January 31, 2014

Dawn Patrol.  Temps were a balmy 35 degrees.  Ran in shorts and long-sleeves.  Slight breeze from the North.  Second run of the week after blowing off a planned six on Wednesday.  For no good reason other than being exhausted.  These things happen.  Hard chest and tri workout on Tuesday left me depleted.  No harm.  Today's 5.03 was a bit faster than usual.  Finished in 46:45 for an average pace of 9:18 min/mile.  Mixed Greens Remix on the box.  Planned 12-miles tomorrow, Saturday.  Atmospheric conditions look favorable.  Next week looks like a brutal mix of cold fronts, sleet and ice.  Will take it nice and slow mañana.

January 27, 2014

Brutal AM run to begin Week Six of Hal Higdon's regiment.  Frozen face. Temps in the mid-20s with a 30 mph North wind.  It translated to a windchill of 0 degrees Fahrenheit.  I was fairly uncomfortable heading East and then to the South; the return home was horribly uncomfortable.  I seriously considered running either indoors (track) or on the treadmill at the gym; however, I thought it would have created a dangerous precedent.  Overall, I survived.  Finished 5.03 miles in 50:06 minutes for an average pace of 9:57 mile/min.  The Tragically Hip on the box.  Chest and Tri for Tuesday. An easy six planned for Wednesday.

January 25, 2014

Dawn Patrol.  Week Five's eleven mile long run, per Higdon's training regimen. Slow and Low. Out the door a bit later than usual. Temps in the mid-30s with a slight North breeze.  Felt cool compared to the recent trend of sub-freezing conditions.  Took my time from start to finish.  11 miles in 1:56:07 for an average pace of 10:31 min/mile.  Spartacus Redux on the box.  Sunday off.  5-6-5-12 for next week (28 miles) + two gym days.

Week Five:
27.2 miles (92.41 miles for the training period)
4 runs + 2 gym days
198.6 lbs.

January 24, 2014

Dawn Patrol.  Frigid 9 degrees Fahrenheit (-13 Celsius) to deal with; light and variable winds out of the North. Started slow and frozen facial love.  Damn.  Completed 4.09 miles in 38:42 minutes for an average pace of 9:28 min/mile.  Short run this AM in advance of a planned 11 mile long run mañana. Layered up and still froze.  Luckily, temperatures tomorrow should be 25 degrees warmer, or so they say. Spartacus Redux Mixture on the box.  Thursday's Back and Bi workout was solid. Sunday to recuperate.  Week Six adds a mile to the Saturday long run.  Bring the noise.

January 22, 2014

A super cold start to the morning.  Out the door at the appointed time for a frigid six-miles (6.06). Temp at 27 degrees Fahrenheit.  With little to no wind, it was really quite a nice, comfortable run. Finished the campus loop in 56.59 minutes, for a 9:24 min/mile pace, which is actually a bit faster than usual. Generation X Retro-Fit Mix on the box. Tuesday's Chest and Tri workout was wildly successful. Whirlpool and Steam cannot be beat as positive reinforcements. Thursday's Back and Bi will no doubt be legendary.  Four miles programmed for Friday, followed by an eleven-mile Saturday long run (27 miles for the week).

January 20, 2014

Dawn Patrol.  Week Five.  Back in the game after a week off.  A head cold, upper respiratory issues and a general malaise kept me off the street.  La Gripe, como dicen.  Still not 100% and remain super-congested, but felt well enough to hit the road this AM.  Managed a 6.05 miler in 58.12 minutes for an average pace of 9:38 min/mile.  Temps in the upper 30s, no wind. Shorts and long-sleeves. Spartacus Remix on the box.  Moved the Smashing Pumpkins into the early rotation for a bit of a change.  Tuesday chest and tri and another six planned for Wednesday. Word on the street says another cold front in on the way.  

Week Four:
5.04 miles (65.21 miles for the training period)
1 run + 2 gym days
200 lbs. 

