Chasing my Dreams

Ran in the morning early, but it was warm and I remembered how much I enjoy running art night in the dark. I felt really tired and sluggish going out, most likely due to lack of sleep and recovery time. Shins were also tight going out. Came back better though and finished with in 33:16, over a minute and a half negative. I feel this shows how sluggish going out really was

Ran an easy two miles before running four miles with Jeff. I was expecting an easy four with Jeff, but I forgot that he doesn't really run easy or even. He also had a couple solid hills in our route. My legs were feeling pretty sluggish. I feel this is mostly due to the game last night and lack of sleep.

Hit up the Fernwood trail with Tom. It was a pretty easy run. I let Tom set the pace and we were pretty slow going out. I didn't push HPH super hard, but I just went at it. That gave me a good little mid run push. We went even slower on the way back, and as a result my legs felt good. Kicked the last part. Finished in 58:58. 

Went dove hunting in the morning so didn't get out the door until around 8 in the morning. It was a good effort but felt pretty relaxed at the same time. My internal clock felt really off, but I would guess it was around a 7 minute mile pace. I felt really strong though. The last half mile I pushed the pace some and while I didn't feel like I had a lot of top end speed, I felt like I could have kept pushing that pace for a while.

Also did some core and realized I need to do a lot more of that. I haven't really done any since I've been up in Logan. 

Ran 5 miles this evening. My dinner wasn't quite digested so my stomach was a little uncomfortable and I had the burps the second half of my run. The first half of my run I was moving at a pretty decent pace, 6:48 average, and I was really relaxed and my legs felt great. My breathing felt harder than it should have though. On the way back I tried to just relax and get through the run. I really let the downhills carry me. I finished in 32:43, 6:32 average for the whole run, and 6:16 average coming back. Not too bad all things considering.

I have been feeling a little under the weather all evening with my throat hurting a tiny bit. I had more mucus than normal while running as well. I feel this may be the effects of stress.

Ran four miles with Tom, even though I probably shouldn't have even ran today because of my foot and the cold. We took the first half mile really slow, but the rest of the run we were really consistent in just under 6:30 pace. It honestly felt like a good pace. I wasn't getting enough oxygen just because of my illness, but I'm happy with the effort. My foot hurt more on the downhill and when I tried to kick, which makes me think it may be tendonitis at the joint.

Took today really easy as I want to be healthy. Spent 35 minutes on the bike, with 15 minutes in the middle of barefoot jogging on some grass. Everything felt fine, and I think my foot will be okay. There's still some pain when I bend the toe though.

Todays run was just one to disconnect and relieve some stress. No watch or anything. Going out my quads and glutes were a bit tired, probably from biking, and my breathing was off, which I expected with being sick. Coming back I had some major gastrointestinal pains, and I wanted to be careful on the downhill so the last half mile was really slow.

Woke up and still wasn't feeling one-hundred percent, and I didn't want to run on my own unless it was a quality hour long run, so I did some strength work instead.

Ran a hilly out and back with Tom. We were also fighting the wind going out. The effort felt pretty good, and my breathing was a lot easier than Tom's. I still had a lot of gunk in my throat and nose, but otherwise it felt great. We were 6:50 average. 

Today was a rough run. I haven't developed the mental toughness I need for longer runs yet. Today was more mentally tough than anything, but physically it wasn't fun either. I held a good pace going out, but throughout the run had hard times getting my breathing right and as a result fought side stitches. I also had some stomach issues, plus, I ran a really hilly route which about did me in as well. I probably hadn't really fueled the best for that run either though.

Solid run with Tom in the cool temperatures, which honestly played a big impact on how I felt during the run. We just ran out and back on 8th East. 5.2 miles in 34 minutes. It felt nice and relaxed, plus we came back a little negative, which was good considering it was slightly uphill. I wish it could always be cool and light rain when I ran.

Super solid run, based the whole run completely on time, as I was going for a 40 minute run. The pace felt between a 6:35 and 6:40 average. My legs felt tired during parts, but still strong. I mostly felt this in my quads. 

Ran four miles with Tom. The first hill always makes our first mile slow. We were 26:56, so a 6:44 average. It felt good and we were both talking afterwards how we feel we have a lot of gears left at the end of a run.

