How Much Discomfort Can I Tolerate?!

Weather - 18 degrees, windy, clouds and snow. Ran 1 mile in the cold and wind to Brookens gym, then ran 7 more miles around the basketball court. I was planning on running 4 miles in the gym, but I fell into a hypnotic-type trance and just kept going. I felt I could have run 11 or 12 miles but decided against it, because it was supposed to be an easy run, and tomorrow will be plenty tough, as I am planning to do hill repeats. After the run I did 8 sets of strength exercises and stretching, then 15 minute walk home. 

Weather - 11 degrees, windy, sunny. Very cold, with the wind it felt about -10. I wore about 5 pounds of clothing and ran to the arboretum to do some hill repeats. When I got to the hill my toes were numb, and so I started the hills without a break. I was planning to run up and walk down for a recovery, but I thought I would be too cold so I decided to run down instead. My endurance held up, I ran 10 x 125m hills, with about a 275m recovery jog between each. After the 10 hills my, ummm, "groin" region felt ice cold and painful - yow! I decided to run a hard 2.5 miles at threshold pace to finish off the run, and I was hoping to get home quick to warm up. I felt good overall during the threshold run, I recovered nicely from the hills and my legs still had some strength to push. Overall a pretty good session.

The Siberian Express 7.3 mile trail race is this Saturday, so I plan on running short and easy for the next two days so that I will feel fresh on race day. It is suppose to be in the 40's by Saturday, if it is I should have a pretty good day, as I run better in warmer temperatures. It will probably be quite muddy, so I am not going to set a low goal time. I will try for something modest, say, an 8:00 per mile pace, which should equal about a 1 hour run. My fitness and strength seem to have improved since the 5 mile X-country race last month, although I am not sure if I am ready to run a hard 7.3 miles.  It should be a fun one.

Weather - 23 degrees, cloudy. Ran an easy 3 miles, felt ok. I can't run comfortably in cold weather, I don't have much lung power most of the time. Because of that I have no confidence about racing in 2 days. I will just have to swallow my pride and wait for spring to arrive.

Weather - 35 degrees, windy, cloudy. Easy run of 4 miles to the rental car agency. Tomorrow is the Siberian race and I am feeling excited and energetic. I am not going to worry about my time and will just try to enjoy the feeling of pushing myself to the edge. Weather is supposed to be wet and about 40 degrees, which is not bad for January. 

Race Day Weather – 40 degrees, cloudy, windy. I woke to gray skies, but mild January weather. I ate a banana, oatmeal, kiwi, and drank 2 glasses of water 3 hours before race time, then drove to Kickapoo State Park near Danville and arrived about 75 minutes before race time. After registering I started my warm-up at 10:00am. I ran to the Mountain Goat Hill course and traversed 2 of the larger hills. I felt comfortable and strong, and was confident that I could put in a good race effort. I was surprised that nobody else was using the Goat hills as a warm-up, but I always seem to seek out the places which afford the most solitude, so I was happy to run alone, focusing my thoughts on the upcoming battle of wills. Although it was 40 degrees, the stiff wind made it seem colder, it felt about 30, so I needed to wear gloves, and was uncertain if I should wear a hat for the race. I did not wear a hat during the warm-up, and I felt ok without it. After 30 minutes of easy running I did 4x150m strides, then stretched in a dry picnic shelter with 10-12 other runners. When I returned to my car it was 15 minutes to race time. I was jumpy and energetic, which was a good sign. At the last minute I decided to wear a hat, and I emerged from the car wearing shorts, 3 light shirts, hat and gloves. I made my way to the start line, listening to the muffled voices of the 476 assembled runners. I stayed at the edge of the large group, focusing my eyes not on the faces or landscape, but upon my emotional reaction to the minutes leading up to the start. I saw the group moving towards the start line, and as I began to follow, a young runner kicked mud at his friend, missed, and it splattered on my shorts and legs. I looked at him, and then said, “well, by races end it is going to be a lot worse than this.” Relieved, he laughed and resumed his mud play. I inserted myself into the middle of the throng, for the first time feeling warm because the wind could not reach me. People talked, stretched, and I jumped up and down continuously, feeling a solid mass of energy which needed to be spent. The starter finally sent us on our way, and we circled a large field which would also be the finish, and made our way into the woods. Upon reaching the single track path, mud began flying in the air. My shoes sunk into it and sprayed the runners behind me. At a narrow, steep descent a line of runners came to a complete stop, and each runner in turn had to stop, then resume running. I found myself muttering “come on” as I waited to resume. My pace during this initial mud slog was quite slow, I was in no particular hurry, because I knew 56 more minutes of running awaited me, and I would have plenty of time to put in surges and go as fast as my legs would carry me. I had set my iPod to count down from 60 minutes, so my goal was to come in at 59:xx, which was around 8:00/mile pace. I had run this same course 2 years ago in an autumn race and averaged 7:30/mile, but with the mud and the cold and the wind I believed 8:00 was about all I could hope for. The first half mile a few people passed, which did not bother me. I was feeling relaxed and strong, and knew when I finally decided to make my first move that I would begin to pass numerous people. When we finally emerged from the first set of woods onto a 400-600m straightaway, I made my first surge and passed quite a few runners. The mud however, never let up, it was going to be a constant throughout the entire race. Entering a second woods the single track began again, and I did my best to maintain the surge pace. A lot of curves had to be carefully navigated because of the slippery conditions, and it reminded me of running in the snow, it seemed about as difficult, but more pleasant because of the warmth. We exited the second woods and came out into a large meadow, which is about 800m in length. This was the only part of the course which was not very muddy, but there were numerous ice puddles and potholes to contend with, so it was not that much easier to get a firm footing. I continued passing people, my pace was continually getting faster, and nobody had yet to pass me since the ½ mile mark. After the field we entered the third woods. For about 1-2 miles it was more slogging and trying to find a good pace - I would surge, then upon reaching a runner who was holding a comparable pace, I would tuck in behind and slow down to his/her pace, which allowed me to recover, and when I felt strong again I would push myself past and look for the next runner to surge to. Sometimes I would surge by as many 5 or 6 runners within a 100m distance. The woods began to get quite hilly, and it was here that a good sense of balance and strength had to be maintained so as to avoid falling and injury. Some of the smaller hills were ridiculous because of the mud and uneven, sloping narrow paths. One particular hill which sticks in my memory consisted of an almost vertical 6 foot descent, followed immediately by a 6 foot vertical ascent. One comes upon this situation with only 1-2 seconds to decide how to navigate it. I slid down trying not to fall, but having to immediately begin the uphill upon reaching the bottom, I reached out with both of my hands and dug into the mud, but I stretched the top of my body too far forward and my lower back suffered a slight spasm. I have had these spasms before, and sometimes it can take weeks to recover from them. As I came out of this dwarfish mud canyon my back felt stiff and within a few seconds I would know if I had to crawl, walk, or run to the finish. Fortunately the stiffness seemed to ease as I continued to run, and so I pushed ahead, not seeming to lose any of my speed or momentum. More of these types of hills continued to appear, and they forced my mind to concentrate on things other than my back. One of the hills was longish and steep, and with absolutely no traction. I had to lean forward and pull myself up the hill, digging my hands into the mud, similar to climbing a ladder. I saw 2 runners decide to try a different route, hoping for an easier go of it. However, one of the runners let out a loud scream, and then “!@#$#@!” I watched him crumple to the ground in obvious pain. Fortunately a race volunteer was nearby and rushed to give aid to the fallen athlete. I soon forgot about my spasm and just kept running hard. I was about 4 miles in and still feeling strong and energetic. My lungs felt at full capacity, and were in control, so I knew that I would most likely be able to maintain this kind of surge/relax style of running for the remaining 3.5 miles. At about this time I saw Matt, who leads the Wednesday speed sessions in the summer. I was surprised to see him walking, and said hi to him as I passed, wondering if he was injured or just taking a short walking break. In most races he finishes ahead of me, so I took that for what it was worth, and kept running hard. When I reached the only asphalt area of the race, about mile 5, I remembered what Melinda had told me while we ran at Clinton Lake last week– “when you reach the parking lot you have 2 miles to go, but it seems a lot longer than 2 miles.” I heeded her advice, and told myself it was probably going to feel like 3 miles. It felt nice to have a firm surface to run on and my pace immediately picked up, and images of running 200m repeats floated through my mind. I passed 4 or 5 runners during this 400m stretch of parking lot, they seemed to be laboring, not being able to take advantage of the only firm surface on the course. Seeing runners lagging, out of breath, slowing down, made me want to go faster, so I continued surging. Off the parking lot and back into the woods, I soon approached a runner who looked familiar. His bare calves were encrusted in thick brownish mud. I could not see his face, but I thought it might be Andrew, another Wednesday speed session runner who runs 18:xx 5k’s. I have never beaten him in any race, so I was thinking maybe it was not him. I slowed down a bit and decided to follow him for a while. He was moving smoothly, but I could sense a bit of struggle in his pace. After 200m I felt recovered and decided I needed to surge again. As I passed I saw that it was Andrew and I said hi. I don’t think he knew who I was, but he returned the greeting. Passing him gave me more confidence, and I began a long final surge which I was able to maintain until the end of the race. I passed numerous runners during the final mile and a half, yet nobody had yet to pass me. With a mile to go the best thought of the race occurred to me – “all the runners near me at this point in the race have a similar running level to myself, therefore, the only runners who are going to pass me in this final mile are the ones who have worked harder than me – the person who has run for 50 consecutive days; in ice and snow storms; in below zero winds; run hill repeats on ice; practiced surge pace in 4 inches of snow; worked on their speed with 200m repeats. If they have done this and more, well, then they can pass me, but they are going to have to prove it!” I started to run loose and wild, with passion, following a strong runner ahead of me, slowly gaining on him. During the final steep hill ascent which the runner ahead of me walked, I was directly behind him, trudging up the hill. I said to him as we crested the hill “this is it, we made it, this is the home stretch.” He nodded in agreement, and I followed him for about 150M, then passed him with 800 meters to go, running as hard as I could. I was gaining on 2 runners ahead of me, but with about 100m to go they took off in a wild sprint, battling each other, arms flailing, it was fun to watch, and I followed them into the finish shoot about 5 seconds behind. The runner I had passed finished 20 seconds behind me, which made me feel good about my final effort and kick. Unbelievably, I finished in 59:35, which is an exact 8:00/mile pace. In the race results it reads 7:60.0, which made me look twice, and then laugh – I had hit my race pace goal spot on. After the race I recovered quickly and ran a 1 mile cool down. I then stretched and realized my back had tightened since the race had ended. It does not seem too serious, so hopefully it will only take 7-10 days to fully recover. I will be careful with it, doing special stretches for it. Running seems to help it, so I probably will not have to alter my training in any way. My overall place was 62, and in my age group 6 out of 50.

Weather - 53 degrees, cloudy, windy. Returned the rental car this morning and ran 6 miles from the agency to Busey Woods. My lower back was stiff from the spasm which occurred in the race yesterday, but after 2 miles it loosened up and felt ok. I am probably going to be able to avoid a big flare up with the back if I am careful. My quads were a bit sore, but other than that everything seemed fit and ready to go. I'm happy my right foot is holding up. I will probably make this an easy week, nothing too hard. Afterwards 4 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 40 minute walk home. 

Weather - 61 degrees, cloudy, windy. Planned to run 6 easy miles, or maybe less, thinking I would feel worn down from the race, but I felt energized and strong, so I ended up with 10 easy miles. The warm weather is a great respite from the winter days, I wore shorts and a singlet, I felt about 3 pounds lighter than normal, and my lungs were at full capacity. Maybe training in the cold is like resistance training for my lungs, since I am probably working at about 80% oxygen capacity when it is below 40 degrees. When it finally does warm up my body is supercharged from the extra oxygen that is flowing through my blood. I think when spring arrives I am going to be able to run some good times. I ran the 10 miles at about 1 minute per mile lower than my normal easy rate, yet the run still felt easy and relaxed - I love warm weather....

Weather - 55 degrees, cloudy, windy. Reality returned and I felt the effects of the previous 3 days of racing and training. Feeling tired and lacking energy I ran an easy 6 miles. During the run I thought about how I was going to give myself a chance to break 19:00 in a 5k race. My ideas came into rare focus and I was able to map a plan. Since I have no meaningful races to run until March, I decided that during January and February I need to work specifically on increasing my endurance through consistent daily and weekly mileage. I can forgo speed work during this time, so that should give my body a chance to remain healthy while I attempt to slowly up the mileage. My current weekly average is between 30-50 miles. By mid March I would like to raise the average to 40-60. It would be easy enough to will myself to run 7 miles a day 6 days a week, and run 12-14 miles for the one long run, but that would most likely lead to a physical breakdown. I need to be cautious and patient, and when I feel my body asking for less instead of more, I will need to heed it. Perhaps 2 1/2 months is not enough time for a moderate increase, but I will do my best to push my body safely to new mileage limits. I believe that if I can increase my mileage, the endurance I will have gained will then allow me to pursue speed work with more aggression. In April and May I will move into hill running and repeats, and in early June do some long intervals. By late June I should be ready to run a 5k in good fitness, and then I will see what I can do with it. 

Weather - 42 degrees, sunny, windy. Ran an easy 6 miles in cooler weather, but 42 degrees for January is still mild. Was a little sluggish so kept the pace slow most of the way, felt a bit looser during the last mile and the pace picked up accordingly. Afterwards 5 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 45 minute walk home. 

Weather - 41 degrees, cloudy. Felt a little better than yesterday, and put in 6 easy miles. My easy days now consist of 6 + miles, so it feels good to be running longer distances. It feels the same as 4 miles last month, so my endurance and strength are improving. Am planning a long run of 12 miles with Melinda either tomorrow or Sunday. 12 miles seems somewhat easy to my mind, so I may be increasing the distance within a few weeks if I continue to feel good on my runs. 

Weather - 32 degrees, cloudy, windy. 12 mile long run today with Melinda. We traversed the streets of Champaign/Urbana on the 2nd Wind's marathon training route. There were numerous arrows painted on the streets pointing us in the right direction. The temperature dropped as the run progressed, and during the last 2 miles we were fighting a bitter wind. Felt good the whole way, though, am looking forward to more long runs in the coming weeks. Afterwards 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 10 minute walk home. 

Weather - 29 degrees, sunny. Easy run to Busey Woods this morning. No soreness from yesterdays 12 mile run, so I am happy to be achieving a moderate level of fitness. Driving to Chicago today for pleasure, will spend the night at a downtown hotel. Plan on running 8 miles along Lake Michigan tomorrow morning. 

Weather - 30 degrees, cloudy, windy. Spent the weekend in Chicago, ran 6 miles yesterday morning before leaving, and in the evening hiked 9-10 miles around the north side of the city. Ate too much good food (Indian for lunch, beer and stuffed mushrooms for a twilight appetizer, Ethiopian for dinner, and Austrian pastries for a night time sweet snack), but since I was burning a lot of calories I did not mind. This morning got up at dawn and hit the downtown city streets, heading out through Millenium Park to the lake shore, and ran 8 miles to Addison Street. Turned around and walked 2 miles, doing some strength exercises and stretching, and took the 151 bus back to the hotel. I was concerned the 15 miles of running/hiking on Saturday was going to be too much work for my legs, but they felt good today, so I am happy about my improving fitness.

#58 

Weather - 25 degrees, cloudy, windy. Easy 6 miles in cold conditions, felt like 10 degrees in the wind. Body is still feeling good even though my daily mileage is increasing. Jeff commented a few days ago that I should not avoid going fast while I am doing my endurance runs, so I have decided to include 5 or 6 strides in most of my upcoming runs this month. Today I did 5 x 40 second strides in the middle of the run, with a 1-2 minute jogging recovery. I am hoping the striding will keep my legs accustomed to faster movement as I put in the slow base work for the next 6-8 weeks. After the run 4 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 40 minute walk home.

#59

Weather - 15 degrees, sunny. Was hoping to run 8 easy miles today, about half way through the run I was feeling good and decided to push it a little further, and ended up going 9.1. Did 6 x 40-60 second strides at the 4 mile split. I can feel some overall improvement in my running strength, it is giving me confidence to keep at it every day. After the run went to Brookens Gym and did 6 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 15 minute walk home. 

#60 

Weather - 33 degrees, sunny. Weather warmed up a bit, which made my 6 easy miles feel pleasant. I had some pep in my stride today, ran it fairly quick, yet the intensity felt easy. Tomorrow will try for 8 easy miles with 5 or 6 strides.

#61 

Weather - 25 degrees, windy, cloudy. Tough day to run, the wind was wicked cold, and there were ice patches on the streets and sidewalks. I decided it would be safest to run at the arboretum, but I knew the wind there can be brutal. I ran 3 miles, then did 8 x 25-60 second strides, then continued running until I reached 8 miles. I had the wind at my back during the final mile, and I was feeling pretty good, so I decided to let my legs unwind and the pace unfold. I ran the last mile in about 6:15, of course, the wind helped out a lot, but it felt great to have the legs turning faster than usual. Tonight I am going to Brookens Gym to stretch and do some strength exercises while watching the Lakers/Suns game - should be a good one.

#62

Weather - 31 degrees, windy, sunny. A lot of wind made for tough running. Because I exercised at Brookens while watching the Lakers/Suns game yesterday evening I only got 4 hours of sleep. Consequently I felt horrible today on my run, and ran a very easy 6 miles, slower than my normal easy pace. After the run 4 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 40 minute walk home. Am looking forward to 8 hours of sleep tonight.

#63 

Weather - 5 degrees, sunny. Ran 10.20 easy miles this morning, felt decent enough considering the weather was rough and I was wearing about 6 layers of clothing. Had a good week with my mileage, I hope to continue with a slow upwards trend. Next week I am running the Riddle Run in Mahomet. It is an informal trail run, with a beginners race of 12 miles, and an advanced run of 28. I signed up for 12, if I finish I get a homemade cupcake. 

 #64

Weather - 13 degrees, sunny. Warmer than yesterday, but I still dressed in 6 layers for a 7.2 mile easy run. It is a peculiar sensation to be sweating profusely in extreme coldness, but it is definitely better than being too cold. Another night of little sleep, which caused my overall coordination to be sluggish, and the running pace suffered because of it.

#65

Weather - 25 degrees, sunny, windy. It seemed colder than 25 degrees because of the wind, so I wore 6 layers of clothing again. I am getting accustomed to running with an extra 5 pounds, I hope it helps my fitness. After 3 miles I ran  8 x 30-60 second strides on the golf course. When I finished the run I walked 15 minutes to Brookens Gym and did 5 sets of strength exercises and stretching.

#66 

Weather - 20 degrees, somewhat sunny. Fresh snow on the ground, only about a half inch, so it did not make running any more difficult than normal. Ran to Busey woods and did a few loops and ended up with 7.5 miles. My legs are still holding up to the strain of the slowly increasing mileage.

#67 

Weather - 20 degrees, sunny. Since I have been diligently working at slowly increasing my mileage, I decided it was time to ease back a bit for the next few days, because this Saturday is the Riddle Run, a quasi 12-28 mile race/training run in Mahomet. I signed up to run 3 x 4 mile loops around the prairie trails, and it would be nice to feel fresh and strong. Today I ran for as long as it felt easy, which was 6.5 miles. I was thinking I would be stopping at 5 miles, so I was pleasantly surprised to have gone an extra 1.5. After the run I walked to Brookens Gym and did 6 sets of strength exercises and stretching. 

