M'kay

4 miles in 31:53, 7:58/mi, HR 171.  Sunny and warm (74F).  Thankful for the self-generated breezes on the downhill stretches.

Recovery/cross-training day.  12 mile bike ride in 47:58, 15.0 mph, HR 152.  Core exercises and stretching schedule for this evening.

4 miles in 32:13, 8:03/mi, HR 171.  Sunny and hot (78F).  Scorcher for this part of the country (when I'm sweating walking in the shade, it's a scorcher).  Easy pace was tough because of the heat, especially in the exposed sections.  10 accelerations, 5 uphill, 2 flat, 3 downhill.  Missed the core workout yesterday, so off to do it now.

28 mile easy bike ride with Dianna.  Sunny and hot (84F).  Decided to stick with cross-training today as my left knee hurt after some of the core work yesterday.  

4 miles in 31:38, 7:54/mi, HR 166.  Sunny and hot (78F).  Another milestone reached....first run where my avg HR was under 170!  Today's run didn't feel too bad so I guess things are still getting easier.  This is the 8th week of my return to running program and I'm aiming for a total of 20 miles.  I think the bicycling sprinkled throughout the week is really helping with boosting my aerobic work....I find it easier to take it easy on a ride versus as run.  Core workout & stretching afterwards.

Cross-training day.  14 cycling miles in 1:01:10, 4:21/mi, HR 141.  Overcast with intermittent drizzle (61F).  Rode up into the state forest lands, so some hills, logging roads and a couple of miles just trying not to wreck on the return downhill.  I'm actually enjoying my cross-training days.

4 miles in 31:07, 7:47/mi, HR 168.  Overcast and pleasant (62F).  Easy run with 12 short accelerations, 6 uphill, 3 flat, and 3 downhill.  Felt pretty good the whole time, so I guess fitness is slowly coming back.  I seem to to thrive the day after a cross-training (biking) day, although it's probably too soon to draw a firm conclusion.  Core workout & stretching afterwards.

4 miles in 31:18, 7:49/mi, HR 165.  Overcast and cool (61F).  Took the dogs for a warmup walk (1+ mi), then the run, then some stretching.  Injury site a bit sore during stretching and hip was popping and grinding some today.

Crosstraining day. 16 cycling miles in 59:29, 16.2 MPH, HR 154.  Cooldown walk with the dogs and some stretching.

4 miles in 31:33, 7:53/mi, HR 167.  Sunny and warm (77F).  Easy effort with 12 accelerations, 6 uphill, 3 downhill, & 3 flat.  Still trending in the right direction.  Core workout & stretching afterwards.  

Yesterday's cycling tweaked my hamstring at the upper attachment point.  Still getting acclimated to the bike seat, I guess.  Used the racquetball on the sore spot for quite a while yesterday evening, with some icing later.  I could feel it was still a bit sore today but didn't affect the run at all. 

4 miles in 32:00, 8:00/mi, HR 161.  Sunny and hot (81F).  Took it easy today after a warmup walk with the dogs.  Followed up with the Myrtl routine and some stretching.  Then a few hours of yardward, including weeding, digging, swinging an axe, and chainsaw wielding.  Fun.

5 miles in 39:25, 7:53/mi, HR 160.  Partly sunny and pleasant (68F).  Tired from yesterday's yardwork and could feel it in the first couple of miles.  Effort stayed pretty easy otherwise.  Core workout and stretching afterwards.

5 miles in 39:39, 7:56/mi, HR 170.  Sunny and warm (71F).  Easy with 12 accelerations (6 uphill, 3 flat, 3 downhill).  

2nd day in a row I've felt really tired all morning.  Plenty of sleep and no workout yesterday, so I'm not sure why.  

On the good news front, I've officially been kicked out of Physical Therapy.  Although we didn't meet all of the objectives (i.e. get rid of injury pain completely), most are complete and at this point, I'm pretty much doing all the exercises at home anyway.  Guess they didn't like me dragging down their stats :).  Whatever the case, it's still a good sign.

