Ran with John and C.B. John has run about 5 or 6 times in the last couple of weeks. But none over 1.5 miles. Pace was fine with me. No aches and pains from the day before except for a little soreness in the quads. Felt good after the run as well. C.B. ran about 2 miles and John went 3.23. All of us were able to carry on a conversation without too much trouble.

1 - 10:27

2 - 10:35

3 - 10:33

.23 - 2:23

3.23 - 33:59 - 10:31 avg.

Got off late from work and headed to the gym. Swam 2000 yards. Rode AirDyne for 8.7 miles.

Swim
1000 free - 17:18 ,rest 90 sec., 1000 free/breast mix - 18:28 Total - 2000 yards - 35:46

AirDyne - 30:00 - 8.7 miles

A triathlon-like workout today. Jumped in the pool and started to do my normal 1000 yard free. But as I got going I changed my mind and swam a mile freestyle. Last night I had looked over some of my old blogs and saw where I had set a PR for a mile swim on August 5th. The time was 30:01. I mentioned how my goal of going under 30 minutes for a mile swim was "right around the corner." Well my swimming has taken a backseat to my running since then, but I wondered what I could do now if I tried. Ended up with a 30:44. And I did not feel that bad when I was finished. I would like like to give it try to go under 30 while my leg is getting better. So it looks like some more pool time for awhile.

Next I got on the AirDyne for 30:00. My legs were a little sore from yesterday. It has been awhile since I had done any pedaling of any kind. Got .1 of a mile further than yesterday with 8.9 miles.

Went home and ate a quick and light dinner then went for a run with John and C.B. We ran nice and easy for 1.5 miles. They said they were going to stop at 2, and I wanted to go 3. So I picked the pace up a little the next .5 miles. The last mile I just wanted to see what I could do, and hope not to aggravate the achilles. Got tired, but felt good to open it up and get the legs going again. Achilles feels fine.....so far. Maybe the "healing snowball effect" Paul P. mentioned in his blog is in motion.

Swim - 1.02 miles freestyle - 30:44 / 200 breast - 3:53

AirDyne - 8.9 miles - 30:00

Run - 3.06 - 10:42, 8:56, 7:16, :28 - 27:24 - 8:56 avg.

I worked out a little earlier than have been lately. I was feeling tired and sluggish. There was some soreness in my arms from the mile swim yesterday. My legs were sore from the AirDyne from the past couple of days as well. So I swam 1000 breast. Then a 1000 free/breast mix, alternating between strokes every 100 yards. Next was the AirDyne. Was planning on going for 30 minutes, but my knee was aching a bit. I figured it was a combination of the previous days AirDyne rides and the extra breaststroke I had just finished. So I stopped at 20 minutes. That left me some spare time before I had to pick Justin up from preschool. So I used the elliptical for 20 minutes.

All in all I felt good from the workout. And I am not complaining about getting about an hour and 20 minutes of workout time in.

Swim - 1000 breast - 20:50 / 1000 free/breast mix - 18:39

AirDyne - 5.5 miles - 20:10

Elliptical - 2 miles - 20:00

Today was a case of me being dumber than I need to be right now when it comes to running. I wanted to try a 5 mile run today. I do not think that was a bad choice of distance. But after seeing my 1st split I kept trying to see if I could make each split just a little faster. For no other reason, I just did it to see if I could. So my achilles started to ache a little with a 1/2 mile to go. I wonder if I had run smarter, and slower if it would have even hurt at all. Cardio felt ok.

5.25 - 7:56, 7:51, 7:50, 7:46, 7:36, 1:54 - 40:55 - 7:47 avg.

Ran 4 miles just before lunch. Felt fine. Legs were stiff from yesterday's run. Ran again with C.B. and John after dinner. Nice easy pace.

Swimming and biking tomorrow. May be another east run in the evening.

4.1 - 8:05, 7:47, 7:36, 7:20, :45 - 31:34 - 7:41 avg.

3.14 - 10:12, 10:20, 9:57, 1:15 - 31:45 - 10:07 avg.

Less energy today. I think it is because of the cold I have. Stomach also feels funny today. That is definitely from the navy bean soup my wife made for dinner last night. Tastes good going in, but really wreaks havoc on the tummy later on.

Swam 1000 yards freestyle comfortably. Then another 1000 of free and breast mix. Then cooled down with 500 free. Then rode the AirDyne 10 miles. I kept the pace easy on this as well.

Swim - 1000 free - 17:47 / 1000 free/breast - 18:41 / 500 free - 9:08 / Totals - 2500 - 45:36

AirDyne - 10 miles - 35:32

evening -

John called and wanted to go for a run after dinner. But I suggested we should go before instead. He was about 10 minutes from his house, So I hurried and changed then headed out the door. I was going to run to his house, then we would run in his neighborhood. So I ran 1.59 to his house. Then we ran about 1.9 together before each heading back to the house.

It is now close to bedtime and I am really tired. A little extra swimming and biking has worn me out I guess. Throat still sore from the cold. And I thought I might have had a fever before I ran, but was not feeling bad. No hint of a fever after the run, so maybe I never had one in the first place. I just wish my throat would stop hurting now.

1.59 - 7:53, 4:27 - 12:21

3.66 - 9:32, 9:32, 7:41, 4:57 - 31:43

Total - 5.25 - 44:05 - 8:23 avg.

Stayed up late, woke up early. Plumber came. Picked up kids from school. No chance to nap. Drove Emily to dance class. No workout. Worked Midnight Shift. Still got this dang cold.

Last night was one of the worst nights of Midnight Shift I have ever had. I did not had enough sleep leading in to it. On top of that this cold was really bringing me down. It was a desperate struggle to stay awake and alert.

Looking forward to a good days sleep.

Telephone rang at 3pm and woke me up. So 6 1/2 hours of sleep for the day. I had woke up once around 1pm and my throat was on fire. But luckily by the time I woke up for good, it was nowhere near as bad. Just dry and scratchy.

Waited until 4 and ran 2.11 to the pool. I was pretty low on energy and both nostrils were completely closed. But they opened up as I ran, which made me happy. When I jumped in the pool I experienced something I had never felt before. I usually swim about 3/4 the length of the pool underwater, then walk the rest to the end. Not much of a warm up, but it's my routine. Anyway, as soon as I jumped in today I had to surface immediately. It felt like my forehead was going to explode. All the pressure from my cold and sinuses made it hurt to go more than foot underwater. I kept hearing all these weird noises in my nose and behind cheekbones. I guess it was all the pressure equalizing. Ultimately got to swimming and took it real easy. Still low on energy most of the way, until about the last 5 minutes. I seemed to be catching my second wind. But I held back because I still had to run back home.

Once I got running I felt pretty good for the first 2 miles. But the next 2 were a struggle. Started to feel cool, then hot, the cool again. Energy was all about gone by now. When I finally finished, for about 30 seconds I was not sure if I was going to throw up or pass out. When I walked in the house my wife said I did not look well. But took in some fluids and ate dinner and felt a little stronger. 3 hours later I still have lower energy and my nostrils are close again. I just hope I can stay awake better tonight than last night.

Run - 2.11 - 8:04, 7:49, :51 - 16:44 - 7:57 avg.

Swim - 1000 yards free - 17:48 / 1000 yards free/breast - 19:20

Run - 4.45 - 8:12, 8:17, 8:26, 8:17, 3:43 - 36:56 - 8:18

Totals For The Day -

Swim - 2000 yards - 37:08 Run - 6.56 miles - 53:40 - 8:10 avg.

Another tough day. Hard to get to sleep because I was coughing so much. Finally took some medicine and feel asleep soon afterwards. Only swam 1000 yards. But swam a little harder than normal. Was planning on using the elliptical next, but it was being used. So I ran 3 miles on the treadmill.

Hope to move past this cold and achilles problem and get in shape again.

Swim - 1000 yards - free/breast mix - 18:07

Treadmill - 3 miles - 23:43 - 7:54 avg.

Was awakened by a phone call about an hour and a half before I planned to wake up. Never really got back to sleep and felt crappy. Went to the pool. Swam 1800 free and 200 breast for cool down. Got home and ran 1.7 to John's house. Then we ran 1.6 together. And I ran home an additional 2 miles. Glad to be getting workouts in, but none have been very satisfying this week. No more pool until Monday, so all runs the next couple of days if the achilles does not bother me. Still just a slight feeling, but no pain.

Swim - 1800 yards - free - 31:14 / 200 breast - 4:07

Run - 5.3 miles - 44:05 - 8:19 avg.

Well th is would be my longest run in over a month and everything felt fine. Legs got tired over the last few minutes of the run. But cardio was good. Still plan on more cross training, then hopefully on to more running.

Run - 7.1 - 8:21, 8:19, 8:15, 8:10, 8:08, 8:00, 7:54, :44 - 57:54 - 8:09 avg.

Ran with John for 2.5 miles. Then 2.6 on my own. Easy pace on first half, then picked it up on the second.

5.11 - 43:53 - 9:31, 9:53, 8:20, 7:39, 7:42, :47 - 8:35 avg.

Planned Rest Day

Woke up this morning and my sinuses were hurting terribly. Went to the pool in the morning. But cut the workout short. Did not run either. Figured I would rest a day and see how my head feels tomorrow.

Swim - 1000 free/breast mix - 19:36

200 free / 100 breast - 5:44

1300 yards total - 25:20

Head and sinuses felt a whole lot better today. So I decided to run 10 miles for a couple of reasons.

1) I was mad about missing yesterday's run and wanted to make some of the miles up today.

2) I wanted to see if I could still run 10 miles. And it was not only the distance I wanted to gauge myself on, but it was the amount of time. I wanted to see if I could run for an hour and twenty minutes.

First mile, I knew was too fast. Slowed up a bit for the next 4. But after 5 I knew I had to go a little faster so I could be home in time to recover from the run, then get ready to go to work. I was surprised I could hold a faster pace over the last 5. But this run certainly was not easy. My legs are tired and sore. I felt like my bones and joints took a beating today. Tomorrow will be an easy recovery run of 5 or 6 miles.

