A stopping point

well, with today in the books, i have run 9 days in a row. nothing to brag about, but that's the most consecutive days i've ever run in row. and i don't plan to get in that 10th day on this go around.

this morning i got in a relaxed 14 w/ the team...er...Muz. we took it pretty easy (737 pace) & were able to see the sun come up as we headed east (from barton hills to rogue). another sunrise on the roads as ken would say.

after a short nap, headed to soco gym to hit up the weights & shake em out. i managed get in 4 painful ones this afternoon. i'm so glad that is over with!

over the last 7 days, i've run 87 miles & got in two quality workouts. pretty good stuff & I could not be happier with where my fitness is currently. next sunday, a baseline will be set & we shall find out exactly where i'm at (when i hit up the runtex 10 miler).

tomorrow, i take a much deserved rest day (in my opinion). until next time...

Uptempo Day

the plan was to run 5 one mile intervals at a 6 min pace (w/ 400 recovery) and conclude w/ a couple 200s to stretch the legs a little more. 2 mile warmup & I was feeling pretty lethargic. my legs were feeling pretty heavy after two sets, so i opted cut it short & only ran 4 of them: 600, 559, 558, 557. however, i decided to get in a couple extra 200s; the goal was to run them 'hard but under control'. i ran a 200, jogged 100, and then walked the back straight away so as to not stay all anaerobic (x 4): 34, 31, 31, 30. 2+ mile cool down & I called it a day -- about 10 miles total.

7 in a row

14 miles this morning. we managed to get our run in before the huge cold/rain front. the weather conditions couldn't have been better: 41 degrees w/ no wind at all. 719 pace for the run. 10 minutes of ice bucket quality time afterward -- the foot has been doing much better, and i'm hoping to be able to cut out the icing routine in the next few days (if all goes well).

Shakin em out

with the holiday activities, i haven't been able to make a gym routine since last monday. today, i got back on track. grabbed an easy 8 along with the weight routine. 725 pace. my legs were just a little ragged from yesterday...actually, they were more tired during the run yesterday than today. truth be told, tired legs are not a bad thing -- having them just means i'm getting my base right (finally).

Sun LR - Week end 8

18 miles w/ Dustin -- started at the apt & ran up to highland mall and back (with a few twists & turns along the way). 714 pace. 10 min in the ice bucket after the fact.

Easy Hr

Easy hr from the crib w/ Dustin. 61 minutes (not sure of the distance, but i know it was at least 8)

Repeatin

Silsbee TX (31 degrees): three mile warm-up to the HS track, 4 intervals w/ 100m recovery in between each mile, and a three mile cool down afterward. Miles were 556, 548, 549, 550. the first one was the hardest and the last one was hard not to close the last 600m. all went well.

foot acted up a little on the cool down. 10 minutes in the ice bucket afterward.

A little more

MLR w/ the team. Well, a skeleton team. Muz, Mike, Mark, & I ran most of the way together. Then Muz & I (going 14) headed down our route. We missed a turn & ending up adding a little. I think it was like 14.35 (if I remember correctly).

The foot did good except for the last 10 minutes. My calf went damn near full retard w/ like 1.5 miles to go & then I started feeling the pull on the outside of my foot. Not pain like on Sun...just a pulling feel.

Wrapped the day w/ about 12 min w/ the trash can half full of ice and water to the top. Yessir!

Testing it out

After Sunday's run, I walking w/ a pretty severe limp. The outside of my left foot hurt like hell. So much so, i decided to skip the gym routine & head straight to the ice bucket. 'Fucking A' is what i was thinking. With this going on, i decided to rest on monday & maybe tues. So, i didn't exactly do that...

after doing some reading onlines, i realized that the foot pain (peroneal tendon attachment area) was more than likely related to my calf being tight. My left one is always the one that has issues when i add mileage. Having neglected it, i got out my pt stuff to see what i could find. i noticed the calf had several areas that were pretty tender, so i worked it over for several minutes. the next day (mon), the calf felt noticeably looser & the outside of my foot didn't feel too bad either. that afternoon, i went for an easy 2 miles to see how it felt. it did okay, but my calf was still cranky so decided at that point to let it rest on tues. and i did.

Wednesday, i went for an easy, easy 7 miles from my place. no foot issues during the run... but it was a little achy afterward. ice bucket for 10 min & called it a day.

Week end - 7

11.6 miles today (call it 7:30 pace avg) w/ Muz & Mike. We ran from Soco gym to the Montopolis bridge & back and found an awesomely flat stretch of road for recovery runs. I'm feeling a little banged up currently, and am contemplating using tomorrow as an off day. Matter of fact, I am taking tomorrow off. Done.

*** 67 miles for the week

Automatic

Another good LR - we ran from RE heading northwest through DT, then UT, and up Shoal Creek to 183 & back. I was chilling on the way out & really wasn't feeling so snappy, but once we made the turn, things began to click. I guess that is to be expected when you are running net downhill. Still, by my watch, we ran 635-655 for the last 7. I was about to drop the hammer with 3 left, but my potna wasn't responding, so I just maintained: 20 miles at 710 avg.

I'm In

One registration down, one more to go (need additional clarification before I reg for the RunTex race).

Dashing in a downpour

There was a light rain this morning, nothing too bad, so I decided to brave the harsh conditions. I did however decide to cut the run short, only 10 instead of a true MLR. About 12 others showed up for the run also...cold & wet tends to lead to a low turnout. For those of us that were there, it was a good run. 10 & some change at 7:17 pace.

No pm run today, because I got in my gym routine & shakeout last night. Next week will prolly be the same w/ teh Christmas.

Day 5

Managed get in a Wed run for the first time in several weeks. Eight in the morning and two in the evening.

Concrete Repeats

I had been meaning to begin some uptempo work for about one week & a half. Cuz I sure as hell need to do something to ensure i don't make a fool out of myself when I lace em up for the races in Jan. Unable to attend to the AM team run due to a previous commitment, I found the perfect opportunity today. Actually, I decided to do some mile repeats about 1 hour before I left work, cuz running easy just seemed too freaking boring.

There's this stretch driveway around a building complex behind our office that makes about 1.5 mile loop, so I decided to run there (mainly due to convenience). It certainly wasn't because it was some awesome surface...about half the loop was good ole fashioned (don't give a bit) concrete. Anyways, I was thinking four or maybe three mile repeats, with the hope to keep them no slower than 6 per mile and not too damn fast either. I wanted to stay relaxed & in control...or at least as in control as one can be when they haven't done "quality work" in 10 weeks.

Before I bore myself to death, here's how they went. Wait, I didn't do repeats...they were intervals -- quarter mile recovery jog in between reps (no walking):
556
549
552

I thought i was going die after the first one, and at that point, decided to only do three. Surprisingly, they got easier as I went. Prolly wasn't really warmed up cuz i only did a 1 mile warmup. 1.5 mile cool down and I called it a day.

Lunch Run

I had some free time over the lunch hour and decided to get in my run while the running was good. The out in & back stretched down to Riverside via St. Eds/Eastside Dr; on the way back there were some gradual hills to face. Bumps in the road compared to Sat. 9 miles at 7:37 pace

Enda #6

I was feeling the effects of the Sat LR run that same evening. Texted Kamran that night and was able to get him to agree to drop Sunday's run down to 8. Thank goodness, cuz I was hella ragged on Sunday morning. Left calf had no mamma at all. Anyways, it loosened up some on the run and will be fine in couple days. Just some regular ole muscle soreness from a hard day's work on Saturday.

47 miles for the week. I had planned drop my mileage some this week, but not quite that much. Still, I'm not disappointed, because I'm in a good place w/ my training right now. Onward through the fog!

Working the Hills

Pretty serious LR today -- we ran through the hills of NW Austin, think north of 2222 and west of Mopac. The group I started off w/ took it very easy in the beginning cuz we all knew what we were up against: Mt Climber, Cat mountain, Mt Bonnell, Dry Creek, & Ladera Norte. The serious hills were in the first 11 miles, though, there were regular climbs the rest of the way too. The paced dropped after 11 and we ran something like low 7s to high 6s from 12 on. Surprisingly, there were about 7-9 people w/ us at 18. At the finish, though, there were like 2-3. 22.5 miles for the run at a 7:27 pace.

1 turned to 2 turned to 3

i had planned to drop my mileage this week. in doing so, i was going to take monday off. did that, but apparently the off day was contagious, and i ended up not running on tues or wed either. it was nice to get the extra sleep three days in a row, but was no good for my training obviously.

i picked up today with what i previously planned: 12 in the AM and 4 in the PM. the PM run actually felt better than the one in the AM. Can one be too rested for a run?

Week End -- 5

Saturday it was pretty cold for us Texans, 26 degrees when I checked around 5am. I was a little worried about the temp and was unsure about how warm I should dress. Not wanting to get too hot, I opted for tights, long sleeve (snug fit shirt), short sleeve, shorts, gloves, and ear warmers. It turned about to be a good combo. We started out w/ a large group (about 10-15), but that dwindled fast. I ran the whole way w/ Andrew, Jim, & Ken. We were moving pretty good the whole time, but I felt like I stayed aerobic the whole time...well, except for maybe one mile ;-) Still, even then I was relaxed & wasn't pressing. 20 miles at a 703 avg.

Today, is was cold & drizzly. Fortunately, I was already on the way to my car before I noticed, so I never thought about not running. Kamran & I ran 10.2 miles. The pace was 718 avg. We wrapped the day up w/ about 45 minutes of light weight/resistance exercises.

71.5 miles for the week. Not too bad.

On the Move

What a day...it's about 10pm & I've been home for an hour. Full day of work w/ runs before and after -- the day started w/ a 14 mile MLR. Due to time constraints, I had to get 2 of the 14 in ahead of time. Getting up a little early wasn't too bad. I don't have my watch in front of me, but believe the pace was like 7:25 overall. After work, I headed to the gym. Got in my warm up routine & headed out. It was freaking cold. It felt like it was colder than in the morning, but I doubt it was. I ran real easy (like 815 pace avg) and the run turned out to be breeze (6 miles in the PM). Got in the weight routine & called it a day. 20 miles for the day

Daddy's Back

This morning we were graced w/ the presence of a Rogue legend. The one & only Kenneth Fries joined us for our team run. In case you didn't know, Ken completed the 2009 Leadville 100 mile trail race on like 6 weeks of training. Baller.

