Fast Running Soldier

Wow, finally done with Ranger School and able to run again...it has been a while! I did 2 miles in 17:30 and felt a little winded. My joints hurt more than anything else, it was on a treadmill too. Anyway, hopefully within the next couple of weeks my body will be fully healed up and I can get back to the running shape I used to be in!

Today was a little bit better than yesterday. Ran a little farther, but still feel out of shape!

Ran 3.5 at an 8:00 pace...it felt tough, then cooled down the rest of the distance. Getting back into shape is rough, hopefully it will get better.

Today felt pretty good actually. I ran the first 2 miles a little over 8:00 pace and then ran the last 2 miles at about a 7:45 pace. Then cooled down for 5 min. I felt pretty good today, obviously I was running a bit slower, but it still felt nice. I think one thing I have to start doing is breaking down the mental barrier again of running longer distances on a treadmill...it is hard for me!

It was a nice run on the treadmill.

It felt really good today. I did it under an 8:00 pace, with the last mile at about a 7:12 pace. It was nice!

Took my first PT test since coming back from Ranger School. I was really surprised that I was able to run as fast as I did. 2 miles in 13:10! I was pumped.

The rest of it was just little running that we do going back and forth from the training areas...oh by the way, I started Airborne school today. 

A bad run...no distance and the pace was slow. That is what you get for running in an Army formation...

Today was a good run. I went to the gym and did it on the treadmill and ran it in a 8:00 pace. It was nice and comfortable which is what I am needing right now to get back into better shape.

A good run on the treadmill. Did a little less today with a 5 minute cool down. I don't want to over extend myself right now and get injured so somewhere between 3.5-4.0 miles a day this week will be good.

Woke up early and ran at the gym and then did a good chest and arms workout. It felt good after a couple of early mornings and late nights not being able to run...I guess I just need to be more disciplined. This week will be better!

Today was a good running day. We ran a little over 4 miles for PT and then I came home and ran another mile to try and hit about 5miles a day this week. So far so good, but I found out that my sprinting ability is severely lacking right now! We did some wind sprints during the run and I had a hard time keeping up...

Good run today. About 2 miles were just a jog down to the 1 mile track and then we did some sprints on the track. 2x800m and 4x400m. My times were pretty good, I think I only got slower on one 400m. My first 800m was 3:03 and the second was 2:59. With the 400m's it went something like this 1:26   1:24   1:26   1:19. The rest was just a jog around an 8:00 pace there and back. 

 I am definitely slower on the sprints then I was before, but this was a good workout to get back into shape.  

Heather had baby Ryan last night...6lbs 13oz and beautiful! Both mom and he are doing just fine!

Well, today was the first day I have been out since Heather had baby Ryan. The run felt good, but there was a little rust and some cramps to knock off. Averaged a 7:47 pace though, not awful.

7:43   7:40   7:50   7:54   7:47 

Today was a good run. I ran with Ethan (18 months) in our running stroller. I averaged an 8:23 pace, 42:15. Not great, but I had a running stroller so it was expected. I felt good and the stroller was probably a help to make sure that I wasn't running faster than I should have. However, I like to not be much slower than an 8:00 pace. Oh well.

Today was a really good run for me. It was at a good comfortable pace. I did the same course as yesterday and am enjoying this course more than any other I have done around here. I averaged a 7:34 today...that was without the running stroller and baby.  

 My time were almost all negatives except the second mile which was fairly uphill. I made up for it on the last three miles which were slightly rolling and then downhill.

  7:46   7:50   7:38   7:26   7:11 = 37:51 5miles

Today was a good run. It was rainy so I went on the treadmill at the gym. I ran my 5 miles in about 38 minutes, so I felt good with it. Three days in a row is the most I have done in a long time, but I am feeling pretty good and I think I can keep it up this week. It will be a big mile stone in getting back into running shape.

A good run today on the same course. 1st mile is pretty flat, 2nd mile has a nice steep hill and then kind of rolling, 3rd mile is rolling but overall uphill, 4th mile is a little downhill and 5th mile is flat. Today I did the 5 miles in 37:32. That might be my best 5 mile time since graduating Ranger School. I averaged 1 7:31 pace.

 7:53   7:52  7:32   7:17   6:58

A.M. Did my 5mile run again. It felt nice, I went out earlier this morning. I felt a little sluggish. I think my body is feeling a little run down, but for that to be coming on Friday is great! I averaged a 7:37 pace.

8:14   7:52   7:42   7:04   7:07 

Alright another good run today. I felt very good! I am in Ohio now...came to drop off a few things before we move Heather and boys up here. I used gmap-pedometer to map out a 5 mile route. I like that website more than map-my-run....on another note I averaged my best time thus far a 7:27 which I was very happy with and finished with a 37:12.

7:59   7:32   7:11   7:24   7:06

AM:

5 mile run and did it at my fastest pace so far, 36:23. I averaged a 7:17 pace. After the first mile I could tell today would be a faster day. I had negative splits for my miles for the first time. I need to watch out for that 2nd mile though, it always is close. All and all I felt good.

   7:37   7:34   7:19   7:00   6:53 

 PM-ran a couple of miles in the 5 fingers with Ethan in the stroller. Trying out a little barefoot running in hopes to improve form and cut down on injury. I wasn't focussed on speed at all. Just wanted to run a couple miles comfortably in these shoes. Still averaged a 8:05 pace.

8:19   7:50 

AM-Did a nice five mile run today. I was slower than yesterday, I think I was definitely soar from running faster yesterday and using the 5 fingers. Either way I was a bit slower, but still managed a 7:27 average. Here were my mile splits:

7:49   7:34   7:32   7:18   7:00 = 37:13 

AM-Today's 5 miles was faster than usual, but I felt pretty good. I wasn't trying to run it fast, but my body just kind of went with it. I averaged a little less than a 7:11 pace and finished in 35:54. All in all it was a good run. I just wish I could find a running partner out here though...

