The Next Step

Had to break out the gloves and long sleeves this morning.  It was 41 but luckily no wind.  I felt pretty good this morning and just did an easy run through Fox Cove neighborhood.  It was a beautiful morning once the sun came up and that made it feel warmer.  I still have some soreness in my left quad.  I need to take "the stick" to it and see if I can work the soreness out of it. 

7m in 54:00 (7:43 avg)

PM:  Went down to Southeastway Park and run around the park through the trails.  I just ran easy but went to the hill and ran 8 x hill sprints towards the end.  I felt pretty good but the hill sprints were tough since I haven't done them in awhile.

6m in 50:48 (8:28 avg)

We had some storms move through last night but luckily it had stopped raining this morning.  It felt cool because it was pretty windy but temp was 53.  I felt better this morning but started off real easy running around 8:30 for the first couple of miles then picked up the pace gradually and felt good toward the finish.  Planning a long run tomorrow so didn't want to do to much today. 

1:11:17 (7:56 avg)

It was cool (52) and windy (20mph) fall day. I slept in longer than I wanted so had to cut my run short so that I could get back for a busy day of family activities. Finally a morning where I felt good. The last couple of weeks my legs have just felt tired running but today it seemed easy which is a good feeling. I started off easy but since I was feeling good started picking up the pace and just gradually picked it up until 15 miles and decided to run the last 3 miles at MP. The last three felt good running around 7:10 pace and ran the last mile in 6:55. The last couple of long runs had me down a little but this helped pick the confidence back up.

2:18:04 (7:40 avg)

Honolulu:  I flew out here yesterday so just took the day off and rested (if you call sitting in a plane for 9 hours resting).  I got up real early this morning and did the standard loop around Diamond Head.  I probably should check out some other routes around the area but it is hard to beat that loop.  I added in several miles behind Diamond Head in a neighborhood that was very hilly so got a good hill workout in.  I felt good starting out but was getting tired about 11 miles.  Could have been from the hills or from the warmer weather (76, humid).  It rained on me for about a mile around the 7 mile mark but that was good since it cooled me down.

Heading down through Waikiki there sure are alot of homeless people.  Seems like is was worse than the last time I was here.  The park at the end of Waikiki was full and they had plastic stretched out between trees for shelter.  I also passed a couple of guys that were here the last time I was here.  They were in the same place.  It is very sad to be in someplace so beautiful and see something like this.  I know this is a complex problem but wish I knew someway to help.  I am involved in a group in Indy that helps with the homeless so know that it is a hard problem to solve.

1:46:01 (8:09 avg)

Honolulu:  Out early again this morning on the Diamond Head loop.  I ran out around Diamond Head then down the back side to Waikiki turned around and ran back.  It was warm (76) and super humid.  I was drentched with sweat when I finished.  I mixed it up some while running.  I ran a few sections around MP pace and then ran a couple of the hills hard.  Nothing structured just running by feel.  Felt pretty good this morning.  There were some nice views of the ocean this morning with the full moon.  Always nice to hear the ocean rolling while running.

1:28:45 (8:04 avg)

Honolulu. I had an early morning Conf call with the East coast so I didn't have much time this morning. I just took it easy but was a little tied this morning from not getting enough sleep. I have been feeling pretty good running lately so hope that continues. Going back home tonight and really looking forward to it.

47:38 (7:44 avg)

Got back from Hawaii yesterday then headed down to KY to run a 200 mile relay with some friends from high school.  Not much sleep the last few days so was tired heading into the event.  We were in the 2nd van so we had a lot of waiting to do before running.  The weather was rainy and cool.  I ran my first leg at around 8:00 pm at night so it was already dark.  I didn't feel the best and I was concerned about going out too hard because we lost one of our team members to injury so I was going to be picking up and extra leg and running 4 legs and a total of around 24 miles.  I went out pretty easy and tired to just run around MP for the first legs.  It was a hilly leg with mostly long rolling hills nothing real steep.  I was able to pass quite a few teams and finished up feeling pretty good.  After the rest of our van finished up their legs we grabbed a bite to eat and headed for some sleep.  We got around 2 to 3 hours of sleep which is pretty good for these events.

