RUNNERS LIFE 1102

Ran Starkey this morning. Started out about 6:30am. Tried to maintain a decent pace of 7:40 with my virtual partner (sometimes my best freind!) completed the run with a 7:34 overall pace. Very humid weather, but much better than night runs. Did some stairs, hills (treadmill style), and 10 laps in the pool last night so, this run was pretty good. Would of went further, but had to get back to bring the little one to school.

Looking forward to some Hills this weekend With Mark, Eric and Keith.  

WOW! Running in Florida in August, You've gotta' love it!

Started out on the Starkey Trail for a cool (93 degrees) 10 miles. Felt pretty good with a slow warm-up (like that was necessary). Second mile was still pretty good with a 6:55 split. As I was heading further out, the Mental games began to set in. It was HOT. Very HOT. Very Very HOT!

I hit the 5 mile turn around point and Started to see a slight sprinkle. The sprinkle was actually a welcome sight, due to the heat. BUT, the sprinkle began to pick-up a little and then I began to think I hope it doesn't rain to hard, I have my brand new Speedstar 3's and I would hate to get them soaked. Well, before I could finish that thought, it began to pour and pour hard. For the next FOUR miles! my feet and shoes were soaked and sure enough within the last half mile - NOTHING. No rain. No cool breeze. Just me and my NEW drenched shoes.

For some sick reason, I loved it. I thought, well, that was something. I'm glad I did it. 10 miles done. 7:39 overall pace with 3 miles at marathon pace.

Great run this morning with everyone. 14 miles of hills that I have to say surprised me. I expected less (in the way of hills), but appreciated the workout. I have been fooling myself thinking I am getting "hills" in on a treadmill.

Mark put up an awesome blog from this morning at mark.fastrunningblog.com , so I don't need to go futher describing the "event." Although I must say, Mark and Eric the great runners they are, impress me each time we run. They challenge me.

I really enjoyed everyone out there this morning and surprisingly found that one of the 9 runners, Laura, I grew up with through grade school and into Junior High (what are the chances?!?). I look forward to future conversation and great running....

Ready to go again........

Went to the gym and had a good leg work-out. Did quads, hamstrings, calves, and some squats.

Completed .25 mile in the pool. Laps are kickin' my butt. I appreciate swimmers conditioning and will continue to improve. My heart rate soars when I hit the pool. My breathing technique (or lack of technique) needs a lot of work.

Hitting the trail early tomorrow. There is a big tropical storm off the coast right now  named Claudette. Fortunately, this will suck a lot of the humidity away to make decent weather for a run. Unfortunately, someone will get hit tomorrow.

Good run this morning. Took a vacation day and took advantage of it by heading out early.

Out on the Starkey trail by 5:50 and it was dark. Not even any moon light. Thank goodness for my headlamp. The two tiny LED lights brighten the trail up enough to see.

The first three miles were slow @ a 7:50 average. I picked the pace up for the next four at a 7:15 average, it felt comfortable. The last three I came down to a 7:35 average.  

Overall was a 7:35 average. The humidity was still up, but it certainly could have been worse.

Around mile 4.5 I saw what I thought was the Space Shuttle take off. I did not know if one was scheduled. From our perspective in central Florida, we can see anything that takes off from the Cape, as long as it is clear. Unfortunately, this one looked like it was a failure. The smoke was not straight and then it turned and stopped. I was concerned for the remainder of my run. When I got back to my truck it was reported on the radio that a rocket carrying a new GPS sattelite had taken off. I wasn't imagining things because it was also reported that other people called thinking it had been a failure. NASA reported it was a complete success......as was my run....

Ready to go again..... 

Started out on the Starkey Trail around 6:15 with no real expectations. I wanted to get 10 in, but I did not "feel it" today.

The first couple were slow with a pace average around 8:00 min. I started warming up and feeling a little better and finished the remainder at around a 7:35 pace. I felt comfortable with the pace, but it never felt right.

Either way, I'm not complaining, I got it done.

Ready to go again...... 

WHEW!

WOW!

MAN!

Where is October????

