Getting back to Boston

Came off the DL tonight with 84 laps at MAFC after work. First of all, 70 degrees in there felt damn hot. But the AT felt good and the tight gastrocs loosened up in a mile or two. Wasn't completely twinge-free but as good as I've had in a while. Even the glute niggle behaved (that won't last). Ran 6 miles in 55:xx then walked 4.5 laps to cool down. May be my last run ever at MAFC, although the blue norther coming in this weekend may dictate otherwise. Hoping I'll feel like another run tomorrow. Right now I feel better than I did before I started.

Easy run after work. Left calf is still very tender to the touch but doesn't hurt to run on it at all (shrug). So I just kept going past Souhside, around the horseshoe and back to complete 7.5. AT felt fine. Lots of endorphins on the eve of my last day at Apogee. I skipped watching the second half of a Hig blowout to do the run.

Cold front blew in last night and it didn't mess around. Went from 45 earlier today to 18 now and still falling. Wind chill currently 5, Didn't stop me from getting in 10K+ at SHS after concluding my employment at Apogee (woo hoo!!). I was bundled up like crazy, probably overdressed, was sweaty and cold at the same time. Definitely one of my colder runs. I seem to recall a run in Springdale when it was around 0 but it wasn't windy like this, and it was daylight too. Got it done though. Legs were Ok; I seem to have weathered that and can get back to full training when I can quit wearing three layers (slows down the leg speed a bit).

It's been icy, and I've been lazy. And distracted. So five days of training wasted/missed. Got back out today for 5.76, pushed it for the last 2+

Billat intervals at SHS after dark. It got up to 70 today with 30 mph winds, so I let the sun go down and the winds subside before I went out. Didn't go as well as my last Billat session, which makes sense with all the training I missed, but I got 18 reps done at something resembling the proper pace. Range on the paces was all over the place, from 6:06 to 6:48. That may have had something to do with the wind which was still picking up from time to time, and whether I was running into it.

Windy progression run. I was going downwind the last three miles on Phoenix, which helped the progression for sure, but felt pretty comfortable although it was warmer than I would prefer. Starting the new job in a little over an hour. We'll see how I adjust to vampire hours.

Took two days off adjusting to the overnight shift and the new sleep pattern, but felt up to an easy 6 at dusk tonight. Garmin was kinda haywire in the first mile so I think the mileage is a bit off, but a decent run regardless.

Hilly progression run at dusk before work. A day late, but I wanted to get in some Meg's Miles, and I did. Old Greenwood, Free Ferry, 66th Street, etc. Lots and lots of hills.

Broke in the new Virratas with 6 indoors at MAFC, which probably will be my last run there. Ran the first 5 at 10:00 pace and then the last 14 laps at MP. Felt pretty good once I got going, which as usual on a recovery run took about three miles. Shoes were fine. Did some lifting and even some explosive moves like Anderson recommends. Quickly discovered my knees don't like explosive moves any more. I'll have to look at other ways to work on that. I think his concept is valid, it's just trying to figure out how to execute it at 53.

I got home at 7:10, got to sleep by 8, got up at 1:30. Hopefully I'l get a decent night sleep tonight and be back on day schedule tomorrow. Only to start this all over again Monday.

Wound up sleeping most of the afternoon so my run was after dark. It was plenty chilly, about 27, but OK with a couple of layers once my hands warmed up. Which took about two miles. Took it easy for the first four miles before I accelerated a bit, but it was still an easy run.

Joined the gang at Creekmore for a progression run. We started out around 11:00 pace and I wound up under 9. As usual from Creekmore, lots of hills. Not a bad run. Weather was very nice, around 45 with no wind. Very comfortable in shorts and T-shirt. Wore gloves but I'm not sure I needed them. Weather won't be so nice tomorrow; it's supposed to get cold. It was good to see Sherrie, Jill, Terry, David, Ronda and Sheri out there.

Progression run down to the loop past Rheem and back. Got a little quicker on the return than I had intended, possibly because my late lunch had finally cleared my stomach (in the proper direction, fortunately). Enough hills to make it interesting and I could feel it for the last two miles but got it done nicely.

Well, that sucked. No life in my legs whatsoever. I felt more like going to sleep than running. Not sure how I got home without going to sleep in fact. Finally in the last 20 minutes I got going, slightly. But I did 2.5 laps less than last year -- and last year I was 7 days out from a marathon. I think the main issue was indeed sleep deprivation. just generally sluggish and plain old tired.

Double today but not on purpose. I ran 6 inside at Mercy at 5 p.m., planned to go home, shower and get ready for work. But I ran over something on the way home (like a curb), got a flat, destroyed my tire limping back to the house, and didn't have time to change the tire (didn't help that I couldn't see what I was doing with that alleged light in my garage). So I got the shower, put on track pants and ran to work, another 1.5ish. Which of course means I get to run home tomorrow morning.

Ran home from work this morning. It was really, really, really cold. I had on the fleece headband and the WR gloves, along with the track pants I wore to work. They didn't keep me warm. Face felt like it was gonna freeze. Plus the run home is uphill all the way which didn't help. I think I managed about 10:00 pace, maybe a tad quicker, but I didn't time it or anything. Emma's package arrived at 10:30 with the mail person ringing the bell to get me to sign for it, so I'm working on 3 hours sleep. After that, I spent an hour getting the flat changed, took the car in to get a new tire (had to order it) and went to the gold shop. So I'm ready to sleep now. Probably will not get in a run this evening. Definitely will not run to work.

Actually stayed awake after work long enough to run 10 with the Sheris, Pattie, May and her daughter. Did the out and back to Towson on Phoenix. Forecast had said low 50s. Forecast was wrong. Upper 30s and the outward leg was into 15 mph wind. Sherrie said my skin looked like a Christmas ham running into the wind. Amazingly that went away when we ran with the wind. I felt like I'd been up for 18 hours and missed too many runs, but got it done without to much trouble.

Snowed for much of the day on top of slush, so running outside not much of an option. I braved Rogers to drive to the gym and did four miles indoors. Left IT band was acting up so not a very comfortable run, but got it done at about 10:00 pace.

Waited too long to run indoors at Mercy, so I went to MAFC and did 8 on the track followed by bench press, curls, abs and glute work. Did better on the bench than I thought, 15 reps at 95 pounds. I didn't want to push it too hard because I didn't have a spotter. May try 115 next time. Run was OK, a good progression, 1:13:48 for 106 laps.

Nice and chilly 7 with WC around 10. Did the horseshoe behind SHS. Six hill sprints on Burnham. Legs didn't have much snap left so not sure how much benefit, but the glutes did burn a bit.

Back out after work

Pushed it a bit at 7 a.m.

Lorna joined me for my AM run after work. We ran together for four miles, she decided to walk and I decided to drop the hammer. Did 2.3 miles at MPish, most I've done in a while. Like since Utah. Had to work harder than I wanted to maintain that pace but maintained it. Have nine weeks to learn to maintain it for 209 minutes.

