The Next Step

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