JohnK

Nice to get an overall race win but I sure hope the course was long! (I believe this is my slowest 5K race ever.) Didn't feel so great and it was windy, but I believe the course measurement really was off as others I know had slower finish times than usual.

10 miles, mostly easy except 3 at a little under 7:00 pace.

8 miles with pick-ups in a.m.

4 miles with 8 x 100m strides in p.m.

7 miles easy.

10 miles total, first 2 easy then 400/600/400/200 in :79, 2:03, :79, :39 (jog recoveries of same distances) then 6,400m in 26:25 and 2 mile cool-down.

15 miles total, first 2 easy then 13 with Saturday a.m. group a little quicker, about 6:45-7:00 pace.

9 miles total, first 5 easy with pick-ups then 1600m on track alternating 100 easy/100 fairly hard (total 6:22), mile in 6:00, 2 mile cool-down.

8 miles light fartlek a.m.

5 miles easy p.m.

8 miles, mostly easy with strides.

8 miles, some fartlek and 1600m on track in 5:42 (85, 86, 86, 85).

6 miles, easy with pick-ups.

5 miles easy.

Pleased with the race overall although I'd hoped to get a sub-30:00. Ran 5:52, 11:54, 17:53, 24:00 (=5:52, 6:02, 5:59, 6:07, 6:05). Miles #4 and #5 are a little tougher than the first three so my pacing was pretty respectable. Caught a runner with about 600m to go and beat him to the line by :03 -- a good thing as he was a guy who just turned 40 so I was able to get the masters win. 2 warm-up and 5 cool-down.

14 miles, mostly easy but picked it up to about MP for 3 miles.

9 miles total, with pick-ups and 1600m on track alternating 100m float/100 fairly hard in 6:16.

10 mile fartlek, including 1600m on track in 5:55.

8 miles easy with strides.

10 miles total, first 3 easy then 400/600/400/200 in :80, 2:03, :80, :40 w/ jog recoveries of same distances then 1500m in 5:35 and 3 miles cool-down. Considering it was raining this wasn't too bad.

9 miles total, mostly easy except 1600m on track alternating 100m float/100m fairly hard in 6:11.

17 miles total, first 1.75 as warm-up then 20,000m on track in 1:19.30 and 2.75 miles cool-down. Aim was to run the first 1600m in 6:40 and drop :04 each subsequent 1600m as long as possible. Went 6:39, 6:35, 6:31, 6:26, 6:20, 6:19, 6:16, 6:12, 6:09, 6:18, 6:20, 6:20, 3:05. (5Ks were 20:33, 19:51, 19:24, 19:42)  

8 miles, first 4 easy then picked it up a little next 2 and threw in some surges the last 2.

9 miles, easy except 8 x 100m strides on track.

A.M.:  11 mile fartlek (3 warm-up, 5 fartlek going :30, 1:00, 1:30, 2:00, 2:30, 3:00 then back down, with recoveries of up to 2:00) and 1600m on track in 5:43 followed by 2 mile cool-down.

P.M.:  4 mile grass run in spikes, first mile easy then 3 miles at about 5:50-6:00 pace.

Easy hour run.

(Need to fill in gap since my last entry -- will do that soon.)

11 miles total, first 2 as warm-up then 10 x 1000m on track in 3:44, 3:45, 3:44, 3:43, 3:43, 3:43, 3:44, 3:45, 3:45, 3:44 w/ 200m jog recoveries and 1.5 mile cool-down. Average is 3:44 and goal was 3:45 so I'm pleased.

8 miles easy.

10 miles total, first 2.5 as warm-up then 1600m on track in 5:36 (81, 85, 86, 85), 800m jog, 3000m in 11:13 (just aiming for about :90 per 400m), 800m with 4 x 100m strides, 200m in 37.5, 400m jog, 400m in 76.5, 3 miles cool-down.

11 miles easy.

9 miles total, easy except 1600m on track alternating 100m fairly hard/100m float in 5:56.

A.M.:  10 mile fartlek including 1600m on track in 5:42.

P.M.:  7 miles mostly easy.

8 miles easy.

Rest day -- had a minor ice storm during the night and I took the icy streets as a sign I'm due for a day off (even though I hate to begin a new month with a zero day!).

12 miles total, first 2 as warm-up then 4 x 1200 and 3 x 1600 on track, all with 600m jog recoveries (~3:00) -- ran 4:30, 4:27, 4:24, 4:22, 6:05, 6:04, 5:52. 2 mile cool-down. Good workout, hit almost exactly the goal times I'd set (which were 4:30, 4:27, 4:24, 4:21, 6:08, 6:04, 6:00).

10 miles, easy except 8 x 100m strides on track.

14 miles total, first 3.5 easy then hilly 5K road course in 18:49 (5:59, 6:02, 6:09 + :49), 2 miles easy, 5,000m on track in 18:53 (1600s in 6:05, 6:05, 6:01) and 2.25 miles cool-down. Felt good.

8 miles easy except 8 x 100m strides on track. Felt okay.

8 miles, easy except 8 x 100m strides on track. Felt due for a second straight easy day.

A.M.:  10 mile fartlek including 1600m on track in 5:38 (84.5, 85.0, 85.5, 83.0).

P.M.:  4 miles easy.

8 miles, easy except 5 x 200m on track all in :39 - :41 and a few strides.

5 miles easy. Racing a 5K tomorrow on a relatively fast course and would definitely like a sub-18:00.

Pleased to run 17:49 with splits of 5:45, 11:37, 17:17 (5:45, 5:52, 5:40 + :32). Course fairly easy with no really significant hills. Chilly and somewhat breezy but basically good conditions for a short race.

14 miles mostly easy. Felt good.

8 miles, easy except 1600m on track alternating 100m at ~threshold pace/100m fairly hard (total 5:55).

A.M.:  11 mile fartlek, including 1600m on track in 5:37.

P.M.:  3 miles easy in rain.

8 miles easy.

8 miles easy. Felt so-so, decided I was due for another easy day.

12 miles total, first 2 as warm-up then 4 x 1200 and 3 x 1600 on track all with 500m jog recoveries (~2:30 each). Ran 4:29, 4:25, 4:21, 4:19, 6:05, 5:59, 5:48. 2 mile cool-down. Pleased with workout -- improved times somewhat from Feb. 2 despite cutting recoveries by 100m (~:30).

9 miles easy. Felt okay.

5 miles easy. Had thought about a longish easy run but bagged the idea -- felt like a really easy short run today.

8 miles total, first 2 as warm-up then 3200m on track in 11:45 (87, 88, 88, 89, 89, 89, 88, 87) then 800m jog and 4 x 400m in 79, 78, 79, 79 (400m jog recoveries) and 1.75 mile cool-down.

10 miles with some moderate fartlek.

6 miles easy. 

6 miles easy except 4 x 400m on track starting fairly relaxed and gradually increasing the pace each 100m.

5 miles easy. Looking forward to 5k race tomorrow but am not expect a great performance since I'll be stressed about management details.

Not a bad performance considering being kind of stressed about the race (which I co-direct), including problems with the trophy order yesterday and picking up t-shirts last night, etc. Not a proper warm-up before the race but that's to be expected. The course is tough so I was pleased to run a little faster than last year. Several members of a college team from Ontario, Canada showed up and took home quite a few awards. I was happy about beating a UGA freshman who beat me last year as a high school senior. Ran 5:40, 11:36, 17:41 = 5:40, 5:56, 6:05 + 38 (3rd mile definitely the toughest on a course with very little flat).

13 miles total, first 6 easy then 5,000m tempo on track in 19:25 (1600s in 6:15, 6:15, 6:10 + :45) and 4 miles cool-down.

8 mile easy.

A.M.:  9 miles moderate fartlek.

P.M.:  7 miles mostly easy with several good pick-ups.

7 miles easy.

6 miles total, first 2 easy then 3,200m on track in 12:19 going 96, 95, 94, 93 (= 6:18), 92, 91, 90, 88 (= 6:01) and 2 mile easy. 

5 miles easy.

4 miles easy.

Pleased to finish 2nd overall (of 595 finishers) in a respectable 1:23.50 on a hilly course under chilly & windy conditions. Pacing was tough with these conditions. Went 6:13, 12:48, 19:06, 25:32, 31:43, 38:08, 44:27, 51:10, 57:42, 1:04.14, 1:10.32, 1:17.08, 1:23.12 = 6:13, 6:35, 6:18, 6:26, 6:11, 6:25, 6:19, 6:43, 6:32, 6:32, 6:18, 6:36, 6:04 + :38. Strong finish, felt pretty good throughout.

