Practice To Suffer So Racing Becomes Easy

Whoops lost my notes for the day.  I guess that's why you should save.  

Today 4:50 mile and goal number 1 accomplished post Grandma's Marathon.  Now that I've broken the 5:00 minute mile and build up my mileage to 70 per week and made interval work a part of my weekly training routine the next step is to improve my 10K and 1/2 marathon performances.  

I felt good today despite the awful week of running in the heat.  I felt a little burnt from my Thursday and Friday runs so I took Saturday off to ensure I could accomplish my goal today in the mile and it paid off! 

My accomplishments this past month included the following:

5:09 1600 meter race

5:01 mile race

4:50 mile race

Built up mileage from 30-70 miles per week after recovering from Grandma's marathon

Changed diet to a more vegetable, fruit based diet

Dropped 5 pounds in unwanted fat and muscle

Built up to 10x400 meter in avg 1:18 pace, 10x200 in avg 36 sec pace, 4x1 mile w/5:50,5:50 @ T pace, 5:24,5:24 @Interval pace

Built the long easy run back up to 15 miles

Avoided burnout and injury

Well that mile race yesterday and the tempo intervals helped me shake the legs out.  I felt good today.  Average pace was 7:45 per mile on the Garmin.  The humidity was only 36% and the temp was 80 so I think that had something to do with the higher energy on the run.  I capped the run with 4 striders at 30 sec in the last 2 miles.  I was going to do 6, but decided to hold back due to 12x400 and 10x200 @ mile race pace tomorrow. 

Good solid 16 miles today from 10:30am-12:30pm.  Temp around 83, but low humidity made it more enjoyable.  Started with 11 on the road, finishing with 4 at (Steady State-Marathon pace according to Mcmillanrunning.com) on track and last mile as a cooldown mile.  Sometimes I can't believe how dumb I can be.  I thought I was running on pace for 5:55's in my track miles running 1:36-1:38 splits - duh not the correct pace after looking at my watch.  So those 4 were actually in no man's land between 1/2 marathon and marathon pace for me.  To my credit it was probably okay due to the heat and the fact I've got some tough interval workouts this week, so I just stuck at those miles and didn't push it.  My miles according to the Garmin - 8:08, 7:53, 7:38, 7:22, 7:21, 7:07, 7:06, 7:09, 6:56, 6:54, 7:07, 6:05, 6:05, 6:05, 6:13, 7:21 = 16 miles w/Avg of 7:02.  The road was rolling hills on hwy 106's shoulder.  Wind in the face on the way out (felt good) and wind at the back (could feel the sun and heat building on the way back - no shade).  This was my first run over 15 with any pace change during the long run in about 7 weeks.  It felt good to do one of these runs and I plan to do more in the upcoming weeks as I prepare for a 1/2 marathon.  I haven't decided which 1/2 yet, so I guess I better figure that out soon.  Added an hour of strength work at the gym to top off an excellent day! 

AM:  7  miles easy cool temps rolling hills, gravel shoulder (8:14,7:50,7:29,7:26,7:29,7:22,7:09) Avg. 7:34

PM: 5.26 miles easy cool and humid in town 8:09, 7:31, 7:37, 7:44, 6:32 = 7:27 Avg.  Storm rolled in and lightning was all over the place so picked up the pace the last mile just before it got really bad.  Nice blister on the bottom of my foot from the rain now.

Today I woke up in a funk and it just didn't get any better.  My day started with my 2 year old son biting me in the side and me flying out of bed screaming!  The rest of the day was one of those dreary days that make you want to crawl back into bed, but the days of doing that are long past me now that I have a son.  So I dragged myself to the coffee maker and found the next best thing to revive my body.  I would have gone for an am run to clear the mind, but I didn't want to push the week seeing as how I'm already on pace to go over a 10% increase in mileage and the humidity levels today were 93-95%, plus I had a feeling tonight was going to be tough.  Although, I finally broke down and went out for a 1 miler with my son after lunch.  It felt good to get out of the house push the little flesh eater around. I was definitely on edge all day.  Maybe it had something to do with a little anxiety about tonight's workout 5x1 mile intervals or maybe it was just a little over training, maybe a combination of both.  My new friend Karen met me at the track for her first interval workout since the Fort Atkinson 1/2 marathon.  We talked about her pacing and came up with a nice workout at 1/2 marathon pace for her.  She did a great job!  My work out on the other hand wasn't even close to being on the mark for me.  I was supposed to go 2x1mile at 5:33-5:40 and 3x1 mile @ 5:18-5:26 pace and instead I hit 5:42 and 5:44.  I thought to myself okay that's fine just settle in and start cranking it like I normally do for my 3x1 mile at 5:18-5:26 pace.  My legs felt good, but my lungs just couldn't take it.  I hit 5:38, 5:41 and at that point I was going to call off the last one thinking I'm way too off to justify doing the last.  I gave it a 2nd thought thinking it had more to do with the humidity than an off day, so I gutted out the last one for a 5:47 (at this point my shoes felt like boat anchors due to the flood my body was producing).  I'm questioning now that maybe my 4:50 mile race isn't a good indicator of a jump in fitness, or maybe my new fitness was spoiled with the hard 16 miler I ran on Tuesday.  It's hard to say, but I sure hope my 400's and 200's go better on Saturday so I can have some confidence going into my 5k race on Tuesday. 

Rather than feel bad about this workout I'm going to take away the positives! 

I completed the workout without injury.

I helped another runner complete a hard workout on a bad weather day.

God gave me the opportunity to spend a full day with my son.

Couldn't sleep last night.  Sure sign of burnout for me.  That happens only when I'm over training.  So tonight I made sure to go running when the sun went down to maximize an easy effort.  Deliberately ran slow running 8:08, 7:50, 7:59, 7:59, 7:59, 7:44, 7:02 (during this mile a bat hit me square in the side of my left ear - I jumped out of my shoes and started sprinting not knowing what the hell happened, the bat went rolling into the road out cold.  This was the first time that's ever happened to me and I'm sure the first for the bat!), 7:26, 7:56, 7:51 = 10.20 Avg 7:47 pace Temp 90, humidity 60%.

Anyone else been hit by a bat before?  After I was hit I noticed they were all over the place when I went by tree canopy over the road.  I found myself very freaked out by the amount of bats I saw flying just over my head and across the road.  No wonder I was hit!  No broken skin or you could bet I'd be getting a rabbies test.

Lift at Anytime Fitness - Usual for me

2xpushups to fatigue

2xpull-ups to fatigue

2xcable crunch to fatigue

3x8 single leg squat with 10 lb dumbbells and opposite foot on balance ball

2xhyper bact ext. to fatigue

2xhanging tucks to fatigue

2x medicine ball to fatigue

1 min bike crunch

1 min running arms with 10lb plates (focusing on big arms back and forward)

Nice day at Devil's Lake with the family.  Spent about 45 minutes doing some hard kayaking on the the lake and then spent the rest of the day swimming.

Interval workout mid 80's with 73% humidity.

4 mile warm-up 8:28, 7:28, 7:07, 6:56

12x400 meter w/6 at cruise interval and 6 at speed interval pace 81, 80, 80, 81, 78, 74, 76, 75, 76, 74, 73, 72 w/ 200 meter jogging rest

8x200 meter w/100 meter jogging rest at speed interval pace 36, 34, 33 35, 33, 32, 31, 30

3 mile cooldown 7:28, 7:00, 7:14

T=13.5 miles

Legs and arms tired from lifts, but starting to find the optimal balance between the two.

AM: Temp 90's, 95% humidity - 4 mile shake out 8:28, 8:08, 7:50, 7:40

7th year anniversary - spent the day with the family at the Dells.

AM:  Temp 87 and humid - legs didn't have much pop this morning.  No gps on this one, just tried to run easy, last few miles were a struggle in the hot sticky weather.

PM:  Temp 85 and humid - legs felt much better tonight.  5.75 w/4x100 meter striders

8:28,7:34, 7:32, 7:30, 6:47, 7:19, Avg:  7:32 pace

AM:  18 holes of golf riding in cart (playing lesson with pro) 96 degrees and 85% humidity.  First time at a tough course shot 100 - that's why I focus more on running!  Had a lot of fun despite the heat.  Would have had to run at 3:45 due to wife’s sched. (decided sleep and golf was more important). 

PM:  3.5 mile warm-up, 5K race 5:47, 6:06, 6:38 = 18:34 for 1^st place and a nice trophy.  Not much competition for a brutal hot/humid evening race.  93 degrees and 94% humidity.  The race felt like my mile repeats from last week (very hard to breathe and legs wouldn’t shift into 5K pace).  This was definitely a heat acclimatization workout more than a race.  All in all this was a great workout on a very difficult day.  Had to cut the cool-down short due to awards ceremony - 2.5 miles for a total of 9 miles.

Late PM:  4 miles no gps, very easy running – very sticky outside for 11 pm. 

I started my day today feeling a little sorry for myself because I didn’t think I’d get a chance to run today.  My wife had PT for her knee surgery and swimming this morning, so I would have had to wake up at 3:45 to run.  With the race last night and the late shake out run I thought sleep was more important.  The rest of my day from 7am-7pm was spent installing a roof on my camper.  It was a job that came about unexpectantly due to some storms that came through a few days ago.  Roofing has got to be my least favorite work, especially on a 90+ heat index day.  I was on the roof from 8:00-3pm without a break pushing hard to get the job done before dark.  I hit the wall at 3 and had to take a break because I was getting a little tipsy.  After an hour break I dragged my aching body back up the ladder and finished the job.  I cleaned up the site laced up my running shoes.  I figured I’d get 4-6 miles at best.  The first 4 miles I had to walk twice and I almost lost my cookies a couple times (drank too much water before I went out).   I made it back to the campground and decided to try for another mile, which turned into another 6 miles!  Other than the first 4 miles I felt reasonably good.  I walked one more time because I could tell my IT bands were very tight from the roofing and I was concerned about over stressing them.   My run looked like this  9:06,8:49,8:44,8:27,8:21,8:13,8:14,7:56,8:19,8:01 = 10 for avg. of 8:25 pace.  Although, I didn’t have a very relaxed day and this isn’t my typical routine I managed to turn my gloom and doom day into a very productive self-fulfilling day!

PM:  5 miles very easy - pushing the stroller.  My hamstrings and back need a recovery day from the carnage I put them through yesterday! Very sore, but at least it's only 83 and 62% humidity.  7:58 Avg.

AM:  I took my son out in the stroller for a late morning run.  We ran up to the middle school track.  When I got up there I let him out to do some running on the track.  When I was coaching track this spring he would run a 1/4 mile on the track with my athletes if I had to bring him to track.  I thought that was pretty good for a kid not even 2 yet.  Last week my wife walked while he ran about 3/4 miles he walked for about 25 meters then finished the full mile.  He's a determined kid!  Today he made it about 150 meters and had to walk - it was very hot on the black track at 10:30 am.  I walked with him about 10 meters and held his hand as he started running again.  I challenged him to sprint the last 25 meters on his own, which he did.  He said HOT, grabbed his water, climbed back in the stroller, let out a big sigh, and said "Go Dad".  I finished the run for 4.8 miles Avg: 8:18.  Jameson ran about 300 meters.  Jameson's lifetime miles are aprox. 3.5 miles. I'm so grateful he's a pack and play type of kid.  Jen and I are always on the go. 