1)	8:06	6)	8:07
2)	8:20	7)	8:01
3)	8:18	8)	8:01
4)	8:13	9)	7:56
5)	8:21	10)	7:45

Well, bad weather canceled schools today in our area so Justin and Emily stayed home with me. So I was not able to get in a run before going to work. While at work tonight I constantly debated whether I should run when I got home or not. But I decided I would while it would be easy to just bag it, I would regret doing so.

I got out the house about 15 minutes after Midnight. I wanted to get in 5 miles. I was supposed to have an easy paced run today. But I just wanted to get this run done. I ran way too fast for someone recovering from an injury. But I would have run even faster if I could just to get back home. I was wiped out after 5 miles, and slow jogged the last .4 .

5.40 - 8:06, 7:50, 7:41, 7:23, 7:08, 3:31 - 41:40 - 7:43 avg. for the whole run and 7:38 avg. for the fast 5.

Pretty good weather for a run today. Bright sunshine, very light wind, and 51ºf. All morning my legs were sore from last night's run, but by the afternoon most of that had passed. But my legs felt very heavy through out the run. No spring in my step. Pace felt controlled and not that difficult to maintain. Last 1/2 mile and one street over from my house two dogs charged after me. I did the usual yelling and screaming and stopped so they would not chase me. One did not get too close, but was in the road, and did not bark. But the other one came too close for my comfort and barked a lot. When I stopped it stopped, then was giving a low growl and bared it's teeth. I walked away slowly then started to run again. Unfortunately this has happened too many times with these dogs. I have mentioned it in a low key way to the woman who owns them. But this time I called her and pleaded to her to keep them out of the road. She was very nice about it, but enough is enough. Ok, that's it for the complaining. I still enjoyed the good running weather.

7.12 - 8:13, 8:05, 8:01, 7:56, 7:57, 7:55, 7:51, :52 - 56:51 - 7:59 avg.

yet another off day

Ran faster than I should have. Didn't even know I could. If I'm smart I will slow it down and just keep logging the miles. The rest will all fall into place on its own if I do.

8.11 - 7:59, 8:07, 8:02, 7:55, 7:56, 7:41, 7:24, 7:17, :46 - 1:03:09 - 7:47 avg.

Wanted to try running somewhere different today. Lately I have been having trouble motivating myself to run. Before Thanksgiving it was fun to run. But getting injured to a lot of the wind from my sails. Trying to work back to where I was was is not fun. But I know if I just keep getting in good quality workouts and logging those miles the fun will come again. So I left my house and ran about a mile to the bypass around our town. This section of highway had a sign posted for "No pedestrians, farm equipment, bicycles, etc." So I knew I should not run there. But even us police officers break the rules sometimes. But I did not want someone to complain and I end up getting stopped by one of my own so I ran it with a faster pace. This section is only 2.6 miles. But it got me to the other side of town quickly. Then I just ran back to my house from there.

Legs were feeling it the last mile. I reallly need to make myself run easier paced days. I do not know how some of you other bloggers do it. I always find myself running a medium to hard pace every day. I can do it for shorter runs, but when I run longer I feel like I need to get going so it will not take so long to finish. This must be a mental defect in my system or something. My wife would say I always have a mental defect of some sort from time to time.

7.62 - 7:50, 7:50, 7:45, 7:47, 7:45, 7:44, 7:32, 4:46 - 59:02 - 7:45 avg.

Went for a run between rain showers today. At the 2.1 mark I saw C.B. and his dog running in front of me. I decided to try and catch them. I knew his route would turn away from mine soon, so I picked it up quite a bit. Caught him after .4 mile, said hello, then went our separate ways. That short surge took a lot out of me though. I was beginning to think I ruined my run by and would be too tired to as far as I had planned. Then I realized that was stupid thinking. I concentrated on recovering while still running. The next mile was slower and I did recover. But I just kind of locked in on the slower pace for the rest of the run. This is the slower pace I have been trying for on the past few runs I have had.

Got some muscle soreness in my quads, but feel pretty good with the higher mileage this week.

7.52 - 8:03, 8:03, 7:30, 8:14, 8:13, 8:13, 8:07, 4:14 - 1:00:37 - 8:03 avg.

Got some new shoes today. I hope this helps with some of the aches and pains I have been feeling lately in my feet and quads.

Today's run felt ok. Quads are sore. I started to notice it about 5 miles into the run. The ball of my left foot was aching pretty good as well. I hope that will go away because of the new shoes.

I have decided to rest from running tomorrow. I might do some aqua jogging. Then a short run on Friday. I will see how the soreness feels before deciding on Saturday's run.

8.02 - 8:08, 8:03, 7:55, 8:05, 7:54, 7:58, 7:56, 7:53, :11 - 1:04:07 - 7:59 avg.

8.02

Planned rest day. And I needed it. Good chance for some little aches and tweaks to heal a bit.

Emily had no school today and Justin got out at 12. So we went to the pool. I was able to aqua jog for 33:00 while they jumped off the diving board. That should be good for 3 miles I guess.

I really hate making this more of a complaining blog. I wish every entry could be filled with positive thoughts, great runs, and no aches or pains. But unfortunately my aches and pains are getting more frustrating. The achilles is slightly tender, but not my main problem right now. the ball of my foot, or the metatarsals, is getting worse. Lowering the mileage and hopefully the new shoes will help. Just guessing..hoping...this is the second run in the new shoes. Maybe I just need to wear them in a little or just get used to them.

4.10 - 7:57, 7:48, 7:49, 7:29, :45 - 31:50 - 7:45 avg.

12.12

After work wanted to do another short run. Yesterday there was no snap, spring, or pop in my step. Also my feet hurt. But today was a different story. It was 45ºf out when I left. I wore shorts. It seemed, most likely mental, that having them on and feeling the cool air made me run faster. Legs were not heavy today. Feet ached very little, but some.

1st mile I knew the pace was faster than my normal for mile 1. I was figuring on a 7:50 and was surprised to see it :15 faster than that. So I just let myself run about the same for the next 2 miles. On the beginning of the 4th mile I checked my watch out of curiosity and smiled. I had the sudden urge to run a 6:XX for the last mile. Was very surprised it was a 6:49. But it was not easy. As I finished C.B. and his dog came running by. So I ran another .5 with him as a cool down.

4.09 - 7:34, 7:21, 7:14, 6:49, :48 - 29:49 - 7:17 avg.

.5 - 5:01

(nb 882 - 16.71)

Was planning on running another 4 miles today, then try for something longer tomorrow. But then I realized I will not have time to run tomorrow. Well I could go before work in the morning but my feet are more tender, sore, and tight early in the a.m. I am afraid I could do more harm than good. So tomorrow will be a rest/heal day. Tuesday I would like to go for 8. After that it will depend on how my feet feel for the rest of the week's workouts.

So anyway I decided 6 would be good for today. I was cruising along and feeling good. At 4 miles I got bored running by myself so I caught up to the 8:00 guy. Ran with him a bit, then pulled away and slightly ahead. Feet were fine after run but are sore 5 hours later.

6.65 - 8:07, 8:10, 8:05, 8:02, 7:35, 7:34, 5:25 - 53:00 - 7:58 avg.

(23.36)

Started my run and after a 1/2 mile both calves were so tight. I could feel it all the way to my toes with every step. I decided to alter my route and head towards a pond in town that has a walking path around it. I was hoping the softer surface would help. After 2.75 miles of tightness I reached the pond and stretched for a few minutes. Then using the Garmin to measure the how far a loop around the pond was (.39) I ran about 3.5 miles. Added on a few more on the run home and came up with a total of 9.1 for the day. I felt good on the run. And the tightness went away after the extra stretching.

Bottom of my left foot is still hurting some. Achilles seems fine on the right foot. Have not noticed that for a few days now.

9.01 - 1:11:55 - 7:59 avg.

32.37

Good run today. A bit windy. Left foot hurt all day at work. Barely could walk on it this morning. But it did not, well barely, hurt while running. And does not hurt several hours later. Weird.

8.02 - 8:19, 8:15, 8:13, 8:13, 8:14, 8:08, 8:04, 8:13, :11 - 1:05:53 - 8:12 avg.

40.39

Another decent run today. Quads were sore and feet still hurt some. May use elliptical and swim some next week instead of running on the roads.

8.05 - 8:10, 8:07, 8:13, 8:02, 8:04, 7:55, 7:59, 7:55, :25 - 1:04:56 - 8:04 avg.

48.44

I did not want to run in the dark after dinner. So I had to hurry to get one in before dinner. Decided on 5. I could tell from the get go that the pace was a little quicker than my norm. On mile 3 it was all flat and downhill so I went ahead and opened up some. But I tried to keeps things in control by not doing too much on 4 and 5. Good run, feet might be feeling better even with running daily. But I am not expecting any miracles for everything to get well too soon.

5.17 - 7:52, 7:46, 7:23, 7:49, 7:47, 1:22 - 40:00 - 7:44 avg.

Probably 6 or 7 tomorrow at easy pace. That would put at or about 40 miles for the week.

53.61

Thought about taking today off. But then figured it is almost 60ºf and light winds so I should just go. I decided to run long and slow. I was very surprised with my 1st mile split. It was about 20 seconds faster than I had wanted. But I thought, that's ok, because I can tell I have slowed. But then the next mile was even faster. Even though I wold check my watch at every mile split I was running strictly by feel. And I felt like I was running between 8:30 and 9:00 pace. There was a slight cross wind working mostly in my favor the 1st 5 miles so I guess I can attribute the faster pace to the wind. Had a slight scare at 4.75 when two dogs jumped off their front porch and charged towards the road. I hurried and crossed to the other side and yelled at them. They never left their yard, but did get to the edge of the road. They did not bother me when I passed back by them. So stopping to pick up the big rock ended up being a waste of time. Overall it was a good run. I think this is a pace I can handle at this time in my training. Cardio was great the whole way. Never breathed hard.

