Boston Strong

8.59

8.49

8.57

8.36

7.50

7.51

8.10

7:55

9.11

.5 @ 8.19

9.5 total @ 8:28

legs sore

Goal was 10 under 8min pace, stopped a little early, but ran a little faster.  8@ 7:40AP

1 8:15

2 7:44

3 7:42

4 7:37

5 7:27

6 7:33

7 7:40

8 7:26 

8:16

8:32

8:01

8:10

8:40

8:38

8:26

8:08

8:48

8:08

7:48

11 miles @ 8:20 ap

Today I ran 7.2 miles to complete 26.2 over the last 3 days in 3:30:55.  I was not overly concerned with my pace, although I did monitor it and did different random pace workouts such as hill repeats, mid range mile intervals ... and alot of just dialing into a specific pace ... sub 8's on Monday & low 8's with some pickups Tues. & Wed.  

Monday - 8 miles @ 7:40 pace ... To inspire myself, I stopped by Sims Lake Park in my old stomping grounds ... they have a great 1.2 mile paved loop with markers every tenth ... so needless to say I have done many hard workouts there in the past.  I was not overly ambitious, but wanted to do 10 @ a sub 8 pace.  There are always lots of runners out there, and it is fun to make comments to them as I pass ... and of course, you try to look fast every time they see you.  There are a few pretty good sized hills, so you have pick up your cadence going up them if you want to maintain pace.  As my splits were going sub 7:30, I decided I would call it a day @ 8 miles ... knowing a long run was planned for Tuesday.

Tuesday - 11 miles @ 8:20 pace    Yes, some of us still consider 11 miles a long run.  It was a rainy afternoon so I just ran some errands ... 4.5 miles in I visited a friend, miles 7 & 8 in the Park, & a brief stop in a running store at mile 9.5.  So I guess I had a couple 10 minute breaks in there.

Wednesday - 7.2 miles @ 8:03 pace        Overall it was good running conditions, cool but humid misty rain ... which made for a really soft surface on the 0.54 oval track at Piedmont Park ... I always try to includes some paced laps here on my runs ... mixed in some other loops around the park ... my goal was simple, get 7.2 miles in.  There were lots of runners in the park even though it was wet.

Next Up:  I guess run 26.2 in 2 days ... but I can build my base mileage for another 30 days before I attempt that.

10 miles, mixed paces, overall 7:50 ap

7 at 7:50 ap, with 2mile cd, juggled soccer ball

5 @ 7:50 ap in PP with Tim... call it a Pre-Falcons victory run.  Brief warmup, 7:23 mile on oval, then 7:14 mile on Botanical Gardens Hill loop, back to track for 7:42 pace, Hill loop @ 8:00 & cool down half mile @ 8:50 pace ... happy to hit 50 mpw ... 1st time since Boston!  Perhaps I can hit it 10 more times before Boston!

Go Falcons!

* Disclaimer*  Paces listed below are off my garmin, although I ran on a track ... and my watch records a 1/4 mile on track at a little less than 1 lap ... which means the paces are probably 15 seconds faster than I was actually running ... in other words, my total time for 4 miles is more like for 15 laps than 16 & change ... my guess is that it is recording my pace approximately 15-20 seconds faster per mile than I am actually running!  But for the benefit of my ego ... I am recording the mile times my watch gave me, even if they were short of a mile ... cuz that is all I have to work with! 

Regardless, I am very pleased with my workout ... I did not even have faster miles in mind when I started, but when the faster pace feels easy, you just have to roll with it ... I really never felt like I was pushing the pace ... this is by far the most comfortable I have felt at these paces, even if you add the 15-20 seconds per mile.

 1st 4:  7:02, 6:47, 6:44, 6:37  (6:47 ap)

As I hit the 4 mile mark, I figured I better back off or I would not get the miles I was hoping for ... not too mention I was at Alex's soccer tryouts, so if I finished up early, there was going to be lots of standing around.  Took a brief break to grab some gatorade & started back up, thinking I would just run easy.

2nd 4:  7:30, 7:16, 6:52, 6:26  (7:02 ap)

 So much for slowing down, my pace creeped right back up there, with my last mile being my fastest.  I then did a 2 mile cooldown around an 8:00 pace.

