Going Long (again) in 2024

6 easy miles outside.  Temperature of -6C/22F with just enough wind to make it interesting.  Average pace of 8:39, but that was slowed quite a bit by my 9:30 pace for mile 5, which was slowed dramatically by running a quarter mile down an unplowed trail.  So THAT'S what it's like running through a foot of snow!

10 easy miles at an average 8:48 pace.  Well, the pace was easy at least.  The run a bit more challenging than expected.  It was relatively mild at -4C/25F, but there was a stiff wind from the West and a very fine freezing drizzle most of the time.

The 1st half was fine, as I run this section on the road and had the wind at my back.  At mile 5, however, I have to take to the sidewalks and had the wind in my face.  Although technically "plowed", they sure are not bare.  So, it was like running in mashed potatoes again (just like the race on Thursday night).  My legs were still a bit rubbery from that extra effort, and the next 5 miles kind of did them in.  Sore knee, hamstrings, etc.  Just using different body parts to power through the snow.

So, as long as I keep running outside, I think I'll do an out and back instead of a loop, so that I can stay on the roads.  So nice to have this mild weather.  

6 treadmill miles easy; 52 minutes running time at 8:40 pace.

Some speedwork on the treadmill today.  4 x 800 @ 6:23/mile pace.  

Although sunny today, the temperature is -21C/-6F with a windchill of -32C/-25F.  Not the best for speedwork when the roads are icy.

1.5 miles at tempo pace on the treadmill; the rest easy miles.

I took this easy 6 miles outside; 8:24 pace.  Not a bad morning for running, although the heavy traffic is back, now that the holidays are over.

Temperature was -1C/30F, with a light drizzle to begin, which turned into a light snow, then a bit heavier snow, and then back to a light drizzle by the time I finished.

I'm not running the trails anymore, but the roads are decent enough.

6 easy miles outside, at a pace of 8:30.  Still mild out:  -1C/30F.  Colder weather coming next week, however.  Still, it will be mild for tomorrow's long run.

Okay, today's run was just awful. And I don't know why.

It started off okay.  12 mile long run at sub 8:00 pace.  No real problem for the 1st seven miles, where I averaged 7:57/mile (granted, all over the map in terms of pace, but still ...).  And that was with very challenging conditions.  Mainly freezing rain, and the roads were like a skating rink.  I did my best to stay in the crusty snow off to the side, but not easy running.  A bit of a headwind too.

Then it was like I just ran out of fuel.  NO pep in my step at all.  I had to slow right down, and that was now with the wind at my back.  Ending up running almost a minute slower/mile.  Decided to cut off a mile (since I could) and ended with an average pace of 8:13.  Knees - sore.  Ankle - sore.  Stomach - felt awful.  It was even hard to walk at that point - not from pain, but from exhaustion.

So, I'm not sure what went down.  Maybe overtraining a bit?  Nutrition off?  Too much wine last night?  Started off a bit too fast?  

It's 4 hours later and I've had a nap, and my legs still feel like rubber, so I'm going with the overtraining theory.  I think I'll see if taking an easy week - no speedwork - helps.

6 easy treadmill miles at a steady pace of 8:50.  Just going to take it slow and easy this week, as my formal 18 week training program begins in 3 weeks and I don't want to go into that tired.  I took yesterday off.

Huge snowstorm yesterday; dumped over 21cm (8 inches) of snow on us, and today a deep freeze has moved in.  -19C/-3F with a wind chill of -30C/-21F.  A day for which treadmills were designed.

6 easy treadmill miles - same as yesterday - 8:50 pace.

I made a blood donation yesterday, so I'm not going to be doing any really hard workouts for a bit, but I had planned on easing back on those for a few weeks anyway, so it's all good.

6 easy treadmill miles; 53 minutes running time.

6 easy treadmill miles; 53 minutes running time.

6 easy treadmill miles; running time of 53 minutes.  First time all week that it felt like I had my legs back.

Had a good warm up too - our biggest dump of snow so far.  I had to dig my truck out and then get it to the street.  3 foot high drifts, plus the 3 foot high bank at the end the plow left behind.  Too bad it worked the wrong muscles!

5 easy treadmill miles; 8:42 pace for a running time of 43 1/2 minutes.

6 easy treadmill miles; running time of 52 minutes.

6 easy treadmill miles; running time of 52 minutes.

6 easy treadmill miles; running time of 52 minutes.

5 easy treadmill miles; pace of about 8:35.

6 easy miles - outside today.  I waited a bit until it was light out.  Not the best traction in the world, but not terrible either.  It was nice to be outdoors and off the treadmill for a bit.

The 2 miles North into the wind were not so fun, but going South felt almost tropical by comparison.  Temp was -15C/5F with just a very light snow falling.

Averaged an 8:45 pace.  Okay - time to thaw in a nice hot shower.

6 easy miles outside; pace of 8:46 for a run time of 52:35 - pretty much identical to yesterday.  It was a bit warmer at -11C/12F and virtually no wind.  It started snowing pretty steady about half way through.

This is, officially, the start of my 18 week training program for my Half Marathon in Ottawa the last Sunday of May.  This 1st week is all easy runs, however.  The speed work will begin a week from tomorrow.

Kept it inside today - it's actually quite mild out at -3C/27F, but there is a freezing drizzle and the streets are a mashed potato mess.  Slippery and slushy.

So, a very easy 9:10 pace for a run time of 55 minutes.

I'm following the Hanson's Half program.  I had success with their marathon program the last 2 times around when I qualified for Boston, so figured I'd see if they can bring me to a new PR in the Half.  I'm going to follow the paces exactly as prescribed, but have upped the mileage a bit.  They have a peak week of about 51 miles, whereas I'll top out at 59 miles.  I can always shave that back if I need to.  Adding miles the 1st time I used their marathon program led to injury.  Not adding extra miles for my Chicago Marathon training gave me my PR a few months ago.  Still, I want to cut 3 minutes off my best Half time, so I think I'll need to push it just a bit.  I'll know in a few weeks time, after my tempo runs begin, if I'm being too ambitious.

6 easy miles on the treadmill; 8:40 pace for a running time of 52 minutes.

5 easy treadmill miles; 8:40 pace for a run time of 43:30.

6 easy treadmill miles; 8:40 pace for a run time of 52 minutes.

We got hit with another whopper of a storm last night, and today it's just cold:  -37 with the windchill.  That's the same, by the way, in both Celcius and Fahrenheit.  Some days, treadmills are just your best friend.

8 easy treadmill miles.  Running time of 69 minutes at a pace around 8:40.  17 weeks to go to the Ottawa Half.

I decided to take it outside today, since it was SO mild compared to what we've had lately - it was a balmy 1C/34F and no wind.  That, plus there is virtually no traffic on an early Sunday morning, so it's a lot safer.

I ran the 6 miles in 51:53 at a pretty consistent 8:39 pace, so basically the same as I've been running on the treadmill.