Long Run - Shoal Creek Out and Back

Today we met AHS to start our long run. The rain has finally stopped for now, but all the dams on the Highland lake chain are open and Town Lake is flowing and flooded in some places. It is almost "Houston" like is regards to the humidity with all the rain, but the mornings are a little cooler than normal. The route was changed from Grove to the up and back up Shoal Creek which is part of the Austin marathon course. I started out running with Anne and we were soon joined by Rachel, Anthony, Dan, and Jerry, my Chicago training posse. We started out at a slower pace which was fine with me since it has been a long week. I was feeling really crappy about mile 3 and was thinking this could be a long day. I stuck with it and got through. Mike joined us around Enfield and Exposition since he didn't get the note about starting at AHS. We headed up Exposition and then across to Shoal Creek. The second water stop was at the Jewish Center where some folks turned around. We kept climbing up Shoal Creek and then I lost Anne, Mike, and Rachel. I ran a bit harder to catch up with the guys and stuck with them to the turn around point along Great Northern. Once we turned around I was feeling really good and stuck with Dan and Jerry through most of the return run. We lost Anthony somewhere along there. I finally learned everyone's names today which was good. Jerry took off somewhere along Exposition and Dan and I stayed together for the remainder of the run. I wanted to do a bit a fast finish so I picked it up a little over the last 3 miles. It didn't feel like I was accomplishing anything, but I did pick it up. Mile 14 was 8:18, 15 was 7:57, and 16 was 7:34. I did a 50 on 50 loop around the AHS track for my strides and called it a day.

Overall I had a great run. It was my fastest running pace of the season and I felt great afterward. A lot of folks were suffering, but I felt strong which is a good sign. I joined the group for stretching and called it a day.

Nutrition - I ate a pop tart when I woke up and ate a CarbBoom as close to mile 4, 8, and 12 as I could. My stomach was fine through most of the run. On Friday I had a turkey club for lunch and a turkey sandwich for dinner. I didn't eat anything with a lot of fiber during the day.

Stats - 16.12 Miles/2:16:36/8:28 pace
AHR - 139
MHR - 159

Treadmill Run/Weights

Since many parts of the Town Lake Trail are under water, I went straight to 24 hour fitness for my run and weight workout. My body has been really tired by Thursday the last couple of weeks as we start to build mileage and today was no different. I did a 5 minute warmup at around 9:00 pace and then dropped it down to 8:34. I did the last two miles at 8:20 to get my heart rate up. I felt pretty good through the run. I did my entire weight routine and the exercises seemed a little easier today. I added some weight to some of them. I finished the workout with 4 different ab exercises and some back raised. Once I finished the workout I did the complete stretch routine. It was a good day overall. Tomorrow is a rest day and then we have a 16 miler on Saturday.

Stats - 5.5 miles/47:20/8:36 pace

All the rain in central Texas, near Marble Falls, caused pipe damage at Emma's camp so we had to go pick her up today. While I was very excited to see her I know she was bummed that she had to miss the last two days of camp. They spent a lot of time inside due to the rain. I am happy she is home safe. The area in and around Marble Falls is really torn up.

Trail Recovery Run and Gym

Today I went down to the trail for a 7 mile recovery run. Alex and Brian were also there so we started off together. We started out toward I-35 at a slow pace. I wanted to get my heart rate up in the zone after a mile, but it took 3 to get into range. My legs were tired from yesterday and I just couldn't get going. Alex took off after about two miles and then Brian crossed over at the Pfluger bridge. I picked up the pace over the last 4 miles (8:24-8:29) and was definitely in the right heart zone for those miles. Overall it was a nice run.

After changing into dry clothes I headed to 24 Hour Fitness and did my complete weight routine including abs and stretching.

Stats - 7.04 miles/1:01:53/8:47 pace
AHR - 130
MHR - 144

Repeats at Wilke

Today was our second Monday in a row of hill workouts. This week we headed to Wilke which is not my favorite workout. I like the long warm up and cool down, but the hill just sucks. The road is really uneven and rutted out. The weather was very humid and we were hit with a few passing showers. They were actually kind of nice except for making the roads slick. I jogged over ahead of the group wanting to get my heart rate up. Amy caught up with me at Zilker and then we were passed by a few folks. Since we ran from RunTex we didn't have to do drills and started the workout which consisted of 7 forward, 3 backward, and then 3 short sprints. I started out near the front and was only passed by Alex and the other fast guy who were flying up the hill. I stayed consistent in my effort which showed in my heart rate. The graph shows max HR consistently at 160-162 for each repeat. I completed all 7 repeats and then hit it backward. G yelled at me to make sure my heel hit the ground. Once those were complete I did the 3 sprints really quickly. I was tired, but felt good. I ran back with Rachel at a decent clip and we had a great chat along the way.

