GT350H

UAH 4 mile loop

2011-11-02T05:13:00.000-07:00

First time since June - speed was actually better overall which was really surprising especially since I ran 5 the day before. Unrepaired hip is still bothering me some.
Last mile had the big hill in it, so I really picked it up at the end (of course this is all relative - nothing like Eric Patterson miles...)

Summary: 27:40.3 4.00m 6:55.0 per mile

Splits:
1 7:22.9 1.00m
2 6:48.6 1.00m
3 6:51.6 1.00m
4 6:37.1 1.00m

Lockheed Field loops

2011-10-07T10:14:00.000-07:00

Did 3 of the 1.39 mile loops at Lockheed Field this AM. Overall average pace was 7:21.

Individual loops were:

1: 10:47 (7:45 pace)
2: 10:12 (7:20 pace)
3: 9:42 (6:58 pace)

Considering the terrain, I figure this should probably translate to around a 7:00 road pace. Definitley off from where I was back in the summer before achilles problems started.

First long run since June

2011-09-26T10:52:00.001-07:00

Met the We Run Huntsville group led by Marc Crooks up on Monte Sano on Saturday. Have been nursing a sore achilles since June. Was just hoping to survive what turned out to be a ten mile trail run. Calves were a little sore, but wind seemed OK. Very encouraged by just being able to get out and do it again!

2 four milers with different approaches

2011-06-22T06:05:00.000-07:00

I have been doing a 4 mile loop at UAH in the mornings as a semi tempo run. The last two attempts I made I used different approaches: Last week, I started slow, and tried to make each mile faster than the previous one. This week (today), I tried to start out fast and see if I could hold on. The result was better on the first approach. Faster overall time, faster single mile time, and generally felt better after finishing.

Approach 1 (6-15-11)

Mile 1: 7:22
Mile 2: 6:48
Mile 3: 6:54
Mile 4: 6:39
Total: 27:48

Approach 2 (6-22-11)

Mile 1: 6:41
Mile 2: 6:48
Mile 3: 7:13
Mile 4: 7:08
Total: 27:52

I still need to trim 30 seconds per mile off this pace to reach 40 minute 10K territory...

First 5K in 2+ years

2011-05-24T07:57:00.000-07:00

Ran my first 5K race in 2+ years at the Gurley Library Challenge. Thought I was in good enough shape to run the high 19 minute range, but I WAS NOT! Ran a 20:40 (almost exactly 2 minutes slower than just before my surgery). Splits were pretty consistent :

1: 6:32
2: 6:30
3: 6:37

Overall average pace 6:33. Finished 6th overall and 1st in age group, but competition was split among 3 local races that day, so that's not saying a whole lot. At least I now have a post surgery baseline to work from. Cotton Row 10K is coming up Memorial Day.

Early morning 4 miler

2011-05-16T06:56:00.001-07:00

Nursing a strained back (I seem to always be hurt), ran 4 miles at UAH averaging 7:15 per mile, back limited stride length. Cotton Row 10K is 2 weeks from today, fast times are looking doubtful.

First race in 2 years

2011-04-14T11:59:00.000-07:00

Ran the HTC Scholarship 8K a couple of weeks ago - my first race in two years. Started out a little too fast and faded in the 3rd mile. Finished in 34:29 - 6:54 per mile. Need to knock 30 seconds per mile off that to break 40:00 in a 10K. Will be hard to get back there, but I'm gonna try. Been doing extensive hill work with Carl Smith and throwing in some 3-5 mile tempo runs during the week as well. No pain at all from the resurfaced hip.

Redline run

2011-03-08T10:18:00.000-08:00

Redline - Sherwood Park run with Cheeseburger and Gramps. Total from my work place and back - 6.39 miles - pace 7:49 per mile. Pretty good mid week non-all out run.

7 miler at lunch

2011-02-15T11:06:00.001-08:00

Another good lunch time run with the Cheeseburger : 7.1 miles in 58:39 (8:16 per mile pace) - weather was perfect - about 65 with a little wind - just enough to wick the sweat.

Medium Run

2011-02-11T11:17:00.000-08:00

Ran 6.12 miles with the Cheeseburger on multiple UAH paths. 51:31 total (8:25 per mile pace). Not hard enough to hurt but a nice, medium pace to get some miles in. Company definitely makes it easier.

Another icy run

2011-01-24T05:09:00.000-08:00

Did 9 mile son Monte Sano Sunday AM. Felt great with absolutely no hip pain. Saturday was Huntsville's great Mountain Mist 50K trail run. Congrats to David Riddle for setting a new course record and for all my running buds who did this in the snow , ice and mud. Here's a video from Marcus Farris - note - it doesn't show the hardest parts of the course! I hope to do this next year.

Mountain Mist 50k, 2011 from Marcus Farris on Vimeo.

Running in the snow

2011-01-18T14:36:00.000-08:00

Sunday did 6.37 miles on Monte Sano in the snow and ice - what a great run! First time I've gone this far in these conditions (this was Huntsville's first really big snowfall in years). Then on Monday, Lisa and I ran on the Huntsville Land Trust trails (5.8 miles) including the incredibly difficult Waterline trail - not only is this a very steep down hill, but compound that with mud and ice/snow and it was scary at times. There are two places where you have to actually lower yourself down 8-10 foot mini-cliffs - beautiful scenery but scary footing. Add to this my 6.3 miles on the treadmill Saturday for 19 miles in 3 days - my most since my hip surgery. No pain at all today, so things are looking up. I have signed up for the McKay Hollow Madness 25K trail run at the end of March which will be my longest race ever and my first race since hip surgery. I hope to have enough miles in to finish respectably by then.

Another HOT run

2010-08-12T06:47:00.000-07:00

Ran in 94 degree weather on Monte Sano yesterday. Did the white blaze South Plateau loop. Trail markers said 3.5 miles, but my Garmin only measured 3.35. Ran it in 26:50, exactly 8:00 per mile pace (first two were 7:37 and 7:33). Lost 3 pounds in less than 30 minutes! Operated hip was fine, non affected knee was a little tender, but feels OK this AM. Still not putting in as many miles as Byron.

Just wanted to try it

2010-08-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to try running in the heat. Went out at lunch today, temp was 99, heat index was 106. Did 1.58 miles at Lockheed field (nursing a sore knee) at 7:23 pace. Definitely makes for some sweaty conditions!

Resurfaced hip is doing great, opposite knee has been giving some pain, so I cut back on the running for a few weeks - been doing mostly pool running.

Running at Altitude

2010-07-01T12:58:00.001-07:00

Spent last week at Rancho Mira Sol in Durango, Colorado. Elevation was 6500 feet. Ran 6 straight days (total of 16 miles) including a "long" run of 3.75 miles. One morning when I started there were 7 mule deer in the front yard! On another morning I saw fresh bear tracks (mother and cub) which made me decide to turn around quickly and head home... No hip pain at all, just a little tightness on occasion. Non affected knee has been a little sore, but am working on strengthening area around it. Still a long way from where I was before hip surgery, but am heading in the right direction.

1st run since surgery

2010-04-26T05:19:00.000-07:00

Counting 26 weeks as 6 months, I ventured out onto a soft soccer field at UAH for my first run attempt since last May. I have been very apprehensive, anticipating pain, but it went much better than I had anticipated. After a 1/4 mile walking warmup, I did a mile in 7:56. There was little general soreness while running, but now 15 minutes later, there is no pain at all. While running, the most painful area was my lower abdomen. I've been doing LOTS of core exercises during my recovery, so I'm attributing this to working core muscles in ways they haven't been worked in almost a year. Very relieved and excited!

