Fitness Run

Distance: 5 miles
Time: 46:51
Pace: 9:22 min/mi

Comments: Having done the reconnaissance on the Coombs Creek Trail last run, I wanted to do the full five miles to get a feel for the uphills it includes. Basically, this course is out-and-back with all of out going down and all of back going uphill.

I just tried to keep a constant but not overfast pace on the first half and then slugged it out on the second. There are some steep sections that are not too fun but, overall, I think my performance was reasonable for a first attempt. Still, it's not fun to see my pace fall precipitously on the final mile.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 35:32
Pace: 8:52 min/mi

Comments: The plan was to put in six miles over the weekend but that didn't happen. I was feeling really worn down and took two days off, planning to go on Sunday. But, on Sunday, I felt awful. It turned into my first three-day layoff.

With a race this weekend, putting the long run in today didn't make much sense so I tried a different route for my run. This is an out-and-back run that actually ends up being about 4.7 miles all the way. I just put in four since it was an exploratory effort. Felt pretty good and got under the nine-minute-mile threshold.

Fitness Run

Distance: 2 miles
Time: 18:17
Pace: 9:07 min/mi

Comments: The plan today was to get back-to-back runs in this week. The other goal was to try the trail along the Trinity River which I recalled as being pretty straight and flat. It's been a few years so I needed some reconnaissance before making it a permanent part of my running schedule.

The good news is the trail was pretty much as I recalled. The bad news is I forgot what a battle running it in Texas-style wind could be. I had to work a lot harder than I expected for what I thought was going to be a straightforward effort. Since this was an "extra" run this week, I chose to cut it short at the halfway point and chalk it up to experience.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 35:47
Pace: 8:56 min/mi

Comments: I felt a bit anxious trying to get out the door for this one. The long run really knocked me for a loop this week and I had real concerns it would continue to be a drag on my performance. And, as expected, I felt a bit stiff and uncomfortable getting started.

But it didn't take long to drop into a good rhythm right at my target pace. The individual mile paces were all over the pace but all in the range I wanted and got me the sub-9 overall pace for the run. Most importantly, I didn't have a late run dropoff in performance like I was concerned about.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 39:04
Pace: 9:45 min/mi

Comments: I was pretty sore the past two days due to the major long run on Saturday. There wasn't any specific pain that would make me concerned but the miles definitely took a toll on my legs. So I expected a certain degree of difficulty once I got out there today.

Overall, this wasn't too bad an effort for a recovery run. I had a reasonable pace for the first half of the run although it deteriorated over the last two miles. The final average pace was in the ballpark of what I hoped and, certainly, nowhere close to the death slog that followed the 10K.

Long Run

Distance: 15 miles
Time: 2:36:17
Pace: 10:25 min/mi

Comments: With the half-marathon in two weeks, I thought it might be prudent to get a run in with additional distance this weekend. I faded very hard on the last few miles of the Cowtown last month and I would prefer to not repeat that. The target today was 15 miles.

It started off pretty well. I did the first stretch on White Rock Creek Trail and, it turns out, there was a race on it. I ended up getting caught by the leaders of the half-marathon then, after I turned around, the back half of the 5K. Still, it was a good way to get me through the first leg of this effort.

I was feeling tired at the halfway point even though I had kept my pace up very well. I didn't eat this morning and I think that really put me in the hole, energywise. Since battling fatigue was the purpose of this run, I just girded myself for the worst. And it came.

I started to slow pretty significantly past the midway point and the last four miles were brutal. My pace dropped dramatically each of these miles and keeping focused on finishing the damn thing was pretty much all I could do. I was able to do it but it was not pretty by any means.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 38:17
Pace: 9:34 min/mi

Comments: My original plan for this week was to put in two regular runs back-to-back and get a total of three in. But, with the prospect of a 15 miler this weekend, that sounds like a bit too much too soon. So I defaulted to my regular routine of one run every other day.

Today was a pretty satisfying effort. I didn't look at the watch at all; just ran it by feel. As a result, the splits were a little all over the place but I seem to be gravitating to that 9:30 min/mi baseline. I'd like to get that lower sooner rather than later but the mileage takes precedence for now.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 37:25
Pace: 9:21 min/mi

Comments: The plan this week is to up the mileage in preparation of the upcoming half. I've done pretty good keeping the pace down so I'd like to work on distance a bit.

I didn't really intend to do this run any faster than, say, 10 min/mi pace, but I really hit a nice groove and just kept with it. I wasn't really pushing it (except on the steep uphills) just trying to maintain regular breathing.

And it seems there is a waiver for the Dallas leash law in this neighborhood during school hours or something. Got chased by no less than three on this run while their owners stood by and watched. Might have to start carrying pepper spray like I did in Peru.

Long Run

Distance: 10 miles
Time: 1:34:53
Pace: 9:29 min/mi

Comments: With a race and a fast workout this week, I decided to err on the side of caution and give myself two days off before the long run. I wasn't even sure how long I wanted to do this one but finally settled on a 10 mile White Rock Lake Loop.

Today was a bit dour and, temperature-wise, not too bad at all. There were folks on the trail the whole course but never so many it became an ordeal. And a lot of them were clearly race training, so they tended to blow by me before I really knew they were there. So I got to really concentrate on my effort.

My plan was to use the first two miles to warm up and keep the first half of the run under 10 minute pace. After that I wanted to push it in order to get a negative split and then really make an effort on the final two miles. It went pretty much exactly like that. The second half of the run was three minutes faster than the first half and the final mile was under 8:30 pace. And I felt pretty much in control of it the whole way.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 34:37
Pace: 8:39 min/mi

Comments: I've been considering what type of training I need in order to improve my performance in the half-marathon this month. Obviously, the main area is to get faster. So I need to do some runs that push my pace a little. No time like the present to start.

I have no intention to start track workouts or anything, just regular runs that are sub 9 minute per mile average pace (my old "training run" threshold). Needless to say, I took care of that today and some -- even with the hills on my routine course. I'll do a longer run this weekend but dial back that pace considerably.