Checking the Tank

I was going to have a long run today, but my friends that live in Kenya are back in the states for 6 months or so and they just found out they had to move things today. So I was a good friend and helped them move this New Years Day and settled for a quick run instead. My legs felt very good and had some spring in them today. 

Today was a day to trudge... I was slow, well my pace was not awful (8:40) but I felt just dead. No energy. If I had to guess I would have said I was running 12 minute miles. Back to work schedules and cooler weather :( 

Busy busy day.... but ended well with a big Ohio State win! I am soooo beat ... yawn....

Pretty decent run. Still tired, but legs are getting some spring back. Big work meeting tomorrow so I hope to get a nice run in before! 

Got my run in - 20s and flurries- and now getting ready for my work meeting. Oh well, at least it is a good meal :) We are going to Mongolian BBQ, do not know if any of you have had it, but it is amazing and you can eat as much as you can. I do overeat on the meat there, but just cannot resist! 

Mid teens and snow today... slows me down, but a good morning nonetheless! Long day at work but looking forward to the weekend!

This was a long run. 16 degrees, snow, single digit wind chill (which I would not mention, but since there was a pretty constant 10-15 mph wind - I was feeling it) made my pace in the low 9's despite a good effort. Angel actually drove by and found me around mile 14 to make sure I was okay since I was gone so long. I admit it was nice, but made me laugh. Took me some time to thaw! 

Decent run today, but it was cold. More teens in the AM but I am finding that sweet spot of winter gear. I do miss just shorts and one shirt... but by then I will be upset with the heat :) 

Yet another winter weather advisory. I had to miss yesterdays run... bums me out. So today I ran... through lots of snow. Id say 4 miles through 4-6 inches of snow, 3 miles through 2-3 inches of snow and a few miles of little snow (and a few clear patches). So I know I am feeling the runs, but thats the problem, it feels like a workout and not a run. So I am getting tougher but not faster? Heck I don't know if the resistance pays off or not, but I do know it makes me run slow! 

Afterwards, I took the day off! :) I decided to play in the snow with my youngest daughter and that was great! I have a long day of work ahead of me tomorrow so... yeah...  

Up and out early today. Cold and more snow to plow through. Bought the farm around mile 3, did not see that ice! Ah we need to laugh at ourselves... Long but good day of work. 

Cold (shocker), but a little more clear to run.... not great, but better... Hoping Sat can be a good long run. I need to stretch my legs on a good long run and the snow just is not cooperating! Work was work, going out of town next week. 

Today I wanted to get a long run in and stretch my legs... neither happened. I was ready to roll last night. This morning I got up, feeling good. I putted around a bit before I went out and I then got the reminder that we had a mission meeting to go to. Ugh... so mentally everything changed - I had to hurry up and then I was wondering how many miles I could get in. All of that meant I started too fast and then just lost all momentum. Turned into one of those runs where I was thinking "Why didn't I take up cycling instead?" one of those where I was yelling at my self out loud while running. I did not scream, but I was telling myself to "get moving". Anyone else do that? I am odd I know. Well, the time for getting myself back in shape is coming very soon....  

Last day before heading to Chicago 

Running in Chicago last 3, but just got home. Good part was running with others, bad was meetings and they do not run near as far as me so my running is lacking. I would have run more, but with all day meetings it was not possible. Now I am home and there is a wind chill advisory. This is going to be a pathetic mileage week - I hope to get some weekend miles and and build up from there. I will catch up later... I am tired. 

With the temps less than 4 and wind chill advisory in the minus category... I opted for a day pass at the rec center about 10 minutes away. They have an indoor track so I could avoid the treadmill, but the track is 1/16th on a mile.... after the first 170 laps I was a little bored... Anyway, I hope things slow down some so I can get my running back on track. I did feel pretty good during the run...

Still just too much snow... I am getting soft... I went back to the track... ugh... used my ipod for the first time in over a year while I ran and that helped numb my mind to the pains of running in a circle... Legs felt decent, but now I have a huge blister on my middle toe- left foot! I am wondering if changing running surfaces helped contribute. 7:55/mile.  

Tonight I needed a little motivation (Thanks Cassie) to get my butt in gear. So after small meal I went back outside to my trusty cold weather route. Some of the snow is gone, but not all so that always slows me down. I also have a huge blister (I think blood blister since its red) on my left middle toe that is sore. I do not usually get them so I wonder running on that soft track contributed or just one of those things. I feel better now that I got my run in. 

Legs were tired and the foot hurts (stupid blister) and it was cold.... oh and still not totally clear to run with all the snow.... sure does not keep the motivation high, but miles are miles right now. 

Motivation is not my strong point right now... I need some warmer weather (not a ton, just 5 to 10 degrees) and a clear path to run  on.... On the bright side, I took advantage of running warehouse getting rid of the '10 model shoes and have some new shoes on the way for $46 - since mom gave me that prepaid visa it was prefect :) 

Slow run today... just like yesterday... tired 

Nice.... and cold - but overall everything was decent. Legs were not AS dead. Hopefully I can get some decent miles in tomorrow, but things have been so crazy that you can never tell!

A bit windy and a slight chill, but overall an ok day to run. Felt decent, just plugged away at some base miles. Busy night tonight, lots to do, yet I find myself watching Dr Who with the girls...

Do I even bother mentioning that it is cold? Well it is... So the first part of my run was par for the course, but then my legs actually did not feel so dead. They woke up and the last 5 miles felt better than the first. Yes, that was encouraging, but don't worry - we have a huge winter storm on the way in a few hours starting with all ice.... s

So how to get my run in.... We are in the middle of a winter storm. Not huge amounts of snow, just huge amounts of ice. This made running outside this morning and today simply impossible. Okay, no worries, just go to the rec center after work. Ummm no. They closed. As a matter of fact the gym by the house also closed due to the storm. Well I had a good day at work and was trying to figure out how to get a run in... I could run in place with the Wii Fit or Wii Active... nah... so I got out my old Nike+ and my house has a 'circle' from the kitchen, to dining room to front room and YES I made it my indoor track. Okay so it was small and strange and I rounded down with my Nike+ to account for discrepancies and there ya have it. A family who looked at dad very strange as he ran around the carpet..... runners are strange people. 

