Birthday Run

Today was my 31st birthday. I celebrated it by going on an hour-long run, and then driving to Heidelberg, Germany to attend a work conference that will begin tomorrow and end on Thursday. I was motivated to get out this morning for a run after watching yesterday's NYC Marathon. For most of the run I visualized myself running in the footsteps of the elites in NYC. I dreamt that in my next marathon I'd run like Paula (except for the head-bobbing) increasing the pace and dropping my competitors one by one as the race went on. I dreamt about running another PR and a sub-2:30 in the near future. I dreamt about how hard I'm going to train for my next marathon (Rotterdam) in April. And then about the 5.5 mile mark of my run I stopped day-dreaming and thought about Ryan Shay. Shay's death during last year's Olympic Marathon Trials made me realize that we must enjoy each run we go out on as we'll never know if it'll be our last one. Every birthday run for me will include a remembrance of Ryan Shay.

For those who missed yesterday's race, you can still watch it on-demand at universalsports.com.

Easier said than done

I'm writing this post as I watch the NYC Marathon live on EuroSport. Good luck to everyone running NYC. Go Paula, Kara and Abdi!

In my last post I mentioned that I'll be alternating days of very easy running with complete days off. Apparently, that was easier said than done. I found myself itching to go for a run each day this week. To keep me sane I went on easy runs of 30-60 minutes with the exception of Friday, which I took completely off. The legs felt fresh and light during the runs. At this point, I think I'm somewhere around 80% recovered. One more week of easy running should complete my marathon recovery, then I'll go back to the basics of base training.

27 Oct-02 Nov

Mon: 4.1M @ 7:22 pace
Tues: 4.1M @ 7:29 pace
Wed: 5.1M @ 7:11 pace
Thur: 6.2M @ 7:05 pace
Fri: DNR
Sat: 6.4M @ 7:05 pace
Sun: 8.8M @ 6:51 pace

Weekly Total: 34.7M

Recovery / Wayne's European Marathon Tour

Week 1 of recovery is complete. The stiffness, soreness and fatigue in the legs have vanished. Recovery will continue the next couple weeks with alternating days of very slow easy runs and complete days off. Surprisingly the mind, body and legs don't seem to be in such a rush to train. I think this is due to the satisfaction of running a good time and PR. However, the recent race and PR has made me hungry to run faster. I'm already looking down the road to the next marathon in "Wayne's European Marathon Tour", which includes Amsterdam (completed), Rotterdam (04/05/09), Berlin (09/20/09), and London (APR 2010). These are just the must-do marathons as part of the WEMT; other marathons I have in mind include Athens (Greece), Paris (France), and Hamburg (Germany). Hopefully these marathons will be checked off by the end of my 3-yr assignment here in Europe.

20-26 Oct
Mon: big fat zero
Tues: another big fat zero; lots of stretching and core exercises
Wed: whopping 16 minutes of slow easy running; more stretching and core
Thur: enjoying the time off
Fri: 30 minutes of very slow and easy running
Sat: 20-mile easy bike ride
Sun: 30 minutes of very slow and easy running

Weekly Mileage: ~10 miles

Amsterdam Marathon - Race Report

During the last week leading to the marathon my legs and body were feeling great, fresh and recovered. I knew I was set to go. It was just a matter of getting to the start line and praying for some nice weather. The weather at start time was forecasted to be overcast, 52 degrees (F) and winds at 11-13mph. I was a bit worried about the winds.

The Amsterdam Marathon starts and finishes inside the Olympic Stadium (Amsterdam hosted the 1928 Olympics). The runners run about half a lap of the track before exiting the stadium and into the streets of Amsterdam. When the gun went off I immediately tried to settle into the right pace. I was anxiously waiting for the 1st kilometer mark to see how I was doing with pace. My goal pace coming into the race was to run sub-6:00 pace, specifically between 5:56 - 5:59 (min/mile) pace, which is equivalent to 3:41 - 3:43 per kilometer. I hit the 1st km in 3:41 feeling very comfortable. The next three kilometers went by right at 3:40-41 (5:54-5:56 pace). I knew that I should be hitting the 5k mark right around 18:30. I started to get concerned when my watch read 18:05 because I still couldn't see the 5k mark and timing map ahead. I thought that maybe I had slowed my pace on the 5th km so I started to pick up my pace. About 150 meters later I finally reached the 5k mark and clocked 19:01. I knew that couldn't be right. I then asked a couple runners if they thought the 5k mark was correct and they said it was about 30 seconds too long. I found out after the race that the 5k marker and timing mat was placed 200 meters too far. So I ended up running 5.2k in 19:01 - 5:53 pace, definitely not my planned pace.

