For Whom the Dogs Bark

52F, 99%, calm and clear.  The storm has passed and the weather was perfect.  Ran 20.59 miles in 3:04:27, 8:57/mile, average heart rate 145 bpm, 156 max.  I was planning to keep it at 9:30 pace since I have another run tomorrow, but the first mile came in at 9:32 and the second one at 9:08, at which point I decided to go my regular speed, for better or worse.  Kept it under 150 bpm through 15 miles.  Last 4 full miles were 8:42 (151), 8:57 (152), 9:00 (152) and 8:54 (154).  It became obvious to me that these types of runs are a leg game, not a heart rate game.  I had lots of heart rate reserve even at the end, but legs were very tired after 15 miles, not surprising though, given the long workout times this week.

61F (56F to end), 77%, N 9 mph.  Pretty good running weather this morning, though the wind was a bit heavy at times coming back up the gully on the way back.  Ran 4 miles, met Wade for 15 then finished it off.  One bio break and a stop at McDonalds to re-fill my water, otherwise straight through.  Was planning on about 9:30 per mile but we naturally sped up throughout the run, only the first mile was slower than that.  Overall 20.62 miles in 3:10:32, 9:14/mile, 143 bpm average, 160 max.  Last 5 (including the stub) were 9:03 (150), 9:02 (152), 9:18 (152), 8:52 (155) and 8:46 (158).  Just like yesterday, my heart rate was in control throughout, but legs were very tired and un-lively.  This concludes my first heavy week of this training cycle.  I hope to do two more, one in terms of heavy workouts and another distance week.  It is now 3 hours since I finished and my legs seems to be recovering quickly, so I think I got away with it -- hope it did some good.

55F, 35%, E 6 mph and cloudy.  Good weather again this morning, though it will warm up -- again -- for a few days it appears.  Back to LLHR pace, started out 12+ then the pace naturally came down, low to mid-11s the rest of the way.  Overall 10.05 in 1:55:42, 11:31/mile (last mile 11:30), 120 bpm, 125 max.  As usual for these runs, was totally spent at the end but my legs recovered quickly, even after doing a leg/core circuit at the gym.  I think it is time to add more weight, but today my lower back was a little sore (a lot of driving over the weekend) so I didn't try to amp it up.

69F, 72%, ESE 6 mph and cloudy, trying to rain.  Warm morning.  I did 1.7 miles in the neighborhood at LLHR, 11:30 and 11:15, then drove to the track to join the running group for some interval work.  Ran 12 x 400 at about 92 to 95 seconds per split, so faster than my 5K PR.  I didn't have a watch on them, but a guy who was finishing about 2-5 seconds ahead of me said he was running 90 flat -- if he's wrong then I'm wrong, but I think it is pretty close, no slower than 6:30 pace I'm certain.  In between while everybody was stopped I would run a full 400 at what I think was an 8:15 to 8:30 pace, so very active recovery.  When I would come around after my recovery lap that would be their cue to hit the next one.  After the 400s Wade and I "cooled" down for another 2.25, the last one came in at 7:48, so I'm calling these MP miles.  Maximum heart rate was 181, and my heart rate on the MP miles was 162-164.  I'm pretty pleased with these times and especially the heart rate at the end.  Some of my old speed seems to be re-appearing; it would be most superior if this is a trend and not a last gasp.

Last February and March (see entries for Feb. 12 and Mar. 21), Dr. Kevorkian told me I might never run again, at least competitively.  I still wake up at night thinking about the good Dr. K.  I'm glad to prove him wrong, but I need to keep this going.

71F, 100%, SE 4 mph.  According to the weather report it was raining this morning, but when I went outside there were stars visible.  Back to hot running.  Left the house slightly before 4:00 a.m. and ran 10.05 miles in 1:50:58, 11:02 per mile, 120 bpm, 125 max. Was pretty happy with this run -- the day after a workout and bad temperatures, still came within 2 seconds of my best LLHR pace, which is 11 flat.

47F (40 WC), 74%, N 19-23 mph.  Very different morning than yesterday.  I toyed with running hard today, especially when I saw the wind, which screws things up when trying to run at a steady heart rate; but ultimately decided that I need to stay with the LLHR program.  There will be plenty of time later to run hard.  Wore long sleeves and a beanie, no gloves.  Ran 10 miles exactly in 1:47:07, 10:42 per mile.  120 bpm, 126 max.  Ran the first mile in 11:07, second in 10:42, then 7 straight between 10:30 and 10:40.  The last one then came in at 11:07.  Significant PR for this training zone.  Finished up with a weight circuit at the gym, increasing the weight all around by 5 pounds over the last workout.

