Fila Relays

This evening I participated in the Fila Relays for the 3rd year in a row. I was part of "Masters of Our Domain" which was comprised of Anne, Larry and Rachel. I ran the start leg so I got there early to do a good warm up. I did the 2k loop around the track and then got into the corral around 6:20. The start was delayed and my legs actually cooled down in the heat. The gun went off and my quads felt like sand bags. I went as fast as I could and did the first mile in 6:43. I slowed in the second mile to 7:05. I think it was due to the two small climbs during that mile and my heart rate was going crazy. I ran the last 2.44 miles at 6:27 pace. I handed off to Anne and then went for some water.

We ended up taking 2nd place in the mixed masters division and all had a good time. A storm rolled in right when I was enjoying a beer and some tacos. Rachel and I got drenched walking back to our cars by AHS. Overall a fun night.

Stats - 3.5 Miles total
Race HR
AHR - 164
MHR - 175

Run/Weights

Today was kind of in between day for me since I am racing tomorrow night in the Fila Relays. I am losing a day off this week, so I didn't want to do my usual 5-7 miles I do on Thursday. I decided to run for 30 minutes and then do my weight routine. The 30 minutes went by pretty quick. I did my weight exercises including 3x10 step ups in between weight sets. When I was struggling with anything I closed my eyes and envisioned myself in the finishing chute in Chicago and powered through. My body feels great and I am looking forward to finishing out the last 5 weeks of my training.

Stats - 3.5 miles/30:30/8:43 pace

1x3k/2x2k/3x1k Ladder

Today we met for another ladder workout at Zilker. Last time I really enjoyed it and was looking forward to this one and to improving my times. We did our jog over there from RunTex and our drills. We took off in one big group and some of us split off after a bit. I ended up running all the repeats with Vasil, Larry, and Brad within shouting distance. Larry sandbagged or should I say paced himself well to throw down and crush us all in the last repeat. It was another great workout and my times were a lot better than last time. I feel like I am putting it all together and in a much better time frame than last year.

Splits
Time Pace

12:58	6:57
8:16	6:39
8:12	6:36
4:06	6:36
4:04	6:33
3:59	6:25

Stats - 10.58 miles
MHR - 167

Running/Weights/Running

I had scheduled a 10 miler on the trail for today, but G has another long interval ladder scheduled for tomorrow so I decided to run at the gym instead. I started out with 5 miles on the treadmill and then hit the weights for my whole weight routine. When I finished with the weights I ran another 2 miles to finish the workout. I did my ab work at home and did some stretching to finish the day.

Stats - 7 miles/1:00:20/8:37 pace

Easy 7 at Home

After a weekend of not eating well and a much needed day off it was time to get back to running again. It was the girl's first day of school so I saw them off and ran at home. I did the loop around the soccer fields and then did completed the 4 mile out and back loop to get to 7 miles. It was nice to run in the neighborhood, but with schools in session there were a lot of cars out there. I survived and did my ab exercises when I got home.

Stats - 7 miles/59:27/8:29 pace
AHR - 135
MHR - 152

First 22 Miler

Today some of us did our first 22 miler...which means only one more to go! It was another warm, humid morning in Austin. I will be happy when our "Houston" like summer is over. We started near Zilker Park again at 5:30 in the AM. The route was up and back almost to 183 via Exposition going up and Scenic coming back. This course is a lot harder than our down hill 20 miler two weeks ago so I decided to take it a little easier than I did then. I started and finished with Steve and Vasil for the entire route. Larry was off getting married so we had to try and carry the conversation for the route. I tried to eat about every 4 miles where there was water and the Accel Gels went down good with no issues. I stopped for water at every chance I could. I guess I wasn't hydrated enough. The pace was pretty consistent throughout the run and I was able to pick it up a little for mile 20 (8:36) and 21 (8:28). My stomach kicked up during the last couple of miles, but I was able to finish with no problems. My heart rate was good and although it wasn't the perfect run, I got the miles in and felt good throughout.

Steve and I just wanted to cool off so we skipped stretching and jumped into Barton Springs for about 30 minutes. It felt good to be in the cold water.

Stats - 22.25 miles/3:16:15/8:49 pace
AHR - 137
MHR - 156

Easy Run on the Trail

Today I met Anne, Brian, and Rachel at the Rock for an easy 7 miles around Lady Bird Lake. I have been focused on getting the heart rate up for these runs, but I have been working hard and just wanted to run with friends today. We started out counterclockwise and took a couple of water stops along the way. We had some good conversation and just enjoyed the run.

