Easy LSR

Today I met Jay, Alex, Rich at the Pfluger bridge to do the 10 mile loop on the trail. We were also joined by Thon and Mike Jeroslow from the Fall marathon group. Mike is just coming back from a stress fracture and Thon is coming back from a break after Freescale. The weather was nice after some thunderstorms blew through during the night.

The run was pretty uneventful. We took a break at the power plant for some gels and potty breaks. We alternated leading and we picked it up a bit for the last mile. We did some strides and then headed over to RunTex to stretch and to cheer our peeps who were running the Texas Round Up 10k. It was kind of fun being a spectator. I cut my stetching short to get over to the Peter Pan golf course to set up for Caroline's birthday party.

Stats - 10.2 Miles/1:30:04

7 Miles at Home

Today I did my usual Thursday morning run at home. I ran my new out and book loop again. The weather was still kind of nice...dry and still kind of cool. I talked to Wish after the Bun Run and he told me he would meet near the pool to join me for the run. I got to the corner by the pool and Wish came out of the school traffic jam to join me. We headed North on Escarpment to Convict Hill and then turned around.

We were going at a decent pace for the route and talked about various topics including re-visiting Phoenix of the 70s. He was in college at ASU when I was in grade school. Phoenix was a different place then and all the sports scene revolved around ASU...very much like Austin is today. Those were great memories for me. I was an ASU sports junkie which is weird because I am a UofA alum. Anyway, we had a good discussion and the time flew by. I took a different route home which got me to my 7 miles.

I did my ab workout and a quick stretch before heading off to work. We have an easy 1o miles on Saturday and then the race next Saturday in Indy. I guess next week will be kind of easy for us although I am not really going to cut down on my mileage at all.

Stats - 7 miles/

Fartleks at the Lake

Today we met at 6am for Fartleks on the trail. Many in our group are racing the Roundup this weekend. Jay, Alex, and I are a week out from Indy so we will do an easy 10 miles on the trail. We got a nice surprise weather wise. It was actually cool and dry for a change.

We did a 20 minute warmup and then set out on 1 on 1 off fartleks. G said to cycle about 15 times or to the one mile marker. We each took a turn and as I was telling Jay, it was like a game of "burnout" when we were kids. That is where you are playing catch with a baseball and throw it as hard as you can until your partner can't stand it. Many in the group just threw down and hauled ass leaving some in the dust. I was in the back since I am just plain tired, but I still had a good workout and led the pack well during my turn up front.

My ankle was bugging me a bit, but nothing major. I will probably shorten my run to 5 miles tomorrow and take my usual Friday off.

Stats - 7 miles

Easy 7 at the Lake

Today I met Alex and Jay for an easy 7 around the lake at 6AM. My legs actually felt pretty good today, but I could tell they were tired. We headed out counterclockwise on the 7 mile loop. I could tell my legs were tired when I had to stop for a bio break and had a hard time catching up. I landed wrong somewhere and my foot bobbled and I felt it in my ankle. Usually that means a couple of days of slight pain, but no worries. We chatted about lawyers, other other world problems, and about the upcoming "mini-marathon" in Indy next week. It should be a fun trip.

We did 6 strides and then I headed off to the gym. I did my leg weight exercises, ab work, stretched and then headed to work.

Stats - 7.06 miles/1:05:45/9:18 pace

2006 Bun Run

Today was the annual Bun Run 5k. I met Jay, Marcy, and Rich at the Rock at 7AM for a two mile warmup over to the start. The weather was warm and humid which is a lot different than last year when it was in the 50s and dry. We got to Auditorium shores, did our drills, hit the potties, and then headed to the start. I lined up near the front with Patrick, Rich and Marcy. There was a whole class of grade school kids lined up in the front, so I knew the start was going to be a little crazy. The gun went off and of course we all bunched up around not only the kids, but their parents, and a bunch of other folks who should have lined up in the back. Now that I think of it, this is in the one race every year that has this problem.

