For Whom the Dogs Bark

48F, 6.16 miles in 1:15:07, average pace 12:12 minutes per mile at low heart rate.  Back in May I ran 6 miles at a 12:14 pace and haven't come close to that again until this morning, so I am making progress I guess.  It is sobering, however, to remember that that good run in May was right before the personal disaster otherwise known as the Ogden Mararthon.

45F, 7.28 miles in 1:15:03, average pace 10:18 at various heart rates, 2 mile warmup, 10K pace for four miles then jogging in, as follows: 12:59 (120), 12:06 (128), 9:19 (151), 8:36 (159), 8:33 (165), 8:07 (175), 11:54 (145), 3:29 (12:21 pace) (137). The object was to try to get in some miles at faster than my projected marathon pace, I think I'll do that about 3 or 4 more times in the next two weeks before I start tapering. It is amazing how difficult these faster miles are even though they aren't very fast for most runners. I made it through, but I think my climbing heart rate was a good indication that I have less than ideal conditioning at higher speeds, which means there is probably some low-hanging fruit out there if I do a lot more of these. They are tough though.

One of our associate lawyers told me this morning that he had seen the video of me being "interviewed" by my son-in-law after the St. George marathon. He is a running skeptic and thinks that my condition after the marathon mirrored symptoms of hypothermic shock. Interesting to think about, but not too flattering as I think about it.

36F, clear and no wind, 92% humidity.  6.31 miles in 1:15:00, average pace 11:53 at low heart rate.  My legs were very fatigued last night and my achilles was starting to bother me, so I went to bed an hour early and slept well all the way through.  It all came together this morning, first time I have run at low heart rate under 12:00.

They are actually predicting snow here tomorrow morning, up to an inch.  It only snows once every 5-10 years.  But I'll believe it when I see it, as our weather forecasts are unreliable here.  We are at the intersection of the continental west to east weather flows and whatever weather the gulf is bringing in that day.  Some days our weather comes from the northwest, other days from the southeast.  If I run in the snow will that make me a real blogger?

39F, 32F wind chill, wind NNE at 10-15 mph, 6.27 miles in 1:15:00, average pace 11:57/mile, low heart rate.

Well, no snow yet, but I can smell it in the wind.  The moon is riding high, fast-moving clouds this morning.  I think I will do it from my home computer today and it is not because I am a wuss.  There are about 75 languages spoken in Houston homes, almost all of them originating from countries between the 23rd parallels.  Other than the occasional Utahn or Michiganer, there is almost nobody in town who knows how to drive in snow.  The first flake will cause spinning Suburbans, school cancellations and weathercasters who sound like they are calling a football game.  Floods?  No problem.  Hurricanes?  Been there.  But when ice and snow arrive we allow ourselves a little excitement.

23F at beginning, 30F at end, no wind, 18.20 miles in 3:00:00, average pace 9:54 per mile, no heart rate monitor.

This is an off week so it wasn't supposed to be an all-out long run, but it was plenty hard anyway.  I think I could have finished a marathon at this speed but it would have been close.  I participated in a family fast yesterday and as a result (I think) my legs went dead in the second third of the run.  By the last 4 or 5 miles I either got used to it or they revived because it wasn't quite so bad.  Maybe I induced an artificial bonk or something, but it was an interesting physiological experiment.  I'll have to think about this one some more.

It snowed all day yesterday, heavily at times, but the temperature stayed in the mid-30s throughout, so nothing ever stuck in this part of town, although it did in other parts.  Then it became clear and cold last night.  This could very well be our coldest morning of the winter here in Houston.  I'm a real runner now.

55F and light rain, 7.73 miles in 1:40:00, average pace 12:56 per mile, low heart rate.

Well, we have a typical winter gulf coast system in now.  The weekend excitement brought by our brief encounter with Midwest winter weather patterns is long gone.  My legs are still hung over, though, couldn't get a fast pace going, at least not in the target heart rate zone.  So much for my easy week last week.

