10/10 update

Quick summary of last few days.

Saturday, 10/07
ran 14.5 or so with Jorge and Steve Hernandez, Averaged 7.20s or so. Good run and no issues with ankle.
Last weeks total was 48 or so.

Sunday 10/08
Ran 5 easy at dusk (warning- don't run over the congress bridge during bat takeoff, people are idiots.

Monday 10/09
7.5 easy in morning, 8:00 pace or so. Ran with young gun and patrick.

Tuesday 10/10
7 or so. 4X2000 repeats at Zilker with morning group. Got there at 6...group had started at 5.45. sigh.
6.54, 6.59, 7.05, 6.59. felt controlled for most of the repeats. Fast group ramped up quickly and I dropped back quickly. Ran by myself for 1,2 and 4, with Dustin and Jimmy W. for the third one. I was happy with the times considering my lack of recent training.

Friday 10/06 recap of the week

Well, its been a while since I wrote anything in the blog. Other bits of life have kept me extremely busy and my running has suffered over the last few weeks. Mileage has been waaaaay low and motivation to get out there has been lagging as well.
I am pulling it back together however, and need to keep up with the recording of workouts since this seems to be a good way to build a running log and keep myself accountable.

I am making a few changes, primarily to my running schedule and will be focusing on two quality workouts per week. I'll be running hard on Tuesdays and on the Bomb run on Fridays. Long runs ideally will be on Sundays unless there is a race, in which case the race will take the place of the Tuesday quality run. I will also be running in the mornings due to work/family conflicts for afternoon runs. Mondays will be recovery days with the cannonballers, Wednesday will be crosstraining, thursday will be easy/long, Need to get up to and stay at 70 miles if possible by December. Goal races will be ATT if course looks good. Boston will be #2 race. Will start preparing for the Texas Tri series after Boston as recovery.

I will start with today and work backwards.

Mileage this week: 34 with 15 tomorrow AM will bring it to 49.

Friday, 10/06 - 10 miles
Practice Bomb run. I started with the large group of bomb runners this morning and we were quickly running 6:30's or so. By the 4th mile I could feel it and my GI tract was rebelling against the early hour and unaccustomed pace. One pitstop later and I was left in the dust. I limped in behind the group at 68:30 after another pitstop by the tennis courts. I was happy to finish under 70 minutes in any event. Actually, I was just happy to finish. Lessons: Wake earlier and evacuate system before run begins. Work on nutrition and hydration.

Thursday 10/05 1000's at zilker - 8 miles
I ran with the afternoon group after a long hiatus. We started with a 3000 (11.00) and followed with 1000's (3.28, 3.25, 3.21, 3.21). I knew I was doing the bomb so didn't really push it. I am also attempting to restrain myself from bumping back up to fitness too quickly. My ankle needs time to get used to this stuff again.

Wed off

Tuesday 10/03
7 mile easy run around lake-49.18

Mon off

Sunday IBM 10K 9 miles
37.55 Horrible.

Before sunday- 3-4 days no running due to conference and life. Before that is a hazy hazy memory of being fit and in shape.

Monday 9/25 IBM simulation

Decided to try a simulated IBM route without the drive up north. Started at 6am with DV and ran from B Springs to the rock, DV went right on the trail, I took a left out LAB to enfield, over to Pecos, up to Windsor, back on Expo to the rock, and then back over to the Springs. Felt like a similar type course. Little up, little down with some long boring stretches (Specifically LAB standing in for Great Northern). I was a little uneven in pacing, so decided on an impromptu fartlek session where I would pick a landmark and pick up the pace to it, then slow down for recovery, then speed up again. I figure its good training for surges in race conditions. Didn't check the time. Legs were a little sore from long run.

sunday long run 9/24

Ran long today knowing that the weather was going to cool. Arranged to meet Rosenthal and started off from the house at 8am. Very civilized run. We did click off the majority of the miles between 7-7:30 pace, with a few sub 7s at the end. Most notably a 6:30 up Bouldin St for the last mile. Tried a new route I'd been thinking about. Basically got on Annie at S 1st and ran east till it dead ends over by Riverside and Pleasant Valley rd (lots of dips and little rises up to riverside). Then did the grove loop from there, with a hilly last mile back up to Bouldin. It was good. 15 miles on the button. 7:10 average.

9/21 Autumnal Equinox Tempo run

Did the 4 mile Tempo run yesterday afternoon. Temps were up around 90.
2 mi W/U
4 Mile Tempo around 24.
2 Mi C/D
8 miles total.

