Running in Tampa

Weekly Summary 11/8/2009

2009-11-09T12:25:00.000-05:00

Weekly total: 64.6
Monday: 8.6
Tuesday: 10.59
Wednesday: 8.03
Thursday: 8.32
Friday: 8.5
Saturday: 9.02, 5.39
Sunday: 6.1
Average pace: 7:52

I fell a little short of the 70 miles that I wanted to run but overall it was a productive week. I managed to get a couple of solid medium runs in but only one of 10+ miles. My legs were feeling pretty stiff and tired this week but part of the reason for that was breaking in new shoes. The inserts were making the shoes stiff and that was causing some strain on my calves. After putting the original inserts back in the shoes were much better but it took a few runs to work the stiffness out.

My plan for this week is to shoot for 70 again and if I feel good maybe stretch it to 80 but really anything 65+ will be a good week. I don’t want to push myself into an injury.

4 weeks until WPB
9 weeks until Disney

Weekly Summary 11/1/2009

2009-11-02T07:53:00.001-05:00

Weekly total: 82.7
Monday: 5.48, 5.49
Tuesday: 8.73
Wednesday: 5.63, 8.52
Thursday: 10.74
Friday: 8.69
Saturday: 10.08, 8.25
Sunday: 5.77, 5.34
Average pace: 8:09

It took 11 runs but I managed to set a new weekly high with 82.7 miles. My previous weekly high (81) took me just 9 runs and at a faster pace (7:49). I’m a little tired but overall I held up pretty good.

I have 4 more weeks until I need to taper so I want to see if I can keep the mileage around 70. I don’t see a problem with using doubles to get to this high mileage. The point is to run when feeling fatigue and I did plenty of that this week so a 6 and 8 mile run in the same day is just as good as a single run of 12-13. I just need to run a little faster on that second run.

My plan this week, outside of getting 70 miles, is to pick up the pace a little. Last week I only had 3 runs under an 8:00 pace and 3 over an 8:15 pace. If I can get 70 miles at an 8:00 pace I will be pretty happy with the week.

5 weeks until WPB
10 weeks until Disney

Weekly Summary 10/25/2009

2009-10-26T07:13:00.000-04:00

Weekly total: 56.0
Monday 7.07
Tuesday 8.77
Thursday 5.34, 10.12
Friday 6.37
Saturday 10.2
Sunday 8.18
Average pace: 8:11

A fairly uneventful training week. I felt a little sluggish during most of the runs but no aches or pains that I can’t deal with. I was able to get in 2 morning runs outside. The weather seems to be cooperating so hopefully I can get some more outside training in. It’ll be nice when the time changes next week.

I registered for Boston yesterday so I’m all set. I have a hotel, plane ride and now a race to run in. It’s a long time until April but I’m already excited. Right now I just need to focus on training hard so I can get my 2011 BQ out of the way.

My goal this week is to run every day and get over 70 miles.

6 weeks until WPB
11 weeks until Disney (I should track this instead since this is really my A race)

Weekly Summary 10/18/2009

2009-10-19T07:35:00.002-04:00

Weekly total: 32.9
Tuesday: 1.06
Wednesday: 7.33
Thursday: 8.2
Saturday: 10.23
Sunday: 6.05
Average pace: 8:30

The upside to running a shitty marathon is that you can have some pretty productive training the following week.

I didn’t plan on running much last week but knees or hamstrings weren’t bothering me much by Wednesday so I decided to start running again and see what I could handle. I did take the pace a little slow but overall I felt pretty good.

Summer is finally over so there will be a lot more opportunities to run outside now. On Saturday’s run the temps were in the low 60’s with very low humidity.

My plan this week is to start building up the mileage again. I’d like to get a couple of short runs in the morning with my longer runs after work. A couple of doubles will allow me to get back up around 70 miles which is where I would like to be for the next few weeks. Palm Beach is in 7 weeks and even though that isn’t an A race I don’t have a lot of training time between that a Disney.

