Doug's Running Thingy

Ravine Trail plus New Trail reallllly slow, but back in action.  First run in 3 weeks after confirming only PF, no stress fracture in the foot.

8 miles on the mountain bike.  Will proceed with running every other day and alternating between mtb and road bike on the off days.

Overstreet trail in the a.m. - surprisingly cool.  Felt fine - no pain in the foot.

10 miles on the road bike... need new helmet and gloves.  Haven't ridden much in 2 years.

Ravine Trail and North Loop in the evening - way too hot, need to stick to morning runs.  Foot remains pain free while running, but still unbearable first thing out of bed and after sitting for extended periods.  Continuing icing 2-3 times per day and stretches.

8 miles on the mountain bike.

Overstreet Trail.

10 miles on the road bike.  

Ravine Trail plus Overstreet Trail.  Another surprisingly cool morning, so I went a bit longer - no troubles, other than still feeling really old and slow.

8 miles on the mountain bike

Overstreet Trail.

14 miles on the road bike - just under an hour.  Quite a bit easier to ride than run when you're out of shape.

Ravine Trail and New Trail (uphill) - new trail opposite direction is quite the workout.  Will incorporate this route more often.  New Trail time of 12 minutes.

Mountain bike 8 miles.

Ravine trail plus north loop

Overstreet trail in the evening - way too hot/humid for as out of shape as I am - rough run

14 miles on the road bike - 17.2 mph

Ravine plus north loop

6 miles MTB St Joseph State Preserve - worthless trails for biking/running - pure sugar sand

Early morning run on Mexico Beach

12 miles MTB around Mexico Beach

5 sandy trail miles in San Felasco near Gainesville - probably a nice place to run in the Fall/Winter - too hot/humid and sandy in summer

12.5 miles MTB in Tom Brown/Alford Green

Overstreet plus New Trail (10:29) - ran new trail hard after 1/3 - felt good

10 miles on the road bike - 16.7 mph

Overstreet trail slow and steady and... no pain in foot. Tweaked the right knee halfway through on downhill section, but no lasting pain or soreness.  Reminder to be more consistent with knee strength and flex therapy - 3 years last week since the ACL tear.

12 miles MTB - ravine trail/new trail plus calibration of new mtb computer on the track - new trail is 1.35 miles as opposed to the assumed 1.5 - ah well

7am ravine/north loop/new trail (10:12) in 39 minutes - easy run through 3 miles then worked the new trail now that I know its only 1.35 miles - it seemed logical to drop closer to 10 minutes for this very twisty, mostly downhill single track trail - Travis claims that he and the XC boys do it in 9 flat as a component of their runs - hmph

21 miles on the road bike (17.1 mph) - 2 hilly miles lead in/lead out plus US 319 out and back.  Longest ride in 3 years.  Much work to go to be ready for 60 miler in mid Oct.

Ravine/Overstreet combined for the first time in a couple months... 40:38 ouch.  Down 5 lbs in last 4 weeks - 6-8 to go.  Will start thrice weekly (MWF) dumbell/pushups/pullups workouts this week, plus TThSat core/stretching. Also shifting to alternating 2 days run, 1 day bike.  Three weeks until 1-mile on the track (community race/fundraiser for XC team), and four weeks until 5K trail race.

9 miles on the mountain bike (11.4 mph) - confirmed my 3.5 miler on overstreet as 3.45 miles - thatll work.  Resistance workout after - 3 circuits with 10lb dumbells 10 reps per exercise no problem, will increase to 15 quickly.

Overstreet trail this morning.  What a grind and it was only 3.5 - heat index over 90 at 7am.  Need a good week of training and watching what I eat to drop under 160 for first time since last summer - on my way to sub 155 by end of Aug.

7am - ravine trail plus new trail downhill (9:39) - new trail portion felt fast and relatively comfortable - first time saying that in a long time.  Of course, Travis told me he would crush that time running it uphill tacked on the end of his 8-miler - will update this post when I hear from him.

Still just running short workouts, but today (even though it was 88 degrees and the first mile was brutal) was a reminder of why running is the ultimate in physical, mental and spiritual therapy.  It doesn't happen all the time, and it rarely happens when you really want it to, but on occasion, in the middle of a run, the accumulated fatigue, the stresses of work, school, relationships, everyday life, just fade away and you're as one with your surroundings and could seemingly run in that zone forever.  Halfway through the fastest portion of my run this morning, a large doe was on the twisty single track trail ahead of me and she casually ran in front for maybe 20 meters before easing off into the woods.  As I went by, she glanced my way with neither fear nor enmity - it seemed to be more of an acknowledgement that I somehow belonged there.  Even now, as I write this three hours later, my "runner's high" remains.  Its gonna be a good day.   

Boy-child went 10 flat uphill on the new trail at 8.5 into his 10-miler - the team is definitely fired up for XC season. 

9.6 on the mountain bike (10.7 mph) - ravine trail plus north loop - note to self... 3.3 miles to start of new trail, so ravine/north loop/new trail would be 4.8

Dumbell workout yesterday and core today after ride - seem to be in a good fat burning phase - looking forward to actually feeling like a runner in the next week or so. 

Ravine/North Loop/New Trail counterclockwise - comfortable 8 minutes/mile, no foot pain... ok, several twinges along the way, but nothing consistent.  Thinking about maybe 8X200 on the track tomorrow, nice and easy at 42 sec or so with jog across infield recovery.  Thats about 5:30 mile pace, which will be my goal in a couple weeks for Breakfast on the Track to kick off XC season.  Doc advised to tape the foot if I hit the track - will do that, although 8X200 at 42 isn't the intensity that we talked about.

3 mile warmup (ravine trail plus north loop), then 8X200 in 2 sets of 4, first set at 40-42 with a minute jog across the infield, 2nd set in 38-40 - about 5 minutes between sets.  All but the last 2 were comfortable and well controlled.  The last 2 weren't painful or anything, but I definitely felt the short recovery.  It was good to be on the track again, but clearly not ready to do that more than once a week just yet.  Two laps barefoot on the infield cool down. No pain in the foot.  Iced and stretched well afterward.

