AZ Run Dad

9.65 miles: Warmed up 2.85 miles including drills and strides before starting 8x 800 with 2 min jogs on the roads. This was a tough one. Averaged 2:34 with a range of 2:32-2:36. The jogs were quite slow (8:30-9:15 pace) but I had to recover and that is what it took. I was surprised I could go this fast already but I'm not going to lie...it was HARD! 

8 miles recovery style. It's been a while since I truly needed a recovery run. Felt good to go slow and get the blood moving a little bit.

10.05 miles: AP 6:33: At this point this was a medium long run for me and I wanted a nice steady medium hard effort. That's what I got today. It was really windy thus morning at 3 am when I ran and I was running a loop so I was switching back and forth between 6:20/6:40 miles depending on if I was running with or against the wind. I'm pleased with the run and I feel like my endurance is coming around.

8 miles: 5 easy then last three in 17:27. Last 3 weren't easy but they were easier than the last two in 12:05 last week so there is progress there. It was cold this morning but now I started reading about the temps in Utah and I'm soft for sure.

12 miles 6:42 AP: Mostly easy run on the canals in Gilbert with a 10 x 1 min on/off thrown in the last few miles. Those were done at HM to M pace. Felt pretty good and this completed a nice week of fully being back in normal training mode after the marathon.

Easy miles + strides. Felt good this morning to start the week. Can't complain about that. 

10 miles: I wasn't sure how this one would go but I was happy with it and things are coming along quickly now. I warmed up 2.85 miles with drills and strides then did 4 x 1 mile w/3 min jogs (8-8:15 pace). Splits were 5:17,5:13,5:13,5:07. It was tough but it felt much better than 800s last week. Last night we got a Vitamix blender for soups and smoothies. Any recipes you all like send them my way. Thanks!

AM: 6 miles easy 

PM: 4 miles easy + 4 x 10 sec hill sprints 

6 miles easy + strides. First race of the year tomorrow. Just a 5k and not expecting much. We'll see how it goes.

AM: Chandler Family Fitness 5k 16:22: It was a really cold morning for AZ standards (20s) and it was the first time I've ever worn a long sleeve shirt under my singlet. I won this race last year in 16:04 but it was a week later and I was coming off of a half marathon instead of a marathon so it's hard to compare exactly. My splits were 5:17, 5:13, 5:20 and 4:56 for the close. I felt pretty good until two miles and then my lack of endurance (just getting back into training) showed up and I had to hold it together for a painful 5:20. I'm not disappointed as I wasn't quite sure where I was at. This is a good start to the cycle and a clear marker of where I am. I cooled down on the course route with some friends afterwards. Now time to get to work for the next eight weeks!

 PM: 3 mile shakeout. Felt really good to get this is and loosen up after the race this morning. 

Every week my wife and I do a newsletter with running articles, tips, and other running stuff. Message me if you would like to be added to our list. Here is last week's:

Running Newsletter 

12 miles: Just a nice an easy run today. It was cold again so I had a long sleeve covering my watch and didn't see it the whole time. Turned out to be 7:03 which is exactly what I wanted for today. I started at 7:30 and only saw three runners on path where I normally see a ton. Too bad 25 degrees scares everybody away from exercising outside. I'm looking forward to another solid week of training.

6+ easy miles. Brr. Another one in the 20s. Cold for us AZ softies. Feel good though and I'm ready to take it up a notch.

This was a great 20 x 400 session this morning. It was a nice mix of a mental and physical challenge. I did these on the road and took short recovery jogs of about 100m. I averaged 78-79 seconds which by itself isn't that fast for me but with the short rests and large volume that pace got tough. I feel like I got a great stimulus from this workout. I did my typical 2.85 mile warm up with drills and strides and cooled down a mile after. I love the feeling I get after a workout like this.

AM: 4.17: No alarm so only had time for 4 miles.

PM: 8.2 miles with 6 x 10 second hill sprints with full recovery

Legs felt pretty good today.  

AM: 10.3 miles 6:20 pace. Started with 6 miles at a nice steady pace 6:35ish for the first part then did four at 5:50,5:46,5:49,5:44. Those were tough but I wasn't digging or suffering. Kind of felt like half marathon effort. I wanted to be a little fatigued when I started the faster stuff so that's why I started with the faster pace. Good workout today and I'm definitely seeing fitness gains.

PM: 4 miles easy: Legs were feeling the morning session. 

14 miles 6:24 pace: Ran 5.5 easy then did 6 x 1 mile w/1 min jog recoveries. Splits were 5:36,5:35,5:36,5:33,5:33,5:28 (kicked at the end).  I jogged a couple of easy miles to finish off the day. The miles were tough especially when I got down in the lower 5:30s. Tell me My current LT pace is right around 5:35. Good run today, I'm happy with it and got some confidence from it. Allison and I are headed to the Rock n Roll AZ expo and then we'll be out there tomorrow cheering on Jake and a bunch of other people tomorrow.

8 Easy miles + some strides and then we headed out to cheer at RnR AZ half and full. We got to see Jake at around 4 miles and he was in fifth place. Later found out he was second in 1:05:55. Outstanding! Also had awesome performance by many friends. It was a great morning. We took the kids out and they enjoyed most of it. 

6 easy miles + strides. Nothing fancy.

AM: 11 miles: Good strength workout this morning. Warmed up about 2.5 miles with drills and strides then I did 2 miles in 10:46 and 4 x 1 mile in 5:19,5:22,5:20,5:18. Rests were 3min jogs for everything. The two mile was pretty hard and the miles felt a little more comfortable because I was recovering pretty well between each one. I cooled down 1 mile after. Pretty happy with this one. I thought it would be tough and I was right.

 PM: 4 Miles at the park on the way home. Ran shirtless and legs felt surprisingly fresh after the morning session. Great run. 

AM: 8 Miles slow and easy. Felt tired but got it in. The workout from yesterday was felt on this run.

PM: 4.3 Miles with 4 easy then 8 x 10 second hill sprints. I really like doing these hill sprints and think they are very beneficial especially early in the cycle.  

12.1 miles progressive at a  moderate pace (harder than easy but not "hard").  Took a while to get going and continually worked the pace down. A few in the 6:25 range before a sub 6 on the last one. I am tired and ready for an off day and some extra sleep tomorrow. AP 6:36

8.25 miles. Got out really early because I needed to be done to lead a group run for the Phoenix Marathon (I drive them up to the start and stop every couple of miles and shout encouragement) at 6:30. It was raining pretty good but it was pretty warm so I actually ran shirtless which is crazy for January. Anyway workout was 8 x 400 w/400 jogs up and down my street. 69,69,71,69,73,69,72,69. Inconsistent and the 69s were too fast for the effort I was looking for but oh well. Good workout overall.

16.25 Miles AP 6:36: Met a group at South Mountain in Phoenix which was a nice change for me. This is a pretty hilly route and usually a tough run. Today was no exception. We were going a decent clip for 10 miles and then a couple of the guys picked it up for a fast finish. I was dropped at that point and I couldn't have gone with them if I wanted to. I was already tired. As we were getting dropped we ran a 6:04 so we decided to take it down a notch. The last couple of up hill miles were tough for me but I was able to recover and run the last couple down hill miles in 11:15. This was a solid run today but definitely tough. It's my longest run since the marathon last month.

6.4 Miles: Recovery day: Forecast called for rain so I had my rain layer laid out. When I got outside it was nice and not raining so I shed that layer. 1 mile in it started pouring. I'm not going to lie I wanted to go in because I was soaked, it was 3 am, and I had tired legs. I had about 10 minutes of miserable stuff and then it got better. I'm glad I stuck it out. Tacked on some strides at the end.

10 miles: Tough workout this morning. 8 x 1k w/200 jogs slightly faster than 10k pace done on the roads. Splits were all between 3:17-3:20. After the first couple I thought I might have to slow down because it hurt and the rest seemed really short. Once I got passed the fourth one things got better and it was more manageable for me. Running is so mental. Warmed up 2.85 with drills and strides and cooled down 1.25. Very tired after this one.

AM: 8 miles easy. Rough the first couple and then loosened up.

PM: 4.4 with 4 easy and some strides. Great running weather and felt pretty good. 

8 miles with 10 x 1 min on/jog at 5:00 min pace. Those were kind of hard. Day off tomorrow. Gladly taking it. 

Some easy miles with 4 x 200 in 31,34,33,32 with 200 jogs. I'm running a 10k in the morning and this was just a leg awakener. We'll see if it worked. 

Not a great race today. I've been a little off lately physically and mentally and that came through today. Workouts have been tougher than they should be and a little bit of "why am I doing this" has been creeping in. Post marathon blues? I'm not sure but I'd like it to change it. Anyway, I got a good warm up in and the weather was great for running. 55 and cloudy.  My splits were 5:26, 5:25, 5:29, 5:29, 5:35, 5:32, and 1:12 for the last .25. I was 5th place and had people around me to help push. I never felt comfortable out there which is probably due to my weak mental attitude. I was thinking low to mid 33 going in so this is pretty far off. This is just a couple of seconds per mile faster than my half marathon in Nov. The course was fast and flat so I can't blame that. I hope things turn around but maybe I have just pushed a little too hard and too quickly post marathon. I wrote down 32:30 for my goal for this race at the beginning of the year. Maybe I was expecting too much. Time for some chili and cornbread and the first half of the Super Bowl. I won't be able to stay up much past that. 

AM: 6.25 miles very easy. No soreness which is good after racing yesterday.

PM: 4 more easy miles. Ran at Freestone Park on the way home from work. Incredible weather. No shirt for this one. Perfect.  

