The Long Run

I was able to run with Jenny this morning since the kids were doing a sleepover at their grandparents house.  We don't get to run together often so it's nice when we can.  Thanks for the run this morning Jenny!

The weather was nice out but has just turned cold (finally a hint of winter).

We will be running the Gasparilla half marathon in February so we'll get to run 13.1 then.  Also joining us will be her training partner Kathryn.  The 10K that Jenny and I did in March went well, so hopefully this one will work out too.

 
Brooks 

Dixie called me up last night to see if I wanted to run with him.  So, we met up this morning just after 6:30 (I was a few minutes late) at the 7-11 outside of John Chestnut park.  It was much colder this morning than the last few mornings (about 46°) but was also very windy making it feel more like high 30's.

We were both just wanting to get the run done.  It wasn't so bad after the first mile because we were warmed up and had just turned off the main road onto a side street which was much more protected.   We kept the pace pretty easy, arrived at the park and did the loop through the Lake park inside Lansbrook which is about .25 mile and kind of like a nature trail (but paved).    Stopped for water briefly at the drinking fountain.  I kept the clock running so that fourth mile with the stop was 9:07.   We were both feeling good and the pace gradually picked up.

We overshot our parking lot a little bit and looped through John Chestnut.   By this point we were almost at 7 miles so decided to just keep going to reaching 7.    Last 2 miles were at 7:30.

Average pace: 8:17

Asics gt-2120

This morning was the coldest morning so far this year, possibly even colder than any day last year (but still nothing I should be whining about) - 29° according to my truck's thermometer. Due to this colder weather and the fact that it is not going to last very long (warming back up tomorrow), I decided to run inside.

Did my usual inside routine at the Y consisting of 10 minutes on the bike and six minutes on the rower, then hopped onto a treadmill.

Started out slow and gradually increased the speed until I was at 8:20 pace. Kept it there for the most part, but did several moderate bursts of speed between 30 and 90 seconds at a 7:08 pace just to keep from getting bored.

I followed up with some lower body weights including some squats which I have not done for a long time. 

I'll "tough out" tomorrow morning's low-mid 40's and run outside :)

Average pace: 8:16

Old asics

As promised yesterday, I braved the frigid (although warmer than yesterday) weather and ran outside and braved the 39° weather along with enough wind to make it feel colder (ok, all you people running in the single digits go easy on me).

Did some warm up inside before going out, 10 minutes on the bike, 5 minutes on the rower.  Had the Garmin but only looked at the mile splits (even forgot to look for one of the miles).  No problems with ankle/shin startup issues which is always nice.  This is usually my biggest issue when doing an easy run.

My pace was a little bit fast for an easy pace, but still within range.

Average pace: 8:00

Asics gt-2120 

Went back inside and did some upper body weights.  Once I got back home did some hanging knee raises and pull ups.

This morning had perfect running temperature of 50°.  I felt a little bit chilly before running, but quickly felt comfortable after the first mile.  I didn't have any plans as to whom I was going to run with this morning, it all depended on who showed up.  As I got to the Y at 7:00, Bob was finishing up 9 miles and was about to go out for another 6.  I was going to run with him but missed him on his way out.  Eric was going to do 9 so I said I'd go along with him.  Normally, he'll start out with us and then take off after about 1.5 miles.   But, this morning I stuck with him until the turnaround point at 4.5 miles.  It was a good effort for me to keep up with him during his warm up.  I reached some speeds that I hadn't been to for a while. 

At 4.5 miles I ran into David and Jenny so I ran with them for a few miles.  I split off from them with about 3 miles left to go.  I picked up the pace a little bit but nothing too crazy.

Then spent some time chatting with some of the other runners and enjoying some decaf coffee and cinnamon buns that someone else brought.

Once I got home, my wife had some banana pancakes still out that she made for the kids, they  were delicious, mmmmm :) 

I made my goal for today (doing 10 or 11) and for the week (40 miles).

Average pace: 7:45

Brooks 

Today's run went really well.  It was pretty nice running weather, low 50's, although the air was a bit damp making it feel cooler, and of course damp.  I met up with Dixie right about 6:00 at the Y.  He was up for some easy miles today and so was I.  Usually between the two of us, some of the miles end up being too fast.  But not today.  At one point the pace started to creep up but then I backed it down.  It felt good to know that my body wanted to go faster and was capable of going faster but I chose not to.  I have come to believe more and more that one of the "secrets" to improvement is going slower on easy days and fast on hard days.

The 6:00 start time allowed time for a little bit of weights and cross training after the run while still getting back home a few minutes ahead of schedule.

Average pace: 8:25

Asics gt-2120 

I wore my new pair of Brooks Adrenaline today.  I had wanted to buy another pair of Glycerin but the store I went to did not have them so I got these instead.  Good price and they feel about the same so far.   I woke up at 6:05 this morning and decided to run from home.  I would do a big loop out to the neighborhood I usually run at when I start from the Y.

I took the first mile slow (9:27) and went a little bit faster for the second mile (8:22), and then tried to settle in around there.   The weather was once again very nice out.  About 60° and none of the dampness from yesterday.  I was also fortunate again to not have uncomfortable beginning miles.  Nothing worse than slow and uncomfortable, not enjoyable at all.  I've been doing better since I remembered to do that stretch where you trace out the alphabet with each foot.

I had my fuel belt with me so I took a couple of sips of accelerade about each mile.  The 4th mile was a bit faster than I wanted for "easy" pace (7:31), so I backed it down to about an 8:00.

My goal for today was to do at least 8.5 so I was able to do that and just a little bit more.  Did some striders during the last mile which felt great.

Average pace: 8:05 

I finally switched over my template so I can keep track of shoe miles easier.  Trainer 1 will be the Adrenalines and Trainer 2 will be the Asics gt-2120.
 

Keith had wanted to do I tempo run today so I figured this would be a good time to start easing back into these.  He had to be someplace early so I met him at the Y about 5:20 so we could start at 5:30 sharp.

We warmed up with about 1.5 miles at an easy pace (9:00-9:30), then started our tempo run with a goal of 7:10 at 3 miles.  Most of the first mile the garmin said 7:05 so that seemed about right, but then at the end it jumped up a little bit and that mile ended up being 6:59.   Second mile was basically the same story but that one was 6:52.  By the third mile we were both feeling pretty good, pace picked up some more especially in the last .25 mile, the last mile was in 6:41.

We then slowed down and headed back to the parking lot. 

I went inside did a little bit of cardio cross training and some upper body weights.  It was nice to get all of this done and still be back home earlier than usual. 

Good basic run this morning.  More good weather, I am really cherishing this time of year.  I ran from home which made things simple.  My warm up and stretch routines paid off once again.  First mile felt easy and was a good pace for a first mile - 8:26.   I turned on my music after two miles.  My pace kept on creeping up, I backed it down once but it kept up again.  If my pace keeps creeping up I'll take it.

Average pace: 7:54 

Took the boys to school so Jenny and Amy could get their run in a little bit early.  Her Mom and other two sisters arrive this afternoon then they are all off to Disney tomorrow morning for the half marathon, the first one for all of them. 

Just a little over four easy miles this morning.  I managed to keep the pace easy which was good since the tendons on my feet were starting to feel a little sore from yesterday's "easy" run which was probably too fast especially since it followed after Wednesday's tempo run.

Goal for tomorrow will be 10-12 miles at an easy pace. 

 Average pace: 8:34
 

I had woken up about 15 minutes before the alarm clock.  My sister-in-law was up early as she is still on Belgium time as well as my mother-in-law who always seems to be up early.  There was lots of excitement as my wife, her 3 sisters and their Mom were getting ready to head out to Orlando for the Disney half marathon tomorrow.  They've all trained really hard.  It's amazing to see what sounded like a crazy idea almost two years ago now turn into reality.  I'll be watching for their times tomorrow morning. 

Jenny was over in Orlando this morning with her mom and 3 sisters, starting out on the Disney half marathon as I was driving to Starkey park for my Saturday run.  I got the first 5K update for Jenny just as I was getting there (I had signed up for text messages to my cellphone). 29:31 for the first 5K - a little bit slower pace than she wanted but I knew how crowded the start would be for her.

Keith and Dixie had gotten to the park early and had already started out when I got there.  Eric was there so he invited me along to run a couple of miles with him.  He was doing 15 and I'm not quite yet ready to keep up with him for an entire run.  About 1.2 miles into the run my phone pinged again for another update.  So, I said good bye to Eric and pulled my phone out of my belt to read the next pace.  10K time was 59:32, a little bit slower.  I didn't think it would still be crowded at 10K, but I would later find out that it was.

I ran into Keith and Dixie heading back in so I turned around and ran with them for a bit.  As we were getting back near the parking lot, Nelson was heading out so I switched directions again and ran with him for a bit.  He wasn't going very far today so I was soon on my own again.  My phone pinged again, Jenny was holding her pace.

I made it out to my turnaround point and headed back in.  I ran another mile and stopped to retie my shoe on my right foot, it was starting to hurt me.  Retying it seemed to help.  I saw Bob up ahead but he was pulling away from me as I was stopped.  So, I picked it up and caught up with him and ran in with him the rest of the way.

As we ran back to the end I got the final update for Jenny, she had made it in 2:10:42 for her first half marathon.  It was a little bit slower than what she wanted (she was hoping for between 2:00 and 2:09), but I think it was good especially considering the crowds that she had to fight through.  All of her sisters and her mom also finished in the times they wanted.

Between the cellphone pages and the different people I ran with it was definitely not a boring run for me.

Average pace: 8:08

I headed back home and took my mom and my kids out to breakfast at the Village Inn.  Thanks mom for coming over at 6:30 this morning to watch the kids for me!

Nice easy run this morning (except for one mile).  I went to the Y about 6:45 and did some bike and rowing machine to warm up inside first.  It was back to chilly but still nice at about 50°.  Dixie showed up a little bit past 7:00.

We took the first couple of miles at an easy pace (although they felt faster), then the pace gradually crept up.  The 5th mile was at 7:25, so I started watching the pace and slowed down a bit with the last two miles at about 7:50.

Foot was a lot better today, but I still need to keep an eye on it until it is 100%.

Average pace: 8:04

This morning was cool and windy. The house felt cold when I woke up so I had to turn on the heater. It was one of those mornings which was very tempting to skip running or at least head over to a treadmill. However, apart from the wind the temp. itself wasn't too bad at 43° and I knew I would feel warmer after the first mile. So, with one final thought of getting into my car and going to use a treadmill at the Y, I resisted the temptation and starting my run.

Left from my house on a route which would give me about 8 miles and could easily be extended by a mile if I felt good. I did feel warmer after a mile and was able to let my hands stick out from my long sleeve shirt. After 3 miles I almost felt too warm since I was wearing two shirts.

Pace felt good, first mile at 9:05, next one at 8:15. Trying to keep it no faster than 8. Miles 5, 6, and 7 were a about 7:50 pace. Slowed down for the last mile to about 8:30. Big toe on my right foot was starting to bother me. Not terrible, but enough to remind me to take it easy.

Average pace: 8:11

Today was a little bit warmer than yesterday, requiring just one shirt (long sleeve) and shorts.  I was undecided at first whether to do treadmill or run outside.  I was thinking about the treadmill because I wanted to ensure I did a steady easy pace and didn't get carried away if I was feeling good as I need to clear up my foot problem before it gets worse.

I started out with some warm up inside on the bike and rower as usual then followed up with some light dynamic stretching.  I decided to go outside.  The run went really well.  First mile felt good at an 8:39 pace.  Just after 1.5 miles my foot was acting up a little bit, but then by just under 3 miles it started feeling better.   This would normally be the point where I'd pick things up, but instead I kept the pace fairly steady.   Things felt ok and I decided I would not have to cut the run short. 

I finished up just over 6 miles with an 8:28 average pace, splits were between 8:14 and 8:39.  The easy run felt easy and my foot didn't feel bad at the end.  Some more runs like this and hopefully I should be able to be 100% again.

I then went back inside and did some upper body weights. 

It rained all night last night and I woke several times.  It was good to get so much rain because we had been only getting a little bit here and there.  It was still raining when I got up although it was slowing down.  I probably would have been ok to run outside because the rain would have ended shortly into the run and it wasn't very cold out (it was actually almost warm).

So, I opted for the treadmill this morning.  I was glad I didn't do the treadmill yesterday.  Better to save it for rainy days.  It was also good to get in some steady pace running.  The monotony is also good mental toughness training (looking on the bright side of things!).

Also, since I was there I did my usual bike and rower warm up.  The rower seems to do a good job stretching my Achilles tendon. 

I think my foot is almost all better, I could barely tell that there had been anything wrong with it. 

Average pace: 8:30

Mainly a cross training and weights day with some easy running thrown in.  Did some time on the bike and rower and then did lower body weights.  I included some squats today since the last time I tried them they were horribly difficult.  It wasn't due to the main quads but seemed difficult due to some of the stabilizing muscles that I must have been neglecting.  I'm trying to keep myself well rounded which fortunately can make me a better runner by not getting injured.  I intend to mostly concentrate on my running but I don't want to neglect everything else.  Hopefully I can strike a good balance.

I then went outside and ran with no garmin and no music.   I did however have my watch on which I kept looking at especially toward the end.  It was a cool and comfortable 60° but pretty overcast and gray.  I kept the run at a pretty easy pace for the most part.  Looked at mapmyrun later on to get the actual distance.

Average pace: 8:25

Met up with Dixie this morning at 7:00. Ran through Lansbrook neighborhoods. It was a cool and slightly foggy morning. First few miles felt pretty good, although I felt some heaviness from having done lower body weights yesterday, but nothing I couldn't deal with.

Good conversational pace most of the run, with a slight pickup at the end, with the last full mile at 7:25. Slowed down for the last 0.3 for a cool down and then did some walking after that for more cool down. Foot was pretty good today, much better than it was one week ago today. Active recovery seems to be working since I have not had to take any time off, just cut back a few miles and slow it down a little bit. I'm itching to do a big long run once I'm back to 100%.  Apart from my foot I've been feeling really good on my runs, feeling like I could go much farther and at a faster pace.  Some of this might be due to some even healthier cooking recently by my wife.  She has been cooking quite a bit of vegan dishes.  I've been having some meat here and there but when I don't have any I don't seem to miss it that much.  She has started a blog showing some of the dishes she has made:

http://tryoutvegan.blogspot.com

Average pace: 8:10

Last night I was planning on just running by myself this morning, but then Dixie gave me a call to tell me that he and some of the guys were going to run in Starkey park in the morning.  It turned out that it worked out really well since this morning's cold weather would have made me feel less than motivated.  When that happens, I still seem to get the job done, I just don't enjoy it as much.

So, I arrived at Starkey park just before 7:00.  Keith, Nelson, and then Dixie showed up.  We decided on doing about 8 miles.  It was 41° , had just gotten light out and I was wearing a tight short sleeve shirt with long sleeve looser shirt over it, shorts, hat, and gloves.  We set off at a nice and easy pace, slower got faster, then stopped for a little bit at 2.5 miles, then continued on.  We went out a little past 4 miles and then stopped again.  I let the clock keep running.  Got moving again, and the pace crept up with 7:56, 7:32, and then 7:09 for the last full mile.  For the last full mile, it was kind of a game where one guy came up on Dixie's shoulder, without passing him, this always makes him go faster.   We were probably going just under 6:30 pace for the last half mile but having fun.  Cooled down for the last 0.38 to get back to the parking lot.

Stretched out for a little bit then headed back home just in time to catch the tail end of breakfast with my family.  Did a little more stretching, some hanging knee raises, and plank.  Finally did two sets of pull ups (17 and then 10 very slow ones).

Average pace: 8:29  (about 8:11 for the actual running portions)

Time: 1:11:05 

I took a bit too long to get ready this morning.  Alarm went off and got out of bed at 6:12, but it seemed to take forever to actually get started running which wasn't until sometime after 7:00.  It was much warmer this morning.  Wore one long sleeve shirt but it turned out to be too much, should have gone with short sleeve.  

First few miles felt ok.  But for some reason, by about 4 miles my strides felt "cloppy" and "slappy" and soon my left leg from my ankle up to me knee got very tight and the running soon felt miserable.   It was such a nice day I decided I wasn't going to let this ruin my run.  

I stopped the timer, started walking and stretching and enjoyed the morning for a couple of minutes.   When I felt ready to go again, I went.  It was like I was able to press a reset button to fix things.   From that point until back home I felt much better.  When I got close to the house I came to a tee intersection where I could go right and finish up a 7 mile run or go left for just over 8 miles, I picked left and felt good when I made it home for how my run turned out.

Average pace: 8:17

I'm going to meet Keith (and possibly Dixie) at 5:20 tomorrow for a tempo run.

As planned, I woke up this morning at 4:45 and made it to the Y by 5:20 to meet Keith.  Dixie was also there as well as Nelson and Raj.  It had been raining all night but the rain had stopped so it was a little bit humid but still relatively cool. 

We warmed up with an easy paced 1.5 miles, then started the tempo run.  I was the keeper of the pace and Keith had asked for a pace between 7:00 and 7:10.  First mile was at 7:07, second at 7:03.  The last mile was at 6:54.  Ironically it was Keith, along with Nelson who had picked things up for the last mile.  I was hanging back a bit in hopes they would slow back down.   This speed up had something to do with a political discussion which became heated.  With all of the talking going on maybe we weren't running fast enough?  I'm going to encourage the group to add on another mile next week if everyone else has time.

On the return trip back, ran at about an 8:15 pace.  The rain started up again but wasn't too heavy until after we got back.

