The Last Two Runs, and I Surpassed my July Goal of 100 Miles!

   Monday morning I ran my easy 4 miles in 57 degrees and 100% humidity, finished with a time of 42:23 and average pace of 10:35 min/mile.
My splits/laps were:
Mile 1 - 11:13
Mile 2 - 10:37
Mile 3 - 10:09
Mile 4 - 10:22

   Good and easy pace, flat route. This morning instead of running my usual 6 miles progression run, I decided to just run 3.5 miles with lots hills though my elevation gain was only 72 feet (and there were a lot of hills dang it!), but with a time of 36:50 and an average pace of 10:32 min/miles. The temperature was considerably warmer, 68 degrees but sprinkling and 100% humidity so the sprinkles felt nice. 
My splits/laps were:
Mile 1 - 11:30
Mile 2 - 10:56
Mile 3 - 9:38
.5      -  9:33

   I decided to run just 3.5 to end July with 103 miles, surpassing my goal of 100 miles for this month but I didn't want too big an increase from June's month of 88, for fear of an injury. I feel pretty good, I've finally reached 100 miles (surpassed really) and I hope this isn't the only 100 mile month. A recap of this year:
July: 103
June: 88
May: 76.5
April: 86.7
March: 77.2
February: 95.5
January: 89.2

     Looking pretty good to me, so far that gives me 616.6 miles for 2013 and if things keep going good for me the next few months should look like this:
August: 108
September: 110
October: 82.2 (two half marathons included)
November: 97 (one half marathon included)
December: 121 (not sure about this one)

   December, I aim to have at least two 12 mile long runs, and two 11 mile long runs but mainly my goal by the end of this year is to reach 12 miles for long runs. As long as everything keeps going great, and I take recovery days when I need to and listen to my body, I hope to be running 30 miles a week before Spring of next year.

An Amazing 10 Miler in 50 Degrees

   I couldn't help but feel so giddy and excited when I stepped out the door at 5:36 this morning, it was 52 degrees and the sun was beginning to rise. The 100% humidity didn't even make a difference, I wanted to laugh out in happiness just feeling the temperature. This morning's ten miler was about 3 minutes slower than last Sunday, and the elevation gain was only 30 feet less than last Sunday so I am not sure why it was slower but it felt great. I only stopped twice this time, to duck into a field of corn the first time and use the restroom, and then the second time into the woods. Last Sunday I stopped 4 times just to take a breather, maybe from pushing myself and the warmer temperature. Anyways, enough excuses on that, I didn't mind being out there for 3 more minutes as it felt amazing. I ran ten miles in 1:38:01 with an average pace of 9:48 min/mile, and I think I could have kept that pace for 3.1 more miles so it still would have been a faster 13.1 miles than the St. Louis Half marathon.
My splits/laps were:
Mile 1 - 11:20
Mile 2 - 10:18
Mile 3 - 9:58
Mile 4 - 9:47
Mile 5 - 9:56
Mile 6 - 9:51
Mile 7 - 9:53
Mile 8 - 9:27
Mile 9 - 9:06 
Mile 10 - 8:22 

  Comparing this run to last Sunday, I think where I lost the time was the first mile and second mile but I felt kind of sluggish. No worries, next Sunday will be another 10 miler and hopefully in nice weather too.

Catching Up with the last 2 Runs

   I swear I will blog about my 10 miler first thing tomorrow after my run, or at least at some point during that day. Wednesday I was up and out the door by 5:15 a.m with 72 degrees, humidity at 83% and a dew point of 58 I believe which felt amazing compared to the last month of two of running. I ran my 6 miles hungry, an kind of tired which was weird so I didn't really get to enjoy the 6 miles as much as a I wanted to finishing in 56:02 with an average pace of 9:20 min/mile with elevation gain of 81 feet and a loss of 80 feet. 
My splits/laps were:
Mile 1 - 10:39
Mile 2 - 9:23
Mile 3 - 9:06
Mile 4 - 9:10
Mile 5 - 8:52
Mile 6 - 8:48
     Not bad, legs were a bit sore at the first mile but I managed to speed up after that one. Friday morning was even better, I was up and out the door by 5:16 and the 61 degrees was just oh my god so great to be in. Even with the 100% humidity, it felt amazing out there. This was my easy/recovery 5 miles but I included hills, about 101 feet of elevation gain and 103 feet of loss and the hills felt alright which I'll give thanks to the weather. It was definitely an easy run, with a time of 53:32 and an average pace of 10:42 min/mile.
My splits/laps were:
Mile 1 - 11:15
Mile 2 - 10:53
Mile 3 - 10:35
Mile 4 - 10:26
Mile 5 - 10:20
  Overall it was a great run in great weather and I am looking forward to tomorrow's 10 miler, actually looking forward doesn't even do my feelings justice. The forecast shows 56 degrees at 5 a.m, humidity at 84% and dew point of 51, it is going to feel so amazing and I might be cold during the few miles but I am still going to wear my shorts and maybe one of my sleeveless tops. I can't wait!!!

