saturday, april 20, 2013
Recovery Run
Distance: 4.0 milesTime: 39:13
Pace: 9:48
Comments: After my brutal marathon experience, I was planning on running very little this week. Although I was extremely sore, I felt reasonably good. Then, the day after, I took a step and felt a tweak in the front of my left ankle. That tendon was then very sore for the next few days making me limp around quite a bit. It hadn't given me a peep prior to that.
By Friday it was stiff but not painful anymore so I decided to take a stab at a very easy run this morning. The weather was about as absolutely perfect as you could hope for a spring morning, cool, bright and delightful. I kept my pace at a very comfortable point right above a jog. While I kept track of how the ankle was doing, it didn't prove to be an issue. read more
friday, march 15, 2013
Recovery Run
Distance: 5.0 milesTime: 47:57
Pace: 9:35
Comments: Awful. Just awful. I have not slept a complete night due to the landlord's yapping dogs and the squeeze on my available time has curtailed my eating regimen. It all came together today in a five miler that sucked from start to finish. All I want is a shower and a full nights sleep but these fucking dogs are probably going to keep me from the latter.
Conditions:
Hour: 5:45 p.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 81 degrees
Humidity: 25 percent
Wind: 10 mph gusts
Location: White Rock Lake, Dallas, Texas
Shoes: Adidas Sequence
Injury update: Nada.
monday, march 04, 2013
Recovery Run
Distance: 3.0 milesTime: 29:51
Pace: 9:56
Comments: I knew the long run on Saturday beat my legs all to hell and today's run bore it out. I was actually surprised to keep my average pace under 10 min/mile given how much of a slog this was. Of course the temperatures suddenly deciding to climb to 80s degrees didn't help things either. But the fact I seem to be avoiding injury thus far is good news and I'm damn happy about that.
Conditions:
Hour: 5:45 p.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 80 degrees
Humidity: 57 percent
Wind: 5 mph gusts
Location: White Rock Lake, Dallas, Texas
Shoes: Adidas Sequence
Injury update: Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow.
tuesday, february 26, 2013
Recovery Run
Distance: 5.0 milesTime: 50:03
Pace: 10:00
Comments: As strong as I felt I ran the race Sunday it really knocked me for a loop. I had to get in a post-race nap and then slept ten hours, hard. I wasn't a creaky as I have been after other long runs but certainly vied with some post-race soreness. The run today, as you might expect, was a recovery effort in every sense of the word.
It was a long slow slog. My legs felt leaden and there was zero bounce to my step. I didn't even make a pretense at looking at my pace and was actually surprised to see I ran the whole five miles in less than an hour. On the upside, getting the run done wasn't ever really in doubt and there weren't any injury-level pains to keep it from happening at all.
Conditions:
Hour: 5:20 p.m. read moresaturday, february 23, 2013
Easy Run
Distance: 4.0 miles
Time: 36:326
Pace: 9:07
Comments: I really wanted to take this one very easy with the race tomorrow but the chilly weather and extra day off found me pushing the pace a little bit. The new work schedule doesn't leave me much extra time to run and that was whittled down to none at all this week as I was trying to get organized. I decided to run the Cowtown half-marathon but wanted to get a third four miler in for the week. So this morning it was. Overall a nice effort. We'll really see how the legs are doing tomorrow.
Conditions:Hour: 9:00 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: overcast
Temperature: 38 degrees
Humidity: 60 percent
Wind: 5 mph gusts read moretuesday, february 19, 2013
Recovery Run
Distance: 4.0 miles
Time: 37:30
Pace: 9:22
Comments: Things are promising to get weird this week so I put in this run in the afternoon when I had a chance. If I can squeeze in another four miler sometime between now and the weekend, I should be set.
Since I'm still feeling the long run a bit I didn't push the pace too much today but I took the hill route to give it a bit more challenge. Producing the sub-9:30 pace with the incline issues was a pretty respectable effort. Overall it was a nice run.
Conditions:Hour: 5:20 p.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: partly cloudy
Temperature: 60 degrees
Humidity: 23 percent
Wind: calm
Location: White Rock Lake, Dallas, Texas read moremonday, february 18, 2013
Recovery Run
Distance: 4.0 miles
Time: 41:16
Pace: 10:18
Comments: This one was supposed to be slow and that it certainly was. I was pretty creaky after the long run this weekend and didn't want to do more than get the legs warmed up a bit with this effort. I wasn't overly sore like I expected but there wasn't a lot of pep in my step either. There was a bit of hills and wind that complicated things but I just wanted to keep a reasonably steady effort and not do anything stupid. Mission accomplished.
Conditions:Hour: 7:00 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: overcast
Temperature: 59 degrees
Humidity: 74 percent
Wind: 5 mph gusts
Location: White Rock Lake, Dallas, Texas read morefriday, february 15, 2013
Easy Run
Distance: 3.0 miles
Time: 27:08
Pace: 9:02
Comments: Very chilly this morning. It wasn't so much the actual temperature as the wind making it extra brisk. Needless to say, I ran this a bit quicker than I intended in an effort to get it over with.
Basically I just wanted a nice three miler to finish up the week but not wear me out for the planned long run over the weekend. The legs felt pretty good with a day's rest even with the hills on this particular route. I'm hoping I'm ready for the big effort on Sunday.
Conditions:Hour: 9:00 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: overcast
Temperature: 46 degrees
Humidity: 64 percent
Wind: 10 mph gusts
Location: White Rock Lake, Dallas, Texas read morewednesday, february 13, 2013
Easy Run
Distance: 4.0 miles
Time: 37:12
Pace: 9:17
Comments: My first back-to-back workout days in some time. I want to keep my weekly mileage in a reasonable range but if I start heaping on the long run miles I gotta have rest days around them to survive. So it's better to get in the swing of this while the distances haven't gotten out of hand.
This was a slog of a run. I think the miles are starting to add up on my legs a bit. There was no bounce in my run and I felt worn out the whole way. On the plus side, I didn't have to battle the nagging desire to cut the run short so that's a good thing.
Conditions:Hour: 11:20 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: partly cloudy/clear
Temperature: 47 degrees read moremonday, february 04, 2013
Recovery Run
Distance: 4.00 miles
Time: 34:56
Pace: 8:44
Comments: Something of a slog. I was reasonably sore yesterday due to the long run and there was still some of that hanging around this morning. Nothing that would qualify as actual pain or injury-related but sore.
I ended up taking a few minutes rest at the halfway point and, as I expected, was noticeably slower on the second half of the effort. It wasn't a "bad" run in the sense that I kind of expected this was going to happen but I didn't feel the wind beneath my wings either.
Conditions:Hour: 9:40 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: partly cloudy
Temperature: 57 degrees
Humidity: 78 percent
Wind: breezy
Location: White Rock Lake, Dallas, Texas read morewednesday, january 30, 2013
Easy Run
Distance: 5.00 miles
Time: 43:56
Pace: 8:47
Comments: Second day out running this week. That's a start, anyway. With the temperatures a good 25 degrees cooler than Monday conditions were a hell of a lot better for running and I whittled almost a minute off my pace as a result.
It was chilly getting started but not insanely so but the real problem reared it's head as soon as I got near the lake. Wind. There were very strong gusts from the Northeast. This was an annoyance going out but downright brutal on the way back. The last mile was uphill and against 30 mph headwinds at points so, as a result, it was considerably slower than the rest.
Still, a good run and a very satisfying effort.
Conditions:Hour: 9:00 a.m. read moremonday, january 28, 2013
Easy Run
Distance: 5.00 miles
Time: 48:25
Pace: 9:40
Comments: My ability to stick with a running routine is simply awful. Once again I build up a bit of consistency and then end up taking a week-or-longer layoff. There are a bunch of reasons of course; work conflict, inclement weather, mentally not into it. But I've got to bear down and get it done if I've any hope of reaching my goal of running a marathon this year.
It is a bit warm and humid today. Almost 70 degrees. About what it was for the half marathon earlier this month. I sweated and suffered much the same. My pace was a woeful 9:40 and I felt like I was slogging through syrup the whole way. But I got it done. And that's the most important thing.
