8 Mile Run

8 miles up at the lake, running to the south end, then back and out on the spur for some hills, then a figure eight around the soccer field area, then back up the hill, then back to the start. Splits of 10:25, 10:09, 10:24, 10:17, 9:40, 10:07, 10:00 and 9:44, total time of 1:20:51, average pace of 10:06, AHR of 156.

3 Mile Run

3 miles around the neighborhood, was in the 20s, but not much wind so didn't feel all that bad out. Just wanted to get it over with, so ran a bit faster, 29:01 total time, 9:40 pace, 157 AHR, splits of 9:45, 9:45 and 9:30.

12 Mile Taper Run

12 miles up at the lake, windy, snowy, in the upper 20s. Snow let up during the run, but then the wind really kicked in from the west. Could have been worse I guess. 2:07:55 total time, 10:39 aveage pace, 148 AHR, so took it fairly easy. Figure my half marathon at Disney will be a lot like this run, with a good walk break every mile and splits just under 11 minutes. Splits of 10:52, 10:51, 10:46, 10:38, 10:43, 10:45, 10:39, 10:42, 10:24, 10:38, 10:39 an 10:13. Trail had about an inch of snow in most places, but parts were melted and cleared as the day went on.

10 Mile Run

10 miles up at the lake, running with the running club, but no one was running my pace, so I was solo. Did 2 miles before 7am, then did a big loop with a double back in the woods to get some extra distance. Cold and windy, in the 20s with a stiff wind from the south. Big tree was down in the woods, but was able to get over it, and there were a few smaller trees down as well. Took it fairly slow, 1:46:37 total time, 10:39 average pace, 150 AHR, splits of 10:41, 10:19, 10:24, 11:18, 10:59, 10:35, 10:50, 10:20, 10:36 and 10:31.

3 Mile Run

3 miles around the neighborhood, took it fairly easy. Was in the 40s out, a bit windy but not too bad. Figured I should get some running in as I plan on eating a big dinner for my birthday. 29:55 total time, 9:58 average pace, 158 AHR. Splits of 10:28, 9:42 and 9:43.

3 Mile Neighborhood Run

3 miles around the neighborhood, raining hard, was in the 40s out, not too windy. Just wanted to get it done with and get home. 30:18 overall time, 10:06 average pace, 153 AHR, splits of 10:23, 10:10 and 9:43.

7 Mile Run

7 miles up at the lake, running south to the tail, and then north towards the sailboat cove, and then back. After about a mile and a half, I knew I was going to have to stop and use the bathroom, which I did after some extra walk breaks at the soccer field, stopping the clock for about 5 minutes before getting going again. Splits of 10:40, 10:34, 10:27, 10:11, 10:10, 9:52 and 8:59. Was pushing it the final mile a bit, heart rate crept up to 168. 1:10:56 total time, 10:08 average pace, 150 AHR. About 32F out, but a 15MPH wind or so from the south made it feel cooler. First run in new shoes.

22 Mile Long Run

22 miles up at the lake while Judy ran 20. I walked 2 miles before and walked 1 mile afterwards to extend the time. 3:51:37 total running time, I did stop the clock for a 5 minute bathroom break around mile 6, then the 2 minute or so break at the car and bathroom around mile 12. Started off a bit fast and slowed down as I progressed, but kept the pace under 11 min/mile. 22.22 miles overall in 3:51:37, average pace of 10:25, AHR of 150. Splits of 10:24, 10:17, 10:16, 10:02, 10:05, 9:59, 10:10, 10:09, 10:15, 10:00, 10:21, 10:12, 10:13, 10:22, 10:35, 10:48, 10:54, 10:47, 10:51, 10:53, 10:53, 10:23 and a 2:19 lap for the final .22 miles (10:27 pace). Took a walk break every mile, overall the run felt pretty good. Finally... taper time!

12 Mile Morning Run

12 miles up at the lake, running 5 miles before 7am, starting at the sailboat cove, running 2.5 miles into the woods, then returning. Then I ran 7 miles doing a big loop plus the tail, starting out with Bob, then about half way through running with Bob, Tim and Sue, then Bob and Tim got ahead of us too much, so ran the final few miles with Sue, after the big loop, needed to get in .8 miles more, so ran out and back. 1:58:44 total time, 9:53 pace, 153 AHR, splits of 9:45, 9:37, 9:50, 9:46, 9:27, 9:47, 9:53, 10:00, 10:08, 10:16, 10:12 and 9:57. Slowed down a bit as things went on, but not too much. About 33F out, but stiff wind from the NW. Had a light dusting of snow, most of the paved trail was clear, but some still on the ground in the woods.

7 Mile Run

7 miles up at the lake, running to the south tail, then north to the sailboat cove on the lake side of the soccer fields, past the bathrooms, the returning the same way. Splits of 10:06, 10:04, 10:15, 10:06, 9:53, 9:43 and 9:40, average pace of 9:58, AHR of 157, high compared to last run and not sure why, though I was a bit short on sleep, so that might be part of it. Was about 18F out, but no wind, so didn't feel too bad out.

4 Mile Cold Run

4 miles up at the lake in the morning, pretty cold, in the 20s but stiff wind. Ran a half mile north from the restaurant, then returned and did the lower loop, adding in the south tail as well. Splits of 10:11, 10:17, 9:58 and 9:30, total time of 39:57, average pace of 9:59, AHR of 150. Felt pretty good overall.

20 Mile Long Long Run

20 Miles up at the lake, ran 7.55 miles on my own, then met up with Bob and running 10 miles with him, then ran a final 2.45 miles on my own. Splits of 10:35, 10:23, 10:05, 10:25, 10:47, 10:35, 10:20 and 5:36 for .55 miles (10:16 pace), which is around a 10:25 pace. The 10 miles with Bob, the splits were 9:37, 9:35, 9:45, 10:52 (stopped at car and swapped out water bottles), 9:41, 9:47, 9:55, 10:01, 9:41 and 9:58 for around a 10:00 pace for those 10 miles. Finished up with a 10:50, 10:53 and 4:52 for the last .46 miles (10:42 pace). Overall 3:24:22, 10:13 pace, AHR of 152. Tired at the end, but not as bad as it could have been. Walked about a mile afterwards while cooling down.

10 Mile Run

10 miles up at the lake, ran 2 miles before 7am by just running from the Sailboat cove counter clockwise to the soccer field and back, then ran a big loop counter clockwise with Tim and Sue, and after that finished up with 2 more miles. Splits of 9:51, 9:48, 10:37, 10:28, 10:43, 10:55, 10:41, 10:27 and 9:32. Total time of 1:43:16, average pace of 10:19, AHR of 147. Took it fairly easy, we'll see how tomorrow goes.

7 Mile Treadmill Run

Wednesday was very windy out, and this morning was about 10F out with some wind, so decided to go into the office and run on the treadmill there. 7 miles in 1:09:00, average pace of 9:51, didn't wear a heart monitor, so no clue there. Was a bit warm in the room so I was sweating pretty good. Pretty steady pace, took a walk break every mile as well. Worked out OK, but wouldn't want to do it too often, pretty dull.

4.5 Mile Run

4.5 miles up at the lake, running north for a half mile, then south and through the woods, the returning. Took it pretty easy. 45:20 total time, 10:04 average pace, 150 AHR. Splits of 10:26, 10:25, 9:52, 10:00 and 9:08 pace for the final half mile. Weather was all right, 30s and not too much wind.

16 Mile Long Run

16 miles up at the lake, running north from the restaurant along the inside path 1.5 miles, then back past the restaurant, then a big loop counter clockwise, cutting across the soccer field then running on the inside path to the circle, then out on the spur until I got to 9.5 miles total, then I returned the same way. Was able to maintain a 10:30ish pace the whole way, with the last 2 miles being a bit slower. 16 miles in 2:47:45, average pace of 10:29, AHR of 151. Splits of 10:40, 10:33, 10:30, 10:29, 10:20, 10:28, 10:24, 10:19, 10:19, 10:20, 10;26, 10:31, 10:29, 10:24, 10:41 and 10:46. Pretty good feeling run and I wasn't overly tired at the end. Glad to have tomorrow off though.

Fun On The Freeway 5K

Fun On The Freeway 5K this morning, got there about 7am, then had to walk a long ways around to get to the start line as there was no way to get to the interstate other than the ramps. Ran with Bob, was planning on runninga bit slower, but Bob picked up the pace in mile 2 and 3. 28:53 total time, 9:19 pace, splits of 10:27, 9:25, 8:15 and 0:44 for the final 1. miles, 7:25 pace. AHR of 151, with a 163 average for the final .1 so it was picking up. Good feeling run overall, time to take a bit of a nap before the afternoon long run.

Snowball Series 15K in Queeny Park

Snowball Series 15K in Queeny Park. Cold morning, about 20F when we headed out, but it did warm up as we ran, but it also got a bit windy, so it still felt pretty cold. One half loop and two full loops of a course, so covered the same areas a few times. Easy to forget how hilly the course is too. Run was pretty good overall, 9.36 garmin miles in 1:34:27, average pace of 10:05, AHR of 161. Took at least one walk break most every mile, and some miles more than one if I ran into a hill I just didn't feel like running up. Splits of 9:45, 10:16, 9:41, 10:02, 9:59, 10:27, 10:15, 10:11, 10:06 and 3:40 for the final .36 miles (10:07 pace). All right run, should have taken it easier probably as we have a 5K in the morning and a long run in the afternoon tomorrow.

7 Mile Run

Chilly out, about 30F and a bit of a breeze, but not too bad. Taking it easy, wanted to keep my heart rate around 150. Ran north to the circle, then south to the tail, then through the woods and up towards the sailboat cove, then back to the restaurant. 7 miles in 1:12:46, average pace of 10:23, AHR of 148, splits of 10:54, 10:37, 10:23, 10:17, 10:22, 10:25 and 9:45. Run felt pretty good overall.

4 Mile Morning Run

Legs were beat on Monday, figured I'd take an extra day off, so back at it on Wednesday instead of Tuesday. Ran up at the lake, starting at the restaurant, running to the south tail, then through the woods to just past the overpass, then back through the woods and to the restaurant. 4 miles in 39:57, 9:59 pace, AHR of 154. Cool out, about 38F, not too breezy, overcast. Run felt fairly good, splits of 10:11, 10:01, 10:00 and 9:43.

14 Mile Run

Legs are shot from the past 3 days of running. Heal is sore, legs are tired, but figured I better get out there. Ran fairly slow and steady, 14 miles in 2:25:52, 10:25 pace, 149 AHR. Ran counter clockwise from the restaurant, out on the spur, then back the same way. Splits of 10:44, 10:26, 10:21, 10:16, 10:20, 10:22, 10:27, 10:15, 10:26, 10:24, 10:25, 10:27, 10:23 and 10:30. Took a 1 minutes walk break every mile. When I was done my legs were *really* shot and my calf muscles felt like one wrong move could snap them off the bone. Decent weather out, overcast and sprinkled a bit, but overall fairly decent.

Alton 10 Mile River Run

Alton 10 Mile River Run, 50th year for it, big crowd. Amazingly perfect day, temps around 50F at the start, into the 60s by finish time, light breeze and sunny. Started off running with Bob and Kelly, but Kelly sped up and left us in the dust. My legs were tired from the last two days of running and I never really felt 100% comfortable, but I was able to maintain a decent pace anyway. Helped running with Bob, that's for sure. 10 miles in 1:27:15, splits of 8:54, 8:51, 8:58, 8:55, 8:43, 8:43, 8:42, 8:38, 8:32, 8:06 and 0:09 for the final .02 miles to the finish line. Sped up quite a bit at the end, with my heart rate getting up to 181, I kept thinking Bob was going to pass me at anytime, heh. 515 of 1256 finishers, 387 of 698 men, and 217 of 400 in my age group (40-64 age group). Fastest 10 Mile run ever, by about 2 1/2 minutes, and about 6 minutes faster than last years race. Ate at Fast Eddie's afterwards, very busy - very tasty.