January 13, 2014

Dawn Patrol.  Out the door at 545 AM, per custom.  Inaugurated Week Four of Hal Higdon's regiment with a thoroughly chill five miles around the campus. The weather was very tolerable: temps in the low 40s with a pretty decent North wind.  It was such a radical change from the last month that it felt like Spring time in Vienna.  Ran in shorts.  Layered long-sleeves with gloves and a cap.  Started slow, but finished a bit faster than my recent averages.  5.04 miles in 47:56 for a 9:31 min/mile pace.  Mixed Veggie Mix on the box for musical accompaniment.  Chest and Tri planned for Tuesday.  Six miles on Wednesday.  It's an addiction, I suppose.

January 10, 2014

Another cold and foggy AM run.  5.95 miles in 58:35 minutes for a 9:51 mil/min pace.  Finished the week with a rare three-peat: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday runs.  Took the weekend off. Temp was a chilly 32 degrees with a slight breeze from the South.  The Tragically Hip on the box. This week's schedule: 5-6-5-11 for a 27 mile total for Week Four.  Chest and Tri on Tuesday with a Back and Bi workout on Thursday.  Sunday to recuperate.

Week Three:
21.07 miles (60.17 for the training period)
4 runs + 1 gym day
200 lbs. (+1)

January 9, 2014

Back-to-back mid-week run around the campus.  5.04 mile loop in 49:42 min for a slow 9:51 min/mile pace.  A step or two slower than Wednesday's time.  Frozen Fog blanketing the landscape.  Trippy. Temps at 32 degrees Fahrenheit with a pretty sustained South wind.  Short Timer Remix on the box.  I felt slow and sluggish throughout the run; never found a solid groove.  May be a bit warmer for tomorrow's planned six.

January 8, 2014

Out the door later than usual cut this AM's run from a planned six miler to a five.  Strong South winds made the 32 degrees Fahrenheit feel like 22 degrees.  It was mildly unpleasant.  Started into the wind and slower than usual, picking up lost ground once I turned back North and the trip back to the shack. Finished 5.04 miles in 49:07 for a 9:44 min/mile pace.  This AM's run was 32 seconds faster than Monday's run.  Fruit Salad Mix on the box.  Thursday at the gym.  Friday (5) and Saturday (6) to round out the week.

January 6, 2013

A brutally frigid early AM run to inaugurate the third week of Higdon's training regimen.  The temperature at 530 AM was a balmy 8 degrees Fahrenheit (-13 Celsius) or 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-18 Celsius) when accounting for the wind chill.  The winds were light and variable from the North, but never really were a factor.  A nice cup of Yerba Mate and a hit or two of Albuterol pre-run to help open up the airways.  Five miles and change completed in 49:39, for a 9:52 min/mile average.  A few seconds slower per mile, which I attribute to the cold.  Thoroughly layered up, so the cold was really just limited to my frozen face, but I felt slow and stiff throughout.  Spartacus Remix on the box. Tuesday at the gym for Chest-Tri workout.  Six-mile loop for Wednesday.

January 4, 2013

Finished the week with a solid 9.34 mile (15k) pre-dawn run.  This, after blowing off Friday's planned four miles due to a night of too much wine and not enough sleep. This morning's run will be the warmest for a few days, as a major cold front is bearing down on this part of the planet.  In fact, I may run at the YMCA on Monday, depending on the severity of the weather. Out the door early with temps in the mid-30s.  The wind was strong and out of the South.  Consciously slowed down and focused on cadence and form.  Completed 9.34 miles in 1:36:04 for an average pace of 10:17 min/mile.  Spartacus Remix on the box, though tweaked the rotation a bit.  Week two of Higdon's Madness completed. Next week's schedule: 5-5-5-6, plus a pair of days in the weight room.

Week Two Summary:
19.40 miles (39.10 for training period)
3 runs + 2 gym days
199 lbs.

December 31, 2013

Managed to end the year with a solid five mile run through familiar environs.  Temps remain lower than I'd like (25 degrees Fahrenheit, -4 Celsius), but the recent lack of wind really makes the runs bearable. It was a rare Monday-Tuesday back-to-back that gives me Wednesday off to recuperate from too much wine and lack of sleep from the New Year's celebration.  Tuesday's 5.02 mile run was completed in 46:02, for a 9:10 min/mile pace.  Finished the same route two minutes faster than yesterday's time.  Do two inhalations of Albuterol count as a PED?  Nice cadence throughout the run; legs felt strong, too. Retro Finish Mix on the box. Thursday at the gym.  Four miles scheduled for Friday and nine miles for Saturday.