Wesley Hunt

Up at 3:15 am with my son, Max, and I couldn't back to sleep...so I brewed a cup of coffee, threw back some pretzels, and headed out for 12 Miles in 1:17:32 (6:28/mile), with the following three-mile splits:  

Miles 1 - 3:  19:00 (6:20 pace)

Miles 4 - 6:  38:09 (6:23 pace)

Miles 5 - 9:  57:41 (6:31 pace)

Miles 10 - 12:  1:17:32 (6:37 pace)

Perfect running conditions this morning, 53 degrees and not a cloud in the sky.  

Great sports day this Saturday.  The Hogs need to bounce back with a win over the Aggies, and my Cardinals kick off the NL Wild Card Series this afternoon up in Philly.  

Predictions:  2 W's of course!   

Wesley 

6 Easy Miles on treadmill set to 1.0 incline. 

Wesley

10 Miles in 1:06:02 (6:36/mile) on a cool evening in West Little Rock. 

Wesley

am:  8 Very Easy Miles on a cool morning in West Little Rock. 

pm:  8 Miles in 60:00 on treadmill, including bio break, set to 1.0 incline.  Actually, I ran an Easy Progressive, running the first 3 Easy Miles at 8:00, 7:41, and 7:19, respectively, followed by 1 Mile at 6:58, and finally, 4 MP Miles at 6:40/mile.   

Total:  16 Miles, mostly easy, with 5 Sub-7:00 MP Miles late this afternoon.   

Wesley

Got in some much needed speed work at a local high school track near downtown Little Rock; started with two-mile warm-up, followed by:

5 X 1600m Repeats at 5:58, 5:49, 5:50, 5:52, and 5:56;

1 X 800m at 2:47; and

1 X 400m at 1:12

Including half-mile recovery jogs after each mile, 800, and 400 repeat, I cleared 11 total miles on a nice day in the Capital City. 

Wesley

6 Miles in 44:23 along Highway 171 near my parents' home between Malvern and Hot Springs, Arkansas; 4 Easy Miles, building throughout to stretch out for 2 Miles at MP, or sub-7:00 pace.  

Warm, but pretty, afternoon.

Wesley 

Up at 4:45 am, out the door around 5:30 am, a few minutes behind my Dad, for a long run along Highway 171 into Lake Catherine State Park, and back again.

Ran the first 12.5 Miles at 6:48/mile, caught my Dad, and coasted in while talking about life and Razorback football for the last 4.5 Miles (around 8:00/mile).  

17 Total Miles in 2:01:30 on a beautiful, clear morning of 65 degrees.  

Wesley 

am:  8 Miles in 57:55 on a nice morning in my West Little Rock neighborhood.  I had trouble getting loose this morning, and I only managed to knock out the final three miles at sub-7:00 pace.

pm:  5 Miles in 34:20 on treamill set to 1.0 incline; 1 Easy Mile to warm-up, followed by 3 Miles at 6:40/mile, and 1 Mile at 6:20 (including 4X200m striders).

Total:  13 Miles, 7 at MP or better.   

Wesley 

Pretty good effort at tempo pace today despite some fatigue and soreness in both legs. After 2 Easy Miles to warm-up and 1 Mile at 6:58, I ran 4 Miles at 6:18/mile, took a short bio break, and knocked out 1 Mile at sub-6:00, with the last minute at 5:30. 

To cool down, I ran a half-mile really easy and stretched out for another half mile at a comfortable pace (6:58). 

Other than some stomach issues, this run, which totaled 9 Miles, was about as good as could be expected mid-weed, mid-training. 

Wesley

There's Easy Miles, and EASY Miles, and this morning's 8-miler included the latter...

am:  8 Easy Miles in my West Little Rock neighborhood.

pm:  4 Miles in 29:20 on treadmill set to 1.0 incline; 2 Easy Miles an 2 Miles at 6:58 in an attempt to stretch out and run through some soreness in both legs.  

Total:  12 Miles, mostly easy stuff.  

Wesley

Decided to do my speed work inside today.  Wanted to push through this week's training as scheduled despite the soreness in my left knee, and I wasn't up for curves on a track.  After 1 Easy Mile and 1 Mile at 6:58, I ran 8X.5 Mile Repeats at 2:58/repeat (5:56 pace) with a half-mile of easy jogging between repeats. 