Ran for an hour this morning, it was pretty cool when I started. With being up late and standing at the football game last night my legs were a little sluggish this morning. My IT band right at the knees was hurting a little from the crown on the roads, but I stretched and foam rolled after. My calves were also kind of sore. Around a 6:50 average, but aerobically it felt pretty good. I didn't stop at all.

It was my first day of work and I was dehydrated and not motivated to run in the heat. I went 4 miles without a watch just to get a run in.

Ran four miles with Tom as he was really busy and didn't have time for more than that. We kept it at a decent pace, but both of our legs didn't have much energy. It was somewhere between 6:35 and 6:40 average.

Decided to wait and run in the evening once it was dark to recover from work and what not. I finished right before the downpour hit. I went a solid 7 miles. I was running based on time, but I definitely felt like I was probably holding around 6:30 or a little faster. I had some guys yell at me to run on the sidewalk so I didn't get hit by a car though. 

My right quad felt pretty tight at the beginning of my run. I was also feeling my right inside achilles tendonitis stuff, so I tried to do most of my run on the right sides of the road. I felt really good the longer I was going. It started to rain when I was about two miles in, and the last two miles of my run were a complete downpour, probably one of the worst I've ever ran in! I averaged somewhere between 6:10 and 6:20 miles. The highlight of the run was probably that I had a car pull up along side me, and it was two girls asking if I wanted a ride. I told them no because I only had a mile to go. I was going to do strides after, but the downpour was so bad it was basically impossible, plus by shoes were bogged down at that point.

Went out in the morning in the light rain and did 5 miles. My shoes were still soaked from yesterday so I decided to wear my kinvaras instead. This helped me not have my tendonitis, but my calves might hate me tomorrow. I averaged around 6:50 for a pretty easy effort. Hoping for a solid long run tomorrow.

Solid ten miles this morning. The weather was perfect for a run. I like the loop I came up with, but the uphills were pretty killer. I was around a 6:50 average at 5 miles, and ended up averaging 6:40 for the total ten, so 6:30 for the second half. The last half mile I really grinded, and I was around 6 minute pace on that gradual uphill. My right calf was sore today, but it wasn't tendonitis. Solid run and I had to keep the focus on the pace, but it felt good. The big hill on mile 4 just about got me though.

Had a solid 5 miles with Tom. We were a 7:10 first mile with the hill and a slow start. We ended up averaging 6:36 for the whole run. I felt good, and more than anything I was just happy to be out running as I needed that outlet, I really mentally beat myself up about missing work. We had to stop at one point because Tom's contact got lost in his eye and then he ended up throwing it away because he couldn't get it back in and was half blind the rest of the run.

Warmed up, then did drills and a few strides. I then did 3x1500s at 6 minute mile pace, then 2x1000s at the same pace. Finishing with a 500 in 1:44. I couldn't believe how hard it was aerobic ally to run six minute pace. I also had to dodge soccer and rugby players a little. My legs didn't have any spring either. I did a long and easy cooldown.

Had a more solid run than I expected, especially considering my effort yesterday. Tom and I went out and back on 8th East. We averaged 6:30 going out, and averaged 6:22 coming back. I think our slowest mile was the first one which was like a 6:37. I was surprised that my legs didn't bother me at all. I was breathing hard, but it was definitely bareable. It would be nice if we could afford to train together everyday. It's more fun when you have a conversation to focus on more than just the run itself.

It was kind of humid today while running, which was a fun little mix up. Today was meant to be an easier of days, but I ended up just running the pace that felt good. I think that workout I did on Tuesday is actually really paying off now. Initially on the hill by quads and glutes really hurt climbing the hill. After that I felt good until the last mile and a half or so. Then my left hipflexor as well as my IT bands started to bother me. 

The funny thing of my run was that I passed these two teenagers, and as is typical one of them yelled out, "Run, forest," to which I yelled back, "Run!" I think it kind of surprised him, but after a minutes pause he turns to the girl and says, "That runner is legit!"

Relaxed five miles without a watch in the morning. My run crossed paths with the cross country team, which was kind of weird for me, haha.