All about that pace.

Happy New Year!
A new 5k PR for me this morning, and after only 3 hours sleep! Last night it took us over an hour just to get out of the parking garage at Seattle Center after the New Year's celebration and then there was a major accident on the freeway coming home that blocked all lanes for over an hour. Aside from all that it was a fun night with lots of entertainment and my youngest daughter's boyfriend got down on one knee and proposed to her at midnight. He's a great guy and we're all very happy for them. Congratulations Karina and Danny!
Back to the Race: 
This is the first (Resolution Run 5k) in a series of 4 races increasing from 5 - 20 ks or miles, between Jan 1 and Mar 21 with individual and overall awards. It's put on by the Fort Steilacoom Run Club and held at the local high school where we have use of the locker rooms and showers. They also provide a hot meal at the end of each race.
It was raining hard this morning until just before the start. Around 8:45 the wind died down and the rain slowed to a sprinkle. The first mile was crowded as usual, but I held a nice steady 6:55 pace. My next split was at 2.1 miles with a 7:23 and the last even mile was a pretty strong 6:27. I finished with a good sprint across the finish line and was totally spent at the end of the race. I may have done a little better with more sleep, but I'm really happy with my new PR. I hope I can do the same in the 10k on the 24th.
My brother-in-law Stephen ran with me this morning equally tired and with an injured ankle; he finished fourth in his division with a 23:58. 
I didn't place in today's race, but they also gave out awards for last year's overall series and I took 2nd in my division.
Pace: 6:42

I slept in until noon today, then headed right out for a run. It was very sunny and cold, perfect weather for running! There was also a great view of the Olympics across the water. No aches or pains after yesterday's race.
Pace: 7:47

The mountains were hidden in the clouds and it was very, very cold this morning! My knees were stiff and I couldn't run fast enough to keep warm. My left calf and right hamstring were twitching a little on the last half. Yep, I'm whining alright! I think I'll dress warmer tomorrow and maybe slow the pace a little.
Pace: 7:45

I didn't have to try very hard to slow down today. It's still cold and icy out. My legs didn't feel any better today, but not any worse either.  
Pace: 8:13

Snow+ice+darkness=day off.

Someone must have broken into my house last night to steal my gloves and headphones. I can run without headphones, but by the time I gave up looking for my gloves it was too late to go :(

4:30am
Dark, heavy rain, and 40mph winds; when I couldn't find my reflective gear it was just too easy to wimp out and go back to bed.
Picture me with my fingers in the shape of an L on my forehead.

4:30am
It's still very windy, but the rain has stopped for now. Steilacoom is looking pretty good considering all the flooding nearby.
My run was good and my legs felt great after 3 days off.
Pace 8:10

10:00am
I ate nothing but junk food yesterday and paid for it big time on my run this morning. I felt like I was dragging a car behind me the whole way. It's time to get serious about my diet.
Pace: 8:04

2:30pm
I'm feeling much better today after a couple healthy meals and some prayer. I'm also encouraged that at least one of my friends is following my blog. Thanks Ed.
It's raining and windy out, but I didn't work near as hard as I did yesterday and still managed to pick up the pace a little. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's run; that must be a good sign.
Pace: 7:52

7:30am

My right hamstring was bugging me again within the first mile this morning so I slowed way down.

I got myself some new shoes this afternoon and I'm hoping that will help relieve some of these little aches and pains before they become big ones. Kym says I should also get some massage therapy while I'm training for the marathon...that's sounding pretty good right now :)

Pace: 8:24

No miles today. My leg was still sore when the alarm went off at 4:00am so I opted for more sleep. It's feeling better now after sitting on my butt all day at work. I really need to man up if I want to have a chance of qualifying for the Boston this year. 

4:30am
The first day in new shoes is always good. I should have retired my old ones a long time ago.
My leg is still a little sore, but i'm going to keep at it this week and see if it passes. No pain no gain; right? We'll see.
Pace: 8:09

4:30am
My leg feels much better today. Maybe I can pick up the pace a little tomorrow.
Pace: 8:07

4:30am
No pains today, but I'm getting tired of running in the dark.  Tomorrow I'm off work so I can sleep in a couple hours and run when the sun comes up. Maybe I'll bring my camera and post a shot of the mountains if it's clear.
Pace: 8:04

9:30am
No view of the mountains this morning, it was foggy and cold. It was a nice run though, with almost no traffic. Only one more week until the Resolution Run 10k.
Pace: 7:50

6:00am
Running in the dark again today. I sure feel like I was going faster than yesterday...
The stopwatch never lies.
Pace: 7:57

12:30pm
I got a really late start today, but I gave a little extra effort and finished with my best time ever on The Killer 49:29.
Pace: 7:30

4:30am
If the fog gets any thicker I might have to add some lights to my reflective gear. At least there's no traffic to contend with this early in the morning. My time was slower than yesterday, but still an improvement over all of last week.
Pace: 7:40

4:30am
It was tough to get moving this morning. No sleep Tuesday night and very little last night. I had a hard time staying focused on my run and couldn't keep an even pace. I finished with about the same time as Tuesday, but it seemed to take a lot more effort. I'm planning to sleep in tomorrow and get lots of rest before race day. We'll see how that plan goes...
Pace: 7:43

9:00am

This was the second race in the 2009 Resolution Run Series. My goals today were to beat my previous 10k PR and maybe even finish at a sub-7 minute pace. The first half of the course felt really good and I was on target with a time of 21:21 at the turn around point. The second half was a lot more difficult and although I didn't have any serious aches or pains, my legs felt really heavy and my lungs felt like I was dragging them behind me. On mile five I passed an old guy (probably in his late 50s) that has been kicking my butt in this race for 5 years and that gave me the boost I needed to hold my pace through to the end. I finished in 42:40 with a negative split by 2 seconds. I met my goals today, smashed my previous 10k PR by over 3 minutes and nothing hurts...yet.

Pace: 6:52

5:00am

Sunday my hip was feeling stiff so I played it safe and took an extra day off. This morning's run was pretty easy compared to last week, the training is definitely paying off.

Pace: 7:44

5:00am

It looked great when I walked out the door this morning. It was a little cold, but very calm. By the end of the first mile, the wind picked up and it started snowing which wasn't so bad as long as the wind wasn't in my face. By the end of mile 3 everything was white and very slippery. I hope it doesn't last long this time.

Pace: 8:00  

4:30

The snow is gone already and it was actually pretty warm this morning, but the wind was so strong it felt like I was running up hill the whole way. It's a good thing that I like that :)

Pace: 7:44

10:00am

I missed another run yesterday. I'm having a hard time staying consistent. Today I didn't feel like I was moving very fast and didn't even want to look at my watch until the end. I was just trying to enjoy the peace and quiet. When I got home I was happy to see an above average time for this route.

Pace: 7:33 

8:00am

I'm adding a long run back to my week now. It felt really good running up Chambers Creek hill again.

Pace: 7:56