Sunday, April 27, 2008

Week In Review

Time: 255:00
Distance: 40 mi.

A bit of an over-taper week, but I was trying to get work done and catch up on rest. The race was frustrating, especially given that I have no idea when I will be racing again.

Oklahoma City Half Marathon

Time: 90:00
Distance: 16 mi.

Target: Would like to be under the course record of 69:08, shooting for 5:15s (~68:45)
Race: Third place, 71:11. Running decent until ~10 miles, when I got a bad side cramp.

  
Near 3 miles and the finish. Ouch.

Fun experience overall, but the result was fairly disappointing. It was a bizarre morning to start off with, as it was near freezing and raining when we got up, and the race started at 6:30 in the morning. I felt fairly good to start off, going out under 5:00 and then settling in with some miles in 5:15 to 5:20 into the cold Oklahoma wind. I ran with Bernard through about 10k and then he started to pull away. I was in an okay place through about 10 miles, but then got a really bad side cramp that required even stopping to try to massage it out. There was no coming back from it, though, and I pretty much packed it in as I really couldn't breathe at all. I got beat in the last stretch. Terrible.

Didn't even consider cooling down. It's time to rest and do school for a few weeks.

More: race site, full results

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Easy OKC

Time: 30:00
Distance: 4 mi.

Got into Oklahoma last night. Headed to the marathon expo during the day and checked into the hotel. Ran easy along what I thought was the end of the course and back, to get a feel for it.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Run

Time: 40:00
Distance: 6 mi.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Day Off

Busy busy busy.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Run

Time: 45:00
Distance: 6.5 mi.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Play Ball

Time: 50:00
Distance: 7.5 mi.
Map

Easy run up Shoal Creek Boulevard to the baseball fields at Northwest District Park and back. It is getting hot and humid here. I ran at 2:30 because I just really needed a break from work then. The day off was good... despite being just generally tired, my legs felt great.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Day Off

Planned day off, unlike Jilane and company who were rocking out at Boston!

Week In Review

Time: 466:20
Distance: 69 mi.

A fairly good week of training, with almost 70 miles (what I was shooting for) in 6 days. I was very happy with my workout on Thursday. My only physical complaint is that I've been pretty tired day-to-day.

Next week I am shooting for 50 miles in 6 days, including Sunday's race.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Town Lake, Greenbelt

Time: 92:00
Distance: 13.5 mi.

Fairly easy longish run with Joe from his house. We headed down to Town Lake and the Greenbelt, just going out and back. My legs (and body in general) feels pretty tired, but the run went well.

Shoal Creek Loop

Time: 46:20
Distance: 7 mi.

Brian and I ran between events at the Texas Twilight meet. My legs are beat from volleyball last night.

Notable performances at the meet included Jacob's 1:47.36 and Stanley getting second in the 1500 in 3:45.76 off a slow pace. Rob busted out a 9:38 in his first-ever steeple. I still wish I had been able to give that a shot...

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Town Lake, Track, Greenbelt

Time: 62:00
Distance: 9 mi.

Easy afternoon run with Brian. We started at Barton Springs and ran over to the Austin High track so that he could do a 10 minute tempo. He's basing his getting back into shape plan on the idea that you run at a reasonable tempo pace from the get-go and then just increase the length until you are doing some solid work. I like the idea... get the legs used to running fast off the bat. After that we ran back to Barton Springs and did a short out-and-back on the Greenbelt.

After the run we hopped in the water, got some BBQ, and played beach volleyball for four hours.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

IF Long Intervals

Time: 82:00
Distance: 13 mi.

Target: alternating 1 miles and 2 miles, 3 x 1 mile and 2 x 2 mile; 1 miles in 5:00 w/2:00 rest, 2 miles in 10:30 w/3:00 rest
Workout: 5:06, 10:20, 4:59, 10:22, 4:58

Morning workout on this loop around IF. I felt fairly good, though the humidity started to get to me in the second half of the workout. I was able to stay focused throughout the workout, but I haven't run that hard in a few weeks. My legs felt good, but I will definitely be sore tomorrow. This is the last hard effort before the OKC Half a week from Sunday.

The loop appears to actually be about 40 meters long, according to the GMap Pedometer at least, which would mean that each mile was ~8 seconds long. That would be dandy.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Greenbelt

Time: 43:00
Distance: 6 mi.

Easy run after class down on the Greenbelt. It felt good just to shake my legs out a little bit, and I love getting out into the woods.

Bull Run, IF

Time: 60:00
Distance: 8.75 mi.

Easy morning run with Brian on the Bull Run loop (with an extra loop on Bull Creek). We got back to the house at about 47:00, so I added on the last 2 miles on IF. Still feeling the shin a bit, but it definitely isn't bad.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Day Off

Planned day off. Doing school work, resting the legs, etc.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Bull Run

Time: 40:36
Distance: 6 mi.

Easy afternoon run with Dave on the Bull Run loop.

IF

Time: 40:36
Distance: 6 mi.


