10 Mile PR

I've been hammering the miles lately and I've been feeling pretty good. At the present moment, I'm not having any extreme fatigue or exhaustion from running quite a bit more than usual.

Yesterday was my usual long, hard workout day. I went out to Forest Hills (two mile road loop through some neighborhoods) and decided to run a 10 Mile Fartlek. I used my heart rate monitor and the goal was to run for 8 minutes with my HR between 88-92% of it's max (corresponds to about 85% of my VO2 Max). I would then jog easy until my heart rate returned to about 75% of it's max (about 60% of my VO2 Max). I would then pick up the pace again and once my HR got back to 88% of it's max I would start my 8 minute hard segment.

I knew I was pretty fit, but I was having to run VERY hard to get my HR back up to 88%. I also noticed that it didn't' take long for my HR to drop to 75% of it's max (which is a sign of fitness, but it sucks because you don't get much of a break). Ultimately, I was running 8 minutes with my Avg HR at 90% of it's max and 3.5 minutes with my Avg HR at 80% of it's max. I ended up cover the 10 mile distance (including the time spent with my easy jogs) in 1:10:29.... 7:03/mile. Which is an unofficial 10 Mile PR. It is a hilly course and I was very pleased with how it went. I warmed up 2 miles and cooled down 2 mile to give me 14 for the day. Good Day!

Today, I ran 10.5 miles easy around town. This run would not have been significant, however, it put me over 2400 miles for 2009.... which was a goal I set for myself about 2 months ago.

Christmas Workout

Everything has been going great with training. Almost too well. I've been running workouts and mileage runs faster than what I expect to and the effort feels easier than what I expect. I keep trying to challenge myself by setting my target workout times a bit quicker each time, but each run seems too easy. I breeze through most of mileage runs like it's nothing. I've been on a steady diet of 60+ mile weeks and I'm reaping the rewards of that right now. In this final two full training weeks prior to backing off I'm trying to log 80 miles each week.

This morning it was below freezing when I woke up. So I put off my workout for a few hours to let it warm up some. I ended up getting to the track around 11am, but their were still ice in certain spots in the stadium that hold water. It was also a bit breezy down the back stretch, but nothing I couldn't handle.

I ran 4 miles in the track in 26:24.1 (6:36/mile). My average heart rate during the run was 88% of my max and my mile splits were 6:38-6:39-6:33-6:32. I then took a 3 minute rest (400m jog) and did 4x400m with 3 minutes (400m jog) between each repetition. I ran 1:21-1:26-1:26-1:24.

I finished up with a 2.5 mile cool down around campus. It was nice running around campus as their was not a sole out and about. I felt like Will Smith in the movie I Am Legend. Quite unique experience running when it was that quiet out.

*I split 13:05.8 in my last 3200m of the threshold run, which is technically faster than my current 3200m PR. I averaged 6:36/mile for the entire run, which is the pace I average for the 5-Mile Turkey Trot I did on Thanksgiving Day. I'm thinking I should be able to run under 40-minutes for 10k, if I ran on the track (or a flat road course). I never thought I'd be able to do that. I'd like to get into a road race somewhere before the Houston Half-Marathon, but I don't know if that's going to be possible. I may have to settle for a time trial on the track. Hopefully I can talk a couple of my athletes into pacing me for a while. I'm still not sure what distance I want to run. We'll see....

I'm Still Here

I know it's been a while since my last post. I'm going to blame it on the JW Marriott in Orlando charging $15 a day for internet use and the fact that I'm too cheap to pay that. But no worries. I'm still alive and I'm still running.

Do to my travels last week, I was only able to log 50 miles. Which is my lowest mileage week in 3 months. I ended up taking two days off (the two days I traveled), so I figure a 50 mile week wasn't bad.

I hate traveling as it always throws off my routine and it seems to always take a few days to adjust. Traveling to Orlando threw off my routine, then traveling back threw it off again. I think this, along with running in worn out shoes, had me feeling a bit fatigued and my runs and quality workouts hadn't been going well. But I've re-adjusted, established a routine, and have new shoes. So all is well.

I'm not less than 4 weeks away from the Houston Half-Marathon so I'm in my final prep. My plan between now and then is to put in two of my best weeks of training this week and next, followed by two regular training weeks with lots of mileage, two quality workouts, two sessions of strength training and three sessions of cross training each week.

This morning I ran 12 x 1600m @ 15k Race Pace w/2 min rest. I kept it under control for my first few, which is something I didn't do last time I did this workout. I ran the first 8 on the roads and the last 4 on the track. I averaged 6:40/mile for the first 4 reps, 6:46/mile for the middle 4 reps, and 6:49/mile for the last 4 reps. I was a good workout and one I really feel will help me in the later stages of the race (where I really struggled in my race in October). I totaled 15 miles this morning and was able to get in an hour on the elliptical.

Good day!

Long Run

I ran 15.95-miles on the roads in Huntsville this morning. I wasn't feeling too good early but as I got further into it I started feeling better. My final time was 2-hours 6-minutes 4-seconds. This is the longest continuous run I've ever done, in both time and distance.

I ran my first 7.45-miles at 7:56.7/mile, my second 7.45-miles in 7:52.8/mile, and my last 1.05-miles in 7:47.0/mile. Good day!

This brings my mileage total to 253.05-miles in the past 4 weeks (63.26 mpw) and 595.1-miles in the past 10 weeks (59.51 mpw). I'm definately feeling stronger and fitter than ever because of the progressive and consistancy of my total running volume. WHEN IN DOUBT, RUN MORE MILEAGE!!!!

6 Mile Tempo

I've been hesitant to do any type of quality workouts since last Sunday's 12x1600m workout. That was quite taxing and I wanted to play it safe. I did a "light" quality workout Thursday morning. Consisting of 3 miles easy, 2 miles at my Best Aerobic Effort, and 2.8 miles easy.

However, I really wanted to get in a good long tempo run again today so I decided to run 6 Miles on the track. I used my HR monitor to keep myself at my desired training intensity, versus looking at my watch every lap. I enjoyed this method much more. I ended up running 40:18.4 for 6-Miles. I was quite pleased, especially with how comfortable it was. I won't go as far as to say it was easy, but I definitely didn't overexert myself to run this. My splits were 6:49-6:51-6:52-6:40-6:36-6:30 and my average HR was 175 bpm (~90% of max) during the duration of the run. This tells me I was running right in my Lactate Threshold training zone. This also tells me that my Best Aerobic Effort is somewhere around 6:40/mile (I'm beginning to realize the practical benefits of using a HR monitor as a guide and to get feedback on runs).

I knew I was in pretty good shape as all my runs have been going well. My quality workouts have not been overly difficult and I haven't really come across any workouts that I couldn't complete. However, considering how fast I was able to do the 12x1600m workout (giving the effort I put into it) and that I was able to run at my BAE for a full 40-minutes, I'm beginning to think I may be in better shape than what I've been giving myself credit for. Which is quite encouraging. I'm pretty certain I could run under 41-minutes for 10k, and wouldn't be surprised if I could get close to 40-flat. Which is something I didn't think I would ever be able to. Well see. I leave for Orlando Monday morning for 4 days. I hope the trip doesn't mess up my training much.

Long Quality Day

I've been feeling really good on runs lately and I've been wanting to get in another long quality workout to help me prep for the difficulties I'm going to encounter in the half-marathon.

I originally wanted to do 8 x 2000m again, but at the last minute I decided to "up the ante" a bit and decided to do 12 x Mile w/2 min rest. My original plan had me running about 6:50-7:00 per mile, but as you're about to see, that went out the window very quickly.

I ran on the feeder road near the state park again, as I had practice scheduled with the team at the state park. I couldn't help it, but I ran my first mile in 6:02. YIKES!!!! It didn't feel overly difficult, but I knew there was no way I would be able to maintain that pace. I backed off a bit and averaged 6:28.6 for the first 4 repeats, 6:36.0 for the middle 4 repeats, and 6:43.3 for the last 4 repeats. My last three repeats were pretty rough (much like the last three miles of my half-marathon in October), but I got through it. I ended the workout with a 2 mile cool down, to give me 16 for the morning.

I'm pretty tired!

Monitor Heart Rate

I recently invested some money in a heart rate monitor. I've never used one and I've heard mixed results from people on them. However, I have been curious to see what the practical purposes of it are and if it would be worth it to invest in several for my team.

So far I've done three runs using it.... all longer mileage runs. I've noticed on all three runs that my average percent of Max HR for the duration is 83-84%, which corresponds to about 75-80% of my VO2 Max. Which I would guess to be pretty accurate as I've always felt I run my mileage runs a little faster than most runners with similar PRs would, but still not quite at my Lactate Threshold. I'm still not sold though that this has many practical purposes when it actually comes to improving my running, rather it's just a tool for feedback about my running.

I'm mainly looking to use it on my VO2 Intervals and Intensive Tempo Intervals to help me determine the proper amount of recovery my tracking my heart rate. We'll see how it goes.

