For Whom the Dogs Bark

80F, 96%, S 4 mph.  Met Wade at the Y at 5:15 and we ran 9.4 miles according to his Garmin, then he had to leave for a tee time.   I ran the same route again but left off the last 0.1, so 18.7 total.  With Wade we averaged 9:25.  I think I ran about the same the second leg, a little faster out and a little slower back.  Just too hot.  I intended to finish off the 20, but was starting to bake pretty bad out in the sun -- don't know how hot it was to end, though.  Not a stellar run, but the important thing was to get it done.

77F, 96%, SSW 1 mph.  Got up very early to run before leaving for Santiago.  10.0 miles at 8:45/mile.  No watch or heart rate monitor.

41F, 93%, N 6 mph.  Ran outside in Santiago.  Was planning on running in the hotel, but was told the treadmill was worthless, and that it was safe outside.  Then I met a local guy at dinner last night who assured me that the park south of the hotel was safe.  He is a 3:01 marathoner, ran Boston this year, so I figured he knew what he was talking about.  The park was about 7/10 of a mile from the hotel, so I ran out there and did 3 laps in the morning.  Then in the late afternoon I ran back out and did 5 more laps before dark.  Each lap was a little less than 2.4.  Total of 21.6 miles per the computer.

A couple of interesting things.  The park is very busy with families, etc. hanging out, usually with a dog.  Didn't see a pure breed dog all day, nor even one animal on a leash.  Some of the dogs were huge, in excess of 200 pounds.  But I was never bothered, and eventually I didn't pay much attention.

The other interesting thing was returning to the hotel on the morning run.  There was a huge line going into the back door of a large building, so many people that I was forced out into the street to get around them.  I looked more closely and the building was the US Embassy.  They were all trying to get visas. Chile is considered the premier economy in Latin America, but people vote with their feet, we don't always give proper credit for how good we have it here. 

75F, 100%, calm and clouding over.  Back in Houston, started at 4:30 intending to do 20, figured no problem since I didn't run yesterday because of travel.  But I ran out of glycogen at mile 16.31, felt hyponatremic, so just stopped at a random location and walked home.  All day I felt like I had run a marathon, but got on the treadmill anyway for 4 more after getting home from work.  Was amazed at how much better I felt once I got some kinks worked out.  The run in the morning was 8:41 per mile for the first 10.25, didn't get a time after that but felt like I slowed down some, so I'm calling it 8:45 to 8:50 pace overall.  A little bit faster for the 4 on the TM, 2 at 9:00 and 2 at 8:00.

81F, 100%, light wind.  Got up and left the house at 4:35 to run 7.29 miles in the neighborhood.  Easy pace, probably no faster than 9:00 but didn't get a time.  Then got in the car and picked up Wade and my nephew Justin, drove down to south Houston for this same 5K I did last year.  This is a fundraiser for the United Negro College Fund, and it is probably one of the better causes out there.  I love the atmosphere and the race is run almost flawlessly.  They were posting finishing times on the computer in real time as the runners came in, so it was easy to get your time and place right off the bat.  Plus a huge enthusiastic crowd at the finish line.

Justin is a first-year dental student, going back to school after working as a ChemE for several years.  He hasn't been training consistently, 32 now but in the day he was a very solid runner, he was on one of the top cross-country teams in Texas, about a 4:30 mile.  I talked him into coming to this race, for which my law firm is a primary sponsor, so he was registered under our umbrella.

We got to the race site at about 7:15 and spent some time getting registered, walking around, and finally ran a warmup mile, which was good because my back was hurting after sitting in a plane all week.  The race started right at 8:00 after a speech from the mayor.  Justin kept wondering what my goal was and I told him probably 7:00, but wasn't really sure because I hadn't run a 5K in this kind of heat before and haven't been doing much speed work.  Really don't know how fast I am.  He said he would pace me and if he felt good he would go for it in the last mile.  That is exactly what he did.  I hung with him for the first 2 miles with him calling out the splits (he had a stopwatch not a Garmin, so his calls were based on the course signs).  Then he pulled away.  There were some other guys running with us but I pulled away from them at about the same time.  The sun was out the last mile and I found myself fading fast, really counting the steps to the end, and hoping I didn't throw up in front of all the folks out for this fundraising walk.  I looked back with about a quarter to go and saw the other guys gaining on me, so I gave it one last push and beat them by 10 to 20 seconds.

