sub-3 or blow-up trying

Ran course for June 8th Road Race in 52:30 (7 miles)

Recovery Run

Hill Run

Ran Hard in the middle

Recovery Run

Ran fast miles at a 7 min mile pace

Recovery Run

rest

Ran in 95 degree heat (1pm race)

Placed 151 out of 1200 runners

18th in 30-39 male division

Improved PB by 2 minutes

Did treadmill work

Ran 3 miles in 19:30

walked lap

Ran 2 miles in 14 min

Ran treadmill

7 miles in 49:30

Felt great!

Recovery Run

Ran 9 miles in 1:20

Steep Hills

Conversational Pace

Ran 4 miles uphill in 45 min-

Ran last 5 miles (rolling hills) in 38

Final mile was 6:45

All done in early afternoon- 78-80 degrees and sunny

Ran same course 2 weeks ago- 9 min. slower

Weighed in today at 188lbs

That's 14 lb loss since May 1st...100% diet adjustment

Could easily have run longer

Ran with a friend this morning who's done 18 marathons, 12 under the 3hr mark

We held a steady pace through 10 miles of rolling hills- 1hr, 20min

I expressed my goal of an eventual BQ time and was curious as to how realistic a goal this might be (having just run a marathon at 4:12)

He discouraged me from basing anything on a first time marathon and expressed his opinion, based on our run this morning, that I could presently run about a 3:30  

He encouraged me to stay focussed, not to add to much too quickly and that with steady improvement this summer I could at least run a 3:30, if not qualify for Boston

Felt good after our run.  Will probably take tomorrow off.  Bench pressed 275 last week, but have vowed to changed my lifting routine...good bye heavy weights (all it's really good for these day is vanity)

Went to  church this morning and was pampered by girls for lunch today

Was going to take the day off, but felt too good

Ran 5 miles in 39:15

Did a few "sprints" for the first time in 13 years...whew...I've gotten slow!

Ran 200 x 8 (33 sec. avg)- kicked my butt

Jogged 2 slow miles w/steep hill in the final stretch

Walked 2 miles with family

Recovery run...a bit sluggish today (didn't get much sleep last night)

Wow!  I'm still recovering from Sunday (200's).  Ran a slow, steady 8 mile run.  Averaged about 9 min. miles.  Felt sore today...the good kind of sore, kind of like having done 5 sets of squats with good form.  If I feel tired tomorrow, might take the day off. 

Entered a 5k in West Hartford today- 1st 5k I've ever run

Felt very stiff- jogged the entire course as a warm-up (kind of scary, what am I becoming?)

Mile 1:  ran hard (rolling hills, mostly uphill)- 6:30

Mile 2: more rolling hills (one very steep, uphill, ouch!)- 7:30

Mile 3: ahh, mostly downhill (flattened out for the last 1/2 mile)- right around 7:00?

Final stretch- pretty much maintained the final mile pace

Felt a little frustrated in mile 2- a handful of runners passed me

Felt much better in the final stretch- nobody passed me (of course I didn't pass anyone else, but hey, happy I held my place)

Ran a nice slow, steady pace today through rolling hills (9 min. pace)

Very relieved that my energy level seems back to normal...a little sore from yesterday, but felt good again

I'm not sure if Mon/Tue's drain was the 200's, a lack of sleep on Sunday night, or a combination of both

Weight is now done to 185lbs

Ran 14 miles today!  Legs finally seem recovered from last Sunday

Before running, did 30 min. of weights in the gym- out of curiosity benched 225 lbs 6x- strength is a little down, but not that much considering my weight loss and running program...at this stage I am willing to let go of strength and focus more on tone...no longer spending much time with squats- legs are getting a good enough workout...the calf machine is still valuable

Ran first 4 at 9 min pace on the nose

Ran next 5 in 36:20- just over a 7:16 pace

Returned to a 9 min pace for the last 5 miles

Felt fairly good at the end

Jogged four miles at 9min pace on treadmill.  Did leg work...been staying consistent- 3x week in the gym (30min workouts) + evening crunches

Finished leg work and did 2 more miles on treadmill (15min)

Staying focussed on making that magic 7:30min pace seem easier

Last November I could keep a 7:30 for only 2 miles tops...now it can be easily achieved at the end of a grueling workout...would like 7:30 to feel like 9:00 did last November...seems achievable

Weighed in at 184 lbs- down from 202lbs May 1st.