#68 

Weather - 3 degrees, windy, sunny. I decided to run indoors today because of the cold, so I ran 5 miles around the basketball court at Brookens. Afterwards 5 sets of strength exercises, and stretching. It feels good to have run less miles the past couple of days, as my body is starting to feel less fatigued.

#69 

Weather - 23 degrees, cloudy. The afternoon warmed up, so it was a pleasant enough 4 mile easy run. Tomorrow the Riddle Run, I plan on running 3 loops for 12 miles. 

#70 

Weather - 26 degrees, windy, gray skies. Ran 3 loops around the Lake of the Woods prairie trails for the Riddle Run. The winds were brisk, so it seemed cold, and there was a 1/4 inch of snow on the trails. The final loop I paired up with a woman named Nancy, and we ran a 8:15 pace for the 4 miles, and we had a good conversation, she told me about her various marathons, and it was nice to listen about her race in Honolulu as we trudged through the snow. I planned to run the 3 loops in a comfortable time of 1:45, and I came in at 1:43. When I finished the race I ate my prize - a homemade cream filled cupcake - the best one I have tasted! It was a solid long run, nothing hard, just a moderate steady pace at an average of 8:35/mile. I don't feel tired, or sore, so I think my next long run will be 14 miles, either next week, or the week after.

I am planning to run the Lovin' the Hills 15 mile trail race in Louisville, KY on February 16th. That distance should fit nicely for my current fitness level. As the race name implies, there are a lot of hills to cover, so I am not sure how I will tolerate it, since my training is mainly on the flats.

#71

Weather - 45 degrees, sunny. Nice to feel some warmth and see the sun, I ran an easy 8.3 miles around Busey Woods and the cemetery. Yesterdays 12 miler did not take much out of me, so I am hoping to have a good week of training. Afterwards 4 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 40 minute walk home.

#72 

Weather - 37 degrees, raining, windy. A bit cooler today, but it felt warm when compared to last week, so I wore shorts for the second consecutive day. My body (back, legs, and feet) stiffened yesterday a few hours after running, and I went to bed earlier than usual, getting 12 hours of sleep. I woke today feeling pretty crappy, so I figured I would be running a maximum of 6 easy miles. However, after 3 miles my body began to feel better, and I ended up with 7.3. I will try for an increase in mileage this week, since I have been holding steady for the past month - 51.45, 52, 53.60, 51.70. I will hopefully hit 56-58 miles by Saturday. 

#73 

Weather - 49 degrees, gray skies, windy. Beautiful running weather, wore shorts and 3 light shirts. Decided today I needed to run further than normal, after the first couple of miles I felt good and knew it would not be difficult to run 10 miles. When I reached the golf course at mile 3 I did 8 x 30-90 second strides on the fairways, then returned to Busey Woods and did 3-4 loops, then ran to Brookens Gym for a total of 10.50 miles. The warm air had a positive effect on my lungs, I was running a faster than normal pace and my breath was effortless. At Brookens I did 6 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 15 minute walk home. 

#74 

Weather - 18 degrees, sunny. A lot colder than yesterday, so I had to go back to wearing multiple layers of clothing. I ran a very slow pace today, I was trying to make 8 miles seem as easy as possible. The last two miles I felt pretty good and went a bit quicker, so I seem to be holding up to the increased mileage. Afterwards 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 20 minute walk home.

#75 

Weather - 22 degrees, cloudy, snowing. 6 easy miles in a snowstorm - fun! Afterwards 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 10 minute walk home.

#76

Weather - 25 degrees, cloudy, snowing. Woke to about 6-7 inches of snow on the ground, was feeling pretty good energy-wise because I ran only 6 miles yesterday, and I got 11 hours of sleep. Decided to run long today, and covered 13.5 miles, mainly doing loops around Busey Woods. The snow was tough to navigate, I could feel my leg muscles expending more power than normally needed just to keep moving forward. The good thing about running in the thick snow was the softness of impact, it was like running on a bed of pillows. After 2 hours of running my joints felt no wear and tear, which is usually not the case with a long run. I finished the run just before getting to Brookens Gym, so I did 6 sets of strength exercises and stretching in the gym to cool down from the tough run. I feel like I have made a small leap in fitness, I am now covering 2 hours for a long run, and after tomorrow I will have hit 60 miles in a week for the first time this winter. 

#77 

Weather - 37 degrees, sunny. Took a nice easy run today, mostly on plowed roads, but did about 1 mile through thick snow in Buesy Woods. Felt pretty fresh considering I ran 2 hours yesterday. Ran about 1.5 miles at threshold pace, felt good to move a little quicker than normal.

#78

Weather - 27 degrees, cloudy. A reasonable day for running, which was nice because I planned on doing a harder than normal workout. Ended up with 10.3 miles, 4 of which were run through 6-7 inches of snow on the golf course and through Busey Woods. When I left the snow at about mile 7 I ran 1 mile at threshold pace, and after a brief recovery I ran 8 x 40-60 second strides. I ran them fairly strong, everything felt good and in control, then I finished the run with about an 800 meter sprint. After the run I did 4 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 10 minute walk home.

#79

Weather - 46 degrees, foggy. Beautiful fog made for an interesting run, but the warm temperatures made the snow melt, creating high water in the streets. Other than wet feet, it was an enjoyable time today. 

#80 

Weather - 32 degrees, clouds, rainy. Started the run with 40 degree temperature and no rain, but I decided to wear shorts because it seemed like rain was possible. Ran 2 miles to the arboretum and then did 12 x 100m hill sprints. Felt in control for all of the sprints, when I finished I still had a lot of energy, so I ran another 7 miles, 3 of which were at threshold pace. This was one of the better workouts I have had this winter. I am surprised that I have been recovering well because I am taking no days off from running. Yesterday's 8 easy miles felt difficult, which was caused from the previous day when I ran a solid workout of 10 miles with 8 strides. Tomorrow I will probably feel like crap, so I will run 6 or 7 easy miles, and hopefully that will allow me to make a nice recovery. When I finished the run the temperature had dropped to 32 degrees and it was pouring rain.  I was 40 minutes from home at Crystal Lake Park, and I did a very fast 3 sets of dips and stretching, then began a tough walk home, feeling happy because of the strong workout session.

#81

Weather - 31 degrees, clouds, wind, snow. An easy 8 miles through the flooded streets of Urbana. Crystal Lake Park was swamped with water, so I had to alter my normal route and ended up on the university campus. I finished the run at Brookens Gym and did 6 sets of strength exercises and stretching, then 15 minute walk home. 

#82 

Weather - 28 degrees, gray skies. Felt relieved to run an easy 6 miles, I was surprisingly fresh and energetic. After tomorrows 14 miler I will have my first easy week in a while - 7 days of daily mileage no greater than 6 - I am curious to see how much fitness and strength my body will add from the ease and rest.

#83

Weather - 38 degrees, sunny with a few clouds, some wind. A nice day for a long run, warmish for late winter, and the sun was out. I felt good the whole way, I was reminded of my summer long runs this past year - how they would feel like adventures, so much would go on, mostly inside my mind. When the run is finished I feel like I have been through a battle of some sort, and although the body is a bit worn, I am feeling elated and happy. I feel I have earned the upcoming easy week of running, the rest will hopefully further my fitness, and I will be curious to see how I respond to the 9 mile trail race next Saturday. After the run I did 5 sets of strength exercises and stretching at Brookens Gym, and 15 minute walk home. 

#84 

Weather - 32 degrees, sunny. Felt a little stiff for the first couple of miles, but then I loosened up. It was a strange sensation to run 5 miles, just as I was finding my rhythm the run was over. Afterwards blueberry pancakes with maple syrup.

#85 

Weather - 7 degrees, sunny, windy. An easy run in cold weather. 

#86 

Weather - 18 degrees, clouds. Easy 4.25 miles. I can feel my body getting stronger from the reduced mileage. 5 more day of short runs should have me feeling good. After the run I did 4 sets of strength exercises at Brookens Gym, Stretching, and 15 minute walk home. 

I was planning to run a 9 mile trail race in Rockford this Saturday, but that area was blitzed with snow a few days ago, and the forecast is for a 30 degree day, which means snow will still be on the course. Rather than drive a total of 6 hours, run a risky trail race in cold and snow,  I think it is best to skip the race and train at home. Next race planned will be my first 5k since July, on March 8th, which is less than 4 weeks away. That race should keep me motivated in my training.

#87

z.m. - #1

Weather - 19 degrees, clouds, snow. Easy 3.30 miles run around the neighborhood. Crystal Lake Park has been closed because of flooding, and Busey Woods is also flooded, so I have been running more on residential streets the past week. 

Today while I was working at the park district I began thinking about the upcoming 5k in 3 weeks. I tried to determine the bottom, top, and middle time limits which I feel capable of achieving. Given that my main goal this year is to break 19:00 in a 5k, this first 5k in March will be nowhere close. On March 8th the temperature is likely to be between 30-45 degrees, so I will not have full lung capacity, as I run stronger when the temperature is above 60. I have also done very little speed work this winter, and I am just now beginning hill workouts. The strong part of my current fitness level is my endurance. The times of my final 2 5k's last summer were 19:22. I will need to add 1 minute to that time because of the cold weather, and one more minute because of lack of speed work, which means my goal time for the March 5k will be 21:20. If the temperature is warmer than expected, I may be able to get to 20:40. If the weather is very cold and I feel lousy I may not break 22:00. I recall that my first 5K of last season in early March was run in 22:30. However, I did no winter training last year, so I was running on about 3 weeks of training. I have a good base built this year, so I am confident that I will have the endurance to feel pretty good on the run. The slow predicted time does not worry or bother me, I know once the warm weather arrives, and the speed training commences, I will begin to reap in the summer what I have sowed in the winter. 

#88

z.m. - #2 

Weather - 22 degrees, sunny. 5.25 easy miles with 5 x 1-3 minute accelerations. Afterwards 5 sets of strength exercises at Brookens gym, and stretching. I was inspired to try a new exercise, I think they are called leg-ups, or knee-lifts - I stood in place and began lifting my knees to my chest in a running motion. It was quite difficult to keep this going for more than 45 seconds - I could feel my hip muscles struggle with the high leg lift motion. I did 3 sets. I think I will include this exercise with the others,  if I can improve I think it will help my legs have a stronger drive. 

#89

z.m. - #3 

Weather - 25 degrees, sunny. Easy 4 miles, was finally able to run in Busey Woods, the water level has receded, I did 5 accelerations between 1-3 minutes in length. Afterward 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 40 minute walk home. 

#90

z.m. - #4 

Weather - 25 degrees, clouds, windy. Ran through Busey Woods and then when I got to the golf course I did 8 accelerations between 1-2 minutes each. Afterward 4 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 40 minute walk home. 

#91

z.m. - #5 

Weather - 23 degrees, sunny. Ran 6 miles, 2 being run at threshold pace because I was feeling strong and fresh, I guess 7 days of easy runs will do that. There are a few factors to consider in my feeling good - 1) One week of reduced mileage run at an easy pace. 2) The new leg exercise I have been practicing (knee-ups) appears to be having a positive effect on the driving force of my stride. 3) I started taking a vitamin B12 supplement.

A few years ago I noticed a drop in my overall energy level. I thought it may be an iron deficiency and since then I have tried to eat foods that are high in iron content. Being a vegetarian makes this more challenging, so my main iron sources come from fortified GrapeNuts cereal, spinach salads, and cooking foods in an iron skillet. I felt a slight increase in energy from this nutritional change, but I recently discovered that B12 is a vitamin that vegetarians can lack, since it is  found in most meats and dairy. I don't drink much milk, and only in the past year has my egg consumption gone up, due to owning my own chickens. I realize that my B12 stores are probably quite low, and since this vitamin is necessary for healthy blood, I thought it may also help my running efforts. So this week I began taking the supplement. It is too early to tell if it will have a positive effect on my energy level and running, but I am hoping it will. 

#92

z.m. - #6 

Weather - 42 degrees, clouds, rain, wind. Good run today, ran 4 miles to the Zendo, meditated for 2.5 hours, then ran 3.5 miles to Cardinal Fitness Center. 4 of the miles I ran at threshold pace, so it was a fairly hard run.

I read something yesterday in Joe Henderson's book, "Better Runs". Here is an excerpt :

"Tom Miller had run about 100 marathons when his son, with little running training, beat him in an uphill race, When Tom asked how this could have happened, the boy credited the mountain biking he did as off-season training for skiing. 'I started doing uphill repeats on a bike, standing up to get more power,' said Miller. 'My running times immediately improved. A few of the runners I worked with tried this too, and they also got faster.' Miller designed a research project to verify these informal results. He traded road and trail riding for stationary bicycling because the training loads were easier to control while standing still. This type of leg work also was more like the running motion than weight training could be, and it was safer than interval runs would be. Nineteen runners completed Miller's program, which opened and closed with 10K time trials. The subjects made no change in their routines besides joining Tom for six weekly sessions of standup intervals on the exercise bike. They sat and pedaled at low flywheel tension to warm up, recover between 'runs', and cool down. They cranked up the tension until the wheel would barely turn and then stood for the intervals. They 'ran' 30 seconds twice, then two times each for 45 seconds, 60, 45, and 30. 'All 19 of these runners ran faster in the second 10K than in the first', said Miller. 'The average improvement was 10 percent, or about 4 minutes at that distance. 14 of them set PR's, even though this was winter and most of them were not in top racing shape.' The professors who oversaw this project were impressed. They told Miller that the statistical validity of the results was above question and that they'd seen no other study which produced such dramatic improvements in just six weeks. Tom coaches a training group in Salt Lake City. Two follow-up tests with this group, using 5K times as a gauge, matched the earlier outcome. 'There were PR's all over the place', he said. One man improved from the 19's into the 17's in just six weeks.' Why do standing bike intervals work this well? Miller's theory : 'They simulate fast running but with higher resistance than most runners can tolerate on the track or road. This training works the muscles as well as uphill sprinting would, but it doesn't tear you apart'.

After reading the above I thought it would be helpful to give it a try, since I am now moving into the hill repeat phase of my training. Because I don't own a stationary bike I decided to join Cardinal Fitness, so today after my run I stopped in, saw they had a good quality stationary bike, payed my money, and did my first bike workout. I 'ran' for 27 minutes, the bike had a heart rate monitor, I was able to get up to 163. It is the first time I have checked heart rate in any type of exercise. According to the heart rate training zone calculator, 162-168 falls in the ATzone which is 85-90% max heart rate. The majority of my interval runs today fell at about 155, which is between easy and AT. As I get more practice with the biking, I should be able to put forth a greater effort, which will increase my heart rate into VO2 Max territory, which for me would be 168-180.

After the biking I did 4 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 15 minute walk home.

#93

z.m. - #7

Weather - 25 degrees, windy, clouds. Strong winds today as I ran an easy 6.5 around the golf course. I wasn't sore from yesterdays hard bout, but about halfway through the run my achilles tendon became sensitive. I immediately slowed to a walk, stretched a bit, then resumed running. It seemed to be ok, but the last thing I want to have happen is to get injured just as winter training is coming to an end. I probably over-trained yesterday, combining a hard threshold run with the new bike workout. I was planning on doing hill repeats tomorrow, but I think it would be best to do an easy 5 miles and allow the achilles a chance to recover, so will reschedule the hills until Wednesday or Thursday if all goes well.  After the run I stopped at Cardinal and did 4 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 15 minute walk home. 

#94

z.m. - #8 

Weather - 21 degrees, sunny, windy. An easy 6 miles around Busey Woods and the golf course. I started out slowly, making sure my achilles tendon was warm before putting additional stress upon it. It felt loose throughout the run, so I am happy that yesterdays irritation is getting better instead of worse. After the run I stopped at Cardinal and did 5 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 15 minute walk home.

#95

z.m. - #9

Weather - 14 degrees, sunny. Today I felt well enough to give a hard effort for hill repeats. The weather did not make things easy, as it was cold with about an inch of fresh snow on the ground. I ran 1.5 miles to the arboretum as a warm up, stretched a bit, then did 15 x 100 meter hill repeats. As I ran the repeats I closely monitored the state of my right achilles tendon, since it had flared a bit a few days ago, but it felt fine throughout. The past couple of days were spent recovering from Sundays blitzkrieg of 2 threshold runs and a tough stationary bike workout. Today my body felt recovered, and I was thus able to put in a solid effort on the hills - I ran up the hill at 5k pace, pushed strongly as I crested the top, then glided down the hill. Until today I would always be spent near the top, and would have to slow down to a walk-like pace to recover on the downhill, but today my lungs never gave out, and my hips/quads had a driving force to propel me up and over for each rep. I had planned to do 12 reps, but when I reached that amount I realized I still had a lot left in the tank, and so extended it to 15. A workout like todays helps my confidence, as I can feel my overall strength and running ability improving.

Although spring officially starts the 3rd week of March, I am counting the final day of February as the end of winter training, which means only 9 more days until I achieve my first goal of the year - "to achieve a solid season of winter training" - As this is my 96th consecutive day of running in all kinds of nasty weather, I am almost there.

#96

z.m. - #10

Weather - 20 degrees, clouds, snow. Ran 7.25 miles in a snowfall, afterward 4 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 15 minute walk home. 

#97

z.m. - #11 

Weather - 22 degrees, clouds, snowing heavily. Ran 10.5 miles in a heavy snow storm. When I got to the golf course it was total white out, I could not differentiate the rise and fall of the ground before me, so I took the pace slow and enjoyed the rare mood of the landscape. About half way around the golf course I stopped before a scene, filled with wonder - a snowcovered pine, a bit of dark green providing some contrast, hooked the left part of the composition, the middle pure void-white, from the right 3 small wooden fence segments curving towards the center - a study of calm simple beauty. 

#98

z.m. - #12 

Weather - 22 degrees, clouds. Ran 6.25 easy miles in 4-5 inches of fresh snow. I was feeling surprisingly strong considering I ran 10 miles in heavy snow yesterday. Along the way I ran .75 miles doing knee-ups. I started doing the knee ups maybe 10-14 days ago, at first I hardly had the strength to lift my knees to my stomach, now it is becoming easier, I feel the power in my hips growing, and the overall driving strength is improved. A few months of constant knee-up practice should help me become a better runner. I now realize that my overall leg strength is low, and this exercise along with hill/bike work should make a difference in my running times. I especially notice an improvement when running uphill, I can attack it with vigor, the legs pushing me up and over without a loss of speed or oxygen.

#99

z.m. - #13 

Weather - 20 degrees, sunny. Ran 4 miles to the Zendo this morning, meditated for 70 minutes, then ran 3 miles back into town and stopped at Cardinal to do my 2nd weekly bike workout. I brought a small piece of paper with me which outlined the workout, and I placed it on the bike controls to help me remember the interval times and wheel tension settings. I ended up doing 12 intervals of varying lengths, from 30-60 seconds, with about a 1 minute recovery between each. I ended up with 40 minutes of biking time. Afterward I stretched, and did 5 sets of strength exercises, and 15 minute walk home. 

To celebrate my 100th consecutive day of running, I ate a piece of chocolate cake which I bought at the Austrian bakery in Chicago yesterday. I was in Chicago to see the Edward Hopper painting exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago.

#100

 z.m. - #14

Weather - 36 degrees, clouds. After yesterdays 7 mile run and bike intervals, I thought I would be feeling wiped out today. When I started my run, however, my legs felt special, not only the legs, but everything, the breath, the arms and shoulders, the heart, even the spirit. I guess a day like today makes all the hard work worthwhile, meaningful. It wasn't a race, no time or body to beat, rather, the pure feeling of motion uninhibited by gravity or sickness. It is when the sun looks down and seems to smile upon a little blip in the universe who is trying hard to do something. Today I was a small shimmer of light angling across the land, a bird coasting in the wind, all that sky ahead and behind, above and below. I felt free. 