Out at 5:15 with Sheri, Cindy, Elaine and the rest of that crew of crazies, then did eight more miles on my own up and down Massard and the bike trails. Lots of hills in there. With 62 days to go, the kind of run I needed.

Recovery run on the SHS/Country Club loop. Easy to keep it slow; I was quite stiff from yesterday. Barey under 10:00 average. Stiffness finally worked out though.

Went to bed early and got up early, so decided to go run five with the crew at the Boys Club. Then maybe I'll get in some intervals this evening after I get a massage from Tiff.

Ran at the WAR room with the Sheris, May, Mary Jo and Pattie. Lots of others out there as well. Just kept it low and slow through Springhill Park and around Chad Colley. Still felt it for the last hour or so.

Decided to wash my sheets this morning. Not like they didn't need it (weeks ago), but in putting them back on the bed after drying, I kicked crap out of the ottoman with the left fifth toe. It hurts and its a bit swollen, and wearing shoes and socks makes it hurt more. But running didn't make it hurt more, so I got out for an easy 7 miler. Yes, it hurt every step of the way but I didn't do any damage, and the run itself was OK. Now to soak it in icewater...

Took Monday off with my bruised toe. Felt a lot better today although still sore and I managed an easy 7 on the SHS/horseshoe loop.

Billat intervals x 24 at the track. Cut the cooldown short because it was getting late and I needed to get home and get ready for work. Legs felt pretty good but I don't think I could have held the pace much longer. Toe was OK but still sore.

Hilly miles, starting on the Free Ferry/74th Street loop. After track workout yesterday, I didn't have much left for those last three miles or so, but got 'em done. Kinda scary that I'm running 26.2 fast in, what, 53 days? Lotta work to be done in that time.

Easy, slow and sore. Really tempted not to run at all, but got out and did it. As usual, the first half mile was the worst.

Progression run after the basketball game. Game was good. Run was OK. Now need to get to work ASAP...

Got out to SHS tonight for a run after dark. The roads were clear so I thought the track might be. Nope. But traction was pretty good, and if I was a bit careful on the slick spots, which I was, I could run at a decent pace on the sleet atop ice (the ice only spots were where it was slick). Didn't wear a watch so not sure of the pace, but I think it was somewhere around 10:00.

Ran Phoenix after the WAR meeting. First half at 10:00 pace, second half at 9:00 average. Ice is pretty mcuh gone. We'll see if I feel like 15-16 tomorrow.

Planned to do 16 today, but developed a twinge in my left foot at about 6.5 and decided to shut it down after one of he 8-mile loops due to my normal paranoia. Legs didn't feel that good anyway, and it was almost 60 degrees (waited too long to start). So I shut it down and will try again over the weekend.

At the Boys Club with the crack o chickens crew today. Parked at Mercy which added two miles plus to what the group ran. Foot still a bit tender but didn't hurt during the run.

Started out from the bank with Kathy L, Jill, Sheri, Tammy, James, Erica and some other woman I didn't know. Legs did not really want to work for the first three miles. They were a little better after that, but what kicked them into gear was going up the amphitheater hill. After that, I was low-9, high-8, and for the last 1.3 I was down around MP. Legs hurt like heck, as you'd expect for my first 16-miler since... October? Got it done, and the progression was encouraging.

Cliff Drive loop today. Legs were really heavy after taking yesterday off, but was able to progress as usual once I got to ABF.

After that miserable excuse for a basketball game, I had time to run 4 at moderate pace. So I did. That's about all I can say about that. Temp in mid 60s but not bad with a breeze.

Ran with Jamie, Debbie, Chris and later Brett after work. I hadn't had any sleep and my legs felt like it. About all I could manage was 8:30 pace and they ran off and left me. By the time I finished 7 all I wanted to do was sleep, so I went home and did just that.

Cold and rainy all day, so went to Mercy and did five miles indoors. It sure seems like a mile there is longer than a mile at MAFC. Clicked off 71 laps though before the gym closed at 5.

A double today. Six this morning with the crack o' chickens crew, then five this afternoon on my own. I'd hoped to do some tempo work this afternoon but legs weren't up to it. So I just ran 9:20ish pace this afternoon. It was 75 and windy, so you know I loved that (sarcasm alert). Now getting ready to go to my fundraiser. Hoping for a nice turnout and a nice take but you never know.

Six with Sheri, Jill and Mark C. at Creekmore. Pace decent, mid 9ish for most of it.

Back out at Ben Geren with Jamie, Terry and Debbie. Jamie and Terry ran off and left us as usual, but Deb and I had a good run. I'd leave her on the uphills, she'd catch and pass me on the flats. With a little over a mile to go she was probably 150 yards ahead of me and I decided I had to reel her in. I did. Caught her with about 400 yards to go; ran that last mile at 7:35 pace. We went up and back on the bike trail west of Massard, and in between did the amphitheater loop the hard way. So lots of steep hills up and down. I needed a run like this to rebuild my confidence. Can I run 3:28? Dunno. Can I run decently? Yeah, I think so.

Predawn run, capped off by Kathy's face plant. Banged her face and knees from what I can tell; had a cut near her right eye. Run itself went OK, although it took about five miles to loosen up after yesterday's mountain climbing session with Jamie and Debbie.

Progression run this morning. Did the first 8.6 with Kathy, who was doing pretty well in spite of the bandages on her eye and her knee. That loop went up Massard and included the amphitheater section (fortunately the easy way). Then I went down Phoenix solo and picked up the pace, hammering the return trip. I got down to 8:29 for the last mile after going 10+ with Kathy. Legs were complaining the last six miles, which I guess is what Hanson training is all about.

Did a new loop today from the storm shelter. Sheri said it would be 7 or 8. Uh, no. Try 10 on the dot. And if I'd done a couple of detours they did, it would have been 12. Debbie joined us and hammered me for the last four miles, so I got my workout in. Good run though. Nice weather, good company. James kinda hobbled some but he finished 10 too.

Ran with Kathy and Virginia at dawn after work (that still sounds weird). Kept it slow

Ran to work today; it was the only way I was going to get a run in. At 75 degrees, not a lot of fun. Ran to the fitness center, showered there and then had to jog over to Mercy to not be late. But I arrived.

Since I ran to work yesterday, I had to run home today. With no time constraints, took a longer route, 7.44. Legs were fine, rest of me is screaming "Go to bed! Now!" So I will. May try to do intervals tomorrow morning if work isn't too bad.

Barely squeezed in Billat intervals at the track between nap and work. 18 X 30 seconds. Went OK considering I haven't done them in too long. Ran to and from the track to home. Probably could have done a few more if time had allowed; I barely got to work on time as it was.

Seven sluggish, hot (77 degrees) miles. Have I mentioned recently that I hate running in the heat? Boy, it sucks. I hate heat. July and August should be replaced by December 2 and January 2.

