not giving up on the comeback

Ran at lunchtime.  Just an easy run. 

5.5 @ 7:19 ave pace

Had a nice little break there this weekend.  My son and I went camping with the cub scouts.  Now I have my final push in my training before the 1/2 on the 30th.  

6 at lunch @ 7:26 ave pace.  nothing to report except the audio book I'm listening to is ok. 

6 before supper - @ 7:12 ave pace - same route as earlier - felt much better this time

Got out at lunch for a little stretch out of the legs.  

4 @ 7:26 ave pace

later this afternoon my speed interval session didn't go well - on the 4th 1K, my right hamstring got really tight and felt like it was going to go.  So I stopped and jogged it directly home - didn't even take the long way home.  argh - very upset about this.  Otherwise things were going fine 3:33, 3:38 (got lazy), 3:28

could have pushed it maybe but I have a 5K this weekend that will be some speedwork and I don't want to be a DNS for that - paid my $22 for it already...

argh!

on the other hand, it is my sons 10th birthday!!! I can't believe i have a 10 year old. crazy

Ran before work.  This is the first time for long sleeves and I even cracked out the lightweight gloves.  I hope for weather like this for my upcoming races.  My hamstring i still super tight.  I'm not sure if I should try to stretch it or leave it go and hope it eases up on its own.

4.6 @ 7:21 ave pace

after work - 8.5 around town - I actually enjoyed this run - not sure why but some days the runs feel good.

85. @ 6:58 ave pace

Felt ok today - got in 8 at lunchtime.  Hamstring isn't too bad

8 @ 7:19 ave pace

4.5 after work - 7:07 ave pace - felt fine - just getting in a few more miles

Got out before lunch for a quick 4.  I really didn't want to go out.  

4 @ 7:05 ave pace

8 @ 7:39 ave pace  my legs are tired

My neighborhood 5K was this morning.  It was to kick of our arts festival.  I haven't done this one since 2003 or 2004, when I was happy to run a 22:something.  These races get like 150-200 people and there isn't too much competition, but there is always a guy cherry picking for the win.  So usually somebody gets right around 16:30-17:30 for the win.  I just wanted to get in some speed work and racing so I didn't get too uptight about it.  I just lined up in the front row.  Of course we started 10 or so minutes late, which messed up my warmup. 

I started in 3rd place but I picked off one guy in the first mile on a BIG steep uphill.  He fell off pretty quickly and I didn't hear his feet slapping at all or cheering behind me.  So from there, I just chased the leader.  He was faster.  I made up a few feet on some of the hills, but he had faster turnover and gapped me even more in the last mile.  I finished pretty well redlined, which is good.  Actually, I was pretty well redlined from the start.  I'm a lot happier with this race than the last two I've done. I'm not sure if it is me or the conditions but I don't care.  I'm very happy and surprised with this result.  My hamstring didn't give me any trouble at all - yea!

I was about 20 sec behind the first place guy.  I am tired of finishing in 2nd, but I just need to get faster. 

mile 1 - 5:34

mile 2 and 3- ?  I didn't want to take the time to focus on the watch

finish 17:15 - A 16 second PR!!!  It is great to run in cool weather with low humidity. 

ave pace 5:34 (I can't believe I didn't slow at all. I did map the run on mapmyrun and it comes out right, so it wasn't short - yea!)

Not a great start to the week. I only got in 6. I didn't manage my time well enough.

6 @ 7:37 ave pace

Not a whole lot of pep today.  I got in my miles but I bailed on a tempo run- pushing it back to Thursday.  Oh it wasn't pretty in those last 8. My quads just feel tired. 

5 before lunch @ 7:28 ave pace

8 before getting my son from chess club @ 7:48

Ran before work today.  I felt fine but didn't really have much energy or anything.  I will get in another chunk tonight after my wife gets home. 

6.4 @ 7:31 ave pace

I hope I feel more zippy tomorrow.  I'm not sure why I'm in the doldrums this week.  I really can't wait for race day on the 30th.

Still not sure how I'll train between the 1/2 on the 30th and the 1/2 on Thanksgiving.  I may reduce my miles a bit but not reduce the tempo and long run workouts. I have a race on Nov 6th, 10 or 15 miles (whatever I choose).  That will be a good long run day with some fast miles included. Oh - I'm rambling...

Ran at dusk when my wife got home.   A couple of the streets were so dark I couldn't see the road.  Great weather for running.  I felt a lot better tonight.  I had to tip toe in the dark a lot so that slowed me a bit.  

6.75 @ 7:28 ave pce

I feel so sluggish this week. But I felt better as the run went on. 4 @ 7:32 ave pace

at 7PM I went to the track, hoping they wouldn't lock it when it got dark.  I managed to make it through the whole tempo run.  yeah!  and it is over  - last two miles were 5:50's I think. I couldn't see my watch to see that I was speeding up. 

1 warmup - 1 cooldown

6 @ 5:56 ave pace

Got in 6 before leaving for work today.  My legs are tired but I have a lot more energy.  

6 @ 7:20 ave pace

6.75 after work - @ 7:07 ave pace - almost done with the week

ok I'm having a bad diet day.  thai at lunch with my boss from IL - and now peanut butter capn crunch for dessert at dinner.  I guess I'll have plenty of energy for my long run tomorrow at least...  I was having a good week too.  rats...

not a whole lot of pep but it went ok. 

 18.4 @ 7:27 pace

This is becoming a Monday habit - I slack and don't get in all my miles.  At least when I did run I felt great. 

