Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 39:13
Pace: 9:47 min/mi

Comments: Three days off due to a work trip and other commitments. My intention was to do a long run today but I decided against it after getting up this morning. I was more worn out from the trip than I expected and I can probably do as much good by runs on consecutive days this week.

The temperatures were brisk today which allowed me to get out in the early afternoon which helped some. I felt I was struggling a bit at points but, when I checked my splits, they were remarkably consistent. The first and third (downhill) miles as well as the second and fourth (uphill) miles were all within a second of each other.

Fitness Run

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

Comments: After the successful long run on Sunday, I'm feeling pretty optimistic about my progress thus far. So much so I found myself looking for possible upcoming marathons this morning. Probably need to tap the brakes a bit on that for the moment.

I wanted to push things a bit on this one but without monitoring the whole thing. So I focused on a regular cadence and taking advantage of the downhills. The breakdown was very encouraging; negative splits overall with the last two miles coming in at exactly 9:11 each. 

Long Run

Distance: 9 miles
Time: 1:31:47
Pace: 10:12 min/mi

Comments: To be on track for the half marathon next month I needed to get in an eight miler this weekend. I intended to do this yesterday but felt very fatigued when I woke up. So I chose to move the long run to today.

It was chilly when I got out to White Rock Lake but not inordinately so. I had a bit of a rough time getting started. The first two miles were very uncomfortable and I worried if I had bitten off a bit more than I could chew.

But by mile four I was feeling much better and the second half of the run went extremely well (from mile four on, every mile was faster than the one prior). I even decided to put in the extra mile to make the lake loop complete. Best of all, when I was done I felt pretty good, not worn out and beaten.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 39:13
Pace: 9:47 min/mi

Comments: Odd run. I started out rather well and felt reasonably confident I could keep the pace steady over the course of the workout. But by the end of the second mile, I felt I was dragging pretty hard. Unsurprisingly, that was the slowest lap of the entire run.

Since the odd numbered miles are mostly downhill, I made an effort to concentrate on keeping a steady pace and push the fatigue out of my mind. For the final mile, I made a very concerted effort to push myself and actually delivered the fastest mile of the run.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 41:00
Pace: 10:14 min/mi

Comments: I was very sensitive to my pace on this run given the little scare with the hamstring yesterday. Short steps and letting up off the throttle whenever I felt myself going a bit too fast. Still, I had a pretty good pace over the course of this effort.

Overall, I certainly have the strength to gut through these runs if I need to but I have to be careful to getting too far out in front of my conditioning. Keeping it that close to the edge is a recipe for injury. And an injury is the fastest way to waste all the effort I've poured into this over the past three weeks.

Fitness Run

Distance: 2 miles
Time: 19:45
Pace: 9:50 min/mi

Comments: This was a mixed bag of a run that skewed toward the crappy. I got up and out the door early, like I planned but that's about all that went right. It was chilly, but not overly so, which led me to take this one on a bit on the quick side.

At just past the mile mark, I got a twinge in my left hamstring. Not at the level of a sprain but certainly enough to make me cautious. When it didn't ease off after a few minutes I decided to cut the run short at two miles out of an abundance of caution.

Long Run

Distance: 6 miles
Time: 1:07:54
Pace: 11:18 min/mi

Comments: In a few weeks, if I keep my running regimen up, I'm going to look back at a six mile "long run" with some amusement. But, make no mistake, this was a legitimate end-of-the week workout. I had to earn this one.

I took yesterday off, slept well last night and have eaten pretty well over the past few days. Still, I felt worn out from the start. I was very conscious of not going out too fast given my rather speedy times of late but it really didn't matter. I had to slog my way through this whole workout.

I did this one widdershins which put the steep incline at the end. As a result the last mile was an ordeal. Add to that a wind gust decided to show up at the steepest part as well. Not fun times.

Fitness Run

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

Comments: With the new shoes ready to go, I felt a bit anxious to get out and run today (in a good way for a change). The temperatures were still pretty cold this morning and I had to wait until noon for it to warm up a bit. And that's a relative term, the first mile was damn chilly.

The shoes worked as well as I had hoped and the run went very well overall. I clearly have some strength back but this was the first time I felt like the conditioning was starting to get there. The latter shown by the accidental sub-40 minute time and the fact I seriously considered going for six miles.

New Shoes: Brooks Glycerin 15

For the last few months (despite the sporadic running routine) I've been using a pair of Asics Gel Flux 4 shoes. I bought these on sale at a sporting goods store. Turns out they were a half size too small and that was growing increasingly problematic as I have been adding on the miles.

So, yesterday, while I was doing errands across North Texas I decided to stop at Fort Worth Running Company. I have never used this store or even heard anything about them. But, in my experience, these local, privately-owned stores provide the best service and feedback I need. And this turned out to be no exception.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 39:19
Pace: 9:49 min/mi

Comments: With the winter weather scheduled to arrive this afternoon and make the next few days completely miserable, I made it a point to get out and get this one in. If I have to, I'll do a run in freezing conditions, but now I've got some wiggle room with that.

I was a little stiff after yesterday's "speed" workout but it passed as soon as I got warmed up. With it pretty likely I'll have a few days off, I wanted to do this one at a faster pace as well. I just missed getting the first mile at sub 20 minutes but made sub 40 minutes for the run. So a nice negative split there.