Felt comfortably hard for first 2.5 or so, just under or at 6min/mi pace. Then the legs got a little heavy and I lost some focus.
Tried to lean forward, breathe in different pattern, slow up a fraction, speed up a fraction, count my steps, etc and finally pulled it together although the last 1200m was really tough. I didn't run as fast as I expected but will be happy that I was focused on consistancy, not racing.

I really need a race to see where i am.

9/19 and then she said

Why are you running up a hill called Possum trot?
5X1000@3.46 with 2.75mile W/U and 2.75 C/D
total mileage 8 or so.
I was late to the workout today so got to run alone. Practiced steady breaths and high knees.
I practiced running under control up hills today. Wanted to see how that affected my time. By backing off slightly (based effort on breathing pattern and rate) I was able to hit the last hill a little harder and still brought in some respectable times. The only time i was really laboring was on the last one, and up that last hill on Meridan.
I think i'll try to maintain this pace (3:45 or so) for the next time and see if the effort is easier. Then use a race to determine if I should drop my time some. The meridan workout is primarily a strength builder and ball breaker workout for me, not a speed session. Save that for the track.

Monday 9/18

Did 7 on the trail today with Patrick and Liliana.

Legs still beat up after 18 on Saturday. We started at B Springs and Patrick and Liliana were excitable because they are thinking of CIM as their goal race. Because it is closer than ATT, a heightened sense of focus was clear in their pace. Amazing what fear can do! Anyway, we went to north side of trail and splashed through about 4 miles in the dark. Picked it up at the Congress Ave bridge. I really wasn't in the mood for a firing of the cannon, but went ahead and put a few miles of work in. Patrick and Liliana were right on my tail and passed me as I stopped at the 35 bridge for water. I caught up to P coming down the hill on Riverside and we ran together until the Statesman building, when he got a cramp/pulled his calf muscle slightly. We walked for a while, and then with Liliana, jogged it back to the springs to chill the sore legs and revive the spirit. Liliana explored the remains of a crawfish (that had been regurgitated by a heron) with her fingers, and then we all parted ways for a brand new week. Don't you wish you were there?

recap of the week 9/16

Been busy etc so the blog suffered. Here is what i've been up to.

Sunday - Long Run: Ran scenic loop up to Bonnell /steps/side road and back on scenic - total was about 15 miles- didn't time it.

Monday- we did the cannonball run from B springs, 5 mile loop, up congress to Annie, annie to bouldin and then back down to the trail and over to B Springs. It was quite tough running up Congress and It will be interesting to see how that affects the marathon group as time goes on. Total miles were 7 or so i think. Didn't pay too much attention to watch

Tuesday- Wilke repeats
Ran alone from Rtex and met group at base of Wilkes, Did 7 repeats fairly consistently (1:02-1:03), with 3 backwards and 3 sprints. Then ran alone back to Rtex. total miles are about 8 I think with all the ups and downs etc. Felt OK, ankle bothering me

Wednesday- Off

Thursday- 1000's at AHS, this workout didn't go as planned. I was hoping for 8 with a faster finish on the last two. Started out with 3:26 and held it there painfully for 6. Legs felt really dead and I couldn't muster up another 2. C'est la guerre...Bummed but realistic. Not everyday can be a great one. ran back the long way as self punishment. Mileage was about 8.

Friday- off

Saturday - Wanted to get a look at the course for marathon. Started with Paul, Pete , Floyd etc and quickly dropped off the pace. Ended up running for a while with Paul and Dustin and then at Enfield I peeled off on my own. Went to Pecos and started back west, missing the turn on Winston to get back to Expo. So I ended up running all the way to 35th on Pecos (quite hilly!) and caught up with another group, Greg, Scott M, Mike, Roger...so ran with them up Balcones to hancock and then foolishly turned N on Shoal Creek rather than S like they did. Ran up to Allandale, got lost for a while and began to dream of ice water. Finally made my way along Koenig to Lamar and got back on track at North loop. I knew that the course turned S. on Guadalupe after just a little bit on Nloop but I aimed for the new coffee shop further up the street for water. The barrista gave me a glorious cup filled to the brim with ice and water. It was probably the best cup of water i'd had in a while. So I drank that, knowing that GI issues may ensue. I did not care. Walked for about 50 meters to let it settle and then ran up northloop to airport blvd, finally turning S on that little side street parallel to Airport B... Ran down to R River, and then R. River to 38th. I ran along the edge of the golf course there on a little XC trail that parallels 38th st , it was a nice change. At the top of one little hill, next to a bathroom, was a hose bib at drinking level. Awesome! I soaked my head, drank about 2 quarts, and tried to cool the legs a little, muscles were getting fatigued. This is a great little secret watering hole and pitstop. shhhhhh.
At Duval and 38th, I turned S again and staggered down Duval, through campus to Jester for one last water stop and then past Ann Richards as she was being brought into the capital ( I stopped for this and took off my hat, felt rather foolish, but it seemed like the appropriate thing to do) and then down congress right before some parade (perhaps for ann richards? ). Anyway, the run took 2:20, distance was about 18.25 and I'm glad its over. I was dehydrated early on and really seemed affected by the water. A few minutes after drinking some, I'd want more. Real craving. Of course, I hadn't done 18 and wasn't really expecting to this morning, so that may have had something to do with it also. Legs were really tight for the last 3 miles, will need to work on this and get them used to long distances.