7 weeks until West Palm Beach

Hartford Marathon

2009-10-13T10:59:00.003-04:00

Time: 3:51:48
Overall: 672 out of 2287
Age Group: 78 out of 210

Running a lot more marathons has forced me to change my mindset of what I consider a successful race. I have finally accepted that fact that I’m not going to set a PR in every marathon and by not setting a PR I shouldn’t be disappointed in the results.

Going into Saturdays Hartford Marathon I knew that the temperature was going to be too high for me to run a 3:30. As the race started I had 2 choices. The first was to run conservatively and settle for a time no better than a 3:40. The second option was to run at a 3:30 pace as long as I could and maybe be able to keep that up for the entire race.

Being a stubborn person I decided to go for it. As you can see from my time that choice didn’t work out too well.

The temperature at race start was overcast 60 and humid. My first few miles went well but by mile 5 I knew that I wasn’t going to keep that pace for the whole race. I was running with the pace group so I decided to just stick it out as long as I could. By 9.5 miles I was struggling to keep the pace and decided to pull back a little. I still kept the pace group in sight for the next few miles and even managed to pass the half way point under a 3:30 pace (pace group must have been running too fast).

Somewhere around 14 or 15 I started to really slow down the pace in an attempt to avoid a total crash and burn. My goal now was to just run the rest of the way. The hills seemed nonstop after the 20 mile mark or right about the time that I had nothing left. I still managed to keep running (at a very slow pace) until mile 23 when I started walking up the hills.

The crowds picked up near the park (and finish line) and I managed something closer to running at the end.

Even though I consider 3:51 a bad time, I’m not disappointed in my effort. I took a chance and it didn’t work out. If I ran slower early on then I may have finished in 3:40 but who knows.

Every race is different. Hartford had a lot more hills than most and you never know what the weather will be when you register. Speaking or weather I have the worst luck. Not only do I usually run in unseasonably warm temps but a day or two after the race is usually perfect running weather. Saturday was an unseasonably warm 60 at 8am, this is bad luck. Sunday morning it was 32, this is something way beyond bad luck. I don't expect ideal weather in WPB so I'll have to hope for cooler temps (i.e 40's) at Disney.

Hartford weather

2009-10-08T20:56:00.001-04:00

I have very little luck when it comes to running marathons in ideal weather. My race performance goes downhill fast when the temps are above the mid 50’s. My ideal race temps are in the 40’s. I’ve known this for a while which is why I look for races up north for my PR attempts.

As of last week it looked like Hartford might come through. The forecast was for 40’s Saturday morning. Forecast below. The 43 low is on Saturday night not morning. At start time the temps should be in the high 50’s to low 60’s with a 70% chance of rain. Oh well, I guess there will be no PR this weekend.

In Chicago, which I raced last year, the forecast is for clear and low 40’s as race start. Last year the race temps were mid 70’s to mid 80’s and humid.

This will be my first attempt at a 2011 BQ. I’m already in for 2010 so there isn’t a lot of pressure to qualify in Hartford yet but I would rather get it over with and not have worry about it for a while.

weekly summary 9/27/2009

2009-09-28T07:38:00.001-04:00

Total Miles 27.6
Tuesday 8.23
Wednesday 5.77
Saturday 9.3
Sunday 4.33
Average pace 7:46

I didn’t get in nearly as many miles as I had hoped to but I wanted to give myself an opportunity to have a good race on Saturday.

I had a really good run on Tuesday but my knees were a little sore on Wednesday so I held back on the mileage. Thursday they were still sore so I decided to take the day off. Sore probably isn’t the best description weak might be a better term. They felt good for Saturday’s race but by Sunday I had little energy so I decided to settle for an easy run.

I’m in Vegas this weekend so I would like to get a run in Monday – Friday. I don’t want to run anything longer than 1 hour and I should keep the pace on the slower side. My goal at this point is to just maintain my fitness and not hurt myself. Outside of a Monday or Tuesday run I plan to take next week off so this will be my last week of training.