Hilly run at 5:15 with Sherrie, Cindy, Stacey and Wanda. Legs felt good after three days off

I was planning to do 16 today, but waited too long; it was too warm/sunny and the legs were just dead. I bailed out after one 8-mile loop. I'll do the 16 on Sunday when it's a lot cooler. Pace was OK, a low-9 average, just had to struggle with it. No more training than I've done, a 15-day taper should be just fine.

Easy run at dawn before heading to Newport to see Jen. Legs felt fine and the temps were nice, in the low 40s after yesterday's mid-60s.

Progression run from the bank on Zero. Glen kept me company and kept up very well for 12.4, even though he'd never run farther than 13. But I dropped the hammer at 12.4 and ran MP the rest of the way. Glen didn't even try to keep up. Plenty of hills on the course so it was a good confidence builder for Boston. I may actually be able to race that sucker. Taper time; still plan some speed work between here and there and maybe a 10 miler next weekend.

Easy 5 before work. It took about 1.5 to work out the kinks from yesterday but after that not bad.

Ran with the Creekmore crew and pushed it a bit; I had to finish and get ready for work. Had a little tight spot in my left hammy last night which was still there a little bit but not a big bother. I think I averaged about 9:10 along Old Greenwood.

Progression run

Easy peasy. It's gettin' close...

Oklahoma run. In the rain, Chased by dogs in "downtown" Moffett. Nauseated. ITB stiff and sore. Other than that, nothing to it. Got it done before the thunderboomers moved in, which is nice.

Thirty degrees colder today in Fort Smith than it is in Boston. Also colder here than it will be in Hopkinton on race morning. Weird. Just a shakedown run to SHS and back. Legs felt OK, no ITB trouble. Had to fight the wind just a tad, but that's good practice for next Monday too. Invited Stef from the dailies to join the carbload, and she accepted., so that'll be nice. One week to go...

Up with the crazies after about two hours' sleep to push it a bit at BG. They ran off and left me, of course, and I couldn't see them in the dark, so I turned around at the golf course gate.

Creekmore run with Sheri and Cindy S. Took it easy for most of the way, but the last mile and a half I practiced reeling in a runner well in front of me, since I think I'll be doing a lot of that Monday from Wave 4. Caught her with maybe 3/4 mile to go. Then I went to the hospital, showered there and worked my shift.

Hadn't intended to go this far, but the bridge I planned to use to get back to Boston from Cambridge was closed, so I went to the next bridge. Beautiful morning for a dawn run. Saw Shalane Flanagan, jogging along at 6:30 pace, on the Mass Avenue bridge.

Mid-afternoon shakedown, dodging the pedestrians on a beautiful Easter Sunday. Am I ready? We'l find out.

More details to come. For now, this will suffice. I didn't think I was going to finish. I didn't think I could finish. And the course officials tried to take me off the course twice. But I kept going, dehydrated beyond belief (seven hours after the finish, I've barely urinated at all). And got to the line, running all the way down Hereford and Boylston to do that. Believe me, running half a mile without walking was not something that happened very much in the last half of the race.

I got on the bus a little after 5:30 a.m. after another fitful night of sleep, knowing that it would be six hours before I got to the starting line (Note to self: Don't do that again if you don't have to; it would have been worth it to walk to the Common and take the late BAA bus. Would have gotten more sleep too.) Once I figured out what we were doing after the bus dropped us way the heck away, I got to the AV and found the Dot quickly, just as Amy, Troy and some of the other peeps were arriving. But there were very few there then. That would change. By 9 a.m. the place was wall to wall. My phone said it was below freezing on the bus to Hopkinton. that didn't last either, as it warmed quickly once the sun came up. By 7:30 I was out of my sweatshirt, by 9:30 I was out of the long pants.

Finally, a little before 11, we were called to leave for the corrals. The walk in from the AV is always exciting, more so this time. We had been told at the AV there were no portapotties at the start, only to find the same rows set up at the supermarket as in 2011. The misinformation was a little irritating, but I had done my business at the AV in any event and didn't need them.

Got into the corral in plenty of time, unlike after my wait in line at the supermarket in '11, and my race began at 11:26. I'd hoped to start out in the 8:0x pace range. Traffic was not that bad, and I was able to run pretty freely at 8:4X pace. But I didn't feel like running faster than that. By mile 2, I was pretty certain that my goal of a BQ wasn't going to happen. OK, I thought, let's see if we can do something in the high-3-hour range, similar to Baton Rouge or Bayshore. And I tried to keep my pace in that range as we went through Ashland and Framington. By Natick, I could tell this wasn't going to work either. I stopped at a portapotty (my last diuresis for the next 8 hours or so) and put a quick post on FB that at 15K I was in trouble. Five hours later when I got back to the room I was stunned at the amount of response to that single sentence.

The pace started slacking (over 10:00 in mile 8), but I still got to the half in 2:05, even with helping three Wellesley coeds graduate. One of them kissed me more than I kissed her, which didn't bother me in the least. But I got slower and slower. I could tell I was dehydrating. I could also tell that the sunscreen I applied at the AV was gone. Couldn't do anything about the impending sunburn, but I could drink a lot, and I tried to do that, alternating Gatorade and water with gels to try to avoid hyponatremia. In retrospect, probably just should have guzzled Gatorade like crazy, especially after I discovered that my tube of Endurolytes had fallen out of my RaceReadys. No way to know if those extra electrolytes would have prevented any of what happened, though.

The hamstrings were tightening, too, and the walking bouts commenced in earnest. Mile 15 took almost 13 minutes. Mile 16 was my last sub-10:00 mile. Mile 24 was 17-plus. I just could not go very far without taking a walk break. And two different times volunteers came up to me (while I was walking) and gave me the chance to bail out and hit the medical tent. I thought about it, but I didn't come there to DNF, so I told them I was OK and would finish. I probably wasn't OK, but I did finish. It will surprise absolutely no one to learn that my highest heart rate was at the top of Heartbreak Hill -- until I got to Boylston, when it went even higher. I forced myself to run up HBH without stopping, which probably explains the high HR. And I ran the last half mile or so without stopping, from the Mass Ave overpass down Hereford and Boylston.  I was actually running about 8:30 pace on Boylston -- about 17 miles too late ro run the high-3 time I wanted after the initial readjstment.

My two goals for the last 10K were to finish at all, and to finish under 5 hours. I did both, barely. Considering that Stockholm was only 40K and I ran 4:52 there, this was my second slowest marathon, and definitely my warmest. But I got it done, got my second Boston medal, and managed to stay out of the hospital, although it took a lot of postrace fluid consumption before my kidneys produced any urine at all.

Initially I was disappointed in my performance, and it will not go down as one of my best. But it was my toughest. I didn't have the cramps that have plagued me in the past, but I had to dig deeper than I did in Little Rock or Stockholm or even Cordova to get to the line.

