I only run on days that end in a "y."

5.25 easy miles.  Nice day.

We ran most of the Austin course today. It was cold to start - 30 degrees but fortunately no wind.  My goal was to try and run a bit slower to get used to being out there for 3 hours - ended up at an overall pace of 8:00 per mile with some slower miles at the beginning plus the hills along the course.  Finished with 6 x 100m strides. Next Sunday I have a 20 mile race and I will shoot for 13-14 miles of it at MGP.  Only 6 weeks until the Marathon.

Cold and windy day but sunny.  7 miles during lunchtime.  No Garmin.  I am now dealing with some pain in my right Gluteus Medius.  Only minor when running but painful after the run.  I started feeling it last Thursday and ran a 22 mile run with it on Saturday.  I have an appointment to see my PT this week.

No running today - unfortunately the pain in my hip/glute is still there, and rather than risk the marathon in 6 weeks by making it worse, I decided to take a day or two off.  

 Went to the gym and lunch and got in an excellent core workout followed by 10 minutes in the hot tub to loosen up this pain.

I saw the PT who diagnosed my pain as joint inflamation.  He did some adjusting and stretching and I felt 100% better.  I was given a clean bill of health and told I could resume training, taking it a bit slower on speed workouts and downhills.  

I ran 7 miles around the trail.  I did not have my Garmin but I figure 7:40's - 7:50s.

It was cold, dark and windy - I only got about 5 1/2 hours of sleep, and just was not feeling it today.  Nonetheless, we ran close to 12 miles on the Austin hilly course picking it up on the second half to finish with 7:00 - 7:20 minute miles.  Overall pace was 8:10.

6 easy at lunchtime - I must have tweaked my calf a bit yesterday as I really felt it today.  Cut my run short as I had planned on 7 miles.

Well, talk about a disappointing week.  Thursday I tweeked my calf and I did not notice until Friday.  I took Saturday off and today was a 20 mile race that I was going to use as a 16 mile MGP run.  I made it  to mile 8 and decided to bag it and not risk the bigger goal of the marathon.  I will need to take a few days off before I run again.  I have a 22 miler coming up on Saturday, hopefully I will be back by then.

No running today - cross training/core work.

Having some calf/sciatic nerve pain.

1 hour spinning - worked pretty hard.  Sciatic nerve still bothersome.

Ran 1.5 miles and had to limp home.  Pain is quite sharp.

Saw my PT today - definitely have an aggravated sciatic nerve going from glute all the way down the leg.  No running for a week, but at this point he is not ruling out the marathon 4 weeks away. We will see how it goes next week.  

He found that the lower back muscles next to the spine on the right side were not engaging/firing.  The PT got them to fire again and gave me some exercises.  They really did a lot of manipulation as well.  I spent an hour there.  

I need to cross train for the same time that I would have been running.  I did an hour in the evening on the eliptical keeping my heart rate in the 150's.

There should be a way to track cross training time/equivalent on this site.

Anyway - 60 minutes on the eliptical with HR in 140's, some 150's.  It takes much more effort to get my heart rate up to the same level compared to 3-4 months ago.  That is a good sign that my aerobic capacity is improving.

20 minutes on the eliptical, followed by 60 minutes spinning, followed by 25 minutes on the eliptical, for a total of 1:45 of aerobic time.   Can't wait to start running again.

20 minutes eliptical, followed by 55 minutes spinning, followed by 15 minutes eliptical, for a total of 1:30 aerobic workout. 

Cleared to run today by the PT, will try an easy 5, tomorrow cross training, 9 - 10 miles on Thursday, Friday cross train.  I need to get a 22 miler in on Saturday or Sunday - that will be 3 weeks from the Marathon.

Five easy miles - testing out the injury recovery.  Some tenderness but never enough pain to make me stop running.  My lower back was somewhat stiff after the run.  Amazingly, I got up after some time at my desk and walked with no major problem/pain.  Cross training day tomorrow, will try to run again on Thursday morning.  PT said to go for 9-10 miles.  I will see how I feel Thursday morning.  It is all pretty iffy right now - not sure if I want to risk the 22 miler this weekend or not.

cross training day today - nerve issue is much, much better.  1 hour spinning class - high intensity.

 9-10 miles planned for tomorrow am.  

Nice morning for a run - I got 10 miles in with the last couple @ MGP.  I stopped briefly at mile 5 for water and felt little to no pain, so finished out the next 5 at a faster pace.  Also saw the PT this morning again.  The right side lower back muscle was still not firing @ 100% so we worked on that again. 

I may cross train or do 5 easy tomorrow and try to get 20-22 in on Saturday.  Could end up with a 40 mile week which would be great since last week was basically no miles and I only have 3 weeks until the marathon.  I don't have a clue on how to taper at this point - build up on week 3 and then taper back down from there?

15 minutes on the eliptical followed by 5 miles on the treadmill at recovery pace.  Everything seems ok - so 20 mile run tomorrow.

Let's see - coming off an injury, fighting a cold/infection, bad sleep and warm/humid morning = terrible training run.  It was tough, seemed to struggle the last 4 miles.  I wore myself out a bit on the hills and paid for it later.  I can't remember a worse long run in a while.  8:00 is overall pace, 3 or so MGP miles, I have not really looked at my garmin splits.  My legs are really sore - can 10 days off or running be so hard to come back from? 

6.5 miles - it was warm and I had some trouble running a bit faster pace.  I am used to my Newtons but can't wear them anymore because they are causing pain on the ball of my left foot.  Too bad, they were very efficient.  Now I am stuck in the squishy Vomeros until I find something else. 

Nice cool 40 degree morning.  I ran along the hilly portion of the Austin course and back.  Not sure what is going on but my legs are having trouble keeping a faster pace - I tried picking it up the last few miles and it just was not there.  Overall pace in the 7:50's. 

6 easy miles during lunchtime.

Close to 3 mile warm up, followed by 1 x 2k at LT pace, 2 x 1,000 at sub LT pace, 1 x 1000 at vo2max, 4 x 400 at vo2max. 1.75 cool down.

6.25 easy/recovery miles on the treadmill at lunch.  Tried out my new Nike Lunar Elite shoes.  I really like how they felt - no foot issues what so ever.

