It's all relative

AM: 20 miles.  3x3mile starting at mile 4 with 1 mile in between at 7:30 pace.  Splits were 18:00, 17:57, and 18:09.  I was a bit lethargic going into the run today, so I'm happy to have gotten some speed work in.

PM: 11.5 more miles.  The beginning of the year always gears me up a bit... 

AM: 10.2 miles total, 4 fast quarters with the group and a bunch of slower ones depending on the person I ran with.

PM: 7 miles on the treadmill with varying incline, then gym.

PM: 12+ miles.

AM: only 5 total miles, but included an 8 minute and a 4 minute interval at sub 5 pace.  

Noon: Gym

PM: 13+ miles, right around a 7:15/mile pace or so.

PM: 9 miles, 8 of them with Anthony.

AM: 7 miles with Anthony

AM: 18 miles with Anthony.  We did a workout: 4/3/2/1 with 1 mile recoveries after a 3 mile warmup.  Just tried to stay under 6:00/mile.  Splits- 23:27, 18:05, 12:07, 5:56.  I wanted 20 miles, but I was pretty beat up so happily called it quits.

AM: 5 miles solo.

PM: 10 miles, a couple of them with Anthony.

AM: 9 wet, rainy miles.

PM: 3 mile warmup and then the gym.  Did some weights, a lot of abs stuff, some rowing, but really wanted to do a decent run workout on my tired legs. 

The workout was a three part one.  Started the workout with a 6 minute, 30 second run at 5:00/mile pace, and then jogged into a 6:30 hill climb on the tready rolling up to 10% and staying at at least 7:30/mile pace, then jogged and repeated the last 6:30 but in reverse down to a 4% incline while upping the pace down to 5:00/mile.  Definitely happy with this workout.  I neglect hills like nobody's business- it's easy to do living in Florida and running on pancakes every day.

PM: 2 miles with Anthony, then 7 solo, then a couple at the track just for fun.  Ran an 800 to help a young runner out.  We got to the second lap of the 800 and he was falling apart.  It truly sounded like he had exercise-induced-asthma very badly, so I told him to pull up with about 100 meters to go as I was sincerely worried for him as his wheezing was unsettling even for me.  When we finished, I told his father who was watching at the sideline, but the father said that he was, "just getting over a cold, so that's why he was doing that."  Okay dude, you're right I'm not a doctor, but your son said he felt like his throat was closing, he was wheezing, breathing short, and it seemed like the only reason he was slowing down was because of his inability to breathe... 

For his  son's sake, I hope my couch-pseudo-diagnosis is very wrong.  

Anyway, finished with a couple other 800s, nothing super fast except for the last one running with a couple runners, and then ran 1.5 miles back to my car.  I d idn't mean to run 13 today, but it feels nice to accidentally run a half marathon I suppose.

PM: 11 miles and then gym.

AM: Gym and then a short workout. Varied between 10-12 mph on the treadmill and between 2.0 and 6.0 on the incline for 3 miles. Took a 1 minute recovery somewhere in the middle at around 8mph. Trying to build my strength. Once I warmed up I was fine, but at first any incline over 3 can be a bit killer.

PM: 3.5 miles

AM: 14 slow miles with various different people at different times in JC park.

AM: Long run with a fast 5k mixed in at half marathon race pace in the middle.

Day off.

AM: 11+ miles with various runners that kept me honest.  

PM: 8 miles with Anthony.

PM: 7.2 miles solo

Day off

Day off

AM: Ran a half marathon today at a local race.  Ran at just under 1:20 and am not too happy about it.  Weighing in at a very high 160 pounds yesterday- that needs to be fixed starting today.

PM: 11.2 miles and gym- arms and back

AM: 10.2 miles at track, 3 fast.

PM: 3.6 miles, then the gym- chest, tris, and shoulders, then 3.6 more miles

PM: 15.4 miles solo

PM: 8.3 miles solo.

PM: 4.6 miles solo

AM: 5 miles

PM: a couple of miles and then my favorite 5k- pretty much the only 5k I do every year- the Belleair Sunset 5k.  It was a great race and a lot of fun.  Led from 0.5 miles onward and also got to hand it to a runner who is famous in the area for being not-so-nice, so I was excited to have that opportunity to blow by him early on so he couldn't talk to me on the run and complain about something.

Splits- 5:05, 5:16, 5:35, 0:27

PM: 15.3 rain soaked miles.  Run was amazing fun!  I love cool rain.  Needed a hat and glasses although, since it would have been impossible to see, and the sneakers need some serious drying...

PM: 7.4 miles, gym- chest, tris, shoulders, then 3.6 miles

AM: About 9.5 miles, 2 fast with a couple of runners

PM: 3.6 miles, then gym- arms and back, then 3.6 more miles home.

No running, stuck at work.

PM: 7 miles solo.

PM: 2 miles solo.

AM: Ran the BDR Safety Harbor Half Marathon and finished 1st.  It was a dog fight for the first 7 miles with James O., but fortunately a 5:24 mile put him away and then I could tune out a bit.  Definitely is always a lot of fun to compete against him- that being said I'm selfishly happy I pulled away.  Not happy with my time, but I knew I have a lot of work to do. 

Splits- 5:54, 5:37, 5:33, 5:46, 5:37, 5:24, 5:38, 5:39, 5:42, 5:48, 5:45, 5:53, 5:44, 0:33

Weight is down to 151 at least, so that's nice and my diet has been clean for two weeks.  Time to keep it up and weigh in at 147 next weekend.

AM: 16.5 miles with Anthony

PM: 7 miles and then the gym with Elia- chest, tris, shoulders, abs.  Then ran home 3.5 miles.

AM: 10.5 miles, 3 of them fast with the group.  Nothing crazy speed-wise, just clearing ut the cobwebs from Saturday.

PM: 10 miles solo.

PM: 12+ miles in Safety Harbor.  A couple of quick intervals for fun.

PM: 11+ miles, and gym- arms, back, and abs.

PM: 3.5 miles and then a workout- 3 miles hovering mostly around 6min mile pace on the treadmill which felt super easy, but I also did some rowing between sets, and then lifted a bit.  Mostly lower body, abs, and light shoulders.  Finished with a 3.5 mile run.

I forgot to weigh in today, which is unlike me.  I'm quite certain I'm under 149 pounds, but still not near where I need to be.  I have been eating very well for 3 weeks now and been losing weight consistently for that time and it has had a sincere affect on my running.  As I get older, the adage of eating well rings truer.   

I will focus on skirting under 145 for next Friday which seems reasonable, but I'll double-check when I hit a scale on Monday morning.

AM: 6 miles and gym- chest, tris, shoulders

PM: 4 miles.

AM: 21 miles, most with Anthony.  I can't call them slow miles, but they weren't fast either.  So I supposed 21 "honest" miles will suffice.  

