Still a 100

So this could be our last scorcher of a day for a while. I managed a 6 miler putting me over 30 for the week. I have been logging consistent D for 4 months now. Slowly losing the poundage...slowly building the endurance, slowly transforming into the long distance runner I am in heart. The Achilles is doing well...it barks when I run the hard hill runs, yet not bad enough to make me cry....(?) meaning whine.
  I am thinking about the next long run. I need a 14 miler next week and I'd prefer not to have to run hills but it isn't possible. I guess what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. One thing I noticed the other day...my legs. They are really muscular! Guess it's all these stinkin' hills! The shins are huge! The quads bigger than ever....I wonder if I can stay healthy what I might do on a flat marathon?
  Well, hope you are well! Peace!

Still Strong, though....

So all the miles I have run are not lost! I have been babying the achilles by running "lighter" and so far it's not worsened. I have had to cut down miles just a dab, 4 yesterday, 5 today. I thank you for your words of encouragement and advice...I will take it! I hope to run a sixer tomorrow. I felt super strong today! Like I could of run a race. Grateful for the ability to run! On another note, we had a really good visit with my son, his wife, and our amazing grandson, Alex this past week. We live over 7 hours away and it's really hard on us because we love them so much. You may remember some posts from last year about the difficulties our family went through....well time has a way of helping us navigate through it all...so does love! If you do  anything above all else love each other!! Peace!

Mind over the matter?

   Yesterday I was so fatigued I napped instead of ran!! I was simply wiped out! I really hated to lose a day of training, being obsessive and all, but common sense won out. So today would be the long run...and finally I am starting to get close to logging a true long run (16 miles or more). I put in 12 miles of hard hills today and I was really pleased with the strength and pace. I finished out with 2 miles at nearly MP...so a good run! I was thinking at around the 7 mile mark, as my shoes squished and sloshed because of excellent sweating skills, do other runners hurt while running? I don't mean pain hurt, I mean hurt, hurt...you know what I'm saying? The quads are turning into cement, your feet are done...yet you push yourself through....this is important training! I wonder how strong I will be when I am able to take it to the flats! I hope the achilles stays well..you see, I am surrounded by hills!! I began to gauge the distance of some of these hills, 2 tenths, three tenths, yes the downs are nice and I push the tempo and turnover on each one.
  Well, sure hope your training is going well! Peace!

Morphing...??!!

  When my eldest son was a little boy his favorite T.V. show was the "Power Rangers!" Oh how he loved that show!! I personally thought it was cheesy but then what do I know I love to run!
  I vaguely recall that they would "morph" from their everyday "run of the mill" life into a "Power Ranger!"
   There's a chance I may be morphing! Today during the course of my 9 X 2min @ HM pace I found myself running faster and recovering quicker! No...the heat is still on....no...I wasn't on drugs....I think the training is starting to pay off! I finished the week with 6:54.56 in time on the roads! 36.3 miles, and now three weeks in a row over 30 miles for a week. The HM pace has morphed to 10K pace, btw....
  Well I have already been strategizing next week...Mon. go long-12 miles, Tues. EZ 85 min, Wed. 85 min rolling hills..off Thurs, Fri, and Sat...on vacation!! Going to see my son, daughter-in-law, and grandson in Louisiana! Then Sunday I could knock off some speedwork!! Well hope you are doing good! now time to morph!!!!Peace!!

When in doubt.....run!!!!

Today I was in a great debate with myself on whether I should rest my heel or run....suddenly, yesterday, my right heel began to burn....uh oh!! No es bueno!!! Even worse it had some kind of twinge thing going on....needless to say we Runners are a fickle and sensitive breed. Ever on the lookout for dogs and pain we will run when threatened!! So that's just what I did...ran. I did 80 minutes in the searing heat today! Boy did it suck me dry!!! Yet I had no pain or dog encounters!!! Es bueno!!! I have logged 6 hrs and 4 min on the roads this week!!! I have 31+ miles in...I have run long, and hills, and tomorrow I do my speed work. Tonight it's into the big city for some fine cuisine with friends. I vow to not pig out!!!! Peace!
 

Into time...

    My training this time has been more centered on time than distance, I totally understand the importance of distance though. It's just a different mind-set if you will. Like today; I wanted to increase to 2 hrs for my long run....I wound up doing 2:03.40 because of the distance I needed to achieve. An interesting development takes place when you run by time, your mileage can increase substantially! Last week 34 miles, the week before 30 miles, this week, if I keep increasing will prob be 36-37 miles. I may have to level off for a week. My right quad has been acting up....a strange feeling that feels almost like it's in the bone? I need to remember the value of resting! Today's pace was the fastest so far this training block for a long run. I seem to be getting stronger, thinner, and faster. I was thinking that the level of difficulty, hills, climbs, downs, etc...made this run equivalent to probably a 15-18 miler on the flats...these hills can be a real bear!! Well a good start to the week!!! Now off to town to "run" errands! Peace!

