Running Redhead

I ran a flat, fast 5K today. Ran the first mile with two students shooting for similar times. I went out faster than I planned and it turned out to be too fast. First mile was about 6:10. Obviously I fell off that pace for the second and third miles. I need more experience racing to be able to hold that first mile pace and be confident that my training will carry me to the end.

Five miles in 43 minutes on the road around school started uphill, longer downhill and finished on an incline. Felt smooth in 70-degree weather.

Weight workout 2 sets of 10-12 reps full body. Three miles on elliptical.

Late afternoon easy six miler down Glendale Road. I just beat the rain shower home. 51 minutes negative split.

A little over seven miles down Park to Phelps. Just under one hour with negative split. Very windy in the sixties.

Thanks to everybody for the welcome to the Blog!

Rest day. My left hamstring is a little tight. Looking forward to some tempo running tomorrow.

Excellent day for a tempo run. Warmed up with about 2 miles mostly downhill. Left hamstring was tight to start but loosened up some. Turned up the pace to seven-minute miles for three miles and eased off for a 1.5 mile cooldown. The hamstring feels a bit tight/weak. Will keep an eye on it.

First three miles on the road up Westhampton Hill, down around a lesser grade and back uphill to school. Then finished with two miles on trail and track. Left Hamstring still feels weak but loosened up on the track.

Weather drove me inside Thursday. I gutted out 5x800m at 6:40 mile pace. Warmed up with a couple miles, slow jog 200 meters recovery and cooled down with 1.5 miles. Breathing hard after three and five was a mental push but my legs felt great. Legs felt even better later in the evening and on Friday. Maybe add in a 1200 repeat next time, but I need to get my lungs going again.

Quick and relaxed five miles in the Saturday morning sunshine on the bike path. Aerobic miles.

Steady eight mile run along rolling hills Sunday morning. Cool temperatures. Legs a little tight in calves and right abductor loosened up over first three miles. 68 minutes for about 8:30 miles. Negative split with strong finish.

Great runner's high today! It was 70 and sunny with a little headwind. Warmed up with two miles and then did three miles tempo run at 6:55 per mile. It's hard to know the right pace for me for a tempo run right now. I've heard that it is the pace you could hold for an hour. I'm not sure I could hold 6:55 for an hour; it felt hard but not gasping for air difficult. I was breathing hard after the planned three miles but recovered my wind quickly during the cooldown (1.5 miles). No tightness in the legs anywhere and a great endorphin rush at the end of the run.

I'm training for a 10K at the beginning of August and planning to build up to about a 4.5 mile tempo run, long run of 12-15 miles and about 40 miles per week before tapering into the race. The goal is 42 minutes. Did a 5K in 20:06, but this will be my first 10K race.

A flat aerobic run today of a little over five miles. Probably around 8:20 per mile. I'm excited to get my Garmin so I can measure pace on the road a little more accurately. It's funny how it always seems like a struggle at about 2/3 of the way through a run when I'm doing even pacing/slow miles but I feel totally fresh at the end. I guess it's just a matter of running more miles.

Hot today! It was 90 degrees but the humidity wasn't too bad. Some wind to cool off, but the wind helped raise the heart rate. Did 5 x 800m with the first three on the track and the next two on grass. About 3:15 splits for each interval with a 200m jog in between. I ended up quite winded but the legs felt great.

First run with my new Garmin GPS. According to the device, my five mile course is actually about 5.5 miles. I also discovered that my pacing is a bit faster than I expected and a bit more variable than I thought. The Garmin says I ranged from about a 6:00/mile pace to around 8:20. I tried to keep the pace around eight minute miles. Looking forward to using the Garmin to get a better idea of pacing on the road in the future. Legs and lungs felt great today in about 70 degrees partly cloudy conditions. Overall pace on the Garmin was 7:38. I thought I was doing five iles in 8:20s on that course . . .

What a perfect day! Great temperature in the mid-60s and low humidity. Felt like I could run forever, but I'll save some for the tempo run tomorrow. Garmin said 9.5 miles at 8:06 per mile. I think I need to put a pound or two back on. It's so hard to eat enough of the right types of food because it's expensive and time consuming.

Seems like I'm on track for 10K in early August. Shooting for sub 42 minutes.

Home from work tempo run. Warm up around Westhampton 5K triangle for 19 minutes then 25 minutes of tempo run at about 6:55/mile pace. Cool down and finish off run two miles to home. Everything felt great. Running at that pace seems more efficient than two weeks ago.

The weather forced me onto the treadmill today. Eased into a 5.5 mile run at 7:45/mile pace. I'm feeling a bit more confident with the training program at the moment. I'm looking forward to the next timed run to see how it's going.

Treadmill interval VO2 max workout today. I love running fast, but I guess I need to make sure I don't push the pace too much and then rest too much. Completed six 800m intervals at 6:30/mile pace. About 15 seconds/mile faster than my goal 10K pace. 6:30 is a touch slower than best 5K pace. Recovery interval was 400 meters. Great rhythm in the legs. Huffing and puffing a bit on the fifth and sixth interval, but not gasping for breath. Quite satisfied with this workout and earned a rest tomorrow.

