Wednesday, March 31, 2010

3/31/10 PM Easy Run, 5 Treamill Miles, 12.15 Miles for the Day

5 Miles
35:20
7:04 avg

Unplanned 2nd run of the day, as I had my daughter w/me. But, having only run once the day before, I wanted to get a 2nd run in. I put in a 6:30 mile around the 4th mile, then backed it down to 7-ish for the final mile, just to cool it down.

3/31/10 AM Easy Run, 7.15 Miles

7.15 Miles
56:16
7:52 avg pace
7:44, 7:22, 7:46, 8:10, 8:12, 7:54, 7:55

Easy Run through the Heights. No real fanfare. Legs felt good, and no issues. Ran a couple of early miles and met running partner along Studemont, then ran together for 4.5 miles.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

3/30/10 - No PM Run & Some 8k and PR Edits

So, my afternoon didn't go quite as planned by being @ work till 6pm. That pushed my run out of the way, as I had a class @ 7pm, then had to scoot down to Clear Lake for a Coach's meeting for my daughter's soccer and get there before 8:45...I got there @ 8:35. WHEW! Got back on the road by 8:55, and rushed back into town to run an errand. Now, back at my place and relaxing at 10. Yay me!

Also, I was looking over my PR's on the right hand side, and noticed that I didn't update one that I didn't realize I'd set. During the 8k, I crossed 4-miles in 21:14..."shattering" my existing 4-mile PR by a mere 23 seconds. Then I realized I never posted my splits for the race, but that's partly to do with the mis-marking of the course. Here's how they shaped up by their measurements:
1 - 4:58 - wrong
2 - 9:49 (4:51) - also wrong
3 - 15:47 (5:57) - correct for total time, wrong on the split because of 1 & 2
5k - 16:17
4 - 21:14 (5:26) - I think this is right
8k? - 26:44 (5:29) - I got so many reports that the course was long, but for it having been the same for God-knows-how-long, I figure it's right.

Extend that out to a 5th mile, and probably add about 9-10 seconds to the time? Maybe less. Not sure. All I know is that I ran a time I'm happy with, and feel even happier to know I PR'd for 4-miles. I guess if I DID run the Memorial Park run this weekend, I may have another shot at a PR? Who knows. I think I'm going to train through, not race, and just see what I can do for the Trolley Run.

3/30/10 AM Easy Run, 9.11 Miles

9.11 Miles
1:07:39
7:25 avg
8:18, 7:44, 7:22, 7:22, 7:16, 7:07, 7:10, 7:13, 7:16

It's good to see the splits that way, as I felt like I got to a point where I was "pushing", and I didn't want to do that AT ALL this morning. I eased up and made sure to take it easy, keep the stride relatively short, and just "shuffle" along. Looks like that happened somewhere around miles 6 and 7.

Legs felt good, just tired. Nothing for aches or pains this morning. The Achilles and calf took a little to loosen up, but once they were warm, all felt good. Lots of calf stretching after.

On a semi-related note, after the workout yesterday, during stretches and core, I realized that I'm getting more flexible right now. When I do the butterfly stretch (sitting, with bottoms of feet touching eachother and knees out), I can almost get my knees to the floor. When doing the hamstring stretch, I'm practically laying my stomach and chest on my thighs and knees. Kinda crazy. Maybe my muscles are getting too tired to resist. Ha!

Monday, March 29, 2010

3/29/10 PM Workout - 7.17 miles, 14.5 Miles for the Day

7.17 Miles Total
Workout: 20 minutes of 200 meters on the Cloverleaf, walk/jog in between, 5 min rest, hard mile
200m splits (uphill)
43, 42, 41, 40, 39, 41, 39, 40, 40, 40, 38, 39, 39, 36, 39, 40
Mile
5:09

Easy, easy warmup and cool down. Not having done a speed "workout" in a couple of weeks, wanted to make sure to take it easy to keep anything crazy from happening to the legs. It helped that the whole workout was on grass, I'm sure. I was happy that my 200m splits were all pretty even, but as you can see with 3 to go, I was trying to put the hammer down a little, and the legs just did not respond.

The mile started out really feeling pretty crummy, but turned around about a quarter mile in. With about a quarter to go, my Garmin had me @ 5:14 pace. Then came the 200m of downhill followed by running flat... Felt good to get that kinda running in. Legs are whipped though. Getting a 4th straight 14 mile day in will be tough, but I'm definitely taking it easy tomorrow.