#101

z.m. - #15 

Weather - 28 degrees, clouds, snowing.

Ran an easy 8 miles in more fresh snow. The first 2 miles were against a stiff wind, and since I was not warmed up I felt weak and sluggish. When I got to the golf course at mile 2 I felt better, and I ran a few accelerations on the fairways. As I went from fairway to fairway I practiced lifting my knees high, and then, began to bound. I have never tried bounding before, one reason being I felt I didn't have the leg strength for it. With the knee-ups I have been doing the past 3 weeks, and the new bike intervals, I feel I have found a piece of the puzzle to running faster - leg strength. Hitherto I have felt that running should be enough to build sufficient leg power, but perhaps certain muscles need extra work through other means. As I attempted to bound through the snow, an image of a black and white photograph of Zatopek bounding in snow came into my mind. Soon after I discovered the correct technique, and as I bounded joyously through the snow - the peculiar pause in the elongated steps, the swinging of the arms in a new rhythm, the toes pushing the body up and forward - a wide grin came over my face. It felt like learning to ride a bike, and once the skill is learned, it is there for good.

I ended the run at Cardinal and did 5 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 15 minute walk home.

Tomorrow a hard session, hill repeats. I will concentrate not so much on speed up the hill, but rather on a form which will allow my legs to strengthen further.

#102

z.m. - #16

Weather - 25 degrees, sunny, windy.

Today I began moving out of my winter phase. Before running the hill repeats I decided to run a mile at 5k pace. The track at Urbana HS was covered in snow, so I decided to run the mile on the pedestrian/bicycle path that runs North/South on Race street. I labored with my breathing in the first 400 meters, but I then recovered my form and ran ok for the remainder of the distance, which I covered in 7:02. As I walked the mile back to the start, I decided to run it again, as I felt the reason I was sluggish was because I did not have enough of a warm-up (I ran 2 miles to the path, then stretched, I probably needed to do a few strides to get my lungs ready for the faster than normal pace). The thought of running another mile at 5K pace was a bit daunting because I have been mostly running at an easy pace for about 3 months, and have not run a 5K in 7 months. And the fast running I have been doing has been between 1-3 minutes in duration. Doubling that time while running on the edge I knew was going to be a big hurt to the system. The second mile went much better, I started smoothly and remained calm and controlled for the entire distance, which I ran in 6:51. I then jogged to the arboretum and did 8 hill repeats, in which I bounded up the hill instead of sprinting.

The racing season begins next week for me, so I believe now is the time to begin the faster runs and tougher training sessions. Considering that I have not run a mile at a fast pace since last July, I actually feel good about my times today. One reason is because I was wearing 2 pair of long underwear, sweatpants, 2 tshirts and a heavy sweatshirt, a jacket, hat, gloves, and facemask. That added 3-4 pounds to my body, and it restricts my range of motion in the arms and legs (during the second mile one of the pairs of long underwear was slipping down my hips, and I had to pull them up a few times while running hard). When I can finally lose the winter clothing and the air is warmer, I should be able to move my 5k mile time down to 6:15-6:25 per mile without too much work. Moving it down to 6:00-6:05 will be the challenge.

I checked the long range weather for next Saturday, it looks like it will be in the 30's, which means I won't be running comfortably. I was hoping to run 21:30 without much of a struggle, but after today's mile runs I think 22:00 is a more accurate estimate.

#103

z.m. - #17

Weather - 28 degrees, clouds.

Eventful running day. In the early afternoon I went to Body N Sole to buy some new running shoes. I recently realized that my current pair of Asics Kayano is way past the expiration date, they probably have 700 miles or more of wear. Also, they have always seemed too clunky, heavy, and without enough cushion. Why I did not replace them months ago shows how stubborn and illogical (stupid) I can be. I ended up buying two pair of shoes today , Nike Structure Triax 11 and Asics 2120. I wore the Nike on my run today, I could not believe how good they felt, the cushion put a smile on my face, and I may have just solved my achilles tendonitis problem. For the past 2 months my achilles has felt tight at the beginning of each run, and only loosens after 1-2 miles. I am not sure why I did not think the shoe was causing the problem, my guess was that it was because I was running everyday, and it was a weak link that had to be tolerated. On my run today the achilles loosened within the first 10 steps, and felt healthy throughout the run. It is hard to believe changing shoes can have that big of an impact, but the Kayanos may have been the cause of the problem. I won't know for sure until I take more runs in the Nike shoes. It would be a relief if the cure was this easy.

For my run I jogged 3.5 miles to Michelle's apartment and then we went to her exercise room which has 3 treadmills. I have never run on a treadmill before, so I thought I would give it a try. Michelle taught me the basic functions, and then we started running. I found it to be easier than normal running, so I cranked it to 10 level and according to the controls I was running 6:00 minutes per mile. I laughed at that, there is no way I can currently hold a 6:00 pace. I then decided that if I put some elevation into the run it would make it more challenging. I cranked it to grade 12 and watched the machine lift, by the time it stopped moving I felt like I was running up the side of a mountain, so I lowered it to grade 9, and set the speed at 8, and this caused me to sweat. I eventually settled in at grade 2 with 8.5 speed, this seemed to equate my normal running effort. After 4 miles we stopped and chatted as we did a cool down walk.

#104

z.m. - #18

Weather - 38 degrees, sun/clouds.

A little warmer today, though still a lot of snow on the ground, so I headed to the golf course to get some snow running in. I did a loop of the course doing hard fartlek, and then I did a second loop at an easier pace. I contemplated wearing heavy boots for this workout, but since I knew I was going at least 90 minutes, I did not think it wise to try my first boot workout for that quantity of time.

My hip muscles are a bit sore from all the bounding I have been doing this week, that is a good thing, so today I did no bounding or high knee lifts, or, at least not very much.

This coming week I will cut back on my mileage, will probably drop to about 30 (from the low 50's), but a lot of the running this week will be hard, fast stuff. I plan on doing fartlek, 200-400m repeats, and lots of strides.

Today I accomplished my goal of achieving a solid season of winter training. Considering this was the first time I have trained consistently throughout the winter, I am curious to see if it is really true that a lot of slowish, consistent mileage, followed by 6-8 weeks of speed work, can lead to fast racing times.

At runs end I stopped at Cardinal and did 5 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 15 minute walk home.

#105

z.m. - #19

Weather - 34 degrees, cloudy.

Ran 4 miles to the Zendo, meditated for 1 hour, then ran 3 miles back to town. Wore the Nike shoes and my feet felt comfortable and healthy.

Tomorrow will be the 3rd session of bike intervals, I am looking forward to it.

#106

z.m. - 20

Weather - 48 degrees, clouds, rain.

Ran 4.5 miles to the Zendo, meditated for 2 hours, ran 3 miles back to town, stopped at Cardinal and did bike intervals for 37 minutes, then 5 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 15 minute walk home. I felt stronger on the bike than in the previous 2 bike sessions, most of the intervals were at a wheel tension of 21-23, and I took shorter rests, from 45- 60 seconds.

Later in the day it warmed to 66 degrees, so I took a bike ride to Crystal Lake park and read some of George Sheehan's "Running and Being". Last night I finished reading Gordon Pirie's "Running Wild". I liked the way he approached his training and racing, his hero was Zatopek, so that should give an idea to his style of running. I felt great all day, the warm weather is beneficial to my fitness and well being.

Tomorrow I will head to the track (all of the snow melted today) and do some speed-type work, probably 6 x 100M strides, and then a few 200M and 400M intervals. I will make the session fairly short, I don't want to over-work because the 5k is this Saturday.

#107

z.m. - #21

Weather - 32 degrees, clouds, rain.

Went to the track at Urbana HS in the late morning. Did a 2 mile warm-up, then 5 x 100M strides. The track was windswept, and a light freezing rain was falling. I wore long underwear, sweats, 3 shirts, jacket, hat, and gloves, so I had about 2-3 pounds of extra weight to carry.  I felt good on the strides, legs were recovered from yesterdays bike intervals. After a 5 minute recovery from the strides I did 8 x 400M intervals run at 5k pace with a 400M recovery jog between intervals. The times were 90, 93, 93, 95, 95, 97, 93, 93. I was running a bit too fast, because I can't keep that pace up for a 5K, I probably should have been running around 100-105.

#108

z.m. - #22

Weather - 30 degrees, clouds, snowing.

Ran to the U of I quad with a map of the upcoming 5k in my pocket, I wanted to run around the course not so much to know where I am going, but to try to get the juices flowing.  I was in another whiteout snowstorm as I ran, and I wondered if I would be running the race in snow.

Afterward I stopped at cardinal and did 5 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 15 minute walk home.

#109

z.m. - #23

Weather - 36 degrees, sunny. A lot of melting snow, so my 5 easy miles were sloppy and wet. I decided to skip the hill workout today because I did a track workout just 2 days ago, and the 5k race is in 3 days. Tomorrow 4 miles, Friday, 3 miles, and I should be feeling energetic by race day.

# 110

z.m. - #24

Weather - 25 degrees, clear. Decided to change up my schedule a bit, I ran 4 miles to the Zendo in the evening, meditated for 60 minutes, then ran 2 more miles back to town. I only wanted to run 4 miles today, but I did not feel like walking 4 miles to town in cold weather, so I ended up with 6 total miles today. The 2 extra miles probably won't make a difference for the race on Saturday. I plan on running only 3 miles tomorrow.

#111

z.m.- #25

Weather - 26 degrees, clouds, windy. Ran to the Urbana HS track and did 6 x 100M accelerations. The final two I let loose, it felt good kicking into the wind - legs strong and fresh, body poised and energetic. The gradual decline in mileage this week has allowed my body not only to recover, but to accumulate excess energy and vigor. Hopefully that will continue to build for tomorrow's race.

I think it interesting that I am looking forward with excitement to a small local 5K. It is most likely because I have not run a 5K in 7 months, and it will be enjoyable to run hard in a structured setting. My plan is to run comfortably hard the first 1.5 miles, and then to subject myself to discomfort during the second half - it is the 2nd half of races that I enjoy the most because I can see how far the spirit can push the body. If I have anything left I hope to charge the final 800 meters, although I know from experience that sometimes there is nothing left to give at that stage of a race, and maintaining the pace is all that can be achieved. I have no idea how to predict tomorrow's time. Because most of my winter training was at an easy pace of over 8 minutes per mile, I think it unlikely that I can run below 7 minutes per mile at this early stage of the season. The weather is going to be about 20 degrees and windy, so that adds to the difficulty, although after 16 weeks of running in nasty weather it should not bother me. A likely time estimate would be at 7:10-7:20 pace, which will put me in the 22:00 range. Maybe I can surprise myself and run 21:xx, but it would take an effort which I have not proven I can achieve.

#112

z.m. - #26

Weather - 13 degrees, sunny, windy.

Woke up at 6:00am to cold temperatures, but it did not bother or get me down, as I have trained in similar weather for the past 4 months. If anything, I would have a mental edge against people of similar level who did most of their training indoors on a treadmill. I decided to eat nothing for breakfast, which went against what I did last year. The reason I wanted to experiment was because on a few recent weekend runs I ran in the morning on an empty stomach and seemed to have good energy and strength.

I arrived at the race site at 7:00am, picked up my number, and headed out to run the full 5k course as a warm-up. The temperature was 13 degrees, but a stiff wind made it feel below zero. The course was a rectangle, 1.5 miles in length, and the wind blew into my face on the beginning length. I started slow, and built up speed gradually, during the last 1.5 miles I did 6-7 accelerations. I felt happy, no soreness, a lot of energy, and looking forward to going all out on a run. With 15 minutes to race time I went inside the registration building to stretch. I decided to wear a pair of black long underwear with shorts over them, 4 shirts, hat and gloves. This seems like a lot to wear, but I felt light because I normally train in 2 pair of long underwear with sweats, and a jacket. With 3 minutes to race time I set myself on the starting line, in the middle of the pack. I saw Ken Welle standing at the front of the group.

Ken and I had some fun and intense battles last spring and summer. We have an almost identical running pace, but I finish races with a faster sprint, which allowed me to win all of our head to head battles. I knew that was going to change today, because Ken continued to improve in the autumn (I did not run any competitive races after July), running a 19:01 5k in November. He also ran a 3:18 marathon in Columbus to qualify for Boston. He was very fit, obviously, with Boston only a month away. Our final battle of 2007 was a 5k in Fisher. I normally run my own pace when racing, but I decided to follow Ken’s pace the entire way. Ken always starts faster than I do, and I was hoping he could pace me to a PR. All went well, but I found that I did not have much energy during the final mile, and could only kick the final 400 meters, tying my PR of 19:22, and beating Ken by about 30 yards.

I positioned myself about 5 rows back from the front, wanting nothing to do with Ken today. I pegged him for about a 19:xx, and I was hoping for a 22:00. Nope, I didn’t even want to think about Ken.

Standing at the line, I heard the starting horn and was unprepared, as usually the race director has a few words to say, but suddenly everyone was moving forward. After 5 yards the group slowed and stopped – the horn had gone off accidentally. Relieved, I concentrated on the task at hand, set my iPod to Part III of Philip Glass’ “The Photographer”, and readied myself for 22 minutes of struggle.

Finally off, I found myself behind a wall of runners moving slower than I had anticipated, and had to swing out onto the snowy grass to pass. Now in the clear, I tried to find the correct pace. “The race is decided in the first minute” passed through my head, and I followed my breath, made sure I was comfortable, and settled into the race. I had a surfeit of energy, and the running felt easy, even though we were into the wind for the first 850 meters. I passed the half mile mark in 3:15, so I was holding a 6:30 pace, which made me reconsider my effort. It is hard to hold back during the initial leg of a race, everyone is racing like it is a 1500M event. Was I going too fast? I was into the wind at 6:30, well, I would soon find out. Rounding the first bend just after the1/2 mile mark I passed Audrey Ishii, one of the better master female runner’s in the area. She can run a 5K from 20-22, so I knew I was currently ahead of my projected pace. After the bend I turned with the wind and felt free and easy. I decided I was not going too fast, and now began to wonder if I was going too slow. “Hold back” I told myself, “and follow the plan”, which was to pick the pace up during the second loop. I was passing numerous runners, feeling good. I came upon a group of 3 at the 1 mile mark and tucked in (I forgot to check my mile split, but I am guessing it was 6:30 since I did not seem to falter). A woman was just in front of me, running well. I quickened the pace just a bit, and passed the group, but the woman did not want me to pass her, and she sped up so that I was just behind her. I felt this was the correct pace and so went directly behind her, if she did not want me to pass I was going to let her do the work of maintaining the pace for the both of us. I mentally relaxed at this point and just flowed with the running, enjoying the feel of pushing harder than on my training runs. As we made the final turn of the first loop, I prepared myself for the upcoming struggle. I still followed the woman, but when we made the turn to start the second loop, I willed myself to follow the plan – to push myself into discomfort. I quickened the pace and passed a few runners, including the woman. I could see her shadow at my feet, she did not want to let me go so easily. I was hoping she could stay with me, but within 100M the shadow disappeared, and so she must have let up. Going into the wind again, it did not seem so bad. I recalled all the days of cold and wind, rain and snow. The entire course was free of snow, and I had a firm footing with each step, which seemed a luxury, so I continued to push. I passed 2 miles in 13:15, so I ran the second mile in 6:45, which was 15 seconds slower than the first mile. I made the turn and was now with the wind. 1 mile to go, I pushed harder, a young woman was about 40 meters ahead, she was running strong, I caught her on the only uphill, and surged past. All was going to plan, the next thing that had to be done was to accelerate with 800 meters to go, which I did. When I made the final turn, all that remained was a 600 meter straightaway, directly into the wind. I picked up the legs, began to breathe faster, was trying my best to expend all remaining energy. With 200 meters remaining I felt the first sign of weakness, my breathing was too fast and not deep enough, and even though I felt I had 2 more gears to shift into, I could not find them, and had to settle for maintaining the pace. I crossed the line in 20:15, having run the final mile in 6:21.  

After the race I ran into Ken Welle, he finished in a solid time of 19:30. He said he had trained all winter and was ready for Boston. I told him I would see him at the Mountain Goat 15K in 2 weeks, and started home.

#113

z.m. - #27

Weather - 32 degrees, cloudy.

Ran 4 miles to the Zendo, meditated for 2.25 hours, then ran 3 miles to Cardinal and did 5 sets of strength exercises, and then 40 minute walk home.

The only negative effect from yesterday's race are stiff quads, but it is slight, and should recover quickly.

My race effort yesterday bodes well for the upcoming season. If I am capable of running 6:30 miles with no speed practice, I should be able to bring it 10-15 seconds lower with just a few weeks of intervals and repetitions.

The next race is in 2 weeks, the Mountain Goat 15k at Kickapoo State Park. Unlike the January Siberian at Kickapoo, this race is run on the hilly park roads. I ran it last year out of shape in 1:11. Considering that my endurance is presently good, I should be able to run it at least a couple of minutes faster.

#114

z.m. - #28

Weather - 33 degrees, cloudy, windy.

Completed my toughest workout of the year thus far. Because of the race this past Saturday, I postponed my Sunday bike interval workout until today. I also wanted to do a track workout today, so I did a double dose of running and bike intervals. I considered that I may be doing too much in one day, and I am probably not 100% recovered from the race. But the 15K is in 2 weeks, on the 22nd, so this week needs to be hard, because next week will be somewhat easy. I have a hill workout planned for Wednesday, and a 1 hour 45 minute long run on Friday. I have been erring on the side of caution all winter, so I decided to err with balls today.

Ran 1 mile to the Urbana HS track, then another easy mile to complete the warm-up. After stretching I ran 5 x 100M accelerations. I ran the faster ones in 19 seconds, which put things into cold perspective for me - I have no talent for speed. I wasn't all out sprinting, but 15-16 seconds would have been more convincing. After the accelerations I walked around for 5 minutes, then decided to do 400 meter intervals with a 400M jogging rest between. The first one hit me hard, I was struggling to find the correct breathing rhythm, and my legs felt a bit heavy. I knew I was not on top of my game today, so I decided I would go a maximum of 8, or stop short if the lap times got out of control. I hit the first 400 in 93, which was not bad considering it felt like 100. I was thinking of calling it quits if the next lap was in the upper 90's or above. I ended up doing all 8, I seemed to get stronger with each interval, but I never did feel energetic. The times were 93, 91, 93, 91, 91, 90, 91, 87. Although I felt like I was carrying a sack of lead on my back, I ran the laps loose and comfortable, well, as comfortable as possible when trying to go fast. I wanted to give a harder effort than last week, speed wise. Last week the laps were supposed to be at 5K pace, this week I wanted to try to go as fast as possible, while still creating the impression that I was running a 5k - I mean, I didn't want to go all out and then die the next lap, the effort had to be controlled throughout. In that respect I was successful.

I think 400 meter interval times will be an indicator if I can break 19:00 in a 5k. I am thinking I have to hit 85 consistently, such as 8 x 400's within 84-87 range, if I want to have a shot at it. Considering today was in the low 30's, with a stiff wind on the track, and I was wearing sweats, 3 shirts, jacket, hat, and gloves, I think I can realistically get to 87-90 once the weather warms. Getting below that will require a lot of effort and luck - I am looking forward to the challenge.