Finished the week off with an easy five mile run on the bike path. Hamstrings started a little tight. Averaged 7:49 miles with more even pacing today. I have scheduled myself for a reduced mileage week coming up. I don't know that I actually need it, but I have been putting in three quality workouts per week for quite a while with one race week off in the beginning of May. I'm still aiming for a sub 42-minute 10K on August 8 and a sub 1:32 half marathon in mid October. If anybody is doing the Breakers Amica Half-Marathon in Rhode Island, I'd love to hear about it.

Cutback week. I felt like I was saying, "Hold your horses" to my legs the entire run. I guess that's the point of reducing mileage for a week, though. Perfect sunny day in the sixties. Ran on a rolling hills out and back course on Glendale Road. I'm still trying to perfect my sense of pace with the Garmin and smooth out the spikes and valleys.

Had to cut short my tempor run on the treadmill. Only a couple of miles at 6:58 pace. Definitely a backing off week.

Real easy pace middle of the week. Felt light and tempting to unleash.

Ripped through 10 quarters on the track yesterday. 1:36, 1:36, 1:37, 1:35,1:35, 1:34, 1:38, 1:34, 1:35, 1:34 Nice weather. I definitely enjoy running fast. 200 meter jog recovery. Based on running quarters I can tell that I have the speed to break 40 minutes in a 10K, but I need to be able to maintain speed over the entire distance. I think having the Garmin will help, but maybe also running races with more participants. I've mostly done small local road races where there aren't many people at the same pace, so it's a huge mental game. I never lost a relay lead in high school, so maybe I need to use that competitiveness to my advantage to push for pr's in my next runs.

Medium long run today, getting back into some significant mileage Sunday runs. I'm still working on trying to maintain an even pace on even terrain. Average for the run was 8:06 per mile with a couple walking breaks for hydration because I didn't have my camelback. I don't know if anybody else uses them, but I find mine invaluable. I can rehydrate without slowing.

I found that when I looked at the Garmin sometimes I was faster than I thought and sometimes slower. Perhaps it's a quirk with the watch rather than an actual change in my pace. In any case, the overall average was a bit faster than I expected, but the pacing felt pretty comfortable, so I went with it. I guess that's the benefit of the cut-back in mileage last week.

I did an icebath for the legs after the run because the distance was longer than I've done in a while and it was pretty hot out. I highly recommend it. Takes some willpower to get in at first, but about 20 minutes with a mixture of cold tapwater and some ice cubes feels great afterwards. You feel like running another 12.

Tempo run on the treadmill. Had to cut the warm-up and cooldown a bit short unfortunately. Set the pace at 6:58 for a 3.5 mile tempo run. The treadmill keeps you exactly honest on the pacing, but it feels so much harder than running on the road. Not much trouble maintaining that pace for the entire run. Looking to add some mileage at that pace and some aerobic miles the rest of this week.

Had to wait until pretty late, but did five miles on the bike path in 38:25. Easy pace in between two quality workouts. I'm wondering if I'm going too fast on the aerobic miles like these, but I think the need to stay slow is more important for folks with higher mileage and more years under the belt than I have. I guess we'll see how I feel on the 1000s for Thursday's workout.

Fantastic speed workout today. It was cool and overcast. I ran 5 x 1000m on the track at 6:24 per mile pace. My pacing was perfect. I usually start the first 200 too fast, but I ran steady with each 200m around 48 seconds. Splits were 4:01, 3:59, 3:58, 4:01, 3:56. Cooled down for a little over a mile.

Cruised through a 10k general aerobic run today over rolling hills. Just let the contours take me along for the ride. Turns out my natural pace seems to be about 7:50 per mile for these types of runs. I have to force myself to slow down for longer runs or recovery runs. From what I've read, I may even be going to fast for aerobic mileage. Macmillan's pace calculator suggests a slower pacing, but it's hard to determine what type of workout he has in mind for each pace when it's not speed or a true "long run."

In any case, my legs feel fresh and ready for a longer distance tomorrow.

Cool and drizzly day for a long run. Cruised through 11.5 miles on a fairly flat out and back course. I kept the pace moderate at 8:13 min/mile, although Macmillan recommends slower for long runs I think. Still on pace for my 10k in August I hope. The effort felt very comfortable and the legs seemed to go onto autopilot. It's always nice through the last quarter of a run to be looking forward to the next run/workout.

The batteries on my Garmin were low, but I'm pretty sure I covered about four miles for a tempo run in 28 minutes. Two miles slow for warmup and two miles for cool down. The tempo pace felt great and my legs didn't want to stop after 28 minutes. I hope the mileage/pacing was accurate. Rolling hills, so the effort level changed a bit over the course, but I tried to even out pace and effort for the entire 28 minutes. Weather was great, 70s and sunny. Slight breeze to cool me off.

Brilliant weather again today. Recovery run from the LT day Tuesday. A little longer than I wanted, but I was able to slow the pace without sacrificing form I think. Covered seven miles in 8:30 miles. Legs felt a bit sore from yesterday at the beginning of the run, but feel better now. We'll see how they're doing tomorrow for some speed work.

Pouring rain forced me inside to the treadmill again. I really prefer the track, but so it goes. Workout was 5x1000m at 6:22/mile pace. Recovery interval was 400 meters. Fairly loose but breathing pretty hard by the last two intervals.