Shortly after crossing the 10k mark in 36:37, I took in my first power gel. For the first time in all my marathons I took in a power gel this early in the race. I normally take in my first gel around mile 10 or at the half-marathon mark. This time I think I planned this energy gel thing out perfectly. I carried 4 gels taking in one at each of the 10k mark (i.e. 10k, 20k, 30k) and the last one at about the 38k-39k mark.

I was cruising along running my own race, and not with a pack, until I reached the Amstel River around 12k. I was now running into the wind. I decided it was time to run with a pack so that I could draft off someone. The only problem was that I wasn’t too close to any runner. There was a pack about 50 meters behind me and about 3 runners 15 meters ahead. I tried to make my way up to the three runners but that seemed to take forever. By the time I got closer to them I reached the halfway mark, which I crossed in 1:17:34. I honestly was a bit surprised to see 1:17:xx. At that point I could see more runners ahead, which motivated me to catch up to them. I’d focus on one runner, catch him, then focus on another runner and catch him too. I did this from the halfway mark to about 30k. This catch up game was the reason behind a 36:11 (5:49 pace) 10k split (20k-30k).

I think I ended up paying the price for that last 10k split because fatigue started to settle in the legs with about 7k (~35k mark) to go. Not having anyone to run with made running even harder. The crowd was what really kept me fighting during the 35k to 40k stretch. The 41k mark was situated at a turn which then takes the runners through a half mile stretch of road before entering the Olympic stadium. When I made the turn at 41k I saw an Ethiopian female elite runner. I knew I was capable of catching her so I tried to pick up the pace. I caught her just as I made the turn toward the entrance of the Olympic stadium. When I entered the stadium I saw the 200M to go sign and the timing clock at 2:34:55. I already knew it was a PR, but I didn’t want to settle for just a PR. I wanted the PR to be as low as possible so I gave it my all. I ended up running the last 1.2km in 4:24 (5:54 pace). Finishing time was 2:35:37 (5:56 pace), 43rd Overall. It was an awesome feeling finishing the marathon in the historical Olympic stadium. I am extremely proud to be a sub-6:00 marathoner. Here are video clips of me finishing the race and crossing the various 5k splits. Splits below.

Distance	Split	Difference	Pace
5.2 Km	19:01	19:01	5:53
10 Km	36:37	17:36	5:54
15 Km	55:00	18:23	5:55
20 Km	1:13:31	18:31	5:58
1/2 Marathon	1:17:34	4:03	5:56
25 Km	1:31:37	18:06	5:50
30 Km	1:49:42	18:05	5:49
35 Km	2:08:07	18:25	5:56
40 Km	2:27:10	19:03	6:08
42.2 Km	2:35:37		5:56

Amsterdam Marathon: 2:35:37 (PR)

I had a very good race running 2:35:37 (5:56 pace), 43rd place overall. It was a PR of 2min and 39sec. Results are posted here. I had a good chance of running sub-2:35, but there was lots of wind out there and I found myself running alone for a long stretch in the late stages of the race. My splits for the halves were 1:17:34 and 1:18:03 respectively. Race report to follow soon.

Excited and Nervous

It's hard to believe that race day is only a few days away. I'm excited but also nervous at the same time. Today, I ran my last tune-up workout for the marathon, cruise intervals of 4 x 1K with 200m recovery. Splits for the 1K's were 3:20, 3:15, 3;17, & 3:16. It was tough to hold back because the legs were feeling fresh and light. I think this tapering phase, or peaking phase as McMillan calls it, has gone very well. I've decreased the volume but maintained the intensity, which I beleive has kept my legs from feeling stale or flat from the significant reduction of mileage. All that remains now are a few days of short and easy runs, then it's game on!

The Amsterdam Marathon will be my first big marathon race since the 2006 Rocket City Marathon, almost two years ago. I did run Grandma's Marathon back in June; however, I pretty much ran it as a longggg run because I only had about 4 weeks of training and was coming off an injury. I was not able to run a marathon in 2007 because I spent the entire year (and 1/4 of 2008) in Iraq. This weekend's marathon will get me back on track with running a marathon or two each year. Hopefully, faster times too. Marathon history here.

One More Week Till Race Day

Just one week remains before I toe the line at the ING Amsterdam Marathon. This week's taper went very well. The legs are starting to freshen up with the decrease in mileage. Today, I ran the normal "last Sunday workout" before race day. The workout was 12 miles with the last 6 miles at about marathon pace. From the track I ran 3 miles easy out and back in the city of Sittard. After averaging 6:42 pace for the first six miles I continued on the track running the remaining six miles at 5:57, 5:48, 5:55, 5:54, 5:55, & 5:49. The pace was a few seconds faster than what I consider marathon pace, but the body and legs felt comfortable. I think this week will be the toughest as it is normally the time when self-doubt creeps in.