After the intervals I ran 2 miles to Cardinal. I changed into shorts and a singlet, stretched again, then rode 37 minutes on the bike, doing 10 intervals, each one with a tighter tension on the wheel. I cut down my rest times to 30-45 seconds each, and the length of the intervals lasted from 30-60 seconds. I gave it a good effort, and did well, I can feel my quads are benefiting from this type of workout. It was the 4th week of bike intervals.

I then did 5 sets of strength exercises, and a 15 minute walk home.

#115

z.m. - #29

Weather - 38 degrees, sunny, wind.

Easy day today, but this was the first easy day in a while where I worked the session hard. Too hard? I don't know, but now that spring is on the way I will have to be careful not to fall into last years bad habit of "if I am going for a run, it is going to be a hard run". I took few easy days last year, and paid the price by breaking down in early August.

Ran 9.5 miles total, When I reached the golf course I ran 10 x 150 yard accelerations, each followed by a 150 yard jogging recovery. I recall doing the same workout in November (the beauty of keeping a journal, the Nov. 14th entry describes my struggles with the same workout as todays - 150 yard strides, with a jogging recovery, the 3 miles run after were hell, I could not recover and was breathing heavily and my legs were wobbly). Today however, I ran the accelerations smoothly, concentrating on increasing my leg turnover, trying to get my feet off the ground as quickly as possible, almost all-out sprinting, yet I tried to make it feel as if I was going to run that quick pace for a long time. The accelerations were into a stiff wind, but it did not bother me, and I had no trouble recovering. When I finished I returned to my normal easy running pace without a problem and was able to run 5 more miles. So my fitness is much better today than 4 months ago. I also threw in 3 sets of knee-ups during the run, and also some bounding up hills. My overall pace seemed quicker, which made me think that maybe I was not going easy enough. I have reached a point in my training, however, where I need to begin taking small risks, pushing harder and closer to the edge. That is where the excitement is, and also the danger - when running stretches the limits of body and will.

#116

z.m. - #30

Weather - 52 degrees, sunny, windy.

Gave a solid effort today, it feels good to be putting in some quality work. I can now understand the value of 4 months of base training. If I had slacked in the winter I would not have been able to achieve this weeks load so early in the season - 5k race on Saturday, double interval workout on Monday, today a tough hill workout, and a long run planned for Friday.

I ran 2 warm-up miles to the arboretum, stretched, then ran 14 hills - 150 meters up, cruise the top of the hill, then an all-out sprint 150 meters downhill. I had never tried downhill sprinting before, but I realized that I could perhaps increase my leg turnover with some practice - I was running about 5:15-20 pace, I finally got an image of what the pros feel like. I alternated each uphill with race pace and bounding, the bounding was slightly easier on the lungs than the race pace, but it was harder on the quads. After each downhill sprint I would jog about 300 meters for recovery.

After running the hills I ran along the Race Street bike path, it took me a half mile to recover from the hill sprints. I then ran approximately 6:40 pace for 1.5 miles, followed by a cool down mile at 8:00 pace.

Afterward I did 3 sets of strength exercises in Carle Park, stretching, and 20 minute walk home.

It felt great to run in shorts and no jacket, and to feel the sun's warmth on my face. I am going to get soft and spoiled....

#117

z.m. - #31

Weather - 60 degrees, sunny.

An easy 8 miles in the best weather in a long time. I was able to wear shorts and just 2 shirts. I felt lighter than normal, it's good to run against my actual weight. Considering how hard this week has been thus far, my legs are holding up and are feeling strong. I could feel a bit of weariness in the quads, but my stride is improving, it seems more efficient, and my easy pace is becoming quicker, I was moving between 7:30-8:15, normally I am at 8:15-8:45.

Afterward I did 5 sets of strength exercises at Crystal Lake park, stretching, and 45 minute walk home.

Tomorrow is a long run of 1 hour and 45 minutes, I am going to run it slow, so probably 12-13 miles.

#118

z.m. - #32

Weather - 54 degrees, sunny.

A perfect day for a long run. I felt a bit stiff for the first 30 minutes, then was able to loosen up. I decided I would get to the golf course about 2/3 through the session so that I could test my stamina and leg strength. 65 minutes into the run I hit the fairways hard, with a jogging rest between each. I completed the full loop, which is 8 fairways. Although my quads were fatigued, they responded nicely, and on the second fairway I experienced something which I had only felt in sleeping dreams - the sensation of pure running, the body strong and healthy, gravity seemingly absent. I can recall only one other time in which I was able to run with an effortless power. I believe I was running sub-6:00, and it felt easy. I was not huffing like I usually do, and my stride seemed different. I was powering through with each step, and my feet were not going out as far as usual, they seemed to be landing even with my body, and this allowed a stronger push-off, which created more speed with the same effort as the longer stride. It occurred to me that having my feet land a few inches ahead of my body created a breaking action, and that I cannot not push off with power from that position - thus, slow running. Perhaps it was practicing the downhill sprints 2 days ago which caused my stride to adjust, or maybe it was just dumb luck to discover a stride flaw. I was able to run fairways 2-8 at a speed I had not achieved before, and I imagined that I could keep that pace going for minutes at a time if I needed to.

After the fairways I still had 25 minutes remaining, and I had no problem recovering from the hard fairway bursts, I was even able to throw in a 7:15 final mile.

Afterward 4 sets of strength exercises at Crystal Lake park, stretching, and 60 minute walk home.

This run completes the hardest week of training I have done in a while. I feel good, although my quads, and probably everything else, needs a break. Starting tomorrow I will have 7 consecutive easy days of running, distances in the 3-7 mile range, with a lot of short speed bursts to build sharpness in my legs.

By next Saturday I hope to be fully recovered for the 15K. The weather is predicted to be in the low 40's, which would be just warm enough for me to feel comfortable in shorts and no jacket.

#119

z.m. - #33

Weather - 36 degrees, gray skies.

Ran 4 miles to the Zendo, but the door was locked, so I stretched a bit on the Zendo patio and then ran 3.4 miles back to town. My legs were slightly fatigued, but surprisingly springy and strong, so I was able to run quicker than normal for an easy run.

Last year I ran the Mountain Goat 15k, I was not in good running shape, however, and the final 3 miles took a toll. The course is a 5k loop run 3 times. There are numerous hills of varying grade, the largest one being at the beginning/end of each loop - starting one gets to cruise down, finishing one has to struggle up. When I finished the final loop of the race I walked to a grassy patch and collapsed, my legs and lungs were toasted. The previous week I had run a 5k in 22:30, so I really had no business running the 15K. I remember telling Melinda that if I was going to run the Goat, it had to be the 15K (there are 3 races - 5k, 10k, 15k) because I wanted the full effect. I ran the first loop in 22:00, which caused me concern because I matched my 5K time from the week prior. I felt strong on the second loop, and decreased by only 1 minute, for a 45 minute total. I felt finished at that point, but still had one more loop to complete. I cracked and slowed, running the final 5k in 26 minutes for a total time of 1:11.

This year should be a better result. I ran a 5k last week in 20:15, so my racing legs are coming around. My plan is to run even splits, I am hoping for 22:00 for all 3 loops, for a total time of 1:06, a 5 minute decrease from last year. I think that is a realistic goal, although I looked at the updated weather report and it is now calling for a high in the mid-30's, which falls into my discomfort zone. I will still plan to run in shorts, but my muscles tend to be stiff and inflexible when it is below 40 degrees. If the weather can get into the 40's, I think it is possible for me to run even better than 1:06.

#120

z.m. - #34

Weather - 38 degrees, sunny, windy.

Ran 4 miles to the Zendo, meditated for 2 hours, 20 minutes, then ran 2 miles back to town, and 30 minute walk home.

The 5th session of bike intervals was scheduled for today, but my quads are still fatigued from last weeks tough sessions, so I am going to skip the stationary bicycle this week. When in doubt, rest.

#121

z.m. - #35

Weather - 38 degrees, rain.

5.5 easy miles in the rain. I can feel the energy building in my legs and body, I was tempted throughout the run to speed up so that the tension would dissipate, but I fortunately was able to resist. For the next 4 days I plan to allow the energy to accumulate, and by Saturday I should be good to go.

#122

z.m. - # 36

Weather - 50 degrees, raining.

A warm day, but since I ran in the rain yesterday, I thought I would try running on the treadmill at Cardinal. I did my first treamill run about 1 month ago at Michelle's, I thought it a fun way to train, although it did not seem as difficult as regular running. I jogged 1/2 mile to Cardinal, and then hopped on the treadmill. I was planning to run slow and easy, but my legs felt rested and strong and I ended up running 2 miles at 6:30 pace, but 6:30 on a treadmill is similar to 7:15 on the trails, so it did not seem very taxing. I also threw in some elevation spurts which got my heart moving, the monitor had me at 150-155 range, which felt just below threshold.

Afterward I did 4 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 15 minute walk home.

#123

z.m. - #37

Weather - 37 degrees, clouds. 

3.5 easy miles around the neighborhood. There is still some lingering fatigue in my legs, but they feel about 90% recovered. 2 more days of short, easy running will further the recovery.

I've come down with a slight cold, the first illness I have had in a long time.  It currently is nothing more than a congested nose and head. I am eating more than normal, good foods such as kiwis, oranges, pineapples, bananas, chicken-less noodle soup, eggs, oatmeal, and pure juices. Treating food as medicine usually cures such ailments.

#124

z.m. - #38

Weather - 44 degrees, sunny.

Ran 4 miles to the Zendo, meditated for 1 hour, then ran 2.5 miles back into town.

I am already 95% recovered from the cold,  very lucky it came and went so quickly. My legs felt about 95% recovered on today's run, by Saturday they should be 100%.

Saturday race day weather is supposed to be in the upper 20's and snow - I am out of luck for the race, I can't run to my potential when the weather is below 40 because my lungs get congested. I will forget about time and just have a blast running as hard as I can.

#125

z.m. - #39

Weather - 52 degrees, sunny, windy.

4 easy miles with 6 x 150M accelerations. Felt decent, not great, the wind dragged me down a bit. I'm excited about tomorrow's race, should be challenging.

#126

z.m.- #40

Weather - 32 degrees, clouds, windy.

Arrived at the race site at 9:20am, race time was 10:30. After registering I ran an easy 2 mile warm-up, I decided to skip doing accelerations because the 9 mile race distance would give my legs sufficient time in the early miles to find the proper speed tension. The course was a bit windy, there was light snow falling, but I found it to be not uncomfortable. I decided to wear shorts, 3 shirts, hat and gloves. When the race started I could not get my watch started, so I peeled off a glove and finally got it going, so I had to remember throughout the race that it was about 20 seconds off race time. The course is a 5k loop with 3 steep hills. My strategy was to run the first loop moderately, hoping to hit the first 5k in 22:00. One person passed me in the first 400M, and I reminded myself that the 10k runners were mixed with the 15k, so not to be surprised if I got passed during the 2nd loop. I felt strong and loose, I felt the pace was sufficient to hit 22:00, and it felt like an easy run. I did not want to push harder because I knew I would need a lot of energy for the third loop. Hit the first 5k in 21:30, and considering how easy it felt I was not worried that I was going too fast. During the 2nd loop I passed a number of people, but reminded myself to keep the pace consistent, so as to have something left for the final 5k. At the 9k mark I knew I was going to be able to hold a good pace for the remainder of the 2nd loop, and two thoughts occurred to me - "if I don't drop a 26:00 5k in the final loop I'm going to be fine", and "monitor how I feel at the start of the final loop". I was paranoid about the final 5K because last year I died at the end of the race, running a final 5k in 26:00. Just before reaching the steepest hill at the end of the second loop I saw Ken Welle flying down the hill, already having started his 3rd loop. He waved to me, and I shouted "Go Ken!". He was about 400M ahead of me, so I knew I would not be able to catch him. He is in monster shape for Boston, and is obviously at the peak of his training, so I knew it was wise not to try to run his pace. At the turn around I checked my watch and was at 43:00, so I had run the 2nd loop in the same time as the first, 21:30. I was starting to feel a bit tired, and my quads were becoming fatigued, but I had a lot of running energy left, and my lungs and heart were in good shape. I felt I had a chance to maintain the same pace for the 3rd loop. I was running up the hills moderately slow, but flying the downhills, I think I have a talent for downhill running, I can go full force with no breaking, while other people around me can't seem to pull the trigger. I passed a number of people on the downhills, and surprisingly I had still not been passed since the first 400m. With 1.5 miles to go I felt I was going to make it, my stride was not breaking, I was tired, but maintaining my composure. There was nothing much to the end of the race, I ran evenly paced, and there was nobody ahead or behind me to challenge, so I cruised home in 1:04:52, meaning I ran the last 5K in 21:52, a slight drop in pace, but still better than the 22:00 split I had planned for. They handed me a trophy as I stumbled out of the finish chute, which said I was in 15th place. There were 214 15k runners, so I was at 7%, which is better than my usual 15-20% finishing place.

My overall impression for this race is that it is one of my best efforts at a distance greater than 5k. I ran the 7.5 mile Lake Run last year, which was a flat road course, averaging 7:00 pace . Todays race was a more difficult course, in moderately difficult weather conditions, with a longer distance by almost 2 miles, and my average pace was 6:57. The race was peculiar because I felt I never opened up my pace, every mile was run in moderation, yet I still ran a quick pace when compared to last year's races. I can't deny I am getting into good shape, but I feel I am not even close to my top racing form. I have done only 3 or 4 hard sessions so far this year, once I get in 12-15 speed sessions, I should be able to run faster.

Last year I ran this race in 1:10:57, so I PR'ed the course by over 6 minutes. This gives me confidence for upcoming races.

#127

z.m. - #41

Weather - 32 degrees, cloudy, snowing.

I know it is officially spring, but I am still in winter mode - running in long underwear, hat, gloves, and snot dripping from my nose. Ran 4 easy miles to the Zendo, meditated for 2 hours, then ran 3 easy miles back to town. My quads are sore from yesterday's race, so this will be another easy week of training, although I would like to get in session 5 of the bike intervals, maybe I can do that on Monday or Tuesday. Even with sore legs, I was able to hold a quick easy pace today.

Strange thing happened yesterday evening. Towards dusk, basking in a post-race glow, I rode my bicycle to Family Video to return a dvd. As I rode into the parking lot I followed 2 cars. They inexplicably stopped, and I continued pedaling. As I passed one of the cars it decided to turn into a parking space, and headed right into me. I swerved quickly and stopped, and fortunately the driver saw me and stopped, a horrified look on her face. I parked my bike, dropped the dvd into the return slot, and as I walked back to my bike passed the woman. She apologized to me, but I said "no, it was my fault, I like living dangerously". I was feeling lighthearted and easy, and rode out of the parking lot. I turned into another parking lot 400 meters away, planning to cut into a park. I looked up and saw a man walking on the park path about 100 meters away. I calculated that we were going to intersect each other's path (this happens to me almost daily, crossing someone's direct line, even though there is hundreds of yards of empty space between us - it is absolutely freaky, I am convinced there is a lesson to be learned from this horrible sense of timing on my part, and I have finally concluded that I am living in an incorrect way, and must find a better path to travel), so I decided to speed up and thus reach the path before he arrived at my point of entry. As I sped up I took my right hand off the handlebar and moved it across my chest and plunged it into my left pants pocket, so that I could adjust my iPod volume. Just as my hand was going into my pocket my left hand pushed right, I guess to compensate for my right hand going left, and the wheel also turned right, but it was too sharp of a turn and before I knew what was happening the bike was crashing to the ground. I landed on my left knee and right shoulder. I remained on the ground without moving for about a minute, I was not sure if I was injured or not, and wanted to see if I felt any pain. I seemed to be ok, although I was in a state of shock. I wondered if the man had saw me fall. I shook my right leg out, extending it, then the left. Both legs seemed fine. I got up slowly. I had not hit my head. I did not even seem to be scraped. My right calf was a bit sore, but it did not seem serious. If the man had seen me fall, he hadn't bothered to stop, because I could not see him. I guess falling off of my bike is one way to avoid a crossing of paths. I rode home slowly, feeling charmed, because although I had experienced two dangerous things within 5 minutes time, I had escaped unharmed.

On my run today I did not suffer any ill effects from yesterday's fall, so onwards with training.

#128

z.m. - #42

Weather - 32 degrees, cloudy, snow.

Ran 7 easy miles through Crystak Lake Park, Busey Woods, and the golf course. It snowed during the run, which I thought was better than cold rain. My upper thighs are toasted from the race, it is that typical feeling I felt during last years marathon training - walking up and down stairs causes the most discomfort. I made sure to run calmly and with restraint today, and was surprised I was able to cover 7 miles without undue strain.

Afterward 5 sets of strength exercises in the park, stretching, and 40 minute walk home.

I am canceling the bike intervals this week because of the damage in my leg muscles. The next race on my schedule is the Christie 5k on April 12th. That fits nicely into my training - this week easy runs, next week 2 hard sessions, bike intervals, and a long run. The following week will be easy leading into the 5k.

Last year I ran the Christie 5k and it was a breakthrough race. The previous year I had tried to break 20:00 in the 5k but was unable to do so, my best being 20:09. I ran the Mountain goat 15k in 1:11, 3 weeks before the Christie 5k, and was humbled by the experience. After the 15K I immediately set to training hard everyday, which caused a big strain on my legs, but I ignored the pain and just balled my way crazily through the days. I combined sprinting, hill and interval work in the same sessions, and ran long once a week. I had no base, so I figured I would build it on the fly as I worked on my speed. After 3 weeks of this I ran the Christie 5k in 20:04, and I would have broken 20:00 if I had not taken a wrong turn 800meters from the finish, losing about 5 or 6 seconds. I was excited by the quick improvement, and a few weeks later I finally broke through, running a 5k in 19:30.

Remembering last years sequence of events, I know that I am capable of quick improvement once I begin stacking speed sessions week by week. The difference is this year I have a 5 month aerobic base with which to build the speed upon. After next weeks hard sessions my speed should improve, so I should equal or slightly better last year's performance. A few weeks ago I ran a 5k in 20:15, bringing it down 20 seconds should be possible, so 19:55 would be a reasonable expectation.

#129

z.m. - #43

Weather - 46 degrees, cloudy, windy. 

Easy 7 miles around the park, woods, and golf course. My thighs are still sore, but better than yesterday, so they are on the mend. The soreness does not hinder my running stride, and I have noticed this week my easy pace is getting faster. When I finished today I realized how quickly the run went, and thought, "yeah, it was fast, but it felt easy!" I guess that means my fitness is increasing.

#130

z.m. - #44
 

Weather - 57 degrees, sunny.

A strange day for running, not only for the pleasant weather, but also because of the route and the way I achieved the mileage.

The park district had a day long sabbatical at the Lake of the Woods forest preserve. I arrived early and ran 4.5 miles along the roads and golf course. After 3 hours of group work, I ran 4.5 miles during the lunch hour on the bicycle path. When the afternoon group activity ended at 2:45pm, I ran another 4.5 miles on the Buffalo Trace trail. The temperatures varied for each run - morning, 35 degrees; noon, 45; afternoon, 57. The afternoon run was fantastic, it was unfortunate I did not have my shorts, but it was nice to slog the muddy trails without a jacket.

I had forgotten how much easier it is to accumulate mileage by doing two or three shorter runs throughout the day, rather than one long run. If I had tried to run 13.5 miles in one go, my legs would be sore and dead. I think I should try to do more mulitiple-run days in the near future.

#131

z.m. - #45

Weather - 37 degrees, clouds, rain. 

