16 miles plus two for good luck.

Saturdays long run was just what I needed. I will admit that I was discouraged last week especially after the rather sad tempo run I had on Friday. To be honest Friday evening before my long run was not shaping up much better. During my tempo run on Friday my IPod started to make strange static noises which I figured was a problem with the headphones. I thought that was the problem until I could not get the mp3 player to even turn on! Now if you know me you that when it comes to my running I am a creature of habit bordering on compulsive so having one thing go wrong before my longest run of the year did not please me. If that was not bad enough I also realized I had no cereal to eat which is my traditional pre run meal. What to do? I improvised by pulling out my old mp3 player that doesn't hold as much music and grabbing a single serving pack of Golden Grahams!

Maybe it was the Golden Grahams but I actually felt pretty good as I started out running. A couple of miles into the run I began thinking that I felt good enough to attempt eighteen miles instead of sixteen. I kept telling myself that it was too soon to make a decision regarding extending an already long run. Because this route was a modified out and back I decided to run as if I were going to run eighteen miles and if I did not feel up to it the worst that would happen is I would have a two mile cool down. There was no need to worry as I ran the eighteen miles and felt pretty decent. My splits weren't exactly negative but I did well with them for the first twelve miles and they were not ridiculously off the rest of the run.

My question now is should I run eighteen miles this weekend which is what I am scheduled to do or should I up it to twenty and get in two twenty milers and a twenty two miler as part of my training. I am inclined to attempt to run the twenty but a lot will depend on how I feel. I am extremely happy to have run the eighteen miles though. As I recall last year sixteen was a distance I struggled with so to be able to feel good enough to go two more miles is excellent.

18 miles in 2:31:17

My unexpected running partner.

Wednesday I woke up to run seven miles not knowing that I would have a surprise about half way through the run. First though I left the house and was greeted by a wall of humidity. I figured that it would be hot because I checked the temperature before breakfast and it was already eighty degrees outside. This was a very different run from the previous day which was wet and not as humid because of the rain. My seven miler on the other hand was not only humid but dry. I set out to run at a comfortable pace so as to take my time and enjoy it. Plus my legs were still feeling fatigued something I hope that I remedied by taking Thursday off and drinking Cytomax after the run to help with my recovery. I was almost as soaked as I was the day before but this time due to all of my perspiring. The real suprise came at mile four.

I had just completed mile four of seven and was running around a cul de sac to turn around when I saw either a beagle or a basset hound trotting towards me. It was about six in the morning and she was wearing a collar with a sensor that looked like she had escaped from one of the invisible fences. Well, I coaxed her over even though both of us were unsure of the other and I tried to get a look at her tags. She was still a little skiddish so I didn't get a look at the tags although I did notice her nails were painted pink. Around this time she grew bored of me and took off into someones backyard. I thought about following her because I felt bad just leaving her even though it was not a busy traffic area and I figured she did not wander far as it is pretty secluded where I was running. As a pet owner I can only imagine what it is like to lose one. I thought better of it though, running through peoples backyards at six in the morning after a strange animal is probably not wise. So what was I doing? Oh yeah, running! For a moment I thought about running back home from where I was which would have given me over five miles when all was said and done. The five minute break had reguvinated me however so I decided to run the whole seven, a wise choice, and mile five was actually quite fast. I have an off day today, Thursday, and then I want to squeeze in my tempo run on Friday followed by my scary sixteen miler on Saturday.

7 miles in 58:09

A wet run.

This mornings six miler was a satisfying run because I did it even though I didn't feel like it and conditions were anything but ideal. I was up a lot last night because there were bad storms so when the alarm went off I was pretty tired. As I moped down the stairs I had to look at a clock several times because I could not believe it was really five o'clock. In the winter it is pitch black at five but in the summer it is supposed to be light out. Not today though it was dark and dreary. I fought a slow steady rain and puddles in non wicking socks so my feet were soaked by the end of this run. Note to self I really need to buy more wicking socks.