PM: 10+ miles running to the gym and then back.  Did chest, tris, shoulders, obliques, and abs at the gym.

AM: 7.4 miles in Safety Harbor.

PM: 10+ in East Lake.  Did fourteen 400s with descending rest ranging between 1:13-1:15.

PM: 11 miles, some with Anthony.  Felt pretty spry.

PM: Ran a 5k and then did a 5.3 mile progression run on the treadmill.  Wow- I did not think I had that in me.  Started at 10mph (6/mile pace) for 0.4 mile to get loose and then jumped to 11mph (5:27/mile pace).  Every two minutes there on out I just bumped it up another notch or two until I got to 12mph (5/mile pace).  I held that for 6 minutes before upping the incline a bit to finish strong.  Completed the 5 miles in 26:40 or so, but more importantly had a lot left in the tank so I just kept going at 5/mile pace for two more minutes before bringing it down bit by bit with my confidence soaring.  

I don't fully understand where the fitness is coming from- I haven't been pushing myself to go dark at track- but I suppose a large portion of it must be diet related.  I never knew I had fallen so far off track, but I'm happy I'm back and feeling healthy and bouncy every time out the door.  

No running.  

AM: 12.5 miles in Clearwater over the bridges.

PM: Gym with a workout: 6 miles total with hills on the treadmill, 5 of them at effort and included some fast 1-minute intervals to keep me honest.

AM: 17 miles, about 9 of those with Anthony on a humid/foggy morning.  Florida is incredibly weird in the spring season.  I walk outside (albeit it was at 4:55 in the morning) and am chilly (and shirtless), but then 3 miles in it has warmed up 5 degrees and the humidity has increased and it is just killer.  Even the street lights are making their own micro-clouds of mist underneathe them.  

PM: 8 miles solo.

AM: 10 miles total, 3 miles fast/race pace.

PM: 9 miles solo.

PM: 5 miles, 4 with Anthony.  85 million degrees outside and humid.  It's not so much the temperature as much as it is humidity/dew point.  the real issue is my sun glasses fog up like I'm in a steam room and that's just annoying.

Forecast for the weekend: Florida record-breaking heat of 86 degrees, up to 80% humidity, and 7-10 mph wind, and you don't even want to know the dew point.

I'll be sweaty and miserable, but at least I know everyone else will be too.  One of my very fast friends decided to join for Gasparilla in the 15k Saturday and/or the half marathon on Sunday- however he is from up north.  I am worried he doesn't know what he is getting into with the weather down here.  The weather really does completely change your game plan, so I hope he heeds my warning.

No running.

PM: a couple of easy miles.

Gasparilla 15k Race Report

Weather- hot (80s), humid, no breeze... gross.

Race prep- I felt pretty good coming into this.  I'd been sick for the last two weeks, but had been training through it just fine, so I wasn't worried.  I figured a sub 51 was in the cards, with a long shot at sub 50.  I was content with that.

The race- Geez did I misjudge myself.  The first mile was a 5:18 and it felt- too fast.  So I dropped the pace a bit.  Still felt too fast.  I hoped to find my groove, instead I found that I had made a huge mistake.  Mile 5 I started blowing up.  I wasn't even close, but kept trying to push, while getting passed by 5 runners.  One of those runners I had beaten easily in a half just weeks before pretty handily by over a minute, but today he returned the favor and then some. 

I was thankfully able to out-sprint a college kid at  the end to finish in 9th, thankfully.  Other than that, it was a pretty negative day.  I'd like to say I at least worked hard, but mentally I don't think I truly did.  I need to work on that- let's see if I do.  

Splits- 5:18, 5:26, 5:25, 5:31, 5:48, 5:26, 5:47, 6:03, 5:50, Finish- 1:42

1st half- 25:25, 2nd half- 26:41

Gasparilla Half Marathon Race Report

Weather- absolute trash.  Don't listen to what anyone says about this being a "winter race in Florida."  Ya right- if by "winter" you mean "80+ degrees, humid enough to fog your sunglass before putting them on, and a guaranteed tan/burn an hour after sunrise."  Truly delightful.  

Race number two of the weekend... this is a cool race since some of the pros, Kenyans (sorry I mean the "American citizens who definitely weren't recruited to run for the US in the Army"), and wannabe pros come out for it, like Meb last year.  Sara Hall for example won it this year and Tyler Pennel (5th in the Olympic trials) finished 4th this year.  I gotta say, even though they technically dropped out because of the heat/whatever, it felt pretty cool to run past some of the pros as they were walking/waiting to be picked up.  The little things in life...

I started off slow and controlled, focusing on my form.  I wasn't really trying to "race", but instead was trying to feel good for the whole run.  My legs were surprisingly only moderately sore after the 15k yesterday, but I'm happy with this decision to be conservative- it would have been a ride on the struggle bus if I tried to run a decent time, and I likely would have failed miserably. 

At about mile 7 I decided to get a bit more serious, especially when I saw RJ coming up in front of me (who also ran and beat me in the 15k yesterday).  He did not look like he was going too hard and I was coming up on him pretty quickly.  He thankfully saw me at the turnaround and waited a couple of seconds for me to catch him.  He said he was just about to pack it in so-to-speak when he saw me, but I think I reinvigorated him a bit.  We talked for a bit through miles 8 and 9 and then caught our first runner.  The moment we did that a competitive fire kind of lit in both of us and we tracked down about 8 more- more on that below.  The last mile and a half were now a bit of a struggle, but I didn't have to reach too deep.  RJ motored ahead, and I welcomed that- he earned it and was much more fit.  It truly was a good experience running with him and then racing with him. 

I crossed the finish line smoothly about 14 seconds behind RJ and felt pretty comfortable- with both my run and my decision to be conservative today. 

I have to say, the best part of the race was passing other runners.  I kind of felt bad- as if I had dogged it a bit- but, selfishly it feels good to outwork someone on the run.  This weekend was super humbling, so I really needed that to salvage any semblance of confidence moving forward. 

Splits- 5:58, 5:58, 5:54, 6:00, 6:02, 5:51, 5:54, 5:58, 5:58, 5:58, 5:37, 5:52, 5:53, Finish-0:42

1st half- 38:50, 2nd half- 38:45

PM: 11 miles and the gym- arms, back, and abs.  

AM: 10 miles in Safety Harbor.

PM: 11.6 miles total.  I didn't mean to run that much, but the three guys I was meeting at the track were late, so I just kept running.  We did 7x800 with 400 jog recoveries, starting slow.  

Splits- 2:57, 2:56, 2:43, 2:38, 2:32, 2:30, 2:29

I felt fine and could have given more effort, but thought better of it after the extra work this past weekend.  I still feel a bit sick and it has been going on for now 2 and a half weeks.  Throat is now scratchy and the slight nausea continues.