My big accomplishment on Saturday had nothing to do with running.  I put out the Christmas lights, roof, yard, tree and all, everything but reindeer on the roof.  Zero to ignition all in one day.  Even the wife was a bit impressed.  She didn't say anything, but I just know it.  Problem is they won't go on today.  The rain shorted them out somewhere.  I hate that.

71F w/ light rain and wind NE 10 mph, 7.11 miles in 1:27:27, average pace 12:18 per mile, low heart rate.

I had to stay up late last night attending to a family crisis -- we decorated the Christmas tree.  So I slept in and ran at noon today.  Couldn't go the full distance due to work commitments which was just as well, as I still feel a little off this week.   Also distracted because my son-in-law is driving to Houston from SLC.  He is detouring through Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tucson and El Paso in order to avoid the big storm.  Even with that, he had snow on I-15 most of the way to Cedar City, and hydro-planed once in the slush for about 200 feet.  He is Canadian and experienced at this kind of driving, so it must be pretty bad.

50F, wind NNW 21 mph, 8.07 miles in 1:23:00, 2 miles warmup then 4 x 1 mile with 1/2 mile cooldowns, then jog it in.  Mile splits were 8:22, 7:47, mystery lap, and 8:03.  The second lap felt smooth, like I could go faster, the others I was fighting the wind but still did OK based on the last time I did this.  I think I have to be able to run a 7-minute mile to have any shot at a 3:45 marathon (about 8:35 pace) sometime down the road.  Probably more like a 42:00 10K.  Otherwise the needed speed just won't be there.

Got my Christmas lights back on yesterday, then they went back out.  Time to come up with Plan C.

34F, 25F wind chill, 9.57 miles in 1:28:47, average pace 9:17 per mile, average heart rate 147.  I started out slow intending to do a slow run after running mile repeats yesterday, but couldn't keep my heart rate down in the cold and the wind, so I gave up after a half mile and decided if I couldn't run easy I would run hard.  My splits and heart rates were: 10:50 (174), 9:19 (190), 9:16 (161), 9:12 (141), 9:04 (140), 9:16 (123), 9:00 (137), 9:02 (132), 8:52 (130) and 4:59 (8:46 pace, 136 bpm).  Heart rate was all over the place especially early, swinging from a high of 207 down to 113.  Interesting that it stabilized in the last half, even more interesting that it was so low, I was working a lot harder than that, in fact this was really a half-marathon speed for me.  Probably issues with my machine.  I should wear two monitors and see if I get the same readings, but that would be a little too geeky, even for me, plus I am too cheap to go buy another gadget. 

Got my Christmas lights back on again last night and they stayed on.  So far Plan C is working.  All is well in Houston.

43F, wind from NNE at 10 mph, 9.30 miles in 1:54:20, average pace 12:18 per mile, low heart rate.  Easy run after running hard yesterday.  I am toying with the idea of not tapering for my upcoming marathon on New Years Day.  It is not the race where I am going to qualify for Boston and I prefer not to interrupt my running rhythm.  On the other hand my old legs probably need a rest.  I am in my eighth or ninth consecutive week of running 6 days on and 1 off.  So far Charley and Horse are not complaining that much but it might be good to back off a little bit.

51F and misting, this weather was perfect.  22.14 miles in 3:30:00, average pace 9:29 per mile, no heart rate monitor.  My goal was to run 9:30 per mile, so I made it just barely.  I went for it right out of the gate.  My first mile was 9:22 and my last was 9:31, fastest split was 9:08 and slowest was 9:42.  Unlike some other long runs, this wasn't a steady acceleration to the end of the run.  I was struggling a lot to make 9:30 the last few miles but my overall average was there, about a 4:08 marathon pace.  I don't think I could have run the extra 4 miles needed for a marathon today, though.  I was done, done, done by the time I quit.  I finished about a mile from my house and sat down on a rock.  After 10 minutes of no improvement, I felt like laying down but I knew somebody would call an ambulance if I did that.  I always run with a cell phone, so I woke up my 16-year old son from his Saturday morning slumber.  No one else was home, so he agreed to pick my butt off the pavement and I made it home.  Yesterday morning he skipped seminary, failed to take out the trash and drove the best car to school.  I was going to give him a piece of my mind but decided to exercise some restraint.  Didn't realize the payoff would come so quickly.