Now that I am done whining I will admit there were a lot of good parts to this run too. I am rotating my Asics Gel Nimbus' and a new pair of Mizuno Wave Creation 7s. Today was my first day in the new Wave Creation 7s and they felt great. I don't know why I ever thought about trying something new, these shoes fit like they were made just for me. I didn't even feel like they needed to be broken in they just felt right. In fact they felt so good that I am planning to wear them for the marathon, assuming I stay healthy.

Sometimes the most rewarding part of a run is being the only one out there. I usually see a couple other runners and cyclists or at the very least people out for a walk with their dogs. This morning though I was the only one out there dripping wet and loving it. Well maybe not loving it but revelling in it for sure. After being sidelined by an injury I don't want to take even one run for granted and I am really trying to soak up every step of my training this year. Overall the run was fine, not one of my finest but a good workout. Since my legs were still a little stiff I decided to hold off on the tempo run until Friday and run my six miler today. I will log seven, hopefully dry miles tomorrow and then get a day off.

6 miles in 50:15

Pull back long run.

This weekends run called for me to run ten miles. Since it was a "shorter" distance than my last two long runs and definitely shorter than my next two I decided to push the pace. Yesterday I planned out my pace for each mile but by the time I headed out the door this morning that all went out the window.

I woke up at five thirty and it was storming so I decided to try to sleep another half hour in the hopes that things would clear up. No such luck. It was raining even harder at six so I got dressed, ate and picked up our youngest who was fussing. We hung out until around ten until seven when everyone in the house was awake. At that point the rain was not as bad so I decided to set out. It was still raining harder than a drizzle but a couple of miles into the run the rain had stopped. Unfortunately, that still left a lot of puddles to deal with but my socks and shoes held up well.

When I was laying out my pacing plan yesterday I could not remember what mile of thsi run was the tough one, mile seven or mile eight. I will not be making that mistake again, mile eight was brutal with lots of hills including one in particular which felt like I was running straight up. I survived although with a slower time for mile eight but all in all I am quite satisfied with my time. I have a couple of weeks until my half marathon to add mileage and more speed work so I hope to improve on my solid base.

Tomorrow is an off day and then I have a tempo run on Tuesday. I must admit I enjoy doing my long runs more on Saturdays but with my work schedule I will more than likely be stuck running them on Sundays the rest of this month. I guess that will be good preparation for the half marathon which is on a Sunday.

10 miles in 1:19:20

Keep on keeping on.

Not much to report today. I ran six miles this morning, they felt alright but not as good as yesterdays. I have been debating when to do my long of ten miles. I prefer to get my long runs out of the way on Saturdays but my legs have been feeling a little fatigued this week and I want to run these ten miles at a faster pace so waiting until Sunday makes more sense. Unfortunately, Sunday is a much busier day and it is going to be at least ten degrees warmer on Sunday than it is on Saturday. My plan is to be cautious and run Sunday, take off Monday and get back to it Tuesday.

6 miles in 48:24

A strange run with a typical running "injury".

I ran for the first time in a couple of days as I felt that I needed the rest and it felt strange like I had taken a couple of weeks off. I started off feeling pretty fresh but by mile three I kind of felt like I was running out of energy. It was not quite that feeling though and I can't quite explain it. I was not fatigued and was able increase my pace comfortably but it was like my legs were detached from the rest of me and just kept going. I think a lot of it had to do with what I ate last night. I pigged out on a giant gyro and onion rings and was feeling it when I woke up this morning. Sleep has been a premium too as our youngest has been waking up more often lately. I was glad to get this run in and to run it in a average pace of 8:04 minutes per mile. My weekend long run is ten miles and I am hoping to run that close to my goal half marathon pace of 8:00 minutes per mile or faster. After todays run I feel like I have a good chance of accomplishing that goal.