General aerobic run on the bike path.

Quite humid to start, but there was a breeze that kicked up during the run. I loosened up from rock climbing the day before and felt stronger the farther I ran. Some rolling hills that make for nice variety, but nothing taxing. I guess this is medium-long run distance. I know I need the endurance/aerobic base, but I feel like I already can run at this pace for long distances, but I want to run at a faster pace for 10K. The average pace was 8:18, but I negative split on an out and back course.

Tried to maintain a pace of 6:55 per mile for a 30-minute lactate threshold run. Splits were 6:47, 6:56 (right on), 7:01 and 6:50. Difficult to hold to an exact pace over hills, curves and intersections. Overall the training stimulus seemed about right though. I don't think I'm going too fast and accumulating acid. I'm not sure if I could hold that pace for an hour. Unfortunately I've never run a 15K race, and I don't have a recent half-marathon time to set a pace off. The pace felt comfortably hard though.

Two miles of warm-up and about the same cool-down. I'm fully recovered by the end of the cool-down so, I'm happy with the workout. Legs and lungs felt good without strain.

Very relaxed recovery run after yesterday's tempo run. Five flat miles around 8:20 per mile. Going to add a sixth day of running this week, so I'm trying to pay close attention to the recovery from the two hard workouts.

Tough workout today in the heat and humidity. Warmed up with a couple miles on the track. Then 3xmile repeates. First one five seconds off 10K goal pace, then the next one was right at goal pace (two seconds faster) and the final repeat was seven seconds faster than goal pace. Finished with 2 x 800 at 5K race pace. First one a bit slow at 3:19 and second one a bit fast at 3:12. Recovery interval was 400 meter jog. Had to walk a bit before each 800, breathing hard.

Nice and easy five aerobic miles at 8:01 per mile.

Cutting back on the mileage this week. Dropped the long run down to 11 miles on an out-and-back course with some small rolling hills. I'm going to skip the tempo run on Tuesday and just do some aerobic miles. I was hoping to run a 5K to gauge the fitness level Sunday, but it didn't happen, so I will do a time trial Thursday instead. This will be the last cutback week before the final push for the Bridge of Flowers race.

Nice aerobic run for a little over six miles.

Took it easy over five miles to prepare for a three mile time trial on Thursday.

The time trial didn't quite work as I hoped. Nature called after about a mile and I had to interrupt. Overall I put together a 5K worth of fast miles, but not uninterrupted as I hoped. The total ended up being the same as my last 5K in early May. Started out with a 6:20 mile to begin but the pace tailed off as I struggled with stomach issues. My total time was 20:07. Looks like I might have another opportunity at a four on the fourth for Saturday.

First time I've run this race, so I was unfamiliar with the course. I'm happy with the last mile split. Overall, I was looking to break the top 20 based on historical results, so I guess I should be satisfied with 17th place. The course was a loop with the first two miles up significantly and then back downhill to the finish. My first mile considering the uphill and crowd at the start was a respectable 6:51. I wanted to start there and pick up the pace, but the legs just felt heavy today. I slowed to near seven minutes for the second mile. Since I wasn't sure about the course,  I didn't realize I could afford to push the pace for the third mile and let the downhill carry me in at the end. The third mile was a disappointing seven minutes. My average pace ended up being 6:51, while I was hoping for something closer to 6:35. I think I'm overestimating my fitness for shorter races based on five K times from a flat course. I think I also need more experience racing so that I know how to leave it on the course rather than having some left in the tank at the end.

Good checkpoint in my 10K training though. I guess I need more miles and more race pace miles rather than shorter and faster repeats. Plus I need to be more mentally strong on the uphill and ready to push the pace a bit more on the downhill sections.

Recovery day after the race on Saturday. Easy miles in the 8:20 range to get the blood flowing. Legs not too sore.

Long day to get back into the weekly cycle. Tough going from about three miles through the midway point, but it's downhill a bit on the way back, so I cruised home, feeling stronger along the way. I think the pace ended up averaging around 8:10 for a total time on the road of 1:52:56. I'm hoping again that my Saturday race should be taken as a time trial and that I'm still on track to peak August 9 for the 10K and then later in October for the half marathon. I'll be building up to about 50 miles per week for a few weeks by then. First time I've ever logged that much mileage, so I'm trying to mentally prepare myself to get some more sleep and eat a little better. It will be a little tough to get the miles in this week due to travel, but I guess I'll just shift the rest day around a bit.

My wife did three miles on our local bike trail. Jogged the entire way even though she wanted to stop and walk. Hooray E!

Great day for a 10K. Aerobic run at 7:52 average pace.

All praise cool morning temperatures! I did 4x1mile intervals on the track with quarter mile recovery jogs. Finished with a pair of 800 m reps. 10K goal pace is 6:45, and I was planning on one slower, two right on and one faster, but ended up with four slightly faster. Splits were 6:40, 6:42, 6:40 and 6:37. Then two half miles in 3:13. My legs felt so much lighter than they did during the four mile "test" race on the fourth. About one month to go, so this was a good confidence boost.

Erin ran three miles on the bike path today.

