morning.  I had expected to do a run like this last evening after returning from Gainesville, but I was just too beat to head out after a few hours of driving.  Will get a longer run in later today. 

PM - exactly 15.5 miles this evening on what started out as a hot late afternoon run.  I noticed what appeared to be an isolated storm in the east, but it looked like it was about rained out and fading.  I headed south and when I looked over again to the east, I noticed the storm had seriously rebuilt and was getting very dark and moving my direction.  Good, I thought, a nice shower will cool me off near the end of my long run.  As I made my way west through Dunedin past the Toronto Blue Jays Spring Training stadium and headed back north on the Pinellas Trail, the storm was nearly upon me and it grew very dark and extremely windy - and by the time I reached the old Hoods orange juice plant, I became very concerned about being hit lightning or by flying debris.  I made it almost to Curlew (about 3.5 miles from home) when the lightning strikes were so fast and so close, I barely had time to count before the thunder came.  I dashed across traffic to a old bank building for shelter from the lightning.   Then I began to worry that my wife would be worried about me - and perhaps drive out looking for me.  No pay-phones around and electricity disabling the local businesses with what I thought was the worst overwith - I decided to make my way back home before she would go out looking for me.  So my long run turned into a fast finish - though I did not have a watch on it, I probably ran at 10k pace for the last few miles or better. 

Sure enough, when I arrived at home I found that she had gone out to search for me.  Of course she knew not where I ran, and was out driving in unsafe conditions.  Yikes.  Delaney called her back home immediately and she arrived safely home thereafter.  She informed me of reports of a tornado near where I had been running. 

Anyway, that was my adventure for the week.

Thanks to my virtual training partner Bam for motivating me to get my last few miles in this week.

AM - light easy 6 miles before church this morning.  Body felt good; no soreness or fatigue from yesterday.

PM - long day - business travel.  Got 5 miles in on a treadmill in Cleveland at 9 pm...

AM - in Cleveland - did a run from downtown - past Cleveland Stadium and the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.  Headed north along Lake Erie on a service road, aptly named Marginal Road.  Not much to see but an old executive airport and some shuttered businesses and a school.  Perhaps I should have run south along the Lake?  8.25 miles with a fast last mile.  Head back home this afternoon.

PM - back at home - got an earlier flight than planned and so was able to get out for a second run this evening of 6.25 miles easy. 

AM - easy 6 miles on warm humid morning before work.

PM - after work on the treadmill at the gym near my office. 12.5 miles mostly at 7:15 pace - last 4 at 7 min pace - very controlled aerobic effort.  Felt very good.  Continuing to see progress in my efforts week to week. 

AM - just under 6 easy miles before work.  Right calf on the inside just above the achilles sore/tight perhaps in a spasm had me running very lightly and gently this morning.  Certain it was related to the business shoes (I really need to change to something else) when I had to scamper through the Charlotte airport to make my connecting flight the other day.  Wearing different shoes to work today.

PM - lunchtime - did a run around the office park at Carillon.  Plan was to do some fartlek work, but the first mile or so I had to workout a cramp/spasm in the calf a couple of times - which was a bit tender after it loosened up, so I nixed the fartlek run;  plan B was to run easy.  However it was really hot and muggy, so I ran up and down 4 different car parking structures in the office park to try to keep cool.  Lost satellite connection on the gps but each were about just under a mile and then the distance outside betweent them.  Guessimating about 8 miles total.   Did a loop around the two lakes and called it a day.  Calf was much better at the end of the run. 

AM - 5.5 miles easy to moderate through the Autumn Woods neighborhood before work.  Calf/tendon issues from yesterday almost imperceptable this morning.  Convinced that aerobic mileage has a healing effect beyond just mere general recovery. 

PM - after work - thought I was doing about 12 and thought it was going to be cooler.  Turned out to be a little over 13 and much hotter than expected.  Got a bit dehydrated, making for a less than enjoyable last few miles. 

AM - body felt tired/fatigued this morning, no doubt from the dehydration of last evening's run.  Easy 4 miles - though I could have gone longer once I got started.  Planning a high aerobic tempo run at lunch on the treadmill.

* Sad to hear of the passing of Pat Porter - a great runner from the 80's who trained under Joe Vigil.  Died in a plane crash yesterday in Arizona from what I understand.

