It's all relative

AM: 20 miles.  4 solo followed by 4 with James at ~7:30min/mile pace.  Then met up and did the final 12 with Lee at ~7:00min/mile pace.

Happy New Year everyone!

Noon: 7+ miles on the secret trail.  82 degrees.  

Late PM: 6 miles solo in Lansbrook.

AM: Track- 9 miles total, went until failure.  Did 8x300s with 100m jog recoveries, 500m between sets.  I did 20 total before I couldn't crack 56 seconds anymore- or more appropriately realised I was reaching too deep in the tank.

PM: 4 miles then gym- arms, back, abs, dynamic stretching.

PM: 7.8 miles solo in Safety Harbor.  Ran a little with Nick which was pretty cool- my first run buddy of the year.

Late PM: 4.5 miles with the team then finished solo

AM: Track in Safety Harbor.  Workout was... run 800s with 200 active recoveries until failure (anything over 2:35).  I got through 7 items all at around 2:33-2:35, until the last one which was a 2:39.  Then ran a pair of 200s to work on some finishing speed with 200 recoveries.

PM: 4 miles in East Lake.

PM: rainy day long run at night. Snuck into a bunch of neighborhoods to check out some nice houses and pretend I lived there. What? Adults play pretend too...

AM: 6 rainy miles solo on the trail.

AM: Long run with 3x3mile intervals starting at the 7 mile mark- ran the workout solo unfortunately.  Splits were: 17:39, 17:40, 17:58.  1 mile recoveries in between.  Should have done one more, but my legs were feeling a bit beat up so I thought it was better not to go for it.

37 degrees here in Florida this morning!  Rarity.

Late PM: Very late run tonight- after 8pm.  I didn't want to miss a day as I've been pretty "on" the last couple of weeks.  This will cause soreness for tomorrow, but I think it was important for my motivation to fit it in.

AM: Workout in Safety Harbor.  The workout was 11x400 with 100 recoveries, then 1x600 to finish.  The goal was 5k goal pace or faster.  The workout went pretty well.  I didn't reach deep into the tank on the 600, but now looking back at it, I think I should have been more around 1:52 and gone a little darker, so they say.  The quick recoveries were kind of daunting at first, but I became used to them. 

Splits: 1:15, 1:18, 1:18, 1:16, 1:17, 1:18, 1:17, 1:16, 1:17, 1:16, 1:15, 1:58 (the 600)

PM: 10 miles solo in East Lake at a decent 7:30 clip.

PM: 10 miles with Anthony in East Lake.

Late PM: 3 miles with the group on the overpasses.

AM: Track in SH.  The workout was whatever I felt like doing by the time I got to a particular straightaway... so that ended up being: 6x100, 3x200, 1x300, 1x100, 1x1200, 4x100.  Overall, nothing special.  Slogged a bunch of miles afterwards.

PM: 6 miles with Anthony.

PM: Solo in East Lake.  Felt quite spry tonight.

AM: 10 miles with various friends at times- Matt, Mike, Celia, ...

AM: Longish run (16+ miles) with Anthony, Drew, and Charles. We had a lot of fun this morning just talking. ~7:30 pace mostly descending.

PM: 4+ miles solo then gym- chest, shoulders, tris, stretching. I have seriously neglected weight lifting the past month+

AM: 10 miles solo in East Lake. ~7:34 average. Felt fine.

PM: 5 more miles solo in East Lake.  ~ 7:45 average.  I felt very strong for an easy run.

AM: Track in SH.  8x600, 1x200 with 200 speedy recoveries.  Felt great.  I probably went a little too quick with a race coming up this Sunday, but I'm not too geared up for it so I suppose now I have a nice excuse to not execute ;)

PM: 3 miles and then gym- arms, back, legs, abs

PM: 9 miles with Anthony.  ~7:30 average.  Felt okay.  

Going to taper a little bit from here on out until Sunday.  I think a double tomorrow (6 to 7 and then 5-6) with lower mileage, and then two short singles on Friday (4-5) and Saturday (2-3) are in the cards.

AM; 6 miles with 10 striders.

PM: 5 miles easy.

Belleair Sunset 5k Race Report

I feel weird doing a race report for such a short race, but as my first time *really* breaking 16 minutes, I felt compelled!  

Weather: Very windy, hot, humid, ~80 degrees, cloudy.

Training: Let's be honest, I haven't been training for a 5k, I've been training for basically a marathon as I was planning on racing tomorrow.  However, the Clearwater half marathon race was cancelled (believe that?!?!) for tomorrow, so Anthony and I decided to walk up and register for this race a couple of hours beforehand as we didn't want to waste a taper.  Although I was feeling very fit, I was worried about the race being so fast.  Anthony and I both knew what we wanted- to break 16.

The race: I decided to just shoot for 5:09 per mile and hope there'd be people running quickly to make it easier- fortunately, my wish was granted.  Mile 1 had five different guys clock in under 5:10, with a local, Christian leading Anthony, Ken, and me (yes that's proper grammar believe it or not) by a couple of seconds through mile 1.  At that point, I knew at the next turn (and the 20 mph wind) was going to come as a ridiculous, strong headwind so I chose to tuck in behind Christian.  He.  Did.  Not.  Like.  That.  He literally took one glance at me over his shoulder and shot to the other side of the road as if I had rabies.  Which I don't think I have...  Hmmm...  I could feel Anthony laughing at how ridiculous it must have looked from behind.  Interestingly, I just decided to pass Christian instead to hold the pace and the kid tucks in right behind me along with Anthony!  Serves me right I suppose... beating me at my own game.

Mile 2 continued like that for a bit until the turnaround and at that spot things got a bit more serious.  However, the way the route is set up, they don't take you back the same way, so the now tailwind was much lighter on the return which was unfortunate.  Mile 3 began with just Anthony and me stride for stride as Christian had fallen apart and somehow was about 30 seconds back after just a half mile and now Ken was on his heels.  Anthony was a step or two back, and I finally felt like we were going to do it- we were going to break 16 in a road race!  I needed that push, and needed him here today to do it, to feel strong enough to mentally.  We got through mile 3 a little slower than anticipated (for once I actually think I should have looked at my watch to fix my pacing), and I saw the clock 200 meters away, clicking away in the upper 15:20s.  I had a very strong surge at the end, putting about 6 seconds on Anthony and flying under the clock as 15:58 rolled onto the screen.  

I know getting under 16 is not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things, but it's one of those barriers that is just haunting in a way.  I'm glad I'm through it.  Winning the race was truly an afterthought.  Anthony finished in 16:05, Christian in 16:53, and the other guy leading with us at mile one, Ken, in 16:56.

Splits-  5:06, 5:09, 5:16, 0:27

AM: So, I should have been racing the Clearwater half marathon today, but it was cancelled.  Super bummer, but in the end is probably good as the course is too challenging to PR at and safety is truly the important thing.  I feel bad for the race director- that's two years in a row of cancellations! 

I did a long run instead in St. Pete: 7:26 average with 9 miles to open followed by an 8-mile "tempo" ~6:45s, then 3 miles to cool down.  I was lucky enough to run with Anthony, Christina, Sean, Meredith, and Mike, all of whom I've had a limited time hanging out with (except Anthony).  Good times.

PM: 12 miles solo late. ~7:30 avg

AM: 8 miles in Safety Harbor.  Mostly paced everyone else- planned a workout with Anthony this afternoon.

PM: 10 miles with Anthony at ELMS track.  Felt good, we did only two miles although, so I felt more fresh than I think I should have.  Workout was 4x200, 4x400, 4x200.  

Splits- 34, 31, 33, 34  /  69, 69, 68, 69  /  33, 33, 33, 32

PM: 9 miles with Anthony in EL

Late PM: 4 miles with the group in SH.

AM: Track in Safety Harbor.  Workout was 6x800, 3x200 all with 200 recoveries.  Felt good and had more in the tank, but just didn't push myself until the 200s.

Splits- 2:38, 2:31, 2:34, 2:34, 2:36, 2:38 / :34, :35, :35

PM: 8 miles solo in EL.

PM: 7 miles with Anthony then 6 more running around John Chestnut chasing deer and trash pandas.