Recovery day from the mile repeats yesterday. Ran slow and easy on the bike path. I'm wondering at this point about "tapering" from my 10K August 8th. Most of what I read suggests one week of reduced mileage with equal intensity. Mostly I am deciding on how long to my normal "long" run the weekend before the race and whether I should cut it short but finish faster. After the 10K I'm looking to peak again in late October for a half marathon. So I'll have about 10-11 weeks in between. Perfect for the Runner's World 10-week half marathon PR plan. Anybody tried that one?

Cool-to-warm morning run with gradually accelerating warm-up to 7:45 pace. Included four bursts of 20 seconds at 5K pace to help loosen up and flush out the legs.

Ran later in the day than normal today. Had to slow myself down a bit in the early miles. Weirdest thing: My left calf wanted to cramp up, but I wasn't feeling fatigued and I wasn't cramping anywhere else. Had some gatorade with me and that seemed to head off a full cramp. So I finished the run. Last four miles were no more than eight minutes per mile. Overall average pace was 8:13 including a few pauses at intersections. Quite happy with this run, although I want to make sure I can run fewer and faster as well.

Rest day for me, but Erin did three miles on the bike path with three surges at 5K pace. Go Gorgeous!

A little ragged today, but I feel like I adjusted well. The plan was 2x3 miles, but I switched it to 3 x 2 miles. Warm temps, not too humid. Ran on rolling hills and it seems like the hills take more out of me or slow the pace more than I would expect. First two-mile interval was 13:38 with even pacing. Second interval was the most challenging. I had to slow and even stop at an intersection, so the first mile was slow at 7:07, but I came back with a 6:40 for a good overall split of 13:47. Third interval was the best, but also a slight down hill I think for 1.75 miles. Split for the third interval was 13:25 with a nice finish of 6:35.

My upcoming 10K has a monster hill for mile three (yes, all of mile three apparently), so it will be a tactical, mental and physical challenge. I'm hoping to get halfway in 20:30 and finish under 42. I need to pace myself on the hill without losing too much time. I don't suppose anybody on here is in Western Mass and going to run the Bridge of Flowers race?!

Nice and easy five miles on the bike path today. Legs were a bit tight, but loosened up by the end of the run. Good stretch when I got home. This will be my highest sustained mileage ever, so I think my body is adapting.

My gorgeous bride ran 2.7 at 10:21 per mile pace in the heat and humidity of late afternoon on the bike path.

I was kicking myself when I started my warm-up this afternoon for not getting out earlier today before it warmed up and the humidity hit. However, there was a breeze, so it turned out to be reasonable. I set up an interval workout on the Garmin for mile repeats so I could run on the bike path instead of the track. A little bit closer to race conditions. In any case, the interval workout really keeps you honest on the recovery times. I did 5 x one mile with two minute recovery slow jogs.

I discovered that in the interval mode I set you can't see your pace, just the distance remaining. So I ended up running the first mile significantly faster than I had planned, and that changed things up a bit. I wanted to run the first two at 10K race pace, the third at 5K pace to simulate a hill on the course and then hold the last two at slightly faster than race pace. Because I took the first one out too hard I decided to run the first two fast and see if I could finish the last three at 10K pace. My splits ended up being 6:18 (Yikes!), 6:29 (more reasonable), 6:44(right on!), 6:53 (a little slow), and finished with a 6:42 (perfect). So except for mile four I was very happy. I think the first two at faster than 5K pace probably simulated the big hill in mile three pretty well. The last three miles are downhill, so I just need to keep close to pace by halfway and finish strong. The heat, humidity and breeze made for a realistic challenge. Pretty winded at the end of five, but legs felt strong. Two more full training weeks and a taper to go.

Muggy summertime has finally hit New England. I did 4.5 slow recovery miles after Thursday's mile intervals. I just bought Jack Daniel's Running Formula Book. On first glance it seems like I may be running long runs a bit fast. I also wonder if Daniels considers mile intervals at 10K pace to be speedwork that shouldn't exceed eight percent of weekly mileage. I suppose that's another arguement for raising weekly mileage totals to 60.

Moved onto the track for part of the run today to get a softer surface. No dirt trails around to use. I included 4 x 100m strides into the run to loosen up the hamstrings. Long one tomorrow.

Got up early for a long one today to beat the heat. Average pace of 8:15 over rolling hills on out and back course. Then an ice bath to refresh my legs. I have three weeks to go for my target 10K race and I'm wondering about my long run for next Sunday. Cut back the distance and pick up the pace at the end? Maintain the distance to keep my base strong? My legs and lungs were fine today. Could have picked it up, but I wanted to keep it under control. My right hamstring started a little tight but loosened up and my left calf has a sore spot, but nothing debilitating. Good run to start the week!

Erin put in 2.5 miles while I ran.

The weather and scheduling forced me inside to the treadmill today. Tempo run for about 25 minutes at 6:53/mile pace. Legs felt okay, but I was really overheated with no breeze and no air conditioning to remove the heat. The treadmill definitely feels different, but at least I was able to get in a workout. Abbreviated warm-up and cool-down, so I'll have to loosen up some more tomorrow. At least I hope it clears up some for an outside run.

Erin did 30 minutes on the elliptical.

Warm and humid morning. My shirt was soaked! Eight miles in 64 minutes for 8:00/mile pace. Felt very heavy probably due to the humidity.

