Cool Runnings!

Ran 3.5 miles up in the mountains in the morning before we left - again was huffing and puffing.  However, it felt good to get out and run.  All weekend, I got plenty of sleep and woke up feeling rested, although tired.  I guess my body is not used to getting at least 8 hours of sleep.

Ran another 4.0 miles (this is a conservative estimate) in the evening.  We had driven down to San Diego during the day, so I was able to run along the ocean.  What a great feeling.  Not only was I running at sea level (lots of oxygen, yay!), but also running along the ocean really got me pumped.  I am guessing that I ended up running between 7:30-8:00 easily.  The effort felt fine, was not hard on either my lungs or my legs.

Got my second pair of Adrenalines today, and promptly took them out for a run.  Ran 7.0 miles this evening after we got back home from San Diego.  Man, I really appreciate cooler weather after having gotten back home to find out that the temperature today was 107.  Sheesh.  It was still in the 90's when I went running.  The run felt good, especially after sitting in the minivan for 6 hours, but I didn't particularly like the temperature.

Ran 6.21 miles with HAL this evening.  It was much cooler today than yesterday.  Even so, this run felt totally klunky.  I could not find a good rhythm the entire run.  Not sure what the problem was, but I was determined to run through it.  Knee was a bit sore at the very end, I think I was pounding more than normal during the run.  I may need to take a trip back to the chiropractor to get things straightened out.  Only two more days at home, and then we are back on the road again.  I am determined to get a good run in on Saturday morning before we leave to ensure that I get the run in.  I am certain I will not have time in the evening.

Ran 5.0 miles with HAL.  I had an extremely long day at work (12 hours straight) and didn't want to overdo it, hence the 5 miles instead of 6 or 7, especially considering the difficulty I had with my run yesterday.  Didn't know what to expect, since I was mentally drained from work.  However, being greeted at the door by my wonderful wife and children really gave me a boost.

Started off nice and easy, then after the first mile, decided I would run a mile at MP.  That mile was in 7:45 (a little faster than MP).  After that mile, I was planning on slowing down, but my body said no, so I ran another mile at MP (7:49, closer to my planned pace).  Finally convinced my body to slow down somewhat for the last two miles, 8:25 and 8:22.  Total time was 40:49, average pace was 8:09/mile.  I put some 3/4 length arch inserts into my shoes, and that seems to have helped.

I decided to set some goals for the Provo River 10 miler:

Goal 1:  under 1:20 (8:00 pace)

Goal 2:  under 1:17:30 (7:45 pace)

Goal 3:  under 1:15 (7:30 pace)

I will be happy with any of these goals, but ecstatic if I can hit the third goal.

Today was my tempo run.  Warmed up with an easy mile, then started the tempo - 4 miles at 7:30 pace or better.  First mile was 7:17, second mile 7:10, third mile 7:08, fourth mile 7:07.  Cooled down with an easy mile at the end, for a total of 6 miles.  I definitely could have sustained the pace for another couple of miles at least, but I am really shooting for between 7:20-7:30/mile.  I am going to try very hard to get in at least a few miles tomorrow morning before we leave - we will have to see how that goes.  I may be able to get in a few miles once we get up as well, and I will try to get in a couple miles during the trip as well.