Ravine trail plus north loop - 32:05.  No lingering effects from wimpy track workout yesterday - good deal. On the bike tomorrow, then 4.25 Wed and 4.75 Thurs.  Need to do at least 20 on the road bike some time this week.

11 miles on the mountain bike (11.6 mph) - counterclockwise overstreet trail and clockwise ravine trail plus there and back from house.  Clocked overstreet trail to start of new trail (3.0) - that'll be 4.5 total for overstreet counterclockwise plus new trail.  Challenging alternative to my other 4-5 mile runs.

Ravine trail plus north loop clockwise (30:38).  Amazing what just a few degrees can do.  Was ONLY 74 at start of run this morning, rather than the 78-80 its been for a couple weeks.  Last mile in 6:36 - feeling more and more like a runner again.  Dumbell circuit this evening and a walk with the wife.

Evening run - slept in this morning after poor sleep - ah well.  Ravine trail plus north loop plus new trail (9:50).  Started new trail at 3.3 miles into run, so was pleased with 9:50.

Evening ride in the mud - 11 miles on the mountain bike (11.2 mph)

Two mile warmup.  Track workout 2X200, 2X400, 2X200 - 200s at 40-42, 400s at 85.  The 400s were entirely too difficult considering thats the pace I want to hit for the mile next Saturday.  I'm chalking it up to doing the workout at 4pm when it was 4,000 degrees outside.  I guess we'll see next week.

18 miles on the road bike (15.6 mph) in the morning.  Short run this evening... or not.  We'll see.

First time in quite a while I ran my old standby figure 8 that includes both the ravine trail and the overstreet trail.  Felt downright decent.  Will probably maintain 20-25 miles per week for a while with this route thrice weekly, plus twice weekly track work and maybe a 5K race or other such zippy runs once a week.

 "Racing" the mile on Saturday and then a trail 8K on Aug 28 - opted for the 8K instead of the offered 5K so that I don't try to race it and throw myself a mental monkey-wrench.  I really don't feel ready to race 5K just yet - would like to at least shoot for under 20 minutes, and I ain't there yet.

Did ravine trail/overstreet again today, but started at the track, so its a bit longer.  Boy-child needs like 45 miles by Sunday to hit 500 for the summer, so he and a few others ran before school, which of course means I had to get him there at 0630 - ah well.  Only a half hr earlier than I usually run, but it was noticeably cooler than yesterday - come on Fall!  Did the middle 3 miles a bit under 8 minute pace - this time last year that would be more like a comfortable 6:30 pace - getting there.  Definitely feeling a bit leaner and meaner with every run now.

Good run this morning after taking yesterday off - did weights and core only.  Ravine trail to New Trail (9:50 again downhill on New Trail - good effort).  Tells me the 9:39 a couple weeks ago was definitely influenced by adrenaline... running with the big doe - interesting.

A subconscious attempt to miss the University of Florida convocation turned an easy 4 to 5 miler into about 9 miles on the San Felasco trails in Gainesville. I dragged Bret out early before the ceremony for a sunrise run with the boars and bunnies on trails I had run once before figuring it would be no problem.  Before too long, we were in unfamiliar looking territory, and it went a bit downhill from there.  We finally assaulted an old guy on the trail and stole his map (I'm sure he made it out alive) so that we could get back to the trailhead, and off to the O'Connell Center in time to welcome our daughters and the other 6,400 incoming Gator freshmen.

Thanks for running slowly with me, Bret, and thanks for not getting too terribly ticked off - sorry, Tracey!  Once again, I assume full responsibility (just ask my wife, I do that a lot). 

After the unintended easy 9 yesterday, I was not very confident of hitting my planned 5:40 for the mile on the track today.  Did a 2 mile warm-up in the trails to work out the kinks, and then a few strides on the backstretch... strides aren't supposed to be that difficult.

First 800 was a bit slower than goal pace (2:54 vs 2:50 goal), but comfortable.  Third lap, as always, was rough, but actually a little faster than the second.  A couple of the younger/less experienced guys on my son's XC team came up on me during the last lap, so I stuck to them and eased in at 5:42 - pleasantly satisfied considering my lack of fitness and the overly long shake-out run the day before.  Did a mile cool down and called it a good day.

Ravine/Overstreet at 6:45AM - not bad at all.  Just under 8 min for 1-4 miles, then 7:35 for last mile - works for me.  "Racing" an 8K trail course on Saturday... I use the term loosely - will be happy going sub 40 minutes on this course this year - did 34:48 a couple years ago when I was a bit more fit.

Lets see if I can insert an image of the shirts for our XC parents' racing team, the More Olders Racing Team (school mascot is the Marauders...)

Overstreet clockwise - after 1st mile, did 1 minute on (800 m pace) and 1 minute off (easy jog).  Came out to 8X appx 300m - good workout.  Then half mile cool down to the car.

11 miles on the mountain bike (11.2 mph) - dare I say a breath of coolness in the air - nice morning.  Dumbbell circuit and walk/run a couple miles with the wife this evening - she's gonna do the 3K this Saturday while I do the 8K and the boy child races the 5K - you go, girl!

Ravine trail plus north loop plus new trail.  Up at 5:45am to rouse boychild and get him to morning practice by 6:30.  Cracking the whip on him to get to bed earlier does me no good for these early runs if I don't also turn in early - ugh.  No energy to bust the new trail portion (10:45), but probably best since I'm "racing" 8K on Saturday - still thinking sub 40 minutes will be just fine.

8K trail race this morning under overcast skies and 73 degrees - couldn't ask for better conditions for late August in north Florida.  With only a couple months of being back at it to any significant degree, I was hoping to go a little better than 8 minutes per mile steady all the way through.  First mile (7:30) was a little fast on the watch, but felt comfortable, so I tried to maintain that and went 7:38, 7:37, and 7:27 for the next three.  Was really starting to feel the hills on the final 0.9 and covered that in 7:01 for a total time of 37:14.  Will gladly pocket that one and carry on with the plan to work toward low 19s or high 18s in a late season 5K.