10 Miles Total.

Wesley 

Working on very little sleep after my wife's 10-Year Class Reunion last night, so I opted for a easy, progressive 9-miler followed by a 5K race supported by a group of local Methodist Churches, one of which I attend and where I serve on the Church's Missions Committee.

Even after an extra day off yesterday, my left knee was still pretty sore, so I needed a long warm-up anyway.  I parked at Pulaski Heights Methodist Church in the Little Rock Hillcrest neighborhood, ran downtown to the Clinton Presidential Center and Park and Heffer International's Global Village, turned around and ran back to the church about 15 minutes before 8:00 am, when the race was scheduled to start.  

After shooting a GU Roctane and a few ounces of water, I changed into some dry cloths and my racing flats.  

Ran, unofficially, an 18:36 (6:00/mile) on a downhill / uphill loop course.  Finished fourth overall, and either first or second in my age group.  Had to get to soccer practice with the kids so I asked a friend to let me know the official results.  

Lazy day plans...possibly a nap, and some football, beer, and another reunion party tonight.  

Mileage a little on the low end this week, but I needed the extra rest.  I'm registered to run a half-marathon in two weeks as a training run for a November 19 marathon up near Mountain Home, Arkansas.  I need to get healthy if I want to perform well.    

Wesley 

4 Easy Miles in near record heat, 88 degrees, after mowing my yard for the last time this year and fighting with my weed-eater for a couple of hours. 

No watch, nice breeze, cold beer waiting on me when I made it home after a long afternoon in the sun. 

Wesley

am:  1 Easy Mile to warm-up followed by 7 Miles at 6:54/mile, a little off my target 6:40 MP pace, but salvageable given some lingering soreness in my left knee (having trouble kicking this); 8 Miles total in 56:40. 

pm:  3 Easy Miles followed by 1 Mile at 6:48 (4X200m striders) on treadmill set to 1.0 inclind; 4 Miles total in 29:18.

Total:  12 Miles, 8 at sub-7:00, 4 Easy. 

Rainy and windy this morning, so I took the tempo run inside to the treadmill, at noon, in the gym on the 27th floor of my office building.

Interesting run today, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I just know I was completed wiped out by the time it was over...and I'm not sure that I should have been.

After 1 Easy Mile and 1 Mile at slow MP (6:58), I ran 4 Miles at 6:18/mile. After a 90 second walk to recover, during which I drank about 8 ounces of gatorade (gym was really hot and stuffy today), I ran 1 Mile at MP (6:40) and a 1 Easy Mile to fully recover. After another 20 second gatorade break, I ran 2 Miles at slow MP and MP, respectively.

10 Miles total, 2 Easy, 2 at slow MP, 2 at MP, and 4 at just below my TP, which is approximately 6:20/mile. Total time on treadmill, including 2:00 minutes of walking recovery during the workout, was appoximately 70 minutes.

Wesley

am: 8 Miles in 53:30 on a cool morning, 47 degrees, with a steady wind out of the southwest. Modified speed work this morning following 1 Easy Mile and 3 Miles just below MP (6:40). As to the aforementioned speed work, I ran 9 X 90 second repeats with 90 seconds of jogging between repeats; end result was about 2.5 Miles at 80-90% effort.

pm: 8 Miles in 60:00 on treadmill set to 1.0 incline. 2 Easy Miles, 3 Miles a little less easy, and 3 Miles at slow MP (6:58/mile).

Total: 16 Miles,8.5 of which was good stuff.

Wesley

6 Miles in 42:54 on a cool, early morning run in my West Little Rock neighborhood. Ran easy and comfortably this morning in preparation for an 18-miler tomorrow. Moving my long-run up a day to Friday to squeeze an extra day of rest in as I move into a race week (Soaring Wings Half-Marathon in Conway, Arkansas on October 29).

Wesley

19 Miles in 2:02:13 (6:26/mile) on a beautiful, mid-morning run on the Little Rock / North Little Rock River Trail along and across (twice) the mighty Arkansas River.

I'm off work today, and after dropping my kids off at pre-school, I headed down to Two-Rivers Park at the west end of the Twin Cities' River Trail.  Headed east along the trail, which passes through downtown Little Rock, then crossed the Broadway Bridge into North Little Rock before turning back east along the River Trail.  Weaved through Burns Park Soccer Complex to build in a couple extra miles, crossed back over into Little Rock via the "Big Dam Bridge" (pedestrian bridge), and finished strong with a 6:15 mile.  