Conditions:Hour: 10:20 a.m. read moresaturday, january 12, 2013
Easy Run
Distance: 5.00 miles
Time: 45:11
Pace: 9:02
Comments: Instead of getting right into a running routine to start the year I went promptly into a 10-day layoff. Not a very auspicious start, to say the least.
I got out the door reasonably early. It was very humid and wet but reasonably cool. It's supposed to get unreasonably cold again next week so this was probably the best day to get back into the swing of things. The run went reasonably well. No major issues and about the pace I expected.
I wore my new "Back to Back" Alabama shirt. Needless to say, as much enjoyment as I get from going full Gump, the material isn't exactly moisture-wick. It will likely have to be designated for half-an-hour runs or less.
Conditions:Hour: 9:00 a.m. read moremonday, december 31, 2012
Recovery Run
Distance: 3.00 miles
Time: 25:48
Pace: 8:35
Comments: Between Christmas and another sinus infection, I didn't run a step last week. It was chilly, breezy and very wet this morning but I had to get out there and make some progress. The one blessing was that it wasn't actually "raining" just drizzle or so.
While I wanted to just do this one slow and steady, the brisk temperatures had me going a bit faster than that. I ended up with as good a pace as I've had any shorter run these last few months. I'm probably going to have to start pushing harder on this at least one a week going forward.
The legs felt good, my sinus didn't over react. It was an uncomfortable but solid run. Nice way to finish off 2012.
Conditions:Hour: 9:00 a.m. read morefriday, december 07, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 2.00 miles
Time: 22:12
Pace: 11:04
Comments: A super easy run. Barely more than a jog. Just wanted to get out and break a sweat and make sure there weren't any lurking issues as I prepare for the half marathon on Sunday. I've been trying to eat well this week, get enough sleep and avoid spending too much time on my feet. I know this isn't a marathon effort coming up but this is a pretty steep challenge given my lack of training overall. I'm pretty confident I can finish the thing, the more important goal is to avoid injury in doing so.
Conditions:Hour: 8:00 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 54 degrees
Humidity: 89 percent
Wind: calm read morewednesday, december 05, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 3.00 miles
Time: 26:53
Pace: 8:57
Comments: I guess this counts as my taper. I gave myself two days rest after the ten miler on Sunday and just did three miles on this outing. I just tried to keep the pace reasonable and got it right under 9 min/mi which I kind of expected with the brisk temperature. Most importantly, there was no residual aches and issues from the long run.
Conditions:Hour: 7:23 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 45 degrees
Humidity: 60 percent
Wind: calm
Location: White Rock Lake, Dallas, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Ravenna 3
Injury update: Nothing.friday, november 30, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 3.00 miles
Time: 29:16
Pace: 9:44
Comments: I slept horribly and woke up dragging. I knew the run would be a slog and it certainly was. I figure this is the sudden ramp up of exercise coming home to roost at last. So I let myself take it pretty easy, just pushing a bit on the uphills to keep from hitting an absolute walk.
As unpleasant as this run was, I was certainly expecting it. The hope that by not pushing overhard this morning and by getting a good 48 hours rest before my planned long run on Sunday, I'll bounce back strongly. If not, it'll be a long long ten miles that morning.
Conditions:Hour: 7:40 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: overcast
Temperature: 57 degrees read morewednesday, november 28, 2012
Recovery Run
Distance: 4.00 miles
Time: 33:11
Pace: 8:17
Comments: I'm calling this one a recovery run since the miles I've put in over the last week really took a toll on me yesterday. I was achy and tired all day and slept a solid ten hours last night.
But I woke up feeling pretty good and although I considered giving myself an extra rest day, I decided to do the planned run anyway. I also couldn't be sure my hesitance was due to the fact the temperature was just above freezing when I stepped out the door.
The start of the run was as unpleasant as I expected given the temperature but, as I expected, I felt pretty good after I got into the run and warmed up a bit. Also as I expected, I was hitting a much quicker pace with relative ease during this effort. Despite that, I very much concentrated on consistency of effort rather than pushing the pace. read moremonday, november 26, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 6.00 miles (plus .5)
Time: 53:28
Pace: 8:54
Comments: So last night I went looking for another race to enter figuring there would be a nice 5K or something nearby in the next month or so. Turns out the Dallas Marathon is in two weeks and, idiot I am, I signed up for the half.
Which, if nothing else, means the season of blowing off runs is officially over. Obviously there ain't time to get in good enough condition to do a decent time but I should be able to finish the thing if I don't slack off.
So today I went out for a six mile run to get a feel of how the legs were holding up. I really cannot emphasize enough how wonderful it is to be right next to White Rock Lake and the running trails there. They are reasonably level and damn picturesque. Moreover, folks are all accommodating for everyone else using the pathways (even if they don't wave all that much). read moresaturday, november 24, 2012
Recovery Run
Distance: 4.00 miles
Time: 33:48
Pace: 8:26
Comments: It was just above freezing this morning so I decided to pass on the run until it warmed up a bit. I've been a bit stiff -- understandably -- since the race and I wanted as few obstacles to getting this run in as possible. It was just under 60 degrees when I finally left the house and that turned out to be about right.
I didn't have too much trouble getting into a comfortable pace that was slightly faster than what I did for the race on Thursday. This is understandable since while there were a few hills on this course, it was nothing like the ascents from the Trinity River into Oak Cliff and downtown.
There were a number of runners on the lake trail and, I'm very happy to say, every single dog was on a leash. See idiot Arizona runners, it's not that hard to abide by the leash law. The big upshot with having a number of runners on the trail was simulating race situations and using them to keep my pace up. read moremonday, october 15, 2012
Recovery Run
Distance: 2.00 miles
Time: 18:31
Pace: 9:14
Comments: Well that was a horrible effort. It was a bit hotter than I thought and I had a hell of a lot less in the tank than I expected. The plan was for five miles or so but I was slogging three minutes into the thing and it only got worse from there. Finally just cut it short at two miles. Although I took two days off after the Friday trail run, my legs have been pretty sore the whole time. I probably could be eating better as well. I'll try it again tomorrow.
Conditions:Hour: 9:00 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 80 degrees
Humidity: 27 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona read moremonday, october 08, 2012
Recovery Run
Distance: 5.00 miles
Time: 47:22
Pace: 9:28
Comments: Had a bout with the grippe this weekend and wasn't about to take a step out the house for most of it. I felt better yesterday but woke up with a persistent headache this morning. But I wanted to get back in the routine so I decided to get the run in anyway.
I kept the pace pretty slow but added a mile to the effort as a trade off. For the most part the run was a consistent effort but it really felt like a slog the whole way -- like I was running on sand or something. Just no bounce to my step at all. I'll take it easy the rest of today and see how I feel tomorrow.
Conditions:Hour: 8:30 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: partly cloudy read morethursday, october 04, 2012
Recovery Run
Distance: 4.00 miles
Time: 35:34
Pace: 8:53
Comments: A day to recover and significantly cooler conditions made this one a lot less painful. I wasn't impressively faster or anything but felt a lot more in control. Most of the way I went back to concentrating on quicker turnover rather than the pace (or the fatigue). The biggest difference was I never got hit by that "give it up" feeling that pops me when I'm not good to go. Which is something of a relief.
Conditions:Hour: 9:30 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 85 degrees
Humidity: 25 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona
Shoes: Brooks Ravenna 3
Injury update: Nada.tuesday, october 02, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 4.00 miles
Time: 36:20
Pace: 9:04
Comments: So I got out the door a good half hour earlier today and the temperatures was a whopping five degrees less. Ugh. Still, I felt a bit better on the back end of the effort and got in all four miles I was hoping for. Basically I need to eat better and get back into the routine. Tomorrow I'm off and we'll see how well the legs respond.
Conditions:Hour: 10:00 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 90 degrees
Humidity: 16 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona
Shoes: Brooks Ravenna 3
Injury update: Nada.monday, october 01, 2012
Recovery Run
Distance: 3.00 miles
Time: 27:22
Pace: 9:09
Comments: And oh am I ever back in Arizona. Temperature was pushing the century mark as I finished the run and humidity just 11 percent. Delightful.
