Something I've Been Needing To Do

Last January my running partner, Brian K., and I ran the Spectacle Spectacular in Angleton. After the race he visited with Carlo Deason and they discussed speedwork and getting faster for the 5K distance. Carlo told Brian that mile intervals were the answer. That 400 and 800 repeats were fine, but it was mile repeats that really made the difference for him. Brian absorbed that and not long after that began doing them - a fast one then a full slow one for recovery, times three.

Today I joined Brian for his Tuesday mile repeats in the next subdivision over. Well, not exactly a mile. It's just beyond .9 mile. At the pace we were running, if you add 30 seconds you'll approximate your mile time. Having done 400 repeats and my .4 mile oval repeats for years, along with some tough as nails training runs, I felt I was ready for anything. Was I wrong. These kicked my rear so bad that I was ready to quit during the first one, after the first one, after the second one, and again during the third one. The first one was especially embarrassing. Brian took off and I was sucking wind 100 feet into the damned thing. We really didn't warm up, other than a jog of about a tenth of a mile, and I paid for it. It seemed like Brian pulled farther away with every step and I was just trying not to get completely left. Eventually we rounded the last turn that indicated we were on the home stretch. I posted a 5:25 and Brian was at least 5 seconds ahead of me, probably more like 10. I had to walk for about 25 feet into the recovery run just to get my breath and I still wasn't sure I was going to do another one but onward we went. As we finished the recovery lap I began feeling a little better and started thinking I'd fire off another one and might be able to handle it a little better. I was right. Brian didn't pull away nearly so much this time and I posted a 5:10, just a few seconds behind Brian. We did our second recovery lap then went into our final rep. I thought I might be able to better the 5:10 with a good kick, but it turned out to be 5:10 again, about the same distance behind Brian as I was on the second lap (2 or 3 seconds).

If you've never done mile repeats (or something close to a mile) they're a whole new ballgame. I'm still wiped out from these, but that's good, right? They say that what doesn't kill you will make you stronger, but today I was worried I might not get to find out!

Total distance : about 5.6 miles.

Normal Monday Run, Just 8.5 Hours Early

I met Brian K. at the Greatwood rec. center to do our normal 7.1 mile Monday run. Instead of the usual 5:30 PM run though, we got together at 9 AM so that we'd have the rest of the day for however we were observing the holiday.

Since my son was up at all hours of the night last night I was dragging this morning and struggled to pull myself from bed at 8 AM. I put my water bottle and Gatorade in the freezer, then sucked down some coffee and some water. I touched base with the wifey then headed over to Greatwood. Brian showed up right on time and we hit the 3.55 mile loop. It was warm and very humid - a sauna really. I'd much rather run in the evening. And I was a little creaky, having done squats last night (yes, I'm doing them again because I don't like my quads getting sore from a simple 10 mile run and then compromising my next training run).

Anyway, we set a decent pace and hit the first loop in 26:06 (7:21 pace). It was another run that was devoid of pleasure, just work the entire time. We stepped things up ever so slightly on the second loop, as we're prone to do. I can't remember the last time we did a 2 loop positive split. We were about 15 or 20 seconds ahead of the pace set on the first loop but, with about half a mile to go, Brian decided to make things interesting. He cranked up the pace a little and I had no manly choice but to do likewise. As we got to about .2 miles to go, Brian dialed up the pace even more and again I tried to hang. I did my best and finished about a second behind Brian. He posted a 24:58 on the second loop and I turned a 24:59 (7:02 pace).

Total distance : 7.1 miles, 51:05 (7:12 pace)

A quick note about training partners. Since I recognized my wife on here the other day for her positive impact on my running, I'd like to recognize the value of my training partners. Mine (Steve S. and Brian K.) are simply the best. They show up when they say they're gonna show up, whether that's 6 or 7 AM, or 9 PM on a Friday night. They're not only willing, but eager to attack the training run, and never miss a workout without a valid, unavoidable reason. When you have a little something extra in the tank they'll do their best to help you maximize it, and when you're dragging ass they'll make sure you get done and won't let you reach for that can of Quit. It's quite a precarious balance that we manage between completely checking our egos at the door and bringing enough competitive spirit to get in a quality workout. It's true synergy. The workouts we'd do on our own wouldn't add up to half what we accomplish together. If I had to run alone this morning I know for a fact that I'd have not gotten in the quality of workout that I did because of Brian. We're all three very lucky.