Extreme Run

     Today is long run day....we have some milder weather so the heat and sun impact is lessened. This made a huge difference in my pace today, btw.
   Why title extreme run? No matter the direction I run I have some seriously steep hills to traverse. So as I went out 57.5 minutes I had to run some real whoppers, especially the "Scenic View" hill. Not that I am in any way complaining it just makes the long run a harder effort. I was talking to myself after I made the turn back saying, man this is hard! Funny, though, I really was able to crank it up the last three miles and did a negative split so I had to add on at the end to get my 115 minute run in today. It truly is amazing the difference hot weather running makes....I felt like Superman today in the 70 degree temps!! Hope you are well....on another note, I've been trying to post a comment on "Meg Runs" blog but it won't let me sign on? Somebody tell Meg hi for me!! Peace!

Possible Reprieve

   This morning we received 6/10th inch of rain...cooled us off...I got out asap, considering the wait on lightning, I still made it out as the clouds covered us from the relentless Sun.
  I was running strong and confident and wanted to go ahead and hold the pace. It felt easy and I was not suffering from the heat at all.....until....the sun popped out! Suddenly I began to feel the heat, steam, and it began to toast me.
  I held on the same effort but the pace slowed. This week has been one of my best when it comes to pace speed. So 70 minutes of running today. I plan on 70 more tomorrow with a 7 X 2 minute @ HM speed session worked in, I have been developing a vision of myself; I see me running long distances again. I picked up the latest edition of "Runners world" today. I used to take the mag many years ago, thought I'd read some about running! Hope you are well, appreciate you! Peace!!

I'm Melting!!

  So my goal today was to run 105 minutes, and to run the last 2 miles faster....didn't work! I got out late and the heat, sun, and humidity took a toll and I melted away...however I did run the whole way and feel fine, I just wasn't able to push the pace into marathon pace zone. So it was a good fat burner and I've kicked off the week with a solid training run. I really, really need to get this run into a higher mileage zone. I am continuing the building....tomorrow 70 minutes, Wednesday 70 minutes of hills, Thursday off Friday 70 minutes conversational, Saturday 7X2 min @ HM pace or faster...sounds good, huh? I should get into the 30+ mile range for the week, too. I am really excited about how my body is responding, too. I pulled out a pair of jeans the other night and put them on, the seemed a tad tight? Not bad but snug....hmmmm...turned out they were some old 33 inchers! Oh yeah!! The waist line is shrinking!! Peace!

What's the rush?

Lilly Tomlin once said  "even if you win the rat race you are still a rat!"  Today traffic was nuts out here!? I counted 30 cars passing me and usually it's just a handful....what was odd was everyone seemed in such a hurry! Speeding, weaving, exuding a sense of urgency. I was in my own little world while the world seems to be running mad! Yet even this week it has seemed that time is short and work is long, life piles up and we often can't shovel fast enough to find the way out...
  I actually ran a tad bit faster even as the record setting heat set in and blazed. I have one more run slated this week, a 6X2min @ HM pace road workout. Hope the traffic lets up!:) Today, 65 minutes of conversational pace running, I now have logged 23.76 miles this week. Peace!!

What's a wave?

 Well the super heat wave is on here in SW Mo. The ground is dried out....the plants are dying....I am having to water the trees which I really don't want to do, because they need to learn to be drought resistant, yet they are young and need some help right now!
  I made it out early and put in 91 minutes...45 out 46 back....the out is net downhill.
 On the narrow farm roads cars tend to take the whole road...I get over and wave....one dude just kind of looked at me today....I thought "what's in a wave?" Recognizing a persons existence? A nice howdy? This dude just kind of looked at me..?? He was probably to tired to wave?
  Sure hope we can get some rain! I'm over 18 miles this week already! The vacation is going good! I golfed yesterday and hope to go tomorrow again! Peace!!

Watchout for burnout

Lately I've been so ready for the taper!!! I think I needed to have an earlier marathon. So far I've been training for four months, only run two races, and short ones at that! What's the point?
The routes are becoming a little tedious, not the miles, yet. Me thinks the hills are wearing down some resolve. I'm ready to taper! However, that's not the plan. Three weeks counting this one until the taper.
Some things that help: New socks on the way! A new insole on the way. New shoes...the marathon shoes...so pretty and fresh:)
The track 12 miler Saturday must've really worked me! I'm still running recovery pace. Today at around 6.5 miles I began to feel pretty good and noticed I fell into a solid MP for a spell.
I'm pretty tough so I think I will be able to hold on until taper time. One thing for sure...I'm trying! Peace.
Totals: 11.2 miles/ 2:06:44/ 11:19's.

Rotten to the Core

Well, it had been a while since someone tried to hurt me while running. Yesterday on "W" North run I heard a car coming up from behind, a sudden skittering sound...and I saw an apple core fly by my feet! They missed me!

Such is reality, even out here in the country, some folks are rotten to the core, of course an apple core wouldn't hurt much but it's the principle of the thing. Yes they were throwing at me because they slowed then sped off...I was ready to fight or flight..I had a good adrenaline rush anyway!

Super humid today. I ran 5.01 miles and my shoes and socks were soaked! I went back on "W" North and because it's flatter I noticed my base pace speed is faster, I had to hold back. I had some good splits today with a total time of 49:09 for 5.01-9:48's. 38.34 miles this week, rest tomorrow.

My son will go in for further tests next week. Now, all of the sudden, his insurance company is being difficult! These kids are really having a tough time. Thanks for your response and support. Much appreciated! Peace!!