Will It Ever Stop Raining?

Went 7.1 miles with Steve on the Greatwood loop today. It was raining when we started and still misting when we finished. I don't mind running in the rain - it keeps the temps down. But I don't like my shoes weighing 5 pounds each when I'm done.

Anyway, Steve and I had a really, really good run. We do this Monday run as a good tempo run each week and for the past few weeks we keep doing it faster each week. Three weeks ago it was a 53+ minute total, two weeks ago it was 51+ and last week it was 50+. But I knew we would probably eclipse that from early on. We hit the first mile in about 7:15 but the pace felt fine. We both had fresh legs as Steve didn't run at all yesterday and I did only the 4.4 last night, with Saturday off.

We hit the first loop in 25:26, a 7:10 pace. We almost always go faster the second loop so I knew we'd have a good overall time. We were running a little ahead of pace, like maybe 5 to 10 seconds per mile when we hit the back corner. It's at this point that you are farthest from the rec center where we start, as a crow flies. It's about 1.95 miles. Just after we turned the back corner Steve, who had been 5 to 10 feet behind me, came up next to me and went past. I asked him if he was feeling it but I don't remember his response. We kept up this stepped up pace through the next mile. Then, with about .6 to go, Steve, who had settled back behind me again but still running strong, made another move out in front. I knew I could maintain my current pace but didn't think I'd be able to dig much deeper. As Steve passed me he said what I thought was, "I'm gonna go". He told me later it was, "I'm gonna blow". He meant that to have a double-meaning. He was either going to blow on through to the finish, or blow-up! That's what I like about the two guys I train with - they never back down and are always challenging themselves and each other to dig a little deeper.

I hung with Steve as best I could, though he finished the second loop about 7 seconds ahead of me. I posted a 24:10 for the second loop, a 6:48 pace.

Then I went home and pushed our two boys (2 and 4 years old) in the double-jogging stroller behind my wife, who needed to get her run in before going out of town tomorrow.

Total distance today (Monday, 7/30/2007) - 7.1+3.5=10.6. Time/pace 49:37/6:59, and no time or pace on the run with wifey.

Light Week

I took a light week this week, by design. I've averaged around 50 miles a week since early May and thought it would be a good idea to dial it back a bit this week to prevent injury and let my body fully absorb and embrace the training I've done. So, no long run this weekend, and two days off from running this week - Wednesday and Saturday.

I did run Friday night - 6.4 miles, plus a .15 mile warmup and .15 mile cooldown for a total of 6.7 miles. Nothing too terribly fast but a decent pace that felt fine. The 6.4 miles was done in 43:59, or a 6:52 pace.

Then tonight, Sunday night, I drove over to my old neighborhood to do the 4.4 mile route that I love. I've been running this route regularly since 2002, at my highs, at my lows, and all points in between. Therefore it's a great way to compare where I am with my fitness at any given point to where I've been in the past. Until last year my all-time best time on this route was 27 flat, or a 6:08 pace. Then last May I went Bob Beamon on it and posted a time that I thought was an hallucination - 26:30, or a 6:01 pace. I remember that I was at a 6:03 pace at the turn and went 5:59 on the 2.2 miles coming back. It was sweet but I don't know if I'll ever beat it. When I do (if I do!) I think I'll truly be able to say that I'm in the best shape I've ever been in.

I tried to beat it tonight but came up short. I hit the first mile at about 6:05 (no worry on this course though if the first mile slower than goal pace - that's normal) but halfway into the 2nd mile I was starting to think I wouldn't be able to hold it all the way to the end. As this feeling increased and I got closer to the turn I decided to just hammer away and go all out to the turn. I put everything I had into the final quarter mile and posted a 13:12 for 2.2 miles. Exactly a 6 minute pace. I walked a bit after turning around then jogged on back, taking it easy and trying to catch my breath.

Am I happy with the 13.2? No, not really. I need to be able to hold that pace all the way through - I've done it before. And if I'm only going to go 2.2 miles I need to be down around 5:45 or 5:50, not 6 flat. Heck, I went 6:01 for my last 5K. Anyway, I'll probably take another crack at it next week. I'd rather do another 27 flat and do the whole thing than compromise and do a semi-fast 2.2, with a jogging return.

Total miles today (Sunday) - 4.5. Total miles for the week, 29.55.