So where does this run leave me?  No clear answer as to a goal marathon pace, but I still learned a lot.  I think with a proper taper I could get 4 more 9:30 miles out of these legs, but I was definitely running in risky territory today.  On the other hand, nothing ventured, right?  Have to take risks to improve, and I'll know when the day arrives what to do.

53F and light rain, a little bit of wind.  7.20 miles in 1:32:26, 12:50 minutes per mile, low heart rate.  It felt like I was getting Saturday out of my system, so I wasn't too worried about the slow pace.  It is what it is.

I am going to Omaha today.  They were below zero last week or pretty close to it, but in the 20s this week for lows, so it should be pretty runnable.  Something different anyway, but I'm not going there just to run ;)

Set the alarm in Omaha this morning and checked the temperature.  -2F.  This is hard core cold and I don't know the area well enough to even try anything in the ice out there.  I brought stuff for running at 20 degrees, not minus 2 degrees.

Quick change of plans and I did 5 on the treadmill at a 5 mph pace.  For some reason it seems faster than actually running it, you can tell I don't know much about treadmills.  Had to ask my sister how to turn it on.  It had a switch under the front of the belt.  How was I supposed to know that?

This week is the start of my taper, so I don't feel too bad about the easier workout, it accomplished its purpose.

I haven't blogged in several days due to my son's wedding this week, but I have run every day.  The next few entries will get me caught up.  I did an afternoon run today.  Getting back from Omaha late and attending to other last-minute duties before leaving for SLC made it impossible to get out this morning.  I left work early, changed at the downtown club and drove out to Memorial park which is the primary running area in Houston.  It is always loaded with runners.  There is a three-mile loop there.

I warmed up for two miles then did 10x400, fastest pace 6:40 and slowest pace 7:48, progressively slower throughout, then cool down pace to the end.  To me that means I was pushing myself.  Legs felt pretty ripe at the end.  Average pace for the entire run was 10:07.

Hurried home and rushed to the airport.

21F in Provo, Utah.  Ran 4.84 easy miles, average pace 10:23 per mile.  Ran from my hotel on 2230 North up to 9th East, then down to 600 North, across to University then back to the hotel.  It was a lot nicer running down than up.  Most of the sidewalks were cleared off but not all of them -- I found out that I can run on ice OK.  Got back to the hotel just in time to get showered and up to the Provo temple for my future daughter-in-law's first trip there.  She is a delightful young lady.  I think my son is pretty terrific too, so this is a very happy time for our family and hers.

19F in Provo, Utah.  Ran 8.34 easy miles at an average pace of 10:09 per mile.  I left my hotel room not knowing beforehand where I should go, and then saw a trail by the river.  Got on it and immediately saw the signs -- it is the Provo River Parkway Trail, I think I have seen several references to it on this blog.  My hotel is on 2230 North and that seemed to be the northern end of the trail.  I took it downstream past I-15 and then some, seemed like I was almost to Utah Lake but I had to turn around and hurry back.  This is a great running trail available to the Utah Valley bloggers.  I only saw one other runner, though.  He zipped by me and said something.  I think it was "hello", but it was hard to tell with the Doppler effect. 

18F in Salt Lake City.

My son got married here yesterday on Temple Square, wonderful day, topped off with a trip to a Brazilian meat palace in Trolley Square, can't remember the name but we had some nice wind-down time with the two familes, without the honeymooning couple.  Too much meat, though, not sure what I was expecting.

So this morning I hit the streets at 6:00.  I wasn't quite sure what the conditions would be but I decided to do a tour of SLC.  This was a really cheap tour because it was on foot, in the dark and no tour guide.  I didn't notice a lot of competition.

