Fast Running Soldier

My leg is finally feeling good again. i am still going to take it easy this week and make sure I don't reinjure it. Finally!

Finally started to feel good. I had to take last week off to make sure this thing gets fixed. I also finally got my new Garmin 305, so hopefully this will work out. I averaged a 7:48 trying to keep it light. Has been feeling okay today, so hopefully I can keep up this run throughout the week.

Had a good run and my lef felt pretty good. Hopefully I can get back out again tomorrow and start getting back into the swing of things.

7:40   7:24   7:22  7:18  3:36 (for .5) = 7:25 AP

Today's run was good. Same as yesterday, but this time I had four of my soldiers with me. We went slower because they aren't in the best running shape, but it was probably good for me to keep it slow as my leg isn't fully healed.

8:22   8:24   8:06   8:22   3:38 (.5 mile) = 8:11 AP

Went out today a little farther. Felt pretty good, I am still running with an ACE Bandage around my leg. I think I ran faster than I would have liked too, but I didn't have my GPS watch so I just timed the total run. I think I averaged around a 7:15-20. The last .5 mile I ran was 3:20, which is definitely faster than I would have liked. HOpefully next week and can be back running 6 days a week and more than 30 miles.

Wow, I think my leg is officially out of action. Today's run was short, but faster than it should have been and my leg is no good.

I cancelled my run in the Rome marathon. It has been too stressful with this injury. I keep trying to come back and run before I should so that I can still be in shape for the Marathon, but my leg isn't healing and I won't be in the kind of shape I need to be in for the Marathon. It is a sad day.

However, now I will just let my leg heal and slowly start building the mileage back up and see if I can hit a Marathon up in the Fall. Maybe Ljubljana or Florence? I haven't seen the schedulel yet, but we'll see. It feels like a ton of bricks has been lifted off my shoulders though!

Morning cross fit workout. 5 rounds of 20 burpies, 20 air squats, 10 double under jump rope, and 20 crunches.

I stayed away from the jump rope because of my leg.

PM: 30 minutes on the eliptical...I am knew to that machine so still getting used to it, but I got a pretty good workout and did a little over 4.5 miles. Occasionally I will get going really fast for about a minute and do that every few minutes.

Still taking time off for this nasty shin splint...I have been trying to hit the eliptical every day. I have been trying to do some good speed work on it by going for a few minutes really fast then slowing down for a little. I am still very unsure as to what kind of workouts are good on an eliptical. I don't think my leg muscles are accomstomed to it either, but that is getting better with every workout. Hopefully I can keep some kind of cardio for when I get back to running. Hopefully the second week of Feb.

First day back! It was glorious to be back out running, I felt kind of tired definitely, but good to be back. The leg hasn't bothered me at all and I got a decent pace in as well.

7:45   7:14   7:32 + .36 @ 2:29 = 7:27 AP

I have started to run as a forefoot striker now as well. Hopefully that will help with some little injuries. Can't wait for tomorrow!

Today's run was good. Slower than yesterday, although th:e last .25 or so I did quite a bit faster and ended up getting down to a 4:00 min/mile pace, just a sprint to the finish line. Probably shouldn't have done it because I can kind of feel my shin splint, so I may take another day or two off.

8:14   7:56 and .5 in 3:08 = 7:47 AP

A good run today, slower than the past few days, but I am starting to feel my leg again...

Part of a cross fit excercise today. 5x .25 miles

Trying to get back out and get a little running done, but my leg isn't fully healed yet. Little by little...

Today's run was pretty good. Did a warm up and then ran two miles and did it pretty fast. I think I ended up running just over a 13:00 two mile. Then cooled down and did another slow 800m just to cool down. It felt good and I didn't feel much from my leg, so hopefully it was good for me.

A good run with one of my squads around the track. We stayed on an outside lane and did an indian run, just trying to get the leg eased back in.

Today I paced one of my soldiers who is really struggling with his two mile time. When he first got to my platoon he ran in the 18:00 for two miles. Then a week ago he ran a 17:44 or so, and today I paced him and he finished (and passed the test) with a 15:32. That is still pretty poor, but he is making improvement.