After today's workout, I think I've decided not to run the 4 the Park 4-Miler. It just may be a bit too taxing on the legs with my week's training plans. However, I may drive in to support it and just chill out for a bit. I'll be in town for a long run anyway, so why not drop by, right? Ideally, I'd like to get 10 good mileage days and then 4 good light days in before the Trolley Run. We'll see how that works out.

3/29/10 AM Easy Run, 7.38 Miles

7.38 Miles
54:16
7:21 avg
8:05, 7:34, 7:14, 7:08, 7:10, 7:06, 7:09

This time, I stayed easy from start to finish, not letting myself get carried away with running too hard. Especially thinking I needed to be mindful of a tight calf or sore Achilles, it was a time to go easy. Nice run, no issues.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

3/28/10 PM Easy Run, 7.14 Miles, 14.3 Miles for the day

7.14 Miles
50:40
7:05 avg
7:18, 6:54, 6:52, 7:00, 7:16, 7:09, 7:11

Run through the Heights. I realized about half way through that I was definitely putting too much effort forth, so I backed off and focused on just getting miles and not worry about pacing. Felt good.

My left calf was tight from start to finish, getting a little less tight as the run went on, but still noticeable. Will monitor that.

3/28/10 AM Easy Run, 7.2 Miles

7.2 Miles
58:10
8:05 avg
8:22, 7:40, 8:30, 8:15, 8:18, 8:06, 7:30

A couple of miles to start, then something over 3 through the trails at Memorial...can say this was the first time of significant timing that I did trail running. Definitely something I'll be doing more of.

Came out, water @ Crestwood, then jogged it back to the tennis center. Good run, legs felt great.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

3/27/10 Easy PM Run - 5.25 Miles, 14 Miles for the day

5.25 Miles
36:16
6:54 avg
7:02, 7:04, 6:51, 6:47, 6:47

Easy run down to the park, around the wooded area and back down Memorial home. Needed to shake out the legs some.

3/27/10 - Law Week 8K, 26:44, 3rd OA, 1st AG

26:44
5:27 avg pace
9 miles for the Morning

Race was a good one, with near perfect weather, aside from a slight breeze in our faces on the way back into downtown. The field was good, but I noticed none of the "big guns" were there. However, I did notice a guy, Nate Harkin (I think), who had run a pretty darn good run @ the Turkey Trot, as well as being out ahead of me @ the marathon. So I knew he was fast. Another guy that I didn't know was a fast runner was Blake Culp...but I found that out by mile 2.

We started out and I was in the early lead (cool feeling), but Nate was quickly there at my side as we wound down Allen Parkway. The distances were all jacked up on the way out of downtown. They had marked the 1/2-mile point, which we crossed in THEIR time of 2:11, then hit mile 1 in 4:55...no way. I don't race w/a Garmin, so I don't know how short it really was, but no matter. During the 2nd mile, Nate was getting away, and I just focused on holding as steady as possible. Troubling though was that I could hear someone closing on me...Blake. He went by me as we made our way through the AP hills. Again, wasn't ready to TRY to put the hammer down here, so I let them go. Hit mile 2 in 9:48...again, No Way.

Mile 3 was considerably longer, but I believe it was in the right spot, as I crossed it at 15:45, and hit 5k in a PR time of 16:17. I'm not going to list it on my sidebar because I just don't trust the way the course was marked. Nonetheless, we were heading back towards downtown, Nate and Blake getting further and further from me. The way I was feeling, I was concerned about getting caught, but I just kept focusing on little landmarks along the way. The rest of the run had little fanfare, as it was just hanging on for dear life, with my closing mile coming in around 5:37 or so. Not the greatest, but a good run, and a PR for me for sure. Had it gone the extra .03 or .04 to make it 5 miles, would have been about a 30 second PR or more. I'll take that.

All in all, good run, good race, and a good experience. Now I'm going back on forth on next week's 4 the Park 4-Miler. AND, I'm taking America's Run off my side bar, as I just can't see spending that kind of money, even with a discount, on half marathon at this point. Just my thoughts on that.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

3/23/10 - 12.6 Miles for the day

AM Run
6.78 Miles
43:38
6:26 avg

PM Run
5.83 Miles
46:00
7:53 avg

Nothing too special here, except I ran a little too fast during my morning run. Other than that, nothing special to report.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

3/21/10 PM Easy Run - 6 Miles, 13 Miles for the Day

6 Miles
40:06
6:41 avg pace
7:06, 6:39, 6:38, 6:32, 6:34, 6:35

Nothing too major, but definitely a good easy run around the bayou that felt great despite the wind. Was glad to get outdoors after running indoors this morning. Ready for another big training week, and will likely train through the 8k this weekend. At most, I'll go lighter on Thursday and Friday, but definitely not take those as "easy" days in comparison to what my plan is normally.

