16 Mile Long Run

16 mile long run on the Katy Trail. Judy was running 16 as well, so I dropped her off at the Creve Coeur Lake restaurant parking lot so she could get a bit of an early start, then headed over and parked in the Page extension parking lot. I walked about 1.5 miles out and back on the bridge before heading down and running SW for 8 miles then returning. Overall a good run, the sunny stretch around Greens Bottom got a bit hot on the way back with not a cloud in the sky and temperatures getting near 80 at the time. Was able to stick to 1 water/walk break every mile. 16 miles in 2:47:12, average pace of 10:26, splits between 10:10 and 10:44, so a very consistent run. Average heart rate was 158, though the last 2 miles were 166 and 167 as I struggled to keep the pace under 11:00. Walked for about a mile or so after the run while waiting for Judy. Happy with the run, would like to see cooler weather though.

6 Mile Saturday Run

6 miles up at the lake with FFRC, starting at the sailboat cove, doing a big loop, then tacking on just a bit to round it out to 6 miles. A bit faster than I wanted to run, but the group I was running with slowly picked up the pace and I just stuck with them rather than fall behind. Overall a decent run, 55:59 for a 9:19 average pace, splits of 9:44, 9:15, 9:15, 9:08, 9:09 and 9:25. Average heart rate was 162, but it was creeping up during the run with an average of 167 for te last mile.

10 Mile Tempo Run

10 miles up at the lake, starting at the restaurant, going up to the upper loop and running that along the soccer field, then doing the big loop plus the small tail at the south end, worked out to be 10 miles. 1:37:07 total time, avg pace of 9:42, splits of 9:43, 9:11, 9:30, 10:02, 10:16 (had issue with shuffle, and to switch over to the touch), 9:33, 9:57, 9:36, 9:55 and 9:20. Felt pretty good at the end, could have kept going at the pace I was at. I took wak breaks at the 2 and 4 mile point, then every mile after that, it was in the low 70s so it was warmer than I expected it to be. Heart rate was a bit high, average of 164, with mile averages after the first warm up mile from 163 to 168 (4th mile).

5 Miles With Record Mile Run

5 miles up at the lake, starting at the restaurant and going up to the sailboat cove and then back. I walked about a half mile before and a bit at the end. Total time of 46:03 for an average of 9:12, with splits of 10:10 warm up mile, 9:17, 9:27, 9:24 and the final mile I decided to kick it in and go for a record mile - barely getting it by 1 second at 7:44. Average heart rate of 161, with it progressing up with mile averages of 148, 158, 161, 165 and 175. Last mile was tough, but I made it.

16 Miler

16 miles on the Katy Trail, starting at the Page Extension parking lot and running southwest 8 miles, then returning. Walked about 2 miles afterwards while waiting for Judy to finish up. Was a bit muggy, but not quite as bad as Saturday. About 74F at the starting time of 7:15, about 80F when done. There was a bit of a breeze from the north that helped a little on the way back. Fairly consistent run, wth the first 11 miles being between 10:11 and 10:44, with the 10:44 being a shot block mile. Mile 12 was another shot block mile at 11:03, then I ran 10:39, 11:03, 11:28 and 11:07 to finish. The last 3 miles had several walk breaks as I was getting tired, warm, and my heart rate was creeping up. Average heart rate for the whole run was 158, but I was pushing 170 a number of times late in the race.
16 miles in a total of 2:50:35, for an average pace of 10:39, another 16er planned for next week.

Morning Run at Lake

A 'big' loop up at the lake with the FFRC, running with Bob and Sue. Warm and very humid out and Bob was going a touch slower so it felt ok. Was going to do 6 miles, but after making it all the way around, didn't feel like going any farther. 5.5 miles in 53.56, avg pace of 9:50, splits of 9:28, 9:55, 10:04, 9:46, 9:54 and 4:46 for the final .48 miles. Average Heart Rate was 162, but it was 165, 168 and 166 for the final miles. Took a few short water/walk breaks, probably 30 seconds each. Overall an OK run, would have been better if it was cooler out

8 Mile Tempo Run

8 miles up at the lake, another tempo run - holding the pace right around 9:30. Took 3 water/walk breaks at the mile 2, 4 and 6 points. Fairly consistent run, but my legs are rather tired after running 4 of the last 5 days. Will be nice to have 2 days good, that's for sure. 1:15:53 total time for an average pace of 9:29, splits of 9:58, 9:24, 9:34, 9:31, 9:31, 9:31, 9:24 and 8:56. Cool out, temp around 67F, but was a bit humid. Average heart rate was 160, though it crept up a bit at the end, with the final mile average being 166. Overall a decent run, 21 seconds slower than last weeks 8 miler.

