Boston, here I come?

Happy New Year runners!  Despite the ten or so beers I had last night, my wife dragged me off the couch to do an easy run up the road to a set of stairs that lead to a scenic outlook.  What a view - you can see pretty much all of LA, and on a clear day you can see Malibu and Catalina Island..pretty amazing.  The stairs to get up there are tough, and we walked down the hill to get back to the road.  

I made the run harder by wearing a weight vest for the first time..4 pounds of weights in the 3.5 pound vest made the hungover adventure awfully tough.  But I knew we'd be going slow so it worked out.  The total mileage is 3.5, but I didn't count the stairs/walk back to the road (although I did run up some stairs...bad move).

My first solo run with the weight vest...learned a couple of things.  First, I've got to slow down...overall pace of 7:31 is just not necessary while wearing this thing.  Second, once/twice a week will be plenty of vested running.  Felt a couple of tweaks in my knees but once I slowed down they felt better.  I even tried throwing in a fast lap around the park in the middle of the run, came through with 1:49 over the .27 miles.  Looking forward to some runs without the extra weight :)

Ah, I did it - my first intentionally slow run in a long time.  Well, slower anyway...I don't know how people purposely run 2 mins/mile slower than their normal pace for their easy runs.  I took it down to a steady 8:08/mile for the five mile loop, forcing myself not to speed up.  There will be more slow runs when I really start training, so this was a good start.

5 mile loop 

Nice easy morning run, kind of chilly outside but not too bad.  Started slow and worked up to average a 7:19 pace...hmm, just took my shoes off and they're pretty ripe.  That's no good considering there's only a couple hundred miles on them...I guess I'll put them outside and hope it doesn't rain!

First time going this distance in a few weeks - not a great run but it got the job done.  I never felt fast but managed a 7:18 final mile and a 7:32 overall pace.  With the NFL playoffs kicking off in an hour or so there's going to be a lot of drinking today and tomorrow, had to make sure to get some miles in this morning.  Let's go (insert teams I bet on here)!

Pico and back

Harder run than the 7:25 pace should have been..took a few days off and felt sluggish.  Legs were fine, but overall energy was low, might try another run tonight.

5 mile loop

Same run as yesterday, but felt MUCH better.  It was a few degrees warmer which was nice, but not the reason for the improvement.  I think I just ate better yesterday (veggie stir fry dinner instead of chicken and cheesy potato) and got a little more sleep.  Kept a steady 7:18 pace throughout and felt great about it...free and easy.

5 mile loop

Okay, just logged my first two-a-day of 2011 after I discovered I won't be running tomorrow.  Did the same route (but reverse direction) at basically the same pace (7:17/mile) and felt pretty good about it until the last mile.  Even then, my legs were fine but there was a phlegm situation developing that left me pretty uncomfortable.  Nothing gross, but I was happy to be done with run #2 of the day.  

Taking tomorrow off for a day trip to San Diego, then gotta get some miles in Sunday morning before more football. 

Had a beautiful day off, with temps in the 70's - had to get outside before it got too hot, which I sort of succeeded at.  It was awfully warm and doing an inadvertently fast first mile (7:05) wiped me out.  Slowed down to enjoy the rest of the run, added two loops around the park and finished with a 7:39 pace.  Great way to start the week!

5 mile loop 

Had another nice easy morning run, weather was great (54 degrees) and I felt strong.  Added a sprint loop around the .27 mile park (1:40, my goal exactly) and slowed back down to an easier pace afterwards.  Finished with a 7:27 pace, a nice number for not pushing it at all.

5 mile loop 

Easy morning run at a 7:25 pace in clear, 50 degree weather.  Didn't feel that great..I seemed stiff, but more in my stride than my muscles.  Looking at the time I'm pretty surprised it's as low as it is..I didn't try to speed up after mile #1 (7:37) and never felt particularly comfortable.  Not complaining of course :)

Strong morning run, felt really good during the whole thing - started with a 7:20 mile and held steady, finishing with a 7:12 pace.  A lot of the drop was in my 6:53 final mile, which I really didn't see coming..I thought it would be slightly over 7, so I had a nice surprise when I looked at my watch.  Added a same-pace loop around the park mid-run for a bit of extra mileage.

5 mile loop 

Another mid-70's afternoon in LA, and a rare afternoon off work for me.  Took advantage by knocking out 6.1 miles, at a steady, even 7:00/mile.  I thought I'd be more tired on the fifth straight day of running but I felt good, despite the heat.  Running in the afternoon also brings out pretty girls to the mid-run park, so I tacked on a few laps to enjoy the view :)

5 mile loop

Did my first run on hills with the weight vest...that was intense.  Total distance was 3.9 miles, at a grueling 8:11 pace, about the time I expected.  Kept the weight total to 4 lbs, and the vest weighs 3.5 lbs so I added about 5% of my body weight.  And those hills!  Ordinarily I'd do this run at about a 7:30 pace - did it in '09 as my 2nd to last pre-marathon run in 7:08 - but not with the vest on.  But that's okay, running with added weight is not supposed to be as fast as normal.  This was day #6 in a row with a run, so tomorrow I can break my record for most consecutive days running! 

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4248039  

Day #7 in a row, didn't think I was going to do this full loop but I felt good enough to just do it.  Held a steady, 7:30 pace throughout until finishing strong with a 6:54 final mile, after going up the brutal hill.  Tomorrow will be a well deserved day off, this was my busiest week in 9 months with 35 1/2 miles - felt great :)

Around college

Set out for 5 miles, but my stomach got the better of me..had to turn in sooner than expected.  The miles I managed were still good (7:20/mile) but I was relieved to get home.

Easy morning run, surprisingly fast (7:13/mile) - nothing noteworthy about it, might sneak in a few more miles tonight to make up for yesterday's disappointment.  Getting closer to 100 miles on the month, I'd like to make that happen, would be a great way to start the year.

Morning: 3.07 mile run, went faster than I expected or felt - wound up with a 6:58/mile pace, and a final mile of 6:44.  I really wasn't going for either of those times, but they happened anyway which I guess I'm happy about.

I've been doing a lot of shorter runs, which has been good...but I'm worried that I might be losing some endurance.  I don't feel tired during these runs but I'm just not going very far...going to have to do at least 8 tomorrow morning, if my pace/energy feels good then the worries will go away.

Evening: 5 mile run, felt better running after work than before like always and finished with a 7:09/mile pace.  Slight soreness in my lower left leg, nothing too bad or cause for slowing down, but it's there...if I run tomorrow morning it'll be time for a hot tub soak afterwards.  One of the next three days will be a rest day, doesn't matter much which one.  Just two more runs for a 100 mile January, gotta get there!

First time going this distance in three weeks, I was concerned about losing some endurance.  But happily I felt fine, averaging 7:28/mile, and gathering the strength to do a 6:52 final mile.  That last mile was a big surprise, I wasn't planning on pushing it but just got a nice burst of energy for a strong finish.  Weather was great (mid 50's) and only a moment or two of stomach worries.  Next stop - 100th January mile.

Pico and back 

What a great run!  Added one loop around the park halfway through the run, I kept a steady 7:25 pace for most of the run, then decided to push it for the last mile - that mile wound up being 6:26, probably my fastest since May.  I also got over 100 miles for January, which is pretty huge..hadn't done that in the previous couple of years since I started ramping up the mileage.  

January totals: 21 runs in 19 days, 102.47 miles in 12:48:07.  7:29 average mile, 4.88 average miles/run.  Coming up in February - core/strength training along with more long runs...and a fancy schmancy Garmin watch!

