First 20 Miler in Prep for Chicago

Today was our first 20 miler of the fall season. I woke up at 4:20, ate a Clif bar, and drank 12oz. of Accelerade. We ran the first 20 miles of the Freescale course which for me has many memories...not all good. The last time I ran this course was this past February and it turned out to be a miserable day...crappy weather which resulted in a crappy day. I did crack through my mental block that day and my races ever since have all been PRs so that is one good thing that did come out of that day.

As for today, I met the gang at RunTex at 5:15 and we drove up in Anne's truck to the Gateway shopping area. G gave us our instructions to run the first 15 miles as we feel and then run the last 5 miles hard. We started out slow and then ran as the course dictated. I love the top part of this course...all down hill except for the first mile. We got to the industrial area where G was waiting with some water. I drank a bit and then took a pee. We circumvented the industrial area and then headed under 183 and down Shoal Creek. G was there again so I drank my first dose of Enervitene (used it every 4 miles) and took another cup.

Mile 1 - 8:57, Mile 2 - 8:21, Mile 3 - 8:36, Mile 4 - 8:28, Mile 5 - 8:33

Jan and a guy I didn't know were up ahead of Patrick, Anne and I, and was running really strong. We got onto the start of the road that runs parallel to MoPac and did another hydration adjustment. One of the other folks in the group made a comment about peeing in the bushes...I guess he isn't a real runner. We made it through the top of the course pretty well and got onto 45th street where they are doing a bunch of construction. We all got stuck in some mud that looked like dirt. It sucked having to run with that extra weight on our shoes. I switched sides of the road to avoid the construction. I was beginning to feel a little fatigued, but it soon went away once I got back in my rhythm.

Mile 6 - 8:20, Mile 7 - 8:28, Mile 8 - 8:12, Mile 9 - 7:29, Mile 10 8:47

We ran down Duval and through the campus. G and Henry were waiting for us just across from campus on Trinity around mile 12 I guess. I drank some water and gatorade and we were off again. The nasty little hill right past the marathon halfway point seemed really small today. We hit that pretty easy and then climbed the next little hill, around the capitol and down Congress. We made the turn onto the dreaded section of 6th street to the out and back. This part has always been my graveyard and I wasn't going to let it get to me this time.

Mile 11 - 8:20, Mile 12 - 8:02, Mile 13 - 8:11, Mile 14 - 8:24, Mile 15 - 8:33

We hit mile 15 and I tried to pick it up a bit. We got to the Chevron on Lake Austin for our last water and I drank my last bit of Enervitene. My stomach was grumbling big time...not a good thing. I decided I needed to stop at the Randalls to fix my stomach problem. I ate a few Kashi granola bars on Friday and that may have caused my stomach issues...definitely need to remember that next time. I was good to go after my stop and got into a really good rhythm. I ran by my crew on the way to Memphis to the turnaround. I ran back to the Rock and continued on the road past AHS and onto the trail. I climbed the stairs at the Pfluger bridge and then ran toward the zero mile marker. I finished strong and didn't feel too bad. I was able to keep my heart rate in the low 140s...very good news.

Mile 16 - 7:53, Mile 17 - 7:58, Mile 18 - 8:06, Mile 19 - 8:07, Mile 20 - 7:51

I drank a bunch of water and headed over to do my strides. I did 4 strides and then headed over to RunTex to get my Endurox and stretch. I did the full routine and then headed home.


Stats - 20.16 Miles/2:47:01/8:17 Pace
AHR - 141
MHR - 158

Another Recovery Run

After yesterday's brutal workout, we met at 6AM today for a recovery run. The troops were very thin this AM, just us die-hards (Jan, Patrick, Anne, and Richard). We ran clockwise on the trail to break up the monotony of our third day out there this week. I broke out my new shoes and they felt like slippers. I am so happy I got them before the long run this weekend. We ran about two minutes slower than on Tuesday. I think we are all a tired this week with the higher intensity workouts. I ran 4 strides on the trail and then headed to the gym where I did a brief weight workout.