I headed inside, did 10 minutes on the bike, 10 minutes on the rower then a full body weight routine.  After I got home I stretched a little bit, did some knee raises and one set of 20 pull ups.

I had plenty of time to get ready for work and left about half an hour earlier than usual.  I feel like I have so much time in the morning when  I get up this early.

Ran with Dixie this morning at 7:00.  Met up outside of John Chestnut park.  Weather was nice with overcast skies and 65° (sleeveless shirt weather).  

First mile was slower at 9:04 (pretty typical for a first mile for me).   Net 6 miles were at an 8:00 to 8:15 pace except for one of them which was 10:14 where we stopped for water but I did not turn the timer off.   Last mile was at 7:05.  Much of that last mile was actually a bit faster than that but we slowed down for the last .2, then jogged back to the parking lot for the last 0.1.

I felt really good on that last mile, much better than yesterday when I ran the same pace.   Both feet are feeling 100%.

Average pace : 8:25    (1:08:17) 

Today was my usual cross train/weights/very easy run day.  I wasn't planning on running outside which was good because it was much colder than I expected this morning and windy too.

 I did 11 minutes on the bike, 10 minutes on the rower.   Then I did some stretching followed by another full body weight routine (although slightly different than the one I did last time).  I did leg extensions, squats, curls, and tricep pullovers.

Then I hopped on the treadmill for 2 easy miles - mainly at an 8:30 pace but a few bursts of speed thrown in just to mix things up.

My wife had seen a push up contest online that someone was doing which she had entered into with 49 push ups.  So far she was in the lead and I didn't want to take that away from her  but was curious where I was at.  The contest is to see how many push ups you can do in 1 minute.  I did 66.  I hadn't tried doing a lot of push ups in a row for a long time so it was good to see that all the running has not weakened me elsewhere.  In fact it almost seemed like I could sense an improvement because of running since this was sort of like a sprint.
 

Lots of people were there this morning.  Met up at the Y about 6:45 although we didn't seem to get started until about 7:10.  It was Joe, Randall, Dixie, Bob, Nelson, Keith, Kevin, and myself running together as well as some others running but at a different distance/pace.  The group always seems to go faster when Nelson runs with us.  Most of the run was at an easy pace with a few miles faster - one of them at 7:13 where I had split off from one group and went to catch up with another group.  The last two miles were at 7:26 pace.   Spent some time after the run at the social hour.

Average pace: 7:51 

Chilly run this morning (low 40's), ran alone from the Y after doing my usual warm up routine inside.   Last night before I went to bed I forgot to mentally prepare myself for the morning run.  Fortunately this did not mean a bad run, it just took longer before I felt organized.    The miles went by pretty smoothly.  First mile was at 9:02 which counted getting stuck at a light for at least 15 seconds, so that was pretty good for a first mile.

I finally got home at 8:40, which meant I was a little bit late and also that it took me too long to get ready for run for one hour since I had woken up at 6:10.  I need to cut down on some of the unnecessary overhead.   The run itself was good. 

Average pace: 8:04 

I woke up at 6:06 this morning. I looked at the temp outside and decided to wear one short sleeve shirt, a long sleeve shirt and shorts. I was going to run from home this morning so I started my warm up inside along with the usual morning dog care and eating my pre-run snack. I was soon out the door and did a little more warm up using some dynamic stretches. Then I was on my way.

The objective this morning was a medium long run at a steady and reasonable pace. I started out slowly, it felt very slow but comfortable and easy also (that is not always a given). But it turns out that the pace wasn't that slow, it was my usual first mile pace of 8:59. I went out the neighborhood, onto 54 then onto Starkey Blvd. where they have a pretty nice bike trail. This was at the 2 mile point and I was feeling a bit warm like I had overdressed. About a 1/2 mile onto Starkey I ran into a fog bank and the temperature felt like it dropped 10 degrees with the air chilling me to my bones despite my layers. I kept going and got used to it. It was a really nice morning out with rays of light streaming through the tall trees. There was no one else at all on this trail. I continued on to Alico Pass and took a right onto it for another 1/2 mile before turning back. My pace had picked up a bit so I slowed down a little bit here and there so it wouldn't be a steady pick up all the way back.

When I finally made it back to 54 there was some wind and a lot more cars. I slowed down a little bit going against the wind. I crossed 54 with no problems and headed back towards my neighborhood. I had run almost 1 1/2 hours so I overshot my house a little bit to round things off.

It had been a while since I did a good medium long run on a Tuesday and it felt great.

Tempo run tomorrow at 5:20 with the guys.

Average pace: 7:59

Another early morning tempo run this morning. We were meeting at 5:20 so that Keith could run with us. Ironically, Keith overslept and could not make it this morning, so we'll all give him some grief next time we see him. When I rolled out of bed at 4:45 this morning I felt a bit fumbly although I thought I was doing a pretty good job keeping down the noise. It turns out I did not receive very high marks on that from Jenny, although part of it is not completely my fault. Sammy (the dog) has this habit of flinging open the door very wide and exposing the bedroom to the light and noise of me getting ready.

So, we met up at the Y. It was Nelson, Randall, Dixie, Raj, two of Raj's friends, and myself. We started out nice and easy for the first 1.5 miles, crossed Mitchell Blvd. then started the tempo. First mile felt pretty good, second mile still felt strong, for the third mile I looked forward to finishing it so I could count down the last mile, and the last mile came in a little bit faster.

Splits were: 7:04, 6:57, 6:59, and 6:52

I was pretty happy with this run because I did almost exactly what was planned and got to run with some friends.  However, part of me is thinking how was I able to do 7 miles at 6:49 pace this past summer?  Today's run certainly didn't feel easy.  I'm not sure what level of fitness I would need to be at to make today's run feel  easier.  At the same time I also realize that just because 4 miles at this pace didn't feel easy doesn't mean that 7 or 8 miles at this pace would be any harder.

Average pace for entire run: 7:55

Went inside and did a little bit of cross training cardio and weights.

Today's run was great. I loved it. After yesterday's morning run a bunch of guys there said they were up for another run the next day (today) but at an easy pace. Dixie called last night to say he couldn't make it but I figured I'd show up anyways. I woke up just after 5:00 which felt like sleeping in compared to yesterday's 4:45. I showed up at the Y but no one was there. Oh well, at least I got an early start. I decided to do my big production indoor warm up and then head outside. I did see David and Jenny who had just finished up their run and chatted with them for a bit. Then I was off, it was now just after 6:00.

The first few miles felt pretty easy and I felt good. The weather was nice. Cool and comfortable enough for sleeveless shirt and shorts. Before I knew it I was halfway done. At mile 7 I felt like going fast for a little bit, so I did. I went really fast but just for a short distance, maybe about 0.2 miles at just under a 6:00 pace. Slowed back down and ran back towards the Y. I went inside and cooled down a bit on the treadmill walking then headed home.

Average pace 8:03

Today was mostly a cross train and weights day with a little bit of running on the treadmill.  They have replaced all the tv's at the Y with new big screen flat panel screens which are easier to see.  I did some upper and lower body weights, stationary bike, and rower.  Pretty much my usual Friday routine.  Tomorrow will be a long run but not too long, probably about 12 miles, then next weekend is the half marathon with Jenny and Kathryn.

Today's run was great.  I loved it.  I was supposed to meet a bunch of people at Starkey park to run on the bike trail there.  Some of the people were there, but some had gotten there earlier for their run.   I didn't get the memo.  The weather.com desktop said that it was 51° outside but it felt cooler.  My truck said it was 45 out when I got in but as I drove to the park it dropped to 39°.  I was a little worried because I had on only one long sleeve shirt and shorts, but at least I had my hat.

I started running with Kevin, Nelson, David, and Jenny.  I felt so cold at first.  Jenny was dressed much smarter than I was, she discarded one of her layers after about a mile, a gray sweatshirt which I was eying, but I resisted saying anything as I don't know her that well.   We kept on going and I slowly felt less cold.  David and Jenny turned around at 3.5 to head back.  At about 4 miles we saw Keith and Dixie on the way back from 10 miles.  At 5 miles, Kevin and Nelson turned around to head back.  Shortly after that I saw Bob coming back from doing 19 miles, I turned around for a bit and ran with him to chat.  He is training for the Boston marathon.  He has entered through a charity - a cancer research center.  So, he doesn't have to train and get a certain time, but he is training as if he did.  At this rate I think he'll be able to qualify for next year's Boston marathon while running there this year!

I turned around and continued out to turn around just after 6 miles.  Now I felt warmed up and the cold air felt good.  I picked up the pace a little here and there and was alternating faster miles with not so fast miles.  I got to the last mile and felt like picking it up.  I wanted to run to where it felt like about a 7:00 pace or just faster.  But then, the "Popcorn" song came on which made me run faster.  I looked at my pace, it was 6:23.  I cooled down for the remainder to get back to the parking lot and enjoyed some coffee and half a dunkin donuts muffin.

Average pace: 8:16

As is often the case on Monday morning's, I was a little bit disorganized this morning.  Waking up on time but taking too long to get going.  Woke up at 6:05.  Made it to the Y about 7:00.  Did some warm up cardio inside, then was outside stretching.  Talked to a guy for a bit who had seen me running a lot and asked if I was training for something.  I'm not sure what my next marathon will be.  This guy turned out to be one of the coaches at the high school next door.  Always good to talk with someone new.   So, I finally got going.  I was stuck at a light for a while on the first mile but still managed an 8:48 which is a good first mile for me. 

Eased into my pace and felt good.   At about 5 miles I was moving along nicely when someone asked me for directions.  They were looking for the street that they had just turned off of!   Maybe this was good in a way because maybe I was going a little bit too fast for easy run pace.  I had been shooting for 7 - 7.5 miles this morning but ended up with 8, a pretty good way to start the week.

Average pace: 7:56

Pretty nice early run this morning.  I met up with Dixie to run through the Lansbrook area.  He only had time for 6 miles this morning, but I figured since I was there I would just add on some miles after he left.

We did a route to the lake park and back with a brief water stop at the fountain there.  On the way back I suddenly felt like I had lost some steam.  It was a good thing that I was running with someone else otherwise it might have been hard to continue.  The feeling passed after another 1.5 miles and then I felt better and felt strong at the finish of the first half.    I stopped for a drink of accelerade and then continued on after Dixie left.  I ran north up the trail alongside Eastlake Ave. it was not a nice run because it was still dark and there were a ton of cars, I couldn't believe how busy the street was.  Turning around was nicer, with the cars at my back and it starting to get lighter.  I hit 10 miles as I approached the parking lot and ran past it for about another mile loop through John Chestnut park which was very nice.  Last 3 miles were at a feeling good 7:40ish pace.  Saw lots of squirrels.  Good thing I was running because the squirrels in this park can become aggressive :)

 Average pace: 8:19
 

Ran this morning with Dixie, Raj, and Raj's friend Tim.  We met at the Y just after 5:30.  Decided to not do a tempo run since Dixie will be doing a 15K on Saturday and I do not want to risk any possibility of injury for my half marathon with Jenny on Sunday.   Run was fun and pleasant.  Picked things up a bit on the last 2 miles with  7:07 and 7:36 pace miles.

Average pace: 8:09 

I went inside the Y for a little bit of cardio cross training followed by a full body weight routine. 

I woke up this morning at 6:11 glad that I didn't have to wake up extra early.  I let the dogs out and saw that it had rained last night but had stopped now which was good.  I fed the dogs as I was getting ready for my run and was out the front door by just before 7:00.  Stretched and warmed up a little bit more outside then I was on my way.  I wasn't sure exactly what I had in store for this morning's run other than hoping to get in about 8 miles at a reasonable pace.

First mile was typical of first miles for me at 9:03 which included a traffic light delay.  Second mile was faster, then 3rd mile was inexplicably slower which worried me slightly until I reminded myself that pace did not matter today, then I was ok.   I had turned on my music just after 2 miles and was really starting to enjoy the morning.  It's mornings like these when I feel as if someone asked me what I was training for I'd say "nothing, I just like to run".  The fourth mile was right where I wanted it to be at 7:41 which should have been a good pace for the rest of the run.   However, some music came on my ipod which made me feel like running faster.  The next two miles were at 7:07 and 6:49.  I slowed down a little bit and got stuck crossing a busy road so the next mile was 7:58.  After that I felt charged up again and did two more faster miles at 7:09 and 6:48.   Now I was almost home, slowed down, jogged and then walked a bit.

I like finishing up Thursday's run because it is the end of 4 days in a row so those during the week base miles are finished.  Friday is a fun do whatever you want short run, and Saturday is the long run that sometimes feel like an adventure run.  Although this Saturday might just be some cross training since half marathon is on Sunday. 

Average pace: 7:41 

Normally I do a short and easy run on Friday's.  But today I did not run however I did do some cardio cross training and some weights.  I'll do an easy run tomorrow.  The schedule shift is due to the half marathon on Sunday.

As part of my pre race ritual I ran some easy miles. I warmed up first with some bike and rowing machine then hopped onto the treadmill. I kept it pretty much at a 9:05 pace so I could get an idea of what that felt like. During the last half mile I picked it up a little bit.

Average pace: 8:57

It was a wonderful day for a race. My wife, her friend Kathryn and I ran the Gasparilla Half Marathon this morning. I had signed up to be their pacer. They had both recently run the Disney World Half Marathon and were shooting to break 2 hours. I had very little doubt that they would be able to do this.

The race started (not so) bright and early and 6:00 am with the air only slightly chilly. Kathryn's husband Chuck drove us all down there so it was very low stress to get there. We lined up a little too far back from where we should have been but it was hard to get farther up in line. There were a little more than 3000 people between the half and full marathon. The race started and we started shuffling forward. It took 1:50 to cross the start mats. We somewhat got onto pace with 9:27 for the first mile. Next mile was on pace, with maybe a few seconds gained back. It was a nice run around Davis island, passing along the airfield at MacDill AFB as we looped back towards the north of the island. At about mile 5 it was getting light out. It was turning to be a very beautiful morning. Jenny and Kathryn did great sticking with me although they did grumble a bit when we had to pick up the pace after hitting the water stops.

I really wanted them to both make their goals but there was not a lot I could do other than try and run as steady as possible. Coming across the half way mark I saw we were between right on pace and a few seconds ahead. We picked up the pace slightly as we approached Bayshore Blvd. which was an out and back section of the course. By about 9 miles we were ahead even a little bit more. Kathryn needed to make a pit stop so I stayed with her while Jenny went on ahead. Kathryn and I ran on for almost another mile, catching back up from the lost time. She made one more stop and told me to go catch up to Jenny. So, I picked it up and after a few minutes I caught back up to Jenny. She was doing great, having picked up still more time. We were a bit worried about Kathryn but then we saw her just after we hit the turn around, she looked to be in good shape so I did not go back for her.

With the 1:50 that it took us to cross the start I had to calculate our actual pace which is always harder to do while running. I did not want to mess things up with another math error. But, when I saw the pace clock at mile 11 it said 1:40. With 20 minutes left to do 2.1 miles without adjusting for the start time I knew we were in good shape. Jenny showed no signs of slowing down. She thought she was slowing down. She wasn't wearing the Garmin so I told her she was more than on pace and just to keep going.

We wanted to cross the finish line together but with about 100 yards left to run she took off on a final kick and I almost lost her. My Garmin time showed 1:57:01 but I knew that I had started it just before the start mats and stopped it just after we crossed. So we were later pleased to find out that her time was actually 1:56:54.

We were hoping that Kathryn did not fall back too badly, didn't hit a bad patch and give up and walk. Well, she did not, she hung in there and made her goal with a 1:58:49. I can't take much credit for the hard work that they did but I was glad to be able to help out. And, it was a really great morning to run and enjoy being out for a tour of Tampa! Way to go Jenny and Kathryn!

Jenny:

old PR:      new PR:
2:10:47      1:56:54

Kathryn:

old PR:      new PR:
2:05:32      1:58:49

It was a bit chillier this morning than it was yesterday.   The sky was very clear which had made the temp drop overnight but I knew it would warm up quickly because of the clear sky once the sun came up.  I was feeling a little bit off schedule and wasn't sure what to do.  I figured I'd try and get in 7 miles and that should straighten me out.  I warmed up inside the Y on the bike but the rower's were both being used so I figured I'd be ok busting out of my normal routine :)

First mile in 8:51, then 8:18 for the next one.  The next miles felt good and I picked up the pace a little more each time.   One of the miles was 7:23, after which I backed it down slightly since today was not going to be a tempo day.   I was a bit under dressed with shorts and a short sleeve shirt, but I did have a hat! It was 44° at the start and maybe 48° at the end but felt much warmer by then as the sun was up.

I went back inside and did some cool down on the rower ( I just couldn't resist) then headed home.

Average pace: 7:53

This morning's run was interesting.  Pretty much nothing about it went according to any routine.  But overall it was still a good run.  I met up with Dixie about 7:00 outside of John Chestnut park.  I showed up a few minutes before him and bought a gatorade at the 7-11 there.  I had forgotten to drink my usual 2 glasses of water that I always drink when I first wake up.

We decided to start by running into the park.   The pace felt nice and easy but it was a lot faster than normal for a first mile at 7:54.  We ran through a section of park I had never been into then came to an observation tower (that I had been to before).  Dixie wanted to go up it so I said why not.  My left shin was kind of tight so I stretched out a bit when we were at the top looking out over Lake Tarpon.  I needed to stretch because I had forgotten to do my usual prerun alphabet stretch.  We went back down the tower then onto a board walk going through the cypress swamp.  I had imagined that it would feel to harsh running on the wood but it was actually kind of springy.   There were lots of squirrels and we also saw 4 deer.  We ran on various surfaces - grass, packed shells, pavement and boardwalk.  We exited the park just after 4 miles, although I'm not sure the exact distance because the garmin kept losing its signal in the tall trees.  We had also made a couple more stops so the average pace looked really slow.

