The Next Step

I had some extra time after church since my wife and the kids had a meeting to attend so decided to go for an easy run. I was surprised how well I felt this morning after the long run yesterday so that is another reason I wanted to get out. It was not a great day pretty much the same as yesterday (37 and windy). I went to Southeastway park and ran through the woods and around the park. I didn't wear a watch so just ran easy and it was enjoyable just being out in the woods running.

I finally had to get out the tights and some warmer clothes today since it was 26 and windy. I was dragging a little this morning so ran easy most of the way. I did run to the park and did 6 x short hill sprints but the legs were pretty on these as well. This might be from the long run over the weekend or it could be just one of those days. I am hoping to get some faster paced running in this week so hopefully tomorrow will be better.

1:12:29

Today I did a 4 mile tempo run on the track. I haven't really done any faster workouts since the marathon so it was good to get out and run fast. It was cool this morning (28) with some light wind. I did a 2 mile warm up and my legs didn't feel great. Still had that tired feeling. The goal for the tempo was 4 miles @ 6:30 pace. Here were the splits:

1st - 6:30

2nd - 6:29

3rd - 6:27

4th - 6:21

I didn't feel very good on the first mile. I was really wondering if I would be able to finish the workout or if I set too fast of a pace for the tempo. I started to feel better in the second mile. The 3rd mile was the best. I felt like I was just running comfortable. The last mile I pushed a little faster and was starting to feel the effort. I think I learned a good lesson today that you can't judge how you are going to do by that first mile of a race/workout. If I had went by the first mile I might have just canned the whole workout but I started feeling much better and it turned out being a great workout. Another cool thing I just noticed is that I ran this 4 mile tempo faster than my PR for a 4 mile race I did 4 years ago. 2 mile warm down after the tempo.

60:36

Nice morning (45, calm) so went to Southeastway Park. I ran my standard loop four times around the park and through the trails. I felt pretty good this morning and just ran easy. On the second loop I felt weak like I had ran out of fuel but felt better after a little bit so kept going. Right when I finished it started raining so timing was perfect. Glad I didn't have to run through the rain.

1:12:02

It was warmer today (50) but misty rain. I did a med long MP run today. I didn't feel great this morning just a little flat. I did a 3 mile warm up then jumped into the MP miles. The first 3 miles of MP I felt kind of sluggish and couldn't really get into a rhythm. Around 3 or 4 miles into the MP part I started to feel better and got into a good pace. After that the run went pretty smooth and picked up the pace the last 3 miles. Here are the MP splits (7:17, 7:38, 7:33, 7:22, 7:16, 7:06, 7:17, 7:12). After this did a 1 mile warm down. Overall I was happy with the run today. This has been a build up week so the legs are a little tired but it is good to get some faster running in.

1:31:24 (7:37 avg)

Pretty nice morning (51 and light rain). I went to Southeastway Park and ran my standard loop. It was nice to be able to run in shorts and short sleeves this time of year. However, looks like we are in for a big change tomorrow just in time for my long run. I felt ok today but legs still somewhat tired.

If you are interested, I saw this article about a kid that won the TN state XC race just a few days after his best friend died in a car . Touching story.

http://www.milesplit.us/articles/20664

55:52

Well the weather was right this time. Woke up to a rough day (rain, 20 - 30 mph winds and 38 degrees). I thought if the rain would stop I would run outside so checked the weather on the computer and rader/forecast was for all day rain. I decided to stay in on the treadmill and see how far I could go. So I thought I better try to pump himself up for this long run on the treadmill by thinking of all the positives about running 20 miles on the treadmill. Here is what I came up with:

1. Enjoying the great Sat morning TV selection of news, 10 best hole-in-ones in golf, bass masters and Sportscenter repeated 5 times.

2. Ease access to gatorade/drinks while running

3. Simulating running in Florida since my workout room felt like a sauna when I finished.

4. Not having to find a spot in the woods if nature called.

5. Having to answer my families question "Are you almost done?" about 10 times.

6. Learning that my treadmill completely shuts down at 99:59 and has to be reset.

7. Smelling my wife's cooking while I am enjoying Tri-Berry Gu.

8. Next time someone says they have ran a marathon I can say "Sure anybody can run a marathon. Have you ever ran 20 miles on a treadmill?"

As you can see I had plenty of time to think and fit off the boredom. This was definitely not what I wanted for my training. I would much rather been outside but at least I got some time in and surely it helps my mental strength for the marathon. Also, as I went along I did 90 seconds hills about every ten minutes just to practice some rolling hill running. I also picked up the pace as I went along and the legs were feeling tired the last couple of miles. This was my 21st straight day running which is something I normally don't do so looking forward to a rest day tomorrow. Should do the legs good.

2:44:31 (8:14 avg)