OBJECTIVE
6 mi. easy (8:08-38/mi.)

ACHIEVED
6.15 mi.@ 8:31/mi.)

3:42 AM 70° 98% 7 mph rain/mist

PRE RUN
water

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/1% milk

Equipment Check

While on a recent run, I had the thought to post a picture of my shoes. Of course not much equipment is needed for running but shoes are critical. When I started running in March 2007, I was "professionally fitted" and ended up choosing Mizuno Wave Rider 10's. When I needed a new pair, I ordered online and just picked the same model in a different color. The Wave Rider 10's went "out of style" as a newer model was released. It became harder to find them but when I did the price was right. These shoes have always felt pretty good on me so when I had the chance for another 2 pairs on closeout, I jumped. This is how I ended up with 5 pairs of Mizuno Wave Rider 10's. Somewhere along the line I bought a pair of Asics but after running in them once, returned them.

They say a good pair of running shoes should last 300 - 500 miles. I've also read and heard that the shoes are actually worn out before they look worn out. I have not tracked the mileage on my shoes but generally believe they're all either worn out or close to it. I rotate through them through the week.

A couple Saturday's ago, I picked up a pair of Saucony's on a whim (very unlike me). I've added them to the rotation. They feel different and I'm wondering if they somehow aggravate my calves (probably not ... just looking for a scape goat).

So here are my 6 pair of running shoes.

BACK ROW:
Blue & yellow - first pair
Red - St. George 2007
Red & blue #1 - Ogden 2008
FRONT ROW:
Red & blue #2 - training
Red & blue #3 - St. George 2008
Saucony - short, easy runs only ... for now

Why am I mentioning all of this? I don't know. Paige absolutely HATES all of my shoes dominating space in the laundry room. But we've generally reached an accord (haven't we?).

Over the weekend, I ordered 2 pair of Mizuno Wave Rider 11's. I got a good deal because they're orange. I honestly don't care what color I'm running in as long as it's not pink!

I tried the 11's at a Mizuno exhibit hosted by Fleet Feet during the summer. I had my feet analyzed by computer and they essentially told me I'm in the right shoe and to "keep buying Mizuno's". There's a lot of marketing involved. Which makes me wonder about the 300 - 500 mile per shoe wear-out claims. Is it just marketing to get runners out to buy more shoes? If so, I guess it's working on me.

Looking forward to my new orange Mizuno Wave Rider 11's!

Close Monitoring

OBJECTIVE
4 mi. slow ( > 8:38/mi.)

ACHIEVED
4.01 mi.@ 8:34/mi.

5:29 AM 63° 83% 7 mph

It seems I've got something developing that I need to keep a close eye on. During the St. George marathon my calves got really tight around 19 miles. I thought this was from the wind and rain. Of course, I was expecting my quads to be burning which thankfully didn't happen but the calves were pretty bad. Since then I've had similar tightening with my calves. I've mentioned it a few times in my blog. Again today, the problem flared up. It's never been bad enough to stop me but it's fairly unpleasant. Last year at this time, I was feeling good about completing my first marathon, cranked up my training intensity and injured myself. I'm leery of the same thing happening so I'm going to keep a close handle on what's going on here. I don't want it to get away from me.

Today's run was pretty good. I covered the distance too fast; hopefully that's not a problem tomorrow or Wednesday when I'm trying to go farther and faster.

It was warm this morning and it's supposed to rain later today then off-and-on over most of the week.

*** REMINDER *** I need to blog about my shoes, telegrams, and potential shake up to the overall training schedule (this is a good thing!).

PRE RUN
weight = 158#
Clif bar & water

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & 5-grain hot cereal w/brown sugar & 1% milk

November 9 - 15 Training Schedule

Sunday - rest
Monday - 4 mi. slow (>8:38/mi.)
Tuesday - 6 mi. easy (8:08-38/mi.)
Wednesday - 8 mi. w/ 7 x 2 min.@ 6:26/mi & 2 min. jogging recovery
Thursday - 4 mi. slow (>8:38/mi.)
Friday - 6 mi. easy (8:08-38/mi.)
Saturday - 10 mi. w/last 2 mi. marathon pace (7:38/mi.)


