Fitness Run

Distance: 2.04 miles
Time: 24:35
Pace: 12:03 min/mi

Comments: A two miler to put my month total at 80 miles. It was also a good opportunity to run with Emily and work on one of the paces I expect will be required in the training plan.

With the half-marathon tomorrow, I didn't want to push anything too hard. The weather was pretty much ideal with cool temperatures that are expected to extend into tomorrow.

Although I didn't feel my exertion level was elevated, I spent half the run in the Zone 5 heart rate. Not sure what is going on with that.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4.05 miles
Time: 44:38
Pace: 11:01 min/mi

Comments: Meant to do this run yesterday but didn't get it done due to a variety of reasons. Still, the weather was about perfect for this kind of effort so it didn't work out so bad.

Once again, I tried to hit that slower, 11 min/mi pace and, once again, it was a complete pain in the ass. I did pop it on the nose the first two miles and kept within a reasonable range with the hills on the second half of the run.

Heart rate was mostly in Zone 4 which is much better than the last time.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4.04 miles
Time:45:29
Pace: 11:15 min/mi

Comments: One of my resolutions this year was to run another marathon. After reviewing my progress thus far it seems about time to decide what one exactly. If I start training now, I should be set to take on the Rock n Roll San Diego Marathon which is in late May.

So I got hold of Billy at Blaser Coaching Services to see about coming up with a plan and he said it seems reasonable.

This approach will inevitably result in doing a lot of runs slower than I usually do. So today I deliberately went out trying to keep the pace under 11 min/mi. I achieved that but it was a major pain in the ass.

And, even though it was far slower than my usual runs, I spent almost 60% of the effort with Zone 5 heart rate. So this will be fun.

Long Run

Distance: 8.21
Time: 1:25:12
Pace: 10:23 min/mi

Comments: The plan was to put in a four miler on Saturday and a six-miler today. Got busy yesterday so, instead, I got three days of rest. With the half-marathon one week away, I'll count it as part of the taper.

I didn't want to put in a really long run with the race so close and eight miles seemed to be a reasonable distance. I changed the route slightly to ensure I got that late uphill to prepare for the Mile 9 nightmare in Fort Worth.

Kept the whole thing slow and steady. The cadence was strong but I kept the speed down on purpose. The result was almost the whole thing in Zone 3 and zero in Zone 5. Exactly my plan.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4.05 miles
Time: 38:35
Pace: 9:31 min/mi

Comments: Chilly again but not absolutely freezing. So, that's an improvement, right? I know the sweltering heat that makes running an absolute chore is around the corner but I'm ready to put away the hoodies.

Felt better with a day of rest but the miles are still pretty good at making themselves felt. I worked on cadence today and expected a quicker run. The performance level was a lot better, half of the effort in Zone 4 and only a quarter in Zone 5.

Headed out of town for a couple days so another break should help recovery even more.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4.05 miles
Time: 40:02
Pace: 9:53 min/mi

Comments: Final day of a three-in-a-row and I'm ready for a break. My legs are holding up well but I certainly can feel the drag on my energy levels.

I dialed back on cadence but still pegged the exertion levels. Almost half of the run was in the Zone 5 range and more than 80 percent was in Zone 4 or higher.

Add to that I haven't been eating particularly well and, yeah... not ideal.

Long Run

Distance: 12.04 miles
Time: 2:09:54
Pace: 10:47 min/mi

Comments: With the half marathon just two weeks away, this was my last opportunity to get at race distance effort in. After the 15K last week, I'm feeling confident I can finish the race but in what condition is an open question.

Started early enough it was uncomfortably chilly but a few miles in and it was fine. The sun got a lot brighter than I expected it to but that was mostly on the east side of the lake where there is shade.

My pace was pretty slow the whole way and I never got that turn-it-on impulse like at the race last week. The distance was the goal today, though. So I got done what I wanted to.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4.07 miles
Time: 42:42
Pace: 10:30 min/mi

Comments: I've fallen into an every-other-day running pattern of late and that routine got me out the door today. It was pretty damn cold in the morning so I waited until after noon to put the shoes on and get out the door.

My legs have been a bit sore after the two hard workouts so I really concentrated on taking it easy with this one. Even on the downhills, I made an effort to slow down and keep from falling into a fast tempo.

Overall, I was never really into this effort but, once it was over, I didn't have any real issues with it either.

Fitness Run

Distance: 6.02 miles
Time: 1:00:09
Pace: 10:00 min/mi

Comments: So with a wide open schedule for the foreseeable future, I need to get serious with the running effort. I considered a regular four-miler today but changed course and went for six. Not a great idea.

After two superb runs, my legs decided to bring me back down to earth. Add to that it was cold and wet and miserable and you have a delightful slog of a run that makes you question why you do this in the first place.

Still, got it done.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4.10 miles
Time: 37:12
Pace: 9:04 min/mi

Comments: My original plan was to put in a four mile recovery run on Sunday after the race. But my legs felt pretty worn out so I decided to give them a rest day. The temperature dropped as a cold front went through, so today's run wasn't really looking like a treat.

I got a break with the rain at noon and decided to try for a lunch run. The cold wet weather was pretty brisk so I went out a bit faster than I planned. A lot faster than I planned.

This turned into my fastest effort on this course since last March. I slowed considerably on the hills of the last mile but, still, a solid third of the  run was in Zone 5 heart rate.