Leg 1 - 7.22 in 52:40 (7:17 avg)

2nd day of the 200 mile relay.  After not much sleep we got back out for our second legs at around 4 am.  I was the 4th person in our van so had to wait awhile before running.  My second leg was 8.02 miles and didn't know what to expect after not feeling the best yesterday and not getting much rest.  We miss calculated when the running before me would come in plus he ran his leg faster then we expected so when I went down to the exchange point to wait on him he was already there and I had to just through off the clothes and take off without warming up.  It was cool and windy so I just took off kind of easy to get loose.  I started feeling pretty good on this leg so I picked up the pace and ran faster.  There were a lot of rolling hills on this leg too and I just picked it up as I went along.  I felt great on this leg and it felt like I was running easy. 

2nd leg 8.02 miles in 53:58 (6:44 avg)

After everyone finished up there second legs we grabbed a light lunch and rested some.  Because of one of our running dropping out I would be running the 1st and 4th legs of the last van rotation.  This means that I would run then have about an hour and a half then run again.  I was worried about this because I was afraid that I would tighten up for the 2nd time out.  My third leg was short only 4.12 miles but pretty hilly.  After feeling good on the last on I decided to just go out pretty hard on this one and see how I felt.  At this point the lack of sleep and accumulated fatigue start to catch up with you.  I felt stiff and tight starting out but quickly got into a groove and picked up the pace.  I ended up passing a lot of runners on this leg so it helped to keep me pushing hard.  I was amazed when I can in with an average of 6:32 for the 4 miles.

3rd leg 4.12 mile in 26:56 (6:32 avg)

After the last leg quickly got back in the van and drank some Gatorade then tried to keep my legs warm.  At the next exchange I jogged around a little and continued to stretch.  It seemed like no time until I was back out there again for my final leg.  It ended up being about an hour and 10 minutes so I was able to stay pretty loose despite the cool temps.  My last leg was more hilly then the previous so decided to go out a little easier then see how I felt and pick it up from their.  The first couple of miles were hilly then it kind of flattened out.  I started off pretty good but was stiffer than I thought.  I was fighting my legs the whole way on this leg but kept pushing it as I went along.  I went into this leg thinking that if I could hold the pace under 7 I would be doing good.  The miles clicked off pretty good and I pushed it hard on the last mile to finish off all of my legs.  I was very happy to avg 6:45 pace for this leg.

4th leg 4.39 miles in 29:41 (6:45 avg)

This second day gave me a lot of confidence because I ran over 16 miles at an avg pace of around 6:40.  Plus breaking it up this way is seems to be tough especially when you have to go back out so quickly.  It was a lot of fun running the event.  We were not competitive as a team.  We ended up finishing in around 29 hours which is an average pace of 8:42.  We had some newer runners on the team that slowed down the pace but it was a great time and I was very happy with the way that I ran.  Now time to get some rest!!

After the relay this weekend and the trip to Hawaii last week I was really behind on sleep so I slept in this morning and ended up running on my lunch hour.  It was nice (55) outside at this time.  I was a little sore and stiff from the relay.  I was definitely not used to that many hills.  Pretty much up and down the whole way.  I didn't have any super big hills on my legs but all of them were nice rollers.  I also had a couple of longer downhills that I hammered pretty good so that may be why I am sore.  After a couple of miles I felt better and just took it easy the whole way.  It was nice to get back out and get the legs moving again.  Now I need to jump back into training mode and really pick it up.

54:54 (7:51 avg)

It was a cool morning (45) with some wind but a nice day for running.  I felt much better this morning.  No more soreness or stiffness in the legs from the relay.  I just took it easy as I want to make sure I recovery from all the weekend activities.  I feel like I have finally caught back up on my sleep.  Hopefully now I can get back into my normal routine.

9m in 1:09:48 (7:46 avg)

PM:  Our church is having a 5k and I put together the course so went out tonight to measure it to make sure it was accurate.  I ran the course then ran a couple of extra miles.  I ran the last 3 miles at around MP. I felt good and it was perfect weather for running (50) and light wind.

5m in 35:56 (7:11 avg)

It was a cold (42) and windy fall day today.  Didn't seem like we got many of the nice fall days where it is sunny and mid 50's.  I felt pretty good running today and did a mid-long run.  The plan this week is to just run solid miles with no speedwork to get my legs back after the relay on the weekend.  I went out into the wind so it was nice coming back home with the wind at my back.  I picked it up the last few miles but my legs were tired the last 3 miles so had to push a little.

1:39:26 (7:39 avg)

Another wet, cold morning (43).  This morning I ran with a kid from the neighborhood.  I say kid but he is 19.  He is back in town gettting ready to go on a mission to Brazil.  We just took it easy and talked most of the time so it went by real fast.  I felt pretty good this morning but my legs felt tired. I am planning on going long tomorrow since I have some things to do on Sat.  I hope the weather cooperates.

