10 steady

Steady state run was on tap today, Sisson had us run through the 04 to keep the pace in check (turns & hills).  We did two 5 mile loops:  628 for the first and 618 for the second.  Thirteen days on, so tomorrow the legs get a rest.

13 for the day

Easy 10, I did not feel too bad after yesterday.  I actually felt pretty spiffy, esp with a good 20 min of rolling and stretching afterward.

MGP & 10K at the track

Today, Sisson had us do one of his little pace switching runs on the track:  5 miles continuous (alternating miles at 10k and MGP).  The plan was to do 540s & 620s.  During the warm-up, Chris brought up the idea for us to alternate setting the pace every two laps.  I was with that and so were Asia & Kamran.  I could go on and on about this, but to save time, let's just say we knocked it out of the park.

Miles:
540
617
544
616
541
T = 29:40

Not bad for a workout.  The first mile was sorta tough.  After about 6 laps, though, I hit a groove.  The rest of the laps were pretty easy to me, felt like I had more miles in me when we finished.  We shall see if I am blowing smoke or not come Thurs when we hit up a 10 mile steady stater.  Stay tuned.

12 for the day

Autumn is here

The first real cool front of the season blew in yesterday afternoon & the residents of TX were treated to some cooler weather.  I heard it was in the upper 50s early in the AM.  Finally!

As for me, you know how I do it, I could not be bothered to get up early & run on a Mon morning.  So I got in some miles during the lunch hour.  It was still in the mid to upper 60s when I ran, and boy did it feel outstanding.  Easy & relaxed 50 min. 

Si Labs Relay

Got in a good run by way of the relay leg today, the gremlin told me I ran 541 pace for approx 3.25 miles.  The faster pace was certainly something diff, but I handled it well and was under control the entire time.  The 5K I ran last May was at 540 pace and hurt real bad.  Today though, the pace felt much easier...a good thing I suppose.

Everybody on the team (Asia, Chris, Kamran, Niccole, and I) ran hard, and as a result, we were able to come away w/ 1st in the "open mixed" division and 3rd overall.  We had a blast out there and managed to compete well also.  Racing season is here kid.

Drop down LR

Down (recovery) week, we ran for 16.  Good & relaxed run.  Feeling pretty good these days...

Easy 32 min today.

Sunday, me and some folks from the team are running in the Silicon Labs Marathon Relay (open mixed division).  We have strong team, and based on past results, I expect a top 3 finish.  I am running the 5K, next to last...suppose I am the slow one on the team. ;-)  Don't care where/what I am running, it should be a great time, regardless of how it plays out.  I am just looking to get out there & get the competitive juices flowing.

Pecos loops @ steady pace

Today we ran a little 3.5 mile loop - Enfield->Pecos->Scenic.  We were to run 3 miles at steady pace, recover for .5 of a mile, and then repeat (2 loops).

Loop one - 18:27
Loop two - 18:30

I was ready to call it a day after the first one: my quads felt worn out, and my mind did not want anymore.  I fought off those negative thoughts and started up the 2nd rep.  About 5 min into the 2nd loop, my quads loosened up and running at a faster pace felt easy again.  Make no mistake about it, this was a freaking tough workout.  But I was happy to push through the mental/physical barrier which tripped me up last Saturday.  Progress, that is about the best I can ask for at this point.  

12 miles for the day

Easy 48 minutes, I can confirm that is still too hot/humid to run outside during lunch time.  Yuck!  However, I have it from an unreliable source that a cool front may come in this weekend.  Let's hope it comes in on Saturday...

Hill Circuits

Ran for 1:45, which included 3 sets of hill circuits (6 uphills and 3 800s @ tempo effort).

Easy 40 min w/ 8 strides during the last 10 min

CIM 2010 is 11 weeks from today

Yep, the thon will be be here before we know it.  But there is still plenty of time left for improvement.  The way I figure it, in about 3 weeks, I should be hitting prime form (does not mean 'peaked').  Shouldn't be any mental issues at that point and I will be pretty well adjusted to the faster paced runs.  Though, I can't begin to look too far ahead, because I must take the runs/workouts one at a time.  I don't really know why, but I am starting to get excited.

On the training log front, I ran for 1:45 today.  Running w/ Muz & Sidney made the time go by pretty damn fast, even if our planned route turned in to a free run frenzy.  Good times :-)

Race Prep #1 for CIM 2010 Training

The plan for the group was 15 miles at mgp.  Before the run, we were told to get in as many miles at mgp as possible, ceiling of 15.  I really & truly did not feel I was ready for 15 miles at this type of effort, esp since quality work started a mere 1.5 weeks ago.  To the point, I basically mind fucked myself before the run even started.  Bad as that may sound, I don't think the mind-frame issue is going to be an issue going forward.  More on that shortly.

