New Addition

Andrew Wheating signs with Nike! Not a big surprise - he went to University of Oregon and currently resides there. He ran the 800 for the U.S. in 2008 Beijing Games and is a stud - looking forward to a successful running career from him for years to come. He's had a solid season thus far, and will undoubtedly flourish as he continues to work hard.

Wednesday, crapped out on the early workout plans due to general soreness, and because of some issues didn't get in a run until super late. Because I had tempo on Thursday and really wanted to hit that workout, went really easy and light. Did 2 miles, out and back around town. Pretty humid, but used to it at this point. Felt ok, stretched a ton afterwards and did some corework and light weights.

Thursday, wanted to do my tempo in the morning when it was nice, but completely slept through my alarm because of general lack of sleep. My smoke detector decided to be evil, and started going off every 15 minutes starting at midnight. After laying around for an hour, tried to figure out the problem and basically lost a ton of sleep in the process. So basically dragged @ss all day, then went over to Pat and Crystal's treadmill to try to hit my tempo run. Not a good tempo treadmiller traditionally, but Crystal had sent me good karma by nailing her workout so felt I could do the same. Left hammie was acting up, but felt ok otherwise. Jumped right into the workout sans warmup (no time), probably not the best idea. Felt tired, but eventually got into a groove. Was watching the Jersey Shore marathon (fist pump!) and the fan blowing on me felt nice. I get bored easily on the treadmill, so started to visualize a 4 mile trail tempo run (one I have done many times). Let me tell you, this totally did the trick, as the digital LED screen numbers actually meant something now that I could visualize the course in my head. Miles ticked off pretty fast, then increased the speed on the last mile for fun. 1 mile cooldown afterwards and stretching. Total mileage: 5 miles - splits were: 6:27, 6:27, 6:27, 6:19

Was very pleased to get this done on the treadmill without any problems. I feel that was the equivalent of me hitting 6:15-6:20 on the trails (on a cooler day lol), and I felt very much in control. So my first week in forever of 2 solid speedwork has gone pretty well. Slacked a little on mileage, but not very concerned about that. Long run with Crystal tomorrow, then Sunday group recovery run should round out a very successful week!

On a side note, picking up a kitten that Jared and Nicki rescued later this weekend. Going to see if I can handle the responsibility of a pet, then maybe adopt him! Welcome to my home, Franklin!

Soooooooo cute

Oops!

The title is all about this - HILARIOUS! Read the comments too, I can't stop laughing! Also, Hall blogs about his Bix 7 experience - even though I have said before I wasn't sure about his "run with joy" mentality this year, it has to be awesome for him to be running races competitively and most importantly for fun. I mean if you aren't enjoying running at all, then it's really not worth the time commitment. Hoping his training for Chi is going well - he is going to need everything he has to break Khalid's record, but a 2:05 is certainly doable on that course and he has proven he has the ability to do so. Finally, a wrap up on Mud Mountain which contains interviews with the winners Zac and Candace.

Last night, got out to the track for my scheduled track work. Was supposed to do 3X1 mile fast, but was just worn down and had a contingency plan if it was too much. Pat and Crystal came up to do their own workouts, and there were a few others tearing it up on the track so was nice to have company. Was warm and pretty humid with relatively no breeze, and just immediately got into it. Did my first mile, felt decent and didn't go all out. But the last 300 meters, felt my heart rate start to skyrocket so tried to relax in between the next rep. Took a few minutes, then got into the next set. Hit 2:48 thru the half, but legs were mush and decided to go to the contingency plan and turn this into a reverse ladder and finished one more lap. Pretty bushed after that rep, and the 800 wasn't any better. On the 400, felt ok - got through 200 at 37-38 seconds, and felt like I had enough strength to really push it. When I was rounding the corner, saw Pat about 50-60 meters from the end, so just threw it into ludicrous speed to try to catch him. He got me, but I gave it a hell of an effort. Half mile cooldown with Crystal immediately afterwards. Total mileage: 3 miles - splits were: 1600: 5:43, 1200: 4:18, 800: 2:50, 400: 1:16

Usually on reverse ladders, I speed up the reps as the distances get shorter, but messed up a little on the 1200 and 800. I just didn't have it on those mid reps, and was struggling more than I am used to. Hit those later laps in the 1:28 range, which isn't good considering I was hitting the earlier laps in 1:22-1:24 range. I didn't have the strength and stamina last night, but these are all things to work on moving forward. Did heavy stretching, corework, and light weights when I got home.