I ran with Heather today and pushed the two boys in our "two-boy" running stroller. This run was more for her than anything and it was a lot of fun to be together as a family. We averaged a 7:40 pace for the run. We had a blast!

First day back out and moving. It didn't feel so good, but hopefully the leg will hold up and I'll be fine!

First PT test in months...actually, the first time I have run consecutive miles in months... I actually ran faster than I thought I would. I finished in 13:40. I should be good once I get back into things if running this much doesn't aggrivate my leg. (Finger crossed)

Did a ruck march today, so not it wasn't right into a 9 mile run. Haha, there is no way. It was a nice ruck and feeling pretty good. Got to get ready for EIB.

Went for another little, slow run today. Felt good and I'm not feeling anything in my leg. Is it finally healed?!

Alright, this week is the test. 1 mile a day each day this week (however I think we have a BN run on Thursday, 4 miles...).

Another mile, felt good, just hoping my leg stays good.

Another good mile, feeling good!

Did a short BN run to kick off Banner Day with an average of 7:55 pace. Then as part of Banner Day I had to run a 400m with our Company's Banner. Good day in the sun!

Starting off another week, looking like 1.5-2.0 miles a day. Things are feeling good!

A good run today, still no pain or even the hint of it in my leg. My heart rate is quite a bit higher than it was before, but then taking a few months off will do that I guess. I averaged a 7:19 and ran the mile in 7:33.
It might be slightly faster than I should be running right now, but it feels comfortable.

BDE CQ recovery today, didn't get any running done.

A good run at lunch today. Not feeling anything in my leg....am I fully healed?!  I averaged a 7:34

Felt good today. Ran pretty slow with another soldier. Ran at a 9:03 average pace. Got a pretty good pace going towards the end, the last 200m or so. Things are feeling pretty good though!

Felt good today. Wasn't able to run until about 8:00am which made it pretty warm and very humid. Everything felt good though and my forefoot strike is feeling very comfortable. I still have to consciously think about it, but it is starting to feel pretty good. Another injury free week down. Oh, I ran this is 15:44.

Ran two miles at PT test pace. I am still getting back into the swing of things and finished with a 13:30. I started off really slow and booked it at the end. It felt nice to let the legs out a bit. We run it on a 5 lap course, so it is a little different. The first two laps I ran in 6:00 which ends up being a 15:00 two mile pace. The last three laps pulled it together and finished with a 13:30.

From there I just ran two laps on the track at a nice comfortable pace. My GPS died on me on lap one of the two mile, so I didn't get any good info...

Had a nice slower/recovery run today. I averaged an 8:18 pace and according to my HRM I averaged 173 BPM...wow, much higher than it used to be.

I am amazed at what a few months of inactivity will do to you. It seems like it takes half the time to loose your fitness. Weird. Maybe it will come back faster though, it already feels like it though.

Finished with a push-up set and my little Ab 300.

Monthly PT test today. Got back to sub 13:00 two mile. I ended up running in 12:45ish. I think my watch was a little off today with the cloud cover.

2 min push-ups: 86

2 min sit-ups:    94

2 mile run:        12:45

Finished up with a half mile cool down jog.

A good run. Just slow. I think I may have felt a little twinge this morning in my leg...I hope not!

Well, run #1 in these Reebok shoes. I can't believe that I would say that Reebok has a good running shoe, but I think they have done a pretty good job with this one. You've probably seen the ads for this shoe. It has the 76 or however many "buddies" on the bottom. It flexes and moves very well and is designed to help you run more "naturally" on your forefoot.

They are extremely light. The upper is basically just a thin peice of fabric, no real protection, just a suede fabric. So far I am pretty impressed...as hard as that is for me to say with a Reebok.

A good run. We are in Germany now for EIB. I hope these next 10 days go by fast...and I have something to show for it!

Another good run here in Grafenwoehr. It was realy beautiful this morning, nice and cool. Hopefully it doesn't rain every day!

