JohnK

3 easy.

4 mile easy. Felt good.

6 miles consisting of 2 easy warm-up, 3200 on the track in 13:15 (almost right on goal marathon pace) and 2 cool-down. Felt fine, no concerns until later in the day when my right hamstring start to hurt and feel very tight.

4 miles easy. Felt good but the right hamstring isn't so great. Not sure what set this off.

No running. Flew to Las Vegas and drove to St. George, arriving around 7:30 p.m. local time. Bluffs Inns and Suites is not a first-class establishment but it will do. Am feeling good although the right hamstring is noticeable at times. I need to avoid over-stretching it and must also avoid worrying too much about it!

Up early because I'm still on eastern time. Just before daylight I drove to the St. George finish area and then ran about 1.5 miles back on the course then turned around and headed in. Feeling pretty good. The right hamstring is still a worry, however. Went to the expo at mid-morning after breakfast and also listened to Dick Beardsley's first talk which was quite good. Drove the course in the early afternoon and then spent a lot of time resting and watching TV. A lot of rain today but things should clear out nicely for tomorrow's race.

Went in aiming to run 2:55 and felt great during the early miles. Great marathoning conditions.

1 - 6:28

2 - 13:12 (6:44)

3 - 19:38 (6:26)

4 - 26:04 (6:26)

5 - 32:33 (6:29)

6 - 38:56 (6:23)

7 - 45:26 (6:30)

The next 4 were considerably slower (being uphill to rolling with no significant downhill). But after mile 8 (during which I noticed the altitude a bit with somewhat labored breathing) I was okay.

8 - 52:44 (7:18)

9 - 59:50 (7:06)

10 - 1:06.48 (6:58)

11 - 1:13.51 (7:03)

Took a gel at 11 and noticed a boost within 2 miles.

12 - 1:20.43 (6:52)

13 - 1:27.28 (6:45)

So all was well at the half; didn't catch my time but I estimate 1:28:12.

14 - 1:34.14 (6:46)

15 - 1:40.54 (6:40)

During mile 15 I realized my quads were really beginning to hurt from all the downhill plus I noticed that a number of people were passing me, although I really didn't want to be going any faster than 6:40.

16 - 1:47.37 (6:43)

17 - 1:54.28 (6:51)

18 - 2:01.20 (6:52)

Miles 17 and 18 worried me because I was slowing and hurting more.

19 - 2:08.26 (7:06)

It actually felt good to gain some elevation during mile 19. Took a gel during mile 19 but only consumed about 2/3 of it.

20 - 2:15.27 (7:01)

Off goal pace but still felt sub-3:00 was possible at 20.

21 - 2:22.35 (7:08)

22 - 2:30.00 (7:25)

It was really steep downhill between about 19.5 and 21 and again from about 22.0 to 22.5. I was really in distress by now with very bad quad pain. Otherwise I wasn't in terrible shape but it was hard to focus and remain determined to keep running.

23 - 2:37.27 (7:27)

24 - 2:45:08 (7:41)

After completing mile 24 I ran another 100m or so and then walked for about :30.

After that it was slow jogging mixed in with short walking breaks to the finish.

25 - 2:53.38 (8:30)

26 - 3:02.35 (8:57)

26.2 - 3:04.15 (1:40)

So the last 2.2 miles took me a little over 19 minutes! I've never, ever, had quad pain like this in a marathon. I wasn't in bad shape otherwise and feel I could have at least finished close to my 2:55 goal had I not had the terribly sore quads. And I'm quite sure I didn't drink enough during the race and may not have eaten enough yesterday. Plus, 2-3 aspirins 30 minutes prior to the start might have helped. Anyway, I loved St. George Marathon otherwise and hope to return in 2007.

Flew back to Georgia Saturday night arriving in Atlanta at 5:45 a.m. and home to Athens a little before 9:00. Took a few very short walks today and the quad pain is bad!

Rest. Very sore quads. Walked a little. Did I mention that my quads are sore?

More rest, more quad pain. Two 15 minute walks.

Feeling just a little better today but not close to being able to run. Two 15 minute walks.

Still not able to run but I'm thinking about trying it tomorrow. Two short 15 minute walks.

