High-Octane

I took a couple of days off after my 20 mile run on Sunday. My left knee was bothering me. Actually both knees were a little sore but the left one was much worse. (Today the right knee is perfect.)

I don't want to say this but it sorta felt like it did when I had the bone spur break off and floating in my knee. There seemed to be a lot of grinding and popping when I bent my knee. In some positions there is no pain at all and walking does not seem to bother it. Over the last two days it seems to be getting better. I'm hoping it's not a bone spur and I can be back to full speed soon and not have much of a setback.

Today I decided to go to the gym and do some cross-training and see how my knee would feel. I first rode the stationary bike for 20 minutes (6.35 miles). I'm out of shape for riding :-(  Then I ran on the elipitical machine for 20 minutes (2.5 miles @ 8:00 pace). I hate that machine! Then, since my knee was feeling good, I ran on the treadmill for 20 minutes (2.5 miles @ 8:00 pace). Lastly I lifted weights for 20 minutes (chest, back, sholders). I'm going to be sore from this :-(

During the run my knee didn't really hurt much. There was a slight twinge but it didn't seem to get any worse so I continued to run. After the run the knee felt fine.

Hopefully I will get over this quickly. I'm thinking of doing this same training for a couple more days before I go out on the road and run again.

Gym day again. I'm not really sure how my knee felt since I took three ibuprofen last night. Today I rode the stationary bike for 30 minutes (9.75 miles), elliptical hell (as Lily would describe it. I really hate that machine. I'd like to know who the idot was that invented it! Oh...for 30 minutes 3.6 miles and then ran for 30 minutes (4 miles) on the treadmill.

I could actually fee a tweak in my knee for most of the run but it didn't get any worse so I just kept running. There was no pain at all during the other two activities. I guess I'll do this same workout again tomorrow. I really hope this problem goes away before Sunday, I need to get in another long run.

Nahum 1:3

The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

Trying another day at the gym in hopes my knee gets better.

9.6 miles on the bike @ 30 min., 4 miles on the elliptical @ 30 min. and 4 miles on the treadmill @ 32 min. (7:30 pace).

I'm still hoping to attempt a long run (20 miles)  this weekend. I may just load up on vitamin I and attempt it.

My knee seems to be getting better but still has some pain. I now believe it's just an overuse injury and not a floating bone spur. The cross-training (combo of spinning, elliptical and treadmill) did not seem to aggrivate it any more and it is actually getting better. I'll probably do the same workout this week although I'd really like to get out and run some intervals and a tempo run in preparation for the Half Marathon on Sunday.

I really wasn't sure what I was going to run today because of my knee. But I did know I wouldn't run 20, as I originally planned, since everyone advised against it. I got up at 5:30 to give myself plenty of time to run some substantial miles anyway. I had predetermined that if my knee started hurting (got any worse) that I would just stop at whatever milage, but as I ran it didn't seem to get worse so I just kept going. During my run miles 7,8,9 seemed really hard. There are some rolling hills in those miles and my legs just seemed to want to quit, they got really heavy and stiff. I pushed through and actually felt much better on miles 11,12,13. I hope this is not any indication how I'll feel at the race on Sunday. I'm hoping to run a 6:45 pace but it seems impossible in my mind right now since that's a full minute faster than today's run.

I was supprised to find out, after I completed this run, that this run is exactly what my training schedule had for next week's long run (15 miles @ 7:46) and I hit it right on the mark. :-)

1/6/2013
Mile	Time	HR	HR %	Elevation Gain
1	7:27:00	140	72%	70
2	7:32:00	152	80%	115
3	7:52:00	152	80%	93
4	7:41:00	151	80%	44
5	7:41:00	150	79%	33
6	7:43:00	149	78%	42
7	8:19:00	152	80%	118
8	7:45:00	150	79%	91
9	7:54:00	152	80%	70
10	7:57:00	150	79%	76
11	7:55:00	155	82%	98
12	7:55:00	155	82%	147
13	7:42:00	155	82%	54
14	7:45:00	155	82%	27
15	7:30:00	159	85%	76
Total	116:38:00	152	80%
Pace	7:46:32		1152' Elevation Gain
Where Run - Smallville, Small Loop & Smallville again to make 15 miles.
Weather - 32 Degrees
Target: Long Run - 15 Miles @ 7:41 Note: My knee was just slightly hurting. Afterwards not any worse. This was supposed to be a 20 mile day but I opted for 15 since I have the 3M Half Marathon next Sunday.

Gym day, just trying to let my knee get better.

