M'kay

7.5 miles in 59:00, 7:51/mi, HR 143.

Cool (59F), cloudy and some light rain.  Today was one of those days where the effort was easy, form good, and stride sure. 

Not sure what to expect from tomorrow's 5K race.  Last 5K was in January, a PR, at the beginning of my last training cycle.  Tomorrow's course is flat and should be fast but it's also only 1 week off the relay.  It could be a PR day, then again it could be quite a bit slower.  Guess I'll just be happy with anything under 19:30 and will run whatever's in my legs tomorrow.

Adrenaline 8 - 387.6 miles.

3.65 mi warmup in 28:15, 7:44/mi, HR 165.  5k in 18:38, 6:00/mi,  HR 177.  7 mi cooldown in 55:31, 7:55/mi, HR 150.

A 5K PR today.  Didn't know what to expect from today's race only 1 week after the relay so I set a low goal for myself (19:30 max time) and figured I'd just run by feel as hard as I could muster.  Stacked field with all the local talent....Sean Sundwall was the race director and invited all the elites in the area, lured by the smell of $$$.  Advertised as fast and flat (it was), I figured a PR would be possible but didn't want to go getting my hopes up too high.  Since this was only the 3rd 5K I've ever run and all have been PRs to date, there was a tiny bit of pressure.

The morning was cloudy and there was a fine mist/light rain hanging in the area.....perfect weather as far as I was concerned for racing, aside from the possiblity of some slick spots.  No worried about overheating.  Start time was 9am and I lined up behind the obvious speedsters but attempted to get near the front so I wouldn't get held back too much.  Oh, and the race was chip timed and certified, somewhat rare for a small town race in it's first year, courtesy of a race director who knows what that stuff means to runners.

Took off as best I could at the horn, but the press of people kept the first 0.1 or so slow.  A combined 5K and 10K start so I expected some of this but some of these people just don't understand what it means to seed yourself.  I passed about 50 people in about the first 1/4 mile and was passed by a total of 1 other runner, who'd probably miscalculated their starting place worse than I did. 

Down to business....at the 1/2 mile mark, saw I was slow on my pace so I hit the gas and promptly moved into ouch territory....unlike my last 5K, breathing went to 2-2 and stayed there until the end.  Made up some time, passed some runners and was passed by one to hit 1 mile in about 5:56.  Being completely unable to perform any higher (or lower) math while running faster than slow, I just wanted to try to stay below 6 minute miles. 

I caught the runner who'd passed me shortly before the 1 mile mark at about 1.5 and picked off some others, although fewer than the last mile.  Mile 2 in 6:01.  Honestly didn't know it at the time since I was just running as hard as I could and watch looks would've cost time and energy.  Just after the 2 mile mark, the course turns sharply right and on the slick ground I slipped a bit and had to slow briefly to make the turn safely.  As it turned out, I was going to wind up slowing anyway because there was a climb to a bridge over the river that was the steepest part of the course, which is to say I climbed about 25' in 0.1 miles.  Really hurting now and just kept telling myself to push hard; it'd be over soon.  Caught some women runners in some fancy club singlets at about 2.75 mi, but the remainder of the race is a blur of pain until the end.  3rd mile in 6:03 with the last 0.1 in 0:38....the 5K is about the only race distance where I have no kick, I've left it all on the course. 

I do take solace in knowing I wasn't the only one hurting badly.....one of the local elites finished his 10K and was walking around cooling down.  I commented on his smoking fast time and his comment was "Thanks.  That really hurt."  Glad I'm not the only one feeling the pain, especially when it seems like I'm the only one in the finish chute that needs a minute (or three) to stand there so I don't fall over, pass out, hurl, or something equally embarassing.

So a 5K PR of 25 seconds.  The race itself was run very well....Sean did a great job in the inagural event.  Did some cooldown miles waiting for the awards ceremony and afterwards met Sean in person briefly.  Finally got in the car for the drive home, via an Emerald City Smoothie with my name on it up the street.  This was one of those races where the effort sidelined me for the remainder of the day and my energy level was way down, so I know I ran my guts out.

