Random Inspirational Quote

Light Track workout today to test the legs:

T-Storms scattered throughout the day - so I barely got this short workout in before the warning sirens went off:

4.75 mi. - 1.5mi WU,1mi. - 5:36, 800 rec, 1200m - 4:24, 400 rec, 800m - 2:53, 400m, sirens and dark clouds rolling in...

PM Pacing workout - 85 degrees:

2.5 mi. WU w/ strides - 20:27, 0.75 - 4:46, 200m rec. - 1:02, 0.5 - 3:03, 200m rec. - 1:05, 0.25 - :79, 1.5 mi. rec. - 13:19, 1 mi. - 6:33, 2 mi. CD - 17:07

PM - Easy 6 mi. - 50:07

Gonna get some early miles in tomorrow morning - off work - and then heading to Churchill Downs for the Oaks!! (The second biggest horse race at the world famous track the day before the Kentucky Derby.)  Seymour Half Marathon on Saturday - looks like its going to be in the 60s with a slight chance of rain for the Saturday morning...

I woke up this morning and felt like there was a freaking stress fracture in my left leg.  So I jogged about a half a mile in the neighborhood before laving to drive to the race.  It felt like it maybe needed to loosen up and it would be fine.  Fortunately, it did just need to loosen up and work itself out.  Anyway, the race was a good one apart from the weather - a little warm but very humid.  Didn't wear my watch for this race because of how my leg was feeling as well as the heat, so no splits.  3 guys take off from the start line not to be seen again until later in the race.  Me and a couple of the Crossroads Race Series regulars, Nathan, and several others that I don't recognize are in the chase pack.  By mile 4 or 5 it appears as though the pack is down to 3.  Then the only climb on the course and I began to fall off of the other 2 (they actually sped up I think :))  So around mile 10 I pass one of the early leaders, mile 11 another early leader is walking as I pass, and mile 12 the guy who was way out in front for the first 7 or 8 miles is noticeably limping as I pass - cramping issues I discover.  

I'm surprised as I approach the finish and see that I can get under 1:25 - I feel as though I have been much slower in the last 5k, but it turns out that the guys I was running with until the climb were speeding up.  So much for stress fracture :)  My leg feels fine.  I jog back to the mile 12 water station for a beer! :) (after chugging some water/sports drink) -- great cooldown strategy ;)

easy 4mi. - 34:20 -- outside - its hhhhott! No not really - its about 85 and feels hotter right now, though.

PM run after work -- threatening to storm the whole time - my favorite time to run :)

easy 9 - 1:13:51, easy 2.5 w/ dog - 19:55

off work tomorrow!  

AM Run:

6.9 mi. easy, w/ last 0.9 mi. tempo (6:06 pace) - 58:14,

3 PM Track workout:

1 mi. WU - 8:44,

800m - 2:34, 400m rec, 600m - 2:02, 200 m rec., 400m - 1:16, 1000m rec. - 6:00,

600m - 1:58, 200m rec., 400m - 1:15, 400m rec., 200m -0:37, 200m rec., 200m - 0:35, 1200m rec. - 9:01,

800m - 2:53, 800m CD - 4:56,  

I actually dug up some of the old high school track workouts that the coach had written on notebook paper for me :)

Enjoying doing the old school track build up workouts again (not quite as fast as they werein when I ran them in high school - uuhhh 13 yrs ago :)

13.8 mi. for the day

PM Run: part of Caring Parents 10k course

1.8 w/ dog-14:48,  5.1 - 39:43

PM Track workout:

2 mi. WU w/ strides - 14:34,

800m time trial - 2:21 (lungs - ouch) - its been a while since I attempted anything like this and could tell with the sharp burning lung sensation :)  - really felt like I was maxed out after the first 400m in 67 - wow! that shouldn't feel that hard, right?  Oh well - I think I'll give this another shot after a considerable amount more of track workouts/shorter speed work.

1.25 mi. rec. - 11:26 - needed every bit of it :).