Anyway, I headed off hoping for a PR over last year's 20:24, and a real goal of getting into the 19:xx range. I hit the mile mark in 6:27 which wasn't bad given all the traffic at the start. I headed down Cesar Chavez hoping to pick it up a little bit, but it didn't happen. I think the heat and humidity were too much today. I ran the second mile in 6:43. At the turn around under the bridge, I was just hoping to hang on and hopefully place in the Clydesdale group. Mile 3 was even slower at 7:00. I saw Gilbert at the First Street bridge and tried to muster some additional speed, and did the last .1 in 39 seconds which was a 6:30 pace so I did pick up at least for that portion. I finished in 20:50 which was 26 seconds slower than last year.

I ended up winning the Clydesdale division this year, but the RunFar screwed up the results and they gave my award to the guy that came in 4th place. I had to get new results from RunFar and I guess they will mail me the medal...no biggie. I ended up 115th overall which was pretty good and an improvement over last year by 5 spots. By the time the awards hassle was over, most of the folks had left so Jay and I headed back to the rock. I guess a new 5k PR will have to wait...I am a marathoner anyway!

Stats - 7.32 miles with warmup and cool down.

Easy 5 at the Lake

Since I am racing tomorrow I headed to Town Lake for an easy 5 miles and to get my packet for the Bun Run. I got there about 8AM and the weather was actually pretty cool, but really humid. The group was already out and about and Jay had a guitar deal all day so I set out by myself. I went counterclockwise to Congress and then back around to Auditorium shores. The trail was really crowded at this time, but it was nice to see so many folks out doing something healthy. There was some type of Ironman race going on with teams so these mud and dirt covered folks were all over the place. I saw one station where they were carrying huge logs/telephone posts out and back at the field near Zilker.

I did a few strides, talked to Wish at the Bun Run tent and headed home.

Stats - 5.07 miles/42:35/8:23 pace

Easy Run at Home

Today I ran at home after a hard workout yesterday. I did my usual out and back loop with a run up to Slaughter for an extra mile. I am finally starting to get used to the heat again so that is good. The hard part is getting used to being soaking wet all the time.

Stats - 5.16 miles/43:23/8:25 pace

400s at AHS

Today we met for 400s at AHS. We had some nice storms pass through last night so it was really steamy this morning. We did our usual jog over to AHS, did our drills and then a few of us were tasked with 12 repeats. We had to do 20 a year ago, but since it is Bun Run week we got that number reduced.

I ran with Marcy and Shannon for the first 10 and then Brian joined me for the last two. It seems like people are moving up in ranks and I am continuing along the same path. Rich is way ahead of me now and running with Alex. I think I have hit a plateau or some of these folks are sandbaggers. Anyway, we I had a solid performance today and the set is the fastest I have ever done this many by about 4 seconds for the average.

Repeats - 1:33.0, 1:32.5, 1:30.8, 1:31.6, 1:30.5, 1:31.7
1:30.4, 1:31.1, 1:28.7, 1:29.4, 1:30.2, 1:26.3

I did my leg exercise at the gym, stretched, and did my ab workout so it was a solid effort. I think if I can do my leg exercises M/W every week my legs will stay strong. I am not messing too much with the upper body other than the core exercises.

Stats - 7.86 miles

Today I crossed over 7,000 miles for my short running life. I started in June of 2001 with 14 miles that first month. Who would have thought a little under 5 years later I would have over 7000 miles. I love running!

Moderate 7 On an New Course

Today I slept in, took the kids to school and ran 7 miles from home. The weather was a little cooler than yesterday. There was a nice breeze and it was a bit cloudy. We are expected to hit 100 degrees again today before a "cool" front blows in to bring it back into the 80s tomorrow.

I decided to take a different route today. I headed North on Escarpment for 3.5 miles which took me just past Convict hill. The route is mostly downhill with some rolling hills and the way back is uphill. I felt like garbage at the start, but covered the first 3.5 miles in 28:50. Once I turned around I really focused on turnover and form and started to really pick up the pace. I covered the last 3.5 miles in 27:06 and that section was mostly uphill. I felt really strong.

