Training Run

Distance: 4.05 miles
Time: 36:03
Pace: 8:53 min/mi

Comments: There is no way I was going to put in a run with temperatures in the 20s and lower like the last two days. There was a possibility of getting something in yesterday afternoon when it finally got into the 40s but I decided to just keep the extra rest day.

Today was downright toasty in comparison with temps in the low 50s. I used the cool weather and rested legs to push things a bit and got a pretty quick overall pace. Cadence was high almost the whole way and heart rate never got into Zone 5. Pretty sweet.

Long Run

Distance: 8.1 miles
Time: 1:18:11
Pace: 9:39 min/mi

Comments: Well, the arrival of another round (or two) of cold weather clashed a bit with my plans for a 10K this weekend. I got up and just decided I had no interest in putting myself through it after having done it a week ago.

The tradeoff was to put in an eight miler today. Of course it actually got colder because, of course it did. I was ready to call this one off too with the rain all morning but it cleared up after noon and so I finally just decided to get it done.

And it was cold. And miserable. And not the least bit fun at all. But I did get it done.

Training Run

Distance: 6.01 miles
Time: 59:52
Pace: 9:58 min/mi

Comments: With work-related travel tomorrow, the likelihood of getting a run in is low. So I decided to make this a slightly longer effort in case I have to take two days off before the 10K on Saturday.

This one started fine but, like yesterday, got more and more difficult as it went on. My cadence started strong but deteriorated pretty consistently the rest of the way. And my heart rate increased pretty much at the same rate.

Pace-wise, I kept it pretty consistent through the first four miles but dropped off precipitously after that. The hills on the course were certainly a factor there but not nearly excuse enough for the drastic slowdown.

Training Run

Distance: 4.05 miles
Time: 40:08
Pace: 9:55 min/mi

Comments: Took a day off after the race even though I probably could have put in a short recovery run. I figured today's run would be pretty easy but it actually got a little challenging about halfway in.

I had a really good cadence and form for the first two miles. In fact I was concerned about going out too fast. Just past the halfway mark, when the course starts going uphill, I could really feel the fatigue in my legs.

I got really slow on the steep parts and felt more achy at the end than the start.

The Cowtown Half Marathon

Race: The Cowtown Half-Marathon
Watch Time: 1:57:52
Official Time: 1:57:48
Pace: 8:56 min/mi

Comments: I really wasn't looking forward to this race, if I am being completely honest. I have been running much more regularly since the Walt Disney World races last month but I certainly haven't been training for anything specifically. The promise of a chilly start didn't stoke my enthusiasm much either.

But it's the fifth time for me on this course so I felt a little obligated to put in the effort. So I was up early and (sorta) ready to go with the starter gun at 7:00 a.m. this morning.

The plan was to tackle it pretty much how I did the Dallas Half Marathon, keep it slow over the first half and up the pace on the second half depending on how my legs felt. The complicating factor being the big-ass hill on mile nine and the other, smaller, climbs through the end of the course.

As usual, I found myself wanting to surge forward at the start and needed to make a conscious effort to hold it slow and steady as we got going. I might have overdone it on mile two but, for the most part, I kept it above the 9-minute-mile mark through the halfway point. Mostly I ignored the Garmin and focused on cadence; short, shallow steps with high rate of turnover.

After the Stockyards I let myself start to pass folks some but still didn't open it up for real. I noted that I hit the 10K mark at just over one hour (1:00:38) so I knew a sub-two-hour effort was in the cards.

Then it was time for the hill on mile nine and I was in no mood to brook any sass from it today. I really focused on beating its ass today. I turned in the fastest mile to that point in the race, so I consider my effort pretty successful.

From there on out, I tried to stride the downhills and focus on reeling people in on the flats and elevations. At the end I felt I had run a strong race but didn't feel totally wiped out and exhausted like in years past. Could I have done it faster? Possibly. But running it in control like this was really what I hoped to accomplish.

Training Run

Distance: 4.04 miles
Time: 38:45
Pace: 9:35 min/mi

Comments: The weather this week has been straight-up putrid. Temperatures have hovered in the upper 30s and the rain has been constant up to this morning. Not exactly inspiring me to great achievements.

I took advantage of the return of the sun to get this one in. It was still chilly though. The humidity gave it a bit more bite than I expected. The first two miles were pretty quick but I slowed significantly on the second half. Once again, my heart rate was way high most of the way.

Training Run

Distance: 4.03 miles
Time: 38:33
Pace: 9:34 min/mi

Comments: Well, the plan was a longer run today but it was cold and the dog-walkers were a pain and I can get my 80 miles this month without it. I felt pretty lame all morning for not doing it, so even with the parsed effort I'm much happier now.

It was chilly starting out, particularly with the breeze. I probably did my usual stunt and pushed the pace too much as a result. Once again, I spent more than half the run in the high heart rate zone. Not sure how this bodes for the race next week but we will see.

Training Run

Distance: 4.05 miles
Time: 40:40
Pace: 10:03 min/mi

Comments: Early meetings means yet another lunch run this week. I felt really worn out the whole way on this one. Not sure if it's the consecutive early starts, or the warmer temperatures or weary legs but it was definitely a factor today.

So my pace was pretty slow most of the way and really slow on the final hill mile. My heart rate was also in the upper reaches most of the run except, weirdly enough, at the end of the last mile. I think sleeping in might be advisable tomorrow.

Training Run

Distance: 4.02 miles
Time: 39:41
Pace: 9:52 min/mi

Comments: And yet another busy morning, and thus another lunch run. The temperature was very pleasant today and only a little bit of wind on the more open sections of the route. Not nearly as many other folks out today for some reason.

I tried to really keep the pace down on this one and, for the most part, succeeded. The heart rate didn't show it though; I was pegged in Zone 5 pretty much the whole way. As a result, I am probably going to take tomorrow off and double up a pair of runs at the end of the week.

Training Run

Distance: 4.05 mi
Time: 37:58
Pace: 9:23 min/mi

Comments: Another crazy morning so another lunch run to get the miles in. The rain finally stopped and it's a little warmer but the wind made it chillier than I expected.

I did do this one slower as I planned but not as slow as I planned. Except for the hill mile, I was under 9:30 pace -- almost half a minute faster than what I wanted. I think the temperature has something to do with that, as well as the pressure to squeeze the workout in and get back to work.