Checking the Tank

So my goal has been to get back to the starting ever since the trifecta of injuries starting as far back as 2011. The last 5K I ran was 2012. In 2015 I ran 1500 miles, most in the last half so I finally felt like I could 'race' a 5K and hope to do an April marathon.

I am mixed on how I feel. It was 26 degrees with wind chill in the teens. The course was NOT favorable and the cold win against us. I checked who was there and some local elites came out. The best time was 20 flat from a guy that is WAY faster than that. So I am trying to keep my feelings in check because I hate my time. Yet people are telling me how solid a run it is for that course and weather and previous years results (by good runners) seem to support that. I just am trying to be patient with my comeback and yet I want my old times back an more. I guess I am being selfish. Maybe I am just mad because I started too fast and the mile 2 hill ate up my mile 3 comeback.... on the positive.. I am SO THANKFUL to actually run a race again - PAIN FREE. Well except the breathing. That was painful. Garmin splits- well they add up right, but even though it was a head wind/hill mile 2 the gaps seem huge. Mile 1 5:46 flat/head wind Mile 2 8:15 uphill/wind Mile 3 downhill 6:58 The .11 was 46s (7 pace).

Cold 25, slog recovery run. Just wanted to get out for an easy 12. A few more runners out today that I have never seen before. Then I remembered the date. Resolutions abound. Time to play some lego dimensions.

26 cold. Snow flurries. Relaxed run. Lots of cars out on this first Monday of the New Year. Off to work, trying not to think of all that needs caught up on.

If I was not awake when I woke up, I certainly was when I stepped outside. 13 Degrees was brisk this morning. I layed up for it, but even with my good cold weather gloves it took a few miles until my fingers were ok. 7.5 miles, 9 striders (30s each). 

Passed people waiting for the bus. Funny they looked at me like I was crazy, but I looked at them like they were crazy. Standing out there in the cold waiting for a bus. Also came behind to girls walking and although I tried to be loud, they did not hear me. The screams made me pick up the pace. 

Quick run after work. Not much time. 32 felt so much warmer. 7:36 AP

19 and calm. 8 Miles  around the big block. Needed longer hot shower. 

34 with a steady freezing rain. Might get into the 40's for tomorrows run before dropping back down. That will be welcome. Wanted to get some striders in, but caution won out today. 

GREAT running temps today. 52. If you have seen my week this was most welcome. I know it will get cold next week, but who cares. I didn't even mind the brisk headwind. Good jump on the day and hope to run some speaker wire behing the walls today for my speakers.  

20 and cold wind. Snow and ice made the run with forced farleks so to speak. Slow on ice, fast when it was clear. Winter weather advisory should make tomorrow fun. 

29 and winter advisory. 1/2 in of snow on the ground at the start of the run, 3 inches by then end. The wind was 20mph with 30 gusts, made it difficult. Good resistance run. 

AM- 22 warming up from yesterday. 7.3 - snow and ice, lots of effort to just hover at a 10/mile pace. 

PM- 40 Much better with snow clearing. 

40 which felt VERY warm. Huge day of work which was unfortunate because I would have ran longer.

32 degrees, but COLD wind. Flurries throughout and brisk wind left me chilled. Ice patches kept my pace around 9 which is not want I wanted. That is OK though I will take the base run. Also got my smoothie afterward. The guy asked if I was running for 3 hours. I said yes how did you know, he said "I passed you on the way here when it was dark, I thought I would see you 2 hours earlier." I like that guy. No runners discount though.

3 Degrees. -17 Windchill. Wind Chill adversary said it felt -24. Nonsense. -20 at best. Luckily I only had a short run planned. Tomorrow looks to be the same and need more miles. Hello layers. Side note- I know it is holiday so some people are off work (not me, but I'm not bitter, no) but the bus stops were empty! 

The good news it that it is almost twice as warm as yesterday. So yeah 6 degrees at start and 5 when I finished. -14 WC with another wind chill warning. I have to do some training today so stopped at 7. Layering up makes it difficult to do speed work. 

22. So A lot warmer, but snow and ice like crazy. Lots of effort for just 7.5. I am not sure what I would rather have - snow and ice or bitter cold

Bike path. I think. It had lots of snow on it. 7 deer spotted. 24 degrees. Good resistance run. Vote still isnt in if I would rather have a mon/tue run OR a wed/thur run.

23 and more snow and ice to run in. Striders were tough and wind was brutal. My body was more red today than Monday as the wind was cutting through me today. Travels are soon, might get some better weather to train in. 

Holy windy run Batman! 22 with more snow and ice. Ohio is not a part of the winter storm, but wow the wind was killer. 25 MPH gusts were frequent and cut through me today. I was very chilled and ice kept my pace slow. I ran more hours this week than the last 3, but ended up with less miles. I guess the bright side is that it wasn't 3 again. 

35, sunny, good afternoon run

AM- 22, 7.1 very early. Then on the road for work.

PM- 7 on the hotel treadmill. While I do not like treamills, it was a nice break from the elements. 

Hotel Work. Only had time for this. 7:59, 6:57

On the road to FL.... 4. 3 @ mp

FInally at Siesta Key. Here for 6 days for some much needed unplugging. It was very nice to run on 62 degrees after all the winter runs. 8:11/mile. 

In siesta. 56 at the start 66 at the finish. Humidity was not too bad around 50% and like I siad before getting a break from the cold has been nice. 20 miles, 4 MP in there. 8:58 overall. 

