One Mile Repeats at Zilker

Today we ran mile repeats at Zilker. I haven't done these since May...which is hard to believe. We ran over in the dark, did our drills and then headed out. I was in a group of about 6-8 people including Sean and Anne. We were supposed to do 5 repeats, go no faster than 6:50 and then figure it out from there.

I ran the first one in 6:59 and felt pretty good. It usually takes me 2 or 3 to get fully warmed up. I did the second and third in 6:43 and slowed for the fourth one since it was just Sean, Anne and I. The others were really pushing the pace in the previous one. I ran the last one with Anne and Jayna and wanted this one to be the best one; I did it in 6:36! I averaged 6:46 for the 5 repeats which is 8 seconds faster my May average and 46 seconds faster than my average from September of 2004.

I ended up with over 200 miles for the month and feel really strong. My back is feeling a lot better and once the stress of my current project is over in 12 days, I can really focus on getting mentally ready for the marathon.

Stats - 9.27 Miles
(heart monitor FUBAR again!)

Another Recovery Run

Today I met Sean at Town Lake for another 7 mile recovery run. Today we ran clockwise and took it a bit slower. I got back to RunTex and headed over the the club where I did my leg and arm exercises. I cut my ab workout short since my back has been bothering me. I thin it is stress, but I got in to see Lucy this afternoon to get it worked on. She worked on my back and did the usual leg stuff. Nothing major was out of whack, just the usual tightness. She showed me a way to stretch my back on the ball which I need to do at home in the AM and PM.

Tomorrow we have mile repeats at Zilker...YEA!

Stats - 6.95 miles/1:05:09/9:23 pace

Recovery Run

Today was a 7 mile recovery run at Town Lake. I ran with Anne, Marci and Greta. We were all feeling pretty good after our long run on Saturday. I think all of us were a bit dehydrated on Saturday and are still recovering from that. We took the run easy at first, but gradually drifted up in speed as we went on. We stopped for water at the Pfluger bridge and at the rock. My right knee was hurting a bit at the end, but now feels fine. The air was a little drier today, but still warm. I guess the big hurricane in Louisiana is giving us northerly winds...but not cooler temps. The hurricane is really wreaking havoc on that part of the US and it is really sad. I did 4 strides at Auditorium shores. I went to the club and did my ab exercises (3x20 leg raises, 2x100 bicycle crunches) and did the full stretching routine.

Stats - 7.01 miles/1:01:53/8:50 pace

22 Miler

Today we ran our longest run of the season. I have had stomach issues since Thursday afternoon. I mixed organic and regular milk in my cereal Thursday morning and I guess it is a no-no. I have had a sour stomach since then. I finally had to take Immodium last night and another dose this AM to stop it. I drank all day yesterday, but I still think I was a bit dehydrated at the start.

We ran the Freescale course starting at Gateway with a little more mileage on the Lake Austin out. We were supposed to run all the way to Enfield and then turn around. G and Henry provided water and Gatorade about every 4 miles and I drank Enervitene at these stops. I drank more and more as the miles passed because I was dehydrated. It felt like Chicago 2003...not a good sign. I still managed to stay within my goal LSR pace of less than 8:40, but that makes two weeks in a row I struggled with my long run. I was happy to finish and did pick it up a little at the end. We have one 20 miler left and I need to go out slower and run the last 5-6 miles at my 7:40 MGP.

My new orthotics worked great and I didn't have any issues at all with my legs. I went to Barton Springs with Anne and that felt really good. Caroline played in a soccer tournament all day and I stood and walked a lot. I think that really helped my recovery.

