M'kay

LM warmup, 6 miles in 46:00, 7:40, HR 150.  1.5 mile walk w/ dogs.  Stretching.

Cool (42F).  Feeling better today, but the legs are still tired and quickly wore out.  

LM warmup, 6 miles in 43:52, 7:18/mi, HR 160. 1.5 mile cooldown walk w/ dogs.  Stretching.

Sunny and cold (37F).  Energy has returned.  So has the cold weather and the mucus that drains from my head because of it.  Makes things seem harder than they probably are.

LM warmup, 8 miles in 59:34, 7:26/mi, HR 154, 1.5 mile cooldown walk w/ dogs, stretching.

Cold (48F) and partly sunny.  Easy miles....legs feeling better & not as much snot today.

LM warmup, 8 miles in 58:51, 7:21/mi, HR 157, w/ 8 x 12 sec Hill Sprints, 1 mile cooldown walk w/ dogs, PU/Crunch ladder & stretching.

Cold and clear (33F).  Back into hill sprints on a hill closer to home.  Steeper but on an unused dirt/gravel logging road, so footing wasn't the best.  Liking the fact that it's nearer to the end of the run, but I'm not supposed to be on that land, so dunno if I'll use it regularly.

LM warmup, 14.5 miles in 1:45:50, 7:17/mi, HR 155, w/ last 3 miles moderate.  2 mile cooldown walk w/ dogs.

Cold (32F).  Up and back into state forest land.  Last 3 moderate miles were on a hill trail route near the house....extra 0.5 for the day since its been a while since I've run the trail route and wound up with extra.  Now onto the fun part of the day......chainsaw maintenance and wood-cutting 101.

LM warmup, 8 miles in 1:00:25, 7:33/mi, HR 144, w/ 8 x 12 sec Hill Sprints at mile 3 hill, 1.5 mile walk w/ dogs, & stretching.

23F in the heat of the day.  Temps like this are one of the reasons I don't live east of the cascades.  Despite the big freeze, managed a decent run and wasn't too cold, at least not until the dog walk.  Dare I say it?  Bring back the rains!

LM warmup (10 reps), 9 miles in 1:04:58, 7:13/mi, HR 155, w/ 8 x 2 min @ 10K.  2 sets of Strides/Drills.  Stretching.

Still cold (25F), but warmer than at 6am (8.5F).  Probably ran the repeats faster than 10K effort, maybe between 5K and 10K.  Felt pretty decent throughout, but definitely tired by the cooldown miles.

LM warmup (10 reps), 12 miles in 1:26:50, 7:14/mi, HR 157, with last 6 miles moderate effort (~ MP) in 6:39/mi average (4 mi downhill & 2 mi rolling).  1 mile cooldown walk w/ dogs & stretching.

26F.  Tired today, so the easy miles were truly easy effort for once....wasn't sure if I had 6 moderate miles in me.  Legs pretty fried by the end but looking over the stats, a good run.

LM warmup (10 reps), 8 miles in 1:00:05, 8:00/mi, HR 146, w/ 8 x 12 sec Hill Sprints at mile 3 hill, 1.5 mile cooldown walk w/ dogs, & stretching.

Still cold (26F).  Didn't feel quite as worn out as expected.

LM warmup (10 reps), 9 miles in 1:05:03, 7:13/mi, HR 157, with middle 3 miles Hard in 6:46 (up), 6:34 (up & down), and 6:07.  2 x Strides & Drills during warmup.  1 mile walk w/ dogs, PU/Crunch ladder (5x) & stretching.

Downright balmy 32F today!   Was feeling the mileage today and had some phantom pains before the run, but one the hard part started, it was okay.  Arms/shoulders were very tired by the end....must do by push-ups more regularly *and* remember to relax when running fast.

LM warmup (10 reps), 6.5 miles in 49:15, 7:34/mi, HR 144, 2 mile walk w/ dogs & stretching.

Easy restful miles today. 

LM warmup (10 reps), 16 miles in 1:57:10, 7:19/mi, HR 152 with last 3.5 miles Hard in 3:09 (0.5 down), 6:22 (down), 6:17 (down), 6:52 (up), 6:29/mi avg.  1.5 mile walk w/ dogs & log splitting.

Some flurries (32F).  Run up into the state forest, downhill return, final mile back uphill.  Felt pretty good...legs didn't get really tired until the last couple of miles.  A couple months ago a run this long would've been exhausting.