Was fairly pleased with the consistency of the 800m repeats after this test:

3x800m w/ 400m rec. (2:50, 2:50, 2:50), 2x200s (35, 32) w/ 200m rec.,

1 mi. CD,

2mi. slooow after dinner w/ dog

DANCES WITH DIRT - 10K - Trail Race

2x1mi. On grass WU - testing out the traction on the old Brooks Ghost 4 in the mud/grass

First trail race - What a race to pick!  This was extremely hard, but fun.  There were several "hill" climbs that were not possible to run up - walking pace had me gasping for air and my hamstrings almost locking up!  There was portion on a steep decline where I got going too fast and tumbled head over feet and crashed pretty hard on to some rocks - ouch!  After I shook that off, the course turned right around and went around some trees and climbed back up that hill on the other side of the trees. 

At some point in mile 5, I missed a turn and wound up adding about 0.25 miles to the distance.  The last 0.25-0.5 mi. was in the water of a creek - probably knee deep in about 3 spots - this helped to wash the blood off my knees :) 

Most of the run was through brush and wooded area that was definitely never anything resembling a beaten path.  My legs are shredded from all the briars and thorns that I ran through.

Other than the risk of injury, and total thrashing that your legs and back take climbing steep inclines, I would definitely recommend doing one of these type races for all us flatlanders out there.

Broken GPS watch = guestimates of splits...

AM runs: 8:30a easy run 6.25 -54:41 

9:30a 1mi.WU -8:20, 2.5 MP - 17:20

mother's day with Grandma and mom :)

PM run: 7:45p ~2 mi. WU -17:00, 3.5 mi. tempo - 22:54.   This felt like faster than 6:32/mi., but I feel like I accomplished the goal of the workout. (3-4 @ HMP)   Looking to break 1:23:00 this weekend in Geist Half, hopefully... 

Man, I ate way to much today - Pap johns pizza for dinner and trying to run an hour later wasn't too productive :)

4.2 sluggish miles around the neighborhood

5:30p run to the track:  6.5 mi. w/  2x0.5mi. (2:56, 3:00) - It was pretty hot, but my legs also felt dead.  Saving up for Geist Half this Saturday. Total time - 56:22

Mowed the lawn and suffered my usually mild allergy attack.

8p neighborhood run: 4 mi. w/ dog - 3 mi. easy, finished up with 0.5 mi MP and 0.5 mi. HMP.  Legs felt a lot better than earlier in the day. 

Total time - 31:45

7pm run - 7.25 rec. mi. - 57:16

8:30 pm - 1.75 rec. mi. w/ dog - 14:00

Nice and easy today

PM rec. miles:

2.5 mi. w/ dog - 20:47, 3.2 mi. easy - 24:36 -- bad spaghetti tonight - :( - pukey face

1 mi. WU over to start line, 

Course is very hilly, and I've been feeling bad with a stomach bug the last couple days.  I was feeling some cramping /tightness and had digestion  issues throughout the race today.  Fairly pleased with the result considering all the excuses I had :)

Last 5k was horrible... 21:11 :(

The legs also felt tight from mile 1, so oh well.

15k under an hour and 1:04:52 though 10 mi.  No GPS watch still, so no splits.

God, my stomach is still churning while sitting here typing this.  :(

This is a point to point race, so 4.5 mi. slow rec. jog back to car.

2 easy miles w/ dog - my stomach is all messed up and my legs feel extremely sore from the half yesterday - Puke!

Stayed home sick from work today - this bug is hanging around in my stomach... Slept in til about 9a, ate some IHOP breakfast to see if it would stick.  It did - thank god.  Let that settle and went for an easy 2 mi. w/ dog (who has also been sick) around noon.  Waited around the house until about 4p and decided to put in some kind of workout.  The current goal is a 17:30 5k in one of the upcoming local races.

