The Long Run

10.13 miles @ 8:46 pace

Nice, easy run with Jenny this morning.  We are starting out a little bit earlier now due to higher mileage.  I can't think of anything too interesting on this morning's run.

Yasso repeats, 10 X 800m, goal pace 3:00/800m (3:00 jog between each one)

Started with Jenny this morning, doing one mile easy for the warm up.  She was doing an 8 mile @ 7:52 tempo run, her longest one for this plan.  We did the first mile of her run together before I started my repeats.  Weather didn't feel terrible at first, but it was certainly a little warmer than ideal.

I have never done this type of workout before and I've heard mixed things about the value of this workout both as a marathon predictor or a workout, but in any event it certainly was challenging and must have been doing something good for me.  Instead of heading to the track decided to just do them on the road.  Set my garmin up for 0.5 mile auto laps since that's pretty close to 800m.

First two repeats were slightly faster than goal pace, then the ones after that varied between a couple seconds faster and one or two seconds slower.  The plan called for 8-10 repeats, with the idea being that they should all be about the same pace.  So, I decided I would do the last two if I was holding my pace and not doing each one slower. 

Repeats: 2:59, 2:58, 3:02, 3:00, 2:57, 3:01, 3:01, 3:00, 2:58, 3:01

Since the 8th one was right at 3:00, I went ahead and did 9th and 10th ones.  I felt good that I was able to do all of these at about the same pace.  I have one more set of these on the schedule coming up in a few weeks, so I'll be interested to see how those compare.

After the 800's, did 3 X 200m with 1.5 minute rest between, followed by a jog back home.

Recovery pace run with Jenny.  10.15 miles easy pace.  Legs felt tired from yesterday's hard run but I ended up feeling better by the end of the run.  Weather was a bit hotter than last few days.  When we stopped for water I thought I saw a brown recluse spider.  Jenny said it was not.  I thought I could see the violin shape on it, she didn't think it had a violin shape, more of a "cello" shape.  Jenny is probably right because it certainly wasn't being very reclusive.

Tomorrow I get to run a little bit shorter.

Once again for my Friday "alone" run I ended up running with Joe.  As I was heading around the neighborhood loop I saw Joe starting out, so we ran together.  Always nice to have some company for a run.  Just before then, when I started out I had some weird pain in the middle of my back slightly off center.  I stopped after a few feet, walked a bit then got going again.  Was ok once I got going again but was a little bit worried that it might get worse.  Fortunately it got better. 

It was a good run which we kept at an easy pace.  It was also nice to have a small cutback and run less than 10 miles.  

Average pace: 8:46

Big run tomorrow! (ok, not that big but not that small either, 16 miles)

Hot and humid, but wonderful morning in Starkey Park.  16.1 miles @ 7:45 average pace.  Arrived just after 6:00, started running just after 6:15.  Set out with a good sized crowd, Dixie, Eudair, David, Dianne, Keisha and many others.  A few people turned around at the 4 mile point and then several of us continued on to the end of the trail (about 6.5 miles out).  I was taking it easy and mainly hanging out in the back of the group on the run out.  The morning's weather started out at 77 degrees and some place in the high 90's for humidity.

At the end of the trail I said good bye to the others and continued on for another 1.5 miles to go out for a total of 8 and then turned around.  Stopped briefly just before entering back into Starkey, then at 6 miles decided I'd go ahead and give some (goal) marathon pace miles a try despite the warm weather.  It would be a good test but I knew I might have to back off the pace if it didn't feel right.  Surprisingly, I didn't have a problem getting on to pace (sometimes this is one of the biggest struggles).  I held up pretty well the first mile and even into the second mile.  But the heat was getting to me, so when I got near the water stop at 4 miles I decided to break up the run.  Stopped briefly, and then decided I'd go easy for at least a mile and then see how things went.  By easy,  I meant I would at least try to hold onto an 8:00 pace. 