What a night. Big ice storm round 2. Tree limbs fell all over the area and we had some hit our house. That was going on all night so there was not much sleep to be had. I went in for a half day of work so I could make sure things were good there before I came home to assess any damage. I was happy to see that the damage to my daughters window was small and only to the storm windows so that is a huge plus. I was afraid there was roof damage as well as her window being crack, but we were fortunate not that have that damage :)

The rec center was open today so went there and I got to try out my new kicks. They felt very good and it was a good run. 7:40 pace.  

Having a running partner makes such a big difference. Good run at the rec center again. The weather was warm enough to run outside, yet there are zero clear paths - all are still ice covered and not just a little bit either. Cassie joined me today and was a trooper coming on and off the track. It would be nice to have someone to run with all the time. 

Another day at the indoor track. Another 'winter weather advisory' as we will put another 2-4 on this ice sheet we have out here already. The good news it is already Feb so not much longer to spring and then summer.... ugh summer... See wasn't that fun to dread the heat? Anyway, my left hamstring was a little tight today and never really loosened up - this made the run a bit more labored than usual. I was really tired and did not have it, so I toughed out the miles today. 8:21 avg pace (last few really slowed that up).

Traveled to Indiana for work today and then hit the road to southern Tennessee... will be in Alabama early in the AM. So I am beat when I got to the hotel but managed to drag myself to the hated treadmill. Splits- 9:15, 8:34, 8:31, 7:35, 7:31, 6:57, 7:31, 8:45 I hope I can drag myself there again tomorrow.  

Another day at the hotel treadmill... another long day of work on the road. 

Another day at the hotel treadmill.... blah... threw in a fast mile or two to remind my legs they can run... Splits 8:57, 8:53, 5:58, 7:30, 7:50, 8:30, 8:45, 8:57.... not sure how Kelli runs that treadmill so often.  

Back home after the long drive yesterday... hate missing runs, but with travels there was not much I could do. Oh well... soon this ice will be gone!! To the track this evening.... 

Soon I say, soon I can resume my normal running when this ice is gone. Back to the rec center. My toe has been hurting (big toe left foot) and It may become the 3rd black nail. Oh well. I did not have much in the tank early, but after about 4 miles my legs came back to me. Nothing special, just a good base run. 8:11 pace. 

Today was the first outdoor run in over a week! It is so much better. My feet felt a bit odd at first, but after the 2nd mile things were back to normal. Just a nice easy run today. Hope the weather keeps being this nice. 

A little less miles today, but thats okay since I did not have to run solo :) Thanks Cass- nice to have a running partner. Overall felt good and look forward to a good week. Sorry about the Chipotle :p

AM run 9 miles, 26 degrees and pretty nice. The ice has all but gone (cept on the trails - I should have included that in yesterdays blog, Cassie and I took off down the clear paved trail and it turned into dirt trails. Soft and muddy yes, but runnable. Then out of nowhere it is all ice for almost  a mile straight. We were taking bets as to who would face plant first, luckily neither of us did). This morning was a nice run though. 

PM run, 4 miles, easy. 61 degrees! Welcome to Ohio - what a great relaxing run. 

Another nice warm morning, high 40's... easy run today, just soaking it up :) 

Very pleasant morning. 6 Base miles followed up by 8x20s Strides @6:20 and finished w 2 miles 7:50, 7:48. Nothing special, just a nice morning to run. Off to work! 

40 and sunny. Good day for a long run. I did not want to get carried aways since I am just ramping the miles up for the first time in 2011, so every  4 miles or so I picked the pace up for a mile and dropped back into a nice steady pace. 

Miles 1-16 7:44 avg pace, last 4 miles cool down 8:27, 8:32, 8:33, 8:42. A little tired, but feeling pretty good. 

9 miles in a very cold wet rain... no complaints :) 

So the rain turned to ice. I got up early for my morning run and had to slow the pace quite a bit due to the ice. About 2 miles in it starts to snow and puts a dusting over the ice. So near mile 4 I bought the farm and hit my knee pretty good. Skinned it up, but good fortune that it is not hurt. Had to watch the stepping just to get back home and wrap up 5 miles. I wanted to run tonight, but it simply just did not work out. I am looking at the weather, hopefully I can get a break without ice tomorrow. 

Ran on the bike path close to my house. The ice is gone, but a little snow and a tad cold. I ran progressive splits until the last mile where I just slowed down to cool down. 8:58, 8:52, 8:50, 8:37, 8:15, 8:10, 7:34, 7:20, 8:30 Just a decent run, did not really push myself (did not want to fall again - no ice, but wet and snow can do it). 

9 Base miles today, a bit cold but the ice is gone! :) Lots of driving for work today, makes for a longer day. A little pain in my groin muscle today... hope that is not flaring up again. I mean its one thing to do core exercises to strengthen up the abs, but this bugs me... 

Ah what a morning. So I did not sleep the best, but thats is alright, got up a little after 5 to have my morning run. I read my chapter of Proverbs and start to get my running gear. I knew it was suppose to be cold and raining this morning, but that will not stop me. I noticed the rain was coming down and well... a little loud. It is then I realize it is ice coming down. I see the temp was colder than expected. Okay I wonder, can I make this run without falling? Eh one way to find out... then the boom. We have lighting. We have thunder. So yes, Ice, Rain, Below freezing, lightning and thunder... at 30 degrees. I think... Ok Lord, I am going back to bed. So I sleep for an hour and get ready for work. 