5.2 Miles To Cap The Week

I finished my week off with 5.2 miles today in my mom's subdivision up in Spring. I'm not sure if it's exactly 5.2 (I measured it in the car one time I think) so I didn't wear the watch. But I kept up a pretty decent pace - probably sub 7 minutes per mile. I ran around 3 PM. It was very overcast and thus, not oppressively hot.

Total distance : 5.2 miles.

Total milage for the week ending 5/28 : 51.65.
(In case anyone adds up the miles I've reported here and comes up short of the 51.65 figure, I did an extra .4 on Wednesday night that I forgot about until after I had posted).

Friday And Saturday Runs

Last night I finally got in another long-run. You know how after a lot of runs you feel better than when you started? Like a million bucks? Last night was not one of those nights. This run was work from the first step to the last. If my body was a car, that little fuel light that flashes when you're about to run out of gas would have been on for the final two miles. Here are the details.

I went over to the 3.55 mile loop in Greatwood at about 7 PM. The Weather Channel showed Sugar Land at 87 degrees at about 6:30 so it probably didn't cool much by 7 - maybe a degree or two. I had to run alone as Steve S. is on the D.L. and Brian K. is out of town for the weekend. My plan was to do 3 loops plus a mile out and back at the end for a total of 12.65 miles. I dropped a bottle of Gatorade with ice in it near the start with the intention of drinking it after two loops (7.1 miles). And that's the way it worked out. I wasn't overly thirsty at the conclusion of 2 loops but experience has taught me that if I wait until the third loop is done, I'll be done too. So I picked it up and drank most of the 20 oz. while I walked. It took no more than 20 seconds or so and then I was off to complete the third loop. I naturally tried to bump the pace to compensate for the hydration stop. Halfway through the third loop I had made up for the stop but was getting tired. I really, really wanted to stop at the conclusion of three loops (10.65 miles) but forced msyelf to dig down. I did the mile out at a pretty steady pace, then turned around and finished the final mile as fast as I could. Here are the specifics of the run:

Loop 1 : 25:11 (7:06 pace)
Loop 2 : 24:45 (6:58 pace)
Loop 3 : 24:22 (6:51 pace)
Mile out : 6:41
Mile back : 6:26

Total distance : 12.65 miles, 1:27:26 (6:55 pace)

My running buddy, Steve S. drove by and honked as I was finishing the final mile. I wonder if I looked the way I felt.

Also, a big, big thanks go to my wife Susan. What an awesome lady I've been married to for 12 years now. Usually she and I (and our two little boys) go somehwere for dinner on Friday night. But with a full weekend scheduled, I told her that the only night I could get in a long-run was last night, and then I reminded her of my recent attempts to run after a big dinner. I told her all of this about 6:15 PM, thinking that I'd have to skip dinner and run at 8:30 PM after putting my son to bed. But she said, "go run - go now. I'll take care of the boys". She said she knew how tired (and hungry) I might be if I waited until 8:30. And then, when I got home at 8:45, she had a burger and onion rings from Sonic for me. Not the best post-run food in the world, but damn, it was good! She's really the best. And oh yeah, the boys were still up, so I got to give them both their baths and put the older one to bed anyway. We make a pretty good team.

And then this morning I did an easy recovery run. Or at least it was supposed to be easy. I didn't take my watch and never once tried to push the pace, but I was dying. I ran at 10:45 AM and it was very warm and sunny, and more humid than it is in the evening. And of course I was still feeling the effects of the run last night. It was all I could do to finish.

Total distance : 4.4 miles, no time.

Another Double-Duty Day

I did an easy run this morning then speedwork this evening.

I started out with an easy 5.4 miles this morning. No watch, easy pace.

Then this evening at 5:30 PM, I met Brian K. at the local track to do our 400 meter repeats. I wasn't sure what I'd have in me after a run this morning that, in my early days of running would have been considered a long-run! Funny how things change over time. And it was sunny and hot today too. But the first repeat felt good, and the rest went well too. The times were some of the best I've ever posted and even though I gave what I had, it wasn't like I was killing myself out there - it was a normal effort.

