Running Log

Ran 5.1 miles in 43:50. 8:35 AP. Ran to Concordia, did a mile on the track, then home. I did a bit of fartlek running at the track at tempo pace.

Mile Splits: 8:58, 8:38, :57, 7:31, 8:41, 9:07

Biked for 32 minutes. Main set was 5 x 1:30 on/off. I'm loggin it as 2 miles just because.

Afterwards, I did 2 sets of bench, squats, curl/press, lunge, sit-ups.

Ran 6.5 miles in about 63 minutes. Ran around River Forest. There was an inch of snow and it was raining a frozen drizzle, but it actually wasn't that cold. Just a bit tough to run in due to the slippery snow.

Mile Splits: 10:17 (w/drills), 9:07, ?, ?, ?, 9:34 (w/drills).

Biked on the trainer for 30 minutes. Effort was moderate. I put in a handful of 2 minute surges. I'll put in 2 miles just to say something aerobic. It was just so dang cold out - single digits suck.

Biked for 35 minutes at 5:30 am. Windchill was -15. I hate Chicago.

Biked for 60 minutes on the trainer. -30 with the windchill. I'm putting in 3.5 miles just because.

Did about 20 minutes of easy w/u and c/d. Then 7 intervals of 2' hard/easy, 2 intervals of 1' hard/easy, and 3 intervals of :30 hard/easy.

At halfway point and after bike session, I did 2 sets of bench (10), squats (10), curl/press (8), lunge (10), and sit-ups (15).

Biked on the trainer inside today. -25 with the windchill. Biked for 55 minutes.

10' w/u

3 x 5' hard/easy

2 x 2' hard/easy

8.5' c/d

Biked for an easy 20 minutes in the basement. Crazy cold out today. Boo....

Ran 5.1 miles in 43:01. 8:26 AP. Ran to Concordia, down to Chicago Ave, and back. Mile 3 and 4 I picked it up to what I perceived as marathon pace (around 7:50/mi). Roads were icy and slushy, so more effort was required for the slow pace.

Mile Splits: 9:07 (w/drills), 8:49, 1:05, 7:31, 8:30, 8:59.

Ran 3 miles in ~24:40.

Mile splits: 8:10, 7:57, 8:42

Ran 2.5 miles in about 21:30. Did a little surge for 1/2 mile.

Biked for 20 minutes on the trainer, so I'm writing down 1 mile just cuz. 10' easy, 10' moderate effort.

At my mom's, ran 8.15 miles total at marathon pace. 7:50 AP. Ran 5.1 miles to the bike store to look at bikes, then 3 back home. 

Mile-Ish Splits: 7:45 (0.96mi), 7:30 (1mi), 8:00 (1mi), 8:47 (1.1), 8:00 (1.1), 8:15 (1mi), 7:45 (1mi), 7:35 (0.96mi). 

Felt really good that I could pump out 8 miles at that pace. Previous time I did a 7-9 mile run, I was at easy pace of 8:30s or above. 

Ran about 3 miles in 23:27. 7:50 AP. This was a very hilly route. I knew it would be a short run, so I pushed it up the hills at what I'll call threshold pace.

Ran 3.5 miles in 30:08. 8:37 AP. Ran to the church and back. I ran at easy pace, but I had to remember to take it easy after two fairly hard effort days.

Mile splits: 8:28, 8:38, 8:47, 4:16 (0.5 mi). 

AM: Ran 4 miles in 34 minutes. 8:30 AP. I was a lazy slob and in a really bad mood all week, so I didn't run T-F. Kinda mad at myself. I hope to get in another run today during the kids' nap time. 

PM: Ran 5.1 miles in 40:33. 7:57 AP. Ran to Conc, Chicago Ave, and back. I tried to run mile 3.1 at marathon pace, but it was more like threshold pace - around 7:10.

Mile splits: 8:28, 7:58, 7:30 (1.1 miles), 8:05, 8:34.

Ran 6 miles in 53:01. 8:50 AP. Ran to Chicago Ave train tracks and back. 

Mile splits: 8:36, 8:36, 8:27, 8:50, 9:10, 9:19.
I definitely slowed down in pace and motivation for the second half. My legs were feeling yesterday's workout, especially after no runs the previous 4 days. 

Ran 4 miles in 36:52. 9:13 AP. Ran to Concordia and back.

Miles Splits: 8:47, 8:56, 9:16, 9:50.

I ran slow, as slow as my legs felt like going. It was snowing, too, with a 1/4 inch on the road. So the running was a bit slippery.

Ran 5.1 miles in 41:45. 8:11 AP. Ran to Concordia, Chicago Ave, and back.

Mile splits: 8:21, 8:03, 7:55, :33 (.1), 7:57, 8:25.

On the bike trainer: 5' easy, 4' moderate, 1' hard, 1' easy. Did that twice.
Did 10x bench, squat, lunge, shoulder press/curl, sit-ups after each set of bike above.

I'm writing down 1 mile just cuz.

Month Review: I started off the month very strong with a 29-mile week. I think I missed only 2 days over the first 15 or so days of January. That flow didn't continue through to the end of the month, as I didn't work out 4 days each of the last two weeks. I think I only averaged 16 miles per week. That is a problem. The cause is not getting up before work/school to run. I've just been so tired and unmotivated - both in running and at work - so maybe it's just winter getting me down. Perhaps a motivator could be signing up for a race in late Feb or early March. There are a few St. Patty's day runs here in Chicago, so I might try to sign up for one of those.

