Monday, June 30, 2008

Summer is Already Old

Days Since Last Run Below 70°F: 45 (May 16, a pretty nice Spring this year)

53¼ miles for the week of June 23rd through June 29th

M – 4 miles, recovery run, average pace 8:47 mpm, 79.7°F at 4AM [Dow-]
Tu – 4 miles, average pace 6:57 mpm, I had to run these fast because I started late, 84°F at 4+AM [Dow-]
W AM – 4 miles, average pace 7:45 mpm, 85°F at 4AM [Dow-]
W PM – 6½ miles, 6x800/400rec, overall average pace 7:45 mpm, 800s in 2:54.3, 2:52.9, 2:53.2, 2:53.7, 2:55.1, and 2:56.6, 87°F at 7PM [B’Wood]
Th – 4¾ miles, recovery run, average pace 8:41 mpm, 85°F at 4AM [Dow]
F - 10 miles, overall average pace 7:54, 88°F starting before 9AM [SeaC/ SSTrail-MBT -2M-MBTrail/SeaC]
Sa – 7½ miles, average pace 8:394, 89°F at Noon [SeaC/SSTrail-MBT/SeaC]
Su – 12½ miles, average pace of 8:32 mpm, sunny and extremely humid - crashed, 86°F to 87°F from 7:40AM [SeaC/ SSTrail-MBT -2x(2M-MBTrail)/SeaC]

I woke up early for Sunday's run, but it was my slowest medium long run ever. The dewpoint must've been very close to 80°F. We had some rain Saturday evening and I was hoping to wake up to a cooler morning. Wrong.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Summer Training

Days Since Last Run Below 70°F: 38 (May 16, a pretty nice Spring this year)

52¾ miles for the week of June 16th through June 22nd

M – 4¾ miles, recovery run, average pace 8:16 mpm, 82°F at 4AM [Dow]
Tu – 5¾ miles, average pace 7:07 mpm, 81°F at 4AM [Dow/B-S]
W AM – 5¾ miles, average pace 7:48 mpm, 77°F at 4AM [Dow/B-S]
W PM – 4 miles, some easy loops around the HS with Moldy and Bob (Moldy was visiting from Virginia), average pace 7:55 mpm, 87°F at 7PM [B’Wood]
Th – 0 woke up too late to run, 82°F at 4AM [Dow]
F - 12½ miles, overall average pace 7:32, ran to the track and then ran the “Michigan”: 1600-1M-1200-1M-800-1M-400/2min recoveries, miles were slow: from 6:29 to 6:44, sunny to rain to sunny again, 87°F at 10AM [Ol-B-Plant-FOaks/B’Wood/FOaks-Plant-S]
Sa – 7½ miles, average pace 8:44, 82°F at 8AM [SeaC/SSTrail-MBT/SeaC]
Su – 12½ miles, average pace of 8:15 mpm, sunny and warm - embrace the slow, 85°F to 88°F from 9:50AM [SeaC/ SSTrail-MBT -2x(2M-MBTrail)/SeaC]

Ahh, Summer solstice, the official beginning of Summer. This week was actually a little cooler in the mornings with the sea breeze getting cut off overnight. We had some strong rains late Saturday afternoon and it cooled down all the way below 74°F Saturday evening. I was tempted to go run again just to enjoy the cool weather. But by the time I ran Sunday morning, it was back to sweat-soaked shoes.

Monday, June 16, 2008

A New Trail Name



Days Since Last Run Below 80°F: 26 (May 21, May 29 was only 77°F but I overslept)
Days Since Last Run Below 70°F: 31 (May 16, a pretty nice Spring this year)

54 miles for the week of June 9th through June 15th

M – 4 miles, recovery run, average pace 8:58 mpm, 84°F at 4AM [Dow-]
Tu – 5¾ miles, average pace 7:05 mpm, 84°F at 4AM [Dow/B-S]
W AM – 4 miles, average pace 7:02 mpm, 83°F at 4AM [Dow-]
W PM – 5 miles, with some strides on the track, one mile of sprinting the straights and recovering on the curves; I did get my mile of sprints down to 8:09 this week (had gone from a 6:55 three weeks ago, to a 7:25 two weeks ago, to an 8:32 last week), overall average pace 7:03 mpm, 86°F at 7PM [B’Wood track]
Th – 4¾ miles, recovery run, average pace 8:47 mpm, 84°F at 4AM [Dow]
F - 10 miles, average pace 7:26, sunny and warm, 88°F at 10AM [SeaC/SSTrail-MBT-2M-MBT/SeaC]
Sa – 8 miles, average pace 8:46, sunny and warm, 90°F at Noon [SeaC/SSTrail-MBT+/SeaC]
Su – 12½ miles, average pace of 8:23 mpm, sunny and warm - embrace the slow, 89°F to 91°F from 10:30AM [SeaC/ SSTrail-MBT -2x(2M-MBTrail)/SeaC]