AM: 8.5 Easy miles including strides at the end. 

PM: 4 Easy miles at the park on the way home again. No shirt. AZ weather at its finest.

Legs feel good and it's been nice taking it easy. I started taking naproxen for my bursitis in my hip. I have a feeling that limping the first mile of every run may have been eating at my confidence without me thinking much about it. I've dealt with bursitis a lot and I always get rid of it fairly quickly. I just don't like to take anti-inflamitory medicine because it has been shown to slow down improvement. It's feeling better already. 

10 miles moderate with a push the last .6 for some excitement. 5:16 pace for that but felt like 5 flat pace. 

AM: Hilly Half Marathon today: 13.1 6:29 pace

Ran 3.5 miles from work up to the canal and 32nd then did 6 straight miles at marathon effort up and down the hill from the canal to Lincoln up 32nd St (125-130 ft over a mile). Splits were 6:18,5:55,6:08,5:47,6:08,5:37. Felt pretty good on those. Finished easy/moderate back to work and felt like I still had a lot of energy. This run helped me in a lot if different ways.

PM: 4.35 miles w/4 easy and 6 strides in the grass. Legs were tired from the morning session but it was another very enjoyable run with the perfect weather we've been having.

8.25 miles: a mini workout this morning. Warmed up 2.85 w/ drills and strides and threw on my Saucony A4s. I did 4 x 800 in 2:26,2:26,2:27,2:27 w/800 jogs on the road. They were pretty hard but it's good for me to sprinkle in some of the sub 5 stuff for a good speed foundation. This was probably 3k pace for me. I hope I can turn that into 5k pace in a couple months. Work to do!

16 miles with a 7.5 mile warm up then 2 x 3 miles with 1 mile jog between in 16:56 and 16:58. Target was 17 flat and hopefully not too hard. First set fit the bill and second one got tough. I'm still happy with this run and it's definitely a positive for me. Pretty good week after a bad race last week. 

AM: 7.25 Easy including a few strides. 

PM: 4 easy miles at Freestone Park on the way home from work. 

AM: 10 miles: Ran to the track and did some drills and strides before doing the following workout: 5 x (1200 in 3:54, 100 in 30 sec, 300 in 54) with 3 min walking rests. So basically it was a more interesting way of runnin a 5:18 mile and I got to practice kicking it in when tired. This was a tough one but I feel pretty good about it. It's not that easy to get these type of workouts done by myself in the cold and dark but when I get done it feels great and I don't have to yell lane 1 at other runners at that time of the day. Have a great day!

 PM: 5 miles easy on the way home from work. 

10 slower miles around the park and on the canal on a perfect day.

10 miles starting easy and then ending with a moderated progression run. Never worked hard but was getting there by the end of this one. Ended up skipping my second run to get a sitter and go to dinner with my wife. Best training decision of the week.

4 Easy and some strides

10 miles with some speed reps: Ran a couple miles to the track and did some drills and strides then did 12 x 400 w/400 slow jogs. I averaged 71 for these. The reps where I hit 70 felt like a little too much effort and loss of smooth form but 71-72 felt better and much smoother. A slight difference but I definitely could tell. This turned out to be a good workout and a good start to the day. 

This was a last second choice for me. My goal race is the Eugene Half in April and the Phoenix Half in a couple of weeks is a major one on the schedule. My planned workout for the day was 18 with last 8 at 5:45 which I knew would be a tough one. I decided last minute to email the race director for the Lost Dutchman Half and ask for an comped entry which was $100. He very generously said yes so I decided to do my workout in the race where there would be competition and water stops. Perfect. When I told my coach what I was planning he actually told me to go for 5:45s and then pick it up at the end which was more aggressive but I was fine with it. I didn't look at my watch much during the race and went off effort as much as I could. I ended up in third for most of the first half and I felt like I was giving a pretty decent effort but holding back just a little. Most of my splits were between 5:40 and 5:55 depending on the terrain. The course had no major hills but was very rolling and always changing. I thought it was kind of a tough course (I live in extremely flat area). Anyway at the turnaround I turned my effort level up a notch and started to close on the top two. On the long incline in the 10th mile I was about to catch the top guy but I was starting to wonder if I would have enough left to race him to the finish. We ran a couple of miles together trading a few surges before I finally was clear of him for good with just over a mile to go. I ended up getting a nice boost of energy and was able to close in 5:20, 5:24 over the last two miles. The highlight of the race for me was seeing my wife and kids going around the last turn and getting to see them as I was coming in for the win. My daughter says I always get second so it was nice to win one! This turned out to be more of a race effort than I was hoping but I'm happy with the way it played out. I was not tapered at all (workout yesterday and a big mileage week for me) so I was happy with it. Also, the course was challenging and I think I should be able to take a nice chunk of time off at the Phoenix Half in a couple weeks. I cooled down with the second place guy afterwards and we got to talking and his brother is Andrew Wheating who is one of the US's top 800/1500 guys. I thought that was pretty interesting. He is a triathlete just getting into it and that was his first non triathlon half marathon. He was 1:15:40 which I thought was pretty impressive. All in all good day. Always nice to win a race.

AM: 6 miles easy. Body didn't feel bad at all. Pleasant surprise.

 PM: 4 miles easy. Soreness setting in. 

10 miles easy: I had a big workout on the schedule but since I gave a hard effort in the race Sunday I decided to push it back. Sounds like an easy decision but it's always difficult to do less. I could tell I wasn't ready during the run so I was happy with my decision.

AM: 8 Easy + Strides: Legs were feeling almost back to normal again. Really windy but I had a good run and felt good. Broke out a brand new pair of Kinvara 2s. I loaded up on them about a year ago. This is my last pair.

PM: 4 easy. Really cold for AZ. It snowed on the Superstition Mountains which are about 30 minutes from me and where I ran the half marathon Sunday. Nice to see snow on the mountains around here for once. 

This was the big workout on the schedule this week that I had to push to later in the week because of the half marathon I did Sunday. I warmed up 2.85 miles including drills and strides and then did 8 x 1 mile LT repeats with 1 min jogs on the road. Splits were 5:29,5:31,5:29,5:30,5:29,5:29,5:31,5:27. This was a tough workout both mentally and physically but I'm very happy with the results and how I felt. Since I ran the marathon in December things have been coming back very slowly but I'm starting to see some substantial gains now.

I was attending the Running Summit in California so I was able to run along the beach in Newport with my coach John. We did 8 miles or so with some faster 20 sec pick ups at 4:30ish with full jog recoveries pace in the last few miles. It was quite a nice run with the sunrise on one side and the ocean on the other. 

12 miles in Newport Beach. We had to get up earlier because classes for the Running Summit started earlier so we are on the beach path in the dark at 5 am. It was extremely windy but we still got a good workout in. We went out 6 then flipped and turned into the wind for another mile before starting a progression run (sort of). I did 5:54, 5:38,5:31, 5:39. These were into a 15mph headwind so the third mile kind of did me in and I slowed for the fourth one. Pretty happy given the conditions.

8 miles easy

10.25 miles with 8 x 1k w/200 jogs done on the roads. I did this workout about a month ago and it was a grind. Today was hard but much better. The first one was 3:13 and last one was 3:14. Other than that they were all 3:18-19 and I didn't have to push to hit those times. Nice to see some improvement.

8 Miles easy after work. Legs tired.

8 miles with 10 x 1 min on/jog at 5:20-5:30 pace in the last 4 miles. Felt okay today.

4 miles including some longer strides

1:14:21 for sixth place. Traffic getting to the buses was ridiculous so I decided to park about 2.5 miles from the start and run there. That turned out to be a really good choice. Besides being a little cold in my racing gear for a few minutes it was pretty stress free. I got in my full warm up and some strides on my way to the start.  Race seemed very organized and we were off very close to the 6:30 start time. The weather seemed perfect. I was determined to go off effort and not look at my watch at all until the mile splits. First two seemed conservative enough and were 5:41,5:44. A lead group of 4 had separated early and I was running with another guy for the first nine miles. We would trade surges and taking the lead but it was nice to have him there. Rest of the splits were 5:34,5:36,5:38,5:37,5:39, 5:39, 5:38,5:45,5:44,5:43,5:31, (4:59 pace for the last .16). The guy I was running with gapped me around 9 miles and I didn't respond well enough to stick to him. I was hurting so I tried of course but you always say "what if" when you look back. Anyway, I was a little disappointed with the time and miles 10,11,12 is where I lost the time that I was hoping for. The course was good, weather was perfect, and I gave it my all so I can't ask for much more. After the race I quickly cooled down and went to watch the marathoners come in. I was coaching a few in the race and I got to see Jake going for the win with about 1.5 to go which was very cool to see. For about an hour I had no idea if he had won or not. Overall a great day doing something I love to do.

5+ miles recovery shuffle. I'm getting old. 

8 miles + some strides. Legs are tired and so is the rest of me. I have another race this weekend. Recovery will be interesting. 

10 miles with a 4 mile warmup then 5 x 4 min at MP (5:55) straight into 1 min at 10k pace (5:25) and then straight back into the 4 min at MP and so on. So the total tempo run was 25 min straight through probably around around 5:45-50 pace overall. I enjoyed this was as it was something different and I don't feel like it pounded my body although it did get tough towards the end. It also challenged me mentally to shift paces like that. I'd like to do something like this more often.

8 miles easy. Feeling fresher. I think I'll be okay for the 15k this weekend.

Warmed up a couple of miles then did a couple of 800s a little faster than 15k pace. Felt good and fresh.

