Finally got a nice longish run in. It had been quite a while since my last true long run. The weather was beautiful, sunny, maybe a trifle hot, but there was a breeze and I decided to run down the bike path. Originally I had planned on 16-17 but cut it short because I didn't want to push it too much too quickly and 14 was more than enough. I only brought a PowerBar and a bottle of cran-rasberry juice, because that's all I could carry. It wasn't much too big a deal except I was flagging quite a bit on the 4 miles from the bike path back to my house. I am actually quite surprised I made it in the time I did. But my first few miles were strong and the miles on the bike path I kept getting faster and faster. Here's the damage:

14 miles in 1:58:41 (8:28 pace)

including:
1st 4 miles- 33:35.31
mile 5- 42:13.75 (8:38.44 mile)
Mile 6- 50:39.45 (8:25.70 mile)
Mile 7- 58:59.56 (8:20.11 mile)
Mile 8- 1:07:12 (8:13.31 mile)
Mile 9- 1:15:25 (8:12.57 mile)
Mile 10- 1:23:30 (8:05.33 mile)
last 4 miles- 1:58:51 (35:21.15)

By the time I got home I was shot. I ran inside and turned the shower on, cold!, stripped down and jumped in. It was FREEZING but it felt SOO GOOD at the same time. And I completely credit it with my lack of general soreness afterwards. If only I had the time for an ice bath. Oh well. This was a quality run and next week I'll up it a bit further. No knee issues to speak of really.

One of the best parts was actually before my run, I was getting set to leave and I tell my dad goodbye and that I was going for a run, he asked where and I said down to the Jones Beach bike path, he said, "You mean you're driving down to it?" and I replied, "No, I'm running down there, running it and running home." He just stared at me incredulously. Runners, yeah, we're different.

I did this run tonight. I was in a metric mood, and I do enjoy the 15k distance. It's not quite a long run, but it's definitely long enough to make you feel like you're running, for sure. I have to say, I felt remarkably spry tonight- the weather was perfect, the air was dry, I was well rested, everything came together to give me an amazing run. Here's the damage:

15k (9.3 miles) in 1:18:57 (8:28 pace)

including:
Mile 1- 8:40.95
Mile 2- 17:06.01 (8:25.06 mile)
Mile 3- 25:29.61 (8:23.60 mile)
Mile 4- 34:30.41 (9:00.80 mile)
(Mile 5 mark was missed)
Mile 6- 51:26.95 (2 miles in 16:56.54)
Mile 7- 59:54.16 (8:27.21 mile)
Mile 8- 1:08:14 (8:20.37 mile)
Mile 9- 1:16:29 (8:15.38 mile)
9.3- 1:18:57 (2:27.60 three-tenths)

Because my right achilles tendon was kind of sore, I went back and forth between heel and mid-foot striking. There were no other issues that came up to that end.

I had a 10oz cran-apple juice between miles 3 and 5 and that was it, I didn't feel I needed anything else because I felt so good and everything felt real relaxed. Lauren called around mile 6.5 and that was a huge boost and lifted my spirits for the last third. It was a nice, new, longer route (a lot of my runs, even the long runs, have been on repeated 3 and 4 mile routes, this was a full 9.3). I remember thinking to myself around mile 8.5 that I was sad to see this run end, and that it had not felt like I just ran as far as I did already. I remember seeing Curt at the gym later and mentioning that I had only done an easy 15k, and realizing that that's not a mileage that most people think of in terms of "only" or "easy". We long distance runners are a rare and different breed. HAPPY RUNNING INDEED!

Tonight I set off to do a run at an easy pace and it worked marvelously. The hot-ish weather helped keep me there, but at any rate I'm proud of myself. I did the route I ran the evening of my last 5k, it's a good route that takes me all around campus- by the Towers, Main St, the Green, the Beach. I picked a perfect time to go, too, as the weather had cooled off from the very overbearing heat of the mid-afternoon. The run itself was nothing special, as in- nothing particularly interesting happened. I got some looks for my short shorts, but no catcalls or insults this time.

Oh, I DID run without a knee strap or anything on either knee for the first time in as long as I can remember, I think since January. And my knees felt FINE! Because I was midfoot striking, my achilles and calves got a little tight towards the end and around mile 6 I stopped to stretch them out. I didn't mean to speed up at the end, I wanted to maintain an even pace, but oh well, it ain't no thing. Here's the damage:

7.5 miles in 1:04:54 (8:39 pace)

including:
Mile 1- 8:35.35
Mile 2- 17:26.55 (8:51.20 mile)- included ~20s stretching
Mile 3- 25:42.94 (8:16.39 mile)
Mile 4- 34:31.19 (8:48.25 mile)
Mile 5- 43:08.99 (8:37.80 mile)
Mile 6- 52:06.59 (8:57.60 mile)
Mile 7- 1:01:00 (8:54.23 mile)
7.5- 1:04:54 (3:53.87 half mile)

I decided that today I would do my long run of the week in the morning, after I dropped off some food at the lab, instead of waiting to do my run in the evening. My rational for this was primarily because today is Thursday which means an all new Office episode at 2100. I have Clinical Measures in Exercise Physiology on Thursdays from 1600-1900 so doing long runs means I'll be cutting it very close getting a run in and getting home in time. The Office takes precedent over almost everything, including running. Last week I found myself cutting my run short, but also running too fast because I was worried about getting home in time. So today, I solved my problem by doing my 12 miler at 0930! Yikes! I think this is the furthest I've ever run before noon, races notwithstanding. It's also the furthest I've run since my marathon. I was really excited about today though. Here's the damage:

12 miles in 1:40:26 (8:22 pace)

including:
Mile 1- 8:35.20
Mile 2- 17:18.95 (8:43.75 mile)
Mile 3- 25:46.58 (8:27.63 mile)
Mile 4- 34:10.32 (8:23.74 mile)
Mile 5- 42:35.95 (8:25.63 mile)
Mile 6- 50:50.70 (8:14.75 mile)
Mile 7- 59:08.48 (8:17.78 mile)
Mile 8- 1:07:23 (8:14.99 mile)
Mile 9- 1:15:37 (8:14.04 mile)
Mile 10- 1:23:58 (8:20.62 mile)
Mile 11- 1:32:16 (8:18.64 mile)
Mile 12- 1:40:26 (8:09.85 mile)

1st half: 50:50.70 (8:28 pace)
2nd half: 49:33.92 (8:15 pace)

1st third: 34:10.32 (8:32 pace)
2nd third: 33:13.15 (8:18 pace)
3rd third: 33:03.15 (8:16 pace)

Like I said, I started off a little after 0930, which is when T-Th classes start, they get out at 1045, at which point I was still running and had to dodge the influx of undergrads walking to and from class, which actually added some interestingness to the run. I had my short shorts on today which cover about a quarter of my pretty impressive thighs. I decided to check out of the corner of my eye how many people took notice and gave me weird looks as I passed them. Needless to say, I lost count around a dozen by halfway ha! Around 4 miles in, a light drizzle started that was actually very welcome because it wasn't too cold and it helped refresh me because I was getting a little heated.