Stats - 8.74 Miles
AHR - 133
MHR - 162

Camp Day

Today we drove Emma to Camp Buckner near Burnet, TX. She is staying for a full week out there. I have been in a bit of a funk about it because she can't call or email us while she is there. I am used to being away from my family on business travel, but I am always able to talk to Carla and the kids every day. The drive up there was really nice and the camp was beautiful. I felt a lot more comfortable after seeing the camp and meeting the people. I will miss her a ton these next few days, but she will be having a great time and is in good hands.

Long Run - Mt. Bonnell

Today we met at 5:45 for our first Mt. Bonnell run of the season. The temps were almost 10 degrees cooler than last week, but just as humid. We are in the midst of some nice daily rains and cooler than normal temps. Some folks in Austin are grumbling about it, but I think it is great. I have had to use my sprinklers only once this year so that is $$ in the bank!

As for the run, the plan was to run with Brad since I have been running alone the past few weeks. We were joined off and on by a bigger group which inlcluded some new peeps that run speed with us during the week, (I really need to learn their names), Anne, Rachel, and a few others. We got our first water stop along Lake Austin Blvd. with Gilbert's roving water stop. Our next stop was along Scenic where I ate my first CarbBoom. I don't think we have had enough water the last few long runs and the extra stops really made a difference today. I went out slower than I have been going and my heart rate was in the high 2 zone and low 3 zone which was fine. I really wanted to do the fast finish today and practice it every run going forward. I need to be strong ove the last 10k in Chicago to hit my time and this is the time to practice it. My stomach stared grumbline on the way up Bonnell which wasn't good. Our group decided to go down Balcones instead of to the Stop sign and back down Bonnell. I think it cost a bit of mileage, but I needed some downhill to get my heart rate down and hopefully alleviate the pressure building in my stomach. We headed across 35th to Exposition and took on the nasty camber and rolling hills of that stretch. We were locked in pretty good as a group. At a bit past 9 miles I had to make a pit stop and everyone else kept going. Luckily it was a quickie and I was off again. I was at about 9.4 miles and decided I was going to do a 4 mile fast finish. I felt so good after the stop I just took off. I caught the group at O'Henry and then blew past them for the remainder of the run. I caught Anthony at the Rock and then almost got taken out by a DAMN Dog not on a leash. He clipped my back leg and I almost tripped over myself. I turned and screamed a the owner. I am fine with dogs on the trail, but they need to be on a leash and the owners need to clean up their mess. I got back up to speed and motored through the remaining two miles. I felt one of my speed peeps coming up on me, but he dropped off. I was tired, but finished strong. Anthony came in a few second behind me and then Brad came through right after that. It was a really solid run and I am feeling really good and strong.

Last 4.5 mile splits - 7:55, 7:39, 7:41, 7:55, 7:44

I did 4 strides on the trail and then headed home. My friends at Intel provided us with tickets to the premiere of Ratatoulie, the new Pixar flick. It was really good...one thumb up from me!

Stats - 13.5/1:54:44/8:30 pace
AHR - 139
MHR - 163

Morning at the Gym

Today I got up early and was at 24 Hour Fitness by 5:45. I wanted to get in a good recovery run as well as my full weight routine. I got on the treadmill and my legs were just plain dead. I ran about 5 minutes at 9:00 pace and then dropped it to 8:34 pace for the remainder of the run. I planned on my usual 45-50 minutes, but cut it back to 42 with a cool down. Partially because I was tired, but mostly because I had to get home by 7:30 and wanted to get all my exercises in. The gym was really quiet that early which was kind of nice, but not good for people watching. I was able to complete all my exercises there, but did some additional ab exercises and stretching at home.

Tomorrow is a much needed rest day before the climb to Mt. Bonnell on Saturday.