Pretty good race today. Basically on par with what I've done lately but I had a decent finish and that always feels good. I was 27 seconds faster than last year and was sub 52 which is what I wanted. Splits were 5:43,5:25,5:24,5:19,5:26,5:33,5:44,5:50,5:27, 1:51 (.37). This race has big money so I ended up running with some of the top women for a lot of the race. The top men were well ahead and I only saw them after the race. There is a big hill at around 7 miles and I didn't have much after that last year so I left a little bit in the tank this year and was able to have a good finish. That helped my time a lot. This is a great race and the post race is awesome. Tons of good awards and lots of beer. I took home a dinner for four at Chipotle and a 12 pack of Kilt Lifter beer. My kids also had a great time playing in the grass and park. It was a great morning for running! 

6 miles very slow. Body is only a little beat up today which is an improvement over the last two races I've done.

8 easy. I felt pretty good this morning and was able to start the run without a limp from hip pain for the first time in a while. Started the Mrytl Routine cool down today.

AM: 8 miles at a moderate pace. My body is feeling better and hip pain seems to be going in the right direction. That helped for a bit of a faster pace this morning. 

PM: 4 miles easy + 6 x 10 second hill sprints 

12 miles with 6 easy then last 6 progressing from marathon effort down to 15k effort. Splits for last six were 5:58, 5:49, 5:44, 5:41, 5:37, 5:35. This one got tough towards the end. My legs were a little sore and tired from some strength exercises I started but I am feeling as healthy as I have for a while.

8 miles with 3 x 1 mile repeats with 2:55 jogs between. Not a huge workout but faster for me. Splits were 5:07, 5:06, 5:05. It was hard but I'm confident I could have done another one at that pace. I'm happy with this one. I haven't done miles this fast for a while. I hope to be able to run this pace at the Carlsbad 5000 on April 7.

16.45 miles with 7.5 miles then straight into 3 x 2 miles with 1 mile jog between. Goal was to be comfortably hard and not go too slow on the recovery jog. Actual was a little bit harder than comfortably hard but times were fast and I was right where I wanted to be for the jogs. Splits were 11:17, 7:10, 11:10, 7:00 11:03. The first one actually seemed the toughest because my body had to adjust from 6:40 pace to 5:40 pace in an instant. Good workout today and a nice back to back this weekend.

8 Easy miles. 

AM: 10 Miles easy/moderate. I was warming up to do a workout but I could tell my body wasn't quite ready so I just kept on with easy running.

PM: 4.4 Miles with some strides 

10.4 Miles with 8 x 1k. Plan was to go through 800 in around 2:40 then finish the last 200 in 35. I did these on the road so it didn't quite go as planned but it did go well. Rests were 200 walks which seemed like a lot. Splits were 3:13, 3:12, 3:11, 3:09, 3:11, 3:10, 3:09, 3:08. I think I was running the last 200 in around 35 seconds. I felt good today and not wiped out after this one. 

AM: 10 miles easy. Legs felt pretty good considering the workout yesterday.

PM: 4 miles easy + 6 x 10 second hill sprints. When I was doing the hill sprints there was a guy doing the same exact thing as me and he was just blasting up the hill with really good form like a sprinter. It just didn't look like a normal guy to me. He was only about 5 ft 6 but he was built like a fire hydrant. Before my last one I told him good job and that he looked really strong doing the hill sprints. We got to talking and he was Larod Stephens-Howling from the Cardinals (NFL). He was a good return guy and fill in running back when guys were injured. He was a really nice guy and is a free agent right now. I thought it was pretty cool to see an NFL guy out there doing hill sprints.  

10 miles with a speed workout this morning. I did 6 x 800 with 800 jogs. Splits were 2:25, 2:26, 2:24, 2:26, 2:25, 2:27. These were pretty hard but they should be. That's a fast pace for me. My speed is improving though so I have no complaints. I will get a nice fill of endurance tomorrow. 

18 miles. Nice long run this morning. First 8 about 6:45 pace and felt good then progressed slowly for the last 10 down to 5:26 for the last mile. Last 4 miles were all under 6. Nice mental challenge for this one. I felt pretty good this morning especially considering the faster 800s yesterday.

8 miles easy. Legs were tired from the weekend.

AM: 10 miles with 4 x 1 mile on the road w/3 min jogs. Splits were 5:01, 5:01, 5:03, 4:57. Happy with this one especially after a hard long run on Sunday. Cooled down a couple of miles to finish it off.

PM: 4 miles easy on the way home from work. Legs were toast from the morning session. 

8 miles easy. Perfect weather for this one. It took a couple miles to loosen up and then I had a nice enjoyable easy run.

12 miles at a moderate pace with a couple faster towards the end. I finished the run with 6 x 100ish strides for a touch of speed. Great weather again this morning. 

10 miles with a quick track workout. I ran to the track and did some drills and strides before jumping into a 12 x 400 w/400 jogs workout. The first and last one were 68 and the rest were all 69 so I was happy with the consistency. These were still in control as far as form goes but I honestly didn't have a ton of wiggle room. I think 68s the whole time would have been too fast. Good workout though. Have a great weekend!

12 miles easy this morning. My legs weren't sore from yesterday's faster reps but they were tired. Nice peaceful run this morning and perfect weather as usual for this time of year.

8 miles easy. First time having fresh legs on a Monday in a while.

10 miles: Warmed up 2.85 miles including drills and strides. Workout was 5 x 3/4 mile with 1/4 mile jogs on the road. Splits were 3:42,3:44,3:41,3:43,3:42. Jogs were about 2:05. This was a tough workout but one of my best ever. Good way to start the day. Just a couple more days and then we're off to Carlsbad!

8 miles easy around the neighborhood. My legs felt surprisingly fresh this morning. Can't complain about that!

10 miles: This was more of an up tempo run. I was running at a decent pace and then ran the last four miles in 23:37 as an actual tempo segment. I felt good this morning and the faster pace was coming easily. Always a good sign. Tomorrow is my 10 year wedding anniversary. My wife and I are headed to Carlsbad for the Carlsbad 5000 and a mini vacation. Definitely excited for this one. 

Easy shakeout run in Carlsbad with Allison along the Ocean. I always appreciate running in different places especially when the ocean is right there. I did 4 x .25 mile pickups at 5k pace toward the end of the run. We absolutely love it here.

15:44 was my official time and I'm not sure of my place exactly but I was somewhere around 10th. The races are all divided into age groups so I was running with only 30-39 year olds. This is our second year in a row doing this race and we love it. It's very well organized and the city is very into the race. It's also not a bad place to be hanging out by the ocean. My workouts have been going well lately and I knew I could run somewhere in the high 15s. It was just a matter of executing. I actually got really nervous this morning about being able to put it all together but everything worked out. I convinced myself I would not look at my watch and I would just compete. I've never been able to do that but it paid off. I set my watch to split at each kilometer but I only looked at the 4th one. There are a lot of fast people at this race and there was a group of about 15 that I was at the back of. I felt good and went with it just trying to hang on to the lead group. I had a feeling we were out quick and I hit the mile (clock on the course) in 4:54. Instead of telling myself I was too fast I told myself I was having a good day and kept getting after it. The second mile is the slowest mile on the course and I was able to pass a couple of guys there. I hit the two mile marker at 10:04 and I knew I would break 16. I have no idea what my third mile was but I first saw the clock when it said low 15s with a little more than 200 to go. I was able to have a strong kick and I was really happy with the result. My 1k splits on my watch were 3:05, 3:10, 3:09, 3:11, 3:07. This was an 11 second road PR and 19 seconds faster than last year. If I'm still competing next year I will be back for this race. It's a good one! We stayed around and watched the elite race afterwards. Amazing how fast they were running. The Olympic silver medalist at 5000 meters (Gebremeskel) won in 13:21. They were so impressive. 

6 easy miles in Carlsbad along the ocean before we head home. I added a few slower strides at the end to loosen things up. I'm going to miss the place.

8 easy miles around the neighborhood a few times. My hamstrings were sore from Sunday's 5k. 

AM: 8 miles easy around the neighborhood.

PM: 4 miles easy + 6 x 10 second hill sprints.

LT Mile Repeats 12.3 miles

This was my best threshold session ever. I warmed up 2.5 miles with some drills and a few strides then did 8 x 1 mile repeats on the road with 1 min jogs between. Splits were 5:26,5:25,5:25,5:25,5:24,5:25,5:25,5:21. Very tough towards the end. Cooled down about a mile to finish it off.

10 miles easy + strides. Legs felt great this morning and weather was perfect. It was hard to keep the pace slower than 7 min this morning. Great sign I guess. I'm getting pumped for all the people running Boston this year. Looks like some good weather this time around.

17 miles: This was supposed to be 18 with the last 8 cutting down in two mile segments. I started out with 9.5 miles feeling good at about 6:45 pace then I went into the faster portion. First two were 11:55, next two were 11:38, next two were 11:26, I was supposed to run the last two as hard as I could go but all I had was a 5:39 and I felt a bonk coming so I just jogged it home until I hit 17 miles. Overall this was a good run but I wish I had more at the end. I did take two GUs during the run but I only had one sip of water. Not sure why I got so tired but I think I did the right rather than going to the well for one more mile under 6.

8 miles easy: Roller coaster of a day. Pumped and excited following Boston and my teammates who won the team masters competition then the tragic events and hoping everyone was ok. Knots in my stomach all day. This kind of stuff is unthinkable. All of my Arizona friends were safe and accounted for. 

AM; 10 miles: Felt good today and once I got going I decided it would be a faster day. I didn't look at my watch once so this one was all effort based. My plan was to run the last 4 as a tempo effort. The run turned out to be a lot faster than I thought. Last 4 were 5:40, 5:42, 5:20, 5:16. I was giving a very hard effort the last mile. I seem to run better when I don't look at my watch. AP was 6:04.

