Another Marathon Looms

4 Mile Taper

A nice cool run after work with temps in the lower 60s.

Still tapering:

Mile (#)	Time (m:s)	Distance (mi )
1	8:12	1.00
2	8:17	1.00
3	7:35	1.00
4	7:43	1.00

Sweaty One

p (#)	Time (m:s)	Distance (mi )	HR (bpm)
			Avg	Max
1	8:10	1.00	133	150
2	8:15	1.00	152	156
3	8:26	1.00	155	159
4	8:48	1.00	156	159
5	8:48	1.00	156	158
6	8:21	1.00	161	165
7	7:37	0.86	163	165

It was hot and sweaty this evening. 5 pm it was 86 F. I ran alone trying to maintain a reasonable pace and heart rate. I ran without water. This became a problem during mile 4. I was gagging on nothing so stopped and walk for about 45 seconds. I was fine then. I still couldn't cool down though. My heart rate stay up because I was hot. Suddenly it rained huge drops for 60 seconds! I was still hot. A bit of water down the gullet might have allowed me to run slightly faster.

All in all I finished with an 8:31/mi pace for almost 7 miles in the heat. Not too bad.

Taper Twelve

56 F degrees at 6 am this morning. I met Bill, Mike and Paul for a 12 mile taper run as three of us have a marathon fast approaching.

The cool weather was nice. Allowed me to run the first three miles at a 7:57/mi pace. I knew that was a bit fast. I slowed to an 8:17/mi pace for miles 4, 5, 6. Heart rate avg 151/bpm.

I was trying to find a comfortable heart rate for the marathon. Keeping my heart rate averaging 152/bpm, miles 7, 8, 9 were at an 8:24/mi pace.

Mile 10 was a turn around. I met Mike and Paul there. We paused to wait for Bill since he was running easier. My avg heart rate was 139 for this mile. It was a 10:00/mi pace since we stood around and walked a bit talking. Probably did this for 2 mins.

Mile 11 was up a long uphill grade. I wasn't thinking about running. Caught myself shuffling up the hill instead of focusing on getting up it. 9:22/mi pace. Heart rate only 146/bpm.

Final mile 12 was all 4 of us together. Avg heart rate was back to 152/bpm and the pace was 8:08/mi.

Early AM start was rewarded with a hammock snooze!

Mile	Time (m:s)	Distance (mi )
1	7:59	1.00
2	7:48	1.00
3	8:05	1.00
4	8:18	1.00
5	8:16	1.00
6	8:18	1.00
7	8:21	1.00
8	8:25	1.00
9	8:27	1.00
10	10:01	1.00
11	9:22	1.00
12	8:08	1.00

Slower 5

Temp was around 85F. I ran with Bill for a casual 5 miles. Planned to run a 9:00/mi pace, but we ran slightly faster than that.

1	8:47
2	8:42
3	8:53
4	8:53
5	9:16

We had to wait for some traffic during mile 5. I was pretty hot.

Speed

Lap (#)	Time (m:s)	Distance (mi )	M Spd (mph)	HR (bpm)		Energy (Cal)
				Avg	Max
1	7:58	1.00	9.6	138	156	117
2	7:46	1.00	8.7	159	162	121
3	7:51	1.00	8.9	164	168	119
4	8:06	1.00	8.3	166	169	119
5	8:12	1.00	8.3	170	172	119

With the temp around 77 F, I ran a 7:59/mi pace for 5 miles. Had to really work at it up the hill that last 1/2 mile. My heart rate was up.

It's the fastest I've ever run this 5 mile route!

Still Summer

It was mid-80's this afternoon for my 7 mile run. Humidity was around 60%. A hot 7 mile run without any water. Ran it in an hour!

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	1:00:37	8:28 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	1:00:37	8:28 pace
Distance (mi )	7.15
Moving Speed (mph)	7.1 avg.	9.0 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+963 / -996
Avg. Heart Rate	156 bpm	Zone 4.4

5 Miler - 20 days

75F with 60% humidity this afternoon for a five mile run with Mike and Bill.

After running a slower 23 miles two days ago, it felt good running a faster pace. We did 8:34/mi for the first two miles then 8:24/mi for the next 2 miles. We finished with an 8:15/mi for the final mile.

I could have done this pace for many more miles if it had been a bit cooler. Actually I could have run for another five miles at this pace with the same temp. So there!