One week to go!

2010-04-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

Next Tuesday will mark 26 weeks since my hip operation. I plan on running that day for the first time since last May. Overall I've missed about 15 months of training, so I'll be way back close to Square One... But, I do thank God that at least I was able to have this surgery and get in a position to resume running and playing basketball, which have been a major portion of my life for the last 30 years.

I'm sure there will will be pain (soreness) and lack of cardio and lung capacity when I start back, so I may not do any races for a while.

I have been very consistent on my cross training, doing 4.9 miles on the Nautilus Stair Master on Sunday, 8 miles on the stationary bike yesterday, 4 miles on the rowing machine today and also lifted weights at lunch today.

6 months since my last post

2010-02-23T12:03:00.000-08:00

Yep, it has been that long! On November 4th, 2009 I had my right hip resurfaced by Dr. Gross in Columbia, SC. No impact sports (running or jumping) for 6 months. I'm taking 6 months to be 26 weeks ;) - so sometime around the end of April I will try to run again - I've lost almost 14 months of training. But, I have not been sedentary. Been hitting the spin cycle (no, not the laundry version), Nautilus stair stepper (the mini escalator type that is much tougher than the sissy kind with individual pedals) which cycles steps for you to traverse continuously - did 3.7 miles on it this AM in a little over 37 minutes (177 floors). Have also been doing the rowing machine at its highest level and lifting weights and shooting basketball (no jump shots). Really working on stretching - pretty much have regained my pre-surgery leg strength - did 3:15 wall sit while holding 25 pounds between my legs at lunch without too much difficulty.

I'm sure my running will be horrible when I finally get back to it and I'll be behind LOTS of people I used to beat - including my good bud Eric Patterson who in just a little over 2 years has become one of the best runners in the Huntsville-Athens area! He should be the poster child for anyone who aspires to lose weight and become a great runner - Eric DOES NOT make excuses - not the cold, rain, snow, or anything stops him from his appointed rounds...

42+

2009-09-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

42.15 miles on the bike on Redstone Arsenal. Started out with slight sprinkle, but it stopped after about 4 miles. 2:47:56 - 3:59 per mile.

Longest ride yet

2009-08-30T12:53:00.000-07:00

Did 40.29 miles on Redstone Arsenal this AM in 2:42:07 (4:01 per mile). A little slow, but had several turnarounds and left the bike in the same gear for the entire trek (both uphills and downhills).

On Saturday I did 1 hour (12 miles) of hills near my house (30 hills total) on my Walmart Mongoose special trail bike - as long as you're pumping hard it doesn't matter what type of bike, right? :)

Another long bike ride

2009-08-23T14:59:00.000-07:00

Went to Redstone Arsenal this AM to do my weekend long bike ride. Much less traffic than on primary roads. Weather was very cool, and the strong north wind slowed me down for the last 6-7 miles. Wound up doing 36.18 miles in 2:23:06 (3:57 per mile). A little slower than last week, but was fighting the wind. Plus, I also did about 3 miles on a paved walking trail that was very curvy and covered with leaves (yes they're already falling) so I had to slow a little.

50K + on bike

2009-08-16T07:41:00.000-07:00

Did 35.70 miles on the bike this AM. Took 2:18:01, average 3:51.9 minutes per mile, or 15.52 miles per hour. Left bike in one gear the whole time, which made for some tough uphill climbs.

Saw the Nashville ortho doc last week who said I had too much arthritis in my hip for him to any good by scoping it. Next alternative is hip resurfacing. Going to see Dr. Gross in Columbia, SC on August 25. Probably won't be back to running until next spring.

Been a long time...

2009-08-08T10:16:00.000-07:00

Since my last post. Because of hip pain, I have not run since the end of May. I am supposed to go to the Tennessee Titan's orthopaedic doctor next Tuesday for some tests and hopefully learn that I'm a candidate for a hip scope.

Been biking and lifting weights instead of running. Not exactly as stressing, but better than nothing. Did 32.58 miles on the bike this AM, and 113 over the last 8 days. Amazingly, have not gained any weight over the last 10 weeks of no running - 154 this AM, one pound more than when I graduated from high school in 1979 - so I've put on a little less than 1/2 ounce for each of my 30 years since graduating...

Richard Petty Driving Experience

2009-05-31T03:55:00.000-07:00

Just got back from Kentucky Speedway - did the "King's Experience" level of the Richard Petty Driving Experience (used my American Express points!). What a blast. After getting fitted for driving suit and helmet and about a 30 minute safety/mechanical class (some people have actually lied and got into the cars not knowing how to drive a 4 speed), we were strapped in to real NASCAR stock cars (a mixture of older Sprint Cup cars and a few new Car of Tomorrow versions). Mine was actually a Ch*vy Monte Carlo with Navy sponsorship. Had to wear the HANS device which really limits your peripheral vision as you only have a few degrees available to turn your head from side to side.

After verifying you have brake pedal pressure, the car is fired up and you roll out of pit lane solo, following an instructor in another car who drives the correct race line. You goal is to maintain a 3-4 car length distance behind the instructor and follow his (or her!) line precisely - the better you follow the line the faster they will let you go. While during the orientation, we were told that there were cones entering the banked (14 degree) turns showing where we should let off the throttle, by about the 2nd lap this became unnecessary as the instructors apparently were not doing so - in order to maintain the following distance you had to keep it to the floor all the way around the track!

The first session was 9 laps (1.5 mile speedway). Afterwards, a data log was used by the instructors to give feedback and advice for the next 9 lap session. I had no corrections to make, and in the second session hit a max speed of 144 mph, leaving me with a podium (3rd) finish among the day's group.

The faster you go the more steering input is required in the turns as the cars wants to go toward the wall due to the centrifugal force. Even with power steering I can see how tiring running 400-500 laps would be - no wonder Mark Martin has a daily workout routine!

The Experience is coming to Talladega in August - you can get a ride along (3 laps) for about $100 - or do a Rookie, King, or Racing experience - not cheap, but definitely worth it to do at least once - run your car and house payment through your AMEX card and start racking up those points!

CRR 10K again

2009-05-20T06:13:00.000-07:00

Met Eric P. to do the Cotton Row 10K course at 5:45. 3 hard days in the last 4 after coming off an injury does not make for great times. Including one stop for traffic, ran the course in 45:56 (7:24 AVERAGE).

1: 7:40.84
2: 7:05.35
3: 7:22.35
4: 7:34.50
5: 6:57.17
6: 7:35.18
0.2 : 1:41.33

Sherwood Park speed work

2009-05-19T05:47:00.001-07:00

Met Carl S. at Sherwood for some short intervals at 6AM. I warmed up for 1.5 miles, then did 2 miles worth of intervals (2x200 and 7x400) then cooled down another two miles (my hip was feeling a little sore).

200 : 0:38
200 : 0:37

400 : 1:24
400 : 1:21
400 : 1:24
400 : 1:24
400 : 1:24
400 : 1:28
400 : 1:22

Encouraging long run

2009-05-17T09:19:00.000-07:00

After a 4 week hiatus, was able to meet the Athens group for another early Sunday AM 10 miler. Weather conditions were perfect. Definitely felt the lack of training (now having missed 13 weeks out of the last 26), and was unable to keep up with Carl and Eric. Middle miles were a little faster than when I last ran the course. Overall I was actaully faster than 4 weeks ago which is encouraging. Sore when finished, but not overly so.