It has been a few weeks since I last run due to the bizarre schedule my research trip imposed on me. So I really had a tougher time with the weather changes than I usually would. I decided to trim my planned four miles back to three as a result.
Conditions:Hour: 10:30 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 96 degrees
Humidity: 11 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona
Shoes: Brooks Ravenna 3
Injury update: Nada.wednesday, august 29, 2012
Recovery Run
Distance: 3.00 miles
Time: 26:41
Pace: 8:53
Comments: With Hurricane Isaac coming ashore I expect this might be my last chance to get a run in for a day or two. The storm hasn't arrived this far north yet but the uncomfortably warm humidity in Birmingham is a testament to its impending arrival.
I felt pretty good despite the return to regular running on the hilly streets of Homewood and tried to increase the pace somewhat for this effort. That worked fine for the portions of the run that were relatively flat but I slowed considerably on the hilly portions. Still, it was a solid effort and considerably faster pace than the previous efforts. Moreover I felt pretty good after it.
Conditions:Hour: 9:00 a.m. read moremonday, august 27, 2012
Recovery Run
Distance: 4.00 miles
Time: 37:56
Pace: 9:28
Comments: Although I was still a bit sore from yesterday, I decided to try and get in a full four-mile run. This meant a double dose of that 100-foot hill in the middle of my little course. As a result I concentrated more on resilence in the effort than anything to do with pace.
The temperature was not insanely hot but the transition to the high humidity is still ongoing. My shirt was completely soaked by the two-mile mark and fatigue was a real issue the whole way. The advantage of running a new course was my secret weapon though. In the end it was a solid run and a step closer to my return to training form.
Conditions:Hour: 8:00 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete read moresunday, august 26, 2012
Recovery Run
Distance: 3.00 miles
Time: 25:15
Pace: 8:23
Comments: Got into Arlington late last night after driving in from El Paso. It has been a week or so since I have been able to get a run in so I made it a point to get up early to get the miles in. As I expected, the humidity was a formidable issue but thankfully the heat wasn't too bad and I had a fighting chance.
I was planning to just run the sidewalk around Cowboys Stadium but found the path down to the Johnson Creek linear park and decided to take that instead. This is actually a pretty nice course; a wide concrete path with the underbrush trimed well back from the trail. There was one spot where the mud (and beer cans) had overwhelmed the trail but it wasn't too bad. The weirdest thing about it was an absolute absence of any other runners or cyclists. read moremonday, july 30, 2012
Recovery Run
Distance: 4.00 miles
Time: 36:38
Pace: 9:09
Comments: Got going a bit late and it was pretty hot as a result. And as has been the case of late, the humidity was what made it really bad. I just tried to keep it steady and surprised myself with a reasonable overall pace (I was expecting something more in the 10 min/mi range). My legs have been pretty sore since the long(er) run this weekend so I'll chalk this one up as a success.
Conditions:Hour: 9:14 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 87 degrees
Humidity: 59 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona
Shoes: Brooks Ravenna 3
Injury update: Nada.wednesday, july 25, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 3.00 miles
Time: 26:41
Pace: 8:53
Comments: Another battle with the heat and humidity. Became a real problem afer 2.5 miles so i decided to cut it short rather than do anything stupid.
Conditions:Hour: 9:00 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 90 degrees
Humidity: 42 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona
Shoes: Brooks Ravenna 3
Injury update:tuesday, july 17, 2012
Recovery Run
Distance: 3.00 miles
Time: 25:55
Pace: 8:37
Comments: Just wanted to make up the difference from yesterday. It was pretty warm when I got out but I made it a point to keep from going out too fast. Still, I hit a pretty good stride and held it most of the way. Considered going for four miles but decided to play it conservative and, possibly, do a repeat tomorrow.
Conditions:Hour: 10:00 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 93 degrees
Humidity: 25 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona
Shoes: Brooks Ravenna 3
Injury update: Nada.wednesday, july 11, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 4.00 miles
Time: 33:58
Pace: 8:24
Comments: My Garmin went completely gang aft agly today. According to it, my first mile was a 3,000-foot descent at 5:18 pace. Um... not quite.
I got out at the lowest temperature of the day: 88 degrees. And as I expected, the trade off was the joy of enduringthe highest humidity of the day: 42 percent. Still, the additional shade made a difference and although I know my stats are goofy for this one, it was a lot faster effort than earlier this week.
Conditions:Hour: 6:20 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: partly cloudy
Temperature: 88 degrees
Humidity: 42 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona read moremonday, july 09, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 4.00 miles
Time: 37:52
Pace: 9:27
Comments: I knew it was a bit hot when I went out to run this. It was later than I like and the temperatures have been noticeably warmer over last week. Turns out I should have checked before I ran. It was 102 degrees.
Needless to say, my initial disappointment at the pace and performance seems a bit premature. I'm going to have to be a lot more careful over the next month or so or a stunt like this could prove dangerous.
Conditions:Hour: 9:30 a.m.read more
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 102 degrees
Humidity: 22 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona
Shoes: Brooks Ravenna 3thursday, july 05, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 4.00 miles
Time: 35:13
Pace: 8:48
Comments: Skipped running on the fourth due to the rain even though it was spectacularly cool in comparison with the recent temperatures. Today wasn't overly warm but the humidity was deserving of the deep south in August. Given that I wasn't expecting anthing like a record effort but I was determined to get at least four miles in.
Weirdly enough, even though I was whipped at the end, it turns out I actually got this one done at a reasonable pace. Of course my first mile was almost a minute faster than my last one but that's understandable in these conditions. I'll see if I can at least duplicate this effort tomorrow.
Conditions:Hour: 8:00 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete read moremonday, july 02, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 6.00 miles
Time: 52:23
Pace: 8:43
Comments: Now the temperature and humidity were, supposedly, the same as my last run and with the overcast conditions the sun wasn't an issue either. Yet it felt a lot cooler and I didn't really struggle with the heat as much as I thought I might.
Starting out I actually got rained on for about ten minutes but then the shower passed over and was gone. The cloud cover remained overhead until the last mile or so but, even then, it was early enough that it wasn't brutal as it can be .
The goal was to get six miles and, if possible, keep the pace under 9 minutes the whole way. Mission accomplished and, more importantly, I really didn't feel completely wiped out at the end as has been the case most runs lately. read morefriday, june 29, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 5.00 miles
Time: 48:08
Pace: 9:37
Comments: I was up at just after 5 a.m. and out the door by the bottom of the hour. That bought me an extra seven degrees and substantially less sunlight but it didn't seem to help much. I found myself slogging through this one from the start.
There really wasn't any energy in my legs and as the run progressed it became less an effort to get my pace each mile lap down to 9 min/mi than under 10 min/mi. And what relief the slightly cooler temperatures brought me the humidity too back in spades. I finished this one feeling totally beat.
Conditions:Hour: 5:30 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 83 degrees
Humidity: 44 percent read morethursday, june 28, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 5.00 miles
Time: 45:17
Pace: 9:03
Comments: It was about as hot and horrible as I expected this morning. I got up and didn't really feel like going out and putting the workout in, particularly since my recent runs haven't been anything to really start cheering over.
Then I took a look at these two guys and got my ass out the door. It wasn't a pretty effort and sure as hell wasn't pleasant but I damn well don't need to waste my time with the "poor me" nonsense when there folks out there who wish they just had the option to run that I do.
Conditions:Hour: 7:00 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete read moretuesday, june 26, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 4.00 miles
Time: 35:12
Pace: 8:47
Comments: The usual disaster. Too hot, to little energy, pathetic effort.
Conditions:Hour: 8:00 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 97 degrees
Humidity: 21 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona
Shoes: Brooks Ravenna 3
Injury update: Nada.sunday, june 24, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 4.50 miles
Time: 39:19
Pace: 8:44
Comments: Still got out too late and still didn't have much in the tank. But I did about twice the effort of yesterday (both time and distance) and that's pretty much the goal I had set for myself. As much as the heat sucks, the fact is things have reached the point it's never pleasant. The low this morning was 84 degrees.
