Ten Miles

Another week of training in the books, and this one was the best of the year so far. My two weekday runs went well: each at 45 minutes and over 5 miles (5.1 and 5.2 respectively). I decided against doing the Elk Grove Run for Hunger 10K based on the high temperatures we had at the end of the week. May have been the wrong move as it was coolish when I got up Saturday morning.

Things were still cool when I got going after walking the dogs. Although my original plan for the day was to run 85 minutes, I decided that if I felt good enough that I'd go for 90. With that in mind, I added an extra loop around the 2.5 mile mark of the run which would mean that I'd hit the long climb later in the run (and that I'd have a longer climb). I got off to a good start, and I completed each of the first five miles in under 9 minutes (my best mile was actually the third at 8:50). I slowed a bit as the climb wore on me, but I don't think any of my miles were over 9:30 (and I'm not sure any went over 9:20). I ended with a faster pace than last week's 80 minute run (9:05 this week compared to 9:15), and I completed ten miles in 90 minutes and 45 seconds. As such, I completed over one and a third miles more than last week.

It's good to have completed a ten mile run already. I was looking at the schedule for the Urban Cow Half Marathon, and if I wanted to work up to a 14 mile run two weeks prior to the race, I'd need to hit 10 miles by July 25. Now that I've hit that mark four weeks early, I have more confidence that I'll be in half marathon shape in time.

80 Minutes

After my disappointing breakdown last weekend, I knew I needed to repeat my distances from last week and hopefully make it through the long run on Saturday. The weekday runs were relatively "easy": for both I completed 4.5 miles in the 40 minute run. I did then on my regular schedule of Monday and Wednesday, so I went into my Saturday run with my normal rest.

For Saturday, I started around 9:30 as normal. It was warm, but I think it was a bit cooler than last Saturday. I felt good as I was going, and there was no mental message of stopping. I felt pretty good after making it through the bulk of the hills and felt myself recharging during a slight downslope. In the end, I completed my 80 minutes of running and covered 8.65 miles for an average pace of roughly 9:15 per mile. I'd like to get that average pace down to 9 minutes per mile, but that's going to take time. I think this pace (especially considering the hills) is respectable.

I'll bump up my weekday runs to either 43 or 45 minutes for this coming week and will target 85 minutes for the weekend run (unless I decide to run the Elk Grove Run for Hunger. I'm still undecided on that most likely my decision will come down to the forecasted weather for Saturday.

Mental Breakdown

A couple more weeks of training are in the books. I set a new long for the year last weekend covering 7.8 miles in 70 minutes. I am progressing nicely towards getting the distance I need to be able to work up to half marathon training. I only did one training run in that previous week (35 minutes) due to socializing on my run day.

This past week, Monday was quite a hot day (and it didn't really cool down), so I deferred my run from Monday to Tuesday. I had planned to do 38 minutes, but I picked my course incorrectly, so rather than having a longer than desired walk home, I ran for 40 minutes instead of 38. I decided to also push my Wednesday run to Thursday, and on Thursday I decided to again do the 40 minutes. I was a bit concerned about cutting a day of rest before my long Saturday run, but I figured I'd be ok.

Saturday was another hot day, and my 9:30 start time did not do me any favors. A few miles in, I started to mentally bail on the run, but I was able to keep myself going. There's a good deal of climbing on my weekend long run, and unfortunately, most of it is not shaded, so I was getting the full impact of the sun beating down on me. I was able to make it through most of the hard climbing, but once I got through my "recovery" mile of downhill, I saw that my pace was still getting slower, and I figured there was little reason to continue to push through. So the run that I had hoped would be 80 minutes and almost 9 miles (more realistically 8.5 with the heat) was stopped short at 62 minutes.

I hate giving up mentally since it feels like (and is) a failure, but I don't think pressing forward really would have done me much good. Walking the mile and a half home wasn't any fun either.

This week I hope to complete what I set out to do last week. I'll keep the 40 minute weekday runs and go for 80 on Saturday. Here's hoping it won't be as hot.

Week of Rest Followed by Seven Miles

After running the Wounded Veteran Run on Monday, I took the week off from running to recover. I have read that one should take off one day for each mile "raced" which means that after a 10K, I should rest six days. As such, I rested until Saturday.

Saturday I went out for my longest run of a year. I planned 65 minutes and hoped to complete 7.22 miles (a 9:00 per mile pace). Saturday was the hottest day in the past month (and quite possibly the hottest day so far this year), and the heat definitely played a role in my run. Additionally, I decided to take on the hardest segment of what I use to do for my long weekend runs (which I have named "the hill that kills my will" - a two plus mile segment of climbing which is followed by a sharp downhill which requires effort to keep stable). Both of these factored into my inability to hit my target. I completed 7.1 miles in the 65 minutes (a 9:10 per mile pace). Regardless, I consider it a successful run and was happy with my performance.