Around college 

First run with my fancy new Garmin Forerunner 305/heart rate monitor!  I'm impressed by the accuracy - I set it for "auto pause" when my pace slowed below 14:00/mile, and also kept time with my regular watch.  The times wound up 1 second different, and only .02 miles apart from gmaps.pedometer.com.  Pretty good!  Wound up with a 7:12/mile pace, and a 6:41 final mile, but this was really just to play with my new toy.  Heart rate was around 160-165 whenever I checked, not really sure if that's good or bad - I wasn't ever out of breath so it's probably a good range.  Next up is figuring out how to upload it to the computer and figure out all the different tricks :)

Pico and back 

Run #2 with the Garmin, very impressed by the accuracy on the GPS - it registered as .01 different than I had the course at.  I was tired after last night's run, with the short turn around time to this morning, but managed a smooth 7:15/mile pace and creeped over 20 miles for the week by adding a lap around the park mid-run.  The weekend will bring me closer to 30, for another solid weekly effort.

5 mile loop 

Tough Super Bowl Sunday run, it was pretty warm outside and I was in the car for most of the day yesterday.  Logged a good time though, with a 7:25/mile average, without feeling too worn down for the most part.  Used the lap feature on my Garmin for the first time to see my mile splits, which was fun..next week I've got to install the software it came with to upload my runs to the computer.  I'm hoping there are graphing options to see how my pacing is compared to the course tools on this site, which adjust for elevation.

Pico and back 

Uneventful evening run, everything felt great after a couple of days off.  Perfect weather, no stomach issues..I ate very well the last couple of days and my body seems grateful.  Averaged 7:12/mile, and was steady throughout the run.

5 mile loop 

Very good evening run, averaged a 7:02 mile over the 6.63 mile route.  Played with the Garmin a little more, I sprinted a loop around the park (.27 miles, 1:32) to get my heart rate going, maxed out at 181 bpm.  Not sure if I can/should get higher than that, but we'll see when I do some more sprinting.  Added some push ups tonight, that's the fourth round of those in the last ten days, gotta ramp it up.  Also really need to start on my core, I won't be able to BQ in the fall if I'm weak in the middle!

around college 

Whew!  First run this far in almost four months, and the route is just brutal.  I loop around a golf course a few miles into the run, which is nice scenery, but the hills are killers.  My heart rate max was 184 bpm, higher than when I was pushing hard on a flat course the other day..it was hotter today, so that played a role too.  I kept a nice steady pace though, didn't try to do too much and wound up averaging a 7:46 mile, somehow keeping all the miles under 8:00 (unintentionally).  Hills are definitely my friend, but sometimes you can spend too much time with friends :)

 Even so, I'm very happy to have done this distance, and even happier that I feel great afterwards.  I'll do a recovery run tomorrow, and I have no hesitation going into it. 

around golf course 

Standard order recovery run, took it easy and averaged a 7:32/mile.  My legs felt really good after yesterday's outing, but the rest of my body was a little tired.  Bigger news is that I finally re-inflated my exercise ball and knocked out some crunches (3x15), AND still did my little sets of pushups.  This is a big step, I'm starting very small with the core/strength training, as we all know what happens if you dive in too deep.

Today was a good, faster run to kick off the week - averaged a 7:03 mile, with a fast 6:40 to finish.  Came home and did the same pushup/crunches routine, keeping it nice and light so my body doesn't get too mad at me.  I'm only planning on two runs during the rest of the work week, the upcoming 3 day weekend I have is calling out for two longer efforts.

5 mile loop 

Took an extra day off yesterday, and am glad I did..had some tenderness in my left leg that completely went away.  So to celebrate I broke out the weight vest and hit the hills, felt much easier than the last time I did it.  Wound up averaging a 7:53 mile over the 4 miles, pretty fast considering the circumstances.  Tomorrow's run will be weather-based, it's supposed to rain so I may stay in, the upcoming three day weekend is begging for a lot of miles.

Runs like today make me very proud - it was raining (mostly soft but got harder at times) and windy..in LA that's pretty much a disaster and everybody who manages to get home safely just stays in.  So while all of my competition was sitting on the couch I was out getting stronger.  I got the 5 mile loop done with a 7:03/mile pace, faster than I had planned on but it felt great.  Big weekend coming up, excited to do two 10+ milers in the next three days!

5 mile loop 

Well, I disappointed myself yesterday by not running at all, although there wasn't much I could do about it.  My stomach was acting screwy all day, and I never felt the risk was worth it to get some miles in.  Today it still wasn't perfect but I decided to go out anyway (ordinarily a terrible idea) and just make sure I could make a pit stop if necessary.  As it turned out I felt very close to normal the whole time, and kept extending the run (just do 3...ok, do 5...ok maybe 6, how about 8?) at a nice easy 7:29/mile pace.  Made it home without having to stop at all and I feel great about it.  This was definitely an exception though, in most cases the stomach gods have to be in perfect alignment.

Big day for my training..I got home and really didn't feel like heading out for a run.  It was chilly and windy and I was hungry; I thought my wife would be home not long after me and we'd make dinner.  So I was in my sweats and she called a little before 7 saying she was leaving work soon (much later than expected) and I still had time to run if I wanted to.  Inspired, I changed clothes and headed out for a solid 6.5 mile run at a very even 7:10/mile pace.  Tomorrow night we've got a cooking class date night (fancy pizza is the theme) so if I didn't get those miles in today I would have been pretty sour with myself.  As it is, I'm still on pace for a 100 mile month (well 98, but it's well within reach), which is a number I really want to reach every month this year.  

What a run - the best ones are always unexpected!  I started off normal enough, at 7:12/mile for the first two miles and not pushing hard at all.  Sped up a bit over the next few miles before reaching the steep hill around the college.  I decided that I wanted to keep a good, non-struggling pace up the hill and definitely did, staying right around 8 min/mile for the incline.  Feeling good I figured I'd really turn it on for the last mile...and clocked in at 6:14!  I really didn't think I was going that fast, or that I had that kind of time in me tonight..but I did and I feel great.  Overall pace finished at 6:57/mile, which was another nice surprise - anything under 7 for an overall pace is really encouraging.  Tomorrow morning looks good for a short, slower recovery run to head into the weekend!

Typical recovery run, although I went a bit faster than I wanted to, due to starting later in the morning than planned.  I know that a minute or two doesn't make a difference when it comes to when I get to work, but I still feel like I have to get out of the house by a certain time.  Did the 3 miles at a 7:27/mile pace, planning on a nice long run tomorrow, depending on the weather.

What a great run..so far this was my favorite outing of the year.  I pushed out 12 miles at a 7:10/mile pace to top 100 miles for the month, and finished strong averaging 6:56/mile for the final four.  I was worried the whole time that my Garmin was going to run out of battery power, as the "low battery" warning came on only half an hour into the run..I've never looked at my watch so much over the course of a run.  But it survived, and probably pushed me to run harder since I really wanted it to last the duration.  Feeling very strong, I think I'm right where I should be with 7 months still ahead of me until the big BQ shot.

Very easy run, I really tried hard to go slow and succeeded, averaging 8:03/mile.  I golfed earlier in the day and had some beer while playing, so that helped dampen my appetite for speed too, but my goal would have been the same either way.  This capped off a big week, with a tally of just under 35 miles from Monday-Sunday.  I don't think I'll run tomorrow, so February will likely finish with a total of 105 miles.

5 mile loop 

Good, quality run tonight, averaged a steady 7:10 mile over the route, and finished with a sub-7 minute mile.  Glad I went to 7, although this will be an easier week than last, it's always nice to tack on a couple extra miles.

Standard issue easy recovery run, held the pace to 7:58/mile.  The bigger news is that I went to the gym this morning..didn't do too much, but it was nice to lift some weights.  Gotta get in there 2-3 times/week from here on out.