 Realistically, my 8 faster miles probably averaged around 7:10 pace ... I'll take it & consider today one of my hard workouts for the week ... but I felt pretty comfortable ... Yea

Ran with local running store group, demo'd some Newtons.  Easy 5 miles followed by beer & pizza ... guess I broke even for the day.

No watch, ran for 75 min around 8 min pace

Sims Lake Park    7:37 ap

12 miles @ 7:43 ap with couple cd miles heading home.

I am very pleased with this run, wanted to keep it around 8:00 or a little under, most times I looked at my watch I consciously slowed a little.  7:45 pace is my goal at Boston as it will qualify me to return in '14 & go sub 3 ... assuming I can stay injury free or at least manage them so they don't blow my base like they did last year.

3 miles to Piedmont Park, 4 2 mile loops (half on oval track & half on the ABG hill loop, then 3 back home.  The 4 miles on the soft surface track are really helpful to me!

1 - 8:06

2 - 7:50

3 - 7:51

4 - 7:29 (track)

5 - 7:48

6 - 7:44 (track)

7 - 7:42

8 - 7:34 (track)

9 - 7:44

10 - 7:35 (track)

11 - 7:32 (track ... decided to bypass last hill loop & stay on track before heading home)

12 - 7:36

13 - 8:29

14 - 8:50

 Watch died at 13.5 ... that is about the life of my battery these days!

Mid 50's & sunny ... supposed to hit 70 on Tuesday!  :)

6 with Tim @ Piedmont Park, 7:45 ap ... a couple 200m strides thrown in ... that left me totally winded!  Completes b2b 50 mile weeks with no real PF discomfort ... pretty psyched about that!!

20 miles on bike & 7 easy @ 8:32 in park

Gotta love running shirtless in January!  8 easy in park @ 8:27  ap.  Been feeling sluggish on my runs lately, I think mostly because I am eating lots of soup & other healthy things trying to get back my racing weight!  Have lost 6 pounds ... 9 more to go.  Can't wait until the afternoon of April 15, when I can once again eat whatever I want!!

def felt stronger after a day of rest, 7:30 ap

.6 mile hill loops @ park @ 8:02 pace

AM - 6.5 @ 7:23 ap

1 - 7:41

2 - 7:13

 3 - 7:19

4 - 7:39

5 - 7:25

6 - 7:20

.5 - 6:45 

 PM - 4 @ 7:07

1 - 7:29

2 - 7:08

3 - 7:00

4 - 6:51

.5 cooldown @ 8:11

PM miles served purpose of giving me free pass to drink beer during Super Bowl 

Wasn't really feeling it today but got out there, felt better as run went on, so stayed out 

8:30 AP

8 @ 7:45

Wanted to do some 800's, as usual I kind of bailed on that, but at least I kept doing some speed work.  Either I don't have the mental strength for track work or I am running faster than I should be. I would like to think it is just the latter, but I think it is a combination of the two!  Anyway, I guess I got enough in to prepare me a little for the 5k shock I will get this Saturday.

3 mile warmup around 8:10

800 - 2:56, 2:57

400 - 1:28, 1:23, 1:20, 1:24

200 - 38

1.5 cool down around 9:00

8:15 AP

8:21 pace

Today was just about time with Alex, not racing.  He is fit from soccer, but not really doing too much 'running' per se, these days.  I told him we would just go out at a 7:00 pace for first mile and then just go from there.  He is battling a cold which made for a convenient excuse for him, as he clearly was not too interested in pushing the comfort level too hard, but that is ok.

We hit the first mile in 6:49, and he said he he was fine ... I was pleasantly surprised at how easy that pace felt for me, I was not really pushing at all.  We held the same pace & then not too far into the second mile Alex slowed ... I just slowed with him & gave some positive words of encouragement to keep him moving.  Second mile was 7:20. 

