Objective
4 mi.

Achieved
4.18 mi.@ 8:17

6:22 AM foggy

New territory this morning: Hyatt to Riverwalk to Lakefront Trail to Aquarium. Nice morning although I wasn't feeling particularly "bouncy" with my step.

Flight tonight ... have to remember compression socks. Failed on my flight earlier this week.

Pre run
Homemade granola & water

Post run
Chocolate milk
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless

Objective
5 mi.

Achieved
5.14 mi.@ 8:01

5:21 AM ~50F light rain/mist

Along the Lakefront Trail in a misty, light rain. The mallards, Canadian geese and sea gulls didn't seem to mind. Neither did I.

Got passed by a pony tail on the trip back. Not that I was running that fast; just haven't been passed very often on this route in the morning.

Pre run
-

Post run
Chocolate milk & apple
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless

OBJECTIVE
5 mi.

ACHIEVED
5.43 mi.@ 8:10

5:46 AM 65° 64% 1 mph

Slow roll this morning. Just took it as it came.

Thinking about what I need to do this week:

1) Hydrate better. Be more balanced throughout the day; every day. Be especially vigilant when flying.

2) Eat cleaner and reduce portions slightly. Nothing dramatic here. Just looking for consistency.

3) Crunches and planks are my friends. Spend time with them!

4) Wear compression socks on flights.

5) Get away from "just-in-time" attitude. Work ahead of the curve - running, professionally and personally.

This is the last training week of base building. Next week will introduce speed and tempo work.

PRE RUN
weight=166
body fat=22.6%

POST RUN
skim milk, multivitamin & oatmeal w/brown sugar, cinnamon, flax & skim milk

OBJECTIVE
5 mi.

ACHIEVED
5.44 mi.@ 7:47

6:52 AM 62° 70% 5 mph

Pretty good run this cool-ish, low-humidity morning.

Went for another treatment for my back yesterday afternoon. Planks have been added to my prescription of crunches.

PRE RUN
weight=165.5
body fat=22.2%

POST RUN
Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

OBJECTIVE
3 mi.

ACHIEVED
3.22 mi.@ 7:50

8:16 AM 68° 88% 2 mph

I felt heavy and sluggish back on my "home track" this morning. I'm sure last night's late-arriving flight and my general dehydration were contributing factors.

PRE RUN
Life cereal w/skim milk

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

Objective
3 mi.

Achieved
3.27 mi.@ 7:51

6:03 AM

Foggy along the Lakefront this morning.

Becoming more convinced that the issues with my back are directly associated with the chair in my Chicago office.

Pre run
-

Post run
Homemade granola w/skim milk
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless

Objective
5 mi.

Achieved
5.07 mi.@ 7:54

7:38 PM 90F

I am here to report that there's a whole different vibe along the Lakefront Trail in the evening. Runners, bikers, skaters, volleyball, frisbee, etc.

Also, I have to report an oddity: it was warmer in Chicago than Houston when I ran today: 90F versus 82F

Pre run
-

Post run
Chocolate milk, string cheese, almonds & tapioca
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless

Appointment with Destiny

OBJECTIVE
5 mi.

ACHIEVED
5.16 mi.@ 7:49

5:19 AM 73° 81% 2 mph

Probably pushed this one slightly more than necessary for an easy run (and working my way back from injuries). But I was feeling good on this humid morning.

PRE RUN
weight=165
body fat=22.4%
water & 2 fig newtons

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

OBJECTIVE
4 mi.

ACHIEVED
4.11 mi.@ 7:33

6:44 AM 67° 85% 1 mph

Felt really good this morning. I love the smell of freshly cut grass in the morning (with apologies to Apocalypse Now fans).

Just noticed that my online running log just clicked over 5,000 total miles. I started running in March 2007 and didn't start using the online log for a couple months.

I also noticed that Garmin now has a "similar runs" feature. I'm not exactly sure what criteria are used to determine what qualifies as a similar run but I have 112 runs similar to today's run. Of those 112 runs, today's was the third fastest overall pace. I suppose this is nothing more than interesting trivia. Although I did notice a 4-mile tempo run in 2007 at Memorial Park was completed slower than today's 4-miler - an "easy" run. That demonstrates progress ... right?

Should find out if I get pulled for St. George on Monday.

PRE RUN
weight=165.5
body fat=22.3%

POST RUN
multivitamin & strawberry-blueberry smoothie

Here's what world-class looks like ....

Slow motion video of lead runners near final mile of last month's Boston Marathon. The fastest mens marathon finish in history (* aided).

OBJECTIVE
4 mi.

ACHIEVED
4.37 mi.@ 8:06

7:01 AM 59° 86% 0 mph

Good to be home once again. Had a slow start to the morning due to my late arrival last night. The run felt pretty good. The weather was really nice.

PRE RUN
weight=167
body fat=23.2%

POST RUN
water, multivitamin, oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk

Objective
4 mi.

Achieved
4.68 mi.@ 8:02

5:25 AM

Sluggish. "Original" Chicago-style pizza sitting on my gut from last night's late dinner. By inference "original" must not be a FDA regulated term in food labeling and marketing.

Tried to find a route where the Lakefront Trail links up with the Riverwalk. Unsuccessful.

Garmin was haywire. It really doesn't like tall buildings, underpasses, overpasses, etc. I estimate it gave me credit for around 1/4 mile more than I actually ran this morning.

Nice sunrise on Lake Michigan. Temps in the 40s.

Pre run
-

Post run
Instant oatmeal
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless

OBJECTIVE
4 mi.

ACHIEVED
4.10 mi.@ 8:15

5:36 AM 62° 74% 3 mph

Nice coolish morning. Running from the house. Back and right calf started out a bit balky but each loosened up quickly and wasn't an issue. Tomorrow is an off day which I feel like I need.


PRE RUN
weight=166
body fat=22.7%

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk

OBJECTIVE
4 mi.

ACHIEVED
4.09 mi.@ 7:54

6:49 AM 77° 81% 5 mph

After the first mile, I pushed this easy run a little bit. I know that's really not the purpose right now. There will be plenty of time for speed and pushing later in the cycle.

With the turn of the calendar to May, I realize that I should get the results of the St. George marathon lottery this week.

