Saturday, January 10, 2015

Long Run

Distance: 6 miles
Time: 53:27
Pace: 8:54 min/mi

Comments: The run on Thursday took a lot more out of me than I had initially expected. I was dragging most of Friday and slept pretty hard that night as well. Today I felt a lot better so I thought a reasonable challenge might be in order.

I decided to take a stab at six miles. Not an inordinately difficult goal but it has been awhile and with temperatures where they are at, I didn't want to get a good ways out and try to walk home in the chill.

The run went really well, though. I started overslow and let myself speed up as I warmed up. I took an off-the-sidewalk route around one of the ponds which was a nice change of pace. The biggest problem was the cold breeze on the way back. Overall, my pace stayed under 9 min/mi so it was a solid effort.

Conditions:
Hour: 1:20 p.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: overcast
Temperature: 38 degrees
Humidity: 43%
Wind: 10 mph
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: nada

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Training Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 33:14
Pace: 8:17 min/mi

Comments: Oh this was not pleasant at all. With temperatures in the 20s and wind chills dropping it another good dozen degrees, a morning run was out of the question. It warmed up during today but it was damn chilly when I finally got started.

So, as you might expect, I ran this at as quick of a pace as I could in order to get the misery over with. The first mile was 8:25 pace -- as fast as my fastest in most runs -- and I didn't slow down any the rest of the way. Overall, it was difficult but not nearly as much as I expected.

Conditions:
Hour: 5:05 p.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 36 degrees
Humidity: 45%
Wind: 5 mph
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: nada

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Training Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 34:11
Pace: 8:33 min/mi

Comments: The weather, while not warm by any stretch of the imagination, was positively balmy compared to what the rest of the week is slated to bring. So I got off work and got out the door to enjoy it.

I felt kind of slow the first half of this run although my pace came out pretty much in line with what I've been doing the last week. But since I thought I was falling behind, I pushed it a little harder on the back half. I was a little shocked to see my final mile hit 8:03.

I think at this point I have to chalk up this to more than just the cold weather. I've really been trying to eat better since Christmas and I'm thinking that's one of the key things that had been holding me back before.

Conditions:
Hour: 5 p.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 55 degrees
Humidity: 58%
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: nada

Monday, January 5, 2015

Training Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 34:49
Pace: 8:40

Comments: It was damn cold this morning so there really wasn't a chance I was going out to run before work. Of course I didn't get off until late and the light was almost gone by the time I got my shoes laced up. Still, the sunset was pretty spectacular.

Once again I had a pretty strong run. I thought I took the first mile pretty easy but it turned out to be as fast as any of the faster miles in my previous runs. And I was flirting with 8:30 pace for half of this effort. The best part is that I really didn't feel like I was pushing it too much. I just hit a nice groove and rode it the whole way.

Conditions:
Hour: 5:48 p.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 42 degrees
Humidity: 52%
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: nada