Trying to catch up November, believe it or not...

Catchup Part 2...

Saturday, November 2^nd – 6 miles.  Jogged 2 up with Megan to the 5K start over on 1^st and 47^th, right outside the United Nations Building.  Because of my utter stupidity, I wrote down “18:30” as my desired pace, thinking it was desired finishing time.  Thus, I received a race number that was probably the highest one available, and a good tongue lashing from Kyle on how stupid I was (very accurate and well deserved).  Anyways, I had the pleasure of trying to sneak into the Red Corral (1^st corral), which was blocked off by security who were pretty much checking every single bib that walked through.  Eventually made my way in (assist to Kyle to distracting one of the security guards so I could sneak in quickly), and we all walked our way up to the actual start.  Kyle and I decided we were going pretty easy, so just went out trying to establish position and enjoy the privilege of running in NYC.  And what a fun time it was – just bullsh*t the entire time, and got locked into a comfortable pace and had so much fun running through downtown New York City – I mean how often do they shut the streets down in one of the busiest cities in the world?  Ran down First Avenue and passed some scenic points like 30 Rock, and Radio City Music Hall.  We made our way into Central Park, and it was kind of a mess because there were so many walkers/joggers that weren’t running so I can only imagine the congestion later.  The turn towards Tavern on Green triggered a lot of fun memories from 2007.  We crossed the finish line together, and waited for Megan and Trisha to finish, then hung out before heading back to the hotel.  Met up with my aunt for dinner in Korea town at this very posh loungy Korean restaurant with unreal views of the city from multiple angles.  Fun, fun day!  21:30 was my 5K time.

Kyle and I post race

The masses lining up in their corrals

From Corral A

Walking up the start right outside the United Nations Building

Right before the start!

Running down First Avenue

Selfie

Motoring on

Ahhh - Central Park!

Last mile

Headed towards the finish

2nd race in NYC complete!

Group photo post race

Sunday, November 3^rd – 6 miles walking (probably more).  This isn’t going to count for my miles, but the craziness of the New York Marathon made for quite a bit of walking around the city.  Met with Katie (Shane’s wife) and Trisha over on 1^st and 87^th, then walked a good portion to try to get some space on the fence/side of the road so we could watch the runners.  Finally squeezed in, and managed to see Shane, Tim, and Marc all pass by before we walked over to Central Park about 5 blocks away.  I had forgotten how insane the crowds got in NYC, and the heavy wind and spitting rain on a cold day didn’t help.  Watched the runners go through before attempting to meet up with Tim on the other side of the park.  2 hours later (a train ride, cab ride, an hour of walking, and I'm sure I'm missing something else), we finally accomplished our task, and the celebration officially began!  After showering and cleaning up, headed out to dinner at Craftbar in Union Square (very, very good restaurant with reasonable prices) and hit the town for some celebratory drinks.  I’m glad my buddies have joined me as NYC Marathon alumni, and congratulations to all the runners for finishing what I strongly feel is the greatest marathon in the world!  Pretty special for me to spectate those guys, as they were all out to support me when I ran NYC in 2007 – pretty cool circular effect.

Number pickup

The pastrami on rye lived up to the hype!

Times Square

Rockafellar Center

Weird things happen the night before the marathon

First Ave spectating (right between Miles 17-18)

Central Park between Miles 23-24

Timmy!

Hair to the Victors!

Monday, November 4^th – 0!  Travel day back, and just didn’t get out.  Back was sore but still holding up ok. 

Tuesday, November 5^th – 4 miles.  And the comeback trail begins!  Slow 4 mile solo at home – 270 loop and some change.  Back was very stiff, but managed to move just fine.  The important thing was I didn’t feel any pain shooting down my legs, and eventually loosened up and got in a good groove.  By the way, I absolutely love fall running – it’s great to be able to run outside with either a short sleeve or long sleeve shirt, and not feel like I’m suffocating from sweat/heat.  The daylight’s saving time kind of sucks, as it’s completely dark by the time I get home from work.

Wednesday, November 6^th – 8 miles.  Couldn’t find anyone initially to run with, but eventually got Yoch to run with me.  Hit the mean streets of Collinsville and Maryville, and ran pretty late around the cities on a rolling hills loop out and back.  Felt a little tired starting out, but felt great coming back in with a tailwind coming back (15 mph winds and 45 degrees) so consequently pushed the pace a little.  I feel very tentative on hills, and there’s some strength I need to build up this winter.  First longer run in awhile, and was pleased with how I felt overall.  1:03:12 overall (32:26/30:46)

Thursday, November 7^th – 6 miles.  Ran Forest Park loop with Justin and Craig after work.  Wow was it dark out there!  Fortunately, both those guys brought head lamps, so we cruised around the loop for my first FOPA run in God knows how long?  Back held up ok, and was difficult to see running through the woods but we made it through fine.  Stopped by Heavy Riff in Dogtown on the way back – cool, clean place with some good taps on their menu.  52:54 for 10K loop

Friday, November 8^th – 6 miles.  Ran Forest Park loop with Orrico and Gibbs during lunch.  Nice, sunny day but windy.  We did some an improvised loop that is generally the same as the typical loop, but with some different turns.  Legs are definitely feeling the 4 days in a row of running and everyone was tired, so we kept it nice and slow.  Feels good to have this one over with.  52:48 for 10K.  Had dinner at this steakhouse in St. Rose, IL (north of Highland) called Popeye’s Chophouse.  Pretty damn amazing, and we will be back!

Saturday, November 9^th – 6 miles (4 miles a.m., 2 miles p.m.).  The original plan was to hit 8 for the day with Colby and Crystal (he was scheduled to hit 3000 miles at the same point of my 2000^th), but then Erin went into labor so Colby was out.  Crystal and I met up, and did 4 easy on the trails towards Home Depot and back.  A lot warmer than I thought, and I was sleepwalking through the first part before we started moving.  30:02 total and felt like garbage, but more self-induced from the evening before.  Went out to help celebrate Crystal’s birthday, and had a fun night out in STL – Happy Birthday Crystal!!!  And congratulations to Colby and Erin on their healthy son, Grayson David Garman!!!

Me and the future Boston qualifier

Sunday, November 10^th – 0!  Opted for day off during this comeback period, and will save the ceremonial 2000^th mile for Monday!  