Also set a Max HR PR.  When I first started back running, I followed an online recommendation and ran steep hill sprints several times and recorded a max of 189.  For 2 years, I saw myself get close but never exceeded that value.  Well, checking my garmin data, I seem to have hit 193 in the middle of the race.  So I guess I broke 2 personal records today.

Adrenaline 8s (Blue) - 169.5 miles.

6.25 miles in 49:13, 7:52/mi, HR 142.

Effort very easy today.  I think the relay and the 5K conditioned my leg muscles to increase stride length comfortably at a reduced effort level, so my easy days have jumped in speed over the past couple of weeks.  Today, I also decided to run without my orthotics...hoping that I've benefitted from having them but that now I can maintain the proper form without them as artificial aids.  I'll only run without on easy days for now, but I could definitely feel a difference without the orthoes.  Feet felt more stable, more calf work, had to concentrate on preventing too much internal hip rotation, better leverage of foot at push-off.  Tomorrow's run will be crammed in around all-day travel back east.

Asics GT 2120 - 583.98 miles.

7.5 miles in 59:57, 7:59/mi, HR 143.  

Up at 3:30 am to get my run in before the long trek back east.  Way too early for me....the road was pretty dark and desolate at that hour of the morning.  So cool (43F) that when I ran my breath fogged the area right in front of my face making seeing even more challenging.  At least during the NWP there was roadkill now and again!  Managed to get a couple of naps on the planes today.

Adrenaline 8 - 395.1 miles.

12.28 miles in 1:40:00, 8:08/mi, HR 151.  30 min warmup, 3.62 mi, 8:17/mi, HR 136.  Fartlek: 20 x 1 min on, 1 min off.  30 min cooldown, 3.51 mi, 8:32/mi, HR 149.

Warm (77F) and very humid.  Kept very easy on warmup.  Averaged 5:52/mi pace on the repeats....mostly flat segments.  Repeats got hard by 8 or so and jog slowed to a crawl during off segments.  Cooldown segment also very slow and tough but towards the end finally started feeling better (recovered).

Adrenaline 8s (Blue) - 181.78 miles.

4 miles in 30:43, 7:40/mi, HR 148. 

Warmer but a tad less humid.  Legs felt a bit beat-up by the concrete sections of this mornings run....the roads in this area of VA are less forgiving than back home.  Still, felt better after a mile or so.  Looking forward to some better sleep.

Adrenaline 8s (Blue) - 185.78 miles.

9.5 miles in 1:14:06, 7:48/mi, HR 151.

78F & 85% humidity....ouch.  Set my alarm but forgot to turn it on.  Thankfully, my internal running alarm clock went off about 20 minutes later.  This was a slog but glad it's in the bank.

Adrenaline 8 - 404.6 miles.

10.40 miles in 1:22:44, 7:57/mi, HR 149.  25 min warmup, 2.97 miles, 8:24/mi, HR 134.  Hill Repeats:  8 x 90 second up, downhill recovery.  26:25 min cooldown, 3.27 mi, 8:05/mi, HR 155.

Repeat	Distance	Pace	HR (avg)	HR (max)
1	.26	5:49	157	172
2	.25	6:03	160	174
3	.25	6:02	162	175
4	.24	6:09	163	175
5	.25	6:06	164	176
6	.25	5:58	166	176
7	.25	6:02	166	177
8	.25	5:54	166	178

 Hill repeats.  At first, I was concerned that since my hill selection was limited to an overpass over the highway I'd not reap the benefits of these hill repeats but they were difficult enough.  Surprisingly, I had the energy to execute them pretty well.  Still warm (78F) and humid (80%+) this morning.

Adrenaline 8s (Blue) - 196.18 miles.

4 miles in 31:34, 7:53/mi, HR 146.

89F and humid. Tired legs so effort kept very easy. 

Adrenaline 8s (Blue) - 200.18 miles.

6.25 miles in 49:57, 7:59/mi, HR 137.

