Long Intervals

Today was a tough one. It was one of those very tiring days at work, meaning I was way less than 100% when I hit the streets. My plan was for a 1-mile warmup followed by four intervals of 1 mile at race pace with a 1-minute slowdown between each. The balance of the 6 miles was filled by a cooldown. The intervals were extremely rugged, but by golly I did all of them and at as close to 8 minutes/mile as I could. The last one was somewhat slower as I didn't push too hard coming up the big hill by the golf course, but for the most part I kept a good pace.

At the end of the run a guy was standing out in front of his house and called out that I was an animal. I stopped and talked with him for a few minutes and he asked how much I ran and how far. He's run a few 5k races and spent a lot of time recently coaching football for his 6-year old. We commiserated about parents trying to live a sports dream through their kids. It's interesting to meet other people with busy lives and somewhat similar but differently shaded cares in life. At the least I guess I've been running around here long enough where people recognize me. Scary.

Four and Out

No, that's not a reference to this year's World Series sweep by the team that beat the Cardinals in the NLCS. It's pointed toward today's run. I ran 1 1/2 with two of the kids and then finished out by myself for a total of 4 miles. I needed a nice, slow easy run today after Saturday's 11-miler. I could feel the soreness in my legs and purposefully kept it at a good pace. I also kept the total miles down since I felt I needed to stretch out more than I needed total miles before tomorrow's speed work. The wind was pretty cold today as well, which was another reason to stay out for a shorter amount of time. I spent a lot of the day on my feet smoking pork and chicken. That means it's time to rest this evening and kick up my feet for a bit.

Long Hilly Run or Hilly Long Run?

This was the longest distance I've run in quite awhile. If I was less lazy I'd go back through my entries and see when was the last time I ran over ten miles. I've modified my training plan somewhat due to life intruding on my running. I was going to run 13 miles today but knew that was too much given the training so far. I ran 11 miles and was pretty worn out by the end. I was definitely tempted a few times to walk but I resisted since this is my longest training run before the race.

As always when I run in the area I can't avoid hills. I amused myself a little with thoughts of whether this was a long hilly run or a hilly long run? I suppose the word order makes somewhat of a difference in how the run is described.

Here I am a few hours after getting back and I feel okay. As I build back up toward marathon distance, hopefully in the early Spring, I'm reminded of how draining some of the longer runs can be and why it's important to build up to those distances. My knees feel good and hopefully I can keep increasing after the race in three weeks.

Intervals

The weather turned nasty today. I keep telling myself that in about three months this temperature in the mid-40s will seem positively balmy. A wind from the north made the last couple of miles interesting, but all in all I felt strong throughout the run. It was weird because I laid on the floor to stretch my back before the run and I could have fallen straight asleep. Those moments of relaxation must have helped since I felt loose and my frame of my mind was easygoing. I ran 6 miles total of Yasso 800sx5. The first three intervals I kept at about an 8:30 pace, but the last two I revved the engine and came in under 8:00. The last one was uphill by the golf course against the wind. I'm afraid some of it was over my target due to the stiff north breeze. I actually thought it would be colder than it was, especially since the gap between a 73 degree temperature this morning relative to the drop from the cold front would be big. Not too bad in the end, though, and it looks like autumn is here to stay. It's amazing what a drop in degrees can do to help my speedwork.

Recap

I forgot to post about my Sunday run, which means I have two days' worth of running to recap. This past weekend was packed to the gills with activities and finding time to run was next to impossible. Finally at 4:30 on Sunday I had a brief window of free time to run. It was a beautiful day, a bit overcast, but really nice. I wanted to run 10 miles but settled for 8 so I could get home in time for a ball game that was over by the second inning. I should have gone the extra two miles. I felt good and easily could have run the added distance. I'm modifying my plan and it's doubtful I'll run a full 13 or 14 miles before the race.

Today was also nice, although a bit gusty. I felt really tired today and didn't much feel like exercising. That's usually a signal that I should. I warmed up a mile, ran 4 miles at "marathon pace", and finished with a minute of walking and the rest of the 6 miles at cooldown pace. Marathon pace today meant about an 8:30 or so, or something in the general vicinity of that. That was pretty good, especially on the segments uphill and against the wind. True to form I actually feel better after the run than before. Exercise pays off once again.