I started out at the end of Foothill, at I-80, out the door from our daughter's apartment and headed north, which was mostly downhill.  Kind of difficult footing at times because all of the sidewalks aren't clear.  About a mile and a half up Foothill I saw a group of women running on the other side of the street.  They gradually pulled ahead and turned in front of me heading up Sunnyside.  I continued along Foothill until it turned into 500 South, more downhill, past Rice Eccles (go Cougars!), past Trolley Square to State Street, then up State Street to North Temple.  I had designs on running up to the Capitol but it was too steep and I didn't want to walk, so I turned around about 2/3 of the way up, back down to N. Temple and out a few more blocks until I had about 7.5 miles in before turning around.  Back through the avenues, including a trip up to a small house on M Street that I lived in as a kid when my dad was a graduate student (very steep road, I don't remember it being that steep), past the cemetery and on through the avenues up to the University of Utah.  I ran all the way through campus, past a building with some large ground-level windows.  I noticed in the reflection that my form is a little better.  I finally caught Foothill and took it back home.  Not fast at all, average pace about 11 minutes per mile, but OK for a taper week.  Ran some final errands, caught the plane and made it home to Houston before midnight.

I enjoyed my time in Utah this week.  I enjoyed my son's successful marriage, getting to know his in-laws, catching up with the few relatives I still have in Utah and getting in some runs in a different setting.

35F, sunny and calm.  Back in Houston now.  I decided I needed one more hard run before the marathon.  Not a hero run, I just thought I could get some useful data points by seeing how hard I could go for 8 or 10 miles.  I toyed with trying to run 10 miles at an 8:00 pace, I settled for 8 miles at an 8:33 pace, which is plenty for me right now.  I warmed up for 2, then ran the following splits:  8:30, 8:34, 8:34, 8:32, 8:34, 8:37, 8:36, 8:26.  These splits are almost exactly a BQ pace for me, unfortunately you have to run 26 of them to do that.  Progress nevertheless.  I am thinking that I will try to run the first half of the marathon at a 9:30 pace and see if I can pick it up from there.  I was pretty spent after running 8:30s for that long.  From here on out only easy runs.

55F, calm and dry.  It is almost balmy this morning.  Perfect day for a long run.  Ran 10.06 miles in 2:02:50, average pace 12:12, low heart rate.  This equals my best pace at low heart rate, and it is a longer distance and the day after running hard, so I am pretty happy about this run.  Need to keep my eye on the ball, though, need to keep my miles down this week so my legs can recover.  Interesting, though, I have fewer nagging aches and pains than I have had in a long time.  Knee pain is non-existent, and the tendon insertion point in my right heel has been fine since the middle of last week.  I am grateful for that.

66F, warm and windy with intermittent rain.  Man, I have run in a lot of different weather lately.  I am trying to cut down my miles, so this morning I started out slowly and picked it up a little bit each mile, until I was almost to my 10K pace at the end.  Splits were 11:27, 10:29, 9:22, 9:08, 8:33 and 1:29 (11:10 pace).   The 9:22 pace felt very sustainable, which is a good sign.

Yesterday toward the end of my run I heard an ambulance which sounded like it was right in the neighborhood, driving around looking for an address.  Then all of a sudden there it was, parked in front of somebody's house as I ran past, empty but lights still flashing.  I assume a heart attack, since early morning is the most common time to have one.  I haven't heard anything since, though.  What a Christmas downer for that family if that is what it was.  Even if it isn't a heart attack, an ambulance in front of your house cannot be a good thing, whatever the reason.  Whatever risks we take on by running for extended lengths of time at high exertion levels, they are small compared to the risk of not running at all.

51F, wind W 8 mph, 5.11 miles in 1:00:18, average pace 11:49/mile, low heart rate.  I felt very fatigued last night, especially my legs, even though I hadn't run hard yesterday.  But I got a rare 8 hours of sleep and when I ran my first mile in 12:22 I knew it would go well.  My best mile was 11:30, a low heart rate record for me.  The overall pace is also a record by 23 seconds per mile.  Now off to the stores.

Yesterday I was at the end of a long checkout line in a sporting goods store when somebody opened a register right next to me, looked at me and said "no waiting".  I was right there.  Then a lady about my age (i.e., indeterminate age) started kicking up a fuss, saying she was ahead of me in the old line.  I'm like what the heck, doesn't she know holiday shopping is a competitive sport?  Then I realized of course she knew.  She thought since I was a man I wouldn't know.  Smirking here in Houston.