Today's run was harder than expected - I planned on finishing the route in just under an hour, and succeeded, at 59:53.  But the effort output was more than I thought it would be..could be partially due to weather (74 degrees at the finish), or just a tough day.  I had to hustle at the end with a 6:59 final mile, to make sure I was under an hour, but the pace was mostly steady throughout the run.  Average bpm was 166, with a high of 179 towards the end of the run, about where I thought I'd be.  A few miles tomorrow will complete a solid step-back week.

Pico and back 

Oof, today didn't work out so well.  The plan was to do an easy 5 miles to cap off a solid step back week..then I ate a bunch of girl scout cookies last night.  The stomach didn't like that too much and I had to turn in and do a pretty uncomfortable last mile.  I'm glad I was smart enough to not push it and I really don't care about missing out on a single mile.  The week was good overall, and today even averaged a 7:35/mile pace, so it all worked out well enough.

Standard issue easy run, trying to take advantage of the morning sunshine this week and wake up nice and early.  Paced 7:25/mile, kept the heart rate nice and low, simple but important start to the week.

Great run this morning.  I had to get a decent amount of miles in since I took last night off to eat cookies.  It was only a few, but there was no way to run afterwards..as it turned out, cooking dinner would've prevented a run anyway so it was no real loss.  I clocked in at a steady 7:14/mile pace and felt very comfortable during the run. 

The marathon is 7 months away and I feel like I'm right where I should be.  I think I could do around 3:30 in a marathon today, although with very uneven splits (probably 1:35/1:55ish), just because I haven't gone over 13 miles in a while.  As my training and cross-training ramp up, that endurance will keep building..the goal is to break 3 hours so I've got my work cut out for me!

Good easy morning run, averaged 7:12/mile, which was faster than I felt or really tried/wanted to do.  These warm sunny mornings have been great, but will go away for a while after the clocks change this weekend.  I still felt strong after yesterday's effort, which shouldn't be surprising but is always nice..but there was no reason to push at all.  Ideally I'll do another short run tomorrow (3-5 miles) and have a big weekend (15-20 miles).

Another easy morning run in the sunshine, kept the heart rate nice and low and averaged a steady 7:15/mile.  I'm planning on something in the 20 mile range this weekend (5-7 tomorrow, 10-14 Sunday), looking forward to seeing how it goes..then it's back to evening running for a while until the mornings are bright and sunny again!

Today was a fun easy run - every mile was between 7:23 and 7:30, without trying to do anything but go steady.  Looks like it worked!  I'm planning on a nice long run tomorrow so I didn't want to overdo anything today..the beer and pizza last night played a role too, but to a much lesser degree.

5 mile loop 

Well that was a reality check.  I hadn't run this far since a 16 miler in late April while prepping for a half marathon, and of course I did the very hard golf course route.  I had to make a pit stop 5 miles in, which is never pleasant, but felt happier (and lighter) after that.  Sometimes in this case I would reset the watch and break up the day into two runs, but I wasn't stopped for long and definitely wasn't tired when I stopped.  Most of the run was surprisingly consistent, but all of the hills really took a toll at the end and I struggled with the last two miles (8:16 each).  Overall I averaged 7:37/mile, which is perfectly fine for this distance and the course..just felt like a disappointing finish.  I added some flat distance to the route, just for the sake of some extra mileage.

Today was my introduction to performance gel, which I ate (?) after about 8 mile..luckily my stomach behaved.  I don't know if it helped, maybe the end of the run would have been worse without it.  I was really worried that my stomach would reject it, especially with one pit stop already in the books so I'm encouraged with the result.  I know that I've got to re-fuel if I'm going to break 3 hours in the fall so I'm starting early to find something that works.

around golf course

Foot is still sore from Sunday's long run - it's weird, just a soreness on the outside of my right foot.  Nothing in the arch or heel, so I figure it'll go away in time.  It didn't bother me during today's run but again got worse throughout the day.

So I wound up taking a few days off..not really by design, but I'm glad I did.  I wanted to run both Thursday and Friday last week but my stomach had other ideas..then I was in Vegas over the weekend where running was the last thing on my mind.  The good thing about this was that my foot got a chance to heal up, and feels 100% now. 

I started off fast and got faster, every mile was 6:57 or faster, and my pace finished at 6:43/mile..they were in the 6:30 range in the second half of the run and I was feeling good.  Tired, but good.  This was a great run to shake off the cobwebs of the last few days.

I love these runs, they make me so proud - it was raining all afternoon in LA, so everybody else was inside while I went out for a run.  After yesterday's harder effort I wanted to take it easy, but wound up averaging 7:10/mile..I may enjoy running in the rain but the puddles made me want to get home and dry off.  Tomorrow is likely an off day, with some good miles coming in the following three days.

Had another "faster than planned" run today, in an effort to get home to go out to dinner.  Then going out didn't happen, but at least the run was fast!  Every mile was in the 6's, with a 6:50 average mile in the end.  I've got to take it slower this weekend, just to take it easier on my legs - but these consistent sub-7 miles are great mentally.

5 mile loop 

Now this was more like it - wanted to take my time and feel like the run was effortless, and that's exactly what happened.  Overall pace was 7:29/mile, with all miles between 7:24 and 7:40.  Tomorrow will be similar, I'm still trying to work on strength more than speed for the time being..got to go back to the gym next week for some hip exercises and get back on the ball for crunches!

Well this was interesting - I set out to do my normal 8 mile route, but as I went north I was running directly into rain.  It was dry at my house, but getting stronger with each step..so I turned west and decided to just make up a route, with some park loops and other neighborhood streets.  Wound up spending most of the time in the rain, which is fine...until 5.5 miles in when I went to turn onto a sidewalk and had my foot go completely out from under me.  Smashed my thigh against the curb on my way down, scraped up my hand and cut my shin.  A couple nearby runners made sure I was okay, which I realized I was after about a minute.  I decided to try to jog, and when it didn't hurt too bad I figured I'd keep going.  I was going slower (wound up with a 7:44/mile pace, I was taking it easy anyway), which was fine, and almost gave up at the 7 mile mark..but decided to tough it out to complete the 30 mile week.  I made it, and I'm happy I did..nothing got twisted or sprained, just a big bruise and a couple of scratches, I compare it to getting hit by a fastball.  Tomorrow was going to be an off day anyway, so hopefully it doesn't hurt too bad in the morning.

Well, the leg has hurt since Sunday, but it's just a bruise - nothing that is going to get more hurt by running.  Had a good run today, covering the 7 miles at a 7:15/mile pace, without straining or pushing hard.  Ordinarily I probably would've done only 5 today but this distance put me over 100 for the month.  The opposite side of my quad flared up a few different times, but I'm guessing it was just upset for having to pick up the bruised area's slack.

Now THAT was a workout!  I strapped on the weight vest (7.5 lbs) and did some hill repeats...brutal.  It's a half mile to get to the hill, then 1/3 mile up and 1/3 mile down..did four repeats on the hill and turned in.  The overall pace wound up at 8:08/mile, but I'm really only noting that to see how much I can improve over the next few months.  Importantly, the fourth repeat was slightly faster than the first, I'm very happy about that.  I've got to do some more of these in the coming weeks to keep building strength, and then do some hardcore speedwork.

This was a tougher "easy" run, being the morning after the hill repeats.  Good opportunity to do a nice easy pace and not exert myself.  Mission accomplished there, kept the heart rate low and averaged 7:29/mile.  My legs are feeling it now though, if I run tomorrow it'll be in the evening..my instinct is to take the day off but I've got a 5K on Saturday that I'm running with a friend in.  It'll be a slower (8 min/mile?) pace so that will be an easy run, seems like I should get a few miles in tomorrow and really make this a strong week.