PM:  10.26 miles on Glacial Drumlin Trail.  My body felt achy all over the 1st mile.  I could tell the IT bands were really tight!  Everything loosened up after 3 miles, but the legs felt dead.  I tried a longer more powerful stride hoping that would loosen up the hamstrings from the roof work I did on Wed.  Seems like it might have helped.  Mostly over cast - 83 degrees and 78% humidity

8:32, 8:04, 7:32, 7:23, 7:22, 7:19, 7:18, 7:33, 6:54, 7:00 (last .25 - 6:44 pace) Avg 7:29 pace

Lifts (NO LEGS)

Afternoon Run:  I tried to get some good sleep, but Jameson had me up early.  I could hear him getting into food in the kitchen.  It's amazing how in tune certain sounds can become when sleeping if you have a 2 year old in the house!  Jen works till noon on Sat., so that makes it hard for me to get out on Sat. for hard runs without the stroller.  Knowing we had a wedding to attend tonight left me with an afternoon workout.  I've been working on speed development, but thought it might not hurt to start putting in some long runs with marathon pace/1/2 marathon pace to stay in touch with the long run fitness.  I don't plan to go over 2 hours, but somewhere between 90-120 minutes should be good enough to keep me in touch with long run fitness to do a marathon in the fall.  The trail I ran last night was nice on my aching legs.  The legs have been hurting due to that roofing job on Wed. and so I thought it would be a good idea to get back out to that trail.  I got to the trail at 2:00 and it was 90 degrees out.  I had to think of a way to protect myself from the deer flies - they ate me up last night.  I also stopped at the bike store to pick up two Hammer Gels and brought along the Hammer Endurolytes.  I don't have a hydration belt yet, so I just carried a plastic store bought water and my Hammer Gel, while throwing the Endurolytes capsules in my running shorts key pouch.  My idea to protect against the flies was a running hat worn backward with an old rag from one of my cotton t-shirts safety pinned to the bill of the hat.  The rag bounces around on the shoulders and the hat protects the top of my bald head from bites.  Oh and I get sun protection.  Just as an added assurance I sprayed myself down with OFF - that stuff can't be good for the lungs!  I took my Espresso Hammer Gel and drank an 8 oz bottle of water while driving to the trail.  I decided to try the other direction on the trail today - hoping it had more shade.  The goal was to see what I could handle for an average pace and then see how fast I could run in the last 1/3rd - sort of like a thirds progression run.  The trail is completely flat, but loose gravel.  Running slow isn't so bad on loose gravel, but running fast is a hell of a workout!  The first 3 went 7:41, 7:33, 7:22 - I could tell it was hot, but a rare dry heat for WI and I wasn't feeling too bad because it’s fairly shaded.  The legs are still sore from the roofing work, but getting better.  The next 5 miles out were 7:26, 7:19, 7:10, 7:01, 7:02.  I was sipping my water trying to conserve - hoping I brought enough.  I got to a point where the tail ended and turned onto a hilly road with no tree cover - oddly enough I ran into an English guy riding his bike and asked if he knew where the trail connected up again.  I thought it was strange to run into someone from England, because it's rare to see a foreigner in Jefferson County, WI.  He didn't really know, so I went 1 more mile and turned at 8 instead of 9.  I figured I could always add on more on the trail going the other way than run on this desert like road with minimal water.  The next two were 7:07 (took the orange flavor gel here), 6:56 for miles 8 and 9.  On the way back I was out of water by mile 10.  I decided it would be smart to run 3-4 miles at MP pace now instead of at the end because I was concerned about being too dehydrated at the end to get any leg speed going.  I also noticed the slippery gravel was starting to wear down my legs.  The next 3 miles were 6:33, 6:50 (slow here because of fumbling with key pouch to take electrolytes pills - found they were crushed, so I swallowed as much of the nasty powder as I could), 6:32 for the last mile of the tempo.  I was a good 15-20 sec. off MP pace and I felt like I was pushing very hard on the terrible footing.  The next mile was 7:54 and at this point I was questioning if I'd make it back!  Somehow I ran 7:26 for mile 15 and 7:26 for mile 16 counting down the ½ miles thinking about how much I needed water 3 miles ago.  I opted out of the extra 5 minutes of running for 2 hours.  Good thing I did because I was getting very nauseous trying to get the truck door open for my Hammer Recoverite and water.  I walked over to a picnic table and sat down.  I was very close to throwing up.  I walked over to the bathroom put my head under the cold water fountain and drank some more water.  I sat down another 5 minutes, but had to get going to get ready for the wedding.  I was a little scared that I'd pass out so, I gave myself another 5 minutes of stretching and drove home.  Within an hour of finishing my Hammer Recoverite, eating a banana, and drinking some water I was recovered.  Today, I found out what I'm made of.  This was my 2nd week of 85 miles and I’ve never been at this mileage doing these kinds of workouts.  This is all uncharted territory for me, so I'm cautiously discovering my limits.  I'm recovering quicker and getting faster, but I still feel I'm a long way from where I was before my 9 year hiatus from running in terms of VO2 max, but ahead in terms of long run mental strength and probably fitness (although I never really reached my potential in distances over 1500 meter during my college years).   I'm praying my body will keep giving me more or at least allow me to maintain this mileage and quality because I feel very good mentally.  Even for my first two marathons Vegas and Grandma’s I averaged 43 miles per week to run 3:07 in Vegas and 55 miles per week for Grandma’s 2:50:49 (w/a 55 sec. bathroom stop).  I’ve got to believe if I maintain an average of 70 or more I’ll crack the 2:40 mark this fall if I find a fast course and get lucky with the weather.  I might be shooting to break 2:30 at Boston next spring if I can hold this kind of training.  My last marathon was a 17 minute PR, so why should I think I can’t take another 10 minutes off?   I hope I’m training right and I hope I’m not getting too far ahead of myself with these thoughts.   One thing is for sure, I need to get my racing sched. figured out if I’m going to try another marathon this fall.  I’m thinking about the Monumental Nov. 5^th – I like the later date and it’s within reasonable driving distance.

Afternoon:  I've got to start going to bed earlier so I don't have to do these hot afternoon runs.  Temp 87 w/80% humidity.  Ran from Anytime Fitness to Rock River Park to run on the trails.  Splits:  7:59,7:38,7:52,7:54,7:30,7:19,6:55 for .76 = Avg 7:37 pace.  The hamstrings have fully recovered from roof work - thank goodness!  Did the usual lifts at the club.

AM:  12 miles at easy pace (sneaky hot today) 78/76% humidity 8:00,7:43,7:45,7:19,7:12,7:09,7:04,6:57,6:53,6:56,7:12,7:15,7:20 pace last .5 = Avg 7:17

I used every water fountain I could find this morning.  Made up a new route that has 5 water fountains.  My shoes are going to need about 3 days to dry out - whew!

PM:  3.47 miles around Fort w/Jameson Avg. 8:11

LATE PM:  Almost decided not to run today and probably shouldn't have run, but it was a rare cool day/night.  Workout for today was going to be 14x400 and 12x200.  Woke up with a head cold and didn't get all but 3 hours of sleep last night.  I dropped Jameson off at the babysitter and decided to drive past work to go home and sleep.  My hope was to run around 6 pm after Jen got off work, but she was called into work for interviews.  That left me with Jameson and pushed my run back to 10pm.  I dragged myself to the track hoping the warm-up might bring back some motivation.  No dice - got through 9x400 and had to cooldown.  Physically felt okay, but mentally totally out of it.  I kept thinking about how much I wanted to sleep.  Hopefully, I'll get some good sleep tonight and put this head cold behind me.  Nonetheless, I did hit a little of what I wanted out of the workout.  To top off the day my Garmin quit working.

3 mile warm-up 8:13, 7:55, 7:50 - 9x400 82,79,77,77,78,73,74,74,76 - 3 mile cooldown

AM:   8 miles w/4x30 sec pickups.  Perfect temp and low humidity - Yeah! 72/47% I still have the sore throat/head cold going, but felt like I could have run forever today.  Unfortunately, I've had to start back to work.  My summer vacation is almost officially over.  Got my Garmin working again.  I had to reset it, it's been acting up a lot lately.  7:50,7:34,7:24,7:22,7:11,7:17,6:46,7:15 = Avg 7:20 pace

PM:  7.33 miles 8:12,7:40,7:21,7:20,7:11,6:52,6:47 finished last .33 in 6:23 pace  Avg =7:18 pace    + Lifts (No Legs)

PM:  Temp 70/73% humidity:  3 mile warm-up to Fort Middle School Track, 10x1000 meter w/50-60 sec rest (200 meter jogging rest), 3 mile cooldown.  Ran the 1,000's at Tempo Run to Tempo Interval Pace.  I went 3:38,3:39,3:37,3:40,3:38,3:35,3:35,3:38,3:37,3:33.  These felt hard, but under control.  I let the pace come to me and didn't try to over do it.  Still recovering from this head cold, but I think the worst is past me now. T= 14 miles Avg = 6:46 pace + Lifts (Legs) 

AM:  57/83% humidity - 4 miles Avg 7:50 - Legs felt very flat - I did a heavier lift on the legs so I'm sure that + the late run last night left my early AM run feeling less than good.  I'm also need to get used to running early, this is something I've haven't been very good at in the past.  I tend to sleep in!

PM:  80/57% humidity - 8 miles Avg 7:41 - Legs sore and tired, ran new rustic road - very nice out and back 8:08,7:55,7:54,7:44,7:09,7:28,7:40 

AM:  5K,10K,1 mile Chicken Chase set-up, then out for a 4 mile warm-up (no watch)

AM: 5K race

Overall 1st and 2nd place posing with the Chicken!

Waiting for the official start of the 5K.

Today I dressed up as a chicken for the Chicken Chase.  Anyone who beat me in the race got free entry into next year.  This was our 2nd year doing the chicken chase portion and the 9th year running the event.  I'm on the committee that organizes the race and each year the Chicken Dinner fundraiser would beat our event out for the best fundraiser of the year.  So we came up with the idea of having the Chicken Chase to encourage more participation.  Last year was our most successful year with 270 registered runners.  Not sure of the final numbers for this year, but I know we had over 200 bibs out there.  I'll be posting some pictures of my chicken get up later today.  Last year we decided that I would run as fast as I could while trying to only let 5 runners beat me.  I did all I could to accomplish that goal last year (I had only been running for 2 months after my 9 year break in running).  I think I finished right around 19 minutes.  This year people must have got wind of the time I ran because we had about 10 people break 19 minutes in the 5K event.  The goal this year was 19 minutes or 5 people whichever came first.  I should note that all the profits go to St. Joseph Catholic Church where the money is used to support church and school services. 

And we're off!

The temp this morning was 75/90% humidity, but it was just cool enough and the sun wasn't out to make the chicken suit unbearable to wear.  The race started off with a local runner Spencer Agnew who runs for Marquette (Division I) taking the lead from the start.  His goal was to break 16:00.  The 2nd place runner was a man pushing a stroller and then myself bringing up 3rd.  My goal was to run the 1st mile in 6:00 minutes and then assess how many runners where around me.  I was coughing up a lung that first mile, a couple of the Fort High school runners were poking fun about choking the chicken.  That cold I've had this week is finally clearing out!

At the mile mark we came through in 5:58 and it was myself  3 Fort High school runners, and 1 guy from Johnson Creek (who I later learned is a sophomore at UW-Oshkosh (Division III), but doesn't run for the college).  Just ahead in 5:55 was the man pushing the stroller and Spencer was in 1st with a 5:10.  The next mile is downhill and at this point I was getting the crowd into the race with a few chicken flaps and bawks.  UW-Oshkosh put in a surge and I went with him out of curiosity on how the faster pace felt for my legs.  During the 2nd mile I learned this race was only his 2nd 5K and he started running last year, he was attending Oshkosh, but Johnson Creek his high school had no CC or Track&Field program, he was fighting off knee injuries, and basically didn't have a clue how to pace himself.  We came through the 2nd mile in 5:37, which to me felt very comfortable.  As I paced him along I realized the 3 Fort High guys had fell a little behind in the race, so I helped Mr. Oshkosh through a snakey part in the course and told him where 1/2 mile to go was then backed off the pace a little for them to catch up.  Again, knowing at this point I was under 19 minute pace I was trying to let 5 runners beat me.  (On a side note we're going to let the chicken run free next year.  I plan on making it a true chicken chase). Spencer came through the 2nd mile in 4:45 and I'm not sure the split of the man with the stroller, but my guess was he had to be about 40 seconds ahead at this point in the race.  The high school boys caught me with a 1/2 mile to go, but one had dropped back.  I pushed the boys all the way to the finish giving them tips on building up the kick, dropping the arms and pumping the arms in the kick.  They responded to my coaching with perfection finishing in 18:01, and 18:03, with me finishing in 18:04.  Spencer won the race with a 15:33, he said he felt great.  He held back the 1st mile let it rip on the 2nd, and tried to maintain on the 3rd.  A perfect strategy for this course.  The 2nd place finisher was stroller man (I'll get his name later when the results are posted online.)  He finished around 17:20 and third place was Mr. Oshkosh running 17:50 (this was a 2 minute PR for him). 

Me in my chicken suit asking Spencer what his finishing time was.  Spencer finished in 15:33 a new course record!

Some cool things I learned in this race.  The stroller man's wife was 13 weeks pregnant and got the qualifying time for free entry next year.  (The women got a qualifying time because the hen my wife had knee surgery and couldn't run - the qualifying time was 21 minutes.)  Stroller man's daughter (7 years old) ran the 5K race in a very impressive time (24:47) and then also ran the kid's 1 mile race in (7:10)!  I think I convinced Mr. Oshkosh to go out for UW-Oshkosh's CC team.  I hope he really considers it because I think he's a diamond in the rough if he can stay injury free.  He thanked me for advice and sad he's going to run again next year.  Spencer was really excited about his conditioning on 60 miles a week and is really looking forward to his first healthy year of running at Marquette.  I see great things for him this year!  I also want to note he is a very nice young man.  He was cheering for all the runners down to the last finishers and the all the kids in the kids race.  The two high school boys were very happy with their times because they both ran PR's and they both thanked me for pushing them in the race.  My father-in-law also had a 20 sec. PR, so I was vey proud of him.

My father-in-law and I after the race.  He placed 2nd in his age division 55-59.