Without further ado, here are the 400 repeat times:

1:19, 1:18, 1:17, 1:18, 1:18, 1:18, 1:18, 1:15.

Total milage today: 9.9

Recovery Run On Wednesday

On Wednesday I did an easy recovery run at 9:15 PM. This was a simple run - no watch, and a smooth, moderate pace.

Total distance : 4.4 miles.

Double Workout On Tuesday

On Tuesday I did speedwork at lunch then a relatively easy-pace run that night.

I did speedwork on the .4 mile oval that I live on at lunch. 5 fast loops with a half-loop recovery after each, and a full-loop warmup and cool-down for a total of 3.6 miles. The repeat times were better than a couple of weeks ago. Not quite to the level of my all-time best, but getting there. They were:

2:15, 2:09, 2:09, 2:10, 2:10.

Then I did 4 miles on this same oval later that night at around 10 pm. 10 times around equals 4 miles. I timed it but didn't try to push too hard.

Total distance : 4 miles, 27:23 (6:48 pace).

Monday Training Run

I did 7.1 miles (2 Greatwood loops) today with Brian K. Steve S. is still on the DL.

For some reason, this run was tough and no fun whatsoever from start to finish. Usually at least the first couple or three miles is somewhat pleasant. But this run was just a grind from the word go. And it wasn't like we were smokin' the pace either. In any event, we got through it, with a decent time to show for our efforts. First loop was 26:07, 2nd loop for me was 24:46, a little over 25 for Brian. And it was another good acclimation run, as it was warm and sunny.

Total distance : 7.1 miles, 50:53 (7:10 pace)

Sunday Run

I went out Sunday night to do a long-run. Unfortunately, I had eaten some great Mexican food about two and a half hours before. I can usually run after a meal if I give it two and a half hours or so, but not something so heavy as Mexican food. I should have known.

I planned to do 3 x 3.55 mile loops in Greatwood plus a mile out and back at the end but managed only 2 loops before facing reality. I got through the first loop okay, even though I was uncomfortable, in a time of 26:16. But less than a mile into the second loop I had to walk for about 3 or 4 minutes. My stomach was in knots. I managed to get back into my running pace and finish out the last 2+ miles, but my time for the second loop, with the walking included, was 31:39. Steve S. will remember when that used to be a normal loop time for us, in the very early days.

Total distance: 7.1 miles, 57:55 (8:09 pace)

Total milage for the week ending 5/21 : 44.2

Pamela's Race 10K Today

Did this one this morning, 8 AM start. Fairly warm and muggy but could have been much worse. A nice cool country breeze was extant but bright sunshine too, and not a lot of runners, which resulted in some lone-rangers (including yours truly).

I finished in 39:45, second overall and first master. I might have gone sub 39 on a fast course, but the pea-gravel at the beginning and end had it's affect. My mile splits were pretty flat, with a low of 6:15 and a high of 6:31.

A big atta boy goes out to Juan Vielma (sp?) who finished first, waaaaaaaaaay ahead of me, at around 36 even. And also a big atta girl goes out to the race director, Catherine Kellner, who holds this race every year to raise money for a scholarship fund in her daughter's memory. It's too bad more folks don't venture out for this one. Other than the pea-gravel at the start and finish, there's nothing a serious runner could complain about. Pre-race and post-race food and bev. is more than adequate, including burgers this morning for all particpants. ACCURATE mile markers at every mile, PLUS someone calling out times at EACH mile marker (not every race can say that). And a course that's certified and accurate overall. Awards are 3 deep in ten year age groups plus overall male and female masters. And great door prizes, including two Southwest Airline tickets.

The Week So Far

I've had a pretty good training week so far. Through Thursday I'm sitting at 29.9 miles. Here's what I've done to this point:

Monday : 7.1 miles on the Greatwood loop with Brian K. The loop times were: 25:56 and 24:57. Our total time was 50:53 for a 7:10 pace.

Tuesday : 3 easy miles at lunch. Time was 20:31, 6:50 pace.
Tuesday run #2 : 10.5 miles in Memorial Park with Jacob Tonge, a super nice guy and excellent runner. We didn't time ourselves and kept it conversational.

Wednesday : Went out at 8:45 PM to run 6.2 miles but just didn't feel up to it, plus my quads were a bit sore from the run with Jacob. Since I stopped doing squats I find my quads get sore more than they did before. I managed .4 miles before stopping.