Easy but important run today, I was very tempted to just stay on the couch watching baseball but worked up the energy to run before going out to dinner.  My pace was 7:11/mile, which felt right for the energy I used.  I'm doing a 5K with a friend tomorrow who I'll stay even with, and who is in the 8-9 minute/mile range..good to have done some faster miles today with that coming up next.

Morning - fun 5K with my friend (and my mostly-walking pregnant wife) down on the boardwalk in Santa Monica.  He did well, with the miles getting faster as we went along, and we crossed the line in 27:20.  Went out for a nice breakfast afterwards and had a good time, I'll hopefully run with him a bit more in the future as it makes the easy runs a lot more fun.

Afternoon - this wasn't planned, but I did another 3 with my brother-in-law near their house in Calabasas.  We went up there to visit them and our six week old nephew, so he could get a break and get some exercise in.  I wound up joining him, and it worked out as another easy run (8:40/mile).  He used to run a lot more (and faster) but has been pretty busy with a newborn so he's slowed down...but as time goes on he'll be back to where he used to be.

Wonderful long run today, better than expected.  I set out to do 10.6, instead of the 12 I had in my calendar, just because I did more miles yesterday than I thought I would.  At the five mile mark I had to make my first ever (ever!) stop to pee during a run, and that stop saved the day.  I decided to go 12 after all, but then added up my weekly mileage in my head and realized that would leave me just shy of 40 for the week.  So naturally I added a bit of distance to just exceed that total of 40, and kept my pace steady throughout the run.  Splits:

1 - 7:17; 2 - 7:28; 3 - 7:23; 4 - 7:22; 5 - 7:18; 6 - 7:20; 7 - 7:11; 8 - 7:11; 9 - 7:13; 10 - 7:25; 11 - 7:46 (brutally steep hill for .37 miles); 12 - 7:29; .8 - 5:45 (7:12 pace) 

Overall 7:21/mile pace, very proud of the consistency.  First 40 mile week of the year! 

Nice easy recovery run, I kept the pace slow (7:47, 7:42, 7:42) and my heart rate low (148 avg, 156 high).  In the third mile my legs felt rubbery and strange..didn't slow me down or increase my heart rate or anything, but definitely felt different.  Last week was my first 40+ mile week in about a year so they could just be tired, gonna see what happens tomorrow.

Very easy run today, taking it slower after the big 40 mile week.  With my 7:30/mile pace, I kept my average bpm at 153.  Really took it easy the first three miles, going 7:47/7:39/7:51, and sped up a bit over the second half of the run.  Planning on a run tomorrow before going out of town this weekend to make a decent weekly total.

Back from our weekend trip, went to NYC to visit some friends, had a great time.  Sure stayed up late and drank a lot of beer though, it was nice to get back out for a run.  Did my usual loop, at a steady 7:15/mile pace, keeping all miles between 7:11 and 7:22.  Legs felt great after a few days off, but I've got some catching up to do with the time off.

5 mile Loop 

Went to the gym last night for just a couple of exercises, very glad I did.  Got out this morning for an easy run, averaging 7:17/mile with a 158 average heart rate..both solid numbers.  Kept the first three miles slower and sped up over the last two, but nothing too drastic..just enough to earn the sweat :)

5 mile Loop 

Pretty sluggish run, but still clocked in at a 7:25/mile pace.  My legs felt good, but my energy just wasn't very high..a little lower than a normal morning run.  So to combat that I decided to add a sprint around the .27 mile park mid-run, and managed a 1:38 (6:03/mile) loop.  That didn't really help the sluggishness, but the other miles were consistent so there's nothing to complain about.  Next week I've got to do some speedwork, just to see where I'm at - should be fun!

Blazingly hot today (85-90), just went out for a trot to make sure I got some miles in.  Kept it slower, at a 7:30/mile pace - hoping it's cooler tomorrow for a longer run.

Pleasantly surprised with how today's run turned out - I went out around 4 PM, after not eating much all day.  It was pretty warm, temps in the mid 70's, and I just didn't know how my body would respond.  Overall it was a success..I kept a steady pace and finished at 7:23/mile, with no stomach troubles until some discomfort in the last mile.  Very happy to get another 30 mile week in the books, and doing a 10+ mile run always feels good.  Now off to eat some delicious Mexican food :)

Speed week!

I kicked off speed week with a tempo run of sorts, alternating easy and hard miles.  Splits:

1 - 7:24; 2 - 6:30; 3 - 7:18; 4 - 6:26; 5 - 7:06

This was perfect, I wanted the easy miles to be in the 7:20-7:30 range and the hard miles to be around 6:30.  It feels great to go for faster miles and nail the pace.  I know speedwork isn't supposed to take up too many of my training runs, but I want to get a feel for where I am when I push myself this week, and this was a great start.

5 mile Loop 

Speed week!

Today was interval day - jogged to a park with a .27 mile sidewalk "track" surrounding it for 5x800 (really 5x .54 mile):

1.12m to park: 8:42

.54 mile: 3:09; recovery jog for 1:10 

.54 mile: 3:07; recovery jog for 1:05

.54 mile: 3:11; recovery jog for 1:15

.54 mile: 3:12; recovery jog for 1:07

.54 mile: 3:14; jog home from park in 8:16

I am so happy with these results..my goal was to do the splits in the 3:10-3:15 range (5:53-6:04 per mile) and I did just that.  The only thing to improve on is to hit the last loop at the same speed as the first..but a difference of 5 seconds in this case is nothing to complain about.  This will be a great measuring stick for my intervals during the real marathon training! 

Speed week!

Okay, today was just an easy recovery run, as I know enough not to do speedwork every day.  I ran nice and steady, at a 7:19/mile pace..a bit faster than I wanted to, but I was in a rush to get home and then go out with friends.  My average heart rate of 154 bpm was great for this pace.

Speed week!

The previous speedy runs were in the evening, after work.  Today I gave it a shot in the morning and after a slow start I was really happy with the results.  Splits:

1 - 7:46 (do I really want to go fast this morning?)

2 - 6:58 (okay, that felt good, surprised to get under 7)

3 - 7:33 (feeling better)

4 - 6:46 (okay, now we're getting somewhere)

5 - 7:34 (perfect)

6 - 6:38 (great!)

.5 - 3:37 (7:17 pace)

Feels great to know I can run those speeds early in the morning, once my legs are a bit more awake.  Gonna try to sneak in a quick run tomorrow morning, before heading out for an all day paintballing/eating/drinking adventure...might not feel like running on Sunday. 

Ouch.

Went paintballing on Saturday, which made my legs incredibly sore - combination of crouching, sliding, and getting drilled with paintballs makes for a tough day.  Partied that night, then went bowling yesterday, which wasn't a problem...until I wrenched my back.  I'm too young for this!  After being very stiff all day I figured going out for a few miles would help, and I hope it did.  I wasn't worried about pace (wound up at 7:27/mile though), just wanted to get loose..that finally happened in about the 4th mile.  My stride got closer to normal and I felt decent enough.  Let's see what happens tomorrow... 

5 mile Loop 

Well, I'm still stiff and sore but I think my back is better than yesterday.  Forced myself out of bed for an easy run, which went reasonably well...wasn't worried about pace again (7:35/mile), and I felt looser as the run went along and am encouraged that my back will feel better soon.  I've got one more run to get over 100 miles for the month...and that will be the last run of my 20's.

Had to cut today's run short to do some cleaning before work..not much to report about such a short run..steady 7:29/mile pace.

My first run as a 30 year old..pretty much only ran today to make sure I got over 100 miles for the month, as we're going camping this weekend.  The run itself wasn't very pleasant..I slogged through it just wanting to be done.  Mission accomplished - and I'm now 4-4 on 100+ mile months this year!