I also ran the kids race and saw some amazing efforts in the mile from kids still in diapers to kids in 7th grade.  It's so cool to know most of the kids and I could tell they loved having the chicken in their race.

My son running the Bailey's 1 mile

All in all I got a nice little workout and promoted another successful year.  I will note we did have a 10K (5th year for the 10K, but no chicken so numbers were down in that race - winning time was 38 something).  We may drop the 10K for next year due to the amount of course set up and lack of interest.  I'm really happy the temps weren't too hot/humid and the rain held off till right after the awards were all wrapped up.  Most of all I had a great time being the chicken again and it feels good to give back to the sport that has given me so much!

PM:  13.11 miles around Whitewater Lake/Rice Lake in storm.  Took it easy the first 4-5 as the legs were stiff and sore from not cooling down after the race this morning.  Just ran as comfortable as I could in the bad conditions.  Avg = 7:51 pace 

PM:  11.29 miles at Kettle Morain National Forest on Nordic Ski Trails Full Blue Loop with Purple add on.  8:08,7:41,7:24,7:25,7:11,7:20,7:44 (steep uphill sections w/no switch backs),7:22,7:27,7:23,7:35,4:51 pace for last .28, which included 6x100 meter striders. Avg=7:27  Perfect weather day Temp 77/50%. 

AM:  9.18 miles @ Dorothy Carnes West Park.  Undulating terrain, just tried to maintain same effort throughout park trails.  9:01,7:43,7:53,8:12,7:58,7:26,8:01,8:02,7:04 = Avg 7:56.  Perfect weather 75/57% humidity.  Running in the Hattori on the packed dirt and short grass is so invigorating! 

PM:  8.52 miles around Fort w/Jameson 7:54,7:17,7:39,7:11,6:41,7:09,7:27,6:49, last .52 6:47 pace = Avg 7:14 pace

AM:  5.23 miles w/Jameson to Daycare and back home alone.  7:52,7:46,7:37,7:18,6:58, 6:24 pace for last .23 Avg = 7:27 pace, run included 4x75-150 meter strides.  Temp 76/66% humidity.

PM: Big Workout - 10.13 miles - 1 mile warm-up, 7K alternating between 1K at 10K pace and 2K at 1/2 marathon pace continuous for as long as I could take the pain.  Splits were 1K 3:24, 2K 7:35 (3:50, 3:45 splits) ,1K 3:29, 2K 7:35, 1K 3:28.  Finished with a broken up cooldown due to our 1st CC practice.  The legs felt dead all the way through this run tonight; not a good feeling.  I've got to remind myself I'm holding some significant mileage right now.  I ran the 10K pace right on, but the 1/2 marathon pace was 15 sec. too slow (ended up being somewhere between 25K&25mile pace).  This is the 2nd or 3rd quality workout I've had a hard time with.  One more workout thats off and I'll have to re-evaluate my plan.  Avg pace=6:52    

Afternoon: 9.17 miles easy - no watch on glacial drumlin trail w/Koth Park add on.  Legs felt dead like I expected for the first 4, but came alive for last 1/2 of run.

Evening:  5.01 miles Avg 8:22 pace.  I have never felt hungrier on a run than I did tonight.  Not a good feeling at all.  After 2 miles in I felt nauseous and a little hungry.  By mile 3 I was ready to eat my hand off.  The rest of my run I was counting down the 1/2 miles till I reached my end point.  As soon as I finished I skipped out on the club and my lifts for the Mexican restaurant next door.  I put down two monster burritos, basket full of tortilla chips, and finished off the meal with a monster friend ice cream dish with whip cream and cherry topping in a fried flour tortilla like bowl in less than 20 minutes!  I must have eaten too clean today and the miles + yard work caught up with me on the run.  Can't say I've ever had that problem before, but I guess I've also never run around 110 miles in a 7 day period before either.

Temp today was 84/75% humidity 

AM:  8 miles w/4x400 @ 1/2 marathon pace and 8x200 @ 5K pace.  2 mile warm-up to Fort Middle School Track. Splits:  1:23 (whoops too fast!),1:29,1:28,1:29 - these felt a little harder than they should, but not too bad.  Splits for 8x200:  38,39,38,39,38,39,39,39 - all felt under control, was under goal pace by 1/2-1sec, but not too concerned about 5K goal pace, just doing these to shake the legs out.  Avg=7:17 pace.  Finished with some lifts (body only legs).  I ran into my friend Karen who's battled some injuries in the past year, but seems to have found her stride.  She was at the track doing some 1/2 marathon pacing to get ready for the Madison 1/2 marathon this weekend as well.  Looks like I might have caught a ride to Mad City, knowing this is move in week for UW-Madison I welcome the ride!  It's going to be a mad house up there this weekend.  Temp 79/38% - The air feels great, hope it's that way for the 1/2 marathon.

PM:  7.90 miles @ 8:12 pace.  Went to Madison tonight to scope the 1/2 marathon course.  I know Madison well, but some of the mid miles I wasn't so sure about in the 1/2.  Jen is back run walking now from her knee surgery so she and Jameson accompanied me.  I did the run walk for the first 2 miles w/Jen and Jameson.  Jen turned back and I went the next two miles up the course.  I must say Madison is a beautiful city!  The course has some hills, but no gut busters, so it should make for a fast course.  I've been told they have some good entertainment along the course too.  This is only the 3rd year of the race, but it's set up to be monster event someday.

PM:  3.23 miles @ 8:12 pace

A 4:13 PR today for 14^th place overall out of 2,772 participants!  I really wanted to break 1:20, but I’m really happy with this race for several reasons.  My previous PR was my split at Grandma’s Marathon (1:24:30) as this is my 2^nd official lifetime ½ marathon race.  My first official was a 1:37 with two weeks of training coming off a 9 year break from running.  I’m also happy because I got this PR on the highest single week and month of lifetime mileage I’ve ever run.  I wasn’t planning for this race, but it’s something I wanted to add into my training to help me gain some experience going into the cooler months of racing where I’m shooting for my peak ½ marathon.  I reluctantly decided to do this one on a 1 day taper.  I was nervous about injury and didn’t really know what to expect.  Fortunately, I have no injuries and feel very reasonable in terms of soreness/fatigue.  I took a ton of positives and experience from this race, so if the only negative is I didn’t break 1:20 – I can live with that!

I started out my day with 4 hours of sleep due to a friend from North Carolina whom I haven't seen in years flying into town.  Unfortunately, we couldn't meet up until around 9.  I have no regrets about doing this and I know he would have done the same for me.  I also was mainly doing this 1/2 as a high level workout.  When my feet hit the floor at 4:30 am I was actually more awake then I would have been if sleeping 8-9 hours, so I don't really feel the sleep affected this race in a negative way.  I'm really tired now though, so I'll need to get a good nap.  My goal was to break 1:20, but in the back of my mind I didn't really know for sure I could do it.  My best race to judge paces on was a 1 mile race (4:50) I ran about 3 weeks ago.  Mcmillianrunning.com says I should be at 5:55-6:05 pace based on the conversion from 1 mile to a 1/2 marathon, so I tried to base my training on this pace over the past 3 weeks.  However, more often than not I found 6:05 pace to be very hard in my training.  Without a proper recent race distance and solid workouts at this pace, I just wasn't sure. 

The race itself had a 1 1/2 hour delay due to lightning.  The race directors made the right call though because the lightning and rain were very heavy.  I can't imagine how hard it is to make those calls, but in this case it was good because we would have run the whole race in serious rain and wind.  I ran down to the finish and grabbed a banana and water to help keep me from eating an arm off.  The little bit of oatmeal I ate at 4:30 wasn’t doing much justice an hour into the delay.  I wasn't sure if people use gels in a 1/2, so I brought one for good measure as a just in case thing.  Well that plan failed because the gel fell out of my key pouch smack dab into the unforbidden abyss!  Most of the participants found shelter in parking garages, which is where I found myself waiting.  It was really cold!  I was shivering waiting around in the garage, but happy it wasn't 80+ degrees w/high humidity like it normally is on Aug. 20th in WI.

The first mile I just tried to get out comfortable, but not too hard because it was mostly uphill.  I hit the 1^st mile in 6:09.  I let a lot of people get out ahead of me.  I decided it would be a smarter race for me not to get out too hard and chase people down (to to ensure a strong finish) instead.  I thought the first mile was a good one, but wanted to test the legs to feel what 5:55 felt since again this was supposed to be the low end of my pace range.  The 2^nd mile was 5:53 into the wind and now heavy rain on mostly flat ground.  That mile was a little too hard.  The 3^rd mile was more like I was looking for in 6:03. In the forth mile I hit 5:54 due to a surge to run with a large group of runners because the wind and rain was just slamming my body.  The 5^th mile was 6:05, and at this point I felt it was just the right amount of effort as I drafted behind the group. The 6^th and 7^th miles were mostly uphill through UW’s Arboretum.  I was fortunate to have a runner who liked to surge on hills pull up next to me, so I went with him and my legs welcomed the change of pace.  The splits were 6:03, 6:13 for the 6^th/7^th miles and I was still feeling good, so I decided to  put a surge in to catch another runner on the 8^th downhill mile and hit 6:02.  The 9^th mile was mostly flat splitting another 6:02.  This is where I made my mistake.  The 10^th mile was uphill all the way, but I was still closing in on runners and I was pressing hard. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my hill surge friend to help me along though and I split a 6:22 (which cost me my time goal).  The 11^th mile was a 5:55 with a steep downhill section.  The 12^th mile was mostly flat and I was having fun picking off runners running a 6:05.  The last mile a runner passed me so I surged to match his pace.  I went with him and challenged him for a good half of the last mile.  I wasn’t able to sustain the pace and he continued to surge.  I think if I had more races under me I’d be able to sustain a longer kick, but today wasn’t the day to do it.  However,  I found myself using a kamikaze kick (something that helped me win a lot of races in college and the reason I stick with the weights) to take another runner on the downhill finish (last 100 yards) with a 6:03 1.1 mile split.  I was really surprised to place 14^th in that large of a race.  In the last 3 miles I passed 7 people and was only passed by 1, accomplishing my strategy of finishing strong.  This leaves me hungry for another! 

My two friends whom I rode to the race with also gained PR's.  I really enjoyed their company at the race and I was proud to hear of their accomplishments with the personal struggles they've faced over the past year.

 PM:  4.1 mile shakeout (no watch)

Afternoon:  13.09 miles - Drove over to near Kettle Morain National Forest to run the Ice Age Trail.  I decided to try the Hattori out on some technical trails - lots of rocks, switchbacks, etc...  About 3 miles in I ran up on a guy and scared him out of his shoes; he actually went stumbling backward into the bushes.  I helped him and up and apologized for the scare.  It was quite funny to watch, we were both laughing really hard!  After the scare I felt obligated to run with him, so I led us on a nice easy pace while we conversed.  I found out he's from Twin Lakes (about 40 minutes away).  He's interested in running the Ice Age 50 so, he's been making the drive to Kettle to get familiar with the trail.  I ran with him up to 5 miles thanked him and made the turn back.  I sometimes forget how enjoyable it is to run with others.  It's really a neat way to get to know someone.  On the way back my feet magically came alive!  I was flying down the trails dodging rocks, jumping roots, flying round corners, and I was loving everything about it!  The Hattori's really allow you to feel the ground and they make it so much easier to climb the steep portions.  Another shoe I learned about is the New Balance line of minimalist, which look like they'd be better for trails due to the carbon sole vs. the hattori foam sole.  The Hattori had no problem with the dry dirt and rocks though.  I don't think they would work well on a wet trail though (not enough traction).  The run was 9.93 miles, but I don't think the watch was correct.  Nonetheless, it was close to 10 at about a 9 minute pace.  The pace on those trails felt like 7:30 or faster, but the watch wasn't working well under the thick tree canopy.  I zipped home grabbed Jameson and the stroller then drove over to Dorothy Carnes West park for CC practice.  Myself, two of my runners, and their dad where late for practice.  Unfortunately, we didn't find everyone until they were starting their relay races (we like to end with these when at Dorothy).  Pushing the stroller up some of those grades was basically like walking.  Whew!  I didn't expect to get that much of workout on a 3 mile run with two of my runners and their dad!  We finished the relays and played some tag (I opted out, but Jameson tried to play with the kids).  I had a great time running today and the weather was perfect!  73/41% + Lifts

Lunch Run:  5.63 miles 7:58,7:26,7:22,7:10,6:50,7:03 for the .63 =Avg 7:19 pace.  Temp 82/43%.  Incorporated 4 hill surges in run.  Nice run w/a little bit of the run in a park on grass/pine needles.

PM:  9.24 miles 8:20,8:16,8:39,7:56,7:44,7:29,7:19,7:05,6:56, 6:23 for last .24 miles =Avg 7:43 pace.  Took a while for the legs to loosen up, but the legs felt great after a few warm-up miles. 