7:33   7:28   7:15   6:55  6:43 

PM- Went on a little run with Ethan in the stroller. I can't wait for him to be old enough to run with me. The 5 fingers are doing good, I can definitely feel a burning in different parts of my feet and legs. I am liking it though! 

Ran at the Gym today so I don't have as much info. I ran in 37:55. I am not sure what my first mile was in, but I had it set at 7:30 pace for the last 4 miles. Felt good, not really sore and hopefully the weather will be a bit better tomorrow!

Today I finally went back to HHC...for better or for worse right? We did almost three miles at an average of 8:39 pace...pathetic. Came back home, put on the 5 fingers and finished my mileage for the day. The 5 fingers are feeling better. I am not getting that sore feeling anymore while running, but then I am not running very far in them. I think I will start upping it slightly, we'll see.

Today was my long run of the week. I was a bit nervous because I haven't run this distance in quite a while, but I ended up better than I thought. My goal was to run in just a little over an hour. I was happy with a 1:02:00 goal. The course was pretty hilly a long down hill part, and a lot of uphill as well. Whatever goes down hill must eventually come back up here on Ft. Benning. The elevation ranged from 489 ft (above sea level) down to 266 ft. Doesn't sound like much, but man did it feel like it. However, I ended up running the 8 miles in 59:23! That ended up being a 7:24 average. Here were my splits:

7:59   7:51   7:05   7:12   7:22   7:32   7:19   7:03 

Today's runs were split up due to the fact that we hardly ran for PT. We did the 2.75 miles and averaged something like an 8:00 pace. I am trying to bump up my runs this week to a minimum of 6 miles per day, so I came home and finished the remaining 3.59 in the five fingers. That is the longest distance I have run in them consecutively and it felt pretty good. I was able to keep a 7:15 average pace, so I am pretty sure I can be just as fast in these shoes as any other. I will still need to work up the distance and pace though. But distance first. It is looking like a beautiful spring day in Ft. Benning!

Today was a little like yesterday. We did some interval training this morning with about a mile jog down to the track. Then two 800s and four 400s. Then about a mile jog back. The two miles we did on the interval hit 5:35 and 5:41 pace. We waited one minute in between the 400s and two minutes in between the one 800, we finished with the other 800.

The running with the five fingers was nice. I can really feel it working different muscles in my feet and legs...interesting how that can happen without the big soles of running shoes.  

Today's run was another good one. I had to tweak my route to make it a 6 mile route which made it a little harder. It added another pretty good size hill on a path that ended up having construction on it so I had to kind of walk around it. I was still able to finish in 44:59 which ends up being a 7:30 pace. I was feeling pretty sore today, I think from the sprinting and 5 fingers yesterday. It took me a while to get warmed up and feeling good. 

8:11    7:51   7:50   7:28   6:52   6:47

So we are in Ohio now! What a drive yesterday...wow, 9 hours with two babies still in diapers. We actually made great time and only had to stop twice!

I mapped out a run last night on my favorite mapping site...gmap-pedometer.com (a little plug for them) and did just over 6 miles. I averaged a 7:24 which I am happy with. The route was really hilly. More than what I am accustomed to. Amelia doesn't seem to be very runner friendly, there aren't any sidewalks and there isn't much of a shoulder to run on anywhere, oh well. Here were my splits:

7:38   7:15   7:20   7:32   7:22   7:15 = 44:22

Felt sick last night and this morning, so I didn't go out today...I know, stupid excuse, Sasha should add that to his top ten excuses. I'll see if I can make it up tomorrow for my longer run.

AM- Went 5 miles and felt sluggish and sore. I am not sure if it was from not running yesterday or I started out much to quickly. I had to cut it a little short because of an Easter Egg hunt that we went to as a family. Last year Ethan was still pretty little so he slept right through it, today he had a good time though! I averaged a 7:34 pace. 

7:22   7:05   7:25   7:55   8:01 

PM- Was feeling a little better this afternoon and wanted to go out and get some of those lost miles from yesterday. This time I put on the 5 fingers and ran the whole time in them. It was a pretty good run. Being that I ran in the 5 fingers and that I haven't really been feeling good, I made up my mind to take this one easy. I figured an average of 8:00 pace would be good and I ended up with an 8:02 average.

8:15   8:07   8:14   8:11   7:50   7:40 

Day of rest. Watched General Conference with the family, all 36 of us! I had the opportunity to bless Ryan today with the whole family around. It was such a nice experience, I have the greatest in-laws and extended family!

Today's run felt bad. I am not sure if I was still a little tired from Saturday's run, or just one of those days. I averaged a 7:48 pace which isn't typical of my runs. Usually around a 7:30 pace. Here are the splits:

7:45   7:29   7:47   7:57   8:01   7:56   7:43 = 54:38 

....well, I'm back. Took a few days off and really shouldn't have. We have been having a big family reunion...36 of us...and balancing a two boys in diapers. It has been hard getting enough sleep, so I have been slacking. Today I went out, but it was a little after 4:00pm. It felt good though. I averaged a 7:23 pace.

7:41   7:19   7:32   7:44   7:28   7:13   6:55

My last run in Cincinnati... :( I leave tomorrow for Italy without the family and then off to Afghanistan about a month from now. It will be sad. I am sad already now, but what can you do. There are people in the world who need our help, not to mention hoping to keep this country safe from another 9/11 type attack. Somebody has to do it, may as be me! 

It was a good run though, I averaged a 7:09 pace for the 5 miles, which is my fastest 5 mile run in quite some time. It felt really good to get that low again. Here are my splits: 

7:33   7:10   7:12   6:57   6:53 = 35:45

My next run will be in Italy! 