The qualifying standards for the Boston marathon changed a couple months ago. I read about it at the time but didn't focus on what that really means for me personally. Yesterday I took the time to translate. The long and short of it ... to qualify for Boston 2012, I need to run a 3:30 qualifying time before September 12 (St. George is October 1). To qualify for Boston 2013, I need to run a 3:25 after September 24, 2011.

PRE RUN
weight=165
body fat=22.5%

POST RUN
milk, multivitamin & French toast w/maple syrup

Last year Chris Solinsky broke the American record in the 10,000 meter track event. He recently had an interview with Runner's World. I found one of his comments particularly enlightening:

Runner's World: It's one thing that you broke 27:00 for 10,000 but the fact that you broke 13:00 in the 5000 indicates that there are no psychological barriers in terms of time anymore for you, are there?

Chris Solinsky: Yeah. I mean, the 10K was obviously a great race in terms of the time that I ran, but for me, it's knocked down a lot of mental barriers that I had in races. I was actually just talking to the guys today about how the 10K last year really opened my eyes to being able to not look at the lap counter. Before, I'd be too cognizant of how much I had left, and who was there, the things you shouldn't be thinking about as much. But in that 10K, I thought more in terms of time, how much time I had left. I remember at one point I looked at the clock and we were at 19:00 and I was like "well, that's like seven or eight minutes left, I can hammer, I can do anything for seven or eight minutes." When I finally stopped thinking of it in terms of laps, it kind of opened things up for me, and that's where it went for the rest of year. It changed my mental focus and how I approached things drastically and that opened a lot of doors for me.


I find this interesting as I consider my own mental approach to racing. There have been a few times where, rather than focusing on either how much distance is behind me or how much remains in front of me before finishing, I've focused on how much time I have left. Similar to Solinsky, I've found that this approach has somehow made the push to the finish easier than the "distance approach". I've only done this a few times by more or less stumbling upon it rather than by premeditated planning. Now that the approach has been confirmed by an American record holder, I plan to use the approach consistently going forward.

OBJECTIVE
3 mi.

ACHIEVED
3.22 mi.@ 8:13

6:46 AM 73° 86% 3 mph

Humid this morning. Seems like it may rain today - which we need. I felt sluggish.

Had my fourth treatment at Koala. They've back working on my back since last Friday. The routine is essentially focused massage on my lower back followed by ultrasound then electro therapy. From there I do physical therapy which consists of stretching - back, glutes and outer thighs ?(I guess that's really glutes ... ???). I then do some single-leg balancing on a "Thera band" foot pad (it's unstable so forces me to lose some muscle to stay upright). Last Monday they hit me with back extensions and crunches using an exercise ball. And that's where I believe we all discovered my weakest link - pitifully weak abs! After all that, a chiropractor adjusts my low back. I'm not sure about the overall benefit yet. It does force me to do some strengthening which I'm sure doesn't hurt any.

My latest theory is that the back issues are either associated with the chair in my Chicago office or the seats on planes that I'm spending time on. I've essentially ruled out the hotel beds that I've been sleeping on. You've gotta love the scientific process ....

PRE RUN
weight=164.5
body fat=22.5%

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

OBJECTIVE
3 mi.

ACHIEVED
3.24 mi.@ 8:01

6:45 AM 56° 82% 1 mph

Back at home. Felt okay. Back was a bit bothersome. I really think that problem is either the chair in my Chicago office or the seat on the plane.

PRE RUN
weight=166
body fat=22.4%

POST RUN
Diet V8 Splash, multivitamin & oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk

OBJECTIVE
3 mi.

ACHIEVED
3.39 mi.@ 8:19

5:40 AM

Cool breeze blowing through the Windy City this morning. I felt slightly on the sluggish side. Took a new route down to the Lakefront Trail. From Club Quarters went up the hill past the Hyatt then down Columbus. Instead of turning on Illinois continued two blocks to Ohio. Wanted to see a high rise apartment that looked interesting from the internet. It is close to the water ... with a bunch other high rises around it. Ahhh, urban living .... Hurmphhhh!

PRE RUN
-

POST RUN
water

OBJECTIVE
2 mi.

ACHIEVED
2.11 mi.@ 8:02

7:40 PM

First evening run in a long time. Run from Club Quarters Hotel along Chicago Riverwalk to Lakefront Trail. (I've obviously made it sound further than it really was!) I did get to see part of the Lakefront Trail that I haven't seen before. There were a bunch on Canadian geese and a scraggly cottontail rabbit along my way.

I felt okay. Abs were sore from the routine the doc put me through yesterday. I think she has isolated my weak link ....

PRE RUN
-

POST RUN
water

OBJECTIVE
4 mi.

ACHIEVED
4.10 mi.@ 7:51

7:05 AM 74° 84% 4 mph

Left okay out there today. The plan is now to start over and rebuild from the ground up.

PRE RUN
weight=165.5
body fat=22.4%

POST RUN
homemade cinnamon roll, skim milk & multivitamin

OBJECTIVE
3 mi.

ACHIEVED
3.22 mi.@ 7:58

6:40 AM 74° 82% 5 mph

Felt okay this morning. Back was tight over the first half mile. Nice morning. Game plan going forward is firming up. Look for another blog entry for details.

PRE RUN
weight=164.5
body fat=22.3%

POST RUN
skim milk, multivitamin, blueberry protein pancakes w/maple syrup

Grete Waitz Dies

Nothing like setting a world record in your first marathon which was supposed to be your swan song ....

OBJECTIVE
4.5 mi.

ACHIEVED
4.59 mi.@ 8:36

5:14 AM 72° 83% 3 mph

I didn't feel very good this morning. My legs were very heavy. Left hammy was tight, tight, tight for the first 1.5 mile. Tomorrow's a new day ....

PRE RUN
weight=165
body fat=22.3%

POST RUN
weight=163
body fat=21.7%
multivitamin & PBJ smoothie

OBJECTIVE
14 mi.

ACHIEVED
14.10 mi.@ 8:06

6:39 AM 58° 43% 1 mph

It was a beautiful morning with the conditions pretty much in my "happy zone" for good running. Ran with Augie, Tricia, Josh, Israel and Randy. I didn't realize until checking my training log later in the day that it's been over 3 months since I've run this distance or longer. Not exactly what can be called a stellar training routine. The good news is that I felt alright physically. The left calf felt tight at the start but seemed to loosen up quickly and wasn't even a consideration.