LM warmup (10 reps), 8 miles in 1:00:32, 7:34/mi, HR 145, w/ 10 x 12 Hill Sprints at mile 3.5 hill.  1.5 mile walk w/ dogs, PU/Crunch Ladder (5), and stretching.

Warmer (~40F).  Some slushy and slick spots on the road, so the normal hill sprint location was unusable today.   The stand-in location is a bit less steep and further away from the end of the run, but worked out just fine.  Actually felt pretty strong during the sprints, although I could feel all 16 miles in the rest of the run.

LM warmup (10 reps), 9 miles in 1:05:22, 7:15/mi, HR 157, w/ 2 sets of Strides/Drills and 4 x 5 min Fartleks @ 10K effort, PU/Crunch Ladder (5), & stretching.

Warmer (42F), breezy, and some light rain.  Really didn't feel like getting out there today, so it wasn't until late afternoon when I finally got going.  In a sour mood from a work-related programming issue.  On top of that, was just feeling a bit worn out and tired.  Once I got going into the Fartleks, they went really well though.  Hope the same goes for tomorrow's 12 miler.

Oh, and my left achilles was bugging me most of the day, but seemed fine during the run itself.  One of those phantom pains that start cropping up when increasing mileage, I suppose.

LM warmup (10 reps), 12 miles in 1:25:30, 7:07/mi, HR 154, w/ 6 miles Moderate in 6:48 (flat), 6:45 (flat), 6:20 (down), 6:25 (down), 6:19 (down), 6:20 (down), 6:29.5/mi average.  1 mile walk w/ dogs & stretching.

Rainy (47F).  Unlike some lucky bloggers, I managed to time my run to align perfectly with the rain and winds.  Then, I managed to miss the brief pause in the rain after my run, and hit the next rain shower while walking the dogs.  So I was frozen and fairly numb at the conclusion of festivities.  The run itself was fine, aside from an emergency pit stop at mile 10.75.  Good thing I was prepared for that eventuality.

LM warmup (10 reps), 8 miles in 59:51, 7:28/mi, HR 148, w/ 10 x 12 sec Hill Sprints, 1 mile walk w/ dogs & stretching.

Tired today.  Legs feel like lead tired.  Hill Sprints feel like I'm heaving myself up the hill tired.  Don't want to keep running at 6 miles tired.  Muscles not very flexible during stretching after the run tired.  Hope tomorrow feels better.

LM warmup (10 reps), 8.79 miles in 1:00:43, 6:54/mi, HR 158, w/ 2 mile warmup, 2 x 15 min Tempo Intervals @ HM pace with 1 min rest in 6:23/mi, 6:20/mi average, 2 mile cooldown.  1 mile walk w/ dogs, PU/Crunch ladder (5) & stretching.

Feeling better (more rested) today.  Some sun and warmer temps helped (52F), although it didn't last long.  Still dragging a bit during the warmup, but the intervals went pretty well.  Probably a bit harder than HM effort, but not too much, and I'm hoping that when the marathon rolls around, my HM pace is in the 6:15-6:20/mi range.  Optimism at its finest.

Feeling good that I survived the week.  Close to 17.5 of the ~ 68 miles I'll have after tomorrow were quality work at marathon or better pace, and the easy miles weren't necessarily complete recovery miles, so the workload is getting up there but I'm surviving.

Decided to take an off day.  Been pushing pretty hard lately and was fairly tired this week, so I managed to talk myself into it quite easily.

LM warmup (10 reps), 18 miles in 2:14:57, 7:29/mi, HR 160, w/ 12 x 30 sec Fartleks @ 3-10K pace, 2 mile walk w/ dogs, PU/Crunches ladder (5 steps) & stretching.

Drizzly but warm (52F).  Out and back up into the Elbe hills, for 1700' elevation gain in the first half.  First time I managed to "run" up the worst hill without stopping, a monster that gains about 400' in 1/2 mile according to garmin but that feels much worse.  Definitely too steep to run down without putting on the brakes most of the time, so my legs were pretty trashed after that descent, with another 7+ miles to go, much of it downhills to push.  Interestingly, when I ran the fartleks, I felt really good, even towards the end....clearly different muscle fibers activating, as the sore, whinny, tired, stressed ones I'd been using for most of the run got to take a break while the rested, energetic, strong fibers along for the ride got their chance to shine. 

The post-run walk was tough but helped loosen the legs up some and should help stave off some soreness.  Plus, the dogs needed the exercise.