Notwithstanding the poor end of the month, I've definitely noticed improvements in stamina, speed, and "ease" of workouts. A 5 mile run like the one on 1/30, which averaged 8:11, felt fairly easy. The 2 miles or so I ran at my marathon pace, ~7:50, felt like the slightest pick-up from my easy pace. I find this to be good news - a run that used to be a decent workout now feels fairly easy. No sore muscles, low effort, but faster times.

Next steps/goals: 1) sign up for a race; 2) run/bike 6 days per week by getting up before school; 3) hit 25 miles for the next week.

Ran 6.3 miles in 61 minutes. 9:40 AP. Ran to Concordia, down to Lake st, through Jewel parking lot, and back.

Mile Splits: 9:15, 9:15, 10:07 (1.1 miles), 9:45, 9:45, 9:45, 3:00 (.25)

Snowing like crazy today. I could either run in 3 inches of snow and get decent traction or in the tire grooves on the street and have my feet slip constantly. About 1/2 mile was through a solid 6+ inches of powder.

Ran 4 miles in 39:56. 9:59 AP. Ran to Concordia track and back.
The running was tough today. It was the hardest 4 mile, 10min pace run ever. Roads were covered in 2 inches of snow over 2 inches of hard-packed snow.

Weekly goal: 10 of 25 done.

Ran 2 miles in 20:30. 10:15 AP. Tough run in snow.

Weekly goal: 17/25 done.

Biked on trainer.
5' w/u.
3 x (2' mod, 2' hard, 1' easy)
2' c'd. 22' total.

I'm writing 1 mile just cuz.

Ran 3 miles in about 24:15. 8:05 AP.
I ran 1 mile easy in 9:02, then 3 half miles at tempo pace/effort (3:45, 3:30, 3:20). Then half mile cool down with drills in 4:30.

Weekly goal: 15/25.

Ran 5.1 miles in 43:42. 8:34 AP. Ran to Chicago Ave and back.
Mile splits: 8:30, 17:20 (2 miles), :41 (.1 mi), 8:20; 8:53.
Weekly Goal: 20.4/25

Ran 5 miles in 39:55. 7:55 AP. Ran to Chicago Ave and back.
I wasn't sure what I wanted to do other than run 5 miles, so I made up my mind part-way in to make it a mini progression run.
Mile splits: 8:22, 7:32, 7:12, 8:00, 8:38.

Weekly goal: 25.4/25. Good job, me.

Ran 8.3 miles in 1:12:55. 8:43 AP. Ran to Lake St, up to Dominican, then Concordia and back.

Mile Splits: 9:15 (w/drills), 8:30, 8:35, 8:50, 8:49, 8:43, 2:35 (.3mi), 8:20, 8:53 (w/drills and strides).

I had planned on doing 10 today, but I wasn't really feeling it when I set out. At 5 miles I was feeling tired and unmotivated. When I hit mile 6, I picked it up a bit since I was back on my familiar route. Overall, I'm happy to get in something that was more than 6.

Weekly Goal: 8.3/18. I have conferences this week, so I will be hard-pressed to find time to run with long, intense, draining 12-hour days ahead.

Ran 3 miles in 27:23. 9:07 AP. My legs felt tired from last 3 days, so it started slow.

Mile Splits: 9:16, 9:07, 9:01

Weekly goal: 11.3/18

Easy run. 4.55 miles in 38:49. 8:31 AP. Ran to Concordia and back.

Mile Splits: 8:35 (w/drills), 8:22, 4:47 (.55), 8:23, 8:35 (w/drills and strides).

It was good to get back on the roads after a long week. I had 12-hour days with conferences on M/T/W, and then all afternoon/evening by myself with the kids on TH, so I didn't run T-TH.

Weekly Goal: 15.8/18

Easy run. Ran 4.2 miles in 40:10. Ran to library in N Muskegon. 
It was super cold: ~5 degrees out. Layer of snow everywhere, so the footing wasn't great and really slowed me down. I am just happy to get out there after the blizzard yesterday. 

Long(ish) run. 6.9 miles in ~60 mins, maybe 57? 8:15 AP I'm guessing. No watch.

Route: to Concordia, Oak, Bridge, Lake, and back.

Mile Splits: First 3 miles were around 8:30 pace, then 1.7 miles at something like marathon or tempo pace (7:15-7:30). Final 2 miles at 8:30-8:45 pace.

Weekly Goal: 11.3/31

Easy run. Ran 3.1 miles in ~26:15. 8:30 AP.

I didn't have my watch - still can't find it :( - but the run felt really good at something like 8:30 pace. It felt like I could have gone forever.

Weekly goal: 14.4/30 I definitely won't hit my goal this week. I was lazy yesterday and didn't run. Tomorrow it should be like -15 out in the AM, so I'll use it as a chance to jump on my bike trainer and get some time in there. New goal: 26 miles.

Long Run. 9 miles in 1:17. 8:35 AP.

Route: Concordia to Desplaines River, quick loop around Trinity.

Mile Splits: 8:45, 8:30, 8:30, lost track, last 2 miles were around 8:30 for sure.

