GT350H

Exercise: Did 4.01 (7:17 per mile pace) miles around UAH and out to University Drive and back through McThormor Acres. Very hot and humid, even at 6:15 AM. Highest mileage month of the year so far. Played 5 games full court basketball at Berachah gym.

Splits:
1: 7:48
2: 7:29
3: 7:07
4: 6:43

Total mileage for the week: 29.37

Total mileage for the month : 130.04

Exercise: After my disappointing last 4-5 5K races where I've faded badly in the last mile, I've decided to try one new workout as I discussed with CheeseBurger last week. Today I did 4.01 miles, trying to make the last one hard after getting tired from the first three. While not at 5K pace, they did simulate the methodology. Ran them around UAH and adjoining neighborhoods.

1: 7:25
2: 6:45
3: 6:45
4: 6:32

Actually more of an increasing speed tempo run, but I hope to pick up the pace in the coming weeks.

Total mileage for the week: 25.36

Total mileage for the month : 126.03

Exercise: Met at Lockheed field at 6AM with Carl S., Ronnie N., and Mark F. to do some intervals. Did 1 mile, then 2x800, then another mile. Including 1 mile warmup and .75 cooldown total came to 5.41 miles. Obviously, I need these long intervals because I faded so badly on the last mile - just like I've been doing on 5K races recently. Looks like this may be my highest mileage month of the year so far.

1 mile : 6:11
800: 2:54
800: 3:11
1 mile : 6:44 (fading fast).

Total mileage for the week: 21.35

Total mileage for the month : 122.02

Exercise: After the tough run on Sunday, took today mostly off. Lifted weights at UAH, 100 stomach crunches, 51 dips.

Exercise: At 8:30AM (instead of my usual 6-6:30 AM start), I met Rob and Kathy Y., Blake T., and Eric Charette up on Monte Sano for a long run (for me anyways). Wound up doing 10.54 miles (with some walking included). Lost 6 pounds - very dehydrated to the point of cramps. I didn't bring enough liquids with me (my little 20 ounce bottle didn't last long). Plus the fact that these four have all run ultra marathons (Rob has run over 100 of them including some 100 mile races!).
First time in a while that I was the weak link in the chain. Makes me realize I need to be putting in more miles.

Total mileage for the week: 16.24

Total mileage for the month : 116.61

Exercise: Drove to Florence to do the Outback Survivor 5K with Ronnie N. Same story, different day - started out a little conservatively - 6:02 for 1 mile, 6:13 for mile 2, then slowed to 6:34 for mile 3, but was able to pick it up and pass one person in the last 0.1 (0:33) seconds - finished in 19:23, 6/112 overall, 1/7 in age group, but, once again, 2nd master as Alan Porter from Mississippi has showed up the last 3 races I've done in the Shoals area and dusted the rest of the master's field.

Results here:

Total mileage for the week: 5.7

Total mileage for the month : 106.07

Exercise: Ran 3.7 miles at Lockheed field in 27:49 (7:31 pace) at about 1:15PM - very hot and humid - just enough to top 30 miles for the week.

Total mileage for the week: 30.12

Total mileage for the month : 99.37

Exercise: Did 4.7 miles from UAH fitness center, through McThormor Acres, then back around UAH loop. 34:05 total (7:15 per mile pace). 5 games full court basketball at Berachah gym.

Mile Splits:

1: 7:30
2: 7:20
3: 7:01
4: 6:44

Total mileage for the week: 26.42

Total mileage for the month : 95.67

Exercise: Monday - lifted weights at UAH, 110 stomach crunches, 30 dips. Ran 4.91 on Monte Sano in the evening (90+ heat index).

Tuesday - Did hill work with Carl S. Ran from UAH over to Hillmont. Did 4 of the full hills and 4 of the shorter/steep portions. Then ran back to UAH ~4.75 miles.

Total mileage for the week: 21.72

Total mileage for the month : 90.97

Exercise: Friday - Lifted weights at UAH.