I did a couple of strides when I got home, stretched and did my ab exercises.


Stats - 7 miles/55:56/7:59 pace

Run in the Hood - Boston Marathon Day

Today was supposed to be mile repeats at Zilker, but I woke up and found that my front tire was flat. I was going to change it and try and meet the group, but I couldn't see in the dark. I locked up the car and headed out into the dark. It was like 70 degrees when I took off and we are on our way to possibly 100 degrees...which really sucks for April.

I ran the long loop around the school and then out to Slaughter and back to the house. I tried to do some pickups, but just settled into a smooth, quick pace for the whole run. It was really peaceful in the dark. I may try and get up earlier for my runs around the neighborhood to avoid the traffic.

Stats - 6.42 miles/53:06/8:16 pace

Boston Marathon - I want to send a special congrats to my training buddies who all did really well at Boston today...Anne, Carrie, Margaret, Gretchen, Amy, Kelly...you are all awesome! I write every year that I will be there next year, but this is the last time I am going to say it...I will be there next year!

Easy Run in Houston

I had planned to take today off, but I had a big meal at Pappasito's last night including a couple of beers and a margarita so I figure I would go out for a few miles. I felt really crappy at the start and never really felt good. I forgot about all the streets in Houston being made of cement. I ran around the Champions Forest neighborhood and past my friend "Lars" old house. His ex wife still lives there. Nothing special for this run.

Stats - 3.77 Miles/33:47/8:58 pace

Houston Notes - When we arrived yesterday we went to look at our old homes. They were both in pretty good shape and it was funny that the girls couldn't pick them out. I expected Emma to be able to, but Caroline was too little when we left. All the land around the old Compaq, now HP, campus is now sold which is really sad. When Compaq owned it, it was a really cool preserve. Now it is houses, apartments and commercial properties. It seems if there is a piece of unoccupied land, you can build whatever you want. It really makes me appreciate Austin and our planning and zoning laws. Sometimes the "tree-huggers" get in the way of prgress, but I would rather have them question things than become Houston.

Good Friday LSR - Thanks Marcy!

Today I met Marcy and Alex for our weekly long run a day early. We headed to Houston today and I didn't want to run long over there. Our route today was RunTex to Mt. Bonnell, over the top and then run to the old bar on the left side of the road and turn around. The run was pretty uneventful and we had some good conversation. We got water at the Rock on the way out and were looking to get more at the cleaners, but they were open so we ran to Mayfield park and got some water there. We got to the top and Marcy surprised us when she stopped to dig out a bag with Gatorade in it. Alex talked us in to waiting until after we over the top to drink it. We made our way back up the to the top unscathed from the traffic and there was only one AHole who decided to honk at us from the other side of the road. Some people just need to be bitch slapped. Anyway, we got to the top and really enjoyed our Gatorade. I started to really tire since I haven't been sleeping well and Marcy and Alex pulled ahead of me. I was always within contact, but a few feet behind. We stopped for water at the Rock on the way back and I tried to push a bit at the end. I got my times down under 8, but nothing spectacular.

The hills aggravated my knee, but it was fine later in the day. We did some strides and I had to hit the road to leave for Houston.

Stats - 15.5 miles/2:13:23/8:36 pace

600/400 Ladder at AHS

Well the cool morning weather is going away. Today it is in the high 60s and humid. We headed off, got to AHS and did our drills. There was another Rogue group there so it was kind of crowded. The workout was to run a 600, jog 200, then run a 400 with two minutes rest in between each set. I started out with Rich and Marcy and then we were joined by a new guy. Rich and the new guy just blasted them out. Marcy and I held our own and went really fast. Each repeat was faster except for one and the averages were really solid.

Sets
2:21.3, 1:33.1
2:20.2, 1:29.6
2:18.4, 1:30.6
2:16.1, 1:24.9

600 Ave 2:19.0
400 Ave 1:29.5

We jogged back and I headed off to the gym where I did my leg and ab exercises. My knee feels really good today. I am going to rest tomorrow before our long run to Mt. Bonnell on Friday. I am going to try and run 5 miles in Houston on Saturday and will take Easter Sunday off.