Monday, November 11^th – 6 miles.  Ran with Crystal after work on a nasty evening with 15-20 mph winds and spitting rain.  We decided to run on the trails to try to block out some of the wind, but didn’t help too much because it was strong as hell regardless.  Eventually found our turnaround, and it was pure bliss flying back with a massive tailwind.  Felt pretty awesome, and could feel myself naturally pushing the pace so had to hold back.  We hit a couple sub 7’s to close out the run – don’t remember the last time I did that on a non workout run.  Happy 2000^th mile to me!  43:13 total (22:15/20:58).

Tuesday, November 12^th – 0!  Had to run to a wake after work for Mike’s dad, and got home pretty late so ended up missing this run.  No excuses I know, but was feeling a little sore from pushing it yesterday and the rest day was nice.

Wednesday, November 13^th – 6 miles.  Ran with Craig and TVR at Forest Park.  I’ve been used to running with Crystal and her ridiculous paces the last couple days, so felt like we were literally jogging.  I can definitely feel myself getting stronger, which is a very positive thought.  The loop flew by, and we were pretty much on cruise control the entire time.  Had to hold myself back quite a few times, which is a different feeling than I pretty much experienced most of this year.  49:06 for 6 miles.

Catch up...

Michelle Beadle (ESPN), USA XC in Boulder, record setting day in Chi, Kim Smith, Marine Corps Marathon in jeopardy, NYRR 5K, Geoffrey Mutai, Ryan Hall pulls out of NYC, advice for Hall, 26 miles with Meb, 200 sub 3 hour marathons, and Nick Symmonds.

Tuesday, October 8th - ~6.5 miles.  Ran the GO! Halloween 10K course with Crystal and Tim.  Nice evening to run, and was really hobbling starting out.  We met downtown at 14th and Market (close to Union Station), then headed on Market on the old St. Pat's course up that nasty hill.  Looped back on Olive and headed towards the Riverfront, where we ran down a huge hill and turned onto a pretty flat road for a couple miles.  Scenary on the Riverfront was nice, and finally felt loose and comfortable, and could open up a little more.  Headed south, then turned back into downtown to finish out.  Very fast course but has some tricky parts - Crystal should kill it on Sunday.  Ended up pretty quick overall after a slow start (16 min first 2 miles) - 7:37 pace overall.

Wednesday, October 9th - 7 miles.  Ran after work with Megan, tacked on some extra at the end.  Nice that the weather is starting to turn very cool in the evenings, but sad it get dark so early now.

Thursday, October 10th - 6 miles (1 up, 4 x 1 mile, 1 down) - track work with Tim and Devin.  Back was still bothering me, and decided to help pace Tim through his mile repeats at desired 6:30 pace.  Loosened up on my warmup (at the middle school track), and took pacing duties and had fun with it.  Tim was struggling but hung on tight and finished strong, and I was blasting out the splits like it was nobody's business.  I wish all speedwork would feel this good.  6:28, 6:27, 6:25, 6:23 were our splits.

Friday, October 11th - 0!  Travel day to Chicago.  Got up late afternoon and missed my small window to get onto Lakeshore.  Blah.  Ate one of the top 5 dinners I have ever had in Chicago at a Mexican Restaurant called Mexique in west town.  Mexican cuisine is not my favorite, but the flavors on the food were absolutely amazing!  Ordered multiple desserts, something we have never done before!

Saturday, October 12th - 10 miles.  Met Colby and Gabe for a couple miles out on Lakeshore.  It was pretty warm outside in the morning, and felt some concern for tomorrow (late cold front washed that all away).  Met up with those guys off Lakeshore and Monroe, not too far away from Grant's Park and the start of the marathon.  We ran back north on Lakeshore before they turned around, but both looked to be excited and ready for the big race.  Caught up with Megan and hung out on the beach for a little bit before heading back.

Sunday, October 13th - 0!  Felt like complete garbage in the morning after a late night out, but stumbled outside to watch the Chicago Marathon!  What a thrill to watch one of my favorite races up close and personal!  Elites passed by quickly, then started the lookout for Colby who was dressed up in Illini orange.  Spotted him and he looked great, before catching Gabe and Larry and a few other runners I knew that were running.  Ran inside to watch the elites finish on tv (Chicago Marathon coverage is SUPERB on tv in Chi, go figure) and track all of my friends.  Watched Dennis Kimetto set a new Chicago course record, and narrowly miss out on a world record, then saw Colby finish in a mind blowing 2:48:47 PR time!  Larry finished sub 3, then everyone else I was tracking eventually finished out.  What a great day for running, and very inspirational for myself as well!  Congrats to everybody on a great race!

Lakeshore pitstop

Go Colby and Gabe!

Ritz battling

Fenley and I cheering

Colby at the 15K mark

Post race celebration

Monday, October 14th - ~5.5 miles.  Ran with Colby after work.  Yes, the Colby who had just ran 2:48 at Chicago a day earlier.  I stopped by his house to watch the baseball game, and intended on easy mileage solo around his neighborhood but he got the itch to run an easy cooldown with me instead of just sitting around waiting for me to get done.  So we ran around his area and ended up in downtown Collinsville before heading back.  A lot hillier than I thought, and we picked it up towards the end.  Very stiff starting out, but eventually loosened up and felt pretty solid at the end.  5.3 miles in 40 minutes - 7:32 pace.

Tuesday, October 15th - 4 miles

Wednesday, October 16th - 4 miles

Thursday, October 17th - ~7.5 miles.  Track work with Crystal and Tim at SLU.  She had just flown back from a week in Dallas, and recruited/forced me to join in her fartlek circuit workout.  So the fartlek was jog around the track, then run into the grass and up the hill (~100-150 meters) at 5K effort or faster and jog around the perimeter and back on the track to complete the lap, then one lap with the 2nd straightaway at hard effort.  And we did this 6 times.  Fun, challenging, different type of workout with all sorts of things to keep your mind occupied.  This was definitely different for me, and the turnover workout was very nice albeit 2 up/2 down.  Splits were: 4:27, 4:28, 4:25, 4:14, 4:08, 3:56 (25:41 total)

Friday, October 18th - 9 miles.  Ran with Jon and Crystal after work.  We intended on doing out and back on the trails, but it was so dark that we decided to hop on the roads over off 157 close to SIUE and took the roads back.  The roads might have been a mistake at that time, since it was pretty dark and traffic was heavy on a small shoulder.  So we kept picking up the pace, and my "recovery run" turned into a rather quick run instead.  Lost my cool a little since we were running so hard, and inadvertantly picked it up.  Running angry is easier than running tired.  I don't have splits, but we started at 7:50's and got down to 7:03 last mile so was moving towards the end.  High 7:20's average pace.  My legs were poo starting out (very sore from Thursday's workout), and poo finishing up.