Josh broke from the group around 2.5 miles into it. For reasons still unknown to me, I decided to go with him. We hung around 7:45 pace. This was a good pick up for me. Probably too early into this run given the overall planned distance but I felt okay throughout that burst. When the join came back together at a water stop Josh, Randy and I run together ahead of the others and at sub-8 pace. After that, I was happy to trim it back and stay with the group. By the time we were a couple miles from finishing, I was spent and just happy to log the miles no matter what the pace. At the end of the day, it was a strong pace over a good distance on a very nice morning.

PRE RUN
weight=165
body fat=22.1%
oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk

POST RUN
SlimFast

OBJECTIVE
4.5 mi.

ACHIEVED
4.60 mi.@ 8:16

6:08 AM 72° 85% 1 mph

Keepin' it easy. Must have slept on my bed wrong last night ... back and neck felt all "kinked" up.

PRE RUN
weight=164.5
body fat=22.1%
1 Girl Scout cookie

POST RUN
multivitamin & PBJ smoothie

OBJECTIVE
10 mi.

ACHIEVED
9.49 mi.@ 8:18

6:06 AM 71° 86% 5 mph

Enjoyable run today back with the crew: Randy, Augie and Josh. Felt pretty good.

PRE RUN
weight=164.5
oatmeal w/skim milk

POST RUN
SlimFast

4.08 mi.@ 8:04

6:18 AM

Back home. Warm, steamy morning.

PRE RUN
weight=163
body fat=22%
skim milk, Girl Scout cookie & mini Clif bar

POST RUN
diet V8 splash, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

4.91 mi.@ 8:06

6:00 AM

First time I've been passed on the Lakefront Trail - not due to my speed just that I've been running pretty early until today. Warmer temps & later start had more runners, bikers and walkers on the trail.

Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless

OBJECTIVE

30 minutes

ACHIEVED

40:20 (4.90 mi.@ 8:14)

5:49 AM

Heart really wasn't in to it today. Although I did manage to keep going longer than planned once I got out on the Lakefront Trail. Left hamstring was a bit balky over the last mile and a half or so.

PRE RUN

water

POST RUN

water & maple & brown sugar instant oatmeal

OBJECTIVE
8-10 mi.

ACHIEVED
10.06 mi.@ 7:57

6:41 AM 71° 82% 0 mph mist/very light rain

This run turned into a ragged progressive. Not by design; it just evolved. I was feeling pretty good at the outset. I started easy and wanted to keep it easy over the first half of the run. I wasn't sure how far I was going to go. I wanted to get 10 miles but was willing to shorten to 8 if I wasn't feeling okay. After the first mile, things picked up a bit and the run ended up looking like this:

9:00/8:13/8:06/8:01/7:48/7:56/7:49/7:32/7:37/7:34

I was pretty wiped out with about 2.5 miles to go. I stopped for water and ended up needing to stop again with about a half mile to go. I obviously don't have a base under my belt nor do I have speed training so the result isn't surprising ... just a little disappointing to confirm where I'm actually at right now. I should be happy that I got some mileage without problems with my calves.

Other running news: I got a massage yesterday and think that helped my calves and back. I ran in brand new Mizuno Wave Rider 13's for the first time today. I bought them several months ago but haven't needed to break them out yet as there were still miles left in my Mizuno Wave Rider 12's. I also threw my hat in ring for the St. George marathon in October. The lottery will be drawn in early May so I've got some time before finding out if I get pulled.

PRE RUN
weight=164.5
body fat=22.2%


POST RUN
SlimFast

OBJECTIVE
3 mi.

ACHIEVED
3.23 mi.@ 7:38

6:36 AM 62° 79% 3 mph

After getting in late last night due to a delayed flight, I slept in more than planned this morning. This shortened my run and caused me to pick up the pace. Felt strong. Off to the Houston Open now.

PRE RUN
weight = 164
body fat = 22%

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

Objective
4 mi.

Achieved
Garmin - 4.74 mi.@ 7:40
My estimate - 4.5 mi.@ 8:06

5:06 AM 33° 77% 2 mph

The good ole Garmin doesn't like the concrete jungle of the city. I don't like standing around in the cold waiting for the Garmin to sync up with satellites. That's a bad combination if I want accurate readings here in Chicago.

Felt pretty good this morning. Only saw two other runners and no bikers along the Lakefront Trail.

Will be running in warm weather and humidity the next few days. Heading to the Shell Houston Open PGA golf event tomorrow. Also, expect to make it to the the Final Four too. Turning out to be a very good sports spectating year for me.

Pre run
Nothing

Post run
Instant oatmeal maple & brown sugar

Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless

Objective
3 mi.

Achieved
3.22 mi.@ 8:27
Hyatt Chicago treadmill
Cascade hills - Level 5

~5 am

Wanted to go outside but temps in 20's kept me on treadmill. Optimistic about calves lately.

Pre run
Weight=170 clothed ???
Water

Post run
Water

Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless

OBJECTIVE
4 mi.

ACHIEVED
4.11 mi.@ 7:48

5:33 AM 59° 84% 4 mph

Felt good this morning. Legs seemed fresh. Body felt rested. Light breeze and nice temperature too.

PRE RUN
weight = 162
21.6% fat
GrapeNuts w/skim milk

POST RUN
water, multivitamin, peanut butter power cookie & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

OBJECTIVE
3 mi.

ACHIEVED
3.27 mi.@ 8:10

6:24 AM 68° 89% 1 mph

Back home. I'm tired from traveling. Watched the Cougars lose to Florida last night on the plane.

PRE RUN
weight=164
22.2% body fat

POST RUN
diet V8 splash, multivitamin & oatmeal w/almonds, brown sugar & skim milk

OBJECTIVE

run

ACHIEVED

3.04 mi. treadmill hills in 27:18

ITB exercises & push-ups

~5:30 AM

There was supposed to be snow overnight but when I looked out the window this morning I didn't see any. However the flags at the Hyatt Regency Chicago were extended horizontal from the wind. I checked the weather on my Blackberry and it said the "feels like" temperature was 18F. Enough to push me in the direction of the hotel fitness center. I don't like treadmills. I'm sure I've mentioned that before. The center was surprisingly busy at this hour. I jumped on, set the dreadmill for a 27 minute hill workout at Level 5 and set out. Listened to my MP3 player for a bit but the cords were getting tangled and earbuds were coming out so I switched to the morning drivel on the television. Made it through the boredom and worked up a pretty good sweat. I don't trust any treadmill's calibration so the mileage and incline are always a question in my mind. So the best I can say is that I can at a pretty good pace for 27 minutes this morning.