Throughout the entire run, I kept thinking to myself that the McMillan running calculator told me my long runs should be about 8:03-9:03, and I was focusing on keeping my pace there. I knew I felt good, despite still being a little sore from lifting Tuesday night, really good and really strong and I knew if I didn't focus I'd let the pace drift too fast and I wouldn't gain as much as I should out of this run. I'm very proud of how my pacing went to that end. Tomorrow possibly a run in Philly while waiting for Laur to get in after picking up our race packets, then a 5k Saturday (not a race, just the distance) and the Broad St. 10 miler with Laur on Sunday :)! to round out the week. Hooray running!

Did the exact same run as I did Friday, only better I feel. I was feeling a lot of adrenaline surges and dealing with some things that would normally cause me to just go out and run way too fast, 7:00 pace fast, lung-searing fast. In light of that, I am very proud of how I was able to run easy and not go too hard or fast today ::pats self on back:: The weather had been gloomy and murky all day which didn't help matters, but somehow managed to brighten up a bit just as I started. The temperature was much more pleasant than Friday, but there was also more wind, which I didn't mind. All in all, I needed this today. Thank you, running.
Here's the damage:

5.5 miles in 46:04.13 (8:22 pace)

PMRI to track (1 mile)- 8:27.33

on track:
Lap 1- 2:06.15
Lap 2- 2:08.28
Lap 3- 2:02.97
Lap 4- 2:13.15 (8:30.55 mile)
Lap 5- 2:06.98
Lap 6- 2:05.71
Lap 7- 2:06.96
Lap 8- 2:05.08 (8:24.73 mile)
Lap 9- 2:07.40
Lap 10- 2:04.06
Lap 11- 2:03.80
Lap 12- 2:03.12 (8:18.38 mile)
Lap 13- 2:05.13
Lap 14- 2:03.98 (4:09.11 half mile)

track to PMRI (1 mile)- 8:14.03

A little slower than Friday, but also consistent and gradually faster from start to finish (first mile is very downhill so the effort was actually quite easy). As I went on in the run, the effort level remained the same but the pace picked up very incrementally.

More news to come later.

this afternoon I had to work and then I was headed to NY for the weekend. But in between those two things, I had some time to get in an easy few miles. I decided to just head out from the parking lot of my job at Christiana Care's PMRI location to the track off route 141 that belongs to Ursuline Academy. conveniently enough from lot to track is 1 mile. I didn't know this going in, but by the time I got near the track I figured it had to be close to a mile away. My plan was to do 5 miles, figuring ~1 there, 1 back, and 3 on the track where I could figure out what pace I was going. I wound up doing a bit more just to be on the safe side...and because I felt so good! This was also the first run of the year I used sunblock and ran shirtless because it was so frakkin' hot and I was sweating just walking around. Took an ice water and was off. Here's the damage:

5.5 miles in 45:24 (8:15 pace)

including:
PMRI to track (1 mile)- 7:30.09

3.5 miles
Lap 1- 2:06.50
Lap 2- 2:10.42
Lap 3- 2:09.40
Lap 4- 2:07.40 (8:33.72 mile)
Lap 5- 2:07.53
Lap 6- 2:07.85
Lap 7- 2:06.03
Lap 8- 2:09.45 (8:30.86 mile)
Lap 9- 2:04.99
Lap 10- 2:08.40
Lap 11- 2:06.91
Lap 12- 2:06.41 (8:26.71 mile)
Lap 13- 2:04.30
Lap 14- 2:06.20 (4:10.50 half mile)

track to PMRI (1 mile)- 8:13.07

The first mile was quick thanks to the pretty big downhill from PMRI to the track and fresh legs. I had the track all to myself which was nice. As you can see by the lap splits, I was pretty good about being consistent with my pace. I felt absolutely fine as far as effort level- this DEFINITELY qualifies as easy pace now, and I kept it right where I wanted it. Running on the track itself was such a wonderful and welcome change of pace from running on asphalt and concrete! It felt like I was running on air almost, and my legs felt so good I really had to concentrate on not pushing. The heat actually helped me keep my pace honest, because I knew if I pushed harder I'd definitely lose it quickly and cramp up. Overall, the end of a very good week of running, 4 days in a row! Next week...30+ miles and ramping up to 50 by the end of June!

Tonight I had visions of doing a 12 miler around campus by doing the 6 miler from earlier in the week and doubling back on it. But Thursdays revolve around The Office for me. As much as I love running, I can do it whenever. An all new Office episode is only on at 9pm Thursdays. It's very personal time. Laur and I watch and call each other during the commercials, and later on in the week I'll have a talk with my best friend Andie about it too. This will be the same for Mondays at 9 starting next week when House starts. So tonight, to make sure I wasn't going to miss any part of The Office, and also because the heat was pretty brutal, even at 2100, I cut the run to 9 miles (using the 3 mile run of Main St. and The Green, out, back, then out again).

Like I said, the temperature was prolly still in the upper 60s/low 70s. I brought a bottle of Gatorade and figured that this would be a good way to study what I'm learning in Advanced Physiology of Exercise (which would be thermal regulation and heat acclimation and all the fun stuff that happens when you exercise in heat, etc.) Here's the damage:

9 miles in 1:10:28 (7:49 pace)

including:
Mile 1- 7:34.57
Mile 2- 15:18.56 (7:43.99 mile)
Mile 3- 23:14.39 (7:55.83 mile)
Mile 4- 31:01.82 (7:47.43 mile)
Mile 5- 39:11.24 (8:09.42 mile)
Mile 6- 47:18.12 (8:06.88 mile)
Mile 7- 55:13.32 (7:55.20 mile)
Mile 8- 1:02:53 (7:39.99 mile)
Mile 9- 1:10:28 (7:34.90 mile)

first 3rd- 23:14.39 (7:44 pace)
middle 3rd- 24:03.73 (8:01 pace)
final 3rd- 23:10.09 (7:43 pace)

I was a little surprised when I saw the first mile split but I didn't feel like I was pushing particularly hard. Even still, I told myself to ease up a little. By the end of mile 2, I realized that this run was going to hover around 8:00 pace throughout and I accepted that. I rationalized it by telling myself that this was still conversation pace so really, it was ok, even if it was near the faster limits of ok.

I can't believe how many people still are stupid enough to smoke! I know I sound like a broken record but there is NOTHING I hate more on a run than running past a cloud of smoke, especially if they are walking ahead of me in the same direction. My runs turn into fartleks there, because I speed up to get away from it and try to hold my breath as long as possible. Tonight it seemed there were more than usual even, but maybe that's just because I ran longer around populated areas. I was particularly annoyed at the audacity of three shitheads who were walking across the North Green, in broad daylight, smoking marijuana! I don't care what people do in the privacy of their own homes- be a degenerate and get high and whatever, fine, but DON'T SUBJECT ME TO YOUR FUCKING SMOKE! It felt like I was back on my HS track at night in December with the local stoners getting high in the bleachers and talking about their guns. Only worse! I had to run right through this thick, visible cloud of marijuana smoke. I managed to get through most of it with my breath held (and I had half a mind to tackle all three of the assholes and beat the crap out of them-adrenaline can be a dangerous thing!) but I definitely got more than a whiff of the very unpleasant and overpowering smell. UGH! >:O

Aside from that, my run was pretty good. There was a noticeable lull in the middle when my legs started to feel heavier and the calves started getting tired from the mid-foot striking. But I had enough to not continue to slow through the end. In fact, my last third was my fastest third, which I consider a positive.

