sub-3 or blow-up trying

Ran 9.75 miles at an 8:18 pace.

Rough day today.  Started out feeling good.  Jogged 3 miles down to the track.  Was going to try a 10k at 6:30-40 pace, but wasn't sure due to the 80 degree heat.  Mile 1 felt ok (6:32) and then started to feel like I was getting into a groove by mile 2 (6:30)...however, the girls lacrosse team came and needed the track area, so I shut things down and went out to white's woods.  The woods were about ten degrees cooler, so adjusted today's goal for pace.  Decided to run the 5k course and go for a pr (19:09)...started out the first mile at 6min flat, felt able to pick it up a notch as mile 2 began w/a slight downhill...then hit a root about 1/4 into mile 2 and completely face planted.  Took about 20 seconds to get up and realized my ankle hurt pretty bad.  Found a fountain to wash blood off hands, knees, elbows.  Rocks dug into palms pretty good.  No shirt, so chest and neck covered with combination of rocks, leaves, mulch like stuff.  Must have been a pretty nice site to see.  Jogged 1 1/2 miles back to the gym to discover a knot the size of a softball on the outside of my ankle...I have a 20k set up for next Monday...I'm usually quick healer, so hopefully things will be ok within a few days.  Ahh...had such a good opportunity for a great running day- just not quite meant to be I guess.  9.5 miles total- 3.25 at threshold pace. 

right ankle's still 2x size of left one. Went to gym, but not running. Will take things a day at a time until the swelling goes down.

AM: Woke up and right ankle still had a good bit of swelling, yet showed significant signs of improvement. Thought I might try the elliptical at the gym. After 20 minutes elliptical, 20 minutes bike, thought I'd try TM very cautiously. Did a mile in 12 minutes, did a second mile in 11 minutes and felt a little better, did a third mile in 10 and things seemed to improve even more. Shut it down while I was feeling good, so as not to aggravate anything. May try a light jogged in the late afternoon to see how I'm doing. Will still take things day by day, yet the 20k for Monday looks a little more promising.

PM:  Iced the ankle this afternoon and then decided to go for a test run.  Told my wife if I didn't return within hour and half to go find me.  Ran out to the Goshen town line in 39:59 (4.2 miles/9:31 pace).  Felt pretty good, so decide to pick up the speed cautiously and progressively ran faster then entire way home.  Ran return route in 32:01 (4.2 miles/7:37 pace).  If tomorrow feels good, I'll run Monday.  More ice this evening. 

Ran down to the track and put in 1.5 miles at 6:29 pace...just to test the ankle and see what kind of pace might seem reasonable for next Monday's 20k. If ankle's 100% by Monday, 6:30-40 pace might work. If not, I'll make sure to stay within myself. I'll wait until tomorrow afternoon to set goals. 7 miles total this morning. Little swelling in ankle, but still progressing in the right direction.

PM:  Ran TM down in basement.  Started with 2-mile warm-up and then broke into threshold pace in very short, comfortable spurts...

2 x 400 @ 6minute pace (1 lap between sets)

2 x 800 @ 6minute pace (1 lap breaks)

2 x 400 @ 6minute pace (same)

Finished with 3/4 mile "cooldown".  Ran very cautiously, yet felt no pain.  Finished with a ton of energy left in the tank.  Feel as though I've worked my way through the worst of things.  Plan on icing throughout the evening.

rest...ankle is a little tender today, yet the swelling continues to go down. I'll definitely run tomorrow, but pace will be determined after I warm up.  I want to keep October's marathon central to the big picture in my training. 

AM:  Ran the New Haven 20k.  Started with a 2-mile warm-up.  Ankle felt fine, yet I was cautious not to push things too much.  Ran a very controlled race and had alot in the tank at the end.  Didn't really keep track of splits, so sorry for such a lack of detail in the race report.    I've recorded what my watch says (1:25:07), but will adjust once race results are posted (official time- 1:25:03).  Felt satisfied with the results and healthy enough to really push it now through the end of the month.  Plan on another quick run this afternoon to complete the day.  I'll go to the track and throw in a couple extra mp miles unless the legs still have some more zip...

