Training Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 37:04
Pace: 9:16 min/mi

Comments: Last run of my three-days-in-a-row effort. The weather has really cooperated this week and I've held up a lot better than I had reason to expect. My legs did feel a little bit sluggish going out but I seemed to warm up pretty quickly. But we'll see how the long run goes this weekend before declaring victory.

Since 9:20 min/mi seemed to be the pace I was falling into, and it's not crazy fast for me right now, I targeted that for the run. As with the other runs this week, I pushed a bit on the final mile and got comfortably under my goal. Now for a well-deserved off day.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 37:19
Pace: 9:19 min/mi

Comments: So I planned to do this run in the late morning and got out to the levee and... realized I forgot my shoes. Guh. So I did my errands and pushed the run to the mid-afternoon. This turned out to be OK because it's a little cooler today than it has been.

I didn't want to overdo it so I let myself warm up and decided on 28 minutes (9:30 average pace) as my goal after the first mile or so. I felt pretty good on the way out and was only fifteen seconds or so under the goal at turnaround.

I picked it up slightly on the back two miles and felt really in control of the run today. Even though I knew I had my goal, I strided my way through the final half mile. A very nice run.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 39:49
Pace: 9:56 min/mi

Comments: Instead of doing a pair of back-to-back runs this week I decided to take a day off after the long run/fast run combo. The new plan is a three-in-a-row effort which means easing back a bit for the first and last one.

So I left myself pretty open starting out today, I wanted to get into my pace before committing to a target. After a mile I felt pretty good about shooting for the 10 min/mi effort. With a headwind on the way out, I figured I could make it up without going overboard on the second half.

And it worked out that way. I did let myself stride a bit on the last half mile but nothing close to an all-out effort to finish under the wire or anything.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 35:15
Pace: 8:48 min/mi

Comments: The idea was to segue right into another week with one rest day during the week and one on the weekend. So, with a regular run the day after a long run, it would seem to behoove one to make it a recovery effort. Of course I blast out a speed workout.

The 8:48 min/mi pace was my fastest in the last six weeks. But I really wasn't planning on doing that. I warmed up pretty quickly and realized I had the wind at my back. So I got a good first two miles in and just tried to keep the pace up as best I could on the back half facing the headwind. It just worked out better than I expected.

Long Run

Distance: 10 miles
Time: 1:39:02
Pace: 9:54 min/mi

Comments: I decided that 10 miles would be good for this week's long run. It's a good baseline distance I should be able to do regularly without beating my legs up too bad. Under ideal conditions, anyway.

Today wasn't ideal conditions. It was damn chilly this morning -- dropped back into the 30s -- but the wind that has been blowing for almost a week refuses to let up. I had a 20+ mph headwind the whole first half of this run and it was absolutely miserable.

Obviously, I had that pushing me on the second half but my legs were pretty worn down at that point. Still, I finished it in under 100 minutes which was my goal.