Training Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 35:59
Pace: 8:59 min/mi

Comments: It's amazing how much one's performance will improve if one eats halfway decent and gets a solid night's sleep. Easily my best effort in quite awhile and the first under my "training" threshold of 9 min/mi average. And not only was there no nagging impulse to cut it short but I also was able to step up the pace on the last quarter mile.

Conditions:
Hour: 6:00 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 74 degrees
Humidity: 87 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: nada

Easy Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 37:47
Pace: 9:26 min/mi

Comments: The so-called "cold" front moved in yesterday bringing a bit of rain and some relief from the sweltering conditions. It was enough of a change that I decided to try this run even though it would be in the sun.

It was about as rough as I expected and my splits were all over the map. My second mile was sub-9 minutes and my last one was almost 10 minutes. Not exactly the kind of consistency that suggests reasonable conditioning.

Overall though it wasn't an abysmal effort. I got the miles I wanted and, even though I did the out-and-back course, I never really had that urge to cut it short.

Conditions:
Hour: 8:30 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 85 degrees
Humidity: 60 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: nada

Easy Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 38:15
Pace: 9:33

Comments: Another sweltering four miles. If nothing else, the runs this week clearly demonstrate that runs during the day in this weather are a really bad idea.

I got out the door about 15 minutes earlier than yesterday and hit that sweet spot where the temperatures are as low as they are gonna get and what sun I had to deal with was at my back.

But the effort clearly took its toll. I was a good fifteen seconds slower per mile. That had a bit to do with getting out of the way of a very young, very scared raccoon caught in between the sidewalk barriers.

Conditions:
Hour: 6:15 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 77 degrees
Humidity: 79 percent
Wind: nada
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: nada

Easy Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 37:08
Pace: 9:16 min/mi

Comments: The minute I stepped out the door, I knew this would be brutal. Temperatures touching 80 degrees by the end with the humidity even higher. I broke out in a sweat locking my door.

Again, the primary goal was getting the four miles. And doing the loop was clearly too much of a temptation to cut it short so I went the out-and-back route again. Another upside of this course is I can gain a little momentum on the decline.

Still. The humidity was like running through the surf. In effort, anyway. I didn't even come close to my usual 9 min/mi pace but was very surprised I kept it under 9:30.

Conditions:
Hour: 6:30 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 78 degrees
Humidity: 83%
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: nada

Easy Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 38:17
Pace: 9:38 min/mi

Comments: I have made an effort to eat a bit better in order to have the energy to run in the current sweltering conditions. It's clear my times are not going to be worth a damn but I'd like to be consistent on the mileage. The key to that, if I am not mistaken, is having the energy reserves to push through the fatigue.

I also did my there-and-back route today in an effort to ensure I got the full run in. The problem with the circuit course is the ease of cutting it short when I'm finishing each lap. This was a solid run. Nothing fancy. I wanted the miles and I got them.

Conditions:
Hour: 7:30 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: overcast
Temperature: 75 degrees
Humidity: 90%
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: nada

Easy Run

Distance: 2.5 miles
Time: 23:10
Pace: 9:16

Comments: Hot. Humid. Unpleasant. Slow.

Conditions:
Hour: 6:00 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: overcast
Temperature: 77 degrees
Humidity: 88 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: nada

Easy Run

Distance: 2.5 miles
Time: 22:33
Pace: 9:01 min/mi

Comments: It's probably time to admit to myself that my running is now a matter of occasional calisthenics and race training is a part of my past. Between the week-long delays and cutting runs short there's not a lot of conditioning being stored up to use in a competition.

So today I got out and ran a few mediocre miles and that was it. I'll try to do a few more tomorrow but it's not likely and my expectations aren't high if I do.

Conditions:
Hour: 6:30 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 80 degrees
Humidity: 76%
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: nada

Training Run

Distance: 3 miles
Time: 26:23
Pace: 8:47 min/mi

Comments: The plan was to run six miles yesterday and that didn't happen. So I was going to try that distance again today and only got half of it. This isn't a huge surprise given my diet yesterday; MEAT. Add to that the heat and an all-star performance wasn't in the cards.

The water has receded a bit around here but is still ridiculously high. I stopped to help about five turtles stuck in a construction area. I passed two others that got run over on the road. No snakes, thank goodness.

Conditions:
Hour: 7:15 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: sunny
Temperature: 68 degrees
Humidity: 70 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: nada

Training Run

Distance: 5 miles
Time: 44:58
Pace: 8:59 min/mi

Comments: So, wonder of wonders, the sun came out in beautiful clear blue skies today. The temperatures were even rather pleasant. But, despite the bonnie weather, the high water remained a problem. It was actually higher than yesterday as the waters from further north are moving down the watershed.

So my shoes got soaked as I forded a couple of spots. Since I was stopping to take photos they dried enough to not act like lead weights. The pictures from this run are here: http://imgur.com/a/68X2m

Overall a very reasonable effort. I got five miles in which was a nice change. I might even try for six tomorrow depending on how my legs feel.

Conditions:
Hour: 7 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: sunny
Temperature: 68 degrees
Humidity: 75 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: nada

Easy Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 37:00
Pace: 9:15 min/mi

Comments: Yet another deluge arrived this morning but, by about 9 a.m., it had moved on. I waited a bit after and went out for the run. I decided to swing by the Elm Fork of the Trinity River up the road here to see how high the water had gotten. Quite a bit, it turns out.

I've posted a few more photos here: http://imgur.com/a/PbPj5

So the run was marked with lots of stops and pauses. And the route has noticeably more elevation changes than my usual loop. So I was understandably slower than normal but not excessively so. I also figured having a bit of caution would be wise since I'd like to get another one of these in tomorrow.

Conditions:
Hour: 9:45 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: rain/overcast
Temperature: 70 degrees
Humidity: 95 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GT 14

Injury update: nada