PM: 4 miles easy Freestone Park 

8 miles easy in the neighborhood. 

AM: 13 miles: Big workout today. Warmed up with drills and strides then did 12 x 1k with 200 jogs on the road. Averaged about 3:15 per kilometer which I was really happy with. There were a few 3:17s and the last one was 3:11 but the rest were all 3:15/16. Great strength workout. It was a tough one for sure but this is the fastest I have been able to do this workout. A week and a half until the Eugene Half!

PM: 4 miles with my 5 year old daughter riding along on the bike. Our first run together. Very cool.

8 miles with a little speed workout this morning. Warmed up about 4.25 miles then did 8 x 200 on the road with 200 jogs. I set my Garmin to .2 kilometers so accuracy just isn't as reliable as the track but every time I go to the track my hip pain flares up. Anyway I felt really good this morning. Splits: 30,33,30,30,32,31,30,30. Have a great weekend everyone!

Mostly easy run on soft surfaces this morning. I pushed just a little the last 5 or so. My main goal was to not work too hard and I feel like I accomplished that and still got a nice run in. Weather was great and I was out as the sun came up which is my favorite time to run.

8 miles easy around the neighborhood.

8.75 miles: With a half marathon this weekend I needed a lighter workout but one that still got me moving pretty good. I did 5 x 3/4 mile w/ 1/4 mile jogs. Splits were 3:55,56,55,55,57. I was in control and didn't have to push too hard but it was still a challenging workout. I would say 10k effort so I got what I was looking for today.

8 miles easy around the neighborhood a few times.

8 miles with a light workout today. Warmed up a few miles then did 4 x 1/2 mile with 1/4  mile jogs. Ran 2:37,2:40,2:39,2:38. It wasn't too hard but I was working a little bit. I pictured just cruising along at 5:20 pace and that wasn't the case. The point was to get one last little bit of turnover without too much stress on the body before the half this weekend. Overall I feel great and I'm ready to race.

4 easy and strides in Eugene.

1:11:40 for a 45 second PR today. Ran with a nice pack for much of the race and competed well. Great crowds, great weather, and a good course. Ended on the track at Hayward Field which was awesome.

Finally got some race details up on our blog.  

6.75 very easy miles with Allison along the river and Pre's Trail in Eugene before we left this morning. Very nice run. Back to the heat now. 

10 miles around the neighborhood a few times. My legs were a little sore from the race but I have no hip pain which is a great sign. A couple of easy days before another workout. Looks like I'll be running Mountains to Beach Half Marathon and a 5k in Tucson before ending the season/cycle with the Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon at the same place as the US Half Marathon Championships. I'm still a couple minutes short of qualifying for that race. 

AM: 8 miles easy around the neighborhood. I was tempted to venture out but at the time I run it feels much safer to run in the neighborhood without traffic.

 PM: 4.2 miles w/6 x 10 second hill sprints. Allison and the kids met me at the park on my way home from work  and I ran 4 miles with my daughter biking along. I really enjoyed it. 

Warmed up 2.85 with drills and strides then did 6 x 1 mile with 3 min jogs. It was really windy this morning which helped make this a tough workout. Goal was to start at 5:25 and get about 5 seconds faster with each one. Splits were 5:22, 5:16, 5:13, 5:11, 5:07, 5:06. I was beat at the end of this one. I'm happy with this one given the proximity to the half marathon and windy conditions.

16 miles: 10 at about 6:45 pace then last 6 at marathon pace. Splits for those were 5:41, 5:43, 5:43, 5:42, 5:38, 5:40. I was going to do this run tomorrow but I won't have time tomorrow unless I got up super early so I just got it done today. Pretty happy with how I felt. Last 6 got a little tough towards the end. A couple of decent workouts this week coming off of the half marathon. My body feels healthy and that's all I can ask for.

8 miles with a leg turnover workout this morning. I was going to do this workout yesterday and the long run today but had to switch them. My legs were a little tired during the warm up but actually felt good during the workout. I did 8 x 300 in 49 avg. with 1 min walks. Just a tad fast but I did feel in control (just heavy breathing after each one). Given the long run yesterday I was really happy to have some bounce in my legs. 

8 miles easy around the neighborhood. After 3 workouts in 4 days this one was needed.

10 miles with repetitions: Workout was 4 x 400, 2 x 1 mile, 4 x 400. 90 second jog after each 1/4 and 3min jog after each mile. Did this on the road. Splits were 68,71,72,70, 4:57, 4:56, 69,69,70,67. Very happy with this one. I liked how it was broken up. Warmed up 2.85 with drills and strides and cooled down about 1.3 miles.

PM: 4 miles easy on the way home from work. Felt great to loosen up after the tough morning session.

AM: 8 miles easy around the neighborhood

PM: 4 miles easy at Freestone Park on the way home from work.

16 miles with baby Fartlek: Nice night/early morning for running. I started each of the last 12 miles with 1 minute at anywhere from 5:10 to 5:30 pace to keep things interesting. AP 6:30

6.5 miles: 6 easy with some strides after that. I'm running a 5k in Tucson tomorrow. I'm hoping for a PR and I think I have an outside shot at 15:30 if things go well. There is usually good competition in this race. I hope so tomorrow.

16:02 6th Place: I'm disappointed with this result. I was expecting a PR and really thought I could push 15:30. Everything before the race was fine. I kind of got Father's Day treatment on  Mother's Day because my Mom came to our house at 4 am to watch the kids and my wife got up at 3:30 to come with me. Originally she planned on this race but she got hurt and I kept it on the schedule. I'm a lucky guy! Anyway I got in a decent warm up and strides and all of that good stuff. It was warm for racing (75) and a little windy but the course ran on a square so it equalled itself out. There was plenty of competition and I definitely competed but it just wasn't my day. I went out in 5:04 for the first mile which was slightly uphill and into the wind. I was fine with that pace because that would theoretically be the toughest mile. Unfortunately things only got worse from there. I stuck to a couple of guys ahead of me but the pace dropped to 5:09 for the second mile and I was definitely struggling to hang in there. Between 1.5 and 2.5 miles the course was slightly down and I had the wind at my back for most of it. Too bad it didn't help! Towards the end my legs felt like lead and when I normally have a kick I felt like just getting to the finish line was the best I could do. I'm not sure what went wrong. I competed well but it just wasn't there. It was a little warm and windy but not too bad. My best races have come in ideal conditions so I guess it shows that sometimes you need everything to come together to have those special days. Not what I was hoping for but when you give an honest effort there's not much else you can ask for.

AM: 10 miles easy around the neighborhood. Felt surprisingly good.

PM: 4 miles easy + some strides in the grass.

Leg Buster: 10.4 Miles

Warmed up my usual 2.85 miles with drills and strides then did a 2k in 6:32,3 min jog, 3 x 1 mile in 4:57, 4:58, 4:59 with 3 min jogs after each one. I was supposed to do a fast 800 then jog 3 min and finish with a fast 400. That turned into 3 x 1/4 mileish at around 5 min/mile pace because my legs were gone and that's all I had left. Still happy with this one.

This was done on the road.

12 miles: Legs were a bit junky to start and then loosened up nicely for this easy run.

8 miles easy + some strides. My legs and body have been tired lately. I think I'm overdue for a break. One more race and I'll be taking a break (easy running) for a bit.

15 + Miles today: Warmed up 6.5 miles with a 1 min pickup at half marathon effort and a couple of shorter strides then did 6 x 1 mile with 1 min jog recoveries. Splits were 5:23, 5:18, 5:20, 5:18, 5:16, 5:08 (Went all out last 1/2 mile). Considering where I am mentally this was a really good workout. I'm surprised I was able to run this well today. I cooled down a couple of miles and felt wiped out by the end. The weather was decent and will probably be the last long run in the 60s for 5 months. 

6 miles easy today. Legs felt okay.

9.3 miles: Usually before a half marathon I do a workout of about 4 miles a little faster than race pace and it usually feels a lot harder than it looked on paper. Nothing different today and it didn't help that I went a little fast. I did 8 x 800 with 2 min jogs between each one. I was supposed to target 2:38 which is probably about 10k pace. Actual splits were 2:33, 2:36, 2:35, 2:35, 2:37, 2:35, 2:37, 2:36. Harder than I wanted it to be but oh well. That's what I get for going too fast. 

6 miles easy.

8 miles with a little 6 x 200 workout in there. 35-37 on those with equal jogs. Just a little turnover. I'm running the Mountains 2 Beach Half Marathon on Sunday. 

6.5 miles including strides before the seven nine hour drive to Ventura, CA.

1:12:38 and 2nd Place: I got what I deserved in this race. I have been hanging on mentally with training and being strict with all the little things. I'm pretty sure I peaked a month ago at the Eugene Half but I hung on for another month. The course and weather were perfect so a fast time was there for me. However, I just didn't quite have it physically or mentally to really run a great time. All that being said, I ran a good time and was satisfied with the race. It's about what I thought I would do by the time race day arrived. Originally, I thought I high 1:10 would be possible. If I would have had the day I had in Eugene it probably would have been because of the great course and weather. This is just my opinion but I think the course is probably worth about 1 min due to the nice downhill miles 2-7. It's about 40-50 ft per mile and is not too downhill to beat up the quads. From 7 to the finish it's pretty flat so there are no hills to worry about. The only downside to the well organized race was the lack of atmosphere. The crowds were very sparse and I ran by myself the whole way. As far as the race goes the first place guy who ran a 1:09 was out ahead of me right away and we stayed that way the entire race. Much of the first half of the race was on a nice bike path but I felt like I was out doing a hard workout by myself with no one around. Most of my miles were in the 5:25-5:30 range on the downhill portions. When the course flattened out I dropped to 5:37-5:40 the rest of the way before finishing strong with a 5:25 for mile 13. I struggled those last 4-5 miles and definitely didn't have "it" that I needed to take advantage of the great conditions. Don't get me wrong, I gave a full effort in this race just didn't have what it took for a top performance. I would recommend this race as the course is fast and it is well organized and in a great area. If you come in ready you could pop a big one here. I am going to take a break now and hopefully run easy the rest of the summer. 