Splits -

Miles 1-5 - 9:26, 8:46, 8:38, 8;36, 8:18

Miles 6-10 - 8:42, 8:38, 8:42, 8:44, 8:56

Miles 11-15 - 7:58, 8:21, 8:18, 8:41, 7:02 (must be an error)

Miles 16 - 20 - 8:42, 8:23, 8:14, 8:12, 8:18

Mile 21 - 21.57 - 8:46, 4:38 (8:09 pace)

Stats - 21.57 Miles/3:03:10/8:30 pace

Easy Run in Circle C

Since school is back in session, I am back to taking the girls to school two days a week. Therefore I have to run Thursdays in the neighborhood. Today I did my 4 mile out and back with some additional mileage. I need to find a good 7 mile route to keep up with my normal routine. Today's shorter mileage was fine since the planned 22 miler is on Saturday.

Stats - 5.4 Miles/44:34/8:15 pace
AHR - 135
MHR - 152

Tempo Run

Today we did a 4 mile tempo run on the trail. It's been a rough few days so I didn't know what to expect. We did the 1 mile warmup jog to the Pfluger bridge and back, and then we did our drills. Some of the newbies bailed on the drills and took off before G got there...they will learn :). G told us to be careful in the dark and to make each mile faster.

I took off chasing Kenny Hill and another lady and wasn't really running with anyone. I felt comfortable the first mile. The second mile is the trail over the bridge, around the hairpin and through the really dark areas. I took that one a bit slower so I wouldn't hurt myself on the cement drop off areas. Once I got out of the dark I went a little harder. I hit the turnaround and saw that Sean was on my heels. He has a solid kick so I my goal for the final two miles was to finish ahead of him. I picked up the pace since the sun was coming up and I could see better. I kept pushing to the one mile mark and tried to pick it up even more. I was feeling really good and comfortable. My fastest mile was the last one with G yelling at both Sean and I to finish strong. I crossed the line with Sean right on my heels. He said every time he made a move I countered, so it was a lot of fun. I have to say that after the last few days, I really have my confidence back. I was only 10 seconds slower than my PR for this run and this morning had to be one of the warmest of the summer...78 degrees at the start. I actually picked up speed over the last 3 miles and was only 3 seconds off from getting progressively faster for all 4 miles.

4 Mile Splits - 6:58, 7:01, 6:53, 6:47

Tomorrow I will be doing my recovery run around around Circle C and then we have the 22 miler on Saturday.

Stats - 6.21 total miles
Tempo run - 4 miles/28:02/7:01 pace (my Garmin said 4.06 miles, but since we run the same course for all of our tempo runs, I am sticking with 4 miles)
AHR - 160
MHR - 173

Recovery Run

Today I ran my normal Tuesday recovery run at the Lake. The group has dwindled down to just me but it was kind of nice running by myself in the dark. I ran clockwise on the trail and actually felt pretty good running for the first time since last Thursday. I slept really well last night and that made a big difference. I ran into Sean at about the 4.5 mile mark going the other direction...he was late a usual. I got back to RunTex and zipped over to the club for a light weight workout (leg extensions, leg curls, calf raises, chest press, and lat pull down) as well as the ab workout.

Stats - 7.04 Miles/1:01:53/8:47 pace

Hills of Meriden

Today we had a really hard workout at Meriden. I slept like crap again last night, so I was a little groggy gettting up this morning. G told us to meet at RunTex Riverside and run over to Meriden and 11th, but only about 5 of us actually did that. It was about 3.2 miles to get to the workout so I knew it was going to be a really long morning. G wanted us to do 5 repeats at about 15 seconds slower than our 1000 meter repeats. Sean and Anne weren't there so I kind of ran between groups. I went too slow for the first repeat and felt good. I picked it up for the next three and then dropped off a lot for the 5th one. My legs were toasted and I wasn't feeling so hot.

Repeat splits - 4:40, 4:31, 4:31, 4:33, 4:45

I did two of the uphill repeats and got really dizzy. I sat and rested for a bit and called it a day. I ran back to RunTex by myself not feeling so good. I got water at the Rock and along the trail. I headed to the club and did my ab workout (2x80 bicycle crunches and 3x20 leg raises). That's two rough workouts back to back. I hope I can catch up on my sleep and get back into a better routine.