Thursday : 4.4 easy miles in the morning. No watch.
Thursday run #2 : speedwork at the junior high track with Brian K. We did our usual 8x400 meter repeats with a 400 meter recovery after each one. We go all out on these thus the 400 recovery is warranted. My lap times were:
1:22, 1:21, 1:19, 1:19, 1:20, 1:20, 1:19, 1:17. Not exactly where I was 6 months ago, but darned close. Oh yeah, it was hotter than a mother out there today. Better get used to it. October is a long ways off!

It Seems To Be Coming Together All Of A Sudden

Shortly after finishing the 5K last Thursday night, I had an urge to run. Anyone who knows me well knows that when I race I leave nothing in the tank. After every race I'm whipped, and the last thing I want to do is more running. But last Thursday night I really wanted to run some more. In fact, when I got home, I almost went out for more miles but it was late. As I posted here, I went for 10.2 miles Friday afternoon in the heat and was not only planning, but eager, to do a long-run Saturday (though I ended up doing only 7.1). What I'm getting at is that since my 5K last Thursday, I've been chomping at the bit to run. While I realize that I had a bit better race than I anticipated, it can't be just that. It wasn't like I PR'd or anything. Everything seems to be in tune right now in my running world and I am going to milk it for all it's worth. Sunday's training run was more of the same - a quality effort that surprised me.

Though I had really wanted to hit 50 miles this past week, doing only 7.1 on Saturday kind of put that out of reach. There was no way I'd be able to sneak off for significant milage on Mother's Day so I waited until we got home from visiting our mothers and decided to go out for a fast 4.4 miles in my neighborhood. I felt like I could probably go well under 28 minutes for this route. The nice weather didn't hurt, and the starting time of around 7:20 PM was ideal for me.

Usually when I do somewhat shorter stuff in training and attempt a fast time, I'm always slow the first mile. Something about getting up to speed in my training runs. In recent attempts to "smoke" this 4.4 mile route my first mile has been over 6:30. And what's worse, I usually feel like I'm really moving only to look at my watch at the 1-mile marker and be disappointed. So imagine my surprise when I looked down and saw 6:10! That was so fast that I began to be concerned that I might mentally talk myself into just going for a blistering 2.2 and doing the return at a leisurely pace. But I knew that if I could keep it up I might have an outside shot at 27 flat, or maybe even a shot at my course record for this route - 26:52, set exactly 7 months ago, October 14.

As I got within a quarter mile of the turnaround I intentionally tried to dial the pace back just a bit so that I could hammer the return. I hit the 2.2 mile turnaround in 13:24. That meant that 13:36 on the return would get me 27 flat, and 13:27 would yield a new PR for this distance. But nothing in my recent running suggested that I am in PR shape so I just vowed to do my best and see what I ended up with. I got to the 1.2 mile point on the return (1 mile to go) in 7:09. So now I'm thinking, if I just post a 6:15 final mile I'll have 13:24 on the return and a new PR for this distance. During the entire final mile I kept hearing the little guy from Fantasy Island who used to say, "Boss, de plane, de plane". (Herve Villechaize, who tragically took his own life a few years ago). Except Herve was saying, "Lance, the pain, the pain". Anyway, I ignored him, knowing that it'd be over soon enough. I clocked a final mile of 5:57 and was pretty pumped about that until I realized that my total time for the second 2.2 miles was 13:06, which works out to a 5:57 pace for the entire back half.

Total distance : 4.4 miles, 26:30 (6:01 pace).

Total milage for the week ending 5/14 : 40.5

7.1 In The Sun

I headed over to Greatwood this evening to try to get in a long-run on the 3.55 mile Greatwood loop. I started about 6 PM. The temp was 87 when I left the house but it wasn't take-your-breath-away hot. But it was sunny too. I kept telling myself that on the second loop (of the four that I planned to run) the sun would be significantly lower and there'd be more shade each loop, along with lower temperatures. I wasn't intending to worry about pace and didn't even check my watch until the 2.75 mile point of the first loop. I was expecting around a 21 to 21:30 time. I can conservatively cover the final .8 miles in 6 minutes so a first loop of 27 to 27:30 would be acceptable. I looked down at my watch at the 2.75 mile mark and instead of 21 or 21:30 I saw... 19:15. Ugh oh. But I really felt fine. I finished the first loop in 25:01 and kept on truckin'.

