Grove Loop

Today we ran 14 miles on the Grove loop. It's not my favorite loop, but it was good for today. My legs are not feeling so good. I think it was the hot Turkey Trot on Thursday. We were supposed to do part of the run at MGP, but ended up only doing a fast one mile finish.

We did some strides and then stretched. Two weeks to go!

Stats - 14.03 miles/2:04:29/8:52 pace
AHR - 136
MHR - 156

Easy Tour of Circle C

I met Wish for an easy run this morning as a prelude to my 14 miler tomorrow. I wanted to get the Thanksgiving feast through my system before Saturday. I was actually good yesterday and only had one glass of wine. Our good friends, the Syzdeks, had us over and the food was great. I loaded up on lots of carbs, but didn't over do it. As for today's run, the weather was worse than yesterday. I had drizzled overnight and it was a steam bath outside. We did a loop around Kiker and then did a loop of the park before calling it a day.

Stats - 5.86 miles/53:51/9:11 pace

Christmas Memories

Things our tough for many people this holiday season and we are all living with economic uncertainty, layoffs, and kind of a gloom when this should be the "Most Wonderful Time of the Year." I want to share a couple of commercials from Lexus that are wonderful. They capture two of my favorite all time "Santa Gifts" (Atari gaming system and my Big Wheel) and most of all made me remember Christmas past when as kid things were a lot easier. I have my Mom, Dad, and little brother to thank for many wonderful childhood Christmas memories.

Happy Holidays!

Thundercloud Turkey Trot

Today I ran my first ever Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot. I took yesterday off so I could run hard today. The weather changed for the worse with temps in the high 60s/low 70s and humid as hell. I did a little warmup with Rachel and then lined up in the huge crowd of people. It was nice to see over 12,000 people out there doing something healthy on a day of feasting. It took us 4 minutes to get to the start line and then we were dodging bodies for the first two miles. The course was very hilly and definitely not a good course for many of the casual runners that were out there or the walkers. I ran with Rachel most of the way as we weaved through the crowd. I almost got taken out by a dog in one spot. Overall it was great workout with a little over two weeks to go to the marathon. I know my heart rate was red lining due to the weather and hills.

Race stats - 38:22/7:40 pace
AHR - 155
MHR - 172

Race Splits - 8:13, 7:56, 7:38, 7:23, 7:10 (showed us as .94 miles for mile 5 on my Garmin)

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. I know times are uncertain right now, but we all have something to be thankful for...be grateful!!

Run in South Austin

Today I cut back on my Tuesday mileage a bit and ran my 8 mile Thursday route on Tuesday. It was still a little crisp in the AM, but warmed up fast. My legs felt good and nothing is in pain...a great thing with just under three weeks to go to Dallas.

Stats - 8.16 miles/1:09:55/8:34 pace

Easy Run at the Lake

After a hard effort on Saturday G gave us the option of circuity or an easy 7 on the trail...we all opted for the easy 7! My legs were a bit stiff, but after the run and 6 strides I felt great.

When I got home I called Online Shoes since my "marathon" shoes were dead. I wore them on two long runs and didn't get the feel new at all. I thought I grabbed my old shoes by mistake. They have a great guarantee and I got a new pair and get to return my old shoes with no issues. Hopefully I can get a couple of decent runs in them and they feel good for Dallas.

Stats - 6.88 miles/1:04:21/9:20 pace

18 Mile Run - 3 Weeks to go

Today we ran a point to point 18 miler. We ran the first 6 miles easy and then did the last 12 miles at MGP. The weather was perfect with temps right around 50 degrees. My lungs aren't totally clear yet so I struggled a little. I know I will be healthy on race day so I am glad I was able to do what I did today.

12 Mile pace run splits -
First .39 miles (had to reset my watch) - 8:02
1 - 7:58
2 - 8:10 (water stop)
3 - 8:06
4 - 8:01
5 - 8:10
6 - 8:44 (water stop, watch glitch)
7 - 8:04
8 - 7:54
9 - 7:54
10 - 7:59
11 - 7:56
Last .55 miles - 8:14

Pace Run Stats - 11.94 miles/1:36:41/8:06 pace
AHR 145
MHR 156

Overall Miles - 17.94 miles

Catch Up!

It's been a crazy week so I am a bit behind in my blogging. I have been battling the crud for almost two weeks and am finally feeling back to normal. I am glad it hit now rather than in December!