1/8/2013
Mile	Time
9.2	30 Min.	Stationary Bike
4	30 Min.	Eliptical
4.25	30 Min.	Treadmill
			Total Miles	8.25
SMAC Gym
Indoor
Target: 30 min. each exercise. Knee still has pain.

Jeremiah 17:14
Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, For You are my praise.

Ran in the evening.

.75 Slow, 1 Mile @ 6:50, .75 Slow, 1 Mile @6:29,  .75 Slow = 4.25 Miles Total

Knee was ok.

Gym.

7.5 miles @ 7:30 pace, 2.5 miles on elliptical.

Knee hurt a lot after the run.

My knee was really bothering me yesterday evening but this morning it feels a lot better.

Yesterday it hurt just to touch it and hurt even worse when I bent it back. The pain is a streching and grinding on the top and front of my kneecap. I'm sure it's just an overuse thing. It came on when I got the bright idea to "catch up" on my milage a couple of weeks ago (I had gotten behind because of my travel and busy schedule).

I would probably drop out of the race on Sunday if I weren't already entered. I'm still going to go into the race to try and beat last year's time.

I don't think I'm going to run any more this week unless I do a mile or so tomorrow just to get a feel for race pace.

Thanks for all your encourgment and advice!

4.2 Easy/Slow Miles

Sometimes you just feel human!

Ha ha…I’m having a hard time writing this Race Report. I can’t decide if I’m happy or disappointed about the results. A month ago I really thought I would be able to run around a 6:45 pace. My training was going well and I was feeling really strong but then my knee started giving me trouble. When that happened I had to scale back on my training and my confidence started to fade.

Even so, I went into this race with the intention of running a PR and started out on a pace to set myself up for that. (More details on that later in the report.)

The morning of the race was cold and windy but luckily dry. It was about 35 degrees with wind gust between 15-20 miles per hour. With my Reynolds Syndrome I am always afraid of getting too cold but I quickly realized I overdressed. I wore all of my heavy Underarmor, heavy beanie another shirt and shorts and two pair of gloves. I was sweating after only a couple of miles and halfway through the race I felt like I was completely soaked with sweat.

Here’s how the race played out:

Mile 1: I started out the race near the 1:30 pace group. As the gun went off I kept pace with the crowd feeling pretty good. The entire crowd seemed to move in unison with very little jockeying for position. As I ran along in this first mile I was trying to just relax and breathe. I was feeling good in this mile and somewhat confident I could keep up a good pace. The first mile came in exactly where I wanted at 6:51.

Mile 2: Was even a little better at 6:45. I didn’t mean to run that fast on the second mile but I was happy to see the time.

Mile 3: Came in at a smooth 6:46 and I was feeling good.

Mile 4 & 5: I slowed slightly on these miles to 6:52 and 6:53 but felt like I was right where I wanted to be at this point in the race.

Mile 6: I dropped to a 7:03 but I wasn’t alarmed since I had stopped and gotten a good drink of Gatorade (this probably took 10 seconds). My plan was to stop and walk a couple of times in the race to make sure I refueled properly. (This seems to work best for me instead of trying to run and drink at the same time.)

Mile 7: I was back on pace at 6:53 and now feeling like I might really be able to pull off a PR.

Mile 8: For some reason I started to fade in the second half of this mile. I remember feeling very disappointed when I saw my Garmin flash 7:11 at the end of the mile.

Mile 9: Going into mile 9 I started to get a little concerned as suddenly I was feeling very tired and fatigued. I decided to slow to a walk, eat a Gu and drink some Gatorade in hopes this would revive me and give me a boost to finish the race. After doing this I just couldn’t seem to get my legs moving and the mile came in at 7:25. Oh no, I’m in trouble!

Mile 10: I tried to push but just didn’t seem to be gaining any time. The mile came in at 7:06 L

Mile 11: This is the mile when my heart really dropped. The pesky 1:30 pacers came running past me chanting something like “longer than 1:30 is way too slow”. Ahhhh I’m beginning to hate pacers! I think I gave up on this mile and my 7:24 time reflected that. I’ve never had so many runners pass me as did in this mile.

Mile 12 & 13: I just cruised along feeling sorry for myself and watching more runners pass me by. Ran a 7:09 and a 7:08

Last .1: At this point I got sick and tired of being passed so I kicked in another gear and pushed to the end. I passed about 7-8 runners before I crossed the finish line. Time for the .01 (Garmin read .15) was 0:56.