I’ve already forgot about Saturdays race (trying to convince myself anyway) so I’m really excited about running a marathon again. It’s still a little too far out to predict what the weather will be like but Hartford has already had lows in the high 30’s. Right now the forecast for Wed 10/7 is partly cloudy 48-65.

2 weeks until Hartford

Miracle Miles 15k

2009-09-28T07:18:00.001-04:00

Time: 1:11:09
Overall: 91 out of 1260
AG: 13 out of 90

I entered Saturday’s race with a few objectives. First was just a desire to race since I haven’t since San Diego at the end of May. Second, because it would be a good tune-up for my marathon in two weeks and third because I don’t get too many chances to run a 15k and I thought I had a good chance of setting a PR.

Well the temperature was a typical late September 80s and humid so that pretty much ended any chance at a PR. Prior to the race I did think that I could hold a 7:15-20 pace. The first 2-3 mile I was doing pretty good, pace wise. The heat was starting to get to me so I backed off a little and then a little more until I was pushing it to just hold a marathon pace (8:00). Overall this race was a real struggle. Not something that you want 2 weeks before a marathon. I know that I have a tough time in the heat but this was only a 15k.

I’ve decided that the best thing to do it to forget about this race because all it’s going to do is make me question how prepared I am for Hartford. I need to run with the 3:30 pace group and have the confidence that I can stay with them.

Forgetting about my poor performance and the heat, I really enjoyed the run. The race is organized and the course if scenic. I need to get this on my list of regular races as long as I can keep poor performances from affecting my next race.

Race Info

Race Results

weekly summary 9/20/2009

2009-09-21T08:01:00.000-04:00

Total miles 41
Tuesday 13.57
Thursday 11.23
Saturday 8.6
Sunday 7.58
Average pace 7:59

After the week started I changed my plan of trying to get in another 60 mile week. Tuesday’s and Thursday’s long runs took so much out of me that I needed to take the following day off. I felt pretty good on Saturdays run and I was able to keep a sub 7 minute pace for the run. Actually since the first mile was a warm-up the pace for the remainder was closer to 6:50. But by Sunday I had nothing left. If it wasn’t for me wanting to get to 40 miles for the week I probably would have stopped the run at 4 miles.

I feel comfortable with the training that I’ve put in the last 2 months. If the weather cooperates I think a have a real shot at a PR in Hartford. I’m running in a 15k on Saturday so I don’t want to push it too much this week. I’m looking at hour runs at 7-7:30 pace for Tuesday and Wednesday and a recovery run on Thursday. Hopefully an easy day and a day off will be enough for me to have a good race on Saturday.

3 weeks until Hartford

weekly summary 9/13/2009

2009-09-14T07:22:00.001-04:00

Total miles 51.2
Monday 4.16
Tuesday 9.04
Wednesday 7.35
Thursday 8.1
Saturday 7.49, 8.1
Sunday 8.78
Average pace 7:57

After 3 hard weeks I finally gave in to my body’s request for an easier week. I knew on Mondays run that I needed a break. I decided then to keep my runs and give my body a chance to recover. By running a less I was able to pick up my pace. It really felt good to get in some sub 7:20 miles again.

Based on my runs this weekend, I feel pretty good and I’m ready for 1 more hard week before taper time. My heel still feels pretty good but my knees are a little sore. I probably need to go back to icing them down after a hard or long run. Overall I feel pretty good and definitely have some energy back.

I decided to run the Orlando 15k on 9/26. I sent in the registration so I’ve committed myself now. It will be nice to get a race in again and this will force me to not to get in another hard week with only 3 weeks left before Hartford.

My plan this week is to push myself and try to get in at least 3 long runs. I would also like to keep the pace under 8 for the week.

Hartford is still more than 4 weeks away but I’m starting to get excited about it now. It’s been a long time since my last race.

4 weeks until Hartford

Weekly summary 9/6/2009

2009-09-07T16:53:00.001-04:00

Weekly total 61.9
Monday 5.55
Tuesday 10.4
Wednesday 5.57
Thursday 11.23
Friday 8.6
Saturday 11.8
Sunday 8.8
Average pace 7:59

Another week another 60 miles. For the 3rd week in a row I surpassed 60 miles. I ran all 7 days this week making it a little easier but it still took 3 long runs. I pick up my pace a little this week and felt strong throughout the week even during Sundays run. I’ve already completed my Monday (next week) run and I really feeling it today.

