Wesley Hunt

12 Miles on treadmill at the following splits:  

4 Miles at 7:03/mile;

4 Miles at 6:58/mile; and

4 Miles at 6:40/mile. 

Wesley 

20 Miles on an absolutely gorgeous, albeit warm and brutally windy, day of 82 degrees in Little Rock.  I ran a 7:14/mile pace, but that doesn't tell the whole story...

After months of cool-weather running, today was a wake up call.  After 15 miles at sub-7:00, I was spent, and the 10 ounces of gatorade in my hand-held was all dried up by Mile 16.  Lucky for me, the Little Rock/North Little Rock River Trail on which I was running has water fountains, and I was fortunate to hit one at Mile 17.  

Overall, it was a good day.  The wind was a pace-breaker, and I was not prepared for how my body reacted to the warmer weather, but all things considered, I ran pretty strong.  

And then I had to mow the yard!!!

Wesley 

Descent tempo run on treadmill today, but I was feeling particularly low on energy, and a bit of fatigue carried over from a tough 20 miler over the weekend.  With the unnecessary whining out of the way, here are today's splits.   

3 Miles at 6:58/mile;

3 Miles at 6:18/mile;

1 Mile at 6:40/mile; and

2 Miles Easy. 

9 total miles, but again, I was a little disappointed after feeling compelled to ramp down the pace on the final two miles, which I had originally intended to run closer to my marathon race pace.  

My plan is to get a couple of good nights of sleep and bounce back with some solid training runs during the latter part of this week.  I'm running 5Ks on back-to-back weekends this month, and I'm looking forward to hitting the track for some speed work on Thursday or Friday.   

Wesley 

4 Miles at 7:13/mile, including 5 striders during Mile 5, on treadmill. 

Wesley

6 Miles at 6:58/mile and 6 Miles at 6:40/mile for 12 Miles at slow and fast Marathon Pace, respectively; quarter mile easy jog to cool down. 

Wesley

I had the day off today, and I took advantage of the 90 degree heat this afternoon with some mile repeats at a local high school near my home.  I wanted to run 5 repeats at 5:50, but after a 12-mile progressive run yesterday, there wasn't much spring in my legs.  I ended up running the following splits, wit a quarter mile slow jog between repeats:  

Mile Repeat 1:  5:44

Mile Repeat 2:  5:57

Mile Repeat 3:  5:57

Mile Repeat 4:  5:56

Mile Repeat 5:  6:02

Did I mention it was 90 degrees and breezy?  But I was still disappointed, particularly given the extra rest I was afforded between repeats 3 and 4 due to a unfortunate, but necessary, bio break.  6:02???  Given how hard I worked for it, I should be okay with the result, but I can't help but think that Quenton Cassidy would next have let something like this happen, and his repeats would have been at 4:30.

Today's saving grace was the Saucony Grid Type 4A kicks I was wearing for the first time.  They felt light and comfortable, and I think they'll be perfect for the upcoming 5Ks I'm scheduled to run the next two weekends.  More importantly, they didn't hurt my feet, which are conditioned to quiet a bit more support with the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 11 trainers that I wear for virtually all of my runs.   

Looking forward to a scheduled day off tomorrow.  

Wesley 

22.25 Miles at 7:03/mile on a warm, humid morning in the mid-70s.  Made five, four-mile loops through the flatter parts of my neighborhood (which are still relatively hilly), and ended the run with a detour up a very steep incline from 20.5 - 21.5.  This took a lot out of me (which was the idea), but generally, I ran strong today.  And I feel pretty good about where I am three weeks out from the Country Music Marathon in Nashville, Tennessee.  

Wesley 

With 5K races on my calendar for the next two Saturdays, April 16 and April 23, I headed out to a local high school track over lunch to get in another speed workout in my Saucony Grid Type A4s.  And with gorgeous weather and minimal wind, I had a nice workout, which included: 

2 Miles at 6:40/mile inlcluding two 100m striders;

2 2400m repeats at 8:29 and 8:45, respectively, with 800m slow jog after repeats;

2 Miles at 6:36/mile including two 100m striders;

400m in 1:22; and

400m slog jog to cool down.

8.5 total miles. 

Wesley

4.25 Miles in 28:41 (6:45), including 4 striders, on the kind of afternoon that made you thankful to be alive.  Read my crazy son a couple of stories before bed and spent a pleasant evening with my beautiful wife, Isabel.  

Wesley 

On the road by 4:00 am this morning with a busy day ahead of me...

