5/31/11 - PM Easy 5.2 Miles, 12.6 Miles for Day

5.2 Miles
38:27

Easy loop of the bayou to close out the day. Nothing too major...just needed to get some mileage in, even if very easy, and I definitely made it a point to take my time looping the bayou.

5/31/11 - Easy 7.4 Mile Run

7.4 Miles
52:58

Just an easy run to start the day. Nothing too major, but essentially, what I considered the start of training for Chicago.

5/29/11 AM Easy 5.5 Miles

6 Miles
37:44

Easy out and back route at parents house. Didn't feel great, but always seem to feel not right when I run away from home. Not sure why. Either way, glad I got the mileage in.

5/28/11 - Kenyan Way Long Run - 14.5 Miles

14.5 Miles
1:36:56

I planned to go semi-hard in this run, but wanted to stretch it to 16+ miles. Unfortunately, I got caught up in running hard, trying to lead the group and ended up getting worn out by a very strong 16-yr old HS kid. By the last 4 miles, I was definitely putt-putting along and finished with a couple of 7:00 minute miles. At our fastest, we hit right around 6 minutes for probably 3-4 miles.

Tough run, and even though didn't get the mileage I wanted, the effort was good.

5/27/11 AM Easy 7.1 Miles

7.1 Miles
49:50

Easy run down to the park for a loop and back, getting ready for a long run on Saturday.

5/25/11 PM Easy 5.2 Miles

5.2 Miles
36:54

Just a nice and easy loop of the bayou. Nothing too major, and nothing really to write home about.

5/25/11 AM Easy 7.1 Miles

7.1 Miles
50:55

Mileage Wednesday is here again.

The run felt great today. I went out there thinking about training for the marathon, how that will unfold, and just a lot of things...it was a good run and a good time to get some thoughts sorted out about a lot of life's trials and tribulations that can come.

As for the run, maybe ONE mile was below 7:00...no, make that 2. Last mile was 6:50, and one other was 6:55 or so. The rest just above. I felt pretty relaxed the whole time, trying to be mindful of any and all issues and uncomfortable feelings in my legs. Considering all the leg issues that have come my way over the last 11 months, I felt pretty darn good today, now two days after the Monday workout. I'm pretty sure I won't have any other "workouts" between now and Saturday, but I do want my Saturday run to be 16 quality miles. We'll see how it all plays out.

5/24/11 AM Easy 7.1 Miles

7.1 Miles
52:53

I was definitely a little anxious about this morning's run, unsure how everything would function after yesterday's workout...HILL workout at that. Aside from some expected soreness and slight tiredness, I slowly made my way down Blossom, loop of the park and back. Maybe one mile sniffed at 7:10, but other than that, I was slow and easy, staying around 7:20-7:30 for most miles. Good run, and glad things felt as good as they did 24 hours after the workout.

5/23/11 - AM Kenyan Way Hill Workout

Today was only worth roughly 36 minutes of running.

7:30 warmup to workout area
10-minutes on hills (3-hill loop)
5:00 rest
10-minutes on hills
8:50 cool down

It was sort of a last minute decision to get out and do the workout, but glad I did. We'll see if I'm still glad in the morning. For now, I was just glad to get those uncomfortable feelings your body goes through when you've been doing nothing but easy running for so long, and then you do a hard effort or a strenuous workout...light headed, burning, heavy, rubbery legs....loved it.

Finished the workout strong, especially for feeling as crappy as I felt most of the time. I haven't felt this outta shape during a workout in a while. Glad to get this first one out of the way, and honestly, just makes me want more. Can't wait for next Monday too!!! :-)

5/22/11 - AM Easy Run 7.4 Miles

7.4 Miles
52:30

Nice and easy little trot to loosen up the legs after a brutal day the day before (2 hours running, 1-hour referee @ soccer, then on my feet all afternoon at IMTX). Running felt really good, despite the heat. I loved every minute of it, actually. Each hot day makes me feel like I'm getting that much more well prepared for any conditions that Chicago can throw my way.

5/21/11 - Kenyan Way Long Run, 14.5 Miles

14.5 Miles
1:38:51

All I know is I felt great this whole run. Started out easy, and w/no Garmin have no idea of the early pace, but I'm guessing the first two miles couldn't have been faster than 7:45-7:30. After that, however, slowly picked it up as we made our way around Rice and back through West U. Progress is starting to show.

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After my run, did some coaching/reffing at my daughter's soccer game (she played awesome, handing out another assist on the season), then headed out to Ironman Texas out in the Woodlands. My little one and I got to see the first 10-11 men finish (awesome experience) and the top woman, then we made our way over to an aid station where a few people we knew were working. Unplanned, my daughter and I got to working and handing out ice to the runners as they passed Mile 7 and 16 along their way to becoming IRON. Actually, i think we were at 25 as well. Anyway, great day, as we stayed out there till roughly 7. Got back home exhausted but it was a great time. What an experience to help out on such a big event like that.