3/21/10 Easy AM Run, 7 Miles (treadmill)

7 Miles
49:00
7:00 avg

Was a little cold and breezy out. Running partner preferred indoors on a treadmill, so that's what we did. I try to not do the treadmill if it's at all possible, but wasn't too bad. Just for fun, with about a mile and a quarter left in my run, I bumped it up to 5:18 pace and held that for a mile. Was kinda neat doing that on a treadmill, as I had to put no thought into the pace, just keeping the legs going at the right speed. She looked over and said "doesn't look like that's taking too much effort." My response was "Yeah...for now. And it shouldn't cause this is my current 5k PR pace." Whenever I run a 5k again, that SHOULD come crashing down, but we'll see. Either way, that was my fantasy marathon pace, so it felt good to just throw that in for a mile, almost 6 miles into my run.

The best part was that I was able to keep a relaxed motion. As I ran, I told her that I sorta had 2 options on my stride. I lengthened the stride some and was taking fewer steps, as she watched from her treadmill. Then I said, "or I could quicken the steps, shorten the stride and just move my feet quicker." She told me that the 2nd option looked more natural, and actually was probably the better marathon running motion versus the other. I agreed. Took less arm movement, less upper body effort...just legs. All in all, a good run, and about as much fun as I could have on a treadmill.

Followed the run with light core and stretching.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

3/20/10 12 Mile Long Run

No Garmin again this morning, so just my watch.

12 Miles (best estimate)
1:21:10

Down to the park for a loop and back, then a loop of the bayou. Ran really easy in the first 2 miles to Crestwood, as my watch was at about 15:40 when I got there. All in all felt pretty good. Not the mileage I wanted for the week, but still feel that I'm moving in the right direction these days.

Running was followed by breakfast with my little one and parents @ The Cracker Barrel, and now at work. Woo Hoo! Off to pick up at the airport in a couple of hours, so time to get crackin' on work.

Friday, March 19, 2010

3/19/10 - no Run

Poor planning and just ran out of time.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

3/18/10 - 10-11 Mile Easy Run

1:16:10 Total Run Time
Didn't wear a Garmin, so I don't really know how far I went.

I ran from the Heights, down Studemont/Montrose to the Bayou, full loop of the Bayou, then back down Montrose/Studemont. All in all a good run. Again, my Achilles were seriously getting to me with about 3 miles left in the run. I struggled late in the run, but stuck it out. Overall, I liked the route though. Not all of it was the best paved area, but I liked it and will likely do this route again.

After stretching, applied some Tiger Balm, so I'm hoping this will help make a difference.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

3/17/10 PM Easy 8.2 Miles, 11.5 Miles Total for the Day

8.2 Miles

Garmin data not yet loaded

I enjoyed being able to run in day light most of this run, even though I got started late. Just took it easy to Memorial and a loop of there and back. Felt pretty good most of the way through, but the Achilles were aching a little by the end of this run...about the last mile or mile and a half.

Two things...I need to get to Tri-OTR on Memorial to get me some heel lifts/supports, and I seriously need to elongate my stretching process, and make sure NOT to miss this process ever. Makes me nervous, as hitting 12 miles/day is still shy of what I aim to get to. If this is how my legs are feeling after just this, I'm in trouble. But, we'll see how it all goes as things progress, the additional strength training I'm adding, and my body adjusts. I'm anxious to get some speed work in, but the way my legs have felt the last couple of days have left me a little less than confident that I could sustain it. I'll definitely need at least some moderate speed work before my Half Marathon.

3/17/10 Easy AM 4.3 Miles

4.3 Miles

Garmin data not loaded yet

Just did the short loop of the bayou from my apartments this morning, and man, the first couple of miles were absolutely painful. Calves and Achilles were just tight...but they all loosened up half way through the run. Was crazy, but turned out good.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

3/16/10 - No Run

Everything from up helping a friend pack till way late, then getting up early and heading to the airport, then to work, then replacing my headlamps on my car (took a little longer than expected), a class @ 7pm till 8pm, then being super hungry by this time...I just opted to not run that late. Figured I'd catch up the next morning. Quite alright though... recovery from BCC has been slow.

