21 Weeks to a BQ

07.01.12 -

7 miles - Seven miles yesterday to cap off a very hectic stepback week.Hot and humid, but I completed 7.22 miles at a 7:48 pace. Total for the week was 35.22 miles. Time to take a step up this week.

07.02.12 -

Cross training + weight training tonight. The rest of the week is gonna be a scorcher, as we have a heat advisory until Friday at 10pm.

07.03.12 -

5 miles...Whew, that was one hot run. I think I finally figured out what can slow me down. The answer, 101 degree temps...I completed 5.21 miles at a 7:54 pace. The 5.21 miles felt like 15.21 miles When I finished, I also felt like I had just stepped out of the shower. Tomorrow I will be up early to get in 8 miles before I hit the links.

82 degrees this morning at 5am...Really!?!? Doesn't mother nature know that I have to run today!?!?!?!

07.04.12 -

8 miles...Warm and humid this morning as I set out for my run. I just couldn't seem to get my legs to wake up, so I just took what they gave me. I finished 8.55 miles at an average pace of 7:58. Not one of my better runs, but I got it in and that is what counts...

Have a fun, but safe 4th of July!!!

That five miler sounds like my run yesterday. 97 degrees, 1hr felt like running Boston all over again. Awful. Nice job pushing through.

07.05.12 -

Off day...I decided to swap tomorrow's off day to today. 105 is a little warm...I'll run my 5 tomorrow!!

07.06.12 -

5 miles...in the hottest weather that I have ever ran in. 104 was the temperature of the oven that I ran in. The good new, though, is that my legs seemed to be back with me. I ran 5.26 miles at a 7:49 pace...SWEATY!!!

07.07.12 -

8 miles this morning. I completed 8.56 miles at a 7:49 pace. It certainly has been hot the last couple of weeks and finally tomoprrow may bring some relief. Our "Excessive Heat Warning" is set to expire tonight at 7pm and it can't copme any sooner. I say this as I am scheduled to run 16 miles tomorrow morning.

07.08.12 -

16 miles this morning...and man did it feel so much better out. Temps were in the low 60s as I set out for my run this morning at 5:30am. After a couple of miles to wake me up, I got dialed in and started racking up some consistent miles. I felt really good throughout the entire run and actually ran my fastest mile split on mile 15 (7:42). Other than that mile and mile 1 everything was in the 7:50s range. I ened up completed 16.28 miles at an average pace of 7:55 per mile. The best part is that my average heart rate was at 139, the lowest that it has been on any of my LSD runs. Finally, I also crossed the 40 mile threshold for the first time in this training cycle with a total of 43.86 for the week

Paces are looking good, Nick. You should be on target for a great marathon if you keep this up.

Mike MacLellan wrote:Paces are looking good, Nick. You should be on target for a great marathon if you keep this up.

Thanks dude!!!

07.09.12 -

Weight training + cross training...Good news is that four weeks into my training cycle and I am already down 6 lbs.

07.10.12 -

5 miles...Good run tonight, as it was much cooler at 86 degrees than it has been in a couple of weeks. My legs bounced back nicely from the 16 miles I ran on Sunday. I completed 5.20 miles at an average pace of 7:36 per mile. Tomorrow calls for 8...

07.11.12 -

8 miles...A nice 8 miler tonight. I can tell that I turned a corner this week, as both of my runs to start the week have been free, easy, and faster than the previous weeks. I completed a total of 8.55 miles at a 7:41 pace. I really did not exert a lot of energy and could have easily ran 10 to 15 seconds per mile faster. BUT, once again, I want to stick with my mantra of CONSERVATION

07.12.12 -

5 miles...The last of my midweek runs before the weekend. I ran a simple 5 miles at a very comfortable pace, as I wanted to make sure that my legs will be at their freshest for my longest running weekend of the cycle, so far. I completed 5.25 miles at a 7:47 pace. Scheduled off day on Friday...

07.13.12 -

Happy Friday the 13th!!! I normally have good luck on Friday the 13ths. I say it is because everyone gives me their good luck and that is why they have bad luck

Anyways, a scheduled off day for me today. 8 miles tomorrow and 17 scheduled for Sunday.

07.14.12 -

8 miles...Awesome run this morning, even with the late start. I held a pretty even pace the entire time, mylegs felt fast, and my HR stayed low (142 even with the faster pace). I completed 8.58 miles at a 7:35 pace. Let's see how my legs react tomorrow with a 17 mile LSD on the docket...

I hope you get some good weather for the 17!

Michael Enright wrote:I hope you get some good weather for the 17!

Almost did

07.15.12 -

17 miles...Well, I woke up this morning to another heat advisory. So much for the break in temps... 17 miles today and knowing that it was going to get warm, I decided to not worry too much about pace and just take it easy. I didn't want to burn out. Especially since 17 miles is the farthest that I have ran since last fall. I started oout fairly slow and held a 7:58 pace for about 13 miles or so. Things were going as planned until about mile 15. That is when I hit the sunny stretch of the second half of the run. By then the temps had climbed to around 80 and I started to feel a little fatigue and the hea set in. I could tell that my heart rate was on the rise and I was hoping that I could hold it together for just two more miles. I slowed my pace down a little to aroun 8:08 or so and tredged on. I ended up completing 17.28 miles at an 8:01 pace and with an average HR of 142 (I was pushing 150 for the last couple of miles).

5 weeks down, 16 more to go...

Weekly Total = 44.86 miles

07.16.12 -

Weight Training + Cross Training...Another softball double header in 98 degree weather. Yay for me!!

07.17.12 -

5 miles...Up early before work to put in 5 miles while it was still a little cooler, not really though...I completed a humid 5.22 miles at a 7:46 pace. Wednesday's schedule shows a midweek 8 miler...

Nick, nice going on the consistency with all the runs! It's been pretty warm here too so I just let the paces go where they may. There's really no choice but to get out there in the heat. WHile I don't mind using treadmills at all, and even in the summer use them for faster running when it's too hot out, I'd rather run slower in 100 degrees than on a TM in the summer when it's just an easy run. The biggest problem with all the heat is the amount of time it takes to cool down and stop sweating afterwards.

07.18.12 -

8 miles...Fun run tonight, as I set out for an 8 mile run in the middle of a severe thunderstorm warning. It has been so dry here in Madison this summer, so we desperately needed the rain. Anyways, I set out on my run in 92 degree humid weather with the storm front rapidly approaching from the west. I made it almost 4 miles before the heavens opened up and completely pummelled me with rain. It was coming down so hard that I could only see a couple feet in front of me. At times I was running through water up to my ankles, as flash floods set in. I must say that it was actually kind of fun I completed a total of 8.55 miles at a 7:31 pace.