Lots of bikes and runners out there today. Ran into a girl who was from Ohio and running Birmingham Marathon in a week or 2. Small place. Lots of cool shops and thanks to the circle K for the bathroom use. The big public beach area had water fountains and that was a HUGE plus. I was getting tired around 17 and I knew it. I did my best to keep my motivation up and the good Lord saw fit to help at mile 18. Around 18 and 1/4 a big yellow jacket decided he wanted to hang on my leg. A few jumps as if I were on fire, a swat of my hand a stomp of my foot and the crisis was solved. Yes, many eyes were on me at that point. You're welcome. 

Recovery run. Still felt good. 8:55

72 90%  LEAD LEGS. Really slowed me down. I wonder if this means I am related to Superman. 

Getting warm down here. 64/64/100%.Lots of fog this morning. Base run, 10x30s striders @ sub 5K pace. 90s recoveries. A few days left of unplugging then back to Ohio. 

Last full day in Siesta. Going to soak it up. Even with not the best running weather I will take it over work! All good things...

72/72/96%. The classic. 10 mile warm up. 6 x 3 Min @ 6:50ish w. 2 Min recoveries. 

2 Mile strecth out before the 16.5 hour drive. Ugh. Humid. Good week at Siesta which had some good running. Also not logged was 3 bike miles and 15 walking miles on the beach. Good evening cross training. Back to Ohio. 

Back in Ohio. Running temps from 75 to 39. Colder tomorrow. Tough. Oh well, I overdressed. Home sweet home. 

23 degrees. 52 degree drop from my Wed run. A loud welcome home. Overall though, a decent run. I felt good the whole time. 5 beginning and end were just base running with the 6 in the middle at MP. Quiet morning outside, only 1 other runner and just calm. I will take it. 

Sunday afternoon easy recovery. Wind was annoying. Food and football is also good. 

Cold miles

More cold and snow. I took Tuesday off as the freezing rain just made it too treacherous. 

A freind of my that is an apt manager let me use their treadmills. So I ran the classic. 10 Miles warm up. Then 6x3min intervals with 2 min recoveries. Pace 6:53, 6:53, 6:53, 6:53, 6:53, 6:00.  Cooldown. 

Cold run. 18 degrees with snow and ice. Slow recovery, much needed. Quads are sore from yesterday. 

12 degrees. Some snow. 11 Striders @20sec w/40s recovery. Roughly 3-5k effort, but snow slows one down. 

Frustrating running weekend as the bitter cold and wind kept me off the roads for the first time this winter. Today was 4 inches of snow and freezing rain. 10 miles in the time I would normally run 12-13 miles. So effort and time put in today. 

32 degrees, more freezing rain. 7.5 crunchy miles. Is making my legs sore. High today will be 35. I hope its enought to melt some of the ice off - I want to do intervals tomorrow. 

More snow and ice. Slick conditions and a lot of resistance. 30 degrees. 11.25 in OVER 2 hours. Ridiculous how much the slow is slowing me down. 

26, bit chilly, but the warmer afternoon yesterday and the little sun this morning made the sidewalks clear of snow. We have some warmer weather coming tonight, tomorrow and Saturday so heres hoping for some better runs!

40! Snow melted off the sidewalks and bike paths. good run. 11x20s striders. Should be a good Saturday long run. 

45 at the start! Great temps for a run. It was windy, but I will take it. At the end of the run it was 65. 4 miles warm up and then 9 MP miles (roughly the 7:40's) and then cool down. LOTS of runners on the bike path and most running fairly quick. 

51, good temps, bad wind. Legs were tired. Recovery 7. 

Treadmill, southern KY- 8 miles. 9 striders @ 30s 5K pace with 90s inbetween. 

The semi classic. Wore out from 15 hours of driving the last few days and the hotel treadmill, I was not feeling it. 9 mile warm up and then 5 intervals - 3 Min @ 6:53 with 2 Min recoveries. 

Shower. 

Back home. Over 1000 miles driving in the past 4 days. 32 degrees, windy. Felt good to get outside and off the treadmill. 

another 32 degrees. Legs were tired. 11 Striders @ 20s 3k pace with 40s inbetween. Would like a good long run tomorrow. 

30 degrees. Character building run if there is such a thing. I had a 5 mile warm up where I just felt lousy. No energy, no much legs, but I wanted to run half the long run an MP. So at mile 5 I sucked it up and hit my goal BQ pace (7:52) and held that or better for 10 straight miles and then had 5 cool down. While that is not really impressive I felt good about it since I felt like garbage. 

40 and windy. Not much going on today

35, a bit of wind. Legs feeling normal again. 9 Striders-30s@5k pacew/90s in between. This will be a step back week for miles and then ramp up for the next 4 weeks as I want to get my times down. 

30 with a chill. 5 slow 5 tempo (7:28, 7:23, 7:22, 7:45 (uphill), 7:29). Long meetings today, Always tough to sit so long.

30 and snowing again. A little slick, but was planning on a slow run anyway. Legs are tired, and its a step back week anyway. 

8 miles, more snow. I think its coming to and end soon. 11x20s striders. Looking forward to slightly warmer weather next week!

33 Degrees. 12 steady 8:30/AP. Next week is the start of the 4 week ramp up in mileage. Hope the body assimilates it well. I would like a good April race. 

40 Degrees, starting to warm up so it was a nice run. Put in my blue tooth ear buds and listened to CPAC speeches. Good run. 

51 and clear. Very enjoyable slog run. 9 Striders @30s, roughly 5k pace, just to get the cobwebs out. Work and then church meeting tonight, hopefully a calm day. 

52 but very windy. The classic today. 10 mile warm up and then 6 intervals. 3 Minutes @ 6:50ish with 2 min recoveries. While I did not kill it, I felt good about the run. I have not slept as much and was not sure if I would be up to it. That and I saw a squirl with the LONGEST tail ever, Fact. 

