tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72893860587526464432024-03-06T01:00:49.526-06:00RUN EZEEZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.comBlogger474125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289386058752646443.post-58306252617509274282023-04-03T13:18:00.000-05:002023-04-03T13:18:36.746-05:00Still coming back<p>80 miles in January with 18 total runs (4.444 miles per run).</p><p>81 miles in February with 18 total runs (4.5 miles per run).</p><p>85 miles in March with 19 total runs (4.5 miles per run).</p><p>I'd say my knee is just about completely healed. There's still a phantom twinge now and then but at this point I don't feel like there's much opportunity for reinjury. </p><p>I've been relatively consistent so far this year, albeit at a reduced load. I've struggled to find the motivation from day to day but I've still been able to keep myself going enough that I haven't completely lost all my fitness.</p><p>On the negative side, running hasn't been very pleasant. My pace has been reduced but my heart rate is high. I've had a ton of sinus issues and feel like I'm constantly running with a head cold to the point where I've questioned if maybe this is somehow post Covid related... or maybe I'm just getting older or maybe I'm just worn too thin from work, family, and life responsibilities and stress.</p><p>It's not all negative though. For the last few months I haven't felt much of any improvement in terms of building endurance or fitness. I've struggled though most of my miles and just felt overall out of shape. The last couple weekends that's finally seemed to be changing. </p><p>2 Saturday's ago I hit the track with my girls and did some short sprints. Not a lot of mileage but way more intensity than I've been accustomed to for a while. I followed that up with a 8 mile run on Sunday... legs were tired from the sprints but it felt good. I finished up the weekend feeling fatigued and sore, but in a good way. </p><p>Similar this weekend. Hard treadmill run on Saturday, 6 miles, 1 mile at 9 mph, and then more 9 mph 1/2 and 1/4 mile. It was faster than I've been running, and it was hard, but it hurt in a good way. Followed that up with another 8 mile run... a little faster and a little easier than the previous weekend.</p><p>I think it's going to be a while before I start getting to sub 19 minute 5K fit but I'm finally feeling like maybe I'm at least starting down the path towards it, after pretty much jogging in place since last June.</p>EZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289386058752646443.post-19010768579594228072023-02-06T10:09:00.001-06:002023-02-06T10:09:16.694-06:00The slow road back<p> It's been over 5 months since I hurt my right knee moving furniture. Still not sure what I even hurt exactly but it's been healing extremely slow. </p><p>It's still not 100% but at this point it seems that I can more or less run without it bothering me.</p><p>The bad part is that I'm completely out of shape. From the end of August when I hurt myself to the end of December, I ran a total of 165 miles. The positive side was that I never truly quit and still got a couple short runs in a week as my body allowed. </p><p>2023 has been better, I'm at almost 100 miles for the year, and last week I finally felt like I was making some progress, logging a total of 24 miles</p><p>I ended the week with a Sunday "long" run of 7 miles and was able to average a 7:27 pace for the run and actually felt pretty good. Solid effort but not overly painful and I only had to force myself not to stop and walk a couple times. <br /></p><p>Still haven't totally found my motivation yet but hoping I can get my fitness up enough so that by spring I'm ready to nail it.</p>EZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289386058752646443.post-69815985858074907172022-10-05T12:06:00.000-05:002022-10-05T12:06:13.325-05:00Still plugging along<p> It has been a rough summer and frankly a rough 2022. Just haven't had the consistency to maintain the level of fitness I would like. I was either too busy or hurt or having breathing issues... definitely not what I had hoped for coming into the year but at this point I'm feeling more upbeat.</p><p>I've been dealing with breathing issues for months but I think I finally got those under control and with the use of an additional Advair inhaler will hopefully keep it under control. </p><p>My other immediate struggle is with my right leg. I royally strained something while moving furniture for my mother. That was maybe 6 weeks ago at this point and it's still not at 100%. At this point I'm not even exactly sure what the problem is... it's either Sciatica or some strained tendons or a strained hamstring or maybe all of the above. The good news is that I never really felt anything pop or tear and it seems to be healing... just extremely slowly. I'm able to run on it but it will then get stiff and tired and will bother me for the rest of the day. </p><p>So for now, I'm just trying to get out there and get mileage in where I can. Hopefully I can stay active enough so that when I eventually heal, I won't be starting from scratch. </p>EZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289386058752646443.post-62101836578854700212022-07-28T09:46:00.002-05:002022-07-28T09:46:32.569-05:00Burned down but not burned outThe last month has not been kind to my running. I've battled through a 2 week bout of bronchitis that pretty much prevented me from running at all, I've overwhelmed with life obligations (family vacation, moving my mom, other household tasks) I've been exhausted, and I've been a bit burnt out. Most of all, I just haven't felt good running. I've had a weird tightness/pinched nerve feeling in my back and shoulders on and off dating back to March. I'm not quite sure what is going on... not sure if it's something with my form or some kind of injury? If it is an injury I don't think it's caused by running but has made running more unpleasant than it should be. <div><br /></div><div>All this has resulted in my running 12 times in the last month for a total of 37 miles. Better than doing nothing I suppose.