Tomorrow I am going to sleep late and not do anything other than drink a lot and eat plenty of carbs!! 20 Miles on Saturday!

Stats - 7.02 Miles/1:02:53
AHR - 128

Wednesday at Wilke

Today we joined the rest of the fall marathoners for some fun climbs at Wilke. We ran from RunTex Riverside to the hill, did our drills and got our instructions from G. We were supposed to do 7-10 forward, 3 backwards, and then 3 of the sprints at the top. I got through my first few repeats OK and felt stronger than the last time we did these. After 5, I started to feel tired. G told me to stick with 7 which was a relief. I finished my last two strong and then went halfway down the hill to do my 3 backward repeats. Those hurt worse than going forward. I really focused on my form for all my repeats and didn't get yelled at so I must have done them right.

I was beat after the run and we jogged back pretty slowly. The rest of the day I was really out of it. I think I am still a bit tired from my travels and the intensity of the week is catching up with me.

Tomorrow is another 7 mile recovery run; Friday is a rest day, and then we have the 20 miler on Saturday...WOO HOO!

Stats - 8.55 Miles
AHR - 130
MHR - 167

Recovery Run

With our new schedule we ran a 7 mile recovery run today around the trail instead of being with our Tues/Thurs mates doing circuit. 7 miles seems long for a recovery run, but if we want to hit the times we are shooting for, we need to increase our mileage. The run was good and we went at a very comfortable clip. I was able to keep my heart rate down and just enjoy the run.

We finished with some strides and I headed to the gym for an abbreviated weight workout on my upper and lower body.

Stats - 7.01 Miles/1:02:17/8:53 Pace
AHR - 133

Pace Run

We finally made it back to Austin last night at 10:30PM. After about 5 hours of sleep I woke up and met the group at RunTex for the Monday pace run. Today G sent us out to do 10 miles composed of a 20 minute warmup, 40 minutes at run how you feel pace, and a cool down for the remainder of the run. We did the first two miles really slow at 19:22 and then hit it for the 40 minute pace run. I ran 5.41 miles in 40:42 which was a 7:31 pace. I did a 2.79 mile cool down to complete the 10 mile loop. I did 4 strides and called it a day.

I was happy to run as well as I did since I was so tired. This week and the month of August are going to be a real bear, but we are only 11 weeks away and we have to pay our dues now.

Stats - 10.2 miles
Pace run - 5.41 miles/40:00/7:31 pace
AHR - 147
MHR - 171

LSR in Vermont

Today I did my long run up in Vermont with Craig. We took off around 5:30 since we had to get back for the TLGI meetings. It was really nice in the AM. I was actually cold, but we warmed up really quickly once we got going. We headed north up the same hill as Thursday, but at a slower clip. The climb on this section starts at 1876 ft. and peaks at 2360 ft. at the 2.4 mile mark. On the turnaround this big ass doberman decided to run across the highway with teeth showing. It really scared the crap out of me, but luckily the owner heard and yelled at the dog to come back into the yard.

We got the six mile mark where we left some gatorade and carboom in the rental car. Some folks from TLGI ran by and headed south on a road in front of the resort. We finished our gatorade and headed off to chase down the TLGI folks. We headed out 3 miles and turned around. This 6 miles was not flat either but not as steep as the first 6 miles. It was more rolling with a low at 1918 ft., climbing to 2140 ft., dropping back down to 1824 ft., and back up to 2076 ft. and back down to the resort. We picked up the pace the last two miles running a 7:51 and a 7:38.

This was my slowest run of the long runs to date and I credit that to the hills, but I am still maintaining my goal of running at least 8:40 for all my long runs leading up to Chicago. It's been a great week of workouts while on vacation. I covered over 39 miles in 5 runs including 24 miles in the hills of Vermont.