The crowd support was wonderful, and that certainly helped me find the will to keep going. Can't tell you how many times I heard "Go Ah-kan-sah," "Go Hogs" "Woo Pig Sooie" and even the occasional "Go Jeff". I high-fived so many people, kids and adults, that my shoulders started to hurt. I tried to acknowledge as many of the shouts of encouragement as I could, even with just a wave (also affecting the shoulders eventually). And I really felt safe. I also felt a thrill early in the race when a spectator yelled out that Meb had won the men's race. I felt a chill then, too, which was the only chill I felt on a 73-degree afternoon that seemed even hotter than that with the unremitting sunshine and very little on-course shade. The humidity was very low, but that may have even made things worse, as my body lost fluid very quickly.

Proving the legs still sorta work...

Hour run on Phoenix after work. Actually felt pretty good. Being 15 degrees cooler than Boston helped, and no sun beating down on me. Able to get to around 9:00 and hold it once I warmed up.

Hilly progression from Creekmore. Able to keep it around MP for the last mile and a half roughly. Decent run, the kind I'll need many more of in the next 4.5 months.

Up at 4:30 today to go get Jennifer. I am so glad that chapter in our lives is over. Not sure what the next chapters will bring but we can work on them now instead of being on hold.

Easy run on the dumpster dive route with the crack o' chickens crew.

Pushed the pace on a solo long run, averaging 9:12. Felt harder than that only 11 days after Boston.

Recovery run after work with Kathy, Lionel, James, Logan and Jennifer F., with about a third of it on the I-49 southbound lanes.

Indoor run at Mercy, since it was 93 out there today. Not a lot of fun and some twinges, but got it done at 9:31 average

85 degree outdoor run at 6 p.m. on the SHS/Country Club loop. About as much fun as most 85-degree runs are, although with some shade and high clouds it was better than it could have been. Felt better than the last 10 miles at Boston for instance. Worked my way down from a 10:36 first mile to a 9:55 average.

Crack o' chickens run with Sheri and Cindy, 10 hours after my last run. Sheri wasn't feeling well and had to walk early. I just went ahead and did an extra loop. Warm and humid but enough breeze to make it tolerable, and the sun wasn't an issue at dawn.

Blah run in the drizzle with Kathy and Rose. Shutting down at 3 seemed to be the best call. So I did.

Sunny. sweaty run on I-49 with Logan, Tieu, Kathy, Jill, and Jennifer F. Good thing I had company; there was no way I'd hav done 10 miles solo today, maybe not even 5. Weather reminded me a lot of Boston, maybe even warmer.

In the rain after dropping Jen off on the freeway

With Kathy, David and Jill from the storm shelter. Legs felt pretty good after three days off due to work, rain, lack of sleep and taking Jen to pickup duty.

Road Dog run this morning, then looped back to pick up stragglers. Run was OK, dropped the hammer in the last two miles. Couldn't hang around to get my Road Dog shirt/name, since I drove to Cass directly from work and hadn't slept a wink. So I went home to sleep.

Three chocolate miles. Need I say more?

Ran the bike trails at the crack o' chickens. Felt pretty good the last mile and a half and dropped the hammer.

Slow and humid at Ben Geren with Kathy, Jill and David. We'll see if I have any speed tomorrow

Ugh. 70 degrees, sunny and humid. I had to walk three times. Couldn't maintain even 8:00 pace. Somehow still got top 10 AG, partly because only 14 were entered in 50-54. It was BAD. About what I expected, given lack of training and lack of sleep. I gotta get the sleep figured out and get the training routine going.

Waited until after the Indy 500 to run. Bad move. It was 86 with HI of 89 when I finished. Managed decent pace the whole way, in spite of feeling like a rotisserie chicken roasting on all sides (first shirtless run of the summer; hide the women and children). Best I can say is I got out and got it done in spite of the weather.

Two humid, miserable hours. But got it done despite a bonk. 9:50 average even with the bonk.

Got the run done after dropping Jen on the highway. Then had to go back and get her when te thunderstorm hit. Just a muggy, sultry morning to do 6.

Dragged myself out for a progression run with Kathy, Tieu and David. They dragged me faster at the start than I really wanted to go, but once I got warmed up I was fine in spite of having worked all night. Last mile would qualify at MP and I could have easily gone faster but didn't want to leave Tieu. Then a cooldown walk. I think I need more runs like this where I push the pace a bit. Should have gotten to the track at some point this week, but maybe I can do that Monday.

Wells Lake run with the gang at 8 a.m. Legs were fine. Rest of me was asleep. Or worse. Got through at decent pace though with a good progression.

Worn out after work this morning, decided to run before work tonight. With HI of 90, decision to go indoors was easy, and I got there just in time to do 5 on the track before they closed. So, I did. For some reason indoor runs there are more boring than at MAFC. Maybe it's lack of scenery or music.

94% humidity at 7 a.m. And that may be low. All you need to know about this run. Bleah.

Marking National Running Day with a double. At 5 a.m. with Kathy, Khuong, Logan and Tiffany M. They went farther, but I was having GI issues and bailed when we looped back by the cars at 5.3. Six hours later, still having GI issues. Plan is to do the Creekmore run this evening and then join the group at La Huerta. Hope the tummy cooperates.

The tummy cooperated, the weather didn't. Heat index of 97, zero breeze, zero shade, sun beating down on me. Felt like Boston only 20 degrees worse. It was bad. Really bad. Barely finished.

Indoor fish at Mercy once I finally dragged my carcass out the door at 4 p.m. for errands and a haircut. Managed to push the pace for the last mile although dragging a bit.

Ran at 7 before going to the eye doctor. Didn't feel like being out there and cut it off at 4 miles.

Pushed it a bit on the schoolhouse route, having gotten separated from Kathy, Jill and Erica early this morning and thus just did my own thing (I think they did the Wells Lake loop but not sure). Pace around 9 even with all the hills on the bike trail and Massard. Running tonight with Meagan if the thunder permits (there was widely scattered rumbling this morning but mostly I just got wet). Total of 7.2 this morning. Last 1.2 at MPish.

Ran with Meagan and Leslie, her MIL, tonight. They wanted to push the pace, and we did; sub-9 for the six-miler on Phoenix. My legs really didn't want to go that fast, and I went numb at the 62nd Street crossover. Pushed it on home anyway. Wound up with 15 for the day with an extra 1.8 before and after the run with the ladies.

SHS and back at 9:30 pace. Steamy. Very steamy. Not very warm, but very humid. 73 degrees and 80+% humidity. Not a dry thread on me by the time I got home.

Couldn't stay awake after work, or get up in late morning, to get my planned morning run in. So I hit the rehab treadmill for the first time. Wasn't bad, although I couldn't get the overhead fan engaged. Ran at 9:30ish for the first 5 miles then cranked it up to MP for the last 12 minutes, which turned out to be 1.45 (it went into heart rate mode so I couldn't tell how far I was running until it cut off at the hour mark). So I see that an hour is the limit, at least on that one. No midnight 20-milers, not that the pager would let me go that long. I got six pages; answered three while running, last three came in a cluster at 57 minutes and I just let 'em sit for five minutes.