I managed some decent paced runs Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. But I don’t think that was really best for what I’m trying to accomplish. It’s time to just “Embrace the Slow.”

The city renamed the running trail to the “Specialist Monica Brown Trail” this weekend. She’s a medic who was awarded a Silver Star for heroism in Afghanistan. I’ve changed my shorthand for the trail now to SSTrail (Silver Star). I couldn’t use MBT because I already use MBT for the Mountain Bike Trail.


Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Last Couple of Weeks

I've been pretty busy with another pump overhaul at the power plant.

53¼ miles for the week of May 26th through June 1st

M – 7½ miles, average pace 8:29, a sunny Memorial Day run, 87°F at 10:30AM [SeaC/NTrail-MBT/SeaC]
Tu – 5¾ miles, average pace 7:06 mpm, I’ve given up tempo runs for Summer, 82°F at 4AM [Dow/B-S]
W AM – 5¼ miles, average pace 7:37 mpm, 82°F at 4AM [Dow/Ol]
W PM – 5 miles, with some strides on the track, one mile of sprinting the straights and recovering on the curves, overall average pace 6:57 mpm, 83°F at 7PM [B’Wood track]
Th – 0, overslept, 77°F at 4AM, wouldn’t you know I missed a nice “cool” morning?
F - 10 miles, average pace 7:24 mpm, not a cloud in the sky and nice dry air with the dewpoint in the mid-60s!!, 85°F at 10:30AM [SeaC/NTrail-MBT-2M-MBT/SeaC]
Sa – 7½ miles, average pace 8:49 mpm, getting more humid, 89°F at Noon [SeaC/NTrail-MBT/SeaC]
Su – 12¼ miles average pace of 8:21 mpm, partly cloudy and humid, 87°F from 10:30AM [FWRes/MacL-2x(2M-MBTrail)/SeaC]



51¼ miles for the week of June 2nd through June 8th

M – 0, overslept again, 83°F at 4AM
Tu – 5¾ miles, average pace 7:12 mpm, 84°F at 4AM [Dow/B-S]
W AM – 5¾ miles, average pace 7:24 mpm, 84°F at 4AM [Dow/B-S]
W PM – 5 miles, with some strides on the track, one mile of sprinting the straights and recovering on the curves, as it’s gotten warmer my mile of sprints has gone from a 6:55 two weeks ago, to a 7:25 last week, to an 8:32 (ughh), overall average pace 7:09 mpm, 86°F at 7PM [B’Wood track]
Th – 4¾ miles, recovery run, average pace 8:59 mpm, 85°F at 4AM (a new worst 4AM temperature for this season) [Dow]
F - 10 miles, average pace 7:37, 88°F at 10AM [SeaC/NTrail-MBT-2M-MBT/SeaC]
Sa – 7½ miles, average pace 8:36, 88°F at 11AM [SeaC/NTrail-MBT/SeaC]
Su – 12½ miles, average pace of 8:12 mpm, sunny warm and humid - really broke down hard on this one, 87°F from 9AM [SeaC/ NTrail-MBT -2x(2M-MBTrail)/SeaC]


Friday, May 30th, was the highlight of these two weeks. The sea breeze was picking up again and it was already 85°F when I started this run at 10:30AM, but a northeast wind on Thursday left some wonderful “dry” air in place. In most of the country, 85°F with a dewpoint in the mid-60s would be considered warm and humid, but it felt wonderful to me. This 10-miler was pure joy. But I was back to sweat soaked shoes Sunday. I did make it below 180 this week for the first time in months. I'm probably dehydrated.

I ran across this video of Dave Wottle running the Olympic 800. He was one of my idols when I started running.



What a finish!