Week Five: Tuesday

To the gym at 530 am for the requisite Chest and Tri workout--the same damn routine I've been doing since 1997. The results, if there are any, have plateaued long ago. I should probably get with a trainer or something...Post-workout: whey protein and whole milk.

Week Five: Monday

End of August and the beginning of week five. No complaints thus far. The training program is solid, and I can feel myself getting stronger throughout the process. This morning's 6-mile run was uneventful: a slow, nuanced run in the 80-degree pre-dawn hour. This week's schedule calls for 33-miles, including a 14-miler on Saturday morning. Tuesday and Thursday are designated gym days.


Time: 57:46
Distance: 5.96
9:42 avg. min/mile
Temp: 81 degrees Fahrenheit

Week Four: Saturday

Today was week four's long run, which, in addition, is the training cycle's longest run to date. Hit the pavement at 515--I will shoot for 445 to 500 am on future long runs. Pace was nice and slow, and the route I mapped out wasn't boring or redundant. Wore a pair of ancient Brooks running shorts that, for whatever reason, caused my inner thighs to chaff. (Although "chaff" in no way conveys the overwhelming discomfort I felt starting around mile 8.) Unbelievable agony. Bloodstained legs. Cursing the Goddess of Running Shorts. Safe to say I will not be running in them anymore. Sunday is an off day. Week five begins on Monday! Looking at a 6-7-6-14 week of fun...

Time: 2:15:25
Distance: 13.01
10:25 avg. min/mile
Temp: 78 degrees Fahrenheit

Total miles (week): 31
Total miles (training) : 112

Weight: Weight info. unavailable, as one of the children (or both) broke the scale!

Week Four: Friday

Stepped outside this morning and was giddy at the prospect of running in the relative coolness of 72 degrees! It felt like autumn...I cannot wait until the high temp for the day is 72 and the low hovers in the low 50s... Anyway, took it nice and easy on a 5.80 mile route, as tomorrow's 13-miler looms.

Time: 55:43
Distance: 5.81
9:36 avg. min/mile
Temp: 72 degrees Fahrenheit

Week Four: Thursday

Back and Bi at the gym...Once again the cool temps hit on a gym day. I have noticed my energy level diminishing on weight training days. I stated at the onset of this training regime that weight training as the miles increased would be difficult. The heat has gone to my head: I fantasize about sitting in the pool for an hour instead of lifting weights! Luckily, the pool, hot tub and steam room are closed for a week of maintenance. An uneventful workout of 45-minutes.

Week Four: Wednesday

Attacked by a lap dog and almost stepped on a skunk. Hot and humid with temps in the low 80s for this morning's run. Hit the woods south of the university as a cut-through and almost stepped on a skunk who was as surprised as I at our brief encounter. Lap dog attack less than a mile from the house. Got to use my famous line, "It's called a leash. Look into it!" Chest was a bit sore from yesterday's Chest and Tri workout, but nothing too heavy.

Time: 1:06:12
Distance: 7.02
9:26 avg. min/mile
Temp: 82 degrees Fahrenheit

Week Four: Tuesday

Chest and Tri for 45 minutes at the gym...I didn't "feel it" this morning.

Week Four: Monday

Beginning the fourth week of Hal Higdon's program and I feel great. Out the door this morning at 500 am for another almost 6-mile maintenance run. The weather was typical--81 degrees and extremely humid. Traffic was up from previous days, as the fall semester begins today. Luckily, the majority of my route, regardless of distance, is on neighborhood streets or on long expanses of grass at the university. Half-marathon this Saturday looms...

Time: 54:26
Distance: 5.78
9:25 avg. min/mile
Temp: 81 degrees Fahrenheit

Week Three: Saturday

Finished the week with a 5 mile run on a beautiful Saturday morning. Totals for the week are listed below. I think I will take Sunday off and do as little as possible around the house. Week Four begins a transition into longer runs, i.e. 13 miles next Saturday. The weather and extreme heat are a constant theme, I know. I just want autumn to arrive ASAP, as there is nothing like running in cool weather! So please, enough heat already...

