Oh Boy, longest run ever

12 Miles - 1:35:34

Well, I went for it today, the plan was to run 10 Miles, but I had 12 on my mind all day. Of course, after 3 Miles, I was thinking 8 Miles. Really, the only thing on my body giving me issues was my right calf. It felt like it was going to cramp up starting at about mile 6. I just made sure I didn't push off to hard with it. Once I got to mile 8 though, I was pretty sure I was going for 12. I was also suprised that I was able to run that far averaging under 8 minutes per mile. That is going to hurt tomorrow. I reallyn need to start running slower on long days.

Right when I hit 10 Miles, it started to down pour, I got soaked, and I was running right into the wind and rain on mile 11. Felt great when I was done though. Ran 2.7 miles farther than I ever have. I was going to run this yesterday, but I felt sick all day, must have been the pasta I at the night before......or the drinks I had after the pasta.

Oh yeah, knowing that I was going to be doing some long runs, I picked up this hydration belt over the weekend. Holds 4 bottles, each holding 10-11 ounces of Gatorade. It was a little awkward to wear at first, and I had a hard time drinking out of the bottles till I got a system. I think I am going to like it.

Easy Running

2 Miles - 15:55

Ran 2 easy miles today. Still a little sore from the 9 miles I did on Monday, and then not resting and running 4 miles the following 2 days. I think I will take tomorrow off, then go for 10 miles on Sunday.

Back to the old Block

4 Miles - 31:42

Well, back running on my own again, and yes, I had a hard time running slow. Even though I was really sore today, I still ran under 8 minute miles. I'm sure I'll be feeling it tomorrow, which I will take off.....and maybe watch a little of the NCAA's. Then an easy short run Friday, take Saturday off and run 10 Miles on Sunday.....

Reeds Lake

4.35 Miles - 39:45

Nice easy pace around the lake today. I felt good, no joint pains, just the expected sore muscles. This weather is just teasing us though, warm, cold, warm, cold, cold, cold..........

9 miles

9 Miles - 1:13:21

9 Miles today, that's a long way to run, a long time to run. That's the longest training run I have ever done. I felt pretty good, and judging by my time, I think that's about an 8:09 mile pace, I was feeling great. Got a little tired at the end, I think I might need to start bringing gatorade with me to get a little shot of carbs in that long of a run. It was warm out when I started, well, the sun was out, it was about 35 degrees, but the sun was warming, but by the end of the run, the sun was a lot lower, and man I got cold.....Note to self on these long runs......the temp will change one way or the other. I think I am going to go for 10 Miles on Sunday.

4 Warm Miles in Louisville

4 Miles - 31:27

It's nice here in Louisville, 55 degrees. Went for a nice little jog down here. It wasn't the greatest neighborhood, maybe that's why I was running so fast. Didn't feel like it though. It was a bit tricky, no sidewalks, cars not stopping at intersections..........still felt good though. I was a little sore, probably from the 8 miles on Tuesday. I think I still need to take tomorrow off to rest up. I will run again on Saturday in Detroit at my sisters.

8 Miles

8 Miles - 1:08:58

8 Miles today, I knew I wanted to do it this week, but with how weak I was yesterday, I was a little nervous about doing it today. And I will be on the road the rest of the week, so I didn't want to do it out of my comfort zone. It didn't feel too bad, I could feel the effect of the pounding by mile 7, I'll just have to get used to that again. I took athe same route in the opposite direction than last time I ran 8 Miles becasue I remember the end of tha run being all up hill. Well, this way the last 4 miles was all up and down hill, not much easier. So I will take tomorrow off since I haven't rested a day after the race, and see how I feel Thursday.

Reeds Lake Again

4.35 Miles - ???????

Had my watch today, just forgot to start it. No worries, I didn't need to time today to know it was slow. I was a little sore, and tired. Post race downers, maybe I should rest, post Flu downers, maybe I should rest, not much sleep downers, maybe I should rest?????? Whatever it is, it didn't give me confidence for running 8 miles tomorrow.....especially if it's cold like today.

Post Run Run

4 Miles - ??????

Not sure how long it took me to run my 4 miles today, I left my watch in my running jacket, which I left at Mark's after the race yesterday. Might have been a good thing, I just took an easy jog today, no clock to run against, just me and my thoughts. Haven't decided if I am going to run 8 Miles tomorrow, or Tuesday before I leave for Louisville. I felt fine today, but I don't want to push it.

1st Race of the Year - Irish Jig 5K

3.15 Miles - 22:00

I felt better this morning so I decided to give the race a try. The Spectrum Health Irish Jig. It was chilly, 30 degrees I think. I didn't bring a hat or gloves thinking that I would stay warm running, nevermind the hour I had to wait for the race to start.......guess I forgot about that. Again, I felt so good at the start of this race, I decided to just take off and break all kinds of records......Mile 1, about a 7 Minute pace. So mile 2 was tough, Between that fast start and the flu, I didn't have a lot left. Mile two had a small hill in it, and I normally do well on hills, well, this on was tough on me today. So mile three I was wondering if I was going to finish.....