11/15 - Last Really Long Run
I felt like total garbage for this run with my bronchitis, but got up and did it anyway. It was a total mind over matter run mostly on the Austin course. I was with my peeps for the first 10 miles, but flipped around on Shoal Creek while they went ahead for a longer distance. I saw a cab on 45th and wanted to jump in, but I kept going. I actually picked up the pace a little bit over the last 10 miles and ended up with a nice average pace for feeling like crap. I need to store this one in my brain for the last 6 miles of Dallas!

Stats - 20.1 miles/3:02:47/9:05 pace

11/17 - Easy Run
We met at Runtex for an easy 7 miler. It was really cold so I was covered from head to toe. It was a nice run for the Dallas/Sac peeps that showed up. I also got another great massage from Sandee...she is awesome!

Stats - 7.05 miles/1:07:35/9:35 pace

11/18 - Kinda Long Tuesday Run in SW Austin
Today I met Wish for another longer run in SW Austin. I have stopped hitting the gym to do this workout and I really enjoy it. We run on the golf course for a bit and then run on a road that is off of 1826 and then do a tour of Circle C. The last few miles are at a bit faster pace than the first part so it is a nice finish.

Stats - 10.2 miles/1:28:54/8:43 pace
AHR - 136
MHR - 153

11/19 - Ladder Workout with the Gazelles
Today we did a ladder workout at AHS. We ran 1x2k, 3x1k, and 4x400 on the track. The first part was MGP, the second was half MGP, and the last part was 5k pace. The first part was really easy as we ran under MGP...nice to feel like that for Dallas! The other parts were pretty easy as well. I feel great!

Splits - 2k- 9:45/7:44 pace
1k - 4:51/7:41 pace
1k - 4:45/7:34 pace
1k - 4:42/7:28 pace
400 - 1:41/6:37 pace
400 - 1:40/6:37 pace
400 - 1:37/6:27 pace
400 - 1:43/6:53 pace - dogged it!

11/20 - Thursday Run in SW Austin
Today was the usual 8 miler in SW Austin. It was a perfect morning and a great run. I felt really good and strong going into my day off tomorrow. I have to thank Wish for picking up the pace on me during these runs. I alwasy run faster than I would on my own and I don't feel any more exertion than usual in the process.

Stats - 8.15 miles/1:09:57/8:34 pace
AHR - 137
MHR - 153

Easy Friday Run

I was diagnosed with Bronchitis yesterday which sucks. I have a great doctor and he said to run through it. I actually feel good while running, but feel whipped afterward.

I went out for an easy run today in place of my day off on Tuesday. It was the same run I did last Friday and I was able to break in potential marathon shoes #2. I am not sure if I want to wear the black soles or the snake colored copper shoes. I am going to use these shoes for the long run this week and then make a decision on which pair to carry me to BQ time on 12/14.

Best of luck to all my running friends running the San Antonio Marathon this Sunday!

Stats - 5.2 miles/46:01/8:51 pace
AHR - 131
MHR - 147

Moderate Run

Today I headed out for my Thursday 8 miler with Wish. My cough and congestion is still with me, but I wanted to get out there. It was a bit cooler this morning, but warmed up quickly. I was able to keep pace and my legs felt great. I am bummed I got sick, but this was my planned down week and my body is definitely telling me get some extra rest.

Stats - 8.15 miles/1:10:14/8:37 pace
AHR - 137
MHR - 153

Great New Tune - Hardy Drew and The Nancy Boys

Here is a great video of a band from Ireland claiming "O'Bama" as one of their own. I guess his great, great, great...Grandfather is from there. The lyrics are funny and there is even a "Texas" mention!

Run at Home

I am still feeling crappy so I took an extra day off yesterday hoping it would help. I was determined to get out today for a few miles. I slept later than my usual Gazelle wake up time and then headed out. I did a loop in the park and then some additional mileage on the road. I felt good except my breathing was a bit ragged. I am not feeling so great now so I am thinking I should have rested an other day. I have a Dr. appt. set for tomorrow afternoon if I am not feeling better in the morning. I am happy this is hitting now rather than closer to marathon day. I guess my body is saying take a break!