I felt consistent the whole time. At mile 8, I felt my energy lagging, so I focused on picking my knees up, my cadence, and my foot placement.

Weekly Goal: 23.2/30. Didn't do it. I couldn't drag myself out of bed on T/Th/F.

Progression Run. 4 miles in 31:05. 7:46 AP.

Route: Harlem, then back and down to Augusta.

Mile Splits: 8:30 (w/drills), 8:00, 7:00, 7:00 (w/ super-slow mini-cooldown)

Weekly Goal: 4/24

Tempo Run. 4 miles in 31:06. 7:46 AP.

I ran 1 mile slow to warm-up, then 2 miles at tempo pace/effort, and finished with 1 mile slow. There were minor stops on the tempo section (lasting 2-7 seconds) due to crossing streets, so it wasn't a true sustained effort. My tempo pace according to the Daniels running formula is just over 7:00. That was my goal. So hitting 6:30s fairly easily, and knowing I could have sustained that effort for another mile, is promising. I really feel like I could run a sub-20:00 5K right now. Awesome sauce.

Route: Concordia and back

Mile Splits: 9:00 (w/drills), 6:30, 6:37, 8:59 (w/drills)

Weekly Goal: 8/24

35 mins on the bike trainer. That's all.

Easy run. Ran 3.36 miles in 26:50. 7:59 AP.
Route: to Harlem, Augusta.
Mile Splits: 8:15, ?, 7:59

Easy run. 3.5 miles in 29:50. 8:30 AP.
Route: to Harlem and Augusta
Mile Splits: 8:58, ?, 8:10

Medium-long run. Ran 6 miles in 50:12. 8:22 AP.
Route: Concordia, Oak, Franklin. New 6-mile route.
Mile Splits: 8:44, 8:02, 8:20, 8:19, 8:12, 8:32.

I felt horrible on this run. Went to bed late and the baby woke up last night. Then I didn't eat much before the run, only some eggs for breakfast and a salad for lunch. All of that plus 2 weeks of few runs equaled a tough outing.

Did 20 miles on the bike trainer. There was probably 10' of moderate effort, 5' hard, and 5' easy. I'm putting down 1 mile just cuz.

I also played in a staff vs parent basketball game. I played about 20 minutes total. Oh man, I was huffing and puffing. I'm logging another mile or two for that.

Hill Run. Ran 3.2 miles in 28:30. 8:54 AP.
Route: ran the hills on Ridgeland from Thomas to LeMoyne.
8 hills total. Each gained only like 8-15 feet. Each hill was about 30-50 seconds long, somewhere around 120-150 meters.

Recovery Run. Ran 5.1 miles in 43:22. 8:30 AP.
Route: to Concordia, Chicago Ave.
Mile Splits: 8:15, 8:02, forgot to stop watch, last half mile in 4:30.
I needed a run to recover from a few tough days. I got out of work early and was able to do 5 instead of my normal before-work-3-miles.

Marathon Pace: Ran 2 miles in 16:55. 8:27 AP
Route: to Oak Park Ave
Mile Splits: 8:52, 8:03
The first half mile was slow at 9:30 pace. The next two halves were done in 7:50. The last half mile was at 8:45 pace or so.

Easy Run. Ran 2 miles in 17:45.

Long run. Ran 10 miles in 1:24:46. 8:24 AP.
Route: to river, then 2 miles on track
Mile splits: 8:57 (w/drills), 8:40, 8:30, 8:27, 8:27, 8:30, 8:00, 8:00, 8:15, 8:58 (w/drills and strides).

Tempo Run. 4.2 miles in 33:10. 7:53 AP.
Route: to track
Mile Splits: 8:57 (w/drills), 6:45, 6:48, 1:40 (hill), 8:40
First mile super easy, 2 tempo miles, 1 mile easy to end. I threw in a 40 sec. hill sprint for good measure.

Speed workout. 3 miles total in 22:44. 7:34 AP.
1 mile w/u. 2 strides. Then 400, 800, 1200, all at 6:16-6:18 pace.
400 - 1:36
800 - 3:08
1200 - 4:44
No c/d because I had to get home. The wind was horrible on the backstretch. I wanted to do that ladder twice total, but I woke up too late. Maybe some lifting or biking later in the day when the kids are napping.

Tempo Run. 4.7 miles in 36:26. 7:45 AP.
Route: to track and a little past.
Workout: 1 mile easy, 3 mile tempo, less than mile easy.
Mile Splits: 9:05, 7:02, 5:00 (.7), 6:52, 2:18 (.31), 6:08 (.69)

So that's just over 3 miles at tempo pace/effort in 21:12, or 7:04 pace.
I've only been doing 2 mile tempo runs, so it felt really good to hit those times for 3 miles. 21:12 is just 9 seconds over my 5K time in November's race. And this felt like a "7" effort. I'm getting pumped for my 5K in April.

Medium Run. 5.1 miles in 41:22. 8:06 AP
I was hoping to make this a long run, but didn't. I hoped to run later, but didn't. I biked for 10 minutes and did two circuits 6 hours later.