Town and Country 5K

5K in Town and Country, chilly out, first freeze of the year, though the sun was out and there was near zero wind, so it felt better than yesterday. Course was short, about 2.8 miles, and there was no timing, so time and distance is from the garmin. I thought about trying to better my 5K time from yesterday, but after the first mile, I started slowing down. Splits of 7:48, 8:20 and 6:51 for the final .79 miles for a 8:41 pace. AHR of 169. Fun, small race.

Chesterfield Turkey Trot 5K

Chesterfield Turkey Trot 5K, finished in 24:37, 7:56 average pace, 170 AHR, splits of 8:28 (a bit congested at the start), 7:53, 7:32 and 0:51 for the final .12 for a 7:07 pace. Felt pretty good, ran the first mile with Bob, but when I sped up a bit I lost him. Basically run around the Chesterfield Mall, so a bit on the dull side. Fairly chilly out, around 40F but with a stiff gusty wind from the west. 5K PR, finished 397 of 2357, 305 of 1127 men, and 28 of 148 in my age group, by far my best finish in a race, though there were a lot of walkers and such.

8 Mile Run

8 miles up at the lake, running to the south end, then through the woods, then back through the woods around around past the restaurant then out on the spur and back. Ran moderately hard, but not too hard. Decided to run hard the final mile to see what I should expect to do on Thursday. The 8 min/mile pace felt all right, should be able to do it Thursday. Splits of 10:01, 9:29, 9:16, 9:22, 9:26, 9:20, 9:20 and 7:59, total time of 1:14:13, average pace of 9:16, AHR of 157. Decent temperature, ran in shorts, but there was a bit of a wind from the south.

10 Mile Run

10 miles up at the lake, running to the south end, then out on the spur a mile, then up around the soccer fields, then back out on the spur, then back to the restaurant. Total time of 1:34:58, average pace of 9:29, AHR of 158. Splits of 9:44, 9:25, 9:35, 9:45, 9:43, 9:30, 9:28, 9:26, 9:10 and 9:07. Felt pretty good, but probably ran harder than I should have, was more tired when done than I thought I should be. Busy week with races coming up.

5.6 Miles at Lake

5.6 miles up at the lake with the FFRC, running with Tim, Tim's friend Bob, and Sue, though Sue ran the upper loop only, and we ran the big loop. Felt pretty good, took it farily slow. 58:20 overall time, 10:25 pace, splits of 10:46, 10:27, 10:36, 10:07, 10:20 and 6:03. AHR of 152. Was 42F when we left the house, but no wind and felt pretty comfortable out. Plan on doing 8 or 10 tomorrow, we'll see how that feels.

3 Mile Neighborhood Run

3 miles around the neighborhood. About 45F out and a bit of drizzle, but little wind and fairly comfortable out. Took it easy, felt pretty good being back out there. Splits of 10:14, 10:07 and 9:33, total time of 29:55, average pace of 9:58, AHR of 154. We'll see how Saturday goes.

San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon 2009

San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon. Woke up at 4:30am, got dressed and walked about a mile to where the shuttle was picking up people to take us to the start line. Line was long, took about 40 minutes to get on, and the line was about twice as long when we finally got on the bus as it was when we got in line. They dropped us off about a mile from the gear check area, which was probably less than 2 miles from our hotel, it would have been a lot quicker and hardly any more walking to just walk to the start rather than take the shuttle bus, heh.

Found Marc and Zoe, but didn't find Tim or Debby from the FFRC. Things were getting ready to get started, we were in corral 16, then we decided to hop over to the porta-johns as the lines were nonexistent. As things were not yet moving, we actually got back into the corral around corral 15. We got started right before 8am, about 29 minutes after the gun went off. Zoe was going to be running a bit slower, so Marc and I headed off.

First mile was 10:42, followed by a 10:10, 10:04, 10:22, 10:12 and 10:05, then a .1 mile 1:00 split to get back in sync with the mile markers. We were feeling good and had a steady pace, generally walking after each water stop for about a minute. We had a time of 1:03:31 at the 10K split. We then had splits of 10:07, 9:41, 10:05, 10:00, 10:20, 9:55, a .1 mile 1:01 split to get back in sync with mile markers, and a 10:21 split, and then a 10:21 mile. About mile 11 the course split off, and for a while we could see people coming in from the long mostly out and back. We hit the half marathon in 2:15:05, a 10:18 pace, so we were going good but we were planning on slowing down the second half as we tired and got warm.

We had miles of 10:38, 10:07 and 10:51 that followed. Marc said an extended walk break would be good, so we walked about a 1/2 mile, then ran the rest for a 13:34 mile. This was followed by a 11:24 and 11:48 mile as we started to take longer walk breaks. Mile 20 was a mostly walking mile, coming in at 17:01. During this mile Debby and her sister passed us. After they went by, I ran up in front of them and took a few pictures before waiting for Marc to catch up. His stomach was giving him fits as it seemed that the gu and the cytomax didn't mix well. Had a .13 mile split in 2:13 to get back in sync with the mile markers, hitting the 20 mile split in 3:40:25, an 11:01 pace. Shortly after the 20 mile mark, Marc had to stop at a porta-john as his stomach went into reverse mode. We sat there for a bit while Marc tried to feel better. He decided he should probably drop out; since he had ran marathons before, he didn't feel the need to push himself just so he could finish - 20 miles was enough. So we walked to the next medical tent at about 20.5 miles, and he sat down to rest, and I continued on.

I ran most of the rest of the mile and the time for that mile was 20:36. After that I ran a 10:58 mile as I worked on getting back in the groove. It was getting quite warm out, and any time the sun popped out from the clouds, it was brutal. A quick .1 mile 1:02 mile split to get back in sync, and I figured out I needed to run just under 11 minute miles the rest of the way to finish under 5 hours. I felt I needed some goal, as if I didn't set one I'd end up walking the rest of the way in. So off I went, running 10:59, 10:53, 10:45, 10:37 and a 2:00 over the final .22 miles to hit 4:59:39, an 11:26 pace, the same as I did for the Lewis and Clark Marathon where I did the 5 hour pace group for, but quite a different race. Afterwards, I got my gear bag, sat for a bit, met up with Marc and Zoe (Marc had grabbed a ride from the SAG wagon and almost beat me to the finish), then waited for Judy. She came in shortly after 6 hours, we then walked back to the hotel, showered, rested for a bit, then walked and met Marc and Zoe at Fogo de Chao, a Brazillian Steakhouse, for a very, VERY tasty dinner. Another marathon down, number 13, woo!

2.5 Mile Run in San Antonio

2.5 miles around the hotel in San Antonio, sticking to a 10 min/mile pace. Felt pretty good, though it was a bit warm and muggy out. Suppose to be similar tomorrow, so I better get use to it. Splits of 10:05, 9:56 and a 9:54 pace for the final half mile. 25:01 for a little over 2.5 miles, 9:59 average pace, AHR 148, run felt pretty good.

3 Miles in Austin

3 miles in Austin with Wang, running around his neighborhood. Ran easy, took a few walk breaks, splits of 10:47, 10:46 and 10:41, average pace of 10:45, AHR of 142. Keeping loose for the marathon.

3 Mile Neighborhood Run

3 miles around the neighborhood in 29:12, average pace of 9:44, AHR of 155, splits of 9:55, 9:42 and 9:32. Run felt good, nice weather, ready for the marathon.

3 MIle Easy Run

3 miles up at the lake, running out on the spur and back. Easy run to keep loose and burn some calories. Splits of 9:57, 9:45, and 9:35, AHR of 150, average pace of 9:46.

10 Mile Run

10 miles up at the lake, running the big loop counter clockwise until I got to the soccer field parking lot, where I ran across the lot and then south towards the circle, then returning the same way. Started off a bit too fast, started slowing down after the first 4 or so miles, but still not a terrible pace. Legs were tired from the trail run apparently. 10 miles in 1:36:58, average pace of 9:41, AHR of 160. Splits of 9:29, 9:19, 8:59, 9:33, 9:56, 9:57, 9:53, 9:59, 10:01 and 9:48. Time to rest up for the marathon.

Wild In The Woods Quail Ridge 5M

5 mile trail run out at Quail Ridge park, final Wild In The Woods run. We started in a field about 20 wide or so, but after 100 yards the course narrowed to a single track trail, so a big log jam. Course was fairly tough, had to watch my footing often and there were few times I could run without focusing. Ran most of the way with Bob. Splits of 10:43, 9:41, 10:58, 10:36 and 10:00. Finish was a tough uphill. Overall 52:00, 10:24 pace, 169 AHR, though the max was 179 during the final mile with a 175 average over the final mile. Fun series, will do again. Was 72 out of 126, 52 out of 75 men, and 12 out of 14 in my age group. Some day I'll do better (:

3 Mile Neighborhood Run

On call, so decided to just run around the neighborhood. 3 miles in 28:52, average pace of 9:37, AHR of 155, a bit higher because of the hills I'm guessing, splits of 9:38, 9:43 and 9:29. Felt good, though it did feel longer, guess my brain likes running up at the lake more.

5 Miles

5 miles up at the lake, running the south tail and then out on the spur over the two hills, then back to the circle, then back out on the spur over the hills again, and then back. Took it easy, 5 miles in 49:58, AHR of 149, splits of 10:39, 9:58, 9:56, 9:55 and 9:29. In the upper 30s, but wasn't too cold.

St Louis Track Club Half Marathon

St Louis Track Club Half Marathon in Clayton. Great day out, ran with Bob, Kelly and Jason for nearly the whole way. They didn't let me get in any walk breaks, so I walked briefly only twice the whole way. Felt very good and had a great race. Officially 1:55:01 for an 8:47 pace, AHR was 165. We started out fairly quick as the first few miles are net downhill, running splits of 9:00, 8:35 and 8:27. In the Park we ran splits of 8:50, 8:41, 9:06, 8:28, 8:56, 8:41, a short 25 second lap to get back on the mile markers, and then 8:51. On the way back to Clayton, which is mostly uphill, ran 9:08, 8:46, kicked it in with an 8:09 and then 1:02 for the final .13 miles (7:48 pace). I guess I should have ran just a bit harder at the end to get under 1:55, but I thought I was going to make it. 380 of 852 overall, 283 of 481 of the men, and 51 of 85 in my age group. PR by over 7 minutes, felt like I could have gone a bit faster or ran a few more mile with ease.

4 Mile Easy Run

4 miles up at the lake with the FFRC, running with Jason and Kelly. Took it easy, doing the upper loop running on the outside part of the soccer fields. AHR of 151, 39:48 total time, 9:57 average pace, splits of 10:25, 9:44, 10:01 and 9:38. Had flooded up at the lake, the path didn't have water but did have quite a bit of debris.

8 Mile Tempo Run

8 miles up at the lake, feeling pretty good so did a tempo run. 1:10:39 total time, 8:49 average pace, 166 AHR. Splits of 9:01 and 8:50 for my warm up miles, then 8:16, 8:19, 8:29, 8:22, then cool down miles of 9:45 and 9:34. Was pretty tired by the time I was done, but it felt good.

5 Mile Morning Run

5 easy miles up at the lake, running to the south tail, then north to the soccer fields on the inside trail, across the parking lot, and then back south on the outside trail back to the circle. Ran up the hill then down and back to the restaurant. 5 miles in 49:58, average pace of 9:59, AHR of 149. Splits of 10:35, 9:52, 9:56, 9:38 and 9:55.

10 Mile Easy Run

10 miles up at the lake. Was pretty tired after the trail run Saturday, so took it fairly easy. Was thinking about running 12, but then my stomach started feeling a bit iffy, so figured 10 was enough. Started running to the south tail, then through the woods, up to the sailboat cove, down on the outside of the soccer fields, across the parking lot, then down to the circle and out on the spur and back. Total time of 1:44:16, average pace 10:25, AHR of 151, splits of 11:25, 10:28, 10:01, 10:09, 10:37, 9:44, 10:14, 10:29, 10:32 and 10:32. Need a day off.