I noticed probably a 4:1 ratio of females to males running, myself included. This is an observation I've been making for years now around here, and I wonder what gives because it's definitely not representative of the campus population on the whole. I also noticed that of the dozen or so people running that I passed, ONE acknowledged me and gave a smile and a nod. Everyone else looked quite miserable and/or unpleasant. What gives people? You're running outdoors and it's beautiful. oh well.

Not much else to say, it was a nice 9 miler. It felt good to get my legs moving for longer than a couple miles, I'm up to 19 for the week, hopefully I'll tack on another 11+ by the end of the week. My legs feel like they can handle it.

and on an unrelated note- I noticed that online registration for the Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon is now open! I'm excited!

Set out to do an easy 6 miles tonight. Did two 3 mile laps of this route. I dunno if it was the nice, perfect running weather, or just the tons of rest I've got this weekend, or what but my "easy" run doesn't look too easy, pace-wise. Oh well, here's the damage:

6 miles in 45:45 (7:37 pace)

including:
Mile 1- 7:36.59
Mile 2- 15:17.04 (7:40.45 mile)
Mile 3- 22:59.70 (7:42.66 mile)
Mile 4- 30:33.00 (7:33.30 mile)
Mile 5- 38:23.55 (7:50.55 mile)
Mile 6- 45:45.36 (7:21.81 mile)

1st half- 22:59.70 (7:40 pace)
2nd half- 22:45.66 (7:35 pace)

Once again I focused on midfoot striking and running relaxed, these are two things I want to start making a habit. My calves were still pretty tight and sore from Sunday's double, however there is a decided lack of pain anywhere, especially in my knees!

I was really surprised how easy the pace felt but I was able to easily maintain it throughout with no heavy breathing and my HR stayed within aerobic limits. I guess maybe I'm starting to reap those supposed post-marathon aerobic benefits? time will tell

This weekend was EXACTLY what my body needed! I spent most of it horizontal in bed with Laur (get your minds out of the gutter...or not). I had planned on doing the inaugural Caesar Rodney 5k which took place an hour before the half marathon start. The very same half marathon that I chose to make my debut to the world of distance running almost exactly a year ago, on shoes that were totally wrong for me, knees that had been breaking down, and training that could be considered pathetic and scattered and unfocused at best. And yet I managed to slog through 13.1 miles in 1:37:30, a 7:27/mi pace. This time around I'm doing double the distance but I've also quadrupled the training, in amount of miles put in and in the focus, thanks in large part to the wonderful advice gleaned from runners, especially travelogger.

So the plan was to do the 5k Sunday morning as a tuneup race of sorts before the marathon. But with daylight savings and the fact that we didn't get to bed til roughly 6am, I figured it best to skip the official race and do a time trial of sorts today. Granted, this would be different, nothing can exactly match the way a race feels- the adrenaline, the crowds, the support, that nauseous feeling right before the start and the thrill of crossing the finish line and seeing your results posted later. Regardless, I was still very psyched to run this "Inaugural Mark Run 5k As Fast As He Can Race". Partly because it would give me a chance to really open my stride and see what all these months of training have accomplished, if they would, in fact, pay off finally. It gave me an excuse and a chance to go fast, really fast, to test my limits and my considerable VO2 max that I had tested- 5.02L O2/min (64.9 mL O2/kg/min) in case you were wondering, well above average- (I love being an exercise physiology grad student and doing these kinds of tests for class that some people pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for, bee tee dubs!) Also, I was looking for a confidence boost that running a fast time here would give me. And finally I had a time goal, or really a pace goal that would translate into a time goal...6:30-6:35 pace which meant I'd be happy with anything under 21:00. I remembered the day I ran 3 miles with Kenny at the MacArthur track and how I did it in 20:05 and I was shot at the end. This would have to be faster. I also remembered that my last official 5k that I ran as fast as I could was only the third or fourth time I had run since being cleared of mono, September 30th, 22:40, 7:17 pace. I remember being dead on the final stretch there too.

I didn't have a flat place to run, let alone a track. I opted to run on the James F. Hall trail because it was marked every 0.1 mile and it wouldn't be crowded, I wouldn't have to wait for cars or slow people or anything. I was going to go out 1.5, turn around to the beginning, turn around and do 0.1 to finish. The way it worked out, I would be starting headed downhill for the first ~0.3 miles, so I knew my time for the first mile would probably be slightly higher than my goal pace and I was ok with that because I knew that coming back I'd have to deal with it going uphill. In fact, going out felt much more downhill than up and vice versa for coming back in. Fortunately that meant the last 0.1 would be downhill, my reward for doing 2.7-3.0 at the steepest incline of the course.

The weather for the run was PERFECT. A little chilly but not terribly so. I had to do a 2 mile warmup first, so I parked my car across the street in the Pep Boys lot and jogged a mile in and a mile back on the trail, going over what splits I needed to hit and psyching myself up. A mile into my warm up I sucked down a PowerGel and then I got back to my car, stripped to just shorts, t-shirt, knee-strap, gloves, and hat and headed back to the start. I made a split decision to lose the t-shirt- I didn't want to be running at the end bogged down with a sweaty, clingy tee. Shirt off, a few rubs of my legs and imaginary gun went off in my head! Here's the damage:

5k (3.1 miles) in 19:56 (PR BY 2:44!!!)

including:
0.5- 2:55.27
1.0- 6:05.53 (3:10.26 split)
1.5- 9:23.85 (3:18.32 split)
2.0- 12:43.65 (3:19.80 split, 6:38.12 mile)
2.5- 16:02.43 (3:18.78 split)
3.0- 19:19.23 (3:16.80 split, 6:35.58 mile)
3.1- 19:56.42 (37.19 tenth of a mile)

WOO-FRAKKIN'-HOO!!!! ::allows self a minute of celebration::

Like I figured, I started the first part faster even then I figured on going. From the first step, my legs felt spry and quick but it was a comfortable feeling, as if they realized that I was allowing them to push their limits for the first time in months, actually- like I had never really pushed them before. I went through the first half mile (which included a moderate uphill from 0.3-0.45, at 5:50 pace and was really shocked but I knew that was the "fast section" so I allowed my body to maintain the effort level. I remembered at this point reading an article about a study done that found when a group of girls was told to go a little faster than planned at the beginning of a 5k, they wound up running a faster overall race. I figured I'd do that too and hope for the best.

