For Whom the Dogs Bark

10 miles on hotel TM at 9:00 pace.

Mr. Crockett stayed with us last night and left early this morning to go to the start of the RR 100.  He is still hurting but will play it by ear.

A.M., went out for first run after returning home, hoping to get in 10 but had to give up at 4.58 miles when a heavy thunderstorm broke out, truncating the run early.  Overall about 9:00 pace.

P.M., went out to Huntsville ready to pace Crockett.  Met Wade there, the plan was to take turns.  We ran through the night with Crockett, sometimes all three together, sometimes one or the other of us.  I left at 5:00 a.m. to get to a 7:00 church meeting and Wade finished the race with him.  I'll let him give the report, but suffice it to say we got in lots of good conversation and got to see a level of perserverance that we probably won't encounter again in our running lives.  Total of 24.18 miles pacing.

Could barely walk when I woke up this morning.  Crockett trashed my legs in the mud on Saturday night.  Finally got on the treadmill in the p.m. and ran 6 at about 8:50 pace.

48F, 87%, E 1 mph.  Ideal running weather today, which I felt like I have earned, thank you.  Ran 5 at 8:50 pace then did the seminary run.  Warmed up for another mile then ran 20 x 200 wind sprints w/ 200 recovery, but a little slower this time, averaged about 6:30 pace, so I guess they weren't really wind sprints.  But with my stiff legs right now it certainly felt like it.  Did heavy leg weights at the end and jogged home.  Altogether 12.05 miles in 1:46:31, average pace 8:50 per mile.  Hoping to get in a few more miles later today to make up for yesterday's delinquency.

47F, 90%, NNW 5 mph.  Good running weather.  Out the door at 4 a.m. and got in 11 miles before the seminary run.  Did 2 wu, speeding up to 9:00 per mile, then ran 8 x 1000, between 6:40 and 7:05 pace, averaged about 6:53.  7:12 (161), 6:46 (168), 6:47 (170), 6:40 (171), 6:50 (171), bathroom break, then 7:06 (166), 6:46 (170) and 7:04 (170).  Overall 11.00 miles in 1:31:37, average 8:20 per mile.  Slower than 2 weeks ago, wasn't really feeling it today, legs were still weak from wind sprints and weights yesterday.  Was planning to run 10 repeats, but I started to feel pretty distressed when I started out on #9 so I jogged out the mile and called it a day, except for some rolling etc. back at the house.  I need some rest, but that is the purpose of doing two or three hard days in a row.  I'll go easy tomorrow and Friday before Saturday's race, which will count as my tempo run for the week (it's a half marathon, so that counts).

PM:  6 on TM at 9:00 pace. 

43F, 82%, NNE 6 mph.  Out early again to run before catching a flight.  Maybe get in some TM tonight.  6.23 miles in 56:23, average 9:03 per mile.  Never felt good, very stiff and sore, hopefully better by Saturday.

38F, 82%, N 20 mph, wind chill in the 20s, probably the coldest morning so far this year, but at least it was dry.  Today we ran the Baytown Jailbreak Half Marathon, which benefits the local police department there.  I decided to invest a little bit in a mini-taper for this race when I saw it was going to be cool and dry, though I hadn't counted on the wind.  I ran only 6 on Thursday and none yesterday, so not a good week mileage-wise.

I picked up Wade and Linda a little after 5:00 and we drove to Baytown, about an hour from Northwest Houston where we live.  We couldn't believe the wind we were going to face on the second half of the course.  On the way we started talking about goal splits, at which point I remembered that my Garmin was safely stashed on top of my cabinet at the house.  Wade is probably ready to drop me as a running buddy, seems like I am always up to something, getting lost in 5Ks, tripping over roots, multiple detours to the bushes and now no watch.  You would think I could just show up and run without making a spectacle of myself.  It didn't actually matter too much today, because I didn't know how fast to run it anyway.  One of the goals of this race was to figure some of that out.  Thinking back on my tempo runs, my tendency is to slack off toward the end of each mile until I get my split readout, at which point I pick it back up.  So if I could stay conscious of running at an even, hard effort I figured I could do OK.