8 miles easy.

10 miles easy.

12 mile fartlek, going 2 x :30, 2 x 1:00, 2 x 1:30, 2 x 2:00, 2 x 3:00 and back down, all with 1:00 recoveries, then 1600m on track in 5:43 and 3 cool-down.

11 miles, mostly easy but picked up the pace at some points.

10 miles, mostly easy but included several pick-ups and strides.

2.5 mile warm-up than 10 x 1000m on track in 3:39.5 ave. with 200m jog recoveries (~1:00). 3.25 mile cool-down. Good workout. Feel I'm on track for sub-37:00 track 10K on April 20th.

15 miles total in 1:45.30. Out-and-back first 14.2 going easy out 7.1 in 51:50 and gradually increasing pace over next 7.1 in 47:20 with last three in 6:34, 6:20, 5:52 (= 1:38.10 for 14.2) then a mile easy in 7:20. Felt very good, especially considering yesterday's workout.

8 miles easy. Felt good considering demanding running the past two days.

12 miles total, first 6 easy then 0.5 with some strides followed by 3,200m on track starting with first 400 in 93 and very gradually increasing speed to finish in 11:55 (w/ last 400 in 86). 3.5 mile cool-down.

10 miles total, mostly easy with 8 x 100m strides on track.

13 miles total, first 3 to warm-up w/ a few strides then fartlek next 6 miles going 2 x :30, 2 x 1:00, 2 x 1:30, 2 x 2:00, 2 x 3:00 and back down (w/ 1:00 recovery jogs except :30 for the :30 pick-ups) then 1600m on track in 5:37 (84.5, 84.5, 85.0, 83.0) and 3 miles cool-down.

10 miles, easy except 8 x 100m strides on track and also one 400m in :78 (just at about mile race pace). 

Am feeling strong and more confident of my fitness for 10K and above, but it's clear I'm lacking speed! I don't know that I could race a mile any faster than 5:15 right now, and even that would not be easy. But I guess it's not such an issue if I'm focusing on 10,000m training.

14 miles with Saturday a.m. group in 1:43. Felt good although had a sore throat and some body aches later in the day.

10 miles total, first 1.75 to warm up then 10,000m on track alternating 2400 below MP (9:38), 600 at ~5K pace (2:09), 2000m below MP (8:07), 500 at ~5K pace (1:46), 1600m below MP (6:30), 400m at ~5K pace (84.5), 1200m below MP (4:53), 300m at ~5K pace (63.0), 800m below MP (3:14), 200m better than 5K pace (41.0) = 39:25.5 total for 10K; 2 miles cool-down. Felt pretty good, kind of challenging to keep changing the pace so a good workout. Don't know that I could manage 2:30 faster than this for an evenly-paced 10K on the track, but that's the goal (sub-37:00) for 4/20.

8 miles easy. Felt good, though in need of a very easy day.

A.M.:  10 miles total, first 7 as a fartlek run then 1600m on track in 5:35 (84.5, 84.5, 85.0, 81.0) and 2 miles cool-down. Good effort on the 1600 but it's kind of distressing to realize I certainly couldn't race an all-out 1600/mile in under 5:15 whereas I was ~:15 faster 5 years ago. (Ran 5:00.3 in 2002.) And 10 years ago I'd comfortably cover the first mile of a 5K road race in 5:15 or so. In other words, getting old stinks!

P.M.:  4 miles easy (30 mins.).

8 miles easy. Felt good.

11 miles total, first 2 as warm-up then 10K solo effort on the track in 38:22 (Ks in 3:51, 3:52, 3:52, 3:52, 3:51, 3:51, 3:50, 3:49, 3:49, 3:45 = 19:18 + 19:04) and 1.75 miles cool-down. Felt good, under control the whole way and I could definitely go faster on my own; not sure how much faster I might manage in an actual competition but 37:00 on 4/20 seems within reach, although it will be difficult. Obviously even pacing will be key -- will just have to keep hitting those :89 400s and hope to have a bit of a kick over the final laps! With four weeks to go this was encouraging, especially as it wasn't that tough. But finding 1:23 to cut off my time won't be so easy.

9 miles easy except 8 x 100m strides on track and a hard 400m toward the end.

12 miles total, first 2 as warm-up then 4 x 1200 and 3 x 1600 on track, all with 500m recovery jogs (mixed with just a little walking toward the end; recovery time was 2:30 up to nearly 3:00), then 2 mile cool-down. Goal was 4:27, 4:24, 4:21, 4:18, 6:00, 5:56, 5:52. Ended up running 4:27, 4:24, 4:20, 4:17, 5:56, 5:55, 5:52. Felt good; wasn't exactly well rested because of a fairly hard 10,000m on the track 48 hours previous, so especially given that I'm pleased.

13 miles fairly relaxed (1:35). Felt good despite track workout yesterday a.m. and an hour of tennis in p.m.

9 miles, mostly easy but with a few strides and a hard 400. Felt good.

A.M.:  11 mile fartlek, first 2.5 easy then fartlek the rest of the way. Wasn't feeling so great early on so it was moderate at best, and I bagged the hard 1600m on the track I ususally do before a 2 mile cool-down. But instead I did 2 miles fairly hard on the roads in 11:53 and felt quite good during that. (This was miles 9 & 10, followed by a mile cool-down.)

P.M.:  5 miles easy (36:30).

8 miles easy except strides. Felt okay.

11 miles total, first 2 as warm-up then 3200 on track in 11:50 (5:56 + 5:54), 2.5 mile jog, 2 miles on road in 11:38, 2.5 miles easy. Didn't feel great at first and was disappointed with the 3200 on the track -- had wanted to hit :87 per 400 (~11:36) but I was dragging. (Maybe all the pollen is getting to me?). I certainly could have gone faster than 11:50 but it wasn't supposed to be nearly all-out or feel all that tough. Nevertheless, I felt considerably better during the 2 mile, which I'll admit has a net elevation loss but I was definitely moving faster.

10 miles total, first 7 fairly relaxed then picked it up to 6:20 for mile #8 and 6:00 for mile #9 then the final mile easy. Felt pretty good.

13 miles total, first 1.5 as a warm-up then 5 x 1K on track in 3:42, 3:41, 3:40, 3:38, 3:37 (all with 200m recovery jogs, ~1:05 each), twice the recovery after #5 followed by 5,000m tempo in 19:30 (1600s in 6:18, 6:17, 6:13 + :43 for the last 200m) and an easy 5 miles. Felt okay although not quite as strong as hoped during the 1K repeats, but it was still dark during those which makes it a little harder. Might have tried to get the 5K tempo a little faster but this was okay as a tempo effort, plus I almost seemed to feel stronger as it went along so that's a good sign (i.e., that this pace isn't all that demanding even when I'm somewhat fatigued). Am thinking about a 5K road race next Saturday as a tune-up for the 10K on the track two weeks later.

11 miles total, first 7.5 easy then w/ spikes at track did some strides, a 400 in :82 starting slow and building the pace each 100m to finish hard, 1600 in 5:38, 200 jog, 200 in :39, 1.5 mile cool-down. Felt okay.

9 miles, easy except 1600m on track alternating 100m at ~MP/100m hard (total time 6:10).

7 miles total, first 3 as warm-up then 2 mile measured road course in 11:23 (5:47 + 5:36) and 2 miles cool-down. Ran the 2 mile pretty hard and was pleased. This was sort of a tune-up for a 5K race this Saturday. The course will be really fast the first 2 and then mostly uphill the final 1.1 so I'll want to get out fast but still have something left for that difficult last mile.

6 miles, easy expect several short pick-ups/strides. Felt good.

7 miles pretty easy. Felt fine, am looking forward to racing a 5K this Saturday although it will be cold! Possibly upper 20s at start time which is very unusual for April in Georgia. But I'd much prefer that to what we'll have in a couple months so I'm not complaining.

5 miles easy. Should be ready for a good race tomorrow a.m. Course looks fast the first 2 miles then tough uphill most of the last 1.1 so no time predictions.