Ran/walked the 3K with the wife to warm down.  Boychild walked with us a short while during his cool down as well... after taking 4th in the 5K (17:45) just 10 seconds off his PR - the boys went 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th for 18 points and the team win in this preseason XC/community race.  Big Fun! 

Spent yesterday recovering and doing yardwork.  Somebody needs to tell the trees its not quite Fall yet - leaves everywhere!  On the other hand, temperature for my run this morning was excellent, erasing all grumblings about the literal meaning of "Fall"

6:45am - did the 5.4 mile ravine/overstreet combo in 43:42 with negative splits from 8:14 down to 7:43 for last mile. Racing 5 miles at 7:30 pace and not being completely dead was a big confidence booster - will start increasing intensity on my easy runs - should be clicking off 7:30s comfortably in a few more weeks.

Minute "on" minute "off" for the middle 2-miles of overstreet trail.  Low energy, just kinda slogged through this one.  On the bike tomorrow - will try to get rested for a good run Thurs morning.

11.7 miles on the mountain bike (12.1 mph) - added the north loop to the ravine trail/overstreet figure 8 I usually do.  Finally got a replacement bladder for the camelback - first ride with water and first ride of September - a glorious 71 degrees this morning - all added up to an average speed over 12.  Supposed to dip below 70 next 2 mornings - what a deal.

Cool air (still thick with humidity though) + rested legs = new world record on the New Trail!  Did ravine trail plus north loop (3.3 mi) on way to new trail, and then showed it who was boss - 9:20 for the twisty turny single track 1.35 miles.  Boychild tells me the XC team has taken to calling the new trail, Ho Chi Minh Trail, since it has a couple stands of bamboo and is generally thick and scary and very much in keeping with Indochina... they all are experts on Southeast Asia ya know.

Starting the workday enthused and full of energy. 

Ravine plus Overstreet starting from the track.  Middle 3 miles at 7:45.  Easing the pace down steadily over next few weeks.  Felt a bit tired in the last half mile uphill back to the track.  On the road bike and some track 300s tomorrow before heading to Gainesville to scoop up the daughterchild - will be the end of the longest period we've ever gone without seeing her - 2 whole weeks. 

Three mile warm-up and then a little track work.  Four times 300 with a 200 to start and a 200 to finish, for 1600 meters total.  Easy 100 meter walk/jog between - nothing fancy, but felt good to be out there.

20 miles on the road bike (16.6 mph) while the boy and a couple teammates did their long run.

First time running Red Bug Trail in several months - 9am was a bit too late to take advantage of cool temps... ah well.  Just over 4 miles on single track rooty hilly twisty trails, plus about a half mile to and from the track.  One of my favorite runs when I'm fit - getting there little by little.  Scale finally tells me sub 160 for second day in a row.  Maybe I broke through the plateau.

Ravine trail clockwise plus north loop (5:12) - all miles sub 7:45 - hey, its something!  Wasn't light enough to hit the trail until nearly 7 - at this rate, I'm gonna have to shift to running in the neighborhood soon.

11.7 miles on the mountain bike (12.2 mph) at 6:45AM - a bit dark for the road portion of the ride, but I was well lit, and the sky was well lit by the time I hit the trail portion.  Going to have to shift my work hours back a half hour in the next few weeks to accommodate the later sunrise if I'm going to stick with cross training one day during the week.  Time doesn't change until Nov 7th this year - sheesh.

After an inspiring XC parents' meeting last evening (all the usuals plus 6-8 new faces - this is my 3rd season as booster chair), I was fired up for a good run this morning.  Planned on working the middle 3 miles of my usual 5.4 mile ravine trail/overstreet loop course at about 7:35 pace.  I hit them at 7:33, 7:32, and 7:21, and felt pretty comfortable still, so I decided to maintain through the next mile as well and ran 7:33 again - not bad.  Cruised in the last half mile slowly and was rewarded with a silly little fawn that pretty much ignored me as I eased past about 10 feet away - always fun.

The better than expected race a couple weeks ago, dropping below 160 lbs, a hint of Fall in the air, and the kids' enthusiasm for the first XC meet on Saturday are all combining to help me ease the pace down on these 4 to 5 mile runs - very encouraging.  I will start adding in a "long" run (7 or 8 miles) next week probably, but still keep the milage not much more than 25/week for a while.

Ravine plus north loop plus new trail - nice steady 8 min per mile.  Track work tomorrow after the big meet and the big game.

3 mile warmup, 1 mile warm down, and 8X200 on the track.  Went 38, 38, 36, 35 for first set, 4 minute break and then 33, 33, 32, 31 with 70 to 90 seconds between each 200.  Was thinking about sub 30 for the last one, but at 100 meters I bailed on that effort and cruised in.  Good workout.

More importantly, spent the morning running around a cross country course in Marianna shooting pics of the boychild and team during their first meet of the season.  Travis went 17:28 for a PR by 7 seconds and a 12th place finish.  It was sunny and heat index 90 for the 9AM start, and he said he felt generally cruddy, so the result is pretty encouraging for his goal of sub 16:45 by mid November.  Team got 4th, a few points behind one other small school and two big powerhouses - not bad.

21 miles on the road bike (17.6 mph) out and back toward Georgia on 319.  Saw my first ever roadkill alligator in amongst all the roadkill armadillos and possums - doesn't get any better than that.

Limited energy this morning.  Maybe the fast 200s on Sat or the 20 miles on the road bike yesterday, but it was a bit of a chore to maintain 8 min/mile this morning.  Looked back and it seems I haven't taken a day completely off for 15 days.  I know thats not earth shattering for most, but its been quite a while for me since doing that - might take Wed off instead of the usual 10-mile mountain bike workout.

Well, tired legs Monday and no sleep Monday night convinced me to take yesterday off completely.  Worked out well as I had a really good run this morning - 66 degrees might have helped too.  Did my usual 5.4 in reverse order with the plan to drop the middle three miles down around 7:30.  Ran them in 7:22, 7:33 and 7:13.  The 7:33 was actually the most satisfying because it is all uphill and is the one that I ran 7:20 last week in the downhill direction.  Might set my goal at 21:30 for the trail 5K race next Saturday  - hopefully it will actually be 5K this year instead of the 6K it was last year - ooph.

