For Whom the Dogs Bark

69F, wind SSW 10 mph, hot and humid.  Felt great running out there, basically the first day of summer, though it should cool down by tomorrow.  Ran 10.55 miles in 1:55:50 (lots of 5s on April 5), average pace 10:59 per mile, low heart rate and flat shoes.  I am watching my right knee closely, it felt like it had some ITB in it, but it never got worse during the run and seems to be better now than yesterday.

I have made friends with a bike rider.  He is out spinning around every morning about the same time as me, for about 8 months now.  Finally six weeks ago he said "hi" when he went past me.  I said "hey".  This has happened three times now.  This may not seem like much to the lady bloggers, but for guys at 5:00 in the morning it makes us blood brothers.

67F, wind SSE 6 mph, cloudy and humid.  Good running weather.  Ran 10.76 in 1:53:42, average pace 10:35 per mile, low heart rate and flat shoes.  This beat my previous low heart rate best by 17 seconds per mile.  One split was 10:16.  Not sure where all the "speed" came from this morning but no complaints.  I am still nursing my right ITB so I haven't done any speed work yet this week.

Two years ago yesterday I started training for a marathon.  I have run a lot of miles since then, but it is kind of funny to look at my first entry:

Star Date 04.05.08, Christian Saturday, GMT 13:30 and GMT 16:30 -- Day 1

            The alarm went off at 6:30.  Not so fast, buckaroo.  I turn over to catch a few more winks.  Next look at the clock shows 9:30.  Time for a new alarm clock.  Dang, here it is Day 1 and I didn’t answer the bell. 

            I roll out and start walking around.  Notice that the floor is a little cold.  Check the computer and it is low 50s outside.  Perfect running weather.  The gods are smiling.  I get dressed and head out.

            I need to run 4 miles this morning in order to start a fairly steep ramp-up to merge into the mileage buildup schedule.  4 miles may not sound like a lot, but it is twice any distance I have run since I was 22 years old.  I am apprehensive, but the weather is perfect. 

            There is a stiff head wind for part of the lap, then a tailwind.  (I'm running laps, get it?)  At lap two, I keep going instead of turning in.  Just that one little thing creates a tinge of excitement.  I am doing something new.  After lap three, I am still feeling OK, and I head around once more.  Lap four is a little iffy toward the end, but I stumble into the front door, and I am on my way, with a big assist from that Canadian cold front.  No immediate ill effects.  No dizziness, queasiness, pulled muscles or blisters.  No crawling on the floor trying to catch my breath.  Also no welcoming committee.

The crawling on the floor, dizziness, queasiness, blisters and pulled muscles came later.  But I have enjoyed perfect running weather every day since the first day.

69F, cloudy with warm wind from S, 11 mph.  Nice morning to run.  Ran 10.22 in flat shoes, started out with 3 at low heart rate, 11:26, 10:16, 10:28.  Interesting times, it was tempting to finish out the run at that speed and see if I could beat yesterday's pace.  But I had bigger fish to fry.  I ran 7.00 at threshold pace, averaging 7:53 per mile.  I was hoping to make 8 but this was a difficult pace for me at warm temperature.  Plus my groin pulled right at the end of the 7th mile so I slowed down the last 50 yards.  Walked a while then jogged it in at molasses speed.  Last week I ran 6 at 7:54, so I might have expected a little more improvement, but the temperature for that run was 46F so this morning is probably real progress.  The one thing I have learned in my short running career is that temperature is the most significant variable, it trumps sleep, nerves, stress, diet, shoes, injuries, fatigue and teenagers; it is probably at least on par with altitude and hills, which don't play a huge role in most marathons I would be entered in.  So I have to be OK with the run today -- maybe next week I'll get 8 or 9.  I have to figure out one more speed workout this week but I ain't doing this one again.

51F, wind NNW 6 mph, clear and cooling.  Nice fresh wind to run in this morning.  Went 11.41 in 2:04:02, average pace 10:52 per mile, low heart rate and regular shoes.  Good pace for regular shoes, but not my fastest.  It was OK after running hard yesterday, though.  When I started I could barely move, but the longer I went the better I felt.  After 3 miles my groin loosened up and after 8 the right ITB pain quit.  Who knows what would have happened if I had gone 20.  Luckily I never found out, I have things to do today.

45F, wind calm, clear with setting moon.  Perfect morning for some speed work.  So I decided to go long and slow.  Ran 10.14 miles in 1:49:41, average pace 10:49 per mile, low heart rate and regular shoes.  A little bit faster than yesterday, but pretty much the same range. 

I regret missing the golden opportunity for a speedy run, I really do, but I was hurting everywhere when I went to bed last night.  A little worried in fact.  I woke up in the middle of the night thinking it was time to get up and go, couldn't make myself do it, which is a classical sign of overtraining, so I thought maybe I would just go out for 4 or 5 and see how I felt.  Then I looked at the clock.  1:10 a.m.  I relaxed and the next thing I knew it was 5:00, all my aches and pains were gone and I was ready to go.  But no speed today, it can wait.

If I still feel good tonight and if my schedule cooperates, I might go ahead and do my long run instead of waiting until tomorrow.

71F at beginning, 55F at end, partly cloudy wind SSE 10 mph.  7:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.  It was a perfect night for running.  Ran 30.00 very slowly, in 5:51:51, average pace 11:44 per mile, average heart rate 138 bpm, regular shoes.  My heart rate is naturally higher at night than in the morning.  I didn't really want to do this run, but SlowJoe said I had to.  I quit at 30.00, not one step further.  But at least I made 30, the furthest I have run and something I have failed twice to do in the last month.  I remember a year ago running the marathon distance on a Saturday long run and running the last mile in 14:30 at a 145 heart rate.  My last lap today was 12:52.  Older is definitely better, but I need to run this a little faster.

My heart rate got as high as 150, but was in the low 140s most of the run after 10 miles, then wend down to mid-130s for the last 5 or 6, partly because I slowed down, but also due to some other physiological factor which I don't really understand.  I am guessing my body switched over to burning fat after I finished digesting up a bowl of rice I ate just before the run.  It was like I ran through the bonk that happened at 22 miles and lasted through the marathon distance, maybe a little further, then at about mile 27 or 28 the nausea abated enough that it was no longer uncomfortable to run, my pace picked up naturally and my heart rate went down.  I waited too long to take a drink, about 13 miles, a bad personal habit which doesn't work at this distance.

At about mile 6 I ran into my friend, Wade, who ran the Texas marathon with me.  He is faster than me and has been improving despite not really focusing since the January 1 race.  He ran with me until about mile 18 and we had a good time, but then it was tough being on my own for the last 12.  We are thinking of joining a running group for Saturday morning runs down at the YMCA.  I was concerned that they might be doing only 10 for a long run, but then we figured out that we could run down there, do their run and run back, giving us 20 miles.  Wouldn't want to do that every week but I am looking for extra ideas for long runs (I can't do a progression run or a 30-miler every Saturday, that would get stale), so that might be a good alternative.  Also, we might do a 10K next Saturday in Brennam (home of famous Blue Bell ice cream, about an hour from here), but that is still up in the air.  Depends on whether they are serving rocky road.