sub-3 or blow-up trying

10 miles on the TM...2.5 warm-up at 8:40 pace and 7.5 miles at 7:40 pace.  Legs feel fine from a "big day" workout yesterday.  Plan on doubles tomorrow...looks like we might be snowed in (12-16 inches), so probably back to the TM.

AM:  Close to a foot of snow and still coming down steady.  Took to the TM and ran an easy 10 miles @ very slow pace (8:25).  Plan on an afternoon run as well.  The legs feel fine.

PM:  7 more on TM...same pace.  Will do push-ups/sit-ups tonight during "24".

9 degrees outside, so decided to stick with TM.  Couldn't get out in the morning due to a 6am men's prayer group.  Did a progressive run of 6-miles up to MP for 1 mile...have a Lenten Soup supper tonight.  May run again if schedule permits. 

AM:  Was hoping for a "big day" workout.  However, my schedule is completely full today.  This is absolutely the most challenging time of year for a pastor in regards to "free time".  Was able to squeeze 6 miles in at the gym, 3 @ 6:30 pace (3 hills, 1-3% for .25 miles each).  Have 3 meetings in the evening, yet if I have any energy left will try to run "hard" on TM late evening. 

PM:  Did 20-minute leg work-out + 6miles on TM...5 @ mp (6:48).

Ran 12.5 miles outside.  Nice easy pace around 8min/per mile.  Kind of strange...I love my Saucony Trigons that have over 400 miles on them, yet have but unable to adjust to my new pair of Trigons.  Same brand, but just haven't yet gotten comfortable.  For some reason they hurt my toes on the right side of my foot...other two pairs never did.  Also, my tangents felt great straight out of the box.  Oh well. 

Close to 50 degrees today!  Ran 10.75 miles outside at about 8:30 pace.  The mizuno's felt good for about 6-7 miles.  Good support, yet little cushioning.  I'll be careful not to use them for distance. 

Later went to the gym for upperbody work + threw in 4 more miles on the TM (8:25 pace).  I'm finding the higher mileage makes speedwork much more difficult.  Still would like to work towards peaking in mileage over the next 2 weeks and hopefully mix in quality MP miles at least 2x per week.  As I begin to taper the mileage, I hope to increase mp miles during the week. 

Gorgeous day!  Started in the mid-40's and worked it's way up into the mid 50's.  Did a .5 mile warm-up and then started off with MP.  By third mile new this wasn't possible for very long.  Did 4 miles total at 6:48 pace.  Decided to go for 20 miles without stopping for anything...food, water, gatorade, etc.  Basically ran 15 miles in semi-depletion mode.  My system was fine, but the legs were pretty rubbery.  Did mile 20 as a "cool-down" and was completely drained by the end.  Kept a 7:35 pace for 18.5 miles (2:20:14) and did 20 miles total.  Overall, felt good about the run considering this was a 90 mile week.  Time to switch out my older pair of trigons...they have been very good to me. 

rest.  30 minutes of crunches/core work.

Hail, sleet, and snow outside.  Was hoping to finally get my first track work in since October, but that's not going to happen.  Back on the TM.

Now that my mileage is up and endurance has significantly improved, I need to get the leg turnover up to speed.  Plan on doing mile repeats at least once a week while maintaining good mileage.  By the end of the month would like to be able to do 5:45 pace for 7 miles.  Today was my first day back at them in about a month, so was careful to ease the speedwork...

Warm-up:  1 mile

Mile repeats:  2 x 1 mile at 5:45 pace (.25 jog between)

Jog: .25 miles

Half mile repeats:  2 x .5 miles at 5:45 pace (.25 jog between)

Jog:  .25 miles

Quarter mile repeats:  3 x .25 miles at 5.45 pace (.25 jog between)

Cool-down:  1 mile

Finished off the work-out with squats, leg curls, leg extentions, leg press, and calf raises...finally retired my trigons (squeezed 2 extra runs out of them...very hard to give them up, but it's time)

Ran 7.75 miles on the TM.  5 of them at MP (6:48).  Overall, I feel as though I've made strong improvement over the past month in endurance.  Now I'm hoping to get some snap back in the legs. 

Pleasant day outside.  Was able to get a quick run in...did 7.5 @ 7:50 min pace.  Also did 20 minutes of upperbody work at the gym.  Guys were teasing me today about my speedwork yesterday.  Must have come across a little intense.  Hope to run again later in the day...have meetings until 9:30, so hopefully I'll still have a little energy...

Hit the TM for 7.5 miles...1 mile warm-up @ 8:30/min pace, then 5 miles @ 7:10/min pace (1 @mp), and 1.5 mile cooldown at 8:30 pace. 

Ran with Rick outside in a drizzling rain.  Nice, slow pace for 6 miles.  Again, evening full of meetings.  Hopefully I'll get in an evening run.  I'm a bit tired today, so will definitely take things easy.

