CATCH UP TUESDAY

October 1st... start of a new month. Set a new monthly mileage record last month with 114 miles.  2 of the 4 weeks over 30 miles.  Legs are feeling continually better.

Here are some runs since my last post:

Thursday:

5 .04 miles

37:29

7:26 pace

Nothing remarkable, just a good medium hard run to end the week.  

Sunday:

10 miles (ish)

1:22:06

8:13 pace

Another double digit effort (I think).  My GPS got so out of whack somewhere in the middle of the run that it clocked me at a 4:30 mile.  I just ran by feel and tried to get in what I thought would be 10 miles.  

Tuesday:

5.08 miles

40:40

8:00 pace

Fastest mile 7:44, slowest mile 8:10... After taking Monday off and being relatively rested this pace felt easy.  Made an effort to slow down the 3rd and 4th mile.  Pushed a bit on the last mile and sprinted at the end to bring the average pace from 8:01 to 8:00.

Easy 4 on Thursday

Easy 4 today.

Distance: 4.12
Time: 34:09
Pace:  8:17

Legs felt fairly good after yesterday's hard 10K.

8:35, 8:22, 8:20, and 7:58 splits.

Pushed a bit at the end but it was downhill.

Not really recovery pace like I maybe should have but I felt good and didn't strain.  Will have to reassess tomorrow.

Wednesday Workout - new 10K Achievement

Last night included a giant loaded bacon cheese burger from 5-Guys, Cajun fries, and a crappy night sleep.

I exited the house at ~6am.  The sun wasn't up yet and it was mildly raining... just a sprinkling but enough to be a nuisance.

Starting the run, I didn't feel great overall but my legs felt okay so I decided I'd hit a workout level run.  My initial thoughts were a 7 miler at a sub 8 minute pace.  I hit the first mile at 7:54 pace and felt ok.  Now that I was warmed up I picked up the pace a bit to tackle the hills and completed the 2nd mile at 7:18 pace...  At this point, I would have kept going straight for another mile if I was doing my typical 7 mile loop but the rain was dampening my spirit (and shoes) so instead I turned left and headed down the road for my typical 4&5 mile loop.  At the turn off for my 4 mile loop I turned again and headed back towards town figuring I'd get in the rest of my mileage in town so I'd have more flexibility to cut the run short if the rain got to be too much...  Also at this point I was thinking Tempo run.  I completed the 3rd mile in 6:57.  Then pushed on through the 4th mile at 7:00 pace.  After the two 7 minute miles I was starting to hurt a bit more than I'd planned for this run so I eased the pace a bit while deciding I'd continue on for 2.2 more miles and try to set a new 10K PR.  After easing up I hit the 5th mile at 7:13 pace and then backed it down a bit more on the last mile for 7:25 pace which felt pretty good at this point.  However, I was tiring so I kept full focus on maintaining good form and mechanics.  I pushed through for another .25 to hit the full 10K.

Final stats:

6.25 Miles
45:33
7:17 pace

New achievement:

Fastest 10K reduced by 2 minutes and 34 seconds to 45:12.

Nothing special Tuesday

Easy run today:

5.05 miles
41:48
8:16 pace

Splits
1.  8:40
2.  8:26
3.  8:21
4.  8:07
5.  7:53

Temperature of 57 when I left the house definitely helped as I left the house for an easy 5 miler.  The sun was just starting to crest over the horizon as I hit the road.  Running by feel, I really just tried to enjoy the run.  Each mile, the pace steadily crept faster but my HR stayed in the low 140s.  Ended the run a bit faster but the breathing never labored... nothing special today, but I'm really enjoying the feel of my fitness building as I put in the miles.

Aches and pains: Felt a twinge in my right thigh and a tweak in my left Achilles during a short segment at about the midpoint of the run but didn't seem to have lasting effects.  Also, I've noticed a mild bit of achy knee pain/stiffness lately... This is the first time I've ever had any pain related to the knees themselves... probably just part of getting older but hopefully nothing that will be long term.  

Going with the flow - plus a new achievement

The world conspired to limit my mileage last week.  Thunderstorms and a visit from my parents limited last Sunday's run to 4 miles.  Then a last minute trip to Florida limited Friday's run to 2.0 miles...

…2 miles barefoot up and down the beach.  Pensacola beach was fine white sand which made if very difficult to run on.  I did a 10 min mile down the beach and then turned and ran back into the wind at a 12 minute mile.  I finished with large blisters on my big toes and a couple smaller ones on some of my other toes.  The amount of effort it took to run those miles in what was practically quicksand was surprising.  I got just about no rebound off each step so had to use my full muscle force to propel each step.  I am pretty confident that running on the beach once a week would make you incredibly strong and damn near injury immune (assuming you didn't get injured from the initial efforts of running on the beach as the muscles built).

With the blisters I was worried I'd really screwed myself up.  But I popped them Friday night after I got back home from the trip and by Saturday I was walking okay.  And by Sunday I was ready to run.

Finished the week with 19.28 miles (plus some really easy running with Maya).

Then hit the road strong on Sunday for an easy long run.

11.04 miles

1:32:12 

8:21 min/mile

Got on the road early to avoid projected thunderstorms.  Tried to start at an easy pace and landed at 8:23 for the first mile.  Gravitated between 8:20 and 8:35 for the first 8 miles (averaging 8:28 pace).  Then finished with a 8:04, 8:09, 7:53 last 3 miles (8:02 pace).  Felt a bit off the first 5 miles.  My right hip/back/groin were a bit tight... potentially from the beach running/blisters.  I just kept focusing on keeping good form and eventually everything loosened up and I felt better and have been feeling better since.  

New distance and duration achievement!

I am awesome!

Decided to try to break out of my funk with 5K hard.

Went out fast but controlled and steadily picked up the pace over the first mile.  Felt great the first 800 but felt some strain as I finished up the 2nd 1/2.  Mile 1 split 6:54.  

Pushed though the 2nd mile. Was starting to hurt but kept running strong.  Mile 2 split 6:39

Stomach was getting queasy the 3rd mile.  I started to lose my form a bit but pushed through and stayed focused, hitting the Mile 3 split in 6:39.  

Final stats:
3.11 miles
21:07
6:46 pace

Ended with a 1.5 mile cooldown.

Stomach cramps are killing me now as I write this.  Hoping it settles down soon.

I stink

Thunderstorms yesterday crushed my chances for a long run.  I settled for 4 miles on the treadmill at ~8:00 pace instead.  Now I'm in a funk.

Woke up tired this morning and skipped out on my bike workout and just went for a walk instead.  Probably time for a step back week anyway.  My knees have started to bug me a bit the last couple days.  Just a little niggle on the inside of the leg/knee area.

Here's hoping I shake the funk and get back in the groove.