Unseasonably cold this a.m. (upper 20s) and windy, but a beautiful morning. We were treated to a new course for this race and I knew the first mile would be fast, as it's mostly downhill with an elevation drop of at least 150 feet. Mile #2 is fairly level along the Oconee River. Mile #3 is rolling the first half mile and then there's major uphill for about 0.25 mile and a flat last few blocks. I was determined to race hard and go out fairly fast, and I was 5:36 at the mile and in 6th place. I moved into 5th at about 1.5 and hit 2 in 11:29. Since shortly after the start I had been eyeing the lead masters runner, who was :10 up on me at the mile -- think I cut his lead by only about :02 by 2 miles. It was into a tough headwind as we began mile #3 and I continued closing just a little on the lead master. We made a sharp left at about 2.5 to begin the climb and I pushed hard to pull even with the other master then really poured it on for the next :30 or so to get away from him. I also passed another guy so moved into 3rd. Over the last flat section I briefly pulled up to the guy in 2nd place but I was spent and could not respond when he started a kick. So it was 3rd OA/1st master in 18:17. Not fast, but very satisfying because I really put out a strong effort. (3 warm-up, 6 cool-down.)

11 miles easy. A little fatigue from yesterday but not bad.

7 miles easy. Was up most of last night (only 2.5 hour of sleep) working on a grant application, so while I needed a morning run to get me going today I didn't want much. Actually felt better toward the end of this easy 7 miler.

7 miles easy. Decided to take another really easy day because I'm still dragging after almost no sleep Sunday night and stress from finishing a grant application. Plus I'm scheduled to do a track workout tomorrow a.m. (although there may be thunderstorms here by then, but I hope not).

13 miles total, first 2 as warm-up then 4 x 1200m and 3 x 1600m on track, all with 400m jog recoveries (about 2:05 each). This is the fourth time I've done this workout this year (also Feb. 2, Feb. 16, Mar. 24) and I cut down the recovery distance/time from 600m/~3:00 on 2/2 to 500m/~2:30 on 2/16 to again 500m/~2:30 on 3/24 (although closer to 3:00 on the last few) and then today I was down to 400m/~2:05. Plus it was raining (very lightly) and windy this a.m., dark at first, so not ideal. I went 4:26, 4:25, 4:23, 4:21, 5:59, 5:58, 5:57. Wasn't feeling really motivated although I didn't give up, I made it though the workout okay. I compared total time for the 9600m of hard running covered in each of the four workouts and it comes to 35:44 on 2/2, 35:26 on 2/16, 35:11 on 3/24 and 35:29 today.

So given that today I had the shortest recovery I'm not unhappy, although it wasn't the really solid workout I'd have like to give me a confidence boost. I don't think today's results indicate a sub-37:00 10,000m is all that likely next Saturday (4/20), but if I have a great evening it's a slim possibility. More likely is something in the 37:20-37:40 range but I really must keep it under 37:30, and actually 37:17 (6:00/mile pace) or better would make me quite happy. So we shall see -- I'll probably go out at ~89 per 400 and try to maintain that as long as possible and who knows. A pretty good workout today, under the conditions.

7 miles mostly easy but with several good 1:00 build-ups and one hard quarter mile. Felt pretty good, not too fatigued from yesterday's workout.

10 miles total, first 6 mostly easy with a few 1:00 build-ups and strides then 2 mile road course in 11:19 (5:45 + 5:36) and 2 miles cool-down. Pleased with the 2 miler, even though it has ~75' net elevation loss (mostly in 2nd mile). One week from tonight is my big 10,000m effort and I'm feeling good. Need to start getting more sleep though, that's always a problem. If I could just get an extra 30 minutes (or more!) a night this next week I feel pretty sure it would help.

11 miles, mostly easy but threw in several build-ups and a few strides.

It may not have been especially wise to run this race, given that (a) I have a goal 10K on the track this coming Friday evening and (b) I only decided to run it last night and was not ideally rested as I'd gone 10 with a hard 2 miles on Friday and 11 with pick-ups yesterday. It was the prospect of picking up $100 that swayed me to race. There was a 1st prize award of $100 and also $75 for 2nd and $50 for 3rd. Last year's winning time was only 18:48 and I felt sure I could go faster, although the course is really tough and it was really windy today and I didn't know who would turn up this year. As it turned out, a 2:24 marathoner from Eatonton (GA) was on hand and I spotted him warming up, so I knew even before we started that he'd win handily. And then it became clear fairly early that I wouldn't be able to get 2nd or even 3rd, as I was only in 8th at the mile (5:44). My legs felt heavy but I decided to keep working during the tougher 2nd mile and I passed three competitors to hit 2 miles in 11:49. About 90% of the entrants were Univ. of Georgia students, as this was a sorority-organized benefit event for arthritis research, and I did kind of enjoy passing these 20-somethings. (I may not look quite 47, but I'm sure most college kids peg me for someone of their parents' vintage.) A really long, tough uphill in mile #3 caused me to bag it a little, as I was feeling bad and was clearly out of the money. But I didn't let anyone get by me either. My finish time of 18:48 matched last year's winning mark, but was only good for 5th today. (1st 16:19, 2nd 17:19, 3rd 17:20, 4th 17:54 -- so I was pretty much in no-man's land the last mile.) Only after the race did I learn that the prize money was a new offering this year, which would explain why there was better competition. Oh well, I'm not really in this for the money!

5 miles easy. Feel fine after the 90% effort in yesterday's 5K. Will take it light and easy leading up to Friday evening's 10,000m with the exception of 6 x 300m tomorrow a.m.

8  miles total, first 2 as warm-up with a few strides, etc., then 6 x 300m on track in 58, 58, 57, 56, 55, 56 all with very easy 500m (~3:00) recovery jogs then 3+ mile cool-down. Felt good, pretty smooth and not killing myself although I was running hard. (I did this workout on the advice of a friend who knows I'm racing 10,000m this Friday evening so I sure hope he's right that this is what I needed!)

4 miles mostly easy. Also stretched very thoroughly after running (as I have the two previous days -- makes me realize I don't stretch nearly enough on a regular basis). Am feeling good and getting pretty excited about racing Friday evening. Trying to eat extra carefully this week also.

4 miles easy, with two :60 build-ups. Felt good, can tell I'm better rested than usual, so with 36 hours until the race I should be ready to give a good effort tomorrow night. Confidence wavering, but in any case I'm looking forward to it.

Ran a 37:13 which was okay although I didn't quite get my goal of sub-37:00. 5:53, 11:48, 17:44, 23:44, 29:46, 35:48 = 5:53, 5:55, 5:56, 6:00, 6:02, 6:02 + :85. I'm not real pleased that I didn't push it harder at the end, but I have a history of fading badly on the track and this wasn't nearly as bad as usual. There were only 9 competitors in the 10K in the entire meet so all of us (6 men, 3 women) ran together. This was fine with me, although it meant swinging out to pass fairly often (especially as the final finisher ran 1:10, so I passed her nearly every-other-lap). 1st and 2nd were 35:30 and 35:39, and had I had someone to run with I believe I'd have been a little faster. Still it was a good effort and I'm not unhappy, although getting under 37:00 would have been nice.

3 miles easy a.m., 2.25 warm-up before the evening race, 3.5 cool-down after.

7 miles easy. Fatigued from last night's race but not feeling too bad.

12 miles mostly easy although I picked up the pace now and then and felt strong.

9 miles easy, felt fine.

11 mile fartlek, going easy the first 3 (with a few pick-ups) then 2 x :30, 2 x 1:00, 2 x 1:30, 2 x 2:00 and back down, then to UGA track and 1600 in 5:37 (84, 84, 85, 84) and 3 miles cool-down.

8 miles, first mile easy then mile #2 in ~6:20, next 3 miles mostly easy with a few pick-ups, 1600 on track in 6:02 starting each lap relaxed and gradually increaing the pace to about mile race pace between 250-300m then easy the last 100m; final 2 miles easy.

8 miles, first 1.25 easy then mile in ~6:10, rest of run mostly easy except 8 x 100m strides and a hard downhill 400m. Felt good.

12 miles, first 3 easy with strides then 2 x 2 miles (road course) in 11:28 and 11:33 with 3 miles easy inbetween and 2 miles cool-down. Had planned to run 2 x 3200 on UGA track but it was occupied by a hoard of ROTC folks doing a pre-dawn workout so I opted for the roads. Wasn't feeling very well rested today so I'm pleased I made a good effort and didn't bag it on the second 2 mile.

10 miles easy. Felt good, would have done more but I'm planning on 14-17 tomorrow so this was enough. Beautiful, cool spring mornings like today make me want to keep going.

14 miles, first 7 easy (51:30) then next 4 in 26:00 (~:10/mile faster than MP) and last 3 easy.