Saturday, October 19th - 6.5 miles + strides.  Ran with Crystal and Colby early in the morning.  Ran to the track, then did some strides before heading back.  We hit the trail, then ran on Goshen before looping around Ebbets Field before the track.  Not surprisingly, my recovery day wasn't really recovery, but didn't feel bad either.  Was a good 2-3 steps behind Crystal and Colby on the strides - ridic.  ~7:30 avg. pace

Sunday, October 20th - 12 miles.  Ran with Timmy in the late morning on a windy, coolish day.  Sunny as hell, and we hit Troy loop on the trail out and back.  IT bands were really tight, and my stride was very much a shuffle.  Hence, ended up running pretty flat footed and my back was throbbing by the end.  Started out at low 8's, ended up slowing down a little but finished out.  One cool observation on this run - Runwell, a local running store that just opened up, had laid out a water station on the trail.  Very nice touch

Monday, October 21st - 5 miles.  Back was in agony, and stubbornly attempted to do some easy mileage because it was so nice outside.  Went out 2.5 miles towards Glen Carbon at low 8 minute pace, but on the way back had to take a few walk breaks because pain was shooting down my legs.  Not pretty at all.

Tuesday, October 22nd - 0!  Rain, and couldn't physically run let alone walk.  Finally sucked it up, and went to Dr. Frye's office to check it out.  My right pelvic bone was rotated inward, and a few of my lower vertebrate were off kilter so he realigned me and applied from kinesio tape.  Good news - immediate pain was gone - was really sore, but that was about it.  Bad news - no running for a few days.  Weekend golf trip + recovery = no running.

Wednesday, October 23rd - I heard no running, but didn't hear anything about biking.  So headed out to the trails to meet up with Crystal and Colby, who had their workout which I helped paced.  10 minutes at half marathon pace (5:58-5:59), 10 minutes tempo.  Both of them killed it on the trails (~5:53 average pace total), and after warmup and cooldown got in roughly 8 miles on the bike.  It was pretty chilly towards the end and started to rain.  My back was stiff as hell and a little sore, but manageable.

Well, there isn't much to say at this point.  Back became a HUGE problem the last few weeks, and suffered through some bad weeks of running.  More catchup to come on part 2, which details the last couple crazy weekends!

Mo Cowbell Recap

Cool paceband idea, great finish line images of Twin Cities Marathon, 11 year old girl wins 5K, Paula's marathon record longetivity, Geoffrey Mutai gunning for NYC record, and how long can you keep up with the Wilson Kipsang?

Friday, October 4th - 6 miles.  Recovery run.  I don't remember this at all.

Saturday, October 5th - 4 miles.  Nice and easy in the morning before the parents came into visit for the day.  Legs were a little tired but feeling relaxed.  Played golf with the parents at Gateway National and beat the rain to get in a fun round, then a nice dinner at Andria's Steakhouse in town.  Great to have family in town!

Sunday, October 6th - 15 miles.  Well, there isn't much to say other than look at the picture.  Drove to downtown St. Charles and got situated down at the course.  Was a pretty cool morning, as the temps dropped to low 50's from the 80's it was in.  Met up with Colby and Jon, and warmed up before stretching and getting loosened up.  We started, and I ran with Jon and Silker who were both doing the marathon at my half marathon pace.  Felt pretty comfortable working with them for the first couple miles, but could feel my body start to tighten and my stride start to shorten.  Well, they gapped me a little at the 2.25 mile water stop, and I tried to get comfortable but was really tightening up.  Split 20:30 for the 5K, and was getting progressively further off my splits and progressively uncomfortable as the miles picked up.  Contemplated a DNF around mile 5, but we were so far away from the start/finish area that I would have had to run 5 miles back so kept going.  So kept at it and tried to adjust, and split 42:40 for the 10K and maybe salvage something.  But it became pretty evident that it wasn't going to happen today, and consequently the last 8 miles of this race was one of the most painful death marches I've had in quite a while.  My back was spasming the last 5K, and my quads/hammies were destroyed from running flat footed to compensate.  Not my day, but congrats to Silker and Jon for their 1-2 finish in the marathon!!!  47 miles this week, 43 miles in October, 1879.5 miles in 2013.

Monday, October 7th - 0!  Back was killing me, and was hobbling around like an old man.  Kyle and I went to the Bulls game at Scottrade Center - first time I have ever seen a professional basketball game live!

Tonight, jogging the Go! Halloween 10K course with Crystal.  Easy running until I physically feel better.  Chicago this weekend for the marathon - looking forward to some Lakeshore miles and cheering Colby and Gabe on to some great PR's!

Mo Cowbell Eve

Wilson Kipsang and his world record...

Wednesday, October 2nd - 9 miles (2 up, 3 x 2 miles (3 minutes rest), 2 down).  A very warm and humid evening to get in my workout, and even more challenging was the Dewey's pizza I had a couple hours before I started running.  Warmed up for 20 minutes around my neighborhood, before starting my workout on roads of Glen Carbon.  Felt like a lot of effort, but eased into my second repeat ok and looped onto 159 headed back since I wasn't ready to encounter the nasty hill headed home for this workout.  I was struggling through the first mile, but felt much better once I opened up my stride a little and quit worrying about my splits which is a bad habit (especially at night with all the wasted energy).  Legs were really starting to get tired, and I was sweating massively from the humidity.  Last rep, went out too hard, and pretty much let it all get to me and stopped a little past the first mile - wasn't mentally there, and was exhausted and not wanting to work this hard.  So jogged it in and stretched out for awhile.  Splits were: 12:55 (6:27, 6:28), 12:54 (6:30, 6:24), 6:21.  

Thursday, October 3rd - 4 miles.  Nasty humid run after work - out and back on the trails towards Troy.  Nice and slow, nothing crazy to report.  No watch, so I had no time but it was somewhere between 34-38 minutes.  Blues home opener at night with Colby - Blues win 4-2!

Just got back from packet pickup for Sunday's race.  Had a nice talk this morning with Coach Kyle about race plans, and I have been banned from running with my Garmin and instead will trust my body and run by feel.  I don't have much expectations, but feel relatively good.  This block hasn't gone perfectly, but we've gotten a lot accomplished.  Think good thoughts for me on Sunday!

Sunshine 10K Race Recap

Sara Hall blog, messed up finish at Berlin, new world record!, government shutting down is hurting running, and why a sub 2:00 hour marathon isn't going to happen anytime soon.