Stats - 12.01 Miles/144:12/8:40 pace
AHR - 139
MHR - 178

Hilly Run, Weights, and Stretching

Today I ran the same route as yesterday, the hills on VT 100, but at a faster pace. I ran with my brother in law, Craig, on a beautiful morning here in the mountains. The first climbed seemed a little harder than yesterday, but after that I recovered nicely and then hit the rest of the run. The ranges for the miles going up were 8:35-8:42 and coming down from 7:32 - 7:54. I know I pushed it more coming down than yesterday and felt really good. I was focusing on my form so that may have helped me coming down.

After I got back to the hotel, I did most of my weight and ab routine. I watched today's stage of the tour on the TV while I did the full stretching routine. It was a good morning of exercise. We decided to bag the mountain biking since we did so much already.

Stats - 6.03 miles/49:28/8:12 pace
AHR - 144
MHR - 169

Nice Run in Vermont

It's day two of our time in Vermont and I headed out around 8AM for my Wednesday easy run. The weather was really nice and dry. The temps were probably in the high 60s or low 70s when I started. I ran out onto VT highway 100 which is the main road into the resort area. The shoulder is pretty narrow in most of the areas, but there is a newly paved section that starts right in front of the resort that had a wider shoulder. I started out heading North on the highway and faced a nice climb. I can't wait to get back to my Garmin SW at home to see how much the elevation changed. Once I got past the first climb, there were a lot more smaller climbs and flat areas. I ran three miles out and it was all uphill. It was nice to practice some of my uphill skills. Once I hit the 3 mile mark I turned around and it was all downhill back to the resort entrance before I had to finish the run with an uphill climb to the resort...really nice. My heart rate was in the high 150s and low 160s for the climbs, but once I got going downhill, it dropped all the way into the 120s...very minimal work at all.

I haven't seen a running track, or a high school for that matter, so I am going to replicate today's workout with a little more intensity tomorrow. I may also try some mountain biking if my brother in law, Craig, is up for it. For Saturday's long run I will do two loops of this run so I can get some water and take a Carboom at the midway point.

Stats - 6.01 Miles/50:16/8:22 pace
AHR - 135
MHR - 163

Sweltering Run in Central Park

Today I ran in Central Park again, but the weather was terrible. It was only 8:15 when I started, but it was hot, humid and the air was just stagnant. It seemed like the most oppressive weather I have run in this summer...and that includes runs in the Austin and Phoenix heat.

I jogged to the park from the hotel which was a little over a half a mile. I started out wanting to do a tempo run, but it was way too hot. I ran the first two miles in 18:03 and then picked up the pace. I ended up running 4.77 miles as the "pace" part of the run, but only covered that portion in 37:41/7:54 pace. As evidenced by my average heart rate for the workout, it was a bitch out there.

It was nice to run again in Central Park before we took off for Vermont...I kind of felt like I knew the loop a little better. Another hard workout in the books as I get ready for Chicago.

We had a nice drive to Vermont and it was nice to get out of the city. We are now at a resort in Mt. Snow and it is very rustic. There isn't any type of fast food within a long way and just a lot of outdoorsy things to do. Tomorrow I will do an easy run if I can find a place to run. I will run again on Thursday and then do my 12 miler on Saturday before my meetings.

Stats - 6.77 Miles
AHR - 147
MHR - 163

Easy Run in Central Park

Today I dropped the girls off at American Girl for their day of shopping and headed over to Central Park for a long, easy run. The weather here in New York is kind if drizzly, warm and humid. I started out near the Plaza hotel and ran north into Central Park. I did a whole loop of the park among a bunch of runners and cyclists. It was really a great run. It brought back memories of last November finishing the NYC marathon in Central Park. I wish I felt as good then as I did today, but it was still a nice memory. When I finished I took a roundabout way back to the hotel which was like a mile cool down.

This afternoon I am off to NikeTown to see what kind of trouble I can get into there. Tomorrow is tourist day so I will probably just use the walking as my workout and get another 7-8 miler in the park on Tuesday AM before we head to Vermont.