I went back to my room and cranked out my old IT band exercises and mixed in push-ups during the rest intervals. I haven't done the ITB exercises for a while. I need to do them more. Not that I'm having ITB problems but I think they're good injury prevention as they work leg muscles associated with lateral movement. These are stablizing muscles for running. Can they help my calf problems? I don't know. Certainly not directly but maybe there's some linkage in the chain that benefits and helps with the calf issues.

I still don't have my sleeping and eating routine set while traveling. My nutrition is improving slowly but it's rare that I sleep through the night in a hotel room. This morning I woke up around 2:30 - the same time I did yesterday. Today gave up on falling back asleep so I cleared some work email before going to the fitness center. I also packed since I'm headed back to H-town later today. Hopefully I'm on a plane with LiveTV and can watch Jimmer and the Coogs' sweet sixteen matchup against Florida. I'm holding my breath on this one.

PRE RUN

POST RUN

sugar free instant oatmeal (maple & brown sugar) & Tazo Calm herbal tea

OBJECTIVE

3 mi.

ACHIEVED

3.35 mi.@ 8:23

6:03 AM blustery; ~30F w/winds

Another trip over to the Lakefront Trail. I'm not exactly sure what the tidal effects are with Lake Michigan but I was a bit surprised to notice this morning that the waves were coming over the banks this morning. This with with I believe is relatively light winds.

It rained last night and will probably rain quite a bit today. But I caught a window where there was no rain.

And finally, it was cold stepping out from the hotel so I didn't wait for my Garmin to find enough satellites to get a good bead on my location. After flying and when standing among the buildings of the city, the Garmin takes quite a long time to sync. I wasn't going to wait around this morning as it was cool and I wanted to get on with it. Therefore, I'm not too confident in the accuracy of my distance and pace.

PRE RUN

POST RUN

* maple & brown sugar sugar free instant oatmeal

* How can the oatmeal be "sugar free" and the flavor be "maple & brown sugar "? Sounds like I'm eating some bad chemicals ... ?

OBJECTIVE
3 mi.

ACHIEVED
3.22 mi.@ 8:34

5:04 AM 65° 91% 1 mph

Got back home last night. Needed this run for psychotherapy. It's been crazy the past few days. Now another week begins ....

PRE RUN
weight=165.5
body fat=22.2%

POST RUN
oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk

OBJECTIVE
run

ACHIEVED
5.19 mi.

6:20 AM

Finally got outside in the Windy City this morning. Found my way down to Lake Front Trail for a run along Lake Michigan. Felt okay. Warmed up pretty quickly once I got going. I found the Lake Shore path to be a surprisingly hard surface - concrete broken in some places.

PRE RUN


POST RUN
instant oatmeal

OBJECTIVE
3 mi.

ACHIEVED
3.21 mi.@ 8:26

6:12 AM 67° 90% 0 mph

Very tight calves starting out today. Got it in before the rains came.

PRE RUN
weight=165

POST RUN
body fat=22.6%
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

OBJECTIVE
run

ACHIEVED
5.16 mi.@ 8:11

6:13 AM 64° 86% 2 mph

Right calf was reminding that it's still "there". Was hoping for better after two weeks off the roads.

PRE RUN
weight=166

POST RUN
diet V-8 splash, multivitamin & oatmeal w/almonds, brown sugar & skim milk

Back in Chicago. Staying at Club Quarters whose fitness room is not nearly as nice as The Wit's last week. Therefore, I found myself on a Cybrex machine this morning. It looked like an elliptical but was more of a glider. I'm not all that familiar with fitness equipment since I rarely use it.

By way of update, I tried running last Saturday but didn't even go a block before my right calf was flaring. I decided rest was the order of the day and have been doing so since. All this rest is going to make the half in a couple of weeks an interesting challenge.

WU ~15 min. Cybrex glider
10x20 sec. all out w/10 sec. rests on Cybrex glider
CD ~15 min. Cybrex glider

Wanted to use the recumbent bike for the Tabata intervals but quickly determined that it wasn't working.

Circa 1968

For some reason this picture really cracks me up.

WU 15 min. elliptical
Tabata intervals 9x20 sec. w/10 sec. recoveries recumbent exercycle
CD 15 min. elliptical

Back to the hotel fitness room. Went a little harder on the intervals this morning than yesterday. Used a different bike and it seemed much more stable. Also used a tuck position (leaning forward) rather than yesterday's recumbent. (I'm not I cyclist so I probably have this all wrong!)

Felt fine. May try running tomorrow or Saturday to test the calf out.

WU 15 min. elliptical
Tabata intervals 8x20 sec. w/10 sec. recoveries recumbent exercycle
CD 15 min. elliptical

Calf not a problem as long as there's no impact. Figured I'd take advantage of the equipment in the hotel's fitness room this morning. Wasn't able to go 100% all out on the bike because it started shaking so much that it was drawing too much attention.

OBJECTIVE
2 mi.@ 8:35

ACHIEVED
4.96 mi.@ 8:45

5:06 AM 67° 71% 1 mph

Well, it's official. I'm injured. I laid off running over the weekend sensing that my right calf was still pretty tight. I headed out this morning with a six-miler in mind to somewhat "makeup" for the lost weekend mileage. A little over 3 miles into it my right calf kept getting tighter and tighter. In the past I would have just pushed through. This time I tried listening to my body and just walked for a while then ran ... a little and slowly ... then walked some more. It's the exact same thing that kept me out of Boston last year. I'm wondering what the cause is and what the true diagnosis is. I suppose it could be repetitive muscle strain as I was told last year. Or could it be something else? As far as I can tell the only thing that remedies it is time.

PRE RUN
weight=165

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

OBJECTIVE
2 mi.@ 8:37

ACHIEVED
4.10 mi.@ 8:17

6:18 AM 53° 85% 2 mph

Recovery run after yesterday's track workout. Calves were tight especially right but seem to be somewhat better than they would have been had I not rolled them yesterday (How do I know that? Pure speculation, I suppose.)