The remainder 3.8 miles were back on the road where we got back into a more usual and consistent pace.  We both felt like doing 10 but with the adventure through the park time was getting a little bit tight so we opted to wrap things up at 8.

This run certainly kept me out of a rut for the week.

Average pace: 8:53

I woke up early this morning, at 5:02.  I wasn't feeling fully focused and alert until about 5:30.  I met up with a bunch of the guys at the Y just after 5:30.   Everyone else was ready and they started to go ahead, saw I wasn't going and asked if they should wait.  I said, no, go ahead.  I didn't want to miss my few stretches I do and I had to wait for the Garmin had locked in.

So, I got going and slowly caught back up after a mile.  It was a good way to get going.  Then I backed it down for a bit while we finished the warm up, crossed Mitchell Rd then started the tempo.  Just 3 miles today but it felt a little bit tough with the warm air and humidity.

Splits were:  7:14, 6:47, 6:54

Average pace for total run: 7:57 

Cooled down for the return trip back to the Y.  I went inside did a little bit of cardio cross training and a quick full body weight routine. 

Good run this morning.  I ran from home.  It felt very cold at first but got better once I warmed up.  Temp was 45° but with some wind to make it feel a bit chillier.  Wore shorts, long sleeve tech shirt and hat.  Started out with a nice and easy mile of 9:18, then did the next two in low 8's.  Picked things up a little bit more.  Next miles were 7:46, 7:15, 7:00, 7:20, 6:41, 7:43, and 7:10, then slowed down for the remainder .29 to get me home.  Felt great at the end.  As I neared my house I took a left instead of right to add an extra loop around the neighborhood.  The last mile especially felt the best.

 Average pace: 7:40
 

Planned non-running day.   I did not do my usual Friday short run since I had just run 6 days in a row.  I'll run tomorrow then I'll be back on my usual schedule next week.

I did 11 minutes on the bike, 11 minutes on the irresistible rower, then weights consisting of leg extensions, leg curls, tricep pull-downs, and lat pull-downs.

When I got home Jenny asked me "So, how was your run?" which I knew of course was a trick question :)  No, I actually did not run when I said I was not going to run.

I feel like doing a longer long run tomorrow but have not yet decided on the distance. 

This morning's run was great, I loved it.  It was the most miles I have done in a while although it wasn't non stop.

I met up with Bob and Dixie at 5:30. Actually I was a couple of minutes late, they were just leaving so I said I would catch up with them.  Bob was going to do 21 miles but with  two out and back runs, and he said he was going to run between 9:00 and 9:30.  It took me 4 miles to catch up to them, so they were not going at the pace they had planned. There were two versions of the story as to whom was speeding up, Bob's version and Dixie's version.  Anyway, we did slow down for the trip back to finish the first 9 miles. 

Some more people had shown up, so after a few minutes we headed out again, this time with Nelson and Raj, as well as Bob, Dixie and I.  Dixie and I turned back after 3 miles because I figured that 15 miles total would be good for me, although 18 miles was tempting me.  We did pick up one of the miles to a 6:58 which felt great.  After getting back from the 15 miles I saw Keith who had just finished his track workout and was going on a short cool down run.  So, I went with him for the final 1.38 miles for me.

So, overall it was a pretty fun morning.  The weather was great and there were lots of people to talk with.  I didn't even get a chance to turn on my ipod.  Spent a little time after the run at social hour and then headed home.

Jenny had made some very delicious French toast with vegan sausage links and sliced up strawberries on the side.  What an awesome way to wrap up the morning.   But then things kept on getting better.   I could go on but now I'm straying from running :)

Average pace: 8:38

I ran with my brother Jim this morning which was great.  He is staying with my parents for the week but made it over here this morning at 6:30.  His longest run before today was just 5 miles.  With the humidity it was a little bit tough this morning and we took a few walking breaks but he did pretty good considering the 25 hour straight drive they did to get down here on Saturday.   The last 0.2 miles he wanted to go fast so we ran in at a 6:00 pace.

Maybe we will get one more run in together this week and then hopefully we'll get to do a 5K in Tampa this Saturday before they have to drive back.

Average pace: 9:38

Tempo run with Dixie this morning.  Met up at 5:30 near John Chestnut park.  It felt very chilly and damp this morning although the temp wasn't too bad, quite different from yesterday morning.  We decided to start out slow and do a 3 mile warmup followed by 4 miles of tempo then a 1 mile cool down.

Splits for tempo were: 6:55, 6:38, 6:51, 6:57

Last mile was a bit slower due to dodging more cars.  We'll need to pick a route on a wider road next time.  Felt really good.

Average pace: 8:13

Ran with a new pair of New Balance 825's.  Well, they were almost new, I got them from Keith who had just worn them a few times.

I had to be back home by 7:25 so I ran from home and picked a course that I thought would be about 7 miles.  I woke up early enough but by the time I actually started running it was 6:25.  Oh well, should be plenty of time.

I started out slowly but it turned into a really slow mile due to various obstacles.   Second mile was also slow, it was as slow as what my first mile is usually.  Third mile saw included some time being stuck waiting for traffic to clear, but it was slightly faster than the second mile.  Now I was getting into a loop and would soon start heading back home but my times were much slower than usual I was starting to worry if I'd make it back in time.

4th mile was normal finally at 8:25.  Then I started feeling a bit faster and picked it up to get back home exactly on time with the final miles at 7:38, 7:42, and 6:50.  That felt good to finish strong and get back home on time! 

Usually I try not to worry about pace when a run is not going so great but sometimes running  changes from exercise to transportation, like when you are out on an out and back course.

Average pace:  8:22

Today was a pretty busy and somewhat stressful day at work, but I did get in a good run before my work day started.  I just didn't get to write it down until much later.  Jenny says that when there is too much time between the run and the blog the blog entry turns into something like "I ran  10 miles this morning, it was good."

I got a pretty good start without too much time wasted.  I started out slowly and felt like I had picked things up but it turned out I was going slower than I thought I was.  It felt like I was moving at the usual pace but the Garmin said otherwise.  I thought that maybe the Garmin was wrong.  When I got to the turnaround point I turned off the Garmin then turned it back on to see if that would help.

Well, I think the Garmin was accurate because the return trip was the exact same distance.  However, I did end up doing the return at a significantly faster pace.  The miles felt good.  I did one of the miles in 7:18 then backed it down slightly as I turned onto SR 54.  This is the least nicest part of the run but it goes by quickly.  Fortunately crossing it was not an issue, a huge gap opened up and both sides were clear so I went for it.  It wasn't at the light but it was so wide open I figured that was better than going to the light and possibly getting hit by an impatient driver trying to make it through.

As I got into the neighborhood I started feeling really good, my pace had picked up.  Instead of backing it down I held the pace and finished the last mile in 6:39.  I ran past the house a little bit for my cool down then back for an extra half mile.

Average pace: 7:57

An easy run which I kept at an easy pace.  I just ran around my neighborhood.  I didn't feel like doing the same loop twice so I ran the loop once but ran into several cul-de-sacs to stretch out the run a little bit.  It was a nice uneventful run.  Weather slightly warm.  Did not run with music.  I think I am going to do a 5K tomorrow.  It was kind of spur of the moment decision but it should be fun.

Average pace: 8:16 

This was a pretty good race for a number of reasons, although I did fall short of my goal.

My 5K goal (for a while now) has been to break 20 minutes, and I might have been able to do it except for a number of reasons. Those reasons really aren't too important. More important were the lessons learned.

It wasn't until earlier this week that I decided I was going to run a 5K this weekend so it was a "come as you are" race, which is a pretty good way to gauge where you are at. The race started at 8:00, the drive was about 45 minutes and I needed to still sign up for it. We left a little bit late and I got slightly lost and ended up parking not very close (I don't do very well navigating in downtown Tampa). We got there about 7:30, signed up and had a little bit of time for a warm up. I usually like to run slowly for 1.5 to 2 miles as a warm up with a few strides thrown in. I think I ran about .75 miles altogether but I wasn't measuring it so that is just a guess. The temperature was fairly warm, about 75°, but with heavy humid air. Just before the race started the sun came out from behind the few clouds which made it feel warmer.

At this point I was feeling pretty warmed up and ready despite the less then smooth pre-race rituals. At the starting line, I looked down and noticed that my right shoe was not double knotted, so I quickly fixed that. We were lined up near the start as there were no chips for timing. I was with my brother Jim who was shooting for a 24:30. The race started and the first thing I realized was that although I had double knotted my shoe it was very loose. Oh, well not much to do about it, just try and be careful. I took off at what felt like my usual 5K pace but it was faster than normal. In fact this would be both good and bad. I finished the first mile in 5:55. This was a new record for me, I had never finished a mile in less than 6:00. The bad part was that it was too fast. The second mile quickly became tough. Now I was hot and the sun was hitting me hard. I was hanging onto a 6:40 pace but just barely. I was thinking that wasn't so bad for the second mile, I could get back on pace for the third mile and still make my goal.

At the start of the third mile my legs were starting to burn, this is the first time I had felt this in a 5K. It wasn't terrible but made it even harder to hold onto the 6:40 pace. As I approached what I thought was the finish line I realized that it was not the finish line. The 5 mile race had a finish line at the entrance to a tunnel. The 5K finish had been moved to the other side of the tunnel. I gave it all I had and could soon see the finish clock. I could see that the first number was a 2. And maybe for that reason I didn't quite go completely all out for the last 100 feet or so. I went through the chute and saw a time of 20:35. Shortly after I realized I had not stopped my Garmin. I stopped the timer and it said 20:53 with a distance of 3.25 miles giving me an average pace of 6:26 which would have been fine if the distance was correct. I looked at a couple other people's garmins and they all measured what I had. The course is not certified, but that doesn't really matter I suppose.

I filled out my race card and dropped it into the male 40-44 box, my card was the first one in so I had some hope of getting 1st for my age group - later I found that I actually got 2nd. Not sure yet of my overall place or what my "official" time was.

This was the first 5K out of the last 5 where I did not get a PR. I knew this day would come as it is nearly impossible to always get a PR (short of never running again after getting a PR).

This was the first 5K where I went out too fast and paid a price for it. I had been meaning to do this at some point (although didn't specifically plan on it today) to see what it would feel like. I usually can't go out too fast, it just seems to take me longer to build up a good head of steam or to fight my way through a crowd or something like that.

This was my first ever sub 6:00 mile. When I saw that my first mile was going to be under 6:00 part of me thought maybe a could get a huge PR today, I just needed to hang on. This was probably just being greedy, but part of me was glad that I tried.

The entry fee included a free ticked to the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game that night against the Boston Bruins. I'm not a big hockey fan but thought it would be fun. My brother was heading back up north so he gave his ticket to my Dad and we saw the game together.

Jim got about a 25:20 something. Not a PR for him either and short of his goal but still a good effort for him.

Jenny's friend Kathryn was also there with her whole family. She just missed 3rd place for her age group and should have gotten up except for a mix up with how they handed out the race cards.

Shortly after the race it rained, pouring down.  Now it made sense, the air had that oppressive feeling that it gets just before the rain comes down and cools everything off. 

If nothing else, this was a good speed workout in preparation for my 10K coming up in 2 weeks. Hopefully we'll have better weather for that. It is a known course for me which makes it easier and it is even flatter than this race was (mostly flat except for some bridges).

I convinced my two boys to run the 1.7 mile loop around the neighborhood.  They are both good runners but I don't take them out enough.  We also brought Sammy the dog.  It was just after dinner.  Everyone had a good time.  We kept the pace light and easy and if someone said "walk break" we would take a short walking break.   The last time I took Andy out I pushed him a little too hard at the end and he hadn't wanted to run since then.   I think this run ended on a good note and hopefully we can do more of these together on a regular basis.

Time for the loop was 20:53.  (I didn't bring the garmin, but I did wear a watch and only looked at it at the end). 

I had that Monday morning "what should I do?" feeling as I was getting ready today.  The answer of course was go for a run and sort things out while running.  But first I did some warm up inside the Y with bike and rowing machine then headed outside.  The first mile was slow - a little bit slower than usual.  The second mile was also slow.  I still had a tiny bit of residual soreness from the race.  But just after two miles I felt loosened up and ready to run.  Eventually I picked it up for a couple of 7:15 miles, then did the last 1.15 at about a 7:45 pace.

Weather was very nice this morning with a beautiful 64° and comfortable humidity.

Average pace: 8:01 

For the most part today's run felt ok, but was maybe a little bit sluggish feeling compared to last Thursday's run when I did the same route.

I ran from my house to SR54, up Starkey Blvd and then back.

The weather keeps fluctuating, and today it was warmer than yesterday and a bit sticky.  Usually at the turn around point I'm feeling great because I'm on my way back, but today I caught myself thinking otherwise.  Despite a some negativity here and there it turned into a pretty good run.  My return trip was faster than the outbound and I managed to do one faster mile as I got close to home - 6:53.

Average pace: 7:58 

Overall a basic run, nothing too fancy. Our fluctuating weather continues with much cooler weather this morning and wind (15-20 with gusts to 30).

I warmed up inside with the usual 10 minutes bike and 5 minutes rower.

I thought about doing a short run outside and then finishing up on the treadmill, but by the time I got to four miles I didn't see a point in going inside. I picked up the last mile a little bit to  7:24.

Average pace: 8:08

After the run I went inside and did some lower body weights.

Today I felt back at my usual energy level as compared to yesterday where I felt a slight dip.  Boy, I'm glad that's over with. 

Tomorrow I intend to hit the track for some 800's. I haven't done those for quite a long time.

As promised yesterday, I did do some 800's today.  It has been quite a long time since I have done those (last spring) and even quite some time since I have been to a track (Nov. for 1600's).  It was colder out this morning than yesterday (about 41° today) but not as windy as yesterday.   I woke up a little bit earlier than usual to make sure I was done before school started.

Did a little bit of usual warm up inside the Y, then headed outside for a little over 2 easy miles ending up at the HS track next door to the Y.

The first lap of the first 800 felt really good, almost easy.  Next lap felt harder but overall not too bad.  Second 800 felt much harder and I began questioning myself as to whether I could do these or not.  Third and fourth did not get any worse, fifth one felt a little bit better.  I was feeling much more confident for the sixth one.  Since I was on the verge of doubting myself until the last one, I think that means I was putting out a good effort.

Here are the splits:

3:03, 3:02, 3:01, 3:02, 3:00, 2:57

Times might be off slightly as it was difficult to hit the stop button exactly when I crossed the line but they are probably not more than a second off.  The Garmin pace on the track is not very accurate, but it is somewhat helpful to keep on pace with if you have a rough idea of how far it is off.  However, it was a great confidence booster to see the pace as 5:xx for most of the time while doing the repeats.

I jogged 400's between the 800's, then after I was done cooled down for almost 2 miles.

Average pace: 8:39

Today was a planned non-running day.  I went to the Y this morning and did some cardio cross training followed by various upper and lower body weights.  I started to get onto the treadmill and then decided against it for some reason (I'm not sure why though).

After dinner Noah was a little bit wound up so I took him and Sammy out for a short run.  It was actually walk, jog, sprint, repeat.  We did 1.4 miles in a total time of 15:49.  Afterwards, everyone felt much better and I escaped ending up with a goose egg for today.

I met up with Dixie at the 7-11 near John Chestnut park.  I was supposed to be there at 6:30 but was 5 minutes late.  Dixie had his son Josh with him.  We got ready and headed up the bike trail on East lake rd.  Josh was on his bike and carried Dixie's gatorade.  The first mile was slow partly because we weren't paying attention.   The next mile was still a bit slow.  On the third mile I still felt slow and decided that would be ok, just stick with the easy pace.

We got to near the end of the trail where there is a neighborhood with a 1.1 mile loop and a couple of hills.  We did that loop twice and then headed back down the bike trail.  The weather for the whole run was pretty much perfect.  The start had been just slightly cool, enough where you wished you had a long sleeve shirt.  It quickly warmed up to perfect.

The return trip was a little bit faster.  We got back to the parking lot and did one short loop in and out of John Chestnut park.  Dixie and Josh had to get going.  I thought about doing another 1.1 miles to round up my total to 13 miles but instead decided to just head home.  I knew that Jenny was thinking about doing a short run this morning before Tae Kwon Do.

I got home just in time for the pancakes to still be warm.  They were delicious apple cinnamon whole grain pancakes, mmmmmm!  So, the extra 1.1 miles wouldn't have done that much for me and I would have had to reheat the pancakes.

 Average pace: 8:35
 

I started out my morning pretty good, with a reasonably early 5:57 wake-up.  I fed the dogs, got ready and headed over to the Y.  Warmed  up on the bike and rower then headed outside.  Did a little more stretching then started my run.  First mile was slow, it started out ok but gradually seemed to get slower.  The next mile was not much better.  A little past two miles I stopped and dropped off my drink bottle.  I had averaged a 9:30 pace.  I stretched a little bit more then started again.  The next mile was just under 8:00 pace but it felt forced.  The next two miles felt better and more natural and were about an 8:15 pace.  After that I finally felt better,  much less tight.  When things were not going well I thought about cutting it short and only doing 7 miles.  But, I was thinking that since I suffered through a couple bad miles at the beginning, I might as well get something out of it. 