My first run in Italy. I went out with another LT I met here. We had a good run, I felt a little sluggish, but that should be normal. Hopefully we'll get another run in tomorrow too!

Another nice run today. We went into the downtown area of Vicenza and ran up the main little mountain here, Monte Berico. Good run, a little slow though. We averaged about a 8:00 pace.

  7:56   7:46  8:37   8:37   7:55   7:27 

  Another good run down near the center. We were going to run up this crazy hill, but got a little lost and by the time we found the base of it it would have ended up being a 9 mile run or so and we had to get back for some appointments to finish inprocessing. It was a little longer today and the average pace was slightly better, a 7:52. We picked it up the last mile coming home, somewhere in the low 6s.

8:25   8:00   8:26   8:14   7:43   7:04  

Good run near Monte Berico SFC Horvall.

A good workout here in Kaiserslautern, hopefully we get a flight soon!

Wind sprints and calesthetics.

Good longer run today

Here at Bagram now, the elevation here is similar to Provo...5,600ft. or so. This will take getting used to!

Another treadmill run!

Wow, running here at FOB Airborne now....even higher eleveation. 7,200 ft. or so!

this is hard up here!

Starting to feel okay

5ks are about all I can do right now.

another good morning run

Good finish to the week

Another decent run

getting there.

30 minutes on the treadmill...still adjusting to this elevation.

Good run, 7,200 ft. elevation and was still able to hit 3.8 in half hour on the treadmill. Things will most likely stay like this for a little while!

Good run today, felt good. Ran 32 minutes and was faster the second half.

Another good run. Got a little farther today in 32min. I think i am starting to get a bit more accustomed to the elevation here. Although the last mile I am usually breathing pretty hard.

I have taken the leap of faith and registered for my first marathon. It is the Rome marathon in the end of March. A few hours drive from our house and we are deciding to make a little family vacation of it through marathontours.com. Should be fun, now I really have something to work towards!

Another good run today. I think with 4 miles I am pushing my limit running at an 8min pace in this altitude. For now I am okay with it. In a another couple of weeks I may try to speed it up a little bit. I also run on a 2% incline, I heard that is good for your joint and when your feet strike, it makes it a slight bit more challenging huh? GO USA!

Wow, today's run really hurt. I think it was because I didn't give myself enough time after breakfast before running...yeah, that kind of "hurt". But I pushed through it and made it to the bathroom. Did my 4 miles in just under 32 min. Probably could have been much quicker without the food problem. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.

Today was a good run. My best in 32 min so far. I thought that I may have started too fast too early, with my slowest mile being exactly 8min. But it worked out and by the end of the run I was feeling pretty good.

Today was a much faster run for me, only one mile at 8:00min, then pushed the rest quicker. It felt good at the time, we'll see how tomorrow feels!

Wow, I am not sure what was going on with my run today...I was on a different treadmill, but for some reason I couldn't run fast at all. I think I did my 4 miles in 34 min or something ridiculous like that. I am not sure if I was just tired from yesterday or if the different treadmill had an effect...we'll see how things go tomorrow.

A good run again today. Pretty much exactly the same as yesterday. Did the first part on a different machine and it seems a lot harder for some reason. Oh well. Just trying to keep this going for a little while.

A good run, my longest in quite a while. Felt good, I ran the last mile in 7:30. I may have been able to do another mile...but not chancing anything right now. Just slowly working my miles back up.

Day of rest. Happy 4th everyone!

A  good run. Felt strong in the  beginning, then picked the pace up to try and make my time. I was running on the metric treadmill, so it took me a minute to figure out the conversion and the pace I needed to run in KPH...weird. That treadmill feels harder though.

Today was a good run. I ran my four miles at a 7:45, with my last mile under 7:30. I seem to feel a lot better when I run faster then running around an 8:00 pace. Good to go for tomorrow!

A good run today. I tried to keep it at about an 8:00 pace. Didn't want to push it two days in a row. I finished running the last mile in 7:30...I guess my pride wouldn't allow for a complete 8min pace.

wasn't able to run today, the gym was closed...possibly later in the day.

Took another day off, probably shouldn't have...but I did. I will get back up on the horse tomorrow!

I did a 10K today in about 48:20 or so. Faster than an 8:00 pace which I am happy with. It didn't feel too hard, but I didn't want to push it too much running a farther distance than I have in some time. I am feeling good though. Probably keep my mileage about what it is now for the next week for sure, maybe one more.

Well, I finally got my Garmin with heartrate monitor in the mail. I used it today on the treadmill, just to check my heart rate over the course of the run. By the time I was finished and looking at my average/max heart rate....i realized I have no idea what I am looking at. I need to study up on heart rates. Anybody have a quick basic gist of what to look for when analyzing your heart rate?

I did today's run much slower than I have before. I have been trying to read up on Heart Rate running and what not and what I have read has basically said that I need to run a little slower to keep my heart rate down to get a better aerobic workout. So today I did my 4 miles in about 34:20 or so. My average heart rate was 165 BPM. I think that is still kind of high, but then again I am at 7,300ft elevation. Hopefully that isn't horrible though, I think I am in better shape than that.

A good run. Felt okay, but then I am running quite a bit slower. I ran about an 8:25 pace and had an average HR of 163. I am thinking that elevation is having a big effect on my HR, but then 7300ft will do that I'm sure.

Good run today. About an 8:20 pace with an average BPM of 159. I think that is a good range for me, especially with the altitude.