Ran and walked for a total of 4 miles. It did not go well -- I could not run downhill and toward the end could only run on my toes the pain was getting so bad! Never have I had a post-marathon experience like this.

Walked an hour (4 miles) in the early morning and felt pretty good, but I knew I needed another day without running. Noticed a little knee pain (right leg) later in the day.

4 miles easy. Quads somewhat better but far from 100%.

5 miles easy. Slight improvement but the quads are still sore. Didn't worsen during the run, however.

Easy 7 miles. Quads much better -- still a little sore but coming along now.

9 miles easy. Quads continue to improve although it's not 100% yet.

7 mile light fartlek run. Decided the quads were ready for and might even benefit from a little faster paced stuff. Felt okay. Hope to get in a 12-14 miler on Saturday if my legs are up to it.

8 miles mostly relaxed, with about 3 of it on grass and trails. A bit of soreness above right kneecap and lingering quad soreness from St. George.

2 mile warm-up then 5,000m on UGA track in 20:00 followed by 2 cool-down. Just wanting to run ~half-marathon pace (a little slower than that, actually) and see how the legs would feel. They were heavy and I felt the opposite of smooth! But I'm s-l-o-w-l-y getting back to normal after St. George. Quess another week of fairly light running and I'll be feeling good.

Easy 10 miler (~75:00). Quads still a little heavy but coming along.

7 mile fartlek, not too tough but a decent workout and the best I've felt since St. George. It's nice to be getting back to normal. Hope to get in something more substantial Wed. or Thurs.

10 miles with several 1 minute build-ups and a few sustained ~400m efforts. Nothing too tough but a way to break up the run with a little quality and work toward harder workouts in the coming weeks when fully recovered from St. George. Chilly this a.m. -- 34 degrees, which is unusual for October in Georgia -- but just about ideal in my view.

Easy 7 miler. Felt really good -- like the low 30s for early morning running. Quads almost back to normal.

11 miles with first 7 a fartlek run that included about 2 miles total near 5K race pace in 1:00 to 2:00 sections, then 3000 on UGA track in 11:26 (just a bit faster than I hope to average for a 15K road race on Nov. 18th -- am aiming for 3:50 per K in that), and 2 miles cool-down. Felt good, the 3000 was okay and certainly far from all-out although I thought it would feel a little easier even after the fartlek. Not sure I'll be ready for 57:30 in the 15K but it's a reasonable goal since I ran 57:39 last year.

6 miles easy in the rain. Felt good. Nice to have weather as an excuse to take is extra easy and short, but actually I didn't mind the rain as it wasn't cold (about 52 degrees).

4 mile warm-up then 10,000m solo on UGA track in 39:05 and 4 mile cool-down. Was hoping to run 38:20 which is goal pace (3:50 per K = 57:30) for a 15K race in three weeks. It was very windy and I didn't feel 100%, so after being on pace thru 4K I started slipping a bit. 5Ks were 19:16 + 19:49. I'm not really all that disappointed and believe I will be in much better form in 3 weeks.

9 miles fairly relaxed (@66:00). Felt better than expected considering yesterday.

8 mile fartlek, with first 3 miles as warm-up then 2 x 2:00, 3 x 1:30, 4 x 1:00 and 4 x :30 with equal recoveries and short cool-down.

A.M.: 14 mile out-and-back in 1:38.30. Went easy first the 7 (52:15) and ~marathon pace coming back (46:15 = 6:36 pace). Felt good, strong effort over the last 7 as I started at ~6:45 and very gradually sped up, really pushing the last two miles.

P.M.: Had an hour in late afternoon with nothing to do so decided to go out for a few miles and ended up doing 6 easy. Felt good.

8 miles relaxed. A little fatigued from yesterday's two runs (total 20 miles) but not bad.

8 easy. Felt less than top notch, not surprising considering Tuesday. Expect to feel much better tomorrow.

12 miles, first 4 as warm-up then 2000, 1600, 1200, 800, 400, 200 on track in 7:35, 6:03, 4:30, 2:57, 85, 42 all with 400 recoveries (except 200m after the 200) then 1600 steady in 6:40 (about MP) and 2 miles cool-down. Felt pretty good but not great. Goal was to start out with the 2000 at threshold pace (i.e., goal pace for 15K race on 11/18) and drop :01 per lap on each of the following 3 segments (so it should have been 7:40, 6:04, 4:30, 2:57) and then just finish with 400 + 200 however I felt. So I hit those times but didn't feel as good as I'd hoped. Chilly morning.

