The Next Step

Well the new year sure got kicked off on a tough day. It was 17 degrees with windy gusting to 40 mph. I ran on the local HS XC course thinking that the trees would block some of the wind. It worked a little but we also had snow so the footing was not very good. This was one of those days that I am just glad to get the run in and head to the house. It does make me feel good to get out on days like this knowing that it would be easy just to stay in.

So now some goals for the New Year.

I want to continue to keep my mileage up consistently. If so, I think it will be possible to run 2400 miles this year. As far as races go I feel like I am in the best shape of my life so I would like to set PRs at pretty much at all distances. The two that I am most interested in are the 10k and the half marathon. I want to run sub 40 in the 10k and break 1:30 in the half. As far as the marathon goes I am planning to run a fall marathon. My first marathon didn't go very well and I wasn't really in very good shape. I feel that after about a 1 1/2 years of consistent running I should be ready to give it a go. I don't even want to write down a goal time right now. Once I get half way through the year and have a couple of half marathons under my belt I should be able to set a better goal time. So there you have it...

66:30

Got up to -13 WC outside this morning so decided to hit the treadmill. I did an easy run. My legs were tired after yesterday's run. I think the slick uneven footing along with the high winds took more out of me than I thought. I felt like I had ran a long run yesterday instead of just 8 miles. The easy run on the treadmill seemed to help since I felt better at the end. I am hoping to be able to get back outside tomorrow since it should be a little bit warmer and not as windy.

64:29

The weather is still pretty cold. Single digit wind chill today but at least is was sunny. I did an easy 8 miles outside with 10 x 100m strides at the end. I didn't run the strides real fast because I didn't feel real loose in the cold weather. I was pretty cold for the first 3 miles mainly my feet and hands but got better after that. Looking forward to warmer temps this weekend.

63:03

Back on the treadmill today. Not that the weather was bad but my wife had an early appointment and I had to stay with the kids. Everything went fine but I have noticed the last few days that I have some aches and pains that are not normal. I have some soreness in my left foot and my ITB seems to be acting up a little. I will have to monitor these over the next few days to see how it goes. I will also do some specific stretching for these areas, ice, etc. I hope I can stay healthy while I continue to build up the mileage.

65:08

The weather warmed up today and I wanted to take advantage of it for my long run so I added 5 miles at marathon pace. My leg and foot felt much better today. I still have a little issue in my left ITB I think but it was barely noticeable. It was pretty windy out but luckily it was mostly coming from the side on my run since I went out and back. The marathon pace miles went good. I got off to a slow start but the last 4 miles were much better. I had planned on running them @ 7:20 so overall it was good. Here is the breakdown on the marathon pace miles...

1 - 7:44

2 - 7:14

3 - 7:13

4 - 7:23

5 - 7:09

Overall

1:50:47, 7:55 avg

It was an unbelieveablely warm day for Jan (60 degrees and windy). It was great to be able to get out in shorts no gloves, hat, etc. I was hoping to a good run but instead felt very sluggish today. I am not sure why but this is the case often on Mondays. I usually do a long run on Sat and then have a rest day on Sun. I am not sure if it results from the day off or effects from the long run but Monday I ususally don't feel very sharp. I finished with no real issues still a few minor aches and pains but nothing to be to concerned about right now.

64:50

It was actually raining and thunderstroming outside this morning (strange weather for Jan) so I ran on the treadmill. Just like yesterday I didn't feel that great. Just felt a little tired. The last couple of days it is not like I have been sore or really tired it is just when I start running I don't have it. I am not sure if I am just run down a little or could be diet, sleep, etc. Anyway, I am going to try to stay on the same schedule and just work through it. I really thought about quitting today after 6 miles and resting but decided not to. I will just take it day to day.

64:02

Today I planned a tempo run. It was nice out (38 but windy). I wanted to do 4 miles at 6:45 pace. As I started out I felt tired again like the last couple of days. I felt a little better after a couple of miles so started my tempo after 3 mile warmup. The first mile went fine but it was down wind so no problem. I turned around and was running back into the wind so the effort got a lot harder. I felt like I was really pushing it to stay at the pace. It felt faster than tempo effort (probably due to being tired the last few days). Also, I probably should have adjusted my tempo pace to the wind. Probably should have been running around 6:55. Anyway, I shut the tempo down after 3 miles and then just cooled down for 2 miles. I will just run easy for the rest of the week and hopefully get my bounce back. Here is the breakdown on the tempo...

1st - 6:38 (downwind)

2nd - 6:41 (into the wind)

3rd - 6:51 (into the wind)

Had a good run today. I felt much better than I have the last few days. Not sure why I was feeling run down but glad the running is easier. Today it was around 40 and very windy. I ran out into the wind and then came back with the wind so that last half felt real easy. It was good to just get out there and be able to run comfortably. Added another mile onto my normal 8 mile run and will try to do this more often in the coming weeks.