Anywho, we had a pretty good size crew for today's run. I must admit, the runs are exponentially more entertaining when Ken & Mike show up. The banter/shit talk is second to none. The run? It was solid; I opted for the "Hello Kitty" 12 mile option, because 14 miles is just too far for me. Seriously, constraints at the workplace are requiring me to be at the office at 8am sharp, so 12 is all I have time to do on Tues/Thurs. Which will have to suffice! The pace I ran was pretty even, without any huge speed increase at the end. 7:11 avg for the run. Good stuff!

Easy 9; hour & 10 minutes.

4 Deep

Today marks 4 weeks of training for Boston 2010. I feel like my legs are starting to come around. I've taken it pretty easy for the most part (a couple of outliers aside). :) The way I see it, it's time to start running for real. Next week, I hope to run somewhere in the neighborhood of 70 miles.

This morning I got in 9 miles. My quads were just a tad sore from yesterday. Other than that, there were no ill effects. 63 miles for the week.

LR Surprise

Since I missed the Turkey Trot on Thurs & wasn't going too far today, I decided to add a little twist to this ML long run. The plan was pick up the pace just slightly for the last 6 miles. The idea in my mind was to run even 7 min miles for the last 6, which in reality meant not running above 7 min pace for any of those miles. That is how my mind works when running. And I also didn't want to go below 6:50. During the first 10, I was unsure if I would stick w/ the plan. I mentioned it to the guys/gal & no one was biting. Still, when the time came, I did my deal:

654
650
653
649
651
643

Doing what I did really wasn't hard, because I mean if you really think about it, that is not a terribly fast pace. At least not for any of the people I regularly run with. Breathing was relaxed & my form was too. The only thing that maybe I would have changed was to stop for some water...but then again, i think there is some value in occasionally not stopping more regularly than the the #1 City Bus (for waters).

16.08 miles for the day ~ 724 avg

Updated Running Plans

I had hoped to have run a couple races by now, but those races just didn't fit into my schedule for different reasons. Anyway, I just got done browsing the winter race calendar to make a new list of races to run. Here's what I've come up with:

1)RunTex 10&20 on 1/10 (will probably do the 10 mile option for strategic reasons)
2)3M Half on 1/24
3)20 miles (Austin Marathon) on 2/14
4)Boston 4/19
5)Bun Run 5K May 2nd

I feel like the above race schedule will work as an excellent build to Boston. Only thing, I would have liked to have found a race to run in March, but I figure Steve will have us more than occupied w/ race preps & the like so it should be all good. I'm ready to go to work!

Changing gears, I ran 9 miles from Rogue this AM. Kept it pretty easy, 7:32 pace. Hit up the gym routine afterward. That's all I got for now.

Wed (un)official group run

there must of been 10 people running w/ us this AM. So it was damn near a TR group run. Easy 8 at a 7:18 pace, I swear it was "easy."

3 mo'

Three mile shake-out after work, that moves my total mileage for the day up to 16 & change. Now let's see if I can get my ass out of bed in the AM.

Tighten Up Tuesday

Planned to get in 14 today, but either the route was short or we took a wrong turn. Dunno. Anyway, the run was great. The mile splits were consistently between 7-720 most of the way. There was one mile that deviated pretty significantly. Here, you can find a solid recap. 13.15 miles total. I may have something to add this evening...

A New Week

The meeting schedule has slowed down some at the ole workplace, so I was able to escape for a quick lunchtime shakeout. Easy 40 minutes, let's just mark it down as 5 miles.

Assuming I run 6 days this week (as planned), I should be able to increase my weekly mileage total by 8-10 miles w/out really tweaking the daily mileage too much. Though, I will probably have to skip the doubles run this week, because I may, just may, run the Turkey Trot. Will decide sometime tomorrow for sure.

Closing Out Wk 3

Saturday, I got in 18.17 miles in 2:11.24 via the Austin marathon course. THat works out to about a 7:14 pace. A little fast, but we (Andrew, Jim, and I) were pretty even throughout. No super hard close or anything, just maintaining. A solid run, hopefully I can keep them up.

Today, got in an hour (at least 8 miles) w/ Kamran, Muz, & Asia. They worked me over pretty good. The first three sucked, but I guess I got into it once I loosened up some. Whatever, it's all good. 58 miles for the week.

Doubles

Yesterday, I didn't get up to run. Could give some excuses, but let's just say I simped it. Done.

Today, was much better all around. I logged 12 miles this morning with the group. In the evening, I headed down to SoCo gym for the weight/running routine. Kamran and Niccole happened to meet me down there; I didn't expect to see either of them based on previous conversations. Pleasant surprise. Anyway, I was planning to get 6 miles on my own, and when I met up with them, neither was too enthused about going that distance. I tried to talk Kamran into going 4, but as expected, he wasn't budging. I can't blame him; if I had an ache/pain, I would have the same mindset. Cutting to the chase, I ended up logging 5 miles. The run wasn't bad, but my legs did not feel so responsive the the last 10 minutes of the run. But I guess that is sorta to be expected -- 17 miles for the day.

Cold & Crisp

It was a little chilly this morning (low 40s), and there was a good turnout for the team run. Before the run, Steve informed the group that Boston had filled. I believe there was only one person who didn't register in time, which sucks because this individual runs w/ us on the reg. The run went great; there were no lingering effects from the PM run. Similar to Boston training last year, the easy paces for the crew seem to have dropped some (I.E., faster). Unlike last year, this doesn't phase me. I can of course tell when we speed up, but I don't come close to struggling with the paces. At least not yet. For the day, 9.4 miles in 78 minutes.

PM 5

Opted to get the run in this evening rather than in the AM -- I'm going to experiment with running in the evening on Monday over the next few weeks to see how that works. Because I freaking hate getting up early on Monday, which leads to 4 early wake-ups in a row. They just tend to wear on me.

I ran 5 today, and it was pretty much dusk when I finished. I know I can get in another 2-3 miles and still won't be too late. So, we shall see how this works out.

Tomorrow I have to be on the Nawf Side for a work conference at 8am, so the Tues AM run will be cut short. I'll manage 8 I'm thinking...

Relaxed 8 today from the crib, which equates to some hill action on the way home (any way you slice it). Even with the hills, I did pretty good. 38 miles for the week due to the missed days; I should have a much better showing next week.

Team Disaster

Back on the grind today, I was out on Wed/Thurs due to illness. Kamran, Jason, Andrew, Jim, and I took off this AM for what I thought was going to be 16 miles. When we reached the 8 mile turnaround, most us headed back; however, Team Disaster (I.E., Muz & Andrew) just kept right on going. The run was a good one; I felt pretty good for the latter half of the run. Overall, 16 miles in 2:00:21. For those scoring at home, I understand Team Disaster logged 20.

Full Disclosure: I can take no credit for naming Muz & Andrew Team Disaster. Muz gets full credit for this. He can explain the origins (if he so chooses), but if he doesn't, I will at a later date. ;-)

about 10 miles in 1:13. i'll tell ya: peck is going to have a solid race in Dec...

Week 2

5:30am meet-up for the soco gym/running routine. today, we added some more weight/resistance activities. mark me down for about 4 miles of running again. other than being tired as %$&!, all went well.

Week End

Ran for an hour today and got I think 7.3 miles if I remember correctly. Call it 53 for the week.

Sat LR

14.3 miles; the total time was 1:47 & change. i felt much better than i did last saturday. my legs feel like they are starting to come back. we shall see what happens once the miles are upped a bit.

Twice?

ran about 10.5 miles with the group this am from BS. we were treated to a few hills, but nothing too serious.

this evening, i'll get in a short 2nd run when i meet kamran, ruth, and nedra at the soco gym. probably only 10-20 minutes though. my first mini-2-a-day; i can't wait.

Up & Over

Muz navigated today and told us we would go "up... and then over some...to the east" while in the process of "getting lost for 3 miles." So that's what we did. Approximately 6.18 miles total.

Team Rogue Training -- Boston 2010

Today was the first official team run. Contrary to my previous write-up, I took it real easy today. Matter of fact, I believe the whole team did. Pencil me in for about 63 minutes of running for about 8.25 miles. I may have seen two new faces, one for sure. :-( Coach thinks more people will join as we progress. I hope he is right. However, the core group of folks I usually run with were there, a few stragglers aside. I suspect the stragglers will show their face sooner or later. Regardless of the roster, I'm planning to make significant progress over the coming months. My only challenge will be to keep my tin man tendencies in check, which is always a challenge. One thing is for certain -- the tale will be told in the coming months.

So it begins

I guess today could be labeled as the first day of training for Boston 2010: 5am wake-up for an hour flexibility/strength work with about 4 miles of easy running sandwiched in between. It hurt when the alarm went off that early, but I was fine once I got out of bed. Afterward, I was glad I got in the work. Tomorrow is our first team run. I expect avg under 7 min per mile for the 8-10 mile run.

Weekend Running

Saturday -- 1 hour and 21 minutes w/ some of the crew. Great weather/good run.

Sunday -- 37 minutes w/ Kamran. I believe I am starting to feel better and am ready to gradually up the mileage.

1

hour. No more, no less. Today really hurt. I had no idea one's muscles could get so sore.

The Soreness

one and 1/2 short and easy runs and my quads are pretty sore. not sore like i went to the gym and knocked out three sets of squats at 225, but sore nonetheless. anyways, i planned to go for a short one today also. four min warm-up, some light stretching and i was off. ran for 32 minutes during the lunch hour: i decided to try a different route and ended up running about 3/4 of a mile along eastbound ben white (think burleson rd). not exactly what I had planned. still, the run went pretty well. tomorrow, i may go for an entire hour...if it doesn't rain.