5 miles in 39:46, 7:57/mi, HR 170.  Sunny, warm (78F) and breezy.  Not quite as tired as yesterday despite lousy sleep last night.  Decided on 5 instead of 4.  Kept the effort easy and turnover high, which made the run easier the first couple of miles, but started getting tired at mi 3.  Finished up with a fast 0.1, then the Mrtyl routine and stretching.

5 miles in 40:31, 8:06/mi, HR 171.  Hot and sunny (84F).  Temps forced a slower pace today.  Legs got tired early and I actually walked a few steps in the last mile.  Probably more the heat than anything, but perhaps also the mileage increase.

Decided to crosstrain today due to some significant tiredness from the last 3 days of running and the heat outside (better breezes on a bike).  16 cycling miles in 59:12, 3:41/mi, HR 156.  Sunny and hot (87F).  Hope it's cooler tomorrow!

5 miles in 38:18, 7:39/mi, HR 169.  Sunny and hot (80F).  Extra sleep really helped recharge my batteries.  Even in the heat, the pace felt decent until late in the run after all the accelerations.  12 accelerations, 6 uphill, 3 flat, and 3 downhill.  Passed another runner on the road whom I didn't recognize....he was moving pretty fast on the downhill as I was headed uphill....wonder if he's just visiting the area or if there's a new resident in the area.

Followed up with the core workout I was supposed to do Thursday, then some stretching.  Also, added warmup Lunges to the routine.

5 miles in 39:26, 7:53/mi, HR 162.  Sunny and breezy (73F).  Glutes and hip flexors sore, but loosened up well.  Focused on keeping things easy today and was pretty successful.  Felt so good that 1/4 mile from the finish I picked it up for a fast finish.  Myrtl routine and stretching afterwards, followed up with some yardwork.

Cross-training day.  Legs feeling pretty tired and still sore in spots.  16 cycling miles in 59:32, 3:43/mi, HR 147.  Focused on keeping the effort easy the first several miles, then wound up pushing things a bit like normal.  A bit slower than last Thursday on the same route, but pretty close and with perhaps a smidge less effort.  Sunny and warm (81F), destined to get hot tomorrow.

Core workout and stretching afterwards.

5 miles in 39:44, 7:56/mi, HR 166.  Sunny and hot (82F).  LM/LL warmup, easy run with 12 accelerations, 6 uphill, 3 flat, 3 downhill, 1 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs, Myrtl routine, then stretching.  Legs a bit tired still and the heat didn't help matters, but kept the effort easy throughout, aside from the accelerations.  

5 miles in 39:03, 7:48/mi, HR 165.  Sunny and warm (74F).  Legs tired and a bit sore in spots, but warrmed up well with LM/LL.  Followed up with 1+ mi walk with the dogs, McMillan core routine #2 (first time), and stretching. 

My Garmin 405 turned 1 a few days ago, so its fitting that it was completely dead when I grabbed it to head out today.  No lights/power/nothing, despite being on it's charger.  Fortunately, my 305 didn't need charged too much to function as a backup, since my normal backup watch was also completely dead (leading me to think an EMP had been set off over my house for a few minutes....fortunately, swapping batteries on the watch worked wonders).  The bad news is the 405 is out of warranty, but the good news is that I bought it at REI for just this reason....their 100% guarantee.  Actually, the salesperson talked me into the whole purchase citing this as an example of why I should buy stuff at REI, so I've no guilt in exchanging it for a new one after 1+ years use.  Especially since it sat on my desk for nearly 5 months while I was out with an injury.  Garmin makes neat stuff, but their quality isn't the best...

5 miles in 39:40, 7:56/mi, HR 156.  Overcast and cool (62F).  In other words, wonderful running weather.  Things felt easy, aside from some right shin pain. Warmed up with LM/LL, ran, cooldown walk 1+ miles w/ dogs, leg circuit, Myrtl routine, stretching.

