Mile Repeats Again (Ugh!)

First things first though. I did 6.7 miles this morning before work, on the loop here in New Territory because I didn't run at all yesterday due to being tired and going to bed early.

So I met Steve and Brian at 5:45 PM for our Thursday speedwork and again we did mile repeats. It was hot and sunny but no wind (I try to look on the bright side!).

We did a full mile to warm up then I took the lead for mile #1. Everything felt fine and we had a good pace going as we hit the 1/2 mile mark at 2:52. We finished the first mile in 5:48.

Steve led the 2nd mile repeat which we finished in 5:50. Brian led the third and the heat was starting to take it's toll on me. We posted a 5:54 but I was pretty spent. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to do anything more. We walked our way into the route again and of course felt the pressure to do more slowly building. We decided to do the 800 that Steve and I did two weeks ago. We took off at the 1/2 mile point but my heart wasn't in it. I almost stopped when I realized that my legs were very fatigued. Guess the 6.7 this morning wasn 't the best idea but my milage is a joke this week. I dialed back the pace a bit and came in at 2:47. I came home and soaked the legs in an ice bath to speed recovery. Got a race on Saturday - wish me luck.

Total distance for Thursday (8/30) - 6.7 + 5.85 = 12.55. No time for the run this morning.

39:15 10K in the Rain

Today I felt like I've gotten the worst of the cold behind me so I was targeting a run tonight. My wife had an errand to run after work so I wouldn't have been able to run then anyway. And I prefer running in the dark. I normally do a speed workout on Tuesdays but have really been wanting to go hard tempo and feel that I get more out of that anyway, at least when training for anything longer than a 5K. And with a 10K race this Saturday I decided to see what I could do at the 6.2 mile distance.

I looked forward to running tonight but was disappointed when I finally opened the door to head out and saw a drizzle coming down. Not that I'll melt, but I really don't care for running in the rain. But of course, I couldn't let that stop me. Good runners look for excuses to run, not for excuses to not run. I grabbed a hat and took off to my old neighborhood (yeah, I know, I go there alot - that's where all my good benchmark routes are). My 6.2 mile course is really a 5.4 mile course, with 1 lap around the .4 mile oval block I used to live on before and after. It makes for a nice out and back, with a split at 3.1.

I hit the first .4 mile loop in 2:40, which works out to a 6:40 pace. A bit slow, but I always start off slow in training runs. My first mile after that loop was a 6:20, so I was settling in to where I wanted to be. I wasn't killing the pace, just holding back ever so slightly. I hit the 3.1 mile turnaround in 19:40. I was okay with that but knew that time would make it tough to come in under 39.

The return was going fine and I was on pace for a negative split when I ran into a little 4-legged problem. I was just short of the mile-to-go-to-get-to-the-final-loop point when I made a corner and saw in the dark a lady with two little ankle biter dogs. My buddy Steve says there are two kinds of dogs - huntin' dogs and puntin' dogs and these were definitely puntin' dogs. The lady picked one up but didn't seem concerned about the other one. Of course it came straight at my legs, yapping and snarling all the way. I had no choice but to come to a complete stop. The lady did nothing. I yelled at the dog, yelled at her, tried to walk, but it was touch and go. I didn't want to take off because I was afraid the little sh*t would decide to go for the kill. It hadn't bitten me yet but it wouldn't take much. I would have sent that sucker "To the moon Alice!". I finally decided to risk it after about 10 or 15 seconds of negotiating but man I was pissed. I could feel the seconds clicking away. At least I got a little breather standing there.

I did that final mile back to the .4 mile loop in 6:15, a 5 second improvement over the same spot going out. Now I just needed to turn a good final lap around the block and I'd be in at 39 and the low teens. I turned a 2:28, which is okay, but I've done better at the end of a run. I was pretty whipped but probably could have gone a bit faster. I'm pretty sure I have a sub 39 in me. We'll see this weekend.

Total distance Tuesday (8/28) - 6.2 miles, 39:15 (6.20 pace).

Touching Base

I felt like crap most of the day last Saturday but got a good nights sleep and was ready for a game-face long-run Sunday night but the chest cold I woke up with Friday morning was worse and destroyed my plans. I got in 3.55 miles but that was it. And no running yesterday which really hurt because I look forward to those Monday tempo runs with Steve.