Official Time: 1:32:23

Age Group: 18^th / 215

Overall: 261 / 5025       

Little Details:

My knee didn’t really bother me at all during the race. I took several Ibuprofen the night before and then again before the race. After the race and gradually throughout the day my knee began to hurt more and more. Today it is finally getting better. I believe by tomorrow it will feel good enough to run but this is the cycle I’ve been going through for a while. I am starting to worry that I may fall too far behind in my training for the Ft Worth Marathon in six weeks.

More Information:

Below is a chart showing my six half marathon races. One thing I noticed is that my overall HR was lower in this race than any of the others. As I look back at the details of the race I see that my HR actually started dropping after mile 5. So what does this mean? Maybe I just wasn’t putting out enough effort? In all my other races my HR continued to climb throughout my race to the end. Also, this was the first half marathon that I did not run a negative split on the second half of the race.

  Here is my full spreadsheet with splits and HR:

Final Thoughts:

Lastly, as I look at all my half marathon times (including this one), I realize that I should be able to run below 3:20:00 in a full marathon with ease and probably closer to a 3:10:00 with the right training and execution. I should be and am grateful God has given me the health and ability to run and accomplish these goals!

Psalm 150:1-6

   Hallelujah!
Praise God in his holy house of worship,
    praise him under the open skies;
Praise him for his acts of power,
    praise him for his magnificent greatness;
Praise with a blast on the trumpet,
    praise by strumming soft strings;
Praise him with castanets and dance,
    praise him with banjo and flute;
Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum,
    praise him with fiddles and mandolin.
Let every living, breathing creature praise God!
    Hallelujah!

After three days off my knee was feeling pretty good so I went to the gym and rode the elliptical for 9 miles at a fairly easy pace. We'll see how it feels later in the day.

Romans 12:12
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

I may have found a good mix to compensate for my knee issue.

2 miles Elliptical, 2 miles Run, 2 miles Elliptical, 2 miles Run, 2 miles Elliptical ... ran out of time.

Two miles is about where I can feel my knee start to complain, then it goes away with the elliptical work. I know this is not anywhere what I need to be doing but at least it's progress.

I may try to run 3-4 on the road tomorrow.

The weather was great this morning at 35 degrees, slightly foggy and no wind. I wanted to run more than 5 miles but I'm afraid my knee might not like it.

7:36  -  162 hr

7:55  -  154 hr

7:22  -  152 hr

7:47  -  155 hr

7:06  -  160 hr

Avg: 7:34  -  156 hr

 It's funny how my HR goes high on the first mile sometimes and then drops. I guess I'm just excited about running.I'm hoping to run 10-12 miles tomorrow. 

Today was a odd run. My knee was a sore so I ran easy for 8 miles and then all of a sudden it quit hurting all together....so then I ran fast! No pain whatsoever during the fast miles and even after for a couple of hours then the cycle started to repeat. Now my knee is sore again. I don't know much about how to determine exactly what the pain is but I believe it's a floating bone spur. When it get in the right position I can't feel it at all and then when it floats in the wrong spot it hurts. When I quit running, hours after, it starts to get sore from the grinding it did while i ran. It feels alot like the last time I had a floating bone spur. That's my self diagnosis... :-)

Mile

1  -  8:36

2  -  8:51

3  -  8:31

4  -  9:26

5  -  8:31

6  -  8:48

7  -  8:34

8  -  8:46

9  -  7:18

10  -  7:08

11  -  6:55

12  -  7:03

Avg Pace:  8:13

No HR information as the monitor wasn't working but I know I was pushing it he last 4 miles! I could not have kept up the pace much longer.

I have no idea where I am in my training and condition right now. I really need to run a 20 miler to figure that out but I'm not sure what that will do to my knee. 

So yesterday I started getting some swelling on my kneecap. This hasn't happened before but it could be several things. One is I haven't taken any Ibuprofen for a while or it could be increased irritation but there is no additional pain. The pain is only when I bend my knee, not when I strike the ground with my foot.

I decided to go ahead and workout/run today so I went to the gym and did alternating elliptical and run (2/2/2/2/2/1.5/1.5). Was planning on 12 althogher but I ran out of time. No rest between and the runs were 7:30/1% incline.

Proverbs 12:26
The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray.

For the first time in 3-4 weeks my knee didn't start hurting more as the day went on yesterday! Yeah, I'm thinking it's really on tne mends. I was taking today off and running a little longer tomorrow so I'm hoping for a good run. I'ts been almost four weeks since my knee first started hurting so if it is a bone spur I should be on the downhill side of it. I'm hoping to really test it on my next couple of runs and see how it holds up.