Speed, In a Relative Way

Today's plan called for a 6-mile run with a 1-mile warmup, 4 miles at race pace (8 minute miles), and 1-mile cooldown. I made it 3 miles at a faster pace, which was neither the recommended speed or the recommended distance. I cut yesterday's run short in hopes that I could avoid dead legs or fatigue today. Fail. I had that feeling at the start, hoping it would go away after I warmed up, but it didn't. I tried to stay at a comfortably fast pace but determined three miles of that was enough. I could tell my heart rate was up at that point and actually walked for a couple of minutes.

My left knee is barking at me again, no doubt due to the change in shoes. Hopefully that goes by the wayside as time goes by, or else I should rotate in my old shoes for a few weeks.

Monday Running

Today was the day after a weekend of eating and such. The Wife and I went to a bed and breakfast as well as to a festival for two days. That means today was a recovery day. My run was 5 miles instead of the standard six, but it was just enough. This week I can get back into the speedwork on Tuesday and Thursday. What, it's like a month or so until the half marathon? No problem.

Friday Long Run

This week has been kind of odd, and will continue to be so over the weekend. I skipped running yesterday because of a ball game I wanted to watch. It ended badly. Anyway, since we have plans tomorrow I wanted to avoid getting up early to run and went for it this afternoon. I ran 9 miles, lots of hills, and it all felt good. The sky was overcast and the temperature in the mid-50s, very nice for running. A strong breeze was coming out of - well, everywhere. It was one of those days where it seemed like unless I was running with the wind directly behind me it was blowing against me. North, east, and south - unless I was running southwest it was an effort. I was in a pretty good zone, though, and it didn't bother me too much. I had a big plate of spaghetti at lunch and that affected me more than the wind. Carb loading four hours before a run? Not a good idea.

My mileage for the week was only 14 total, about half of what I'd planned. Next week I plan on taking it as it comes and not pushing too hard with the big increase in mileage and running four days instead of two.

Recovery Run

Yesterday I was supposed to run. But I was suffering, probably in some part because of my overeagerness on Saturday afternoon. I think that weakened my immune system, which already wasn't in top shape. After the race I went to dinner and then a concert. It was after 9:30 by the time we got home. On Sunday morning it was church and then company afterward all afternoon and evening. I was worn out and no chance to rest. All day Monday I suffered and decided there was no way I could run with the condition I was in. Last night I even took a generic Benadryl. I never do that because of the way it affects me, but I decided it couldn't be any worse than what I was already feeling.

Today was better due to a good night's sleep. I looked at the schedule and decided a marathon-pace run was out of the question. I strained a muscle in my back in the last couple of days, somehow, and that in addition to my stuffy sinuses and general feeling of malaise kept me in check. I ran 5 easy miles, although at the start I almost stopped. It was good to get out and stretch. I cut the run a mile short but that turned out to be a good thing. As I walked up the street a guy pulled up in front of the house. He was there to buy something I'd listed on craigslist and if I'd gone that extra mile I totally would have missed him. Moral of the story: sometimes going the extra mile doesn't pay off.

6 + 3.1

Today was a split day. I knew I'd be running a 5k in the afternoon but also knew I needed to run more than 3.1 miles as part of my training. So I ran 6 miles this morning and it seemed to go pretty well. My pace ended up about 9:20/mile, mainly because it was cool - borderline cold - and breezy and I wanted to be done as quickly as possible. I felt good afterward.

There was quite a crowd at the race, which wasn't bad for the first time our church has done this. I had two kids who were supposed to run with me but they ditched me for their friends. I started out at a comfortable pace while a few guys took off from the pack. I passed a few people and decided hey, let's crank it up even though I wasn't concerned about winning. Which wasn't going to happen anyway with their taking a good lead. We ran two laps of the same course and when we approached a turnaround on the first lap I could see the leader wasn't that far ahead of me, maybe 45 seconds or so. Any thoughts of trying to pass him were quickly gone since I didn't want to exert THAT much energy. I put the children's pastor in my sights and passed him right after that same turnaround on the second lap. I finished in 25:06, which was just stupid since I'm so early in my training plan. If I was smart I should have run it just for fun, but I'm not that smart. I don't feel bad or injured tonight, just tired. Hopefully a good nine hours of sleep or will help me feel better. Plus the allergies don't help, but that's just part of life. Oh well, I had fun anyway and promise to not do that again. At least before the half in November.