A Rainy 4 Miler, Slow and Easy

   I'm going to have to set my alarm to 5:30, not 4:30 since I get back from my runs and still have an hour or two before I have to get ready to work. If I lay back down, I don't get up until 9:30 and that isn't a habit I need to start. This morning I went out the door even with the rain, I was half-expecting a downpour at any moment but luckily it just stayed a steady drizzle. Amazingly I wasn't very sore from yesterday's 10 miler, but I still took it slow and easy and tried not to go fast. I wanted to keep it around an 11:00 min/mile pace, I figure that would be slow enough.
  Four miles in 42:09 with an average pace of 10:31 min/mile so not bad for a slow run. The temperature was 72 degrees, humidity at 100% with rain and dew point was somewhere around 70.
  My splits/laps were:
Mile 1 - 11:04
Mile 2 - 10:39
Mile 3 - 10:22
Mile 4 - 10:02

   My pace was dropping with each mile so thankfully it was only 4 miles, otherwise pretty soon it wouldn't have been a recovery run. Tomorrow I am going to enjoy not having to get up and go run, I am going to try and take it easy and maybe a walk but mostly nothing. Hopefully Wednesday will be a good progression run, I'll leave it at 6 miles and aim for another 25 miles for this week, maybe upping it to 26 next week but we will see.

First 10 Miler Since March

  It has been just a few days of 4 months since my last 10 miler, and this run was 5 minutes faster. I only got a few hours of sleep, then got my butt up at 5 and out the door by 5:15, and headed off without a second though. Temperature was 72 degrees, humidity 100% and dew point 70 so not entirely awful but not cold like I prefer for these runs. Total elevation gain was 251 feet, and a loss of 281 feet, there was a really long, steady hill just between miles 4 and 5 and it about kicked my butt but it didn't stop me. I ran the ten miles in 1:35:35 with an average pace of 9:33 min/mile, my fastest pace and time for 10 miles yet as my last 10 mile run was 1:40:xx. It felt good overall, the sun didn't really shine a whole lot but then again there was a lot of tree cover for me so that made things easier.
  My splits/laps were:
Mile 1 - 10:53
Mile 2 - 9:51
Mile 3 - 9:52
Mile 4 - 9:37
Mile 5 - 9:42
Mile 6 - 9:24
Mile 7 - 9:14
Mile 8 - 9:15
Mile 9 - 9:24
Mile 10 - 8:21

   Overall it was a great run, it could have been much worse but it went really well for my first 10 in 4 months. I got back home, took a shower and jumped back in bed for 3 1/2 hours to cuddle with Dorian and get the hours I didn't get before the run. I woke up before 11 sore as heck, my legs don't want to walk and I don't want to either lol. Tomorrow morning's 4 miles will definitely be slow and easy, and hopefully not too sore.

This Morning's Run

   First off, I almost didn't get out the door. Dorian woke up 10 minutes before my alarm went off and I held him in bed for about 10-15 minutes before getting out of bed, getting ready all the while praying that he doesn't wake back up. I was going to leave him in the bed with Cameron, but he was way to restless so I snuck him back into his crib and raced out the door. 
  Temperature was 73 degrees, humidity at 100% and dew point around 72 but thankfully the sun wasn't out so it wasn't 100% awful, I actually wasn't feeling too awful to be honest though I kept it easy and slow. My right quad is kind of hurting in one spot, almost sore for some reason so I am trying to ice it and stretch as much as possible. 
  Five miles in 53:37 with an average pace of 10:43 min/mile so I will definitely call that an easy, slow recovery run.
Mile 1 - 11:48
Mile 2 - 10:29
Mile 3 - 10:30
Mile 4 - 10:19
Mile 5 - 10:29

   So yeah, it was kind of slow for me, but that is what a recovery run is supposed to be so I will not complain.