Another adventurous running day. Decided to run to work, but since I live only 1 mile from the "cottage", I ran through Crystal Lake Park and Busey Woods so that I could get 4 miles. After work I went back to the park and woods and ran another 4.25 miles. After eating a big lunch  of pasta and veggies, I rested for a few hours, then went to Cardinal and ran 6 miles on the treadmill, 2 at threshold pace. So I totaled 14.25 miles, yet it feels like a normal day of 7 miles.  Somehow splitting the day up with multiple runs feels like cheating, but I notice that all of the top runners on this blog do it in this way. So I hope to continue with this method, and I will see what it does for my fitness. Some days I think it will be good to do straight 7-10 milers, and I realize that the long run should be done all in one shot.

Afterward 5 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 12 minute walk home.

#132

z.m. - #46

Weather - 40 degrees, sunny, windy.

Sunny, but the wind made it feel about 30 degrees. Was planning on a moderate/easy day, but Melinda called and wanted to run long, so I decided to go for it. I was curious to see how my legs would hold out with a continuous run. Also to see how strained they were from the past two days of staggered runs. Decided to wear shorts and 3 shirts with no jacket. We planned on a 1 hour and 45 minute run, so we took off for Champaign, running through campus, headed to the west outskirts, then back into Urbana, through the arboretum. Melinda stopped at her house at 1 hour 40 minute mark, I was feeling terrific, so decided to go for a full 2 hours. I am guessing we averaged about an 8:30 pace overall, so that puts me at 14 miles for the run. Yeah!

Now I am off to the Zendo to participate in seshin. I will not attempt to run there, so will ride my bicycle, hoping to avoid another fall.

#133

z.m. - #47

Weather - 43 degrees, sunny, windy.

Ran 4 miles to the Zendo, meditated for 2.5 hours (as part of seshin), then ran 3 miles back to town. Legs a bit tired, but holding up from the increased mileage this week.

#134

z.m. - #48

Weather - 40 degrees, clouds, rain.

Last night I was telling myself that I had blundered by running too many miles this past week, which did not allow my legs to fully recover from the 15K race. I woke this morning thinking I would have to once again skip bike interval session #5, but surprisingly my legs felt somewhat better, not 100% but close to it. So I ran 1/2 mile to Cardinal and ran 3.5 miles on the treadmill as a warm-up. I then did the bike interval session, and finished off with another 3 miles on the treadmill. I ran about 2 of the miles between 5:56-6:26 pace, it did not seem too difficult, my aerobic fitness appears to be improving.

Afterward 5 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 15 minute walk home.

#135

z.m. - #49

Weather - 60 degrees, clouds, windy, rain.

Ran 4.5 easy miles in warm weather, it started to rain on my walk home, so I had a dry run. My legs are still sore in the thighs from the race, it is time to fix that problem by cutting down the miles, and making sure I run easy. Tomorrow I plan on running 4 or 5 easy miles, and if I feel good by Wednesday I will do a hill session.

Afterward 4 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 40 minute walk home.

#136

z.m. - #50

Weather - 35 degrees, windy, clouds.

4 Easy miles to and around the arboretum, and 3 sets of knee-ups throughout the run.  

#137

z.m. - #51 

A.M. - I was planning to go hard today, a session of hill repeats - sprinting and bounding up the hill, and running as fast as I can down. I checked the 2nd Wind club site this morning and saw that the Wednesday speed sessions are starting today, so I will alter my plan and run hard with the group. They may go to the arboretum for hill work, so I could end up doing what I had planned. If they stay on the track, that will also work, since I wanted to do a track session this Friday or Saturday, I will just switch the hills to the weekend. I enjoy running alone, but I find I can get more out of myself on the hard days if I run with other people, so I am looking forward to putting in a strong effort today at 6:00pm. I am definitely ready to begin sweating blood in my workouts.

P.M. - Weather - 50 degrees, sunny.

Ran a 3 mile warm-up to the track and met with the 2nd Wind club. Last year's 1st session 4 people attended because the weather was mid-30's with wind and rain. This year a much better turnout, about 12-15 people. We ran to the arboretum for a hill workout, which fit into what I had planned to do. Matt, the leader of the group, had everyone do 8 x 100m hill sprints, with a 2 minute jogging recovery, so nothing too difficult. I told him before we started that I would be sprinting the downhills so that he would know I was not being too competitive. During the first hill the speedsters blew by me, I could only shake my head at my lack of natural speed. After the 2nd repeat I took the lead because of my downhill sprints, and it seemed that the others had gone too hard in the first 2 sprints because they were slowing down. I know from experience that these types of workouts are best if run at a pace one can maintain throughout the entire session. I was holding up well, actually picking up speed from repeat to repeat. I was getting a bit anaerobic because my rest period was about 90 seconds, but I held it together and finished the 8 feeling strong and not too winded. I decided as the group split off at the end of the session to do another set of 8 repeats, this time alternating sprinting and bounding up the hill, with a hard sprint down, but a longer recovery so that I could maintain my form. I was surprised that I felt stronger and faster during the 2nd set of 8 repeats, which made me feel that I am rounding into racing form. I mentioned to Mike as he headed off that I was doing another set of 8 and he just shook his head because he was feeling beat after 8. Considering nobody else stayed for more, I have to think that my winter base training surpassed the efforts of the people who attended the session. That made me feel good, to know that someone with no speed could still get decent results through consistent work.

#138

z.m. - #52

Weather - 45 degrees, raining.

Ran 4 easy miles to the Zendo, meditated 70 minutes, then 3 miles back to town. My legs have recovered from the race, I was a bit tired from yesterdays hard hill session, but I should recover soon.

Tomorrow an easy 4 or 5 miles, then on Saturday a set of intervals on the track to close out the week. Next week will be easy, winding it down to freshen up for the 5K on the 12th.

#139

z.m. - #53

Weather - 44 degrees, sunny.

Ran an easy 4 miles to Crystal Lake park and Busey Woods. Felt a bit tired, so still recovering from the hill session 2 days ago.

Tomorrow a hard set of track intervals. Thinking about what I wanted to do earlier today, I could not decide between doing 200m or 400m. It occurred to me that I should do both, so I will run 200M, with a 200M recovery jog, then 400M, with a 400M recovery jog. The 200M recovery followed by 400M will get my heart rate speeding. I will try to reach my threshold limit without getting overly anaerobic, as I think it is still too early in the year to be dealing with lactic overload.

#140

z.m. - #54

Weather - 60 degrees, sunny.

A great day for running. I run faster when the temps are between 60-80, so I was finally able to run a hard workout with decent conditions. I ran 1 mile to the Urbana HS track and then ran 2 more warm up miles. I stretched a bit, then walked to the indoor pool (about 100 yards away) to borrow a pen and paper. I was planning to bring paper/pen so that I could write my splits, but I forgot. When I returned from the pool I ran 5 x 100m accelerations. I only timed the last one, it was 17 seconds, which is a 2 second improvement from the last time I ran track accelerations on March 10. I waited about 5 minutes before starting the intervals. I decided to run alternating 200m/400m, with 200m/400m jogging rest. I wanted to do 8 each, which would equal 3 miles, so I decided to treat the intervals as a 5k race, starting moderately, then picking up the pace after the first 600-1000m, maintaining the pace in the middle, then holding on at the end. I was unsure how I was going to do, but the sun felt great, there was a moderate wind on the track (less than normal), I was wearing shorts/singlet, and I had my new trainers, which are 3 ounces lighter than my other 2 pair (they are bright yellow, which means I have to run faster, right?). There was one other man on the track, but he was camped on the opposite side doing jumping jacks and stretching.

Here is how it went :

1) 200 - 41 seconds. Felt great, was holding back a bit, legs felt super-charged, and my adrenaline was flowing as if it was a race.

1) 400 - 84 seconds. I had to look twice after I saw the time, because I don't think I have ever run a 400M in under 85 seconds. I was holding back, in control, wow!

2) 200 - 39 seconds. Picking it up a bit.

2) 400 - 83 seconds. Proving the first was no fluke. Can I maintain the pace?

3) 200 - 38 seconds. Went too fast on this one.

3) 400 - 84 seconds. Still feeling good.

4) 200 - 40 seconds. A good pace, this is where I needed to be.

4) 400 - 82 seconds. Too fast, but I was happy to see 82!

5) 200 - 42 seconds. Paid the price for the 82.

5) 400 - 85 seconds. Was worried about this one, the 82 took a toll, but I was still in control.

6) 200 - 41 seconds. Trying to maintain, and succeeding.

6) 400 - 86 seconds. Will I be able to hold for the final 1200m?

7) 200 - 42 seconds. Hanging on.

7) 400 - 86 seconds. Feeling a bit weary, but legs still feel good.

8) 200 - 41 seconds. Trying to save myself for the final 400.

8) 400 - 82 seconds. The homestretch, no more laps to save for, so I ran all out.

When I finished the final 400 it felt like I just finished a 5k, but I still had enough composure to keep running slowly around the track, and I recovered after only 1 lap, and finished off with a 1 mile cool-down.

If I don't include the recovery jogs, my total time for 3 miles was 16:36, averaging a 5:32 pace. The two 82 second 400's was a 5:28 pace, I have never gone that low before.

This is no doubt my best track workout ever, and one of the best runs of my life. It feels so good to be fit, to be able to make it work for a hard effort. I was not overstraining, nor trying to run past my abilities, yet I felt faster than ever before. This one run makes running everyday in the winter months worth it. To work 140 days to feel the pleasure of the 141st - I will always remember this day.

#141

z.m. - #55

Weather - 59 degrees, sunny.

2 nice days in a row. Ran 4.25 miles to the Zendo, meditated for 2 hours, then ran 3 easy miles back to town. Legs were not sore from yesterdays track session.

#142

z.m. - #56 

Weather - 61 degrees, sunny, breezy.

With the sun shining and the air warm I decided to venture to Homer Lake and run the trails. I ran 6.25 miles through the nature preserve, seeing the fresh sprouting grass and the purple tips of the budding bluebells.

#143

z.m. - #57

Weather - 62 degrees, cloudy.

Ran 2 miles to Crystal Lake park, then .5 miles to Cardinal because I wanted to do bike interval session #6. I am starting to enjoy treadmill running, so I hopped on and ran a 2.5 mile "cross country course", which meant the treadmill continued to raise and lower itself. I picked a "hilly" course, and averaged 7:30 pace, which was stiff with the elevation changes. I was not feeling all that great mentally because the past couple of nights my sleep has been choppy, so my energy level was down. When I finished the treadmill I stretched a bit and hopped on the bike. As I pedaled easy for 5 minutes my will started to slack, I felt I did not have the strength for a tough interval session. I decided to at least try, and if I felt like crap I would cut it short. Happily when I began the intervals my body went on autopilot and cranked out a good effort, moving up a tension level from previous sessions, and taking shorter rest periods (30 seconds to 1 minute rest). After doing a couple of the 1 minute hard slogs, my heart rate topped out at 157. I was in oxygen debt, breathing heavily, so I expected a number around 165-170. Maybe a longer period of hard work is required to get the heart beating at 85-90% max.

I checked the weather for this Saturday's 5k, it looks tough - low 30's with snow/rain, and windy. Considering how well my training has been going, though, I am confident I can get down to 19:55. If the weather is better than expected, I believe I can run 19:40.

#144

z.m. - #58

Weather - 51 degrees, sunny.

Ran 3 easy miles to the arboretum, then 1 threshold mile as I ran back home. I'm taking it easy so that I can feel fresh for the upcoming 5k this Saturday.

#145

z.m. - #59

Weather - 59 degrees, clouds, windy, rain.

Ran 1.5 miles in the rain to my wife's work, stopped in and gave her a kiss, then turned around and ran 1.5 miles back home. My energy level was exceedingly high, so after a short .50 mile warm-up I ran 1 mile at 5k race pace. After the short break I ran easy, but slowly built up the speed.

The past few weeks I have been running better than I ever have - energy is always good after a few easy days, and other than the 15K 3 weeks ago, my legs are doing a good job of recovering from the hard workouts.

Tomorrow 2 or 3 miles with 6 x 100m accelerations on the track, then - Saturday racing!

#146

z.m. - #60

AM - There is an ultra race this weekend in Pekin, IL (McNaughton Park Trail Run). A few of the 2nd Winders are running it. I happened upon a blog of an out-of-state runner who is experienced in ultras, and is planning to run 150 miles in 48 hours or less. He happened to mention his training mileage in March, and his mileage totals for 2008. He ran 215 miles in March, and his 2008 total is 644. This surprised me - I am training for a solid 5K performance in 2008, and I am putting in more mileage than an ultra runner? It makes no sense......

PM - Weather - 57 degrees, sunny, very windy.

Ran to Busey Woods and the golf course and ran 6 x 100M accelerations on the 7th fairway. The fairway was saturated, and with each stride I kicked up mud and water, covering the back of my white shirt with slop. Ended up running 4 miles total because of the distance to the golf course, then walked 35 minutes home.

Tonight the temperature will drop more than 20 degrees, and tomorrow morning will be low 30's, snow, and 20-30mph wind. I won't be running a PR in those conditions, but I should get under 20 minutes. In normal conditions I think I could hit 19:40, but I will have to forget about time and enjoy the challenge of the weather. I should have an advantage with similarly skilled runners who trained indoors all winter.

#147

z.m. - #61

Weather – 36 degrees, cloudy, windy. Rain/snow.

Woke to poor racing weather, but since it was expected, it did not bother me, I put away thoughts of time and focused on battling the elements.

The previous night I felt my nervous excitement reach levels that were perhaps too high strung. I plugged into my iPod and listened to a 19:40 piece by Philip Glass, and I ran a 5k in my head as I listened to the music while laying in bed. I felt pretty spent after this mental exercise, so I went into my study and meditated for a few minutes. Before falling asleep I read a good book on 5k/10k training, but this seemed to bring the nervous tension back. I dozed off and slept deeply for 8 hours.

I ran to the race site, which happened to be the midpoint (2.5 miles) of my route to the Zendo. I tried to monitor my energy level as I ran, I did not feel good, but I did not feel bad either. Snow/Rain was falling, making the streets bright and smooth, it felt refreshing to gaze at the long lines of car lamps reflected in the river-like asphalt. I felt like I was going too slow, and wondered why. Perhaps it was the weight of jacket, 3 shirts, hat, gloves, and sweats? When I got to the registration tent I turned around and realized I had been running into a stiff wind during the entire jog, which made me feel better about my speed and neutral feelings. I went inside the hospital (Christie Clinic was the race sponsor) and pinned my number and warmed up a bit. I took a 5k race map and headed outdoors to run a bit of the course. I came across a schoolyard and did 4 x 75M accelerations. They felt fast, and I was starting to feel good. The final mile of the course is a straight shot to the finish, with the wind at my back. I ran about 400M at race pace, my confidence gaining with each stride.

When I was standing at the start line I realized I had left my gloves inside with my sweats and jacket. My hands were already going numb, but with only 2 minutes to race time I stuffed them in my shorts pockets and tried to forget about it. Unlike the last 5K I ran a few weeks ago, I positioned myself near the front, so that I would not have my pace interrupted by slower runners. The horn sounded and I was immediately passed by a throng of runners. For 200M I was passed and passed. I couldn’t believe it when Don from 2nd wind passed me, he ran 24:47 at the Earth Wind and Fire 5k. Either he had done a massive amount of interval training in the past 4 weeks or he was going out over his head. I rechecked my pace, I was fine, actually a bit too strong, so I did not panic, although it did not make me feel confident seeing 30-40 runners surging ahead of me. After 600M I felt my pace pick up, and it was a good thing that I had forgotten my gloves, because the cold feeling in my fingers made me think that I was constantly being slapped in the face, and this caused my nervous energy to stay at a high level. At 800M I was going even faster, and as I began passing the runners who had passed me earlier, I saw they were slowing down. As I passed Don he was talking with another runner, and slowing appreciably. I sometimes wonder about the tactic of surging at the beginning of a race - what purpose does it serve if one slows down permanently after 1000M? At the one mile mark I had passed all the fakers, leaving about 10-12 runners ahead of me. I checked my watch and was hoping to see 6:10-6:15, but instead it read 6:32. This depressed me, I had run the same mile split in the last 5K, where I ran 20:15. Was I headed for another similar effort? With all of the good training I had been through in the past month, that did not seem right, but the split time does not lie. As we made a turn off the long straight, I realized I had once again forgotten to account for the wind. The first mile was kicked directly into the fists of a 15-20mph wind. I felt better after realizing that I ran a 6:32 mile in those conditions. I knew I would soon be turning around and have it at my back. At about 2000M a man pulled up beside me and looked like he was going to pass, but as he took a few steps ahead of me he slowed his pace and we remained equal. Watching him for 50M I realized I should tuck in behind him. He should have gotten behind me, but since he missed his chance, I decided I wasn’t going to miss mine. He did not seem to mind blocking all that wind for me, and I tried to run the pace on autopilot, waiting for the turnaround, which would soon be upon us. I sensed he was trying to shake me because he was slowly increasing the pace, but it was not enough to make me let him go. I was starting to labor a bit but I knew I would soon be feeling very good. We caught a swift moving slender female and we ran in a line of 3. We reached a 100M downhill at the turnaround, so the wind was now at our backs. I thought of the downhill sprints I had worked on in the past few weeks and I let the brakes off, quickly passing the 2 runners I had been following. I was probably running this downhill at 5:30 pace. When it flattened out I slowed a bit, but not too much, the wind was really pushing me along. When I got to the final mile straightaway I started to push the pace. I passed a runner, and saw another about 200M ahead of me. I did not think I would catch him, so I put my head down and started grinding/smoothing the pace. With a half mile to go I surprisingly passed this runner, I seemed to be really moving because he was out of my sight in a heartbeat. I worried that I was going too fast, I still had 800M to go, and I was already in top gear, but I felt in control and it was great having my legs in full stride. With 400M to go I turned my head to see if anyone was making a move on me, but the closest runner was about 100M away. I was safe, but I increased the pace anyways. With about 200M to go I started going anaerobic, but was able to hold my form and had a strong sprint into the chute as the clock clicked 19:13, which meant I had PR’ed by 7 seconds. I was able to recover in 1-2 minutes, and after watching a few runners finish, I took a 1 mile jog. I felt strong on my jog, as if my body was expecting more training. That made me smile.

From the race site I decided to run 1.5 miles to the Zendo, and I meditated for one hour, which calmed my body and mind. I then ran 3 miles back to town, which gave me 12 miles for the day.

#148

z.m. - #62

Weather - 34 degrees, cloudy.

Ran 4 easy miles to the Zendo, meditated 2.25 hours, then ran 3 miles back to town.

This coming week will be a hard one - tomorrow a hill session, along with bike intervals. Wednesday a track session with the 2nd Wind club. And Friday a 2.25 hour long run.

The next race is the 12K Lake Run on May 3rd, which is in 3 weeks. It is a flat road course circling Lake Bloomington. Last year I ran it in 52:04, which was an exact 7:00 pace. I was happy with that effort and time, but this year I should be able to do better. I ran a tough 15K course last month averaging a 6:57 pace, so I should at a minimum be able to run a 6:50 pace for this race, which will put me at 50:49.

Since I am 3 weeks out until the next race, I will be able to train hard for 2 consecutive weeks, which should further boost my speed and fitness.

#149

z.m.- #63

Weather - 50 degrees, sunny, windy.