Stupid Work

I was looking forward to more speedwork this afternoon. The weather was cool, hovering just above 50 degrees, and therefore perfect for ratcheting it up. In fact, it was almost cold, relatively speaking. When I walked down the street for my warmup I felt chilled. Before heading out I had to go down to the storage room to find my long-sleeved Ts.

Anyway, I did a 2-mile warmup and then started Yasso 800s. I had just finished my second and was about halfway through the corresponding cool-down when my cell phone rang. Now, I don't usually carry my phone when I run but I knew there were issues at work. Against my better judgment I answered it. Big mistake. I had to join a conference that I hoped would last just a couple of minutes, but in my heart I knew it wouldn't. I wandered around by the golf course for about 15 minutes, and even sat down a couple of times. Finally I figured out this wasn't going to end any time soon and I couldn't run with a phone up to my ear. So I started walking home. It was starting to get darker and cooler, and when I was about a half-mile from home I put the phone on speaker and ran the rest of the way. When all was said and done I ran 4 miles and wasted a lot of time. I'm frustrated that I couldn't get in my full run and that because I had to be involved with fixing someone else's mistakes, as usual. Such is the joy of work sometimes.

I did wear my new shoes and felt like I was running on air the first mile. It feels good to be back in cushioned shoes again after trying a pair with less padding, particularly in the forefoot. In fact I was going to title this post "Walking on Air" until the call from work ruined my run. I'm glad I ordered a size 10 of the Asics Gel Cumulus. I had a few reservations about that but either my feet are getting bigger or shoe sizes are getting smaller because the Blur 33 also seemed to be on the small side of a size 10.

Speeding

Today was the first day of speedwork in my half-marathon training plan. I was looking forward to it since I haven't run fast in what seems like years. The plan called for four miles of marathon pace running, but I ended up doing three. I took The Boy out for two miles of slow running to prep him for Saturday's 5k and dropped him off at the house when we'd gone that far. Then I lowered the hammer and took off. My plan classifies 8-minute miles as marathon pace. I started out trying to keep it under 9 minutes/mile and found as distance rolled by under my shoes that I was getting faster. For the most part I was under 8:30, with quite a bit closer to 8:00. I was definitely ready to slow down by the time I reached mile 5 and even walked up a hill a few minutes later. All in all it felt good to stretch it out.

I was thinking about this weekend's race and whether or not I should try to run it fast. My feeling is that it's an invitation to injury since I haven't raced in a while. I proved today I can run three miles at a good clip still, but I'm still leaning toward just running with the kids and enjoying it. Or maybe I'll size up the competition when I get there and decide if I have a chance to win or not. We'll see.

Training Begins

I took the plunge this weekend and registered for the Route 66 Half Marathon. It's November 18th in Tulsa, the same race where I ran a full marathon a few years ago. Accordingly, today was the first day of my new training plan engineered to get me to racing shape by race day. It was an easy 4-miler that sets me on the road to running four days a week again. It was a nice day, just like they have been the past week or so, and the miles went by quickly.

I also ordered a new pair of shoes. I've been wearing the Asics Gel 33 Blur this year. I'm not sure what's caused my right foot to have pain in the heel, which I suspect to be plantar fasciitis. It could be a combination of my running shoes and dress shoes, but I didn't have problems before I bought this pair of running shoes. So today I went ahead and ordered a different type, one I've worn in the past. When I first bought good running shoes I purchased Asics Gel Cumulus. I remember the first time wearing them after using cheapo shoes from Target that I'd bought just to make sure I was going to stick with this running thing. After those less-than-adequate shoes the Asics felt like my feet had died and gone to heaven. I wore that type for several years before moving up to the Nimbus series. The problem is that the Nimbus are just too expensive, hence my trying out the 33 series. When I was shopping on Amazon this morning the Cumulus were the lowest priced that I could find, so I went with that. Hopefully it'll help my foot and still keep my knees from hurting.

A Nice Saturday

It was another great day for running. I didn't get out the door until almost 11 a.m. and went 5.5 miles before swinging back to pick up a couple of kids for another 2.5 (for those of you counting at home, that's a total of 8 miles). I signed us up for a 5k next Saturday so I wanted to make sure they're in good shape. My littlest one went to a sleepover the night prior and she was a wee bit tired. I know the feeling so we had a couple of walking intervals, which was fine. I'm loving this weather and my allergies seem to be leveling out.