57 and raining. Good conditions honestly. Just a slog type recovery run -of all things my ankles were a tad sore.

47, nice and crisp. OK run with 11x20s striders. 

45 at the start. Warmed up as I ran for very nice conditions. After all the snow and ice, I think this was earned. 3 miles of warm up and the first 2 were rough, ankles & shins hurt so I walked for 10 seconds and everything reset itself and felt better. Then 12 miles at BQ pace or better (7:52, with the best miles at 7:28, 7:33), then 5 recovery. Then picked the pace back up for the last 2 just because I had gas in the tank. or gas. Not sure. 

Bike bath was mostly empty for the first half. Saw a red chipmunk, lots of loud geese and some red headed woodpeckers. Eventually passed some nice old folks walking, a girls soccer game and an angry teenager boy walking. He didn't say much. 

52- foggy, almost 8 recovery miles. Slow. 

AM- 53 with a mist. 6 miles. 8x30s striders @3k pace. 

PM- 67, after voting another 6. It is amazing how many people is my state are fooled by Kasich and Trump. Makes me sick. 

57 and windy. I still can't tell if I like these Innov8 shoes or not. Sometimes I think they bother my ankles and sometimes I feel like they fit perfect. Classic Wednesday. 10 Mile Warm up. 6x1/2 mile interval @6:40 (although I dogged that 6th interval again) w/ 1/8-1/4 recoveries. Not much after those, ready to come in as fighting the wind was draining. 

AM 40, needed the $ gloves. 6 Recovery. 

PM 57, more wind advisories.... 6 More, easy. 

7, 40 degrees, slow with a few striders

38 with a cold rain. 3 Mile warm up and then 13.1 @ BQ MP or faster. I slightly aggravated my right (upper) hamstring (lower butt)  yesterday, so I was concerned. I did quite a bit of exercising and adductor stretches and that helped. So the 1st few warm up miles I took gingerly and then everything felt well enough so I had a good workout. 

My body was sore so I took an extra day off Monday. Felt I better listen to the nagging muscles. AM- 39 and crisp. 10 miles w/10x30s Striders

PM-60 and warm. Orange Loop x1, Yellow Loop x1, Connector x2, Bike path/trail combo x3 for 10 miles on mostly difficult trails. 

4 Mile warm up. Went ahead with some 1 mile repeats @ 1/2 marathon to 10K+ pace (7:40 - 7:00) with active recoveries, then a long cool down into a 20 mph head wind. I felt like I was parachute running. My legs feel like toast. I did see quite a few FAT squirrels. Like FAT FAT. Like I debated catching one and eating it. 

AM- 57 and WIND. 7.75 Recovery run. Legs sore, wind provided more resistance than was desired. 

PM- 65 and MORE WIND. Wind advisory 6.25. Mile 1 clear. Mile 2-3 slow rain. Mile 4-6 open the flood gates from above! Pelting, heavy rain. Honestly took my mind off the legs and I enjoyed it. Saw a huge raccoon leave his flooded storm drain, run across the street and into another storm drain. I did not investigate. 

Wind brought in some cold. 36º with a WC of 30@ 13mph. Legs getting life back in them which is nice. Easy miles with 11x20s striders @3-5k pace. Some very short hill chargers as well. Working from home today which is nice and yet I get distracted too easily. Like by books. TV. Internet. FOOD. Procrastination pays off now. 

New shoes- Kinvara 6's. What better way to break them in then a 20 miler weeks before a marathon? 

31º at the start and 47º at the end so I always feel a bit overdressed at the end with gloves stuffed in my pocket and such. 2 Mile warm up and then 16 miles @ BQMP or better. Best miles 7:31, 7:30, and the last fast one at 6:49 or GroundBeefish as I am told. 2 Mile cool down.  I had energy left at the end so I am taking that as a good sign. Overall good run, lots a people out towards then end, but some odd guy walking without a shirt and pants hanging too low. I could not get around him fast enough.

AM- 44 and 5.1 recovery. Had to hurry to get on the road for work. 

PM -45. 6.1 recover. 8:58/ap. Ran from the hotel in Indy. Nice area. 

AM- 4.1 on the hotel TM.... early.... tired...

PM- 6.1 from the hotel around the city. Felt good. Progressively faster, but nothing too epic. 

Ran in Southport. 25 MPH sustained wind. Terrible sidewalks/roads to run on. Tried to make the most of it. Progressive splits. 8:45 to 7:23. Just a nice steady faster each mile run... wind gave resistance. 

67 and I just cannot escape the wind. Back hom after work travels so only one run today. Crazy wind and rain dumped on me for the last half mile. Going to eat Chipotle and rest. 

AM 46º and a very clear early morning. Bright stars were out. Just a easy 7.42.

PM 55 and a short run with some easy striders. 

2 Weeks until my 1st marathon since 2013. 1st time I am running pain free this close to a marathon since 2010. Extememly thankful. 

I am trying not to get hung up on anything and just enjoy it, but dang it I like to hit goals. Anyway, 38º and a very cold brisk wind. 2 Mile warm up. 12.1 consecuative miles faster than BQMP- 7:50, 7:29, 7:42, 7:35, 7:41, 7:33, 7:47, 7:45, 7:42, 7:40, 7:47, 7:13.   Considering the hills and wind I am good with the effort and resutls. 

37 and snow flurries. Cold wind, easy run. Starting the slow/slight taper. 

26 and cold. Had to pull out some running pants. Thought I was done with that for they year. 9 Striders @ 30s. 5K pace. 

