It's all relative

PM: Wasn't supposed to run today, but instead attend a track meet to watch a couple of my runners.  I was pretty pumped up afterwards and was a couple of miles form the gym, so I put on my backup sneakers and running clothese and booked it to the gym and did some arms and back.  On the way back home I ran into Elia and we had some good conversation on the way home.  

PM: 9 miles and gym- arms, back, and abs.

AM: 10 miles- very slow- around 8:20/mile.  Sometimes I don't even want to count those, they seem meaningless when it comes to actual training gains.  There's a fine line between 'recovery' and 'slog' and this was definitely a useless slog. 

PM: Longer run- still don't feel great.  Did a workout: mile, 1200, 800, 3x400 in the middle with about a mile of running in between each item.  Helped break it up.  Started with a 5:10 for the mile and then just sped up from there.  Was surprisingly taxing, but then again it never helps to run in the middle of the day in Florida.

PM: 7 miles and the gym- chest, tris, shoulders, and abs.  I held a 5-minute plank today and it felt pretty easy, so that was nice to see my fitness at least feeling improved.

AM: Track in Safety Harbor.  I got suckered into running some intervals with the group.  200, 600, mile, 600, 400, 200.

PM: warm up and then a workout.  I ran solo, but John, Jeremy, and Nick joined behind.  I reconnected with them after each item.  200, 600, 1600, 1600, 600, 200. 

Splits- 0:39, 1:55, 5:02, 4:58, 1:45, 0:30

I am really happy with the two miles in the middle there.  To get two 5-minute miles is a step in the right direction.

No running- off day.

PM: 8.5 miles.  Only planned on 6 miles as part of a taper, but I ran a little too far it appears and didn't feel like walking home, so just did some extra mileage.  7:15/mile average.  Felt pretty easy especially with the off day.

Well, I argued with myself for about 3 straight days about running this Friday night event.  At the start line I still wasn't sure if I was going to race it relatively hard or not with a much more important half marathon race on Sunday.  I figured I'd go the first quarter mile and stick with the guys at the front and then decide if I would just chill or not the rest of it.  Ideally there would be no one going fast and I could just tempo it.

The course: Fun course, but not certified- so no PRs on this day for anyone.  Lots of fans from indycar race that will be this weekend who are leaving/hanging around to watch after the day events.  There were only about 1,000 participants in the 5k, but you get to basically run a fully outlined "course" because of the set up for the real event- the St. Pete grand prix.  It follows the indycar race track and also runs up and down the bayshore there in St. Pete, so it's beautiful and has tons to look at- plus it's wicked fun to hug the turns like you're actually racing.  It's very difficult to not run this race and not get carried away.  The course is, as I said, indy-style, so it has a bunch of interesting twists and turns and a pair of 180s added in for good measure.

The race: Started off in at a 5:18-5:20 pace with a group of 6.  At a quarter mile, Mike and I were just talking and were very relaxed, but this was still a bit too hot for me to run with an "A" race a day and a half later, so I was very close to dropping off completely and jogging it in.  We had just about entered the grand prix race course.

Then the guy said it.  Right as I moved to the front of the small pack (so I didn't have to go wide on the next turn since I was sixth on the outside of the group).  I was sincerely just about to pack it in as they were still running a bit too fast for me to recover in time for Sunday, but I guess I'm just a bit too competitive.  I rarely get fired up in a race about others I'm racing, but the guy- who I assume was the college kid's father- referred to me and said "he's not a runner, he's not going anywhere, just stick to your pace and then make it hurt, you gotta make it hurt, just stay in front" and the kid re-took the lead.  Man, I wasn't going to bother until that. 

I relaxed and stuck on this college kid's shoulder through mile 1 (5:14), then mile 2 (5:13), and then immediately jacked up the pace to sub 5 once mile 3 began.  The group split horribly here, but I was ready for him (second place) to come along with me and I was willing to take it faster, but he did not take on my surge, so I just held what felt comfortable.  I held at about 5:00/mile pace until I saw the kid's father again, keeping about 6-7 seconds in between us.  His footsteps came (I'm guessing since he heard/saw that guy) a bit closer to me so I unfortunately had to reach into the tank to put it away making sure to keep the 6/7 second lead until there wasn't a doubt.  I looked back about 5 or 6 times to make sure and then crossed the line.  

I get it- I don't wear the short shorts, I don't have a runner's physique, I look bulkier than most at the front, but why?   Just let us run our own race- a race you are literally not running in.  Even if you were his coach, focus on him and just be positive to everyone else going by.  You seriously cost that kid an easy win.  

Me- 15:49, 2nd- 15:55, 3rd- 16:15, 4th- 16:24, 5th- 16:37, 6th- 16:54.

Splits- 5:14, 5:13, Finish (1.1)-5:22    

No running.