AM: 9.5 miles on the Clearwater bridges solo.

PM: 3.5 miles then gym- chest, tris, stretching, abs shoulders.

AM: Long run with Anthony on a rainy, cold, humid early morning.  Started at 5am, so it was nice to knock out the run and just relax the rest of the day with the crappy weather.  It's taper week, so I didn't go hard, but I kind of regret it- the speed wouldn't have taken too much out of me in retrospect.

Week plan- short taper again, slightly shorter today, half/7 miles tomorrow, full effort Tuesday, half effort Wednesday (~8 to 10), off (or easy) Thursday, Easy 2 or 3 on Friday morning, race Saturday.  PR attempt if the weather cooperates.

AM: 7.5 miles wicked slow.

AM: 7ish miles at track in SH.  4x200, 4x400, 4x200 with equal recoveries, just working on form.  Cadence was a little low today which isn't the best of signs.  The workout tonight will tell me more.

PM: 10 miles at track in East Lake with Anthony. The workout was 3 sets of 200-400-600s with 200 recoveries between items and 400 between the sets. Everything was sub 5:00/mile and honestly felt pretty easy. I did the entire workout in lane 2. The 200s were quicker in the 33/34 range. I tried focusing on relaxing, pacing, quick cadence, and knee drive. Really makes a difference being on a quality track with another hard-working runner.  

PM: 12.5 miles, ~7:15 average.  A bunch of striders at the end spent mostly just racing cars.  

Now, it's time for a short taper!

PM: 4 miles in EL solo and lots of dynamic exercising.

Goose egg.  Time to focus for tomorrow!

BDR Safety Harbor Half Marathon Race Report

What a race.  I was excited to come back and recapture it in words, but I can't really do it justice.   I wanted to break James O's course record today (1:13:48), and expected to be close, but didn't quite expect to have this effort in me.

Race prep: Have done high mileage pretty consistent (for me) and stuck to 5k specific/short rest workouts mostly.  Very short taper this week, really starting on Thursday.  The weather was in the 70s, windy, and sunny- which isn't ideal, but we'll take it here in Florida.

The race: I was expecting it to be just James and myself today, but a guy from England (Stuart) decided to crash the party to race on vacation.  I was feeling good at the start watching my training partner dominate the 10k earlier in the morning, so I took out the race quite fast just to see if someone would call my bluff- I'd never run anything under 5:40 pace of this length.  This guy Stuart called my bluff quite decidedly and took us out even faster.  We were at 10:55 after two miles.  Then we ran a 5:21 mile for mile three.  Ouch.

I was tentative taking the lead back from him as we hit the hills at mile 4, but he had slowed (5:42 pace) and cadence, so I casually took it expecting to not hold it for long- he seemed very strong.  I then dropped it back down once we crested the hill in mile five- 5:31 pace to try and establish control.  From there on out, I was dictating and just tried to focus manage my breathing, cadence, and effort- especially on the hilly sections.  Honestly, the mile I was most worried about was mile 11, which contains the last of a sucky set of hills in the neighborhood.  Fortunately, right after that mile is where the 180-degree turnaround comes for the final 1.75-mile stretch, so I'd be able to gauge the distance from the field.  My lead had grown to about 35 seconds and was growing- Stuart was slightly long striding and noticeably winded.  I'm sure I looked like a real gem myself.  From there I just pushed.  Negatively, I noticeably let my breathing continue to slip a bit and fall off with its consistency, which was a mistake that I need to fix.  I suppose I just get excited getting to that finish line, so I guess it's hard to beat myself up about that.

The finishing bend came- which is an ideal 150 meter stretch for racing.  I was surprised I didn't have a finishing kick in me at the end because of all the work I've been doing at it, but I guess it's different than two weeks ago when no one is hanging on your shoulder.  I crossed the line, broke the tape, and took the record!  Even if the record stands for only a year, it's something I have never done.  Course record.  Very cool.  And the PR is nice.

                     Me-  1:12:33,        Stuart- 1:14:24,         James- 1:14:46

Splits- 5:28, 5:26, 5:21, 5:43, 5:31, 5:27, 5:38, 5:34, 5:29, 5:35, 5:36, 5:39, 5:36, Finish- ~0:30

5:32 average mile, 17:11 5k pace.

AM: 19 miles with a very large group in St. Pete.  Started early with Anthony and Daniel and we went quite slow, not surprisingly- 7:50 average.  Sore, but not bad today.  I appreciated the support from the group today about our runs yesterday.

I also discussed what happened in miles 2 and 3 with Drew and that put me at east a bit.  He mentioned how- as long as you can recover- running a quick mile or two at the beginning won't derail you, but might actually reset your pacing, making it easier to "slow down" in the following miles.  I suppose I felt exactly that but couldn't put it into words yesterday.  It was as if I was getting a break by running 5:30s.  Still, what a weird race yesterday and I don't think I'd like to make that a habit.

PM: ~5 miles then the gym- arms, back, squats, dynamic stretching.

AM: 6 miles solo in EL.  Still sore I suppose, but not bad.

PM: 10 more miles solo in EL.  Very slow ~8:10 pace.

AM: 5x1000, 1x200 with 400 recoveries.  I still don't like the long recoveries, but I guess they have their place.

PM: Track in East Lake.  6x800, 1x200 with alternating 200 and 400 recoveries.  We decided to start at 2:40 and work down in pacing.  We figured we'd start slow and see if our legs were recovered enough from our races on Saturday.  Felt okay.  I really just tried to relax and have good form and a high cadence.  

Splits- 2:39, 2:40, 2:35, 2:34, 2:30, 2:31, 0:38

PM: 10 miles with Anthony ~7:20 pace.  Felt easy, felt much more recovered today.

Late PM: 3 more miles with the team, one of them quite fast pacing our lead guy, ~5:30mile.

AM: Track in SH.  Did not go as planned- messed up my workout.  Was supposed to be 12x400 with descending rest from :90 down to :10 between intervals (with a couple extra at :60 rest).  I accidentally only did 10 of them.  Early mornings don't work well for my brain.  Fortunately, I missed two of the earlier "long" rests, so that is at least a little reassuring being that I was happy with the effort.  Felt good overall.

Splits- 1:15, 1:15, 1:15, oops, oops, 1:14, 1:13, 1:13, 1:14, 1:14, 1:15, 1:16

PM: 7.5 In East Lake, some with Anthony, the rest solo.

PM: 11 miles solo. ~7:30 average.

AM: 13 miles slow in the parks.

AM: Long run in St. Pete.  Eventually had a decent group, but a bunch of late arrivals.  I threw in a progressive tempo in the second half descending from 6:30 down to 5:30/mile pace.  I felt very good today, which is a good sign.

PM: 4 miles then to the gym- arms and back 5x5s ascending

PM: 11 miles solo, ~7:30 pace.

AM: Track- 4x100, 2x200, 2x400, 2x800, 2x400, 2x200, 4x100 with complete recoveries.  Worked on form.  I decided to not bother with splits with a workout coming this evening.

PM: Track again this time with Anthony- Ladder up and down.  400, 800, 1200, 1600, 1200, 800, 400.  We gave a controlled effort throughout the workout until the last item.  I felt pretty good on the last item.  200 recoveries after the 4's and 8's, 400 recoveries after the 12s and 16.

Splits- 1:14, 2:33, 3:52, 5:19, 3:53, 2:31, 1:08

PM: Run in Safety Harbor with Anthony and the rest solo before work.  ~7:30 pace.  

AM: 10 miles in Safety Harbor.  

PM: 10 miles, some with Anthony, most were solo in East Lake.  A bunch of striders to mix it up.  ~7:40 average.

AM: 4 miles then to the gym- chest, shoulders, tris, squats, dynamic stretching.  It was a cold morning which was a nice change!

PM: 11 miles, some with Anthony.  ~7:30 avg with 10 striders.

AM: 11 miles total.  Some fast by myself, but most were slow running/talking with some of the newer runners in the group.  

AM: Did a long run with Anthony and we stayed local for once. We did a progressive from 7:30 pace down to 7:10 at the midpoint down to 6:35 or so. This wasn't really a workout, I just personally just wanted a quality long run in the MP+1 range.