1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

I would call this run successful although I wish it were faster. I decided to go ahead and run my 20 miler and test out the knee and endurance today rather than wait until the weekend or early next week. I'm going to a roping competition this weekend so I probably won't be able to run then anyway. My knee felt really good yesterday and before I started running. During the run it had a little pain so for the first 10 miles I just ran at a slow pace and made sure it didn't get any worse. Miraculously at mile 10 the pain went completly away. This is what happend on a couple of my other runs lately. At that point I started increasing the speed and at mile 14 I decided to try and complete the run at my "real" desired marathon pace. As you can see the paces are all over the place as the loop I run is somwhat hilly and there are a few times I slowed to a walk for a few seconds to get a good drink.

I looked at my RLRF training book and found that a 20 mile 8:11 pace training run is very close to what you would run six weeks out if you were aiming for a 3:20 marathon. So, I guess I'm happy with that when I consider all the circumstances.

Darn HR monitor quit woring again, I would really like to know that information on this run!

1/24/2013
Mile	Time	HR	HR %
1	8:16:00	139	72%
2	8:34:00	145	76%
3	8:26:00	147	77%
4	8:25:00	145	76%
5	9:01:00	146	76%
6	8:28:00	145	76%
7	8:50:00	HR Monitor Not Working		Refill Bottles
8	8:14:00
9	8:32:00
10	7:56:00
11	8:03:00
12	8:46:00
13	7:59:00
14	8:22:00			Refill Bottles
15	7:40:00
16	7:46:00
17	7:21:00
18	7:43:00
19	8:13:00
20	7:11:00
Total	163:46:00		Total Elevation Gain	1750
Pace	8:11:18
Where Run - Small Loop Clockwise 3X
Weather - 61 degrees, Foggy, 75% humidity
Target: Long Run - 20 Miles @ 7:56 Notes: First long run since my knee started giving me problems 3 weeks ago so I took it very easy for the first half of the run. Heart Monitor started acting up after 6 miles.

Probably posted this verse before, but it's a good one:

Romans 5:3-4

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,

Went to the gym today for a rocover workout after my 20 miler yesterday. I actually felt pretty good and my knee is no worse than before the long run. I ran the ellipitical and treadmill 2/1/2/1 with the tm @ 7:30 pace. I might get to run the weekend but it will be short if I do.

Not really a very good run but I finished. I was hoping to run below 7:30 but that sure wasn't happening. It was hot, humid and windy and I labored to even keep this pace.

1/28/2013
Mile	Time	HR	HR %
1	7:35:00	HR Monitor Not Working
2	7:33:00
3	7:32:00
4	7:35:00
5	8:08:00
6	7:30:00
7	7:54:00
8	7:37:00
9	7:55:00
10	7:44:00
11	7:57:00
12	8:35:00
13	7:46:00
14	7:37:00
Total	108:58:00	0	0%
Pace	7:47:00
Where Run - Small Loop Clockwise 2X
Weather - 70 degrees, 80% Humidity, 19 mph Wind
Target: Long Run - 14 Miles @ 7:30 Note: This run was much harder than it should have been.

8.5 miles on the TM in the hot gym today. I was planning on running on the elliptical but  two out of three were broken and someone beat me to the one that worked.

1/29/2013
Mile	Time	HR	HR %
1	7:30:00	133	68%
2	7:30:00	141	73%
3	8:30:00	135	69%
4	8:30:00	137	70%
5	9:00:00	136	70%
6	9:00:00	138	71%
7	8:30:00	137	70%
8	8:30:00	145	76%
0.5	3:45:00	155	82%
Total	70:45:00	148	76%
Pace	8:19:25
Where Run - TM at Gym
Weather - 70 degrees, 80% Humidity, Doors open
Target: I don't know.

I think my Cowtown marathon is going to suck! I'm not very conficent right now.

Psalm 25:16-17
“Turn to me and have mercy on me, because I am lonely and hurting.
My troubles have grown larger; free me from my problems.”

Cross-training today - 9 miles Elliptical.

I'm going to try and jump back into my actual training schedule tomorrw with a 7 mile tempo run and a 20 miler on Saturday. I am calling my knee "good" now since almost all of the pain has gone away. Just like the last bone spur it took 5 weeks to heal and although very painful for a while went away quickly.

Revelation 21:4

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

Okay, I jumped back into my training schedule today. This run is a set up for a 20 miler on Saturday. I seemed to be feeling pretty good and was able to run a little faster than what was on the schedule and without too much stress. We'll see how the Saturday run goes. My knee problem has almost completly gone away.

