Five treadmill miles (Thursday)

Ran 5 on the treadmill yesterday. I did the first 1.5 at a 10:30 warm up pace and then the half mile intervals at 10:00. I had to get off the treadmill a few times to help the boy. I drank 0.6 liters of water.

six miles around the complex (Wednesday)

Last night I ran six miles around the complex after my wife got home. It was an odd run in that I never really got going. I'm not sure if I needed to keep going to get warmed up or if it was just one of those runs. I've not been sleeping great and maybe I was just tired. I took in no water or calories.

Note: I am probably not going to report the temperature and humidity for next few months. The weather is no longer a limiting factor and thus not as important to record.

Up next: five miles on treadmill later today.

Day off

Taking the day off. I was schedule for 5 today. I have very slight pain in a few different places and I'm tired. Plus, I'm not feeling the treadmill calling me today. Tomorrow night I'll run outside. I might make up this run Friday morning, maybe not.

10.1 miles with some "speed"

I ran 10.1 miles around the town this morning. I took in 1.2 liters of water and 270 calories via three gels. I forgot to record the temperature and humidity when I got back but an hour later it was 51 degrees and 60% humidity. It was chilly the first 5-7 miles.

I expected this run to be slow since I ran 20 yesterday. I told my wife an estimate for me getting back based on a 12 minute pace. However, after the first mile I had a pace just over ten minutes per mile. I slowed on purpose for the next mile thinking I would never be able to run 10 miles at that pace. However, I felt good so I just went for a faster run.

The average pace on this 10 mile run was 10:32 per mile. This is fast for me given the 20 mile run yesterday and the 40 miles run this week. I'm not sure why I was able to run faster than expected but I think the most likely cause was the chilly weather. It's wasn't a good night sleep as the last three nights have not been great. Perhaps it was the single beer I had last night.

20 miles around town

I ran 20 miles this morning. It was sunny, 72 degrees and 33% humidity at the end of the run. I took in 3.0 liters of water and 1.9 liters of Gatorade (400 calories). I took 3 Endurolytes and 4 gels (390 calories, 3 Gu and 1 Hammer). The photo was taken around mile 14 on the map.

It was a good run but my legs were tired and heavy at the end. My last 20 miler had an average pace of 11:48 and this one was 11:12 per mile. The cooler weather helped in the first 10 miles or so. I also took a new path from mile 5-12. A new path always help. It was a country road but there was more traffic than I expected. I probably will not take that path again unless it's Sunday morning.

I'm not sure anymore if Gatorade helps or hurts. My stomach feels a bit off after Gatorade. I think I'll do the next 20 miler just on water, gels and Endurolytes.

Up next: 10 miles tomorrow morning.

Monthly review for Sept

In September I ran about 175 miles, an increase from the 135 miles in Aug. My weekly mileage totals for each week ending in Sept were: 32.5, 41.2, 51.0, and 34.0 for each of the Sunday nights in the month. The number I like to follow the most is a moving thirty day total (see graph):

As of Sept 1st my previous thirty total was 136 miles and was 175 miles on the 30th. The program I am following for the Nov 21st marathon builds to a maximum 30 day total of 200 miles for one day on Oct 17.

Review: The month started a bit rough with a larger blister on my right foot that resulted in foot pain from me walking on it oddly. However, it appears I did the right thing by cutting the mileage that week and taking a day or two extra off (see the drop in the plot line in early Sept.) The weather is now much better and the long runs can get at my lungs and legs verses just dealing with overheating. It was a good month again, as I increased my fitness, had fun and ended the month feeling good (no pain anywhere).

Upcoming: Oct is the thick of my training plan. Twenty mile long runs followed by 12 miles the following week. I'll get three runs of 20 miles in this month, starting with one tomorrow morning. These runs should give me a much better idea of where I stand pace wise for the Marathon. Right now, I have no real idea where I stand since I still have three 20's to run and most of my long runs to date have been done in the heat. My last marathon pace was 10:28 five years ago. I'm around that number but I could see me running this one within 30 seconds of that pace on either side (slower or faster). Speed is not my primary goal in running by any means but it's how marathons are measured.

5 miles around the complex (Thursday)

Yesterday, I got to run my 5 outside in the evening as it fit well enough into the family schedule to avoid the treadmill. It was a sluggish pace run but still felt good for some reason. I forgot to record the weather but it was likely in the low 70's with less humidity than the day before. I did not take any water or calories. Normally, in the winter, if I am running for an hour or less I don't take water or gels. The summer does require more water and I seem to do better with a gel.

Note: the monthly review for September will come in a few days. I'm a bit swamped with work and a sick kid.