Blew through mile 1 feeling good, and about 30 seconds faster than my goal pace. I knew I wasn't going to negative split this and I was ok with that. From 1.0-1.5 was fairly flat, a little rolling. I took the turn at 1.5 without slowing down considerably and I knew I had done almost half, that was an encouraging thought. On the way back from 1.5-2.0 it felt a little more uphill, around this time I was thanking myself for deciding to go shirtless because I was dripping. Right after the turnaround I also took off my hat and shoved it in the side of my shorts to cool myself a bit better. Coming to mile 2, I felt my lungs working harder to suck in the necessary oxygen and I knew I was running right around my anaerobic threshold. More uncomfortable was my stomach, not so much GI distress, just a tightness in it as my body moved up and down quickly and forced air into my chest cavity. I dealt with it.

I was really looking forward to 2.5-2.6 as it was a downhill now, and ahead of me I saw the 2.7 mark which signaled the start of the climb to 3.0 that felt so nice going down. I hit the uphill and really focused on maintaining pace by increasing effort and my stride. I felt my quads powering as they pushed my legs off the incline with my goal so close at hand. I had been keeping track of my splits and I knew that after the first mile my splits were all over 6:30 pace and I didn't want it to get away from me. I worried for a brief moment about bonking so close and quickly pushed the thought of slowing down or failing to meet my goal out of my head. Right after 2.8 the trail turns left and I got a view of the last 0.2 to the start.

As I was approaching 2.9 I thought to myself maybe I would just turn around there and thus give myself a 0.2 mile downhill finish instead of having to go up the steepest part to 3.0 and only going downhill for the last 0.1 mile. After giving this a second or two of consideration, another voice chimed in "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! THIS ISN'T A RACE! THIS IS A TRAINING RUN! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU SO WORRIED ABOUT MAKING IT EASY OR RUNNING A FASTER TIME!? YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BE A FUCKING WIMP! YOU ARE GOING TO RUN UP THE FUCKING INCLINE AND FINISH STRONG! NOW! GO!"

And that's just what I did. I went all out and attacked the uphill. At 2.9 I had noticed it was still in the 18:00s and that I may have a shot a 20:00. That was the first moment I had entertained the thought of breaking 20 minutes. When I reached the 3 mile mark and hit the split button, I glanced down as I was turning for home. "19:19! Holy crap, I can do this, but I'm gonna have to go all out, I can't slow down now!"

I opened my stride further and was running as fast as I could at that point, letting gravity aid me. I knew it was going to be close and I just kept repeating "DON'T SLOW DOWN! DON'T SLOW DOWN!" I hit the "tape" and stopped the watch and looked down as I slowed to a jog...SUB 20:00!!! I HAD DONE IT! I lost it, totally lost it. I jumped as high as my tired legs would let me and pumped my fist in the air and let out a loud, excited YES! I just kept bouncing up and down (actually it probably looked more like seizing because my legs didn't have the energy to properly bounce) and yelling "YES" "WOO!" and some expletives. I could not believe what I had just done. An almost 3 minute PR. I know this wasn't an official race, but I ACTUALLY ran the distance and that's how long it took me. I was thrilled. I still AM thrilled. This was the biggest confidence boost yet for the marathon this weekend. I of course immediately called Lauren as I was walking around campus to cool down and regaled her with the nitty gritty details. In a way, I couldn't have done it without her, the positive encouragement that she gives me on a daily basis, how proud I know she is of my achievements, her support and love really have pushed me to get a bit higher than I would've gotten on my own. This running thing is most definitely a team effort.

So that's that. I'm already thinking ahead to the next official 5k I can run, thoughts of age group placing dancing through my head and maybe someday even an overall place! Wow! Amazing what one run can do. Happy running indeed!

Tonight was the last longish run of marathon training for me. I decided that I wanted to run on campus again and I enjoyed breaking up my last Delaware long run into smaller, repeated segments, so I mapped out this four mile route:


I'm getting pretty fancy here with this embedding routes in my blog and everything now, huh? go me. Anyway, I got myself a new knee strap, The McDavid Jumper's Knee Strap, which I found worked phenomenally- it stayed on my knee and didn't slip AT ALL and it helped alleviate some kneecap pain on my left knee. Here's the damage:

The schedule called for:
12 miles, easy, w/last 8 miles @ goal marathon pace (8:00/mi)

12 miles in 1:39:03 (8:15 pace)

including:
Mile 1- 9:21
Mile 2- 18:12 (8:51 mile)
Mile 3- 29:19 (11:07 mile)
Mile 4- 39:06 (9:47 mile)
Mile 5- 46:40 (7:34 mile)
Mile 6- 54:28 (7:48 mile)
Mile 7- 1:02:03 (7:35 mile)
Mile 8- 1:09:43 (7:40 mile)
Mile 9- 1:17:16 (7:33 mile)
Mile 10- 1:24:38 (7:22 mile)
Mile 11- 1:35:04 (7:26 mile)
Mile 12- 1:39:03 (6:59 mile)

1st 4 miles- 39:06 (9:46 pace)
last 8 miles- 59:57 (7:30 pace)

1st half- 54:28 (9:04 pace)
2nd half- 44:35 (7:28 pace)

So as you can see, I went out very leisurely the first 4 miles, I was steeling myself for the last 8, I wanted to make sure this was a good, solid run and a confidence booster so close to show time. I stopped a few times during the first 4 miles, twice to pee, a few times to stretch out my legs and rub down various sore parts. My legs were tight, especially my right leg, around the back of the knee. I can't tell if it's a hamstring tendon, a knee stabilizer, or something else but I know it doesn't feel quite right. But it didn't get worse as I went along, just annoying, so I took that to mean it's ok to run on it and I'm not worsening anything.

Once I hit the 4 mile mark on Main St, I turned the speed up a notch or two. I had sucked down a PowerBar PowerGel, which I'm really starting to like, around 3 miles, and then had another one right before I started the final 4 miles. These really helped. I also finished my water bottle around the 8 mile mark. I wanted to run strong and my legs felt better almost as soon as I started opening up my stride and moving at the faster pace. I have to say, I'm really pleased with the last 8 miles. I ran consistent times for each one of them and got faster and stronger as I went along. I was really cruising down Main St. at the end there and remember hitting the watch, glancing down and seeing a sub 7:00 and doing a little jump/fist-pump combo and letting out a "YES!" much to the bewilderment of the Wednesday night bar crowd at Kate's and Iron Hill. Oh well, none of them had just run a 7:28 pace for the last 8 miles of their 12 miler. I know this was over half a minute faster than goal marathon pace but it felt SO GOOD to push it like this- incidentally I'm almost positive the final 8 miles set a PR for me for any 8 mile run, ever- this was a HUGE confidence booster and really encourages me for the marathon. Afterwards I walked around the parking lot area excitedly relaying the details of my run to Laur and preventing venous pooling in my legs. There's only one more pretty hard workout and then one moderate workout left and the rest are easy to really easy runs before the 26.2 in Va Beach. A run like tonight has me really stoked for it

Tonight, exactly one week after the debacle that was the 20 miler with an attempt at running the last 5 at marathon goal pace, I set off on a similar run with optimism in tact. I got a bit of a late jump on it, not starting the watch until 2110ish. It didn't matter though because my evening prior was spent preparing and having good conversation, and furthermore I don't have anything I need to be awake for Thursday, just Clinical Measures in Exercise Physiology at 4pm (in which we will be putting Justin through a full PFT and VO2 test...I'm really looking forward to this, this class is so much fun!)