Here's what went down (I was thinking 630s for the first set & maybe 620s if I was feeling super awesome after that):

Set 1 - 32:23 (635, 628, 624, 636, 620)
Set 2 - 32:17 (632, 624, 623, 627, 629)

So, somewhere in the middle of set 2 I decided I was going to stop at 10 miles.  My quads were feeling whacked & I made up my mind I was not going to force the issue.  I told Larry & Steve I was done; Steve though, told me to get back out there and I think Chris did too.  So I decided to start back up, but quickly changed my mind and went to weakling mode.  Third one turned out pretty ugly:

Set 3 - (724, 635, 730)

FWIW, I only really made an effort to run pace the 2nd mile, so I was able to get back in that zone.  It is just that I had already checked out mentally...

The results may look sorta ugly in print, but I am not too disappointed.  Yes, I would have liked to finish the workout, but we still have 11 weeks before the big race.  I just have to continue to improve, and as things stand, I feel like I am a good position to do that.

About 20 for the day

1st Tempo Run for CIM 2010 Training

I had a good one today.  This tempo run was the easiest feeling 'tempo' that I have ever run.  I felt smooth  & in control the entire time, a stark contrast from last week's Steady run.  I suppose I have shaken off a good portion of the rust.

Here's what the gremlin spit out:
555, 556, 558, 551

Easy Wed

My legs have been a lil tired & sore the last few days.  Today, though, they felt noticeably better.  Kamran, Asia, and I got in a good & relaxed 10. 

Tomorrow is the first 4 mile tempo run.  I'm thinking to...run a couple 6's & then up the effort level just slightly for the last 2 miles.  The last 12 min of the run should be interesting.

Hill circuits

Today, we did form running (high knees basically) up our std hill w/ a couple of loops at elevated effort added in. A set goes as such:  up the hill,  recovery jog down, up, 800m loop while up top, and back down - which equals one set.  We only did two.  Easy stuff.  I got in about 12 for the day.

ez mon

45 min - the ole legs were a lil tired today. Kept the pace super relaxed, we have a big week ahead of us.

Finished out the week on a good note

Easy 11ish - the highlight of the run was the NUUN stocked water coolers at the 0 mile marker & at Mopac.  Good shit!

22 m LR w/ an extra large side humidity

I was a little uncertain how the run would go today, cuz I was pretty sore from the gym wkout on Thurs.  It had been more than a week since I last hit the weights. And to up the difficulty a little, we were treated w/ some strong humidity in the wake of rainstorm Hermine.    So how did it go?

Pretty decent.  I decided early in the run that I was going to hang back & not try anything crazy in the last miles.  For the commander & sheriff have been regulating on the crew recently (ie, 'team' over 'me').  :-)  Seriously, the run went very well & was highly entertaining.  I felt especially strong throughout the last hour of the run.  That is not to say that I felt perfect, fresh, and did not have to expend some good effort, but I def ended on a positive note.

I do believe I'm back on track & ready get w/ these quality workouts.   Time will tell!

Fri rec run

Easy 33 min today - I decided to run on Fri in an effort to shake off the staleness I have felt the last few days.  Let us see if it helps

1st Steady run for CIM 2010 training

Hmm, what to say...well, I completed the run w/out walking.  :-)  Today was not one of my better days, FWIW.  It was by no means terrible, but I guess I was hoping to 'feel' a little beer & be a lil faster.  Really though, I know it was the first workout, & I should not make a big deal about it.  So I won't.  Here's how it played out time wise:

624
640
641
625
615
615

38:39 (627 avg) - 12 miles total for the day


I  purposely slowed up after the 1st mile cuz I felt like my effort level was a lil too high.  And I suppose I took it a lil too far w/ miles 2 & 3.  Kamran & I locked on for the back half & we cruised it in together.  The last 3 miles somehow felt a lil easier than the 1st 3...go figure.

Ain't nowhere to go but up from here...

Wed run

Back on schedule, I just barely peeled myself out of bed to meet Kamran & Asia.  We hit up their fav 10.3 route.  I felt flat & weak the second half of the run.  This makes me concerned about our first workout tomorrow:  a steady state run.  Regardless of the outcome, I def need a good dose of 'quality' to blow the pipes out.  Should be interesting...

Get ur head out of the clouds

Message to self!

I got in about 57 min today, because I did not run in the morning.  At this point, I need to get serious about practice attendance, since I ain't going to get in race shape by sleeping in.

Let's see if I can re-establish my mental focus and stay locked in for the next few months.

The week that was

Tues:
Easy 12 w/ the gang - we planned for 14 but there was a route malfunction somehow.  And at the end, no one really cared to add miles.  I think we will all be ok.

Wed:
Failure to start in the morning, so I ran for about 41 min in the afternoon on the solo tip.


Thurs: 
More of the same, I did not get up to run.  I was traveling on this day too and decided to make Thurs my rest day for the week.

Fri: 
Ran for two hours in Alpine, TX - the weather was great but the altitude (4800 ft) got with me some in the last 30 min.

Sat:
Easy hour toward Marfa & back - I was chased by dogs on two occasions.  Neither was too vicious though:)

Sun:
1.5 hours - the highlight of the run was hitting the trail behind Sul Ross St and ascending to the top of the large hill North of the University.  The trail was rocky & almost impossible to run down (the hills).  I guess I am not quite ready to call myself a trail runner.  Still, a good way to finish out the week