PM - Just some strides to loosen up and run tomorrow.  

Today was the first race of the year for me. Just a short 2 miler to get me focused and ready for spring. Last week I thought I was going to really push hard, but I decided yesterday to just run a solid pace for me and go with it. It snowed and iced like crazy yesterday am, but by the time today rolled around it was cleared off nicely so conditions were clear and about 30 so it felt fine. I also have that nagging groin muscle that keeps coming back to bother me. 

Not much of a race report to write up today, I was excited to race, but I figured out that I did not have much today. At least I thought. Mile 1 was pretty easy as I was testing my legs and they seemed fine, but I felt awfully slow. I do not know why, but I felt like I could not find my 'faster' gear. I did not even check my Garmin at mile 1 which was a mistake (explain later). There was a decent size group ahead of me which was a little discouraging because last years race results would have led me to believe I could hang in that top 5 area, so they were not elite. This year they were more than I knew. A few finished in under 10 minutes.

So since I felt like I was slower than expected I let up just a tad to make it a nice race, but not all out. Why this made sense, I am not sure. I know I did not want to pull something on the first race so maybe that was the mentality. I finished strong and was not depleted so that was good as I crossed at 12:44. So afterwards I checked my Garmin. Mile 1 was 6:04. I would have bet I was running 6:30 at best. If I had looked I know I am pretty stubborn and would have pushed awfully hard to hit anywhere in the 11's. What does this mean? Nothing I guess except I need to learn my pace by feel better, but honestly that is new territory for me (when going fast for me). So Mile 1 6:04, Mile 2 6:40

PM- slow run, legs not very responsive, but did not expect them to be. Maybe warm tomorrow! 

What a beautiful afternoon. I took full advantage of my daughters choir practice since there is a park up the road. Great trails to run on with rolling hills - good workout. Cassie you will need to come to Sugarcreek and run this trails with me, it is exactly what you like! 

Ran Sugar Creek Trails again - choose the trails with the river instead of crossing it since it was running pretty brisk with all the rain we got last night. Temps dropped and will again tonight. Oh well, soon enough we can have warmer weather, but then I will want to skip the summer heat. Good day. 

Busy busy day... ready for bed. Decent weather... decent run... 

Good run today, best I have felt this week. Another long day of work and looking at my pillow... 

Much better day of work, but it is going to be a crazy few weeks. Ran at the park today w a friend, always better when you have someone to run with!

Temps were fine, but it was a cold heavy rain today. Did some rescheduling at work for next week, but it still will be a long week- no worries, just will need to be up early each day to get  good run in. 

The local running store had a close out sale of last years models so I picked up a new pair of Mizuno's for cheap! That always makes me happy. I guess I should not break in shoes on a 18 miler, but eh, they need it. Had an early meeting, but then Cassie showed me her local bike path to run on. It was pretty nice, followed the river (of course with all the rain, the latter half of the path was closed so we did an out and back). She joined me for the 1st of 3 laps I ran. Let's see... saw a hawk twice withing 5 feet of me just sitting there and chilling out - never even thought about moving as I ran by. I also saw one angry squirrel. Seriously it look mad! I did not take squirrel culture (see 'Emperors New Groove') so I have no idea why it looked so mad. I know it wanted to take me out if I ran towards it. There was a muskrat swimming by the spill well and he was happy enough. Go figure. 

Anyway, decent temps, decided to rain after about 12 miles and then rain steady for the last 4 miles. Legs were pretty tired so kept a slower pace (8:39) until the last few miles where I ran harder.  8:03, 7:45, 8:02, but the 2 8's were on a steady incline with a strong headwind and driving rain, so the effort was there even if the clock says otherwise. Good day!  

Funny how when you get a few warm days it feels colder when the temps go back to the low 20s.... Legs felt ok, no watch- good morning.

Back was sore last night and was again this morning... I ran anyways, just pretty slow. I need a nap.

Cold rain this am. Back is still sore and frustrates me, but you have to deal with things. I pushed hard for a few miles, but then let up since my body just was not feeling it (back aches, calves tight).

41 this morning with a little wind. Did some 800m intervals 6:28, 6:27, 6:31 and 6:22, just wanted to get some work in as I will be increasing the quantity of these as my back pain goes away and the spring comes in :)

PM 5 miles (4 with Cassie - thanks!!) it was around 30 with a steady snow/sleet falling. It was either at our back or pelting us in the face! It was good to get out again though. 

A little icy and cold with the snow last night so a nice easy run was in order, back is feeling better... Not all the way, but better.

Had to get some work done this morning so I ran in the afternoon. It was good though since the cat woke us up at 4am getting sick...LOUD sick. Do not worry, the cat is fine and up to its usual nonsense. An added bonus was the temp was 60+ this afternoon :) The only downer was the 20mph wind w 35+ mph gusts.. Hey a little resistance and occasionally a little push in the back is not all bad! 

Good run, Most miles run at a base pace of 8:16, but every 5 miles I sped it up to see if I can narrow down my new MGP. So miles 5, 10, 15 and 20 were 7:05, 7:11, 7:11 and 7:13. Mile 20 was into the wind and ended with a pretty decent incline so for tired legs I was satisfied with it. 

Daughter had choir practice again, which allowed me to run a bit at the park. Sugar Creek - Green trails, tired but good. 

Huge day of work, quick am run

Not much in the tank today, tired legs

Legs still tired, but needed woke up and pushed a little. 8 miles, after 2 did some 800m intervals. 6:28, 6:26, 6:27, 6:23. Overall pace 7:47 otherwise. Long day of work, but ended great.Glad I did that. Hope to get things back to normal soon on my running schedule. 

