Victory/retirement lap

It's the last day of the month so I've decided to break out my new shoes starting tomorrow. I put 463 running/walking miles on this pair. So I took a slow 4 mile run today to finish them off. And finished they are. I've been having some shin, foot and Achilles aches the last few days so I think I stretched these a little too far. Oh well.

I can't believe it's still February. 65 degrees. I'm officially taking my bike out of storage tomorrow but I probably won't ride it until Friday.

Itching to go

I ran a 7

I felt good today and had myself psyched up to run. So I decided to run 7 miles, with the last mile a cool down. It was tough. I was definitely tired from yesterday.  And I didn't get as much sleep last night as I should have.
I must say- the weather was great, not too hot, not too sunny. And perfect for running.

Stupid app

Long run

I felt good so I went for the 8.58 mile long run. I started early but had to be home by 8 or I would have gone for longer. I was itching to top my longest of 9.3, but didn't have time. I started way slow, and turned on the juice for the last 1.75. I averaged 9:00 for the first part and 7:47 for the end. A good run and not too cold this morning.

The hardest run ever

I felt good today but I knew I needed an easy run. It is very mentally challenging to make yourself run slow when you know you can run fast.

Bored of this blog yet?

I am.  Let me list the reasons why I don't need to document every run on this blog.
1- It provides me no additional motivation.  I run whether or not I blog
2- I auto-post all of my workouts to FB via Endomondo.  So anyone I know can already see them there.
3- I will never be able to put the time or effort into this blog to make it a moneymaker.
4- I'm not a touchy feely, post-my-feelings on my blog kind of guy.
5- Just one more thing to do.

More reasons?  I'll list them later.

A surprise

I started my run today without my watch but with Endo running without the audio coach. I went out by feel and ran at a comfortable pace. I didn't know how fast I was running until I hit the 3 mile turnaround. (I was feeling so good this afternoon that I decided to run 6 miles instead of the 4 I was planning). I ran strong and ended up with a good time on the 6 miles. But my quads were sore the whole time and my legs felt heavy. Again, a surprise that I ran so well. I even had a super kick for the last 1/4 mile, about 7:00 pace. It felt awesome to drop the hammer and feel like I was flying for that last little bit.  I think I need to do some tempo runs, which could feel similar.

Recovery run #2

I pushed a little harder today but still kept the distance low. I felt a little weak and lightheaded midway through. So I'm guessing that points to lung weakness. Plus my legs were a little sore today. But not a bad run all things considered.

Flu recovery run #1

I didn't have high expectations when I set out on this 4 mile run. So it went better than expected. My effort level was consistent with a recovery run and I felt OK. But I did have some aches in places when I started. I was worn out when I finished and I can feel it in my lungs, that kind of burning, aching feeling you get from wind sprints.  But I held back even though I felt good and I didn't bonk.

The flu

I was wrong, I didn't have a cold.  I caught the flu.  You know, the seasonal type that you're supposed to get vaccinated for every year?  Well, I didn't.  I just didn't take the time to visit the clinic at work and I missed my chance last fall.  So I got a prescription from the doc for tamiflu.  It seems to be working, but I can't go back to work until Monday.  And I certainly don't feel like running before then.

Caught a cold

I started coughing a little Sunday afternoon, and by Monday afternoon I had a full-blown cold.  So no running Monday, or today.  If I feel better tomorrow I'll go for a walk or a very short jog.

Reached the limit

It was cold this morning. Wind chill made it 0 degrees.  And 6:00 AM was the only convenient time for me to do my long run today, so I couldn't wait until later when it was warmer. The wind chill was just a little too much for the gear I have- specifically my running pants and shorts. I got a little too frosty in some sensitive places. So- note to self- buy some winter running underwear when they go on sale. Otherwise the run went well, and I was definitely in low gear and ended up just under 9:00 per mile. I'm feeling so good right now that I'm thinking about another short run tonight.

