20 miles

Day 605 - August 28, 2010

The marathon training schedule said twenty for today and I decided to run the Charlottesville 10 miler course twice. My friend Mike decided to join me for the entire thing and Roger met us at the track for the first 10. We started really slow at 5:40 this morning and the first mile was around 8:30 pace. Over the next few miles we gradually loosened up and the miles passed more quickly. I think our average pace was below 8 min/mile by mile 5, but definitely by mile 6. Normally when I run the 10 miler course, my body starts telling me we are almost done around mile 8 and by mile 9, it is shouting at me it is time to stop. But today, I was pleasantly surprised that the first 10 miles clicked off rather effortlessly as far as 10 miles goes. We finished the first lap in 78:30.

After a short hydration break and saying our good-byes to Roger, Mike and I started out on the second loop. I would have been perfectly happy to maintain that pace and run an even split for the second lap, but that was not to be. We started out much quicker than the first lap and got to mile 11 in about 7:55 and followed up with the next three miles or so at 7:50ish pace. As always happens, we picked up the pace running the long downhill on Preston Ave, but we never slowed down after that. In fact, we averaged 7:10's for the last three miles. Our second lap was nearly 5 minutes faster than our first!

Back in April, Mike ran a PR on that same course and finished in 75+ minutes. Today, on the second lap of a 20 miler, he ran 2 minutes faster than that. Way to go Mike!

Tomorrow I'll take it a bit easier. My legs are pretty sore from today. But I feel confident that I am in good shape and the training is progressing better than expected. Nine weeks to go!

Saturday long run

Day 430 - March 6, 2010

Logged another long run today - 14.8 miles and it felt great. I finished the week with 42 miles which gives me 80 for the last two weeks. I'm leaving on a 5 day business trip in the morning that I expect will limit my miles next week. But, hey, how many other runners can say they ran in Cancun will trying to maintain a running streak and get to 1000 days?

14 miles around Charlottesville

Day 423 - February 27, 2010

I felt great today. I met up with a good friend and long time running partner and we set out for a mid-day long run. I had drawn up a long loop that would offer opportunities to break off and cut the run short if either of us just weren't feeling it, but the miles came and went pretty easily, even at a faster than normal pace. Even the hills felt easier today. We finished the first 11 mile loop and I still had 25 minutes before I had to pick up my daughter. Not wanting to just sit around, I said goodbye to my friend and tacked on another 3 miles. Perfect timing.

I'm feeling really good about my endurance, but I still need to get out there and do some speed work. I'll take it a bit easier on Sunday, but I think Monday is going to be a tempo run. 7:25 pace won't get me below 65 minutes in the 10 miler.

Today's run also brought my running streak total to 1700 miles in 423 days and YTD is 239 miles. If you typically read the blog with an aggregator, click on over to the website. I've added some gadgets from Daily Mile that keep track of my daily runs and upcoming races. If you are looking for more flair for your blog, you might want to check it out. Note: I just noticed that the posted workout doesn't match today's post. I've been backloading some runs from January into the Daily Mile and apparently the app is picking up on the posted date, not the date from the run. Oh well, it should be accurate tomorrow.

Hope everyone had a good weekend and was able to log some good runs.

The Daily Mile

Day 416 - February 20, 2010

I signed up for the Daily Mile today. As best I can tell, the Daily Mile is a social networking site for runners and cyclists where you can log your activity and share it with friends. I'm sure it is more than that, but I'm going to give it try and see how I like it. If you'd like to check out my profile, my user name is CERuns.

Today was a long run and I was joined by a good friend that I have been running with for almost 10 years now. The plan was 13, but unfortunately that wasn't in the cards. I felt great. In fact it was one of the best runs I've been on in a long time. But my friend was recovering from a cold and the pace was a bit too fast for him. I have no doubt that he will bounce back and be ready to put a hurt on me next week. We cut the run a bit short, but still logged 11.4 miles. That was enough to put me at 36 for the week. My confidence for the Charlottesville 10 miler is building and I'm really looking forward to it.