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today I ran 5 miles at 8:20 pace and for this first time in a month I actually felt pretty good during the run. The pace was easy, my cadence was good, and I didn't feel like I was suffering and forcing myself to take each step. That's promising at least.</div><div><br /></div><div>Definitely not in top fitness right now but I don't need to be. I'm hoping that today was a sign that I'm getting back in the groove and will be able to build on this moving forward.</div>EZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289386058752646443.post-30300501134870868302022-06-01T15:50:00.000-05:002022-06-01T15:50:07.591-05:00Monumental goals on the horizonJust as I was starting to get fit, I seemed to have puttered out at the end of May. <div><br /></div><div>Travel for work and personal obligations led to multiple days off. I was able to sprinkle in some runs here and there but the mileage is still down from where I'm normally at. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's June 1st and I'm going to use the turning calendar page to try to turn it around. </div><div><br /></div><div>Today I ran 8 miles at 6:58 pace. Hard run on a hot and humid morning but I don't think I over did it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Then, this afternoon I signed up for the Monumental Marathon. Plenty of time to but need to start building the long run back up.</div>EZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289386058752646443.post-75132931533218846222022-05-24T12:55:00.002-05:002022-05-24T12:55:18.813-05:00Holding steadyCovid 19 acted like a hard reset on my training. I feel really lucky to have zero lingering effects from my bout but my mileage has been down ever since. <div><br /></div><div>I've been hitting about 40 MPW since the end of March, been taking more days off, and have really been shirking on the long runs. Not sure what it is but have not felt like running long runs which are normally my favorite and have limited them to 10-11 miles. </div><div><br /></div><div>On the other had, I have been running quite a bit faster. I ran 10 miles at 7:06 average pace on Sunday (which felt relatively easy) and after an actual easy 7 on Monday at 7:55 pace I ran another 7 miles today at 6:47 pace... first couple miles I was working kind of hard but once I settled in I started cruising and was able to cut it down the last 2 miles to 6:39 and 6:28 without straining too hard.</div><div><br /></div><div>I feel like I'm gaining fitness again without overdoing it right now and I'm definitely way less fatigued with the reduced mileage which is good since I have a lot of other things going on besides running. </div><div><br /></div><div>My performances are starting to approach what I've hit at top fitness in the past so that's encouraging at least. </div><div><br /></div><div>I pretty much know what I need to do moving forward... start working back in some longer runs and also run some shorter 3-4 mile tempo runs at a quicker pace (6:20-6:30). Knowing is half the battle but executing is the other half. I really prefer 7-8 miles at 6:50 pace vs 3-4 miles at 6:20 pace. It just feels like more of an accomplishment. I guess I need to get over myself.</div>EZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289386058752646443.post-10224205224107177822022-05-20T10:51:00.002-05:002022-05-20T10:51:43.325-05:00TUESDAYS RUN > TODAYS RUN<p> Tuesday I ran my 8 mile loop at an average 6:39 pace. 6:48, 6:42, 6:49, 6:41, 6:50, 6:31, 6:38, 6:20.</p><p>The weather was perfect and I felt really good. I started strong and finished stronger. It was the kind of breakthrough workout I had been hoping for and fairly close to being one of my fastest workouts ever (top 5 at least).</p><p>Today, after 2 fairly easy days, I did 5 miles at an average 6:49 pace. 6:51, 6:44, 6:55, 7:03, 6:30. </p><p>the weather was hotter and more humid and I didn't feel very good. My HR averaged 5 BPM higher (even though I went slower and shorter) and it was pretty much a struggle.</p><p>Don't know if it was the heat, fatigue, or maybe a TDAP vaccination I recently received or maybe it just wasn't my day. </p><p>Still a good workout I suppose and I'll hopefully just build off it and hit it better next time.</p>EZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289386058752646443.post-72601989182762072242022-05-13T12:54:00.000-05:002022-05-13T12:54:01.466-05:00Signs of improvement<p> After being seemingly stagnant for most of the year I'm finally seeing some signs of improvement.</p><p>Today I went out and ran a hard 20 minutes/5K (3.17 miles in 20:00). 6:18 pace with 6:24, 6:17, 6:18 splits. Not a full out effort but hard enough that I stopped at 20 minutes instead of running 4 miles. </p><p>I haven't broke 20 minutes for a 5K since last fall so it was a good confidence booster. After I was done I ran another 3.14 miles at 7:43 pace.