Running Stats - 4.75 miles/42:00/8:51 pace

1000s at AHS

Today we met for 1000s at AHS. The weather was really sticky with thunderstorm warnings. When we hit the trail we noticed the water was actually flowing. I guess they opened the dam at Lake Travis. The nice thing was the effect, something thermal according Brad, cooled down the trail a lot. We felt it heading to AHS and then a lot coming back to RunTex. We had to take a little detour at the boat ramp near the high school. The water was rising up into that area.

As for the workout, we did our drills and then got into groups for the repeats. G said we needed to do 6 repeats and then 3x200 after to work on form. I lined up with my new group which included Brad, Cincy Mike (from last year), and a couple of new guys. G sent us out with a 4:10-4:15 goal which I thought was a bit scary since I averaged 4:16 last week at Zilker. We were pretty consistent with our repeats and did a decent job of taking turns leading. As usual my first couple were to get the kinks out and I know I was working harder over the last 4, but still felt good. The chart for my heart rate was pretty cool with a stairstep look for the 6 repeats.

Repeats - 4:11, 4:18, 4:10, 4:09, 4:07, 4:01 - Average 4:09

Once we finished with the 1000s we did 3x200 to work on our form. I was toast at the end of those. We had a nice jog back and I headed home. I knew I sweat a ton on Monday and didn't feel so good the rest of the day so I weighed myself before I left this morning and weighed 206. When I got home I weighed 201.5 and that was after drinking 20 oz. of Ultima plus the water and Accelerade I drank during the workout. When I got home I did some ab work including the 30/45/90 drill. I also did a short stretch routine.

Stats - 9.33 miles
AHR - 136
MHR - 174

Treadmill/Weights

Today I hit the gym for a 6 mile run on the treadmill and my full weight routine. My run was good. I started out just under 9:00 pace for the first 5 minutes and then dropped to near 8:30 pace for the remainder of the run. Once I hit 50 minutes I did a 2 minute cool down.

For my weight workout, I was able to do three full sets of each exercise for my arms, back, and legs. I also did some crunches in the ab machine and some crunches in the Roman chair. Once I was done I hit the mat upstairs for some additional ab work and stretching.

Stats - 6 miles/52:00/8:40 pace

New Hill Workout

Today we met at RunTex to head over to the "Secret Hill." I haven't done this workout before so I was very curious to see where it was and what it was all about. We ran over to the parking lot behind Zilker and did our drills there. We then headed to the hill and G gave us our orders. This hill is a lot different than Wilke. It is a bit longer at 500 meters and it starts flat and gradually goes into a steep section. I liked it a lot better than Wilke because it is more like something you would see during a race. We did 4 repeats up the hill, 3 backwards, and 3 sprints. I ran with my new group including chasing Rachel up the hill. She has gotten so strong and I really enjoy running with her. Once I was done G demo'd this new harness to help work on our form. He put Rich in it first and I made a smart comment to Rich about it and G said you're next. I got in the harness and it was actually pretty cool. I was able to pull G up the hill a bit. I jogged back with Rachel and Brian and called it a day. I did some ab work at home and some stretching. I am feeling really good!

Stats - 7.67 Miles
AHR - 128
MHR - 169

Father's Day

Today is Father's day and since it Sunday a day off from running. I was able sleep late and then was showered with some nice gifts from the girls. The best ones were the hand made cards and "coupon books" they made for me. We went to a really nice mass where I got my annual Father's Day blessing from Father Ed and then we enjoyed some Mangia pizza for lunch. I got to talk to my own Dad for a bit on the phone when I got home which was really nice. My afternoon will be spent watching the US Open on TV as I usually do and then a dinner...that I don't have to cook! I am truly blessed to have two wonderful daughters and a wonderful Father that I share this day with.

Happy Father's Day!

Hilly LSR

Today we ran our pre Father's Day run from the Ann Richards School which means we start down on South Lamar, run down to the trail and back up through the Barton Hills. For the second straight year I woke up to heavy rain and thunderstorms. I got to the start area and couldn't find a place to park. By the time I parked the group was running by my car. I headed out and missed seeing most of my running buds. I was running alone and then caught up with a new Gazelles who just started this week. It turns out she goes to the same church as we do so we visited and ran together until we hit Barton Springs/Barton Hills. Since she is still building mileage, we separated there and I headed up the hills and she headed back towards Lamar and the school.