PM:  Jogged 2 miles down to the track, progressively worked a little faster and then ran a 6:44 mile on the track, slowed down for a mile and then jogged 2 miles home- 7 total.  Felt like a solid day of running.

p.s. Very proud of my wife who pr'd in a big way, running a 5k in 26:28.  She's the piece of work who's been trying to flirt with me on the blog (Jodacious).

20-minutes of weights in the gym then headed out towards Morris on a route without "the hill". Started out with 1-mile warm-up and then ran 4-miles to the "1-mile Morris" sign in 30:35 (7:39 pace).  Ankle was a little stiff at first, but loosened up as I ran.  Stopped and walked for 2-minutes and then ran 4-miles back along the same route in 29:13 (7:18 pace).  Ran 9-miles total and felt pretty good, considering yesterday's full day of running. 

4 more miles on TM @ 8:20 pace.

Ran to Goshen town line and back.  First half has a long uphill stretch, so pushed it really good and ran 4 miles in 28:33 (7:08 pace).  Walked for 2-minutes at town line and headed back home.  Pushed a bit on the uphills, but just cruised on the downhill slope.  Ran 4 in 28:03 (7:01 pace).  Overall, ran 6 of the 8 miles under a 7-minute pace.  Legs felt tired and ankle's still a little swollen, but no real pain.  Might do a light run this evening...I'll see how I feel. 

Sluggish, slow, and sore today.  Started out on the street, but then veered into Whites Woods- much more forgiving surface and became a bit more enjoyable run.  Decided to dart up to the track and run 1-mile at a firm pace (ended up being 6:47...felt like a 6:10 mile).  Went back into the woods and made my way back to the gym.  Did 15-minute free weights with legs.  8 miles total, mostly at very slow, recovery pace (9-9:20ish). 

Hit the TM in the basement this evening.  Very stiff and sluggish at first, but after 3.25 miles at about 8:40 pace decided to crank up the machine and see what pace I could keep at a comfortable level.  Brought it to 6:27 pace and held it fairly easy.  Finished with 6.25 miles w/last three at 6:27 pace. 

Pouring rain today...went to the gym and did 20-minutes weights, 20-minutes bike, and 5.5 miles on TM.

No time during the day...retreat.

Crazy weekend, not much time to run.  Had retreat + Uganda presentation.  Everything went well and then found myself with time this afternoon.  Decided to go for 20.  Ran first 12 in 1:27:57 (7:20 pace).  9 of the 12 miles were right at 7min pace...it was a bit warm, but I was able to rehydrate at home after the first loop and change shoes/socks.  Did last 8 miles in 59:55 (7:29 pace).  Was keeping pace pretty well until part way through mile 18.  Felt pretty tired, but kicked into another gear for mile 20- 2 of the final 8 were at 7min pace.  Overall, 20 miles in 2:27:52 (7:24 pace)...think I'll be able to nail the next one in 2 weeks. 

Ran an easy 7 @ recovery pace (9-9:30ish).

6 miles slowly with Rick today at lunch.

Evening:  Was on my way to a great workout on the TM...Did warm-up and then began Yasso 800's at 6min pace, progressively increasing incline.  On the 4th set of 800's something cracked on the floorboard of the TM...kind of bummed since I was on my way to a really good workout.  Fortunately the TM is warranteed for 1 year and my desire was to do mostly outside running between now and marathon.  Hopefully my legs will still feel good enough for a few 800's on the track tomorrow...we'll see.  3.85 miles total.

Jogged 3 miles to the track.  Did 4 sets of 800's w/1 lap jog in between (3min, 3min, 2:57, 2:58).  Sports teams came out, so I headed up toward Morris.  Felt ok, so decided to get decent mileage in (8:40ish pace) since I won't have access to our TM for a few weeks.  Overall, did 15 miles of running. 

Couldn't get out until this evening.  Went to the track after dark.  Ran 1-mile warm-up followed by some mp miles...

1st set:  4 miles (6:56, 6:46, 6:45, 6:22...pleasantly surprised by last mile)

- l lap jog-

2nd set:  2 miles (6:37, 6:23)

- 2 laps jog-

Finished with 7.75 miles total.

Ran 5.5 miles with my wife from the gym through Whites Woods.

PM:  Ran the hilly course out towards Morris and back into Litchfield.  Ran mp to the bottom of Gallows lane (8.75 miles) in 59:33 (6:48 pace...final mile was 6:41) and then jogged 1.25 miles home.  10 miles total. 

