The Long Run

4.15 mi, 36:07, 8:42 avg, elev gain 51 feet

Started off the morning driving up to Lecanto to see the cross country meet.  Pretty big meet with 47 schools.  Course was all trail (except for 100m track finish) and pretty hilly.  Weather was not nearly as oppressive as it was at Lakeland last week.  Saw the team start then followed a couple of coaches to the 2 mile marker where I also ran into Jolene from the Striders who coaches for one of the schools.

Thomas came through at 11:42, was leading for his team.  After he went by followed Jolene to the finish area but I did not make it in time to see the finish but Jenny texted me the finish time of 18:13 (which turned out to be 18:12.9 for the official time so a new CC PR).

Next I watched the JV boys finish.  Then I found out there was an issue on the course - some of the boys got attacked by a swarm of bees.  Saw one kid get carried to an ambulance and several others with multiple stings (not sure how many total).  They tried to clear out the bees for the JV girls who ran after a delay but I think they also shortened the course to avoid the section, just in case.

Got back home and did an easy paced 4 mile run, trying to keep it easy so I'd be fresh for my long run on Sunday.

15.11 mi, 2:09:56 8:36 avg, elev gain 247 feet

Goal for today's run was 5-6 easy, 6-7 @MP, 2 miles easy, actual run was 6 miles easy, 6 miles @sort of/lower end of MP, 3 miles easy, run on "rolling hills".

Temp was high 70's at the start, not quite as early as I wanted 7:45 (would have liked 6:30 or earlier).  Dropped off a small cooler outside my office.  Headed out from Westlake neighborhood on Alderman, across US19 until it turned into Highland lakes, did a short out and back in Cobb's Landing taking me near Lake Tarpon, then continued on to my office for fresh cold drinks and ice.

Next, ran out and back in the reverse direction, into a different entrance to Cobb's landing.  The first mile I was having trouble getting to the 7:30ish pace I wanted and thought I'd just ease into it and ended up with 7:48, then I got a little slower at 7:56, and then I was in the 8:20's but knew I was going uphill and could get faster on the downhill, finished that mile at 8:01.  Turned around at about 3.5 miles from my office, coming back up a hill from Lake Tarpon.  But, I did not slow down, just kind of held the pace and finished that mile at 7:57, continuing on got the next mile at 7:59.  This was not going as planned.  I didn't feel like I was dying or anything, legs just werent turning over like I wanted.  So I decided it would be 6 miles instead of 7.  The moment I did that, run felt easier and pace picked up with 7:35 for the last of the MP miles.  

Made it back to the office, topped off from the cooler, then headed back to Westlake.

So, overall the run wasn't perfect, but it was the amount of miles I had planned and the easy-faster-easy pattern was there, just not quite as fast during the faster section.

After the run, headed out to Cocoa Beach for a quick overnight getaway.  Drive was not too bad despite off and on rain and then there was off and on rain at Cocoa Beach but it was kind of nice and there were big waves to look at.

5.16 mi, 52:02, 10:05 mi, elev gain 105 feet

Today was supposed to be hill repeats but I needed something easier.  Looking back on Sunday, I realized I wasn't feeling my best, had woken up with a heavy tired feeling.  Yesterday was an off day but still didn't feel ready to jump back into anything difficult.  I even ran a bit slower and did a little bit of run/walk during the first mile until I felt a bit loosened up.

All of this helped and I felt better after the run.  I'll try the hard stuff tomorrow.

8.06 mi, 1:12:09, 8:57  avg, elev gain 250 feet

Today's workout was 6x400m hill repeats, going up at 10k pace, 30 second break, and then back down at MP (7:30) pace, 90 second rest, repeat.

This was supposed to be Tuesday's run but I switched it around due to feeling "off" yesterday and it seems like it was the right choice.

Took it easy for the two mile warmup, then started the repeats.  I basically used the same hill that I used for the 300m repeats, but started earlier down (actually, had to start on Lakeview instead of Sandy Hook, then took a left onto Sandy Hook for the extra 100m.  I was a little bit faster than prescribed pace on the uphills, with: 6:33, 6:35, 6:33, 6:27, 6:22, 6:28  instead of goal pace of about 6:45, downhills were closer to planned pace.