Dang, haven't been able to get out much this week. We have been out pretty late and up early with all of this training. We are into testing now, so far so good!

Nice to have a little free time with testing. We work like 20 min a day and have the rest off! I am good for my EIB. Just need to complete the 12 miler.

Today was actually a 12 mile ruck. We have to complete it in 3 hours. The ruck sack weighed about 40lbs with water at the start. But it rained on us a couple of times so I think the ruck actually got slightly heavier. I ended up averaging a 12:38 pace and finished in 2:29:50. That is one of my faster 12 mile times. I felt pretty good. One of these days I will be able to run the whole distance, but I am not in that shape yet. Two guys did, one finished in 1:50 and the other guy in 2:07 I think. That is flying!

Back at it. I felt kind of sluggish today for the first .50 mile or so. Then things picked up and I was running in the 6:30 range for a few minutes. I was trying to push it that fast, it just felt comfortable. I ended up with a 7:20 average.

I should be able to hit about a 5k a day now. I wanted to take it easier today, but my leg hasn't bothered me at all!

Today was good, but my legs were sore from my Crossfit workout yesterday afternoon. It was a good run, we averaged 7:25 pace and then went to the pool and did a few laps with brick diving.

Crossfit this afternoon.

Happy Fourth of July! Heather and I went out for a run today together. Probably for the first time in over a year. It is nice to have my Mom out here so that the two of us can spend some more alone time together.

The run was good, the weather wasn't too warm, but quite humid. We'll probably do the same thing tomorrow! 

A good run this morning. Average pace was 7:18...pretty fast, but it felt good. We go up to Germany again for a week...hopefully I will be able to get some running in while we are there.

Today was a good run. I ran the first mile+ with Heather and the boys on the track and then finished on my own.

9:05   7:56   7:06   AP = 7:58

Today's run was nice. I went with a couple of soldiers that were still pretty liquored up from the weekend. It is always fun to run them to the dirt on Monday mornings! (Even though it wasn't very fast)

8:31   8:06   7:31

Today was another good run. The same route as yesterday. It is a nice loop and the humidity was pretty much gone today, so the morning run was nice.

8:29   7:49   7:20  AP = 7:50

Today was a good run. I ran around post today and met Heather and the boys on the track, so I finished my last mile with her. I felt good in the beginning and had a decent pace going. I am not sure what it was, but I felt really good.

7:28   7:04   8:15   AP = 7:36

Today was a little longer run, but much slower. I wanted it to be more of a recovery, but get a little more distance. Everything felt good. My calves (is that the right spelling for your leg?) are sore, but my mid-foot strike is feeling more and more natural.

8:58   8:28   8:01 8:33 = 8:30 AP

Today was a nice run. Feeling pretty good. I ran a little faster today than usual, but it wasn't a problem.

8:36   8:00   7:01 = 7:48 AP

First run in Ukraine! It should be interesting here for Excercise Rapid Trident. We go home on the 3rd of August, so hopefully I can get some good runs in.

8:00   8:25   7:59   7:20 = 7:56 AP

The only time I am able to run is after dinner, and it is killing me. I cramp up even though I am waiting 2-3 hours. Oh well, it is nice because it forces me to stay slow.

8:16   8:29   8:01 = 8:12 AP

Another slow crampy run.

8:56   8:42   7:50 = 8:23 AP

Took a few days off due to some Airborne Operations. The timelines are crazy, we have a 4 hour bus ride to Ivano Air Field. We are staying outside of L'viv, Ukraine. The jumps have been great though. Ukrainians jump real weird!

First 5 miler. I was feeling pretty tired at the end, more muscular fatigue than anything else.

8:01   8:11   7:56   7:53   7:50 = 7:58 AP

Finally back in Italy. Customs is ridiculous, I am surprised we made it out of Ukraine...even though we waited on the tar mack for 8 hours.

Today I finally was able to run in the morning before breakfast. It felt fast, and it was, but it was hard to slow myself, so I just went with it.