My goal this week is more of the same; 60+ miles and 3+ long runs. By the end of the week I’ll decide if I’m going to run the 15k in Orlando.

5 weeks until Hartford

Weekly summary 8/30/2009

2009-08-31T07:46:00.001-04:00

Weekly total: 60.4
Tuesday 11.37
Wednesday 11.34
Thursday 10.19
Friday 4.66
Saturday 10.21
Sunday 12.62
Average pace: 8:23

What a though week. On only 6 days I still managed to top 60 miles but it took 5 10+ mile days to do it. After Thursdays run I was feeling a dull pain in my left hip. It was really hurting during my Friday run forcing me to stop running half way through. I iced it down and took it easy the rest of the night which seemed to do the trick because it didn’t bother me the rest of the weekend. I really need to be cautious these next couple of weeks. If something doesn’t feel right then I need to cut that training run short.

Over all I been running pain free. I’m a little stiff in the morning but the heel feels fine and it’s been a long time since I’ve had any soreness in my knee. It’s even been a couple of months since I iced my knee down. I’m still convinced that this is from running at a slower pace. I’m not sure if I want to test this theory by picking up the pace too much though.

I’ve come to the conclusion that being in a high mileage phase will either boost your confidence or tear you down. I felt the boost side when I was training for Boston. I was running 60 mile weeks and even topped 80 all while running a strong pace. Right now it’s an effort to get past 7 miles and I usually need to do it at a much slower pace. After running I have little energy left. I know when I start to taper I’ll feel better but right now I don’t have a lot of confidence that I can run sub 3:30 marathon.

I know that part of the reason that I’m lacking energy is because I’ve lost weight and I’m trying to lose a little more. I’m not starving myself but I was definitely eating more when training for Boston. Right now I’m a good 10 pounds lighter than when I ran in Boston. I’ve been holding steady at 162 on mornings when I ran the previous day. I guess I’ll find out soon enough if less weight helps.

At this point I’m still not sure if I will run the 15k on 9/26. Right now I’m leaning toward no but that could change as it gets closer. If I run it then I have 2 more weeks before I need to start to taper if I don’t run then I have 3 more weeks.

My goal this week is to get in the 55-65 range. My schedule is a little crazy because bowling has started, I need to pick Ron up at work on Tuesday, and there is a channel district meeting on Wednesday. I want to get in 3-4 long runs plus whatever else I can fit in.

6 weeks until Hartford

Weekly summary 8/23/2009

2009-08-24T14:37:00.001-04:00

Total: 65.9
Monday: 6.0
Tuesday: 10.7
Wednesday: 8.13
Thursday: 10.65
Friday: 5.68
Saturday: 16.28
Sunday: 8.5
Average pace: 8.12

This was my most productive week since March (pre Boston anyway). I never really felt like I was pressing it even on Saturday or Sunday. I could have made it to 20 on Saturday but I wasn’t sure that I would have benefited much from another 4 miles and I also wanted to run the next day. I spent a good 45 minutes running with fatigue on Saturday and most of my Sunday run was with some fatigue. But overall I felt surprisingly good and had very little stiffness the following morning.

My plan this week is to run another 65 miles. I will have to do it on 6 days though (can’t run on Monday). This will force me to get in at least 4 long runs. I probably have 3 more high mile weeks before I need to taper. If I decide not to run the 15k in Orlando, I might be able to get in another big week before taper time.

As long as the weather holds up I feel really confident that I can PR in Hartford.

7 weeks until Hartford

Weekly summary 8/16/2009

2009-08-17T08:11:00.001-04:00

Weekly total: 53.3
Monday: 5.33
Tuesday: 10.8
Wednesday: 7.88
Thursday: 13.35
Saturday: 5.7
Sunday: 10.22
Average pace: 8:13

With all of the house(s) maintenance interruptions, I never found an opportunity to get in the extra long run that I wanted to. I did manage a 13+ which was my post San Diego longest run.