Total for 10 miles was 1:15:10 - 7:31 per mile average.

Splits were:

1: 8:26
2: 7:12
3: 7:02
4: 7:10
5: 7:16
6: 7:19
7: 7:26
8: 7:38
9: 7:53 (fading)
10: 7:46

Lunchtime 5 miler

2009-05-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

Met Cheeseburger at UAH and ran 5 miles around the campus and adjoining neighborhoods. Made sure every mile was faster than the previous one (thank goodness I only did 5!). Calf was OK, hip was a little sore afterwards.

Overall 37:38 - 7:31.5 per mile pace

Splits:

8:09
7:42
7:31
7:15
6:59

Semi Tempo run

2009-05-12T10:26:00.000-07:00

Did 4 miles at UAH at lunch today - calf was OK, hip was OK, quads were very sore - maybe from inactivity. Averaged 7:04.

Splits:

1: 7:18
2: 7:11
3: 6:53
4: 6:55

Progress?

2009-05-10T07:05:00.001-07:00

After missing 2.5 weeks because of my annual calf strain(!) I got my first decent run in. Made it to 3.09 miles before it started to tighten up again. Splits were: 7:45, 7:10, 7:05. Then I had to walk back to the start - man what a pain! Cotton Row 10K is looking doubtful...

Cotton Row 10K early

2009-04-22T05:02:00.001-07:00

Met Eric P. to do the Cotton Row 10K at 5:30AM. Almost ideal conditions, although quads were still a little sore from hill work yesterday. My watch said 6.28 miles (fudge factor in certification, I guess). Official CRR splits were:

1: 7:23.09
2: 7:04.98
3: 7:20.77
4: 7:20.40
5: 6:54.52
6: 6:54.72 (had to stop for traffic)
0.2 1:12.45 (really pushed it)

Total : 44:10 (7:07.4 per mile pace)

Hillmont hills

2009-04-21T05:27:00.000-07:00

First time since last fall, we headed back over to Hillmont (off of Holmes Avenue) to do some hill repeats. 3 x long hill and 6 x steepest portion. 5 miles total including warmup and cooldown. Splits were:

Long:
1: 1:39.09
2: 1:41.20
3: 1:41.22

Steep:
1: 0:32.05
2: 0:31.00
3: 0:31.25
4: 0:32.08
5: 0:33.75
6: 0:27.74

Character building session

2009-04-19T08:32:00.000-07:00

Not feeling well this AM, but met the crew at Athens for our Sunday AM 10 miler. Carl and Matt and Tom R. started and we met Tanjie along the way. Matt stayed at the front with me and Carl until he cut it short a little before the 8 mile mark. I think we may have started a little too fast - didn't hold the pace of last week. Splits were:

1: 7:59
2: 7:16
3: 7:14
4: 7:31
5: 7:39
6: 7:51
7: 7:35
8: 7:44
9: 7:45
10: 7:55 - overall pace - 7:38.9 per mile

Total 1:16:32 - a little slower than last week (by about 7 secs per mile). Guess you can't always set records...

Tempo-ish 10K

2009-04-15T05:58:00.000-07:00

Ran a fairly hard 10K around Research Park, University Drive, and UAH this AM. Started feeling leg fatigue on the last 1.5 miles after yesterday's speedwork.

Splits were:

1: 7:17
2: 6:50
3: 6:55
4: 6:45
5: 7:13
6: 7:58
0.2 : 1:32

Speedwork in Sherwood Park

2009-04-14T05:20:00.000-07:00

Met Carl at Sherwood Park for some old Redline intervals. Total interval distance was 2.5 miles, mixing in 200s and 400s. Short recovery times (as compared to our hill runs) really made a difference. Total warmup and cooldown included was 5.24 miles.

Intervals:

200 : 0:37.68
200 : 0:39.45
400 : 1:21.30
400 : 1:21.66
200 : 0:37.52
200 : 0:38.27
400 : 1:23.68
400 : 1:23.50
400 : 1:26.03
400 : 1:26.39
200 : 0:38.14
200 : 0:38.48
200 : 0:38.45
200 : 0:39.13

Another Athens 10 miler

2009-04-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

10 runners showed up at 5:45 this AM for a pre-Easter service 10 miler. After racing hard yesterday, Eric P. finally took a much needed easy day and ran a little slower with Scott Michael. That left me to have to deal with Carl and Matt. We knocked some more time off of last week's total - 1:15:22 (some 37 seconds faster than last week).

Splits were:

8:42
7:39
7:22
7:31
7:17
7:20
7:17
7:19
7:27
7:23

Average pace = 7:32 per mile.
Last 9 miles pace = 7:23
Last 5 miles pace = 7:21

Maintaining...

2009-04-11T11:32:00.001-07:00

Did 4 barefoot on the treadmill yesterday to finish out the week with almost 40 miles. This morning, did a 5 mile loop around UAH with splits:

8:04
7:40
7:18
7:18
7:01

Mid week 15K

2009-04-08T05:37:00.000-07:00

Met Eric P. at 5:30AM to do the Cotton Row 10K course. Ran it in 45:43 (felt faster, but I guess the 3 hard days in the previous 4 had finally caught up with me.) - 7:42 average. Then, just for FUN, we decided to run the 5K course too. Of course Eric said he wanted to run it at an 8:30 pace which did NOT materialize. Wound up running it in 24:13 (7:48 pace).

Another good hill workout

2009-04-07T05:45:00.000-07:00

Met Carl S. at UAH Bevill center this morning in the cold for another hill workout. Considering it was only 2 days after a tough 10 miler, our times were respectable. Total mileage including warmup and cooldown was 5.11.

Repeats were:

0:56
0:56
0:56
0:54
0:54
0:54
0:54
0:56
0:55
0:54

Average (0:54.9) half a second faster than last week, so we are improving...

Best 10 miler in while

2009-04-05T06:05:00.000-07:00

Another Athens 10 miler this AM. Was a little tired at the start after racing yesterday, but loosened up. 10 runners total showed up, with me, Carl S., Eric P., and Lanier G. in the the lead pack. Even after doing his 3rd 10+ miler in 8 days, Eric was impressive in pushing the pace. Our total for 10 miles was 1:15:59, some 7 minutes faster than last week. Splits were:

8:58
7:56
7:38
7:39
7:28 (7:55 per mile average first half)
7:20
7:19
7:19
7:05
7:18 (7:16 per mile average last half)

Overall average (7:36 per mile). If you throw out the first mile which we use for warmup, 9 mile average was 7:26.

Not so great effort at HTC Scholarship 8K

2009-04-04T16:25:00.000-07:00

First real test of my lack of conditioning this AM. This is the first certified race I've run since my injury and it showed. Perfect running conditions, so there was no excuse except for lack of hard training. Ran a 33:50 (6:46 per mile average) finishing 4th in age group and 27th out of 213 overall (not even top 10%). And at least 5 people that I had been consistently beating back in the fall beat me today. Very humbling. Including warmup and cooldown, got in 8.23 miles total.

Lunchtime tempo run

2009-04-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

Pretty decent tempo run around UAH and accompanying neighborhoods this AM. 4 miles in 28:12 (7:03 average). A couple of pretty decent hills on miles 2 and 4. Splits were:

7:26
7:00
6:44
7:01 (intentionally slowed a little at the start of the split)

Speedwork between thunderstorms

2009-03-31T05:26:00.000-07:00

Met Carl S. at UAH this AM. After a 1.25 mile warmup, we did 3x1 mile with about 5:00 minutes recovery runs in between. Really shows how badly out of shape I am as my splits were:

6:02
6:17
6:28

5.90 miles total.