This morning, legs were just shot. Was supposed to do 5+drills this morning with Crystal, but completely backed out because I knew it would be almost physically impossible to do it, and need some recovery for tomorrow's tempo. So at some point, I will hit some easy mileage tonight and work on stretching all day. Tomorrow, tempo run which I am dreading, but need to hammer it out hard!

Circuit Training

Just read Ryan Hall's blog, and he best summarizes why it is so awesome to run the bigger races. Of the four races that he has mentioned, I have done three of them and more importantly he pretty much summed up why I will be doing Boston next year:

1. The Boston Marathon: This marathon surpasses all the hype it gets. You will never forget running past the scream tunnel at Wellesley, up Heartbreak Hill (the challenge makes the journey all the more special), and down Boylston to the historic finish where the best runners in the world have been finishing for over a century.

Last night, went to the Big River group run for the first time in forever. We had a team meeting afterwards, so worked out pretty well to attend. Crystal dragged me out for her drills portion with her coach, so we did 25 minutes warmup to the track, which is located at a local high school not too far from Francis Park where we normally do the group runs. Weather was pretty nice - low 80's and overcast, and a slight breeze. We met her coach up there, and he explained to us the workout that we would be doing that day which was circuit training. For those not familiar, circuit training is a combination of high intensity aerobics and resistance training designed to target fat-loss, muscle building, and heart fitness. An exercise "circuit" is one completion of all prescribed exercises in the program. When one circuit is complete, one begins the first exercise again for another circuit. Traditionally, the time between exercises in circuit training is short, often with rapid movement to the next exercise.

The track was closed, so we did the workout on the grassy field adjacent to the track. Normally, we would have divided up the track into 5 different "stations" (where each exercise would be completed). The exercises were split up into 30 second segments, then sprint to the next station (~10 seconds, supposed to be around 80-100 meters), and is just continuous movement. Our stations were squats, pushups, toe touches, single leg squat/lunges, then plyos, all with hard sprints in between. Did 3 sets of this which took 10 minutes or so, and was pretty toast at the end of it. Definitely need to work on form on some of the exercises, but was a hell of a workout. Jogged back to the store, light stretching then went to our meeting/BBQ at Ben's house and called it a night. Total mileage: 4 miles - I had 33:06 on my watch.

Pretty sore today, need to stretch out a bit and try to gut it out for track work tonight!

Weekend Update/Mud Mountain Recap

Ryan Hall won the Bix 7! Really wished I could have been there to watch, but maybe next time. Rainy day, would have been perfect to get out. Thought it was interesting that he employed his Boston strategy (run your own race) instead of a more tactical race, but who am I to second-guess one of the top runners in the world, let alone the winner of a prestigious race??

Thursday night, did our long run with Mike. Was hot/humid (what's new??), and really questioned if this was a smart decision. Did out and back on the trail towards SIUE, which is pretty shaded. Air was super thick, and we made it a point to go slower than normal. Passed the high school XC team which was FLYING in the nasty conditions, and just kept motoring ahead. Decided to turn around 5 miles out (original plan was 10-12, we would see how things were when we got back), but pretty much knew we weren't running more than 10 since it was super nasty outside (100+ degree heat index). Was definitely laboring a bit, and the high 8's we were hitting felt like mid to high 7 minute pace. Picked it up slightly on the last mile, more to get out of the nasty outside. Pretty dead tired afterwards, couldn't drink enough Gatorade and water. Total mileage: 10 miles - average mile split was 8:44.

