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!