It was cold today at 29 degrees!

1/31/2013
Mile	Time
1	Warm-Up @ 9:00 Pace
1	7:30:00
2	7:28:00
3	7:28:00
4	7:25:00
5	7:16:00
6	7:05:00
7	6:47:00
1	Cool-Down @ 9:00 Pace
Total	50:59:00			Elevation Gain 600'
Pace	7:17:00
Small Loop + Smallville
30Âş - 30% Humidity - Light Breeze - 6:00 AM
Target: Tempo Run - 1 Mile Easy, 7 Miles @ 7:26. Note: The first 2-3 miles I didn't think I would do very well on this run but the further I went the more confident I got. My heart monitor is not working so I don't have that data :-( Felt good after the run.

Here's the details:

2/3/2013
Mile	Time	HR	HR %
1	7:44:00	138	71%
2	7:46:00	144	75%
3	7:48:00	143	74%
4	7:46:00	145	76%
5	8:29:00	148	78%
6	7:45:00	147	77%
7	7:52:00	150	79%
8	7:39:00	147	77%
9	7:56:00	151	80%
10	7:34:00	149	78%
11	7:44:00	151	80%
12	8:04:00	155	82%
13	7:39:00	154	82%
14	7:41:00	153	81%
15	7:35:00	155	82%
16	7:39:00	158	85%
17	7:26:00	158	85%
18	7:41:00	159	85%
19	7:50:00	161	87%
20	7:32:00	163	88%
21	7:03:00	166	90%
Total	162:13:00	152
Pace	7:43:29
Ran small loop 3X
40Âş to 52Âş - Calm and Clear
Target: Long Run - 20 Miles @ 7:41 Note: This was a successful run. My HR stayed lower than I think it ever has on a long run like this. My legs didn't seem to get stiff at the end. I tried to drink plenty of gatorade early in the run and too a gu at 7 and 14. This was the same run as last week with a 28 second per mile improvement.

My knee is not going to give me any trouble in the marathon in a few weeks. I believe it is 100% now. I wasn't really looking forward to this 20 miler but now that it's over I'm very happy with the results. My confidence is now building again. The weather was perfect at 40 degrees when I started but rose to about 52 before I finished. I ran my 7 mile loop 3X again today. I tried to be conservitive on the first loop, pick up the pace/effort throughout the seceond and third loops. My longest mile was 8:28 and my fastest mile was 7:03. The longer miles are because I have some pretty long hills that sometimes slow me down and also in some points of the run I just wasn't feeling it and so I just slowed down until I was comfortable again.

My average pace for this run was 7:43 and my HR was 152. 152 is really good for me on such a long run. I did press on the last three miles and my HR  jumped to above 160 but that's understandable because that's where the hills are and the last mile I was pushing pretty hard.

Now after the run, I feel really good for just finishing a 21 mile run.

Oh, I forgot to mention I ran 21 instead of 20 just because I felt like it and my fastest mile was the last one :-)

I can't cut and paste the spreadsheed details using this tablet but I'll do it Monday when I get to work. 

Cross training day today. I was a little sore yesterday from the 21 miler on Saturday so I took the day off. Today I went to the gym and ran 8 miles on the elliptical and 2 miles @ 7:30 pace on the TM. All is good now and I'm beginning to look forward to the marathon in three weeks!

Track Workout - Intervals!

Haven't done this in a while and I could feel it. My body wasn't used to running fast. Too many slow miles on the treadmill and elliptical I guess. I may also still be recovering from the 21 miler on Saturday. Overall the workout was pretty good even though I missed my mark by a few seconds. As I was running I was thinking, "I could put out a little more effort and hit the times" but I settled for a half-hearted (well, maybe a three-quarter-hearted effort). Anyway, I'm okay with it.

2/5/2013
Mile		HR	HR %			HR	HR %
3	Warm-Up @ 9:30 Pace - HR 136
800m	3:05:00	146	76%	800m	3:04:00	156	83%
1:30	Recovery			2:00	Recovery
800m	2:55:00	157	84%	800m	3:03:00	155	82%
1:30	Recovery			3	Cool-Down @ 8:39 Pace - HR 146
800m	2:57:00	158	85%
1:30	Recovery
800m	2:56:00	157	84%
3:00	Recovery
800m	3:01:00	156	83%
2:00	Recovery
800m	3:03:00	156	83%
2:00	Recovery
Avg Repeat Time	3:00:30
Max HR	169					Total Miles	10
Where Run - High Schoo Track
Weather - 50 degrees, Very Foggy
Target: Repeats - 10-20 Min. Warm-up, 8 x 800 @ 2:58 (5:56 pace), 1:30 Recovery Between Each, 10 Min. Cool-down. Notes: I was not feeling it when I started so I ran an extra mile warm-up. Got a drink after my 4th rep. Recoveries streched to 2:00 after that. Last time I did this workout I averaged about 6 seconds faster but I was pushed my effort/HR to 172 avg.