</p><p>I've dropped my mileage and have been running with higher intensity for the last 6 weeks and it seems to be paying off (I've also been exceptionally busy at home and work which has distracted and detracted from my running). Next step is to maintain the intensity while reupping the mileage. </p>EZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289386058752646443.post-75798545704328986372022-05-10T15:31:00.001-05:002022-05-10T15:31:31.602-05:00The heat is on<p> It's been a hectic few weeks.</p><p>Started with the River 2 River relay. I would have loved to do a race report but I didn't and still don't have the time and now that we are approaching almost a month removed I don't think it's going to happen. Quick summary is I had a great time running with a great team. Ran all day, 3 legs of 3-4 miles and was able to keep each segment under 7 minute pace. It was hot and hilly, and my fitness wasn't quite where I'd have liked it but overall I was satisfied. Finished up the day with a massive kick that I was surprised I had. </p><p>As soon as I was done with the River 2 River relay I pretty much headed straight to Southern Texas where it was hot, humid, windy, and dusty. I worked long days on my feet in the sun and kept most of my runs short but still got in runs most days and was able to amply recover from the relay.</p><p>I got back home mid last week and popped off a few good runs. 5.18 miles at 6:59 pace pace Thursday, 5.19 miles at 7:30 pace on Friday, and 6.25 miles at 6:54 pace pm Saturday.</p><p>Sunday I did my first long run in a while with 11 miles in 1:30:51 (8:15 pace). I was dragging ass and slowed down majorly at the end but overall it was a decent run.</p><p>I took Monday off so ran hard today. It was the first really hot day of the year (70 degrees with 100% humidity at 6am) so that didn't help8 miles in 56:53 (7:06 pace). I started off right around 7 minute pace but mile 6, 7, and 8 were 7:20, 7:12, and 7:13. Pretty much crashed and burned and was hurting for the whole second half of the run. I didn't really let up much though even as I slowed some and am overall proud for pushing through the pain and not stopping, even though I wanted to. We'll see if it pays off or if I overdid it. </p><p>. </p>EZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289386058752646443.post-57209772980815259282022-04-20T12:27:00.005-05:002022-04-20T12:27:52.872-05:00MR. BLISTER<p> 5 days out from my first big event of the year and I managed to get a blister on my toe. </p><p>I was wearing my Hokas (that have almost 600 miles on them) and I was running on my treadmill (which I've done a ton so far this year), and 7 miles into an easy 8 miler the outside of my left big toe starts rubbing. </p><p>I finish my run, take off my shoe, just to find that I had my left sock on inside out (I get dressed in the dark). Who'd of thunk it would make such a difference! </p><p>Good news is that I ran today (with my socks on properly) and I had no issue so crisis averted.</p><p>Today I did a mini-workout. Started with 2 briskish miles of 7:17, 7:15 on my way to the track. Then did 6 X 200m with 200m recovery. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LcJwtt8QU6orda7xxLco0A5JqGrCqNLK8r-f6CIV-dn1M3OBSeUamyMXkqNdoCUV6uoVQEEOEwo4vWf-fU3Vp7WMythpY8b1kVHROq3jglB6e31fmyYWMhm2146YX3XeLErbq6URrPHvUhsWXCF4wzrlgD5yfI6ZZScXL2-2ekOUFC8dikfvYGLlvQ/s365/track%20workout%209.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="212" data-original-width="365" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LcJwtt8QU6orda7xxLco0A5JqGrCqNLK8r-f6CIV-dn1M3OBSeUamyMXkqNdoCUV6uoVQEEOEwo4vWf-fU3Vp7WMythpY8b1kVHROq3jglB6e31fmyYWMhm2146YX3XeLErbq6URrPHvUhsWXCF4wzrlgD5yfI6ZZScXL2-2ekOUFC8dikfvYGLlvQ/w400-h233/track%20workout%209.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Then got another 1.5ish miles in at about 6:50 pace to finish up.</p><p>Wound up running 5 miles in 34:38 (6:55 pace) and didn't feel like it took too much out of me.</p><p>Kind of enjoyed the 200m workout with the combination of short bursts and a quicker than typical recovery pace. 2 sets of 12 of these would probably be a damn good workout. </p><p>Today, I was just trying to turn the legs over while not overdoing it. Mission accomplished!</p><p>Easy days plans for Thursday and Friday and then Saturday I should be ready to perform!</p><p><br /></p>EZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289386058752646443.post-54173789041762474302022-04-15T12:37:00.000-05:002022-04-15T12:37:52.284-05:00Solid day at the track<p> Another one week progression... Last Thursday I was stoked to run 12 X 400m at an average 6:23 pace with 200 meter rest intervals at an average 7:37 pace. </p><p>This Thursday I was able to run the equivalent amount of hard laps at 6:10 pace and similar paced rest but with much longer intervals. I replaced the 400m intervals with 1600, 1600, 800, 400, 400 and I replaced the 200m rest with 400m rest to compensate for the hard intervals.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_FixwReAwfTGlhvTmJz-xxrjZeMykurKJz1WZFMVTOS2uMjjgP41CJzh-wLjtKEUgBYq7ISXE7mDRpC4ZmSpKPfkpdxpcjh5jvepQq7W9azlUMHQax3giE5IXcjYQUzjQC9rWaj7c7I0sB2Fn5DuMP9v4gKWIWzcMg2KfMSuFgpmLPBLWupNKUu8bA/s553/track%20workout%208.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="192" data-original-width="553" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_FixwReAwfTGlhvTmJz-xxrjZeMykurKJz1WZFMVTOS2uMjjgP41CJzh-wLjtKEUgBYq7ISXE7mDRpC4ZmSpKPfkpdxpcjh5jvepQq7W9azlUMHQax3giE5IXcjYQUzjQC9rWaj7c7I0sB2Fn5DuMP9v4gKWIWzcMg2KfMSuFgpmLPBLWupNKUu8bA/w400-h139/track%20workout%208.