But my feet really hurt bad when I was done. The pain is on the big toe side of each foot. And it is just behind the ball of my foot. Some foot strikes it will feel like a burn in those places. It is a very small spot on each foot. I can push on the spot with a finger and can feel it too. Then my feet hurt the same as if I had been standing on them all day non top. But that feeling subsides about an hour after the run. I wonder if some sort of extra padding beneath the ball of my foot would help? I think it is something I need to check on.

10.05 - 8:08, 8:01, 7:50, 7:53, 7:56, 7:59, 7:57, 7:58, 8:03, 7:58, :27 - 1:20:13 - 7:58 avg.

63.66

Took today off except for walking 1.5 miles with the family around the neighborhood. Had to jog/run some to keep up with my daughter on her bike.

Went to the pool/gym today. Had not swam in a few weeks I guess. So I just went by feel. I wanted to do enough to feel like a workout, but not so much I was wore out. Swam 1800 yards (1.02 mile). Started with 400 free. Then 1000 free / breast mix. I alternated strokes every 100 yards. Then finished with another 400 free. Next was the AirDyne. Took my time on this as well. Legs started to feel it at 8 miles. But my heart was pumping and I got the chance to sweat as well. A couple of hours later went out for a 6 mile run. Felt good on the run. Ran by feel.

Swim - 400 free - 7:12 / 1000 free/breast - 18:37 / 400 free - 7:19

Total Swim - 1.02(1800yds) - 33:08

AirDyne - 10 miles - 35:32

Run - 6.03 - 8:08, 7:50, 7:50, 7:53, 7:57, 7:59, :13 - 47:52 - 7:56 avg.

Total for Day - 17.05 / 1:56:32

69.69

Went to the pool again. Swam 100 breast to warm-up. Then 1000 free/breast mix. Cooled down with 100 free. Then rode the AirDyne for 23 minutes.

Got home and ate a banana and set out for a 6 mile run. It was 74f º when I left the house and very windy. The first 2 miles the wind was on my back. The next 2 it was head on in my face. It was starting to wear on me pretty quick. Plus I was not use to the warmer temps, especially in February. Still I had no desire to stop, just slow down a little. But then stomach troubles hit. I made the turn for home and called it a run at 4.6. I am sure the 2 bowls of chili for dinner last night, plus the bowl for lunch today were to blame for the upset stomach.

Still consider it a good workout for the day.

Swim - 1200 yards - 22:35

AirDyne - 6.6 miles - 23:00

Run - 4.61 miles - 36:42

Total Time - 1:22:17

Tonight starts the dreaded Midnight Shift. 6 in a row. Let the misery begin........

74.30

Midnight Shift was tough going last night. I was very tired. Then today I kept waking a lot. The telephone rang twice. First it was an automated sales person telling about some sale at a local department store. I promptly hung up on her. Later the phone rang again. When I picked it up heard, "Hello, this is Congressional Senator John McCain." I did not wait long enough to see if it was really him or a recording. I just hung up. So Senator, if it was really you and you see this blog, sorry for hanging up on you. But you did disturb my sleep.

After finally waking up for good I headed to the pool. I felt out of sorts with the drastic change in sleep schedule. So I just just took everything real easy today. I swam, rode the AirDyne, then ran. I am running 6.5 miles instead of 6 today and for the next 2 days to make up for yesterday's short run.

I really hope my body responds well to my new workout cycle. 6 miles a day running, with 45 minutes of cross training (swim & bike) Monday - Friday. That would give me 90+ minutes a day of exercise. Saturdays run 8 to 10. Sunday rest. I think it will kick my fitness up a notch while at the same time reduce these aches and pains I have had recently from running more mileage.

Swim - 1200 yards - mix free/breast - 23:04

AirDyne(air resistance bike) -6.3 miles - 23:00

Run - 6.52 - 8:12, 8:06, 8:04, 8:03, 8:02, 7:57, 4:11 - 52:38 - 8:04 avg.

Total Time - 1:38

80.82

Made it to the gym for swimming and AirDyne. All went well there. But ran out of time and had other things that needed to be done. Hoped to get in a late night run. But the later it got, the less motivation I had. So no run. Bummer

Swim - 1200 yards - 22:56

Ride - 6.4 miles - 23:00

Since I missed yesterday's run, I skipped the gym today to put in a longer run today.

At the 1/2 mile mark, I saw two dogs playing in their yard. I had trouble with these two before, So I stopped my watch and turned around. Thought about which way to run for a minute then reset the watch and started over again. So that counted as a warm-up.

I ran 10 miles and it felt very good. This was a real good pace for me. The ball of might left foot twinged a little, but everything else was good. I was happy with today's run.

Run - .51 - 4:20

10.15 - 1:23:14 - 8:12 avg.

1	8:16	6	8:16
2	8:13	7	8:07
3	8:17	8	8:05
4	8:18	9	8:08
5	8:19	10	8:02

Still bummed on missing my mileage goal this week. Missing Thursday's run and cutting another run short because of an upset stomach were the reasons/excuses. But I did get in at least 45 minutes of exercise each day.

Lately I have been wondering how my slow paced training would translate to race results when the times comes. I have my first race of the year mid-March. Last year I only ran in two, and they were six months apart. I am just not sure what to expect from myself. I know that building a good base is the way to go and speed will come later. Of course I mean that in relative terms. My speed is a slow pace to many others. So before I ran I looked at some blogs and saw Lybi's race report. She said she trains at a 10 - 11 minute pace. Then today she raced at sub 8. I wondered if I am capable of something like that. So I made a spur of the moment decision to find out. I ran a warm-up to a pond that has a flat dirt path around it. 8 laps equals 3.11 miles. I ran it as hard as I could. I figured I would have a first mile split in the neighborhood of 7:30. Then I figured the 2nd would be a little faster. I would just hang on and try to maintain for the 3rd.

The 1st mile split was 7:08. I thought, uh-oh, too fast I am going to end up dying midway through mile 2. But then I hit 7:00 for that split. Finished well with a 6:41 3rd mile..plus tack on :43 for the final .11. Total was 21:32 - 6:55 avg. I was very surprised with my finish time. Then ran a cool down back to my house.

So I think I need to get used to running some faster paced miles. The race is a little over a month away. I am going to try and run some of the middle miles of my workouts faster than what I have been doing.

Running is starting to get a bit more exciting to me all of the sudden!

Run - warm-up - 1.65 - 13:54

3.11 - 7:08, 7:00, 6:41, :43 - 21:32 - 6:55 avg.

cool down - 1.73 - 14:25

I had planned on today being a rest day but my legs were a little sore from yesterday. I wanted to do something nice and easy. I called John and we went for 4.47 in some very strong winds. The pace was relaxed and everything was good.

4.47 - 9:21, 9:16, 9:08, 9:15, 4:13 - 41:14 - 9:13 avg.

102.44

The plan for this week is about the same as last, but without the missed run. 45 minutes of cross training and 6 miles of running Monday - Friday. 8 to 10 miles run on Saturday.

Finally am off of Midnight Shift. When I went to the gym for my swim and bike it was the same time I had been going to sleep for the last week. But so far the adjustment has been ok. The power went out yesterday from the very high winds we had. After it came back on no one checked to see if the pumps and heater came back on. So this morning the pool was chilly and cloudy. But at least the air had a chance to warm up. Outside of the initial dive in, the water felt fine after a couple minutes of swimming. I swam 1200 yards. Next was the AirDyne. Used it for 23:00. Then went home.

When I got home the roofers were there and just starting to work. Our house was built in 1975 or 1976. It still has the original roof...and no leaks. But it has needed attention for a while now. so finally we are getting this out of the way.

This afternoon I went for my run. Today starts my idea of putting some faster miles into my workouts. The course I chose took me 7 miles. I ran the 1st two as a warm-up. The next 3 were going to be faster than my what my average pace of 8:00 has been lately. I thought 3 x 7:30 would be good. It would be :30 a mile faster and I guessed that was a good place to start and see how I would do. 1st mile was 7:24. Ok, I thought, a little faster than the plan but it felt good. 2nd mile was 7:22. So I ran steady for 2 miles and was still happy. I had some downhill on the 3rd mile and I could tell I picked it up some and ended with a 7:06. These 3 miles felt great. I am going to try similar workouts like this on Wednesday and Friday. Cooled down for the last 2 miles. At 5.5, 6.0, and 6.5 I ran strides for :20 each. I had not done these since high school in 1988. Running them was fun, but probably looked silly to anyone who saw me.

Swim -warm-up - 100 yards breast - 2:12

1000 yards - free/breast mix alternate every 100 yards - 18:44

cool down - 100 yards free - 1:48

AirDyne Bike - 6.3 - 23:00

Run - 7.05 - 8:28, 8:14, 7:24, 7:22, 7:06, 8:00, 7:38, :23 - 54:39 - 7:45 avg.

Total Workout Time - 1:40:23

Hit the pool this morning. The heat was working today and the water felt good. I must have had some seahorses neighing today because my pace just kept picking up as I went along. I was surprised but just went with it. After the pool I did my 23:00 on the AirDyne bike. Then went home and saw the roofers were back and making good progress. Calling for rain tonight and in the morning tomorrow. I hope there are no leaks where they have not finished yet.

After lunch I went for a run. I was bored yesterday and messed with different settings on my Garmin. So no autolap to tell me my mile splits. But I manually checked them at 3 and 6 miles. Today's distance and pace seem to be right on for me. I do not feel like I am over doing it, nor do I feel like I took it too easy. Good Run. And it rained a little too.

Swim -

100 breast warm-up - 2:09

1000 free/breast mix - 18:04

100 free cool down - 1:50

AirDyne Bike -

6.4 miles - 23:00

Run -

6.71 - 24:08(3), 23:28(3), 5:44(.71) - 53:20 - 7:56 avg.