To the track after work for my first session of Yasso 800s. I did 4 reps, and wasn't sure I could get through the fourth. but it went OK. Not sure I could have completed a fifth, but didn't try. It wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. Weather was overcast and not too terribly humid. There was a sprinkle or two; I could have stood for a little more rain but anyway.

Run at Ben Geren with Jill and Kathy. As usual with Kathy, we got faster as we went along. Wound up with basically 10:00 in spite of walk breaks. I felt OK although there was no chance for a nap at work last night. Sleeping later in the afternoon is definitely the way to go on this schedule.

Took my time this morning from the schoolhouse. Ran with Kathy the whole way, joined Sheri and others for a few miles in the middle. Kathy wanted about 10:30 pace which was fine with me. Work was brutal last night and I was feeling it. Even at that slow pace, the legs were feeling it to some extent.

Morning run in the soup. 77 degrees, 82% humidity at the finish. Not much breeze either. Wish I'd taken a water bottle, not that it woulda helped all that much.

Planned 800s at Southside became strides and drills when they had football players running laps. That's probably OK. It was too darn hot to run hard 800s anyway. But I think I tweaked something in left medial thigh doing dipsy-doos. I'd planned to run tonight with Meagan, or at Creekmore, or both, but we'll have to see how the leg feels this afternoon. Then again, a slow jog might help too.

Took yesterday off for the twinge in my thigh, then tried it this morning. No sign of twinge on the SHS route, so I guess I'm good for the 5K tomorrow. Sure was hot though. Running hard for 3.1 in this heat will not be fun.

First 5K of the year. My training hasn't been consistent, next to no speed work, and I was pacing Meagan and Leslie, so didn't expect much. But with this small field, I figured hitting my goal pace would probably win AG. It did. So would walking the course backward; I was the only 50-54 male entered. I was seventh overall, and three people ahead of me were a teenaged boy and two UAFS cross country girls. So I was fourth adult.

Meagan dropped back after the first mile. Leslie stayed closer but wound up like 42 seconds behind me, which was still only one spot back of me in the overall, and Meagan got 10th. Both of them won AG too, and they had actual competition. Race time temp was 88, humidity probably 65% down by the river in VB. And I felt every bit of it. It was a struggle to keep going (plus I needed to go to the bathroom), but I kept going. Mile splits were 7:48, 7:54 and 8:07. But the overall average was 7:54, which is pretty much exactly what I had targeted.

Long run 11 hours after a hard 5K? Bad, bad idea. But I did it. First 8 miles were OK. However, at that point I had no energy, no remaining water, 85% humidity to swim through, and four miles left. And that four took a LONG time.

Loop from the WAR room with Kathy and Jill. Had a little niggle in the left calf which hurt before and after the run but not during (?). It rained overnight and sprinkled this morning, so it was cooler but even more humid than yesterday. Able to bust it for the last quarter mile or so, then walked a quarter to recover.

Calf niggle settled down enough to test with a run, then seemed to disappear completely. So I did eight Hudson hills at the end of my 7-miler. Didn't feel very speedy on the sprints but got them done with no further complaints from the gastroc. Now for shower, sleep and then dinner date with Jen.

Very slow with Kathy after my little GI mishap. Still felt like a lead weight in the tummy but no mishaps. Very, very humid, like 80/80.

Crack o' chickens run with Sheri and the gang. Better than yesterday but still not back in the swing.

Ran the north VB loop with Meagan and Leslie tonight. We went down instead of up the main hill, not that the way we went wasn't plenty challenging. Averaged 9:30 for 6 then walked .3 to cool down. Weather wasn't bad, high 70s and not horribly humid.

Beautiful July day -- mid-60s, bit of a breeze, not horrible humidity. So I stretched our 7 miler out to 15. Bonked at the end, of course, but got it done at about 10:15 average.

"Recovery run" with Kathy, David, etc., on the Survivors Challenge course. SC is not a recovery run course, and I knew that. So when they were going faster than I wanted to go, I just let 'em go. Weather was nice but not as nice as yesterday, a few degrees warmer.

First run in the new Altras, which arrived this afternoon. Me likey! Very cushiony, not very heavy. I seem to be handling the heat better. Run was at dusk, so little direct sunlight, but mid-80s, HI in high 80s, and not much breeze. I noticed on the uphill coming back that the HR was about 160, which didn't surprise me given the heat and the steepness (and being at mile 6). Very happy with the new kicks and might have to consider lighter version for Big Cottonwood.

Also cruising up on my seven-year anniversary and 13,000 miles in those seven years. Won't quite get there by the anniversary though.

Slow and easy. I was quite stiff after yesterday's late run and took probably 3 miles to get loose. Also waited too long to run this morning and let it warm up too much. But I chugged along at my slow recovery pace on the horseshoe loop.

Tempo/MP run on the treadmill at work. Despite frequent interruptions, managed to get in four good miles, then my half mile cooldown was interrupted twice. Probably would have been better to wait until after midnight, but that would break my streak... Dentist in the morning, so tomorrow's run will be PM or back on the 'mill. Might come in at 5:45 p.m. to do it before I'm on the electronic leash

Ninety-six degrees in late afternoon so I started my eighth year of running with 84 laps at Mercy. Boring as heck but got it done before work. Hard to believe I've run the equivalent of halfway around the world in the last 2557 days.

Ran with Jill and David at the storm shelter. Nobody felt like going fast or far, so we didn't. Tomorrow should get me to 13K.

10K in the rain, put me over 13,000 miles in the last 2560 days. Slow and muggy despite the rain, but the milestone is reached.

Sneaked in a Yasso 800 workout on the treadmill at work, thanks to Liza taking my pager for an hour and a half. Warmed up for 2 miles, did 6 reps at 3:30 with 3:30 recovery in between, and warmed down for 2. Treadmill is not ideal for this (especially when it locks on HR mode and you can't see mileage) but I got it done. Endorphins are flying, legs are feeling it. Most of this run was done after midnight, so it counts for two days :)

Treadmill progression run after work with last 20 minutes at MP

Another treadmill run at work, this one with interruptions. Since it was a recovery run, didn't mind that too much. Took me 78ish to do the 8, even with three or four pages (walked while I talked). I'm feeling stronger, like I've pushed off the plateau I've been on for a while. BC is two months from yesterday, so I'd better be getting off that plateau if 3:3x is going to happen, much less 3:2x.

Outside at 10 a.m. It was 74 but felt warmer and I was really draggin'. Got it done though. Now for afternoon in the dentist's chair. Bleah.

A cool July morning around here is as rare as a snowball in the same time frame, but we got one this morning and I took advantage. Averaged 9:24 even with Gallowalking with the peeps for the first six miles. Last 10+ were solo. My last gel hit the tummy hard and forced a short walk but other than that I ran the last 12 basically.

Crack o' chickens with the peeps. Really sore after yesterday's 18 and it took about four miles to get loose.

