GA run...

   My old body has bounced back well from the race....encouraging! I decided on 60 minutes at base pace or a General Aerobic run. Managed 6.13 treadmiles in that time. Funny though, I felt like the pace was fast, and my ankle/achilles are a little sore but it worked out. I am down a solid 15 pounds! What if I could drop 6 more by the marathon? I have 9 weeks...I have been eating like a horse the last couple of days. Time to gain control again.....sigh.....good-bye sugar!
  This week is a planned recovery week. I would like to run at least 25 miles but 20 would be acceptable. I plan on an 18 miler next Monday ( I will be on vacation!!!). I realize how important the long run is.....well I sure hope you are doing well! Peace!

Reco run and Observations

  So I did manage a 35 minute treadmill recovery run today...very slow speed..only 3.1 miles. Here are some observations from the race:
  1) Treadmill running will serve to train  your body to race, however; you will experience abnormal soreness in  you calves the day after a 25K. (The 'mill ain't the roads!)
  2)  I ran my race Saturday! I kept it a low priority race and achieved my goal of managing to average MP miles the whole way. 9:06's!!!! Yes!
  3) I raced well because I had absolutely nothing left when I crossed the finish line!
  4) I realized two things in regards to my training program:
      A) Long runs...long runs...long runs!!! So I look ahead to my 18  miler next week! And I will continue to increase this run to as far as possible before the goal race.
      B) Tempo runs!! Man I could tell during the race that the tempo runs are having a very positive effect! I will continue to run them...
 5) Balance! I love running, and I love to set and achieve goals yet I am thankful I've learned to keep it in perspective....I was around some folks Saturday that are "eat up" with it.....there's more to life people!!
So this week is a planned recovery week....I will stay within myself and allow my body to recover....I have a HM planned March 31st. This race will be an all out effort. Peace!

"Run With The Wind" 25K Race Report

  Well I made it! My first race of over 5K in over two years! The plan worked! Run on the treadmill it's more forgiving...watch your calories and drop 14 lbs...then maybe I could run long again?!
   So with much nervousness and uncertainty I went to the race.....over an hour drive away...starting at 9am I had plenty of time to eat, drink coffee, and wake up.
  The field was the largest ever so they said. The course was very nice and essentially flat. There were two sections with pretty good hills. Hardly any wind, lots of sunshine and probably 40ish. Perfect!
  My plan was to start slow and at 8 miles pick up the pace and try to hit  HM pace
(8:27).
   So I hung back and continually had to slow down. I broke the race into 4 mile increments. Miles 1-4 looked like this: 9:28-9:12-9:12-9:24...I felt so good and strong! I noticed the Garmin getting into the mid 8's so I'd slow back down! At this time I had to pull over and relieve myself.....all the people I was passing went by....big group:)
  Miles 5-8 looked like this: 8:50-9:23-9:14-9:07- I found myself trailing four runners and I had my plan set that at 8 miles I was going to begin to push....we had a short hill and coming down I realized I was at half way-7.8 miles so I said to myself "Let's Go" I mean I punched it and passed the group! Miles 9-12 looked like this: 8:38-9:12-8:43-9:44, I'd say this was the toughest section because of the huge hills! That 9:44 was because of the one big hill on this course and it was a good one! BTW I had been picking off runners steadily through this stretch. The field was so spread out that I only passed 4 or 5 more runners the rest of the way and was not passed at all! No one near me!
  Miles 13-finish: 8:49, 8:59, 8:46, .64-8:37- I began to hurt around 14.2 miles....my feet, and my legs beginning to fatigue...my breathing was at the wheeze point but I was not going to let up! I have to say I was done at 15 miles! Boy the finish was good to see!
  Unofficial-2:22:18-9:06's! That is better than I could of hoped for!
  So some recovery time will be planned and I will continue training for my goal Marathon on April 28th. Next planned race is March 31st which is a HM....I may look for a 10K between now and then just for the fun of it! Have a great weekend! Peace!

A short 40 minutes!

  Funny how your body can get conditioned? No it's really pretty amazing! Today I did a short work-out with about 2.2 miles at MP. 40 minutes total, 4.19 treadmiles. Amazing how I felt I could hold the pace forever! I wonder how my plans will play out Saturday?
  I have been reluctant to talk about my plans because I tend to chicken out at the last minute.....it takes an act of congress to get me to race! Truly it's not being afraid it's just I don't want to get up early on my only sleep in day of the week!
  But actually I have a certain amount of trepidation due to the fact that all my running has been treadmill and I'm going to race a 25K!
  Funny though....I really believe I will race well. I think I will have to deal with some pain in my feet, ankles, and butt but who doesn't deal with some kind of pain during a race?
  I am looking at this race as a "tune-up" race. I want to do a sort of progression run, too. My objective is of course to finish...however I think I ought to try to run as close to MP overall. So I will run this with a race mentality. My goals are uncertain because of a lack of history.  If I can break 2:30 I will be very happy.
  The race is called "Run with the Wind". I think last year there were less than 100 participants so it is a small race yet it appears to be very well organized. We are supposed to run a point to point course with the wind behind us....that would be nice:)
  Well wish me luck...I will take tomorrow off and enjoy this mini-taper! Peace!