Total Time - 1:38:23

I woke up tired this morning and went to bed a little earlier than I had the other nights this week. Once in the pool I could tell it was going to be slow. But that is ok. My morning swim and bike workout is only supposed to enhance my running. I look at it as a bonus to be able to do these workouts and do not worry about their intensity. I just want to get in my 45 minutes worth. After the swim I rode the AirDyne.

This afternoon it was still sloppy out. When I left the house it was a heavy mist. It turned to rain for most of the run. And back to a heavy mist by the end of the run. The pace was faster than usual, but felt good.

Swim -

warm-up - 100 breast - 2:10

1000 free/breast mix - 19:42

cool down - 100 free - 1:39

Airdyne Bike -

6.5 miles - 23:00

Run -

6.23 - 7:54, 7:42, 7:48, 7:33, 7:36, 7:35, 1:56 - 48:06 - 7:43 avg.

Total Time - 1:34:37

I had a great lunch with my wife today. Then went to workout only 30 minutes after I finished eating. My stomach bothered me some on my swim and a lot on the run. Had to squeeze all of my workout into one session today so I would not be late for work. I was very tired at the end. But that is mostly because I was not well hydrated and the gym temperature was so warm. Towards the end I could hardly produce saliva in my mouth. But I got it all done and now its in the bank.

Swim -

warm-up - 100 breast - 2:10

1000 free/breast mix - 18:37

cool down - 100 free - 1:45

Run -

Treadmill - 6 miles - 48:00 - 8:00 avg.

AirDyne Bike -

6.5 miles - 23:00

Total Time - 1:33:32

Been awhile since I used a treadmill. It really beats me up. I felt some twinging in my achilles afterwards. Both feet hurt as well. These pains had been gone for a couple of weeks now. We will see how I feel when I run on the road tomorrow.

Felt sluggish this morning. Most likely due to my work schedule this week. I am getting off at Midnight, then trying to go to sleep around 12:30am. Then up at 7. I am not getting my naps this week like I am used to. I swam and rode the AirDyne bike a little slower than usual.

The weather was great today. 66ºf and lots of sunshine when I ran today. It was shorts and t-shirt weather. The roofers also made it back today. They started on the back of the house. Hopefully the weather will be good on Monday and they can just about finish up.

My run felt good. My calves were so tight the 1st 1/2 mile. They were really burning. It had to be a residual effect from running in the treadmill yesterday. It always happens. But they loosened up by the end of the 2nd mile. On miles 3,4, and 5 I picked up the pace and it all felt good. Ran the last 2 miles slower, but at 5.5, 6.0, and 6.5 I added :20 strides.

Another good workout day complete !

Swim -

warm-up - 100 breast - 2:13

1000 free/breast mix - 19:41

cool down - 100 free - 1:43

AirDyne Bike -

6.3 miles - 23:00

Run -

7.10 miles - 8:09, 7:52, 7:25, 7:21, 7:05, 7:43, 7:38, :47 - 54:04 - 7:37 avg.

Total Time - 1:40:41

Was not very motivated to go on today's run for some reason. At 2 miles it felt like I had done 3 times as much. But I trudged along and somewhere around mile 6 I started feeling better. Just clipped the 8:00 guy. But the bottoms of both feet and both knees feel sore.

Run -

10.32 miles - 8:07, 8:07, 8:03, 8:12, 8:09, 8:08, 7:56, 7:52, 7:39, 7:38, 2:31 - 1:22:27 - 7:59 avg.

Planned day off.

Went to the pool and after having 2 days away from the water my arms felt very fresh. I held back those neighing seahorses though and swam comfortably. No AirDyne bike today.

Ran after I got home from the pool. I am going out of town Wednesday and Thursday. I most likely will not get in a run either day. And after yesterday being an off day I am going to try and front load some miles in the beginning of the week. But I must say that is easier said than done for me.

So this is February right? Because it was 75.4ºf when I set out for the run. I wanted to try and get 12 today. I ended up running the longest run of my life. And it felt like it too. I was so tired and exhausted when I was done. Still feeling it hours later. But I set a PR and got it done and am happy about it.

Swim -

warm-up 100 yards breast - 2:11

1000 yards free/breast mix - 18:23

cool down 100 yards free - 1:46

Run -

12.21 miles - 1:39:46 - 8:10 avg.

1 - 8:03	7 - 8:05
2 - 8:10	8 - 7:58
3 - 8:17	9 - 8:12
4 - 8:13	10 - 8:15
5 - 8:10	11 - 8:09
6 - 8:06	12 - 8:20
.21	1:50

Had court in the morning, so no pool or bike workout. I got out and ran 8 today. It was so windy. 20 to 30 mph !

Legs got tired after 5. Even though I wish I did not have to take tomorrow off, I think my legs could use the recovery.

Run -

8.21 - 8:14, 8:19, 8:14, 8:09, 8:02, 8:08, 8:03, 7:47, 1:43 - 1:06:42 - 8:07 avg.

Out of town. Not really comfortable running in the area I am in. Thought about driving to a shopping mall nearby and running around it for awhile. But after eating dinner, my stomach is a wreck. So I will hopefully get home early enough tomorrow to run

Back home, and glad. Will resume running tomorrow....finally !

This felt like the easiest 8 miles I have ever run. Most likely because I had the last two days off from running.

I ran easy for miles 1,2,7, & 8. And picked it up on 3,4,6, & 7.

I did tire over the last few minutes of running, but overall it was a good feeling run.

Run -

8.26 - 8:08, 8:07, 7:42, 7:37, 7:31, 7:28, 7:59, 7:54, 2:13 - 1:04:42 - 7:50 avg.

WHEW !!!

This was a fast one...and it won't easy. (bad grammar)

Got home from work and needed to hurry so I could get home and light the grill to cook dinner. 1st mile was 7:35. I did not know it was going to be that fast. I immediately wondered if I could hang with the 7:30 guy for 8 miles. This would be a tough thing for me to do so I decided to try it 1 mile at a time, without killing myself. Mile 2 - 7:35. Still feeling good. Mile 3 was 7:33 and I began to wonder if I could hold the pace for 5 more miles. 4th was in 7:24 and I was only 9 seconds behind. So I wanted to make that up on the 5th and then just hang on the last 3. Mile 5 was 7:20. The final 3 were - 7:18, 7:14, & 6:56. Finished 8 in 59:00 (7:22 avg.)

I normally would not run this hard on a training run. My quads are sore now. I am going to treat this like a race since I run so few of them. But hopefully this workout will help when it is time to race for real.

I still managed to meet my weekly running goal of 36 miles. But I had to do it in 4 days instead of 6. Also I did not get the 45 minutes of daily cross training I wanted. Turns out day shift limits my time where I cannot get to the pool. But I still love day shift more than the others by far! Next week, starting Monday, I am going to run the 2 miles to the pool. Swim my 1000 yards, then run 4 to 5 more miles on the way home.

Today was another good run !

Run -

8.46 - 7:35, 7:35, 7:33, 7:24, 7:20, 7:18, 7:14, 6:56, 4:00 - 1:02:59 - 7:26 avg.

Quads were sore all day from yesterday's workout. I decided to run the path around the pond. I was hoping the softer surface would decrease the pain. I ran 1.6 to and from the path, plus 3 on it. Legs hurt on the downhills.

Run -

6.45 miles - 8:29, 8:20, 8:29, 8:24, 8:16, 8:14, 3:40 - 53:55 - 8:21 avg.

My quads are still sore from Saturday, which surprises me. Going downhill is not fun.

I ran to the pool after work (2.1miles). Then swam 1000 yards. I had not been to the pool in almost 2 weeks and was glad to smell the chlorine again. I swam a relaxed pace. I did not want to over do it since I had been away so long. And I still had more running to do afterwards. After the pool I ran 5 miles. The pace felt very good. It would have been great if not for the sore quads. I truly feel my relaxed pace had decreased by about 10 seconds per mile. I hope that is a sign of better overall fitness.

Run -

2.1 miles - 8:04, 7:54, :48 - 16:48 - 8:00 avg.

Swim -

1000 yards free/breast mix - 19:35

Run -

5 miles - 7:50, 7:58, 7:44, 7:52, 7:41 - 39:07 - 7:49 avg.

Today's run felt terrible. When I started there was very little residual soreness from the weekend. So I chugged along and felt good. On the 2nd mile I turned in towards the wind. It slowed me a bit, but I was still doing ok. 3rd mile lactic acid started to build in my quads and I could feel the burn. 4th mile the soreness in the quads came back. Miles 5 and 6 the soreness got worse and now my breathing and form were off. I was glad when I was done. No chance to get to the pool today, bummer.

So hopefully these quads will stop being sore soon.

Run -

6.4 miles - 7:46, 7:51, 7:54, 7:58, 7:51, 7:55, 3:11 - 50:28 - 7:53

Ran to the pool. Winds were about 20mph and gusts around 30mph. I fought a headwind all the way there. The soreness was barely there, and that was great. But my legs got real tight running against the wind....good song by the way.

Swam 1000 yards. Very relaxed and easy.

Ran 5 miles from the pool and back to my house. The wind was on my back most of this portion or was blocked by houses, trees, etc. Legs were still tight and there was some burn for 3 miles. The last 2 I just decided to push it some and it actually felt good. Legs felt a little dead at the end though. But I will still call a good workout, mostly based on the last 2 miles.

Run -

2.1 - 8:07, 8:04, :52 - 17:05 - 8:08 avg.

Swim -

1000 yards free/breast mix - 19:16

Run -
5 - 7:54, 7:55, 7:53, 7:44, 7:24 - 38:53 - 7:46 avg.

Went to the pool after work. Wanted to get in a mile. Swam 1000 yards freestyle to start, thenn 100 breast. Put on the fins and used the kickboard next. Kicked 100 free, 100 fly, and 100 free. I am not sure if it was the way the fins rubbed against my right achilles or the extra resistance but I did not like it. Another 100 free and then 300 of free/breast mix.

Ran with John around 8pm. We met along the way at the 1 mile mark. Ran the next 3 together. Then we separated and I ran on my own the last 2 miles home. John's average pace has moved a lot closer to mine. The run felt good.