Hebrews 6: 11-12

But we long for each of you to continue to manifest the same earnestness, with a view to your enjoying fulness of hope to the very End; so that you may not become half-hearted, but be imitators of those who through faith and patient endurance are now heirs to the promises.

Cross-Training in the gym today. I decided to break it up into smaller segements so I ran 1 mile on the elliptical and then ran 1 mile on the treadmill until I completed 10 miles. The elliptical miles were at 9:00 pace and the treadmill miles were 7:30 pace. This was a refreshing workout on my legs!

Back into the swing of structured training but starting to taper down for the race in two and a half weeks. Last time I ran this run at 6:49 pace so I was a little disappointed in this run. I may have just been a little tire as it's the fourth day in a row that I've run. tomorrow I will rest!

2/7/2013
Mile	Time	HR	HR %
1.1	Warm-Up @ 8:18 Pace - 120 HR
1	7:07:00	151	80%
2	7:04:00	160	86%
3	6:53:00	160	86%
4	7:06:00	160	86%
5	6:48:00	165	89%
2.7	Cool-Down  @ 8:48 Pace - 145HR
			Total Miles	8.8
Total	34:58:00	159	85%
Pace	6:59:36
Where Run - Small Loop + Smallville, Clockwise
Weather - 63 degrees, 87% humidity
Target: Tempo Run - 1 Mile Easy, 5 Miles @ 7:00 Note: Had to speed up on the last one to hit 7:00 pace. Had a fleeting though to run one more but opted not to.

Psalm 22:5

"They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed."

Long run today. I was hoping to knock this one out a little faster and a little easier but struggled a little throughout the run feeling tired. It might be because I haven't really gotten a good/long nights sleep in a couple of weeks. Going to bed at 11-12 and getting up at 5 just isn't enough sleep :-(

This run was supposed to be 10 miles @ 7:26 according to the training schedule but I've been making all of my runs a little longer than the schedule to see if it will increase my endurance a little. My plan was to start out a little slow and gradually build my effort throughout the run. I feel I did pretty well at that. The actual times do vary some because of the hills. I ran my small loop twice and added smallville in once to make the total distance. Miles 1 and 9, 2 and 10, etc. are corresponding miles on the course. 

Mile Time Hr

1 7:52 137

2 7:55 147

3 7:40 143

4 7:52 148

5 7:42 152

6 7:42 153

7 7:37 150

8 7:38 149

9 7:54 152

10 7:43 153

11 7:45 155

12 7:20 156

13 7:30 160

14 7:25 161

15 7:09 162

.75 Slow Cool-Down

Avg Pace - 7:39

Avg HR - 151 

Cross-Training day : 70 minutes on the elliptical machine

Training starts to get easier for the next two weeks. Now it's time to start hoping for good weather!

Exodus 33:14

¹⁴ God said, “My presence will go with you. I’ll see the journey to the end.”

Interval Training day on my first of two recovery weeks before the marathon. For some reason I don't feel like this workout is much of a recovery run. I guess it's because it's only five intervals and not eight :-) I was feeling a little slow going into the first and second intervals. I think it's because I missed several weeks of this faster stuff. Last time I did this workout I was able to average a 3:39 time (5:47 Pace). The weather dididn't make me want to run fast either.

2/12/2013
Mile	Time	HR	HR %	Max HR	Pace
3	Warm-Up @ 8:25 Pace
1000m	3:51:00	144	75%	161	6:19:00
200m	Recovery
1000m	3:51:00	151	80%	163	6:13:00
200m	Recovery
1000m	3:48:00	147	77%	166	6:11:00
200m	Recovery
1000m	3:48:00	156	83%	169	6:12:00
200m	Recovery
1000m	3:45:00	153	81%	166	6:06:00
200m	Recovery
3	Cool-Down @ 8:30 Pace
				Avg Pace	6:12:12
Total	19:03:00	150	79%
Avg. Time	3:48:36	Total Miles		9.75
Where Run - High School Track
Weather - 50 degrees and Drizzling.
Target: Repeats - 10-20 Min. Warm-up, 5 x 1000 @ 3:44 (5:58 pace) 400m Recovery between each, 10 Min. Cool-down. Notes: Didn't remember what the recovery should be and I cut it to 200 active recovery. Also, added quite a bit to the warm-up and cool-down. Couldn't quite hit the paces on the speed work.