On a sadder note, it was wicked humid and mid 70s despite starting at 4:45am... Summer in Florida has come early...

AM: 4 miles then to the gym- arms and back, then a bunch of dynamic exercises.

PM: 6 miles solo.

AM: Track in SH, 9 miles total. Did 2x2miles at 15k pace with 4 minutes recovery. Felt great. PM: Modified workout with Anthony and Chand in East Lake. We did about 9 miles but only about 1.5 miles of speed. Workout was: 4x200, 4x400, 4x200. 

No running.  This was unplanned, but life happens.  

Race Prep- So it looks like I'll have a good shot at the top 10 this weekend at Gasparilla which is cool.  Really, any modest effort will make me happy, as my race recap from last year was as follows: 

"Gasparilla 15k Race Report:  Ran a 54:37, 19th overall.  I'm not impressed with myself or my effort.  I need to work harder.  This felt like the toughest race I've ever done.  I've really blown it this season."

That being said, I will tentatively make a reach goal of 49:55, a 5:21/mile pace.  I'm really unsure how to run this race with my current fitness.  The calculators are suggesting a 50:25 effort, or about a 5:25/mile pace.  I suppose I could also just race and not worry about my pacing, similar to how I started the last half marathon I ran.  If anyone has any input when looking at my recent mileage and efforts, I'd appreciate the input- positive or negative.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AM: 6 miles on the treadmill with striders.

PM: 5 miles easy in East Lake, solo.

AM: A couple of easy miles then some plyometrics.

Gasparilla 15k Race Report

Final time: 50:07         "A" Goal time: sub 50, "B" Goal time: PR- sub 50:44

Weather/course: 70s, high dew point, humid, cloudy, breezy... Florida.  The course was a flat out and back with 1 little bridge.  

The Race: Interesting start.  I was in about 12th at the first mile marker.  Then, without even increasing the pace at all, the runners in front of me just kept falling off.  By the beginning of mile 4, I was handily into 3rd place-  1st and 2nd were long gone by that point.  Anthony was the only one really hanging (as he should be) around.  He was about 3-6 seconds behind me all the way until about mile 7.  I suppose that's the interesting thing about Gasparilla- everyone starts off super fast for really no reason at all.  I guess there is a reason- there was $5,000 in prize money split amongst the top 5 finishers being awarded, so maybe that's it.

The race was pretty lonely from mile 4 onward- just me and a beautiful vista of Tampa Bay.  Going solo made it difficult to pace and push myself.  It also didn't help that the mile markers were not even close to correctly placed, so my splits below are taken from the timing mats.  I was, fortunately, able to check myself correctly on the last mile, which I was happy came in at 5:18.

Results: 1st- 47:27,   2nd- 48:21,    Me- 50:07,  4th (Anthony)- 50:44,   5th- 51:17,    6th- 51:36

Splits: 1st half 25:11 (5:24 pace),  2nd half- 24:56 (5:21 pace).  Totals- 5:22.5 pace, ~16:42 average 5k pace.

Takeaways: I probably should have gone a little faster in the first half.  A negative split of 15 seconds and the decent final mile suggests I had more in me.  I'm still happy with the PR although, and it just means that there's room for improvement.

AM: 17 miles with Anthony.  Slowish, ~7:57 pace.  Lots of dynamic work afterwards.

Noon: 3.5 miles and then the gym- chest, shoulders, tris, dynamic stretching.

PM: Work was cancelled, so I went on a longish run solo.  I felt great.  ~7:40 average.

AM: 10 miles at track in SH.  We ran 2 sets of 3x800s with 200 recoveries and a 400 recovery between each set.  Stuck to 15k pace except for the last two.

PM: 11 miles at track in SH with Anthony.  East Lake was hosting a meet, so we had to slog out to the asphalt track.  Did 3 sets of 6x300s with 100 recoveries, 500 recoveries between the sets.  The workout felt fine- we kept it pretty chill, and I'm mostly recovered from Saturday I'd say.  

Splits- 54, 56, 53, 53, 54, 54,        54, 53, 53, 54, 53, 53,         55, 54, 53, 53, 52, 50

AM: 3 miles then to the gym- arms, back, plyos.

PM: 11 miles, mostly with Anthony.

AM: 10 miles.  Ran with Alan and Michele at the track, did some fast stuff with them, nothing worth noting.

PM: 10 miles, half with Anthony.

PM: 10 1/2 miles solo.

AM: Track tempo in Safety Harbor with Anthony.  We did 4x200, 2x3200, 4x200 with 400 recovery between the 3200s.  I incorporated a fair amount of plyometrics and tried to focus on my knee drive.

Splits: 38, 35, 35, 35, 10:43, 10:39, 35, 35, 35, 35

AM: 17 miles pretty easy with Lee, Steve, Anthony, and Christina.

PM: 3 miles then the gym- chest, tris, shoulders

Late PM: 13 miles solo.  Felt great.

AM: 8 miles in SH.  Did a workout- alternating 200s and 600s x4 with short recoveries.

PM: 10 miles in EL with Anthony and Chad.  We did a modified workout of 2 miles worth of 30 and 60-second intervals on the trail.  I did not pay attention to pace at all.  

AM: 3+ miles and then the gym- arms, back, and legs.

PM: 7 miles with Anthony in SH.  Feeling great.

7 miles with Anthony in East Lake.  Some striders added later.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Race Prep- So it looks like I'll have a good shot at the top 3 this Sunday for the last leg of the halfathon race series, but will try for higher.  I’m already pretty pumped for it in a “racing” aspect.  It’s a culmination of 4 half marathons where 3 of your times are added together and the lowest cumulative total time wins $1,000.  This last race must be ran and counted in your total time.  Right now the standings are:

1st- Anthony-  - Leader -
2nd- Chris-     + 0:48 seconds
3rd- Me-        + 0:50
4th-  Sean      +3:48
5th- Lee        +3:55

I’m excited to see what I will do with a proverbial hill to climb.  I have to try to beat Anthony by 51 seconds who I beat in the 15k by 37 seconds two weeks ago.  As you can imagine, that extrapolates to almost exactly an overall tie for Sunday based on the above standings.  I also have to beat Chris- notorious for his stick-and-draft technique- by 3 seconds.  He’s usually the most fit of the 3 of us at any given time, but hasn’t raced locally in a while so who knows.  We once finished a race together and our times were the same and neither of us could tell who crossed the line first.  His PR is also similar to mine, so it could be a VERY interesting race

That being said, I will tentatively make a pace goal of... hmm… winning- by 50 seconds?  That, though, is dependent on the weather and the fitness/race plans of Chris and Anthony.  I’ve never gone into a race with the direct intention to “race” before, so this is going to be quite an experience. 

What strategy should I pick?  And will I cave, or do I succeed?  Drama ensues… :)

Planned day off.

AM: 4 miles easy.

Race Report: Florida Beach Half Marathon finale  

Race prep: Nothing specific, just been in a holding pattern for the past month with so many races close together.

Weather: 70s, humid, windy, partly sunny.  It could have been worse.

Goal: Win by 50 seconds against those ahead of me in the series, or try to by racing on my own terms.  If they beat me, they beat me, but they’ll have to take my best punch.

The race: Wow.  I was seriously geared up for this.  I was third entering this race, and had serious work to do.  I was down 50 and 3 seconds from 1^st and 2^nd respectively to try and win the race series which started October 31^st.  Now I am sincerely thankful for the comments (from this site) to tell me just to run my own race plan and not let anyone get comfortable.  I chose to go out hard- much harder than I ever have.  I wanted to make the pace uncomfortable from the start.  No one even attempted to stay with me from the gun, and I had a 20-second lead at least by mile 1.  It was 35 seconds by mile 2.  And I pressed to open a 55-second lead by the end of mile 3 on second.  I’m sure the next two guys assumed I would fall off.  I did not.  I was hoping somewhere along the way they all broke apart, which I wanted to happen as this is a really windy course.  The first 3 water tables weren’t ready for me or the lead bike come by even to even hand out water, and one of the tables wasn’t even being manned.  The biker felt bad by the third table and dropped back to me to offer to go back and grab me some water and offered me one of his GUs, but I didn’t really mind and told him thank you, but I’m okay.  Although the water would have been nice since it was humid, things happen and they are all volunteers for goodness sake.  I’m just thankful they are there to begin with.