As for my "injury" I put that in quotes because I say injury with tongue firmly planted in cheek. I wore my white Nike running shirt today and after my cool down I noticed there was a red stain on the right side of my shirt. My nipple was rubbing against the shirt and must have started bleeding. Another knock on yet another Nike product, I am done with them. I have never had a problem with rubbing when I wear my other technical shirts. It is no big deal it just means I will be using Body Glide or wear a band aid until it heals.

I will run six miles tomorrow followed by my ten miler Saturday or Sunday.

7 miles in 56:28

Last run of July.

I am proud that I ran past the century mark mileage wise this month but I was hoping to run today, Tuesday for a total of one hundred and fifteen miles for the month. Yesterday I ran five miles, a one mile warm up and what was supposed to be a four mile tempo run. What I didn't realize until I hit the road was that my legs needed more than one day to recover from my fourteen miler. I did not get much rest over the weekend which also probably contributed but mostly I think that I needed another day to recover. My splits were far from negative excecpt for the last fast mile and I was dissapointed to say the least. I wanted the four miles to average under a 7:30 minute/mile pace, I was close as I averaged a 7:38 minute/mile pace but that was only because my final mile came in around seven minutes. I originally planned to run seven miles today to reach the total I mentioned above but decided to take the two days off that I needed. This throws my schedule off a bit as I will be going to work early tomorrow and not running which means I will have to either run Thursday, Friday and Saturday or switch my long run to Sunday. I need the rest though and I am doing something that I would not have done previously which is taking a break when my body is telling me that I need it instead of risking injury by pushing through it. In the long run I know this is what is best and I can still get my mileage in for the week.

5 miles on Monday in 38:53

Longest long run of the year so far.

Saturday I ran fourteen miles and I will be honest it was a hard fought fourteen. There were parts of this run where I was more comfortable than I anticipated but the last two miles were harsh and my splits were erratic once again. I recovered well enough to chase our oldest around the playground later in the day but my muscles were definitely fatigued. This run is now a couple of days past so that is about all I can recall right now. I have a pull back this week which I am looking forward to taking advantage of.

14 miles in 1:58:19

Running into the storm.

As I prepared my breakfast this morning I heard thunder and wondered if the rain would hold off until after my run. I prepared myself for rain which I actually enjoy running in. It keeps me cool and as long as I am moving and the wind is not too bad I don't get cold. It is a good thing that I don't mind the rain because around one and a half miles it began to drizzle a little and by two miles it was raining hard. I would say I encountered the hardest rain the last two miles of todays six mile run. My shirt was literally stuck to my body it was so wet and by the time I got home I looked like I had jumped into a pool with my running clothes on. My feet stayed dry though, I did wear wicking socks today and I ran in the Asics again which felt good. I was especially proud of todays run because it set a new monthly mileage mark for me. I have run eighty nine miles and counting for July! I know for many this is not an overwhelming number but considering where I was two months ago I am extremely proud that I am on pace to run over one hundred miles this month. In fact after the completion of my long run on Saturday I will pass the century mark for the month. Tomorrow is a day off although I was debating whether or not to take the bike for a spin if the weather is nice. After waking up again at five this morning I am considering taking the extra sleep and biking Sunday or Monday depending how I feel after the long run.

6 miles in 50:30

Asics take two

After running in the same pair of shoes for so long I forgot what it takes to break a new pair in. I am running in Asics Gel Nimbus VIII's. In the post below you will read that the first run in these shoes did not go so well. Ironically I had no clean running socks today so I had to wear a pair of non wicking regular white gym socks. They felt much better than the Nike Dri Fits which speaks volumes to how much I dislike those socks. The shoes felt good today, I did some tweaking with the laces and I really like the way they feel. I must admit that I still prefer my Mizuno Wave Creation 7's but these are nice too. One of the main differences is that the Mizunos breath a lot better which keeps my feet cooler. I am going to create a post just on my new shoes so I can go into greater detail about them and how I plan to rotate them.

