The Long Run

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.