I was on a mission until mile 8 just plowing through the wind solo, where there is a big turnaround loop at the end of the island in the middle of some serious crosswind.  I knew I needed to keep pressing but gained some confidence at this point.  Timing from the turnaround, my lead was 2 minutes on the nearest person, Anthony (who was ahead 50 seconds in the series on me), and then at least 3 minutes on the next two guys which included the 2^nd place guy, Chris, who had a 2-second lead on me entering today.  I pressed on- wind now on my back.  By mile 10 I was feeling great, and that was probably where my mistake was- I unintentionally changed breathing patterns and lost control of my breathing by the end of mile 10.  I developed a cramp pretty quickly thereafter in my obliques/abdominals.  For mile 11 and 12 I battled that to no avail, and decided it best to slow down until I got back onto a 3/2 pattern in mile 13.  This worked perfectly and the stitch dissipated within 30 seconds- I wish I had tried that two miles earlier!  Dumb of me.  The last ¾ mile went fine and I crossed the finish at 1:12:45.0.  I then anxiously waited out the next 50 seconds to see if I would win the money for the series and was relieved to have earned it as the seconds ticked away.  What a fun experience! 

Final results- 

Me- 1:12:45   Anthony- 1:15:49    Lee- 1:16:56    Chris- 1:17:41                

Race Series $$$ results

1^st- me, 2^nd- Anthony, 3^rd- Chris, 4^th- Lee, 5^th- Sean

Splits- 5:24, 5:25, 5:23, 5:33, 5:28, 5:33, 5:32, 5:33, 5:26, 5:30, 5:42, 6:02, 5:40, Finish- ~ 0:34

AM: 10.6 miles solo.

PM: 2 miles solo on the teadmill then gym- chest, tris, shoulders.

AM: 10 miles solo.

PM: 10 miles with Anthony.

AM: 4 miles on the treadmill, one mile fast to try out some new shoes.  Then lifted- arms, back, (light) legs.

Also, I cracked 1,000 miles!  I remember in 2014, I thought the idea of running 1,000 miles in a year was nuts.  Now it's reached in March.  Cool.

PM: 13 miles, 9 with Anthony.

AM: Track- 9x600 with 200 recoveries. Did not look at the watch, just went on effort. Felt great.

PM: 9 miles, 5 with Anthony.

PM: 8 miles in some incredible weather.  

Rarely is Florida like it was today- 70 degrees, 20% humidity, 28-degree Dew Point, <5mph wind.  Wow.  What a run.  Anthony and I ran 7:00s without even trying to. 

I saw an age group World Record today!

AM: What a cool morning!  I was asked to try and pace a Gainesville girl in an age-group world record attempt in the 5k (road) for a 12-year-old girl named Ani in Clermont, FL the other day.  I figured what the heck- how often do you get to say you were a part of that?  So I said sure.  Well, today was the day.  We actually had a group of 6 guys running her along to pace her which I think really helped.  She wanted to go 5:25 to open the first mile and then try to hang on to that for the rest.  Although she lost a couple of seconds along the next two miles, however, she did a great job and to my knowledge, she set the road course world record!  Her final time was 17:16.77.  I have no idea of the rules/requirements that go into it from here on out, but it still was fun.

It felt good at the end when she mentioned the group really helped motivate her.  She seemed genuinely thankful and thrilled to have us there.  She was just plain adorable.  Afterwards, she said she appreciated us supporting and pushing her down the stretch.  Made my day.

Here she is below with us.

AM: Long run.  I broke it up with 2 miles easy with some striders, then a 10k in ~36:30 (19:30 for the first half, then 17:00 for the second half), 5 miles easy, then a 5k in ~16:30,  1 mile easy, then a final fast mile at effort.  

AM: 3 miles and then the gym- chest, tris, shoulders.  I fell off the treadmill today, so that was a thing that happened.  It happens to everyone at some point... right?  Right?!

PM: 7.5 solo in EL.

AM: 8+ in SH with a good group at track.

PM: 9 miles- 7 with Anthony. ~7:30 avg.

PM: 10+ miles in Safety Harbor.

AM: 8.5 at track in SH with Alan.  16x200 with 200 recoveries at effort.

PM: 5.5 with Anthony.

Day off.

AM: Recovery run.

New Orleans Half Marathon (BDR) Race Report

Pre-Race: I decided to shoot for the moon- a 1:10.  A lot of things were working against me here- crap conditions,10-hour drive the day before, no one to run with, small race, excuse, excuse, more excuses....  However, I decided to go for it anyway.  Why not, right?

The Race: 5:15 on the first mile got me going.  I came through the halfway (6.55) mark at 35:00 which had me pretty excited.  I felt good to mile 8, and then just... well... it all hit the fan ;)  I struggled mightily and sadly even resigned on running even respectable miles by the beginning of mile 11.  I think the lead SUV and biker thought I was dogging it into the finish- but I really tried hard.  I finished the race with a whimper- shuffling across the finish.  

First half- 35:00

Second half- 38:35

Final time- 1:13:35

Final thoughts: Welp, I would've been mad if I didn't try.  It was good to fail.  Now I will have that salty and sour taste in my mouth to hold me over until October.  Joy.

Day off.  Exploring New Orleans!!

Day off.  Exploring New Orleans!!

AM: 2 miles, then gym- chest, tris, shoulders, abs, legs.

PM: 12 miles, 7 with Anthony.

AM: 11 miles at track.  Wasn't planning on giving a real effort, but did anyway.  Workout was solo.  Did a ladder up/down- 2x100, 2x200, 2x300, 2x400, 2x600, 2x400, 2x300, 2x200, 2x100, 1x200.  All were 100 or 200 jog recoveries.

Splits- 22, 22, 40, 39, 56, 58, 1:16, 1:13, 1:52, 1:52, 1:13, 1:12, 56, 56, 36, 36, 20, 19, 35

PM: 10 miles with Anthony. ~6:58/mile average.

PM: 10+ solo.  ~7:00/mile pace.

AM: 2.5 slow miles showing the group the route around the park.  Then followed that up with a LOT of walking with some of the walkers who were straggling behind.  

"Run Week" begins tomorrow!  

AM: 20.5 miles with Anthony, Charles, Drew, Lee, and Sydney.  Very spry: ~7:00-7:10 for the majority of it.

This is going to be one heck of a running week, I can already tell- I am feeling great.  I will call it "Runspringa" (trademark pending).  And it will.  Be.  Awesome.

PM: 10 more miles solo... because... RUNSPRINGA!  Felt great!

AM: 2.5 miles and the gym- chest, tris, shoulders, abs.

PM: 12 miles @ ~7:00/mile.

AM: 10 miles, 3 at marathon pace. Why, you ask? Runspringaaaaaaaaa.

PM: Track in East Lake with Anthony- kind of. He didn't want to do the workout at all, so I went solo. 10x400, 4x200 with equal recoveries.

Splits- 68.5, 68, 67, 66, 67, 67.5, 68.5, 68, 67.5, 66.5, 34, 35, 34, 34.

PM: 11.5, 7 with Anthony.  ~7:30avg.

AM: Thunderstorms = rained out.

PM: 12 miles ~7:30 avg

Planned day off. 

This race was meant to help my friend Anthony break 16, but it was just not meant to be for him on this day.  Hopefully, he'll give it a shot in June.

5k Splits-      mile 1- 4:58, mile 2- 5:06, mile 3- 5:16, finish 0:31.

Then we did a long run on the clay loop in Clermont.  Wow, if you ever get a chance to run there, that is a pretty cool long run loop.

AM: 18 miles very early (4:30 start) with Steve watching the Irongirl half/5k and cheering them all on.

PM: 10 miles after a long day.  Glad I didn't give myself an excuse not to run.  Had really no run stuff in my car but threw on an old pair of basketball shorts, my backup-backup-backup-backup 3 year old sneakers, no watch, work socks, and no workout shirt but it didn't matter- still got out there.

