Cool Runnings!

AM - 2.05 easy miles to shake things out after dealing with injury then sickness.  Still not feeling 100% in terms of my health, but I took it very easy (average of close to 9:00/mile), and only did 2 miles.  No cramping in the calf (I have also been taking my vitamins), felt so easy I didn't even break a sweat until 1 1/2 miles into the run.  That is a good sign to me.  I may try to do a little more tonight, depending on how I feel, but my health is the most important thing right now.  I still have 4 1/2 weeks before St. George, and taking it easy this week is not going to affect my fitness.

PM - my sinus infection has flared up, and I went to see the doctor to get some antibiotics.  Rather than risk pushing my body too hard when it is already down and injuring myself, I am going to lay low for the rest of the week and resume training next Monday.  I am at peace with this decision, and feel it is the best for my body.  On a side note, I am so excited to have seen the announcement for the pre-SGM fast running blog pasta party!  We are so there! 

AM - Nice, easy run to get back into the groove of things.  It is finally starting to cool down here a bit, and it was lovely out this morning.  Of course, it's all about perspective.  It was probably in the low 80's when I ran.  Took it out nice and slow, started around 9:00 pace, and tried to keep it in that range the entire run.  Found myself slowly speeding up as my run progressed and I got warmed up.  Total time was 35:01, average of 8:45/mile, so I'll take that as a good run.  No soreness in the calf at all.  Sinus infection is gone, although I have some lingering stuffiness - may be due to allergies.  I also got hit with a minor coughing attack when I got back from my run.  I can tell my body is still not 100%, so I will continue to take it easy this week.  No MP mileage, just recovery miles.  Next week I will think about getting in some MP miles to get ready.

AM - ran 5 easy miles.  Still no soreness in my calf, but I was coughing after my run again.  Today I finally awoke to a completely clear nose, which made the run more enjoyable.  Total time for the run today was 43:35, average pace of 8:43/mile.  Tomorrow I will bump back up to 6 miles, and will go from there.

AM - Ran 6 easy miles this morning.  For some reason, I was feeling a bit paranoid about my calf, probaby because there are only 3 1/2 weeks before SGM, and I would be crushed if something happened at this point.  Still took it easy, as I will continue to do the rest of the week.  I gained some weight from the forced inactivity the last week and a half, so I am seeing it slowly go back down.  I still do not feel 100% - my aerobic capacity is not at its normal level yet.  I attribute this to continuing to recover from being sick.  We will see how things go the rest of this week.  Total time for the run was 51:58, average pace of 8:40/mile.

AM - 6.1 easy miles in my new Adrenalines.  They felt like running on clouds.  I can tell that the cushioning in my first pair is pretty much worn out after running in the new ones.  These will be my marathon shoes.  I didn't really pay a whole lot of attention to the Garmin today, just glanced at it once in a while and adjusted my pace if it turned out I was going too fast.  I tried to pay more attention to how the run felt.  My body is probably at about 90% right now in terms of recovering from the cold/sinus infection.  Hardly any coughing after the run, and my energy level felt higher.  Total time for the run was 51:47, average pace of 8:30/mile.  My wife made an interesting comment this morning that reminded me of the comments of others - she mentioned that she didn't feel that good this morning after eating some junk food last night when she went out with a friend.  I can totally identify that.  We have been eating much healthier as a family, and whenever I eat unhealthy, I can feel it the next morning in my run.

AM - 6.0 miles by myself, total time was 50:24, average pace of 8:25/mile.  Then approximately .75 with Sparky (no watch).  He was pulling me the entire time.  Another item to mention about Spary:  he has the interesting behavior of barking at other people, and not at any other dogs he encounters.  This morning as I ran with him, I tried to encourage not barking by stopping every time he barked at a person, and making him sit quietly for a couple seconds, then praising him.  He really wanted to run (he was literally pulling on the leash the entire time), and I am hoping this may help his behavior to change.  We have a next-door neighbor who Sparky barks at every time they go out into their back yard, which is separated from ours by a cinder block fence.  I ended up pushing it a bit this run, and will definitely need to take it easy tomorrow.  Nothing special, somewhere between 10-15 miles tomorrow for my long run.  Best of luck to all the TOU runners tomorrow.  A special good luck to Sasha in his attempt to potentially reach an OT qualifier at TOU.

