5 mile shake out

Time: 38:40

Easy effort to just put some miles on my feet. Slow and tired and a little tight from yesterday's workout. Running on the grass yesterday I think wore the muscles out a little more than normal, plus not having a recovery shake!

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fartlek in florence (alabama)

Took my talents to McFarland Park, right on the edge of the Tennessee river for this workout. Jogged from my hotel and at 18 mins started my first interval. Threw in a mixed bag of intervals, with some 5 on 2 offs, 3 on 130 offs, 4 on 2 offs, 230 ons, 1 offs, 2 on 1 offs, and in random order. McFarland Park was occupied mainly from an old golf course, with some light car-type track trails around the fields. It was like running on a grass field country course. Accumlated 36 mins of the work-out, and concluded with almost a mile of cool down. Legs were pretty sleep for the first half of the run, but then they became more responsive and I was starting to be able to open up a little better on the fast parts.

Time: 1.02
miles: 8+

sloppy 7

Hit up McAlpine with Mitchell after work - where we ran from Old Bell lot in the rain out to Margaret Wallace and back (then I added on some).

Miles: 7
55 mins

pace, 8.00

Cool wet weather was welcomed!

Time: 1.35.16
Miles: 13
Pace: 7.20

What a wonderful run. Just when I was getting a little discouraged with the runs, I can only feel that a break from the heat attributes to better runs (faster) more than I realized. Didn't make it out to McAlpine, so I chose to run all around the neighborhoods to log 13 for the day. Immediatly, as I came through the first mile in 7.34, I could tell that the run was going to be pretty good. With overcast cools skies, and a steady mist/sprinkle for the first half of the run, the weather was more than ideal for a quality long run. Feeling comfortable from the get go - and being that I wasn't running my longest run - I decided to hang on to the natural pace for the first 9 miles. With 4 miles to go, I had enough in the tank to try and pick it up for the last 4, and was able to average 6.56 pace for those last miles. The effort to get under 7 wasn't all out - maybe 85%, so I was upbeat at where my training has gotten to this point.

57.22 time
7.37 mi.
7.47 pace per mile

started around 10:15am this morning, with the sun already shining bright. Thought it wouldn't be so hot yet, but it was warm. Not a cloud in the sky, so when there wasn't shade it was very warm. For almost October, I'm tired of this heat! First mile was pretty slow, around 8:10 pace, then got a little more on pace. Last mile felt like I was going hard, even though it was only 7:44. I guess that's runing in the heat.

old bell hill workout

(6:00, 6:14, 13:52, 6:21). Goal was 6:10 for .9 mile hill loop, which is 6:50 pace per mile. After the second repeat, I decided to call an audible and run the loop twice on the third one. First repeat I ran a little too hard, and my legs felt burnt from there on. I thought since I was going to struggle to hit my times, I would run the the third one twice to keep my heart rate up and to work on a longer effort which in essence may be better for marathon training. The workout was great. I was pleased with the effort, despite the 90 plus degree temps and doing it solo. I did a 3.5 mile warm up in 29.15, and the work out was 4.5 miles. Between repeats I allowed 3 mins rest. I concluded the run with a mile cool down in 9:17. 9 miles total for the day.

night run

Miles: 5
Time: 39.18
Pace:7:50

Ran around my neighborhood, and enjoyed the cool temps of the night. Legs felt pretty good considering my long one yesterday. Probably off tomorrow, as I'll be going to my sister's volleyball game after work.

14 in the AM

Met with Mike Mitchell at the Margaret Wallace entrance at McAlpine at 8:30am. His old HS team-mate, John Wadsworth, joined us. Ran all over the greenways and trails, and started the run comfortable at probably over 8 min pace. I had forgotten my watch, so I had to ask Mitchell what are time was at the end, and along the way never knew for sure what our pace was, other than just a guess on feeling. The pace seemed pretty good for the distance. It felt like it averaged under 8 min pace, although going on his GPS watch, we didn't finish until 1.54.40, which is around 8.11 pace. That to me, feels like the watch rounded up, and we might have done more than 14 miles. Regardless, my legs felt pretty good. The last couple of miles was tough - just fatigue and continued pounding started to wear them thin a little bit - but the energy and endurance was acceptable. Also, I got stung by a bee on the last mile, and thus really picked it up, given the adrenaline boost that provided. Closed that last mile in 7:36, fastest split from Mitchell's garmin.

Ended the week with about 43 miles. Most so far. Staying on a nice track with the training.

Prepping the Legs

Miles: >6
Time: 46.30 (?)

Legs continued to feel less than par. Ran up into Huntington Farms, and down Colchester hill to the greenway, and back. Kept the pace slow in hopes to work the kinks out for the long run on Sunday.

Junk Food run

Managed to run, despite McDonalds for Breakfast at the airport, Budweisers on the plane coming home, and Wedney's for Lunch after we were home. Total trash in take. Still, went out to try and run 6-7 and finished with about 5 miles. Ran around Starmont behind us, and just slogged it through in well over 8 min pace.

Time: 39.15
Miles: 5~

Vacation Runs

Monday:

-Location: Manchester, NH
-Time: 30 mins.
-4 miles or so, around 8 min pace. Just did 15 mins out and back. Legs felt tight and not very great. Sore too.