Average pace: 8:20

Pretty good run this morning.  I had plenty of time so decided to get in a medium long run.  The weather felt slightly warm and humid and I noticed some wind at first but didn't think too much of it.  I left from home and took the route out of my neighborhood to SR54 then up Starkey blvd and back.

First two miles were kind of slow, similar to yesterday but not as bad.  3rd and 4th miles felt better,  more comfortable and relaxed which meant faster with less effort.   At the turn around point I started getting battered by the wind.  I was glad I was getting hit on the way back, otherwise the starting slow miles would have felt slow and discouraging.

Despite the wind I managed to hold my pace and I tried to remind myself of the good that the wind was doing for me making me stronger.

This run felt similar to the last time I took this route but not as good as two runs ago when I felt like I could have done a marathon PR on that day.  But overall I'll count this as a successful run since I didn't let the wind slow me down. 

 
Average pace: 8:05

It was perfect weather this morning for running, right about 60° at the start and no humidity to worry about.   I warmed up inside the Y on the bike but both rowers were in use so I skipped those and headed outside.  A little more warm up and then I started.  I have a 10K on Saturday so thought I would try a low key tempo run.  I thought about just two miles at tempo pace and decided that was not enough and settled on 3.

After a two mile warm up I started my tempo with a goal of right at 7:00 pace.  When I started out I realized my pace was too fast and slowly backed it down.  The next mile was a little bit faster and then the third mile was about the same as the first, then I decided why not make it 5K.

Splits were: 6:48, 6:38, 6:45, 0.11@6:40

Well, that was supposed to be it, I backed it down for the next mile at 7:41, but the mile after that kept on getting faster, towards the end I was right about 7:00 pace so I pushed just a little more for the last 0.2 miles to finish that mile at 6:53.

Then I backed it down and ran easy for the return trip.

I think I can do a similar pace and hopefully a little faster for this Saturday's 10K. 

Average pace: 7:35 

I wasn't expecting too much from this morning's run as I wasn't feeling great when I woke up this morning.  But, I was determined to at least get in a nothing fancy 7 mile run at whatever pace I could manage.

I did have at least two things going for me this morning.  It was nice and cool out, but not cold, pretty much perfect.  Yesterday I ran fast and it seems like the day after a fast day, the easy pace feels easier.

First mile was slow, next two were a bit better.  Then I felt nice and warmed up and was moving along nicely.  Nothing too fast except for one of the miles at 7:22.  I was feeling good enough that I decided on 8 miles instead of 7. 

Average pace: 8:04

I did a few "easy" miles on the treadmill this morning to keep myself ready for tomorrow's 10K.  The pace was relatively slow but it didn't feel all the "easy".  Just one of those days.  But, much better to get a bad run out of the way on a non-race day.  I think my pace was around 8:30.

I also did some time on the bike and rower as well as some weights, but nothing too harsh. 

Today was my first 10K that I have raced. I was looking forward to it this week but things did not go completely as planned. The weather report had changed and the wind was going to be strong for the start of the race. In fact, when I woke up this morning I could hear the wind howling. When we got to the race site I was still somewhat optimistic as it didn't seem that bad all the time. The wind was steady from the west at 24 miles per hour. Most of the course was going to be north/south with a little bit of east/west.

I did a little bit of warm up before the race but I was not very careful about my time. The next thing I knew it was 7:56, I was 1/4 mile away from the race and I could see people hurrying up towards the starting line. Whoops!

I was at the starting line and did not feel completely loosened up but was doing my best. The race started and off I went. The 5K and 10K race started out together so there was a good number of people starting out fast. I quickly got into a 6:30 pace then eased it slower to about a 6:50 something pace. I thought I would take it a little bit easy for the first couple miles then gradually pick things up. The first mile included a section of course going directly into the wind. It was tough but manageable. As I was finishing up the first mile I noticed my pace slowed a little bit and I was not able to get under 7:00. The next mile was about the same.

At the beginning of the second mile a few people passed me. I was able to eventually pass them except for one, a 17 year old girl who I decided I would at least try and keep up with. My ankles still felt tight and very uncomfortable, my breathing and the rest of my legs felt ok. I was hoping that it would pass and I'd get into a good pace.

Just past the turnaround I saw my wife running with her friend Kathryn. Jenny asked me "are you doing it?" I said no, but I felt some inspiration. I picked it up a little bit and as I got closer to the 4 mile marker I was determined to finally get under 7:00, which I did. I nearly caught up to the girl that had passed me.

The 5th mile I was getting whipped by the wind some more and struggled to not totally blow it. My pace slowed a lot at one point and it took all I had to try and salvage it.

Finally for the 6th mile I was able to get into a pretty good pace. As I got close to the finish line I heard several people I knew call out my name and cheer me on. Kathryn's boys were there yelling for me. Despite not having run the best that I thought I could have run, I gave it all I had for the finish.

Here are my splits:

7:00, 7:00, 7:07, 6:45, 7:10, 6:53, 0.26@6:28

Sometimes, it comes down to who has shown up for a given race. I saw the results and was pleased to see that I did get first for my age group.

I went to look for Jenny and Kathryn. I soon saw them coming in strong. Jenny came in one minute faster than last year. Last year I paced her in and she was not able to beat that time on the 10k's she ran after that without me. But for this race, she beat that time, despite the whipping wind that did me in. Great job Jenny and Kathryn.

Also, for the first time I met a fellow FRB blogger in person.  I saw Mark from http://tamparunning.fastrunningblog.com

So, that was kind of neat.  I chatted with him for a bit.  I had seen him at the Tampa Bay Lightning Bolt run 5K and I think I had followed him for a good part of the run.  Something seemed familiar about him and I later remembered where I had seen him.  So, today I said hi and introduced myself.  Hopefully I'll get to meet from more FRB'ers eventually.

Today's run was a challenging run.  My shins and ankles got very tight again especially my left one despite having done some elaborate stretches beforehand that usually works.  I might be suffering a little bit of fatigue so I'm thinking of cutting back last week.

I stopped after the 1st mile and tried to loosen up.  I stopped again after the second mile due to a long traffic light.  I thought I was going to have to stop after the third mile but I did not and fortunately kept on going. 

Anyway, I'm glad I toughed it out and by the last mile I was feeling better and managed to comfortably run 1 MP mile.  It was actually a nice morning to run as far as the temp, wind, and humidity go.  Although the traffic seemed a little bit more dangerous.  I had read some place that pedestrian deaths spike around the time change.  Time to be careful.

Average pace: 8:32 

Strategically planned non-running day.  I decided to cut back a little bit this week.  I'm going to run Wed, Thu, and Sat. and then get back to my regular schedule next week.

I did go to the gym this morning and did 20 minutes on the rower and 20 minutes on the bike. 

I met up with Randall, Raj and Tim this morning for a run at the Y.  We decided on an easy run today.  It had rained last night, but the morning air felt cool and comfortable.  It was dark and I did not look at the pace until the third mile to see the split.  The first two miles were slow at 9:57 and 9:08.  It was a nice run and good to have some company today.  It was also good for me I think for adjusting to daylight savings time.  After the shock wore off of getting up at 5:00 this morning it didn't feel so bad.

After we crossed at the traffic light we decided to pick up the pace for the last half mile.  It started  out pretty quick and then got faster, finishing the last 0.5 miles in 3:03.  That felt good to help wake up.

After the run I did a little bit of cross training and weights before heading home.  I had a dentist appointment this morning which been hanging over my head like a dark cloud but it turned out that it went pretty smoothly. 

I did a track workout this morning.  I was hoping that Randall might join me, however he had left open the possibility that he might not make it.  I was at the Y at 6:00, waited around for a few minutes and then got started on the warm up.  It was nice out this morning, mid to high 50's, no wind, good humidity.

The first good thing I noticed was that the running felt easy, natural and flowing.  It was at an "easy" pace, but this time that equated to an easy run.  I did  a little over two miles to get things started then headed over to the track.

I did one lap on the track as part of some additional warm up.  Then I set out on the first repeat.  I was planning on 6 X 800.  During the first lap there was a guy who worked there (either coach or maintenance guy I'm not sure) who said something to me, I said hi back.  It was still pitch black out with just some light coming from a nearby parking lot, most of the buildings were still dark.  Since I had slowed down because of this I figured I would start again.

So, I did.  Since it was dark and I didn't want to fiddle with my garmin too much I just ran by what felt right.  I did look at the time at the end of the first lap I was right at 1:29.  Wow!  I was right on.  It was a good sign that I didn't have to constantly check my pace.  I did the second lap and came in at 3:02.  I'm still not sure if I'm hitting the lap button exactly when I finish, I might be a little bit slow.   I guess it doesn't matter too much as long as I do it the same each time.

At the third lap I was beginning to doubt myself as to whether I could do all six at this pace.  That must mean I'm doing it right and pushing myself, so I kept on going.

I did all 6 800's.  As I started the last one I thought about doing 7 today.  I made a deal with myself if I did the last one in under 3:00 then I would call that the end.  Also, for the past week or so I have been in a slight running funk and thought that quitting on a positive note would be a good idea.  

Here are my splits:

3:02, 2:56, 3:01, 2:59, 3:01, 2:58

I jogged back to the Y across the ball fields.  The sun was just coming up now.  The grass was wet with the morning dew and I could see my footprints from the walk out there at the start of the track work.  I thought to myself, "wow, that guy sure did get up early :) ".  I then headed on an out and back cool down.  Somehow this all added up to 10 miles exactly.  Usually I hit the stop button on the garmin and I write down whatever that happened to be. Today it was exactly 10.00 

One more strategically planned day off from running.  It was very tempting to jump on the treadmill for a few quick miles today but I resisted.  I'll be back to regular running next week.  I was starting to feel a bit aimless and needed to reset things.

 Anyway, I did get up this morning and go to the Y.  I spent some time on the arc trainer, rower, and bike.  Then I did some lower body weights.

Looking forward to a nice long steady run tomorrow.
 

I was fluctuating between whether to run at Starkey park (possibly alone) or at John Chestnut park where there might be other runners I knew. I opted for John Chestnut.

I got there a little past 7:00. I saw Bob who had already run 15 miles. He was going to do 5 more around the park and then head home. I said I'd go along with him. Also, there were two others from the group who said they'd go along, Cameron and Jacklyn. So, we went on a nice out and back 5 mile run. At this point I thought we would get going again quickly to get to Bob's house, then I would continue on for some more miles. Bob is one of the nicest guys and likes to chat and socialize, but we probably stopped a lot longer than we should have - about 10 minutes or so. We got going again but about 1.5 away from the park Bob started to cramp up. So we slowed the pace down and made it the best we could. Bob split off at his street and I kept going.

I picked up the pace without looking at what pace I was doing until the mile beeped on the garmin. The first mile went by at 7:20 and I figured I'd keep it around there. It was a nice morning out with a pleasant 65 degrees temp and some cloud cover. As I left the Lansbrook neighborhood to head back along the East lake bike trail the wind hit me a little bit but it wasn't too bad.

I figured I'd do a mini MP tempo run with splits of:

7:20, 7:27, 7:18, 7:16, 7:04, 0.70@6:49

I made it back to the park, walked around a bit and stretched then got going. I was a little bit later in finishing than I wanted to but it was good to do most of the run with some other people.

Average pace: 8:39

Since I was a little bit later, I did not make it home in time for a still hot breakfast, but there were some left over delicious home made waffles that Jennny had made.

I was feeling pretty good because now I feel like I have a goal. I signed up for the San Diego marathon in June. I can't wait to go. I'll get to see my brother and his family. Jenny and the kids won't be able to make it out for the marathon due to school but they'll come out later in the week and hopefully we'll get a chance to also go to Lego Land!

It was a nice and cool morning.  As an extra bonus I had some company which is nice.  I met up with Randall, Keith, Raj, and Tim at the Y.  We started out at a nice easy pace for the first two miles and then picked things up a little bit over the next couple of miles.  Raj split off from us after 5 miles to head back and the rest of us continued.  We had some drinks stashed by the bank where we stopped briefly before continuing on.

Since the first half of the run was a little bit slower than I had intended we picked it up a little bit more with the last two miles at MP.  This brought up the average for the whole run to where I had intended.

Average pace: 8:19

Afterwards we stretched and talked a bit then I went inside for a little bit of weight training.  I printed out a schedule for the remainder of my marathon training.  It's pretty much what I have been doing but the mileage starts to pick up.  I like to have a schedule because then I can tick off the workouts as I do them and mentally prepare myself as the weeks and days count down.  I plan on making adjustments here and there based on how I feel. 

This morning's run went pretty well.  The weather was great.  I didn't have to get up too early and I didn't take forever to get ready.  I ran from my house so that part was pretty easy and I have been taking a route that I have come to know and love.

As usual I started out nice and easy for the first few miles until I had reached a 7:50ish pace which I did for the last few miles.  Made sure not to push it as that is the tendency when the weather is nice and I'm feeling good and warmed up.  I was getting a few twinges of PF on my right foot around the heel.  I need to keep on eye on that and take care of it while it is still just barely noticeable.

Average pace: 8:11

 
I biked the boys to school afterward.

Today's run was great, I loved it. It was a little bit warm but nothing that would slow me down and the humidity was not bad. I was planning on 7 miles with a 4 mile tempo run.

I warmed up with a little bit over two miles, after having already warmed up on the stationary bike inside the Y.  I crossed the street to the neighborhood across from the Y, dropped off my drink bottle and then got started.

 First mile felt pretty good.  Second mile was a little bit of a struggle to hold the pace.  As I started the third mile I was having issues with my headphones so I stopped briefly.  So, maybe this doesn't count exactly as a five mile tempo run.  I don't think I stopped for more than 10 or 15 seconds.  Anyway I got going again and felt faster.  I got to the 4th mile and it wasn't too bad.  I figured then I'd do one more mile just for fun, icing on the cake sort of thing.  Now, since I was doing it just because I wanted to I felt faster.  For a good part of that last mile I was on track for a sub 6:00 pace and it was starting to feel hard, so I backed it down, although not by too much.  Not a great idea to go that fast on a tempo run but it was a lot of fun.

Tempo splits: 6:56, 6:56, 6:38, 6:41, 6:09

After the fast miles, I went back to my usual easy pace and headed back to the Y and then home.

Average pace: 7:39

I ran from home this morning, to SR54 , up Starkey Blvd. and back.  It had rained last night so the streets were wet and it was a bit humid out but not too bad.   I didn't have a huge desire to run this morning but figured I should just go out and get the job done.  Despite this less than stellar attitude it turned into a pretty nice run with miles that were not slow and laborious but not too fast either.

On my return trip I saw David who was also running on Starkey Blvd, we ran about a mile together before I had to split off towards home.

In conclusion, this morning's run was great, I loved it. 

Average pace: 8:07

Non-running day today.

Went to the Y and did some various cardio followed by a quick full body weight routine.

Tomorrow I will run 14 miles, then get some even longer runs after that ramping up for San Diego.

I had thought about doing this race when I saw the flyer a few weeks ago at the Armadillo race 10K. A couple of days ago I decided not to do it. Then I had a voicemail from Randall who said he was doing it and wanted to know if I was doing it. I looked at the weather and saw that the conditions would be good, and they were. The course would be a straight, out and back, and flat on the Pinellas trail. It's not that often that everything lines up that way.

It was a small race (I seem to be good at finding these small inaguaral 5K's), so the only drawback is there might not be anyone to race against. Just before the race started I saw two high school kids that I think I had seen at other races. The race started and we all took off, the high schooler in the yellow shirt was out and front. My Garmin briefly said I was doing a 4:51 pace (which I new was wrong), it settled on a 5:5x pace which was not the pace I wanted. I was not going to make the same mistake that I did at the Bolt run back in February so I eased back a little bit. I was back between 100 and 200 feet from the yellow shirt guy and now I was at the pace I wanted.

We hit the turn around, I was still feeling pretty good, the gap had closed slightly. Then at around 2 miles I was gaining on the yellow shirt guy. He was fading a bit because my pace was staying pretty consistent. Then I was past him. Still one mile to go and I had to keep holding my pace. As a warm up I had run the whole route which was good as I knew each little landmark. At about 0.2 into the third mile my garmin played a mean trick on me that it does sometimes. It said I was doing a 6:46 pace and it didn't look like it was going to budge. I didn't feel like I had slowed down but maybe I had. I gave it a little more effort and then it finally clicked back to 6:19 at about 0.5 miles into the third mile.

When I could see the time clock it had 19:3x on it so I knew I could do it. I gave it all I had and past the clock at 19:46. I grabbed my race card and hit the stop button on the Garmin at 19:49.

Splits were: 6:21, 6:22, 6:19, 0.13@5:56

** Update ** I just found out the actual official time was 19:46 instead of 19:47, yay! 

This was the most consistently paced 5K I have run. The conditions were perfect with the main challenge being the last mile when I wasn't chasing anyone down. I also broke with 5K tradition and did not squeeze down a PowerBar gel with caffeine immediately before the race because I was all out. I'm glad that I ran an even race because I did not want to blow my chance at breaking 20 minutes. I was afraid that I'd keep missing it. So, maybe next race I'll try to go out a little bit faster. With the ideal conditions maybe I could have gone a little bit faster but probably not much faster as sometime during the third mile I was feeling like I was one step away from feeling like I was going to throw up.

Randall crossed third after the yellow shirt high school guy.

We stuck around for the awards then Randall and I did just under 3 miles for a cool down. I had my picture taken, received a dog tag for the age group award and a nice plaque for overall male.

