4 Miles Hard

4.02 Miles
27:41
6:52 pace

Woot Woot, course PR on my 4 mile loop.

I've been thinking about running sub-7 for a four mile training run for over a year now and suddenly it happened.

I planned to run fast today but didn't really expect this.  Got off to a good start and hit my first mile at 6:53.  Normally it takes me longer to get the legs going so I had to really focus on fast turnover to start that fast.  By that first mile mark I was staining and wasn't sure how long I'd keep it up.

2nd mile is rolling hills.  Tore down the first downhill and hit the first uphill pretty strong.  Then tore down the second down hill and struggled up the second uphill.  Felt some leg fatigue in the quads on the climb... remanence of a hard Wednesday run and biking Thursday.  After the 2nd hill there's 1/2 mile stretch of slightly inclining grade to the 2nd mile mark.  Seemed like I was slowing down but kept pushing, figuring I'd at least see how fast I could hit the 2 mile mark.  2nd mile was 7:04 pace.

3rd mile starts with a slight incline for ~1/2 mile and ends with a slight decline for ~1/2 mile.  Tried to keep the pace steady and hit the 3rd mile at 6:59 pace... at this point I was averaging ~6:59 pace and figured if I finished strong I should break 7 min pace no problem.

4th mile starts with a short hill...  It always looks like it should be a tough climb but for whatever reason it always feels great when I run it.  Seems like based on my leg fatigue this hill always feels good.  Just engages the muscles differently and makes them feel strong.  After the hill it's mostly downhill for about 3/4 mile.  Last mile, 6:31 pace.

Really happy about the run and pace and really feeling my fitness build... Hoping I can keep it up with out burning out or getting hurt....  And if I can maintain that pace for 22.2 more miles I can break 3 for the marathon.

Today's run wrapped up my 2nd 25 mile week in a row and also a 93 mile month.  Average pace for the month 8:01.

Next month I'll maybe slow it down a bit and should be able to break 100 miles for the month.

A new 10K PR!

I set a new 10K PR today! (with the following caveats)

• Disregard any run before I turned 40
• this was a training run and not a race
• This was the first time I ran this far on a "hard" day

6.22 miles

47:59  (47:46 for the 10K)

7:42 pace

Wednesday's and Friday have normally been my "hard" days.  

Leaving the house today my legs are still not feeling great.  I'm assuming the 10 miles on Sunday is still having an effect along with just cumulative fatigue from steadily increasing mileage.  Nothing feels injured per se but my calves and hamstrings have some tightness and I my legs just don't quite feel "springy".

So as I started my run I tried to hit it at a pace that was harder than easy but not too hard:

First mile was 7:55... not great but anything under 8:00 is still at least medium pace.  Then I hit the hills... still not feeling great but hit the second mile 7:53.  Then 7:50 for the 3rd, and by now I was thinking that even though the splits weren't that great I could maybe recoup some prestige by going 10K and setting a new 10K achievement.

4th mile was 7:39, 5th mile was 7:26... as I ran the 5th mile, I wasn't completely sure I was going to do a whole 10K so I pushed that 5th mile.  As I completed the 5th mile I felt like I was doing okay so I went ahead and ran the 6th mile in 7:37.  My hamstrings were pretty tight the last mile but again, they didn't feel injured so I just tried to keep a good form and power through it. 

 I never really pushed to the threshold zone and the run wasn't overly fatiguing.  On the other hand  I didn't really feel like it would have been smart to go much faster.

In the end, I'm happy with the run.  Since I'm not particularly training for anything right now, I'd consider this part of base/mileage building.  Today's run set a new monthly mileage record with a couple more running days left so that's something to feel positive about as well.

New achievement below (2 minutes and 6 seconds faster than my previous).

Easy 4.5 miles plus more Settlers Days photos

1 hour on the bike yesterday.

4.5 mile run today at 8:24 pace.