 The coughing of flem got a little more dramatic at this point, but I told him just keep moving, pace didn't matter, but we were not walking in a 5k ... which I believe he was ready to do at that point.  But he was a good sport and kept moving.  There is only one hill on this course late in the 3rd mile, so we just kept it steady up the hill without pushing ... I told him to hang in there we could still get sub 23 if we finished strong.  Mile 3 was 7:48.

After cresting the hill & turning the corner to a slight downhill stretch to the finish, Alex turns to me with probably about 300 meters to go & says I'll race you to the finish.  We gradually increased speed to an all out sprint, which of course he won, but it was fun trying to hang on.  Garmin read 3.17 at finish ... we ran the last .17 at a 4:50 pace.

Sandbagger!

Did a nice mile cool down with Tim, who had a solid race!   Alex & I then headed to the park to play some soccer & met up with a couple cousins who were in town for a lunch.  All in all, a great day.

After a 4 day mileage break from my 200 in 30 days, I eased back into things with a progression run. Well, ease does not really correspond to my effort level, I was pushing pace a little, a lot on the last mile. Was happy to finish with 7 with a 2 mile cool down @ 8:30 pace.

5 @ 7:18 ap. 7:37, 7:37, 7:24, 7:18, 6:35

Hilly Highlands roads ... 7:24 ap Will do easy miles @ Sims Lake enroute to Alex's soccer game tonight.

PM   7 at 8:00 ap 

My feet felt like they had cinder blocks strapped to them today ... I would have stopped after 3 miles, except I pre-fueled my run with 24 Girl Scouts Thin Mints, so I figured I better go for an hour ... since that is 960 calories of Thin Mints!

Trudged along at an 8:30 pace for first 6 miles, then fell in behind a faster girl who had just entered the park, pacing me to a 7:15 last mile.  Unfortunately she exited the other side of the park, as I probably would have followed her as long as she ran in the park, maintaining a distance of about 40 yards.  As soon as she exited the park, I turned directly into a headwind ... so thankfully my hour was just about up & I was near the car!

 Hopefully tomorrow the legs are feeling better, as I need to do a longer run ... not putting a number out there though, that I can be accountable too!  :)

Well, I had aspirations of a 16 miler this weekend, but after the way I felt yesterday, I was happy to get in 11.5 @ a 7:45 pace.  I have pretty much concluded I race better than I train, my body is cool with running longer once or twice a year, but long training runs only serve to take the pleasure out of running for me!  Cumulative mileage can be just as effective, at least according to Hansons Marathon Method ... which is good enough for me.   :)

 On another note, Plantar Fasciitis wiped me out for about 7 months last year ... it seems that even with extended rest, if I went out and ran 6 miles, I experienced pretty bad heel pain, particularly when I got up first thing in the morning.  A friend told me about Feetures PF compression sleeves, so I bought 2 ($24.95 each), and have been wearing them to bed every night.  I went from not being able to run 6 miles without pain the next morning to running 50 miles/week without any pain ... so if you ever experience PF & want to knock it out before it sidelines you ... they work wonders!

http://www.feeturesbrand.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=210&Itemid=109

AM - 4 easy miles to coffee shop & back, no watch, but pretty sure my pace dropped into the 9's on the downhills.  :)   This is my daily plan to try to jump start the second half of my targeted weight loss.  The first couple weeks I dropped from 164 to 155, but seem to have leveled off the last 2 weeks ... goal is to get back down to 148, my racing weight in 2011.  Another benefit I figure is I won't feel bad if I stop after 5 or 6 miles in the evening, as I usually push on to get 7 or 8. 

PM - 7 @ 7:57

1.5 mile wu @ 8:10

4 x 800    3:08, 3:08, 3:08, 3:05  (500 meter recoveries around 8:30)

4 x 200    37, 34, 38, 36  (200 m recoveries, 1st & 3rd into wind)

1 mile cd @ 9:10

8:15 pace, beautiful sunny day at park ... Was cold & rainy in morning, so I skipped my jog for coffee, but don't think legs were up to it anyway ... They felt much better this afternoon though.

AM - Altered my route for my morning coffee jog slightly to include more of nature preserve trail, it is now 4.3 instead of 4.  I am not allowed to run faster than 9:30 pace on these.  Hanson actually says my recovery pace for a 3:15 marathon goal is 9:38.  My easy pace should be between 8:25 & 9:02, which is 3 of my runs per week. 

