Running in Life's Slow Lane

3.5 mi in 41:49 at 11:57/mi burning 346 calories.

Today's workout ---
1.0 mi at 12:27/mi warm up followed by stretches
15 minutes at 10:44/mi Steady State (10:55/mi goal)
1.1 mi at 13:05/mi cool down

Today was my first attempt at any sort of "training" other than just survival of time and distance. The McMillan pace calculator tells me that my steady state pace should fall into the 10:44 to 11:03 range so I aimed at the middle and went for 10:55. I fluctuated all over the place but ended up running my 15 minutes at 10:44/mi average. Not too bad. To be beneficial McMillan claims that I need to be at this pace for at least 25 minutes but not being sure where I was in my training I set my goal shorter. Now that I know I can survive the 15 minutes without falling into a heap I will set my target for the full 25 minutes and work it up to longer intervals as I improve.

Nice 65F temperature at 0600 with overcast skies. It rained on me a bit as I walked back towards the hotel close to 0700. Can't beat the weather for running.

Tomorrow will be a slow effort as I run the JWFC 3.5 miler with Kyle and Dave again. Those overpasses wear a guy down!

Location: Chesapeake, Virginia

3.0 mi in 34:45 @ 11:34/mi burning 328 calories.

Another 0630 run with Kyle and David. It was a bit chilly at the start with temps in the 50s so I had too many shirts on once I got rolling. I've got to work on getting used to the cooler temps again so I don't overdress but that was a minor inconvenience today. I ran a fast first mile, slowed down for the second and picked it up again for the third. Good run.

I am leaving Virginia a day early so I get to go home tomorrow!!!

Location: Chesapeake, Virginia

No miles today. Instead I traveled home from Virginia and spent the evening backstage helping out during a community theatre production of Seussical.

Oh the Thinks you can think!

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma

2.75 mi in 31:42 at 11:30/mi burning 357 calories.

Today's goal was
1 mi warm up
15 min at 10:30 Tempo Run
cool down jog

1 mi at 11:07
15 min at 10:24 (1.34 mi)
0.41 mi at 16:06

So, we started off a bit too fast in the warm up mile but it's hard to hold back on a beautiful, crisp and sunny morning. The tempo run was a challenge but we finished the entire 15 minutes. Unfortunately my troublesome knee was stressed a bit by the active pace which resulted in my "cool down" being a "hobble around" and I had to quit before I could finish a full 3 mi workout.

The knee doesn't bother me in my daily activities but once my legs get tired during a run it starts to feel weak.

Location: Lawton, Ok

4.0 mi in 49:28 at 12:21/mi burning 468 calories.

Today's splits ---
12:23
12:01
12:09
12:51

Today was intended to be a long run of about 6ish miles. I handled it ok until we had a long uphill climb that starts around the 2 mile mark and crawls upward for about 0.75 mile. It was in hear that my legs got tired and the knee got cranky. I continued on until about 3.75 when the knee told me to STOP! I walked a bit and then pushed through the last 0.25 mi to get 4 miles total.

Again, no real knee problems during normal activities or at the start of the run. I think I just need to keep my distances moderate for a bit until everything gets strength built back up.

Weather was gorgeous once again.

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma

3.0 mi in 36:24 at 12:08/mi burning 381 calories.

Today's splits ---
11:39
12:25
12:17

THANK YOU to the gentlemen at the city offices that chose to blow the tornado sirens just as I finished my 3 mile run today. Thanks to your warning I was able to dash through the neighborhood and reach the house before the downpour commenced. HOWEVER, I would like to point out to you, ONCE AGAIN, that there was no tornadic activity in our fair town. Or in our county. Or anywhere within my television viewing area. Heavy rain, hail and wind does NOT warrant tornado sirens.We in Oklahoma need to know when lives are at risk.

I took breaks at the end of each mile to do a few exercises and stretch the legs. The knee went wonky at 2.8 mi but I went on to 3.0 since the storms were too close to risk walking outdoors for very long.

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma (non-tornadic alley)

No miles today. My afternoon schedule got confused and I missed my chance.

4.25 mi in 52:19 at 12:18/mi burning 492 calories.

Today's splits ---
12:12
12:07
12:12
12:44
02:56 (12:08/mi)

I managed 2 full miles without stopping today. I could have ran further but since my knee has been complaining around the 2.75 mile mark I tried to use the theory that by resting my legs a bit I might sneak around the problems a bit. It seemed to work as I stopped at the 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 mile marks to walk a bit as well as stretch each time. Everything felt pretty good at 3.0 so I ran the final 1.25 without a break. The knee feels a bit wobbly but is definitely getting better.

Absolutely great weather. I was able to run in the middle of the day without any fear of heat stroke. There were a large number of sulphur butterflies being blown around in the wind which kept my eyes busy.