PM:  Hard workout - 20 miles 3x2 w/.5 rest between. 8:22,8:05,8:03,8:10,7:57,7:59,8:02,7:41,7:21,7:31,7:20,7:21,Intervals - 3 mile(6:18,6:15,6:21-uphill), 2 mile (6:14,6:20),  dragged my way through cooldown miles 8:13,8:18.  Avg pace = 7:33  This was very mentally challenging as it was my first run over 16 miles since late May.  I carried the handheld water bottles for the first time and they gave me a good arm workout!

AM:  4.67 on flat trail.  8:35 - tired and sore, 7:55, 7:30, 7:14, 7:16 for .67 Avg= 7:44 pace I worked on the 180 stride rate today.  This turned out to be a challenge!  The first couple of tries I went 165,175.  The next few where 178,178 the first 178 I thought I miss counted so I tried again at the same effort and sure enough 178 steps on the 2nd try.  I finally got it on the last try, here are my last two 179,180.  Temp 83/84%

PM:  9.57 Normal night loop w/out river park nice and easy Avg = 8:33 pace Temp 75/56%

AM:  Fishing w/my dad and son.  Didn't catch a damn thing, but had a great time watching Jameson hangout with Grandpa on his first fishing trip!

PM #1  6.40 miles - ran 1.8 miles down to Bark River Park w/Jameson to run with CC team.  Ran with kids for 2.80 broken up miles and 1.8 miles home. Avg Pace = 8:45

PM #2 8 miles w/4x400 @10K pace w/60-70 sec jogging rest   1:26,1:29 (whoops too slow),1:25,1:25 and 8x200 @ 10K pace w/33-37 sec jogging rest   41.0, 40.8, 40.3,40.6, 41.14, 40.65, 37.97, 37.96 - didn't worry about running these a little fast, just doing to shake out lactic acid and give myself a little faster running without making myself sore for Saturday's 10K.  Avg pace for the run = 7:30, Temps nice and cool/low humidity  Going for another PR in back to back weeks!

AM:  4.53 miles on new bike trail.  Legs felt dead.  Avg 7:46 pace, Temp 63/87%.  I decided to not run the 10K after talking with my long time friend.  The 10K and 1/2 marathon back to back weekends on 100 mile legs is too much for anyone.  NOT a good idea!  So instead I'll finish out the high mile week with a moderate workout at the CC course I'll be running in a couple weeks (Midwest Open).  It's a very tough course and it's been ALONG time since I've run a CC meet!

 PM:  4.07 Glacial Drumlin Trail (Lakemills) Avg 8:33 pace.  Recovery run, very achy/sore, low sleep, and stressful workday.

Lunch:  8.5 miles - No watch at Dorothy Carnes East Park, nice leisurely stroll.  Temp 85/50% - Hot, but not bad with the wind and low humidity.  Had family at the house I haven't seen in awhile so I had to do some entertaining this morning - missed the morning run.  Family get-together in the evening, so no time for an early PM.  That left me with the late evening.  Wife gives me the ultimatum to spend time with her or go on a run, which in turn I know will make her upset.  She's leaving for a week with Jameson and knows that I’ll have plenty of free time while she and Jameson are gone for running.  Happy wife = happy life - skipped the late PM and missed out on my mileage goal.  Family has to come 1st!  I'm fortunate to get the amount of time I have to run most days at this stage in my life.

Lunch:  9.09 miles at Dorothy Carnes East Park again perfect Temps 75/Humidity Low!!  Ran relaxed and controlled over the rolling grassy park Avg pace 7:46.  I thought about going to the Midwest course over at Parkside today, but just too many errands to run.  Maybe later this week after Andrea and I meet for a run.  I am super excited about my progress over the last month or two.  I can tell my fitness is increasing very fast.  I just have to be careful of injuries because just over a year ago I was sitting on the coach taking a 9 year break from running.  My o my I wish I had some more years in the 20's to do over, actually no I enjoyed my 9 year break.  Maybe I'll have a full decade of running in my 30's :)  Today and the next couple will be contin'd easy run days to make sure my legs are feeling good.  The past two weeks have done a number on the old IT bands - lots of ibuprofen, icy hot, ice, and stretching have held me together.  This week and the next will be maintenance weeks as I prepare for a huge challenge at the Midwest Open.  I hope I don't embarrass myself.  The course has two .75 mile hills at mile 1 and 3 (the 3rd mile feels ALOT harder!).  The pace alone will be foreign to my legs let alone the ups and downs.  Much different kind of race than your typical road race.  I think my best on this course in college was 25:45.  I have no idea what my time will be because my fitness is increasing two fold and I haven't tapered for a race yet.  I’m hoping my easy running days will allow me to bust a good workout on the course later this week to give me some kind of indication as to what I can run.  Then it’s a build up to the Monumental Marathon. 

PM:  6 miles of moderate running at Dorothy Carnes West Park with CC team + 5 hill surges - no watch + Lifts - Legs are officially recovered from last week.

AM:  5.05 miles out Hwy M and back - Avg 7:56.  I don't like running early in the morning, neither does my legs - ughh :(

PM:  10.8  miles @ 7:30 pace with the famous Andrea @ Kettle Moraine.  Thanks for taking the time to run with me Andrea - I know it's not always easy to get away when you're on a work trip.  It was really refreshing to have someone to run with.  I'm really glad you enjoyed the trails!  You are definitely as down to earth in person as you are on the blog!   You also looked nice and strong for just running a tough race this weekend.  I think you have a very bright future in running ahead of you!   Jen and I will have to try and get out to Utah to see you and Jake sometime.  Even if just for a short weekend to hit the slopes this winter J Thanks for making my first day back at school a much better day!

Double PM

PM #1 2.66 w/CC team @ Rock River Park, Avg Pace 6:52 added 4x200 meter hill surges

PM: #2 9.51 in Madison around lakes, Avg Pace 7:30 - Light rain, but cool temps.  Got to run in my new Adizero Adios - wow they feel fast!  Very comparable to my Saucony Fasttwitch.

AM:  Main Street 8 loop 9:00,8:19,8:04,8:16,7:46,7:41,7:28,7:19 = 7:59 pace.  Couldn't really get the legs warmed up this morning.  Stiff and achy.  Do morning runs ever start to feel better?

PM:  5.5 @ 8:30 pace Main Street 5 mile loop.  Felt good to take this run nice and easy.  Temp 83/72%

PM:  2.23 miles no watch - Extremely hot today!  I actually had to run my kids inside for part of their practice today.  97/60%

I decided to take a  down day for several reasons #1 Tons of things to do before I leave this weekend for SD and I'm way behind on things to do at school.  #2 Connective tissue needs time to heel from my highest ever stretch of mileage if I want to race well next weekend.  Running in this heat could leave me feeling wiped for a day or so.  I need to start feeling snappy if I want to hang with the young collegiate runners next weekend. 

PM:  10.07 @ Dorothy Carnes East park hilly loop 8:48,8:10,7:33,7:47,7:53,7:45,7:35,7:30,7:47,7:22 =Avg 7:50  Temp 87/70%

Afternoon:  8 mile progression run down to 5:55 w/1 mile cooldown.  Avg 7:09 pace.  Ran in Mitchell, SD (very windy day on hilly route).  Legs felt a little more snappy, but still feeling the last 3 weeks of 90+ mile weeks.

AM:  11.5, Avg. pace 8:09.  Didn't feel good today.  Legs were dead, tough miles today.  Probably due to low sleep yesterday and progression run yesterday.  Hopefully, I'll feel better tomorrow.  Managed 4 striders, which seemed to loosen up the legs a little.

PM:  9.16 easy Avg. 7:47 + lifts.  Legs stiff from the 12 hours of total driving the past few days.  Took about 6 miles for the legs to loosen up.  Temps are nice and cool 57/60%

PM:  9.17 miles w/6x3min @ 10K/CV pace w/2min. rec. jog CV's (5:41,5:44,5:32,5:25,5:25,5:45 paces = Avg CV pace of 5:35)  Avg run pace 7:03.  Temps nice and cool.  Legs felt better today.  Very long day at work.  Tomorrow will be another long one.  Got my new Bright Orange Adidas Adios last week and just got my new Saucony Cortana's today.  I'm a happy runner :)

AM:  3.69 miles easy (Badger Bank Loop).

PM: 9.40 out and back on Glacial River Trail @ 7:46 pace

Lunch:  4.08 miles around High School Conservatory loop w/6x20 sec @ 3K-5K pace (4:56,4:49,5:09,4:51,4:54,4:47) w/40 sec jogging rest.  Avg 7:52 pace

PM: 10.07 miles random in town route w/2.11 miles @ 5K pace +/- 50 sec. (6:01 pace) in middle of run.  Avg run pace 7:28 + core/arms conditioning

PM:  7.03 broken up miles cheering on my CC team.  Avg pace 7:47

This was my 3rd attempt at running the hilly UW-Parkside CC course and my 1st attempt post collegiate.  I really didn't have any expectations of placing high in the meet due to lack of training in this type of race, but I knew the level of competition would give me the opportunity to run a fast race and open some doors to better fitness.  The meet brought a good mix of collegiate teams.  NCAA Division I, II, II, NAIA where all represented at the meet.  All in all 15 teams and 12 unattached runners competed in the race.

The temps where in the mid 80's with about 75% humidity and they started the race at 11 am, so it was less than ideal in terms of weather, but fortunately there was a nice breeze and most of the course is run throughout the shaded woods.  The course starts with 1/2-3/4 mile long hill that gradually gets steeper as you climb.  I put myself somewhere in the top 30 or so and came through the 1st mile in 5:35.  At this point I felt relaxed, but I knew some tough up and down hills where coming up so I backed off the pace a little to prepare for some tough miles.  In hindsight I really shouldn't have done this because I lost a lot of ground, but I thought I was being smart thinking a lot of the runners would come back to me.  From miles 1.75 through 3.25 it's up and down through wooded trails.  The hill at about 2.5 miles gassed me.  I was sucking wind so bad I think I was hyperventilating.  It took a good 100 meters to regain my legs and get my breathing under control. Throughout, the race I noticed my struggle was the hills.  Those young collegiate runners where throwing strong surges on the hills and recovering much faster than I could.  My 5K split was 17:05, which actually is a post collegiate PR by about 50 sec.  After the 5K mark is the same 1/2-3/4 mile long hill, which I knew would be a tough climb because I remember it being tough in college.  Needless to say this was another spot where I was completely gassed when I hit the top of the hill.  The last 3K was trying to hold my position and relax for a big kick.  I did really well on the short down hills usually catching people.  The flats I made some ground as well, but again the hill at about 4.5 miles was another sore spot for me.  I finished with what I would call an average kick passing two runners and being passed by two runners.  The bells and cheers were awesome!  Big time crowd support for a lot less than the cost of a marathon.  When I let off the gas I moved back to my 66th position as I battled with the 7/8 man runners on the collegiate teams.  Nine years ago I was a 1 or 2 man on my CC team, but for how far I've come in 15 months I'm happy with my level of fitness.  Best of all no injuries and good health! 

I was looking back at results of this race in my college days and noticed I beat my 1st attempt at the course from my freshman year of college by 15 seconds.  I came away from the race a little sour with my time, but I was happy with the place and later realized the time was actually really good considering I had a 50 sec PR in my 5K split on a very difficult course.  The race brought back some great memories and reminded me of my love for CC.  I might try to do another CC race at UW-Oshkosh in October.

Lunch:  16.17 miles - Temps a little warm, should have ran in earlier - had a late night at the wedding we attended.  Managed to average 7:53 pace, but I got a little dehydrated at mile 13.  Took about 6 miles to shake out the post race soreness from yesterday's race.  Legs feel a lot better now though.  Big week of mileage this week as shoot for my 1st 100 mile + week.

 PM:  3.08 easy broken up miles with CC team (did a couple hard hill sprints with the kids as well).  Pushups and ab work

AM:  5.85 miles @ 8:18 pace.  I discovered yesterday the reason why my left leg won't wake up or feels like it's not quite working right.  I have piriformis syndrome in my left buttocks.  After 4-6 miles it loosens up and then I have no numbness or hinging.  My treatment is to roll out the muscle with a hard ball (tennis or baseball) and get massage therapy.  Not the worse injury, but it keeps me from running faster than an 8 minute mile on the 1st 4-5 miles of my runs.  Also, it doesn't affect me when I uptempo.  The injury is more annoying than painful.

PM:  7.10 mile @ 7:45 pace.  I had to force the legs to run at 8:00 min pace for the 1st couple of miles.  That didn't feel like too much fun, so I backed off a little.  The left leg woke up about 4 miles in and the pace seemed to get easier again.  Hopefully, I'll be able to squeeze in a massage this week.

