Saturday Morning Long Run

This week's long run was shorter than last week's: 8 miles. Time was 1:06:47 (8:21/mile pace). I felt a little fatigued during this run. I didn't sleep well last night, and I think Thursday's speed session took more out of me than I expected. Still, I managed to log the miles today without any injuries or problems. Money in the bank, I guess.
Next week, I think I'll skip the speedwork and focus on an even longer run of either 11 or 12 miles. I feel the need to work more on my endurance at this point in my half marathon training. I'll likely do a hilly run early in the week, plus a couple of easy runs, then the long run on Friday.
Enjoy your weekend and run strong!

Speedwork Thursday

At 10:00 this morning, I ran 6 miles on the Centennial Trail in Snohomish, where it was sunny and about 68 degrees F. Instead of doing speed work on a track this week, I decided to run them as part of this run. I ran the first mile as a warm-up (8:25), then ran 4 x 1/2 miles hard, 1/2 miles easy. Times were as follows:

3:23 hard, 4:13 easy
3:19 hard, 4:19 easy
3:20 hard, 4:13 easy
3:15 hard, 12:31 (1.5 mile cooldown)

These were HARD, but I was happy with how it all played out. First of all, these were true half miles (as opposed to the 800's on the track last week), and I didn't stop and rest in between each, as I did last week. I just slowed down and ran easy half miles until the next hard one. During the last hard segment, I had a nasty side stitch. I was surprised to have run it so fast, for me, anyway (6:30 mile pace). The total time for the run was 47:01 (7:50 mile pace). I'm not currently using a heart rate monitor, but my finishing HR was 150...but that was after the 1.5 mile cooldown. Still elevated above my usual finishing HR, but post-hard segments, it was likely much higher. Overall, this run was a confidence-builder.

My plan is to rest tomorrow, then run 8 miles on Saturday morning. Next week, I'll probably forgo the formal speed work. I may run some hills instead, then bump my long run up to either 11 or 12 miles.

Run in the Country, the Trifecta

This morning was our last in Spokane. I was on the road at 6:10am for the same 6-mile hilly run, which I ran in 48:27 (8:05 pace). I attacked the hills a little more than in the last two runs.
We just got home from the cross-state drive. I now have a troubling tickle in my throat and feel pretty fatigued. Hopefully this will pass with a good night's sleep. I also noticed that a tendon behind my left knee is tender. I'm guessing it could be from flying down the hills and probably pounding my legs too much. I need to work on my downhill running technique, I'm sure.
If I feel better tomorrow, I may do some trail running with my friend Arthur, who will be running his 4th Cascade Crest 100 mile trail race in the mountains this coming Saturday.

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).

Last run in the Pacific NW for awhile

Did my usual 5:50am run this morning on my neighborhood course. Ran 5.5 miles in 43:54 (7:59 pace) with a 1-mile surge of 7:01. It was sunny, but still a cool 46 when I went out. Tomorrow we're headed to St. Petersburg, FL for a vacation. The running down there won't be quite so enjoyable. Even with getting up to run early, it'll still be quite humid. I'll just reduce the mileage and/or pace & grind away. Incidentally, my new vacation book (and new addition to my running book library) is Bart Yasso's My Life On The Run. I'm looking forward to reading it.
My bike is going into the shop today to get prepped for the race in early August, so I'll pick it up when we get home and get in a few more hilly training rides.
I ended June with 66 miles of running, which is pretty modest, but it's the most in a month this year so far. I'll likely total fewer next month, since I'll be doing more cycling.
Have a great Monday!

Beautiful...and COLD...morning run

I started my 10-mile run this morning at 5:50am...wearing shorts and a tank top. Not a big deal normally, but it was 45 fricking degrees this morning! That said, I'm totally sold on the morning runs now (in summer...when it's not raining, anyway). It was beautiful. Blue sky, sun rising over the mountains, mist hovering over the fields and ponds around the Centennial Trail in Snohomish. Hardly any traffic adjacent to the trail. Bunnies every few miles. This is my out-and-back "long run" course (where I often bike), and when I started I wasn't sure if I'd go 8 or 10 miles. Okay, I really knew it would be 10, unless I felt horrible at the 4-mile mark. Fortunately, I didn't. Ran it in 1:21:28 (8:09 pace) with a finishing HR of 139. Time for some stretching, breakfast, then hopefully back out into the sun to enjoy the day. It'll be a perfect day for the Rock N Roll Marathon here in Seattle. Good luck to everyone running in it!