Saturday - Did the Twilight 5K at UAH Campus. This is another evening race (very hot and humid). They run the men's race first, then the women's. So in the actual race, there was no possibility of me getting "chicked" (beaten by a girl :) ). This is definitely not a PR course, with a pretty substantial hill at the 2.7 mile mark and a cone turn around near the halfway point. Tried once again to start out conservatively, but ran a 5:56 first mile. Steve Shipley, and old running buddy, was at the one mile marker yelling encouragement to his son, Austen, telling him not to let the "old man" elbow him out of the way. Austen took this to heart for while, trying his best not to let me by, but finally gave up. I hit the two mile mark at 12:14, still on pace for a sub 19:00 time, but again faded the last mile (badly this time), finishing in 19:33, 2nd in my age group, 11th out of 143 overall - results here.

Sunday - did 8.21 miles on Monte Sano - Family Bike trail - Mtn. Mist Trail, Warpath Ridge, Red Lizard, Flat Rock connector. Had planned on doing the Flat Rock trail, but it was too overgrown. Did see a grey fox just before I turned around.

Total mileage for the week: 12.06

Total mileage for the month : 81.31

Exercise: Did 4 miles at Lockheed field in 30:01 (7:30 pace). Stopped and ate a handful of wild blackberries. Saw 9 bunnies...

Played 4 games full court basketball at Berachah gym.

Total mileage for the week: 27.24

Total mileage for the month : 69.25

Exercise: Did 4 miles at 6AM at Lockheed field this AM. Very cool conditions. Lots of bunnies.

1: 7:57
2: 7:27
3: 7:02
4: 8:49

Total mileage for the week: 23.24

Total mileage for the month : 65.25

Exercise: Monday - Did an evening run. Started at Barricades on Bankhead and ran up the hill to the hiker's parking lot (1.51 miles in 12:00 minutes). Then did 3.4 miles on the white trail - myself and Ashley Cain were the lead runners in the NoBoundaries training group. Did the 3.4 in 28:03.

Tuesday - Did speedwork at Lockheed field early with Carl S. and Ronnie N. After a warmup, did 2x400, 4x800, and 2x400 then cooldown. 5:45 miles total.

Total mileage for the week: 19.24

Total mileage for the month : 61.25

Exercise: Started again at the Hardees at 5 Points. Ran up Bankhead to the barricades and on past another 1.1 miles to the first overlook inside Monte Sano Park. 4.44 miles up. Then 4.44 miles back down. 39:02 up (8:47 pace), 34:40 down (7:48 pace). Very humid as thunderstorms had just passed through the area. 980 feet of elevation gain.

Total mileage for the week: 8.88

Total mileage for the month : 50.89

Exercise: Friday - rode with Ronnie N. over to Florence to do the Run For St Jude's Children's Hospital 5K. Race started at 7PM in the evening, VERY hot and humid conditions - seemed to slow every one down. Probably the flattest 5K course I have run, but there were two sharp turnarounds that slowed the pace by a few seconds. After getting nipped by Stacey LeMay last week, I decided to turn the tables on him this week. He seemed to start out very fast again. I tried to start very conservatively, but still hit the 1 mile mark in 5:56. Just past this I put on a quick surge and went by him quickly. This time I did not let him pass me back. Went through the two mile mark in 12:09, and finished in 19:16 - 7th overall (out of 122) and 1st in my age group - results here.

Saturday - 90 pushups.

Total mileage for the week: 0.0

Total mileage for the month : 42.01

Exercise: Went out early this morning, 5:15AM, just before dawn. As a precaution, I wore my bright yellow, reflective running shirt. Some 5-6 minutes into the run, I kept feeling like I had run into spider webs like I do up on Monte Sano mountain at times. When it started to lighten up, I looked down and saw that I was covered with hundreds of tiny gnats, apparently attracted to my yellow shirt! Did 4 miles (despite the extra weight of all those gnats), in 30:36.

Played 5 games full court basketball at Berachah gym.