Thursday, September 26th - 6 miles - Quick run after work on the trails.  Out and back towards Troy.  Legs were definitely pretty tired.  Warm day, and had a tough time getting moving.  Turnover was quite horrible, but managed the best as I could.  ~52 minutes.

Friday, September 27th - 5 miles.  Ran with Tim, Crystal, and Clint.  Ran to their neighborhood, and looped around before heading back on the trails.  Felt tired, but moving a lot better and was nice to have the company.  Decided to do a different 10K in Alton - closer, cheaper, flat course, and for a great cause (families with children with cancer).  The strategy for this race was not all out and a comfortable effort without pushing too hard - thinking more towards marathon pace.

Saturday, September 28th - 10 miles (2 up, SUNSHINE 10K 41:47 1/34, 2 down).  Drove up bright and early to the Alton Dam.  We had run on the trails before during our Fast Eddie's run last fall, and the lay of the land is pretty flat outside of some minor hills - bike trails mainly.  Sun was coming out, and we were hoping for an overcast day with the later 9 a.m. start.  Tim and I warmed up for a couple miles to get a lay of the land (sort of hilly but not too bad - horrible trail conditions on the first mile), and strategized a little since we were kind of running together (Tim was running the 5K).  Headwind going out; out and back course.  We started, and I jumped out of the block and was pretty much leading right from the start.  Very exposed to the wind before we jumped out on the trails, then looked at my watch at half a mile out before realizing I was running sub 6 minute pace.  Tim was right behind, so asked him what he was trying to hit (6:30) so I could lead him out.  Well, went out too a bit too fast hitting the first mile at 6:21, so tried to ease into a good effort where I could maintain the rest of the race.  Passed the 5K turnaround at and was pretty much in cruise control at this point (6:38-6:42 range), and was still leading - Tim had turned off with one other guy, and it looked like there could be a potential dog fight.  A minor blip on the race path came up, where we hit a gated area at the bottom on a small valley where we literally had to stop, cross through a tiny gap between the gates, start again, cross another gate/gap, then up a hill - we were warned about this prerace, but it was still very aggravating.  Hit the turnaround, and estimated I had ~20-30 seconds on the 2nd place guy.  Still felt good, and wasn't looking back behind me (didn't want to waste any energy/show weakness), but I felt hearing this flapping noise which I interpreted at the guy catching up and working off me (I was convinced it was shoes knocking the pavement).  Anyways, after the 4th mile, one of the girls running the other way told me I had at least a quarter mile lead, so finally snuck a peek and realized I was pretty much in the clear.  It turned out the flapping sound was the stiff race bib hitting my chest, so threw it onto cruise control and cruised in for the victory.  Found out that Tim won the 5K for his first victory, and we ran out on our cooldown to run Megan in for a 3 minute PR!  Great day, and always good to win a race :)  41:47 for the 10K.

Victory!

Spoils of war

Post race Oktoberfest celebration at Urban Chestnut

Sunday, September 29th - 2 miles.  Paced Colby on his fast finish long run via bike, so got in 10 miles in the morning.  Attempted to get in a run, but I was hobbling pretty good and called it a day after a couple slow miles.  Breaking Bad series finale this evening - solid end to a great show!  43 miles this week, 201.5 miles in September, 1832.5 miles in 2013.  Getting sloppy these last few weeks on mileage...

Monday, September 30th - 4 miles.  Out and back on Old Faithful with Megan.  Back is still acting up, and went nice and easy.  ~40 minutes total.  205.5 miles in September, 1836.5 miles in 2013.

Tuesday, October 1st - 5 miles.  Met up with Crystal and Craig at SLU track.  Kind of nasty afternoon, but really cooled down.  Warmed up with Craig on the track for a mile, then jumped out on the roads for 4 miles easy.  I can't believe how early it gets dark now!

Rounding up towards Cowbell Half this weekend.  One last workout tonight, then resting up for an assault on a fast time.  Weather is looking good, so hopefully it cools down and the stars align!

Boston announces its entrants...

Forest Park attack, Boston uses 1:38 cut off for 2014 field, reactions to this, and half marathon turned into marathon winner.

Some comments from the articles above - the Forest Park situation is a little scary seeing how many late night runs I've done in the area.  I am a little perplexed at people wanting to rob runners of all people.  It's not like I'm carrying all these valuables with me - generally I'm half naked with barely any clothing - not holding wads of cash and tons of jewelry.  Most runners barely carry anything - maybe a set of keys, and quite frankly a ton of people have lockers in the complex so chances are they have nothing on hand.  You aren't going to get much money seeing no one carries their wallet during running, and at best you get a set of car keys to a car parked somewhere miles away from that location, and then you have to figure out which car it is on top of it.  Of course, most robbers don't think that far ahead which is why they are idiots.  And then they mess with the wrong runner (who happens to be a cop) and get shot and killed, go figure.  Who's at fault here???

A little aggravated at the Boston situation - I had two friends who missed out on entry because they were penalized by the size of the field trying to get in.  One was a 3:03 guy, and missed by 20 seconds or so.  The other missed by a minute.  It's frustrating because they had absolutely no control of the situation other than what was dictated to them - the qualification times that were set by the BAA and what they aimed for, trained for, and ultimately achieved.  While I understand this year is a unique situation, I'm still aggravated with the whole system and maybe they need to look into changing qualification times again or balance out the times for age groups better.  While very challenging as is, we can't have these messy situations happening again - and now those runners, the Boston qualifiers, have to redo the process and spend another 4-6 months of their lives trying to hit this goal, if not 5 minutes better.  Not as easy as it looks, either.

Tuesday, September 24th - 0!  Slept in during the morning, and came home with intentions of running my mile repeats.  Well, felt like complete crap and had some awful stomach pains which led to throwing up and lying down all evening, so went to bed instead.  The long night's sleep was a God-send!

Wednesday, September 25th - 14 miles (4 miles A.M., 10 miles P.M. (8 x 1 mile at 6:25-6:30, 1 minute break).  Woke up early and couldn't sleep, so went for an easy run (270 loop and some change).  Had mile repeats at half marathon pace scheduled for my workout for the evening.  Warm and humid, so waited a little bit and headed out closer to 7 p.m.  Tim had a 5 mile tempo, so we warmed up together and both of us ran on the trails towards Troy and back.  It got dark a lot faster than I thought, and we were hauling butt to make it back to the trail entrance where I did my last 3 repeats.  Struggled through reps 2-5, and really thought I was going to not hit this workout.  But once I got out to Village Circle, I felt pretty good and was moving pretty well - maybe being out in the open and having some good air flow helped?  I am hoping so at least, because the last 3 miles felt a hell of a lot easier and smoother than the others.  Very pleased with the workout, and the victory jog home felt great.  Splits were: 6:27, 6:29, 6:29, 6:31, 6:31, 6:23, 6:23, 6:19.

