M'kay

LM warmup (10 reps), 12 miles in 1:32:11, 7:37/mi, HR 164, w/ 2 mile warmup, 2 x Drills, 6 x Strides, 8 miles (un-)Steady State (7:18, 7:46, 7:57, 8:02, 8:03 uphill, 7:11, 6:33, 6:37 downhill), 2 mile cooldown & stretching.

Partly cloudy & wet (60s).  Yesterday was a wash....fence guys showed up again to sink the gate posts in concrete.  Plus, it rained all day yesterday so my enthusiasm for running was.....low.  Figured I'd count yesterday as a rest day and move up my next hard workout from Thursday to today, which meant 12 miles with the middle 8 at ~ marathon effort.  Warmup was okay, but I felt a bit discombobulated.  Felt like my leg muscles were firing at the wrong times, tensing when they should've been relaxing, tightening up, etc.  Made it through the drills after a quick potty break but I noticed the strides weren't all that quick and took more effort than monday.  A quarter mile into the Steady State and I knew it was an off day, but I pushed ahead.  An ugly 8 miles later after a couple of short "regain composure" pauses, one semi-brief chat with a neighbor about some strange hunters parked along the road, and one additional potty break, I started the 2-mile cooldown-and-limp-back-home portion of the run.  Completely unspectacular.  Just not there today and not sure why.  I felt dehydrated quickly during the run, but have been hydrating well the past few days.  I was a bit hungry before I took off, but didn't want to eat for fear of the GI monster, so perhaps that was a contributing factor.  In any event, I'll book this workout again for next week and hope it goes smoother next time.

LM warmup (10 reps), 6.09 miles in 49:07, 8:03/mi, HR 156.  

Sunny & warm (73F).  Legs tired today.  Okay through a couple of miles but then all the energy ran out of them.  Managed 6 but that was it. 

LM warmup (10 reps), 6.17 miles in 48:54, 7:55/mi, HR 160 w/ 10 x 12 sec Hill Sprints, & stretching.

Took the last 2 days off because I was feeling completely drained again.  So today felt like starting over again.  Vicious cycle. 

LM warmup (10 reps), 7.03 miles in 57:17, 8:08/mi, HR 163, w/ 2 mile warmup, 2 x Drills, 6 x Strides, 10 x 1/1 min Fartleks, 2.5+ mi cooldown & stretching.

Cloudy and cool (60s).  Legs a bit tired & sore already from yesterday.  Decided perhaps I'm over-reaching trying to jump back into workouts that are too hard and leaving me too drained, so scaled back today's to run an old standby....1 min repeats.  Fast but short, these normally go pretty well.  Today I was pretty cooked by halfway so running 10 was more than enough.  The cooldown back was a bit of a slog.

Shoulders have really been bugging me lately.  They get tired shortly into the start of the run and are distracting.  Lower back has also been problematic lately....going back to the core work I was doing before I switched to a new program in the hopes that it'll cure what ails me. 

LM warmup (10 reps), 10.05 miles in 1:17:58, 7:45/mi, HR 158, & stretching.

Light rain and cool (58F).  Quads a bit sore today.  First few miles were pretty slow and legs were tired but not as bad as they've been recently.  Warmed up a few miles in and decided to extend 8 miles to 9 and then 10.  Pushed the pace a bit on the downhills to catch the 8 min/mi pace and then decided to really push the last half-mile or so.....we'll call it a MP mile.  If all goes well, tomorrow will be a nice short easy day with short hill sprints.

LM warmup (10 reps), 6.1 miles in 48:27, 7:56/mi, HR 152, 10 x 12 sec Hill Sprints, & stretching.

Cloudy and cool (56F).  Legs tired but runnable.  First couple of hill sprints uninspired, but loosened up and got better.  All in all, okay for an easy day.

I'm beginning to think something really was going on over the past month or so.  Legs were tired today, but normal tired.  Comparatively, had some days where the felt....drained?  Not sure what the right word is to describe it, but different.  Closest comparison is probably bonking in a marathon hard, so perhaps I wasn't getting enough carbs into the muscles?  Dunno.  Refocusing on the basics, dialing the expectations back a bit, and taking it one day at a time seems to be helping.