Learning from last week's weather issues, I was more prepared this time. I was not going to let the fact that I was freezing to death affect my run appreciably. So I had my UnderArmor coldgear long sleeve, my Livestrong t-shirt, and then my awesome, bright orange vest that dad gave me last weekend. I also had on my tights and my knee strap on my left knee (which frustratingly kept slipping down). I went to Pathmark before my run and picked up some Powerbar PowerGels in strawberry banana flavor. I also picked up a Detour Runner Bar for some more solid food for the run. And I downed a Chocolate flavored Nutrament shake about 2 hours prior.

I was supposed to do 18 miles w/ last 6 miles @ goal marathon pace (8:00/mi). I'll get into specifics of the run in a sec. Here's the damage:

18 miles in 3:00:27 (10:01 pace)

including:
first 12 miles in 2:14:05 (~11:00 pace)
last 6 miles in 46:22 (7:43 pace)

Now the first 12 were supposed to be easy, and the 11:00/mi pace definitely indicates that was the case, but I can tell you they were far from easy for the most part. Factored in to that 2:14:05 is multiple and somewhat frequent stops to adjust my kneestrap or give my aching right knee a rest. Right before mile 1, I felt a searing pain shooting up my left ankle, from the medial condyle. It hurt to put any weight on it or touch it, I was sure I had just suffered a stress fracture. I was so pissed at this I remember throwing my water bottle at the ground in disgust with my shoe off. Magically, after a few minutes of moving my ankle around and stretching it and rubbing the area, I was able to continue gingerly at first and worked into a more steady pace and it has not bothered me since. Go figure.

More troubling was my right knee which was tight to start. I wasn't sure exactly WHAT was the issue, hamstring, calf, MCL, other. I have a feeling its something of a combination but the tightness is centered around the medial side and to the back of the knee and most pronounced when I push off. hm.

So all of that and the fact that it was frakkin' cold conspired to slow me down considerably during the first two 6 miles loops of the UD campus. I had one powergel at mile 3, then again around mile 8ish, I downed 2 bottles of water in the first 12 miles and I ate the Detour Runner bar at the end of mile 6. At mile 6, I also popped 2 Advil in hopes that it would kick in at least by my last 6 miles (which it did!) I paused to call Laur and tell her I'd be a little late in calling at the end of my run at mile 12, before I started the last 6 which I was a bit nervous about given how poorly last week went and how slow I'd been running to that point tonight. I wound up walking around my car a bit and downed half a bottle of water because I didn't want to bring it with me, I also had the third powergel then hoping it would give me energy enough to carry me home.

I started my last 6 feeling good, my breathing was relaxed, my stride felt comfortable and the pacing was right on. Throughout the last 6 miles I felt like I was getting stronger and the knees became less and less of an issue which was great! I started going under marathon pace and I just told myself to run comfortably and see what happens. Around mile 1.5 I turned onto Delaware Ave and was hit with strong winds which sucked but when I turned onto The Green the wind was with me and definitely helped some. Running into the wind as I was going west on Main Street right near the end also sucked, but at that point I started repeating to myself what laur had told me on the phone earlier, "NO ROOM FOR WHAT IF!" Over and over again I said it and thought of her and Kenny cheering me on near the finish line and the adrenaline boost that provided really helped me not to slow down and instead speed up until I got to the crosswalk, crossed Main St. and started running back East toward the high school and the finish, with the wind. I finished strong, and :17 on marathon pace! I'm happy about it but my knees are really tightening up now, I'll deal with them tomorrow which figures to be an easy day.

A few miscellaneous things from the run that I remember:
-running near the light at Main St & S. College Ave. and some girl yelling "RUN FORREST RUN!" out her window, ha!
-I mentioned this to Laur as I drove home: Along Main St. the run takes me past Iron Hill Brewery. Every time I passed it, there was a line of college kids, probably 30-40 deep, waiting outside in the sub-freezing temperature and cold gusting winds to get in. Some of the girls were wearing stereotypical sorostitute outfits- high heels or uggz (UGH!), mini skirts that were a little too mini, and tops that they were spilling out of, however unflattering they may be. As I ran up to the crowd and past it, I could see many of them turning and looking at me with a look like I was absolutely insane. I mean who runs in this weather and at this hour?! Well to me, what's more insane, being out in this weather running, burning kcals and thus producing heat, or those people standing on line out in the freezing cold? hmmmm, I KNOW I'm crazy, so I guess we all were!
-the powergels tasted pretty darn good!
-UD has such a pretty campus!
-A quick phone conversation w/ Laur was the next best thing to a kiss
-I overheard after I ran past a number of people walking along Main St them stop their conversations and start saying something about how crazy that guy must be to be running now, or who the hell does that, or something that was clearly about me and what I was doing, mostly all in an incredulous manner. It made me feel like I was doing something special, which I know I am, and something that nary a soul on campus was also doing at the same time I think it's safe to assume. :)

so good run overall. I just have to make sure this knee tightness doesn't get worse and the next few days will thusly be pretty easy and relaxed and involve lots of stretching, hot showers, and sugar scrub. Happy running!

So according to travelogger's final 7 week training schedule, I was supposed to do this workout earlier in the week. This specific workout was very important not just as a good, hard speed work day, but also because it is a good indicator of marathon finishing time. Essentially, you run the 800s in whatever time you want to run the marathon in (min:sec, instead of hr:min, though) with equal recovery time in between intervals. So for me, it was:

8x800, each 800 in 3:30 (marathon goal time of 3:30:00) with 3:30 active recovery in between

I was nervous because if I struggled, it would be a big mental blow to my goal of a 3:30 marathon, something that has started to seem more and more within reach and not a far-fetched goal. So between some necessary schedule juggling and the fact that I wanted fresh legs and an un-burdened mind with which to run this, it got pushed to Sunday. The Cisneros clan went to church at noon and my darling girlfriend and I went to the high school track nearby. Originally I was going to run and Laur was going to watch/read/relax in the car because it was kind of chilly out. But then she decided and could not be talked out of coming down to the track and timing me with her awesome Nike watch. This way I wouldn't have to worry about recording my split times, and furthermore, I could get each 800 broken down by lap. And a kiss in between 800s is always a nice motivating tool.

I started with a half mile warm-up and then was ready and raring to go. The only minor annoyance was the two girls who were walking in the inside lanes that I would have to go around, but like I said- minor annoyance, I was feeling too good and too amped up.