Friday, off day! Spent the majority of the day stretching out my weary legs and resting as much as I could. IT Band on my right knee was flaring, so concentrated on that area. Got in pretty early that night and tried to rest up. Saturday, woke up bright and early for the race! Did a quick jog outside to loosen up, and headed to the course. Was mid 80's and humid, and knew this was going to be a tough day to run. Warmed up with Mike and was automatically drenched in sweat. Found Candace, discussed our race strategy, then lined up with her. Gun went off, and off we went!

Well, sadly this was not my day, and I'll give you the Cliff Notes version to spare myself the humiliation for basically another "give up" race. Went through the first mile in 6:15 (as strategized), but legs were pretty tired already and was laboring a lot more than I should have been a mile into a 5K. Lots of people were passing by me at this point, and really lost the will to forge forward. Candace and I got separated by a lot of the high schoolers, and I saw I was about 5 seconds behind her but just pretty much gave into that little voice in my head ("it's too hot, i'm too tired", etc.) and dropped pace big time and basically jogged in. Mike passed me, sort of got a jolt to go catch him but he passed by my so fast that I didn't have time to react. More humiliation set in when I had to walk up one of the bigger hills on the second mile - I don't remember the last time I walked in a 5K. Kind of sped up the last mile, but had no sense of urgency which was really alarming. Picked off a few people which was nice, but was more happy to be done than anything. Final Time was 22:08 I think, good for 102/600+, 6th in my age group. Yes, I suck.

Candace won the overall female in 19:50 - hit her goal, so was super happy for her, even though I got my @ss thoroughly handed to me by her. Mike won 3rd in our age group, and was stoked for him. Pictures to come soon. We did about a 2 mile cooldown afterwards, my legs were just tired and tore up, and I was really, really happy to be done with it all. Let's see what excuse can I use this time - was too hot, too humid, too tired, legs were shot from a hard running week. Yes I could pick all of them, but the bottom line is I pretty much gave up instead of just grinding it out like I used to. I don't understand myself these days, and I'm really disappointed in me. Really aggravated with my lack of motivation/competition, but Candace gave me a pretty good kick in the butt when she wanted to pose for a picture with her "Champion" shirt she won - ohhh man, that didn't sit too well with me! Time to get back to some good old fashioned speedwork and be more prepared next time...

Sunday, got out mid afternoon for a quick run - wanted to do 2 out and back. Weather was hot but not as humid, and made a decision about 3/4 of a mile into my run to try to squeeze in another mile so picked it up. Legs were still tired but got into a better groove. Last mile, thought I was hitting a decent pace, but was pleasantly surprised to see an awesome split, all factors considering. Total mileage: 3 miles - splits were: 7:23, 6:49, 6:19. Very sad that I put about 75% effort into this on tired legs, and still destroyed my Mud Mountain time.

Finished my workout shortly afterwards at the gym - climbed onto a treadmill, blasted through 5 miles. Kind of struggled at first, but felt better towards the end. Tried to cool down the last couple miles, but got bored and just jacked it back up to pace. Heavy stretching afterwards. Total mileage: 5 miles - splits were: 7:30, 7:30, 7:30, 7:52, 7:40.

So ok mileage week (36 I think?), and getting ready to hit it hard this week. No races on the horizon, and going to wait for it to cool down before I jump back on the roads. Big River Group Run tonight, then track work tomorrow!

Mud Mountain Week!

Was excited to see that Ryan Hall was going to make his presence at the Bix this year!!! But also read that Meb wouldn't be defending his title - he'll still be there cheering everyone on though. Considered earlier this year making the trek to Davenport for this race, but didn't pull the trigger. Instead, I'm staying local and getting in some much needed tempo work over at my old stomping ground, Mud Mountain XC 5K over at SIUE (roughly 5 minutes from my home). Should be a brutally hot day, but a good workout nonetheless!