Cool down miles felt good.  Overall, it was a pretty good run.

5.48 mi, 49:39, 9:04 avg, elev gain 107 feet

Today was scheduled for 5-7 miles easy, I opted toward the shorter end of distance and kept the pace at the slower average for easy (I'm saying 8:35-9:10 is "easy", even though it could be any pace).  Run was a big square loop around Westlake Village and Palm Harbor HS as well as a shortcut into a neighboring neighborhood.  It was a pretty good run, not too fancy.

15.03 mi, 2:10:09, 8:39 avg, elev gain 86 feet

Today's run was supposed to be on Saturday and was supposed to include 4x3 miles at marathon goal pace, but instead turned into just a regular long run at an "easy" but not lazy pace.  I also decided to go ahead and give the Pinellas Trail another chance for long runs.  I have not been having super successful runs on it recently.  Weather was in the 70's, and if I had started an hour sooner just before the sun came up I would have had some low 70's to run in.

 Took the shortcut out of Westlake, running past the Y and then over to the Pinellas Trail.  One nice thing about running at this time is that the crossing guards are out for the kids but also stop traffic for runners as well.  Headed south and then crossed Alt-19 where the bridge is closed, but at least they have a flashing light pedestrian crossing which some cars actually stop for.  Paces were slow so far - 11:01, 10:02, 9:05, 9:31.

Miles 6 and 7 were a slight pick up to 8:17 and 7:56, I was getting excited about the turn around at 7.5ish miles.  But, just as things were going great, my mp3 player battery died.  There was a guy on his bike who had stopped and he had his dog not on its leash, so I stopped a little bit and walked to assess the situation and started going again once the dog and owner were back together.

Then just after the turnaround I had a moment of running despair, like I was about to be doomed to a long and slow return trip as it got hotter and hotter.  I was struggling to hold a 9:30 pace.  Then, as my thoughts went elsewhere, I halted the slowdown and made up some of the pace and finished that mile at 9:11.  After that things got better and back to being faster with paces going to 8:18, 8:03, 7:58, 8:00, 7:34, 8:44, and 7:52

The water fountain at Alt19 and Curlew was more refreshing than expected.  It's not cold water, just whatever the ground temps happen to be.  It's a new three level fountain - the bottom level for dogs, a middle level for traditional fountain drinking and the top level for water refilling.

So, after my mile of despair and the refreshing water fountain, I saw my average pace drop from 9:05 to 8:39 at the end.

I did not do the 4x3mile repeats, but the run was done so my schedule was clear to watch Tom and the cross country team at the meet in Ocala on Saturday morning.

Planned day off today.  Drove up to Ocala to watch the cross country meet which was held at the Florida Horse Park.  Weather was pretty good, not quite cool but going in that direction and not as oppressive as the first few meets.  Looked for Tom at 1 mile but did not see him as the crowd went by, but did see him at the two mile marker where he went past with a time about 11:44.  He finished at 18:21, 3rd for his team and 95th overall.  Top 26 boys were all under 17:00, so a pretty competitive meet.

The meet they had scheduled one year ago this weekend was canceled due to the hurricane.

8.63 mi, 1:08:32, 7:57 avg, elev gain 134 feet

Earlier this week one of the runs was supposed to be at the slightly faster than easy "aerobic pace", and Saturday's long run which I did on Friday was supposed to have a total of 12 miles at marathon goal pace.  So, for good or bad, I did this run, originally scheduled as 7-9 easy miles, at a bit faster pace.

Ran up Belcher, to Klosterman, then south down the Pinellas Trail until about parallel with PA Ave, then past the Y and into Westlake via the shortcut.  Last 5.63 miles I averaged 7:37 pace.

8.94 mi, 1:16:13, 8:32 avg, elev gain 118 feet

I kept on thinking about switching this run with an easy run, but I was supposed to do this harder run, then two easy days, then another hard run.

So, I decided to at least try it.  Also, I had offered to drive Sophia to school if needed but it wasn't so could not use that as an excuse.