Stats - 7.25 miles

Easy 7 at Town Lake

Today I wanted to get back into my usual routine and run 7 miles at the lake. I got there at 6AM and Shannon was there with her dog who, by the way, is an awesome runner. We set out and ran into Marcy at the trail. We headed counterclockwise with some light conversation. Marcy jumped off at the rock where she parked and Shannon and I finished up the last two miles. It was a nice, easy run. My knee is actually feeling better so that is good news.

Stats - 7.1 miles//

2000s at Zilker

Today we did 2000s at Zilker. The weather was still really nice this morning, but it is slowly going away. We met a 6AM and headed off. We did our drills and then G sent us off on 2-4 repeats. I didn't know what to expect due to my recent knee pain. The knee has actually felt pretty good the past two days so hopefully it is on the mend. I ended up doing 3 repeats with Marcy. We ran together on the first one, she crushed me on the second one, and I finished ahead of her on the last one. I ran each repeat faster than the previous one and these were my fastest set since last August before Chicago. My 2000s in January were abysmal compared to today.

We all headed back to RunTex. I did my leg weights at the gym along with my ab workout. This afternoon I went to the Texas Center for Healing Arts where an old friend from my Galloway days is an intern. I got an awesome 1.5 hour massage and feel great. Tomorrow I am going to get back to my normal routine and hit the lake for 7 miles at 6AM.

Splits - 8:29, 8:22, 8:17

Stats - 7.32 miles

LSR - The Grove Route

Today a few of us ran the Grove loop with an Enfield loop extension. The weather was actually pretty good, but I was still tired from my trip this week and my knee was still iffy. I planned to run slow with Jay and some of his folks, but I started out with Alex and just stayed there the whole route. I had to carry some Gatorade which really sucked...from now on I need to figure avoid my water belt. It just pulls on my stomach. The run was pretty good except for some loose dogs on Grove and me having to make a deuce stop at the Holly Power Plant. We stopped for water at the Rock and then headed off under MoPac. We ran head-on into the Fertile Hope 5k, but missed seeing Lance Armstrong running. All of our miles except for the first two were in the 8:xx range. My legs were really tired after the run, but not as drained as the 15 miler we ran through the hills a couple of weeks ago.

Stats - 16.45 miles/2:23:04/8:42 pace

Back at Home

I flew back from my west coast swing early yesterday morning. We had a product launch with a partner in Las Vegas on Weds night and I didn't get back to my hotel until about 12:30AM. By the time I packed and got it bed it was about 1:15 and I had to get up at 4:15 to grab a cab to the airport. When I got home I felt like a car hit me. Needless to say no running for me yesterday.

Anyway, I had a good night of sleep last night and hit the roads this morning. I got my new shoes from Onlineshoes.com yesterday and wore them this morning. I am tired of RunTex never having my size and Onlineshoes.com has multiple colors of the Asics GT 2110 so I went with the gray shoes with orange trim for the summer. I ran a little over a mile to the school where I ducked in to see Caroline and a few classmates recite the Pledge of Allegiance. I headed from there up the east loop of Circle C and then back on my normal loop on Escarpment. My knee still has the dull pain, but it was good to get back on the roads. I want to get through the Indy half and then deal with it then before I start my fall marathon training. Hopefully it is nothing major.

I guess tomorrow will bring a long run for us. Jay proposed a flat course which I hope stands since my knee doesn't need to be abused by another Bonnell run.

Stats - 5.05 miles/43:00/8:31 pace

Stuck Inside

Today I was forced inside due to all the rain in the bay area. I took yesterday off to fly to San Jose. I had some meetings in the afternoon and then we hosted some customers at the Oakland Coliseum for the A's/Yankees baseball game. I ate like crap and had way too many beers, but it was nice to hang out at the ballpark. Since this is my "downtime" of the year, I just wanted to enjoy myself.