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

4 miles easy in the a.m. Felt really tired when the alarm went off so I slept in and just did an easy 30 minutes. Thought about a second run this evening but decided what I most need is a very easy day, so that's what I've got today!

13 mile total, first 3 to warm up with some strides, etc., then 3200 on track in 11:37 (5:48 + 5:49), 3 miles easy, 2 mile road course in 11:27 (5:46 + 5:41) and 3 miles cool down. Had planned a speed workout on the track but there were several joggers in lane one and I used that as an excuse to do the 2 x 2 mile. I think the road course is accurate although it has a big downhill finish the last ~600m so that helps! (Some uphill earlier though, in mile #1, but still there's a net elevation loss.) Am debating a 10K road race this Saturday depending on the family schedule.

7 miles mostly easy with several pick-ups. Felt good.

6 miles easy. Felt good. Will race a 10K tomorrow if William's soccer game is rained out so it will be a last-minute decision.

11 miles total, first 2.5 warm-up with strides, etc., then 5K road course (hilly, UGA campus route) in 18:43 then 3:00 walk/jog recovery and same 5K course again at ~MP in 20:38 and 2.25 cool-down. Pleased with both 5Ks, since the course is tough and on the second one I felt pretty strong after the first few minutes. (Raced this course all-out in 18:19 back in Feb., it's definitely a slow one.)

9 miles, easy except 8 x 100m strides on track and misc. drills. Felt pretty good -- overall fatigue from yesterday but not bad.

9 miles, first 1.25 easy then a downhill mile in 6:10, easy the next 1.5 then several pick-ups over then next 3 miles and some drills and a few strides on the track then 1.5 easy. Felt pretty good. Beautiful morning -- upper 40s with the sun coming up, wish it would stay this way the next four months.

11 mile fartlek, starting with 3 miles warm-up then 3 x 1:00, 3 x 2:00, 3 x 3:00, 3 x 2:00, 3 x 1:00 all with 1:00 recoveries and 2 cool-down. Felt good.

9 miles easy. Felt okay, better toward the end.

6 miles, mostly easy but with a few pick-ups and one hard 400m segment. Looking forward to racing a fairly flat, fast 10K course this Saturday and going for sub-37:00. Unfortunately the cool weather isn't hanging around as it will probably be close to 70 with some humidity by the 8:30 a.m. start and I'm not used to that stuff yet. But still, I feel ready to a good race and if I can avoid too fast a start and then really work on maintaining pace I'll be right there around 37:00.

5 miles easy, felt fine. 10K on tap tomorrow.

HIDEOUS!  Can't believe I ran so poorly -- was thinking I'd have a shot at sub-37 but was off pace the entire way.  (Driving to the race I gave myself a pep talk about how I would keep every mile under 6:00, but darned if I didn't even manage one that fast!)  It was rather warm with about 100% humidity (heavy rain last night) and the supposedly fast course was more rolling than I'd been expecting, but still it wasn't a tough course.  And while I'm not yet used to this kind of humidity (as it's been cool and dry lately) there's no way it should have slowed me this much. I battled it out with a 15-year-old for the overall win.  We ran side-by-side for 2 miles then he pulled out a bit, but by 4 I was back with him.  Even with a mediocre performance I should have been able to crush this kid!  But I had nothing in the tank and he ended up winning by about :10 as I staggered across the line in 38:42.  I think my nutrition has been worse than usual lately, that could be part of it.  Or maybe it's just old age!

11 miles easy. Felt good although still fuming about the completely slack performance yesterday.

9 miles, easy first 5 then 8 laps on UGA track including 6 x 100m strides and 2 x 200 in 37. 2 miles cool-down but threw in one hard ~400m in 75.

11 miles, first 2.5 warm-up with a few strides, etc., then 10 x 400m on UGA track in 77.5, 78.0, 78.0, 78.0, 77.5, 77.5, 78.0, 78.5, 78.0, 77.5 (these rounded to nearest 0.5) w/ 400m recoveries (mostly jogging, a little walking -- averaged 2:30-2:45 for the recovery intervals). 3.5 mile cool-down. Felt pretty good on these and am fairly pleased -- was working pretty  hard but wasn't completely spent after #10.

9 miles, easy except 8 x 100m on UGA track and some form drills. Felt good.

Track workout:  2 mile warm-up then 3,000m in 10:47 (800 recovery/~5:00), 2,000 in 7:08 (800R/~5:00), 1,000 in 3:28 (600R/~3:45) 800 in 2:45 (400R/~2:30) 600 in 2:03 (400R/~2:30), 400 in :80 (200R/~1:15) and 200 in :38. 2 mile cool-down.  Felt pretty good, didn't quite hit my goal times but was fairly close. Mostly jogged the recoveries but mixed in a little walking.

11 miles, easy except 8 x 100m strides on UGA track and several short pick-ups. Felt good.

7 miles very relaxed. Felt the need for a really easy day today.

10,000m solo time trail on UGA track in 37:08. Warmed up 3 miles then ran the 10K with splits of 5:54.0, 11:49.5, 17:45.5, 23:42.5, 29:42.0, 35:42.5 (= 1600s in 5:54.0, 5:55.5, 5:56.0, 5:57.0, 5:59.5, 6:00.5 + 85.5). 4.75 mile cool-down. Very pleased with the effort today, actually cut :05 off my time from 4/20 track race and this is 1:34 better than I ran for a road 10K last weekend (which admittedly was an awful performance!). So this was encouraging.

8 miles, mostly easy but with 8 x 100m strides on UGA track and also 200 in 35.

10 miles, easy except 8 x 100m strides.

11 miles, first 3 as warm-up then 10 x 400m on UGA track in 77.5, 76.3, 76.8, 76.6, 76.7, 77.1, 77.2, 77.7, 77.3, 77.0 (ave. 77.0) w/ 400m recoveries (mostly jogging, a little walking, averaged 2:30-2:45) then 3 miles cool-down including 4 x 100m strides. Felt a little tired during the warm-up so was fairly pleased with the 400s.

6 miles easy. Felt good, a little general fatigue from yesterday but not bad and no soreness.

6 miles easy. Had planned on a 5K race this evening but bagged it; will run a track workout tomorrow a.m. instead.

A.M.:  11 miles, first 3 to warm-up with strides, etc., then 3000m in 10:29.0 (82.5, 82.8, 84.5, 84.7, 84.5, 85.4, 84.6, 40.0), 12 minute recovery (easy jogging and walking, covered about a mile), 1500m in 5:12.1 (81.5, 84.6, 84.0, 62.0) and 4 miles cool-down. Felt good, could have pushed harder on the 1500 but this wasn't too bad. 3K wasn't quite all-out but close. Feel this indicates I'll have a shot at 10:15 goal on 6/9.

12 miles easy. Felt good -- should have gone longer!

11 miles, easy first 2.5 then fartlek next 4.5 (strides then close to 5K race pace for 3 x 1:00, 3 x 1:30, 3 x 2:00 followed by a few more strides) then 1600 on UGA track in 5:28.0 (82.3, 82.3, 84.3, 79.8) and 3 miles cool-down. Felt good.

P.M.:  Began overnight AT hike with William -- hiked 5.3 miles from Deep Gap to Beech Gap (NC).

No run, but completed overnight AT hike -- 7.9 miles from Beech Gap to Mooney Gap (NC). Enjoyable trip!

10 miles, first 3 warm-up with a few strides then 10 x 400m on UGA track in 77.0, 77.5, 76.5, 77.0, 77.0, 76.5, 76.5, 78.0, 77.5, 78.5 (ave. 77.15) w/ 400m recoveries in ~2:30 (mostly jogging & a little walking) followed by 2 miles cool-down. Felt okay, a little tired from two-day hiking trip (sore shoulders from carrying pack and sleeping on hard ground!) but not bad. Cut recovery time from ~2:45 last two weeks. Overall pleased with the workout. Now 72 hours until 10K road race so only light running the next two mornings and I hope more sleep and stretching.

4 miles easy. Am racing 10K on Saturday and really want to be well-rested and ready to go.

4 miles relaxed, felt good. Looks as though weather for tomorrow's 10K won't be ideal but won't be terrible either -- mid 60s, overcast, fairly humid. I guess considering it's June in Georgia that's not so bad. Anyway, the course is demanding but I feel I can improve on the 37:55 I ran last year and I'd like to be ~37:30.