My knee was a little sore after Thursdays run so I did a ½ hour on the stationary bike on Friday instead of running. My heel is holding up fine except for days after faster paced runs. I really need to focus on an easier pace if my goal is to get the mileage up.

With half the month down I’m on pace for 220 miles this month which would be my highest since March. If I can get in a couple of 60 mile weeks I would push that total closer to 240.

My goal this week is miles and more miles. I have 8 weeks until Hartford and these next few weeks are when I need to be peaking my mileage. I would like to get in at least 3 long runs with one being 15+. I would also like to keep the pace over 8. The last thing I want is to be having heel issues again.

8 weeks until Hartford

Surviving burnout

2009-08-12T10:19:00.003-04:00

After hurting myself on a fall during a morning run, hurting my back on the first day of moving and the long drawn out process of moving itself I had very little time for running and had actually reached the point where I dreaded the thought of getting in a run. On top of that when I did run it was a major effort to just get 5 miles in.

I really think that if I hadn’t already registered for Hartford (and paid for plane ticket and hotel) I may have continued to run less and less until I stopped all together. Over the last 3 weeks I have really forced myself to get in the miles and after a good 11 mile run last night I feel that I’m back.

When I got back into running, 4+ years ago, I knew that the only way I would stay with it was to always have the next race scheduled. This was probably the biggest reason why I stopped in 2000, because I had nothing planned and a few days off turned into weeks and months.

I think it’s important to understand your motivation to run. There are some people who just love to run but for the rest of us there needs to be something else. For me it is without a doubt racing. Not that I don’t enjoy running but not enough to spend 6+ hours a week doing it.

I need to get my registration forms sent in for Palm Beach and Disney or before I know it, Hartford will be over and I won’t have a next race.

Weekly summary 8/9/2009

2009-08-10T07:06:00.000-04:00

Weekly total 55.5
Monday 7.22
Tuesday 11.31
Thursday 10.28
Friday 7.32
Saturday 6.31, 5.84
Sunday 7.18
Average pace 8.14

A combination of moving and hurting myself several times has really put a crimp in my training over the last 2 months. This was my first solid training week since the end of May. Besides being a little worn out at the end of the week I felt pretty good. My heel which was giving me a lot of trouble hasn’t bothered me much at all so maybe taking it easy was a good thing.

I have also lost a much needed 10 lbs. I suspect that more of it was muscle than fat since I’ve backed off on the lifting but I’ve also changed my eating routine a little (1 bagel instead of 2 and a little less at dinner time). My weight right now is in the 161-164 range and after runs I’m getting down around 158. At this point I’m not trying to lose any more weight but I still lost 1-2 lbs last week. I suspect that I’ll settle into the 155-160 range. At any rate it’s amazing how ripped I am now. I wished I would have known the secret 15-20 years ago.

As of last Saturday I have 9 weeks until Hartford. I would like to keep my miles in the 50-60 range but I need to get a long one in every week. This Saturday or Sunday might be a good time for a 20 miler. I also need to fight the desire to run faster. I think this might have been the reason for my heel problems before. My plan is to keep most of my runs in the 8-8:30 range with 1 run a week around 7:30-7:40.

9 weeks until Hartford

Rock n Roll Marathon

2009-06-02T19:49:00.002-04:00

Time 3:46:35
Overall 1568 out of 13328
AG 128/677

The good race/bad race trend continues.

The temps were in the low 60’s with a light mist early on. The sun never came out and I don’t think it ever got higher than 65. The humidity was pretty high and that’s probably what affected me the most.

My plan for the race was to just run at a pace that felt good. Most of the first 7 miles were down hill and that led to a fast first half (1:41:58) but it wasn’t that much faster than at Boston. I took it slow for the 3 miles up 163 but they were all under 8:30 pace. I felt pretty good when I got to Friars Rd but pulled back a little because I had started so fast.