Count down to marathon...20 days!

Jet Lag 23

I ran zero miles Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday AND Friday. I was planning to run, but I went from Chicago on a quick trip to Helsinki. I didn't run while I was there. I did walk 3-miles with two laptops one day, but I don't think that counts. I also walked what seemed like a mile at London Heathrow and again at Paris Charles de Gaulle, but still not the same as a running workout.

Note: lots of unfit people at airports!

With 3-weeks until the marathon, Bill planned a final LONG run for us. Bill, Mike, Chaz and me for a 23 miler. I was a bit concerned that my lack of running might really hamper me. Bill and I met at 5 AM at his house. It was still completely dark (night time with stars) and 39 F, 84% humidity. Chaz and Mike were starting an hour later since their faster runners.

I worn a winter hat, three shirts and gloves...and shorts, socks, shoes and water belt.

First 4 miles were in complete darkness. We ran a 9:10/mi pace. The next 6 miles were around a 9:25/mi pace. No specific reason for the slow down. We were talking. I thought it was faster, but we were just strolling alone.

Mile 11 was a 10:26/mi. We stopped for water.

Mile 12 & 13 were back to a 9:15/mi pace

Mile 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 were a 10:00/mi pace. This was all an uphill grade. We stopped for water once. I didn't realize at the time it was so slow. Heart rate was only 141 bpm so I wasn't working too hard. We were talking and not paying attention to the time.

I joked to Bill that we should mock "the wall" and pick up the pace. We both felt good. No wonder with a 10:00/mi! We picked it up. Mile 19 was 8:58/mi

Mile 20 was very hilly and 9:26/mi

Mile 21 was beyond hilly AND included a 40 ft stair climb up a look-out tower. A bit insane with total time of 12:41/mi for 230 FT vertical climb over that one mile. I snapped a picture with my Treo 650 from the top.

Back down the stairs and down a curving road we did mile 22 in 8:05. What a crazy way to finish a long run.

Oh not done yet, mile 23 had another nice big hill but we could taste chocolate milk waiting in the cooler. 9:09/mi pace. It really is a pretty good size hill.

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	3:40:28	9:33 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	3:37:45	9:26 pace
Distance (mi )	23.08
Moving Speed (mph)	6.4 avg.	10.0 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+3,176 / -2,959
Avg. Heart Rate	143 bpm	Zone 3.7
Temperature (°F)	38.8°F avg.	42.8°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	SSE 2.0 avg.	SSE 4.6 max.

It was a good way to start a Saturday and a good final long run prior to the marathon!

Brilliant 13

59 F, 80% humidity at 6:07 AM Bill, Paul and were down the trail on a 13 mile semi-long run.

We shortened up the long run today after doing a 22.5 miler last weekend. Might seem odd that 13 miles could be a shorter run, but for anyone training for a marathon with a marathon only 4-weeks away, you get the idea.

• Ran an 8:50/mi pace
• Avg 147 bmp heart rate
• Drank 33 oz of water
• 13.1 miles (1/2 marathon)
  
• 1 hour 56 1/2 mins
  

Next run will be from some foreign location.

Lap (#)	Time (m:s)	Distance (mi )	M Spd (mph)	HR (bpm)		Energy (Cal)
				Avg	Max
1	8:56	1.00	7.6	133	145	115
2	8:51	1.00	8.1	143	149	117
3	8:27	1.00	7.8	148	154	119
4	8:24	1.00	7.8	149	154	118
5	8:49	1.00	7.8	148	154	118
6	8:58	1.00	7.8	147	152	117
7	8:47	1.00	9.2	147	160	116
8	8:48	1.00	7.8	146	150	118
9	9:00	1.00	7.6	147	152	117
10	9:08	1.00	7.6	146	154	116
11	8:56	1.00	7.8	150	153	117
12	9:07	1.00	7.4	151	154	117
13	8:45	1.00	8.3	155	157	118
14	1:33	0.18	7.6	154	155	21

No Time

Another hot an sweaty after-work run today. It was humid and upper 80s or maybe 90s. Hot whatever the case.

I remembered my running gear, but forgot my watch...so no time today.

Ran 5 miles. Probably in the 43 min range. I felt strong the whole way, but very sweaty.