PM: 11+ miles and the gym- chest, tris, abs, obliques, and shoulders.  Broken into 2 runs really: 7.5 miles at 7-7:30/mile pace, then gym, and then 4 miles nice and easy.

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.

AM: Ran with Anthony.  We started decently quick but then he slowed down a bit- not sure why.  At about mile 7 we split and I sped it way, way up to 6:00-6:30 for every mile there on out.  Averaged 6:50/mile overall for the whole 20 miles, but felt good that the last 13 miles were so fast.

Was waiting for the air conditioning guy to arrive for an appointment, but decided that he wasn't going to make it.  I decided to go start a run to make something of my wasted evening... and lo and behold, as soon as I started there he was: right on time, 2.5 hours late.  Thanks, bud.  I'll take the angry quarter mile although.

AM: Workout with the group.  Mainly stayed well within myself with a workout planned tonight, but still probably did too much work.  Workout was 2x100, 2x200, 2x300, 2x400, 2x600, 2x400, 2x300, 2x200, 2x100.  I think this workout is a real staple when practicing form.  I went sub 5:30/mile pace on everything, but didn't check any splits, just ran for fun.

PM: About 10 miles total, with 6x800 at Jeremy and John's pace.  Just tried to relax with tired legs and keep my cadence high.

PM: 7 miles, half of them with Anthony.

Later PM: Gym- arms, back, abs, stretching

Even later PM: Group workout- arms, back, body-weight (chest), abs (dynamic), and 4 more miles mixed with 3 sprints to clear out some soreness.

PM: 8 miles (a mile of fast striders) and the gym- arms & back

2 miles and them gym- chest, tris, abs

AM: Ran a 5k parkrun in Clermont and then did the Clay loop in Clermont with Anthony and Elia.

No running

PM: 7 miles and the gym- chest, tris, shoulders, abs

AM: 8 miles, 4.5 on the track at effort.

PM: gym- chest, tris, abs, and some more miles

PM: Some miles on the treadmill followed by arms, back, and abs.

PM: 7 miles with Jeremy and Anthony

PM: 5 miles with Anthony.

AM: 3 miles

No running.  The weather here in Boston is terrible.  I am not in shape, but oddly excited for  the conditions.  I suppose it's because I don't have to meet any expectations other than to complete the marathon tomorrow.

The Boston Marathon Race Report

Training: Well, as you can see, I have basically only the one decent 20 mile long run- on asphalt in 75 degree perfect weather with no hills... zero of my races have had hills... and I live in Florida... so, not really prepared at all.  But- it's the Boston Marathon!  I was excited anyway!

Weather: 31 degrees wind chill, 40 degrees temperature, rain for the duration of the marathon with squalls/heavy rain, 26mph wind at the start that ended up being a constant headwind/Easterly wind the entire way, and even some small deposits of residual snow on the ground by the starting tents which added to the ambiance nicely.  People were laughing when I told them I was from Florida- I don't blame them!

Pre-race: The one hour bus ride was difficult- I forgot it took so long to get down there.  I'm about 6' tall, so I don't fit into a yellow school bus very easily.  When we finally arrived, the rain/wind/temperature was a tough combination to deal with, and I found myself shivering and and conversing with everyone while wondering how we were going to do this.  I knew I was going to do it, I just thought it was a bit crazy of all bad weather days for it to be on this particular day.  Finally they called for wave 1 and we trudged across the mud towards the start line, shivering.  Fortunately, I was in corral 2, so I got a good look at the elites which was a fun sight- oddly enough, Yuki Kawauchi- the winner- noticeably stood out as looking particularly spry while Galen Rupp (or at least I found out later was Galen Rupp) looked like he was about to rob a bank in dramatic fashion.  

Goals: A Goal- Run a 2:59 to keep my streak of sub 3-hour marathons intact.

B Goal- Run a BQ so I don't have to run another marathon until Boston next year (approximately a 3:03 finish time)

C Goal- Complete the marathon.

The Race!-  This was an insane, unforgettable experience.  If I could make a race with the worst weather conditions at the start, I'd have checked all of the boxes that this race had- enduring rain, squalls, headwind sustained over 25mph, and a windchill at freezing temperature- so as to be as cold as possible, but not cold enough to freeze.  I started with an inordinate amount of clothes and decided to wear a poncho- a legit poncho- for the duration of the marathon, which proved to be absolutely worth it despite making me into more of a kite than a runner.

Miles one to the 13.1 mark were difficult conditions, but the mild 6:32 pace made it easy to sustain.  I crossed the half in 1:25:45 and felt fine condition-wise.  Wellesley again was an incredible experience, and I was able to see my family twice, smiling and high-fiving every time.

Miles 13.1-20 were a bit unprecendented.  The rain squalls were intense and had me smiling at the sheer ridiculous conditions.  I'll run in pretty much anything, but had I woken up for an important long run and it was doing this outside, I'd have noped my way right back into bed and took the L.  Some runners along the route were such an absolute mess that I felt bad.  Some were shivering, walking, hunkered under blankets and tangents seemed to be the last thing on anyones mind.  How 89% of the runners started the race who signed up and 95% of those who started were able to finish is phenomenal.  Then again, I suppose if it's the Boston Marathon you just kind omit not finishing from your vocabulary, so I shouldn't be too surprised.

Miles 20 & 21 were slow, but I still felt fine.  The Newton hills are a bit evil, mostly because they aren't necessarily challenging, it's just hard to speed back up after them and everyone slows so it's easy to slow paces and not realize or correct it.  Not surprisingly this was my slowest 5k.  Fortunately, I got to see my family/friends for a fourth time, and I was still smiling and high-fiving people along the way which was a good sign.  I'm shocked I was able to pick them all out so quickly in the crowd of umbrellas and coats.  What a memorable experience!

The last 5.2 miles were a lot of fun.  I am usually a bit over running right about here, so the biggest benefit of Boston is you have a large group just pulling you along so looking at your watch isn't really needed which eases the mind and effort.  Lots of smiling and high-fives.  I did have to drop in a bathroom break within the last two miles, but it was worth the stop, particularly because it takes forever to find one after the race ends.  I crossed the finish line arms in the air and still smiling at 2:53:30.  What an uncanny experience!  I truly enjoyed this race and was able to take everything in much better this time around.  

Truly, the difficult part of this race was afterwards- they (the BAA) were NOT prepared for the state of the runners at the end.  After waiting 20+ minutes just to get my bag of dry clothes, I was shivering pretty intensely and needed things to expedite- they did not have a good plan for places for runners to change/get dry/get warm.  I felt like I was waiting at the DMV.

Splits: 1st half- 1:25:45, 2nd half- 1:27:45 (6:37/mile overall pace)

5k Splits: 20:23, 20:13, 20:10, 20:33, 20:22, 20:39, 21:13, 20:27, Finish- 9:33

AM: 1 mile.