I'm not sure if it was the faster miles I had just done or what, but I found myself at a faster pace than what I expected, and I felt a lot more relaxed.  It wasn't the 6:52's I was hoping for but it was a 7:17, followed by 7:06, and 7:07.  Then with one mile left I found whatever I had left over and finished that mile at 6:46.  And that was about all I had.

Average pace: 7:45

It was Keisha's last day running with us for a while as she is moving so they had one of they giant cookies and a photo album for her as well as the usual assortment of goodies, such as nice cold fresh watermelon from Dixie (who finally has his Fast Running Blog up and running now)  and Carol's delicious, cheerio, peanut butter and honey bars.

68 miles for the week!

Different from my usual Monday morning run, I drove to the nearby hilly neighborhood.  Parked 1.5 miles away, ran that for my warm up.  Then, looped and zigzagged up and down the hills.  They aren't real big but they are big enough to feel them.  It was pretty warm and humid again this morning.   I didn't look at the temperature.  I must not have wanted to look.  Headed back out of the hilly neighborhood after doing about 5 miles there.

Ran 5 repeats up and down the driveway of a church which is also on a hill.  I would have done more but was also planning on doing 8 strides at the end of the run so I didn't want to overdo it.  Arrived back at my truck and grabbed and quickly drank the water I had there then did the rest of my run, about two more miles.  With about a mile or so left to go I did 8 strides, 25 seconds each, which brought me back to where I was parked.

It sure was hot, but at least it was cloudy so there was no direct sun.

Average pace: 8:04

Weather was much nicer this morning.  Still pretty warm and humid but just a few degrees cooler really makes you appreciate it, there was also a small breeze which helped.  Ran with Jenny around the neighborhood.  We woke up and were out the door ahead of our usual schedule.  A bit too early since one of the roads we usually runs down is a gated neighborhood, wasn't opened up yet, so we had to adjust a little bit.

Once we had 1 mile left Jenny started picking it up, so we did that mile just under 8:00 pace.

Average pace: 8:47

After the run I did a little over 30 minutes of strength exercises for chest, core, legs, and arms.  I had been missing strength work too often and need to not neglect it.

One more day of cooler weather (low 70's).  I woke up feeling extremely exhausted at first.  My head was in a cloud at first.  Part of the way around the neighborhood I realized I forgot my phone, decided I should go back to get it just in case.

Got going again and headed out towards the road that runs along the golf course.  I was having trouble getting started, then finally decided I couldn't put it off any longer, not too much of a delay I suppose (2.5 mile warm up instead of 2 miles).  Started the tempo portion and it actually didn't feel to bad.  The schedule called for 3-5 mile tempo run at a 6:24-6:41 pace, so I had a range of distance and pace to choose from.  This is one of the things I like about this training plan.  At 2.5 miles into the tempo portion decided I'd go for at least 4 miles, then just past 3 decided I might as well do all 5.

Splits: 6:37, 6:25, 6:27, 6:30, 6:27

It was hard but felt good to get it done.  Ran mostly easy on the way back home.

Average pace: 7:26

Easy paced run this morning with Jenny.  Weather was nice again and my legs were in pretty good shape after yesterday's speed work so that was good also.  We ran into Jenny's friend Carin and ran with her for a short bit.

Average pace: 8:54

After the run I had enough time to get in about 30 minutes of strength training similar to what I did on Tuesday.  Circuit style with various things like squats, push-ups, pull-ups, dead lifts, curls, anything I could think of using what we have at home.

Jenny was doing a short run this morning, so we just did 3 miles together then I did the rest on my own.  Another nice morning for running.  Went by pretty quickly.  I was feeling good at the end so I picked it up for the last half mile.

Average pace: 8:04

Early run tomorrow to try and get in some miles before 7:15 and meet Jenny and the boys at the RAP River Run 5K, where Jenny will be racing and I'll be running along side the boys.  They usually have some pretty good food afterward.

Woke up at 4:45, got ready, warmed up a little, and started running at 5:21.  I had a mission this morning.  Get in as many miles as possible by 7:30 at the latest and meet Jenny and the boys at Sims park for the RAP River Run 5K.  To get there, I would have to run on roads I had never run on before and didn't know how runner friendly they would be.  Fortunately, since it was early enough in the morning I knew that they wouldn't be busy.