As you might expect, I started off pretty strongly but faded as the distance increased. The frontage road section -- with the unrelenting sun -- proved to me my undoing. Hopes of six miles and then even five faded every step in the searing brightness.
Conditions:Hour: 8:20 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 94 degrees read moremonday, june 18, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 4.00 miles
Time: 35:13
Pace: 8:47
Comments: Insanely busy morning that kept me from getting out on the pavement as early as I wanted. By the time I started the run the temperature had hit the century mark. Now I had only planned to do four miles so I sort of justified it in my head but, hoo boy was this a tough one to finish.
But despite the struggle, I kept a pretty good pace the whole way and I never got that godawful "just quit" feeling that has sometimes led me to throw in the towel early. In fact, the pace surprised me since I tried to go a bit slower than normal starting out in order to ensure I would get the miles in but found myself comfortably falling into the quicker pace.
Conditions:Hour: 10:00 a.m. read moresaturday, june 16, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 5.10 miles
Time: 43:48
Pace: 8:36
Comments: Getting warmer and warmer and putting off the run even an hour or so is not that bright a move. I was planning on a full six-or-so miles but got to five and decided to leave it go at that rather than do anything stupid.
I started out really well with a ton of energy. It was tough to reign things in but doing so turned out to be the right move. It was pretty tough going from the three-mile point on. Heat, sun and not eating as well as I should conspired to make it a slog past that. Still, I kept the pace up reasonably well and didn't feel completely wiped out at the end.
Conditions:Hour: 7:30 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: partly cloudy read moremonday, june 11, 2012
Recovery Run
Distance: 6 miles
Time: 53:27
Pace: 8:54
Comments: Got up early and got out the door in the dusk for the first time. I was about as creaky getting started as I expected but battled through that pretty well by the two-mile mark. The temperature wasn't a hell of a lot better than some of my mid-day runs a month ago but not facing the full-on sunshine made a heck of a lot of difference. It turned out to be a good solid run and one I need to start doing with regularity.
Conditions:Hour: 5:00 a.m.read more
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 75 degrees
Humidity: 28 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona
Shoes: Brooks Ravenna 3wednesday, june 06, 2012
Recovery Run
Distance: 5 miles
Time: 43:20
Pace: 8:34
Comments: I probably should have tried to get another run in while I was in California but between the grind of the conference and the miserable weather on the last day, I just blew it off. So getting back to Phoenix I was resolved to get back in the routine. The good news was the temperatures were significantly warmer than in San Francisco. The bad news is that the temperatures were significantly warmer than in San Francisco.
I got a five mile effort in but could really feel the heat toward the end of it. I really need to try and get out at least a half-hour earlier. But the run went well, I felt strong and didn't really fade that much. On the contrary, I actually picked up the pace to a medium sprint for the last quarter mile. read moretuesday, may 29, 2012
Recovery Run
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 37:20
Pace: 9:19
Comments: Waited till noon to run and paid the price. It was very hot and I could tell from the start it would be a battle. I got two and a half miles in and really could tell I was heating up. Finally, at the 3.3 mile mark I stopped and walked. When I felt a bit cooler I finished up the last two-thirds of a mile and called it a day.
Conditions:Hour: noon
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 90 degrees
Humidity: 9 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona
Shoes: Brooks Ravenna 3
Injury update: Nada.sunday, may 27, 2012
Tempo Run
Distance: 6.17 miles
Time: 52:12
Pace: 8:32
Comments: There was a bit of a cool snap and I got out the door pretty early so this was about as ideal conditions as I could possibly have hoped for the run.
I pretty much just wanted to get in six good miles but found myself having no trouble dropping into the slightly faster pace I was doing a few weeks ago. Instead of pushing things with a longer stride I went back to focusing on the faster turnover.
Pretty much the whole run went well and there were no problems with overheating or exhaustion. Just a nice smooth automatic workout. Delightful.
Conditions:Hour: 6:40 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 57 degrees read morethursday, may 24, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 6 miles
Time: 57:57
Pace: 9:38
Comments: At this point, I've really given up even the pretense of training for any kind of race and am just running every other day or so to keep from letting my conditioning evaporate completely. The heat is starting to get ugly. Even though I was out the door reasonably early, it was already pushing it temperature-wise.
This one was slow, plodding and unartful. I didn't make any attempt to pretend it was anything else. But I got it done and now can get some work taken care of today.
Conditions:Hour: 8:30 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 86 degrees
Humidity: 17 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona read moretuesday, may 22, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 34:53
Pace: 8:43
Comments: The day after my last run, I got up exhausted and just couldn't seem to shake the lethargy. I chalked it up to the heat but instead of bouncing back during the day I just kept feeling worse. The next morning it was clear I done caught some kind of bug or mild sinus infection.
So I've pretty much felt like crap the few times I've been able to pull myself out of bed. I finally didn't feel horrible when I got up this morning but I'm a good ways from being perky and whatever. So this run was just a slog to the end.
I felt like ass the whole way and was stunned to see that I kept my pace under nine minutes per mile when it was over. Hopefully my next outing will be back in the routine.
read morefriday, may 18, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 6 miles
Time: 53:31
Pace: 8:55
Comments: Woke up a bit earlier than I expected and took advantage by getting the run in first thing. As usual, it was tough getting started but the cooler temperature was really nice.
I didn't eat well yesterday and so there wasn't a hell of a lot in the tank. On the upside, that kept me from running this too fast as I sometimes am wont to do when I feel I've got the legs for it. I really just need to get my distance back into a reasonable range before trying to hit faster paces.
So it turned out to be a solid, if unspectacular, effort and a nice start for these earlier runs I need to make an integral part of my routine.
Conditions:Hour: 5:15 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete read moretuesday, may 15, 2012
Recovery Run
Distance: 5 miles
Time: 44:33
Pace: 8:53
Comments: This was a bear of a run. I got woken up at 4 a.m. with a charlie horse. Delightful. It was still sore when I got up a few hours later. I had a couple of interviews that kept me from getting out the door first thing. By the time I got on the pavement, it was already pretty hot out.
Between the heat, the sun, a pretty stiff breeze and my soreness, this was a battle from start to finish. I felt strong enough to make it the entire way but it certainly wasn't easy, particularly on the final mile when all three elements hit me full on. A recovery pace but not a lot of recovering on this one.
Conditions:Hour: 9:30 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear read morewednesday, may 09, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 6 miles
Time: 55:21
Pace: 9:13
Comments: Temperatures are getting rough. I went out significantly earlier today but the heat was about the same. I'll be battling sunrise before too long.
After settling for shorter runs than I had hoped the past few outings I was determined to get six miles today. As a result, I went out WAY slow and let myself get even more glacial with the pace as the course demanded. I was pretty damn hot the last mile and a half but shuffled in at just about 10 min/mi.
Conditions:Hour: 9:00 a.m.read more
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 88 degrees
Humidity: 18 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona
Shoes: Brooks Ravenna 3monday, may 07, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 35:37
Pace: 8:54
Comments: Work and necessary chores are simply crushing my training. I intended to get out and do a six miler on the trails this weekend but an effort to clean out my storage shed pretty much swallowed all my time. The result was a sore hamstrings and back and no miles whatsoever.
I got out later than I wanted today but finished the four miles I wanted to get. I'll try and get up early tomorrow and put in a six miler or so.
Conditions:Hour: 11:00 a.m.read more
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 88 degrees
Humidity: 10 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona
Shoes: Brooks Ravenna 3wednesday, may 02, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 2.5 miles
Time: 20:20
Pace: 8:08
Comments: Got out a little too late and it was way warmer than I expected. Add to that not eating well and that I fell into an overfast pace, this one got cut short.
It went alright, actually but just before the two mile mark I could tell I had pushed it too hard. I got my first taste of overheating which probably wasn't too much compared to the battles I'll face later but its not worth testing right now either.
Conditions:Hour: 9:40 a.m.read more
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 82 degrees
Humidity: 19 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona
Shoes: Brooks Ravenna 3monday, april 30, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 4.01 miles
Time: 34:13
Pace: 8:32
Comments: Almost three weeks without a step faster than brisk walking pace. The culprit? A two-week business trip to Panama. I spent days going non-stop and there was hardly any time for running, if the heat and humidity would have permitted it, anyway.
