Bret

AM - 2 miles on the treadmill - followed by some indoor rowing.  Really cold out this morning - decided not to venture outside.

PM - Tempo effort.  I had thought about doing a 5k race this morning at Piedmont Park - but decided that I did not feel like dealing with single digit wind chill temps - so instead I did a 5k effort on the treadmill this afternoon.  Started conservatively at 6:58 and gradually worked down to 6:30 pace - with the last .1 was 6:15 pace.  Pleased with the HR through much of the workout and how I felt overall.  

AM - 2 miles on the treadmill this morning - since it was 10 degrees in my neighborhood at 6 am.

PM - still too cold outside; 8 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime.

AM - just under 9 miles of indoor cycling.  Legs/feet tired or sore from multiple treadmill days, plus usually weak the 2nd day after a workout.  So I opted for low impact.

PM - lunchtime treadmill run of 5 miles - still below freezing outside.  Not feeling very energetic today.  

AM - 2 miles on the treadmill followed by 2000 meters of indoor rowing, then some stretching, foam rolling, sit-ups and push-ups. 

PM - treadmill workout (wind-chill 12 degrees at lunchtime) - 10 x ~200 meters with a 2 mile warm up and 1.5 mile cooldown.  Hard to properly gauge on a treadmill if these are equivalent of outdoor / track efforts.  I suspect it is not - particulary for short reps like these.  I am able to get the leg turn-over to keep up with belt, but am I really "driving" the wattage for the pace the same as I would on a track?  Anyway - did the first 5 or so at 5:30 pace and moved my way down to 5:10 pace on the last one...so I was in the low 40's to upper 30's for splits.  When it is a warmer day, I shall compare efforts outside on a track.

In any event, I felt solid and strong and like where I am right now running-wise.  I'd like to have more volume, but I feel as though I am balancing well-enough to get some quality work in, without injury or too much fatigue.  

AM - 2 miles easy on the treadmill before work.  Wind chill was 4.  Temp was 15.  

PM - took Finn out on the golf course for about 4.5 miles when the temperatures got near 30 later in the day.  

30 mins on the indoor spin bike afterwards

PM - 12 miles on the treadmill.   

AM - 2 miles on the treadmill and then some indoor rowing and then some stretching followed by push ups and sit ups before church.

I ended up not doing anything else today.  My dog had me up a few times last night as he was getting sick - so I had a few less hours of sleep than normal.

AM - 3 miles on the treadmill, followed by indoor rowing - 2000 meters.

PM - lunchtime - treadmill workout (rainy/freezing rain and in the 30's) - 5 x 1000's with 400 rest.  Did the first couple at 6:07 and 6:03 pace respectively, then the last three were at 5:56, 5:56 and then 5:50 pace.  The treadmill easily switches from kms to miles on the display - which was nice.  I had limited time at lunch today - so I had not much time for   a cool down.  This was clearly the hardest workout based on perceived effort that I have done in months.  I really had to concentrate to get the last 400 of the last 2 reps done.  Pleased with my progress and how I felt during the workout.  

AM - 2.5 miles outdoors (!) with Finn in the cool fog/mist before work.  Legs and body were sore / fatigued from yesterday's workout - but Finn really needed to get outside for some exercise.

PM - lunchtime 3.5 miles - limited lunch hour today - temps were in the low 50's and completely reasonable.  

AM - 2 miles very early on the treadmill before a flight for work.

PM - 6 miles on the streets of Miami; here on business for a couple of days. 

AM - a little over 2 miles easy shakeout in Miami before meetings and golf.

PM - just less than 8 miles from the hotel across the bridge to Key Biscayne and back.  Legs felt a little weak but otherwise I felt very good.  

AM - just a couple of miles before heading to the airport 

AM - 45 mins on the indoor bike - 13.6 miles decent effort. 

PM - 5 miles slowly on the treadmill.  Tired from the traveling this week.  

Complete day of rest.  First day off since November.  Legs and mental attitude told me it was time.

AM - 2.5 miles on the golf course with Finn.

PM - Treadmill workout 13 x 200 with a 300 rest.  The day off yesterday was just what I needed.  Felt very good today.   All of the reps were between 39-41 seconds.  Don't think I could have gone much faster without really being concerned with falling off. 

AM - 2 miles on the treadmill early - followed by some indoor rowing and stretching/rolling.

PM - 4 miles on the treadmill late after dinner - needed to squeeze some miles in on a busy day.

AM - 2 miles on the treadmill and 2000 meters of indoor rowing.  My office closed today due to weather.  Got about 1.5 inches of snow and the temp with the windchill this morning at my house is -2.

PM - crosstraining 45 mins on the indoor bike - 14.5 miles just under 20 mph.  

AM - 2 miles on the treadmill followed by 2000 meters of indoor rowing.  Stretching foam rolling, push-ups and sit-ups.  Started into work but could not get up the hill out of the neighborhood due to the icy road. 14 degrees. 

Probably about time that the city of Atlanta realizes that it needs to incorporate winter weather services - such as road clearing / treating as with most major cities in the US.  We've been here 4 winters and every year we have "snow days" that in most cold weather locations, would have had little impact.

PM - 5.5 miles on the former golf course (soon to be passive greenspace and trails) with Finn.    It is still about 50% covered with thin layer of snow and ice. (There was actually a "golfer" on the second hole walking with a bag - using the "free" track before it transitions from a golf course - but I imagine it was a challenge to find his ball when it landed in the snow).  It warmed to 31 degrees by lunchtime and the sun was out - and I could not face another indoor treadmill run.  Finn was estatic with the activity.  

PM - 4 miles easy after work.  Planning to try to race tomorrow. 

Milton High School Boys Lacrosse Team 5k Fundraiser.

Had a decent race today.  Local race - not a big crowd, perhaps less than 100 participants.  

Pre-race warm up - felt bad.  Temps were cool, but not bad.  May have gotten to nearly 40 degrees by the time of the start, which was a really nice/civilized 11 am.  