Lunch:  4 miles easy, No watch

PM:  10 miles (River Rd) w/15x20 sec pickups (40 sec jogging recovery) Avg pickup pace = 5:07, Avg run pace = 7:23, pushups and abs 

AM:  3.01 miles w/6x30 sec pickups and 30 sec jogging recovery.  Avg pickup pace 5:31 and Avg run pace 8:15 

PM:  Big Workout 15 miles w/5x1mile at 5K pace + 30 sec./90sec jogging rec. (last rep can be 5K+10-12 sec depending on how I'm feeling.  The temps were a perfect 58.  This morning I ran with a long sleeve for the 1st time since spring, but tonight I was just warm enough to go short sleeve :)  Started with 5 miles of easy running by the end of the 5th mile it was already dark :(  Since it was dark I decided to stay off the road and go to the Middle School track where the surface is a little more predictable and they have a flood light by the gym doors that shines just enough light.  The legs were feeling okay, but the calves were tight tonight, probably due to yesterday's 15x20sec intervals, cooler temps today, and the stiff wind.  My first rep was 6:08 (ouch - 14 sec. too slow, thinking it's going to be a long workout).  The 2nd rep was much better 5:50 (convinced myself it wasn't that bad, but in all reality it felt terrible).  The 3rd rep 5:53 (shooting for 5:54, so this was almost perfect - still convincing myself it wasn't hard).  The 4th was 4:48, and there was no convincing on this one.  The final one was 5:36 (5K + 12 sec - this took a 99% effort - Whew!).  Finished with about a 4 mile cooldown.  Average run pace 7:06.  I can tell the calves are really beat up, ice bath, massage stick, and plenty of ibuprofen should do the trick.

Lunch:  4 miles easy 8:15 pace

PM:  8.5 miles (slightly broken up around course coaching team)  7:46 pace

Lunch: 4 miles observatory, no watch, added 5x15 sec @ 3K pace w/45 sec rec.

PM:  9.69 Fort Night Loop w/1 mile @ 5K+30 sec (5:53), Avg run pace = 7:36, had to run this one in the rain.  Finally, got that massage I've needed today.  My wife attempted to make me a nice dinner, but it didn't work out for her.  We went to Hometown buffet since I was being attacked by the 100 mile munchies again!  This morning I experienced the same thing, so my son went to McDonalds for some hot cakes - yummy!!

AM:  10.01 super easy recovery run w/Jameson.  Avg 8:53 pace

Race report to come, but I paced my friend to a 17 min. PR and his 1st Boston Qual.

This was Fox Valley Marathon's 2nd year and I must admit they did a great job coordinating the event.  This marathon is a very flat shaded marathon course tucked in a valley with very mature trees.  We had light rain and 13-15 mph winds, but you'd never had known the wind was that strong being down in the valley on a path surrounded by mature trees.  The rain was just light enough where the shoes didn't feel soggy or heavy.  This marathon has a flex weather option where you can run a 20K or full marathon.  In addition, if the marathon is cancelled for bad weather they guarantee your entry into the Chicago Marathon.  They also have a 1/2 marathon that serves well for a tune up if running Chicago.  What I personally liked most about this marathon was the convenience of showing up 20 minutes before the race without hassle of waiting for bathrooms or worrying about baggage check.  Also, the area has plenty of hotels, so it was easy to find a hotel within 10 miles for a reasonable price.

At the start of the race a rainbow came out, which had to be a good omen.  They start the race in waves due to some tight bottle necks and narrow bike path sections.  The narrow sections really didn't make a difference for a field of 2,000 runners.  If the race gets bigger I could see a problem.  The marathon had about 400 runners, so most people where running the 20K or 1/2 to prepare for Chicago.  Most of the people running the full where going for a last chance at Boston as it was originally advertised runners could register for Boston right at the finish.  Boston threw a wrench in that plan when they decided not to allow any registration on Sunday.  Runners that still needed to qualify knew every second counts toward the new qualifying standards.  So every person running the marathon was potential competition, this turned the marathon into a battle of places and times.  Our goal was to run with the 3:15 group as long as possible as Todd’s time was 3:20 to qualify for Boston, but knowing every sec. counts we decided to shoot for 3:15 and hope for 3:18 or something a little faster.

The first mile we got out to a good start on a slight uphill mile with a 7:22?  We need 7:27, my Garmin was beeping before the mile markers, so I wasn't sure about the course measurements and later I learned it was about a 10th of a mile too long.  (Better too long than short if wanting to officially qualify for Boson).  The 2nd mile my friend Todd ditched his throw away shirt and about .5 mile later I did the same.  We came through miles 2 and 3 with 7:13 and 7:22, but feeling really good.  At mile 4 we do a small loop through a Japanese garden then enter the bike path that moves along the Fox River.  Miles 4 and 5 where 7:17 and 7:29.  We had to run a few small sections of grass, but it was marked very well and the grass was nice and flat, so it really wasn't a big deal at all (even with the wet grass).  At mile 6 we ran through a small carnival on one of the bridges that looped us over to the other side of the river.  Throughout the course was a ton of support from spectators.  I was really surprised at the amount of people out in the rain for this small of venue.  I missed 7, but looks like a 7:29 mile.  Mile 8 was 7:27.  I took a small bathroom break at one of the many porta potties then threw in a 7:00 minute mile 9 by taking a small shortcut to catch up with the 3:15 pace group and my buddy again.  Good thing I caught them fast as I did because my buddy was running 7:10 pace out ahead of the pace group.  When I caught him I gradually backed him off to a 7:23 for mile 10, 7:23 for mile 11, and mile 12 was a 7:12 with most of it being slightly downhill.  He mentioned his legs weren't taking well to the faster pace so I backed him down to 8:03 for mile 13.  The pace group was close so I swung over for another bathroom stop and told him to stay with the pace group while I catch up.  I ran a 6:57 mile for mile 14 to catch the pace group just a little into mile 15.  Mile 15 I hit the split early when the Garmin beeped I was totally in a trance just mentally zoning out as I starred at the other runners shoes.  Anyway, the split shows 7:17, but Todd mentioned he had 7:27.  Mile 16 was 7:35 (difference I missed, but we were 7:28 according to Todd).  Mile 17 and 18 were 7:29/7:28 as we rode the coat tails of the 3:15 pace group.  Mile 19 Todd started to fade, but he did a great job of damage control.  Mile 19 we split a 7:32.  Mile 20 was up and down with small speed bumps through the woods as we split 7:37.  Mile 21 was 7:39.  At this point I knew he was going to qualify as long as he didn't blow up and have to walk too much.  At mile 22 we split a 7:49 on a gradual uphill mile.  At mile 23 we came through with a 7:44.  I asked Todd how he was doing at this point to feel him out on a pace increase.  He mentioned his hamstrings where cramping on him.  Knowing a full hamstring lock up would put him down to a walk run pace I didn't have him push it.  Rather we backed the pace to a 7:55 for mile 24.  Mile 25 I was pulling slightly ahead of him while encouraging him to follow me.  He managed a 7:59. Mile 26 was all guts as he was throwing up (something he normally does).  Todd ran a 7:51 split for his last mile and managed not to fall on his face as his hamstrings were locking up on him. Medical personnel swarmed him immediately after the race when he went to his knees. They got him fluids and he went over to  a secluded spot to wrench the gut a few more times.  He was on the massage table in less than 10 minutes.

This race was as remarkable and memorable for me as any race I've ever been a part of.  Todd made a 17 minute PR and ran his fastest marathon in quite a few years.  His previous was a 4 hour marathon.  His official time was 3:18:20, which placed him 56 out of 400 some runners.  This was Todd's 20th attempt at qualifying.  He's a person that always puts family and work ahead of running and does a tremendous amount of volunteer work for the community and his church.  For 20 weeks Todd followed the Train Less Run Faster Marathon plan for 3:15.  This plan only required 3 days of actual running per week!  It was really special to be a part of his success as he said he couldn’t have made the last 6 mile without me.

For running a marathon on a 100 mile week I feel very good and don't anticipate more than a couple of easy running days, which has to be a good sign in terms of my fitness.   

Lunch 3.5 miles easy in observatory - No watch, but felt snappy for just running marathon yesterday.  Temps were nice and cool

PM:  9.43 @ Avg pace of 8:09 - Legs felt stiff and achy.

Lunch:  3.36 miles @ Avg pace of 7:31 per mile.  Did a short warm-up then did 4x40m hill reps @ 80-85% effort focusing on good hill running form (high knee drive, chin up, good arm action). 

PM:  10.70 miles @ Dorothy Carnes East Park.  Ran 5x1mile on hilly grass 1 mile loop.  I had 2 goals.  One goal was to run the mile repeats at 5K + 30 sec. pace effort w/out killing myself on the workout.  It was fairly windy on the run, so I wasn't shooting for anything spectacular. The periformis and legs weren't feeling good considering the marathon on Sunday.  My other goal for the workout was to use good form on the hills (hills is a weak area in my running). 

Started the workout with a 2 mile warm-up then did one of the loops at a tempo effort to get a good warm-up.  The tempo loop was 6:14, jogged a 2 minute recovery and started my 1st interval.  My intervals went 6:03, 6:03, 6:03, 6:01, 5:59.  The workout felt reasonably hard and I got a good chance to work on my hill running form, but I didn't leave myself feeling taxed.  Finished the workout with 4x30sec. @ 1500 meter race pace w/60 sec. recovery (Avg pace of 30 sec. pickups = 4:32 on slight uphill) and a cooldown jog.  Average run pace 6:59.  + Abs and pushups 

Lunch:  4 mile recovery run @ 8:27 pace

PM:  9.65 miles @ easy 7:55 pace

Lunch:  4.60 in observatory Avg pace 7:18.  Did 11x40 sec pickups @ 3K-5K pace w/50 sec jogging recovery.  Avg pickup pace (5:08 pace).

PM:  9.4 miles easy w/Jameson at CC meet - No watch

Lunch: 4 miles 8:08 pace around observatory

PM:  9.21 miles w/4mile tempo run. 6:25, 6:22, 6:16, 5:52 (just kept trying to incease the effort on each mile.)  Avg tempo pace 6:03, Finished w/4x50 meter hill sprints 80-85% effort on steep hill Avg run pace 7:20  + pushups and abs

AM:  17.22 miles Avg pace = 7:04 ran the last two miles in 6:39, 6:21 - added an additional mile cheering on my runners. for a total of 18.22

This run felt good considering I just bested my highest lifetime weekly mileage by 12 miles!  This is a good sign my body is adapting to the high mileage.  I wasn't shooting for 112, it just sort of happended - an even better sign I'm adapting.

New world record!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/26/sports/patrick-makau-sets-world-record-in-berlin.html?_r=1

Lunch:  7.09 miles @ 7:36 avg pace (cold rainy run - uck!)

PM:  Ran 2 miles over to Bark River Park to meet my CC team.  Did some stretching then ran another 3 miles with the team.  Finished with Tag game and did about 5-6  95-100% effort sprints of 20-30 yard in the game.  My team lost so I put in my pushups and ab work with my teammates for the loss bet.  After practice ran about 5 miles nice and easy home.  Avg pace of run 8:01

Lunch:  4 miles @ easy 7:51 pace

Found out my friend whom I helped pace to a Boston Q is in!  He was one of the 5,000 last week registrants that got in.

 Afternoon:  ~1 mile step test to measure VO2 max, AT, AET, etc...

The results basically show I'm really efficient with my Aerobic Threshold (AET) matching closely to my (Anaerobic Threshold values).  This indicates good running economy.  The results predict I'm currently in 2:43 marathon shape.  I'm close to my goal of breaking 2:40.  Hopefully, the next month of training will help me get under that 2:40 barrier.

PM 10.32 miles @ 7:38 pace on Fort night route.

Lunch:  4 miles @ 7:55 pace around observatory.

PM:  Intervals 5x1 mile w/90 sec. rest. @ 5K pace + 30 sec.  This was my  2nd attempt at the workout, the 1st was last Tuesday running 6:03, 6:03, 6:03, 6:01, 5:57 on the hilly grass loop @ Dorthy Carnes East Park.  Did everything the same as last week starting with a 2 mile warm-up, running a 1 mile tempo in 6:20, took 2 minutes of easy jogging and started into the intervals.  Intervals were 5:57, 5:58, 5:51, 5:46, 5:45.  The 1st two felt really easy, so I ran the 3rd one at what I felt was a hard but in control effort.  The last 2 felt very much under control and smooth over the hills.  Significant improvement over last week!  Same temps and about the same amount of wind.  Finished with 4x30 sec. @ 1 mile race pace w/60 sec. joging  rest (4:31, 4:31, 4:33, 4:40 paces) and a 15 min. cooldown.  Avg run pace 6:53 

+ pushups and abs

Lunch:  4 miles easy 8:04 pace

PM:  9.25  no watch ~8:00 pace

Lunch: ~ 4 miles no watch (rainy and windy)

PM:  3.53 miles - Things just didn't go my way today.  Now that the daylight is shorter I usually have to run in the dark since my wife doesn't get off work until 7pm on Thurs. Unfortunately, for me there was a wind advisory (Gusts of 50, straight line of 40).  Too me that seems a little dangerous for night time running not knowing if a branch or power line comes down.  So I ventured over to the track thinking maybe that might work, plus I could calibrate my new Forerunner 405CX footpod on the track.  Took several tries, but I finally got it calibrated to the right pace.  The wind was absolutely terrible and the rain was really cold, so I thought I might be better off taking indoors to the club to #1 get out of the cold rain and #2 see if the foot pod works indoors like it advertises.  I get to the club and find out my key fob for access to the club is missing.  I figured oh well, I'll just go home and run on my treadmill.  For some odd reason I always get motion sickness, but thought maybe I won't now that I'm in better shape and have a solid stride.  About 1 mile in I was sick.  I made it another 1.5 then had to stop.  By now it's like 10:45 pm and I've got a tempo inside a 15 miler planned so I opted for sleep.  Sometimes things just don't work out.  At least, I was able to get a couple runs in even if they weren't very enjoyable.