Time: 47:02
Distance: 5.0
9:24 avg. min/mile
Temp: 76 degrees Fahrenheit

Total miles (week): 29
Total miles (training) : 80

Weight: 188 (-1)

Week Three: Friday

Out the door at 500 am for this week's fourth run. The weather was on the warm side, but the humidity was much more bearable than in recent runs. Completed 7 miles and change (.14) on what I thought was an 8-miler. But, alas, the GPS does not lie. I will hit the road again tomorrow...assuming I don't drink too much with the Professor this evening. Next week will include a bump in mileage: one maintenance run will be 7-miles, while the long run of the week will be a half-marathon. It's getting serious...

Time: 1:08:13
Distance: 7.14
9:34 avg. min/mile
Temp: 81 degrees Fahrenheit

Week Three: Thursday

Back on the road after a day in the gym. Hot and humid is the recurring theme. 83 degrees at 500am. Running through the various campus sprinklers helps, as does the brief water stop at mile 3. I feel strong at this point in the training regime, even as my times still hover around the 9 min./mile mark. Fastest miles are at the onset and the end of the runs, with a marked lull in the middle. Hmmmmm. Looking forward to 8 tomorrow morning.

Time: 54:26
Distance: 5.78
9:25 avg. min/mile
Temp: 83 degrees Fahrenheit

Week Three: Wednesday

Back and Bicep workout this morning...would have loved to run, but alas, a little upper-body workout is always good. 45 minutes in the gym.

Week Three: Tuesday

Back to running in the heat. Today was a balmy 83 at 500am. The next two weeks look hot with little to no chance of rain. I am acclimated to the temps, but yearn for some truly cool weather, especially as the long runs increase in the next month or so. Dawn Patrol runs make all the difference, too. I simply cannot imagine running during the afternoon at this point in my career.

Time: 57:02
Distance: 5.80
9:50 avg. min/mile
Temp: 83 degrees Fahrenheit

Week Three: Monday

Week Three's first run continues the basic theme of five-mile maintenance runs. The weather has been very agreeable as of late, with the early morning highs in the low to mid 70s. Today, however, we are back in the low 80s (82). Breaking in the new shoes has been without issue, which is a good thing. Changing the schedule a bit for this week: running days will be Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, while Wednesday will be the lone gym visit. As previously noted, Week Three's long run is an 8 mile event.

Time: 52:04
Distance: 5.35
9:44 avg. min/mile
Temp: 77 degrees Fahrenheit

Week Two: Saturday

Best running conditions in months: temp in the low 70s, post-rain ions and a cool breeze to get me through. Today was this week's "long run"...did 11 miles in 1:53.06. I felt great the entire run; however, experienced a bit of chest tightness due to the workout yesterday. I will definitely tweak my route for the next double-digit run in two-weeks, as the first five-miles were a little boring. (Higdon's schedule has next week's long run at 8 miles, which isn't very long, but...) Registered for the Route 66 Marathon. It's official.

Time: 1:53.06
Distance: 11.0
10:17 avg. min/mile
Temp: 73 degrees Fahrenheit

Total miles (week): 26
Total miles (training) : 51

Weight: 189 (-1)

Week Two: Friday

The cool weather makes it hard to head to the gym instead of hitting the road. I suppose I am relishing these "off" days at the gym since the high-mileage weeks come September and October may very well force me to take a day off--truly. Today's activity was a 45-minute Chest and Tricep workout.

Week Two: Thursday

Another nice morning run--the temperature was in the low 70s again, while the humidity was not too bad. New Balance retired the NB 1226 series and named the replacement the 1260...for what it's worth. Had my first run in the new 1260s. They felt good! But then again I love getting new shoes...the obscene whiteness is a bit much, though.

Time: 45:26
Distance: 5.0
9:05 avg. min/mile
Temp: 72 degrees Fahrenheit

Week Two: Wednesday

Awoke as a thunderstorm was rolling through the area! I almost forgot what rain smelled like. Looking forward to a post-rain run with the temperature in the low 70s for a much-anticipated change. The pay-off for running in this heat will come this Fall; however, a few days of relative cool temps before then would sure be nice.

Felt wonderful hitting the pavement in the aftermath of a light thunderstorm. Splashing through water puddles after months without rain was great. Temp was 72 degrees and there was a slight breeze. Faster by almost one-minute per mile...could be the temperature or the fact that that I'm getting my legs back after my holiday reprieve...or both.