72F and humid.  Easy miles with a push the last quarter to sneak past the 8 minute guy.

Adrenaline 8 - 410.85 miles.

4 miles in 31:43, 7:55/mi, HR 145. 

85F and sunny.  Tired legs.

Adrenaline 8 - 414.85 miles.

90 min Progression run, 11.85 mi, 7:35/mi, HR 149.  0.4 mi cooldown, 3:25 min, 8:34/mi, HR 151.

Thirds:

1. 30 min, 3.51 mi, 8:32/mi, HR 129, easy and slow
   
2. 30 min, 3.88 mi, 7:43/mi, HR 147, moderately easy but pushing the pace some.
   
3. 30 min, 4.45 mi, 6:44/mi, HR 171, pushing the pace.

Able to keep the last third in the Steady State range but pretty hard to do so.  Glad to have a couple of easy days ahead.  Temps started at 65F but climbed to 75F by the end of the run with plenty of humidity. Followed up with a short cooldown jog back to the hotel.  Off to visit my brothers in DC.

Adrenaline 8s (Blue) - 212.43 miles.

6.25 miles in 47:56, 7:40/mi, HR 158.

Whoops.  Ran this one late in the day.  Really didn't feel much like running so I think I was just trying to get it done and over, so a bit fast and HR definitely a bit high for an easy day.  Even with the clouds, it was still 80F.

Adrenaline 8 - 421.10 miles.

7.5 miles in 59:56, 7:59/mi, HR 141.

Slow and easy this morning for most of this run.  Cooler (65F) but plenty of humidity.  Legs felt tired the whole way, but about 1 mile out decided to pick up the pace a bit to see if it felt better.  Faster was better so the last mile was at about a 6:30/mi pace.

Adrenaline 8s (Blue) - 219.93 miles.

4.25 miles in 33:22, 7:51/mi, HR 144.

Warmer this afternoon (85F).  Different route for a change of scenery with a 1/4 mile section on a road with no shoulder.  Otherwise, kept things slow.

Adrenaline 8s (Blue) - 224.18 miles.

13.25 miles in 1:43:38, 7:49/mi, HR 141.  

Early morning slog but at least the temps were pretty cool (62F) to start.  Realized mid-way through on my way to 11.5 miles that my schedule really called for a 90-105 minute run so extended to 13.25....neat way to trick myself into not having time to worry about the extra distance.

Adrenaline 8 - 434.35 miles.

4 miles in 32:31, 8:07/mi, HR 142.

Warmer (87F) and slower run.  Legs stiff and a bit sore....loosened up some after 1 mile but not completely.  Tomorrow is a light day.

Adrenaline 8 - 438.35 miles.

7.5 miles in 59:05, 7:52/mi, HR 142.

Much needed easy day today.  Took 2 miles to finally get loosened up and into the groove.  Beat the rain and heat (72F).  

Adrenaline 8s (Blue) - 231.68 miles.

11.33 miles in 1:29:15, 7:52/mi, HR 146.  25 min warmup, 2.85 miles, 8:45/mi, HR 130.  Hill Repeats:  10 x 90 second up, downhill recovery.  25 min cooldown, 3.06 mi, 8:10/mi, HR 146.

Repeat	Distance	Pace	HR (avg)	HR (max)
1	.26	5:50	151	168
2	.26	5:44	160	172
3	.26	5:42	161	174
4	.26	5:45	161	175
5	.26	5:45	162	177
6	.26	5:46	164	177
7	.26	5:44	162	176
8	.27	5:38	163	177
9	.26	5:45	166	178
10	.26	5:51	164	178

Hill repeats.  Cool (67F) this morning.  Tired, slow warmup.  Repeats went well although used the overpass hill again so the slope was still pretty lame (back to real hills next week).  Kept all the repeats under 6/mi pace and they all felt pretty good.  Only started getting really dead legs on the last couple.

Adrenaline 8 - 449.68 miles.

4.25 miles in 33:40, 7:55/mi, HR 147.

Hot (87F) & sunny.  Just survived.

Adrenaline 8 - 453.93 miles.

