Boston, here I come?

Objective: 6 miles at marathon race pace

I met today's goal, finishing the run at a 6:58/mile average, and with each mile between 6:51 and 7:07.  It was pretty warm outside and my legs didn't feel 100%, but once I got settled into a decent groove I felt close to normal.  Heart rate averaged 164 bpm, which coincides with how I felt..had to use a little more effort than normal for this pace. 

Objective: 13 mile long run

Today's run went great - everything was in place physically, the Gu chomps I took around mile 5 gave me some energy, and I kept the run very steady.  Details/splits to come later on.... 

Objective: 3 easy miles

Week #5 kicks off with another recovery run, which went just fine.  My splits were 7:29/7:26/7:26, and I kept my heart rate as low as possible considering the heat (temps in the 80's).  The run felt good on my legs, and jumping in the pool afterwards felt good on the rest of my body :) 

Objective: 7 mile run

Semi-tough run this morning..I didn't feel as good as the numbers reflected.  My splits were steady, and I finished up at 7:15/mile, and my heart rate stayed lower than I thought it did.  I was really thirsty towards the end, I guess I'm just not used to going this far first thing in the morning.  I'm dealing with some soreness in my left calf before/after runs..while I'm on the run it feels fine.  Could lead to an extra day off at some point, but it's not bad for now. 

Objective: 3 semi-easy miles

I was encouraged to pick up the pace slightly on today's short run, which I was a bit worried about given my late night at the Mets-Dodgers game but it all worked out.  I managed 7:12/7:02/6:55 splits for the miles and feel less soreness in my calf than yesterday.  I'm going to tonight's game, but will be in bed a couple of hours earlier than last night..getting through an early morning tempo run requires a more normal night of sleep. 

Objective: 35 minute tempo run

I cut the time down to 33:15 (slacker, I know) so I could get home and finish packing for this weekend's camping trip.  This run was supposed to be done yesterday, but my stomach had other ideas..it actually worked out perfectly today.  By the time I felt uncomfortable, it was time to slow down, and everything settled down rather nicely.  I hit the "tempo" splits right (7:55, 7:08, 7:02, 7:43, 7:34 pace on last .46), and my heart rate was surprisingly low in the middle, never rising above 157.  Heading off to a nice lake tonight, looking forward to finding my weekend runs in a new place! 

Objective: 7 mile run

Oops.  Went out for a run while camping near San Luis Obispo, CA with a rough idea of the surrounding area.  It quickly turned into a partial trail run, followed by a getting lost run, ending with 3 more miles than I planned on.  The trail was cool, lots of up and downs during the 3 or so miles I was on it..didn't get lost until I left the trail for a paved road instead of the dirt road that led back to camp.  The distance wasn't the problem, but there was a lot of up and down so it was pretty tiring.

Objective: 14 mile long run

Well, this one didn't work out like I had hoped.  Between yesterday's run, the hills near the campsite for today's run, and a possible lurking head cold, I had to cut this one short.  The pace was okay, at 7:46/mile, but I didn't have a whole lot of energy.  I didn't feel that great post-run either, but am looking forward to a better run tomorrow.

5 weeks down, 13 to go! 

Objective: 3 easy miles

I only lasted a couple of hours at work today with my newly-blossomed head cold, but after a few hours on the couch decided I didn't want to skip the easy run day.  I guess my legs felt good, the splits were 7:26/7:26/7:14..it was harder than usual since I didn't feel 100%, but I'm glad I got the miles in. 

Objective: 7 miles, pace depends on how I feel

NyQuil is a wonderful thing.  I took some last night and promptly slept for 11 hours, feeling a whole lot better.  I planned on going in to work at noon so once I was awake and functional I figured I might as well knock out today's run.  It felt mostly good..my pace was solid (7:09/mile) but my heart rate jumped in the last couple of miles (from 165 to 170 to 174 avg), which I assume was just a function of not being 100% healthy.  I'm glad I did the run though, now I'm off to work for half a day! 

Objective: 3 easy miles

I went faster than I normally would, as tomorrow has been adjusted to a rest day instead of interval day.  We've got evening plans, and I don't want to fool myself into thinking I can do fast intervals in the morning so I'm just pushing them back until Friday.  Churned out an even 7:00/mile overall pace, with 7:22/6:54/6:47 splits and a fast finishing kick.  My heart rate stayed in the 160-167 range during those faster miles, so I didn't overdo anything...and now I get tomorrow as a glorious rest day :) 

Objective: 5 x 800 intervals, 3:00/interval

As usual, my "800m" is .54 miles so aiming for 3:00/interval is a 5:33/mile pace.  Apparently I'm still not ready for that, as my splits were 3:03, 3:05, 3:07, 3:16, 3:10 (5:42-5:58/mile).  These times are definitely good enough, and have made me realize that the 3:00/interval goal is more of an end-of-training ideal.  I've got a couple more interval days in the next 12 weeks and if I can improve to the point where I'm hitting those splits, it'll be a big win.

Objective: 7 mile pace run

Whew, today was a tough one.  My lingering congestion made breathing pretty tough in the second half of the run and my heart rate was much higher than normal (got up to 185 bpm, averaged 168 bpm).  Still, I met my goal, averaging 6:56/mile with each one between 6:43 (mile #7) and 7:08 (mile #1).  My legs had no trouble after yesterday's speed work, and I expect tomorrow's 10 miler to be a lot easier physically.