We got to the start a little early and picked up our packets, but first I made a well-timed trip to the facilities, of course.  Then we scurried back to the car, which was parked a couple of blocks away.  Should have heard us complaining and wondering what we were doing out there, it was flat out cold.  We got back out a few minutes before the start, made our irrevocable decisions as to the amount of clothing each of us would haul for 13.1 miles, and made our way to the start line in time for the prayer and the national anthem.  They warned us that the start would be non-traditional.  All of a sudden this guy in a striped suit comes running out and a gun goes off without any announcement.  Some people started running and others stood around, including me of course.  But eventually we all got the idea. 

Went out at a quick pace and stayed within a couple of hundred yards of the leaders for two miles, but they gradually pulled away.  Low 6s per mile won this last year (it is a small race with a pretty slow field), so I knew I needed to stay close to the front for a while at least if I was going to get a good time.  I ended up running with the first place woman (and eventual winner) most of the way to the turnaround, she seemed to know what she was doing and I thought it would be a good idea to stick with her.  She had very heavy footsteps even though she was small, and my Jingas were tap-tapping away, quite a combination.  I left her at the top of the bridge, she came in 2 or 3 minutes behind me.

The turnaround is a tall bridge that spans the Houston Ship Channel, 177 feet above road level.  It is about 3/4 of a mile climb to the top, quite steep for the last quarter mile, I could feel the burn.  Then we turned around into the wind.  Wade was coming up when I was going down and he yelled "47:17" as he passed.  I didn't know whether that was his time or mine, but later in a more lucid moment I finally figured out that it was both of our times.  After up-loading his run he sent me an e-mail saying that it was at the 6.8 mile point for me on the way down, which meant that I had a 6:57 average to that point, which included climbing the bridge but not yet going all the way down it, and a 7:20 average the rest of the way, meaning I lost 23 seconds per mile going into the wind.  Wade lost only 14, but either way this could be interesting for both of us on a flat course with no wind.  Sub-7s looks remotely possible, though not likely.  We are running the Woodlands half in a few weeks so it will be an interesting comparison.

I was in 6th place coming off the bridge when some scuzz-bucket passed me, complaining about the wind.  I hung with him for a while until the aid station at mile 8.  He stopped for a drink and I left him there.  He hung around for the rest of the race but once I hit mile 11 I knew I had enough to bear down a little bit and maintain my place.  I beat him pulling away.  The guy in front of me, though, was uncatchable.  A little disappointing because he had gray hair.  He got 5th place overall and first masters, 54 years old.

There was no clock at the finish line.  I desperately tried to find out from somebody what the gun time was, finally somebody said 1:32.  I was a little skeptical but went with it (loud and clear to anybody who would listen) until actual times were posted.  Actual time was 1:33:47, average pace 7:09 per mile, 3-minute PR for this distance.  Wade had an optimistic goal of 1:42 and he got 1:41.  When he finished it seemed really funny to us how cold it was.  Everything seems funny after you don't have to run anymore.  Linda beat her Huntsville time by 12 minutes, 2:09, so everybody was happy.

With the exception of the masters winner, who wasn't listed in the individual age group categories, I beat all the age groups from 30 on up.  There were 4 guys in the 26-30 group who were faster than us.  1:20 won it, so not a fast race, but about right for my abilities.  About 200 entrants I think.  We plan to go back next year if we can.  Got a cool, large age group plaque which they let me pick up early, then had to hurry back to Houston because Linda just published a children's book and had to show up for a book-signing obligation.  Fun times in Houston today.

45F, 71%, E 9 mph.  Got out early and ran 8.7 before the seminary run, including 18 sprints, each about 150 meters.  I didn't try to time them, the Garmin isn't accurate enough to get a good measurement anyway.  When I got back from the seminary run I went another 6.5 at long-run pace.  I was going to do weights but my legs were feeling beat up and I didn't think that weights would do me much good at that point.  Overall 15.24 miles in 2:15:27, average 8:53 per mile.  My left foot is hurting on the inside behind my toes.  Not panicking or anything, but it was certainly noticeable on the second part of the run, and it didn't go away after getting warmed up.  This happens sometimes when I do a lot of speed work, of which Saturday and this morning would both qualify.  Hopefully that's all it is.

Two more good things about the setup they had for the race on Saturday.  The course measured exactly right according to Wade's Garmin, don't see that very often.  Second, the course had guidance at every turn, somebody to stop traffic and point the way, impossible to get lost or run over.  Almost more volunteers than racers, and almost enough to forgive the long climb up the Fred Hartman bridge:

61F, 100%, E 5 mph.

