Two-A-Day (total 9 miles)

I ran 4 miles at lunch on the treadmill at work in 30:08
8:15-7:32-7:21-7:00

I then went to circuits class for the last half.

Tonight I ran with Greg, Thomas, & Liz at the Oberlin bike path. We did the normal run which my Garmin Forerunner measures as 4.65, I then added 1.5 laps around the parking lot to make it an even 5 miles in 41:06.

There were patches of snow on the path, which of course were better than the slick icy spots. The footing was definitely dicey in several sections.

Splits were 8:28-8:01-8:15-7:43-8:40.

Max heart rate was 160, average was 142.

Thomas and I are making plans for a longer (12ish) run around 12:30 on Christmas eve.

Tuesday Easy 6

I took Monday off, continuing my recent pattern of 1 rest day every week, early in the week.

I had to run at lunch today as I'm going to Rachel's soccer game tonight and can't run with the Tuesday night group. It was an easy run, very windy today. A couple times I felt like my stocking cap was going to blow off my head!

I ran 6 miles in 51:36, 8:36 pace. Good news is it was 1:34 faster than I ran the same course on 3/13.

My right hamstring started feeling a little tender & tingly. It didn't get any worse (or better) throughout the run.

Weight = 189 lbs. I'm not losing anything at all.

Tuesday Night - Snowy Paths - Light Rain

I ran in Oberlin tonight but ran on the road instead of the path. We had 6, Randy, Keith, Greg, Thomas, Ken, and myself.

I got caught by myself in the middle for the first part, but ran the 2nd half with Ken and Thomas. There was a light rain for the last 10 minutes or so of the run.

I'm giving in and recording my distance to the nearest 1/4 mile, but I refuse to go any further. Distance was 4 3/4 miles and time was 38 minutes.

Scrape

I ran an easy 4-mile run today on the Bridges Plus course. I forgot my watch so no time on this one. The weather was brisk and breezy, especially on the bridges (which is normal).

At the foot of the 2nd bridge, I dodged to my left to avoid a pile of snow and scraped my right knee on the stem of a bush that had been cut back. It bled a little but not too bad.

5 Miles & Packet Pick-Up

Before running today, I did 3 sets of 10 leg presses and 3 sets of leg extensions. I felt a little creaky in the knees yesterday and I do this as a precaution. I don't know why but it was recommended to me by another runner over 10 years ago and it has helped me avoid any serious knee pain ever since.

No watch today. I ran the middle section of the St. Malachi course again and then stopped at McCarthy's Ale House to pick up my race packet. This was around 4 miles, then I added on another 1 mile back to the office.

Weather was chilly & drizzly.

Weight = 189 lbs.

One night of eating out and I gain a pound?

Tremont 5.5 Solo

I ran the full Tremont route today. Getting to & from Commercial hill were the worst as the sidewalk was snowcovered and that stretch of Ontario is fairly busy. After that I managed to avoid most of the traffic.

Total distance is 5.5 miles and I ran it in 46:36 which is 8:28 per mile. I had hoped I was going faster but I guess that was fast enough. It was nice to go out by myself and get a decent run in.

I have a 5 mile race this weekend. Weather is supposed to be colder with snow possible. My goal is to beat my times from the 2 5-mile races I ran in May of 2007 & May of 2006, that being 33:33 and 33:59. So I guess 32:30 (6:30 pace) would be a good goal.

Weight = 188 lbs

Shorter and faster.

I ran a little shorter and alot faster today. On the treadmill in the fitness center (again).

8:03
7:08 (15:11)
6:32 (21:43)
(3:34) 25:17

I had to run on one of my least favorite treadmill models today. It was really shaking when I got the MPH up to 9.5 (near the end of my 3rd mile). Plus it only has one display so I can't see time and distance at the same time, I need to press a button several times to toggle between the 2 displays.

Bad news is I looked at next week's weather forecast, 39-33-30-27-35. Looks like another week of mostly indoor running.

Good news is if I run 3 on Saturday and 8 on Sunday, this will be my 4th consecutive week with an increase in total miles.

Total miles for February is 95. I've only had one month (June 2007, 100.5 miles) in recent years that I've ran that many miles. That dates back to 2005 but I'm sure if I checked it would probably date all the way back to 1995.

I ran 25 days this month with just 4 days off.

Weight = 190 lbs.

Freezing Cold

We ran the bike path tonight. There were 5 of us, Greg, Ken, Randy, and I, and Randy's friend Ed. The weather was pretty brutal for a first-timer so Ed earned some respect for sure.

The temperature was barely above single digits and there was a wind hitting us in the face as we started out heading west.

Tonight's amusing story was how Ken's transmission failed, leaving him stranded outside a house where he was tutoring. Having just finished a cup of coffee, he ended up walking several blocks to a park to relieve himself, before returning to find the tutoree's mother had returned from swim practice and Ken could phone for a tow-truck and a ride.

I forgot to start my watch but I ran the 4.5 mile course in around 35 minutes, finishing with Ken & Ed. Randy & Greg were a couple minutes ahead.

Snow Night

Tonight was the night for the Tuesday night group, but we cancelled due to the winter storm warnings.

Instead, Randy and I made plans to run around his development. We stayed off the main roads so that we could run in the streets. One thing we learned was that the snow was better to run in than the packed down ice where cars had been driving.

In fact, I slipped on one spot and fell right on my behind!

Total distance was slightly over 5 miles.

Long Run (Sort Of)

I ran 5 miles this afternoon. The weather was warmer (low 40s) but very windy. The wind was blowing from the south and west, which is unfortunate because my main routes from my house start off (after the first half mile) going east and north.

Still, I tried to keep a steady pace and ended up running around 41 minutes for the 5 mile run. I called it a long run since I haven't run that far since mid-November. Certainly, 5 miles isn't that long, but at this point in my training it is a starting point, and I can work on increasing my longest-run distance from there.

Running In The Rain

I ran tonight with Randy and Ken on the Oberlin bike path. It was raining the whole time. Greg was absent as he had gone trapping, according to a phone call to his son Cory.

I turned around early and then the guys caught me on the way back, I ran about 4 miles while they ran closer to 4 1/2.

I felt pretty good for my 2nd run of the year, and my 2nd in 2 days. My chest was a little tight but I'm blaming it on my new "batman style" tight underarmor shirt that I got for my birthday.

Tuesday Circuits

The weather was rainy outside today so I went to Circuits Class instead. Matt was the instructor, as he usually is on Tuesdays. Class was very full, with 18 people in all!

It seemed to me like we did alot of pushups, as well as quite a bit of cardo. It was a good class for me.

I hope the weather is better tomorrow so I can go to the track and get my 400's in.

Weight = 187 lbs