Runs #16 trhough #19

Hello all,

Well my hope was to blog about each run as they occurred, but life has gotten in the way of that plan at this time. For the grief I have received, I am still running, just not writing fast enough. Here are my latest ventures.

Run #16 - 5 mile run: Per the training program I am following, this was one of those "free" runs where time is not as important as getting the miles in. It was raining Friday morning so I ran on the inside track at the YMCA instead of on the road out front. If you just joined in, the track at the Y is elevated above the gym and you need to run 20 laps to get 1 mile - yup 100 laps. Talk about feeling like a mouse on a wheel. The run went well, turned on the tunes and tuned out the monotony. After 3.5 miles my right ankle began hurting (same ankle I injured before the Flying Pig). I switched directions at mile 4 and that seemed to stop the pain. I was really pleased when I looked at my time and I had averaged an 11:20 mile for the entire run. That may not sound impressive, but I was not really trying and was not winded at the end. Anyhow, I hit the showers and headed off to work.

The cousin reunion weekend: Well we headed to southern Indiana for the weekend to see some of my cousins and hang out with them. I planned on running my "long run" (10 miles) while I was there, but it did not happen. We did do quite a bit of fishing and running around though.

Run #17 - Long Run 10 miles: Well since I did not torture myself over the weekend with a long run, I decided that Monday morning sounded like a good time to do it. I did not have to work so I went to East Fork Lake and did the "Dam Run". I must have been affected by my lack of sleep from the weekend because I did not plan the course well. I ended up only running a VERY SLOW (13:10 mile) 9.5 miles. The biggest reason for the slow average mile time was that I ended up running the last 1.65 miles uphill (at a pretty steep grade - from the bottom of the dam to the parking lot). But I did get my miles logged.

Run #18 - Speed Work: Tuesday morning I got up and headed to the YMCA to do my speed work out. I had to run 2 - 1 mile splits at my 10K pace (10:30 mile) and 6 - 200 splits at my 5K pace (9:30 mile). Mile 1 mile splits I ran outside on the road in front of the YMCA. i have never run well on that route and today was not exception. My 1 mile splits averaged a 11:15 mile. I think one of the problems with this run is that I do not have good markers to pace by and another is that the run is boring (flat, nothing to see, and out and back). However, I made up for the poor performance on my 200's. I ran an average split of 1:04, which equals an 8:32 mile. Also, each split was faster than the previous.

Run #19 - Pace Work: Today was not only the day I had to run what I have deemed my "WSR" ( Weekly Survival Run), but also the third straight day of running. It was raining when I got to the YMCA so I ran inside. The training plan called for a 4 mile run at my 1/2 marathon pace (11:00 mile), 1 mile at my 10K pace, and 6 stride splits (100m build to a 90% of full speed run for 1o seconds). I started out well. My first 2 miles were at a 10:50 mile pace then my friend Barb joined me. Running with someone who runs shorter distances and has fresh legs is always a challenge, but she is great to run with so I have someone to talk to. The next 2 miles were a 10:34 and a 10:17!!! Barb was as surprised as me when I told her what the splits were since we basically talked the entire time we ran. I ended up skipping the 1 mile at my 10K pace since I basically ran the 4 miles at that pace. I finished up with my stride work and it went well as well. I feel like I broke the curse of the WSR, if only for this week. I also came tot he realization that running back to back for 3 days is pretty taxing on the body.

Tomorrow is a "rest" day, but I may go swim if I wake up early enough (that silly cross training thing). I am definitely NOT running tomorrow, even if chased.

My next 2 runs are Friday and Saturday and I am going to try and stay on my schedule from now on. Even though I did run the Flying Pig this spring, over 21 miles of training runs in 3 days is rough.

Blog at you again soon.

In Him,

Romans 8:31

Runs #13, #14, and #15

Good evening all,

Though I try to do good, I continue to fall short of my mark.  Seeing how this past weekend was my 12th anniversary, I was not very focused on running.  I missed a couple of runs this week as a result.  Alas, I am having to blog on multiple runs.  So, here we go:

Run #13 - 6.25 miles:  I got up Saturday morning ate breakfast and Laurel and I headed to the track in Bethel.  Laurel was going to walk while I ran . Since it was a 6 mile run and that would be 4.5 laps, I changed my course and ran 1.5 laps then to and through the cemetery in Bethel and then another 1.5 laps.  My pace for the first half of my run was great. I was running a 10:45 mile.  When I got to the cemetery it was later morning and there was no shade.  That is one of the factors for my time crash.  The other was that I did not take any water with me for the run.  On my longer runs I take water and get a drink every mile or so to stay hydrated.  My final average pace was a 12:20 mile, which was not bad, but considering my starting pace...

Run #14 - speed work:  Monday morning I went to the YMCA and did my speed workout.  I did my 1 mile splits outside on the road and my 200's (1/8 mile) splits on the indoor track.  My average for the 1 mile splits was dead on my target of a 10:30/mile.  My 200's were also right on track, averaging a 1:04/split (which was actually faster than what I needed).  

Soccer Conditioning Run:  We did our Monday conditioning run with the soccer players and families who showed up at the Dairy Barn.  We had a good showing and everyone improved on their time expect for my oldest who slipped to a 9:30/mile.  Granted, she had been swimming for about 90 minutes prior to running AND then went back and swam some more after running.

Run #15 - Tempo run 4 miles (Wednesday Survival Run - WSR):  Today was my "WSR".  At least this is one run that is consistent - consistently bad!!!  My pace for the 4 miles was a 12:20.  It should have been an 11:00.  The 1 mile at my CI (Cruising Interval) was an 11:30 and should have been a 10:30.  The only good things about the run today, was the company, my Speed Work, and the fact that I got 6 miles total in.  I survived yet another WSR!!!

This evening the girls and I rode bike for about 90 minutes and then I attempted to tackle a couple of the "quad trails" behind my house.  Bad idea on a mountain bike, especially as steep as these are.  Anyhow, I got a little cross training in.

Well, I am going to go finish laundry and head to bed shortly.  Talk to everyone again soon.

Peace,

Romans 8:31

Runs #10, #11, and #12

Good evening all,

It is good to be back on the "Grid" again. I have a lot of catching up to do on my run blog. First though, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend. It was nice spending time with the family without the hustle and bustle of work and everyday life. OK, now to my runs

Run #10 - 9 miles: We were in Springfield over the fourth of July weekend so I decided to run through town. My goal was to get 8 miles in running around town. Like my post on Face Book said, it was a great run, but equally depressing. The run itself was good. I averaged an 11:00 mile for the first 5 miles and my overall average was a 12:40 mile (the last 3 miles was up/down hills getting back home since pedestrians are not allowed on the overpasses in town). I felt great after wards. No pain, stiffness or anything.

The depressing part was how much my home town has changed. I ran past Community Hospital, where I was born. It will be closing when the new hospital opens downtown. The next major landmark was the site of the old International Harvester Plant, where my dad worked for many years. The plant is gone and all that is left is fencing and overgrown grass. Then, as I ran through downtown I passed the State and Regent theaters, both closed. I cannot count the number of movies I saw there growing up. The empty store fronts did not help either. As I rounded out my run, I ran past several of my old haunts (AKA bars we went to that are closed and boarded up). The Vining Broom company off of Kenton St. and the other industrial buildings that are now vacant, overgrown, and just a shell of what they once were. Then past "Finch's" party store, where I would ride to buy a soda and candy bars and play video games (when they were cool - Space Invaders, Centipede, etc.) and pinball., now under new ownership and not the same. Finally, I ended my run coming up my street and dead ending into the vacant lot where my elementary school once stood. All that is left are the trees and my memories.

Sorry to drone on about the past, and date myself in the process, but I guess that the only constant in life is change. While the bricks and mortar may be gone, the places live on in my memories like it was just yesterday. Reuniting with an old friend on Face Book over the weekend reminded me how blessed I am to have such fond memories of my childhood and the wonderful people I have known. Thanks Teresa.