March madness begins today!! Well it has been a fun day of basketball anyway.... Go Bucks! 9 Easy miles on a warm morning :)

Ah what a nice warm morning! I would it to stay this way or even a tad cooler... soon it will be too warm, but it was nice I just enjoyed my run. 6 base miles @ 8:44/mile and then 60-s strides @ 6:20, 7:09 (slipped), 5:48, 6:17, 6:06, 6:52 (uphill), 6:35, 5:50.

Decent cool morning to run. I started out with the intention to run 16 today. I rarely cut a run short because I feel I can push through. My body just was not responding today and I felt like I better stop or I may actually pull something. I think it is due to the long week and need a little more sleep. What I did run was ok, after 1.5 mile warm up, I wanted to run every other mile at my new MGP (7:15) So miles 2,4,6,8 &10  were at 7:13, 7:13, 7:17, 7:11, 7:09- of course this was meant to be for the whole 16. Oh well, I have been told over and over listen to my body and I felt like today I was. 

Travelling for work this week. I am in Jasper, Indiana. No TM at the hotel, but there is a cool running path about a half mile away. I saw 5 deer less than 5 feet from me and they just kept munching grass... I figured I was plotting along so loud they would scatter, but not at all. 

Ran the trail again, its pretty nice. Lots of runners out today. Had a side stitch on the left side for a mile and then it moved to the right for mile 2. Finally went away and the running resumed to normal. 

Funny how when its jan 30 feels warm and near the end of march 30 feels cold. I missed two days of running, 500+ miles of driving had a bunch to do with it as did 2 hours of sleep one night. Hope it does not throw me off. 

This has to be my worst run of the year. I simply could not get my legs under me if that makes any sense. I had no strength, legs were sore, no speed, nada. I really had to just trudge. I have felt this way for recovery runs, but that can be expected, I did not expect this for a Saturday run. I can't help but wonder if all the driving (mad my legs stiff) or perhaps the sleep/diet had an effect.

I had one of my youth to council this afternoon so I had to cut a few miles off the run, but that does not bother me, it is a good thing. 

Decided that I needed to work out instead of run today- I have not worked my core muscles enough recently.

P90x- Core Synergistics (1 hour) 

Continuing my workouts for some time. 

P90x- Cardio X - then a nice 8 mile base run. Big work week, have a lot to cram in!  

Snow.... seriously ran while it was snowing pretty darn hard. No accumulation or ice, so no real worries. Today was the best I felt running in quite some time. No, not the fastest, but it just felt good. AM- P90X Shoulders and Arms + Ab Ripper X. I always ate like a horse, but now that I added these, I am going to break our budget on food!

Warmer day, close to 50. I missed yesterday - no details, but I am hoping that as April has broken through that I can get back in the groove and set some PR's this year. 

Legs and Back & Ab Ripper X- P90x

8 miles, felt good. That actually makes me happy since 2 days ago it felt good too. After the blah running I had before it is most welcome.  

Kenpo X in the am for an hour. 8 miles in the afternoon, and once again it felt good. This routine is an experiment by me, but I think I will be using it for a little while if it is going to keep my running feeling good even if my miles may be down for a few weeks. Had missionary friends in from Kenya, Jordan and South America - was nice to see and talk to them all. 

Sun is my day normal day off - It was so nice I wanted to just get the blood flowing and clear the mind. 7 Easy. 

8 mile run- it was 70!!! (that is too warm for me, but I am not complaining) + Core Synergistics 

From 70 to 38! is that good or bad? eh no worries. No watch, but a good run, felt good despite my sore throat and cough (allergies... at least I think so... I have not been sick in almost 3 years... maybe I am catching something). Cardio X + 8 miles 

Its official, its not just allergies, I am sick. Got my run in early and then realized I had a small fever. I worked only a short time and came home early - first time in over two years that I missed any work for me being sick - or just flat out being sick for that matter - (not the kids ha!) Wanted to do my workout as well, but the body aches were too much. Hope I can get some strength and energy back for tomorrow. 

Sick. blah. Got some energy back near the end of the day and vanished for a quick run... don't tell... 

Feeling better earlier today.... Feeling not so well now.. so I just ran short and fast (for me)... 6:37 pace 

Sick

Feeling a bit better - crazy busy day, but managed to get outside and run as my daughter rode her bike till she was tired. Also did Core Synergistics.  

Good to get out. The last several days of my runs were 72, 60, 38, 36, 52, 84 and today a 56 with a cool rain. No real complaints since I am really starting feel better despite that lingering cough - it just can be tough dressing right! Anyway, nice run, saw 3 deer and some other things of interest :)  

Nice sunny, 55 degrees. A bit of a tempo run - Started at a nice easy pace, middle of the run was the fastest then slowed down the last 1.75. I would give you splits, but no Garmin - ran totally on what I felt, but I can tell you the ave pace 8:05 for the whole run. So nothing impressive. PM workout (which included taking apart a bunk bed and then re-assembling it...kids) 

Pleasant weather to run in. Shoulders and Arms +Ab Ripper X + 8 mile run. Feel pretty good... work was a little long today, but tomorrow should be better - I would like to get up and work out elsewhere in the am, but that is not going to work out - so I have to go to plan B. 

50 degree peaceful morning run... 

Mid 60's run. Still no Garmin which is a blessing and a curse - either way my mind wandered during the entire run. A little sore today so I opted to skip the P90 for a change because I wanted to keep my run. 

51 today with a steady rain and headwind (with some strong gusts). Today was a good run. Although it was not blazing fast or anything special, it is the first long run in quite some time that actually felt good. The last several I felt like I was sick, or struggling or just did not have it. It was nice to feel good during the run. 8:01 avg pace - I have no splits and ran by feel (no garmin, just stopwatch) which I was happy with considering the conditions outside. 