After Work Loop

Lap (#)	Time (m:s)	Distance (mi )	M Spd (mph)	Energy (Cal)
1	8:09	1.00	8.3	116
2	7:59	1.00	8.3	120
3	7:51	1.00	9.2	118
4	8:22	1.00	7.8	118
5	8:50	1.00	7.6	119

Upper 80's for an after work run with Bill and Mike. I ran out of steam after 3 miles in the heat. Overall pace was 8:22/mi

Rested!

I didn't run all week. I mountain climbed. I slept in a tent. I cycled around Seattle, but I didn't run.

This morning I took care of the running.

I'd planned a month ago to run a local 20k marathon buildup race today. 20k is 12.44 miles. A nice long way. Just slightly less than a 1/2 marathon.

Bill had suggested a 10 MILE warm up prior to the 20k race. We'd substitute the combined warm up and race as our weekend long run. Seemed like a good idea to me! ha!

We started the 10 miles at 6:19 PM. Completed that in an easy 93 mins. Nice easy run. A little slow, but it felt good. But my legs/body felt pretty tired.

Now we had a 20k race. Paul was waiting with Bill, Mike and my race numbers. We had less then 10 mins before the race started. I ate part of an energy bar. Pinned my number to my shorts. Took off my shirt and walked to the starting line. I had a 30 second rest before it was go time!

First mile 8:11/mi pace. It felt reasonable. I could see Bill and Paul just a bit ahead of me. I thought about catching up, but decided to conserve some energy.

Mile 2 was 8:35/mi up and down a few little hills.

Mile 3 & 4 were 8:55/mi pace. I decided this was the pace I should run the rest of the race at. Just a nice steady pace.

Mile 5 & 6 were 9:30/mi pace. Ok I'll run this pace. It seems about right.

Mile 7 & 8 were 9:55/mi pace. I realized had actually run 17 & 18 miles now. No wonder I was tired. I also needed water really bad, but there wasn't any.

Mile 9 was a 10:26/mi pace. My left calf was cramping slightly. I finally got some water.

Mile 10 was 9:13/mi pace. I'd gotten enough water. I figured I'd just run this pace to the end. Maybe drop to 8:30 for mile 11 & 12. I had visions of passing a bunch of people I could see in the distance ahead of me.

Mile 11 & 12 were 10:17/mi pace as my left calf spasmed on the edge of cramming. Since it was just a muscle I knew continuing wasn't going to damage anything unless I fell on my face. No option of going faster.

I passed 3 people on the final 100 yards just for good measure. I told myself I was finishing 22.4 miles as they were finishing 12.4. So there!

Finished the 20k in 2 hours 30 seconds. It was a very sucky race!

My calf never completely cramped, but both spasmed after finishing for the next 15 mins as I drank some water, ate a banana, drank some root beer and munched a few cookies.

Bill, Mike and Paul ran great races!

I came home, showered and slept for 4 hours.

Seattle's Best

While in Seattle I had the opportunity to ride up and down all those hilly streets of downtown. Even the flat streets went up hill!

Hadn't been on a bicycle in years. Reminded me it's good exercise and uses different muscles than running.

After climbing a mountain, I wasn't sure my legs wanted to bike, but we rode bikes to dinner and breakfast.

Mt Adams

I climbed a mountain!

Hiked 5 miles to 9.2k ft and pitched a tent. It was cold. Next morning climbed to the summit then returned to the tent. Lots of hours with a backpack...heavy one. Lots of miles putting one foot in front of the other.

Got to use hiking boots, alpine boots, crampons, ice axe, tent, backpack, blue bag, etc.

It was great!

...good endurance training.

Stormy

4 miles in 32:42 after work. I ran by myself. Just completed the run ahead of stormy weather. It was about 90 F when I started the run and extremely muggy. By mile two the temp dropped to 70 F with lots of wind.

Lap (#)	Time (m:s)	Distance (mi )	M Spd (mph)	HR (bpm)		Energy (Cal)
				Avg	Max
1	8:08	1.00	8.1	139	155	116
2	7:57	1.00	8.7	161	163	120
3	8:13	1.00	8.1	164	167	119
4	8:22	0.99	8.3	164	166	117

5 Miles Easy

This evening was a 5 mile easy run with Bill and Mike. Kinda turned into a faster 8:15/mi pace run. Mile 4 was 8:00/mi and mile 5 was a 7:34/mi pace so I guess it was a tempo instead of an easy run.

Temp was around 66 F with 100% humidity.