Went out for a nice easy pre-dinner run after a weekend of camping, but wound up going way faster than planned.  When the first mile registered at 7:00 I figured the rest of the run should maintain that pace, and the next two miles were 6:41 and 6:37.  I wasn't breathing quite as easy as normal, as the camping weekend was insanely windy and I likely swallowed lots of ash/dirt.  I feel a little bad about logging 0 miles during the last 2 weekends, but I knew April was going to be a very busy month.  Either way, I'm happy with these miles and should be back on track for a big week.

Still not feeling 100% post-camping, but not bad enough to say I feel sick.  Just some extra stuff working its way through my lungs I guess.  Today was much easier than yesterday, at 7:21/mile - what I loved was the consistency.  Without trying to do so, the last 4 miles were all between 7:16 and 7:20...I really enjoy when that happens (first was 7:40, guess I was still waking up).  Here's hoping the lungs clear up soon so I can enjoy a really big week!

Best run of the year, hands down.  I set out to do 12-13, and when I mapped out the route realized it would be 13...so I decided to make it 13.1 to pay homage to my 3rd place age group finish in a half marathon one year ago today with a 1:30:28.  I also tried a Gu energy gel, with a strategy of taking it at the halfway point of the run.  The goal was simply to keep a steady pace for the duration, and feel strong at the finish..nailed that goal.  I finished at a 7:04/mile pace, with a faster second half of the run than the first..I really felt a nice burst of energy from the Gu, and wound up with three straight sub-7 miles without trying any harder than I was already trying.  Post-run I still felt great, and wasn't craving an electrolyte drink like I normally would be after going this far.  Of course I drank plenty of water afterwards and ate, but it was different (and better) than normal.

Today started my 4 day "marathon."  Today and the next three days will have runs totaling 26.2 miles, to see if I can pull it off in less than my BQ time of 3:05.  I know this is not the same as doing the actual race, but the idea is to run on tired legs the fourth day and see if I can maintain the required pace.  I don't have much doubt that I'll pull it off, but it'll still be a fun effort.

Run #1 went amazingly well - to try to be realistic, I'm not trying to blow the doors off with a 6:30/mile pace for any amount of time, since the runs are shorter and I could do it.  So on today's run I used the virtual training parter on my Garmin and just tried to stay ahead of the other guy (set at 7:00/mile pace) instead of paying attention to each mile split.  It worked out great, every mile was between 6:51 and 6:59 with an average pace of 6:56/mile.  Average heart rate was 163 bpm, with a max of 173, which seems low for this speed...another good sign.

Day #2 of the 4 day "marathon" - boy what a difference it makes to run half an hour after waking up.  Of course I know I'm slower that early in the morning, the difference is that I generally don't try to go fast anyway.  I couldn't afford that today, so I just dealt with the fatigue..my pace finished at 7:00/mile after a furious finish, so the goal was met.  The heart rate monitor showed what I was feeling though - my average bpm was 172, with a max of 189 (compared to yesterday's 163 and 173 for the same run).  My legs were fine so there are no concerns there, it's just hard to go faster that early in the morning.

One problem - I've developed a new blister around another blister on my right foot, and it hurts.  Tonight I'm going to soak my feet in the hot tub to see if the chlorine can work some magic..at least run #3 wasn't going to be until tomorrow evening, so hopefully it will heal in time.

12.94 miles down in 1:30:15, 13.26 miles to go in under 1:34:45 

Run #3 didn't happen yesterday, so as punishment I decided to do both 3 and 4 today.

Run #3 (morning): Very steady morning run, average mile of 6:55.  Started with a 7:16 and was under 7 after that - I woke up earlier than usual to give my body a chance to be more awake leading into the run and it made a nice difference in my energy.  The plan was to do another mile or so, but I just ran out of time before having to get to work.  Subtotal: 18.50 miles in 2:08:48.

Run #4 (evening): This was the key to my whole experiment, and I'm glad I wound up double-dipping today, made my legs more tired than they would have been, which was the whole point.  I took a Gu energy gel during the 2nd mile and it seems like it helped out.  I finished the 7.7 miles at a 6:52/mile pace, with some crazy consistency..miles 3-7 were all between 6:48 and 6:52.  The "tired legs" felt a little tired, but really didn't cause any discomfort.  This was a fun test and I'm glad I did the whole thing - final result was 26.2 miles in 3:01:47..I wonder if I can send my Garmin data in to the BQ people? :)

Individual miles: 

1. 6:57
2. 6:51
3. 6:56
4. 6:59
5. 6:55
6. 6:55
7. 7:15
8. 7:00
9. 7:03
10. 7:10
11. 7:05
12. 6:49
13. 7:16
14. 6:59
15. 6:57
16. 6:50
17. 6:42
18. 7:03
19. 6:57
20. 6:50
21. 6:50
22. 6:48
23. 6:48
24. 6:52
25. 6:39 avg (combined end of each run, 14.39/2.2 miles total)

Nice easy recovery run from yesterday/heading into tomorrow, averaged 7:20/mile and kept the heart rate down (155 avg bpm).  Planning on ~15 tomorrow, hopefully this doesn't just make me tired after yesterday's adventure!

Interesting run today.  The goal was to do 15+, at whatever pace seemed easy enough that I could sustain it for the duration, and finish strong.  I settled in around 7:30, and stayed at or just under that for the first 12 miles.  I never felt too fresh due to the heavy recent workload, but figured I could still finish up strong...that didn't happen.  At 13.2 I was dragging (mile 13 was 7:47 and slowing) and I decided that finishing up would do more harm than good, so I packed it in.  Had to walk about 1.5 miles home, but I was able to get some water at a restaurant and really felt okay while walking.  I knew though, that stopping was the right decision..30 miles in 3 days is a lot to do, and I was just spent.  Perfect timing for a step back week coming up!

Today was a hill day - did four repeats of the 1/3 mile hill by the college before heading to work.  I'm giving my knees something of a break for a few days but still working my legs by biking to/from work 4 of the 5 days this week (will be about 50 miles of biking).  Doing the hills keeps the emphasis on my quads, and reduces the pounding with each stride...at least going up.  

I put on the weight vest and hit the hills today, to finish out "kill my quads" week.  It felt good, my legs were very fresh from the easy week and my uphill/downhill splits were all very close to equal.  Tomorrow's (hopefully) 18 miler will be a big challenge, haven't covered that kind of distance in almost two years!

Fail.  Fail fail fail.  My stomach betrayed me today, and 18 miles turned into less than 5.  I had my doubts heading into the run but gave it a shot anyway, knowing I was close to home in case I had to cut it short, and cut it short I did.  I wanted to run in the morning, but listened to my stomach and stayed in...then I was incredibly stupid and made cheeseburgers for lunch, hoping to fast track my insides.  That was a terrible idea, and a harsh lesson learned.  

Next week I'll have my revenge...it's going to be a busy, fast, awesome running week.

Very tough run this morning - I didn't get much sleep (precursor to trying to train with a newborn in a few months) and didn't eat very well last night..I really wanted to give up after two miles.  But my stomach was good, so my "revenge week" got off to a good enough start.  I wound up averaging 7:34/mile, but it was very uneven..first two miles were much faster than the last three.  I really should have started slower (7:08 first mile) but didn't really think I was going as fast as I was.  No matter, I got through the run and will feel better tomorrow.

Oh, first run in the new pair of shoes!  No blisters, no soreness...feels like a solid purchase.

5 mile Loop 

Now that's more like it!  Started out strong and got stronger - first 6 miles were at 7:21/mile, last 4.63 were at 6:47, for an overall average of 7:02/mile.  I felt strong, fast, and fresh...light years ahead of my last two runs that were marred by stomach issues and then fatigue.  The only downside is my almost-dead blister came back with a vengeance, ripping wide open during a turn with 4 miles to go.  That made the run uncomfortable, but not painful..I soaked it in the hot tub for a while and will hope it dries up tonight.  The week is off to a great start!