Long Run. 9.2 miles in 1:17:12. 8:23 AP.
Workout: 2 easy, 2 marathon pace, 1 easy, 2 MP, 2 easy
Mile Splits: 8:52 (w/drills), 8:35, 7:52, 7:48, 9:20, 7:50, 7:37, 8:58, 9:09 (w/drills and strides)
I got this workout from a FRB dude. I don't really know how to do the long runs. Should I run slow and easy? Progression run from slow to tempo? A mix? Anyways, for this one I wanted to do 11 (since I did 10 last week), but I was feeling guilty about leaving the fam for so long. So i cut it to 9, dropping 2 more MP miles. Oh well.
My goal MP of 7:45-7:50 feels fast - not tempo fast, but definitely faster than my recovery pace of 8:30-9:00. I hope to run a half in just under 2 months. Doing this pace for 13 miles seems difficult but not impossible. I'll definitely have to work to get to that point, especially if I want to run the half at something closer to 7:30 pace (1:38).

Hill Sprints. 2.65 miles in 23:45. 8:57 AP.
5 hill sprints, each about 50 seconds long. Effort was around 90% max.

Easy run. 2.6 miles in 24:35. 9:27 AP.

Easy Run. Ran 4 miles in 32:50. 8:13 AP.

Long Run. 11.3 miles in 1:33:01. 8:13 AP.
4 miles easy (8:37 pace)
4 miles at marathon pace (8:10->7:35)
1 mile at tempo pace (7:15)
1.3 miles at marathon pace (8:00)
1 mile easy with drills/strides (9:15)
Mile Splits: 8:45, 8:35, 8:34, 8:33, 8:10, 7:52, 7:42, 7:33, 7:15, 2:30 (.3), 8:00, 9:15

Recover Run. 3.15 miles in 30:31. 9:41 AP.
Mile Splits: 10:30, 10:40 for 1.15 mi, 9:23.

My run was slow and a bit painful. My leg muscles are sore from yesterday's long run. I'll need to stretch and do some foam rolling today.

Track Workout.
WU: 1.5 at 9:00 pace.
Drills and Strides
Workout: 400 (1:25; 200 rest), 800 (3:05; 400 rest), 1200 (4:47; 500 rest), 400 (1:32; 200 rest), 400 (1:22).
CD: ~.5 at 10:00 pace

Recovery Run. 4 miles in 36:16. 9:04 AP.
My legs were hurting today. My first half mile was sooo slow, then I picked it up a bit. Mile 3 was in 8:20. I ran the route of the upcoming 5K, and I tried to visualize my effort and pace while running. I'll have to do a tempo run tomorrow on the course to really get a feel for it.

Tempo Run. 5.64 miles in 44:49. 7:56 AP.
WU: 1.25 miles in 11:20
Tempo: 3.14-ish miles in 21:47 (6:56 pace)
CD: 1.25 miles in 11:46

This is probably my last tempo run before next weekend's race, so I wanted to do a tempo run at something close to 5K distance. Turned out to be almost exact. If I were to guess, I'd say mile 2 was the slowest. I was trying to hit something close to 6:52-7:00 for tempo pace, and I did a decent job even though it was just by feel. I feel like I can run 6:27 pace next weekend and hit my goal of a 20:00 5K.

Recovery Run. 4.5 miles in 40:50. 9:04 AP.

This run was at easy pace, but my calves were hurting from my last tempo run on Thursday, and the hills around here are killer. Multiple, large hills. I'm just not used hills at all, and they are all over the place. Did I mention hills?

Easy run. 3 miles in 27:19. 9:06 AP.
I jetted out during bedtime before the game. I started faster at 8:40 and slowed down throughout. My right leg was a bit tight in my quad and calf. I foam-rolled to try to work it out.

VO2 workout. 5x400 at 5k pace (1:36 lap)

WU: about .9 miles easy

stretch and drills

5x400: 1:30, 1:32, 1:34, 1:34, 1:34. This was even a little faster than my goal 5k pace. I figured I wanted to run repeats with short rest (1 minute standing) at goal pace.

Cd: .25 easy

VO2 Max Workout.
WU: 1.1 miles in 9:30.
Stretching, drills, and 2 strides
6 x 200 at much faster than 5K pace. :40, :38, :38, :38, :38, :37
CD: .6 miles

Easy Run. 3 miles in 27:07. 9:02 AP.
Mile Splits: 9:10, 9:20, 8:31.
The wind was crazy in the first half, nearly helped me fly on the way home.
My right calf/achilles has a little twinge in it. I'm going to stretch and foamroll tonight in order to get it right for the 5K on Sunday.

Easy Run. 2.8 miles in 27:18. 9:45 AP.
I took it real slow today in the early morn. I stopped once to stretch a bit, and I did 2 sets of 2 strides. My right leg still has a twinge in it. Race tomorrow!

Good Life Race 5K today - I hit my goal of under 20:00 with a 19:58! 
I warmed up a mile about an hour before, then walked a mile with the family to the event. I realized a had left my watch at home, so I ran with one kid in the stroller back home. That was probably .5 mile at 7:00 min pace. After a busy time trying to get my family settled, I finally went out for some strides about 4 minutes before the start time. I was just getting back from my 4th stride when the gun went off - and I was still 60 meters away from the start! I jogged into the group and crossed the start line with the slow(er than me) peeps. 

I dodged and zigged and zagged a lot for the first mile. I'm pretty sure I lost 3-5 seconds due to slowing down and waiting and getting cut off. Maybe more. I hit 6:30 at the mile marker, or 3 seconds slower than planned. Overall, I felt fine and didn't feel any tiredness. 