Wild In The Woods Indian Creek Park 10M

Wild in the Woods 10M run at Indian Creek Park. Mile markers were off, and the garmin flaked out for a few seconds. 10 miles in 1:41:34, average pace of 10:22, AHR of 168. Course was very muddy, made for hard running. Was quite tired by the end. Splits of 9:14, 10:08, 10:27, 10:49, 11:01, 11:11, 10:35 pace for .86 miles, 10:15 pace for .72 miles, 10:01, 10:01 and 10:09 pace for the final .21 miles. Overall garmin said it was 9.79 miles. I was 59 of 87 runners overall, 45 of 59 men, and 9 of 11 in my age group.

8 Mile Tempo Run

8 miles up at the lake, running the south tail then out on the spur and back. Took it a bit easier, 1:12:59 total time, 9:07 average pace, 159 AHR. Splits of 9:40, 8:50, 9:06, 9:05, 9:11, 8:47, 9:18 and 8:58.

5 Mile Run

5 miles up at the lake, running the south tail and then out on the spur and back. Took it easy, went all right, heart rate was a bit high considering. Lower 50s out, a bit overcast, light wind. 48:58 total time, 9:47 average pace, 155 AHR, splits of 10:06, 9:52, 9:47, 9:51, 9:20. We'll see how the tempo run tomorrow goes.

16 Mile Run - Record Pace

16 miles up at the lake, about 45F out, overcast but didn't rain on me. Ran to the south tail, then out on the spur to the tunnel, then a big loop counter clockwise, cutting across from the outside to inside at the soccer fields, then back out on the spur to the tunnel, then back to the car. Decided to push it a bit since I have a few days off from running. 2:29:55 total time, 9:22 average pace, AHR of 154, splits of 9:34, 9:25, 9:20, 9:22, 9:31, 9:34, 9:37, 9:40, 9:32, 9:16, 9:14, 9:35, 9:13, 9:12, 9:00 and 8:44. Was pretty tired by the end, but wasn't completely dead.

8 Mile Run

8 miles up at the lake, running to the south tail, then out on the spur to the tunnel, then back and up to the soccer fields and back. Ran hard the last mile to get under a 9:30 pace for the run. 8 miles in 1:15:56, 9:29 average pace, 150 AHR, splits of 10:21, 9:37, 9:36, 9:36, 9:34, 9:32, 9:34 and 8:02 for the final mile. Overall a good run, but didn't want to run too hard. About 45F out and a bit breezy, but not too bad.

6 Mile Run

6 miles up at the lake, doing a big loop counter clockwise, running across from the outside to the inside at the soccer field. Splits of 10:11, 9:57, 9:52, 9:44, 9:29 and 9:09. Overall pace of 9:44, AHR of 150 or so (garmin was acting up the first mile, then settled down). Legs were a bit tired, but not too bad, 45F or so out, a bit breezy, was able to run in shorts though.

6 Miles Up at Lake

Going to be out of town over the weekend, so going to try to get in 4 days of running. Wasn't too bad even though I had ran 20 miles the day before. Was going to run for an hour, and just ran around at the lake. Had to stop and go to the bathroom about half way through the run, stopping the clock for about 3 minutes. Started raining on me the final mile, but overall a good run. 6.33 miles in 1:01:19, average pace of 9:41, AHR of 148, was about 40F out, but no wind, so felt all right.

20 Long Miles

20 miles up at the lake, running the big loop counter clockwise, stopping at the soccer field for a quick bathroom break, then out on the spur, then returned the same way, stopping again at the soccer field for about 4 minutes for another bathroom break, stopping the garmin for that. 20 miles in 3:32:34, average pace of 10:37, AHR of 145. Ran fairly consistent, with splits of 11:05, 10:39, 10:34, 10:29, 10:26, 10:24, 11:14, 10:37, 10:51, 10:32, 10:29, 10:37, 10:55, 10:25, 10:43, 10:48, 10:40, 10:44, 10:19 and 9:54. Heart rate for the final mile was 153. I took a walk break every mile, overall a good run. Was about 40F out at the start, around 50F by the time we got done, was able to wear shorts, but it was a bit chilly for a while.

12 Foggy Miles

12 miles up at the lake, running with Bob. Very foggy out, was about 38F at the start, so ran in pants and long sleeves and gloves. Bob was wanting to get 12 miles in, so figured I'd run with him. 12 miles in 1:53:39, average pace of 9:28, AHR of 158. Spits of 9:42, 9:55, 9:20, 9:31, 9:32, 9:19, 9:28, 9:05, 9:46, 9:21, 9:23 and 9:10. Overall a good run.

8 Mile Run - Another Record

8 miles up at the lake, running south, then north to and past the sailboat cove and then back. 2 miles warm up, then 4 miles hard, then 2 miles cool down, though the warm up and cool down were ran pretty hard too. 1:08:47 total time, 8:35 average pace, splits of 9:13, 8:42, 8:16, 8:09, 8:19, 8:07, 9:00 and 8:58. AHR of 162. During the warm up/cool down miles took walk breaks, and took one short walk break when I turned around at 2.75 miles into the hard 4 miles. Record 8 mile run, the middle 4 miles were a record 4 miles, and middle miles were record 5 mile too. I even ran 7 miles in under an hour for the first time. Cool out, about 60F, little wind, felt good.

5 Mile Easy Run

5 miles up at the lake, running south, then up towards the sailboat cove, then back. Took it easy, but wanted to keep it under 10min/mile pace. Splits of 10:10, 10:03, 9:58, 10:11 and 9:33. AHR was 153, though it was probably a bit lower as it took a while for it to settle in, registering over 200 for a while at the start before I started sweating. Ran in the afternoon because of rain in the morning, was in the 60s, overcast and a bit windy.

16 Mile Record Run

16 mile run up at the lake, running to the south end, then out on the spur to the parking lot, then back to the restaurant, around into the woods up to the sailboat cove, then back. Was cool out and my legs felt pretty good, and I mostly ran negative splits. 10:33 for the warm up mile, then 9:56, 9:56, 9:53, 9:59, 9:54, 9:51, 9:45, 9:43, 9:41, 9:38, 9:36, 9:37, 9:32, 9:35 and a final mile of 8:44. Pushed it a bit the final mile, heart rate got up to 168, other than the final mile max heart rate was 162, so wasn't pushing it too hard. Overall AHR was 152. Total time of 2:36:03, average pace of 9:45. Was in the 40s when we started at 8:14, was in the 50s when we got done, but was sunny and nearly zero wind. Record pace for a 16+ Mile Run.

Wild In The Woods Klondike Park 7 Mile

Wild In The Woods Klondike Park 7 Mile. Ran with Bob more or less the whole way. Was a pretty tough trail, though a few miles were on the Katy Trail and Lewis and Clark Trail, which are flat crushed gravel, so got a bit of a rest here and there. 1:06:40, average pace of 9:31, AHR of 167, so was pushing it some. Splits of 9:29, 10:20, 8:47, 8:51, 10:13, 11:34 and 8:11 pace for the final .91 miles according to the Garmin to the finish. Bob was kicking it in as he could 'smell' the finish line, heh. AHR of 167, got up to 175 a few times on the hills and near the end with the fast running to the finish. I was 50 of 93 finishers, 6 of 8 in my age group, 42 of 62 men. Very happy with the run.

6 Mile Run

Legs were pretty tired from yesterdays run, so decided not to do speedwork, but still wanted to get in some miles. Ran around at the lake, hitting lap at the intersections to get distances of the different segments, so I didn't have 'mile' splits. Ran consistently though, 6 miles in 57:55, average pace of 9:39, AHR of 153. Was about 70F out, a bit of rain, quite windy, but felt fairly comfortable.

8 Mile Record Run

8 miles up at the lake, my back is still hurting a little, but it doesn't look to be slowing me down. Was going to do a tempo run, with the 4 middle miles hard, and the first 2 and last 2 fast, but not too fast. 1:09:47, 8:43 pace, AHR of 164, record 8 mile run. Splits of 9:15, 9:08, 8:26, 8:17, 8:25, 8:19, 8:58 and 8:56. The middle miles were fairly tough, side hurt a little but I sorta got in a groove and it wasn't all that tough. I probably should have slowed more the last 2 miles, but I knew I was in range to get under 1h10min for the run. VERY nice out, about 70F, low humidity, very comfortable.

5 Mile Run

Back is getting mostly back to normal, still a bit tight, but not hampering me much. Ran in the morning, cool out, about 50F and a bit of wind, but was still able to run in shorts. 5 miles in 49:39, average pace of 9:55, AHR of 148. Splits of 10:09, 10:01, 10:00, 9:57 and 9:30. With luck I'll be able to do my tempo run tomorrow as planned. Ran in my new trail shoes, they felt pretty good, not much different than other shoes, we'll see how they go for the 7 mile trial run Sunday.

12 Mile Run

Back was feeling a bit better, but still nowhere near 100%, but got in 12 miles. 2:08:46 total time, 10:43 average pace, 149 AHR. Splits of 11:49, 11:17, 10:55, 10:37, 10:29, 10:34, 10:44, 10:34, 10:29, 10:42, 10:20 and 10:11. Run felt pretty good, started about 10:30, got done at 12:30. Sunny out but not too warm, though it did start to feel a bit warm by the end of things. Hopefully my back gets better through the week.

6 Miles at Lake

I had tweaked my back Thursday night, and it was still pretty tight Saturday. 6 miles up at the lake, I walked for about .1 miles, then started jogging. I was able to run with Judy, but going faster really didn't feel feasible. Was nice to run with Judy for a change. 6 miles in 1:16:33, splits of 12:46, 12:46, 13:13, 12:40, 12:23 and 12:43, overall pace of 12:45. Didn't wear the heart monitor, but heart rate felt pretty low.

8 x 1/2 Mile Speed Work

Speed work up at the lake in the evening, 8 x .5 mile with 2 minute walk after each one, and a 1 mile warm up / cool down. Stretched for 2 minutes after the warm up mile, then ran for 2 minutes, then started with the repeats. 10:06 for the first mile, 9:10 pace for the 2 minute run, then half mile repeats at 7:46 pace, 7:43, 7:45, 7:41, 7:39, 7:41, 7:34 and 7:37. Cool down mile at 9:58. Was 72F, overcast but failr humid, 67F dewpoint, but didn't feel as bad as yesterday. Getting dark earlier, going to start getting tough to get the run squeezed in.

8 Mile Tempo Run

8 miles up at the lake, 2 mile warm up, 4 miles tempo run, then 2 mile cool down, though I really didn't cool down much. Was fairly warm out, 77F with a dewpoint of 64F. Could have been worse, but I was a sweaty mess by the time I was done. Ran south, then north on the inside path, across the soccor field parking lot, and up towards the sailboat cove, then back the same way to the circle, then out on the spur and back. Took a 1 minute walk break the first two miles and last 2 miles, and 1 30 second walk break between mile 2 and 3 of the 4 mile tempo run. Splits of 9:41, 9:16, 8:18, 8:29, 8:29, 8:20, 9:33 and 9:42. Overall 1:11:51 total time, average pace of 8:58, AHR of 164. 8:24 average pace for the middle 4 miles, 33:36 time, which I believe is a record 4 mile time for me. Was pretty beat when I was done, and heart rate didn't really come down much the final two miles.

5 Mile Run

5 miles up at the lake, running to the south end, then north to the soccer fields on the inside, across the parking lot, then back south, then up the overpass hill and back. 47:45 total time, 9:33 average pace, 152 AHR. Splits of 9:58, 9:50, 9:48, 9:35 and 8:31. Run felt pretty good, legs feel pretty good.