It was cold - 33 degrees and overcast, but thankfully no wind.   I had to do this on my own as my  wife is away and I needed to arrange for someone to watch the kids for about 3 hours.  I ran along the marathon course, warming up the first 3 miles and hittimg MGP for the next 14 miles.  Night and day compared to the miserable 19 mile run I had last Saturday.  I felt good but my legs started giving me some grief at around mile 16. 

5 easy miles around the indoor track followed by some light core work. 

4 miles easy followed by 4 miles @ MGP.

Rainy and cold outside - I ran 6.5 recovery/easy miles at the indoor track.  

Last hard workout before the marathon.  I did yasso 800s - 8 x 800 at 3:10 - 3:15 with active recoveries in between.  It was cold and misty and I ran them alone so it was a tough workout. 

I can't run this weekend because my wife is out of town and I have to watch the kids.  That means I had to run tomorrow's run today and I had to cut it a bit short.  Also, running MGP miles today after yesterday's hard workout had my legs tired by mile 8.  Anyway, I toughed it out and finished knowing I had a 2 day break and a taper week next week of only about 30 miles with no hard workouts.  I wanted to get 45 miles in this week but managed only 40.  I had some quality workouts so I don't think the 5 easy miles that I would have run will make any difference in 9 days when I run the marathon.  I ran the first 8 miles of the marathon course and then 2 back on the trail for a total of 10, the first mile was 8:30 or so with 2 more around 8:00 - these are all going up a steady incline, then picked it up coming back in @ MGP for the next 7 miles.  I ended up with an overall average pace of my BQ pace..

Well, I am pretty much in trouble.  The shoes that I have been training in caused some pain in the ball of my left foot.  I got the Nike Lunar Elites on a recommendation from someone who has seen me run and knows my form.  I liked them a lot and did 60 miles in them in the first week I had them.  But then I started to get some soreness  in my shins and left knee.  I went back to my Newtons today and had no issues and they are my shoe of choice. The don't have quite 300 miles on them so I am crossing my fingers that they are good for the marathon.  It is too late to order a new pair and get a couple runs in.  I don't want to take a chance in the Elites though I think they are a good shoe and would work out over the long haul.  

I will run in the Newtons a couple more times and the Nikes tomorrow and see what happens.  

I ran 6 miles today, 3 easy, 2.5 @ MGP and .5 cool down.

Fartlek run around the trail - 2 mile warm up follwed by 10 x 1 min @ MGP - 10 - 15 sec with 1 min recovery in between followed by 6 x 100m strides.

One easy mile with two MGP miles followed by some stretching.  Taking tomorrow off and plan on running an easy 30 minutes on Saturday.  In the process of carb loading.

Well, yesterday was just not my day.  A recent death in the family has been really stressful for us and the injury a few weeks ago did not help either.  But I decided to go ahead and give it a shot and see what I could do.  I had trained really hard and felt that I could do it.   I played it conservatively for the first 17 miles, probably too conservatively.  I was around 45 - 60 seconds off the pace group at that point.  I just kept telling myself to start picking it up a little at a time and then to make a final push down Red River and then Duval like we had on so many long runs.  At mile 24 I still had a legitimate shot but I needed to make up a bit over a minute.  So I pushed the pace and was feeling pretty good but all of the sudden I completely bonked at 25.  I just died.  I lost all form and was pretty much delirious at this point. I am not sure why because I had taken water at every stop as well as a Gel every 4 miles. 

Thank goodness that my pal Monique was there at mile 25 cheering others on.  She ran out and got me walking again.  We did a run/walk to the Capitol Building.  Then I took off with what I had left, sprinting to the finish, with Monique yelling at me the whole way.  I pretty much collapsed when I crossed the finish line.  I was taken to the medical tent in a wheel chair.  I was completely dehydrated and my calves were cramping big time.  Several ice bags and bottles of Powerade later I was finally able to get up and walk on my own. 

It was definitely something I will never forget – being paced during the last mile and to the finish by Monique in a green afro wig and then collapsing and getting taken to the medical tent in a wheel chair!  What is the slogan – Run Austin – LOVE Austin?  You gotta love Austin.   I was 4 minutes from BQ’ing but I did manage to PR by 6 minutes – so that is something. 

This is only my third marathon and I am still learning - I probably don't race enough.  Last year I only ran one 10k, a couple 5ks and a half marathon.  I will continue to train and take what I learned from this experience.  I am only 4 minutes from a BQ.

First run since the marathon.  I went out pretty slow and took a couple walk breaks.   Still have a couple issues and some soreness to workout, so I won't start to run regularly for a couple more weeks.  I just wanted to test the waters so to speak.  I have been keeping myself busy with walking/spinning/eliptical.

OK, in typical runner fashion I went out again after saying I wouldn't yesterday.  I woke up and felt pretty good, so I decided to go out for an easy run.  6.5 or so (no Garmin but I know the route) in 53 minutes.  I will go out again, I would like to get a run in everyday this week.  I have minor surgery next Monday, so I won't be able to run for 5 days after that.

Still feeling pretty good - ran 7 miles at lunchtime in 57:00.  Started out pretty slow - nice and easy pace, started to rain on my last mile so I ran a sub 7:00 mile to get back to the office.  Probably cross train tomorrow, depends on how I feel.  I don't want to ramp up to fast - it has been 2 weeks since the marathon.  

I am signing up for the Steamtown Marathon in October.  I already booked a room, registration opens April 1st.  

 March, April, May and half of June will be base mileage months.  I am going to work on maintaining 60-65 miles a week while staying injury free.  I will start more specific marathon training mid-June.

7.5 miles at lunchtime in 57:00 minutes - average 7:40's pace. 

We are at Disney World - ran 6.5 easy before the family woke up.  I walked another 7 miles during the day at  Magic Kingdom.  The kids had a blast.

I did not get a chance to get in a run yesterday.  I am OK with that as 35 miles this week will be sufficient as this is my first running week after the marathon.

Woke up before family for 7 miles - the area is not running friendly -

so I worked out a 3.3 mile loop on paths.  Beautiful morning.  Walked another 6-7 miles around Animal Kingdom with the kids.