2.5 miles without Garmin or HR monitor.  I took yesterday off to rest my left foot.  It was still sore when I got up but loosened up quite a bit during the day.  Took a long walk to a restaurant for lunch which helped considerably.  This morning the injury was still 60% there when I started, but was down to 10% by the time I finished, which was encouraging.  If today goes well I will do 5 tomorrow and if that goes well I'll try 10 on Friday and see where I am.  Finished up with a pretty good weight session, legs and a little bit of core.  Still glowing and gloating about my half on Saturday -- I'm about ready to retire.

57F, 100% and calm.  Tons of rain yesterday, it was foggy outside under the streetlamps, like a bad vampire movie.  I ran 5.01 miles in 42:34, 8:30 average pace.  Pushed the pace just a little to test theleft foot, which felt fine.  If that holds I'll do 10 tomorrow.

55F, 88%, NE 6 mph.  Good running weather.  Ran a little less than 6, 8:29 pace, then seminary trip, then finished up.  Stopped exactly at 10 and walked to the clubhouse for weights and walked home.  Left foot seemed like it was complaining a little but it doesn't feel too bad today.  I finally figured out that once you stop and go back out again, my body is complaining for a reason.  It is not good to run fast when you are stiff and sore, and my old joints seem to freeze up within a few seconds of stopping.  I think most of my injuries happen on re-starts, I've just been lucky in the last two years to not have any bad ones.  In any event, I probably ran Part I a little faster than I should have.  Overall, 10.00 miles in 1:26:35, average 8:39 per mile.  Planning to go long tomorrow with Wade, but it will be a game time decision.

60F, 100%, violent thunderstorms.  Got up at 4:00 ready for 20, by the time I got to the door a ferocious thunderstorm was underway, thunder shaking the house, retreated to bed.  We are really good at thunderstorms here in Houston.  Tried again at 7:30, got a little over 4 miles, lightning and thunder again, so I gave up. 4.36 miles in 38:59, 8:56 per mile.  Call it a recovery day, but not much to recover from this week.

47F, 95%, ENE 4 mph.  Good running weather this morning.  I intended to do 5 fast, hopefully at about a 6:40 pace, but couldn't hold it.  Warmed up 3 miles at 9:00 average then 3 at 5K pace:  6:46 (172), 6:46 (178) and 6:54 (180).  Was going to run 6 more but my left foot was starting to complain so I quit early, trying to be mature.  My mileage is bad but that's how it goes.  Total 8.23 miles in 1:08:39, average pace 8:20 per mile.  One good thing, I could feel more speed in my legs than usual, I think the weights are helping a little bit.  Just need to sustain it, so I am OK with today now that I think about it, so long as my foot holds up.

54F, 100%, N 5 mph.  Really good running weather today.  My right achilles and my left foot were hurting to some extent when I left, mostly stiffness though.  I committed to stop if they got worse but they improved during the warmup and the pain didn't return until after I was done.  I warmed up 3 miles (9:59, 8:40, 8:20) then did intervals:  3 x 2 minutes, 3 sets, with 2 x 5 minutes in between the 2-minute sets, mostly in the 6:50 to 7:00 range.  Each cooldown was 2 minutes.  This is a pretty challenging workout.  If I did it 10 seconds faster I would be seeing ghosts in my side vision.  I'll probably try it just a little faster next week to see what happens, but I had all I could handle today.  The splits were as follows:  2:03 (7:00)(156 bpm); 2:00 (6:59)(159); 2:02(6:59)(162); 5:02 (6:59)(167); 4:00 (6:56)(166)(my math skills started to deteriorate and I only ran 4 minutes); 2:00 (6:52)(168); 2:02 (6:55)(168); 2:01 (6:46)(168); 5:00 (7:01)(173); 5:09 (6:57)(177); 2:02 (6:42)(174)(this one was fast for some reason; didn't feel any different and the heart rate for the split doesn't show extra speed -- maybe the Garmin was off); 2:03 (7:04)(174)(oops); and 2:09 (6:56)(173).  1 mile cooldown  Overall 12.03 miles in 1:38:50, average pace 8:13 per mile, HR max 182 bpm.  I liked this workout, which I made up myself (grin).  It is a good alternative to running 1K splits, although I like those too.  Both of them make me seem faster than I really am.  Strange that my 2-minute intervals were not much faster than the 5-minute splits.  I probably need to be more disciplined to run the shorter ones faster, but frankly I am not dying to run fast right now -- stuff starts to happen to my tendons and joints when I go too fast.