7:44   7:04   6:50 = 7:11 AP

Today was a slower recovery run (funny having to say recovery after a 7:11 pace from yesterday). It felt good and I felt stronger than the five miler earlier this week. Hopefully I am getting stronger.

8:50   8:13   8:20   8:28 = 8:26 AP at 153BPM

First run in Croatia, Dubrovnik to be exact. It felt nice to get out after about 10 hours in the van. The drive went really well, especially the boys. They were very impressive throughout the ride. Ran along the beach and did a little exploring, should be wonderful this week!

8:17   7:58   8:08   3:57 (.5mile) =  AP of 8:06 

A good run this morning. Not too hot, actually felt pretty good. Kept it slow and ran along the beach again, this time ran the other direction and found some cool places out here. There are 4 abandoned hotels right on the beach, they are pretty large to. I am not hotel person, but I would assume each has about 200+ rooms. Not sure whey the are abandoned, maybe the war down here? 

7:59   9:32 (found a cool trail)   8:05   3:55 (.5 mile) = 8:24 AP

Couldn't get out this morning, and it usually doesn't happen if I wait until the evening. Had to help the boys shower and eat, etc....

Today felt really good. There was some wind which kept it nice and cool. I found a good route through a little village out here, a lot of the locals were giving me weird looks, not sure if it was my shaved head and beard, or that I was running.

8:00   7:44   7:38  = 7:48 

This morning was the fast day of the week. Was feeling pretty good and pushed it more than the other days. Same route through the village of Mandeljena.

 7:50   7:17   7:02 = 7:22 AP 

Wanted to run a little bit longer today. My left shin was starting to hurt, but not a tissue or muscular thing. It felt more like the bone... My right shin was injured this last time, so hopefully it isn't the same thing on my other leg.

I may attempt another week of at least a 5k. Worried a little bit about the shin areas. 

8:07   7:57   7:27   7:37 = 7:49 AP 

Back in Italy and a good run for PT. Finished the run with 150 push-ups.

7:20   8:03   8:04   8:08 = AP 7:54

Today was an interval day with a buddy of mine. He talked me into it, otherwise I would have just done another slow day. We started off with a mile warm-up, and then did 6x400m with a 400m recovery lap. Things felt really good and I was able to maintain a 1:15-1:20 pace the whole time. I am very pleased with that time due to the fact I haven't done any kind of interval/speed training in...well over a year I think. Maybe I will incorporate this into my weekly schedule.

Today was a nice run, really relaxed and slow. Looking at my HRM my average HR was 145 BPM. My legs are still feeling it a little bit, this time in both. I switched shoes thinking that it might be because of the reebok shoes. I think I am trashing those for running. I am back to the Fastwitch for now. I have some Nike free runs coming in the mail.

8:54   8:29   8:34  and 4:12 for a .5 mile  = 8:37AP

A good run today after the weekend. Today is a day off for us. I took some days off last week for 1) an Airborne operation on Thursday, 2 jumps! and 2) starting to feel some pain in my lower shins/high ankles. 

Today felt much better. I ran at just under an 8:00 pace. 

Today was a good run with a friend from church. We may make Tuesday morning our Elder's Quorum runs! Haha, he is starting to get back into distance as well, so we may start running together.

8:50   8:22   8:20   8:03 and 4:02 for .5 mile. = 8:19 AP

A good run today. I wanted to run it a little shorter than I have the last couple of days to make sure I am not pushing it to much. My leg is feeling okay, not 100% better, but no pain. Hopefully it holds up.

Today was another easy run. Ran with my headquarters guys then came back and did 50-40-30-20-10 pyramids of pushups, then did my little "Ab 300".

8:40   8:43   8:11 and 3:57 for .5mile = 8:24 AP

Today was a great run with the platoon. Took them 2.75 miles to the base of Mount Berico and then did hill repeats ranging from 150m to probably 450m. It broke off a lot of my out shape soldiers. I was feeling it too since I haven't done repeats/hills in such a long time. Also, this is the longest run I have done in months...I felt fairly strong though. And my hill sprints were better than I would have thought. We did a sprint at the end to finish the run.