So, now I'm back in the office it's time to get back on the pavement. Today was just a four-mile test run to see how my legs feel. Pretty good, actually. No issues whatsoever and I dropped right into my usual 8:30-or-so pace I was hitting at the start of the month.
Now I got out the door pretty early on this one; 5:33 to be exact. The temperature was certainly ideal at that time and I probably could have waited even later in the day to get the run in. But it won't be long until the Arizona heat makes pre-sunrise runs a necessity. So I might as well get used to the early wake up. read morethursday, april 12, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 4.76 miles
Time: 41:59
Pace: 8:49
Comments: This was as blah as I've felt for awhile but I got out on the pavement somehow. The whole run was a slog and I never got into it at all. On the upside, that didn't seem to hinder my ability to complete it at a reasonable pace.
I think some of my recent problems have been with diet -- I certainly haven't been eating as well as i should -- and possibly illness. I've been feeling like crap most of this week although not at the point of taking to my bed like when I get really slammed by the grippe.
Conditions:Hour: 9:40 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 66 degrees
Humidity: 32 percent
Wind: calm read moremonday, april 09, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 5.25 miles
Time: 45:43
Pace: 8:43
Comments: Did not run a single step last week. A lot of it was getting extremely busy with my work projects and planning for this trip next week. A little bit of it was lassitude.
So I decided to just put in a straightforward five miler this morning. No looking at the Garmin, just run the distance. As a result, this one was pretty nondescript. I did wait a bit overlong to get out and, as a result, it was one of the warmer runs I've had this year. Need to get used to that.
Conditions:Hour: 810:20 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 84 degrees
Humidity: 10 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona read moresunday, april 01, 2012
Recovery Run
Distance: 4.01 miles
Time: 34:51
Pace: 8:42
Comments: OK. I admit it. I went and did this run mostly to get my weekly mileage up in the 20 mile range. That aside, it turned out to be a very nice post-race effort so I'm glad I took the opportunity to get out there.
My legs were really drained after the effort yesterday so I took it extremely easy in the afternoon and planned to approach this run as a complete "recovery" effort. No mile under 8:30 pace. And, as I promised, every time I found myself wanting to push it a little I made myself hold back even more.
As a result I had the rare experience of getting passed by another runner on my regular workout and it was a woman!. But the unusual nature of the incident had more to do with the typical lack of runners on the local sidewalks than gender. It was nice to give a wave and a "Howdy!" to another person out training, to be honest. read moretuesday, march 27, 2012
Recovery Run
Distance: 4.01 miles
Time: 32:09
Pace: 8:01
Comments: I didn't intend on having a hard effort today since I wanted to give my legs a chance to recover from the tough effort over the weekend. But when I got out on the pavement, I sorta couldn't help myself.
I started out at a reasonable but quick pace and found myself speeding up by about ten seconds every mile after that. While I wasn't sure about the endurance side of things I felt strong and in control the whole way. And since it was just four miles, the stamina aspect wasn't a huge issue.
Conditions:Hour: 7:45 a.m.
Surface: dirt
Weather: clear
Temperature: 45 degrees
Humidity: 68 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Western Canal, Chandler, Arizona read moremonday, march 19, 2012
Recovery Run
Distance: 4.06 miles
Time: 36:15
Pace: 8:55
Comments: The cold front that moved in made it really nice to run this morning, so much so it was difficult to keep my pace down to easy/recovery pace. I finally settled on about 9 min/mi even though that's probably more stress on my legs than I need to have at this point.
The run went well and I used the workout to kind of monitor for any possible achy points that could become injury issues down the road. Lots of itty bitty things but, overall, everything seems in good shape. Might be time to get a new pair of shoes, though.
Conditions:Hour: 9:30 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: partly cloudy
Temperature: 52 degrees
Humidity: 54 percent read moremonday, march 12, 2012
Recovery Run
Distance: 4.00 miles
Time: 37:32
Pace: 9:22
Comments: After the race on Saturday I was determined to give my legs a respite. The plan was to make this a true "recovery" run with a 9:30 or so pace. As usual, I went out a bit quicker than that but pulled the reigns in enough to finish in the ballpark of my goal.
More importantly I was being hypersensitive to any signs of aches or soreness in the wake of the tough weekend effort. Happy to say, all clear on that score.
Conditions:Hour: 9:30 a.m.read more
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 66 degrees
Humidity: 26 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona
Shoes: Adidas Supernova Sequence 3thursday, march 08, 2012
Recovery Run
Distance: 4.01 miles
Time: 32:37
Pace: 8:09
Comments: I had no real intention of running this one this fast. I just wanted to go out and get a good solid four miles after getting beaten around by the wind yesterday. I wasn't worried about speed as much as keeping my turnover quick and consistent.
The first mile started out like that but before I knew it I was moving along at a very nice little clip. I finished mile one at an 8:44 pace. The pace for the next mile was a half minute faster and my final mile was more than a minute faster pace. More importantly I really didn't really feel like I was pushing overhard to hit these paces. We'll see how that translates on the race course Saturday.
Conditions:Hour: 9:00 a.m. read moremonday, march 05, 2012
Recovery Run
Distance: 5.00 miles
Time: 42:02
Pace: 8:24
Comments: This was pretty much the exact same as yesterday's run except for one mile less. That said, the temperature was markedly warmer and I certainly felt it the last mile and a half. I averaged 8:22 over the first four miles of this effort but that dropped to 8:38 over the workout's final third. Still, speed was a secondary goal, if that, given the injury concerns from last week.
Conditions:Hour: 11:30 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: overcast
Temperature: 77 degrees
Humidity: 17 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona
Shoes: Adidas Supernova Sequence 3
Injury update: Tightness in the top of my right quad part of the way.thursday, march 01, 2012
Recovery Run
Distance: 4.00 miles
Time: 38:04
Pace: 9:30
Comments: After pulling my quad on Monday I took two days off out of caution. Over that span, the leg didn't give me any more sharp pain but I wasn't exactly testing it out either.
Today was more of a test run than anything. Four easy miles to see how well the leg held up. I figured I could do it since the pull didn't happen until I tried running fast. The key would be keeping it slow and keep it slow I did.
And that's what I did. The 9:30 pace seemed about right. The first mile was almost 10 minute/mile pace as I wanted to let my legs get warmed up but after that it was just a matter of keeping it steady.
Conditions:Hour: 10:00 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete read morethursday, february 23, 2012
Recovery Run
Distance: 6.0 miles
Time: 54:36
Pace: 9:06
Comments: I have been very sore the last few days and didn't feel much better this morning. While I wanted to make this a recovery run, I also want to avoid taking the overslow type runs that don't do much good for building strength.
I've continued to focus on my stride and built another playlist that only included songs with 160 BPM. It turns out there are quite a few in my collection, the vast majority of which I really like. So I figured that was significantly less intense than the 180+ BPM effort but still pretty good.
It turns out that the 160 BPM turnover with a reasonable stride puts me right at about 9 minutes per mile. That's right in the ballpark of recovery/easy for me right now. It took the first mile to get reasonably warmed up (and not push it too fast) but after that it was a very solid run. read morefriday, february 17, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 4.19 miles
Time: 36:09
Pace: 8:37
Comments: My hopes of having two 20+ mile weeks went by the wayside Wednesday when I came down with what I'll call "flulike symptoms." I felt like hell and had that unpleasant all-over soreness but no issues congestion-wise, thank goodness. Needless to say, I was worthless yesterday.
I felt better when I woke up today and decided to take advantage of it and get a run in lest it prove to be simply a morning respite from the agony. As I expected, my energy levels were wanting but the good news is I seem to have enough strength in my legs now to power through that problem if need be.
My plan was to take it slow and shoot for a 9 min/mi pace but, after finishing the thing, it seems I managed quite a bit better than that. Of course the second half of the run was far slower than the first half so it's not like I'm now bulletproof conditioning-wise. read morethursday, february 09, 2012
Recovery Run
Distance: 5.02 miles
Time: 44:59
Pace: 8:58
Comments: After two pretty intense runs this week (three if you count Saturday's long run) I felt it would be best to dial it back a bit. I'm angling for hitting 20 miles this week so I wanted to put in five today but at a reasonable pace.