Legs felt pretty lethargic today  and overall just didn't feel great.  Today is an easy day after long run on Sunday and "long" bike on Monday so nothing I'm concerned about.

I didn't use my inhaler today and although I wasn't wheezing, I do wonder how much effect it has on my breathing.

Unrelated, I dug up some more of the race photos of the Old Settlers Day run so I could analyze and document my legendary kick...  Always loved a fast finish to the point of being willing to go easy during the last mile to save some energy for the kick...  maybe not the optimal strategy but all in good fun!

               Me in the background, even with the woman in green and 40 feet behind the kid in orange

        Me in the catching up to the kid in orange

      Me passing the kid in orange.  

SUNDAY LONG - NEW ACHIEVEMENT

10.19 miles on Sunday at 8:16 pace.

Hit my first mile too fast at 7:53 at what felt like an easy jog but then dialed it back.  Mile 4 was my slowest at 8:32.  Started picking up the pace mile 6 running 8:19, 8:16, 8:21, 8:13, and 8:08 for the last 5 miles.

Steady effort the whole way and pretty much hit my groove and felt great.  My legs were tiring by the end but my aerobic system felt fine... I was getting hyped up and singing along to my music the last 2 miles like I used to do in the good old days.  Full runner's high in effect.

After I got home I rested a bit and then mowed the lawn. Then took the kids to the park.  Fatigue really wasn't an issue like it's been after my long runs... all I'd want to do is sleep all afternoon in the past

This last week I've really felt pretty great.  I've been finishing runs strong, my pace has steadily improved, I've been tuning up my diet and have been craving healthier foods.. I even lost a few pounds for the first time in months.

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5 Miles Hard

I should probably try to run some fall races to take advantage of my recent training and continue to build my fitness...  wasn't originally planning on it but seems like I should try to break 20 minutes for the 5K this fall once the weather cools.

Ran an easy 3 yesterday.

3.13 miles
26:01 minutes
8:19 pace

Not slow enough probably but 8:19 felt pretty darn good and by yesterday afternoon I was itching to run a hard workout.

So I went out today and ran 5, comfortably hard.

5.02 miles
36:50
7:20 pace

Mile 1: 7:34
Mile 2: 7:34
Mile 3: 7:21
Mile 4: 7:13
Mile 5: 6:55

The air was unseasonably cool for August this morning at ~55 degrees.  don't tell me summers over already now that I'm finally building my fitness!  Legs felt sharp for the first mile and the pace felt good.  I've been making a point to not check my watch too often and run by feel so 7:34 1st mile was a pleasant surprise.  Mile 2 is hilly so holding the 7:34 pace took additional exertion but I still felt comfortable. Maintaining that exertion lead to a 7:21 3rd mile.  By the end of the 4th mile I started to push the pace and ran hard the last mile with an extra hard last 400.

I've been having strong finishes my last few runs without having to push to hard into the pain zone.  It's exhilarating to run fast and not hurt and hopefully something to build on.

My hills have been going great too... I no longer dread them and they barely effect my effort these days, in fact sometimes I feel like I'm running stronger on the hills then on the flats!

Another killer hill workout - NRC ACHIEVEMENT UPDATE

8 X Hill workout on Maher road.

5.02 Miles
38:05
7:34 Pace

Went out at solid but easy pace and hit the first mile at 7:57.  Hit the hills between 1.5 and 3.5 miles.  Mile splits for the 2-5 mile were 7:18, 7:29, 7:37, 7:28.  Paces were about 30 seconds faster than a similar 8 X hill run I had done in May. I'm really starting to love running hills again.

Leaving the house this morning I didn't really even have a plan for the day.  I just knew I wanted to run at least 5 and as I approached the hills I thought "why not a hill workout... it's been awhile".  This was definitely a workout day so recovery run tomorrow.

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Also, a bit late, but some updated NRC achievements from my 5K race last week.

Fastest mile went from 6:38 to 6:20.

Fastest 5K down to 20:11 from 21:57. (although truly this was 20:25).