Went to Veterans Memorial Park to run the one mile loop. The loop twists and turns and has some decent hills to shake it up a bit. Start time 6:00pm. Start temperature 94 degrees. Start humidity one billion!

Stayed with a steady pace between 7: 30 and 7:40.  Didn't want to push to hard because of the heat. After I was done my stomach felt a little upset due to the temperature, but not to bad.

The park was pretty crowded. I think that helped keep me going......

Ready to go again.......

Great workout at the gym. Chest, shoulders, back, and abs. Then hit the pool for a quarter mile swim. Efficiency getting a little better.

Hoping for a good nights sleep for a 16 miler in the morning.

As usual, a great run with Eric, Mark, and Dan. We started out around 6:10am with a slow pace of 8:37. Every mile from then progressed a little faster.

Around mile nine, Eric began to pull ahead of us. I thought for a moment I would keep up with him, but only for a very slight moment. At mile eleven, Mark and Dan started to pull ahead. I thought maybe I was doing poorly as they pulled ahead, but then my Garmin read 7:06 for the 12th mile. I was then satisfied with my pace and realized that they are just a bunch of FREAKS! (I say "Freak" with respect, of course!). I appreciate how they push me to my limits.

I finished up with a 7:35 overall pace, the last two were a little rough, but a good run. The 7 miles listed as marathon pace are all under a 7:20 pace.

Ready to go again.......

Started a seven week training plan for the "Race for the Taste 10k" at Disney on October 11th. Printed a plan from Runners World web-site and I will attempt to follow it as closely as possible.  I am going to try to break 42 minutes for a PR. Training is going to concentrate on speed a lot more than it has and long runs will be a little less. Immediately following this race, I will have 13 weeks till the Disney Marathon.

Today was scheduled for an easy 6 miles. Went to the Veterans Memorial Park  mile loop. I felt good and I went a little faster than the plan scheduled. Christine went with me and she ran 4 miles which was awesome because she does not like running in the heat (can't say I blame her).

Ready to ago again....tomorrow 6 easy miles and swim laps......

WEATHER NOT PERMITTING!

...... A lot of rain in the area this evening, so I went to the gym and used the dreaded treadmill. Had a surprisingly good run. Started out slow and progressed rapidly to a 6:30 pace for the last two miles. Four of the two miles were under a 7:00 min. pace....ended witha solid core workout.... Ready to go again.....in the AM.....

WEATHER PERMITTING!

Nice weather this morning. A little humid, but with a bit of a late start at 7:50am, it was nice at around 75 degress.

Completed a tempo run with a two mile warm up and then followed by a 4 mile tempo.....7:04, 7:09, 7:02, and 7:11....right around what I was looking for.

Ready to go again....6  again tomorrow and throw in some weight training...

Christine is in Boston for work and the kids are all home alone. Wanted to get out early and complete 12 before any of them even got out of bed.

When I got to the park, it was closed and a line of cars were waiting to enter. OF COURSE, I love it when a plan comes together. Didn;t have to wait to long before the park employee arrived and oened the gate. As I was driving in Christine called. She asked what I was running and I told her 12. She said, "Good luck, run one for me!"

So now that explains why I did 13. I just could not resist.

The run went well. My goal is to finish stronger than I have been. The first 9 had an average pace  of 7:40 and I finished the last 4 with an average of 7:18.

Ready to go again.....crossing my fingers for better weather next week!

Had to rush BIG TIME today. I had to pick up Christine from Tampa Airport by 8:20pm, but I wanted to get my run in.

Got off work at 4:00pm and rushed home. Changed into my running gear and rushed over to pick up Morgan from school. Drove straight to my mothers house and dropped her off and rushed over to Veterans Memorial Park.

No warm-up or stretching and it was approximately 95 degrees. I just started off and actually had a surprisingly good run considering the heat. I wanted to have a slow 8:00 min pace, but I felt very comfortable with an average of 7:35. No stopping for water, I had to get home. SO, I finished up, no stretching, no cool down and headed back to my mothers.

Took a shower once I got home. I was really looking forward to seeing Christine. I headed out to Tampa Airport and got there in plenty of time (especially since the plane was delayed about 15 minutes!).

Ready to go again.......