Did not ascertain much in the way of obvious fast runners except for one.  He looked to be a high school cross country athlete.  Race course map was non-existent.  I figured out much of the course during my warm-up.  As we stood awaiting the start, I asked a runner next to me if he knew the course, and he described it as if he'd run the race before.  He appeared to be in my age division, and shot out quickly at the start - so I decided I would have to keep him close.  The race had several of high school lacrosse team players (both boys and girls) who were bunched-up and goofing around in the first 600 meters.  When we came to an early U-turn, I was in 6th place.  The fast runner that noticed at the start had already gapped the field by 150 meters.  

Gradually, I began to settle in and pick-off each of the runners in front of me.  By the first mile split I was in 3rd place and tucked in behind the 2nd place runner who looked to be high school age.  There was some wind that I allowed him to block, but I noticed he was weaker than me on the uphills, but faster than me on the downhills.  Once I could see the turn-around at 2 miles and shouted some encouragement to the first place runner, I moved past the second place runner and headed back uphill.  With a half mile left to go, I could not hear anyone behind me, and I could not see the first place runner ahead - so I was essentially running a time trial to finish up.  

So - 2nd place overall, and first place in Masters.  The winner was 18 years old.  Did not post his time, but I suspect it was below 18 mins.

I was pleased with my first two splits:  6:18 and 6:21.  Third mile split was slower at 6:59 but my perceived effort felt about the same - so I attribute the slow down to the long hill and essentially running by myself for the whole of that mile.  I finished strong with a split of 6:14 per mile according to my watch for the last .1  My average pace was 6:33.

Overall I was happy with this. I competed well and with the exception of the 3rd mile split, I would have been extremely satisfied with the effort.  

PM - 4.25 easy miles with Finn and Riley on the former golf course on a really nice afternoon. 

AM - just under 3 miles this morning with Finn before work.

Long workday with no opportunities for a second run today. 

AM - 5k with Finn before work.  Did some indoor rowing afterwards.

PM - lunchtime treadmill workout 10 x 300 w/ a 100 meter rest.  Good solid effort for leg turn over.  Most were at 5:25 pace.  

AM - 5k with Finn and Riley before work.  Chillier this morning.  Legs/body were fatigued and sore from yesterday's workout.  Work schedule today may prevent further running today. 

AM - 3 miles with Finn before work.  In the 20's this morning - face felt it.  Indoor rowing and stretching after.

PM - lunchtime - treadmill tempo - 1.5 mile warm-up; 4 miles at tempo (6:44 pace) and then .5 mile cool down.  Good effort - felt a little "stretched" in the last 10 mins or so - as my HR drifted a little above threshold.  

AM -  2 miles easy on the treadmill.

PM - 3.5 miles with Riley and Finn on the golf course.  New XC spikes came in the mail today - so I wanted to try them out.  Jury is still out on the verdict with them.  Kept the run short just because the shoes were new and different.

PM - 5 miles at lunchtime with Finn. Had planned to run a few easy miles with him and then go back out to get in a longer run.  But I ended up feeling really good and so I just went with it running mid to low 7 min pace for the last 3 miles.  It was fun. I will try to go back out later for a few more.  

Got 3 more in later.  

Busy day - got 3 miles on the treadmill late.  

AM - 5k with Finn in the neighborhood before work.  2000 meters of indoor rowing.

PM - lunchtime 6 miles on the treadmill

PM - treadmill workout.  6 x 200 with equal rest - 2 mile warmup and 1 mile cool down. 

AM - 5k with Finn on an icy cold morning.  I was not inclined to run outdoors but Finn was very persuasive. 

PM - 5 more on the treadmill at lunchtime.  It was actually pretty nice out and had warmed to nearly 45 degrees - but I was in a time crunch and treadmills tend to take the potential of an outdoor run taking too long out of the equation. 

AM - very early run of 3 miles with Finn before work this morning.  

AM - 3.5 miles on the golf course with Finn and Rob with some striders at the end.  

USATF Cross Country Championship in Tallahassee, Florida - Really glad Rob came up with the idea and asked me to enter this race.  I have not run a cross country event since high school - and the last one Rob and I ran together was about 35 years ago.  Doug and his wife were kind hosts to us as we drove down to Tally from Atlanta on Friday - providing us all we needed for the race.   (We need to get Doug to run with us next time, too).

The event was top shelf - well-organized and very cool too.  The Apalachee Regional Park is a cross-country specific venue - which I had first seen about 6 years ago when one of my daughters was in high school, and it was and continues to be the site of the Florida high school state cross country championships, and it serves as FSU's home cross country course.  It is laid out very well for spectators, with stands and a jumbotron with live action from multiple views on the course including the lead vehicle Gator/ATV golf cart - and scrolling updates with competitors' live results / upates during each race.  In the last few years they have widened the course to where it is a minimum of 10 meters wide - and the surface includes grass, packed dirt/clay and crushed /packed shells.  It boasts a mostly flat terrain, but enough ups and downs at key points in the course to make it interesting.

Rob and I warmed up on the warm up course (they have a separate warm-up trail of 1.25 miles to keep runners off the course while the events were going on - they have thought of everything it seams).  We watched the Community 5k and the Women's Masters 6k before we headed to the start for the Men's Masters 8k.  There were teams and runners from all over the US from age 40 up to 80's.   Everyone was all business on the starting line - and was both excited and I was nostaglic for my high school days - and thankful that I am still able to line up for running events this many years later.  

Competition was very strong - with around 107 participants.  I found myself running with a little too much adreniline in the first mile, but settled into a measured pace to account for the constantly changing surface and turns.  My splits were 6:26, 6:53, 6:59, 7:14 and 6:59.  I would like to say that I competed well, but honestly, I think I passed one person in the first 2 miles and someone passed, me and then my place never changed.  Finished reasonably strong trying to catch my nearest competition but ran out of space. 

Overall I enjoyed the race - especially spending some time with old friends and getting a chance to do something a little bit different.  

Took the day off from running following the race and travel yesterday.

PM - 8 miles easy on the treadmill at lunchtime.