Ravine trail plus north loop clockwise, with middle 2.5 miles done at 1 minute on (about 5K race pace) and 1 minute off.  Another nice coolish morning and good run to start the day.

Another nearly lovely morning on the trails.  Nice easy 8-8:15 pace.  Travis and the team races in the morning - the boys have victory on the mind... we'll see about that.

Afternoon workout since the boy and team raced late morning - more on that in a minute.  2.5 mile warmup and then a track workout  - 4X300 with a 200 at the start and the end.  First 200 in 36, then the 300s at 58, 57, 55, 52, and the finishing 200 at 30 secs - all under good control.

The 10:30am start this morning was unfortunate, with heat index easing up to 90 - bleh.  Travis eased the PR down another few seconds on a much hillier course than last week, with a strong first mile (5:26), and a finish at 17:24 - 3rd on the squad only 17 secs behind our 2nd boy.  Must go eat now - later. 

14.3 on the mountain bike at the greenway trails - great location, nice morning ride while the boys did 12 miles easy

With the exception of the unintended 9 mile adventure in Gainesville a few weeks ago, this was my longest run in probably 9 months.  Not all that much longer than my usual 5.4 mile figure 8 course, but its a step up.  All miles were under 7:50, with the fastest at 7:37, and not at all challenging - good deal. 

The weather for Saturday morning's trail 5K in Thomasville is looking acceptable - upper 60s for a low, so maybe not more than 75 by 8AM.  I will try a goal race pace mile in the middle of my run tomorrow just for giggles... 6:50 or so. 

Overstreet loop plus south side of ravine trail there and back, from the track.  About 66 degrees on the trails this morning - getting nicer and nicer, shame its also getting darker and darker.  Took the first 1.5 real easy with the plan to go sub 7 for the first mile of the Overstreet loop.  That mile is slightly rolling with a downhill start - I hit it at 6:56.  Was actually shooting for 6:50, and felt real good, so I worked the next mile as well.  It is a very flat section with limited turns and good footing - did that one in 6:46 - better.  Wasn't nearly as dead as I expected I would be for the mile and a half back to the track - good run.

The XC team was just finishing up their cool down/stretching after the morning workout when I got back to the track - 5X1200 at goal 5K pace - didn't get a chance to chat with Travis yet, but he was fired up about it before I went out for my run.  I saw the first 1200 - #1 runner went through at 3:45 and Travis led a couple others through at 4:05 - pretty solid since his goal 5K is 16:30 this year.  Can't wait to hear how the other 4 reps went.

11.7 miles on the mountain bike (11.4 mph) - slow going until the trails were light enough to see where I was going.  I'm thinking that was my last morning trail ride for a while.

Lake Overstreet trail from the track.  Easy 1.5 miles out, then minute on / minute off for 2 miles - a little better than 5:20 pace or so.  Finished with a stronger than expected 1.5 back to the track.  Will do an easy 4 tomorrow and then a 5K trail race on Saturday, followed by running around for a couple hours shooting pics of XC runners - I do love cross country season.

Easy 3.5 around the neighborhood early this morning confirmed how much I prefer running on the trails.  Ah well, new inserts for the shoes and plug away on the roads until the time change I guess.  

Quite pleased with the effort this morning, and thankful that the open race went off at 8am when the skies were overcast and temps were low 70s.  Trav and the boys team ran 2 hrs later under bright sunny skies at mid 80s - bleh.  I went out a bit faster than hoped (6:35), but felt pretty good so didn't back off much... at least I didn't think so.  Second mile, however, was 7:05, and I still felt good, so picked it up and left the group I fell in with during the 2nd mile (I blame them for the slow mile - heh).  Ran the 3rd mile in 6:31 and finished up at 20:52.  Goal was 21:15, so it was a good day.

Travis let the heat and hills get in his head, and never got into a rhythm.  First mile wasn't too bad (5:32, but wanted 5:25), but at the 2nd mile, his team mate whom he had beaten the past 2 races, came around him strong and Trav kinda folded.  Finished up cruising and placed 6th at 18:24.  The boys took first with their top five in 2nd, 6th, 10th, 11th and 12th.  Plenty of good to take from the race, so he was fine...  over a minute better than he ran this race last year, and the team raced strong and won, even without 3 of their usual top 5.

11.2 miles on the mountain bike easy ride around Tom Brown park while the team did their long run.  Calves and quads were pretty sore from the hills yesterday, so the bike was a welcome workout.

Well now, that was fun!  The car informed me that it was 58° as I drove the 3 miles to the trails at 7am - thats downright chilly for Tallahassee in late Sept.  After racing Saturday, riding easy Sunday, and failing epically yesterday in doing anything at all, I figured it would be a good day for a strong 5 miler, so I went out fast (for me right now) from the start.  First mile was 7:36, and from there I dropped to 7:22, 7:18, 7:16 and 7:18, with an easy cooldown the final .4 back to the parking lot.  I wish that I got a run in yesterday, but this run was very satisfying, and I'm not sure I would have been up for it had I run the 6 miles I was planning for yesterday.  Pace was about 20 seconds per mile faster than the 8K race a month ago, and I felt much better this morning than I did during that race.

Followed it up with a nice breakfast visit with Bret who was in town for a meeting.  Things are tripping along nicely - have a good day. 

Too dark this morning at 0630 to hit the trails safely.  Did my old standby 6-miler around the neighborhood.  Became very familiar with that loop when training for my first marathon several years back.  Took it nice and easy at about 8-8:15 pace.