10 Mile Run at Lake

10 miles up at the lake, running south, then up to the sailboat cove on the inside trail, then back to the circle on the outside trail, then out on the spur and back. Run felt pretty good, but was feeling pretty tired by the time I was done. Sped up the second half, splits of 10:29, 9:57, 9:46, 9:55, 9:53, 10:00 (took a gu break), 9:36, 9:31, 9:32 and 8:41. Overall pace of 9:44, AHR of 151.

Wild In The Woods Matson Hill 10K

Wild In The Woods Matson Hill Park 10K. Ran with Ray more or less the whole way. Started with a rather tough 1.5 mile or so uphill to the park, then a 3 mile loop in the park that was not too bad, but had some decent hills. Never tripped so I consider that a good thing, and then 1.5 miles or so back to the start line. Official time of 1:02:51, pace of 10:08, splits according to the garmin of 10:28, 10:04, 10:37, 11:10, 10:53, 8:26 and 1:38 for the final bit. Garmin was short, but that's not surprising as the course cut back and forth in the woods quite a bit. Not sure if this was an easy, moderate or difficult trail run, but to me it was quite difficult. I'm sure they get easier. (: I was 60 of 105, 44 of 66 men, 7 of 10 in my age group. Should be a fun series.

Speed Work, 5K On/Off

Did a speed workout, felt pretty good. Warmed up for .5 miles, then stretched, then jogged for 2 minutes and then did a 5K alternating fast/jog every ~200M (.13 miles on the Garmin). The pace for my 13 'fast' parts was between 6:54 and 8:04 with most of them around 7:30-7:40. The 'jog' parts were between 8:52 and 9:27. I then walked for 2 minutes and then jogged for .5 miles. Overall 4.57 miles in 40:38 for a 8:53 pace. Didn't push it too hard, as my max heart rate was 172. I kinda like this workout and will probably do it again sometime, but I don't see running my fastest 5K this way.

5 Mile Evening Run

5 mile run up at the lake, running south for .5 miles, then returning and running out on the spur and back. Took it fairly easy, 49:56 total time, 9:59 pace, 154 AHR. Splits of 10:26, 9:53, 9:51, 9:54 and 9:49.

3.5 Mile Run/Walk

Easy walk/jog up at the lake. Walked .5 miles, then ran .5, then walked, etc for 3.5 miles, running 1.5 miles and walking 2.0 miles. Total time of 47:33, average page of 13:35, AHR of 124. Splits of 8:12, 5:28, 7:29, 5:16, 8:11, 5:06 and 7:49. Felt pretty good. About 70F out, light rain.

Lewis and Clark Marathon

Lewis and Clark Marathon, was one of the 5:00 pace setters, so needed to stick to the pace. Got to the parking lot shortly after 6am, went to the bathroom, jogged about a half mile to loosen up a bit, went to the bathroom again. Found the other pacers, got our pace balloons and headed to the starting area. A few people talked to Kay and I before the race, asking about our pace strategy and such. The plan was to walk at every water stop, and for miles without a water stop we would take a short walk break as well. My balloon was not holding air very well, so didn't really work well.

First seven miles, got into a pretty good groove, running splits of 11:21, 11:20, 11:17, 11:07, a 0:36 split to get back on the mile markers, 11:10, 11:08 and 11:18. Next six miles ran 11:25 (up the bridge mile), 11:11, a 0:33 split to get back on mile markers, 11:29, 11:11, 11:10 and 10:57 as we ran down towards the half marathon finish. Crowd along the finish area was large and encouraging. Things thinned out greatly after we passed the half marathon finish, Kay and I had 3 other runners sticking with us. We hit the half marathon finish at about 2:28:30, so 1m30sec 'banked' for the second half.

Next seven miles were 11:20, 11:25, 11:22, 11:00, 11:37, 11:48, a 0:36 split to get back on the mile markers, and 11:44. Miles 18.5-20.7 were out on the Green's Bottom stretch of the Katy Trail with a very hot sun overhead. This slowed us down a bit, and by the time we were back into the shade we had only one runner with us.

Final six miles, it was harder to maintain the pace than I thought it would be. We did pick up a few people as we passed them to run with us. Splits were 11:42, 11:01, 11:40, 11:22, 11:05, 11:29 and 2:35 (10:22 pace) for the final .25 miles on the garmin to bring us to the finish line. Garmin time was 4:59:29 for the 26.44 miles, official time was 4:59:26, 11:26 average pace. AHR was 156 for the race, with it creeping up the second half. I was 482 of 692 finishers, 338 of 428 men, and 63 of 74 in my age group.

I was quite beat when I finished. I sat in the finishers tent talking with the other marathon pacers for a bit, then went to the bathroom and changed, when I came back most everyone was gone. I went over and waited for Judy to come in, then we sat for a bit, I talked to Bob and Tim from the running club, had a few beers, then we headed to catch the bus back to the car. Got home, showered, relaxed, then went out to Sam's Steakhouse for dinner. Very tasty.

Final Marathon Tune Up

2 easy miles up at the lake with the FFRC, running ot a mile with Ray and then returning. Then I drove out to St Charles and ran 2 miles with the pacers at pace. Took it easy, all set for the marathon.

Evening 5K Run

3.1 miles up at the lake in the evening. Was a bit warm out, but not too bad, no wind, low 80s, didn't feel too humid. Left knee has been a bit sore when running, but usually loosens up during the run, hopefully it doesn't bother me for the Marathon. Started off easy, sped up the final mile, especially the last half of the mile. Splits of 11:05, 11:01, 9:01 and 0:43 for the final .1 mile (7:20 pace). AHR was 145, 175 for the final .1 mile, so was getting it going for that. Decent feeling run, mostly out there to burn calories though.

5 Mile Lake Run

5 miles up at the lake, 4 miles at the marathon pace group pace, final mile faster but still not too hard. Total time of 53:55, average page of 10:47, AHR of 146, splits of 11:13, 11:17, 11:15, 11:09 and 8:59. In the 60s and foggy, pleasant run.

Easy 5K at Lake

3.1 easy miles up at the lake, starting from the restaurant, running to the soccer field parking lot on the inside, then returning on the outside loop, adding in the spur hill too. Took it easy, splits of 11:12, 10:48, 11:16 and 1:06 for the final .1 mile (10:50 pace), total time 34:22, average pace of 11:04, AHR of 143. In the 60s and foggy, pretty nice out.

5 Easy Miles

5 easy miles up at the lake, running to the south tail, then north to the soccer fields on the inside trail, across the parking lot, and then back south on the outside trail back to the circle. Ran up the hill then down and back to the restaurant. 5 miles in 55:14, average pace of 11:02, splits of 11:05, 11:10, 11:09, 10:33 and 11:14, AHR of 143. Getting a bit antsy about the marathon, time to let the legs rest up a bit.

10 Mile Run

10 miles up at the lake with the FFRC. Ran with Bob and Kay, ran a bit faster than I had anticipated, as I was wanting to practice my marathon pace group pace some. 66F with a 64F dewpoint and rainy, but not too hard of a rain. Started at the sailboat cove, ran clockwise then west under the page extension, then out on the spur, getting near the bridge before turning around, and then along north on the outside soccer field, then back to the start. Was soaked by the time I was done. 1:38:34 total time, 9:51 average pace, 153 AHR. Splits of 10:25, 10:04, 9:51, 9:44, 9:42, 10:11, 9:55, 9:38, 9:45 and 9:15. May or may not run tomorrow, not sure yet. Run went well and was pretty easy.

1 Mile Time Trail

Fleet Feet Speed Workout Mile Time-Trial. I warmed up for a mile in 9:40, then stretched a bit, then ran .75 miles in 7:02 (9:18 pace). They had 2 groups, one group for over 7:00, one group for under 7:00. I was going to run in the over 7:00 group, but it looked like 3/4th of the people were running in that group, so I decided to go with the under 7:00 group, knowing I'd be bringing up the rear. Got going, first quarter was in 1:34 - a bit fast. Second quarter was in 1:45, and my heart rate was high enough the alarm on the garmin was starting to go off (have it set for 183). Third quarter was in 1:45, and final quarter was in 1:49 as I was starting to run out of gas. My average and max heart rate for the final lap was 186, was definately running on guts. And I was last for the group... but, I did break 7:00, coming in at 6:55, AHR for the mile was 179. The 1:34 first quarter actually felt fairly comfortable, but if I want to hold that pace for a mile, I'll have to work on it some. Next year!

8 Mile Run

8 miles up at the lake, running south to the tail, and then north up and past the Sailboat Cove, then returning to the restaurant. 1:28:55 total time, 11:06 average pace, 142 AHR. Took it easy the whole way, running my marathon pace group pace. Splits of 11:06, 11:12, 11:09, 11:08, 11:10, 11:07, 11:05 and 10:53. Temp was about 56F out, dewpoint of 51F, so nice and comfortable.

5 Mile Easy Run

Wasn't sure if I was going to run this morning, as my back was still sore Monday, but woke up Tuesday and things felt pretty good. I got up late so I didn't 'go' before getting out the door, so figured I'd have to go when I got out and running. 5 miles in 52:30, not counting the bathroom break. Average pace of 10:30, AHR of 147. Started at the restaurant, ran south, then north to the soccer field on the inside loop, past the bathrooms, then returned to the resaurant, stopping for a bathroom break. Splits of 11:15, 11:10, 11:09, 10:59 and 7:56. AHR for the last mile was 164, max of 169, so pretty good considering that I was pushing it. VERY nice out, 54F otu and a dewpoint of 49F, with no wind. Bottle up this day and save it for a marathon.

16 Mile Run

During the night I manged to tweak my back, when I woke up it was really sore, but figured I should get in my long run anyway. Got going shortly after 8, and started running at about 8:30. Nice out, about 58F with a 51F dewpoint at the start, and about 67F with a 50F dewpoint at the finish. The first mile was tough, ran a bit, walked, then ran some more as my back loosened up. By the time I was done with the first mile, things were fairly good. 16 milesin 3:02:11, average pace of 11:23, AHR of 145. Other than the Hartford Marathon where I walked half of it, I've not had a 16+ mile run below a AHR of 150, so it was clearly a comfortable run. Splits of 15:02 (warming up), 11:11, 11:09, 11:06, 11:12, 11:08, 11:12, 11:13, 11:11, 11:09, 11:14, 11:18, 11:17, 11:02, 10:38 and 11:03. Ran from the restaurant to the south tail, then around to the spur, out on the spur, running out a mile on the River Bottom Road before heading out over the Missouri River bridge, then heading back. Comfortable run at my 5 hour Marathon Pace group pace.

11 Mile Run

Last run out in St Peters with the FFRC, we started at 6:30am this morning because we were running with the Fleet Feet Marathon Training group. I ran a warm up mile with Bob, and then ran with Bob, Tim, and his friend Bob for the first 3 miles before Tim and Bob headed back, following Amanda's training group. Ran the actual course, so more hills than I'm use to, but not too bad. Bob was running a bit faster than I wanted to, but overall not too bad, and it was very nice out, 65F with a 61F dewpoint when we started. 11 miles total in 1:48:38, average pace of 9:52, AHR of 157. Splits of 9:23, 10:03, 10:01, 10:25, 9:51, 10:07, 9:36, 9:54, 9:57, 9:56 and 9:20. Comfortable run.

Speed Work

Final Fleet Feet speed workout, 4 x 1200M with recovery. It was open house at the high school, so there was a backlog getting into to parkling lot, and so there was no time for a warm up. Intervals of 5:38, 5:37, 5:42 and 5:42. Heart rate hit 181 on the final interval before I coasted to the finish line. Overall 4 miles in 41:19, average pace of 10:19. Overall felt pretty good. Was about 84F out with a dewpoint of 64F, so not too bad considering it's August, but was still fairly warm.