Stats - 10.36 Miles
AHR - 133
MHR - 173

14 Miler to "Mountain Bonnell"

After my second night of minimal sleep (3.5 hours), I got up at 5 to meet the group for a 14 mile out and back to Mt. Bonnell. Carla and I went to see Chicago and Earth, Wind and Fire in San Antonio last night. It was a great show, but I didn't fall asleep until 1:30AM. I only got about 5 hours of sleep on Thursday night after taking the late flight out of San Jose. I wanted to sleep in, but I needed to get up and do the run.

As for the run, I struggled early on. My stomach had a fit at mile 3 and I had to peel off. I don't understand what the problem is. I think it could be the Accelerade, so this week I will go with straight Gatorade for the pre-run drink and eat a Carboom prior to the start for more effect. I started out with Jan, but lost her when I had to stop. When I got back on the road, I think I was at the very back of the pack. I got water at Red Bud and ate a Carboom and took off again. I was probably running too fast during this part trying to catch up.

Mile 1 - 7 splits - 9:49, 8:29, 8:53, 8:00, 8:02, 8:30, 8:37

I got up with the group going up the hill at Mt. Bonnell. I ate another Carboom at the top of Mt. Bonnell and drank some Gatorade. After the turnaround, I ran back with Sean and a few other folks. I was starting to really hurt going down Exposition. I was just plain pooped. I wanted to catch Thon on the backside, but didn't have the energy. Sean broke away and I got passed by Carrie during the last two miles. Her quote as she blew by was "I want to get this shit overwith!" I picked it up a little for miles 10-12, but I couldn't hold it the last two. I did achieve my goal of staying under 8:40 pace for my long runs.

I joined the group for stretching and headed home. Mistakes from today...lack of sleep!

Mile 8 - 14 splits - 8:37, 8:57, 8:21, 8:04, 7:49, 8:30, 8:22

Stats - 14.01 Miles/1:59:12/8:31 Pace

Moderate Run in Santa Clara

After taking a rest day yesterday, I got up early to take advantage of the 60ish degree temps and run along the Baylands preserve again. I did the basic same route with a couple of extensions to get above 6 miles. It was a great morning and a great run.

I stopped by the hotel gym and did my weight workout; and then did my ab workout in my room.

Stats - 6.21 Miles/50:25/8:07 pace

Easy Run and Weights

Today I flew to San Jose early so I did my run after I checked in and landed. I found a nice trail that runs along the Baylands preserve. The weather was awesome for lunch time. I took off around 12PM and it was in the mid 70s, breezy and dry. I ended up running as far as I could on the trail without getting lost and went at a pretty good clip. My new orthotics felt really good and I didn't get any blisters or anything. I need to break them in over the next two weeks and possibly use them for our next 20 miler. They are a lot lighter than my old ones and feel a lot more natural.

When I got back to the hotel, I did an abbreviated weight workout with the machines they had and called it a day. I did my ab workout at home before I left... 2x80 bicycle crunches and 3x15 leg raises.

Tomorrow I will be doing the 7 mile run with the Palo Alto folks unless I get a better offer. Since it's a down week, I may blow off running and do something fun.

Stats - 5.31 miles/42:42/8:03 pace

Recovery Run and Strides

Today we did a 7 mile recovery run and did 15x100 strides at Auditorium Shores. My knees hurt a bit from Saturday, but everything else felt pretty good. Anne and I broke from the pack early and Jan caught us at about the 4.5 mile marker. Jay and Alex blew by at about the same time, but neither of them did the 20 on Saturday. We finished up and then headed over for the strides. I did my 15 and then did some of form exercises before taking off. I guess the rest of the crew did situps in the mud...not my cup of tea! I did my ab workout at home 3x15 leg raises and 2x80 on the bicycle crunches. I have been doing these almost daily for two weeks now and I can feel the difference.