My body and mind were desiring a workout of high intensity, a challenge of the spirit, and fortunately, a hard hill workout and bike intervals were planned for the day. While sitting at my desk at the park district I could feel the excitement in my blood growing as each hour passed. 30 minutes before punch-out I began to visualize the hill, running in the sun, feeling my heart working to maximum capacity.

It is a feeling of peculiar satisfaction to yearn for something which will tax all of my resources, and still, to have the confidence that I am ready for the challenge. I ran an easy 2 miles to the arboretum, stretched a bit, set my watch, and began the workout. I started at the ball diamond backstop and ran 100M at 5K pace to the base of the hill, then bounded up the 100M hill on the odd intervals, and ran up at race pace on the even intervals. After cresting the top I ran 150M full speed down the hill, trying to get my leg turnover going as fast as possible. I jogged 350M to the backstop, and repeated the sequence 18 times. When finished I was not tired, but rather refreshed, ready for more work. Without a break I jogged 1.5 miles to Cardinal, got on the stationary bike, and did bike interval session #7. I once again increased the wheel tension past the previous workouts setting, with short rest periods of 30-60 seconds. When I got to the final interval I tried setting it at level 26, but found that 25 was the highest tension possible. I laughed, and ripped through level 25, pedaling with all my strength, sweat dripping onto the bike, my breath heavy and audible. Upon finishing I still felt strong, ready for more running. Thinking this not wise, I did 5 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 10 minute walk home.

I believe I have reached a new fitness plateau. I can't recall feeling such strength and stamina, being able to complete hard workouts with a pleasant mixture of exhaustion and strength. This is good....

#150

z.m. = #64

AM : Weather - 32 degrees, clear.

Ran 4 easy miles before work. This afternoon will run 6-7 more easy miles.

PM : Weather - 58 degrees, sunny.

Ran 8.25 miles, mostly around the Busey Woods loop. Toward the end of the run I ran 5 x 200-400M accelerations.

Today was an easy day, I am hoping 12.25 miles is not too much work. Tomorrow is a track session with the 2nd Wind club. They will probably be doing short intervals, such as 12 x 200M with a walking rest. If I am feeling tired I can stop there, but if my energy level is sufficient I should try to achieve 24 X 200M run at 5K pace with a 200M jog between each. That is a total of 3 hard miles, which equals my last track session 10 days ago of 8 x 200M and 8 x 400M.

#151

z.m. - #65

AM : Weather - 42 degrees, clear.

Ran 4 easy miles to work. I usually walk to work, but I am finding that running instead makes me feel livelier once at work, and the more I can practice running, the better. I will observe later on today if running easy early in the morning will have an effect on how I run a hard track session on the same day.

PM : Weather – 68 degrees, sunny, windy.

Beautiful day, a bit breezy on the track, but the sun sure felt nice. Ran 1 mile to Carle Park, did 3 sets of strength exercises and stretching to get warm, then ran 400M to the track. Saw Matt, the leader of the 2nd Wind track sessions, we ran 1.25 miles together. He told me about the River to River Relay going on this weekend, he seemed excited about going.

The track session called for 5 x 100M accelerations, 12 X 200M with a 200M jogging recovery + 30 seconds standing on the line, followed by a final 1 x 400M. Not too long distance wise, so I told Matt if I was feeling strong I would be doing 20-24 x 200M. Matt brought a time chart which gave recommended 200M and 400M times based on 5k time. For 19:00 it gave 40-41 seconds for 200M, and 85-86 seconds for 400M. I was happy when I read those times because those were the times I was hitting in my last track session 11 days ago. My goal for today was to hit 40 seconds consistently for the 200M. I was concerned that running with a group would make me run too hard, and I was correct in my worry, as I went under 40 for all 12 200’s. Here are the times : 

1) 38 seconds

2) 38

3) 39

4) 38

5) 37

6) 38

7) 38

8) 38

9) 38

10) 39

11) 39

12) 39

I ran the 400M in 82 seconds, which matched my fastest 400 from the last track workout. I was still feeling strong following the 400M so I decided to go ahead and do 12 more 200M. I gave the same perceived effort, but my times went up a few seconds, which exhibits the strange phenomenon of running in a group versus running alone :

1) 42 seconds

2) 40

3) 40

4) 41

5) 40

6) 40

7) 41

8) 40

9) 42

10) 41

11) 41

12) 38

I handled the 2^nd 12 pretty well, never really tired, and was able to give a harder sprint effort for the final 200M. This was a successful workout, I am still in a bit of shock at this new fitness level I have achieved, last year I ran this same workout in mid-April and was vanquished by 12 x 200’s. I am sold on the power of building a winter base.

Afterwards I ran 1 easy mile around the track, then walked 45 minutes home. 

#152

z.m. = #66 

AM : Weather - 50 degrees, clear.

Ran 4 easy miles to work. Only a little stiff from yesterday's hard track session.

I am worried that I am putting in too much mileage in a week where I am doing 2 hard workouts and a long run. It looks like I am threatening to go over 70 miles, which is fine, I was at 70 a few weeks ago, but to have that high mileage in a hard week may not be smart. Well, I have just the long run left, maybe I should put it off until Saturday to give myself an extra recovery day.

PM : Weather - 74 degrees, sunny.

8 gentle miles run around Busey Woods and Crystal Lake park. This was the first day of the year where I felt hot on a run - nice!

 #153

z.m. - #67 

AM : Weather - 56 degrees, clear.

Ran 4 easy miles to work. I have decided to lay off the long run today and rescheduled it for Sunday. I will proably be running with Melinda and Michelle at Homer Lake, weather is supposed to be sunny and 70 degrees, should be a great trail run.

Instead of being awoken by my alarm clock this morning, I was instead shook from my sleep by an earthquake. I was actually already conscious before it hit, I was laying in bed breathing deeply, thinking about training, when I felt the bed start to move a bit. I thought my wife was shaking her leg, and thought nothing of it. A few minutes later the bed began moving vigorously, the bedroom window began to rattle, and the dishes in the dining room made noise. My first impression was somebody was trying to break into the house. Then I thought some kind of explosion had occurred. My wife sat up in bed and said - "Earthquake!". As usual, she was right....

PM : Weather - 71 degrees, cloudy.

Ran an easy 8 miles around the park and Busey Woods. Afterward 5 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 35 minute walk home.

Today ends a difficult week of training - 5K race, hills, track intervals, and double runs. My legs are feeling a bit weary and sore, but next week will be moderately hard, followed by an easy week, so they will recover shortly, and hopefully become stronger.

#154

z.m. - #68

Weather - 48 degrees, clouds.

Ran a gentle 5 miles through the park and Busey Woods. I don't plan on running a double today, but my body is already desiring a second run. I will hopefully refrain, though, and allow my body to recover from this hard week of training.

I am looking forward to doing more doubles, it is a good way to get in a lot of running practice. And, it seems to have brought me back to my childhood days - I can recall when I was 12 years old always being active - baseball, basketball, running, I was doing 5 to 6 hours of active training a day as a child. No wonder I had so much energy back then.

Two of my favorite memories from childhood :

1) I would walk to my friend Rocky's home every morning before school. We would eat breakfast together and watch cartoons, and then walk to school together. One day as I was walking I decided to start running, and from that day onward I would run to his house. It gave me a feeling of joy to be running by the houses, block by block, the early morning air silent and subdued.

2) One hot summer day I went to my friend Ramon's apartment. He was inside, enjoying the air conditioning. I asked him if he wanted to play baseball across the street at the school yard. He said no way, it was too hot. I left his house soon after, wondering what I could do by myself. I put down my glove and ball on his stoop and started running around his apartment. I wasn't sure how long I was going to go, but before I knew it I had gotten to 25 and decided I was going to try to run 40 times around (probably 1 block, so approximately 4 miles). When I finished I sat on his stoop, sweaty, exhausted. Ramon came out and asked what I was doing. I told him I just finished running 40 times around his apartment building. "No way! Your lying!" "No, Ramon, I did run 40 times around, it's true" I pleaded. He wasn't buying it, so I walked home, feeling proud that I did something so hard that Ramon thought it impossible.

#155

z.m. - #69

Weather - 55 degrees, clouds.

A nice morning for a long run. Melinda wanted to run the 8 mile White Heath loop twice instead of the Homer Lake trails, so we drove there at 8:30am and started our run at about 9:15am. I had never run White Heath, 2nd Wind uses the marked course for one of their marathon training runs. It is isolated country roads with plenty of trees and some occasional smallish rolling hills. The roads had a soft dirt shoulder, so I was able to avoid running on asphalt. We ran the first loop in 71 minutes, a nice and gentle 8:52 pace. The second loop Melinda plugged into her iPod so I decided to speed up just a bit. I ran an extra .25 miles when I took a wrong turn, ended up finishing the 2nd 8.25 miles in 64 minutes, for a 7:45 pace. Total time was 2:15, which was exactly what I wanted to run today. Felt really good on the 2nd loop, was not straining, although my legs were a bit fatigued on the hills.

Tomorrow and Tuesday will be easy days, followed by a Wednesday track session with 2nd Wind. Thursday and Friday easy, with hills and bike intervals on Saturday.

#156

z.m. - #70

AM : Weather - 67 degrees, sunny.

4 easy miles around the neighborhood. Not much soreness from yesterday's 16 miler.

PM : Weather - 74 degrees, sunny.

Ran 7.5 easy miles doing loops at Busey Woods. The sun was warm, sweat was in my eyes, and my muscles were loose from the heat - a very enjoyable run.

Afterward 5 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 35 minute walk home.

Feeling a bit sore, so tomorrow I will only do a single run of 5 miles, hopefully that will allow my muscles to heal and my energy to be sufficient for a hard workout on Wednesday.

#157

z.m. - #71

Weather - 77 degrees, sunny.

A great warm day, I love running beneath a hot sun. Loops around Busey Woods, 5 easy miles total.

Afterward 5 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 35 minute walk home.

#158

z.m. - #72

AM : Weather - 57 degrees, clear.

Ran 1 easy mile to work, I got a late start so decided to run instead of walk. Legs feel slightly recovered, so will probably attempt a track session with 2nd Wind this evening. I will cut the workout short if I feel I am overdoing it.

Late AM : Weather - 68 degrees, sunny.

Ran 2 easy miles home from work.

PM : Weather, 79 degrees, sunny.

Warm day, very nice, but humid also, which made me feel a bit heavy as I am not heat acclimated yet. Ran 1 mile to the Urbana HS track, then 2 more easy miles as a warm up. Met up with 2nd Wind and the session called for 8 X 400M with a 400M jogging recovery. Did 4 x 100M accelerations to start, then got into the intervals. My legs were still a bit sore from the hard sessions last week, so I probably should not have even attempted a track session. But I thought if I could get this workout in then I will take easy/moderate days all the way to next Saturday's race, which is plenty of time to recover.

I planned to run the 400's at 5k effort, which should have put me at 84-86 seconds, but the group effect took hold and I ended up running them faster than expected. The effort felt right, though, so I am not going to worry about going too fast in that case. I was thinking I could try for 12 x 400M, but after 9 I could not recover adequately after the 400M jog, so I ended early. I think the sore legs did me in, as they started to burn and tighten after #9.

Here are the times :

1) 82 seconds - Felt fine, surprised to be lower than 85.

2) 86 - I consciously tried to hit 86 on this one.

3) 84 - starting to get into a groove.

4) 81 - felt strong, happy to see 81.

5) 81 - keeping the effort solid and controlled.

6) 79 - first time I have hit 79 in a 400 interval, happy about it!

7) 79 - hit it again.

8) 83 - tried to slow down a bit, knowing I may have 4 more to go.

9) 86 - first one on my own, and I ran out of gas during the recovery.

Afterward a .5 mile cool down run home.

#159

z.m. - #73

AM : Weather - 59 degrees, clear.

Perfect morning for an easy run, went 5 miles before work. Legs felt much better than yesterday evening. After the track session they were tight and sore, and it felt like it would be a while before they recovered. There is some lingering quad soreness, but the stiffness is gone. I am surprised at how fast my legs have been recovering from hard sessions.

The next 8 days will be easy, although I may do an abbreviated hill session over the weekend if I am feeling good. Also, a bike interval session on Sunday or Monday. Other than that, it will be recovery, recovery, recovery....

PM : - Weather - 71 degrees, cloudy.

7 easy miles through the park, Busey Woods, and on to the arboretum.

When I crested the hill at the arboretum I was listening to Richard Hawley's "The Only Road". I felt so happy at that moment - spring blossoming everywhere, colorful trees sending odorous messages through the air, flower petals laying listlessly on the ground, the feeling of freedom that only running can give - that I began to cry from the sheer beauty of living. Crying from joy is one of life's rare treats.....

#160

z.m. - #74

AM : Weather - 68 degrees, sunny, windy.

Another beautiful morning, ran 5 easy miles through the park and Busey Woods.

After Wednesday's interval session I caught a cold, lots of sneezing, but nothing else. I decided to work yesterday evening at the park district and skip work today so I would not give anyone my sickness. I already am starting to feel better, and it has not affected my running energy.

Will probably do another 5 miles in the late afternoon. There is supposed to be rain, it would be fun to do a wet run.

I recently learned of Team Hoyt : http://www.teamhoyt.com/

It is people like the Hoyt's which make me feel there is so much that can be done, no matter the circumstances.

PM : Weather - 79 degrees, sunny, windy.

The rain never came as predicted, so had a summer-like run in heat and humidity. I was planning to go 5 miles, but I felt so good in the warmth I just kept going. Running is becoming such a normal activity that it seems I should be doing it 2 or 3 times a day - what a great feeling!

#161

z.m. - #75

Weather - 59 degrees. sunny.

Ran 6 easy miles through the park and around Busey Woods.

#162

z.m. - #76

AM : Weather - 46 degrees, sunny.

Pleasant and cool morning, ran 4 easy miles through the park and Busey Woods. My Legs are starting to recover from 2 hard weeks of training. Quads still a bit sore, but getting better every day. They should be 95-100% by race day this Saturday.

Late AM : Weather - 52 degrees, sunny.

Stopped at work after my initial run earlier today and put in a couple of hours. The reason I did this is so that I can come in later in the mornings this week if I decide to do a 5 or 6 miler beforehand. After work I ran 6 miles through the park, around Busey Woods and the cemetery.

Inspired by Lybi, I decided to try barefoot running. I also recently read an article about Newton running shoes (http://www.newtonrunning.com/)

The company states :

"When you run barefoot you naturally land on your forefoot. Newton Running shoes were developed to make your feet think they're barefoot and increase your performance.

The sole of Newton mimics your own, allowing your foot to move freely and promote a forefoot impact."

I thought about this and decided I could not know the truth of their statement because I had never run barefoot before.

When I arrived at the cemetery I removed my shoes and socks, and ran gently in a large plot of open grass. I twice ran 200M, then 200M back. I decided I was not landing on my forefoot, but rather on my midfoot, with a slight heel strike. I loved how running barefoot felt, my feet and legs had less stress, and I could not discern any quad soreness, but when I have my shoes on the soreness is evident. I put my shoes back on and ran into Busey Woods. I was inspired to again remove my shoes and socks, and to run a mile loop barefoot. The dirt trail felt wonderful on my feet, and my running motion felt more efficient. By the end of the mile I could feel the skin on my forefoot begin to burn, so it will take some practice to get the skin used to the friction. The best place to run would be the golf course fairway, so I will need to get there early in the morning before the golfers get started. I would like to incorporate barefoot running as part of my training, if anything just for the joyful feel of it.

#163

z.m. - #77

Weather - 38 degrees, cloudy, rain.

A cold and wet spring day made for a refreshing run. When I got to the golf course I removed my shoes and socks and ran 1000M on 2 fairways. The cold, wet grass chilled my feet as I ran comfortably and freely.

My energy is still down from the hard sessions, I have 5 easy days before the race to get it back.

#164

z.m. - #78

Weather : 47 degrees, sunny/cloudy.

Ran easy to the arboretum. When I arrived I removed my shoes and socks and ran 1 mile barefoot in the grass. Afterward I ran easy and threw in 5 x 100-300M accelerations.

My legs feel better today than yesterday, and my energy level is on the upswing. Felt good doing the accelerations, had some nice power and ease in my stride.

I can feel a difference in the way I am running just off of 3 very short barefoot running sessions. After putting my shoes back on and resuming shoe running, I can sense my feet landing differently, trying to land mid-foot while avoiding the shoe's heel. The shoe heel is hard to avoid, however, because it is so big. Maybe I should look into getting shoes that have a flat heel. Racing flats are an option, but I am don't know how they would hold up to training miles. It is something to ponder.

#165

z.m. - #79

Weather - 67 degrees, sunny.

Ran 4.5 easy miles through the park and Busey Woods. At the end of the run I did 8 x 100-300m accelerations, then removed my shoes and socks and ran barefoot 1200M at the cemetery and golf course. I ran a 300M acceleration barefoot, I was able to get to top speed, it felt nice!

Afterward 4 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 45 minute walk home.

My legs felt strong today, they are about 90% recovered, and my energy level went up another notch. Tomorrow it should be even better.

#166

z.m. - #80

Weather - 72 degrees, sunny/cloudy.

4 Easy miles around Busey Woods and the park. At the end of the run 5 x 200-400M accelerations.

My legs are feeling good, energy level high. Looking forward to racing on Saturday.

#167

z.m. - #81 

Weather - 68 degrees, cloudy, windy.

Ran 3.5 miles to the car rental agency. Felt a bit tired because I ate a big meal beforehand. Will get some good sleep tonight and am looking forward to putting in a big effort tomorrow.

#168

z.m. - #82 

Weather - 52 degrees, cloudy, very windy.

Another race with tough conditions. I had to throw out my time goal of 6:50 per mile because of strong winds (25-35mph). I was still able to beat last years time by 32 seconds, with a pace of 6:54 per mile. If the wind was moderate I am guessing I could have averaged a 6:45 per mile which would have knocked about a minute off of my time.

Overall I am pleased with how it went. I felt fresh and strong, and my pace was consistent throughout. The wind was pushing somewhat at my back for the first 3 miles with a semi-cross, but since I start races moderately, I was not able to take full advantage. After mile 3 the rest of the race was against either a cross wind or directly into it. At mile 5 it was directly into my face, and I probably ran that mile in 7:45. It got a little better at mile 6 with a direct crosswind, but its strength continually pushed me so that I was running bent.

I was not passed by anyone in the race, and I was able to pick off 10-15 runners as the race progressed.

Last year I placed 43rd, and this year 29th, so that may be a better indicator of my improvement this year.

#169

z.m. - #83

AM : Weather - 57 degrees, sunny.

Drove to Homer Lake with Maggie (pet dog) and we ran 5 miles through the forest trails. Lots of bluebells were on the path, and I ran barefoot for about 1.5 miles.

PM : Weather - 62 degrees, sunny.

After dropping the rental car off I ran 4 easy miles home.

#170

z.m. - #83

Weather - 78 degrees, sunny.

Nice warm day, ran 4 easy miles in shoes through the park and Busey Woods, and 1 mile barefoot at the golf course.

Tomorrow will be another easy day, and if I feel good on Wednesday I will join 2nd Wind at the track for an interval workout.

I am thinking about running a 5k this weekend at Crystal Lake park. I did not schedule to run it, and I won't feel fresh, but I need to do some tempo/pacing type sessions, and a 5k race would meet that need. A race is more exciting than doing a tempo workout by myself, and I get a chance to see if I can hold a stiff pace without tapering. If the weather sucks I will skip the 5k, because I need a break from racing in cold/rain/wind.

#171

z.m. - #84

Weather - 78 degrees, sunny.