Thanks guys!

Stats - 6.87 miles/1:07:13/9:47 pace
AHR - 119
MHR - 146

New Ladder Workout

Gilbert had another new ladder workout for us to do today. It wasn't as long as the one last week, but it was at the track so it was kind of tedious. I not a big fan of the longer intervals on the track. I would rather do them at Zilker, but running on the soft surface is better for our legs.

We jogged over to AHS, did our drills, a lap of strides and then hit it. I ran with Carrie, Anne, Rachel, Skud, Brian and Mike. The fall marathoners were to do 1x2000, 4x1000, and 4x400. The others had to do half the 1000s and 400s. Carrie and Skud did the whole workout with me which was nice. We had a good time in the warm, humid morning. My splits were good and I was happy with the workout.

Split	Distance	Pace
8:59	2k	7:14
4:19	1k	6:57
4:16	1k	6:52
4:20	1k	6:58
4:15	1k	6:50
1:34	400	6:18
1:33	400	6:14
1:31	400	6:06
1:28	400	5:54

Stats - 9.27 miles
MHR - 170

Gym Running and Weights

Today I slept in and hit the gym for my run and weight workout. I haven't been sleeping well so I rewarded myself after yesterday's effort with an extra 90 minutes of sleep. It was awesome!

I did another split workout which I think really helps get the blood flowing in the legs after the weight workout. I started out running 3.5 miles, did my leg and back exercises, and then ran another 2.65 miles. My total running time was 52 minutes. I was in a hurry so I skipped my arm exercises. I did the full stretch routine and my ab workout at home. I am still feeling good and strong.

Stats - 6.15 miles/52:00/8:27 pace

2/8 Pace Run

Today we did the 2/8 pace run on the trail. It was warm and humid as usual and I didn't sleep so well last night. I have been having insomnia lately which really sucks. I also didn't eat well yesterday having had popcorn for lunch at the movies and a few ribs, a small piece of sausage, and some turkey from Rudy's. My stomach was upset when I woke up...not a good sign.

Anyway, enough complaining. I wanted and needed to have a good pace run today since my previous pace runs have not been really good. I started out with the pack and ran with Vasil again. We covered the 2.12 mile warm up in 19:04/8:59 pace. I hit the potty by the 8 mile marker and then we took off. I was feeling good at the start and not really pushing the pace. G said to let it come the run come to you and finish strong. That was my plan and will be my plan on race day. I started getting faster after the first two miles and think I was in the 7:40 range for the remainder of the run except for the water stops. I kept the watch running for both of them. I did have to take a bio stop for the stomach right before the little hill on the north side of the trail. I stopped the watch for that one. That was with about 3.5 miles to go and once I cleared the system I was flying and felt really strong throughout the remainder of the run. I was shocked to see my last mile was my fastest, but I was really focused and concentrating at the end and that was the difference.

It was a good confidence builder for me and I believe my training is right on track. My AHR heart rate was only two beats above my threshold and if given 30 degrees cooler temps in Chicago in October it should be down in zone 3/4 during the race.

Mile Splits
7:50
7:58
7:46
8:22 - includes water stop
7:34
8:16 - includes water stop
7:38
7:27

Stats - 8 Miles/1:02:56/7:52 pace (including water stops)
AHR - 151
MHR - 161

Overall mileage - 10.13 Miles

Grove Run

Today we did the Grove run for our back down week. The remnants of Tropical Storm Erin brought back the very humid mornings again. It was warm and steamy for us. We headed out in a large pack and started to string out along Riverside due to various speeds and the stop lights. Our first water stop was near ACC. At that point I settled in with Vasil for the remainder of the run. The first 5 miles were all in the 9:00 range. We made a pit stop at the Holly Power area and took off again. We made another water stop under I-35 where I ate my second Accel Gel. I really like these gels and they are now the gel of choice for me. The next 5 miles were all in the 8:30 range as we slowly picked it up. G had another water stop at the small boat ramp near AHS. Once we left there we were on the "pick it up" piece of the run. The final 3.5 miles were 8:15, 8:11, 7:55 and 7:58 pace for the last .5 mile. We did a few strides at the end and then gathered for stretching.