LM warmup (10 reps), 12 miles in 1:27:30, 7:15/mi, HR 165, w/ 2 mile warmup, 2 x Drills, 6 x Strides, 8 miles Steady State (7:16, 7:22, 7:36, 7:48 uphill, 7:21 flat/uphill, 6:38 downhill/flat, 6:22, 6:14 downhill), 2+ mile cooldown, & stretching.

Cloudy, cool (56F) & some light rain.  1st warmup mile felt like none of my joints were really working...everything tight.  Got a bit better, drills not so bad, strides mediocre, but the Steady State went really really well.  I'd planned on only 6 steady state but when I hit the turnaround I decided to push on for 8 steady state miles, the same workout that went so horribly wrong last week.  It wasn't easy but I felt pretty good the whole time and didn't really start fatiguing until the last mile or so.  Even the last 2 cooldown miles were moderately quick.  Good run.

LM warmup (10 reps), 6.12 miles in 48:22, 7:54/mi, HR 154, & stretching.

Cloudy and cool (57F).  Nice and easy.  Loosened up after 3 or so. 

LM warmup (10 reps), 6.2 miles in 46:25, 7:28/mi, HR 155, & stretching.

Sunny and pleasant (mid-60s).  Late afternoon run, legs wanted to go.  

5 miles in 42:26,  8:29/mi, HR 167.

Low-key 5 mile trail race in Ashford, WA at the Rainier Mountain Festival.  Starts at the base camp area, up a short gravel road segment and onto soft single and double-track trails for 4 450' elevation gain laps, then back to the start.  Only 30-40 runners participating, a shame since the cost was only $15 ($10 if registered before day-of-race) and includes a $12 t-shirt.  The uphills were pretty steep and the downhills a series of switch-backs.  Dropped back to about 5th place at the start, climbed into 3rd place by the middle of the first uphill segment and stayed there through the first two laps.  Ran the entire first lap, and took short power-hike breaks on the next 3 on the steepest of the uphills to conserve strength.  The first place guy gapped us pretty good on the first lap, but I managed to stay within about 10-15 seconds of the 2nd place guy until lap three, where I finally closed and passed him on the uphill segment.  My strength was on the uphills, his the downhills, so I was pushing hard on the next downhill segment so I didn't get caught, which was tricky with the switchbacks.  Guess I haven't yet figured out how to cruise through switchbacks without either nearly completely stopping to make the turn or nearly missing the turn and careening over the side.  On the fourth uphill, I was pushing to put him away and gapped him by about 20 seconds or so, and actually nearly caught the 1st place guy without knowing it.  Guess I should've paid more attention, because I saw a fit-looking guy about 10 seconds ahead of me and I was gaining on him, but I didn't chase after him because I thought it was someone on an earlier loop than I.  Oops.  Pushed the last downhill segment (nearly missing a couple of turns) to stay ahead of #3 but still lost sight of #1 quickly.  Pushed into the finish for second overall.  Believe the #1 guy was only about 12 seconds ahead, but then again he was only 24, and I believe a guide for one of the climbing services, so I don't feel too badly.  The 3rd place guy was 50-something, so thank goodness I managed to put him away.  Garmin recorded the route at 4.14 miles, but with the switchbacks, tree canopy and climbs/descents, I'm go on faith that it was close to 5 miles.

Waited around for the awards and was rewarded with some nice Black Diamond Trekking poles.  Not sure when/if I'll ever use them, but they're $90 poles, which is a pretty sweet prize for a $15 race.   Next up is the Northwest Trek Run Wild next weekend.

LM warmup (10 reps), 6.07 miles in 49:13, 8:06/mi, HR 154, w/ 10 x 12 sec Hill Sprints & stretching.

Sunny and warm (68F).  Some soreness on the outside of both hips from Sunday's race.  Into the 2 mile warmup I'd planned, I realized a hard workout today wasn't a good idea, so I decided 6 miles with some steep hill sprints was probably smarter.  Left hip and hamstring almost derailed the hill sprints but I managed to hold off the spasms and got through everything unscathed.  Hopefully tomorrow will be a bit cooler and everything will feel better. 