Had hoped to run well under 38:00 but just didn't have it today. Went 5:40, 11:57, 18:11, 24:38, 30:47, 37:09 (=5:40, 6:17, 6:14, 6:27, 6:09, 6:22). The first mile includes a long, fairly steep downhill and in previous years I've gone out ~5:40 (although I probably should have held back somewhat). I was really surprised to slow so much in mile #2 although it has a tough uphill section. Mile #4 is also tough, then mile #6 goes up the hill we came down in the opening mile. So there's very little flat on this course. It was ~70 degrees and quite humid but thankfully it was overcast. The positivies today included winning masters and beating a 15 year old who had won a 10k last month with me in 2nd place :10 back. We ran side-by-side for 5.25 miles today and then I got away from him on the final long uphill. He really died, finishing in 38:50. It does my 47 year old ego a bit of good to beat a kid like this! (Of course it won't be long before he's destroying me by several minutes.)

10 miles, easy except a little faster running on the track: 2 x 100, 1 x 200 (36), 1 x 100, 1 x 400 (73.9), 1 x 100. Felt pretty good for the day following a race.

8 miles, easy except 6 x 100 and 1 x 200 on UGA track. Felt okay.

8 miles, first 2 easy then 1600 with strides on the straights followed by 2 x 800 in 2:34.7 and 2:38.5 (400 walk/jog recovery between, ~3:30) then a 400m jog and 2 x 400 in 78.8 and 77.5 (400 jog/walk recovery between, ~2:30). Another 1600 with strides on the straights and 2 miles cool-down. Had wanted to go 3 x 800 in ~2:35 as a tune-up for this Saturday's race but I couldn't manage #3. Legs very heavy today, probably from several hours of standing around at a fund-raising event last night. The first 800 wasn't bad but after that I was struggling.

Not sure how this bodes for 3,000m on Saturday. Will still aim to go out in :82 and try for ~10:15.

Easy hour run. Felt okay.

Easy hour run. Felt considerably better than yesterday.

6 miles easy except a few strides. Looks like I won't be able to get away for the track meet tomorrow but I'll head over to UGA track real early and run a 3,000m time trial. My goal for the meet was 10:15 which I think would have been possible with a real solid effort. On my own I don't see myself running that fast but it'll be interesting.

12 miles, first 3 as warm-up with a few strides, etc., then 3,000m solo time trial in 10:27.5 (400s in 82.2, 82.1, 82.9, 83.5 -- 5:30.7 at 1600 -- 85.0, 85.1, 85.9 + 40.8). Jogged ~400 then ran 6400 starting at just under MP and speeding up slightly (1600s in 6:34, 6:33, 6:30, 6:28) and finally 3 miles cool-down.

Not real pleased with the 3000m but it was quite humid and I wasn't as up for it as I would have been if I'd have been able to get to the meet today. The 6400 went pretty well.

8 miles easy a.m. and 4 miles easy p.m. Felt okay.

11 miles easy in 1:21. Felt pretty good.

7 miles, easy except a few pick-ups and strides. Might race an unusual Wednesday morning 5K tomorrow, start time 6:30 a.m. Have not been getting enough sleep lately and have been doing a lot of driving so I'm not well rested. But it's a chance for a hard workout 10 days out from a 10K (6/23) so I'm may run.

Really felt fatigued when I was warming up for this race and had only 4.5 hours of sleep last night. But I went ahead and ran it, partly because I spotted another master (young guy, just 40) who always gives me a battle and I thought I'd see what sort of effort I could muster. Went 5:41, 11:31, 17:38 on a course that has a fair amount of downhill in mile #1 then mostly flat in mile #2 and a tough 3rd mile. I let the guy lead and he was :05 up on me at the mile and maybe :03 at 2 miles before I made a move to pass and pull away at the base of the major hill at about 4K. This worked! I ended up with a :19 gap as he really faded to a 18:36 while I finished in 18:17. Felt better than I deserved today, although I had no kick left for the final 0.1 and thankfully it wasn't needed!

8 miles with strides.

10 miles primarily easy, a few strides and high knees, etc. Felt good.

17 miles, first 10 in 75 min. then 5 starting at ~MP and dropping pace each mile, total 32:02 (actually this was 8,000m on the track w/ 1600s in 6:36, 6:30, 6:26, 6:20, 6:20) and a 2 mile cool-down.

Felt good and consider this my first long, marathon-oriented run in a while. I think I'll up it to 12 easy miles followed by 5 at MP or better next time (w/ 2 easy after to total 19) and eventually get up to 16 easy which would be ~ 2 hours followed by 5 at MP or better + 2 cool-down (total ~23). I'd probably only do two of those longest efforts prior to Chicago Marathon on Oct. 7th. I like doing the MP part of this sort of run on the track because I can be sure of my pacing. And Chicago is such a flat course I don't need to worry about preparing for hills this time. (Plus I run fairly hilly routes pretty often.) 

Easy hour run. Felt overall fatigue from yesterday's 17 milers but not too bad.

7 miles with strides. Still feeling a little tired from Saturday but not bad.

12 miles, first 4 easy then 1 mile (road) in 5:45, 1.5 miles easy to track, 1600 on track in 5:38, 800m recovery, 6 x 100m strides (working pretty hard on these) w/ 100m jog recoveries, 200m in :35, 3+ mile cool-down. Felt pretty good, not great.

Easy hour run. Felt good. Racing 10K this Saturday and it'll probably be warm/humid but that's always the case with this race (and it'll be a preview of conditions for Peachtree on July 4th). So I'll take two easy days and see if I can turn in a better 10K than the past two.

5 miles easy. Felt good and it was a nice, relatively cool (for June in GA, low 60s) morning. Not much humidity either but it's supposed to warm up the next couple days so Saturday's race will be uncomfortable but I'm trying to get motivated for it.

5 miles easy. Felt good, should be well-rested for tomorrow's 10K and fortunately the weather will be a little better than expected:  mid-60s and sunny but not terribly humid. I know I've been worrying too much about the weather -- fearing really bad conditions -- and letting myself get psyched out by that. So I just need to focus on running well and realize that everyone has to deal with the same weather conditions!

Not such a great showing but I developed a stomach cramp in mile #3 and I feel that added :15 to :30 to my finish time. It was sunny and warm (probably mid 70s at the start) although not terribly humid. Splits were:  5:55, 11:57, 18:02, 24:16, 30:48 (ouch), 37:06 = 5:55, 6:02, 6:05, 6:14, 6:32, 6:18 + 1:15.  The first half of the course is easier than the second and there's also more shade early in the race. I thought I had won masters but shortly after finishing learned that the winning master was :10 in front of me! Some guy from Atlanta I've never heard of, but that's the way it goes. Anyway . . . at least I got a good, long cool-down run afterwards.

13 miles mostly easy, picked it up a little now and then. Felt quite good considering the 10K race yesterday and total of 15 for the day. This might be partly due to the fact that I was unusually good about rehydrating after the race, plus I ate well throughout the day.

A.M.: 11 miles in 1:21. Mostly easy except several strides on grass. Felt good.

P.M.: Easy 30 minutes mostly on grass/trails. Felt a little better than I expected.

Am trying to get in some miles in the heat of the day this week, as I'm racing Peachtree 10K on July 4th and it's typically hot and humid.

A.M.: 11 miles, easy except 3 x 200 and 4 x 100 strides on track.

P.M.: 3 miles easy mostly on grass.

11 miles fairly easy (1:21). Actually felt quite good after ~30 minutes.

12 miles, first 3 easy with a few strides, etc., then 8,000m threshold run on the track in 31:05 (1600s in 6:14, 6:13, 6:14, 6:13, 6:11) followed by 400 easy then 8 x 100m fast strides with jog/walk recoveries and an easy 3 mile cool-down. Pleased with the effort considering I wasn't exactly fresh (68 miles in previous 5 days) and it was low 70s and fairly humid. Will admit I was kind of struggling to maintain pace the last 2K or so.

12 miles easy in 1:29. Felt surprisingly good after about 30 minutes.

10 miles easy (75 minutes). This makes 102 miles in 8 days which is quite a lot for me but I've held up fine and actually felt really good yesterday. Today I felt okay but decided 10 was enough with Peachtree 10K coming up on 7/4. I'll take three easy days now to be ready for a really hard effort next Wed. and then after the race it's back to focusing on volume with more MP and threshold miles.

9 miles relaxed (67 min.) except several build-ups to about 10K race pace. Felt good.

5 miles easy. Felt pretty good, should be well rested for Wednesday's race.