4 min warmup, a few minutes of half ass stretching, and then 41 minutes of relaxed running.

the coolest guy on the trail award goes to the dude who was riding his bike (at a brisk pace), weaving in and out of the foot traffic, and talking on his phone at the same time (no headset). he literally had his head tilted to the side and was using his neck/shoulder to hold the phone. seemed to be a pretty intense conversation too.

that aside, it was a great day to be outside running. I could not have asked for any better weather.

Easing In

It has been over three weeks since the marathon, and during that time period, I have run no more than 10 miles (total). That is okay, and was somewhat planned. However, I did not expect to take that much time off, but I wanted to try to get 100% healthy, so I did what I had to do. I am still not 100%, so I plan to continue to take it real easy in the coming weeks. That written, it is time to get back to running.

Today, I had planned to run on the trail, but apparently, mother nature had other ideas. Unlike most, I don't really care to run in the rain. Especially not in my delicate state;-) So, I opted for an indoor mini-workout: 5 minutes on the stationary bike, 5 minutes on the elliptical, and 20 minutes on the treadmill. All in all, I felt pretty good. The guts did not do too bad. Tomorrow, the weather should be awesome, so I'll get in some real miles then.

Head up

Random sight/thought of the day: I was headed down S. Congress and passed by the middle school w/ the football field/track. As I passed, middle school youngins were engaged in football practice and in the midst of drill. The goings on made me laugh out loud. The kids were doing a drill often referred to as "head up" in the football world. In this drill, two long (usually 4-5 ft) blocking pads are set up about 4-5 feet apart so there is an alley of said width. One group of kids gets on one side and another group faces on the other end. One kid gets a ball and runs directly toward the opposing tackler; the tackler runs full speed toward the ball carrier. The objective? A violent collision. I watched the ball carrier get knocked flat on his ass this afternoon as I passed. This made me laugh because I could relate. When I was in 7th grade, we did this drill once. It sucked. I got knocked on my ass a couple times while trying to make the tackle. :-( Fortunately, we only did that drill one day that year. It was at that time I decided I wanted to play offense. ;-)

Non-running running update -- I went to see a dr today because my abdominal issue persists. I have all the symptoms of a sports hernia, and a couple of knowledgeable folks advised me to get it checked out by a pro. So I did. The doc does not think it is a sports hernia. He believes the issue to be a lower abdominal injury. Which is great news...I think. I am clear to run from his perspective. No hills or speed work for a couple weeks though. Sweet PT for me over the next several weeks. Hopefully a little more rest and PT will nip this puppy in the bud. I am going to rest a few more days and begin the come back on Monday. That's the plan right now. I can't wait to get back at it.

BOS Recon

Tomorrow, I'm headed to Boston for one week. Dustin is running his marathon on Sunday so that will occupy my time on Sunday. Saturday, we'll watch TX-OU of course. Other than that, I have 0 set in stone plans. Any recommendations will be closely considered. For sure, I will make my way down to Newton to run that stretch of the marathon course. I'm tentatively thinking of running from "the fire station" into town. That's the most important stretch, right? Right!

Not so fast

Went about 43 min w/ some of the guys today. My ole psoas/hip flexor issue is still there. This is a minor deal that i've run w/ since march, however, i'm determined to give it some rest so hopefully it goes away. I thought it had, but was wrong. More than likely, I am going to take the next 5-7 days off to get it well. More to come...

Shakeout

Yesterday, I decided to get in an easy 3 miles to see how I felt. Almost all of the soreness was gone, but I am still pretty tight. I loosened up after about 15 minutes so that's good. My legs, though, were still quite dead, to be expected I guess. No injury pain after the fact this go around (a 1st for me). I plan to get in an easy 5 or so on Saturday. Until then.

Propspective Races

I'm glad the fall is here. Not sure if I will run all of them, but I'd like to run... say...at least 5 of these races. We shall see if it works out that way.

***Uh, I guess I can strike the Cap 10K off this list due to proximity to Boston...

Portland 2009 -- In the Books

I have had a chance to think this race over some, and now more than ever, i know i had a sub 3 in me this past Sunday. Still, the only thing that can be said is that I failed to get it done. Plain and simple. The two mistakes I made were blaring, and my performance (or lack-thereof) during miles 19-21 was what has bothered me the most. I'm going to add some additional details regarding each so I can lay these issues to rest for good:

The restroom disaster -- I stopped at the one set of porta-potties that were padlocked (except two) and of course they were occupied. I sorta freaked out once I stopped, and rather than go behind a tree or something, I waited for someone to come out. WTF? I don't know why I waited. Froze up I guess. Now, the worst part is that I really didn't need to go the restroom that bad. I had this come up at Boston and ran for another mile or two and the issue passed. On this day, I stopped. Never will I do this again!

19-21 -- Rewind back to mile 18 (after we crested long hill at the bridge); once I hit this point I decided I was going to push it some. On the big downhill, i looked at my pace and was at like 640 (i think), so I cruised at the same effort until I heard the Garmin beep. I saw 653 or whatever it was and began to feel defeated because I was pushing it and ran a freaking 650. I do not remember the terrain on 19, but don't think it was hilly. I saw 7 min pace and began to freak out...thinking I might blow up. I did not want this obviously. Thus, when I came to mile 20 I made the decision not to push it, contrary to my plan. I just did not feel confident I could close for 6 miles. WhY? Who fucking knows! Anyway, I just sorta coasted during 20 and for most of 21. Looking back, my breathing was fine. My legs did not feel great, but they weren't bad. I just got in a bad place mentally. I have no idea how or why, but about mid-way through 21, I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and give it one last go to see what I had left. Because, shit, I had practiced closing for 4 miles pretty much all summer.

Really, it wasn't entirely all bad. I ran a pretty disciplined race overall. Yes, I made some mistakes, but I will learn from them, and they will make me a better runner in the future. I am extremely happy with how I handled miles 22-the finish. And as noted previously, no one passed me in the latter half of the race.

The next time I toe the line for 26.2, I will break 3 to an extent that there is no doubt about it. Boston here I come!

The above is from the marathon website. I like it.

Too many mistakes

I believe I ran 301.01. fuck! Mistakes I made today: 1. lost a min plus at mile 6 at the restroom (doors were locked)...haha; 2. probably went a bit too hard up the hill at 702; ran miles 19-21 w/ no heart and decided to give up (mentally) at 20.

this course was pretty tough (to me). give me rollers or the boston course any day of the week. still, not a terrible day overall.

garmin said i ran 26.44 miles in 3:01:05 (at an avg pace of 651, doh!); the restroom detour didn't help w/ the extra distance. splits were as follows:

1. 647
2. 648
3. 655
4. 646
5. 640
6. 745 (got damn it!)
7. 645
8. 643
9. 650
10.646
11. 652
12. 655
13. 642
14. 653
15. 645
16. 654
17. 702
18. 653
19. 703
20. 706
21. 716
22. 649
23. 638
24. 702
25. 626
26. 614
.2->247 for .44 garmin miles (618 pace)

on the bright side, i closed shop pretty good toward the end.

What a Day

Last run in the ATX this AM before Portland -- I met Kamran and we came up with an ingenious 8.1 mile loop route. The run went well; I believe we ran about a 745 avgpace, but that doesn't really matter. Does it? I can report that traffic was pretty light today on teh Gilbert Mile. Also, it was still completely dark when we finished, which still seems kinda crazy.

I had planned to write some additional stuff about my thoughts/plans for the race, but life outside of running unexpectedly got in the way. Maybe tomorrow.

Last uptempo day before the race: 9 miles w/ 5 of them at steady state pace -- 6:32 avg. The temp was in low 60s, so the conditions were much better than yesterday. Likewise, I felt like a different runner today (I.E., much improved). I was beginning to wonder, what with the last few runs feeling so average. Only one more training run to go in Austin...

Easy (not so easy) 5 from the pad. Ran s. through St. Eds campus to Oltorf, westbound to S. 1st, then headed south for the sweet 1.25 uphill climb to Ben White (which sucked), and then down the feeder back to SoCo. 4 miles. Concluded w/ a half mile out and back to end up w/ five. Terrible free run route. thankfully it was short.

Week 20

60 miles for the week. I have not felt especially sharp the last two days, but as I recall the last two marathon races I've run: I have thought to myself (the weekend before), "I sure am glad I didn't have to race this weekend." Each of those races went very well the following week, and I have no reason to believe this one won't be the same way. Seems I'm right where I need to be. Time to get the mind right. There is work to be done next Sunday.

Easy 16 today at at avg pace of 744. I did not feel that great at the beginning and end, when we ran slower. I did feel good in the middle and during the latter half of the run when we picked up the pace. Mission accomplished on this run because I was not tired or worn out afterward. The taper is going well. I am just' a itching to race.

In & Out Mile Repeats

This was basically the same workout we did on August 25th. The only difference was this time we alternated the pace (every 400 m) -- 400m at 10k, 400m at hmgp, 400m at 10k, 400m at hmgp. My how things have changed. I remember this workout was a little tough just a month ago. Today, it was a piece of cake. 10k felt relaxed, and i had to focus on not going too fast. HMGP felt like recovery laps, especially the last 3 repeats. I'm pretty sure this is a good thing.

Officially a little nervous and very excited, I can't wait to run this race!


Mile -- Quarter Splits
613 -- 130, 136, 131, 135

605 -- 129, 134, 128, 133

605 -- 127, 132, 129, 135

604 -- 127, 134, 128, 133

603 -- 126, 134, 127, 134

601 -- 126, 133, 127, 133

9 miles total for the day

YTD Mileage

April was Boston marathon recovery and July was the injury month. Decent output otherwise.

Easy 10 from the Springs w/ Mike, Bruce, and Dan. The weather was outstanding today; I wore a shirt for the first time since...who knows when. The shirt was the latest/greatest Team Rogue racing shirt. I felt it was pretty comfortable, but will need lots of body glide on teh chest. If the temperature on race day is above 55, though, I may end up painting Team Rogue on my chest...or getting Dustin to design me a special trash bag.

2x2 at HMGP

A northern front hit Austin around 2am and brought w/ it some pretty heavy rain this morning. I woke up at 4:30am, and it was still coming down pretty good. After looking outside several times and mulling it over, I decided I wasn't going to run on the track in those conditions. Running easy might not have been too bad on the roads, but running 10k pace and hmgp was going to be a chore on the track. Especially when lanes 1-3 are flooded as they have been in the past with these conditions. So, I texted Coach, let him know I would run later, and then got a couple more hours of sleep.

