The Long Run

Met Dixie this morning and we ran up to the hilly neighborhood, looped around there for a bit then headed back.  Did 4 repeats up the church driveway and then continued back to the parking lot.  I did another 2 miles after that with 8 strides at the end.  This morning was one of the nicest mornings weather wise in the last few weeks, about 73 degrees!

Average pace: 8:10

Pleasant run with Jenny this morning.  Another nice "cooler" morning.  Nothing much else to report.  Grateful for uneventful runs which go well.

Average pace: 8:40

After the run, did some circuit style strength training, chest, legs, arms, core

PM - did the little wii yoga routine

Three weeks ago I did a similar run.  Today was Yasso 800's day, with a goal of 10 X 800m @ 3:00 each, with 3:00 jog between each repeat.

Warmed up with 2 easy miles.   Jenny originally was supposed to do a tempo run this morning but decided to change to 800's because they sounded more fun!  So, we started out together on the first one.  I stopped immediately because the Garmin's database was full.  Cleared it out, then started again. 

I felt good on the first one.  I almost always feel good on the first one, was wondering what the second one would be like.  That one wasn't so bad either.  I seemed to be feeling a bit better than last time.  What happened to me last time, was usually about half way through one of the repeats, I would fall off pace and struggle to get back on and just barely make it at the end.

They were definitely hard, but I felt a little bit more in control.  Jenny and I criss-crossed, and finally after I had done 5 repeats, we were near the water fountain.  Split a powerbar gel (I also had a 10oz bottle filled with gatorade I was taking sips from between repeats), then I got going again.

For the last three, my legs were feeling a bit tired, which is good practice. 

Splits: 2:58, 2:55, 2:59, 2:59, 2:56, 2:59, 2:55, 2:57, 3:00, 2:53

Very happy with the last split!

I was happy to see a small amount of improvement from 3 weeks ago along with the fact that it was slightly warmer this morning than last time, although not by much.

Met back up with Jenny for the cool down jog back home.

Easy paced run this morning.  Started a little bit earlier than usual (5:30), because Jenny was going to take the boys to Blizzard Beach and needed to get an early start to get there before it got too crowded.  It was actually just a little bit nicer out, still kind of warm, but it's nice to see it go from dark to light while running.

One of the neighborhood streets that we run down is gated off, and the gate doesn't open til 7:00, but we happened to be there just after a car went through so we sprinted ahead and made it inside.  We were talking quite a bit during the run so our pace was a little bit slower, and also it was supposed to be a recovery day.

Average pace: 9:03

Followed up with about 30 minutes of strength exercises, as usual done circuit style.  Did front squats, single leg squats, one legged dead lifts, squat jumps and various upper body stuff.

Jenny made it to the park on time and they ended up having quite a great time, just wish I could have gone with them!!

Nice Friday morning run through the neighborhood.  By myself this morning.  Started a little bit later than usual but not too late (6:35).  My left ankle was a bit stiff yesterday, so I was worried about running on it.  Fortunately, it seemed easier to run on it than walk on it.  It doesn't really hurt, it's just a bit stiff.

On my way back, I ran into Joe, who I sometimes catch as he is leaving his street to start his run, but today our times did not line up correctly.

I started out fairly slow and easy but picked it up gradually and managed to still keep it feeling relaxed.

Average pace: 7:39

20.25 miles @ 8:16 average pace.

Went down to Clearwater Beach area with Dixie.  Arrived nice and early just after 5:30.  Last time we went down there, starting time was 6:00 and it seemed kind of late.

The air was a bit warm and humid with no breeze until it started to get light out, then it felt much cooler until the sun was up higher. We started out at an easy warm up pace, did the first ascent up Clearwater Bridge, then onto the causeway then over to Sand Key, up and over another bridge (75 feet).  Spectacular views of the Gulf and intracoastal waterway especially in the very early morning light. 

Headed south for a bit before heading back to the mainland via  the Belleair Bluffs bridge, then headed north after stopping to refill water bottles at a park which had a cold water drinking fountain and a hose in case one managed to spill a lot of Gu by accident (but it wasn't me this time!).

At 13 miles, Dixie had finished up his run right by a Hess Express, so he graciously topped off my drink bottles with some very cold Gatorade.  I then continued on back to the Clearwater bridge, where I went back and forth on the causeway and ascended the bridge 4 more times.  Definitely was feeling the effects on the last mile as well as getting caught by the sun.  Finished strong with the last mile just under 7:00 pace.

On the drive back, we drove the course where the Dunedin July 4th midnight run will be, only it will be a lot darker during the actual race!  Should be interesting/challenging as I've never raced that late.

Great morning of running and glad to finish off another 20 mile run at the end of another 70 mile week.