Training Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 39:14
Pace: 9:48 min/mi

Comments: This one was not fun at all. With a cold front coming through tonight, I thought it would be better to do a noon run today and not take the chance on rain messing up getting a run in tomorrow. Mistake.

First off it is pretty warm. Not hot, but enough to be significantly uncomfortable. Then there was the wind. It was brisk and constant and a complete pain in the ass. Lastly there was fatigue.

Three days in a row is not to be taken for granted with the constantly increasing long run mileage.  I got slower by almost half a minute every mile of this run. I expect to feel pretty wiped out tomorrow but, hopefully, two days off (and cooler temperatures) will give me a good shot at the 12 miler on Sunday.

Training Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 38:26
Pace: 9:34 min/mi

Comments: No run this morning due to meetings but I decided to have a lunch workout because today is determined to be a complete asshole. I want to have at least one thing accomplished by the time night falls.

This one wasn't as easy as the last one, although my average pace was still in the same ballpark. The fact it was warmer was clearly a factor but I think I'm just off due to the stress of today.

Consistency was also not where it should be. My pace on the second half of the run was almost a half minute slower than the first. Still, I'm now strong enough to just gut it through these efforts.

Training Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 38:06
Pace: 9:31 min/mi

Comments: The upshot of feeling absolutely horrid on Friday seems to have been a bit of an improvement in my baseline strength level. I wasn't particularly motivated in terms of today's run but, once I got out there, it wasn't much of a strain as these runs have been in the past.

Case in point. I hit almost exactly 9:34 pace on every mile of the run except the second which was 15 seconds faster. That's the kind of consistency I expect when I get strong enough to actually "run" these workouts instead of "hang on for dear life."

There's a lot of work left until my conditioning and stamina levels are where I would like but this is a very reassuring milestone.

Long Run

Distance: 10 miles
Time: 1:51:26
Pace: 11:08 min/mi

Comments: My plan, after last week, was to try and keep my work week the same and try to add two more miles to the long run today. I got worried about this on Friday when my body seemed to be telling me nada mas. I felt so bad all day that I was concerned it was actually the flu.

But I felt better yesterday although my quads and calves still had some sharp soreness. I didn't feel bad at all this morning so, even through I wasn't really motivated about it, I got out the door.

As I expected, it was rough. I made myself completely ignore my Garmin and just shoot for the distance. My pace fluctuated a lot but that wasn't really the main concern with this one. The second half was a slog as well as a tour de force of disassociative running. Still, I got it done.