I got a massage and Lucy made me whimper as usual. The girls went with me and were kind of amazed by the torture session. We picked up my new orthotics and wore them around today. They are a lot lighter than my other ones and feel really good.

Stats - 8.59 total miles with the strides
Easy run - 7.04 miles/1:03:38/9:03 pace
AHR - 131
MHR - 146

Second 20 Miler for Chicago

Today was a planned 20 miler kind of up part of the Freescale course and back. We ran from AHS up Exposition, across 35th street, up Shoal Creek to 183 and back. It was a lot harder course than we did for our first twenty miler. I have been fighting some type of stomach flu since Thursday AM. I think I got some bad food at Guerro's on Weds night. Anyway, I had issues all day Thursday and felt a little weak on Friday. I drank water all day and ate a very bland diet. Bagel and peanut butter for breakfast, white rice for lunch, and pasta with sauce on Friday night.

Anne and I were joined by Marci who we haven't seen since the end of the school year. She stuck with us for about the first 7 miles and then turned around. The first part of the run was hard due to the rolling hills of Exposition. I wasn't feel good at all. My stomach was holding together, but I felt dehydrated. The first mile was slow as usual as the joints get greased. We made it through the rolling hills and G was waiting at about mile 4 with water and Gatorade. I took a dose of Enervitene and some fluids.

Mile 1 -4 Splits - 9:22, 8:51, 8:36; 8:26

We got onto Shoal Creek and headed up through the Freescale course up to Shoal Creek and 183. I was feeling worse and my stomach started grumbling. I had to pull off at Mile 7 and Anne went ahead. I caught up with her at the mile 8 water stop (more Enervitene) and we headed off to the top of the course. The faster guys passed us coming back down and some of the other groups were kind of bunched up. I was feeling a lot better now.

Mile 5-10 Splits - 8:38, 8:30, 8:31, 8:40, 8:32, 8:24

We started the return part of the course and picked up the pace. I don't think we intended to, but it was easier going back down than coming up. The next miles flew by. I took on liquids and another Enervitene at mile 12.

Mile 11-15 Splits - 8:16, 8:12, 8:12, 8:10, 8:25

I was starting to feel tired now and was really thirsty. We took on more liquids and I drank the last of my Enervitene at mile 16. Everyone was really struggling. We passed some folks that usually blow us away and G had to pick up some people. I stopped at a gas station on Windsor and drank some water and G stopped near O'Henry for the last splash of water since he knew we were all having a rough day. He told us to pick it up at mile 16, but my body wasn't responding. I picked it up a little over the last 2-3 miles, but there wasn't a whole left in the tank. I am hoping it was my stomach sickness and hope this is my one crappy long run for this training session. I ended up 10 second per mile slower than the first run, but didn't feel as strong as I did for that run.

Mile 16 - Mile 19.72 Splits - 8:38, 8:24, 8:32, 8:08, 7:40 (pace for the last .72 miles)

I did 5 strides on the AHS track and then headed over to Deep Eddy for a quick stretch session and a long soak. A lot of Gazelles showed up and it was nice to visit with them as we enjoyed the cool water. I had a headache all day and kept drinking a lot of water and Gatorade. We took the kids bowling at the UT Underground and had Mangia for dinner...a little reward for a rough day on the roads.

Stats - 19.72 Miles/2:46:46/8:27 Pace

Recovery Run

Today I did the last of my Tuesday/Thursday recovery runs at the trail. School starts next week and I have to drive the girls to school on Thursdays. I will do my 7 miles around the hood until the marathon. I didn't feel too good this AM, but went anyway to keep my commitment to my training buds.

There were only 4 of us today, Anne, Richard, and Carrie. Anne set a faster pace than usual, but it was nice. We headed east on the trail for our 7 miles. I had an SA at about 2.5 miles so I had to stop and take care of that. I ate dinner really late last night...not a good idea. We finished off the loop without further incident, blew off our strides, and headed back to RunTex. We ended up going about a minute per mile faster than our other recovery runs. We got back just as the regular Tues/Thurs group was getting back. It was nice to see Jay, Alex, Amy, Liliana, and the other regulars.