Plan was for 4x1200m @10K pace ,followed by 4x400m @5k pace, with 2 mile easy warm up before and 2 mile easy cool down after.  I ran the out and back horse shoe from the Palm Harbor house, down Lakeview to Village Way where it heads west and then north, 2 minute easy jog between, the turn around.  There are a few small rolling hills on this route but it is a flatter stretch than other sections.  I had never run 1200's before, not quite a 1600 but more than a 1k.

Paces: 6:38, 6:44, 6:35, 6:40

After the third one I felt done, 3 is good enough, right?

Bargain was that if I didn't make goal pace for the 4th one I'd skip the 4x400m.

But, I made the paces on all 4.  I dreaded the 400's, what if my legs just don't go?

But, they did go, and was rewarded with an easier feeling and faster 4th one.

Paces: 6:02, 5:55, 6:06, 5:40

Cool down felt difficult at first, then got easier.  Glad I stuck it out and finished, now two days of easy running which I will try to keep easy to be fresh Friday's run.

Also, remembering 9/11 today, where I was what was going on, not forgetting.

5.21 mi, 48:42, 9:21 avg, elev gain 117 feet

Easy run day, 4-5 miles on the schedule.  Felt surprisingly good, the slower pace felt nice (sometimes going slower feels clunky but today it had a nice and easy flow).  Did a loop around Westlake with a run up Belcher to Alderman and back into the neighborhood.

Stopped by the bike shop where Jenny works part time to drop off a gift for Tom's b-day, then tried to catch Jamie at home before she headed off to her next trip but just missed her.

5.1 mi, 46:33, 9:07 avg, elev gain 101 feet

My run was a little bit faster, similar route to yesterday but more less zig-zagging and more of a square shape.  It wasn't a bad run it just felt like a little more work than what an easy run should ideally feel like.

Tomorrow's run will be a bit tougher.

In the evening (6:00ish) went to Palm Harbor HS to watch Jacob run the cross country meet there.  Got there when the girls race was going on, still a bit hot out but course seemed like it had a decent amount of shade.  Boys race started, went over to 1 mile marker.  Jacob came through at about 7:06.  Just before they got there though, there was some sort of a warning siren.  Turns out they have lightning condition detectors on the roofs which went off, so they soon shut down the race so the boys race was canceled.

9.38 mi, 1:17:48, 8:17 avg

Today's workout 4 miles @ half marathon pace, 2 minute rest, 1 mile @ 10k-half pace.

Weather was high 70's by the time I got started.  Parked at the Longleaf church, warmed up a little bit then started the two mile warmup where I would also scope out the Starkey Blvd bike trail for large puddles and other possible obstructions.  The road closure from last time was fixed and there were just two puddles, which I could start after passing them.

Started the tempo portion, was supposed to do around a 7:08 pace, but my legs were not doing it at first, I couldn't get out of the 7:10's-7:20's.  Wanted to scrap it or try and rearrange it but Sunday's run itself would be challenging so I couldn't retry this on Saturday.  So, just go with it and see what happens and put the effort in even if the pace is coming up short.  So, got through the first mile at 7:15, then it started to click and did the second mile in 6:59, and then I was at the turnaround, 7:06 for mile 3, and a good finish of 6:53 for the last mile.  But it felt pretty hard and my desire for a strong finish had me feeling like I would not be able to do the faster mile.

But, I did it somehow, starting out barely making the half marathon pace I got a little faster and did the faster mile at 6:45.  

Did the cool down by running south until almost reaching SR54, and turn left towards the Circle K until I was far enough in to get two miles by the time I got back to the church.

Headed back home to shower and hang out with the cats while stretching before heading to work.

5.12 mi, 43:46, 8:33 avg

Started the run at 11:30, temperature was already 90 degrees, but the clouds, the very light breeze and the trees helped.  I was dreading how bad it might be, but when I hit the first mile at 8:53 I knew it would be alright.  Like earlier in the week, today's easy run felt easy.  Ran most of the t-shaped route in Foxwood and near Fox Hollow golf course.

Earlier that morning drove up to Suncoast Technical HS in Brooksville to watch Tom at the cross country meet.  The very light breeze had not started yet and I was getting soaked in sweat just standing around.