51F, 81%, NNE 4 mph and clear.  Great weather again, though my arthritic hands don't like the cold.  Out at 4:55 a.m., 10.30 miles in 1:50:35, 10:44/mile, 121 bpm, 126 max, so a little slower than yesterday (probably due to yesterday's weight session), but mile 10 was still in the 10s so my low heart rate zone has extended out to 10 miles before heart rate/pace drift sets in; it was at 7 miles less than 10 days ago.  Pretty pleased with my running results this week.  Tomorrow I will blast away for 20 and that will be another week in the books.

52F, 95%, N 1 mph.  Regular Saturday run with Wade.  Ran to his house, did 11 with him, ran back to my neighborhood and did 5 more.  Total of 20.17 miles in 2:55:35, average pace 8:42/mile.  Average heart rate 149, max 173.  Last 5 were 8:31 (157), 8:16 (159), 8:13 (162) 7:53 (166) and 7:51 (169).  First 10 were 9:08 pace, second 10 were 8:22 pace.  Not a good day, really.  With regular mileage this week I thought I would be blasting them out today -- as it ended up I was just happy to finish.  I could hold a good heart rate running in the mid-8s but as soon as I dropped it to GMP it climbed quickly.  Would not have been able to run a good marathon today, but I didn't have to.

52F, 100%, calm and clear.  HR 55/120/126.  Ran 10.02 miles in 1:47:31, 10:44/mile.  Started out in the mid-11s, figured on a slower run due to Saturday, but ended up getting a couple of splits in the 10:20s late in the run, fastest mile was mile 8, which I don't understand.  The last 4 were 10:33, 10:26, 10:38 and 10:45, so I didn't slow down to my average pace until mile 10.  I used to hit it at mile 8, so that is good I guess.  Circuit at the gym to finish up.

54F, 93%, N 5 mph.  A big front moving through later today, cold tonight then warm for the weekend.

Today was track day.  Got up at 4:00 with the intentiion of getting in a couple of warmup miles but GI issues prevented it.  Arrived at the track at 5:00 in time to do some warmup with Wade, then it was 10 x 400.  The group was running Yassos, but we didn't want to do that, pure speed for we sprinter types.  We would start out with the group, run our lap then jog out the second one, then another cooldown lap, so about 3/4 of a mile every repeat.  But Wade pulled his groin early in the fourth one.  He stopped immediately so he will probably be OK if he takes it easy for a few days.  He was even jogging a little bit toward the end, taking a slow lap every repeat.  Slowest repeat was 93, fastest was 87, so this was a little faster than last week.  The last two were 91 and that was all I could do, was all lactated up by the last turn, though it cleared immediately during the jog-out. Felt pretty good today, max heart rate 181.

40F (35 WC) to start, 37F (31WC) to end; 66%, NNE 8 mph.  Was supposed to be 30F this morning with a wind chill of 20F, so it was welcome news to wake up to such a warm morning.  Out at 4:30, ran 11.02 miles in 2:00:29, 10:56/mile, so slower than Monday, presumably because of speed work yesterday.  Interestingly, though, my fastest mile was the last one, 10:36, not sure what happened there.  Similar to Monday, though.  I can probably start consistently increasing the mileage on these if this holds up.  121 bpm, 126 max.  Finished with 45 minutes of weights and stretches at the gym.

36F, 86%, calm and cloudy.  Another cold one but no more of them for a while.  Ran 16.00 in 2:59:08, 11:12/mile, 121 bpm, 129 max.  Held pace through 10 before it fell apart, last mile was 12:00 even.  Still, I held pace better than the last time I did a long LLHR run.  Thinking about whether to do this again tomorrow, maybe it is too far for low heart rate running.

58F, 100%.  Thought I would be dealing with 70F, was happy when I woke up and saw the 58F, though it warmed up pretty quickly (68F at the end), heading toward tomorrow's high temperatures.  Started out at 4:30 and counting a bio break and a stop at the Y to get water ended at 8:30.  Tried to run easily, ended up with 24.57 at a 9:13 overall pace (3:46:41), average heart rate 148 but climbed at the end to 169 max.  Through 12.5 I was at a 9:20 pace, so it picked up quite a bit after that.