PM - lunchtime - had a very good workout on  the treadmill.  1 mile warm up then 8.5 miles at marathon pace.-- actually the first of the faster paced miles was just under 7 mins then the rest were all at 6:31 which may be my MP or slightly faster.  As my aerobic base has built - my high aerobic effort pace has continued to improve.  The only drawback to the workout was that I did not have my watch with me to check my HR - so I was going by feel.  Could I have run the full marathon at that pace?  Maybe.  I could have done so perhaps at a slightly slower pace.  Still have 14 weeks until my race - so the next phase of training could perhaps get me even more comfortable at that pace or better. 

AM - very early start.  Richie called me yesterday and we decided to to a long run together this morning in St. Pete at 5 am.  I had not realized I would be up until nearly midnight watching the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics when I suggested our starting time - so with very little sleep I pull myself out of bed before 4 am to meet him outside his neighborhood.  We drove down to the North Shore Pool and met up with another friend with whom Richie has been doing some training lately, named Drew.  I had planned on trying to get around 20 miles in, but the very warm humid morning without the hint of a breeze, combined with my heavy legs from a good workout yesterday and 4 hours of sleep, I sort of knew before I started, that my day would be a less than the plan. 

Drew is very fit, looking to run 2:38 in a couple of months time at a race in Corning New York - and he was at times wanting to move at a faster pace than either Richie or myself.   Richie calls Drew the "kid" because he is 38.  We kept it under control early, ticking off 7:45 miles as we made our way around the Pier and the Dali museum downtown.  We headed North then over the bridge through Snell Isle and over to Shore Acres and back down 1st Street.  Plenty of water stops along the way.  As we got down to the pool again, and had just under 12 miles and with the last mile mostly at 6:45 pace - I decided, I was only going to go another half hour.  Richie who had taken a rest day on Friday, was amped to get at least 20 miles in.  Drew had plans for 22 with the last 4 at 6 min pace.  So I did my last half hour loop with them, and headed back home as we got to my car.  Parking lot now completely full with parents to watch a swim meet that morning.  I was a little disappointed that I did not feel the desire to push through to do another 5 miles or so - but at the same time, was pleased that I was fine running with them, but decided, that enough was enough for my training this week.  Just under 2 hours of running got me back home to have some pancakes with my wife and to watch the Olympics cycling race.   

Good running with those boys.  Richie is always good for a story or two as well as generally pulling everyone up and getting excited about races and running.  Drew whom I have met a couple of times is really good to run with and chat about training and such.  They've promised a run with me in my part of the county in a couple of weeks.

AM - just under 6 miles this morning.  Started off very slowly expecting my body to be tired - but it really wasn't.  Pleasant run around the neighborhood. 

AM - so I took my second half of yesterday as a rest period before moving into the hill resistance phase of my training today - I think I needed a little rest if not physically, definitely mentally.  Watched the Olympics and dozed off to a nap in the early afternoon etc. 

So not having done this specific type of training before, I am doing so with a bit of a trial and error approach.  I found a little hill about 2 miles from my home with which to proceed with my steep hill running.  Basically a run up the hill with slow forward momentum concentrating on good posture and exagerrated knee lift.  The "hill" is only about a 3% gradient over about 700 meters.   Not sure if that is steep enough.  Anyway, I did the "up" and then jogged for about 400 meters and then ran back down the hill quickly at about 6 min pace, jogged for another 400 meters and then did the up again.  Repeated the "up" 3 times and did a cool down back to my house.  Definitely felt it in my quads and was a bit wobbly afterwards.  The reading I have done on this suggests gradually working into this and limiting the effort on the first few sessions to only 15 mins.  I may have done about 20 mins this morning.  I think I may need to find a steeper hill to really get the benefit of the workout.  Perhaps my friend Bam may have some input on this.

Planning an easy session on the treadmill at lunch for recovery.

 PM - 8 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime, mostly between 7:03 and 7:15 pace.  Very comfortable.  Wore the HR monitor which is a measure I use to evaluate my fitness level every week or two.  Easily maintaining the low 7 min pace at under 140 bpm shows continued progress.  As an example - in the Paris Marathon in April - I struggled to run at 7:08 pace at 160 bpm.  Now I am cruising through a recovery 8 miles at faster pace at 20 bpm less than I was 4 months ago.   Hopefully this trend will continue. 

AM - 5 miles easy before work. Legs no worse for the wear from the first hill session yesterday - probably took it too easy and the steepness was insufficient.  Will head down to Clearwater for tomorrow's session. 

PM - 12.5 miles on the treadmill after work due to a thunderstorm which kept me inside.