It was a pretty good run today.   Ran from the Y after a bike and rower warm up inside.  First 3 miles were kind of slow and my ankles and shins felt tight.

Then I loosened up a bit and the pace felt easier and got a little bit quicker.

It was a great morning for running weather-wise.  Overall things worked out pretty well and it felt good to get the first run of the week behind me. 

Average pace: 8:07

Looks like there was at least one more chilly Florida morning left this year. About 48 degrees, cool enough for long sleeve tech shirt and hat. Kind of wished I had gloves for the first two miles but not bad after that. I ran from home on my new favorite 9 mile loop through Trinity Oaks and Thousand Oaks. My shirt sleeve was covering up my garmin for the first few miles so I didn't see those splits until after the run.

Picked up a little bit faster midway through the run then settled on a slightly slower pace.

Great to get one more run out of the way and hopefully the last one by myself this week.

Average pace: 7:56

Well, that's about it.  I feel like I'm leaving something out, though.   Maybe I'll think of it later. 

I was wrong about not having to run alone this morning. I hadn't really finalized plans with Randall. I got to the Y about 6:00 and he had gotten there at 5:30 and ran with Keith, Raj, and Tim. I'm not the best planner. My alarm had been set for 5:30 but I was woken by my oldest son 15 minutes early, nothing too urgent though. Well, I was up now. Unfortunately this didn't mean I got moving 15 minutes faster, it just took 15 minutes longer to get ready.

When I got to the Y I felt a bit chilly and since I had missed the guys I went inside for a warm up on the bike and rower. I headed back outside just as the guys were getting back from their run. I said hi and then finally started moving. I did a two mile warm up and a nice easy pace. Stopped once to retie my shoe which was too tight, a good choice considering problems I have had in the past with shoes that are too tight.

Sasha had advised me to do either a 3X2 or 2X3 instead of 1600's if I really wanted to do some speed work. These kind of scared me. This is good in a way since it means there is a challenge and without challenges it is hard to improve. Since I probably would have done 3 1600's I decided I would try doing at least two 2 mile repeats, figuring that was still one mile longer than 3 1600's. Still feeling a little bit guilty I settled on 2X2 followed by 1 mile.

So, when I got going things felt better than expected. Usually the first mile of a tempo or speed workout is very mentally challenging, it wasn't so bad today. The weather was good, I felt warmed up and was able to get on pace right away.

Here is what I did:

1st 2 mile repeat: 6:22, 6:27
2nd 2 mile repeat: 6:26, 6:28
Final mile: 6:26

I did 0.5 mile recoveries between.  I think I could have done two miles in the third set but I had made a deal with myself and you can't break those deals ALL the time otherwise your body will think you are lying everytime :)

Jogged back to the Y - a little over a mile away.  Then, did some things inside, a quick cool down on the bike and some upper body weights.

I don't have any more intervals planned for a while and there are no more races coming up - it will be a mix of easy, long, and some tempos. 

Average pace: 8:03

Once again I was supposed to meet up with someone for a run but it did not work out. I had talked to Dixie on Sunday and thought it was all set up for today. However, I did not confirm things. I need to get better at this as that is now twice in a row. Anyway, the good part is that when you are trying to meet up with someone you get there on time.

So, I showed up at the 7-11 near John Chestnut park, waited a few minutes and then got going on my run. Once again, I have found that the easy run on the day after a hard run feels easy - much easier than an easy run on a Monday.

At the two mile point I saw a guy with a light on his hat, he said hi. It was Bob. As Bob has been training for the Boston Marathon I have been running into him more and more. He is running in a charity slot but has not taken his training lightly. In fact, I think he could actually qualify for Boston at this year's Boston. Anyway, we ran together about 5 miles before he had to turn right and I had to turn left. After we split off I picked it up slightly for the return trip back to the parking lot.

The temp was about 55 degrees, beautiful weather for running. The run went by quickly but I didn't run too fast or too slow.

Average pace: 8:34

I did go to the Y this morning but I did not run. I did some time on the bike and rower and then some upper and lower body weights. I thought about getting on the treadmill for at least a couple of miles but decided against it. Instead I thought I would run Sammy around the loop tonight after work. That would be much more enjoyable for both of us.

I think I might have said this last week, but tomorrow I will run long! (hopefully 16 miles).

 p.m. - I ran the loop with Sammy, 1.7 miles in 15:30

Today's run went well. I ran alone at Starkey park. I woke up at 6:15, did my usual morning routine, drove to Starkey, stretched out a little bit, and walked to the bike path.

It was nice and cool out at the start, the first few miles were slow. 16 seemed like a long way to go because I hadn't run that far for a while. I tried not to think about it and as the miles went by I was able to go faster with less effort.

There weren't very many runners out, mainly bikers. As I approached the Suncoast highway trail my task at hand no longer seemed so great. I took a left onto that trail and headed north for a bit. Finally, I got to the turnaround point which always feels good. Still 8 miles to go but it's almost always easier on the way back. Fortunately, today was no different. I picked it up the last few miles. I didn't have to stop because I had just enough accelerade in my fuel belt that I didn't need to top it off with water. It was getting warmer out so if it had gotten just a little bit warmer or I was going a little bit longer I met have needed more.

As I approached the last mile I had thought I might back it down and relax a little bit. However, my pace had picked up some more just before that and I decided to hold the faster pace. I finished the last mile in 6:53.

Average pace: 8:00

There were delicious banana pancakes waiting for me at home that Jenny had made, she is an awesome cook! 

My parents invited the boys over for a sleepover.  So, I had the rare treat of being able to run with Jenny.  We tried out a new running spot, the Upper Tampa Bay trail.  It was quite nice.  Very picturesque, lots of shade, good facilities.  We ran north up the trail until the end, since we started in the middle of the trail, the end was about 4 miles.  Eventually they will extend it to connect with the Suncoast trail which connects to the Starkey park trail.

We were at a nice even pace throughout the run.  We chatted some but mostly just enjoyed each other's company and the perfect weather.  

Average pace: 9:26 

After the run we stopped at Panera for a bagel and coffee.

Today's run actually works out really well since we will be driving all day on Saturday and part of Sunday so I'm going to basically shift my running week one day to the left. 

Yesterday turned into a very busy and tiring day - but also very fun with the afternoon spent on the water.  So, my goal for this morning was to get the job done.

My legs felt dead at first.  I usually don't get this, more typical is tightness down by my shins.  The deadness cleared up after the first mile then things went pretty smoothly.

The other odd thing today was that the last mile didn't feel great, usually this is the best mile for me but today it was maybe the 3rd or 4th best mile.

The running route was starting from the Y and through 3 different neighborhoods around there.  Temp was very pleasant in mid 60's but there was some wind here and there to do battle with.

Average pace: 8:16 

It will be sort of a tough week for running since I need to get all my miles in before Saturday including a long run since we'll be driving most of Saturday and Sunday. 

LOST AND FOUND DOG

This morning I had no idea what kind of run to expect. I was just going to do 9 and see what happened. I got moving but was slow at first. Something in my left hip was bothering me slightly, it felt like it might loosen up.

Less than a half mile from home a dog came running after me. I wasn't sure at first if it was a friendly dog or not. I told him to go away. He stopped at first, but when I started to run he ran after me. He was a cute brown mixed breed dog around 30-40 pounds, similar to my brown dogs. I then ran after him and he seemed to be leading me. We started going around the neighborhood loop with him in the lead. People were looking at me like I was a bad dog owner taking his dog out for a run with no leash. I caught up to the dog to check for an address on his dog tag. He lay down on his back while I checked. No address, just the rabies vaccination information. I thought I would go with the dog around the loop until we got back to my house so I could call the dog's vet. The dog started slowing down and I thought maybe we should go the short way back, maybe this was an older dog and he was getting tired? Finally the dog turned down a side street. I saw a man get out of his car in the driveway with an exasperated but relieved look on his face, his dog had come home now.

So, this was good for an interesting one mile warm up at an 11:30 pace. I got back to my normal route, heading down the old road towards Thousand Oaks and then into Trinity Oaks, looping through there and heading back.

The rest of my run went pretty well, I didn't go too fast and did not try to make up lost time. My hip was ok, I'll just keep an eye on it and maybe not do the planned tempo run tomorrow.

Average pace: 8:37

This morning's run didn't quite work out they way I had planned but I did get something in.   After yesterday's issue with my hip I spent some time in the hot tub last night which seemed to help.

This morning I went to the Y, did some warm up on cardio machines inside then headed outside for a run, hoping for 7 or 8 miles.   As soon as I started it didn't not feel right.  I haven't pinpointed the exact spot but it's around my hip flexor on my left side but it is not the hip flexor.  The pain is not terrible but hurts on each step even if going slow.

So, I went back inside, got on another machine for a bit, and did some weights.  Now, I felt a little bit better.  I got onto a treadmill and won't slowly.  I gradually picked up until I was at a 9 minute pace.  It felt better as I kept on going but did not completely clear up.  At this point I was running out of time so I only did 3.25 miles.    Hopefully I can shake this soon.

This morning's run was pretty good. My hip was back to Tuesday's level, maybe slightly better. I think the hot tub last night helped out, along with some advil.

I ran from the Y, initially on an out and back course which would have been 6 miles if I stuck to that. I was feeling good enough that I added a little bit on during the return trip. The weather was nice again this morning but the air is starting to change and it won't be long before the morning's are not so cool.

Average pace: 8:30 

I biked the boys to school so Jenny could get her run in before it got even warmer out. I like taking the boys to school, it's good to spend a little more time with them and it is also a good post run cool down.

Hopefully I can have another decent run tomorrow, if I'm back to normal I'll try for 12.

I did my long run one day earlier than originally planned since I'll be driving most of the day tomorrow.  Ideally I would have done 18 miles but I'm not 100%.  So, considering the circumstances 14 was pretty good.

 I woke up a little bit earlier and got moving just before 6:30.  I headed out of our neighborhood, down the old road to Trinity Blvd. and then into Trinity Oaks.  I kept on going towards the horse farm (well, they used to have horses there at least) and turned around once I got there.  I headed back the same way except I stayed on Kinsmere to Hawbuck, across Little road and then back through Thousand Oaks West, and then home.

First 3 miles were slow (did not break 9:00), gradually got faster as I warmed up and then kept the miles between 7:45 and 8:15. 

Average pace: 8:22

It felt good to get this run out of the way since the trip to Texas will require some adjusting of my usual running routines. 

Still having some hip issues on my left side, it was no worse today during the run than yesterday, but after the run I felt it a little bit more than yesterday.
 

Yikes!

Over one week now without any running.

 Basically, what happened is when I got to work, a week ago Friday, my left hip was hurting me.  It hadn't hurt during the run but was hurting later.  At first I thought, no problem, I'll just take off a couple of days and then be better.

Saturday morning - still hurting, getting ready for trip, problems just walking around, spent rest of the day in the car.

Sunday - more driving, stayed off my feet, getting a little bit better.

Monday - still hurting

Tuesday - went to Austin, getting better to walk on.

Wednesday - came home from Austin, stopped at Innerspace caverns, finally started feeling normal.

Thursday - back in Dallas, feeling a lot better unless I tried to walk quickly.

Friday - feeling better, went to the Ft Worth zoo, a little bit sore from walking towards the end of the zoo visit.

Saturday - back in the car to head home.

Sunday - back home at 2:00 pm, took the dogs for a walk with the family, feeling ok but still couldn't walk fast.  Hot tub later, felt better.

Monday (today) - felt a lot better this morning, I don't think I'm 100% yet though.

This whole thing kind of snuck up on me, it didn't feel any worse when I ran on it, the last time I ran.  This usually means that it is ok to run.  So often, I have run, where it didn't feel so great starting out but once you get going, or after the run, whatever it is has cleared up.

Well, hopefully I can get over this.  I'll tread lightly and come back slowly for now.  I should be able to walk fast without any problems before trying to run.  I might also have to spend more time in the pool.
 

I went to the Y today.  It felt good to do at least something.  I warmed up on some of the cardio machines to see which ones might work the best for me now.  I treaded very lightly and decided I would stop even if I imagined any pain.  I did a few minutes on the bike, a little bit on the rower and then some on the arc trainer. 

Next I did some upper body weights.  This was my main workout and I think it went pretty well.  I had read recently that you can maintain or even improve your lactic threshold with weight lifting.  It would be nice if that turns out to be true. 

So, the real test now is to see how I feel the rest of the day, tonight and tomorrow morning when I wake up.  If I feel the same or better, then maybe I will do just a little bit more tomorrow. 

Another day of very light cardio today.  I did 10 minutes on the bike at a slightly higher resistance than yesterday, and 10 minutes on the arc trainer followed finally by 2 minutes on the rower.

I only did 2 minutes on the rower because I was either starting to feel something or at last thought I was feeling something so I played it safe.

 Overall, so far so good.  This morning I felt pretty good and have felt good so far during the day.
 

Another cross training day.  I stepped things up one small notch from last time.  10 minutes on the bike at slightly higher resistance once again, then 16 minutes on the arc trainer (I had planned on doing only 15, kept going, but then decided to quit while I was ahead).

Then I did some upper body weights, as well as some push ups and two sets of pull-ups.  So, this morning I felt like I did more than just show up at the gym.

No pain still a couple hours later.

Another day of non-running cardio and weights. I tested out my legs on the treadmill but it did not take long before I knew that I was not ready to run.  It hurt from the start, not quite a stabbing pain but somewhat pronounced.  I made a few different attempts while on the treadmill, starting out from a walk and trying to progress to a slow jog (5 mph). 

The rest of the cardio felt really good, I felt stronger than last week.

So, after two weeks of no running I made an appointment with the doctor for this Thursday.

In any event I'll just keep taking it easy and doing what I can until I'm better.  On the bright side this could be the time that I finally learn how to become a better swimmer!

I decided to up things a little bit this morning.  I was not going to try running again but would do some non-running cardio.   For some reason I did get on the treadmill and walked a bit, but could not turn up the speed very much so was only on it for a few minutes.

I got on the bike for 15 minutes, that felt pretty good.

I then got on the arc trainer and did 21 minutes there.  I can use my arms a lot on that machine so it works out well.

Then I went home, got ready and then went to work.

Later in the afternoon I'm not sure if I was hurting or not.  There wasn't really any pain but there was something.  So, I'll take tomorrow off completely.

As promised I did not exercise today.  As hard as that is, it is probably better since my doctor's appointment is soon and I might as well wait to here what she recommends.

No running or cardio this morning. I figured I would wait for the Dr.'s appointment.

So I just got back from the appointment and so far so good. X-ray looked good and doctor's assessment based on moving my leg around in variable positions looked good. She does not think it is a stress fracture. My hips do look tilted so I'll start PT next week. I have an MRI scheduled for tonight.

One thing that I really like about this doctor is that you get the feeling that her goal is to get you back running. No running at all would be prescribed only if absolutely necessary.

It was kind of neat that both the doctor and the nurse saw me win at the 5K, I don't remember seeing them there but I'm not good at recognizing people when they are not wearing what you usually see them wearing. 

On Monday I'll have a follow up appointment to go over the MRI results.

Mainly cardio cross training this morning.  I did 10 minutes on the bike and then 30 minutes on the arc trainer.  I was feeling pretty good after the arc trainer so decided to give the treadmill one small try.   Since the Dr. said yesterday that it was probably not a stress fracture, and since she also said to just use pain as a guide - if it hurts don't do it, I figured it would be ok to try.

I started out really slow (4.2) and slowly increased the speed until I eventually made it up to 6.4.  I don't think there is any pain and now a couple of hours has  passed and I think I'm still ok.

Hopefully I'll get the green light on Monday for more and then the physical therapy should help things along to get me back to normal. 

Mostly cross training and another attempt at running.  Did 30 minutes on the arc trainer, 10 minutes on the bike and then got onto the treadmill.  I was hoping to do 3 miles.  If it didn't hurt I would go to 3 and call it a success, otherwise I would stop earlier.  It felt about the same as yesterday.  I thought about going to 2 miles, but the pain was just enough that I decided it wasn't worth it since I don't know 100% what is causing it.  Hopefully I'll find out on Monday.

Overall, it was nearly an hour of pretty good cardio. 

10 minute warm up on the bike, then upper body weights. Just under an hour total with the bike and weights.

Just got back from Dr.'s appointment,  no stress fracture!

Well, it still hurts to run on it though, but hopefully PT will  help get it sorted out tomorrow.

I did 10 minutes on the bike, then stretched a bit, then did 10 minutes on the arc trainer and stretched a little bit more.   Then I got onto the treadmill for another try at running.  It felt a little bit better than last time.  I think I could have gone farther but wanted to see what the physical therapist was going to recommend.

One thing that was promising is that I didn't feel like I had "forgotten" how to run.  It didn't seem odd or unfamiliar.  Now, if I can just get my hips straightened out or whatever it is that is going on. 

I got to my PT appointment on time (well sort of).  First appointment is not until tomorrow, oh well. 

AM 

I went to the Y this morning and did some cardio. I thought I would hold off until running until after PT later in the morning. I did 12 minutes on the bike then 30 minutes on the arc trainer.

Went to 9:30 appointment. Explained my symptoms and what led up to it. Took him about 5 minutes to figure things out. It was basically the same thing as last time only on the other side and more off balance than last time. The last time I could still run ok but had trouble with ab work.

He did some adjustments and then had me get on the treadmill for 5 minutes. It was the most pain free since this began. He wants me to do 5 miles some time today on a treadmill so I can stop if there is any pain. If that goes ok, then do try for 8 on Thursday, then come back and see him again on Friday to see if I'm still straightened out.