8 miles this morning: A different route so I took the watch for the first time this week. My week off of running didn't turn out that way. I felt motivated to run so that I could eat any dessert I wanted and drink a couple of beers every night. I don't feel like running hard but I definitely want to run. I ran the last mile today in 5:41 for no good reason at all. I can't believe I ran much faster than that for 13 miles a week ago.

6 Easy

8 with last two faster in 11:13. Nice to work a little at the end.

6 easy. Pretty tired today. I think I'll take tomorrow off.

Managed 4.2 miles this morning. Basically forced myself to get up and get a few miles in before work. After a late night at the dealership buying our hip new mini-van and a very early morning of work I had to get up in the middle of the night to run. It' wasn't fun but I still didn't regret it. My main motivation is too not get all the way out of shape so four miles is the new medium long run. My goal for the weekend is to manage an 8 mile run. 

8 miles mostly easy with a faster finish for the last couple. I ran the last one in 5:24 and felt like I had just finished a 5k. Overall this felt like a long run. I have gotten out of shape quickly but I'm not too concerned. It's nice to not go out there without a plan and just do whatever I want. Despite the incredibly hot temps here in AZ it felt okay at 4:30 am with the dry air.  

30 minutes on the elliptical. Excruciatingly boring. I wanted to sweat a little but it was 110 out when I made that decision.

8 miles with the last 2 in 11:29. Felt like half marathon effort which was actually good for me. I thought I was running slower. I decided to pick up the last two randomly so I literally didn't plan on the "workout" until 6 miles. It felt good to run hard and not feel completely out of shape.

10 miles at a moderate pace. This was my longest run in a couple of weeks and I was hungry all day today because of it. 4 miles = medium long and 10 miles = hungry all day. 

4 + easy. Finally 4 miles feels like a shorter run. 

8 miles with the last 4 in 23:20. I wanted to run an easier tempo at around 6 min pace but as usual I ran faster. I was 5:58, 5:51, 5:50, 5:40. It really felt pretty smooth most of the way but I could feel the 5:40 at the end with my lack of endurance and overall conditioning. This was still a nice surprise though given my recent running.

10 miles easy but it still felt long. I'm glad I got it in though and 40 miles for the week is something I'll take at this point. 

Just did the little 4.2 mile loop before work. 

8.25 easy miles around Gilbert in the dark. Somehow my legs feel like I need a day off so I will take one tomorrow. I really think I just need more sleep so that's what I'll do for a day.

8+ Miles with 10 x 1 min on/jog after 4 miles. I was trying to run 5:30 pace for the pickups but I was anywhere from 5-5:20 pace and it felt good. I really enjoyed this little workout and it made the miles go by fast. I was also encouraged with how comfortable the pace felt. I know it's just a minute but it's a start.

8+ miles with 4 easy then a 4 mile tempo in 22:50 (5:53,5:46,5:42,5:28). I almost stopped running faster after the 5:53 mile because I wasn't feeling it but I'm glad i kept going. It started feeling better after that. The last mile in 5:28 was hard. I lack discipline when trying to run slower tempos. I was happy with this one given my current fitness and how I felt after the first quicker mile. 

6+ easy miles with some strides after. I'm definitely gaining some momentum running wise. Now the diet and beer consumption have to regulate before  I become a runner again. This weekend in Bend, Oregon won't help with the latter.

10 miles with Allison on a mix of roads and trails in Bend, Oregon. The trails along the Deschutes River were awesome. It was nice and cool to start and ended up being perfect running weather. I could definitely get used to this. 

10 miles with Allison again in Bend, OR. We went the opposite direction from yesterday and once again it was awesome. Great trails along the Deschutes River with a light rain. Perfect. 

8 easy miles around the neighborhood. I was tired from vacation (yes, it's true) so I was a little sluggish starting out but it ended up being a nice run.

10 miles with 4.25 mile warm up then 12 x 1/4 mile w/1 min jogs in 77-79 on the road. It was hard but but not too difficult which is the effort I was looking for this morning. This is the first structured workout I have done in a month. It felt good to work hard but not so good to realize how out of shape I am. Hopefully I can look back on this workout and think of it as a starting point.

8 easy on mostly soft surfaces. I got out late so it was hot but I went slow enough it didn't really matter. I feel like I'm ready to train with a purpose again. Time to make some goals.

6 miles easy + 6 x 100ish strides. I was out at 3 am and it was 90 degrees. The next couple months will have a lot of these really hot mornings. It should help with some mental toughness. I wrote my self a schedule for the next month so hopefully I will follow it and back to more consistent and meaningful running. I managed to gain 10 pounds in the last month so it's time.

8 miles with the last two in 5:50, 5:44. I was hoping that would feel really smooth and easy but it was harder than I wanted. I am out of shape and it was hot so there are reasons my old marathon pace is hard for two miles. However, I am excited about getting back into it so it will be fun to improve over the coming weeks and months.

6 easy then 6 x 100ish strides. Took it nice and easy this morning. There was a dust storm happening as I was running so lots of dust in my eyes and teeth. Nice.

10 miles with 4.2 mile warmup including drills and a few strides then 2 miles in 11:02 (5:30, 5:32) which was hard and faster than the 11:20 I wrote down then I jogged 3 minutes and did 6 x 200 in 35 avg. with 200 jogs. This was a good workout for me. It looked small on paper but my fitness is small so it was a nice fit. Good step in the right direction today. I'lll be running at a cooler temp and higher altitude for the next few days.

8 miles in Show Low, Arizona. This was kind of hard even though I didn't push (or so I thought). 6400 ft and lots of hills on this run. I enjoyed the change of scenery and nice weather.

10+ miles in Show Low. I pushed the pace today and felt pretty good. There were a lot of hills and its a decent altitude here so I only averaged 6:47 pace but I feel good about this effort. I felt fairly strong today. It stormed last night and I was out early so it was nice and peaceful and had that nice rain smell. It was a very enjoyable run.

8+ miles in Show Low. 35 seconds per mile slower than yesterday but still not truly "easy". Maybe one of these days I'll figure that out for Show Low. Now for some really hot, really flat running at home. 

8+ miles with a 2.85 warm up w/drills and strides then 4 x 1 mile on the road with 2 minute jogs. I wrote this workout down at 5:30 pace and figured it would be hard but not close to all out. It ended up being all out which was humbling but it's good to know exactly where I am at. The splits were 5:28, 5:31, 5:30, 5:30 with no effort to spare unfortunately. Yes it was extremely hot out at 3 am but I can say that every day for the next two months. I probably could have used one more day to recover from the hills/altitude but oh well. I am racing a 5k this weekend so I know I should be right around 17. I hope I can look back at this post in a month and laugh to myself. 

6 miles nice and slow without a watch. I'm liking the Saucony Mirage 3s as a trainer. There is just a little support in the arch if you need (I don't) but it fits/feels really good and is also nice and light for a trainer. 

10 miles steady this morning. Started easy and then most of the run was at a moderate pace. Not easy but not pushing. I did push the last two a little bit. So that worked out to avg. pace of 6:47 which isn't fast but it felt like a solid run so I'm pleased with it. 

6 miles easy and 6 x 100ish strides afterwards. I am running a 5k tomorrow and my goal is to break 17 minutes. I feel like with the weather and where my fitness is this is a realistic/reasonable goal. 

Summer Series #4 5k at Kiwanis Park: I really like this race and its my favorite of all the SS races. I figured I would be right around 17 and that turned out to be accurate. I finished in 17:03 with splits of 5:28, 5:28, 5:34, and 36 seconds for the last .12. I guess my chip time was a couple seconds faster than this. They started us about 15 feet behind the line for some reason. Anyway I went out conservatively and felt good after a mile but there wasn't another gear there even though I felt ok. My lack of endurance showed after 2 miles when I began to slow down. So right now I don't have very good endurance or extra gears. Not quite the winning combination. I gave a good honest effort and I felt like I got the most out of myself which always feels satisfying. The weather was pretty normal for here these days. About 85 and muggy. I enjoyed seeing a ton of runner friends and cooling down with some folks I hadn't met before. I kind of had nothing to lose with this race. I would either run faster than I thought and feel a good boost going forward or get a nice dose of reality and realize the work I have ahead. Turns out the latter is true and I'm excited for the work. 

10 miles on mostly soft surfaces around Gilbert this morning. Kept it pretty easy. I took my headlamp so I could run on the canal. I think I need to do this more often. At the hour I normally run I'm not sure I want to cross paths with anybody out on the canal though.

6 miles easy + 6 x 100ish strides. I was a sweaty mess after this one.

8 miles with the last 4 in 23:26 (5:47,52,56,51). I pushed a little in the warm up which wasn't smart because I was hanging on at the end of this one. I'm not pleased with the effort I had to put in on this one. I would have been better off going 24 flat for four and feeling strong. It's hard to gauge with the heat here though and when it got tough I did back off a little but not enough. 

8 miles easy around Gilbert. 