PM:  14.55 miles w/3 mile temo:  6:06,6:02,5:54 (very windy - rain started and stopped with time of tempo - bad luck I guess).  Managed to come close to my goal of dropping 8 sec. per mile. 

 Jogged 2 minutes then ran 6x25 sec hill sprints @ ~ 1500 meter racing pace w/jogging rest down hill + additional 30 sec. jogging on flat. 

 Then did a little more jogging and ran 4x40 meter sprints @ 800m race effort w/80 meter rest. 

Jogged a couple minutes home grabbed my Cortana trainiers and went out for a 6 mile cooldown.  Averaged 7:25 pace w/the walking for first 8miles and 7:20 pace for the 6 mile cooldown. 

The legs felt stiff and achy today, but I blame that on the crazy low preasure systems, storms, etc... we've been having all week.  All in all this was a difficult week to train due to all the rain, wind, and storms.  I'd 80% of my runs were in the rain and 100% were in 20 mph winds. 

PM:  12.01 miles - had to skip the morning run to work on my camper.  Needed to finish some roof work and winterize it today.  The goal tonight was a 4x1.5 tempo at 5K+60 sec. w/2min walk recover + light fartlek of 8x15sec w/45 sec. jogging recovery.

 2 mile warm-up, then 9:31 (6:18 mile pace), 9:18 (6:12),  9:25 mostly uphill (6:16), 9:04 mostly downhill (6:01)   The 8x15 sec were an AVG pace of 5:15 - actually made this 14x15 sec. because I was feeling good and wanted to see the Badgers play!  Fantastic Badger blowout over Nebraska!

5PM:  2.93 miles Avg pace 7:45 w/starting and stopping to run athletes at practice@ Dorothy Carnes West Park

9PM:  10.01 miles Easy run Avg pace 7:19 in town

Lunch 4.20 easy mile @ 7:15 pace.  Finished the run around the soccer field at lunch to recieve a bunch of high five's from the students today.  It's fun to get them excited about running.  We're fortunate at St. Joe's to have so many students that love to run!   

PM:  12.01 miles w/1st 11 miles @ easy Avg pace of 7:17.  The last mile I did 6x40 meter hill sprints @ 80-85% effort with a walk down for recovery.  Finished with short cool-down jog.

Lunch:  4 miles w/Jameson @ easy pace no watch on Camrock trail

PM:  Big workout:  10.35 miles w/8x1000meter w/200 meter jogging recovery + 4x30 sec @ 1500 meter pace w/60 sec. jogging recovery.  Avg. run pace 6:47

2 mile warm-up - thoughts were I don't think I'll be able to pull the workout off.  My son has Strep and I had the chills this morning along with the feeling of being weak since yesterday afternoon.  Nonetheless, decided to go for it.  I tried programming a workout into my Garmin.   The intervals came out to .61 miles instead of .625 miles for 1000m.  Recovery was .11 miles instead of .125 miles recovery.  I never really did feel any good during this workout, but managed to put in a Big effort.  Part of this was run on gravel (not a good idea when running fast), but atleast the course was mostly flat.  Hope I feel better for my 10K this Sunday. 

8x1000 meter @ 10K race pace -  3:26.7 (5:37mile pace) w/1:00 rec., 3:26.57 (5:36) w/58.02 rec., 3:28.1 (5:41) w/1:00 rec, 3:33.91 (5:51) w/57.7 rec, 3:23.1 (5:33) w/57 rec, 3:25.8 (5:35) w/59.1 rec, 3.32 (5:47) w/1:07 rec, 3:26.7 (5:37) = Avg 3.28/5.39 paces

4x30sec @ 1550 race pace  4:39, 4:49, 4:58, 5:02

Lunch 4.38 recovery run @ 8:09 pace around observatory

PM:  10.70 very easy w/Jameson @ 7:50 pace on Glacial Drumlin trail.

PM:  10.09 miles very easy running day.  Ran 4.6 miles out to the golf course to watch the Fort High School team and help out in the finish area.  Very nice day for a meet and a run!  Ran 5.4 on the way back picking up Jameson from daycare ( I hid the running stroller in the woods on the way out).  Avg pace between two runs = 7:35 pace

Lunch:  4.03 easy miles around observatory Avg. 7:14 pace

PM:  11.03 easy miles random route Avg 7:02 pace (Ran 8x50 m w/100 m jogging recovery in middle of run)

AM:  7.15 easy miles w/Jameson Avg 7:22 pace

PM:  8.0 easy miles Avg 7:23 pace.  Ran from Busy Barnes play farm.  I had a blast watching Jameson play in the hayloft.

Hot temps today - very windy.  Hope tomorrow's race brings better weather.

My plan for this race was to get out hard then find a pace to run comfortably hard on the way out for the out and back route.  My goal on the way back was drop 5 sec. per mile or atleast increase the effort each mile on the way back in.  I managed to accomplish most of the goal for a 35:23 breaking my old record by 2:39 from Feb. this year.  I fully expected the competition to be stiff as almost every Madison race is.  Most of the competition happened to be in the 5K as I didn't have anyone to run with after the 5K guys turned to go back.  Nonetheless, the 5K runners helped me get out to a fast start.

The first mile was slightly downhill and I came through the mile marker in 5:31, about what I envisioned.  I was closing in hard on the 5K leader and actually cut him off at the turn because I didn't realize he was running the 5K.  The 5K winner went 15:11, so he must have really ran a fast turn in to hit that time if he went out in about 5:27.  Anyway, I found a nice pace and started to listen for footsteps.  At about mile 2 I did hear some footsteps, so I was kind of excited for the competition!  Mile 2 was a 5:41 on the flat and into the wind.  I was feeling quite good running all alone at this point, the pace felt like a tempo effort to me.  The 3rd mile was a little uphill and really into the wind, plus we had to run on the sidewalk and wind around a small turn-about that I had to slow down on due to some slippery leaves.  I hit a split of 5:54 (not what I was hoping for).  My competition had closed the gap and was about 5-10 meters behind me, so going up the hill I put in a surge to crest the hill with a little pop in my stride.  Mile 4 I got a little downhill and I increased the effort spliting a 5:41.  I could still hear footseps ever so slightly, but I could tell I made a little breathing room for the final push.  Mile 5 was mostly flat, but I had to dodge 5K walkers, which slowed me down a little, split was 5:45.  Mile 6 was mostly uphill and I was still dodging walkers and had a car pull out in front of me and a biker cut me off.   I split a 5:48 for mile 6 and missed my .2 because I forgot to stop the watch. 

Great effort for me coming off a 99 mile week.  I later learned 2nd place was a full minute behind me, so I opened a 1 min. gap on my competition mile 4-6.2.  My race strategy was a success! 

PM:  4.35 miles @ 8:39 pace

Lunch 4.96 miles Avg 7:45 pace, felt surprisingly good!

PM:  10.01 miles Avg. 7:50 - the run started off good - avg. between 7:15-7:30 pace and about 6 miles in my right quad started hurting and it progressively got worse throughout the run.  I slowed down to 8:20 pace at the tail end of the run to be on the cautious side.  It's sore to touch and I can feel tension when walking.  Probably an overuse strain.  Hopefully, it will feel better with some good sleep and some slow recovery running tomorrow. 

Lunch:  3.8 very very easy miles - 9:20 pace

PM:  10.02 very easy miles on the tredmill due to storms - boring!  Avg 7:50 pace  Good news is the quad handled 7:50 pace tonight so, hopefully I'll be good to go the rest of the week.

Lunch:  4 very slow miles Avg 4:12, quad seems to be feeling better, but legs aren't feeling all that great.  The 10K really took more out of me than expected.  Kind of a downer, but I guess I have to expect that on high mileage weeks.  Hopefully, the easy running that past couple of days will help me get through the week.  Added 4x40 meter hill sprints @ 80-85% effort, w/walk downhill recoveries.

PM:  12 miles + 1 tempo mile + 5 mile repeats @ 5K + 30 sec. on my hilly grass mile loop. Plus 6x30 sec @ 1500 meter race pace (probably in the rain) to be continued....

Well, my workout was kind of strange.  Between the first interval and the last 4 miles the temp dropped from 75 to 55!  I really struggled with the workout and opted out of the 6x30 sec @ 1500 meter race pace because I had ZERO energy toward the end of the workout.  It's rare to feel like you can't take another step.  I felt like I had motion sickness.  A couple reasons for zero energy may be:  I ate very little because I was so busy with work today, low avg sleep, lingering affects of race from Sunday.  Nonetheless, managed the following:  6:23 for the tempo, then 6:04, 5:44, 5:45, 5:49, 5:46 for the intervals.  Finished with a very very slow cooldown and finished with 11.40 total miles at an Avg of 7:24 pace.  I zipped over to the China Buffet to refuel.  Feeling slightly better, but not great.  Looking forward to another couple of really easy running days.  Managed to hit the abs with some exercises.    

Lunch:  4.01 very easy miles Avg 8:15 pace

PM:  6.97 w/4x30sec @ 1500 meter race pace (while pushing Jameson), otherwise very easy miles Avg 7:51 pace

Lunch:  4.30 very easy miles @ 8:01 pace around observatory.  This was the 3rd time I've had to leap over a snake in the past 2 weeks.  They really get me jumping out of my socks!

PM:  11.14 very easy miles @ 8:06 pace Glacial Drumlin Trail pushing Jameson. I'm amazed at how well my son does in a stroller for that long.  Very windy out of the North, which made for a challenge pushing the stroller.

Lunch:  22.28 miles w/last 6 ~ marathon pace + 15 sec.  Very windy conditions today 25 mph winds with stronger gusts made for a tough run over the hilly country roads.  The last 6 went 6:37 (legs didn't want to move out of easy run pace), 6:41 (slow due to aid station drop), 6:26 (into the wind), 6:31 (windy and hilly), 6:22 (1/2 in the wind, 1/2 out of the wind on the flat), 6:01 (flat and with wind).  The last 6 I just tried to slightly increase effort each mile without too much worry about being exact with MP+15 sec because the quad was tight in the area I injured on Monday.  The quad and legs loosened up nicely over the last couple of miles and I think I could have maintained the pace another couple of miles comfortably in the 6:00-6:15 range.  My 22 mile loop took me through 3 counties.  Avg pace of the run was 7:11, which is 1 sec slower than my Las Vegas Marathon pace last December.  Feels good to know I can probably run a 3:07 marathon on a less than ideal day at the end of a 100+ week.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/121821875

 Late Evening:  5.08 miles pushing Jameson.  This run felt surprisingly good!  The legs were on cruise control.  Still windy, but not near as bad in town.  The run served a few purposes.  #1 shake out the legs, #2 put my son to sleep (he was out in less than a mile).  No wife, no son - just me and some college football.  Nice way to top off the day. 

PM:  6.18 miles very easy @ Avg 8:30 pace.  Got a chuckle out of scaring a lady on the trail.  I'm sure her voice could be heard for miles!  Legs felt stiff and achy as expected.

Lunch 3.97 miles @ 7:51 pace

PM: 10.12 miles @ 7:53 pace, just took what the legs would give today. Added 8x50m @ 1500m race pace w/100m jogging rest

Lunch: ~3.5-4 miles @ easy pace - No watch

PM: 11 mile @ 7:52 pace w/8x50 meters @ 1500 race pace w/100m jogging rec.

Lunch: 4 miles w/5x50m hill repeats @ 80-85% effort w/walk down rec.