Alright, 6 days of running and over 20 miles. That is a something I haven't done in a while. I didn't have my watch with me today so I used gmap-pedometer.com and got my info from that. It obviously isn't as accurate, but I am pretty sure it is close. My legs are feeling pretty dead from yesterday, but I am fine with that. I am just glad I was able to run as many miles as I did this week.

 Today was a good Monday run. Longer than I would have liked, but that is what you get when you run with other people...not much of an option. We ran up Monte Berico which was nice to get more hills in. That is something my running could use.

8:14   8:38   8:41   8:03   8:29 = AP 8:21 

Today's run felt good. A little Officer PT. We finished only running 3 miles, so I ran the 4th on my own. Met up with Heather and the boys for a minute, she had just fininshed running. It was a good morning.

8:12   7:21   7:52   7:43 = 7:44 AP

Today was a great run!

Felt really good today. Ran a little bit faster, and gave it a good .5 mile or so kick at the end.

8:22   8:11   7:45   7:03 = 7:50 AP

Today was a good run with Heather and the boys. We ran around the track. I ran the first mile or so by myself until she showed up, the ran with her the rest of the way.

7:56   7:38   8:36 and 6:16 for .75 = 8:07 AP 

Another great Saturday run. Today was a fast run. It wasn't intentional, but I just found myself running in the low 7s and even the high 6s. My body just wanted to run fast today. I tried to relax a little, but ended up just going with it.

7:57   7:16   6:53   6:58  = 7:16 AP 

   That last mile I tried to back off because I was feeling pretty tired, but within about a .10 of a mile, I was back running in the 6s again... I guess just one of those days. 

 Today was a rainy day, so I was on the treadmill. It is the first time I have run on a treadmill in months! It felt really good though, I was glad that the mental struggle wasn't as much as I thought it would be. I put the treadmill on a Hill cycle and it felt pretty good. I probably averaged a 7:50 pace or so.

Today was are nice weekly Elder's Quorum run. We had a good time.

8:46   7:55   8:01   7:56 = 8:06AP

Finally I was able to get out! We are up in Germany again doing some training rotation again, but got out this afternoon. The weather here is pretty cool right now, and rainy... :(   It was a nice run.

8:00   7:48   7:49   7:51   7:55 = 7:53AP  my average HR was 155. It is coming down, looking better.

A good run this morning. I am not sure if I was jus sore from yesterday, but I couldn't push the pace today. It felt like there wa a wall keeping me from running any faster than an 8:10 pace or so...not sure what it was, but probably just a bit sluggish.

The weather here sucks. It is constantly rainy and fairly cold. I do miss Utah and being out west somtimes!

8:40   8:00   8:07   8:09 = 8:14AP

Good run on Sept 11th. I wanted to get out, even though it was Sunday, as part of a commemorative run. Ran with a couple other of my Officer buddies. One of them was a very accomplished Cross-X runner in high school, running a 15:35 as a junior in 5k. He had some injuries his senior year and would have been able to walk on at Duke, but he decided to go to West Point instead...bad decision in his opinion, haha.

Anyway, he wanted to run faster today, but it killed me. I didn't sleep well last night and hadn't eaten much during the day, so I felt pretty weak.

7:30   7:17   7:35   8:15   8:30 = 7:50AP

Wow, today was a good run. I ran with my buddy again and we did a warm up 7mins then 5 min quick followed by 4 min cool down, the 4 min quick, followed by 3 min cool dow, etc. We finished with about a .5mile cool down. I was pretty consistant during the quick portions running at 6:10-35. Cool down was probably around 8:45ish pace.

8:10   6:31   7:26   7:01   9:15 = 7:50AP

Was up early to listen to the BYU game online...wow, was that pathetically needless. I can't believe this team...I mean come one, your offense has been hyped all year long and through three games your average scoring is 11 points (offensively). Give me a break Brandon Doman and Jake Heaps...