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I didn't even feel that good going into the day (poor night sleep and some stomach issues) and I was still able to greatly exceed what I had considered a solid effort just a week previously. </p><p>Its funny how progression is not always linear. I've been training and training and training and yet have not been able to put together any significant efforts. Suddenly the last 2 weeks I've been taking huge strides in fitness. </p><p>At this point I've done about as much training as I can possibly do to get ready for the River 2 River relay. I would have really liked to have 2 more weeks to get ready (basically what I lost to Covid) but nothing I can do about it now. I might hit something short and fast tomorrow (like a hard 4 miler) and then maybe 6-8 200m intervals on Tuesday just to squeeze out a few more drops but mostly I just need to taper.</p><p>Easy 7 today at 8:28 pace. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>EZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289386058752646443.post-34030595495733385052022-04-12T16:41:00.002-05:002022-04-12T16:41:59.186-05:00First "Good" run of the year?<p> It's been an interesting year so far. I've ran a lot of easy miles and my legs and low effort aerobic fitness has been as good as ever. I've had hardly any tendonitis or inflammation anywhere and it seems like I've been recovering faster than ever. </p><p>the only problem has been that I couldn't quite find that next gear. I could jog around at 8 minute pace all day... I could go out for a 13 mile 7:30 pace run and it felt relatively easy. But as soon as I tried to run anything faster than 7:15 pace I started to feel like crap. My legs didn't want to turn over and things like my back, neck, shoulders, and stomach would start to hurt to the point where I could never really get my HR up above the mid-160s. </p><p>The last couple weeks things have started to shift and today I finally started to actually feel fit. I wanted to build on last Tuesday's 7 mile run at 7 min pace so exactly 1 week later I went for 8 miles. </p><p>I started off relaxed but by the 1/2 mile point I was getting locked in and hit the first mile at 7:05. Everything after that was sub 7. 6:55; 6:52; 6:52; 6:49; 6:54; 6:45; 6:32. I was finding the extra gear climbing hills and was able to stay relaxed. I pushed a bit at the end but nothing hurt and I even hit full sprint for the last 50 meters. </p><p>I finished up with 8 miles in 54:49 (6:50 pace). It was 10 seconds faster per mile than a week ago and actually felt easier. This pretty much puts me close to my peak performances 2 years ago and closer in line to where I was at this point last year.</p><p>It definitely feels good to have tangible progression in performance again and I'm eager to see what I can accomplish with a 6-8 more weeks of solid training.</p>EZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289386058752646443.post-50330996284183150032022-04-07T08:54:00.004-05:002022-04-07T08:54:50.899-05:00Work out Thursday<p>Easy 5 on Wednesday to set up for a workout today.</p><p>No more junk miles just for mileage sake alone... for the next few months I'm training with purpose! </p><p>I've been formulating today's workout for several days and finally settled on a track workout for 400 meters on 200 meters off. The 400 meters were to be controlled efforts between 6:20 and 6:40 pace and the 200 meter recovers were to be ~60s (8:00 pace). </p><p>I warmed up for ~2.5 miles ,7:43, 7:19, 7:33 and then went straight into the workout with no stop.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeeX457jsyr9DBtFi0B1K2k6pTg9JI2TsCxWOOLA-nk411kYC5Q5YlARjbbi162H5nOLiDdhuzPjG5L2rmQlOGBqSc3oHFaLVgjCMiYmPdnBgJl2--0cLiIwHACFu0DIrFduLosapCk_tE0OtgxmB8Au4S5F0WStZR3XjInTF95v7QZceoHSfDPzSpHg/s375/lap%20times.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="366" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeeX457jsyr9DBtFi0B1K2k6pTg9JI2TsCxWOOLA-nk411kYC5Q5YlARjbbi162H5nOLiDdhuzPjG5L2rmQlOGBqSc3oHFaLVgjCMiYmPdnBgJl2--0cLiIwHACFu0DIrFduLosapCk_tE0OtgxmB8Au4S5F0WStZR3XjInTF95v7QZceoHSfDPzSpHg/s320/lap%20times.png" width="312" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></blockquote><p> After the last lap I did stop running for about 10 seconds but then resumed and got about a mile cooldown in at 7:39 pace.</p><p>Although it was a far cry from where I peaked last year, it was a good effort for where I'm at now. Particularly please on how I stayed within myself and didn't push the pace too hard early. I was able to keep the recovery paces just about exact even though it was pretty much all by effort. </p><p>Gonna take it easy until my long run on Sunday and hope to start seeing fitness improvements by Tuesday for my next workout.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><br /><p></p>EZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289386058752646443.post-5146372343328026712022-04-05T08:31:00.000-05:002022-04-07T08:31:56.808-05:00Back to real running<p> Plenty of miles and no days off makes Jack a dull boy. My obsession with mileage and my running streak was not as productive as I would have hoped. Too many junk miles, and while I did do some treadmill workouts they just didn't seem to be enough. </p><p>Maybe getting Covid was a good thing, as it forced me to recalibrate. I'm about a week removed from my Covid bout and it doesn't seem to have caused any lasting damage. </p><p>Saturday I went on a 4 mile tempo run in 26:56. After a solid 6:33 first mile, I crashed for the next 2 miles running 7:03 and 6:57... of course some of that had to do with hill and a 20 mile per hour wind. My last mile was downhill with the wind at my back and I hit that in 6:21. Averaged 6:44 pace for the run which was okay but not great. At least the effort was at the correct level.