Training Run

Distance: 4.04 miles
Time: 42:31
Pace: 10:32 min/mi

Comments: Usually when I travel, my running regimine goes out the window. For this trip to Gatlinburg, I wanted to make sure to take advantage of the trails in the Great Smoky Mountain National Forest.

The Gatlinburg Trail isn't deep in the mountains. It's a rather basic walking trail along the main road through the forest and gets a lot of walkers mostly. There are a few uphills but no crazy climbs.

It was a little bit chilly so this got delayed to the afternoon. I tried to get the training requirement in (sprints) and did alright but trying to figure out the distance threw me off. Still, a really pleasant run and a nice change of pace.

Training Run: Recovery

Distance: 3.05 miles
Time: 34:41
Pace: 11:23 min/mi

Comments: Last of three post-race recovery runs in a row. My legs are still not happy, quads in particular. I think some of that is due to the effort of the race but having only one off day in the last seven days is probably a factor as well.

I am still struggling with the slower pacing. I think I can get into the ballpark of the right range but dialing in ain't there yet. The hills aren't helping much with the effort as well.

Anyhow. Off day tomorrow. I'm ready.

Training Run: Recovery

Distance: 3.02 miles
Time: 34:01
Pace: 11:16 min/mi

Comments: I arguably kept closer to the recovery run pacing today but the problem is that is over the course of the whole run. I am really struggling to just drop into the gear and hold it there.

Pretty miserable day for a run but I missed the heaviest part of the rain. Getting done before it came down again probably had me hurrying more than I needed.

Pretty much the same situation with the legs; sore and tired.

Training Run: Recovery

Distance: 3.03 miles
Time: 35:22
Pace: 11:39 min/mi

Comments: The first run since the race and the first run of the marathon training plan. Unsurprisingly the plan called for a recovery run. I have been playing around with slower paces knowing that's part of the deal with this training regimen. Still, this was really weird.

Basically, this was a straight up three miles at 11:33 min/mi pace. I was able to hit that a decent amount of the time according to the fitness tracker but my actual splits were a little all over the place. The hills on the route didn't help.

My legs remain stiff and unhappy from the run but no actual pain. So that's good news.

2020 Cowtown Half Marathon

Distance: 13.1 miles
Chip Time: 2:01:21
Watch Time: 2:01:25
Pace: 9:15 min/mi

Comments: Once again, back to Fort Worth for The Cowtown. This is my sixth time to do this race so I guess it's my base event now.

Conditions this year were pretty nice. The weather wasn't overly cold to start and didn't get too hot by the end. The humidity made the warmth noticeable toward the end but that was when the wind started picking up so I had bigger issues to deal with.

My plan for this race was to start slow and take it easy the first 5K or so. Then push it a little bit over the middle portion but nothing crazy. The hill at Mile Nine was the target. I wanted enough energy to handle it without getting burnt out completely. After that, just push through the final 5K with whatever was left.

For the most part I stuck to the strategy although I probably should have done the first portion 30 seconds to a minute per mile slower. I handled the hill well enough but there wasn't as much in the tank after that as I had hoped. The last mile-and-a-half were rather unpleasant; something I had hoped to avoid.

Finishing just a hair over two hours was significantly better than I expected (pre-race I was thinking this would be a 2:15-2:20 effort or so). Sub-two hours wasn't my goal but it would have been nice to have picked up that minute-and-a-half somewhere on the course. Oh well.

Now this one is in the books I can start focusing on my next race... a mid-year marathon.