AM - 2 mile shakeout on the treadmill before work

PM - lunchtime run 6.25 miles.  Legs still feeling less than 100%.  Ended up running faster than I had perceived. 

AM - 2 miles on the treadmill before work because it was raining.

PM - 4 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime because it was raining and because I had limited time.  Not feeling all that fresh this week - kinda feeling some hang-over from the race and travel over the weekend still.  

Not a moment for a run today - early start at work and a board meeting and then we had a group over to our house in the evening.  Probably not bad that I had a day off, I have been dragging. 

AM - 3 miles with Finn on the golf course - temps in the 30's, grass frozen/icy and lots of deer for him to chase around.  

PM - 6 more miles on the treadmill after work.

PM - 11 miles on the treadmill.  Rain started last night and is supposed to continue through Monday.  

PM - 5 muddy wet miles on the golf course with Finn and Riley.  Quick dog bath for Finn and then 2000 meters of rowing and 3 more miles on the treadmill.  

AM - 3.25 miles in something like a drizzle or mist/fog - maybe mizzle with Finn before work this morning.  Have not seen the sun since Friday.   But, it has been much warmer and humid.

PM - 8.0 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime today.  HR was in a good range - but I felt a little like I was "pushing" more than I should have felt over the last 3 miles or so.  

AM - 4 miles on the treadmill easy effort. 

PM - 6 more after work. 

AM - just a shade under 4 miles this morning with Finn before work. 

PM - 7 miles at lunchtime.  Faster pace than planned - probably more effort than called for.  Sun almost made its first appearance since last Friday, but then changed its mind.  

PM - lunchtime treadmill 10 miles.  Felt refreshingly easy.  I skipped the morning run today as my legs felt the volume of miles of the last few days.  

AM - a little over 4 miles this morning with Finn before work.  First mile was slow and creaky - but picked up by the last 2.  First time seeing the sun come out in a week.  Supposed to rain later today and through the weekend though.  

PM - treadmill tempo.  2 mile warm up then 6 miles at high aerobic pace HRR 75%-80% - which worked out to about 6:47 pace.  Good effort.  

PM - 10 miles easy recovery on the treadmill.  

PM - 6 miles outside with Finn on warm sunny day; but as he's been used to running in the cold and rain, I brought him back home, and then did another 4 miles on the treadmill.  

AM - 5 miles easy in the fog and drizzle. 

PM - only time for 5 more on the treadmill after work.  

AM - a little over 4 miles this morning in the fog with Finn before work. 

PM - 8 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime - a bit faster than yesterday, and probably faster than I should have gone, but I fogot my watch and forgot my headphones - so I was also interested in getting done faster.  

AM - 5k with Finn this morning before work and after a heavy rain.  Had a hard time with motivation this morning - but my dog's enthusiasm for a run finally got me out the door.  Slow and easy. 

PM - made a wrong turn on my lunchtime run - ended up out a lot longer than planned; and was stressing to get back for an important meeting on time.  Consequently had to run a lot faster than I wanted to.  

AM - 3 miles on the treadmill before work. 

PM - 7  more on the treadmill at lunchtime.  Had one of those conversation with another guy at the gym who runs but is not a "runner" - who has seen me running there for quite some time - he wanted to know how far I run everyday and at what pace - and how fast I have run a marathon.  "You run how many miles??"  "You've run how fast???".  

It was one of those exchanges where someone thinks you are a freak or phenominal - and you know, in reality you are nothing special in your own world - but it still makes you feel good.  

PM - treadmill tempo 1 mile warm up then 6 miles at tempo with a 1 mile cool down.  Did not feel that great.  Thought about pulling the plug on it about halfway - but pushed through.  My training practice, perhaps a little old school (seeing as I am kinda old) has almost always been to grind through planned workouts even when they are not going particularly well - and I know there is a school of thought to do the opposite - but how do you know when.  And, if you push through tough workouts when you don't feel that well, won't that experience assist you later in races when things get tough?

AM - 3 miles with Finn on the golf course. 

PM - 10 miles on the treadmill.  

PM - it was raining when I awoke this morning- and did not want to get on the treadmill- so I skipped the AM run.  Had to head down to Sea Island Ga for a conference after church - so as soon as I checked into the very nice hotel - I went out for a few miles.  Ended up getting rained on at the end of the run anyway.  

AM - easy 4 miles on the same road on Sea Island.  Thankful that I remembered my headlamp - miffed that the batteries were nearly dead.  Roads were wet with lots of puddles   

PM - late afternoon - 8 miles with the last 4 at moderate to approaching tempo pace. Rainy (light) and humid. 

AM - 4 miles this morning - last day of the conference and I will be driving back this afternoon.  Doubtful I will get a second run in today.  Left foot has a foreboding feeling in it - similar to early stages of a stress injury - so I took it easy this morning.  Will try to keep on softer surfaces or treadmill for the next few runs.  Nothing too serious I think just yet.  

PM - 10 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime.  It was raining this morning and I was tired from my trip yesterday - thus lacking the necessary motivation to run early today.  Foot seems ok, but every now and again I have an "odd step" where something feels "off".  

AM - 2 mile walk with Finn.  My "first-thing-in-the-morning-when-I-step-out-of-bed personal inventory of aches pains and functional deficits" informed me that something is indeed developing with the left foot (having had at least 3 prior stress fractures over the years - I know from those experiences, the early signs and symptoms) - and so - I begrudgingly, perhaps wisely - decided not to run.  But Finn looked very expectantly at my running shoes and then back at me, and then back at the running shoes and let out a little whine - and so, I put them on, but just for a walk.  

PM - lunchtime - indoor cycling and indoor rowing.  15 miles on the bike and 2000 meters or so rowing.  Hated most of it.   

Total effort today was around 90 mins.  ~ of 8-10 miles of running maybe.  

Cross training again today - walked about 3 miles and rode a Peloton workout for a little over 13 miles.  Foot is feeling better - going to do some more cross training for a bit until the aggitated metatarsal cools down. 