PM: 2+ miles and then gym- arms, back, legs, and abs.

PM: 8 miles- felt good.

PM: 7 miles- felt good.

AM: 8 miles and then the gym- arms, back, legs, and abs.

AM: 12.5 miles with Anthony and Elia.  Felt pretty spry- 7:00/mile average.

AM: 9 miles- 3 of them faster, ~6:00/mile pace.

AM: 9 miles, 3 fast with the group.

PM: 10 miles solo then the gym- arms, back, abs.

PM: 10.3 miles solo.

PM: 7+ miles and the gym- chest, tris, shoulders, abs.

AM: 6 miles with Anthony.

AM: Ran as part of a relay in the St. Anthony's Olympic triathlon.  Our swimmer exited the pool in 11th overall for the relays and our biker was 6th on the bike but with positioning set me up for 4th entering the run with 5:00, 4:40, and 2:30 behind 1-3 respectively so I had my work cut out for me.  I did not get the job done and did not pass a single one.  Although my overall time (35:50) was faster than their three, I did not do enough to catch up, finishing 4:12, 1:58, and 1:37 back respectively.  I had done the math at the halfway point and had just too much ground to make up (4:40, 4:00, and 2:20) so I did kind of pack it in a bit.  I still ran semi-hard, but figured I didn't have much of a shot.  

Splits- 18:13, 17:37 (also not included would be the +19 seconds for the time through the transition area from the mat).

I did get to see a bunch of friends along the way who were volunteering or participating!  A lot of people mentioned my form looked good, so that was a nice surprise despite not being able to catch anyone in my division.  

PM: half the way running to the gym then arms, back, and abs, then ran home.  6:50-7:20/mile pace.

AM: Track in Safety Harbor.  I cannot call this morning's workout fast, but it was challenging.  Ran an 800, 1600, 2400 and did a 2:30, 5:15 and 8:00+.  9 miles running.

PM: 9.3 miles, 3 fast during a 6x800 with Jeremy & co..

3.6 miles, then the gym- arms, back, and abs, then 3.6 miles home.

PM: 9 miles solo.

PM: Gym- arms, back, and abs.  Also ran 2 miles

Late PM: 2.5 miles fast at OT and then shoulders, legs, abs, biceps.  Really tried getting better at squats and directional lunges today.  I am not very good.

AM: 7 miles with Gail, Nigel, and Bill.

AM: 16 miles, some with Anthony, ~7:30/mile pace.

PM: 4.1 miles at 6:20/mile pace and then the gym- chest, shoulders, tris, abs.

AM: Track in Safety Harbor, about 2 fast miles with random people, the rest were relatively slow miles.

PM: 3 fast miles with Jeremy and John.  It wasn't an incredible effort, but I did feel like I finally worked hard in a workout, so that was nice.  Maybe I'm turning a corner as far as effort is concerned.  The rest were relatively slow miles.

PM: 5.1 miles at 6:40/mile pace and then the gym- arms, back, and abs.

PM: 2 miles then abs, chest, tris, shoulders.

Late PM: 4.4 miles and then the gym again- biceps, chest, abs, back, endurance rowing and then some quicker running totalling a mile at 5:00/mile pace all at incline on the treadmill and then some easy running at ~7:00/mile pace (2.6 miles).

PM: Double-workout on the treadmill.  4.5 consecutive miles ranging between 10-12mph, then abs, arms, and then back to some light running.  I then repeated the 4.5 miles that I did before.  

6 miles in the AM.

No running- not feeling well.

2 miles on the treadmill and then lifted- chest, tris, shoulders, abs.  Finished with 5 more miles.

AM: 8 miles, two of them faster (sub 6/mile pace).

PM: 9.1 miles, 3 of them fast.  Did some 1000 repeates with John.

PM: I did 4.1 miles at 6:58/mile pace on the treadmill which feels super easy recently even for recovery runs.  Then I lifted- arms, back, abs.  Today was the first day I could curl 40 pounds free weight in each hand and get through the sets which felt pretty good.  I still dropped down to 35 for the final set so I could manage my form better, but knocking out 16 reps of those felt like a breeze compared to the 40s. 

I am not really into my running at the moment at all, but it's nice to reap the benefits of the residual fitness.

PM: 4 miles and then 2 x 1mile with abs in between.  I hit the first mile in 5:00 and the second in 5:01.  Then did another 4 miles to cool down.

PM: Ran 7 miles.  Then weights with Elia- chest, tris, shoulders, and abs.

AM: 4 miles

AM: 17 miles total.  10 of them with Anthony.  7:30/mile pace.

PM: 10 miles at 6:58/mile pace.  It felt super easy, but it was on a treadmill.  Then I lifted- arms, back, but no abs.

AM: 10 miles, with 5100m worth of 300s with 100 jogs.  All were 60 seconds or faster, so nothing special, but it was still quick-ish.

PM: 5 miles and then the gym- chest, shoulders, tris, and abs.

PM: 10 total miles and a workout.  2x1600, 8x300 with max 60 second recoveries at easy running pace for the 300s and 3:00 minutes in between the 1600s and the 8x300, although the rest between the 16s and the 3s was probably a little long.

Splits- 5:00, 5:00, and all eight 300s were in between 54 and 57.  

Oh, and Florida is a million degrees with 100% humidity again, so that's nice.

PM: 8.1 miles with Anthony and then lifted with Elia- abs, chest, shoulders, tris.

AM: 4 miles.

AM: 16 miles in the rain, six with Anthony.  I love the rain.

PM: 6 total miles, and did a workout on the treadmill.  1.5 miles at 5:00/mile pace, recovery, and then an 800 at the same pace.  Felt easy, but the treadmill generally does.

No running- off to Puerto Rico!

No running.

No running.

No running.

No running.

PM: Ran 15 miles solo- and it was a mistake.  I haven't run since Monday because I have been in Puerto Rico and oh my does it show.  I was not prepared for the heat, humidity, sun, sweat, hydration- none of it.  Physiologically I am shocked it was such a challenge.  Five days seems like nothing, but it was rough to say the least.  

AM: 5 miles- felt sore, but not as bad as yesterday

PM: 5 miles- felt terrible

Late PM: 1 mile at the gym and then did some arms, back, and abs.

All of the missing days in June and July up to this point:  ~80 miles or so.  I didn't run about 30 of those days, so it has been an odd grouping of random long runs, gym every day, and helping out with my family.  

Since a particular family issue I just have not enjoyed running.  That coupled with a pretty mediocre injury and I have just fallen off the map a bit.

That being said- I have been killing it in the gym.  I have put on about 15 pounds over the last 2-3 months.  That doesn't sound like much, but even my family members are giving compliments, so I appreciate that.  I was not sure about my future with running during these months- particularly racing.  

20 miles this week.  Gym every day.