Swim -

1800 yards - mix of strokes - 32:54

Run -

6.28 - 7:44, 8:31, 8:31, 8:34, 7:56, 7:30, 2:29 - 51:06 - 8:08 avg.

Long run today. Everything was good, but would have been a lot better without the wind. Miles 4 and 8 were especially difficult. They were open areas with nothing to buffer the wind and I was running into head on.

1 - 8:23	2 - 8:22	3 - 8:12	4 - 8:06	5 - 8:07
6 - 7:58	7 - 7:52	8 - 7:56	9 - 7:58	10 - 7:44

When I woke up this morning I was feeling like taking today off. Then a couple of hours later I thought an easy 4 would be nice. But I eventually ran a nice 6. I met John at the 1 mile mark. We ran the next 3.6 together. Then I ran the rest of the way home on my own.

At the 5.9-6.0 mark a three kids were sitting on a curb. As I went by one of the boys, about 12 or 13, jumped up and started to run. I said, "Are you ready?" and he said, "yeah". He did not last even 25 yards. As I left him behind I yelled back and said, "you just got beat by a 38 year old man.". And the last thing he saw was the FRB commercial on the back of my shirt.

Run -

6.23 - 7:55, 8:39, 8:43, 8:37, 8:20, 7:11, 1:38 - 51:06 - 8:12 avg.

Had court in the morning. Got home and had a quick lunch. Picked Justin up from school and took him to the sitter. Then went back to the house and went running. Felt sluggish 1st and 2nd mile. Gradually started feeling better and went with it. Back home again. Changed clothes and headed to the pool. Swam 1000 yards freestyle. Due to the run and lack of pool time lately I went pretty slow. Was going to do another 1000 of a breast & free mix. But I had been feeling some "catches" in a foot, hamstring, and calf. On the 1st 100 breast I thought I was going to really cramp up in the legs. They may only last seconds, but the tenderness and soreness can linger for a couple of days. So I stopped swimming. Then went immediately to picking up both kids. So once again the yard work I need to do did not get done. And tomorrow is looking no better for it either.

Run -

8 - 8:20, 8:14, 8:00, 7:51, 7:46, 7:41, 7:32, 7:38 - 1:03:03 - 7:52 avg.

Swim -

1000 yards free - 18:30

100 yards breast - 2:11

Wanted to try and run 4 "faster miles" today. The plan was to warm up for 1, then run the next 4 at 7:30 pace. And a cool down at the end. But I am still trying to figure out pacing by feel when running faster. Trying for a 7:30 on mile 1 and it turned out to be a 7:10. Eventually I will get better at pacing myself....I hope. The other 3 miles were off pace as well, but I was just trying to stay about the same as the 1st.

Run -

7.5 - 8:11, 7:10, 7:08, 7:04, 7:06, 8:34, 8:25, 4:04 - 57:44 - 7:42 avg.

I have a weird feeling or pain in my left leg. It has been there since Monday. It has been about 12 days since I took a running day off, so I took one today.

Last night I worked the 1st of 6 Midnight Shifts for this week. When I woke up today I did not feel like doing anything. But made myself go to the pool and swim.

Lack of pool time lately and the change in sleep schedule made it slow going. But it felt good.

Swim -

1000 yards free - 17:38

1000 yards free/breast mix - 18:29

Total - 1.13 miles - 36:07

Night 2 of Midnight shift is complete. 4 more to go....ughh.

Woke up this afternoon and ate a PB&J sandwich for breakfast. Then ran to the pool 2.1 miles. I decided not to wear a "swim suit" or take a towel. I swam in my running shorts and used some paper towels to dry off. The temps were around 70 so the shorts dried quickly once I got to running again after the swim.

Swam 1000 yards of a free & breast mix. Arms were slightly sore from yesterday's swim. Then ran 5 miles on the way back home.

Run -

2.1 - 8:01, 8:01, :50 - 16:53 - 8:02 avg.

Swim -

1000 yards free/breast - 18:24

Run -

5.0 - 7:52, 7:41, 7:55, 7:55, 7:38 - 39:01 - 7:48 avg.

Bad rains today when I woke up. So I went to the gym and used the treadmill. I hate the treadmill.

Run -

6.2 - 49:36 - 8:00 avg.

Woke up this afternoon and already knew there was a high wind advisory for the day. Looked out the window and saw the trees a swaying. Ate a PB&J sandwich then checked weather.com It showed rain was not too far away and the winds were 23mph with gusts up to 44mph....oh great!

I hurried and left so I could get done before the rains came. I could certainly feel the wind when it was on my back. It was literally pushing me along. And it was tough when it was in my face. I tried to apply the BS Rools when it comes to a headwind, but it was not easy. I saw two houses with gutters ripped away and banging against the houses in the blow.

I ran 8 today and did have an incentive to run a little faster than normal...beat the rain. But while this run was not "easy" it was not as hard as it used to be only a month or so ago. I ran this same route, plus a 1/2 mile, on February 23rd. The average pace that day was 7:26 and today was 7:25. On that day I had felt worn out at the end, but not today. I am taking this as a positive sign that my fitness has improved.

Daylight Savings Time means I only have to work 7 hours tonight while getting paid for 8 !!

Run -

8 miles - 7:44, 7:42, 7:32, 7:21, 7:26, 7:17, 7:12, 7:10 - 59:25 - 7:25 avg.

Wanted to get in some easy miles today. The splits were just a little faster than I thought they should be...wanted to stay at 8:10 - 8:20 pace. But they still felt easy.

Run -

7.23 - 8:17, 8:02, 8:07, 8:04, 8:07, 7:54, 7:51, 1:46 - 58:09 - 8:02 avg.

Tomorrow was my planned rest day for the week. But Midnight Shift is over ans I am trying to revert back to a normal sleep schedule. I was feeling bad from the lack of sleep today. So I took today off, and will resume again tomorrow with a long, easy run.

Ran 10. At times the pace seemed harder than it should.

Run -

10 miles - 7:55, 7:43, 7:45, 7:53, 7:41, 7:51, 7:44, 7:45, 7:53, 7:54 - 1:18:02 - 7:48 avg.

Set out for 8. Felt bad. No energy. Chest got tight, so I slowed and cut it short a mile. May be due to cold I have had for at least a week now. But this is the first time I had felt any effects from it while running.

Run -

7 miles - 7:45, 7:41, 7:38, 7:40, 7:54, 8:27, 8:16 - 55:22 - 7:54 avg.

After yesterday's run I decided to do an easy 5. I felt absolutely great when putting my shoes on. But once I got running it was bad. I was huffing and puffing on the first mile. That should not have happened at that pace. I was so dead legged. They felt heavy as well with some burn it them. I am not sure what is going on. I have been so excited about my race on Saturday. But these last two runs have left me wondering..........

Cut this run short as well. I wish I knew what was going on with my body right now.

Run -

3.27 miles - 7:56, 8:08, 8:08, 2:04 - 26:16 - 8:02 avg.

My mileage for this week will not be good it would seem.

Not much time to report. Ran a little faster on purpose to see if I could. Breathing still labored more than it should. Legs still not fresh as I would like. Wondering if it is the high concentration of pollen in the air???

4 - 8:00, 7:35, 7:40, 7:42 - 30:57 - 7:44 avg.

Easy run. Something to get the legs moving.

Run -

4.1 - 8:17, 8:03, 7:45, 7:38, :46 - 32:29 - 7:55 avg.

Ran into the wind on 1st 2, and it was on my back the 2nd 2.

Felt good running today. Windy in spots. Breathing was good.

Run -

8 - 7:54, 7:55, 7:41, 7:46, 7:40, 7:40, 7:15, 7:28 - 1:01:17 - 7:39 avg.

On the 7:15 mile it was flat/downhill and the wind was on my back. It felt easier than normal at that pace.

I have a 5 mile race on April 19th. The course has more hills on it than I am used to. As a matter of fact I hardly ever run any hills in my training. And the hill in my area are not even very big. Today I ran around my block 5 times. Each loop gives me 4 hills. I was surprised at my splits today. They were faster without seemingly any extra effort. After the loops I ran a 4 mile out and back course.

Run -

8.35 - 7:37, 7:28, 7:20, 7:18, 7:44, 7:36, 7:38, 7:25, 2:54 - 1:03:00 - 7:32 avg.

This evening I ran my "got to get home in time for dinner" pace. But it felt good. Even though not a lot of miles today, I am still on pace for a good week.

Run -

4 - 7:26, 7:14, 7:14, 7:06 - 28:59 - 7:15 avg.

Windy out today. Long run planned. Was going to do 12, but then I thought today would be a good day to run my very first half marathon. So if the accuracy of my Garmin is acceptable, that is exactly what I did. This is the longest single run in distance and time I have ever run. I stayed comfortable throughout. At 10 miles I seemed to freshen up a bit, and it was smooth sailing from there.

Started working dayshift today. It will last through next Thursday. I am going to try and do some doubles this week. So I got up this morning at 5:30 am. I am certainly not used to running this early in the morning. It was slow going, but felt good.

Ran again this afternoon after work. My left quad is a little sore. I will keep an eye on it.

am -

It had been good running weather all day. But when I got ready to go for my run I noticed the wind had really picked up. Looking through the windows at the front of my house the sky was blue and out the back windows it was dark clouds. I checked the Weather Channel and saw a small storm cell headed towards us. I figured I had just enough time to get in a run before it hit.

I pretty much started out running fast right out the door to beat the bad weather. Today was supposed to be an easier run. It started to rain hard, and my GPS showed I had only been 339 feet. The rain continued, but was down to a drizzle by the end of the 1st mile. It drizzled until the end of the 3rd mile. I was still hurrying along. The Sun came back out on the 4th mile and stayed around for the rest of the run. I should have slowed once the weather got better, but the pace was already set in my mind. My legs were tired after the run. I am really looking forward to my day off tomorrow.

Happy Easter !

Happy Easter !

Planned day off.

