The Long Run

I figured it had been long enough, it had felt like weeks since I had last run even though I had just missed 3 days.  Stopped by the Y after work and did two "easy" miles on the treadmill.  I think I averaged about a 9:15 pace.  Felt kind of clunky at first but it was nice to get the first post-marathon run out of the way.

After running, I caught the last portion of Tae-Kwon Do class to watch Jenny and the boys.

The morning started out rainy.  But by the time I headed out the door the rain had mostly stopped (just a few drops landed on me the whole run).  Short run, but longer than yesterday's run. 3 miles at 8:29 average.  Felt a lot better than yesterday, too.

I'll do a few more miles tomorrow than I did today (hopefully), but it looks like more rain so I might head indoors to keep the run truly easy.

Maybe by the end of next week I'll start feeling back to normal.   Just a little over a week now to Jenny's marathon in Dallas, hoping she gets the nice weather that I was fortunate enough to have for Space Coast.

I had wanted to run at Starkey park but decided not to due to the rain.  Ordinarily I wouldn't let the rain stop me like that but since I'm still in recovery phase and didn't have that far to run I opted for the treadmill.  Still woke  up pretty early (6:30ish) and drove to the Y.  I chatted with a few people I knew while I was warming up.  Then I got onto the treadmill for 6 miles at about an 8:20 pace.  Felt pretty good for the most part but still a little rough around the edges.

Next week should start to feel better.

Went over to the Y again this morning.  4.1 miles on the treadmill at about an 8:15 pace.  Feeling a little bit better.  It had been raining but the rain stopped once I was finished with the treadmill so I went outside for another 2 miles (about 8:00 pace).

My first run with Jenny in what seemed like a long time (actually hadn't been that long).  We did 4 miles together.  She is in her taper and I'm still taking it easy so it worked out perfectly.  I felt a little bit better today than I did yesterday and it made me hopeful that I'll shake off the few remaining remnants from the marathon.  I might even be up for doing a 5K that will be in Dallas this weekend.

The weather turned back to being warm and  humid, and while that is not the best running weather it felt kind of nice after the past few days of being rainy, damp, and cold.

I'm also trying to get better about blogging more promptly.   My wife had to hear about it yesterday from her mother, questions about why hadn't Mark blogged about Saturday's run yet!

I'm going to sign up for another marathon.  It is later in January in Clearwater.  A course that had been closed for several years now.  It basically combines two of my favorite half marathon routes.  The route is one of the main things drawing me to this race.  There are two 75 foot tall bridges early on.  They are not so bad going up and are a lot of fun to run down (Jenny calls bridges "acceleration ramps")

I ran by myself this morning.  For the first time in months, Jenny did not get up early on Wednesday (one day off, supposed to be good for her).  I headed outside and felt another warm and humid morning (but still pretty comfortable).  Warmed up on the bike by doing a loop around the neighborhood.  Ditched my shirt then got going.  Run felt pretty good.  Brought a Gu with me which I didn't really need but thought it would make the run more fun.  I ran the usual t-route that Jenny and I run.  After the turnaround in the last mile, I picked it up for one faster mile (7:04) then calmed down a bit and did the last mile at about 7:40 pace.  The route ended up being a little more than 6 miles.

Average pace: 7:53

One more run with Jenny this morning before she heads off to Dallas.  She had to do a shorter tempo run, mile warm up , 4 miles @ 8:13, then a mile cool-down, perfect run for me too.

It was another warm and humid morning, a touch more humid than yesterday.  The run went well, Jenny hit all of her splits.  I had tweaked my left calf a little bit on yesterday's run, I could feel it a little bit today but it did not hurt at all.  I've also been noticing a big improvement in the PF in my right foot, maybe I can get rid of it completely this time.

Average pace: 8:27

Shortly after we finished our run, the sky darkened and it started to rain as well as the air cooling down, so the timing turned out just right.

Air stayed cool since yesterday's rain came through.  No rain this morning, just cloudy, cool and a little bit windy but still pretty nice (right about 50°).  It's amazing how warm the last two days were compared to today.   Started with one loop around the neighborhood and did part of the t-route before heading back.  Felt pretty good overall.  Started out slow and then eased into a nice comfortable pace and felt good at the end.

Average pace: 8:05

(my longest run since the marathon but only by a little bit)

8.53 @ 7:58 pace

Arrived in Dallas last night.  Woke up this morning about 6:30 but wasn't ready to start running right away.   Made some cinnamon rolls for the boys (Grands) and relaxed a bit.  Was going to start running but the parade was starting soon  so I went with the family to watch it.  Nice small town parade with lots of fire trucks, old cars, and various other groups.

After the parade I set out for my run.  Cool, in the 40's with a little bit of wind and a few minutes of very light mist.  Ran on the village trail which has some nice rollers on it.  Went out and back on that then turned onto another road.  At that turn around I saw a trail going up a hill which was twisty and windy.  I ran up and back on that.    Nothing too big but enough to get my heart rate up by the top.