AM: Track in Safety Harbor.  10x400 with 400 recoveries.  I was running people mostly trying to hit their times.  Fast group today- they worked real hard. 

PM: Track in East Lake. 4x1600 with 400 recoveries with Chad.

PM: 10 miles, 7 with Anthony.

AM: 9 miles with Matt, Alan, and Brian.

PM: 11 miles.

AM: 8 miles solo.

PM: 5 miles with Anthony.

AM: Ryan's Run Relays, 4 x 1miles team event in Ybor city.

This is a road race event where you have 4 members to a team and you hand off a baton to the next member when finished.  Today I ran with Alan (leg 2), Brian (leg 3), and Celia (leg 4 anchor).  I ran leg 1, as I am not the type to enjoy being way behind and having to catch up.  It was a tougher leg than I expected- brick for the first quarter, two 90-degree turns and then an annoying 180 turn to hand off at the 1 to 2 mile marker- whoever decided on that part of the course being included at the finish of a leg absolutely sucks.  I went out at 4:32 pace and felt pretty gassed immediately to be honest which was a bad sign.  I somehow held on to the pace although the entire way, which was surprising.  I'm happy with the mile time, but definitely can do better.  I can't really count it as a PR, since it wasn't certified, but still nice to run that type of time psychologically.

Our team finished with a 21:58 (or thereabouts, not sure the actual finish time), but I tried my best to run the rest of my teammates to PRs, but only one was able to PR.  Oh well, still top co-ed team for the 4x1! 

AM: 21 miles+ mostly with Steve, Charles, Lee. Paces: ~7:30 pace for the first half and 7:15 for the second half.

Hoppy Easter everyone!

PM: 10+ miles.  Felt great, ~7:02 average.

Also watched the Boston Marathon!  Jordan Hasay ran incredibly well.  Her last 5k was right around 16 minutes and negative split the race finishing in 2:23- she certainly has a 2:20 in her.  On the men's side, it was nice to see SIX Americans in the top 10 spots... although 3 of those are non-American born products... so let's not get too excited.  Still cool.  Rupp looked strong finishing in second- 22 seconds back- but he had no real chance against Kirui.  Kirui was straight up racing the whole way and could just follow game plan from mile 22 onward- creating a gap and holding it.  

Fun race to watch, however, I wish Mutai, Korir, (and even Tsegay) had actually bothered racing after 25k.  I know they get paid to come (as well as often win money for placing), but it's like watching Lebron James dog it in a regular season game- it's cool, but let's just move to the NBA finals to see the real deal.

AM: Track in Safety Harbor.  3 fast miles running the guys running 3 sets of alternating 1000s and 600s, but the real work is planned for the afternoon.  

PM: 10+ miles at the track in East Lake- unbearable hot and humid.  Tried to do 3 miles of alternating 1000s and 600s, but just couldn't get my pacing down.  Not a good workout at all.

PM: 12+ miles solo in Safety Harbor.

AM: 9+ miles at track in Safety Harbor helping Alan run some 300s with 100 recoveries.  The splits were around 60-62 seconds per 300, although I was using the outer lanes to get more of a workout in.

PM: 7+ Solo late (after 8pm) in East Lake.  I'm impressed with myself, since I had every excuse not to run today.

PM: 11+ solo in East Lake, ~7:10/mile avg..

AM: 3.5 miles solo

PM: 3 miles then gym, chest, tris, shoulders.

20 total miles solo in East Lake with a 2x3mile at effort in the middle of the run.

PM: 11 miles, 3 of them fast- I don't know why.  I tried on some new shoes, so that might be it.  Overall, ~6:50/mile average.

AM: Track, ran 10.75 miles total.  We did 12x400,408,416.  Our goal was to keep the same time for each interval, even though we would be switching to lanes two (interval 2,5,8) and three (3,6,9) and then rotating back.  I've done this workout once before and find it really useful for keeping things fresh and focused.  I ran everyone else's' pace alternating between runners, but they were, fortunately, quick today.  

PM: Track again, this time solo and fast.  Ran 10.25 miles total.  I chose to do 24x200 with 200 jog recoveries.  Anthony tried persuading me out of it and telling me to do it next week- a common refrain lately.  Chad did not want to join as he has a triathlon on Sunday, which I understand.  So I did it solo.  24 intervals in a row are just, plain daunting.  Afterwards, I was proud I hit my goals.

Splits- 32, 31, 32, 33, 33, 32, 32.5, 30.5, 32, 29.5, 33, 33, 33, 32, 33, 33, 32, 34, 32.5, 33, 32, 33, 32, 31

There is no real reason I'm running these workouts, I just think they are fun.  I enjoy running relatively fast.  It's fun to persevere and try to succeed, particularly after a string of failures.  Especially solo.  

PM: 6 miles with Anthony at a (thankfully) ungodly slow pace, ~8:50/mile and then the gym: arms, back, plyos, squats, abs.

I really killed it in my workout yesterday. I am wicked sore, but in a good way.

AM: 8.5 miles with Alan.

PM: 8.5 miles with Anthony.

PM: 13 miles solo, ~7:15/mile pace.

AM: 12 miles solo in Safety Harbor.  It is sweltering here in Florida even super early.

AM: 21 very slow miles.  ~8:35/mile pace

Unintentionally slow miles, actually.  I got roped in with a slow group, and they were talkers and I just let it go from there.  It took me 3 hours of running to finish 21 miles, but 3:30 hours total since they took so many breaks/walked/took forever to start running again which is entirely frustrating.  Very thankful I did the first 5 miles solo, or else I think I'd still be running...  

Later, I volunteered at the St. Anthony's Triathlon at one of their water stops- I don't give back to the community nearly enough.  Happy I chose to join the volunteering corps.  :)

PM: 12 miles solo.  ~7:20/mile pace

AM: 10+ miles at track in Safety Harbor.  Joined in on a 1600, 1200, 400, and two 200s.  No watch this morning, but ran pretty hard.   Super humid and hot today.  This might be ominous for tonight's workout.

PM: 10 miles at track in East Lake- super hot and humid.  Workout was 10x500 with 300 jog recoveries.  Anthony was there, but didn't join.  I don't really know why.  I'm really happy with the outcome of this workout- I did dig deep, but I am working solo, so psychologically it of course will be tough always.  My cadence was great today (190s) and sped up as the workout went on.

Splits for the 500s- 1:28, 1:29, 1:29, 1:32, 1:30, 1:31, 1:32, 1:31, 1:31, 1:29

PM: Run in East Lake with Anthony.  ~7:30 pace.  Felt pretty good despite yesterday.

PM: Solo run in East Lake.  Felt good so I did a bit of a tempo/workout.  Did a 3 mile warmup then 2x5000 with a mile in between.  Felt great, and probably would have done another 5k had it not downpoured and easily put an inch of rain on the ground in the middle of the second set.  

5k Splits- 17:58, 17:49

PM: 12 miles solo in East Lake.  ~7:10/mile pace while jamming to some tunes.  