After the run, went to Jenny's house and drove down with Andy to the truck topper store to get a new bed cover for his truck.  Went to the same place I had gone 6 years ago when I needed something to cover the back so I could do the 1000 Islands road trip with the boys and Sammy.  Slowly, the cover was falling apart and one day two of the four clamps failed and a strong wind blew it off the back.  The new cover has six sturdier looking clamps holding it down so hopefully will last more the 6 years.  On the way back had lunch at Frankie's Patriot BBQ for lunch.  I don't get down here as much as I'd like.  Frankie was a member of our armed services who died in battle serving our country. His dad then left the corporate world and opened up this restaurant in honor of his son and others who have served.   The food they serve here is some of the best BBQ around.

1. 6.89 mi, 1:05:13, 9:28 avg , elev gain 84 feet (road)
2. 1.20 mi, 8:35, 7:11 avg (road)
3. 3.33 mi, 24:00, 7:13 avg (treadmill)
4. 2.16 mi, 20:02, 9:16 avg (road)

This run wasn't the simplest but I think it came out ok.  It was supposed to be 60 minutes easy, followed by 8 *(2 min 10K pace, 2 min marathon pace), and then 20 minutes easy.

Alarm was set for 6:00 so I could be up and running before 7:00, but I hit snooze a couple of times and before I knew it, it was after 8:00.  Weather app said it was 83 degrees already in Palm Harbor.  Thought about Trinity and running on Starkey where it was 77 degrees, but would soon be over 80 within the next hour.  I was debating what to do, time went by and after stepping outside it didn't feel so bad.  There was good cloud cover and a little bit of a breeze.  First 60 minutes would not be so bad.  I decided I'd run relaxed and easy for the 60 minute portion, head back to the house where I'd have a cooler of cold drinks and ice sitting out and then try a couple repeats and if it didn't seem like it was going to work , finish up at the treadmill on the Y.  But, the Y doesn't open until 11:00 on Sundays, so there'd be some time to kill in between.

So, the first 60 minutes went really well. Headed out of Westlake, turned onto Nebraska and then down Belcher until a little past 3 miles, then turned around.  Light was taking a while when I came back to cross Tampa road, so I took a left and crossed it at 19th street and used that road to head north, then ran past the Y and through the cut through back into Westlake.

Then I tried some of the speedy stuff which actually seemed to go ok at first.  Problem was, I wasn't quite hitting the 10k pace even though I felt like I was putting in the effort, and then when switching to marathon pace, was running too fast.

I thought about sticking to it on the road and debated back and forth then finally decided I'd try the treadmill so I could get used to switching the paces back and forth by pressing some buttons.  I'd still have to do the work of moving my legs, but I wouldn't have to worry about not hitting the paces.

So, I walked the dog, did a few odds and ends and pretty soon it was almost time for the Y to open.  Got there and started just after 11:00.  At first it felt pretty hard, but after 3 or 4 of them started feeling better, when I hit the 5th one I knew I had it, and then the 6th one was over.  Thought about doing a 7th one as a compromise for the broken-upness of the run, but was fairly satisfied it was still a good run.

Ok, one more thing, 20 minutes easy.  I stepped back outside, ran 10 minutes out and then returned back to the parking lot.

Didn't quite nail this run but was better than a month ago and it was supposed to be 10x(1 minute 5k, 1 minute MP).

9.27 mi, 1:24:15, 9:05 avg, elev gain 343 feet

Today was hill day.  8x400m uphill @10k pace, 45 second jog at the top, back down @7:30 pace, 1:30 jog, then repeat.  Warmed up with 2 miles easy.  Ran the same hill as last time which is just over 400m so I stop just a little bit short, climb is about 36 feet.  Start on the corner of Lakeview Drive and Village Way and take a left onto Sandy Hook Rd.  I could just go straight on Lakeview Drive but there's a few more cars and an extra speed hump to navigate over and a little less shade.

I was dreading the challenge of this workout, but I think it's paying off little by little.  Made it up the hill ok each time and had fun on the downhills.  After the 5th repeat I refreshed my water bottle with cold water from the clubhouse water fountain so it may have been a little more than 1:30 for the break.

Uphill paces were: 6:43,  6:46, 6:41, 6:39, 6:39, 6:31, 6:38, 6:26

Downhills ranged between 7:04 and 7:33 (the 7:04 followed the 6:26 uphill).