PM: 15.48 miles w/7mile tempo @ 5K pace + 60 sec. 6:10,6:20,6:17,6:20,6:20,6:15,5:59 (anything 6:20 was into the wind or hilly, anything under was cross wind or with wind, just maintained effort regardless of wind - Winds topped 35 mph and our area is under a wind advisory until tomorrow) Avg Tempo pace 6:10, Avg Run pace 7:12

Lunch:  4.38 miles @ 7:59 Avg. pace around observatory

PM:  6.68 miles @ 7:33 Avg. to daycare and back home w/Jameson

Rare AM run:  6.64 miles up to daycare w/Jameson and over to work (brisk morning temp 32 degrees) Avg 8:11 pace

Lunch:  4.49 @ 7:39 pace around Observator

PM:  10.05 miles @ 7:40 pace

Another rare AM - 2 in a row!   6.47 miles @ 7:39 pace w/6x50m @ 1500 pace /150m jogging rec.

The plan for this race was to run 5:40 miles and hopefully finish with a win, but not blow up or over do it too much with the marathon in a couple weeks.  Well that plan was washed away when I ran off course and brought a good chunk of the field with me.  First of all I've never run this course so I didn't have a clue where to go and the map was terrible.  You couldn't really tell what was path or street and there was only a couple of road names that I could make out.  So I started asking a few guys at the start if they've run the race.  One guy named Travis whom I've run races against in the past said  he's run it, but the course was changed due to construction.  I guess that explains the foot drawn line (which was very crooked) in the sand at home plate on the baseball diamond we we're starting out at :)  I also talked to a friend Joe Seppe whom is a 1:22 (5:22 pace) 25K runner.  His goal was to run 5 min pace or faster for as long as he could ~ 5 miles, then relay exchange with another runner to finish up the 15K as a two man relay team in the relay competition.  So I knew Joe would get everyone out to a fast start and I figured 5:40 pace might be out of the top 5 for the 1st mile due to the relay runners only running 5K legs.  Joe also didn't know where to go, but his plan was to follow the biker.  I figured no worries I should have a few relay team legs out in front of me and I'll just follow them.  I was okay with that plan and thought nothing of it as I toed the line drawn in the sand.

The gun was a runners set then a loud voice yelled Bang - very fitting!  Joe was out fast (I later learned he ran the 1st mile in 4:50 pace).  We traversed through a very wet grass field that was over my ankles for the 1st 300m - yuck!.  I found myself in 4th at this point with Joe way a head, Travis 2nd, unkown 3rd.  I could tell my 1st mile was going to be under 5:40, but I was okay with that as long as I didn't dip below 5:30.  The 1st mile took us over some really narrow bridges that I later learned we needed run back over as we entered the 2 mile mark, which later Joe said was a jumbled mess and he had to walk over the bridge because of the slower runners crossing on the way out.  I was fortunate enough not to encounter that mess because I followed Travis the 2nd place guy (oh I passed 3rd place .5 miles in).  Travis missed that turn that takes us back over the narrow bridge and we set off on a completely different course in the wrong direction on a very busy street w/construction.  At this point I thought it was a little weird they changed the course and we still had construction, but I couldn't see Joe or the biker only Travis about 20 sec. a head of me, so I followed him.  I came through the 1st mile on my Garmin at 5:32.8 really feeling good about my chances that Travis would come back to me and my breathing and legs felt good.   At this point I still thought I might have a chance at winning the 15K since 1st was only running a relay leg.  At this point we were running a really narrow sidewalk because the street was too busy and I came through the uphill 2 mile in 5:44.  Mile 3 was uphill with a 5:43 and I was feeling good (the legs felt strong today!).  Where was the 5K exchange for the relay though?  I could see Travis throw his arms out to his sides.  I thought what weird way to shake out your arms!  Ha, next thing I know he's running back at me and then I realized he was lost.  So he joined me and then we just kept running on the same terrible sidewalk out to 4 miles on the Garmin, splitting a 5:46 with the 180 degree turn.  We decided to turn back and not go too far in an effort to warn other people, especially the 5K relay legs from running too far.  Travis and I both agreed we'd just run back the same route and finish where we started figuring the distance would be about a 10K.  The 4th place guy was about 2 minutes behind us and then we saw about another 40 runners off course that had followed us.  During this time Travis and I are yelling at people to turn around as we try to avoid traffic and runners on the narrow sidewalk.  I finally went to the other side of the street out of my own fear of getting hit by a car.  I split the 5 mile on my Garmin at 5:42 and at this point Travis put a surge in and I responded quickly to stay with him.  This got my competitive juices going again.  I wanted to beat Travis and that was solely what I focused on from that point on, being lost, running on a terrible course, and knowing I wasn't going to get a 15K race didn't matter anymore.  All I was thinking is beat this guy, get your hard race effort, and move onto the marathon in a couple of weeks.  Just before the 6 mile beep on my watch I put in a strong surge that Travis didn't respond to.  I split the 6 mile in 5:30.8 and finished the .44 @ 5:27/mile pace beating Travis by about 10 seconds for a 6.44 mile win.

I averaged about 6 sec. faster per mile then 2 weeks ago at the 10K I won, so I was happy with the effort and it was nice to have competition even if it was an unofficial race.  After some volunteers saw runners off route they moved some people up to the turn spot we missed to redirect people back toward the narrow bridge that apparently was a mess (everyone had to walk across that bridge because it was just too congested).  So because the group of people that followed Travis and I all ran different distances there was no real way to determine a true winner other than give the awards to the people that ran the actual route.

 I ran the actual course to figure out the mistake and see what I missed.  The turn was not obvious at all!  It took you across a big open grass field along a creek that went back toward the narrow bridge then away toward a less busy blacktop road.  The actual course was a great course and wish I could have run the right course, but the weather was perfect and my effort was outstanding with the adversity my brain had to go through.  Later Travis admitted he couldn't overcome mentally the mistake and so he felt a little down about not challenging more at the end.  I conceded the win to him saying he had a 20 sec. lead when we realized the mistake and I only beat him by 10 sec.  I think that made him feel better about the whole ordeal.  Officially, I'm recording this as a win for 6.44 miles because I felt I mentally handled it better than Travis and was able to break him in the last mile, but we won't tell Travis that ;o)

 I cooled down with Joe and some other guys for a couple miles then ran the part of the course I missed for a 7 mile cooldown.  

Warm-up 2.5 w/.5 tempo @ 6:10 effort

Race 6.44 Avg 5:39/mile pace according to Garmin

Cooldown 7.06 Avg 7:21/mile pace 

 PM:  4.55 shakeout w/Jen @ 9:05 pace

AM:  3.55 miles @ 7:30 pace to work

PM:  4.55 miles @ 7:30 pace to home.  I  feel recovered from Sunday's race, it took be about 4 days 2 weeks ago to fully recover from a 10K. 

Usual strength exercises

AM:  6.19 miles @ ~7:30 pace to work

Lunch:  4.05 miles @ 7:17 pace

PM:  4.46 miles @ 7:50 pace - unplanned run, Jameson hid my keys and so I had to run out to daycare to pick him up

Late PM:  Big Workout - 12.02 miles w/5 miles of tempo + 6x40m hills @ hard, but controlled effort.  Tempo splits [5:44, 5:56, 5:54, 5:53, 5:54] = 5:52 Avg Tempo, 7:11 Avg Run pace.  Got out to a faster start than I needed on the tempo, but I wanted to set the tone right!  Tempo felt hard, but controlled.  One more Big Workout and then it's a relaxing week of true taper before the Monumental.

In my last 2 10K races I set 8K PR's and tonight I ran a faster 8K than my two previous 8k races this year!  Not bad considering I'm still going to hit 80+ miles this week.  I know I'm going into this marathon next week about 10-15 lbs over ideal weight, which leaves a lot of time on the table.  I've not been letting it bother me as I let the weight naturally come off to avoid injury or sickness.  I'll have to watch my weight during taper week to ensure it stays about the same.  My last marathon was racing weight of 179-181, this one will be 167-171.  My ideal racing weight that gives me the most horsepower and economy is ~ 154 based on my past racing performances.  According to Tinman's estimates a 2 lb decrease in body fat is worth about a 14 sec. decrease in a 5k race time. That's a huge improvement if one can loose the weight without sacrificing needed muscle!  I can't imagine how 10 lbs less weight over the course of a marathon would feel!

Lunch:  8 miles very easy @ 8:02 pace around Madison from Mov'in Shoes

Lunch 4 easy miles @ 7:44 pace w/4x20 sec. @ 3K pace w/40 sec. jogging rec.

PM:  Last Big Workout! 13.33 miles w/4x1.5 mile tempo intervals and 4x30 sec. fartlek.  Kind of  a blended version of my 5 mile tempo from Wed. and the 7 mile tempo from last week.  Goal was to run slightly faster than MP pace, which for me MP is 6:04.  Looking to hit about 5:58 pace or a little quicker is okay as long as it was controlled.  At this point in the game it doesn't pay to be a super hero.  I did focus on faster recovery running to ensure I got a true tempo interval workout.  Started with a 3 mile warm-up then did a 1 mile tempo at MP just to get the feel, didn't look at my watch once and split a 6:03.55 - perfect! (even had to stop in the middle of it to give a driver directions).  Ran an easy run pace of 7:09 for .5 miles, then started the 4x1.5 mile tempo intervals.  

1st 1.5mile - 5:55 avg mile pace, [6:49 rec. pace for .5]

2nd 1.5mile -5:54 avg mile pace, [6:59 rec. pace for .5]

3rd 1.5mile- 5:57 avg mile pace, [7:03 rec. pace for .5] - very bad crown to road slowed me down a little

4th 1.5mile- 5:54 avg mile pace, [7:00 rec pace for .5]

Then rolled into 4x30 sec. @ 1500m race pace, w/1:00 easy running rec.

Finished with the final mile in 6:35 pace

Avg tempo pace 5:55 pace mostly into a 8 mph wind.  Avg run pace 6:30

AM:  Had to break the rust off the legs this morning.  Slow first mile 8:40 pace, then settled into 7:30-7:50 pace.  Avg run pace 7:59.  Felt good considering all the tempo work this week.  Tomorrow is another recovery day, but not feeling too bad today.

 Usual strength exercises

PM:  6 miles @ 7:40 pace nice and relaxed

Lunch:  4.16 miles @ 7:34 avg. pace w/ 4x40m hill sprints w/walk down recoveries

PM:  8.18 miles @ 8:11 avg. pace w/4x300m [:60,:57,:55,:54] cutdowns w/300m easy run rec.  Ran into a friend at the track and got to talking about her upcomming 1/2 marathon this weekend.  Jogged about 2 miles at 9:00 + pace as we talked. 

Legs are feeling good, but have a sore tendon in the knee that gives me trouble the first 5 minutes of my 1st run of the day.  Something I can live with for now, but will need to get checked out if it doesn't go away.  I always seem to have more problems when I run low mileage or take a day off than if I run twice a day.

Lunch: ~2 miles easy

PM:  ~4 miles easy

PM: .5 miles - Had to pick up truck at car wash down the street, otherwise would have been a day off

AM:  4 miles @ 7:45 pace at time I'll be racing on Sat.  Temps and weather look to be fantastic for the Monumental!  Leaving at 4 am to drive the 5 hours down to Indy tonight. 

AM:  2 miles starting just a little slower than marathon pace, finishing around 1/2 marathon pace.  We left at 3 am to avoid a 2-3 hour delay through Chicago rush hour.  I managed to get about 5 hours of sleep, but got a little cat nap in at the hotel and maybe a couple hours of sleep in the car. 

At the expo I walked up to a compression sock vendor thinking I might get an extra pair to wear around school.  The salesman was Alberto Salazar!  I don't believe the expo advertised his appearance, but he was selling the socks just blending in with the crowd.  I got a picture with him and I'll be sure to get it posted asap! 

Something kind of funny (at least my wife thought it was funny) happened on the way back from the expo.  I was walking along looking at the course map and ran square into one of those traffic poles that come out of the ground, the short ones used to close off streets, it happened to be at a height that is very unfortunate if you're a man.  I was down and out for a few minutes, but managed to pull myself together  and should be fine to race tomorrow.  It's been a long time since I've felt that kind of pain!

Quick race re-cap - on pace for 23 miles, victim of calf cramping miles 23-26.  Manged a 1/2 marathon PR of 51sec and a marathon PR of 9:38, plus it's a true "non-aided" PR! I also was able to beat a handful of elite runners and finished as the 3rd non-elite finisher.  Missed my goal of breaking 2:40, but not a big deal as I was probably stretching my goal for that time with my current fitness.  Fast course and temps in the 40's, winds between 6-12 mph out of the SE that led to a tough finish straight into the wind.  Excited to be in Chicago now.  Going to eat a bunch of Chicago's famous Lou Malnati's pizza and relax in the hotel pool.  Taking Jameson to the Shedd Aquarium tomorrow.  Body is doing surprisingly well, much better than my previous 2 marathons!  Thanks to all the bloggers for motivating me on the training the past few months! I have no doubt the blog made a big difference in my commitment to train and race hard!

To fully do this race report justice I think I need to shed some background on where I’ve come from to run 2:41.  Feel free to skip the sentimental stuff and scroll down to the 5^th paragraph for the race report.   

