It's all relative

10 miles.  9:15/mile average.

10 miles.  8:45/mile average.

6 miles.  9:25/mile average.

7 miles total, 3 fast doing timed intervals at around 5:45/mile pace.

No running

6 miles.  8:32/mile average.

No running

10 miles.  9:05/mile average.

12 miles.  9:15/mile average.

6 miles.  8:45/mile average.

10 miles, 4 fast doing intervals at around 5:38/mile pace.

5 miles.  8:05/mile average.

5 miles.  8:35/mile average.

7 miles.  8:45/mile average.

So, I took a serious hiatus from running.  I haven't taken more than a month break in... a decade?  I took a 3.5 month break.  But- but!- today is the beer mile!  How could I resist?!

The field: Probably about 30 total people, and about 8 or 9- John, Darek, Jeremy, Jeremie, Jenni, Brian, Matt, Zach, and myself- running it.  Of those, I'd say about five were contenders.  Darek- who just ran a 2:44 marathon 3 weeks ago, Jeremy- who is a 16flat guy, Brian- who is the only one who actually drinks in our group and is a 1:30 half guy, John- who is a 2:40 marathoner, and myself.  I'd consider myself in the worst shape of the group, but I am amazing at chugging water and seltzer water and have made it a regular occurrence after pretty much every bout of exercise.  Obviously beer bottles are different, but not much.  

The course: Four loops of a 0.28-0.29 mile loop in a neighborhood.  Nice and shaded.  Easy peasy.

The rules: drink 12 ounces, run a lap, drink 12 more, run a lap, drink 12 more, run a lap, drink 12, run a lap/finish (or drink a fifth one for those who hold the most magical of traditions in high regard!)  Also, you are required to hold the empty upside down over your head before leaving to show it is empty.

Prep: Hilarious.  Little to no running.  Three weeks ago I ran 6 miles, two weeks ago I ran 14, this week I ran 19.  This was going to be awful.

Race goal: Win!  Of course.  My plan was to own the first drink and also be tied/leading into number two.  No chance at a PR time, but if I could psyche people out early, I'd be good.  Brian and John were the worries- they are faster than me and performed well last year.  Darek was a wild card, as he is currently the fastest in the group other than Jeremy, but is in the best shape.

The race: With a brief message and a salute we were off!  Mere seconds it took for me to be first out of the gate.  I was pumped!  The first lap I was very conservative- 6:00/mile pace.  Two runners- Jeremy and Darek were within 10 seconds by the time I grabbed my second one.  Again, I simply crushed it.  I don't even drink often!  Lap two was consistent but I definitely started feeling it.  Began to lap people, and that's when I saw the beginnings of straight carnage.  Hilarious.  Even the people drinking soda/seltzer throwing up on the side of the road- and as if nothing happened- continuing onward.  Drinks three and four were not bad and by the time I finished my fourth, no one had even entered the start spot, so I knew I had the race wrapped up.  I was worried for a moment when I saw John, but I realized I had lapped him which was surprising.  For John, it turned out his went down the wrong pipe so he was coughing for the first minute or so.  I finished the fourth lap I high-fived everyone and then headed over to Elia and had a fifth just for tradition.  Elia- who skipped this year- went wild.  

Anyway, it was fun and everyone hung out for a bit afterwards.  It was fun to run in a competition again!  Final time 7:09 for four, 7:35 for five.

12 miles.  9:15/mile average.

6 miles.  9:08/mile average.

10 mile, 3.3 fast doing 4:00-minute repeats at around 5:35/mile pace.

5 miles.  9:19/mile average.

5 miles, 8:09/mile pace.

7 miles.  8:05/mile average.

10 miles.  8:45/mile average.

14.2 miles.  9:15/mile average.

6 miles, 9:08/mile average.

10 mile, 3.3 fast doing repeats at around 5:32/mile pace.

10 miles, 9:35/mile average.

10 miles, 6 fast- tempo style.  1k repeats with 60-90 second running recoveries.  6:30 down to 5:30/mile averages.

PM: 10.1 miles with tons of hills @ 8:24/mile

PM: 10.1 miles with tons of hills @ 8:23/mile

PM: 10 miles @ 8:58/mile

10 miles total with a workout, 3.75 fast miles.  Alternating 2 and 3-minute intervals with half time recovery.  Paces-  5:46, 5:27, 5:35, 5:30, 5:11, 5:23, 5:17, 5:27.

Holy cow I am out of shape.  

10 miles at @ 9:48/mile

10.3 miles total, with 8k fast with John, Jeremy, and Darek doing two sets of 4 x 1k repeats with 1:00 in between jogging and 2:00 in between the two sets.  Paces were- 5:41, 5:45, 5:32, 5:40, 5:43, 5:41, 5:40, 5:47.  I could have evened out that last inerval, but I thought it was better for the dynamic of our group to split who led the laps.  Jeremy led four of them and I led four of them.

10.1 miles, 9:09/mile pace.  Had a surprise run-in with Steve halfway and ran the rest with him.  That truly was a pleasure.  I much prefer having company.

10 miles solo @ 8:59/mile pace.  Just snuck under 9... LOL

AM: 15 miles with the group.  Did 3x1mile with 2:00 jogs in between at the 9ish mile mark.  Ran them in 6:03, 5:57, 5:55.  Was hoping to average 6:00/mile.  I really dislike failing the first and/or second intervals.  It always leaves a bad taste in my mouth and hurts my confidence, making it more likely for me to bail on the workout.  As soon as I saw us falling behind the pace I moved to the front, but it was a little late.  From there, Anthony and I led each interval with John and Darek right behind.  We made up those three seconds in the second one and Anthony pulled a bit on the third.  Steve tried to stick with us, but flowed a little behind.  Jeremy also join us but didn't do the workout.  It felt mild, relatively conversational.  

No running. 

Not planned, but this is an "off" week anyway.  Saw the insane thunderstorms and noped my way back inside to watch some 'Fargo.'  I always avoided the show because- although the movie was good- I never thought I'd be into a show about it.  Wow- was I wrong.  Billy Bob Thornton is just the perfect villain.  They even nailed the hairdo.  Also, there was some of his 'Bad Santa' character sprinkled in there, and I ate that up.

Interval workout on the road.  Workout was 2x12:00 with 5:00 recovery in between.  I usually avoid the super long workouts especially when doing tempo style stuff on the weekend and Thursdays.

Splits (paces)- 5:40/mile, 5:40/mile

The workout felt pretty easy.  Longer intervals are definitely the way to go when getting the endurance back up.  In any event, I much enjoy this pace as it's so easy to relax and enjoy being able to go out there and do it and just kind of float along.

10 miles, 8:27/mile pace.  It started faster than that, but I lost some gas somewhere along the way and puttered home.

Tempo run with Darek and John.  I initially wanted a 5-mile wave tempo, but- being sunny, 91 degrees, and 75% humidity in Florida again in the afternoon when we started, John and I looked at each other at mile two and basically said "forget that" and settled on 4 miles.  The workout was 5:30/mile followed by 6:30/mile alternating each half mile for a total of 4 miles.  We hit every one, but it was definitely uncomfortable.  I suppose that shouldn't be a surprise- I haven't raced since January, so the continuity should be a bit challenging.

Splits (pace per mile)- 5:30, 6:30, 5:38, 6:25, 5:33, 6:30, 5:27, 6:22

I'd say I led them all except the final two intervals.  It was nice to follow John's lead on the last two, as I was mentally ready to quit so it really kept me motoring.  I didn't want to lose contact with him as I think he was having difficulty too, so even though I didn't have it, at least I could do my best ot help John.  But wow did I crack hard, physically.  Very thankful to hit the paces however.

Darek had some bowel issues about halfway and we lost him until the cooldown.