My running plan this week called for a four mile tempo run Monday followed by six miles today and then a five miler tomorrow before my long run this weekend. I had been tossing around the idea of upping todays run to seven miles and tomorrows to six which I have decided to do. I ran seven miles this morning and they felt good. I started out with a pace in the nine minute per mile range and slowly lowered them without overdoing it. After tomorrows run I will have the highest monthly mileage total of the year! I can't wait to achieve that goal and then break it.

7 miles in 59:36

New shoes trump the bike.

I originally had planned to ride my bike this morning but I couldn't wait another day to try out a pair of my new shoes so I decided to wait on the bike. I tried out the Asics first, they are Gel Nimbus either version VIII or IX I will have to take a closer look to make sure. I know they are not the current version because I tried on the new version and did not like them as much. I also tried Nike Dri Fit socks on this mornings run. I ran four miles as a tempo run and my left foot felt good most of the run but my right was slipping in the shoe which is odd since my Mizunos which are the same size fit well. I was extremely disappointed in the socks and would not recommend them. I knew they were thick but they did not keep my feet cool like the New Balance socks I usually wear. In fact I disliked them so much that I have decided to retire them and just wear them if I am hanging out but not running. I plan on trying the Asics again for my next run but with the New Balance socks and hope there is not as much sliding because I could tell if I were running a longer distance I would have had a blister on my right foot. This is not related but I had to pull a smaller sliver out of my left foot yesterday but for the most part it felt fine.

As for the run it went well. I felt like I could have run a bit faster earlier but I was concerned about burning out at the end and not being able to run negative splits. Next week I would like to try to get my pace down to a 7:30 minute/mile average for the entire tempo run.

4 miles in 30:38

Second longest run of the year.

I had a solid run of twelve miles today. Not an overwhelming distance by any means but still it is my second longest run of the year, the longest being the half marathon I ran back in March. That won't last long though as next weeks long run will be my longest of year and the distances will keep falling after that. My splits were a bit erratic and my time was too fast today. Usually this would disappoint me but I think I can correct the problems I encountered easily next week on my fourteen mile long run. I usually religiously keep track of my splits but today I missed checking the times of two miles. Plus the route I measured out online was very short so I had to improvise, something that will not happen next week.

On a more pleasant note I did buy new shoes this afternoon. That's right I said shoes, I am stocked up for a while after I bought three pairs. One pair of Asics, one Brooks and a pair of Mizunos. I am going to break the Asics in first. My shoe guru gave me a great deal and I ran in a total of five pairs of shoes including the new version of my current shoes but I like the Wave Creation 7s much better than the new 8s so I got the 7s again.

I feel good and I don't anticipate a lot of soreness tomorrow which is good. Next up is a ride on the bike either tomorrow or Monday.

12 miles in 1:42:42

I picked up my bike from the shop last night, it was tough to get into the car but I got it home and bought a helmet too. I hope to ride it either Sunday or Monday depending on how I feel after my twelve mile run tomorrow. It was a good day for cross training gear as I also got my Timex Ironman watch in the mail. My Mom bought me this for my birthday but it was on back order. I asked for this because when I run the marathon I want to be able to keep track of my splits but the Garmin always loses its signal in certain places downtown. I wore the watch last night and I am wearing it again today I must say that so far I really like it. New shoes are still on hold until Sunday. I wanted to get at least one run in them before my twelve miler tomorrow but that is obviously not going to happen. I may get them tomorrow afternoon but more than likely I will wait until Sunday and start breaking them in next week.

This morning I ran a much needed five miles. I was exhausted yesterday because I had to get up for work at four thirty in the morning and it has been a stressful two weeks anyway. I really needed some rest and a good run to work out some of the tension. Todays run felt awesome. The pacing was comfortable, the splits were negative and the temperature was a cool sixty two degrees, it was perfect. Mile four was a little slower than I would have liked but I had picked up the pace and was afraid that it would be too fast so I slowed down and ended up running one second faster than the mile three pace. I am trying out a new route tomorrow for my twelve mile run, well actually it is an extension of my ten mile route so I hope that it works out. The weather is supposed to be nice again so hopefully everything will go smoothly.