Stats - 8.03 Miles/1:07:53/8:03 pace
AHR - 132
MHR - 148

Long Run to 2222

Today I met Anne at RunTex to do our long run to 2222 and back. The rest of the group is going to run tomorrow, but since we are flying to NYC later this afternoon, I wanted to get my run in before I left and Anne was willing to go a day early. We left at 5:30 and it was actually kind of nice. The temps were a little cooler due to the big storms on Thursday night and it was cloudy until about the last mile of the run.

We stopped for water and a Enervit gel a the bathrooms just past the Hula Hut and then stopped again for water at the cleaners. We headed up Mt Bonnell and my legs were burning. I put a bag of gatorade at the peak before the run so it was nice to stop for some a nice drink at the top. We headed down the backside to 2222 where I drank have of an Enervitene liquid package and killed the rest of my gatorade. We headed back up and it was actually a really nice run. A couple of the climbs were killers, but I was very happy with the way my body recovered on the fly through all of the big climbs. We stopped at the top again and grabbed another bottle of gatorade. We ran down to 35th street and over to Exposition. I placed two more bottles of gatorade at O'Henry and we stopped there for a last drink and the last bit of the Enervitene. We picked up the pace for the last couple of miles and finished in a solid time.

We did 6 strides and then called it a day. It was a really good workout on a good summer running day in Austin.

Stats - 16.73 Miles/2:20:48/8:25 pace
AHR - 141
MHR - 165

Short Ladder at AHS

Today I really should have rested for tomorrow's 18 miler, but I haven't done any track work in so long that I decided to go. We ran over to AHS, did our drills and then set off on a series of 1x1 Mile, 1x1200, 1x800, and the multiple 400s. I think G wanted us to do between 3 and 6 400s. I started with a group that included Sean, Joseph, Lucy and a couple of other folks. I had a hard time keeping up...my legs are still really sore from Tuesday. I ran the mile in 6:40...slow! I did the 1200 in 5:04, the 800 in 3:15, and I only did one 400 in 1:34. My legs were really beat today so I called it a day after a set of each.

My "newer" shoes have a slight tear in the fabric of the right outer heal and it has caused a nice blister on my foot. I put a bandaid on it this AM, but could feel it after the workout. Since freakin' RunTex never has my shoes and size in stock, I am going to have to figure out something for tomorrow's long run. Hopefully it won't cause me any major discomfort in the morning.

Tomorrow should be interesting for me. I have never done the Mt. Bonnell to 2222 run before. I am glad that Anne volunteered to run with me tomorrow. Running 18 miles by yourself really sucks.

Stats - 5.95 Miles

Easy Run in Circle C

Today I ran easy in Circle C with the goal of 5 miles and a mid 8:00 pace. It was already warm when I hit the road at 7:15. I went without a shirt which is really scary, but since I am feeling lean, what the hell. My legs and body were really stiff from yesterday's circuit training. I did my usual run down to Escarpment to 45 and back with an extra half mile on the north side of LaCrosse. It was a nice little run.

Stats - 5.12 Miles/43:14/8:26 pace

My heart rate monitor was FUBAR for some reason so no heart stats.

Circuit Training at AHS

Today I joined the Gazelles for circuit training at AHS. I usually don't like this workout, but with all the strength training I have been doing over the past few months, today wasn't too bad. I went sans watch today since the heart rate thing hurts when you lay on it and it is hard to do pushups with the big Garmin on. We ran the warmup at an easy clip and then did the drills. We had to do a 400 and then go into the workout. It was step-ups with the big arm swing, pushups, back raises, leg raises, sitting squats against the fence, and then lunges. I did 4 sets and felt pretty good when we were done. I was soaking wet when we finished, but felt great.

Jay and I decided to take the long way home and run on the trail counterclockwise from the Rock and then back to RunTex. This only adds about .8 mile, but it did get us a bit over 5 miles for the morning

Stats - 5.17 miles

10 Mile Pace Run

Today we jumped to the 10 mile mark for our Monday pace run. The goal was to do 5 miles at 60% effort and 5 miles at run how you feel. I ran with Anne, Patrick and a new guy named Chris. It was weird to run 10 miles again after Saturday's 10 miler.