A good run today. I wasn't able to turn the fan on myself so I was sweating up a storm! Because of that, and the fact I was on the dang metric treadmill my heart rate was up quite a bit. The average for my 5k was 165BPM. At about the 5k point, I decided I would try and figure out what my Max HR is. So, as best you can on a treadmill, I pushed the speed to about what I thought I could handle without falling off and kept that speed for 1 minute, then I cooled back down for a couple of minutes (probably too long) and then sped back up for another minute. Looking at my watch afterwords it said 187 as my max.

Anyway, I don't think 1 minute was enough, and I think I rested a bit too long. Also looking at my watch for my 5k time, I just noticed that my MHR shows 190 BPM. All that work and I still wasn't able to figure out what I wanted to...

Today was a good longer run. Did a 10k and get my pace around an 8:30. My heart rate seemed to be a little lower today than usual, so hopefully there is a little bit of improvement. 

I leave today for FOB Shank to take over my platoon. Battle Co. 2d platoon, a very storied platoon for their last deployment. There is a documentary and book written about them from the last deployment. The documentary is called "Restrepo" and the book is called "War", written by Sebastian Junger. Check it out for a quick, intense read.

Apparently elevation there at Shank is about 1,000ft lower (6,300ft), so hopefully that will be a help.

Well, here we are at FOB Shank. Ran today, the gym was quite a bit warmer than back at Airborne, but then I pretty much had a big fan all to myself there. Not a bad run, my average HR was pretty high though. I think that had to do with the heat and maybe being a little dehydrated. It was something like 164BPM.

Good run, this time I went to the bigger gym. It was definitely cooler, but still not quite the same as running with your own fan. Averaged a 159 BPM and a max of 198...? That was kind of weird. 

Man, the tempo of missions is kind of crazy. I haven't been running in a few days. I can't keep this trend up though...no bene. Run felt good, kind of hot though, but that is Afghanistan.

After a long night, got some rack and had a pretty nice run. I felt good, still running at a bit of a slower pace...around 8:20ish. Trying to build up the cardio!

Good run, it has been crazy the past week or so with missions. Things should get into a good schedule now...finally!

A good run, got back into it today. I worked out my back yesterday in the gym, and thought I would be sore...I was so I didn't quite go the full 4 miles today.

So today I was feeling pretty good and decided to let go and see how fast I could push myself on a five mile run. Granted I didn't go all out, but since I have been running at 8:30 pace the last few weeks, I wanted to see how I could do. I ended up running it in 37:00 exactly with my last mile at a 6:40 pace. Like I said, I wasn't giving it my all, but I was happy with that time and felt good about a 6:40 mile as my last mile. Tomorrow will be a slower recovery run.

So i wasn't planning on running this far, but I just kind of pushed through that mental wall and got in a good distance run (for me right now anyways). I set the pace quite a bit slower than normal, 9:00, and put the iPod on the Tabernacle Choir and was off. I felt really good and my heart rate didn't get above 163. A good run though, definitely felt the high afterwards! My longest since leaving the states too.

Today's run was good again. I went a bit faster again and finished in 37:10. I am feeling pretty good at that pace, the last mile is always my fastest. Anyway, things feel good now.

Today was another great run. I ran at just under a 8:00 pace, 7:53. It felt really good. I was more excited about my heart rate. I averaged a 152 BPM with a max of 164. Not bad, I think the month that I took running slower (8:30+) paid off. I think I will go another month or so around a 7:30-7:00 pace and then slow it back down to around an 8:00 pace. We'll see.

Good run today. I felt a little worse, but maybe because I am upping the mileage a little bit.

A longer run today. Just haven't had a lot of motivation the last two days. We had a patrol that fell at a bad time and I was so tired! I just need to not be so lazy...oh well, it happens.

Another good day to start the week.

Another good run today. My heart rate was up higher than normal, not sure why yet.

A good run, trying to figure out why running a little slower makes me feel worse, but picking it up 45 second to a minute faster and I don't feel as bad. Any ideas?

Just wasn't feeling a five miler today. So I decided for a 5K instead. Started the first mile at 7:45 and then kicked up the next 2.2 miles at a 6:27 pace. In the Army we are graded on how fast we can run our 2 mile. To get full points I have to run it in 13:00 and it was nice to see that I was able to do that today on a treadmill, at 6,400ft elevation, and on a "hill" workout on the treadmill. Cool stuff. I can't wait to get back to Italy! 

Haven't been feeling very motivated lately. However I have started taking a new supplement before working out. Richard Gaspiri's SuperPump 250. Wow, that gives you the energy to workout and focus. Good stuff! 

Felt good today. It was a faster run. I ran the first two miles in about a 7:40 pace and then finished the last three miles at a 6:58 pace. I was happy to run 3 miles in under 21:00. It wasn't easy because I had the treadmill on a hill workout (the easiest setting...but still). Making progress though!

A good run, my heart rate was really low and I ran at an even 8:00 pace the whole time. My average was like a 143 BPM.

A good run today, didn't feel as good as yesterday, but I ran a bit faster. 38:00 5 mile. Nice and easy.

A good run. Just trying to keep the distance and pace where I want it.

Today was a good run. I did my five miles in about 37:00 minutes on a hill workout on the treadmill. Felt pretty good!

Today didn't feel as good as yesterday I ran in 38:40

Warmed up, hopefully I can get a better run in soon!

Haven't had a good run in a few days with the crazy patrol schedule. We are getting ready for elections and they are working us pretty good. Anyway, I did this run at an 8:00 pace and felt pretty good. Hopefully I can get a few more of these in!

A good slower run today. 8:00 pace. Tomorrow I am running in the FOB Shank Labor Day 10k. Should be just under 45min and I'll be happy. Wish me luck!

So obviously this wasn't a 10k, I am not sure why they advertised it as such, but by the time I finished I was sure glad there wasn't another mile to go! 