Felt great today, shooting GU Roctane at Mile 7 and Mile 14, but otherwise, avoiding hydration and bio breaks.  Very consistent pacing for first 12 Miles, which I ran right at 6:20/mile.  Stayed strong for final 7 Miles, which hovered between 6:20 and 6:40/mile.

Wesley 

Trouble sleeping past 5:00 am...natural alarm clock, bio-rythms, obsessiveness, etc.  Opted for an easy 4-miler to hit 70 for the week and to work out a little soreness after one of my better training week's to date.   Perfect Fall morning (42 degrees) with no wind.  

Taking tomorrow off and scaling back next week.  

Wesley 

8 Miles in 60:00 on treadmill set to 1.0 incline; 6 Easy Miles followed by 2 Miles at sub-7:00 effort.

Wesley

8 Miles in 51:30 on an ideal morning for running, 46 degrees, in my neighborhood.  After 1 Mile at 7:00 to warm-up, I picked it up and ran 5 Miles in 29:40 (6:08/mile), below my normal tempo pace of 6:15-6:20, but relatively comfortable after two recovery days.  

Also, this morning, I broke in my new Brooks Green Silence, which I am planning to wear during Saturday's tune-up half-marathon in Conway, Arkansas.  The shoes are very light with a snug fit and comfortable ride.  And their environmentally friendly, an added bonus for those who appreciate such things.  Looking forward to racing in them to see how they hold up for 13.1.  

Wesley 

2 Miles at 6:50/mile to warm-up at a local, high school track followed by 8X800m intervals between 2:50 and 2:55, with a 400m jog to recover between intervals. 

Felt good today despite the wind and unseasonably warm termperatures during this late morning run.  Still no complaints about the Brooks Green Silence, and I am still planning to race in them on Saturday. 

Wesley

[Official Results:  10K Split:  37:38     Finish:  1:20:38]  

Official race results from this morning's Soaring Wings Half-Marathon in Conway, Arkansas have not posted, but unofficially, I ran a 1:20:30 (6:09 pace) (PR).  It was a sold out field of 1,700 runners and walkers, and I finished 8th overall and 1st in my age group (25-29).  

Great day for racing, 40 degrees and still at the start, running West toward a warm sun. Decided early on to run with a couple of seasoned runners, behind a lead group of four or five runners, and we were cruising between 6:05 and 6:10 for the first 7 Miles.  One of the guys in our group dropped at this point, and then I got dropped around Mile 9, so no more drafting...just grinding.  Still holding a 6:10 pace, running alone, I got a second wind when the GU that I took at Mile 7 kicked in.  

Finished strong on this rolling hill course, with the last Mile predominantly downhill, then flat to the finish.  

Looped back onto the course through a backroad to Mile 11.5, spotted my Dad running strong, but alone, so I jumped on the course to give him a push, which he didn't need.  He had ditched the 1:45:00 (8:00) pace group back at Mile 9, and we pushed up the hill at Mile 12.  I cruised down Mile 13 with him, peeled off, and watched him finish strong with a PR nearly six minutes faster than his previous best last year.  Unofficially, he ran a 1:40:30, probably good enough to place in his age group (55-59).  

No waiting around for the rewards ceremony today.  We booked it out of Dodge and made it to the end of my son's soccer game back in Little Rock.  After his game, we picked up BBQ and headed back to he house for an early Hogs' kickoff against Vandy.  

It's not looking great right now, Hogs down 28-17, but driving.  Reason for hope, though, because throughout the season, we've been a second half team.  Keepin' the faith.

Wesley 

6 Miles, neighborhood roads and a few trails, on an absolutely beautiful day.  Today's recovery run included a far-too-lengthy bio break that was the result of yesterday's post-race "recovery," which consisted of BBQ, red beans and rice/jumbalaya, late-night hot wings, and of course, cold beer.  

When actually running, I felt pretty good, cruising between 6:40 and 7:00 with very little soreness from yesterday.   

Added the official race results to yesterday's blog post.  And one more update:  Hogs' 31 - Vandy 28.  Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good...

Wesley 

am:  8 Miles in 52:25 (6:33/mile) on a crisp, clear morning of 41 degrees.  

pm:  6 Easy Miles, including 8X200m striders, on treadmill set to 1.0 incline

Total:  14 Miles

Wesley