Ate...Eight

That's pretty consistent; all miles are within 5 seconds of each other.  Now for a rest day tomorrow and 12 on Saturday.

This IS the Half of it

Or the half mile intervals of it, anyways.  That third interval, I had a watch malfunction that added a couple of seconds onto the time, otherwise, it would have been 4:10 or 4:09 (ok, I thought I hit lap then stop, but for some reason the watch didn't register them.)

At any rate, except for the slow half, all of these were faster than my last go-around of half intervals.  Yay.  Oh, and how about that consistency for my warmup/cooldown miles?  Rockin' it like a hurricane...

Somewhere during that third interval, I hit a pace that felt effortless.  I mean, I was running around an 8 min pace, but my breathing smoothed out, my legs kept churning, and I felt like I was motoring along with very little strain.

It was pretty weird in an awesome way.  It only lasted maybe 10 or 20 seconds, but while it did last, I was in bliss.  Maybe that's what's known as the runner's high?  I don't know, but it certainly was refreshing.

Another New Pace

...with about the same results as yesterday's new pace: failure!  That 10.27 average turns out to be 10:16, which is 6 seconds faster than I was shooting for.  Now, that said, I did clock my miles pretty consistently within 10 seconds of each other, so there's that.

Tomorrow is 5 miles with 2 of them being half mile intervals; I'm shooting for around 4:30 for a half mile.

A New Pace

So, I suppose I should be happy that I was faster than my intended pace, but I'm not really.  I did have somewhat of a difficult time nailing down this new pace as you can see.  Tomorrow isn't going to be any help as I'll be running another new pace: 10:22 for 6 miles.

Maybe if I run the whole thing gangnam style I'll hit my target.  Then again, I'd probably just hurt myself trying that newfangled stuff.

That's 40 Miles!

There you go: 40 miles in one week.  It was a brisk 29 degrees F when I started, but thankfully, it warmed up to 31 degrees F by the time I ended.

Once again, I'm happy with the consistency.  Starting next week, my pace starts getting faster for some runs; I think I'm ready!

Oyster....BURP!....dressing

Yes this run was about 1.5 hours after Thanksgiving dinner, and yes, I did make oyster (burp) dressing.  I stopped at (burp...oysters...) miles 4, 7, and 9 for various reasons (said goodbye to Jurell at mile 4, changed shoes at mile 7, and said goodbye to Brandy's grandpa (coach's father) at mile 9.)  burp.

The toughest part of this run (burp) was getting my food to settle in the first three miles.  Even after it had settled, the (burp) burps would still be my constant companion.  burp.  I mean, I really like oyster...BURP...dressing, but during a run, not all that much.

6

For some reason, I thought that I really struggled with keeping a consistent pace; the watch set me straight (and kept me on pace!)  Tomorrow, since I want to eat, I get to do 10.  Coach say, "NO TURKEY TROT FOR YOU!"

Oh, and I guess I wrote the schedule down wrong for yesterday.  I was supposed to run two warm up, one at 8:30, one easy, 2 X 1/4 in 2 mins, 1/2 easy.  Noted for next time.

How about those intervals?

I had a bit of a time slowing down to an 11 min pace those first two miles.  Not sure why, I guess I was anticipating the intervals.

Now, that fast mile is only 2 or 3 seconds off my fastest mile, so there's that.  I was also surprised by that first quarter.  I knew that I was bookin' it 'cause I was really winded when I stopped to recover, but I didn't think I was going that fast!  (If you didn't notice, I put my min/mile pace down there at the bottom for the two quarters.)

Full disclosure, I rested/recovered before each of the intervals including the mile.  I also took the time to change my pace settings for the different speeds that I was trying to attain, which worked out pretty good - especially for the mile.

A New Day One: 8 Miles

This run was almost tougher than Saturday's.  I'm not sure why, but it may have something to do with being up since 4:20 am (my normal workday rising time.)  I know I need to get more sleep, so I'm planning on hitting the hay around 9 tonight.

I'm liking the consistency that I'm seeing in the pacing; of course, I'm checking my watch every couple of seconds to make sure I'm on pace, so there's that...

Tomorrow I have two miles @ 11 min/mile, one mile in 8:45, 2 X 1/4 @ 2 mins, 1.5 miles @ 11 min/mile.

Day 5: Just 10 Miles...

And that's 35 miles in one week.  I was wrong on the 7 or 8 mile gut check...it was at 2.5 miles.  I felt various parts of my body complain for periods of time.  Just about the time my right leg stopped complaining about being sore, the left one would start up.  Whine whine whine.

I am going to keep the pace at the faster one.  So I'll just have one schedule note for the remainder of the schedule.  Don't freak out!!!  Be prepared to not see the darker green schedule.  I'm warning you so that you can steel yourself for the shock.  To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

And now, since that run was worth 1500 calories...it's time to eat!!!

Day 4: GUT CHECK!

And here is where my father in law is trying to kill me.  My fourth day in a row of running - the second workout this week of intervals.  As you can see, I maintained the pace in light green, so I take some responsibility in the killing of myself.

I knew that this particular run would be the most difficult as I would be running on sore, tired legs, and I was right.  The intervals weren't all that bad, but the 2.5 miles after were gut check time.  Did I have it in me to run through the aches and complete the training run?  Yes...yes I did.