6.25 miles in 50:16, 8:02/mi, HR 142.

Flying back home today, so up at 3:15am to run.  Ouch.  Did manage to sleep for a while on one of the flights.  Hot back home....94F right now.  Crazy.  Hoping for some relief before the 20 miler tomorrow but doubting I'll get any.

Adrenaline 8s (Blue) - 237.93 miles.

18 miles in 2:28:00, 8:13/mi, HR 161.

Sunny and hot (78F).  Lots of excuses for only running 18 instead of 20 (2 weeks on east coast, internal time clock off, hot day, poor hydration from plane rides, first run over 14 miles since May) but only reason was that I could barely hack the 18.  Even required a couple of brief walk breaks.  My only solace is that I know I'll get better after I get some more under my belt but does 2 months without really make them this hard?  A 10 minute ice soak made the legs feel a bit better.

Also, time to get some new shoes....after closely inspecting one pair still short of 500 miles I saw plenty of midsole showing where outsole should be.  Another pair is close to 600 miles.  The pair of Asics DS Trainers I ordered at 12.5s are too small....boy are they sized way small.  If I can managed, I'll drag myself to the store today or tomorrow.  I ran today's run without the orthotics since they've been well abused the last couple of weeks.

Asics GT 2120 - 601.98 miles.

6.25 miles in 52:14, 8:21/mi, HR 144.

Clouds gave way to sun to turn warm to hot and humid (79F).  Mark this as a recovery day....felt like garbage after yesterday's long run and still feel like it today.  Headache, day 2, plus just all around blah.  Left calf started cramping badly in the middle of the night waking me from a sound sleep.  Woke up early at 6am and knew more sleep was impossible (sore back).  Guess I really need to keep it easy again tomorrow to get out of this funk.

Adrenaline 8 - 460.18 miles.

7.5 miles in 55:30, 7:24/mi, HR 155.

Feeling much better today.  Big weather shift brought clouds, rain, thunderstorms and cooler temps (60F).  I'll take it over the hot and sunny days for running.  Still a bit humid.  Body just felt like pushing the pace a bit, so even though I might pay for it tomorrow, I let myself go.  Figured I'd be worn out by the top of the hill but still felt good so the return was pretty quick too....right around MP but on a downhill so the average pace was about right....35 seconds or so off MP.  I really need to get better at just recognizing bad days (like Saturday) for what they are...aberrations.  Got some new shoes yesterday too (a pair of trainers - Asics 2130s and my very first pair of racing shoes - Brooks ST3 Racers).  My feet and knees thanked me today.

Asics 2130 Blue - 7.5 miles.

4 miles in 32:45, 8:11/mi, HR 139.

Took it nice and easy in the mist and light rain.  62F.

Asics 2130 Blue - 11.5 miles.

12.5 miles in 1:40:24, 8:02/mi, HR 158.  30 min warmup, 3.5 mi, 8:33/mi, HR 144.  Fartleks: 20 x 1 min on, 1 min off.  30:24 cooldown, 4.05 mi, 7:30/mi, HR 157.

Hard repeats today.  After crunching the numbers, I think I probably pushed them a bit hard....average pace was 5:28/mi over rolling terrain that wound up gaining some elevation overall.  No wonder it felt like a puke run.  Wound up walking a majority of the resting periods, which should've told me something but by that point I was only focused on getting ready for the next repeat, not thinking about why it was so tough. 

Adrenaline 8s (Blue) - 250.43 miles.

4 miles in 34:25, 8:36/mi, HR 141.

Recovery run....left adductor sore and stiff for first couple of miles..even after things got looser still a labor just to jog.

Adrenaline 8s (Blue) - 254.43 miles.

7.5 miles in 59:37, 7:57/mi, HR 144.

Cool and rainy (60F).  A bit of stiffness to start but warmed into the run and felt nice and easy the whole way.  

Adrenaline 8 - 467.68 miles.