</p><p>Sunday was a beautiful day... sunny, no wind, temp in the 40s. I ran 15 miles which is the most I've ran this year. Was cruising at a 8:26 average pace. Started out faster but slowed down and settled into a rhythm. Again, effort was just where I wanted it.</p><p>Monday I took it real easy a jogged 5 miles at 8:34 pace.</p><p>Today I ran my first good steady state run in a long time. 7.01 miles in 49:04, averaging 7:00 pace exactly. Again, I was happy with my pacing and effort. First mile was 7:13 and second mile was 7:06. I attacked the hills in the 2nd mile and got my HR up to 158 which I held for miles 3-6. By the 2 mile mark I was hurting. I had a cramp in my back on the left side. It's been weird because my arms/neck/shoulders/back have been causing me more issues during hard efforts than my legs, lungs, or heart. I fought through the pain and by mile 3 (7:08 3rd mile) I felt better and started to hit a groove. I cruised the 4th mile in 7:01. Slowed down a bit on the 5th mile in 7:07 but kept cruising.</p><p>Mile 6 I stated to push a little bit. I figured the effort applied to mile 6 and 7 were the main stimulus for the whole workout. Pushing the pace after 5 already solid miles. Mile 6 was 6:58. Mile 7 I really started cranking it down. By 6.5 I was hurting... I looked down and saw my average pace had dropped to 7:03. No letting up now, I pushed harder. By 6.75 I was starting to hurt bad. At 6.85 I pushed harder yet. By 6.90 I was kicking, forcing myself to push through the pain. I counted the steps, waiting to feel that vibration on my wrist to know I hit the mile mark. I finished doubled over but quickly recovered and walked it off. </p><p>Really happy with today's run. I pushed through the back cramp and settled into a good form. By body adapted to the ~7 min pace and it got easier as the run progressed. I didn't go out too fast and kept the effort right where I wanted it to be. I finished strong and got the HR up and the legs turning over. And I finally had a day with decent temperature and not too much wind... running dead into the wind really screws with me mentally and overall just makes things miserable! </p><p>It's been a disappointing year so far as I try to build back into shape but I'm hoping I'm finally turning the corner. </p><p> </p>EZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289386058752646443.post-65113788473072465492022-04-01T12:21:00.000-05:002022-04-01T12:21:42.489-05:0081 and done<p> The running streak died a bitter end on Saturday after 81 days. My "step" streak of 1371 straight days of reaching 12500+ steps also met the same demise. All due to an unexpectedly severe bout of COVID 19. Overall I came through it okay but I felt really crappy on Saturday and Sunday and didn't get out of bed much. By Monday I was starting to feel back to normal and by Tuesday I was ready to try my first run. 3.5 miles in 30 minutes (8:33 pace) on the Treadmill. It felt good but it wore me out. By Wednesday I was able to run an hour or rather 7 miles in 1:01:24 (8:46 pace). </p><p>Thursday I woke up and cranked out 6.5 in 49:21 (7:35 pace), with 3 miles at 8.6 MPH. This hard effort was a struggle but it also felt good and it really boosted my overall feeling of well-being for the rest of the day. </p><p>Today I ran 5.5 miles at ~8:30 pace but 3.25 miles were at 5% incline and the other 2.25 were at 1%. I covered over 1000 feet of climbing and </p><p>At this point I'd say I'm fully recovered with the only remanence being a slightly sore and aggravated upper airway. </p><p>3 days off shouldn't have much impact and might even be a net positive after 81 straight days of running. </p><p><br /></p>EZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289386058752646443.post-34189991542990442632022-03-22T13:39:00.000-05:002022-03-22T13:39:32.198-05:0078<p> Just came off my hardest week of the year. 54 miles at 7:48 average pace. 7 seconds a mile faster than my 2nd fastest average pace which was last weeks 60 miles at 7:55 pace. Factoring in the previous weekend I had a 5K race on Saturday, a half marathon at 7:26 pace on Sunday, speedwork at the track Wednesday, a 7:23 10K Friday, a 7:03 10K Saturday, and a 7:58 14 miler on Sunday. I can feel the fatigue but nothing too bad. Did a really easy 3.5 miles on Monday which is one of my shortest runs of the year then 8 miles on the treadmill today at 8:23 pace. Between rain and travel I'll probably be taking it relatively easy the next 3 days as well so hopefully it results in some good recovery. </p><p>Plan to run another race on Saturday to see if I can improve off last weekends effort. Of course Saturday morning is once again the coldest period in a couple week span, but at least it's supposed to be 32 degrees as opposed to 10 degrees. Not going to purposely taper for this one either but based on my schedule I should hopefully be at least somewhat rested up. At the very least I'd think I could break 20.</p><p>Overall I think my training is going pretty good. Haven't gotten as much intensity as I'd ultimately like but the weather just hasn't cooperated. I'm definitely not at the fitness I was at last year at this same point but I'm also I start shaping up faster and ultimately surpass last years peak fitness in the next month or two.