I started out running on my usual morning route heading past the golf course.  I stopped briefly at the water fountain to try and top myself off with water.  The air was warm and humid but tolerable - the coolness of the past few days had slipped away.  I ran up Little Road, past 54 and continued north.  There was a stretch of that road which becomes lonely, no buildings of any kind, just trees.  Jenny called me on the phone about 6 miles into the run to see where I was and to ask if I had fed the dogs.

Made it to Massachusetts Ave and turned left there.  I was surprised to see I very wide sidewalk marked off for bicycles and pedestrians.  I was running on that for a bit but worried about having run on so much concrete so I ran on the road when there were no cars.  Another surprise was a hill (but only maybe 30 feet or so, big for around here).  As I neared the end of that road I could see a police car's lights flashing to mark the end of the race course.  I turned left onto Grand Ave which runs along the Cotee river.  I've always wanted to run along there and this morning was the perfect time with it closed.  There were already volunteers along the route setting up.

I made it to Sims park at 7:00, then turned around and ran back up Grand, then turned back again towards Sims park.  Jenny called to say that she had just arrived.  So, I hurried up, met her and the boys by where they parked and got my race bib.  Did a short warm up with the boys then we headed over to the starting area.  Besides my two boys, I ran with one of Jenny's friend's daughter.

Neither of the boys had really run since the 5K they did this past spring, other than the sprinting they do in Tae Kwon Do, so there were not expectations or goals, just run and finish the race.  So, I thought it would be pretty casual.  My youngest one, takes off at the start and gets on a pretty good pace, and he was holding it really well for the first mile and on into the second mile.  He was determined to not let his older brother pass him up.  I kept telling him to take it easy and relax, but that didn't seem to do any good.  So, about two miles into the race he started having some problems, slowing down and taking walk breaks.  But he didn't want to stop for long afraid that his older brother would get ahead of him.

The last half mile, there was much screaming.  I'm not sure if he had a cramp or was over heated but something was hurting but he didn't want to quit.  His last race was on a pretty nice morning, much cooler than this morning, but he was way ahead of pace despite the slowing down late in the race.  The crowd was great, cheering him on, saying things like, "That's one tough guy" and "look at that little kid go!".

At the 3 mile sign I thought that he actually might not finish it or just walk the rest of the way, but when I was able to point out the finish chute to him, he suddenly found his legs again and sprinted across the finish.  They even announced his name as he crossed. 28:30, new PR by one minute.

 Meanwhile, his older brother had gone ahead and finished almost under 27:00, although not a PR for him, it was an un-paced PR.

Jenny finished first in her age group which will earn her a free running outfit that has a deal going on where if you where they brand and win (age group or overall) a race, they will give you a free pair of shorts and top.

And then, before too much time past and I got caught up in the post race fun, I ran back up Grand on an out and back to get my last 2 miles in to make it 20 for the day.  It was fun to run back up and down the course now that it was mostly empty, except for a few walkers and the remaining volunteers still cheering them.

It was a pretty big race for a local 5K, about 1,000 people today, having grown from about 400 people 2 years ago.

Like last week I went to the hilly neighborhood this morning, but this week I had someone to run with.  Met Dixie at 6:00.  We headed up the trail along the road to the hilly neighborhood, dropped off our drinks, and then loop, zigged, and zagged through the neighborhood to get in a variety of hill combinations.  It was warm again this morning, right at 80 degrees for the start, but I must be adjusted to it now because it didn't seem to interfere.  We left the neighborhood at about 7 miles into the run and ran back towards the parking lot.   On the way back, ran up and down the church driveway 4 times for some faster, shorter hill sprints.  Returned back, having just done about 8 miles.  Said goodbye to Dixie then headed south, out and back for another 2.75 miles, with the final mile being mainly 9 strides and their recovery jogs between.  Felt like I had worked the legs pretty good when finished.

