"Every runner's greatest opponent is the wall--the wall of fatigue, that is. The goal of training is to push the wall of fatigue by increasing the maximum pace one can sustain from the start line to the finish line of a race. The goal of race execution is to actually run as fast as possible without hitting the wall before reaching the finish line. It's that simple." -------> Matt Fitzgerald <-------
Monday, May 2, 2011
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
Sunday, May 1, 2011
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
Saturday, April 30, 2011
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.
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
Friday, April 29, 2011
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
Thursday, April 28, 2011
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
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
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
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
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
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Nothing like setting a world record in your first marathon which was supposed to be your swan song ....
Monday, April 18, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
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
Monday, April 11, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
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
Friday, April 1, 2011
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
Thursday, March 31, 2011
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
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
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
Monday, March 14, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
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.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
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.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
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.
Monday, February 28, 2011
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
Friday, February 25, 2011
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
Thursday, February 24, 2011
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
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
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
Saturday, February 19, 2011
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
Thursday, February 17, 2011
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
Wednesday, February 16, 2011

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
Monday, February 14, 2011
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
Sunday, February 6, 2011
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
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011

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
Monday, January 31, 2011
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
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
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
Saturday, January 22, 2011
~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
Thursday, January 20, 2011
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
Monday, January 17, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
~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
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Thought of You from Ryan J Woodward on Vimeo.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
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
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
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
Friday, December 31, 2010
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
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
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
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
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
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
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
Sunday, November 21, 2010
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
Friday, November 19, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
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
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
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
Friday, November 12, 2010
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
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
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
Monday, October 25, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
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
Friday, October 22, 2010
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
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
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
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Saturday, October 2, 2010
2010 St. George Marathon
Best part,
Elite corral to start!
Ahead of schedule through 10,
Then, time slipped away.
A little behind at 13,
No chance to recover though.
Body and mind alternating in a ying and yang,
A tug of war.
This is easy, this is not.
Goal pace is comfortable why can't I hold it?
Happiest 3:45 marathoner in St. George today,
After spending a long time not knowing if I'd find my way!
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless
Thursday, September 30, 2010
1 mi. warm-up
2 mi.@ 6:52
1 mi. cool-down
ACHIEVED
1.01 mi. WU
2.00 mi.@ 6:48
1.04 mi. CD
~9:45 pm