12.76 miles in 1:40:29, 7:52/mi, HR 148.  29:03 warmup, 3.4 miles, 8:45/mi, HR 141.  Hill Repeats:  12 x 90 second up, downhill recovery.  26:02 min cooldown, 3.37 mi, 7:44/mi, HR 142.

Repeat	Distance	Pace	HR (avg)	HR (max)
1	.25	6:04	158	175
2	.25	5:54	165	176
3	.25	5:59	164	176
4	.25	6:05	162	176
5	.24	6:22	162	176
6*	.24	6:11	157	175
7*	.24	6:18	156	171
8	.23	6:14	164	177
9	.23	6:23	163	176
10	.23	6:29	161	177
11	.24	6:15	162	177
12	.23	6:23	160	177

Hill repeats.  Cool (59F) and overcast today.  Longer warmup and cooldown than scheduled because the hill I wanted to use is a bit farther away than I can get to in 25 minutes at an easy pace.  Today's hill is more substantial than the hill used the last two weeks.....we Washingtonians know the meaning of the word "hill".  Also brought some water along with me which I was glad for halfway thru.

Interruped on #5 & 6 cooldowns by some folks seeking directions and then wanting to talk.  Unfortunately, I'm way too polite to just blow them off and since they're my elders, I have trouble bowing out gracefully quickly.  So #6 and #7 were on fresher legs, so I tried to hammer a bit harder to make up for that.  The hill took it out of my legs early and they felt like anchors before long....#9 and #10 were especially hard.  Felt like I recouped a bit for the last 2.  All in all, a good hard effort.  When I got home, I found my lightweight trainers had arrived!

Asics 2130 Blue - 24.26 miles.

4 miles in 30:34, 7:38/mi, HR 148. 

Felt pretty good considering the tough workout a few hours earlier.  Stretched out the stride while trying to keep the effort easy and it seemed to work tonight.  Right calf muscle cramp while doing some core work afterwards; caught it quickly and massaged it out.

Asics 2130 Blue - 28.26 miles.

6.5 miles in 48:43, 7:29/mi, HR 150.

Cool in the clouds, warm in the sun (67F).  Legs felt dead but focused on form....today was taking full strides and not shuffling/half-stepping.  Results reflected in pace with a decent HR, so I need to do this more often.

Adrenaline 8s (Blue) - 260.93 miles.

22 miles in 3:01:42, 8:15/mi, HR 152.

Inspired by Ian's recent destination runs, decided on a long exploration run up Scott Turner into the State Forest lands farther than I've been before. Loaded up with two hand-held gatorade bottles in case the predicted warm temps arrived early (departing temp was 50F), I headed out.  Outbound was a climb from 1250' to a max of 3000' at around the 9 mile mark, followed by an 750' descent to the turnaround, then back again. Great scenery and some wonderful views of Mt. Rainier out in the middle of the foothills.  Plenty of hills; many steep enough to require a quick walk break that I didn't feel bad about taking. Started getting really tired at about the 17.5 mile point but managed to keep the pace decent on the last stretch. Temps in the shade climbted to 69F at the finish and the sunny parts were definitely warmer than that, so the tiring was probably somewhat weather related. I feel much better my long run fitness after this workout and believe I can chalk last week's less-than-stellar run to just a bad run.  Despite the fact that my overall pace for the run was over 8 min miles, I feel like the effort was probably worth somewhere in the 7:30-7:45 range, given the hills.

Adrenaline 8 - 489.68 miles.

2 hr nap in the afternoon.....wiped from the run.

6.5 miles in 48:54, 7:31/mi, HR 146.

Restless night sleep, marred by several trips to the bathroom.  Whatever I ate or did that didn't agree with me last night had me up at all hours and feeling pretty dehydrated by the AM.  Yesterday's 2 hr nap made it tough to fall asleep....plus, watching the Olympic Men's Marathon had me all pumped up.  Once I got out running today, felt much better.  Again, made sure I was taking full strides, not half steps, and my pace is still about 30 sec/min faster at roughly the same effort.  Got to try out my new lightweight trainers today.....I like them.  Warm and humid (67F) in advance of the rain coming later today, so off to mow the grass quickly.