When I awoke the second time, I found out that the workout was canceled. Sweet, now I didn't feel like I missed anything. Moreover, i noticed that we would do today's track workout on Thursday instead, so I decided to swap the workouts, and do what we would have done on Thursday: 2x 2 miles at hmgp.

Three mile warmup from RE (Waller, I35 bridge, Riverside, trail to I35). Set #1: 6:11, 6:12. Oopsie. That was not hmgp. Rested for 1:30 and took off w/ the intention of being 6:20-6:30 on the second set. Saw I was at 6:40 at .25 and decided to run off effort the rest of the way: 6:15, 6:08. Oh well, close enough. One mile cool down back to RE.

Right hammie was little tight on/off during the sets. Felt that old pull from the glut. No pain, just what I call a "reminder" that I need to stretch those suckers a little more diligently.

Eight miles total for the day.

The Taper Begins

Easy 6 today. 6.2 to be precise; 47 minutes. I felt horrible the first mile, so I stopped to stretch some. After that, I was good after another mile passed. I ended the run feeling pretty good. All my past aches and pains seem to be in check.

Regarding the taper, i am planning to knock off about 10 miles this week. Am thinking: 6, 10, 10, 8, 16, and 10. Ha, that worked out to an even 60 w/out even playing w/ the numbers. I love it when a plan comes together so naturally.

Week 19 in the Books

This morning Muz, Jason, Kamran, and I met at WF as we have over the last several weeks. We logged 10 easy ones on the trail. My legs were were pretty whacked at the beginning. After about 4 miles, they gradually started to feel better. Not sure how/why, but someone (not me) put us at about a 730 pace w/ 3 miles to go. Surprisingly, I started to feel good at that point. So I cruised it in right about there the rest of the way. In the end, this turned out to be a good recovery run. I don't believe I'll have any problem recovering from yesterday, especially since I was able to get back in the the groove so easily today.

For the week, I ended just a hair past 70 miles. This week actually did not seem to be that tough. Though, I'm glad it is behind us. What else can I say? Things still seem to be coming together.

Well, today was the last race prep for the Portland training season. It seems like just the other day we were meeting for the first Tuesday workout. Time flies! But I digress...

Today, we were to do 20 miles at MGP + 20 seconds. This seemed like it would be pretty easy on paper; thus, I planed to be a little more aggressive. This morning,however,Coach strongly warned us not to run too fast and blow the race with today's workout. That sorta struck home, and I immediately decided to back off on my plan to pick up the pace the last 10 miles. Haha.

I broke the splits into 5 miles clumps, so without further ado:

Time for 5

1. 34:40
2. 34:27
3. 34:20
4. 34:23

Garmin Dist

1. 4.96
2. 4.94
3. 4.93
4. 4.95

Avg Garmin Pace

1. 7:00
2. 6:58
3. 6:58
4. 6:57

Mile Split Range

1. 658-702
2. 654-702
3. 654-703
4. 645-704

There you have it. Pretty solid in my opinion. FYI, there was only 1 mile that was faster than 654 (the last one); the smell of the barn was just too strong. Overall, I don't feel that I ever had to press on this run. Now, that is not to say that the three 2-3 mile uphill stretches didn't require me to work a little more. But once we came off those stretches, it was back to feeling pretty comfortable.

For the day, 23.10 miles. Big thanks to Muz for running w/ me and for doing his best to keep me honest throughout. :-) Two weeks until the big day!

Diagonal 200s (x 12) again today. Very short workout, I covered approximately 7.5 miles today w/ a short warm-up. The 200s were to be done no faster than 5k pace; mine were in the 42-45 sec range (most being 43).

Random stuff:

Mileage wise, I'm at 37 for the week, so I should end the week w/ 71. Decent.

Regarding the race prep on Saturday, this morning Steve told us the 20 miles at mgp (+ 15 seconds) should actually be +20 seconds. Hmm. I'm tentatively going to do 6:55-7:00 on the first 10 and 6:50-6:55 for the last 10. At least that's what i'm thinking now.

Could fall be here? I just looked at a 10 day forecast and 70 degrees is the highest "low temp" for that time period. After what we've experienced the last few months, I'll take 70 or less any day of the week. Yessir!

Team Rogue workout attendance has noticeably decreased recently. WTF?

100% Better

The above title was not my thought, but the words of the unofficial Team Rogue masseuse after my session today. This was the most enjoyable massage I have gotten in months. The last several have been quite painful at times. Anywho, this is just another sign that I'm peaking right when I should (double knock on wood). Saturday can't get here soon enough.

On the running front, another easy 10 w/ the guys and a gal. Enjoyable run and the temp felt like it had to be sub 70 degrees. The pace was 7:38 according to Garmin.

Tempo run today on our 2 mile loop in the heart of the '02. We did a 4 mile warm up and cooled 'er down for two afterward. My average pace for the four mile tempo portion was 6:07. I guess I'm getting over the illness. Ha!

Results Are In

I made an appointment w/ the doc around 8:30 this morning, because I still felt like dog shit when I woke up. Being the hard headed person that I am, nothing was going to stop me from getting in a decent run in today. The icing was applied to the cake when I consulted the Internets and saw the temp was 70 degrees. Can't pass that up, so I promptly threw on some clothes and moseyed on down to Rogue. Opted for the 9 mile Rogue/TLBL trail route, the run turned out to be a really good one. After about 3.5 miles, my head cleared and the ole legs woke up also. I had to make a point to keep it easy after 4 miles -- guess I got too much rest over the weekend.

Once I was home and cleaned up, I noticed the sore throat had lessened some. I'll be damned. "Maybe things will be okay after all."

Stuck w/ the dr's appointment and ended up w/ some antibiotics just in case. Also, the doc made a point to let me know he didn't think i was H1N1 positive. Interesting. Anyways, it's 5:05pm on Monday and I'm pretty sure i'll be ready to roll tomorrow morning. The lesson for the day: the sky is not falling.

Ruh Roh (Week 18 Wrap)

I spent most of Saturday afternoon laying around feeling like shit: most painful sore throat evAr, fever, and stuffy nose. Sunday morning I wasn't much better (even after sleeping 12 hours). Damn. So what did I do around noon? I went for a run of course. Nothing serious, just an easy 5 miles. I know this isn't the best thing to do (medically speaking), but it has helped in the past. This time, the run didn't help too much. I felt crummy the rest of the day. ;-(

For the week, 54 miles. I would have had 5 more if not for being sick, but oh well. I don't think those 5 are going to make or break me. Now, I just need to get over this bug ASAP. Off to the dr tomorrow.

16 Wet Ones

Easy 16 as per usual when we do a down week -- I damn skipped this one due to the rain. If it would have been cold and raining, I would have skipped it. Reason being, i woke up with a hellafied sore throat and felt on the verge of becoming a sickling. Anyway, after mulling it over, I decided to lace em up. Not much to report on the run, about 7:43 pace -- pretty even except for the last mile, though, it still wasn't any faster than 7 min. Only two Saturday LRs left; we are getting close.

Easy 5 mile shake out. Not much else to report. Wait, I slept 10 hours last night, which was great. I'm going to try to do the same thing tonight.

Easy 10 w/ Mike, Kamran, and Bruce. It has warmed up on us again; Mike said it was 78 this AM. Yuck! Other than that, it was a good run. Though, my legs are ready for the two planned days of little to no running. We shall see if I can force myself to actually take two consecutive days off.

400s

Today was 400s at 10K pace. We were to do 16 of them; each rep was followed by a 200 meter recovery. I forgot my watch, so I followed somewhat closely behind some guys w/ watches. I'd estimate that my reps were consistently between 1:27 and 1:29. Good enough for me. About 10 miles total for the day.

8.5 miles w/ Kamran and Muz from R.E. We decided to run at 10am so we could sleep in and so the guys could catch the triathlon. It was pretty warm, but not too unbearable. This was a nice easy run.

Week 17 Wrap-up

Easy 10 from Whole Foods w/ Kamran and Muz. The legs felt a little dead the first 3 miles, but were good from there out. Breakfast from WF was excellent: banana, low calorie gatorade substitute, bfast taco burito (egg, sausage, potato, and cheese), and last but not least, a promise land chocolate milk. Delicious!

For the week, I logged 74 miles. This week went very well. And that's all I have to say about that.

Twenty four miles via the ole skool South Austin Ramble route. 7:34 avg. We were pretty slow the first half and a little quicker the last 10. Another good run; I felt strong throughout.

Rollers (part 2)

1.7 mile warmup
5 miles of 2 min on/off in the hills
1 mile recovery
3.6 at steady pace
1.7 mile cool down
13 miles total (er..12.75 according to Larry's garmin)

I went into today unsure how I would do with the recent increase in mileage and intensity over the last several days. I definitely was not fresh, but my legs responded very well. The third time I ran an "on" portion of the fartlek things began to click. We apparently ran a little faster during the fartlek because we made it to the finish in one less rep than before (one less 'off'). The steady portion went well too. My average pace for 3.6 miles was 6:31.

Don't really know exactly why, but I know I'm rapidly getting into racing form. The increased intensity seems to have really brought my legs back to life. And really, it didn't take much to wake them up. Still, I'm going to keep on w/ what I've been doing because the sharpening process is not complete.

Easy 10 w/ Kamran via the Kamran Special. The weather was cool (heard it was 76 via morning radio) and my legs warmed up nicely after a couple of miles. Tomorrow will be a good one, Steve's new r-r-r-rollers. Should have more to report then.

On the docket today, seven steady state miles, on the trail, were sandwiched between two easy miles. The marching orders were go as you feel, and I was feeling decent, so I ran the run like I would any other steady stater. Only thing, though, it was too dark to look at the Garmin most of the way. So, I just decided to run w/ Larry as long as I could. I was able to hang for the most part, usually ending up about 20-30 yards behind him at each water stop. The run went very well, and I got stronger as it went on. 6:24 avg for the steady portion

I feel alright

Easy 8 today. I made an effort to not look at my watch and run by feel today. It was difficult to not look at first, but I adjusted around the half way mark. My quads were still kind of ragged at the beginning. The latter half of the run went pretty well though. Great success!