So I went up to the canal and tried to keep from overdoing it. The first mile was 9:24 pace but I felt like I was working pretty hard to get it. I sped up a bit after that but didn't dip under 8:40 for any mile portion, pretty close to what I was aiming for.
Between the intense workouts and the first consecutive workout days I kind of dragged the whole way on this one; kind of sloppy and ragged. Still, it was a very satisfactory effort overall.
Conditions:Hour: 7:45 a.m. read morewednesday, february 01, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 2.0 miles
Time: 18:48
Pace: 9:22
Comments: Evening run with John. It's been five days since he last went out so I expected this to be a slightly slower effort but he really stepped up.
We ended up doing the first mile at pretty much the same pace as the last time we went out and then pushed it to 9:09 for the second -- just about the pace I ran at this morning.
Overall my legs felt pretty good with both runs. I had energy and a decent amount of control but, most importantly, never any urge to cut things short.
Conditions:Hour: 5:45 p.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 72 degrees
Humidity: 20 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona read morewednesday, february 01, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 4.0 miles
Time: 36:08
Pace: 9:01
Comments: Keeping track of National Signing Day kept me busy most of the morning but I got out finally. John wants to put in a couple of miles tonight so I just did four miles at a reasonable pace and we'll add the deuce this evening.
I was aiming for about nine minutes per mile and damned if I didn't hit it right on the nose. The whole run felt very solid. I wasn't pushing myself to keep up the tempo but I felt strong enough to hold a brisk effort.
The first mile was actually the slowest at 9:19 pace. I took about ten seconds off the next mile and held a solid 8:48 pace for the final half mile. The negative splits are a very welcome development, particularly since I wasn't really aiming for them today. read morefriday, january 27, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 2.18 miles
Time: 21:17
Pace: 9:46
Comments: John and I went out for another two-mile run. He said the effort on Wednesday left him pretty stiff and sore but nothing suggestive of injury. I, thankfully, seem to have had a false alarm myself yesterday.
This run went rather well. John didn't need to stop and, even more importantly, our pacing was pretty damn consistent the whole way. I was aiming for anything between 10 minutes and 10:30 but we kept a pretty solid sub-ten clip the whole way.
Conditions:Hour: 6:00 p.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 62 degrees
Humidity: 27 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona read morewednesday, january 25, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 2.0 miles
Time: 19:19
Pace: 9:34
Comments: So a buddy of mine is trying to get back into shape and asked me to run with him to get back in the routine. He was a runner back in the day but hasn't been working out for some time. I told him no problem. Even though I ran yesterday, I didn't figure it would be long or fast enough to be a problem.
And it wasn't. We did the first mile at a ten-minute pace and he seemed pretty good with it but was breathing hard pretty quickly. At 1.25 miles he had to stop and we walked maybe 30 yards before picking it back up. Oddly enough he went out even faster after that. Mile two turned out to be at a 9:11 pace.
Overall it was a nice run for me and, for his first run back, a simply superb effort. I'll try and badger him into repeating the workout on Friday and, hopefully, start the routine going. read moretuesday, january 24, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 6.0 miles
Time: 59:05
Pace: 9:51
Comments: Still being a bit careful with the running but I wanted to make up for my lack of workouts by doing something. I decided to go for six miles (which would be about an hour-long run) but without any kind of speed whatsoever.
It's been cool enough that getting out mid-morning works very well. I considered going out even earlier but it's a bit unnerving when the rush hour traffic is blasting by you the whole way. Outside of a few snowbirds unable to decide whether to turn or not, it was a very peaceful run.
The run was in the 10 minute mile pace ballpark, which is kind of what I was expecting. My first mile was way too fast and when I could feel my breathing change I deliberately slowed it down. After that I just tried to dissociate from the run itself as much as I could to churn it out. read moresaturday, january 21, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 4.0 miles
Time: 41:48
Pace: 10:26
Comments: The past several days have not been pleasant at all. I had a pretty terrifying health scare earlier this week and, as a result, I didn't dare go run in case of making the situation worse. It seems to have been a false alarm but I still took things very easy today. My pace was deliberately slow to keep me from over-exerting in any way as well as to make sure I could kind of monitor how my body was reacting to everything. The good news is it seems to have gone fine. Here's keeping my fingers crossed.
Conditions:Hour: 12:42 p.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: overcast
Temperature: 58 degrees
Humidity: 36 percent
Wind: calm read moremonday, january 16, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 4.0 miles
Time: 33:57
Pace: 8:27
Comments: This one wasn't a lot of fun, for some reason. I wanted to try an do a little faster pace and put the first two miles in right around the 8 minute mark. But I got fatigued pretty fast and slowed considerably on the second two miles (8:45 and 9:02).
I would have liked to have put in five miles but I started choking at just about the four mile mark, for some reason. Between stopping for that and the unpleasantness of the whole run I cut my losses on the workout.
Conditions:Hour: 12:00 p.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: partly cloudy
Temperature: 64 degrees
Humidity: 42 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona read moresaturday, january 14, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 5.0 miles
Time: 45:18
Pace: 9:02
Comments: Switched my extra off day today with Friday but got so busy I didn't get out on the pavement till evening. Which is fine since I'll be picking up afternoon workouts with the RX Running crew pretty soon.
The four milers have become pretty routine already so I bumped this up to five. My first "long run" if you will. No real problems dealing with the little bit extry.
I've eaten pretty badly the past few days and my energy levels are kind of shot as a result. I knew this was going to be a lackluster effort and it was. Still, it never got to the point of wanting to just cut it short so that's progress.
Conditions:Hour: 4:30 p.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete read morewednesday, january 11, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 4.0 miles
Time: 35:44
Pace: 8:52
Comments: Got out a little late but the weather was a bit cooler today so it seemed like a reasonable plan. There was a bit of cloud cover as well so the sun cooperated with things.
About as sloppy a run as the rest have been and not appreciably faster. I don't feel any stronger, that's for sure, but I'm also not struggling to get the thing finished either. I've at least got conditioning back to the point I can just go out and do these runs without much difficulty.
Conditions:Hour: 11:15 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: partly cloudy
Temperature: 55 degrees
Humidity: 21 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona read moremonday, january 09, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 4.0 miles
Time: 34:48
Pace: 8:42
Comments: With my beloved Alabama Crimson Tide playing for the National Championship tonight, I had more than a little bit of anxiety to run off today. And I needed to make the countdown to kickoff go just a little bit faster.
Despite the considerable distraction, the run turned out to be pretty solid. I didn't feel as good as I did during some of the ones last week. That said, it was on a pace as fast as those so that's a pretty good sign. I did slow down considerably each mile so there's certainly a lot of work to get done conditioning-wise.
Conditions:Hour: 10:45 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 65 degrees
Humidity: 21 percent read morefriday, january 06, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 4.0 miles
Time: 35:51
Pace: 8:57
Comments: Had some writing to do so waited a bit to get out on this one. While it's been a bit warmer this week, the temperatures are still cool enough mid-morning to put a run in without too much discomfort.
Again, it started sloppy and with more wheezing for breath than I would like. After a mile I kind of got into it and around the three-mile mark felt I actually was in a bit of a groove. It's just frustrating not having any conditioning at all, at the moment.
I didn't do the core work yesterday and feel pretty damn sore across my entire upper body. I'm gonna try and put in two abbreviated workouts this weekend and see how that goes.
Conditions:Hour: 10:00 a.m. read morewednesday, january 04, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 4.0 miles
Time: 34:58
Pace: 8:45
Comments: Yesterday was about as unpleasant as I expected. My quads were sore and my hips felt achy. I moved the Roman Chair back into the house and got started on that. So this morning wasn't an improvement on matters.
As a result, getting started was a bit of an adventure. As much as I knew the creaky feeling would ease off pretty quickly, it wasn't at all pleasant to battle through it. At the half-mile point it was pretty much done, though.