Of course, at this point, I have no idea what my marathon goal is ... I am just telling myself that because I am doing a fair amount of easy running, which is mostly faster than what is prescribed ... if I were doing the harder workouts.  Perhaps my base is built up enough to start incorporating some of those, instead of just throwing in random intervals & some faster miles when I feel like it.  Of course, I tend to enjoy the random stuff more than heading out the door for targeted workouts.  My only real goal for Boston is to re-qualify (3:23) for next year, and I am pretty confident if I just run an hour a day, that should not be a problem ... as long as it is not 85 degrees again!

No idea what I will run later in day, but we have a day & half of sunshine left before the arrival of rain ... so I will get out there for something!

16.1 @ 7:35 pace,   I am happy camper, off to have dinner with Alex

Update:  Went to Sims Lake to get in a spontaneous long run in 60 & sunny weather, with 2 days of rain in forecast.  Also, following Hanson's principles, that your longest run should be 16 miles, but coming off high mileage ... so it simulates the last 16 miles of the marathon ... not the first 16!  Since I may never have a 4 day period  with 44 miles again, I figured this was perfect timing to get 'er done!

Path is a hilly loop, 1.15 miles long.  I knew my Garmin would die early, so wanted to have accurate lap data with my trusty Timex.  Garmin actually lasted 11.9 miles, its lifespan is rapidly shortening, & not uncommon to die after 8 miles!  Anyway, I was thrilled when the last look I had was 11.7 miles @ 7:30 AP.

My goal was just 8:00 miles, but first mile was 7:30 & I just went with what was comfortable from there.  I think I held Mile 13 at same pace, but it was getting harder, so I slowed to stay comfortable.  The last couple miles were tough ... was actually glad my watch had died ... because no doubt I would have pushed to hang on to that 7:30 pace ... but the plan was to just run comfortably.

 Well, that is the back story, these are my loop splits which have less variation than my 12 recorded mile splits, because obviously each loop has 0 net elevation change.

 Loop    Time    Pace

   1         8:35      7:28

   2         8:50      7:41

   3         8:46      7:37

   4         8:44      7:36

   5         8:40      7:32

   6         8:34      7:27

   7         8:41      7:33

   8         8:34      7:27

   9         8:33      7:26

  10        8:27      7:21

  11        8:36      7:29

  12        8:50      7:41

  13        8:55      7:45

  14        9:09      7:57

Amazing what losing 12 pounds can do for your fitness! 

As I look at the numbers for the first 10 loops (11.5 miles), I find it interesting that if you throw out the first loop where I was clearly running faster than I should have been & made an adjustment ... every loop is ever so slightly faster with the focus on just running comfortable ... with the exception of Loop 7, where I remember telling myself to chill as I was not even half way done yet.  :)

Reading Anatomy for Runners ... How exciting ... Back to actually running tomorrow!

I have decided to halt all marathon training indefinitely & have joined a soccer team for the Spring season.  When I reviewed my training, I realized that I ran a 3:20 marathon in Oct. 2010 after only having run 400 miles in the previous 9 months, including 190 miles in the previous 3 months, and a whopping 60 miles in the 30 days leading up to the marathon.  At this time, I stopped playing competitive soccer & channeled my competitive juices into running ... and my time dropped to 3:06 ... and was enroute to a sub 3 ... until I got injured.

In retrospect, taking 14 minutes off my marathon time ... or dropping it another 6 ... just is not that important to me in the grand scheme of things.  I am proud to have run the PR times I have, but improving on them further is not that important ... I would rather play soccer & just enjoy running when I choose to.

We all set goals ... and somewhere along the line, my goals went from running a marathon to getting a BQ to breaking sub 3 ... but why?  I can not answer that question ... but feel like if I don't break the cycle ... when I run a sub 3, my goal would simply become to run a 2:55 ... that is just my competitive nature and desire to continually improve.  But again ... if I step back & ask ... why would you want to run a 2:55 marathon?  I have no answer, and certainly not one that justifies the commitment it would require in my own mind and sacrifices ... like not playing soccer.