More and more, I'm finding a discipline in my training.  At the beginning, I have to hold myself back to run the pace set before me; at the end of a run, I have to do the same thing as I want to finish strong and fast.

But finishing strong and fast in a training run doesn't accomplish the purpose of these runs!  I am shooting for consistency, for a steady pace at a set mile/min.  This has been especially important as I could have easily burned myself out at the beginning of the week and been unable to complete this run at the prescribed paces.

Now for a day off!  I'm thinking that I will have another gut check around mile 7 or 8 on Saturday, but I also think that the training, both physical and mental, will get me through to 10 miles.  Then a day off and start all over again!  Whoop!

Day Three: 7 Miles

Here's where the rubber meets the road.  Could I maintain 11 minute miles after the last two days runs.  As you can see, the answer is yes.  Tomorrow should be easier as I can rest after each of my 4:30 half mile intervals. 

Full disclosure: I stopped at 1 and 3 miles to make clothing adjustments which entailed more than a couple minutes rest.

So, three days in a row; that's my highest number of consecutive days running, I believe.  And I run tomorrow, so that should be a new record for consecutive days.  Yeah, I know, big whoop.

Day Two: Five miles with Intervals

I really need to figure out my watch.  I set up this workout and forgot that unless I separate out each mile into a different step, the watch doesn't mark the time for each mile.  So I need to edit my interval workout to add a step right after mile one to...run another mile at the same pace. 

What you get is a total of the two miles at the beginning and the end of the run.  I was pretty surprised that they were within a second of each other.  I've really been trying to maintain a steady pace and not speed up as I get to the end of the run.

And how about those intervals?  The schedule calls for an 8 minute pace; I ended up with anywhere from a 7:12 to a 7:28 pace.  I rested until my heart rate had dropped below 100 after each interval instead of what I've been doing (walking for the next quarter mile.)  I sure like the results better doing them this way.

A New Beginning

This is the beginning of a new training schedule that targets a 2:17 finish time for a half marathon on Dec 16.  The darker green is the pace that Michael set up for me; the lighter green is the pace that I will try out for this week instead of the slower pace. 

I plan on reworking the pacing on the rest of the schedule to provide alternate, faster, pacing for as long as I can keep it up.  If I'm struggling to get in the miles at the faster pace, then I'll fall back on the slower pace.  By my calculations, if I'm able to train at the faster paces, I should be able to get down to a 10 min pace for my mini.  We'll see.

Ludicrous Speed

That five miles was faster than my single five mile race.  Of course, I was pretty winded at the end, so I think I'm approaching the limit of my endurance as far as this pace is concerned. 

My father in law/coach has sent me an aggressive running schedule to prep me for a PR in my next half marathon on Dec 16th.  I haven't looked at it yet, but I'm sure it's gonna be a butt kicker.

Recovery Run? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Recovery Run!

I think I've been sandbagging.  Maybe I've just been being careful not to strain myself or maybe I was worried about not being able to finish a run at a faster pace.  Or maybe, I was just being lazy.  If I were a betting man...I would bet the latter.

Of course, this run comes on three days rest and not an insignificant amount of unintentional carb loading, still, I think that I can safely lower the pace alarms on my runs.

To Do:
1. Sign up for the Santa Hustle Half Marathon on Dec 16.
2. Put together a schedule that includes lots of speed work.
3. Turn in a PR time on Dec 16.
4. Brag about PR on Dec 16 (must occur after Dec 16)
5. Break arm patting self on back about #4
6. Spend time being pampered by favorite nurse.
7. Repeat 1-6.

Sounds like a plan!

Monumental Redemption

Ah.  That feels good.  After two demoralizing half marathons, this result is exactly what the doctor ordered.  Of course, the weather was just about perfect (high 30's to low 40's, cloudy), and I was determined to make a better showing than I did in May.

I set my pace alarms at 12 and 11 minutes/mile and made sure that I responded to them with no exceptions...for the first 6.5 miles.  At the half way point, I let loose the legs and ran what was comfortable, which happened to be right around 11 minute miles.

At the 10 mile point, a young lady by the name of Audrey came up behind me and asked me what my planned finish time was.  I responded with 2:30, to which she said, "I'd better pick it up."

So I asked her what time she was shooting for and she said 2:25.  Well, since it was only three miles to go, I decided to pick up the pace with her and told her so.  You can see that mile 11 was the fastest to that point, and by the time we hit the mile marker, Audrey mentioned that we had already sped up quite a bit.

So, for the last two miles, we did sub 10 minute miles with me shouting encouragement to her, which in turn spurred me on.  It really was great to help someone achieve their goal and in so doing, do better than I expected.  At mile 13, I did what I normally do: sprint.  I turned my legs over as quickly as I could and crossed the finish line at a 7 minute/mile pace.

Audrey did make her goal as she was a minute behind me when she crossed the starting line. And, yes, I do take credit for her time as we left her running partner in the dust.  She deserves just as much credit for my time also as I don't think I would have picked it up that much if she hadn't unwittingly laid down the gauntlet.

Some side notes:  I didn't stop to hit the potty while on the course.  This is a first, so my official time and my unofficial time are within two seconds of each other.  I GU'd before the race and at the 6.5 mile point.  My newish underwear was perfect, and I experienced no chaffing.  I took water at three or four stations and Gatorade at one, with none of them coming after mile 8.  Thinking about running the Santa Hustle Half on Dec 16.