Fastest 1K from 4:03 to 3:52.

Ignoring the GPS discrepancies, it's always good to see improvements.  Not sure when I'll run that fast again with no 5Ks planned in the immediate future but definitely room to improve in the farther, longest, and 10K and above categories.

Another Week of Training

The day following the 5K race I went out for a "long run"

5.21 miles
42:56
8:14 pace

Then flew to Pittsburg for the week on Monday.

I was able to run Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday:

Tuesday:
4.08 miles
35:33
8:42 pace

Wednesday:
3.02 miles
24:11
8:00 pace

Thursday:
4.10 Miles
35:28
8:38 pace

Friday:
3.03 miles
24:33
8:06 pace

I was pleased with myself for getting the running in but except for Wednesday I really didn't feel very good during any of these runs.  Not sure if it was eating out every day due to being on the road or the stresses of travel or what.  Friday's 8:06 pace was buoyed by a 7:10 last mile which I achieved during some last mile fartlek work inspired by the fact that I really just wanted to run to end.

After flying home Friday, I took Saturday off.  Then went for a long run Sunday:

8.23 Miles
1:06:58
8:08 pace

The goal for the run was steady state effort at a comfortable pace.  The run started off really good...  I ran 8:12, 7:59, 8:09 for the first 3 miles. Then lagged the 4th mile, 8:22, picked it back up the 5th mile 8:12, lagged the 6th mile 8:27, then picked it back up for the 7th and 8th, 8:07, 7:56.  Kind of a strange run.  I was struggling those 4th and 6th miles but really felt pretty good for all the other miles.
I've also been struggling to extend my long run.  I kind of intended to run 10 miles but the crappy 6th mile made me decide to cut it to 8.  I had sort of wanted to run a half marathon in a couple weeks if I felt good enough but now I'm resigned to save that for the spring and just work on slowly building up my base in an effort to not get hurt this go around.

Monday I X-trained
1 hour on the bike, 661 calories burnt

Today (Tuesday), I ran:

4.05 miles
31:50
7:51 pace

Felt good the whole run, 8:14, 8:00, 8:00 and a 7:13 final mile...

Overall pace is improving with time and the mileage is building.  Leg muscles are slowly adapting to the regiment as well.  Calves are still tight but not getting worse.  Shins are still sore to the touch but feeling better than they had.

RACE REPORT - OLD SETTLERS DAY 5K

I woke up at 5am, 3 hours before the start of the local Old Settler’s Day run.  After brewing an espresso I walked out of my house sipping my drink and enjoying the dawn as the morning light began to creep over the horizon.  As I walked down the street, stretching my sleepy legs, I felt focused and ready for the task at hand.  As I was walking a truck passed me by… It was volunteers from the race, prepping the course.  They laid orange cones at the intersections and marked arrows on the pavement with chalk.

After a brief walk I headed back to the house and finished my preparations; foam rolling, lacing up my racing shoes, sipping water.  I laid on the couch and tried to relax and stay focused and calm... nervous energy building inside me as the time progressed.  40 minutes until gun time, I started listening to some hype music to get myself into the zone.  30 minutes til I took my asthma medication. 20 minutes til, it was time to leave the house and jog down to the starting line. 
..By now other runners were on the road outside my house doing their warmups.  I jogged along at a shuffle as I continued my own warm up routine.  After about a mile I was at the starting line with 10 minutes to spare.  I said hi to a few people I knew and hit the porta-potty one final time.  My legs didn’t feel great and I was a total ball of nerves.  Only racing once a year with a single goal race really amplifies the pressure and I had high hopes for this race after training harder than I’d trained in 10 years.