Ran 4 miles on the TM at a 7:41 pace.  Felt a little sore, so kept things short and sweet.

Absolutely no time to run during the day...

Hit the TM at 10:45pm...ended up with a descent workout...

3-mile progressive warm-up, starting at 10min/mile pace and working up to 5:45/min pace.

- 2 minute break-

3-miles at a 6min/mile pace (18min total)

- 2 minute break-

4-mile "cool-down" at 8:30 pace.

Again, now that I'm beginnning to get a handle on the mileage, trying to slip a little speedwork in again.  Before this week, hadn't done 6min pace for a while.  Breathing's easy, just need to get the legs snapping again.  Overall, 10-miles for the day and feeling good.  If I feel ok tomorrow might get a few mp mile in...

Lost my window of time today when a 2:30 dentist appointment didn't get out until 5.  Debated whether or not to run tonight at 10pm...really tired and don't want to ruin tomorrow's running.  Will do a double tomorrow instead.  Have a memorial service in the morning...covering for someone in a nearby community.

Did a few crunches and leglifts while watching the news this evening. 

Good day of running thus far.  Ran 3-miles on my own as a warm-up.  Joined Ed for a 15-miler (14.9) on a killer course we had done once previously in the Goshen hills.  The first 7-miles was pretty much all uphill (we added 1.5 miles from our previous run), followed by rolling hills for the second half.  We kept a pretty good stride throughout.  Three months ago we ran this route at an 8:18 pace...today we kept a 7:43 pace.  My legs were really burning at the end.  Hope to get a few in later to push me over 70 for the week.  Not a bad week of mileage, considering I missed 2 days...

Gorgeous day out- 60 degrees.  Energy down a little today + feet were sore.  Yesterday's hills were pretty rough.  Kept it nice and slow with a 10 mile recovery run, never really breaking 9min/mile pace.  Ran 2/3 of it on trails...little muddy, but much softer on the feet. 

I'm still in the recovery mode from Saturday's run. Headed outside today during lunch and ran 2-miles to the track. Decided to do short spurts of running at different speeds to feel how comfortable different speeds/distances would feel. I haven't been able to run on the track since November, so had no idea of how it would feel...Started by running 1 lap by feel, hoping to keep it a little under marathon pace, maybe 6:15ish pace. Was pleasantly surprised to hit the first lap at 1:26...ran a quarter mile at 1:25 pace for 2-miles, every other lap. Did a 3rd mile, hoping to keep it right around marathon pace. First lap was way too fast...slowed it down a bit and comfortable ran (felt like a jog) a 6:51. This was very encouraging. Anything under 7min last Fall took at least a little bit of work...Jogged 2-miles back to the gym and did 30minutes of weights.  Plan on running again in the evening, but not sure yet what pace...will be determined by how I feel...

Beautiful day out!  Mid 50's and wore short sleeves for the first time since October.  Right now I am trying to keep the mileage up (tough finding time in schedule to do so) and inject fast paced miles and mp miles in a way that won't exhaust me.  So far, so good.  I find myself holding back a bit rather than being exhausted.  Jogged 2 miles to the track, ran 2-miles at a comfortably firm pace (6:33, 6:27), ran two miles with a fast quarter every other lap (1:26 avg...very comfortably paced), and jogged 2-miles back to the gym.  Could have done double the workout, but had to get back for an appointment.  Plan on running again tonight...a dinner at church, but no meetings afterwards. 

Got another 7miles in on the TM.  Finally starting to get through the other end of a cold, nothing huge, but definitely a bit draining.  Ran a progressive run:  9min/mile, 7:10, 6:48, 6:44, 6:39, 6:35, 10 min.  

Recovery run of 10 miles through the hills...very slow.  Tough week...sick, little sleep, lots of meetings, and sore feet.  Should get a full night sleep this evening and the sore throat/ear seems to be pretty much gone.

Was able to get outside again and ran 2 miles from the gym down to the track.  Was able to get 6 marathon pace miles in...

3 miles:  6:51, 6:53, 6:40

- 3 minute break-

2 miles:  6:51, 6:46

- 3 minute break-

1 mile:  6:47

Jogged 2 miles back to the gym at an 8ish pace.  Hope to focus most of this month getting used to marathon pace.  Most speed work will be short spurts to keep need for recovery time minimal.  Also, I have 2 long runs + a 6.5 mile race within this last month of training.

Full night's sleep, healthy week of eating, sickness completely gone- feel the best I have in weeks.  No running today, rather lifted for 90 minutes.  Plan on a 20-miler tomorrow. 

Ran with Ed our old standard 20-mile run.  It was through very strong hills and we gave it a little stronger push today.  Felt good with the effort, running it in 2:29:04 (7:27 pace).  Boston doesn't even come close to touching the hills we attacked today.  Kept mp on miles 19 and 20 (downhill, then flat) and felt very strong at the end.

rest

AM:  3 miles + leg workout with weights...Felt really good today.  Very encouraging at this stage in my training.  Have been struggling with illness and fatigue over the past couple of weeks.  Now feel the best I've felt since last September.  Energy level is back!  Hope to do a run in the evening. 