Tempo Run

Yesterday (Tuesday) I ran a tempo run on the service road along I45, starting at the gravel parking lot by the state park. I ran 3 miles out, turned around and ran back. I did this run 3 weeks ago and ran 42:12 (7:02/mile). This time I did the same run, but ran it in 41:17 (6:52/mile).... ALMOST A FULL MINUTE FASTER!!!! I didn't look at my watch the entire run (though I did hit the split button every mile) and I was really surprised I ran as fast as I did. I figured I had run in the mid 42s. My splits were a little all over the place, but I think that has to do with the hills on the route. I ran 6:37-7:00-6:42-7:10-7:00-6:45 (downhill on the way out and uphill on the way back). I made a conscience effort to pick the pace the last two miles and I was surprised how well I was able to pick it up in the end. It felt good and I was quite pleased with how well it went. This is on pace for a 43-minute 10k, sub 69-minute 10 miler, and almost 90-minute half-marathon. I feel my fitness is very good at the moment and I'm looking forward to the winter break and focusing on training (and nothing else).

Long Run at Memorial Park

I've been growing tired of running hills lately. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the hills here in Huntsville, but like anything in life, it is possible to have too much of a good thing.

I drove down to Memorial Park in Houston today for my long run. My original plan was to just go down to The Woodlands for my run, but I didn't want to run then entire route on concrete, so I decided to go down to Memorial Park in Houston. I've never been there before, but I've heard great things about the gravel running path so I decided to give it a shot. I met up with one of my former athletes (Allison) who still runs recreationally and we ran 4 loops (~11.6 miles) of Memorial Park. We started are extremely easy and probably averaged about 9:00/mile for the first loop. We picked it up a bit on the second loop and by the time we got to the third loop we were running pretty quick. I don't know our exact pace, but judging by my respiration rate and the effort I was putting in I'd guess we probably averaged 7:30 to 7:40 per mile from miles 6 through 10. We backed off a bit in the last 1.5-miles to finish in 1:37:12. It was a good run and it was nice to get off the hills for a bit. I also enjoyed catching up Allison. It was well worth the two hour round trip.

I went out and ran again in the evening; covering my 3.05-mile loop in 24:35. My mileage has been quite high for a while (530 miles in the past 10 weeks) and I can really feel it from time to time, but all-in-all it's going well. I need to be sure to not run my easy mileage runs too fast so that I can continue to have good quality workouts when they're scheduled.

Thundercloud Subs 5-Mile Turkey Trot

I love this time of year as it seems like there are a wide variety of road races to run every weekend. I had been debating which one to run for a while, and a few weeks ago I decided to run the Thundercloud Subs 5-Mile Turkey Trot in Austin while I was home visiting my mom.

My lead up to the race was pretty normal. I didn't back off my training any and I was really feeling that the last few days prior to the race. My legs have been a little sluggish and unresponsive due to the consistent 60+ mile weeks I've been logging. I didn't feel any different in my warm up Thursday morning, but that's the way it goes some times.

There were over 14,000 people registered for the race (not all ran 5-miles or were timed) and it looked like it at the start line. I made sure to get close to the start so that I would spend the first 1.5-miles weaving in and out of slower runners. I probably started a little too close to that start as I was passed immediately by a slew of runners, but about 800m into the race I found myself running with a group that was running about the pace I was looking to maintain. I hit the first mile in 6:43, a little slow for what I was hoping for, but there was a serious climb in the first mile. I didn't see any mile markers the rest of the way, but I was I had. All I know is that I ran my last 4 miles in 26:08 (6:32/mile) for a total time of 32:51 (6:34/mile). My ambitious goal was to run under 32:30, but I thought that would be a bit out of my range, especially considering the hills on the course (steep hills!) and how my legs had been feeling. My realistic goal was to run under 33:00, which I did. After the race I ran the entire course backwards with a friend to get in a little over 12-miles total for the day.

I was....
*121st overall finisher (out of 2857 timed finishers)
*113th male finisher (out 1556 timed male finishers)
*18th in my age group (out of 171 timed male 25-29 yr old finishers)

Body and Mind

I've noticed more and more people (particularly my athletes) running with headphones, and besides the fact that it's dangerous, I feel it is a big hindrance to the competitive athlete. I'm not a huge fan of psychology, bu I do feel that running with headphones detaches the runner's body from the runner's mind; and since a large component of endurance running deals with the relationship between the body and the mind it is vital that these two entities spend as much time together, to work out "their issues," as possible.

I keep contemplating a team rule that will ban headphones and ipods at practice. I haven't taken the step to initiate this yet, but I feel I'm getting closer and closer to doing this.

We Run Because We Must

"We run because we must
Through the great wide spaces.
Within each man exists a demon
Some men are able to quiet it,
Other men are driven by it.
In being driven
They encounter loneliness.
But, they discover themselves
And find exhilaration,
they find too, a peace,
Which many men seek,
But few attain,
I congratulate the long distance
Runner for his self discipline.
I share with him his loneliness,
I envy him his peace." -Pierre Elliott Trudeau


*Training has been going well. I ran 66.4-miles this past week and 241.6-miles in the past 4 weeks. Both are personal bests. I ran 6x1600m w/3 min rest on Saturday night. I averaged 6:32 with my fastest one being 6:27 and my slowest one being 6:37. Other than that, not much else going on. Just taking training one day at a time.

Good Times!

Training has been going quite well and I must give partial credit of that to the weather. It seems everyone, but runners especially, seem to get little extra bounce in their step once the weather cools.

Yesterday (Tuesday) was a milestone for me in several ways. In the morning I ran a 4 Mile Threshold Run on the track. I ran 27:38 and negative split each mile. I followed it up with a few "quick" 400s in 85-seconds. It was a good run, but I'm mostly proud of the fact that after the first mile of the threshold run I crossed the 2000-mile mark for 2009. It took me 321-days to get there, but I did it. I'd like to hit 2400-miles by the end of the year, though that will be pushing it.

In the evening we had the SHSU Chocolate Milk Mile. Now that the cross country season is over, we decided to have a little fun by putting ourselves through unnecessary pain for a few laughs. For those unaware of what a "Chocolate Milk Mile" is, it consists of 4 x (12oz of chocolate milk + running 440-yards). I proud to have established a chocolate milk mile personal record of 6:28. Hopefully their will be a video up on youtube soon :)

I had a nice run on the dirt roads at Sam Houston National Forest this afternoon. I got in 12.35-miles in 1:38:57. It was quite dark the last 4-miles, but it got done. I felt pretty good.

6 Mile Tempo Run

“Running to him was real, the way he did it the realest thing he knew. It was all joy and woe, hard as diamond; it made him weary beyond comprehension. But it also made him free.” —John L. Parker (Once A Runner)

Training has been going so well lately that as soon as I'm done with a run/workout, I immediately start thinking about the next run/workout. I anandoned my highly structured (translation: obsessive cumplusive) training program a few weeks ago and I've been running off of feel. I've been putting in 60-65 miles per week with two quality workouts a week and a Sunday long run. So far it's going well. This model gives me the freedom to adjust things as my work/personal schedule changes. At the present moment I am looking forward to the Winter Break. I've made plans to do absolutely nothing. I'm going to run, eat, sleep, and watch football. I hope to be able to get 3 consecutive weeks over 70 miles.

I decided to do a 6 Mile Tempo Run this morning. I've never done a tempo run this long, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I did it as an out-n-back on the feeder road by the state park. I ran my first mile a bit too quick and hit 6:35, I backed off and hit 7:15, 7:00, 7:11, 7:07, and 7:02 for my last 5 miles. My final time was 42:12.6 (7:02/mile). This puts me on pace for a 10k PR. All that really means is my current 10k PR is not accurate, as is my 3200m PR. It may be time for me to run a time trial to see exactly where I'm at from a fitness standpoint.

8 x 2000m @ 20k Race Pace

I went back home to Lockhart Friday night. I had been planning on going to the UIL Region IV Championships for a few weeks, but due to a family emergency as well I needed to go back to Lockhart. Fortunately the first race wasn't schedule to begin until 12noon, so I was able to get my Saturday morning workout in without having to wake up at some ridiculous hour. I decided to do 8x2000m @ my 20k Race Pace with a 2 minute rest. Aerobically, the workout was not all that demanding and I average 8:46 for all of them. However, I could really feel the muscular fatigue in the last 3 reps, which was the focus of the workout. I wanted to do something long and fatiguing. I feel I can manage 6:50 to 7:00 per mile for 13.1 miles without too much difficulty; however, the muscular fatigue over the duration of the race is what worries me and I feel is my weakness. It was a good workout though and I was pleased with it.

I ran 8 miles this morning. I originally wanted to run 12, but my legs were a little dead from yesterday. I still may go out to run another 4 miles tonight, we'll see. At the present moment, I just completed a 62 mile week and I have 232 miles during the past 4 weeks. Feeling pretty good.