Wow, before that turns into a rant I better get back to running. I stopped listening to the game after the 8th fumble and tried to go back to sleep. It was around 6:30am, I couldn't sleep because I was so frustrated, so I got up and went for a run. It felt really good and my times were a little faster than normal. Maybe because I was so upset?

7:50   7:30   7:21   7:17   7:07 = 7:25AP

Battalion run this morning before heading back...one word...SLOW. We had just short of 700 people running in formation, so it is obvious that is going to happen, but boy oh boy was it slow.

11:06  10:45   11:18   11:42 = 11:15AP

Does this even count as a run?

A great run today with Heather and the boys. I helped her push our running stroller, and although it is a very nice one...boy is it heavy to push! I don't know how she does 2+ miles a morning with it. I was having a hard time doing 2 laps...

8:47   8:09   8:05   7:35 = 8:06AP

Took a nice run today with my commander and heads of our company shops (Supply, Armorer, commo). Pretty good, got a chance to get to know our new CO better. The run was nice too.

8:15   8:07   7:53   7:56   7:55 and 3:57 for .5 mile = 8:01AP

A good somewhat recovery run today. I needed to go a little shorter and slower. My body is feeling kind of sore from the past few days, plus heading to the gym in the afternoon.

8:25   8:47   8:08   7:46 = 8:11AP

Changed it up a bit today. Went on a 3.3 mile run with the commander, then found some of my guys at the track and did another 1.25 or so with them. On the track we would run an 800m, then do some kind of calisthetic exercise. It got me another mile, and that is really what I wanted.

8:51   8:12   8:20 = 8:32AP  +1 interval mile at 7:22

Got back from Slovenia today. We had a good trip! My running schedule worked out perfect for last week as I was able to take off both Saturday and Sunday. We drove back today, about 3.5 hours, so it was nice to get out tonight and go for a run. I think because I have had some good rest days my body was feeling good and my run was much faster today than normal.

7:30   7:31   7:23   7:14   7:01 = 7:19AP 

I wanted to do a little shorter today, but my Company Commander found me again...I don't like running with him very much. Oh well. It was slower because he is, and we did some hills. The bad thing about running with your boss is you can't really run faster than him. I just want to smoke him sometime though so he will stop running with me, maybe it will work, next time.

8:21   8:15   8:55   9:12   8:48   8:50 = 8:43AP

Another good run today, not as slow as yesterday, but not as fast as Monday. I enjoy running on the side/country roads of Italy. The country can be very beautiful!

8:36   8:08   8:06   8:06   8:14 and .5 mile in 3:32 = 8:07AP

Altered the run today a little. Did a small tempo run in the middle. Warmed up a mile, then did a latter of equal on/rest of 1-2-3-3-2-1min tempos.

8:30   7:40   7:25   8:50 = 8:08AP

Did the same route today, however it was just a slow constant run. My legs were feeling pretty sore from the intervals yesterday. I think that is a good thing though!

8:29   8:37   7:57   7:49 and .75 in 5:53  = 8:07AP

Up here in Germany...will be here until the end of the month and not much running...

Finally back out of the field. Tried to do more, but something was not right in my left knee. I hope this doesn't continue, I only have a month to get ready for RASP2.

Tried to run, but it hurt!

Got on the treadmill and ran today. My average was 8:45. Feeling it a little in the chest, but it wasn't that bad.

Felt good today, at least no pain in the knee. Averaged a 7:57, but felt more like a 7:20. So by calculations and how I feel I think I am 30 seconds slower and out of shape from before. I think I can catch back up another 20 seconds or so by the time I fly back to the states.

8:43   7:51   7:35

AM- Did a bit of a longer morning run today. I could feel my knee very slightly through the first mile or so, then it went away. I am not sure if it just needs to warm up a little bit and it is fine, or if there is another kind of healing process at work. I wanted to make today a little longer than the other days. I need to be running 5 miles in 40min or less by the end of November. I think after today's run I should be fine as long as I can stay injury free.