Week 16 is a wrap

Easy 10 this morning w/ Jason and Kamran. I felt surprisingly okay, though, my quads were extremely dead and a little sore. Kamran let me navigate some and we ended up hitting some hills. I am sure my navigation privileges have since been revoked. ;-) Good run. Aches and pains were a non-issue, so I guess I can stop talking about them...

For the week, 62 miles and some change. The workouts were all pretty easy except the race simulation, obviously. Overall, I now gauge RP #3 as mostly a success. I did a hell of a lot better on this one than the last one. Still, there is work to do. I don't need to go out and do anything crazy, but will continue to be pretty aggressive on the T, Th, Sat runs. 255 paces from here out and then I'll re-assess during the taper.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Race Prep #3)

The Good:
25.25 good miles
5:30 relaxed hard mile
14 miles at 6:50 pace or faster
6:46 avg for mgp portion of the run
pushed through a bonk at mile 14 (Redbud)
Hit mgp and hmgp on the track (after a break ;-/)

The Bad:
Fueling (only 3 gels taken and two sets of thermolytes)
Mental focus (not there in the late stages)
Heart (lack thereof)

The Ugly:
Track/6 miles at the end.
Stopped two times on the track.
Only ran 4 miles of the 6 (track miles)

So there it is. I'm not happy w/ the the latter part of this workout, make no mistake about it. Fueling was terrible. And I just wasn't locked in mentally. I guess I sorta thought I would breeze through this workout since I backed off on the pace a bit. Silly me.

I still have few weeks, so this was by no means a make or break workout. The fitness is there, I just need to refine some things and get my head out of the freaking clouds. I know I can do it.

200s

Coach calls them diagonal 200s. Run a 200 on the track, recover across the field, and repeat. We did 12 of them at 5k-10k pace. Mine ranged from 42-44 seconds, though, almost all of them were 43. Very easy workout (which it was supposed to be) -- 7.5 miles total.

The Saturday workout was amended just slightly:

1.5M Warm-Up to Anderson High Track
1M Build to Top Speed (ie 400 at 10K then each 400 faster until you are as fast as you can go for the mile)
2M Recovery
5M @ MGP w/ 3-5 min recovery (Start where you stopped)
4M @ MGP
5M Hills (EASY!)
10K Continuous Progression Run on Austin High Track (20.15)
2M @ MGP
2M @ HMGP
2M @ 10K (26.15)
Cool down Back to Barton Springs (27.5)

Why don't we go ahead and label my mgp for this workout 6:45-6:50. Done!

Easy 10 this morning w/ Kamran, Coach, and Asia. It was damn near frigid outside this AM. I don't know the exact temp, but it had to be at least 5 degrees cooler with significantly lower humidity. I felt like I could have run 100 miles...okay, maybe not quite that far. Anyhow, you get the idea. Things seem to be looking up.

In/Out

No, the title is not referring to my training over the last 6 weeks...

Today, we did 6x 1 mile (800 M at hmgp, 800 M at 10K). 255 paces. Good workout. Yes, the hmgp/10k splits were a little fast most of the time. Though, we did pick it up by the prescribed 5 seconds (per quarter) when the speed change was to come about (if that makes sense). I felt really good today; the best I have felt since the injury. I would post the splits but the watch which recorded the splits was returned a couple hours ago...forgot to get them before the return. You'll just have to trust me on the pacing. ;-)

FYI, Academy has all Nike running watches for 30-40% off. Check them out. I have mine now.

Week 15 Wrap

Pretty easy down week (51 miles). Six weeks out -- it is time to get serious and lock in going forward. My aches/pains seem to be subsiding so those issues should not negatively affect my focus. What else can I say? It's time to go out there and get it done.

Easy 16 today (7:46 avg pace) via a version of the St. Eds loop. I felt pretty good today. My leg felt the best it has felt in awhile. If it feels the same tomorrow, I think I will be able to put that issue behind me. Let's hope so. That's all I have...I'm off to watch T&F via DVR.

Easy 10. It took about 4.5 miles to get warmed up today. Yuck. From there on, though, I was good. Our new 10 mile route is fucking badass, FYI.

This is our race simulation for next Saturday:
2up; 1M FAST; 2 Easy; 10M MGP; 5M Hills; 10K Track (2 x mgp, 2 x hmgp, 2 x 10k) 2dn

That's 28 miles for those scoring at home, 17 of em faster than MGP. I haven't fully decided how/what paces I will do this workout, but one thing is for sure, I won't try to break 5 in the mile. I'm thinking 5:20-5:30 for the mile; that will put me where I want to be. The rest of the plan for the workout...TBD.

Easy 10 w/ most of the original 310 train plus the metro bullet. We ran some new roads today -- quite refreshing. I felt pretty so/so throughout the run, but attribute that to a lack of warm-up and stretching. Should know better at this point.

I noticed that Steve posted the finals 6 weeks of the Portland training macro. I have since printed and reviewed the workouts we have left. There are several workouts which consist of repeats/intervals of a mile or less. I was very happy to see these because I know they will sharpen me up for the big day. Cuz, right now, I feel duller than butter knife. All part of the mad scientists master plan I presume.

I skipped the morning practice today due to...shit, i have no idea why i didn't go. Anyway, I got in 5 miles at lunch via the treadmill. I actually did the quality portion of the workout on the treadmill; my neighbors now know I'm certifiably crazy. Because I must have looked pretty goofy (read more goofy than usual) doing the hill mechanics, recovery,and tempo . What's done is done, I'll lock in going forward.

Ups & Downs (Week 14 Wrap)

The race prep did not go well for me on Saturday. No excuses, I just did not have it on that day. Maybe the paces were too fast, maybe not -- it's too soon to tell.

On the bright side, my ankle/leg is much improved. It didn't bother me at all on Saturday and was just barely tight on Sunday. Also, I was able to log 73 miles for the week. So it wasn't all bad. However, my legs were really tired on Sunday so I have opted to rest today.

I'm going to stick with the same paces for the next three to four weeks before making a final determination for the race/pace. I seem to be on the other side of the injury deal, so hopefully, I'll be able to really lock in and determine the best approach.

Seven weeks to go. Five weeks of real training left. Can I get it together in time?

Get your mind right

Tomorrow we have our 2nd race simulation workout. This will be my first since I DNS'ed the first one (due to injury). I'm not going to bullshit...I'm a bit nervous. But let's call it nervous in a good way.

Since yesterday's run, I jumped in an ice bath post workout, have eaten well, minded my hydration, and slept almost 9 hours last night. My legs don't feel dead or sore from yesterday, so there shouldn't be any bonking. Shit, I should be ready to roll come 5:30am tomorrow. Time to do the damn thing!

Rollers

Today was the rollers workout. This is a pretty tough workout. Two mile warm-up, 5 miles of 2min on/off via LAB, Scenic, and finishing north up Balcones. Once we turned on Hancock (off Balcones), we recovered for 1 mile, and then ran 'steady' for 3.5 miles. A 1.5 mile cool down wrapped up this workout. Avg for the steady portion was 6:32. Now I just need to recover enough to have a good run on Saturday. Matter of fact, I am dedicating the next 36 hours to eating as much food as possible and taking in plenty of fluids. Will report back w/ teh results...

Easy 10. Not much to say these days. All went pretty well.

Hill mechanics day again, the only difference was the warm-up/cool down was a little longer. Twelve miles total today.

Easy 4. Treadmill. Boring, but got it done. The rest of the week will be much more interesting.

Week 13 Wrap

Nine miles today put me at 66 for the week. Progress. Though, my leg was pretty tight this AM. I guess the run yesterday took more of a toll than I thought. I iced the shit of it afterward so hopefully it will be good tomorrow. Again, nothing like it was so I am not too concerned.

Time to gear up for seven strong days. Next Saturday should be a really good one.

Easy 20 on Saturday. It was a nice and relaxed run.Some of the old crew was back today and that was pretty cool. From next week on, the ole gang should be damn near completely intact (a couple of Rogues aside).

On the ache/pain front -- My leg held up pretty well. The tendon was little tight at times, but nothing like before.

Fitness wise, I felt very good...relaxed and strong throughout the run. My fitness does not seem to have taken a hit as a result of the 2-3 weeks of blah. I'll find out for sure next week!

Something new...Hill Mechanics

Rumor 'round the water cooler was that we were going to do some hill repeats. It turned out to be something like that, but not exactly what one might expect. We ran about 5.5 miles to East Windsor Road (think Pease Park). Once there, we were at the bottom of a .25 mile hill. We were to run up the hill with an exaggerated running form (think 'high knee' form running). The only thing was we were to keep our torso completely upright (I.E., don't lean into the hill). Once at the top we were to jog back down, and then head back up. Once up the 2nd time, were to run a .5 mile loop at tempo pace and then jog back down the hill. And that was set #1. We did two sets. Afterward, we had about a 4 mile cool down back to the Springs.

This wasn't a tough workout, but was indeed fun. I'm sure the workout next week will be tougher so i guess i should be happy. ;-)

One hour and 11 minutes w/ Mike and Bruce. No Garmin, so let's mark down as 8.5 miles. Nice and easy run.

Fourteen miles -- this was the best I have felt in at least 2 weeks. It was as if all the frustration was washed away w/ one run. It is amazing what one good run will do for one's confidence. Don't ask me why/how, but now I believe I'm ready to finish strong these last 2 months...

The ankle was good except for when I decided to run on the grass(uneven surface) for about 20-30 yards. I hate it when that happens. Anyway, I still believe the issue is on the uptick. I'll know for sure by the end of the week. Only time will tell.

Run regularly to run well

I struggled to keep the streak alive today. Ended up getting an easy 3 miles in on the treadmill in the late afternoon, I know, very lame.

I have decided to only run 14 miles tomorrow -- no need to fuck things up on a MLR. ;-)

Oh yeah, Happy Birthday to me.

