The Long Run

9.15 mi, 1:12:25, 7:54 pace

It was supposed to be a 6 mile tempo run but it didn't quite work out.  Started too late to avoid the sun.  Route is somewhat shaded but not quite enough.  Warmed up and then did 4 miles at tempo pace: 6:48, 6:59, 6:59, 7:06

I finished the fourth mile and thought I might start again to finish the last two after cooling off at the water fountain but I felt almost dangerously tired and overheated so decided just to finish out the rest of the run the best I could.

9.07 mi, 1:11:50, 7:55 avg

Today's run felt much better.  5:30 start at Longleaf with the Striders.  Ran with Joe and Jamie for first 4.5 miles then did the rest on my own.  Miles 6,7,and 8 were 7:21 and below and 9th mile was 6:53.  This morning's 6:53 felt so much easier than the same pace yesterday.  No sun makes huge difference.  Temperature was 80 degrees and pretty high humidity - felt like swimming!

9.09 mi, 1:20:55, 8:54 avg

Ran with Jamie in the nbhd at 6:00.  It looked like Raj might show up but couldn't make it at the last minute.  Run was good, not too hot out or I've really gotten used to it.

First mile was about 10:25, last mile 8:07 but they all kind of felt the same.

22.12 mi, 2:57:36, 8:01 avg

Great run with Beka and Andrea for 22 miles (plus some miles with Brian, Melanie, Diane, Jason, and a few others).

Training plan had 20 miles but was better to run with others and they have a different running style from me where they like to get on pace right away and run pretty even (I usually have more drastic variations with very slow starting miles, highs and lows and a few faster miles at the end).

Starting temp was 77 degrees, mid 80's for humidity but didn't feel bad.  Looped in Long leaf for 3 miles, then Starkey bike trail to Diane's house, into the park several miles and a quick stop at the shelter for gatorade refills.

Pace plan - 1 mile warm up, 10 miles at 8:15, 10 miles at 8:00 and 1 mile cool down.

Great feeling to finish this run and grateful to have so many different types of runners to run with, can learn something from each one.

Two more 20's and six weeks total until Chasing the Unicorn in August.

11.11 mi, 1:30:43, 8:10 avg

Monday seems like it came too fast, but at least I was ready mentally and had no dread of running 11 miles in summer alone.  Made a big loop from my house out to SR54, then turned into the road that runs through the edge of the Trinity hospital campus out to Little Rd, then a side trip down Photonics pkwy to the Y for a bottle refill in the 10 oz handheld I was carrying, then back through Kinsmere toward my neighborhood via the golf course.

First mile was 10:15 and last one about 7:30.  Only 5 more runs left, or in other words I get to do 5 more runs this week!

6.23 mi, 50:45, 8:08 avg

Got a little bit rained on and ran a little bit short on time so did not get all 10 miles in but at least did 10 kilometers! Will try to get some more in later.  I started out with no shirt and the rain actually felt cold which made me think how lucky I was to feel chilly on a run in Florida in July.  Rain slowed down and then stopped and the air stayed pleasant, I finished before it turned to steamy as it warms up.  After a slower warm up the miles got faster with the last one about a 7:20

11.05 mi, 1:26:55, 7:51 avg

Late start, slow first couple of miles for warm up as I ran out to the new park which has a path around some ponds with 1/4 miles marked out to 1 mile which covers about 1 1/3 times around the loop.  Goal was 5 x 1 miles at 6:23 and I really didn't think I had it in me but the training and adapting to the heat must be paying off.  First mile I was quickly on pace and finished a few seconds ahead of goal.  Second mile I was much faster, third mile was like the 1st and so on.

Paces: 6:19, 5:51, 6:19, 6:05, 6:25

Last one a little slower, but I felt pretty much done after the fourth one (done in a good way).

Today's run was a big boost since the last time I did repeats they didn't go so well but today the warm air and humidity didn't seem to bother me.