Easy first mile, then 2 miles of minute on, minute off - quicker/more efficient than recent similar efforts.  On the neighborhood roads, I was more able to focus on form and pace than when I do this workout on the trails.  I must admit to this being a better effort than on the trails... not sure the joints will agree later today or tomorrow.  Finished with another easy mile back to the house where the boychild was just leaving for school in his "new" Maxima for the first time - huge smile on the punk's face.  We've been telling him for months that there was no way we were getting him a car on his 16th birthday.  Earlier this week, a coworker offered a well-kept '02 Maxima for $4K.  Tough to pass up when the interweb suggested 5-7K for similar vehicles.  At least its actually 2 whole weeks after his 16th - heh.

Half mile warmup then a nice little pyramid on the track - 100, 200, 300, 400, 300, 200, 100 all at about 70 second 400 pace with 90 seconds recovery.  Still really just doing these track workouts once a week to keep sharp for when I get serious in another couple months.  After the track work, I ran about 3 miles to the site of the cross country meet, and then I did at least 2 more miles running to get pics at the mile and 2-mile marks for both the boys' and girls' races - photos and results posted soon to maclayrunners.com.

We were without 2 of our top 5, and the other 3 were assigned pacing duty for 1st mile then tempo work through the finish.  Travis reports that he wants to tempo every race from here on in - was a lot of fun finishing with a strong fast final mile - says he must have passed 20 guys on the last mile.  He ran 17:47 after a 6 minute first mile - hes confident in going under 17 next Saturday at the big FSU Invite.  Most importantly for the day, the 4 through 7 runners either dropped their PR or had a season best.

Just over 20 miles on the road bike at 17.2 mph - really nice morning in Tally today - Fall has fell... fallen... falled...  Autumn has arrived.

Actually had to wear long sleeves this morning, and gloves would have helped for the first couple miles.  The cool temps did not completely make up for the lack of sleep though - it was a rough, lethargic 6 miles, but its in the books.

Hilly 5 miles in the neighborhood.  Loved this run during marathon training a few years ago.  Substantial inclines at end of mile 2, mile 3 and midway through mile 5.  This morning, I worked all those inclines and averaged right at 7:45 - not bad.

Great preview at Herb Wills' blog (http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/10/big-week-at-arpt.html) of the XC races and the venue this weekend.  Herb is a FSU Hall of Fame runner and many times All American.  Rarely races anymore, but he and his blog are the number one source for all things running in Tallahassee.  I will be running the open... after running around shooting pics of the boys and girls - at least it is supposed to be cool and dry.

Easy first and last miles, with goal of sub-7 for middle two miles - hit both at 6:52, although the second (third mile overall) was notably more challenging.  One benefit of running from the house instead of driving to the trails is that I can be back in time to bang out my circuit workout before work, rather than trying (and often failing) to squeeze it in at lunch or before dinner.

I'm down to 8 days before going on vacation for 11 days - need to work hard so I can play hard while in Orlando and Hawaii!! 

Couldn't drag out of bed this morning, so ran this evening before heading to the FSU ladies' soccer game (they beat Clemson 3-0).  Started at the track and ran the ravine trail clockwise then down to the low side of the new trail.  Ran new trail (1.35 mi) uphill in 10:02 - go ahead, gimme a wowwwww - I've never broken 12 minutes uphill before, so I was pleased.  Will take off tomorrow other than a little preview jog around the FSU Invite course with the team.  After that, we are going to watch the college races tomorrow evening.  FSU men and women both are #1 ranked in the South Region, with Florida #2 for women and #3 for men - the Gators will be at the meet -woooo.   Then, Saturday morning, Travis has his sites set on sub-17 for the first time, and I'm gunning for 20:27 or some such number in the mid 20's.

I guess the heat last year blinded me to the hills...  forgot all about them.  Perfect weather this year, and I beat my time from last year by 45 seconds, but the second time up the toughest hill (at just over 2 miles) really beat me up.  Ran a couple hundred meters in recovery mode, and got it together to finish pretty strong.  All in all, very satisfying once again - 20 seconds faster than 2 weeks ago and only 5 seconds off my 20:27 goal.  The race was a combined JV boys/community open, and, unfortunately for the team, I thrashed a couple of our JV runners - they're young, they will bounce back.

In the varsity race, which went off 10 minutes after sunrise at 52°, our #1 dipped under 16 for the first time this year to finish 5th at 15:50.  Bit of a gap to our #2 in 20th at 16:44, and then, a mere 12 seconds back, in 29th place with 16:56, was Travis.  His first time under 17, and a big 30 second personal best.  Extra little bonus had 2 of our guys behind him also drop PRs - a good morning. 

Decent run around the neighborhood again with slowest mile at 7:38 and fastest at 7:10 - more related to uphill vs downhill than any real change in effort.  Another really nice morning, but humidity creeping back up a bit.  Leaving for 11 day vacation on Thurs after work, but will try to get in 3 more good runs before then - never know what the vacation will bring as far as opportunities to work out.

Out and back in the neighborhood. First (8:54) and third (8:45) miles easy, with second (6:43) and fourth (6:39) miles at goal between 6:30 and 6:45.  I think I need to replot my mile marks here (or get one of them thar fancy GPS watches) - the 6:43 felt much faster than the 6:39.  

First 5 miles easy (all between 7:38 and 7:48), almost effortless - not a term I've used in a loooooong time related to running 5 miles.  Had to drop the hammer a bit at 5 miles to maintain the 7:45ish pace, because from 5.25 to 5.75 is a long gradual incline  - that mile ended up being my fastest at 7:27.  Surely the effortless perception is based somewhat on improved fitness, but mostly it was distraction from knowing I leave this evening for the wife's and my 11 day adventure to Mount Dora, Dunedin, Oahu and Maui.  Much cross training in store (cycling in Mt Dora, hiking in Hawaii), and hopefully a few runs in amazing places.  High speed Internet and a laptop everywhere we go, so I'll be checking in... on occasion.

 Aloha 

48 miles on the road bike in and around the hills of Mount Dora.  Successfully surprised the fool out of a buddy I haven't seen in 5-6 years. His wife surprised him for his 50th birthday by having me show up out in the middle of nowhere (quite literally) and riding up on him - was perfect, although he did nearly fall off his bike when he realized who just rode up and said "On your left, Old Man" - sweeeeet!  Another ride with him tomorrow and then off to Tampa for a day before Hawaiiiiiiiiiii

Rode around Mt Dora again today with Scott (27 hilly miles) - very fun.  Traveling to Dunedin tomorrow and off to Hawaii early Monday.  Hopefully will get in a run tomorrow evening.