We ran the first 5 miles in 42:36/8:31 pace. We stopped at next to the power plant for water and a quick potty break. I forgot my gel, so and would feel it a bit later. We continued on and I used my Garmin to kick off the pace run at the 5 mile mark. I went out pretty quick for the first mile and then slowed the next 3...I was able to get it back for the 5th mile. My splits were 7:20, 7:29, 7:41, 7:59, and 7:34. I stopped at the Pfluger bridge for water and it was plain hot. I skipped water at the Rock and then drank a little at the railroad tracks. I think a gel would have helped keep my energy level up. It definitely wasn't my best effort. My times were all over the map and not consistent at all. I need to work on consistency for the marathon. We have 89 days until race day...it's coming fast!

I did 4 strides and then headed to the club for a quick weight workout and some stretching. I haven't lifted in 3 weeks so it felt good to get in there again. I did an abbreviated set and then did a quick stretch routine and headed to the office.

Stats - 10.21 Miles/1:22:19/8:04 pace
Pace Run - 5.21 Miles/39:38/7:36 pace
AHR - 149
MHR - 168

Back Down Week - 10 Mile Long Run

Today was a backdown week after building the last two weeks from 14 to 16. It was a nice change especially after two hard efforts last week with the Relay and the tempo run on Thursday. It was also nice to be back with the group after running the last two long runs by myself in Florida and Arizona. The weather was back to normal after a rainless Friday.

The group met at 6:30 at RunTex, which has become a total zoo on Saturday mornings with the Rogue group going after the masses. I took off with Anne and we took off at a pretty good pace...probably faster than we should have, but not a big deal since we were only going 10 miles. We went counter-clockwise on the trail and then peeled off North at the rock up to Enfield, down Exposition and back to the trail for the last two miles. I at a Carboom at the 5 mile mark and drank some water. I also drank some PowerAde at Henry's station at O'Henry middle school. That was pretty much it for fluids and nutrition.

I was able to get the last 4 miles under 8 minute pace and dropped the last two miles well below my marathon goal pace.

Mile Splits - 8:07, 8:11, 8:22, 7:46, 8:06; 8:48, 7:54, 7:58, 7:20, 7:20

I did 4 strides and then stretched with the group.

Sunday is a rest day and then I have a compressed week due to our vacation. We have our tempo run going to 10 miles tomorrow...5 easy and 5 hard. Tues and Thursday are the Gazelle workouts, Weds is my easy day and I am going to do my 18 miler on Friday before we fly to New York.

Stats - 10.01 Miles/1:20:00/7:59 pace
AHR - 150
MHR - 172

Easy Run in the Hood

Today I blew off the weight workout and made up some missed mileage from mid-week. The weather was actually a bit cooler from the thunderstorms last night. It was in the mid-60s, but the humidity had to be near 100%. I ran my usual 4 mile course plus an additional mile in Circle C. I wanted to make it a truly easy run so I tried to keep my heart rate in the 130s. It only went into the 140s during the hill going out and back and then when I picked it up at the end. It was a nice little run.

Stats - 5.31 Miles/45:39/8:35 pace
AHR - 131
MHR - 147

Tempo Run

After two days of being a slug and no running due to my cold, I headed back to join the group for the 4 mile tempo run on Town Lake. Usually I complain about this workout, but I was eager to get out there and run. We did a mile warmup and the Gazelle drills. I am still feeling kind of crappy so I didn't know what to expect. My goal was to go sub 28:00 since my current PR for this run is 28:21. We took off and I chased Lucy and Joseph with Anne running even with me. I lost Anne before the halfway mark and passed Lucy and Joseph before Lou Neff point. Lucy was breathing really hard. When she is in shape she will crush me...only a matter of time. I continued on trying to catch Patrick, but he was too far ahead. Without my rabbits, I tailed off at the end...a lot more than I wanted too. I was still happy to PR by 29 seconds. All of my Gazelle 5 teammates PR'd so it was a great day.

I stretched and chatted with the group afterward and headed to work. I need to run an easy 4-5 miles tomorrow and hit the weights. I need to get back on that program again since I have slacked off with all my travels of the past two weeks.