7:52  7:46  7:44  7:36 and .25 in 1:42 = 7:42 AP

 PM- Went to the gym and lifted legs and shoulders today. I figured with an off day tomorrow, today was the best day to work out the legs with squats and what not. I am sure I will be SORE tomorrow! 

Today's run felt much better. On the treadmill at the Gym with a hill workout. My legs are so sore from lifting legs  on Saturday; squats are killer! I think my AP was something like 8:35, but for the last two miles or so I was right around 8:00 and for the last mile about 7:46. It took me a minute to get the lactic acid moving and be able to run comfortably, but after about 5 minutes I felt pretty good.

After, I lifted back and biceps.  

Today's run was farther than I initially thought it would be, but I felt really good. I think I have kicked the rust off and can start building again. My legs are still sore from Saturday's lifting session, but it is much better.

7:42 7:35 8:48 (Big Hill) 7:09 7:17 7:16 = 7:46AP

This afternoon I will do some Chest and Tricep gym workout.

Today did a treadmill run and less mileage because of yesterday. Still trying to "ease" back into it. I averaged an 8:15 for the run. I was picking up the pace as the run went on and finished running at a 7:13 for the last .5mile.

Today was ruck march day. I am going to start doing this to get ready for the assessment course I will be attending. I averaged a 14:43 which is :17 under the Army standard. I didn't run at all, so it was pretty good. My ruck sack probably weighed in excess of 50lbs. so my calorie count is going to be off.

Had a nice run today and felt comfortable. I ran around the track for the whole thing which was not very enjoyable, but it got the job done for the day.

7:56  7:36  7:36  7:14  6:46 = 7:23 AP

Today was a treadmill run. Started off at about a 7:50 pace for the first 2miles, then wanted to see what I had in my and set it to 6:31 for the next two miles (almost didn't make it), then finished with an 8:30 mile. I was glad I had it in me, especially since I was running a hill workout on the treadmill (albeit just on level 1).

Finished the morning with a Chest and Tri workout.

Another treadmill run today. The rainy season has started here. Hopefully it won't last too long, it is tough running on the treadmill when the all the windows are closed. I am sweating like a pig by the 1.25 mile mark. If I remember right I finished 5 miles in 39:05. I nice easy run with another hill workout.

Today's run was good...and fast. I ran with the new Mortar section sergeant and this guy can run. We ran our first two miles in 14:14 and had to slow down a little for guys that weren't keeping up. At times we were running in the 5min pace and even dropped down to the 4s for a few seconds. They only ran about 2.5, so I finished on the track. I will try and post my splits later. My average pace was 7:22

6:59  7:16   8:09  7:23  7:04 = 7:22AP 

Well, a beautiful run through the heart of (ancient) Rome. We are here for the 4 day weekend and the weather is beautiful. We found a nice apartment for a great price about a quarter mile from St. Peter's, so I took a ran to scout out our plans for tomorrow. I ran through St. Peter's square and down past the Forum and Palantine Hill around the Colloseum and back.

Although a beautiful run, Rome is not runner friendly. With all the cobblestone, marble, and traffic it made for an interesting run, but I won't complain about being able to get out!

  AP was 8:25 

 Another great run. Today I ran from St. Peter's and over to the Spanish Steps. Not an ancient attraction, more modern, but a fun attraction in Rome. Heather wants to go there tomorrow so I did a run recon!

Today was a great run. The air was very cold, just above freezing from my observation. Don't have the details of the run yet, but I averaged an 8:23 pace.

Another good run today, but boy was it cold!

7:55  7:54  7:50  7:20  7:12 = 7:37AP 

More to follow tomorrow when I have time to update.

Today was short and mostly a stretching day to prepare for our Company's competition, Battle Stakes.

Good run today. I nice and far run with a massive hill, probably more severe than what would be in any kind of race, but it was still a lot of fun.

8:03  7:55  8:12  11:34 (big hill) 8:02  8:36 and 7:31 for .90  = AP 8:39

The rest of the distance was running back and forth and a few intervals on the track. 