Rolled again today after the run and will roll again later.

Scheduled for 8 tomorrow. Thinking about turning it into 10.

PRE RUN
weight=163.5
water

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & oatmeal w/almonds, brown sugar & skim milk

OBJECTIVE
4 mi. inclu. 2x1600m @ 6:47 w/800m active recovery

ACHIEVED
1.95 mi. WU
2 x 1600m (6:16/6:17) w/800m active recovery
1.89 mi. CD

total distance = 6.33
total time = 50:04

6:04 AM 69° 87% 4 mph

Went to the track uncertain how this one might turn out. Happy with the result and the effort. Fairly tough workout.

After the run, I "built" a rudimentary rolling device (basically a cut down broom handle threaded through a section of PVC pipe). Rolled my calves using quite a bit of pressure. Optimistic this could provide some relief for my tight calves. (fingers crossed ...)

PRE RUN
weight=164.5
water

POST RUN
SlimFast & multivitamin

OBJECTIVE
3 mi.@ 8:36

ACHIEVED
4.09 mi.@ 8:27

5:35 AM 67° 85% 1 mph

With a final push over the past three days, the all-consuming project at the office was completed yesterday. That's almost 8 weeks of +70 hours per week. Hoping to get back into a little more reasonable "life balance" now! That includes more consistent running ....

PRE RUN
weight=165.5

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

OBJECTIVE
8 mi.@ 8:39

ACHIEVED
8.43 mi.@ 7:48

6:05 AM 63° 87% 0 mph

Had a conference call this morning so I stayed close to home for this run. Slogging along for a couple miles before a solo woman jumped on the Faulkey Gully Trail about 40 meters ahead of me. Had the darndest time reeling her in. Finally got her with a 1/4 mile left on the trail. As luck would have it, her route crossed mine two more times on the way back in. I marked her and passed her both times. I don't know who she was but she sure helped my run today. Thank you, Anonymous Fast Asian woman along my run this morning!

PRE RUN
weight=165.5

POST RUN
SlimFast

OBJECTIVE
3 mi.@ 8:36

ACHIEVED
3.24 mi.@ 8:16

6:01 AM 63° 84% 3 mph

Ominous sign ... tight calves this morning ....

New Boston qualifying requirements announced yesterday. I need to get faster.

PRE RUN
weight=165.5 <---- chicken fried steak & brownies yesterday ... that's really not like me

POST RUN
orange juice, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

OBJECTIVE
5 mi. incl. 3 mi. tempo @ 7:13

ACHIEVED
WU 1.01 mi.
3 mi. tempo @ 6:51
CD 1.05 mi.

5:34 AM 57° 73% 0 mph

This was a surprise. After no semblance of speedwork in months, I was able to uncork a very solid tempo run. I was targeting a 7:13 pace but started a bit too hot and, surprisingly, was able to hold it. My fitness certainly isn't anywhere near what it was last fall but it hasn't fallen off as much as I thought it may have. Good news!

PRE RUN
weight=164

POST RUN
diet V8 splash, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

OBJECTIVE
4 mi.

ACHIEVED
4.06 mi.@ 8:18

5:31 AM 46° 94% 0 mph

Work life has not been kind to my running life as of late .... Very frustrating. Decent run today. Felt okay.

Will be moving to Chicago ... eventually.

PRE RUN
weight=163
FRS orange chew

POST RUN
diet V8 splash, multivitamin, oatmeal w/brown sugar, almonds & skim milk

OBJECTIVE
Run

ACHIEVED
4.51 mi.
.5 mi. WU
3.51 treadmill hills
.5 mi. CD

Westin Galleria Dallas treadmill. Eating too much and running too little ... but having a lot of fun.

On the bus to tailgate party now. I guess Keith Urban, Maroon 5 and another gluttonous food fest are in my immediate future.

PRE RUN
Water

POST RUN
Water
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless

OBJECTIVE
run

ACHIEVED
3.37 mi. ???

Dallas Westin Galleria treadmill (I question the mileage calibration). Counting down to the big game ....

PRE RUN
nothing

POST RUN
weight=167 (clothed)
water

Photographic evidence (circa 1976) that I'm not a bandwagon Steelers fan.

OBJECTIVE
3 mi.

ACHIEVED
3.21 mi.@ 7:35

6:08 AM 57° 90% 9 mph

Nothing like a shirtless run on February 1. Until the temperature drops 17°F over 20 minutes, torrential rains start falling in buckets and a cold north wind starts gusting to 14 mph. My friends, that will get your attention .... (And made me run a little faster! ha)

The front wasn't forecast to hit until around 7 AM. Obviously moving faster than the forecasters expected.



PRE RUN
weight=165
GrapeNuts & skim milk

POST RUN
orange juice, multivitamin & oatmeal w/almonds, flax, brown sugar & skim milk

OBJECTIVE
3 mi. easy

ACHIEVED
3.21 mi.@ 8:05

5:55 AM 58° 85% 1 mph

Nice morning. Easy run. While I was out this morning, thought about my goal for the Seabrook Half. Preliminarily targeting 1:35. It's a little disappointing to set that target after hitting my 1:28 PR last September but realistically that's probably the best I can shoot for. I'll have a better idea after 3 weeks of training. To be continued ....

PRE RUN
weight=164.5
corn flakes w/skim milk

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk

OBJECTIVE
4 mi. easy recovery run

ACHIEVED
4.08 mi.@ 8:27

6:07 AM 63° 84% 1 mph

I bit achy this morning. Lower abs generally.

PRE RUN
weight=163.5
water

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk

OBJECTIVE
13 mi.

ACHIEVED
14.44 mi.@ 8:48

6:06 AM 58° 82% 3 mph

This was a fun run. The men's and women's US Half Marathon Championships were run in Houston today. About 8 miles into our run, we intersected the course and watched for a while before moving to another vantage point. They were absolutely flying. And they looked really young. Ryan Hall ended up second to Mo Trafeh. Jen Rhines looked very determined when we saw her. She won the women's.

Randy, Michele, Augie and me.

Good luck to everyone running the Houston Marathon tomorrow!

PRE RUN
weight=165.5
oatmeal w/skim milk

POST RUN
SlimFast

OBJECTIVE
~12 mi.