View Larger Map

Easy morning run on IF. I have had a "niggle" (as Jordan would call it) on my left shin for a few days. It started as just a little thing that I felt when I wasn't running. Now I feel it a little bit when I run. I'm going to keep an eye on it.

Week In Review

Time: 591:00
Distance: 90.5 mi.

This was a fairly good week of training. Solid distance days, including a fairly good up-tempo Sunday run. I was a bit disappointed with Wednesday's workout which was hurt by the humidity, but there wasn't too much I could do about it without killing it to try and get through it, which wouldn't have done me too much good. I'm still adjusting to the Elixir's, I'll have to see if they work in the long run, but for the moment they are okay.

Two weeks until the Oklahoma City Half Marathon. Next week I'm shooting for 70 miles with a shorter and faster workout (mile or 2 mile repeats?), and the next week will be more like 50 miles with strides.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Town Lake, Infield

Time: 105:00
Distance: 17 mi.

Target: 105 minute run with a 4 mile tempo in 5:35s in the middle
Workout: 48:40, 4 miles in 21:36 (5:24 avg), 34:51 (including 8 diagonal strides)

I met the guys for their Sunday run from the track. Apparently they have been doing this mid-long run tempo for a few weeks (not including last week). This worked fine for my "get Wednesday and Sunday hard efforts" plan leading up to the half. We got rolling on the east side of Town Lake, down to close to 6 minute pace before starting the tempo at 0.0. It didn't take long to get into the pace, as the first mile was about 5:28 and the rest were faster. They have finally cleared out the construction near the South First and Congress bridges, so we could do the "normal" (i.e. 80m long) 4 mile tempo. I felt fantastic aerobically the whole way, but my legs got tired.

The guys finished up on the infield for about 5 minutes when we got back at around 85:00, and I added on another 15 with some diagonal strides with a quick jog in the middle.

I also got back in my Elite 2s for this run, my right peroneal still hasn't warmed up, so to speak, to the Elixir's.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Greenbelt

Time: 90:00
Distance: 13 mi.


The "enchanted forest" section of the trail, about 3 miles in

This is the best weather we ever get in Austin, and seems like the best weather you could have almost anywhere. The air is cool and the sun is warm. I don't know why I don't get down to the Greenbelt more often, as I feel totally in my element once I get on the trails there. This was a great way to get in 90 minutes of running where you can't go too fast (too many rocks, windy trails, little hills) but feel like you're putting in a good effort.

Finished (of course) in the dog pond near Barton Springs.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Play Ball, IF

Time: 80:00
Distance: 12.5 mi.
Map

I put off running this morning, which was fine. It was a beautiful day--warm sun, cool air, no humidity. I could have used a day like this on Wednesday. I started running a bit before Brian got home, and got in 50 minutes heading north on Shoal Creek Blvd. and looping around a baseball field and park that I found out there. Once I got back he and I ran around IF. Feeling a little off after this run... I might just be dehydrated.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Balcones, Bridle Path, Shoal Creek

Time: 90:00
Distance: 13.5 mi.

Mid-week medium long run with Erik. We were both fairly content running easy, and it is still pretty humid, so it was easy to enjoy the run. We headed out to Balcones on 45th, connected to Scenic and Bridle Path and then came back up Shoal Creek to 24th.

My legs were pretty tired by the end, but nothing too bad. I am having a slight problem with my right shoe... it seems to come up fairly high near my ankles and is slightly aggravating my right peroneal tendon. I'll have to take a look at either getting some thicker heel pads or modifying the shoes.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

4 Mile Tempo, Fartlek

Time: 66:00
Distance: 10.5 mi.

Target: 2 x 4 mile tempo in 5:15-5:20 (21:00 to 21:20) with 3 minutes rest (like this workout from last fall)
Workout: 1 x 4 mile tempo in 21:47 (5:21.9, 5:24.8, 5:24.7, 5:36.3); 10 x 45 seconds hard, 60 seconds easy

The humidity owned me. When I was warming up I tried to convince myself that it wasn't that bad and that I would feel fine once I settled in. That did not happen. The first mile was rough, the second mile was rough, the third mile felt terrible and the fourth mile I packed it in. It was definitely the day, not me, as last week I put in a similar effort over 10 miles on a relatively cool morning. I didn't want to totally stop, and after a few minutes of standing recovery I didn't feel awful, so I did the fartlek back around Town Lake and to Zilker where I parked the car.

Barton Springs afterwards hit the spot.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Shoal Creek, Town Lake, Infield

Time: 70:00
Distance: 10.5 mi.

A bit of a hodgepodge run out to Shoal Creek where some of the guys were working out (there's a Flocast video coming) and then Darren, Kyle and I went down to Town Lake. I finished with 10 minutes barefoot on the infield of the track. This is the first day this spring that it has been significantly hot and humid, and I felt pretty flat. I like the new shoes, though.