Well today was supposed to be the day I start running some 2 a days. But before bed last night I checked the weather and it showed it was going to be raining in the morning. So I skipped the morning run, and did longer on the afternoon run. Still got in my mileage goal for the day.

On today's run I fell into the trap of running faster than I should have due to having fresh legs from the day off yesterday. But I felt so good. The legs tired some, but the cardio was good the whole run.

Now if I can just make myself get up before sunrise for that morning run tomorrow.......

I actually woke up early this morning and went for a run before work. I wish I would enjoy the experience more, but I would rather sleep in. Ran a very easy 4. There was no soreness in the legs from yesterday's run.

After work I ran again. And my legs were very sore. I believe driving a car for 6.5 hours out of an 8 hour shift caused it to happen, combined with my previous two runs.

With the soreness, I am looking even less forward to my morning run tomorrow.

My legs were so tired and sore. Monday's run was of the best feeling runs I have ever had. But I am sorely paying for it now. I had planned on 10. But at 9 I could see my house and called it a day. Tomorrow will be shorter and slower.

Came home from work and checked the thermometer. It was 78f º outside. So I decided to treat the residents of South Hill to a special treat. I ran shirtless. Two teenage girls rode past in a car and yelled something. I will pretend it was a compliment. And a boy about 5 or 6 yelled for me to put my shirt on. I wonder if his mother prodded him or if he said it on his own.

The legs were still a little sore. Mainly on the downhills. But they were not as dead as yesterday. Probably another 6 miles tomorrow. Then a long run on Saturday.

Ran just before dinner, so I had to make it quick. Everyone was waiting for me when I got home. This pace was harder to hold than it was a week ago. The soreness was almost completely gone. Not enough to slow me down.

Longest run of my life today. My legs felt good. Then sore. Then better again. A blister has formed, or at least a tender spot, on the outer edge of my right foot. Never had problems like that before. I am pretty much drained of energy now. Tomorrow an easy 4. Monday about 8. And Tuesday off is my plan for the next few days. I start Midnight Shift on Monday. I doubt I will feel like doing anything Tuesday. So I will try to do something tomorrow to make up for it.

Legs were only a little sore. Which surprised me. I figured they would be so stiff and dead I would not be able to get out of bed today. They actually had some pep in them despite the slight soreness.

It rained on me the entire run and it was cold. I was feeling good though. Got a little crazy on that last mile.

Woke up this afternoon and the calf felt much better. Only a slight twinge when walking. Should be able to run easy tomorrow.

Still wanted to get in a workout today So I went to the pool. It has been so long since I last swam I would have to crack open the FRB archives to find out when.

When I jumped in the pool I swam about half the length underwater. It is amazing how much and how loud my joints snap, crackle, and pop. The water must amplify the sound some.

Swam 1000 yards free to start. I am so out of "swim" shape. My form really broke down as I got more and more tired. Finished in 17:24.

Next was another 1000 yards. I alternated between free and breast every 100 yards. Finished in 18:48.

I would bet my arms will be aching tomorrow.

Last night while working the calf got so tight and stiff. I had a noticeable limp. After waking up today it felt better, but could still feel it when walking.

Got to the pool and planned on swimming a mile of a mix of free and breast. But when doing breaststroke the calf hurt when I kicked. So I switched to Plan B and swam a mile of freestyle. Got pretty tired, but was surprised with my overall time.

Used the elliptical for 20 minutes after swimming. Felt the calf a couple of times, but I do not think it hurt it any. But there sure was a lot of sweat for such a short amount of time on that machine.

Swim - 1800 yards - 31:16.88

Elliptical - 2miles(guess) - 20:00

Got to the pool and there was a children's birthday party going on. Since there is no dedicated lap lane the swim workout was not going to happen today.

20:00 on the elliptical and 20:00 on the AirDyne bike. Lots of sweat...the room was a bit hot. On the bike it felt like my heart was going to beat right out of my chest. It kind of made me feel uncomfortable to feel it going like that. But of course not enough to slow down or stop.

Elliptical - 20:00 - 2 miles / 1403 steps?? - whatever that means.

AirDyne Bike - 20:00 - 6 miles

Run - 3.2 - 8:30, 8:36, 8:22, 1:45 - 27:13 - 8:30 avg.

Walk - .75 - 12:43

Had to stop due to calf pain.

I had taken 12 days off before Tuesday's run. During that time off I was so discouraged over this latest injury/set back. It put me in a deep enough funk where I did no workouts (cross training) whatsoever. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself those days. After only the 3rd day off I was walking around pain free. But I knew I should give it more rest from running. On the 12th day I went out for a 4 mile run at an easy pace. But at the 2.5 mark or so I could feel some pain creeping back. I was walking at 3.2. It actually felt worse walking than running. Could feel pain when walking the next 2 days.

Today I decided to get my mind right again and went to the gym. I took out all my bad feelings on the pool today. I knew I could go all out without risk of injury. I wanted to get tired and worn out, and I did. So today's swim surprised me, excited me, and ticked the living heck out of me all at the same time. One of my most frequent swim workouts over the years has been swimming 1000 yards and alternating between freestyle and breaststroke every 100 yards. Since resuming running last fall after healing from my stress fracture swimming has been something I had not worked on much. But today I blew away my old PR for this swim by 13 seconds! I have no idea how this was done with no pool time and no workouts at all for almost 2 weeks. When I set it last July I was swimming daily. I must have been angrier with myself than I thought. My breaststroke kick felt very strong. I think that is where a lot of the time was made up. I have noticed over the last couple of months my leg muscles have looked a little bigger and better defined. But this swim leaves me with my head shaking and several questions. I believe my fitness is at an all-time (post high school) high which is great. It also makes it even harder to accept that I am in the middle of an injury now. This setback has really hurt me mentally. I was at a point where I could care less if I worked out or not the last week or so. Now I regret the time I took off. Hopefully I can snap back and build up my fitness for the day I am ready to run at full strength again.

After the swim I rode the AirDyne bike for 20 minutes. Heart felt like it was actually going to break through my ribcage it was thumping so hard.

Went home the jogged 1.1 miles to my son's soccer practice. No pain in the calf...yeah !!

After the practice I ran home for 2.2 miles. Sometimes on the uneven sidewalk when I had to stretch my stride to clear a bump or hop up onto a curb I could feel a little something in the calf. But much better than the run 2 days ago.

I am listing my swim splits so I can have a record of it...just in case I beat this PR again someday.

	4/18/2007	7/24/2007
100 free	1:33.83	1:30.24
100 breast	2:00.39	2:00.40
100 free	1:32.27	1:35.30
100 breast	1:56.46	1:59.63
100 free	1:33.19	1:34.90
100 breast	1:55.73	1:59.49
100 free	1:33.03	1:34.27
100 breast	1:54.33	1:57.58
100 free	1:35.07	1:33.42
100 breast	1:51.77	1:54.45
Totals	17:26.07	17:39.68

Felt soreness/tightness/pain/??? in my calf on a few steps, but overall it was ok. Ran slow.

6.2 - 8:47, 8:58, 8:47, 8:59, 9:00, 9:03, 1:37 - 55:15 - 8:54 avg.

Still felt the occasional something in the calf. Dinner was being held up until my return, and my family was hungry. Ran faster than I should have.

3.22 - 8:18, 7:50, 7:35, 1:43 - 25:28 - 7:54 avg.

Had planned on running to the pool, swimming, then running home. But I could not find the pack I use to hold my towel and suit in. So I just ran. Was feeling good after 4 miles. No aches or pains at all in the calf. So I decided to pick it up for the next 2 miles, then slow some for another 2. The 2 faster miles felt good. But with about 1.5 miles to go the calf started to hurt. I iced it immediately when I got home.

I was silly to run 8 miles and to run 2 of them at a faster pace. I hope it did not aggravate the calf too much. Swimming is definitely on the agenda for tomorrow. May do some jogging as well.

Had to work late and could not get to the pool. Leg hurt from yesterday's run, so I rested it.

Long day today. The whole family went along with Justin's preschool class on a trip to the zoo. A lot of walking. I could feel slight pain in the calf all day. But we had a good time. Of course when you live in a small rural town any trip you take you make the most of it. We ended up shopping the whole afternoon. That and the drive home wore me out.

When we got home I went to the pool and swam. Felt good to be in the water again.

1800 yards (1.02 mile) free style - 30:49.81

200 yards breaststroke - 4:20.21

Total - 2000 yards - 35:10.42

Early in the day I could feel some slight twinges in the calf when walking. But by the time I got off from work I did not notice it. I decided to run to the pool, swim, then run home. Leg was ok. I do not think I did anything to make it hurt anymore than it already was. My arms were sore from yesterday's swim.

Run - 2.11 - 16:15 - 7:42 avg.

Swim - 1050 yards free - 17:56.81 - planned on 1000, but lost count

Run - 3.15 - 23:33.39 - 7:28 avg.

About an hour after waking up the morning I lifted my arms, yawned, kind of did one of those over exaggerated stretches while doing so, and turned my torso a bit.. Then something popped in my chest. It felt sore there for the rest of the day. I swam in the afternoon. About thirty minutes or so after swimming the area in my chest got very sore. It felt like someone had been doing CPR on my chest, but about an inch or two higher.

Later on I ran to Justin's soccer practice. Then afterwards I ran home. Not long after the run I realized the pain in my chest was hardly noticeable, except for taking a deep breath or flexing the muscles there. Not sure what did....who knew yawning and stretching could hurt so bad.

Swim - 1050 free - lost count again - 18:07:39 / 1000 free/breast mix - 19:06:68

Run - 1.1 - 8:33.74

Run - 3.15 - 22:57.54

Totals -

Swim - 2050 yards - 37:14:47 / Run - 4.25 miles - 31:36:08

Calf was a little sore while walking all day long. Still I decided to try and run. I only noticed a few twinges when running. I have always been bowlegged and my feet turn outward some when I walk and run. I have been concentrating on (at least) keeping them straight when they strike. When I do this I do not feel any pain in the calf.

