Pool Running is Fun

AM: 8 easy + standard core routine, stretch foam rolling.

PM: 5 easy + 5x10sec hill sprints

Gloriously warm this morning. Shorts and tech tee and relaxing temps. highs in the 50s today. Just what we need to get the rest of the snow to melt from the trails.

AM: 5 easy

PM: 2.15 WU 7 x 800m 2 CD  (2:31, 2:29, 2:25, 2:25, 2:25, 2:24, 2:22)

Track was mostly free of snow but on one curve the snow was out in lane two so splits may be slightly off but pretty insiginificant. I had a decent workout despite heavy legs.

AM: 8 easy + alt. core routine, stretch, foam rolling

PM: 5.5 easy with .5 straights and curves

rainy but warm

AM: 8 easy + standard core routine, stretch, foam rolling

PM: 6 easy with 4x200m 

good weather, tired

AM: 7 easy + standard core routine, stretch, foam rolling

PM: 5.5 easy with .5 straights and curves

7 easy + stretch, foam rolling

racing a 5K tomorrow.

A beautiful morning for a run. About 30 degrees but the wind was more or less calm and I felt great--first time in a long while.  Pinned the bib, warmed up, lined up and we were off.

First mile with Charlie: 4:57, the mile with the turn-a-round in the middle: 5:01. At that point I surged hard because they pace was really not that difficult. I found it rather interesting the I was going 5 flat pace and my legs didn't feel heavy.  I was ahead enough not to hear anyone behind me. I gunned it, then again, then again. Jab, jab, punch--attempting to bury anyone who thought about passing me. I was in the lead in an actual race with legit club competition. I just told myself to focus and dig and I ended up having a great race.

There's nothing quite like breaking the tape. Even in a local 5K it's a very rare and great event in running.  Running is hard so you end up having more bad and just ok days by far than great days where it all comes together but when it comes together is so worth it. A big PR and a fun time to boot. I'm pretty lucky to be healthy and am looking forward to a solid month of half marathon training. I'll post a legit photo here when they come out.

PM: 4 recovery

splits: 4:57, 5:01, 5:00

Results

AM: 8 easy + standard core routine, stretch, foam rolling

PM: 5 easy

AM: 3 WU (1600, 800, 1600, 800, 1600) 5:15, 2:28, 4:59, 2:25, 4:57

PM: 4 easy + alt. core routine, stretch, foam rolling

wet snow/rain about 37 degrees. Pretty crappy weather really. too warm for solid snow and cold enough to make you wet and your hands cold.

Here's an interesting thought to ponder. I ran my recent 5K at 4:59 pace.  In order to make the Olympic Trials B standard through the half marathon, I'd have to run this exact pace for 13.1 miles, or more than 4 times the 5K distance.  That's some legit running. It's hard to imagine having the stamina, endurance, and speed to conquer that. Then again,  I never thought in a million years I'd break 15:30 in a 5K either, and here we are at 30 years old.

AM: 8 easy + standard core routine, stretch, foam rolling

PM: 5easy + 6x10sec hill sprints

cold and very windy. Some real wintry shit--single digits--coming down for the weeked. It sucks

AM: 8 easy + standard core routine, stretch, foam rolling

PM: 6 easy with 4x200m included. Windy cold

cold this morning, with windchill of 13. It could be worse, and it will. Sunday morning wind chills could very well be below zero with actual temps in the single digits. For this area that's damn cold.

AM: 3 WU 3200m,1600m 2 CD  10:45, 5:10

PM:

Very cold this morning. The one saving grace was the wind was calm but it was 20 degrees. I'm not sure why but I felt incredibly cold and the legs were stiff and times were slow. I wasn't in a very good mood. It was one of those days you just had to force yourself to get out there and deal with it.  The next two days will be like this. I have a big long run Sunday but the temp will be single digits with a -10 windchill.  Things start to happen in that weather. Legs don't want to move, your feet will go numb, you won't be able to feel your face, all the while running slow as shit but putting in a lot of effort.  Just have to keep with it and accept the weather and deal with it.

AM: 12 easy. Frozen ice in my beard. The wind at 20 degrees air temp is just a preview for tomorrow's workout with a 13 degree air temp and a wind chill of -5

PM: 3.5 with .5 straights and curves. Down right cold as F&%k out there in that wind

AM: 4321 marathon pace long run.  It was 12 with a wind chill of 3 which was really not that bad. It certainly sucked ass for the first three miles and then the first fast section. My legs felt heavy but eventually they warmed up and I was able to hit normal splits. Good workout. my Ride's are about cooked.