In the second mile, I kept pushing myself on. I had planned some motivating phrases for each mile. This mile's word was "light," as in, stay light on your feet, light steps. There was a tiny hill about 70 meters long that hit me a bit. At the mile 2 marker, I was feeling it - the legs were starting to feel heavy and I was hoping it would be over. Mile 2 time: 6:27. I was back on pace. 

In the third mile, I felt like quitting. I really have forgotten what it's like to run fast, to run to exhaustion, full effort. In HS and college, this was a weekly feeling, but in the last 5 years, it only comes 1 to 2 times a year. My legs were screaming and I couldn't wait to be done. My phrase was "power" so I could power through the pain. There was a tiny downhill at about 2.75 that evens out the course from that tiny uphill. I was so glad it was near the end. I tried my best to fly down it. The finish line looked way too far away. Mile 3 time: 6:23. 

The small crowd helped me push it in to the finish line. I was dead at the finish line - so exhausted. 

I'm super happy to hit my goal. Despite the pure evil I felt for the last half mile, it was also worth all the miles and early mornings. 

Mile Splits: 6:30, 6:27, 6:23, :38 (6:20 pace) = 19:58. 

Recovery Run. 2.3 miles in ~23:00.

Super slow. I should have done this run yesterday after Sunday's race, but work/family > running.

Regular Run. 5.2 miles in 45:57. 8:50 AP.
Yikes: I didn't run but once this week. I took it way easier than I should have after my race. I was lazy. I was tired.

No more.

Easy Run. 3.5 miles in 31:35. 9:01 AP.
My legs were a tiny bit sore from not running much last week, but I'm amped to get back into it. I just need to find a triathlon and a half-marathon to enter.

Got home and did a quick lifting workout. Quick as in 4 minutes of bench, squats, curl/press, lunges, sit-ups, and rows.

Progression Run. 4 miles in 34:40. 8:40 AP.
It was supposed to be at easy pace, but I ran slow the first mile and was running late.
Mile Splits: 9:47, 8:47, 8:02, 8:05

Easy Run. 3 miles in 25:34. 8:31 AP.
Probably went a bit too fast for an easy day with little running last week.

Long Run. 9.1 miles in 1:14:29. 8:11 AP.

Workout: 2 Easy (8:58 w/drills, 8:32); 2 Marathon Pace (7:23, 7:14); 1 Easy (9:09); 1 MP (7:25); 1 Tempo Pace (7:10 on the track); .1 Easy; 1 MP (7:25); 1 E (9:45 w/drills)

I felt pretty good today.

Easy Run. 3.8 miles in 35:07. 9:14 AP.
I pushed my oldest in the stroller to the track. We played there, did races, jumped in the long jump pit, and then went to a park.

Tempo Run. 3.55 miles in 29:00. 8:10 AP
WU: 1 mile in 9:03 (w/drills)
Tempo: 1.55 at 6:40 pace
CD: 1 mile in 9:30 (w/drills)

Easy Run. 3 miles in 27:56. 9:18 AP.
A little creaky this morning, but picked up mile 2 and 3 at 8:50s.
2 Rounds of weights after.

Track Workout.
WU: 2 mile bike ride, .75 miles on track, 6 strides
Workout: 2 800s (3:16, 3:32) at moderate pace - 400 jog; 1 mile (5:52) pretty hard. Looking back, I could have run faster.
CD: .5 mile, 2 mile bike ride.

Easy run. 2 miles. No watch. Maybe 8:00 or 7:45 average. 

Long Run. 9.1 miles in 1:14:54. 8:13 AP.
8:45, 8:15, 8:15, 8:23, 8:30, 7:50, 7:15, :40 (.1 mi), 7:50, 8:56 (w/drills and strides).

I still don't know how to "do" long runs. I decided to go with 5 miles at easy pace, then pick up the last few. I just read something about two types of long runs: slow long runs (all miles at easy pace) and steady-state runs (start at easy pace, proceed to marathon pace for second half). The second sounds a bit like a progression run, though it wasn't named that. I also know of a rockstar FRB guy who mixes paces: 2 miles easy pace, 3 miles marathon pace, 1 easy, 2 marathon, etc.

I felt pretty ugly this run. It had been a long day outside with errands and yard work before I even went out to run, and it was the warmest day in 7 months. My body was not used to that heat.

Tempo Run. 3.5 miles in 27:50. 7:57 AP.
WU: 1 mile easy in 9:20
Tempo: 2 miles in 13:45 (6:57, 6:48)
CD: .5 easy in 4:45
I felt a little sluggish and heavy in the legs.

Recovery Run. 2.5 miles in 23:47. 9:30 AP.
Old-man run today. Creaky knees and hips. Super slow.

VO2 Workout (couldn't make it to track so I did it on the road). 4 miles total in 32:51.
WU: 1 mile in 9:04
Workout: .5 mile (3:06), .25 jog, .25 (1:28), .1 jog, .5 mile (3:07), .25 jog, .25 mile (1:28).
CD: 1 mile in 9:08

Easy Run. 3.1 miles in 28:00. 9:00 AP.

Easy Run. 2.67 miles in 24:00. 9:00 AP.