A long run

Day 409 - February 13, 2010

I had an hour an fifty minutes of free time today which was perfect for a long run. I dropped my oldest daughter off at her Saturday enrichment class and I was off. I had a pretty good idea of how I wanted to get around Charlottesville, but I kept my options open and tried to find roads with clear sidewalks - not an easy feet. I also tried to include as much of the 10 miler course and Marth Jefferson 8K course as I could just so I could refresh my memory about the hills and road conditions.

It was great to have that much time. I just had to make sure I was back to pick up the girlie on time. When I realized I was going to finish my run 20 minutes early I tacked on an extra mile. I love having that flexibility and not feeling like I have to rush a 20 minute run.

With today's 12.2 miles, my weekly total was 38. That makes this the highest total of the year and one of the highest of the streak. I hope I can maintain that mileage for the next several weeks as I prepare for the 10 miler.

10 Miles in C-ville

Day 381 - January 16, 2010

Put in my first double digit mile run today. I met a few friends in Charlottesville to run. We broke into groups and ran runs of 5.5 to 10 miles. Roger and I ran the entire Charlottesville 10 miler course.


I had a hard time getting loose today and constantly watching out for the black ice that resulted from yesterday's thaw and refreeze made the first few miles tough. eventually I did feel better and we averaged 7:30's.

The 35 miles I logged this week made up for last weeks low mileage. If I can continue to put in long runs on Saturdays, I may just convince myself to run the C-ville Marathon in April.

I love the long run, but . . .

Day 332 - November 28, 2009

Going into the weekend I knew I was behind on my monthly mileage and I was going to need to step it up. Thursday, I logged almost 6 miles at the Turkey Trot, Friday was another 4.5, and today I laced up the Asics and pounded out 12.5 miles. I love long runs. I love the challenge. I love the solitude. I love being dead tired when I finish. What I don't like...chafing. I tried to protect myself with strategically placed band-aids, but I wasn't prepared for the arm-pit rub caused by my shirt. I'll have to wear a better fitting shirt next time.

Those 23 miles in the last three days put me at 33 for the week and 122 for the month. With 33 days left in the year, I need just 140 miles to reach my goal of 1460 for the year. If December were a normal month I'd say it was a done deal, but the busyness of the holidays may keep me from logging enough miles. I'll just keep plugging away and see where the road leads.

Capping off a rough week

Day 318 - November 14, 2009

This was a tough week for running. Wednesday through Friday were miserable. It was cold, raining, and the wind was blowing 30+ miles an hour. On Thursday, it was actually blowing so hard that the tailwind was pushing me down the road. that wouldn't be so bad, except, that was on the way out of an out and back run!

All of that made today's 9 miler that much sweeter. There was no wind or rain, and warmer temperatures returned to the 60's. I felt pretty good and the miles clicked away quickly. That run today pushed my weekly total up to 32 getting me that much closer to my goal of 1460 for the year.

Another Long Run

Day 276 - October 3, 2009

Today was a great day for a long run. Not wanting to miss the opportunity, I chose a 12.5 mile out and back course along the base of the mountain. The miles clicked by pretty quickly and if it weren't for some nagging aches and pains, it would have been a perfect run. A couple of time I thought about cutting it short, but since the pains didn't get any worse, I decided to push on. Getting the long run in gave me 30 miles for the week and keeps me on pace for hitting my goal for the year.

Sometimes I wonder why I even try to plan

Day 119 - April 29, 2009

Wasn't it just yesterday that I said I was going to keep it short for awhile and let my legs heal up a bit? So, what do I do today? I take my car in for an inspection and decide that would be a good time to go for a long run. I met up with two of my running friends and we ran up to Camp Holiday Trails. It was great morning for a run. A cold front moved in over night, and dropped the temperatures about 15 degrees and there was a light breeze. The leaves are just coming out here, and under the heavy cloud cover they glowed almost neon green along the dirt road leading up to the camp. It was a perfect morning but now my hamstring is not happy with me. Probably not the smartest thing I've ever done.