Easy running for the next couple days.  Coach Kyle has instructed me to really monitor how I feel, and the 10K this weekend is not for certain.  Looking forward to a nice, recovery run later tonight!

Italian Fest 5K Recap

Marathon runner books, elites guide this fall, Kipsang's plot to take down the world record, Ryan Hall, the Kenyan, Boston Marathon director interview, the idiotic Pam Anderson, compeand sad news from the lovely Miss Kara Goucher.

I was reading the Pam Anderson article, and was just shaking my head.  I wish her the best in her endeavors, but she is getting herself into something she has no idea about.  Having her long run at 10 miles only 6 weeks out of one of the most difficult marathons is just setting herself up for failure and inevitably a lot of pain.  It may be all lovely those first 5-10 miles, but definitely gets tougher.  If she breaks 7 hours, I will be impressed.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324807704579085084130007974?mg=reno64-wsj.html%3Fdsk%3Dy

Lastly, I thought this article was really interesting.  And it pretty much added to the idea of today's generation where we award everyone for participation (everyone's a winner!).  Kind of stupid if you ask me, and we wonder why this generation settles for anything and why people aren't as competitive anymore.  I think people should take pride in winning age group awards and consider that an accomplishment (isn't that why they call it awards?), but idea of getting a medal because I completed a 5K is pretty ridiculous.  I would rather have the race take $5 off my registration quite frankly.  Prize money makes races competitive which is why you see the fastest people come out when there are good pots.  

Thursday, September 19th - 6 miles.  Pat, Crystal, and I did 4 on the trails then I did 2 solo later on.  Pedestrian pace, my legs were pooped from the Wednesday workout.  We kicked to hit 35:48 on our 4 miler which shows how slow we were going.

Friday, September 20th - 4 miles - I don't remember this one.

Saturday, September 21st - 6 miles (ITALIAN FEST 5K - 19:08, 5/335 overall, 1/12 age group).  Gorgeous morning to race, and was looking forward to having a good time out at a race I haven't done since 2013.  Got up and did a quick warm up and some dynamic stretching/drills before getting started.  Legs felt like garbage, so wasn't expecting too much other than a hard effort on the roads.  Flat out and back course that runs through a neighborhood before headed back on finishing on main street, where a big festival is going on all weekend.  Was sitting in 6th place after the first mile (5:58 split) and slowly picked off a couple more.  Reached the turnaround which was set up very weird around a cul-de-sac, and had to slow down a little to regroup before heading back.  All of a sudden, this race turned very tactical as I was working in a 3 man group and I dropped pace to conserve energy (1st and 2nd place guys were gone at this point) so it was just us).  Caught up to the 3rd place guy and told him let's finish strong, so we worked together coming from the 2nd mile in.  Some older guy had caught up and was shouting encouragement to the passing runners, which really irritated me for some reason, and I couldn't shake him.  We all ran together, and with about 0.4 miles to go I surged and created a small gap.  Turned onto a side street with those two hot on my tail, and the crowd shouting at me to pick it up.  Turned onto Main Street and threw in another surge, and had about 200 meters to go to the finish.  Looked over my left shoulder and saw the older guy and thought I shook the other one and let up slightly, and he surged ahead to nip me at the finish.  Was so pissed at myself for making a tactical mistake like that, but had so much fun in that duel!  Fun, fun, times.  Slow cooldown with Megan and Colby to finish it out.  Last race as a 33 year old!

Spoils of War

Sunday, September 22nd - 0!  Happy Birthday to me!  Opted to play golf in the morning instead of running my long run.  Very pathetic I know, but I felt like crap and wasted a day for my own selfish reasons.  Blah. On a sad note, Old Faithful is closed so they can repave and fix it up through next fall.  While we have multiple running options,  35.5 miles this week, 158.5 miles in September, 1789.5 miles in 2013.

Monday, September 23rd - 6 miles.  Gorgeous afternoon after work, and did a run solo on the trails.  Out and back towards Troy, and got heckled by a group of teeny-boopers who were "admiring" my shorts.  Very annoying, and almost stopped to curse them out but held my tongue and kept going.  Legs were rusty but felt smooth once I got on the trails, and hammered it out.  7:55 average pace.  Ate a ton of ice cream at night, and feel bloated and like crap.

Looking at running the Flat as a Pancake 10K this Saturday as a pace run for next weekend.  I haven't got into much pace work, and I think it would be a good last workout to feel comfortable at race pace.

Old I.T. Bands

Ed Whitlock continues to amaze, Mo to run London?, 13 year old girl guns for OT qualifier in Indy, Mo's shoes, analyzing Mo, and Boston Marathon registration pretty much filled up.

Monday, September 16th - ~3.5 miles.  Ran the Run for the Hills course with Crystal, Pat, and Craig.  The course lived up to its name as it's not very flat and pretty tricky in most parts.  Legs were complete garbage and my IT is a mess so hobbled through the entire run.  Walked a half mile or so to the car to finish it out.  ~8:30 pace overall

Tuesday, September 17th - 4 miles.  SLU track with Crystal and Craig.  My IT was a real mess, and considered doing workout but was quickly shot down since I could barely walk.  Jogged 1 mile warmup with Crystal and Craig on an overcast, spitting rain type of evening.  Leg was killing me, so ended up doing 3 miles easy on the grass infield while everyone finished up.  No idea of pace, but somewhere in the 8:15-8:30 range I am guessing.  TONS of stretching afterwards - my right leg feels like there is a steel rod inserted to the side, as I have 0 mobility right now because of the soreness.