</p>EZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289386058752646443.post-57144926280769161762022-03-18T11:54:00.001-05:002022-03-18T11:54:05.118-05:0074<p>Was going to run easy today but ran harder than planned. </p><p>Headed straight out the door at 6:30. I was still dark so I looped through the park. First mile I felt like I was pushing it but the split was 7:56. It felt pretty hard for ~8:00 minute pace. I continued through town on a slight uphill for a half mile before turning and running straight into a hard cold wind for 1 mile. Split 7:36 for the next mile, 7:31 for a windy/hilly mile 3, and another 7:31 for mile 4. Effort was fairly uniform but I was getting faster as I loosened up. The last 2.5 miles were the easiest of the run, with more downhill than up and not too much into the wind. I split 7:09, 7:05 for mile 5 and 6. Then actually started to push it on the last .5 mile at a 6:26 pace. </p><p>I finished up the run feeling fairly chipper and refreshed. I was planning to do some kind of a real workout, so hopefully this run didn't take too much out of me. I'm at least starting to get my legs to turn over better. I signed up for another 5K next Saturday so hopefully better weather and results than last week. Hopefully I can race myself back into shape.</p>EZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289386058752646443.post-17976946407685073232022-03-17T12:37:00.001-05:002022-03-17T12:37:19.957-05:0073<p> Running streak has reached 73.</p><p>8 miles today with 3 on the treadmill (8:30 pace, 1.5% incline), immediately followed by 5 outdoor 8:23 pace. Treadmill miles while waiting for it to get light out. It was 50 degrees at 6:30 am so shorts and t-shirt weather!</p><p>Was a little tired from my track workout yesterday but nothing significant. Just about adapted to running outside now as well. I still notice the extra impact and road camber occasionally but for the most part it's feeling natural. The treadmill still feels natural right now as well so running has been fairly enjoyable. Still not feeling "fast" but I feel "solid" and am putting in fairly big miles with no soreness and minimal stiffness. </p><p>Plan to get some more easy miles in tomorrow and then go harder again on Saturday.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>EZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289386058752646443.post-4614008166322760242022-03-16T09:33:00.001-05:002022-03-16T09:33:34.289-05:00Recapturing my speed<p> Hit the track today for some more rust busting. Didn't feel great today... had a hard time sleeping (think that daylight savings time is still having some effect) and stomach wasn't quite right either. Lets felt okay though. </p><p>I feel like I'm in a bit of a rut right now where my body just doesn't want to go fast. May just be cumulative fatigue from ramping up mileage or may be a bit of extra weight I'm carrying at the moment. </p><p>I'm hoping it's just a matter of spending a couple weeks reintroducing some higher effort work. I came into today's session without a clear plan. I was thinking maybe mile repeats at ~6:15 to 6:20 pace but was worried about my stomach and decided at the last minute to do something shorter and brisker. </p><p>Started with a 1000m in 3:41 (5:55) pace. Jogged 400m then another 1000m in 3:43. Jogged 400m, then a 600 in 2:14 (6:00 pace), 200m jog, then 400m in 1:29 (6:00 pace), then jogged home.</p><p>Ended up with 6.25 miles at an average of 6:53 for the total effort. </p><p>Overall, I wasn't unhappy with the performance and while it wasn't a ton of volume it was probably a good start for ramping up my efforts and intensity. I don't think it will take much time to recover from this workout and hope to get another hard effort in on Saturday.</p>EZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289386058752646443.post-39806567136504091452022-03-14T12:59:00.001-05:002022-03-14T12:59:06.629-05:00Weekend Warrioring <p> I'll kick this off with a short race report from Saturday's Blarney Blitz 5K. </p><p>Weather was 10 degrees at race time with a 13 MPH wind. If Strava weather is to be believed the "feels like" was -7. I knew conditions were going to be bad and that made it hard for me to dedicated myself to this race. </p><p>I woke up at my normal 5 am and had my first cup of coffee. Then warmed up on the treadmill for 3.50 miles. Had a second cup of coffee. Got dressed (thermal tights, shorts, warmup pants, t-shirt, long sleeve thermal shirt, goretex jacket, 2 pairs socks, green hat, green bandana to cover the face, second pair of long green stripped socks, and my sketches Go Run racing flats). Used the bathroom one last time and then headed to the race. </p><p>I got there, picked up my packet, went back to the car for about 10 minutes and then ran another 1.5 miles outside to keep warming up. I'd say I at least dressed okay for the conditions because although I was still cold, I wasn't miserable. Finally got to the start line with about 7 minutes to go and tried to keep mobile while we waited for the race to start. </p><p>They started the race and I was about 10 rows back from that fairly narrow start. I wasn't planning to take off too fast anyway so id didn't matter. I passed a bunch of people that first 400 meters and that was about it. At the 800 meter mark I was right behind a woman. I kept pace with her for about 400 meters. I didn't want to shadow her but she wasn't really letting me get beside her either. We came to a tight icy turn so I slowed down to give her the right of way. After that, she started to slow and I wound up passing her and leaving her behind. </p><p>About the mile mark someone passed me. Other than that, I wound up staying in the same place for the rest of the race. There was a guy in front of me I kind of tracked down but when I got on his shoulder with 800m to go he sped up and I didn't respond (just no drive to race in this cold!). </p><p>I wound up running 20:50 for "5K" but I think the course might have been a little long. According to the official splits I was at 6:26 for the first mile and 6:33 for the second mile but averaged 6:42 for the race. I don't really think I slowed down in the last mile and my Garmin had me at 6:28, 6:37, 6:34. This particular race organizer isn't great at getting course measurements exact so I wouldn't be surprised. In this case it doesn't really matter but I wasn't very pleased with my time or performance.