Got into Oahu late yesterday, too tired to work out.  Good run this morning on the treadmill in the rooftop fitness center on Waikiki Beach - very cool. Hiked up Diamond Head this afternoon... considerably cooler than the treadmill on the rooftop  :)

Flight to Maui from Oahu yesterday and then the 2 hr twisty dark rainy drive to Hana - I rather enjoyed it, but the wife was majorly unimpressed.  Got in about 5 miles this evening along the coastline on cattle trails and some jeep roads - last 10 minutes was pretty dark (at only 5:45 due to the mountains just to our west obscuring the sun), but the moon was up and the trail had good footing.  Did a good bit of swimming and hiking earlier as well.

Since I couldn't be at the Panhandle XC Championships in Marianna, Florida to run the Open division, I mapped out a 5K near our bungalow on Maui and did my own race at 4:45am local time - 9:45am where my compatriots were running.  Basically, the road course was down for a half mile, flat for a half mile, up for a half mile and then reverse to the start.  I made the turn at 10:35 feeling totally spent at the top of the hill, and then struggled back in 11:04.  Even with limited running for several days, much hiking in the days before, little sleep, and no competition (not to mention the early hour, darkness and light rain), it definitely was one of the best 5K experiences I've ever had.  

Travis had completed his race earlier in the morning (3:20am Maui time) and called me to share his news of a 16:39 PR, 3rd on the squad - top 4 all under 17 for the first time - #s 5 and 6 both were sick but managed low 18s to get the team a 4th place finish at this bigtime local meet.  Trav then watched the girls race and the middle school race and called me again when the Open racers were on the line.  It was very cool knowing that I was running at the same time as our other parents/coaches that were doing the race some 4,500 miles away. I called my time in, and Travis shared it with the team and the other More Olders - big fun!

Flew back into Tampa on Sunday, drove to Gainesville to visit the daughter-child, and then home yesterday.  Wee bit jet-lagged, but struggled out of bed at 0630 to get in 4 miles on the neighborhood roads.  Might run the community division 5K at the all-comers meet at our home course on Thurs - we'll see.

Couldn't roll out of bed this morning to get my run in, but I squeezed it in this evening before finishing unpacking from Hawaii - I guess its officially over now - sigh.  Very slow 4.5 miles - getting back into the swing.

'Nother evening run - maybe this weekend will get me back in rhythm for morning running.  Just can't seem to drag out of bed since Hawaii - this too shall pass.  Pace was fairly easy, right at 7:45.

Low humidity and 72° at 2PM! Such a deal - ran the ravine trail/overstreet loop route for first time in a few weeks.  First mile easy 7:45, then 7:28, 7:12, 7:25 and 7:40. Slept about 10 hours, so maybe I can get back on track for a good three weeks of training before Turkey Trot.

Overstreet loop, short way/short way from the track.  Pace right at 7:35-7:45 - legs a bit sore for some reason afterword.  Will do 6 real easy tomorrow morning.

Out and back in the neighborhood real easy - 8:00-8:15 pace.  Pushups, pullups and core workout after.

Sore lower legs again - maybe its just me getting used to the new shoes I got last week - Brooks Dyad - a bit more cushioning than I'm used to, but they were on sale.  Travis and the team run District Champs on home course this afternoon.  They are expected to win with possibly a perfect score - not much competition in our district.  Trav ran 17:58 last week on same course in the rain and mud.  Similar conditions expected today, and with limited competition, he figures to just cruise and shoot for sub 18 again.  The big meet is next week's Regional meet in Gainesville... and then, of course, the State Meet on Nov 20th!

Evening run around overstreet and ravine trail.  Dropped middle 2 miles to 7:12 and 7:18.  Chilly run flirting with darkness toward the end.  Back to morning runs on the trails on Monday - woooo.

Ravine trail plus north loop warm up, and then 4X200 on the track, followed by two laps cool down.  Reintroduction to the track after 3 weeks - bleh.

Overstreet, ravine plus north loop from the gardens trailhead.  Was 32° on the porch, so probably right at 30 on the trails... really need to consider that move to Sarasota.  Nice to have enough light again to run the trails.  Took 2 miles to get warm, and then just cruised right at 8 min pace.  And away we go...

From gardens trailhead, ravine trail plus north loop to start of new trail - ran new trail in 9:35 good hard effort, but didn't expect to be that close to my best time of 9:20.  Maybe I didn't lose too much fitness the past 3 weeks of hit and miss workouts.  Bit warmer this morning at just 37 degrees.

Ravine trail from gardens trailhead at 8 min pace (3 miles) - then, 1 minute on 1 minute off for the 2 flat miles of overstreet - easy warm down for final half mile to car.  First time in a month for this workout and felt pretty good.  Highlight had to be spooking the barred owl off the trail and seeing him head off down the trail with dead squirrel dangling - ahhh, the circle of life.

Sinus drainage all night resulted in no interest in running at 6AM, so ran to work and back this evening.  Its right at 3 miles one way - easy 22:41 there, 6 minutes in my office wrapping up a data compilation that I left processing earlier, and then a decent effort 21:21 on the return trip.

Up early tomorrow and on the road to Gainesville for the Region Championships - Travis also suffering a bit with sinuses - we'll see. 

Productive day around the house resulted in not running until this evening.  Regular 4-miler around the neighborhood nice and easy.  Track workout tomorrow.

Three mile warm-up (ravine trail plus north loop), then 6X200 at 36-38 seconds, followed by 4 barefoot striders on the soccer field. Two laps cool down and then pushups, dips and a bit of core work.  Lovely afternoon at the track... felt very much like Spring.  One more week of XC and then its gearing up for track season - woooo. 

Running in the evening pretty much stinks - no more excuses, I'm getting up early  tomorrow and banging out the run.  Easy run around the neighborhood - no energy and missed Jeopardy - hmph.