I'm following the exact same schedule as last week. I want to compare how I'm feeling week over week. Hopefully I notice better recovery over the 38-mile week than I did last week!

Mercy ... That's a Good One!

OBJECTIVE
10 miles including 8 mi. b/w 8:08-38/mi. then 2 mi.@ 7:38/mi.

ACHIEVED
10.03 mi. incl.
8.0 mi.@ 8:25/mi
2.0 mi.@ 7:23/mi.

6:31 AM 42° 98% 0 mph

This was a really good run. It was tough to get out of the house realizing that I would be on my own today. But once I got over to the Y, stretched and got going, I felt pretty good. The morning's air was cool and the sun was just coming up around Mile 2. Although I was running alone today, there were a lot of people out enjoying the morning on the path along Faulkey Gully. I was going a bit faster at the start than I wanted to and had to keep telling myself "Settle down!" But I hit my times for every mile of this run and was able to finish strong (7:33 and 7:13 miles).

I'm looking forward to a day of rest tomorrow.

Congratulations to my friends who ran the Rocky Raccoon 25K trail run today and those running the 25K road race in Houston tomorrow.

PRE RUN
FRS & oatmeal w/brown sugar & 1% milk

POST RUN
weight = 156.5#
SlimFast & Kashi GoLean cereal w/1% milk

In September's Berlin Marathon, Haile Gebreselassie broke the marathon world record with a time of 2:03:59. Here's part of his inspiring story in his words >>>LINK<<<

Don't Worry; Be Happy

OBJECTIVE
4 mi. slow (> 8:38/mi.)

ACHIEVED
4.01 mi.@ 8:52/mi.

55F 77% 5 mph

PRE RUN
weight = 157.5
water & Clif bar

I really needed this slow, short run today. It was scheduled for yesterday and I should have taken it then. I've been pushing mileage and pace for a week now and my body really isn't too happy about it. My legs are sore and achy. My abs - particularly lower abs - feel strained too. My build up hasn't followed conventional wisdom and I'm certain I shouldn't have run 20 miles last Saturday "just because I can". That was pretty stupid.

Today I just tried to settle in at a relaxed, comfortable pace and kept reminding myself to take it slow. I caught myself repeatedly looking at my watch which is certainly a symptom of being too pace-oriented recently. All of this week I've been focused on hitting my times and wondering "if I could actually do it" since I adjusted my times for this training cycle to a 3:20 marathon. I've hit them all but it's been a slight stretch.

I've got a long run tomorrow then rest for Sunday. I think I'll follow the same training next week as a comparative. Hopefully Sunday's rest will serve me well!

POST RUN
chocolate milk, multivitamin, water, oatmeal w/almonds, flax, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg & 1% milk

EARLY Morning ... Addiction ... ???

OBJECTIVE
6-8 mi. easy (8:08-38/mi.)

ACHIEVED
6.14 mi.@ 8:35/mi.

3:37 AM 64° 99% 3 mph

Yes, I was on the road at 3:37 this morning! You know you're early when passing by the donut shops and no one is even there yet.

This run wasn't that good. My legs are sore particularly my calves. I'm pretty sure it's yesterday's Big Workout and the overall mileage buildup. It's not the smartest thing in the world to jump from 16-18 miles per week up to 38 miles per week. Actually that's a huge invitation for injury. I've been under 20 miles per week since the marathon and I'll be around 38 miles this week with some intensity along the way. Hopefully I don't have an injury problem looming around the corner. I'll hold the mileage at the same level next week then add on a little the following week.

I think I'm off of the idea of running the 25K this weekend. Instead I'll just go get some miles Saturday morning. I suppose there's a good chance I'll be alone for that endeavor but I've decided that's okay.