5 miles in 39:14, 7:50/mi, HR 167.  Sunny and warm (73F).  LM/LL warmup, 12 accelerations (6 uphill, 3 flat, 3 downhill) + fast finish, 1+ mi cooldown walk with dogs, and some light stretching.  Decided to skip the core workout today....everyone deserves a break, right?

But that's not the most remarkable thing about today's run.  Somehow, I was Mr. Consistent.  My garmin splits were 8:07.71, 8:07.87, 7:59.32, 7:29.63, 7:29.83 on my 2.5 mile out and back course.  How in the world did I manage that???

6 miles in 47:51, 7:58/mi, HR 168.  Sunny and hot (82F).  LM/LL warmup, easy run , 1 mi+ walk w/ dogs cooldown, McM Core L2, & stretching.  More hot days ahead.

5 miles in 39:28, 7:53/mi, HR 167.  Sunny and hot (86F).  LM/LL warmup, easy run w/ 12 accelerations (6 uphill, 3 flat, 3 downhill) + fast finish, 1+ mi cooldown walk w/ dogs (slow), Myrtl routine & stretching.  Longing for cooler weather!

6 miles in 49:15, 8:12/mi, HR 163.  Sunny and very hot (89F).  Just tried to survive today.  LM/LL warmup, easy run, abbreviated walk (.75 mi) w/ dogs, McM Core L2 workout & stretching.  Left ITB feeling a bit tight, so I need to roll it out tonite.  

5 miles in 39:49, 7:58/mi, HR 164.  LM/LL warmup, 4 miles easy, 1 mile moderate (6:55/mi, downhill), .75 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs, Myrtl routine, 2 x LM, stretching.

Sunny and very hot again today (89F).  Easy miles were slower due to the heat, but I did manage a good moderate pace for the last mile.  Time to start looking at putting together a training plan and ease into some faster paced running....I believe I'll re-read Brad Hudson's book and put something together from it.  The big question......what goal race to aim for.  I don't think a fall marathon is in the cards, since I fell so far from the mileage train, but perhaps the Seattle Half in late November might be a good target.

LM/LL warmup.  6 miles in 47:54, 7:59/mi, HR 159.  3/4 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs.  McM Core L2 workout & stretching.

Sunny, warm (83F) and humid, but better than yesterday's scorcher.  My weather station hit 101.7 yesterday, although we caught a break when thunderstorms rolled through starting at about 4 pm and knocked about 25 degrees off the temps.  Tired today so I considered taking today off, but instead decided to keep the easy run easy, and felt good throughout.  Average HR below 160 for the run despite the above normal temps is a really good sign that fitness is returning fairly quickly now.

My problem with easy runs is this.....I've got an 8:00/mi mental barrier.  If it's slower, I feel like I'm slacking, when I full well know that's not true.  I also have a hard time knowing exactly what easy is supposed to fell like, because sometimes no pace feels truly easy.  Case in point.....yesterday's last mile at a "moderate" effort didn't feel much different from the easy effort, save for the breathing rate, which didn't increase all that substantially.  So was I sandbagging the moderate or pushing the easy?  Or neither?  Guess I'll just continue to swag it and do my best.

LM/LL warmup, 5 miles in 38:45, 7:45/mi, HR 160, w/ 12 accelerations (6 uphill, 3 flat, 3 downhill) and fast 1/4 mi finish.  1 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs, PU/Crunch ladder, Myrtl Routine, stretching.

Sunny and cool (73F)?  Since when is 73F cool?  Since it's preceded by 80/90+ degree weather!  Felt tired again this morning but once I got going felt fine.  12 x 12 sec accelerations throughout the run went well. 

First 6 day running week since pre-injury went well (also first 30+ mile week).  Next week, I'll commence on a program I'm going to put together for building to the Seattle Half Marathon in late November, which gives me 17 weeks of training time.  First race back should be the Northwest Trek 8K in Sept, which will be the 4th anniversary of my first road race.  For now, I'll enjoy tomorrow as an off/cross-training day before picking things up again next week.