Yes, It's a Donut

So, the short story is that I walked into the office, saw a box of donuts, only one left, eat it, etc, etc, etc....

Anyway, another 10 tonight, so who cares. Kinda disappointed though, because it was jelly filled and I was expecting creme.

Time/Pace: 1:28:14/8:49

Avg HR/Max HR: 135/166

Not Beautiful but Functional

Treadmill, basement, tv, dvr...

These have been my running tools for this winter.

Today my 20 miles will have to be split in two parts, due to some work time constraints. (Damn, having to make a living!)

1st 10

Time/Pace: 1:28:48/8:52

Avg HR/Max HR: 142/166

See you later...

Back on Pace

Feeling a bit down after my lackluster performance yesterday, I set out determined to get in a solid run. Thankfully, my body and mind cooperated. It was pretty cold out today with a decent wind, but I got in a solid 10 miles at my goal pace.

Mileage: 10.00
Time/Pace: 1:20:42/8:04
Avg HR/Max HR: 145/159
Elevation: 208ft
T/W: 24, 14wc, wind, cloudy

A Sore 10

Perhaps I am too aggressive with my training at times. I can't help it. I love the progress I've made and want to get faster and fitter, so I push, push, push. Today, I woke up at 4am to get in a 10 mile run before work. It may sound crazy, but I love running at this time of day. The air is calm and cool, no traffic and I get to watch the sun come up. I was looking to run around at 10:20 pace, using my negative split training. I didn't have too much of an issue with this, but around mile 8 my knees both stiffened up pretty good. I spent much of the day tenderly moving around, and "rewarded" myself later this evening with a nice P90X session of Core Synergistics.

Mileage: 10.00
Time/Pace: 1:42:51/10:17
Avg HR: 142
T/W: 55/dark, fog

Lockport Y-10

I was looking at this race as a tempo run as part of my marathon training. My previous tempo run lengths had been in the 4-6 mile range at a pace of 8:05 or so. Not really knowing how I'd hold up under the temperature, length, and hills, I set a rather conservative target of 8:35/mile.

Looking down at my 1st mile I was shocked to see 7:57. I thought that I'd better reign it in quick or I wasn't going to survive the final hill. This time was made very easy due to the mostly downhill running. I really tried to back off the next few miles, but still logged 8:16, 8:08, 7:46 (!). Again, mostly because of the ease of running downhill. Mile 5 leveled off quite a bit and a clocked a 8:24.

I was really feeling good still, half way through, so I thought, why not pick up the pace a bit. My new target was 8:20. I also invented a fun little game in my head I call "Reel 'Em In!". Basically, I set my sights on the person immediately in front of me and try to pass them. I get a +1 for each person I pass and a -1 for each that passes me. After, the 6th mile (8:25) I was even, passed one, but was passed by 1. Mile 7, still feeling good I picked up the pace some more (8:12) and now was +2. Mile 8 and 9 got me to +7, with splits of 8:03 and 8:13. Despite the nasty little hill at the end of mile 10 I was able to finish a +16, with a final split of 8:13. According to my GPS watch the course was actually 10.05 miles, and I ran that last .05 at a 5:56 pace.

I felt really strong throughout the race, even with the hills. I felt as though I still had something left in the tank, which makes me feel optimistic about my marathon, which is now only about 5 weeks away.

Mileage: 10.05
Time/Pace: 1:21:57/8:09
Avg HR: 160
T/W: 17 (WC 12), light snow, wind

For some reason the results are missing for 85-145th place, right where I'd be. Looking forward to seeing where I placed.

**UPDATE**

They added the rest of the names, here's what I did...

6 of 13 in my age group
100 of 278 overall

Flip Flop

I switched this weekends runs, 10 yesterday and 4 today. Both went well. It feels so go to be able to do a 10 mile run and actually function in society afterwards. I remember the first time I ran 7 miles. The rest of the day was pretty much shot. I couldn't move, eat and even had a hard time sleeping. Not so anymore, I am looking forward to increasing my mileage over the next two months, before I begin my marathon training.

Yesterday's Stats:

Mileage: 10.00
Time/Pace: 1:39:44/9:58
Avg HR: 156

Today:

Mileage: 4.00
Time/Pace: 36:48/9:12
Avg HR: 143

5 for Saturday, 10 for Sunday

I missed writing about my run yesterday, due to time constraints. Here's the stat for Saturday's 5 miler.

Mileage: 5.00
Time/Pace: 47:29/9:29
Avg. Heart Rate: 149

Yesterday's run didn't feel so good. My left knee felt "loose". Not sure what the deal is there, I'll have to keep an eye on that.

Bridal shower day, hooray! Actually, as far as things like that go it was well done. My wife and a couple of other girls in the wedding did the planning. It was bearable. Now, I'm not suggesting that this should become a common practice, but being what it was, it was good. Highlight of the day...the dog (not mine) eating the groom's name off of the cake. Hilarious!!

So...today I set the alarm for early, determined to get my 10 miles in before it began to smolder. I felt great waking up, no lingering knee pain from yesterday. The 10 went by quickly, no major issues, unlike last week. I might be getting used to the humidity too, which is a plus.

Mileage: 10.00
Time/Pace: 1:44:17/10:25
Avg Heart Rate: 149

Temp: 82
Weather: Hazy, Humid

My wife and I just got back from Fleet Feet. I think I have her convinced to start some running. We got her fitted for some nice running shoes and I also picked up a new pair of shoes as I'm up to about 350 miles on the current pair.

Oh...So THIS is What Summer Should Feel Like

I think we actually had a "normal" summer day. Mid-eighties, hot, humid, a thunderstorm, etc. I did an evening 10-miler and....WHEW...it was the absolute toughest run I ever did. My numbers tell the story. It was humid, and I felt like I had to work twice as hard as usual. I really wanted to give up a few times, but I was able to dig down, deep, deep, down and finish it. The numbers are nothing to be proud of, but I think the experience of running in these conditions will prove to be valuable. I can now say that I've done it and can draw from that the next time I encounter similar situations.

Mileage: 10.00
Time/Pace: 1:50:18/11:02
Avg Heart Rate: 159

Temp: 82
Weather: Partly Sunny, Intense Humidity, Wind