AM - ran 12 easy miles.  Did 8 miles, then took a break for a drink, then ran another 4 miles.  The first 8 miles were nice and easy, average pace somewhere around 8:45/mile.  The last 4 miles were a bit faster, I was working on hitting my stride, and had some miles closer to 8:00.  Average pace for the entire run was 8:35/mile.  I am waiting with bated breath to see how Sasha and the others do at TOU.  Additional info:  does anyone else have issues with being lightheaded, especially after a run?  This seems to happen most offen if I am crouching or kneeling down, and then stand up, but sometimes it really bothers me.  I don't think I am dehydrated - I have drunk 64 oz of Gatorade today already, plus several large cups of water.  I have also had enough to eat, and I have been taking my vitamins.  Maybe just low blood pressure after a long run?  Any ideas would be helpful. 

AM - nice easy run, started off real easy, slowly worked my way up to 8:30's.  It was absolutely gorgeous out - probably upper 70's, clear, light wind blowing, and for anyone who gets up early, Saturn has been shining very brightly in the eastern sky - I'd say about 20-30 degrees above the horizon or so.  Was feeling really good today, so I decided to put in a little MP work at about 4.5 miles.  Increased the pace to about 7:30/mile, felt good, was able to keep my same breathing rhythm without problem, form felt good, stride felt good.  Total time for the run was 49:27, average pace of 8:17/mile - this was due mainly to the last 1.5 miles.  Life is good, SGM is less than 3 weeks away, and I am starting to get really excited.  Just got to stay healthy and injury-free . . .

Oooh, today's run felt sooooo good!  It was about 70 degrees when I started, and boy, could I tell the difference!  All of a sudden, everything felt easier.  My easy pace was actually a bit faster, and I decided I would put in 3-4 MP miles today.  Started out with a good mile warmup, then started out on my MP miles.  3 miles at marathon pace, each was at 7:20 or faster.  Then had a nice 2 mile cooldown.  Total time for the run was 46:43, average pace of 7:47 for the entire run. 

Note to self:  take it easy tomorrow, don't overdo it.  No MP miles tomorrow.

Nice easy run this morning.  It seemed likeit was not quite as cool as yesterday, but still very nice.  I kept my promise to myself and took it easy the entire run - no accelerations, no tempo miles, just nice easy pace the whole run.  Total time for the run was 51:38, average pace of 8:27/mile (or something like that, Lybi has the Garmin right now).  Felt good, no pains, breathing was very easy.  I am finally feeling the fitness I have been working so hard on.

6 miles today, 4 at MP.  I didn't get enough sleep last night, so I was kind of tired and it took me a little bit to get going.  But after I warmed up, I decided it would be a good idea to run some MP miles.  I decided I wanted to do 4 today instead of 3.  Ran the same course as Tuesday, but I was able to control my MPmiles a bit better.  Don't have the splits, but I know they were something like 7:31, 7:23, 7:30 and 7:24.  Cooled down for my last mile, then stretched out.  Legs are still feeling good.  I was starting to labor a bit on my breathing on the last MP mile - I was fighting a pretty good headwind the 3rd mile and that took something out of me.  But I pushed through, and felt good about this run.  Nice easy run for tomorrow, and then we will see how Saturday will go.  I was thinking I would do 15-16 miles, but will have to see.  This will be my last higher mileage week - then I will be starting my taper for St. George.

Nice easy run this morning.  Decided to catch up on sleep rather than run 6 miles.  Went to bed early - 8:50, got a full 8 hours of sleep.  That was nice.  I feel very refreshed this morning.  Didn't take the Garmin with me today - just guessed at my splits with my regular watch.  Total time for the run was 35:25, average pace around 8:38/mile - perfect for a nice easy recovery run.  Tomorrow will be my last "long" run to speak of - hoping for about 15 miles.  Then it will be time to start my taper for St. George.  Lower mileage, increased intensity - more MP miles and probably some mile repeats and such. 

AM - Long run.  Was actually planning on running a bit longer, but my calf started twinging a little bit and I decided to cut my run short.  14.2 miles in 1:59:54, average pace of 8:26/mile.  Even though I was planning on doing more, I am pretty happy with this run.  I know my longest run was 18 miles, and I know that I am probably going to bonk a bit when I run my marathon, but I also know that I am in much better shape this time around than I was in 2004, and I am also almost 10 pounds lighter now than I was then.  Both of those things will definitely play a role in how well I do.