Monday, March 15, 2010

3/15/10 - PM Easy 4.2 Miles, 11.6 Miles for the Day

4.2 Miles

Garmin data at home.

Short look of the bayou down to Sabine, and back over the Waugh bridge and back home. Didn't go all the way to Shephard. Good miles, good run. The legs were definitely still feeling, for some reason, the effort from Saturday. I'm thinking I didn't do all I could on Saturday after the run and on Sunday to recover the legs...foods, stretching, rest, etc. You always know those things are important, but their importance sometimes doesn't really show fully till they are not done. Note taken. Ugh!

----------------------------------------------------

Short-term Goal Race is a week earlier than I thought, being the first weekend in April...I think it's called America's Race...a Half-Marathon that starts outside Cowboys Stadium, goes through Arlington and finishes on the field. The description doesn't necessarily make it sound like a fast course, so I'll have to take a little time to attempt to drive it the day before. The only downside to the run is that it's a weekend I don't have my daughter, and I know how she loves to got to Arlington to see her cousins, her Tia and her Tio. That's okay though. Will give me a chance to not do TOO much aside from race, and not have to worry about where she is, or anything like that.

3/15/10 - AM Easy 7.4 Miles

7.41 Miles
54:58
7:25 avg
8:20, 7:40, 7:20, 7:10, 7:06, 7:10, 7:06

Easy, easy run. Legs still beaten up from the weekend's run. I'm actually a little surprised at how they felt after the race and through Sunday. Legs heavy, but man did it feel good to get this run going this morning, knowing I have another leg-loosening run this evening.

New trainers tried out today...Brooks Glycerine. I forgot to take my heal gel insert from my DS Trainers and put them in this shoe. It's more of a cushioning shoe, rather than a speed trainer like the Asics I had been wearing. After about 2 miles, all muscles felt good, despite some early right Achilles soreness/pain. Overall, good first run in these new shoes. Got them off the Clearance rack @ Luke's for $39. Yee haw!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

3/13/10 - Bayou City Classic 10k - 33:59, 10th Place OA

10k - 33:59
5:29 avg
Splits
5:21, 5:28, 5:27, 5:27, 5:34, 5:38, 1:02 (final .2)

Overall, I feel good about the run. Legs felt springy as I started the day, but that could have been simply compared to what they had been feeling after the change in my training the last couple of weeks. I was putting forth a lot of effort in mile 5 to have fallen to 5:34, and that hill coming back into downtown was killer and helped result in the 5:38 closing mile. However, I'll have to look back, but the 62-second final .2 might be the fastest I've done in a 10k.

All in all, I feel good with the effort, wanted a better time, I know I'm more fit than this, but I'm happy with how I ran. Short-term goal race is a half-marathon 5 weeks out right now, so I'm not too concerned... as a matter of fact, very much enthused about this time. I plan to run another race or two in the next weeks as a 2nd workout in the week, but we'll see how it all plays out.

Friday, March 12, 2010

3/12/10 - Pre-Race Day Advice

On trainer's advice, I'll be opting for an early afternoon easy run and some striders to help loosen up the legs, as opposed to the original plan, which was for an easy run early in the morning to put as much time between the last run and performance time.

Felt good to get the extra hour of sleep this morning. Legs feeling springy to start the day...we'll see how it all goes this afternoon and tomorrow morning. I find myself looking forward to tomorrow's run, and while I would love a PR and feel I'm in shape to run a better time than I did at the Turkey Trot, my approach will definitely be a little different.

I have a specific race plan and have been given some good input on how to approach the race to get the most out of it and myself and the race. We'll see how it all shapes up. Speaking of...I guess I need to go out and register for the darn thing at some point today.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

3/11/10 Easy AM 5.18 Miles

5.18 Miles
41:32
8:01 avg
8:44, 8:12, 7:54, 7:39, 7:37

Nice easy run through the Heights. Legs feeling pretty heavy, Achilles bothered me, but some stretching after seemed to help. We'll see how it all feels by the evening and tomorrow morning.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

3/10/10 PM Easy Run - 11.5 Miles for the Day

8.13 Miles
57:37
7:05 avg
7:21, 6:56, 6:56, 6:55, 6:52, 7:00, 7:17, 7:12
62 miles in last 5 days

Run felt good most of the way through, but the Achilles started to act up about 6 miles in...or just before 6 miles. I took it easy on the way back from Memorial to home... stretched, core, upper body stuff...all in all felt ok. Time to take it a little easier. Early morning run tomorrow. Early morning run on Friday, and I should be good to go...I hope. Looking for a good time @ Bayou City. I have my race plan in mind, so we'll see if the body and mind cooperate in executing it.