Without further ado, here's the damage, meticulously recorded by the wonderful starsinmycloset:

800 repeats (3:30 rest in between each)
1- 3:15:08 (Lap 1- 1:31:80, Lap 2- 1:43:28)
2- 3:28:00 (Lap 1- 1:43:00, Lap 2- 1:45:00)
3- 3:29:28 (Lap 1- 1:42:97, Lap 2- 1:46:31)
4- 3:24:79 (Lap 1- 1:46:02, Lap 2- 1:38:77)
5- 3:28:37 (Lap 1- 1:46:81, Lap 2- 1:41:56)
6- 3:28:11 (Lap 1- 1:45:23, Lap 2- 1:42:88)
7- 3:27:93 (Lap 1- 1:44:20, Lap 2- 1:43:73)
8- 2:48:18 (Lap 1- 1:29:05, Lap 2- 1:19:13)

So, I didn't actually do any of the 800s in 3:30, and towards the end I wasn't even giving myself 3:30 rest, I was just taking whatever I ran the previous 800 in. And I had energy enough to really sort of crank it on that last one. I know that running the last one as fast as I did may not have been what I was supposed to do, but by golly, I was feeling SO FRAKKIN' GOOD and I had so much energy that I really wanted to push it, like I haven't pushed myself in months. My legs responded with the final 400 being close to a sprint, but I still didn't feel like my muscles were going to seize up.

All of this is VERY encouraging as far as my potential to hit my goal time in the marathon next month. 4 more weeks of good, solid, injury-free, intelligent running and I have all the confidence that I will do very well. Today illustrated how marathon training is not always a solo venture though. I was running a workout drawn up by one person who knows better than I do, and had another there for support and help. My legs feel good, never tired or sore, and no pain whatsoever. Happy running, indeed!

I know that Valentine's Day is pretty much just a crock to guilt men into buying cards, flowers and/or chocolates for their ladies (because what says "I LOVE YOU" more than a pre-packaged sentiment and the same candy or roses you've bought every year at this time?) I'm cynical, can you tell? I'm not down on expressing one's love for their significant other, I'm down on people waiting until today to do it. Why not express how much you love someone on January 29th? or February 11th? See? That isn't to say that you can't take today and make it special in its own way. That's what I love so much about Laur. She has been so amazing to me and for me since the end of October, and in a much bigger way since we made things "official" the end of December. I can honestly say I have never been happier or more fulfilled. And this is the best, the healthiest, the most mature relationship I've ever been in, by far. And, oh yea, I am CRAZY IN LOVE WITH HER! But this is not a sentiment that has been saved for just today, every single day in so many ways we share this feeling with each other, even if we're separated by a few states or just one county.

We had planned on celebrating today in our own special way, going to NYRR's Night at the Races at the Armory and me running the mile and 2 mile. However, early this morning, as I was passed out in my car at a rest stop on the NJ Turnpike, my grandma died. Between that and me needing to take care of a lot of stuff for my move to Delaware this weekend, and me being severely run-down and stressed, we thought it not a great idea. So instead she was going to take the train to the 'tizzle and I was going to do speedwork on the track. Well I did my speedwork, but I thought it somewhat unromantic to make her take the train all by her lonesome, so as soon as I finished I sped into the city and picked her up from Kidville. I am in love with this woman, more than words can express. And spending time with her tonight was the better than any store-bought gift I could get. Although the gifts she did give me were all aweSOME, perfectly suited to me, and really showed that she put some thought into it and into knowing me. Something I hope what I gave her showed her too.

Why all this here? Because if it weren't for running, we simply wouldn't be. I wouldn't have the privilege and pleasure of even knowing her. And so running, every run I do, every race I will compete in, makes me think very much of her and of our special bond. Running is one of our many "things" and one of our biggest things. We are runners as much as we are lovers, best friends, and soul mates. I am truly lucky.

I was supposed to do 45 minutes @ half marathon pace, last 10 minutes @ 10k race pace
Here's the damage:

6 miles in 42:06 (7:01 pace)

including:
Mile 1- 7:04
Mile 2- 14:19 (7:15 mile)
Mile 3- 21:25 (7:05 mile)
Mile 4- 28:28 (7:03 mile)
Mile 5- 35:23 (6:55 mile)
Mile 6- 42:06 (6:43 mile)

1st half- 21:25 (7:08 pace)
2nd half- 20:41 (6:54 pace)

As far as the run, it went fantastically. I felt strong, I felt loose, and I didn't have any pain at any point in it. Pacing wise, I was right on...well sort of. I haven't run a half in almost a year and I KNOW I'm faster than I was then, when I ran a 7:27 pace, so I've been figuring on 7:20 pace but I feel that's a conservative estimate. I was closer to 7:05 and then dropped down to my 10k race pace which I am assuming to be somewhere around 6:50. YIKES! A few months ago I couldn't even fathom running any significant distance more than a mile or so in sub 7:00. SWEET.

I have the greatest girlfriend in the world, I'm in grad school now, I've got my own place, my life and my future is getting figured out in a way that doesn't terrify me, my running is going so well- better than I could have imagined when I started in November, and did I mention I have the GREATEST. GIRLFRIEND. EVER!? Life is good.

x-posted to supermanz

So today was quite surreal. I drove down to UD this morning, and started my search for someplace to live for the next few months as I START GRAD SCHOOL! Yikes. That's still sort of sinking in. And I've already had my first class, Advanced Physiology of Exercise. We learned all about cardiac physiology tonight, the cardiac cycle, what the various squiggles on an electrocardiogram mean, all about stroke volume (get your mind out of the gutters!) and cardiac output. Real interesting stuff....to me and not many others.

So we had ourselves a little ice storm today, everything was super slippery, the sidewalks especially because no salt had been put down. So running outside was not just impractical, it was impossible. That meant I'd have to settle for the treadmills at the Little Bob. Fortunately when I got there, there was one open, I did my half mile warm-up then got into it.

I was supposed to do 20 minutes @ 5 mile race pace.
Here's the damage:

3 miles in 20:10 (6:43 pace)

including:
mile 1- 6:49
mile 2- 13:33 (6:44 mile)
mile 3- 20:10 (6:37 mile)

Pretty consistent with last time, except last time was on the track which I prefer. The treadmill is easy on my knees and all, but the way they're set up at the Little Bob, they face the mirrors so you're running staring at yourself the whole time and that's it. No tv to distract you from acting like a giant hamster, not even facing the workout area so you can stare at people working out to distract you from running in place. And what's even worse than that, the air is oppressive. It's stale and there is little or no ventilation right there. It'd be nice to have some air blowing on you but nope, nothing, stifling, hot air that makes me overheat quicker than I normally would. That being said, I "eased" into the run. The one thing I really like about the treadmill is that you can control the pace exactly, which means I constantly and gradually increased speed, so the entire run was a negative split. Sweet. I finished and did a some ab work, showered and got out of there as the place was closing, so nothing really has changed from last year in that regard.