Anyway, I did plan on running outside, but it was a downpour. I headed down to the small fitness center and jumped on the treadmill...which I hate. I set up the timer for an hour and then jumped on. My left knee is still bothering me which sucks. Last week I thought it might be IT, but the pain is behind the knee cap and below the knee. I watched TV for an hour while running and then did some ab exercises.

Stats - 6.75 miles/1 hour/8:53 pace

Circuit

Today we met for circuit training. I am still feeling drained from the race yesterday, but it was good to get a solid workout in with some very low effort mileage. I think my fatigue is part race and part daylight savings time, but I feel sluggish either way.

We started at 6AM, ran over to AHS, did our drills and then started off. We only had to do a 400 between circuits so that was nice. We ended up doing 3 circuits and then did some fast feet before heading out. I think G could see we were all dragging. We took the long way back where I stayed in the back with Brian and talked a bit. It was a nice way to get some work in after a rough day yesterday.

Stats - ~5.42 miles

Humid and Warm Capitol 10K

So today was the annual Capitol 10k road race in Austin. This is actually the biggest event of the year with close to 15k participants. I met the group on a nasty humid morning at 7:45. We did our usual two mile warmup and drills. I hit the potty before drills and then headed over to the start with Patrick. We hit a bush real quick and got in the blue corral with Marci, Alex, Diana and some other Gazelles.

The race went off a couple of minutes late and we were off. I was still shooting for a PR, but knew that 42:xx was totally out of the realm of possibilities. We shot up Congress and over to San Jacinto. I saw Carla and the girls at the corner of corner of Cesar Chavez and Congress which was nice since they usually just come out for the marathon. I ran the first mile in 6:59 which was exactly what I wanted to do. We headed across 15th street and the rolling hills. I grabbed some water along there, but was already feeling tired. I did miles 2 and 3 in 14:42 (7:21 average). We made the turn down the MoPac frontage road where I should have been able to pick up some speed during the down hill, but I didn't. I covered mile 4 in 7:18 and I was feeling like total crap when we hit RunTex Lake Austin. I thought about just stopping and waiting for my sister in law, Kalee, to come by so I could run her in, but pressed on. I needed to be strong mentally even if my body was slowing. We headed across Cesar Chavez and the gradual uphill. I did mile 5 in 7:28...even slower. I saw Carla and the girls again right before the bridge and was hoping that would help with my kick for the last mile. I tried to do a last mile kick, but didn't have it in me. I did the last 1.2 miles in 8:59 (7:29 pace).

I finished and the doubled back to pick up Kalee. She was running her 2nd 10k and I wanted to run with her to the bridge. Her family and my family were waiting at the corner to cheer her on. I wandered back into the main finish area with the girls and we saw some of my friends as they were heading out. I visited a bit, got the girls some juice, and then we headed out. It was a brutal day, but still a fun race.

I have to give a special shout to Bernard, Gilbert's cousin, who was leading by a lot with about a quarter mile to go when the the heat got him. He crumpled to the ground and didn't finish. He is doing well today so that is good, but I know he was disappointed in not winning for the second year in a row.

10k - 45:24/7:19 pace (PR is 44:34 from last year's race; Overall Finish 412/5136)
Overall Finish - 329/5100
Age Group Finish - 38/415

Stats - 9.7 miles (warmup, race and cool down)

Easy Pre-Race Run

After taking two days off to rest my knee, I headed out today for an easy few miles to test it. It had rained this morning so it was really warm and humid when I set out at 7:45...exactly the same time as the race tomorrow. I ran a little over three miles around the neighborhood and then to Caroline's soccer game. My knee felt weird still, but nothing major. After Caroline's game, Emma and I did some run/walk back to the house. I iced my knee when I got home it feels OK now.

As for my goals tomorrow, I think given tonight's forecasted low of 70 degrees and my knee, my goal is to PR over my 44:35/7:11 pace from last year. I wanted to shoot for somewhere in the 42:XX range, but am not feeling too good about it. So let's just say between 42:00 and 44:00 which is a wide range, but who knows.

Stats - 4.82 miles