5 miles in 40:45

Proper pacing continued...

For the most part todays run was a success. I ran negative splits and I slowed myself down to a more appropriate pace with the exception of miles five and six. Mile five had some hills and I ended up going with gravity on the downhills and pushing it too fast but I did not realize how fast so mile five was run in 8:06 when I was hoping for an 8:15 or 8:20. Mile six was another fast one at 7:30 but that does not bother me much as I want to continue practicing my ending kick. Tomorrow is an off day and then I will run five miles on Friday followed by a twelve miler this weekend.

6 miles in 49:54

Pacing progress.

This morning was a good run. The temperatures were not too hot although it was a little humid and I was sweating a like a pig I felt comfortable the entire run. I got a lot of running gear for my birthday so I have been breaking that in and it is wonderful to run in tech shirts that control the sweat better and more importantly help with chafing on longer distance runs. I was extremely happy with my pacing this morning. From the overall time it looks too fast but that is only because I decided to run the final mile hard. The first mile was an 8:28, the second an 8:25, the third a 8:09 and the final 7:20. Tomorrow I have a six miler scheduled and I hope to run a similar pace although I may not add the fast mile at the end. I have been trying to practice having a kick at the end though so I probably will continue to pick up the pace for the final mile in all of my runs.

No new shoes yet, I have just been too busy but I will get them this week possibly not until the weekend though. In other exciting news I pick up my bike from the shop tonight so I will start cross training with that soon too.

4 miles in 32:26

Heat and hills oh my!

I really should take my own advice. I was just re-reading my post from yesterday about how I need to slow down but did I listen? No. This mornings run was off from the start. We were out late last night at the dedication of a new fine arts center at a church in Edison Park in honor of my Dad. We got home late and our youngest did not go to sleep until after midnight which dashed any plans I had of running at six or even seven this morning. I'm not complaining, these things are expected but it definitely contributed to a less than satisfactory run. I got out the door at ten this morning and it was already pretty hot. My plan once again was to run the first four miles at a 8:45 minute/mile pace and the final four at a 8:30 minute/mile pace. In yesterdays post I said that I would run seven miles today but I had been toying with running eight all week and when I left the house I was planning to run eight barring catastrophe. The first mile was a little faster then I wanted it to be, 8:34, the second was almost spot on at 8:44. Everything after that was too fast, I would start out on pace but then get concerned I was running too slow so I would speed up. I have got to do a better job controlling my pace. Between the heat and the hills of this eight miler I thought that I was done after mile seven. Mile eight was my fastest which is shocking as I was just trying to finish by then. More negative splits today with the exception of miles one and two which ironically are the two miles I am most satisfied with.

I did not get new shoes yet but I will tomorrow, I just ran out of time this week. Tomorrow is a rest day which is good because I can already tell my body will be feeling the effects of today's run when I wake up. I'm off to ice and elevate.

8 miles in 1:06:28

A tough running week.

This week has not gone at all how I had planned. I had hoped to run five miles Thursday and if that did not happen to run those miles on Friday. I ran neither day even though I was dressed in my running clothes last night but my oldest had a nightmare and by the time I consoled him it was close to nine thirty which was too late for me to go out and run. I ran the five miles today and I will run seven miles tomorrow. I am a little disappointed that I won't have Sunday and Monday to rest again but one day should suffice. My run this morning was faster than I would have liked, I really need to focus on slowing down and not always pushing to do a tempo run. All in all I have nothing to complain about and I am looking forward to running seven miles tomorrow to wrap up what has been a busy work week.

5 miles in 39:20

Ask for nice weather and you shall receive.

Yesterday I was hoping for fall like weather and this morning I got spring which was close enough as far I am concerned. It was sixty five when I left the house early this morning and there was a nice breeze and no humidity. Unfortunately my left ankle was still bothering me. I wanted to take it easy but my obsession with negative splits held me back. I started at an 8:19 minute/mile pace and it dropped from there. I like this five mile distance because it varies my route a little and I get to run through a wooded area. The rest of the work week is insane so it will be a challenge to get another short run in. I am hoping to run tomorrow night but we shall see what time allows. I will definitely be icing my ankle tonight, something I have been neglecting and just doing exercises. A good run today but a tough one.