I had wanted to at least do 6 miles today so I was happy to end up with over 8.

Jenny's big race tomorrow!

New week starts today.  Nice morning in Dallas with temps in the low 50's.  I did an out and back on the Highland Village trail for about 4.5 miles, stopped back at Jenny's parents house and grabbed some water and a gel then did another out and back on the main neighborhood trail with the same detour up a little hilly trail to the side.  Pretty much the same route as Saturday but with a little bit added on.  Enjoyed all the ups and downs.  Felt pretty good today throughout the run.

Average pace: 7:52

Still excited today over how well Jenny did in her marathon, she did great!

Yikes!  I said I would not fall behind again in blogging.  Now trying to catch up.  I ran Tuesday morning.  Still a little tired from the flight back from Dallas but not too bad.  I stuck close to home and was able to scrape together just over 7 miles.  Glad I didn't blow off this run since it really helps to get things back on track when coming home (even though I wasn't gone that long!)

Average pace: 7:57

Slowly catching up with my blogging (today is Thur).  Took my parents to the airport for an early flight, I was back at the Suncoast trail head on SR 54 just after 6:00.  This was my first time running on this trail on a weekday.  On weekends there are so few cars that the trail is extremely dark once you leave the parking lot area.  I brought my headlamp with me.  Did not need it since there was a pretty steady stream of cars.  It was a bit windy heading north so it was not a very fun run on the way up.  Ok, mental toughness training time!  Ran up to the water stop and took a gel, then turned around but headed onto the Starkey Park trail to add on some miles.  It was much nicer running in there, a world of difference from running alongside a highway.

Turned around, left Starky park and headed back onto the Suncoast.  Picked up my pace, held it and then picked it up a bit more for the final mile (6:40).

Average pace: 7:47

Nice run this morning.  I was a bit faster for my first mile than usual, I held steady for a while and then picked it up at the end.  Maybe I wasn't so slow at the beginning because I did a nice bike warm up first or perhaps for some other reason.  Weather was breezy and pleasantly cool (not too far off from warm).  I stuck to the usual neighborhood routes.  No Jenny with me this morning, but I think she'll be back running with me soon.

Average pace: 7:38

Well, it looks like the Clearwater marathon has been cancelled.  I'll have to find another race, but there is no hurry.  It might do the half marathon instead which they are still doing.  I did that one last year and did very well.  It would be good to see what kind of progress I've made in one year for this course.

First run back with Jenny today.  Her friends Kathryn and Cherise joined us also.  It was raining out this morning and I almost ended up going to the Y and Jenny may or may not have run.  But, Cherise showed up and Kathryn asked if we were still going to run, so the run was still on.

The rain was very light at first but it picked up a couple of times to be pretty heavy.  Jenny and her friends split off to head back at 3 miles and I continued on in up and down rain.  I ran fairly slowly, with a little bit faster at the end.

My feet were pretty dry up until the last 1/2 mile when I kept on misjudging where the water was in the road and stepped in some deep puddles.

Average pace: 9:05

My birthday today, 43 wonderful years.  I had the biggest surprise from Jenny when I got home.  She bought a bunch of hardware to put together a "race wall" to hang up plaques and medals which had all been previously stashed in a drawer.  Also framed the Boston 2009 poster, we'll replace it with a Boston 2011 poster when we go there together.

13.25 @ 7:44, Starkey park with the Striders

Cool and windy when I woke up this morning, it sounded worse than it really was.  Went to Starkey park and met up with a bunch of people - Raj, David, Joe, Renee, and a bunch of others.  Wind was at our back on the way out but I think it was starting to die down.  Ran out to Suncoast trail, stopped at the water stop there briefly, then turned back around.

Some wind on the way back but not as bad as I thought it was going to be.  I had 3 fast miles on the way back.  I felt like I ran just the right amount today and did pretty well for the week.  I'll try a few more miles for the long run next weekend.

Spent some time socializing for a bit then headed home and unfortunately back to work to try and meet a deadline (which I eventually was able to do).

Chillier morning today (low 40's), a little bit breezy.  Felt a little bit salted up from last night's dinner at Outback.  Went to the Y, warmed up on the bike then got onto the treadmill for 4.4 miles at about an 8:15 average pace.

I went outside and at first was just wearing a short sleeve shirt and thought it didn't feel too bad outside, about 2 minutes later I decided I'd put on the long sleeve shirt also.  Good choice.  The wind must have been making it feel a lot colder.  Oh well, at least it was still warm enough for shorts.  Ran a little bit over 4 miles at 7:39 average pace.

 PM - did my first Inflict workout in quite some time after I got home from work.  It was from the beginner series so it was a good introduction back into it.

Nice run with Jenny this morning.  We got going about 6:30 and went at a pretty even pace.  She was running 6 miles and I was going to do 8.  We ran together for 5 miles before she headed home and I went a little bit farther.  

Average pace: 8:34

Cool this morning like yesterday, wore two shirts and a hat and felt pretty comfortable.