And Congratulations to all the people who did it, and those I knew who did it...John, Vic, Michael, Mark, Adam, Jessica...there might be more, but that's who I saw out there, or knew were doing it. Great job. RESPECT!!!

5/20/11 - AM Easy 7.1 mile run

7.1 Miles
48:00

Easy Run down to the park and back. Nothing too special. Just cruising along.

5/18 & 5/19 - No Run

I took these two days off as I was experiencing some knee swelling again...this time, however, it was in my right knee. It was eerily similar to the way my left knee had felt back in January...however, what was missing was the crazy calf tightness. So, after making it about 45 seconds into a run on 5/18, I stopped, decided to cut my losses and just head back home. Too much at stake and the cost/benefit of this run made it not worth it.

5/17/11 AM Easy Run & PM Stationary Bike

7.3 Miles
52:46

Took the run easy, as I struggled so much the day before. I still felt sluggish for about 2 miles, even though I was only going 7:50 for the first mile and 7:40 for the 2nd. By the 3rd mile, I was moving better, but didn't concern myself with pace. Just wanted to get through the run. The whole 2nd half of the run felt good. Felt back to normal, even though I don't think I got any miles below 7:00. But, I was totally fine with that.

PM - 40 Minutes Bike, core and leg strength

5/16/11 AM Easy Run

7.1 Miles
50:30

I tell ya, I don't know if I have felt like I was putting more effort and getting less return than I did this morning. I got a couple of sub-7 minute miles in there, but it really felt like I was working hard. I didn't intend to work that hard on the run, but as I got to the park, and I felt like I was moving well, I hit one of my mile marks, looked down and it was 7:00 on the dot, and mentally, I just came apart. From then on, it was a struggle. I felt like my breathing was off and that I was pushing even when I wasn't.

I don't know, but it was just a strange feeling run. The ONLY thing I did different today was wear some new shoes. I got myself into a pair of Adidas Bostons. They felt good in the store, but I'm not 100% convinced they agreed with me. I am thinking of doing one more run in them, then I'll make a decision. After running in the Starspeeds from Asics, these felt really bulky, and honestly, a step in the direction of the style of shoe I'm trying to get away from. No disrespect to the shoes...they are lightweight and felt good when I put them on. But I think I've gotten my head around what I'm trying to do and the feel that I like, and these were not it once I got out on the road.

Sheesh...as I type this, I'm wondering why I need another day to decide. :-)

Anyway, so that's where we're at. I think tomorrow, however, I will be back in my Asics...at least until Thursday. Thursday morning will probably be my next try at the Adidas.

5/15/11 - AM Long Run

13.6 Miles
1:35:34

Headed down Memorial into and through the park and made an out and back course down Sage and back into a neighborhood near Sage and Woodway. 6.8 out and 6.8 back. Good run... I felt like I moved well running pretty even.
48:37 out
46:57 back

I wasn't exactly hammering it home, just got there and finished off the run. I was happy with how everything felt, so progress continues.

5/13/11 & 5/14/11 - No run...SICK!!!

Whew! A movie the night before and doing the unthinkable...having a hotdog while there. Never again, I tell ya. I went into work, and had to leave early, and hardly made it a mile away from the office before I had to pull into a parking lot and let it go. That was fun. :P

So, after thinking I was feeling better afterwards, I headed home to get a little rest. I woke up feverish. Had a visitor come by and kindly bring me some soup, crackers, Gatorade and Sprite, in hopes of calming the "upward" or "downward" movements. I got some sleep and the fever just was worse. I ended up being out of commission come Saturday morning, after getting 10 solid hours of sleep to mostly shake this. I rested through Saturday at my parents house and came home Saturday night. Boy, that was rough, but glad it seemed to mostly pass quickly.

5/12/11 - Off Day

5/11/11 PM Easy Run

7.1 Miles
51:20

Headed out for mileage Wednesday on my 2nd run with my neighbor, Lt. Dan. Just an easy jaunt down to Memorial and back. Nothing too heavy, just easy running.

5/11/11 - AM Easy Run

7.5+ Miles
59:15

Ran with a fellow KW'er, Susan, this AM. We took it pretty easy, as we started from KW base, headed down Blossom to MP for a loop then back. We kept it pretty easy, as is just what I needed after (1) a day off and (2) the soreness/tenderness on my last run on Monday.

This morning felt great, and I'm looking forward to an afternoon run with Lt. Dan! I'm not sure he'll appreciate me calling him that, but I'm going with it.