The run itself wasn't that bad, but it was a long week and I had to push to pick it up at the end. It was a good effort and I am pleased at where I am at with 7 weeks to go. Next week will be long with a 10 mile pace run on Monday and our first 22 miler on Saturday.

Stats - 13.5 miles/1:57:20/8:41 pace
AHR - 138
MHR - 160

Crosstraining

My legs were dead this AM so I hit the gym for a brief workout with no running. I rode the elliptical trainer for 20 minutes to warm up and then did most of my weight routine. I was crunched for time so I did all my leg exercises, including 3x10 step ups with each leg, and some of my upper body exercises. I did my ab exercises at home and stretched a bit. Tomorrow is a much needed rest day before the semi-long run on Saturday.

New Long Workout

Today we met at RunTex to head over to the Zilker soccer fields for a new workout that turned out to be really long. It consisted of 1x4k, 1x2k, and then 4x1k. We did our drills and then headed out. I ran with Carrie, Rachel, Brad, Mike, Thon, and Vasil. Mike and Carrie were ahead of us most of the time and Vasil and I stuck together and completed all of the workout since we the only fall marathoners in the group. As usual I started out slow as my old legs warmed up, but I got faster and was really consistent during my 1k repeats. My legs were totally spent once I finished. I have now run over 48 miles since Saturday. I jogged back with Brad and headed home to stretch.

Splits -
4k - 17:25/7:00 pace
2k - 8:29/6:50 pace
1k - 4:16/6:52 pace
1k - 4:18/6:55 pace
1k - 4:16/6:52 pace
1k - 4:11/6:44 pace

Stats - 10.36 miles
MHR - 165 (during the 4k)

10 Mile Recovery Run + Weights

Today I met Alex for a 10 mile recovery run on the trail. When the alarm clock went off this morning I was thinking screw this, but then told myself I can sleep as much as I want after I qualify for Boston on 10/7. Until then I need to stick to my training schedule as much as possible. The goal for the run was the same as yesterday except for an additional 3 miles. We headed out counter-clockwise towards I-35 and it took a couple of miles to get warmed up. My legs didn't have as much zip in them as yesterday, but I was able to hold my pace in the 8:30 range and keep my heart rate in the right zone for most of the run. Once we finished we did 4 long strides and headed back to RunTex. I hit the gym for my weight training. I have been doing 3x10 step ups every gym workout and that seems to be helping my glute problem that flares my lower back pain. The weights went pretty well, but I am really tired after running over 37 miles over the last 4 days. I got home and did my ab work with the girls which was fun. They see Carla and I doing abs every day and now want to join in.

Stats - 10.21 miles/1:27:40/8:35 pace
AHR - 135
MHR - 149

LSR Recovery Run

Today we met for a recovery run on the trail. G wanted us to be back in an hour for drills at Auditorium Shores. I took off with Alex and wanted to stick with my new definition of recovery run which means that I want to run so that my heart rate is in zone 3 and 4 for the run. This means HR in the range of 134 to 148. It was another really warm morning since we finally hit 100 yesterday in Austin. My legs felt good and we were moving at a pretty good clip. Alex pulled away a bit once we crossed the lake, but still in sight. I was running within my own goals and still felt good. I got a bit carried away in mile 4 and ran an 8:15, but once I saw my HR shoot up I slowed down. I stopped for water at the Rock and continued on.

Once I finished I got some water and waited for everyone else to come in. G put us through 10 strides, hopping, and form exercises. Those went very well for me and I really enjoyed them. When I got home I took Caroline to the soccer fields to run some wind sprints. I set up a little "line drill" course for her and she ran 9 sets after two loops around the field as a warmup. It was a good morning of exercise.

Stats - 6.94 miles/58:47/8:28 pace

Second 20 Miler

Today was our second 20 miler of the fall season. This would be our first point to point effort with minimal hills until the end. The course started at Spicewood and 183 and was mostly the old Freescale course before they ruined it with the new course. The variation was to go right off of Shoal Creek across 35th street and then finish on the scenic loop starting at Pecos to where we parked off of Robert E. Lee on the SE side of Zilker Park. The weather was back to normal Austin August weather with temps in the 70s at the start and humid. It actually felt better than last week, but I think it could have been the downhill to flat course we ran.