Out with the 5:15 crazies this morning. They did a tempo run, I did Billat intervals. Funny how those intervals are a lot easier when I'm in better aerobic shape, even though they're anaerobic. I think I was going faster than my last set of intervals too. Total of 26 reps, which I think was my high for Billats, and I was doing more jogging for recovery and less walking. Warmed up with the crazies, two miles on the horseshoe, then cooled down on the track. Another encouraging workout, two days after my 18.

Progression run today with Sheri, Mary Jo, James and other peeps. I hung with the crew for the first five miles then kicked it into gear on the Old Greenwood segment over the freeway, wound up finishing 5-6 minutes ahead of everyone else. Put me over 100K for the week, which hasn't happened in a long time. The cool spell has re-energized me, I guess, and the legs feel pretty good.

Easy 7 in the soup. Waiting until 10:15 was a tad too long; it had warmed up into the 70s with no decrease in humidity. I kept the pace leisurely on purpose, and for once I stayed there. Averaged just a tad over 10:00 which was just fine. I had a twinge in the left hip when I started but I suspected it was just stiffness, and it worked out quickly.

Added a new form of torture to the repertoire this morning: Lactate stackers. They sound simple -- go just about all out for a minute, jog for two minutes to recover, rinse and repeat. May be simple, but they're brutal. Especially if you wait until it's almost 80 degrees to start them. Legs were a little heavy, not nearly as much life as for last week's Billat intervals (which I did at just about the same speed). HR was maxing out at about 160 on the last four reps.

Easy 8 after work. First 3.5, downwind with the sun on my back, was pretty brutal. Back into the wind, some cooling occurred, I felt much better and the planned 6 was stretched to 8.

Warm. Humid. Sweaty. No wind. Bleah. Got it done though before the heat index hits 100+ this afternoon. HI was 83 anyway. AHR somehow stayed below 130 in spite of heart rate creep and a semi-decent pace (9:40).

Working out the kinks, mainly just keeping the streak going.

Slow and sweaty after work. Three-plus with Jill and Kathy, last bit by myself

Treadmill run at mid-afternoon, five at MP, 3.5 warm/cool. Could have gone further but treadmill was bumping against time limit so I figured 8.5 was good place to stop. Now for a brief nap before work, then a morning jog to work out more kinks.

Easy 8 on the mill after work. Did 6.3 for four miles, 6.4 for four.

Treadmill run at work, progressing to MP+ for last six minutes. As soon as I finished the run, all hell broke loose in ER, so the timing was good.

Out with the crack o chickens crew after a very long Monday -- run, work, moving Tyler into his new place, driving to and from Springdale. Crashed at 8:30 and didn't want to get up at 4:15, but I did. Got into the run as I went along, but I wasn't going to go past 7ish and I didn't. Just getting in the miles. We did manage a progression, largely trying to keep up with Cindy. I'm over 1000 miles for the year now, aiming for about 2100ish. If I hadn't had 74 days off in the first half of the year I might threaten my record. Or maybe not. I'd need a higher daily average even if I ran 340 days this year instead of <280.

Mid-afternoon progression in the rain after I slept until noon (and needed it!). Last 1.1 was at MPish. Even able to attack the hill on 58th at decent pace. I've run every day in July so far; one more to go to get the month streak. I would never have guessed of any month to run every day,. it would be July, but we mostly caught a break with the weather, I've felt fairly strong and I've been motivated to get out there and get it done even when I didn't feel quite so strong. Will I streak August too? Doubtful, but we'll see. Toughest part may be Saturday after I get back from KC.

Crack o chickens with the ladies for 5.2, then another 6+ on my own in the rain. All of this on about two hours of sleep. I realized I was awake at 3:45, wasn't likely to get back to sleep, and the crew would be meeting in 90 minutes. So I got up and had what passes for a leisurely breakfast at 4 a.m. Legs got a little heavy but I ran the last 3.25 in under 9:00 pace anyway. I'd thought about doing 18 this morning, but with the rain, that would have risked some major blisters, and I don't think the legs were up to another 6+ miles anyway.

Slow, achy, muggy, streak preservation miles. Now headed for KC for futbol.

Streak ended Saturday; KC trip wore me out too much and I slept too long. Didn't worry about it much because I knew I was going to go long this morning. I did 18 starting at 5:40ish. Finished before 9 even with pitstops, water breaks, etc. It was warm enough as it was, pushing into upper 70s by the finish, I'm glad I didn't wait until 7:30 or 8. Last four miles were a bit of a struggle but maintained something around 10:00 pace anyway.

Nice and slow with Kathy and Jill at Wells Lake. Stoopid humid, no breeze, lots of sun. Bleah.

Too tired to run after work, dentist appointment at 1 and the need to do speed work sent me to the gym at 5:30. Once again I'm reminded that treadmill work needs a controlled environment -- thermostat on low, fan in my face and running shirtless. None of those three were the case, and I had a very hard time doing 5 miles at MP. It reminded me of that 5K at Hope last year that was so miserable. Got it done, though, and got cleaned up in time to clock in at 6:59. Then went home to ditch the sopping clothes and get fresh ones in case an overnight run presented itself. But I'm running with Jill again at 8 so I'll have time to change and maybe even eat something. And the dental work is done for a few months until insurance can be tweaked.

Slow progression after work with Jill and David. Took about four miles to get loose after last night's tempo run. Warm and humid but some breeze and shade helped.

Billats through the soup at SHS. Just hideously hot and humid even at 7:30. Southside came out for football practice while I was torturing myself. I think they thought I was nuts. They're right. Struggled to do 16 reps this time. Lungs burning, etc. Bleah.

Hard progression run on the treadmill after work. Started at 9:05 pace; by the end I was at 7:30 pace. Then I went home and crashed. Hard. This built my confidence. I felt strong at BQ16 pace, and BQ15 pace, and beyond.

Enormously stressful night at work. At 6:30 I was reasonably sure I'd go home and crash. Then the last cup of coffee kicked in. So I went downstairs and hit the treadmill for 97 minutes of stress management at sub-9:30 pace. It worked. I might have even felt some endorphins. Then I went home and crashed for eight hours, hard. Tonight's the "supermoon" so it might be even worse.

2 a.m. treadmill run on a (blissfully) slow night at work so far, thanks to Liza taking the pager. Steady 10:00 pace, interrupted by the 60:00 limit. Actually I'd just planned to do 6 anyway, but decided to reload for another 10 minutes since I felt pretty good. Now I can readjust to daylight hours today without having to fit a run into the mix.

Up at the crack o' chickens for 4.5 with the gang, then kept going for another 2+ hours. Legs felt pretty heavy but was still able to hold low-9 pace for the last few miles, when I wasn't giving in to the walk monster. All in all a decent run. With a month and a day to go, I needed a decent long run, and I did it on pretty tired legs (10 on Sunday, 7 yesterday).

Crack o' chickens run through south FS with Sheri and James. I was sore and they were leaving me, at least until the last two miles. Just got it done. Then left for Bryant at 6 a.m. after showering.

