Same Time, Same Channel

Easy run + 6 x 8 sec. hill sprints. Average pace: 9:42.

5:02 am, 52°, 91% humidity, winds calm.

Splits: 9:59, 9:37, 9:45, 9:27, 9:22, 9:13.

Pace on hill sprints: 7:23, 7:29, 6:58, 6:28, 7:18, 7:07.

I certainly haven't been shopping for any new shoes
And I certainly haven't been spreading myself around
I still only travel by foot and by foot it's a slow climb
But I'm good at being uncomfortable so I can't stop changing all the time

I noticed that my opponent is always on the go
And won't go slow so as not to focus and I notice
He'll hitch a ride with any guide as long as they go fast from whence he came
But he's no good at being uncomfortable so he can't stop staying exactly the same

If there was a better way to go then it would find me
I can't help it the road just rolls out behind me
Be kind to me or treat me mean
I'll make the most of it I'm an extraordinary machine

Fartlek Run. 8 miles easy w/ 8 x 30 sec. @ 10K-3K pace.

4:57 am, 62°F, 47% humidity, wind 6 SSE.

My Garmin battery was dead this morning, so I don't have any stats. I didn't realize the battery was dead until shortly after I started my run. I worried about timing my 30 sec. fartlek intervals. My old cell phone had a stop watch function, but my current cell phone doesn't and the time on my cell phone doesn't show seconds. I would have been better off with my regular analog watch than with my dead Garmin, but I didn't want to go back home and change. I had just about resigned myself to just counting out the 30 seconds, but then I realized that my not-Pod shows seconds. It shows the time elapsed and the time remaining in a song in minutes and seconds. So when it got time to do the intervals, I pulled the not-Pod out of my arm band and used it. It was kind of hard to see the numbers while running because they're quite small, but I managed. The time between intervals was kind of inconsistent because I had to make sure I started each fast interval when there was at least 30 seconds remaining in the current song. However, I think the time between fast intervals was roughly 2 minutes. I didn't start the intervals until I was about 5 miles into the run because the 5th mile is the toughest on that particular route because it's mostly up hill. So I started the intervals right after I finished that up hill section.

After the 2nd interval, I had to stop and wait for a traffic light for quite a while. A guy who was running came along and crossed against the light. I'll do that if the light is for a small side street, but this was a major intersection and I don't take any chances with major intersections. Anyway, he crossed the way I was going, so he was ahead of me when I finally crossed the street. I think he was going about my easy pace because I gained some on him each time I did an interval. I finally passed him on about the 5th or 6th interval, but just barely, because he caught up to me shortly after I slowed back down. I talked with him for a minute - regular runner stuff like how far are you going today and what are you training for - until it was time for me to start another interval, then I left him behind.

After I got home, I did the level 1 shred.

In the good news department, Thing 2, aka  Shaggy, walked to seminary this morning.

In the bad news department, I think my daughter has the same sickness that my husband has. She's coughing and had a low grade fever last night. I'm keeping her home from school today, but my husband is home sick again too, so I'll leave the two sickies together and go to work. However, I'm feeling just a little bit congested myself. I'm hoping I can get by with just a mild case of this.

Very easy run. Average pace: 9:53.

4:55 am, 63°F, 38% humidity, winds calm.

It's a good thing I got an early start this morning because I ran slowly. I just felt tired and sluggish, especially at first. I think I've got a touch of this virus that is aflicting my family, but I'm not too sick. I figure going out and sweating in the morning helps to get rid of the germs. And breathing the (relatively) clean air probably helps too.

Splits were 10:37, 10:08, 9:42, 9:53, 9:37, 9:30, 9:40.

 I did have to run fast for a few seconds. I was waiting at a light and it turned green, so I started across the street, but it was green for about 2 seconds, then it was quickly yellow, and then red, and I was still in the intersection. It was a big street and there was a car waiting for me. I was glad I had on my reflective vest and headlamp because the car did wait for me while I hurried across the street.