5 minutes to start I approached the line (about 3 rows back from the young kids who crowded and toed the line).  I shuffled in place trying to stay loose… trying to stay calm. 
And then we were off...  It started fast.  My heart rate was red-lining immediately.  I could feel the adrenaline pulsing in my veins… I focused on my form as we ran out of town, and by the first turn I found a rhythm, but I could tell the pace was harder than I’d run in many years.  The first mile felt fast but not terrible.  I willed myself to stay loose.  As I approached the mile marker a man read off the times, 6:23, 6:24, 6:25.  And then I was passed him and onto the second mile...  

As I hit the back stretch of the course, I could tell I was slowing down a bit.  I tried to stay to keep the pace strong but the pain was creeping in and I didn’t quite feel like I had the will or desire really reach for my maximum pain threshold.  The 2^nd mile was uneventful as I ran past the water table, forgoing, and around the corner to the 2^nd mile marker at 13:05, for a 6:40 2^nd mile… then around the corner and down the hill and past my house.  

My wife and daughter Maya had woken up to see me run by… the cheers spurred me on as I started down the half mile street that I live on.  By now exhaustion was starting to win and I willed myself forward.  Halfway down the street I was passed by another runner; A strong woman with a runners body (I’d later find out she was the age group winner for 50-54F).   Until now I had been running by myself, but now I had someone help push me along.  I struggled to hold her pace as I lagged 10 feet behind.  As we hit the small hill at the end of my street she slowed a bit and I quickly gained ground.  The hill felt good as it worked slightly different muscles on my tired legs.  600 meters to go as I ran 2 blocks to the final turn.  400 meters to go as I turned the corner and now I could see the finish line.  

I bore down and shifted up a gear as I began to engage my kick.  I propelled myself past the woman who had passed me on the previous stretch and lumbered down the road.  As I approached the finish line I saw two younger kids (17 and 14) slowly finishing.  I realized too late that I should speed up even faster and catch them… I passed one of them but the other finished right ahead of me.  Final time:  20:25, 6:34 pace.  

I drank some water and dumped some more over my head and then slowly jogged home to grab my daughter Maya to take her back downtown for the kids fun run and award ceremony.  Maya ran the fun run and said she came in 5th.  She really wanted to do the 5K but I convinced her to wait for next year... partly this was selfish because I didn't want to distract from my race but I also wanted to ensure she had at least run/walked the course once before she raced it.

I was happy with my time.  I broke my goal of 21 minutes and shaved 2 minutes off my previous years performance.  I felt like possibly I could have run a bit faster, especially after finishing  strong, but I don't think I could have broken 20 and I do enjoy finishing strong... the run hurt but not nearly as bad as last year.

Award ceremony started and I wound up running 1st place in my age group!  Always nice to get back on the podium ;)…  23rd overall...  Winner ran 16:50.  10th place was 18:53.  12 of the top 15 were XC kids.  Number 1 runner of the 35-39 yr old division ran 18:03 and he's 39 years old.  I guess the goal for next year is sub 18.

Pre-race musings

I'm probably putting to much focus on a simple 5K but for me this one is special.

The race takes place in the small town I live in and the last mile of the course goes right by my house so my kids can cheer for me from the driveway.  The start and finish line are less than 1/2 mile from my house so I can easily walk/run to and from the race for packet pickup/warmup/cool down.  Also it is the only race I've participated in since 2012.

In 2016 I ran it in a time of  ~25:30...  official chip time never registered for some odd reason so this race is undocumented.  I had only run 27.25 miles of training before the race so really was just happy to finish.

In 2017 I missed the race because I was in India for work.

In 2018 I ran it in a time of 22:24 after running for a coupe months (plus a couple months of X-training on an exercise bike before I started running).  This time was well below my goal  at the time… I hadn't come close to running a single mile under 7:30 during training and then wound up running the 7:05, 7:15, 7:25 splits for miles for an average pace of 7:13.

Going into 2019 I'm way more trained than I've been in the last few years and hoping to make an even better showing of it.  Getting back into shape over the last 1 1/2 years has been way more difficult than when I got back into shape 10 years ago but I'm finally starting to feel like things are clicking...  just hoping for health and motivation as I continue.