Ran 6 easy miles at the arboretum, 2.5 miles barefoot in the grass.

#172

z.m. - #85 

Weather - 67 degrees, raining.

Had one of my better workouts today, doing a track session with 2nd Wind. The group was doing 4 X 1200m and 4 X 200m. The total time for each 1200m was 8 minutes, but if I ran a 5 minute 1200m, then 3 minutes rest seemed too much. Matt suggested I do 4 X 1600m, that seemed more challenging, so I gave it a try. I realized before starting that I had never done 1 mile intervals, so I had no idea how it would go. I decided on a slightly slower than 5K pace, so somewhere between 6:40-6:50 seemed reasonable. Just before lining up it started to rain, but since it was warm it felt pretty good. We did 4 x 100M accelerations and then got to it :

1) 6:26 - The time seemed fast, but the pace felt right.

2) 6:32 - feeling good.

3) 6:30 - still feeling good

4) 6:21 - a little leg weary at the end, but recovered nicely before starting the 200's.

The 4 x 200M had a long 400M rest, so I was fresh for each one :

1) 40 seconds

2) 39

3) 39

4) 36 - my first 36 second 200, was in control the whole way.

Did a half mile cool down, did not feel exhausted or beat, just pleasantly spent. What I was most pleased about is I had only a 90 second jogging recovery between miles, and it was enough, I started each one fresh and with a low heart rate.

#173

z.m. - #86

Weather - 53 degrees, raining.

5 easy miles in the rain.

#174

z.m. - #87 

Weather - 61 degrees, cloudy.

3 easy miles around the park and Busey Woods.

I may run a 5k in the park tomorrow, depending on how energetic I feel. Also, I had a slight low ankle ache on my run today, which is why I cut it short. It seems better now, I will see how it feels when I run to the park tomorrow morning.

#175

z.m. - #88 

Weather - 58 degrees, sunny.

A nice day for a relaxed 5k. I was not expecting to break a PR today, as I had 2 hard workouts during the past 7 days. My overall mileage was low, but the intensity of the 12K race last Saturday and my first ever mile intervals at the track on Wednesday caused me to feel a bit low on racing energy. My plan was to get another good pacing workout in with the help of this race. My mile splits were right on target :

Mile 1 - 6:16

Mile 2 - 6:18

Mile 3 - 6:14

That is where I thought I would end up. I will admit I feel a bit down because I was running these same splits last year in June/July, when I was feeling really tired because of my marathon training. Well, I should not complain, I set a PR in the 5k last month, and I am feeling healthy and not too beat up.

I plan on doing a shortened long run of 90 minutes on Monday, then maybe some bike intervals on Wednesday. Next Saturday is the Buffalo Trail 5 mile race. I ran a pretty good race last year, averaging 6:45 per mile on grass, smallish hills, and a creek crossing. That time is going to be hard to beat, but I should be close.

#176

z.m. - #89

Weather - 53 degrees, cloudy, windy.

5 easy miles at the arboretum.

#177

z.m. - #90

Weather - 62 degrees, sunny.

Very nice day for a shortened long run. Because I have a race this Saturday I decided to include some bike intervals in the middle of today's run, rather than have another strenuous effort later in the week.

After running 45 minutes, I stopped in at Cardinal and did my usual routine of bike intervals. The session was difficult on my breathing/heartrate, more so than usual. I should mention that for the past two weeks I have altered my breathing technique during running. If I stick with it I can expect difficulties for a few months when running beyond an easy pace. This could also hinder my races, but in the long term it may be a better way to run, so I do not mind working with it for 2 or 3 months to see if my running improves from it.

After the bike intervals, which took 20 minutes to complete, I ran another 45 minutes, for a total of 90 minutes running.

Afterward I did some stretching and strength exercises, and a 35 minute walk home.

#178

z.m. - #91

Weather - 62 degrees, sunny.

5 easy miles at the arboretum on a pleasant spring day. Ran 1 mile barefoot in the grass. At the end of the run I did 4 x 150-300M accelerations.

#179

z.m. - #92

Weather - 62 degrees, cloudy.

4.5 easy miles around the park, did 5 x 100m accelerations at the end of the run.

Legs feel pretty good, the low mileage is helping me stay fresh. Now that I am running races almost every weekend I would like to keep my mileage between 30-50. When I take an extended break from racing I will begin to build back to a higher base. Now is the time to focus on the quality of the training runs, the lower mileage will hopefully keep me injury-free.

#180

z.m. - #93

Weather - 52 degrees, raining.

A wet and cold day, so I decided to be soft and run on the treadmill at Cardinal. I ran 4 miles, with about 1 mile being run at 5:42-6:15 pace.

After the mill I did some strength exercises and stretching, and a 15 minute walk home.

#181

z.m. - #94

Weather - 56 degrees, cloudy.

Ran 3 easy miles. Looking forward to the race tomorrow.

# 182

z.m. - #95

Weather - 61 degrees, cloudy, windy.

Race day conditions were not too bad, a stiff 15mph wind, but it was pleasantly cool. I did not feel at my best, my energy level was a bit low due to poor sleep the past couple of nights. I should have been more careful about getting to bed early, but that is the way it goes sometimes.

Last year I ran this race in 33:46, so I was 44 seconds slower this year. Pace was 6:54, which was the same pace as the 12K two weeks ago. One factor not in my favor was the course was quite muddy in places, and besides the swollen creek crossing, there was a 20M length of standing water at the 3.5 mile mark, causing a slowdown. I held about a 6:40 pace for the first 3 miles, but slowed to a 6:55-7:00 pace in mile 4, and mile 5 I fell apart on the long gently sloping uphill straight into the wind. My lungs were maxed out with 800M to go, and I just kind of meandered in, losing quite a bit of whatever speed I had left.

I was proud of the fact that nobody passed me in the race, but with 200M to go I looked over my shoulder and saw a runner closing in, he was only 5 meters back. He had been following me at a 100M distance for the final 2 miles, but with my crash he was ready to take me down. With 100M to go he was on my heels, and even though I felt like crap I started sprinting. I was confident that I could hold the lead, and when I turned to look behind me with 50M to go he was still on my heels - he was not going to let it go so easily. I ran even harder and I was able to get into the chute first - ahhhhh, that hurt!

Today is the 6 month mark of consecutive days of running, I'm going to eat some Ben & Jerry's frozen yogurt to celebrate.

#183

z.m. - #96

Weather - 55 degrees, sunny.

4 easy miles at the arboretum, 1 mile run barefoot. No soreness from the race, so I am guessing that my legs could have withstood a harder effort if I had the energy to give it. I got 10 hours of sleep yesterday and my energy has returned.

Next race is the Memorial Day 5k in Danville. It was this race that I had in mind for breaking 19:00, but my training and recent races give no indication that this is possible. I think I will end up running what I ran last week, which is 19:30. It may be that going below 19:00 is beyond what I am capable of. It is a good goal though because it is just out of my reach, so it will keep me motivated for years to come - ha!

#184

z.m. - #97

Weather - 51 degrees, cloudy, raining, windy.

7 easy miles in winter-like conditions. With the 15mph wind it felt about 40 degrees, and it rained during the entire run. When I got home my hands were numb, and it felt good to get into a hot bath.

#185

z.m. - #98

Weather - 61 degrees, sunny/cloudy.

It was nice to put in a big workout today. My confidence was ebbing due to my mediocre race last Saturday, and I was thinking maybe I had reached a mini peak in March, and had come down a bit. It probably has to do with racing almost every weekend, because I feel tired more often, take more easy days, and am not running long with any consistency. All of these things have probably contributed to a reduction in racing ability. I still feel very fit, however, and I enjoy racing a lot, so if it comes with a slight reduction in race times, then I can live with that.

Today I decided to do a hill workout, since I have not done one in at least 4 weeks. I did my usual routine of 100m at 5k pace to the base of the hill, 100M uphill at 5k pace, and then 150M sprinting all-out downhill. Recovery was a 300M jog back to the starting point. The last time I did this workout I did 18 reps. When I started today I did not feel great and decided to go as long as I felt comfortable. After 8 reps I started to feel better and I ended up doing 20 reps. Doing that many reps restores my confidence in my overall fitness level.

This Thursday I plan on doing some speed work at Busey Woods, 600M reps with a 300M recovery. This is my favorite workout.

#186

z.m. - #99

Weather - 66 degrees, sunny.

A pleasant day for an easy 3.5 mile run through the park and around the woods. Afterward strength exercises, stretching, and a 35 minute walk home.

#187

z.m. - #100

Weather - 70 degrees, sunny.

Great day, and I had an awesome workout. Did some intervals around the Busey Woods loop. I changed the usual route so that I was jogging the length of the boardwalk and running the dirt trails hard. I did not bring my watch and did not count how many loops I ran, so I based my run on feel. I am guessing it was 7 x 700M hard, with a 500m jogging recovery on the boardwalk. For a cool down I ran 800m barefoot in the grass.

I felt tremendous, it is my favorite workout because running hard in the woods is such a pleasure - the sights (saw the same 4 or 5 deer each time I ran a loop) and smells (honeysuckle was in bloom, inhaling that beautiful fragrance amid a hard 700M makes the experience bittersweet) make me forget any discomfort I am feeling.

Afterward 4 sets of strength exercises and stretching in the park, and 35 minute walk home.

The next 3 days will be easy, then I will run a 5k on Memorial Day in Danville.

#188

z.m. - #101

Weather - 53 degrees, raining.

A cold rainy day so I decided to be soft and run on the treadmill at Cardinal. Ran 4 easy miles and 1.5 miles at 5k pace. Afterward 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 10 minute walk home.

#189

z.m. - #102

Weather - 57 degrees, sunny.

Easy 4 miles around the arboretum this morning.

#190

z.m. - #103

Weather - 62 degrees, sunny.

Ran 4 miles to the Zendo, planned to meditate but there was a sesshin in progress, so I turned around and walked 4 miles back to town.

#191

z.m. - #104

Weather - 70 degrees, cloudy.

A nice day for a race, humid, but I like it that way. I ran ok, not too bad, not too good, just mediocre. I ran the first mile in 6:11, it felt like 6:30, so I had a good start. Don't know the 2 & 3 mile splits, but I obviously slowed a bit. The same thing happened in my last two races - with about 1200m left I shoot past my threshold, which is the way it should be, but I am unable to continue pushing. Today I had to slow down a bit to recover, and the last 800m I could only maintain the pace. It was too bad because I was battling a runner who always beats me. We were even with 800m to go, he put in a small surge but I could not respond. I felt I could have went with him, I had juice in my legs, but I could not will myself to suffer through oxygen debt, so I followed him in, 2 seconds behind.

In each of the last 3 races I could not tolerate anaerobic running during the last mile. Everthing else is clicking - my pace is good, leg strength not a hindrance, breathing fine. After thinking about it I see that I have been working hard with long runs, 5k pace intervals, and hills. I have not been doing any anaerobic specific workouts, so it makes sense that when it comes down to the last mile of a race my mind revolts and tells me to slow down. I guess it is time to get accustomed to running in oxygen debt.

Wednesdays I usually like to join 2nd Wind for track work, but I doubt they will be doing what I need to focus on, so I will work on my own, doing 200m bursts, followed by a 100m jogging rest, repeated until exhaustion. After 4 or 5 of these sessions I should be habituated to end of race pain.

Overall I feel my fitness is good, my body feels fresh and healthy, and my times are still decent when compared to last year. Having found a weakness in my training, it is time to work on it and see how it affects my race results.

Next race is one of my favorites, the Lake Mingo 7.3 mile trail run on June 14. Last year I ran it on dead legs and was still able to place in the top 25. I should be fresh this year, and I have 3 weeks to get some anaerobic sessions in.

#192

z.m. - #105

Weather - 50 degrees, raining.

A nice day for running, but crappy for most other activities. An easy 4.5 miles in the park and woods, I felt energetic, strong, and went a little faster than normal for an easy run - this is the season for risks. I peaked in March and early April, and have since come down a bit. I would like to try and reach another peak by mid-July, so I need to run harder, faster, longer in my upcoming training sessions. I will still be mindful of easy runs, but maybe I need to experience more discomfort/pain in my hard sessions. If training is harder than a race, then maybe I won't die in the final mile like the last few. Maybe this method won't work and I will end up injured, but I think it will be fun and memorable if my training is heavy with oxygen deprivation.

#193

z.m. - #106

Weather - 68 degrees, sunny.

Ran hard today, more intense than usual. Per my plan to ramp up the intensity of my workouts, I ran 5 x 600m loops at Busey Woods. Each 600 was run at all-out pace, as if it was the final 600m of a race. I gave myself 400m rest between each bout. As I rounded the boardwalk during the rest, the phrase "dread and joy" kept appearing in my mind. Dread because going all out for 600m causes not only physical stress, but mental as well, as each step feels like it could be the one that brings me past the tipping point, and I wonder how I can continue to run in such a state. And joy because of giving every bit of energy and concentration to the moment - there is supreme happiness in that state of being. After the 5th rep my legs lost some energy, so I decided to end there. I ran 2 cool down miles around the cemetery and park, and then did some stretching and strength exercises.

As I walked home I noticed it was 5:50pm, and the track session with 2nd Wind was starting at 6:00pm. I was only 5 minutes from the track so I decided to jog there and see how many intervals I could complete with the group. Since my plan for the next 4-6 weeks is to make training harder than racing, I need to become accustomed to running hard when already exhausted.

I arrived at the track and saw the planning clipboard called for 4 x 1200m. I knew I was too tired to complete all 4, but I at least wanted to do 1. We did 4 x 100m accelerations to get ready, and even though my legs were not fresh, they still had strength.

The intervals were to start every 9 minutes, which gave an ample rest time, so I knew I could give a strong effort and still recover for the next 1200m. During the first interval I got behind Matt and planned to follow him the entire way. I wanted the pace to be faster than 5k, so about 6:00 /mile, or 90 second 400's.  However, I was surprised to find that the group was running slower, so I passed Matt after 300m and picked up the pace. I finished the first 1200 in 4:26, which I felt good about. I was able to do 2 more 1200's, in 4:30, and 4:37. 

This was a good start to my new regime of intense workouts, putting in 4 miles of on-the-edge running.

Friday will be a 2 hour long run. I plan on running it faster than my normal long run pace.

#194

z.m. - #107

Weather - 77 degrees, sunny.

Beautifully warm day. Ran 4 easy miles around the arboretum, finished 4 minutes faster than normal. My body is beginning to respond to my desire for harder efforts. I am feeling a bit sore from yesterday, so I may delay the 2 hour long run until Saturday so I can have an extra day of recovery.

#195

z.m. - #108 

Weather - 84 degrees, sunny, humid.

First warm day with high humidity, it made for a tough long run. I should mention that I ran between 1:00-3:00pm.

I started out strong, running 6 1/2-7 1/2 minute miles, but after 45 minutes I was losing too much water and felt dehydrated. I was running figure 8 loops in Busey Woods, so I left the woods and went to the spray fountain in the park and soaked myself. I felt I would be fortunate if I could run 90 minutes.

When I got to Carle Park I soaked myself again, and repeated this when I arrived at Meadowbrook Park. I checked my watch at this point, 91 minutes, I kept running, slugging out each minute.

At 1:45 I wanted to stop, but after all of the prior work I decided to gut out another 15 minutes. I passed my house at the 1:50 mark. I stopped the watch, went inside and drank a glass of V8, a glass of Bolthouse Farms Blue Juice, ate a banana covered in sunflower seed butter, and finished it off with a glass of cold water. When I went to the sink to splash cold water on my face I looked in the mirror and saw that my running shirt was covered in white salt stains - that is not a good sign.

I resumed my run and was able to complete the 2 hours. I slowed considerably during the final 5 miles, probably 8 1/2-9 minute miles - it was like hitting the marathon wall, but way too early.

I stopped at Cardinal when I finished and did strength exercises and stretching, then walked 10 minutes home.

#196

z.m. - #109

Weather - 80 degrees, sunny, humid.

Ran 5 easy miles in Busey Woods this morning. I was expecting to feel sore and tired from yesterday's slog, but instead felt refreshed and my legs had recovered their strength. I ran fairly quick, and the last 3 minutes of the run I went all out, end-of-race style. I am trying to become accustomed to running hard after tipping over my threshold.

I have decided to eliminate all time goals for races. I find that concentrating on time takes away some of the enjoyment of running. And I run best when feeling relaxed and happy, so not thinking about time does not mean my races will become slower. My goal is to run as best I can on any given day, so I will run the fastest time I am capable of, whether I am concerned with time or not. I want to focus on effort and feel, and this should lead to a correct running pace.

#197

z.m. - #110

Weather - 78 degrees, sunny.

I'm loving the warm days, and am feeling good in my training runs. Today I ran mostly easy, but threw in some fartlek style speed-ups in Busey Woods, and I finished off the workout by running 1200M to Cardinal as fast as I could. I felt better today running all out beyond my threshold than in previous attempts, so my body is beginning to adjust to the strain.

When I got to Cardinal I did my normal set of bike intervals, and I felt stronger than the last session, which is when I was on a training downer. I think I am again moving up in intensity and energy level, I'm not sure how long it will last, but I will enjoy it as long as possible.

After the bike intervals I did 4 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 10 minute walk home.

#198

z.m. - #111

Weather - 85 degrees, sunny.

More exercise than usual today, although not by plan.

I need to renew my driver's license so I rode my bicycle into the far end of Champaign, which is about 7 miles from my home. When I got to the renewal facility I found that it was closed on Mondays. I shrugged it off and began my return trip back into Urbana. About 1/4 mile from the facility some college-aged kids swerved their car next to my bike and shouted "!@#$%^^&%$#". As they drove off I could see they did it for amusement, rather than anger, so I shrugged that off also, and laughed to make myself feel better. When I reached Prospect I ran over a large object, and 1 mile later my back tire went flat. I had about 4 miles to go, but the bike shop was on the way, so I walked another half mile and dropped off my bike for repair. I can fix a flat tire, but not very well, because more often than not, a couple of days after patching the tube, it goes flat again. Not wanting to go through that kind of hassle, I'd rather pay $15 and not have to worry about it.

When I got home I was surprised to find myself full of energy, and ready for a run. I quickly changed and went back out into the sun, this time in my running shorts and shirt. It felt good to sweat as I ran 5 easy miles, and the final half mile I ran all out. 

After the run I stretched, did 4 sets of strength exercises, and a 35 minute walk home.

I mowed the lawn a couple of hours after the run, and now I am going to walk the dog. It is great to be fit!

#199

z.m. - #112

Weather - 72 degrees, clouds, rain.

Taking it easy today with 4 miles of running. Tomorrow will be a hard track session. Friday I am planning to do a 90 minute long run with some fast running segments.

Picked up my bike from the shop today.

#200

z.m. - #113 

Weather - 80 degrees, raining, humid.

A challenging day for a track workout. I joined 2nd Wind for 6 x 800m intervals with 7 minutes between starts, so plenty of rest if I could run under 3 minutes for each 800m. We started with 4 x 100M accelerations. The first 3 intervals were done in a humid rain, then it cleared for the last 3, but the humidity seemed to be even heavier. Here are my times :

1) 2:47 2) 2:48 3) 2:54 4) 2:58 5) 2:57 6) 2:58

My goal was to simulate the final 800M of a race, so I was not holding back for each 800m. It makes sense that I was slowing down with each rep, but I was pleased that the last 3 leveled out at just under 3 minutes. Overall I am happy with my effort, although I feel I could have run a bit harder towards the end, but the pain of oxygen debt once again intimidated my mind. I need to keep working on it.