The sun appeared no lower and the temperature seemed no cooler on the second loop. I hit the 2.75 mile mark and looked at at my watch again. Another ugh oh. 18:56. I kept going, still feeling fine. But about another 2/10ths of a mile I suddenly felt like all the energy had been drained from me. Sort of a mild bonk I guess you could say. Since I had run well up to that point I decided to just hammer out the final half mile to the finish and wrap it up at two quality loops. I finished the second loop in 24:21.

Total distance : 7.1 miles, 49:22 (6:57 pace).

After this run today I'd say I'm pretty well acclimated to the heat.

Oh, bad news about Steve S. It turns out he has a stress fracture.

Afternoon Miles

Brian K. and I took advantage of neither one of us working today to get in some miles this afternoon. We took off around 2:35 PM under bright sun, mid 80s temps, and (thankfully) low humidity.

We intended to do 10.2 miles, and that's what we did. We ran in my neighborhood, River Park. I covered the 10.2 in 1:11:16, which works out to a 6:59 pace. I'll take it, especially since I never really pushed the pace until the finishing loop on the .4 mile oval that I live on. Brian got hung up at the light on Grand Parkway and lost my shirttail that he'd been hanging on to. But he still came in within a minute of me.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

No, this won't have anything to do with a Clint Eastwood movie. It's my race report of the Tie One On For Charity 5K last night. Well, using the word "race" isn't really accurate. Afterall, races usually record who finished where, how many finishers there were, what their times were, etc. None of that occurred last night.

First, the Good.

Based on comparing my recent speedwork results with similar speedwork sessions last summer, and then taking a look at what kind of 5Ks I was running then, I had a reasonable expectation of running a low 19 - like 19:05 or so. The cool, dry conditions only enhanced my chances. I took off conservatively and had probably 20 people in front of me 100 feet into the race. I began picking them off until the only folks in front of me were the leader (Drew Prisner), a guy in 2nd place that was Leno Rios buddy, Leno Rios in third, and my training partner Steve S. in fourth. I began looking for a 1 mile marker but when my watch read 5:45 and there was no mile marker anywhere up ahead, I figured that either I was going dreadfully slow or there simply wasn't going to be one. I pulled even with Steve S. somewhere around 6:15 and said, "nice mile marker, huh?". I stayed in fourth until just before the turnaround, when another runner, Scott Wonderly, passed me. He said something about feeling bad that he'd drafted off me for a while and that now I could do the same with him. I stayed close to him and passed him back with maybe about a mile to go. I say, "maybe about a mile to go" because there was no 2 mile marker either. At this point I had lost sight of the leader, Prisner, but could still see the 2nd place guy, and Leno Rios was still third, though he was probably a good 45 seconds ahead of me. I had no realistic chance of catching him unless he completely blew up, and Leno is too good of a runner to let that happen. I had no idea what was going on behind me but I figured Steve S. wouldn't let me get too far from him if he could help it, and I was also concerned about Wonderly. Another guy I figured would pass me any minute (and I'd be powerless to do anything about it) was John Ayers. He won this race last year, with a time in the 17s, and I saw him walking around before the race. He didn't take the lead in last year's race until well past mile one I think, so I expected him to come flying around me at any minute. And there had been a handful of runners who were fairly close behind me when I made the turnaround and started heading back. So, instead of looking back I decided to run like there was someone right on my heels and use this as motivation to hammer it home. Little did I know that I was really in no danger. I guess Ayers didn't run. I started checking my watch at just past 14 minutes and began telling myself things like, "only 4 minutes to go, only three minutes to go, etc.", although these were only guesses due to no mile markers. I hoped like hell that they'd have a mile 3 marker so that at least I could check my finishing kick, but again I was disappointed. I finished fourth overall, about 35 seconds behind Leno. My time was 18:50, which I'm very pleased with. I was also the first master runner across the line.