8 Mile Marathon Pace Group Pace Run

8 miles up at the lake, running to the south tail, then through the woods up just past the sailboat cove, then returning the same but without the south tail. Running the marathon pace group pace for the first 7 miles, then running a hard final mile. 1:25:52 total time, 10:44 average pace, 147 AHR, with a 162 AHR for the final mile. Splits of 11:09, 10:59, 11:10, 11:06, 11:02, 10:59, 11:01 and 8:24. Nice morning, but could tell it was going to be getting warmer as the sun was out and hot. Started just about at 8am, 72F with a 73F dewpoint, finished it was around 77F with a 64F dewpoint, but still manageable, especially with running through the woods.

5 Mile Quick Run

5 miles up at the lake, a bit quicker than I have been running as I was a bit short on time. Started at restaurant heading south to the tail, then north to the soccer fields on the inside path, then across the parking lot, then north again to where I needed to turn around, then came back the same way. 48:41 total time, 9:44 average pace, 154AHR. Splits of 10:31, 9:49, 9:53, 9:55 and 8:30. Overall a good run, about 66F and a dewpoint of 59F at the start, so comfortable.

18 Mile Long Run

18 miles up at the lake, running 5 miles then meeting up with Bob from the runners club and running 12 'with' him, then finishing off with a final mile. Started at the restaurant, ran up and past the soccer fields, then did two laps counter clockwise with Bob with one south tail to get the mileage in, then ran back from the soccer fields to the restaurant to finish it off. I took a short break after mile 5 before starting with Bob, stopping the timer, then another one after the first lap, stopping the timer again. Overall a good run. Spent most of the time while running with Bob about 4 steps behind him, but even so it was good to run with someone for a change, passed the time a bit better. Splits of 11:08, 11:11, 11:12, 11:14, 11:16, 10:56, 10:35, 10:47, 10:28, 10:21, 10:06, 10:01, 10:30, 10:36, 10:02, 10:42, 9:59 and 11:11. AHR was 152, though it had creeped up at the end with final miles of 163 and 160. Temp was 59F with a 57F dewpoint at the 7am start, and was about 72F, 57F dewpoint when done at just after 10am. Overall time of 3:12:21, average pace of 10:41.

8 Mile Marathon Pace Group Pace Run

8 miles up at the St Peters course, ran solo. Weather was nice, about 60F with a 57F dewpoint at the start, and not really getting much warmer while running. 1:25:59 total time, 10:44 pace. Run 7 miles at the marathon pace group pace, and then ran hard the final mile. Splits of 10:54, 10:49, 11:00, 11:04, 11:03, 11:02, 11:04 and 9:01. AHR of 147, with a 156 average for the final mile. Felt good out there, a smidge fast for the pace group, but not by much.

Speed Work

Speed work, was 200M on - 200M off for 5K, interesting workout, but I had never done anything like it before, so I started off too fast, and ended up having to walk during many of my 'off' phases instead of just lightly jogging. AHR for the workout was 171, with a max of 181 on the final repeat, and hitting 180 a few of the other repeats. 'On' repeats of 45s, 49s, 49s, 49s, 52s, 53s, 52s, 49s, 50s, 53s, 52s, 52s and 54s. My 'off' repeats ranged from 1:06 to 1:36 as I had to walk during all but the first few. Temp was around 78F with a dewpoint of 61F, so very comfortable. I'll probably try to do this sort of workout again some time, as it was interesting.

8 Mile Marathon Pace Group Pace Run

8 miles up at the lake, running south to the end of the tail, then north towards the sailboat cove on the inside path, then across the parking lot, then up and past the sailboat cove, then returning the same path. Ran the marathon pace gorup pace for the first 7 miles, then ran a hard final mile. 8 miles in 1:26:10, average pace of 10:46, splits of 11:11, 11:10, 11:07, 11:12, 11:11, 11:09, 11:08 and 7:59 for the final mile. Overall AHR was 148, 167 for the final mile while I was pushing it. Ran in the morning, starting at about 6:40, about 73F out with a dewpoint of 71F, so humid, but fairly comfortable.

6 Mile Run

6 miles up at the lake, running south to the end of the tail, then north towards the sailboat cove on the inside loop, across the soccer field parking lot, then continued towards the sailboat cove, then returning. First run in the new Kayano 15s, felt pretty good. Sticking with the Lewis and Clark pace group pace, running 1:03:49 for 6 miles, a 10:38 pace, AHR of 151. Splits of 11:12, 11:08, 11:07, 11:03, 11:04 and then running a speedy 8:12 to finish it off. Overall felt good,

16 Mile Long Run

16 miles up at the lake. Wasn't as hot as last week, but it was sort of a building heat, and it was very humid. Got started at about 7:30, about 79F out with 70F dewpoint. When I finished shortly after 11, it was around 85F with a 71F dewpoint. It tried to rain a few times, but it never really got going, mostly cloudy. Was planning on doing my pace setter marathon pace the whole way, but my heart rate started creeping up a bit too much after about mile 10, so I had to slow it down and take more walk breaks. 3:05:26 total time, 11:35 average pace, 160 AHR, splits of 11:14, 11:12, 11:19, 11:06, 11:02, 11:08, 11:14, 11:09, 11:07, 11:10, 11:51, 11:55, 12:01, 12:10, 12:57 and 12:43. Was beat by the end, and a sloppy mess. Brain felt a bit mushy like I had ran farther. I have a few more weekends to work on the pace, hopefully one of the weekends is a bit cooler.

8 Mile St Peters Run

8 miles with the FFRC, running out in St Peters. Started out with Bob, Ray and Tim, but Tim headed back after 3 miles, and Bob was going to get in 10 so was running the full course, so ran with Ray from the 3 mile or so point on. Decent run, took it fairly easy. Was warm, but not really bad, 73F, dewpoint of 68F. 8 miles in 1:22:16, average pace of 10:17, AHR of 155. Splits of 10:10, 9:55, 10:08, 11:11, 10:20, 10:15, 10:07 and 10:07. Decent run, but heel was feeling it afterwards, guess I shouldn't run in the Brooks more than 1 day a week - if that.

8 Mile Marathon Pace Group Pace Run

8 miles up at the lake, running south to the end of the tail, then north towards the sailboat cove on the inside path, then across the parking lot, stopping for a very quick bathroom break without stopping the clock, and the continuing north to the sailboat cove and past that before retruning back. Wasn't a tempo run, but was running at my pace team marathon pace for all miles but the final mile. 8 miles in 1:26:32, average pace of 10:49, AHR of 149. Splits of 11:10, 10:54, 11:11, 11:11, 11:03, 11:07, 11:06 and 8:47. Was in the mid 60s with a dewpoint right around 60F, so felt good out for the run. Perhaps Summer is wrapping up (:

6 Mile Morning Run

6 miles up at the lake, running south to the end of the tail, then north towards the sailboat cove on the inside loop, across the soccer field parking lot, then continued towards the sailboat cove until the path intersection, then headed back making a figure 8 around the sailboat cove. I took it easy, running my pace marathon pace for all miles but the final mile. 6 miles in 1:04:59, average pace of 10:49, AHR of 156. Splits of 11:14, 11:09, 11:13, 11:12, 11:10 and 8:59. It was around 70F out, but the dewpoint was in the high 60s, so was still a bit sweaty out. Decent feeling run.

14 Mile Long Run

With the poison ivy I decided to take some time off, as my right foot was a bit swollen as well, and I didn't want to aggrivate things, so first day back at it. Really hot out, when we went out the door at 6am it was already 79F with oppressive humidity. Sun was out strong, and I was struggling keeping even my 'slow' 5:00 pace team pace. Ran into Judy about an hour into the run, and we decided to run for 3 hours instead of our original plan of 15 miles for her and 16 miles for me. Slowed down some more, managed to get in 14 miles. When we got home at about 9:30, it was 82F but rising fast. Poison ivy didn't bother me while running, but I have a few new blisters where my sock rubbed on the back of my heel. Oddly my foot seems less swollen now than before the run, go figure. 14 miles in 2:47:36. I did stop the clock when I went to the bathroom at about mile 4, and again when I stopped at the car at mile 10, but not for too long. The original plan was to run 11:15 miles, but as I was going, it was clear I wasn't going to be able to do those without having my heart rate be too high. I was sweating up a storm, guzzling my water. Average pace of 11:58, AHR of 162, splits of 11:15, 10:58, 11:16, 11:04, 11:37, 11:19, 11:33, 11:43, 12:06, 12:28, 13:27, 13:16, 13:18 and 12:08. Took 2 walk breaks from about mile 7 to mile 9, then after that took more and more walk breaks, mostly focusing on keeping my mile splits below 13:30. Brutal out there, but made it through 14 miles.

Chicago Half Marathon

Chicago Rock n Roll Half Marathon. I got a bad case of Poison Ivy during Tuesday's run, and so I had bandaged up my leg to keep it covered for the run. It didn't seem to bother me while running, my goal was to get under 2 hours, and the 'plan' was to run a 10 minute mile, 2 9:30 miles, and then 9:00 pace the rest of the way. Run started off well, but when it came time to run the 9:00 minute miles, I just didn't quite have it in me, running more around 9:15. At times I felt like I could go a bit faster, but the course was pretty crowded, so it made it nearly impossible to pass people without a lot of extra work. While downtown, the garmin acted up a bit with the buildings, and then we ran through a few tunnels too, so I had to hit lap a few times to get back on the course mile markers. Splits were 10:03, 9:33, 9:26, 8:59, 8:55, 9:38, 9:12, 9:00, 9:24, 9:31, 9:28, 9:31, 9:27 and 1:00 for the last .13 miles coming down to the finish. Overall the garmin had 13.41 miles, but .15 of the extra distance happened in the first 3 miles while running in the tall buildings, so it was fairly accurate after that. AHR was 164, so wasn't pushing it too hard, though it started creeping up at the end. Official time of 2:03:06, pace of 9:24, 5K split of 29:49, 6 miles split of 56:41 and 10 mile split of 1:33:52, so the final 5K was 29:46. Course was nice, temperature was fantastic for August, starting temp was mid 60s, finishing temp was in the 70s, not a cloud in the sky. Thumbs up for the race.

5 Mile Flat Five Course Run

5.09 miles Thursday evening with the FFRC, running the flat five course before the meeting/cook out. Even though Judy and I are going to be out of town, we figured we would go and be social. Ran with Bob, course started at Frontier Park, followed the start of the St Charles 'old' course, before heading out of town along the river, then turned around, and headed back, getting on the Katy Trail to head back to the start line. 5.09 miles in 47:44, average pace of 9:23, splits of 9:25, 9:14, 9:22, 9:35, 9:17 and 9:29, AHR of 159. Temp was nice, though it was a bit warm and humid, but for late July evening, couldn't complain.

8 Mile Zippy Run

8 miles up at the lake, it had rained in the morning, but it was just stopping when I got started, so the trail was a bit slick, but not too many puddles to avoid. I was originally going to try to push for a record 8 mile run, but after the first 2 miles, I knew it wouldn't happen. Splits of 9:56, 8:49, 9:10, 9:00, 9:00, 9:04, 8:59 and 9:57. Total time of 1:13:57, average pace of 9:14, AHR of 159. Took 30 second walk breaks every mile. Right upper calf seems a bit tight or sore, will need to keep an eye on it and try to stretch it out. It's not affecting my running yet, but I don't want to just ignore it.

5 Mile Run

5 miles up at the lake, running to the south end, then back and out of the spur, then returning to the restaurant. 49:02 total time, 9:49 average pace, 158 AHR. Splits of 9:54, 9:45, 9:54, 9:51 and 9:42. Was in the 70s with the dew point in the mid 60s, so it was a bit warm and muggy out, but not too bad.

12 Mile Long Run

12 mile run up at the lake, got started at about 9am, so even though the temp was all right, the sun was out and felt hot. I mostly stayed in the woods stretch where it was shady and cooler. 2:00:15 total time, 10:01 pace, average heart rate of 155. Splits of 10:51, 10:01, 10:14, 10:18, 10:08, 10:00, 10:10, 10:09, 9:42, 9:41, 9:39 and 9:17. I pushed the pace a bit at the end, heart rate was 167 for the final mile, but everything felt pretty good overall.