On today's run the calf held up fine, but the rest of me tired out. 85 out when I started, and the heat wore on me. On the 5th mile the wind was on my back, and I got hot. Felt better on mile 6 when the wind was blowing in my face. It helped me cool down. Hopefully I will get in a run tomorrow...and it will most certainly be at a slower pace.

One more thing. A group of about 6 people were sitting on a front porch, and a man was cutting the grass in the backyard. As I went by the lawnmower backfired and I jumped big time. It gace the people on the porch quite a laugh to see me startled like that.

You know I cannot say with any certainty that this is the case, but I think it is my hamstring that is causing my calf to hurt. The pain is very high on the calf, just below the back of the knee. When I stretch my calf I get very little relief. But when I stretch the hamstring it feels a little better. All of my life, at least since I was a young kid, I have had tight hamstrings. I was and still am the guy who can barely reach to his shins when trying to touch his toes. I have never done enough stretching, but I guess I need to change that way of thinking.

Quads got sore today. Mile 4 was into the wind.

When I left the house it was lightly sprinkling rain. It felt good and helped keep me cool. Both legs were tight, but not hurting. Miles 1,2, & 3 felt normal. Cardio was real good. Then the rain picked up. I looked at my watch and it showed I was only 3.13 miles into the run. Actually it turned into a real downpour. Luckily the wind did not pick up any with the extra rain. At mile 4 my shoes were soaked and heavy. I had already started to pick up my pace when the rain got harder so I could get on home in case it turned out to be a thunderstorm. Several tornadoes had hit in our region today and my power went out twice. As my pace got faster I started to feel better. Somewhere in the beginning of the 5th mile the rain stopped. But I could not slow down. The rain must have hit my "GO" button because I just kept on letting my legs speed up.

It felt good to run at speed again on that last mile. I do not think I did any harm to my calf. The 12 days I took off did nothing to help it, and the running since then does not seem to hurt it anymore either. Its just there. Hurts more when walking than running. Still, I will be careful of it and keep fast paces like today to a minimum.

I was happy to see my shoes had dried out very nicely after yesterday's rainy run. I left them in front of the vent at the bottom of the refrigerator. Mike Kirk told me that when I was a Sophomore back in 1986. Still works.

My runs would feel so much better if my quads, hamstrings, and calves were not so sore and tight. It may be time to get some new shoes. Maybe I will have a chance next week.

Today miles 1 & 2 were into the wind. I would have sworn the 1st mile would have been 8:20. It really did not feel like 7:50 pace. Miles 3 & 4 the wind was on my back. 5th mile had some downhills and mile 6 had some ups. On 7 & 8 I just cruised on in to the house.

And man are my legs so sore and tight right now. I will try to stretch them out some while working Midnight Shift tonight.

Worked Midnight Shift last night. Only 5 more to go 'til this one is done. Man, my legs are so tight. Will try some stretching later.

Today is a planned rest day.

Last night my right hamstring and calf were tight. As soon as I woke up today I put heat on both of them. Then I stretched them as best I could. My flexibility is so poor that stretching my hamstrings is a funny site, and not easy to do.

Ran to the pool, mostly into the wind. Leg felt ok. Then swam. Could feel the hamstring pulling tight when I was doing breaststroke. Then I ran home. 1st mile on the the way home I had the wind on my back. 2nd mile was downhill. 3rd had some uphill. 4th mile a big side stitch came in my right side. This threw off my rhythm, stride, breathing, arm swing, concentration, ......everything. By the end of mile 5 I felt wiped out. But I got in the miles and that is always good.

Run 1 - 2.11 miles - 8:03, 7:48, :49 - 16:40 - 7:54 avg.

Swim - 1000 yards free/breast mix - 18:30

Run 2 - 5 miles - 7:42, 7:36, 7:48, 7:50, 7:40 - 38:36 - 7:43 avg.

Slept only 5 hours today. I guess it showed. Ran 2 miles to the pool. Into the wind with little shelter to block it it on the 2nd mile.

Swam 1000 yards. Had less energy than yesterday.

Ran home. The gas tank was empty ! I really struggle running home. Was going for 5, but settled for 3.

I hope tomorrow is better.

Run - 2.11 - 7:55, 7:52 - 16:39 - 7:53 avg.

Swim - 1000 yds free/breast mix - 18:36

Run - 3.35 - 8:07, 8:41, 8:40, 3:02 - 28:30 - 8:30 avg.

For the first time this week my alarm had to wake me up. I was so tired last night I guess I needed the rest.

Running was poor again today. My energy was so low. I think the warmer temps are a slight factor, but mostly the change in my sleep schedule has the most to do with it. We will see next week when I change shifts.

On the last 2 miles I had to force myself to pick up the pace. If not, I might have succumbed to my very strong urge to stop and walk.

Woke up, ate some apple muffins, then headed out for my run. The muffins tasted good. First mile felt normal. 2nd mile I had picked it up some without trying. I was starting to get hot (because of the temp., not my good looks) so I took off my shirt. Now while all my friends say how skinny I look since I started running, the truth is my stomach still hangs over the brim of my pants pretty good. So in order for no one to notice that I picked up the pace as a distraction technique. Felt good after mile 3 and decided to maintain the pace for another mile. Of course I had no idea I would keep it within .04 seconds of my previous mile. Still feeling good and kept the pace for 1 more mile. Went ahead and backed off on the last mile.

I still think my energy level for this effort was not 100%, but better than the last few days.

I also got 1- "Run Forrest" comment from some kid, and 1- cheerful honk from 3 girls in a red Firebird.

Hurray ! Midnight Shift is over. I only slept 4.5 hrs. today. Hopefully I will not stay up too late tonight. Busy day tomorrow.

Planned rest day for today. Groin is a little sore from yesterday's run.

Today was pretty full. Had a little trouble getting used to sleeping at night. So after the kids left for school I took a 2.5 hour nap. Immediately after waking up I headed outside to cut my grass/weeds/dirt combo. My legs were a little tight, but mowing the yard helped loosen them up. I use a push mower, and not one with a drive system. After all that I cleaned myself up and then ran to the pool.

My pace to and from the pool felt so easy yet, it was faster than normal. I would have guessed 7:45 to 8:00 on both runs. At the pool I swam 800 free. Next was 100 breast. Then did them both again. I never quite felt in sync while swimming today. Form felt off and it seemed like I could never take in a deep enough breath. But times were good.

Voted today in our local election. I only had to vote in the Mayor's race and he was unopposed. So he should have won easily. He's also my father-in-law so I wanted to make sure I voted anyway.

Next was soccer practice for Justin and dance class for Emily. I took Emily and Ashleigh took Justin. Its a 20 minute drive for me, then an hour and a half class. It never occurred to me to run while she was dancing. Well, I have always wished I could, but the town there has no leash ordinance. I have always seen dogs running around and just never wanted to compete with them for road space. But for some dumb reason I never considered driving to the community college which is less than five minutes away and running there. I looked on Google Earth and found a grass loop I could run. Each loop was just under a mile. I have run on the roads so much lately it was weird being on the grass at first. But it reminded me so much of high school XC. Without any thought to it, my pace steadily increased as I went along. I was feeling really good on the last 2 miles. I had time to run one more, which I would have used as a cool down, but a strong urge to find a restroom hit. So I stopped and went back to the dance studio. That was the best I had felt during and after a run in about a month. It was good !

Oh, and today is my BIRTHDAY ! I turned a very young 38.

Run to the Pool -

Run home from the pool -

I really hated abusing myself like I did today. I have not slept well the last two nights. Then I had training to go to before work. I should have run before the training, but just did not feel like it. Afterwards I had just enough time to get in a run. And it was just barely enough...so I had to push the pace. Today was supposed to be a slow and easy 8. But instead I had to do a faster 6. It was 85 degrees when I ran. My legs felt good, but I got hot. I had not taken in enough fluids today.

I look forward to an easier run tomorrow.

Today's runs and swim felt good. I took them both easy. I ran 2.11 miles to the pool, then swam 1000 yards. Ran home the long way for another 6 miles. I did fail to meet one of my goals however...I did not want to go under 8:00 pace for any of my running miles. Oh well.

Run to pool -

Swim - 1000 yards free/breast mix - 18:42.96

Run home -

Legs felt good on the run to the pool. Winds were in my face most of the way there. I felt a little sluggish in the pool compared to yesterday. But still kept it easy. Ran the longer way home. It was a bit warm and humid. Overall legs were good on the 2nd run. But they are tired and a little tight now that I am done.

Two cars and one bicyclist cut in front of me today. With all three I had made eye contact with the drivers. Still they made turns right into my path forcing me to alter my pace so I wold not hit them. I was able to touch each of the cars with my fingertips. I did not reach out on the cyclist because I was afraid I might knock her down. Needless to say I was a bit irritated with each of them. But I'll get over it.

Even Superman got angry every once in awhile...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujnq2D4PtvI

Run to pool -

I was walking to my bedroom to change into my running clothes when the telephone rang. The caller i.d. showed it was work...and I answered it anyway. Got called in early. The town has it's "Springfest" today. Large crowds, live bands, and alcohol were to be on hand. So they called in a few more people than they originally thought they would need.

No run today. But honestly my legs are tired from yesterday. I would have ran about 6 and rested Sunday. Now I will rest today and run tomorrow.

I tinkered with the idea of running an easy 10 today. But that would have taken longer than I would have wanted it to. Being Mother's Day and having to work later tonight, I did not want to spend more than an hour on my run. I thought about 6 to 7 at easy pace would fit into my schedule, but I really wanted to run 8 today. So I decided to try and do it at 7:30 pace and get it done right at an hour.

I felt good, and the legs were fresh from yesterday's rest. It drizzled some and only started to rain with .2 to go.

I also went ahead and began to show more of the data from my Garmin. I had been embarrassed to show how little the hills were in my area compared to some of the hills other bloggers run. To some my hills are merely minor bumps in the road. But its what you are used to I guess that determines what is easier or harder for you to do.