But the cold was better today so tonight I'm going out for 6.2 in about half an hour with my fingers crossed.

Longish Run At Memorial Park

Steve and I headed down to Memorial Park yesterday morning for a long-run with the Houston Striders. We saw them at the beginning but really didn't end up running with them. Instead we hooked up with David Minken, Mark Utgartt (sp?), a young British guy named Adam, Jake Tonge and Avi Moss and headed towards town. We covered just over 13 miles at sub 8 pace though I'm relying on others for that number. I did the final two miles or so by myself.

Afterward we hung out at the park for awhile for the HARRA party. Good time, saw lots of nice folks - Bezner, Lou Thrash, Girardo Mora, LIsa Fironda and Stepehn Mayer, June Vidrine, Jessica Alexander, and others. Bez did 20 miles yesterday - very solid. Good races await you this fall my friend.

Inspire The Nation By Comparing Iraq to...Vietnam?

Did anyone catch that Mensa of a president today trying to rally the nation to support the war on Iraq, er, I mean, in Iraq by comparing it to Vietnam? Yeah, that would be the other big Quagmire we got stuck in for far too long for no good purpose. Not that Bushie boy would know anything about Vietnam. Some answered the call, others called Daddy. Hey Genius, just an idea, but stick to comparing it to WWII, stick to comparisons to the Nazis, Hitler, we can't be appeasers like Chamberlin, etc. That plays much much better with the John Wayne lovers.

Sorry for the non-running post but I just had to point out that Bush has now totally lost his mind. He was a pretty good runner a few years back though. An article about his running even inspired me to get back into running after a 9 month layoff. I just can't believe this country somehow managed to put him office. Next time Republicans, please vote responsibly.

Speedwork, Round 2

I met Steve and Brian at the jr. high track in New Territory today at around 6 PM for 400 m repeats. I met Steve in the parking lot and pointed out the heat today, as well as a nasty wind we'd be dealing with. I told him we could go into the workout with expectations of our usual 1:17-1:19 range and potentially not even be able to complete our usual 8 repeats, or we could be realistic, target 1:20 to 1:24 range and maybe even do 9 repeats. He agreed with the latter scenario, and Brian did too when we told him what we had in mind. This would also play into my new strategy of trying to increase the distance covered in my speedwork sessions.

It worked out just like we planned, just like my workout yesterday. We had very little left in the tank when we were done but it didn't kill us. We did 9 fast repeats, with a full 400 jogging recovery after each. I even managed to go nearly all-out on the final 400, giving Brian a run for his money. I found out that you don't try to pass Brian on the final 400 halfway into it. I tried to go wide and just as I was about to move in front of him he must have said to himself, "Not today" (inside joke) and turned on the jets. He and Steve both have a gear that I just don't have. I'm no sprinter.

Total distance Thursday (8/23) - 4.75 miles. 400 times were: 1:24, 1:20, 1:23, 1:21, 1:23, 1:22, 1:21, 1:24, 1:11.

Now That Worked Out Well

After taking a much needed day off yesterday, I felt the need for speed today, even though I'll be doing speed with the guys tomorrow. So after work I headed over to where I used to live (about 2.5 miles away) to run repeats on the .4 mile oval that served as the block I lived on. It's a nice distance that forces you to dig a little deeper than 400s do. I usually do 5 repeats, with a .2 recovery, at an all-out pace - so all-out that occasionally I can't manage to do the fifth one. But I've come to the conclusion recently that I need to increase the distance covered in my speedwork sessions. So tonight my goal was to dial the pace back a bit and do 6 x .4 miles, with the usual .2 mile jogging recovery.

I usually do these anywhere from 2:08 to 2:14 when I do just 5 so today my target was more like 2:20. On the first one I hit 2:21. The pace was challenging but wasn't a killer. On the next 4 repeats I hit 2:17. Mr. Consistency. It was getting tougher but I wasn't dying and knew I'd be able to finish the 6th one strong. I turned it up a notch on the final repeat and posted a 2:12. I might have done a 7th if it were cooler. I did these at 6 PM and it was probably still around 90 and sunny. Also surprisingly windy.