6 @ 7:17 ave pace

got out before lunch for an easy warmup for the day - shooting for a tempo later today

4 @ 7:01 ave pace

later - before getting the child from chess club

1 to the track - 1 warmup on the track

7 tempo miles @ 5:55 ave pace

However I had to stop and grab a drink of water after 3, 5, and 6 - so I'm not sure what to take from today.  This was supposed to be the culmination of all the tempo runs this training cycle, where the clouds part and GOD gives me the big thumbs up for the race next Saturday.  Unfortunately that didn't happen.  I never felt comfortable like I did last week.  Of course it was 80 today with a moderate breeze at times and last Thursday it was more like 65.   I won't complain too much because the pace was even despite the short breaks.  Chalk a check mark in the done box for this tempo run.  I do have a 5 mile one next week at a slightly slower pace, so I don't need to worry about it as much. 

Ran a quick 5 before work today. It was horrible. I felt very weak and wobbly. This afternoon's run can only be better. 5 @ 7:49 ave pace

ran 4.2 after work - 6:46 ave pace =- felt a lot better than this morn.  Didn't have all the time so the miles are short - oh well

5 easy miles this morning.  So much better than yesterday AM

5 @ 7:10 ave pace

10 - after work - felt good and almost actually enjoyed the run.

10.15 @ 7:07 ave pace

LAst night we went to a pre-opening night of a friend's new restaurant.  They practice running the place and for that you get free food albeit very slow food.  Too much soy sauce in it -- but I ate it cause i was starving.   So I'm bloaty today.  Not happy about that. 

10.15 @ 7:29 ave pace

ran a cross country 5K this morning.  didn't want to 100 percent it.  felt good and didn't fade a bit.  

17:26 2nd in ag

ill take it as a good warmup for the race next saturday. 

Hurrah! I made it through my training and now I have an easy week prior to my half marathon on Saturday.  I just have a 5 mile tempo on Wednesday and there are no doubles and no days over 7 miles.   I just need to watch what I eat this week.  I can't wait!

It is strange how this year's goal race feels a lot different than it did last year.  Maybe it is that this year's is a half and not a full.  I'm just not as up for it for some reason.  Maybe it is more of the way I've felt all year about running. 

Had a great weekend - after my race, my son and I went caving and camping with the Boy Scouts.  It was very cool

Just 5 on the slate for today. 

5 @ 7:23 ave pace

not used to 84 and humid anymore ...
fine otherwise

just rackin'  up the miles  :)

5 @ 7:33 ave pace

Last decent workout before the race on Saturday.  I can't wait for it to be here.  5 tempo miles on the track.  70 degrees and rainy.  

Took the first at 5:53 and then the next 3 were right on 6 then the lat one was a few sec under 6.  I felt good but I will feel better with the 40 degree start temp on Saturday.   Plus hopefully I won't east a bowl of cereal right before the race like I did before this run...

5 @ 5:57 ave pace

5 easy miles before lunch.  My legs felt ok but there wasn't much energy to be had.  Day off tomorrow and then I'll be ready to rock and roll.

5 @ 7:39 ave pace

Back in August I decided to make this my goal fall race.  No marathon this fall for Tim.  I want to see what I can do on some other distances that I've forgotten while obsessed with the 26.2 distance. 

So managed to get to the race just in time.  I had enough time to pee on a tree a couple times and run a mile.  The morning was about 40 with little wind and clear skies.  Awesome running weather.  Once the race started, two guys went out fast.  One looked like he was doing some the low 5s and the other was in the mid-high 5s.  I took it out at a bit easy in the first two miles - they rolled by in 12:08 or something.   That was a little slower than intended but I had some time to make up the few seconds.  By then I had grouped together with three guys and a lady who were exactly my pace.  We trailed just the two guys in front.  We stuck together and eventually dropped the woman in the 4th or 5th mile.   (She was the eventual women winner). Then we set out to catch the 2nd place guy.  The other two guys really pushed the pace for me to the turnaround.  I didn't think we could catch the guy (I'd never beaten him in lots of races we've done together in the past) but they kept chipping into the gap.  We dropped a few low 5:50's and a couple of mid-5:40's.  By the turnaround we were really close and they pushed a 5:43 to catch and pass him.  Fortunately for me, they had used a lot of gas to do this and I felt good.  So with 5 to go I just poked out in front and pushed the pace a little bit.  I felt awesome.   I gapped them within a half mile - couldn't hear any breathing or footsteps behind me.  From there it was just running afraid of being caught.  I know I rolled over 10miles at 59:15 and then just tried to maintain.  I dumped some cold water on my head a couple of times, which really got my attention.  
Anyway, by the last mile I knew I wasn't going to collapse.  With .6 to go I kicked it a little bit and manged to get in under 1:18.  1:17:45  2nd overall - yeehaw!  My goal was to get under 1:20, with thoughts of a 1:18 in my head.  So this result is very cool. 

I got a really nice trophy for this one.  They actually awarded trophies for the podium not just 1st place overall.  

It is humbling to know that the winner crossed 9 minutes in front of me (1:08 something).  That was a course record by 6 minutes.   He hammered it.  That is a good thing about running.  It lets me feel good about my goals sometimes, but I am always reminded that there is the next guy to catch.  It keeps me inspired to work hard (at least sometimes). 

Thoughts on the half marathon - I love it.  It is long enough to stretch my endurance but not long enough that I'll down and out for a few weeks.  I plan on racing 10 or 15 next Saturday, and another 1/2 on Thanksgiving, just for fun.  I know I need to rethink my training for the next goal race.  I threw a lot of miles at this one, but I think I need to do more speed work (if my body can stand it).  What that is, I'm not sure.  Maybe a 10K.  Maybe I'll focus on trying to improve my 5K time. 

sorry it is a long report - cheers!