But I think in the end I was just phsycing myself of, being my first race and all. I finished with my best 5K time ever, 22 minutes flat which is a 7:05 minute mile average. So all in all, I would have to say a good start to the season.

Raaaalf

Okay, so I'm not throwing up, but I am pretty sick. Last night I started to get the chills, and sweating, getting dizzy, and my whole body started to hurt. This morning I could barely get out of bed, my joins and back were killing me. I am home from work now, it hurt just to sit in my chair. So this does not bode well for me making the starting line tomorrow morning, let alone performing well.

45 Degrees and Running

4 Miles - 30:11

Man it was nice out today. Probably why I hit it so hard. I have been thinking about this 5K I am running on Saturday, and not knowing what to expect. The last one I ran, a little less then two years ago, was at a 7:13 pace. I haven't been doing speed work yet this year, or tempos, I have been just trying to get myself used to running everyday. So I have had nothing to gauge how I was going to perform. I was thinking that 7:30 pace for the race would have been good. Until last night, I ran 4 miles at about a 7:33 pace. So on Saturday, I should be able to run better than that over 3 miles and the race adrenaline. So that was a good motivator, and a confidence booster. Just what I need right about now as I am going to start increasing the miles and the difficulty of my training.

Reeds Lake

4.35 Miles - 39:30

Ran around Reeds Lake today, slowly. It was a nice run, good scenery, houses, the lake, lots of people. It was also a nice change from going around the block at my place. I think I definatly will run this again when I get to the 8 mile point. I felt pretty good though, my legs were not tired, didn't have any pains in my knees or calves. Just a little stiffness/soreness in my ankles.

Slowly but Surely

6 Miles - 51:08

I think I ran six miles today, I went out with the intention to, brought my GPS receiver. Unfotunatly, it died around 4.8 miles. I know the route I was taking was close to 6 miles, and I was on about an 8.5 minute mile pacs, so I ran till I hit 51 minutes. I felt a little rough in the first three miles, my legs were tight, and my quads and shin muscles (whatever those are called) were killing, but by the end of mile 5, I felt great. Even better after 6. This is the farthest I have run this year, this might be the start of my weekly increase in the long run.

Running

4 Miles - 32:46

I felt good today, I thought I was running slowly, taking small steps, but everytime I got to a mile marker, I noticed I wasn't going all that slow. I didn't have any pains in my knees, ankles or calves, and my legs didn't get too tired.

No Trip to Harrisburg

4 Miles - 32:42

I was home and able to run today, and my legs felt good all day, which sometimes gets me into trouble. I started out today running, again, faster than I should, but I slowed it down about a quater mile into it. I ran the first 2 miles at and 8 minute average, the third mile I slowed to about 8:45, and the fourth mile was about 8:15, so I was still fairly strong by the end of the run. I think the plank ab workouts I have been doing while stretching have been helping as well. My upper body feels a little more stable, and my lower back doesn't hurt anymore when running.

Time to Rest a Little

2 Miles - 17:42

I was sore today, I thought about going 4 miles, but about half a mile in, my calf felt like it was going to go, so I made the executive decision to just do two miles. I will be sore again tomorrow, so I will rest......that and I have a wine tasting in Holland that I am going to...but good timing. And depending on if I fly to Harrisburg or not Friday, I might not run then either.

A little sore

4 Miles - 33:57

So I was sore today like I expected after running so hard yesterday. I didn't feel tired, just my legs were sore, especially my calves and quads. I ran faster today than I probably should as well, with a 8:45 mile average, I should be running in the 9-9:30 range for my easy runs, I just have a hard time running that slow.......I need to learn though.

Take it Easy

4 Miles - 30:59

I was feeling good today, I was thinking about my run all day. It has been a few days, and my legs were feeling good, as they always do after a break, it was above 40 degrees all day, I was pumped about my new diet. I switched my diet to add more carbs, I was always feeling slugish, and back when I was lifting a lot of weights, I was high on the protein end of the diet. I was about 60% protein, 10% fat, and 30% carbs....not so good. So now I am about 60% carbs, 23% fat and 17% protein. I am hoping this will give me more energy all day and during my runs, and help me recover quicker.

So back to today, I was feeling great, and I could see the sidewalk....most of the time, so I took off like a rocket. Started out with a 7:15 mile, this is close to my best 5K average mile. Then it hit me that I was running too fast, especially with not running for a bit, my knee and my calf probelems....but I kept at it. I slowed a little, at mile two I was about a 7:30 average. Then fatigue started to set in, it was my back mostly, and my quads a little, but mostly my back. Then the ice started in on the sidewalks. I was still looking good at mile 3, still at a 7:30 average. Then the ice and snow got worse, it was a bit of a struggle, but I felt great the last quarter mile, and finished at about a 7:45 average for the 4 miles. Big questions is, how will I feel tomorrow.