61- very nice Sunday afternoon. Had to pack for my trip... rush rush 

So at the hotel, north of Detroit. Its 67 back home and I am in a winter weather advisory. Ok nice. So off to the treadmill. I looked at it and said eh- I will do an easy few miles and then use one of these preset runs. The 60 minute one looks fine, I mean I am looking for an easy run so that would be fine. Its starts off like expected, 4.5 mph for a minute and then 5.0 for a minute, the 5.5 for a minute raising the grade to 2%. I am thinking, okay I wanted easy, but this is too easy... but I wait a few and then it jumps to 7.5 mph... okay now I am moving and the 2% grade made it not so easy. Then every minute the grade changes. 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 3%, 2%, 3%, 4% - you get the idea. Well after 20 minutes it got pretty darn challenging for that easy run I thought I was having as it went 5%, 6%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 6%, 7%... you get the idea again... it finally got down to the 4% and less in the last 7 minutes. So it was a pretty good run since it kept me on my toes (while I tried to watch the game show network). 

8 easy on the TM... watched Basketball playoffs since nothing exciting was on the game show network tonight

Another day on the Treadmill in D-town. Looking forward to getting back to Ohio and off the treadmill.... but I will rather miss the game show network while running :) 

Rainy run... my legs always feel weird after running on a treadmill for a few days and then back to the roads. Wonder why that is. I'm tired from travels. 

Took a new route today, liked the benefit that came with that. The run was pretty progressive until a side pain, not sure what that was all about. It was not a side stitch, just a pain higher up, almost under the arm. Faded after a bit. Light rain felt good. 

Took the last 2 days off running and did mainly core workouts. My groin muscle is giving me trouble again and even was walking with a bit of a limp yesterday. I am not sure what to try next. I will continue to do exercises, use ice and rest when possible, but it is very annoying. Wonderful day to run. AM 8  and PM 4 - great weather as the storms held up for the day. I am trying not to complain, I am thankful for everything, just hard when I want to take things to the next level but get held up by my own body. 

What a fun morning to run. It started clear. Nice cool drizzle by mile 4 which turned into a stead heavy ran by mile 6. The last mile and a half were ran in a huge downpour... I loved it!  I wanted to get more miles in today, but it was a busy day. 

AM 8 - good run, peaceful morning, a few degrees cooler than yesterday but all dry... 

PM 4 - got a break just before sunset and ran just after the rain and ran with a very bright rainbow! It was vibrant and just made the evening run go very well.  

Cool and crisp, good morning to run even if I had to throw on the $1 gloves. 

internet was down for the weekend... so back in action. Crazy busy weekend, but have some things to look forward too :) Legs felt decent, short run in the rain. 7:20/mile 

Nice day for a run - 57 and felt good. Forget the watch and the time- just felt good to run for the love of running. 

Wanted more- time prevented that.... hope to get some two for one's in the next few days... 8:16

Cool crisp 35 AM (8) run

PM 4 easy  

Better run today. Been such a busy week, looking forward to a break. 8 AM, 4 PM. 

Relaxed run today, just debating some options in my head. 61 during the run.... a bit warm but I really cannot complain at all. Going to check out how everyone did today. 

Warm day, good crisp run. Swallowed the first bug of the season and ran by the first bee hive of the year. They were pretty aggressive... I will have to take a wide turn in the days to come. 

Good run. A little warm for the AM 8, but a nice cool breeze. I remember to run wide of the bees nest today :) 

PM quick 4, 86 degrees, too hot for me... so I ran it faster to get back in! Maybe not the smartest thing.  

late day, decent run 

Running.. different today. Started out, legs tired- left foot hurt a little. Pain left by mile 2 as I drifted into thought. Saw a crow eating a dead rabbit, that put me back, at least enough to avoid the bees. Overall warm for me but run turned out decent. 

A little later start for my longer run today since the oldest works and helps out at a horse camp.  A little light rain on and off throughout the run. After warming up to some Cardio X my legs felt good to hold a better pace today, nothing blazing but a good steady run. That was until about 15 miles in, when I got the great idea to take a detour on my route and run the nearby hills on tired legs. Yes, THOSE HILLS (one person here knows what I am talking about, they are quite challenging), so mile 15+-19+ were hill running and although it really pulled down my overall time, it was worth it to me and hope it strengthens my late race endurance. I really would like to know my splits, but still Garmin-less so I have my overall pace at 8:16/mile - however I know the first 15 were well below 8 after throwing a few projections on what I ran those hills at. Yard work to come! 

Okay so I over did the ground cultivating on Saturday.... my back is killing me. I could not run this morning even though I tried. Evening was not much better, but it loosened up a tad. I hope I can get some miles in tomorrow. AM .75 PM 3.5

Could not run this am, back was too sore, after work was able to loosen up just enough to get 4 in. Hope tomorrow is better.

AM- got up and I thought after a quarter mile I was going to have to pack it in due to the back bothering me again, but it did loosen up a tad to let me get 3 miles in. PM- better. not good, but better, allowed me to run 6. Tomorrow I have an all day event with teens at Kings Island (Amusement park- roller coasters baby!) so I hope the back is even better. I will try a morning run before we leave to loosen it up. 

Back is sore, but each morning a tad more forgiving. Today it allowed a nice easy 4- I probably could have pushed a little further, but I want it better and with the rest of today walking around and riding coasters (I am so not missing that...back or no back) I think it was the right amount of running. 

What a fun day at Kings Island. The youth loved it and I am a junkie when it comes to thrill rides. My back made it just fine and is a little better today. I hope it is 100% in a few days. 

AM- 6 miles, there are so many ducks around the area it is crazy... all the rain we had makes me wonder if they have set up nests around here. PM- 5 miles, a little warm for me, but good after the monster day of work and I still have things that need finished.  