This was a race day, but I'm a bit unhappy with my performance so I won't say much.  At about the 8 mile mark I knew I wasn't catching the leader who finished in 1:13 and by mile 10 I shut it down pretty hard.  Finished in 1:16:51 after rolling through the halfway mark at 35:58 for an epically abysmal bad second half of 40:53.  Woops.

5:28, 5:32, 5:30, 5:34, 5:30, 5:36, 5:36, 5:39, cliff, cliff, cliff, splat, splat, Finish.

PM: 12+ miles with the gym sandwiched in between.  Worked on abs, obliques, back, and arms.  I was really proud of myself on the low row today- I went up 25 pounds and completed 5 reps which is a pretty unrealistic increase for a max set.  Helped having Elia there working out- always easier to work harder when someone is there to hold you accountable.

AM: 8.75 miles with the group.  2 of them relatively fast/sub 6 pace.  I think I may do a workout this afternoon after all.  

PM: 3 more good workout miles- 2x1mile, 2x800 all with 400 recoveries.  1 mile at effort (no timing), then a 4:55 mile followed by two 800s- 2:32, and 2:30 respectively.  I definitely could have done a couple more, but I am happy I decided against it with all the hard efforts lately.  Six more miles in warmup/cooldown.

PM: 11 miles with 4 on hills (treadmill), 7:00/mile pace

AM: 7 miles, 6:50/mile pace, tried to run some bridges too (4).

PM: 6.25 and gym- high rep abs, chest, arms, back

Very happy with this workout.  Didn't really decide I was doing it until after the warmup.  I was solo tonight so I figured I'd try something new. The workout was 1x1mile, 400 recovery, 13x400 with ascending rest/jogs starting at 10 seconds between each 400 and then little by little ascending with 10 second increments until reaching 60 seconds between each and holding there.  The workout wasn't bad at all, which is funny because when you do it the other way around it's practically impossible (descending rest and then the mile at the end).  The first mile was a bit slow since I didn't really know what to expect out of myself with the short rests after the first couple 400s.  Next time I run it I'll be a bit more honest.

Splits- 5:58, 1:15, 1:15, 1:15, 1:14, 1:16, 1:15, 1:15, 1:15, 1:16, 1:14, 1:12, 1:13, 1:12

AM: 5+ miles in Safety Harbor with the group.

AM: 15.5 miles at 7:20/mile pace with Anthony and John.  Felt very easy.

PM: 7+ miles to and from the gym.  Also did chest, tris, shoulders, abs, and obliques.

AM: 5.1 miles with the group.

PM: 6ish miles total.  I did a treadmill workout- one I've been thinking about for a long time.My goal was simply to put the incline up, set the treadmill to 12.0mph- the max for the local treadmills, and then survive a 5k.  I was doing a workout at a gym where the group basically runs 23:00 minutes "for distance," so I used that as a motivation to not only knock out a goal, but see where I ended up.

Splits: 5:00, 5:00, 5:00, (finish) 0:32, recovery jog, 5:00

I think I did more than survive today.  I felt awesome rolling through mile one at 5:00.  Then by mile two I was through at 10:00 and I knew I had it for sure.  The question was only one of whether I would push it and see how far I could take it.  At mile three I was through at 15:00 and decided I'd hold the pace through the 5k and then to 3.2 just to be confident I nailed it since it takes a couple seconds for the tread to warm up.  I got through the 5k at 15:32 and immediately felt a sense of elation!  I didn't suffer.  I didn't have to reach too deep.  I didn't have to "go dark" or survive.  I could have absolutely sprinted harder at the end if the treadmill had a higher setting.  What a cool feeling!  I felt like I had defeated a video game/machine.  I added another 1.3 during the workout before the 23 minutes was up and then finished with a bunch of striders to get to 5 hard miles.

Treadmill 5k in 15:32!  I know they say treadmills are easier physically even with the incline, but heck, I'd take running outside any day over the mental fortitude needed to go so hard on the treadmill when you're just staring at yourself and the clock in front of you.

PM: 8.1 miles, three of which with Anthony. Felt a bit sore.

PM: 5.3 miles solo.

PM: 3.5 miles with Anthony.

No running

AM: Some faster running at around 5:40-5:45/mile pace or so.

7 miles slow.

5 miles slow.

AM: 7.2 miles and then the gym- chest, tris, shoulders, and abs.

PM: 10.3 miles.

AM: 8 miles, 5 of them fast with Jeremy at sub 6 pace descending.  Nothing special.

AM: 10 miles, 7:11/mile pace with Anthony, Elia, and Jeremy.

PM: 5+ miles then the gym- arms, back, abs.

AM: 7 miles.

PM: 2 miles and gym- chest, tris, shoulders, abs.