Easy Run

Distance: 2.5 miles
Time: 23:53
Pace: 9:33 min/mi

Comments: It was a bit tough getting up this morning and I thought I'd have to skip the run but decided to go for it anyway. Unlike yesterday, I was cool with having to limit the distance to 2.5 miles partly because I am a little pressed for time.

This went better than yesterday but that could have as much to do with starting at a more reasonable pace as the weather. Still, the humidity was formidable and by the end of mile one it was clear pushing beyond the 2.5 mile limit might not be advisable. I'm gonna try and eat well today and put in a five-miler tomorrow if possible.

Conditions:
Hour: 6:40 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: partly cloudy
Temperature: 76 degrees
Humidity: 81%
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: nada

Easy Run

Distance: 2.5 miles
Time: 23:06
Pace: 9:13 min/mi

Comments: So I have taken a few days break from workouts/running because of reasons I really don't want to get into. I didn't really intend to kick-start things this afternoon but, when I got home after work I really couldn't think of any reason not to go get a run in.

The initial intent was the usual four-miler but I had a suspicion the heat/sun/humidity would conspire to curtail that. Sure enough, I had to settle for 2.5 miles. Of course I started out with a 9 min/mi pace which is probably a bit fast for me in these conditions right now. Sometimes having rested legs can be it's own set of challenges.

Conditions:
Hour: 5:30 p.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: partly cloudy
Temperature: 88 degrees
Humidity: 60 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: Tightness in my lower outside right calf.

Tempo Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 34:04
Pace: 8:30 min/mi

Comments: With conditions a tad cooler and less humid I was determined to knock out a good one this morning. I started overfast and made myself focus on foot turnover the first mile, clearing it just under the 9 min/mi mark. Then I opened it up a little.

The next mile was probably a little fast on the front end. I slowed considerably the last quarter but then found my groove. The last two miles were almost identical pace which was precisely what I was aiming for. Yes, knocking one out at a respectable speed is satisfying but the consistency matters far more.

Conditions:
Hour: 6:15 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 70 degrees
Humidity: 60%
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: nada

Easy Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 36:16
Pace: 9:03 min/mi

Comments: The original plan was to do the conditioning workout with weights this morning but there's no way I'm driving across this town in the dark on a donut. So the plan was to atone for the crappy outing of yesterday at least a little bit.

And, as I expected, staying out of the sun helped some. I came within a whisker of my quasi-arbitrary 9:00 mi pace. The first two miles were kind of a slog but the last one felt pretty good actually. Not like I'm ready to PR or anything, just a lot more control than I've had on any recent runs.

Conditions:
Hour: 6:00 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: partly cloudy
Temperature: 80 degrees
Humidity: 65%
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: nada

Easy Run

Distance: 2 miles
Time: 18:18
Pace: 9:07 mi/min

Comments: I am really getting tired of these craptastic runs. I got two miles into this and called it a day. It was overhot, overhumid and I probably went out at too fast a pace. Still, one would think that after six weeks of work my conditioning would be at a sufficient level to at least get in a 40 minute workout.

I deliberately ate better the day prior but also was wiped out enough to take a two-hour nap. Not sure if that's a warning of overwork or just laziness. To make matters worse, car issues will keep me from the conditioning work most of the week. Spectacular.

Conditions:
Hour: 8 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: partly cloudy
Temperature: 90 degrees
Humidity: 60% humidity
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: nada

Conditioning Workout

I wasn't as wiped out this morning as I was yesterday but definitely feeling the workouts from this week. Since fall football practice has started, I've got daily quotes from Coach Saban to keep me going.

The one from yesterday was "People who try to cope with practice or endure practice usually don't make a lot of improvement." Lesson being, at some point I gotta stop slogging through and start pushing my limits a bit more.

Not sure if I succeeded with that today but I sure didn't have anything left at the very end. There was nothing in the tank for the last set of workouts. For the bulk of the workout I really focused on form and getting the full extent of each exercise and not as much on hitting the proscribed number of reps. With a lot of core and upper body that meant getting my ass whipped in half the time. We'll see if there's any improvement from that effort.

Recovery Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 37:48
Pace: 9:26

Comments: Woke up feeling wiped out and initially was gonna pass on the run. Decided to do it anyway. Not sure if that was the correct decision. With this workout-run-workout stretch going into the weekend, I could be pushing things.

This run was, like all of my recent efforts, overslow and unpleasant. I felt like I did at the start of July and only slightly faster. I actually focused on eating decently yesterday but that didn't seem to have any effect at all. The single saving grace is that I don't have any injuries to contend with. Right now, anyway.

Conditions:
Hour: 6:15 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 80 degrees
Humidity: 70%
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: nada

Conditioning Work

After a week away from the delights of conditioning work, I was a bit anxious about the workout today. As I expected, it was rough, but not the whip-my-ass-and-pray-for-it-to-end rough from last month. Hopefully that's because I'm getting a bit stronger and can actually handle the workouts instead of just trying to survive them.

Of course the other factor is that week one is always "easier" in the sense it's about building endurance for the more challenging workouts ahead. And, if nothing else, endurance is one thing I should have a little of at this point. I also made sure to get three meals yesterday. Not great meals but something. That seems to have helped too.

Easy Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 39:17
Pace: 9:49 min/mi

Comments: Another frustrating effort. I started a bit slow, got a decent second mile and then sucked the suck of ages over the second half of the run. I know that the heat and humidity continue to put a damper on my efforts but I sure as hell should be seeing a bit more payoff after more than a month back at it.

Diet, I'm guessing, is the other likely culprit. I just didn't eat that much this weekend. Skipped breakfast both days and then had a late lunch/early dinner with unfilling snacking to take the edge off around that. I don't think that's gonna cut it going forward.

Conditions:
Hour: 6:00 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 75 degrees
Humidity: 78%
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update:

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