Last day in Orlando, got up early to get in 7 miles, stopped by the hotel gym on the way up for some core work. I did not wear my garmin but by feel probably ran 7:50's.

6.5 easy this morning before my minor surgery appointment.  I will be out for 4-5 days so I got one more run in.  7:40's to 8:00's.

7.5 ish miles during lunchtime. I did not have my garmin or my watch, but I had a pedometer on me.  9400 steps and one mile is about 1200 steps.  

Today is only the 4 day after my minor surgery so I am pretty excited to have been able to get out and run with no pain or ill effects.  

 It's base building time of year - I plan on getting into the 60's consistently before marathon specific training in June-July.

Nice morning though a bit warm towads the end.  Drove down to town lake trail with the intention of running 10 miles.  My legs still seem a big fatigued.  I am not sure if this is normal or not after finishing a marathon and coming back three weeks later.   I managed 8 miles and the last couple were a bit of a struggle.  Hit some 7:40's though.

Today was going to be a 6 mile easy day with some slower miles.  I hit a train near the house and went through some forest trails.  Then I crossed over a stream and went to a part I have never been on before.  It was quite rocky and a significant climb for about a mile.  I got to the top and ran it back home.  Legs were complaining a bit going up.  Ended up getting in 8 miles.  Plan is to hit 40 this week and start working my way back up to 60 a week.

2.6 easy to the YMCA followed by 30 minutes core:  suitcase carry, pull ups, leg pulls, medicine ball sit ups and planks - 1.5 back to work.  

Rain and 50 degrees.  Fortunately it was not too cold and the rain came in spurts.  I wore by visor to keep the rain out of my eyes.  

3 miles warm-up followed by 7 x 300m hill repeats on Wilke with active recoveries back down to the beginning.  2 x 200m backwards and 5 x 100 sprints.  

3 miles back to the car.

Recovery run at the gym on the track.  I really was not even going to run today since I am scheduled now to be over 40 easily this week, and I want to ramp up slowly.  Did some core/strength training as well:  4 sets of deadlifts 1 x warm up, 2 x 1 rep at 225lbs, 1 x 10 reps at 135lbs, push-ups, back raises, one legged cycling on a stationary bike with medium resistance, jumping on 24" box from standing position.

Easy miles followed by 5 x 1000m with 200m active recovery in-between.  1st 1000m @ 4:10, last one at 3:45.  5 x 200m strides with 200m jog in between.  Cool down back to the car.

2 recovery miles on the trail - 3 x circuit workout - step-ups, lunges, supermans, push-ups, chin-ups,  squats - with .5 mile run in-between - recovery run back to work.

Arrived at the RunTex annex amidst thunderstorms - down poured.  I waited in the car and finally made a run inside.  A couple other runners were contemplating going out, on runner came back completely soaked head to toe.  I decided to bag the run, but on the way out the rain calmed down. I parked at Austin High and went for it.  Ended up going 8 miles.  I was wet and cold and glad to be back at the car.

Went to the gym in the afternoon - solid core work out - squats (10x135lb, 2 x 5 (195lb), plus some push ups, back extensions and abs.   

I am in Rhode Island on business.  Late flight in but got up at 6 am.  Ran 8 miles. My legs are still a bit tired from the weight training on Saturday.  After work I came back and ran 3.25 on the treadmill at a good clip - 7:50s - last mile down to 7:20's. Worke out core as well.

Woke up and looked out the window and there was some drizzle but no rain.  By the time I got my gear on it was raining pretty hard, it was dark, and cold.  I went to the hotel gym instead and ran 7 on the dreadmill.  1 warm-up, 1 mile 8:00 pace, 5 miles 7:53-7:43 pace.  

Seven miles - first mile warm up - then into the  7:30's - 7:40's - I will get my spits later.  Good run overall, nice crisp morning.

Got back to the hotel after work, nothing else to do so I went out for an easy 5 mile run.

Nice cool morning, 6 miles, 1 mile warm up, ran the rest in the 7:40's.

After work I packed and hit the hotel gym - 4 FB miles on the dreadmill - 8:20's.

First run of over 10 miles since the marathon.  Started slowly, first mile was like 9:00, last 5 were 7:30's to 6:50's.  Also the first run since the marathon that I felt pretty strong.

6 recovery/FB miles at 6 am.

70 degrees and sunny - warm.  8 miles during lunchtime.  8:40, 8:04, 7:44, 7:42, 7:38, 7:43, 7:41, 7:43.

2 miles warm up, followed by 5 x 600m hill repeats with active recoveries.  3 x backwards hill repeats and 3 x 75m hill sprints with 2 miles cool down.

Went to the gym at lunchtime - squats with bar - 1x5@195, 1x4@215, 1x3@215.  Calf raises, eccentric leg curls and leg extensions.  Core ab and back work out.

75-80 degrees and sunny - I am not used to this weather.  I ran 5.3 recovery/FB miles at lunchtime. 8:30's - 8:50's.  The hill repeats followed by the leg workout at the gym yesterday left my legs pretty tired.  

Easy warm-up to the track, followed by 1 x 2400m @ 6:04 pace, 5 minutes of rest, and then 12 x 200m hard with active 20 sec recovery in between, 2.6 easy miles back.

13 miles - first 7 easy aerobic - last 6 @ MGP or sub MGP.

7 recovery/FB miles - 8:40's - 8:50's.

wow - sick as a dog today - not sure what I have - took a 2 hour nap - stayed home from work. 

Went to the Dr.'s office after lunch.  I am running a mile fever with some redness in my ears and a pretty bad sore throat.  He thinks it was at first allergies but turned into an infection.  I need to take some antibiotics and Zyrtec.  I went home and took a long nap.  Feeling pretty bad.

I am feeling a 100% better today.  I went for a run at lunchtime - 7 miles at a pretty good effort, first 2 miles at 8:00 pace, 5 miles at 7:25 - 7:30 pace, overall 7:44 pace.