PM: Didn't get a chance to run until 11:15 pm. Did a progressive run on the TM for 7 mile in a total of 47:18 (6:58,6:53,6:48,6:39,6:35,sub 6:30). Had a scary amount of energy left at the end. Decided to shut things down while still fresh. Hope to run hard again on Wednesday late afternoon at the track. Everything seems to be coming together. The higher mileage in Feb/March in finally beginning to show fruit...or at least my legs are starting to catch up with things. Hoping to sharpen the mp miles over the next couple of week. I'm definitely getting excited for Boston!

NOON: Nice easy recovery run on TM. Nice enough to go out, but forgot to pack warm clothing. 40 degrees +20mph winds. Ran 6 miles- 3 @ 9min pace and 3 @ 7:30 pace. Did upperbody weights as well. Still maintaining a very high energy level.

Weight: 176 lbs (If I can naturally get to 170-72 might still have a shot at sub-3hr in Boston).

Did a "semi-speed" work this afternoon on the track.  Jogged two miles to the track and then began a series of repeats...

5 one mile repeats:  6:31, 6:18:, 6:14, 6:26, 6:24 (2-minute break between each)

2 x 400:  83 seconds, 81 seconds

1 x 800: 3:02

1 mile semi-jog:  7:10 pace

Jogged two miles back home.  Probably should have waited until tomorrow to do speedwork, but want time to be semi-fresh for my last long-run on Saturday.  Might run again after dinner if time permits...

Did a quick 4 miles at the gym, so I don't have to do as long a run this evening. Also, spent 20-minutes doing leg work with weights.

Hoped to get outside, but my wife needed me home with the kids.  Hopped on the TM and did a fairly productive workout...

5K in 19:57 (6:26 pace)

.9 mile jog

5k in 19:13 (6:12 pace)

- quick bathroom break-

1 mile in 6 min flat

.9 mile jog

Overall, feel as though I'm steadily maintaining strong mileage base, while progessively getting the snap back into my legs.  Getting close to 6 minute miles feeling comfortable again as well as mp (6:53) becoming easier for distance.  Plan on doing sit-ups and crunches while watching b-ball this evening. 

Joined my wife at the gym and took advantage of babysitting. We went out and found a 5-mile trail to run together. Finished up with 30-minutes doing upperbody weights.

Ran with Ed today and decided to run a challenging course through the hills.  He measured it out last Fall at exactly 22 miles.  Ed's run sub-3 Bostons several times and claims our course today has 5 to 1 hills over Boston.  We started with a very steady pace, progressively picked things up w/out checking our watches, and stopped at the 12.5 mile marker to grab gatorade and a banana that we had stashed.  I took my first look at my watch and asked him to guess...he was like 8 minutes off.  We kept picking up speed, even through the last 5.5 miles that were through rolling hills and directly against a 10-15 mph wind.  As we hit our last stretch, Ed asked the time and said if we're around 2:40, we could beat our Fall time by 10 minutes..."We're at 2:29 Ed."  Needless to say, today's run was kind of like the perfect wave.  Here's the breakdown...

1st 12.5 miles:  1:31:27 (7:19 pace)

- quick break for gatorade-

2nd 9.5 miles:  64:49 (6:49 pace)

Finishing time:  2:36:16 (7:06 pace)

Overall, a great confidence booster going into Boston.  We both definitely had a good amount of energy still in the tank.  I'm not sure how Ed does it...he's 53 and has only been logging 150-200 per/month since January. 

rest...sick.

rest...still sick.

I've been battling a nasty ear/throat infection.  The doctor put me on a 10-day antibiotic yesterday.  It killed me to take two days rest, but in the big scheme of things probably better for overall healing.  Today the throat felt much better, but I was a bit weak from lack of sleep.  I was scheduled for a "big workout", but cut things down to ease back into running.

Gorgeous day out.  Spent lunch break at the track.  Did a warm-up mile and realized anything I do today will take serious effort.  I felt breathy just doing a 7:40 mile.  Stretched for a bit and was determined to get a few mp miles in.  Ran a 5-mile tempo:  6:36 (too fast), 6:46 (better), 6:48 (worked harder), 6:49 (head cold getting to me), 6:39 (spent!).  Was glad to get the legs going again.

After work took a 2 hour nap and ventured down to the basement for another tempo run.  Decided a 5k semi-hard would be more managable than a 5-mile mp.  Ran 5k in 19:27 (6:16 pace) and did 1/2 mile cooldown.  Sickness is getting better, so hopefully a good night's rest will get me back on track with things.  Glad to get the legs moving for a couple descent spurts today.