Average pace: 8:06

Nice, easy pace tomorrow.

P.M. - did the Wii yoga routine

Easy pace run with Jenny this morning around the neighborhood and along the golf course.  Nice and on time start at 5:59.  The temp wasn't so bad, but the humidity was up higher and made the air hazy.  Overall the run went pretty well until sometime in the last two miles when I wished I was done.  Then after another 2 miles, I was done.

Average pace: 8:39

Today and yesterday I have been enjoying my new Asics running socks which are thinner than any other socks I own.  Yesterday I wore new Glycerin 8's which I bought this past weekend.  I must have been overdue for new shoes because after Saturday's run it became apparent that I am going to lose a toenail.

11.29 total w/ 7 at 6:42 average pace.

This morning was slightly more bearable than yesterday, which was a good thing since I had a tougher run planned.  Plan was supposed to be 5-8 miles at goal marathon pace, which I'm hoping would be a 6:52.  Today was actually "choose your workout" day, with the choices being 3 X 2 tempo intervals, hill training, or 5-8 miles at marathon goal pace.

Warmed up 2 easy miles with Jenny.  She was doing 4 X 1 @ 7:01 pace, so we ran together for that first mile, then once she finished that mile I went ahead.  I wasn't sure what I would be up for but I bargained to do at least 5 miles, and then maybe more if I could.

It was hard but I was able to keep going as I approached 5 miles and told myself one more mile, two times.  I finally had to follow through with my promises and stop at 7 miles.  I wanted to end on a high note.

Splits: 6:58, 6:51, 6:36, 6:43, 6:43, 6:33, 6:27

I was pretty hot after the last mile and fortunately ended at the water fountain  on the golf course which has some very cold and refreshing water.

Then I ran back home at a relatively easy pace.

Glad that's all over with!

Overall I felt better today than I did yesterday.

Average pace: 7:21

PM - did Wii yoga routine again tonight

 Easy paced run with Jenny this morning.  One touch more pleasant than yesterday, which was nicer than Tuesday.  Anyway, the run went pretty well.   By the time I was back at the house I was almost at 10.5 so I went just a little bit farther to get there.

Average pace: 8:52

After the run, I did some circuit style strength exercises, just under a half hour worth.  I had skipped it on Tuesday, so I was glad I didn't blow it off again.  Trying to keep myself injury free and strong.

Yesterday, Jenny had arranged for two of her friends to run with us this morning, where we would meet them at various points on our route.  But, later in the day she came down with something and was still feeling awful this morning, so it was just me.  Weather was about the same as it has been for the past two days, and as usual I felt kind of relaxed on the run, not sure what it is about Friday's that makes me feel that way.

I met friend #1, Jamie, on the initial loop around the neighborhood and then we picked up friend #2, Cherise, just after leaving the neighborhood.  I explained to them why Jenny wasn't there.  Saw several other people out walking and running who were probably wondering why I was running with two other women and not my wife.

Since Jenny wasn't there to keep the steady pace, I had to keep looking at my garmin to make sure I wasn't going too fast or too slow, but no one seemed to complain so it must have been just right.

I stopped at one point to check out a small snake on the sidewalk that looked ok, but looked like it might be dead, so I poked it a little bit to get it moving off of the sidewalk.  It was just a little guy and I was worried that someone might smash him.  The two ladies waited for me, then we continued on.

Stopped at the golf course water stop, then went a little past that before turning around.  Cherise was heading back to her car and then Jamie and I continued down through another neighborhood to get in a couple of more miles before heading back.  Ran by her street and then I continued on the rest of the loop back to our house

Run went by pretty quickly and it was good to get in the full 10 miles today (probably might have only done 8 or 9 if by myself.

Average pace: 8:28

Returned back home and then got into the pool to cool down a bit. Waiting for me in the pool was another ringneck snake!  I lifted this one out of the pool and sent him on his way.