Good strong progression this morning from the schoolhouse. Took it easy for the first 4 except for the big downhills. Picked it up on the uphill on the bike trail and kept past the school, around the lake, down Free and Veterans and Custer to Chad Colley, then capped it off with hill sprints on Massard. Amazing what a good night's sleep did for me.

Tried to do 8-10 Yasso 800s today. Didn't have it, and felt a twinge in my left thigh, so I shut it down after four reps. Still wound up as a 7 mile workout and the four reps I did were at the proper speed, so I think it will be of benefit. Maybe I'll try again next week.

Trespassed on I-49 for a while this morning, then I dropped the hammer after we got off the freeway. Felt pretty good after the first two miles. Last mile and a quarter was at MP.

Kept it slow in stifling humidity. The rest of the group did 10; I diverted through the park and wished I hadn't when I bonked at around 10 miles. This wrapped up a 68 mile week, not bad for a gray-haired old goat.

Progression run on the treadmill at work, pretty comfortable. Did 4.8 before midnight , 5.2 after. Down to MP for the last 400 at the end. We'll see if I get to run at work Wednesday night.

Progression run on the mill, 4.8 before midnight, 5.2 after with the last 400 at MP. Felt pretty comfortable. We'll see if I can get on the mill tonight.

Steady state run on the mill at work. Well, sorta steady state. First five miles at 7:53 pace, next 1.22 at 7:30 pace to get through 10K in 48ish, then cooled down until the mill shut down at one hour. Total of exactly 7.4. Going straight to MP from a dead stop was a bit tricky, but I managed and settled in pretty well after the first two miles. Hopefully the downhill and a tiny warmup in Utah will get me into the 7:50s more comfortably than tonight with no warmup and semi-tired legs. Now I'm supposed to do an easy 6 with Kathy in the morning. VERY easy.

Slow yucky outdoor run with Joel, Kathy and David after work. Tired, sore and blah.

On the treadmill after work. Averaged sub-9 for the first 6, then cranked it up to 7.6 for a couple of miles and finished at 7.9 mph. Overall did 10 miles in 1:25:xx. Felt pretty good really, considering lack of sleep. Sweat was flying thought. Heart rate seemed to be around 130 at the finish, the 120s otherwise. Although the data from the HRM makes no sense upon download...

After essentially sleeping through Monday, hit the mill before my half-shift at work tonight. Cruised 6.5 then put it at 7.6 for the last half mile. Gonna try to get up at 4 and run with Kathy then get another few hours sleep before going to Bentonville and/or working on my CME stuff. But we'll see how running on three hours of sleep goes.

Warm. Humid. Steamy. Slow. Crampy. Other than that, this morning's run went fine. Actually it wasn't that slow. Kathy got to jabbering again and as usual was going sub-9 while her mouth was in gear. We slowed down a bunch when she peeled off and went back to her house. Then I got GI cramps at 7.2 and had to walk for about 0.2 while they subsided, then picked back up and finished the run. Not fun. Still kinda crampy in fact. And I haven't been to sleep yet after working until midnight. I'm about to go correct that.

Another losing battle with the humidity. Not what I hoped for, but what I expected. This is the third time I've run this race and the third different course I've seen. This one was a 1.86-mile loop around the tennis center at Burns Park; we did a lap and a half and finished on the back side. Downhill finish, fortunately, but more undulations than I wanted to deal with. Mile 2 was rough. I was trying to at least keep Cortney in sight ahead of me and eventually failed. Just struggled through the best I could. If you'd asked me for a prerace prediction I would have guessed around 24 and hoped for 22, and the guess would have been correct. Still got 6th AG, but then there were only 8 in my group. Bleah. And a 62-year-old guy beat me. Double bleah. Hoping I'll do a little better than that when GP points are handed out tomorrow. If I'd run goal/PR I'd have gotten 2nd AG and probably top 55 overall.

I just have to hope that my body will respond when the temperatures and the humidity are both below 50 in Utah. It was overcast and there was a tiny bit of breeze which made it slightly less intolerable, but everybody seemed to be suffering with the humidity.

Two hours on the treadmill, pretty hard. Cranked it to MP at the start of the second hour and kept it there for 58 minutes, and felt really comfortable. I attribute it to having slept well last night/this morning; I shouldn't have been able to bust an MP run 34 hours after a hard 5K but I did. Of course, the lack of sleep and humidity meant the 5K wasn't as hard as it could have been. Wound up August with 215 miles, not quite what I wanted but not bad. If I did 215 miles every month I'd break my annual mileage record. Maybe that's a goal for 2016...

Slow and humid with Meagan and the WAR peeps at the WAR room. Too darn humid to run but I did anyway.

New route from the hospital after work -- Dallas to Massard to Phoenix to Leigh to SHS to Hardscrabble down Cliff to Rogers and back to the hospital. Detour back to the fitness center and it became 8+. Actually felt pretty good once the endorphins overcame the urge to curl up on the sidewalk and take a nap. Wound up with negative split and about 9:30 average.

Treadmill run during work. After numerous interruptions, things settled down and I got the last four miles or so done without any beeping. Cranked the last mile or so up to MP and beyond and felt comfortable. With 10 days to go, I hope so. Legs really don't feel too bad, which is good because I still have some hard workouts left, like one more attempt at a Yasso.

Went to the Frisbee golf lot after work to catch Kathy, Jill et al. in mid-run. Unfortunately, my back decided not to join me; it locked up. Jogged 1.7 and it wasn't loosening, and I said forget it and went home to soak in the tub,

Treadmill run after work, No sign of yesterday's lumbar issues, luckily. Cruised 5.5 then turned it up for the last mile, blasting the last minute at 8 mph. Felt OK other than a bad case of treadmil boredom, but there was a thunderstorm outside so I wouldn't have beenbrunning in that anyway. Seven days to go. Hopefully at this point (7:41 am MDT) I'll be past the 5-mile mark next Saturday.

Dress rehearsal along Phoenix. With the humidity, maintaining 8:00 pace for three miles wasn't easy. I kept telling myself it will be 30 degrees cooler at the start Saturday. Still don't know if I'm in that kind of shape, but I guess I'll find out.

Slow and easy with the crack o chickens ladies. It'll be 30 degrees cooler Saturday, and not a moment too soon.

Not so easy 4 with the peeps. They left a minute before I got there and it took me almost a mile and a half to catch up. It was darn near 80 degrees and humid. And I did 8 hill sprints at the end. But it's done. Travel day tomorrow, possibly with a shakedown jog in SLC, a short run Friday with a burst at the end to kick off my carbloading, and in 73 hours I'll be ready to start.

Found a nice place to run in SLC called Liberty Park, maybe a mile from the hotel. Wood chip path, shady, lots of other stuff in the park. I drove over there and did two laps around the chip path for my shakedown run, including "blasting" a half mile. I say blasting; it was barely under 7:00. Temp was 44 with some wind chill, felt wonderful. I barely broke a sweat even after that hard 880.