A couple of things got me on this one...1) I ran a 5 miler yesterday at a decent pace and a hill workout...by .25 miles I could tell my legs were heavy and this was going to be a bad day. 2) There were 2 large hills that I had no anticipated, it was bad. 3)A large portion of the run was on gravel rocks. That is what all the FOBs here are paved with to avoid all the dust. They lay down dump trucks full of gravel rocks. That slowed me down about a whole minute per mile pace. Yuck! 

Anyway, even given that I felt good about where I came in. I should have passed up one other guy but couldn't catch him on the final down hill and last 150m. His strides were longer than mine. I think I averaged a 7:46 pace, which is awful, but again the hills and gravel were a big reason for that. Oh well, I am feeling okay with my result!

A good run. it has been a few days and I was feeling pretty good. The last two miles I ran at a 6:28 pace. It felt good to know that I was able to max an Army PT test on the last two miles of a five mile run.

Was still feeling it today, so I went for the extra distance. I also had a quicker pace than normal. Here were my splits.

 7:54   7:30   7:30   7:15   7:15   6:58   and I did the last .2 of the 10k at a 6:31 pace.

Just greatful to be able to run here.

A good slower run today, still just trying to keep the heart rate down.

A good run, need to start picking up the distance a little bit. I'll try for a 10k ever day.

Starting to kind of feel tired toward the end of the run. My heart rate averaged a 155 BPM and I was running at a 7:50 pace. If I can do that at 6,400ft, I can't wait to see what will happen at sea level! Hurry up November.

Finally was able to get back to the gym. We were on a mission for a couple of days to help out in another AO. It was pretty awesome. 61 mortar rounds, 1 javelin rocket, 1 F-16 gunrun, and a bunch of machine gun and M4 rounds. We got some bad guys too, which makes it even better. And best of all, my platoon had no casualties!

I was feeling like I was going to do a slower run today, around 8:00pace. But I was feeling pretty good. My splits were:

8:10   7:53   7:30   7:30   6:22   6:22   7:30 (last .2 of a mile)

I felt pretty good about running a 12:44 on my last two miles, especially after running 4. PT test will be good when we get back to Italy...November can't come any sooner!

Today was a slower run, ran about an 8:00 pace. A bit of a recovery from yesterday's run. I was feeling tired, so it was good.

Well, got after it again today. I was feeling a little dead in the legs still, but not too much. I kept it at an 8:00 pace for the length of the run except the last 1.2 miles. At that point I was feeling pretty good, so I went down to a 7:41 pace. Things are feeling good though. When I get back to Italy, I should be exactly where I want to be.

Today's run was good. I was feeling some good energy today, most likely for taking it easy the past two days. I warmed up the first 1.5 miles at slightly faster than an 8:00 pace. Then ran the rest of the run at a 7:30 pace and felt pretty good. I also set the treadmill to do a Random Hill workout. My body is feeling pretty good, should hit about 40 miles this week.

Wow, I felt really tired today. This is the most miles I have run in one week for a while. I should be able to keep this up through the rest of the deployment. Gotta get used to the mileage now, so I can pick it up when I get back to Italy and get ready for that Marathon!

Got it, hit my 40 miles for the week. Today's longer run was at a slower pace. An average of about 8:27, however the last mile was just under 8:00. I felt pretty good.

A day of rest, and my body is needing it. Not only have I been doing this running, but I have been coming back to the gym later in the day to lift weights with some of the guys in my platoon...my body is tired!

Well, we had a long patrol yesterday...probably could have made the run in the morning but I stayed up too late and was acting lazy.

Anyway, today's run was better. I wanted to average a faster pace, so I ended up averaging just under a 7:45 for the entire run.

So, the goal today was to warm up with a mile, then run the next 5.2 at a 7:30 pace. Goal achieved! I also had the treadmill on a hill workout, so that made it hard, but good!

Today was a good run. I was feeling it. I started the first 4 miles at an 8:00 pace and then hit the last two miles at a 6:15 pace. 12:30 two mile time...sweet! 

I make a big deal about my 2 mile times a lot because in the Army, that is the distance we are tested on. For better or for worse, in order for me to get 100% in the running category I need to run two miles in 13:00. So I am always pumped to get that low. My best is an 11:52 and hopefully when I get back down to sea level and can actually run on ground instead of a treadmill I should be close to a 12:00 again.

Wow, i didn't even feel very sore today. Usually, after I run a fast two miles, the next day I am running at like a 8:30 average, but today I was comfortable at an 8:00. My average BPM was 155 which was nice to see. I can tell by looking at my BPM, that my heart is getting stronger and I can run at a bit of a faster pace and still keep the same BPM. Cool!

I have also started to take some advice from Sasha. Something I read in the discussion forum. He mentioned once that he notices a lot of people getting really hyped up before races and how that is the worst thing that you can do. You only have so much adrenaline, plus you don't want to burn glycogen to early, all of which can happen if you get really pumped before a race. Also, what caught my attention, was he mentioned that most likely people were getting pumped up because they were listening to iPods which probably had very upbeat and tempo music. The past few days, I have stopped listening to upbeat music and settled for the good old Mormon Tabernacle Choir music and I have been able to focus so much more on my breathing, form, and just staying relaxed. I am not looking at the treadmill as much to see how far I have gone...it has been VERY nice. I think Sasha is on to something here!

My long run for the week. I wish I could do more, but it kills me to run 8 miles on a treadmill. I ran about a 8:30 pace. I have been trying to run a little slower on my longer run days. Another week done.

Today was another good start to the week. Felt pretty good, and the time went by fast. It is hard running exclusively on a treadmill...

Felt good today, just went at an easy 8:00 pace. Not much more to really say...