LM warmup (10 reps), 8 miles in 1:01:02, 7:37/mi, HR 147, w/ 12 x 12 sec Hill Sprints, 1.5 mile walk w/ dogs, & stretching.

Cool (40F).  Today was rough going.  Body tired from yesterday's effort and legs were pretty non-responsive.  After 4 pitiful hill sprints, legs finally responded for the remaining 8, but quickly shut down again for the remainder of the easy run.  Even the walk with the dogs was slow.

LM warmup (10 reps), 9.29 miles in 1:06:08, 7:07/mi, HR 153, with 2 miles warmup, 2 x Strides/Drills, 4 x 6 minutes @ 10K pace with 3 minute rest in 6:11 (up), 6:16 (up), 5:40 (down), 5:45 (down), 5:58/mi average, 2 miles cooldown.  1 mile walk w/ dogs, PU/Crunch ladder (5 steps), & stretching.

Cold with some slush on the roads (37F).  Tired on warmup, some stomach unease before beginning, but it went away.  Some poor traction in repeat 1 and 4 but probably didn't lose more than a second or two.  Managed a great average pace for the repeats, so very pleased with the workout.  

LM warmup (10 reps), 15 miles in 1:49:26, 7:17/mi, HR 153, 1.5 mile walk w/ dogs, & stretching.

Missing:  Well used/abused motivation.  One owner.  Noticed missing this morning, but it's been absent more frequently lately.  Needs help being reunited with owner.

Legs finally started loosening up around mile 4 but motivation never appeared.   Still, can't complain about the effort or the pace.  Just wish it wasn't such a chore.

LM warmup (10 reps), 8 miles in 59:06, 7:23/mi, HR 148, w/ 12 x 12 sec Hill Sprints, 1 mile walk w/ dogs, & stretching.

Felt better today.  Run uneventful.  Hill sprint hill was slick in spots, so I stuck to the sides (alternating).  First 2 repeats tough going, but 3-10 were fabulous.....rare occasion where the legs felt explosive.  Pretty tired by the last 2, so they were merely good.  New shoes.

LM warmup (10 reps), 2 miles in 15:09, 7:33/mi, HR 137.

Just wasn't feeling it today, being Xmas and all.  Punted on the hard workout and just managed the warmup miles before packing it in.  Maybe tomorrow.

LM warmup (10 reps), 8 miles in 57:59, 7:14/mi, HR 160 w/ 12 Fartleks.  2 mile walk w/ dogs, PU/Crunches ladder (5 steps), & stretching.

Since yesterday was unscheduled easy, I mixed some fartleks into today's otherwise easy run.  Felt good to do some fast running and I don't think it was too much to harm tomorrow's longer run.  The holidays are really throwing me off kilter.

LM warmup (10 reps), 16.53 miles in 2 hours with 1 hour easy, 15 x 1 min MP/1 min easy, 30 minutes easy.  1 mile walk w/ dogs, PU/Crunches ladder (5 steps) & stretching.

Feeling pretty good after last evening's barn party (late evening).  Uneventful easy hour, 1 min MP/1 min easy repeats were good with MP sections feeling mostly easy.  Started tiring a bit on the last 30 minutes but not too bad considering. 

LM warmup (10 reps), 8 miles in 58:38, 7:19/mi, HR 152, w/ 12 x 12 sec Hill Sprints, 2 mile walk w/ dogs, PU/Crunch ladder (6 steps), & stretching.

Legs a bit sore in spots, but decent run, good hill sprints.  Now I must wrap my mind around the fact that I think I should be able to run a 5:50/mi pace for the 5K this Friday.  My mind is equating the 6:00/mi pace as hard no matter what, but the way things have been going, that's a bunch of hooey.  Do I really believe that?  We'll see...

LM warmup (10 reps), 10 miles in 1:07:25, 7:08/mi, HR 151, w/ 12 x 30 sec @ 10-1K pace, 1.5 mile walk w/ dogs, PU/Crunches ladder (6 steps), & stretching.

Fast fartleks felt good.  When I decided to turn on the current pace on Garmin, found I was running them way too fast.  Good.  5K pace should feel easier to manage on Friday then.

LM warmup (10 reps), 10 miles in 1:15:01, 7:30/mi, HR 154.

Felt a bit off when I got up.  Dianna returned home last evening from Pullman and brought a 24-hour stomach bug with her.  Instead of being smart, I decided to see if I was just tired or really sick.  When the last 4 miles felt harder than bonking in a marathon, I discovered which it was.  Oops.