Four Runs Since My Last Post

  I am really slacking lol, honestly I am just tired and feeling like I am running in circles right now. Things are really hectic at the business, and I am just exhausted. I will try to make this quick, first last Friday's 5 mile easy run:
  A wonderful easy run in 66 degrees, humidity at 78% and sunny but the run went well overall. Five miles in 52:51 with an average pace of 10:34 min/mile so it was definitely an easy recovery run.
The splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:16
Mile 2 - 10:58
Mile 3 - 10:30
Mile 4 - 10:13
Mile 5 - 9:52
   Sunday's Nine mile long run wasn't bad either, though 70 degrees with humidity at 88% and sunny, but I had gotten out there before 6:30 in the morning so it wasn't awful. Ran the 9 miles in 1:31:24 with an average pace of 10:09 min/mile so not bad considering the weather and lack of sleep I've been getting. The new route was a nice change of scenery though a lot of dead animals on the road, but it was definitely nice to get away from the same routes and see some more of the countryside.
The splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:54
Mile 2 - 10:15
Mile 3 - 10:25
Mile 4 - 10:19
Mile 5 - 10:01
Mile 6 - 10:06
Mile 7 - 10:07
Mile 8 - 9:52
Mile 9 - 9:24
  Not bad, especially the last mile with all of that so I am pretty pleased with it.
  Monday's 4 mile recovery run I didn't get lucky and ended up having to run it in the afternoon with 88 degrees, but the humidity was 59% so thankfully it wasn't completely awful though very sunny. Four miles in 39:47 with an average pace of 9:56 min/mile so not exactly an easy recovery run. Dorian wasn't about to let me out the door that morning, I can definitely see that Cameron and my stubborn, bull-headed, persistent natures are showing in him already.
The splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:30
Mile 2 - 10:00
Mile 3 - 9:51
Mile 4 - 9:23
  Not bad for the heat, hopefully I won't have to deal with too many of these runs. 
  With this last run, I decided not to take any chances of not getting out in the morning so once I got Dorian in bed by 11:00 Tuesday night I debated for about 25 minutes before finally heading out the door and getting my 6 mile progression run in. It wasn't great, 78 degrees with humidity around 90% and no wind, no clouds but thankfully the sun was down. Six miles in 55:26 with an average pace of 9:14 min/mile, shocking as I was suffering a lot from the weather.
My splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:29
Mile 2 - 9:35
Mile 3 - 9:13
Mile 4 - 8:47
Mile 5 - 8:59
Mile 6 - 8:20
   So overall not a bad pace or time, even with the hellish humidity but it was tough I will not deny it. Hopefully Sunday's 10 miler will be a bit nicer, hopefully I can get out there before the temps start rising and I am praying that it will be cloudy.
  

This Morning's 6 Mile Run

  I honestly didn't think I would have the energy to get out there and run, I only had about 2, maybe 3 hours of sleep before Dorian woke and kept me up. I got him back to sleep and got out the door by 5:07 a.m. and struggled through 6 miles of humidity. It was about 80 degrees with humidity at 94% and dew point around 74, it sucked and I had to stop 4 times just to recover and I am sure my lack of sleep was part of the cause.
  I ran the 6 miles in 55:51 with an average pace of 9:18 min/mile, so I can still consider it a progression run I guess. It definitely took some effort to keep going, I am not going to lie about that.
My splits/laps were:
Mile 1 - 10:29
Mile 2 - 9:22
Mile 3 - 8:58
Mile 4 - 9:18
Mile 5 - 9:07
Mile 6 - 8:34

    Not bad considering barely any sleep and the heat/humidity I was dealing with, I am going to take it easy the rest of the day and try to sleep when I can. This Friday will be an easy and slow 5 miles, and then Sunday I will go ahead and do another 9 miles, next Sunday will be my first ten miles since March 16.... wow that will be almost 4 months since a 10 mile run which was apparently before my half marathon, I could have sworn I had ran 10 miles since..... oh well.

Sunday's 9 Miler that Almost Didn't Happen, and this Morning's 4 Mile Easy and Slow

  Yesterday's run almost didn't happen, I thought Dorian was going to make sure I wouldn't get out before the heat and sun. Luckily though around 8 he got tired and fell back to sleep, I was out that door immediately. I didn't feel the greatest, and avoided the hills that I had planned. I ran 9 miles in 70 degrees, 100% humidity, 165 feet elevation gain and 173 feet loss. I ran the 9 miles in 1:30:27, with an average pace of 10:02 min/mile which got me thinking this morning, does the average pace even matter if you miles are different paces anyways?
  I can always rely on running to unlock any bathroom issues I am having, but I would rather it be done after a run or before instead of in the middle or right near the end. People should start running when they're feeling constipated, rather than going and spending money on laxatives or whatever else is out there, it's free and a good work out to burn some calories.
  I screwed up my lap/split thing right before mile 9 so I have 10 laps instead of 9, stupid thing. My splits/laps were:
Mile 1 - 10:46
Mile 2 - 10:13
Mile 3 - 10:05
Mile 4 -  9:52
Mile 5 - 10:00
Mile 6 - 10:05
Mile 7 - 10:11
Mile 8 - 9:53
Lap 9 (.68 miles) - 9:25
Lap 10 (.34) - 8:50

   Anyways, after the run I went over to Ellis Park Race Track and photographed some beautiful animals showing how running is really done, check out my images on: http://freesoulphotography.smugmug.com/Sports/HorseRacing/EllisPark/30421456_F5Qr97#!i=2621800012&k=jPwDJBQ

   This morning I got out the door at 5:45 before Dorian could wake up and keep me there, though he did wake Cameron up who brought him into bed with him. I went ahead and did juts 4 miles, very slow trying to really take advantage of a slow recovery run. I ran 4 miles in 44:17 with an average pace of 11:04 min/mile, slow and easy and hopefully my legs thank  me for it and give me a good 6 mile progression run Wednesday morning.
My splits were:
Mile 1 - 12:15
Mile 2 - 11:21
Mile 3 - 10:29
Mile 4 - 10:10

   I haven't ran that slow in a long time, and I think that was what a recovery run is supposed to be.