3/10/10 AM Easy Run

3.37 Miles
25:35
7:35 avg
8:00, 7:28, 7:23

This morning's easy miles were done with heavy legs...fo sho. Definitely no spring in them this morning, although getting a few miles in while it was cool, muggy and actually felt pretty good out, was a good feeling. I liked this weather and hope that we have mornings that feel like this for a while, but I have a feeling they will give way soon to something much more... ummm... challenging. :-)

After this afternoon's run, I'll definitely start to scale it back for Bayou City...hopefully getting my legs back under me. I'll run once tomorrow with lots of stretching, if I leave myself the time. I'll run once, or perhaps two short runs, on Friday, along with stretching and drills, then just be ready to lay it all on the pavement on Saturday morning.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

3/9/10 PM Easy Run - 12.3 Miles for the day

5.12 Miles
37:05
7:14 avg
7:37, 7:25, 7:02, 7:00, 7:06
Approx 50-miles in last 4 days

Easy run to get some blood flow to repair after a nice morning workout. Felt good to stretch the legs out some. Just coasted along, intentionally not pushing at any point in the run...if anything I kept tuning it back just a little bit every few minutes.

3/9/10 Work Out - 7 Miles

Workout:
30-30's for 3 miles, hitting first 2 @ 10:00
1/2-mile Hard
Actual: Not so much
1/2-mile - 2:21
3-Mile Warmup, half-mile cool down

Sean and Lou were going to hit 2 miles in 10-minutes. Bill's original goal was to hang on for 2 miles, and I was just going to go as long as I could. I stayed right with them for a mile, but as we turned and were heading down the side on Memorial, I was falling back...just couldn't keep shifting gears to get to that speed. I saw at 1.5 miles Bill pulled up. I had kept going, even though at a slower pace. I made it just beyond 2 miles... close to a quarter mile before I gave in and slowed to a jog. I coasted till half a mile to go and then ran the last half @ 5:30 pace.

The 800 felt pretty good, although I was suffering over the last quarter. I was able to hold form and run pretty strong to the finish.

All in all a good workout, no lingering pains or soreness. I didn't get to do the stretching I probably needed, as I needed to get to work, but will definitely get a lot of stretching in after this afternoon's run.

3/8/10 PM Easy Run - 10.27 Miles for the Day

5.5 Miles
39:00
7:05 avg
7:27, 7:07, 7:02, 6:49, 6:49

Easy Run around the bayou to loosen up the legs and try not to fatigue them much for tomorrow's workout with Sean, Lou and Bill.

Monday, March 8, 2010

3/8/10 AM Easy Run

4.77 Miles
39:49
8:21 avg

Nice, easy run to start the day. Will be a little over 8-minute pace most likely.

Got it in before the rain...hopefully, the rain passes enough that just the roads are wet, but it's not raining for the afternoon run. I was a little concerned last night about this morning's run, as my legs were DEFINITELY feeling fatigued...Achilles seemed to be hurting later in the run, hamstring showed signs of just being done for the day, etc. But, this morning, all felt good. I won't venture a guess as to what it has to do with, I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing.

One thing I WILL need to watch out for is how I do my speed workouts. I'll need to be fully stretched out, fully warmed up, etc. I know with extra mileage, the harder workouts could really put strain on the legs and leave me hurtin', if not injured. And that is something I most definitely do not want.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

3/7/10 PM Easy 7.68 Miles, 11.68 Miles for the Day

7.68 miles
54:55
7:09 avg pace
7:39, 7:12, 7:11, 6:46, 6:56, 6:58, 7:18

Easy miles. I had to keep reminding myself to ease up, as this was recovery from the long run the day before. Achilles got to aching towards the last mile and a half. Some good stretching after. See how it does in the AM.

3/7/10 AM Easy 4 Miles

4 Miles
32:42
8:10 avg
8:34, 8:02, 7:56, 8:06

Just an easy run to Crestwood and back. Another run to come later.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

3/6/10 Long Run - 15.88 Miles

15.88 Miles
1:41:32
no average
7:24, 6:45, 6:41, 6:31, 6:22, 6:30, 6:17, 6:13
6:23, 6:08, 6:16, 6:08, 6:09, 6:05, 6:08, 6:04 pace (final .88)

Ran this with Lou and Andrew (I never remember his last name). We started out with a couple other guys, but quickly separated ourselves. Lou was doing 10, and as the route hit about 5 miles, he turned back. Andrew and I kept on, and I really didn't start the day intending to hit the pace we did. After a while, it was just flowing, so to speak. On the out and back, we got water at the turnaround spot, and I told him I wasn't planning on running hard, just holding steady. We ran together another mile, and then I was on my own till the end. Good run, although I sorta paid the price later on. Nothing too bad...just some sore legs. I felt like I stretched pretty good, so nothing to worry about. All in all, helped me feel very good about my fitness and shape that I'm in. Great run.