06-12 Oct

Mon: 6M at 7:01 pace
Tues: 8M at 6:55 pace including 6 x :30 strides with 1' easy
Wed: 11M at 6:32 pace including 3 x 2K (6:59, 6:53, 6:52) with 400m recovery
Thur: AM - 5M at 7:09 pace; PM - 5M at 6:55 pace
Fri: 5M at 7:10 pace
Sat: 7M at 6:55 pace
Sun: 12M at 6:18 pace including last 6 miles at ~MP; last 6M at 5:57, 5:48, 5:55, 5:54, 5:55, & 5:49.

Weekly Total: 59 miles

The tapering begins

I had a very good last long run today. I ran to the Linderhof Palace, 9 miles one way, from my hotel. Not only was it awesome running on the trails, the scenery of the mountains was picture perfect. It snowed in the mountains a couple days ago, so it made for a nice scenic run. A few times during the run I almost ran off the trail because my eyes would get locked in to the white mountain peaks. The run itself went very well. I averaged 6:09 pace for the last 9 miles and 6:27 pace for the whole run. I'll officially begin my taper.

29 Sep - 05 Oct

Mon: AM - 4M easy at 7:28 pace; PM - 8M at 7:00 pace (12M total)
Tues: 10.5M at 6:41 pace including 10 x 1' hard/easy.
Wed: 3.1M very easy at 7:21 pace
Thur: AM - 5.4M at 7:07 pace; PM - 12M at 6:26 pace with 2 x 2.5M tempo (14:24, 14:22); (17.4M total)
Fri: 10M at 6:42 pace
Sat: 8M at 7:00 pace
Sun: 18M at 6:27 pace; last 9 miles at 6:09 pace

Weekly Total: 79 miles

Feeling the effects of altitude

As I was on an easy run on Monday I could feel that my breathing was a bit discomforting, the pace somewhat slower and the heart-rate about 10 bpm higher than normal. I was beginning to think that something was wrong. A few miles into the run my eyes and mind drifted away taking in the sights of the surrounding mountains. It was at that point in which I realized I was running at a higher altitude. The elevation here in the lower part of Oberammergau is 2800ft, a significant difference compared to the 300ft elevation of the area I live in in the Netherlands.

The week so far:
Tuesday was a 10 mile run with 10 x 1' strides. I usually get down to about 4:40-4:45 pace toward the end of the minute strides, but because of the altitude I could only manage to get the pace down to about 4:53. It's obvious that the half-mile high elevation has an effect on the body. On Wednesday morning I only put in 3 miles because I had planned to run more in the afternoon. However, I forgot that I was taking a trip to Munich for Oktoberfest, so the planned 6-8 miles did not happen. Today was a double with an easy five in the morning and twelve in the afternoon which included 2 x 2.5M at tempo pace. Because of the altitude I tried to run at the same effort, instead of pace, as last week's 3-mile tempos. I averaged about 5:45 pace (14:24, 14:22) for the 2.5M tempos. The remainder of the week will be easy running to reach 75 miles.

It's downhill from here

I was planning to take a complete day off from running after yesterday's 20-miler and a long seven hour drive to the artistic city of Oberammergau, Germany. But when I arrived in town and saw a dirt trail right outside of my hotel, I could not resist running. So I went for an easy short 4+ miles taking in the beautiful scenery. I discovered numerous running trails which runs along the river and through the mountains. I'll have the opportunity to run them during my two-week stay. After the easy run I treated my legs to a torturing ice-bath in the river. The first few minutes of the ice-bath (outside temp was 48 deg F) was unbearable. However, the legs felt refreshed ten minutes later.

Yesterday's long run was the last 20-miler for this marathon training cycle. Instead of a steady long run, I mixed things up by adding some marathon pace running. I ran the first 6 miles steady in 40:12 (6:42 pace) then the next 6 miles (7-12) alternating 1/2 miles at approximately marathon pace with steady running at about 6:45-6:50 pace. I'd hit the 1/2 miles in 2:55-2:58 and finish the remaing half miles in about 3:25. I then ran the remaining 8 miles steady averaging 6:25 pace with the last mile in 5:58. The legs were certainly tired in the end. I don't blame them though because they went through three hard workouts with only one easy day between them, and that was following a 100-mile week. Now with only 3 weeks remaining before the marathon, it's time to decrease the mileage and begin tapering for Amsterdam.