Went a little longer today. I did a "rolling hills" workout on the treadmill and it went for time instead of distance, so it set it at 50 minutes and went with it. Still trying to stay at about an 8:00 pace on most days. It is pretty easy and keeps my BPM at about 153, so that is good for my aerobic base stuff. 

another sweet run on the treadmill!

A good run. It was later in the night than I like, but doesn't matter. I made the goal to make sure I got my run in no matter what, and I did it. Don't you love achieving your goals?

Today's long run felt really good. I ran at about an 8:30 for the first 7 miles. Then picked up the last mile and a half. Every 400m I would increase my speed until the last .25 I was at a 7:30 pace. 

It wasn't anything spectacular, and I know that I could have run that last mile and a half a lot faster, but I wanted to end on a high note, but not do something stupid and get injured or whatever.

Three weeks in a row are encouraging, should be good for the next little while too.

A great day of rest. My body needed it and is feeling good.

Today was a good run. I am starting to try and work on my Marathon Race Pace. Something that Ed Eyestone suggests (X-country coach at BYU). So I warmed up with two miles at an 8:00 pace, then did the middle 3 miles at what I hope will be my pace...7:15 and then I cooled down the last mile and a half at just under an 8:00 pace. Felt good.

Trying to pick it up a little bit in the final three weeks or so that I have here in Afghanistan. The more I can do now, the less distance I will need to do at home and can start working on my speed and goal marathon pace.

I wasn't sure that I was going to make it to 7 miles today...but I overcame the mental difficulties and finished the run I had planned to do. Running is SO mental sometimes...

I felt good though. Here were my splits:

8:00   7:41   7:41   7:41   7:41   7:30   7:30

Today was just a good run, no tempo or anything, just consistent with a faster second half.

Felt good today. Had to run later in the day because of an early mission.

Another good run. Had to push through the mental block that wanted to stop around mile 6. Most of the mental aspect is due to running on a treadmill...

Today's long run was good. I went the distance I wanted and ran the last two miles at a much faster pace. I have been running the long runs about 30-40 second slower than my normal runs, but wanted to pick up the last few miles to get my body used to running faster on the back end of runs. It was good!

A good run to start the week. I went four miles at my GMP at 7:13. It was a bit difficult, but I think I could have hit five if needed. This should start setting me up good for adding a mile per week at GMP.

I felt a bit sluggish today. I have picked up my daily pace to 7:40 and I seem to be feeling good.

Good run, felt really sluggish in the morning, so I just ran 3.5, then later in the day I ran the other 3.5. Hopefully this doesn't become a trend!

Today's run felt great. I don't know if that was because it was done at 8:00pm and I had the day to warm up, but it was nice! Ran a hill workout on the treadmill at a 7:41 pace and my average HR was 152.

Today felt good, I think I had my heart rate monitor moved. It was about 15-20 BPM higher than what it normally is and what the treadmill said. Either way, I warmed up at an 8:00 pace then ran the remainder at 7:40.

Wow, that is the farthest I have ever been on a treadmill. It stinks. It only lets you run for 60:00, so I had to stop and then get back and finish the run. I guess it was okay because I needed to go to the little boys out house! This place is pretty funny.

Picking up the mileage a little bit this week. A half mile a day. Today was also my tempo run at GMP. I hit 5 miles at a 7:13 pace and felt really good. I warmed up the first 1.75 then ran the five miles and slowed down for .75 then cooled down with .23. My average heart rate was 152BPM, i think that is a little lower than usual. I am not sure if my HRM was off a little bit, or I am just getting in better cardio shape. It was nice to see a 158 BPM as I was finishing with the 5 miles.

Today was one of those really encouraging days!

Felt good again today. I took me a minute to feel warmed up, but the rest of the run felt great.

I ran the first mile in about 8:00, then 7:40 pace the next 4.5 and a 7:30 pace the last two. Another good day.

Today felt good again. I am feeling a bit sore in my ankles but once I am warmed up it kind of goes away. I hope I am not injuring myself, but just my body getting used to the higher mileage. It isn't anything terribly painful, just a bit sore.

Today's run was more of a recovery I guess. 8:00 warm up followed by 6.5 miles at 7:40 pace and a cool down .23

Also, does anybody know how to get the different category of miles on the blog? I have seen others that have Marathon Pace Miles, Threshold Miles, etc. I have no idea how to do that and I would like to be able to categorize my miles better. Thanks.

A good run today. Felt good and after warming up with an 8:00 pace I ran the last 6.5 miles at a 7:30 pace.

Another good day. Just kept it at about a 7:40 pace. My average BPM today was 152, I have followed that about all week, so I think I have made another jump.

Long run day...not fun on a treadmill. I averaged about an 8:00 pace for the whole thing. I was trying to pick it up for the final half at a 7:40 pace, but my stomach really started to feel funny, so I had to back off. Otherwise it was a good long run.

A day of rest. It is nice to have a day off. Also, got put on lock down for a flight out of here!

A good run. As I have started calling it Marathon Monday. I did 6 miles at my GMP of 7:13. I didn't feel as good as I did last week, but I made it through six miles and I am okay with that!

A good run today. I notice that I sweat a ton running indoors. Boy, my shirt is completely soaked through. I guess it doesn't help that it is basically 100% cotton. Another reason I can't wait to get back home and can run in my own clothing and not stupid Army PTs.

I didn't intend to take two days off. Poor planning and laziness on my part. Today's run was a bit farther than I wanted, but i was able to run outside for the first time in awhile. We are in Manas, Kyrgyzstan now. Nice place, but can't wait to be home!

So after a sporadic week last week with redeployment and moving from Afghanistan to Kyrgyzstan and now FINALLY to Italy I should be back on track. 