ACHIEVED
12.16 mi.@ 8:11

6:53 AM 34° 76% 2 mph

Nice run with the crew today. It was a cool morning which gave me some dread before leaving the house. Once at the park, I was eager to get going and ended up really enjoying the brisk fresh air.

Augie, Josh, Jonathan (Josh's friend from work), Randy and me. We saw William who joined us for a stretch along the way.

PRE RUN
corn flakes w/skim milk

POST RUN
SlimFast

OBJECTIVE
6 mi.

ACHIEVED
5.99 mi.@ 7:54

5:43 AM 55° 87% 1 mph

Felt really good this morning for no identifiable reason.

Maybe it was a good night's sleep last night. Maybe it's the relief of a major project at work getting closer to the end of phase one. Maybe it's the rest I've given my legs with only intermittent running lately. Maybe it's luck? Could it be something I ate or didn't eat. Who knows?

PRE RUN
1 cup corn flakes w/ 1 cup skim milk

POST RUN
multivitamin & 16 oz. skim milk w/Hershey's chocolate syrup

OBJECTIVE
3 mi.

ACHIEVED
3.24 mi.@ 7:47

6:45 AM 49° 79% 2 mph

I won the debate with myself this morning .... Made it out the door.

PRE RUN
nothing

POST RUN
oatmeal w/skim milk

OBJECTIVE
~13 mi.

ACHIEVED
14.16 mi.@ 8:35

6:38 AM 49° 82% 3 mph

Decent run with the group today. Started with Augie, Michelle, Shellie, Nikki, Josh and Randy. Run through Tanglewood and River Oaks then back to the park via Memorial Drive. I finished with Augie, Josh and Randy. Although had pressed ahead at his marathon pace then came back to us several times throughout the run.

I felt okay today - a little sluggish, I guess, but that's to be expected given my slack training during my annual "busy season" at work. I did manage to break away for the Rockets-Hornets game last night. (Rockets lost pitifully in overtime.) My vantage point for the game was from here:



PRE RUN
weight=165.5
oatmeal w/skim milk

POST RUN
SlimFast

OBJECTIVE
4 mi.

ACHIEVED
4.10 mi.@ 8:07

6:10 AM 26° 66% 2 mph

Nice, cool morning for an easy run. Felt pretty good.

(I still owe the blog an entry about last Saturday's 13-miler ....)

PRE RUN
weight=168

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & corn flakes w/skim milk

In lieu of me running right now, here's an animated celebration of movement.

Thought of You from Ryan J Woodward on Vimeo.

OBJECTIVE
4 mi.

ACHIEVED
4.08 mi.@ 7:40

5:54 AM 62° 82% 2 mph

It rained last night leaving the early morning soggy and the air heavy. I pushed the first mile a little bit this morning rather taking the "Kenyan approach" of starting out just shuffling.

It seems I'm going to have to do something about my back and abdominal problems. Both were bothering me slightly during today's run. I'm hoping they are related and there's one fix to cure both.

PRE RUN
weight=167

POST RUN
frosted mini wheats w/skim milk

OBJECTIVE
4 mi.

ACHIEVED
4.09 mi.@ 8:15

5:41 AM 54° 81% 2 mph

Nice morning. Felt a bit "blah".

PRE RUN
weight=166.5
water

POST RUN
Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

OBJECTIVE
4 mi.

ACHIEVED
4.09 mi.@ 8:21

5:45 AM 37° 78% 1 mph

I felt slightly sluggish this morning. I suspect I am somewhat dehydrated, unrested, and and poorly nourished after my quick up-and-back to Utah the past couple days.

My running plan for the next several (seven ?) weeks is to stay consistent by getting up to and maintaining a level of fitness. I'm not in a position to ask much more of myself. Work over this time frame will be very demanding. My future opportunity (or lack of) with my post-merger employer will most likely play out over this period as well. The result could range from moving to Chicago to being without work. Hopefully things settle down in late February and I can focus on a Spring half marathon.

PRE RUN
water

POST RUN
orange juice, multivitamin, glutamine, calcium, oatmeal w/almonds, brown sugar & skim milk

OBJECTIVE
12-13 mi.

ACHIEVED
13.02 mi.@ 8:22

6:39 AM 67° 90% 4 mph

Good run today. Started with Josh, Jon Colletti, Randy, Augie and me. Augie wasn't feeling well and broke off early. Josh and Jon were running a tempo to prepare for the Houston marathon in 4 weeks so they sped ahead. Randy and I aren't training for anything ... and enjoyed a comfortably-paced long run and conversation.

This run closes the book on my 2010 mileage. I finished up with 1,440 miles which isn't too bad given a couple rounds of injuries and races that I didn't end up making it to the starting line for (Boston, rarrrr!!!)

PRE RUN
weight=168 <--- still the holiday season, right?
cocoa pebbles & skim milk (cleaning out pantry is part of my holiday binging.)

POST RUN
strawberry-banana smoothie, poached egg, ham, English muffin & apple pie

OBJECTIVE
4 mi.

ACHIEVED
4.05 mi.@ 7:47

5:31 AM 62° 83% 3 mph

Slight push today.

PRE RUN
weight=165.5
water & homemade granola

POST RUN
water, multivitamin, glutamine, calcium, homemade granola w/skim milk

OBJECTIVE
4 mi.

ACHIEVED
4.04 mi.@ 7:49

5:16 AM 50° 87% 3 mph

I overdressed this morning. Gloves, hat, and running jacket weren't really necessary. Felt okay.

PRE RUN
weight=165.5
water

POST RUN
water, multivitamin, calcium, glutamine, & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

OBJECTIVE
4 mi.

ACHIEVED
4.04 mi.@ 7:47

6:05 AM 30° 92% 1 mph

Made it out the door for 4 today.

PRE RUN
weight=166
homemade granola

POST RUN
cashews, English muffin w/butter & cinnamon sugar (half) and honey butter (other half)

OBJECTIVE
4 mi.

ACHIEVED
4.03 mi.@ 7:30

5:37 AM 58° 73% 5 mph

Legs felt like going fast today ... so I let them.

PRE RUN
weight=166.5 <----- Merry Christmas!!!

POST RUN
tapioca, Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

OBJECTIVE
~11.5 mi.