10.11 mi, 1:17:45, 7:41 avg

5:30 am run with the Striders at Longleaf.  Easy paced first mile, followed by 8:06 second mile, and then the rest under 8:00.  Felt a bit cooler this morning, maybe right about 75 or 76 degrees.  Ran a little bit faster than planned.  Felt good overall.

When I finished the run there were a few of us left, maybe 6 or 7.  A very mature high school student decide to share a devotional thought for the day about mentoring and being mentored and went around the circle.  I thought it was pretty impressive the way she led it.

9.27 mi, 1:24:47, 9:08 avg

Ran in the neighborhood with Jamie at 6:00.  Good relaxed pace which was a good break after the last couple of days of running harder.  Warmer and maybe a small notch more humid though.  I successfully completely gate-game which is where I try to make it to the gate of this one nbhd before it closes, good pick up.  Made it just after gate was starting to close but still had plenty of room so as not to be that dangerous.  It's maybe been a couple of years since doing that.

16.06 mi, 2:24:48, 8:59 avg

Ran with Jamie and Cynthia from Diane's house.  Jamie was doing 20 and Cynthia was keeping her company.  They started at Longleaf and I did bag pick up for them.  Another day of running a bit slower but again it felt like I needed it.  About 10 miles into the run, while inside Starkey Park, Cynthia kind of ran out of gas and ended up walking to the shelter.  Jamie and I continued on and just outside the park we split up and I did a little bit of a pickup for the last two miles, 7:18 and 7:23.  Sun was out in full force by this time but I felt like I could run through it.

Cynthia had just finished the walk back to the shelter so we headed up there to pick her up.  Jamie said it was a good confidence boosting run for her.  Her race is several weeks after mine at Presque Isle Marathon in Erie, PA.

10.21 mi, 1:22:40, 8:05 avg

This morning felt like one of those "get the job done" runs.  Ran from my house to 54 to Corporate Pkwy and then to the new park and one loop around the water, then down Trinity and then towards Heritage Springs and up and down Robert Trent Jones Pkwy.  First mile was 9:33, second was 8:20 and then the rest were mainly between 7:40 and 8:00.  Heat and humidity were as expected.   Felt pretty good most of the time.  I thought back to Thursday's run where I felt great the whole time and appreciated it.

10.21 mi, 1:25:39, 8:23 avg

Ran at the Y with the Striders, 5:30.  Ran about 6 miles with Joe, then did another 2.5 miles by myself before I had to head home and make sure Andy was awake to get to his volunteer hours.  After that, did another 1.7 miles running the neighborhood loop.  Felt a  bit sluggish again today but part of that was due to chatting with Joe while running.

11.02 mi, 1:24:12, 7:38 avg

Started out finally about 6:50, warm and overcast.  Weather.com said it was 79 degrees, but there was a slight breeze.

Warmed up with about 1.6 miles easy pace (feeling slow and clunky), ran out to 54 so I'd start the tempo portion just around the corner from Starkey Blvd.

Started the tempo portion and was wondering how far I could make it today.  I haven't had one fully successful tempo run so far this training cycle.  First mile was ok and I was making it through my second mile ok, and then into the third mile and it was starting to feel tough and I wanted to stop.  The thing with stopping by choice during a tempo run is that it can really ruin it for me.  However, if I stop for some reason outside of my doing then I seem to be ok.

And soon, I saw Beka running toward me, looking a bit tired and discouraged.  She was running a 20 mile training run since she'd be travelling on Saturday and the heat had gotten to her.  Stopped and said hi and said some words of encouragement, but secretly I knew she had just saved me.  She told me where they had stashed a cooler in case I needed water, I wished her a good vacation and then went on my way.  The rest of the miles weren't easy but I knew I'd get them done.  One of the miles was a little slower but not far off and the average of the tempo miles was good.