Here's how my training week looked:
Running - 3 runs, 20.5 miles / 2:44:37 (8:01avg)
Bike trainer - 2 rides / 120 min (incl 5 x 3min intervals)
Cycling - 1 ride, 25 miles / 1:31:41 (16.4mph)
Walking - 60 min
Strength training - 60 min

Have a great weekend!

Another (quick) morning run

After a pretty lousy night of sleep (wind noise outside, plus a sore back), I was up again at 5:00. I hopped in my truck and drove to Willis Tucker park to run 5 miles around the 1-mile hilly trail. It was cool and breezy, but felt good. I didn't set out to run progressively faster miles, but that's what happened: 8:01/7:50/7:48/7:46/7:28, for an average pace of 7:47/mile. That's approaching tempo run territory, and it's the first training run this year that I've gone faster than 8-minute pace. I probably pushed too hard, since my finishing heart rate was 152 (over 10 beats faster than normal). I made the mistake of saving my splits and noticed that, after 3 laps, I was getting faster each time and decided to continue that trend. There was something else I was going to write that seemed important to me while I was running, but it's gone now. Ah, those brilliant yet fleeting thoughts that grip us during our runs...oh well. Must not have been THAT important.
I ended up doing my strength training yesterday afternoon. I may do some pushups and call it a day, training-wise.
Train hard & smart!

Morning run, pre-6:00am!

Sing with me..."oh, what a beautiful moooorrniiing..."
I got up at 5:05, had some water and a granola bar, then hit the road at 5:50 for a very refreshing 5.5 mile run @ 44:14 (8:02 avg pace/mile). It was a brisk 50 degrees, but I wore my shorts & tank top anyway. The sun was rising into a light blue sky, peppered with a few sparse fluffy clouds. Wow, I'm so poetic this time of day.
I'm really enjoying the morning runs & will be sad when summer's over and I either run later, or venture out in the cold dark.
Now I think I'll take a quick ice bath, then I'm taking the day off to go to the zoo with the wife and kids. There's a new penguin exhibit that everyone's talking about, so the kids are anxious to see it.
Oh...back to training - I did decide to do a 60-minute spin on my trainer yesterday afternoon after my aborted ride. It was pretty steady with exception of a couple of 3-minute surges. After I was done, I realized that my back brake was sticking and I was pedaling against even more resistance than I though!
Tomorrow should be another bike ride...outside, I hope.
Enjoy your Tuesday!

Earlier and earlier

Got up at 5:15 this morning. Far too early for a Saturday, if you ask me, but I'm adjusting for the time change when we fly to Florida soon. Down there, I'll only be running early in the morning due to the heat, so I need to get used to getting up and running early here on the West coast. Anyway, I was out the door before 6:00 and ran 5.5 miles. My morning pace is starting to get faster as I adapt to it (8:09). Here's how the week ended, training-wise:
3 runs - 18 miles @ 2:28
1 bike ride - 25 miles @ 1:31
2 weights workouts - 40min total
I wasn't able to get the planned bike rides in, but will make an effort to get back out there next week.
Enjoy your weekend & happy Father's Day to all the fathers!

Early Morning Run

Got a busy day ahead, so I decided to get my run in early (6:15am). It was the first early morning run this year, and I felt SLOW. That's what I wanted today's run to be, so it worked out perfectly. 6.7 miles @ 55:56 (8:20 pace). Beautiful sunny, crisp morning. With my 5k next month (and most races, actually) starting in the early morning, I'll probably start doing most of my runs before breakfast. Okay, time for a shower & food!