M'kay

LM warmup, 8.07 miles in 1:03:54, 7:55/mi, HR 141, w/ 12 x 12 sec Hill Sprints & stretching.

Tired and slow today.  Left hip hurt the first 6 miles before finally loosening up.  First 3 miles very slow.  Decent hill sprints. 

LM warmup, 9.41 miles in 1:11:58, 7:39/mi, HR 153, w/ 2 mile warmup, 6 x Strides, 2 x Drills, 8 x 3 min on/2 min off Fartleks (6 uphill, 2 downhill), 2+ mile cooldown, core workout & stretching.

Rainy and gusty winds.  Mental challenge to get out and do this workout.  The actual execution went well, aside from getting stood up by the wind a few times.  Plus, sleep wasn't great last night, so I'll take it.  I'll also take some better weather if anyone has any to spare.

LM warmup, 12.08 miles in 1:29:27, 7:24/mi, HR 155, w/ last 4 miles Moderate, & stretching.

Cool but fairly dry.  Run felt really good today.  Hit the turnaround in 50:44 and pushed the last four miles (6:23, 6:18, 6:21, 6:14).  About 30 seconds faster than 2 weeks ago, while keeping the effort much easier on the outbound portion. 

LM warmup, 7.28 miles in 57:08, 7:51/mi, HR 145 & stretching.

New snow on the ground today, but roads were pretty clear.  Legs were very tired today....so I would up cutting the hill sprints and the last 3/4 mile from the run.   

LM warmup, 12 miles in 1:28:53, 7:21/mi, HR 157, w/ 2 mile warmup, 6 x Strides, 2 x Drills, 8 miles Steady State (4 uphill, 2 rolling, 3 downhill), 2+ mile cooldown, core workout & stretching.

More snow overnight and temps dropped into 20s.  Frigid run (at least for this neck of the woods).  Mixed bag for running surface....some bare and wet, some slush, and some compact snow and ice.  Switched to trail shoes (bigger lugs) after warmup to improve traction and pace was pretty decent even in the slick spots, but it did impact the pace (but not the effort).  The jump from 6 to 8 steady state miles is tiring.

LM warmup, 7.15 miles in 56:29, 7:54/mi, HR 141 & stretching.

Almost took a rest day but went really easy instead.  A toasty 32F in the sun.  Brrrr. 

2 mile warmup with 0.5 hard.  3.24 miles in 19:16-ish, 5:55/mi, HR 169.  2+ mile cooldown & stretching.

Not an auspicious start to the new year.  ~45 seconds slower than last year.  Conditions were colder this year (~ 18F at the start) but I wasn't fighting a stomach bug.  Didn't taper or take the day prior off though and the course seemed a tad longer this year.  Garmin recorded 3.24 versus 3.15, so perhaps?  Anyway, the first mile felt pretty comfortable (too comfortable), the middle mile was eh, the final hard but manageable and the final .24 on the watch was near a 5/min pace, so a good kick.  

The results?  Good question.  No times posted...evidently the cold weather caused a sticking malfunction on their tracking board.  The announcers called me as 3rd in my AG from their list, but mid-way through their announcements, another list was posted that had me 2nd AG (8th OA).  When I asked about it, I was told theirs was the official list.  When I pointed out that the other list was posted after they'd begun handing out awards, I was told their list of official, for now.  For now?  Really?  Whatever.  

So there it is.  Turning 40 really does slow you down.