5 Mile Easy Run

5 miles up at the lake, running from the restaurant to the sailboat cove and back. Took it fairly easy, was in the lower 60s and very foggy out. 48:35 total time, average pace of 9:43, splits of 10:02, 9:36, 9:50, 9:39 and 9:25. Took a 1 minute walk break during mile 3 when I turned around. Average heart rate of 155, with a 160 average for the last mile.

14 Miler

14 miles on the Katy Trail, starting at the Page Extension parking lot, going south 2.5 miles, then returning and going north 4.5 miles, and then coming back to the start. Wasn't pushing it, but wanted to maintain a good pace the whole way. Cool at the start, but the sun was out so it started feeling warm when not in the shade, but wasn't too bad. 2:24:19 total time, average pace of 10:18, average heart rate of 158, though the average for the last mile was 165 as I was getting tired. Splits of 10:41, 10:15, 10:07, 10:07, 10:26 (shot blocks mile), 9:58, 10:27, 10:10, 10:12, 10:49 (shot blocks again), 10:29, 10:15, 10:01 and 10:15. Worn out by the end, but didn't feel too bad. Left heel/achilles was a bit sore, will need to watch it so it doesn't get worse.

6 Mile Morning Run

6 miles up at the lake, running with the FFRC. Sue was running my pace, so I stuck with her most of the way. One big loop plus a bit more to round it out to 6 miles. 58:26 total time, 9:44 average pace, splits of 9:46, 9:43, 9:40, 9:44, 9:46 and 9:46 - so very consistent. Average heart rate of 160. Cooler weather and a slightly slower pace made this run feel much easier than last Saturday's run, I should be ready for tomorrow. First run in the new shoes.

8 Mile Run

8 mile tempo run up at the lake. Judy was biking while I was running, so I didn't walk quite as much before and after as I sometimes do. With the cooler weather, I figured I would get back to running my midweek longer runs as a tempo run, with a target of running about a 9:30 pace. 8 miles in 1:15:32, avg pace of 9:26, splits of 10:04, 9:33, 9:14, 9:27, 9:23, 9:29, 8:59 and 9:20. I was getting tired by the end, but not too bad, was able to maintain the pace more or less. Average heart rate was 164, with mile averages of 153, 163, 164, 167, 166, 168, 167 and 167 so fairly consistent there as well. Took quick walk breaks right before the 2, 4 and 6 mile points. Overall run felt good. Record 8 miler.

5 Mile Cool Run

Cool out and felt pretty fresh, so pushed it a bit this morning. Ran up at the lake while Judy biked. 5 miles in 46:35, average pace of 9:19, splits of 9:48, 9:29, 9:41 (1 minute walk/water break), 9:16 and then kicked it in a bit for the last mile and run 8:20. I was planning on pushing it harder the last mile, but after a bit of running fast I looked down at the garmin and was shocked to see I had only ran .2 miles, so I had to slow down a bit, heh. Average heart rate of 164, with a 173 average for the last mile. Felt pretty good, at time when I was running fast it felt like I was getting pulled along by momentum. Day off tomorrow, then 8 on Thursday. Fastest 5 mile run in nearly a year.