Limited time today...my wife had a womens retreat and I have a wedding to officiate.  Did a quick 15 min workout in the gym followed by 6.5 miles on TM...did 3 1-mile repeats with 1/4 mile jog in between- all at 6min pace. 

rest.

Was able to get a half-way descent run in today.  Ran 2-miles warm-up and new that today's run would be a challenge.  Fighting a cold, so my head was stuffed and I haven't slept well for a couple of nights.  With only 4 weeks to the marathon, feel as though every workout is valuable.  Gave it a firm effort towards Morris...legs were very sluggish, so slowed down more than I would have liked to through the hilly section.  Did the first 5 miles in 35:53 (7:11 pace).  First mile was flat and ran it in 6:42...however, was probably closer to 7:40 while climbing through hill section.  Walked for 5 minutes, tried to stretch and loosen up the legs a bit and then headed back.  Ran 5 miles back in 35:06 (7:01 pace) and the final mile was completed in 6:28 (took way too much effort, yet was happy with the result).  Overall, ran 12 miles, 7 at marathon pace, yet the effort felt more like threshold pace...I'll take it.  Also, did 15 minutes with upper body weights.

Very tired and sluggish today.  Starting to get over the cold.  Hopefully improved health will be accompanied by better sleep and more energy.  My achilles were a little tender today, so will take it easy on my next run or two to stay on the cautious side. 

Ran the "Pie Hill" course backwards.  Crazy hills, kicked my butt.  Did 15.1 miles at 8:29 pace.  Legs are feeling it pretty good.  It's my wife's birthday, so I gotta get going. 

Weights at the gym + 8-miles on the TM, including 3x800 @ 6min pace.  Wanted to get the legs going, but not too much due to a 20-miler scheduled for tomorrow morning.

Whoa!  Gave it my best today.  Have a high school retreat this weekend, but wanted to get one last 20-miler in before leaving.  Felt it was important to run several of them at least near marathon pace.  Knew this might be difficult by the start of mile 3.  Did the first 2 miles in 13:30 on a slight downhill, but really felt it in my legs coming back up on mile 3.  Did mile 3 in 7:40 and then just decided mentally to put myself into complete focus.  Picked it up and kept a firm pace through a very hilly first loop.  Did 12.5 in 1:29:23 (7:09 pace).  The last mile on this loop include a 9% grade uphill for maybe 1/4 to 1/3 mile.  Took a quick break to drink gatorade, change socks and get right back out there.  Recognized I was fairly dehydrated (32 oz sports drink + another 20 ounces of water). 

Decided to ease into the second loop and ran the first 4 miles at about a 7:20-30 pace.  My stomach calmed down from the fluid, my legs stayed a bit stiff, yet I still had the lungs and energy to then kick it into a new gear.  This loop was 9.5 miles and I finished the entired run of 22 miles in 2:36:16 (7:06 pace).  Very sore at the end , yet very satisfied with the effort.

Little spooky...I just looked back to see how I did on this route last Spring in preparation for Boston.  My time on March 28, running with Ed, was 2:36:16...what are the chances of that?  I felt great that particular day, so maybe it's a good sign to be able to run the same time on tired legs. 

Rest...went whitewater rafting with the high schoolers from our church.  Great day on the rapids!

An easy 7 today.  Think it's time to retire the mizuno's...the last 2 runs were tough on my achilles.  Other pairs have been fine.

Really nailed a run today.  Headed out on the dreaded "Pie Hill" course, filled with quad-killing hills, and was able to keep a steady pace throughout.  Did a total of 15.1 miles in 1:49:13 (7:14 pace), including a couple uphill sections that slowed me down to 8min pace.  All 15 were at marathon pace effort, but I'll count 10 of them at mp speed.  My legs are really beginning to strengthen through the hill workouts over the past 2-3 weeks.  I'm beginning to notice a significant difference.  One more hard workout before the tapering begins. 

Did 6 miles on the TM in my new Tangent 3's.  Threw in 3 x 800 at 6min pace just to keep a little snap in the legs.  Feeling fairly good for having 2 big runs in the past 5 days. 

10 miles at a nice, easy pace.  Feeling good, but need to get more disciplined in diet.