It was cool (40) with some light wind this morning.  I did my long run today because I have a lot going on tomorrow and wanted to make sure I got it in.  I felt kind of flat getting started this morning so just ran easy at first.  After around 5 miles or so I started to get into and felt better.  At 10 miles I was feeling pretty good so decided to pick it up a little as I went along.  I just kept picking up the pace a little bit each mile then on the last 4 miles I up the pace to around MP.  I felt pretty good the last 4 miles running at MP.  This was a good sign if I can run faster at the end of these long runs.  I ended up going the first 10 miles at 7:55 pace and ran the last 10 miles at 7:24 pace. Very happy with this run.

2:33:14 (7:39 avg)

This morning I went up to the Indianapolis marathon and saw Jeff start the race.  It was a cool morning (30) with some light wind.  After watching the start and then watching them come through the 5 mile mark I went back to the car and changed into my running clothes.  I did an easy 8 miles after the long run yesterday.  My legs felt suprisingly well today with no stiffness or soreness.  It turned out to be a nice run.  I ran from Fort Harrison park up through a subdivision and ended up on a road I have never been on before.  It was rolling hills with a lot of trees that were changing color.  Very pretty.  After the run I went back to the car, stretched and cooled down then went back over to the race to watch Jeff finish.  I will leave it to him to share the results but it was very nice to meet him and spend some time with him before the race.  As you all probably know from the blog he is a very nice guy.

63:44 (7:58 avg)

I had an early morning meeting in Southern Indiana so I had to leave really early so had to run in the afternoon.  It was nice (62) but very windy.  I planned to do a little speedwork today.  The plan was for 1 mile, 3/4 mile, 1/2 mile, 1/4 mile at 6:00 pace with 1/4 mile recovery.  I didn't feel the best warming up.  I had some tightness in my left knee but that got better after a couple of miles.  However, my legs felt tired the whole way and didn't really feel better.  Here are the splits for the intervals:

1m - 5:58

3/4 - 4:29

1/2 - 2:59

1/4 - 1:28

1/2 - 2:56 (added this to make 3miles at 6:00 pace)

I had to push these because I didn't feel the best but was glad to get the workout in.  Did about a 1.5 m cooldown.

9m in 65:38 (7:18 avg)

It was a nice morning (46) with light wind.  We are leaving to go to Disney World this afternoon so I knew I wouldn't be able to get in a long run while we are down there so went ahead and did it today.  It has been only 4 days since I ran my last 20 miler so I was interested to see how I felt.  I decided to just take it easy the whole way and not push it any.  I felt pretty good this morning and just crusied along.  I felt good the whole way and felt like I could have ran faster if I wanted to.  While running I saw a car hit a dog up the road from me.  I ran up to check on it but the dog ran off.  I went to the house but no one was home.  It looked like maybe it broke its leg but it was a big dog and it didn't want me to get close to it.  I felt bad that I couldn't let anyone know what had happened.  I think it will be all right but really needed to go to the vet to get its leg taken care of.

I finally made it official and signed up for the Boston Marathon.  I am really exicted about going.  Know I need to talk my wife into going with me.  She is always concerned about leaving the kids but hopefully we can work it out.  As far as this fall marathon goes, my plans keep getting messed up.  I found out at work yesterday that I am going to have to go back to Hawaii the same week that I had planned on running the Memphis so now that is not going to happen.  I think what I will do now is just run the local Moumential marathon the first week of Nov.  I don't feel like I am really ready to run it but that will probably be my only chance to get  a marathon in this year.  That is another reason I did the long run today because I am about 3 weeks out from that marathon so will have to start taper next week if I am going to do it. 

2:38:32 (7:56 avg)

Orlando. Got back from Disney late last night so slept in a little bit. It was a warm morning around 70. The person at the front desk told me their was a walking path next to the hotel but it only lasted about a half mile. I guess I should have told her what I was looking for. After that I went on the roads around the park and their was too much traffic so luckily I found a golf course so ran through it.

I just took it real easy. My legs felt tired. Could be from the long run or from walking all day yesterday. Glad to get a run in going to Disney Hollywood studios today.

Orlando. Another full day yesterday so quick run this morning before heading back to the park. I felt a little better today but legs still flat. I don't have very high expections for the race tomorrow due to walking around all day before the race. Probably just treat it as a tempo workout.