So I've started carbloading, UltraFuel and pounding some pancakes at the hotel buffet. About to head for the expo, then drive the course, then saunter up to Park City and over to Wyoming and check that off my list.

Race went very well for 17 miles, through the downhill and out of the canyon. Then the needle hit E. Wasn't trashed quads, I just had nothing left. The pace was very comfortable for the downhill. Didn't feel I had to push at all to maintain around 8:00 pace. But there just wasn't enough in reserve from the training plan. Didn't have a lot of fun either, especially for the last two hours. Therefore I'm going to reassess when or if I want to start doing marathons again. In the meantime, halfs, maybe even 10Ks. I'll have more to say later on this.

Three on the mill at work. Very, very sore. Quads still not recovered from Utah.

Slow run outside after work. Temps in the 50s as fall finally arrives. Legs are OK but sluggish.

Slow 4 after work. Legs were OK but I was incredibly tired. Sleepy, really. Just sluggish.

Decent progression run with the crack o chickens crew. Still some soreness but I was able to do some low-9 stuff, and finishing 7 was no problem. Might even try 10 Saturday.

Broke the run up into two 6+ mile segments, about 30 minutes apart, with progression to mid-8s at the end of both. Went OK. Rest of the day, not so much.

Back at it this morning after three days off for sleep and a mysterious thigh twinge. No twinge today but I could tell I'd taken three days off. 9:30 pace was a struggle. Got it done though. Now for some sleep.

Humid and slow. Cool weather is supposed to move in later today. Can't wait!

Intervals at the track while the SHS band was berated by their director over the PA. In fact, I could pretty much hear him all the way around the horseshoe on my cooldown run. I did 6 x 400, could have done more I think but didn't want to push it so soon after a marathon. Pace was just about 5K pace, or what I wish was 5K pace. Cold front came in with thunderstorms and other fun things and it was about 20 degrees cooler this morning. Cooler still overnight and tomorrow. I think I'll do a MLR to celebrate.

A lovely 43 degrees when I emerged from work this morning, so I set out on an 11-miler around behind the golf course, up Old Greenwood and back to the hospital. I ran the first half in about 53 minutes and the second half in under 50, so that was a nice progression. Not much sweat at all, legs felt good. Main issue was I was fighting a bad case of heartburn, probably from my coffee sloshing up, But eventuallly that subsided too. Once I got onto Phoenix I pretty much dropped the hammer. Average pace overall was 9:15; slowest mile was 9:33, fastest was 8:39.

Eight this morning after work. Kept it slow for the most part. Legs a little tight but loosened quickly.

Out in the fog this morning after overnight thunderstorms. Just kept a 10:00 pace overall, slower early then somewhat faster as I got loose, and stretched the intended 8 to 9+.

Out early with Sheri and the gang. For some reason I woke up with some stiffness in my left knee and the left IT band was also acting up. It took at least 4 miles to loosen a little and is still sore, and I was very very slow. I'm glad I already have an appointment scheduled with Tiffany for a massage this afternoon. Very good timing for that. First, lunch with Jen, first time I've seen her since her birthday. She's got birthday dinner tonight with her work group while I go to the WAR meeting.

Stoopid warm and humid for mid-October. Jill and David did a three-mile loop than came back to get Mark and I didn't want to go any further after that loop. So I didn't. Legs were very tight and it was a struggle even without the humidity.

Out with the crack o' chickens crew through the fog. I actually loosened up for the first time since Monday and decided to keep going. Wound up with a decent 11-mile progression. That's probably the kind of runs I need to keep doing while I'm in this base building period, how ever long that lasts.

Slow and humid, finished just before a big thunderstorm blew in. Apparently several more T-storms will follow in the next 36 hours. Hope it slacks off enough to get a football game in -- or that the rain gives Bama the dropsies. I was really, really sore after yesterday's combination of 11 miles and golf. Took at least 4 miles to get really loose.

Cool and misty this morning and I felt good, so I pushed it a bit. Started around 9:30 pace and picked it up from there. By the end I was under 8:30 pace.

Progression run after work. Legs felt pretty good and I hammered it after getting to the top of the hill on Cliff. Actually picked up the pace significantly after the turnaround then really hammered the last mile-ish.

Did the amphitheater loop from work. Wasn't as tough as I thought; maybe I'm a little stronger, and I wasn't pushing the pace quite as much as I used to do with the 5:15 crazies. I was probably going 9:20 pace or faster at that point though. Weather was really nice, upper 40s, no wind, clear.

Joined Kathy, Logan, David and Jill at Wells Lake for most of their 6-miler, then did another 3+ on my own to get to 9. Kinda cruised it, walked with them and a couple of short walks on my own, but still averaged 9:38. I'm thinking I'll have to average 7+ for the rest of the year to get to 2000, so I need some longer days because I'm not going to streak the last 75 days of the year.

5 am run with Kathy and Logan. Legs kinda heavy until I went up hill on McClure which shook them out. Felt pretty good after that.

ROUD became my long run this week. Weather was nice and I felt good, so I turned left at Old Greenwood and Phoenix and did the golf course loop, plus some twists and turns to get up to 14. Didn't have any gels, and stopped twice at C-stores for a drink, but got through OK except for really heavy legs. Which didn't surprise me. Weather was OK, high 50s/low 60s with a bit of a breeze and mostly overcast. It felt a lot warmer when the sun peeked out, too.

Recovery run at Wells Lake with David, Kathy and Lo. They ran off and left me, as I expected. Initial plan was a 5-mile loop, then I did another 3. They did some more too but I have no idea how much. They drove past me as I was finishing up.

Up before dawn for a run. With 11:00 kickoff at RRS, I need to be in Springdale by 9ish, so the run started at 6:05 on the horseshoe loop. Very slow up to SHS and then got loose; the downhill didn't hurt either. I figure I need to average about 7.3 for the rest of the year to get to 2000, so adding extra tenths every chance I get. Maybe some year I'll average 7.3 for the year. Anyway, I'm getting a decent base built. Might need to throw in some intervals or tempo soon.

Took my birthday off out of sheer laziness, I think, then got out for 10+ this morning. Picked a route I hadn't run in a year or so and then remembered why: Because it has a lot of traffic, not much in sidewalks and a ton of hills. Legs felt heavy and never did get loose, but I picked up the pace decently from SHS on home. Now for a nap before the resumption of vampire duty.

Progression run after work. Felt pretty good in spite of a tight spot in the left hammy that eventually loosened up. Ran from Mercy down Phoenix to Towson, then extended the return leg to get up to 11 miles. Last mile was 9:01. Now I'm officially tired. Goodnight.

Ugh. Weather was great (high 40s, calm). Legs were horrible. From the start I felt like I was at mile 25 of a marathon after I'd bonked, minus the pain. Just heavy, heavy, dead legs. Ended up walking a good bit of it; 5 took me 1:13ish. Hopefully they'll come around.