5 miles in 40:15

Is it fall yet?

Today was hot and humid. I stepped out the door at 5:20 AM and it was already seventy and the air was thick with humidity. Nothing about this run felt right until about half way through the third mile. I originally was hoping to run five miles today but due to some time constraints and even more so because of how I was feeling and the weather I ran four which is what I was scheduled to do. I still would like to get two five milers in this week even though only one is scheduled for this week. My first two miles were identical coming in at 8:12 a piece. The next was an 8:01 which I was hoping would be under eight minutes but the way this run went I was happy to get my four miles in any way I could. By mile four I finally felt warmed up so I decided to attempt to gut it out and run a 7:35 mile to drop the average mile pace to eight minutes per mile overall. I ran the final mile in 7:34, one second to spare. : ) I am going to do some cross training this afternoon and ice and elevate my ankle as I was dealing with foot pain through the first two and a half miles today. I am happy that run is over and I'm looking forward to a stronger showing tomorrow.

4 miles in 31:59

Terrific ten miler.

As I wrote in yesterdays post today is supposed to be a hot day so I decided to wake up early to get this run out of the way before anyone else in the house was even awake. Today's long run exceeded my expectations generously. I did some ankle exercises along with keeping my left leg elevated last night but this morning there was still some pain. As usual though it turned out to be nothing I guess I will just have to get used to some dull pain as my training progresses. I wanted to run a nine minute per mile pace for the first half hour, a eight forty five minute per mile pace for the second thirty minutes and to wrap up with a fast eight and a half minute per mile for the final half hour. Well, this never materialized, the run felt so good almost the entire time that I was able to run negative splits comfortably at a faster pace. I tried to take the first two miles slowly which I think really benefitted me the rest of the run. Around mile eight which also happened to have one of the biggest hills of my run today I saw another runner. We passed each other and waved as he was coming down the hill and I was going up. My route has me turning around to avoid a busy road and running straight up the tough hill again immediately. For the next mile I used this guy as a pacer. It slowed me down a little but around the end of mile eight he turned right and I turned left and my last two miles were also my fastest clocking in at an 8:07 for mile nine and a 7:57 for mile ten. I am proud of how well my training has gone so far and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I am training right this time. Next week is a pull back and then we will up the mileage again. I have two days off before I run again on Tuesday so I can enjoy the warm weather the rest of today and tomorrow.

10 miles in 1:24:09

New shoes on the horizon.

This weekend is going to be extremely hot. Todays temperatures are supposed to climb into the upper 80s with it reaching 90 tomorrow and the mid 90s on Sunday! This mornings run was pleasant, it was 67 but there was a cool breeze that kept me from getting too hot. My ankle had a little pain today and my knees have been more sore which concerned me at first but seemed to correct itself by mile two. I am really trying to listen to my body but I did not want to stop todays run because I knew if I did not get four miles in today it would not happen with a ten miler tomorrow and a busy weekend ahead of me. I am glad that I stuck with it and I hope tomorrows run goes well. I believe that a new pair of running shoes are going to be in order soon. Usually when my knees start to bother me it is at least in part due to the support in my shoes starting to wear down. The problem is I have been wearing shoes that I previously felt were too big but fit my left foot well with the bandage I wear now but I want a half size smaller for my right foot. I am going to run this dilema by my local running store guru. More nice negative splits today with a good time.

4 miles in 31:12

Five on the 4th.

I set out for a five mile run yesterday morning and to be honest I was a little nervous. Before the injury I would run three six mile runs a week plus a long run but five miles intimidated me as a "short" run even though I have already done a long run of eight miles and have a ten miler this weekend. It was a little warm and I could definitely tell that people were taking advantage of the holiday to sleep in as I only recalls seeing one person which is rare. Afterwards I showered, ate and then walked another quarter mile or so with my wife and our kids in the neighborhood parade which made for a fun extra cool down.