Saturday, did a long run with Mike and Crystal. Was pretty nasty outside, and we started at 5:30 a.m. to try to beat the heat. Did out and back on the trails with the last couple at marathon pace. Felt really sluggish starting out, but we eventually sped up and got into a better rhythm. Felt ok coming back, but then started to feel like garbage the last few miles. We picked it up the last few miles, and I was just running on empty. Maybe from Friday's tempo or the sun? Really jacked it up the last half mile or so - had to will it in, was super glad that was over. Total mileage: 12 miles - don't remember splits off the top of my head, but hit 8-8:30's the first 10, then low 7's the last 2 miles.

Went to watch the Maryville Summer Sizzler 5K, which was the sight of my 5K PR last year. Mike and I considered running, but decided against it due to the heat and humidity which have been just ridiculous all week. The race is about 3 miles from my place, so pretty convenient to go watch :) Saw a few people I knew over there, but competition in the men's division was pretty weak - already kicking myself for not running! Candace was there, and figured she would win the overall. This was confirmed when she blasted away from the start and won pretty easily in a great time of 18:42! First male crossed in 19:21 - ughghgh pissed away an easy win, what can you do?

Felt like complete crap the rest of the day, and the weekend for that matter. Sunday, crapped out on my run due to morning storms and evening golf, but I guess the golf counts as a little cardio especially when considering I sweated a good 10 lbs. away. Monday, crapped out completely on the run - was all set to go on my buddy's treadmill, but it was occupied and I could never summon the urge to get back over there. But it's race week and I'll make it up eventually.

Tuesday, got a text from Candace asking if I wanted to run the Mud Mountain course with her, so decided to do the course preview that evening. Got to SIUE kind of late and jogged a couple miles before meeting up with her, then did the course. Man, it was super steamy outside and no breeze whatsoever! This was her second run of the day, and she wanted to go "slow" but of course we didn't. Saw a lot of the SIUE team running the layout, so was nice to have company. First mile is pretty fast, but then we hit the hills. Last half of the course is much more tough than the first half - a few monster hills, tight turns, and a lot of slick areas because of the rain. It will be interesting to see how it goes. I was continuously looking at my Garmin wondering when the bloody hell this tortuous run in the sauna was going to end - ugh. Blazed through the course in a pretty aggressive low 7 minute pace, which is more impressive considering the conditions and how slick it was out there. Would have easily broken 7 minute pace if it wasn't so muddy, and I was dying at the end of the run. The last half half mile is straight up a long hill, and was just counting the steps till I was done. Talked a little race strategy afterwards, then did a small hill workout to end my night. 4X30 seconds over in a local neighborhood that has a pretty decent hill, got attacked my mosquitos all night long. Total mileage: 6 miles - splits were: 8:20, 8:30, 7:11, 7:09, 7:03.

Wednesday, supposed to do an a.m. run, but pushed it back to the evening. Got out in the late afternoon when it was raining, and ran in the blissful coolness. I swear I can run in the rain forever! Was kind of funny when it stopped raining (about a quarter mile left), the sun came out, then you could immediately see all the steam rising as the temps got higher. Met up with Pat and Crystal afterwards at the track to do drills. Jogged a half mile warmup, then did our regular drills. Crystal added in a couple sets of plyos, which I had some problems with trying to maintain balance, but it will be easier next time. Drills are getting a lot easier, and I am concentrating more on correct form at this point, and not worrying so much about my legs getting thoroughly destroyed. Definitely had some tired legs at the end, not advisable to do mileage before 45+ minutes of drills. Total mileage: ~6 miles. Mosquito bites: ~10

Long run with Mike (and possibly Crystal) tonight, then enjoying my day off before Mud Mountain!

Week Update

This is why Haile is the Emperor of running, and we're not.