NB 903 - 6.5 miles.

8 miles in 58:53, 7:21/mi, HR 154.

Overcast and cool (61F); great running weather.  Left calf a bit sore to start (probably from the new lightweight trainers I wore yesterday....feels like when I wore the Vibram Five Fingers, only not nearly as sore).  Now that I've begun stretching out my stride regularly, its difficult to rein my pace in and so it was today.  It did get a bit tougher towards the end of the run so I think I was also pushing the effort a bit too, but satisfied with the result.  Starting to get excited about upcoming races....half-marathon is next Monday, another 12 days later, and marathon in 2 months come tomorrow.  Yea!

Asics 2130 Blue - 36.26 miles.

4 miles in 29:56, 7:59/mi, HR 148.

Post-dinner miles.

Asics 2130 Blue - 40.26 miles.

13.5 miles in 1:41:25, 7:31/mi, HR 154.  

Legs tired to start; calves tight.  Got out earlier than normal because the power went out and couldn't work...nice and cool (58F).  Long 1000'+ climb outbound, downhill return.  Last couple of uphill miles were the steepest and the most tiring but were nice on the way back.  Effort increased the last few miles to stay on pace but got it done.

Adrenaline 8s (Blue) - 274.43 miles.

4 miles in 31:00, 7:45/mi, HR 147.

Legs so tired...really wanted to bail on this run but still no power so what else to do?  Still nice and cool (62F).  Legs screaming during the core workout afterwards.  Must reward with easy day tomorrow.

Adrenaline 8s (Blue) - 278.43 miles.

8 miles in 1:01:22, 7:40/mi, HR 144.

Cooler temps (59F) with some misty rain today...more great running weather.  Legs not quite as tired but body felt pretty uncoordinated so kept it easy before tomorrow's hill repeats.  Feels like I'm pretty close to my upper training limit right now; plenty of little signs so I need to be careful.

Adrenaline 8 - 497.68 miles.

11.85 miles in 1:32:01, 7:45/mi, HR 155.  27:44 warmup, 3.41 miles, 8:08/mi, HR 149.  Hill Repeats:  10 x 90 second up, downhill recovery.  25:00 min cooldown, 3.39 mi, 7:21/mi, HR 154.

Repeat	Distance	Pace	HR (avg)	HR (max)
1	.25	5:56	158	176
2	.25	6:04	164	178
3	.25	5:57	165	179
4	.24	6:16	165	179
5	.24	6:15	165	178
6	.24	6:22	165	178
7	.24	6:14	165	178
8	.24	6:19	164	177
9	.23	6:27	163	176
10	.24	6:20	163	177

Hill repeats.  Cool (63F), misty and overcast today.  Same hill as last week; no interruptions this time.  6:13/mi average for repeats so about the same as last week.  Road surface got a bit slick on the last half.  Repeats really got tough at halfway, by #6 I started getting into 1-1 breathing towards the end of each, and by #8 my legs were tying up badly for the last 15-20 seconds....it definitely hurt.  Wore my new lightweight trainers.....thinking of racing in them on Monday so I wanted to see how well they worked in a hard workout.

NB 903 - 18.35 miles.

4 miles in 32:42, 8:10/mi, HR 144.

Warmer (66F) and humid.  Barely caught the 9 min guy on the first mile...legs shot.  Even warmed up, this run was tough to do.

Adrenaline 8s (Blue) - 282.43 miles.

6.5 miles in 48:08, 7:24/mi, HR 152.

Tired legs, an improvement over dead legs I guess.  Warmer (72F) and very humid.

Asics 2130 Blue - 46.76 miles.

6.5 miles in 48:49, 7:30/mi, HR 151.

Legs still pretty tired.  Hope the reduced mileage today and tomorrow helps them come around.

Adrenaline 8 - 504.18 miles.

5.5 miles in 41:48, 7:36/mi, HR 147.

Legs felt better today but not quite 100%.  Right achilles acted up a bit....probably nothing.

Adrenaline 8s (Blue) - 287.93 miles.