Cooler today, about 55, when I left for the pool. Windy too. Legs felt good after yesterday's run. Kept the pace easy and everything was fine.

Run to pool -

Still feeling good. Ran to and from pool with a swim in between. Ran again later this evening. Picked things up the last 3 on the evening run.

Arms felt a little dead in the swim today. Not sure why ?

Run to pool -

Swim - 1000 yards free/breast mix - 18:41.47

Run Home -

I am tired. Easy run this morning. Legs were tight and a little sore from last night's run. The connecty things where my hamstring goes to the back of my knee was hurting on the right side. But after about a 1/10 of a mile it the pain stopped.

No swim today but I did push mow the lawn for 2.5 hours today. Justin was home with me and helped out. Trimmed some branches and bushes too. Both Emily and Justin helped on the clean up.

Ran again this evening. Easy pace, but felt harder than it should. Legs were very heavy.

am -

I did not feel like going on my run today. I kept telling myself, "Well I ran on Sunday, so this could be my rest day this week." But I wanted to rest on this Sunday, so two rest days so close together did not sit well with me. So I ran.

Felt fine running, no problems. May have ran harder than I should have.

Also I have dug out some old stuff from my high school days. I want to add some of the times I had logged to this blog. Lots of memories. And I could not believe it, I found my autographed race number number from the Shamrock Marathon 8K in 1987. I was able to get Grete Waitz to sign it. She set a world record road course 8K that day. Well they said it would be if the course got certified. I never heard if it was or not.

Ran with John Horne miles 2 - 7.

Ended up taking today as my rest day for the week.

You can make just about any run as hard or as easy as you want. But whenever I run in the mornings even my easy runs are hard. But I survived 4 this morning, and will get some more in later.

am -

Was drizzly when I left the house. Saw one flash of lightning and heard two claps of thunder during the run. At mile 6 the rain really started to come down and lasted until I was done. I think that is why the 6th mile was too fast...got excited about the rain. Have some soreness in my left leg where my leg connects to my butt. Tried stretching but could not find a stretch that hit the right spot. I hope it goes away soon.

pm -

Let's get right to the important stuff. Just before typing this my 5 year old son was sitting on my lap and we were doing a "find the hidden picture" game in a book. All of a sudden I got this insane cramp in my left calf. It hurt about as bad as any muscle cramp I have ever had. I started screaming OW !! over and over again. I could not bend my foot back towards me to relieve the pressure. So I told him to get up...Quick. I am glad he did because I am sure I would have thrown him to the floor. After standing I was able to flex my foot and the pain dimininished, but only slightly. Then to make things worse I guess I stood up too fast because I became very light headed and nauseous. I thought I might pass out. That lasted for about a minute. But the pain in my calf is still very much there. I tried to stretch, but that hurt too. I also applied heat. Now I am walking with a limp. I am just so thankful this cramp did not happen in the middle of the night while I was asleep. I hope this does not hamper my running tomorrow.

As for today's run. Everything was just ok. At 4 miles I was wishing I was done. Same thing at 6. From 6 to 8 was ok. 8 to 10 my legs got tired. My quads were getting sore, could feel them on downhills. I think yesterday's run is what hurt me today. Easy going the next couple of days and all should be good again.

Quads still sore. Even though I checked my splits as I ran, I let my legs dictate the pace on how they felt. But I was careful not to let them get too crazy. It had just finished raining before my run. Lots of steam rising from the road and the humidity was high. I would like to apologize to the little bug I swallowed whole. But if you had not gone all the way down my windpipe before I could stop you, I would have surely spit you out. And a big thanks goes out to the wind and trees for sprinkling me with cool droplets of water as I ran beneath your branches.

About a 1/4 mile into the run I made the decision to run an easy 6. My legs are so darn sore. But I would not say they are tired nor tight, just sore. For the 1st 2 or 3 miles my form was really off because of the soreness. And in turn it threw everything else out of whack. At 5 miles I decided instead of heading home for 1 more mile to go ahead and turn so I could run 3 more. The soreness had subsided some. We will just have to take the next few runs by how my legs feel versus what I think I should be doing.

Throughout the day I hardly felt any soreness in my quads. I was excited to run without pain today. But very soon after getting out the door I found the pain. They are not tired and they are not tight...just sore. I am really hating some downhill right now. So I ran to a pond with a dirt path around it to help cushion the impact. Pace was comfortable.

Then later on in the evening (4hrs. later) I ran again with John. Pace was easy and the quad pain only hurt on downhills and was manageable on everything else.

Cut grass today. Hoping it would loosen up my legs, and it did. I felt real good running today. Well I did up to the 7 to 8 mile mark. Then my legs for the first time this week felt tired. They also hurt. I could feel the pounding with every step. I lost track of my shoe mileage over the last month and a half because I started to mix in some older shoes into my runs. But I figure they should be between 475 and 525 miles. I am getting new ones tomorrow. I am going to a running store I went to once before. I will have to trust their experience to help me select the best ones for me. So back to today's run. As I said felt good for most of the run. Was planning on 10 to hit 60 for the week. But at 8 I was hurting and headed home. Knew it would be a 9.xx run and I already had 50.xx on the books. Turns out in the end I got 60 by just a hair.

In my last entry I mentioned taking today off. But I got some new shoes yesterday and wanted to give them a short break in run before a full week's workout. I ran to the pool and met the family. After playing there I ran home.

To the pool -

Lots of family fun planned today and it was going to get warm this afternoon. So I ran 2 runs. 1 in the am and the other in the pm.

am -

pm -

Last night was my first night of Midnight for this week, only 6 more to go. Of course this sudden change in schedule wreaks havoc with my sleep and today I found out how much it will effect my training. Knowing I have my 1st marathon coming in only 5 months I am trying to plan my workouts more carefully.

Today's plan was to wake up and go for 8 - 10 miles. Then after work in the morning run 4. Then tomorrow afternoon I could run 6, and then follow this schedule for the remainder of Midnight Shift. This would get me my 10 a day without killing me. But it was 86 when started my run and quite humid. The weather really got to me. I was struggling. At 3 I decided to only run 6, then get in another run just before work. But it has been stormy. Also the closer it got to 10pm the less I wanted to go out and run. The storms had stopped, and it was only a light rain. But I nixed the evening run. So as long as I get home on time tomorrow I will run 4. Then go to sleep immediately. Wake up and run 6 more. We shall see how long I can keep this kind of schedule up.

Last year, the year I started to take fitness and running more seriously, when Summer came I had the stress fracture. So it was only swimming and biking. The heat was not a problem with those workouts. But running is going to be a different story. It is going to be interesting getting workouts in around the afternoon Sun. I think my sleep is going to be very much affected for the next 3 to 4 months.

Well I do not stick to plans very well. yesterday I said I would run after work this morning, then again when I woke up. But I saw where the temps. today would be cooler, so I went right to bed. Woke up and it was 62 when I headed out. I felt very good. Legs were fresh, but mind was still a little sleepy. I set out to run 8, but wish I had had the time for 10. But I needed to get to the babysitter to pick up Justin.

My Mom gave me a Superman t-shirt for my birthday a couple of weeks ago. Wore that when I ran. Only had 1 comment, someone said "can I have your autograph Superman?"

Running was good today!

Well, today there just was not enough time to do anymore. I only slept 6hr and 15 min just so I could get in a run today. I am going to pay for it tonight though. Sleepy, Sleepy.

It did not feel as easy today as yesterday. Wished I could have slowed down a little, but had other places to be.

I think the only thing I got out of this workout was misery. It was 84ºf. I know have run in hotter temps. but it is affecting me much more than ever. Also I only managed 5 hrs. and 50 min. of sleep. At 5.94 I did something I have never done in a run before. I stopped by the hospital and had some wonderful cold water from the water fountain. It took about 4 - 5 minutes to walk in, drink, and walk out. Never thought about this option before. But I might take this pitstop again in future runs. With 2 miles to go I was thinking about flagging down a car a begging for a ride home.

At 10 I stopped. My achilles area on my right leg was burning. Thought I had a blister, but it was a raw spot. Not sure if something got stuck in my shoe or sock and rubbed it. Hopefully it is not something the shoe itself caused. I took off both shoes and walk home barefoot for .4.

Very hectic schedule tomorrow afternoon and evening. I will have to make sleep a priority over running. It is catching up to me more than I am comfortable with. Tonight at work I am going to really pay for getting up early for my runs. May have to skip all together tomorrow or try to squeeze in about 4.

Here's how I finished off my running month:

2 days off = fresh legs

I had to be careful. In the past I have felt so good after a rest I pushed it hard enough on my first run of the week my legs would be trashed for a few days later. So I was careful to monitor the pace and keep it in check. Gave in some on the last 2 miles. Felt good and all the little irritating aches and pains were not there. Not a bad run for only 5 hours of sleep today. But Midnight Shift is over for a few weeks. I just need to learn to sleep during the night now.

am -

My legs stiffened up some last night after my run. But this morning they were ok. They are stiffening again now as I type this about 1.5 hours after my run. Hopefully they will be fine on my run later today.

Cool morning temps. helped make this a nice run.

pm -

Would have liked to have had more time in between my runs, but stuff to do later tonight. It was 84f with some wind. No shirt. Went ahead and ran faster than normal. I have a 10k next weekend and have not been running any faster miles in training for a while now. Also the race is at 5:30PM. So it will probably be mid to high 80's. I was a discouraged some how hard I had to work to hit my splits today. But on race day I will not have had a morning run on my legs like I did today.

Humble - to lower in condition, importance, or dignity. (from Dictionary.com)

Well that was me today. Even though the thermometer only showed 78f with about 80% humidity, it was enough to do me in. I set out for 10. Survived 6. Stopped at 4.25 to grab a drink of water from a business along my route. It helped get me home. When I was done I had never seen so much sweat beading on my arms and legs. I am going to really prepare in advance my runs and what time I do them this Summer. Looks like the heat Miser won one today.