Regular figure 8 at the trails - 8 min first mile, then 7:20, 7:17, and 7:15 through the middle, and dropping back to 8-8:15 to finish the last 1.4.  Very nice morning to run - sandy parts of the trails were firm from the rain a couple nights ago, and temps were mid 40s.  The middle miles were moderate effort - will try to drop those to 7-flat next week.

From the Gardens trailhead, uphill on the new trail to the ravine trail plus north loop.  I truly can't wait until Saturday (last XC meet for the boy child) - maybe I can shed the distractions and focus more on me during my runs  :)

Covered about 3 miles in fartlek mode running around the outside of the fence taking pics during the girls and boys XC State Champs.  Highlight of my year for the past 3 seasons.  As close to winter olympics biathloning as I'll ever get... run 800 meters, stop and shoot pics, run 800 meters, stop and shoot pics - big fun.

Travis ran well considering stomach pain once again - gotta get that sorted out.  He placed 21st overall in 16:47, just 8 seconds shy of his PR, and the team placed 3rd.  More impressive, again considering his GI issues, he was really struggling at 1.5 miles and lagging about 10 meters behind our #3 runner.  The halfway point is in the boonies on this course and I hollered out for him to get his head up and close the gap.  By the 2-mile mark, he was back on #3's heels, and, coming up the finishing hill, he went by him to finish 5 seconds ahead - nice little victory on a rough day.

Two and a half mile warm up around the neighborhood and then 4X180 meter hill, with about 600 meter jog back to start of the hill.  Nice little loop around the block with a sweet incline on the back side.  One of my routine workouts when I can't quite squeeze in a trip to the track.

Little under 3 miles easy around the neighborhood and then 4X100ish striders.  Signed up for the 5K Turkey Trot tomorrow, but might do the 10K easy with 5,000 of my closest friends.  A month ago I had visions of sub 19 at Turkey Trot, but then... excuses excuses.  Travis may run with me, so I might shoot for sub 20 in the 5 if I don't decide to just casually run the 10.  Inlaws plus a few coming in for the next few days, but its back to serious consistent training starting on Sunday.

Hey Rob - had to bundle up this morning for my run in the 52 degree fog - brrrrrrrrrrrr 

Biggest road race ever for Tallahassee this morning - 5,300 runners across the 1 mi/5K/10K/15K offerings - a really nice reunion/race day for all.  No warm-up at all, over a minute to get to the start line, and weaving through strollers and puppy dogs for first half mile - nice to just kinda visit during the first half of a race.  Dropped the second two miles to right at 6:30 and finished up under 22, so it was a good day.  The wife, the brother-in-law, daughter and son all ran and we saw pretty much everyone we know in town.

Turkey dinner is well settled and pie is on its way.

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Easy 4 around the neighborhood after watching 'bama collapse - bummer. Trying to limit myself to 4 pieces of pie per day for the next couple days, but somebody's gotta eat it, right?

Figured I better get the run out of the way BEFORE football today, since 'bama lost yesterday and I hadn't run yet.  Don't want the 'noles suffering the same fate.  Daughter child is at the game with a bunch of FSU fans - she is discretely sporting the orange and blue though.

Ran the overstreet figure 8 plus north loop - a bit under 8 per mile easy. 

Ran Overstreet loop (3 miles) counterclockwise to Ravine trail - for the nearly 2 mile Ravine trail I did one minute on one minute off.  Felt pretty strong after no activity yesterday... eating nothing by pie for 2 days caught up with me and I just couldn't hit the trails yesterday.

Bit of a chilly run this morning around the neighborhood - yes, 35 is chilly for me.  Will need all my will power and warm gear for the next few mornings as well - sub 30!  I will think of all you northerners who scoff at such balmy temps while pounding out the miles.

Too cold for my testes tastes this morning, so did 45 minutes of plyometrics in the house - ouch - been a while.

Ran 2.5 this evening (when it was a toasty 44 degrees) followed by 4 100M striders and then another half mile.

I'm thinking something like today will be my routine for the winter.  My trouble last year at this time was that I tried to keep doing 5-6 mile runs but lost motivation due to my unhealthy distaste for cold weather.  Short fast stuff is best for me, combined with working out inside in the morning.

Targeting the 400 meter indoor old fogies' race at the Jimmy Carnes Meet in Gainesville at the end of January... its good to have a goal.

Did a chest and back workout this morning for the first time in a long time - will have to ease into that one a little slower - pull ups were not at all impressive.

Ran my usual 4 miler this evening.  Gonna be a late night working on slideshow for the XC banquet on Sunday. 

Routine dumb bell workout in the morning before final preparations for the XC banquet.  As usual, the banquet was well attended and well received.  Even though this is probably my 10th or so track or XC banquet with Coach Droze, he always makes it interesting and entertaining and makes each kid on the team feel special.  Travis received his 2nd year varsity letter pin and a challenge from coach to make the top 10 all-time list for the school - just needs to drop another 15 seconds over the next 2 years.

This evening I did 2.5 miles hard and then 4 striders and a half-mile warm down.  Looking forward to earlier bedtimes now that I am finished with my XC website and photo/slideshow duties.

Gnite 

My knee (the bad, offensive right knee) has been tweaky since running around on Saturday shooting pics at the Senior All-Star Meet, so bailed on plyos this morning, and no running.  Did dumb bell circuit and core work.

Plyometrics this morning - no real issues with the knee.  Will run 3 hard this evening followed by 6-8 fast striders... unless the knee complains at some point along the way.

In the evening, I did just over 2 miles at a bit under 7 min/mile and then 2 X 180 meter hills and 4 striders, followed by an easy half mile.  This was a good day.  With a few degrees more warmth, I would probably do 3-3.5 hard before the hills/sprints.

40 minutes of core work in the morning and 30 minutes of upper body in the evening. No running - tomorrow looks nice for a track workout after work.

Forty-five minutes of yoga this morning - been way too long since I've done that.