Total mileage for the week: 23.65

Total mileage for the month : 36.92

Exercise: Lifted weights at UAH - 100 stomach crunches, 55 dips.

Exercise: Midday hillwork with Carl S., Mark F., and Eric P. Heat index 92 degrees. 4.5 miles total. Hillmont hills:

2 long intervals:
1:31
1:32

6 short steep intervals:
0:27
0:27
0:29
0:29
0:29
0:28

Fastest hill times on hottest day of training yet - slightly encouraging as to fitness level.

Total mileage for the week: 19.65

Total mileage for the month : 32.92

Exercise: 75 pushups. Ran 3.4 miles on White Trail on Monte Sano in 24:12 (7:07 pace).


Total mileage for the week: 15.15

Total mileage for the month : 28.42

Exercise: Did not get out until 8AM, which allowed the temps and humidity to rise dramatically. Did 8 miles on Redstone Arsenal. Took one detour into a training area - looked like they had Urban Warfare areas set up. A quick glance in one showed rifles stacked up against a wall! Decided I better not tarry too long!

Total mileage for the week: 11.75

Total mileage for the month : 25.02

Exercise: Did 3.75 miles at Lockheed field. Ran the 1.5 mile loop backwards twice - 1st loop in 11:56 (7:57 pace) and the 2nd loop in 10:53 (7:15 pace). Then did 2 100 yard sprints and 2 50 yard sprints in the last 0.75 mile loop.

Total mileage for the week: 3.75

Total mileage for the month : 17.02

Exercise: Thursday - 5 games full court basketball at Berachah gym.

Friday - Went with Ronnie N. to Loretto, TN to run the Independence Day 5K. This is unusual in that it is a point to point course instead of a loop course. They load you up on a bus, take you to the start, drop you off, and you run back to the start. Because they only had one bus, the race started about 15 minutes late, which only gave the temps a few more minutes to rise. That, plus the fact that there is very little shade on the course for the first 2.5 miles made for a pretty toasty race.
I tried to start out conservatively and let the "speedsters" burn out, which most did. The overall winner was Wes Bevis, an incoming track athlete at the University of North Alabama. Between the start and about the 0.75 mile mark I probably passed 50 people. Just before the 1 mile marker I passed my way into 2nd place overall and passed the mile marker in 5:53. At this point Stacy Lemay blew by me like I was standing still. I guess he thought he was trying to make a statement! Over the next half mile, Dustin Dutton and I ran shoulder to shoulder eventually passing Lemay again, crossing the second mile in 12:05 (6:12 split). A few moments later Lemay came blowing by again! This time he opened up about a 4 second lead on me and Dustin . He held this advantage until the 3 mile marker when Dustin finally caught him. I was a few strides back but unable to mount another challenge (probably because of the 2.5 hours of basketball last night). Third mile split was 6:22. The final 0.1 contained the only true hill in the course - I did it in 0:37, finishing in 19:06, 4th overall, and 1st overall Master (40+), as they threw Lemay out as he took 3rd overall male (kind of a hollow victory for me). Lemay finished in 19:01, Dustin in 19:00, so 2nd thru 4th were within 6 seconds of each other. Kind of bummed I couldn't find an extra 7 seconds somewhere to break 19:00. If I had only held 6:15 in the 3rd mile I would have broke 19:00 AND finished 2nd overall. Looks like I've got some more training to do :(

Results are posted here: Loretto 5K results

Total mileage for the week: 27.04

Total mileage for the month : 13.27

Exercise: After taking a couple of days off with a bad head cold, hit Lockheed field again this AM. 3.25 miles total. Did the first 1.5 mile loop in 10:40 (7:07 pace).
Lifted weights at UAH. 100 stomach crunches, 10 wide arm pullups.

Ran 1.5 miles from barricade to Hiker's Parking lot (all up hill), then the White trail on top of Monte Sano. 5.02 more miles. Total of 8.27 for the day.

Total mileage for the week: 22.04

Total mileage for the month : 8.27