2 miles and then did some lifting.  Took a couple weeks hiatus from lifting, but I missed it so I decided to forego some running today to get in some good work.  Also did my leg day work too.  

Also, today my younger pet bunny turned one year old today!  I'd buy him carrot cake, but he prefers the kale and spring greens, so I guess I'll eat some dessert for him instead :)

10 miles, 9:29/mile pace.

15 miles with Anthony, John, Darek, Jeremie, Brian, and Jeremy.  Workout at the end for fun.  Four mile Wave tempo alternating every half mile @ 5:50/mile pace and 6:20/mile pace.  Easy, but my legs were heavy.

AM: 4.1 miles @ 7:58/mile pace, and the gym.

PM: 6 miles, 8:56/mile pace.

10.1 miles with the group.  

10.1 miles @ 7:40/mile pace.  

AM: gym and also ran a mile @ 9:00 pace.

PM: 9 miles, 3 fast with a workout.  1x6:00, 4x400, 1x6:00, (4x400), (1x6:00).  Failed the third set, so I threw in the towel.  

No running, but did bike 11 miles and lifted.  Leg day.

No running.  At a wedding in New York.

No running.  At a wedding in New York.

AM: 10 miles @8:40/mile pace jamming out to tunes.  About a million degrees outside with the humidity, so that was fun.  

PM: Biked 15 miles.

10.1 miles with the group.  Raining and thunderstorms throughout, but I'll take that over the 90 degrees with insane humidity.  At least rain is cooling.  

I didn't really work hard today, but I worked smart.  Workout was 8:00 on, 3:00 recovery, 6:00 on, 3:00 recovery, 4:00 on, 2:00 recovery, 2:00 on.  Descending paces.

Paces were- 5:52/mile, 5:42/mile, 5:27/mile, 5:08/mile.

Darek was with me for most of them except for the final one.  Was happy he was shoulder to shoulder with me on the third one.  In hindsight, it would have been more beneficial to run even with him on the fourth one.  This is all just for fun after all.

10.1 miles @ 7:40/mile pace.  Wasn't feeling particularly spry, but I was inside on a treadmill and some wonderful, wonderful air conditioning.

Also hit the gym and did some leg stuff as well.

AM: gym and also ran a mile @ 9:00 pace.

PM: Biked 12 miles

PM: 9 miles, 3 fast with a workout.  1x6:00, 4x400, 1x6:00, (4x400), (1x6:00).  Failed the third set, so I threw in the towel.  

PM: Gym for lifting and hopped on the treadmill for a couple of miles which turned into 10 miles.  Accident, I swear!  7:56/mile average.

Late PM: 18 mile bike ride.

AM: 10.3 miles in the pouring rain.  As I have said- running in thunderstorms and through flooded streets is MUCH better than running in the sun.  The chaffing afterwards disagrees with me...

PM: 10 mile bike ride.

AM: 15 miles @ 8:17/mile pace.

PM: Gym and another two miles at 8:30/mile pace on the treadmill.

AM: 10 miles @8:40/mile pace jamming out to tunes.  About a million degrees outside with the humidity, so that was fun.  

PM: Biked 15 miles.

AM: 12 miles, 4.5 fast in a workout.  Intervals were 12 x 2:00 with 90 second rests.  5:15-5:30/mile pace.  Felt medium-easy, but then again, short intervals generally are not often mentally challenging, particularly with 200m or longer rests.  I always feel irrationally confident when I look back at my interval times on them as a result.  

AM: 2 miles @ 9:00/mile pace at the gym, some leg stuff, and upper body.

PM: 8.2 miles with Brian @ 8:40/mile pace.  Then the bike for 13 miles.

AM: 3 miles and then lifting.

PM: Biked for 13 miles.

Late PM: 8.2 mile workout with Darek, 6k worth of speed with honest recoveries (2:00).  ~5:50/mile pace.  The bike ride really sapped my energy for the workout, but I did try my best.

PM: Gym for lifting and hopped on the treadmill for a couple of miles which turned into 10 miles.  Accident, I swear!  7:56/mile average.

Late PM: 18 mile bike ride.

AM: 10.3 miles in the pouring rain.  As I have said- running in thunderstorms and through flooded streets is MUCH better than running in the sun.  The chaffing afterwards disagrees with me...

PM: 10 mile bike ride.

AM: 15 miles, 3.3 of them fast.  6:00 intervals with 3:00 recoveries with Jeremie & Darek.  Happy 4th of July!

PM: 14 mile bike ride.

Pretty sad.  I'm just passing the 500 mile mark here in July.  I suppose I should run more, but I am just enjoying the process.  I did sign up for a race however!  Moon over Croom a night-time all trail.  It's a (usually) rainy/muddy race in Withalacoochee forest in about a month plus.  21-miler.  I haven't run over 15 miles consecutively in about eight months, so it'll be... interesting.  The field is small- 250 total, so I might be able to just use it as a marathon prep workout.  Or, if someone wants to push the envelope, I'm usually pretty game.  Either way, excited.

PM: 11 miles @ 7:56/mile pace on the treadmill and then lifted a little.

AM: 6x4:00 repeats with 90 second honest recoveries, followed by 3x0:15 "sprints."  5:38/mile average for the long intervals.  Felt average.

PM: 15 mile bike ride.  Was epic.

AM: 13.5 miles.  Did a hm in 1:36 or so with 1000ft elevation on the treadmill.   Felt pretty easy, although the treadmill is tough mentally.  The hills helped break it up.  Although I wish there was the benefit of downhills on the treadmill!

Also did some lifting.

PM: Workout with Darek, Jeremy, & John at 4pm.  Was a sauna, but I was pumped to work hard for some reason.  I really like workouts sometimes- it's just fun to challenge myself.  Workout was 2 x 5k with 1 mile in between.  First 5k was easy and we nailed it by 10-40 seconds depending on whose watch you trust, but the second sent my heartrate a bit too high.  It was not hard, and my form wasn't breaking down, but the humidity just makes it impossible to sweat and cool down so my heart goes insane.  A year ago, myocarditis would have had me in a bad state after this workout, so it feels good to feel fine afterwards.  A tough day for running.  Tomorrow is supposed to be my first double- we'll see if I actually am successful as I'd like to do some biking as well.

The watch thing was annoying.  It keeps reading slow, but I'm in no mood to buy a new watch.  It shouldn't be an issue, so maybe it's just in need of an update.  

AM: 6.6 miles @7:47/mile pace and lifted.  Then 12 mileson the bike.

PM: 10 miles, @9:29/mile pace.  Humidity was not the easiest, so I launched myself in the pool afterwards to bring the body temperature down.

AM: 11.50 miles of suffering.  9:00/mile pace.  It was 7:40ish pace through eight, but then I just lost interest and got over-heated.  Just wanted to scrape to ninety miles.  Definitely seems like it will be a mistake with a long run tomorrow, as I won't recover fast enough.

AM: 17 miles with a 4k/3k/2k/1k tempo with speed increasing and recovery decreasing (4:00/3/2).  Was pretty fun.

PM: 10 mile bike ride.

AM: 5.1 miles @ 8:30/mile avg. and lifting.  

PM: 6.4 miles @ 9:04/mile avg.

AM: 11.1 miles and a workout.  Alternating 2 & 4 minute intervals with half time recoveries.  Kept the effort reasonable. 

PM: 6.1 miles @9:32/mile avg.

PM:  Lifted light and then medium long run on the treadmill.  Short warmup, then 1000 ft elevation half marathon in 1:36ish, then a half mile cool down.  Felt easy.  Definitely like the inclines the most- makes it more entertaining.

AM: 3 miles and lifted light.

PM: 10.2 miles, 4.5 fast with Jeremy, John, and Darek.

