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 I am sure my navigation privileges have since been revoked.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!