One funny moment, I was running, about 10 minutes in; at that point there was a treadmill unoccupied to my left, then a girl running at a decent pace, then another unoccupied treadmill. These two stereotypical sorority-type girls came over to the treadmills. I could see int he mirror that they were unenthused about the prospect of not running next to each other. I heard the one say to the other something to the effect of "great, I'm stuck between two serious runners" I chuckled to myself. It seemed that most of the people on the treadmills were using them as their daily cardio, probably not even knowing what that meant really but doing it because they read it in a magazine or something. I know I shouldn't judge, or complain, because the fact that they're there doing something, anything is good, and better than nothing. So long as they don't take up all the treadmills when us "serious" runners need them. ::removes tongue from cheek::

Anyway, good run, feel good, still adjusting to things, a feeling that will probably persist until sometime next week when I'm here for good and settled into a routine and a rhythm.

Today I was kind of nervous about. This was the longest and most daunting of the speed work sessions for my first week. It would have me running pretty fast for an extended period of time, not intervals, not a mere 3 miles. I knew I've run a 10k back early in training pretty fast, but I also remembered feeling like my legs were pretty leaden at the end, that I KNEW I was going TOO FAST and wasn't ready for that jump yet. Now I am. FINALLY! But still, I worried that I would go to fast and not be able to maintain the pace and fail at my task. I shouldn't have been that worried.

The schedule called for 45 minutes @ half-marathon pace w/ last 5 minutes @ 10k race pace. Here's the damage:

6.25 miles in 44:56 (7:10 pace)

including:
Mile 1: 7:20
Mile 2: 14:40 (7:20 mile)
Mile 3: 21:56 (7:16 mile)
Mile 4: 29:13 (7:17 mile)
Mile 5: 36:23 (7:10 mile)
Mile 6: 43:13 (6:50 mile)
6.25- 44:56 (1:43 quarter, 6:52 pace)

During the day it had poured but when I got to the track it was calm and dryer. This all changed by mile 5 when I felt the first rain drops start to fall. By the next lap it was POURING and I was gettin soaked but didn't care. I remembered that the weather forecast had called for possible thunderstorms this evening. When that thought crossed my mind I started worrying because there I was on a track surrounded by empty fields everywhere. And I'm deathly afraid of being struck by lightning. But I refused to stop my run short even though I'll admit the thought entered my head. Instead I threw off my wool hat and began running faster. Because even though I knew I was running for time and not for distance, I guess I was comforted that if I ran faster, I would be done faster, or at least it would FEEL like I was going to be and then I could get out of the potential lightning strike area. So I wound up doing the last almost 10 minutes at around 10k pace, not just the last 5, and my overall pace was faster than the 7:20 pace I had figured being my half marathon pace (down from the 7:27 I ran the Caesar Rodney half in March in). By the time I was done I was soaked (TWSS) and the rain had let up. I took off what I decency allowed me to in the parking lot and drove home to a nice warm shower and a wonderful, relaxing evening with Laur that culminated in spontaneous adventuring to VIRGINIA for her dad's birthdizzle! SUCCESS!

So Kenny was in town this week because the UD women's team is playing Hofstra in basketball. So Laur finally got to meet him yesterday on my off day and today Kenny and I went to the track to do some more speed work. It was a good night, weather wise, and I felt good for my second speed work session. I was a little nervous because this was 20 continuous minutes of running faster than I have been, not just 1 mile intervals. I was also hoping Kenny wouldn't go out too fast and I'd follow and blow my pacing. Nothing bad happened. Very good things happened, instead.

The schedule called for 20 minutes @ 5 mile race pace. Here's the damage:

3 miles in 20:05 (6:41 pace)

including:
Mile 1: 6:47
Mile 2: 13:36 (6:49 mile)
Mile 3: 20:05 (6:29 mile)

I figured that I did my 5 miler in November in 7:13 pace and I'm at least a bit faster than that now. I was shooting for somewhere between 6:50-7:00 pace but felt really good and I guess a part of me, pride or something, wanted to see if I could do 3 miles in sub 20:00. I came very close, and I know the last mile was closer to 5k pace than 5 mile pace but oh well. Kenny started with me, I felt good. He started laboring almost immediately and wound up having to stop after 2, then we fell into a pattern where he would run a lap with me and then take a lap break while I kept going. This helped break it up, and for my penultimate lap really helped, because he sped out in front and just maintaining the pace I was at to not let him get too far away from me kept me going when things started tightening up and I started feeling tired.

One other cool thing I take away from tonight is that I can still vividly remember last year when we were rooming together. We'd go out for runs at midnight on a Friday and run past drunken girls in heels that would stupidly try to keep up with us and fall and we'd chuckle. I remember being horribly incapable of keeping up with his blistering paces. It's sort of a symbolic, and moving thing to me that he's the one having trouble keeping up with me now. I don't wish him to be slower, he's been busy with his job and all. But I feel more like we're equals now in running when before I KNEW he was slowing down to let me run with him and I resented myself for not being able to keep up. The roles are somewhat reversed and his enthusiasm for my running and my upcoming marathon is supremely gratifying, encouraging, and meaningful.

and now for something completely different:
CONGRATULATIONS TO MY WONDERFUL GIRLFRIEND LAUREN FOR GETTING A GLOWING REVIEW AT HER JOB AND A RAISE! HOORAY FOR MORE (MUCH-DESERVED) COIN!

So I cut my Sunday long run short, and I felt equal parts guilty and ok with that. Regardless, my legs are used to higher mileage, and I've done mid-week runs that were almost as long, so I didn't think it the worst thing to do an extra run on what is normally an off-day for me. The reasoning I used is that if I get 6 miles in today, I would have done the 47 miles I had wanted to do for last week in a 7 day period still, even if it doesn't fit in my Mon-Sun week. Tuesday will be an off day and then I'll be back on track for the final push towards Virginia Beach. Originally I'd wanted to go up to the track but it got late so instead I just ran mile laps around my block. Here's the damage:

mile 1: 9:50
mile 2: 19:50 (10:00 mile)
mile 3: 29:43 (9:53 mile)
mile 4: 39:40 (9:57 mile)
mile 5: 49:29 (9:49 mile)
mile 5: 58:49 (9:20 mile)

1st half: 29:43 (9:54 pace)
2nd half: 29:06 (9:42 pace)

1st third: 19:50 (9:55 pace)
middle third: 19:50 (9:55 pace)
last third: 19:09 (9:35 pace)

As you can tell, I enjoy running 6 miles because I can break it into mile splits, half splits, and third splits. All of which indicated that I had a good, easy run tonight, where I got progessively faster with no real appreciable increase in effort or energy expenditure on my part, just warming up and relaxing. The best part was that I had no knee pain or other pains that shouldn't have been there. Tomorrow I suppose is a day off like I mentioned and then I'm still trying to formalize plans thereafter, incorporating travelogger's advice about speedwork, as my marathon is fast approaching and getting my VO2 max up to match my aerobic capacity which I have been building up the past few months is becoming priority so I can have a respectable showing.