PM: 6 miles, 9:30/mile pace

AM: lifted then 12 miles.  7:52/mile pace

AM: 15 miles, 9:04/mile pace.

AM: 10.1 miles, 8:30/mile pace.

PM: 6.4 miles, 8:05/mile pace.

AM: Some timed intervals.  Nothing special.  6/5/4/3/2/1 with half time recoveries.  Skipped the 3-minute interval.  I was feeling light-headed.

PM: Lifted then ran 7 miles.

PM: mid-week long run.  800ft elevation, 7:56/mile avg on the tread.  

AM: 3.1 miles and lifted.

PM: 10.1 miles, 5 fast with hills.  Half mile on, 1:00 off (normal running) for the five miles (so 10 reps) and surges on the hills/bridges.

AM: 10.2 miles, 9:15/mile pace.  Surprisingly felt decent.

PM: 7.5 miles, 9:08/mile pace.

AM: Trail run with 5-mile progressive to finish it off.  Then ran a little extra to get to my distance goal of 110.  I don't really have a good reason for wanting to run that much, just felt like it this week I guess.  

AM: 15.1 miles.  Felt quite surprisingly good after mile one.  Mile one is always a liar.  Sometimes so is mile two.  It's only when miles 3-5 are liars that you really need to wonder about your choices in life.

AM: 11.4 miles @ 8:04/mile pace

PM: 7 miles @ 9:00/mile pace with Brian

AM: 10.3 total miles, 4 fast.  A bunch of striders, then 12 x 400 (but really 90 second intervals) followed by 4 x 0:30 seconds.  Splits were all 1:14-1:17, and they felt quite easy and I jogged all of the recoveries.  I almost always default to running the recoveries now which I know is more intended for endurance/tempo style intervals, but at as I get older the constant starting and stopping ruins the flow.  

PM: 4.2 miles, 8:59/mile pace.

AM: 13.4 miles, 8:44/mile pace

PM: 6.5 miles, 8:00/mile pace

AM: 8 miles, one fast helping on intervals with Brian and a couple guys

PM: 9.2 miles with a workout.  Modified michigan- 1 mile hard, 1 mile tempo, 0.75 hard, 1 mile tempo, 0.5 hard, 1 mile tempo, 0.25 hard with John, Jeremy, and Darek.  Splits- 5:27, 5:56, 5:25/mile pace, 5:57, 5:39/mile pace (trees, this one is wrong), 5:53, 5:00/mile pace.

Good workout.  The half and 3/4 mile intervals had something shady happening to the distance measurement, as I know I was working harder and faster than the 5:27 mile, but I guess the splits don't matter in the end with the heat/humidity, it's really about the effort in comparison.

AM: Lifting and then 9 miles @ 8:00/mile pace.

PM: 9 miles

AM: 15 miles with 4 fast in 22:21 (5:35/mi pace) in the middle.

PM: 2 miles to get to one-twenty!

I guess that answers the age-old question- how long does it take to go from 0 to 120 for mileage?  Three months.  However, a better method would be to not take off time to begin with!

AM: 19+ with Darek, John, Chris, Steve, Anthony, and Jeremy.  Now today... today was hot and humid.  How is that different from other days?  It is not.  It's like the song "Every day is exactly the same" by NIN (minus the suicide connotation...)

AM: 10.3 miles @ 9:10/mile, and saw two otters that were/are apparently living in a storm drain.  I've never seen them in the wild, let alone in a storm drain.  Definitely one of the more odd sights to see at 6 am.

PM: 6.2 miles @ 8:30/mile.

AM: 10 miles total and 3 miles hard running some short, steep hills.  Effort-based.

PM: 6.1 miles @ 8:50/mile.  Finally passed the 1,000 miles for the year mark and it took until August 4th.  This is the worst/slowest I've done that since probably... 2012?  Does not bode well for a fast nor healthy race season, which feels ominous to write.

AM: Lifting and ran 4.1 miles @ 7:50/mile pace.

PM: 15 miles @ 7:55/mi.  

PM: 7 mi @ 8:15/mi.

Late PM: 10 miles, 6.2 fast miles with recoveries.  4x100, 1 x 2mile, 1x1mile, 6x 1/2 mile.  Paces- striders, 2mile (5:50/mi pace), 1 mile (5:43/mi), 6x800 (average 5:17/mi but descending from 5:20s to 4:56/mi for the last one).

AM: 6 miles, 8:55/mi.

Lunch: 5 miles @ 8:05/mi

PM: 5.4 miles @ 8:41/mi

AM: 6.2 miles, 1.1 fast.  Overall 7:00/mi pace

PM: 9.6 miles.  7:56/mi pace

AM: 18.5 miles with a workout.  3 x 2 miles @ 5:50/mi pace, with 3:00 running recoveries.  Didn't start the workout until about mile eight, so that was a bit challenging.  Jeremy fell off after the first, Anthony after the second, and I was cooked by the end of the third. 

The workout was pretty fun although in the middle of the second one- finally felt like I was flowing for the first time since literally over year ago.  

AM: 11.4 miles @ 8:24/mile pace.

Noon: Skipped lunch, went for a run.  7 miles, 8:05/mile pace.

PM: 5.1 miles @ 8:20/mile pace. 

GON' GET THAT TRIPLE.

AM: 10.5 miles, 3 fast, alternationg 6:00 and 2:00 intervals with 2:00 recoveries.  Slowly realized I was a bit tired from yesterday.  By slowly I mean by interval one.  Interval five is where I felt like an empty tank coasting to the finish and praying to get there.  Good news is I'm not dead, so I guess there's that.  

PM: 7.5 miles, 8:20/mi pace.

AM: 6.1 miles, 8:30/mi pace.

PM: 13.1 miles, 7:50/mi pace.

AM: 6 miles, no watch.

PM: 11.2 miles, 5 fast on the trail with John, Jeremy, and Darek.  It went from a fire box of wet air into a monstrous downpour with a 15 degree swing all within the first interval.  It was beautiful.  Felt like Andy Dufresne escaping prison into the rain.  Glorious!  2x2mile followed by 2 x 0.5 mile.  Splits-   11:40, 11:47, 2:33, 2:25.  Felt excellent, although I definitely gave a hearty effort on the last interval.  The rest were quite relaxed, though.  

On another note- how was that "field of dreams" game?   Unbelievable.  Gave me goosebumps.  The Yankees ending up on the losing end was the icing on the cake.  They could not have scripted that game much better.

AM: 6.2 miles, 9:00/mi pace.

PM: 10 miles.

AM: 11.5 with Brian.

PM: 6 miles.

AM: 15 miles, 5.1 fast with a depleted workout starting at mile nine.  1 x 5k, 6 x 1/2 mile.  Splits were 5:46/mile pace for the 5k, and between 5:40 to 5:48/mile for the half miles.  Overall it felt quite easy and Anthony and I were talking easily through the 800s and personally did not need to change gears at all for them.  On the 5k I just wanted to dip under 17:59 so, but even in doing so I had a ton left in the tank.

This will be a huge down mileage week- which I'm excited for.  I have gone up in mileage pretty consistently for a couple of months now- how I haven't gotten injured is a testament to either luck or all of those miles I've put in in recent years.  It's going to be weird having an extra ten hours in my week!  Maybe I'll start a new hobby.  Maybe knitting?  Crochet?  Selling crack?  Oh the possibilities...

No running.  That felt... weird.

AM: 11+ miles, with intervals.  2:00, 4:00, 6:00, 6:00, 4:00, 2:00 intervals with strict half time recoveries.  Did not reach deep into the tank, but was definitely tired.  Happy this is a recovery week, I can tell I need it.  Splits were approx- 5:00/mile, 5:10/mile, 5:20/mile, 5:30/mile, 5:10/mile, 5:00/mile.