I rode up with Ava, Larry, Steve and a couple of other ladies. Ava is nursing an injury, but was nice enough to drive us up to the top. G gave us our instructions and we were off. During the week I made the decision to switch to Accel Gel and was happy my shipment arrived on Friday. This gel is not as thick as the CarbBoom I have been eating and I was able to eat it every 4 miles without water. I ran with some different people today as I ran along. I also spent a lot of time by myself. I just can't seem to find a posse with this season. I felt really strong all day and my first mile 9:07 was the slowest mile of the day. I cruised down Jolleyville and through the Arboretum area. I crossed over MoPac and got passed by Joseph K and a couple of other folks. As usual I got buzzed by some AHole on Burnet. I caught up with a bunch of folks at the water stop on Longhorn and started running with Gary and Mike at that point. We were together until the scenic section where I pulled away a bit. Near the Rock I started running with another guy I just met, but since I am terrible with names can't remember who it was. We finished together into Zilker.

I was one of the first people back outside of the really fast folks and felt really good. I ran consistent miles all morning long and didn't have any issues along the way. My heart rate stayed in the high 130 range and only went above my threshold when we went through the scenic section. Gilbert said this run would be a confidence builder for everyone and it definitely was for me.

I did some strides at the park and then did some stretching on my own. I hit the spillway on Barton Springs with Brian and Alex and called it a day. I must say I won't be hitting the spillway any time soon. There were too many scary people and dogs there that had no regard for anyone else. One clown just sat there and laughed as his bully rotweiler attacked every dog in the area.

Stats - 20.01 miles/2:50:09/8:30 pace
AHR - 138
MHR - 161

Split Workout

Today was run and gym day, but I was trying to balance a little extra sleep with Carla's work schedule. I set the alarm for 6AM and the plan was to be at the gym by 6:30. I ended up wide awake at 5:30 and was at the gym a bit after 6:00AM. I did 2.25 mile warmup on the treadmill and then did my weight workout. Once I got home I hit the road for an additional 4 miles on my usual out and back route on Escarpment. It felt really good to run after the weights. I think it helped my recovery and I plan on doing it again next week.

Stats - 2.25 Miles Treadmill
4.14 miles on the road - 35:21/8:32 pace
AHR - 133
MHR - 147

Tempo Run

Today we did the dreaded Tempo Run. It was very warm and humid this morning so I didn't know what to expect. We also did a different route by running on the 7 mile loop with an approximately 3 mile warmup and then the 4 mile race. I warmed up with Carrie, Anne, Brian and Rachel. I think we jumped the start because our warmup was only 2.86 miles at 9:55 pace. We started and Carrie shot out front and I never saw her again. She is really running strong. I am very happy for her, but at the same time wondering what I am doing wrong. There are many people that I have run with over the last 3 years that have blasted past me and onto bigger and better things. Anyway, back to the run. I just couldn't get it going and it turned out to be a 4 mile pace run. Rachel killed me as well. My splits were 7:38, 7:36, 7:39, 7:35 which was a 7:37 average. The overall time was my worst tempo runs at 30:28. Once we finished, we did a 1.16 mile cool down and some strides.

Tempo Run Stats - 4 miles/30:28/7:37 pace
AHR - 157
MHR - 170

Run/Weights

Today I got back into my gym routine since I have only been once in the last 3 weeks due to my travel and vacation. I ran 5.25 miles and then did my weight routine. I am really working on my weight right now so I am cutting back my upper body sets to two and sticking with my 3 sets for my legs. The weight sets were a little hard for my upper body, but I got through them. My legs were fine and it was a good workout.

Stats - 5.25 miles

2/6/2 Pace Run

Today a few of us skipped the circuit training in favor of a pace run. I think these are key to a successful marathon so I am committed to them every other week until the race. We decided to do a 2/6/2 pace run. Larry, Steve, Brad, and me headed out on the 10 mile loop. I was hoping for a better run than last time. My times are still a bit off from last year. We did a 2.1 mile warmup at 9:23 pace and then took off at the mile marker near the restroom. I felt pretty good at the start and was leading the pack. My first two miles were at 7:57 pace. I dropped mile 3 to 7:41 and then I started to get tired with my mile 4 time of 7:59. I stopped for water during mile 5 and my time dropped to 8:39. Brad and Larry were ahead of me and Steve peeled off to get to work. I kept plugging along and did the last mile in 8:25. Overall, not a bad effort, but definitely not a confidence builder. My heart rate was above my threshold for all but the first mile. I don't know if I am still tired from my 3 hours of sleep on Friday night or what. We finished with a really easy 2.16 mile cool down at 9:52 pace. I went really slow to try and get my heart rate down, but my HR average for the cool down was 146.