14 Tough Miles

Ugh, not a very good run. Not sure if it was not getting enough sleep or if it was pushing it Saturday, or if the warm and sun got to me over time, but I ran out of gas hard. Started from the restaurant, went counter-clockwise for a loop (add the little tail to the apartments) for 6 miles. This went pretty good. I had forgotten to take off my glasses, so I returned to the car and put my glasses away, had some shot blocks, walked a bit, and got going again. I then headed out on the spur towards the Page Extension parking lot. The 4 miles out went so so, while in the final mile out on the bridge I had my other shot blocks and walked for a bit. On the way back, running 'down' the bridge went all right, but after that, I was just completely beat. Walked and ran occasionally the final 3 miles.Hopefully next week goes better, I'll take it easier Saturday and get more sleep, and if needed start my run earlier. 14 miles in 2:45:52, avg pace of 11:50, splits of 10:15, 10:33, 10:26, 10:31, 10:48, 10:43, 14:13 (shot blocks, stop at car, and quite a bit of walking), 11;00, 11:08, 13:26 (shot blocks and quite a bit of walking), 11:03, 13:53, 13:50 and 13:56. Average heart rate for the run was 157, but all the walking brought that down a bit. All but the first two 'running' miles were over 160. Day off tomorrow, then back at it Tuesday.

6 Mile Saturday Run

6 miles up at the lake, with Bob and Rick from the FFRC. They were running a bit faster than I wanted to, and only took 2 very short walk/water breaks, but I stuck with them. 55:45 total time for a 9:17 average pace, average heart rate was 166. Splits of 9:23, 9:23, 9:27, 9:14, 8:58 and 9:18. Did the big loop starting at the sailboat cove, then added on just a bit at the end to round it out to 6 miles. Overall felt good, hopefully pushing it today doesn't hurt me tomorrow though.

8 Mile Morning Run

Cooler out this morning, around 70F and not as humid. Ran up at the lake, with plans of doing my 'usual' 8 mile course, but about 3 miles in I was feeling like I might not be able to finish the run before going to the bathroom, even though I had gone before running. At mile 4, I knew I wouldn't make it, so I headed back to the Sailboat Cove bathroom, which would be at the mile 6 point. I started needing to take walk breaks because things felt a bit dangerous, and then at the 5.5 mile point I just figured I should walk to the bathroom. After this, I headed back to the car. 8 miles running in 1:22:24, avg pace of 10:18, average heart rate of 156. Splits of 10:42, 10:34, 10:21, 10:07, 10:24, 10:37, 10:16 and 9:19. I thought about pushing it more the final mile, but figured I should save my energy. Average heart rate for the final mile was 162, which was fairly low for that pace. Hope the weather stays this way, much more enjoyable running.

5 Mile Run

5 miles this morning up at the lake, was 81F out at 6am with high humidty, but there was a bit of a breeze, so it didn't feel as bad as I expected it to. Took it fairly easy and had a walk break at the end of every mile except for the last. Total time of 52:23, avg pace of 10:28, splits of 10:52, 10:29, 10:32, 10:35 and 9:53. Average heart rate for the run was 161, with 166 avg for the last mile. Overall felt pretty good, 8 miles planned for Thursday morning.

Hot and Muggy

Whew, what a muggy morning. 72F out when we started, but with near 100% humidity. Ran out at the Katy Trail in St Charles. I ran 2 miles, then met up with some of the FFRC people, and ran with Ray for about 7 miles, and then ran 3 more miles. By the end I was really dragging. 12 miles in 2:14:09, avg pace of 11:10, splits of 11:15, 10:15, 10:06, 10:35, 10:31, 10:44, 11:02, 11:17, 11:57, 12:00, 11:57 and 12:27. The last few miles I was walking as much as I was running. Tough run, but made it through. Hopefully things start to cool off a bit.

5 Mile Morning Run

5 miles up at the lake, doing the 'big' loop but going on the lake side of the meadows loop. The north bridge was getting chained off in anticipation of the weekend boat races, so I got thru just as they were closing it up, but woudn't have been able to come back that way. The big look is around 5.6 miles or so, so with my half mile walk before, I made it around in my 5 miles and then walked a bit afterwards while waiting for Judy. Very foggy out, about 71F, so quite sweaty. Decent time, 49:27 for the 5 miles, 9:53 pace, 163 average heart rate. I took only one walk break half way thru instead of every mile and felt ok. Recently I feel like my running has gotten a bit lazy, might have to pick up the pace a bit. Splits of 10:00, 9:50, 9:58, 9:46 and 9:51, so fairly consistent. 12 miles planned for tomorrow.