Run, eat, and sleep....

”We ran twice a day, sometimes three times. Twenty miles a day, sometimes more. There were a couple of 170-mile weeks.... All we did was run - run, eat, and sleep.” —Frank Shorter detailing his training with Jack Bacheler and Jeff Galloway prior to the 1972 Olympics (Frank won the gold medal in the marathon)

I've made a conscious effort to put a greater emphasis on my total mileage and long runs lately. After running the half-marathon last weekend, I realized that aerobically, the pace was not overly difficult (as it shouldn't be). My greatest weakness was my muscular endurance. I'm going to subscribe to the philosophy I always stress to my athletes -- RUN MORE! I ran 230 miles in the past 4 weeks (57.5 mpw) and I plan to try to keep my mileage between 60 and 70 mpw through the end of the year. If I feel I need a recovery week, I'll take it.... but only if I need it. I've also been increasing the duration of my weekly long runs. I ran 14.5-miles on the road Sunday night. I wasn't too excited about running it on the road and I was extremely sore on Monday, but it got done. I hope to be able to get in two runs a day at least 2 or 3 times a week until the end of the year.

This morning I ran a 4-Mile Tempo Run on a course around campus. I wasn't feeling that great and during the second mile my legs felt extremely heavy (and I'm sure running up cemetery hill didn't help). However, I put in a big surge just after the 2.5-mile mark and finished pretty well. I ran 27:56 (6:55-7:16-6:55-6:49). I followed it up with 4x200m uphill with a jog back recovery and got 8 in this morning. I hope to get out and run 4 this afternoon along with 15 to 20 miles on the bike.

Just Mileage

I haven't had any "quality" workouts since Sunday's Half-Marathon. I've had some good mileage runs, but no tempos intervals or fartleks so far this week. Our conference cross country championships are in tomorrow (Saturday) morning and I've been busy with preperations for that. Once this weeks done with though, I'll have 60-65 miles down in the log book (with a day off). I have a mile repeat workout scheduled for myself in the morning. Hopefully it will go well.

Houston Half

I ran the my first half-marathon this morning in Houston. I had been looking forward to this race for quite a while, as I've never run (much less raced) a half-marathon and I was excited to see what I could do. I also wanted to get some experience with racing this distance prior to my ultimate goal, the Aramco Half-Marathon in January.

Things I learned in my first half-marathon....
1) I need to lose a few pounds. When I woke up Sunday morning I weighed myself. It's been a while since I've weighed myself so I was curious to see how much I weighed. The scale said 171 lbs. This is about 9 pounds more than what I prefer to race at. I felt heavy leading into the race. I haven't been eating very well. I'm going to go back to watching my caloric intake the next month and try to get down to 164 lbs by Thanksgiving.
2) I need to be closer to the start line when the gun goes off. Unfortunately, HHM didn't have the start area separated into pacing sections. I had to guess at where I should start. I didn't want to start near the front and get sucked into too fast of a start. So I found some other runners that looked to be about my capabilities. Moments before the gun went off I asked the guy next to me what pace he was hoping to run. He said, "Hopefully 9 minutes." My immediate thought was, "FUCK!" I split 7:16 for the first mile, which was not bad (a little faster than what I wanted the first mile to be), but I fartleked the whole first mile and I was forced to weave around a lot of people. This first mile was probably about 7 min effort. Next time, I'm going to start significantly closer to the front. I would rather be around runners that are much faster than me and have the path clear, than to weave around a bunch of fat people.
3) I need to be more even with my splits. I was all over the place with my mile splits and I think I could have run 20-30 seconds faster if I had just evened everything out. My splits were: 7:17 - 7:27 - 7:20 - 7:20 - 7:01 - 6:51 - 7:09 - 7:08 - 7:13 - 7:09 - 7:27 - 7:30 - 7:23 - 43 seconds. I was feeling pretty good after the fourth mile and accidentally ran faster than I wanted. I got a little excited and tried to keep it going. I split 6:51 for my 6th mile. I thought this was probably not a good idea and I purposely backed off, however, the damage had been done. I "hit the wall" right around the 10 mile mark and slowed significantly. If I hadn't had been all over the place with my pacing the first 10 miles, I think I could have maintained a better pace the last 3 miles and finished between 1:34:15 and 1:34:30. This was a major mistake for me which was caused by being too far off the start line in the beginning and being forced to weave around people.

4) I need to prep myself, nutritionally, better. I ate 'okay' on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. But I think I could have benefited from more complex carbs. I had a good spaghetti dinner Saturday night, but it was probably too late at that point for my body to turn those carbs into glycogen. I need to eat better on 2, 3, and 4 days prior to the race. I think this will allow me to eat lighter the day before the race and not feel so heavy. I think better glycogen stores will help prevent me from "hitting the wall" next time.
5) I need get some Gu. I had been advised by a few friends to invest in some gu for the half-marathon, but I had never done it before and didn't want to experiment with it on race day. However, I think this will help replensh my glycogen stores and will also help prevent my from "hitting the wall." I'm going to get some on my next trip to The Woodlands and start using it on my long runs and long quality workouts.
6) I need to bump up the length of my long runs. My long runs have been only about 12 miles, and that has only been for the past month. I've been planning on it, and now it's time to bump up my long runs to 16 miles. If I can keep them at 8:00 to 8:20/mile that should be sufficent at helping my maintain a good pace the last 3 miles.

I'm really beginning to realize how important it is to pay attention to the little details when you race over longer distances. In a 5k race, I can be a few pounds over weight or get by with 8-10 mile long runs. I realize how important glycogen stores are now in these long races.

At the present moment, I'm exhausted and my legs ache beyond anything I've ever felt before. I really hope I'm able to run tomorrow morning (and faster than 9 min pace), but we'll see.

Mile Repeats.... again

I've pretty much thrown my original training plan out the window. With the set backs of getting the flu, followed by my training getting off last week because of hosting a cross country meet I decided to just schedule my workouts off of feel. I feel I'm experienced enough with both my own body and principles of endurance training to "make it up as a go along." I'm still going to do most of the same workouts, I'm just not going to plan it out more than about a week or two in advance. I'm responsible and dedicated enough and know how much mileage I need to run in order to feel good and run well. I don't think I need to necessarily write my mileage goals down anymore.

In light of this decision, I decided late last week that I wanted to get another mile repeat (cruise interval) session in prior to my race Sunday. But instead of 6 this time, I'd go for 8. The weather was great (slightly cold and overcast). I ran my first 6 repeats on the road. I have a 3 mile tempo course around campus marked off (I have it measured with a wheel) and I just ran from one mile marker to the next. When I got the end of the 3 mile loop I turned around and did it again. I average 6:56 on the roads taking 1 minute rest between each repeat. After the 6th one I took a 2 minute jog (to get back to the track) and proceeded to run my last two repeats on the track. I ran 7:07 and 7:04 for my last two, taking a 2 minute rest between them.

All-in-all it was a very good workout. I average 6:58.8 for each repeat (which is about my goal for a half-marathon in January) and did more repeats than I've ever done. I think I started out a little too fast on my first 3 repeats, but every one of my repeats was within no more than 11-seconds of my overall average. I ran 6:55 - 6:53 - 6:47 - 7:02 - 6:58 - 7:03 - 7:07 - 7:04.

Good day. I feel confident in my ability to run under 96-minutes Sunday.

Back to a routine

This past week was the most stressful week for me as I am the meet director for the SHSU Cross Country Invitational and it's my responsibility to handle any and everything associated with the meet. I probably put in close to 70 hours this past week in prep for this, including some physical labor. It always interrupts my training, but I do the best I can.

I was able to get in some decent workouts this week and still managed to get about 50 miles in this week, with an off day on Saturday (meet day).

I got a good 12.1 miler in this morning out at the state park. I averaged about 8:15/mile, which is pretty normal for most of my runs on the trails at the park, though I could tell I was working a little harder than normal.

I have my first Half-Marathon next Sunday in Houston. My goal is to run between 94 and 96 minutes. Due to the flu and this XC Meet, I haven't been as consistent with my training the past month as I'd like to be, but I still feel pretty good. All I can do at this point is just watch my diet, get some good rest at night, and follow my normal routine. I hope to get a good mile repeat workout in Wednesday, but other than just some mileage and crossing of the fingers.

Two Good Days

Each of my runs the past two days have been great. I'm sure the cooler weather has a lot to do with it, but it's nice to be feeling good and running well regardless.

Yesterday (Saturday) was an extremely busy day. I woke up early to go scout perspective student-athletes at Nike South. I left the meet a little early to be back in Huntsville into for the teams practice. I had a 2 hour break between the workout and the time I had to leave to go to Magnolia to meet a with a recruit and her parents. I was able to squeeze in my run during that two hour break. I originally wanted to do 3 x 2 Miles at Forest Hills, but I didn't have time for that. So I changed the workout to 3 x 15 min hard fartlek with 3 min rest between each hard segment. I ended up running my 8.25-mile course around town and covered the entire route in just under 58-minutes. I probably ran a little harder than I originally planned, but the weather was great and I felt good, so I just went with it. I averaged 7:02/mile (including my easy jog segments of the fartlek) for the entire run, which is significantly faster than I've ever run that course before.