Friday, March 5, 2010

3/5/10 - No Run

Just a lot of things that came up in my morning and day that took priority.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

3/4/10 4 Mile Easy Run

4 Miles
26:51
6:43 avg
7:14, 6:35, 6:32, 6:30

Just an easy jaunt at lunch. Nothing spectacular.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

3/3/10 PM Easy Run - 11.35 Miles for the Day

4.45 Miles
31:07
6:59 avg
7:17, 6:58, 6:53, 6:49

Just an easy jaunt down Blossom to Crestwood, around the woods, and back down Blossom. Nothing too major going on with the run. Felt good. Legs feeling a little fatigued...not sure if it was more a product of the squats and lunges or the running. Either way, keeping up with stretching and feeling good for back to back two-a-days.

Thursday will get one run, Friday SHOULD get 2. Saturday, 1. Sunday, again, SHOULD get 2, but that may be 1. Guess we'll see how the body feels.

3/3/10 AM Easy Run

6.9 Miles
52:31
7:37 avg
8:22, 8:27, 8:02, 7:23, 6:57, 6:57, 7:02 pace for final .9

Took a drive to meet my trainer/manager and took a little run along some paved trails just outside the Heights for a 3.4 mile, 25 minute loop. Got back to where we started and I continued on my own for 3.5 miles through the Heights. My favorite of the 2nd half of the run was coming across the crossing guards out to help the kiddos going to school. All of them waved and offered something just a little more than a simple "good morning." They offered their pleasantness (is that a word) and a "have a nice/great day" to go along with it. I liked that a lot.

These miles were something like 6:59, 6:58 and 7:02. I expected stomach issues, but none made their presence known, so all worked out well.

All felt good throughout. Did some pretty thorough stretching upon completion and headed on into work.

3/2/10 PM Easy Run - 15.5 Miles for the day

5.5 Miles
39:23
7:10 avg
7:41, 7:22, 6:54, 6:59, 6:53

15.5 Miles for the day

Got out and just took it easy to the park, around the wooded area near Crestwood and back. Followed that up with some core and upperbody work, squats, jump rope and calf work. If I'm going to get better as a runner, the muscles surrounding and supporting my hamstrings and my Achilles need to get stronger. So, that was one day of doing things right. Let's see if I can make this a habit.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

3/2/10 Progressive Run - 10 Miles

9.98 Miles
1:02:44
6:17 avg pace
7:05, 6:42, 6:22, 6:06, 5:50, 5:40, 5:20, 5:28 pace .45 miles, 6:07 pace .55 miles, 5:36, 8:18 cool down mile

Not having done a real hard workout, I just figured to hang on as long as possible. Compared to last time I did this workout with Sean and Lou, we were ahead of that pace, and I ended up falling apart the same distance in. During the 8th mile, I was really sliding and when I hit almost 5:30 pace after the 5:20 mile, I took the next half mile of "recovery" @ 6 minute pace. Then I decided to hit it hard the final mile, and just had very little left. Good workout though, and even though I fell apart, I feel good about the effort and for the most part, the results.

3/1 - No Run

Celebrated Houston winning the 2012 Marathon Olympic Trials, followed by a birthday party for a buddy @ Canyon Cafe. Yumm!!!

Monday, March 1, 2010

2/28/10 Easy Long Run

11.5 Miles
1:19:52
6:56 avg pace
7:36, 6:52, 6:50, 6:50, 6:49, 6:59, 6:46, 6:48, 7:00, 6:49, 7:04

I was about 8-8.5 miles in when my Achilles almost decided they were done... yes, both of them. Was a little frustrating, but also helped me really realize something that's been told to me by, who I will refer to as, my trainer/manager...and that is that I need to really focus on some weight training. What the pain told me was that if I continue with only moderate upper body work and leave the legs to only running, this is about the best runner I will be, I think. To be able to step up another level, and then another, and then another, it's time to get serious with a few other things.