AM 12 miles. I got started later than normal, which meant 80 and just plain ol hot for me. I was sapped very early in my run, but that was okay since my week was spent trying to the back feeling well enough to run and, well, put shoes and socks on with out hurting :) 

PM 3 miles. I found the legs I lost this morning. Just wanted to stretch some more.  

Heading out of town to PA for some work early tomorrow so I thought I would start me day off with some light miles since last week was a bummer for running. Nice and early and a fair 65 to run :) 

In PA, catching up with the hotel wifi. So Monday morning, my 4:30am run before I hit the road got snuffed out. I got up and boom... hail.... boom lightning... ummm ok so I hit the shower and the road and managed to get 6 tm miles in last night. Today up early and did 5am miles on the tm with some sub 6 striders. Good day of audits, then to Youngstown. Ran outside here with no tm available, 6 base this evening. 

Work up a little late (5am) and had a decent drive this morning, so I went out for a quick mile. I caught a little time before dinner for a short 5. Legs just did not feel right today, not really sure why. 

Driving yesterday, no running- with work I needed a day off anyway. Today, 60's, misty rain in the am- felt good. AM 6.65  miles. PM- 6.3 miles, a bit brisker pace, sometimes ya just gotta move faster :) 

Felt decent today, probably because I was able to get out early in the nice 58 degree morning air. One can get used to that. I still have that lingering back issue, but hope it continues to get better as it makes it a literal pain just getting shoes and socks on. Nice relaxed 16, avg 8:15 pace.

The oldest has some friends coming over so we can have some fun with animated movies... today is Megamind. We are strange, but we love laughing at those things. 

Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday. I certainly enjoyed the day off work, did some fun cooking and had Chipotle to boot. AM 6 miles, nice at 68 degrees, LOTS of walkers out this early morning. PM 5 brisk miles, had a bike pacer - 88 degrees....at least the humidity was not horrid. Sleeping in the tent with my 10 year old tonight, she is so excited about it. I have tomorrow off too so we will have fun with it. 

I am happy to say I survived the camping out with Aly. She's a ton of fun, as many kids are- reading out loud and snacks in the tent have a new meaning because they are 'outside'. Amazing how little noises outside bring out the imagination. It was warm for me, but I slept well and work early for my AM run. 72 and 100% humidity... ouch... 6 miles. PM 88, less humid but felt like mid 90's. Wet wet wet.... 

73/90% Tired this morning, couldn't tell if I was just tired or if the humidity was just making it harder, but it was better than yesterday. Miles 1-4 we fairly easy pace, did some 15s striders to loosen up. Miles 4-7 were all fartlek at a good intensity, trying to push hard. Miles 8-12 aerobic miles to cooldown... or was that heat up.

Great morning to run. At the risk of bloggers coming to Ohio and beating me, I will go ahead and say it.... AM 6 miles... 58 degrees. 

Too bad it was just a recovery run, would have loved to dome some speed work there. PM- 5 miles and a nice mild 75/60% . The fun part is I had a pacer on the bike. Neither of us had any way to tell how fast we were going, but miles 3-4 we 'raced' and I flat out ran hard. I keep thinking it was sub.... well no matter, I have no way to verify it! Fun though since I caught the bike before the mile marker :) 

Another fabulous morning to run. AM 6 miles 6x20s striders. PM 4 miles, hills. Overall good running day. longer day at work but had its great moments too. 

Ok run, maybe the legs were a little slow. Originally wanted to run a little more, but volunteered to help mulch at the church this morning. Had to leave pretty early and chose to sleep a little extra and start running at 5am.  All and all good day, just that was a whole lotta mulch and more work to do....  

6 early, decent weather, but not much energy... what do you expect for a Monday morning :) 

PM- 5, although hot (88) I felt pretty good, 7:45/m Kids treated me well, got me dinner out and enjoyed Doctor Who with them. We are almost caught up with the season, only a few behind and have become quite attached to that show.  

AM 70/95% 6 wet miles. Warmed up with Cardio X and then a decent run, 6x20s striders. A little late start to work so I had to work pretty hard but it was worth it. 

PM 89, warm, 5 miles. 8/mile. Went the the farmers market and bought a few odds and ends. I am a fan of organic food, but it is pricey compared to regular. Pork and pasta stir fry, yum-o. 

71/99%... not ideal for running but attempted to make the most of it :) I had a project day at work so I needed to get in early. Power washing and cleaning...

Run- after 6 base miles ran 4 miles of hill sprints (8 repeats in all) - tough incline, very challenging and I was toast after that- wet toast.  

AM 75/70% Much better temps to run in. 6 miles, recovery run. Lot's of bunnies and ducks again. I always find in funny how the ducks and geese stand their ground. 

PM 84/50% Decent, but longer day at work. Had to change my schedule up as I am now headed out of town Monday for work. Nice easy evening run, but I think I ate too soon before running.  

AM 68/100% - Ran between storms, humid humid humid... 6x20s Striders to get going- More later PM Lot's a prep for work to be ready to head out of town Monday. 86-hot 5 more wet miles, but its all good :)

Wanted to get out before the heat rolled in, but when the alarm went off there was a lightning storm. So I slept an extra hour, got up, legs felt tired so I warmed up with some Cardio X. Another start at 100% humidity, but despite that it did not feel so bad at the start... eventually it kinda sapped me toward the end, but overall felt okay. Miles 1-6 were quickish and felt good, 6- 12 were rolling hills (+/- 250ft, most around 4-5%, but some areas at 8%), and 12-20+ were progressive... progressively slower that is. Really after 17/18 I did not have much in the tank so I just ran it out best I could.

A lot of races going on today, hope a lot of PR's are set! 