Wednesday, September 18th - 12 miles (1 up, 3x3 miles at half marathon pace, 2 down).  The weather has taken a slight turn for the worse, as the temperature and humidity shot back up.  Hobbled around all morning, and spent most of the day stretching and finally got out to hit this workout at 10 p.m.  The trails were too dark, so decided to do on the roads.  My workout was 3 x 3 miles (6:25-6:30 pace), and after a quick warmup got right at it.  Well, I never really loosened up, and the pace felt more like 5K effort.  I ran through Glen Carbon and finished my first rep past the covered bridge.  The downhill last half mile pretty much salvaged the first rep, as I was already pooped at that point, sadly.  Pretty soaked from the humidity, and felt a lot more comfortable on the 2nd rep, which was pretty flat and actually passed a runner on the roads who was slaving away as I was.  I felt more in rhythm, but really struggled at the end.  My last rep was pretty much a death march - ran back through town and was pretty much dying and blew up on the last mile which sadly was also a little net downhill (ended up on 159 headed towards 270 - didn't want the uphill finish towards home, as I was hurting pretty bad at this point).  I tried to cheat, but it didn't work!  I never felt comfortable, and was a little discouraged when I was done but also very glad it was over.  2 mile cool down, 2 Gatorades, and massive amounts of stretching.  Splits were: 19:18 (6:24, 6:29, 6:24), 19:30 (6:30, 6:30, 6:30), 19:40 (6:30, 6:27, 6:43).

Lots of easy running the rest of this week, then have impromptu signed up for the Italian Fest 5K this weekend for fun.  One of my favorite races, and very flat and fast.  I've missed it the last few years because of conflicting travel, but I'll be here this year and the weather looks good.  Last race as a 33 year old!

A Duel for the Ages

Rock 'n Roll Philly, Great North Run recap, and more about one of the greatest duels this year.  And the new Garmin 620/220 which is coming out later this fall.

Thursday, September 12th - 4 miles.  Ran after work with Crystal on Old Faithful on a sunny and warm evening.  Started out pretty slow, but picked it up at the end to the point where we made ourselves slow down.  Let me add that running only 4 miles is very, very nice.  31:50 or so total.

Friday, September 13th - 11 miles.  I moved back my marathon pace run to Friday, because of the amazing weather that was scheduled.  Crystal and I coordinated our workouts to do in the morning (she had 5 mile tempo) so we would see each other.  Well, I woke up with some of the worst joint/IT pain in the world, and hobbled outside to try to jog it out.  It was apparent it wasn't getting better, so opted to pace Crystal on bike for her workout to try to loosen up for later.  So rode down to Village Circle on a very brisk morning, and knocked out about 8 miles on bike with her.  It was so brisk that I wore a long sleeve shirt for the first time since March.  Crystal KILLED her workout, as her goal pace was 6:00 min/mile, and she hit 29:46 total on the trails.  And that included a repeat of her Last Chance for Marathon finish, but that can be blamed from some antibiotics that she had been taking.  Stretched all day, then made it out in the evening to knock out this workout.  10 mile marathon pace run at 6:45-6:55 pace with 2 mile cutdown at the end.  I had this workout (minus the cutdown) in an earlier block, so I knew I could hit it which is always good mentally going into a workout like this.  So because of the fading sunlight, I did the world's fastest 2 minute warm up and started for the trails from my place.  Very cool evening, and my strategy to postpone this workout was justified.  Crystal met me at about 1.5 miles (she had agreed to pace me on bike and hand over fluids if needed), and she set pace for me as we took off for Troy out and back.  Made the turn around at Drost Park, and I was feeling very smooth and could maintain conversation fairly easily.  Had a small stop at a cross walk for a car and at then turnaround, but felt fine and very controlled.  When we crossed back past the bridge headed for the trail entrance, I felt like I was starting to work a little.  The last 2 miles, we picked it up slowly and headed towards Crystal's neighborhood which was much more open and flat/fast, and she led me towards a fast finish.  Very pleased with this workout, but not pleased to find out my crappy math subtracted a mile so I actually only did 9 miles instead of 10.  I don't have my watch handy, but between Crystal's and I's garmin we had 6:48-6:50 avg. pace with last 2 miles at 6:42, 6:32.  Easy cooldown around the neighborhood to finish it out.

Saturday, September 14th - 7 miles.  Early run with Crystal on Old Faithful out and back.  Another gorgeous morning to run, with a ton of company on the trails.  It's quite amazing how many people come out to exercise when it's absolutely perfect weather.  Legs felt like jello starting out, but loosened up and we were cruising at the end.  7:52 avg. pace with a pretty slow first mile.  Supposed to be recovery, but fortunately felt fine at the end.  Hop in the City Schlafly Beer Festival in the afternoon!

Sunday, September 15th - 16 miles.  Not surprisingly, was feeling quite sluggish when I woke up.  Headed over to Crystal's, and did out and back on Old Faithful.  Crystal was in for 14 miles, and my legs felt like garbage.  It was pretty nice when we started, but it was getting noticeably warmer and very sunny.  After the second mile, felt a lot better and loosened up, and we cruised up the Meridian Hill before the turnaround and the wonderful downhill.  Started to really cramp up, and we stopped for water at Miner Park, but the water fountains were turned off.  Proceeded onwards, then had some stomach issues which warranted another impromptu stop, then gutted it out to finish.  Ran 2 miles solo at home to round out the day.  ~7:45 average overall, and very pleased with this run.  51 miles this week, 123 miles in September, 1754.5 miles in 2013.

Tonight, easy mileage at group run, which I haven't attended in awhile.  20 more days till race day!

Massive, Massive Update

Tokyo to host 2020 Olympic Games, Pam Anderson to run NYC, bigger Boston field, Delilah, Chicago Marathon updated security measures, Tegenkamp at USA 20K Championships, Ryan Vail, Mary Wittenberg, Bolt to retire after 2016 Rio Games, Coach Shalane, OK State XC, Chicago Marathon field, the race for Boston registration, Kenenisa Bekele moving up in distance, Mo is lonely, and Rock 'n Roll reducing elite athlete spending and events.

Friday, August 9^th – 0!  Is this a surprise?  By the time I was able to even consider running, it was already over 100 degrees.  Opted for a Dos Equis, and headed back to the craps tables.  Vegas

Saturday, August 10^th – 5 miles.  Tim and I made it up and did a loop around Vegas!  We have said for the last three Vegas trips that we were gonna run at some point, and we finally did!  Of course we pick a 100+ degree day, but what can you do?  Ran around our hotel (Planet Hollywood), and tried to avoid the Strip because there was just too many people, so found a road running parallel that followed the Monorail which ran in the direction of the Strip.  Turned left, and headed away from the Strip (towards the Hard Rock Hotel/Casino) and made our way eventually onto UNLV’s campus (~2 miles away) which we looped around before heading back.  0 shade and super hot, but the dry heat was much better than the humidity we encounter in the Midwest.  Fun run, scenic, and glad to get in some miles.