3 miles easy. Felt so-so, like I usually do that day before a race. But I should be well rested and am expecting to run well.

Ran along with 54,999 others on a beautiful 4th of July morning. Not perfect racing conditions, but 68 degrees with 80% humidity is about as good as it gets for Peachtree. The course is flat to downhill the first 2.75 miles followed by a tough 0.75 mile uphill section, 0.5 nearly level, 1.0 of mostly uphill and the final 1.2 is mostly flat to downhill. I went 5:51, 11: 46, 17:51, 24:07, 30:31, 36:37, 37:55 (= 5:51, 5:55, 6:05, 6:16, 6:24, 6:06 + 1:18). A stomach cramp kicked in early in mile #4 and may have slowed me a bit, but really it wasn't a major factor. Perhaps I wasn't as well rested as I should have been -- I ran 83 miles last week (Mon.-Sun.) which for me is fairly high. Still I felt good on the first major uphill and passed a bunch of people, but on the second uphill I struggled a little and then I didn't have much left for a hard finish on the downhill last 0.5 mile. Overall I'm pleased and really motivated to now focus on this fall's marathon.

1.75 miles warm-up with strides, etc., and a good 4 mile cool-down.

9 miles easy. Felt quite good considering yesterday's race. Stomach is sore where I had the cramp at ~4.5 miles into the race but otherwise only general fatigue. I donated blood a couple hours after running today so I've got to take on a lot of extra fluids the next 24 hours!

10 miles easy (74:00). Felt good although I donated blood yesterday and was sucking air on a few big uphills. Felt pretty drained at the end of the run.

11 miles easy. Felt better today, should be up for a long run tomorrow.

17 miles, first 2 very easy in 15:00 then 8 miles (12,800m) on track in 57:00 (= 7:10/mile ave.) then 3200m in 13:15 (= 6:40/mile, ~MP) followed by 5 miles on roads in 37:00. Total time 2:02.15.  Felt fairly good but it was about 100% humidity and I think I'm not recovered from the 10K race Wednesday and also the blood donation Thursday might be a factor. So while I could have struggled for another 1600 or 3200 at MP I think it was wise to call it quits after only 3200 and go easy the final 5 miles.

9 miles in 66:00, easy except a few strides, knee lifts, etc. Felt better than expected.

A.M.:  14 miles easy (1:45). Felt quite good, despite playing soccer last night which is something I haven't done in a long time and I thought I'd have some soreness. Hope to feel up for a few easy miles this evening.

P.M.:  3 miles easy. Felt so-so, have a little soreness in right groin from last night's soccer so I debated even doing a short second run but it loosened up and seems not to be a problem.

10 miles easy (75:00). Felt alright after a few miles. The increase in volume seems pretty manageable because I've scaled back on intensity. And it's a good sign that a 60-75 minute easy run definitely accomplishes what it should as a recovery day.

A.M.:  11 miles easy (1:22). Felt good once I got several miles into it. Feet are sort of beat-up from playing soccer the other day in cleats that were too small, so I may or may not get out for an easy run this evening.

14 miles in 1:43.  Fairly hilly route and I took it easy except for several pick-ups to about threshold pace. Felt good.

10 miles easy. Felt good after a couple miles.

18 miles in 2:12. Included 2 miles at about MP (~6:45) but otherwise it was mostly ~7:20-7:30 pace. Felt good but was pretty drained the last few miles. Very humid this a.m.

9 miles mostly easy (total 65:00) but included a few one minute build-ups. Some overall fatigue from yesterday's long run but was pleased to feel pretty good.

10 miles total, first 3 to warm up (included a few strides, high knees, etc.) then 8K on track at threshold pace in 31:10 and 2 miles cool-down including 4 x ~100m strides. Felt good, was pleased to run the 8K very steady (1600s all in 6:12-6:15 range) and not fade too badly even though this was only 48 hours after an 18 miler. Warm and rather humid this a.m. which didn't help.

10 miles easy (75:00).  Felt good following yesterday's threshold run.

9 miles, mostly easy but with several build-ups and one sustained effort of about 0.5 mile. Felt good.

12 miles, first 4.5 easy then next ~4.5 miles mostly at threshold pace or a little slower followed by an easy last 3 miles. Felt good.

10 miles, mostly relaxed but with a few drills and 6 x ~100m strides and 0.5 mile at about threshold pace. Felt good.

20 miles in 2:25 taking the first 15.25 fairly relaxed (most miles ~7:20) then 4800 on UGA track in 19:58 (1600s in 6:40, 6:40, 6:38) and 1.75 miles easy to finish. Felt pretty strong although I was about spent by the end. Still this is fairly encouraging with 11 weeks until Chicago Marathon. I will be aiming for ~2:57 there; would love 2:55 but that's perhaps too optimistic.

Easy hour (8 miles). Felt kind of beat up from yesterday's run during the first few miles but after ~30 mins. I started to feel considerably better, but I decided I really should keep it to an hour.

10 miles, hilly route, including 3 x mile at threshold effort (~6:15-6:20/mi. pace) and also a few build-ups to about 5K pace. Felt good.

10 miles, mostly easy but with several pick-ups to threshold pace and one sustained 0.5 mile section at about 5K pace. Felt good.

13 miles, first 5 easy to near MP over hills then threshold mile (~6:20, hilly route), easy mile, another threshold mile (~6:15), easy 1.5 miles, 1600 on track in 6:02, 2.5 miles cool-down. Felt strong despite very high humidity this a.m. 

10 miles (73:00), mostly easy but threw in 4 x 150m strides and a few pick-ups. Felt better than expected after a fairly hard run yesterday.

11 miles mostly easy (82:00) with several strides mid-way through. Felt okay but noticed a little Achilles tightness, probably from no stretching after yesterday a.m.'s run and a lot of time in the car yesterday.

Took the day off due to some pain in my left Achilles tendon. It began to be just a bit noticeable Friday afternoon or evening, following a day with an early morning 10 miler, no post-run stretching and much of the rest of the day in the car. (And I must admit I haven't been very good about thorough stretching which I must do especially when upping the mileage as I have been.) Yesterday I went 11 and the pain kicked in after about 4 or 5 -- wasn't too bad but later in the day it got worse and I knew I must rest today, use ice, take ibuprofen, etc. Will probably take tomorrow off also.

Another rest day. Achilles somewhat better and not as tight. Will consider a light run tomorrow.

7 miles easy (52:30). Felt good and am pleased that the Achilles wasn't too noticeable. I did feel it on uphill sections but kept to a mostly level route as I knew hills would put added stress on the injury. While I was aware of the Achilles throughout the run it did NOT worsen as I progressed so that's definitely a good sign. I will stretch thoroughly but carefully several times today and continue icing the area. I believe this will turn out to be a minor bump in the road and that if I take this week quite easy I'll be back on track next week. Am certainly glad I took two days off, even though doing so is not easy!

8 miles, first 3 easy then 5K on track in 19:40 and 2 miles cool-down. Ran the first 1600 of the 5K in 6:30 (a bit faster than MP), the 2nd 1600 in 6:15 and the 3rd in 6:10 (so those two at ~threshold pace).  I monitored the Achilles and it felt really good throughout. This was kind of a test, not too much stress on the leg and I thought running on the consistent surface of the track would be wise. It was mid/upper 70s and really humid so I didn't feel great out there even though it wasn't exactly a tough workout. Will take a very easy run tomorrow and continue thorough stretching and icing today.

10 miles easy (75:00). Felt good and the Achilles was just barely noticeable at times, not really painful. Will take it easy a couple more days and consider a mid-long run for Sunday.

8 miles easy (60 mins.). Felt good, Achilles okay but it was somewhat noticeable last night and when I got up this a.m., probably a result of not icing or stretching much yesterday. I just must keep doing this stuff -- it's a minor thing right now but if I'm not careful it could easily turn into something major.

11 miles mostly easy (1:22). Felt good, Achilles coming along -- no pain, just the slightest bit of tightness.

13 miles total with first 2 easy (15:00) then 15K on track at slightly faster than MP, 1:02.45 (= 6:44/mile or 2:56.30 marathon pace) then 1.75+ miles cool-down. The 15K went pretty well but I was suffering some due to heat & humidity. I believe I could have run 13.1 at this pace on my own today, in these conditions, but probably no further. And even that much would have been very, very tough. So I'm pretty well decided that I need to focus on 2:59 as my goal time for Chicago, just going out at ~6:50 pace and holding that all the way if possible. Fortunately the weather on Oct. 7th in Chicago will be much better than what I was running in this a.m. The Achilles was good today -- a little tight but not at all sore.