PRE RUN
Clif bar & water

POST RUN
SlimFast & multivitamin
Later, Cheerios w/1% milk

"Smallest" Big Workout

OBJECTIVE
8 mi. including warm-up; 7 x 2 min.@ CV & 2 min. jogging recovery; cool down
CV = 6:26/mile

ACHIEVED
8.36 mi.@ 8:08/mile including
2.42 mi.@ 8:31/mile
6:34/
6:11/
6:12/
6:09/
6:22/
6:19/
6:20/
2.35 mi.@ 8:16/mile

6:06 AM 61° 100% 1 mph

The midweek Big Workout is always a mental challenge for me. The workout is tough but it’s always doable. And once it’s done, I always feel really good. It really is a confidence booster.

Today’s effort originally called for a total of 6 miles. However, I decided last night that 8 miles would be better. I’ll probably trim a couple miles off Saturday’s scheduled run in exchange. Last night I also completed the full complement of physical therapy exercises. My left knee has been feeling like something is lurking under the surface so I figured I had better get back with the program and complete my physical therapy. I haven’t been very diligent about doing it since the marathon – maybe only once a week when I’m supposed to be doing them twice.

I woke up a bit later this morning. My sleep pattern has been screwed up by the time change and I really haven’t done anything to get a handle on it. While running today, I decided I’m going to be more rigid with my waking up time. That will drive my “to bed” time to whatever I actually need to be getting sleep-wise.

I hung around the house a bit getting ready but I was really lingering because I wasn’t looking forward to the workout. The Big Workout always seems so ominous when it’s sitting there in front of me.

I finally got away from the house and drove to the YMCA. I haven’t run from there since well before the marathon. It was a very nice morning. I wanted to keep my warm-up and cool down in the “easy” pace range which I’ve determined to be 8:08 – 8:38 per mile.

The 2.4 mile warm-up felt pretty good. I had the pace around 8:31/mile. From there, it was time for the intervals. I hit it pretty hard right out of the gate. Over the course of the intervals, I was tested but made my time on every one but the first one. It seemed I alternated feeling really good and not-so-good.

I was surprised. It felt like I still have a great deal of overall fitness from the marathon but I’m clearly not where I was leading up to the marathon. My overall pace was very good and my interval pace was good too. This was a good workout for me to have at this point.

The next couple of days have easy runs on the schedule. I can chill out while getting ready to log a few miles on the weekend.

PRE RUN
weight = 158#
Water & FRS

POST RUN
SlimFast & multivitamin
Later, oatmeal w/flax, brown sugar & 1% milk

Opening the Door to Restart the Grind

OBJECTIVE
6 - 8 mi. easy (8:08 - 8:38/mi.)

ACHIEVED
6.17 mi.@ 8:21/mi.

5:48 AM 51° 100% 0 mph

Today's run was okay. It felt long and my calves were very tight for some reason. My pace was a bit faster than I wanted given tomorrow's scheduled Big Workout.

PRE RUN
weight = 156.5#
water

POST RUN
chocolate milk, multivitamin, & oatmeal w/flax, brown sugar & 1% milk

A Bit Sore

ACHIEVED
3 - 4 miles slow

OBJECTIVE
4.03 mi.@ 8:50/mi.

4:52 AM 48F 100% 0 mph

I got an early start this morning as the clocks changed from daylight savings time to standard time early Sunday morning. I also got a nap in early Sunday afternoon.

This morning's run went fine. My legs were sore, certainly from Saturday's miles, even though I took an ice bath when I got home from running Saturday. I can only imagine they would have been worse were it not for the ice bath. I rolled out the 4 mile "Stuebner-Airline Loop". Since I was supposed to be "slow" today, I wanted to keep it slower than 8:38 pace. This wasn't a problem with my legs being a bit balky.

I ran in new Saucony Grid Ignition shoes that I picked up on a whim Saturday afternoon. They felt light and comfortable when I tried them on in the store and again this morning before setting out. They're a cushioning shoe and seem to be "tilted" forward slightly more than my Mizuno's. Shortly after getting going, they were "just shoes", nothing special. I'll monitor my legs and feet for soreness today and tomorrow. It's not like me to just randomly try a new pair of shoes.