No running

PM: 7+ miles, with a workout in the nightmare weather.  1 mile, 4 x 1/2 mile, 1 mile.  3:00 after the mile, 1:00 after each half mile.  

Splits- 5:50, 2:44, 2:49, 2:51, 2:43, 5:52.

This felt insanely easy.  90+ temperature, full humidity, no clouds, no problem.  The only challenge was, I would rather have just done no recoveries to roll through the workout.  The breaks/recoveries mess with my mindfulness and flow sometimes- especially the past two Thursdays.  Really digging this easy week.

No running

AM: 6.5 miles

Prep: Well, signed up for this a month and a half ago thinking I'd at least get a 20+ miler in before running it.  That didn't happen, so I guess I can't complain too much.  I've obviously been running a ton of total overall mileage, but one marathon run will tell you that mileage means nothing when compared to the importance of the long run, and same goes for speed work.  My speed work is okay, I guess.  I am still overweight compared to my racing weight by 25 pounds, but I think that's just the way it's going to be for this cycle unfortunately.  Some of that is definitely muscle, but I'd be fooling myself if I said my diet was on point.

Weather: 94 degrees at the start, sun shining, super humid, no rain, no clouds, but fortunately we would be running in the trees for most of it and the sun would be setting with us eventually finishing in the dark (some of us anyway!)

The course: Three loops on a 7.2ish mile loop that has the first 0.7 on asphalt, the next 0.5 on non-packed, beach sugar sand, then <5 miles of undulating, packed single track with some dips and rises, and then the last mile is back to sugar sand mixed with roots, mud, zig-zagging, and if-you-take-your-eyes-off-the-ground-you're-going-to-eat-it type footing.  The course isn't bad if you're just leisurely bouncing along, but if you're pushing then it's a different story.

The race: There were only about forty at the start and I was on my own within the first 100 steps and stayed that way for the rest of the race.  Albeit the first mile was about a 5:30/mile, so that'll scare pretty much any of these trail racers right off, which I supposed was the goal.  Loop one went fine- about 49 minutes with two full stops for water/nutrition. 

Loop two started exactly the same, 5:30/mile straight into the sugar sand- which sends you into basically a 7:30 mile that is noticeably harder than the 5:30.  The killer event happened here.  Horse flies.  Kill me.  I was being dive-bombed like my blood must have been made of pure CO2 and sugar.  The run went from fun to not fun within the next couple of miles, and at the 11+ mile mark, I was out of my mindset completely.  Lap two wasn't too far off lap one, and I circled in about 51 minutes flat, which was respectable as I had started lapping some of the 21-milers by mile 11.  You read that right.  7.2 mile loop, and I was lapping them at mile 10, so not even mile four for them.  I took two more stop breaks again in the same places (4.1 mile water stop and the 7.2 mile loop finish/start water stop).  I never stop in road races, but it is just the culture to stop in trail races I think.  All the volunteers are just so nice and helpful, I can't help but want to make them feel like they are beyond awesome for helping.  JJ really helped me out at the end of this lap as well- drink ready and let me know I was about 8 minutes up on second place after the first lap.  I was also super dizzy at this point from the heat, so the nutrition helped- my shorts had ripped in the race after getting caught on something and my gel fell out, so I was behind on my sugar.

Lap three began and I shot down the asphalt mile in another 5:30-5:40/mile and of course right into the slowest mile thus far at about a 7:50/mile pace.  It feels so weird to go from the slowest mile on the course (the finish of the lap) to the fastest mile on the course (the start of the lap) to the second slowest mile on the course.  It really threw me through a loop mentally.  I was decent to the 4.1 mile mark water station, but really was feeling super dizzy at this point.  The heat had sucked the life out of me.  I really dialed my speed back (definitely unintentionally).  I had convinced myself this was all I could muster, but you can just tell when you're lying to yourself when you look at your heart rate and listen to your own breathing.  It was disappointing to see me pack it in so close to the finish.  I waded through the last 5k in a pathetic 23 minutes.  It didn't help at all this last lap having to pass a bunch of the 14-milers who started an hour after we did.  It's just tiring on single track to pass anyone, let alone having to voice yourself when you just want to crash through with a bag on your head hoping no one is seeing you suffer.  

The finish:  Anyway, I mustered average form for the last 0.2 and ran through the finish line.  I did get first place by about 20 minutes over second and 40 minutes over third, but I really can't say I enjoyed it.  It was honestly harder than the 63 miler I did at this same location on more difficult sections of the trail, which isn't a good sign.  I was still dizzy and nauseous a couple of hours after the race.  Eating didn't help and drinking didn't help.  I wouldn't be surprised if it was something heat-related.  If I had to do it again, I think I'd be sure to take in WAY MORE water and much less gatorade (or at least a better balance.)  Way more.  As in 20 ounces/lap more, especially on lap one.

The awards were cool.  They were a wood-burned trophy, so that was nice.  I am happy there was not medal or trophy- unique and memorable is the way to go.  

Afterwards: Anyway, that's that.  I think I need to add a tune up race, because I just have no idea how quick I am on a road course.  I have no idea where/what race however, since the idea of doing that crap again in Florida with this weather makes me feel ill already.

PM: 10 miles, 8:40/mile pace.  Slog.

AM: 11.5 miles, 3 "fast" @ 6:00/mile pace.  Felt easy, but my legs are beat up for sure.

PM: 6 miles.

AM: 6 miles.

PM: 10.2 miles with Darek and John with a workout- 3mile, 2 mile, 1 mile with 4:00 then 3:00 recovery.  Splits- 17:44 (5:55/mi pace), 11:38 (5:50/mile pace), 5:47/mile.  

Workout went pretty well.  I was on my own for most of it except for the beginning half mile and the last half mile.  John dropped off with some bowel issues, but Darek was mostly relatively close.  I'd say my legs were a bit dead for the final mile interval however and it was much harder as a result, but this was more mental considering I was just thinking about ending the workout at that point.

No running

AM: 15 miles

AM: 20 miles with Darek and Jeff.  90-minutes out followed directly into 5 miles at marathon pace effort.  We settled for somewhere between 6:10-6:15/mile average.  Splits (approx) were- 6:15, 6:14, 6:12, 6:10, 6:09.  The workout felt easy even on tired legs, which is a good sign.  I was with it throughout and I am happy to see we got faster as we went even with a fun little bridge overpass and bunch of roads to cross.  I enjoyed it.

PM: 5 miles

AM: 6.5 miles

PM: 10 miles

AM: 10 miles, 4 fast with a workout.  3:00 repeats followed by four 30-second anaerobic efforts.  Started fine 5:05-5:15/mile average, finished a little dirtier @ 5:20/mile average.  Mentally wasn't in it.  I should really consider the treadmill for the quicker stuff so I don't have to worry about pacing when I get too tired to force myself to persevere.  Might do a short PM run, we'll see.

PM: 6.1 miles.

PM: 13.1 miles, most on the treadmill doing some incline.  7:30/mile pace.

AM: 9 miles, 6 "fast" but only about 1.5 actually relatively quick running with Brian and Tommy.  They did a fun alternating workout I think I'm going to steal- 8:00, 7:00, 6:00 and then ride it like a wave up and down again alternating every 0.75 miles.  Definitely made it go by quicker.

PM: Tempo workout with Darek and John similar to this morning- just hotter and faster.  5 miles continuous alternating paces up and down a ladder getting only as low as about 5:25/mile pace.  So it would be 6:55/mile for 1/2 mile, then 6:25/mile for a half mile, then 5:55/mile for a half mile, then 5:25/mile for a half mile, and then head back up the ladder getting slower and finish back down the ladder getting faster.  The workout felt quite easy.  I started losing touch with Darek and John on the 'ladder up' portion, so I paused on a downhill on the slowest interval so we could all team up again.  I hope it helped everyone push.