8:03, 7:43, 7:24, (5:45, 5:34, 5:38, 5:49), 7:34, 

(5:34, 5:29, 5:22), 7:31, (5:29, 5:22), 7:37, (5:19), 7:57

AM: 8 easy trudging through the snow. Face/beard was an icecicle. Apparently it's supposed to be 6 inches when it's all done. Just enough to mess with your footing on the run.  I'm looking ahead and it's going to be in the 60s by the end of the week! So this snow will be gone soon.

PM: 5 easy through ice covered trail. Only safe place to run was that little bit at the edge of the trail where it met the snow. Standard core routine, foam rolling.

AM: 2 easy. Impossible to run this morning with sheets of ice everywhere. I really needed two more hours for it to melt enough for it to be safe since it will be in the 50s today. It was so pointless going 9 minute pace having to walk and still nearly falling on the trails.

PM: 2.4 WU  6x1200m 1.5 CD  (3:46, 3:43, 3:41, 3:43, 3:39, 3:39)

Great workout this evening. It was in the 40s so the legs were finally able to get warm enough to have a decent workout.and I stretched it to a 6th rep.

AM: 8 easy + alt. core routine, stretch, foam rolling.

PM: 5 easy

Legs are certainly tired this morning after yesterday's excellent workout. Probably running my tempo tomorrow and my long run Saturday so I can run with Greg, who has to leave Sunday. Better to move the workouts up a day and have someone to run with. That means no 200s or hill sprints today so I can recover.

Noon: 4 easy + standard core routine, stretch

PM: 2.6 WU 8K tempo 1.2 CD  1600m splits: 5:28, 5:14, 5:11, 5:14, 5:10

slept in today by squeezing in a quick 4 at lunch instead of before work. windy and cold for the evening tempo

AM: 8 easy/recovery + alt. core routine, stretch, foam rolling

PM: 5.5 with.5 straights and curves

relaxing run this morning. Legs needed a slower day to recover. I've been hitting it hard this week with full workouts. I'm in pretty great shape. Tomorrow I have a progressive 16.

AM: 16 progression long run

8:35, 8:08, 7:35, 7:34, 7:09

6:45, 6:29, 6:35. 6:28, 6:13

5:49, 5:35*, 5:24, 5:26, 5:21, 5:19

* Bethesda tunnel mile messed with GPS. we were most certainly going faster than 5:50 pace, we were in the 5:30s somewhere.

Good long run this morning. I went into it tired.  I've had a great week of training this week and have been able to get plenty of sleep and have kept my diet more or less pretty good. Im not sure how fast I'll run at Shamrock but I'm thinking I'm going to at least PR for sure.

AM: 10 miles easy

Decided to only run once today since I'm really tired. Took a three hour nap this afternoon.

AM: 8 easy + standard core routine, stretch, foam rolling

PM: 5.5 with 4x10sec hill sprints + .5 s and c

Weather in the 40s is very relaxing compared to the 20s. So much more enjoyable.

AM: 3 WU 400,800,1200,1600,1200,800,400  1 CD
75, 2:31, 3:45, 4:59, 3:43, 2:27, 68 

PM: 4 easy + alt. core routine, stretch, foam rolling

Cold and tired this morning. It was raining the whole time. Wasn't a bad workout but I never felt great and I could tell from my splits I was tired. I think this level of tired is normal. It's not too much to get recovery in but it's enough to know I'm training pretty hard right now.

AM: 5 easy + standard core routine, stretch, foam rolling

PM: 8 easy through an insane thunderstorm in February. Intense rain, hail, flooding, winds. I was soaked but made it through.

AM: 7 easy with 4x200m included

PM: 6 easy + standard core routine, foam rolling

AM: 2.5 WU 3200,1600 2.5 CD  (10:35, 5:06)

PM: off. I need to rest to let my body catch up. I can tell I'm pushing my ability to recover.

short workout because I am doing a 4321 long run Sunday. Had to break back ino my winter gear

AM: 11.5 easy

PM: 4 easy with a mile of straights and curves included

Still chilly this morning but very calm and sunny made it feel a bit like spring. I'm going to thoroughly enjoy the 60 degree days coming up. I also felt much better running today.

AM: 17 mile 4321 run

PM: 1 hr. pool run

My GPS started doing some strange shit toward the end of the run.  For instance, it said I ran 5:11 then 6:11 for two miles when the effort was exactly the same so I had to delete the run.  I know I averaged about 5:30 for the 4, 5:30 for the 3, then 5:20s for the two and ran 5:15 for the last pickup mile.  Good run. 

AM: 8 easy + standard core routine, stretch, foam rolling

PM: 5.5 w/.5 straights and curves.

Nice and spring like day.  The only complaint I have is the legions of joggers and cyclists on the trails.  It's nice that people are getting out the door and being active but I have a twinge of elitist feeling like it was better when it was cold because I had the trails to myself!