Legs felt pretty good considering the long run on Saturday.

5 more weeks of training!

94 Miles

I'm already at 94 miles for the month of August! An average of 5.2 miles every day since today is the 18th. I think today's 25 MILES helped raise the average!

Early morning start at 5 AM. Temperature was 61 F with humidity at 64%. It seemed cool in comparison to the past months of running. It was still dark when we started.

Paul, Bill and I set out down the bike trail completing the first two miles at 8:24/mi pace.

Mile 3 slowed to a 9:05/mi. Mile 4 and 5 were 9:25/mi. Bill decided to run faster and catch up with Paul.

I continued a 9:20/mi pace for mile 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Paul turned around and headed back past me at mile 7.5. Mike caught up with me at mile 8.5.

Bill & Mike past me going back at mile 12.1. Our turn around was at miles 12.5.

At mile 13 I made a quick pit stop bio-break. Pace was 9:42/mi.

Mile 14 -- 9:07/mi as I listened to Billy Squier.
Mile 15 -- 9:48/mi
Mile 16 -- 9:50/mi
Mile 17 -- 9:29/mi
Mile 18 -- 9:43/mi
Mile 19 -- 9:07/mi
Mile 20 -- 9:22/mi
Mile 21 -- 9:12/mi
Mile 22 -- 9:56/mi crossed 4-lanes of traffic
Mile 23 -- 9:23/mi
Mile 24 -- 9:35/mi
Mile 25 -- 9:30/mi

The last .2 mile I did around 8:00/mi. I felt good at the end. Finishing 25.2 miles in 3 hours 55 minutes isn't too bad on a long run. I'd done hills on Thursday!

Next weekend no long run. Climb a mountain instead.

Good Week

It's been a good week of running...

• 6 mile run on Monday at an 8:28/mi pace with 75 F temps.
• 5.3 mile run on Wed at an 8:04/mi pace with 71 F temps
• Hill run workout on Thurs. 5.9 miles in total in 1 hour, but ran "the hill" in a PR of 46 secs!

Ready for a long run?

It's a Long Run!

Early morning start from Bill's house (with Bill) to do a long run as a marathon build-up.

Start Time:	Aug 11, 2007 5:35:05 AM
Finish Time:	Aug 11, 2007 9:18:23 AM

Temperature was about 65F with 94% humidity.


The first 2 miles were a 9:08/mi pace. Bill wanted to pick it up so we dropped to 8:30/mi for the next 2 miles.

Knowing that this was a long run and it was very humid, I decided to let Bill run ahead. He disappeared off into the horizon over the next few miles. I slowed to an 8:50/mi pace for miles 5 thru 11. The temp had warmed up to 70 F.

I re-filled my two water bottles at mile 10 and said good morning to Chaz. He spotted us a 30 min start, but had already caught me. With full water bottles I continued on at a slower 9:30/mi pace for mile 12-15.

I took my shirt off at mile 16. Rung it out as it was soaked with sweat. Mile 16, 17, 18 were 10:00/mi pace. It was now 75F with 70% humidity.

The big milestone ahead was a 45-foot observation tower atop a high hill at mile 21. I was eating up the miles slowly, but feeling good. I reminded myself it's a long training run. It's not supposed to be too fast.

Mile 19 and 20 are 10:00/mi again. Good steady pace in this humid weather. I'm staying hydrated.

An insane hill that seems to never ends to reach the base of the tower. Mile 21 takes 12:30...but the hill is insane after all this running. 300 ft climb in elevation in one mile AND then up the 45-foot tower!

I looked out at the view for 3-4 mins.

Still have 2 miles down the tower to the parking lot where the van is parked.

Mile 22 breezed along down hill at 8:39/mi.

Mile 23 was yet another vertical climbed of 80 Ft then a little downhill sprint to the parking lot. Done with 23 miles in 3 hours 43 minutes. Temp is upper 70s.

It was a good long run. A really long run!

By the way, I've got a new Garmin 305 watch. Here's some additional stats from this morning's run from it:

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	3:43:18	9:40 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	3:38:34	9:27 pace
Distance (mi )	23.09
Moving Speed (mph)	6.3 avg.	12.5 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+3,310 / -3,103

Time Data	Total	% of Total
Total Time	3:43:18	100.0
Moving Time	3:38:34	97.9
Ascent	1:24:26	37.8
Descent	1:26:12	38.6
Flat	0:47:56	21.5
Stopped Time	0:04:44	2.1
# of Stops	3	--

4 miles

It was 80F with high humidity. Ran 4 miles with Jeff and Mike. We had a mile at 6:45/mi, but then I slowed down to finish in 31:30.