I went to the gym and did my full weight and ab routine. I did the full stretch routine and headed to work. My body feels really good and strong. I am ready for the run on Saturday!

Stats - 6.98 miles/1:00:31/8:40 pace

2000s at Zilker

Today the marathon group met at Zilker park for 2000s around the soccer fields. I had a 8AM meeting today, so I parked at the site and did a lap around the fields as a warmup. The group slowly emerged from the shadows and we did our drills. Anne, Sean and I took off pretty quick so I could get my workout in. G wanted us to do 5 and I think Anne was the only one that did. I finished my 4th one right before 7AM and I had to bail. We started out slow with an 8:31, then I picked up the next two at 8:04 and 8:06. Sean took the lead on the 4th one and I finished in 8:26. I felt really strong for the first three but my legs were burning during the 4th one. I could have done one more, but it probably would have been in the slow range.

My average was 20 seconds faster than I ran them back in January. I got to the gym, stretched a bit, then did 2x75 of the bicycle crunches and 3x10 of the leg raises for my abs. Good day!

Stats - 7.15 miles
AHR - 138
MHR - somewhere in the 160s (the HR monitor went FUBAR)

Recovery Run

Today we did an easy recovery run. Our Tues/Thurs marathon group has shrunk to just me, Sean and Richard. We went clockwise on the trail to do the 7 mile loop. We are all getting tired of the trail, but are feeling good and enjoying the runs. It rained a bit at the start and it was humid as hell as usual. The rained stopped and we avoided the lightning to finish our run. We went a bit faster than last Tuesday, but at a comfortable pace.

I headed to the gym afterwards and did my full weight routine with extra emphasis on the ab workouts. I did 2x75 bicycle crunches and 3 sets of leg raises. I did an abreviated stretching routine and headed to work.

Tomorrow we are doing 3-5 x 2000 repeats at Zilker...should be fun!

Stats - 7.01 Miles/1:04:55/9:16 pace
AHR - 122
MHR - 141

Pace Run

Today we did our hardest pace run to date. It was run easy for two miles and then run at MGP for 8 miles. We did our annual family party barge deal yesterday so I had a few beers and some brats for lunch. Not a really good diet for a tough one like this one. I started out with my new marathon posse and we headed east on the trail. We hit near the two mile mark and took off. Anne wasn't feeling well and dropped off the pace before the dam. I stopped for water at the Holly Power plant and Jayna and Erin kept going. I stopped again along the trail after the Lamar bridge and caught them at the Rock where they stopped for water. We finished pretty close together and then did 5 strides in the grass. We did a quick group stretch and then I headed for work. I had a really good day considering my crappy diet over the weekend.

Stats - Overall 10.39 Miles/1:20:24/7:44 pace
Pace run pace - 8 Miles/59:32/7:26 pace
AHR - 151
MHR - 165

LSR - New Route

Today we ran a new route for our long run. I ran with Erin, Jayna, and Anne. That is my new marathon posse for speedwork and our long runs. We started out on the trail towards I-35, crossed over and then up Riverside to Grove road. We made a right heading north and onto the very east end of the trail. It was a nice stretch of quiet trail with no other runners. G had some water at about 4 miles where I ate a Carboom. We ran under the road near the Longhorn dam and headed back onto the trail. I had to take care of some stomach issues (never eat Rudy's the night before a long run!) at the can before the Holly power plant. Jayna and Anne went ahead. Once I finished, I spent the next few miles chasing them down. I finally caught them right by bathroom/water fountain right before the boat house by the hotels. Erin must have gone up ahead. I got some water and ate another carboom. We stopped for water again at the rock and then picked up the pace a bit on the last two miles.