I Believe!!!

  My friends...I am a Believer!!! Today with such incredible weather I simply had to go outdoors and run....as you know I have been training exclusively on the treadmill since mid October. I have done this because of my stinkin' achilles tendinitis that I couldn't shake. I had the idea if I lose pounds I will relieve stress on the area and not be injured....so as I am down 15 pounds and probably 500 treadmiles later I hit the road for only the second time since mid-Oct. It was incredible! I simply could not go slow! It's hard to explain but all the machine training has made me a machine!
  My form was smooth, breathing relaxed, no real noticeable physical adjustments...I just flat out ran faster than I used to! I kept it short-4.82 miles and my overall pace was a 9:04 average, the first mile was a 9:54, with a third mile at 8:35. Remember I have hills out here but I even chugged right up those suckers!
  I am a big time believer in treadmill training after today! My practicing on form, stride, breathing, various pacing, all this has proven to have worked by my performance today.
  So on a short run like this, in my opinion, the treadmill makes you better. It forces the pace and trains your body and mind to hold on...on the roads it is easy to let up...I have found that I have even developed some mental toughness as I pushed mile three and charged every hill. Pretty pumped today! Peace!

Reco....

  Just an easy recovery jog....35 minutes....3.32 miles...I hope to run outdoors tomorrow and do a mini progression run, just testing the waters to see how I will adapt to road running. Feeling good...all systems go....kind of flat lined in the weight loss but I know that the higher mile will eventually burn more fat...at least 7 more lbs....Peace!

Amazed!

So today I decided on a 5 mile tempo run on the treadmill. 1 degree incline @ 7.5mph. That figures to be my desired 10K pace. As usual I did 1.5 miles warm-up and cool down giving me a total of 8.03 miles in 72 minutes.
  I was a little unsure about the distance....I mean five miles at 10K pace!? Seemed a little hard especially after the last tempo run of 4.5 when I was sucking air pretty bad the last 1.3 miles...amazingly I found a rhythm and completed the run without really ever getting to that point where I'm needing to "catch" my breath. It was so encouraging to see how training does pay off!
  Well tomorrow will be an easy reco run of  undetermined D...I have to officiate a funeral tomorrow so I will have a very busy day.....hope all is well with you! Peace!

GA run....

   So a little sore in the right rump today after the speed session yesterday....seemed to work out during the General Aerobic run today. Did 5.54 treadmiles in 53 minutes. I finished the week with 400 minutes on the treadmill! I seem to still be losing weight too....down around 171lbs. I am still encouraged and motivated....hope you are well! Peace!

1k reps....

  So I continue with the weight drop goal and mixing in some marathon training via treadmill. I really wanted to run outdoors but I needed to get the 1K reps in and I wanted to be sure to eliminate the hills! Maybe tomorrow I can go outside.
  Today I felt the "Bear" jump on my back as I was in the middle of my last 1K rep...I was doing these @ 3K pace (8.1mph or 7:24's)...all in all I finished well but noticed the fatigue on that last 1/4! Maybe it's the fact I've run over 34 miles already this week?
  I did 4 x 1K @ 3K pace with 1.5 miles warm-up and 1.5 miles cool down, totals 60 minutes 6.29 treadmiles.
   In a hurry today....must go to hospital for a visit then me and Sandy are going on a date! She is back to her old sassy self and I am a lucky man! Peace!!

I keep pushin'

  Keep pushin'! Training goes on! Just a simple...real easy...reco run of 31 minutes today. The total D was only 2.57 miles but it went by quickly because I was talking the whole time! Practicing the sermon!
  Funny how I have lost 14 pounds but I still see myself as fat! I am almost ready to take the belt up another notch but even so it is unreal how much body fat I have been carrying! I remember my high school weight was 157 lbs....I suspect my true weight is down at least 7-10 more pounds from the current 172. I truly am about worn out with watching calories though! I wish I could just eat and eat and eat sometimes! However, if I'm going to achieve my goal of breaking 4 hrs in the marathon I have to get down as far as possible!
  I got some new compression socks today!!! Excited! Peace!

Runners high!!!