I'm considering racing this weekend in place of my scheduled long run. I'll have to see how I'm feeling as the week progresses. It seems the group I usually run with on Saturday is doing a trail run and some other runners that I occasionally join are doing a 25K race. I don't feel I'm really ready to race right now but know the 25K will be an easier way for me to get miles than on my own.

PRE RUN
weight = 158#
water

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & oatmeal w/flax, brown sugar & 1% milk

November 2 - 8 Training Schedule

Sun: rest
Mon: 3 - 4 miles slow
Tue: 6 - 8 miles easy
Wed: 6 miles with 7x2 min. @ CV w/2 min. jogging recovery
Thu: 3 - 4 miles slow
Fri: 6 - 8 miles easy
Sat: 12 - 14 miles easy (last 2 miles @ MP)

I am setting my paces for this training cycle as follows:

Easy = 8:08 - 8:38 per mile
Critical Velocity (CV) = 6:26 per mile
Marathon Pace (MP) = 7:38 per mile

There are 11 weeks until January 18 which is the date of the Phoenix marathon. This week will offer a good test for me to see where I am fitness- and recovery-wise after the St. George marathon and my relative easy subsequent weeks. I'll adapt the training schedule based on how I'm feeling.

I forgot to mention that I went to the Texas High School District 13-5A Championship meet last Friday. It's fun to watch the kids run and see the over-exuberance of almost all of them starting out way too fast. They also don't really have a concept of working together as a team which I believe would make a huge difference in meets of that type given the scoring that is used. Anyway here's a picture of my favorite runner of the day. He took 12th place in the junior varsity event.





While I'm on the topic of high school cross country, I want to give a huge congratulations to Syracuse High whose boys' team took 6th and girls took 7th at the Utah State Championship meet. The school opened in 2007 and had the extreme good fortune of Coach Roger Buhrley joining the staff. Coach Buhrley is a Utah coaching legend with far too many accolades to mention here. Suffice it to say, he's done it all ... several times. Many years ago Coach Buhrley introduced me to cross country and I find many of the lessons learned from him then help me with my running today. Thanks, Coach, and congratulations to you the Titans of Syracuse High.

Adding Some Miles

OBJECTIVE
20 mi. easy

ACHIEVED
19.53 mi.@ 8:18/mi.

6:39 AM 63° 91% 2 mph

Had a good run this morning with Laurie, Steph, Stacey, Josh, and Randy. The weather was great. I wasn't sure about going out for 20 miles today but felt great over the first 13 miles. From there, I was laboring. My cardio was fine but I had muscle fatigue. It was good to get out and cover this distance.

Thought more about the Phoenix marathon in January and I'm thinking I'll just register and train hard for it. If it works for me to go out for it then I'll go. If not then I'll just skip it and run my next marathon later in the Spring.

PRE RUN
water & oatmeal w/1% milk

POST RUN
2 SlimFast
Later, chocolate milk & GrapeNuts w/1% milk

Training Interruptus

OBJECTIVE
4 mi. easy

ACHIEVED
4.03 mi.@ 7:59/mi.

6:54 AM 52° 100% 0 mph

Well, it's now been 27 days since the marathon. I've been floundering around with my running "just enjoying" not being in an intense training cycle. While rolling out for 4 miles this morning, I loosely decided that I would begin training for the Phoenix marathon. The marathon is January 18. I'm not sure I'll actually run the marathon due to the holidays and my January work schedule. But I'm going to target this as my Boston qualifier so everything is going to be geared to coming in under 3:20. If I don't end up actually running Phoenix then I'll recalibrate and look for another marathon in April or May.

Today's run was good. It was fast and I felt good. The temperature was near-perfect.

Steph's group has a 20-miler scheduled for tomorrow and I'm planning to go the distance with them. That should be interesting since my weekly mileage has really been down since the marathon.