Splits - 7:01, 6:58, 6:32, 6:56

Stats - 5.23 Miles
Tempo Run - 4 Miles/27:52/6:58 pace
AHR - 166
MHR - 192

Silicon Labs Marathon Relay

After getting in two hours late last night and not being able to fall asleep, I woke up at 5 to get to the Silicon Labs Marathon Relay. This is a first time event here in Austin and I put together a team of friends from the Gazelles. We called ourselves "The Gazelle 5" - the team included me, Jay, Jan, Patrick, and Amy. Each of us ran a leg - 12k, 10k, 5k, 10k, and 5k. It was a warm morning with some clouds, but it got really hot for the last two legs (Patrick and Jay). Carla and the girls went with me so it was an extra special day for me. They usually only come to the marathons, but not the smaller races. Jan brought a cool canopy tent so we set that up and arranged all the coolers of drinks and food...what a team effort!

I went off first and ran the 12k. The course was mile 18 - 21.5 of the Freescale marathon course. It was nice to run it feeling good since I have never run that area feeling good in February. I wanted to run about a 7:15 pace, but was tired from my trip to Phoenix as well as not feeling too well. I ended up running a 56:04 which was a 7:30 pace. I was happy with my effort since it was so hot. It was also a great workout to replace my usual Monday pace run.

The rest of the team did awesome as well...especially in the heat. We ended up coming in 13th pace out of 119 teams in the mixed open division. This event will be on my yearly running calendar. It was a great day to celebrate our passion for running and our independence with good friends.

Stats - 7.47 miles/56:04/7:30 pace

Splits - Mile 1 - 7:10, Mile 2 - 7:14, Mile 3 - 8:27, Mile 4 - 7:08, Mile 5 - 7:45, Mile 6 - 7:44, Mile 7 - 7:33, Mile 7.47 - 6:49 (pace)

Easy Run in Phoenix

Today I wanted to get in a few miles to offset all my Mom's great cooking. I went with my Dad and brother to the Paseo tennis club and took off running on the banks of one of the canals. I did a couple of two mile loops and headed back to the club. It was about 7:30 and already really warm outside.

I ended up picking up the racket for a quick set of doubles and really enjoyed myself. I used to be a pretty good player in college and my old skills came bck pretty quickly. I need to get a new racket and get out and play more. It was a lot of fun.

Stats - 4.32 Miles/37:05/8:34 pace
AHR - 138
MHR - 153

LSR in Tucson

Today I ran my long run in Tucson at my brother's house. I flew into Phoenix last night and drove down to Tucson. We had a nice dinner at one of my old favorite's, El Charro. It wasn't the best pre long run dinner, but I couldn't pass up the Carne Seca tacos.

I got up at 5AM and headed out the door. I decided to do 3+ mile loops around my brother's neighborhood. It was nice and dry, 6% humidity, when I started and in the 70s. The desert and surrounding mountains were beautiful with the sun rising. I put an ice chest with some gatorade in the front yard along with my carbooms and took off.

I rotated going clockwise and counterclockwise so the terrain would look a little different. I was able to run on a dirt patch for about a mile of each loop so that helped with the pounding. My dinner came back to haunt me after my first two loops so I made a stop. I ate Carboom at 6 and 9 miles. I was able to keep a really good pace for the 16 miles and think it was due to the lack of humidity. Hopefully that translates into good times for Chicago.

Mile 1 - 8:25, Mile 2 - 8:17, Mile 3 - 7:58, Mile 4 - 8:11
Mile 5 - 8:01, Mile 6 - 8:03, Mile 7 - 7:56, Mile 8 - 8:05
Mile 9 - 7:54, Mile 10 - 7:58, Mile 11 - 7:58, Mile 12 - 8:08
Mile 13 - 7:59, Mile 14 - 8:04, Mile 15 - 8:12, Mile 16 - 7:56

Stats - 16.01 miles/2:09:15/8:04 pace
AHR - 149
MHR - 165