30 miles this week.  Gym every day.

20 miles this week.  Did not enjoy it.

25 miles this week.  Really am not enjoying it, but hoping the funk leaves just through sheer will.

PM: 6 miles.  

PM: 6.5 miles in the pouring rain.  I really enjoyed the rain- I will take it any day over how Florida is normally outside.

AM: 6 miles total, 2 "fast"

PM: Gym

PM: 8+ miles in the rain... I finally had... fun... running again.  Maybe a good sign?

PM: 6 miles in a downpour.  Running has actually been fun the last two days...

PM: Gym and the treadmill.  

AM: 7.5 miles with Elia.  I am tired and sore, but the actually running is feeling easy fitness-wise.

AM: 9.5  miles with Elia.  It felt good- just sore.

AM: Gym and intervals on the treadmill.  I really enjoyed going fast- although that is relative at the moment.  I had a lot of fun today.

I had the itch today for the first time in a very long time.  The place I workout at -orangetheory- was having an endurance/treadmill competition, and my group of three (two women and myself) lost round 1 (got second place) to a group of three guys who were just... the typical group of guys who you would expect to win.  I did not like being on the other side of it.  The other teams in the gym also competing were even outwardly rooting for us to catch them, so I was a bit disappointed to lose with myself on the treadmill for the last leg.  I did try!

The workout was to have 1 person running at all times while they other two alternated the weight room and the rowing machine and then rotate, so it was a  lot of running around- literally. 

We regrouped for round two- determined to do better at the transitions.  One of the women on my team suggested a technique to transition better so we felt a new set of confidence.  Fortunately, we were able to beat them by a full quarter mile by the end of this round- but more interestingly, we beat their previous best distance in the first half hour by a couple of hundreths of a mile which was a cool surprise.  The best part, is that they put your name on this white board where it stays until someone later in the day beats it, so I was egocentrically happy to see theirs erased and ours put up.  

To see their team competitively get annoyed that we had gotten them in the end did make my day a little, although I feel a bit smug and ashamed thinking these particular thoughts.  One guy on their team even through up his hands and pointed at me as I was running, I'm assuming thinking we must've been cheating (we weren't).  I think that was the best part.  

AM: 7 miles, 3.5 were fast at the track.

PM: 6 miles

No exercise.

PM: 10 miles on the treadmill.

Early AM: 4 miles and then I volunteered at a triathlon.

Late AM: 2 more miles and then lifted- chest and tris.

AM: 12 miles, mostly with Elia.

PM: solo, 7:43/mile average.

AM: 3 mile progressive with Elia and a couple of miles on either end.  Literally the exact same distance as yesterday which I though was quite a coincidence!

PM: 1.6 miles to even it out and the gym- chest, tris, abs

PM: 10 miles with Elia

PM: 5+ miles with Elia and then some lifting- arms, back, interior/exterior legs, and abs.

PM: Gym and some faster intervals/hills on the treadmill.  Mostly abs, compound movements, and leg work.

AM: 5 miles and a little lifting- shoulders and chest.

Eliud Kipchoge  2:01:39.   Unbelievable. 

AM: Ran wil Elia, Anthony for a little bit, and then we were joined with a runner, Ali, from Georgia visiting her family in St. Pete.  Had a lot of fun, but I am still noticeably out of shape.  I suppose that''s the wrong phrasing for it- I am not in running shape and have too much weight and muscle on me to be very good fast right now.  

I did some striders at the end since Elia wanted to, which was enjoyable.  

PM: 7 miles with Elia

AM: 7.5 miles, some fast.

PM: 7 miles solo, then lifted- chest, tris, shoulders, legs, abs.

Ran solo and then gym- arms, back, abs.

PM: 5 solo.

PM: 2 miles warmup, then a gym 5k in 17:52 during a competition- 2,000m row, 300 reps in the weight room, then the 5k.  35:02 total time.

12:00am: Midnight run with  Elia!  I like doing this every once in a while- especially with long runs.  Sometimes it's fun to wake up in the middle of the night and go for a run.  The heat lightning was continuous and amazing (as it always is in the area I live in).

PM: 10 miles solo in East Lake jamming out to some tunes.  7:35/mile average.

AM: 10 miles, 3 fast during intervals.

PM: Gym- 2 miles and then chest, tris, and shoulders.

PM: Treadmill.  I didn't intend to go on the treadmill for anything other than a warm up, however I just did not feel like lifting today.  Kept it around 6:40/mile pace or so.

PM: 7.5 miles.  Took a tumble around mile 3- hurt a lot, bled a lot, and had trouble enjoying the 4+ miles back.

PM: 8+ total miles, 3.5 of them fast, alternating 0.1 fast recovery into 0.2 hard effort on the treadmill with inclines for 0.2 and then flat for 0.1

PM: 8.2 miles solo.

AM: 18 miles with various runners in the beginning and the end whom were running in the DeSoto 15k.

Anthony earned first overall and Elia earned second overall in the 15k.  Alan got third overall and Gretchen got first overall in the 5k.  This was pretty cool to watch since they all are people I run with.  

Today was my longest run in a while and I finished it off with a plunge into the ocean at DeSoto park beach.  While swimming I found about 6 sand dollars and had a dolphin swim with 10 feet of me- and I was only swimming for about 15 minutes.  Sometimes I forget I live in paradise and remember it is important to enjoy it.

PM: 8.25 miles solo.

AM: 10.3 miles at the track.  2 miles, 1 mile, 4x200.  Nothing special, just staying active.

PM: 4.55 more miles and then lifted with Elia- chest, tris,  shoulders, abs.

PM: 11.2 miles, solo averaging about 7:30/mile.  Fun run today.

PM: 8.4 miles and the gym- arms, back, and legs.

PM: 8x600 with Elia with 200 recoveries, going his pace.  Stayed around 5:50/mile pace.  Then we cleaned up the track a bit.

PM: 6.85 miles and some lifting- chest, tris, shoulders.

AM: 18 miles with Anthony, Steve, and Elia in St. Pete.

PM: 11+ solo, 7:40/mile pace.

AM: 11 miles, 3 faster (around 6/mile pace) with Dylan.  I was a bit tired after feeling super spry yesterday afternoon.  I suppose given the mileage that can be expected.  

PM: 5.1 and then they gym- chest, tris, shoulders, and abs.

PM: Hurricane run!  17 miles, solo, 7:40/mile pace.  I just enjoy the wind and rain when it happens in Florida.  I know it sounds odd and contradictory, but it makes the weather more bearable.  My route today was a rare one- I circled Tarpon Springs lake.  This isn't the best of all decisions, as there is no water, cover, restrooms-  nothing- for the entire route until I make it back to my car.  Fortunately, I survived and lived to see another day.