Bix7 2009

Bix7 Run in Davenport. Got up early, left the hotel about 6:15, got downtown and parked about 6:30. Walked to the starting area, stretched for a bit, went to the bathroom a few times, then got in the corral . Race started a bit after 8am, and we headed up the hill. I ran up the whole hill and then after the turn things got really tight on the course. I took a few walk breaks on the other hills, made it to the turn around, headed back, coasted back down the big hill, and then turned the corner to the finish line. Overall a good run, splits of 10:28, 9:39, 10:34, 10:28, 10:14, 9:36, 8:18 and then a 8:28 pace for the final .06 miles, 1:09:42 overall for a 9:57 pace, average heart rate of 162. Sun was out, and it felt warmer than the temperature was with it being in the low 70s. Fun run, hit Amanas for lunch afterwards, of course.

8 Mile Run

8 mile morning run, getting going at 6:45am. Plan was to run my warm up/cool down miles at a 10:00 pace, and the 6 middle miles at a 9:00 pace, was able to stick with that pretty good. Total time of 1:13:35, average pace of 9:11, AHR of 159. I had to push it a bit a few times to get the splits I wanted and my heart rate crept up to above 170, but overall it was a pretty good run. I took a 30 second walk break each of my middle miles, and a 1 min. walk break in the warm up/cool down miles. Splits of 9:54, 8:51, 8:57, 8:56, 8:59, 8:59, 8:58 and 9:58.

5 Mile Run

5 mile morning run, getting going just after 6:30am, took it pretty easy, 49:53 total time, 9:58 average pace, 153 AHR. Splits of 10:32, 10:08, 9:55, 9:50 and 9:26. Seem to be getting my legs back.

10 Mile Run

10 miles up at the lake, getting going shortly before noon. It was nice out, in the 70s but when the sun was out it would start feeling rather warm. Went through more water than I thought I would, and it was a bit tougher run all things considered, but I got the 10 miles in. 1:42:23 total time, 10:14 pace, AHR of 160, splits of 10:38, 10:09, 10:02, 10:13, 10:37, 10:11, 10:12, 9:47, 10:15 and 10:14. Consistent run, heart rate crept up at the end when I was getting tired and the sun was getting warmer, but overall run went well.

8 Mile St Peters Run

8 miles out in St Peters, ran the first 3 miles or so with Bob and Al, then continued on before coming back. Very nice weather out, right around 60F. 1:22:30 total time, 10:18 pace, 155 AHR. Splits of 10:14, 10:00, 10:05, 10:31, 10:24, 10:50, 10:05 and 10:18. Decent run, starting to get my legs back.

Speed Work Step Up

Because of work I could not do the speed workout Thursday night, so I figured I should still do it, so got up Friday morning and got it in. Was the 'step up' workout, 2 x 1/4 mile, 2 x 1/2 mile then 2 x 3/4 mile, with 1 mile warm up and cool down, and 2 minute recovery walks. 5.97 miles total in 57:15, average pace of 9:35, AHR of 160. 10:11 for the warm up mile, then 7:01 and 6:54 pace for the 1/4 mile repeats, 7:38 and 7:40 pace for the 1/2 mile repeats, and 8:04 and 8:05 pace for the 3/4 mile repeats. Finished with a cool down mile of 9:48. Legs are still tired, and I need to catch up on sleep at some point.

5.5 Mile Tough Run

5.5 miles up at the lake, was pretty rough, the week off from running with too much drinking and eating and far too little sleep while out at WCG in Portalnd took its tool. 57:05 total time, average pace of 10:22, AHR of 163. So more than a minute a mile slower with the same AHR as my last run for a shorter run, bleh. Splits of 10:10, 9:29, 10:42, 10:40, 10:35 and 5:27 for the final .5 miles for a 10:52 pace.

8 Mile Pace Run

8 miles up at the lake in the morning. Felt pretty good, was doing a tempo run and figured I should see about going a bit faster. Splits of 9:48 for the warmup mile, then 8:36, 8:40, 8:41, 8:51, 8:44, 8:52 then a cool down mile of 9:25. I took one walk break before the 6 pace miles, then one break about half way through that, and then a break after the 6 pace miles. Ended up with a 1:11:41 overall time, 8:57 pace, 8 seconds off my 8 mile record. AHR was 164, so though I was pushing it, I probably could have been pushing it more.

5 Mile Morning Run

5 miles up at the lake in the morning. Was going to try to get a record mile the 2nd mile, but sorta ran out of gas, and then more or less coasted in from there. Splits of 10:03, 8:16, 9:25, 9:33 and 9:26, 46:45 total time, overall pace of 9:21, AHR of 159. Run felt good overall, but I'm not quite 100% fresh yet.

8 Mile Easy Run

8 miles up at the lake, getting going about noon. Took it fairly easy, 1:18:47 total time for a 9:50 pace, 157 AHR. Splits of 10:30, 9:53, 9:46, 9:40, 9:56, 9:46, 9:52 and 9:21. Feel pretty good overall.

O'Fallon Firecraker 5K

O'Fallon Firecracker 5K, ran most of the way with Bob. Was raining, but not too bad, felt all right out. Splits of 8:59, 8:36, 8:23 and 1:08 for the final .13 for a 8:42 pace. 26:51 official time, 8:38 pace. AHR of 162, so wasn't pushing it too hard. Was 117 out of 262 finishers, 84 of 138 men, and 22 of 34 of my 40-49 age group. Legs felt pretty good, was a pretty good run.

Speed Work 12 x 1/4 Mile

Was feeling pretty good, so figured I would do the Thursday Fleet Feet speed workout. 12 x 400m repeats, pace of 7:18, 6:59, 7:01, 7:05, 6:54, 7:01, 7:03, 6:57, 7:01, 6:59, 7:00 and 7:00. Overall with 1 mile warm up and .5 mile cool down and recovery walks 5.72 miles in 1:02:39, average pace of 10:57, AHR of 159, hitting 179-182 on the repeats. Legs felt surprisingly good.

2.55 Mile Walk In Neighborhood

Walked 2.55 miles around the neighborhood, 47:53 total time, average pace of 18:48. Legs are still tired, but not too bad. Should be ready for the 5K on the 4th of July.

2 1/2 Mile Walk In WA

Walked about 2 1/2 miles out north east of Seattle, James was wanting to go to some trail, but he wasn't exactly sure where it was, so we eneded up just parking and walking up a gravel road a ways and back. It was somewhat steep, so it was enough of a workout for the day after a marathon. 2.5 miles in just over an hour, a very slow pace overall.

Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon 2009

Seattle Marathon, had to get up insanely early and drive into downtown Seattle. Got parked and then to the shuttle buses to the start line, then got gear checked, said good bye to Judy and headed for my starting corral, number 17. With the wave start, I hit the start line at 7:27am, about 25 minutes or so after the gun start. The first few miles I was getting into a groove, with my first splits being 9:45, 9:24, 9:56, 9:17 and 9:54. I then had a .13 mile split to get back on track with the course mile markers in 1:11 at a 9:18 pace. During the next mile I jumped into an open port-a-john for a quick bathroom break and still had a 9:30 split. The course then ran along Lake Washinging and I had splits of 9:14, 9:35, 9:30 and 9:49 as the course started out over the I-90 bridge. I then needed to take an extended bathroom break at the turn around on the bridge, about 3 minutes, and had a mile spit of 12:25, and then had another short .15 mile split in 1:21 (9:07 pace) to get back on the course markers.

We then ran through the tunnel, where I lost my GPS signal, so I ran approximately 2 miles in 20 minutes. We then met back up with the half marathon runners, and things got very crowded for the next few miles. We then split off and headed north, going through another tunnel. Splits were 9:35, 9:36, 9:28, and about 10:38 for the next mile. James and Lora were waiting for Judy and I to run by, and so I talked to James for a bit and ran with him. Had splits of 10:13, 9:50 11:19 and 9:52 on the north out and back.

At this point, I was getting pretty tired, I was 21 miles in, I knew I'd make it, but I also knew that unless I really pushed it and ran 9:00 miles the rest of the way, I wouldn't get a PR. I was pretty sure I could not do that, so I figured I'd just make it in under 4:30 and be happy. My final splits were 9:54, 11:30, 10:32, 10:49, 11:26 and then 2:32 for the final .25 miles for a 10:19 pace.

My official time was 4:27:59 for a 10:14 pace, average heart rate was 160. I finished 2389 of 5602, 1416 of 2543 men, and 271 of 438 in my age group (40-44). My splits were 30:19 at 5K, 1:00:47 at 10K, 1:27:31 at 9 mile, 2:11:39 for 1/2 Marathon, 3:05:55 at 30K and 4:01:54 at the 24 mile point. The second half was in about 2:16, so I didn't slow down that much.

Post race they didn't have all that much food and such. I rested for a while, then headed over to the finish line to meet Judy. We then headed back to James and Lora's house, showered and then headed out for tasty Pizza. Overall, a successful race!

2.5 Mile Run In Seattle

2.5 miles around James and Lora's house out in Seattle, running down the road and back. Easy jog, but it was cool and dry so the heart monitor wasn't working right away, so the numbers for that were off. 24:47 total time, 9:54 pace, splits of 10:41, 9:37 and a 8:56 pace for the last half mile, even though it felt like an easy jog. Ready for the marathon tomorrow, but got to get up silly early.

3 Mile Neighborhood Run

3 miles around the neighborhood, running down to the school and back. Took it easy, was warm and muggy out. Splits of 10:43, 10:14 and 10:20, AHR of 143. I forgot how hilly it was around the house, heh. 31:17 total time, average pace of 10:25.

3 Mile Run

3 miles up at the lake. Hot and muggy. Ran south, then out on the spur a ways, then back. 30:05 total time, 10:01 pace, splits of 10:17, 9:51 and 9:57. Took it easy, AHR of 149 even with the heat.

8 Mile Run

8 miles up at the lake, running south and then out on the spur and back. Near 80 with a +70F dew point, so very uncomfortable. Very sunny on the spur, which added to the discomfort. Took the run fairly easy, wanting to keep my heart rate below 160, which I did for the most part except for the hills. 8 miles in 1:22:39, average pace of 10:19, AHR of 152. Splits of 10:52, 10:01, 10:14, 10:09, 10:18, 10:08, 10:22 and 10:31. Still breaking in the Kayano shoes, they're a bit tight on the right foot, I think I need a wider shoe. Overall a decent run, only going to get hotter.

7 Mile St Peters Run

7.34 miles out in St Peters with the FFRC, running with Bob. First mile I couldn't seem to get going, but then things started going all right. It was warm and muggy, in the upper 70s with a dew point in the 70s as well. I was a sweaty mess by the end. Splits of 10:00, 10:11, 10:08, 9:54, 9:58, 9:57 and 9:48, with a 9:41 pace for the final .34 miles. Overall 7.34 miles in 1:13:17, average pace of 9:59, AHR of 155. Took it fairly easy.

Speed Work

Speed work, pyramid of 400m, 800m, 1200m, 1200m, 800m and 400m. Was hot out, in the 90s with high humidity. Heat index over 100. I felt all right the first few intervals, but then I ran out of gas some. Warmed up for .5 mile at 10:12 pace, then stretched, then warmed up for about .3 miles at 11:50 pace, then did 1/4 mile repeat at 6:45, 1/2 mile at 7:24 pace, 3/4 mile at 8:09 pace, 3/4 mile at 8:22 pace, 1/2 mile at 8:25 pace and finished with a 1/4 mile at 7:14 pace. I then had a 1/2 mile cool down at 10:09 pace. Overall 5.25 miles in 56:07, average pace of 10:41 Heart rate peaked at 180 at the end of the final 1/4 mile repeat, though overall I didn't fell 'bad'.