10 miles: Progressed from 7:05 down to 5:52 over the run. Every mile got faster which was nice. The dew point was down a bit this morning and it made a huge difference. I felt like I was cruising along at 6:30 pace and that hasn't happened for a while. Good solid run today..

9+ miles this morning. I took my headlamp and made it onto the soft surfaces which I was a little afraid of with my 3 am running time. I felt safe though and had a good run. I ran at a moderated pace and did 4 x 10 sec sprints when I finished. I don't have any hills close enough to my house to the hill sprints on my morning runs so flat it was. 

8.3 Warmed up about 4 miles with some drills and strides then I did 10 x 200 w/200 jogs. I did these on the road. I averaged 34 and felt pretty good. I was still a little bit of a challenging workout but I felt in control. I am feeling fitter even though I am relatively slow right now. I guess the best thing is that my body feels 100% healthy which is great (and rare).

12 miles: Today was the worst weather conditions I have run in this summer. A thunderstorm came through just before I ran and it was extremely muggy. It was only 76 but with the 90% humidity and 70 + dew point it felt very swampy. I'm sure this is what the Midwestern and Southern folks run in every day so I won't whine too much. I backed off the pace right away because of the conditions and because I wanted to run a progressive tempo in around 18 for the last three miles. I did a good job of keeping it easy and only had a mile or two under 7 before I started the last three. I ran the last three in 6:06, 5:59, 5:50 and that was getting tough by the end. 12 miles was my longest run in 7-8 weeks so it felt good to get this one in.

6.5 Miles: 6 very slow miles and some strides to loosen up. My legs were sore from yesterday's run. My body has adapting to do so I'm not sore from 12 miles.

10 miles: I warmed up 2.85 miles with some drills and strides then did 8 x 800 with 2 min jog recoveries between each one. My splits were 2:37,37,38,38,38,38,38,36. I'm pretty happy with this one as I haven't run under 5:20 much lately. Also, it's tough running period here right now so I feel good to get a workout like this under my belt. I feel like I've made some progress the last couple of weeks. 

6 miles easy around the neighborhood.

9+ miles this morning. Ventured out to the soft surfaces with my headlamp. I normally don't do this because of the time I run (3 am). It doesn't sound very safe. I felt pretty safe out there and thankfully didn't see anyone. I ran at a moderate pace and did 4 x 10 sec sprints when I was done.

8+ miles and 6 x strides after. For the first time in this weather my legs felt like they had a little bounce to them. Nothing groundbreaking but a sign of improvement that I'll take. As of today I am a part of the 35-39 age group. 

14 miles: Drove to Fountain Hills and met up with some of my masters buddies Ricardo, Brett, and John. For me the course was extremely hilly which is what I wanted. 1377 ft gained over 14 miles. A lot of heavy breathing but I still was able to finish strong. 

6.5 miles: 6 easy then some strides. Legs were a little beat up from yesterday as expected. Much better running weather here this morning.

10 miles with mile repeats: I wasn't even sure if I could do this today because my legs were a little beat up from Sunday but after a good rolling session last night I woke up feeling close to recovered and of course talked myself into the workout. I did 4 x 1 mile repeats on the road with 3 min recovery jogs. Splits were 5:21, 5:19, 5:18, 5:18. This is a big improvement over a similar workout I did three weeks ago. It was tough but I think I had another sub 5:20 in me. Once again the weather was pretty good for this time of year here.

6 slow miles around the neighborhood. 

10 miles around Gilbert. Ran on mostly soft surfaces taking the headlamp with me today. Legs were tired so I just went with what they gave me which wasn't very much. Happy to get a nice 10 miles in on the dirt.

12+ mile "long run" this morning. I felt pretty good from the start today. I warmed up 5 miles and went straight into a 5 x 1 mile workout with 1 min jogs and straight back into a jog to finish things off. Splits were 5:44, 5:38, 5:36, 5:36, 5:35. The first 3 felt great and very controlled. The last two got tough. I must have crossed over my LT pace somewhere in there. I feel good about this one. The misery index was 140 (80 with 60 dew point) which is pretty nice for this time of year and made things very bearable. Things are definitely improving for me.

8 miles easy with a short workout in the middle. I ran 4 miles then did 12 x 100 in 16 avg. My legs were tired from yesterday but the 100s felt great and I think will help with a nice recovery. Other than the 100s I ran very easy. 

8 miles around the neighborhood in the opposite direction which was a nice change. I need to do that more often. I did 6 strides after that and those felt great as usual. Weather seemed good again.

10+ miles with 8 x 1k with 200 jog workout. I warmed up my usual warm up with some drills and strides. Splits for the workout were 3:23, 3:25, 3:24, 3:23, 3:23, 3:24, 3:24, 3:18. I pushed it home on the last one. Jogs were just over a minute on all of them. I did this one on the road by my house. I wasn't planning on going quite this pace but it seemed pretty comfortable so I just rolled with it. I felt like it was a good solid workout and I never had to struggle. Cooled down about 1.5 miles in the rain after. 

8 easy miles around the neighborhood. I had one of my employees work for me today so I could see the kids off to their first day of school. Nice to sleep in until 3:45. 

10 miles: Started off pretty fast today and kept getting faster. I had a tempo effort planned at the end anyway. The weather was great this morning which helped a ton with the pace. I ran 5 miles at about a 6:40 avg. then went straight into a faster 5 mile segment where I went about 29 minutes for those 5. Splits on those were 6:05, 5:53, 5:46, 5:41, 5:35. I felt really strong today but that last mile was tough for sure. I'm pleased with this effort today.

8 miles with a short workout. I warmed up just under 3 miles with drills and strides and then did an 8 x 1/4 mile workout with 1/4 mile recoveries. I can't remember all my splits but I would guess I averaged 72. I know I hit 2 70s and a 71. The others were all 72 or 73. I felt in control with my form but I was giving a good effort. I'm just watching the 10k at Worlds right now. The bibs seem bigger than normal to me? Maybe the runners are just that small.

Long Run: 16 miles mostly easy/moderate pace with a push the last mile because I was bored. I ran 5:34 for that one. This is the longest run I have done in a couple of months and I felt good. The weather was really good again. We've been pretty luck with some dry air for the last week or so.

6 slow miles and then some strides. Tired.

10 Miles with an LT pace workout: Warmed up then did 5 x 3/4 mile with 1/4 mile recovery jogs. Splits were 4:07 (too fast for this workout), 4:15, 4:12, 4:10, 4:11. Last 4 were in the right area. I'm doing something different this Saturday and running a 10 mile time trial with some buddies. Normally I would be running the AFC Half Marathon in San Diego but it didn't work out so a time trial it is. This workout was kind of prepping for that.

6 easy recovery miles this morning. After the first mile I felt pretty good.

8 miles with 10 x 1 min on/jog at about 5:20 pace. I always enjoy this workout (maybe because it only 1 min?) because I get some decent work in without hammering the body. 

16 miles with a time trial today. I couldn't make it to the AFC Half Marathon in San Diego and with a lack of summer races in the Phoenix area I wanted to see where my fitness was at. I met my coach John and my buddy Ricardo. John was awesome to come out and hand us bottle every couple miles. The plan was to warm up four miles then do a 10 mile time trial on a slightly down hill course to negate the heat. The 10 miles has a close to 300 ft drop with a couple of small and not very steep up hill portions. Today turned out to be extremely hot with medium humidity. It was 90 when we started out at 5 am with a dew point of 55 (145 misery index). The plan was to run around 5:45 pace so we decided we would start closer to 6 minute miles in the beginning to ease into it and see how the heat felt. That never happened at we paid for it! Ricardo dropped at 6 miles and I ended up dropping at 8.57 (49:35 total/5:47 pace) . I was fading badly and I figured it would be smarter to pull the plug and save my body rather than shuffle in at 6:15 pace and say I didn't quit. It was just too hot for me to run 10 miles at that pace. I'm actually relatively happy given the heat. It's hard to judge exactly how this went with a downhill course and excessive heat but I think it reflects my LT pace to be around 5:45 in normal summer conditions. That's about what I thought. Splits were 5:49, 5:42, 5:41, 5:42, 5:46, 5:44, 5:50, 5:50, 6:03 pace (.57). I ran a couple of miles afterward for a cooldown. Fitness isn't great but is improving.

6 recovery miles. Legs were tire and a little sore from yesterday. Nice and slow today. Yesterday turned out to be a record heat for Phoenix. No wonder my run was so hot!

8 miles easy around Gilbert. I ventured out of the neighborhood a little bit for something different. My legs were just a little sore and tired still but I pretty much felt normal after a couple miles.

8+ miles up tempo this morning. After a couple of recovery days I was feeling fresh so pace was a bit faster this morning. I ran 7 miles around 6:30 pace then 1 hard mile in 5:15, then cooled down with a 1/2 mile jog. Felt good today and got in a solid run. My wife is leaving for the Hood to Coast relay tomorrow so it will be me and the kids for a few days. Let's hope I survive!

6 miles easy + some strides after that. Felt okay today. It was close to 90 at 3 am. Normal.

10+ miles with a VO2 Max workout:

Warmed up about 2.75 miles then did 8 x 1/2 repeats with 2 min jogs between each one. Splits were 2:34, 2:33, 2:35, 2:36, 2:33, 2:32, 2:32, 2:31. During reps 3 and 4 I was struggling a bit mentally but I told myself to slow my recovery jogs and speed up when I was hurting. That really helped me mentally to go faster when it hurt and the last 4 reps went really well. I was quite a bit faster today then when I did this workout a few weeks ago so it feels good to see some progress. Cooled down a couple miles to finish things off. Small signs of the fitness level I want are starting to show.