Added another 2.3 this PM barefoot on the treadmill for 8.2 for the day. Finished the month of March with 136.5 miles, averaging 4.4 miles per day and 30.8 per week.

Not so fun 10 miler

2009-03-29T06:23:00.000-07:00

After doing 4.5 barefoot on the treadmill on Saturday, met the Athens crew at 5:45 on Sunday. 15-20 mph wind, spitting rain, 38-40 degrees - miserable overall at the start. Only 5 hardy souls showed up including Carl Smith, Glen King, Eric Patterson (who understandably dropped off early as he'd done the McKay Hollow Trail half marathon yesterday), and Tom. Carl pushed the early pace a little faster than usual, and with Eric out, I was a little unsure of the course so at one point Carl and I doubled back to meet Glen and Tom, making my total distance 10.52 miles.

Having to wear a hat because of the cold, the sound of my GPS was muffled, causing me to miss a few splits. Overall time was 1:23:52 (7:58 per mile). The splits I do have:

8:40
8:21
8:21 (average of two as I missed a split)
7:29
7:28
7:26
8:41 (where we stopped and waited on Glen and Tom)
8:10
8:05
11:39 (last 1.52) (7:39 pace).

Quick 3 miler

2009-03-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

Did a quick 3 mile run at UAH at lunch today, hoping not to get too tired before basketball this evening. Did 3.01 miles total. Splits were

7:20 (mostly downhill)
6:56 (mostly uphill)
7:01 (up and down hill)

Hill/Speedwork at UAH

2009-03-24T05:19:00.000-07:00

Met Carl Smith at Lockheed field at 6AM. Was a little too dark for speedwork on the field, so we ran over to UAH and did our 10x hills. Total mileage was 5.61. Was able to maintain throughout the workout and averaged a little faster than last week. Splits were:

0:56
0:58
0:56
0:55
0:55
0:53
0:56
0:56
0:56
0:53

Average - 55.4 seconds (vs 57.7 seconds last week)

Another good 10 miler in Athens

2009-03-22T06:57:00.000-07:00

Another tough run with Eric Patterson. Scott Michael and Lanier Greenhaw started out with us too. Once again Eric pushed the pace, this time even faster than last week. After he peeled off at the 8.5 mile mark (after making me do a 2 block sprint just before), I decided not to let up like I did last week. I even took the extra hill at the cemetary just for you , Eric.

1:18:04 total

Avg 7:48 (7:27 for the last 7 miles).

Splits:
8:47
8:48
8:20
7:35
7:35
7:22
7:20
7:21
7:24
7:32

Hill/Speedwork

2009-03-17T05:16:00.000-07:00

Met Carl Smith at UAH early in the AM for some hill repeats. After a warmup did 10 repeats up the UAH north end hill with a slow jog back down in between each, then a cooldown. 5.35 miles total.
Repeats were in :

1:01
0:58
0:57
0:56
0:56
0:56
0:58
0:59
1:01
0:55

Another decent 4 miler

2009-03-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

After yesterday's tough 10 miler, wanted to run a fairly conservative 4+ miles at UAH. Did not feel too bad, wound up doing 4.11 with these splits:

7:46
7:14
6:58
7:16

Did 1.2 barefoot on the treadmill this PM - trying to maintain a 4 mile per day average for this month which would put me at 120+ miles for the month.

Best run of the year - and it almost didn't happen

2009-03-15T10:39:00.000-07:00

Was invited to join the Athens group for another 10 miler at 5:45 AM Sunday. Set my alarm and got up at 4AM - it was pouring rain. It was so bad that my dog didn't even want to go out - I had to make her and stand outside and watch over her while she "did her thing." I seriously contemplated going back to bed and waiting to see if the weather cleared up. But then I thought - "Hey, you're not gonna melt. You've missed 12 weeks of running, you should be finding excuses TO run, not finding excuses NOT to run." So I headed off to Athens on that note.

Ten hardy souls met at the Athens Rec Center, including Madelyn Patton and Coach Barry Pugh who set the early pace along with myself and Eric Patterson. An early pebble in my shoe made me do some speedwork to catch up with the lead pack after a quick pitstop. At about the halfway point Madelyn dropped off to go back and run with her husband, leaving me, Eric and Barry at the front. Eric and I kept accusing each other of pushing the pace which started in the low 8s and eventually made it down into the high 6s. Eric, being the now seasoned trainer that he is, went out of his way to find some extra hills to run up in the last two miles. I will get the overall splits from him later and post, but I'm sure the overall average was close to the 7s. Not quite tempo pace, but definitely challenging considering my current level of fitness. Thanks Eric! (and Madelyn and Barry) ;)

Here were the 9 mile splits I got from Eric:

8:46
8:22
8:02
8:17
8:02
8:14
7:46
7:35
7:14
6:10 (last 0.78 miles)

The last mile probably would have been sub 7:00 if I hadn't slowed down - Eric was willing, but I wasn't...

Decent end of week run

2009-03-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, I ran 2.2 barefoot on the treadmill, then played 2.5 hours of full court basketball at Berachah Gym. I was so sore (hip, achillies, back) when I got home that I was barely able to climb the stairs. This didn't bode well for my run today, but I did 4 miles around UAH and accompanying neighborhoods in 7:06 average - miles were:

7:39
7:10
6:50
6:46

Felt much better than I had anticipated. Supposed to be cold and rainy this weekend so we'll see what courses are available.

Out and back

2009-03-11T05:29:00.000-07:00

Fighting off a head cold, I only did treadmill miles on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday morning, I donned my headlight and did an out and back loop near my house at 5:45AM. One good thing about running in the dark - you can't tell the steepness of the hills you're approaching. Out - 1.6 miles in 12:46 (7:58 pace). Back 1.6m in 10:36 (6:37 pace). No warm up or stretching, just out the door and start...

10 miler in Athens

2009-03-08T08:29:00.000-07:00

Met several Athens area runners at 5:45AM this morning (would have been 4:45 a day earlier :) ). Started out at a leisurely pace, then Eric Patterson and Mat started upping the pace. Last three miles were 7:58, 7:59, and 7:22. 10 miles total. Hip is sore, but manageable. Ran parts of the old Run for Glory and Sundowner courses. Felt good to finally put in another long run. Ran an additional 1.2 on the treadmill barefoot for 11.2 total for the day.

First real race of the year

2009-03-07T15:35:00.000-08:00

Did the UAH KD sorority Shamrock 5K this AM. Had actually won this race 3 years ago when only around 30 people showed up. Today over 200 showed up! This was my first real race since mid-November and I was using it mainly to see where my race conditioning stood. After warming up 1.34 miles at around 8 minute pace, the first mile of the race felt pretty good - hit it in 6:09 - right at my 5K pace from last fall. The second mile had a sizable hill that had to be negotiated twice (out and back course). Hit in in 6:39 and was fading. The course itself was short, my GPS giving only 2.85 miles. Not sure why they chose to change the course when there were two certified 5K courses on the UAH campus. I crossed the line in 18:25, running the last 0.85 in 6:36 pace, giving me an overalll pace of 6:27 - which is where I should be for a 10K, not a 5K. Still managed to pick up 2nd overall master award. A lot of work yet to do...