Tuesday:

-Location: Portland, ME
-Time: 44:55
-6 miles or so. Went out in 24 mins at a slow 8 min pace, then on the way back picked it up. The last 15 mins, threw in some surges for a 'fartlek' style close. Legs felt better.

Wednesday:

-Location: Ellsworth, ME
-Time: 59:20
-8 Miles or so. Went out 30 mins, and came back quicker. Pace was pretty good from the get go. Legs felt the best they have in a week.

(The weather was cool and comfortable on the runs, being that it was in New England, and I ran in the mornings before 9am each of those days.)

Slow 8

Miles: 8~
Time: 1.06.40 (?)

Ran at a very pedestrian pace, and just was able to slog along for over an hour getting some miles in for the week. Heading off to New England for vacation next week, so not planning for runs this weekend. Still dead from the workout on Wednesday.

doing it to do it

One of those runs just had to force myself to slog through 4 miles. Should have gone 5-6, but it was hot, I wasn't properly hydrated, and I had better things to do!

Miles: 4
Time: 31:08
Pace: 7.47

Workout # 1: 7 Mile Progressive Tempo

So - the time finally came to do a workout. The goal was 7:30, 7:30, 7:15, 7:15, 7:00, 7:00, 6:45. I figured this was probably doable, and would still accomplish the desired effort I was looking to spend.

Met with Oelz and Jason, and we started at the starting line of the 5k course at McAlpine, and ran towards the Sardis/Old Bell parking lot. There, we would turn around and come back - reaching 4 miles - and then proceed to finish the 5k course. We started out a little quick - I think being geared up for the first workout of the year. We stayed around the times we wanted to hit, and once we started on the 5th mile - which was mile 1 of the course, we dropped it to just under 7 min pace. Jason went a little ahead here, and on the 6th mile - I started to feel the lactic acid setting in through my whole body. Just tried to keep the pace, and managed to have a good split for that "hill" mile, and then still close the 7th mile with my fastest split.

The effort to stay on goal - or the pace we had established early - was a challange, which is what I wanted. Perhaps if we went out more on pace and slower in the beginning it wouldn't have hurt as much in the end - but these kinds of runs are also runs designed to train your body to feel the pace. I think that this work out later in the year, will easier to gauge appropriate pace, after we get a couple more workouts under our belts.

Legs felt pretty good, the oxygen debt I experienced is to be expected given where I am with still building my base. I am pleased with the run.

Splits: 7.10, 7.20, 7.15, 7.05, 6.51, 6.58, 6.47, .49 (last .1 of the 5k course).

After ward we did a cool down mile.

Miles: 8

out and back negative split

Decided to keep the pace right at 8 mins for the first 3 miles, so at 24 mins I turned around and came back. I wasn't feeling super great, so my pace was barely faster coming back until about 1.5 miles to go. It picked up a little bit, and I ended up at....

Time: 47:05
Miles: 6
Pace: 7:51

Couple of runs at DeBordieu

FRIDAY 9/3: Since we got in around 5, I hung out at the house for about an hour until it was a little cooler, and set out to run 6. I had mapped a route that kept me on the streets of DeBordieu, although the total exceeded 6 miles by a little bit. The weather was warm, the streets were hard, and the run stayed pretty slow.

Miles: 6.25
Time: 50.10
Pace: 8:01

SUNDAY 9/5: Deciding to get up early and get my run out of the way so I could play golf and have fun in the afternoon, I was out the door around 8:15 to take on my 10 mile task. The weather was still cool, and I set out to do the 6 mile loop, plus an add on on the other side of the colony. Again, the route was over 10, but that was fine. I felt pretty good - kept the pace easy so I could sustain it throughout, and was actually having to hold myself back on the last couple of miles as I easily could have picked up the pace.



Miles: 10.5
Time: 1.24.42
Pace: 8.04

Asheville, NC - Bent Creek / Arboretum

Passing through Asheville from my trip to Knoxville, I drove into the section of the Pisgah National Forest that is wedged between the convergence of I-26/I-40, and parked off Bent Creek Road at a trail entrance. The weather was probably around 80, sunny, and low humidity (compared to Charlotte). I asked a guy who had just gotten back from a run, if he knew how I could get in 6 miles, and he gave me directions for a 6 mile loop he knew off the top of his head. I paid close attention, and decided to try that instead of doing an out and back. Realizing there are more than 50 miles of trails back in the forest, I hoped I wouldn't get lost.

The first two miles were up hill, but nothing too steep. It was a great workout running uphill, and the trails were great for running. I found the place where he said I turn, and from there the run went down hill for at least a mile. This lead me to the NC Arboretum, where I passed through a gate and started running along some river. Here the trail stayed relativley flat, and I got stung by a beer on my thumb.

After being stung, I piced the pace up - and was really feeling pretty good. I started to loose my barings here, and ended up at a parking lot entrance that I wasn't so sure what it was. I started running up one trail, back down it when I wasnt sure, back up it when I second guessed my self, then back down when he kept ascending and ascending. Once I got back to the parking lot I had run just around an hour, and from my effort I would say it was easily over 8 miles.

Here I found a nice lady who was leaving, and I was able to get a ride back to my car. I told her I was turned around and had run longer than I had planned, and needed a ride back to my car. She was nice, and it was fun to hitch-hike!

Great mountain trail running, good uphill workout, and good quick pace through out 2-3 miles of it.

Time: hour
Miles:8 +
Effort: Hill workout / Tempo