I need to suggest these to the guys for our Thursday workout one of these days. It's just a sidewalk though - might get crowded.

Total distance Wednesday (8/22) - 4.6 miles, times: 2:21, 2:17, 2:17, 2:17, 2:17, 2:12.

Monday Tempo

In the old days my recovery runs were just aggressive enough to serve as a moderate tempo run for Steve. In the words of Roberto Duran, "No mas".

I met Steve today at the Greatwood loop for two loops - the usual 7.1 miles. I really needed recovery pace today. In fact, I probably needed a day off, but then I wouldn't be living up to my mantra of "Just Run, Dammit", now would I? I noticed from the outset that the pace was quick. I was working from step one. Steve had taken yesterday off so he was fresh. Just my luck after the hard workouts I put in over the weekend. He also looks at these Monday runs as something of quality, so the cards were stacked against my tired legs and spent lungs.

I kept with him and we turned 25:21 on the first loop - 7:08 pace. That might be recovery pace in John Yoder's book but not mine. I told Steve that at some point in the second loop I was going to have to let him go. We agreed that it would be the back turn, which is about 1.95 miles into the 3.55 mile loop. We got to that point and I willingly let Steve go without a second thought. After walking maybe 50 feet I was in better shape so I eased back into a decent pace, though not quite as fast as before.

I had no intention of turning a negative split, but actually came pretty close - 25:37 (7:13 pace). Steve finished about a minute ahead of me, turning in a rare sub 50 minute time for two loops. We're going to have some great training runs this fall.

Total distance Monday (8/21) - 7.1 miles, 50:58 (7:11 pace).

P.S. - I don't want to jinx it, but did anyone notice that it was a little cooler yesterday evening and today? The forecast for this week calls for highs around 91, 92. That's 10 degrees better than last week.

10 More @ Sub 7

I went out for my 10.2 mile route in my old subdivision tonight. After the long-run yesterday I had no intention of killing it tonight, just wanted to run at a comfortable but decent pace, and catch up on my podcasts. I got to the route at about 8:30 PM, planted a 10 oz bottle of ice water about 4 miles into the route, then took off.

Things felt fine throughout. I picked up the bottle I had planted, drank everything but the ice that was still in there, and kept going. I never really labored, except at the end, when I was trying to come in under 1 hour 10 minutes. I ran in some old plodder trainers but did just miss the 1:10 goal, a goal I didn't have until I was about a mile from the finish, looked at my watch and started doing the math.

Total distance Sunday (8/19) - 10.2 miles, 1:10:04 (6:52 pace).

Total milage this week - a much better 61.75 (after picking up an extra 2.95 in my mom's neighborhood last night, running with my wife for the first time ever w/o kids!)

Tough Workout

Brian and I met David Minken at Bear Creek Park this morning, as well as Steve, for at least a 10 mile marathon tempo run, preceded by a 1.5 mile warm-up, and followed by at least a 1.5 mile cool-down. Not that you can "cool down" by running in August. That always strikes me as a misnomer.

Steve Bezner joined us for the warmup, which was supposed to be at a 7:30 to 8 min. pace. Not even close. More like 7:10 I'm guessing. Bez peeled off when we hit Highway 6 and the official beginning of our 7 minute or better pace for at least the next 10 miles began.

Mink and I were dropping 6:45 miles and just couldn't seem to dial it back to 7, though I would have felt better if we had. Brian and Steve began to drop back after a couple of miles, but I was determined to hang with David. He'd personally asked Steve and I to join him because he figured if anybody would be up for some pain it would be the two Striders from Sugar Land. If he wanted to run alone he wouldn't have invited us so I knew he wanted some company and someone to "spread the pain around", as he said. So the last thing I wanted to do was cry uncle and let him go on alone. It wasn't the pace, just the damned humidity. Made it tough to breath.

