Thrills, chills, and hills on the fire break road this morning. Low 40's, clear skies.

Today the weather forecast calls for 54F and sunny...THIS JUST IN:  IT'S DECEMBER!

Standard 10 on the treadmill at home.

Warmed up 3 miles. Then 4 x 90 seconds at 8:00 pace with 90 seconds easy in between. Then a couple of more miles and another 4 x 90 seconds at 8:00 pace with 90 secs. easy. about 2.5 mile cooldown, with one 90 second @ 7:30 pace at mile 9. I tried to focus on relaxing during the intervals and running smoothly, breathing easily.

This is my first "workout", I made it up as I went along. I don't know if I did it correctly or if will help me in my quest to become a faster runner. I hope I can do similiar workouts once or twice a week during the winter while keeping my base up...it sure helped to break up the monotony of the treamill.

"The Be Good Tanyas", Chinatown, kept me company during the run. Thanks gals!

Treadmill love this evening...

Like a once popular feminine hair care product line, this run was Nice and Easy.

No run today.

Run tommorrow.

From the house to LPT out & back. Clear skies, 24F, light breeze.

Good run this morning.  Haven't been much of a morning runner lately and that kind of brings me down. I get so much more out of a run when I do it first thing everyday. So last night I tried on, and layed out all the various layers, gloves, socks etc. and that helped this morning when the alarm went off to get up and going. Miles are miles no matter what time of day you do them. But running in the morning sets the tone for the rest of the day and gives me a better outlook on things.

Sending out major positive vibes to Snoqualmie for CIM on Sunday...

From the house to LPT out & back this morning. Clear skies, 27F, no wind.

I usually don't run Saturdays but I skipped Thursday so I made it up today. Also wanted to get in 50 for the week.

Run from the house to LPT out & back. Sunny, low 40's, light breezes.

How could one not run on a day like this.

Looks like this is going to be a rest week for me. Hopefully not run more than 40 miles, maybe less. I realized that I've run 12 weeks in a row of at least 50 miles (two of those weeks were 60+ miles). This is the first time I've run this much, this consistently, so in the spirit of caution, and staying healthy, I'm cutting back for a week or two. Oh, and my right hip has been complaining the last couple of runs. I still intend to run six days a week, just less mileage. Probably on the treadmill tonight.

4 easy miles on the treadmill...at home...you know, a four mile treadmill run can be very refreshing, like a handful of Junior Mints.

Thanks to Ray Lamontagne for the audio delights.

This afternoon from the house to LPT out & back. Sunny, 35F, windless. Still shorts weather!

Mile splits: 1) 8:33 2) 8:31 3) 8:27 4) 8:19 5) 8:26 6) 8:16 7) 8:13 Avg 8:23

So, this is my fastest pace to date. I could've kept going too but I'm taking it easy this week. I don't know why all of a sudden today I can run much faster than usual, but todays run gives me confidence that by Fall of '09 I can acheive my marathon goal. It was such a good feeling, every time I looked at my watch I experienced some mild cognitive dissonance because my brain had never seen those splits before. I've been running the same pace range for so long that I automatically compute my splits when I see my time. Everytime I looked at my watch today, I had to pause my brain and reconfigure the math.

Another note, my increased speed today didn't really require any extra effort, I was just along for the ride, although once I realized I was running quicker, I was more motivated to keep pushing. Is this just aerobic conditioning doing it's job? Can I expect to increase my speed substantially once I begin adding speed work to my training?

Drove to LPT and ran. Flat course. Sunny, low 40's.

Todays run wasn't effortless like yesterday, but I was still able to run faster. This is a significant breakthrough for me this week.

7 miles/57:43/8:15 avg. pace

1) 8:36  2) 8:12  3) 8:17  4) 8:25  5) 8:11  6) 8:06  7) 7:56 

Easy four on the treaded dreadmill this afternoon.

The sounds of Live's "Throwing Copper" on the boombox. Hard to imagine that CD was released fourteen years ago.

Mid-day update: well, I haven't run yet today (looks like the treadmill tonight for me). BUT I have managed to polish off a can of Pringles potato chips (barbecue flavor). Love that sodium!