Nearly 100% humidity today, but the temperature was fairly cool. It would have helped to have a workout partner today to pace me or help monitor pace. The workout plan was 5x1 mile with the first two controlled, push the third and then controlled push on the last two. I took the first one out far too fast and slowed way down to try to get back on schedule. The time for the first rep was 6:39, which was about the right pace, but very uneven during the interval. I tried to control the second but ended up with 6:31. Faster than I wanted, but I still wanted to push the third. The third rep was 6:34, slower than I wanted but still faster than the 6:40 controlled pace I was shooting for on the first and last reps. Then I ended up running the final two reps faster than I thought as well. Fourth was 6:27 and the final mile was the fastest at 6:21. Rest interval of 1:50. So I averaged 6:30 miles, which is excellent I think. Two more quality workouts next week before the big 10K August 8!

Recovery run at 8:15 pace.

Aerobic run with 5x100m surges to loosen up.

I set out to do a "progression" run like I've been reading about. With the big hill in the middle of the 10K course, I figured I'd work on the feeling of picking up the pace after I'm tired. I ran seven miles at my normal pace for a long run. Felt sluggish, but it was brutally humid. Then I picked up the pace for two miles with the goal being two miles at marathon pace and then two at 10K pace with a final mile for cooldown. It proved a bit tricky to hold marathon pace and I ran too fast for those miles. In between marathon and half-marathon pace. The I picked it up for the two miles at 10K pace. Hit the first mile spot on with 6:45 according to the Garmin. Felt like it was a bit faster than that. Then the second mile ended up being slower, but there was a decent uphill at the end that probably knocked the pace back a bit. For the two miles I averaged 6:53, so about eight seconds slower than 10K. Not bad. The ending three miles for my race are downhill and flat, so I'll have that advantage once I make it over the big hill. Now I hope to hit a 10-day taper correctly.

Erin ran 2.7 in 27:30. She had some problems running right after dinner but kept up the pace.

Evening run waiting for the temps to cool off some, but of course the humidity was high. Relaxed pace, but the H and H had me sweating big time.

I hate nature's call in the middle of a workout! Did two miles at race pace (6:40/mile) then a 400 recovery lap. The intention was to then run a mile at pace and then a couple of 800 meter repeats. Nature called during the mile so I pulled in at 800 meters. Ended up doing two repeats x 1000 meters with 200 jog then 400 at pace to finish. I think I'll have to alter the goal for finish time in my 10K if this combination of heat and humidity keeps up. The race is at nine, so that should avoid the worst temp, but it warms up plenty by then somtimes.

Four X 1 mile repeats very hot and humid, but hit the pace well at 6:40 per mile. Hope race day is a little less of both h's but I guess I'll be ready for it.

Easy pace but still over 95 percent humidity and pretty hot.

Downhill and then uphill out and back course averaging 8:45 per mile in ridiculously high heat and humidity. Lost time chatting a bit at the beginning, so the average was probably closer to 8:25, right on pace. Right hamstring a little tight.

On the treadmill to take it easy today.

Easy 3.5 with a race pace mile thrown in to keep the legs fresh.

Three miles easy with 8 x 100m strides to stay loose for tomorrow's 10K! Confident in my training but nervous about the monster hill in the middle.

So this was my goal race for the summer. I hit the first two miles exactly on pace with 6:40 miles. The wrinkle in the plan was that I had heard about an enormous hill in mile three. Well, I hit the hill in great position, but unfortunately it was every bit as steep as everybody had said. According to my calculations the grade was about 12 percent and it lasted about .8 of a mile. Unfortunately I've been unable to get real hill training in without hills around me or access to a treadmill, so I had to simulate it. In any case, I slowed down dramatically over that mile.

According to the Garmin every mile except the one with the monster hill was at or significantly faster than goal pace. I made up some time on the backside of the hill of course. My strong desire goal was to go under 42 minutes, but I figured I'd be content with a time under 44. So I made the secondary goal. As far as placing, I was well ahead of my goal to finish in the top 100. There were over 600 racers, so my finish put me in the top 15 percent. I met somebody who lives nearby that finished about a minute faster, so maybe I can get somebody to push me in training.

I wonder if somebody could explain something to me though. The course was certified, and my Garmin appeared to be quite accurate, measuring at least 6.2 miles for the total distance. Unfortunately I didn't stop it right at the finish line. However, on the Garmin my average pace was 7:01. The chip time had me at 7:04. And I'm pretty sure the split I heard for two miles was about 20 seconds slower than the Garmin had for two miles. What gives?? It seems like the chip did me no good in making up for the time lost at the start. I want my 20 seconds!

In any case, I'm pretty pleased with the place and quite pleased that I was faster than goal pace for all the miles without monster inclines. I know I would be under 42 and probably close to 41 with a faster course. One person told me that the hill on this course typically adds 2-3 minutes for most people. Factor that in or factor how much time my third mile was above goal pace and I'm pretty close to 41.

I'm now looking forward to a fall half marathon where I'll make it a point to find a flatter course. =) I think I'm better at the longer distances anyway.

A recovery run from my race on Saturday. My left hamstring is still tight and both quads are still sore. I guess that's from the steep uphill and resulting downhill, which I ran pretty significantly faster than the race pace I would run on the flat sections. I want to get back up to a 48-mile week and then work up to 56 miles per week before a late fall half-marathon.