Today was my first run back and it went surprisingly well. I averaged a 7:17 pace and 166 BPM. My splits were as follows:

7:32   7:23   7:24   7:15   7:15   7:25  7:17   6:55 

Had to settle for the treadmill again...rainy day today and I still haven't figured out a good route to take in our area. The roads aren't the best for running here...no sidewalks...

Todays run was pretty good. I was able to run outside again around downtown Vicenza. It is a beautiful city and the home of Andrea Palladio. He invented the Palladium windows and designed the villa that Thomas Jefferson used to design his summer home, Monticello. This is a really cool town!

 Splits: 7:57   7:36   7:30   7:35   7:28   7:19   7:20   6:50 = 7:25average

Today's run was good. I wanted to keep it slow, plus I am a little sore. I can feel a difference between treadmill running and running outside. I averaged a 7:52 pace, but I think it was faster than that. I had to stop a bunch going around some round-a-bouts and turning down a wrong street. I did 6.37 outside and thought it was going to rain, so I cut my run short then came back on post and went to the gym and did the rest on the treadmill. 

7:55   7:48   8:17 (uphill on cobblestone)   7:49   7:56   7:31 <--outside miles

8:00   8:00  <---on treadmill plus   .30 cool down 

Today was a nice run out here by our house in Camisano Vicentino. I found a pretty nice loop that takes me about 8 miles. I got lost only once, so that may have made up for a slower mile at mile 6. I averaged a 7:15 pace, but most of that was because of the last two miles. I also averaged 165BPM. And if it wasn't for the 6th mile, I would have hit negative splits the whole time...

7:48   7:28   7:20   7:16   7:16  7:21   6:58   6:38 

Long run today. I felt pretty good, a little sore from yesterday and this week (running outside is definitely different from on a treadmill), but other than that the run felt okay. I tried to keep my pace slower which isn't easy for me. It seems that my body is most comfortable with about a 7:30-7:15 pace, so I have to make a conscious effort to keep it slow. The course that I made today had 3 really steep hills and a couple little rolling ones so that affected my time from mile 4-7. I was proud of my splits the last 4 miles though. I was glad to see that I had the energy and determination to hit those times after already running 8 miles. 

8:05   7:53   7:49   8:01   8:25   8:47   8:11   8:08   7:49   7:36   7:36   7:32 = 7:59 average and

158BPM 

Well, first time running from home to work. I woke up at 0430 and was on the road by 0445 and made it to my 0600 meeting with time to spare. It is a nice run, but running on a little two lane road with cars that will go over 40mph can be a bit nerve wracking. I brought a head lamp with me to shine at the cars coming my way and I think Iwill keep that up along with wearing an extra reflective belt.

7:46   7:43   7:31   7:31   7:22   7:24   7:18   7:14   7:00 = 7:26 average at 156BPM

Well, today was my Marathon...Tuesday. I have changed my faster tempo day to Tuesday instead of Monday to give my body a little more time to recover from the long run on Saturdays. Today was an awesome run though and I am feeling pretty confident again. I originally planned on just doing 7 miles at my GMP, but felt good and ended up doing 8 miles. I was faster on all of my miles than my goal of 7:15-13 which was nice, but I know I can't do that when it comes to running the longer distances.

Here were my splits:

8:02   7:15   7:15   7:10   7:10   7:07   6:59   6:58   6:52 =  7:12 average and 165BPM

Today's run was good. I was definitely feeling a little sore in the legs from yesterday's run. It might also be from a very light leg workout in the gym yesterday too. But I was able to hit negative splits the whole way which is always a good thing.

8:00   7:41   7:34   7:29   7:28   7:17   7:13   7:05   6:48 = 7:24 avg at 163BPM

Well, my Garmin isn't working for some reason after I finished my run. I can't turn it on... :(

So, I can't figure out my splits, but I was just under a 7:30 pace for the entire run. I have pretty much been averaging 1:06:00 for 9 miles. Hopefully I can get this thing working again!

Alright, finally got it figured out.

7:37   7:27   7:27   7:25   7:24   7:24   7:21   7:09   7:02  =  7:22 ave at 164 BPM

The weather today was horrible! Rain and snow...I guess it was snowing bad on post because they closed it down which means they closed the gym and I wasn't even able to go run on the treadmill.

It stinks not being able to run and hit your goal...any tips or advice for running in a downpour? I wouldn't mind running in the snow, done that plenty of times in Utah, but when it is raining like crazy....I don't know about that.

Well, I did it. I ran a half marathon today. I started off pretty slow, but ended up finishing with a 7:30 avg. That may have been too fast. Right around the 13th mile I felt really sick to my stomach and almost lost it. I am not sure why. How far do most people go on a run without any water? I wonder if I ran too far without water. Anyway, here are the splits.

7:38  7:32  7:37  7:46 (bad side stitch)  7:45  7:37  7:31  7:29  7:23  7:17  7:15  7:06  7:12

=7:28 ave at 161 BPM

Day of rest. It was nice to have a day off and recover from yesterday.

Had a good run today. I was still feeling a bit sore from Saturday's run, it was rough for a while, but I ended up warming up and finishing the run feeling strong.

7:52   7:35   7:28   7:23   7:25   7:21   7:12   7:06   7:01  .5 in 3:28  = 7:21 avg. at 159BPM

Today was a great run. It was my fast run for the week and I ended up doing 9 miles just under my GMP. I did it in my new shoes and they were great; so light! My times were a lot faster than I intended and try as I might I couldn't really reign myself in so I just went with it and really surprised myself. My average was just under 7:00 minutes for the whole 10 miles. The first mile was a warm up, so I hit the last 9 miles well under a 7:00 pace.

7:51   7:11   7:08   7:01   7:08   6:57   6:48   6:49   6:37   6:24 = 6:59 avg. at 164BPM

Today was a really encouraging day!