PM

I stopped by the house quickly to change then headed over to the Y.  I warmed up 8 minutes on the arc trainer then stretched my hip flexors then got on the treadmill.  I started out at just over 5 mph and gradually upped it until at 6.5.   It felt pretty good although maybe not 100%.  There were times when I wanted to go faster but I held back because I really want to be able to run tomorrow.  Felt pretty good at the end of the run.  Hopefully I'll still be in good shape in the morning.

It was an amazing feeling to be able to run again.

I started this run with a mix of hope and apprehension.  I can't afford any more mistakes right now and I didn't want to undo any progress that I had made but was hopeful I can pull things together.

I wanted to do 8 miles but left work a little bit late and hit some traffic on the way to the Y so only had time for 7 by the time I had to leave to bring Noah home.

Warmed up 8 minutes on the elliptical (all the arc trainers were busy), then got onto the treadmill.  I didn't feel great at first and thought about playing it safe but figured I would see if I'd feel better once I had loosened up.  By 6 miles I was starting to feel back to normal, maybe not 100% but getting closer.

I finished up the 7 miles in 62:52 (just under 9:00 minute pace, yay!), then got Noah from the Tae Kwon Do classroom where Jenny and Andy were also.  Noah and I headed home then got into the pool.  We swam for a while, nothing too demanding just having fun and loosening up.  Spent about 15 minutes in the hot tub.   Hour after the run and still felt ok.

Slept in a little bit while Jenny got up to do her run.  Had breakfast with the family (some awesome pancakes that Jenny made!) then headed to my PT appointment.  He adjusted me some more and stretched me out too.  Still feeling ok from yesterday's run.  Two good things about this are that my hip area does not feel any worse than yesterday and I don't feel any other soreness from running 7 miles after not running for a few weeks.  I was afraid it would be a big shock to my system but fortunately it was not.

It felt like it had been forever since I did a long run. I set my stuff out the night before but still hadn't decided on where I was going to run until I left the house. I went to Starkey park and brought my bike so I could warm up before running. I rode the bike around for about 10 minutes before stretching. The air was a chilly 58° with a little bit of fog in the air.  I saw a deer while riding the bike.  I was dressed for running, not bike riding so it felt quite chilly while I was riding.

I walked down the path to the main bike trail. I chatted a bit with a guy I had run into before who was going to do 14 miles. I was hoping to get 10 miles done today. I started running, very slowly at first.  I saw the man with the well behaved doberman.  I'm not sure what time he starts but he's always on his way back when I see him.  It hurt a little bit but felt like it might loosen up. It got better after a mile. At 3 miles I ran into Eudair coming back from her run. I hadn't seen her in quite some time. We chatted for a few minutes and then I got going again. That was the first test, I was afraid it would be tough to get going again after stopping but actually it felt easier. At 4 miles I was feeling even better and was soon at 5.  Sometime around 4 miles, Eudair's husband came zipping by on his bike and said hi as he passed me.  I decided to keep going until I hit 6 miles. It felt good but I was a little bit afraid that I would pay for it on the way back.

I turned around and started back. 7 miles, so far so good. Now the sun was up and it was getting a bit warmer especially in the open areas. At 9 miles everything was still good. Actually it felt pretty good until sometime just past 11 miles. Both my legs were hurting but not due to my injury, just from the lack of running. It wasn't terrible but I was glad when the run was done.  The temp at the end of the run was 76º .  I stretched for a bit then headed home and swam in the pool about 15 minutes to try and loosen up.

So, it wasn't my best run ever but considering the circumstances it was a great run. In some ways it felt like I was "back" but then again I'm not quite there yet.  Hopefully I can have a good recovery tomorrow and be ready for a shorter run on Monday.

Average pace: 9:05

Today was another test.  The monday after the long run.  It went pretty good.  I spent a lot of time warming up and did the run on the treadmill.  First mile was slow and painful until I started to loosen up.  I did 3.2 miles, then the treadmill stopped at 30 minutes, so I got off and stretched for a little bit.  Got back on and it was much easier to get started again.  Did 3.8 miles in 32:20, but this time I was ready for it stopping at 30 minutes and hit the quick start button to keep things going.

Now, if I can just get rid of that pain in the first mile.... 

Average pace: 8:55

 Went to another PT appointment.  He did some more adjustments on my back and lots of stretching on my left hip flexor and then showed me some stretches.  He cleared me for more running.

Yesterday I was planning on either not running today or doing something very short and light.  However, my PT said try and get back into your normal routine, which would be 8, so that's what I did today.

I went to the Y and did a good warm up on the arc trainer and rower, then did some stretching.  

As a little bit of a compromise, I decided to do half on the treadmill and half outside.  I got on the treadmill and it only took a half mile before it did not hurt.  Did 4 miles in 34:30.  One of the miles was at 7:53 to see what it would be like.

Then I headed outside, first mile was a little bit slower then I got back into an almost normal pace with a very slight pickup at the end.  Just over 4 miles at 8:45 pace.

As I was running it occurred to me what one of my main problems is with running around neighborhoods.  I couldn't think of it before because I knew I was frequently varying my route so that wasn't the problem.  But, the problem is that when running on a road, and running against traffic like you are supposed to do, the left leg is always on the edge of the road.  When I see a car coming I always move over as far to the left as possible which means running with one leg in the gutter.  This may not be my only problem but it really must have been aggravating things. 

Went back inside did some cool down and more stretching.

 So far so good.  I'm starting to get some more cautious optimism :)

I went to the Y this morning and warmed up on the arc trainer and then stretched a bit.  Next, I got onto the treadmill for 1.1 miles.   First 1/2 mile hurt a bit with the pain subsiding after that.

Then I headed outside to run.  Thankfully, it was a very nice morning outside to run.  Run went ok, a little bit of pain, not much, just enough to remind me that it is there.  The pace was actually pretty good.  I'm slowly getting faster.  Average pace was 8:35 with one of the miles at 7:40 to test out how it felt at that speed.   For some reason I felt a little bit disappointed, although I should not have.   Just being able to run 7 miles is huge progress from where I was at.

Another PT appointment.  He worked on my spine a little bit.  That seemed to help as he had me  go on the treadmill before and after the adjustment.  He also showed me another stretch to do.  This one is asymmetrical  so I'm sure I probably won't be doing it forever.  As usual he commented on how tight I am.  Actually he said that I'm probably the tightest person he has ever worked on.  I'm not sure if he says this to all of his patients but if that is true I must be way too tense.

So, looking back on the morning I can see that I am getting better, and that further running is not damaging my body.

I was mainly going to just do some non-running cardio and some weights.  But, I wanted to see if any of yesterday's adjustments would allow me to start out pain free.  I warmed up on the arc trainer and then stretched, including the new stretch I was shown yesterday.  

Then I got onto the treadmill, but it was about the same as yesterday, moderate pain for 1/2 mile which then tapers off to very mild pain and eventually almost unnoticeable.

Then a did 10 minutes on the bike and then some upper body weights.

Ok, once more on the treadmill.  Same thing as first time, oh well.

Overall it was a pretty good workout since it was just over an hour of constantly doing stuff and getting my shirt drenched in sweat. 

 I woke up a few minutes earlier than yesterday, fed the dogs and made it over to the Y.  I warmed up on the elliptical, did some stretching, got on the bike a few more minutes and did a little more stretching.  Then I got onto the treadmill, and for the first time it did not hurt starting out.  It felt like what it had been feeling after the first 1/2 mile on other days.  I gradually increased the pace but kept it nice and slow for a total of 1.1 miles.

I did just a little bit more stretching and headed outside, cautious at first, but still no pain.  I wanted to do at least 5 but the route I took added a little more on than I thought. 3 of the miles were at around an 8:00 pace.  Total run outside was 6.34 miles.

Average pace: 8:26

This was by far my best run since my problems started.  It was a bit hot and humid this morning but that didn't seem to bother me too much. 

Then I went to physical therapy, no harsh adjustments today, mainly observation and stretching.  I was a little bit rotated but he said that it stretched right out - by stretching my left hip flexor.  He then had me run a little bit on the treadmill for evaluation, just over 1/2 mile.

I can't believe I did it!  One more milestone.  Last week's 12 was pretty hard, this week's 16 might have actually been slightly easier if it wasn't so warm and humid this morning.

I woke up at 6:00.  My alarm was set for 5:40, unfortunately that was 5:40 pm.  I'm glad I didn't sleep in too late.  When I stepped outside it already felt warm.  I drove over to Starkey park, already the temp was 78° , humidity was in the 90's, it felt more like July or August.   Looks like summer is here.

I got to the parking lot about 6:45 and wanted to get going right away.  I walked quickly on the path to the bike trail for my warm up.  Then stretched at a bench.  The bugs were bugging me so I didn't spend too much time stretching.  There were mosquitoes and horse flys.  I wish I had put on some bug repellent, oh well.   Start of the run was much better than one week ago.  It wasn't quite as good as yesterday though but I didn't have time for a huge elaborate warm up.

I was finally off, at a slow speed, but not that slow, first mile just under 10:00, then some miles in the low 9:00's  I stopped often.   They have some nice ice cold water every 2-3 miles.  I had accelerade with me but I would drink some and top it off with cold water.

I made it to the end of the Starkey park trail and was at the Suncoast trail.  I went right instead of left like I usually do just to be different.  I was finally starting to feel a little bit faster.  I went south about 1.5 miles then turned back, went past the Starkey trail entrance to the water cooler.  Stopped there for a bit to wet myself down with cold water and chatted with a cyclist.  Started out again and felt very fresh.  Made it to the next water stop, with 4 miles left to go and repeated the last stop.

I took the last miles one mile at a time, feeling fairly miserable at the time.  For the final mile I picked it up just a bit and finished it just under 8:00.

I headed home and spent quite a bit of time cooling down in the pool and loosening up.  I was glad to be able to finish the full 16 miles (I was hoping for 14-16 miles).

Looking back on the run now I'd say it went pretty well.   I feel like I'm way off from where I used to be but I'm getting back there.  I'm pretty happy with my mileage for the week also.

Average pace: 8:47  (I did not count all the breaks, I wanted to make myself feel better about the time )

The whole family ran this race today. It was almost just Jenny running it but Andy said he wanted to do it and therefore Noah reluctantly agreed. I was going to stay with the boys and count this as a recovery run from yesterday's long run.

Andy, Noah, and I did about a 1/2 mile warm up before the race.

We started out together and Jenny took off. Andy, Noah and I were together about the first 1/2 mile. I told Andy that if Noah needed a walk break he could go ahead, so at about the 1/2 mile mark he pulled away from us. Noah was hanging in but was feeling very discouraged at about 1 mile. We made it to the water stop and saw Andy coming the other way after the turnaround, he looked really strong. Jenny was doing great also.

This was Noah's first 5k race so I did have to resort to some bribery. I offered him 5 oz. of Jelly Belly jelly beans, he said "Six!", so I said ok. Approaching 2 miles I had to up the ante a little bit and added one more ounce. There was a boy we kept on catching up to who would then surge ahead past us until he got tired. This went on a few times and was probably a good distraction for Noah. Soon we saw the little parking lot where we turned around for our warm up, this helped out Noah because now he knew we were close. Then we saw the 3 mile sign and he really perked up. Next, we saw Andy who had already finished and was looking out for us, he said "The finish line is just up ahead Noah!". Once Noah saw the finish line he took off faster than a speeding bullet. Up to this point I was worried that I was pushing Noah too hard (it was kind of warm and humid this morning). With Noah charging towards the finish chute people were cheering. I crossed right behind him.

We stuck around for the prizes. While we were waiting we saw 3 baby alligators in the lake. They had Dunkin Donuts as well as some healthy things like bananas, but they ran out of coffee.

Here's the results:

Jenny: 26:03 (PR)

Andy: 31:46

Noah: 37:32

Mark: 37:33

Jenny and Andy submitted their results as a Mother-Son team. They won! Andy was so excited.

Andy's time was a little slower than last year, but this year he did it all by himself. No pacer, no watch, no ipod. There are several small bridges in the park. He said he would read the weight limit signs on the bridges on the way out and back to keep his mind busy. Noah said that he couldn't run this far several times, now he knows he can, and Jenny had a PR and was able to watch her boys finish strong on Mother's Day. I got to have two donuts :)

Woke up earlier than usual because I had an 8:00 PT appointment. Went to the Y, warmed up on the elliptical, stretched a bit, biked some, then stretched some more. Ran 1.2 miles on the treadmill then headed outside.

It was only a couple degrees cooler this morning than the past few mornings but the humidity was way down so it was a very pleasant 75° at the start. It was also nice to be running pre-dawn. I did 4.8 miles. Typical level of pain, small amount at first, tapering off to a lot less but enough to keep me slower. Felt pretty good at the end.

Average pace: 8:55

Went to PT appointment, I got there about 4 minutes late, but the PT was a couple minutes later than that so my tardiness was excused. Did a couple new stretches on my back, told me that I have some scoliosis (which I already knew). He asked if I thought I could complete a marathon at the level I am it. I said that I could - maybe not in best form but not too bad. He canceled my Wednesday appointment and told me to get a sports massage sometime before Friday and then come in for the Friday appointment.  I did 1/2 mile of running on the treadmill for usual before and after adjustment evaluations.

I was traveling today on a one day trip.  I didn't run at all which is good in a way since I needed a day off from running since I did not take Sunday completely off.

I went to the Y this morning again.

Warmed up 8 minutes on arc trainer, stretched, 5 minutes on bike, stretched some more then got onto the treadmill.

Ran 2.1 miles on the treadmill at an easy pace (started out slow and didn't go too fast at the end). Still a little bit of pain at first.

Ran about 6.35 miles outside. Some of it almost felt good. I had a couple of miles where my speed had picked up to about 7:50 pace.

Average pace (outside): 8:29

The weather was great this morning, I'm enjoying the cool front while it lasts (morning temps in the high 60's).

Another trip to the Y again this morning.  I would like to just run from my house but I have been playing it very safe.  I'm trying to do two things that are usually seen as contrary to each other - recover and ramp up my miles.

Usual new routine - elliptical warm up 8 minutes, stretch, bike 5 minutes, stretch some more then get on the treadmill.  Did 3.25 miles at a nice easy pace starting out slow 12:00 pace and gradually working up to 8:30 pace at the end.

Next I headed outside.   Did 5 miles.  Pace was slightly higher than last time, although I was more warmed up at the start of the outdoor portion.

Average pace (outside): 8:20

Another nice morning outside today. 

Some more treadmill miles today.

This morning's run was significant because it is the second day in a row where I have been able to start my run virtually pain free. I still start out very slow, but it is nice to not have the first mile hurt.

Elaborate warm up and stretch routine followed by 5 miles on the treadmill, with an overall average pace about 8:50.

I had one last PT appointment. Might schedule more after the marathon he thinks he has pretty much done all he can without risking any drastic changes.

Also, I'm going to get a good massage today. I had one earlier this week but I don't think it was thorough enough. The person I'll see for today's massage comes recommended by two of the most experienced runners that I know in person - also two of the people that I know have had plenty of injuries in their time.

Then tomorrow I'm going to try for 20 miles, if it doesn't feel right I might cut it short to 18 but for that I'll have to make the call at 9 miles. It is supposed to be a little bit warmer tomorrow morning than it has been the past few mornings, however still a few degrees cooler than last Saturday's hot and humid run. Will try and get a nice and early start.

PM 

Ran one mile with the boys - Andy and Noah as well as dog Sammy - 11:20 

I can't believe I actually did this run today based on how I felt at the beginning of this month, but I'm extremely grateful I was able to finish all 20 miles with no more than the usual difficulty involved in running 20 miles.

Earlier in the week the weather forecast predicted nice starting temperatures for the run but the forecast gradually got worse during the week and it was pretty much exactly the same conditions as last Saturday, about 78° and humidity in the high 90's.  Fortunately I did get an earlier start than last week.  I started out at the SR 54 entrance to the Suncoast parkway trail, arriving just before 6:00.  Warmed up and stretched a little and got going about 6:05.

Starting out slowly, there was hardly any pain, first mile in 9:50, second mile in 9:01.  There were a few drops of rain here and there which felt very nice, although I was slightly worried that it would start dumping on me but that never happened.

I turned left on the Starkey park trail after going past the entrance to a water stop.  About 8 miles into my run I saw Eric, who was heading out from Starkey park, he said Keith and Dixie were just behind him but I never saw them, they must have turned around before I caught up to them.

As I approached the 10 mile turn around point I was having some doubts about this run but I made it finally and turned around.  At that time I saw Eric once again since he had turned around, asked him to say hi to Keith and Dixie for me.  As I got to 11 miles I was starting to feel more confident.  I had one mile at 7:47 but that may have been a Garmin glitch as the miles before and after it were a lot slower.

I continued picking off the miles and made it back to the Suncoast trail and stopped at the water stop.  Just under 4.5 miles to go now.   I put my ipod on for the rest of the trip.  Kept picking off the miles.  The last 2 miles are always tough on this route because it is straight, boring, very little shade and running alongside the toll road.   I call this good mental toughness training.

Finally I made it.  Drank lots of water at the parking lot, walked around and loosened up enough so I'd be able to drive home without bunching up too much.

 Average pace: 8:35

Run around the neighborhood loop.  Whole family went (except for Chelsea dog).  I had Barbie and Sammy.  Noah and Andy started out in front with Jenny following along with them on the bike.  After getting Sammy to not pull so much, I caught up to Noah and Andy.  Noah would slow down here and there to look at things.  Andy kept on going ahead and I hung back with Noah.