Four days off, returned today from vacation. Aerobic even-pace miles on the bike path in the afternoon heat.

Medium-long run to get back into the swing of things. Nice even pace at 8:20 per mile down towards school and back.

Tried to get out early to beat the high-90 degree heat, but it was already warming up this morning. I pushed the pace a little bit to average around 7:50/mile. I am still working back into form from my four days off on vacation I think and it felt sluggish, but the heat and humidity probably contributed to the lack of sharpness. I'm looking forward to fall weather! Flat run down Park Street and back.

Aerobic and hot miles today breaking in some new Asics 2140s. Added four strides at the end. Sometimes it seems much harder mentally to run even pace aerobic miles than doing a quality workout. I guess I like the variety of intervals when I'm not going long. The strides at the end today helped me feel sharper and lighter.

Two miles warm-up then three lactate threshold miles and two miles cool-down. The tempo splits were 6:54, 6:54 (yeah, nice and even) then a 6:35 that felt very good. A bit winded by the end, but quite reasonable in 90 percent humidity.

Ran on the road, grass and track for even pace around 8:00/mile. Just getting in the mileage. Would somebody turn the humidity off, though?!

Wrapped up the week with a humid jaunt down the bike path. I threw in one mile at half-marathon pace in between the usual 7:50/mile aerobic miles. Passed my lovely bride on the way back heading out for her run. (three miles)

I guess you know the H and H is bad when you hear your feet squishing in your shoes after about 7 miles. I cruised through a knot in my right quad that seems to have loosened up after my ice bath. Good pace for the run at 8:36 average.

Was hoping for a pm run as well as the 4.5 this morning, but didn't get home in time. I threw in one mile at half-marathon pace.

Ran on the trails with a workout partner for the first time in a while. The company was a huge mental help. Took about an hour with some hills and some puppy-related stops and starts.

I was geared up for a 3.5 mile tempo run on the treadmill today, and it started well. Couple of miles warm-up and then got going at 6:49 per mile at an incline of 1.5% for about two miles. Unfortunately I couldn't stay relaxed and I was really heating up without a breeze. I took a short break and lost the rhythm, but I did add another mile for a total of three tempo miles. I didn't get an indication of heart rate, but it was probably a little high. I should be able to get back outside next week and maybe can do some quality runs with my new running buddy. Finished off with a cool-down on the treadmill. Tough to actually cool down indoors, though.

Had to split into AM and PM runs. Out and pack on a flat course in the morning around 8:10 per mile average pace. Felt really nice in the cooler and less humid weather of the last two days. Did the afternoon miles on grass and track around 8:04 average pace per mile. Legs a little sore from being on my feet coaching all day.

Excellent afternoon long run out and back. First up the incline from about six miles to the turnaround point and then back down the incline. Overall average around 8:15 per mile, so a bit fast. Slower than nine minute miles on some of the uphill and some marathon pace miles on the downhill sections I think. Interesting to do a long run after a day off and in the afternoon. My legs totally did not want to stop, but then I was a bit sore and wobbly afterward probably due to a poor diet over the course of the last couple of days. Feeling much better Monday morning with some tightness in more normal areas, like back and neck.

Very easy miles with my bride.=)

I started off a bit faster than usual and just kept upping the pace because I felt like letting loose a little bit. Most of the miles were slightly faster than marathon goal pace, but I ended with a final mile at 10K pace. The cool fall-like weather just kept pushing me. And the legs feel fine the next day, so it's all good.

I didn't realize I had this amount of speed in me. Ran track intervals for the first time since late spring. After two mile warm-up, we did two sets of 3x800 with one minute recovery interval and 2:30 in between sets. I haven't run below three minutes in an 800 in quite a while but five were under 3:00 including one at 2:52 and the fifth was just over three minutes. It's really helpful to have a training partner to help push on the track!

On grass for three miles and then up a hill, down and back up some for a decent recovery run from my track workout Thursday.

Eased into seven miles on the bike path with an average around eight minute miles.

Really amazing weather and a spectacular long run today. Just about right for the pace around 8:20 per mile. Seemed like my left hamstring wanted to tighten up at about 10 miles, but I maintained an even pace and it loosened back up. I imagine that has more to do with diet and hydration than anything else. Plus, I might not have loosened and recovered all that well from the speed workout last Thursday. I did that one too fast probably, but it felt nice to rip off some sub 3:00 800s.

Taking it easy today at 8:20 per mile in the cool morning.

I much prefer doing threshold runs outside to the treadmill. Two miles each warm-up and cool-down and four tempo miles at 6:51 per mile on the bike trail. That's exactly the pace I wanted to hit, but it may be a bit faster than threshold level right now. Basically I wonder if it's wishful thinking. It felt pretty much like "comfortably hard," but I wonder if my heart rate blipped up too much in the last mile. I'm going to try to extend the distance next week, so I guess that will give me a good read.

Mostly aerobic running on the treadmill. I threw in 4 x 400 meter "hill" repeats at four percent incline. Treadmill is a bit tedious, but the workout felt really good. Unfortunately, my allergies hit big time Friday night and Saturday.