New Shoes: Mizuno Elixir 3

Time for some new shoes. While I've enjoyed the Nike Elites which I've been wearing for the last year (it's the only Nike shoe I can stand, basically), I'm not tied to them, so I was happy to try something else. I like a lightweight trainer with a stiff midsole, so I considered the Asics Landreth 4 (I was a big fan of its original incarnation... I tried the DS Trainer once and wasn't a big fan) and the Brooks Axiom 2 before settling on the Mizuno Elixir 3. It is a bit roomier than the Elite 3 and has a softer upper, but the midsole is stiffer and lower-profile.


Plus, I want people to look at my feet.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Modified Possum Trot, IF

Time: 90:00
Distance: 13.5 mi.
Map

I started with Erik, running down to campus where he had weights. After I dropped him off I headed down towards Town Lake when I ran into Joe, so I ended up with running companions most of the way. Possum Trot worked well for Joe, who was heading around back to his house, off Exposition, so we modified it a little bit and I dropped him off there before heading home. I was near the house at about 80 minutes and was feeling okay, so I decided to add a bit on IF. My legs were tired by the end, and my right glute is sore. I desparately need new shoes, which I will try to take care of today.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Week In Review

Time: 541:06
Distance: 82.25 mi.

Overall a very good week of training, marred by having to take the day off on Saturday, rather than getting in the 80 minute run that I was planning. Good workout, good long run and decent milage all week. My knee doesn't seem to be bad, so training should be back to normal next week, which should be my last week up before tapering a little bit for the next two.

Mt. Bonnell, Scenic, Town Lake, Track

Time: 120:00
Distance: 18.75 mi.
Map


Mid-way up Mt. Bonnell (View Larger Map)

I met the Texas guys at the track for a bit of an easier Sunday run than Vig usually has planned. It was a recovery day for a bunch of them, so the long group was just 90 minutes at a fairly easy pace. We ran Mt. Bonnell and Scenic, skipped Stratford and headed to Town Lake on Lake Austin. It was a beautiful day and everyone seemed it good spirits. My knee is still stiff, but it loosened up.

When they finished up at 90 minutes, I got on the track to try to get a bit of an uptempo effort in. I was shooting for 3 or 4 miles depending on how I was feeling. I ended up running 5:26, 5:27, 5:26, 5:18 (21:37). Birdsong ran the first two miles with me and then I ran the rest on my own. I finished up with an easy mile on the infield.

The most inspiring race of the weekend had to be Darren's 3:59.99 in the mile. He's been on the cusp for a while, and I think has felt a lot of pressure to do it, especially as he was trying to make his father and him the first American father-son sub-four duo. Hopefully he'll be able to have a breakthrough now that breaking four isn't his day-to-day focus.

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Ouch! My Leg!

A late night with some roughhousing led to some severe soreness in my knee. It just didn't make sense to run today.

Friday, April 4, 2008

IF, Ridgetop, etc.

Time: 85:00
Distance: 12.5 mi.

Easy afternoon run with Dave, Brian and Raul. Dave and I started on IF, Raul met us there and then we picked up Brian when he got back from work. I was feeling pretty good overall, though this was a bit of a tedious way to run 85 minutes.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Bridle Path

Time: 70:00
Distance: 10 mi.
Map

I had to start this run fairly slow because my right hamstring and hip flexors were very tight. They loosened up some, but I was a bit sore most of the way. I wanted to make a loop on Scenic that was shorter than the loop with Town Lake, so I headed east on Bridle Path and finished up Hartford to Jefferson. It was only 70 minutes, but by the end I was feeling a little shot so I called it quits and will do an easy double this afternoon.

Update: Well I didn't do a double, but I did watch some more of the Texas Relays. The highlight so far? Nope, not the guys breaking the school 4 x 800m record. Erik keeping his 'stache for his 800 on Wednesday:

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

The Full Town Lake

Time: 92:00
Distance: 15 mi.

Target: 10 miles in the 5:30s
Workout: 5:44, 5:38, 5:37, 11:22 (2 miles, around construction), 5:34, 5:32, 5:30, 5:33, 5:22 - total: 55:54, average: 5:35.4



I was looking for a long, hard and steady run that I could push without going to the well. Town Lake is obviously the place to do this, with soft surfaces, measured miles and few breaks. Unfortunately the city is in the middle of tearing up part of the area between miles 3 and 4, which threw this off a little bit--I had to run down some stairs and through another intersection to keep the distance correct. The first few miles were a little tough adjusting to the pace, but I felt pretty good by halfway. I was definitely within myself throughout the run.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

West Side

Time: 81:30
Distance: 12.5 mi.


The hill at Pease Park

I warmed up and cooled down with Jake, who was doing hills at Pease Park (where Joe and I worked out a few weeks ago) and did a loop in West Austin while he was working out. It was a beautiful afternoon and it was nice to catch up with him. He is very psyched about running these days, after a stellar indoor season. He ran a tough workout on those hills, especially given that it is starting to get a bit hot and humid here. I hadn't met up with the guys at practice for a few weeks, so it was nice to be back there... almost a bit nostalgic, especially with Texas Relays coming up this week. I finished up with 10 minutes easy on the grass.