When I started this journey I was a sturdy 225 lbs at 5’11” and had no intention of ever running a marathon let alone a ½ marathon.  I wasn’t always this heavy as I was 155 lbs in college when I was running for Hamline University.  Much of my weight gain was increased muscle mass as I did lift weights 2-3 times a week for about 9 years, but I did almost no cardio and can honestly say I was carrying way too much fat weight to be considered “healthy” by my standards.   My resting heart rate was 68 bpm.  Since my transformation I’ve lost ~60 lbs and dropped my resting heart rate to 48 bpm!  I’m also improved my self confidence, concentration, and overall outlook on the meaning of life - all for the better.

The transformation occurred because of several reasons.  #1 I found God, it just so happened God was looking for me.  Not that I didn’t pray or attend church, I just never got anything out of it until I became a teacher at St. Joe’s.  God has a calling for each one of us and we’ll come to a point where he keeps calling and we can either choose to listen or ignore.   Since becoming an educator I’ve learned to be a great teacher you have to be a great listener.   I had finally starting listening to God!  #2 I started volunteering more of my time to others.  I choose to volunteer as an assistant coach for our 4^th-8^th grade CC team even though at the time it felt kind of like a burden and I wasn’t interested because my wife and I just had a son and I was in my first year of teaching.  Also, none of the coaching positions at St. Joe’s are offered any compensation.   The head coach needed help and so I made the sacrifice to give back some of the running knowledge I learned in college.  I started running 2-3 miles about 2 times a week with the runners to keep a close eye on my young 4^th-6^th grade runners.  It wasn’t so bad, but I certainly was not enjoying the running.  The running part hurt and it felt like a waste of my time, but it felt great to see the transformation of those young athletes!   After CC my 8^th graders approached me with the idea of starting a Track team at St. Joe’s.  I thought to myself No Way! , that would require way too much of a time commitment and track isn’t like CC.  You’ve got to arrange meet line ups and coordinate coaches for all the events, plus the amount of athletes is twice that of CC!  I was only in my 1^st year of teaching and didn’t think I could handle one more thing.  Nonetheless, I choose to cave and start the team with no pay and what I thought at the time to be zero incentive!   Why was I doing this to myself?   I didn’t want to do it, but I felt a higher calling.  I was giving myself away to God’s will rather than following my own selfish desires and best off all it was just happening naturally.  #3 I signed up for Fort’s inaugural ½ marathon and thus formal training began in June of last year.  My first marathon was a 3:07 using Runner’s world Ultimate Intermediate Marathon plan  http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244--6946-3-3X5X7-4,00.html  It was good enough for a Boston qualifying time in 2012.  I was really happy with the process and the race, so I signed up for my 2^nd marathon in Duluth, MN.  In June of this year I ran Grandma’s using Runner’s World Ultimate Advanced Marathon plan http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244--6946-4-3X5X7-4,00.html and I finished in a time of 2:50:49 with a 20 mph wind to my back almost the entire way!

After Grandma’s I took a day off and slowly built my mileage to 90-115 miles per week that led to my current Monumental Marathon PR or 2:41:12.  All of my training since September has been under the guidance of Tom Swartz “Tinman”, Fast Running Blog, and The Run Zone, which have all been indispensable, so THANK YOU to all!!!

Okay, moving forward to the report.  We left Fort around 3 am to avoid Chicago rush hour and to ensure a sleeping 2 year old!  We arrived just North of Indianapolis around 8 am Eastern Time and pulled off at a secluded exit for me to do my 2 mile tempo run at exactly 8 am (race start time).  Got back on the road checked into the hotel, the hotel was right on monument circle ~ 2.6 miles into the start of the race and about ½ a mile from the start/finish.  I later learned this would be a perfect throw away spot and my wife was able to let me know my position since the ½ marathoners and elites had different color bibs!  This was also only about 2 blocks from the last mile of the course, so it was really convenient for my wife and son since they were able to hang out in the hotel most of the race.  We spent the rest of the day at the expo and relaxing at the hotel.  We had a nice dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory, which happened to be our 1^st date 9 years ago!  Got to bed by 9:30 and woke up by 6:00.  Grabbed some coffee and a bagel and went back to the hotel to rest.  Dressed in compression shorts, compression socks, singlet, arm warmers, ear band, 1 thin pair of Under Amour gloves, 1 pair of cheap stretch gloves, sunglasses, a fuel belt that held some shot blocks for right before the start, 2 Hammer electrolytes, and 4 Accelerade gels for out on the course.  I wasn’t going to count on course fuel, I figured better over prepared than under prepared.  With about 15 minutes I jogged down to the start.  Temps were high 30’s with winds out of the South, so temps were chilly, but not terrible.  I did about 5 light striders and jumped in about two rows back from the leaders.  Finally, I was going to get the chance to validate the training and put away all the nervous energy I had built up over my taper week.  I was out to a fast 5:48 start, but it felt comfortable, so I wasn’t too concerned.  The 2^nd mile I slowed down to 6:06, chatted to a guy running the full who was going for 2:37 pace and ran with him for about a mile.  I tossed my throw away t-shirt to my wife as we passed the 2.6 mile mark.  My wife let me know I was in 15^th, later I learned I was actually in 18^th at that point.   We split a 5:57 3^rd mile and so I backed off a little as the other guy kept on that pace.  I’ll later see him around mile 19.  The pace was feeling a little tough, probably due to the fast start.  The 4^th mile was 6:04 – perfect!  Mile 5 was slow as I made a conscious effort to relax a little more.  I had 3 guys with me running the ½ marathon, so I tucked in with them and we came through a 6:21 for mile 5.  Mile 6 I made a conscious effort to pick up the pace and I think I had a slight downhill that resulted in a 5:52 as I continued to draft off the 3 ½ marathon guys.  Mile 7 is where the ½ guys split off and the full ventures north down some scenic streets. I split a 6:02 for mile 7.  After mile 7 the competition became very sparse.    At this point I was on 6:04 pace with some swings in pace, but feeling very reasonable.  I took my first gel back at 40 and every 40 minutes thereafter.  I split a 6:09 for mile 8 and wasn’t noticing too much fatigue, but that would change with the next mile.  I had someone in front of me to chase probably about 12 seconds ahead?   Mile 9 I caught the runner ahead of me and I split a 6:07.  At this point I was nervous about my pace because I was exerting a lot more energy than I would have expected for being slightly slower than my 6:04 goal pace, but I was fully committed to breaking a 2:40 bust if I must.  We split a 6:08 for mile 10 and this where we got a nice little downhill, so I picked up the pace to get back on 6:04.  My buddy from Chicago’s dropped back.  Mile 11 and 12 where 6:00 & 6:01 pace – this pace was hard to sustain alone.  As we turned into the East I noticed the wind was really hard!  I was feeling it and I slowed back down to 6:08 for mile 13 and 1:19:31 for 13.1 with no one in sight to chase at this point I was getting down a little mentally.  My ½ time was about a minute faster than I’ve ever run, but I’ve been told people usually run well with a fast 1^st half and a slightly slower 2^nd half.  The guy from Chicago was back now and he pulled up next to me, we would run like that miles 14 through 21.5.  He helped me through the rolling hills splitting 6:00, 6:02, 6:03, 6:22 (long mile mark), 5:49 (short mark) for miles 14,15,16,17,18.  I was feeling much better running alongside another runner, which made the pace much easier to handle.   I had just tackled what I thought would be the toughest part of the course with some of best running.  I later learned the last 6 into the wind would be the toughest miles.   Mile 19 I missed the spit, but mile 20 was 12:17 and I figured I was close to even splits, maybe 6 - 0’s for both.  Mile 19 I passed the runner who was shooting for 2:37 I ran with in the 2^nd mile.  His words, “I picked the wrong shoes today.”  Mile 21 6:08 going into a strong wind and now I had lost my only competition.  I came through mile 22 in 6:23, but I figured if I didn’t drop too many more 6:20’s I could still break 2:40.  The wind was really harsh to run against the last 4 miles of a marathon.  Up until this point I had zero cramping or any indication cramping was on the way.  I had been taking water or Gatorade at every station and I was pumping the gels every 40min, so why did cramping come on?  Possibly not enough electrolytes, running into the wind required a stronger plant and push, or it could have been a stretch in fitness to run 6:04 pace.  It wasn’t really until 3-4 weeks ago that I started the marathon specific Big Workouts.  I didn’t see mile 23, but 24 was a 13:04.  I didn’t bother looking at this split for I knew I was off pace and didn’t want to get discouraged.  My left ankle had locked up and cramping was preventing plantar and dorsal flexion, which in turn put more strain on my right side.  So at mile 25 I had cramping in my right calf and left calf/ankle.  The breathing wasn’t labored, but each time I tried to pick up the pace my cramping would get worse.  At this point I was desperate to keep it going and I noticed I had one gel left!  Did I forget to take one?  Later I remembered I grabbed an extra gel in case I dropped one.  Being distracted by another runner passing me I tore open the gel it sprayed all over me, covering my face, chest, and thighs – nice!    I was passed by 1 more runner in mile 25; my split was a 6:38 (my slowest split).  Mile 26 I got a little boost from the crowd and some Rocky Theme music and I finished the race out kicking 1 runner and immediately after I had both calves completely lock up, so someone had to help me walk for a short while before they loosened up.  My last mile was a 6:19 and the .2 was 1:12.  Not a bad finish, but not what I would consider my best.  I was happy to finish in the top 20 and I have no doubt I gave it everything I could.  The PR came off of 4.5 months of training and I feel I’ve got a massive amount of room for improvement in the marathon.  It’s exciting to be posting 10-15 minute PR’s 4 marathons in now.  I’m hoping to continue this trend as my next goal at Boston will be to break 2:30!

Now that I’ve had a few days to compile this report and reflect on the race.  I really think my limiting factors were not enough Big Workouts specific to the marathon.  I also think the workouts weren’t Big enough to justify much faster than 6:10 pace.  For instance, I ran 8 miles on 100 mile a week legs in a 6:10 tempo pace in similar wind conditions about 3-4 weeks before the marathon.  It was a fantastic workout for my fitness level and experience, but I believe these late training cycle BIG marathon tempo’s need be more like 12-15 miles of total MP to maximize running potential in the marathon.  The other thing that I could try next time is taking an electrolyte pill; I completely forgot I had them in my fuel belt!  The drop of 10 more lbs from 165 to 155 would make a big difference on my lower body as well.  All 3 of these factors may have prevented some if not all of the cramping I experienced. 

Looking forward to a little down time and then the Berby Derby 10K on Thanksgiving.  After that it’s another slow build up to high mileage and a primary focus on Boston with maybe 1 race a month for Jan, Feb, and March.  

Me with a forced and exhausted smile in the warming tent

The family in the tent, as usual Jameson tries to dodge a picture

Jameson at the end of the race, pretty much sums it up!

PM:  1.5 miles in the rain around the neighborhood - no watch.  Feeling snappy, but the legs are sore!!

 Here's an interesting article about the 100 Up running drill and minimalist running:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/06/magazine/running-christopher-mcdougall.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&em&exprod=myyahoo

PM:  3 miles around neighborhood, calves still are at 50% recovery.  Everything else felt pretty good.  Did 100 Up Drill, Lunge Matrix, Cannonball Cooldown

AM:  6 miles easy pace no watch on Star School.  In the past 7 days I've only run 2 times, which is quite a bit of time off for me.  I enjoyed my time with a little bow hunting. 

PM:  6.10 miles around town and Fort Middle School Track.  Did 8x100m 5K-3K effort on the straights with easy running on the turns for a 6:02 mile.  Avg run pace 7:01, pumped out a nice ab routine as well.

PM:  5.31 easy miles main street loop 7:04/avg pace.

PM:  6.42 miles w/15x1:00 min fast/1:00 easy running at Dorothy Carnes East Park.  It was nice to get out to the park.  It's going to be covered with snow soon!  Found just enough light to get my workout in before it got too dark to see.  Ran these over the undulating terrain running completely by feel.  I wanted a good effort, but nothing too hard.  The plan was 5K effort for the first 10, and 3K effort the last 5.  However the hills made those paces much slower, but I believe the effort was correct.  I didn't get the watch on the first one, but here are the rest 5:58m/p(7:31r/p), 6:53(7:29), 5:51,(7:07), 5:59,(8:00), 5:42,(7:45), 5:27,(6:45), 5:32,(7:40), 6:07,(7:59), 5:12,(6:51), 5:41,(7:17), 5:44,(7:18), 5:48, (8:05), 5:51,(7:21), 5:37,(7:47)

 All in all a nice little workout on grass with lower mileage, so the body should feel reasonable tomorrow.  

PM:  8.3 miles Creamery loop no watch.  Turned it into a gradual progression run with the last .5 mile at 10K effort