Time: 45:31
Distance: 5.1 miles
9:06 avg. min/mile
Temp: 72 degrees Fahrenheit

Week Two: Tuesday

Almost blew off the weights to run! Post T-Storm 73 degrees...felt like autumn. Hit the gym for the Back-Bicep-Shoulder routine. I spent 45 minutes lifting. I am looking forward to tomorrow's anticipated 5 miles, as the temperature is supposed to be pretty close to today's.

Week Two: Monday

Week Two promises to be more of the same--with the exception of the Saturday "long-run" being 11 miles. There is, thus, a one-mile increase from week one. Today's 5 was hot and humid and uneventful, which, in the scheme of things, is good. I did, however, reverse the route in an attempt to live on the edge just a bit.

Time: 49:13
Distance: 5.0 miles
9:50 avg. min/mile
Temp: 84 degrees Fahrenheit

Week One: Saturday

Today's ten-miler finished out week one. It was 86 degrees when I hit the pavement at 500 am and extremely humid. I am taking Sunday off--no running, weight training or physical activity! The Professor is coming over this evening and there is a bottle of Tanqueray Gin and a half-dozen limes waiting...back in the game on Monday morning.

Time: 1:42.42
Distance: 10.2 miles
10:16 avg. min/mile
Temp: 86 degrees Fahrenheit

Weight: 190 lbs. (-2)

Week One: Friday

Fridays, as the mileage increases, will most likely become a true off-day to rest up for the Saturday long run. Tomorrow's 10-miler will bring this week's total mileage to a very manageable 25. I felt good after three 5-mile runs in a row, so I hit the gym to push a little weight. I will never be mistaken for a power lifter or a Conan body-double; however, I do like working my upper body a couple of times a week. Today was my normal Chest-Tricep workout. I spent 45-minutes in the weight room.

Week One: Thursday

Ordered new shoes today from Roadrunner Sports... I went with the New Balance 1260, which is the model that will replace the 1226. I have been running in New Balance shoes since '98 and am too neurotic to switch brands. The weather continues to be absolutely brutal. It was once again very hot and humid for this morning's run: 83 degrees at 5:00 am. Times continue to be about a minute per mile slower than July's...

Time: 49:33
Distance: 5.02 miles
9:53 avg. min/mile
Temp: 83 degrees Fahrenheit

Week One: Wednesday

It's hard to believe that it's 86 degrees at 4:50 am! Out the door in a few minutes in a futile attempt to beat the heat. Another five on tap for today. As for using the Hal Higdon training method, the most significant change in routine is going to be the Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday run schedule. I have been running since 1998 and have rarely run on back to back days, opting instead to run every other day. My weekly mileage through the years has consistently ranged between 30 and 40 miles. Additionally, I have been relatively injury-free in the last 13 years. A few years ago I stepped off a curb while running in Tegucigalpa and suffered a debilitating high ankle sprain that sidelined me for six months. I undertrained for the 2009 Route 66 Marathon and tweaked my right knee around mile 20. I finished the marathon, but walked with pronounced pain (and a limp) for a couple of weeks. It seems fine now, but at the time I thought I would have to become a swimmer...or a cyclist.

Time: 48:44
Distance: 5.0 miles
9:49 avg. min/mile
Temp: 86 degrees Fahrenheit

Week One: Tuesday

Back on the streets after a 14-day layoff. Out the door at 500 am for a 5 miler. It was, according to wunderground, a mere 82 degrees. Time was slower than usual, but a nice, easy run nonetheless. Switched over to runkeeper to track routes and stats, as it seems a bit more intuitive than mapmyrun's app.

Time: 50:45
Distance: 5.0 miles
10:08 avg. min/mile
Temp: 82 degrees Fahrenheit

Week One: Monday

Marathon training begins today. I hope to follow Hal Higdon's training schedule as faithfully as possible for the next 14 weeks in preparation for the Route 66 Marathon on November 20, 2011. Mondays are technically a cross-train day; however, I will attempt to lift on Mondays (and Fridays) as long as I have the energy to do so. Today's workout was my basic Back and Bicep routine which took 45-minutes to complete.

Time: 530-615am
Weight: 192 lbs.
Temp: 82 degrees Fahrenheit