a fun one! longer and faster

i was thankful for 720 paces feeling slow and easy. because of how I felt (good), I allowed the pace to stay very lax as I clicked off 730s because I now had plans to pick it up, at least the last 3rd of the run.

I figured I would try and run 14 miles and make the last 4 or 5 around marathon pace, if not slighty quicker. (thinking 650 here).

the run was familiar as I went through the neighborhoods towards dilworth and then downtown. It was a nice route coming back as well, as I came back down the greenway (just like yesterdays run).

i started up the quicker pace a little earlier than planned but dang it i was feeling pretty strong.

Just used the run as an occasion to get some work in while reaping the benefit of a happy mood and cooperative legs.

after the 14 miles I cooled down a mile and a half. I opted for a cooldown after my last mile was 558. Figured I needed it.

Miles: 15.5 (includes cool down)

pace - for 14 miles: 7:07

weather was pretty and I wore shortsleeves comfortably.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/125414297

freedom park out and back

okay, confidence is coming slowly back by this point. It's helping my hopes that my lapse in focus from last weekend until end of this week wont effect me too negatively.

nice to change the route up and get out towards myers park.

here are the vitals: 8.43 miles
7.07 ppm

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/125091592

back for more

hit up the neighborhood again to make it two days in a row. Even though this week is in the taper mode, I'm scrambling now to make it a decent week.

At least my legs felt much better today. I feel the cold weather helps a quicker pace right out of the gate, because you are trying to get warm.

4.06 miles in 6:59 pace. Felt comfortable.

resurfaced

thank you App State homecoming for de-railing me. (sarcastic).

I was in Texas earlier this week and didn't even bring my shoes.

When I got home on this day, I went out for a run, but I felt bad.

5.5 miles around 7:50 pace and just unpleasant. Poor diet and just a build up of rust.

old stomping grounds

This is the meat of the entry

In college, I never needed to run this far. Now, I have run both sections of Moses Cone carriage trails, but not both in the same run. Today, David and I attempted it with success.

We parked at Trout Lake Friday afternoon at 3pm on the dot, and set off for our 20 mile run.

Nicknames for parts of the trail back in college have stuck, and that is how I still refer to the different sections.

The run was beautiful, and such a treat. My legs cooperated for the most part, and I was able to get it all almost done. The last couple miles were kind of a slow death march, but I managed to keep running. When we got to the car, we were just over 19 miles, and I decided I was finished. I know I set out for 20, and came up short, but less than a mile with the work I had just completed, I was content to call it a day.

This run served as a great trail for hill training, strength, endurance, turnover, and mental toughness. Click the link above to see the garmin splits and elevation to get an idea.

19.08 miles
2:26:53 time
7:42 pace

tremendous eleavation

Miles for week: 49.39 (wanted to run Sunday, as that was the plan, in order to hit my highest mileage- but App State Homecoming got the better of me.)

easy run, but feeling good!

just a shake out run as the workout was yesterday and the long mtn run in the following day. My legs actually felt the best they had in a couple weeks, but i kept the brakes on despite it - also because I was with Brinkley and he was wanting to keep it slow. No problem.

Miles 5.16
Time: 39:43
Pace: 7:42

track workout - 1 repeat

cool, but not cold....windy, and wet track. Would be doing this workout solo.

Warmed up about 3 miles and then put on my new race shoes.

Didn't have a specific time to shoot for, but for some reason within the first half of my first repeat, i decided to change it up. I was planning on doing 3x3200, but the first mile just felt too stiff, and i didn't want to stop twice and regroup and all that, and then feel like I had to go faster. So what did I do? I just ran 24 laps on the track and tried to hold pace without digging too much, and called it a workout.

I definitly felt better towards the end. Holding the pace was not a problem. I let off the brakes the last mile so my legs could breath and get some turn over. It felt good to do that.

Again, it was pretty windy on the back stretch of the track, and I was just out there running alone. I'm happy with it. It was solid workout, without feeling like I worked too hard for the result.

6:20, 6:16, 6:23, 6:26, 6:15, 5:44   =614 pace

cool down 2 miles

Miles for day: 11

signs of hope

don't call it a comeback...yet. But my legs felt a little better on this run, and while they were still nothing close to springy, bouncy, and light - the pace was quicker dispite that. We are heading back in the right direction!

Just did an out and back, with only enough time to get in 45 mins or so of running, due to having to be somewhere at 6:30pm.

you can see the run started off slower and I got stronger as I went along. Pumped the brakes at the end so as not to spend too much on the effort.

miles: 6.04
pace: 7.30

i've lost that loving feeling

grinding...I tell you what, it took me over 7 miles until my legs felt decent. Tightness, stiffness, and the like plagued my legs for most of this run, as I was struggling to hit 830 miles (hilly). While I had slight relief Saturday from taking Friday off, the 19 miles set me back a little bit on the road to recovery. But that's fine, that's why I am out here grinding for just a little while longer, until the magnificent taper.