67F, 95%, SW 14-22.  Ran very early and finished before the seminary run, trying to minimize the split runs as I tend to get injured when I go back out the second time.  10.87 miles in 1:37:34, average 8:57 per mile.  My lower abdominal muscles are very, very sore.  I went out the door yesterday morning, ran to the end of my cul de sac and crept back into the house and curled up in a ball.  I was genuinely concerned about tearing a muscle if I hadn't already.  Felt somewhat better today, but not sure when all of this happened.  My left foot injury may have changed my form and might be causing a cascading effect.  My daughter thinks it is from running fast earlier in the week.  It is true that my core suffers when I run fast, so maybe that is it.

57F, 45%, N 19-29 mph.  Blustery, dry morning.  Got out late becasue we went to the symphony last night.  Despite the heavy wind, I ran better than yesterday.  10.17 miles in 1:29:26, average pace 8:48, heart rate about 143-144 average for the run.  Yesterday's heart rate was about 147 for an 8:57 pace, so I ran faster today at a lower heart rate.  Maybe the difference was the temperature, but my ab muscles felt better as well.  Seems like it is something every week, but at least it never lasts -- not yet.  I quit a little early to avoid cannibalizing tomorrow's run, hoping for a fast-finish long run.  We are going to Temple to see the grandkids.  We'll probably say hi to my daughter and son-in-law as well; she is finding a loop for me, in addition to delivering grandchild number 3 (boy #1) in June.

The symphony featured Beethoven's Fifth.  I have never actually been to a live performance of this symphony, it was memorable.  I told my wife afterward that I don't think any other musician compares to him.  The program led off with a very nice Brahams overture, and I would consider Brahams a top-five classical composer.  But it's like crayons compared to Beethoven.  I think he would have been a good runner -- he had no life and he loved misery.

29F, 75%, calm and clear.  Ran in Temple this morning, visiting my daughter and her family.  I slept in a little because there was no rush to beat the heat, and there isn't a good place to run here that is well-lit.  So I drove to Lyon Park (where I ran a 10K about a year and a half ago) and started running a little after daylight.  There are a couple of unavoidable hills but they aren't too bad.  Was worried about running in the country and meeting too many canine varieties, but they were all behind fences, miraculously -- they wanted a piece of me, though, the dog chorus was deafening.  The goal was to do a fast finish long run (12 + 6 + 2) but I didn't quite nail it.  Warmed up for 0.57 off the long-run clock.  I thought I could do 8:15, then 7:15, then 6:50 for the last two.  I ran 12 miles at 8:13, but when I dropped it to 7:15 it was quite a shock, felt more like a 10K speed.  I held on for 5 miles out of a planned 8:  7:19 (167), 7:14 (172), 7:18 (174), 7:12 (179) and 7:05 (181).  Did a short cool-down but didn't really have enough strength left to finish off 20 at any speed, and didn't see a point to it.  Not too bad of a run, but less than I thought I could do.  So excluding the wu and cd, total of 17 miles in 2:14:49, average 7:56 per mile.  Maybe I'll get it next time, I have two more of these before my next race.  Walking around today like I ran a marathon.

59F, 95%, ENE 5 mph.  9.07 miles in 1:21:15, 8:57 per mile, easy recovery miles.

61F, 100%, ESE 6 mph.  Getting hotter every day, but scheduled for cool weather this weekend.  Hope it materializes.  Not a particularly good run today.  Warmed up 2 then tried to run a tempo at 7:00 but didn't last long.  6:55 (165), 6:58 (173) and 7:01 (177).  Went back down to a 9-minute pace to finish off.  I am hurting in a lot of places, but mostly the problem has been joint stiffness too early in the fast runs.  It would feel great if I could push my aerobic limits on fast runs, but too many other things are going on right now.  Hopefully it will all correct itself.  So anyway I pulled back and finished off the miles for the morning but didn't try to go hard.  11.02 miles in 1:32:41, average 8:24 per mile.  This Saturday's race should be indicative for marathon pacing.  It should tell me if my good race a couple of weeks ago was an anomoly or a trend -- it has been very useful to have these half marathons scheduled like this.  Still, it is hard to tell how much to push getting ready for Boston, don't know whether I am doing too much or too little. 

68F, 98%, S 1mph.  Abs and left foot were both hurting, so I quit after 5 miles, going slow wasn't helping.  Considered taking the rest of the week off.  5.14 miles in 48:01, 9:20 per mile.