PM: Seasonal treadmill joy this evening. 2 mi. warmup, 6x90 seconds with 90 seconds easy in between,  5 @ 8:00 + 1 @ 7:30, then cooldown (kicked the last 1/4 mile). Total 6 miles.

Got out around 11:00 AM. 6-8 inches of fresh snow, 27F, it was still snowing lightly and a little windy when I started, visibility was an issues for a few moments during the first mile. Ran from my house to LPT then out & back. The parkway trail isn't plowed so I broke trail in the fresh powder for 8 miles (4 mi. out/4 back), when I got back onto the hard pavement it was very hard to find my stride as I'd been running in soft snow for the last hour. 

Slow pace but good effort given the conditions.

Three on ye olde treadmill this morning. Woke up late, probably the only run today. Supposed to take the dogs on an evening hike in the hills with some other dog buddies tonight. Should be cold...but cool.

pm:  7 more on the treadmill...treadmill...treadmill...treadmill...

Lots of treadmill this last week...some days I don't mind the weather/traffic of the roads, other days I just want nothing to do with either. But I'm determined to stay in condition over the winter, even if it means sacrificing myself at the altar of the treadmill more than I'd like. I'm already looking forward to Spring weather...and running with ten less pounds hanging on my frame.

Run from house to LPT out & back.  Sunny, 30F, slight North breeze. Shorts, short sleeves over long sleeves, cap, glove liners. Sun on my legs in the middle of December.

Good pace for me today given the slippery surface conditions etc. Brisk head wind on miles 4 and 5.

8 miles/1:08:48/8:36 avg. 

Nice and easy on the Legacy Parkway Trail this morning. Clear, sunny, 20F.

Thought I'd better run outside as the weather forecast calls for mostly treadmill over the next few days.

TM late this afternoon. Shorts, socks, shoes.

3 mile warmup. 10 x 2 min. @ 8:00 pace w/90 secs. easy in between. Cooldown. Actually after the sixth interval I ran an easy mile before doing the last four. The last minute of the last interval was at 7:24 pace.

Again, I don't know how much good these workouts are doing me. It sure helps to break up the monotony of the headmill though. It's a good time too!

10 miles/1:28:45/8:53 avg. pace.

Four on the treadmill this afternoon. Thus ends another glorious week of mileage accumulation in the pursuit of fitness...won't you join us next week when James attempts to keep his base mileage up through the dark Winter months...

Time to do some snow shoveling!

4 miles/34:32/8:32 avg

Run from house to LPT, came back on the cattle road. Overcast skies, 20F, headwind on way back...cold. Most of the surface was packed snow/ice. Like running in sand. Really felt the difference when I got back on the solid road.  Was nice to run outside today.

Treadmill.

5.1 mi./43:30/8:32 avg.

Run this afternoon on the legacy parkway trail. 1-2" of fresh snow over packed snow/ice. 28F, slight breezes, patchy sun.

I know that these aren't the best running conditions, but I've been surprised lately to not see any other tracks out there in the snow.

Easy on the TM today. After 4 miles, just for kicks, I ran for 2 mins. at a 7:00 pace...I think I'll stick to shootin' for an 8:00 avg pace for awhile.

Easy does it on the TM this Christmas day.

4.15 mi./37:43/9:05 avg.

Third day in a row on the TM...holiday madness! miles 4, 6, and 8 were run at an 8:00 pace.

10.5 mi./ 1:31:33/8:43 avg.

Nice weather for running outside today. Overcast, 37F, no wind. Shorts, two layers on top, glove liners. Ran from house...I guess I'd call this course the Glovers Lane Loop.

10 mi./1:26:29/8:39 avg.

No run today. I didn't sleep well last night and was feeling off all day, so I opted for a short nap during run time.

I did stomp around in the hills with my dogs, and a buddy with his dogs. It's really warm out tonight (37F) with fresh snow on the ground, and clear skies, and a couple of quality beverages...good for the soul.

Another good weather day for running. Sunny, 38F, little if any wind. Shorts, two top layers, glove liners. Ran out to Glovers Lane, along the cattle road (packed slush, hard on the pace miles 4 through 7), then back via 200 West.

10 mi./1:25:38/8:34 avg.

PM TM

4.2 mi./36:38/8:43 avg