Mids

Today I ran a mid-week, mid-distance, mid-pace run. "Mid" enough for ya? 7 miles @ 8:09 pace.
I wanted to run about 1 min/mile slower than 10k race pace. Might have been just a tad quick, but effort-wise, it was right on target. Felt strong toward the end. Also found a solution to my Garmin 305 heart rate monitor issue (where it reads far too high for the first 2-3 miles). Got a tip from a runner on the RunningAhead forum to put aloe gel on the contacts. It worked beautifully!

I think I'm finally at the very end of a long illness. Any coughing I'm now experiencing seems to be for the purpose of loosening junk in my chest, rather than from still being sick. My breathing and lungs felt strong during the run...finally.
Beautiful day. Sun, 58.

You've Got To Be Kidding, Part 2

Well, I indeed DID listen to the voice that said to run anyway! Just got back from an easy 4.5 mile run at an 8:38 pace. I'm waging war on this "perpetually being sick" crap.

And if you don't see a post from me again, you'll know what my stubbornness did to me...

;-)

Easy Run With Sore Legs

After taking yesterday off, I went out for an easy 3.5 mile run this morning. My quads and calves are still pretty sore from Saturday's 10k race and Sunday's romp up and down Tiger Mountain. The plan is for a fartlek run tomorrow.

Today's Run

Today's easy run.

Recovery Run

I ended the week with a slow and easy 3.5 mile run (8:49 pace / 119 finishing HR), for a 25 mile week (plus 20 on the bike). The legs feel GREAT after yesterday's 12-mile run.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Run in the Country, Part Deux

At 6:15am this morning, I went for a 6-mile run on the same course as Saturday's run, with almost the same time (49:04 today; 49:11 Saturday). Perhaps my average pace is starting to speed up, but I wanted to run this slower than I did (around 8:30 per mile instead of the 8:11 I ran). The effort felt lower than some recent slower runs, so maybe this is a sign if my fitness improving. My finishing HR was 130, which I was happy with. I may run this route again before we head for home tomorrow. I'll be back over here in October to run the Spokane Half Marathon (my WWFOR race).

Run in the Country

I'm here just northeast of Spokane, Washington. My dad and step-mom live on some acreage out here in the foothills, not far from Mt. Spokane. At 6:15 this morning, I headed out for a 6-mile run (49:11) over rolling hills through beautiful and peaceful farm country, with wheat fields all around.
About two miles into the run, 22 turkeys ran across the road in front of me. No, there wasn't a political convention taking place (ba-dum-bum. I'll be here all week, folks). No traffic, just the sun rising over the hills and a steady breeze undulating through the acres of wheat. There are several reason I run, and this morning was one of them. I could run forever out here.

This run gives me 30 miles for the week. It's the most weekly mileage I've run so far this year. In the past, that mark has usually been my "danger zone" - where my body starts breaking down. The difference between then and now, though, is that I have 8 months of moderate running and cycling behind me, whereas other times I'd ramp up to this mark much quicker. Still, I'm going to play it safe and back down just a bit next week. I'll shorten my long run and possibly substitute a run with a bike ride. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to do that every few weeks.

Going for a short family bike ride later this morning. It's beautiful over here! Sun and mid-80s. Time to enjoy the last bit of summer!

Friday Recovery Run

Did a short and slow run this morning. 4.5 miles in 38:53 (8:38/mi pace). Finishing HR was 127. Kept it slow intentionally, but after yesterday's 10-mile run, I didn't have much juice in my legs, anyway. Felt pretty good, though. No aches and pains.
We're off to Spokane for a few days. I'll try to get in a run or two while we're there, along with a bike ride.
Have a great weekend!

Beautiful Monday Morning!

Got out at 6:30am on a beautiful late summer morning for a little 4.5 mile run (8:21 pace; 128 finishing HR). Tomorrow morning I'll be doing a workout I haven't done in years - track intervals! I'm excited to do them! I'm planning on a 1.5 mile warmup, then 4x800 meters at around 3:30 each (with 2-min. rests), then a 1.5 mile cooldown. I don't necessarily need to do speedwork to train for my first half-marathon, but I'm really eager to do some. Not enough to be an injury risk (hopefully), but maybe enough to boost my threshold and average pace just a little. My current plan is to do this once a week, at most, and the rest of the week will be composed of a hill run, a long run (getting longer every other week), plus a couple of short, easy recovery runs. And if time (and energy) allows, I'll throw in an easy bike ride for cross-training purposes. This is all subject to change, of course.
Enjoy the rest of your Monday!

Friday Run

Ran an easy 3.5 miles this morning in 29:18 (8:22 pace), with an average heart rate of 123. I'm looking forward to a long run of 8 miles tomorrow morning.
Happy Friday!