Miles: 8.11
Time: 1:04.29
Pace: 7:57

Garmin  -

going long

Ah the weekely long run. The staple of marathon training. Nice to be able to get out to trails to get the miles in, as the week is filled with pounding the pavement. Anyway, arrived at McAlpine just after 8am to join David, Jason, and Mike Mitchell for a run. David had already started, as had Jason, and Mitchell was going to join and get a maintennce run in. His long run would be the next day.

As the week has found my legs empty and tired, I was hoping the day off yesterday would serve me decently in an effort to get in 18 or so miles.

The pace started off easy, and I could tell my legs felt better than they had. We ran out on the greenway to the course and back, and met up with Jason. Some got water and gel, but I just used the bathroom and was ready to keep going. 6+ miles into, we set off again, this time perhaps a little bit faster, and did another loop where we came back to the lot, as David was finished. He had just run his farthest training run at 22 miles. Now, being 13+ miles into the run, I stopped to take some GU Chomps and was ready to finish. Jason did a couple miles with me, then he was finished. He too had done 22 for the day.

With only a few miles to go before I hit my goal, I decided to add on a little more on the greenway, as I was doing my 4th out and back on that stretch of the trail. Ended up with 19 miles for the day, and the pace was stronger at the end.

The run wasn't too brutal, and I can say it was fine. Check out the splits:

Miles: 19
Time: 2:26:37
Pace: 7:43

Miles for week: 51

maxed out - need rest

just so when i look back and read this later, I will know how I felt during this stage of my running: not since college have my legs felt this tired. I'm in great need of a day off. Thankfully, Friday will be that day. As I have mentioned before, increased mileage, less days off, more workouts with races in a short span (8 mile tempo,15k,8mile tempo within 8 days), have all lead me to absolutley feeling tapped out.

Hoping I can get through my 18 miler Saturday, then just need to focus on one more solid week of training.

but today's run, here are the stats:

8.46 miles, 7:53 ppm

yep, my legs are officially beat up

Like the post title says, I can tell with some of my slowest runs of the year that I am not into a part of training that I didn't reach all calendar year unil now. And I know why. I have been running longer, harder, and more consecutivly the past 2, 2.5 weeks than ever, and the toll is being taken. The good news is not injuries are developing...just tired legs. My goal is to run 6 days this week, and that will mean I will take off this Friday. Last week I ran 6 days as well, and after this Thursday's run I will have run 7 days in a row. Through all that, we have had quailty long runs, workouts, and races. And higher mileage. I should get over 50 this week. Then I just have to gut it out for one more week where I hope to hit close to 60, then I can let my legs rest and taper until the marathon.
Garmin

Miles: 6.14,  ppm 8:17

hard training

Monday (10/10) set out to run 7 miles, easy - but how slow it would be I didn't expect. Perhaps my slowest run of the year. My legs were just trash. But I got the miles in.

miles: 6.92, 8:12 ppm

Tuesday (10/11) - another TEMPO RUN. after a 1 mile warm up, set off down Seneca with David where we "eased" into the quicker stride. A little faster than the beginning of last week's tempo, but not too quick. Dropped the pace the next few miles consecutively as we made our way around the Booty Loop. After 4 miles I was starting to feel it, and from here on in it became of battle of mental toughness. My legs didn't feel fully recovered after last weeks tempo and race, so here I was fighting to stay on pace. I actually dropped a quick 6th mile, but the 7th mile I really slowed down. The course was much flatter than last weeks, but I felt like I was really pushing myself harder. I was running pretty much solo after 4 miles, after David pulled away. Even though I felt like I was slow, my splits were not too bad. The last mile I dug down real deep and started to catch David, and so I focused on finished as best I could. Was happy to see I just got under 6 mins! Not terribly disappointed from the day's effort at all, and know that I have just a week and a half of crunch time before I begin my taper. Check out the Tempo miles splits and course here!

faster tempo than last week, despite tired legs: 6:30 ppm, (52.00 mins), 8 miles, 5:59 8th mile.
miles for day: 10.5

rest of: week of last GPX race. LungStrong 15k

Tuesday (10/4) met Brinkley (he jogged over) at my house and headed out for an 8 mile tempo. Not much of a warm up (for me), as we went right into the first mile at nice but conversational clip. The route was going to be hilly, as we were going to go out towards Huntingtown Farms, but do the standard loop in reverse. The second mile we brought the pace down a good bit, and started to hold it and ride it for the hills in miles 2,3, and 4. Mile 5 was pretty flat, as we were on the greenway, and mile 6 was the beast of Colchester Hill (which is .3 miles long and rises over 100 feet. Still, we held a strong pace, and miles 7 and 8 we dropped the hammer a little bit for our fastest splits of the day. The run was almost a progressive tempo with the splits, and with the hills, it was a GREAT workout. Found myself hurting, and having to push - something I haven't had in a while, and no doubt, it helped train me mentally as well. CHECK OUT THE SPLITS AND ELEVATION CHANGES. (9.12 miles for the day in total)

6.32 average ppm (for 8 mile tempo)

Wednesday (10/5) arrived in Dallas, checked into my room, and headed out the door for a warm easy recovery run. Legs were tired, and a slow pace was in order. Garmin stats.

