Friday: 8.3 sneeze powered miles.

Friday I ran 8.3 miles. I could not stop sneezing for most of it. I had planned on around 12 but whatever pollen was out on Friday did me in.

It was an otherwise fun run but not that fun.

A great spring dozen

It was a real spring day for once. It was in the 50's and sunny. I ran my least favorite type of run (an out and back) because I wanted to run a specific amount. An out and back is a great way to run a specific number of miles (12 for today, 0 calories, maybe 1 liter of water). My pace was good, my legs felt good and the weather was great. A very good running day.

This is a planned low mileage week for some healing and work to occur. I'll do another 12 or so on Friday and then do a big run (25+) next Wednesday as the last very long run before the ultra.

Just trying a new layout.

A faster 5

Today I ran into town and back. I did more of a loop than my normal out and back. My leg was fine. I kept a good pace for the run. Nice morning, but more church traffic than normal kept me dodging cars more than a normal Sunday morning.

Easy 5

Tonight I ran around the local roads and paths instead of running into town. My right leg is being a little funny so I didn't push it. No sharp or shooting pains, just feels a bit off. I think it will go away with this up coming low mileage week.

8 miles with the wife.

My wife took off work today so after dropping off the boy at school and running an errand we were able to go for a run together (something we used to do a lot of). We ran to the park on the other side of town and back. My legs were fine from the 28 miles the other day.

It was a great day for a run and nice to run with her again (a faster 5k runner).

28.5 Miles

(Photo taken around mile 4 on map below. South side of Franklin, looking north.)

Today I ran 28.5 miles. It was a decent day but the Sun just would not fully go away. I was starting to melt and considered cutting the run short (20 or so) but clouds popped up enough to give the Sun a time out once in a while.

Again, I lost track of my fluid intake. It may have been about 6 liters; I took in about 800 calories (2 cliff bars and some Hammer gels). I ended up down about 3 pounds from the start of the run. I think that is to be expect on a warm day.

Up next: a low mileage next 10 days as I will be on full time kid duty next week. After that, I plan on one more long run (20+) followed by about two week taper.

5 miles and running schedule updates.

Tonight (my first future post) I'll be running to Starbucks and back. There is no plan to push it because this week's really long run (25+) will have to be on Wednesday rather than Friday so just an easy run is on tap for today.

Running schedule updates:

The running schedule is coming together for the rest of the year (See the events list to the right). I'll be doing the Strolling Jim 41.2 mile run in May, a 10 mile run (RC Cola-Moon Pie 10 Mile Run) in June, the Chattanooga Marathon in October and the Philly Marathon in November.

The ten mile run is a new one for me. It's about an hour away but fits just about perfectly with what I need. The four weeks leading up to it will be after the ultra and during a very busy work schedule. All day training runs will be out, so now I will be able to focus on shorter runs (5-12 miles) with a goal in mind. It will give me a month to work on increasing my pace with a good base of endurance from the ultra training. I'd still like to find mid-distance run (8-15 miles) for either July or August but the fall marathon schedule looks good. Both marathons will be repeats for me, so the focus will be improving my times.

The goal for next year is to do a 50 miler. I just need to find one that fits the work and family schedule and doesn't cost to much to get to and do. I'm not above just doing my own unofficial 50 miler if nothing official fits well. The goal however, and of course, is the LeGrizz 50 miler in Montana.