My training has taken a big hit starting last Saturday. Allergy attack on Friday evening followed by a day of flu-like symptoms and fever on Saturday. So I also took Sunday to regain strength. Unfortunately the week also got crazy busy, so I could fit in only the tempo run today and then Friday's workout. 4.5 tempo miles in 6.50 pace on the local bike trail. I feel like I'm finally able to relax a little on these runs and maintain a steady effort level with less mental effort. I even was able to cut down on my glances at the Garmin. So the tempo miles felt very solid.

Ladder workout with my training buddy. She pushed me to some times I don't normally hit again. Started with a 1:28 quarter, minute recovery, 2:56 800m, 1:15 recovery, then a 2:58 800 meter followed by a 1:15 recovery and the the biggie mile at 6:13. Surprised myself with that time, but it did take a lot out of me. Recovery after that one was 2:30. Then two more x 800m right around 3:00 and a final quarter. Same recoveries as the ladder up. The final quarter was slowed to a 1:34 by nature's calling. Happy with the workout given my lack of mileage last weekend. Hopefully I can jack it back up this week.

AM run on the road with rolling hills. Managed to keep the pace at recovery level for 7.5 miles in about 64 minutes.

PM run on the grass and the track for about 7.5 miles in 64 minutes again.

Hamstrings feel a little tight.

Brilliant fall weather for my long run this morning. Glendale to route 66 and back with some rolling hills. I threw in one mile at marathon pace at mile 14 and one mile at half marathon pace directly following. Felt fantastic at an overall pace of 8:16 miles. Seems like I could have finished with three miles at half marathon pace, so that was highly encouraging.

Fartlek for 72 minutes with 24 minutes of pick-ups. About two miles of warm-up, then a two-minute pick-up about 6 min/mile pace, four-minute pick-up, six-minute pickup and ladder back down. Recovery was half the pick-up interval. Difficult to gauge the pace as I didn't have the Garmin, but it felt pretty fast. Overall run was taxing but fun and felt refreshed at the end.

I'm certainly happy with winning my age group, however I was hoping for a bit better time. The course had a couple of hills early and in the middle and finished downhill. I took it out in 6:10, which is right what I was hoping to hit. Second mile was a struggle, but I maintained a pace of 6:18. Obviously I fell off the pace in the final mile. It was pouring rain and pretty chilly. A difficult day to get in a proper warm-up, so that may have hurt me.

Mostly I'm disappointed about my training over the last two weeks. I have gotten in some weekend mileage, but the weekdays have been too full of work and coaching soccer. So my lack of mileage probably has hurt me. This wasn't a goal race, and my training has been more focused on the possibility of a November half-marathon. Still I'm also happy to have finished under 20 minutes. This is technically a PR for me by about seven seconds, so I shouldn't complain. If I had held the late summer training into September I would have been happier, but you can't train for everything at once.

Used the treadmill for some hills today. Warm up for 2.5 miles then 6 x 1 min. at half marathon pace and six degree incline with 1:30 recovery flat jog. Cool down with another 2.5 miles. 

Oh, I wish I had the time to put in the mileage I want. I think I would be in prime position to run an excellent half-marathon in November. Today I put in an excellent five mile tempo run averaging 6:55 miles on a course a bit down until a final hill right near the end. Unfortunately I didn't have time to cool down as much as I wanted, so I feel a little tight right now and probably into tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be able to put in some recovery miles tomorrow to loosen up.

Quick loosen up on the treadmill.

Cool and drizzly, but after five miles at 8:00-minute miles I felt so good I decided to pick it up for three miles to marathon goal pace and then finish with two miles at half-marathon goal pace.  It's really crazy to me how strong the "dividing line" is between being able to run all day at paces slower than 7:00-minute miles and not being able to keep up 6:20 for a 5K. I wonder if I'm just genetically geared to the longer distances.

Give me a cool Fall day anytime for anything! I wavered on how far to go today, but ended up at the two-hour mark. Pushed the uphills at about 10K pace over a rolling hill course. Great start to the week. I'm hoping to get back to a fuller weekly schedule leading up to Thanksgiving. I've been doing some reading about how to cycle and schedule training. One article really seemed focused on the overall mileage over the course of the entire year leading up to a goal marathon. I also liked Jim2's idea of a Spring 10K/Fall marathon cycle. I think I might try that leading into my BQ attempt next year.

I could get used to this fall running thing. =) Nice cool evening for a tempo run. Finished six miles in 6:45 pace and felt fantastic. Right on the threshold. Running at tempo effort I beat my 10K PR. That was run in August with an enormous hill in the middle, though. I guess it makes sense that flat and cool is easier than hilly, hot and humid, but I hope that at least some of the good feelings are from overall training gains.

Easy mileage at 8:34 on the treadmill.

Six x .20 miles at half-marathon pace on six percent incline on the treadmill with quarter mile recovery intervals. Pretty sweaty, but the legs and lungs felt very good.

Nice and easy recovery form the hill workout yesterday. Felt very loose.

Donated blood on Saturday so I took Sunday off to replenish. Today's run was a fast finish with 10 miles at long run pace (8:10/mile) then three miles at marathon pace and three miles at half marathon goal pace of 7:00. Eased home over the last half mile to cool down a bit. Felt like I could go longer at half marathon pace, but the hill near the end of the run pushed back on the pace some. One more long run pushing the hills and one more fast finish run and I may feel ready to go for 1:32 for a half on Nov. 7.