Interesting run today.  The goal was 5 easy miles to recover from yesterday's outing..those easy miles turned into a 7:06/mile pace.  The interesting thing was that I kept trying to slow down, and thinking that I was slowing down...then each mile was within a few seconds of that pace.  I wasn't working very hard so I guess it's okay to have gone that fast, and even when I thought I was tired and slowing down, the last mile was 7:09.  So it was kinda strange, but nothing to complain about..it's runs like this that make me feel like a BQ in October is really possible.  My blister is a mess though..but I think I'm gonna do tomorrow morning's planned run of 7 miles anyway..after that I'm off until Saturday morning.  Hopefully it goes well tomorrow, it doesn't hurt at all, just uncomfortable..fingers crossed!

5 mile Loop 

Great run!  I was worried about what my energy level would be like after the recent miles and less sleep than usual, but I felt awesome the whole time.  Heart rate stayed low, average pace was 7:11/mile, and I finished strong with a 6:48 without feeling over exerted in the least.  My blister was mostly okay, I felt it rubbing after four miles..I'm not doing any damage to the part that peeled, but the area below it is definitely getting some unwanted attention.  Tomorrow is a rest day, I'm hoping a bit of time off will get this thing healed up.

I had surprisingly stiff legs today, my shins and calves were both tight and sore during the easy 3 mile run.  I bet they would have loosened up had I gone any farther, but there was no need to deviate from the planned short run.  Tomorrow is the big day, taking another shot at going long...

Boom!  What a great feeling, to run this kind of distance again..I hadn't gone over 14 miles in over a year.  My stomach behaved, my legs felt good (although tired), and my blister was just fine.  I brought two Gu energy gels with me, and gladly ate them both, one at 8 miles and one at 14, and had my wife meet me outside just before the 14 mile mark with some water.  Only took a couple of sips, but it felt great.  My overall pace was 7:29/mile, and I was very consistent throughout the run..miles 18 and 19 slipped to 7:45 and 7:55, but I picked it back up at the end to finish with a 7:26.  If I had to go another 6.2 miles, I believe that I could have maintained a sub-8:00/mile pace..so I'm looking at around a 3:19 marathon as of now.  That means I've got 19 weeks to shave off 14-20 minutes in order to BQ and hopefully break 3 hours.  Feeling great!

Went for an easy morning run after not being stomach-ready to do some miles last night.  I felt very sluggish at first, but really loosened up after a mile or so and wound up at 7:19/mile.  The pace could've been anything and it wouldn't matter, but I'm always glad to feel better at the end of a run than at the beginning.  I might tack on some more miles tonight.

Nice, simple morning run..felt faster than I usually do at this hour, wound up at a 7:21/mile pace.  Thought about tacking on a few more miles after work but it didn't work out..a friend is coming into town for the weekend, good timing as it's my final pre-18 week program weekend.  We're getting close!

I set out for 5 or 6 miles but wound up cutting today's run short..no real good reason other than I just didn't feel like being out there for too long.  Stomach and legs felt good, my pace was fine (7:13/mil), but with my friend in town there's just other stuff to do.  Hoping to do a few miles tomorrow morning but we'll see...a little rest before the insanity of the 18 week advanced program is probably a good thing anyway.

Day 1 of the official 18 week training program - it's for real now!  

Objective: 3 easy miles 

Started it off easy, doing the run at a 7:09/mile pace..probably faster than I should have gone, but the effort level was nice and low.  Heart rate average was 157, high of 166 so I wasn't using too much energy.

Objective: 5 faster miles 

Holy speed work!  Day #2 of training called for 5 "faster" miles, which I set at 6:30-6:45/mile.  I had no idea I was going to finish at 6:26/mile, with each mile between 6:24 and 6:32!  This is my fastest 5 mile run ever, and confirms my belief that some rest last week would be a benefit.

Two days down, 124 to go :)

5 mile loop 

Objective: 3 easy miles

I took this run much easier than Monday's, keeping my heart rate very low and the average pace at 7:35/mile.  My legs needed the break after yesterday's record-breaking speed run, and I kind of enjoyed keeping the heart rate in the 150's instead of thinking about the pace of the run. 

Objective: 3 hill repeats, with weight vest

I did today's hill run in the morning due to a baby class tonight (and for the next five Thursdays after, good times), which always slows me down.  So I didn't care about the speed much..usually I'll turn off the auto-lap on my Garmin and track my "up" and "down" times, but I didn't worry about that today.  The overall pace was 8:13/mile, but that's just for posterity.  Normally tomorrow would be a rest day, but I'll be out of town from Saturday morning-Sunday night so I've got to move the schedule up by a day. 

Objective: 5 marathon pace miles, I'm defining as 7:00/mile

Felt great during tonight's run, and finished at a 6:54/mile pace.  I got a bit fast during the third mile (6:44) but took it easier at the end to be closer to the goal pace.  My average heart rate was 163 bpm, so despite the pace I really wasn't using too much energy.  Week 1 is almost complete! 

Objective: 10 easy miles (7:45-8:00 pace)

Wow, today's run was much harder than I thought it would be.  I finished at 7:44/mile, right on target, but it was a lot more work than all recent runs.  My average heart rate was 166 bpm, and was all the way up to 171 in the 2nd mile - that kind of exertion is usually reserved for sub-7 minute miles.  I'm not really sure what the difference was, I guess just a combination of the 6th straight day running, going out early before food/water, and doing 5 faster miles just last night.  No bother though, I pushed through and kept a steady pace, which is all that matters for today.

17 weeks to go! 

Objective: 3 easy miles

Perfect day for this objective, as I was exhausted from the weekend in San Diego.  I kept the run very slow and effortless, winding up around 7:50/mile.  Gotta get back to normal with my sleep tonight for speed work tomorrow. 

Objective: 5 faster miles (6:30-6:45)

Very interesting fast day today.  I knew I wouldn't be as fast as last week's 6:26/mile pace, and didn't have a problem with that..my shins were tight throughout the whole run.  I actually thought I'd start off closer to 7, and have to work my way down.  Turns out each mile was between 6:30 and 6:42, for a 6:37/mile pace..but the interesting part was my heart rate.  Compared to last week's 172 bpm average/181 high, I was barely moving (161 average, 174 high today) but I was only slightly slower.  I didn't feel like I was breathing as hard, which makes sense, but I also didn't think I was going nearly as fast.  I kept getting fast miles and being surprised at the times..then thinking that I would slow down, but instead maintaining the pace.  It was all very encouraging and confusing at the same time..but also satisfying to have run so well despite not feeling like I was going 100%.

5 mile loop 

Objective: 3 easy miles

Simple easy run this evening, after a morning gym workout.  Average heart rate was only 150 bpm, and I averaged 7:24/mile.  These easy days sure are nice :) 

Objective: 30 minute tempo run

This was probably the most "by the book" tempo run I've done.  Did the first mile in 7:34, accelerated to sub 7 for the next 2.25, and finished at 7:15 in the last mile.  I wanted to do the middle 2.25 in the same total time as the first and last miles, and I was within a few seconds of that goal. 

Objective: 5 mile run

Today's run was supposed to be at whatever pace I felt comfortable at, without pushing too hard.  That ended up at 7:07/mile, with a couple of faster (6:54, 7:01) miles for #2 and #3.  I tried to slow down after that, to not use up as much energy, and was able to do so, but the overall pace was still pretty quick. 