8.25 miles with a short but quick workout: Warmed up 4 miles, switched to the A5s, then did 10 x 200 w/200 jogs, then cooled down a mile. Everything was between 31 and 33 with the majority 32 or 33. These felt hard but smooth and in control. I always make sure my form stays solid on these and I don't feel like I'm sprinting. I feel like I did that today. I'm looking forward to the TOU Half results today.

Long Run: 18 solo miles this morning with a mix of streets and soft surfaces. This is my first 18 mile run of the cycle and my longest run in some time. I ran the first 14 about 6:50 pace then the last 4 as a progression in 6:11, 6:07, 5:59, 5:47. The last two were pretty tough. It was warm and humid but I did get some light rain from time to time and there was good cloud cover once it got light out. While I'm not thrilled with this run it is nice to get 18 in and finish at a decent clip. I just wish that last part felt easier. I probably should have run just a bit slower for the first 14. I drank 30 oz of water and still lost 7 pounds on the run. That seems extreme to me. 6:40 overall pace

6 easy miles + some strides. Muggy morning and tired legs.

10 Miles with Mile repeats on the road: A couple of warm up miles with drills and strides then 4 x 1 mile with 3 min jogs. Splits were 5:17, 5:16, 5:20, 5:20 (watch beeped about 40 ft later than normal on the last one?). This one really hurt and I thought I was ready to go faster. I'm not sure if I wasn't quite recovered from Sunday or it was just the weather (148 misery index) but this one execpectedly kicked my butt. I was completely drenched after this one and was very tired. I was happy to just get through it. I would like to have these down to 5 flat soon.

6 very easy. First mile was rough but I actually felt very good by the end.

13 miles with some hills:I live in a very flat area so these are hills for me. Ran from work in Phoenix up to the canal then did 3 times up and down 32nd. Street to Lincoln. No pick ups or anything just a solid steady pace on the hills. It was extremely warm and humid but I felt pretty good this morning. I'm glad I did this instead of running flat miles around my neighborhood. Details:http://connect.garmin.com/activity/367295028

8 or so easy then some strides. Extremely humid this morning. Felt tired from work. I thought about moving my long run up to today but after a few steps I knew it wasn't happening.

Long Run: 16 miles with some LT repeats. I ran 7.3 miles around 6:50 pace then did 6 x 1 mile repeats with 1 min jogs between each one. Goal was LT pace. Splits were 5:44, 5:41, 5:43, 5:41, 5:40, 5:36. Conditions were pretty bad this morning so I was really happy with this workout. After a fun dinner with drinks last night I wasn't even sure I would attempt this so definitely a bonus to get this one in and do it well. I was wiped out by the end for sure. We took the kids for a hike after and it was confirmed that I had pushed my legs on this workout.

8 easy recovery miles around the neighborhood. Nice to sleep in a little today.

AM: 10.5 miles: Warmed up 2.85 miles including drills and strides then did 8 x 1k on the road with 200 recovery jogs. Splits were 3:15, 3:17, 3:16, 3:15, 3:13, 3:15, 3:13, 3:09. I kicked it in as hard as I could the last 1/4 of the last one. This was a tough workout but I felt strong this morning. The weather was not close to good so I'm really happy with this one. I cooled down a little less than two miles to finish things off. Good solid workout for me. 

PM: 4 miles easy at Freestone Park. My first double in a long time. It was extremely difficult to get out of the car for this one but I'm glad I did. It was really hot but I went slow enough that it was fine. Felt good to loosen up.

8 miles easy neighborhood loops. 

13 miles with "no look" AT tempo: Ran 6 miles at a 6:55 average then went straight into a 6 mile progressive tempo where I didn't look at the watch once. I wanted it to be completely off effort. It wasn't easy to not peek but I did it. Results were 35:15 for 6 miles with splits of 6:01, 5:55, 5:51, 5:50, 5:48, 5:42. I was pushing harder on the last one. I didn't feel great today so I was pleased to see those splits. I didn't plan on a progression but it was nice to see it worked out like that. I would have guessed I was going slower. I cooled down a mile to finish things off.

18 miles solo with a mix of neighborhood loops while it was dark then around the streets of Gilbert then finishing on the canal once the sun came up. Averaged 6:55 which was pretty easy throughout most of the run although I was starting to get tired at the end. It almost seems easiesr to do a long run with some pick ups. Now its time to spend the day with the kids while my wife is at work.

Had to get out early because my wife was heading out to meet a group of runners. I warmed up four miles or so then did a short fun workout. I did 5 x (4 x 100 hard/100 jog) with 100 walks after each set. It was hard work but fun and went by extremely fast. The beeps on my watch were coming fast and furious. Splits were very inconsistent as you might expect with the Garmin and 100 meter splits. Hit a 14 sec for 100 and as slow as 20. Neither of those were probably right. Nice little workout this morning.

Interesting Q & A session with Alberto Salazar. Some good stuff here.

Easy miles. Light rain but it didn't feel as cool as I was hoping.

10.6 Miles with 4 x 1 mile: Warmed up 2.85 (always the same loop) with drill and strides then did 4 x 1 mile on the road with 3 min jog recoveries. Splits were 5:11, 5:12, 5:10, 5:08. I've done this workout 4 times in the last two months and this is by far my fastest effort. The weather was 10 degrees cooler than its been so that helped. It's always nice to see progress in these workouts. Cooled down 2.5 miles or so to finish off the workout.

8 miles easy. Legs were tired from yesterday but the weather was the best its been in a long time which was nice. I'm hoping I won't run in the 80's in the morning the rest of the year.

12+ miles with 12 x 1 min on/jog. The on part was all over the place ranging from 5:05 to 5:25 pace. I ran seven miles before starting that part and cooled down about a 1.5 miles after. Pretty good weather again this morning.

Long run is tomorrow so just easy miles this morning. Averaged right around 7 min miles. I added strides after 10 miles to finish off the run. Last night I signed up for Boston which I really wasn't planning on doing but now that I did I'm excited. It should be a once in a lifetime experience next year. 

18 miles: Long Run with pick ups: Warmed up 5.75 miles at a decent pace and I felt good. Plan was 3 x 3 miles in 17 minutes with a mile jog between each one. I switched out of my Kinvaras and into my Fastwitches and started the workout. I hit 17 flat for the first one (5:41, 5:38, 5:41), slow mile in 7:16, 17:01 for the second one (5:38, 5:42, 5:41), slow mile in 7:25, 17:22 for the third one (5:46, 5:50, 5:46). I knew the last one would be tough when I finished the second one so I just went off effort the best I could. I felt pretty good today but this workout was just asking a little too much for my current fitness and the warm/humid conditions. I feel pretty good about the workout and I'm glad I ran the third set even though I had to slow down. 9 miles around avg 5:42 for the day should be a nice depostit if I recover well. Cooled down a little over a mile to finish off the day.

Mo Farah, Bekele, and Geb all raced the Great North Run (Half Marathon). The last mile is awesome. Worth the watch here.

8 mile easy + some strides. My legs felt better than I though they would. Not great just better. About 7:20 pace before the strides. 

11.4 with 1/4 mile repeats: Warmed up my usual loop + strides (2.85 miles) then did 20 x 1/4 mile repeats on the road with 100 jogs. Tough workout. I averaged 75-76 on these and the rests were flying by. You never think 1/4 mile repeats are going to be too tough but the short rests made the workout a good one. 5 miles at close to 5 minute pace today. I'll take it!

10 miles easy around the neighborhood. It's a good sign that 10 miles is getting less long and boring. Dew point was down this morning. It was nice to not be drenched after an easy run. 7:15 pace.

AM: 12.2 miles with some hills: Met up with a group of people in Fountain Hills. It was great running with people for once. We met at 4:45 and ran up and down all over the place. About 1300 ft of elevation on this one. I ran easy for the first 9 miles and pushed on the last three which were mostly up hill. My Dad who retired from our family business is in town this week and offered to open up for me this week. I've been able to sleep past 3 every morning and even meet with a group. I feel so fresh. It's been a great week.

PM: 4 miles easy at Freestone Park

Normally a day off but with extra sleep this week it was 6 easy + strides. 

10 miles with a short workout this morning: Warmed up 5+ miles with some drills and strides then did 10 x 200 with 200 jogs. Most were 31-32. Felt pretty smooth on these today. Cooled down until I hit 10 miles.

16.75 miles with progressive tempo: Warmed up 6 miles then did a 10 mile segment with a goal of sub 60 minutes with each mile faster than the last. For whatever reason I wasn't feeling great this morning and I almost pulled the plug after a couple of the faster miles. I'm glad I didn't because I ended up with a good run and not feeling too bad. Splits of the 10 mile tempo (59:03) were 6:06, 6:05, 6:00, 5:58, 5:55, 5:53, 5:51, 5:47, 5:45, 5:40. I cooled down just a little to shake out the legs a little.  The end of this run was tough. I was hoping for better weather but that will come next week. 

8 miles easy around the neighborhood. Some cool crisp air this morning was quite nice. 

9 miles with 3/4 mile repeats: warmed up my usual loop with drills and strides and did 5 x 3/4 mile repeats on the road with 1/4 mile jogs between each one. Goal was 3:48. I finally got to do a workout in good weather and it made a big difference. It was low 60s and dry and it felt awesome. Splits were 3:42, 3:44, 3:46, 3:44, 3:47. This was a little fast but I felt good so I'll take it. Big jump in pace for me.

8 miles slowly around the neighborhood. Scheduled and needed day off tomorrow. 7:26 pace.

