The Next Step

We had a really nice afternoon today about 34 but sunny and very little wind. I just planned on doing an easy run to shake the legs out after yesterday's longer run. I ended up feeling really good and just let my body pick what felt like a good comfortable pace. One of those days where you feel like you could really run fast if you wanted to. I just keep it easy and felt real good afterward. I hope to get a real solid week of training in this week. I have put in around 4 good weeks of fairly consistent training so time to take it up a notch. Spring is jus around the corner and I want to be ready for some races.

52:44 (7:32 avg)

It was cool out today (21) but no wind so that was nice. When I started out today my legs felt real heavy and just felt like I couldn't get going. I just took it real easy and did start loosening up and running easier after 3 or 4 miles. I also ran 6 x hill sprints toward the end of the run. The last couple of days have been pretty strong runs for me so I guess it is catching up with me. Good to just have an easy recovery day.

70:28 (8:15 avg)

AM

It was a pretty decent morning (25) but some wind. My legs felt a little better today but still tired probably due to the increase in mileage. I just took it easy and gradually picked up the pace as I went a long. I did get to see a beautiful sunrise this morning. I would have loved to have my camera to get a picture of it. Best I have seen in awhile.

54:41 (7:48 avg)

PM

This afternoon I wanted to run something faster to take advantage of the weather since it looks like it is going to be bad the rest of the week. I wanted to run something around MP or maybe a little faster. When I started out my legs were still tired and felt heavy but decided to stick with the plan. I think sometimes it is good to run faster when your legs are tired to simulate the late stages of a race. I did a couple of miles to warm up then jumped into the MP run. I ran a little over 4 miles and here are my splits: 6:41, 6:56, 6:59, 6:55 so probably a little faster than MP for me based on my current condition. I got a little cared away on the first mile but then got it back to where I wanted to be. Glad to get in an extra run today.

50:42 (7:14 avg)

It was a warm (48) but very windy day. I tried to keep it easy but had to increase the effort into the wind. I felt pretty good but legs still a little tired. It was an ok run but the wind made it much more difficult. We have a cold front coming tonight so not sure about getting out the next couple days.

65:59 (7:52 avg)

We got a little snow last night. Just enough to make the roads a little slick. Also, very windy so ran inside on the TM. My legs felt fried today so I just took it easy and cut it a little short. I actually started feeling better after about 4 miles but decided to make it an easy day and then see how I feel tomorrow.

46:35 (7:46 avg)

Cold this morning (15) with some light wind. Once I got going it wasn't too bad. My legs felt better today but I didn't want to push it today. I think I am still getting adjusted to the higher mileage so hopefully next week I can get more speed into my training. The next three weeks are going to be tough since I have a lot of travel scheduled. I will be in Portsmouth, NH next week, DC the following week and then Huntsville, AL. I will have to really work to keep on schedule but this is an important time to keep building up so that I am ready for some spring races.

I did schedule some good travel. I will be going to the beach with the family for spring break the first week of April. That is the only trip that I am looking forward too.

Going to try to run long again tomorrow. I had thought about running a local 5 mile race tomorrow but we are supposed to get some snow. The only reason to race would be to check my fitness and don't think it would be a good test if I am slipping around in the snow. I might be stuck on the TM but it has been a pretty good week since I have got outside almost every day.

66:41 (7:54 avg)

I sleep in today just didn't feel like getting up early. My wife and oldest daughter had some plans so I stayed home with my youngest daughter and got a little time to run on the TM. Since I couldn't go long I decided to run faster. I started off easy and then just continued to pick up the pace. I ended up running the last mile in 6:11. I felt pretty good and feel like it was the best way to use my limited time. It was a rough day outside today anyway. It was very windy and snowing.

64:00 (7:07 avg)