#201

z.m. - #114

Weather - 88 degrees, sunny, humid.

A hot day made for a pleasant easy 4 miles in the park and woods. 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 35 minute walk home.

#202

z.m. - #115 

Weather - 83 degrees, sunny, humid. 

Did a 2 hour long run today, I handled the heat better than last week, ran a slow even pace, fearful if I ran too hard  I would crash. I ran loops in the park, then went to the arboretum and ran up the hill 7 or 8 times, then back to the park. There is a water stop at the midway point in Carle Park, and the spray fountain in Crystal Lake, every 20 or 30 minutes I was soaking my head and arms with water. I love running in hot weather, I can't think of a better way to spend my birthday.

#203

z.m. - #116

Weather - 73 degrees, raining.

Rained the whole 5 miles, it felt great because of the warmth. I surprisingly was not sore, and had an abundance of energy. I was expecting to be down and out because of yesterday's 2 hour run. I guess my body is telling me that 2 hours of running is now an acceptable level of stress.

One positive use of this journal is the ability to go back and read how I trained leading up to a successful race. I thought I had tapered down quite a bit the week before my 5k PR in early April, but reading the entries, I did 16 hill repeats 10 days to race, a hard track session with 1 week to race, and bike intervals 4 days to race. I had forgotten about those tough sessions, so I am planning to continue working hard with the Mingo race only 1 week away. Tomorrow hill repeats, although I am thinking of limiting myself to 10 reps, because some residual stiffness from yesterday's long run may surface tomorrow. I will plan to do bike intervals on Tuesday, and then short easy runs leading up to the race. I am feeling strong right now, I hope the rise in fitness will continue.

Afterward 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 35 minute walk home.

#204

z.m. - #117

Weather - 88 degrees, sunny, humid.

Hottest day of the year so far, with high humidity. I ran to the arboretum with the intent of doing 10 hill repeats. However, my warm-up run indicated I was feeling much better than I thought I would be, so I hoped to do more than 10 repeats.

I did my usual routine, 100m at 5k pace to the base of the hill, 100m hard up the hill (regular form on even repeats, bounding on odd), and 250m downhill sprint. In previous hill sessions I sprinted 200m downhill, but today my body was ready for a longer effort, so I increased it by 50m, which also shortened the recovery by the same amount.

I was doing well, felt strong and energetic, but I had trouble keeping my body temperature low. I had 1 water bottle, but by the 10th repeat it was empty, most of it having gone on my head. Because I had no means of cooling myself I had to stop at 12 repeats.

#205

z.m. - #118

Weather - 80 degrees, sunny, humid.

A little cooler today, which made a big difference. I have noticed that after running hard several days in heavy humidity, when the air finally clears my running ability seems to increase. Today I felt about 5 pounds lighter because of the lower humidity, and I ran like it - loose, at ease, and faster than normal with easy breathing. Running in humidity should be considered a form of resistance training because the body feels heavier than normal.

I ran 1.75 miles barefoot on the 7th and 8th fairways, 1 mile of which was run at about 5:30 pace. It was an "easy" 5:30 pace, not out of breath, legs moving with control, it felt good.

Afterward 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 35 minute walk home.

#206

z.m. - #119

Weather - 80 degrees, sunny.

The humidity has vanished, and that means running seemed a lot easier today. I ran 5 miles around the arboretum and then to Cardinal. The last 2 miles I picked up the pace and was running a relaxed 6:30. When I got to Cardinal I immediately jumped on the bike and began intervals. I usually do 10 intervals, but I felt strong so extended it to 12, all on maximum tension, which is also a first.

After the intervals I did 5 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 10 minute walk home. 

I have had a good 2 weeks of training, and the mantra for the next 3 days will be "short and easy". Time to freshen up for the Mingo race this Saturday. The course will most likely be flooded and muddy in spots, so it should be challenging and fun.

#207

z.m - #120

Weather - 80 degrees, sunny.

Ran a couple of easy miles, felt good so I quickened the pace at the half way point, was running about 6:30 pace. Nothing else out of the ordinary today.

#208

z.m. - #121

Weather - 89 degrees, sunny, humid.

A hot day, but no problem because I had a short run planned. Ran 1 mile easy, then 2 miles at about 6:30 pace.

My legs are starting to get fresh, a bit of soreness from the hill and bike sessions, but they should be fine by Saturday.

#209

z.m. - #122

Weather - 85 degrees, sunny, humid.

2 easy miles, and 1 mile at 6:30 pace. Not much else to report.

#210

z.m. - #123

What the *%^&! I typed this report twice and it got blown away both times when I tried to save it. Screw it, I ain't writing any more about it!

#211

z.m. - #124

Weather - 78 degrees, sunny.

No ill effects from the race yesterday, it is great to be fit enough to race 7 miles through swamp and mud and to feel like nothing happened the day after.

I tried to make this an easy run, and I think it was, but I couldn't help going a bit quick on a couple of the miles. I seem to be running faster on most of my recent easy runs, I think that is a good thing, as long as my body still thinks of it as easy.

Afterward 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 35 minute walk home.

#212

z.m.- #125

Weather - 82 degrees, sunny.

Was planning to do a hill workout today but I decided to run repeats in Busey Woods instead because I enjoy that workout more. I did 5 x 1200m repeats with a 400m recovery. I was running the 1200m at about 6:00 pace. I felt good, and I love running hard on dirt trails.

I did a cool down run to Cardinal and did a shortened set of bike intervals, then 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 10 minute walk home.

#213

z.m. - #126

Weather - 75 degrees, sunny.

4.5 easy miles around the arboretum. Felt good, looking forward to a hard track workout tomorrow.

#214

z.m. - #127

Weather - 75 degrees, sunny.

Did a track workout with 2nd Wind today. The clipboard called for 8 x 600m with the final 200m kicked end-of-race style. I cut the workout short, stopping at #5. I'm not sure why I stopped, my body felt fine, although maybe a bit low on energy. I think it was my mind getting tired of all the fast running. So my body got the last laugh, as it wanted to go, but the brain shut down. My times seemed ok, I was about 3-5 seconds behind a 17:30 5k runner for each : 2:04, 2:05, 2:05, 2:09, 2:07. The rest was a bit shorter than usual, about 3 minutes, which was sufficient.

I think having run a 7 mile race and 2 hard workouts in 5 days made my mind and will weaken. That is alright, sometimes it is good to back off and take it easy.

#215

z.m. - #128

Weather - 78 degrees, sunny.

I felt great today, which made me feel smart for cutting my intervals to 5 yesterday. I imagine I would have been sore and lethargic if I would have completed the full 8. As a reward for my good judgment my legs had some spring in them, and my energy level was fluid and on the up. Ran an effortless 7 miles through Busey Woods and the park, then 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 35 minute walk home.

Tomorrow a long run, minimum 2 hours, if I am feeling good maybe I can get it to 2:15 or 2:30 - I feel I am ready for an increase.

Looking forward to Sunday. Although the solstice is officially tomorrow, I will celebrate it on Sunday by attempting to exercise outdoors from sun-up to sun-down - a dawn run, followed by a long bike ride, lunch, a long hike, then another run. It should be fun.

#216

z.m. - #129

Weather - 85-89 degrees, sunny.

Started my long run at noon sharp, and finished at 2:45pm. I had to make a pit stop or two along the way, total running time was 2 hours 30 minutes. I am estimating an average pace of 8:30, so that comes to 17.50 miles. I handled the heat well, stopped at home at the 2 hour mark to eat a banana covered in sunflower butter, also ate some cashews and pretzels. I was out of juice and V8, so I had to settle on water. My legs were getting stiff the final 30 minutes, so I stopped at the track at the 2:10 mark and ran 5 x 100m hard/100m easy reps. The final 15 minutes were kind of easy, I started to feel loose and the food I ate at home started to help my body feel stronger.

This was my longest run of the year, it did not take too much out of me and my body seems to be acclimating to hot weather.

#217

z.m. - #130

Weather - 77 degrees, sunny, humid.

My legs were a little stiff from yesterdays long run, but I was expecting worse. After the first mile I loosened up and felt fine. I noticed that I was able to run a faster pace without losing control of my breathing. I remember last year when I was doing 20 mile long runs, it helped my lungs tolerate a harder running effort. So I will make a mental note about long runs which last at least 2 hours and 30 minutes - they make my respiration stronger. If I can continue to run the 17-20 milers my running form should improve.

Afterward I did 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 10 minute walk home.

#218

z.m. - #131

Weather - 78 degrees, sunny.

Was planning to do an all day exercise adventure to celebrate the solstice with my wife, but she unexpectedly had to work, so I only ran 5.5 easy miles. Was still a bit tired from the long run, but not sore. I should be better by tomorrow, so I am planning to do a hill session.

Afterward 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 10 minute walk home.

#219

z.m. - #132

Weather - 77 degrees, sunny.

Had a great hill session today, 22 reps of the usual - 100m at 5k pace to the base of the hill, 100m hard up the hill (regular form on odd repeats, bounding on even), and 250m downhill sprint. Recovery was a 300m jog.

I concentrated on lifting my legs high when bounding, my hips were able to handle the strain, although by rep 20 I could feel my legs begin to lose strength. My respiration was better than usual, most likely due to the 17.5 mile long run I did a few days ago. I am not sure if my speed has improved, but I can hold a hard pace longer without faltering. I could have done more than 22 reps if my legs had not become fatigued.

The previous hill session I had to stop at 12 reps because I was unable to control my body temperature in the extreme mid-day heat. Today was 11 degrees cooler with low humidity, it made a big difference.

Afterward 4 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 20 minute walk home.

#220

z.m. - #133

Weather - 75 degrees, sunny, humid.

Had to work later than normal today so I did 4 easy miles at 7:30am. I was wondering how my legs would feel after doing 22 hill repeats, they were ok, although I felt sluggish the first 2 miles. Not much soreness, so I will plan on doing a track workout tomorrow with 2nd Wind. Starting early today gives me an extra 10 hours of recovery time, so I hope to be somewhat fresh for tomorrow.

#221

z.m. - #134

Weather - 84 degrees, sunny, humid.

Humid and warm made for a tough session this evening.

I ran to the track but found it to be closed due to resurfacing. There was a group of 12-15 wanting to do something hard, so Matt lead us to the arboretum for 8 hill repeats. I had to laugh at this, and told Matt that I did 22 hill repeats 2 days ago.

I ran with the group to the hill, and then made my way alone 600m south to the dirt road rectangle. The dimensions are approximately 400m length x 200m width, 2.5 times the size of a normal track. I decided to run 400m repeats with a 200m float. Most of my interval work this year has had a 400m rest, so I was upping the ante. Last year I did a lot of workouts on the rectangle, but this year only easy runs, mainly because when I am at the arboretum I have worked the hill.

As usual, the wind was brisk, and the humidity made me feel about 5 pounds overweight. On the positive side my legs had little soreness, and my energy level was average. After dousing my head in water I started out. I decided not to time my repeats, I just wanted to flow and not worry about time. Because of the short rest period I went a little slower than a normal repeat, about 87-90 second range, which is ok considering the road undulates up and down and I was always in the teeth of a cross wind.

After 2 or 3 repeats my mouth became excessively dry, but I did not stop to drink water because I only had 1 half-filled bottle and I wanted to drink that at the end of the workout.

About the 7th repeat I was passed by a stud runner, from the looks of him he was a cross country runner for the U of I. He had a long graceful stride and was running about 5:45 pace effortlessly - he was out for an easy run! I let him get about 5 yards ahead of me and I decided to string along, testing my endurance. I ran 1000m with him but then he turned off the rectangle, and I slowed down for my 200m float. The next 400m repeat was tough, I was spent. At the 10th repeat I finally started to recover and was able to get to 14 before the heat shut me down.

Overall a pretty good workout, I kept the pace at a comfortable 5k level, did not push too hard, but I sometimes drove myself into oxygen debt to accustom myself to the struggle.

#222

z.m. - #135

Weather - 86 degrees, sunny, humid.

The humidity made today's easy run heavy and dull.

I was planning to run long tomorrow, but as I was stretching after the run I realized that the past couple of weeks have had a number of hard workouts, and that I have pushed my body to the edge of its capacity. Piling on the hard stuff now would increase the chance of injury because of the accumulated fatigue. Having recognized that it is time to pull back is in a way a running breakthrough for me - the ability to know when enough is enough.

So instead of running long tomorrow, I plan to have a week of 3-4 milers. All that is needed to improve this week is to sit back, relax, and allow my body to strengthen itself through rest.

#223

z.m. - #136

Weather - 86 degrees, cloudy, humid.

Even though the weather was humid, I felt much better than yesterday. My energy was up and my legs felt strong. Since I was only running 4 miles today, I decided to run the last mile hard to work off some of the excess energy.

As I walked home yesterday my right foot cramped. Today it was still stiff and feeling off. When I ran, however, it was not noticeable, and after the run it was not too bad either. I am hoping it is nothing serious, it would be a big let down if I had to cut my training to let it heal.

#224

z.m. - #137

Weather - 78 degrees, sunny, humid.

It feels good to run short and slow. I can feel my body begin to strengthen itself through rest. Foot felt fine, so thankfully the tension was most likely a cramped muscle. Not much else happening right now.

#225

z.m. - #138

Weather - 72 degrees, sunny.

Weather cooled today, it felt really nice with no humidity.

I am enjoying the consecutive easy days, each successive run my legs feel fresher and have more pop. When I ran the small hills in Busey Woods this morning I was able to cruise them with more ease than usual.

To deplete my excess energy I ran the final 1.5 miles at about 6:05 pace - it felt good.

#226

z.m. - #139

Weather - 79 degrees, sunny.

Ran a short and easy 3 miles. Will do the same for the next 3 days.

Afterward 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 25 minute walk home.

#227

z.m. - #140 

Weather - 85 degrees, sunny.

Another short run. Ran at an increased tempo for the final 1.5 miles to burn excess energy.

Will be running a 5k this Friday, I should be well rested for it.

#228

z.m. - #141 

Weather - 88 degrees, sunny, humid.

Was contemplating an abbreviated track session with 2nd Wind tonight, but decided it would be smarter to run my shortened reps alone. The track has a new surface, I could smell the freshly laid tar in the mid afternoon heat. I ran 6 x100m hard with 100m floats.

It is interesting to experiment with different training/tapering methods. There are so many different ways to get ready for a race, it is about finding what is comfortable/successful for my present skill level.

Regardless of how the 5k goes this Friday, I feel strong and fresh with not only daily running, but also with the other hours of the day. Middle age is not so bad when I have the energy of a 25 year old.

#229

z.m. - #142

Weather - 68 degrees, cloudy.

A nice cool day with a bit of rain. Just an easy 3 miles. I ended up at the track for no good reason and ran a medium-hard mile.

While running the 4 laps around the track I made a spontaneous adjustment to my form. My lower legs were kicking higher than normal, I could feel the calf muscles pushing against my hamstring. I am not sure if a high kick is efficient at a normal pace, but it seems to help when I am trying to gain speed.

When I returned home I watched some racing videos on youtube, and saw that most of the elite runners had a high lower leg kick.

#230

z.m. - 143

Weather - 72 degrees, sunny.

Weather was good for this race. It was too bad it started at 11:00am, because at 8:00 it was 62 degrees and cloudy. Last year the weather for this race was in the upper 80's and humid, so nothing to complain about.

I woke up with a stiff lower back. I am painting the exterior of my house, and on Wednesday I was priming the bottom slats and I was bent over for 15-20 minutes. That was enough to set my back off. Fortunately running is an activity that makes it feel better. As I started my 2.5 mile warm up jog to Assembly Hall I could hardly move. From experience I know that the longer I jog, the better it will feel. By the time I got to the race site it was feeling somewhat better, although I was not sure if I would be able to give 100% effort. After checking in I stretched, and this helped, I felt almost 100% when I started doing 300m hard sprints. Seeing all of the racers warming up gave me a shot of adrenaline, and this made me feel 100%. I felt I was ready to go, and I was able to finally concentrate on the state of my legs - they felt very fresh and strong, I can't remember a day in which they felt so good. The 2 weeks of hard workouts, followed by a 1 week drastic cut down in mileage is a method I will want to repeat. If my back could hold out I had a confident feeling that I was going to be able to push a hard pace and feel good about it.

With 10 minutes to race time I met up with Yong from the Wednesday track workouts. We are similar in 5k speed, although he has much better sprinting speed than I do (upper 60's 400m, upper 20's 200m). We decided we were going to key off of each other during the race. He has trouble pacing the first mile, going out in 5:30 or faster, which causes him to slow in the final mile. I convinced him to follow me the first mile, which I wanted to run in about 6:15-20. After the first mile he was going to pick up the pace and I would try my best to string along. It seemed like a good plan, and when Yong gave a loud whoop at the start we were off.

We watched as many people passed us. I turned to Yong and told him he would be repassing many of these people in the second mile, so hold back. He was able to do this, although he picked up the pace at about the 1400m mark, and I let him go ahead. I did not have my watch on, but Yong told me after the race that he passed the first mile in 6:05, which means I hit it at 6:10. A little fast for me, but I felt good. I watched Yong getting further from me, but I came up to Margaret B., a kick woman in her 50's who always takes first in her age group. She had a hard pace going, so I tucked in behind her and followed.

At the half way turn around I was still feeling good, although my breath was getting a bit over worked. Yong was about 50m up on me, but at this point I started to gain on him very slowly.

With 1 mile to go I caught up with Ken W., and decided it was here that I had to make a move. I was still feeling good, which meant it was time to push the pace and see how much discomfort I could tolerate. It is the point in the race which fills me with both dread and desire - dreading the pain, yet desiring to push past my limits. I passed Ken and Margaret, and was about 30m behind Yong. When I turned onto Kirby Ave I had an 800m straightway to push hard, and then the final turn and 400m next to Assembly Hall.

Yong was laboring, and just before the turn I pulled up beside him. I usually don't talk during a race, but I wanted to give him a jolt of inspiration. "Yong, 400m to go, this is the part of the race which is made for you - let that speed out!" He turned to me, and then he dug deep and started to go. I watched him pulling away, at the same time gathering myself for the final push. At this moment a young runner who had passed us a bit earlier, saw us passing him and he moaned, "come on, this is too early to start sprinting!" He was pissed. "If you have this much left you should have been running harder earlier" he scowled to me. He put on his jets and started to move past, and I laughed, feeling the agony of the effort, and the joy that comes from giving 100%. I followed Yong and the young runner into the final 100m. When I saw the clock I was stunned - 18:36, 37, 38, 39. That got me moving and I sprinted into the chute in 18:48, beating my old PR by 25 seconds. Yong finished in 18:46, so our plan was good - we both set a PR, and when we got out of the chute we were bent over, laughing, congratulating each other for our efforts.

#231

z.m. - #144

Wetaher - 73 degrees, sunny.

Felt good on my easy run this morning, so no ill effects from yesterday's 5k.

After my run I was doing strength exercises in the park and saw Medlinda ride by on her bike, she was heading to work at the Nature Center. She stopped to say hi, and discovered we both have long runs planned for tomorrow, so we decided to drive to Lake Mingo together in the early morning for a hilly trail run. She is planning to run 3 loops, which is 21.9 miles. I don't think I will run that far, since my last long run was "only" 17.5 miles. I should  stay in the 17-19 range for now, so I will plan on doing 2 loops and a couple of miles on the roads. Michelle might join us, but probably not, since she may have run long today.

#232

z.m. - 145