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.

Recovery Run

Distance: 2 miles
Time: 19:50
Pace: 9:54 min/mi

Comments: First run since the race. A very easy two mile effort with no hint of pressure. Just got started and ran easy, but quick enough to start working the muscles a bit. And I was happily surprised at how well my legs responded.

The weather is pretty much ideal right now. Cool and overcast with no wind to speak of. Ironic, since it's now in the 40s and thunderstorms at home. I'd prefer to avoid chilly/wet conditions for the time being, thank you very much.

So, I'll try to get another run in on Wednesday and, depending on that, figure out how to proceed with the rest of the recovery period.

Recovery Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 39:01
Pace: 9:45 min/mi

Comments: Out later so had to contend with the heat/humidity. It was uncomfortable but, since this was a very easy effort, I figured it would contribute to the acclimatization strategy. So even though that made things a bit of a slog, I still spent a lot of this run easing up on the pace.

I did the first half a little faster than I was planning but got the effort closer to what I wanted on the second half. I really need to get the 10 min/mi pace dialed in prior to the race. I want to have a solid higher gear I can depend on if need be.

Recovery Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 38:37
Pace: 9:39 min/mi

Comments: Lotta weirdness this morning so I didn't get out at the usual time. Instead it was a late morning run which meant heat, humidity and hills. None of which was particularly pleasant but probably good to endure in case things turn out like that on raceday.

My legs felt remarkably fresh for having run 20 miles on Sunday. There was some stiffness but nothing that really affected my ability to get this one done. In fact, I probably turned this effort in a little on the fast side.

Recovery Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 42:57
Pace: 10:43 min/mi

Comments: Typically I have to concentrate in order to keep my speed down on recovery runs. That wasn't a problem today. I really had a tough time trying to keep anything under 11 min/mi the whole way. Not an issue I've dealt with since early in the year.

I've noticed recovery runs are more of a struggle now they follow my only off day each week. But this was noticeably worse. Some of this is attributable to the big miles in recent weeks and as well as a bit of slippage in terms of moderation this weekend. But I've fueled well and gotten decent amounts of sleep. We'll see if it persists.

Recovery Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 38:35
Pace: 9:38 min/mi

Comments: Because of the unplanned rest day that pushed my long run back, I had to bump the recovery run up a day as well. I haven't done a 'day after' recovery run this cycle but I have been considering it given how tough these runs have been for some reason. As I hoped, this went a lot better overall.

I started off as stiff as one might expect and just tried to hit a rhythm. It turned out I was pretty much dropping into the long run pace so I just decided to keep on with it. There was a bit of stiffness the whole way but not really getting into the land of sore, so I was happy. Finished feeling pretty good, overall.

Recovery Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 39:28
Pace: 9:51 min/mi

Comments: Rain. Rain. And more rain. I was hoping it would have passed through by today but no such luck. I woke up and it was coming down hard. So, once again, the run was pushed back. And, once again, I ran with soaking wet shoes.

The goal today was keeping it slow. No cheating up on the pace, keep it at that 10 min/mi mark. And I did. One thing I really dislike about these slower runs is it makes me feel like I am slogging through it even if I am running fine. Anyhow, got it done with no issues.

Recovery Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 38:11
Pace: 9:32 min/mi

Comments: Went out mid-morning and it turned out to be a bit of a mistake. The warm conditions and tired legs made this one pretty unpleasant from the start. It's the first one I've been really tempted to cut short in quite some time.

Still, my pace was strong and my heart rate was elevated, but not out of range for recovery run efforts. I was honestly surprised I finished this at almost 9:30 pace. Obviously, that wasn't the goal here but it helps handle the negative mental impact of such a struggle run.

Recovery Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 40:33
Pace: 10:08 min/mi

Comments: Not so much a recovery run as a little trip on the struggle bus. The warm up was a creaky slog and, although I got a bit more into it, the effort was a bit of a battle the whole way.

One of the weird things about recovery runs is the fact that even though I am significantly slower, my heart rate is far higher over the course of the workout than even my fast runs. And I can feel the difference.

This will be an irregular week with an early long run. I'll see how the intervals go tomorrow in deciding how to handle the training runs on the schedule.

Recovery Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 39:42
Pace: 9:54 min/mi

Comments: Legs are a bit weary and it showed on this effort. It felt like more of a slog than any run in quite awhile and my heart rate was in the higher range longer than usual as well.

I tried to accommodate the situation with a deliberate warm up mile but things never really got better. I also had issues holding on a steady pace (although keeping it under the 40 minute target wasn't too much of an issue).

Overall this wasn't a disaster of a run but it is a good warning in regards to pushing to get too much done too soon. I'll keep close tabs on mileage for the rest of the week.