Man I Hate These

With the rain today we concluded that the track where we usually do speedwork would be slicker than grease and an accident waiting to happen. So we decided to do mile repeats. I've done these with Brian before but only once this season. They're the most brutal workout I've done. I mean, they freaking hurt. And we only do three of them, with about a 600 meter jogging (if we can) recovery. Steve joined us for his first exposure to mile repeats and he came through like a champ, though we were all whipped by the time we were done.

I led the first one and thought I was doing just the right pace - fairly aggressive but not so much that I'd go into serious oxygen debt. But a little over halfway in, Steve passed me and Brian got up shoulder to shoulder. I kept with my steady pace though and finished with a 5:47. Steve was well out in front. We did our slow jog recovery and Brian led us in the second one. I had just barely recovered when we took off so this one was a struggle. Steve stayed in his place this time but Brian took us through another strong mile. I posted a 5:50. All three of us were gassed after the second one so we walked a good bit of the recovery. I led us on mile #3 with Brian staying back a bit at the start so that he could really burn one without getting too far ahead. But he went past me at about the quarter mile mark and was threatening to really pull away so I had to pick it up to stay with him. I left it all out there and clocked a 5:37 to finish the workout. Man I hate these.

3 x 1 mile - times: 5:47, 5:50, 5:37. Total milage today (Thursday) - 5.75

Tuesday With The Other Boys

My wife is out of town until tomorrow night so I had my two boys to entertain this evening. Thank goodness we bought a double jogging stroller a few weeks ago.

I tried to sort of make it an adventure, telling my oldest (4 years old) that we were going exploring and would run someplace where we've never run before. I know they get bored with the same old loop in New Territory. I also told him that we'd stop at the first playground we saw and he and his 21 month old brother could play for as long as they wanted. I decided that it wouldn't kill me to take it easy today, stop when they wanted, run however far I got to run, just sort of get in what I could get in, putting them first in priority. I know, what a good dad, right? We hit the playground after about 8.5 minutes. Stayed there for 30 minutes, then I ran 18 minutes before we saw another danged playground. I let them get out and play here too, but not too long - about 10 minutes. Then it was 12 minutes home.

Total distance Tuesday: who knows? Around 5.5 miles I'd guess. A total of about 40 minutes of running.

Monday Run With The Boys

It was just like old times today. Met Steve AND Brian at the Greatwood rec center for two loops (7.1 miles). It was great to run with the both of them again on the loop, just like the old days. Normally Brian can't join Steve and I on Mondays because he can't get there early enough, but today he did.

We ran what felt like a pedestrian pace in the first loop, nothing to get excited about, but hit the end in 26:07, a 7:21 pace. In the second loop Brian sort of gradually took control of the pace and thus the group. He ever so slightly began to pick up the pace and we went faster and faster. When we hit the final turn (.8 miles from the finish) it was "On like Donkey Kong". Brian sped up and Steve and I did our best to stay with him. Neither of us quite did but he didn't get too far out there. The second loop came in at 24:34, a 6:55 pace. It was great, just like the old days, or did I say that already?

Total distance Monday: 7.1 miles, 50:40/7:11 pace.

A Solid Week Closes With A Solid Weekend With A Solid Runner

Despite taking a much deserved Friday off from running (I did do my weights though) I had a pretty solid weekend of training to wrap up a good week of training.

Saturday morning I met Brian at the Greatwood rec center for a planned 4 loop (14.2 mile) run. We had no target pace in mind, just wanted to get the miles in. The first loop came in at 26:27 (7:27 pace), which was a tad faster than we wanted to go but it felt allright. The second loop came in about 10 seconds slower. We had put down bottles with the intention of picking them up after 3 loops so that was the driving force behind finishing loop 3. Unfortunately for Brian he began to realize that a bathroom break was going to be a necessity at the break, and even worse, the rec center was closed, thus no bathroom. I bounced a couple of best-not-to-mention options off Brian but he declined and decided to head home. I should have offered him the sports section I had in my car and told him to figure out the rest. Anyway, after the 4:40 break at the end of loop 3 I went ahead and pounded out the last loop. It was a better time - 25:42 (7:14 pace). The total time came in at 1 hour, 50 minutes and 36 seconds, a 7:47 pace, even including the break. Any other morning and I wouldn't have been happy with that time at all (I've done it in 1:36:32) but I had no need to go long AND fast so it was all good.