Any suggestions on better speed building exercises from anybody reading this?

here's what i did this afternoon (and have been completing similar for the last couple weeks):

2mi. jog to local track w/ strides,

4x200m w/ 200m rec. - 38, 36, 35, 34,

2x400m w/ 400m rec. - 74, 73,

1mi. jog back toward the house,

last 1mi. - 5:55

6 mi. total - 48:00

easy 2 mi. after dinner w/ dog - yahh!  he finally pooped!! :)

4.5 mi. trail running in Brown County State Park.  I've been having a pain in my left calf/arch of foot that's been nagging for a couple of days.  It really only hurts when I'm hitting the ground hard (downhills).  This week needs to be low mileage and somewhat of a recovery week.  My bike should be fixed tomorrow or today.  Trail running, biking, and shorter distance, faster intervals for the next week and a half.

4.5 mi. in beautiful park trails - 1.5 mile around Ogle Lake (trail #7), 3 mi. out and back on Taylor Ridge? Trail (#9)

45:02 to complete this distance, but it felt mod/difficult with all the elevation changes and misc. movement that accompanies trail running.

4.5 mi. to Bike Shop - via SR 11 - 29:34 (6:34 min./mi.) to pick up bike,

6.8 mi. bike back to house - via SR 46 - 23:44 (17mph),

1 mi. w/ dog - 9:02 CD

Oddly enough, the left foot/arch/shin thing felt great running the MP, but hurt when I slow jogged the cool down.

Was gonna ride bike to track, do track workout, and then ride back, but,

1.25 mi. bike flat tire (again:) ),

1.25 mi. run back home - 11:25, drove over to track,

track workout: 1 mi. WU-7:40,

4x800m - 2:52, 2:52, 2:51, 2:53 (400m rec.),

400m - 0:75 (400m rec.),

800m CD

total time running - 11:25 + 36:54

AM Run:

10 mi.:

6 mi. - 48:10,

2 mi. Tempo - 12:35,

2 mi. CD - 16:28

10:30 am run - already heating up - 80-85 degrees, supposed to be in the mid 90's here the rest of this weekend.

12.1 mi. moderate - 1:31:16.  Ran with new GPS watch - Nike+ (the jury's still out on this one...)  

Splits:  

7:45, 7:35,7:26,7:22,7:16,7:19,7:23,7:42,7:36,7:34,7:47,7:36

3:30 pm run - 92 degrees :)

4.17 mi. easy w/ intervals - 33:58 - easy pace with 4x0.25mi. tempo (though not really :( ) - 1:26, 1:30, 1:32, 1:33

The intervals did not feel good at all :(  - they were way slow, and it felt like I was pushing...

Today is the first day of my fall marathon training schedule (mid-September race day)- Let's get it on!   

11:30am run:  85 degrees and climbing :)

goal for training this time around is to keep the "easy runs" under 8:00/mi. pace (unless legs legs/body totally fried)

The short term training goals are for shorter races, however - particularly, the 5k's coming up, and the 10k on July 4 in Lexington, KY

8.3 mi. easy - Splits: (+"7:") 48,42,48,47,34,39,36,50

Cool Off/Stretch in the neighborhood pool :)

0.3 jog back to the house

The watch seems to be working out - its not perfect, but for the $150 price tag, its adequate enough to be satisfied.  There's no function on it for differentiating between bike and run.  This will eventually matter... :)

3:30pm run:

easy 2.3 mi.

5:00pm run:

12.28 mi.:

4 mi. WU over to track down SR 11,

4x800m. (3:07(?),2:52,2:55,2:56), w/ 400m rec. -- these all need to be </= 2:52 :(

2x400(74,74),w/ 400m rec.

4 mi. CD back down SR 11

I get the feeling that I need to add some days with sets of 200s...

PM Runs:

7.25 mi. trail run - Brown County State Park - Perfect weather, good strength building day.

Trails #7 around Ogle Lake and Trail #9 -- tough terrain w/ significant climbing -- 1:16:25

1.25 mi. neighborhood run after dinner w/ dog

easy 2 mile jog in the grass after work w/ dog.

Maybe 2-4 more after dinner...