AZ Run Dad

Solid steady 20 at 6:44 pace this morning.  Got out nice and early at 4:30 to beat the heat.  I did 2 10 mile loops.  The goal for today was just to run consistently without pushing.  I felt good all the way through today.  I carried by 10 oz hand held bottle and filled it back up after the first loop.  I also took GUs at 5,10, and 15 miles. I was really feeling strong towards the end so I wanted to see where my body was at and I ran the last mile hard in 5:23.  I was pleasantly surprised with that.  Now it's time for Mother's Day festivities.  Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

AM: 8 mile recovery run in the neighborhood.  Legs were a little sore from yesterday.  I started nice and slow.  Averaged 7:24 pace and had a nice relaxing run.  Looks the 100 degree temps are here to stay in AZ from here on out.

PM: 4 mile shakeout. I was expecting a really hot and miserable shakeout because it was so hot but it really didn't feel bad at all. I didn't look at the watch and my pace was faster than normal for this type of run (I averaged 7:20). I guess my legs are feeling good. The good news is that I know I can still run in the afternoon when it's 105 if it feels how it did today.

AM: 11.85 miles: Warmed up 2.65 miles then did 4 x800 w/2 min jogs, 2 miles w/3 min jog, then 4 x 800 w/2 min jog.  Splits were 2:33,33,35,34,10:50 (2 mile), 2:33,35,33,32. This is was good tough workout.  I felt sluggish at first and thought I might not be able to finish but something clicked and I felt reallly strong the second half of the workout.  I did these on the roads in my neighborhood using my Garmin.

PM: 4 easy miles on the way home from work.  It was hot and windy but if felt great to loosen up the legs.  My legs were feeling pretty good today after the a.m. workout.

AM: 9.34 easy miles at 7:23 pace avg. up to canal and then on canal for a while.  Was just going to do 8 but I was enjoying the run so instead of turning at 4 miles i just went to the next street.

PM: 4 more easy miles 7:34 pace on my way home from work.  I was off pretty early today so the sun was right overhead for this run and it was HOT!  I was kind of in daze for much of the run.

Today was just a recovery day so I tried to run just nice and relaxed. Legs felt just okay today.

AM: 12 mile steady medium long run.  Felt really good this morning.  I was planning on going a little slower but the pace felt so comfortable I just stayed with it.  It's a great sign that my legs are feeling good during this high mileage period.  Averaged 6:37

PM: 5 mile "mini workout". Ran 4 miles easy then did 6 x hill sprints on probably a 40-50 meter hill and walked down, then did 4 x 100 meter strides, then jogged around the soccer field until I hit 5 miles.  Jogging in the grass felt awesome.  Saturday I will be in California to run the Palos Verdes Half Marathon with my sister.  She has been training for this one and I told her I would go with her.  I have a 22 miler that day so I am going to do part of it in the race aiming for a solid tempo during the race.  It looks like a hilly course so should be a nice challenge.  It will be my second half marathon next to the ocean in three weeks. Pretty cool!

Had a 22 mile run today in which I warmed up 7 miles on the race course at just over 7 min pace then I did the Palos Verdes Half Marathon.  My sister was doing the race and asked if I would go with her.  I'm glad I did.  Palos Verdes is one of the coolest places I've ever been.  Anyway, I wanted to run the race as a hard tempo effort just under 6 min pace and that's what I did.  I ended up winning the race in 1:17:59.  It wasn't a race effort but it was still hard.  The course was very hilly and 13+ miles at 6 min pace is still a good effort for me.  I cooled down 2 miles right when I finished to make 22 miles for the day.  It was a great training stimulus for me with all those hills and I feel like I won't be too beat up from the effort.  It was a great 24 hour trip and I am very fortunate that I got to experience such a place.  The Terranea Resort where we stayed was unbelievable.  The average for the 22 miles was 6:20. 

I haven't figured out how to get pictures up on here yet but I added a bunch on our blog Parents on the Run along with the course profile and Garmin information.

Here is my Garmin info from the race