AM: 12 miles (~7:50/mile pace) ridiculously early on the Clearwater bridges- solo- after watching the sub 2hr marathon attempt (slash clearly Nike promo gimmick) online.

~~~~~

The sub-2 attempt: New Marathon World Record!   Kind of- pacers were used and it wasn't a "race."  But let's be honest, the 4:00 barrier was attacked in a similar way.  The result was a 2:00:25 by Eliud Kipchoge.  I guessed he was going to run a 2:01 high with the pacers, wind barrier "clock" (please, we aren't blind), and moving fuel stations.  What a pleasure it is to see these three men- Desisa, Kipchoge, and Tadese) communicate after the race and during the outros- such humility (waving to the crowd even during a new world record), humbleness (immediately turning the question to the pacers and aids), and thankfulness (for the pacers).  That really got me.  These men display personable qualities I aspire to have.  I got more out of watching them as people then watching their form and idiosyncrasies.  

I couldn't believe Eliud was strong enough to hold that solo for the last 50 minutes like that as Tadese dropped off.  What mental fortitude!  I wish it was about 10-15 degrees cooler for them however (at least for Desisa).  

You could feel the incredible energy from all of the pacers afterwards too- as if they were their own little community and had done it together.  I want that.  I wish Florida had that.  Running solo is fun, but the comradery and teamwork is always something I've loved about sports that made me not interested in sports like running- and likely why I didn't touch the sport until after college.  It's clearly there, just much more difficult to find, and after this morning I see that now.  Makes me feel like I missed out on a cool sport to grow up with.

On a final note, not only is someone going to break 2 hours in a regular marathon, but it will happen in our lifetime- that's pretty cool.  I mean, they took 2.1% off the World Record- That's like taking 0.22 off of the 100m world record time.  That's insane!  We can whine all we want about the time "not being official," or they'll talk about the Nike shoes having a 85% return, but literally every other sport has some aid in it that's even more unfair- blocks in sprinting, hydrophobic suits in swimming (not to mention diving platforms to start), and bicycles that literally can make an average Joe into an good cyclist just because of the bike.  The sport is bound to evolve eventually as it has in the past.  Otherwise, we'd be rolling around on cinder tracks still.

Also, happy Roger Bannister day!  May the 6th be with you.  (:

AM: 20 miles solo in East Lake.  

AM: 2 miles then gym- arms, back, abs, stretching.

PM: 10 miles solo, 7:15/mile pace.

AM: 7 miles with Matt and Michele.

PM: 8.5 miles, 3.5 of them fast.  Ran 12x300, 2x200, 2x800 At descending paces all the way through.  Started at 5:40/mile pace and brought it down to 5:00/mile pace for the 200s and 800s.  Felt pretty easy.  100 recoveries on the 300s and 200s and 400 before and between the 800s.

AM: I did wake up. Then flipped over to the cool side of the pillow- and that was the end of that. 0 miles. Stuart Scott would have approved...

PM: 8 miles solo, ~7:50/mile pace.

Planned off day.

I have a 10k planned for Saturday- an event I actually have to be at the volunteer/work, so I figured I'd run it as well.  It's just a local race in Tampa.  There are two guys who run the event every once in a while, both of whom are above my level (they are Olympic Trial Qualified).  Other than that it's usually a running-in-no-mans-land kind of situation.  Part of me hopes they both are there, but I don't think they will be since there is no prize money of any kind.  

I have a pretty meager PR to break of 34:31, which normally would be relatively easy to do.  However, the weather looks terrible- hot (86 degrees), humid (70%), isolated thunderstorms, and no cover.  The 18mph winds should be cute, too.  I also am having difficulty finding their course certification number, so it may not even count.  The positive energy eminating from me must be palpable.

Oh yeah, almost forgot, I promised myself I would do this more consistently.  So as long as it is an accurate course:

A goal 32:50, B goal 33:30, C goal <34:30, F >34:31

PM: Some slow miles in Lansbrook.

Miles for Moffit 10k Race Report

Weather: hot (80s), humid (80%)... Florida.  No wind although...

Course: A lot of turns, rolling hills- but nothing crazy or very challenging.

Goal:sub 33:00, top 3.

Result: 34:44, 1st place.

The race: I was excited to see another good runner- Michael P- racing, so I thought I'd definitely give a full effort.  I started off and ran mile one in 5:15 or so and felt fine.  I took a good lead by mile 2 (which came in at 5:18 or so).  The next guys after that were nowhere to be seen and second place sounded like he was already winded and faded quickly after trying to stick right behind me for the first 2 miles or so.  The lead grew to about 30-35 seconds from there by about the 5k mark and I just held the lead for the win.  Second came in 34 seconds behind me.

Reflectively, I am relatively unhappy with myself although with my effort, even with the first place finish.  I could tell I was coasting.  I could tell I had more to give.  I just... didn't feel like it- if that makes sense.  My feet felt heavy, it was hot, and I was breathing heavy considering the slow pace.  I knew my effort was weak mostly because as mile 6 started, I remember saying to myself I've got this.  I could run a 5:00 mile to finish if I needed to, and I've got 35 seconds on him, so just keep an eye on second place- he would need a 4:30 mile to have a chance against me right now.  That, as we all know, is a pretty sad way to finish a race.  Racing for me isn't generally about winning, and certainly wasn't the intention of today's race.  It should mostly be about getting better against yourself and giving more effort than ever before, comparitively.  I failed at this today.  It happens, and I can grow from it.

I grade this race a big, fat, "F."  

PM: 20 miles solo, late afternoon.  I woke up and didn't feel like working hard.  I argued with myself the rest of the day and finally got out there.  10 miles at 6:55/mile pace, the rest just leisurely ran.

PM: 10 miles solo in East Lake again.

AM: 9.5 miles, a couple of them faster (not fast) with the group around the 6:00/mile range.

PM: Another 9.5 solo.  My left foot still has a bunch of blisters from Saturday, but they're starting to get better.  Thought I'd make note here that it was my orange pair I wore on Saturday.  Their life might be coming to an end... 

No running

PM:  13 miles solo, 7:09/mile pace

PM:  13 miles solo, 7:27/mile pace.  Last mile was super fast.

AM:  11 miles solo with Mike B, then work.

Noon: 2.25 miles with the group.

AM: 20 miles inlcuding a workout- 4x3miles in sub 18 minutes average with 5 minute recovery runs.  Felt pretty good, although it's super humid.  Started at mile 3.

PM: 10 miles solo, 7:28/mile average.

AM: Some faster miles at track with the guys.  Mostly ran around marathon pace for the faster stuff.  Some was in the 5:00 range though.

PM: Just shy of 10 miles solo.  ~7:28/mile pace.

PM: Just shy of 10 miles solo.  ~7:50/mile pace.

PM: some solo miles, ~7:20/mile avg.

PM: solo, ~6:45/mile avg.  2 miles at 5:30 pace.

AM: some solo miles, then hooked up with Nigel for 8 more miles- very slow for those 8, but good conversation.

PM: 2 miles then the gym- chest, tris, shoulders

AM: 8 miles solo

Noon: 2 miles then the gym- arms, back, legs

AM: 5 solo miles then 4 more with Nigel to celebrate his 1-year-straight running streak!

PM: 9+ miles solo.  7:40/mile average.  

AM: Track in Safety Harbor.  Kept it easy and simple.  10x400.  Splits varied between 1:11-1:15, with the last one ran evenly through the first 200 and then finishing the last 200 anaerobically but in control- 1:06.  Felt pretty easy throughout and just concentrated on relaxing- 400s are mentally easy.

PM: 7 miles solo.

AM: 4 miles solo then the gym- chest, tris, shoulders.

PM: 10 miles solo.

Noon: 3 miles on the treadmill ~7:10/mile pace and then gym- arms, back, squats

PM: 6+ miles, ~7:50/mile pace.

PM: 4 miles easy

AM: Leftover BDR Safety Harbor 5k Race Report