The Bad

Last year I ran 19:47, was 10th overall, 3rd in the male 40-49 age group, but didn't place because they didn't pull out a male master, and because they only went two deep in the age group awards. Before the race I told Steve S. (who is 40), that we had no margin for error if they only went two deep again. Well, they didn't go two deep like last year. Hell, they didn't go one deep. In what seemed like a very short amount of time to tabulate results, they announced that it was time to recognize the race winners. They called out the overall male winner - "Dave" Prisner, then they called out the overall female winner. Then...that was it. No age group awards, no masters winner, nothing. I've run in approximately 60 races and have never seen such sparse recognition for top finishers. I guess that explains how they were able to tabulate results so quickly. Jon Walk, who was my biggest cheerleader as I was finishing, said that he noticed that no one paid any attention to finishing times once Prisner came in. The guy who finished 2nd overall may as well have finished last. Steve S. made a good point. He said, "as soon as Drew Prisner finished they should have just turned the clock off". In fact, they didn't even need a clock in the first place if all they were recognizing was the race winner. And of course they can't possibly post any results anywhere. You can't post what you didn't record. And once the first female came in they could have just rolled up the finish line banner and let people quit wherever they wanted. I mean, apparently this was just merely a"fun run" in the truest sense of the word, so why would they need mile markers, and for that matter, why did it even need to be exactly 5K? What difference does it make? I spoke to one of the race organizers and she said that they couldn't justify the added expense of chips this year so how could they possibly record all the times without chips? I told her I've done plenty of races that didn't use chips but still managed to give out age group awards, but it fell on deaf ears. If you care at all about your official time, or think you might have a shot at an age group award, or care about mile splits, DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS RACE NEXT YEAR.

The Ugly

Steve S. suffered an as-yet undiagnosed injury last night and finished in a disappointing 20:13. I watched him hobble the last 100 feet and knew that something was seriously wrong. He said he had the worst shin-splint in one of his legs in the history of mankind, but is having x-rays done today. He literally couldn't walk on it last night and had to hop toward the stage when he won a door prize. I truly hope that it's nothing too serious because this summer is going to be hard-hat time again and there's no quit in Steve, even if it's 96 degrees. I believe our success last fall and winter was due in large part to getting good base milage all through the summer last year. I'll still do it even without Steve if it turns out that he can't run for a while, but suffering is only 1/10th as bad when you have someone to suffer with. At least I'll have our other training partner, Brian K.

The post-race food and drinks were good, as were the door-prizes (though I didn't win one). And they had a live band. Those three things were nice and the race deserves recognition for those. But there's no way in hell I'll ever do this race again if they're not going to recognize any runners other than the overall male and female winners.

Getting Up To Speed

Now there's a good title, huh?

Here's another update of my recent training, beginning with where I left off on my previous post. And by the way, I anticipate that starting with tomorrow's Tie One On For Charity 5K race, I'll be posting more frequently and timely.

Tuesday, April 25 : Evening run in Dallas. Not sure of the distance but I'd estimate about 4.9 miles.

Thursday, April 27 : Speedwork at lunch on the .4 mile oval that I live on. Did 5 fast laps. Times were: 2:14, 2:12, 2:10, 2:12, 2:12. Big improvement from two weeks ago.
Thursday, April 27 : Run #2 for the day, 4.4 miles, easy pace, no watch.

Saturday, April 29 : Bayou Bash Relay. Race was canceled during the second leg due to storms, but I was the first guy on our team so I got in my 2.5 miles. Time was approximately 15:45 for a 6:18 pace. Along with the warmup I got in approximately 3 miles.
Saturday, April 29 : Run #2 for the day, 5.4 miles, easy pace, no watch.

Sunday, April 30 : 4.4 miles, 29:39, 6:44 pace.

Total milage for week ending 4/30 : 32.4

Week of 5/1
Wednesday, May 3 : 5.4 miles, strong pace but no watch.

Thursday, May 4 : speedwork at 5:15 PM on the .4 mile oval I live on. 5 fast laps, with a .2 mile recovery after each one. Times were: 2:13, 2:12, 2:12, 2:14, 2:13.

Friday, May 5 : 3.0 mile run at lunch. 20:17, 6:46 pace.
Friday, May 5 : run #2. 4.4 miles in 29:04 for a 6:36 pace. Not my best time on this route since my time off, but my second best, and the back leg was my best 2.2 mile split since I started my comeback. I covered the second 2.2 miles in 13:46 for a 6:15 pace, and my final mile was 6:06.