Objective: 11 mile long run

The long runs are always supposed to be slower than usual, and I never go as slow as recommended.  Instead, I base the pace on my first mile..if it seems nice and easy, I basically settle into that pace for the duration.  Today was great to see consistent splits during my overall 7:24/mile run:

1: 7:24, 2: 7:11, 3: 7:28, 4: 7:30, 5: 7:23, 6: 7:26, 7: 7:33, 8: 7:24, 9: 7:26, 10: 7:24, 11: 7:18  

I love that!  Being able to keep a smooth, steady pace is very gratifying.  2 weeks down, 16 to go! 

Objective: 3 easy miles

This run was meant for yesterday, but we were in Palm Desert for a long weekend getaway and I didn't bother getting on a treadmill (104 degree temps outside).  So instead, I took two days off (Sunday replaced last Friday, Monday will replace this Friday) and am altering the schedule a bit but not skipping any days.  Today was very easy, wound up with a 7:16/mile pace while keeping my average heart rate to 151 bpm.

Objective: 6 easy miles

Continuing the stepback week, an easier run replaces the usual fast run for the second workout of the week.  I did this run in the morning after laying awake in bed for much longer than I wanted to last night, but it worked out just fine.  My pace wound up at 7:27/mile, and my average heart rate was 155 bpm (max 169).  My splits were normal, slower first mile before speeding up a bit over the rest of the run.

around college 

Objective: 3 easy miles

Typical easy run this morning, clocking in at 7:24/mile and keeping my heart rate to 153 bpm on average.  Nice progression during the run (7:34, 7:24, 7:13 splits), nothing out of the ordinary. 

Objective: 4x800 intervals, 5:33/mile pace

Didn't hit my time goal today, which I figured would be the case once I started warming up..something just didn't feel quite right.  When I got home I realized it was my stomach acting up, so I'll expect a better result next time.  The fast interval goals were 3:00 for each .54 mile split, and I clocked in at 3:03, 3:08, 3:16, 3:20..not too bad, but not what I was shooting for. 

Objective: 6 miles at marathon pace (7:00)

Today felt like a struggle, but I kept every mile between 6:44 (6th mile) and 6:56 (1st mile), with an average of 6:50/mile.  My heart rate was higher than usual, with the effort and temperatures both elevated, but I hit my time goals and feel good now, after cooling off.

Objective: 8 mile long run 

Very tough run today, from the first step to the last.  I went to bed late, didn't eat particularly smart, it was warm outside, etc...I'm just proud that I stuck it out and finished the prescribed run.  Wound up at 7:43/mile overall, which is just fine, but I've felt pretty lousy for the rest of the day.  The nice thing about having experience with these things is that I'm not worried at all..I knew it would be a hard run, and afterwards (during, really) I knew I'd be basically ruined for several hours.  I know it's not a big deal, and that for tomorrow's run I'll be back to normal.

3 weeks down, 15 to go!

Pico and back 

Objective: 3 easy miles

Week #4 starts off like all the others, with an easy recovery run.  I chose to do this one in the evening, to give my body a bit more time to regroup after yesterday's bad run, and it worked out just fine.  I paced a steady 7:17/mile, and kept my heart rate in the mid-150's.  Legs felt kind of rubbery at the end of the run, which I am attributing to hunger and a 7th consecutive day of running...I'm not expecting any issues tomorrow.

Objective: 6 faster miles (6:30-6:45)

New record!  I blew away my expectations in today's run, completing 10K in only 39:42, my first time ever under (or really close to) 40 minutes.  The splits were incredibly consistent too, I hit 3.1 miles at 19:51 and did the last 3.1 in the same 19:51.  I wasn't really sure I'd have a shot to get under 40 minutes until I was very close to finishing, and it sure felt good to see that final time.  The individual miles were 6:31, 6:24, 6:17, 6:23, 6:26, 6:26, and a final kick at 6:05/mile pace.  Feeling great! 

Objective: 3 easy miles

After yesterday's insane speed session, an easy run was much anticipated.  I couldn't fall asleep last night for the life of me, but somehow I was never tired during the day and felt just fine running after work.  I kept the heart rate pretty low (average 152 bpm), and averaged 7:22/mile for the run.  My heart rate briefly climbed to 162 bpm at one point in the third mile when I sped up a little without thinking, but I calmed it back down pretty quickly.

Objective: 4x hill repeats (with weight vest)

I added a weight to my vest this morning, to make it 9.5 pounds total, and the run went great.  The four uphills (.37 miles each) were 3:10, 3:09, 3:06, 3:05 - the actual times aren't as important as the point that I was steady for each one.  Overall my pace was 8:04/mile, which means pretty much nothing..I felt strong at the end of the run and kept making it up those hills.  June finished up at 121 miles, a nice intro to the rest of my marathon training.

Thus ends 10 consecutive days of running, I'm going to really enjoy my day off tomorrow!

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! 

Objective: 3 easy miles

Week 9 started off like the others, with an easy Monday run.  I kept the pace nice and slow, averaging 7:30/mile and kept my heart rate in the mid-150's.  More importantly, my stomach was okay and my legs feel great. 

Objective: 9 mile run

Now that's more like it!  I wanted today's run to mimic the first 9 miles of the marathon, and I did exactly that.  Started out going easy, but keeping my focus on a decent pace - went 7:12, 7:02, 7:06, 7:09, 7:07 for the first 5 miles, right about what I want to do during the race.  The last four miles I turned it on a bit, but kept myself under control, going 6:44, 6:48, 6:36, 6:40, for an overall 6:56/mile pace.  I was really worried about my stomach in the last three miles..had it been the marathon I would've been trying to bank extra time for the inevitable pit stop.  But it never got uncomfortable to the point where I slowed down, and actually relaxed for the last half mile for a happy finish. 

Objective: 4 mile run at my normal pace

The first mile today felt like the typical morning-run-after-a-fast-evening-run, as I didn't push too hard and clocked a 7:32.  I was fine with that pace but my legs woke up a bit and I noticed I was going faster..wound up doing the next three miles at 7:08, 7:00, 7:02 for a nice 7:09/mile overall pace.  My effort level wasn't particularly high, and I feel good going into an interval run tomorrow night. 

Objective: 6x800 intervals, 3:00 per interval

As usual, the "800m" is .54 miles, or about 870m.  Also as usual, I fell short of my very fast time goal on the fast stretches, going 3:03, 3:05, 3:06, 3:14, 3:18, 3:17.  I'm disappointed that the first three were over 3 minutes, because I probably could have pushed a little harder..after that I knew I had slowed down but was still going all out.  On my next speed day, I *will* get under 3 minutes for at least one of the fast parts...assuming I'm not in the hospital with a laboring wife (due date 8/25).

Objective: 9 miles, race pace

I came pretty close to today's goal..I wanted to mimic the first 9 miles of the marathon again.  The difference from Tuesday to today was the time of day..doing this run 40 minutes after getting out of bed is harder than after a full day at work.  So my times were all a bit slower - 7:16, 7:06, 7:16, 7:22, 7:22 to start and 6:58, 7:01, 6:58, 6:52 to finish.  Importantly, I felt good stomach-wise and in my legs - looking forward to a good long run tomorrow. 

Well, I got through the 17 miles but it didn't end very well.  The first 13 miles were smooth and steady, averaging 7:24/mile..right where I wanted to be for the duration.  Then the wheels fell off and I finished with miles of 7:46, 8:05, 8:15, 8:05...and I felt extremely tired during those miles.  I know 17 is a long way to go but I'm not too pleased with a weak finish like that.  The overall 7:33 pace is good enough I guess, but if I feel like this on race day I'll be in big trouble.

9 weeks down, 9 to go! 