My heart rate wasn't in range the first few miles since we were heading downhill, but once the course flattened out and started to climb back out of the trail area it went into the correct range and higher through the hills. I stopped at the Rock for water and ate my one CarbBoom. Once I got in the hills I was pretty much alone until I got to the church and the 2nd water stop. I drank some water and Accelerade and headed on. I saw more people on the Barton Hills loop and passed some others on the way back to Lamar. I picked it up a little the last two miles and looped around the school and into the neighborhood so I could get my mileage up to 11 miles.

Overall it was a really nice run. The rain tapered off after the start and it was a nice and cool for the morning. I did some strides on the track at the school and then joined in the stretching. We took Jay out for breakfast for his birthday and enjoyed good food, a mimosa, and good friends.

Stats - 11.07 Miles/1:35:50/8:39 pace
AHR - 134
MHR - 155

Quick Run and Gym Workout

I had to hit the gym early this morning and didn't have too much time so I got in quick run and weight workout. I spent 37 minutes on the treadmill for about 4.25 miles. I hit the weight machines for my full leg workout and two sets on most of the arm and back machines. I did some ab work at home and did some stretching. I am in post vacation mode still so I need to get back into "focus" mode starting with the long run on Saturday.

1000s at Zilker

Today I rejoined the group for 1000s at Zilker. The weather was warm, but not really nasty. We had a really nice sized crowd out there today which was nice. I actually had some folks to run with and we had a small lead pack to chase. G was talking about doing 6, but we ended up having to do 5. It was a good workout, but I was still feeling the after effects of the drive yesterday and my last day of good food on Monday night. I really need to lock down on my diet and eliminate all the bad stuff. It's time to get serious in all phases of my running and that includes diet. I was able to make my last repeat the fastest, but wish I could have been more consistent. I went up and down for the first 4 which isn't good. My AHR was in the 140s (all below my anaerobic threshold) for all of the repeats except for the last one where it went to 154. We weren't supposed to go all out so I did the workout correctly.

Repeats - 4:16, 4:24, 4:15, 4:19, 4:05 - Average 4:16

Stats - 7.66 miles
AHR - 122
MHR - 165

Vacation Running - 6/10-6/11

I took Saturday off and then ran on Sunday and Monday in South Padre Island while we were on our mini vacation. The first day I ran on the beach around 8:45 and it was already hot out there. Running on the beach was nice, but having to dodge waves and the uneven ground weren't too fun. It was cooler on the return trip, but I was working hard for such a short run. It may have been all the good food I had on Friday and Saturday plus the beverages.

On Monday I got up earlier to run before we hit the Schlitterbahn. I ran the first 2.5 miles on the beach and then headed up onto the road for the return trip. I found a quiet street that ran parallel to the main drag on South Padre. I was able to get into a good rhythm and pick up the pace without elevating my heart rate too much. Overall I had two good workouts while I was enjoying my vacation time.

6/10 Stats - 5.5 Miles/47:26/8:37 Pace
AHR - 141
MHR - 153

6/11 Stats - 5.63 Miles/48:12/8:34 Pace
AHR - 135
MHR - 149

LSR

Today I met Ann, Marcy and Brian for my LSR a day early this week. The goal was to run the Scenic loop with an additional loop on the trail around the Pfluger bridge. We started at 5:45 and it was really humid. The first part of the run went well and we stopped for water at the Dry Cleaner's. Brian lost his sun glasses somewhere along the way so we decided to backtrack along the Scenic loop which was kind of cool since I have never done that before. It wasn't too bad except for the climb on Scenic along the lake. We lost Brian there and kept plugging along. We needed another water stop on the way back, but the fountain at the lake was cemented over. Marcy and I pulled away to the Rock for some water. Ann called it a day and we finished our last 3 miles. Overall it seemed like a tough run due to the humidity, but I ended up with a decent pace and a good average heart rate for the run.

Stats - 10.55 miles/1:32:52/8:47 pace
AHR - 140
MHR - 156

Treadmill Run and Weights

Today I hit 24 Hour Fitness for a 47 minute run and my weight routine. I felt pretty good after yesterday's tempo race. I wasn't too sore and nothing hurt which was great news. I jumped on the treadmill and ran for about 5 minutes just under 9 minute pace. I switched to around 8:30 pace for the last 40 minutes and then did a 2 minute cool down.