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma

4.0 mi in 47:04 at 11:43/mi burning 492 calories.

Today's workout --
1.0 mi warmup run in 12:06
15 min at 10:34/mi Tempo Run
1.58 mi at 12:32/mi cool down

Good workout though I admit I had to force myself to run all 15 minutes of the tempo workout. Knee is just a bit sore now that the run is finished so I am confident it is getting stronger.

Wonderful weather this afternoon with a bit of a southern breeze slowing me down and cooling me off.

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma

2.5 mi in 31:13 at 12:30/mi burning 266 calories.

Today's splits ---
13:01
12:06
06:05 (12:10/mi)

My workout was squeezed  between trying to get some work done and getting ready to travel for Friday night football so only 2.5 miles was accomplished. The first 1.25 mile was straight into a 15-25mph wind from the south which made me feel like I was standing still a few times. I focused on trying NOT to lean into the wind but to keep my body upright. I'm not sure I was entirely successful.

The big Oklahoma vs Texas game is this weekend. I suppose I will be cheering for Oklahoma but only so that they can be undefeated when my Okie State Cowboys beat them later in the season. And Okie State is playing Mizzou in Columbia. I'm not sure the State boys can beat Mizzou but they might put a scare into the Columbia crowd.

Goooooooo Pokes!

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma

3.0 mi in 34:52 at 11:35/mi burning 382 calories.
Today's splits ---
11:47
11:17
11:42

"Speed" intervals
0.50 mi in 4:59 at 9:59/mi burning 66 calories.
0.25 mi in 2:14 at 8:56/mi burning 30 calories.

I started my workout out Elmer Thomas Park where the Frost Ya Fanny 5K will be ran on Nov 22. It is a concrete loop through the park with 2 tough hills that really sap the power from my legs but I kept a decent pace on both.

After I finished the 3.0 mile run I went to the theatre to wait on the family while they finished up a project. As I waited I ran the two "speed" intervals on 13th street. The 0.50 time doesn't seem terribly speedy looking at the numbers but I faced an almost constant stiff headwind the entire second half of the distance.

Texas 45 - Oklahoma 35. Now I have to hope the Pokes can stage an upset over the Mizzou Tigers tonight in Columbia.

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma

6.0 mi in 1:09:27 @ 11:34/mi burning 737 calories.

Today's splits ---
12:04
12:28
11:12
11:01
10:58
11:41

I took the precaution of running on the high school track today and stopping for a break around each mile or so. This allowed me to be careful of the knee, stretch and take on plenty of water. Being my first time to attempt a real "long run" in nearly a month I was cautious. The caution paid off as I ran strong for 5.5 miles before my legs got tired and the knee started suffering. I hobbled the last 0.5 mile to get the 6.0 but the knee has been sore for the remainder of the day.

I think the legs are strong enough to let me go 4 - 5 miles without stressing the knee right now but no further. So I will keep this week's runs in the safe range and continue to work on strengthening the leg muscles to better support the knee.

HOW 'BOUT DEM COWBOYS?!

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma

No miles today as I nurse my left knee. I definitely pushed it a bit too far yesterday and paid for it all night. By late in the afternoon most of the pain was gone so I will try to put it back into action tomorrow.

2.65 mi in some unknown amount of time.

I didn't take any kind of watch on the run with me today at the high school track. Instead I just ran until the knee got cranky. Around 2.5 mi I felt it twinge a little and it quickly grew to a bit of pain. I stopped immediately and am glad to report that I haven't felt much pain this evening.

Continuing to do a few lunges and other exercises to strengthen my leg muscles.

My mantra: Any distance without pain is goooood distance.

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma

3.0 mi in 34:13 at 11:23/mi burning 397 calories.

Today's splits ---
11:01
11:24
11:46

Windy (N 17 gusting to 24), chilly (59F) and overcast. As can be seen in the times, I ran the first mile too fast but settled into a nice pace afterward. The knee got twinges around 2.8 without any big pain so I finished the full 3.0 mile run. No pain after the run.

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma

2.5 miles on the high school track. Knee was hurting at the end. This is getting annoying.

No miles today. I plan to rest the knee more than run for a few days in hopes that I can forestall any longer term issues.

Another rest day. Though I did buy a new pair of running shoes and a few long-sleeved running shirts today. I'll run a little bit tomorrow since my current thinking is 1 run day, 2 rest days for a week or so to see how the knee does.

2.5 miles at a slow steady pace on the high school track. Teresa and I stopped at 2.0 miles to walk a lap since I could tell the leg muscles were tiring. When I picked back up I could feel the wobbly knee and quit before the pain could start.

The next two days will be rest days. I will do some leg strengthening exercises and maybe try out the elliptical trainer to see how it affects the knee.