Late PM:  Late night.  I ran 9.2 total miles and then did a bunch of squats in the middle.  Definitely will regret the squats tomorrow as I will be at the track, but the pace should be reasonably manageable.

PM: Track workout with Elia.  Worked on his pacing, keeping it at just under 6:00/mile for the 3x1600.  He hit them all but the last one- I was sad since it was definitely in his head, so I was disappointed in myself for motivating him incorrectly yet again.  I'll get it.

AM: 2 miles at decent speed in the middle of a treadmill workout.  Also lifted- shoulders and compound movements with some chest and lats too with various exercises I don't usually do.  Lastly, I rowed for a bit.

AM: 20 miles with Elia and Alan on the clay loop in Clermont.

PM: 8.6 miles solo.  Weather is unbelievably humid.

AM:  10.6 miles at the track.  3 miles were kind of fast.  1600>1200>800>400>4x200.  I was planning on doing a workout this afternoon as well, but it turns out the Red Sox are playing an early game so that seems unlikely, unfortunately.  I felt fine and very in control.

PM: 6.1 miles solo

PM: OTF with some faster stuff inside- mostly squarts/legs and abs today.

PM: 3.1 miles

AM: 6.1 total miles, 4 fast on the treadmill.

AM: 22 miles in St. Pete.  Felt fine throughout and was a  little tired at the end.  Anthony and Elia sped up, however I just stuck with Alan to keep him company.  

PM: 12.6 miles solo, 7:27/mile average.  I felt great.

AM: Striders, a 400, then a mile baseline test, then a 400, followed by striders.  Added a bunch of mileage before and after to reach 9.7 total.  I ran the mile in 5:02.  I suppose I did have a little left in me, but not much.  I am okay with that for now, and I know it will improve quickly once I start speedwork and weight loss.

PM: 7.6 solo.

PM: 7.2 with Natalie.

PM: Completely unintentionally ran 16 miles.  I ran into Brooker Creek Preserve assuming it would be fine (sometimes when it rains it turns into a literal Louisiana-style swamp), but it was NOT fine.  I love a good, serious cross country run, but this was a different world.

The 5 miles of trails were flooded three feet deep at points, mostly in the 1/2 to 1 foot range, dark, murky water.  This would not be so bad if it was up north in New England, but down here... let me tell you... there are some scary animals down here that love this type of environment: snakes, alligator, spiders, et cetera.  I was not pleased, but figured it would get better so I kept running- and it kept getting worse.  Anyway, decided to go back the way I came which extended my run a bit, but it was a belated good decision. 

I wish I had made the choice four miles sooner however...

In the end, I (fortunately/knock on wood) only had a spray of spider bites around the ankles and what I hope are mosquito bites.  I did get one cut, but it did not seem to be deep, but I definitely am worried about infection- there are some nasty infections from swampy, still water.  

No running

Noon: 15.1 miles solo.  Felt easy.

PM: 5.2 miles

PM: 9.5 miles

AM: Finally did a workout seriously!  I wanted to quit/almost talked myself out of it after the first two 800s.  Actually, I was talking myself out of the 1st 800 interval and almost dropped back to pace other runners.  I am happy I hung up there with Anthony again.  He was definitely surprised I was there, but I presume thankful as well.  

The workout was 6x800 with 400 recoveries.  Splits (from lane two)-  2:36, 2:34, 2:32, 2:34, 2:32, 2:31

I am also thankful to report that I did have more in me- I just was not willing to push myself for the first five intervals, so I figured it would be a bit moot to do it on the last one, particularly when Anthony was so consistent with helping me along.  I did not want  to compete, I simply wanted to share the success (at least success on my end!)

Overall, this was a fun experience and I am  happy I did not acquiesce to my negative thoughts.  This might be a turning point for me, so I will try another workout on Friday on tired legs to see if  I can create a habit of perseverence.

No running.

PM:  11.3 miles @ 7:15/mile pace.  I felt pretty spry, but that is not surprising given I had not ran since Tuesday morning.

PM: Track workout with John and Elia.  5x1000, splits were conservative, but progressive- 3:43, 3:23, 3:19, 3:20, 3:05.

I felt pretty good during this workout and was in lane 2 for the duration.  The rain was falling for the entirety, so that did help cool me off a bit.  John was a huge help and is in great shape- likely better than me, so  I appreciate him building into it.

No running.

AM: 27 miles in Croom with Alan, Elia, and Anthony.  We were only planning on 20, but I guess we got lost somehow.  The run was relaxing/joyful overall despite being a trail run, since the pace was pretty easy.  7:50 average. 

Anthony and Alan were struggling a bit- they were only hoping to do 20 max- so Elia and I sped up the last 10 miles and drove back to pick them up.  

No running.

AM: 11.3 miles, 3 fast.  Nothing speedier than 5:30/mile, but the workout felt alright given what I did two days ago.

No running.

PM: 7.5 miles at around 7:00/mile pace.  Felt easy.

PM: 3.5 miles solo, easy.

Race Report: Phil Doganiero 3 Bridge Half Marathon, Clearwater, FL

Result: 2nd in age group, 10th overall male, 11th overall.

Race: I figured no one knew about the $25,000 being given away for the top 5 places at this race so I'd run it even though I am out of shape and might accidentally fall into some free money, but unfortunately it was clear I was not going to place in the money spots by the first mile.  I was kind of right- only 328 runners showed up, but unfortunately a couple of semi-pros found out about it :)

I did  not get passed by anyone after the first 100 meters- but I did not really put myself in a position to be passed either.  I was overtly conservative thinking sub 6:00/miles would be a breeze- and why push myself if there was no money involved?  Instead I just wanted to build my confidence...  I was wrong.  Running the 6/mile pace became impossible.  Then 6:20 was a struggle, then 6:40... then miles 9 and 10 were both over 7:10/mile.  At mile 11, the 2nd overall female and another male caught up to me and we talked for a bit, but the  competitor in me did not want to be beaten, so I sped up and put about 10 seconds on them for the finish.  I regret that a bit (leaving them behind), but hey it is a race and it's not like I caught up to them and chatted them up then passed them, it was the other way around.

In the end, this race was a bit humiliating.  I tried really hard and still ran a time that is one of the worst of my running career.  I've run 27 half marathons and only 3 were slower than 1:20.  I had not run this bad since 2013 when I was averaging 30 miles a week and thought long runs were anything over 5 miles.  

I was tired, unmotivated, and did not enjoy being back in a race.  The worst part was the race started the exact opposite- I was engaged, relaxed, and ready to have fun with whatever happened.  It might be best to throw this one out the window.  

In hindsight (and with certain bias), I really should have just kept up the mileage the last two weeks and not bothered "tapering" for this.  Considering I ran a trail marathon six days ago, I guess you cannot really call it tapering, but still- a big waste of two weeks.

Training-wise, I need to lose weight- both fat and muscle.  I need to add more speed (longer than 3 miles).  Lastly, I need to run with faster people who are willing to push with me.  