AM - about 2.5 miles of walking 

PM - 2 mile run /walk on the golf with Finn and Riley - testing tolerance of the foot - seemed ok but felt a twinge at about 1.5 miles and walked a bit.  Then did a Peloton workout on the indoor cycle for around 13 miles.  

PM - 2.5 mile walk on the golf course with Tracy Riley and Finn. Then 2 miles of walking on the treadmill at 3.4 mph at 15% incline - followed by 2000 meters of indoor rowing.  Going to continue with cross training for a bit until the foot settles down. 

AM - cross training - just under 13 miles on the Peloton bike before work.

PM - more cross training - 6 miles on the elliptical trainer at the gym at lunchtime.  They have a type of machine there that most closely simulates running, which I can mentally tolerate - and so I set the level of intensity to mimic the HR effort of an aerobic run and its not too bad of a substitute.  

Foot is feeling ok with these cross training efforts.  I have of course been reading lots about stress reaction metatarsal injuries.  Always the question is how long to allow for recovery/healing; and is discomfort or pain upon resuming running indicative that the injury is not yet healed or to be expected as normal aches and not indicative of further injury or progression/exacerbation of the injury.  No one provides a clear answer to this in the online material, of course - and I suspect is likely to vary from case to case.  

AM - just under 10 miles on the indoor bike before work.

PM - little over 6 miles of aerobic-effort elliptical work at lunchtime.

AM - 1 mile on the treadmill to test out the injury recovery / left foot stress reaction.  Felt no discomfort before/during or after.  

PM - 2 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime - feeling no discomfort at all.  Took it easy, and will gradually add back some volume as tolerated.  2000 meters of indoor rowing afterwards.  

AM  - 2 miles on the treadmill at home before work.  It is cold again - 32 this morning.  

PM - 3 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime and then 2 miles on the elliptical.   May have pushed it a bit for the gradual recovery for my foot.  Felt a little achy at the end and after.  

PM - 3 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime.  

AM - a little over 3 miles very easy on the golf course with Finn.  I think just doing very easy light and short runs is best for the foot.  Felt very good this morning.  

PM - 4 miles on the roads with Finn. Cold wet and drizzling.  Foot seemed to tolerate it fairly well. 

AM - 9 miles on the indoor bike before work.  Very cold windy and rainy - and of course, daylight saving time dark.  Staying inside.

PM - lunchtime 5.5 miles on the treadmill - with the first .25 walking at a 13% incline to warm the legs.  Foot's got some "activity" going on with it, but nothing I think that requires that I do anything to adjust for it.  At least not today. 

PM -  5 miles at lunchtime on the treadmill. 

AM - did a little test run with the vibrams on the treadmill this morning of a half mile.

PM - 5k run with Finn on the golf course - ran in the vibrams again.  

AM - 1.5 miles walking on the treadmill at 15%  at 3.4 mph then 2000 meters of indoor rowing.  

4 miles easy running on Clearwater Beach with Riley.  In town for a wedding this weekend. 

I was in the Tampa area for a wedding this weekend and decided to run this 10k in downtown Dunedin.  A little iffy about my foot - and the race was clearly set up for low key competition - (5k to follow at 9:30 to coincide with the beginning of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations - which is a big deal in this little town.  So I felt like running a tempo effort and gauge my intensity so I would do no harm to the foot.  

The race course was literally out and back on The Pinellas Trail from just north of the BlueJays stadium to Curlew road and back.  I started off easy and locked in a 6:50-ish pace.  Gradually I picked off runners one by one until just before the turnaround when I found myself in 2nd place overall.  The 1st place runner was a good couple of minutes ahead but clearly out of reach for me.  The first woman who I had passed around the 2 mile mark stayed close and passed me at just over 4 miles.  She gapped me a bit but then I maintained the same gap through finish.  

Good splits 6:55, 6:44, 6:43, 6:51, 7:00, 6:57 and 6:32 pace for the last .2.  Foot felt solid.  Pleased with the results.  

AM - 5 miles very slowly in the darkness on the beach roads for the first half or so of the run.  Felt a little discomfort in the foot so I found a beach access gate; and as dawn was just breaking -  I could see well enough along the shoreline.  Softer surface was better, and the run was peaceful with the only audible sounds of light surf coming in and the crunch of my footfalls on the shells at the waterline.  Heading back home today.  Enjoyed the weekend.  

PM - 5 miles on the treadmill easy.  Foot felt remarkably better today (like almost non-existent) from yesterday morning - but I still felt a bit fatigued from the race and the long drive home - so I kept it light.  

Zero activity.  I awoke early enough to do a run or to cross train, but I felt tired and went back to bed for an extra 45 mins.  Had a lunch meeting - and so I planned to run after work, but then my commute ended up taking well over an hour and dinner smelled really good when I got home...

AM - a little over a mile walking at 3.4 mph at 14% incline on the treadmill, then 2000 meters of indoor rowing.

PM - lunchtime 6 miles on the treadmill.  It got cold overnight and the wind was gusting to nearly 1000 mph (it seemed), so I stayed indoors.  

AM - easy run with Finn on a frozen golf course this morning.  He chased deer and squirels and some geese who seemed to be very vocally displeased with him as they swam to the center of a pond and he began to wade in after them.  

AM - 5 miles along the Charles from Waterton to Harvard.  In Boston for the weekend.  

AM - 3 easy miles with Riley along the Charles in Boston...looks like she will be going to school here in the Fall. 

AM - last day in Boston.  Just 3 with Riley who is nursing a bout of PF and trying to take it easy. Raw cold with some snow showers and icy surfaces along the Charles.  

PM - 4 miles on the treadmill on a short lunch break.

AM - 2 miles on the treadmill before work followed by 2000 meters of indoor rowing.

PM - 5 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime. 

PM - brutally harried day at work; squeezed in 5 miles on the treadmill at the gym before heading home.  Needed to decompress.  

AM - 2.5 miles with Finn - very slowly in the neighborhood followed by 2000 meters of indoor rowing. 

PM - 4.5 miles at lunchtime.  Felt leaden.  

AM - 4 miles on the treadmill before work. 