AM: 3.2 miles.

PM: 10.1 miles

AM: 18 miles, bridges

AM: 21 miles

AM: 11 miles

PM: 7 miles

AM: 10.5 miles, 4 fast doing timed intervals.  6:00/5/4/3/2/1 with half time recoveries.  Hilariously, my fastest interval (other than the 1:00 interval) was the first one at 5:15/mile pace. This is definitely a low point- I sucked today. 

PM: 6.6 miles

AM: 4 miles

PM: 13.2 miles on the treadmill doing inclines.  7:30/mi pace.  Sometimes I enjoy the treadmill, while sometimes I feel like it's leading me to lose my mind.  This was a former situation.

AM: 6 miles

PM: 10.3 miles, 7.5 of them fast with Darek and John doing a modified (harder) version of "The Michigan."  We chose to do it on the trails because of the random inclines and declines would add some spice.  Workout was- 1 mile tempo (MT), 1 mile hard/fast interval, 1 mile tempo, 0.75 mile faster interval, 1 mile tempo, 0.5 even faster interval, 1 mile tempo, 0.25 full effort, and finish with a ... you guessed it- 1 mile tempo.  sixty-seconds of recovery between each effort for the duration of the workout.

Splits- MT (5:49), mile fast (5:25), MT(5:45), 3/4 mile (3:58, 5:18/mi pace), MT (5:40), 1/2 mile (2:37, 5:14/mi pace), MT (5:42), 1/4 mile (1:10, 4:40/mi pace), MT (5:32).

Overall, super pumped about this workout.  What a roller coaster compared to how I felt Tuesday.  I'm proud of myself for running this well in this weather.  It was only around 87-88 degrees along with the normal humidity, so we got a slight reprieve thankfully.  Now I just need to think up a marathon predictor workout.  I wouldn't consider myself adept at marathon running, so it'll unfortunately be a research nightmare, unless anyone from the blog is willing to let me know of a good predictor workout (if it exists)?  

AM: 6.1 miles in the rain

PM: 10 miles

AM: 20+ miles, with 5 at MP effort with John, Jeff, Jeremy, and Darek.  Splits were somewhere around 6:05, 6:00, 5:55, 5:43, 5:53, although I didn't really pay attention during the first three miles and was just enjoying the sound of the footfalls and the sun rising over Tampa bay. 

Efforts felt easy- I felt strong.  I ran the last 4mi. of the run by myself- figured I'd rather get my 20-miler out of the way when I'm feeling good, than suffer through it tomorrow.  Shocked, really, that it felt so good after Thursday and just the general high mileage.  I'm sure waking up tomorrow will remind me to not get too cocky.

PM: 4 miles.  130.

AM: 18 miles, with fast finish with 3 at MP.

PM: 6.2 miles

AM: 8 miles

PM: 11 miles

AM: 10 miles, 3 kind of fast miles, that will certainly tire the legs out for this afternoon's (hopefully) workout.  I suppose I could have done it this morning, but have you ever just not wanted to do it?  Today was that day.  I watched two of the guys get a lead on me in the first interval and just mailed the rest of it.  They even beat me on the sprint work at the end.  I used to be such a fast sprinter- getting old really sucks.  In my mind I'm zooming- in reality, I'm getting zoomed by.  I suppose that's okay.  I'm just happy to be out there and still going.  I even reminded myself today that six months ago I was in my third straight month of no running. 

PM: 2 mile warmup with half a mile of striders, then a workout:  two sets of 5x800 with 90 second recoveries and 3 minutes in between sets. Recoveries ended up being between 90 seconds to two minutes.

Splits- 2:30, 2:28, 2:28, 2:27, 2:26, 2:26, 2:26, 2:26, 2:27, 2:25

Finally decided to run a workout-workout.  Definitely a confidence builder.  A 5-mile workout is serious business.  I almost broke at the sixth interval and convinced myself to switch to 400s instead to finish up, but I'm really proud of myself for not- they just aren't the same, they're just to easy to 'cheat' on and use the wrong reserves.  The last interval was awesome.  About halfway through I knew I had the workout in the bag, and I couldn't wipe the smile from my face.  I turned it on with about 200m to go and cruised in for my fastest interval.

AM: 4 mile recovery run.

PM: 13.1 miles.

AM: 3.1 miles

PM: 10.2 miles with ten of the Clearwater bridges at HM effort with Darek and John. Was definitely tough.

AM: 6.2 miles PM: 10.1 miles

AM: 21 miles, 5 fast at MP effort.  Would do 3 miles cruising then go into 1 mile at MP effort.  Felt easy.  I got faster each mile.  The last one felt the easiest and it was at mile 19.5 to mile 20.5, although I did have a gel within a mile right before that.  I think I'm going to forego the PM run.

131 miles!    :D  

AM: 17.2 miles on the Clearwater bridges, finishing with four extra bridge up-and-over repeats with Darek, Jeff, and Brian.

AM: 8.5 miles

PM: 8.2 miles.  Slogfest.

AM: 10 miles, 4 fast.  Descending intervals- 8:00, 6:00, 4:00, 2:00, striders.  Paces started at 5:15/mile and then got faster each interval.  Form was good, did not break at all, I should have started at 5:00/mile, but I suppose for marathon training it isn't super important.  My legs were garbage.  The last 2:00 interval and striders were much more chill than normal.  I am feeling discomfort in my hip.  Doesn't seem like anything to worry about, but I'd rather be safe.

PM: 6.3 miles with 1/2 mile hard helping Jeff for a segment.

I did not run today.  I just... did not want to.  Ate pizza and beer instead.  No regerts.

PM: 13 miles, 6 fast doing a progressive tempo with John and Darek.  The workout started at 6:55/mile then descending approximately 15 seconds per mile each mile.  Not an ideal workout in the Florida sun, but it is what it is.  I was banking on doing 7 miles, but I was pretty wiped after the sixth mile, so I packed it in.  Darek and John had stuck with me pretty much throughout.  The last mile was the only spot where I lost contact.  John looked very strong today.

I sincerely regret missing yesterday and this morning- my legs were tight, particularly my patellar tendon and I was acutely aware that I should have done all three runs I missed leading up to this workout.  Not an injury, fortunately.

Splits- 6:48, 6:38, 6:12, 6:05, 5:52, 5:34

AM: 4.1 miles

PM: 10 miles

Noon: 10.1 miles, 5 fast on the treadmill.  2.5 mile warmup, 6x200, 1x5k, 5x90 seconds, cooldown.

Splits- 6xstrider effort, 5k in 15:30 @5:00/mile pace, quarter miles all in 90 seconds (really 1:15ish) @ 4:57/mi, 4:55/mi, 4:52/mi, 4:50/mi, 4:48/mile pace. 

For each interval, I let the treadmill get to speed for 15 seconds to keep it honest, so they were intended to be 1:15-1:20 of timed effort at those quarter-mile paces.  The 5k was a cinch- I was fine until I realized I had cracked the 12-minute mark and then I kept clock-watching and lost my flow.  One of my headphones died as well at about that time, so instead of "beats by dre," I suppose I had "beat by dre."  Happy with the effort, and more improtantly, I can't wait to turn my focus back to 5k/10k.  Makes me feel like Ricky Bobby...

PM: 4 miles

AM: 16.1 miles with John and Darek.  2k off 1k on for the duration of the run for a total of 7 efforts.  Tired from the start.  No nutrition.  Capped the run at two hours and packed it in.

Split paces for each 1k effort- 5:52/mi, 5:40/mi, 5:30/mi, 5:36/mi, 5:16/mi, 5:24/mi, 5:31/mi.

AM: 4 miles.  Felt very easy.

PM: 7.6 miles.  Felt... not easy.  0.5 miles hard trying to win back a segment- I tied it.  That was disappointing.  