9 miles, mostly easy but picked it up some on two long uphills and also ran two hard quarter mile sections just to work on turnover a bit. Felt good, no significant fatigue from yesterday. Achilles still tight and just slightly noticeable while running.

12 miles pretty easy in 1:28. Felt okay but it was about 80 degrees and humid at 7 a.m. so not very pleasant. Supposed to top out at 100 this afternoon and tomorrow.

10 miles total with 2 x ~600m hill at threshold pace and 2 x ~400m flat in ~:75. Felt good. Achilles no problem, only aware of a little tightness at times but no pain. Still need to stretch more than usual and ice a couple times a day (which I neglected to do yesterday!).

Easy 8 miler (60:00) in unpleasant morning conditions (at least 80 degrees, humid). Really dragging this a.m. and didn't feel much better as the run progressed, I guess this hot spell is getting to me.

11 miles, first 2 easy then 8,000m threshold pace run on track in 31:20 (6:18 pace) followed by 4 miles cool-down with a few strides. All Ks of threshold run in range of 3:53-3:56. Felt pretty good, maintained pace well despite warm, humid conditions.

8 miles easy (60 mins.). Felt okay, ran a little later in the morning which made it less enjoyable due to heat. (5 days of 100+ degrees here; this will be day #6.) Hope to get in at least 15 tomorrow if I can get out early enough.

16 miles, total time 1:58. Easy pace (~7:30) the entire run except threw in one hilly mile in ~6:20 (mile 11). Felt good, Achilles noticeable just at first then fine and I was thankful for cloud cover this a.m. which kept the temperature from climbing so quickly. With luck it will be cooler next weekend and I'll get in a 20 miler.

8 miles easy on grass/trails. Felt good.

9 miles, easy except for a few strides. Decided on a second-straight easy day following long run Sunday and will go mid-long tomorrow with 2nd half at MP.

16 miles out-and-back course, mostly flat, in 1:52.30. Out in 59:15 (7:24 pace), back in 53:15 (6:39 pace). Pleased with the effort and felt good. It was low 70s with some humidity but not all that bad, at least compared to some recent mornings. Plus I set out at 5:30 a.m. so it was still completely dark the first 30 minutes. Achilles was fine but I'll ice it a couple times today for good measure.

9 miles easy (66:00). Felt okay, not overly fatigued from yesterday's run.

9 miles easy (67:00). Was really dragging this a.m., partly due to a very sore left shoulder. I strained it somehow early in the week, thought it was improving, but today it was much worse. I think that just made me feel uncomfortable overall, and combined with a somewhat warmer and more humid morning it was tough going. Sure hope this heatwave lets up, we've been over 100 for about 10 days straight. Even though I'm not running in that heat it is draining just being out in those conditions off and on during the day.

6 miles easy. Decided I needed a really short, easy run today and I'll hope to be up for a long run tomorrow.

20 miles in 2:23.15, fairly relaxed with all miles between 7:07 and 7:25 until miles 16-18 which were on the track at a little faster than MP (1600s in 6:36, 6:37, 6:34). Last 2 miles very easy in ~15:00. Very humid this a.m. and warm so I was definitely dehydrated by the end and had a little calf cramping in the final 2 miles. Only drank 8 ounces of Gatorade (at 8 miles) which was certainly not enough. I've got to get in the routine of taking in more fluids during long runs. Overall I'm pleased to have put in 20 in less than ideal conditions and I felt good during the 3 MP miles -- it didn't feel all that fast -- although I was really wasted after 18 and was certainly glad to stop at 20.

9 miles, mostly easy with a few pick-ups in the final 2 miles. Felt okay considering 20 miler yesterday.

9 miles, easy except several short, fast pick-ups. Felt okay, just really looking forward to some cooler weather but it's not coming any time soon.

13 miles, first 3 easy then 9 x 800 loop w/ ~800 jog recoveries plus a 1.5 mile cool-down after the 9th hard 800. The loop is about two-thirds uphill and then one-third downhill, not quite back to the starting point so there's more elevation gain than loss. I was aiming for sub-3:00 on the 800s but started in darkness (with just a few streetlights) and went 3:05, 3:05, 3:01, 2:59, 2:56, 2:57, 2:55, 2:56, 2:56. The first couple were slowed by the darkness, but I did work significantly harder after #4. I think it's a good loop because it takes some strength getting up the hill and then I can stretch out and "power" (yeah, right) on the downhill. The recoveries were longer than is typical for this kind of workout but I wanted to get through all 9 so I decided to go a full half-mile. Plus it continues to be really warm and somewhat humid in the early mornings and I must have lost several pounds through fluid loss. Satisfying workout, considering I haven't done anything like this in a while.

8  miles, easy 7:30 pace except 2 x 400m at in ~:80. Felt okay. It got up to 106 here yesterday but today will be "only" 100 and then it should drop a few degrees each day until early next week we might even see highs in the upper 80s. I'll believe it when I see it.

13 miles, 6 out (41:26) then turned around & 6 back (38:51 = 1:20.17 for 12) plus mile 13 easy (7:30 = 1:27.47 for 13) around the neighborhood. Started with a 7:15 then went 7:00, 6:50, 6:50, 6:42, 6:48, 6:39, 6:37, 6:31, 6:30, 6:25, 6:10 plus the 13th in 7:30. Was thinking I'd just run MP after mile #2 but was feeling good so I decided to try gradually dropping the pace. It was mid 70s but more humid this a.m. so fairly unpleasant. Pleased with the effort. Pace for 12 is 6:41.5 so nearly :10 faster than MP.

9 miles easy (66:00). Felt a little beat up as I started but gradually began to feel considerably better. So this is encouraging because of pretty hard runs both Wed. and Fri. Will go longish tomorrow but might not do any MP toward the end unless I feel really good. Don't feel I have to get in 20 -- will be satisfied with 16-17 although again if I feel good I'll stretch it out to 20.

11 miles mostly easy. Decided against a long run today since I've been going at it pretty hard the last couple weeks, got to bed late last night and just felt I shouldn't get by on 5.5-6 hours of sleep another night. Will shift to at least a mid-long run tomorrow.

17 miles in 1:58.03 (6:56.5 pace), going out 8 in 56:35 then back 8 in 53:58 plus an easy 7:30 17th mile. Started easy the first 2 (7:20, 7:15) then dropped to a little over MP the next 8 (7:00, 7:05, 7:00, 7:00, 7:00, 6:55, 7:03, 7:00) and finally started working a little the last 6 (6:45, 6:45, 6:45, 6:40, 6:35, 6:25) plus the last one easy (7:30). Covered the 13 miles from #4-#16 in 1:28.58 (6:50.5 pace) so just about MP on average. Felt good, very humid and low 70s. Started at 5:30 a.m. and it was really dark during the middle miles out in the country, didn't begin getting light until nearly 7:00 because of cloud cover. Got a stomach cramp during mile #9 but it eventually went away. Overall a satisfying run.  

7 miles easy. Felt okay, some fatigue from yesterday but not bad. Wanted a very easy day as I plan to race a 10K this Friday night. Will probably go 9-10 tomorrow with a few pick-ups, 6-7 easy Thursday and may get out for an easy 3 Friday morning. I'd like to run ~38:00 for the 10K to confirm my marathon fitness but (a) it's a tough course, (b) it might be raining -- last year in the rain I could hardly see because I wear glasses, and (c) I have done precious little running at below 6:15 pace during the past six weeks.

10 miles, mostly easy except several pick-ups and also 2 x ~400m in ~:80. Felt good, well recovered from Monday.

7 miles easy. Felt really good and am looking forward to racing 10K tomorrow night. 11 p.m. race, will be warm and humid possibly with rain although I sure hope not, as I run in glasses it's disaster to race at night in the rain. Course is tough but the first 1.5 miles are downhill and I hope to avoid going out too fast.

A.M.:  Easy 3 mile shake-out run, felt pretty good. Tonight's race is at 11 p.m.