On to running - Monday, got dragged out late for mileage and drills with Coach Crystal. Did ~2.5 up to the track, did heavy drill work, then ~2.5 back. Drills are definitely getting easier, but still tough and the recovery time is a good day or 2 before back to normal. Weather was overcast, but just ridiculously humid. No breeze didn't help things, as every minute one of us dropped an F bomb. The sweat stain I left on the black asphalt looked like a crime scene investigation. Total mileage: ~5 miles

Tuesday, wanted to do track work, but quite frankly legs were just too dead. Had a wonderful dinner at Pat and Crystal's (C made chicken tostadas - sooo good!), then made myself get out and run a few miles. Did out and back on the trail, was racing the sun. Trail was just muggy and was trapping in all the humidity, and the bugs were just swarming everywhere. I looked like the aftermath of a car windshield after a 1,000 mile cross country drive across the United States. Total mileage: 5 miles - total time out was around 40-42 minutes (no idea actually). Bugs swallowed: ~24

Wednesday, just another atrociously hot/humid day - heat advisory all week and the heat index was in the 110's! So we waited till late to do drills, and opted to meet at the track by car instead of running. Jogged a warmup, and was accompanied by some evening runners which was nice. Did the drills into a nice breeze for once, and hammered them out. Right I.T. band was killing me, so opted out of the run, plus I wouldn't have gotten it started till after 10:30 due to running around like a madman doing errands. No worries, will switch with Friday off-day. Total mileage: 1/4 mile - impressive, I know.

Thursday, another hot day, so another late start. Well, wanted to get in tempo, but didn't have time during the day to get on a treadmill. So did a late easy run, with now a sore left I.T. band (ugh). Did my Glen Carbon loop, was nasty outside but I'll take the evening heat index of 95 minus sun than the crap we've been having. Total mileage: ~3 miles - total time out was about 25 minutes.

Friday, got in a morning treadmill run. Did my tempo, which I was happy to get out of the way but will set up for a rough weekend of running. Felt actually really good, even though the legs were still sore but worked out the kinks after the first mile. Watched the British Open telecast on tv while running - I swear, watching sports and running = awesome runs for me! I just zone out and focus all my attention to sports. I need to strap a t.v. to my head when I run a race, and I will plow through some P.R.'s. Last mile of tempo, jacked up the incline to 2, then 3 which made it pretty freaking interesting. 2 miles cooldown, done! Total mileage: 6 miles - splits were: 6:40, 6:30, 6:30, 6:30, 7:52, 7:52.

So a decent week going - long run tomorrow morning with Crystal and Mike, then some sort of Sunday mileage. Considering running Mud Mountain 5K next weekend as a good workout, so will have to lay out some work for that.

Welcome Back Long Run!

Had a nice weekend of running, more importantly have finally put together 1 solid month of running. After missing a few weeks of long runs, finally got a decent one in this last weekend so very pleased about that.

Fri, day off. Considered a slight jog, but opted for the day's rest knowing I was going to more than make up for it. Did go hang out with Big River over at Wave Taco, a sand volleyball hangout downtown - they had a benefit going on, so enjoyed a nice evening of food, beverages, and watching my fellow teammates play some spirited battles on the volleyball court.

Saturday morning, woke up bright and early for the dreaded long run. Weather was sunny and not too bad at 5:30 a.m., and dragged my sorry carcass over to Crystal's - met up with Mike, and we got on the trail and moving. Felt ok starting out, but our high 8/low 9 minute pace felt like low 8/high 7 minute miles, which is never a good sign especially starting out. Eventually got loosened up, and felt better. Ran the majority of the run in the shade, which was nice since it was starting to get warm and was super sunny. Lots of people out, great to see the local runners taking advantage of the awesome trails :) Had fun on the second half coming back when Mike and I whined so much about Crystal pushing the pace that she FINALLY tucked in behind us and let us dictate the pace, given we didn't accelerate and get too out of control. We settle into a comfortable pace and was just churning out the miles for a while. So what happens on the last mile? Crystal "makes her move" and starts to gap us, claiming she was working on form blah blah blah. This was not surprising at all, by the way, as both of us expected this. Well, Mike and I let her go saying it wasn't worth the effort to keep up seeing neither of us had a long run longer than 10 miles (we went 14) and wanted to push pace, but kept her somewhat in sight. Last mile, slowly accelerated, then with about a quarter mile or so decided eff it, and went to catch Crystal. She, in turn, begins her kick, and Mike and I turned it into 8th gear to catch her. Mike's recent trackwork showed, and he "won" our little race. Definitely have to work on my kick, it's not there anymore. Total mileage: 14 miles - splits were: 8:55, 8:13, 8:28, 8:22, 8:20, 8:27, 8:20, 8:06, 8:23, 8:33, 8:23, 8:20, 8:12, 8:07.