Justin won so a good showing for our law firm.  Plus, I can't be accused of bringing in a ringer because without him I would have won.  This race is marketed to corporations rather than to the running community, so even though it has a sizable participation, including around 100 timed runners, there isn't anybody fast out there, although it is hard to tell due to the extreme heat/humidity combination.  One friendly guy that I beat came up and was asking lots of questions about my training, etc.  He is young and I'm sure he has me in his sights for next year.  That is good, I hope he brings lots of fast buddies with him.  Kind of embarassing taking second with a time like this.  Wade measured the course at 3.19 miles, which gives me a 6:45 pace if it is accurate -- I see that I measured it at 6.20 last year.  Official race pace was 6:57 per mile.  I beat my time from last year by 16 seconds and it was 11 degrees warmer today.  So my conditioning is better now despite all the injuries, traveling and illness that has slowed me down this year.  I'm feeling good, recovering quickly from workouts, and overall pretty happy with how everything is going right now with my running. 

60F, 100%, N 1 mph.  Dramatically cooler this morning, but had a hard time sleeping due to a sore throat.  So I turned off my alarm and it was 5:13 before I got out the door, plus I could only run until 6:40 due to picking up my daughter from seminary and taking her to school.  My throat is still sore, but it didn't seem to affect my running, at least not as much as lower temperatures boosted it.  I ran 9.45 miles at an 8:33 pace, felt very easy.  Total running time was 80:55 after taking a time out for a mid-run GI break.  It is forecast to warm up throughout the week, but shouldn't get past the low 70s.  Fall is gradually arriving, but it will take a while for it to arrive completely, at least 6 weeks.  Speed work tomorrow, and if all goes well my first fast long run of this training cycle on Saturday.

62F, 100%, calm and clear.  I woke up in the middle of the night with a fever and raw throat, so I turned off the alarm and missed the track workout that the Y group did this morning.  Took aspirin and went back to bed, finally woke up for good about 6:00, took my daughter to seminary (she also slept in and missed her ride, we are not a very successful family), and came home.  By then I was fully awake and felt OK compliments of medical science.  So I decided to go out for a quick 6, but once I got going everything felt good so I kept running.  No Garmin so I was guessing at the distance, thought I had gone 10.5 when I finally called it.  But when I measured my route on the computer it was 12.16 miles in 1:40:15, so 8:25 per mile, no water.  I was trying to push it just a little today, but still comfortable, and that is about where it came out.  In the heat this would have been at least 30 seconds slower, maybe 45.

72F, 100%, calm and clear.  Out at 4:52 a.m., ran by feel again, Garmin is still broken.  18.05 miles in 1:55:00, 8:35 per mile.  Hotter than yesterday by 10 degrees, and my pace showed it.  I could have done 20 at the same pace, though, so I am happy with where I am right now.  Still have flu symptoms as well, but they don't feel like they will last much longer.  Hurried and showered and headed to chiro appointment, but there wasn't much for him to do.  I am healed, no hint of injury at this point.

74F, 97% and calm.  Cloud to cloud lightning to the south for a while, lit up pretty good, but they dissipated with no rain and minimal wind, no thunder.  Legs quite tired this morning.  Was supposed to run garages with Wade but I slept in because I stayed up late last night working.  Sleep is more important than garages.  Out the door at 6:20, slogging along for a while, legs freshened up in the middle of the run, then got really tired as the sun came up and the heat started bearing down.  Pace today was pretty similar to yesterday, but I worked harder for it.  14.05 miles in 2:00:15, 8:34/mile.  Chugged about a gallon of liquids, ate oatmeal and peanut butter, then took the dog for a barefoot walk (both of us).

71F, 100%, N 3 mph.  Cooler weather, but felt hot for some reason.  Object today was to let off the gas pedal a little bit, succeeded admirably.  10.02 miles in 92:30, 9:14 per mile.  Should be well-rested for tomorrow's long run.

71F, 100% N 5-15 mph, temperature may have dropped a couple of degrees during the run.  I have been building to this run all week, got so excited I woke up at 2:30 and couldn't go back to sleep.  But going slow yesterday really helped, I had glycogen in my legs this morning.  Finally got up at 3:45 and got to the Y at 4:15, ran 7 on my own at an 8:00 pace.  I mapped the distance out ahead of time, ran it totally by feel, not knowing if I was fast or slow.  Right as I hit the 7-mile mark, the clock on my phone turned to 56 minutes, so I paced it exactly.