Running 24 is very different than running 20; today had a marathony feel toward the end, and indeed I was running it at a 4:01 pace.  But I had no problem with the pace, my legs and back were just hurting a lot.  So I think the solution is to do it more of these unless they tear my body down.  Most long runs should be in the 23 to 24 range for a while, I am thinking.

My body has been reacting strangely this week.  Never really recovered from the 400s on Tuesday; I ran 16 a LLHR on Thursday, slower than the last couple of weeks even through 10, then felt bad all day, ended up taking yesterday off which seemed to help some.  There isn't much knowledge out there for how old guys should train -- we are impervious to coaching and would never think of submitting to a study just to help some kid get a PhD -- so we just do our thing and if something doesn't work we go to the next theory without guilt or a second thought.

71F, 100%, calm and foggy.  Started with 4.5 LLHR miles (11:16/mile), then transitioned into GMP for a half mile, then 5 at 7:55 (7:48 to 8:02).  Heart rate progression was 153, 158, 163, 168 and 173.  Not good, but some of that was the summer-like temperatures.  I probably could have lasted 10, not much more.  I felt OK, though, never really strung out, though it was certainly a vigorous workout.  I can almost see myself running a half marathon at a 7:30 pace, which would be remarkable in light of where I have been the last year and a half.

Trying to make it up as I go this week, would like to get some faster stuff in without wearing myself down.

56F, 63%, ENE 8 mph with gusts.  Much better weather today, but somewhat difficult to maintain a consistent effort running into and with the wind.  Ran 10.42 miles in 1:53:19, 10:52/mile. Then did a weight/stretching/core circuit at the gym.  My newest theory is that weights cause more muscle fatigue than running, which is probably a good thing as it indicates improvement in leg strength.  I was faster today than last week when I had a couple of weight sessions in my legs, even though I did a brisk GMP run yesterday.  If this is true then my LLHR run tomorrow should be slower than today.  Can hardly wait.

52F, 65%, ENE 4 mph, clouding up.  Repeated Monday's workout, but much cooler temperatures.  4.5 @ LLHR, 11:48, 11:17, 11:10 and 10:49 (looked at my pace at 4.5 but can't remember it), quite a bit slower than yesterday, but better at the end than Monday.  This supports my theory that lifting weights, which I did yesterday after the run, takes more out of my legs than running a medium workout, which I did the day before yesterday's run.

Then ran 5 at GMP, here are the comparative times and heart rates (Monday's run at 71F in brackets):

8:05 (149) [8:03 (153)]; 7:56 (155) [7:51 (158)]; 7:57 (157) [7:59 (163)]; 7:41 (161) [7:49 (168)]; and 7:43 (164) [7:56 (173)]

So a dramatic difference in speed and heart rate by the time the last mile rolled around, even though based on low heart rate pace I was more tired today than on Monday.  Heat is a killer.

71F, 100%, ENE 8 mph, light rain.  Muggy morning, but LLHR run went pretty well:  10.02 miles in 1:49:44, 10:58/mile.  121 bpm, 126 max.  Busy this week, would ordinarily run long tomorrow since I have a 5K on Saturday, but not sure what will happen.  It is going to be warm again tomorrow, then cool on Saturday.

40F, 100%, N 15-20 mph, raining off and on.  My youngest daughter, who is starting to prepare for a half-marathon in March, wanted to run this because her favorite teacher was promoting it due to family involvement in the pancreatic cancer cause.  She has never been an enthusiastic runner and I figured she would shrink at the abominable weather, but she was up and ready to go, apologizing to me for the weather.  It's great when kids take ownership.  We drove to Reliant  Park on the south side of town, got there about 7:15 and registered, then went back and sat in the car for an 8:30 start.  Got back out at 8:15, still traipsing through puddles.  My paper-thin shoes were soaked before the race started.  I went out for a brief warm-up, got back at 8:27 and the ceremonies had barely begun.  Survivor speeches, celebrity speeches, the whole thing.  I was frigid by 8:50 when we finally started, doubt that the warmup did me much good.  The course was a series of twists and turns through the enormous Astrodome parking area, including a bridge over a street at the start and finish.  My watch actually measured the course at 3.08, which is about the right adjustment for built-in GPS inaccuracy due to running so many turns - 36 in all mostly right angles and a 180 -- I ran all the tangents very conscientiously, as the course was marked with cones for the entire length.  Lots of puddles out there and some runners lost time by running around them.  I plowed straight through, actually liked the course.  I could see what everybody was doing.  Not a fast group in the miserable weather.  I went out hard, was feeling lactatey by the first quarter, but I was committed to the pace and kept going.  My heart rate strap was on but it got too loose in the cold weather and eventually I had to let it ride on my belly.  I think I topped out a 230 bpm.