Don't run very many Sunday's but I know I am leaving early Monday so I wanted to get some miles in. 

On the road, in eastern Ohio, nice cool evening to run. Used map my run to plot the roads around the hotel. Feel good. 

AM- Cool morning, felt nice, up very early ran 5 miles in youngstown on the roads. 

PM- After work and travelling west a few hours, found a pretty nice bike path just 2 miles away from the hotel. 6 miles, some hills 7:17 pace. Nice evening run, saw a deer and some turtles! No geese yet, but I will keep you posted :) 

PM- nice weather again, ran the metropark near the hotel. So the first 6 miles had plenty of people, bikes, dogs etc on it, but none of the cool wild life like yesterday. I kept the base fairly easy but steady for the first 6 and then picked up the pace a bit for the last 6.

So mile 6 is where the trail ends so I headed back to where I parked... and things got very cool. Miles 6-7 rounded the bend and a deer is on the trail.  Cool. I got about 2 feet from her, she jumps and then for maybe 1/8 a mile she runs with me- I thought she wanted to pace me or race at first then she darted off into the woods. Miles 7-8, 2 more deer, right off the path- bucks this time, pretty close. Miles 8-9 A skunk... yes skunk crossed the path in front of me. I was like WOAH. luckily it ran off the other way. Miles 9-10, tons of birds for some reason and then a bright blue hummingbird is hovering by a flower right next to the path, slow motion - matrix like. Kinda cool. That was the closest I got to anything in the geese family (ahem). Miles 10-11 yet another deer, but this time there were other people around on the bike path and loud kids yelling DEER and bang bang bang.... Miles 11-12... nadda but I could smell skunk! Good run. Total avg 7:55/mile. No idea of splits. I should have a new Garmin waiting for me when I get home. That will be nice. 

AM- Alarm set for 5 to get my morning run in around the hotel before work. Woke up and felt like I must be late. It was only 4am so I was like 'cool' another hour. Put my head down and my alarm goes off. I swear that was the fastest hour in history. I hit snooze 3 times and went out. My legs were tired and feet were sore. 3.6 easy. 

After work, drove home, took about 4 hours. PM- 7 easy miles. Back to the old routes! Change is nice, but so is running where you know all the turns and mile marks.  My Garmin arrived while I was gone, so I will break it out tomorrow. 

back home as is the high (98%) humidity - 6 Miles early- Decent day today, picked up the youngest at horse camp. She really likes the activity and the horses. 

PM- 86- 5 Relaxed miles. Too warm for me, but since my mind was elsewhere it went fairly quick.  

AM- So we had an am wedding to go to. It is the first time I went to wedding in the morning. So another early Saturday run.  It was the 2nd day I used my new Garmin. Amazon had one of those one day specials and I had a gift card so I went from my dead 305 to a new 405cx. It is to early to say, but so far I certainly like the 405 better. It picks up the satellite much faster, the band is more comfortable and I love being able to program the runs from the computer and import them to the Garmin. The bezel is harder to use, but I like locking it during the run. Honestly I am just happy to be able to see my splits again instead of just knowing the overall run. 15 Miles, 2MWU and then every other mile @ MGP (7:15), 3 mile cooldown. Temps 70/100% - I am telling you that just saps me. By the end I was soaked (no it was not raining!) and out of energy. Quick to the wedding.... 

PM- after the wedding, which was long, but my girls just love having a reason to dress up! They grow so fast. 3.67 miles nice and easy. The humidity dropped to... 97%. Made dinner- Spicy Chicken Stir Fry, Scratch Mashed Taters (add a cup or two of warm  heavy cream with the butter when you mash them!)  and baked plantains, yum, love those. 

AM- We had a dense fog advisory... so I ran through that- I will let you calculate the humidity in that yourself. 6 miles, slow recovery. Off to work... 

PM- Had some company on bikes and it was a bit cooler so that was nice. I figured I would take it slow, but it turned into progressive splits with me pacing the bikers until the last mile. I ran fairly hard (but not all out by any means) distancing myself from them a little. In fairness they stopped at stop signs and I ran through them. 5 Miles.  

AM- 70/100% tired this am- hit the snooze a few times even. Pretty easy run, threw in 8x20s Strides to try and loosen up the legs. 

PM- 85/90% After work, legs still tired, although I ran too soon after I ate because of incoming storms and I wanted to get the run in. Seeing the clouds roll in from the distance- always reminds me of the awesome creation we are a part of.  

AM- oppressive humidity today (100%)- normally run more on wed am, but wanted to do what Sasha suggested -

Sasha- here are the results, they are a bit embarrassing since I  could not hold it over a mile today. I warmed up for 2 miles - here are the 1/4 mile spilts

.25 6:01 Avg HR 147 Max 163

.5  6:00 Avg HR 167 Max 170

.75 6:03 Avg HR 171 Max 173

1 6:02 Avg HR 173 Max 174

I kept going but could not hold the pace @ 6 any more- humidity was brutal this morning but I am offering no excuses. Look forward to your advice. 

PM- 81/82% 6.5 easy. JG thanks for commenting because after looking over so many blogs I always felt like I was the only one who would lose it like that, not to mention so many fast people here! The 5th split, I was around 6:20 at 1/8th mile in and knew I could not get it back down so I slowed up into easy mode. 

AM- another 100% humid morning but the temp was cooler and a slight breeze made it nice. Easy 6. Up early, preparing for a manager that I need to train. Bottom of my left foot has been bother me (aka it hurts). It usually feels better in the first 1/4 mile but today took a few miles to go away. Hope it is nothing that will side track me. I am wondering if I need new shoes.  

PM- rush rush- relaxed 5 miles. Felt better.  