AM - got out early with Finn and took him to the Forsyth trail - which is mainly boardwalk with some concrete pavement in a wooded / swampy flat area.  Good for easy miles.  Colder than I had expected in the upper 30's - and as a result there was frost/ice on some of the boardwalk areas.  We happened upon a race on the trail - that maybe had 50 people in it, and good number of them were running with dogs.  Looked like a 10k - perhaps a Humane Society run; would have been a bit sketchy/dangerous to race on the icy boards in spots.  Nice run for me today - where I finished in the mid 7 min pace without really thinking about it.  

Took the day off from running.  Family time after services, brunch etc.  Nice weather to just sit on the porch and enjoy the day.

PM - 6.25 miles on a hilly route at lunchtime.  Weather is warming up.  

PM - 7 miles easy on the treadmill at lunchtime.  Lots of pollen blowing around outside, this time of year. 

PM - 5 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime.  Cold front came through this morning, cold and windy out (again).  

AM - 5k with Finn before work.  Cold outside again.  33 degrees this morning.  It was in the mid-70's on Monday.  Taking it easy today and tomorrow.  Racing on Saturday.  I think.

AM - 5k with Finn around the golf course.  

Checked the box for this one which has been on my list for a number of years.   Weather was cool-ish in the upper 60's with a breeze and high humidity.  Organization was decent for such a large race.  They announced 35,000 participants at the start.   

This was a bit more difficult for me than it looked on paper.  The climb on the bridge was about 1.5 miles and I tried to keep my effort even and execute a plan to make up time on the descent.  I seemed to do that reasonably well, but was really pushing my HR limits and slowed a little bit in the last mile or so.  6:52, 7:14, 7:32, 6:34, 6:50, 7:15, and 6:41 for the last .2 miles.  I did have a negative split - though I think that's to be expected where the hill is in the first half of the race and the second half has the downhill.  Satisfied with the effort, time notwithstanding.  

Took the day off from running - following yesterday's race and long drive. 

PM - 10 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime at an aerobic effort. 

PM - lunchtime run outdoors.  New route - couple of lengthy hills I was not expecting.  Slow as a result.  

PM - 8.25 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime.  Felt tired and uncomfortable today. 

AM - 3.1 miles with Finn around the neighborhood.  Feeling slow and tired. 

PM - outdoors at lunchtime - nice day, but the pollen count is so high, I feel like I can taste it when I am running.  Bleah.  Better run than this morning, but HR is really too high for the pace.  Need a couple of longer slower aerobic efforts to reset things. 

PM - 6 miles on the treadmill easy. 

PM - 14 miles on the treadmill - felt very good for some reason. 

No running today - church then travel to DC for a business conference 

PM - 8 miles along the Mt Vernon trail from Crystal City over to the Lincoln Memorial and then the Jefferson.  Cold and windy.  Decent run though.  

PM - still in DC - same trail - added some distance (9.25 miles) today over yesterday’s and ran around the Washington monument- cold and windy.  

AM - just 3 early miles on the treadmill in DC - had meetings on the Hill, actually that were going to tie up the entire day - and it was in the 30's too and dark.  Stayed indoors instead.

AM - 2 miles very slow and easy - on the golf course with Finn, just to give him some exercise.  I was out of town until last night, and he needed to stretch his legs, but I did not have much time before work.

PM - 6 miles on the treadmill at lunch - cold front came through during the morning and it was actually windy and significantly cooler than it was when I ran earlier.  Ran poorly, felt lousy, for most of the run anyway.  

PM - treadmill tempo workout .  1.5 mile warmup and short cool down. 5.5 miles at tempo pace.  Good workout.  

AM - 4 miles early with Finn.

PM - 8 miles on the Forsyth trail with my son-in-law, Marcus.  

PM - long run on the treadmill- 15 miles with the last 2 at tempo pace.  

PM - 4 miles easy on the treadmill at lunchtime.  Tight schedule today, not much opportunity for anything longer.  

PM - treadmill workout 1.5 mile warm up then 6 x 800 @ 3:13 w/a 400 rest jog; 1 x mile @ 6:27 and a short cool down.  Good effort.  

PM - just shy of 6 miles on what was supposed to be an active recovery run - but I did not feel that great, ran too quickly, and negated the purpose of the run.  

AM - 5k with Finn early this morning.  He needed the exercise and I was up anyway.  Did 2000 meters of indoor rowing afterwards.  

PM - 5 more miles on the treadmill - very slow going.  Not feeling very peppy.  

PM - lunchtime run with Finn on the golf course.  Really felt slow and out of energy.  

AM - 4 miles early 

PM - 6 miles with Finn on the golf course.  Still not running well.  3rd day in a row. 

PM - no running today - after having 3 days in a row of poor running efforts, I decided to rest today.  Took a nap after church and then went for a walk on the golf course with Finn.  

AM - early start - with Finn, 5k around the neighborhood.  Felt much better today; rested and with more energy.  

PM - two runs of 3 miles separated by a 30 minute break for a work-related phone call.  First one was indoors, and the second outdoors.  

PM - 8.5 miles or so outside on a hilly route.  The effort I had to exert was way too high compared to the pace which was on the slow-side.  I felt depleted nutritionally and dehydrated.  Need to re-group and examine my intake.  It made for a high "misery factor" rating for what should have been a rather routine easy training run.  On the positive side, my weight is down :-]

PM - 7 miles on the treadmill - felt much better today.  HR in a normal zone, perceived effort matched pace - all is well.  

AM - 4 miles of easy running.

PM - just 3 more in the afternoon with Finn

Made the long drive to Gainesville today for my youngest daughter's college graduation.   The last one is now done!  No time for running today. 

AM - just 3.5 miles or so this morning in Gainesville before making the trip back home.  Thirty years ago I graduated from the University of Florida and yesterday my youngest daughter graduated from the very same school as did my two other daughters, my son-in-law, my sister and my grandfather.  "Circle of life" thoughts ruminated my head during my run.  

PM - 7.5 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime.  

PM - 5.5 miles outside at lunchtime.  