Today I ran 12.1-miles at the State Park. This is the longest run I've ever completed and I ran 1-hour 38-minutes 30-seconds (8:08/mile). I typically run about 8:20/mile on my runs in the park, so I was quite pleased with this run is well. I'm feeling good and at the present moment I'm looking forward to the Houston Half-Marathon in two weeks.

Run Streak = 10 days

Mile Repeats

“Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are.” -Arthur Golden

Today I ran my first quality workout since getting sick. I was hoping to be able to run 8x1600m @ ~7/mile with 1 min rest by now, but the flu set me back a bit. I decided to keep the workout at 6x1600m with 1 min rest. I timed them all, but didn't look at my watch the entire workout. I wanted to just run off of feel instead of obsessing about the pace. I average 7:20/mile for the 6 repeats and felt pretty good most of the way. However, I could really feel some soreness in my legs the last two. Last time I did this workout I average 7:07/mile. I felt about the same this time, so it's obvious I'm not back to where I was, but I think another week or so and I should be fine.

Run Streak = 6 days

Feeling it again

I've been trying to work myself back into my running the past several days. I ran 5 miles on Friday, 6.5 miles on Saturday, 7 miles on Sunday, and 7.7 miles today (Monday). Each of the runs have been better than the previous and I ran 7:48/mile for 7.7 miles today. I'm still coughing periodically, both when I'm running and not running, but it's not bad. I'm going to attempt my first quality workout tomorrow since getting sick. I'm not expecting anything great, I just hope I feel well.

Run Streak = 4 days

FML!!!!

So everything was going great. I had a 76 day running streak going. Workouts were going fairly well. High mileage weeks were becoming routine. I was handling my long runs better and better. Then shit happens!

On our way down to Corpus Christi on Friday I started feeling tight in my chest (a lot like asama). No worries though, I had already run that day and I'm sure just the change in weather was causing it (it was a lot warmer in Corpus than it was in Huntsville). Then at the meet Friday night, I started getting sore and achy. I wasn't overly worried, I figured it was just the long drive. However, once we get back to the hotel after the meet, it hit. I felt like 10 lbs of shit in a 5 lb bag. I didn't go eat with the team as the only thing I could think of was go to sleep. I knew at this moment that I had caught the flu. The number one cause of ruined training plans had it me, and at the worst possible time (like there is ever a good time). I broke the first of my own rules.... don't get sick! The entire trip from this point on was horrible. I had one of my athletes drive my van back while I slept in the back seat the entire way home. I got back home Saturday and had bearly enough energy to get home and make it to my bed. Sunday was a little better, but not much. Monday has gone much better than the previous two days and I should be back to full strength in the few more days.

The most fustrating part is that 1) my running steak ended and 2) I just registered for a 5k race in Houston on Oct 3. I was expected to run under 20 minutes there for the first time. I doubt that will happen now and I may not even make the trip. I already paid my entry fee, which sucks. This same kind of shit happened this past April when I tried to run the Blue Bell 10k in Brenham. Nothing's ever easy. FML!

Good Running = Fun Running; Bad Running = Non-Fun Running

“It’s all fun until you fucking lose!” —David Bedford

My running hasn't been going that well lately. I was able to salvage last week's threshold run; however, things have been getting progressively worse. Nothing to panic about, but I was far busier this past weekend than I would have liked and I missed out on my long run that was scheduled for Saturday. On top of that, I ran at 2pm (not smart, I know). After a long day Saturday and lots of driving, I ran 4 miles on Sunday and had a constant side stitch for the entire duration of the run. It wasn't bad, but my normal trick to getting rid of side stitches didn't work and it was uncomfortable the whole time. I ran 8 miles yesterday, and the side stitch was still there. I ran a 4 mile tempo run this morning, AND THE SIDE STITCH WAS STILL THERE! I can't seem to shake this thing and it's beginning to annoy me. I'm hoping that getting back to a daily training routine and better dietary habits will fix it.

So needless to say, my running isn't going as well as I would like it and when it's not going well it's not a lot of fun.

Run Streak = 73 days

More Threshold Running

I've been focusing lately on improving my bodies ability to utilize glycogen by trying to get as much running as I can in at 6:45/mile to 7:30/mile. My plan Thursday was to warm up, run 4 miles at my 12.5k race pace on the track, followed by some hill repeats and a cool down.

I felt sluggish in the warm up. I haven't been sleeping much lately, simply because I've been busy. I usually wake up around 5am, and don't get to bed until 10pm (at the earliest). I think this is why I've been feeling a little sluggish. I got done with my two mile warm and proceed into the workout. My goal pace was right around 7:00/mile. I ran 7:10 for my first mile and wasn't feeling too hot. Mostly, I don't think I was extremely motivated to do this workout. I seriously thought about stopping and just continuing on with just a few easy miles. However, my competitive instincts wouldn't allow this. I ran 7:09 for the second mile. After passing the halfway point I was feeling a bit better and decided to pick up the pace a bit, if no other reason than to finish sooner. I ran 6:54 for the third mile, followed by 6:42 for the last mile for a final time of 27:56 (6:59/mile). So I averaged right about what I wanted to and felt pretty good the last two miles after picking the pace up a bit. I got in a quick 8x100m uphill and a mile cool down to give me 8.25 miles for the day.

It was a good run and I'm looking forward to my 5k Race on October 3rd.

Run Streak = 69 days

Recovery Week

I'm not a big fan of recovery weeks when it comes to my own training. I know I need them and I know I'll benefit from them, in both the short term and the long term, but they really screw up my training routine. I don't find it too difficult to run higher mileage weeks. I can get into a routine and it becomes a given to wake up early to run, then to run again in the evening. But at the present moment it takes more courage and will-power to NOT run than to just go out and run. I'm having to force myself not to run. Quite a weird feeling. I can't wait to get back to the grind next week.

Run Streak = 66 days

Cross Country Running and Life

I've been extremely busy the past 3 weeks but things are beginning to calm down a bit. We had a lasagna dinner last night for the cross country team at our head coach's house. It was a good meal and enjoyed spending 'non-running time' with the athletes. It seemed liked everyone had a good time. As much as I enjoy practice, I enjoy the 'non-running time' with runners even more.

I knocked out a good workout this morning (6 x 1600m @ 10M RP w/1 min rest) and I'm near the end of a 60-65 mile week (205-210 miles the past 4 weeks). My legs are feeling a little fatigued, but not overly so. I am looking forward to a recovery week next week.

We race at the Texas A&M Cross Country Invitational tomorrow morning. Hopefully the weather will be nice and we can get a good race in. I haven't had the team do any 'high quality' training yet and while the team's overall fitness level is really good, they are not really race ready. But I still think we can have a good run.

Being that we are beginning to really get the cross country season started, I wanted to post one of the most well written and inspirational articles I've ever seen in regards to the life lessons learned through running. I hope you enjoy it....



Cross Country Running and Life
By: George Straznitskas

Late November is when many newspapers publish photos of local high school Cross Country runners in their sports' section. Usually these are group shots of kids who have been members of champion teams, or who have made all-league, all-state or all something. I always enjoy looking at these photographs.

Maybe I'm biased, but it just seems to me that pictures of THESE kids always have a different look to them, compared to other team photos I see. Some are short, some are tall. Hair and skin colors vary. However, these kids always appear to me to have a common look to them, in spite of physical differences. They seem to be looking into the camera lens reluctantly, as if each would much rather be grinding out a hilly ten miler than posing.

I think most runners, regardless of age, probably understand these sentiments. For these young people, the photos are destined to become brittle, browned, paper reminders of a great time in their life. A time when, perhaps, an otherwise quiet and somewhat introverted teenager suddenly felt empowered by the act of running competitively. And maybe for a period of 20 minutes, or so, this young warrior threw caution to the wind for the first time, running as hard as possible for as long as possible. Bathed in sweat, bent over and gasping for breath at the finish line, the athlete might have wondered aloud if this is what death must feel like.

In time, this same athlete will surely realize the opposite. Indeed, this is what life feels like. The lessons learned during the harsh cross country season can be applied to the rest of life, whether running or not. To be successful we must prepare, both physically and mentally. We must be willing to lay it on the line, in front of friends, foes and the entire world of spectators. If we fall, we need to get up quickly and get moving again. When our body weakens, we must press on. As our mind is tested by doubt, we must sustain a belief in us. And most of all, we must never, ever give up.

Looking at these young faces pictured in the newspaper, I wonder how each of these runners will utilize these valuable lessons in the years ahead. Will it be in search of Olympic Gold? Maybe these young runners will use there newfound knowledge to pursue excellence in a vocation of business or public service. Let's hope so. However, many will come to realize that many of the answers to life's everyday challenges can be found back on those narrow rocky paths and steep hills they were fortunate enough to have climbed in more innocent times.