1:12:49

Today the winds were 30+ mph outside and I didn't feel much like fighting the wind so I just ran inside on the treadmill. I wanted to do a real easy recovery run today before my long run tomorrow so it worked out ok. Nothing much special today just trying to continue to log the miles. I am starting to look for some upcoming races to see how my fitness is progressing. I am going to just do them pretty much based on the weather. I don't have any desire to sign up for a race weeks in advance only to find we have a big snow or frezzing temps that day. So I will pick out several races and see if I can catch some good weather this winter.

65:04

Another nice day to run outside. It was around 38 with light wind. Today I did my long run which I have been holding around 14 miles for the last few weeks. The run went smoothly with no issues. I did feel a little tired the last couple of miles. Could be just my body trying to get adjusted to the higher mileage. This week I hit 55 miles in 6 sessions which is the most weekly mileage I have ever done. Hopefully, if I can keep hitting these mileage totals it will payoff in the spring. I feel very fortunate with the weather we have had so far this winter. Getting outside sure makes getting the mileage in easier. Another thing that has worked in my favor is no travel but that will change next week. It is always a challenge to get my running in when I am traveling. Next week will be a good test to see if I can stay on schedule.

1:53:45

I had to travel to Washington DC this morning and then had meetings all day.  I was able to squezze in 5 miles between meetings and another dinner meeting.  I ran on the treadmill and felt really good.  I was a little upset that I had to cut the run short but travel days are hard to get in longer runs.  I hope to get back on schedule tomorrow.  On another note, I was totally bummed out that the Colts lost in the playoffs.  I didn't know if we could beat the Patroits but I sure wanted to see them give it a try.  Oh well, win some lose some.

40:14

Still in Washington. It was around 30 degrees with some wind today. I took it easy and felt good today. I have been feeling much better this week as compared to last week. Not sure why but thankful for it. It is also good to get a chance to run some hills while I am here. That is something that I don't get much of in Indiana. Hopefully I can keep on schedule this week during my travel. It is hard to get out in a strange place early in the morning to run but it is also a good chance to explore the area as well. Luckly I have been to DC so many times that I am very familar with the area.

64:30

Still in DC.  Today it was cool (28) and windy.  I was a little sore down the side of my left leg.  I am not sure what caused this.  The only idea that I have is the road I ran on yesterday was really crowned and this could have caused me to be running a little differently.  I loosened up after a couple of miles and felt pretty good the rest of the way.  Tonight I fly to Huntsville, AL for more meetings so I will have to find a safe route I can run early in the morning or I will be on the treadmill.

64:08

Today I am in Huntsville, AL and I had some early meetings so stayed in on the treadmill. I started off real easy but my legs felt real tired. I kept picking up the pace but didn't really feel like. I noticed that for the pace on the treadmill my HR was much higher than normal. The last couple of miles my HR was closer to tempo pace than for a easy run. I am not sure if I felt that bad or the treadmill was off. Several times I felt like cutting the run short but I stuck with it for as long as I could. Glad I got the run in but it wasn't a good one.

57:07

Another day in Huntsville and another day on the treadmill. After yesterday's blow up I decided today to just run by feel and pay attention to my HR instead of the pace on the treadmill. This worked out much better. I still didn't feel crisp but at least it felt like a normal easy run. I was only able to get in 7 miles due to my schedule but at least it was close to what I wanted. Overall, I guess I am satisified with my running this week. It is very hard to stay on schedule when traveling. For example, yesterday I was in meetings from 8 to 6 then had a dinner that went from 7 to 10. Doesn't leave a whole lot of time in the schedule to get other things done and get in my running. I will be glad to be at home next week again.

57:30

It was about 10 degrees and a -4 wind chill today so I decided to just stay in and run on the treadmill. Part of my decision was based on the fact that I have felt pretty beat up the last few days. I am not sure if the travel got to me or something to do with my running. I have been a little sore in the legs and just felt tired while running. So today I thought I would stay inside and just cut back my normal long run to make this kind of a cut back week. I will get back at it next week and see how it goes. I felt better today on the treadmill and will take a day of rest tomorrow.

1:21:20

I was finally able to get outside today. It was really nice and sunny. Around 30 degrees and windy but the sun made it feel much better. I felt pretty good today. I think cutting back last week was a good idea. Hopefully, this week will be much better. We might get some snow in the morning so that might make things slick and sloppy so I will have to wait and see if I can get out again. Hope so!!

63:45

Back on the treadmill today! Yea! Not really. I wanted to do some tempo work today and it was snowy and slushy. Not the best footing for running fast. I did a couple of miles on the treadmill and then just bumped up the speed gradually until I was around 6:50. I ran this for a couple of miles and then ran the last mile around 6:40. I didn't want to over do it but wanted to get the legs used to some faster running. Overall, I felt like it was a good workout. It also made running on the treadmill better since I had to concentrate more on what I was doing. The weather all this week doesn't look good so I will have to wait to see how it goes.