 If one day I happen to cross a 5k finish line at sub 18:30, I will probably entertain a 16 week training cycle to go after a sub 3 ... but only if that happens first.  The jury is out on if I will run Boston this year ... sometimes we have things other things in life that are more important than running ... and this is one of those times for me. 

8 x 200m

7:56 pace, feeling much better about the bag of chocolate doughnuts I broke down & consumed earlier.

58 minutes, best guess 7 miles

Watch died after 8 miles @ 8:03 ap ... probably averaged 8 for whole run, just ran comfortable pace & wanted to get 12+ in, it was sunny & 58 out!

8:47, 8:25, 8:07, 8:00, 7:48, 7:57, 7:44, 7:40 ... last 4.5 probably around 8:00 pace.

Since I knew my watch would die, I clocked a new loop around park at 3.7 miles & and ran it twice more just after hitting 5 on watch ... so at least I would have an accurate distance.

Legs were feeling good today & with storms rolling in, I figured it was a good time to get some faster miles in.  Plan was mile warmup, 4 faster, mile cooldown.  Well, today was one of those days where my watch died 100 yards into the run, so I jogged back to car, started stop watch on phone & took off to do what I know is a measured 5 miles from where I park.

 Goal was to run comfortably fast, but to be honest, this was probably close to 10k pace, with enough left in tank to pick it up a little for another 1.2 if I was running one.  It was nice actually not having the watch & stressing about my pace ... but knowing seconds were ticking away until I got back to the car.  Wasn't quite sure what pace I would run, but was hoping around 7's or a little under.  With old school calculations, I came up with 7:12.

Honestly, I think I would be afraid to toe the line of a 10k right now, or any distance for that matter, just not where I want to be ... but thats ok ... I know I am way ahead of where I was 6 weeks ago & weighing in 10 pounds lighter.  Felt good to put down some faster miles, even if I would not have called them that a year ago.

Obviously, I ditched the warmup & cooldown miles ... oh well.

1.6 loop @ 8:10

3.7 loop @ 8:01

3.7 loop @ 7:45

AP - 7:56 ... 70 & sunny

3.7 mile loop 1 - 7:56

3.7 mile loop 2 - 7:30

7:43 AP 

Loop 1: 7:27  pace

Loop 2: 7:21 pace 

5k progression run on track before Alex's soccer game

1600m splits:  7:25, 6:59, 6:24

200m: :38

5k time: 21:26 / 6:54  ap

Met TimP at Mile 7 of GA marathon for a great long run.  Felt pretty good but was feeling it at the end  ... another 7 miles would have been really really hard! AP 8:02

Salvaged my goose egg for the week ...

8 @ 7:30 followed by 6 fat burning 9:20 miles.

Finally nice running weather!  13.1 in 139:30, 3.2 mile cool down

8:02, 7:49, 7:56, 7:43, 7:37, 7:39, 7:36, 7:44, 7:21, 7:29, 7:19, 7:23, 709, 45 seconds

7:15  ap

7:20, 7:45, 7:20, 7:27, 7:16, 6:23 

soccer in morning ...

10 @ 7:55 ap in afternoon

8:24, 8:01, 7:50, 8:11, 7:36, 7:52, 7:39, 7:49, 8:03, 7:49

4 @ 7:10 ap

7:47, 7:30, 7:11, 6:21 

Just trying to dial in on a comfortable pace ... Maybe a little ambitious today. Unfortunately, I think regardless of what pace I run the first 16, the last 10 are going to be brutal. Anyway, felt good about this run .... At least I will be comfortable running the first half! Lol

7:58, 7:50, 7:39, 7:29, 7:26, 7:28, 7:19, 7:34, 7:29, 7:21, 7:08, 7:04, 7:16, 40 seconds last 0.1

13.1 in 1:37:34. 7:27 ap

Comfortable 10 in sunny 68 degree weather ... starting to feel like 7:30 should be my go to pace in 9 days & just deal with the discomfort the last 10 miles & hang on as best as I can. I also am a little concerned that I may take off faster out of the gate than 7:30 ... although I know this would be a BAD idea!