8 miles easy. Almost bagged it after 4 but began to feel a little better. Definitely dragging today!

1.5 mile warm-up then 20K solo on UGA track in 1:19.50 and 2 miles cool-down. Goal was to keep it right at 3:58-4:00 per K and I managed that with 5Ks in 19:56, 19:57, 20:00 & 19:57. Guess this is about halfway between threshold pace and marathon pace. Would hope I could run 2:00-2:30 faster in a race. Also, this is about a 1:24.10 half marathon so I figure I could race 13.1 mi. in ~1:22 on a good day.

8 miles easy. Somewhat fatigued from yesterday's hard 20K but I slogged through it.

8 miles mostly easy with strides. Felt good.

12 mile fartlek. Kind of all over the place but a good workout.

8 miles easy. Felt better than expected after yesterday.

3.5 mile warm-up then 2000/1600/1200/800/400 on UGA track in 7:26, 5:55, 4:23, 2:53 & :81 all with 400m recoveries. Goal was to start at or a bit faster than threshold pace for the 2000 and try to increase the pace about :01 per 400 for each segment, so I was aiming for 7:30, 5:56, 4:24, 2:54 and at least :84 on the 400. Pleased to do considerably better on this vs. last week. Also, after the 400 and a 2:00 recovery jog I ran 3000m in 11:49 and then a 1.5 mile cool-down.

8 miles easy. Felt okay but glad to be taking it short and slow today.

14 miles out-and-back going easy (52:30) the first 7 and somewhat faster than marathon pace (45:30) the second 7. Felt good.

6 miles easy. Had a little abdominal pain yesterday and this a.m. and decided to take it extra easy today with a 15K race coming up Saturday. (I had a prolonged abdominal injury in 2000 and don't even want to think about going through that again!)

8 mile fartlek. Felt pretty good.

10 miles easy. Felt good. Looks as though conflicts will keep me from racing a 15K this Saturday but I'm planning on Atlanta Half-Marathon Thanksgiving morning. Would like a sub-1:23, possibly sub-1:22 but that's doubtful.

8 mile fartlek. Felt very good.

Ran a 10K time trial on a measured loop road course in 38:15. 1.75 warm-up and 2 cool-down. It was somewhat windy but otherwise good conditions. I wanted this to be a hard effort but not quite all-out and am pleased with the results. Miles went 6:03, 6:09, 6:03, 6:13, 6:15, 6:15 + 1:17 which was okay considering miles 4-6 have more uphill than 1-3. Now five easy days before Atlanta Half-Marathon on Thanksgiving morning.

6 miles easy. Felt good despite running extra early (4:50 a.m.) so I could leave town at 6:15 with my son for his soccer game.

6 miles easy with a few strides and build-ups. Felt good.

6 miles easy with a few pick-ups. Felt good. Weather seems to be shaping up nicely for Thursday's half-marathon.

4 mile jog. Taking it extra easy these last few days prior to Atlanta half-marathon on Thursday and feeling good.

4 miles easy. Feeling pretty good and looking forward to tomorrow's half-marathon.

Ran 1:23.01 in the Atlanta Half-Marathon. Missed my goal time by :02 -- was aiming for a sub-1:23 -- but I'll take it. Was rather surprised to win the 45-49 division as this is a pretty big race with about 7,500 entrants. Conditions were good although it was a bit breezy but quite nice with about 40 degrees at the start. The course is not easy with a fast first 7 miles and then quite a bit of climbing the next 5.5 and a flat to downhill final 0.5. I think this indicates I could still run ~2:55 for a marathon in 2007, or at least it's reasonable to shoot for that.

3 miles easy. Felt overall fatigue but not much soreness, except for my stomach from a cramp that bothered me for a few miles at mid-race yesterday.

7 miles easy. Felt quite good, only just a tad of soreness from Thursday's race.

13 miles easy except pushed the pace on some of the uphill sections.

8 miles mostly easy, with a few pick-ups.