P.M.:  Conditions for the race were certainly not ideal as it rained heavily about 90 minutes prior, bringing the humidity way up, so the air was extremely heavy and it was warm. Plus my drive over to Anderson, SC from Athens, GA should have taken about 90 minutes tops but a few delays made it a very close call as to getting registered by the 10:15 p.m. cut-off -- I actually didn't arrive until 10:20 but was able to get signed up. Not an enjoyable drive over but at least I made it. The race went okay, I ended up running 13 seconds slower than last year but actually finished stronger as the final 2.2 miles this year were 11 seconds better than in '06. I really pushed hard toward the end and passed several people including the women's winner who had been 3-5 seconds ahead of me most of the way. (She ended up with a 38:32, I believe.) The course is tough:  downhill most of the first 1.5 miles then mostly up to the turn-around at 3, mostly down to about 4.5 then up to 6 and the final 0.21 is downhill. Splits were all over the place:  5:44, 11:54, 18:12, 24:26, 30:42, 37:15 = 5:44, 6:10, 6:18, 6:14, 6:16, 6:33 (ouch) + :67. Am fairly pleased although I was shooting for sub-38:00.

3 miles very easy. Arrived home from last night's race at 3:15 a.m. and slept maybe 3.5 hours then got up and decided a very short run might help my recovery but I sure wasn't interested in anything much. I should feel good tomorrow and hope to get in at least 15.

16 miles easy. Felt good, still some overall fatigue/soreness from Friday night's race and more likely from the drive home and lack of sleep that night.

10 miles easy (75 minutes). Felt okay, still recovering from very little sleep Friday night and driving home 1-3 a.m. after the 10K race. But going 16 yesterday was no problem and 10 today did feel like a good recovery run.

10 miles, mostly easy except for several :30 build-ups.

14 miles total, first 3 to warm up then 10 x half mile loop (about 500m uphill and 300 down) in 2:55, 2:56, 2:55, 2:55, 2:55, 2:56, 2:55, 2:56, 2:53, 2:53 with long 4:00 recoveries (~800m) and then an easy cool-down mile. Felt good once I got going on the repeats and am really pleased with how strong I felt even after #10.

8 miles easy (60:00). Felt some overall fatigue so definitely in need of a very relaxed run today.

13 miles in 1:27.40, doing an out-and-back course (6 out, 6 back) plus mile #13 in the neighborhood. Ran the first 6 in 41:50, a little over MP (7:10, 7:00, 6:55, 7:00, 6:50, 6:55 = 6:59 pace) then the next 6 in 38:20 (6:25, 6:30, 6:30, 6:30, 6:15, 6:10) = 6:23 pace with the 13th mile in 7:30 as a cool-down. Pleased with the effort and how it felt.

9 miles easy. Felt pretty good, should be up for a key long run tomorrow.

21 miles in 2:29.10. First 15 in 1:47.34 (7:10 pace) then ran 6400 on the track with 1600s in 6:38, 6:36, 6:37, 6:37 and miles 20 & 21 both in 7:30. Felt okay today but could tell during the early miles that I wasn't completely recovered from hard efforts on Wed. and Fri., so I was worried about being able to manage the planned 4-5 sub-MP miles late in the run. But I got through it okay. I only drank 8 oz. of Gatorade in the 9th mile and that's definitely not enough as I feel really dehydrated now, more than two hours after finishing and after drinking everything I can get my hands on.

Very easy 6 mile run (45:00), at first feeling rather fatigued from yesterday but after about 20 minutes it was considerably better. Still I knew I needed a short recovery run so I resisted temptation to continue for a few more miles.

10 miles easy (75 mins.). Felt pretty good but wanted another easy day following the hard effort Sunday.

10 miles, easy except several 150-200m build-ups. Felt good.

17 miles in 1:56 going 8 miles out in 56:03 (7:00 pace) and 8 back in 52:22 (6:33 pace) with a 17th mile cool-down jog in 7:35. The goal was 7:00 pace for the first 8 and 6:30 pace for the second 8. The first 8 went fine and I was feeling good, although it was low 70s and humid this a.m. when I had been expecting low 60s. Coming back I went 6:35, 6:36, 6:35, 6:40, 6:40, 6:36, 6:25, 6:15. I think part of the reason I didn't hit 6:30s was that the traffic on this route is fairly heavy and it's kind of distracting, having to switch back-and-forth from road to sidewalk. Maybe that's a lame excuse, but I think had it just been me and the road I would have focused better and hit the 6:30 goal pace. Maybe I wouldn't have then picked it up the final 2 miles, who knows. Anyway, it was a good effort overall.

8 miles easy (60 mins.). Rather fatigued from yesterday.

9 miles, easy except one mile in 6:15. Felt good. Right hamstring was a little sore in the area that bothered me for an extended period in 2005. Not really noticeable while running but during the day yesterday and a bit after running today.

22 miles in 2:33.37 (6:59 ave. pace). Started out with a 7:20 and worked down to ~7:05 thru 12 and then 6:55 for miles 13-15. After 15 (1:46.07) I ran 8K on the track in 32:19 (6:30 pace) with 1600s in 6:26, 6:24, 6:20, 6:35, 6:34) and then 2 miles cool-down both in ~7:30. Really pleased with how I felt when I got on the track, and wasn't expecting it because I was on my feet basically all day yesterday watching our son play soccer in the morning and then with him at Georgia vs. Western Carolina football in the afternoon, plus mowing the lawn. So I was really beat last night but felt fine this a.m. It was somewhat cooler (mid 60s) with less humidity, although rather breezy. Maybe I was inspired by how well several bloggers did at Top of Utah Marathon yesterday. This was a confidence-building run 3 weeks out from Chicago Marathon.

7 miles easy. Was expecting to really feel yesterday's long, hard run, and while I started out very slowly and not feeling so great I was very pleased to eventually feel quite good -- much, much better than last Monday. But regardless, I wasn't about to go any more than 7 today.

8 miles, easy except 10 x 100m strides on UGA track. Felt good.

13 miles, first 4 to warm up then 10 x 800m loop (~500 uphill and ~300 downhill) in 2:56, 2:55, 2:54, 2:53, 2:54, 2:53, 2:55, 2:55, 2:56, 2:56 (= 2:54.7 ave.) taking a 2:00 (~400m) jog recovery after each repeat and then 1.5 miles easy to cool down. Felt good, please to get same average as two weeks age despite cutting the recovery time in half. (Taking 4 mins./800m the previous two times I did this workout was really too long, so today was a much better workout.)

8 miles easy (60 mins.). Dragging today, but that was expected. Left foot was sore briefly yesterday afternoon/evening but not noticeable this a.m.

14 miles, out-and-back 13 miles and then a 14th mile cool-down jog in the neighborhood. Started at 7:10 then 7:05, 7:05, 7:00, 7:05, 7:15 and 3:35 for 1/2 (46:15 at 6.5 miles = 7:07 pace). Was feeling okay but definitely not great, and most likely some of the cause was lingering fatigue from Sunday and Wednesday. Nevertheless, I picked it up a bit on the way back:  3:15 for the 1/2 then 6:30, 6:40, 6:45, 6:45, 6:40, 6:35 (43:10 second 6.5 = 6:38 pace), plus mile 14 in ~7:30. Not a great run but not too bad either.

8 miles, easy except 8 x 100m strides. Felt pretty good. Wore new adidas adistar comp 4 flats which I got for Chicago Marathon. Very nice. Was planning on Asics Ohana Racers but couldn't get them in my size. I had an earlier pair of the adistar comps I used for several half marathons a couple years ago and I think this new model is even better.

8 miles easy in early a.m. in Arlington, VA. Later a lot of walking on the Mall in D.C. Felt okay during the run, not great, but yesterday was kind of a long day of travel and then up late.

8 miles easy in Arlington, VA, with a few pick-ups. Felt good although had some pain in the back of the right knee. Really odd but I am guessing it's nothing to worry about.

6 miles easy with a few pick-ups. Felt good despite arriving home at 1:15 a.m. this morning and only getting ~4 hours of sleep. Right knee wasn't really noticeable while running but is still somewhat sore otherwise. I had wanted a mid-long run today (maybe 12-13) then easy tomorrow followed by 3-4 x 1600 at 10K race pace on Thursday. But now I'm not sure, I'll see how the knee is the rest of today. I'm not worried about it but want to figure out the best use of the training time between now and Oct. 7th. I've now had four easy days in a row and it's more like what I should be doing a week from now! I still want to get in the 1600m repeats tomorrow or Thursday and a 13-14 miler on Sat. or Sun., plus a "dress rehearsal" run probably next Wednesday, just 7-8 miles w/ 3 at MP. Otherwise next week will be quite easy.

8 miles easy. Felt pretty good and the right knee issue seems to have cleared up. So I feel I'll be ready for a good workout tomorrow.