Week 12 Wrap

This weekend I continued to struggle, though, most of my issues were between my ears. I skipped the Saturday LR (WTF?) and opted for a short 6 mile run later that same morning. I did pretty well on it.

Sunday I was determined to get in the 16 miles I had skipped on Sat. I did get the run in, but it really sucked. I felt like my legs went to shit after about 5 miles. The rest of the run was pretty tough. My ankle was okay except for about a mile to two (7.5-9.5ish). So, I was happy to have completed the run without any significant pain issues, but I'm worried about what seems to be a decline in overall fitness. ;-(

For the week, I logged 48 miles. Far from impressive, but my ankle/leg seemed to improve ever so slightly through the week. I am still not confident enough to buy my plane ticket, so I'll hold off until the end of next week. Stay low fares!

I believe I have rested (my aches and pains) enough over the last 10 days, so it's time to crank things back up. Nothing too crazy, because I'm pretty sure pushing it too hard is what landed me in this predicament (that, and of course the shoe blunder). Anyways, I'm going jump right back into training, but try to listen very carefully to my body. No mileage goals. No regimented plans. No strict time goals. Just running w/ the team and having fun!

PT Day

this a.m. i ran the tlbl trail w/ the guys. the last few miles sucked for me personally. most of it was likely mental, because i picked it up some the last mile and felt just fine. once i get back into a more regular running schedule things should start to click again. the extra days off have been good from a recovery standpoint, but as for mental focus, not so much. the leg was better today than it was on tues, so that's a definite plus.

pt went well. i have a few new homework exercises to strengthen: a) my feet/arch, 2) posterior tibial tendon, 3) soleus muscle. the pt guy said my issue is quite treatable, but that i'll have be sure not to over do it over the next 10 weeks (if I want to keep running). that's going to be the tough part, though, i do like a challenge!

On Sunday, when I wrote out my weekly running plan, I penciled in today as an off day. Yesterday, though, I changed my mind and planned to run. This morning I awoke and decided to stick w/ the original plan. Lots of waffling on my end, but I believe I made the correct decision (rest to recover).

Flip/flop tendencies aside -- I had a 30 min session w/ Lisa today. She ended up working on my left calf/lower leg for the entire 30 minutes. Haha. She didn't think it will need to be amputated, but did give me some homework (icing, stretching, and rolling). Nothing new, however, she gave me some additional areas to target. Did I mention she put a hurtin on my calf? Not complaining cause it was a good hurt. Thx! I'll be sure to check in w/ an update tomorrow...

Twelve miles (.5 warmup and 11.5 route). The leg was okay. It was a bit bothersome toward the end (read last 1.5 miles). Iced and stretched it afterward. I spoke w/ Steve afterward, and he believes the issue is mainly related to one calf w/ no momma. The dr basically said the same thing. With that info, I made a 30 min appt to work on that sucker tomorrow morning. Also, I have PT on Thursday. I sure hope the extra treatment helps out. Off to roll/stretch now. ;-)

Week 11

Ugh, not a good week. About 25 miles and the last 4 days of the week off nursing my wounds. On the bright side, my ankle seemed to respond really well to the rest. So much so, I almost changed my mind and ran on Saturday morning. I'm glad I didn't though.

Today (Monday), I went for an easy 4 miles. My ankle was a little tight the first mile, but no pain. The tightness went away after mile 1, and the only thing I had to deal with the rest of way was the craziness between my own ears. Woe is me. Haha!

Slight Change of Plans

I decided not to run today and opted for rest instead. My ankle/leg feels a lot better. I'm planning to go for an easy 30 min jog on Monday morning to test things out. If all goes well, I'll run with the group on Tuesday. I sure as hell hope it plays out that way, because I'm going stir crazy already. :-)

Tough Times

Gosh, a lot has changed since Tuesday. My ankle/leg issue seems to have ratcheted up a notch. I almost skipped the run on Wed (because of it), but opted for a mid-morning run. I had a fair amount of discomfort during that run. I iced it afterward with the hope that I'd be good to go today. After a couple short jogs early this AM, I decided to skip the morning steady state run. Very disappointing. Now, I could have run, not doubt about it. But I felt my body was crying uncle to an extent (with the early jogs). At the urging of a friend, I went ahead and made a drs appt. Fortunately, i was able to get in today. The dr's initial prognosis was posterior tibial tendonitis. There is a chance it could also be a bone issue (read stress reaction) since this tendon runs right next to/behind the tibia. The only way to tell for sure is via MRI. But, I don't think it is the bone (at least I hope not).

I'll rest again tomorrow, and then give it a go on Saturday, with the plan to take Sunday and Monday off. If Saturday results in epic fail, i may be looking at a full week off. Shitty, but i have try to get on the other side of this deal.

The moral to this story is: don't make extreme changes to your footwear just to do it. Maybe it will sink in this time. That's all I have for now.

Sixteen sweaty ones. About a 7:40 pace (so I heard...watch issues). Ankle was about a 7.5 out of 10. It didn't get any worse, so that's good.

Week 10 Wrap

Haha, this week ended up nothing like I had planned. I clocked 57 miles, and the lower leg/ankle issue returned this week. The run on Sunday was particularly uncomfortable. So much so, i ended up taking today (Monday) off as a precaution. This evening my leg/ankle feels much better. But the run tomorrow will give me a better idea. If all goes well, i should be able to squeeze 70+ miles out of the week. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

A short one today, 16 miles, that's it. The pace was a little faster, but the run was a good one. We ended with nice little close over final the 3 miles. Nothing too serious though. Now it's time to start gearing up for some good stuff next week. More shall be revealed...

Tempo Workout

Today was the first tempo run of the season. 2x2 miles at tempo pace. I believe we were to keep it around half marathon goal pace (hmgp) -- 6:20s. I had planned to go somewhat easy the 1st set and be a little more aggressive the second set. Reason being, in the past I have gone out hard from the jump and struggled toward the end of these type of workouts. I guess I mostly accomplished my goal for the workout...I was slower on the first set than the second. But I was a little fast for both. Oh well, that's one those good problems to have (the way i see it). The sets were: 12:21 (608 and 613) and 12:03 (6:07 and 5:57). Truth be told, the workout was easier than I expected. I thought the second set would be tougher. So, i don't believe i'll have a problem w/ these tempo paces when we do a full fledged tempo run. Nice!

Officially Down

Seven miles today. No watch. I decided today to make this a down week. The next two weeks I'll shoot for 80s (along w/ a cohort).

Yowzers.

We have our first tempo paced workout on Thurs, so I figured I better determine my paces. The forthcoming quality workouts should be interesting. I hope I don't have to make a post where I state I'm adjusting my goal. ;-)

MLR

No run yesterday. Sleep seemed like a better option. Today, 16 mile MLR at about 7:30 avg. The run today seemed like it flew by and was pretty easy. I guess the day off may have had something to do w/ that...

Week 9 Wrap

Welp, I ended w/ 78 miles for the week. It was a good week. The steady run was by far the highlight in my eyes. Not because of the result, i was just happy to shift gears. I look forward to the quality-ish workouts in the coming weeks. Before long, we'll be doing quality twice a week. The more the merrier in my mind.

I have a bit of a running conundrum regarding the upcoming week. I'm not sure whether to take a down week. It might be best to take one, but my legs seem to be hanging in there pretty good. As of right now, I am going to pass on the down week, and instead, opt to hold my mileage where it is. This is what I'm thinking: 6, 16, 10, 12, 24, and 10. Now, this may change. If everyone else is going to drop down, then I will too. We shall see.

I hear tell the quality run on Thurs is 2x2 miles at tempo pace. Should be fun, it that is the case.

Mt Bonnell/Balcones LR from Barton Springs (BS) today -- twenty-four miles were on the docket. This 24 miler turned out to be the easiest one of the season. The avg pace was about 7:40. We started out pretty slow and ended pretty fast. Very solid, especially considering the steady state run on thurs. Before the run, I was a might bit concerned there might be a hangover, but there was no such thing. The ole legs must be starting to come around.

steady stater

Today was the first steady state run this training season. Our instructions were to get to a comfortably hard pace in the first mile and then back off a bit. We were to go no faster than MGP.

The 7 mile run went pretty well. I felt like I was under control pretty much the whole time. From about mile 2.5-3.5 I was a bit uncomfortable (thinking I can't do this), but those thoughts passed in under 7 minutes, and my mind was at ease the rest of the way. I did pick up the pace some in the last two miles, and even noticed I had begun to press, so I forced myself to back off. I came in pretty relaxed the last 1/2 mile and finished feeling pretty good about the workout. In all, 12 miles for the day. I had a 6:42 avg for the 7 steady. Nothing to get all excited about, but it's a decent start. Going forward i just want to be consistent and maybe get the the avg pace down about 10-15 seconds. Until next time...

Easy 10 on the trail. The pace was about 8;15. I could feel yesterdays run on my legs. Several hours from now we shall see if I was able to recover. ;-)

Leveling Out?

Today I felt pretty damn good. It was MLR day, so that means 16 of em. The avg pace was like 7:30. Noticing a trend? We were a bit faster on the back half, but nothing serious. I wanted to be sure to take it pretty easy so I can run well on thurs. Mission accomplished, I believe.

Easy 5

I did a very easy 5 miles from the crib today. The avg pace was about 7:50. Not much to report, all was well.

Week 8 Wrap-up

So, 63 miles this week via four days for running, I had planned to get in about 10 more miles, but it just wasn't in the cards. Oh well. The real positive is that my ankle/leg has drastically improved since last week. I was sincerely worried about it last weekend, but I guess the decreased mileage/shoe change has worked.

Next week, we start doing quality workouts/runs on Thursday (e.g. , steady states, tempos, etc.). With those, the intensity is about to kick up a notch. I am going to try get in a good mileage week all the while. Probably not 80, but somewhere in the 75-78 range: 5, 16, 10, 12, 24, and 10 -- that's my tentative plan.

# 2

Today was the second 24 miler of the season. This one was pretty tough, just like the first one. It was very hot, humid, and there was little to no breeze/wind the first half of the run. Still, three of us trudged on to make it the distance. The toughest portion for me was from the 2 hour mark up until 2.5 hours. The last 30 minutes, I actually began to feel better. Strange, but I guess good at the same time.