ACHIEVED
11.43 mi.@ 8:19

6:39 AM 47° 59% 4 mph

Nice run this morning with Augie, Josh and Randy.

Post run groin and back problems flared up mightily later in the afternoon. Not really sure what's going on ....

PRE RUN
weight=163
water & oatmeal w/skim milk

POST RUN
SlimFast

OBJECTIVE
3 mi.

ACHIEVED
3.12 mi.@ 7:41

5:36 AM 53° 93% 0 mph

Felt pretty good this morning.

PRE RUN
weight=164
nothing

POST RUN
orange juice, calcium, glutamine, multivitamin & whole wheat pita

OBJECTIVE
5 mi. easy

ACHIEVED
5.15 mi.@ 8:05

5:44 AM 41° 84% 0 mph

Felt pretty good this morning.

PRE RUN
weight=163.5
diet V8 splash

POST RUN
diet V8 splash, multivitamin, calcium, glutamine, & oatmeal w/walnuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and skim milk

OBJECTIVE
run

ACHIEVED
11.59 mi.@ 8:26

6:06 AM 62° 80% 2 mph

Started out with Augie, Josh, Steph, Randy, and Pete. Heard a little about Steph's and Josh's experiences at the California International Marathon last weekend. I didn't get to talk to Augie. After 3 miles, they split off and headed back to the park. Pete, Randy and I went through River Oaks and back to the park at a comfortable pace. Good company, good conversation, easy pace.

PRE RUN
weight=163.5
oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk

POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, strawberry-banana smoothie, poached egg, English muffin & ham

OBJECTIVE
run

ACHIEVED
4.06 mi.@ 8:31

5:50 AM 45° 88% 8 mph

Took time off after the Thanksgiving 10k. My body was feeling beat up (and still is). Not sure what's going on but need to start working my way back.

PRE RUN
weight=164
water

POST RUN
water, multivitamin, calcium, glutamine, oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk

Ice bath guidelines

Mind Games by Casey Neistat

Mind Games - directed by Casey Neistat from Nike Sportswear on Vimeo.

OBJECTIVE
7 mi.

ACHIEVED
7.03 mi.@ 8:32

5:40 AM 72° 95% 1 mph

Unseasonably warm this morning. Just an easy recovery run. Stretching out and picking up a few miles.

PRE RUN
weight=163
water & cashews

POST RUN
water, multivitamin, glutamine & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

OBJECTIVE
dynamic stretch
warm-up
10x480m [target=1:52] w/400m active recoveries
cool-down

ACHIEVED
1.94 mi. WU
dynamic stretch
10x480m w/400m active recoveries
1:48/1:50/1:52/1:51/1:54/1:50/1:51/1:49/1:51/1:42
1.65 mi. CD

5:09 AM 67° 82% 2 mph

This turned out to be a good, solid workout. I wasn't at the absolute top of my game but I was still able to tough it out through a challenging speed routine on the Klein High track.

As usual, I started out feeling frisky which seems to universally translate into going too fast over the fast couple intervals. I settled in over the next two intervals then the effort suddenly seemed to catch up to me and everything became difficult. After Interval #5, I stopped to drink and gather myself. This helped a lot. It obviously cheats the workout somewhat because it allows for too much recovery time and doesn't force my body to recover while still moving. But it did allow me to get on top of the rest of my intervals. I didn't feel the impact immediately over Interval #6 as it felt a lot like #5. But by #7 and over the rest of the session, I felt much better than I did for #4-#6. Interesting that a similar phenomenon occurs for me over the course of races. I can usually start strong and finish strong which leaves the challenge somewhere over the middle third to quarter of the race.

I've mixed up my routine this week to take advantage of the Turkey Trot on Thursday. I'll be using that as a replacement for my scheduled 6-mile tempo run.

PRE RUN
weight=152
diet V8 splash

POST RUN
SlimFast, multivitamin & glutamine

OBJECTIVE
8 mi.

ACHIEVED
8.14 mi.@ 8:24

5:22 AM 65° 90% 2 mph

This was supposed to be a 6-miler but since I missed yesterday's 8-miler I added 2 miles to today's run. Four miles into this one, I had to stop at Meyer Park for a restroom break. I've never had that happen before on a morning run from the house.

PRE RUN
nothing

POST RUN
water, multivitamin, glutamine, skim milk w/Hershey's chocolate & amazing grass green super food, & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

OBJECTIVE
6 mi.

ACHIEVED
6.02 mi.@ 8:24

6:09 AM 40° 86% 0 mph

Felt fine on this cool morning. Missed yesterday's run. May try making it up later tonight.

PRE RUN
weight=162
water

POST RUN
oatmeal w/skim milk

OBJECTIVE
6 mi.

ACHIEVED
6.19 mi.@ 8:24

5:37 AM 46° 90% 0 mph

Nice morning for an easy roll.

PRE RUN
weight=162
low-fat almond cinnamon granola w/skim milk

POST RUN
water, multivitamin, glutamine, 2 slices buttered whole wheat toast (1 w/cinnamon sugar; 1 w/honey) & oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk

OBJECTIVE
warm-up
12x400m @ 94 seconds w/400m active recoveries
cool-down

ACHIEVED
WU 1.76 mi.
dynamic stretch
11x400m [92/92/92/91/90/91/92/91/89/92/86]
CD 1.58 mi.

5:50 AM 52° 90% 2 mph

The track at Klein High was still wet from yesterday's rain. The high humidity made the morning air feel cooler than the thermometer was registering. I haven't done any speed work since before the St. George marathon - six weeks ago. I decided I'd reintroduce myself to the track with 12x400 meters. I cranked down my goal pace to something faster than what I believe my current lactate threshold is. I figured this would be a good way to test where my fitness is at generally. It should also give me a good baseline to work from during future track workouts.

The first couple repeats felt easy. But of course became progressively harder. My recovery 400's were getting slower as the workout progressed. Somehow I lost count of the repeats and ended up only doing 11 instead of 12. I'm not sure how or when that happened. I didn't realize it until I was back home and uploaded the workout.

I'm happy with how this one went. My times were tightly grouped even though I was feeling slower and slower over the later repeats. Maybe next time I can actually get the full workout in!

I noticed something in on of my training logs that suggests I've done this workout before. This surprised me since I don't recall ever doing this one. I need to go back and see when I did it and how today's effort compares.