Objective: 3 easy miles

There wasn't much easy about that one..I kept my heart rate low and averaged 7:33/mile (after a 7:59 start) but felt pretty wiped out from yesterday.  My legs didn't hurt or anything, just an overall tired feeling.  In the past I might've skipped this run but I've got an extra rest day already scheduled this week due to a friend's wedding.  I'm glad I got out there, and am hoping I'm closer to normal tomorrow.  

Objective: 9 mile race pace run

Amazing.  Dinner last night was pizza, a beer, and ice cream for dessert - must be a magic formula.  My legs felt great from the beginning of today's run, and once the rest of my body caught up after a couple of miles it turned into a great outing.  The first 5 miles were 7:10, 6:56, 7:00, 7:03, 7:01 - much faster than I have been starting, and I thought it could wear me out.  Then I went 6:43, 6:46, 6:37...and with one mile left decided to really turn it on...very unlike nearly every run where I'm faster at the end, but without pushing it too hard.  That last mile clocked at 6:08, for an overall pace of 6:49/mile.  I know I can't do something like that during the marathon, but it sure felt good tonight! 

Objective: 7 miles at race pace

On the schedule, this was really a 9 mile run but I had to rearrange due to a friend's wedding tomorrow.  I'll do my long run before that and an easy run on Sunday..doing the long run tomorrow will put me over 60 miles over a 7 day stretch so I shaved a couple miles off today's run.  Anyway - running early in the morning, I was never going to be at race pace the whole way so my goal was to ease into it, get steadily faster, and getting to the desired pace for the last couple of miles.  I managed that easily, going 7:40, 7:19, 7:23, 7:25, 7:02, 6:59, 6:48 for an overall 7:12/mile pace.  More importantly, I felt very much at ease in those last few miles.  Big day tomorrow, I really want the 19 miler to go well, with a solid finish.

Objective: 19 mile long run

Solid effort today, I feel much better than after last week's long run.  I felt strong most of the way, got tired towards the end but managed a 7:24/mile overall pace.  The last three miles were 7:47, 7:51, 7:55..#17 was slower because I was thirsty, and felt better after getting water halfway through that mile.  The last two can't be chalked up to thirst, so I was just tired..but I did have some gas left in the tank and did the second half of mile 19 at a much more normal speed.  I've got new 7 and 8 day records (61 and 70), and feel good rather than last week when I felt like crap all day.  I'll probably do a short run tomorrow to finish off the week.

Objective: 3 easy miles

Today was optional, and I'm glad I got out there and did the miles.  After yesterday's 19 miler we went to a friend's wedding where I consumed a whole lot of beer and scotch (and gave an awesome speech), and figured if I beat myself up too much I'd just take today off.  Luckily I felt pretty good all day and wound up averaging 7:16/mile somehow...wasn't trying to go anywhere near that fast and my legs were rubbery at the end but it worked out.  

10 weeks down, 8 to go! 

Objective: 4 easy miles

I made sure to get up early to get these miles in, and despite some lingering fatigue it went just fine, staying around 7:20 for each mile.  This upcoming week is going to be very high mileage, just as long as my junior runner stays put in the wife's belly the whole time! 

Objective: 10 mile run

Today's run turned out better than expected..I was worried about my stomach from the beginning but it stayed strong.  I looked at my watch after the second mile and saw that I was pacing right around 7:00, seemed too fast to start.  Then I did the same for the third mile before backing off for the next couple.  I got stronger at the end though, and finished with a 6:58/mile average.  The only downside is that I just finished at 8:30 PM..which means there's really only time to eat dinner and go to bed so I can do tomorrow's run in the morning. 

Objective: 5 easy miles 

Tough getting out of bed this morning, but I made it happen, and wound up with a pretty good run.  I was careful not to push too hard and keep the pace slower, and finished at 7:26/mile.  My left shin keeps having some soreness at the beginning of runs, but it clears up after a few minutes.  I had some fears that it could be a stress fracture when it first started but I figure that if it was, it wouldn't feel better after the start of the run.  If it doesn't slow me down, I'm not going to deal with it until after this race :)

Objective: 45 minute tempo run

I had to cut this morning's run due to starting a few minutes late, but managed to do a 39 minute tempo run in the time I did have.  I hit the tempo marks like I wanted to, starting slow and accelerating to race pace during the 4th mile, before a more relaxed finish.  This was easily my favorite run of the week, because now I get a full 48 hours before what will be a very hard weekend. 

Objective: 10 easy miles

Great run today - kept a very steady, easy pace the whole way and really felt fresh at the end.  With 20 miles looming tomorrow, the idea was to not do too much today, energy-wise and I never really had the urge to speed up.  Wound up at a 7:31/mile average, with each mile falling within 15 seconds or so of that time.  Big day tomorrow, really hoping to finish strong and feel good! 

Objective: 20 mile long run

Well that didn't work out as planned.  I felt okay through the first 10, although not as strong as yesterday..I was right at 7:30/mile to that point.  But I'm finding out that doing 10 miles one day followed by 20 is not what my body wants to do.  I ate some Gu, stopped for water a couple of times, but was just shuffling towards the end and threw in the towel.  I hate when that happens, but I know that finishing would have been terrible and ruined my day.  I strongly considered forging ahead for another 3 miles, but when I felt a growing blister on my right pinkie toe (never had one there before) I knew that nothing good could come of it.  Next time, next time...

 11 weeks down, 7 to go... 

Objective: 4 easy miles

Had I finished yesterday's run, this would have been out of the question - I was tired in general and my left calf was tight/sore.  But I knew I'd regret not getting the run in, so I got out there after work and got some good miles in, around 7:25/mile.  I've stuck to the 6 days/week schedule so far, which will definitely get interrupted when the baby comes so not skipping these runs seems pretty important.  Very glad to have a step-back week, it should allow for some good recovery time for the next crack at 20 miles in two weeks.

Also, today's run got me over 1,000 for the year..never thought I'd get there so quickly, but here I am! 

Objective: 6 mile run

I'm really noticing the benefit to doing the short, easy run after a long run - all of my Tuesday runs have really felt great.  I turned it up a little today, doing a couple miles in the 6:45 range and a couple closer to 7:00, being careful not to overdo it..overall pace finished at 6:58/mile.  I had a nice hill in the beginning, which I want to be sure to keep doing..gotta keep those hill legs strong! 

around college 

Objective: 5 mile easy run

Nothing special about today's run, went nice and steady at 7:25/mile.  This was definitely a "gotta do it because it's on the schedule" run, but I'm glad I got out there and did the miles.  No reason to take a day off today when I didn't really need it, when I'll have sleepless nights coming up soon...

5 mile loop 

What a week!  My wife and I welcomed our baby boy into the world on Thursday night, which obviously put a crimp in my training.  With the little guy in the hospital for a couple of days longer than planned, I got to run home today for some stuff..luckily we live close enough that running was an option.  I was basically at 7:05 for each mile, and it felt great to get outside again.  We'll see how the week goes, depending on how long he's in the hospital, safe to say the normal training schedule won't be followed though :)

12 weeks down, 6 to go! 

Well, our sprout is in the hospital through the week..he's perfectly healthy but Kaiser has super, overprotective policies that are keeping him there.  The nursing staff had a meeting in the afternoon, kicking visitors out, so I took the opportunity to get a few miles in.  I was surprisingly fast, averaging 7 min/mile for the duration, and made it back in time to keep my wife happy.

I decided to do a semi-long run before heading in for the afternoon hospital visit today, and it went really well.  I averaged 6:57/mile for the run, with only the first mile (7:08) above my 7:03 marathon mile pace, and felt good doing it.  Our little boy comes home on Saturday morning, and we're very excited..I'm guessing I won't sleep much the night before so I'm hoping to head out for a couple of hours that morning.

Pico and back