Total miles Saturday: 14.2, 7:47 pace.


For Sunday I hooked up with Bret Ramsey, a guy I met last week at the Lunar Rendezvous. Bret is faster than me, and probably faster than I ever will be. He's in the mid 17s for 5K and did a 1:18 half marathon last Fall. I can only dream. We met at 6 PM at the Greatwood rec center but didn't do the loop. Instead we headed out a country road that veers out of Greatwood. I had never run out that way and had no way to know any distances, but I started my watch when we left the rec center and we turned around at about 38 minutes or so. We ran a pretty even pace and finished at 1 hour 16 minutes. I'd guess we were doing about a 7 minute pace, maybe 7:10, thus making the distance somewhere around 10.5 miles. Bret is a good guy and a great runner who I'm looking forward to running more with this fall.

Then when I got home I put our two little guys in the shower with me while the wife headed out to attempt her longest run to date - 6.7 miles. The plan was for her to do one loop here in New Territory while I showered and got the boys dressed then I was to load up the boys in the jogging stroller and head up to the loop to accompany her for loop 2 (it gets pretty dark on parts of the loop). That's how things worked out and I picked up a total of about 3.6 miles of easy, recovery jogging, watching my wife soldier on. She nailed it and is thrilled that she made it more than half the distance she'll have to cover for her half marathon and it's still July.

Total miles Sunday: 14.2 + 3.6.

Total miles this week: 59.75.

Yesterday and Today

Wasn't that the title to a Beatles song? Or was it Tomorrow Never Knows? Come to think of it, Yesterday and Today was an album title and Tomorrow Never Knows was a cool, trippy, psycodelic song of theirs on Revolver.

Anyway, yesterday I did 7.1 miles at a red-line pace. Went way, way past tempo run. I mean, if I were racing I couldn't have gone much faster. It was 2 times around our workhorse, the Greatwood Loop. My previous fastest two loops was 46:55 but yesterday I cut 52 seconds off that to clock a 46:03. That only works out to a 6:29 pace but this is a hard loop. I'm pretty sure I could shave 15 seconds a mile off that if I were to run a flat course 10K this weekend.

Today was speedwork at the jr. high track, which had standing water on it. I was with Steve and Brian. We were all pretty whipped and it was fairly warm, though not oppressive. We clocked some pretty good 400s - did 8 of 'em. Times were 1:18 to :20, except for the last one, which is usually whatever you have left. I had a 1:14 left.

Then I did 3.5 miles easy tonight, pushing my two boys in the jogging stroller, behing my wife. Total miles today - 10.25.

I'm Back

Yes, it's been a year. A lot has happened in the past year - job changes, we moved (2.7 miles away!), many, many weeks with just a couple of runs (due to a crappy job I had), a decision in January to run Boston, an injury 3 days after I registered that lasted 7 weeks, 4.5 weeks of training for Boston, a decent finishing time given the circumstances, my wife taking up running 2 months ago with a goal of a half marathon this January, and some solid training, decent race times and a nice overall comeback in the past three months.

Currently I'm training roughly 50 miles a week, doing 2 speedwork sessions a week, getting in a long-run of 14 miles or more most weeks, at least one tempo run a week, and racing a couple of times a month. I'm closing in on being at my fittest ever, just wish it was fall already so I could make more use of my fitness than nickel and dime 5Ks that are quickly forgotten. I wanted to go to Dallas this weekend for the Too Hot To Handle 15K but couldn't find anyone who wanted to tag along. Very disappointing. Oh well, the first 10K is just 6 weeks away .

One thing that inspired me to come back here and post is because it just drives me nuts the number of Houston runners who pack it in for the summer due to the heat, or cut way back on their training due to the heat, or do all their training indoors on dreadmills due to the heat. The fact is, this summer at least, it ain't exactly hot. We've had 4 days in the past 7 where the high temperature was in the mid 80s. To me, running indoors on a machine is like playing a running video game or doing a simulation, like those old driving simulators we had in driver's ed in high school. I just think folks are missing out on what makes running a sometimes magical experience. But at least they're trying and maybe that's all they can fit in, who knows.

But that's my soapbox moment and I won't get into that again. People do what they want to do - their business I guess.

I had a great run tonight too. Maybe I'll post on that tomorrow.