We made the turn at the 5 mile Chevron stop after a quick splash and sip. As is customary for me, I don't stop the watch when I stop for a drink on a training run. When they start stopping the clock for my water breaks in races maybe I'll think about it. Anyway, Brian and Steve weren't far behind us and actually cut the distance a bit and turned just before the gas station, so they were out in front of us again. I thought they might hang for a while, and Brian did, but dropped back before long. We hit another water stop a few miles further into the return and there came Brian. I learned later that Brian never stopped for water. We caught and passed Brian again, but he wasn't too far behind us when we hit Highway 6. David said that his Garmin always reads about 5 miles to the Chevron plus 5 miles back, but Bez's gizmo consistently shows 10.25. I'm gonna go with Bez's number, primarily because my watch read 1:13 and change when we supposedly hit 10 miles. That's a 7:18 pace, which I don't buy. David and I were consistenly running 6:45 to 6:50 miles, and even though we briefly stop a few times I can't imagine it affected our time that significantly. The 10.25 figure works out to something like 7:07, which is probably closer to reality.

David and I continued on with the 6:45 to 6:50 pace as we made our way into the final 1.5 miles. We were both spent and David said, "let's make it to 11 miles and we can slip into cool-down pace". Sounded like a winner to me. I asked how much farther that would be and he replied, "about half a mile". I started picking off benchmarks to get me through that final .5. When David's Garmin finally clicked at 11 he said, "let's make it to the next gate". Well of course I couldn't quit now. What I didn't know was that David knew that from the next gate we'd be able to see the parking lot where our cars were. How can you quit when you can see your car, even if it's half a mile away? His little ruse worked and we hammered that last half mile, probably around a 6:35 pace I'm guessing. Or maybe it was 7 and felt like 6:35!.

We made it into the parking lot and saw Steeeve S. who was heading out for his long-run. We chatted briefly and then went on a cool-down. As we headed back the way we came we saw Brian coming in. He joined us for the cool-down but disappeared a few minutes later. I found out later that he headed to the car because he was worried about Steve and wanted to go see if he needed a ride. David and I bumped into Andrew Keller and joined in with him for a mile or so before Brian came driving up to tell me he was going out for Steve. I told David good run, asked him how far we'd gone to that point (15.3, or probably 15.5 to be accurate) and jumped in with Brian. We saw Steve about half a mile back into the run and he was fine. There was a high school cross-country team out there and Steve stopped to talk to the coach.

It was a decent run with a great guy today, and of course my two regular workout buddies in the mix as well. Looking forward to more game-face training runs with Mink in the future.

Back To The Mile Repeats

It's been a couple of weeks since mile repeats, so back to the torture. This time Steve and I had to do them alone - Brian had been out of town and just gotten back so was unavailable.

Our goal was to do at least 3 mile repeats, as close to 5:50 as possible, and maybe try a fouth, depending on how we felt after the third. I led the first and got us through a little fast - around 5:45. I say around 5:45 because my watch showed 5:51 but I clicked late. Steve was wearing his Garmin and said the mile ended well before I clicked.

Steve led the second one and did just fine. We posted a 5:57 but were starting to feel the humidity. In fact, I really had no fire in me today, no eagerness to attack the course. I knew the third one would be a battle and the thought of a fourth was starting to seem pretty remote.

I led the third one and had to work to post a 6:02. Steve came in a few seconds after me and we decided to walk to the halfway point, then fire off a half-mile to close out the workout. We hit the halfway point and Steve took off, with me close behind. This felt a little better, knowing that it would be over in less than three minutes. I clocked a 2:38 (which I think is my fastest half-mile ever), and Steve was right in front of me, where he had started.

We were whipped though. Good workout.

Total distance Thursday (8/16) - 5.8 miles, repeat times: 5:45, 5:57, 6:02, 2:38

Wednesday Easy Miles

I did two loops plus a half mile here on the loop in my neighborhood this evening around 7 PM. I didn't wear the watch because I needed to take it relatively easy, and didn't want to get hung up on pace. With speedwork tomorrow I want to be fresh.

Total distance Wednesday (8/15) - 7.3 miles, no time.

A Run In The Park, A Meeting, Then A Nightcap

I met Steve at Memorial Park at 5:15 PM on Tuesday for some miles before we headed to the Houston Striders meeting. The conditions were similar to Monday - around 100 degrees, but lower humidity.

We did two loops plus 1/10 of a mile to make it 5.9 total. Time was 44:43 (7:35 pace).

Went to the meeting, ate way too much pizza, then came home feeling like a run. Like something fast. I decided to do the 3.2 mile loop near my house here in New Territory, plus the approximately .15 up to the loop and .15 home.