Sunday, waited till later to get in a run. Weather was cooler and windy, which felt spectacular. Didn't feel too bad from the long run, so wanted to kind of push it since it felt great outside and I wanted a tempo work since I hadn't had any in forever. So decided on running the first couple miles hard, then jogging the rest. Did an out and back on the trail, felt rough on the first mile to the trail (which is hillier), and settled in on the second mile. Felt ok, but stride felt very restricted. Was pleasantly surprised to see a pretty strong 2nd mile, and it felt much easier than the first. Probably could have kept going, but would have been a lot of effort given tired legs and lack of conditioning. Jogged the next few miles, then finally loosened up and picked it up the last mile, hitting 6:45 pace which felt like nothing - very encouraging signs. Ran to Pat and Crystal's for Entourage to finish out the day's mileage. Total mileage: ~7 miles - my first 2 mile tempo splits were: 6:33, 6:20. Ran the rest around 8-8:30 pace.

So a decent week of mileage (I think 36?), plan on some miles and drills with Crystal tonight, then track work tomorrow!

Week Recap and Dusk to Dash Race Recap

Well, going to blaze through a week or so's worth of running. But before I begin, here is a good article by the New York Times about stud American runner Chris Solinsky, who is starting to really make a name for himself on the U.S. running circuit.

Friday, I ran somewhere between 4-6 on the treadmill? Would have been 7:30-8 minute pace - can't remember the life of me! Picked up Marc from the airport, who was in town, and had dinner with Barrel and Trisha who had also came in for the weekend. Saturday morning, dragged our sorry butts out of bed early and did a group run with Pat and Crystal. Due to good old fashioned procrastination and the Argentina/Germany World Cup semifinal match, we had to cut the run short. Did ~3.5 miles, and it was hot outside. Ran for 30 minutes or so. Sunday, ran 0!!!! Early Cardinals game, travel around, BBQs at night made it impossible to get anything. Missed the Macklind Mile and Crystal's great performance in the race in which she won her age group while running a very fast 5:40. Congrats Crystal!

Monday, after dropping Marc and Trish off at the airport, went home and got in a late 3 mile jog. Don't know how long it took, but it was pretty slow. Tuesday night, ran after work pretty late. Was nasty and humid, and felt like I was going sooooooooo slow. Ran 4 miles easy, no idea the time it took but I sweated out about 50 lbs. easily.

Wednesday, decided at the last second to run the Dusk to Dash Race which was run by a local running group in Edwardsville. The race was at the Edwardsville High School track, and was a mile. Since it was local, and wanted to get in some speedwork and was a little bummed at missing the Macklind Mile, decided what the heck and signed up. No expectations for me, as I haven't really done any mile related workouts, or barely any speedwork for that matter, but the last few weeks with Crystal have definitely helped a lot. Also, I haven't run a timed mile since high school, so really had no clue what I was going to run. Race was in the evening, and was a relatively humid but nice evening to run. They went through a ton of the kids races, then got to the mile. There were about 15 people or so entered, so they did an alley start and lined me up with a couple of runners I knew. Started to get some butterflies, which was nice because I haven't really had that in a while. Gun went off, and away we went!