Run Streak = 62 days

Breaking Barriers.... at all costs

“My feeling is that any day I am too busy to run is a day that I’m too busy.” —John Bryant, deputy editor of the London Times

I woke up at 4am again so that I had time to run prior to the teams workout and getting the day started. Amazingly, it's not as difficult to do this as I thought it would be.

I got started running around 4:30am with a 2 mile warm up. A half-mile into the warm up I passed the 1500 mile mark for the year. I'm a little OCD about many things, but in particular my mileage. I keep track of it to the nearest 5-hundreths, so I figure this 1500 mile total is about as accurate as it could be. After the warm up, I proceeded with the day's scheduled workout, which as a 4 Mile Tempo Run. After debating with myself of whether I should do it on the road or on the track, I ultimately opted for the road. When I'm on the track I obsess about times and paces too much and I don't think leads to effective training for me. To add to the emphasis of running on feel, I had no idea where the mile markers were for my route, so the entire run was strictly off of feel. I ended up running a 3.95 mile tempo run in 28:13.6 (7:08.4/mile). I was quite pleased with the run. Especially considering it was a hilly course (150ft elevation change). A two mile cool down put my at 8 miles for the day.

Run Streak = 59 days

Late Start

I slept in a bit this morning and didn't get started with my run until about 9am. Fortunately, the weather is cooling off, so the late start didn't negatively impact my workout.

I went over to Forest Hills again for a 2 x 2 Mile workout @ 12.5k Race Pace w/3 minute rest. I did this workout two weeks ago and averaged 14:07 for each 2 mile segment. After a two mile warm up I was feeling pretty good and had a feeling it would be a pretty good workout. I've had some pretty early mornings the past 2 weeks, so I think the extra rest did me some good. I ran my first 2 mile cruise interval in 13:40. My goal was just to run 14:00, but I felt good and under control. I had hit the mile in 6:42 and tried to hold back some in the second mile. After a 3 minute walking rest I started my second cruise interval and I hit the mile in 6:45. I was feeling pretty good, so I decided to just go with it. I finished in 13:30 feeling great. This workout was supposed to be a cruise interval workout, but I probably worked past my lactate threshold and got some VO2 stimulus out of it.... but oh well. I was feeling good and just went with it. Next time I do this workout I'll run 3 cruise intervals instead of 2, hopefully that will help keep me from running them too quickly. Good day today!

Run Streak = 56 days

Life's Interruptions

Tuesday morning I woke up at 4am so that I had time to run prior to having set up for practice at 6am. I had debated with myself if this was a good idea, and I tried to convince myself that the extra sleep I would be getting by sleeping until 5:30am would do me some good, as I could just wait to run in the evening (personally, I prefer the morning). But I decided against that thought and woke up early to get my run done. I ran 8 miles at Forest Hills with my last 3 miles in 22:20. Practice went well with the team afterwards and I made it through most of the day without feeling any undue fatigue from the early morning.

At about 3pm I received a phone call from my mom, asking if I could come home (to Lockhart) that night so that I could take her to the hospital for surgery in the morning. Her doctor had discovered melanoma on her right calf a few weeks ago. I knew she was going to have surgery and I had been making plans to be able to come home whenever she had it scheduled to make sure she had a ride to and from the hospital and to make sure her recovery was going okay. However, she was expecting it to be in mid September. I quickly tied up some loose ends to make sure my team knew what to do while I was gone and that my classes were either covered by another professor or cancelled/rescheduled. I also had to make sure everything was prepped for our first XC competition on Friday. After all that and getting the teams afternoon practice started I left to go to my house, throw some clothes in a bag and head to Lockhart. I got to Lockhart at about 10:30pm and I was exhausted from the long day. Needless to say, I'm now glad I woke up at 4am to run, otherwise I may have had to miss a day in my running streak.

Her surgery went well and she's doing just fine. I'm getting all my running in (though I'm missing the elliptical) and I can't wait to get back to Huntsville Friday morning.

Run Streak = 54 days

Progressive Running

I woke up at 5:15 this morning to make sure I have plenty of time to get my morning workout in. Surprisingly, it seems to be getting easier and easier to wake up early to run; and the weather has been GREAT lately so it makes it that much easier. I ran my 7.45 mile loop this morning in 1:38. The overall time is not that impressive, but I started out rediculously and was able to progressively increase my pace the whole run. I averaged 8:35/mile for the first 2.9 miles, then 8:00/mile for the next 2.2 miles, and finally 7:42/mile for my last 2.35 miles. I then spent some quality time on the elliptical (40 minutes). I've noticed that the fitter I get, the harder the first mile of every run feels; but on the flip side, the fitter I get the better I feel the last 3-4 miles.

Run Streak = 51 days

Interesting Conversations....

I had scheduled practice for 6:30am at the state park. I had 6 to 8 miles scheduled for the women and 6 to 10 miles schedule for the men. Typically, our Sunday runs are a lot longer, but this was the last day for their recovery week and I know a few of them are feeling pretty fatigued, so I decided to go easy on them.

However, three of the girls (Molly, Megan, and Haleigh) decided to run the inside loop at the park. They said it is a 10-mile loop and the time we ran would indicate that it is a 10-mile loop, however, I beleive it's probably a 9.1-mile loop as that's what all the maps seem to indicate. It was nice running with them. We had some interesting conversations regarded world affairs and feral children, but it didn't take long for the conversation to be steered towards relationships (mainly their relationships, as I have no life outside of running). It was a very interesting and informational conversation that last about 30-40 minutes. It was a good run.

Run Streak = 50 days

Cruise Intervals

I scheduled an early morning light workout with the team at the track. As group they ran for about 25-30 miles (Men 4 miles / Women 3 miles) followed by a few short hill repeats and a short cool down. I rode my bike with the men on their 4 mile group run. The atmosphere was pretty light today, which was nice after yesterday's stressful workout. I think everyone needed that, and I know I definately did.

I had 6 x 1600m scheduled for myself. I'm focusing heavy on improving my lactate threshold at the moment, so I had them schedule to be at my current 10 mile race pace with a 1 minute rest. I ran.... 7:07 - 7:07 - 7:03 - 7:12 - 7:01 - 7:09 for an average of 7:07/mile. It was a good workout. The weather was nice and I felt like accomplished what I wanted out of it. It felt good and I could have done a few more if I had wanted to, but I'm trying to be patient. I plan to work my way up to 12 x 1600m by Janaury. If I can do that, I should be ready to knock out a good Half-Marathon. I cooled down a mile to give my self 9-miles for the day.

Run Streak = 49 days

Bad Mood = Good Running

I've been in a shitty mood the past few days and I think it's because I've been working 12-14 hour days to try to get all my work done (and I'm still behind). On top of that, when the morning workouts I have scheduled for the team don't go well I get in even more of a bad mood. So this morning's workout was a 6 mile steady run for the women and a 6 to 8 mile steady run for the men. Needless to say, it sucked!* So after biking 10.5 miles and running 2 miles to prep for practice, I ran 5 miles as hard as I could around town to run off some stress. So the run went well, but even on completition I was still pissed. I get extremely annoyed with excuses from athletes as to why they can't do the workout for the day. It makes me want to kick them in the nuts!

*So after getting cleaned up and after getting back into the office, one of my athletes comes by to pick up her shoes. She asks me what I thought about thought the run this morning. I immediately start telling her about how pissed I was and how concerned I am that the athletes can't handle a simple steady run. After talking a bit more about it, it comes to fruition that I wrote the wrong times down because I was looking at the wrong finish watch (I had 3 watches going for this morning's workout). I was about 4.5-minutes off on each finishing time for the women. So the workout didn't go as bad as I thought. On the bright side, I got a 5 mile hard run out of the whole thing!

Run Streak = 48 days

Cruise Intervals

I had scheduled a relatively short set of cruise intervals for myself this morning. The exact workout was 2 x 2 Miles @ 12.5k Race Pace w/3-4 minute rest. The past couple of days have been extremely busy and today doesn't look to be any different. So I woke up at 5:30am and rode my bike over 'Forest Hills' to run a 2 mile road loop that I typically have my athletes do tempo runs on. I like the course as it requires a lot of uphill and downhill running (very little of it is flat). After a 2 mile warm up, I proceeded to run 14:10 for the first one and 14:06 for my second one. Which is right in the range I wanted to run. I was feeling really good after the first one, so I kept my recovery at 3 minutes and when I started the second one, I probably ran this first mile a little too quick (~6:56), so I backed off slightly to keep it under control in the second mile. It was a good workout, I felt like I could have done another one if I had needed too, but if I had I don't think I could have run much faster than what I ran the first two in. I'm looking forward to some mile repeats this weekend!