This week my plan is to do 35 minute weekday runs (should be close to 4 miles each) and a 70 minute long run (targeting 7.77 miles).

I don't have any races targeted for my next race. Now that it's getting warmer, I probably won't sign up for anything until the week of the race just to make sure that the forecast seems like it's going to be agreeable. If the weather seems ok, I'll probably take on the Elk Grove Run for Hunger at the end of June. Weather will also decide if I go 5K or 10K. I'd prefer to do the 10K.

Wounded Veteran Run

After completing my weekday runs, I decided that I was ready to take on my first organized 10K of the year. Lucky for me, the Wounded Veteran Run was scheduled to take place on Monday, and so I promptly signed up.

I got to the race a bit earlier than needed for parking, but I always chose to err on the side of caution when it comes to making sure that I get to a race on time. Fortunately for me, the race parking was near a grocery store, and I was able to do a bit of shopping before heading over to observe the pre-race festivities.

I was a bit concerned coming into the race regarding my left knee which has been a bit sore the past week. It felt pretty good yesterday, but I wasn't completely sure how it was going to react to a hard six miles.

Since I hadn't ran a 10K since I had to sit out of running for six months to allow my Achilles to heal, I wasn't expecting a PR. I hoped to be within a minute and a half of my 10K PR. I didn't actually look up my PR prior to the race, but I knew that beating 50 minutes would be within the right range.

Once the race started, I got off to what was likely too fast of a start, and I kept a 7:30 per mile pace for the first mile and a half. I started to slow down from there, but I was able to finish each of the first three miles in under 8 minutes each. My fourth mile clocked in at 8:05, and the last two were 8:15.

As I got close to the finish line, I realized that I wasn't certain what my PR time for a 10K was and based on my time, I knew that I would unlikely set a new PR unless the course was short, but I kept pushing ahead. The last mile had the added complexity of weaving around the 5K runners (the 5K and 10K courses merged at roughly the five mile mark).

When my GPS watch beeped to indicate I had completed the sixth mile, I could tell that the finish line was too close for the course to have been regulation length. Checking with some other fellow runners after the finish, my guess is that the course was a tenth mile too short.

Checking my time after the run, I found that I finished in 48 minutes flat. Taking a look back, my 10K PR had been 48:22.5, so I broke it by 22.5 seconds:

Had the course been regulation length, I likely would have finished around 48:45 which would not have been a new PR. However, that would have been good for my second best 10K which still would have been quite good all things considered.

Regardless, I set a new 10K PR today. Based on my progress in getting back to form, I'd say that I ought to be able to break this 10K this fall.

An Hour on the Clock

After feeling less sore from foot golf (but still a bit sore), I decided to head out for my usual Monday run. Since I missed my weekend run, I decided to just repeat the same distance as the week prior: a 30 minute run. The run went well although I was a bit sorer than usual. I went out as planned on Wednesday and did the same run as Monday.

Saturday (yesterday) I went out for the run I meant to do last weekend: a full hour. It again was a hilly affair, but I was able to mostly stick around a 9 minute per mile pace (my worst mile was ~9:15). I completed 6.7 miles overall and felt pretty good when I finished.

I will probably up my weekday runs by a few minutes this week. I haven't decided on my weekend plan yet. If I was just going for training, I'd probably do 65 minutes. However, I'm thinking about signing up for a 10K on Memorial Day since it's been over a year since my last 10K. If I do go for a 10K on Monday, I'm not sure if I should run Friday night or do a "mid-range" run on Saturday. I will figure things out closer to the end of the week.

Missed Weekend Due to Foot Golf

I missed my first weekend run since returning to running due to soreness from playing foot golf as part of a teambuilder at work on Friday. I have been impressed (in a sad way) at how sore my legs have been from playing a round of foot golf.

Hopefully my legs will feel good enough to get back to running tomorrow for my weekday runs.

Neighborhood 10K

A couple more weeks of training are in the books. Yesterday, I covered the 10K distance for the first time this year. Felt good to go that far. I didn't quite make the pace I wanted (took me ~56:40), but as my runs get longer, I end up running on hillier terrain, so the slight slow down is expected. In addition, the temperatures are getting warmer, and that'll slow me down also.

I am still running at roughly a 9 minute per mile pace which is good for me in training. Hopefully I will continue in that range as my distance increases.

I haven't decided my plan for the upcoming week. I might repeat last week's time and distances to see if I can improve my results. However, I do also like the thought of continuing to work on increasing my distance.