Sunday, August 11^th – 11 miles.  Last day in Vegas – had a lot of problems sleeping that night, and woke up and decided to get this run over with.  Already in the 90’s when I started in the morning, and ran the same route as the previous day before continuing onwards.  The roads twisted and took me through the city, and I headed out towards the Stratosphere on a basic road before turning around.  The area was getting pretty sketchy, as I continued to see more prostitutes and I’m fairly certain I saw a drug deal go down so I headed back before I got shot by some junkie.  Needless to say, those miles during that stretch were the fastest!  Soaked in the cold shower for a loooong time, and was very, very happy to get in some semblance of a long run.  Was supposed to get in 15 miles, but with 11 miles on the last morning of a long Vegas weekend is the equivalent of 20 miles.  45 miles this week, 79.5 miles in August, 1479.5 miles in 2013.

Chillin at Diablo's

Boom!

August 12^th – August 17^th – 40 miles.  I don’t remember all the details other than the mileage I logged.  My workout was 6 miles at tempo, which I did solo at night on the trails.  Ran Troy to Old Faithful, and basically ran all the way down to almost the Judy Inn.  It was getting pretty dark, so was nice to have that “adrenaline” to work through any tired feelings I had.  Felt pretty controlled initially, but I settled into 6:32-6:33’s in the middle miles which is a little unsettling because I want to be about 5 seconds faster.  The last mile and a quarter were really tough, but pushed through that wall.  Very happy with the workout.  38:59 for the 6 mile tempo.

Sunday, August 18^th – 15 miles.  Death run with Crystal and Jon.  Crystal and I were both feeling like crap, and made it out there starting around 5 p.m. or so.  Nasty humidity and sun – we did Old Faithful to Home Depot for 12, then Jon and I doubled back to get in a few extra.  I knew this was going to be a really bad run when the low 8’s early felt like low 7’s, and the pace kept slowing down more and more until we settled in the mid 8 minute/mile range.  The plan was to hit a fast finish for the last 3, but I don’t think I could have broken 8 minutes let alone run 6:30’s, so just finished the mileage instead.  It was quite a brutal run, but got done which was the main thing.  55 miles this week, 134.5 miles in August, 1534.5 miles in 2013.

Monday, August 19^th – 6 miles.  A.M. run solo around town.  I don’t remember much, but ran Home Depot route on the trail out and back.  50 minutes or so total, then headed into work to work a half day.  Picked up Sean and Mayumi who are in town visiting for the first half of this week!  Walked around a ton downtown, then went up the Arch which I haven’t done in quite a long time.  I forgot how cramped those pods get and with my wonderful fear of heights, I doubt I do this again for a long time.

My STL Tourist Moment in the Arch

Tuesday, August 20^th – 6 miles.  Ran with Sean on the trails at home.  Troy route on a hot, muggy morning.  Averaged 8:30’s overall.  Headed to the Zoo for the afternoon, went to Forest Park and the Cathedral Basilica.  Pretty pooped when I got home – amazing how much walking you can do when sight-seeing!

Sea Lion Tunnel at the STL Zoo - very cool and a must see!

Wednesday, August 21^st – 11 miles.  Actually made it up bright and early for a track workout before it got too hot.  Megan made it out there too, and we warmed up before I jumped into my 10 x 800 (2:50-2:55 goal time, 200 meter jog in between reps) workout.  A little humid outside, and got warmer as the morning went on.  Took a couple reps to wake up/shake off the rust, but got in a good rhythm before really having to push at the end.  I found that I had no problem hitting my opening quarters, but was difficult to maintain the speed towards the end which makes me worry a little about my strength.  But then again, I haven’t really done much speed stuff this block so nothing to worry about for the meantime.  Splits were: 2:57, 2:57, 2:54, 2:53, 2:54, 2:53, 2:52, 2:48, 2:57, 2:54.  Afterwards, headed out to the Pere Marquette trail to do a nice hike.  Very cool to do, as I hadn’t been back since the infamous Pere Marquette Trail Race last December.  The hike made me not want to run there again – some of the hills were pretty brutal!  Hiked an additional 7 miles, so made for quite a long day of activity.

Hiking in Pere Marquette

Thursday, August 22^nd – 6 miles.  Ran solo at home – 270 to Old Faithful route on a very sunny, hot, and humid morning.  Added on 2 more miles slow around the neighborhood, and definitely was hurting a bit towards the end.  Legs were pretty beat up with this recovery run, and was feeling every step of Wednesday’s activities.  Somewhere in the 50-60 minute range total.  Had PI Pizza for lunch (big mistake), and flew to Chicago at night for an impromptu weekend of fun!

Friday, August 23^rd – 16 miles.  The dreaded long run, but felt this would be easiest to get out of the way since Anne and Ben were both working, and I had the time to knock it out.  Slept in a little bit, and finally got out around 8:45 a.m. which was a HUGE mistake.  It was ridiculously sunny and almost 80 already.  Headed north on Lakeshore, and ran to the end of the path before heading back.  Stopped at the Fullerton water fountains at mile 10, then proceeded south towards Navy Pier but turned around slightly before because the sun was just that brutal and wanted to run away from it.  Was getting very tired towards the end, and made a few water fountain stops to soak my body and hydrate.  Very, very, very glad to have this long run over with and although I exactly hit my time goals, I figure the direct sun and heat was worth roughly 5-10 seconds/mile so I’m pleased.  2:08 total.

Saturday, August 24^th – 8 miles.  Ran with Megan on her long run in Lakeshore.  Made the mistake of sleeping in a bit (again) and starting this run at 9 a.m., so it was already really hot and sunny by the time we started.  Ran 4 out going south, and turned south of Navy Pier before turning back.  There were TONS of people out and about, and we were constantly dodging people from Castaways to Navy Pier (roughly 2 miles).  Megan almost had a monumental meltdown, but we made it through.  Ate dinner at Takashi’s restaurant in Bucktown – upscale but laid back Japanese cuisine, and quite tasty!

Sunday, August 25^th – 7 miles.  Fartlek on Lakeshore on another sunny day.  I switched this workout with the long run, and was glad to only have 7 miles instead of 16.  Headed north on Lakeshore and ran for roughly 3 miles before finding a nice, shaded, soft path near a small park close to Montrose.  Workout was 12 x (20 seconds hard, 1 minute easy), and had no issues hitting the workout.  Notable moments of this run included trying to shake the girl who was working off me during my warm up (which ended up inadvertent fast finish to my freaking warmup), and the bum who was sleeping on the bench in the park as I kept running past him in both directions.  Cooldown coming back was slow, and the sun was brutal.  Glad this was over.  Sad to leave Chicago, but I’ll be back soon enough.  60 miles this week, 194.5 miles for August, 1594.5 miles for 2013.  31 miles in Chicago, which may be an alltime high for me! (not counting marathon weekends).  Great week of running!