24 miles at about a 7:45 pace

Better

Today was our MLR. Next week it will moves back to Tuesday. I felt noticeably better today (than on Tuesday). Full disclosure: it was cooler today and I did not run on Wednesday due to laziness. Also, I brought a water bottle, 2 gels, and a set of thermolytes. Yes, I was ready for battle! The route today was a solid one -- started from BS, made our way to Lake Austin Blvd, took exposition to 35th, and made our way back to the TLBL Trail. That part put us at about 10ish. We got the extra 6 by heading toward Barton Hills for a loop which ended at the Springs. The run turned into a lively one during the last 6 miles. Not going to calculate the pace for that stretch, but the last two full miles were 637 and 618. Pretty decent. Not going to lie, I felt somewhat uncomfortable at times during the last 4-5 miles, but my breathing was pretty much in check the whole time. All told, 16.4 mile at a 7:25 pace.

Tough One

Today was a rough one for me. From the first water stop, I could tell it was going to be one of those days. I managed to keep things together the whole way, but the last two miles really sucked. I suspect this all came about due to the climate change (increased heat/humidity), relatively poor diet last week, no gels, and a route that was relatively hilly. I expect everything to make its way back to normal in the coming days, so no real need to worry at this point. At least that's what I hope!

12 miles at a 7:31 pace

Back in the Saddle

Easy 10 today (7:50 avg pace). The ankle/leg was at about 80%. The condition didn't worsen. Matter of fact, it only bothered me when we hit a cambered area.

Week 7 Wrap

I ended this week with 40 miles. Definitely a recovery week, though, not exactly how I had planned it. This morning my leg/ankle felt better (not nearly as tight). I had previously planned to take today off and reluctantly stuck to the script. To keep from getting overly antsy, I did hit up some weights and core work. The workout was good one; hopefully I won't be too sore, because it's been awhile since I've hit the weights hard.

Next week, I'm going to try to be somewhere between 70 and 80 miles, all depends if I run 5 or 6 days. I"m strongly leaning towards 70-75 in 5 days because I have some plans for the weekend, but who knows for sure at this point.

DNS #2

Well, I decided not to run our MLR long run today of 16 miles. When I got up, the inside of my left ankle/lower leg was really tight/achy. Being a down week and still June, I justified an unplanned off day today. Full disclosure, the lower leg/ankle has been a bit of an issue for about one month. this week the discomfort ratcheted up just slightly. Admittedly, I've prolly over done it some over the last three weeks. But, I can't change any of that now. I'm hoping a couple off days will allow me to get on the mend and come back strong starting Monday. I know, EASY!

Easy there

Last full day in Chicago (I leave mid-day tomorrow), and I had planned to have a short/easy one. And I did. Total of 7 miles at avg around 7:30, I ran north again and stayed west of Lakeshore Drive. I saw the soccer field again in the distance (to the east), though it was in use today. The run seemed like it was over before it really got started. Good, I guess.

My legs were a little sore (quads) in the first half mile, but I got going good. I guess the shorter run yesterday allowed me to get some bounce back in my step. I imagine I'll feel good tomorrow and will be ready to have a good one on Saturday. Since this week is supposed to be a down week, I was advised that Saturday should be shorter than usual, 16 miles. It will be the shortest Saturday run I've done in awhile. In reality, it's good that I have some more experienced guys advising me to pull back on the reins some. Because left to my own devices, I just might run myself into the ground. Not that I've ever over done anything before. :-)

Field Turf

today, i went north again once i made to lakeshore drive, but veered left of the main road and found a running trail west of the road. it was a nice trail. along the way, there was what i guess was about a 80 yard soccer field with field turf. i saw some guys coming off the field, and having never run on this type of turf (since it came about after my playing days), i was drawn to it. i ran the length of the field both inbound and outbound to get a feel for it. it was extremely soft/springy...maybe softer than grass. but is was slippery, granted i had on flats, but the surface didn't have the texture a good grass field possesses. so, i'd still favor a good grass field, but i can see why field turf is all the rave these days.

the run -- 9 miles at a 7:40 pace -- i went real easy the first 4 and that shit sucked, so i picked it up some after that. running at an easy effort (in the neighborhood 7:00-7:40) feels a hell of a lot better these days than anything 7:40+. i guess that's a good thing, but only time will tell for sure.

La'Beaches

I went north on the Lakeshore trail today. Boy, the youngins of Chicagoland sure do love their lake-beaches (la'beaches). You'd think these people experienced near Arctic weather 7 months of the year. Truth be told, I'd have probably been doing the same thing when I was in my teens and early 20's, so I can't really hate.

The run: it was hot. I took off at about 4:15; the temp was about 90 w/ 55% humidity...so much for the weather making me soft. I got in 10 easy miles at about a 8:15 pace. I grabbed 10 today because running may be a challenge tomorrow. I hope to get in 7, but will be lucky to get 5. Either way, I think I'll be okay.

5 = 14

Well, I decided to go right (which I later found out was South) when I came to Lakeshore trail. After about 3 miles, i decided to go a bit further. At the 5 mile turnaround, I decided to make today my MLR, because who knows how I'll feel the next few days with all the hustle and bustle. Coming up on 6 miles, i convinced myself that 12 total miles was not a true MLR, so I rumbled on for another mile to end up with 14 miles.

About the run/route: 1) stopped for water twice, 2) no gels or thermolytes -- accidental, was only planning to go 5 miles, 3) witnessed the beginning of decent confrontation between two large groups of very vocal younsters (I skirted past/between them and went on my way), 4) heard sirens shortly thereafter 5) after mile 5, the route got a bit 'scenic', 6) I felt the lack of thermolytes/gels around mile 12, but it wasn't too bad, 7) not that it matters, but the avg pace was 7:41, 8) nice run, i'll go left/north tomorrow to see what's up that way, 9) good night!

Windy City Recon

I walked around for about 20-30 minutes earlier to get my bearings straight. I'm at the Wyndham downtown (st clair and erie) and will go to the sea wall...er...lake wall for a run. It should not be too tough since I'm only going to try to get about 5 miles. Will report back later!

Mark it 80 Dude (week 6 wrapup)

I grabbed an easy 10+ on the trail this morning around 8:30am. It is much easier doing a Sunday recovery run when you don't wait until after 10:30am to start (note to self :).

I ended up with 79.9 miles of workout running and then had a half mile warmup from Tuesday, so I officially broke the 80 (miles in a week) barrier. I was a bit tired on Tues/Wed, but nothing major. After taking Friday off, my legs came right back and was able to finish the week out in style. Next week, i'll be in Chi-town for work so I'll have somewhat of an off week. I still plan to hopefully run Mon-Thurs but the runs will likely be much shorter. Hopefully, the flat land and cooler temps don't turn me into a softy. haha!

24s

Today was a good run. I felt quite a bit stronger than last week. In all fairness, the course was much easier today too. Kamran and I both did about 24.25 miles today. We kept the pace pretty even the whole way, the avg overall was 7:35. I really wanted to pick it up around mile 17 and again at 20, which is a good sign (feeling really strong). I seemed to have bounced right back after an off day. The legs just needed a little R&R, and they were good to go. I'm happy!

16er

Team Rogue met at Barton Springs (BS) today. On tap was an amended version of the S. Austin Ramble. The ole coach ran with us today. Once I saw him ready to go this AM, I figured my planned 'easy' MLR might turn into something more uptempo. Unfortunately, I am still a bit mentally weak and get sucked in when folks take off. Today was no different. The first half of the run was okay, but we cruised back in sub-7:20s and sub-7s the last two. Not part of my plan! I'm not sure why, but miles 11-13 were especially torturous for me. Strangely enough, I got it together for the last two and felt much better for those miles. Now, I just need to be sure I get good and recovered for Saturday. To aid the process, I'm having a witch doctor come over to cast a recovery spell on my legs. I'll let you know after Saturday if I recommend this form of treatment.

10

Today was an easy 10 on the trail w/ the regular crew. The convo was pretty lively. The pace was easy, but my legs felt a little raggedly the last few miles. Uh oh! The pace? Who cares!

12

Today we ran 12 miles on a route called 'the Eastside loop'. I forgot my watch, so I was watchless throughout. My legs felt shitty the first 4 miles, but did well after that. We picked up the pace pretty good the last 4-5 miles, and Jason told me he had our overall pace at 7:17. I reallly enjoyed running without the watch...was able to focus on just keeping up at the end. ;-)

7 Down

I got in an easy 7 this AM. The day before I was planning to get 8, but 7 seemed better when i got up (late). So, I am 1 mile off track for hitting 80. My plan is as follows (Mon-Sun): 7, 12, 10, 16, off, 24, and 10. That's 79 miles. I guess I'll have to get in a mile before hand on one of those days or just count my warm-up mileage as a mile this week. Running a 1/2 mile warm-up each day is still running right? Right!

Week 5 Wrap

I've got some catching up to do here, just the facts:

Saturday, 22 miles on tap, we ran west from Rogue to Scenic, Bonnell, Balcones, Hancock, and back. The only difference on the way back was we took Pecos in to Lake Austin Blvd (LAB). So, the route was pretty hilly and the humidity was something else. I don't think anyone in our group thought the run was easy. No closing on this day, just finishing. In all, 22 miles and some change at a 7:50 pace. I was glad when that one was over!

Today, I slept in and was going back and forth between running mid-morning or waiting til the evening to run. Reason being, I felt like I needed a good nights rest. I did sleep in...almost 10 hours. Yessir! I decided to run mid-morning (10:30am) -- heat and humidity be damned. When I was getting ready, I noticed the Garmin was dead. Oops. That being the case, I took off from the house. It was hot indeed, but I took it very easy and there was a bit of a breeze. All things considered, not too bad of a run. And I feel fine hours later.

Well, I hit 75 miles this week. It sucked mid-way through the week, but got easier as I went. I'll shoot for 80 next week. My plan is the same except I'll add mileage on Monday, and I guess Saturday. Should be interesting!

