Running in Life's Slow Lane

3.54 in 42:50 at 12:06/mi burning 394 calories.

Today's splits ---
12:23
12:09
12:07
6:11 (11:26/mi)

Well, I am once again hating my Nike+ Sport Kit iPod thingy. For several weeks I have been frustrated as during my workouts the iPod voice would tell me that my workout had stopped though I had done nothing. Pushing on the buttons it would claim that there was no receiver in place, yet, there certainly was one RIGHT THERE! During yesterday's workout it failed 3 times in less than 100 yards and I ripped out the the receiver and through it into a nearby field.

Yesterday I bought a new receiver/transmitter pair and thought my problems were solved. But alas, no. Apparently it is a problem with the iPod as it started failing within a mile of starting my workout today. BAH!

And today I was supposed to run 10K with my iPod as part of the Nike+ Human Race 10K.

So with the heat (76 climbing to 82, 88 heat index) and the iPod frustration I bailed on my plans for 6+ miles today. Tomorrow will have to be the long workout.

Location: Steamy Lawton, Oklahoma

7.0 mi in 1:25:59 at 12:16/mi burning 791 calories.

Today's info ---

Distance	Pace	Avg Heart Rate	Max Heart Rate
1.0 mi	12:23/mi	120 bpm	130 bpm
1.0 mi	12:02/mi	130 bpm	146 bpm
1.0 mi	12:14/mi	137 bpm	144 bpm
1.0 mi	12:24/mi	141 bpm	154 bpm
1.0 mi	12:22/mi	141 bpm	151 bpm
1.0 mi	12:23/mi	147 bpm	155 bpm
1.0 mi	12:03/mi	152 bpm	165 bpm

A new distance PR for Teresa and I! That's 7 long miles my friends. Over 1/4 of a marathon. And I can say that my feet, legs and groin are definitely telling me exactly how much longer 7 miles is than 6 miles. Or perhaps more importantly, exactly how long 1:25:59 worth of running feels.

Incredibly nice run today though. We got out while the temps were still relatively cool and a bit of a breeze greeted us on the homestretch. The late summer wildflowers are gorgeous and we saw a few more monarchs making their slow way towards their migration grounds in Mexico. I tried to keep our pace consistent around the 12:15 mark since that seems to be a pace where both Teresa and I can run without stressing either the legs or the cardio system. We stopped and walked a bit at the 6.33 mark because Teresa felt she needed a "psych" break: nothing was wrong but her mind needed to celebrate surviving the 10K before continuing.

I hope everyone's weekend races went well.

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma

4.0 miles in 47:15 at 11:49/mi.

I ran today without any digital accompaniment other than my watch so I have little in the way of performance data. The first 2 mile loop was done in 23:30 while the second was done in 23:45. Too fast in both cases.

Legs definitely felt brittle after yesterday's long run: the right calf in particular. Once I hit the 3 mile mark I got distracted with planning my day's calendar -- and realizing I have too much to do -- so I stopped noticing all the aches and pains.

Another gorgeous late summer morning here on the prairie. Though I look forward to cooler weather I am going to miss the sights and sounds that have accompanied the last several months.

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma

3.5 in 39:44 at 11:20/mi burning 415 calories.

Today's info ---
1.00 mi @ 10:46/mi
1.00 mi @ 10:55/mi
0.25 mi @ 13:13/mi
1.00 mi @ 11:44/mi
0.25 mi @ 11:52/mi

The word for today's workout: punishing. While the temperatures were unusually mild the wind was fierce. We dealt with a N wind blowing a constant 20mph gusting at times to 40mph. On the way out the wind was square at our back and I found that I was fighting to keep my feet under me. This led to a very sore left heel as it seemed to be constantly trying to brake my speed. My knees also took some of the impact at odd angles since the wind was blowing me farther than my stride was planning to cover.

So I took a break at 1.5 miles trying to let me legs recover a bit. However, as I then started back uphill with my face in the wind I was forced to deal with straining calves as I tried to push forward against the gusts. The calves grew very tight and I was forced to stop at 2.25 miles and stretch. Somewhere around the 2.0 mile mark I stepped off the edge of a pothole and rolled my left ankle but it was my right leg catching the weight of my body as I tried to avoid hurting my ankle that was pulled painfully.

Yep, by the time my 3.5 miles were finished I was a rolling wreck. Nearly everything below my waist is complaining. I took a pair of Advil hoping to forestall a bit of the painful results of the pounding.

Just nature's reminder that while I will soon be getting the cooler temperatures, I will also be getting the 30+ winds on a daily basis.

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma

3.1 mi in 34:03 @ 10:58/mi burning 409 calories.

Today's info ---

Distance	Pace	Avg Heart Rate	Max Heart Rate
1.0 mi	10:55/mi	125 bpm	137 bpm
1.0 mi	11:18/mi	133 bpm	141 cpm
1.0 mi	10:53/mi	133 bpm	147 bpm
0.1 mi	09:00/mi	150 bpm	153 bpm

I ran too fast today! The paces should have been closer to 12:00/mi.

It's obvious that I have been spoiled by the unusual lack of wind this summer. Today's moderate wind was quite a challenge for my tired legs. Hopefully as I slide into summer I will adjust to the increasing wind speeds. Can't complain about the temperatures though. Any day I can run at 10:00am and have 70F as my temp is a good thing.

Tonight is the first football game for MacArthur High School, which means the first opportunity for Kristoffer to march on the field and play in the stands. This is something he has wanted to do since seeing his first MacArthur football game as a gradeschooler. We sat near the band and he watched the percussion line during the entire game. Now he is part of that percussion line. My how time flies.

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma

2.02 mi in 22:00 @ 10:52/mi burning 267 calories.

Today is my "off" day for this week but I wanted to give my legs a stretch before they get throw into tomorrow's 5K run. I don't have a personal goal tomorrow but I hope to pace Teresa to a 32:00 or better time. She's a strong runner and I think she can shave 22 seconds from her July 4th PR if the course conditions aren't extreme.

I waited until 11ish to run today and though I feared the warmer temps, the day is absolutely marvelous. Warm if you are in the direct sun but in the shade with the light breeze it is too good a day to waste indoors. Unfortunately, now that I have completed my run I must shower and get back to work. BAH!

Happy weekend all.

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma

3.1 mi in 30:25 @ 9:49/mi burning 360 calories. New PR!

What a wonderful day for a race! And a nice wonderfully flat course to host the race. Teresa proved quite the champ -- finishing 2nd of 9 in her age group -- as I pushed her pace pretty hard throughout the entire distance. She would have broken 30:00 if the "Cadence Competition" hadn't slowed us down as the units chewed up nearly the entire roadway leaving us fighting through oncoming traffic of strollers and walkers. I finally had to stop at one point and wait for Teresa who had gotten stuck in traffic.

Amazingly, the first three female finishers were under the age of 15! They were aged 12, 14 and 11. Apparently we grow some fast girls in this part of the country.

So now, with any luck I will clean out a bit of the garage before traveling to see the Oklahoma Redhawks compete in the first round of the playoffs this evening.

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma

Next Race: Platte City Duck and Run 5K, 20 Sep 2008