Longest run of the year so far

2009-03-03T11:35:00.000-08:00

After doing 2.64 miles on a soggy Lockheed field, met Carl S. and ran through Executive Plaza over to UAH. Did 5x800 with 2 minute rest in between intervals, then cooldown for a total of 7.26 miles - the most since back in November.

More encouraging (and discouraging) runs

2009-02-26T05:15:00.000-08:00

Did 3.2 on the treadmill on Wednesday. Thursday morning lifted weights for 30 minutes, then immediately headed out around the UAH loop to do my first decent road miles since early December. Ran the loop (2.62 miles) in 18:28 - 7:02.9 pace. Not terrible, but no where near the pace I was doing back in late November. 95% pain free - just a little discomfort in the hip.

A tough(?) speedwork day

2009-02-24T11:04:00.000-08:00

Did 4.05 miles total at Lockheed field by myself. Was a little worried as my hip was sore last night and this AM, but after about 0.5 miles, I felt no pain at all. Only did 4x200 in :

1:21
1:23
1:30
1:24

They say that for every week you lose training, it takes 2 weeks to regain what you had. Since I lost 12 weeks, that means I should be back where I was at the end of July! Man, that's a long ways off...

Somewhat encouraging weekend

2009-02-23T05:39:00.000-08:00

Got almost 15 miles in Friday-Sunday. All on the treadmill including 3.5 barefoot and 6.5 on Sunday. A little soreness this AM, but not as much as anticipated. Should be able to hit 90 for the month which will be the most since October.

Trying speedwork(?) again

2009-02-17T10:01:00.000-08:00

Met Carl Smith at Lockheed field. Just wanted to see how bad out of shape I really am. We did some warmups, then did 3x400 (mostly downhill) and 1x800 uphill. The 400s were:

1:20
1:22
1:27

and the 800 was :

3:27

Not even as fast as Eric Patterson is doing his long temp runs in. Feels like I'm starting over... Hip had a little soreness, but nothing I couldn't run through. Total mileage was 4.82.

Slowly getting back to it

2009-02-16T12:59:00.000-08:00

After taking 12 weeks off from running and not getting any better, I finally went to the sports medicine doctor. Diagnosis - arthritis in my hip. He said there wasn't much he could do other can prescribe some pain medicine and schedule me for a hip replacement when the pain became too bad. I was not about to go with that diagnosis! Started looking on the internet and found some interesting sites including this one (hip pain causes) .

I've been trying this for about 3 weeks now and have had some drastic reduction in running pain. Put in over 20 miles per week for the last two weeks (although a lot slower than back in November). Have also been back to playing some basketball which makes the hip sore, but manageable. Today I did 0.53 miles of backward walking on the treadmill and 4.31 miles running (including 1 mile barefoot).

Did the Winter Winds 2 mile race yesterday (ran with my wife). Definitely a different perspective starting near the back of the pack and doing 12:25 per mile pace! (not a perspective I want to get used to, mind you ;) ).

Running year in review

2008-12-31T05:18:00.000-08:00

Following the lead of Eric Charette and Joey Butler, I've compiled a Year in Review for 2008.
Highlights include:

Finishing 2nd overall in the Huntsville Track Club's Masters Division Grand Prix behind only Jon Elmore
Winning 4 races overall - Boaz Hospice 5K, Fairview Spring and Fall 5K's, and Wayne County TN Run for Life 5K
In the fall, finally broke 19 minutes on a 5K twice - 18:56 in the Liz Hurley 5K and 18:57.8 in the Hartselle All Saints 5K
Ran 34 races total, finishing first in age group 21 times, first Master 8 times, top 3 in age group 30 times
Total distance -1291.31 miles - despite only running less than 7 miles in December

Lowlights include:

Making a wrong turn in the McKay Hollow 1/2 Marathon and finishing 8 minutes slower than the previous year
Missing the Scholarship 8K because of a sore back - this may have cost me overall 1st place in the Grand Prix standings
Not breaking 40 minutes for a 10k - closest was 40:45 in Elkmont in late fall
Injuring my hip in early November just when I was hitting my peak for the year causing my mileage to dwindle to practically zero for the last 6 weeks of the year
Leading the Lexington Pump & Run 5K at the 2 mile mark only to get passed by two runners in the last mile

I really have to thank my training partners including Carl Smith for all the Tuesday hill/speed workouts, Eric and Joey for the long runs and "smackdowns", and all the Race Directors who take the time and effort (along with their volunteers) for putting on the races I participated in. Also thanks to Suzanne and Dink Taylor at Fleet Feet for thier contributions to the Huntsville running community.

If I can get this hip thing healed, I plan on training for the Mountain Mist 50K coming up just over a year from now and making a concerted effort to get back under 40 for 10Ks and under 19 for 5Ks consistently.

Not quite right

2008-12-14T09:42:00.001-08:00

Exercise: Tried the dreadmill this AM - 4.00 miles at pretty good pace, but still had pain after finishing...

Total mileage for week: 4.00
Total mileage for month : 6.76

Last post for a while

2008-12-03T05:41:00.000-08:00

Exercise: (Sunday) - lifted weights at UAH, jumped rope (4x130).
(Tuesday) - ran 1.35 miles at 7:30 pace and still had hip pain. Guess I'm going to have to go to the doctor to make sure it's not a stress fracture.
(Wednesday) - 39 laps in the pool. 1.41 miles on treadmill. 4x130 jump rope.

Will not post again until I'm back to running...

Total mileage for week: 2.76
Total mileage for month : 2.76

More pool laps

2008-11-29T08:44:00.001-08:00

Exercise: (Saturday) - Did 37 pool laps. Had a Cheeseburger sighting in the pool this AM.

(Sunday) - Did 38 pool laps.

Busy after Thanksgiving day

2008-11-28T06:57:00.000-08:00

Exercise: Lifted weights at UAH. 120 stomach crunches. Jumped rope (4x110). Did 36 laps deep water running in the pool.

Pool laps

2008-11-25T05:29:00.000-08:00

Exercise: Did 34 pool laps at UAH. Start of at least 2 weeks of cross training while trying to let hip/quad heal.

At lunch did 40 minutes on Precor elliptical and 10 sets of stair running at UAH (25 stairs each) with not-slow descent in between sets.

(Wednesday) - Did 35 pool laps at UAH at a much faster rate (averaging a little over 1 minute per each up and back lap).

Total mileage for the week : 3.2
Total mileage for the month : 59.68

Frustrating run

2008-11-24T17:35:00.000-08:00

Exercise: Ran 3.2 this afternoon in 23:08 (7:13 per mile). Felt really good while running, but hip/quad was really painful after I finished. I guess I'll have to take several weeks off - very frustrating...

Total mileage for the week : 3.2
Total mileage for the month : 59.68

Bike Sprints

2008-11-23T08:18:00.000-08:00

Exercise: One more day of rest/cross training before testing the leg tomorrow. 9 bike sprints up my street in 13th gear - complete lactic shutdown near the end of the last one.

Lifted weights at UAH. Jumped rope (4x100 with 50 sec rest in between).

No running miles for the week ;(

Getting better but what am I losing?

2008-11-22T13:50:00.000-08:00

Exercise: (Friday) - lifted weights at UAH.

(Saturday) - did another hour on the Precor elliptical. Now been a full week since my last run. Joey and Scott Butler both ran times at today's Dam Bridge 10K in Florence that would have been tough for me to match. I feel like my conditioning is melting away as I sit here. I plan on one more cross training day tomorrow and then try to run again on Monday.