Was sunny and 45 at lunch, so I traded food for a quick run.  Did 2.8 miles at about 7:15 pace, followed by 4X150 striders and then a half mile warm down.  The striders felt good - not good=fast, but controlled and strong for slightly longer sprints. 

Impromptu trip to the coast with the wife yesterday for one night.  Ran 2 miles easy down to Mashes Sands Beach this morning, and on the way back did 1 min on 1 min off with the "on" at about mile pace.  Then did 4 striders.  Chilly but lovely down by Ocklockonee Bay.

Went to the school and did the Ravine Trail plus North Loop for warm up... didn't work too well on the warming up front.  Legs never really felt loose, so when I got back to the track I just ran 4X200 controlled at 34-36 with 100 meter jog between. Wanted to run more and faster today, but chose to not push it with cold legs - chilly and wind was blowing and just never really got warmed up.  Did 2 laps cool down for right at 4.25 miles total.

Sunny and 45 degrees at lunchtime, so squeezed in a 4-miler before wolfing a ham sandwich and tomato soup - nearly warmed me up enough to not mind heading back to work.  Upon arrival back at the office, the bossman is gone for the day and the Christmas music is blaring - that'll work.

AM core and dumbbell workout.  Lunchtime plyometrics in front of the fire.  Slight warming trend for next few days, so should be able to get out for some runs.  I so admire you folks who can throw on thermal socks and gloves and hats and tights and under armor this and under armor that and go out for a run when its sub freezing.  If it goes under 50 degrees for me, I don't even think about reaching for my running shoes.

Four miler with the middle 2 miles going 1 minute on and 1 minute off at a bit better than 5K pace.  No time to tack on a few striders, so will try to do that tonight.

Dumbbell resistance workout in the morning, and squeezed in 4 miles around the neighborhood at lunch in light chilly rain.

Yesterday was a washout, literally because of rain all day, but more because I let time get away from me.  Made it to the track today for 2.5 miles warmup and then a little pyramid that turned into an even littler ladder - 100, 200, 300, 400.  Ran the 300 (49) and 400 (67) a little harder than anticipated, so bagged the back side of the pyramid.  Didn't feel too bad or strain too much on them, but definitely felt it in the quads and calves in the last 50 of the 400.  Was too nice a day to run smart... wanted to run a little bit fast.  Finished up with 2 laps and some stretching while watching a woman put her german shepherd through some obedience drills - very cool.

Have to fit my run around jury duty tomorrow - maybe I will get out early. 

30 minutes of plyometrics early and then 2 miles hard mid-day.

Very humid and 55 degrees this morning, so popped over to the trails -wooo.  Ran 2 miles easy to the start of the North Loop trail (0.8 miles of twisty, rooty single track), then worked that about as hard as I was able to - 5:18.  I've run it in 4:26.  Then an easy mile and a quarter back to the trailhead.  I plan to use this as a once-per-week gauge of my fitness over the next couple months leading into outdoor track.  The distance is certainly longer than what I will race (200, 400 and 800), but its a trail I've run many many times over the years and it is just flat out fun to run fast when I'm fit.  I was thinking I'd be closer to 5 flat today, but its been a long time since I've run the trail hard, and it was still a little dark this morning - sub 5 next week... as long as temps stay moderate.

Morning track workout today - nice to get it out of the way.  Ran 1.75 mile warmup from Maclay Gardens trailhead to the track.  Did 6 X 200 with 90 second jog/walk between the first 4, and then about 3 minutes each before the last 2.  Wanted to take the first 4 down from 35 to 32, and went 36, 35, 33, 32, so not too bad.  Last 2 I wanted to go 30 and 29, and I hit them at 30.25 and 30.10 - worked the turn on the penultimate and felt real strong, worked the straight on the last one and felt a bit rough.  All-in-all, I nearly felt like a sprinter.  Had to run the 1.75 return to the car a bit faster than I would have liked, since I had an 0830 conference call at the office.

Oh - I can report that the moon appears to have recovered nicely following the trauma of the other night.  It was 3/4 of the way to setting in the West this morning, and seems to be waning properly. 

Ravine trail plus north loop from the track (3 miles).  Then 2 400s and a half mile cool down.  The 400s were at 70 and 68.  I did the first and fourth of Travis' 4X400.  He wants to do this workout 2 or 3 times per week until he races the 1600 indoor in Gainesville at the end of January.  He's wanting to go sub-4:40, so he's doing four 400s at 70 or better to lock in the pace.  He did 70, 70, 71, 68 with about 30 seconds between - not bad.  He was satisfied, and he was duly impressed with the old man's effort.

30 minutes of plyometrics plus 20 minutes of pushups, pull ups and dumbbell circuit.

Evening 3 miler with new Garmin 405. Confirmed that my 2.4 mile run in the neighborhood is 2.43 and that my half mile lap around the block is 0.58.  Kinda cool - will have to play with it some more. 

From Maclay Gardens trailhead, ran 2 miles of the ravine trail to start of North Loop trail - did the North Loop (0.8 mi) in 5:06 - not bad... working toward 4:30ish by end of January.  Finished up with an easy mile and a quarter back to the car.

Lovin the whole Garmin thing.  Squeezed in a little workout at lunch.  Warmed up on the ravine trail (2.25 miles) a bit faster than originally intended - 7:20 pace - then did 200, 300, 500 on the track, and finished with 4 barefoot striders and 2 laps on the infield.  Only real goal was to hit the 500 at 90 seconds - ran 1:30.8 - that'll work.

Evening dumb bell workout, plus pushups, and pull ups and dips on the boy child's new workout stand - pretty slick.

Bailed out of the office early this afternoon to put in a "long run" in the gorgeous weather - sunny and 60 degrees.  The Garmin registered 5.28 mi for the combination of ravine trail and overstreet trail that my bike computer measures at 5.4 miles.  I accept both distances as spot on since I usually ride on the right side (outer lane) of the doubletrack and take the tangents when running - very interesting.  Kept the pace right at 8 flat, which was a bit of a struggle the last mile and a half.  Its been a few weeks since I've run more than 4 miles.