Today was a COLD run. I bet I started at about 32 degrees. Boy was it cold, but it was clear and a nice run. I wanted to test myself and run a longer run again today and see how I would hold up. I am feeling good right now and during the run too, so it looks like I am probably capable of adding to my mileage a little bit next week.

7:58  8:03  7:51  7:46  7:40  7:41  7:35 and .50 in 3:13 = 7:47AP

Today I ran with a buddy who ran X-country in college. He is pretty quick, much faster than I am for a comfortable jog. It was hard to keep up and a little faster than I wanted to run today since we take a PT test tomorrow, but I was glad to get in a fairly long run.

7:40  7:40  9:27(long uphill)  7:20  7:16  8:00 = 7:56AP

Can't remember much about this run. I am inputting it about a month late...

8:52  8:19  8:13  7:39

Got in to Ft. Benning late last night. Couldn't sleep for very long this morning due to jet lag and got up early to run. The weather was nice and the run was good, especially after about 13 hours of flight yesterday.

8:05  7:40  7:45  7:54  7:34 = 7:46 AP

Today was our PT test. We did a bit of a warm up and cool down run with the 2mile run inbetween. I was very disappointed in my two mile time...not sure why I ran so bad. It may have been the time change or the fact that it was raining hard this morning. Who knows, but I was not proud of my time.

6:40  6:42 = 13:22 AP

Today was the 5 mile test. Needed to do it in under 40min. but really trying to make sure I am closer to the front of the class in finishing time than toward the back. Ended up running about a 35:25 and felt okay with it. I told myself before the run if I was able to run around a 35 min, I would be happy. I may have been able to run closer to a 35:10 or so, had I pushed it a little harder.

6:59  7:04  7:13  7:07  6:55 = 7:03 AP

Today was our 12 mile ruck march. I did it in my fastest time ever with a 2:22:16. My ruck weighed 41 lbs (not including water weight). It was nice.

Surprise PT test after being awake for 36 hours of a mini FTX. Only one mile though (in full uniform).

Ran about a little over a mile as part of a circuit PT session.

Some more running as part of an obstacle course PT day. Didn't have my GPS watch.

Today was a smoker! We were in full uniform plus body armor and did this 6 mile run through the woods and up and down muddy hills. We were completely covered in mud due to rain the day before. I think our first mile was something like 6:15 wearing boots and all this gear...goodness it was rough. But all in all it was good and I kept up near the front the whole time.

Today was a recovery run. We averaged just a little over 8:15 pace. Our bodies were needing it and it felt great.

Today we did the RPAT (Ranger Physical Assessment Test). Wow, I have never done this before and it was a challenge. You start off in full unifom (ACUs, boots, helmet, and body armor) and run two miles. Then you climb a 20 foot rope once, drag a skedco (litter) with 185lbs for 100 meters, then climb a 20 foot caving latter, then a 200m sprint (jog really), and then get over and 8 foot wall. If all of that wasn't enough, you finish with a final mile run. My time was 27:16 which was the second fastest in our class. That was great PT, but it was sure a smoker.

First run back in Italy. Felt pretty good. Toward the end of the run my knee started to get sore. I think part of it was from how cold it is here right now. Everything else felt great though and it is good to be back.

7:45  8:13  8:33  7:52  7:38  8:14 = 8:02 AP

Back from Istanbul and a few days off. It was a pretty slow run with a few of the guys in Headquarters. I tried to push them, but they aren't in the greatest of shape.

9:13  9:37  8:14

Today I did some interval training and ended up cutting it a little short. I think I am coming down with something. I woke up this morning feeling kind of sick and achy. My initial plan was to hit 2x400m in 1:30 or less, then 2:x1600m in 6:05 or less, and finally finish off with 2x400m again 1:30 or less. I wanted to hit negative splits on my 400m and my second mile faster than the first. I ended up cutting out the second 1600m, but I did get all my 400m times faster and my 1600 was 6:10. It was slower than I wanted, but it was really cold and I am really not feeling well.

Hopefully the run will flush out all the bad.

400m: 1:28, 1:27, 1:26, 1:25

1600m: 6:10