I was in 11th at one point, got passed, then passed somebody else, then got passed in the last half mile by the women's winner.  She was drafting off of me until we turned back away from the wind then passed me easily, beating me by about 5 seconds.  My Garmin splits were 6:58, 6:54, 7:00 and 6:45 for the stub.  Overall average 6:58, but lower than that when adjusted for the 5K distance.  This is not my fastest 5K time, but like the St. George marathon, today's time was within striking distance.  Feels good, 2 years later, to be challenging my PRs again.

After finishing I went back out on the course, found my daughter and ran her in.  She broke the 11:00/mile mark and never stopped, so she was happy with her efforts, though she complained bitterly about the bridge at the end.  We didn't stay for the ceremony, but I don't think they were giving out any age-group awards.  Afterward we found a good breakfast place and managed to get warmed up.

39F, 93% NNW 12-20 mph, raining off and on.  More miserable weather, but today is the last day.  Yesterday it was raining steadily when I got up to do a long run; I then drove to the gym and the power was out, so I got nothin'.  Today was light rain when I got up so I decided to go out and do a quick 10, translate MGP -- weather held for a couple of miles then it started raining steadily.  First one was 9:08, averaged 7:45 after that.  Overall 10.43 miles in 1:22:59, 7:57/mile.  Last 4 plus stub:  7:38 (174), 7:57 (174), 7:55 (175), 7:43 (175) and 7:47 (175).  Average heart rate 166, high 178.  Pretty high heart rate for marathon pace, but it was super cold out there, chilled to the bone by mile 5, had a hard time holding pace through the end of the run.  Not sure if today's paces mean anything good or bad.

39F, 83%, NNW 10 mph and clear.  Quite a difference, but I suspect it was colder than reported, as all the cars had frost on them.  I was almost as cold today as yesterday, really had to fight to maintain pace toward the end of the run.  Just a regular long run, nothing special, trying to make these closer to marathon distance to ease the pain on race day.  Probably not the best idea the day before a race, but I'm not going to taper for a Turkey Trot.  Suffer now, celebrate later.  Sure hope that "later" thing works out.

32F, 97%, calm and sunny.  Our annual Turkey Trot race out in The Woodlands.  Thought I might be able to hit 7 flat but wasn't quite there.  Total of 5.06 miles in 35:44, average pace of 7:04.  Individual splits were 7:26, 7:05, 7:00, 6:59, 6:59 and 6:02 for the stub.  My division was fast, 6:03 pace won it, he was the 4th master.  Possibly could have finished a little faster if I hadn't gotten bottled up in the first mile, I'll have to move further to the front next year.  I finished almost the same against my age group as against the whole field. My oldest daughter ran as well, got 10th in her division.  Wade and Linda also ran and were happy with their times -- Wade got 15th in his division running at a 7:28 pace, he is closing the gap.  It was cold but without the wind and rain we have had it was a pretty runnable.  Have to be pretty happy with this time, I have run nothing at these paces other than the last week.

We rushed home and ate.

36F, 97%, NE 3 mph.  10.06 miles in 1:56:35, 11:36/mile, low heart rate 120 average, 125 max.  Legs a little tired from racing yesterday, but not bad.  Still cold and that slows me down too.

40F, 97%, calm and sunny.  Left late and ran with my daughter.  It was her shakeout run for a half marathon coming up in two weeks.  Her PR for the half-marathon distance is 8:25 I think she said.  Goal today was to hit 8:30 but we got 8:21 and she finished in good shape.  I would say that PR is history.  Overall 150 bpm.  Last 4 miles were 8:26 (150), 8:15 (152), 8:07 (155) and 7:51 (159).