More pool running

2008-11-20T05:22:00.000-08:00

Exercise: (Wednesday) - 33 laps in the pool at UAH. 90 pushups. Can't wait to get back to running - this will probably be my lowest mileage month of the year...

More boring CT

2008-11-18T07:09:00.000-08:00

Exercise: (Monday) - Did some deep water running with the "floaty" belt at UAH. 32 laps back and forth in the deep end (38 minutes total). Very strenuous workout, but still not the same as running. Hard to work up a sweat in the pool!

(Tuesday) - Did another hour on the Precor Elliptical. 5.32 miles, 624 calories. Just shoot me!

Cross training - Yuk!

2008-11-16T13:23:00.000-08:00

Exercise: Trying to rest upper quad, went to UAH and and hour on the Precor Elliptical trainer - 620 calories, 5.2 miles. How boring! Not the same as running, so I'm not adding this to my mileage totals.

Legacy Elementary 5K

2008-11-15T08:38:00.000-08:00

Exercise: This was a new race put on by former UAH runner (and now Legacy teacher) Caitlin Heider. It started at Legacy Elementary school in Monrovia and ran through the Wall Farm subdivision. Weather was horrible - high 30's, overcast cold northwest wind and spitting rain. Still feeling the effects of a lingering cold and my sore hip.

Started out a little more conservatively than usual - hit the first mile in 6:02. It was mostly due north up Pettus road into the wind. Passed 10-12 people and settle into 3rd place behind Donald Bowman and Emily Hardin which is how the top 3 would remain for the remainder of the race. Mile two ran mostly south through the Wall Farm subdivision with real hills to speak of. I was about 20-30 yards behind Emily at mile two which I hit in 6:12. The 3rd mile consisted of a lopp through a smaller neighborhood south of Pettus Road and then back north up the only real hill on the course. I didn't see the 3 mile marker, but my Garmin showed me slowing to a 6:25 pace. There was no one within 1:30 to my rear and Emily had stretched out in front of me to the point that I was not going to come close to her (she actually gained on the overall winner in the last mile). Not feeling too good I crossed the finish line in 19:34, 3rd overall, 1st in age group (out of about 160 runners total).

Total mileage for the week : 4.62
Total mileage for the month : 56.48

Quick lunchtime run

2008-11-14T10:36:00.000-08:00

Exercise: Went home for lunch and did an out and back on the roads and fields near my house. 2.32 miles each way - out in 17:55(7:43 pace), back in 16:36 (7:09 pace). Lifted weights at UAH on Thursday afternoon.

Total mileage for the week : 32.37
Total mileage for the month : 51.86

Nightime run through south Huntsville

2008-11-13T05:56:00.000-08:00

Exercise: (Wednesday) - Met Joey and Rebecca at the Southeast YMCA at 5PM. Ran north , mostly up Hickory Hill, then across 4 Mile Post to Tannehill. Then back to the Aldridge Creek Greenway and eventually back to the Y. 8.2 miles total.

Total mileage for the week : 27.75
Total mileage for the month : 47.22

Speedwork at Lockheed Field

2008-11-11T15:17:00.000-08:00

Exercise: (Monday) - Lifted weights at UAH.
(Tuesday) - Met Carl Smith at Lockheed field - after almost a 2 mile warmup, we did 5x800 and 2x400, then a cooldown. Total mileage 5.90.

800s :

2:48
3:01
2:55
3:13 (uphill, into the wind)
3:00

400s:

1:25
1:30 (total lactic acid shutdown)

Total mileage for the week : 19.55
Total mileage for the month : 39.02

Beautiful 10 miler on Monte Sano

2008-11-09T09:58:00.000-08:00

Exercise: Designated as "Fall Colors Picture Day" - cool temps at beginning (first long sleeve and gloved run of the year). Met Eric C., Eric F., Joey, Rebecca, Christy, Linda, Tom, and new invitee Glen King at hiker's parking lot. Did the "gay" loop and Family Bike trail plus little extra for exactly 10 miles. Thanks to Tom Smith (not in photo as he was snapping) for the pic. Also of note - today was the first time any of us have actually "seen" Eric C. fall - luckily it was on the pine needle strewn Family Bike trail.

Total mileage for the week : 13.65
Total mileage for the month : 33:12

Good results, poor time in Heroes 5K

2008-11-08T16:56:00.000-08:00

Exercise: Have not had a good week - after running only 2.28 miles on Tuesday, did not run for the next 3 days. Picked up a bad head cold to go along with my sore quad. So I kind of knew I wouldn't have a great 5K at the Huntsville Heroes 5K and Half-Marathon today. My only saving grace was the fact that most of the really good runners would be doing the 1/2, while I always do this 5K as I do not enjoy the 1/2 course.

Tried to start out conservatively again, but hit the first mile in 5:52 (too fast). Started feeling fatigued early on in the 2nd mile which I slogged through in 6:25. I passed two people in this mile and worked my way up to 5th overall. I did gain a little on the 4th place finisher, but lost touch again in the third mile. Did not see the 3 mile marker, so I ran the last 1.1 in 7:21 (6:41 pace) - 19:38 total - really sad considering I ran an 18:57 last week. I did win the overall Master's title and finished 5th out of 306 finishers, but I was not pleased.

Total mileage for the week : 3.65
Total mileage for the month : 23:12

Cross training

2008-11-06T06:14:00.001-08:00

Exercise: (Wednesday) - Lifted weights at UAH. Did 8 bike sprints to exhaustion.
(Thursday) - did 32 minutes of deep water pool running at UAH. Still trying to let quad rest before racing and long run this weekend.

Abbreviated hill work

2008-11-04T06:56:00.000-08:00

Exercise: Met Carl S. at UAH to do our hill sprints on the NW corner of the Twilight 5K course. After a 1.25 mile warmup, we started our repeats. Did the first two in 54s and the third in 55s, but then my left quad really started bothering me so I decided it was smarter to stop than to push through and really injure myself. Only 2.28 miles total - may have to do some pool running this week to left the quad rest.

Total mileage for week: 19.47
Total mileage for month : 19.47

Perfect Monte Sano trail run

2008-11-02T09:57:00.000-08:00

Exercise: Met Eric, Rebecca, Christy, and Tom on Monte Sano. Went down the Death Trail, down and up Arrowhead to Trough Springs. Then went down Waterline , the most difficult descent I've tried - several places had to actually turn around and face the rocks to step down backwards. Then went along Bluff and Tollgate trails and back up Cold Springs to North Plateau Loop. 11.2 miles total - had a Cheeseburger siting near the end.

Total mileage for week: 17.19
Total mileage for month : 17.19

Hartselle All Saints' Day 5K

2008-11-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

Exercise: After getting a massage yesterday for a very sore quad muscle, I was a little apprehensive as to my ability to go all out in this new, certified 5K in Hartselle, AL. After a short warmup (1.49m), we started. As usual, lots of runners started out way too fast. I started picking them off around the 1/3 mile marker. Ahead of me were Dallas Malone (UAH X-Country), Donald Bowman, Eric Shotz, Andy Davidson (UAH X-Country), and 3 other guys I did not recognize. The course was reasonably flat but had at least 12 turns of 90 degrees or more. The mile markers were not in the right places (first one registered 0.82 miles on my Garmin), so I used my own GPS to gauge distance. On a very cool morning I hit the first mile in 5:58. Right at this point I passed two of the unknown runners and tried to tuck in behind Eric Schotz as I knew he has been running really well (mid 18's) lately.