My plan was to run four more miles today but it was a late night and I have a lot of work to get done because of the shortened week and needed to get into the office early today so I decided to run four on Friday instead.

5 miles in 40:49

A new day a new pain...nothing serious though.

It was tough to drag my behind out of bed this morning. I normally enjoy my morning runs but our youngest decided to stay up late again so when the alarm went off at 5:30 AM which was already later than I wanted to get up, I turned it off and laid in bed for ten more minutes. I did finally drag myself out of bed and downstairs to get dressed and eat a little cereal. When I began my warm up my left heal was experiencing some pain. I am not sure what the deal was with that but it went away about halfway through mile one, I am going to keep an eye on it though. Mile one was a fast one and I was worried about my overall time but I kept ticking off the seconds with each additional mile in fact mile one was the only mile I ran over an eight minute/mile pace. I know that I keep harping on this but my last mile was my fastest yet again which is a huge accomplishment for me. After my run today I was looking at my runs before the injury and the ones with negative splits were few and far between and that is being generous. Tomorrow will be a cross training day for me and then I'm going to run Wednesday and Thursday with my long run scheduled for Saturday.

4 miles in 31:24

A great wrap up to running in June.

After a strong run yesterday I had debated about whether or not push this run off to Sunday instead of running it today. I am glad that I did it today though. I had a very strong long run of eight miles. The Hal Higdon Novice Plan calls for a nine miler this week. I have adjusted his plan a bit and although I still ran nineteen miles this week, as the plan calls for, I decided nine miles was too large of a jump from the six I ran last weekend. All of that said I did consider running nine miles today because the first eight went well. In the end I decided that it would be foolish to risk injury for one extra mile so I did my cool down after eight, iced my ankle and elevated it. After today I have decided my long run pace should be closer to an eight forty five minute mile than nine minutes. I felt good through this run, as good as one can feel running eight miles. : ) Once again I was proud that my final mile clocked in at eight seventeen my fastest out of the eight. All in all a strong run and the perfect way to wrap up running for the month of June.

8 miles in 1:08:00

My best run since the injury.

I would not have believed it from the pace of my first mile but today was my best run since I sprained my ankle. Four miles were on the schedule today and I was planning to run them at a 8:10 minute/mile pace. I felt like I was exerting a lot of energy during the first mile so I was disappointed when it clocked in at a 8:20 minute/mile pace. I ran mile number two at 8:15 minute/mile which was better but I was starting to worry that my goal of an 8:10 minute/mile pace was now out of reach so I decided to run hard but to satisfy myself with an 8:15 minute/mile pace for the overall run. As I mentioned in the post previous to this one mile number three on my four mile route is a hill. Because of the hill my mile times usually increase for obvious reasons. Today was the exception. My legs must have finally warmed up and I was enjoying the cool temperatures in the mid fifties, mile number three was run at a 7:48 minute/mile pace. At that point I was feeling really strong so about a third of a way into mile four I figured out how fast I would have to run in order to have the entire run come in at an 8:00 minute/mile pace. I ran strong and for the first time since the Shamrock Shuffle in March I ran a 7:30 minute/mile pace which gave me an overall pace of 7:59 minute/mile! I am going to rest as much as I can today and I hope to run eight miles tomorrow. If I am not up to it tomorrow I will run the eight on Sunday.