No running.  Had a wedding to go to last night that got a bit out of hand, but in a good way.

PM: 7.5 miles and the gym.

AM: 11.3 miles.  400s, 3 sets of 4 with 200 recoveries.  Splits- 1:20, 1:20, 1:19, 1:22, 1:16, 1:16, 1:17, 1:16, 1:11, 1:12, 1:12, 1:10.

PM: 8.4 miles.  6x800 with 600 recovery jogs.  Splits- 2:58, 2:54, 2:46, 2:41, 2:31, 2:26.

Overall, I felt pretty good today.  It was a confidence builder, so I started much slower than I would normally for each of the workouts.  I think this is something I will continue to do for the next two weeks or so, before really jumping into it more wholeheartedly.

PM: 8.1 miles solo.

No running

PM: Paced Elia in a max heart-rate test.  I've done this a couple of times- I'm still not sure the best method.  Just to document, we had a full warmup, 2 miles at 120-130 heart rate, 3 minute break, 1600 tempo with a heartate in the 130-140 range (I was monitoring and pacing), and then 1 lap hard bringining the heart rate and effort into the 150-160 range, followed by the final lap at max effort where he hit 182 (181 registered).  I still think hills would be a better interpreter, but there are just too few long hills/bridges in FL to make it worthwhile and I am weary of treadmills/falling due to the max effort.

AM: 10 miles solo, easy.

AM: Ran a little over 50k with Elia and some of it with Anthony around (literally) Clearwater.  With 10 miles or so remaining I rejoined Elia and ran his pace. 

We crossed the marathon distance at 3:29, which felt pretty easy.  I would have preferred to do the last miles much faster, but I guess it's not that big of a deal- physiologically I wouldn't gain much from doing that, it would have just made it go a little faster.  

Nutrition: Two servings of peanuts, one carb-waffle, water, and a piece of avocado toast.  Started with cereal, water, and a banana beforehand.  Food felt fine.  

AM: 8.3 miles.

PM: 5.5 miles.

AM: 11 miles, 1 of them of fast, short stuff just to feel out the legs.

PM: 8.5 miles with Elia and John.  Did the workout with John.  2 sets of 3x800 with 400 recoveries.  Splits- 2:45, 2:39, 2:36, 2:32, 2:29, 2:29.

I am really excited I was able to run a little better today given the mileage so far this week.  All thanks goes to John for keeping me honest on the final three.  I think our confidence is up high enough for us to be serious with the next workout we do together as opposed to staying conservative and dropping it down.

PM: 8 miles solo, easy.

AM: 5.5 miles, gym, and rowing.

PM: 9 miles total, 3.5 fast.  Workout: 12x400 with ascending rest starting at 10 seconds between intervals and ascending until 60 seconds and then kept it there.

Splits-  1:10, 1:13, 1:15, 1:12, 1:14, 1:14, 1:14, 1:15, 1:14, 1:13, 1:14, 1:14, 1:14, 1:11

Felt relatively easy for a solo workout.

AM: 8.1 miles with Elia, Anthony, and Alan.

AM: 21 miles with Elia, Anthony, Alan, and Ali.  6.5 fast/progressive at the end- nothing special for pacing, just faster.

Splits- 6:50, 6:45, 6:30, 6:25, 6:15, 6:00, 5:56 pace (last 0.5 miles).  Felt fine, just a bit tired from the last week of work.

AM: 9 miles

PM: 6.2 miles

AM: 10 miles, 1.5 fast with two 1200s and finished with one 200.  Felt easy.

Midday thoughts...   

Grading myself:

Mileage (80%)- I think my mileage is decent and its time for some consistency from week to week.

Speed (60%)- I need to run more honest intervals and work up to 4-5 miles of effort per session.  Similarly, my speed across this week should account for 12% of my total mileage.

Nutrition (20%)- Has been absolutely terrible.  Meat every meal, useless sugar when I am not hungry, over-eating, and lack of vegetables have been the biggest offenders... This week I will focus on transitions in food choices.  

Racing weight (20%)- This week I will focus a reduction in overall calories.  Goal weight loss is 3 pounds healthily.  Weight is about 16 pounds higher than ideal race weight but 4 pounds better than it was.  I am a fatty magoo.

PM: Workout- 4x1600 with 800 recoveries, 9+  total miles.  The recoveries were entirely too long, but the group wanted to have them longer so I conceded.  I was happy with my final two miles, but again started too conservatively.

Splits- 5:29, 5:20, 5:13, 4:59

PM: 11.25 miles solo

PM: Wicked long warmup followed by some short rest 400s.  2 sets of 8x400 with 200 recovery jogs and 600 recovery between sets.

Splits

set 1-    1:15, 1:15, 1:15, 1:15, 1:17, 1:13, 1:15, 1:18

set 2-    1:08, 1:12, 1:13, 1:12, 1:10, 1:11, 1:11, 1:11

AM: Gym and 5.5 miles.  Abs and legs.

AM: 15 miles, then the gym.

Noon: 24 miles.  Felt great, but went very slow once Elia joined up with me.  I think that made it more difficult, but I tried to stay positive.  3 hours and 3 minutes.

AM: 13.4 miles.  Felt easy despite tired legs at the beginning.  I'm surprised the super-long runs like yesterday are not taking more out of me.

AM: 11.4 miles at the track, 3.75 of them sub 6:00/mile to help out Dylan and to get them tired for this afternoon.

PM: 9.1 total miles at the track, about 3 miles fast.  Workout- 4x1200 with 600 recoveries with John and Jeremy and four others.  I wanted the intervals to be honest, so I made them quick from the start and let Jeremy know that I wanted sub 3:45 (5:00/mile pace) for each.  They seemed concerned, but I knew it was time to start getting a bit serious and stop wasting these training opportunities, especially with 6 of us out there together.  John hung on for one, and then dropped off a bit, but  Jeremy was right there on each one which was nice.

Splits-  3:47, 3:44, 3:41, 3:42

Overall, I felt pretty in control.  I did feel the need to gear myself up and focuse for each one, but I never felt as if I was not going to get under 5:00/mile pace, which was the goal.

PM: 9.4 miles. 

PM: 15 miles.

Grading myself for week 3:

Mileage (90%)- My mileage is decent and I am on pace for the 110 I want this week.  Next week is shaping up to be a down mileage week, which is right on time given my training.

Speed (60%)- I have run more honest intervals and done 4 mile sessions twice, which I am happy about.  I would like to nail a speed workout tomorrow, so that's a goal on the agenda.  I am a little peturbed about missing speedwork on Sunday, but with the mileage increase it is a good thing- I will just plan some good stuff next week.