Entering downtown Hartselle, we made a sharp right after the steepest downhill, then another right that lead up the only steep hill on the whole course. I felt myself slowing a little and glanced down at my Garmin seeing that I was at 6:28 per mile pace. Remembering what I read in Runner's World last week (that sometimes you are not really tired, your brain just sends out signals to your muscles in preparation for fatigue, telling them to slow down) - I tried to push trough that tired feeling that I usually get between miles 2 and 3 in 5K races lately. I hit mile two in 6:10, still putting me under 19:00 pace. Mile 3 repeated our loop through the football stadium parking lot. I was gaining a little on the last unknown runner and could still see Eric up ahead. I was still pushing hard as we left the stadium parking lot and made two sharp turns and headed up an incline back toward the Start/Finish. Mile 3 came in 6:05, still putting me under 19:00 pace. At this point I knew I HAD to maintain and push through the finish - although I hit the last 0.1 in a rather slow 0:41, I was able to cross the line in 18:57, first in age group and sixth overall. Donald Bowman was first male master, Madelyn Patton was first female master.

It's taken over a year of training to finally sneak back into the sub-19 range in a 5K, but doing it two of the last three races is encouraging. I'm thinking the Eric Charette/Joey Butler "smackdowns" are finally paying off.

Total mileage for week: 5.99
Total mileage for month : 5.99

Stretch Run

2008-10-31T10:08:00.000-07:00

Exercise: (Thursday) - Play 1 game full court basketball at Berachah Gym (sore quad).
(Friday) - Lifted weights at UAH. Did 3.27 miles at Lockheed field at 7:07 pace (7:01, 7:21, 6:58 splits).

Total mileage for the week: 37.86
Total mileage for the month : 157.84

Joey's Half Marathon

2008-10-30T04:47:00.000-07:00

Exercise: (Wednesday) - Met Eric C., Eric F., Rebecca and Joey at the Southeast Y for "Joey's Half Marathon" - another Charette designed course that, of course, HAD to include some hills just for the heck of it. While the entire course was 13 miles in length, I wimped out and cut it short at Four Mile Post and only did 10.83. Still a good mid-week workout. Not as cold as I had anticipated and I seemed to have dressed correctly with a long sleeve tech shirt and gloves.

Total mileage for the week: 34.59
Total mileage for the month : 154.57

Intervals at Lockheed Field

2008-10-28T10:14:00.000-07:00

Exercise: Lifted weights at UAH. 3x50 pushups, 105 stomach crunches.

Ran 3x1 mile intervals at Lockheed field with Carl S. in 6:00, 6:15, and 6:11. Pretty chilly with a strong northwest wind. Set a new PR for monthly mileage today.

Total mileage for the week: 23.76
Total mileage for the month : 142.74

Fatigued!

2008-10-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

Exercise: Met Joey, Eric, Rebecca, Christy, Mark, and Jason on Monte Sano for another early AM dark start trail run. We did most of the McKay hollow half marathon course - 12.54 miles for me. I was very fatigued and was bringing up the rear for the whole 2+ hours. Not sure what the problem was.

Total mileage for the week: 18.66
Total mileage for the month : 137.64

Covered Bridge (?) 5K

2008-10-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

Exercise: Drove to Oneonta, AL (about 75 miles from my house in Harvest) for the Covered Bridge Festival 5K, BUT, there were no covered bridges on the 5K course! It was merely an out and back with a sharp turnaround in the middle of the road at the halfway point. Being so far from home, I saw no one that I recognized which relegated me to sizing up the competition by looking at their clothing/shoes/and warmup regimen. While doing my warmup I saw one guy with an "Oxford Realty" singlet on - this is a race team from Birmingham that has always had fast runners. I also saw some of Oneonta High's track team, a very fit guy wearing a new pair of racing flats, and one very tall, young guy with a college jacket on. The only one doing any sort of warmup was the older guy in the Oxford Realty shirt (David Aarons - 49 years old).

At the start, the tall guy, the guy in racing flats, and several of the track team kids took off. At the half mile mark, my Garmin had me doing a 5:28 pace and I was in about 5th place. On a short downhill stretch before we crossed hwy 75, I passed Mr. Racing Flats and all the track team kids, leaving only the very tall guy (who was wearning a "wife-beater" t-shirt and longer than normal white socks which eventually didn't bode well for his longivity at the front). At about 0.8 miles, David Aarons and I both caught the tall guy and ran side by side for the next 1/2 mile, hitting the 1 mile marker at 5:52 according to my watch (too fast). We both took turns opening up 2-3 yard leads until he pulled ahead of me just before the turnaround. Being able to see the followers on the way back, the only other near competitor was a younger guy with head phones who was some 10-15 seconds back. Trying to keep David in range proved difficult - I hit the 2nd mile in 6:12 and still had to go back up the hill we'd come down in the first mile. He pulled away a little more in the closing minutes, finishing in 18:51. I faded to 2nd overall in 19:16. The early leader, the tall guy, finished in 22+ minutes. And I'm not sure where the racing flats guy finished, but it wasn't in the top 5.

Overall estimate of finishers was about 80. David Aarons said his 18:51 was his slowest 5K in the last 10 years so I didn't feel too bad, but it wasn't a sub 19...

With a long run tomorrow, could hit my highest mileage month of the year with 5 days to spare.

Total mileage for the week: 6.12
Total mileage for the month : 125.10

Weights and a run?

2008-10-24T05:42:00.000-07:00

Exercise: (Thursday) - 4 games full court basketball at Berachah Gym. Got a good elbow in the ribs and have a bruise to show for it...
(Friday) - Lifted weights at UAH. Did 3 miles on Monte Sano (Panorama loop) at 7:16 Pace to loosen up for 5K in Oneonta, AL tomorrow.

Total mileage for the week: 37.21
Total mileage for the month : 118.98

Lockheed Field again

2008-10-22T10:08:00.000-07:00

Exercise: Did a midday run at Lockheed field. 4.1 miles in 30:46 (7:28 pace). Quads felt a little sore from the 4 straight hard days prior, but loosened up a little by the 3rd mile.

Total mileage for the week: 34.21
Total mileage for the month : 115.98

2 tough runs in 12 hours

2008-10-21T05:44:00.000-07:00

Exercise: (Monday) - Did the Charette smackdown on Green Mountain at 5:30 PM with Eric, Joey and an un-named runner. First 0.85 miles were straight uphill. Then with a 1.25 technical (rocky) section we got to Cecil Ashburn , crossed over to the southeast and did Smokerise trail. At this point it started to get dark, so we had to use our headlights. Very neat experience, but had to really concentrate on running the rocky up and downhill trails at night. 8.05 miles total.

(Tuesday) - Met Carl Smith at UAH at 6AM. After a warmup, did 12 x 275m uphill on the northwest corner of the 5K course. Then a cooldown for 5.75 miles total. Felt much better than anticipated after doing 8+ last night and 12 on Sunday. All intervals were in the 50-56 second range (#7 was 50 seconds, #12 was 52 seconds, most were 53-54 seconds with one outlier at 56 seconds.)

Total mileage for the week: 30.11
Total mileage for the month : 111.88

Cool 12 miler

2008-10-19T16:07:00.000-07:00

Exercise: Met again this AM on Monte Sano in the dark at 6AM. Was in the high 30's - cool at the start but by 12 miles was pretty warm. Ran with Tom, Jason, James, Mark, Christy and Rebecca. James set the pace about a minute a mile faster than we've been doing our long runs so it was challenging. Ran all the way out to Logan Point, then Goat trail back up to O'Shaughnessy and back to parking lot after doing a White loop in the dark.