AM - just a short 2 miles with Finn before work - he looked like he needed some exercise and I was short on time.  

PM - 5.5 miles at lunchtime outside.  Getting even warmer out now - up to the 90's by the end of the week.   

AM - a little over 2.5 miles with Finn in the neighborhood before work.  

PM - around 4.25 at lunch outside - big hill in the middle- quick finish.  Felt a cramp or a pain in my left hamstring at the end. 

PM - just time for 4 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime. 

AM - 6 miles in the neighborhood. 

AM - early run with Finn on the golf course before church just around sunrise - fog/mist coming up on the ponds. 

PM - just a little under 6.5 miles at lunchtime today.  Hilly route and possibly the warmest day of the year so far.  

PM - 5.5 miles on the treadmill.  Been feeling rather "fried" lately.  Made a concerted effort at going easy and staying in a low HR zone.  Felt rather good and refreshed after this one. 

AM - a little over 2.5 miles this  morning with Finn in a light rain.  

PM - slightly more than 5 miles at lunchtime outside - rainy and muggy.  Felt terrible. 

AM - 5k with Finn before a busy day with travel.  

PM - 10k in Quebec City - here for a long weekend with Tracy.  

PM - 4 miles in Quebec City along the St. Lawrence river.  Celebrating 28 years of marriage today with my beautiful bride, Tracy.  Feeling blessed. 

AM - 3 miles very easy before traveling back home.  

No running today - had to be at the airport before sunrise to go to Charlotte for work and then was back in the same day, after dark.  No time for exercise. 

PM - 7 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime.  Felt refreshed. 

PM - 3.5 miles with limited time at lunchtime. 

AM - 5k with Finn before work.  Full schedule today.  

AM - 10k around the neighborhood.  

AM - 6 miles easy before getting ready for a backyard barbecue with friends and family.  

PM - 4.25 miles on the golf course with Finn.  We got separated when he was off-lead and although I had him on a radio collar - We could not find each other (probably because  he could not see me and my calls were echoing in the woods).  Anyway it cut the run short.  When I finally reconnected with him he was completely exhausted and panting like a freight train.  We sort of walked and ran the last mile home as he was so tired.    My guess is that he was running all over the place trying to find me and follow my voice and radio collar.   Anyway he’s all good now.  

No running today.  

AM - 6.75 miles with Finn in a light and steady rain.  Went to breakfast at Maple Street Biscuits with my children and then we drove up to the North Georgia mountains for a hike on Mount Yonah.  Rain was heavy at times but not enough to deter us.  Cookout this evening.  

PM - 7 miles easy on the treadmill at lunchtime. 

PM - 5.25 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime.  Saw Hamilton at the Fox Theatre last night/- really enjoyed it.  

AM - 5k with Finn before work.

PM - just under 6 miles outside at lunchtime - warm and quite muggy. 

PM - 7 miles easy on the treadmill.  This week I have been intentionally running at a good bit slower pace than what I normally run - to solve for the string of "bad" runs I have been having for a while.  Seems to have been effective - as I have felt much better and enjoyed the runs much more even if they are slowly paced.  

AM - 3.5 around the neighborhood with Finn. 

PM - 6.0 miles on the treadmill. 

AM - 4.25 miles with Finn before church.  I really enjoy running at sunrise on Sunday mornings with the dog in the spring and summer when I am the only one out on the roads except for the occasional car.  I just need to remind myself of that when I opt for a few more minutes of sleep instead.  

PM - 6 miles at lunchtime on a truly spectacular weather day.  Cool front passed through early morning and all humidity dropped significantly.  

PM - 7 miles easy on the treadmill at lunchtime. 

PM - 5.75 miles outside at lunchtime.  Warm, but not humid.  Felt reasonably strong. 

PM - 7 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime. 

Only time for a 2 mile walk with Finn after work.  

AM - later morning run with Finn for part and with Riley for part.  Lots of ups and downs and quite warm and humid.  

PM - 3 miles very easy on the treadmill after dinner.  

AM - 4 miles early before work today; ran into my neighbor Dan just as I was leaving my house and we ran together.  I kinda think he may have been looking for me to run together - so it worked out.  He's much too fast for my normal training pace - but I enjoyed chatting with him and getting a quicker run in than planned today.  

AM - 5k with Finn before work. 

AM - 3.5 miles with Finn; ran into neighbor Dan again (twice in 3 days) about a mile in, and ran about 2 miles with him, quite a bit faster than what I had planned, but it was fine.  Mile 1, 10:08, mile 2, 8:05 mile 3, 7:25...but it was good conversation and the fact that I was still conversational at that pace was somewhat reassuring.  

My first Grandma’s Marathon - I was not trained for the race as originally I registered to run with my daughter, but she became injured and had to back out fairly early-on.  I was also supposed to run with Richie who was registered - but he has a lot going on outside of running and I expected that he may not be able to participate.  However about 3 weeks ago he said he was committed and that since neither of us were trained enough to run well - that we would just go and run it as a long training run in preparation for a fall marathon.   Unfortunately he came down with a case of shingles last Friday.  So... I thought I would cancel as well since it is not too much fun traveling alone to out of town races and moreover - I was undertrained.   Nevertheless (with a little coaxing from Rob who said I should do it) I decided about Wednesday this week that since I had to travel to Chicago for a business conference on Sunday - I might as well just run.

So my plan was to run this as a long training run - keeping my HR in the 140’s and just enjoy this unique event. We were fortunate with the weather that had been threatening with thunderstorms in the forecast (in fact there was discussion about delaying the start or canceling if the storms were severe.) But we got none of that.  Foggy and cloudy with some misting rain in the latter miles and temps in the mid-50’s.  Most of my splits were between 8:15 and 8:25 with a couple faster and a couple slower.  Really enjoyed the day with the racers quietly making their ways between the pines on this rolling country road along the shores of Lake Superior.   I was pretty fatigued by the last few miles and my HR climbed considerably but I kept the same pace relatively from start to finish.  Got a nasty blister on my left little toe and was quite cold making my way back to my car - but overall - I was pleased with the effort and glad I decided to do it.  