7:40 avg

Short report since it is Midnight. The race started at 10:30 so wasn't sure how I would feel after being at Disney all day. I felt pretty good warming up so decided to go out around 10K pace and see what happened. I was able to stay petty close to pace all the way. Really started to feel it the last mile. The last mile was in the park and had a lot or turns so it was hard to stay on pace. Since it was dark it was hard to see the mile splits on the watch so tomorrow I will see how it went by mile. Overall very happy with the result. Now I need to get some rest before flying home in the morning.

Went back and looked at my splits. Here they are:

6:16, 6:13, 6:18, 6:13, 6:21, 6:21, 6:11, 6:22

Pretty even splits.  Probably could have went a little harder on the 5th and 6th miles.  I had some drop off on the last mile but a lot of that was from all of the turns in the park.

Back in Indiana and was greeted with a cool (40) fall morning.  I felt pretty good this morning but a little tight/stiff from the race and travel yesterday.  We had a great vacation but it is always good to be home.  I just took it easy this morning.  I was excited coming out to the Disney race and am looking forward to upcoming half and full marathons.

1:10:35 (7:51 avg)

Nice day for running (50) with some light rain.  I went to Southeastway Park and ran 3 loops around the park through the woods then ran 8 x hill sprints.  I felt tired this morning so just ran easy until the hill sprints.  I think the hills actually helped wake my legs up since I felt better after that.  It was nice to get in the woods and enjoy the scenery with all the leaves changing colors.

8m in 68:09 (8:31 avg)

 PM:  It was raining outside so I stayed in and ran on the treadmill.  I did a couple of miles easy then did 3 miles at MP followed by a 1 mile warmdown.  I felt ok but the legs were heavy.  This is my first time on the treadmill in awhile and I missed being able to be outside.  I am not looking forward to winter. 

I did finally get my marathon plans straight for this fall.  I am going to run the half marathon here in Indy on 11/7 then run the Huntsville marathon again on 12/12.  I like having a few more weeks to get ready plus being able to use the half to test my fitness.

45:07 (7:32 avg)

It was a damp but nice morning for running around 50 with light wind.  It was really dark this morning with the clouds so ran a few miles around the neighborhood before heading out on the streets.  I didn't feel the best this morning.  Just tired so I ran easy the whole way.  I did pick up the pace a little as I went along but nothing hard at all.  I was glad to get a little longer run in this morning.  I have been trying to get in one med-long run in every week.  I think it was helped my endurance combining that with a normal long run.

1:42:10 (7:52 avg)

It was a nice day for running (55) but very windy.  Today I planned on doing 8 miles at MP.  I felt good on the warmup and thought it would be a good run.  I was having to hold back on the warmup to keep from going too fast so that was a good sign.  I planned to run aroun 7:10 pace for the MP but just wanted to run relaxed and comfortable.  After the warmup I started the MP miles and it felt real good.  I didn't feel like I was pressing at all.  The miles into the wind were a little slower but just tried to keep the same effort.  Here are the splits for the MP miles:

7:03, 7:07, 7:04, 6:59, 6:52, 6:58, 6:53, 6:47

Real happy with the run and feel like I am starting to make some progress.

1:19:06 (7:11 avg)

Unseasonably warm morning today (64) but was also very windy.  Just an easy run this morning after the MP run yesterday.  I felt sluggish this morning and just had a hard time getting going.  I was glad to get back home and get out of the wind.  This has been a pretty good week of training and hopefully can finish it off tomorrow with a long run.  Supposed to have some rain moving through so I hope it is done by tomorrow.

1:12:38 (8:04 avg)

This morning I went and worked a 5k that our church does to raise money for our inner city kids program.  I didn't get back to the house until around 11 so had some lunch and decided to run later in the day since my wife and daughters are helping with a Fall Festival at the church. 

It warmed up a little this afternoon but only about 50 and it was very windy with gusts up to 25 mph.  Starting off I felt real good and had to hold back from going out too fast.  Settled into a nice pace and tired to keep it steady most of the way.  The wind was really tough.  It felt like it was beating on me all the time.  Just didn't feel like I ever got a break from it.  Not sure if it was the wind or the accumulation of miles this week but I could really feel it in the legs starting around 16 miles.  I didn't slow down any after this.  I actually picked up the pace some but legs just felt really beat.  I was glad to get this one in and felt good about the pace.

2:50:33 (7:45 avg)