The Race Set Before You

5.09 Miles @ 9:06/Mile = 46:18

Recovery base building run. Felt good to break into the top 8,000 in the world on City Strides!

The water was as smooth as glass this morning.

11.34 Miles @ 8:36/Mile = 1:37:29

7.05 Miles @ 8:00/Mile = 56:27

It’s been raining a lot this summer. Ready to have a few dry days, however I know many areas are dealing with drought conditions. Counting my blessings.

Tuesdays are usually interval days but our run group opted for something a little different since the roads were soaked. We went with a “Mile on/Mile off” type tempo run.

Warmup: 1.5 Miles

Workout: 2 X (1 Mile Uptempo + 1 Mile Normal Pace) Followed by a half mile uptempo

7.23 Miles @ 8:24/Mile = 1:01:41

Threshold Tempo Run

Warmup: Little over 2 miles

2 X (1 Mile Uptempo + 5 Minutes Easy)

1) 6:57

2) 6:59

Cool Down: About 2 Miles

Paid attention to heart rate on the warmup trying to keep it within zone 2 for the first mile or so and increasing to zone 3 for the second mile. Focused on power for the tempo sections keeping it between 270 and 285. Stayed comfortable on the repeats. Trying to err on the side of recovery rather than on the side of breakdown.

The sunrise was incredible!

Rainbow of the passing storm. I knew there was another one on its way but thought I had more than enough time to complete my workout.

But it wasn’t meant to be... as I moved through the 2nd mile interval, the thunder was getting closer and closer. With my 15 minute cool down ahead of me and quite a distance back to my car I knew it was about to get hairy but gave it a valiant effort. Most of this area was wide open which is not conducive to lighting. Thankfully most people were still asleep early in the morning so…

4.17 Miles @ 8:47/Mile = 36:37

This neighborhood just got mossed!

“Moving on”-Cecil Fredericks

2.52 Miles @ 8:30/Mile = 21:26

Nothing really stands out about this run other than it was cold and wet outside. It was still a good run though. Pace naturally picked up in several spots faster than I planned but I was happy it didn’t feel like I was having to push to get it there. The goal for the week is to run 10 miles. Starting out with 2.4.

I keep telling myself I’m going to wake up early to run but the bed has been feeling like the event horizon of a black hole. I did appreciate that it was a little brighter and warmer than it would have been earlier.

My current running goal is to continue running “base” miles over the next month or so. Preferably I would like to build up to where I am running between 30 and 40 miles a week.

Week Recap

Sunday: 2.3

Tuesday: 2.3

Thursday: 2.35

Saturday: 2.32

Total: 9.3 Miles

2.35 Miles @ 8:21/Mile = 19:39

For many, today is a day of reflection when people take account of the many things in which to be thankful. I try my best to do that on a daily basis. At our house we even have a time each night when we say “thankfuls” before we go to bed. Our family has so much to be thankful for.

With that being said, while on my nice and easy jog this morning it hit me, that at the same time there were a lot of runners "huffin for the stuffin" at the Tammany Turkey Trot (5 miler or 5k). I'm not in shape for that kind of thing at the moment so I passed on the opportunity but Im proud of those that decided to take the starting line. It made me think about some of the people that might be there and as I mentally went through the list there were a lot of positive memories attached to the local running community. I am thankful there are a lot of people that lace up their shoes and hit the pavement on a regular basis. I am thankful some train hard and race fast which in turn raises the bar for the rest of us. I am thankful that people are encouraging and excited for others accomplishments. I can’t wait to get involved again!

My idealized running plan would consist mostly of morning runs. Over the course of this Thanksgiving break my goal was to at least get in 8-10 base-building miles. If I had it my way all of it would be run in the mornings. So far I’m batting .500 with only two runs completed. Two days ago I was watching the sunset, today I am watching the sunrise.