Buttsweat Towel© season has begun

AM:  68F, 95%.  14 @ 7:30 AP.  I guess by doing a MLR today I'm deciding not to race this weekend.  I was never that excited about it anyway...  I'll do a long training run instead that is $100 cheaper.

PM:  80F, 51%.  4 @ 8:08 AP.

AM:  68F, 92%.  6 @ 8:50 AP.  yyyyyyep.

PM:  76F, 74%.  4 @ 8:27 AP.

AM:  69F, 87%.  7 @ 8:35 AP.  Legs still seem pretty sluggish but I swallowed a couple recovery gnats so I should be good for a long run tomorrow.

PM:  75F, 81%.  4 @ 8:19 AP.  More gnats massacred.

59F, NE 20 mph.  26.2 @ 7:26 AP.  Full marathon in 3:14:46.  Even split, hovered around 7:30 pace, mostly.  Didn't feel too good or too bad.

PM:  71F.  3.8 @ 8:28 AP.  Recovered decently from yesterday's run.  I tried something different yesterday - drank my chocolate milk with BCAA powder at the halfway point, versus at the end.  I have a pretty tough running stomach so it worked out ok.  Anyway I think it helped...we'll see how the week goes.  Recovery has always been one of my biggest challenges with running.  I'm older but not THAT old, ya know?

AM:  67F, 89%.  7 @ 8:40 AP.  Goal this week: do a workout.

PM:  76F, 67%.  4 @ 8:21 AP.

AM:  68F, 93%.  10 @ 8:09 AP.  Legs felt super cruddy.  I know it's only Tuesday but I think my goal for the week will probably go unfulfilled.  Unless 400s at marathon pace is a workout.  New goal: do a workout NEXT week (and no marathons this weekend).

PM:  84F, 50%.  4 @ 8:18 AP.

AM:  69F, 92%.  14 @ 7:36 AP.  10 miles easy, followed by a 5k tempo in 20:53, then a short cooldown.  I did the tempo without checking my pace...probably smart because I was running pretty hard yet barely hitting MP.  Mmmmmkaaaayy.

PM:  75F, 76%.  5 miles exploring some of the back trails around Leon Creek.  They have a pretty extensive network of singletrack but you have to know where you're going or you can get more than you bargained for (like I did).  Some are good for recovery plodding, and some are good for switchbacks and slashing / stabbing wounds.  Next up, 2 recovery days...

AM:  69F, 90%.  6 @ 9:39 AP.  <--- not a typo

PM:  84F, 56%.  4 @ 5:40 AP.  <--- typo

AM:  65F, 70%, raining.  6 @ 8:06 AP.  Felt a lot better today - same 6-mile route as yesterday, but 10 minutes faster.

PM:  67F, 67%.  4 @ 8:01 AP.  Ran around lunch and it was still cool outside from the storms.  I did a few strides too, the first in weeks.  Need to do more.  Don't really want my legs getting locked into 8 minute pace, like they have the last 400 miles or so.

AM:  62F, 94%.  18 @ 7:31 AP.  A much more reasonable LR this weekend.  Picked it up to 6:30 for the last mile, which felt easier than the previous few miles.  I think my legs get tired of running a constant pace after awhile.

AM:  68F, 99%.  6 @ 8:28 AP.

AM:  64F, 94%.  7 @ 8:29 AP.

PM:  78F, 53%.  4 @ 7:40 AP.  included 5 x 1 minute @ 3k-5k pace, 90 sec jogs.  My legs pretty much mocked me the whole time..."you wanna do WHAT?  LOL"  And they actually said L-O-L instead of just laughing, which annoyed me even more.

AM:  64F, 86%.  10 @ 7:53 AP.  Workout tomorrow!

PM:  69F.  4 @ 8:10 AP.  Ran at lunch, still nice and cool outside.

AM:  60F, 73%.  14 @ 7:23 AP.  Took advantage of a rare spring morning - I ran 1 hour easy, then 7 x (3 min on / 1 min off).  I just did this on the trail with Garmin instead of at the track.  The "on's" averaged 5:58 pace (6:12, 5:56, 5:58, 5:57, 5:48, 5:57, 5:56).  So yeah, that first one felt awful, but it was a good rustbuster and at least I know I haven't completely fallen out of touch with workout paces.  Cooldown was ~2 miles.

PM:  77F, 52%.  4 @ 8:08 AP.  

AM:  68F, 90%.  6 @ 9:06 AP.  ahhhhh.  Dropped a couple 8:40s at the end though, no big deal.