Objective: 10 mile long run

This congestion I've dealt with all week can't go away soon enough.  After two faster days in a row, I had no delusions about this being a fast run, figuring I'd average around 7:45/mile - that proved to be the case (7:47) but the journey there was just brutal.  Breathing became tough around 6 miles due to a snot overload, and my body was just wiped out.  Looking forward to a better long run next week, assuming I ever get back to full health.

6 weeks down, 12 to go! 

Objective: 3 easy miles

Week 7 starts off with another recovery run, which went very well.  My body was pretty beaten up from the weekend's not-fully-healthy runs and I briefly considered just taking the day off.  But I got out there, at a 7:33/mile average, kept my heart rate low and got the run done.  This is going to be a tough week, as I won't get a day off until Sunday and the mileage is starting to ramp up..exciting and scary at the same time. 

Objective: 8 mile run

I was skeptical heading into today's run.  My back was getting achy and my legs were stiff all day, all of which I attributed to the last few days' worth of running.  I started off stiff but at a decent pace for the first mile (7:20), but when I had to sprint to beat a light soon after that, everything changed for the better.  I guess my legs just needed to wake up a bit, and it turned out to be a great run.  I wound up with a 7:05 avg/mile pace for the run, with a strong finish (6:46) and feeling strong.  Sure, I'm looking forward to my day off on Sunday already, but at least now I feel more confident about the rest of the week.

Pico and back 

Objective: 4 easy miles

I felt good this morning, after last night's surprisingly good run.  I kept the pace easy, going 8:06, 7:33, 7:34, 7:34 and kept my heart rate in the high 150's.  My legs definitely feel better today than they did yesterday, although they are a bit tired with six straight days of running in the books. 

Objective: 5x hills

I decided to forego the weight vest for today's hill run, with two harder days coming up next and a lot of recent miles on my legs.  It was a nice change of pace, with my uphill splits going 3:03, 3:00, 2:54, 2:57, 2:51 (big difference from the 3:10ish average from the last couple of weight vest outings), but most importantly I didn't wear myself out like I could have.  The next two days will be tough, hopefully they go well! 

Objective: 8 miles at marathon pace (7:00/mile)

I was concerned about today's run about a mile in, when my right shin felt tight/sore.  I got to stretch it out at a couple of stoplights, and it never turned into anything to really worry about.  I did the first four miles (gradually uphill) in 28:28, and the next four in 26:51, with a similar paced finish - wound up at 6:55/mile for the run.  Tomorrow is a big test...I've never done a 16 miler with so many recently rest-day-free miles..hoping for the best.

Pico and back

Objective: 16 mile long run

Well, I did it - the run went about as well as I could have hoped.  I set new 7 day (55 miles) and 8 day (62 miles) records, so my legs have been working hard.  I was aiming for a 7:30/mile pace, and finished at 7:33 - I lost some time in the last three miles, but nothing too significant.  I'm really just proud that I finished the run, and the week, and I get a day off tomorrow as a reward.

7 weeks down, 11 to go! 

Objective: 3 mile easy run

Week 8 starts off in typical fashion, with a standard easy run.  It was a bit different in that it came after a day off instead of after the long run, but it was a normal, 7:35ish/mile easy morning run. 

Objective: 8 mile run

The write-up on this run said to go faster than last Tuesday's 8 miler if I felt up to it.  I did not feel up to it at all.   My overall pace was fine (7:16/mile) and I sped up at the end when my legs felt a little better, but they were tight for most of the run.  My stride seemed out of whack during a few miles and I felt heavy at other times...when my stomach started to rebel in the last mile I realized why all that was happening.  Luckily I made it to the finish line, and should feel much better tomorrow.

Pico and back 

Objective: 4 easy miles

I was definitely more comfortable than last night, and came in at a 7:24/mile pace for the run.  My stomach wasn't 100% but very close..pretty typical easy run that got faster as it went along. 

Objective: 40 minute tempo run

I was so excited for this run, because it's the last one before a day off!  My body was definitely tired, with the 90 miles I've covered during the last two weeks and the early wake up time to get outside.  I did the tempo splits well though, going about 7:35 for the first two miles, 7:06 for the third, 7:25 for the fourth and 6:56 for the fifth before an average finish.  The overall pace was 7:21/mile, which is just fine.  

Tonight - pizza, beer and video games.  Oh happy day. 

Objective: 8 mile run

Today's run was a bit slower than I thought it would be, although the pizza/beer/sausages/beer/burgers diet I was on for the previous 36 hours could have something to do with that.  I wound up at 7:36/mile, and "sped up" to 7:20ish for the final two miles.  My legs were tightening up on me again, so the first few miles were awfully uncomfortable..they loosened up eventually but I didn't like the feeling.  I iced tonight and will sit in the hot tub after tomorrow's long run. 

Pico and back 

Objective: 17 mile long run

Semi-fail.  I was nervous about my stomach at the start, and avoided making any pit stops until I looped back by my house at 6.3 miles..figured I'd have to stop at some point soon so I'd just get it out of the way at home.  I felt a lot better and then continued on my way, thinking I'd be just fine..after all, my legs felt great and now I was more comfortable.  Then I made a big mistake..eating Gu chomps on a clearly tender stomach.  Nothing really felt right after that, and when the second loop by my house was complete I turned in.  My overall pace for the run was 7:33/mile, but the last mile was 8:16 and felt like forever.  The week was still solid and I shattered my old monthly record, but I hate coming up short in a run.  Next Sunday was supposed to be 12, in a step-back week, but I'm going to do 17 that day instead to make up for today.

8 weeks down, 10 to go!