So tonight I was headed up to New Paltz. It's Kaitlyn's 21st birthday, and Ingrid's was 2 days ago, which I couldn't make it up for because the cousins were in and there was much family-time-spending to be had. Kait said there'd be cocktails at her house at 7, and it was already 7 when I started on my run, so I just did laps around the neighborhood in my 1 mile loop, because that seemed like it'd be quicker and if I wanted I could cut it short. Wound up doing the whole thing and doing it well! Here's the damage:

10k (6.2 miles) in 48:54 (7:53 pace)

Mile 1: 8:12
Mile 2: 16:41 (8:29 mile)
Mile 3: 25:11 (8:30 mile)
Mile 4: 33:22 (8:11 mile)
Mile 5: 40:50 (7:28 mile)
Mile 6: 47:41 (6:51 mile)
6.2: 48:54 (1:13 2/10ths, 6:05 pace)

first third: 16:41 (8:20 pace)
middle third: 16:41 (8:20 pace)
last third: 14:19 (7:10 pace)

first half: 25:11 (8:27 pace)
second half: 22:30 (7:30 pace)

I started out nice and easy, intentionally taking the first 2/3rds of the run slowly and relaxed. I allowed myself to really start opening up the final 2 laps and change, and did it considerably faster while still maintaining a relaxed gait with minimal effort increase. Mile 5-6 may be the fastest mile I've run in training so far and it was completely unintentional, I definitely could have gone at least 45 seconds faster, I didn't feel any lactic acid build-up in my legs. I wouldn't have sped up so much at the end had I not been pressed for time, again, but it's all gravy. Next run is going to be my longest and furthest ever!

I must be crazy, like that mom on Friday wondered, because all week I've been looking forward to tonight's long run. Last night was 3.1 miles on the track and I realized how much I prefer the longer distances. I don't want to say shorter distances are boring, bc they don't get a chance to be boring really. My problem with them is that they're over too soon. I LOVE running, and the more I'm doing it, the less time I have to deal with other, less enjoyable things, the better for me. Going for a long run, like on Sundays, is a chance to really get away from everything, really get lost in my thoughts and my surroundings, and explore! I get to go places I can't get to on my shorter runs, and that's always fun. Tonight, for instance, I got to see all of this. A tour of parts of Seaford, Plainedge, Massapequa, and Wantagh. Here's the damage:

12 miles in 1:36:56 (8:04 pace)

including:
mile 1: ~9:22
mile 2: ~17:30 (8:45 pace)
mile 3: ~25:45 (8:35 pace)
mile 4: ~34:10 (8:32 pace)
mile 5: under 42:00 (sub 8:30 pace)
mile 6: 50:30 (8:25 pace)

mile 8: 1:05:25 (8:10 pace)
mile 9: ~1:13:30
mile 10: ~1:21:25
mile 11: 1:29:10 (8:06 pace)
mile 12: 1:36:56 (8:04 pace, 7:46 mile)

1st half: 50:30 (8:25 pace)
2nd half: 46:26 (7:44 pace)

Ok, so basically what those numbers are telling me is that from start to finish I was continually getting faster, which is EXACTLY what I want to do. Ran a very big negative split, a more than 4 minute difference. My middle 4 and final 4 miles were probably comprable in time which means I settled in and was running steady and smooth for 8 miles after the first 4- it usually takes me 3-4 miles to get into my groove. Once again, I didn't really feel like I was pushing it too hard. I said I had wanted to do about 8:30-8:45 pace and this was obviously much faster than that. I'd be worried if I was struggling to finish or slowing down significantly, but that wasn't the case. I finished feeling strong and with a heart rate ~160 which is well within my aerobic training range and not over the lactic threshold. Also I need to take into accont that there were a few instances where I had to wait to cross busy streets like Sunrise Highway, but those probably helped give my feet and legs brief breaks from the pounding.

I brought 16 oz. of OJ mixed with water, and a blueberry nutrigrain bar. I ate half of the bar around mile 4 (the other half fell on the ground) and was done with the OJ at mile 6.

I also have to make mention of the absolutely horrendous conditions tonight. I started feeling drops around mile 1.5 and by mile 2 it was raining in earnest. It wasn't a big deal for most of the early part of the run as my feet and everything stayed pretty dry. By mile 8 though my feet were kind of wet and the rain was very cold and generally miserable. After some deep, unavoidable puddles on Wantagh Ave, I ran the last 3 or so miles with my feet sloshing in soaked sneakers, which is one of my pet peeves usually (the feeling of my feet in wet sneakers, if I'm running I can deal with it until I'm done). By this point my lips were numb and most of me was frozen solid. By the time I got inside I saw that my right shin was covered in dirt and mud and my legs were bright red. My mom freaked a little when she saw me walk in and said I was insane and this was a stupid idea. I just laughed because she doesn't and can't possibly understand. It's a different mindset, we runners have to have. The mindset that enjoys running in the snow and rain. The conditions may have been miserable but a not-so-small part of me was relishing the fact that I was almost certaintly the only person in a very large area who was out in that running 12 miles and enjoying doing so.

Overall, this was a great run and a great way to end a fantastic week.

Total Weekly Mileage: 39 miles

So the first two runs of this week have been pretty good. I've felt like the training is actually starting to show results in the form of faster running at the same effort. It's only 4 and a half weeks in now which I feel is a little early but I can't argue with results. So I shouldn't have expected today's run to be any different. I went out right after school, running a longer distance and getting it in in daylight I had no choice. I started feeling good again and went from there. Here's the damage:

8 miles in 1:02:02 (7:45 pace)

@3.5 miles: 28:52 (8:14 pace)
@7 miles: 55:05 (7:52 pace)
@8 miles: 1:02:02 (7:45 pace)

mile 0-3.5 done in 8:14 pace
mile 3.5-7 done in 26:51 (7:40 pace)
mile 7-8 done in 6:57

So basically, I had a freakin' amazing run! I went out feeling good. I knew I wasn't going as fast as yesterday and that was my goal, keep it under control and relaxed, no pushing the throttle. I did both of my 3.5 mile courses back to back and then a mile lap of the neighborhood, which accounts for the odd splits, although I also was able to take fairly accurate splits during the secon 3.5 miles. What adds to my amazement is that I had to wait a few times for lights to change so I could cross the street, a downfall to running in daylight hours.

After getting through the first 3.5, I knew I was running well and within myself, my legs felt very comfortable and loose. At around mile 5.5 I realized I had just run a sub 8:00 and was feeling not only good, but FANTASTIC! I figured I'd stick with the pacing because it felt like an easy one. The next mile I saw I did in around 7:30, and did about a 7:15 pace from 6.5-7. I knew I could really crank out a fast final mile, but I didn't want to push it and feel dead at the end, I wanted to run smooth and even the whole way through. I definitely could have gone a good deal faster and I STILL came in at 6:57. This CRUSHES my previous PR for 8 miles by over 3 minutes!

I don't get what's happened seemingly in a matter of days, but I'm not complaining. I know not everyone run, or every week is going to be this good or feel like these have but I'm also not going to worry that I'm going too fast now. Yesterday, maybe I did a little, today, though, felt easy and relaxed the whole way through and still a fast time compared to what I've been doing. Tomorrow is a 10k and I have every intention on taking that easy but we shall see.