7 mile fartlek run on the trail - first 2 miles warm up followed by 10 x 2 minutes hard with 1 minute easy.  Hard effort was in low 6:00's - high 5:00's, easy pace in the 7:30 range.  I was fine until number 5 or 6 and I started to fade from the group.  Finished the rest on my own and had to take a couple short walking breaks.  I don't think I am 100% over my illness, though I felt pretty good at the start.  Semi hard effort yesterday might have also contributed to my fading.  My legs were complaining on the last mile.

7 mile easy on town lake trail, 8:03 overall pace - 8:30 first mile, 8:00-7:50s 2-6, 7:42 last mile.

Can't shake this nagging shin splint.  Some days it hurts worse than others, but I have had it now for over 2 months.  

A bit behind in getting my miles in the blog this week.

13 mile long run - I took my own water bottle belt so I can start training to run non-stop and not rest at the water stops.  I managed to do this - though I did make a brief stop at mile 6.   My legs - or my mind - were a bit tired on the last 2 miles.

8 miles easy - first mile warm up followed by 7 miles in the 7:40's - 7:50's.

In Houston on business - got up an ran 5 miles on the dreadmill - took a while for my legs to warm up.  Recovery/FB miles at 8:30 pace.

Found a nice park and drove there after training was over.  Ran 6 miles with 1 mile warm up and 4 miles at 7:10 - 7:20 pace, last mile 7:40 pace.

I have decided that I really like 2 a days - I hope to fit more into my schedule.

Just had enough time to go for a short 4 miles during our lunch break.  I had to drive back to Austin after training and did not have time for another run.

8 miles @ 8:30 - 8:06 first 2 miles, last 6 @ 7:40's.  

Did some trail running this morning.  It thought it would be a nice break from the road.  It was fun foraging streams, scaling rocks and trying not to fall and break something.  There were some nice parts of the trail where I could pick up the pace.  8.2 miles.

7 miles during lunch - the first 2 started in recovery pace, but my legs felt pretty good around mile 3 so I picked it up a bit into the 7:40's - 7:50's.  

Good run with the group.  Dropped the pace on the last 1.5 miles - 8:57 warm-up mile, 8:34, 8:18, 8:00, 7:50, 7:58, 7:44, 7:35, 7:40, 7:50, 6:47, 6:57.

8 miles recovery/fb miles.  Nice and slow today- 9:57 warm up mile, 8:43, 8:33, 8:40, 8:40, 8:29, 8:23, 8:37.

7.5 easy during lunch time - 8:50 warm up, 8:05, 7:43, 7:34, 7:41, 7:31, 7:38, 7:45.

2.7 mile warm up followed by 7 x 300m hill repeats with 300m active recovery, 3 x 100m backwards and 5 x 50m sprints with 2.7 mile cool down.

6 easy recovery miles at lunchtime - I plan on running home from work this evening.

4.25 miles from the office to home.  

6 easy - my legs are feeling tired with the increase in mileage and not taking a day off in 16 days.  I struggled this morning - 8:10's - 8:20's pace.  I believe I will take tomorrow off.  I am also continuously dealing with a bit of a shin splint on my left leg.  Staying away from any 5 - 10k pace miles until it goes away.

It would be a long story so I won't elaborate but I ended up with an extra vehicle at work.  I ran in this morning from home. 4 easy.

Medium long run today. I didn't know how my legs would feel as they have been pretty tired the last couple of days.  We started off at a good pace and picked it up to close to 1/2 marathon pace the last couple of miles.  8:14, 7:55, 7:49, 7:43, 7:42, 7:38, 7:27, 7:29, 7:31, 7:03, 6:56, 7:28.  Today was 17 days straight without a day off - I am taking tomorrow off for sure!

8 miles easy - 9:00 mile warm-up followed by 7 @ 7:43-7:58 range.

For some reason it was hard to get going this morning.  The group was meeting downtown for mile repeats.  I really wanted to go but I decided with my shin still a bit sore it would be best to skip the hard workout.  I went out for a 10 mile run and could not really get into a groove until maybe the last 4 miles or so.  The first 5 1/2 miles was quite hilly with a couple significant climbs. I averaged around an 8:28 pace the first 6 miles and 8:05 pace the last miles.  My hamstrings complained a bit along the way.  Amazingly, my shin felt pretty good afterwards.

Shin splint has been getting progressively better since I have stuck with running in my Pumas.  Went to the gym for an hour yesterday for leg and core work.  My legs were a bit sore today.  Went out at lunchtime for an 8 mile run.  8:10 warm up mile followed by 7 @ 7:43 - 7:50 range.  It must have been about 80 out there and sunny.

Fartlek run this morning - 2 mile warm up followed by 2 mins @ 6:30-6:40 pace with 1 min easy - did 3 miles of this.  I started falling off at mile 5 - stopped for some water and the group carried on without me.  I ran the next 1.5 easy and then kicked it in the last .5 miles.  My legs got a bit tired at mile 5 - I probably run my easy runs a bit fast to come out to a workout and do well.  

Ran 4 miles to the gym and back for core during lunch.  Recovery pace - 8:58 overall average.

My legs told me I needed a day off - went to the gym and spent some time in the hot tub, steam room and sauna.

I went out trail running this morning - I wanted a break from the road.  I hooked up with a couple experienced trail runners.  The run was an adventure - 2:40 hours for 15 + miles.  

Six easy - but they were not really easy - I struggled a bit - then when I got in my car I saw that it was 92 degrees outside.  I ran in full sun as well.  Still, I have decided to take a couple days off for a bit of a break.  I can't shake my shin split issue and with marathon training kicking off in June I figure it is best to get healed up now.

Taking today off from running.  Went to the gym this morning for some leg work and core, followed by an hour of spinning class with hard effort.  It felt good, I think my legs want a bit of a break - the spinning helps loosen up the hips and hamstrings as well.

2nd day off - shin is getting better, I still feel it a bit while walking.  Hopefully after a week or so it will be good to go.  I was running 50+ miles a week on it and it was not getting worse.  I am hopeful it will heal up soon.

Went to the gym for a spinning class which was full - so I did some leg and core work.

1.7 miles warm up followed by 6 x 800m at the track - 3:05's with last one at 2:50.  Had the PT there adjust my ankle which took the pressure off of my shin splint.  He also gave me some exercises to do.  2.8 miles cool down.

My son had a high fever and I had to go home during lunch.  I only had time today for a 5 mile run - 8:00 average.