Finished off with 2 mile easy pace warm down.

6.41 mi, 57:37, 8:59 avg, elev gain 108 feet

Easy run day today after yesterday's hill repeats.  Ran from the house to Pop Stansell Park and then back.  Pretty good run overall.  Tomorrow is a rest day.  Schedule has 5 or 6 running days per week with Monday off and some other day during the week but not always the same day off and sometimes no other days off.  The small changes from week to week help keep it a little bit fresh.

10.59 mi, 1:28:01, 8:19 avg, elev gain 241 feet

Workout of the day was 3x2 mile repeats at half marathon pace, 3 minute jog/rest between and 2 mile warm up and 2 mile cool down.  This run felt daunting.  I wanted to go to Trinity and run this on Starkey Blvd bike trail but ended up trying it in Westlake neighborhood.  Other thoughts were maybe on Belcher road on the sidewalk or the Pinellas Trail.  Belcher is kind of rolling and Pinellas trail has a lot of distractions and more road crossings and not a lot of good places to stash drinks. So, I ended up settling on Westlake and came up with a loop that cut out at least one of the bigger hills, with the rest being manageable.  I also thought about shuffling around my runs but Sunday's run was looming long and putting in a hard workout after cross country does not always work out well (although this weekend's meet was in Starkey Park and Tom wasn't running until 9:00 so there would have been time to squeeze it in before if I started when the park opened).

So, finally decided to just do it.  Ran just over two mile warm up at easy pace (like really easy pace, first mile was about 12:00/mile not sure why I'm so slow sometimes).  Second warm up mile at 9:50.

First repeat loop did not start out so well, was hovering in the 7:30's but was supposed to be at 7:08.  Again, decided to just do it, put in some effort and see what the legs would do.  Second mile better at 6:53, so the average for the two miles was not that far off from 7:08.

Second repeat was better, 6:58 and 6:49.

Ok, just one more to go.  I had a slight problem getting back on pace and only hit 7:14 (but still better than first mile), second mile was exciting to be near the finish and came in at 6:47.

Two miles easy and then it was all over.

Looking forward to easy run tomorrow to get ready for long run on Sunday.

5.03 mi, 43:58, 8:45 avg

Scheduled easy run today.  Ran out and back in Starkey Park, starting in the field used for cross country meet parking, then onto the bike trail until I'd gone out a little over 2.5 miles (also took a side trip to restroom in bike parking lot).  Run felt better than expected despite the warming temps (started at 10:30 after watching the cross country meet).

Tom had a better race this week than last week's race but still felt sick at the end.  I went out to the 1 mile marker which took over a mile to get to (avoided walking on the course and there were no short cuts because it was on other side of small swamp/lake).  There were a couple of other coaches there calling out splits.  He was running JV this week to take some pressure off.  Came through about 5:34 (I had 5:31 but had a slight delay in hearing the start which was over one of the coach's phones).  He had one kid trailing him, one or two not too far behind and then a pack about 30 seconds after those kids.  

Jenny texted me that we was still out in front with about 1km to go.  I couldn't get back to the finish in time because I had to wait for the part of the course that I had to walk on to clear up.  He's been turning pale and feeling faint in the last mile of races, so he walked a little bit, enough to run again, and was still able to win by 44 seconds with a time of 18:39.

   No definitive answers yet from doctor visits.  These are still super fast times but dissappointing when it looks like the hardwork is not paying off.  I've had problems with cramping during marathons before so started taking in a ton of salt (ok, not a ton but two fast food packets worth) and have not had any serious cramping since then.  But, other than that I don't have any firsthand knowledge of what might be going on.  Jenny has been helping him tweak intake of carbs and electrolytes.  He ran in the 60's for mileage over the summer so aerobic base should be solid from that.  Hopefully the tweaking will help.

Also, we should be getting some cooler temps soon which should certainly help.

15.22 mi, 2:01:12, 7:58 avg

The scheduled run for today was 14-16 miles at aerobic pace.  In other words, don't start out too slow, keep a nice steady pace, a little faster than easy pace but short of marathon goal pace.