Perfect conditions, 55 degrees and no wind, for a smooth 8.25 miles, including:  

5 Miles at 6:57/mile;

3X0.5 Mile Repeats at 2:50/repeat w/ 0.25 easy jog between repeats;

1 Mile at 6:57; and

0.25 Mile at 1:25.  

I very much enjoyed myself this morning, and I'm looking forward to a scheduled day off tomorrow before my first 5K of 2011 on Saturday.  

Wesley 

Pre-race, short run that included an easy mile and 0.75 miles at 5K Race Pace (6:00). 

My goal tomorrow is to run a sub-19:00 PR in the Little Rock Catholic High School Rocket 5K, but after driving the course, which weaves through a very hilly neighborhood behind the school, it's going to be challenging.  But that's not a bad thing.  I'm still looking foward to getting back out there and competing. 

Wesley

After a nice warm-up, 2 Miles at 7:00/mile with a couple of 5K Race Pace striders, over 300 runners (including a ton of high schoolers) hit the course on a cool, breezy morning.  As expected, the hilly course was challenging, and when I looked down at my Garmin at Mile 1 and saw a 5:18, I knew I was going to pay for it later in the race.  

As the course turned predominantly uphill at the half-way point, and then flat during the latter half of Mile 3, I held up pretty well and ran strong.  Unfortunately, a quarter-mile steep, uphill finish prevented any possibility of a kick (which I think I had in me).  

In the end, I hit my target of sub-19:00, set a PR, and gained some confidence.  Under good conditions, I'll have a puncher's chance at 18:00 next week in my hometown 5K race, the Fordyce on the Cotton Belt 5K, in Fordyce, Arkansas (pop. 4,500).  

Wesley 

18 Miles in 2:01:50 (6:46/mile) on a 9-mile out-and-back along the Little Rock River Trail and through downtown Little Rock.  I very much enjoyed the warmish, 75 degree weather, with a pretty good breeze coming off the Arkansas River for the first 6 miles and final 6 miles of the run.  

Mid-morning/afternoon runs by the river are nice and refreshing.  I start tapering this week for the Country Music Marathon in Nashville, Tennessee on Saturday, April 20.  

Wesley 

With the termperature hovering around 90 degrees and wind gusts between 30 and 40 mph, I had a challenging speed workout today at a local high school track (wind was far worse than the heat).  I worked hard and ran through it, however, during a workout that included:

2 Miles at 6:36/mile, including two striders during final 400m;

4X400m Repeats at 76, 76, 79, and 79 seconds, respectively;

2X800m Repeats at 3:05 and 2:57 respectively; and

4X400m Repeats at 79, 81, 82, and 79 seconds, respectively;

Including 200m slow walk/jog after each 400m repeat and 400m slow walk/jog after each 800m repeat, I ran 7 miles total.  Sure, I'm not thrilled with my 800m repeat splits, but given the fact that wind gusts almost stood me up at times, I managed the best that I could. 

Wesley

5 Miles Easy (7:30/mile), including 6 striders during Mile 4, on treadmill. 

Wesley

Quick, MP-5K progression workout that hopefully provided a needed tune-up for my second consecutive 5K this Saturday.  Splits included:  

Mile 1: 6:58;

Mile 2: 6:40;

Mile 3: 6:18;

Mile 4: 6:00; and

Mile 5: 5:52

.25 Mile cool down for 5.25 total miles.  I ran strong on the treadmill today, approaching "puke pace" toward the end of Mile 5.  But it was just what I needed... 

In addition to celebrating my 10-Year Class Reunion this weekend in beautiful Fordyce, Arkansas (home of the mighty Redbugs!), my goal is to win my first 5K with a sub-18:30 time (which would also be a PR).  I finished fourth running an 18:34 in a considerably larger race in Little Rock last weekend, and unless a ringer decides to enter the 50-60 person, small town race for the hell of it, I should have a pretty good shot.  In fact, two years ago, I finished second to just such a ringer (who, in hindsight, wasn't so much a ringer).  

The fact is that this race has a lot of sentimental value for me given my father's past success as a local, elite short-distance racer.  He won the Fordyce on the Cotton Belt 5K (it's part of a week-long festival celebrating the town's historic link to the Union Pacific Railroad "Cotton Belt"), setting a course record of 16:38 in his mid-30s.  My dad, who is now 57, and just qualified for Boston in his first Marathon, will be running the race as well, and it would be great to win one for him.  After all, he's coached, pushed and motivated me for the last 28 years.  The least I can do is provide him with a little fatherly pride on what should be a beautiful Easter Weekend.  

And he may finish second... 

Wesley 

On a warm, humid morning approaching 80 degrees, I set off with my Dad in the annual 5K race in the small, Arkansas town where I grew up.  Competing primarily against myself in a a race that fielded approximately 60 runners, I set a new PR and achieved my target finish time of sub-18:30 (5:52/mile).  In winning this sentimental race, which my Dad won several times in the early 90s, I also received a preety awesome throwback trophy that's about three feet tall. 