Major breakthrough today! I was able to run on the elliptical without holding onto the hand rails :-)

70 minutes on the elliptical. BOARING...!

Ahh...Here's something interesting, if you're interested I can be tracked in the marathon. Here is the website:  http://www.mychiptime.com/searchevent.php?id=7211

Short Tempo run today on my first taper week. Last year I ran this same run in 6:42 avg. pace. This time was a little faster at 6:39. This wasn't all out race effort but I had to push a little. It doesn't seem like it's too tough but the second two miles both have long gradual uphills that seem to really slow me down.

Rest or light cross-train tomorrow and a 10-13 mile run at marathon pace on Saturday will pretty much do it for anything tough. Now I start hoping for good weather! Right now it says its going to be 34 degrees the morning of the race and mostly cloudy.

2/14/2012
Mile	Time				Elev. Change
1.75	Warm-Up - @ 8:43 Pace
1	6:36:00	No HR Monitor			-43'
2	6:37:00				+ 50'
3	6:44:00				+ 53'
2	Cool-Down - @ 8:23 Pace
Tempo Miles	19:57:00
Pace	6:39:00			Total Miles	6.75
Where Run - Small Loop
Weather - 39 Degrees, 75% Humidity, Calm
Target: Tempo Run - 2 Easy, 3 Miles @ 6:45 pace, 1 Miles Easy Notes: Same route last time was a 6:42 Pace.

Matthew 16:2-3

He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, �It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, �It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

Last long run before the Ft Worth Marathon next Sunday. I went back and looked at several of my 10 mile runs over the last couple of years on the same course. Here's the results:

10/26/10

2/25/11

10/15/12

1/13/12

1/26/12

2/18/13

Time

HR

Time

HR

Time

HR

Time

HR

Time

HR

Time

HR

1st 5 Miles

8:22:24

147.8

36:36:00

156.8

39:01:00

146.8

36:51:00

155.6

36:54:00

157.6

38:31:00

147.8

2nd 5 Miles

8:09:24

157.2

37:16:00

166.8

37:27:00

157.2

35:59:00

163.8

38:32:00

165.4

37:29:00

157.8

8:15:54

152.5

7:23:12

161.8

7:38:48

152

7:17:00

159.7

7:32:36

161.5

7:36:00

152.8

Todays run was the best if you compare the HR effort.

I also went back and compared almost all 21 mile runs (since I started running). Here's the results:

	Avg.
21 Mile Runs	Pace	HR	HR %	Temp
First 21 at Ft Worth 2012	7:39	162	87	45Âş
Best 21 in 2011	7:45	154	84	65Âş
Last 21 Before Ft Worth 2012	7:49	153	81	55Âş
First 21 at OKC 2012	7:53	159	85	68Âş
Last 21 Before OKC 2012	7:55	150	79	60Âş
First 21 at OKC 2011	8:00	165	91	45Âş
Last 21 Before Ft Worth 2013	7:43	152	80	45Âş

My 21 mile run two weeks ago was the best if you compare the HR effort.

Hopefully I'm going into the race in as good of shape as I've everbeen. JG and others have given me good race advice. Now all I have to do is execute it!

James 4:16

As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

Not much to say about today. It was a cross-training day at the gym.

4 miles on the elliptical and 1 mile on the TM @ 7:30 pace.

Easy Interval day for this marathon week. Six 400's at this pace just doesn't seem like a workout, but I guess that's what it's supposed to feel like. My legs like to run at this pace, it actually feels like I'm floating along and not plodding along.

2/20/2013
Mile	Time	HR	HR %	Max HR
2.25	Warm-Up @ 8:03 Pace		141
400m	1:18:00	148	78%
400m	Recovery
400m	1:20:00	151	80%
400m	Recovery
400m	1:14:00	157	84%	169
400m	Recovery
400m	1:20:00	154	82%
400m	Recovery
400m	1:19:00	155	82%
400m	Recovery
400m	1:16:00	157	84%
0.5	Cool-Down
	1:17:50	154	81%
			Total Miles	4.5
High School Track
53Âş - 15 mph wind
Target: Repeats - 10-20 Min. Warm-up, 6 x 400m @ 1:27 (5:48 Pace),  400m Recovery between each, 10 Min. Cool-Down. Note: Got distracted by the High School Track Coach so my cool-down was cut short.