PRE RUN
nothing

POST RUN
weight = 155#
water, multivitamin, low-fat granola w/1% milk

Keep Running ... Don't Stop

OBJECTIVE
3 mi. easy

ACHIEVED
5.13 mi.@ 8:05/mi.

6:38 AM 39° 70% 4 mph

The plan was just to roll out for an easy 3 miles but I was feeling so good that I just kept going. I wasn't familiar with the area so a just started running along the roads. It was very cool so I wore sleeves, gloves and my stocking cap. The temperature felt fantastic shortly after I got going. The pace was lively as I cruised down a long, quiet street. The area was a bit warehouse-y/industrial. I hit a dead end about 1.4 miles in. My cumulative pace to that point was around 8:15/mile. I knew that I would be short if I just went straight back and finished so on the way back I found another street to turn down. I did a little out-and-back along this street which added about 3/4 mile. On the way back I was feeling so good that instead of turning down the finishing street, I just kept going straight until I hit another dead end. This added about 1.1 mile. I finally headed back. When I crossed my starting position, I only had 4.6 miles and figured I may as well make it an even 5 so I continued up the short street and ran around a large parking lot and back. I ended with 5.13 miles.

This may have been the easiest 5 miles I've ever run. I just wanted to stay out on the road as long as I could. I felt great physically cruising in the predawn air.


PRE RUN
orange juice, wheat toast & oatmeal w/granola & brown sugar

POST RUN
orange juice, Raisin Bran w/skim milk

Going Somewhere?

OBJECTIVE
3 mi. easy

ACHIEVED
3.02 mi.@ 7:20/mi.

6:12 AM 43° 100% 0 mph

Okay ... see what happens? Yesterday, I blog about some high-minded discipline then today I go out and go absolutely out of control! You'd think I was in a hurry to get somewhere or something.

Obviously this run was too fast. Yesterday was my birthday and I ate way too much of pretty much all the wrong things. I had thought I'd go for 6 miles as "punishment" this morning. But my late start curtailed that idea.

So what happened ... well, I rolled out the first half mile as usual. I think I was around 8:30/mile pace. Then I just decided, "I'm cutting this thing loose!" So I took off. I thought I'd just pick it up for a couple miles then ease it back home over the final half. But I kept pushing. This wasn't in all-out effort but it was very, very fast for an easy run that certainly didn't need to be. I felt good though. My legs and cardio were strong. The morning air was surprisingly cool.

My weekend running has some uncertainty due to a bit of traveling. I expect to log some miles though. I'll miss 18 miles with the regular crew tomorrow. I hate missing them but I'm sure they'll be okay without me. ha

Well, gotta go for now (it seems I'm still in a hurry to get somewhere...). I'm going to indulge in some high-class chocolate now that I've finished my lunch. It's a good thing birthdays only come around once a year!

PRE RUN
water

POST RUN
water, multivitamin, Kashi GoLean cereal w/2% milk

Finding the Line?

OBJECTIVE
4 mi. Easy

ACHIEVED
4.02 mi.@ 8:15/mi.

5:32 AM 55 70% 10 mph

It was a good run today. I had only mentally planned for 3 miles but as soon as I fell out of bed 4 is what was on my mind. It was cool so I wore sleeves but it was fine shortly after I got going. For a moment, I wished that I had worn gloves but it wasn't a problem. But it reminded me that I need to pull my gloves out of hibernation.

I've really just been letting my runs "happen" since the marathon. No discipline. No preconceived targets for time or distance. I'm feeling pretty good. This was my fourth consecutive day back in the saddle. I've been running short but the paces have quickened over the past couple days. I don't believe I've recovered from the marathon but I'm on my way back. One thing I've really tried to do lately is just enjoy myself. Not only with running but life in general. The marathon training cycle was a grind and it's good to have it in the rear view mirror. I'm really excited and eager for the future and my next big event. I keep reminding myself it will come soon enough. I just need to be patient with myself and the process to get there.