I thought I would try and break 19:00 today.  I have had a pretty good week's rest and felt pretty good during recent workouts even while fighting a couple minor injuries like a shint splint.  I met up with 2 other runners from the group that I run with.  We got somewhat separated at the start and I could never catch one of them - and the other one passed me at about mile 1.5.  I got into a groove and felt pretty good but I started out too slow at a 6:13 - there was a slight incline but I should have done a 6:05, I think mile 2 was a 6:12, and mile 3 was close to the same, the last .2 miles I kicked it in at a 4:59 pace.  I could see that I would PR so I went for it - I did not make 19:00 but I did PR by 10 seconds and have not really been doing any consistent speed training. Someday after I qualify for Boston I would like to spend a couple months on 5k training to see what I could do.

Did 2 warm-up and 2 cool down miles.

7 easy recovery miles this morning working out some minor stiffness from yesterday's race.  Picked it up a bit during the last mile.

Shin split is so much better since I started doing the correct calf raises.  I had been doing them for over a month straight legged, but was told last Thursday to do them with my knee bent.  I have been doing about 3 sets a day, 20-30 raises each set.  It has made all the difference in the world.  

8 miles in 62 minutes - hot and muggy - 82 degrees and 70% humidity - thank goodness there was cloud cover.

8 easy/recovery miles in the am.  Summer is almost here - very humid - shorts were soaking wet when I got home.

60 minutes spinning class at the gym.  I have to say that I love spinning - works different muscles, loosens the legs up and really gets the blood flowing in the legs speeding up recovery, all while working the aerobic system.

 Shin split is almost gone completely - bent knee calf raises are the key.

3 miles easy to the gym followed by some core work, 2.5 miles back to work.  

6.5 easy this morning on the trail with the trail group - well, 2 guys that make up the trail group.  Lots of ups and downs, twists and turns.  Pretty good workout.  Got done early enough to stop by the gym before work - squats, leg curls, and bench press.

Went out for 4.6 miles at lunchtime - it was not too hot - 83 degrees, but very humid.  Got the heart rate going, that's for sure - 8:08 overall pace.

complete day of rest

Lightning and rain this morning.  I checked the radar and it showed the storm had moved east and passed us.  Drove downtown to meet up with the group.  We did 14 with strides at the end. 7:43 overall pace: 8:41, 8:18, 7:55, 7:30, 7:57, 7:39, 8:01, 7:53, 7:39, 7:21, 7:05, 7:18, 7:31, 7:05.  Nice pickup on the last 800m - 6:30 pace.

 Still have some DOMS from the squats on Thursday, shin is much improved.

8 easy/recovery miles this morning - 8:24 overall pace.

8 easy today - went out with a small group and took on some big hills.  9:08, 9:02, 8:31, 8:30, 7:47, 8:09, 7:28, 7:17.

2 mile warm up followed by a couple miles of some killer hills.  That's 2 days of hills in a row - I think I will seek out some flatter terrain tomorrow. Splits:  10:28, 8:59, 8:41, 7:57, 8:31, 7:51, 8:01, 8:09, 8:03, 7:39.

Went to the gym at lunch time - got in a bit of core work before 60 minutes of indoor cycling at a moderate to hard effort.

Sunny, warm and humid - over 80 degrees and 90% humidity and full Texas sun.  I decided to run a steady state run today 10-20 seconds faster than MPG.  I had to take a quick break at mile 4 to get my heart rate in check and to drink some water, and a couple more times on the way back.  I think I will save these runs for the morning before the sun is out.  It's going to take a while for my body to adjust to the summer heat.

Anyway, it was a good run - 8:10, 7:29, 7:20, 7:31, 7:23, 7:20, 7:44, 7:40.

7 easy in the morning - very humid outside.

5 easy at the gym on the inside track at lunchtime - too hot and muggy outside for me.  8:00 - 8:10 pace.

15 miles - muggy and warm - runners were fading and dropping -  at then end I passed some of the group that had chose to run the 12 mile loop, and the guys I was with faded a bit around mile 10.  I did not have too much of a problem but maybe that is because I have been running almost daily in this stuff.  I'll post my splits later.

8am and already 78 degrees and stifling humidity.  Went out for a recovery run - 8 miles @ overall 8:30 pace.

Got up at 5:10 in order to get some miles in before getting the kids ready.  Just over 5 miles at a progressive pace - 9:37, 8:01, 7:53, 7:41, 7:26, .16 @ 7:23.

Planning on going back out during lunch.

Warm and muggy - 80's and 70% humidity.  Fortunately there was cloud cover.  7 miles easy, I thought my pace was about 10 seconds faster - must be the heat making the effort seem harder.  8:44, 8:01, 7:41, 7:50, 7:52, 7:33, 7:40.

8.5 AB miles in the am - Today is 11 days in a row of running.  I can feel it a bit, too.  I will be heading out at lunchtime for 6 miles and taking tomorrow off.  Shooting for 70 miles this week.  Next week is a recovery week.9:18, 8:07, 8:00, 7:55, 8:14, 8:02, 8:14, 8:03, .5 @ 8:03 pace.

6.25 miles at lunch, warm and humid but cloudy:  8:37, 7:50, 7:47, 7:42, 7:37, 7:39, .25 @ 7:20 pace.

After 11 days in a row of running I decided to take a complete day of rest.

Gorgeous morning @ 5:30 am - a few degrees cooler than it has been - 65, and lower humidity to boot.  I ran the Rain Creek/Lost Horizon route that has a couple large hills/climbs in the first 4 miles.  First couple miles slow/warm-up and then put it in cruise mode at mile 5 on the way back:  9:20, 8:23, 8:08, 7:59, 8:06, 7:32, 7:39, 7:39, 7:45, 7:38, 7:24.

4 easy at gym at lunchtime followed by some legs and core work.

5.25 easy at 1 pm - full sun, 95 degrees, the humidity was not so bad today.  I will be pushing 70 miles this week after tomorrow's long run, so I thought I would just do 5 recovery miles:  8:49, 7:59, 7:48, 7:50, 7:46.

Only had time for 10 miles as I had to be back in time to see my father-in-law before he left for the airport.  He is traveling back to Holland today. 