AM: 15 min bike ride.

PM: Easy Run. 4 miles in 34:00. 8:30 AP.

Easy Run. 3.8 miles in 34:00. 8:56 AP.

Long Run. 11 miles. No watch, but I'd guess 8:30 AP. I'll put total time as 1:35.

I felt really good. I pushed my son in the stroller for the first 3 miles and stopped at the track. We played some soccer, jumped in the sand pits. Then ran home. Dropped off the boy and went back out for another 5ish miles.

Recovery Run. 4.3 miles in 40:03. 9:18 AP.
I felt pretty good considering 11 miles on Sat.

AM: Easy Bike Ride. ~18 minutes. About 4 miles.

PM: Tempo Run. 4.6 miles in 35:10. 7:38 AP.
WU: 1 mile in 9:03
Tempo: 3 miles in 20:47. 6:54 AP (goal: 6:52). 6:52, 6:56, 6:48.
CD: .6 in 5:20.

As for tempos, I'm going to start cranking those up once school's out. I'll try to get up to 5-7 miles.

Fartlek Run. 5.5 miles in 48:29. 8:48 AP.
2 miles easy (8:40, 8:20)
1.2 miles fartlek (1 block kinda hard, 1 block easy; 7:40 AP)
2 miles easy with 4 hill sprints (~70 meters; 3 up, 1 down)

Easy Run. 5.25 miles in 43:41. 8:19 AP.
Mile Splits: 8:35, 8:25, 8:05, 8:05, 8:20, and change.

Easy Run. 4 miles in 33:42. 8:25 AP.

Track VO2 Max Workout.
2.25 miles in 15:23. 6:50 AP.
WU: ~.75 miles
Workout: 800 (2:57), 300 recov, 1000 (3:51), 300 recovery
CD: none, ran to the car to speed to daycare

Easy Run. 4.6 miles in 39:58. 8:28 AP.
My legs felt dead, heavy, and tired today. No oomph. Reason: short but hard mini-workout yesterday without proper warm up, cool down and stretching. It felt hot out today. ~85 and humid.

Easy Run. 4.3 miles. No watch. Guess: 8:30ish pace, around 36 or 37 mins.

Whew. That was too long of a break. It was the last week of school, so there were a million things to do. I worked multiply nights from 9-midnight just to keep my head above water. That plus other family stuff plus feeling so tired meant that I wasn't able to pull myself out of bed in the AM and I had no time in the PM. 

Easy but hard run. 3.3 miles. No watch. Guess: 31 mins. I pushed my 3yo in the stroller. My energy levels were sooo low.

Easy stroller run. 4.5 miles in 41:00. 9:06 AP.
Hot run at 2pm. Pushing a stroller. So hot.

Quasi-Fartlek Run. 4.8 miles in ??:??. No watch. Guess: 8:45 pace. I did about 8 block-long surges throughout. Maybe 42:30?

My energy levels still feel low. This time I ran w/o breakfast after only 6.5 hours of sleep, so that could be it this time. It was also 75 already at 6am. I'd like to get this figured out. I also need to sign up for my half-marathon and triathlon.

Easy Run. 6.7 miles in 53:30. 7:59 AP.

2.8 miles easy.
.1 sprint uphill.
.5 mile in 3:14. .2 mi recovery.
.5 mile in 3:10.
.1 sprint uphill.
2.7 miles easy to finish.

I ran at the new elevated trail in Chicago. It's 2.7 miles long, completely new, with no roads/intersections/stoplights of any kind. There are slight elevation changes throughout.

Easy Run. 4.6 miles in 41:00. 8:54 AP.
Hot and humid today. Sweating like a pig. I ran to the track and back. Today I felt like my energy was decent, but it was the heat that hit me. This is better than Sun-Wed. The best day of running this week was done at 10 am when it was cooler and cloudy. All my rough days were in the afternoon in hot/humid conditions. At least this is better than winter.

Easy Run. 5.2 miles. No watch, but I'd guess about 9-9:30 mins per mile.

I didn't run for about 2 weeks there. I only did one 30-min bike ride in that time. My wife and I dug out a 400 sq. ft. chunk of our backyard and put in a paver patio. It was so hard, but it feels so good to have it done. The sense of accomplishment is extraordinary, as is the money we saved vs. doing it ourselves.

Easy Run. 4.3 miles. No watch. Estimate: 9:30 pace. About 41:00.

3.5 miles easy.

17 mile bike ride.

Easy Run. 5.3 miles in 48 mins. After 5 easy miles, I did 2 hill sprints, about 100 yards, mild incline.

Long Run. 8.3 miles in 1:14. 8:54 pace.
I'm at my FIL's place in MI, so I don't know the exact mile markers. It felt like I ran about 9 min pace for the first 6 miles. For the last 1.5, I picked it up to something like 8 down to 7:30 pace. Coasted in the last .5 mile. Overall, it was a great run, scenery-wise and running-wise.

Easy run. 4 miles in 36 minutes or so. I pushed my son in the stroller. A few hills.

Easy Run. 2 miles in 17:30. Did this immediately after a 13 mile bike. The ride was very hilly. 49 minutes total for the ride.

Tempo Run. 5 miles in 41:56. 8:23 AP.
2 miles easy: 9:00, 8:30
2 miles tempo: 7:15, 7:01
1 mile very easy: 10:10.