4 miles at 31:54

Sleep running

This mornings run was one of those that would have been easy to skip but I am glad that I did not. Our youngest was up late last night and I was ready for bed around nine o'clock but no such luck. My wife got up with him at five this morning and I woke up at a quarter til six to run. I was sleepy and my legs felt tired so when I went downstairs I offered to take the little guy so she could go back to sleep. My wife is a saint though and told me to run. They both did end up going back to sleep not long after I left. Yesterday I had decided to run four miles today but this morning I knew that would be iffy so I decided to try to run four but if I ran three that would be fine. It was another hot and humid day, I remembered to check the temperature before I left the house and it was already seventy five when I left. Once I started to run I felt better about being out there but I still decided to take it easy and not push myself too hard. My first mile came in at 8:16 and I felt like there was a good chance I would run four miles despite the heat and my fatigue. Mile two was more of a challenge and at the end of it I took a corner too fast and my injured ankle bent a little too far into the turn. This was almost exactly at the end of mile two, the route I run if I am running four miles has me going up hill for mile three and I decided rather than risking aggravating my injury that I would turn back but still get in three miles rather than four. I think this was a smart decision and considering how I felt not a difficult one to make. My plan called for three miles yesterday and four today so all that has happened is I flip flopped the days. I am scheduled to run tomorrow but unless I get to bed early tonight, which is not likely, I will rest tomorrow and run Friday instead. I was proud that I got the run in and my legs feel heavy but nothing that a little rest won't cure.

3 miles in 25 minutes

It's a scorcher and I don't mean my speed.

Today was hot and that is an understatement. I woke up early and headed out the door at a quarter after five. As soon as I opened the door a cool breeze hit me and I was thankful to be starting so early as I knew the temperatures today are supposed to reach into the ninties. Boy was I mistaken, by the time I was at the end of the block I knew this would be a hot run. I didn't check the temperature before I left the house but it had to be at least seventy five. I was afraid that I came out too fast especially since I was already tired during mile one. I held it together and drinking some water around mile two helped. I have revised Hal Higdon's Novice plan to up the mileage a little but I noticed today that he has me running Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday every week. I am not sure I want to run three days in a row and I may prefer to do my long runs on Sundays rather than Saturdays. I will tweak it as I go to suit what works with my schedule but I don't want to change it too much since it obviously has worked well for so many people.

4 miles in 32:40

And one for good luck.

My plan on Sunday called for five miles and I wanted to run at a nine minute per mile pace. I was up late Friday night and my left leg felt pretty tight on Saturday so I was concerned about this run. However, there was nothing to worry about running really loosened up my legs and they felt great during and after the run. The weather was gorgeous and I was feeling strong so at three miles I decided I would run an extra mile. It was such a nice day and I was feeling so good I ran six miles instead of five and closer to an eight and a half minute per mile pace. I even changed up my route a little to hit some hills and slow myself down a bit but with little success. It was just one of those perfect running days where everything clicked. In the future I will have to more careful to run a slower pace on long runs. No complaints here though. I have an off day today, a little weight lifting this afternoon, and then a four mile run tomorrow.

6 miles in 51:20

I run on Dunkin'.

I had another good run this morning. I rolled out of bed at 5:00 AM to beat the heat and so I could get to work early but there was no heat. It was a great morning to run with temperatures only in the low sixties. On my way out of our subdivision I smelled a very sweet scent like someone was baking. This was at the beginning of my run and I remember wishing that I was having breakfast with those people. On my way back I caught the scent again and realized the Dunkin Donuts not too far from our house must be baking fresh donuts. This inspired me to kick it up at the end of my run so I could get home and eat something. I have been especially pleased with my run today and my run on Wednesday because my last mile was the fastest both days. Assuming I get my five mile long run in on Sunday I will have logged fifteen miles this week which is more than I have run in almost three months!

4 miles in 32:45

Hal Higdon here I come!

First, a little background on my recent running progress. After what I would call erratic training early in 2007 I sprained my ankle in mid April. To maintain my fitness level, or at least try, I began riding the stationary bike at the gym as well as pool running. I am back on my feet, literally now and after talking it over with my new friend Michael from the ChiADead group I have decided to start Hal Higdon's Novice Plan. It is not the plan I hoped to do and once I feel completely healed I may even try to jump up to the Intermediate Plan. First things first though, getting healthy and building a base are the priority for the next month. I had an off day today and a four mile run tomorrow.