I really focused on keeping my shoulders relaxed during this run.  Mostly just letting them relax and drop whenever I noticed.  I did stop once and stretch my back and shoulders for a few minutes because they were so tight.  I'm still feeling the need for ice on my right shoulder/trap, so I need to keep working on that.

Now, it's time for a nap.

Around the lake

Cloudy and chilly today. But once I had warmed up I didn't feel cold. I've ran around the lake at this park several times before, but I just noticed today a perfect spot to do some hill work.  Maybe I'll do that next week instead of speed work.

Nice and easy recovery run

Nothing too special today. I pushed it in my run yesterday, so I took it easy today.  I can't believe I'm calling an 8:10 average pace "easy".  One year ago I could just barely run one single mile at 8:00, now I can run four non-stop on my easy day.  Now that's perspective.

Another good run

The weather has turned colder, and it's supposed to snow tonight. I had to wear my gloves and beanie, but still ran in shorts. I felt good the whole time. I ended up running a new route record on my 6 mile route. 46:48 total for 7:48 average pace.

Good start to the week

Nice weather today. I wore shorts and t-shirt only, a little cold at first, but perfect once I was warm.  I didn't sleep well over the weekend and I fasted yesterday, so I was expecting a tough day today. But I did an awesome job re-hydrating this morning, and I felt good during the run. Not my fastest time on the route, but I felt strong the whole run and like I could keep going when I finished.

Long run, sort of

So if I run 6 miles a couple times a week, does that mean running 7 on Saturday makes it a long run? It felt like a long run because my glutes, hamstrings and abs were sore from yesterday's YAYOG workout. And my hips too. Those 1 leg Romanian dead lifts are tough on the hips because they require balance. So here's the details:

Cross train walking

Sunny, and a little too chilly for short sleeves, but I didn't know that until after I started walking. The S man came again. I took the day off from running, and did some walking for cross training.  Since I was moving so slow, the S man had to wait for me.  He doesn't like having his picture taken.

Start of Strength Training

A second post for today.  I got up early this morning for my first strength training workout.  I'm doing the 10 week "Basic" training plan from the You Are Your Own Gym: The Bible of Bodyweight Exercises book by Mark Lauren.  He also has a website.  I'll call it YAYOG for short.  I'm not sure when or where I found this book, probably a Google search.  And I looked through parts of it on Amazon and decided it was for me.  So- it is a 4 workouts per week, 20-30 minutes each, and I'm starting on the easiest training plan.  I did the Push/Pull workout this morning and I could hardly lift my arms when I was done.  I think it's going to be very good for me.  So this morning I did elevated-hands pushups (easier than regular), Let-Me-Ins, seated dips and Let-Me-Ups.  You'll need to look at the book to see what each of these are.  But it was chest (Push) and back (Pull) workout.  Also included were biceps and triceps.  Tomorrow is Leg/Core workout.
the basic idea is that you don't need a gym or exercise equipment to get a really good workout, you just need to know how to use the body you have and improvise with what you have around the house.  

I think I will do these workouts Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday in the morning before I go to work.  So I can have Wednesday off for my speed workout, and Saturday off for my long run.  Sounds like a plan to me.  Here's to a stronger back and shoulders!
Do you do any exercise other than running?  How often?

It's a beautiful day.

Another awesome weather day today! 50s and sunny. I took a nice recovery run, didn't push the pace and really enjoyed myself. And I ended up running 8:02 pace for 4 miles. 
I have some nagging tightness in my left calf that I need to sort out. (Maybe its my shoes, they have 370 miles on them.)  Today was a nice break for my calf. I started a strength training routine this morning- more to come.

Speedwork Wednesday- 1 mile test

It's been a little more than a month since I last did a 1 mile test run. And last time it was cold and the track was icy. So I've been wondering how much faster I could do it in ideal conditions. Like today. Perfect temp, clear track. And a new PR. 6:10.84!
I ran a mile for warmup, stretched and did it. One of my New Year's resolutions is to run a 6 minute mile. I should be there in just a few more months. I ran my splits almost exactly like my 400m intervals. I'm pleased but know I can do better.