33º and chilly, just keeping the legs active on hilly run. 1/2MP-10K pace for 4 miles (around 7:10-7:20)

45 and raining. Wind was a factor again and down trees. Easy run. 

a crisp 28º. Easy run with 11x20s striders @ 3-5k pace. Through the neighborhood and when i went by the speedway the delivery driver stopped me for a moment. Said I see you everyday at all times of the morning. Was neat. I mean in a non stalker way.  

26º with a 12º WC. 20 mph wind sustained, it was quite crisp. light snow last night and this morning left a nice icy run. No one else out today at all. By the end the sun was out and removed enough ice despite the cold to finish with some bqmp miles. Glad it is taper week. 7 Days to race. 

6 Easy 

Crisp 32º, but the sun was coming up and it was a calm morning. Just ran 4 sub MP to keep my legs reminded that I will need them soon. Long day of work ahead. 

Afternoon, 57º and feelin fine. Sat forecast is 46 for race start.... I keep checking! 

Happy to be back with my 1^st marathon since 2013… even if the results were depressing at best. The 2 miles on Friday felt very nice and although the forecast was slightly warmer than I would like I felt confident going in.

Slept well, morning coffee and oatmeal are my standard long run/race meals. Shuttled over to the race area around 7 and felt a little anxious, but still felt a solid race was in me. Judging by the course I was planning a slight positive split. Nothing crazy, but miles 3-9 are slightly downhill and 9-20 slightly uphill. I figured with that and increasing temps it was a good idea to go out a hair faster. I was aiming for a 3:20-3:23 marathon.

The half marathoners started at the same time as the marathoners and broke off at mile 4. This lead to a congested, slow start and I felt like I had to weave too much early on.

Miles 1-5 7:38, 7:31, 7:38, 7:27, 7:45 Felt pretty decent, could see the 3:15 group in the distance so things seemed like they might go according to plan.

Miles 6-10 7:37, 7:39, 7:36, 7:39, 7:48 On to some bike paths and heading into mile 10 was a little more up than I realized. All good though.

Miles 11-15 7:43, 7:40, 7:43, 7:52, 7:38 I choked on some gu at mile 14. Took me a few seconds to wash it down- I also noticed although I was running at the same effort my times were going up. I know it was gradually uphill, but it bothered me. It was starting to break 60-65 at this point in temps.

Miles 16-18 7:50, 8:03, 8:18….. 8 freaking 18… I was not happy at this point. The effort was there, but the time was slipping away. This may be a surprise, but I have never really ‘bonked’ in a marathon. I mean maybe the 1^st one I ever ran, but I had no clue what I was doing then.

Miles 19-20 8:26, 8:32 As I was passing mile 20 I was convincing myself I could still rally back. I was getting hot, but I had fueled smart and knew I could just hold on. I picked out a person and ran with them…. Oh for about half a mile and then I felt… heavy is the best way to describe it.

Miles 21-26.2 8:51, 8:56, 9:32 (all confidence was shattered and focus was gone), 9:42 (debated quitting…. But NO), 10:00 (Tasted vomit in my mouth… push Dan push I kept saying to myself), 9:46, 8:35* (pace for the .2, I tried to look composed for the crowd)

So there it was. 3:35. It was warm. I was being congratulated while I was fighting back tears. Yes I am man enough to admit that. For the first time other than injury I was ready to cry after a race. After a few minutes went by I sucked it up and started to practice what I preach. The only thing I can change at this point was my attitude. I just ran 26.2 miles injury free. I do not do as well because I did not train enough mainly because I have not raced in so long. It was then that I was thankful to God for allowing me even get back to the starting line. To be blessed to even have the means to do such things. To have support of a few good friends and even one on here texting to see how I was. In that light, I am pretty darn happy. God willing and body able, I will push. I mean when I can walk normal again… soon. 

On the road. 1 Mile in Kokomo. Legs trashed, not ready. 

Much better. Legs still fatigued, but not hurting. 8:38 ap. 

60/78%/53- A bit humid, but overall okay running weather. 6 Miles around the block. Legs feeling better. Nagging shoulder/neck pain. I think I just slept odd. 8:31 ap. Looking at some new training runs to throw in this spring/summer. I am open to ideas for mid week cruelty. 

Daughter had theater, Mary Poppins. They were fantastic! I could only squeeze in 3 miles today. 

50º this morning. Time to start training again. I would like a quick turn around before racing again. Good morning run, easy. Lots of multicolored squirrels and a baby bunny tagged along today. 

66, a bit warm. Windy. 8+ miles. Striders 11x30s @ 5K pace- active recovery. Started just a hair later than normal so I had to weave the kids walking to school. Made me feel like it was a real 5 K. 

Had my doc in the am and some good adjustments felt so nice. 9.25 evening. Ran from the bike bath to the yellow loop and the orange loop trails- which is just over 3 miles of tough switchback running - pushed hard. Actually hit some low 7's and high 6's on the trails that I did not think was possible. Felt strong and the shoes made me feel sure footed. Also saw a few Ohio Whitetail deer and a scared a few walkers hiking the trails. Makes it complete. 

53 and misty. Easy recovery run. 

PM - 4 miles between storms. 

Tough morning so had to settle for an evening bike path run. 66, but not humid. 8 miles, w 13x20s striders @ 3k pace -mostly low 6/high 5's. Active recoveries. I thought the bike bath would be busier. There were some friendly people and high fived a girl as we passed on the way back. She needed motivation it looked like. 