Nothing really to say about this one.  Wire-to-wire lead, had a good gap by mile 1 and just held onto it and enjoyed the lead.  At about the 15 minute mark I realized I noticed I had a shot to dip under 16 minutes, but I didn't want to put in the effort.  Similarly, I did gradually lose more than the normal amount of focus as the race went on, but fortunately still finished 30 seconds ahead of second- I'm not sure if my drive is waning or if it's just because it's Florida in the summer...  They had a giant inflatable water slide at the end of the race, so instead of running some more I decided I'd rather go down the waterslide a bunch of times.  Being an adult is fun!

Either way, can't complain about first overall.  Anthony was second in 16:39, Sydney was third in a ridiculous  time of 16:49- she is plain on fire.  Then again, she did run for UF, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised by times like those coming from a runner that far along.

Splits- 5:05, 5:15, 5:15, Finish- 0:39 (did zero sprinting at the end)

AM: 3 miles then the gym- arms and back.

PM: 10 miles easy- 7:42/mile pace.

PM: 10 miles

AM: Track in Safety Harbor.  Ran well in control.  Workout was a descending time workout form 4 minutes down to 1.

AM: 3 miles then the gym- chest, tris, shoulders

PM: 12.25 miles.

AM: 4 miles, 3 of them fast.  Basically a bunch of repeats alternating paces down to 5:00/mile pace.

PM: 10 miles, 7:26/mile pace

AM: 3.5 miles then gym- arms and back

PM: 9.5 miles easy

AM: 15 miles, some with Don and Lisa.

AM: 3.1 miles then gym- chest, tris, shoulders, abs, quads, hams, glutes.

PM: 10 miles solo.  7:43/mile pace.

AM: 10 miles at track total- 3 fast.  Workout was 6x800.

PM: Went out to run- lightning was scary, so I turned around very quickly.

AM: 3 miles at OT- 12 minutes of it decently fast 5:20 down to 5:00/mile pace.

PM: 10 miles solo.

PM: 10.7 miles solo.

AM: 3.1 miles then the gym- chest, tris, shoulders, abs.

PM: 10.6 miles solo.

AM: Gym- 2.5 miles, 1.5 worth of intervals with some inclines.  Nothing faster than 5:00/mile pace.  Also rowed, chest, biceps, lats.  Bad idea to do the chest/bicep stuff given yesterday, but it was all bodyweight stuff, so it's okay.

Late PM: 10.25 solo.

AM: 5 miles, all decently fast with brief interludes of 7:30/mile pace.  Ranged from 5:30-5:00/mile paces.   Gym before and after- chest, arms, back, lower body (bodyweight only).

PM: 7 miles solo in a thunderstorm.

AM: 9.5 miles solo

AM: 5 miles consecutive of intervals ranging from 5:00 to 5:30/mile, with recoveries at 6:00/mile pace, then gym- hams/quads, abs, back (kind of... aerobic rowing), chest.

AM: 3 miles and then the gym- arms, back, stretching.

PM: 10+ miles solo.  It is wicked humid lately.

PM: 10 miles solo.

AM: 3 miles then gym- chest, tris, shoulders

Then airplane to Boston!  Say goodbye to my fitness, but it'll be fun!

Did not run.

AM: 11 miles early, solo, in New Jersey.

AM: 10 miles solo in NJ- some hills, same as yesterday.  Now off to Connecticut.

PM: 10 miles in Connecticut on the trail.  I need to get into the mountains and do some running, I just can't find the initiative to make the turn up those roads- so I hid by the river trails.  Lazy.

PM: Hills!  Finally!  I'm so out of shape.  I was able to knock the average pace down to 8:17 per mile.  And tried really hard to do that. Yikes.

AM: Now I am in Jamestown, Rhode Island.  Ran 10 miles checking out the dilapidated fort and then  heading over to watch the surfers on the beach.  Fun run, good hills.  Still unbearable slow, in the 8s.

AM: 10 miles running a similar route to yesterday.  2 "fast" miles at the end- ~6:00/mile pace.  Yikes.  Overall pace was back in the high 7s at least, which I can live with.

AM: 11 miles in Newport, Rhode Island.  Tourists wake up late, fortunately.

AM: 10 miles in Newport, Rhode Island.

No running today, however walked and biked an insane amount on Block Island in RI- 8 hours straight with stops at the two lighthouses and once at the beach.  We did manage to find some cool trails too- I've been here before, so it was nice to know where the interesting things were.  It felt good to bike.  This is really only the second time I've been on my bike since my accident about 11 months ago.  It's still scary to get on one.  

AM: 12.5 miles back in Portland, Connecticut.  I did my favorite trail system: Canfield Woods.  This is the first time I have ever NOT fallen while running on these trails.  Markedly impressive since I've run them about 20+ times.

PM: 12 miles in Portland on the trails.  

AM: 11 miles in CT in the hills.

AM: 10.1 miles in CT in the hills.

AM: 10.2 miles in CT on the trail- 3 of them ~6:00/mile pace.

AM: 16 miles in CT in the hills.

PM: 5 miles back in the hills.

Maybe I've turned a corner?  We'll see.

AM: 10 miles in CT in the hills.

PM: 5.3 miles on the trail.

AM: 11 miles in CT in the hills.

PM: 6 miles on the trail.

AM: 10.3 miles in CT in the hills.

AM: 11 miles back in Florida.  You simply cannot prepare for the heat + humidity of Florida.  I suffered pretty much the entire way.

AM: 9.3 miles in Clearwater.

PM: 6.1 miles in East Lake.

AM: 5 miles then the gym- arms, back, hams, quads.  I felt the long break from the gym, but I am glad to be back.

PM: 4.5 miles to break the century mark.  I felt quite good overall today despite the wonderful weather- gotta love 90 degrees, 80% humidity, and a UV index of 10/10.  

Early AM: Did my first workout in a long time.  400, 600, 1000 all at effort, then a full recovery, followed by a 2-mile @ 5:00/mile pace.  Finished in 10:00 minutes exactly.  Overall I didn't have to reach into the tank which was nice.  6 miles total with 3 fast.  

Late AM: 8 more miles, very easy.  Some gym work- squats, lunges, chest, lats.

AM: 8 miles

PM: 8+ miles

AM: 10 miles, some quick but I'm not going to count them.

PM: First real workout back- 3 sets of 6x300 w/ 100 recoveries and 500 between the sets.  It was difficult, but I hung in there.  John, Jeremy, and Dylan joined me. 

AM: 5 miles on the treadmill with an incline, then gym- chest, shoulders, tris.

PM: 9.5 miles, most of them with John.

AM: 8 miles on the treadmill with incline.

PM: 7 miles with Anthony.

AM: Workout on the treadmill.  I started almost immediately, which is never the brightest move.  5x100m sprints, 1x1 mile @ 5:00, 5x100m sprints, then 5x300 at increasing grade starting at 3% up to 7% at 5:00/mile pace.  Followed that with a quiet 5k.

Then gym- arms, abs, glutes, then some squats.  

PM: 8.2 miles solo

AM: 10 miles.

PM: 5.75 miles.

AM: 18 miles before the storms with Anthony, John, and Jeremy.

PM: 4.5 miles with Jenni

AM: 10.1 miles on the treadmill, 6 of them at MP+1 @ 3.0% grade.

PM: 7.1 miles with Anthony.  It was quite toasty this afternoon.

AM: 10+ miles with a workout on the track.  I wasn't planning on having a serious workout (and instead just run with people and pace them), but Celia brought a high school kid, and well, it's always fun to see if I can outrun someone who should be faster than me.  Was a cut-down: 1600, 1200, 800, 4x400 with 400 recoveries between the long items and 200 between the short items.  I likely have set myself up for a bit of failure/disappointment this afternoon, but we'll see.

PM: 9+ miles at the track in the middle of the afternoon- 4:30pm in Florida- Beautiful!  Had an excellent group of runners out today: John, Jeremy, Chris, Anthony, and myself.  I haven't done intervals with a group this talented quite possibly ever.  That being said, the best part was we stayed together for 4 of the 6 items and worked well together which was the best part.  Workout was 6x800 with 400 jog recoveries.  Nothing special for times, but that's okay, as it felt quite easy even after a tough morning.  Splits: 2:44, 2:48, 2:46, 2:39, 2:36, 2:34.  Jeremy, Chris, and I stayed grouped through them all which was fun.  I hope we can keep a group like this going, but after a couple of years of doing intervals now, I know it's unlikely, so I'll savor the singular experience when it occurs.

AM: 3 miles then the gym- chest, shoulders, tris.

PM: 12 miles.

AM: 4 miles then gym- arms, back.

PM: 11 miles.

AM: 3.5 miles then the gym + treadmill workout: 1x1600 at MP, then 1x1200, 1x800, 4x400 all at 5:00/mile pace and increasing incline starting at 2% up to 7%.

PM: 7+ miles with Anthony.

AM: 6.5 miles.  Wanted more, but thought better of it.

No running.

No running.

4+ miles easy (on Saturday), still pain will try the week.

Week totals: 75miles.  Still lingering pain that got worse, so sat out 2 full weeks now with only weight lifting, dynamic movements, and leg work building the muscles in my lower legs.  

Week totals: 0.  No running this week- injured.

Week totals: 0.  No running this week- injured.

Week totals: 12 miles.  Little running, still doing gym work.