I knew I'd get the miles in but I wasn't sure how my legs would react.  I've been fortunate this time around to not suffer from chronic dead legs like I did last fall, which makes the running itself more enjoyable.  Each run seems to have a purpose, alternating between shorter and easy and some sort of intervals either short and fast or longer and still pretty fast, or a long run with some sort of twist.

Training through the summer and into the fall means slowly getting nicer weather but still warm enough that it's a factor.  Ideally I'd start when it's still dark and have a few miles in by the time it starts getting light.  But, work/life/run balance means that doesn't quite happen.  So, today's run started at 7:34 am by the time I had dropped off my cooler on the course and did my warm up so I could get onto pace.  Started out at Longleaf with simple route up Starkey Blvd bike path and into Starkey park.  Cooler at 2.7 miles and hopefully there'd be some cold water at the water stops in the park, but as a back up plan there are some ground temperature water faucets.

First mile at 8:41, not quite the 8:00-8:20 range I wanted but hey it's still the warm up.  Next mile at 8:10, then the next miles hovering plus/minus 8:00, and last 4 miles getting faster - 7:50, 7:53, 7:40, 7:34.

It was a good sign when I got to my cooler and it was there and still filled with what I had put in it, including my small handheld bottle - was nice not to have to carry it starting out.

Not too many people out running, saw Tom heading back when I was a little over a mile in and then various people I didn't recognize and a good number of people on bikes.

There was some nice cold water in the park and it was a big relief when I hit the turnaround and was still feeling good.  I kept on holding my pace until finally let myself speed up a little bit.

Ended up two seconds faster than my faster end of the goal, compared to what I ran at NYC last fall this itself would have been a good marathon pace, but I'm hoping this time around I can get into the low 3:20's or maybe even break 3:20.  Still a ways to go to December.

But, as a warning, ended up with a tender spot on my left calf.  Didn't seem to affect my running and felt a bit better the next day.  It was right near yesterday's bee sting (or maybe some other stinging insect because I didn't actually see it biting me).  Might have thrown my gait off slightly.

After the run, showered and did some stretching and then met Tom and Andy at TiresPlus to have the truck brakes looked at and also took them to lunch at Lucky Dill.  Stopped by the Palm Harbor house after lunch, which they hadn't seen yet.  Truck wouldn't be ready until tomorrow morning so Andy borrowed my car.  Truck was back in action the next day, coming up on 15 years on reliable service.

9.65 mi, 1:20:51, 8:23 avg, elev gain 174 feet

I have two worrisome runs this week (I've been having weeks with three so this is a small cutback).  Today's run called for 6x1200m repeats @10k pace.  It would be a good workout to do on the track or a bit easier to do on a treadmill where I can punch in the paces - I'd still have to do the physical work, just less mental.  But, I picked the horseshoe route in Westlake.  There's a little bit of rolling but I can avoid any of the bigger hills.  I go out one way for the first repeat and then back the same way for the second one to end up where I started.  It shouldn't be that difficult since there is a 2.5 minute jog/rest between sets, should be easier then running 4.5 miles @10k pace.  Yet, I still struggle a little bit to keep an even pace with the starting and stopping.

But, got through them one by one, hitting the paces I wanted with results being: 6:36, 6:43, 6:37, 6:44, 6:48, 6:39

Repeats were sandwiched between 2 mile warm up and 2 mile warm down at easy paces.

Weather was pretty good, started in mid 70's but around 80 for the warm down.

5.05 mi, 46:00, 9:07 avg, elev gain 87 feet

Easy running day, ran a square loop of Alderaman, Omaha, Nebraska, Belcher, back to Omaha and back into Westlake.  It's a fairly obstacle free route mostly on sidewalks, a small amount of rolling elevation.

Weather was fairly nice.  Another day of the schedule checked off.

7.02 mi, 56:23, 8:02 avg, elev gain 124

Scheduled run was 5-7 miles at "aerobic pace", so not too fast but no dawdling.  First mile 8:43 then settled into low 8:00's-to high 7:50's.  Started out in Westlake and ran out the south end, across Pennsylvania Ave and a little bit on the Pinellas Trail before turning around and heading back.  Last two miles were a little faster than goal range with those miles at 7:48 and 7:39, but overall the average came out right where I wanted it.

Hint of cooler weather when starting out.