Nice morning @ 5:45 am - high 60's with some humidity.  Took the Rain Creek/Lost Horizon route again.  First mile is always hard to get going:  9:40, 8:05, 7:59, 7:41, 8:08 (significant hill climb),7:34, 7:33, 7:21, 7:31, 7:10, last bit @ 7:20 pace.

Next week is recovery - I am going to drop to around 30 miles.

Met the group at Barton Springs and did the Bouldin Creek route.  They call the run a "fire cracker" run which just means to press hard on the last 3 miles hitting close to 5k speed on the last mile.  Did some strides afterwards and ten jumped in Barton Springs pool to cool off - its 68 degrees year round.  Splits: 9:10, 8:29, 8:23, 8:46, 7:43, 6:50, 6:16, .5 @ 7:30 - cool down. 

1 hour spinning class - hard effort.  Slept in a bit this morning - I could get use to this recovery week stuff.  

Meeting the group in the am for a easy paced run.  

I guess the spinning yesterday was a bit harder on my legs than I thought.  It took a while this morning to get warmed up - 10 minute first mile - easy/recovery miles - last mile @ 7:26 - overall 8:20 pace.  10:03, 8:33, 8:15, 8:07, 8:28, 8:18, 7:52, 7:26.

Pretty cool morning thanks to some late night thunderstorms.  6.6  miles:  9:19, 8:00, 7:45, 7:40, 7:27, 7:21, 7:19.  I wanted to stay around 30 miles this week but looks more like 40.  Oh well, it will still be a 25 mile drop from last week.  I will ramp back up to 55-60 miles next week.

Went to the gym at lunch - some core and leg work followed by a few minutes in the hot tub and steam room.

Nice morning @ 5:15 am - 70 degrees and 90% humidity.  Hmmm, well, I wanted to stay around 35 miles this week for recovery but that won't happen - probably be closer to 45 after tomorrows long run.  Feel good though and got a couple full days of rest in this week.  9:40, 8:26, 7:56, 7:51, 7:52, 8:01, 8:03.

Great run this morning - probably ran it faster than I should have.  Ran with the group and tried to keep up with the faster runners. 70 degrees and high humidity.  Dropped the bomb on the last mile and half, but I had someone behind me yelling that I needed to run faster at the end if I wanted to qualify for Boston.  It was great motivation because I was ready to just run it in nice and slow.  Splits: 8:25, 8:01, 7:41, 7:27,7:42, 7:44, 7:26, 7:22, 7:30, 7:33, 7:36, 7:28, 7:13, 6:20.  Shooting for 60 miles this week.

wow - 6 am and 80 degrees and 86% humidity.  I had forgotten how warm and muggy summer mornings could be.  Much warmer than yesterday morning.  Anyway - recovery run and I was content to stay nice and slow - 8:20's to 9:00 range.

Met a few people at Barton Springs for a short run with some MGP thrown in.  MGP mile 2 consisted of some good rolling hills.  As we get into the thick of training in a month or two these runs will increase in MGP mileage, up to 10 miles at MGP with some easy miles thrown in.  

Today's run was 2 easy, 3 MGP, 2 easy.  5:30 am but still 80 degrees with high humidity.  Jumped in Barton Springs - 65 degrees year round - afterward for a fantastic cool down.

Splits:  9:06, 8:30, 7:14, 7:24, 7:04, 8:04, 7:36.

I plan on running 10 miles tomorrow morning and getting my mileage up to 60 this week.

6 am - high 70's and  something like 90% humidity.  I ran the Rain Creek, Lost Horizon, Jollyville route.  Some good hills between miles 2-5. Mile 5 includes a significant and long climb. Around mile 7 I had to take quick walking break as the heat started to take its toll.  I was fine after wards, though.  Not sure what that was about.  I slowed down a bit, too.  I could feel my legs were a bit tired from the past few days.  I may do a 5 and 5 double tomorrow to give them a break.  Splits:  9:30, 8:08, 8:04, 7:50, 8:30, 7:41, 7:58, 8:14, 8:15, 7:50.

I woke up this morning to thunder and considerable lightning.  I went back to bed.  I was able to squeeze in a 7 mile run at the indoor track during lunch.  I don't have splits but it took about 54-55 minutes - so average in the 7:50's.

81 degrees and high humidity at 5:45 am.  Ran fartleks with the group today - 2 miles warm-up, 4 miles of 3 minutes 10k pace  w/1 minute recovery, 2 minutes 10k pace w/1 minute recovery, 1 minute 10k pace w/1 minute recovery - with the whole set repeated 3 times.  1 mile easy followed by 6 x 100m strides followed by another 2 miles easy.  The last 2 miles I went back out on my own.  10k pace was around 6:30 - 6:40.  Full splits:  9:01, 8:31, 7:33, 7:19, 7:16, 7:16, 8:07, 8:40, 8:29.

5.5 easy - content to stay in recovery range - 8:20's.  Not sure what the heat index out there is but it must be close to 90 with 90% humidity.  Fun stuff!

We started out at Barton Springs pool and met up with the group at RunTex.  It was warm and muggy - 82 degrees at 5:30 am.  We ran the Mt. Bonnell route and did some extra credit at the end to make 15 miles.  I had wanted to get in 16 but with the conditions and bump up in mileage this week I was content with 15.  Jumped in Barton Springs after the run.  Splits to follow.

My wife stayed out last night until 2 am which put me on kid duty this morning while she slept.  I did not get out until 10:30 and it was already pretty warm and muggy.  Content to stay in recovery range - overall pace 8:50.

Met up with the group to do Stratford route - lots of hills!  Warm and muggy and I was not feeling it for the first 3 or so until we hit the hills.  I started feeling better and got into a groove.  Nice big downhill and flat finish.  Splits:  9:21, 8:59, 8:24, 8:23, 7:51, 8:12, 7:13, 7:21.

Last night I started feeling a bit of a strain in my left calf.  I did not feel it at all yesterday - maybe I did something while mowing the lawn last night?  I decided to start running this morning and see how I felt.  It was much better by mile 2.  A bit sore now, though, tomorrow looks like a good day to take off.  We'll see how it feels the rest of the day. 

