Dixies Dashing Diary

2 mile warm up; 2 x 1 mile (6:57, 6:51), 3.19 mile cool down.

Time:  6:23 am  Total Time: 56:52 (7:55 avg)

Temp: 75º   Humidity: 89%

Ran easy 8 miler today. It's 9 pm and I'm already falling asleep. The run this morning was actually fairly cool.

Time: 5:53 am    Total time:  1:08:40 (8:09 avg)

Temp:  73.9    Humidity:  82%

Missed Monday so I needed today to catch up. Got out just before 6 am and got an easy 7 in. I'm really tired and sore. I've got to some how catch up on rest this weekend and get back to 7-8 hours of sleep this coming week.

I've been walking barefoot immediately after runs. Yesterday and today I've started to do barefoot strides (40-50 yards) just to freshen my legs and to see what it feels like to run barefoot. The legs definately feel better. I wish I had somewhere close by to run on grass, like a soccer field or something. I'll continue building and see how my feet and legs respond.

Time: 5:45 am   Total Time: 58:08 (8:11 avg)

Temp: 72º       Hmidity: 89%

Met up with Mark this morning at Longleaf. My legs felt really sore from the time I got up to the minute we started running. In classic Mark P style, we started out at a blazing 9:48/mile pace... and it felt wonderful! That first mile was almost like a message on my legs. I guess I'm so used to going out at 8:20 or below that I just don't really warm up properly anymore. Our second mile was only 30 or 40 seconds faster and then we settled into what became a fairly consistant pace right around 8. As we progressed into the run we kept dipping into the mid to high 7's. Our last four miles were: 7:58, 7:38, 7:19, 7:24. Fastest 16 miler I've done in years.

Time: 5:55 M  Total Time:  2:10:43  (8:05 avg)

Temp:  79º   Humidity:  77%

Great day of rest, worship, rest, eating at Mimi's, and more rest.

We studied Pauls conversion experience on the road to Damascus. He encountered God in a very unique way. He was changed in a moment, having much more to learn, but was changed by the encounter. Too often today it seems people seek a religious experience but end up no different than before that experience. Left blind by the great light on the road, Paul spent the next three days in prayer & fasting. This was the beginning of his preparation for ministry...totally blind, totally dependent on God. Not a bad place to start. It seems way too often we consider ourselves wise and smart and not so much in need of God at all. It's well past time for us to get back on our knees, stop depending on what we see around us, and start seeking the One who can make us see clearly the things that really matter and the things which need to be changed.

I need to become as disciplined in my prayer & Bible study as I am in my running...

Ran with Mark this morning on our mini-hill neigborhood workout. We had a nice comfortable warm up and eased into the hills. Solid run, 6 church hill strides at the end. I did my last two barefoot which was fine other than the fact that the surface was much more rough than I thought so my left forefoot has like little blood blisters under the skin. I think I'll keep my shoes on unless I'm in my neighborhood or on softer surfaces (It seemed like the right thing to do at the time...).

Mark's total time was faster than mine and his distance farther. I'm not sure how that happened (I auto pause/resume my loaner Garmin, he starts & stops), but I'll put my results down just to stay on the conservative side.

Time: 6:42 am Total Time: 1:08:55 (8:00 avg)

Temp: 77 Humidity: 84%

Easy out and easy back.

Time: 5:58 am  Total Time: 58:11 (8:11 avg)

Temp: 76º  Humidity: 87%

Speed work today. Did one mile warm up, 5 mile tempo, 1 mile cool down. Tempo splits were as follows:

1. 7:17
2. 7:18
3. 7:18
4. 7:17
5. 7:16

The pace seemed fast but not strained. I had to stay focused to keep pace but it was a little like being in a grove. This is probably the closest my splits have ever been in a tempo by myself. I usually have trouble staying consistant. Warm up mile was close to 9 and cool down was around 8:30.

Time: 6:05 am   Total Time: 55:32 (7:46 avg)

Temp: 74º   Humidity: 96%

Recovery day from speedwork Wednesday. It actually felt good to go slow. I'm planning on a short run tomorrow with a friend who's just starting back running. That will give me a sixth day per week. We'll see how that works for a while.

Time: 5:53 am  Total Time: 58:36 (8:13 avg)

Temp: 77º  Humidity: 90%

Ran with Kelvin. He's just starting back running. We did a nice easy 3 miles and afterward did a walking cool down. Nice way to end the week.

Time: 6:00 am  Total Time: 28:48 (8:49 avg)

Temp: 80º  Humidity: 85%

Left from Long Leaf with Victoria, Jorge, Renee, and Katie. Wisely did our first two miles in 9 and 8:50 to give us a nice gradual warm up. We met up with David G and the Striders in the park. Most of the group had already left. Though I was scheduled to go 18 today, I felt really good, Renee & Katie were great company, so I just stayed with them and did 20.

We did a the last four miles all under 8 min. pace.

Thankfully the weather never played a limiting factor and my legs felt good the whole time. I really needed this run today as I was begining to get nervous about the "looong" runs in my training calendar. Today showed me that I really have no worries about the distance. Now I can just relax and work the plan these next 6 weeks.

Time: 5:29 am  Total Time:  2:44:52 (8:14 am)

Temp: 79º  Humidity:  87%

Ran by myself this morning as I have an early day at the office. Today was kind of a recovery day from the 20 on Saturday. I had a nice mile or two warm up and kept my pace in the comfortable zone. I didn't where a watch or a Garmin so I don't know exactly what my total time or pace was. I guess in some ways that's a good thing. I just ran.