Since the Clearwater marathon was cancelled, I'm going to still do the half marathon that they have and I'm pretty sure I'm going to do the Gasparilla marathon at the end of February.  That gives me some time to train and still plenty of time after that to get ready for Deseret Morning News Marathon.

A little bit warmer than yesterday.  Just needed one shirt instead of two.  Usual run through the neighborhood and over by the golf course.  Ran about 5 miles with Jenny, then I went on by myself for a bit.  Pace felt pretty good.  It was also nice today since there were no minor aches or pains nagging at me.

Average pace: 8:21

The weather was once again a little bit warmer this morning, just short sleeves today.  Ran with Jenny around the neighborhood, pretty much the same run as the last few days.  We ran into Cherise and ran with her for a while as she finished up her run.

Pace was a little bit faster, felt pretty good overall.

Average pace: 8:16

Since I had to on Saturday, I had missed taking the boys to do their Christmas shopping, so we went out for our annual boys shopping trip, which was successful (whew!).  Had lunch at Wendy's then headed home for a day of mostly relaxing and enjoying the day.

Decided to sleep in this morning, wanted to make sure and be here when the kids wake up, and I had to stay up a little bit later than planned getting ready for Christmas.  I sure am lucky that my wife runs, too.  There was no need to explain that I needed to run or why I needed to run, but instead, once the morning was almost over and the kids were settled into their Christmas gifts, and despite the rain outside, Jenny said, time to go.

We ran together about 5.5 miles and then I went on a little bit farther.  We ran a pretty steady pace throughout without too much difference between the first mile and last mile.  I wore a new orange-red single that Jenny's parents gave me.  Rain was on and off light with it eventually stopping altogether, temperature right at 70°

Average pace: 8:07

Merry Christmas everyone!

 15.1 miles @ 7:48 pace, Starkey Park

(longest training run since October)

Beautiful run in Starkey park this morning.  Arrived right at 6:15.  A group of people were heading out but I was still getting myself together and trying to warm up a little bit.  So I ended up going out by myself, although there was another group right behind me.  Felt a little bit slow and clunky for the first few miles.  Stopped at the 4 mile water stop where David and Derek caught up with me.  

We continued on together and it sure was a lot nicer running with some other people, run felt much better from there on out.  Derek turned around after another mile and a half and David and I kept on going for another mile after that, where he stopped and was going to wait for Renee.  One more mile out for me then I turned around.  I saw Jorge up ahead in the distance but he was too far away to say hi.

As I headed back, I felt less tight and began to run easier.  My pace picked up the closer I got.  Today was the first day in a while that I wore the fuel belt.  It was nice to be able to grab a drink whenever I wanted but the belt was irritating me a little bit today -guess I'm out of practice using it.

Chatted with some people I hadn't seen in quite some time after the run but the weather that was nice for running in was not so nice for standing around in.

Headed home for a day of relaxing and some yard work.

I felt cold this morning, even though it wasn't that cold outside.  Running would warm me up.  I went to the Y and did my usual Monday morning routine with an added bonus of a couple minutes on the rower to try and loosen up some more.  Got onto the treadmill and ran for 30 minutes which turned out to be 3.6 miles (8:20 average pace).

Headed outside, where it was now pretty nice out, sunny.  Ran my favorite out and back route from the Y for six miles, averaged 7:38 pace.  One of my socks had a hole on the back of the heel so I had to keep adjusting it to keep the shoe from rubbing against my skin.  Threw out the sock when I got home, I shouldn't even be wearing those socks (non-running socks) when I run.

Another good, easy run, this time with company.  Ran with Jenny this morning, she did 7.5 miles so we ran together until almost all the way home, then I added one more loop around the neighborhood.

A while back I was thinking that I did not own a hat with a visor.  I recently came across my Moab half-marathon hat which I had forgotten about, so I wore that this morning to keep warm, which did the trick.  Still able to run with shorts, so it wasn't that cold (high 30's maybe).

Average pace: 8:11

It was a good run this morning.  I spent extra time warming up and getting ready, and once I went outside I felt ready.  This was my first tempo run in quite some time.  I had what seemed like a daunting goal of 4 miles @ 6:33.  I have done this time and distance (approximately) before but it had been quite a while.

Warmed up with 2 miles easy, stopped briefly to take a gel, then got going.  I was able to get on pace and hold it.  Not easy to hold it, but I did.  The last mile started feeling difficult due to a tightness in my calves/ankles area, but nothing terrible.

splits: 6:33, 6:31, 6:20, 6:29

Big confidence booster to finish this run.

Cooled down with a little over 2 more miles at an easy pace.

Average pace: 7:35

Last run for the month, year, and decade, and first run of a new year of marriage - 15 years today!  Ran with Jenny on a very pleasant morning.  Usual routes around the neighborhood, ended up with 8.25 miles @ 8:33 average pace.

Jenny's Mom thought that I should map out where I could have run this year if I started from Tampa and ran someplace for the number of miles I did this year, so, almost 2700 miles would get me to Boise, ID

HAPPY NEW YEAR !