Run Streak = 45 days

Heat Wave

I ran the Heat Wave 5k this morning, which is one of the monthly club events for my running club, Seven Hills RC. There was a really good turn out which is always good to see. I like to say that there are two types of people in this world.... those who run and those who should.

I haven't done any heavy training the past few weeks. I've only averaged about 40 miles each week with no quality workouts. My goal today was the negative split and just get an idea of what kind of shape I'm so I can determine the proper paces for my workouts. I ran 10:51.1 (~6:57/mile) for the "out" portion of the out-in-back course. On the "back" portion I ran 10:21.3 (~6:38/mile) for a total time of 21:12.4. I was quite pleased with this run. I ran this exact same course at the end of April and ran 21:38. I was doing a lot more quality workouts at that time and my mileage was significantly higher then, so I was quited pleased with the run and with the fact that I ran almost 30 seconds faster. The weather was fairly nice for an August morning in Southeast Texas.

Run Streak = 42 days

Group Running!

All of my athletes moved into Huntsville yesterday, and this morning was our first organized practice. It was a good feeling to have the group back together and I'm pretty excited with the shape everyone appears to be in, particularly the freshmen girls. Today's run was real easy (5 miles @ 8:30-9:00/mile), but we didn't lose anyone. It's the first time in a while I've had that many girls at practice and all are able to complete the run. Hopefully everyone can stay healthy and we'll put together a good season.

It has been pretty hectic at work the past few days and will continue to be for at least another week or two. After that we'll get into a routine and life will be easy again. But dispite the craziness I haven't broken my streak yet and it's getting pretty easy to maintain.

Run Streak = 41 days

It's too hot to run long....

Today was the first day of my new 7 month training plan in prep for the Aramco Half-Marathon and the Houston Rodeo Run 10k in January and February, respectively. I'm not making any major changes in the basic training approach as I will continue to focus on developing both my aerobic and lactate thresholds along with improving my maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 Max). However, I'm going to bump up my total volume of running and increase the distance of my long runs to 16.5 miles (hopefully).

I'm not too concerned with the increase weekly mileage, but the long runs are of a particular concern. With the warm weather, I've been struggling to when trying to run over about 8.5 miles. I tried to run 10.5 miles the other evening, but by the time I got to 7.5 miles I knew I was in trouble. Over the next two miles my place slowed from ~8 min/mile to ~9 min/mile. I stopped at 9.5 miles, as I didn't want the final mile to turn into a death march. I need to figure something out to combat the fluid loss I have through sweat. I can't wait for cooler temps!

Run Streak = 37 days

Streaking!

So I've started a running streak. It didn't begin with the goal of establishing a streak, but once I got to about 15-16 days I started to realize that I had a streak going. I went back through my log book for the past 6 months and realized that my longest streak had been about 15 days. So as of my morning run today, I was at 31 consecutive days. I'm only counting days in which I total at least 3 miles in one run. We'll see how long this lasts.

Thoreau

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." - Henry David Thoreau (Walden)

This quote has a special meaning to me, and anytime I feel like I'm struggling to succeed in the ultra-competitive world of collegiate athletics I always resort back to this quote. It reminds me that the key to success in endurance running is dedication over an extended period of time and an unwavering desire to improve oneself. If one can stick to the training and truly apply themselves they will not only see their physical abilities improve, but they will discover who they really are and they truly find themselves in this world. Of all the success stories I've had with athletes in my short coaching career, I don't think I'll ever be more proud of any athlete than I am with the two athletes that come to mind every time I see this quote. They have done more for me than they will ever know and I will forever be indebted to them.

I had another very good run tonight. I knocked out 6.45 miles in 48:38 (~7:32/mile) around the streets of Huntsville. I've been spending quite a bit of time on the elliptical and I feel like that is having a strong, positive impact on my running. I felt smooth and undercontrol the entire run. I'm excited to get back into the full swing of training after next week.

Words to Live By

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!"

— Rudyard Kipling

I've been running in the HKC the past couple of days as I've been readjusting to the heat. My runs on that little 200m track always go by so quickly and I feel fast. Partly because I run each lap in under 60 seconds, partly because I go blowing by all the walkers/joggers, and partly because I get bored quickly - so I run faster than what I normally do outside. I've also been putting in at least an hour a day on the elliptical. I've found that the little personal TVs on each machine have me spoiled. I can watch my daily episode of Bones (Dr. Brennan's hyper-rational behavior is a turn on) while getting a good aerobic workout in.

Tonight I set our for an easy 7.5 mile run. I started off pretty conservative, given that I hadn't run outside the past few days and I didn't want to get 4 miles into the run and have to stop (again). I got to about mile 5 feeling great. I checked my watch and I was at just over 39:30. A little surprised with the ease of the pace, I picked it up a bit and hit 7.5 miles in a hair over 59-minutes. I decided to continue with another 3-miles to give me 10.5 miles. I finished in 1:23:14. Not only is that the longest run I've done, ever. But it was at a pretty decent clip and felt remarkably easy. I have no doubt I could have knocked out another 4 miles at the same pace. This just makes me even more excited for the Half-Marathon this January. I can't wait for the weather to cool off. If I can stay healthy, I feel this could be a very good Fall/Winter for me :)

FML!!!!

It's too hot! I could barely manage a 3.5 mile run this morning. I can't believe I ask my athletes to run 60, 70, and even 80 mile weeks in this crap. I can't believe they are dumb enough to do it. FML!!!!

If you can run in Huntsville, Texas.... you can run anywhere!

I've determined that traveling is a double edged sword. While I enjoy traveling to new places and having new experiences, I hate things that interrupt my normal routine. It always seems to take me 7-10 days to re-adjust once I get home. I'm definately feeling the heat and humidity. I was in Colorado just long enough to get spoiled, now it's back to reality. I finished my 7.5 mile run this morning covered in sweat. I literally looked like I climbed straight out of a swimming pool.... AND THIS WAS AT 7AM! Not once was I covered in sweat at the conclusion of run in Colorado. I also noticed that my average pace was a few seconds per mile slower than the pace I was running in Colorado Springs (+6500 ft). This is the effect that this heat and humidity can have on you, but you never really realize it until you've exprienced something different. I've always said that it takes more discipline and dedication to be a distance runner in SE Texas (particularly in the summer) than anywhere else in the country, and I stand by that statement.

Completed Training Cycle

So today marked the end of my 20 week training cycle. It was a very good 20 weeks and I am extremely impressed with the progress I've made. For example, on January 22 I did a 3 mile tempo run in Huntsville and ran 24:26 (8:08/mile) and on July 26 I did a 4 mile tempo run in Boulder, CO and ran 27:53 (6:58/mile). It's remarkable what can be accomplished in just 6 months. I'm now excited to start training for my next training cycle. This one will be a 6.5 month plan with my primary focuses being on the Aramco Half-Marathon on January 17 in Houston and then the Houston Rodeo Run 10k at the end of February. I don't plan on increasing the volume of my highest mileage weeks much (I'll probably continue to top out at 60-65 miles in my high weeks), but I'm going to increase the frequency of these weeks so that I'm able to string together 3 consecutive weeks of 60-65 miles on two different occasions. I'm also going to keep my focus on improving my lactate threshold and maximal oxygen consumption. I tend to respond well when I'm able to get 2 or 3 good LT or VO2 workouts each week. I'm excited about it!

I'm a "stats guy." I like to look at numbers and try to find patterns or tendencies. If these stats are interpreted properly I think they can give a good indication of what individuals need to do to continue to improve from one season to the next. Here are my running stats from the past 5 months.

Total Miles: 926.5 miles
Avg Miles/Week: 46.325 miles
Total Number of Runs: 154 (in 140 days)
Avg Distance/Run: 6.016 miles
Highest Mileage Week: 60.8 miles (May 25 - May 31)
Lowest Mileage Week: 26.6 miles (Apr 6 - Apr 12)
Number of Weeks Over 60 miles: 3
Number of Weeks Over 50 miles: 9
Number of Weeks Under 40 miles: 6
Number of Weeks Under 30 miles: 2
Total Time Spent Running: 121-hours, 27-minutes and 57-seconds
Avg Running Time/Week: 6-hours, 4-minutes and 24-seconds
Avg Running Pace: 7-minutes and 52-seconds
Avg Run Duration: 47-mintues and 19-seconds

Tempo Time

I've been wanting to run a 4 Mile Tempo for a while now. I define a "tempo" as a run that is at about 90-95% of your maximum effort over that distance. I've always felt like these runs are a great, and accurate, judge of fitness. However, being in Boulder (instead of at sea level), I wasn't really sure what to expect. After about a 1.5 warm up I began with the main goal of not overrunning the first mile and half to make sure I had a decent finish. I hit the first mile in 7:10, followed by a 7:01, a 6:44 for the 3rd mile (20:56), and closed with a 6:57 for a final time of 27:53.8. I was just hoping to run under 30-minutes, which would have been the fastest I've ever run a 4 Mile Tempo. So I was extremely excited with my final time! On top of that, I felt so good after I finished that I decided to get a little more quality work in, so after a mile recovery jog I ran a hard mile in 6:38. I cooled down for about a mile to give myself 8.5 miles on the morning. It was a great workout and it has me feeling really good about my current fitness level.