AM: 10 miles total with a 5+ mile tempo at 15k/HM effort using the hill in Philippe.  The pace was sad- real sad, but I definitely gave the right effort.  Did not reach too deep, but I can definitely feel my legs are still a bit destroyed from Saturday.  That being said, Sunday was no help either.

I will try to run 5+ tonight, and then average 11 miles per day the rest of the week to get 85.  

PM: 5.7 miles with Jeff and Darek.  0.3 miles trying for another segment- and got second lol.  I ran it incorrectly, so I'm using that as my excuse today.  Running out of excuses for missing these segments.  I guess I can expect a lot of that now that I'm getting older.  

PM: 10 miles on the treadmill with inclines, decent pace.

AM: 3.1 miles

PM: 9 miles, 4.1 fast.  Three sets of 1x400, 1x800, 1x1000 with 90 second recoveries outside in the lovely heat and humidity.  Wasn't all that bad, surprisingly.  Ran with John and Darek (and Jeff for a minute).  Also, ran a segment for the first half mile interval.  I was first, but it registered me as second to John... continuing my streak of second place finishes on Strava.  I just re-joined, and it's already making me hate strava.  Not excited.

Splits (paces)- 1:18 (5:12/mi), 2:25 (4:51/mi), 3:18 (5:19/mi), 1:07 (4:30/mi), 2:36 (5:12/mi), 3:25 (5:27/mi), 1:14 (4:56/mi), 2:36 (5:12/mi), 3:16 (5:16/mi)

AM: 3.1 miles and light lifting (legs)

AM: 13.5 miles with a 6 mile tempo in the middle at MP effort as a progressive run with Jeff, Darek, and John.  Goal was to give relatively little effort but still be working.  I was barely breathing for the first 4.9 miles of it.  Then, for some reason, the watch jumped to a slower pace quickly between 4.9-5mi even though my pace didn't change, and then when I started pushing for the final interval, I was struggling to get it under 5:45 which makes no sense.  How can it feel like a meandering jog at 5:49, then feel like fire at a 5:43?  

Progressive mile splits- 6:36, 6:13, 6:04, 5:49, 5:48, 5:43 (I'm calling shenanigans on the last two splits, but whatever, it's all about effort.)

I feel overall pretty good for my second to last 'long run'.  This watch is on its last legs it seems.  My heart rate is showing a max of 209 (194 avg) during the third mile and then a max of 168 (164 avg) on the last one where my effort/heartrate actually escalated.  I usually live by the heartrate on my watch during the marathon, so this is a bit concerning.  I know wrist isn't super accurate, but it's generally close enough that I find it useful- especially in long races.  

AM: 10.1 miles with Darek, John, Jeff, Jeremy, and Brian.  It was nice seeing Brian, who is running Chicago this Sunday.  

AM: 3.1 miles and some light lifting.

PM: 4.1 miles. The segment from last week needed to be beat, so I went and knocked it out.

AM: 9 miles, with a workout.  Alternating 6:00, 2:00, 6:00, 2:00, 6:00 intervals with the last one planned easy at MP and  2:00 recoveries.  Intervals felt easy, but my watch's heartrate is definitely unreliable.  RIP.

Splits (pace)- 5:13/mi, 5:12/mi, 5:16/mi, 5:10/mi, 6:00/mi

PM: 5.1 miles with Darek, Luis, and Jeff

I just didn't feel like running today.  Feels bad typing that out.

AM: 5.2 miles

PM: 4.1 miles, 2 fast.

AM: 2.4 miles

PM: 3 miles

AM: 3 miles.  Still hot and humid.

No running. 

The 125th Boston Marathon!

Weather: 65 at the start with clouds, 73 at the finish with sun, light headwind the whole way but the wind was not bad.  5-10mph.  It was definitely humid, but compared to Florida, it could definitely be worse.

The Course: Everyone knows Boston.  Downhill start, rolling hills from 15-21, best crowd possible (half capacity due to Covid), and the field was limited to only 20,000 participants (normally 33,000+).

Training: Mileage was great.  I did not do as much marathon-specific speed stuff as I would normally, but I was running with a group all going to Boston, so it was worth it to help them hit their goals.  For top-end speed, I had a couple of good workouts, but nothing like my last marathon.  My weight was the biggest issue overall- 20 pounds over my racing weight at the start line, which is a big yikes.  My diet was very poor for the duration of the cycle, so I suppose I had the weight issue coming!

Pre-race: Almost didn't get to Boston at all!  Flight got delayed from 9:00am Saturday until 3:00am Sunday and was eventually cancelled.  Thankfully, Jenni is a genius and we flew in to Providence and rented a car instead and made it around noon.  Nightmare.  As for the start of the race, logistics were much different this year.  Normally you go on the awful school bus ride for an hour and then sit around for 3 hours in a tent with food, drinks, toilets, and plenty of time/space to warm up and get your head straight.  This year you did the same awful ride, but the moment you got to the start you were ordered into a one mile march to the start.  We hopped off the bus at 8:35 and the race was set to go off at 9:00, so really just had enough time to jog, go to the restroom, throw off my mask  and walk up the hill to the start line.  It did not have the feel or excitement of Boston at all in the beginning.  I can't believe those words just came out of my head.

The Race: The gun went off and I was only 15 seconds behind the front with John and Darek at my side about ten rows from the start.  The pros were already gone, so we got quite close even without the normal corrals.  Jeremy and Steve were somewhere back behind us and I didn't see them at all since I got on the bus.  Darek and John were also gone almost immediately when we crossed the line as I navigated around an unusual sight for a Boston marathon start line- slow runners.  They really should have just done the corrals.  The first half mile- which should be the fastest of the race- was easily my slowest at a 6:35/mile pace.  Anyway, it wasn't an issue after the first mile, fortunately.  

Miles 1-11: Downhill for a couple of miles and then uneventful.  The lack of crowd from normal was very noticeable and sad.  This is always the leanest part of the race, but there were quite a few stretches of no spectators at all.  Oh well.  Cruising and breathing easy.  Splits- 5:45, 5:45, 5:46, 5:37, 5:47, 5:39, 5:37, 5:40, 5:41, 5:44, 5:42.

Miles 12-14: Wellesley girls are so insanely loud.  It really is amazing coming up on them and hearing them so far off.  No one doing any kissing this year, but this section was still awesome and impossible to hold back a smile.  I really started enjoying myself when I started seeing groups of people.  That's what makes this race special.  The crowd is just unbelievable.  Splits- 5:43, 5:36, 5:37. 

Miles 15-18: I came through the halfway at 1:14:43, so I obviously at some point decided I was going to go for a 2:29 marathon time.  I've never done Boston at the speed, so it was weird being effectively single file with gaps between runners.  Usually it's shoulder to shoulder.  I don't really know what I was thinking picking that goal.  I haven't raced something at 5:43/mile pace in forever, we had trained all summer to go a 2:38-2:39, and we literally zero of my marathon workouts were faster than 6:00 pace, but it truly did feel easy.  My heart rate was holding steady, so I figured just keep an eye on the heart rate and feel and make decisions that way.  I was starting to feel a twinge in my hamstrings, but I had felt the same way during my other marathons so I didn't think much of it.  How on earth can my hamstrings hurt doing downhill running?  Turns out they can!  A mile later, I knew it was going to be an issue.  The cramping was dull and manageable, until I started to pick up the pace.  I was latched on to two "OK Runners" who were wearing team singlets and a guy from Colorado for basically the first 13 miles, but I hit the water stop and just couldn't stop the hammies from misfiring when I sped up.  The hills start really rolling here, but they're not as bad as people think.  Splits- 5:45, 5:45, 5:45, 6:04.