I actually successfully completed a recovery run at the recovery pace I was targeting. It's hard to keep yourself in check sometimes. Right at 8:30 pace for the run home from work.

Treadmill workouts can sure be tedious, but it keeps the pace constant. I hope the one I'm using is calibrated correctly, because the mile repeats I did felt easier than I thought they would. Either a good sign of improved fitness, or a sign that the treadmill is not calibrated correctly. I think and hope it is the former.

 In any case, six mile repeats at 10K pace (6:4) with one minute recovery + warm-up and cool down. Felt like I crushed the workout and still feeling fresh the next day.

Six x 400 meter treadmill hills at six percent. Ran at goal half marathon pace and recovered with a quarter mile at 9:00 miles. Fifth repeat was pretty ragged, but got back into groove for the final interval.

Easy, flat miles felt great with sunny skies and cold temps.

Hudson-inspired workout today. Two miles to warm-up then three sets of 5 x one minute at 5K pace with one minute jogging recovery. I thought the recovery was supposed to be marathon pace, but I couldn't/didn't keep that up, so it was jogging at about 8:00/mile pace. Three minutes of easy running between sets. Then cooldown to finish off. 

Six hilly miles at moderate pace.

Supposed to be a progression run as a test of my fitness for a potential half marathon Nov. 7. Did eight at long run pace, but felt a bit winded early. Did three at marathon pace as intended but had to push much harder than I was hoping. There was a headwind and those miles were up a moderate hill, but still felt much worse than I have on a long run in a long time. I'm pretty sure the lack of mileage the previous week caught up with me. My fall has been pretty inconsistent. I tried the next three miles at goal half marathon pace. Hit the first one a bit fast, as it is somewhat downhill and was out of the wind. The next one was way off the pace, though. Third mile back onto seven-minute mile. Finished the run with a couple at long run pace rather than at 10K pace as hoped. Felt spent and my left calf was tight and very sore. So I'm going to pack it in for racing this year and build a better base over the winter for next year.

Nice and easy on the treadmill for 40 minutes. I'm heading into a base phase of aerobic miles with one tempo or hill workout every other week. I'm hoping that this will be the first winter I've been able to maintain long runs on the weekend over the winter.

Treadmill at 8:00 minute pace.

Treadmill miles at eight minute miles. Felt good.

Six miles outside on the hills near school. Three more to finish up the run on the treadmill inside. Around eight-minute miles overall.

Easy pace on the treadmill.

Easy miles on Park S.

Eight at long run pace with last two miles at Moderate/gmp/7:20.

A tempo run on the treadmill. Warm-up and cooldown with a 5K at 6:49. Felt good on the legs, but always tedious indoors.

A true recovery run at 8:50 pace.

Treadmill base miles at 8:00.

Used the treamill for some hill repeats. Warmed up with 1.5 miles at 8:30, then cranked up the incline to 6.5% for 4 x 400m with 400m recovery interval at same pace, zero incline. Sweaty but strong.

Flat and easy on the bike path to finish up the weekly mileage and recover from hill intervals.

Nice start to the week with warm temperatures (65) and sun. Ran out and back on Glendale Road with nine miles at long run pace (8:15) and finished with two miles at "hard" effort, which ended up being about tempo/lactate threshold pace. Hamstrings seemed a little tight during the run, but no problems afterward.

Treadmill tempo run. Set at 6:49/mile pace for the middle 3.25 miles. Very strong and relaxed for the final 1.5 miles of the tempo part.

Treadmill at 8:30/mile.

All I could get in on the treadmill at 7:50 pace. Looking to be consistent at 40 mpw for about three weeks before I build to 50-60 mpw in 2010.

Hilly loop around school for six miles and finished with 1.5 miles on the treadmill. Overall averaged about eight-minute miles. The 5 x 15 second hill sprints. Quads a bit sore afterward.

Easy pace mostly on the grass over at Williston.

First 10 at about 8:12/mile out and back on Glendale Road, then pushed the last two miles at hard pace which ended up being 6:40 miles (right around 10K goal pace). Hamstrings a bit tight/sore to start but loosened up. Pushing the last two miles felt good.

Two miles at 6:20 and 1 x 800 at 6:20 with one minute active recovery jog in between.

Slow and easy on the grass at Williston.

Out and back quickly on Glendale.

Around the Nassahegan neighborhood with 5 x 1 minute up the big hill.

Easy does it on the grass and track over at Williston.

Progression run on a beautiful late fall day. Sunny around 50 degrees. Ran the first seven a little over eight-minute miles. Picked it up to 6:44 pace for a mile, then 6:26 (right at 5K pace) for a mile and finished with a strong 6:22 pace for the final mile. Definitely a tough workout and mentally challenging. Trying to translate this type of fast finish run into a stronger final mile in my 5K Saturday.

Some treadmill intervals: 1600 at 6:22 pace, 1200 also at 6:22 pace, 800 at 6:17 pace and 400 at 6:17 pace. All with one minute jog recovery. Felt very smooth and strong. Hope the treadmill is calibrated well.

Recovery day on the treadmill.