Tomorrow I rest. Long run on Sat!

Fartlek Five

I did a five mile fartlek this afternoon in 42:30. I'm still working to get the hang of this. I read tonight that I'm supposed to workout for a min of 45 mins when doing a speed play session.

• Minimum of 45 minutes
• Warm up – easy running for 5 to 10 minutes.
  
• Steady, hard speed for 1.5-2 km ; like a long repetition.
• Rapid walking for about 5 minutes – recovery.
• Easy running interspersed with sprints of about 50 – 60 m, repeated until a little tired. – Start of speed work.
• Easy running with three or four "quick steps" now and then (simulating suddenly speeding up to avoid being overtaken by another runner).
• Full speed up hill for 175 – 200 m.
• Immediately, fast pace for 1 minute.
• The whole routine is then repeated until the total time prescribed on the training schedule has elapsed.

I did have one mile that was 7:12/mi pace while having another mile that was 9:15/mi pace. In 5 miles I did 7 speed ups and slow downs. I did get in one hill.

I'm going to keep working on it.

Fishing for 10

Yesterday morning I went fishing, this morning was a 10-miler race!

I've run this same race the past two years finishing in the 1:28:30 range. I felt confident that I would run faster this year.

It was around 70 F with high humidity and drizzle at race time.

I signed up for the race about 20 mins before the start while sipping on my McDonald's coffee. Took my event shirt back to my car. Pinned my number on my shirt. Jogged a few blocks back the to race area. Decided it was a good idea to stop in the restroom before the race even though the Star Spangle Banner was being song. I stepped into the racing crowd 40 secs before the start. I was in the mid-back area.

The start was slow. I should have started further up. It took about 4 mins to weave through the slower runners and get to a reasonable pace.

I came past mile 1 just a bit over an 8:00/mi pace. Mile 4 was 32:40 overall. I calculated an 8:10/mi in my head. My watched said I'd passed the 4 mile mark at 31:22. I liked my watch results better, but the race markers where the official ones.

I just tried to the hold the same pace. The drizzle was a bit annoying, but not bad. I felt I could run faster, but didn't want to run out of steam.

I came past the 5 mile loop starting point at 41 mins and change. I knew at that point I was going to break my old PR (1:28:30) for this course by some minutes. I ran the next 5-miles at pretty much the same pace plus or minus some seconds finishing in 1:22:45.

Hot Hills

It was about 90 F again this afternoon with high humidity. I ran with Mike for awhile until I turned off to run "the hill" 6 times without him.

Hill 1 = 1:11
Hill 2 = 1:02
Hill 3 = 1:09 (truck & boat blocking road)
Hill 4 = 0:52
Hill 5 = 0:54
Hill 6 = 0:55

Good workout!

August Kick Off

It was around 90F this afternoon when Bill, Mike and I went for a 4.5 mile tempo run.

Mile 1 = 8:30/mi
Mile 2 = 8:54/mi
Mile 3 = 7:47/mi
Mile 4 = 8:08/mi

Last .5 mile was 8:13/mi

It was kind of a tempo run in the sense of the 2nd half was faster than the first!

Did I mention it was HOT? Overall 8:18/mi pace in the heat is not to bad.

That was Hot!

92F and humid. Mike and I went for a 4 mile run. Wow it was hot.

Mile 1 = 8:10/mi
Mile 2 = 7:44/mi
Mile 3 = 8:16/mi
Mile 4 = 8:37/mi (I was losin' steam)

A final 3 mins at a 8:08/mi pace to finish things off for 4.37 miles in 35:49.

That was hot!

4-Miler Race

After running 18 miles in the afternoon, I didn't know if my plan to enter the 4-miler race was a good idea. I drank more water. Around 70 oz since starting my run. I took a shower then closed my eyes for 20 minutes while watching the Weather Channel. A nice storm would have worked as an excuse, but it was clear.

90 mins to race time. I wonder how a BBQ chicken sub and some more Gatorade would work over the course of 4 miles? I guess I'll find out. I took two Tylenol and wash it down with the remainder of the Gatorade.