By mile 15 I was starting to wear down so I slowed the pace but was still running sub 9:00. By mile 18 the small but constant hills started. I decided the best strategy was to walk up the hills to conserve energy and try to run everything else (at a slow pace). This strategy worked for a while but by mile 22 I had little left. From 22-24 I was walking 1 minute and running 2. When I made it to mile 24 I managed to run the rest of the way.

Outside of avoiding any race with temps over 50 I’m not sure what else I can do. Maybe slowing down early on would have helped a little but my time might have still been about the same anyway with the only difference being that I didn’t have to walk.
Hopefully October in Connecticut will be cooler.

Overall the race was very good. Very organized, well staffed and plenty of water stops. I’m not sure if I would run it again but would recommend it.

Results
Race site

New Shoes - New Balance 850

2009-05-26T09:34:00.002-04:00

It’s new shoe time again (already?). My knees were starting to bother me and the tread on my shoes was getting pretty worn down. The Brooks that I had been running in were decent shoes but at $130 they weren’t any better than the $90-100 shoes I had been getting.

After looking at different shoes at Fit2Run (I had 20 minutes to kill since the staff had better things to do than to help customers) I decided to get New Balance 850. The club price was $103. They felt great in the store and were very comfortable on my run yesterday.

I was a little concerned about getting new shoes the same week of a marathon but these look like they will do just fine.

Weekly summary 5/24/2009

2009-05-25T13:02:00.000-04:00

Weekly total 52.0
Monday 5.51
Tuesday 7.37
Wednesday 7.33
Thursday 7.67
Friday 7.46
Saturday 8.27
Sunday 8.36
Average pace 8:07

I pretty much kept to my plan this week. I wanted to get in at least 1 long run but I didn’t want to push it too much so I limited each run to an hour. I still felt run down most of the week but I should have plenty of opportunity to rest up this week.

For this week I want to get in two 1 hour runs on Monday and Tuesday and then take the rest of the week off (until Sunday of course).

1 week until San Diego

Weekly summary 5/17/2009

2009-05-18T09:23:00.000-04:00

Weekly total 49.9
Monday 7.6
Tuesday 4.19
Wednesday 10.34
Thursday 7.22
Saturday 12.23
Sunday 8.35
Average pace 7:57

I decided not to race this weekend and instead try and build up a little mileage before I start tapering later this week. I’ve really been stuck in a rut the last few weeks. Find it really hard to get myself going. I’ve been able to get some long runs in but it has been a struggle. Every pace seems to be too much effort to maintain. I’m only guessing here but this might be the result of over training. My weekly miles haven’t been that high but I haven’t given myself much of a chance to rest either.

My plan this week is to limit myself to one long run (tues or wed) but try and get a run in everyday and into the 50-55 mile range. If I’m still struggling like last week then I’ll take a day off. I want to have one last week of higher mileage because I plan to take most of next week off. Four days off before the marathon should give my body a chance to rest and heal a little.

2 weeks until San Diego

Weekly summary 5/10/2009

2009-05-11T07:35:00.001-04:00

Weekly total 40.5
Tuesday 10.3
Wednesday 8.67
Thursday 4.15
Saturday 3.12, 3.13
Sunday 11.19
Average pace 7:37

The miles were down a little this week because I was busy on Monday and I took Friday off (prior to race day). Tues and Wed were pretty good training days. It took a little while to loosen up (especially Tues) but I was mostly pain free. On Thurs I felt really tired from Wednesdays medium run so I decided to just settle for a few easy miles. Sundays run was my first long run outside in almost 4 weeks. I was tired and never really got going. I was content to run an easy pace and only managed to get 2 miles under a 8:00 pace.

Since I have another 5k this week my training plan is pretty much the same except my only day off will be Friday. Since my next marathon is quickly closing in I would like to at least get 50 miles in this week with 2 long runs (Tuesday 10+, Sunday 15 miles).