This was my first tempo run in a long time. It felt both good (to get it under my belt and still run those times) and bad (it kinda hurt)

Easy Run. 3.1 miles in 28:13. 9:25 AP.
Pushed the stroller. Pretty hot and muggy for 9am.

Then I rode my bike to the pool with Boy #1 in the trailer. 5.5 miles in 33:00.

Later, 1 mile family walk.

Speed Workout with OPRC. 8.1 miles in 1:03.
WU: 1.9 miles easyish in about 17:00
Workout: 4 mile repeats - hard, easy, hard, easy (6:20ish; 7:15; 6:07; 7:03 with a fast finish the last .2)
CD: 2.2 miles in about 20:00.

This felt pretty good!

Easy run. 3 miles in 28:00. 

Longish run. 7 miles in 1:02. This was supposed to be 10-11 miles, but it was hot and the bathroom was calling. Oh well. 

8 mile bike ride with the boy in the trailer. A few dozen push-ups, pull-ups, squats and lunges at the park.

Biked 1.4 miles to pool. Swam 1600 meters in 45:00. Then another 8 miles on the bike. Total bike time was about 40 mins. I'll try to get my tempo run in this evening after the kids go to bed.

Track workout with OPRC. About 9 miles total.
WU: 2 miles easy in 17:00. .5 easy at the track with drills.
Workout: 12 400s. First 4 averaged about 1:31. Second 4 averaged 1:28. #9-11 averaged about 1:26. #12 was fast with sprint the last 100: 1:13.
CD: .25 easy barefoot, 3.1 super easy home.

Easy run. 3 miles with kid in stroller. 30 mins.

Easy run. 2 miles.

Easy run. 4 miles in 37:00 mins. 9:15 AP.

My first run in more than a month. My hip feels fine now after the bike crash, and my foot tendonitis goes away after a half mile. Good to be back at it.

Easy run. 3 miles in 29 mins. Hot.

Easy run. 4 miles. No watch, about 38 mins. With stroller.

5 miles. Ended of with achilles tendonitis again.

Easy Run. 3.4 miles. Nice and slow. With stroller for mile 2 and 3.

Easy run. 5.3 miles in 53:00.
I have finally recovered from all my summer injuries. And I finally made it out. I've been unable to make it out the door in the mornings. And my afternoons have been booked with meetings and doing, ya know, work.
I pushed the boy for 3 of the miles. He's getting heavy.

Easy run. 4 miles in 41:15. 10:19 AP. stroller with the boy for first 2.1 miles. Lots of stops. A few aches, so I stretched and foam roller after. 

Easy Run. 2.7 miles. Achilles tendonitis was acting up. Can't shake it. It gets worse the longer I run. Stopping to walk helps.

Actions I'm taking:
-Strassburg sock to sleep in
-Heat before run
-Ice after run
-Eccentric calf raises/dips
-Cushion-y shoes are supposed to help.

On the off chance someone actually reads my post on FRB, do you have any other ideas about how to heal this sucker up?

Easy run. 1.1 miles. 10:00. NO PAIN in my achilles!

So frustrated with everything in life today so I had to get out for at least a tiny run. Didn't want to go too far though, so I stopped before I tweaked something.

Easy run. 4 miles in 40 mins. A bit of stretching at halfway point. No pain again! Feeling good! 

Easy Run. 2.8 miles. 28:00 or so. No watch.
No pain again. Let the running begin for reals now! Hello 5:30 am wake-up calls. Sad face emoji.
Next step is to find a race to run in December and March. Maybe a 5K or 10K in Dec and a half in March.

Easy run. 3 miles in ~ 30 mins. No watch. No run this morning due to a sick baby up at 4:15. Ran at 9pm.

"Tempo" run. 4 miles in ~ 38 mins. No watch.
2 miles easy. Probably 10:00, 9:30, then 7:30 for the "tempo." 10:00 to finish up.

Easy run. 4.25 miles. 1.25 miles easy. Picked up kids and drove home. Another 2 with the baby in the stroller. 

31.5 mile bike ride. About 2 hours of riding. 

Easy-ish run. 4.25 miles. With the baby in the stroller.

1 mile easy, 1 mile at tempo effort cuz the baby was crying. Then he fell asleep, so I ran another 2 miles.

Easy run. 4 miles slow. ~40 mins. Pushed the big kid in the stroller to the track and played soccer for half an hour. 

Legs and breathing felt sluggish and heavy.

Hill Run. 5.8 total. Around 60 mins total time out, maybe 50 mins of running. No watch.
4.7 miles easy. 10 min pace to start, maybe got as low as 8:30 for a while.
7 x hill. Hill is about 140 m long, about 25-30 seconds to run it.
Then another .5 mile to home.

Long run. 6 miles. Probably 9:30 average with 2 short stops for water and stretches. Strides for the last 1/4 mile. 

Tempo Run. 5.7 miles total. No watch, but it was around 52:00.
Mile 1-3 was around 9-9:30 pace. Mile 4 and 5 were tempo pace, around 7-8 pace. Mile .7 was easy.

Longish fartlek run. 6 miles even in about 57 mins. Heavy rain for a good 20 minutes, which made for a great experience due to the warmish 65 deg temp.