With a lack of energy I stood in a long line to get signed up. At the starting line they announced the race would start 15 mins late. I found a spot in the grass to lay down.

2005 was the first time I ran this 4-mile race. I completed it in 32:33 after running 7 miles in the morning. I thought that was an amazing accomplishment. Last year I ran this race in something like 32:40 after running 14-miles in the morning. I thought that was a pretty good accomplishment. As I laid in the grass I was wondering if I could stay under 40 mins.

With a minute to start I told myself to find a steady pace. Don't start too fast or too slowly, but don't wimpy out.

Mile 1 - 7:31
Mile 2 - 7:39 (up the hills)
Mile 3 - 7:26
Mile 4 - 7:35 (tastes like BBQ chicken)

and another .13 miles in 50 seconds.

Finished in 31:03!

22 miles for the day and a PR by 90 seconds for this race.

Sweeter than Sixteen

With the early afternoon temp around 81F, I decided it was time for a long run!

I jumped in my Jeep and headed to the bike trail. I took three 16oz bottles of water. I'm goin' for 16 miles!

I strategically located my Jeep for an out and back to the south and then another out/back to the north with my Jeep as a mid-point for water.

The plan was a SLOW run to build endurance. Most of my summer running has been a bit faster than last year. I haven't worked in as many long runs as I did last July. As I was looking at the calendar I realized the marathon season is approaching quickly. I need long runs!

Did I mention it was hot? I wore a white shirt. I could also use a white (good guy) hat!

In January I sat in on a Jeff Galloway running presentation. He stated that for ever 5 degrees above 60 F a runner should reduce their pace by 30 sec/mi. I calculated that at 81 F I should slow my pace by 2 minutes so a nice 9:00/mi pace would be 11:00/mi in this heat. Hmmm...ok!

Off I went! I was able to keep a 10:10/mi pace for the first 4 miles. I turned around where the path was closed. I was getting hot. The paced seemed about right if I wanted to live.

I refilled my water a the baseball diamond.

I consumed 33 oz of water in the first 8 miles. Stopped at my Jeep for another 16.9 oz bottle. I had the top down on the Jeep so I reached in and unlocked it. This made the alarm go off. I had the key tied to my shoe. Bent over, I pushed the panic button to see if that would stop the horn. Nope! It just made it beep faster. I finally hit the unlock button a few times. With my heart racing like a "looooser" on the loose, off I was went for another 4 miles to the north.

I was out of water again by mile 11. Just as planned I stopped at the other baseball diamond to refill...

The town had REMOVED the water bubbler! Nice new grass was growing in that spot. I looked all around. Nothing. I'm out of water. I'm hot. I'm 3 1/2 miles from my Jeep. I decided it was closer to continue running north to a gas station about a mile more.

With credit card in my shorts I ran a mile north and realized I was still a 1/2 mile from the gas station. Oh that 32 oz Gatorade will be a prize possession! Or maybe some milk. I could eat a hot dog. The dehydrating mind does funny things.

I guzzled half of bottle of "rain" flavored Gatorade. The other half went into my empty water bottle. The thoughts of hot dogs and milk disappeared.

Five long miles back to my Jeep I finished in 3 hours and 17 minutes. The mileage tallied up to 18.2 miles.

It was a hot and long outing, but a really good afternoon!

Note: I'm planning to do a 4 mile race tonight. Starts in 3-hours!

Two Days Gone

A couple of hot late afternoon runs. Yesterday was a nice 5 mile loop on a combination of sidewalk, road and gravel. It was warm yesterday, but it was a nice easy run.

Today was a hill workout with Mike and Bill. It was 82F and humid.

Hill 1 = 69 secs
Hill 2 = 60 secs
Hill 3 = 50 secs (new PR!)
Hill 4 = 66 secs (still recovering)
Hill 5 = 54 secs
Hill 6 = 59 secs

The times are from going up the same hill over and over and over.

Overall we ran 5.5 miles. The hills were a good, but hard workout. I was REALLY out of breath at the top of the hill, but never puked!


...almost looks like my car is on my shoulder. It's not really that small.

5 Mile Fartlek

It was around 84 F with humidity of about 50%.

I did my first real fartlek workout tonight with Bill. We warmed up with an easy mile then alternated between running fast and the slowing down. Fastest overall mile was 7:32/mi. The slowest was 9:43/mi.