Recovery Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 39:37
Pace: 9:53 min/mi

Comments: The target today was to test the legs and pull back a bit from the intensity of last week. I was wanting about as close to a 40 minute effort as I could muster and came pretty close.

I was a bit surprised at the lack of stiffness getting started. Usually the warm up mile following a hard long run is highly unpleasant. This was pretty routine and I had to really concentrate on keeping the pace slow. And that turned out to be the theme of the workout.

I let myself speed up a little on the very last mile to ensure getting under the 10 min/mi pace threshold but, overall, a very smooth effort.

Recovery Run

Distance: 6 miles
Time: 59:23
Pace: 9:53 min/mi

Comments: This is getting classified as a recovery run due to the pace but, getting started, I decided to try and put in six miles on it. I'm going to need to add the long(ish) mid-week runs at some point. Additionally, it was a good opportunity to check my heart rate over the hour time period, similar to the race.

Overall, this one felt like a recovery run. I kept it very comfortable and only pushed things as I encountered uphills on the way. I did give a bit of a kick on the last mile to keep the overall pace under 10 min/mi but even that never felt out of hand. I was completely in control of the run from start to finish. Which is a bit of a breakthrough, in and of itself.

Recovery Run

Distance: 2 miles
Time: 19:18
Pace: 9:38 min/mi

Comments: I was pretty exhausted yesterday afternoon following the long run. I kept my activity at a minimum and tried to rest. I felt a bit stiff this morning but not really sore. I decided to try a short recovery run to see how the legs are doing.

I deliberately did a course with a few elevations and tried to keep my steps consistent but not overfast. I was expecting a 10:30-ish average pace but blew through this almost a minute per mile faster. Not sure if that's just bad pacing or good fitness.

Recovery Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 39:08
Pace: 9:46 min/mi

Comments: My intention was to do this recovery run yesterday and see how it might work immediately after a long run. I felt really exhausted when I woke up and had other issues (see below). As a result I opted for a rest day and, in retrospect, that was probably the correct course of action.

So today was a recovery run. Just tried to keep it in the 10 min/mi range. As expected, I felt sluggish getting started and had to battle a lack of pep the whole way. But I really didn't have soreness and the strength in my legs was more than enough to get me through the effort.

Recovery Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 40:00 min (est)
Pace: 10 min/mi (est)

Comments: This was a pretty awful effort. I actually pondered a run yesterday afternoon but decided against it due to the wind factor. "Hey," I thought, "I'll be that much more rested and recovered for tomorrow morning." Not even quite.

My quads and calves were sore starting out but that eased off quickly enough. Things felt decent up to the two mile point and then it became a full on slog. I haven't struggled with a run like that since last summer.

It got to that unpleasant point where I have to fight the urge to walk it in. Luckily my GPS device died so I didn't have that to add to the temptation. I just sucked it up and stumbled through the four miles. At the very least, since daylight savings time has arrived my public humiliation was in the dark.

Recovery Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 42:48
Pace: 10:41 min/mi

Comments: I took a well-deserved day off following the race which was marked by various sore spots but no sharp pains, thank goodness. I considered doing a two-miler last night but decided not to chance it.

So today's run was epically slow and that was deliberate. I just wanted to get my legs moving and the heart rate up -- nothing more. I actually felt more like I was jogging cadence for a lot of this one.

My legs felt pretty good the whole way. A few of the aches are definitely still present but I certainly don't feel any worse than after a solid long run. All of which bodes well for making another stab at a half in six weeks.

Recovery Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 40:26
Pace: 10:05 min/mi

Comments: If ever there was a recovery run, this was it. This whole effort was on completely exhausted legs and my pace shows it. Getting started was brutal but I kinda found a pace after I warmed up a bit. That didn't last long. The last mile and a half was on rubbery legs.

None of this is really much of a surprise. I knew the long run would be rough on me and it was. The hope is to use this pull-back week to recover some. If all goes well, I should be in good enough shape to actually run the race at the end of the month rather than just hold on and survive it.

Recovery Run

Distance: 2.5 miles
Time: 22:26
Pace: 8:52 min/mi

Comments: Even though its been a few days and I ate and slept well yesterday, I just wasn't into this run. In terms of the conditions, it was a bit warmer and more humid than I've been accustomed to but not brutally unpleasant. Still, I just wasn't in the groove at all.

I decided on the Railroad Park route partially because I was curious how much the waters have gone down since the last time I went that way. Quite a bit, actually. At two-and-a-half miles I decided not to push it and walked it back, once again, helping a few stranded turtles caught in the road constructions.

Conditions:
Hour: 6:30 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: partly cloudy
Temperature: 78 degrees
Humidity: 83 percent
Wind: 7 mph
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: My left hip has been slightly sore for the last day or so.