31F, wind NNW 7 mph, wind chill 24F, 5.12 miles in 53:55, average pace 10:32/mile, warmed up two miles then did 5 x 400 at maximum effort, splits were 1:48 (7:10), 1:45 (7:00), 1:47 (7:08), 1:44 (6:57), 1:47 (7:02), then jogged it in.  Legs felt very tired today, stayed up late getting Christmas ready and was hurrying to finish the run before everybody woke up.

It was a good day today, merry Christmas everybody.

33F, no wind, 10.09 miles in 1:35:22, average pace 9:27 per mile.  I decided to do my last "long" run at a potential marathon pace and it felt comfortable.  Only 10 miles, but that seemed far enough to get a good feel, at least compared to the last time I ran at this speed, which was more difficult.  I'll shoot for this pace on Friday through the first 20 and then decide what to do for the last quarter.  We  now have cool weather forecast all the way through to the day of the marathon.  It is still too early to rely on forecasts much, but it would be very good if the starting temperature were in the 30s.  It takes longer to get going but the payoff is on the back end.  Both Ogden and St. George had finishing temperatures in the mid-60s, too high for my delicate constitution.

31F, calm and dry.  4.84 miles in about 58 minutes, a 12 minute pace.  Can't beat this weather for running.  My Garmin was dead when I picked it up this morning, so I had to measure this route the old fashioned way, Gmap-pedometer.com.  It reminded me of how I did my runs before I had a GPS device.  Truthfully, this Google Earth application does the job just fine, the only differences are no immediate feedback on speed and no heart rate monitoring. 

This week I am going to run 5, 4, 3 and 2.  Today was the 5.  Tomorrow I will run one hard mile, everything else slow until the marathon on Friday.

35F, calm and cloudy. 4.00 miles  Two easy:  11:49 (122 bpm) and 11:14 (129 bpm); one hard:  8:01 (155 bpm); and one cool down:  11:40 (136 bpm).  After the marathon I am going to do some more runs like these.  I feel like I need to improve my mile time quite a bit in order to continue to improve, and it is interesting to watch my heart rate at different speeds during the same run.

43F, rainy, wind NNW at 9 mph.  Ran 3.04 easy miles, average pace 11:20, low heart rate.  The third mile was a low heart rate best of 11:07.  It is interesting that even the easy runs are more efficient when my legs are not fatigued.  Hopefully for the upcoming race that means I will get an improvement over my training times.

My son and daughter-in-law's Texas open house is this Saturday evening, at our house.  I have spent the last two days stripping and re-finishing the entryway.  It was hard work with all the bending and kneeling.  It didn't do any good to argue that I'm an athlete now so we should hire somebody to do it.  Cross-training, I guess.

47F, calm but foggy.  Ran a couple of easy miles, didn't time it.  I feel fine.

Forecast for tomorrow morning is 38F at race time, going up to 49F at noon and clear, so pretty much ideal. 

I still have not decided on a pace for tomorrow.  The two choices are 9:30 and 9:10.  On December 12, almost 3 weeks ago, I ran 22 miles at a 9:30 pace.  I was strung out at the end, but it was the finish of a hard 64-mile week.  I ran a similar pace last Saturday for a 10-mile run and felt better than I did on the front end of the 22-mile run.  So I think 9:30 is very doable unless I am miscalculating somewhere.  With the benefit of a reasonable taper it gives me a high probability of finishing strong, something that hasn't happened yet on a marathon.  Lots of family and friends will be there, and no one would fault me for a 50-minute PR.  Plus I don't plan to enter another marathon until the fall, so it would be nice to have a solid effort tomorrow. 

The other approach is to go for it and try to run at a 9:10 pace, which would put me right at 4:00.  This approach is no different than what I have been doing almost every Saturday this fall, which is to push myself regularly.  It has been a little scary staring out into the darkness early in the morning knowing the task ahead, but the rewards of running at unknown speeds, including the occasional failure, have provided me with enough courage to keep up what has been a successful fall training season.  Not sure the race itself is a good place to risk failure, though, so there you have it.