Week totals: 30.  Slowly building.  Zero runs over 5 miles.  First attempt at running fast (Friday).  Ran a 24:00 5k "hard."  My heart rate was 90-93% before I had to call it.

No running.  Recovery day.

7 miles SUPER slow.  

AM:6 miles

PM: 4+ miles.  Some fast running- a couple of 6:30 miles.  Real struggle.

A couple more miles at effort.  Really focused on form- 6:10s-6:30s.

No running.  Recovery day.

Same deal, some faster miles focusing on form and effort.  6:00/mile range finally.

6 miles super slow.

A couple of sub 6:00 miles again on the treadmill focusing on form.

6 miles slow.

AM: A pair of miles split amongst a couple of friends in the 6:00 range.

No running.  Recovery day.

Some miles with Anthony.

5.5 miles, slow.

Did a 5k today to see where I'm at.  Ran a 17:50, but reached incredibly deep for it (and it was on a treadmill).  

PM: 5+ miles solo, slow.

PM: 8.5 miles, 7:37 pace.

AM: 6 miles, 2 faster (sub 6), but nothing special.  Worked on form, cadence, and breathing.

PM: 7 miles with Anthony.

No running.  Recovery day.

12 pounds overweight from the last couple of months, so I'm going to do a cut for a bit starting today...

AM: Some quick stuff, finally did some inclines.  Effort-based, didn't really watch the speed much, just the heart rate.  

Not ready for inclines, that's for sure, so it wasn't the best idea.

PM: 5+ miles with Anthony.

AM: 7 miles solo, early with Anthony.

AM: 14 miles on the Clearwater bridges with Anthony.  Longest run in about 6 weeks by about 5 or 6 miles.  Shocked I completed it.  I felt out of shape to say the least.

No running.  Recovery day.

AM: six 800s at sub 6 pace, just simply staying in form and having a high cadence.  I am still not fit enough to go fast and keep any semblance of form.

So, Sunday was the first day I felt "okay."  I'm still getting some phantom pains, cramps, and various annoyances, but I think I can finally start actually training.  I am still hanging on to the "off days" until I build up my mileage a bit, but that's okay.  This has been a long haul from a pretty serious injury- I want to get it right.

PM: 9.5 miles solo at 7:30 pace.  Finally feeling like my old self, just without the endurance and speed.  So I guess not like my old self.  At least running is fun again, and that's all that matters.

PM: 9 miles solo

PM: 3 fast miles at the gym on the treadmill working on form.

I also unceremoniously cracked 3,000 miles today.  Being out of shape kind of steals the fun of milestones that are based off... well... being in shape.  It feels similar to hitting a home run accidentally with your eyes closed.

AM: 10ish miles at the local triathlon running some friends in.

AM: 13 miles solo.

PM: 10 miles, 7:30/mile average. Felt fine. It might be about a million degrees here in Florida, give or take a degree or two.

AM: Track workout. Ran with a new guy Jonathan who is in clearly better shape than me. Did a ladder-style workout: 200, 600, 1000, 1400, 1000, 600, 200 with 200 recoveries between the short stuff and 600 between the long stuff. This made it easy to always restart at the line and finish at the 200.  I did try to run hard, but most importantly I wanted good form and to keep my cadence nice and high.

Good workout since it took all of the thinking out of it. I ran okay, but I feel fat and out of shape still.  

PM: 12 miles total in Safety Harbor with 3 miles fast with Chris and some with Dylan.  Focused on relaxing and having good form.  I did not really focus on time although we were consistently between 1:19 and 1:15 for our quarters just by happenstance during the 90-second intervals.  Split about 4 miles before the workout, the 4 during with short jog recoveries and then 4 miles after.

I'd say my endurance fitness is definitely not there, as the run back home was a struggle, but that's to be expected with the low mileage.  

PM: 9 miles in East Lake.

PM: 7.5 miles in East Lake.

AM: 5.5 miles in Clearwater on the bridges.

I ran a local 5k I received a free entry to a couple of days ago on a whim.  I did not have a watch nor ran a particular pace, I really just focused on form and staying under control.  I know my fitness isn't where it needs to be, but it was nice to race again and feel that energy.  It ended up being a beautiful course, good signage, lead police car was consistent and helpful, and for once a local race actually was not stressful- I could just run and enjoy the bay, ocean, and scenery.  I also won a gift card and a nice award that was actually better quality than almost all awards I've ever received, so that was pretty cool.  The next closest runner was 2 minutes or so back, but I thought I gave a decent effort.

PM: Wow.  So, yesterday I ran a 5k and "missed" my long run, and today I did a big no-no and "made up" my missed workout which is usually a recipe for disaster.  Fortunately however, I exceeded my own expectations and ran quite well, negative splitting the whole way and finishing at a 6:45/mile average pace for the half marathon workout.  I included my warmup in the workout since I figured I would be in the same boat in 2 weeks for my half marathon- I don't really have enough fitness to waste miles on a warmup unfortunately, so I'll kind of have to warmup on the go.

Either way, I'm pleasantly surprised with myself.  90 degrees, sun, and chaffing in the chest area suits me well apparently.  I'm most happy about doing this workout as well as the 5k yesterday outside.  I've only really done my fast stuff indoors, so this is a positive sign.  I will be taking it easy tomorrow, that's for sure.

AM: 4.5 miles with the group and then ran the stopwatch for their workout- descending rest 400s.  Holy cow is Jonathan fast.  He really bought into the workout this morning, so I hope he keeps coming to track.  I wish I was out there running the intervals with him, but I think this particular workout needs to be done solo in my opinion anyway.  He ran off before I could congratulate him.

Jonathan, Dave, other Dave, Brian, Gretchen, Jay, Mike, Jenn, Greg, and Dylan made it out this morning, so it was a nice group to have.

PM: 6.5 miles

PM: Gym for a workout and a running workout.  Set was 1xmile, 1x1200, 1x800, 1x400, 1x800 with rowing in between.  Did them all at 5:00/mile pace, but this was on a treadmill, so let's be real- I'll need to take the outcome with a grain of salt.

PM: 10+ miles solo.

PM: 10+ miles solo again in East Lake.

AM: 5 miles in East Lake.

PM: 5 miles solo.

PM: 12.5 miles solo at a pretty spry pace.  I'm surprised that I'm feeling good today.

PM: 8 miles solo in the rain.

AM: 10 miles total.  Workout was 2x12:00 minutes.  Wanted to stay in the 5:30/mile range, which wasn't too challenging.  Crossed the 2-mile mark both times at 10:58 and 11:02 respectively and then just continued for another minute both times.  My energy/attention was waning during the second interval, but I was still in control in the grand scheme of things.  I definitely did not empty the tank.

I have a half marathon this Sunday that I'm not prepared for- then again much more prepared than I figured I would be a month ago.  I suppose I should be somewhere in the 1:16-1:17 range.  I am okay with the hard effort just a couple of days out, and likely will do another hard effort Thursday.  

Good group this morning- about 9 of us.

PM: 7.5 miles in SH, solo.

Planned off day.

PM: 7 miles solo in East Lake.

PM: 3 miles with Anthony in Palm Harbor.

Race Report

Nothing much to say.  I ran okay considering the fitness I'm in, so I'm positive about this race.  Good temperature, but super windy which made for a tough day of running.  Came into the run expecting to run anything between a 1:16-1:18 and was on the money with my guess.  Just wanted to run a respectable time just in case anything bad happens during the next 3 races in the series.  I'll get another crack at this course which I am looking forward to.

Finished 3rd overall, 45 seconds behind the winner, and 30 seconds behind 2nd.  Not sad unless you consider that we were tied with about a mile and a half to go.  Whoops.  I'm not overtly surprised although.  Upping the mileage and I should be fine in a month and a half.

Overall, it was a fun race.  I think at one point all three of us ducked our heads down just to try to push through the wind which must have been a funny sight to see.  I'm definitely happy I wore sunglasses, that's for sure.

Splits- 5:43, 5:55, 5:59, 5:38, 5:41, 5:47, 5:43, 5:57, 5:53, 5:53, 6:03, 6:30, 6:23, ~0:50ish finish.

PM: 10 miles solo in East Lake.

AM: 8 miles with the group in Safety Harbor.

PM: 6 miles solo, East Lake