12 Miler

12 miles up at the lake, ran out on the spur with doubling back a mile, then up to near the sailboat cove, and then back to the restaurant. Walked about a mile before and after the running. Overall, OK but was a bit tired. 2:06:43 overall time, 10:33 pace, miles between 10:07 (final mile) and 10:56 (uphill over MO river). Average heart rate was 155. Was cold and windy, not much fun, but got it in.

Great River Race

Ran the 10 Mile Great River Race in Alton. Was pretty chilly, but not very windy, so wasn't too bad. Ran with Bob and Jim from the FFRC. I asked Bob what pace he wanted to run, he said right around 10, so for the first 8 miles I ran around 9:40ish with Bob and Jim leading the way and me trying to keep them from running too fast. Course was out and back along the river. With about 3 miles to go, Jim left us and ran a bit faster, and with 2 miles to go Bob and I picked up the pace. We actually ended up catching Jim and Al near the end. Finishing time was 1:33:40, timing did not have the chip time for either Bob or I, so that's as close as 'chip' time as I have. 10.01 miles in 1:33:40, 9:21 pace, splits of 9:45, 9:21, 9:32, 9:34, 9:21, 9:23, 9:38, 9:15, 9:04 and 8:38. Average heart rate was 167, with the final two miles being 171 and 174, so fairly consistent the rest of the way. Overall the run felt pretty good, hopefully I didn't spend too much energy and the 12 miler tomorrow goes OK.

Turkey Day 5K

Chesterfiled Thanksgiving Day 5K, out at the Chesterfield Mall. Started and finished at the YMCA, basically ran around the mall. Hillier than I would have thought, nothing too steep, but some long climbs. Last mile was mostly downhill so was able to kick it in a bit. Ran with Bob from FFRC, he said he was going to go slow, but then seemed to always be a step ahead of me, heh. 3.09 miles by the garmin in 26:57, 8:43 pace, splits of 9:17, 8:49, 8:08 and 42 seconds for the final bit (7:45 pace). Heart rate was high, 169, with it at 178 for the final bit. Fun race, overall I was 715 out of 2279, for men I was 516 out of 1106, and for my age group I was 55 out of 107. Good for me (:

5 Mile Run

5 miles up at the lake, running from the restaurant up to the sailboat cove and back, with a run up the overpass hill and down at the end. Morning run, chilly out, but not too bad. 5 miles in 51:04, first mile was 10:37, then I had a 10:14, 10:16, 10:16 and 9:38, so started getting in a groove a bit. Average heart rate was 160. Decent run.

12 Mile Long Run

12 miles up at the lake, looping around in various directions to make the 12 miles. Also walked 2 miles before and nearly a mile afterwards to stretch out the time while Judy ran. Felt like I was dragging the whole time, didn't really feel like I got in much of a groove. All miles were between 10:13 and 10:37, so really consistent. Average heart rate was 158, and even that didn't change much, ranging from 157 to 162, with the 162 being the second mile. Ran in the afternoon, was nice out but right about 50 and a bit breezy, and near the end it became overcast and started feeling cooler. Not a great run but OK

5 Miler

5 miles up at the lake, running at about 10:30. Started at the restaurant, ran up to the sailboat cove and back, running up the overpass hill and down for the finish then walking in from there. Splits of 9:23, 9:19, 9:27, 9:27 and 9:10, so fairly consistent. Average heart rate was 163, though the last mile was 168. Good run.

8 Mile Afternoon Run

8 miles up at the lake, starting at the restaurant, running up past the sailboat cove on the inside and down to the overpass, just over 4 miles, then returning. Ran at about 4pm, so it was getting dark, and Judy was running a counter-clockwise lap. When I passed her on the way back, I started back tracking about .1 mile at a time so that we would be somewhat close to coming in at the same time. Ran on the outside part of the soccer field on the way back because it was a little lighter on that side. Good run, was nearly 60F out with a light breeze, but temp did start to drop when the sun went down. 8 miles in 1:14:31, 9:18 pace. Splits of 9:31, 9:13, 9:20, 9:20, 9:34, 9:27, 9:26 and 8:36. Was feeling good, could have ran harder. Average heart rate was a bit high, 166, but still not too bad. Day off tomorrow then 5 Friday morning.

Cold 5 Miler

5 miles up at the lake in the morning, cold - about 29F or so, starting at the restaurant, running up and past the sailboat cove, and back. Walked about .5 miles before and after the run. 47:52 total time, average pace of 9:34, splits of 10:03, 9:44, 9:32, 9:26 and 9:05. Took a while to get going. Average heart rate was 160.

10 Mile Long Run

10 miles up at the lake, ran in the afternoon and the temperature was in the 50s, sunny, but fairly windy. Started at the restaurant, ran up to the sailboat cove, down under the overpass, then back around to the sailboat cove, then down thru the woods, out on the tail, then back to the restaurant. Walked about a mile before and 2 miles or so afterwards to stretch out the time while Judy was finishing up. 1:39:33 total time, 9:57 pace, splits of 10:15, 10:09, 10:05, 10:24, 10:12, 9:59, 10:11, 9:35, 9:37 and 9:03. Was able to pick up the pace the last few miles without my heart rate going up too much. Average heart rate for the run was 163, with the last 3 miles being 165, 164 and 166. Was fairly tired by the end, but it felt like a pretty good run.