Hills w/ That

Sixteen mile MLR today. The avg pace was about 7:45. The route had some good rollers throughout. The last six miles of the route were run through Rollingwood/Westlake Hills. I'm tired so that's it for today.

It's Back...

The humidity that is. The relative humidity % was at about 87 this AM. And I felt it, that is for sure. This may sound crazy, but I hope it stays this way, so I can adapt to it. I figure it will take me about a week to adjust. This Saturday could be interesting (read bonk action). But whatever, it's not like I haven't ever ate shit on a run before. Sometimes a good bonk builds running character. Ha!

The run...10 miles at about an 8 min pace. MLR tomorrow and then a rest day. Yes!

No Room for Error

Yesterday (Monday), I planned to run 7 miles, though, 3 extra hours of sleep seemed more enticing than a 4:30am wake-up for a 7 miler. Once I finally peeled myself from the bed, I only had time to get in 5 miles. No biggie, I had 2 extra miles in my weekly plan anyway. But now, I must stick to the script in order to end the week w/ 75. It should be doable.

Today, I stayed on track -- an easy 12 miles with the crew. The route was a new one, the TLBL trail from Rogue;-) We were at a pretty comfortable clip throughout, about an avg 7:45 pace. Today was the first day my legs felt somewhat tired. They stayed that way for about 7 miles. I'll be sure to eat lots of food and hydrate well over the next few days to try to nip that in the bud. Hopefully, I'll feel better tomorrow.

Week 4 Wrap

I ended the week with a paltry 50 miles. I would have liked to get in more miles, but oh well. It is what it is. Hopefully, the quasi-down week will allow me to be good to go for the next couple of weeks. I plan to get 75 next week and hopefully 80 the next. Then, I travel for work the week of the 22nd-28, so I may have a forced down week then too. We'll see.

Another 20 in the Books

Today was the fourth 20 miler I've run in a row, since Portland training started. Next week, I plan to move to 22 -- assuming all goes well. This run was both the easiest and hardest LR to date.

I'll explain: the first 12 were a piece of cake. We ran a leisurely 7:30-50 pace for those miles. The next 5, things began to get interesting. Did I mention I planned to close the last 3? Well, my plan did not include running 7 min miles from mile 12 on. About mile 13/14 I tried to get our pacers to chill, but it just wasn't happening on this day. Anyways, my last three close turned into beginning the close with about 5 left. From mile 16 on, my splits were -- 6:44, 6:33, 6:19, 6:15, and 7:14 (which I purposely decided to slow and cool down). Also, did I mention all this madness ensued as result of our Coach taking us to school? Well it did, and I'm damn near sure he had to be running in the neighborhood of 5:30s to close it out. All n all, it was a very strongl run. Hopefully, they stay like this!

The facts -- 20 miles at about a 7:20 pace.

DNS (x 2)

Well, the MLR on Tuesday turned out to be the straw that broke the camel's back. I left work a couple hours early that same day (because I felt terrible), ate dinner around 4:30pm, and was in bed by 6:30pm. I shit you not! Based on how I felt, I didn't even plan to run the next day. Also, I was pretty sure I wasn't going to work either. Yep, that bad. Anyway, I went to sleep at about 7pm on Tues and woke up after 10am on Wed. How about that?

Needless to say, I felt pretty well rested when I got up. Wednesday afternoon/evening I was feeling noticeably better, but still not 100%. Still, I was planning to run with the group on Thursday. When I woke up at 4:30am, though, I just couldn't do it. I had the overwhelming urge to just go back to bed. So I texted a few people to let them know and then rolled over to get an extra three hours of rest. I'll go ahead and say I needed that sleep too.

Once I finally got up (for reals) -- I felt awesome, though, a bit shameful that I didn't run. I thought on it for minute and decided I'd go for a short run after work (in the heat). A short run these days is in the neighborhood of 7 miles, which once I got going, turned out to be 8 miles. I ran way too fast, but oh well, it felt pretty easy. I am no worse for the wear hours later and have no doubt I'll be ready to roll on Saturday. Until then!

Coming up short

I was hoping to get in a 16 mile MLR today, but things just didn't work out that way. I woke up this morning feeling a bit sick...actually I began to feel sick yesterday. Anyway, I damn near decided to sit this one out when i first woke up, but I didn't. Know what I'm saying?

Fast forward to the run -- I felt like dog shit the first 5-6 miles, mainly due to my head/chest being all congested. Also, our group decided to go 14 rather than 16. "We don't want to peak in August," I believe was the reasoning. I was okay w/ that. After about mile 10, I began to feel a little better. A few guys (i'm probably just as guilty) began to pick up the pace the last...say...1.5 miles. I was feeling just fine at this point so I decided to go too. Without going into the in-depth play by play, the last mile was run in 6:11. Not bad all things considered. Total distance: 14.2; pace: 7:35. Peace out!

Week 3 Wrap-up

I hit 70 miles for the week and am now back on track according to my build macro. Really, the week went by pretty easily...no issues to report. I ran 6 days, something completely new to me. Next week, I'm going to drop back down to 5 days (I think :), but will still aim for 70 miles. It should be pretty doable. The week after that, it's back to 6 days of running (per week), and my schedule will hopefully stay that way for the remainder of the season.

Settling In

Today, was our third long run of the Portland marathon training cycle. Again, i had 20 on the schedule. Fortunately, there was a good size group that wanted to get 16 miles, which meant I only had to get 4 miles before. Yesh! This meant I could sleep until 4:30am, though not a lot of extra time, it was significant mentally.

The opening 4 were nice and easy, call it an extended warm-up. Once the main run started, our pace was pretty easy for the first 8-10 miles -- 7:40ish...maybe 7:30ish. I had decided the night before I would pick it up for the last three if all was going well. It was! The group actually picked up the pace and ran about a 7 min mile with about 5 to go. We hit a water stop after that mile, and the pace relaxed a bit. I let everyone know my plan, and there were a couple takers. We picked it up nicely for around two miles and then decided to sorta cool down the last mile. Great run: 20 miles at an avg pace of 7:31 (per Mr. Garmin).

Too easy?

This morning I was waffling between going either 10 or 12. I was really leaning toward going 10 because my feet have been very sore/achy the last 48 hours. I know...toughen up! Anyway, Ken wanted to go 12 today, so that was that. We ran a big loop and went out easy (read Slow) the first...call it 5 miles. Once everyone made their respective turn, we picked up the pace a bit. I felt the change of speed for about a mile, but before I knew it, the faster pace felt like the 'easy' pace. Nice! We got the mileage to exactly 12 at overall pace of 7:29.

Hours later, my feet feel much better and I'm pretty sure i could easily go again tomorrow. But I'm not going to push it too much too soon!

MLR

Today the MLR was on tap. I ran a 14 mile out/back from Rogue over to Lake Austin, meandered along Scenic, and the turn around happened at the very end of old Bull Creek Road. All of the crew, except one, was either absent or went a shorter distance. Mark joined me for the run. I had 14 on the dot, with an avg pace of 7:31.

Week 2 Wrap-up

I ended up with 60 miles for the week. I had planned to get in about 65, but mid-way through the week made a slight adjustment due to some aches and pains I was having. I don't know if the mileage adjustment really made a difference, but I'm feeling much better today (Sunday). Next week, I'll aim to get at least 65 and maybe few more if things go well. Only time will tell!

20s

I had 20 miles on the schedule for my long run. The longest supported run was 14, so again, I had to get six in before. Geezer and I took off at 5:05 to get the extra mileage. We ended up w/ 6 plus a bit at an avg pace of 7:51. The 14 mile portion was solid. We started off a bit fast, and as a result, were warned that we needed to slow down about 5 miles into the 14. The group slowed down for about a mile, but the pace gradually picked up the rest of the way.

I felt borderline shitty the last 8-10 miles. I never struggled w/ the pace, but my legs just didn't quite have 'it'. With about 2 miles left, I decided to push it a bit hoping my legs would wake up. After a mile of running at a faster pace, and still not feeling very good, I slowed down significantly. Garmin told me I ran the last mile in 7:14...what a difference a year makes! The overall pace for the 14 mile section was 7:18, according to my watch. Overall, about a 7:29 pace for the 20.

10 on the Trail

We must have done something wrong last week because we were forced run the Town Lady Bird Lake (TLBL) Trail today. Seriously, I had originally planned to run some mile repeats with a buddy who's about to race the Stockholm marathon. This morning, however, our coach asked me what I was doing beforehand, and not really thinking much of it, I told him, "I'm running mile repeats w/ Mike." That was not the correct answer. So, after being advised not to run miles repeats, I ended up running the trail with the other folks. I guess mile repeat fun will have to what until a later date. Boo!

MLR # 1

Today was the first medium long run (MLR) of the training season, 14 miles on the schedule. We took it pretty easy throughout the run. I had a total of 14.2 miles with an average overall pace of 7:58. The route was the St. Eds loop, which has moderate rolling hills. The weather was cool, and it was a nice run overall.

LR #1

I had 20 miles on tap for today. The longest supported run was 14, so I had to grab 6 beforehand. I joined the guys/gals for the final 14. We closed the last 4, which felt good but was a bit tough at the same time. I'd rate the run as an 8 out of 10

Team Rogue Day 2

I stuck with the pre-run routine, and as a result, was ready to roll from the first step. We went 10 miles at about a 7:15 pace (per Garmin). I decided to have a little fun the last 1.5 miles and closed on cue with my buddies. It felt really good to stretch the ole legs out some.

Is this thing on?

Day 1 of Team Rogue Portland -- there were lots of familiar faces this morning and a few new faces also. Today seemed like the first day of class when school starts back up. All in all, it was fun and exciting at the same time.

Completely new to Team Rogue, Coach introduced a pre-run warm-up/stretch routine and corresponding post-run stretches. To me, it felt like I was on the track team again. Fun! Others, I'm not so sure they had stretched before...ever! Ha, just kidding. It's too early to say for sure, but I believe this is something we can all benefit from, if we stick with it.

Regarding the run, I went 10 miles. The pace was little brisk, call it 7:20, attributed to 1st day excitement.