Running with Kids

I can only imagine what people thought when they saw four kids and me running this afternoon. What kind of crazy person has that many kids? Maybe. I've been called worse. I "made" them run two miles since the 5k is just over a week away. They all did pretty well except the oldest, who is still having leg problems. Once I dropped them off I ran another four miles to get to my usual total of 6 miles. The day was overcast and the temperature mild - in other words, a perfect day for a run. Autumn brings some nasty allergies along with the good weather, but the past few days I've been okay. We'll see if that lasts into the weekend or not.

Lethargy

I felt just plain tired today when I got home from work. It was one of those I-could-take-a-nap kinds of tired. Even as I started my run I considered how well - or not - it was going to go. That soon passed as a I ran the first couple of miles. When I passed by the neighborhood again at the two-mile mark I had a brief flash of stopping and calling it a day, but I resisted. The temperature was a little warmer today than in the past week, probably in the low 80s, but I ran it all. Just like I was tempted to cut the run short I was also tempted to walk a few times. I just couldn't see any reason to do it, so I kept going. When all was said and done I felt pretty good, much better than when I started. That's not a surprise since what I needed was a little endorphin therapy. Today the treatment worked.

First Day of Fall

As The Boy told me today it certainly feels like the first day of Fall. Yesterday I was really looking forward to this run. I knew it was going to be good weather just like it was yesterday. In fact I thought more than once about running after work yesterday but decided a day of weights would be better. This morning I took off for a 6-miler and ended up with an overall 9:15 per mile pace. It was a lot cooler than I expected with the temperature under 60 degrees. When I was walking to "warm up" I briefly considered going back and getting a long-sleeved shirt but quickly determined I'd be just fine once I started running. Once again I saw several people out but not as many as I thought. A cool breeze was blowing from the north. Maybe that kept some people indoors.

Once I got home I took three of the kids for a run. I was planning on going two miles with them but both girls said they were experiencing pain, one in the knees and the other on the side of the leg above the ankle. We got all of a mile before they had to walk. The Boy and I decided to get in some more running and made it to almost two miles, 1.84 to be exact. For the week that makes my total mileage as 19.84. So close to 20 that I'm going to round up, especially since I more than made up the extra distance in walking. It's two weeks until the 5k at church, so these kids better pick up their game!

That Was a Good Run

Today was another great day for running. I'm feeling like I'm really getting back into stride as far as running goes, and as I've said before the cooler temperatures certainly help. My overall pace today was 9:30/mile, which doesn't seem terribly fast. But consider the fact that for the past five months or so I've been running about a minute slower because of the heat. Or because I've been on and off with my schedule. I ran 6 miles today and if it was a race I would have run a negative split. I felt stronger toward the end when I was running at a pace in the eights. Another telltale sign that I'm feeling better is the hills. In the past I've always attacked hills and stayed strong on the ascent, if not actually running faster. Lately I've slowed down on the uphills and tried to keep it slow to the point of walking them depending on the temperature. Now that the weather is back to a decent range I'm back to enjoying hills again. Watch out! I'm not the fastest person in the world but I certainly feel faster this week.

Back in Stride

Today was so nice. Really nice. Perfect running weather with a temperature about 68 degrees, sunny, and a light breeze. I ran 6 miles and loved every minute of it. My complaint about drivers and crosswalks still stands, though.

Running on Friday?

Today's not my normal day for a run. That would have been yesterday. Thursday was cool and rainy, and to be perfectly honest, I didn't feel like running in it. It was one of those rains that makes you feel like you can get sick from it, even though that's probably not what would happen. Still, it was quite a climate change after another hot day on Tuesday, so I decided to pass. And I'm glad I did.

Today it was 72 degrees outside, sunny, and just plain gorgeous. I got off work an hour early and laced up my running shoes when I got home. I ran 6 miles with no walking, more testament to running in cooler temperatures. I've mentioned before that running four miles in 95 degree weather is probably the same effort as running longer when it's 20 degrees cooler out. I think today's run proves that. My pace was closer to the 9:30 range, and it felt pretty easy. Yep, it's called level of effort. You read it here first. Or maybe not.