Total mileage for the week: 16.31
Total mileage for the month : 98.08

Liz Hurley 5K

2008-10-18T15:28:00.000-07:00

Exercise: Maybe my miles ARE finally starting to pay off (either that or I'm willing to hurt just a little longer). Finally broke the 19 minute barrier in a 5K today for the first time this year - 18:56 (1/57 in age group after Marty Clarke got taken out for 2nd overall master). One of the toughest 5K fields I've ever participated in - 8 runners under 17:00, 16 runners under 18:00, and 26 (me being the last) under 19:00. I was 6th master overall, 26/507 overall (male race only - would not have gotten "chicked" even on a combined m/f race (some 1664 in the women's race)).

Mile one was mostly flat, hit it in 5:55 (right beside Dink Taylor). Mile two had the gradual hill on White Street in front of East Clinton Elementary. I decided that with all the hill work I'd been doing that I SHOULD be able to maintain pace on them for a short race. I hit mile two at 12:10 (6:15). The biggest up hill was in the third mile from Green Street up to the sharp right onto Adams. This is where I usually fade badly. Really mentally pushed up this hill, and after getting to Adams you could see the finish line some 0.5 miles ahead. I really pushed all the way to the end knowing that I'd kick myself if I barely missed breaking 19 by not giving it all I had. I hit mile 3 in 18:18 (6:08), knowing that I had 42 seconds to do the last 0.1 which I did in 0:38 for a 6:06 per mile pace.

Men's results are here:

Total mileage for the week: 4.21
Total mileage for the month : 85.98

A Tempoish day before Liz Hurley 5K

2008-10-17T10:12:00.000-07:00

Exercise: (Thursday) - played 4 games full court basketball at Berachah gym.
(Friday) - 82 pushups. After last week's performance in the Monte Sano 15K where I took Friday completely off after doing a Charette death march on Wednesday and then basketball on Thursday, I decide to try something different this week (it couldn't hurt). I decided to do a "loosen up" run to see if it made me less stiff on race day. Did 3.01 miles total. First mile was a little tough (7:36), second started to feel much better - even with a large hill hit it in 7:00. And on the third, despite having to do some serious weaving to avoid traffic, hit it in 6:26 - probably could have easily put the hammer down and broke 6:00 if I had really tried. We'll see how tomorrow goes...

Total mileage for the week: 37.19
Total mileage for the month : 81.77

Weights and another tough hilly run

2008-10-15T12:41:00.000-07:00

Exercise: Lifted weights at UAH. 81 pushups, 100 stomach crunches. Did another of Charette's killer hill workouts this evening - backwards this time along with Joey and Rebecca - 9.09 miles total including "Everest", the only hill that I really could not push the whole way up.

Total mileage for the week: 34.18
Total mileage for the month : 78.76

3x1 mile intervals at UAH

2008-10-14T05:02:00.000-07:00

Exercise: (Monday) -yoga at UAH. (Tuesday) - did 3x1 mile intervals at the UAH Twilight 5K course by myself. First mile (downhill) in 6:05. Then 1:30 rest before starting the 2nd mile (with turnaround) in 5:56. Rest was 2:00 this time before the 3rd mile (uphill) in 6:28.

Total mileage for the week: 25.09
Total mileage for the month : 69.67

10 mile recovery(?) run

2008-10-12T07:21:00.000-07:00

Exercise: Met Joey and Tom at the Hiker's lot at dark 6AM. Did one loop on the white South Plateau loop in the dark. Then did North Plateau, Sinks, Goat, and white trail again. Only fell once!
10.12 miles total. Very fatigued after yesterday's 15K race.

otal mileage for the week: 20.78
Total mileage for the month : 65.36

Monte Sano 15K race

2008-10-11T15:19:00.000-07:00

Exercise: 8AM this morning was the Monte Sano 15K road race. I still was feeling a little fatigued from the killer 10 mile hill workout on Wednesday and it showed in my performance. After a 1.3 mile warmup, the race began at the picnic area on Monte Sano Mtn. I tried to start out conservatively, hoping to hold around 6:35-6:40 pace for the race. Started out in the middle of the pack, started passing people around the half mile mark. Hit the first mile in 6:41, feeling OK. The second mile, which went out to the overlook, was hit in 6:33, my fastest of the day. From this point on, every mile was gradually slower. Mile 3 was after we left the state park and hit the neighborhoods - 6:40. Mile 4 (6:54)- I passed Richard Rodenhausen and a couple of other people, but just past the 4.5 mile mark (Gatorade stop), I started to feel the fatigue in my quads. Miles 5,6,7 were on Panorama Drive where the biggest hills on the course were - I hit them in 6:55, 7:02, 7:05. By mile seven I was really feeling spent. But, seeing Dink Taylor only a few yards in front of me gave me a little incentive as he usually crushes me. Mile 8 was back on Nolen Blvd and mostly flat in 7:08. Mile 9 had the last sizable hill and this is where I got passed by another runner (the only one to do so in the whole race) - 7:11. That last 0.3 seemed like it took forever - 2:16 (6:53 pace) - I was barely able to speed up at the end. Finished in 1:04:31 (6:56 pace overall). Much slower than I had hoped for. But, almost everyone else I talked to also struggled as race day temps and humidity were much higher than hoped for. Age group 3/27 and overall 28/290.

Total mileage for the week: 10.66
Total mileage for the month : 55.24

BBall and yoga

2008-10-09T17:14:00.000-07:00

Exercise: At the urging of my wife, I went to a "gentle" yoga class at UAH Fitness center today. Then probably wasted all the good stretching by playing 5 games of full court basketball at Berachah gym.

Charette's masochistic 10 mile hill workout

2008-10-09T06:12:00.000-07:00

Exercise: (Wednesday) - Met at the Southeast YMCA with Eric Charette, Joey Butler, Scott Michael, THE Brian Robinson, and Rebecca Reynolds to try Eric's famous killer 10 mile hill workout. After about a mile of uneventful neighborhood warmup, we starting hitting some pretty steep hills. But, I was duly informed that they were not hills, merely optical and physical illusions. The REAL hills were yet to come. While by Eric's count there were only 4 real ones, my count was 12+. I was able to power through most of them, though Eric and Brian tended to lead and push the pace. I actually felt better going up the hills (including Pike's Peak and Everest) than the pounding needed to go down them. At 10 miles, this was the toughest mid-week workout I've ever done. Adding another 3 miles over the next two days will get me to 40+ for the week for my biggest training week ever. Hopefully all these miles will begin to show some results in races. The Monte Sano 15K is coming up on Saturday.

Total mileage for the week: 37.12
Total mileage for the month : 43.58

Combo hill and speedwork

2008-10-07T05:30:00.000-07:00

Exercise: (Monday) - lifted weights at UAH.
(Tuesday) - Met Carl S. at UAH Bevill Center at 6AM. Did a warmup, then 12 intervals up the hill on the northwest side of campus (the big one at the end of the UAH Twilight 5K course). Based on time we estimated distance at about 300m (actually looks to be 270m). Then did a cooldown for 5.86 miles total.
Pretty consistent on the intervals, hitting all within a 3 second span.

Hill Intervals:
1: 0:52
2: 0:52
3: 0:54
4: 0:53
5: 0:55
6: 0:53
7: 0:52
8: 0:55
9: 0:55
10: 0:55
11: 0:55
12: 0:52

Total mileage for the week: 27.12
Total mileage for the month : 33.58