**Update**

Hey, lookie there! I took a nap! At 9:00 in the morning.

Threshold Run. 2 miles easy, 10 min. @ half-marathon pace, 5 min. easy, 10 min.@ 10K pace, 2 miles easy. Average pace: 9:03.

4:58 am, 61°F, 49% humidity, wind 7 S.

I thought about skipping the run today but I couldn't really justify it, so I ran. The first threshold interval was hard because it was the 3rd mile of my route plus a little more, and the 3rd mile of that particular route is the hardest. In any case, my average pace for that 10 minutes was 8:04. I was shooting for 8:00, so it was pretty close. I was shooting for 7:45 pace for the second threshold interval, but I didn't hit it. I got 7:56 instead.

I had to modify my route a bit from what I had planned, because with about 45 seconds to go in the 2nd interval, I got to where I would need to wait for a light, but I didn't want to stop at that point, so I turned the corner instead and had to improvise the rest of the route. I was about a mile from home at that point, but I needed to run for 2 miles, so I wandered around the neighborhood. I saw a news truck setting up across the street from the middle school, but I didn't get a good look at the van and didn't see what channel it was. I wonder what they're reporting on.

After the run, I did the shred level 1. I didn't have to drive to seminary today. Shaggy skipped seminary because he had a bloody nose and had to spend a long time controlling it.

I'll probably work from home again today.

Easy run. Average pace: 9:54.

52°F, 58% humidity, winds calm.

I was really slow this morning. I guess I'm keeping my easy day easy. And I am a little under the weather.

I put new batteries in my headlamp yesterday. It dims gradually and so I hadn't realized how dim it was until I put the new batteries in. I was a veritable beacon this morning.

I really shouldn't stay up past 9 pm. I turn into a witch at 9 pm. I was pretty bad last night. My poor family. They only partly deserved the venom that I spewed at them.

Shortly after my run this morning, when I was driving to seminary, I saw a woman running with a dog and she really looked like the dog was pulling her faster than she wanted to go. After I did the seminary drop off and was heading back home, I saw her again and she looked just the same. I wonder how long she can keep that up.

I'm really looking forward to a 3-day weekend. I'm really glad I didn't sign up for the 10 mile race I was thinking about running on Monday.

Progression Run. 11 miles w/ last 20 min. moderate. Average pace: 9:21.

Start at 7:36 am, 51°F, 72% humidity, winds calm.

Finish at 9:20 am, 69°, 43% humidity, winds calm.

Another Saturday morning with the group on the Highline Canal Trail. We had one new person today, my good friend Donna, who is one of my favorite people in the whole world. With Michelle and Michelle and Carly and Nicole, who are the regulars, we were up to 6 people today. We started out like we usually do and after about a mile we realized that we had lost Donna. We turned around and could see her a ways back. So we ran back to her and then slowed to her pace and stayed with her. She told us we could go on ahead, but the point of coming to the group is being able to run with someone, so we stuck with her. We turned around after 2 miles and went back to the start, at which point Carly and Nicole and Donna all stopped. I continued on with the Michelles for 2 more miles. We kept the same pace that we had been going with Donna. Michelle 1 was struggling with allergies/asthma and had forgot her inhaler. At the turn around, she decided to walk, so the other Michelle stayed with her and I went on ahead because I needed to get finished and home in time to take my son to work. I was on my own for the rest of the run.

Splits were 9:34 (then oops, we lost Donna), 10:13, 10:16, 9:59 (now we're down to 3 people), 10:00, 9:59 (now I'm on my own), 9:21, 9:14, 9:11 (for 1/2 mile), then 20 minutes (2.54 miles) @ 7:53 pace.

There were a lot of people from Team in Training on the trail today. There are always some, but there seemed to be more than usual today.

I'm going to attempt to make some whole wheat pancakes today. I suspect I'm the only one in my family who will eat them. I better not make too many. My husband would eat them if he was home, but he's at work.