Stats - 5.2 miles/45:46/8:48 pace

Easy Run and Race for the Water

The crud finally caught up with me and I started feeling like crap yesterday. I almost bagged getting up this morning, but decided to get my miles in and race. I met Brian, Lisa, and Randy at 5:30 for an easy 7 miles on the trail. We ran straight from there up the starting line of The Race for the Water and jumped in right as the gun was going off. I was hoping the easy run would get me to cough up most of the crud in my sinuses, but that didn't happen until I started up some of the hills during the race. Then I felt like I was drowning. I couldn't breathe through my nose which sucks when you are trying to eat a gel or grab a water. I pushed through and felt pretty good. My legs felt great, but my cardio system was working really hard. Last year I blasted the last few miles. This year I was just able to lower my average pace by about 10 seconds. This race was MGP practice and I would say I survived. I wish I would have felt better to go faster, but I think being sick slowed me down to where I should be to practice my MGP for Dallas so mission accomplished.

Just a note, last year doing the race only and healthy I ran a 1:14:06.

Stats - 7 mile warmup - 1:08:11

Race Stats (Tracked the old fashioned way)
10 miles/1:18:27/7:51 pace
Splits - 7:54, 7:52, 8:07, 7:52, 7 :50, 7 :48, 7 :48, 7 :56, 7 :42, 7 :41

Overall - 303/1129
Age Group - 45/109

Thursday/Friday Runs

I changed up my schedule this week so I can go to the UT game and then run Gilbert's race on Sunday. I did my usual run in Circle C on Thursday and then backed it up with a shorter run on Friday morning. The mornings were great and I felt really good. My massages are doing wonders for the "old" body.

Thursday Stats - 8.16 miles/1:12:14/8:51 pace

Friday Stats - 4.63 miles/43:23/9:22 pace

Fartleks on the Trail

After staying up late to watch President Obama's victory speech last night, I got up early and met the group for fartleks. It is our usual pre-race routine. I haven't raced since May so Sunday should be interesting. As for today, it was warm and humid. I was still jazzed about Obama winning so I was running on air this morning. I ran with Brian and Rachel and we did the prescribed workout. We stopped at the Rock for water and did the last two miles as a cool down. Rachel and I headed to Maria's for some celebration tacos.

It was a great morning to be an American!

Stats - 6.9 miles/1:02:56/9:07 pace
AHR - 136
MHR - 159

Medium Run at Home

I met Wish for a longer run in SW Austin. We didn't go the normal route we run which was nice. We ran on part of the golf course and then headed out onto a road off of 1826. We followed that up with some loops in Circle that I have never run on. The overall pace was kind LSR like, but miles 5-8 were all in the 8:30 range and it was a really good workout. When I got home I did a cool down mile with Carla.

Stats - 9 miles/9.04 miles/9:02 pace
AHR - 130
MHR - 153

Cool Down - 1 mile/12:26/

Run in the Hood

Today I opted for sleep and ran in the neighborhood. The goal was to run for an hour and loosen up my legs. I ran to the Circle C park and then did two loops. I picked it up for the 2nd loop and then ran faster on the way back. I ended up with just under an hour and was feeling great by the end. I went for my bi-weekly massage today and felt even better afterward. My new masseuse is awesome!

Stats - 6.6 miles/59:17/8:59 pace
AHR - 134
MHR - 151

24 Miler

Today we decided to do something different in our training. We usually max out around 22 miles before a marathon, but today we decided to shoot for 24 miles. I plan on running a 3:30 or less marathon in Dallas, so I figured I want to be on my feet for at least 3:30 on a training run to give my mind and body a boost. We ran the first part of the Austin marathon course and then did the western section up Shoal Creek to White Rock and a little loop near the softball fields adjacent to MoPac. We finished up by doing reverse Scenic. We hit the hill right at mile 19 which is where the final climb in Dallas is. I felt good the whole run although I felt a bit tired at points. Rachel, Brian, Lisa, and me stuck together for most of the run with Brian and Rachel pulling away a bit at the end. I finished with some faster than the overall average miles. I didn't have a fast finish in me, but today was about getting the miles in and time on my feet.

Rachel, Lisa, and I joined some other 24 mile finishers for stretching after a few strides. I felt a lot better after that. I was sore throughout the day, but not too bad for running almost a marathon.

Stats - 23.87 Miles/3:40:49/9:14 pace
AHR - 131
MHR - 158