All of this got me thinking during today's run about boundaries. Recently I've been mentally calling it "finding the line". During the training cycle I had specific distances and objective times for every workout. In preparing for my two successful marathons, I was very effective in hitting those times and distances. It showed in the results. While my recent unconstrained running has felt so good, I've employed no boundaries and I've really enjoyed these runs - both the short ones and the long runs (even though I mentioned them being too fast for recovery). I've considered preparing for my next big event without employing any boundaries (or lines) - just do what feels good. I had convinced myself this would work out well and lead to a happy end result. However while running today, a bit of clarity started to formulate in my mind. Based on yesterday's excitement (i.e., my giddy pace), I don't necessarily think it's the best idea to not have the "lines" set before my runs. Of course I was even faster today. Which I'm not exactly sure what that means but I'm thinking I have a better handle on my limitations and where the lines need to be. I need to fine true this some for my next marathon. Obviously the objective is a Boston qualifying time. But in order to get there, I now believe there has to be constraints in my training. It will be incredibly difficult because there will be days when I will just feel like letting it go. Run and be free. But there are usually consequences later. From minor to very serious hurting that limits further activity.

I'm rambling but I suppose in summation ... I haven't known where the line is recently. I still don't know with precision where it needs to be. But I feel strongly that it should be there and I'm closer to knowing. As my heavy training starts soon, I plan to have this figured out soon.

PRE RUN
weight = 156.5#
nothing

POST RUN
SlimFast, multivitamin, oatmeal w/flax, brown sugar & 1% milk

Three in a Row

OBJECTIVE
3 mi. Easy

ACHIEVED
3.02 mi.@ 8:18/mi.

6:32 AM 60° 99% 1 mph

Rolled out another 3 for the third day in a row. Disappointingly the humidity didn't reach 100 percent this morning! ha My turnover felt really, really good during most of the run especially the back half. I wish I knew why.

I did do my physical therapy exercises in two parts over each of the last two nights. My left knee was feeling a bit achy and I haven't done any PT since the marathon so I figured I better get with it. I wonder if that somehow helped my turnover ...???

I also banged out 30 oblique crunches after the run ... just for extra credit!

PRE RUN
weight = 157#
nothing

POST RUN
Vanilla-cinnamon flavored 2% milk & multivitamin
Later, Kashi cereal w/ 1% milk

Unremarkable

OBJECTIVE
3 mi. Easy

ACHIEVED
3.03 mi.@ 8:34/mi.

5:57 AM 55° 100% 1 MPH

Another high humidity morning but it really isn't too bad when the temperatures are in the mid-50's.

Rolled out another easy 3-miler. I'm calling it unremarkable but I felt pretty good. It's also good to feel like I'm getting back into the routine of running again. Yes, I know it's only been two consecutive days but I've been hit-or-miss ever since the marathon. Next week I plan to get my mileage back up without the intensity then the following week I'll officially start a new training cycle. I'm still not sure what I'll be training for but just feel like I need to be "on cycle" to keep from floundering with my training.

PRE RUN
weight = 165#
water

POST RUN
SlimFast, multivitamin & 5 grain hot cereal w/1% milk

Cruise Control

OBJECTIVE
3 mi. easy

ACHIEVED
3.02 mi.@ 8:39/mi.

6:10 AM 52° 100% 0 mph mist

Yes, the humidity was actually 100% this morning! The mist that I noted above was the water vapor in the air. It was surprisingly cool too.

The best thing about this run is that I got it in. I slept in a bit and when I got up just planned to get on to work but decided I had time for 3 miles. I was surprised how easy the pace felt this morning. Without much effort, I was at the midpoint of my "easy" zone.

My legs are still a bit sore and "not quite right". I helped some neighbors with a move Saturday afternoon that turned into a three-hour ordeal. My muscles are sore in new places as a result.

My plan is to take it easy again this week and next then crank it up again. I'm likely the idea of running Phoenix in January but I know it won't be easy with the holidays and work and Cameron's baseball.

PRE RUN
weight = 157#
water

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & strawberry-flavored 2% milk (never as good as my grandma used to make!)