Mile splits - 9:03, 8:32, 8:28, 8:26, 8:00, 7:51, 7:46, 7:20, 7:47, 8:04, 7:56, 8:13, 7:37, 4:29/7:16 pace (.62 miles)

We did 5 strides and then I headed back for my endurox. I ran into Wish who set me up with some shoes on tax free weekend and I headed back over for stretching. It was a good day!

Stats - 13.62 Miles/8:03 pace
AHR - 142
MHR - 161

The Streak is OVER!

Up until today every race I have run since I turned 40 in March has been a new lifetime PR. I ran a 5k, two 8ks, a 10k and a half marathon. Today I ran in the night time Moonlight Margarita 5k. The race went off at 8:22PM and even though it rained in most of Austin, it didn't rain at the race site at the Rock. It cooled it down a little, but there was a headwind at the start and it was still humid as hell. I did a 2.25 mile warmup including my drills and was pretty much in a sweat lather prior to the start. My goal was to run sub 20, but I knew halfway through that wasn't going to happen. I used my Garmin to track my mile splits so they are a little off, but I am assuming close...6:20,6:39, 6:48, and 1:01 for the last .1 mile.

The total time was 20:49 which is 25 seconds off of my Bun Run PR. That run was in perfect conditions so I will take the time. G said it was a great effort since we were just coming off the 20 miler on Saturday. Anyway, I am in good shape and my time still translates to a marathon time that is in range of my goal of 3:20.

Stats - 3.1 Miles for the 5k/20:49/6:43 pace
AHR - 167
MHR - 175

1000s at AHS

Today it was back to the track for some 1000 meter repeats. I haven't been on the track in a long time. Carla had to shake me awake this AM, so my body is really tired. I made it to RunTex on time and headed out on the trail over to the high school. I don't know many folks in this new group which kind of sucks. I can't wait to rejoin the Tues/Thurs group after this race is over.

I got segmented into a small group with Anne and a guy named Aaron. Sean bailed this AM since he is still feeling sick. The goal was to run 8 repeats in the 4:00-4:10 range. G gave Anne and I a reprieve since we are running the 5k tomorrow night. The first one was really slow; we picked it up too much for the second and swung back to the slow side for the third. We finally found our groove for the 4th and 5th ones and I picked it up for the 6th one.

04:16.4, 04:01.0, 04:14.7, 04:06.7, 04:05.5, 03:56.5

My legs felt really good after the 3rd repeat. It takes awhile for my "older" body to get going. Anne and I did five 200 meter repeats afterwards and I ran back to RunTex and headed over to the office.

The 5k is tomorrow night and I may do some weights on Friday. The best part is that I get to sleep late two days in a row!

Stats - 8.65 Miles
AHR - 124
MHR - 173

Another Recovery Run

Today 3 of us met for the Tuesday recovery run. Usuall this run follows a tough pace run, but we did the same thing yesterday. My legs feel worse today and should have stayed home and rested. I plodded along with Sean and Richard for the 7 miles. By plodded I mean really slow...although it seemed harder than we actually went.

I got done headed to the club and did my leg exercises. I went to see Lucy for a massage at lunch time and she kicked my butt as usual. I was a bit sore afterwards, but my legs feel refreshed tonight. Tomorrow we have 1000s at AHS so it will be interesting to see how those go. I am running the Moonlight Margarita run on Thursday night and then it is an easy 14 miles on Saturday. It is a step down week so I am eager to get some extra sleep on Thursday and Friday mornings.

Stats - 7 Miles/1:08:24/9:46 pace
AHR - 120
MHR - 136

Recovery Run and 20 Strides

Today we ran the 7 mile loop easy plus 20 strides at the end. My legs felt really heavy today and I was really stiff. We did the loop and then I headed over to Auditorium shores to do my strides. The faster folks were already doing their strides. I did at least 20 and then headed back to the car. I headed to the gym and did my arm and ab exercises.

Stats - 8.39 Miles with strides
Recovery Run - 6.86 Miles/1:02:15/9:04 pace

AHR - 129
MHR - 144