</p><p>I just don't think I run well in the cold and my mind just wasn't there. I was running hard but not really race effort... but at the same time I didn't necessarily feel like there was an extra gear in my arsenal if I wanted to speed up. My heartrate was in the mid 160s creeping up to 170 by the end so at least I got a good tempo workout in. My only disappointment is that I wasn't really able to gauge my true fitness. I though I would be able to run low 19 minutes at the very least so this result doesn't sit well with me.I wound up coming in 8th overall and winning the 40-49 age group even with my lackluster time. For my efforts, I won a cookie and a green beer. Can't complain!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVJng4Kme3CGMouy1VpueBuCXKe_LZ08EO28s9kt5EmTHfkKWrnQoQgOTZaJwSx1UYZTEggamMfa6MqnSb_RjenI90XCP7OKk1oo0zVFG_u5Wx_OWPwN1OCjfE8Ch2QWpuR5DKfu7Dy66Odvc-053o7Z_jIqz5BU5Bcc9JjryKtQBAplcU_fFhF7zaVg=s2880" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="2880" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVJng4Kme3CGMouy1VpueBuCXKe_LZ08EO28s9kt5EmTHfkKWrnQoQgOTZaJwSx1UYZTEggamMfa6MqnSb_RjenI90XCP7OKk1oo0zVFG_u5Wx_OWPwN1OCjfE8Ch2QWpuR5DKfu7Dy66Odvc-053o7Z_jIqz5BU5Bcc9JjryKtQBAplcU_fFhF7zaVg=w400-h265" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhJBThZg6O2dekRnZPgYL8NCJwKN3lybJjeEs81KzfTgn1OkdsCrUw-nkpjD1A3rnefvW2HPE9cyaRgb-QXjYFWx0uMzkvcHlb3Ssl5ZicMklSbXhE3GhA96FP1wQ5a07_LlHkMcG3mOhMSukL82s9rZ3q1bQXKgWMVt3u-N_3_L7jX2U5iAkau3sAIg=s2880" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="1920" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhJBThZg6O2dekRnZPgYL8NCJwKN3lybJjeEs81KzfTgn1OkdsCrUw-nkpjD1A3rnefvW2HPE9cyaRgb-QXjYFWx0uMzkvcHlb3Ssl5ZicMklSbXhE3GhA96FP1wQ5a07_LlHkMcG3mOhMSukL82s9rZ3q1bQXKgWMVt3u-N_3_L7jX2U5iAkau3sAIg=w266-h400" width="266" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAdSZUBLGQI2pVjoOou5au4MJ7OWATyOIe4ge9Q08Yow6WHBurfC_R2m5AZiEFmuE5IQTo6oeAJcbXPSMThKoHE9oihhiBfzZ3ZBXdzVn_tbhK62e60gzhIWF_deiQOOcno-qOSXMN0us1xmw5eKtB4_Gt3M8zVS-KXJENy1wC-xRDRs5jbi0w60C3_Q=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAdSZUBLGQI2pVjoOou5au4MJ7OWATyOIe4ge9Q08Yow6WHBurfC_R2m5AZiEFmuE5IQTo6oeAJcbXPSMThKoHE9oihhiBfzZ3ZBXdzVn_tbhK62e60gzhIWF_deiQOOcno-qOSXMN0us1xmw5eKtB4_Gt3M8zVS-KXJENy1wC-xRDRs5jbi0w60C3_Q=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">first place cookie!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The good news about the race is that it didn't take that much out of me because I had a long run on Sunday. I got out the door by 9 and the temp was already in the mid 30s and sunny. It felt amazing and I took off at a decent pace of 7:39, followed by 7:23 and 7:21. At that point my average pace was under 7:30 and I kept it that way for the rest of the run. I started wearing a bit on miles 8, 9, and 10 running 7:36, 7:32, 7:36 but bucked down for the last 3 miles and ran 7:21, 7:23, 7:15 even though they were mostly into a strong wind. Finished up with a half marathon at 7:27 average pace to cap off a 60+ mile week.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Wound up being a fairly tough weekend of work and I took at 2 hour nap after my run. Overall, I'm no worse for the wear and feel mostly recovered (or at least no more fatigued than usual considering all the mileage I've put in since I started my streak).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Speaking of streaks, today was day number 70. I ran 5.5 miles on the treadmill at 8:45 pace. I could have kept going but I really think I need to take some downtime and at least recover some. It's really hard for me to process running a 20:50 5K but then running a 1:37 half marathon the next day. I need to start doing some real intensity work... not sure how or when but it needs to be soon!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>EZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289386058752646443.post-73697306029244922772022-03-11T09:54:00.001-06:002022-03-11T09:54:50.299-06:00Day 67<p>Over 2/3rds to 100 straight days!</p><p>Ran 6.25 on the treadmill today as a "taper". 3 miles at 7:30 pace and average 7:53 for the entirety. 7:30 on the treadmill is feeling pretty easy these days.<br /></p><p>Today's run put me over 500 miles for the year (504.08 to be exact), which puts me on pace for 2600 miles this year. Based on 2020 and 2021 numbers 2500 is probably a reasonable total at this point assuming I don't get injured.</p><p>First race of the year tomorrow. 5K on the ice/snow at 10 degrees and 12 mph wind. Should be some kind of fun!