5 Mile Saturday Run

5 miles up at the lake running with the FFRC. Small crowd as temps were in the mid 30s, was a bit rainy, and very windy. Ran with a new member, Sherrie, who ran around my pace. The last mile was right into the wind so we slowed down there. Did the big loop, but walked the last .5 miles of it. 5 miles in 49:17, average pace of 9:51, splits of 9:20, 9:47, 9:56, 9:53 and 10:19. Average heart rate of 166. Didn't take any walk breaks, probably the reason my heart rate was a bit high. Overall a decent run though. Winter is coming.

6 Mile Run

6 miles up at the lake, walked a mile at the start, then starting at the restaurant I ran a big loop counter clockwise, with running the south tail. Judy was running either 5 miles or 6 miles, so I was planning on working in walking a mile at the end if I caught up with her and it was apparent she was running 6 miles. When I caught up with her, it was clear she was running 6, so I double backed to add a mile to the run. Finished my 6 miles just after passing Judy, and walked with her for a bit during her walking half mile, then walked in from there. 6 miles in 58:12 total time, 9:42 average pace. Splits of 10:22, 9:57, 9:49, 9:34, 9:26, 9:02, average heart rate of 160.

5 Mile Run

5 miles up at the lake, walking about a mile at the start, going to the sailboat cove and back. Needed to stop and use the bathroom, stopped the timer. Raining, cold, windy … bleh. 50:11 overall time, 10:02 pace, splits of 10:27, 10:07, 10:29, 10:07 and 8:58. Average heart rate of 158, though it was 167 for the final mile when I was running a bit faster. Feels like I'm getting my legs back.

8 Miler

8 miles up at the lake, was windy and cold (upper 30s), so tried to run in the trees or with the wind when ever possible. Ran from the restaurant to the sailboat cove on the inside trail, then down thru the woods and out to the apartments, then back thru the woods to the over pass, then back thru the woods and around to the restaurant. 8 miles in 1:20:34, average pace of 10:04, splits of 10:06, 10:01, 10:05, 10:00, 10:18, 10:06, 10:01 and 9:52. Took short walk/water breaks every mile but the last one. Average heart rate was 163, 167 for the final mile. Felt pretty good, was getting tired near the end but not too bad, could have ran a few more miles. Time to sort out a training schedule for Phoenix.

6 Miler

6 miles up at the lake with the fleet feet runners club. Was around 40F and windy. At the start was running with Bob and a few ladies and a new guy, Rafael. Bob's stomach was acting up, so he started walking and headed back to the start area, and the ladies slowed down a bit, so I was just running wth Rafael. Talked a bit, nice guy, and we had very similar pace, so it worked out well. One 'big' loop running on the inside of the soccor field stretch, then just a bit more to get to the 6 miles. Splits of 10:13, 10:03, 10:30, 9:57, 9:47 and 9:52. Average heart rate was 164, so all right there. Decent run, not sure if I'll run or walk tomorrow, we'll see how I feel in the morning.

Morning 5 Miler, Getting Colder

5 miles up at the lake, running out on the spur since construction is done. Walked about .3 miles at the start with Judy, then 2.5 miles out, then back, with turning around and running back up the overpass hill at the very end, then walking out to where Judy was and walking back in with her, so about a mile of walking at the end. 49:46 total time, 9:57 pace, splits of 10:11, 9:57, 9:53, 10:11 and 9:32, average heart rate of 164, though it was acting up at the start since it was cool out (about 45F, sunny but a little windy). Decent run, better than yesterday.

Back In The Groove

5 miles up at the lake, running out on the spur since construction is done. Walked about .2 miles at the start, then 2.5 miles out and back, with running back up the overpass for the ending, then walked about .7 miles back to the car and waited for Judy. Total time of 52:30, average pace of 10:30, splits of 10:18, 10:16, 10:30, 10:54 and 10:31, average heart rate of 167. In the 60s, but sprinkling a bit. Felt sluggish but it was good to get back out there.

St Louis Track Club Half Marathon

St Louis Track Club Half Marathon day - I was optimistic that despite the fact that I hadn't ran a single step since the Hartford Marathon, I would have a good race, with toughts of breaking 2 hours. Race start was at 8am, but there was a walkers start at 7am, and Judy was planning on mostly walking, so she got started at 7am. Race started at 8:05 and I knew after the first mile I was going to have trouble keeping a good pace. I felt pretty good overall, but my heart rate was high. First mile I ran in 9:40, with an average heart rate of 170. Second mile was 9:33 with an average of 179, and rthe third mile at 9:22 with a heart rate of 179. After that I started slowing down, running 10:46, 10:50, 11:16 (shot block mile), 10:21, 11:01, 11:00, a 1 minute nearly .1 mile to get back on the mile markers, and then a 11:52. About a quarter mile into mile 11, I caught up with Judy, and I figured I would just walk in with her from there. So overall 10.33 miles in 1:49:11, avg pace of 10:34, average heart rate of 175. Even though my heart rate was high, I didn't feel winded or that I was pushing too hard while running, it was a bit odd. Perhaps it was from the fact that I had so little sleep the weekend before due to the Gathering and eating/drinking too much... and still having a bit of a gathering hangover. Overall time for the 13.1 miles was 2:40:07, average pace of 12:14. Great weather for the Marathon, shame I didn't feel up to running hard (: