Morning 5

Just did an easy 5 after 5 hours of work. Today will be my true recovery day for the week. I will run 7 for my other easy day but that wont have quite the same effect as an easy 5. This week is looking like it might be close to an all time high for me.

Unplanned Tempo

AM - Easy 4

PM - I had originally attempted to do a tempo tomorrow afternoon but I ended up doing one tonight. It happened tonight simply because I was pissed at how slow I was going on my medium 9 miler. I came through 4 miles in low 27s, and after that I just gradually picked it up until I hit 4.5 to 5.5 in 5:30. At that point I realized it was too late to shut it down so I just went with it and I ended up doing 4 miles in 21:33.
The positives for the workout was that I ran it 10 seconds faster than 3 weeks ago, and this time I did it in trainers as opposed to racing flats. My goal is to get the 4 mile tempo down under 20 minutes a few months from now...we will see how that goes.


Clinton and Obama...how will they perform when the pressure is on?
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0507/4155.html

Throwback Monday

I did the typical monday from my days atJMU. I started with an easy 6. Nothing really interesting happened during the run. Except for maybe when I turned around thinking a bike was coming behind me on the W&OD horse trail, but it turned out it was a cop car which was very surprising.

After the 6, I did about 8 strides on the horse trail in the pegasus racers. Unlike my JMU days, I did the full 2 mile cooldown to hit 9 miles for the day.

BonkFest

I ran a rough 15 miles this morning. The first couple miles were a little rough because of stomach pains but I ended up getting through that without much trouble. The next few miles until I turned around at 7.5, I felt great. Then somewhere between 6 and 6.5 to go, I started feeling a little off. From about the 6 to go, I knew there was an inevitable wall coming. At this point, I just started running from one half mile marker to the next without putting out too much effort and at the same time making a concentrated effort to keep the pace decent.
As I concentrated on making it to the next half mile marker, I started to struggle without breaking down. I stopped at every water fountain in hopes that hydrating might help a little (3 water breaks total). Finally the wall arrived with 2 miles to go. At that point, I just ran and didnt think about much else. It got to the point where I couldnt even really feel my legs and they just kind of moved on their own.
I still managed to get in 15 for the day under 6:20 pace, which isnt bad considering how bad I fell apart on the second half of the run.

Miles for the week: 66

Morning 5

Just ran the typical 5 miler from the place. Nothing special occurred. I did feel pretty good for a recovery day, so I shouldnt have too much of a problem hitting 75 next week.

Currently at 51 for the week.

Ten

I did a medium 10 on the canal today. I think I averaged a little under 6 minute pace; which isnt bad considering I finished the run around 12:30. It was good to get out and roll a little on the softer ground.

I got to see some wildlife that I find a little more interesting as I age. The snake in the middle trail wasnt interesting, that was just annoying.

9 miles on the trails

Ran 9 with Ben Cooke today on the trails in Georgetown. The trails in Georgetown are kind of a part of Rock Creek Park, and I think they are really Glover Archibold. I dont know how it works out, but it is pretty nice trail considering it runs straight through the city. You have to cross a couple roads, but for the most part is a single track trail.

I think I am at 36 for the week, which isnt bad for me through thursday.

Recovery

Morning - Easy 4 miles.

Afternoon - Easy 6 miles.


Both runs felt about the same. I didnt feel great and I didnt feel beat up. I guess thats exactly how I would expect to feel at this point in my training. I am starting to get the familiar point when I feel like I am doing too much, but my body quickly adapts and handles the increase in mileage quite well.

Attempted Workout

AM

The plan for the day was to hit off 5x1 mile with 1 minute recovery a little faster than the pace of my 4 mile tempo from a couple weeks ago. I ended up not feeling that great and only getting in about 3 repeats in about the time I wanted to hit. I decided to pull the plug before I started blowing up and running 5:40s, which would have ultimately occurred on the next mile.

I think there are a couple things that I need to correct so that doesnt happen during a more important workout. I definitely need to eat a little before, and I also need to hydrate the day before. I will still try and get out for another 30 minutes this afternoon.

PM

Just got an ran easy 4 after taking a nice nap. I felt good running even though my legs were still feeling beat up from this morning.

Easy 5

Ran an easy 5 miles in H-town with miller. Just resting up for tomorrows workout and the preceding morning run.

I did contemplate the possibility of doing the Philly Distance Run over the Rock and Roll half. The big difference is that Philly is 2 weeks later, but I would have actually have people running the same time I hope to run there. With Rock and Roll, I could actually sleep at home the night before the race. I will think about as time goes on and pay close attention to training to see which one suits me the best.

Too Good To Not Share

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,274138,00.html

Great Quotes: "If I was an extremist, our founding fathers would all be extremists," he said. "Without them, we wouldn't have our independence. We'd be a disarmed British system of feudal subjectivity."

"Zach was stopped April 17 on his way to Bible study"

Reminds me of a made up news story on the Dail Show

The Long Week Is Over

Miles Run: 56
Hours Worked: 53

Only one more day to go at Helly Hansen and then I drop down to full time 5 days a week at the running store. I think I feel will feel a lot more refreshed and will have some much need time off for some 2 a days if I can stay relatively pain free. Unfortunately last nights jog was a little painful in the groin area. I would say the pain was about a 6 on a scale of 1 to 10. Fortunately todays run felt really good; minus the extra 7 minutes I did not plan on running.

I got in a little over 13 for the day. I realized afterwards, that even though I planned to keep it easy, I probably spent half the run around 6 minute pace. I guess thats what happens when you run through a city. I just ran around and ended up getting a little lost until I found myself in Adams Morgan after running through a fairly diverse part of the city. I did have a little patella pain, but thats nothing new to me.

Nothing spectacular happened on the run. One guy in Adams Morgan did say something like "Pick it up, youve got one more mile to go!".

The Week Plan (5/21-5/27)

Ive decided that Im going to take things no more than a week at a time because I have no long my groin will hold. With that being said, here is the plan for next week:

Mon: 5-7 miles easy
Tues: 5-6 x 1 mile w/ 1 min recovery(a.m.)/ 5 miles easy(p.m.)
Wed: 7 miles easy (a.m.)/ 5 miles easy (p.m.)
Thurs: 8-10 miles easy
Friday: 8-10 miles medium
Saturday: 5 miles easy
Sunday: 13-15 miles easy/medium

Weekly Mileage: 66-75

The goal for the week is to get in some good base and keep building up to 85 miles. I also want to get a little bit of tempo work in, hence the 5-6 x mile with 1 minute recovery( jack daniels workout). The goal is for it to be a medium effort, starting in the mid-5:20s and picking up the pace throughout.

If anybody wants to get in on any of the runs, let me know.

Recovery (5.18)

I just did an easy/medium 7 miles around the district today. Actually I kind of ran around the busiest parts of the city. I started at the store and head along the river until I ran through a monument or two. After that I ran through downtown until I connected with M and 15th; which I took back towards the store.

Custis 10...5/17

Ive been thinking about the fact that I didnt have a 10 mile run yet for the area. I mean I could run out and back on the W&OD but that wouldnt be anything special. I guess running out back on the custis trail is somehow much more exciting.
Todays run involved running to the end of the custis trail and then running for about a minute on the W&OD (its nice the two trails connect). I ended up going out on the 4 miles of trail in 26 flat and coming back in just under 24, with the total 10 just under 62 minutes. I was really happy with the run because running 6:15s on custis is similar to getting under 6 on a flatter trail.

The previous day I ran about 8, so the last two days have gone fairly well. I did get a little groin pain in the last few miles of todays run, but it was nothing that really slowed me down. Who knows what the run for tomorrow will end up being. I do know that it will be flatter and it will be in the district.

Morning 5 (5.15)

I headed out at 8 this morning to get in an easy 5. I felt okay but for some reason it felt like a long run. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I was barely awake. As usual, I did this run without a watch. There is no real point to doing an easy morning run with a watch when I already know the distance.

Easy 9...5/14

I headed out to the W&OD today around noon to get an easy distance run in. I went out a 4.5 slowly and came back progressively quicker. I didnt wear a watch so I wouldnt get into a battle with the mile markers, so Im not sure how fast I was going but it was most likely around 7 minute pace.

My body felt okay considering I ran a race a couple days ago and I took yesterday off. I probably wont have much time to run tomorrow because I am going to see mono tomorrow when i get off of work at 8! I will plan on getting around 5 in the morning before work.

No More Races....Seriously 5/12

I decided at the last second to hop into the battle of the boulevards race in Arlington today. This turned out to be a major mistake on my part as I realized how out of shape I really am. I think I ended up running in the mid 34s(10k), which is an awful time for a workout for me.

I knew the course was going to out downhill and then turn around and come straight back up, so I attempted to go out at a tempo effort and then crush it up the hill. Well I went out at tempo effort, but I just didnt have it today and I ended up crashing big time. My last 5k was in the 18s.

I guess I needed a day like today to see that its time to train and get my ass into respectable shape.

Custis! 5/10

I hadnt been on the custis trail in quite some time and i was glad to get back to get my good friend. Who would have thought that one of my favorite trails in the d.c. area would be a paved trail that runs along a highway? One of the main reason I like it is because it is rolling and there are some decent hills along the way. Also, even though it parallels the interstate it still feels like you are away from things in the crowded metropolis.

The run...I ended up just running to beginning of the trail from the running store. I am assuming I ran a little under 9.5 total and the pace was probably sub 7, which is actually pretty good for that trail. I was a little tired from yesterdays double, but I just kind of ran and tried to run a little quicker than a recovery jog. It was a good medium effort day and I will make sure to take the next couple days fairly easy, considering im working 10 hours a day.

Weekly Mileage: 31

Tempo 5/9

I decided that I would get in a 4 mile tempo this morning and it went fairly well. I ended up hitting 21:41 for the four miles with splits of 5:26, 5:28, 5:25, 5:22. I ran it completely based on how I felt without looking at my watch until I finished. I stayed fairly strong the entire time and didnt really feel to beat until the last half mile. The last half mile was kind of rough because it was straight shot so you could see the entire straight, and it was also a gradual incline which added to the difficulty.

In the grand scheme of things, I still have 17 weeks until the half marathon and since it takes me awhile to get rolling, today was not really any indication of whats to come. I plan to do this workout every few weeks as a benchmark workout, with the goal of getting down closer and closer to 20 minutes for the 4.

With warmup and cooldown, I got in a total of 8 for the morning. Im hoping to get in a second run later on and possibly a nap before that. Im fairly excited at the moment because I busted out the crock pot to throw together a little chili. This is my first time making chili, so it will be interesting to see how it turns out.

Easy Six 5/8

6 miles (38:41)

I headed out to the W&OD to just go for a run sans parameters and I ended up with an easy 6. A few miles into the run, my foot started to hurt a little and that was when I decided to turn around. After I turned around I picked it up as I came back and finished with a 5:31 for the final mile.

The goal for the tomorrow is to get a 20 minute tempo in. I would also wouldnt mind going for a second run if my foot so kindly obliges(or maybe my groin will flare up tomorrow). I also have enough gas in my car to go for the usual wednesday visit to trader joes!

four 5/7

I just did an easy 4 miles from the place tonight. I got a little light headed which happens randomly sometimes; and I tend to cut runs way short whenever it happens. Fortunately I only planned to go 5, so it wasnt a big deal.
Injury Update: The groin actually felt pretty good, and my foot pain was minimal. The foot thing is kind of an unknown thing...so Im just taking it day by day.

Tempo 5/6

Ran in the Sallie Mae 10k as a tempo run. Overall it was a really good workout. I hit around 33:12 for my total time.
I kind of ran fairly hard just because I never really felt that smooth during the race. My groin was kind of throwing my stride off and I think I was just not wide awake given how early it was.

Rest 5/5

I ended up having to take yesterday off because my foot was hurting when I was just walking around. I also agreed to do a race this Sunday which I will just use as a workout. I am not going to go out and get embarrassed like the previous week.
I am also going to take today off because I do not have the time to get a run in before I go to work. Fortunately I did go down to the fitness center and lifted for a little, so the day was not a complete waste.
The weird thing about today is that I really really want to go for a run but I am just lacking the time and running at midnight tonight is not one of the best ideas considering I have workout at 8 tomorrow.

Tempo 5/3

I had no workouts planned for the week, but I ended up getting a tempo in today. This was a textbook effort based tempo rather than a tempo based on trying to hit a certain time which was really nice. I felt like I was flying without putting any real effort in at all.

The best part about the workout is that I have no idea how fast or how far I made it; I just stopped when I got the urge to stop. So Im anticipating that there will be no more workout until next week when I will try and throw down a 20 minute tempo at a quick pace...and this unfortunately will not be quite as effort based as todays was.

The only bad thing about today was that groin hurt on my cooldown, but at least I got in another run before my groin completely falls apart. I think I ended up hitting over 9 miles for the day in little over 58 minutes.

10 to 7....5/2

7 miles (6:14 pace)

I had thought about doing a medium 10 today but I realized with the mileage that I wanted to hit for the week that it would probably be better just to do 8. Well on the way out I didnt feel great at all. I had that feeling that if I didnt turn around at 3 miles I would suffer from dehydration. I ended up compromising on turning around at 3.5 for a 7 mile day.
Usually when I have a run that doesnt go well, I end up feeling decent either at the end or when I first start. I did not have the good fortune of either today. Early on I felt like I was hurting from dehydration and at the end my groin was hurting the way it usually hurts at the beginning of a run.
Its hard to keep convincing myself but I still believe that running with the pain is still better than not being able to run at all.

Painful Easy Run 5/1

~6.75(no watch)...fairly easy

Well...I like to start these things with well when things go wrong apparently. I was definitely hurting in the groin(sports hernia) more than normal thanks to yesterdays bike fest. Fortunately the whole run wasnt as uncomfortable as the first couple miles. I think I ended up getting 6.75 in for the day and I didnt wear a watch so the pace was all over the place. I started out slow and got progressively quicker until I turned around. Once I turned around I kept things even and didnt pick it back up until the last mile.
I decided to wear the Saucony Hurricanes which from this point on will be referred to as the "the bricks" in an effort to keep the pace slow. As always, they did their job. I am pretty much expecting that I will be feeling a lot better tomorrow in the groin area, which will hopefully allow me to get in a medium 10.