(P.S. I'm not looking forward to returning to the heat and humidity of SE Texas in a few days)

What Altitude?

Boulder sits at a little over 5400 ft above sea level and at this point it should be relatively easy to feel the effects of the increased altitude (especially coming from sea level). However, I haven't noticed it much. My paces are just a few seconds per mile slower than what I normally run, but that could also be attributed to the fact that I've been putting in quite a bit more miles the past few weeks than I have originally planned. I'm going to do a 4 Mile Tempo Run along Boulder Creek on Saturday morning and that should really tell me how big of a negative effect that altitude has.

Other than that, I've just been putting in the mileage.... 29.5 miles in the past 3 days and 86 miles in the past 10 days. Quite a bit more than the 40 mile weeks I had planned at this point in the year, but I've been bored and at times boredom can be a runners best friend.

Feel Surprisingly Good!

It wasn't but a few short weeks ago when I was struggling to finish a 5 mile run at any pace and couldn't hold a 6:30 mile to save my life. But it's amazing what a little determination and persistence can do. The past week or so has been amazing. I've been breezing through long runs at a good solid pace. On a few occassions I've felt so good I've been able to really hammer the last mile or two. I was going to do a 3200m Time Trial Monday evening, but it was windy and about to storm in Lockhart, so I decided to forgo the time trial in favor of a quality endurance run. I ended up running 6.1 miles at about 7:28 per mile. I was quite pleased with this, especially considering I ran a 10k Race in February in similar conditions and ran about 7:15 per mile the entire way.

Today I traveled to Boulder, Colorado. My flight left out of Austin at 6:35am, and I wasn't sure if I would have time or energy to run once I got to Boulder, so I woke up at 3:30am to get in almost 4 miles. It felt almost effortless and I breezed through it pretty quickly. After traveling most of the morning I arrived in Boulder. I walked around campus for a while just checking out the sights. I strolled down Pearl St, which is the main drag here in Boulder. It's quite a nice place and the weather is awesome. At 3pm it was about 75-degrees with a slight breeze and 65% humidity. I had already been settled in and I couldn't pass up this opportunity to run. So at 3pm I went out and ran an easy 5.5 miles along Boulder Creek Path that runs right through part of campus and next to the dorm I'm staying in. I never would dream of running outside at 3pm in Texas in July. As it was in Eugene, this place feels like another world.

It's Been a While

It's been a while since I've been able to make a post. I've been at my mom's house in Lockhart for a few days and she doesn't have the internet (or a TV), so I've been bored the past couple of days. This has led me to run 10-15 miles more this week past week than I originally planned (which is not necessarily a bad thing).

The first thing I did Friday morning was register for the Houston Aramco Half-Marathon on January 17. It's good thing I didn't procrastinate on that as the race was full by 8:45 that same evening. I have a few friends who waited and missed out on registering. I've never run a half-marathon (my longest run has been about 10 miles). I'm going to bump my mileage up a bit and really focus on long steady running and really improve my lactate threshold. After doing a lot of repetition work the past 6 weeks I'm looking forward to getting back to mileage runs and threshold work. If I take care of my body and stay healthy until then I feel like I should be able to run quit well.

For fun I did a 400m time trial the other evening. I haven't really prepared for it. The fastest I've run in the past several months was a set of 200s at about 35-36 seconds, but I wanted to see what I could run. Unlike a real quarter miler, I negative split with a 35.5 first 200m and 34.6 second 200m for a final time of 70.1-seconds. That is about what I thought I'd run, but it's nothing to write home about. I now of something to shoot for if I ever decide to train for a 400m dash.

Tomorrow morning I leave for Colorado for a week. I'll be in Boulder for the first few days at the USATF Level II Education Program. I got my level 2 certification last year in the endurance events and I'm going to focus on getting my certification in the jumping events now. I'm going to stay a few extra days and see the sights in Colorado Springs and Denver. I've never been to Colorado, so I'm looking forward to this trip. I'm also looking forward to the cooler weather (hopefully the altitude won't disrupt my running much). It should be a nice working vacation.

Long, Interesting Day

For some odd reason, I woke up at 5am this morning. I had set my alarm for 5:30am, hoping I'd be responsible enough to get up without hitting the snooze button (or reseting the alarm altogether). But at 5am I woke up and I was wide awake. I could have probably gone back to bed, but I knew if I did I wasn't going to wake up 30-minutes later. So I go up and goofed around at the house for a while before I decided to go ahead and go to the track.

I had been planning a 1500m Time Trial for a while now, but I just haven't been able to bring myself to doing it. I had been enjoying myself on my mileage runs and they were feeling easy again, but I decided to go ahead and do it this morning. I went through the warm up feeling pretty good and I was excited about what I might be able to run. I figure I was probably in shape to run between 5:15 and 5:20 if I felt good, the weather was decent, and if I was able to find a way to push myself running solo. I hit the first 400m in 86.9, followed by a 84.6. I slowed a bit to 86.8, hitting the 1200m mark in 4:18.3. This is the exact same time I hit during a 1200m Time Trial at the end of June. I ran my last 300m in 63.1 for a total time of 5:21.5. While I was little slower than what I thought I could run, I figured this was satisfactory given the fact I haven't done any repetition running in the last few weeks. It was also a solo effort. I'll take it. For good measure, I went and spent some time on the elliptical immediately after finishing my cool down. I've been spending about 5-6 hours a week on the elliptical. I find it gives me a good workout without leaving me exhausted for my run the follow day.

I went out to the park this afternoon for an easy 5 miles. I haven't run out at the state park much in the past month, and didn't run there much before that. It didn't take me long before I realized why I hadn't been out there much. I HATE RUNNING IN THE STATE PARK! While the trees do provide shade from the scorching sun, they also block whatever breeze may be blowing. I also can't stand running in the sand. I feel like I expend a lot of energy and never make much progress. The next time I run at the state park it'll be too soon. I'm going to stick to the roads for a while.

Back to the Basics

So I've just been running mileage lately. I haven't had a big desire to do much in the way of 'quality' workouts or time trials, so I've been able to enjoy myself on some basic mileage runs. I went fishing with my grandfather on Saturday and by the time we were done I was too tired to go for a run, so I took Saturday off. However, I've totaled 25 miles the last three 'run days' and it's all felt pretty good. I got a good 8.5 mile run in this morning at what turned out to be a pretty good clip towards the end. I realized today that my favorite part of running are the mileage runs. I can just go out and do whatever I want without worrying about times, efforts, or splits. I can run as hard or as easy as I want, for as long or as short as I want. A lot less stressful than those quality track workouts. The past 5-6 days have been a real pick me up and I'm ready for the weather to cool so I can start hammering out the miles again.

I'M BACK!!!!

My runs the past few days have been getting better and better, which is a big relief. Things had been going so bad that after Saturday's race I thought about calling it a season, taking two weeks off, and then start building up a base again for races in Nov, Dec, Jan, and Feb. So it's been quite nice feeling like my old self again. I took a 'recovery' week last week after running more than I had planned on while in Oregon. I've also been slowly adjusting back to the heat and humidity while getting back to my normal daily routine. I've noticed I respond well under an organized and structured daily routine. I'll have to remind myself of all this next time I start feeling like crap for apparently no reason.

I got a good fartlek in this morning and surprised myself with how fast I ran and how undercontrol it felt. After a 2 mile warm up I did my 3-mile loop (actually 3.05 miles) following a cycle of (2 min hard / 1 min hard / 30 sec hard) with 1 minute easy running between each segment. I ran my course just under 22:15 (7:17 per mile). This included my easy running segments. I figure I was probably running 6:30 to 6:45 per mile for my hard segments. This was quite encouraging as I had been stuggling to maintain 8 min pace the past few days. I'm going to try to get in a 1500m solo time trial on the track sometime in the next few days. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and give me a chance to run well.

I can't explain how good it feels to be running well again. I was beginning to get fustrated with myself, but having patience, being persistant, believing in your training, and believing in yourself are the keys to getting through those rough patches. Keep the faith and when in doubt.... Run More....

Run Wild 5k

So the race this morning didn't go as well as I was hoping, but my training the past 5 days hasn't been going that well either. I've been feeling very 'flat' and I haven't had much energy. I think the combination of heat, humidity, traveling, and the interruption of my training routine are the main culprits. I also think I've neglected VO2 work in the past several weeks as I have been focusing on the mile. I've been doing a lot more repetitions instead and I could definitely feel a difference today. The pace never felt too fast, the race just felt too long.