PM:  73F, 79%.  4 @ 8:18 AP.  I did 2, count em, 2 strides.  Hopefully I didn't overdo it.

AM:  67F, 98%, fog.  7 @ 8:38 AP.  It was, like, raining inside the fog, man.

PM:  71F, 90%.  4 @ 8:35 AP.  Long run: maybe tomorrow, maybe Sunday.

I got my pre-race invite from the folks who live in Hopkinton, right on Main St, again this year.  I let them know I wouldn't make it but I'd probably be back next year...that is the best pre-race set up in the history of pre-race setups.  I'm not sure what the elites get at Boston but it cannot possibly be better than Jacki and Jim's place.

AM:  68F, 97%.  22 @ 7:37 AP.  Day off yesterday after my wife and I stayed out way way way too late on Friday night.  It's ok, it had been a few weeks since my last full day off.

Trying to keep up the long runs this year, even with no races coming up anytime soon.  This one was a pretty humid run, which made it harder than it needs to be, but I figure it'll only get worse so might as well slog through it now while it's semi-runnable outside.

AM:  58F.  7 @ 8:47 AP.  looks like I'll completely waste this cold front doing recovery runs.  At least they'll be pleasant.

Looking forward to my athlete alerts today!

PM:  69F.  5 @ 8:16 AP.  Ran at lunch - great weather here today.  Congrats to Boston finishers!

PM2:  2 mile walk with my youngest daughter.

AM:  52F!  8 @ 8:14 AP.  When I moved to San Antonio, IJR told me we only get one day of spring each year - CHECK!

PM:  76F.  5 @ 7:42 AP.  I did 6 x 1 minute strides, 90 sec jogs on the way back.  Probably closer to 3k pace.  I think I'll try to to these longer strides once a week and then a set of shorter ones...maybe 30 sec @ mile pace?....toward the end of every week.  Cover all the bases.

AM:  67F, 93%.  14 @ 7:16 AP.  7-mile warmup, then on the way back I did a 10k tempo in 41:38 (6:42/mile).  Effort-based - lots of humidity and miles on my legs lately but the pace was still decent.  Cooled down the last .8 to my car.  Buttsweat towel soaked all the way through to my seat today, so it must've been a good effort.

PM:  72F.  4 mile Thunderstorm Plod.

AM:  70F, 97%, foggy.  7 @ 8:51 AP.  Fog Plod.

PM:  78F, 81%.  4 @ 8:19 AP.

Seems like fast running blog has been a little dead lately.

AM:  71F, 97%, raining.  7 @ 8:15 AP.

PM:  76F, 87%.  4 @ 8:10 AP.

PM:  82F.  4 untimed miles with the dog around sunset.  Was gonna do a long run this morning but I woke up to hail, lots of lightning and flooding.  Tomorrow it is.

AM:  70F, 97%.  18 @ 7:33 AP.  last one around MP.  It'll be a lot cooler next week, looking forward to a couple harder workouts.

AM:  63F, 88%.  7 @ 8:42 AP.  I think I'm starting to prefer the Saturday LR instead of Sunday...resting on Sunday gets my running week off to a better start (unlike today).  Still targeting Wednesday for a nice long LT workout.

PM:  83F.  5 @ 8:13 AP.  cold air arrives tomorrow!  Kinda sad how excited I get over changes in weather patterns.  And by "kinda," I mean "extremely."

AM:  57F.  8 @ 8:21 AP.  So nice outside!  I just did some dirt/grass plodding but tomorrow it's on!

PM:  60F.  5 @ 7:51 AP.  on the way back I did 8 x 30 sec @ mile pace+, 90 sec jogs.  Felt a little awkward, like a cartoon character whose legs take off before the rest of his body.

AM:  49F.  14 @ 7:07 AP.  Had today circled for a big workout thanks to the front that came through.  7 warmup miles, then 4 x 1.5 @ LT, with quarter mile recoveries.​  I averaged 9:13 (6:09 pace) for the 1.5's and the recoveries were 2:05-2:10.  Splits were 9:18, 9:12, 9:12, 9:10.  I didn't leave any gas in the tank today, ran my eyeballs out.  It'll be 6 months before we see 40's again so why hold back?  Anyway, I've run similar workouts faster before but given the direction my training has taken (lots of 8-minute miles) this was very solid.  And it was good to get in a lung-burning, snot-producing, grunting, drooling, wheezing, coughing, hallucination-inducing effort again...last one was probably Cowtown.

PM:  71F.  4 @ 8:26 AP.

AM:  48F.  6 @ 9:10 AP.  soooothing

PM:  77F.  4 @ 8:11 AP.