Run #11 - Speed Work: Since I had Monday off, I did my speed work on the walking track in Bethel. I typically do this running on the indoor track at the YMCA so that I have an accurate way of measuring distances, but the track is marked with quarter miles so it worked well. The runs went well. I met or beat all of my target times and felt great afterwards. The second part of this day was the unofficial soccer conditioning run that I have been doing with some of the kids from the girl's soccer teams (7-9 year old girls and any siblings/parents who want to run). We meet and run a 1 mile course. I discovered that I am in BIG TROUBLE!!! Aaron, a friend of mine who is an X-marine, led the group so that I could keep the middle of the pack together. My oldest daughter (who is 9) ran an 8:32 mile!!! I don't even train at that pace!!! Aaron said she set the pace and he just kept up with her. She was also not really winded when she finished, just wanted her water. Man, this is not a good thing.

Run #12 - Tempo work: This run has been the thorn in my side since I started training. I cannot get the pace, I routinely miss my target time by 1 minute plus, and it is generally a depressing outing. So, I have renamed this run my "survival run". I will continue to run what I need and attempt to make my times, but I have resigned myself to the fact that it is going to suck. And this one was no exception. I ran a 12:40 mile average for the 2, 2mile Pace splits. This was even more depressing when you consider it was over 4 minutes slower than my 9 year old daughter's time for a mile. But, I put in the miles and the work.

I am taking a run off this weekend to enjoy my anniversary, but will be running my distance run this weekend at some point. I will blog again soon.

Thanks for keeping tabs on me and holding me accountable for my runs. You rock!!!

In Him,

Romans 8:31

Runs #8 and #9

Good evening all. I have a a few minutes while grandma puts the kid to bed to write up my last 2 runs.

Run #8 - Pace Interval 4 miles: Well like I have said time ad time again, I CANNOT PACE FOR CRAP!!! And this run was no exception. The training plan called for 2x2 mile pace runs with a 800 jog interval and then 4x200 Stride Runs. I ran outside at the YMCA on the road. It was cool, but 92% humidity. The first split was close to my pace. The next split was run in the rain and my time sucked big time. My overall average for the 4 miles was almost 90 seconds/mile over my target pace. I was frustrated and bummed afterwards. training this time of year has always been tough for me. Last year it was because I had run a half marathon and felt like training was not necessary for another one. This time I think it is due to having run a full marathon and now training for another run which is half the distance. My motivation tends to wain and my runs reflect it.

Run #9 - Open 4 miles: This morning was one of my open runs. I do not have any time requirements, just get the miles in. I went into Bethel to run the walking track. It is a 1.3 mile track with a small hill and slow grades. Laurel and the kids were going to meet me toward the end and run with me ( at least the girls were). I put on my Mp3 player, selected a country mix and took off. My first mile was a 10:19 (40 seconds under my target pace) and I was not even trying, just running. When Laurel and the kids met up with me I was at about mile 2. The girls finished the second lap with me and at the 2.6 mile mark I was still running a 10:20/mile. The next 3/4 mile was with whining kids so it was slow. When I go to the 3.5 mile mark, Laurel took the kids and I finished the last 1/2 mile at a 10:30 pace. My final mile average for the 4 miles was an 11:00 mile pace (dead on my target pace). I felt great, was not winded, and felt like I could go another 4 miles. It was really strange, Wednesday I could not make my time if I tried, today I did better than my pace without even trying. I wonder if it was because I was not trying or felt like I had to make a certain time.

Anyhow, I feel better about my running today. we'll see if the "high" lasts through my long run tomorrow. I am running 8 miles in the morning around Springfield. I am not sure exactly where I am running to, but I need to get some hill work (specifically downhill) to get ready for the Spirit of Columbus, which is a point to point downhill half marathon.

I will blog at you again soon.

Peace,

Romans 8:31