</p>EZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289386058752646443.post-56527043940351691082022-03-10T15:52:00.001-06:002022-03-10T15:52:06.561-06:00Keeping things in perspective<p> Just scrolled through some posts in December when I was coming back from my hip injury. I was wondering how I was going to get back to 50 mile weeks when I couldn't run more than 4 or 5 miles. I was at least slightly worried at that time that I might have something at least a little serious going on that would take months to fully heal. Luckily I fully recovered and don't have any remanence of whatever was going on in my left hip at this point. </p><p>Well, it only took me about a month to get back to 50 mile weeks... Last week of December 16.25 miles, first week of January 35.5 miles, 2nd week of January 48.12 miles, and then 50+ ever since. I can sit and worry about all the fitness I lost but the numbers tell a different story. It took me a year to first build to 50 mile weeks at a couple years to build from 3 to 4 to 5 to 6 to now 7 days of running a week. I'm operating with a different body now so I should reasonably expect that I can build fitness fast. </p><p>Today I did 7.6 miles easy on the treadmill... well, not that easy. I ran at a 8:45 pace but for the first 5 miles I varied the vert between 3% and 5%. The 5% wasn't even that tough though. At the 5 mile point I hit 1000 feet climbed so dropped the angle to 1% and then it was super easy. By the end I was feeling great and would have kept going if I hadn't run out of time. </p><p>Also, found out today that we have a 8th runner for our relay now so hopefully I won't have to cover extra. I'll still increase my long run just in case (needed to do that anyway), but now I should be able to run faster with less overall impact to my training.</p>EZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289386058752646443.post-10281471115616846412022-03-09T11:13:00.001-06:002022-03-09T11:13:06.555-06:007+ PLUS OUTDOORS<p> Back outside today. It's getting light out by about 6 am right now which means that after this weekend it will be getting light out at 7 am (fucking daylight saving time!) Racing on Saturday. Forecast shows 10 degrees at race time. That sounds awful but I'll treat it like an experience. Will make sure I get good and warmed up before hand! No planning on doing much tapering... will just show up and see how it goes. </p><p>Bigger target is the upcoming River 2 River Relay. It's 8 runners covering 80 miles over 3 legs each (about 10 miles total per runner). Right now our team is down a runner so I volunteered to cover, meaning I'll run 6 legs, totaling 20 miles. Should be okay but it means I really need to get my long run back up. </p><p>I got 14 on Sunday so I'm thinking 16, 12, 16, 18 on the next 4 Sundays.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>EZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289386058752646443.post-79654762247885162172022-03-08T13:01:00.002-06:002022-03-08T13:01:52.250-06:0010 more miles<p> Happy to get 10 more miles in on the treadmill at 7:37 pace. I'm feeling fitter and fitter everyday (well, I mean that's how it's supposed to work... right?!?). Not really even a niggle to speak of (knock on wood). </p><p>Will try to get back outside tomorrow even though it's gotten cold again. I really thought this cold shit was over :(... now it's showing a high of 24 for my 5K on Saturday... after that it's supposed to get warm again so hopefully this time it sticks!</p>EZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289386058752646443.post-67789872925309133452022-03-07T13:24:00.001-06:002022-03-07T13:24:14.791-06:0063 days and counting... (9 weeks)Running streak is now at 63 and I ended last week with my longest run of the year (14.30 miles @ 7:57 pace). <div><br /></div><div>I thought I needed 14.25 to get to 50 for the week so I pushed the distance long run a bit more than I might have otherwise. I started out feeling a little rough but 8 miles in everything clicked and I started feeling a whole lot better. I was averaging about 8:05 for the first 8 miles but then dropped to ~8:00 for miles 9, 10, & 11. Then finished with 7:39, 7:29, 7:42 without much additional effort. </div><div> </div><div>When I added up all my miles today I found that I had run 55 last week! I used to count my week starting on Sunday and ending on Saturday. I switched that up going into 2022 to better align with the apps I use to track mileage. When I made the switch I was worried about having my long run at the end of the week because I didn't want to push my long run farther than I felt comfortable for the day just to meet an arbitrary mileage number... and then I wind up doing it! </div><div><br /></div><div>In this case it worked okay. I needed to start getting those long runs back in anyway and forcing myself to get some more road miles in seemed to result in a breakthrough. </div><div><br /></div><div>The extra miles didn't seems to result in any added fatigue as I ran 7.25 miles today on the treadmill (at a easy 8:29 pace). I ran the first 4 at a 2.5% incline so got 700+ feet of elevation in for the run to boot. If anything I feel even more fit... I don't think that I should gain fitness the day after a long run but I sure feel like it. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm really settled into running everyday and I think it's going to pay dividends. It's like running 9-10 extra runs over the streak. Of course the intensity has been relatively low so we'll see how things go as I start picking it up. In that respect, my legs have felt a little flat and I think maybe a day off could help with that. For now the goal is 100 days.</div>EZEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17578211783759610661noreply@blogger.com0