61:00

Snowy, windy and cold this morning so I stayed inside on the treadmill. I probably could have went out today but maybe I am getting soft. Anyway, today was just an easy run after yesterday's tempo. I have been feeling much better this week compared to last week's problems. On the non-running side I was excited that the Kentucky Wildcats finally won a big basketball game this year. They beat 5th ranked Tennessee last night. Probably will still be a long year but you have to take the good times when they come.

65:41

Woke up to -10 wind chill this morning which didn't sound to inviting to me so headed to the treadmill. I wanted to do something different today so I added in 6 x 1 min hill repeats at 5% incline. I am planning on doing some hill work in the coming weeks so I wanted to add it in slowly. I don't get a chance to do much hill work in this area so actually the treadmill is a good option for this. Also, as I continue to work on my strength I thought it would be a good addition. The weather is supposed to warm up over the next few days so looking forward to getting outside.

Going to see "Spirit of the Marathon" tonight. Looking forward to it. I will give my thoughts on the movie tomorrow.

64:57

It was still around -10 wind chill this morning so I did another day on the treadmill. I took it real easy today just getting in the miles. I am looking forward to getting back outside. Tomorrow is supposed to be a lot nicer.

66:21

Well I got outside today for the long run. It was around 30 degrees but pretty windy. I felt good but just took it easy the whole way. Around half of the run was into the wind and it had a bigger impact on me than I thought. It was blowing pretty hard and steady. Also, I ran out of the Body Glide a few days ago and this was not a good thing. I will have to replace that soon if you know what I mean. Overall, this was a good week. I feel like I have established a pretty good base to start building on. I plan on trying to increase my mileage over the next few weeks. I know it will be tough because of time commitments and possible business travel. I would like to get up around 70 mpw by summer but I am not sure if I can manage the time to do it. I have to keep the balance between family, work and running so we will see what happens. This is the most that I have ever run consistently so I am happy with that but I hope I can still take it up another level.

1:54:21, 8:10 avg

Today I planned on doing an easy 8 miler. The weather was pretty nice when I started (40 degrees with some wind). As I started the run I felt pretty good. No effects from the long run on Sat. I am amazed at how my recovery is improving. After a couple of miles I found myself having to hold back from running faster. I am trying to make sure that I either run easy or hard. No in between paces. After about 4.5 miles the wind really picked up and it started to rain. There is nothing I worse than running in cold, windy, rainy conditions. As my clothing got wetter I got cold so I started picking up the pace to get back to the house. I didn't want to run fast today because I was planning a tempo run tomorrow but I just wanted to get out of the rain. I still felt good but was glad to get inside. I will see how I feel tomorrow before I decide if I will continue with the tempo.

62:50

It was raining pretty hard this morning when I got up so with memories of yesterday's run in my head I got on the treadmill. I planned on doing a tempo run today. I wanted to do a couple of mile warmup then use the 3rd mile to build up to tempo pace and try to run 4 miles at around 6:40 pace.

I felt pretty good as I warmed up so after 2 miles I started picking up the pace. The first couple of miles of tempo felt pretty easy but then I started to feel the effort. I was able to hold the pace the rest of the way and felt like I could have went faster if I wanted too. This is a good feeling. I was happy with the run and plan to build these into my program as I start to get closer to the racing season. Here are my splits for the tempo miles....

1st - 7:16

2nd - 6:48

3rd - 6:42

4th - 6:42

5th - 6:42

One thing about a treadmill it is easy to hold your pace!

59:05

It is starting to seem like this is a weather blog instead of a running blog. I know the weather can be a critical part of running but I am looking forward to the average days when there is no weather news to report. Last night we had a strong storm blow through Indiana with winds over 60 mph. Behind the winds was a big cold front so this morning we had 30 mph wind and around 10 degrees. Not a great day to hit the streets. Instead it was down to the basement and onto the treadmill. Just an easy day on tap for today so nothing much to report. I felt good the whole way and so far this week I have been unsuccessful in uping my mileage. It is hard for me to stay on the treadmill much longer than 8 miles but I will have to over come that if the weather stays bad. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

65:15

Got a little break in the weather today so I headed outside. It wasn't a great day (19 and windy) but probably the best I will get for the rest of the week so I wanted to take advantage of it. I started out into the wind so it was a little cool but I just ran easy. It felt good to be back on the road. After turning around and having the wind to my back it seemed like it warmed up 10 degrees. I did 8 x 100 m strides at the end of the run and it felt good to get the legs moving. I haven't done this as much as I would like. It is hard to do on the treadmill and it is hard to do on slick roads but was glad to get in the strides today. We have a big storm moving in tonight so I will probably be back on the treadmill tomorrow.

62:57