I started off well enough, hitting the first mile in 6:15 on this very rolling, non-fast course. But the pizza began forcing me to slow a bit. I held on as best as I could and finished the 3.2 mile loop in 20:24 for a 6:23 pace.

Total distance Tuesday (8/14) - 5.9+3.5 = 9.4 miles, times above.

Monday, 8/13/07

I met Steve at 5:30 PM in Greatwood for a couple of times around the loop in 102 degree heat. Steve wasn't feeling up to a 100% effort, and with the heat I thought it would be best to accomadate him. The alternative was death by heat-stroke so it was a pretty easy decision to take it easy. Or.....relatively easy.

We did the first loop in 26:53 (7:34 pace) and were feeling okay. Yeah, it was hot but the humidity was low, otherwise it couldn't have gotten so hot. That's what a lot of people don't understand. You hear people say it's 98 degrees with 100% humidity but that's pretty much impossible. It may be 100% humidity in the early morning but it's not 98 degrees then and the humidity falls throughout the day as the temperature goes up. Halfway through the second loop (30 minutes of running) I noticed that my shorts were only partially wet from sweat - they'd normally be drenched. Low humidity.

We did fine on the second loop as well, and picked up the pace, though not intentionally - it just seems to always work that way. We posted a 26:05 (7:21 pace). And no stops between loops. 7.1 miles straight through.

We cooled down a bit on the curb, then I went home, loaded the boys in the jogging stroller and headed out for 3.5 easy miles behind the wife as she did her run.

Total distance Monday (8/13) - 7.1 + 3.5 = 10.6 miles, 52:58 (7:28 pace) on the 7.1.

Sunday, 8/12/07

Gonna catch up on the last few days tonight, beginning with what I did on Sunday.

It didn't seem unreasonably hot Sunday evening, so even though I was tired and not feeling up to it I figured I'd better take advantage of reasonable temps to get in some hard-paced stuff. I decided to take another crack at the 4.4 mile route in my old subdivision. This is the route that I once did at a 6:01 pace and I dream of doing it again. I didn't think I'd be able to eclipse that pace (I tried a couple of weeks ago and nearly died pulling down a 6:00 pace going out) but I want to get close.

I started off at an aggressive pace though I could tell it wasn't quite as fast as I had gone a couple of weeks ago, though that's what I wanted. I hit the turn at 13:28 (6:07 pace). On the return I had to back off a little bit because the heat was beginning to compromise my effort but I did manage to hold onto a 13:37 (6:11 pace).

Total distance Sunday (8/12) - 4.4 miles, 27:05 (6:09 pace)

Total miles this week - a paltry 40.02

Long Run This Morning

I met Brian at the Greatwood loop at 6 AM this morning for what we hoped would be 4 loops, which is 14.2 miles. The temperature didn't seem to be particularly bad and it was still dark when we began.

The first loop was a piece of cake and we knocked it out in a decent 26:14 (7:23 pace). The second loop wasn't any tougher, though it was becoming daylight, and we clocked a 26:01 (7:20). We finally saw the sun on loop three, but the temperature still wasn't rising much. We had dropped bottles at the start and had decided early on that we'd be able to do 3 loops before having to stop, so the thought of something cold to drink pulled us through loop 3 in a solid 25:46 (7:15 pace). As we finished the third loop we clicked the split but kept the time going as we picked up our bottles and drank. Mine was still about half frozen so I didn't get all that I expected. Our break lasted 1:16 then we were off to close out the run. I had hoped at the outset of the run that we'd be able to do 1 hour and 45 minutes, which would be an average of 26:15 a loop. We were averaging 26 even through 3 but had the 1:16 break to make up for. But I felt fine and knew I'd probably be faster than the 25:46, which would mean negative splits for all loops. I told Brian we'd stay together until the final turn, which is about .8 miles from the finish. When we got to that final turn I looked at my watch and knew I'd beat the 25:46 and had a decent shot at sub 25. I hammered it pretty good coming in (certainly sub 7) and finished with a 24:38 final loop. Brian was about 25 seconds behing me. And I really wasn't very whipped when done. A good run this morning.

Total distance Saturday (8/11) - 14.2 miles, 1:43:55 - 7:19 pace.