By this time the group was there, scheduled for 13.  I asked if anybody was willing to pace me at 8:00 for the whole 13.  They looked at me like I was nuts, but a couple of guys finally said they would do it, so we took off.  First mile was 7:52 and after that we were all over the map, 7:40 all the way up to 8:16.  Eric, the coach and Thanh, a new runner, were with me.  Thanh had the only Garmin.  Eric peeled off after a while, but Thanh and I kept going, we talked the whole way, so the pace was hard but conversational.  Turns out he has a 2:56 PR, used to run cross-country for SMU.  He is in the middle of his career with three young kids, so he doesn't train much right now, only 30-40 per week.  But very helpful and very friendly, I much appreciated his company and his Garmin.  With one mile to go he slowed down as planned to protect a hip injury and I booked it in, ended up about 2 minutes ahead of him but no idea how fast it was, probably somewhere between 7:15 and 7:45.  He said he averaged right at 8:00 for his 13, so I think it is pretty safe to call mine 20 at 8.  In two more weeks I will try for 7:45

69F, 99%, N 5 mph.  10.05 miles in 1:26:45, 8:34/mile.

69F, 100%, N 2 mph.  10.05 miles in 1:21:25, 8:04/mile.

58F, 100% and calm.  10.05 miles, 5 easy then 5 at GMP, but only hit 7:42 on the last 5.  Overall 7:54/mile.

58F, 100% and calm.  Met Wade at 6:10 and ran 6 miles in a garage, which consisted of an up-ramp, then a long run around the garage to the next up-ramp, 4 of those, then the same thing down, 7 circuits in total.  We have big garages here, this one was on the HP campus halfway between my house and the Y.  When I got home I ran 4.2 more untimed in the neighborhood.  Legs felt like I lifted weights.

58F, 100% and calm.  Ran 5.08 easy, then 4.92 at GMP, but only hit 7:38 pace.  More of a mental thing than anything else, plus I don't know how fast I am going until I finish and figure it out.

68F, 100% and calm.  Ran to Wade's house and we ran to the Y, met the group there and ran back, peeled off and ran back to Wade's house, then I ran the rest of it in my neighborhood.  Wade got 14, longest run in a year for him.  Weather is warmer, but I don't think it will hit the 70s again, at least not on a sustained basis.  20.14 miles at around 9:10 I think, didn't time it but judging from the splits Wade was getting.  Didn't feel good the whole run, I think garages on Thursday and then 5 hard yesterday took their toll.  By noon I was feeling much better and walking like normal.  Next Saturday will be a hard one like a week ago, then 3 more weeks until my last hard long run.

64F, 100% and calm.  Ran slow then fast, didn't time either segment, but the fast ones were between 7:30 and 7:40.

Got up early to meet the group at the track for a workout, but they were nowhere to be found.  By the time I gave up it was too late to run, so a goose egg today.  Got on Google Earth and saw a track at a nearby school, an elementary school, not the junior high.  You would think these guys could read the sign in front of the school, but next week I'll know.

70F, 100% and calm.  Woke up very early, stomach upset from bad food at a restaurant last night.  We went with the whole family to a local place that was donating its profits for the day to my daughter's choir.  We waited 45 minutes for a table and another 45 minutes for our poisoned food.  Everybody had things to do other than blow 2.5 hours on dinner. Total donation $6.

So finally got out the door at 4:42 and ran 20.1 miles in about 3:03:30, net of GI stops, average pace 9:08 per mile.  I felt like I was running slower than that, wasn't even sure I was hitting 9:30, so I was happy with the result, especially since my legs were more sore than I would have thought if it was truly a 9:30 pace.  Anyway, 20 is 20. 

I really need to get a new Garmin, I have no idea what my heart rate is doing right now.  (However, in the dentist chair yesterday morning blood pressure was 105/62 and heart rate was 54.)  There is a reasonably priced one called 210X or something like that, and an expensive one that is about double, both seem to do about the same thing.  Other than longer battery life I can't figure out what you get for the extra money.  I'm going to step up and pay the REI price whatever I buy though.  I figure if enough people take their broken Garmins back to REI, they might be big enough to put pressure on Garmin to do something about it.  This Garmin problem is simply another manifestation of the replacement refs conspiracy.