Miles 19-21: I sadly lost contact with the group I was running with and my gosh, my hamstrings were fire.  I was taking nutrition and had two salts, but it just wasn't enough.  My heart rate was good, so I tried speeding up after hearbreak but I immediately almost locked up, so I calmed it back down.  My hamstrings just couldn't handle the high kick-back anymore.  Splits- 5:59, 6:05, 6:24 (heartbreak hill).

Miles 22-26.2: My heart rate was slowing way down now, so I decided to try and speed it back up after the Newton hills.  Nope.  I just would lock up each time I tried.  This was disappointing only in he sense that I know I had much more in me.  This was definitely frustrating in hindsight, but the crowd is just so unbelievable here that you don't really care.  I truly can't help but smile from Boston College onwards to the finish.  It really is an unprecedented experience.  Now definitely missing a 2:29 goal, I relaxed and just enjoyed the last two miles, soaking it all in.  I was whooping up the crowd, smiling, and people watching which was fun.  You literally raise your arms and they start cheering harder, it's wicked.  Even if I was just raising my arms to stretch them out, they'd still get louder!  

I did muster a nice little finish at the end, although I could feel each leg locking on each step the moment I chose this.  Then again, I'm on pure adrenaline at that point so who cares, :)  right?  Splits- 6:03, 6:06, 5:58, 6:26, 6:22, 1:11 (5:22/mi pace).  2nd half marathon split- 1:19:00.  

Final time 2:33:43, (5:51/mile pace)

After-Thoughts: Well, I didn't hit 2:29, but I suppose Boston is never a good choice to nail that kind of time... unless you're in some awesome form and not running in the flattest state for training.  If I were to run it again, I would add a TON more treadmill training for hills, I would also do some downhills.  Although my quads, calves, and glutes feel fine, there's obviously something I overlooked in the chain causing the hamstrings to falter so poorly.  It's entirely possible I've just been over-developing the quads and compounding the issue with gym stuff- squats and calf raises.  The weight has got to come off as well- that definitely did not do me any favors.  Even at a second per pound, I'm looking at a pr left on the table.  Lastly, speed.  I can tell what I did last time worked way better.  Interval sessions > tempo sessions all day.  Then again, I'm happy I tried training a different way.  Can't get better if you don't change things up every once in a while!  I did love the double long-run on the weekends however.  That ended up being pretty fun.

The best part: Finished the day watching the Red Sox put the Rays out of their misery in game 4 of the ALDS at Fenway Park which was amazing as well.  

Goose egg.

Goose egg.

PM: 6.1 miles, 7:55/mile pace.  I'm definitely recovering fast, so that's nice.  I will probably hold off on any speed work until the end of next week.  

PM: 6.3 miles, 8:20/mile pace

AM: 10.6 miles, 8:36/mile pace with Jeff, John, and Darek

AM: 14.4 miles, 6:44/mile pace with Darek.  Yesterday was killing me a bit, so we sped it up today to loosen everything up.  The weather was shockingly good.  Probably the first time the weather and temperature been anywhere near normal since... March?  All I know is it's the first time I wanted to run outside the moment I stepped out the door.

PM: 7 miles, 7:30/mile pace.

AM: 11.8 miles, 4 fast.  Today I just wanted to ease back into some speed.  I know I'm not recovered from the marathon even if I feel fine.  The microtears are tricky devils. 

The workout was 10x2:00 intervals with descending rest.  This is probably my favorite workout.  Starting at jogging for recovert for 90 seconds and then descending all the way down to 10 seconds of rest in 10 second increments,90,80,...,20,10.  This workout just flies.  Just went by effort.  The workout was not challenging at all until the final interval.  It's more just sort of a... surprise to the body to have to restart so quickly after stopping.  

Splits (paces per mile)-  5:24, 5:18, 5:08, 5:00, 5:09, 5:11, 5:06, 5:15, 5:02, 5:15.

No running.  I'm at a crossroads with running again.  I want to focus away from the marathon, but it truly keeps drawing me back in.  I have been looking at races, but I have not pulled the trigger.  I think I am over Boston.  This last iteration was... okay.  I appreciate the prestige, but the course is quite frankly, hard.  And for the price has escalated to $230 which is insane.  We'll see.  That's expensive for an apple, a snack bag of doritos, two oreos, a gatorade, and a shirt that starts to pull apart after a couple of washes.

PM: 8.2 miles, 4 fast with Darek and John.  Hot again!  Fortunately, only in the mid 80s.  I had no goals today so I suggested half-mile repeats, as it's easy and mindless.  I know I am getting closer to being recovered, but it's still not smart to hammer anything.  Workout was 8 x half mile with 2:00 recoveries.  I ended up with longer recoveries since they were a bit behind me on each, so it's probably safer to say they ended up being equal recoveries.  

Splits- 2:38, 2:39, 2:29, 2:34, 2:34, 2:36, 2:36, 2:34

The workout was not taxing, although I could do without the heat and humidity.  The majority of the intervals had some type of incline in them, so that made it a bit more fun than normal.  Next week it will be time to start getting serious.  I believe I am ready for that.

off

AM: 14.1 miles with Drew, Quint, Lee, ... a lot of people.  Was loving the run, but then everyone sped it up for the last six miles and I clearly wasn't handling that well, so I kind of just hung on the back.

AM: 16.5 miles with Jeff, Anthony, and Darek on a humid, warm morning in Tampa.  I really like the Davis loop in Tampa.  You can truly just roll.  It's so dark in there early in the morning, so you can easily find a nice flow and just listen to your footfalls.  Workout in the middle starting at mile 7.  We did 6 x 1-mile at 15k-ish effort.  After the first interval, Anthony stuck with me on number two, but then he backed off and it was a solo affair from then onward.  I would have preferred him to stick with me, but when he let off the gas, I was happy I just kept my pacing the same for the rest of it.  This summer was fun pacing everyone else, but it's time to execute and grow a little.

Splits- 5:48, 5:32, 5:29, 5:27, 5:29, 5:29.

The workout felt medium-easy, I did not come cloe to cracking, and the last interval would have been my fastest easily had I not gotten stuck turning around some traffic.  Nice.

AM: 11 miles, 4.9 fast.  1x2:00, 1x4:00, 1x15:00, 1x4:00, 1x2:00.  The 15:00 was intended to be at marathon effort.

Paces 2:00 (4:57/mile), 4:00 (5:24/mile), 15:00 (5:52/mile), 4:00 (5:20/mile), 2:00 (4:59/mile).

Had some heavy legs from Saturday & Sunday, and zero knee drive and bounce.

PM: 5x1mile "book-end" workout with John and Darek.  We worked out in the park, so we had a decent hill to go up and over in the middle which definitey made the intervals a bit more interesting/challenging.  Goal was heavy effort on 1 and 5, and MP+ effort on the middle ones.

Splits- 4:57, 5:42, 5:48, 5:48, 4:59

The sub 5's were very difficult for me.  I haven't run that type of effort outside/not on a tread in a long time, so I was kind of a mess on those.  I worked very hard, and I had zero anaerobic speed to finish them off.

AM: 15.6 miles with Jeff, John, and Darek.  Easy workout inside of it: 1x0.25, 1x0.5, 1x0.75, 1x1mile, full recoveries.  Just cruised on them.

Splits (paces)- 0.25 (5:10/mile), 0.5 (5:22/mile), 0.75 (5:11/mile), 1mile (5:29/mile)

AM: longish run in Clearwater with Darek, Brian, Jason, Jeff, and Greg.  Two strides and a 1x2mile effort at MP to end the run.  Felt easy, and honestly more comfortable than I expected.  Although yesterday wasn't even a medium workout, just because of the mileage I figured it would be more tiring than it was.

