Long Run

Distance: 6 miles
Time: 58:21
Pace: 9:43 min/mi

Comments: Well this was perfectly awful. I started out slow, stayed slow and got even slower. The heat and humidity conspired against me but I'm betting my awful diet yesterday was the real culprit.

I actually felt I got decently warmed up after mile one and felt somewhat in control of the effort over the next two miles. Regrettably, that wasn't reflected in the splits. I thought I was in the 9 min/mi range but I was actually coming in a half-minute slower than that. I realized mile four was going to be 10 min plus so I tried to get back on top of things but I was pretty much just putting off the inevitable.

At the end of mile six I called it a day and walked the rest of the way in.

Conditions:
Hour: 7:20 p.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 73 degrees
Humidity: 83%
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: nada

Easy Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 36:58
Pace: 9:14 min/mi

Comments: Weird little run. Started off a bit stiff. Guess the sweat run on Thursday took more out of me than I expected. The weather was nicely cool with even a bit of mist. But the ultra-humid air took its toll with a quickness.

I seemed to hold a solid pace the first half of this workout but fell off considerably on mile three. Like "25 seconds slower pace" considerably. Regrouped for a respectable final mile but what the hell? Control-wise this felt pretty good. I was able to focus on turnover and such pretty well the whole way. Still, when the hell do I get the payoff from all the awful July runs?

Conditions:
Hour: 6:15 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: overcast/light mist
Temperature: 70 degrees
Humidity: 96%
Wind: 5 mph
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14
Injury update: The right hamstring fluttered a bit on the last lap.

Long Run

Distance: 6 miles
Time: 57:52
Pace: 9:38

Comments: Being off today I figured I'd try and get in a daylight run. That might not have been the best idea. With the front that pushed through last night it was downright sweltering. For any relief in temperature the rains brought, the humidity was far worse.

So, yeah, outside of the first two miles this was a bona fide slog. I slowed down by 15 seconds or more per mile after mile two. It has been awhile since I felt as flat miserable in a run. On the plus side, the ache in my hamstrings seems to have eased off somewhat. So running overslow might have been helpful on that front.

Conditions:
Hour: 9:00 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: overcast
Temperature: 75 degrees
Humidity: 94%
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: Nada.

Easy Run

Distance: 4:00
Time: 36:36
Pace: 9:08 min/mi

Comments: I got a pretty good nights sleep for once and woke up feeling rested rather than bleary. Getting out the door wasn't too tough either. Still, I was determined not to get all excited and try and blow out a tempo workout and injure myself just when I'm feeling better.

So I kept a lid on the pace and tried to monitor how my legs were feeling throughout the run. Things went well and, despite the governor, I felt pretty strong this whole way. Given it was a bit cooler this morning, but I really had a sense of control over this run I haven't enjoyed except in spurts up till now. And it was reflected in the splits which were very regular once again -- the first a bit slower for the warm up and the last a bit quick for the finish.

Conditions:
Hour: 6:00 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: partly cloudy
Temperature: 74 degrees
Humidity: 75%
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14
Injury update: Right hamstring was stiff starting out but warmed up quickly. Right hip the same but less intense.

Easy Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 39:22
Pace: 9:50 min/mi

Comments: After the unpleasantness of the conditioning workout on Friday I decided to make this week a recovery week. I had to work Sunday morning so skipping the long run and giving myself two days recovery worked better anyway. There are no conditioning workouts this week so I'll just try and get runs in on the new schedule and see how my legs respond.

The hamstring issue still has me concerned so I deliberately ran this one slow; just better than a jog, actually. I wanted to really monitor how my legs were doing and see if I need to start doing more preventative measures. Right now I'm hoping cutting back will get me back up to speed but we'll see.

Conditions:
Hour: 5:40 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: partly cloudy
Temperature: 83 degrees
Humidity: 60 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: The right hamstring was still a little tight this morning but loosened up pretty quickly once I got started. The outside of my right hip was feeling a little sore at the end.

Conditioning Work

This was the last workout of this month's "camp" and, as a result, it was pretty brutal. After a very thorough warm up effort the menu of the morning was a lot of high intensity conditioning work followed by a hard run. The conditioning part kept lengthening as the workout went on. It was not intended to be a pleasant experience.

I started in the hole and didn't make much progress from there. I woke up too early and overtired. I got out to the workout but could feel I was lagging and my right hamstring was not cooperating at all. I got through the warm up OK but on the first set of the "real" workout I could tell I was in trouble. I pushed it as hard as I could on the run but the hamstring was not happy. I battled through the second set and that was about as much as I was willing to push my luck with the leg.

To compensate for missing out on the run I made a real effort to get all the way through the conditioning drills and get some more core work while I was at it. I don't think I came even close to the goal of the workout but I definitely gave it about all I had on a not-so-great day.

Training Run

Distance: 4.0 miles
Time: 34:33
Pace: 8:38

Comments: The workout yesterday took more out of me than I expected and I slept like a rock last night. I woke up a little bleary and as a result, I got out the door a bit late. The upside was catching a spectacular sunrise at its peak.

This run was pretty solid the whole way. It was definitely faster than anything I've done to date but that's far less important than holding a steady pace the whole way. My splits were 8:40, 8:36, 8:35 and 8:40. Hard to get that close even when you are trying. That's the strength I've been building finally showing up on the clock.

Conditions:
Hour: 6:15 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 74 degrees
Humidity: 78 percent
Wind: nada
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: My right hamstring felt a little wobbly at times.

Conditioning Work

Had a lot of anxiety about this workout for some reason. I guess it's because I was so worn out at the end of last week. It turned out to be fine but the feeling was odd. As usual, the humidity was more of my nemesis than the routines.

We did a decent amount of work slinging around sandbag weights which gave my obliques more work than they have had in years. That'll be a delightful soreness later. Also did some resistance running with elastic straps. Felt that in the hamstrings and quads.

Recovery Run

Distance: 4.0 miles
Time: 36:13
Pace: 9:02

Comments: Welp. I set 9:00 as the threshold pace for recovery runs and so I'm gonna stick with it. But in terms of exertion, this was just as tough a workout as the training run last week. It's formidably hot and humid out there again and that's taking a toll on my stamina.

Still, this was a solid effort. A slower first mile to warm up. Two miles right in the 9:00 pace range and a significantly faster final mile. I'm feeling more in control of the run but my form and focus are still kind of all over the place. But that will come later.

Conditions:
Hour: 6:00 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 79 degrees
Humidity: 75 percent
Wind: nada
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: nada.

Long Run

Distance: 8.0 miles
Time: 1:11:53
Pace: 8:59

Comments: I was hoping all I needed was a night's rest for my legs to recover but Saturday was pretty much the same as Friday. I took it easy most of the day and slept almost ten hours. I wasn't 100% this morning but I did feel a good bit better.

The weather was unusually cool but once you add the humidity and the sun things were decidedly challenging out on the pavement. I felt very good the first half of the run, decent the next quarter and struggling not to walk it in the last two miles. Still, I finished with a sub 9 min/mi pace which is good and bad.

Good in that my conditioning is clearly improving. Bad in that my stamina is still lacking. I also probably need to be doing my weekday runs at a slightly faster pace.

Conditions:
Hour: 7:40 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 68 degrees
Humidity: 88 percent
Wind: nada
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: nada.