Sunday, May 7 : 12.65 miles with Brian K. on the 3.55 mile Greatwood loop. Loop splits were: 26:27, 26:24, and 26:23. We did the mile out and back to get to 12.65. The mile splits were: 7:20 and 6:57. Total time : 1:33:31, 7:24 pace.

Total milage for week ending 5/7 : 29.05

Week of 5/8

Monday, May 8 : 6.2 miles in my neighborhood with Brian K. We had planned to do 7.0 miles but the heat took it's toll and we cut things short a bit. Time was 42:44 for a 6:54 pace.

Tuesday, May 9 : With a race on Thursday, Brian and I moved our Thursday speedwork session to Tuesday, even though Brian isn't racing this Thursday. Our other training partner, Steve S., has been out of town since last Friday but will be back tonight and at the 5K tomorrow. Brian came over and did my .4 mile oval with me for speedwork. We did 5 fast laps, with a .2 mile recovery after each one. My times were: 2:14, 2:12, 2:12, 2:14, and 2:11. On the last one, Brian went faster than me and clocked a 2:06, which equals my all-time record on this oval.

Wednesday, May 10 : Did 5.4 miles this morning, fairly strong pace but no watch. This will be my last run before the 5K tomorrow.

Getting Up To Speed

Now there's a good title, huh?

Here's another update of my recent training, beginning with where I left off on my previous post. And by the way, I anticipate that starting with tomorrow's Tie One On For Charity 5K race, I'll be posting more frequently and timely.

Tuesday, April 25 : Evening run in Dallas. Not sure of the distance but I'd estimate about 4.9 miles.

Thursday, April 27 : Speedwork at lunch on the .4 mile oval that I live on. Did 5 fast laps. Times were: 2:14, 2:12, 2:10, 2:12, 2:12. Big improvement from two weeks ago.
Thursday, April 27 : Run #2 for the day, 4.4 miles, easy pace, no watch.

Saturday, April 29 : Bayou Bash Relay. Race was canceled during the second leg due to storms, but I was the first guy on our team so I got in my 2.5 miles. Time was approximately 15:45 for a 6:18 pace. Along with the warmup I got in approximately 3 miles.
Saturday, April 29 : Run #2 for the day, 5.4 miles, easy pace, no watch.

Sunday, April 30 : 4.4 miles, 29:39, 6:44 pace.

Total milage for week ending 4/30 : 32.4

Week of 5/1
Wednesday, May 3 : 5.4 miles, strong pace but no watch.

Thursday, May 4 : speedwork at 5:15 PM on the .4 mile oval I live on. 5 fast laps, with a .2 mile recovery after each one. Times were: 2:13, 2:12, 2:12, 2:14, 2:13.

Friday, May 5 : 3.0 mile run at lunch. 20:17, 6:46 pace.
Friday, May 5 : run #2. 4.4 miles in 29:04 for a 6:36 pace. Not my best time on this route since my time off, but my second best, and the back leg was my best 2.2 mile split since I started my comeback. I covered the second 2.2 miles in 13:46 for a 6:15 pace, and my final mile was 6:06.

Sunday, May 7 : 12.65 miles with Brian K. on the 3.55 mile Greatwood loop. Loop splits were: 26:27, 26:24, and 26:23. We did the mile out and back to get to 12.65. The mile splits were: 7:20 and 6:57. Total time : 1:33:31, 7:24 pace.

Total milage for week ending 5/7 : 29.05

Week of 5/8

Monday, May 8 : 6.2 miles in my neighborhood with Brian K. We had planned to do 7.0 miles but the heat took it's toll and we cut things short a bit. Time was 42:44 for a 6:54 pace.

Tuesday, May 9 : With a race on Thursday, Brian and I moved our Thursday speedwork session to Tuesday, even though Brian isn't racing this Thursday. Our other training partner, Steve S., has been out of town since last Friday but will be back tonight and at the 5K tomorrow. Brian came over and did my .4 mile oval with me for speedwork. We did 5 fast laps, with a .2 mile recovery after each one. My times were: 2:14, 2:12, 2:12, 2:14, and 2:11. On the last one, Brian went faster than me and clocked a 2:06, which equals my all-time record on this oval.

Wednesday, May 10 : Did 5.4 miles this morning, fairly strong pace but no watch. This will be my last run before the 5K tomorrow.