Wheeler Farm Loops

AM - 18 miles. Ran to the canal and did most of the run on dirt, which was nice on my legs. First 14 miles easy, and then a short, progressive tempo for the last 4 miles: 5:21, 5:18, 5:13, 5:03. I'm glad I'm not doing any real long runs during this stretch because I've gotten spolied doing them with the group! 

PM - 5 miles. Did some sporting clay shooting up at Ben Avery this afternoon w/ the family. A lot of fun - I've never done that before and did pretty well. I scaled down to the 20 gauge and my shoulder is thanking me for that :-)

Chandler Tumbleweed Tree!
 

AM - 14 miles. Ran over to the park and junior high in my parent's neighborhood and did a lot of laps around the perimeter on the grass. The loop was a little over 1.5 miles, so I just did that over and over and over. Salazar got in my head w/ the soft surface obsession :-) I'm trying to keep all my recovery runs on the canal path or in the parks while I'm down here. Tomorrow will be a harder day so I kept the pace very casual this morning.

PM - 5 miles at sunset.

We went to X-Mas Eve services at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale. Beautiful setting next to Camelback Mountain... nice to sit outside in the sunshine...

AM - 16 miles. Slow warmup for 3 miles. 10 Mile AT Progressive Tempo in 53:06 (5:19/mi avg). Splits - 5:33, 5:26, 5:25, 5:21, 5:20, 5:19, 5:17, 5:13, 5:10, 5:02. Cooled down another 3 miles.

Perfect workout for this morning... needed something I could ease into and reduce the "why am I doing a workout on Christmas morning?" thoughts :-) It was actually a really nice morning, completely empty roads, and a beautiful sunrise was going on during the second half of the tempo. I felt really lucky in that moment, clipping along easily at 5:20 pace and watching all the colors in the sky. I have a lot to be thankful for.

PM - 8 miles. Ocotillo loop.

Did a nice hike at San Tan Mountain Park during the afternoon w/ my parents. It was surprisingly overcast today, but fun to get out in the hills. My parents hike FAST!!! I'm used to moving slowly when not training.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

AM - 17 miles. Mostly along the canal on the dirt. First 11.5 easy, then a 4 mile progressive tempo - 5:19, 5:17, 5:10, 5:04, and cooled down another mile and a half.

PM - 9 miles, grass loops at the park. 

Since Andrea posted her Christmas day family photo, I'll post mine as well. Our dogs are not very well trained when it comes to looking at the camera...

AM - 12.5 miles. Ocotillo + grass park loops. Super slow recovery pace.

PM - 11 miles. Ran down to the high school track, 20 x 200m in 33.4 seconds (with a standard deviation of about 0.02), then back home. I accidentally chose the direction that was slightly into the wind but didn't feel like switching after the first one so I just went with it... whatevskis.

First golf outing in ~5 years today w/ my Dad. We just played 9 holes. I managed to go the entire round with the same ball, and scored par on one hole. I'll take that! It was a lot of fun.

AM - 12.5 miles. Ocotillo + grass park loops. Same as yesterday, but even slower.

PM - 8 miles. Ocotillo loop.

Hiked the Peralta Trail up to Fremont Saddle this afternoon w/ my family. I've done this one before, but its always worth going back to... one of my favorite areas in Arizona... and such a beautiful day!

AM - 15 miles. LT Reps: 10 x 3/4 Mile (1/4 mi) in 3:41.2 average (4:55/mile pace). Splits - 3:45, 3:45, 3:45, 3:38, 3:42, 3:39, 3:41, 3:41, 3:40, 3:35. 3 up, 2.25 down.

I was shooting for ~8 @ 3:45, and thought with the cumulative fatigue of this past week, even that might not feel so hot. Was a little tired when I got up and opted to go for a walk with my parents and the dogs to wake up a bit. Then once I started the first rep I transitioned into robot mode and the whole session was actually a lot easier than I expected. The 4th rep got a little quick, and there was no going back after that. Could have stretched it out to 15 reps, but I had to get back and say goodbye to my sister before she left for the airport. The cool thing about this workout is that if you keep the recovery brisk, the whole thing averages out to well under marathon pace, even though you are jogging a quarter of it.

PM - 7 miles. Grass park loops.