  Today I'm still a little tired yet amazingly my 56.5 year old body bounced back remarkably well from the 16 miler Monday. I did an easy recovery run yesterday and I realize the importance of these types of runs. Today I had a 4.5 mile tempo run @ 10K pace (7.5mph) on the schedule. In all honesty I was thinking I'd wind up doing some cruise intervals the way I was feeling....yawning...tired...hungry!
   So I chomped a power bar and hit the mill....1 degree incline....1.5 mile warm and cool at reco pace.
   At 1.5 miles I went to 7.5mph and tried to settle in....it seemed a little harder than the last couple of tempo runs....but I concentrated on form,stride and breathing....I broke the run down in my mind into half mile increments...9 of 'em....After about 1.5 miles I thought I'd be good for the distance I had found a rhythm and was cooking along.....by 3 miles I was thinking about quiting and my breathing began to get to the "wheeze". It's hard to explain but this is right on my border line from aerobic to anaerobic....I was working!
  However; since I only had 3 halves to go I held on...after passing 4 miles I was in a new territory....I hadn't suffered like this for a while. I was smooth...in control, and sucking gas!! Right at 4.2 miles into the tempo run I got a rush of endorphins like I hadn't felt in years!!! I was suddenly on another planet! This was amazing because at 4.5 miles, time to cool down...I could have continued! Freaky! Addictive! I'm sitting here thinking "how can I get another one of those rushes!" :)
  Well tomorrow is either a rest or short reco day. I bought a new duffel bag today, Adidas, gettin' ready for a new racing season! I am hoping to get one outdoor run this week....Peace!

Reco day

  Tuesdays has been turning out to be my recovery day...either I opt to take it off or easily run a few miles. I opted for 30 minutes and completed 2.74 miles on the ole' treadmill. Felt fairly good....left ankle is a bit sore...but I am super sensitive so I'm sure it's okay. So another day! Fortunately Sandy was able to go back to work...but we are going back to Dr. today for follow-up....Peace!

Long Run

  It snowed about 4 inches here....a great day for a treadmill run!:) I have only run once outside since last October! My mission has been to lose weight. I figured if I could lose some pounds the stress on the achilles tendon would be lessened thus allowing me to train for a marathon. So knowing the treadmill is forgiving and I could eliminate hills I began the program. Now I've reached my initial goal-down 14lbs-and I have definitely gained fitness! For example, today I had a long run on the schedule-16 miles.(my longest run in over 2 years). My objective was to run strictly within base pace-10:18's-to 9:15's- I managed to complete the run in 2:37:00 or 157 minutes even.
  I noticed how hard it was to run slow! I mean my body was aching to hit its stride and when I finally got up to 6.4/6.5 mph I felt good! I am definitely at a high level of cardio fitness! I have been practicing with taking an accel-gel every hour on the run and I'm getting pretty good at it! I pulled out on old running book; "The Competitive Runners Handbook" the other day. This book was my "Bible" back in the 80's. It has a chart that shows what a runners weight should be-it says I should weigh between 158-170! So technically I am still overweight! Well, I burned about 2000 extra calories today so there!! Peace!
 

Saturday 1K reps

   Not a hard day today really. The D was down to only 5.42 treadmiles and time to 53:30. I did my usual 1.5 mile warm and cool...with 3 X 1K @ 3K pace (8.1mph).
   I felt real good and continue to work on form and economy....so a day off tomorrow and if possible a 16 miler Monday at base pace.
   Sandy is slowly making improvement! I realize how helpless I really am when she is laid up....I had to go to the store and do the shopping yesterday...it was an aweful experience! LOL! I could not believe the prices! I have been wanting honey lately so I bought some....prices were unbelievable! Everything is going up except one thing....our pay!!! Peace!

Recovery

  Wish my Sweetheart would....she is not getting any better, this is the sickest I have ever seen her and I cannot do anything to help!
  Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. I continue to train diligently and reap the benefits of hard work. I did an easy recovery run today and felt pretty good overall. 60 minutes and 5.45 treadmiles. Tomorrow more speed work. For fun I ramped the 'mill up to 8.6mph for just a few seconds.....to think I held that pace for my 10K pr back in the early 90's....I wonder if I could get any where close to that again? No matter...I am completely satisfied with my current reality! 172 lbs baby!!! Peace!
 