7:48, 7:51, 7:29, 7:34, 7:25, 7:27, 7:22, 7:28, 7:16, 6:58

7:27 ap

 Ok ... just decided:

Stretch Goal:  sub 3:15

A Goal:  sub 3:18

B Goal:  sub 3:25 (which gets me a BQ for next year)

8:27 ap

tragic day, my race is not relevant in scheme of things.  I heard the explosions taking a shower at my hotel, 1block from finish line

---------------------------------

Take 2: 

Back in ATL, still processing the events of the last two days, with command central & Boylston right outside my corner room ... 24 floors below.  I will upload my Garmin splits later ... but the short story is exactly what I expected I would run ... comfortably @ a 3:15 pace for 17 or 18 miles & then control the fade.

Anyway, slowing down a minute per mile seemed like the appropriate thing to do.  The only goal I had that mattered was to requalify, which I did with 3 minutes to spare.  I enjoyed the last 9 miles just ran them a little slower. 

I will be back Boston ... and we are going to have a party.

 Take 3:

 Just reminiscing about being a runner!  lol

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/299618612

played soccer 1hour

I am pretty sure I ran 1 mile in May ...

Pretty sure I ran 1 mile in June

Ran my first PRR with Alex, obviously you can see by my time I was not racing it ... overall it was a good day.  It is actually Saturday night now & it has been raining since ... well, since I can last remember!  We already have more rain this year than last year for the entire year.

 I took a break from running the last 12 weeks ... I think I have run 15 miles since Boston.  But I have been active, believe it or not, I weighed in at 146 this morning & my racing weight at my peak of running was 148.  So, I decided this morning I would commit to 40 weeks preparation for Boston & as long as I can stay injury free, see what kind of time I can post, with the goal being a new marathon PR.

Anyway, I am going to log my runs old school in a journal, but will probably pop in here and post race reports for any races I do.  At some point as it gets closer to fall I will try to establish some kind of race schedule, but for the next month or two it will just be base building.

 Today (Saturday) I did a 13 mile benchmark run ... kinda as I figured ... I need to double my distance, drop my pace 2 min/mile, & eliminate the walk breaks!  But I will attribute that last one to the 80 degree heat & 80% humidity.

 Best of luck to all in their running!

Well, that was dumb. messed up my knee

8:00 min pace ... knee still hurts

Sawnee Mtn Loop - 38 minutes - 9:56 pace

Sawnee Mtn loop - 36 minutes - 9:23 pace

hood loops
 

hood loops - first faster run - 7:35 pace

7:45, 7:34, 7:37, 7:12 for last 0.5

Ran 3 1 mile intervals, fast - 6:45, easy - 8:51, medium - 7:45 ... it was 3:00 - 86 degrees

Basically I have not run since Boston (40 miles total - 13 of which came 2 days after running Peachtree like an idiot & hurting my knee).  I have played some soccer, but seems like every time I do the knee pain resurfaces, don't have any idea what the specific issue is.

Life has been hectic ... started a new job, also working at Home Depot part time, my son moved in with me full-time Aug, 22, and while I am attempting to reestablish some type of running routine, basically I am exhausted ... but maybe running will help ... just have to make the time for it!

I guess I also need to start logging runs on here again too ... because apparently I am not very good at holding myself accountable ... so I need your guys support & encouragement!  Honestly, without the help of this blog I never would have reached the level I did with running & I am thankful to all on here for that.  It will be a long road back ... I guess I will find out in about 10 days if my April Boston performance of 3:22:18 (2:41 seconds faster than my required qualifying time) will be enough to be honored to go back in 2014!  Registration is filling up at a record pace, so not exactly holding my breath, but am hopeful because there is nothing like a target race to get the mojo flowing again!

Cooler weather arriving ... I think I can do this!

7:41, 7:11, 9:37

Even with all my time off there is a little discomfort in my knee, will have to be a gradual buildup

8:37 ... Fast finish ... Alex joined me for a mile before school ... getting that to happen is like pulling teeth ... but one mile is better than none!  He did score a goal in his soccer game yesterday, perhaps that little bit of glory will motivate him to continue to work on his fitness.  I will go to his 2 hour practice tonight ... and hopefuly get in an easy 6 or 7 miles ... I guess I have to wait until Wednesday to find out if I will be running Boston in 7 months!