18.11 miles, 7:58 average pace, last 6 miles at 6:47

Met Dixie at  Longleaf this morning and we got started just after 5:45.  I was relieved that it was not hot already and glad to be beating most of the heat.  It was about 74 degrees at the start.  We ran up Starkey Blvd to Starkey park.  Kept the pace pretty even and relaxed.  My legs felt tired a bit around mile 7 or 8 and was debating whether I'd be able to do fast finish today or not.

Kept going until we reached 10 mile point, then Dixie turned back so he could finish at the parking lot in the park and get 15 miles total.  I went out another 1.5 miles before turning around, and then when I had six miles left I decided to go for it.  I eased into the pace and about a half mile into it I was at a 7:00 pace, then went a little faster from there and finished the first mile at 6:50.  The next few miles were just slightly faster than that with the last miles being the fastest at 6:42.  I felt a lot better this time compared to the last time I tried 6 miles fast finish.  I think it was a little hotter the last time I tried this, but I hope some of it was due to improved fitness.  Also, last time was 16 miles total and today's was 18 miles total, so I was glad to be able to do that pace on more tired legs.

Enjoyed some cold water and fresh fruit at the social hour.  David had picked up our bags for us at Longleaf with towels and fresh shirts.  Saw Steve was heading back that way so asked him for a ride.  I don't think the morning could have gone any better!

Happy about 70 miles this week!

Met Dixie this morning and we ran up to the hilly neighborhood, looped around there for a bit then headed back.  Did 4 repeats up the church driveway and then continued back to the parking lot.  I did another 2 miles after that with 8 strides at the end.  This morning was one of the nicest mornings weather wise in the last few weeks, about 73 degrees!

Average pace: 8:10

Pleasant run with Jenny this morning.  Another nice "cooler" morning.  Nothing much else to report.  Grateful for uneventful runs which go well.

Average pace: 8:40

After the run, did some circuit style strength training, chest, legs, arms, core

PM - did the little wii yoga routine

Three weeks ago I did a similar run.  Today was Yasso 800's day, with a goal of 10 X 800m @ 3:00 each, with 3:00 jog between each repeat.

Warmed up with 2 easy miles.   Jenny originally was supposed to do a tempo run this morning but decided to change to 800's because they sounded more fun!  So, we started out together on the first one.  I stopped immediately because the Garmin's database was full.  Cleared it out, then started again. 

I felt good on the first one.  I almost always feel good on the first one, was wondering what the second one would be like.  That one wasn't so bad either.  I seemed to be feeling a bit better than last time.  What happened to me last time, was usually about half way through one of the repeats, I would fall off pace and struggle to get back on and just barely make it at the end.

They were definitely hard, but I felt a little bit more in control.  Jenny and I criss-crossed, and finally after I had done 5 repeats, we were near the water fountain.  Split a powerbar gel (I also had a 10oz bottle filled with gatorade I was taking sips from between repeats), then I got going again.

For the last three, my legs were feeling a bit tired, which is good practice. 

Splits: 2:58, 2:55, 2:59, 2:59, 2:56, 2:59, 2:55, 2:57, 3:00, 2:53

Very happy with the last split!

I was happy to see a small amount of improvement from 3 weeks ago along with the fact that it was slightly warmer this morning than last time, although not by much.

Met back up with Jenny for the cool down jog back home.

Easy paced run this morning.  Started a little bit earlier than usual (5:30), because Jenny was going to take the boys to Blizzard Beach and needed to get an early start to get there before it got too crowded.  It was actually just a little bit nicer out, still kind of warm, but it's nice to see it go from dark to light while running.

One of the neighborhood streets that we run down is gated off, and the gate doesn't open til 7:00, but we happened to be there just after a car went through so we sprinted ahead and made it inside.  We were talking quite a bit during the run so our pace was a little bit slower, and also it was supposed to be a recovery day.

Average pace: 9:03

Followed up with about 30 minutes of strength exercises, as usual done circuit style.  Did front squats, single leg squats, one legged dead lifts, squat jumps and various upper body stuff.

Jenny made it to the park on time and they ended up having quite a great time, just wish I could have gone with them!!

