sub-3 or blow-up trying

Ran 10 miles with Ed at a 8:17 pace.  I'm trying to get through some issues with my toes- tips are numb and it doesn't seem to be going away. 

Did speedwork on our TM in the basement...2 mile warm-up, then 11x400 @ 5:30 pace (.25 jog between sets).  Wanted to do a 12th, but my sweat was making things dangerous.  7.5 miles total. 

Did 5-miles at gym on TM @ 9min pace + 20min w/weights.

5 on TM in basement @ 8:41 pace.

9.5 miles out towards Morris and back @ 8:37 pace.  Time to retire my progrid rides...they've held up well for me. 

Ran 8-miles including a 2-mile tempo in the middle of the run (6:30,6:28).   Hope to gradually increase distance at this pace between now and the end of the summer.  Maybe run 20k at 6:30 pace?  Broke out new shoes- big difference!  (Retirued a pair of triumphs and riders)

Ran 11.75 miles, 1/2 of it on trails @ 8:52 pace. 

Did 25 minutes of weights at the gym and then planned to do a slow 10-miler outside.  Within the first mile I was feeling pretty good, so decided to do a tempo- took it 3 miles (6:54,6:52,6:36).  Jogged to miles up and down a pretty steep hill and still felt good, so picked it up for 2 more miles of tempo (6:52,6:32).  Veered into the woods to complete the run- 10.75 miles total.  Might run later in the day if time permits. 

5.25 miles on the TM- 5 @ 8min pace. 

Back on the TM today...2-mile "progressive" warm-up that led into 6 x 800 @ 5:30 pace (.25 jog in between).  Finished with a couple miles of "cooldown" for 7.5 miles total.

5 miles on TM:  .75 warm-up, 4 @ 6:58 pace, and .25 cooldown. 

No time to run today...slipped in 4.5 miles on TM late in the evening.

Felt pretty decent today, so ventured out on the dreaded "Pie Hill" course.  This is a run with very steep hills that usually chews me up and spits me out somewhere around mile 10 w/legs barely able to withstand the final stretch.  Today I did 1-mile warm-up (w/in the course) and then pushed it hard for 11 miles (7:11,7:14,6:58,8:23,7:28,7:38,7:13,7:14,7:00,7:06,7:07).  Surprised to see how well my legs held up for miles 10-12 which ended up being my quickest stretch.  I jogged .5 miles somewhere in the middle and then did a 1-mile "cooldown" within the course for 13.5 miles total. 

Ran 8.5 miles through the Goshen hills loop @ 8:21 pace.  Fastest mile was mile 8 @ 7:47 pace and slowest was 8:48 on the first mile. 

Ran 9.25 miles through Morris and into Whites Woods @ 8:48 pace.

Did a nice run with Ed out past Popi's through Morris.  Total of 12 miles @ 8:05 pace. 

Did 5 miles @ 8:40 pace on TM.

Attempted mile repeats @ 5:30 pace on the TM...did 2 x 1 mile @ 5:30 pace and made it through .25 on the third...jogged a 1/4 mile and the ramped it up for a final mile repeat @ 6-minute pace.  The last mile wasn't very hard on the breathing, but my legs were getting "rubbery"- I'm still going to credit the final mile as VO2 Max- ran 6.5 total w/half @ VO2 Max.

Back on the TM:  2-mile warm-up, 4 miles @ 6:44 pace, and then .5 miles "cooldown"- 6.5 miles total. 

Raining out, so back on the TM.  Started slow, felt good, so progressively worked faster.  Brought it down to 6:39 pace by mile 5 and held it for 4 miles.  Finished w/a 1 mile cooldown- 9 miles total.

14.5 miles @ 8:11 pace.  It was 80 degrees out, making it feel as though I ran 20. 

Three weeks from now I have a 7-mile local road race that will take place at 1pm in the afternoon.  It's a huge deal with people like Bill Rodgers and Rod Dixon who usually show up to participate as well as current elites and Kenyans who add a bit of spice to our small town event.  The biggest challenge- it's always at 1pm (very hot!) and the final mile has a 9% incline that puts Heartbreak Hill to shame (named by Runner's World as one of the top 10 hills in American road races). 

Anyway, it was hot today (mid to high 80's) w/a bit of nasty humidity as well.  A good chance to start to get my body acclamated to potential upcoming race conditions.  Having run long yesterday, my goal was just to push it a bit for a few miles and hope to be near the 7min/mile range for a tempo or two. 

As I set the garmin and started to run, I was pleasantly surprised to see the pace drop to 6:30 quite easily.  Thus, I decided to push it a tad more and see how I could hold it.  Mile 1- 6:18, mile 2- 6:17, Mile 3- 6:26 (stopped at a water spicket and lost my stride a bit...really needed the water though).  After mile 3, I went into a jog and dipped into off-road trails.  It was at least 10 degrees cooler, so I hung out in there for almost 6 miles, stopping for water at least 2-3 times.  Upon reaching the roads again, I felt I could push a second tempo, so I decided to push it for 2-miles (before "Gallows Hill").  Mile 1- 6:23 (pleasantly surprised), mile 2- 6:17.  Felt very satisfied with the results for today- ran 11.5 miles total. 

4.5 miles on the TM, closing w/the final .25 at 6min pace (8min pace overall).

Did 20-minutes w/weights at the gym and then planned to do a recovery run.  After 1 mile I was feeling ok, so decided to pick it up for a 20-minute "tempo".  Ran 3-miles at what I'll call my goal marathon pace for next November (6:41, 6:32, 6:35) and then jogged the final four at a little over 9min pace.  I've been able to get in 60 miles this week on just 5 days of running and am feeling pretty good.  I may get a short one in tonight on the TM and then transition into 70/mile weeks starting next week. 

5 miles on the TM.

TM:  2 miles warm-up, then three 1-mile repeats @ 5:30 pace (1/4 mile between miles), and then 3.25 "cooldown"- 9 miles total.  Just barely made it through the 3rd miles repeat.  Definitely pushed my limits, so feel good about the workout. 

10 miles in sweltering heat and humidity...very slow!

Ugly out today- low 90's w/humidity.  Ran 4.5 out on the roads, then veered into Whites Woods for another 5, and then back on the road for the final 1/2 mile.  Kept it slow. 

Not quite as hot today, but still muggy and humid.  Plan was to run a 5 miles tempo.  However, within the first mile I new my body wouldn't hold up (too hot and poor sleep last night).  Decided to break the run into 3 x 1.5 miles with short jogs in between.  Did 4.5 miles @ 6:39 pace (took more effort than I would have liked it to).  Ran 8 miles total. 

Ran 8.5 miles w/Ed through some pretty challenging hills.  Kept an 8:20/pace average for the total.

Did 10-minutes weights at the gym, then ran 1.25 warm-up and then decided to push it for a firm pace on the roads before making it into the back entrance to Whites Woods, did 7-miles @ 7:18 pace (last 1/4 mile was in the woods), and then finished up the run with a slow jog through the trails (9:20 pace)- 13.25 miles total. 

Ran Litchfield Road Race course with my wife (7.1 miles) @ about 9:25 pace. 

Did 1-mile warm-up, 2 mp miles to the track (6:42,6:48), and then 10 x 200 (fastest was 35 seconds, slowest was 38 seconds), and then jogged back home- 9.1 miles total.  Achilles was a little tender today, so cut the speedwork short.  May do a few TM miles tonight- only if it's pain free. 

5.9 miles on the TM w/2 sets of 2 miles @ 6:48 pace (.25 jog in between)- 5.9 miles total.