3 weeks until San Diego

Miles for Moffitt

2009-05-11T07:19:00.002-04:00

Time 20:19
Splits 6:13, 6:39, 6:47
Overall 34 out of 1359
Age group 3rd place

Another disappointing 5k although this time it wasn’t unexpected. I felt a little run down for the last 2 weeks. I was hoping that an easy run and a day off would give me fresh legs for the race but my legs didn’t feel any fresher than they did in the beginning of the week.

Race morning was pretty warm and humid. I did an easy jog for a few minutes to try and loosen up but my primary goal was to keep hydrated and stay in the shade. I started out pretty good but I knew right away it was going to be a struggle to keep that pace. I was running with a small group of people and decided to run at the same pace for mile 2. I was hoping to at least keep under 6:30 but ended up going a little slower. Somewhere around 1.5 miles we starting catching up with the 5 mile participants who started 30 minutes earlier. With a mile left to go I tried to motivate myself to pick up the pace a little but it was really difficult with the larger groups of 5 milers walking around me and the heat. I managed a sprint over the last 0.1 but that wasn’t enough to salvage a decent time.

I plan on running the USSS 5k next Saturday. I expect that race to be a little better. Starting at 7:30 (instead of 8) and being by the water should make it a little cooler. And I won’t have to worry about running though all of those walkers. Based on past races there are quite a few runners that finish in the 19:30-20:00 range. This will definitely help with the motivation.

Results

Weekly summary 5/3/2009

2009-05-06T09:45:00.000-04:00

Weekly total 48.6
Monday 8.21
Tuesday 7.58
Wednesday 8.22
Thursday 6.38
Saturday 3.1
Sunday 15.14
Average pace 7:49

This week was kind of a crazy week. I wasn’t sure if Ken was going to run on Saturday until midweek. If he didn’t run then I would race (otherwise an easy run with Ken). Knowing that he was going to run meant that I could put in a lot of miles but by Thursday my allergies/cold was really coming on strong. I had the full blown sneezing fits, achy body and dry eyes. I had little energy on Thursday and could barely get though work let alone run on Friday. On Saturday, I felt a little better but was glad that I only had an easy run (instead of a race) to worry about. Sunday I just decided to push myself and see how far I could go. I still felt sluggish but managed a good 15 mile run.

My goal this week is to try and get some longer runs early in the week and then make sure I rested for Saturdays race (a real race this time). Saturday afternoon and Sunday I’ll try and get some long runs in an hopefully get my mileage back into the mid to high 50’s

4 weeks until San Diego

May Classic 5k

2009-05-03T13:22:00.000-04:00

Time 28:04 (27:40 chip)
Overall: 397 out of 828

Officially I ran (not raced) this 5k. This was the race that Kathy was supposed to run with me but when she backed out a few weeks ago, Ken decided to run it instead. My goal was to keep Ken running the entire time. He did a great job and ran the entire 5k. He was really struggling the last mile but had enough left to sprint the last 100-150 feet. I think he had a good time (after he caught his breath). Ken is probably my last chance to get someone in this family interested in running.

It was a very different experience to jog a race. No regrets though because I really enjoyed sharing the experience with Ken. I’ll get to race a 5k each of the next 2 weekends. The second is downtown which I’m hoping to talk Ken into running (solo this time).

results

Weekly summary 4/26/2009

2009-04-28T07:38:00.000-04:00

Weekly total 46.4
Monday 26.2
Thursday 4.15
Saturday 7.73
Sunday 8.3
Average pace 8:00

I felt pretty sore for a few days after Monday’s marathon. I decided to take a few days off instead of trying to get back into training mode too fast. By the weekend runs I felt pretty good (well good for having run a marathon a few days before). My legs felt tired and my heel was a little sore but once I got a mile into the run I felt ok.

My plan this week is to get the miles back into the 50-60 range and keep the pace at sub 7:45. I’m running a 5k on Saturday with Ken so I’m not preparing for it like I would a race. I have 2 racing 5k’s in the next few weeks before running my next marathon at the end of May. I’ll need to balance the speed work and miles while trying to keep fresh legs for the races.

5 weeks until San Diego