Nice Friday morning run through the neighborhood.  By myself this morning.  Started a little bit later than usual but not too late (6:35).  My left ankle was a bit stiff yesterday, so I was worried about running on it.  Fortunately, it seemed easier to run on it than walk on it.  It doesn't really hurt, it's just a bit stiff.

On my way back, I ran into Joe, who I sometimes catch as he is leaving his street to start his run, but today our times did not line up correctly.

I started out fairly slow and easy but picked it up gradually and managed to still keep it feeling relaxed.

Average pace: 7:39

20.25 miles @ 8:16 average pace.

Went down to Clearwater Beach area with Dixie.  Arrived nice and early just after 5:30.  Last time we went down there, starting time was 6:00 and it seemed kind of late.

The air was a bit warm and humid with no breeze until it started to get light out, then it felt much cooler until the sun was up higher. We started out at an easy warm up pace, did the first ascent up Clearwater Bridge, then onto the causeway then over to Sand Key, up and over another bridge (75 feet).  Spectacular views of the Gulf and intracoastal waterway especially in the very early morning light. 

Headed south for a bit before heading back to the mainland via  the Belleair Bluffs bridge, then headed north after stopping to refill water bottles at a park which had a cold water drinking fountain and a hose in case one managed to spill a lot of Gu by accident (but it wasn't me this time!).

At 13 miles, Dixie had finished up his run right by a Hess Express, so he graciously topped off my drink bottles with some very cold Gatorade.  I then continued on back to the Clearwater bridge, where I went back and forth on the causeway and ascended the bridge 4 more times.  Definitely was feeling the effects on the last mile as well as getting caught by the sun.  Finished strong with the last mile just under 7:00 pace.

On the drive back, we drove the course where the Dunedin July 4th midnight run will be, only it will be a lot darker during the actual race!  Should be interesting/challenging as I've never raced that late.

Great morning of running and glad to finish off another 20 mile run at the end of another 70 mile week.

Not the usual Monday routine, but a tempo run instead.  4 miles @ 6:25 average plus warm up and cool down.

That's what was on the schedule, probably because I have a 10K this weekend.  This Saturday night at midnight on the usually sunny Dunedin causeway out to Honeymoon Island is the July 4th Midnight Run 10K (there's also a 5K and 1 mile but I'm just doing the one race).

Ok, back to the run.  Goal was 2-4 miles @ 6:24-6:41 pace.  I warmed up with almost 3 miles of easy running.  The warm up was a little bit longer so I could get to a water fountain, drink a little and splash some on me.

The tempo portion felt pretty good.  It was hard but I wasn't struggling and never hit that hopeless feeling I sometimes get mid way through a hard run.

Splits: 6:31, 6:26, 6:24, 6:19

Jogged back home for the cool down for a total of a bit over 9 miles.  If I can pull off this pace on Saturday night I could break 40 minutes again.  It will be a bit hotter on race night but I'll have to see what happens.

Average pace: 7:23

It was a pretty good run and I think it was uneventful but I seem to have forgotten what happened.  Good thing the garmin remembers some of it!

Fairly standard neighborhood run with Jenny.  

Ok, now I remember something (mainly because Jenny wrote it down).   There is a neighborhood street that we like to run down, but it is gated, and the gate doesn't open until about 10 minutes after we are usually there.  But, we saw a car leaving, so we picked it up, a mad dash for the gate and made it.  It was more exciting that the description, pretty fun and alwas good to come up with some entertainment.

Average pace: 8:49

It was extra humid this morning, wetness was everywhere.  Last night it rained a good amount, but not quite enough to cool things down.

We took it kind of easy and plugged along for the first half of the run.  At the water fountain, we saw Joe coming towards us.  So we waited and then we ran together after that.  Made the run go by faster.

When we got back towards my house I continued on with Joe a bit and he said he'd do the strides with me.  Did 9 25 seconds strides with 1 minute jogs between.  Felt pretty good.  I think these are doing me some good if for nothing else because they are new.

And somehow, for a run which I thought would be 9 miles turned into closer to 11.

Average pace: 8:42