11 mile fartlek run. Just a lot of variety, ending with 1600 on the track in 5:55 and then a 2 mile cool-down. Felt pretty good.

8 miles easy. Felt only so-so.

Easy hour run.

9 miles, first 2 easy then 8,000m on the track gradually increasing the pace on each kilometer, from a little slower than marathon pace to threshold pace. Felt good -- not a demanding workout but I got out my old heart monitor and wanted to see what sort of numbers this would give me. 2 mile cool-down.

8 miles, easy except for 8 x 100m strides. Felt good.

18 miles total, first 16 was 8 miles out & 8 back going out in 59:00 (7:22 pace) and back in 50:40 (6:20 pace) then 2 mile cool-down in ~15:00. First mile of the 8 back was 6:40 then I dropped to an ave. of 6:20 the next 6 and finished with a 6:00 for the 8th (a fast flat to downhill mile). Felt strong the whole way. Wore heart monitor -- was ~135 the first 8 and then ~155 the next 8. I have a max. heart rate of ~180 so this is would be about 75% for the easy 8 and then 86% the second 8.

This run plus a respectable half-marathon on Thanksgiving are inspiring me to run the Paris Mountain 20K (Greenville, SC) in two weeks. It's a tough race that I've run once ('04) but I feel in good shape to try it again.

8 miles easy. A little tired from yesterday's run but not bad.

8 miles total, easy except 8 x 100m strides.

11 miles, first 4 easy with a few strides to warm up then a measured hilly 5K race course in ~19:30 as a tempo effort, a mile easy and then threw in some surges during the next three miles. Felt okay, darkness at very early morning hour slowed the 5K somewhat.

8 miles easy.

A.M.: 8 mile fartlek.

P.M.: 5 mile threshold run in 32:00.

(Decided to get in a second run today since it's supposed to drop to 15 degrees tonight and I know I won't want to do much at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow!)

8 miles easy.

10 miles, first 2 as warm-up then 3,000m in 11:06, 800m recovery jog/walk, 2,000 in 7:49, 600 recovery jog/walk, 1,000 in 3:35, 400 recovery jog, 400 in :82, 200 recovery jog, 200 in :39, 2 mile cool-down. Felt pretty good.

8 miles easy.

5 miles easy. Am racing a 20K Saturday that includes a very tough accent of ~3 miles and rolling hills the last several miles so I'm determined to be properly rested going in.

6 miles with some strides and pick-ups.

5 miles easy. Feeling good and looking forward to a tough 20K this Saturday.

4 miles easy.

Ran the Paris Mountain Road Race, which is a very demanding 20K that includes a steady 2.5 mile climb up Paris Mountain and also lots of rolling hills. The conventional wisdom seems to be that finish times are about equal to what one could run on an "average" half-marathon course. Anyway, I ran 1:23.19 two years ago and wanted to improve on that so I'm a little disappointed. But when I consider I've aged two years (am 46 now) I can't complain.

7 miles easy. Felt somewhat fatigued but not bad.

Easy hour run. Felt pretty good but quad soreness is a little worse today, not surprisingly. Expect to be much better tomorrow.

Easy hour run. Quad soreness not as bad.

1.5 miles easy then 8,000m on track alternating 800s at ~2:55 and 3:40 and 1.5 easy. 800s were 3:00, 2:57, 2:54, 2:51, 2:51. Quads feeling much better.

8 miles mostly relaxed but did some form drills and 4 x 200 in ~:40 on track.

2 miles warm-up then 10K on track in 39:59 just running steady at ~4:00 per K and 1.75 miles cool-down. Ran in steady rain, which I guess made it :01 or :02 slower per lap (?), but anyway I didn't feel that great. Pleased to hang on to finish the 10K but not real pleased with how I felt!

8 miles mostly relaxed except for a few pick-ups and form drills then 8 x 100 strides on track and 2 x 200 both in :37. Felt okay.

12 miles easy.

5 miles easy.

8 miles easy.

12 mile fartlek.

8 miles easy.

8 miles, easy except 1600 on track in 6:10 alternating 100m at ~MP, 100m 5K pace.

7 miles, easy except 1600m on track in 5:47 (86, 86, 89, 86).

5 miles easy.