48 with a cool drizzle (sorry Joe). Ideal running temps, although there was a some wind for resistance. Not many people out early, but by the end there was some people enjoying the day. I saw of 12 rabbits and was beginning to wonder if I was having too many kale smoothies. Luckily I survived. Legs were tired so I wanted to start very slow and then just get progressively faster. Mission accomplished. 9:36, 9:19, 9:04, 8:57, 8:39, 8:24, 8:13, 8:01, 7:52, 7:42, 7:21, 7:07, 7:05, 7:22, 7:29. At no point did I feel like I really was 'pushing' it, so good deal. 

AM- 56º with fog. 8 Miles. Easy run around the big block. 

PM- 66º 4 Miles. Around the small block. 

50º and nice. Neighborhood run. Striders 11x30s @5k pace. Noticed much of my running clothes are wearing out. Then I noticed I am the same. 

AM- 53º 9.33 Oddly enough I want it to be hotter. I am looking to run a June marathon and do not want to train in nice weather and have the race in hot weather. I did not eat yesterday and yet tried to do some speed this morning. Wonder why I petered out the last 3 miles. AP 8:05 

PM- 53º 4 Much better legs after work, but the bike path was nearly empty!  AP 7:50 

40º with a 35ºwc. I had to put a 2nd shirt on gloves. I had packed those up! 8 Miles, easy. 8:40ap

44º Long sleeves and gloves, its kinda humorous. Easy run w/ Striders- 13@20s, 4:50-6:40ish efforts. My slow runs are ever so slighty faster on the average. 

53º at the start and in just over 2 hours ended at 65º - Good run, but mixed feelings at the end due to fueling. I tried a new brand of gu, chia - supposed to be better for you, good for the belly.... well hogwash... the stuff almost made me puke. I MAYBE got 1/8th of it down at mile 10. This left me reaching for more by the end of the run. Either way, it was a good day, lots of people out. Rowing team by the river, big group at the 'bike hub', 2 people fishing, a large bike group doing a 25 mile ride as well as baby ducks and hissing geese. 

Goal was to run the last 10 at MP pace or better. I was feeling good so I did the last 12. 6 Mile warmup and then 7:47, 7:36, 7:34, 7:31, 7:37, 7:36, 7:40, 7:32, 7:31, 7:27, 7:45, 7:00. I needed fuel.  

AM- 52º with a steady rain. Good day for a steady 8.25 mile run. 

PM- 62º with more light rain. 5 Miles. 

PM- 12 miles 70º 91%- humid. 11 Striders @ 30s 5k+ pace

PM- 74º muggy. I wanted some warm weather to train in to toughen me up. Sometimes you should be careful what you wish for. Ran 7 tempo miles in the middle of the run, 7:19 AP. Pace was what I wanted, but I should have done more, but my legs were just tired today. 

AM- 61º Recovery run, 5 miles. Very dead legs. 

PM- 78º Humid. 8 Easy. Roads to bike path where is was very very quiet tonight. Almost too quiet. Legs better than this morning, but still a bit tired. No deer, but a chipmunk on caffeine and roids wanted to race me. 

AM- 55º and that cool breeze was nice. Striders 11@20s 3k+ pace. Peaceful morning, wrapping up around the time the school kids were walking. Today they were a pleasant group as almost all waved or said hello. I thought maybe I reverted back to the 1950's, because usually they do not even make eye contact. 

48º light rain and some serious wind. Easily 15 MPH sustained with some big gusts. Not as many people out as I expected with the cooler temps. However 3 deer, baby rabbits, 3 rowing teams all decided to join me today. It was the first time I noticed the coach was in a motorboat. huh, just like track coaches often get to ride the bike. Why did I listen to a gym teacher 100 pounds overwight I'll never know. Anyway, today was more about steady miles than fast ones. 8:20ap for the majority and mile 22 @ 6:43 (I was surprised I had the legs for that one). 

WINDY 55º Recovery run 

AM- 38º More wind. Broke out gloves and a long sleeve shirt for this one. 8 Miles, slow. 

Afternoon- 60º Did I mention wind? Getting what I can in now. Heading to Oklahoma for work, will be in Tulsa the next few days so I will run when I can - maybe sandwiched in by really short ones. We will see. 

Hotel Treadmill, barely squeezed in 7 miles between everything. Beat, 

Afternoon escape while in Tulsa. 73º, warm and windy. 2 mile warm up in some very dangerous side road runnung. Set off to do 6, 1 mile repeats, but conditions and trails did not lend to that as I eventually ended up a Turkey Hill here. Wow. There are trails and there are trails. I think Joe would like these. Mile 1 was a 6:50, but after that I hit the rocks and all bets were off. I just ran as hard as I could for that period. 

Woke up and 4 am. Puking and nasty. I may have gotten food poisoning

I signed up for a smaller 5K at the request of some friends. I wanted some racing anyway so it wasn't like I did not want to do it anyway. At the beginning of the week I was thinking PR. After Thursday's flu/food episode I did not think I would make it at all. Well I showed up despite being weak, not much food in days and 0 miles since Wednesday. I thought if I could finish a minute slower than my PR I would be OK with that, and that is exactly what I did. Good temps at 57, BUT windy, raining and puddles took a bit away from the favorable temps. Splits: 6:28, 6:32, 6:50 (6:42 for .11) 

Now that I am home I am not feeling the best so maybe I should have rested instead, but I was happy to finish 1st even though it was a small field. I will put the gift cards to good use. 

Starting to get my strength back. 70º easy run. 8:41 ap. Tried my new shoes, 1st set of Pearl's - really felt good on this 1st run with them. 

AM- 43 and cool. Hamstrings were VERY tight! I have never experienced that before. Easy run, loosened up a bit by the end.