Split (2-mile):  11:37 (5:48/mi)

PM: 10.2 miles

AM: 11.3 miles with a workout and the group.  Workout was a modified Michigan workout, 6:00 hard, 1:00 off, 6:00 @ MP effort, 1:00 off, 4:30 hard, 1:00 off, 6:00 @MP effort, 1:00 off, 3:00 hard.

Splits (paces)-   6:00 (5:00/mile), 6:00 (5:38/mile), 4:30 (5:09/mile), 6:00 (5:54/mile), 3:00 (5:06/mile)

Overall... I should have run faster.  My legs were tired, but still should handle it.  I did not break at any point, yet slowed down throughout.  There isn't really any excuse I have other than running fast is challenging and my mindset wavered, allowing me to choose the easier, slower outcome.  Disappointed.

PM: 5 miles

AM: Workout with John, Darek, and Jeff.  Was mainly a marathon workout with some faster stuff as well.  1x2k, 2x0.5mile, 1x2k, 2x0.5mile, 2 minute recoveries using Safety Harbor (some hills).

Splits (paces)- 2k (5:47/mile), 0.5mile (4:58/mile), 0.5mile (4:56/mile), 2k (5:48/mile), 0.5mile (4:53/mile), 0.5mile (4:59/mile)

Workout was easy.  Paced the 2ks with the guys, then did my own thing on the 0.5s.

AM: 11.6 miles, 4.3 fast with a workout.  1x0.25mile, 2x1mile, 3x0.5 mile, 2x0.25mile.  Half time recoveries (more like half time plus 20 seconds.)

Splits- 1:15, 4:57, 4:57, 2:27, 2:27, 2:27, 1:12, 1:12

AM: 14.1 miles, 8:05/mile pace, with Brian and Jeremy in East Lake.  They are incredibly easy to run with.  Talk the whole time and don't try to push the pace.  Really enjoyed the run today.  Last 5k in 21 minutes pacing Brian at MP.

AM: 12 miles with a workout- 8x3:00 minutes, 2:00 recoveries, followed by 4x0:30 seconds with 30-second recoveries.

Splits (distances(paces))- 0.61 (4:53/mile), 0.61 (4:54/mile), 0.62 (4:53/mile), 0.61 (4:56/mile), 0.61 (4:53/mile), 0.61 (4:54/mile), 0.61 (4:57/mile), 0.61 (4:56/mile), then the sprints.

Super pumped.  That's some pretty consistent pace work WITH a 180 turn at the midpoint which Garmin can't really pick up for obvious reasons.  

PM: 10 miles, 5.5 fast. Workout was 2x1mile @ effort, 5x0.25mile, and then kind of a 1xmile progressive (bored and wanted to get to 10 miles.)

Splits- 4:54, 4:55, 1:10, 1:13, 1:10, 1:10, 1:10, then a mile at MP or so effort, but unfortunately didn't record a split. Wore the good shoes. Felt a bit beat up right from the start, but it makes sense given the duration of Tuesday's workout. I should've done this one on the weekend.

PM: 11 miles

AM: 15.3 miles

Welp.  I suppose I should have ran.  Oops.

AM: 10.6 miles with a workout.  4x1mile with 3:00 recovery jogs and then 4x15-second sprints, 30 second recoveries.  

Splits- 4:58, 5:02, 5:02, 5:02.

The workout felt pretty good, and I'd say it was 90% effort.  I wanted it feel a bit more relaxed than my previous workout mile efforts, which it definitely did.  Happy I jogged the recoveries well and was breathing and talking.  Definitely helps I took two days off of running, so I shouldn't be too excited with that workout.

PM: 10 miles, 8:00/mile

PM: 11.4 miles, 4.4 fast.  Workout was 2x12:00 out-and-back intervals with a fun little hill in the middle to go up and over twice.  Was really doing it just to get two strava segment crowns which I fortunately got this time.  Ran a nice 4:46 mile in there which was nice, especially given the hill.  The hill was not as brutal today as it was last time I ran, thankfully.  I was a bit more mentally ready for it.

Splits-  12:00 (4:46 mile, then ~5:45/mile avg. for the rest), 12:00 (~5:55/mile avg., then a 4:53 mile).  Spicy.

PM: 10 miles

AM: 16 miles in Tennessee, 5 fast. Pacing was challenging with the trees, but effort was definitely there. Ran 0.75 of the last interval with Steve on the last interval to help him a bit (and give myself a reprieve!!). 8x0.5 mile, 1xmile, 2 minute recoveries. Definitely was tired.

Splits- 2:28, 2:30, 2:32, 2:32, 2:34 2:32, 2:34, 2:35, 5:50 (descending pace style)

PM: 11 miles after flying from Tennessee to Florida

PM: 2 miles after a long flight from Florida to California

AM: 10 miles in Cali

PM: 6 mile hike.  Tried to strava but kept stopping it and forgetting I stopped it...

AM: 10 miles solo in Cali

AM2: 4 mile "Turkey Trot" to Muir beach area

PM: 6 miles with Matt into the redwoods.  Almost accidentally murdered him with the hill...

AM: 14 miles, 4 fast-ish.  The weather was AMAZING.  Clear, 50s, low humidity, light wind.  I wasn't going to run any fast miles today, but I couldn't help it, so I finished with four miles enjoying the cool air.  Would have been the perfect racing day.

PM: 10 miles, 8:00/mile pace.  Felt sore all over, so slogged through this one.

AM: 11.6 miles in safety harbor and a workout.  Workout was mile, 2:00, mile, 2:00, mile, 2:00 intervals followed by some sprints at the end with full recoveries.  Half time recoveries for the 5:00 intervals, and full time recoveries for the 2:00 intervals.

Splits- mile- 4:55, 2:00 (4:55/mile pace), mile- 5:02, 2:00 (4:57/mile pace), mile- 5:03, 2:00 (4:54/mile pace)

I'm not sure about this one.  I worked pretty hard, but aerobically there was more there.  I think I either chose to go a bit easier than I should have effort-wise, but I felt a lot of soreness and my form wasn't messy, but I definitely didn't feel the strength I normally do.  I think the poor nutrition from this past week really negatively affected me these last couple of days.  I did not improve, but I don't think I took a step backwards- which I initially felt the moment I finished the workout.  As Drew would say, I'm going to throw this one in the woodchipper.  Thursday's workout may be a bit easier/shorter, and then Saturday I'll run a good pair of 5k intervals, or a descending set 5k/3k/1k.  

PM: 5 miles, 8:30/mile pace with Darek, Jeff

PM: Fully expected not to run today, but just laced my shoes up and did it anyway.  Ran on the beach on Honeymoon island.  Definitely was an experience being on effectively an uninhabited island (at least at night!).  Was acutely afraid of stepping on or spooking an alligator in the dark, so I didn't venture too close to the water or brush piles.  8:30/mile pace.

PM: 10.3 miles with Brian, John, Darek, and Chris on the road in Safety Harbor.  Workout was 8x half mile with full recoveries, and 2x20 seconds.  Full recoveries make me feel like a monster.

Splits- 2:24, 2:23, 2:23, 2:24, 2:24, 2:24, 2:26, 2:24, then the two sprints

The one abhorrent 2:26 I still felt fine on, I just didn't time myself correctly.  Felt fantastic through four, then felt good all the way through the end.  Only John signed on for the workout, but he did his own paces.  Definitely wish I was not solo on the effort however.  

PM: 8.1 miles @ 8:10/mile pace.  Felt tired and weak, but that's expected.

AM: 10+ miles with a 5k tempo at the Weedon Island Parkrun with John and Brian.  I ran a 16:05, but definitely felt weak again today.  Then, I was planning on running a 3k, then a 1k after at the same effort, but John and Brian weren't interested, so I left it alone.  Probably for the best.

Split- (5k) 16:05, (3k) skipped, (1k) skipped