The bigger annoyance is actually the problem with exertion. My conditioning is long long gone and the battling for breath at even these relatively easy paces is not a pleasant experience.
Overall, though, this workout went very well. I didn't have any real trouble hitting the four-mile goal I wanted and I even picked up the pace a bit on the last mile to put it in the ballpark with the earlier part of the run. read moremonday, january 02, 2012
Easy Run
Distance: 3.0 miles
Time: 27:09
Pace: 9:03
Comments: My first run after a long absence from the pavement. My last run was in... yeesh, September. With that much time off, the goal today was just to get out there and get started. Nothing fancy or crazy. Just a few miles to get the routine started.
I did the neighborhood route and wore headphones for distraction's sake. The goal was to get in three decent miles without killing myself and that's pretty much what I was able to do. The trick now is get back out there on Wednesday
Conditions:Hour: 10:00 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 63 degrees
Humidity: 30 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona read morethursday, september 15, 2011
Easy Run
Distance: 4.0 miles
Time: 31:53
Pace: 7:57
Comments: Up early. Run early. I wanted to take advantage of the slightly cooler temperatures to try and get in a full four miles this workout. Mission accomplished.
Once again I didn't look at my Garmin at all during the run but was able to keep my overall pace under the 8:00 threshold. That was partly due to an overfast first mile and each mile after that was significantly slower.
Still, the legs felt pretty good and I didn't have to battle that annoying fatigue that makes you want to cut the workout short prematurely.
Conditions:Hour: 7:00 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 73 degrees
Humidity: 65 percent read moretuesday, september 13, 2011
Easy Run
Distance: 4.0 miles
Time: 43:05
Comments: Took two days off but got out this morning before things got too crazy. Started off way too fast for some reason and overcompensated a bit trying to even out the pace. All three of the running miles came in slower that 8:00 and the last one was at 8:22.
While my legs felt good, there wasn't a lot in the tank for this one. I didn't eat particularly well the last two days and that probably has something to do with it. I'll try and get back on track with that and see if I can put in a full four miles on Thursday.
Conditions:Hour: 8:30 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: partly cloudy
Temperature: 82 degrees
Humidity: 51 percent
Wind: calm read moresaturday, september 10, 2011
Easy Run
Distance: 3.89 miles
Time: 39.51
Comments: After the run on Monday my legs felt good but I was kind of tired. The next day I was really tired and, as it turned out, sick as a dog. For three days I was completely useless by this whatever-the-hell I come down with every few months. Call it the grippe and let's move on.
Thunderstorms moved through last night so the temperatures were noticeably cooler this morning. The football game isn't till later so I put the shoes on and took another stab at it. I put in three miles at a pretty solid pace and walked mile four. I didn't monitor my pace and was a bit surprised to see they were all sub-8:00.
Still, I'm gonna be very careful ramping up the mileage this time. We'll try this again on Monday and see how the legs respond. read moremonday, september 05, 2011
Easy Run
Distance: 3.44 miles
Time: 40:00
Comments: My efforts to run after the track workout three weeks ago did nothing to relieve the pain in my lower left leg so, rather than being bullheaded about it, I just stopped running for awhile.
I went out today to just see how the legs are holding up. I ran for 20 minutes and walked for 20 minutes. I would have liked to have done a straight four miles but pushing things would be a little bit stupid right now. I also went out in the mid-morning and temperatures here in Arizona are still stifling.
Overall I felt OK. Conditioning is pretty much kaput but my legs didn't feel overly bad and my pace wasn't atrocious. More importantly, I didn't have any of the lower leg pain that was bothering me before.
Conditions:Hour: 9:45 a.m. read morewednesday, july 27, 2011
Easy Run
Distance: 6.0 miles
Time: 51:34
Pace: 8:35
Comments: And it was crazy hot once again. I thought about trying to beat the sun but figured it wouldn't really matter. The effort would be a slog anyway so might as well get a little adversity before heading to more temperate climes.
I started out with a reasonably strong pace and held it reasonably well the first half of the run. But every mile I slowed down a pretty significant amount. I'm not overly happy with my propensity to do that. I know I'm not focusing on stamina with this effort but that doesn't mean I can completely overlook it.
Still, finished feeling pretty good and didn't feel like I had been totally hammered by the effort. Which was nice.
Conditions:Hour: 6:30 a.m. read moretuesday, july 19, 2011
Easy Run
Distance: 6.0 miles
Time: 51:03
Pace: 8:30
Comments: I was actually pretty pumped up about the prospect of the track workout yesterday. It was extremely hot but would have been a fast, intense workout. I wanted to see how much my legs had in 'em after the ten mile effort on the weekend.
Then, about an hour before time to head to the track, we had another haboob move through. It turned out to be a lot less intense than the last one and seemed to move to the west of Chandler.
I nixed the run for a number of reasons. The heat, the dust, the wind but, primarily, the drivers. Reduce visibility significantly and add idiot Arizona drivers is a recipe for disaster. read morewednesday, july 13, 2011
Easy Run
Distance: 6.0 miles
Time: 55:43
Pace: 9:17
Comments: I got up early and the weather seemed pretty nice, not nearly as hot and certainly not as humid. So instead of jumping at the opportunity I drug my feet and waited till it was nice and roasting outside.
The first three miles went very well and I had high hopes of maybe even pushing this to an eight mile workout. But after the turnaround the heat began to take it's toll and every mile after that was considerably slower. I was damn near shuffling at the finish.
Still, I got the whole six miles in. That was the goal and I got it.
Conditions:Hour: 8:30 a.m.
Surface: dirt
Weather: party cloudy
Temperature: 91 degrees
Humidity: 14 percent read moremonday, july 04, 2011
Easy Run
Distance: 6.0 miles
Time: 54:54
Pace: 9:08
Comments: When you start training, there are those tough workouts you feel justified in bagging early because you know you aren't in condition. But, after awhile, you know that the excuse dosen't fly anymore. Today was that day for me.
The alarm went off at 4:30 a.m. and unlike the last two days, it was damned hard to get up. I finally got moving and collected enough nerve to check the weather. As intimidating as the 90 degrees was the 60% humidity was even worse. Still, it had to be done.
The run went about like I expected. I was groggy and stiff to start and even though I loosened up pretty well, this one never got above the level of an outright slog. My first mile was at 8:38 pace and each one after that was significantly slower. My last mile ended up at 9:49. read morewednesday, june 29, 2011
Easy Run
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 35:46
Pace: 8:55
Comments: The idea was to get a solid four miler in very early before the heat set in. An unexpected late night ended up causing grossly shortened sleeping schedule and allied with an absolutely catastrophic day pretty much made that goal impossible.
I finally got out the door at 10 a.m. and did the run in the neighborhood since I just wanted to get it done. Even if it meant running on concrete. That, it turned out, was the least of my problems.
Of course the temperature was over the century mark and my performance reflected the influence of the conditions. I was slow and sloppy the whole way. And I had a couple of dumbass Arizona drivers try and kill me on the way. Spectacular.
Bottom line, the miles got run. Outside of that I'd rather just forget this one. read moresaturday, april 30, 2011
Easy Run
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 25:20
Pace: 8:25
Comments: It's been six weeks or so since I last ran at all. After battling various injuries I finally just gave up on it for awhile. Then a trip to Alabama and other projects got in the way.
For the last two weeks I've been trying to get motivated to get out the door and get the whole process started but it wasn't till today that I could do it. Of course my conditioning is gone, my strength has evaporated and I'm slow as shit.
I wanted to do six miles but decided to err on the side of caution with three. I might go out and try again tomorrow. It depends how good I feel when I get up tomorrow.
Conditions:Hour: 9:00 a.m.
Surface: dirt
Weather: clear read moretuesday, october 19, 2010
Recovery Run
Distance: 3.54 miles
Time: 30:00
Pace: 8:29
Comments: The initial plan was to go to the track yesterday and get in a mile or two very very easy. But after the 2-hour nap that wiped me out, it was pretty clear I could use the whole day to recover from the race on Sunday.
I didn't feel too bad this morning but getting started on this run was pretty rough. My legs were very stiff and not particularly happy at even the easy pace of this effort. They warmed up pretty good by the first mile but then a few specific sore spots cropped up (see below).