I ran till the end!

16 miles on Lakeshore on a hot, sunny day

Is this heaven, or is this Lakeshore?

Spoils of war at Orange!

Monday, August 26^th – 6 miles.  Ran in the evening with Crystal.  Humid outside, but we jumped on the trail towards Troy and did some miles before it got too dark.  Finished off with 2 miles in the neighborhood, and pretty much hit the negative split.  Very pleased with the run – was pretty tired, but we were rolling low 7’s by the end with little discomfort.  46:45 total (24:05/22:40 splits).  I was a little worried about this run – coming back from Chicago, my knees were sore and my right ankle felt like it could have been sprained, but most of those ailments were gone for this run.

Tuesday, August 27^th – 4 miles.  BLAZING hot after work, and this was the only time I could do any running since I crapped out waking up in the morning (you notice any reoccurring themes here???).  Hot, sunny, and humid – mid 90’s if not higher.  I don’t know how slow it was, but I was crawling.  Annual fantasy football draft with Timmy at the 5^th Quarter in Collinsville.  Another successful outing!

A typical picture on my way home from work

Wednesday, August 28^th – 0!  Fantasy draft at Gibbs' place.  Couldn’t get up early, and just crapped out since I got home almost at midnight.  Bah.  Workout postponed.

Thursday, August 29th - 7 miles.  I don't remember this - did sometime at night.

Friday, August 30th - 10 miles.  Mile repeats on the treadmill because of the evil heat.  Easy warm up before jumping right into it.  The home gym I worked out in had very little air flow, and it was getting very, very warm almost immediately.  Put the dreadmill at 10.3 mph setting with 1 degree incline and plugged away until this was done.  It was so hot at the end that I did my cooldown outside, which felt cooler than the inside if that's possible.  I thought the conversion for my pacing would be 5:46 min/mile pace, but everything I am reading says 5:53 pace so I guess that was my end result.  I don't understand the math involved (shouldn't 10 mph be 6 min/mile?  thus 0.3 mph should be more than 7 seconds per mile!!!!), but the workout got complete within the desired range (5:45-5:55).  Very, very tired at the end, as these workouts on the treadmill are very challenging. 227.5 miles in August.  Pretty solid considering all the travel.

Saturday, September 1st - 6 miles.

Sunday, September 2nd - 16 miles.  This was a trainwreck run done late afternoon, and I did not even come close to hitting the desired pace.  Out and back towards Troy, and just plain evil.  Was not happy to do this, and very glad to have done.  49 miles this week, 22 miles in September, 1643.5 miles in 2013.

September 3rd-7th - 30 miles.  I don't remember much during last week - I just have mileage written down.  Actually, just checked my phone and have unraveled a few details.  Tuesday, did Forest Park loop in 44 minutes on a gorgeous day after work.  Outside the History Museum, they are doing some music festival on Tuesday nights, so it was packed with people!  Started out conservative, but really pushed it with the Skinker Hill and sustained pace.  Wednesday, I did 7 miles in 53:39 (7:54, 7:52, 7:42, 7:48, 7:45, 7:18, 7:18).  Troy route and some change for the mileage.  Warm evening, but got in a good groove at the end.  That's all I remember for now.

Saturday, September 8th - 16 miles.  5 a.m. start at Forest Park for the Arch Loop, then a little extra in Forest Park.  Ran with Tim, and boy did I feel like crap.  It was already a little sticky outside, and navigated our way down Lindell into downtown.  Ran the Arch Grounds loop then headed back.  My lack of dinner the night before and lack of breakfast in the morning absolutely killed me, and I was bonking out towards the 7th-8th mile.  We hit almost every water stop coming in, and ran into a ton of runners running the I Love Forest Park 5K which helped inspire us to finish.  2:30 total, and felt like I was doing marathon pace effort.  Horrible run, but got done which I guess has to count for something.  Loufest (2 day music festival in Forest park) in the afternoon/evening which was great, and ended it with a great Wilco show!  Standing all day was brutal though, as my lower back/legs were killing me by the end.

Wilco - great show!

Sunday, September 9th - 4 miles.  Woke up early to some rain, and decided to knock this one out early.  Felt like crap from the Loufest concert the day before, which I was on my feet all day after a 16 mile run.  My lower back was killing me, and I hobbled through most of this run.  On a brighter note, football is back!!!  50 miles this week, 72 miles in September, 1693.5 miles in 2013.  Mileage is dropping, diet is suffering (I think I ate fast food 6 times over the weekend :( ), and I feel like crap all the time.  Need to get my act together this last month!!!  

Welcome back, NFL!

Monday, September 10th - 0!  Bad way to start the week.  Missed early wake up call, then got home late after work.  Ate a late dinner, then popped my head outside.  It was still disgusting, and I was exhausted so opted to take the rest.  Pretty disgusted with myself, as I feel like I'm letting it all slip away.  It all starts again tomorrow for me - one more hard month to get into a good groove and be ready for this race!!!

Tuesday, September 11th - 7 miles SLU track.  As punishment for missing early morning run, I met up with Crystal and Craig after work on a ridiculously hot/humid day.  I ran 1.5 miles on the track before deferring to the roads, then ran on Compton all the way to Gravois Park and back for roughly 4-5 miles.  Road conditions were crap, but at least it was shaded in a lot of parts.  Drills/strides, then 1 mile cooldown on the track to finish it out.  I felt super sluggish, and stopped sweating roughly 20 minutes into the run which is never a good thing.  The pace was S-L-O-W.  Breakfast - eggs, sausage, banana, apple.  Lunch - Salad, pizza.  Dinner - Fish Tacos

Brutally hot, but at least a nice view

Wednesday, September 12th - 6 miles early a.m. with Crystal.  Out and back on the trail towards Home Depot.  Another disgustingly humid morning, albeit it was kind of cool starting out.  Very sluggish early, but tried to keep consistent form.  Very, very, very happy to have this one over with, as it was pretty muggy later in the day.  47:30 total (24:08/23:22 splits).  Breakfast - banana, apple, hard boiled egg.  Lunch - fried swai, green beans, pineapple and cantaloupe.  Snack - banana, apple.  Dinner - chicken thigh, spaghetti,

Easy run today after work, then marathon pace run tomorrow morning.  Intentionally pushed back because of the crappy weather, and it's supposed to be in the 40's.  This next month is going to be all business for me.  I need to get locked in, and already feeling a change of culture for me.