First lap, immediately established the lead, and was blazing through using my trusty friend, adrenaline. Hit the 200 mark at 33, which is what I hit my 200 repeats in, so tried to slow it down. Saw the LED Clock approaching the 400 mark, and I was not pleased to see that I hadn't slowed down much. Completely slammed on the brakes and hit 1:10 for the first quarter. Started to feel a little burn around the 2nd turnaround, and could hear the breathing of someone sitting on me. Was maintaining a good speed, and hit the half at 2:30. Third lap, stomach started to feel weird, and was starting to get tired. The guy tailing me caught me and passed me about 300 meters into the lap, and I tried to cover his move but couldn't. Starting to feel the burn now, and was at 3:53 with a lap to go. Last lap, was moving ok but couldn't get a kick going. Was starting to feel nauseous and mentally shot. [Mile Time - 5:17 PR]

Peter Kim M30
Time: 5:17
Overall Place - 2/15
Age Group Place - 1/5

Crossed the line in second place, time at 5:17, so was somewhat happy I broke 5:20, but just ran the race stupid as usual. Splits were 1:10, 1:20, 1:23, 1:24, so progressively got slower. But considering my lack of training, I guess I'll take it and the P.R.! Oh, and a good tip to all runners - don't eat a roast beef sandwich that close before a race. Miscalculated the amount of time I had before the race (when I got home after work) and since I was at home, ate a quick sandwich. Was starting to digest about half a mile into the race, which explained the worst stomach cramps known to mankind!

Today, opted out of a morning run with Crystal due to some terrible pain in my arch that was spasming all night, and have been keeping it elevated and stretching it. Decided to try for an easy treadmill run, and painfully got through it - 4 miles at 7:30 pace. Went faster to get it over with, which was in hindsight a poor decision. Rest tonight, and will evaluate if I decide to get in some mileage tomorrow.

Morning Runs!

I'm proud of myself for being able to get up the last couple mornings to bust out some runs. I guess 90% of it was having Crystal there, because there was no way I was doing those solo! But the morning weather has been absolutely perfect this week - cool, 60-70's, so absolutely no complaints.

Tuesday night, did track work with Crystal. We met at the bank, jogged up and warmed up, then did the workout which was 10X30 seconds hard at 5K pace. Well, it didn't turn out that easy as we blazed through all the reps faster than we should have. Finally "woke up" about 4 reps into it, and felt a lot more in control. Got tired towards the end, but stride wasn't really affected. This track workout/fartlek goes by really fast, so we were done in no time. Total mileage: 6-6.5 miles - average splits ranged from 5-5:30/mile.

Wednesday morning, woke up bright and early for a run. Weather was perfect again - we did the customary out and back on the Glen Carbon trail. Felt a little tired starting out, but got in a better groove. About a mile into the run, my stomach started experiencing some awful pains, so knew the run was going to suck from then on. We turned around 2.5 miles out (my suggestion since I was hurting) and ran it in. Picked it up a little coming back, but felt decent all factors considering. Total mileage: 5 miles - averaged 8:26. After work, got in a 2nd run. Kind of hot outside, but much better than last week. Really sunny outside which made it a little more uncomfortable, but was fine. Got a quarter mile into my run, and came so very close to turning around since I was tired in general and very unmotivated (actually stopped and walked about 10 feet back towards home!), but quickly vanquished all evil thoughts and continued on with the run. Did out and back on the trail, which was conveniently very shaded. Felt decent coming back, and went faster than I would have liked overall. Total mileage: 4 miles - total time out was 30-31 minutes.

This morning, got dragged out of bed by masochist Crystal to do drills on the track. Warmed up (and woke up) by running to the track then getting in a lap, then busted out roughly 30 minutes of her new drill workout which consists of all sorts of new painful techniques such as lunges and skips to torture my very inflexible and tired body. As much as I whined and bitched through it all, was glad to have done it even though I am going to be paying for it the next day or 2. Was joined on the track by a large group that was doing what appeared to be a bootcamp of sorts - was nice to have the company. Weather was perfect again, and have been enjoying this although it is coming to an end soon I think :( Did a couple laps cooldown, then ran home. Total mileage: ~6 miles - guessing it was 8-8:30 on average.

Well in a perfect world, I would do a recovery run after work, but we'll see how I feel. I am already almost at 30 miles this week and right on schedule with where I want to be. Cardinals game tonight with my work group, then tentatively a morning run tomorrow. Marc arrives tomorrow night, so should be a pretty fun 4th of July weekend!