6 easy + strides. Great weather. 

I have done this race three times now and I really like it. Good course, first race outside the bad weather, and usually competitive with people to run with. It's a loop course with a very slight uphill most of the first mile, a couple of very slight downs in the second mile, and the third mile has about a 300 meter section of grass and a few sharp turns before you head to the finish. This race is actually the 5k State Championship but I don't think that means much around here. The race went off right at 7 and I found myself right near the front with a group of runners that I knew were pretty good. I set my watch to go off at kilometer splits and I wanted to hit 3:10. The course is a little long so I knew I needed a bit of a cushion to break 16. I was in the back of the group most of the first mile and I felt good. I hit 3:12 for the first kilometer and right after that the guys picked it up. We went through the mile at 5:08 and my main goal was to stick with the pack. They gapped me a bit a couple times but I was able to "sprint" and catch back up every time. Every time I caught back up it felt so much more comfortable. I hit 3:04 and 3:03 for the 2nd and 3rd kilometers. I was hurting but I was having fun competing too so I was comfortable with what was going on. After two miles (10:13 I think) our pack was just three. I was able to hold things together pretty good and stick to the leader through 4k (3:06) until he pulled away when we hit the grass. Wet grass at the end of the race wasn't the best for my pace but it was close enough to the end that you could feel the finish line coming. My fifth kilometer was 3:17 (15:44 for 5k) and then there was another 15 seconds of running after that. I could see the clock counting towards 16 as I kicked it in and I was determined to get under. I thought I did it but the initial results said 16 flat. The winner was 15:54. I have complained about weather all summer long so I am very happy to report that the weather could not have been better for this time of year. It was 60 degrees and dry. I was actually a little cold during the warm up. We were very lucky this morning. Last year I ran 15:55 for this race but after taking a break in June I am very pleased with my progress and the way I competed this morining. Cooled down on the course with a great group. Very nice morning.

Easy run on the canal about 7 min pace. Perfect morning run as the sun came up.

8 miles easy. Another nice night (morning). 

12 miles 6:55 pace way too early in the morning.

Needed to sleep in 

7.5 miles after work. Opted to sleep in and run after work. My wife is injured again and we've been having conversations about a life without serious running. Running is great but when we are serious it affects other important parts of our lives. Not sure what I'm going to do.

6 miles easy early in the morning. Blah.

10 miles about 7:20 pace. 

10.6 miles with 6 x 1 mile repeats: I went out this morning without a plan. Running easy sounded really boring so I decided to a mile repeat workout at a slower pace with 1 min jog rests. I wasn't sure how fast or how many I was going to do. I didn't look at my watch at all on the first one and I hit 5:35 feeling pretty easy. After that I felt pretty motivated to have a good workout. Splits were 5:35, 5:32, 5:30, 5:30, 5:27, 5:19. Pretty good workout after a tough week mentally.

Happy to get out for 4 miles after an afternoon on a brewery tour which was a lot of fun.

6 miles easy from work. Happy to fit this in early in the morning before the 14 hour work day.

2.85 warm up with 4 strides and drills. 4 x 1 mile 5:42, 5:46, 5:45, 5:38. 3 min jogs. I'm out of shape but I have to start somwhere. I'm happy to have gotten up and completed this one. This is just the kick in the butt I needed. It felt great to hurt and come out the other side feeling great and accomplished. This is why I run. 1 mile cooldown.

6 easy miles: 44:30. Pretty much decided I would give training another shot and work towards Boston. I think it's just under 22 weeks now. I took a break from training and while I enjoyed some parts of stress free running (and eating) I generally feel better when I'm training so I'm going to train for Boston. I've been running 35-40 miles a week for the last 8 weeks with never more than two days off in a row and long runs of 10-11 miles every week. I'm out of shape and I gained 10 pounds but I look forward to the challenge of getting back in shape. I just ran 36:07 for 10k in the same race that Jake K won here in Arizona. That was a real effort for me so that is a true indicator of where I'm at. A lot of work to be done!

8 miles today with the last 4 as a progressive tempo. My goal was 6:30/20/10/6 flat for the last 4 and to not work too hard. I was quick on the times and ended up working too hard so didn't reach my goal. I ran the last 4 in 6:26, 6:17, 6:04, 5:50. I was really working at the end. It's difficult to adjust metally to the slower paces I am running right now but I'll have to or else I'll end up working too hard every day. It felt great once again though to get some good work in.

12.5 mile long run nice and early this morning. It's relatively cold here but we've got it so much better than almost everywhere else that we are extremely fortunate. I bundled up accordingly, warmed up a little over 6 miles then went straight into 2 x 2 miles in 11:55, 11:47. I jogged for about 3 1/2 minutes between the two sets. I felt pretty good this morning and I'm definitely feeling excited about training again. 

10 miles easy + some strides. I had to work this morning so I got up nice and early and knocked this one out by 5:30. Felt great and really enjoyed it. AP around 7:05.

7 miles easy to start the week.

4 miles + 4 strides. Not much today: I had a workout planned but I was up cleaning up after my sick son so I opted for some sleep. After a long day of work I stopped at the park for a quick run and a few strides. I'm happy I got to do something today. I'll shoot for a workout tommorrow.

9.5 Miles with 8 x 1/2 mile repeats on the road. Splits were 2:43, 2:41, 2:45, 2:42, 2:44, 2:41, 2:44, 2:41 all with 2 min slow jogs. This was a little faster than I thought I would be able to go. I was thinking 5:30-5:35 pace so I'm pleasantly surprised. I have a long way to go but I'm already feeling way better than two weeks ago. Warm up 2.75 cooldown 1 mile +.

8 miles easy around the neighborhood. About 7:20 pace.

8.4 miles with a small speed workout: Warmed up about 4.5 miles including drills and a couple of strides then I did 10 x 200 in 34-35 seconds with a little over 200 meter jogs for rest. I felt good and am feeling good in general. 1 mile cooldown.

Long Run: 14 miles with an LT workout: Warmed up about 5 1/2 miles then went straight into 6 x 1 mile repeats with 1 min jogs between each. Splits in those were 5:58, 5:55, 5:55, 5:54, 5:55, 5:48 (kicked last 200). I meant to go slower and this be more of an AT workout but that didn't happen. Overall felt pretty good and I'm happy with it. 2 miles cooldown to finish it off.

10 miles easy a little later than normal which meant running in the light for the first time in a while. Got to run on a good amount of dirt this morning. AP 7:25

7 miles easy. Legs were a little tired from upping the mileage the last couple weeks. 

10 miles: Headed out this morning with the good intention of an easy 10 but I was feeling pretty good so I decided on a tempo run. I started at AT pace and ended at LT pace. After a 4.4 mile warmup I went straight into a 4.4 mile tempo with splits of 6:13, 6:11, 6:02, 5:56, and 2:10 for the last part. Ended up being hard towards the end. My body must be tired because I wasn't looking at my watch but was expecting to be a little faster when I looked. Nice run overall though.

10 miler mostly easy this morning. I really needed yesterday off so I listened to my body and took it. Most of my miles were easy this morning with a few slightly pushing miles toward the end. 

8 miles easy then 6 x 100ish strides. Bug going around the family so didn't feel great but not horrible. 

14 Mile long run with 2 consecutive faster segments. I met with Ricardo and Brent at Kiwanis Park in Tempe. They were doing 20 but were nice enough to drop me off at 14. We did 3 easy then 5 at 6:25 avg then 5 at 5:55 avg. They continued on for 5 more at a faster pace. I was really happy with this run. Yes I was barely holding on at the end but my last fast mile was 5:46  and this is by far my best run since returning to training. It's nice to see a fitness gain. 1 mile cooldown.

7 miles easy around the neighborhood. Never easy to get up on Monday. Legs felt pretty good considering the hard effort yesterday. 

10 miles with 1/4 mile repeats: Warmed up my usual 2.85 with a few drills and strides then did 16 x 1/4 mile on the road with 1 min jogs between each. Probably averaged 79-80. Pace felt good but number of reps had me tired by the end. I felt a little sluggish heading out but I was pleased with this workout by the end. Cooled down about 1.3 miles to finish.

8 miles easy before kids got up. Felt awesome to get this one in and have the kids still asleep for another hour after I got done. 

10 miles after work: I was exhausted from Christmas and decided to sleep in this morning. Work was slow today so I was done early enough to get a run in on the way home at Freestone Park. I attempted a tempo but after 2 miles of 6:17, 6:11 I just shut it down and got the mileage in. I could tell my body was tired. Nice to get this one in on the way home. Now I get to sleep a little extra tomorrow morning on my normal day off.

10 miles with a 4.35 mile LT tempo. I ran 4.35 easy then did the tempo on the same loop. 6:01, 5:51, 5:50, 5:50, 1:56 (.35) were the splits. I did this same run 10 days ago quite a bit slower. Always nice to see the improvement. Cooled down until I hit 10.

16+ miles today. Mostly easy effort. A bunch of loops in my neighborhood then over to an adjacent neighborhood and some running on the dirt path on the farm. Felt a little long by myself. Most of it was in the dark. Longest run in a very long time.

7 very early miles to start the week. 

10 miles w/ 1/2 mile repeats: Warmed up my usual loop with some drills and strides then did 8 x 1/2 mile repeats with 90 seconds jog. 2:44, 2:38, 2:44, 2:40, 2:45, 2:39, 2:44, 2:37 were the splits. Odd number goes up a little but my splits are never this different so I'm not sure if it was GPS or what. Seemed like similar effort. Anyway, this was a good workout for me with less rest  and a little quicker than a few weeks ago with the same workout.