PM - in Chicago for a business conference.  Really warm here - temps in the upper 90's.  Went out after 6 pm for a shake-out and systems check from yesterday's marathon.  All good.  

AM - 5k around Chicago’s Grant Park and Soldiers Field.  Very slow recovery effort. 

AM - 5 miles on a cooler morning after some rain overnight in Chicago.  Still running slowly in recovery mode.  The blister on the little toe is annoying.  Have to be in San Francisco tomorrow for a business meeting scheduled at the last minute  ... seems to have worked out to be quite a bit of travel in the last week.  

Travel day - was up at 3:30 am for a flight to San Francisco midday - and then back on a flight at 5 pm to take me back to ATL - and arrived at home at 1:30 am.  No time for running. 

PM - 5 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime.  With limited rest/sleep my run was not so great - as I had expected. 

PM - easy miles around the neighborhood. 

AM - 2.5 miles very easy on a soggy humid former golf course with Finn.  Grass is getting high and buggy.  Finn was antsy to exercise since I was out of town for nearly a week.

PM - a few more in the afternoon.  Blister finally healing.

A little over 5 miles of running today.  Some with Finn and Riley on the golf course.  

Long day of business travel.  Up at 4 am - flight to Dallas for the day - then long weather delays for return to ATL; got home at 1:30 am.  No running. 

PM - lunchtime - easy effort 6.25 miles - quite warm and hilly. 

PM - in the lunctime heat 5.5 miles - new route - more hills/climbing than I probably wanted - but still felt good, though very slow.  

AM - 2 miles with Finn before a thunderstorm sent us back home.

PM - 5 miles easy on the treadmill at lunchtime, another thunderstorm - so I stayed inside. 

PM - a couple of easy miles on the golf course with Finn and Riley in the heat of the day. Planned to do more later, but never happened. 

AM - got an early start with Finn - high humidity and dew point of 71 at 6 am.  8 muggy miles.  

PM - 3.5 miles on the treadmill

AM - 5k with Finn and Riley before work this morning. 

Today's Peachtree Road Race was my fourth time doing this race since moving to Atlanta 4 years ago.  This was not a great time result for me today, but I attribute that to the poor weather-racing conditions.   Similar or worse to the weather  2 years ago 72 degrees and 100% humidity with a dew point of 71 - as I age, I just do not do well in those conditions.  As expected, I ran about the same time 2 years ago.  

My effort in the first 3 miles was on par as far as splits go with the previous efforts.   I was at or slightly below 7 mins in the first mile with the next 2 downhill miles in upper 6 min range.  However my heartrate this morning was blowing up very early even in the first mile and at least for me, once that happens, I have about 3.5-4 miles before I crack.  My avg HR for this race has never been higher at 178. 

Too bad this wasn't a 5k - because the first part of the race was not too terrible. 

On the bright side, my daughters and my son-in-law all participated and it was a great event as it always is.  I love that my girls want to do the race every year - regardless of whether they have been training - because it makes for a great family event and tradition.    From the giant American flag hanging from a crane above the starting line, to the perfect organization, and nearly 60,000 runners, and with the National Anthem beautifully sung, ending perfectly with an F-16 blasting over Peachtree Road - there's nothing like it on Independence Day.

PM - we rented a cabin in the Pisgah Forest in North Carolina and so drove up mid-morning and arrived after lunch.  Walked Finn around the Brevard campus - where Delaney did 2 summer running camps - while Tracy and the girls went grocery shopping for the cabin.   After getting settled we drove to Hooker Falls and Triple Falls trailhead and did a short hike before dinner. 

AM - 5k or so with Finn and Riley before everyone else was up.  Nice run in the mountain forest. 

PM - 7.2 mile hike on Looking Glass Rock - actually a bit of a difficult climb in the humidity - but great panorama views at the top.  

AM - same 5k route from yesterday morning - overcast and light mist.  Only Finn ran with me this morning as Riley was too worn out from yesterday's activities.  

PM - 5. 25 mile hike on Daniel's Ridge in the Pisgah Forest with Tracy and Delaney - in the rain.  Actually with the natural canopy we really did not get very wet at all.  

AM - 5.5 miles this morning on a trail next to the Davidson river beginning at the Pisgah Forest gate.  Temps were cool after a front passed.  Sat with my feet in Turkey Creek next to the cabin- ice cold.  

AM - 5k with Finn in the neighborhood before work.

PM - 5 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime.  

AM - a little over 2 miles on the former golf course with Finn.  The mowing crew is clearly not able to keep up with the growth of the grass - which was well up to my knees in spots this morning - which was also very wet from morning dew.  I wore the old Vibrams as I do on shorter runs on the turf, but for some reason today - perhaps because of how wet the grass was, I developed blisters/cuts in like less than 2 miles and had to cut the run short as a result.

PM - bandaged up the blisters/cuts and then wrapped with pre-wrap (which was effective - btw) - 7.25 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime. 

AM - 5k with Finn before work this morning.

PM - 6 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime. 

AM - 3 miles on the former golf course (cart path since the grass is too high) with Finn before work.

PM - abbreviated lunchtime run on the treadmill of only 4 miles.  

AM - about 2.5 miles of loops on the fairway behind my house - barefoot with Finn and Riley. 

PM - 6 treadmill miles. 

AM - 2.50 miles on the treadmill - as it was raining pretty hard outside. 

PM - 5 miles with Finn on the Milton Trail. 

Planned day of rest

AM - 5k with Finn before work.

PM - a little over 7.25 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime at a higher aerobic effort.  Legs felt rested after the day off yesterday. 

AM - 3 miles with Finn - partly on the former golf course on the cart paths.  Heavy rains overnight had the temps a slight bit cooler this morning.

PM - 5 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime - limited time due to work schedule. 

PM - 10 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime.

Travel day to West Virginia 

AM - ran from McMechan to Wheeling Park - steep climb up 29th street.  

AM - 10 miles at recovery effort along the Ohio river trail.  When the Trail ended I ran on the railroad tracks for a few miles. 