PM- 5 more, easy. legs felt a bit better. 

AM 64/76º by end, all sunshine. Just a bit sticky,  and decided to try a new workout. It seemed a bit different, but what the heck. Started my run and my legs and body are still just drained. Everything was an effort. Hope that I bounce back soon. 3.6 Mile w/u. Then 3x20s Striders @ 5k+ pace. Followed by 6 Miles at MP pace. I avg'ed 7:39/mile so right on. OK since I was in a headwind and did not feel strong. Then 10 minutes at a super slow pace (11-13/mile) - the goal is to get your body to fatigue and feel done. Then 5 More miles at MP, it is supposed to similate late marathon miles. Well my legs DID feel that way. I am not sure if it was the workout or just me. I held on and avg'ed another 7:39/mile. 1 Mile cool down. I honestly do not know how I feel about it, but happy its done. 

PM- 80º Recovery run. Did some new trails, Charleston Falls - outer loop. I should have guessed falls = hills. More than I intended for a recovery, but it was all good. And hot. 

AM- 68º/90% 7+ Easy. Tired legs. 

Afternoon 80º/68% A little better. Needed to loosen up. I am sure I will get some striders tomorrow. 

70º/96% Sunshine. I started my run a little after sunrise instead of before today. Took the extra hour of sleep since I have a job interview today with a new company... which means I go in late to work with my current job. Odd when I think about it too much. 

8 Easy, 13x20s Striders @ 3ksih pace. Wet. 

69/70%/wet at the start. After the sun came up it was draining, but that is what I really want to train in anyway. Saw 3 deer including a young 2 point buck, a big ol snapping turtle right next to the bike path, about 8 bunnies including 2 half the size of my shoe. Effort was there for the run, so even though my legs are still tired I am OK with it. 5 Mile w/u, then 13 (MGP 7:39) splits were 7:35, 7:22, 7:28, 7:29, 7:26, 7:31, 7:34, 7:36, 7:33, 7:23, 7:27, 7:35, 7:35 That's a 7:30 avg in the sunshine. 2 Mile c/d. 

Went to KY over the weekend for the holiday. Enjoyed cooking out, cornhole and smores. Lots of smores. yum. Got home tonight and went for a slow run. 85º/33%- slow run. Weird part is I had 2 MP miles 7:23, 7:38 and I was just running, not trying. I would like it to be that easy all the time. 

AM- 62º/98%- Cool felt good, but still ended up wet. I sweat too much. 8.4 easy w/11x30s Striders @ 5k+ pace. 

PM- 88º/39%- Easy. Hot, but not as wet. I still sweat too much. 

AM- 66º/88% sunny. Classic 10 mile w/u follow by intervals. 6x3Min @ 6:30-6:56 pace w/ 2 Min active recoveries. These took everything out of me today and had to stay mentally strong to get that 6th interval done. Happy it is in the books. Off to work. What's this mythical lottery that people play (that is my way of saying it would be nice to just run and not have to work as much). 

AM- 66/100% Recovery run w/ lead legs. 

PM- 80/90% Rain an hour before steamed everyting up. More recovery, but the last few were on the fast side. Ran a park with many soccer games so  I did 4 loops for 5 miles. I am a friendly runner, but wow parents and kids alike just park themselves on the bike path instead of all the bleachers and grass area. I don't mind weaving, but there are always a few that look at me like "how dare a I use the bike path"

AM- 69/90% - 10 miles around the neighborhood. Easy run with 13x20s Striders. Got an Arnold Palmer at the gas station at the end because I had a $1 and change in my running belt. Score! 

Instead of starting early I waited until about 9 this Saturday. I knew that would mean warmer temps, but I figured I could use some more heat training. 75º/73%/Sunny for the majority of it. Just a steady run, last 3+ miles at MP with the best at 7:28. The sun was draining today, I must be soft. 

AM 66º/90% Windy. 7.5 Easy'

PM- 85º Windy and warm. 5 Steady. Fam has birthday meal all ready as plan a relaxing evening. 

AM 63º/73% felt fantasticly cool.  Probably a new word I made up. 8.1 miles.  11x30s Striders. 

PM 70º windy! 5 Miles. Lots of soccer and baseball games going on. Car almost ran me over, but such is the life of a runner. 

AM- 55º oh yes... High School track was open so ran a mile w/u there. I was there a few hours before the track and football teams would be using it so that was nice. 10x800M with 400m active recoveries. 3:16, 3:18, 3:21, 3:21, 3:20, 3:17, 3:22, 3:18, 3:20, 3:11 -Was trying the Yasso's even though they have never been accurate for me. Last time I did them before a marathon they predicted I would run a 3:35 and I ran a 3:14. This one was a little better. 

AM- 49º Is there a better running temp? Felt so good. 7.6 Easy. Cut short because I had to poop. 

PM- 80º Humid. 5 Steady, last few faster. 

AM- 65º/85% Easy 8 miles. 10x20s Striders. 

PM- 74º/88% 4 More, legs needed to loosen up. A bit faster. 

70º/100% at start, 83 at the end. The old sun ball beat down on me for 20 straight miles. This one was tough on the old body and I was light headed at the end. 15 miles in the middle @ 7:39 ap. Good day for the baby bunnies and turtles on the trail, not so much for the dead snake and some runners I saw baking in the sun. Lots of props for them getting out, but I could tell there was a struggle, and I looked at way around mile 19 myself. 

AM- 55º nice and cool. Huge change from Saturday. 7 Easy. 

PM- 81º 4 Easy in the heat. 12 Days to launch. 

65- 7 easy. Some fartleks after 4 miles to speed up the run. 