Got away from work late tonight. This run was on my schedule for tomorrow morning. However Dr. Cadena has agreed to see me prior to office hours. Since this is my last run, I decided I didn't want to run again until the marathon once I receive treatment. That explains how I found myself finishing up this run after 10 pm at Memorial Park.
The run went okay. My legs were a little sore from the light resistance work and stretching I've been subjecting them to. I'm not worried about that. My left calf/Achilles flared a bit with what felt like repetitive muscle strain and my right shin splint was "there" but not problematic. The half marathon pace felt easy on the cool evening air on rested legs.
Looking forward to an all-out carbohydrate binge tomorrow.
PRE RUN
water & pure protein bar
POST RUN
water, hamburger patty w/cheese & grilled chicken breast
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
1 set each
kneeling overhead draw-in
lying draw-in w/hip flexion
box lunge
stability ball leg curl
AROM hip extension straight leg w/ball
AROM knee wall slide bil full w/ball
AROM lumbar bridging hamstring bil w/ball
AROM lumbar bridging w/alternating leg
Resist lumbar bridging w/hip abductors w/elastic band
Resist hip ER side lying w/elastic band
Resist knee sidestep w/elastic
Lunge stretch
Supine hip extension
VMO dip
Spider stretch
Cat stretch
I felt okay - not great; not bad. Right shin splint issue was more prominent this morning.
Today is the last day of carbohydrate depletion. Tomorrow I'll throw the switch on loading. I'll also see Dr. Cadeña early tomorrow morning. I'm also supposed to have my last run tomorrow but I may change things up to get more recovery time from post-treatment until the starting line.
Day -3 Intake
~6:00 16 oz. water
~7:00 8 oz. water & 2 string cheese
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
dynamic stretching warm-up
1 mi. warm-up
2k @ 6:52 w/ 90 second active recovery
1 mi. @ 6:32 w/ 90 second active recovery
1k @ 6:18 w/ 90 second active recovery
1 mi. cool-down
ACHIEVED
1.04 mi. WU
dynamic stretch
2k @ 6:42 w/ 90 second active recovery
1 mi. @ 6:23 w/ 90 second active recovery
1k @ 6:12 w/ 90 second active recovery
5:24 AM 59º 84% 0 mph
Felt pretty good.
Started carbohydrate depletion yesterday so I should be good and ornery by the end of the day tomorrow. In know the Western Australian method (and other studies) suggest you don't have to follow the old-school protocol of the eastern bloc countries but the whole 7-day approach gets me into a mindset that seems to help my racing.
Went to see Dr. Cadeña yesterday. Very surprising diagnosis. The problem I've been experiencing with my ankle for the past two weeks is apparently shin splits. I've had shin splits before (about three years ago) but they were nothing like this. Cadeña worked his magic and I felt pretty good today. The issue was there this morning but it was latent. I'll go for another treatment Thursday morning and get a tape job. Hopefully that's the last I have to think about shin splits!
PRE RUN
weight=159.5
water & 500 mg glutamine
POST RUN
water & multivitamin
Day -4 Intake
~5:00 water & 500 mg glutamine
~6:00 water & multivitamin
~6:30 water, 3-egg scramble w/Canadian bacon & sharp cheddar cheese
~9:00 3 scoops protein powder, 2 heaping tablespoons peanut butter, 6 ice cubes, 16 oz. skim milk
~10:30 8 oz. water
~12:00 garden salad, grilled halibut & 16 oz. water
~15:00 8 oz. water
~18:00 pure protein bar & 8 oz. water
~21:00 string cheese
Monday, September 27, 2010
Day -5 Intake
~5:00 water & 500 mg glutamine
~6:00 water, multivitamin & string cheese
~9:00 2 poached eggs, Canadian bacon & water
~13:00 2 chicken breasts
~15:00 red beans w/green onions & cheddar cheese
~15:30 water
~20:00 grilled salmon fillet, low-fat cottage cheese & water
Monday, September 20, 2010
8 mi.@ 7:40-8:29
2x20 sec. high knees
2x20 sec. bounding
ACHIEVED
8.14 mi.@ 8:10
2x20 sec. high knees
2x20 sec. bounding
5:22 AM 74° 87% 1 mph
Cooler temperature this morning was nice. Stayed focused on "staying within the day" and had a good run. The runs - successful or not - of my yesterdays don't matter today. Nor do the runs of my tomorrows. Today is the day that matters and today was a good, solid run.
I think I'll try to get in to see Dr. Cadeña today or tomorrow and, depending on how I feel for this coming Saturday's run do the same thing next week. Also, will probably try to see my massage therapist tomorrow. It's all preventative and gets me in the mindset of racing.
PRE RUN
weight=160
water & 500 mg glutamine
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk
Saturday, September 18, 2010
2 mi. WU
12 mi.@ 7:09 (marathon pace)
2 mi. CD
ACHIEVED
2.88 mi. WU
4 mi.@ 7:11
3.35 mi.@ 8:44
5:53 AM 78° 80% 3 mph
This could be classified as an unmitigated disaster. I felt fine the first 3 miles at marathon pace. In fact, I even got into a rhythm where I was comfortable but by 4 miles the wheels had fallen off. I have no idea what's happening to me the last 10 days. I feel fine then all of the sudden I don't. When I hit that point I'm done and can't get back on track. I haven't had anything like this in my running experience. It's not like I suffering a specific injury or particular issue. It's like overall fatigue or something. I don't seem to be able to will myself out of the mire.
I'm now wondering if I'm still recovering from my half PR effort 2 weeks ago. Or if it's associated with stress caused by my job uncertainty. Or maybe it's both ... or neither ....
PRE RUN
weight=158.5
diet V8 splash, 500 mg glutamine & oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk
POST RUN
SlimFast & water
Later, PBJ smoothie & multivitamin

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