AM - 5k around the Sam Shepard memorial trail and past the prison farm.  

No running.  Up at  3 am for a flight to Austin for a client meeting and then back to ATL by 8:30 at night.  No time for anything but travel. 

AM - 5k with Finn around the neighborhood.  He was happy to have me back home to give him some exercise.  

PM - 7 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime.  5 miles were at tempo effort.  

PM - busy/stressful day - got 7 miles in on the treadmill after work.  

AM - 5k with Finn on the clockwise golf course loop.  

PM - treadmill LT intervals.  4 x 1200 with a 1 min rest.  15 min warm up and 12 min cool down.  Used the HRM to keep these right around 160 bpm - and that averaged out to be around 6:30 pace.   Good modest workout.  

PM - 7 miles at recovery pace on the treadmill around lunchtime. 

AM - a couple of easy miles with Finn. 

PM - 12 miles on the treadmill later afternoon - too hot for an outdoor long run. 

AM - 5.5 miles with Finn - early before church. 

PM - lunchtime - treadmill workout.  12 x 400 at 5:50 pace with a 400 rest at 8:40 pace.  Warm up and cool down.  Felt like a solid effort.  

AM - 5k with Finn before work - at a slow recovery pace.  As expected, I had a few aches following yesterday's speed work, but nothing of concern.  Ran into Dan who was running in the neighborhood and chatted with him briefly.  School starts back next week for our county, but adjacent counties start this week.  

Heading out of town for 2 weeks tonight - the first part is vacation, the second week is business.  Intended to get a second run at lunchtime, but I had a slew of meetings get crammed into my schedule today when word got out that I was going to be out of the office.  Probably best not to have an additional run anyway.  

Travel day/overnight to Amsterdam.  Just did some walking with Tracy around the city and in Vondelpark. 

AM - just under 9 miles in Amsterdam.  Loops in Vondelpark.  

AM - 5 miles in Amsterdam - I was planning to run on the track at the Olympic Stadium- but I missed a turn on my way there.  

AM - found my way to the Olympic Stadium this morning but it was closed to the public today. So I just explored at little bit.   

PM - after a day of quite a bit of walking - I went out for a few more miles before dinner.  

PM - after a day of museums and relaxing in the park - I finally got out for a 10k before dinner.  Ran around Rembrandt Park and Vondelpark.

AM - finally made it to the Olympic Stadium which was open (enough) for me to hop on the track and do 4 x 800 with a 400 rest/jog.  Averaged 3:13 per rep.  I was the only one on the track and there were maintenance workers adjusting the sprinkers on the infield - and I sort of got the impression that maybe they were just tolerating my presence, so I decided not to do any more 800's though I had thought about doing a couple more. Decent workout.  Last day here in Amsterdam.  I head off to Asia tomorrow morning for the next week, with several stops.  Going to be a challenge running-wise.  

AM - just 2 miles before an early morning flight to India 

AM - 3.5 miles on the treadmill in Bangalore India with just a few hours of sleep and a full day of business meetings. 

AM - very early treadmill run of about 3.5 miles before a cab takes me to the Bangalore airport for a flight to Singapore.   

AM - just 2 miles on the treadmill very early in Singapore before a flight to Kuala Lumpur.  Just a day trip for a business meeting - will be back in the evening.  

AM - 4 miles really early in Singapore.  Heading to Indonesia for the weekend for golf excursion with business colleagues.   

PM - 8 miles in Bintan Indonesia - the first 4 miles or so on the beach after a day of golf and the last 4 around a very nicely manicured path around a lake.   Encountered a monitor lizard and a monkey on the golf course.  

AM - 3.5 miles in Bintan Indonesia at sunrise.  Find it interesting that the sunrise and sunset in places which are close to the Equator basically have it happen at the same time everyday.  Sunrise right around 6 am and sunset right around 6 pm.  

AM - 6.5 miles in Singapore from Orchard Rd around Marina Bay.  Last full day here before returning home. 

Travel day - no running. 

AM - 5k with Finn in the neighborhood.  He was happy to get some exercise.  Good to be back home.  Over 24 hours of travel time door to door yesterday from Singapore with 20+ hours in the air.  Sat next to Caeleb Dressel - olympic swimmer - on the leg from Tokyo to ATL as he was returning from the Pan Pacific Games.  

PM - 4 miles on the treadmill at lunch.  Forgot to bring socks, so ran part with shoes and no socks, until my feet felt like them might be getting blisters, and then went barefoot for a while.  Daughter Riley left this morning to move to Boston to study law - her sister is traveling with her to help her move into her new place.  

AM - 3 miles easy with Finn in the neighborhood.  Dead deer in the road in the neighborhood appeared to have been hit by a vehicle.  Weird.  Speed limit is 25 - and the street is not very long...

PM - treadmill workout.  Threshold 6 x 1200 @ ~6:25 pace with a 1 min rest.  Warm up and cool down - 7 miles total.   Felt solid.  In my last 2 my HR was above threshold for the last half mile or so.  

AM - 3 miles easy with Finn around the golf course. 

AM - 15.25 miles on the treadmill.  

AM - 5k with Finn before church. 

PM - 7 miles on the treadmill on a late lunch.  Higher aerobic effort. 

AM - 5k with Finn before work.

PM - Nostaglic for a good old-fashioned workout - so...lunchtime treadmill ladder workout:  mile, 1200, 800, 400, 400, 800, 1200.  Pace was at 10k or better (as I went down the ladder). Took 50% of the rep as a jog/rest.  1.5 mile warm up and short cool down.   This was a good effort.  I skipped the last rep of the mile to complete the ladder as I was short on time, needing to get back to my desk for a meeting.  

PM - 5 miles easy recovery on the treadmill.  

AM - 5k with Finn before work.

PM - treadmill tempo.  15 min warm up then 30 mins at threshold ~ 6:49 pace.  10 min cool down.  Solid effort.  I seem to be in a groove with my workouts lately - and recovering well too.  Knock wood.  

PM - 5 miles easy with Finn on the golf course.