Time: 5:15 am   Total Time: ???

Temp: 76º  Humidity: 92%

Still recovering but in a good way. I have a sore shin which I'm watching, icing, and trying to keep from becoming something more serious. Today was another easy day.

Time:  5:55 am  Total Time: 58:45 (8:15 avg)

Temp: 79º  Humidity:  84%

The lower humidity made today incredible. This is usually a speed day but this is my back down week so I was supposed to do another easy run. My warm up mile was an 8:29 and every mile there after was below 8. It felt good the entire time. I'm hoping this is where I'll be for the race in November...

Time: 6:24 am   Total Time:  57:03 (7:55 avg)

Temp:  74   Humidity: 73%

I was so sleepy this morning. The first two miles I was seriously considering heading home to get another 45 min. of sleep before starting the day. I kept going thinking I'd turn around at 3 miles and call it a day. I then thought "just keep running and you'll get home quicker so you can take a power nap." Before I knew it I was on my normal 8 mile route and just in a zone.

This cool weather is making easy runs faster than even race pace. Today my splits after the first mile were all under 8 min pace:

1. 8:32
2. 7:54
3. 7:51
4. 7:53
5. 7:56
6. 7:43
7. 7:56
8. 7:57

Time: 5:45 am  Total Time:1:06:09 (7:58 avg)

Temp:  75º   Humidity:  82%

Ran with Kelvin. Easy 4 miler. Felt a twinge and pain in my right lower calf. Iced and decided to bow out to the Saturday run.

Dad is in the hospital. This may be his last visit. I need to stay close.

Time:  5:57 am  Total Time: 33:34 (8:19 avg)

Temp: 75.9º  Humidity: 85%

No run today only rest. My father was in the hospital and at 4:39 PM this afternoon he took his last breath and left for eternity. He was 85 years old and though he never ran a step, he looked like a runner. He was a Christian. His eternal home is not in question. His death came peacefully and he was in no pain. We are blessed to have had him and blessed to be there in his final days. Today was a day for rest.

Ran the neighborhood of little hills with Mark P. Had a very nice, easy warm up. Just under 10 min. mile. This was perfect as I feared my calf would start hurting again. Ran 5 miles under 8 minutes with one just under 7. No church hill strides today. Wanted to make sure I finished without pain. The last half mile I started to feel my right calf tightening up. Back home to ice and drink my Tart Cherry to help ease any inflamation.

Great day to start the week. 

Time: 6:07 am  Total Time: 1:07:00  (8:03 avg)

Temp: 72º  Humidity: 87%

Sick and tired. Some kind of upper respiratory thing. Decided to get more rest and try again tomorrow.

Tempo run this morning. Kind of wondering what today would be like after skipping yesterday and still being sick. I had a very gradual warm up mile and hit the gas.

Tempo splits were:

1. 7:11
2. 6:53
3. 6:56
4. 7:04
5. 7:06
6. 7:10

I thought my first three were all under 7 but I guess an overall average of 7:03 for 6 miles is still a big improvement my last tempo of 7:11 for 5 miles.

Good day.

Time: 5:52 am   Total Time: 52:53 (7:23 avg)

Temp: 75º  Humidity: 85%

Recovery run from yesterday's speed work. Slept in this morning to catch up on rest. Ran this afternoon and it was brutal. The heat index was up around 97 but the actual temp was 91. I took it out easy, picked up in the middle and at the very end. Did two, 100 yd barefoot strides at the end.

Time:  4:05 pm  Total Time:  51:45 (8:12 avg)

Temp: 91º  Humidity:  45%

Ran the board walks & trails at John Chestnut Park with Kelvin. Easy run to finish up the week.

Time: 7:05  Total Time: 26:38 (8:50 avg)

Ran with Jorge, Victoria, Keith, Eudair, David J, from Longleaf. Ran 5 miles in the middle of the run between 7:34 and 7:55. Too fast for me in the middle of a long run. I paid the price late in the run and struggled to stay between 8:15 and 8:25 for the last four miles. I really just wanted to walk. I do not want to finish like that again. I've got to stay more disciplined early in the run and pull the trigger later. That is the only way I will survive a BQ attempt this fall.

Time: 5:15 am  Total Time: 2:36:15 (8:13 avg)

Temp: 77º  Humidity: 84%

Ran with Mark. Did the little hill route. Took it easy as both of us were still a little sore (well I was sore and Mark was just being nice).

Time: 6:12 am  Total Time:  1:06:43 (8:17 avg)

Temp: 75º  Humidity: 85%

Took it nice and slow today. After feeling so badly at the end of Saturday's run, I'm trying to slow down on easy days in order to run strong on fast days. Tomorrow's a fast day so...

Time: 5:37 am  Total Time: 1:17:27 (8:27 avg)

Temp: 78  Humidity: 87%

5 mile warm up (had to make a quick pit stop back at the house...) 3 X 1600 with 400 jogging recovery, 1 mile cool down.

Repeat splits:

1. 6:40
2. 6:34
3. 6:31

Time: 5:29 am  Total Time: 1:14:53 (7:58 avg)

Temp: 73º  Humidity: 85%

Could not sleep well. When the alarm went off finally, I had wakened numerous times through out the night thinking that I was hearing my alarm. I was just so tired tonight I decided to sleep till 6 am and run shorter than planned. With tomorrows run I'll still have my total mileage for the week.

Time: 6:26 am   Total Time: 51:54 (8:04 avg)(Mark, I really did run easy. I don't know how my average ended up around 8. I thought I was around 8:30. This was more of a recovery run).

Temp: 73º  Humidity: 87%