Run fast

Returned to SLC.  To make the transition from 65 to 15 degree weather more bearable I decided to run at the gym today. 

15 miles on the treadmill.  10 miles at about 6:50/1.5% incline and last 5 at about 6:40/1% incline.

Almost all of the miles I put in this week were between 6:30 and 7.  Even though that is a very manageable pace I think for recovery runs I should probably being running in the 7:10 to 7:20s.  6:30-6:45 miles for over 10 miles is still work and is probably the reason why I haven't felt like putting in faster miles on the days in between the slower runs. 

I wasn't planning to run much until I got to the gym and saw that the treadmill at the end was available.  

2 at 6:30, 1 at 5:30, 3 at 6, 2 at 5:45, 1 at 5:30, 1.5 at 5, 1 at 6

(1st 6 miles at 1.5%, last 5.5 at 1%)

Finished 10 in 58:30, totaled 11.5 in 1:07. Odd that I felt so good and could have kept going.

I knew it would be a shock to return to work today so I took it easy at the gym.  4.5 miles on stairmaster in 30 mins and 1 mile on the treadmill.

I got the end treadmill again and it doesn't time out for 1.5 hours.

15.26 miles in 90 mins at 1.5% and 1% incline.  Mixed in a few 5:30ish miles but mostly stayed around 5:45.  First two miles at 6:30.

Today I broke down and wore my tights.  I thought I was going to be able to make it through the season without them.  I was not concerned about the Red Air Alert.

2.75 miles, 60 min spin class, 5.25 miles.  Enjoyable day at the gym, like usual.

Hopefully the inversion goes away so I don't ruin my lungs running outside tomorrow.

6 miles at 6:30ish, 5 at 6 min pace with 1.5% incline.

Finally a great day to run outside.   Ran up 39th S. to Wasatch Blvd., South on Wasatch almost to the 7-Eleven and back.  I wore the tights and long sleeve shirt that I probably bought 12 years.  HIND made the best stuff ever but I don't see it around much anymore.  Shoveled my driveway for some strength training.

6:29 Pace

14 miles on treadmill at Gold's Gym in 1:27.  Last 10 in 58 mins.

40 minutes of basketball with guys from work.  We played full court but since they are fairly lazy and out of shape I only credited myself for two miles.  First time on the court since 2002.  I did make one basket, thank goodness.

Hips were very sore after my basketball game yesterday.  I don't do much sprinting and jumping on my runs I guess.

I have a new shirt that has been causing some serious chaffing.  Today I used some masking tape and it held up great.  

11 miles in about 6:20 last two in 5:30.  Hips are still sore from basketball.

It was super warm today so I ran in my shorts.  

Ran 11.5 miles through Sugarhouse and 4 on the treadmill.  Average about 6:30.  Probably not a great idea to run outside but I figured I have run enough this week on the treadmill. For the week I ran 44 miles on the treadmill and 40 on the road.

I was only planning to run 10 but I happened to get the treadmill again that times out in 90 minutes instead of 60.  I guess somebody wanted me to run an extra 4 miles today.

14 miles in 90 mins.  Started at 7 min pace and ended at 6:15. 

Possibly due to my frequent visits to the gym and the thought of going to to new one, I had a nightmare about forgetting which locker I put clothes in.  I was very glad to wake up.

I met a friend at the gym at 5:45 to run on the treadmill.  Don't ask me why.  It was their idea. We planned to run in the "Cardio Cinema" which I have never seen or used.  Since I don't even wear headphones when I run the thought of watching of movie at the same time would really be new territory.  I arrived a little early just to check it out and to get my bearings.  I entered the door and to my amazement it looked just like a movie theatre except in the place of the chairs there were a bunch of cardio machines including a few treadmills.  It was quite the sight to see.  Fortunately all of the treadmills were full so I had an excuse to run on the normal treadmills.  So will I ever attempt to run in the "Cardio Cinema" again?  I can't say for sure but the thought of it makes me feel a little queasy.

3 miles at about 6:30, 8 at 6.  Legs didn't feel great so I will probably take it easy the next couple of days.  Painter's on Saturday!

I was happy with today's race especially considering that I had a super stressful week at work. I even had to lay someone off on Thursday which was the worst feeling ever. Capitalism at its worst. I could go on about that but I don't want ruin my good mood.

So....my previous best time in an honest half was 1:13 which means this was a PR by about 3 mins. And ramping up my speed work this summer should only help. As for the race, I went out with Paul and Jeff just to see how long I could hang. I lasted about 4 miles and probably could have gone longer but I knew if I did I would pay for it later. Jeff and Paul built up a ~60 second gap over about 5 miles but after mile 8 I think I held my pace (5:20) fairly well and didn't let them grow the gap. In the end it looks like I was only 30 seconds back but it should have been closer to 60-75 seconds. While I had thought I had miraculously closed the gap it turned out that Paul and Jeff had lost some time at the end because they missed the last turn that was only because Jeff and Paul lost some time at the end because they missed the last turn. Luckily they still had a big enough lead on me or else I would have had to stop before the finish line to let them win.

Overall I was pleased that I held steady throughout (splits below) and that I improved my time on an honest course. I suspect that some people were annoyed with all the traffic on the course over the last 4 miles. In the moment I was definitely annoyed because at least 50% of the people couldn't hear me coming because of their headphones. But looking back I think having to shift my focus away from the suffering and towards the walls of people helped my splits for the last few miles.

Congrats to Paul and Jeff for a solid race and to all of the other bloggers who ran. If I had to guess I think we accounted for around 7 of the top 10.

Splits 5:32, 5:22, 5:09, 5:15, 5:24,5:22, 5:28, 5:23, 5:25, 5:25, 5:21, 5:27, 5:18, 0:21  

1 hour on the treadmill at 1% incline.  My legs seem more sore than they should be for a flat half.  Hopefully they feel better tomorrow. 

Ran on the treadmill at the 24 hour fitness on 9th east.  I typically go the Sugar House location but they are still working on the showers.  Using the sink works every other day but not every day.

Ran through Sugar House and the fog.  I was proud of myself for avoiding the gym today.  I should do this more often.

5 miles in 30 mins at 1% incline

Finished in 15:52 which is probably a PR for a flat course. First mile was a little too fast (4:55) and I wasn't able to hold it. A guy from ireland, Andrew Ledwith, who ran for Iona passed me half way and finished in 15:30. Jamal also passed me with about a mile left so I finished 3rd. I won't complain. Andrew finished 5th in the country in 2009 at the ncaa championships in the 10k. Personal best in 5k is 13:50 and 10k is 28:45. I talked to him after and we are planning to meet up to run together. I will probably die but it could only help.

Long day at the gym on the machines but my foot (outside/bottom of my left foot) was too sore or injured to run. 

I am little worried that it is something serious.  I first noticed a slight pain after the half marathon last Saturday, sort of as if it was bruised.  I wore my flats so I just thought that foot wasn't used to it and the bruise/pain would go away.  This last week I didn't think much about it because after I warmed up the pain seemed to go away.  I decided to still run the race yesterday and wore my flats again.  It felt fine during the race but again after the race and last night it became very sore. And then this morning is was so sore that I didn't even attempt to run.

I read up on it on the internet and found that it could be anything from a stress fracture to a strained tendon.  Has anyone else experienced something like this?

8.15 miles on the elliptical in 1 hour.