6 Mile Pace Run

6 miles up at the lake, 1 mile warm up, 1 mile cool down, 4 miles at pace. Took one walk break before the pace miles, one 30 seconds one during, and one after the pace miles. 56:06 for 6 miles, 9:21 average pace, splits of 10:17, 8:58, 8:58, 8:58, 8:58 and 9:53. AHR of 158, though it was creeping up the final pace mile. I'm glad I didn't have to run more than I did, wasn't all that easy - very muggy out. 79F with a 72F dewpoint, so sweat was just not evaporating.

4 Mile Morning Run

Woke up this morning, had rained overnight and apparently Creve Coeur Mill Road was flooded, so we ran up at Millenium Park just to the east of us. It's a .6 mile loop, but running the sidewalk to Mason made it about a mile each loop. Was intending to run 5 miles, but during mile 4 I knew I wasn't going to make it through, had to go to the bathroom after mile 4, and didn't feel like running after that. But it felt like a good run, 4 miles in 39:24, average pace of 9:51, AHR of 147. Splits of 9:57, 9:47, 9:44, 9:54. Tapering, so not sure how many miles I'll run tomorrow, somewhat depends on what time I end up getting going.

12 Mile Run In Iowa

12 miles in the morning on the Cedar Valley Nature Trail, starting at Hiawatha and running north for about 6 miles, then returning. My step brother Bob was doing a bike/run, so I saw him on the way out on his bike, he dropped it off, caught up with me, and ran out to the 5 mile point, then returned. I ran out a bit farther, then headed back. Good run overall, I thought I would slow down once Bob turned around, but I kept a similar pace. Splits of 10:20, 9:42, 9:39, 9:20, 9:12, 9:40, 9:50, 9:33, 9:46, 9:35, 9:27 and 9:39. Overall pace of 9:39, 12 miles in a total of 1:55:48. Very nice out, good comfortable run.

7 Mile Run The Flood in Cedar Rapids

7 mile "Run The Flood" in Cedar Rapids. Cool morning, had been raining but there was no rain for the race. I was wanting to run it under an hour, but between the speed workout Thursday evening, and a few drinks Friday, and then over hydrating Saturday morning and having to go to the bathroom during mile 2, it just wasn't going to happen. Started a bit slow, and never could kick it in. Overall the race felt good though. 7 miles in 1:02:03 for a 8:52 pace, splits of 9:07, 9:17, 8:56, 8:46, 8:34, 8:49 and a 8:31 for the last mile. Didn't wear the heart rate monitor, but didn't push it too hard. 33 out of 46 in my age group, 232 out of 401 of the men, 354 out of 953 overall. Was a fun run.

Fleet Feet Speed Workout Week 2

Speed work out at Marquette High School with Fleet Feet, again about 150 people or so. Step down, 2 x 1200, 2 x 800, then 2 x 400. I warmed up for about a half mile, then stretched, then warmed up another half mile, then had a 7:58 pace for the .75 miles, thed 7:55 for the second .75 miles, then 7:25 for the .5 miles and 7:36 for the secon .5 miles, then 6:53 for the first .25 miles, and finished with a 6:34 for the final .25 miles. I then walked a bit and then jogged an easy half mile and then walked back to the car. Overall 5.6 miles in 59:47, average pace of 10:40, average heart rate of 149, with a max of 176 hit a few times at the end of a few of the repeats. Overall felt pretty good, though my legs are a bit sore from the effort.

8 Mile Sweaty Tempo Run

8 miles up at the lake, warm and muggy, about 85F with a 69F dew point, though it would have in theory been cooler at the end. Overcast, so at least the sun wasn't beating down, but there was not much wind. Was a sweaty mess by the end. 1 mile warm up at 10:12 pace, then splits of 8:59, 9:03, 9:34, 9:42, 9:38, 9:48 and a cool down mile of 10:23. I took a walk break every mile. Heart rate got over 170 a few times, and a started slowing down later in the run to keep it from getting any higher. Going to need to drag myself out of bed and run in the morning, it's just going to get worse as the summer goes on.

5 Mile Run with Record Mile

5 miles up at the lake, a warm up mile, then a 1 mile record attempt, then 3 miles cool down. Splits of 9:52, 7:11, 10:00, 9:55 and 9:59. The 7:11 was into a bit of a headwind, and I needed to take a 90 second walk break afterwards, and I was starting to fade at the end, but it felt pretty good. Heart rate got up to 178 during the mile. 46:59 total time, avg pace of 9:23, AHR of 158.

16 Mile Long Run

16 miles up at the lake, starting at about 8am. Ran south to the end of the tail, then out on the spur and back, then north towards the sailboat cove and back. Wasn't too bad out, but the sun came out for a bit and things got a bit warmer and uncomfortable near the end. 2:44:30 total time, 10:16 average pace, 156 AHR. Splits of 10:30, 10:12, 10:17, 9:57, 10:07, 10:20, 10:13, 9:51, 10:05, 10:03, 10:11, 10:24, 10:30, 10:38, 10:47 and 10:17. Heart rate was creeping up at the end, with averages of 162, 163 and 166 for the final miles.

8 Mile Morning Run

8 miles out in St Peters with the FFRC, though I ran by myself. Took it fairly easy, ran 4 miles out, then came back te same way. 1:19:49 total time, 9:58 average pace, 152 average heart rate, splits of 10:15, 9:55, 9:59, 10:21, 9:50 9:51, 9:46 and 9:48. Nice out, run felt good.

Fleet Feet Speed Workout

Speed work out at Marquette High School with Fleet Feet, I'd guess around 150 people were out there, but it went better than I expected. Left achillies tendon was feeling fine, so that seems to be OK. 6 x 800 repeats, but with not running on the inside, I was able to make half miles according to the garmin. Warmed up for a mile at 9:52, then stretched, then warmed up for a half mile at 9:22 pace, then repeats at 7:43 pace, 7:51, 7:40, 7:46, 7:33 and 7:27. I then ran a half mile at 9:42 to cool down. Total distance of 6.17 in 1:02:06, average pace of 10:04, AHR of 150, with max heart rates in the intervals getting into the low 170s, with 174 max in the final repeat. Felt pretty good overall, was cool out, so that helped.

8 Mile Record Run

8 mile pace run up at the lake, 6 miles at pace with a 1 mile warm up and cool down. Needed to take short walk breaks every mile, but was able to run a bit faster than last week. In the 60s, a bit of wind, overcast, so felt all right out. Pushed it some, left achillies tendon was a bit sore when I was done, will need to make sure it doesn't get worse. Splits of 10:04, 8:56, 8:49, 8:35, 8:41, 8:41, 8:45 and 8:58. Overall time of 1:11:33, average pace of 8:56, average heart rate of 158. Record 8 mile run.

5 Mile Easy Morning Run

5 miles up at the lake in 53:51, average pace of 10:46. Was a bit slow and sore from the 20 miler, but was able to get it done. Low 70s and humid, but run was short enough it wasn't too bad. Splits of 10:53, 10:28, 10:53, 10:37 and 10:58, average heart rate of 147.

20 Miler.

20 mles up at the lake, with a 2 mile walk at the start and end to stretch out the time. Got started about 7:30 before it was too warm, and it wasn't as humid as last Saturday, so it felt better than last week. By the end though, I was really beat. Temperatures were in the upper 60s at the start and low 70s at teh end, but dew point was in the low 40s, so felt very nice, even had a light breeze. But 20 miles is 20 miles, so it wasn't easy. Overall time of 3:29:33, average pace of 10:28. Splits of 10:30, 9:49, 10:09, 10:03, 9:55, 10:20, 10:21, 10:18, 10:22, 10:34, 10:21, 10:28, 10:27, 10:30, 10:30, 10:53, 10:55, 10:57, 10:55 and 11:07. Had to take 2 walk breaks the last mile, but other than that I was able to hang in there. Average heart rate was 156, with the last few miles between 159 and 162, so it never got too high. The 2 mile walk at the end was slow, nearly a 20 min/mile pace, but I was feeling better by the end of it.

8 Mile St Peters Run

8 miles out on the St Peters Trail, running with Tim and Bob. 1:17:41 total time for an average pace of 9:42. Started slow but picked up the pace as we went along. Splits of 10:03, 9:45, 9:59, 9:50, 9:26, 9:37, 9:33 and 9:25. AHR was 153 and pretty steady. Was in the low 60s, sprinkled a little at the start then cleared out.

8 x 1/2 Mile Repeats

Half mile repeats, 8 of them with a half mile warmup and cool down. Warm up at 10:47 pace, then stretched for 2 minutes, then ran 2 minutes at 9:38 pace, then repeats at 8:01 pace, 7:57 pace, 7:58 pace, 7:59 pace, 7:59 pace, 7:57 pace, 7:56 pace and 8:08 pace, then had a cool down half mile at 9:56 pace. Overall 6.22 miles in 1:09:19, 9:41 average pace, 151 average heart rate. Low 60s, a bit of wind and quite a bit of rain, but not too bad of a run overall.

8 Mile Slower Tempo Run

8 miles up at the lake in 1:15:44. Was humid out, and about 70F, and just didn't quite feel comfortable with my 'tempo' pace, so needed to take a 30 second walk break every mile, but was still able to keep a decent pace. 1:15:44 total time, average pace of 9:28,AHR of 158. Splits of 10:09, 9:16, 9:15, 9:15, 9:18, 9:16, 9:14 and 9:57.

5 Mile Easy Run

5 mile run up at the lake in the morning. Took it easy, humid but low 70s, so not too bad. Splits of 10:26, 10:23, 10:34, 10:36 and 9:54, average heart rate of 153.

16 Mile Sweaty Run

16 miles up at the lake, starting at about 9am. Was muggy out, temperature in the 70s and about 80 when I was finishing, with a dewpoint of 63. Started slow, stayed slow. Heart rate kept creeping up despite running fairly slow. Overall time of 2:53:01, average pace of 10:48, average heart rate of 156. Splits of 10:55, 10:40, 10:44, 10:39, 10:40, 10:45, 10:42, 10:41, 10:51, 10:55, 10:52, 10:52, 10:56, 10:52, 10:54 and 10:56. Managed to keep every split under 11:00, but it was tough near the end, with my final mile AHR of 169.

Lost Valley Pancake Run

Pancake run out at Lost Valley. Ran fairly hard, but not too hard. Course had changed a bit, and was a bit over 9 miles total. Walked up some of the hills, managed to not fall. Ran mostly with Bob and Tim. 9.19 miles in 1:40:58 total time, average pace of 10:59, AHR of 157. Splits of 10:11, 9:59, 11:04, 12:09, 11:49, 10:31, 10:03, 11:34, 11:36 and 10:14 pace for the last bit. Overall a good run, comfortable out, sprinked a bit.

10 x 1/4th Mile Repeats

10 x 1/4 mile repeats, with 1 mile warm up and cool down. First mile in 10:26, then stretched for 2 minutes, then jogged for 2 minutes at 9:04 pace, then 1/4th mile repeats at 7:19 mile pace, 7:12, 7:13, 7:07, 7:02, 7:13, 7:14, 7:18, 7:11 and a more or less all out one at 6:24. Cool down mile at 10:09 pace. Overall 6.02 miles in 1:00:24, 10:01 pace, 153 average heart rate. Ran in the morning, mid 60s out, comfortable.

8 Mile Tempo Run

8 miles up at the lake, 1 mile warm up, 6 miles tempo run, 1 mile cool down.Had a 30 second walk break during the 4th mile of the pace part. Splits of 10:09, 8:57, 8:54, 8:50, 8:58, 8:44, 8:27 and 9:45. Average heart rate of 163. Mid 60s out, fairly comfortable. Overall time of 1:12:46, average pace of 9:05, record 8 mile run.

5 Mile Morning Run

5 miles up at the lake, running south, then back past the restaurant and out on the spur, going past the second overpass, then returning, then back out past the second overpass, then returning. Cool out, in the upper 50s, run felt pretty good, took it easy, legs felt all right.