6 miles, 7:55 ppm

Friday (10/7) got home, and slipped on my new racing shoes and jogged around for a few miles, making sure they felt alright. Shoes felt fine, and so did my legs. Ready for a good race.

3.19 miles, 7:54 ppm

Saturday (10/8) LUNGSTRONG 15k.
Last race of the Charlotte Run For Your Life Grand Prix 2011 series. I was 4th going into the event, and it seemed I would settle there unless I would run out of my mind and win or something.
The weather was perfect, and I had a decent week of training, sleep, and nutrition leading into the race. Warmed up with David and went to the line for a couple strides to loosen the legs. The gun went off, and I got with David and we settled into a nice comfortable pace of just over 6 mins. The first few miles clicked by easily, and it was actually conversational as David and I and the group would converse just a little bit as we got into the meat of the race. I was ahead of my time after 3 or 4 miles, from last years race, and I was feeling okay. In the back of my head though, I felt I might be pushing it a little hard if I was going to have a second half of the race that was just as quick or faster. I wasn't suede, and in the 4th mile I started to pull away slightly and only momentarily from David and the group. We started passing the group ahead, and once I was alone, I looked back and called up David to come join me. We ran side by side, with only Eric Bilbrey up ahead in our sights. I said, "let's go get him," and we focused on trying to reel him in. We encouraged one another until about 6 miles, when I started to fade and David got some gap on me. I could tell I was starting to hit my wall, and wasn't able to go with him. Now, I just was going to have to make sure I didn't fall apart. As the 7th mile split passed, I looked at my watch and thought I would have really slowed down, but was pumped up when I realized I hadn't fell off too much. I closed my eyes as I ran right into the sun going up the hills on the 8th mile, and felt as if I could have drifted to sleep, while my body kept being pulled to the center of the road. I was just trying to hold on here, and not let the group behind me, have an easy time catching up. The 9th mile, 2 guys behind me came up. The first guy I went with for mabye 200 meters, then he got a little gap on me, and I tried to keep it as close as I could. With less than half a mile to go in the race, another guy came up with me and this time I went with him about 300m and he pulled away. Here, we clicked the 9 mile split, and had .3 miles to go. I remembered last year I fell off at the .3, and decided I was going to have an all out kick. I started my kick and immediatly passed the guy who had just passed me, and started reeling in the other guy who had passed me about a mile ago. I caught him on the last turn to the finish, and sprinted in the last 100 meters with everything I had, and came across the line in a new 50 sec PR. I was happy.

My pace for the run was the same as my pace for the Hit the Brixx 10k race, so that is something right there (although I was sick with strep thoat that race). I felt I ran as best I could, and I was happy.

Splits: 6.10, 6.14, 6.06, 5.59, 6.10, 6.03, 6.13, 6.20, 6.18, 1.47 (.3)       for what it's worth, I didn't wear a GPS watch, and recorded my splits as I hit the mile markers on the course. David, who was wearing a GPS watch, recorded the course as 9.44 miles. Also, I was in a group who went the long way around an island in the road as we made a turn, not taking the inside lane as the course intended, no doubt extending the distance we ran.

Cooled down 4 miles with John Compton and Brian Baum, and went and had a nice breakfast at Toast afterwards with the guys. It was a great day of running.

miles for day: 15  ;    race: 6.10 pace

last year's post: http://danjeggers.blogspot.com/2010/10/lungstrong-15k.html

Sunday (10/9) didn't get to my recovery shake out run until almost 8pm. Just did the standard 4 mile loop at just a hair under 8 min pace. Needed for the legs.

4 miles, 7:59 ppm

Miles for week:  41

first time running to work

Car back in the shop, and wife leaving early than I wanted, I chose to run to work and knock out a run. This probably will be it for the day for me. I think I need a nice recovery, and maybe the next time I run will be Tuesday night. Anyway, other than it being chilly, and having to carry a backpack, the run wasn't bad. Legs felt fine.

Miles: 3.92
Time: 29.52
Pace: 7.37

Looking back, I did 42 miles last week. A nice comeback from the lack-luster week prior. Also, good confidence from the 17 miler the other day.

shake out

easy little 4 mile run, standard loop, early this evening to shake the legs out from the long run yesterday. legs felt a little sore but my pace wasn't sluggish.

29.20 time
3.98 miles
7.23 pace

(42 miles for the week)

weekend update

Yesterday I flew in from Austin, TX and had to drop my car off at the shot to get some work done, so I swung by the house on the way back from the airport to change into my running clothes before dropping it off. From the shop on South Blvd, I did an easy run home. Started off normal pace, but slowed it down and just strolled along until I got back. 6.4 mile run

This morning I woke up at 8:15am after a great night's sleep, and downed a piece of bread with peanut butter, and met David outside to start the run shortly thereafter. Weather was perfect on this first day of October. I mean perfect. The pace was easy at first, standard in the middle, and quicker towards the end. I felt generally great on the run, and can't complain. Also, it was all on pavement, since we didn't do the standard McAlpine trails for this long run. Maybe it was good to get used to the long pounding with the Marathon in our sights, but nonetheless it wasn't too much of an issue. Did my longest for the year at 17 long run map and pace chart