Evening 5.6 miles - Fowler Park - 7:48, 7:09, 7:47, 8:34, 7:37, cooldown 0,6 miles

Back to Boston in '14. 6 months to prepare to secure a spot in '15, with a BQ-5 ... Or if training goes well, perhaps I will pick a flat marathon in Dec or Jan, to try to get moved up into Wave 1.

For now, just happy to get 3 miles in & be invited back.

8:21, 7:42, 7:24

Went out for a quick 3 before lunch.  First mile was a little faster than expected, then with ,4 to go in second mile I realized I was hovering just under 7 min pace, so decided to establish a 2 mile benchmark ... 13:59 ... next up ... 13:40

7:12, 6:47, 8:11 cooldown

7:50, 7:26, 7:26, 6:57

8:30 pace

7:18, 7:19

7:15, 7:02 - Miles 3 & 4 were 1/4 mile intervals slow,fast,slow,fast on grass

1.5 mile cooldown

Only had time for 2, better than 1 & definitly none!

7:15, 6:57

7:53     Mile one I wanted to be done

7:50     Mile two I was ready for a GU

8:10     Mile three I had to pee

7:57     Mile four I was ready for more

7:56     Mile five legs came alive

7:44     Mile six feet felt like bricks

7:45     Mile seven I nearly went to heaven.

Pace was fun, race April 21

How is that IJR?  :) 

Easy miles ... yeah right ... I wish

8:14, 8:00, 8:09, 8:23, 6:59

Determined to hit 30 miles this month!

6@7:48, backed off at 3 mile turaround

7:30, 7:34, 7:24, 8:30, 8:08, 7:38

158 days ... to prepare

Sawnee Mtn trail ... Spot Rd. entrance to Tribble Gap to summit & back ... 4 miles 9:50 pace ... which is medium effort on this trail ... goal is to get it under 9.  In 2009 I did a 5k race on this trail & 31:19 came in 20th place, winning time was 25:48!

Anyway, I live only about a mile from there now, so I am making it my official training grounds.  I will try not to let 24 days elapse before my next training run this time ... and hopefully the 7 straight days of rain we have had will soon pass!

Sawnee Mtn Loop 3.8 - 9:57 pace, Yep, mtn kicked my trash, but I had a brief conversation with God at the summit

Week 18 - Day 1   6 miles easy

First 3 were a little brisker to get out of hood onto busier roads & then back before dark, then 3 easier loops around hills of the hood.

7:35, 7:57, 7:55, 8:37, 9:01, 8:37

Felt good, am convinced I am going to crush Boston, decided on sub 3:15 goal

Day 2

AM - 5 easy hilly hood miles - 8:45 AP

PM - 3.5 hilly hood miles - 8:15 AP

Day 3 -

AM - 4 easy hilly hood miles @ 8:50 AP

Weight 146 - Considering I basically took the last 8 months off from running & at my peak my race weight was 148, this is good ... although it means I need to add muscle and hopefully target my race weight down to 145 or lower.  Let the Games begin.

Day 4 -

AM - 4 easy hilly hood miles @ 8:43 AP

Alex & I are driving to PA this afternoon for the Holidays ... but daily runs will continue ... perhaps he will even join me for a few of them!

Day 7 -

8 comfortable miles in rain along Susquehanna river @ 7:55 AP

8.11, 8.13, 8.06, 7.51, 7.54, 7.51, 7.35, 7.40

Week 1 Summary:  31 miles (more than I have run in a month since April).  Reintroduce legs to mileage.  Consistency (took 2 days off due to travel & icy paths, but other than that good).  I will call it a successful week of getting back on track ... 17 weeks to improve ... one day at a time.

Maplewood reservation run - 8.1 @ 8:07

Maplewood reservation run - 6.9 @ 8:50ish?

Sawnee Mtn, 3 Summit loops, approx 10 miles, 1 hr 44 min