It was nice and rainy here this morning, so I didn't run into work but ran on the treadmill during our PT time for 7 miles. I did it in about 7:30 pace.

Later in the afternoon I finished with 2.5 miles in about the same pace. I think I am starting to get some little injury just above my right ankle. Some type of inflamation bugs me when I step. It seems to go away once I warm up, but I will ice it and keep some ACE Bandage on it.

Today's run was good. I put the ACE bandage on my leg to keep it compressed and it felt fine during the run. I think I am going to continue to need to use this for the next little while. I will try and ice it at night time as well. I tried to keep my pace a bit slower to make sure I don't injure it even more.

8:02   7:35   7:32   7:28   7:21   7:16   7:12   7:10   6:56  and .5 in 3:26  = 7:22 avg at 156 BPM

Today was rainy all day, so I did the treadmill at finished averaging a 7:30 pace.

This weeked didn't get much done. We went to Slovenia and it was wet and snowy the whole time...8 inches in two days. It was great to be back in my mission country and see so many friends!

Today's run was challenging. I went with one of my squads on a run this morning up to Monte Berico which had a .50-.75 long steep hill. My legs were jello by the time I was about 60m from the top. All in all we averaged an 8:00 pace for the six mile run. We had to stop and turn around and wait for a couple of soldiers who were really struggling....that is why I hate running with the army. No release runs, at least not here in Italy!

In the afternoon I did 4 miles on the treadmill in just over a 7:30 pace.

Another run on the treadmill today. This rain has got to stop! 7 miles during PT, then on the lunch break did another 3. I was running about a 7:30 average total.

Today's run was good. Averaged just under 7:30 pace on the treadmill. Should be able to run outside tomorrow as the weather should be better!

Finally got an outside run in today! It was beautiful. The clouds have gone and the blue sky is back. It is a little colder with no cloud cover, but I will take it every day of the week if I could. My body is feeling a bit sore, but no injury pain which is nice. My right leg is feeling a lot better from a bit of tendonitis and some swelling off the lower part of my shin near the ankle. Here were my splits:

7:33   7:27   7:30   7:21   7:23   7:21   7:20   7:11   7:08   6:58 = 7:19 avg. at 155BPM 

60 miles! I did it, I finally hit 60. Wow, my legs were feeling a bit dead today. Well, I think I have pretty much peaked as far as my mileage goes. I will keep running longer runs on Saturdays in the future, but I just couldn't do it this week. So, I guess I haven't peaked, but I have built up to where I want to be on a weekly basis.

I will keep this up for another couple of weeks, and then start focussing more on speed and longer runs on the weekends. I sure hope by March I will be in good enough shape for a Boston qualifying time.

7:39   7:28   7:26   7:23   7:26   7:20   7:27   7:19   7:11   7:09 = 7:23avg at 168BPM

Finally ran into work again thanks to better weather. My legs are kind of tired, but I think I still finished with a 7:30 average.

I think my Garmin bit the dust, so for the next little while I won't be able to post times or anything which is really dissapointing. It would turn on when on the cradle and connected to a power source, but once off the cradle it would turn off and couldn't get it back on. Dang Garmins...such a good product but....ahh, they break all the time.

I am not sure what I am feeling, but it isn't good. My legs and joints just feel completely out of energy, they are dead. I don't know what did it, but today all I could manage was a 5k. I think I need to take it easy this week...

Well, after taking a break last week (probably should have run a couple miles a day instead of stop completely) I am feeling much better. Last week my body just felt awful. It kind of felt like when I finished ranger school. During those 61 days you don't sleep enough for your body to do any kind of recovery, so every morning you don't really feel that sore or injured. But once you graduate and start eating and sleeping regularly again you start to hurt and it lasts two weeks or longer.

Maybe going pretty hard for the last couple of months without any real breaks was taking its tole. I really have started running seriously until last year so maybe these are "growing" pains as well.

Whatever it is I felt much better today. My Garmin 305 broke again and this time for good. So, I don't know my splits or anything else, but I mapped my run out on Gmaps-pedometer. Dang you Garmin, your watches are awesome, but they break all the time!

Well, today felt pretty good until about mile 5.5 Then my right IT band started to get stiff and I could feel it in the outer portion of my knee. I have had IT band problems before, but it has been a few years and I had to take some serious time off to let it heal up...I don't want this to start again!

I stopped and stretched a couple of times before it got too painful to continue and that allowed me to finish my shortened run. I hope this doesn't continue!

The car said my route was 8.9miles and I did it in 1:04:40. I don't think the distance is very accurate because that would mean I was running close to a 7:15 avg and it didn't feel that difficult. I can't wait to get the GPS again...

Well, got to the gym today. They weather has been awful again...so much rain. It has flooded here for the 5th time this  year...goodness.

My right leg has sure been hurting. I think it might have to do with my overpronation...maybe these shoes aren't enough support. Being injured stinks!

Went on a good run today with some of the guys from my company and platoon. We did some good hills, but I don't know our pace. Still waiting on a replacement Garmin Forerunner 305. It was probably slower than usual. I felt pretty good today, so hopefully that is a good sign for this week!

Took it easy with a Cross-Fit workout yesterday and ran a little loop today for PT. Trying to rest my right leg and get over this injury with a heavy dose of RICE. Hopefully by next week I'll be good to go again...

Trying to continue and take it easy and make sure my leg gets a workout but is able to recover. I will try and run tomorrow and see what consecutive days does. I ran about a 7:30 average and didn't feel to much pain.

I also focussed on a forefoot strike instead of landing on my heels. I think this is part of the problem with me as I overpronate with my right foot pretty bad. My calves are a bit sore, but my leg didn't hurt as much as it has before.