Long Run

Distance: 15 miles
Time: 2:36:17
Pace: 10:25 min/mi

Comments: With the half-marathon in two weeks, I thought it might be prudent to get a run in with additional distance this weekend. I faded very hard on the last few miles of the Cowtown last month and I would prefer to not repeat that. The target today was 15 miles.

It started off pretty well. I did the first stretch on White Rock Creek Trail and, it turns out, there was a race on it. I ended up getting caught by the leaders of the half-marathon then, after I turned around, the back half of the 5K. Still, it was a good way to get me through the first leg of this effort.

I was feeling tired at the halfway point even though I had kept my pace up very well. I didn't eat this morning and I think that really put me in the hole, energywise. Since battling fatigue was the purpose of this run, I just girded myself for the worst. And it came.

I started to slow pretty significantly past the midway point and the last four miles were brutal. My pace dropped dramatically each of these miles and keeping focused on finishing the damn thing was pretty much all I could do. I was able to do it but it was not pretty by any means.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 38:17
Pace: 9:34 min/mi

Comments: My original plan for this week was to put in two regular runs back-to-back and get a total of three in. But, with the prospect of a 15 miler this weekend, that sounds like a bit too much too soon. So I defaulted to my regular routine of one run every other day.

Today was a pretty satisfying effort. I didn't look at the watch at all; just ran it by feel. As a result, the splits were a little all over the place but I seem to be gravitating to that 9:30 min/mi baseline. I'd like to get that lower sooner rather than later but the mileage takes precedence for now.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 37:25
Pace: 9:21 min/mi

Comments: The plan this week is to up the mileage in preparation of the upcoming half. I've done pretty good keeping the pace down so I'd like to work on distance a bit.

I didn't really intend to do this run any faster than, say, 10 min/mi pace, but I really hit a nice groove and just kept with it. I wasn't really pushing it (except on the steep uphills) just trying to maintain regular breathing.

And it seems there is a waiver for the Dallas leash law in this neighborhood during school hours or something. Got chased by no less than three on this run while their owners stood by and watched. Might have to start carrying pepper spray like I did in Peru.

Long Run

Distance: 10 miles
Time: 1:34:53
Pace: 9:29 min/mi

Comments: With a race and a fast workout this week, I decided to err on the side of caution and give myself two days off before the long run. I wasn't even sure how long I wanted to do this one but finally settled on a 10 mile White Rock Lake Loop.

Today was a bit dour and, temperature-wise, not too bad at all. There were folks on the trail the whole course but never so many it became an ordeal. And a lot of them were clearly race training, so they tended to blow by me before I really knew they were there. So I got to really concentrate on my effort.

My plan was to use the first two miles to warm up and keep the first half of the run under 10 minute pace. After that I wanted to push it in order to get a negative split and then really make an effort on the final two miles. It went pretty much exactly like that. The second half of the run was three minutes faster than the first half and the final mile was under 8:30 pace. And I felt pretty much in control of it the whole way.