14 Mile Long Run

14 mile run up at the lake, running counter clockwise plus the south tail, then out on the spur a ways, then backtracked. Walked about a mile before and a mile afterwards to stretch out the time. 2:19:25 total time, average pace of 9:57, average heart rate of 158, splits of 10:00, 9:48, 9:56, 9:55, 9:55, 9:57, 10:01, 9:59, 9:51, 9:59, 10:00, 9:54, 10:07 and 9:58. Ran in the afternoon, was a bit warm out, sunny, actually got a bit of sun on the back of my neck, and I'll need to start thinking about sunscreen. Was able to maintain the pace for the run, but was pretty tired by the end, and was really beat afterwards.

7 Miles in St Peters

7 miles out on the St Peters course, running with Bob and Tim, though Tim headed back at the 2.5 mile point. Overcast and a bit rainy, run was pretty good though. 1:07:36 total time, average pace of 9:39, splits of 10:03, 9:51, 10:04, 9:25, 9:33, 9:13 and 9:26. Didn't wear my heart monitor, so no guess there.

8 x 1/2 Mile Repeats

Speed work, 8 x 1/2 mile repeats. Was cooler out than yesterday, run felt pretty good overall. Started with a 1 mile warm up at 9:38 pace, then stretched for 2 minutes, then ran for 2 minutes at 9:26 pace, then started in on the repeats. Repeats were at 7:49 pace, 7:45, 7:47, 7:55, 7:49, 7:54, 7:53 and 7:40 pace, finished with a cool down mile at 9:28. Max heart rate overall was 173 at the end of my last repeat, with averages being from 163-167 for the repeats. It was a bit of a struggle, but not too bad, looks like I've fully recovered from the Marathon.

8 Mile Tempo Run

8 mile run, 6 miles as a pace run with 1 mile warm up and cool down. Ran in the afternoon, was above 80 and very humid. Was doing fine until about 2 miles in the pace part of the run, then I just got too warm, my heart rate was high, and I needed to slow down. Normally I would have taken only 1 water break during the pace part, but after the first 2 miles I needed to take one every mile. 8 miles in 1:17:22, average pace of 9:40, splits of 9:51, 8:55, 8:59, 9:19, 9:55, 9:55, 9:59 and 10:26. Average heart rate of 164, with the average of miles 2-6 of the pace part at 167 or 168. Going to need to start checking the weather to see if afternoon pace runs will be doable going forward.

5 Mile Easy Run

5 miles up at the lake, running to the south end first, then out on the spur to past the second bridge, then back to the circle, then back out on the spur over the first hill, then back. Wanted to get in a few easy hills, will probably be doing similar runs as I can. 5 miles in 48:58, average pace 9:47, average heart rate of 156. Splits of 9:52, 9:46, 9:58, 9:51 and 9:29. Took walk breaks the middle miles. Overall a comfortable run, was in the 50s out, light wind. 

10 Mile Run - Back at It

10 miles up at the lake, running the big loop counter clockwise, plus the south tail, and I ran the first mile out and back on the spur twice for some hills. Felt pretty good overall, took a minute walk break every mile except for the last mile, also hopped in the bathroom during mile 6 for a quick bathroom break. In the 60s out, overcast, felt pretty good. 1:39:57 total time, 9:59 pace, average heart rate of 154, splits of 10:42, 10:00, 9:50, 10:01, 10:29, 9:57, 10:05, 9:55, 9:49 and 9:05. Walked for a little over a mile after the run, and was more sore than expected afterwards because during the run I felt pretty good. Back to normal training Tuesday.

5 Mile St Peters Run

5 miles out at the St Peters course with the FFRC, running with Bob and Tim, though Bob ran out farther, and Tim and I turned around at the 2.5 mile point and came back. Overall felt all right, but was getting tired on the way back, and without Bob setting the pace we slowed a little. 5 miles in 51:24, average pace of 10:16, average heart rate of 152, splits of 9:52, 10:12, 10:19, 10:32 and 10:26. Felt good to be back out there running, and it was really a nice morning for a run.

5.6 Mile Walk

Walked up at the lake with Judy, walking a big loop counter clockwise. We walked in the evening and it was a bit faster than Tuesday's walk. Feeling better, probably could have ran but a few more days of rest are probably a better idea.

3 Mile Walk

Walked up at the lake with Judy, walking thru the woods and then back. Pretty slow, still fairly sore, but felt good to be moving. I'm sure I'll feel better as the week progresses.

Flying Pig Marathon

Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati. Was in the upper 50s with a light sprinkle at start time, stayed overcast, warmed into the 60s, little wind, and really no rain to speak of, so ideal weather, though some people were complaining about the humidity. We hit some traffic coming into the parking area, and it took a wile to get parked, but we still had time to drop off our gear bag and take care of business and such. Corrals were not all that well marked for the 'slow' people, but I was able to find the 4:45 pace group guy so figured it would be pretty good starting around there. 

Official time of 4:19:07, average pace of 9:54, average heart rate of 160, best mile of 8:54, which was mile 6, shortly before the main climb of the Marathon. The garmin distance was 26.47, which is fairly typical. The start was a lot of zig zagging around people, and the second half seemed to be more or less on track distance wise as things thinned out. Three times I hit the lap button to get back in sync with the mile markers. I had to take a bathroom break shortly after the mile 18 marker, and was able to hop into an open bathroom, but the break took about 5 minutes total. Even with the break I was able to get under my goal time of 4:22, though before the break I was looking at about a 4:15 time, resting for 5 minutes might have helped me maintain my pace to the finish line.

Splits (not counting the short splits to sync back up with the mile markers were miles 1-6 of 10:09, 9:34, 9:34, 8:54, 9:34 and 8:58. Started climbing up the main hill and mile 7-13 were 10:27, 10:14, 9:15, 9:13, 9:12, 9:44 and 9:30. Miles 14-20 were 9:25, 9:31, 9:53, 9:28, 9:50, 14:00 and 9:27. The final miles were 9:30, 9:36, 9:49, 10:03, 10:05, 9:58 and 2:01 for the final .23 miles for a 8:50 pace. My heart rate crept up the final miles, but even then it wasn't too bad, 163 average for the final full mile, and 166 for the final quarter mile.

Offical splits were 6.8 miles at 1:06:44 (9:49 pace), 12.0 miles at 1:56:23 (9:42 pace), 13.1 miles at 2:06:39 (9:40 pace), 19.7 miles at 3:14:32 (9:52 pace) and 25.2 miles at 4:09:05 (9:53 pace). The marathon went quickly, there were enough other runners on the course it never seemed to drag. I finished 1876 out of 4026 overall, 1333 out of 2389 for the men. One of these days I'll finish in the top half of the men and/or my age group (:

Post race refreshments were so so, nothing great. I grabbed my gear and then stretched out in the park where music was being played and almost dozed off for a bit. I then headed over to the finish area and waited for Judy. Very good time.

4 x 1/4 Mile Repeats

Quick short speed work session, 4 x 1/4 mile repeats to stay fresh and sharp. 1 mile warm up, then some stretching, then a 2 minute warm up, then 4 x 1/4 mile repeats with 2 minute recovery, followed by 1 mile cool down. Overall felt pretty good. It was sprinkling lightly, had rained earlier so the path was a little wet and slippery, sometimes I was slipping a little when pushing off. Warm up mile at 9:24 pace, then the quarter mile repeats at 6:46 pace, 6:48 pace, 6:45 pace and 6:13 pace (tried to go 'all out' for a whole quarter mile, but I was fading at the end). Cool down mile of 9:28. Overall, 3.74 miles in 35:31, a 9:30 pace. Time to rest up.

5 Mile Tempo Run

5 mile tempo run, all miles at tempo - no warm up/cool down. Wanted to run a little faster than my marathon pace, but didn't want to push it too hard, run felt pretty good and I'm feeling more rested. Was a bit warm out, in the 70s and humid, but didn't feel too bad. 46:56 total time, 9:23 average pace, 158 average heart rate, took one 1 minute walk break at the half way point. Splits of 9:28, 9:19, 9:26, 9:25 and 9:15, so fairly consistent.

3 Miler

Easy 3 miles up at the lake, total time of 29:08 for an average pace of 9:42. Splits of 9:42, 10:00 and 9:25, aveage heart rate of 151. Took a 1 minute walk break at the half way point. Cooler out, comfortable run, trying to run my marathon pace to get the feel of that.

8 Mile Tapering Down Run

8 miles out at the lake, quite warm out, in the 80s and humid, took it pretty easy. Was a struggle to keep going to be honest, was tired and just didn't feel like running. 1:21:32 for an average pace of 10:11, average heart rate of 158 due to the warm weather. Splits of 10:36, 10:08, 9:57, 10:17, 10:13, 10:12, 10:09 and 9:56. Took a 1 minutes walk break every mile. Good thing the marathon is next weekend, I don't think I could take the long miles another week, heh.

5 Mile Run

5 miles out on the old St Charles course, running 2.5 miles out, then returnning. Ran with Tim, who had ran the St Louis half marathon the week before and so it was good to run with someone else that was taking it easy. Total time of 51:33, average pace of 10:18, average heart rate of 150, splits of 10:40, 10:28, 10:16, 10:02 and 10:04. Took walk breaks in the middle three miles. Overall a decent run, legs are tired, think I'll run just 10 miles tomorrow, slowly (: Broke in the new Glycerine 7s, they felt pretty good.

5 Mile Easy Run

5 easy miles up at the lake, running south then through the woods to the east parking lot, then back through the woods and to the restaurant. Took it easy, 51:25 total time, 10:17 average pace, 150 average heart rate. Splits of 10:37, 10:21, 10:18, 10:24 and 9:43. Took walk breaks during the middle three miles. Legs were tired with running hard Wednesday and Thursday night, but wasn't too bad once I got going.

6 x 1/4 Mile Repeats

Speed work, though just 6 x 1/4 mile repeats with a 1 mile warm up and cool down, and 2 minute walk breaks after each repeat. Goal was to have all the repeats under 7:00 pace, but first and last were a bit slower. First one because it was into a stiff wind, last one because I was tired. Was 81 when I left the house, so a bit toasty. Warm up mile of 10:02, then 2 minutes of stretching and 2 minutes of jogging at 9:02 pace, then 1/4 mile repeats of 7:08 pace, 6:58, 6:45, 6:50, 6:44 and 7:08, then a cool down mile of 10:13. Run was tougher than I thought it would be, legs are pretty tired, looking forward to resting up some before the marathon, so I need to have a few easy runs in a row.

8 Mile Tempo Run

8 miles up at the lake, 1 mile warm up, 6 miles tempo run, 1 mile cool down. Had one walk break before and after the 6 mile tempo, and 1 30 second walk break shortly after 3 miles into the tempo run. Was a bit warmer out, upper 70s and sunny. Heart rate seemed higher, but looking at my average, it was about what it was last week. 1:13:41 total time, 9:12 overall pace, splits of 10:16, 8:48, 8:49, 8:51, 9:01, 8:52, 8:53 and 10:07. Ran with Troy, as he was 'stranded' in STL waiting for his flight out. Overall a good run.

20 Miler

Long long run today, 20 miles in a light rain. Was decent out otherwise, about 60F with little wind, so was able to run in shorts and one long sleeved shirt. Ran up at the lake, going south to the end of the tail, then north on the inside meadows loop, then across the parking lot and then continuing up past the sailboat cove around to the overpass, then returning back to the car, and then repeating. Legs were tired throughout the run, but I was able to stick with it, taking a minute walk break every mile. Splits were as follows; 10:19, 9:56, 10:07, 10:05, 10:07, 10:08, 10:17, 10:05, 10:04, 10:10, 10:09, 10:01, 10:01, 9:58, 10:08, 10:01, 9:51, 9:59, 9:58 and 9:45. Pretty consistent overall, it was getting tougher at the end to maintain the pace, but not too bad. 3:21:19 overall time, 10:03 average pace, 155 average heart rate. Time to rest up for the Flying Pig marathon.