6 miles this morning, started out easy, then found myself unintentionally speeding up and decided to go ahead and pick up the pace.  I decided I wanted to get in some fast miles today - faster than MP, but slower than 5K pace.  I was hoping for 10K pace miles, but they ended up being a bit slower than that.  First fast mile was 7:06 - this is misleading because I started off slower and picked up the pace the entire mile.  Then an easy mile in 8:18, then another hard mile in 6:56, finished with two easy miles.  Got home, went another 0.8 with Sparky.  Tomorrow will be an easy day to give my legs a break from the speed work today.  Granted, it was only 2 miles, but they were harder miles.

PM - easy run with the boys and Sparky.  I pushed two of the boys in the double jogging stroller while Lybi ran with the other boy and with Sparky.  No time for the run. 

AM - 5 mile MP tempo run.  Warmed up first mile in 8:37, then started the tempo run.  I don't remember the exact splits, but the entire tempo run felt very much in control.  Of the 5 miles, 4 of them ended up being faster than my anticipated MP, not by design - I was not really looking at the Garmin very much, just going mostly by feel.  Felt good, relaxed, in control and breathing was relaxed throughout.  I take this as a good sign.  Cooled down for 1/2 mile after the tempo run, then took Sparky out for another 0.8 miles (untimed).  Total time for the 6.5 miles was 49:06, average pace of 7:33/mile.  No complaints from my legs, heart or lungs on this run.

AM - 6 easy miles, without the Garmin.  Time for the run was 51:27, average pace of 8:34/mile.  This run felt nice and easy, relaxed.  Just what I was hoping for with today's run.  I did not feel the urge to speed up or run tempo, just enjoy the beautiful weather.  For those who read Kerry's blog, I was also able to see the International Space Station this morning - it was pretty cool.  From about 5:12 to 5:17, I watched it pass across the sky as I was running east, and saw it pass about 20 degrees beneath Saturn.  After I got back, I took Sparky for another 0.8 miles.  A good start to the day.

AM - intended this to be a MP tempo run, but it ended up being a progressive tempo run.  Warmed up easy the first mile, then started on the tempo.  I did not look at my Garmin for the tempo, went by feel.  Out of the entire tempo run, only the 4th mile was a bit laborious, but I was still able to stay in a good rhythm for breathing.  I feel like I definitely could have kept up this pace.  I will rely on Lybi to provide my splits.  I know that the total time was 44:00 exact, average pace of 7:20/mile, and that all of the tempo miles were under 7:17, with the last one being 6:52 (I checked on the Garmin afterwards, just don't remember the others).  I feel really good about this.  I think that I am now done with my tempo miles, and the rest of this week and all next week will be easy runs.  I want to feel those horses neighing for St. George, and I don't feel that yet.  I am also going to work on really pushing the sleep issue.  I am definitely doing better with sleep, but I want to get a full 8 hours every day.

AM - Nice easy run - did not take the Garmin, did not attempt to take any splits.  Just focused on keeping the pace at a level that felt real easy.  Total time for the run was 50:49, average pace of 8:20/mile.  I am happy with this, maybe this is a sign the horses are neighing a bit, so to speak.  Easy 10-miler tomorrow to finish this week.

AM - watched the boys while Lybi ran her 5K.  She did great.

PM - ran 8 miles.  Drove down to Ellsworth Rd, which is about the only place where I can find any kind of incline.  Ran 2.5 miles up in a nice easy pace, then turned around and ran down - I had decided it would be a good idea to remind my body what it will be like to run downhill.  This was a gentle downhill - probably 1-1.5% grade at the most, but I still practiced the things I know are important when running downhill - lean forward, shorten stride length, increase turnover.  Felt good.  I ended up running between 2 and 2.5 miles at MP from the downhill.  Then I turned right to run down Broadway for 1.5 miles and then turned around.  I was thinking about doing some more, but decided that my legs probably had a little punishment from the downhill, and ended the run at that point.  I don't think that it would have made any difference in how I do at St. George, so I am satisfied with this run.  I forgot to take the Garmin, and I messed up with my splits on my other watch, so I don't have a time for the run, but I am pretty confident of the distance.  All in all, a good last long (ish) run, glad I got the chance to a bit of up- and downhill running.