My Dad, Mark, also ran well on Saturday, winning the Master's Division and averaging a 7:00/mile pace.  Many thanks to my brother who made a special trip down to cheer us on.  He's in town to see his father-in-law, who is recovering from open heart surgery, and I really appreciated having him there at the finsih line for my first victory.  Incidentally, had he chosen to run, I have no doubt he would have finished...second!

Wesley

Garmin-free, I ran for 91 minutes at approximately 7:00/mile for a total of about 13 miles.  Still in Fordyce, Arkansas, following my 10-Year Class Reunion, I ran east through town to Hwy 8 and out past Tri-County Lake to the Cleveland County sign and back to my best friend's house in my old neighborhood. 

Fordyce Bank & Trust sign showed 73 degrees at 7:00 am (Mile 2), and it was muggy, brother.  I did have some nice cloud coverage for most of the run, however, preventing what could have been a really warm run. 

Felt pretty good after a couple of extra speek workouts, two consecutive 5K races, etc., and I look forward to a very light week of tapering as I make final preparations for the Country Music Marathon in Nashville, Tennessee this Saturday (7:00am start!!!). 

Wesley 

Final, short tempo pace run in advance of Saturday's race in Nashville.  After a mile at 6:58 and another at my LR Marathon Race Pace of 6:40, I ran 3 Miles at 6:20/mile; started cool down at 7:30 but decided to work in 2X.25 mile repeats at 1:30/repeat.  6 Miles total.  

Wesley 

3 Miles Easy including 6 striders on a warm, humid morning in Little Rock.  The good news is that it looks like the storms are finally out of here, and relative to Monday night, last night's activity was pretty mild.  

Please include the folks in Vilonia, Arkansas (Tornado) and Northwest Arkansas (flooding) in your prayers.  

Wesley 

3 Miles in 20:00 at Marathon Race Pace, approximately 6:40/mile, on a beautiful early morning run with temperatures in the low 40s.  

First check on Nashville weather forecast for Saturday's race looks good...but pretty warm and humid, even by Nashville standards for this time of year.  Average high is around 73 degrees for late April, but we're looking at a high of 81 degrees for Saturday.

Pretty excited about the 7:00 am start, though.  It should be fun.  

Wesley 

My wife, Isabel, and I had a wonderful weekend in Nashville, Tennessee, where I competed in the Country Music Marathon on a warm, humid Saturday in downtown Nashville.  The expo and race were really well-organized, and given the over 31,000 runners competing in the Half and Full Marathon, I was pleasantly surprised at how non-disruptive this Rock-n-Roll Series event was with respect to my pre-race/race morning schedule.  Nashville's hills, however, were very disruptive, both to my overall pacing and confidence during the latter half of the race...

Starting out like my hair was on fire, I ran a 19:30 minute 5K, approximately 20 seconds/mile faster than my target race pace.  Stubborn as a mule, I held this pace through the 6 Mile point, where I pulled up with a pretty bad side stitch, backing my pace down to around 7:15/mile.  I was able to run through the stitch, however, and the pain subsided. By Mile 10, I was cruising at 6:30-6:40/mile on the rolling hills that dominated the first half of the race. 

I hit the 13.1 Mile mark at around 1:26:30 (a Half PR), and then realized I still had another 13.1 to run.  Doh!!!  But I decided to just go for it.  Why couldn't I match my Little Rock Marathon effort and go sub-2:55?  Well, to start with, I was unfamiliar with the course, and I had no idea that two steady, 1-mile climbs awaited me at Miles 17 and 19, respectively.  I'm not sure if being more familiar would have made it any better, though.  I didn't have much spring in my legs, and after starting so fast, I was in no position to tame the hills.  Rather, they humbled me.  

The end result was 3:05:53 (7:05/pace) on a brutal course made more difficult by the warm weather and humidity.  Sure, I was a little disappointed given my time in Little Rock, but I have to keep things in perspective.  When I started my journey to qualify for Boston last October, I would have been thrilled with one Boston qualifying time, much less two. Nevertheless, I expect more from myself.  If you're not moving forward, you're moving backward, so there's only one thing for me to do.  Learn.  Prepare smarter.  Train harder.  Get better.  

I would be remiss if I didn't again say how much I appreciated having Isabel there by my side to support me.  We had so much fun on Saturday night at the post-race concert in downtown Nashville at the Bridgestone Arena (where the Nashville Predators play).  And it was nice to have some quality one-on-one time away from our kids.  Isabel deserved the R&R, and I loved having her there with me.  

Wesley