Good run this morning - I did take a quick water break at mile 5.5 and to get my heart rate back down a bit - it was again quite warm and humid.  Ended up running on the faster end of easy run pace, in fact, a bit faster. I tried not to pay attention to my Garmin and just run by feel.  Ever have those runs where you think you are going faster then you really are?  Today was the opposite for me, especially on the  last 5 miles - I thought I was running slower so it was a pleasant surprise when I looked at my splits after the run.  Splits:  9:51, 7:58, 7:42, 7:34, 7:35, 7:40, 7:33, 7:40, 7:35, 7:35, 7:43. 

I ran by the house at 10.5 miles and tacked on a little bit extra with a quick loop for 11.20 miles- I wanted to stop at the house so badly that I figured it was good mentally to push through a bit.

Took it super easy the first couple of miles as I wanted to test out my right calf.  It felt pretty good so I put in close to 10 miles.  I stopped by the group workout and saw the PT at about mile 8.  He said I had a "stuck joint" and did an adjustment.  The calf felt much better and I hardly feel it here in the office as I write this.   Jumped in Barton Springs afterward for a nice cool down.  Splits:  9:56, 8:58, 8:24, 8:13, 8:25, 7:49, 8:03, 8:02, 7:56, 7:53.

5:30 am - really humid and warm.  7 easy and tried not to push too much as we have a 15-16 mile long run tomorrow.  I plan on going out at lunchtime for an easy 5.  9:38, 8:10, 8:05, 8:04, 8:09, 8:07, 7:57.

4 miles at lunchtime - 7:50's.  

Tough run - humid and humid - lots and lots of hills, too.  8:06 overall.  I got a cramp in my side towards at mile 11 and just wanted to bag it at mile 12.  Tried to keep up with the small group that I was running with but faded @ mile 12.  I did manage to keep going though and add on some mileage at the end.  I think the 10 and 11 milers Thursday and Friday took something out of today's run.  I wanted to push 14 but happy to finish.  We start ramping up mileage on next week's long run - should be at least a 16 mile long run.Splits:  9:06, 8:56, 8:11, 8:18, 8:03, 7:57, 8:09, 7:54, 7:45, 7:49, 7:44, 7:52, 8:22, .30 @ 7:33.  Overall, looking back at the splits, I am pretty pleased given the course, conditions and how I felt at the time.

Father's Day - first Sunday in a long time that I did not run.  I think I slept about 9-10 hours, too.  Last week was pretty hard week of running.

My family brought me breakfast in bed and I watched some World Cup while eating my crumpet and drinking my coffee.  Great way to start the morning.

Good run this morning - did the LAB, Enfield, Exposition loop at MGP.  Jumped into Barton Springs pool at the end.  8:58, 8:26, 8:00, 7:46, 7:20,7:09, 7:12, 7:09, .5 @ 8:40.  Should be up to 5 @ MGP next time we run this.

Went to the gym at lunchtime for core work - cable work for the legs and hips,  lunges, extenstions, etc. - typical runner core workout. 

Started at Barton Springs and did the trail loop to the dam and back.  11 miles.  Jumped in to the springs after the run to cool down. Legs a bit sore from yesterday's core/leg workout. Splits:  9:15, 8:19, 8:19, 8:00, 7:44, 7:44, 7:48, 7:46, 7:42, 8:10, 8:09.

Ran in the neighborhood as I had to be back early - my wife has to be at work by 7 am. Warm and muggy - nothing new there.   9:45, 8:12, 7:49, 7:42, 7:52, 7:57, 7:52, 7:51, 7:36.  

Woke up today feeling horrible - not sure if it's allergies or what.  Somehow I managed to put my shoes on and drive down for a run.  I had already decided I wanted to do a SS run but with the heat, humidity and how I was feeling I didn't think it was going to happen.  I also decided I needed to start hammering some downhills during my runs to prepare for Steamtown.  Unfortunately, downhills usually require running up the hills first.  I ran the Enfield and partial Exposition loop to get some hills.  All and all it ended up not being too bad of a run even though I was a bit off pace:  Splits:  8:51, 8:05, 7:38, 7:40, 7:25, 7:45, 7:29, 7:20, 7:35, 7:29.  Jumped in Barton Springs pool afterward for a cool down followed by some stretching.

Woke up feeling pretty bad again, but instead of feeling sorry for myself and staying in bed I went out for a recovery run.  

This was going to be a 16 mile run but ended up over 17.  We started at BS pool so that added a bit to the run.  I started off running with the faster group but discovered around mile 5 that it would not be sustainable.  I am still dealing with this allergy or cold stuff and have a mild cough but mostly a lightheadedness feeling. Anyway, started running with Kevin at the next waterstop. All in all I was happy to have gotten through it and finished my longest run of the season:  Splits: 9:16, 8:35, 8:04, 7:44, 7:17, 7:55, 7:40, 8:02, 8:08, 8:08, 7:47, 8:08, 7:48, 7:53, 7:25, .5 @ 7:10, (water stop) easy back to the pool: 8:22, .5 @ 8:20.  This next week is a recovery week, yeah!

It was 80 degrees and humid at 5:30 am.  Ran the Stratford hills route - only 3 showed up this morning and only 2 of us did the hills.  It turned into a bit of a progressive run at the end:  9:13, 8:40, 8:21, 8:02, 7:54, 8:06, 7:21, 6:47. 

75 degrees and high humidity @ 5:45 am.  Went out for a 10 mile loop.  I contemplated taking the hilly route but decided after yesterday's hill it would be unwise.  Kept the pace steady - again after yesterday's hill workout I did not need to do anything crazy.  I started to drag a bit with 2 miles to go, fortunately another runner turned in front of me off a side street.  He was running a pretty good pace so I picked it up to hang with him.  He split off with one mile to go and I shouted thanks to him for pulling me along.  Splits:  9:30, 8:25, 8:02, 8:05, 7:57, 7:55, 8:02, 8:03, 7:29, 7:10.

Recovery week - no run today.  Went to the gym and did legs and core.