Pace Run stats - 6 miles/48:41/8:07 pace
AHR - 159
MHR - 167

Back Home - Long Run

My flight back from Durham was over 3 hours late leaving so I didn't get home until 1:15AM. I had to get up at 5AM for our long run and think I fell asleep around 2AM. I was going to blow it off and go later, but thought I should get up and get it over with. The route was to leave from the south side of Barton Springs and up to Mt. Bonnell and back through Scenic. I was able to keep pace with Anne, Rachel and Brian, but it was basically a survival run. There was a 14 mile option, but I just did 12 miles. We got back about 7:45 so we headed over for a soak in the outside part of Barton Springs. That was really nice and felt great. I skipped stretching and just headed home. I ended up sleeping most of the day and was really happy I got my run over with.

Stats - 12.16 miles/1:50:16/9:04 pace
AHR - 134
MHR - 158

Back in Carolina

We arrived back in Chapel Hill yesterday afternoon and went to see the Durham Bulls play baseball. I haven't been to a minor league game in years so it was really fun to go. We had great seats and a really good time at a fraction of the cost of a MLB game.

This morning Carla and I got up and headed back to the Duke Trail. I ran one loop and then headed into campus to run near the Cameron Indoor Stadium and then down into the football stadium. Although Duke sucks at football, the stadium setting was beautiful. I guess they once were good because they had some signs up about a Rose Bowl appearance in the 30s and some conference championships in the 50s. They had once sign that cracked me up. It said something about highest percentage of Division I football graduates and had a number of years listed. Now that will intimidate the other team. I ran 4 laps on the track and then headed back to the trail to catch up with Carla.

Stats - 5 miles

Time in Washington, DC - 7/30-8/2/07

We arrived in Washington on Monday and hit the Museum of Natural Science and then walked around to see the Washington Monument and then both sides of the White House. The kids were excited to see the "first dogs" while they were out on their walk. We also saw Laura Bush's motorcade leaving the north side of the White House. That was kind of exciting.

On Tuesday AM, I woke up around 7:30 and ran down to the Bureau of Engraving to stand in line for tour tickets. Once I got our tickets I went for a quick run and went for a run down to the Mall and then around the Tidal Basin where I saw the Jefferson Memorial, The FDR Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. I headed back on the north side of the mall back to the hotel. We spent the day at the Air and Space Museum, the Bureau of Engraving tour, Holocaust Museum, and the White House Visitors Center. We were dead on our feet and took a few hours for some rest and to eat dinner. We took a night tour of the city which was awesome. I was able to pull up my Grandfather's WWII profile on a kiosk at the WWII Memorial which made me very proud. The city is so pretty at night and the bus driver was really good with her narrative.

Stats - 4.5 miles

On Wednesday morning, I got up at 6:30 so I could get a longer run in and then head over to the Capitol so I could get tour tickets. I headed down to the Mall again and headed west on the north side of the mall toward the Lincoln Memorial. I passed in front of Abe and headed out on a trail that bordered the Potomac River. I followed that until I passed in back of the Jefferson Memorial and then back to the Mall. I ran to the Capitol and got in line for tickets. It turns out that you have to be there to get a ticket so I ran up Pennsylvania Avenue and up to our hotel quickly. I had to wake everyone up and rush around, but we were able to get back to the Capitol in plenty of time to get a 10:15 AM tour. The tour was nice. We hit the National Archive to see our founding documents, but the line was too long so we headed to lunch. After that we hit the Spy Museum which was kind of cool. After that I was done and I think Caroline was done with museums. We relaxed a bit and then headed to Georgetown for dinner. We walked a bit and took in the atmosphere and then hit a wonderful place for pizza called Pizzeria Paradiso. I would highly recommend it if you are ever in DC. It was the only food we ate there that stuck out. We got back to the room and all went to sleep early. All this time on our feet and in the hot weather is making us tired.

Stats - 5.83 Miles

On Thursday we packed up to head back to North Carolina. We stopped at the Arlington National Cemetery on the way out and took the tour. It was very moving seeing the eternal flame and the Tomb of the Unknowns. The changing of the guards ceremony was really cool. We had a really good time in DC and although it wasn't a Disney/Cruise/Beach vacation I think the kids enjoyed it as well. As the girls get older, I am really cherishing these times we have together. The memories will last forever.