LM warmup (10 reps), 8.66 miles in 1:08:51, 7:57/mi, HR 158, w/ 2 mile warmup, 2 x Drills, 6 x Strides, Ladder 1,2,3,2,1,2,3 minutes with equal rest (5:52/mi uphill, 5:46/mi rolling, 6:13/mi uphill, 6:06/mi uphill, 5:34/mi flat, 6:04/mi uphill, 7:08/mi steep uphill), 3.3 mile cooldown, PU/SU/Leg ladder (6/6/3) & stretching.

Cloudy & rain showers (mid 60s).   Hamstrings tights and left hip/groin pain returned.  Struggled to get loose during warmup.  Drills were 'meh.  The start of the rains didn't help.  The pain of the repeats helped tune out the rain.  Shorter intervals were good but as always, felt like a prolonged death during the longer ones.  The last 3 minute repeat was particularly nasty as it went up a steeper part of the road when I was already on my last legs.  All this hard uphill running better be good for my soul or something.  

LM warmup (10 reps), 6.11 miles in 48:47, 7:59/mi, HR 150 & stretching.

Overcast (62F).  Felt like I was carrying a big rock in my stomach today.  Leg muscles were firing at random.  Glad to be done. 

LM warmup (10 reps), 6.06 miles in 48:11, 7:57/mi, HR 154, & stretching.

Cloudy & humid (63F).  Another felt-like-I-need-to-puke run.  Tomorrow might not be too fun.

4th time running my favorite local hometown race.  Unfortunately, the first time without a PR, unless you count running the exact same time as last year.  Yup, to the second.

Another overcast and wet but warm year in the mid 60s.  Was well drenched after my 2 mile warmup, not because of rain but because I was sweating like I was in a sauna.  As has been the norm the past week, felt like crap too, like I mistakenly left a rock in my stomach.  

Settled into 7th at the start, but hard to tell with the simultaneous 5K/8K start.  At least the put the 5K walkers on a different course (and started them 5 minutes earlier) this year, so less bobbing and weaving in miles 3 and 4 ahead this year.  One runner peeled off at the 5K split and I set my sights on the 5th place guy.  Recognized him from other races and knew he was a fast starter that I *should* eventually catch, and finally did at about the 2 mile mark IIRC.  He and another guy stayed on my heels for a couple of miles, so I had some fear in me about getting passed, which helped spur me on because my body wasn't helping much.  Legs getting tired, breathing getting away from me, a side stitch developed, and that wonderful rock-in-stomach feeling....waaaaa.  Pushed as much as I could on the gently downhill 4th mile, knowing that the last mile was narrow, chock full of twists and turns, and likely crowded with 5K runners, making keeping speed up difficult.  As expected.  Pushed the last quarter-mile and quite gladly finished.

Placing was better this year but I'd chalk that up to reduced competition.  Once again, came up empty in the raffle drawing.  All in all, a bleah race, but they can't all be PRs, I suppose. 

LM warmup (10 reps), 8.14 miles in 1:03:23, 7:47/mi, HR 152, w/ 10 x 12 sec Hill Sprints & stretching.

Rainy (62F).  Decent run and sprints. 

LM warmup (10 reps), 6.1 miles in 46:43, 7:39/mi, HR 167, & stretching.

First run back after 5 days of traveling, vacationing and visiting, mostly traveling.  Felt surprisingly good considering, but I'm sure tomorrow will be a different story. 

LM warmup (10 reps), 4.03 miles in 32:20, 8:01/mi, HR 157, & stretching.  

Worn out from the 6 mile run yesterday.  That about says it all.  Tomorrow is another travel day.  Ugh.

LM warmup (10 reps), 7 miles in 55:49, 7:58/mi, w/ 2 mile warmup, 2 x Strides, 6 x Drills, 10 x 1 min On, 1 min Off, 2+ mile cooldown & stretching.

Warm & humid.  Repeats were hard today.  Saw HRs near my max on the later repeats.  Badly out of shape.  Pushed the last mile+ of the cooldown to catch the 8-minute guy.

LM warmup (10 reps), 7.5 treadmill miles in 59:36, 7:57/mi, 1 percent incline & stretching.

The downpour in VA forced me onto the treadmill.  Sweaty slog, but I lasted 1.5 miles more than I'd planned.  Left hip is sore, so tomorrow will either be reduced or off. 

LM warmup (10 reps), 6 treadmill miles in 47:26, 7:54/mi, 1 degree incline, & stretching.

Major rain & local flooding steered me indoors again today.  The worst part was having to run indoors.