Conditions:Hour: 8:00 a.m.
Surface: dirt
Weather: clear
Temperature: 70 degrees
Humidity: 60 percent
Wind: none
Location:Thude Park, Chandler, Arizona read moretuesday, october 12, 2010
Recovery Run
Distance: 3.77 miles
Time: 30:00
Pace: 7:59
Comments: Talked with Coach Dean on the phone today and got his input on my progress to the goal. It's a mixed report in that it's good but still far from a clear thing.
I suggested doing the Arizona Road Racer's South Mountain Classic 20K this weekend as a test and he thought that was a good idea. This is a little long for what I need but as long as I can get the ten miles in at my desired pace, the final time won't matter.
So, that changed the running schedule this week a bit. Instead of an off day and run tomorrow I'm going to put in a 30 minute run at a "solid" pace each day and then go to the track workout on Thursday. read moresunday, october 10, 2010
Recovery Run
Distance: 3.55 miles
Time: 30:50
Pace: 8:40
Comments: Got up and out on the dirt nicely early and the conditions were about perfect for a run. I was kind of achy yesterday from my goal pace run but didn't feel bad at all this morning.
I got out and just tried to get a solid effort with not too much exertion but not taking it completely easy either. The result was pretty much spot on my usual pace for this kind of effort.
Conditions:Hour: 7:00 a.m.
Surface: dirt
Weather: clear
Temperature: 62 degrees
Humidity: 65 percent
Wind: none
Location:Thude Park, Chandler, Arizona
Shoes: Mizuno Wave Inspire 6
Con Musica
Injury update: Achy but no real pain. read morewednesday, september 29, 2010
Easy Run
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 34:39
Pace: 8:38
Comments: This was very much an easy/recovery run. With the back-to-back goal pace efforts I didn't want to do anything more than break a sweat and get the feel of my legs beneath me.
The Arizona weather was about what I expected coming back from the East Coast, hotter and less humid. Still, I got out early enough it wasn't unbearably so in either category.
For the most part, this was a solid feeling run but I was a little disappointed at how the pace turned out. I thought I was going a bit faster than than the whole way. More importantly, there was never that feeling of wanting to cut it short.
Conditions:Hour: 8:30 a.m.
Surface: dirt
Weather: clear read morethursday, september 23, 2010
Easy Run
Distance: 7 miles
Time: 1:05:00
Pace: 9:17
Comments: Now in New England. Driving around this little seaside town has left me utterly turned around and clueless as to which way any given run will go. So this effort was undertaken very much as an exploratory effort.
I got out a little later than expected and quickly figured out that was a mistake. While the temperatures were nice the humidity was not. Turns out the 75% humidity was spot-on with my arduous effort in Tuscaloosa and the hills were pretty much at the same level of difficulty as well.Basically, I headed toward the burgeoning metropolis of Branford but, before reaching it, headed to the right in an effort to circle back around. This course was nothing if not picturesque, running by the seashore, the Branford River and a host of local seafood establishments worthy of any regional tour magazine. read more
sunday, september 19, 2010
Easy Run
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 26:44
Pace: 8:53
Comments: Yeesh. This was ugly. I got back from Tuscon pretty late last night after the Arizona v Iowa game. So I got up a little late and due to the gameday schedule I ate terribly yesterday as well (but I made it a point to hydrate at every opportunity).
I kind of planned on putting in a run with a lot of adversity and put it off till 11:30 or so. The logic being a tough run at an easy pace would better prepare me for the track workout tomorrow night. What I didn't expect was the heat to get as bad as it did so fast. By the time I got out to the park the temperature was nearly 110 degrees and the sun was relentless.
Basically it turned into a fight for survival. I just kept trying to put in a lap or two more while battling the feeling of sheer exhaustion. The plan was to do four miles but I got to three and called it a day. read morewednesday, september 15, 2010
Recovery Run
Distance: 4.05 miles
Time: 31:28
Pace: 7:45
Comments: The track workout on Monday left me completely wrecked. I was absolutely shot all of yesterday and seriously concerned about my ability to put in a run this morning. But I got a good night of sleep and woke up feeling a hell of a lot better than I expected.
I took the mp3 player to the park for this one. I wanted to get a run at a reasonable pace -- nothing crazy fast -- but I didn't want to slack off either. It was nice and cool with a nice level of humidity to boot.
It started off a bit rockier than I expected. I was wanting for breath and couldn't drop into my rhythm. But by mile one I had it moving along rather well. The back half of the workout was a straightforward groove under complete control but well under the threshold of an all-out effort. read morefriday, september 10, 2010
Easy Run
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 33:59
Pace: 8:30
Comments: I was very sore in my quads after the run on Wednesday and didn't really have a way to stay off my legs and let them recover. I was determined to get my runs on but it is pretty clear the schedule here in Tuscaloosa with the Penn State game coming up that'll be tough.
So I decided to go to an every-other-day schedule. I skipped yesterday and put in the four miles this morning. Tomorrow, gameday, I'll be off but I will put in the long run on Sunday.
This morning, though, the humidity and the hills were in full evidence. I felt pretty good but even these "easy/recovery" runs are a bit of a battle. Still, got through it a bit quicker than on Wednesday.
Conditions:Hour: 9:30 a.m. read morewednesday, september 08, 2010
Recovery Run
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 34:49
Pace: 8:42
Comments: I arrived in Tuscaloosa yesterday and knew this morning's run was gonna be a bear. My legs were sore all yesterday from the track workout and the humidity here is as impressive as ever. Add to that the rolling hills of the area and you have a heaping helping of fun.
So I went out pretty strong but not crazy and then just tried to keep steady. My final overall pace was a bit slower than I had hoped but not terribly so. Mostly I was happy to finish without feeling whipped. I think this effort fully qualifies as a "recovery" run.
The nice thing about being back in Tuscaloosa is I was able to greet everyone I saw with a hearty "Roll Tide" and be sure to get on in return. Every yard I passed boasting a Alabama Crimson Tide flag was a great inspiration to keep after it. read morewednesday, september 01, 2010
Easy Run
Distance: 3.47 miles
Time: 30:00
Pace: 8:38
Comments: I was pretty sore yesterday after the full-on track effort Monday. My upper hamstrings and buttocks in particular. So, weirdly, I was kind of looking forward to this run to work out the achy.
I got out pretty late due to some morning obligations and it was pretty warm by the time I arrived at the park. With the sun I was really hot really fast. I felt strong but deliberately kept the pace slow, actually even slower than I expected by the time I wrapped it up.
Conditions:Hour: 10:00 a.m.
Surface: dirt
Weather: clear
Temperature: 95 degrees
Humidity: 24 percent
Wind: none
Location:Thude Park, Chandler, Arizona read morewednesday, august 25, 2010
Recovery Run
Distance: 3.58 miles
Time: 30:00
Pace: 8:24
Comments: Felt pretty rested after a day dragging post-track workout. The start was a bit unpleasant and stiff but eased up amazingly well. After the first quarter mile I felt pretty good and tried to keep a level stride rather than push it. The average pace was kinda unspectacular and I still slowed a bit on the third mile but not astonishingly so. Overall, this was a nice solid run and I had a great time doing it.
Conditions:Hour: 8:30 a.m.read more
Surface: dirt
Weather: clear
Temperature: 90 degrees
Humidity: 39 percent
Wind: none
Location:Thude Park, Chandler, Arizona
Shoes: Mizuno Wave Inspire 6
Sin Musicasaturday, august 21, 2010
Easy Run
Distance: 3.68 miles
Time: 30:00
Pace: 8:10
Comments: Got swamped in the morning and unable to make it to the park until nine - and it was certainly on the warm side when I got there. That said, I felt pretty good starting out and my first two miles worked out to 8:07 and sub 8:00 pace. But things got rough on the back end of the workout. I really started dragging at the 25:00 mark and had to focus hard to finish the workout. The pace on that portion suffered as a result.
Conditions:Map & Details: Garmin Connect
Hour: 9:00 a.m.
Surface: dirt
Weather: clear
Temperature: 98 degrees
Humidity: 27 percent
Wind: none read more