I changed my weight routine to two sets of each machine for my arms, 3 sets for my back and 3 sets for my legs. I think that will give me some good balance and not build too much muscle mass up top. I want the strength, but not the weight that goes along with it. I also hit the ab machine and roman chair before heading upstairs for some additional crunches, back raises, and stretching. It was a productive day.

Stats - 5.4 miles/47:00

Base Tempo Race

Today was the our first 4 mile tempo run of the fall season. G said it was a baseline run. I didn't know what to expect, but wanted to go all out and set the early bar high. We did a mile warmup and then did our drills. G lined us up and we were off. I felt pretty good going out and was in the top 5 or 6 people. I felt a little tired heading around Lou Neff Point and up the hill to the railroad tracks. Mile one was 6:59 and mile two was 7:12. I hit the turnaround point and wanted to hold my pace for the next mile and then finish strong. I ran a 7:15 third mile and once I crossed the foot bridge I tried to pick it up. I felt strong on the finish, but didn't increase my speed too much. I ended with a 28:13 and 3.95 miles on my Garmin. The last .95 mile pace was 7:06 so I did go a little faster. My time was 21 seconds slower than my PR, but 28 seconds faster than my baseline run from last June.

Tempo Race Stats (Garmin) - 3.95 miles/28:13/7:08 pace
AHR - 159
MHR - 169

Zone 3 Recovery Run

Today I met Alex for a recovery run on the 7 mile loop. It was another cool morning after another round of thunderstorms in north Austin. We ran a nice pace and my heart rate was perfect for a recovery run. We stopped for water at the Rock and then headed in. We did 4 strides and I headed to the gym. I did two sets of my arm exercises and three sets of my back and leg exercises. I did some crunches in the ab machine, some work in the roman chair and then some crunches on the mat. I followed all that with the full stretch routine.

Tomorrow is the first tempo race of the season. That should be very interesting for the new peeps!

Stats - 7.01 miles/59:31/8:29 pace
AHR - 133
MHR - 146

Let the Chicago Fun Begin

Today was day one of our 2007 Chicago marathon training. We jogged over to AHS where Gilbert put us through the paces of his circuit training. We did our drills and then started. We ran a 400 then did step ups, fence squats, crunches, back raises, pushups, and lunges. I did 4 sets which sets and felt really strong...especially on the step ups. Usually those kill me, but I did them quickly and with good form. I did 4 sets and then we headed over to the red square on the track. We did some hopping, 15/45/90 leg raises, and then a minute of new fast feet which killed me. We had to get in an almost sitting position and then do the fast feet. Overall a very good workout.

Stats - Just under 5 miles

LSR

Today we ran the 10 mile loop with the Exposition add on. It was really humid this morning, but still kind of cool out. I wanted to do this run in my heart rate zone 3 and 4. I started out fast again with Rich and Alex, but let them take off without me as we hit the trail in the east side of I-35. I ran by myself after that which kind of sucked. Hopefully there will be some folks that run at my pace for Chicago or it is going to be a long summer for me. My average heart rate went into the mid 140s for mile 3 and never went down. I stopped for a pee break at the Holly Power plant and headed off. A few folks passed me, but I caught them at the first water stop under I-35. My heart rate was in the high 140s from miles 5-10 and I was feeling tired. When I got back to the Rock I ran into Anne and Marcy and stopped for short visit. After I started again I was able to get my pace back down to the 8:30 range and my heart rate was in the low 140s.

When I finished I did some strides and then joined the group for some balance drills. I wasn't feeling so good so I half-assed the drills and snuck out when we were finished. I don't think I hydrated enough for the run and didn't stop for water enough. It was a good time to re-learn those lessons.

Stats - 13 miles/1:51:51/8:36 pace
AHR - 143
MHR - 157

6 Year Running Anniversary

Today is my 6 year running anniversary. It is too bad it landed on my day off. I always like to run on this day. I have tracked my mileage since 6/1/2001 and as of today I have run 9,132 miles. I am still amazed that I stuck with running at the start and still enjoy it as much as I do. I think it has to do with my running friends and my coach. Every season brings new faces and new people to meet which keeps it fresh and Gilbert never ceases to amaze us with new workouts and challenges.

Happy Anniversary to me and thank you to all my friends and supporters!