The Long Run

I broke my streak of not running on Mondays finally!  I went to the Y did some of my usual stretching and warm up stuff then get on the treadmill for 4.2 miles at about an 8:00 pace.   I headed outside where it was nice out but I felt cold at first from having just worked up a sweat.  Quickly warmed back up once going again.  Didn't look at pace while I ran, just ran and felt good.   Ended up running another 5.35 miles outside.  Looked at my pace afterwards.

Average pace (outside): 7:21

3 miles were just under 7:10

Finished off with a few sets of weights, then back home to finish up post run stretching and some more perfect push-ups.

Trying to get off to a great week.  New guy starting at work today to replace person that left back in July.  It will be nice to have the help here again.

Last night when I went to bed I felt tired and still felt that way when I woke up.  Nothing terrible, just felt a little bit off this morning.  So, it was a good day to be running with someone else.  I met Dixie at 6:00 near the Lansbrook Y.   We did 9 miles together running a slightly different than usual course.   The roads were pretty busy so there was a lot of on coming traffic and the headlights were getting to me a little bit.  Whenever I thought we were going faster than usual it turned out the pace was much slower.

Took a short break at 5.5 miles, then picked it up for the last 3.5.  Felt much better but still slightly off.  Dixie on the other hand was feeling good.

Average pace: 8:23

Tempo run this morning.  Joe wanted to run with me so it was definitely nice to have some company as I have been doing a lot of these by myself.  We met up at the back gate to our neighborhood and then headed onto 54 to Starkey Blvd.   Started the tempo portion once we were on Starkey.  Goal was 6 miles @ 6:55 pace.   Joe stayed with me for the first two miles and then picked up one more mile with me while I was on my way back.  Then we did our cool down back to the neighborhood.   It was slightly warmer this morning and there was a small headwind on the way back so the pace felt a little tougher than the last time I did this pace.

Splits were: 6:52, 6:56, 6:48, 6:54, 6:48, 6:47

Average pace for entire run: 7:43

I think the 4th mile felt the hardest and I briefly thought about quitting before coming to my senses.  Legs were burning a little bit on the last mile.  Definitely felt better today than yesterday.

Actually got into the pool for a bit when I got back home.  Stretched and did some core work and a couple sets of perfect push ups.

Easy run today.  Still felt a little bit low on energy, but pretty good overall.  Went to the Y and did warm up, stretching, and some core work then got onto the treadmill for 4.15 miles averaging about an 8:05 pace.

Headed outside where it was very nice.  Ran an out and back of 3 miles.  On the second mile the garmin started to freak out, it lost the pace but still kept incrementing the distance.  On the third mile it was coming back to its senses, the pace came back but for a while it was showing between a 3:50 and 4:30 pace (I was quite flattered that garmin would think that I was capable of such speeds!), eventually it completely came back to normal and by the time the run was over things were straightened out based on how long it took and the known distance.

Average pace: 7:27

Finished up with a few weights inside.

Maybe this will be the last chilly morning.   Another mid-30's morning.  I'm getting used to these in a way.  But the nice thing is absolutely no risk of overheating!  Met with Joe at Starkey park this morning.  I was a few minutes late (supposed to be there at 6:15).  We got going and it was still dark but not completely, sun came up before too long.  Started out slowly with first two miles slower than 9:00.  Gradually warmed up and picked up the pace a little here and there.  Just under 8:00 pace at the turnaround point.

This was my first 20 mile run in a while and the first long run with Joe since before Jacksonville marathon.  The miles went by pretty quickly and before we knew it there was just 4 miles left.   With 3.5 miles left we caught a glimpse of Keith and Dixie way up ahead - they had left before us and we had last seen them before the turnaround at 9.5 miles for us.   Joe said that maybe I could catch them.  So, I picked up the pace and intended to keep it between 7:10 and 7:20, but I wasn't looking at my pace but instead was looking at Dixie's orange hat.  With 1.5 miles left I finally caught up to them.  Decided to keep on the pace, finished the last 3 miles at a 6:52 average pace.

Average pace for run: 8:03

Fortunately, I did not miss the social hour, enjoyed some coffee and snacks with the other Suncoast Striders.

Arrived back home and found that my wife had valiantly guarded four pieces of French toast made with her homemade bread that the kids had not devoured.  Along with some fresh berries on the side it was an awesome breakfast!