10.21 mi, 1:28:39, 8:41 avg, elev gain - flat

Schedule called for 8-10 mile easy run.  Headed out from my house, to SR54, and then north onto Starkey Blvd bike trail.  But, also took a little detour to drinking fountain outside the Longleaf pool for some extra water.  Had a 10oz bottle with me, gatorade and lots of ice which was diluted more after topping it off.  Tried a Roctane gel, salted chocolate, tasted pretty good.

First mile was fairly slow, but not painfully slow at 9:47, then the rest of the miles were between 8:20 and 8:50.  Had a couple of puddles on the trail to detour around.  It was a pretty nice morning with not too many distractions.  Knew I was going to skip the water stop on the way back so ran out a little more than 5 miles before turning around.

Tomorrow will be a short and easy run and then Sunday will be 20 miles, but broken up into 2 mile warmup, followed by 3 sets of 4 miles at MP goal pace, then 2 miles easy pace.  Hopefully the switching paces won't make it feel longer, should be ok.

5.07 mi, 43:18, 8:32 avg

Shorter run on the schedule today, did not run until 1:00.  Drove out to Lakeland to watch Jacob run in the meet.  He got a huge side stitch about mile 2, but still managed to finish in about 23:20 something.  Weather was hot, race did not start until 10:00.  Tom did not run this weekend, seeing if a few days off helps.  I stopped by the Mitchell team tent and chatted with the coach and some of the parents and runners.

Got home a little bit after 12:30 and then headed out the door for my run about 1:00.  Already 90 degrees outside.  There was a slight breeze.  I decided I'd just run an easy feeling pace, which turned out to be at the faster end of easy.  Not sure why the heat didn't bother me, but am not complaining.

This wraps up my first 50+ mile week since March.   Still feeling pretty fresh, avoiding the chronic dead legs like I had last fall going into NYC marathon.

18.39 mi, 2:34:00, 8:23 avg

Big run for the week, not completely according to pace/distance goals but not that far off and a step up from the usual 15ish long runs.

Goal was 2 mile warm up, 3x(4@marathon goal pace, 2 easy) for a total of 20 miles.

Woke up just after 6:00 but was closer to 6:30 by the time I actually got out of bed.  Headed to Starkey Blvd, dropping off small drink cooler at Aristida entrance.  Did the two mile warm up in Longleaf.  Saw Daisy and Leah finishing up their runs just as I was about to start the faster miles, said hi to them for a few minutes.  Got going on the Starkey Blvd and then ran into Jenny and said hi to her briefly.  Started again and without too much difficulty was on pace to run in the 7:30's.  I'd hit the entrance to Aristida about 2.7 miles into the 4 mile MP section, turn down the street and go far enough on the sidestreet so I'd finish, run a little bit easy and grab a refresh for my handheld drink bottle (was carrying just one 10oz bottle).  Temperature was no longer cool but a little bit warm with the usual Florida early fall humidity (not much different from Florida late summer humidity).

First section MP miles: 7:34, 7:37, 7:40, 7:40

Finished the two easy mile section and was now inside Starkey Park.  Decided I'd run three miles of the faster segment before turning back to do the 4th mile which would put me by one of the park's water coolers.  There was a water cooler at the turn around, so I decided to stop just in case the other one did not have any water, so this segment was not done non-stop.  I did have a lot more energy after the brief stop.  The second set had been going in survival mode where I wasn't forcing myself to stay in the 7:30's, just whatever I could do to stay under 8:00

Second section MP miles: 7:53, 7:48, 7:48, 7:24

Two more miles easy and I was almost out of the park, then just 4 more of the harder miles.  Heat was getting to me, wanted to just jog it home from here, but as a compromise, did one more fast mile and then was going to do the last two miles faster after taking it easy for a mile.  Did the faster mile, then an easy mile and grabbed some ice from my cooler and drink top off.  Changed plan again to just one more fast mile followed by jog back to the start.

So, what was supposed to be 4 more miles at marathon goal pace turned into:

7:28, 9:06, (0.75@)9:30, 7:22, (0.64@7:55)

And the 20 mile run turned out to be 18.39 miles.

But it did wrap up my biggest training month since March (and the march miles are counting the 33 1/3 mile and 50 mile ultra races).