Splits: 6:46, 6:53, 6:45, 6:51, 7:02, 6:49

After the tempo miles I still had a bit over two miles to get back home.  Felt good on the final mile with 7:25 pace.

10.03 mi, 1:24:18, 8:24 avg

Longleaf with the Striders at 5:30.  A few drops of rain before the run and then nothing, just some pretty pre-rain humidity (rained a couple hours later).  Joe and Jamie were both there this morning, ran with them almost to Aristide neighborhood (about 5.5 miles), I kept going a bit more so I'd have 10 miles when I got back to the start.  Picked it up the last few miles with the final mile at 7:13.

9.36 mi, 1:25:20, 9:08 pace

Ran with Jamie in the neighborhood, 6:00 am start.  Not too hot and muggy and then started to rain a bit part of the way into the run.  Ranged between light and medium with a bit of wind.  Wet, but at least it was no longer close to hot.

20.12 mi, 2:46:55, 8:17 avg

Pretty warm and muggy but with a breeze here and there.  5:45 start at Longleaf with Jamie and a bunch of others.  Ran up  Starkey Blvd, brief stop at corner of Aristide neighborhood for water top off, started again but Jamie forgot her ipod so we doubled back about a quarter mile, grabbed it and then started up again.  A little bit later Joe caught up to us.  He had left a little later than us but was also running a little faster.

We ran into Starkey Park and then at almost 8 miles, Joe and Jamie turned back.  It was my plan to pick up the pace for the rest and that's what I did.  At that point I had about an 8:48 average pace for the run.  There was no water in the water coolers on the trail so I was careful with what I had.  Headed out a little past 10 miles and turned back with a stop at the Striders shelter for some gatorade and water.

Now, only 5 miles left, got going again.  Kept on a pretty good pace but it sure was getting hot, really feeling it when out of the shade. 

With three miles left I kept it under 8:00 and did the last mile at 7:33.

Stopped at Havana Dreamers after the run for a big coke with lots of ice.

Now, only one more 20 miler to go.  I feel like I've done a consistent job this time of following the plan with the paces and distances even when I feel like running a bit slower, not running as far or skipping the tempo run.  They haven't all gone as planned but I think the effort was there for each one.

When I drove home I saw Jamie jogging in the neighborhood with her husband biking next to her.  Her return trip was kind of rough and she cut it short but decided to finish up once she got home.  Good that her husband offered to bike alongside her.

9.12 mi, 1:16:43, 8:24 avg

Had trouble getting out early and then felt really sluggish the first few miles, but second half of the run was faster and came close to evening things out.  Ran in the neighborhood, solo.  I'll put this run in the overall good column.

9.06 mi, 1:11:31, 7:53 avg

Ran at the Y with the Striders.  Better run today than yesterday.  First mile was 8:43, then the rest were all faster.  After the water stop I ran with Ben for about the next three miles and then did another Kinsmere loop before heading back and also stopped again at the water stop for another drink.  Warm and humid but dark for a lot of the run which makes a bigger difference than I used to realize.

9.15 mi, 1:22:04, 8:58 avg

Ran in the neighborhood with Joe, met about 6:15 kept the pace pretty easy, a little bit faster.  Weather was typical hot and humid.  Good to have the company on a Wednesday run.

9.15 mi, 1:15:50, 8:17 avg

Ran at Longleaf with the Striders.  Got there just after 5:30, but saw Joe waiting just across the street, he figured I was running late.  A bit more humid than yesterday.  Ran with Joe until just past the bridge where he turned back and I told him I was waiting for him to turn back so I could have my melt down.  Fortunately, found a second wind and found some faster miles on the way back with last mile at 7:07.

9.12 mi, 1:14:14, 8:08 avg

A little bit later start than hoped.  Ran in the neighborhood and also seriously thought about doing a "good enough" distance instead ended up with 9 miles and felt pretty good at the end.  There was a little bit of light rain so that helped cool things off a little bit.