Easy Run W/ the Wife and Boys

Went out tonight pushing the boys in the double stroller, acting as the support team for my wife. She does about a 10:30 pace so I have to run a bit, then stop and walk, then repeat. If I run a continuous pace I'll pass her, and she wouldn't be too hip with that. In fact, I have to stay behind her or it messes with her head.

I would have gone farther on my own once she was done but I'm going long in the morning and want to be fresh.

Total distance Friday (8/10) - 4.5 miles, no time.

Speedwork

Met up with Brian and Steve today at the Dulles High School track for speedwork. Damn it was hot. We started just after 5:30 PM, intending to do 8x400, with our usual jogging 400 recovery between each. Things were reasonably tough through the first four but I felt like I'd be able to get through 8, barely. But after the 6th one we had to walk most of the recovery due to the heat. Once again, the pace wasn't a problem, just the heat. We went ahead and did the 7th but after that we pretty much waved the white flag. I think Brian ended up attempting an 8th one after a recovery walk with us but I'm not sure it was an all-out effort. Our recovery is a full 400 for a reason - we like to burn these, and given that we jog it it's a pretty active recovery. But it's probably too long with the temperatures. We're only getting hotter the longer we stay out there.

Anyway, other than not getting in the final 400 it was a decent workout. It's fun to run fast.

Total distance Thursday (8/9) - 4.25 miles. 400 times were: 1:18, 1:18, 1:19, 1:18, 1:19, 1:19, 1:17.

An Unplanned Day Off

Normally I do the first of my two weekly speedwork sessions on Tuesdays but had to leave work early yesterday because I felt really washed out - like a hangover. Went home, took a two hour nap, and started to feel a little better last night, but still went to bed early and took the night off from running. My wife was sick the day before, even throwing up but thankfully mine wasn't that bad.

So today I felt fine and got after it at about 7:30 PM this evening. Went 6.8 miles, nothing special, didn't even wear my watch because I just wanted to focus on staying out there and getting acclimated to the heat again as quickly as possible. The relatively cool June and July allowed me to get in Fall shape and I don't want to take a step back.

Total distance Wednesday (8/8) - 6.8 miles, no time.

Acclimation Station

After trying to run hard and long twice in the past two days and failing miserably, I've come to the realization (actually I already suspected it would be this way) that those two rainy months that kept the temperatures down also kept me from fully acclimating to the heat and being able to run hard in it.

I went out yesterday evening at 5:30 for what I hoped would be 14.2 miles. What was I thinking? I tried to keep the pace down but even that didn't keep me from heating up. I soldiered through 7.1 miles and headed for the house. I would liked to have started later but couldn't due to some scheduling problems on the home front.

Total distance Sunday (8/5) - 7.1; 53 minutes and something, not sure, not sure it matters.
Total distance covered for the week (7/30-8/4) - 48.65


And tonight I wisely waited until almost 9 PM to try to get in an all-out hard 10.2 miles but was smokin' at 4.4. I was holding a good pace (6:25) at that point and wasn't bothered by the pace at all but was just overheating inside. Guess I'll need a week or two of this to get back where I need to be.

Total distance Monday (8/6) - 5.67; 37:13/6:34 pace

Run For Scouts 5K - Schulenberg, TX

I headed to Schulenberg with Steve and Brian yesterday morning to take a crack at the Run for Scouts 5K. I still haven't figured out why we decided to drive 85 miles to do a 5K but it wasn't a mistake.

The race started at 7:30 (actually about 7:40 by the time they got around to it) and we got there just after 6:30 so we'd have time to register and warm-up. During our two-mile warm -up we couldn't help but notice that the course was anything but flat. It wasn't going to be a PR kind of day. But we also noticed that there wasn't any competition that we recognized, and only one person looked fast among those we didn't recognize, for what that's worth. You never know but we felt pretty confident that there weren't a ton of speedsters that made it out to Schulenberg.

The race started and instantly at least two dozen runners were out in front of me. Apparently they hadn't run any part of the course and had no idea of the fun that awaited them. I saw Steve and Brian on the leading edge of runners. Most of the runners in front of me had faded less than half a mile in. However, I did notice a guy who was easily a master-aged runner up near Steve and I thought, "Oh boy, Steve's gonna have more company than me in his quest for his first master's title". But that guy started to fade and was behind me by the first mile marker. In fact, everyone was behind me at the first mile marker but the one guy we thought was gonna be fast, Brian & Steve, and one young kid of about 14 or 15.