My friends from Kenya are moving back soon and need help moving tomorrow morning so I figured I would get up early and do my long run today, that way I can run tomorrow without thinking about if I am going to some long miles in. Decided to run every 5th mile at MGP today, and while I may have been more aggressive, I was sooo tired when I woke up I wanted to just fall back in bed so I went with that game plan. AM- some CardioX to get the heart rate up and then Miles 1-4, 5-9, 10-14 and 15-19 were my normal aerobic base pace (varying from 8:15-9) and my MGP (7:15) splits were Miles: 4-5 7:11 9-10: 7: 02 14-15 7:05 19-20 7:13 

AM- early before helping my friends move. 6 very easy miles.

PM- Quick run before dinner, friends are here for the night as they will be seeing some family next week. Fast pace, felt good.  

AM- Humid, but cooler, early 6 miles at an early pace. We started VBS this week, I am the 'bad guy' in the skits- I do have fun with drama :) Kids are a riot during these things anyway so it is all for good! After today getting a second run in will be challenging or very late. 

PM- a little too warm for my taste but overall a decent time to run. 7 Miles- 3 easy and the next 3 progressively faster (7:55, 7:49, 6:36). Last mile moderate cool down.  Looking at the Nike's, they are about wore out. I probably should not wear them anymore, that may be leading to my foot pain. 

AM- easy 6, muggy.... I know, boring. Had a love affair with my snooze button though- VBS can wear one out. 

PM- Ran the sugar creek trails by the church- was lucky to get this one in :) These are no easy trails and include rock hops across the river and up some hefty inclines-  avg pace 8:24- and although that may not sound special, for these trails it was. Usually I avg over 9 on these specific trails so I was quite pleased with that. VBS was a BLAST tonight. I had my 'bad guy, evil genius' monologue which was great. My oldest is helping with it, and doing the video editing. Maybe I can post a small clip this week- love when the kids are really into it. 

Early- Cooler temps :) Was going to run 8x800 HMP intervals, but when you keep running through it or are in la la land and don't here the beep you run 4x1600 ones instead. Legs were a little tired from the trails yesterday, but I did not want to give up my intervals so I just made the recoveries the same distance. 2M WU- Interval splits- 6:58, 6:57, 6:58, 6:56 nothing epic, but is pretty close to where I wanted them for now. 

PM-VBS was fun again!  

AM-6 easy- afternoon quick 5 then off to VBS-  Here is a short clip- the front part is missing- simply I was pouring water out of a flask and then the 1st and 3rd cup turned pink while 2nd and 4th stayed clear water (gotta know your acids and bases)- watch the flask close at the end- kids were impressed. Oh and I am the mad scientist if you did not gather that (and that is a wig lol), but the bow tie is real... bow ties are cool...  

AM - warm/humid. Late start, had a rough night sleeping. I usually remember like 1 dream every 8-12 months. Well last night was one... it was bad. I can't recall a nightmare like this since I was like 8. I was up from 2 to 4am messing with my ipod since I could not go back to sleep. I am sure that too much info, but it led to a tired and later am run. 2m warm up then 7:39/7:30/7:08 and 7:58 cool down. Ended up taking a half day of work. 

PM- Took Aly to the running store. She has ran 5 times now (every other day, about 1/2 mile running 1 1/2 walking) doing the walk to run to break her in. She used her own money for running clothes so I bought her (and me) some new running shoes. I may have a runner in the family some day after all :) 5 Easy Miles.  

Ugh oppressive - this took more effort than the 20 miler last week. I got up to run early at 6. 6:30 thunder was rumbling and the radar showed a lighting storm rolling in so I had to wait a few hours. 75/99% humidity - not ideal running conditions. The good news is I got some new kicks and what better way to break them in! I really liked the original Kinvara (600 miles!) and took too long to get some new ones. I was time to put some old shoes to rest. 

Miles 1-3 WU 8:37 Miles 4-13 MP 7:36 Miles 13-14.25 MGP 7:15 (I would have pushed this pace had the conditions been more ideal, legs were there)-16 CD Overall 7:50

Just a short run to keep my legs loose for Monday

When I got up this morning I was happy to see it overcast since Sat & Sun were so humid. Got to the race and met my friends there (one of the ones from Kenya heading back tomorrow AM) and there were a few other friends (from Jordan and heading back August) that I did not know were going to be there that we got to chat with. 

The race is pretty well organized (I ran it last year) with a larger crowd- 1299 racers. I felt good this morning, and although it was 90% humidity the sun was covered by the clouds so it was 71ish at race time and it just felt better. Oh, you know what, I do love the singing of the anthem before the run - just fitting any time, but more so on the 4th. 

When the race started I wanted to keep a controlled pace since I am bad about running to hard to soon, so I set my alarm to warn me if I was going to fast or slow for that first mile. I also tried that Gatorade Prime or whatever is it called. Tasted good, that was all that mattered for me :)

Mile 1 – 6:26 Pace. Amazed that ended up there. One thing I about 5K’s is the number of people who start near the line that everyone has to weave around. The kids and the adults both, I wouldn’t call it annoying, but it does make it difficult when your trying to pace. Anyway, I finally get past the weaving and I hear my watch- yes I know I am going to slow, weaving does that. After the 3^rd beep I look down and I am too fast, not too slow. Oops. Of course I over compensate and then I am running to slow…

Mile 2- 6:20 Pace. I was happy with this mile since the first half was down hill and the second half was up hill and I was able to maintain a pretty steady pace.

Mile 3- 6:16 Pace. Mainly up hill, it was getting a little hard, but when you can see the finish line, even though it was a good half mile out it gives you confidence.

Mile .11? – 5:12 Pace. I had some kick left, not a lot, but some which made me happy because usually I am dogging that last bit of a 5K. 

So a good race with friends, a PR of 19:36 and felt good at the end. I am eating good today!