Overall ran 5 miles in 43:36 for a 8:42/mi pace

Asics GT-2110

I got a new pair of ASICS GT-2110. It's my 4th pair!

5K

After seeing a old rock 'n' roll show last night and staying up late watching fireworks, I decided to run a 5k race this morning.

Mile 1 = 6:37/mi
Mile 2 = 7:31/mi
Mile 3 = 7:44/mi

Finished in 22:55

2 minutes faster than 2-months ago!

My time was within 10 seconds of my fastest 5k and this wasn't a flat course. The past few months of faster workouts are paying off.

Hills

Had a good hill workout on Thursday with Bill. Did 6 hill repeats. Fastest hill was 53 seconds!

Total distance was 5.4 miles.

Don't Make Me Run

81F with humidity over 70%. It felt hot coming out of A/C all day. I didn't feel like running this evening, but I did anyway.

I set out for a 3 mile out and back. As I completed the first hot and humid mile in 8:20/mi I started thinking about running 4 miles instead. I made the turn for a 4 mile loops instead of an out and back. A bit past 2 miles I started to figure out how to add yet another mile for around 5 miles. I turned toward the path to add a mile.

The whole pace seemed easy, but sweaty. I finished with 4.85 miles in 41:49.

That's Pretty Hot

It was 80 F this afternoon, but the humidity wasn't too bad at around 40%. A nice 10 MPH breeze. It was still hot!

I took the run nice and slow doing my 6.9 mile loop twice. I drank about 35 oz of water during the 2 hours 15 mins.

Though I'd been running for a couple of hours in the heat, I decided at mile 13 to pick up the pace. I was starting to feel fatigued so I gave myself a pep talk for about 30 seconds then dropped to a 8:08/mi pace. Did all of mile 13 at that pace. It's amazing what the mind can do with the body!

I really needed this long run today. It takes me to 49 miles half way through the month.

Saturday Seven

Forgot to post my run yesterday.

It was upper 70s, but low humidity for a mid-afternoon run. Since my "7" mile loops is actually right around 6.9 miles, I decided to extend my 7 miles to an actual 7 miles. What a concept!

I ran easy for the first 6 miles enjoying the weather. I then picked it up to a 7:50/mi pace for the last full mile. Half a mile of the last mile is uphill.

Finished the 7 miles in 1:04:30.

Lower 70's this evening, but humidity was over 90%.

Ran local hills 5x. Did all the runs between 61-63 seconds.

Total run was 4.8 miles in 47 minutes.

I finished off the last .8 mile stretch back to the office at a 7:51/mi pace. Really nice work out!

It was around 86 F early this afternoon when I went for my 7 mile loop. Nice breeze with lower humidity, but it felt hot!

I took it easy the whole way. Drank two bottles of water 16 oz each. Finished in 67:09.

I'd like to mention this blog went over the 14,000 visitor mark! I guess that comes from starting in 2004 and just keepin' at it. Most of you stop by to checkout something related to running, but I still get many folks each month reading older posts. I've had a number of people checking out my post about O'Hagan guitars or downloading one of my songs. It's usually Cool Creek since it was feature in "The Rock Show" on the Podcast Network. AND yes, some of you have even purchased stuff with my face on it. Thanks!

Note: can you see that the corn is getting taller? It's July.

Couple of nice runs this week while on some R&R in Door County. Just casual runs, but I got 3 big hills one day and 2 big hills another day!

Another Tempo

59:19 for my 6.9 mile loop. Lower 70s today, but I ran with the sun high!

Mile 1 = 8:30/mi
Mile 2 = 8:48/mi
Mile 3 = 9:02/mi
Mile 4 = 9:08/mi
Mile 5 = 8:20/mi
Mile 6 = 8:21/mi
Mile 7 = 8:06/mi

I think this counts as another temp run!

7 Mile Sat

It was 75 F and nicely sunny day.

Mile 1 = 8:29/mi
Mile 2 = 8:19/mi
Mile 3 = 8:21/mi
Mile 4 = 8:36/mi
Mile 5 = 8:55/mi
Mile 6 = 8:43/mi
Mile 7 = 7:59/mi

Final time was 58:16

TEMPO!

I think this finally counts as a true temp run!

It was around 65 F. Great running weather for a five mile run.