Mileage for week was at 56.

Sunday long run - 15 on 9/10

Ran alone this morning, missed yesterday and friday due to school stuff. This is going to be a rough month trying to write and teach and run...I finally got out the door at 9:15 and ran from Rtex through scenic, over bonnell to balcones and back down bonnell through scenic and back on the trail. I was having a hell of a time keeping the pace easy. I think I was anxious about other stuff and I kept peeling off mid to low 7's or so. I finally stopped and walked for a few feet, and had a good talking to with myself about peaking early, and running too hard, etc. Anyway, that helped for about 1/4 mile, then I was all over the place again. Turmoil.
Stats
Total distance 15 miles
Total time 1:47
Average pace 7:08
AHR 163
1 - 7:32
2-7:21
3- 7:40
4- 7:10
5- 6:39
6-7:33
7- 7:22
8-8:20
9-6:40
10-7:26
11- 6:23
12-6:56
13-6:47
14-6:34
15-6:32

fartlek on the trail 9/7

Since the track was being used for a football game last night, we went to the trail and did a fartlek workout. I ran the 10 mile loop with a 2 mile warm up and then 20 X 1 min on / 1 min off followed by a 2 mile cool down. The workout got progressively harder after about 12 repeats of this cycle. I was finished with the last repeat at the rock, so did a cool down back to Rtex.
The best thing? no ankle pain. Felt good but I wished we could have done those 400's. I was looking forward to that. Maybe in a few weeks.

recovery run- yeah right. 9/05

Rudy, Jorge and I decided that a 9.25 mile recovery run was much more pleasurable with the cooler temps this afternoon so we trotted off. The route was a backwards version of the Bolder Boldin route. Here is the link to the route.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=416159
We had a great run and enjoyed the temps. I felt really fresh today-We did the loop in 1.05 which equals about a 7 min mile pace overall. This was a good effort based on the monster hill about 6 miles in (Robert E Lee). Stopped off and got some syrupy gatorade at the track.
A run to boost confidence, for sure.

Fila relays 9/01

Peter, Rudy, Brian and I teamed up to race for the masters title this year at the relays. I ran the last leg with cotton mouth, a side stitch and Paladino breathing down my neck. It was ugly but I managed to hold him off and we took the crown.
My time was slow compared to many of the other masters runners so I will need to keep sharpening for the DC.
The timefor my leg was 13.40 = 5.36/mi or so...really needs to be faster than this.

bolder bouldin 7.5 9/04

Ran the boldin route today.
Started slow and keep the pace easy till Bouldin road. Picked it up for the last 1/2.
Ran with Floyd for the fast bit.
Last time we did this route earlier in the summer, I ran 59 and change, today, I ran 52 and change. Felt good to push a little.

8/30 recovery

7 miles easy around the lake.
51 minutes.
Nice and cool for a change.
Legs felt ok after FIT test.

FIT test 8/29

results from the fitness test

Procedure
Here's how it works.
You go to the UT stadium 8th Floor and go into this little room with a treadmill etc.
Someone weighs you, measures body fat composition with a weird little caliper thing, and then sets you up on the treadmill with a HR monitor on. You warm up for 5 or so minutes at a comfortable pace. Then they stop the treadmill and you bite down on a snorkle mouthpiece that is connected to some hoses that lead into a computer. You have to run breathing only through your mouth. They also put a nose clip on so you are forced to breathe through the mouth. this feels claustrophobic at first but soon you get used to it. Then the fun begins. You run in 4 minute segments to begin, starting at a comfortable pace. Every 4 minutes, you get off the treadmill, they stick you with a lancet (only had to do this once and then just squeezed the b'jesus out of my earlobe to get more blood) and draw a drop of blood from your ear. (you get to take off the snorkle and drink some water). Then they up the speed incrementally until you have reached some threshold (Don't know how they decide this. I think it's a combo of lactate threshold data and heart rate data). For me, they started the 4 minute intervals at a 6:50 pace, and I did the final one at a 6.00 pace. Then they make you keep the snorkel in, and they increase the speed by about 10 sec/mile every minute until you cry uncle. For me, they started at 5:50, went to 5:35, 5.25, 5.15, 5.00 and then 1 minute at 5.00 with a 1% incline because the machine didn't go any faster. I was toast at the end of this and called it a day. I ran about 5 miles total with about 35 minutes "under load"
Heres the data compared to last year at this time:

Data 08/2006 09/2005

Fat 6.5% 6.5%
VO2max 64 60.3
Max Speed 12.3 11.4
Max HR 191 187
LT (%VO2max) 82.8% 82.8%

Performance predictors show about a +6% difference in projected performance over the last year. The numbers vary so widely between predictors that i am not posting them.
All of this is a bit confusing to me. I am happy that I am in better shape, but don't want to be limited by a number or test.
The key will be to see how to use this info in the training. Especially with some of the HR ranges they suggested.

8 miles Monday 8/28

Good start to the week with a solid effort over Stratford and back on the N side of the trail to S 1st, finishing back at the springs. We had Scott, Patrick, David A, Lili, Ashley, and Chad as a group. This run has become a great time to see some folks I rarely get to see any more.
We started a little more aggressively today, but the group held together through stratford and then split up at LAB. I ran behind Scott on LAB and then caught him on the trail- we were averaging 6:15's. I died about 1000 meters out from the finish and stumbled in at a 6:30ish pace. It was good to practice getting the HR up early.
Total time was 59:30 for 8 miles.

8/26 twelve

Rather a discombobulated run today. Woke up late, didn't hydrate or nuutrate, got to B Springs south and ran with Sanchez, Ramchop, Rude boy and Rocker. It was a whine fest for a while, with temps high, humidity high, and a general sense of discontent in the air. We ran to Expo, up to 35th, to S Creek, to 45th, to speedway, and back through campus to the lake on Congress. 12 miles, average was around 8:30's. I think the change in starting location, my general ennui, and the lack of sleep/preparation made this run tiresome. The company was worth it though.

Off the weekly goal by a few, I think I ended up with 47 or 48.
C'est la vie....

seven miles of heat 8/25

Did a 5:30p recovery run today after a day off yesterday. Noticing a lot of mental resistance this afternoon. I think the stress of the rest of my life is preventing me from just letting go and running. I kept feeling that I had to stop because I had too much to do to be running. After 4 miles, these feelings suddenly went away. Partially because i was running around others more, and also because i tried to talk myself out of feeling crappy. Physically, the ankle is still quite sore and both knees feel tight. THe last two were fairly easy after a good soaking at the shower by the rock.
Tomorrow will be an easy long run with friends. No pushing until the very last few.
Even with all the bellyaching, i was able to pull off a 50 minute run for 7, so i guess my fitness is still OK. Head just wasn't in the game today. These slumps come with the miles i think. Running a few more miles per week can become a chore when the honeymoon PRs are over and the fatigue leaves one open for the running blues. This is minor though, and will go away when my plate has been emptied a little.

Mileage - 7
time - 50.00
Total for week - 36ish.
need 14-16 tomorrow.

tired 5 8/23

Well, I was really hurting after last nights little interval session so my grandiose plans for a 10 mile recovery run quickly turned into a stumbling 5 mile endurance shuffle. I have a lot on my plate at the moment, and the running mileage is going to be the first thing to jettison unfortunately, but thats OK, because my base is strong and I could use a few lighter weeks to control the injury. I will only be able to run about 45 minutes per day, and may not be able to make all Gazelles workouts until the Diss is finished and the new job settles down. I am noticing also that the ankle is flaring up a little with the added stress, so I am not running the 5K this weekend and will focus on being strong for the relays instead.
Modified goals:

This week:
Miles so far:
Sun: 7.25
Mon 7.5
Tues 9.5
Wed 5
total so far: 29.25

Goal: 50 need 20.75

Thurs rest day (10th wedding Anniversary! )
Friday Bomb or easy 7
Sat 14

Zilker 1000s 8/22

Just the Numbers
Mileage 9.5
8X1000 3 min recovery
1 3.12
2 3.20 173
3 3.20 178
4 3.20 180
5 3.19 174
6 3.18 184
7 3.15 183
8 3.08 181

went too fast on cool down (hr was 180BPM for the run back). Felt like absolute crap. Still do in fact.

This was a hard workout.