The Big Bang 4 Race

  Yesterday morning consisted of a race celebrating the 4th of July, it was called The Big Bang, 4 on the 4th I think and it was fun. I believe a total of 200 participants did it, most of the race ended up on the greenway which seemed quite a bit smaller when you have a lot of people on it. We got bottlenecked a few times, but I managed to pass quite a lot of people even if sometimes it meant running in the grass.
  I ran the 4 miles in 34:11 on my garmin while the race clock says 34:14, either way I did really good for 4 miles, with an average pace of 8:34 min/mile and barely any elevation gain. The temperature was 66 degrees with a humidity of 94%, not bad and I did end up taking my shirt off around mile 2.7 and that felt a lot better though I felt a little self-conscious.
  My splits were:
Mile 1 - 8:52
Mile 2 - 8:37
Mile 3 - 8:33
Mile 4 - 8:17

   I hung around a bit, waiting just out of curiosity but couldn't really hear anything and figured I hadn't won anything but a good time. Later that day I find out looking at this picture I realize I won 2nd place in my age group 25-29, the lady is actually pointing at my name.

  It's kind of funny but a little frustrating too, because again I left and find out later on that I won a place. I think they were only handing out small medals for places other than 1st place who received trophies, or maybe just the overall finishers received trophies and everyone else got a small medal. I am still trying to find out how I go about getting my medal, I was 35 seconds behind the 1st place finisher in my age group which she had a time of 33:39 and mine was 34:14 and I was only 5 people behind her so I kind of wish I had picked up the pace much sooner but then again I am just proud of my time and that I still won a placement. Here is a pic of me coming down the road towards the finish. I'm the only one with my shirt off by the way.

 

Sunday's 9 Mile Long Run / This Morning's 3.5 Mile Easy

  I forgot to blog yesterday about my 9 mile run, so I am just going to combine yesterday and this morning. Yesterday I was out the door before 7 for my 9 miles, luckily it was cloudy and still under 70 degrees. The whole time I questioned whether I was going to do 9 miles or 8 instead, I was a little worried that I had increased my weekly mileage too much and I was hungry. It was 66 degrees, humidity at 100% and a dew point I believe of 64, elevation gain of 207 feet and a loss of 213 feet.
  I kept it pretty easy and slow for the first 5 miles I think, and then I picked up the pace for some reason but probably mainly because I just wanted to get home and eat something. I did stop twice, once just after mile 6 and another time just before mile 8 to take a breather and hope the hunger pains would go away. I ran the 9 miles in 1:28:41 with an average pace of 9:51 min/mile, and then I believe I had maybe .3 mile walk afterwards to get back to the house. I had a strange headache afterwards, and I did a lot of stretching to ensure no injuries.
   My splits/laps were:
Mile 1 - 10:41
Mile 2 - 10:16
Mile 3 - 10:22
Mile 4 - 10:17
Mile 5 - 10:11
Mile 6 - 9:35
Mile 7 - 9:16
Mile 8 - 9:11
Mile 9 - 8:49

    Overall a good run, didn't need to stop and use the restroom at all which was a bit strange for that long of a run, though I did have to afterwards.
 This morning was a planned 5 miles but I decided since I reached 26 miles last week, I would cut back my mileage this week just to prevent any possible injuries and since I have a 4 mile race Thursday morning, I want to be nice and fresh for it. I ended up doing 3.5 miles, which I did end up going to the bathroom at the Casey's General Store just before mile 2. It was 68 degrees, humidity at 100% and I have no idea on dew point, it started sprinkling and thundering just after mile 2 and then raining after mile 3 I believe. I was going to do 4 but I wasn't sure if there was going to be lightning or if a downpour was coming so I decided to be happy with 3.5 miles this morning. I ran 3.5 in 35:30 with an average pace of 10:10 min/mile, a good slow and easy for the most part.
   My splits/laps were:
Mile 1 - 11:08
Mile 2 - 10:14
Mile 3 - 9:42
.5       - 8:59

   I have been stretching afterwards, trying as best I can to avoid injury. I got home, took a shower and went back to sleep for 2 hours or so, it felt good.