Woring on my checklist for the race:

ĂĽ 16 Weeks Training (4 weeks modified - knee bone spur)

ĂĽ Nutrition

ĂĽ Rest

ĂĽ Mental Preperation

ĂĽ Race Plan

I think I'm ready �

I'm Done!

Last run before the Ft Worth Cowtown Marathon on Sunday. The weather should be good at around 40 degrees, 80% Humidity and no chance of rain.

Here is the link to live race messaging if anyone is interested:

http://www.mychiptime.com/searchevent.php?id=7211

Ha ha, I packed all of my stuff last night and almost forgot my running shorts as they were in the dryer... At the last minute I remembered them :-)

My goal time for the race is 3:23 (7:45 pace). That's about a minute slower than my half marathon PR pace...surely I can do that! If I can run a 3:23 this will give me a BQ by 7 minutes and should place me in the top 5 in my age division.

2/22/2013
Mile	Time	HR	HR %	Max HR
1	Warm-Up @ 8:47
1	7:24:00
2	7:28:00
0.15	Cool-Down
Tempo Miles	14:52:00	0	0%
Pace	7:26:00			Total Miles	3.15
Where Run - Out & Back
Weather - 48 Degrees
Target: Tempo Run - 1 Easy, 2 Miles @ 7:26 pace

Hopefully the next thing I'll be posting is a good race report!

1 John 4:18 

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

KEEP THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE

Coach John McKay of USC said this to his team after they had been humiliated 51-0 by Notre Dame.

McKay came into the locker room and saw a group of beaten worn-out and thoroughly depressed young football players who were not accustomed to losing. He stood up on a bench and said, “Men, let’s keep this in perspective. There are 800 million Chinese who don’t even know this game was played.” That’s what you call perspective.

Okay, here is the real race report:  DNF

 I was so mad at myself I just couldn't bear to write a race report until now. Although running and racing is not really that important to me I still driven to accomplish something when I set out to do it. This pursuit to BQ has me frustrated. I have managed to flunder in my effort to achieve the goal.

I should have BQ'd on my first marathon but I went into it missing 4 weeks of training because of a bone spur. My second marathon I ruined by overconfidence and a pace who had me on a 3:09 marathon at 16 miles. My third marathon I tried to run 4 weeks after my third. I was simply not recovered and now this last marathon and ...how dumb is this... on this marathon I missed the full marathon cut-off and ran 3 miles before I realized it! Anyway, now I find myself contemplating running OKC again it 4 weeks :-(

Anyway, here are my splits through the 16 miles. Miles 13-16 are erratic as I was trying to figure out what to do. I ended up running 22 miles before I quit all together.

2/26/2012
Mile	Time	HR	HR %
1	8:00:00	141	73%
2	7:48:00	154	82%
3	7:52:00	157	84%
4	7:50:00	155	82%
5	8:02:00	156	83%
6	7:44:00	156	83%
7	7:37:00	156	83%
8	7:49:00	155	82%
9	7:57:00	152	80%
10	8:06:00	157	84%
11	7:41:00	156	83%
12	7:30:00	156	83%
13	8:00:00	157	84%
14	7:12:00	162	87%
15	8:05:00	166	90%
16	7:57:00	164	89%
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
26.3
Total	125:10:00	96	51%
Pace	4:46:38
Ft Worth Cowtown Marathon
Weather - 38 Degrees. Calm
Target: Race  - 26.3 Miles @ 7:26 Note: Ran off course. DNF

3 days off after the debockled marathon. My quads are still pretty sore but the rest of my legs and feet are fine.

2/28/2013

Total Miles: 8 Alternating miles on Eliptical @ 9:00 Pace & Treadmill @ 7:30 Pace.

Psalm 73:25-26

Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

My quads are still sore from the race but the rest of my body is good. I figure I'll just run through the sorness.

3/1/2013
Mile	Time	HR	HR %
1	8:47:00	No HR Monitor
2	8:35:00
3	9:09:00
4	9:01:00
5	8:55:00
6	9:00:00
7	8:57:00
8	7:02:00
9	8:48:00
10	8:45:00
Total	86:59:00	0	0%
Pace	8:41:54
Big Loop
35 Degrees, Calm
Target: 9:00 Pace Ran 1 mile fast.