Noah and I finished the loop in 21:32 (12:40 pace).  I'm not sure about Andy but when we were close to finishing he ran back towards us to run with Noah to the finish.  A little bit warm and humid out but good family Sunday after dinner fun. 

Not so bad run this morning considering.

Big deluxe warm up followed by 3.6 miles on the treadmill and then 4 miles outside.

Average pace outside: 8:38

Some soreness in the legs this morning and it was typical Florida morning in May warm and humid.  On the plus side I did the job and I'm over the hump for training with the 20 miler out of the way.  Want to get some good base miles in the next two weeks of running and continue recovering so I can be as close to 100% as possible by June 1st. 

Rest day today.

It worked pretty well last week with Tuesday off so I'll try it again this week.

I did do some bike riding and some stretching this morning. 

This morning's run went a little bit better than expected. I hope I don't pay for it later as I did a few faster miles but nothing too crazy. I warmed up inside on the bike, then stretched and then got onto the treadmill. Slow start with gradually faster speeds until up to 8:20 pace. Total of 2.45 miles on the treadmill averaging a 9:15 pace.

Headed outside, high 70's out already, partly sunny, 75% humidity - could have been worse. Wanted to do a total of at least 8 miles today including treadmill. First mile felt pretty good at 8:37. Next two miles slightly faster. Mile 4 my pace had picked up so I decided to hold it for one mile, that turned into two and then three. Part of this was due to excitement of having a new(ish) Garmin 205. Jenny's friend Kathryn just bought a new Garmin 405 so she sold me her 205 at a price I would have been crazy to turn down - thanks Kathryn!

Miles 4, 5, and 6 were: 7:31, 7:43, 7:34

So the speed is slowly coming back, but there is still a little bit of pain left over which I need to keep an eye on. Mile 7 was slower.

Average pace outside: 8:01

PM 

Ran 1 mile in the evening with Noah, Andy and Sammy.  Trying to get the kids to run 3 days a week. 

This morning I did all my miles on the treadmill.  It's not so bad and seems to have helped my recovery quite a bit.   Warmed up and stretched before getting on the treadmill and then started out slowly.  Played with the speed a little bit here and there, but overall it was kept at a slower pace.  6 miles in 51:30.

I finally took my bike to a repair shop today.  I've been meaning to do this for a while.  This way I could either bike to the Y or just bike around the neighborhood for my running warm up.  It's much nicer when you can just start your run from the front door of your house.  Jenny has been making an extra effort to reduce the number of miles that she drives and has been doing a great job partly by using her bike more.  I feel kind of silly driving my truck 3.5 miles each way so I can go for a run.

Pretty good run from home this morning.  I did one loop around the neighborhood first on my wife's bike (mine is not fixed yet) for a warm up, then I did some stretching.  Started my run nice and easy with a 9:30 for the first mile.  Ran down the old road to Trinity Blvd, then into Thousand Oaks neighborhood with a loop through there, back across Little Road, then through the other Thousand Oaks neighborhood, back onto Trinity blvd and then home.  Kept the pace pretty consistently around 8:30.

Average pace: 8:41

I'm going to get another massage today, the last one was a huge help. 

This morning's run was great, I loved it.  This is as close to back to normal as I have felt in some time.  I woke up early and made it to Starkey park exactly at 6:30 by the time I pulled into the parking lot.  I had called Eudair the night before to see if she wanted to run but she wasn't home so I left a message on her machine.  

I also remembered to bring bug spray as I hate the large buzzing insects that fly around me usually the first 1 or 2 miles.  The weather was actually pretty nice at first, about 71 degrees and slightly foggy.  Starting out didn't hurt but I took it slow and easy.  At about 5 miles I saw Eudair.  She had gotten to the trail about 10 minutes before me.  She was going slow hoping I would catch up.  We went to the end of the Starkey park trail where it tees to the Suncoast trail and we turned back.  Now, it was getting hot, but fortunately the sun was at our backs.  We picked the pace up slightly and did 3 miles at about a 7:50 pace.  It was nice to run with someone else for a change.

Average pace: 8:27 

So, overall, the run went pretty well and I think I'm where I had hoped to be at this point in my recovery/training.  Just one week till the marathon!

I went to the Y so I could do some treadmill miles and then run a little bit outside. First, I warmed up on the bike for 10 minutes then stretched for a bit. I got on the treadmill, starting out slowly at first although maybe slightly faster than on previous days. Felt pretty good. Did 4.25 miles - probably around 8:40 pace average but I'm not entirely sure.

It was a very nice morning today with temps in the mid 60's, finally a nice reprieve from the warm and humid air. Did 3.5 miles at an 8:06 pace.

I got home just after 8:30 (I was supposed to be home between 8:00 and 8:30, sorry Jenny) so that Jenny could bike to the Y with Jodi.

The boys and I headed out for a 1 mile run, about an 11:30 pace overall but with a nice pickup the last 0.2 miles.

Counting down the days now before the marathon.  Went to the Y this morning, warm up, stretch, treadmill.   Got onto one treadmill and it stopped abruptly at 0.45 miles with "Err6" on the screen, so I got onto the one next to it.  Stayed on that one for 4.6 miles.  I had wanted to run outside as it was another very nice morning (about 63º) but I noticed there was nothing on my wrist - no Garmin or watch.   So, it was decided for me that I would run without a watch.

I did the same 3.5 mile loop I did the day before.  I did look at the clock when I left and when I returned but didn't know any of the paces while I was running.  Did the 3.5 miles in 28 minutes (8:00 pace). 

Rest day.  Bike around the neighborhood loop then spent about half an hour stretching.

I ran on the treadmill at the Y this morning.  First, warmed up on the bike for ten minutes and then did some stretching.  Got onto the treadmill, starting out slow.  Slow is getting a little bit faster each time and I need to do slow for a little bit less time.   I had just started to get into a good rhythm about 0.5 miles into the run when I saw one of my shoes was coming untied.  I stopped the treadmill, retied it, but was not fast enough to get going without losing the data, so I started it again.   Stayed on for 6 miles, averaging right at an 8:00 pace, with a little bit faster here and there, followed by slower.   The faster speeds of course felt faster but didn't feel that bad.

When I got home, it was still nice outside, but the nice quickly turns warm by about 9:00 so I agreed to take the kids to school so Jenny could start her run at 8:30.  I biked the kids to school and then came back, then left for work.  Besides being a small activity with the kids its also a good post run cool down. 

One last run before the marathon. It was good get my self acclimated especially after the cross country flight. I ran from my brother's house down to the beach. It was a nice run through town and then onto a beach side path, although there were lots of lights, but I wasn't going for speed, just stretching out my legs. Returned back the same way, it was more uphill than I thought it would be but didn't feel too tough. I checked the elevation at my brother's house - about 280 feet. That was good news because I knew that I would have a similar climb spread out over 4 miles at the marathon and I had just done it spread over 2.5 it it wasn't all that bad. Obviously I don't get much practice on any type of uphill so this was a good confidence booster.

Average pace: 9:07

It was a pretty good month considering the slow start with the injury.  I somehow managed 193 miles and still got better.  Lots of easy miles, some of them on the treadmill,  some help from Joe, my PT, and 3 massages over 3 weeks.

It was great weather and a really fun course. A few months ago I was hoping for a faster time, then at one point I had come close to scrapping this marathon completely, which turned into I think I can complete it but it will be real slow, finally to "I'll see what I can do"

Having missed a full month of running, followed by building back up with lots of slower miles including some treadmill miles I came back pretty well and came pretty close to being back to 100%.

The traffic to get to the race was rather heavy. With less than a mile to get to the start line cars were crawling. So, finally at 6:00 I did what others were doing, and got out of the car and walked the rest of the way while my brother stayed in the car and headed towards the spectator parking.

I made it to my corral after a good walking warm up including a pretty big hill up Laurel Street. I grabbed some salt packets at the corral entrance and took one, finishing off my Gatorade. Before I knew it, it was time to start and we were off. Not sure what kind of pace I was going to get, but I would soon find out. Despite the crowds I managed a 7:57 for the first mile, feeling pretty good. The next 5 miles were downhill over about a 275 foot drop to downtown. I made up a little bit of time but did not want to get too carried away.

While running through downtown I saw a guy with no shirt on who had written on his back "Follow me to Boston - 3:20", his name was Kenny. He was planning on doing a negative split. I ran with him for a while but eventually pulled ahead as I didn't want to have to do too much of a negative split. Besides I wasn't really planning on going for BQ today but hadn't ruled it out either.

Just after seven miles the course began to climb back up the to the starting elevation. From yesterday's run I knew it wouldn't be that tough. At about mile 9, I saw my brother and his family, they had made two signs, one with a big smiley face and one that said "Uncle Mark Rocks!". They had found a really good spot to cheer me on along the 163 Highway. There weren't many people around them as it didn't look very easy to get to. I was curious as to how they could have gotten there with two small kids, oh well, they had done it and I was glad to see them.

At about 9.8 miles one of the volunteers shouted - "you're almost at the top of the hill!", then i was going down hill for the next 3.3 miles or so. It felt really good. Again, I tried not to get too carried away as there was still a lot more running to go.

The course flattened out and I was continuing to make pretty good splits.

Then, at about 16 point something miles I ran into a glitch. My pace started slowing dramatically, but I didn't feel slower. Maybe I was crashing? But I didn't seem to be slowing compared to others. I was fiddling with my Garmin, then I looked up and could see Kenny's back, up ahead a little bit. He had started his negative split and was moving pretty good.

I saw the 17 mile sign, but my Garmin said said 16.77 miles. Well that explains the pace. Then the pace was gone. I tried turning it off and back on but it never found the signal again. Now, it was just a stopwatch. And now, I was no longer going to be able to stick to a pace by watching my Garmin. I managed to hang in there and saw that I wasn't slowing down that much, however I was slowing down a bit but nothing too drastic.

Miles 21 - 25 were not very pleasant. The scenery wasn't very nice for much of it. But I was picking off the miles. I wasn't sure what kind of time I would get, but my whole strategy was to just keep going and try to keep it under 8:00, which I pretty much did.

Finally I saw the entrance to the Marine Corps base, knowing the finish line was close, and it was!

Here are my chip splits:

10K - 48:07
Half - 1:40:57
21M - 2:42:32
Finish - 3:24:18

There were many good things about this race, it was a lot of fun and it was great to see my brother and his family (I think they must have almost walked a marathon distance to see me, including climbing over a fence and down a steep highway embankment to see me run). While I was running, I thought about the people who would be watching my times online each time I made it to one of the chip sensor mats - Jenny and her friends and family, my brother Jim, and my running friends. There were a lot of people supporting me so that I could make it to the finish line. I was glad that I hadn't scratched doing this one, and had made it to see Dr. Denys who said nothing was broken, then Joe the PT who helped fix me and told me to get a good sports massage, and Jessica, my massage therapist, who helped fix me the rest of the way.

Thanks everyone!

Well, after 1 week off from running I had to start somewhere. As promised, I finally rode my bike to the Y instead of driving, I had been holding off until after the marathon. So, the bike ride was the warm up (about 20 minutes). Ran on the treadmill for 2.5 miles. Felt pretty good, although I could tell that there was still some knots in my calves left over from the marathon that just need to get run out.

Sammy woke me up at 4:30 this morning, barking at something (not quite sure what).  I had some trouble going back to sleep but was able to finally fall asleep just before having to wake up just after 6:00.  I did a loop around the neighborhood on the bike.  The air felt nice and cool this morning.  I went back inside and stretched a little bit and told Jenny that I was going for my run now so she could be ready when I got back.   I just ran 3.4 miles at an average pace of 8:34.  First 1/2 mile felt a little bit hard and sluggish and I realized that this was my first run outside since the marathon.  After 1 mile I was feeling pretty good.  Left calf was a bit better today, it's working itself out.   And of course yesterday mornings massage really helped!  I was starting to get spoiled with these, having had 4 in the past month to help my recovery (3 for the injury and one for post marathon).   Next one won't be for another month, so hopefully that is not being too spoiled :)

I had thought about doing 5 miles but since the sun was getting higher and since I'm trying to be careful, I cut it a little bit short.

I'm going to run a 5K on Saturday, but slower since I'll be running with Noah.   There should be lots of people there from my running group so that will be good to catch up with them. 

Another day of getting back to normal.   Once again the weather was fairly decent, those days are numbered so I'm enjoying them while they last.  I did my new warm up, a loop around the neighborhood on my bike, then did some stretching.  At the last minute I decided on a route - out to SR 54, up Starkey Blvd until I had run far enough and then back.

Started out slowly, and gradually settled into a comfortable pace, like yesterday, first 0.5 miles were uncomfortable, not painful, just slow and a little bit stiff in my lower legs.   Kept moving and felt better.  I cared a small bottle filled with accelerade, which I might have gotten by without it this morning but I figured why not bring some?  since it doesn't bother me too much to carry it.

Average pace: 8:47 

It felt good to get more than just a couple of miles or so.  Feeling back to normal almost. 

The mileage is kind of a guesstimate.   I was out of town on Thursday.  I was staying at a hotel in the Atlanta area and planned on doing about 4 on the treadmill.   There were three treadmills, two busy and one broken.  I got on the elliptical for a little bit and almost thought about scrapping the run but it was a pretty decent weather outside.  I wasn't familiar with any of the roads or where to run but I could hear  Sasha's voice telling me to just go outside and run around the parking lot.

Well, actually it was nicer than that, the hotel was next to a strip mall on one side and an office park 1/4 mile down the road.   So I was able to do a big loop through the connecting parking lots and drives.  I ran for 27.5 minutes but ran out of time otherwise I would have done more since I was feeling pretty good at the end of the run.  It was pretty hilly and I wasn't going all that fast but not too slow so I'm going to put down 3.1 miles for this run. 

Back at home this morning. It was nice that I didn't get in very late last night so I woke up feeling pretty fresh. I needed to be back home by about 10 minutes before 8 so Jenny could get to the Y early enough. I woke up a little bit early and rode my bike to the Y. I shaved off some time since the last time I rode there, down to about 15 minutes.

I hit the treadmill for 4.1 miles, overall pace was about 8:25 with some playing around with the speed. Did some weights (just leg extensions and bench press), then biked back just in time.

Jenny left for the Y and I spent some time doing some stretching and some other exercises.

Calf tightness from the beginning of the week is completely gone. I still can feel a little bit in my hip in the injury area if I speed up, so I'm going to keep the speed down for a while but add back in some of the miles.

I was originally going to run with Noah and Jenny was going to run with Andy, but Noah had skipped a lot of his training and Jenny's abs were pretty sore from a Tae Kwon Do class, so I ran with Andy instead and Jenny and Noah cheered us on. It was a really nice course along the Cotee river, with lots of shade trees. Weather was a little bit warm but pretty decent for June. There were also lots of my running friends there who I had not seen for a while.

Andy's last 5k was about a month ago with a 31:40 time, which he ran by himself. For this one he had done some pretty regular training. So, I knew he was capable of going faster but didn't want to push him too hard and risk blowing a PR (as well as possibly turning him off to running). So, the goal was to break 30:00.

Andy, Noah and I did a brief warm up (0.33 miles) while we were waiting, then Andy and I headed over to the starting line.

The gun went off and we took off with the crowd (about 300 or so people I think). We took off a little bit too fast, first mile at 9:07. Andy was holding up pretty good. Second mile was 9:36 which included a brief slowdown at the water stop. Still, well on track for sub 30:00. Once we were in the last mile Andy was going a little bit faster, especially at the 2.5 mile point. Last mile came in about 9:05.

We went through the finish chute but did not look at the clock and I forgot to turn off my Garmin until a little bit later (I stopped it at 28:55). Waiting on the results to get posted.

They had really great refreshments - lots of fresh fruit, muffins, Carraba's Italian restaurant food, Smoothie King, Starbucks coffee. One of the amazing things was that this was an inaugural 5K. The organizers included people from my running group, some people from the Y and running coach from the local high school. It was very well run.

Andy got a medal for first place in the boys 9 and under group, and Jenny's friend Jodi got first place in her age group. When they called out the name for 1st place, 9 and under Andy's heart sank - they were one letter off on the last name so he thought it was someone else (now that would have been a real bummer if there really was a 9 year old boy whose first and last names were the same except for one letter!) Jenny felt a little bit left out because lots of people did well today, sorry about that Jenny. Thanks for letting me run this one!

I biked up to the Y this morning (about 15 minutes). Stretched, got onto the treadmill for 30 minutes (3.55 miles), then ran outside. A bit warm and humid but I didn't mind because I wasn't going too far, 4.01 miles at 7:54 pace. Back inside to stretch and do some lower body weights then got on my bike and rode home. It felt good today to get back to a more typical amount of miles for me. I'm also starting to really like the bike ride. My gas mileage has improved because this means I'm cutting out a bunch of short stop and go trips for the week.

It was a pretty good run this morning.  It keeps getting warmer but the beginning of the run is not too bad.   Warm up on the bike with one loop around the neighborhood followed by some stretching.   I felt a little bit sluggish at first, and ended up stopping briefly after 1 mile to try and loosen up - felt better after that and kept going.   Part of the reason for the sluggish start might have been that I skipped my first thing in the morning snack which I never do.

Average pace: 8:12 

Able to get back home by a about 7:45 so Jenny could get started before 8:00 and not have to suffer too much - she contemplated heading to the Y for the treadmill but decided to just go out and do it.

No running today.