PRE RUN
weight=159.5
Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

[During workout, drink 20 oz. diet lime FRS powdered drink mix]

POST RUN
SlimFast, multivitamin & glutamine

OBJECTIVE
6 mi.

ACHIEVED
6.18 mi.@ 8:39

5:38 AM 49° 86% 3 mph

Just a slow roll following yesterday's hard finish and before tomorrow's track work.

PRE RUN
weight=161.5
diet V8 splash & handful of salted cashews

POST RUN
Kashi GoLean cereal w/ skim milk

OBJECTIVE
8 mi.

ACHIEVED
8.41 mi.@ 7:41

6:28 AM 56° 77% 2 mph

A beautiful morning. It rained overnight leaving everything damp and the air cool. I set out from the Cypress Creek YMCA a little later than planned but this was perfectly okay. Easing into the run, I was just enjoying the "freshness" of the morning.

On the way out I considered my return trip would take a newly finished path that I haven't explored yet. I don't know exactly where it goes - just the start and end points - nor do I know the exact distance. I suspect it is shorter than the usual route through the neighborhoods. Since today was just an easy 8-miler without a prescribed pace, I figured it would be a good opportunity to introduce myself to the new path. However, that plan changed.

At the turnaround, I was averaging 8:15 per mile and felt pretty good. I decided I would try getting the overall average pace for the entire run down to 7:56 per mile. So I improvised mile cutdowns where my plan was to log 7:50, 7:40, 7:30 and 7:20 miles over the return trip. 7:20 was sounding like an aggressive finishing pace and I wasn't sure I could get there. However I started knocking it down and the pace came easily. I felt good!

7:33 / 7:23 / 6:56 / 6:49 / 5:55 (0.20 mi. - 1:12)

PRE RUN
weight=162
diet V8 splash, glutamine, & oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk

POST RUN
SlimFast

OBJECTIVE
6 mi.

ACHIEVED
6.02 mi.@ 7:51

8:27 AM 73° 87% 3 mph

Felt good today. A phenomenon I have previously observed was reinforced today. My typical run occurs in the early morning right after falling out of bed. On rare occasion (like today), I'll start my run later in the morning - after getting up, eating a light breakfast, reading newspaper, etc. When my runs follow this pattern, I almost-always feel better while running and run significantly faster. So what's going on?

I know it makes sense on a rational level. I give myself a chance to wake up, I've eaten something thereby providing a fresh glycogen source to draw upon, etc. I'm sure that there's something going on physiologically because I've observed it too many times and it's too obvious to deny.

I just wonder what the science behind what I'm experiencing is? I haven't yet had time to research and I don't recall ever reading anything about this.


PRE RUN
water, glutamine & GrapeNuts w/skim milk

POST RUN
diet V8 splash, multivitamin, & low-fat cinnamon almond granola w/skim milk

OBJECTIVE
6 mi.

ACHIEVED
6.14 mi.@ 8:15

5:13 AM 66° 83% 2 mph

Fell into a comfortable rhythm over the last 2.5 miles.

PRE RUN
weight=162
diet V8 splash

POST RUN
diet V8 splash, multivitamin, glutamine & low-fat almond cinnamon granola w/skim milk

OBJECTIVE
6 mi.

ACHIEVED
6.20 mi.@ 8:20

4:40 AM 63° 78% 1 mph

After 10 days off, I expected to be reinvigorated and to have fresh legs. It wasn't the case. I was sluggish with a few niggling issues.

PRE RUN
weight=162
water

POST RUN
water, multivitamin, glutamine & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

OBJECTIVE
16 mi.@ 7:56

ACHIEVED
16.13 mi.@ 8:32

5:37 AM 51° 75% 1 mph

This turned out to be a pretty good run. It was a beautiful morning with good company (Augie, Josh, Randy, and Jonathan) and good conversation. The time and distance seemed to pass with relative ease and I was feeling somewhere between "okay" and "good". Randy and I cut it short at Waugh as the others were going 20 miles.

PRE RUN
weight=162
diet V8 splash, oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk

POST RUN
SlimFast

OBJECTIVE
6 mi.@ 7:56

ACHIEVED
6.01 mi.@ 8:33

5:40 AM 78° 74% 5 mph

Started easy; stayed easy (even though it didn't feel so much). Legs felt real wobbly this morning. Overall weak.

PRE RUN
nothing

POST RUN
weight=158
water, multivitamin, glutamine, Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

OBJECTIVE
14 mi.@ 7:56

ACHIEVED
14.01 mi.@ 8:47

6:16 AM 76° 78% 3 mph

Slower than scheduled but that was really okay today. I just wanted to get the miles. Ran with Steph, Pete, and Matt down to Rice University and back. Good way to start my birthday.

PRE RUN
orange juice & oatmeal w/skim milk & brown sugar

POST RUN
SlimFast

OBJECTIVE
6 mi.@ 7:56

ACHIEVED
6.03 mi.@ 7:49

5:25 AM 67° 84% 0 mph

Wasn't really feeling too excited about getting out the door. After a slow couple of miles, cranked it up and felt pretty good.

On Monday, the 2011 Boston marathon sold out in a few hours and I didn't get in. I was considering running the California International marathon in December but my body seemingly isn't bouncing back from St. George fast enough. Registration for CIM filled up earlier this week. So it looks like I'm an aimless runner without a race on my calendar ....

PRE RUN
nothing

POST RUN
water, multivitamin, glutamine, & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

OBJECTIVE
6 mi. total distance
warm-up
2 x 1 mi.@ 6:13 w/800m active recoveries
cool-down

ACHIEVED
1.83 mi. WU
2x1 mi. (6:06/6:14) w/800m active recoveries
1.82 mi. CD

5:37 AM 66° 86% 1 mph

Felt pretty good this morning. Since Klein High's stadium has been under construction all summer, it's the first time I've been on the track in several months. All of the lights were on because a construction crew was working on one of the outbuildings at the north end zone. There was some sort of "boot camp" training group on the field and on the stadium steps.

I started my first mile repeat too fast and paid for it throughout the rest of the workout.

PRE RUN
weight=161
diet V8 splash & puffed wheat cereal w/1% milk

POST RUN
weight=158.5
orange juice, glutamine, multivitamin & puffed wheat cereal w/skim milk