Jogged 5 miles at 8 min pace

Did 200 x 4 (31 sec average)...8x pretty much wiped me out for Mon/Tues last week, so thought I might ease my way up in the speed work

Lightning outside today.

Ran 8 miles on the treadmill.

First 5- 36:45...break....second three at 9 min pace

Felt fine...could have gone all afternoon...just get completely bored by the machine.

Rough morning...went to bed at 10 to get a good night's sleep...was still awake at 2am!

Still got up for a 7am run and gutted out 10 miles...legs felt fine (9min pace)...just had difficulty dealing with the cobwebs.

Hopefully I'll sleep well tonight.

Well, officially signed up for the Bay State Marathon in October

Ramped it up today with an 18-miler through fairly challenging hills (80 degrees)

Kept a nice, slow controlled pace...miles 1-3 flat, 4-5 uphill (fairly steep), 6-7 downhill (very steep), 8-11 flat, 12-13 uphill (very steep), 14-15 downhill (fairly steep), 16-18 flat

Hoping to build up my leg strength, which failed me at mile 22 in April's marathon

Energy wise, I felt like I could go an extra 10 miles, yet my legs were definitely spent at the end by the hills

Overall time- 2:42

Did 3 miles today...wanting to taper just a bit for a 5-mile road race on Saturday...need to get my legs rested. 

Did 45-min with weights

Ran an off-road course through the woods...gorgeous!

However, I sprained my ankle coming downhill on mile 5...ouch!

Kept going, have a little bit of a bulb...hopefully it won't affect my road race tomorrow morning.

Ran 8 miles in 1:10 (very comfortable pace)

Got lost on my way to the race...was supposed to turn left at a restaurant that no longer exists...got there 5 minutes before starting time.

By the grace of God my ankle did not hurt this morning (despite a little bit of a sprain)...ran a good steady pace through light hills...warm (75-80 degrees), with a good bit of humidity, but not overbearing.

If I'd have known how close I was to breaking 35 minutes, I'd have picked it up more at the end...felt good...never had to gasp for air.  Overall, felt good and am beginning to experience a little bit of fruit for my labor. 

Had my best day running in years

Jogged 3.5 miles at about an 8 1/2 min pace up to a race course

Decided to run our city's 3-mile run on my own...started out with a good, strong pace.  Thought I'd see how far I could take it.  Began to second guess my pace on an uphill slope on the second mile...put my head down and stayed strong.  Kept my pace throughout the third mile and coasted in for the finish.  Had to double check my watch...18:21!  What?  Sure enough, 3 miles in 18:21.  I'm starting to feel a second gear that hadn't existed since college. 

Ran one 400 on the track to see what I could do...69 seconds.  Decided I'd save speedwork for later in the week.  Jogged 3.5 miles home.

Big correction to make...went out and measure this "3-mile" course and it was more like 2.8.  Still an improvement to me, yet would translate to closer to 19 1/2 minutes.

Ran over lunch break...very hot and humid- 5 miles at a 9 min. pace

Walked a quarter mile and then ran a three mile tempo to see if yesterday was a fluke...absolutely not!  Ran it in 19:04.  I feeling more comfortable with my new weight and am beginning to "find" my legs.  In college, did a lot of conditioning for baseball, but never distance running.  In the off-season, we would do plyametrics + a weekly 3-mile run...never broke 20-minutes.  This is all new territory for me.  Haven't weighed 185 since high school- 20 years ago!

This blog has been a good way to keep motivated.  Not only charting my own progress, but gaining insight through observation of other people's work-out schedules.