Tempo Run

   So I decided to try the tempo run I had on tap for yesterday. A 1.5 mile warm-up followed by 4 miles @ 10K pace (7.5mph or 8's) followed by a 1.5 mile cool down.
   I have been Doctoring Sandy best I can and when I saw she was going to fall asleep I thought it would be a good time to hit the 'mill. Btw, thanks for your concern for Sandy.
  Well, I did the run! I made it and funny thing is I actually felt pretty good and strong during the work-out. It was around 3.4 miles into the tempo run I noticed I was starting to work. I started sucking air a bit...not bad though...manageable if you know what I mean, the legs never really felt lactate acid build up, so again I continue to get positive results!
  The best result is when I weighed in today- I hit 172!!! I have achieved my goal of 14 pounds off....however I still believe I will lose around 7 more to a svelte racing weight of 165!! Wouldn't that be cool!
  Tomorrow is going to be a recovery or base pace run....depends on how I feel, then Saturday will be 1K repeats at 3K pace. Totals for today: 7 miles in 1:04:05. Peace!

Family First

   So my Sweetheart Sandy took a turn for the worst and we spent the better part of the day at the ER. However, she is home and feeling better now, thanks to the meds!
  My planned work-out took a bust but family always comes first! I had planned a tempo run of at least 25 minutes with the ultimate goal of 4 miles @ 10K pace. All I could manage today was 3.5 treadmiles in 33 minutes....17 of them were @ 10K pace....better than nothing! Hope you are healthy! Peace!

Just as test!

 I decided on a very short recovery run...I barely broke a sweat then it was over! 25 minutes 2.22 miles.....I just wanted to see how my body was feeling after yesterdays run....it felt great! I am pumped! Tomorrow is a planned hard workout...we will see if I can do it, a 4 mile tempo run @ 10K pace (8's). Sandy has been real sick so I'm taking her to Dr. tomorrow, hope she gets better soon! Peace!

14 mile TM Progression Run

   This is a very good training run. Here's how it went...by 5 minutes in I was up to 5.8mph and I held this to mile 1, then I began the progression run by increasing .1mph every mile up to 14 miles. Thus I finished the run at 7.1mph or HM pace (8:27). I ate one "Accel-gel" during the run and drank some propel out of my hand held. I really didn't start "working" until 8.9 miles and I found I was able to settle in and handle the paces fairly easily. I finished the 14 miles in 2:11:26...that's 9:21's! I haven't achieved a run like that in years! The treadmill forces you to hold the pace.....I am well aware that outdoor running is more demanding yet I still remain encouraged....plus, no pain in the heel! So tomorrow is optional; either no run or an easy recovery effort. Peace!

Easy peasy!

  A little "Base Run" today....30 minutes 3.08 miles. Thinking about Monday's run....14 mile progression run...also hope to run outside once next week if possible...hope you are well! Peace!

1/4 reps

 I had no time yesterday!!! Worked from 6-6 with only enough time to squeeze in a treadmill workout. The plan was 1.5 mile warm-up and 1.5 mile cool down which I have learned is truly very important! So the workout was a recovery speed session(?) 8 x 1/4 @ 8.1mph (7:24's) 1 degree incline, 3 min recovery. Did 'em! Finished in 68 minutes with 6.75 treadmiles. I have realized that the treadmill is a very good tool to practice and train the running form....so that's what I focused on during the reps. Never did suck air! I am down to 173lbs....1lb more to go until I reach my first goal...I am now looking at 165 as the real goal...what's 8 more lbs? Well I will post again later as I finish out this recovery week with an easy run sometime today....peace!

Road test....

  So I sucked it up an went out for a run on the roads today. This was my first road run since Oct 21st! I have dropped a dozen pounds and logged nearly 500 treadmiles in between! Here's what I learned; It is really a trip for the first few minutes on the road...running on the 'mill you are stationary but outdoors moving forward....it's kind of a vertigo feeling but it's amazing how fast you adapt back to running the roads.
  I learned that the treadmill can and will make you strong! I could not for the life of me run at recovery pace-11:30's-10:15's-no, I found myself running comfortably and with ease...I have been working on form while on the TM and it seems to be paying off.
  I'll not over do!! If weather permits I will go out again next week. I remembered today that I live in hill country...my route was W south which is hilly! So I will keep running and slowly transition to the roads. I remembered that motorists are inattentive and it's dangerous out there! 4.1 miles of hills in 40:34! Peace!
 

Mile reps

     So another day of treadmill training.....I've been into this program for over three months now....12 pounds off.....popped a 23:58 5K time trial....the achilles feels fine...so it's working! I wonder what will happen though when I run outside? It'll be interesting!
  I am in a recovery week so today was 3x1mile @ 10K pace (7.5mph 1 degree incline) with a two minute rest in between. I did a 1.5 mile warm up and cool down....total: 61 minutes 6.36 treadmiles....I am really feeling encouraged and confident...I hope to keep dropping the weight and gaining speed! What if I really could break 4 hrs in the marathon? Hope you are well! Peace!