70F, 100% and calm.  Weather has held steady all week, but it will change soon.  Met Wade for another session running the garage, like last Thursday.  That was 6 miles, including 1.5 in uphill charges.  Then did a couple of errands at the house and went back out for 6 more, 3 easy and 3 at perceived GMP, but didn't time anything.  The last 3 were tough though, legs did a lot of work the last 2 days.  I stopped at REI on the way to work and bought a Garmin 210.  I'll try it out this week and take it back if I don't like it.  I already don't like the tiny display, not good for these old eyes.  I may just send my old one in for repairs.

70F, 100%, N 1 mph.  Same as all week, will be similar tomorrow then start cooling off some more.  But 70F is not bad, I still sweat like a hog but it doesn't seem to have any other effect this late in the summer training cycle.  The plan today was to do 10 easy.  I ran the course that I had previously mapped out at 10.02 miles, but I took my new Garmin 210.  I liked several things about it.  It is the size of a regular watch, small and light, but there are some drawbacks.  The illumination has an automatic fade after about 10 seconds, so every time you want to see the watch you have to turn it back on.  I run 80% of my miles in the dark, so this won't work unless there is a setting that changes the fade function.  Also, the numbers on the display are small, hard to read for my bleary early-morning eyes. 

A much worse problem is accuracy.  It measured today's course at 9.7 miles.  My course has a total of 29 cul de sacs and 45 turns of 90 degrees or more.  So if a GPS device isn't taking measurements at short intervals it will measure this course significantly short.  I double-checked my previous computer measurement (10.02 miles) by putting the Google Earth setting at the smallest scale and measuring every step of the run. It took an hour, but there is a point to it.  It's not about distance -- there is no difference in training effect between running 9.7 miles or 10.0 miles.  The computer measurement, and I can think of no reason why it is not accurate at that setting, was 9.97 miles.  So the 210 measured short by 2.5%, which for this run was the difference between 8:43 per mile and 8:57 per mile, 14 seconds per mile, more than 6 minutes over the length of a marathon.  I can't train intelligently with that much discrepancy.  My old Garmin 305 measured the first 4 miles of this course exactly the same as Google Earth, so I will send it in for repair -- the 210 despite its attractive appearance is not going to cut it, although I will take it out again tomorrow on a straighter course to see what happens.

Today's exercise also supports my beef with course measurements by race directors.  If a GPS device is inaccurate, it is because it measures short, not long.  It measures in straight line segments; the more often it takes a reading the shorter the segment and the more accurate the measurement.  The +/- differential for satellite inaccuracy is a statistical error that doesn't favor short or long, and over a long course it will average out to almost zero.  So if you run the tangents and a course still measures long, it is long.

On the bright side, my average heart rate for the run was 142, max 151, which is really good news.  I have not gotten a heart rate reading in at least a month.  I had planned to do this as a recovery run at 9 flat because I have a hard run tomorrow, but I ran it at 8:43 with no significant heart rate drift, quite a bit better than earlier in the summer when I was recovering from my back injury.  Back then I was happy to get 10 at a 9:20 pace with 150 max.  So 8:43 today after running garages yesterday and 20 on Wednesday represents bona fide progress.

73F, 100% NNE 3 mph, trying to rain. Got up at 4:00 and was at the Y at 4:30, plan was to run 8 at 7:45 pace, then 12 with the group. A mile or two in I knew I was in trouble. I went to bed with a raw throat last night, and with the higher temperatures and stifling humidity (for some reason it felt worse than it has felt all weak, though it has held steady at 100% throughout), I didn't have enough heart rate reserve to make this run. At mile 5 I took EFS to practice taking on calories, but I was already nauseous and that didn't help. I held the pace through 8 then told the group I was bowing out and came home. Hopefully I can try this again next week. It is amazing how little it takes to put me over the edge -- the margin between a PR marathon and a blowup is thin. According to my Garmin 210, the distance was 7.87 miles, giving me a pace of 7:48. According to the computer, the distance was 8.0 miles, which puts my pace at 7:41, so not as far off as yesterday, but today's run had comparatively few turns in it. Average heart rate was 164, last three miles at 171, not sustainable for 20 miles.