 I did bike to the Y, did lower body weights, then biked home.

Still aiming for low 30's this week before adding some more miles the next week.
 

Nice run to help get me ready for the day.  I have an interviewee coming in today, it's not stressful but just out of my ordinary routine, so I was feeling a little bit off.   I woke up and got going without too much delay this morning.  Rode the bike around the neighborhood for a warm up, stretched a bit then headed back out for my run.  It had been raining last night so it was a little bit cooler this morning with good cloud cover.   Started out nice and slow and about a mile into the run I stopped to retie my shoe.  Then it started to rain but not very heavy.  I think it pretty much rained the rest of the run but very lightly, almost like a mist.

Ran the route from my house, out onto 54, up Starkey Blvd and then back.   As usual the return trip was faster.  Last mile was about a 7:20ish pace.

Average pace: 8:20 

Jenny said I looked very "wet" when I walked back in the door.  At that point I realized that I felt a lot warmer than I had thought so I got into the pool for a couple of minutes.   This was almost a disaster because I forgot to remove my Garmin.   Fortunately I didn't really go that deep into the water so I think it should be ok.   whoops! 

Biked up to the Y this morning. Did some stretching, got onto the treadmill. Jenny's friend Kathryn has been running on various treadmills and comparing them to the results on her Garmin 405 with foot pod and seeing a wide range of results. I got onto one that Kathryn says is one of the better calibrated ones.

I pretty much ran easy except for the end where I cranked up the speed a bit for about 0.25 miles. Average pace around 8:15

Stretched and did some upper body weights then biked home. It had warmed up a lot when I stepped back outside, but it is not so bad to bike in the warmer weather.

PM - One mile with Noah and Andy at 11:20 pace.

I drove to Starkey park for my run this morning.  I didn't feel too wasteful driving since I have cut out all driving trips to the Y since getting back from San Diego.  The weather was warm and cloudy.  My running group was meeting at Starkey but I didn't coordinate with any of the other runners so I ended up running by myself, but it was nice to see everyone before the run and after the run.

Started out nice and slow until warmed up but didn't try anything too fast.  When I got just past 5 miles I turned around to head back.  There was lightning in the distance but it was heading closer so I was a little bit worried.  There was some very light rain which felt nice and kept things cool.  For the most part it was pretty uneventful, no problems to report.  No huge flys buzzing me (maybe the repellent actually worked this time).  I brought my ipod but ended up not turning it on since I was actually enjoying the quiet  while running.

Average pace: 8:17 

Hung out for a bit after the run and then headed home just in time as Jenny was starting a very delicious batch of pancakes.  The weather rolled in more so we decided to cancel boating again this week (at least today).   Maybe next week! 

After dinner (we biked to a nearby restaurant), I took the boys and Sammy for a quick run, a little bit faster than the last 1 mile run because we were all warmed up from the bike ride.  Then we jumped into the pool and swam for a bit.  This was a nice way to end the day since it had pretty much been raining all day off and on.

Biked up to the Y this morning.  Stretched then got onto the treadmill for 4.1 miles at about an 8:30ish pace.   Then I headed outside for a few more miles, it was getting hot but it was going to be a quick run so not such a big deal.   Ran 3.3 miles at 7:48 average pace.

Went back inside, finished up with some weights, then biked home.

 Yesterday, my brother called me and was telling me about his trip to Clevelend - but the real point of the story was that someone there was telling him about the marathon and half marathon in Niagara falls in October.  He said he was thinking about doing it.  Then I said if he signed up for it then Jenny and I would, too.  So, he did sign up for it (the half marathon) and I signed up for the full marathon and Jenny for the half.   This will be his first half marathon - he's done a few 5k's over the past year or so.   It looks like a pretty interesting course.  The full starts in Buffalo, crosses into Canada and runs along the Niagara river, and ends in downtown Niagara Falls on the Canadian side.  It's pretty flat with the last 2 miles slightly downhill (nice).    The half covers the last 13.1 miles of the full marathon.

I can kill two birds with one stone - a marathon in a new state and one in another country.   This is also supposedly the only international marathon in the world.   I think they have the customs situation straightened out so we won't have to stop when crossing the border.
 

After a quick warm up on the bike, I started for my run, leaving from home.  It was warmish with pretty high humidity.  The run felt hard but not terrible (ok, maybe it wasn't hard but it certainly wasn't easy).   Pace was pretty even and I got the job done so I'll have to call this one a success.  I was drenched by the time I got home so I got into the pool for a bit which was nice and cool.

 Average pace: 8:14
 

Had to hurry a bit to get to work, another job interviewee to talk to.  Last one hopefully, glad I don't have to do that all the time. 

No running today.  But, I did bike to the Y, did upper body weights and then biked home.

Today's run was pretty nice.  It was a few degrees cooler this morning than the past few mornings.   So, although it was still humid felt much nicer out.  I wasn't sure how this run would go since last night was meet the CFO night who was in town visiting.  This meant a trip to WingHouse for free beer and chicken wings and other food not good for running.

But I managed to get up pretty early and got moving without too much delay.  I did my usual loop around the neighborhood on the bike followed by some stretching.  Then I put on my water belt and headed out the door, out the neighborhood to 54, and then up Starkey Blvd.   I started out slowly but it turned out to be slightly faster than my usual starting out slowly pace.   Just after the turnaround point a good song came on my ipod so I did a few strides then settled back into my pace.  I stopped and said hi to Karen who was out walking her dogs then I got going again.  This was probably good since otherwise I might have gone into an impromptu tempo run.  Picked up the last two miles with a good feeling final mile.

Average pace: 8:12

It was still reasonably nice out and since I wasn't too late in getting back, so Jenny went outside to do her run so she wouldn't have to drag the kids to the kid's gym at they Y while she did the  treadmill. 

Biked up to the Y this morning, did some stretching and core work then got onto the treadmill for 4.3 miles, averaging about an 8:25 pace. Finished up with some lower body weights and then biked home.

So, nothing too exciting. I'm getting used to the biking and am starting to enjoy it. This morning I rode by a group of Sandhill Cranes rooting around in someone yard and earlier this week I saw a small alligator drifting slowly in one of the ponds. I've been biking past the same turtle who not too long ago thought he was invincible but found out otherwise while trying to cross the road.

PM - 1.2 miles with Noah and Andy in 13:10

Met up with Randall this morning just after 6:30.  Weather was not bad at first but it slowly got warmer out as we ran.  I hadn't run with Randall for a while so it was good to catch up with him.  We ran from the 7-11 through Lansbrook to the lake park then out of Lansbrook and up to the high school.  By this time the heat and humidity were starting to wear on us.  Headed back down the bike path along East Lake back to where we parked.  We had thought about tacking on another 1 or 2 miles but decided that 10 would do for today.

Average pace: 8:40

 Met up with the rest of the group inside John Chestnut park and enjoyed the after run social hour.
 

This was supposed to be a 2 mile run with Noah, Andy and Sammy.  However, there was a dog incident.   We started out running but Noah needed his shoes tied, so I handed Sammy's leash to Andy.  I should have known better than that.  Before I could finish another dog showed up and Sammy pulled Andy and knocked him down scraping his knee.  So, we went back to get Andy cleaned up but Noah still wanted to run, so Noah and I went out for another mile.

Not happy with Sammy - although it was kind of my fault. 

Biked up to the Y, did some stretching and core work and got onto the treadmill for 4.1 miles at about an 8:20 pace.   Then headed outside for another 3.63 at 7:51 average pace.   It didn't feel too bad outside at first but by the time I finished the outside portion I felt slightly over heated.  Cooled down inside for a bit and did some weights and then biked home.

Ran from home outside.  Warmed up on the bike then got going after doing some stretching.  I was out again last night with some people last night but I was little more careful with what I ate and drank than last time.  It was another special occasion, hopefully there won't be too many more of these.

In spite of this, the run actually went pretty well this morning.  I wanted to get in at least 8 but after a few miles it seemed like a good idea to get a little bit more done today.  I picked it up slightly on the trip back with the last mile feeling good at 7:08 pace.

Average pace: 7:56 

Just to change things a bit I ran today which is different because the last few weeks I've taken Wednesdays off.  But, after yesterday's run I was feeling pretty good the rest of the day and felt good to go for another day of running.  Also, Randall said he was going to run with a few other people this morning at 6:15 meeting  up at the Y.  Since I have plenty of time to run alone and less chances to run with others I took this opportunity.

I did not ride my bike to the Y - I think I need to get a light or something since it is still dark at 6:00 here.  Weather was nice, mid 70's.   We went out nice and easy and gradually picked things up especially towards the end.

Average pace: 8:30 

So, I think I'll take tomorrow off and then run 10 on Friday over at David's neighborhood.  He is hosting a run and then having coffee, juice, and bagels afterwards. 

Day off from running.  Biked to the Y, did some stretching and core exercises followed by some weights and then biked back home.

Met up over in David's neighborhood by the community pool.  Also there was Eric, Keith, Karen, Jenny and Laura.  We did a little bit over three miles looping through their neighborhood then went up the Starkey Blvd bike path and back for a total of just over 9 miles.  Most of the run was pretty relaxed but at the turn around point Eric said he wanted to pick things up a little bit.  This spells trouble for me some time to try and keep up with him but he went pretty easy on me today :)

It was a lot of fun to run with the group and was very nice of David and Karen to organize this. 

Average pace: 8:19 

Spent a little bit of time hanging out and socializing but I needed to be back by 8:00 so my wife could get her run in before it got too late. 

I woke up this morning at first not knowing which day it was and whether or not the alarm was for me or for Jenny.  As I got more awake I realized it was Saturday and therefore my turn to get up early.  I was going to meet Eric and another guy named Mike for a run in Starkey park.   I got going but was moving a little bit slow so ended up getting to the park 8 or 9 minutes late.  Fortunately Eric hadn't left yet and Mike ended up not showing up.

Temp was pretty good but the air was kind of thick with humidity.  We did the first mile in 8:24 and the second one in 7:48.  This is a faster start than I am used to and I was breathing harder than I should have.  We got to the turnaround point and I was feeling the best but I was hanging in there.  We did a brief stop at 6 miles to top off on water.  Then we picked it up and did the last 4 miles at a 7:0x pace.  I had to keep bargaining with myself to keep up with Eric who didn't seem to be having any troubles himself.  He asked me how I was doing, I said ok but was thinking to myself I would let him go the last 2 miles.  When I got to mile 8 I thought, ok one more mile then I'll drop back - but further back in my mind I knew if there was just one mile left I would stick it out for the final mile which I did.

The average pace ended up being 7:25 which I have not run at this pace for quite some time but it was good to see that I can still do it if necessary.   Doing lots of slower miles is great and is necessary for building a good base, but now and then it's good to hang on with someone faster. 

Biked to the Y this morning, stretched, got onto the treadmill for 4.3 miles at about an 8:25 pace.  Headed outside for a quick outdoor run.  It was getting warm.   I was doing some stretching at the bike rack and saw Jenny dropping off her daughters, said hi to her and said we would run tomorrow at 6:00.

Took off on my run, good pace for first mile (although not really the first mile because of the treadmill) just under 8:00.  Next few miles a bit faster, average pace for the outdoor portion 7:36.  It felt pretty quick but not too difficult, about as fast as I could go without starting to really push things.

Going to be a busy week, I can't believe I'll be in Belgium by the end of the week and possibly running in an 11K race on Saturday.  I'm signed up now (thanks Amy!) - just hoping the car situation works out. 

I ran earlier this morning than I had in a long time.  I met David and Jenny at the Y this morning at 5:20.  Temp outside was not bad but the humidity was way up there.  We did 6.3 miles at an average pace of 8:45.

Decided to run a little bit more so I did 1.75 miles on the treadmill inside at mostly an easy pace but with a few bursts of speed thrown in here and there so I can remember what it feels like.  11K race this Saturday - which I guess I'll run it as if it was a 10K. 

I felt very fresh running this morning despite the early time.  I definitely enjoy the run a lot the day after a massage which I had yesterday afternoon.   I used to look at massages as something one would get purely as a luxury but now I see them in a different light.

Tried to get a very early start but it turned into just a pretty early start.  I had to be done by 7:30 so Jenny could start her run.  I planned the route so I could go past my house and finish on time.  I just had time for 5.85 miles.  I walked in the door but Jenny wasn't quite ready so I said I would be outside finishing up so I ran up and back down the street to get a little bit over 6 miles.

Average pace: 8:05 

We arrived yesterday in Belgium in the early afternoon  - flight was 2 hours late due to a medical emergency resulting in an unscheduled stop in Bangor, Maine.   So yesterday's goal was to just stay awake until a normal bedtime without napping.

This morning I felt pretty well adjusted to the time zone but still slept in a little bit.  Jenny and her sister went for a run first, then I headed out with my nephew Florian on his bike to be my guide.  It was nice and cool out for running. 

We started out on some busy streets which soon quieted down and turned into country paths and narrow roads.   We went past some fields with corn and wheat and one with green vegetables.  We made our way to run past his school which was a large old building which used to be a monastery.   Then we headed back a slightly different route going past another old abbey and a park, back over the railroad tracks and then back to his town.  Pace slowed down here and there for cobblestone sections and a couple muddy spots on one of the paths.  There was a little bit of rain but nothing to worry about.

Picked up the pace a little bit on the homestretch (last 0.44 miles).

Average pace: 8:33

Hopefully I will feel fast and fresh for tomorrow's race.  And hopefully I will get used to this azerty keyboard  :) 

This was a very fun and different race for me. It was great to be able to do a race with Amy and Jenny while here in Belgium. The rain and been off and on during the day so we had our fingers crossed that it would be off for the race. Fortunately our luck would hold out.

We arrived in Rijkevorsel about 4:30 pm for the 6:00 race. We picked up our race numbers over by the starting line. The race bibs had chips embedded in them which was great since I don't do well tying the chips onto my shoe! The marathoners took off right about at 5:00 then the three of us did a half mile warm up and then I did a couple of strides up to race pace.

We were lined up at the starting area but I did not try and squeeze my way up to the front.  The gun went off and we all took off down the main street.  I did a little bit of weaving to get to an opening where I could get to my pace.  For today, I wanted to finally run a race longer than 5k at faster than a 7:00 pace.   So, the plan was to try and hit just under that and not be too greedy.  First mile clicked off at 6:52 - I had to convince myself that I could keep this up.  On the one hand,  I had done this pace in a training run before but it had been a while.  Just last Saturday I was struggling to keep up with Eric at a 7:0x pace for 4 miles, now I needed to do almost another six at a faster pace.

I kept moving and concentrated on either keeping up with the person in front of me, passing the person in front, or trying not to get passed by the person behind me.  The course map had shown three loops - one 5k loop, followed by two 3k loops (the same one repeated twice) through the town.   Lots of people were out watching the race and I was enjoying seeing the houses, shops, and other sights along the way.  

At the end of the first 5k of the race the course split with the finish chute to the right for the 5k racers and to the left to continue for the rest of the 11k.   It's always a little tempting to run the shorter race but fortunately I was here to do 11k so I headed towards the left.   At about 6k I came up behind Amy,  said hi and to keep going you are doing great.  Shortly after that was a water station so I ripped open my PowerBar mocha gel and grabbed the water to wash it down.  My mouth was really dry and it was hard to drink at this pace so I only took half the gel and shoved the packet back into my pocket (I would regret this later).

My stomach was a little unsettled.  Lunch was around noon and I had eaten a little too much and this was a later time for me to be racing than I was used to. 

Before I knew it the end of the second loop was coming up.  It was great to start the third loop since now I knew exactly what to expect and just 2K left to run.  I had been hitting my splits and I knew that I could now make the sub 7:00 pace even if I slowed down a lot which I was determined not to do.   My breathing was good but my legs starting to feel a little bit rubbery. This was odd for me since I cant ever remember having this feeling.  6th mile was a little bit slower than the 4 previous ones but the same as the first mile.   With less than 1 mile to go I felt a little bit speedier and picked up the pace slightly.   Then the finish chute was up ahead - always a welcome sight; I had made it!!

Here are my garmin splits:

6:52
6:51
6:47
6:45
6:46
6:52
5:54 (0.89@6:37)

Official time was 46:47 to give me a 6:50 pace (garmin gave me 6:47).  I am happy with 6:50 since this beat my goal and is also what I need to keep up for 26.2 to get a sub 3:00 marathon :)  - some day 

I'm pretty sure that it was just my garmin that was off slightly (11K = 6.83 miles) since Jenny's garmin measured 6.83 exactly.

I saw Amy come by for her last lap so I ran along with her briefly to cheer her on then went back to wait for Jenny.   I saw Jenny coming towards the finish with a time that would be under an hour - not too long ago that would have been a good 10K time for her so this was great to see that time now for an 11K.

Jenny and I then lined up and waited for Amy who soon showed up - we cheered her on and saw her cross the finish for a huge THREE MINUTE PR after only 2 months since her last 11K.  Jenny and I had joked that she and I had guaranteed PRs for the race today since this was our first 11K race.   Amy didn't have that luxury since she had done these before and had a time to beat.

It was very festive in the streets after the race with lots of food and drink.  Amy told one of the volunteers that Jenny and I had come from Florida to run here today.  She introduced us to the race director who chatted with us for a bit who took down our names and told us to stick around.   We watched the awards and at the end they announced our names and told us to come up to the stage.  The race director shook our hands and presented us with a very nice boxed bottle of Trappist Ale from a nearby brewery and we also shook hands with the city government leaders.    What an exciting time!

We were all ecstatic about the race and how fun it was as we headed back to the car.