70/85%- 12 Miles. The old 10 day before MP run. I just made that up, but it sounded good. Ran the bike path to Triangle Park. A bit humid, then a steady rain for miles 3-8. Then the steam was everywhere and made the last 4 pretty sticky. Saw 4 deer. One ran about an 1/8 mile ahead of me for almost a 1/2 mile. Thought she might be rubbing it in or pacing me. 2 Mile W/U, 10 at MP+ (mile 12 6:59 just because) 7:33/ap

70º/98% a  bit wet. 7 easy, but my legs actually were active and not tired. 

AM- 69º 85% Sunny. Odd that it was lower than yesterday, but felt more wet. Might have been the sun ball. 8+ easy w/13x20s Striders @3k pace or better. 8 days left. 

AM 70-81/70% Sunny. Just a  steady run with the last 4 faster. Trying to keep sharp and relax at the same time. Race is 1 week away. 

71/95% 6 Easy. Taper mode engaged. 

AM- on the road by PA. 71º/99% - 5.5 - 3 @ MP+ .... taper....................................................

74º/80% 4 by the river. Did I mention taper? I still feel tired though. Taking tomorrow off. 

Striders in the hotel parking lot

Drove into Charlevoix Friday evening – it’s about 7 ½ hour drive, more with stops obviously. It is a very nice little town. Shops and people were very kind. The town is honestly too small for the crowd as there is only 1 bridge to cross the water between Lake Charlevoix and Lake Michigan and it is a drawbridge. Oh and it goes up every 30 minutes. That being said they do a nice job putting on the event.

Morning weather was 57 and 82%, good for June. Of course it was sunny (and despite what they say 70% of the time you are in direct sunlight) the entire course and temps rose fast. I have found out that I just don’t race well like that. While I did not feel bad like Carmel and I did not crash nearly as hard, I still crashed and the results were about the same.

All that being said I had a good time and the course is quite pretty when you are running by the lake. I need some days off, maybe the whole week. Then I will just have to train harder and hotter. 

Ugh

A little better

Cool morning. I decided if it is below 60 I am going to wear long sleeves. Trying to better prepare myself for heat. Anyway, legs much better than the previous 2 days. 

Early Sunday morning run. 8:22 AP, last 3 in the high 7's with minimal effort. I would like that to be more common. 

AM-67, humid. 6.5 miles, last 2 in the rain. Still rocking the long sleeve heavy shirt. Legs felt good again. Weird. 8:32/ap

84/52% - Hot, Sunny. 8 Miles, steady. Lots of bugs plastered to my face. Lots of sweat for the bugs to swim in. Last mile fastish. 

AM 68/99% Humid. Home to trails, lots of HILLWORK. Connector x2, Yellow Loop x1, Orange Loop x1. Switchback City for about 6 of the miles. I also must have been 1st man out on the trails today considering HOW MANY spider webs (I think I heard Golem say  "We could let *her* do it.") I took down single handedly with my face. I actually grabbed a stick for a mile and had it in front of me. My upper body form must have been nice to see. Just 11 miles, but consider my butt kicked. 

3 wikced early miles... then all day walking and riding at cedar point! Coaster day!

3 More early miles after all the coasters, time to walk around the zoo

10 Sugar Creek Trail miles. Serious hill work. Solid 10 miles in 80 degree heat.

AM- 7 Easy. 65/93%, winter shirt. 

PM-- 4 Easy. 84/55%, hot. 

AM-70/93% 6 Easy. A bit tired. 

PM- 85/73%/72- Hot. Sugarcreek Trails and hills. Ran them quick and wet. A few deer along the way. 3.25, but I think Joe says they count double. 

Early and long day of work so PM run. 

93/72%/98 Heat Index. 2 Mile WU. 3x1Mile Repeats (6:43), was supposed to be 6, but wow the heat was draining - and I could see a thunderstorm in. At mile 8 the front hit me and the temp dropped to 83(100%/89 HI) and lighting and thunder. I finished the last 2 fast.  I cramped some tonight. I should avoid any pathetic attempts at speed, but I really wanted it. 

4 AM , felt sick

70/99%, wet. 6 Easy. Somehow my legs have gone all heavy. 

Signup up for a 10K a few days ago. Trying to get my body and legs back to old form and beyond. Honestly I knew being injured for 2 years would take a toll, but I thought I could regain more speed by now. Age is probably a factor as is expectations. Overall a good day to race, temps at 68 for start, but humid (97%) and sunny as always. I paced pretty evenly, and not complaining, but was hoping for just a bit better out of myself. 2nd in age group, I will take that.  Splits 7, 6:52, 7:11 (slight uphill), 6:53, 6:58, 6:56 and 6:26 for the .22.

Next week more miles, getting prepped for a heavy dose of miles in August. 

5 Recovery.  Easy. Easy like Sunday Morning. Yeah. 

AM- 76/100%- Steamy and almost immediatley a thunderstorm swept in. Lightning cut this really short.

PM- 84/73%72DP- Hot. On the road in amish country. Great path to run on. 6+ in the warm. 

In Amish country. 

AM- 4.25 THICK Fog, 69/97% wet! Hit the trails and cut it a bit short because of work... and well there are critters out when you run in the dark long before sunrise in amish country.

PM- 6.75 84 and warm. Felt ok, easy run. No cars, just a few horse and buggy, rabbits, ducks and a bike team. 

Huzzah. Whew. Afternoon was the only time I could run. 86, hot, sunny and wet. 2 Mile warm up, 6x1 mile repeats 5x1 Mile repeats with 1/4 recoveries. I did these at HMP. Well the first 2 faster (7:06) and the last 2 slower, but that was the average. I set out to do 6 repeats, but I was a pretty good ways out with no water and decided not to force the issue. The deer seemed to agree. I did think about asking the Amish that went by on horse if he had any water, but just trudged it back to the hotel. 