The race started at 7:30am in Houston. I check the weather before I left and it said the humidity was going to be about 90% and it definitely felt that way. My only thoughts in the first mile were "hold back," and I felt like I did. The pace felt 'under control' and I hit the first mile in 6:43. Before the race started I had accepted that given the conditions and how I had been feeling the previous days that I was probably not going to PR, but I wanted to give it a good run given the conditions and place well in my age group (at least top 10). However, I was about 13 seconds slower than I wanted to be at this point. I felt I moved well in the second mile, but only managed to split 6:55 (13:38 for 2 miles). I knew I was in trouble at this point as my only thought was, "I hope I can just finish." I ran 7:26 for the 3rd mile (21:05 for 3 miles). I managed a 40-second last 172 yards for a finishing time of 21:45.5. I was spent.

I'm going to experiment with running at different times of the day to figure out which I prefer. I typically sweat more than others and the humidity has been killing me lately. Maybe running late in the evenings will work better for me (sleeping in later sounds nice). I have just over 2 weeks of training left before I take a short training break before getting ready for the Houston Half-Marathon in January (more on that later). Hopefully I can get something figured out to salvage these last two weeks.

IT'S HOT!!!!

Holy Cow! Can it possibly get any hotter?!?

After a good repetition workout yesterday I woke up early this morning to run a little over 8 miles with one of my athletes. 8 miles has become a pretty standard run and I was expecting it to be a just a moderate effort run. We started running at 6:30am as I was hoping to avoid the scorching heat of a Texas summer, however, their is no escaping the humidity. By 4 miles the moderate effort plan went completely out the window. We weren't running all the quick, but I could tell I was sweating a lot. I've made a conscious effort to try to stay hydrated and I feel like I do nothing but drink water and pee all day, but apparently that's still not enough. By the time we reached mile 6 I was completely exhausted. I barely had enough energy to walk back to the finish. That was the second worst I've ever felt on a run. But just as one good run doesn't make the season, one bad run doesn't break the season. I have a 5k race Saturday morning. I'm just going to hydrate and rest until then. Wish me luck!

Back to Reality

The past 7 days were amazing…. beautiful scenery, great track competition, awesome running conditions, and a lot of fun times with Mike, DJ, Jon, Lane, and Andy. At the present moment, this was by far the most enjoyable trip I've taken with the team. I can't imagine anything that could have been better.

After spending all day traveling on Monday to get back to Huntsville, I'm ready to get back to my normal routine. I haven't been able to get in cross training, strength training, or swimming in this past week; so I'm ready to start that again. I also haven't been eating very well that past 4-6 weeks and I defiantly can tell a different in my running and my overall energy levels. I have three weeks until I go to Colorado, so I'm going to go back to sticking to a stricter diet until then. It will probably all go to crap again once I get to Colorado (it always does if I travel for more than few days) but if I can eat well until then I should be okay.

I'm also entering the last phase of my current training plan. I have a time trial schedule once a week from now until I leave. I'll have a 5k race this Saturday in Houston, followed by a 1500m time trial next week, an 800m time trial the following week, and a 3k time trial the day before I leave for Colorado. I've been running pretty well for a while so I'm looking forward to see what I can run in these time trials.

Pre's Trail

I got to run on Pre's Trail the past two mornings and it's quite a nice trail. My only complaint is that it is flat (I like hills) and that it is pine chips and dirt. My lower legs were covered in dirt once I finished running and now both my training shoes and racing flats are extremely dirty. I guess this is the side effect of running on soft pine trails. I've also noticed that the softer trails around here make my patellar tendons sore. I run mostly on roads in Huntsville (which I prefer) and my patellar tendons are strong, but they are just not used to the stability required of them from running on soft trails. However, I think if I ran on these trails more often they would adjust. Other than that though, it's a great place to train. The weather was amazing and it's a 4.1 mile loop with various connectors throughout. It's a very peaceful and relatively quiet place to train.

Saturday morning, after a 4 mile warm up, I did a 4.1 mile tempo run on Pre's Trail. I ran 29:21.7 (7:09.7 per mile). It felt good (the weather was great) and I was pleased with it. I felt like I could have gone on to 6 miles at that pace. I'm hoping to run around 19:40 for 5k next weekend in Houston. However, if I were to run a 5k up here I think I could get pretty close to 19-flat. It's hard to describe how easy it is to run up here and how big of a negative effect the heat and humidity have (it was 50 degrees this morning when I ran.... in June!).

It’s also a pretty cool to be running on the same trails and at the same time as the elite runners. I’ve seen Bernard Lagat, Matt Tegenkamp, Evan Jagar and a host of others that blew by me in a blur and I was unable to recognize them.

I've gotten in 22.5 miles the past two days (I'm currently at 53 for the week). This is more than I wanted to run this week, but I've decided to just go with it and take advantage of the great training areas while I can. I'll try to keep tomorrow's run under 6 miles.... but no promises :)

Lots Going On

So a lot has been going on. I'm still here in Oregon at the USA National Championships. This is a bit of a working vacation. The weather here is unbelievable. Running in Texas you just grow accustomed to having to deal with hot and humid weather. You wake up early or wait until late to run, but you tend to forget that people in other parts of the country don't have to deal with this torture. I've been keeping to my morning run schedule while here, but to be honest, it's cold when I run in the morning. If I didn't have other things going on, I could easily wait until 3pm and run (it was 68 degrees at 3pm today with 48% humidity). My workout this morning was 8x800m @ 4k-5k race pace with a 2 min rest [200m jog in that 2 min rest]. I really like this workout and do it at least every couple of weeks. In Texas I've been averaging about 3:14-3:17 for each 800m, though last time I did the workout I went 3:11-3:12-3:17-3:21 and quit because I felt like crap. Today I averaged 3:07.1 for each 800m and it felt easy. If I wasn't racing next weekend I would have kept going and run 10-12 intervals. Running is so easy up here that it's hard to explain. Any southern runner who has a chance to run up here for a few days in the summer needs to do it. There is a night and day difference. I have a 4-mile tempo run scheduled for Saturday. I can't wait!

I passed the 1000 mile mark for 2009 today. It took me 176 days to reach this and I'm on pace for 2080 miles for the year. As long as I stay healthy, I think I'll get close to 2200 once I begin to bump up my mileage in preperations for a half-marathon in January.

This working vacation has been a lot of fun. We drove about an hour and half yesterday to go to Florence, Oregon to see the Pacific coast. We drove through some very beautiful mountains in Western Oregon. It was overcast and misty once we got there, but we still played on a beach for a little while then went to eat some seafood (I don't really like seafood, but I felt I needed to eat some since we were on the coast). The meet is going well and I have to admit I'm little star struck. While hanging out in the coach/athlete hospitality tent I get to over-hear a lot of conversations between elite athletes and their friends/coaches/agents. It's quite interesting to hear what they talk about and what their attitudes are about other athletes. It's been fun so far.

I plan on running Pre's Trail in the morning and checking out the memorial where he died. I'm not a big Prefontaine fan, but just as every Muslim must visit Mecca at some point in their life it seems like every distance runner must visit Eugene and Pre's Memorial at some point.

Long Day

I woke up at 5:15am to make sure I had time and energy to run today. It's times like this when I think I may be taking my running a bit too seriously. Most recreational runners would just sleep in and possible take the day off, but my competitive instincts won't let me do that. I was able to get in a good 8 miler and I was able to really push the pace the last 3 miles. It felt good and I feel really fit aerobically right now. It wasn't but 6 months ago when a 5 mile run was a long way.... and now 8 miles feels pretty standard.

I left Huntsville at 8am to go to the airport and fly to Oregon. The USA National Championships are this week and we've had 4 athletes qualify. Since Coach Collier and Coach Self are on vacation I had to bring the athletes. The flight into Portland was amazing as we flew very close to a massive snow covered mountain just before landing. The scenary here is amazing and the weather is beautiful. I've search the internet and found several running trails in the Eugene area. I hope to run on as many of them as I can while I'm here. I can't wait for my morning run. It was a long trip and I'm pretty tired, but I'm looking forward to waking up early to get in a good run.

Anaerobia

This morning I went out with the intention of doing a 1200m time trial, followed by a couple of 400s. After warming up I ran 4:18.3 (88.8 - 86.9 - 82.6) and it felt way to easy for a time trial. I was timid at the start and ran the first 400m way too conservatively. I was disappointed with the time but encourage with how it felt. After a 400m jog and short rest I ran 2x400m @ 77 sec with a 400m jog between each. I felt strong on the 400s. Hopefully when I time trial again in a few weeks over 800m and 1500m I'll feel like I did today. I just need to remember to be a little more aggressive.

First Blog

This is my first blog and I don't know how long this will last... I've been envolved with endurance athletes the past 12 years, but with few small exceptions, I've never been much of a runner... until about 7 months ago. After losing about 80 lbs through diet and unorganized exercise I started running pretty frequently (losing another 20 lbs). It didn't take long for my competitive instincts to take over and the next thing I know I'm running over 40 miles most weeks with 2 or 3 'quality' workouts each week. I've also started racing as frequently as I can, as I enjoy seeing the fruits of my labor (obessive compulsive disorder).