Susan and I talked briefly about my training for Chicago, goal times, etc, and it was a good feeling. I initially decided on this race with a specific purpose, and while that may have changed, it still represents a race I want to run well and post a kick @$$ time. Time and training will tell how much I'm able to kick. Right now, looking towards my training, I can say I have an awful lot of hope and encouragement from how things are feeling these days. I know right now, the days can't go by quick enough to get to the point of actually fully TRAINING, but when the training is happening, and Chicago looms closer, I will be thinking "Holy crap! I need another month!!!"

So, will the Trials happen? Some would say "DEFINITELY NOT!!!" My answer is "Most likely, not, but you just never know. Guess we'll see what happens between now and October." Why? Well, cause I'm a starry-eyed dreamer that way, sometimes.

5/10/11 - Off Day

5/9/11 - 7 Miles Easy Run

7.4 Miles Easy
50:52

Easy trot down Memorial for a loop of MP, then back home. Felt some minor RIGHT Achilles soreness (my injured one from last year was my left, although I did feel some pain in both during that whole ordeal). I made the mileage without issue or incident, so I decided that tomorrow would be an off-day.

5/4 - 5/8 Updates

5/4 - PM 7.1 Miles
50:21

Ran with a neighbor of mine, Dan, to the park, loop and back. Gave me 14-miles on the day, and felt pretty good too.

5/5 - After 2 runs and 14 miles the prior day, I took this day off. I'm not in real "training" mode yet, so wasn't TOO important to get this run in yet. However, I did want to make sure I gave myself time to recover from it.

5/6 - PM 7.1 Miles
46:57

I got on it a little today... got nothing below 6-minute pace, but hung out in the mid-6's for the majority of the run. Felt good.

5/7 - Kenyan Way Saturday Long Run - 13+ Miles
1:27:20

I felt really good on this run. I can DEFINITELY feel that my fitness and cardio shape are not there, but it felt good to get out and join the group for a run and to be able to (1) keep up, and (2) finish the entire run. Luis helped push the pace about mid-way through and to the end, and I just wanted to see how long I could stay with the group and feel decent doing it. As we neared the completion of the first main loop at 9-ish miles, we might have dropped a couple of 6:10 miles, maybe just a little under that, but I knew I couldn't do that for the remaining 4 miles I wanted to do. So, we started the final 2 miles, and my watch said 1:00:35. So, to run the last 4 miles, when I was throttling back, at 27 minutes (or just under) is a good feeling.

5/8 - AM Easy Run - Distance not known
1:01:15

I took it out easy to run down to the park, but as I got to the park, inspired by a friend's jaunt through the trails across the street from MP, I decided to hit the turn off and go for a little trail running myself. I entered the wooded area at just under 15 minutes into my run, and emerged about 47 minutes into the run, so spent just over 30-minutes weaving through and up and down the trails. Was a good deviation from the norm, although I ended up about 10-15 minutes longer than I had planned on going. But, it was fun, and kinda charged me up even more after the way the week went.

I crested 50 miles for the week last week, and looking forward to bumping it up just a tad this week. It didn't start out with a bang, though, as I didn't even hear my 5:15 wake up call this morning. I was flat wiped out.

All having been said, my confidence has been raised. I am reigniting belief in the times I have wanted to run for all distances, and it's just fueling the desire to get out the door to run. Stretching and strength building are still key, so we'll see how committed I stay to the ENTIRE process.

Rodriguez...OUT!!

5/4/11 Easy AM Run - 7.15 Miles

7.15 Miles
47:55

Great feeling run. Moved well...definitely took my time getting up to speed, but really felt good to push the pace a little. Did middle 3-miles @ 19:00 (6:30, 6:20, 6:10), and finished up well. I thought about keeping that pace through the final two miles home, but I thought better of it.

It's not yet time for me to train my body. Right now, I'm definitely in the mode of training my mind.

Continuing Progress...Building Momentum

Last week, I took a couple of extra days in between running to make sure all felt good and in good shape.

Saturday morning, I got out and ran to Memorial for a loop, then continued with a loop of the bayou. It felt great. Total 1:22:36 running time. First run over an hour in a while, and man did it feel good. I kept the pace relatively easy, as I probably got in about 11 or a little more miles. I'll have to map it out to get the mileage.

Sunday afternoon, after dropping off my daughter, I headed out for a little over 7 miles to and around Memorial...heading to the park down Memorial and back from the park down Blossom. 49:32 total running time there, as I'm pretty sure the entire run was below 7:00/mile.

Monday, I got out for 7.1 in the morning and 2.2 more miles at night. All in all, a great running day.

As each day passes, legs are feeling better and better. I feel very thankful with each step, and just keep hoping that things hold together. REAL training won't begin for a few more weeks, but getting the confidence up with each run seems increasingly important.

I have a goal time in mind already for Chicago, but there is so much that has to go right in order for that to be a possibility...right now, it's just one day at a time and getting myself healthy and confident.

For those who have done so, I greatly appreciate the good thoughts and positive vibes.