We'll see how this plays out over the next few days. I'm going to try and run through it, but if it really flares up, I'll cut back my mileage. And I really mean it this time - really.

I also crossed the 500 mile mark for the year. It took me 23 days to get from 400 to 500. Not bad, but not the 21 days it took to get from 300 to 400.

Today's run - 10.3 miles (YTD 505 miles)
Today's time - 1:17:34 (YTD 65:02:25)

14 Miles of Perfect Weather

Day 107 - April 17, 2009

I can't imagine a more perfect evening for a long run. The temperature was in the low 80's when I started out, but there was no humidity and just a very lite breeze. The sun was low on the horizon and cast a warm glow on the green fields and budding trees. Just a beautiful night. All the tough weather of the last two weeks was worth it, even if it was for just this one night. I'm glad I didn't waste it on a 2 mile run!

Today's Run - 14.1 miles (YTD 455 miles)
Today's Time - 1:49:29 (YTD 58:30:02)

Day 81 - Another long run

Just two weeks to go until the 10 miler! Today was a beautiful day for a run and I really enjoyed all 12 miles. It was the same run as last week, minus the rain and about two full minutes. I felt really good and wasn't even that sore from yesterday's 5K. I'm feeling good about my training and preparation.

Today's Run - Mount Vernon UMC - 12.2 miles (YTD 335)
Today's Time 1:34:03 (YTD 43:11:19)

Day 74 - Long Run After the Rain

A well timed phone call delayed my run just long enough for the rain to stop. That was a real blessing because I was not looking forward to 12 miles in the rain. The run was pretty uneventful. I took it slow the first 6 miles and reached the turnaround point in 49 minutes, stopped and stretched out for a few minutes, then finished the second 6 in 47 minutes.

I love that I can map out the run ahead of time with www.gmap-pedometer.com and know exactly how far the route will be. I've run with people who have the fancy Garmin GPS systems and I've found gmap-pedometer to be just as accurate and I don't have to worry about losing the satellites half way through the run. Of course, that means I have to remember the course exactly, but usually that isn't a problem for me.

So, I'm off to a good start this week and hoping to get in another 35 mile week before running a long run of 14 or 15 miles next Sunday. That should put me in good shape endurance-wise for the Charlottesville 10 miler. I know I won't have the speed to run as fast as I'd like, but I shouldn't hit the wall either.

Today's run - Mt Vernon UMC run
Today's mileage - 12.2 miles (YTD 298.8)
Today's time - 1:36:06 (YTD 38:41:47)

Day 67 - Frays Mill to Chris Greene Lake

The weather was great again today and I definitely wanted to take advantage of that for my long run. I also wanted to get away from my normal running routes, so I went over to the church for my run. That gave me the option of picking a run that was almost completely on gravel roads so the traffic would be pretty light and the surface softer than normal. The one thing I didn't expect was the length of some of the hills. Typically, in my normal runs, a long hill takes me three minutes to run. Today, one of the hills took me over 10 minutes to run. That was a bit of a shock to the system, but fortunately it was on the way out and I was able to run down it on the way back. A couple other hills were in the 3+ minute range, so I wasn't expecting that extra challenge on my long run.

It was a very quiet run and the scenery around the lake was pretty cool. I think there are trails that go around the lake and I may give them ago sometime later this spring.

I did have a few minutes of hip pain that I'll need to watch out for. I ran through it and eventually it went away. I'm really not sure what caused it. I hate those unexpected pains. I tend to be gunshy about them for a few days afterward. Hopefully it was a fluke thing.

Today's Run 10.5 miles (YTD - 262 miles)
Today's time 1:20:28 (YTD - 33:53:26)