Mile 1-2: easy, 8:30-9:30 pace.
Mile 3-4: one block on, one block off.
Mile 5-6: easy, 9:30 pace.

Long run. 7.1 miles or so. Maybe around 9:30-10:00 pace. At start of mile 6, I started to feel fatigued and aches in my calves. 3 short water breaks.

Easy Trainer Ride in the basement before school. 32 mins or so. Watched Breaking Bad.

Hills. 4.71 miles total. 42 mins total.

2.95 miles easy in 26:15.

8 x hill. Hill was about 0.07 mile in about 30 second. Two sets of 4, with the last one of each set fast on the downhill.

.75 easy home.

AM: Bike trainer in the morning before work. 35 minutes. Catching up on Breaking Bad season 3!

PM: Tempo Run. 4.3 miles total in 35:40. 8:17 AP.
1 mile easy in 9:30.
2 miles Tempo Effort around 7:00-7:10 min pace/mile
1.3 miles easy in 11 minutes.

Bike Trainer ride. 28 mins. Baby woke up, so I had to stop. My plan was 7 miles of running, so I'm kinda bummed I didn't get out.

Easy run. 6.5 miles in 59:58. 9:12 AP.

9:26 for mile 1 down to 8:58 for mile 6. Strides and drills for the last .5.

I finally got my new GPS watch to work correctly. It's the Timex Run x20. It sucked picking up the GPS location the first 4 times I went out. I finally got it to work in the backyard...after 40 seconds. The Garmin 25 I bought and returned found a GPS in about 10 seconds, so I was getting really frustrated with this Timex one. Luckily, it worked and I'm confident it will in the future.

The other odd/bad feature is that the distance might be off. It quoted me about 50-100 meters off of 1 mile as measured by the google pedometer website. I have no way of knowing which one is more accurate, so I'll have to look into it more.

Easy run. 4 miles in 35:52. 8:58 AP.
My legs felt heavy and full of lactic acid today. Ran the last three under 9 min pace.

Easy run. 4.7 miles in 43:05. 9:10 AP I think. 

Easy run. 2.65 miles in 23:43. 9:10 AP.

Long Progression Run. 8.1 miles in ~70 mins. 8:38 AP.
Started at an easy 10 min mile (with drills), then 9:30, 9:00, 8:30, 8:00 (my watch died here), 7:30, 8:45, 9:30.

Longest run in the past few months. My legs and lungs felt strong the last 2 miles, which is promising even though I backed off. This was also my highest weekly mileage (26 mi) in the past few months, too. I'm really trying to avoid injury.

Easy run. 4.82 miles in 45:10. 9:22 AP. Felt really good/easy to pump out some 9:00 miles.

Easy/hill run. 4.36 miles in 41:23. 9:30 AP. 
3 miles easy to the biggest hill around. (It's actually pretty small.) 28:15.

.56 miles of up/down the hill. 4 x hill. Fast coming down on the fourth one. ~5 mins. 

.75 easy back home. 6:30.

Easy run. 4.54 miles in 41:02. 9:02 AP.

2 miles easy into the wind. .54 miles ~ marathon pace on the track. 2 miles easy home. Super windy today.

Workout. 7 miles total,1:01 including rest time. 
WU: 2 miles in 18:30
Workout: 
.5 mile (6:30 pace), .5 easy, 
1 mile (6:22), 3:00 min rest, 
1.2 miles (6:50 pace)
CD: 1.8 miles in 16:26.

I wanted to do 3x1 mile, but this will have to do.

Easy run. 4.03 in 35:05. Made two stops, so it was not a hard run. Pushed the baby in the stroller.

Easy run with some Fartlek stuff in there. 4.57 miles in 39:05.

About .75 miles of Fartlek: 1 block hard, one block off.

Turkey Trot at school today. Easy running with the kids. Maybe a mile at 10:00 pace, another .75 super easy with the stragglers.

Easy run. 5.39 miles in 48:15. 8:57 AP.
Felt really good, besides my stomach.
Lots of snow. I need wiper blades over my face.

Easy Run. 6.59 miles in ~ 60 mins. Maybe 9:06 AP. No watch.

Easy run. 4.06 miles in 36:39. 9:01 AP.

Easy Run. 4 miles in 37:35. 9:23 AP.

This one was suuuper hard for some reason. My calves cramped and hurt and my whole body felt heavy. Wonder why. It's not like we just celebreated a holiday by feasting on huge amounts of food for days and days.

Easy run. 2.05 miles in 18:55. 9:23 AP. Lots of drills in last mile.

Easy run. 4 miles in 36:18. 9:04 AP. Hit a few hills.

Super easy run. Only 2 miles in 19:40. 9:50 AP. Just needed to get out there. I'm so dang tired in the morning. :(

Long Run. ~7.1 miles in ~1:08. 9:34 AP.
Felt pretty good the whole run. Gonna be sore tomorrow, so I'm trying to stretch now and gonna roll it out later.

Long run. 7.6 miles in 1:09ish. 9:05 AP. This felt surprisingly good, all things considered, except the last half mile.

Easy run. 3.1 miles in 27:30ish. Legs felt sluggish. 

Medium run. 5.1 miles in 43:31. 8:25 AP. First 2 miles easy, 1 mile on the track and 2 on the road at <8:00 pace. 2 strides.