Nice morning - a tad bit cooler than it has been.  1.5 easy and met up with James, we did another 2 easy and then 5 at MGP.  1.5 easy back to Barton Springs pool.  Splits:  9:17, 8:39, 8:49, .5 @ 8:39, 7:30, 7:18, 7:13, 7:25, 7:30, 7:59, .5@8:00.

I did not have a good day today.  I am not sure what went wrong.  Humidity was at 90% it seemed and the temp was about 78.  I did not have a good night sleep at all and mentally I was not in this run.  It seemed I was working extra hard and not achieving much.  I got a side cramp that lasted the rest of the run at mile 8.  I missed a turn and ended up with 14 vs the 17 I wanted to get.  This was probably a good thing.  I did manage to skip 2 waterstops all together and keep forging ahead.  I suppose I am not too worried since this was a recovery week.  Still a bit concerned though as I was off 30-40 seconds of my normal long runs and I struggled.  I thought if I went slower it would feel easier.  I  I did not even bother with strides I was so tired. Splits:  9:05, 8:41, 8:49, 8:19, 8:23, 8:17, 8:26, 8:36, 8:36, 8:33, 8:26, 8:04, 8:25, 8:30.

A bit over 8 miles in 72 minutes.  Nice and easy recovery miles.  Warm and muggy. 

4.5 mile warm-up followed by 5 @ MGP with 1.5 mile cool down with a jump in Barton Springs to finish it off.  Warm and muggy.  MGP miles 7:18, 7:22, 7:25, 7:13, 7:05.

8 recovery miles - 8:30 overall pace.

Easy run today - I tried to find the balance of a good aerobic zone without going too fast in advance of tomorrow's workout.  The last mile and a half was a good mild downhill stretch.  I am hopeful that the  Steamtown course is similar - I cruised along with out much effort and when I glanced at my Garmin it showed at one point I was at a 7:13 pace.  Splits:  9:27, 8:15, 7:56, 7:57, 7:49, 7:34, .5 @ 7:54. 

Ran from BS pool to meet up with the group (1.5 easy miles) - decided to go with 8 miles Fartlek run.  2 additional easy miles easy followed by 16 x 1 minute hard with1 minute recovery in between each hard minute.  Hard minutes began at 6:40 pace and progressed down 6:20's with a 5:53 pace for the last minute.  2 easy to finish off the run followed by strides.  Nice dip in the the springs to cool down.

 35 minute core workout during lunchtime - squats, suitcase carries, planks, etc.

 Day off or very easy run tomorrow - 18 mile long run on Saturday - that will give me 62 miles for the week.

warm - humid - and super hilly course to boot.  Struggled at times to complete, but better than last week's 14 miler.  I'll post splits later - nothing to write about but my mine focus now is to just get through the first couple 18-20 milers.

My legs felt really good this morning - even after yesterday's 18 mile run.  Hard to stay within recovery pace:  8:47, 7:54, 7:45, 7:55, 7:54, 8:04, 8:08.

2.6 mile warm-up followed by 5 mile MGP (actually running these faster than my BQ pace of 7:38) -first 2.5 miles over hilly course - with  1.4 cool down followed by strides.  MGP miles:  7:29, 7:27, 7:20, 7:05, 7:15.  Next week I will increase another mile to 6 @ MGP.

Nice and easy miles on the trail.  Probably should have kept the mileage a bit lower - might have been a good idea to do a recovery double today.  oh well.

6 miles around the trail in 90 degree heat - tried to keep the pace in check as we have a hard workout tomorrow - overall pace 8:00.  Did some long strides and jumped in barton springs to cool down.  ahhhhh 

Parked at the springs - tried to be there a bit early as I wanted to get in an extra mile before I ran to runtex to meet the group.  I had about 3 extra minutes so not that much time.  I thought it would be tight but hoped that the group would not take off at 5:45 but a bit later.  I ended up 2.6 or so before I got to Runtex and the group had just walked out the door of the annex.  We did another 4 miles easy followed by 3 @ tempo pace.  I ran a 1.6 cool down back to the pool.  Finished with a couple long strides at 5k pace.  I was disappointed in my tempo pace - I am not sure why I found it so hard - it was difficult to keep my heart rate under control - it must have been the heat and humidity.  I feel that I was running stronger a few weeks ago.  Tempo pace: 7:05, 7:09, 6:51.  

Decided to take a day off from running - did a 60 minute spinning class instead at medium effort.

What a difference a week makes - last week's 18 mile run was grueling - today was much better.  Last week's course was much harder though.  This week I started at my house and ran to downtown, getting in some nice stretches of downhills in preparation of Steamtown.  I did hit a couple of good climbers too.  I met up with the group's route at mile 10.  The positive part was that I only stopped at one water stop and that was to refill one of my bottles.  I ran the whole way by myself as well. Carried flasks of Cytomax and it worked very well for me. Overall pace was 8:10 so 30 seconds off my BQ pace.  Splits:  9:13, 8:27, 8:12, 8:21, 8:20, 8:09, 8:26, 8:04, 8:08, 8:11, 8:03, 8:03, 8:08, 7:59, 8:02, 7:56, 8:00, 7:43.  Followed by strides.

8 recovery miles - seemed especially humid this morning compared to yesterday morning.  8:20's.

Stratford route - 4.5 miles easy followed by 2 miles of hills with 1.5 miles cool down.  Strides at the end and a dip in the pool. We pushed the hills pretty hard - mile 7 was a 6:59. 

Gym at lunchtime - squats on smith machine focusing on back strength, cable work focusing on hip flexors, abductors, and some core.

11 mile loop from Barton Springs.  Fairly easy run but picked it up a bit on the last couple miles.

6 super easy at the indoor track during lunchtime.  I have a hard workout scheduled tomorrow - wanted to save my energy for then. 

Big Workout Day -  4 miles easy miles followed by 8 x 1000m with active recovery in between intervals.  1000's - 4:09 to 3:50 (last one) followed by a couple easy miles (7:50's) with a dip in the springs to cool down.  

Coach said something about getting up to 12 x 1000 before the marathon.  Ouch.

Favorite link of the day - makes me want to take a year hiatus and travel the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwhCqXhzTeY&feature=PlayList&p=216B3EC392E1B12B&playnext=1&index=11

5 recovery miles.  That's about it.