I really would like to break 20 minutes again but based on my workouts and trainings I don't really see this as likely this go around... so my goal is to break 21 minutes.  That's 6:45 pace which still maybe hard to hit.  I feel pretty optimistic after way over-performing my expectations in 2018 but I really don't have a good benchmark of what my true fitness is right now.

I've been tapering and my legs are starting to feel pretty good.

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Yesterday's workout was 30 easy minutes on the stationary bike at ~20MPH/305 calories plus I  walked down to the park and did 4 X Strides.

Today I ran 1.55 miles in 13:21 (8:36 pace) just to work the legs a bit and encourage some more recovery.

I already picked up my race packet and installed my bib on my race shirt so I'm pretty much ready to go!

3 days until race time

Today's workout:

3.06 miles 

Time: 24 minutes

Avg Pace: 7:50

Mile 1: 8:11 pace

Mile 2: 7:36 pace

Mile 3: 7:37 pace (with a slight disruption from a wild goose attack)

Mild-Medium intensity run (5/10 effort)… just trying to keep things sharp as I recover/taper for my 5K race this Saturday.

Also, I measured my cadence today via my fitbit step counter.  4087 steps taken over 24 minutes which works out to 170.29 steps per minute.  

Lots of mixed information out there on the internet about ideal cadence... at 170 I'm not sure this is something I want to mess with... Right now I'm running mostly injury free and feeling mostly good so we'll keep things copesetic for the time being... but I'm sure I'll circle back to cadence eventually. 

Recovery Run and Reflections on the 2 years of "training cycles"

Today's run:  4.13 recovery miles at 8:56 pace with 4 X Strides near the end.  Legs felt pretty tight, sore, and fatigued during the run.  Left calf, shin, Achilles tendon, were tight.  Put on the compression sleeves and iced.   Writing this, a couple hours after the run my legs are feeling pretty good.  Starting to get loose and feel some pep in the step.  Hope to build on this as I continue my taper.

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2019 vs 2018

2018:  Miles run before 5K (Jan 1 - August 11th, 2018):  102.63

2019:  Miles run before 5K (Jan 1 - August 10th, 2019):  266.92  

2018:  Miles run below 8 min pace:  9.08 

2019:  Miles run below 8 min pace:  67.55

2018:  Miles run below 7:20 min pace:  0

2019:  Miles run below 7:20 min pace:  21.33

2018:  Long runs more than 5 miles: 3

2019:  Long runs more than 5 miles: 13

2018:  Long runs more than 6 miles: 1

2019:  Long runs more than 6 miles: 8

2019:  Long runs more than 7 miles: 6

2019:  Long runs more than 8 miles: 4

2019:  Long runs more than 10 miles: 1

2018: 40 hrs, 6 min on the bike for 19819 calories   (8.24 cal/min)

2019: 56 hrs. 37 min on the bike for 36062 calories (10.62 cal/min)

In summary, my training and fitness this year have exceeded 2018 in every category.  I should have good confidence going into my race this weekend!

Taper Week

Last Friday (8/2/2019) had one last hard workout.  4.02 miles at 7:14 pace.

Mile 1: 7:29
Mile 2: 7:17
Mile 3: 7:07
Mile 4: 6:59

Another solid run after pushing it on Wednesday with each mile faster than the last.  This makes for the 2nd straight run at 7:14 pace... This is 8 days before race day so time to taper.

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Sunday was a reduced mileage long run:

7.16 miles
1:00:43
8:29 Pace
8:41 Slowest mile
8:08 Fastest mile

didn't get out of the house until 8 o'clock and it was already getting hot.  82 degrees and full sun by the end of the run.  I had a solid sweat going and I'd say 7/10 effort to keep going at the pace I was hitting.

Tired for the rest of the day but the previous 2 workouts and the heat probably contributed to the overall feelings of exhaustion and excretion.
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Monday:

Day off from running but did 48 minutes on the bike at a medium effort.