Mile 1 = 8:30/mi
Mile 2 = 8:23/mi
Mile 3 = 8:15/mi
Mile 4 = 7:31/mi
Mile 5 = 7:28/mi


Finished 5 miles with an 8:01/mi pace.

iRun VidCast June 27, 2007

Finished the 5 miles in 42:30

Mile 1 - 8:19/mi
Mile 2 - 8:22/ mi
Mile 3 - 8:42/mi
Mile 4 - 8:24/mi
Mile 5 - 8:22/mi

iRun VidCast

I don't need to add too many details here since I have produced the iRun VidCast today. A couple of noteworthy things that I will add.

• Mile 1 was 8:30/mi and Mile 13 was 8:34/mi. Not bad to be able to pick it up for mile 13!
• 2:11:22 for the 14 miles at an overall 9:30/mi pace...which was my target.
• I was 78 F degrees

iRun More

Another "tempo run" today even though that wasn't really the plan. I just started slower and ended faster by mistake.

Mile 1 8:44/mi
Mile 2 8:52/mi
Mile 3 8:33/mi
Mile 4 8:48/mi
Mile 5 8:39/mi
Mile 6 8:11/mi
Mile 7 8:07/mi

Overall finished my 7 miles loop in 58:33 making it my fastest time for this route in 2007. Kinda nice since I wasn't trying to do that...and I could of run faster!

Counter-intuitive Running

I did a "tempo" run with Bill and Mike this afternoon. Learned something new.

I don't think I've ever done a temp run on purpose. It's actually counter-intuitive. You start slow then run faster each mile. Seem like it makes more sense to run slower each mile 'cause I'm getting tired! ha!

Well it went pretty well even though I forgot my watch so we had to estimate that I finished the 5 miles in about 41:15. That's simply calculates to a 8:15/mi pace per mile. Not bad, but it was cooler out.

So far this week, I've only run 18 miles, but I've run the majority of those faster than I'm accustom to running. It's fun!

Dark Matter

It was 81F this evening as I again ran a quick 3 miles. The same route as yesterday. It seemed hotter.

I paced the first mile slower than yesterday. It was about 7:40/mi. The last two miles were also sub 8:00/mi. I finished 5 seconds faster than yesterday.

If I continue to take 5 seconds off my 3 miles EVERY time I run, I will finish before I start 278 runs from now. Actually, I will finish run #278 a second before I start. Now that would be fast!

I could do a marathon in -9 seconds. If I kept running marathons I'd not even be born yet. Seems like it would be harder to run then! I wonder if I could run through dark matter then. I might need a pair of Nike DM shoes.

(see what happens when I run in the heat! ha!)

Tomorrow is a tempo run.

Quick Three

Was out for a quick three miles after work because I ended up on the phone so I didn't have time for 6 miles.

Great evening. Temp about 80F, but not humid.

mile 1 was 7:15/mi

mile 2 was 7:45/mi (see pic)

mile 3 was 8:15/mi as I was gagging on my own slime. I didn't take any water with me. I found it impossible to keep the pace and gag! ha!

iRun VidCast

No Dose

84F back in the midwest June heat that's pretending to be summer.

I'm ignoring any dose of jetlag induced by lack of sleep from 7 hour time zone change twice within 7 days. My experience has been that running greatly reduces my jetlag, but it can't be a simple 30 min jog on a treadmill. I need to do real workouts.

I did a bit over 20 miles in the past 7-days. One mile for every hour of flying to reduce jetlag. It's my new Arthur's Law for jetlag reduction. ha!

Good run this morning though it was getting hot. Drank 16oz of water during my hour run.

Still on pace for over a 100 miles this month!

Funzionare

Ciao

A busy week in Europe, but I'm getting in a few runs in between plane flights.

Had a nice mixture of heat and drizzle on my head.

I passed lots of runners and cyclist along this beautiful stretch just outside of Como.

Beautiful!

Hot Blooded

Check it and see!

90F this afternoon. 8:10/mi pace for the first 2 miles with Mike and Bill not far behind us.

Finished out 5 miles in 43:04. About an 8:38/mi over all. It was a fine over all pace consider that it was so HOT. Good thing I took 16 oz of water with me.

Next run might be in Europe. We'll see how the schedule goes the next couple of days.

Cool Change

It was about 60F this afternoon. Ran for 6.1 miles in 53:36. That's an 8:47/mi pace. Not blazingly fast, but it wasn't hard to do as I bounced around mile to mile between 8:30 and 9:00.

It was nice to get in another nice run!