Nutrition (60%)- Has been much better.  Less sugar/simple carbs, no over-eating, and a good amount of fat, vegetables, and protein.  I am transitioning well, but can noticeably do a better preparation job with my protein macros to prevent muscle loss and aid in recovery particularly  in that 1-hour-after-workout time slot. 

Water/electrolyte balance has been very strong for me, which has aided in feeling pretty bouncy and ready for my runs. 

Racing weight (40%)- This week I again am focused on a reduction in overall calories.  Goal weight loss is 3 pounds healthily.  Losing weight is about as challenging as I remember.  Total weight loss- 7 lbs, with 13lbs to go.

PM: 14.5 total miles with a workout sandwiched in-between.  2x1mile, 2x800 @ effort, 2:00-2:30 recoveries.

AM: 8 miles easy.

PM: 5.2 miles easy.

AM: 23+ miles with RJ and Anthony.  RJ doesn't really have an off switch, so we averaged 7:08/mile pace for the duration.  Fitness-wise it was pretty easy, but my legs were a bit tired from the mileage by 20 miles. 

Anthony fell off early on- he didn't want any part of that after his 3rd place finish in his 10k yesterday- interestingly RJ finished 1st.  I tried to remind him that he should be tired and remind him RJ has been marathon training, so hopefully he took it to heart and wasn't bothered by it.

No running... made me super crampy.

AM: 2.5 miles fast with a couple of runners, no particular pace- 11 total miles.

PM: 9 total miles, workout was 5x1000, 2x200 with half time recoveries and 20 seconds before the 200s.

Splits- 3:05, 3:04, 3:05, 3:04, 3:05, :31, :31

Felt good.  Had to go solo today for almost all of it, but that is what I figured would happen with the short recoveries.  

PM: 17 miles and some leg stuff at the gym.  The miles felt effortless in this weather.  

PM: 10 miles with tutoring in between (7/3 split).

Grading myself for week 4:

Mileage (90%)- My mileage is fine and I am on pace for the 80 I want this week.  I think it was a good move to lower the mileage this week.  The next two weeks will be back over 100.

Speed (70%)- Effort workout on Friday, good speed on Sunday for the long distance, and I am very happy with Tuesday especially going solo.  It was nice to hit a sub-16:00 5k workout for the first time in a long time. 

I will do another workout Friday, but I am just expecting an effort-based result as opposed to hitting good times.  Overall, positive progress.

Nutrition (80%)- Continued with very few slip ups.  Recovery macros, water, and electrolytes were great this week.  With so many long runs I am shocked at how good I feel each time I get into a longer run, and I truly owe it to my consistent nutrition.  

Racing weight (60%)- I again am focused on a reduction in overall calories.  Goal weight loss is 4 pounds healthily.  Total weight loss- 12 lbs, with 8 lbs to go.  Finally under 10 to go!!

PM: Thunderstorm workout!  Only Elia and I made it out to the East Lake track- but, so mentally I knew it would be tough when combined with the raining.  We decided against a tempo style run, so I chose short intervals (400s) to make them less mentally taxing.  The workout was 3 sets of 4x400 with 200 recoveries and 400 in between the sets.  I decided to shoot for 1:10 on each of them.  

Splits-

set one- 1:10, 1:10, 1:10, 1:10, set two- 1:12, 1:08, 1:12, 1:08, set three- 1:10, 1:10, 1:10, 1:10

I am happy about the 1:10 overall average, since I was solo for the workout.  I am surprised by myself, with the weather working against me.

PM: 7.5 miles at 7:00/mile pace.  Felt easy

AM: 20+ miles with Elia.  I did feel a bit like trash today, which was odd.  I suppose I was running around a lot yesterday when I was volunteering all day, but still, it was noticeably challenging.  

PM: 6 miles solo.

PM: 14 miles solo, 7:28/mile pace.

AM: 1 fast mile and a fast 200 with Elia, and the rest just helping out. 10.1 total miles.

PM: Workout with Jeremy.  3x1600 with 400 recovery in 2:30 maximum, followed by 1x200 after 20 seconds.  11.5 total miles.

The track was a mess- kids had bags in lanes 1-6, lanes 1-2 had a mat in front of it, we wanted to do mile repeats, but the math was a bit challenging to gauge in lanes 7 and 8, so the workout itself is more effort than actually hitting the times.  Even by interval 3 we had to roll around lane 1 due to a trash can and two benches.  Annoying and it really through off my rhythm overall.  I suppose that mimics race day better than anything, however.

Splits (estimated)- 4:58, 4:58, 5:04, 0:34

PM: PM: 17 miles on the treadmill.  Note to self: I do not enjoy the treadmill for that long.  I ran a bunch of it at marathon effort just to make sure it ended sooner.

PM: 6.1 miles solo, 7:05/mile pace.  This felt super easy, and would have run more but life events get in the way.

AM: 8 miles.

PM: 9 miles.

___________________________________

Grading myself for week 5 of 7:

Mileage (90%)- My mileage is fine and I am on pace for what I want this week.  The taper will begin next week, so my only regret is the consistency and the build up to 100+ could have been better, but fortunately no injuries seem to be manifesting.

Speed (75%)- Decent workout on Tuesday, good endurance on Wednesday, and a tempo on Saturday @ 16:30 5k pace will be a nice way to end this cycle.  

Nutrition (80%)- Recovery macros, water, and electrolytes were again good this week.  Very consistent, but next week will be tough being up with family.

Racing weight (75%)- I will move to mostly maintaining calories for two weeks, but I hope in the back of my mind to lose two pounds overall.  Goal weight loss is 2 pounds.  Total weight loss- 15 lbs, with 2 lbs to go, but ideally 5 lbs. left before February.  I can finally see abs again, which is a plus.

The next two weeks are taper weeks, so I am not expecting much change.  Hopefully 2 more pounds shed, I'd like to run 70-80 miles and then have a quick taper for the 1st week of January, and just the two or three speed days left: tempo Saturday and a speed day or two at a track next week if I can talk myself into it.

AM: Ran 4 miles and then paced Jeremy for a 5k then ran 5+ more.  He wanted to break 16:30, so we picked a certified course of which there isn't many choices, so we picked a relatively challenging one with lots of turns, but pancake flat.  The course was a bit flooded out and we did loop back into some walkers, but overall it wasn't much of an issue. 

He came in at 16:28!  Very impressive run, since he had never been under 16:47 before despite many tries.  I was happy for him, and happy my pacing seemed to help.  

PM: 5.15 miles to even it out.

AM: 20 miles with Alan and Elia, easy pace.

Noon: 13.2 solo on some hills.

Noon: 10 miles solo.

AM: 6.15 miles solo.

PM: 4.3 miles at the gym, fast with inclines (at effort).

AM: 5.55 miles.

PM: 3.7 miles, 2 fast.

No running.

AM: 17 miles, 7:20/mile pace.

AM: Gym and then treadmill with hills and speed.