Afternoon- 90º, under heat advisory. Oh the peachy days of summer with heavy air. Slow, recovery type run. 9:10 ap

79º/90%/70DP - wet run, slow

Hot. Early run. 73º-79º/97%/73DP. Tough run. Lots of sun. This time when I saw the deer I listened to Yasir and got some water. Today was certainly a belt day. No watch, but at least 3 MP-HMP miles in the mix. Once the sun was up the energy just left. 

Valley Forge + 8 Hilly bike miles.

AM- 70º/90% - Finally back home. Was on a trip leading a group of 18 on a history trip in and around Philadelphia. I will share some pics later. My running suffered in mileage last week, but there was tons of walking miles and biking miles.

PM- 86º Hot and wet, getting the legs motivated. 

AM- 68º/97% Easy 6, but as I was running closer to home there were 6 police cars, 1 EMT Truck and 1 Fire Truck by a section of woods. They were cutting a 'hole' in the woods. I have no idea what they were doing , but it seemed like a rescue attempt of some sort. 

PM- 89º Hot. Easy 4. Legs were stiff. 

AM 70/80% 11 Easy. Quads were tired. Looking to gear up as August goes along. 

AM- 68º/90% 4 Easy, off to work!

PM- 88º/50%/Sunny. 3 W/U and then ran progressive miles until mile 10-11 when the heat took its toll. Had to slow it down and run easy to wrap up the run. Sun had a kryptonite effect on me. I need to invest in lead running clothes. 

72/94% 7 recovery style miles. Off to Michigan for a wedding. Need to sneak a run in up there where it's going to be cooler

In Michigan. Early run before the wedding. Good friends, in from Kenya. North of Lansing, ran off the main beat and path on country roads. The thing about running by Opossums is you know they play dead so when you run by a dead one you wonder.... wait... is he playing. Talk about jumping. Quite a bit of road kill all the same. 10+ miles at SubMP (7:34-7:15). Although I did not struggle, something doesn't seem to be clicking with my legs. I think I will really ramp up miles the next 3 weeks and see what I can churn out. 

AM - 61 degrees in Michigan, couldn't pass up those temps. 10 recovery. I ate like a bandit yesterday at the wedding reception. The groom side is Jewish Russian and they controlled the food. Steak, Salmon, burgers, rice, potatoes, sautéed green beans.... I enjoyed that!

AM- 66º/72% - refreshing. Sorta. 7 Easy. 

PM- 85º- Not refreshing. Thirsty. 7 Slow. 

AM- 70º/87%  7 miles w/11x30s Stiders @ 5k pace. Overslept, had to hurry.

PM- 90º/95ºIndex/70DP- Brutallly wet. 7 Miles, 8:39AP. 

AM- 77/97%/73DP

Air was heavy. At least the sun was covered when it came out. The classic. 10 mile warm up then 6x3 min intervals at 10k to 5k effort with 2 minute active recoveries. Couldn't hold paces the last few, but effort was there. Tired legs, this one wore me out.

AM- 77º/88%/73DP 6.1 Recovery type miles. Legs were tired and a bit sore. Then to work meeting with too much sitting. 

PM- 90º(97ºIndex)/55%/74DP 7.1 Very Slow. Quads sore at start, but loosened up just fine, 

AM- 77º/87%/73DP Another wet 7. Tired. Thristy. 

PM- 89º/Heat Index 97º, under a heat advisory. 7 Slow. Happy there was a drinking fountain about half way through. Saw a deer, ducks, 2 salamanders. Not sore so I had that going for me. 

Ohio.... I live in Ohio. Explain to me why it was 80º at 5 am? No hyperbole, no stretching the truth. Just 80º. I know you Texas/Florida guys deal with this often, but I am over a 1000 miles north. Negative attitude over :) 

Hot. Wet. But I was determined to get my run in. I was trying to balance miles with MP miles. This was my breakdown. 1-3 Easy, 3-5 SubMP, 5-8 Easyish,  8-10 MP, 10-13 slowish, 13-15 MP, 16-19 Easy, 19-20 a little speed, some hills, some slow and a jump in the river. Saw a few deer in the river and overall satisfied with my week. I am thankful to be back at it this year, long layoffs due to injury make me appreciate be able to get out in run no matter what the conditions. 

5 Recovery miles - 73º and heavy rain! What a relief. Run was slow, but the rain made it just enjoyable. 

AM- 7 Easy. 73º, but all rain baby. 2 for 2 on rainy runs. Slow, but after last week, feeling good.

PM- 78º and yes, more rain, 3 for 3. 7 more, threw in some pick ups since my legs were showing signs of life. 

AM- 73º/97%/72DP 6.75 miles. A little rain at the beginning, but then just steamy. Striders- 11x30s@5kish pace. 

PM- 77º/80%/72DP 7 miles, slow, tired. 

AM- 73º/95%/72DP Light drizzle for a bit. I'll be heading to Florida today to see my dad. He is pretty sick right now and had surgery. It is at the point where I better make sure I get there in case things turn for the worse. 

Tired physically and mentally. 13 Miles. Slow except for miles 8, 10 & 12 (7:45, 7:34, 7:23) not much, but it took everything I had to muster that. 

6 Hotel Treadmill

7 very early in FL

Wicked early run, before heading back to see dad. Tom if you read this.... This Sat FL weather was awful. 80º and 98%. I soaked my shoes with sweat.