8.87 mi, 1:16:03, 8:34 avg

Ran in the evening, finished just before it got dark, still pretty humid out.  Found some hills and nice scenery.

11.16 mi, 1:34:13, 8:26 avg

Felt like an impossibly long distance when I started and of course it was a bit hot and humid.  But chipped away at the miles.  Ran around the neighborhood and up and down past the golf course finally finishing up running past my house until I'd get in enough miles.  Cooled off in the pool a little bit and as I left for work it began to rain again.  Running 11 miles on a Monday can be one of the toughest workouts.

11 mi, 1:31:40, 8:20 avg

Ran at the Y with the Striders, a few minutes late for 5:30 start.  Rain sounded heavy when I woke up but figured it might stop or lighten up.  I finished 7 miles before I had to head back home to wake up Andy.  Finished up the rest of the miles at home with an out and back past the water fountain.  But, on the way out my garmin battery died so I'm estimating the pace but I'm pretty certain of the distance since I've run the exact route a bumch of times.  More rain but not heavy, just enough to keep it cool.

10.86 mi, 1:23:11, 7:39 avg

Ran from my house to Starkey Blvd to run on the bike path.  Almost felt cool at first but the humidity caught up with me eventually.  Also, ended up dodging more puddles than I expected and the grass on either side was pretty saturated and spongey.  But, did the best I could and pretty much made my goal of 6:54 average for 6 miles (although did take one break to mentally regroup at 2.4 miles).

Splits: 6:52, 7:02, 6:45, 6:54, 7:00, 6:48

Pretty big mileage week and now I'm halfway done.

9.08 mi, 1:13:29, 8:05 avg

Ran at Longleaf with the Striders at 5:30.  At first it looked like hardly anyone was there, but because they moved the meeting spot to across the street and I was apparently in the group that did not check facebook the night before.  Bike trail has gotten even more flooded so all the run consisted of extra loops inside the neighborhood and none on the bike trail. 

Ran first loop with Michelle and Fernando, and then joined by Ben on the second loop. Third loop was mostly by myself.

Coffee had all leaked out of the pot so none left when I finished.

Run turned out better than expected, was afraid I'd be dragging the whole time.  Last three miles were all in low 7:30's and felt good.

20.02 mi, 2:41:28, 8:03 avg

This was a very tough run for me but also a great confidence booster.  Since Starkey bike trail and park are getting more and more flooded we ran in Lansbrook nbhd.  Met up with Beka, Andrea, Ryan and Jason at the Y down there.  They like to start out faster than I usually start out and I felt like I was struggling for the first few miles.  It was also 5:00 am, it's a Friday instead of the usual Saturday long run, it's warm and humid and I wasn't sure what route we were taking.  Seemed to zig and zag throughout.  I've run down here before but it was very dark and it was a new route.

We got back to the parking lot after just under 10 miles for drink refills and to start the second half.  Jason was only do 10 so he took off and Beka was really struggling and wanted to run alone for a bit.

So, I followed Ryan and Andrea as we headed across East Lake to another neighborhood where we were going to go straight for 2.5 miles, turn back and then head out again from the parking lot.  I felt a little bit better now that it was light and I knew the route but still trailed behind them until we arrived at the turn around, then I was running with them.  At 13 miles seemed like a long way to go still, wasn't sure how I'd keep going, but I kept on moving along with our small group.

At 15 miles I was getting ready to make my short speech about how I was going to stop and stretch and drop back for a little bit.   Instead, I took my powerbar double latte gel, waited for it to kick in and soon found myself out in front.  We had been hovering around an 8:00-8:10 pace, now we were around a 7:40.  Altered the route again so we'd be done by the time we got back.  Also, as we were returning, saw Beka again who looked like she was back and running strong.

It was a good effort and a valuable mental exercise in keeping on.  Hoping for some cooler temps (should be as it will be PA instead of FL) and a little race day magic in two weeks.