I hit the first mile marker in a time that was faster than I had planned - 5:59 - but it felt easier than I would have guessed it would, given the rolling course. And I was just a couple seconds back of Brian and Steve, who were battling the kid for second place. The leader was a guy who looked to be about 17, and it appeared that was about what he was going to run, 17-something. That put first place overall out of reach. I joined Steve, Brian and the kid just after the 1st mile. By the second mile marker, the kid was starting to fade. I hit the 2nd mile in 6:05 and it was just Steve and Brian and I left to battle for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, with Steve and I in contention for overall master. But I really didn't see myself actually beating Steve. To do that I would have had to make a strong move earlier and put some distance between us. He has too much sprint speed for me to hang around and try to take him at the end. This realization was unfortunate because it left nothing to pull me through mile 3. I clocked a 6:17. Steve and Brian were 30 or 40 feet in front of me, the winner had already finished, and I heard no one behind me. I did the final .1 in :31 and posted an 18:53. I think this would easily translate to something in the 18:30s on a flat course.

The young guy won with a 17:43, Brian ended up taking second overall with an 18:45, and Steve was third (and overall master), with an 18:47. I was 4th with my 18:53, and 1st in my age group, the 40-44.

For the post-race we met and hung out with Sean Dunbar, who made it in from Katy for his first race this year. He posted a fine 19:36, good for 6th overall. After a Gatorade, Brian and I went out for a 2 mile cool-down, then came back for more Gatorade, Kolaches, and beer. Yes, beer. They had a pony keg of Bud Light. Not bad.


Then later yesterday I went for a loop with my wife and our boys here in New Territory. When she finished I followed her home to drop off the boys, then went back for one more loop, for a total of 7 miles.

Total distance Saturday, 8/4/07 - 14.1 (2+3.1+2+3.5+3.5). 5K time - I've said it enough already.

The Last Three Days

I've run the last three days (including today) but haven't had time to post. My wife has been out of town so I've had my hands full with our two little guys. But I did manage to get in my runs, though they weren't as long as I'd like.

Tuesday night I waited until almost 9 PM before loading the boys into the jogging stroller. I figured they'd both fall asleep and I wouldn't have to worry about them getting bored. I was right. The littlest guy, Wyatt (21 months) fell asleep 5 minutes into the run. I planned to do the 3.2 mile loop here in my neighborhood twice. I finished the first loop in 24:41 (7:43 pace), pushing 55 lbs. of boy. I picked up the pace going into the second loop and decided about halfway through that I would try to get a flat 7 minute pace, which would be a 22:24. It was gonna be tough but I did my best, coming up a bit short - 22:59 for a 7:11 pace.

Total distance Tuesday, 7/31 - 6.4 (+.3 warmup and cool-down), time for the 6.4 - 47:40, 7:27 pace.

On Wednesday I went out at about 8:30 PM but knew I'd better not push it with the boys and try to get two loops in again. I decided to shoot for one loop plus half a mile out and back. Dylan (who turned 4 that day) stayed awake the whole time and was getting impatient by the time I finally turned off toward the house. I didn't wear my watch so I have no idea of my pace.

Total distance Wednesday, 8/1 - 4.2 (+.3 warmup and cool-down), no time recorded.

Today I met Brian K. and Steve S. for mile repeats. We've decided to do an out-of-town 5K Saturday morning so we didn't want to kill it like we did last week. I suggested we shoot for 6 minutes on the first two and if anyone wanted to go for it on the third one they could. That's pretty much what we did. I posted a 5:58 on the first, and a 6:01 on the second. On the third and final mile repeat Brian led and set a pretty brisk pace from the start but I did my best to hang on. When we were a little more than a tenth of a mile from the finish he took off in a near sprint. I couldn't exactly match it but did what I could. I posted a final mile of 5:44. I felt great and really could have done another one, especially if we had done another 6 minute mile for #3, instead of burning one. Maybe next week.

Total distance Thursday, 8/2 - 5.65, various times.