22-28 Sep

Mon: Noon - 4M easy at 6:57 pace; PM - 8M at 7:00 pace (12M total)
Tues: 8M with intervals of 1K (3:12), 1200 (3:51), 1K (3:10), 1200 (3:48), & 1K (3:04) with 200m recovery.
Wed: Noon - 3.5M easy at 7:21 pace; PM - 5.5M at 6:55 pace (9M total)
Thur: Noon - 5M at 7:05 pace; PM - 13M with 2 x 3-mile tempos (16:14, 16:04); (18M total)
Fri: Noon - 6.5M at 7:01 pace; pm - 8.5M at 6:52 pace; (15M total)
Sat: 20M at 6:29 pace; including 6 x 1/2 mile at MP followed by 1/2 mile steady pace.
Sun: 4.3M easy at 7:13 pace

Weekly Total: 86.3 miles

3-Mile Tempos

In the past weeks of training I ran my key workouts (intervals, tempo, & MP workout) on Tuesdays and Fridays with the long run on Sundays. I decided to modify this week's schedule to Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday due to my scheduled road trip to Germany on Sunday. Tuesday's workout was longer intervals of 1K, 1200, 1K, 1200, & 1K with 200m recovery. My legs felt flat for the most part but I still managed a decent speed session. Splits were 3:12, 3:51, 3:10, 3:48, and 3:04 respectively.

Today's workout (2 x 3-mile tempo) was much better. It is the same workout I did three weeks ago, in which I averaged 5:33 & 5:28 for the 3-milers. This time around I was aiming to average 5:28 for both 3-milers. Not sure if I was just having a good day or if there was a slight improvement in fitness over the last few weeks (hopefully the latter) because I would have had to slow the pace a bit to average 5:28 pace. I finish the 3-mile tempos in 16:14 (5:25 pace) and 16:04 (5:21 pace). I was a bit inconsistent in the mile splits of the first tempo - 5:27, 5:20, & 5:27. The 2nd tempo was more even paced with mile splits at 5:19, 5:22, & 5:23. Here's the comparison of the 5-Sep workout with today's.

05-SEP: 16:38 (5:31, 5:33, 5:34); 16:24 (5:26, 5:31, 5:27)
25-SEP: 16:14 (5:27, 5:20, 5:27); 16:04 (5:19, 5:22, 5:23)

Nailing the long run

With only 4 weeks remaining till Amsterdam marathon I felt that I was lacking a long run of over 20 miles. The three Sundays before last weekend's race I put in 20, 20 and 18 miles for the long run so I was definitely due to get over the hump. Today's plan was to cruise at a steady relaxing pace at about 6:35-6:45 for the entire 22 miles. By the 2nd mile I was already at a 6:40 split which felt very easy. At miles 5-7 the pace was down to 6:25. After the 7th mile, my mind, body and legs seemed to settle into its rhythm. I was clicking off each mile between 6:10-6:20 pace, well, except for the last mile. I ran the last 15 miles in 1:33:31 (6:14 pace). I wanted to finish strong and confident so I ran the last mile a bit faster than goal MP pace ending with a 5:50 22nd mile. The overall pace for the 22-mile long run was 6:21 (2:19:41). I certainly like where I'm at with my overall fitness. If I could just manage to get in a few good workouts and decent weekly mileage over the next couple weeks then I think I should be ready to go for hopefully a marathon PR. This coming week will be tough to get in the mileage as I'll be very busy with work and traveling to Germany in the weekend.

15-21 Sep

Mon: Noon - 6.5M @ 6:56 pace; PM - 8.5M @ 6:53 pace (15M total)
Tues: AM - 4M easy @ 7:22 pace; PM - 12M @ 6:53 pace (16M total)
Wed: Noon - 7M @ 6:51 pace including 15 x :30 strides w/ 1' easy; PM - 7.2M @ 6:48 pace (14.2M total)
Thur: Noon - 5M @ 7:05 pace; PM - 7.3M @ 6:53 pace (12.3M total)
Fri: 12M with 8 miles at MP; 5:52, 5:53, 5:53, 5:49, 5:54, 5:51, 5:48, & 5:45 (46:45 - 5:51 pace)
Sat: 9M @ 6:49 pace
Sun: 22M @ 6:21 pace

Weekly Total: 100.5 miles

Marathon Pace

I expected the legs to feel slightly fatigue or sore following Sunday's half-marathon because it was the first time racing since June. When Monday came around there was no soreness in the legs so I drove on with training. Mon and Tues was easy, Wed was a fartlek, and Thurs was another easy run. Today's planned workout was 8 miles at marathon goal pace, which (to be honest) I'm unsure of. According to Jack Daniel's Running Formula and McMillan Calculator, my recent 1/2-marathon time is equivalent to a 2:35 marathon, about 5:56 pace. I see JD formula and McMillan's cacl to be somewhat reliable; of course, that's considering we're doing the right training. After a couple miles of warm-up I tried to run at what felt like MP pace. The split for the 1st mile was 5:52. I tried to slow the pace just a bit on the 2nd mile but managed only to add on a second, 5:53. For the next four miles the pace seemed to hover around the low to mid 5:50s. I was feeling comfortable, maybe too comfortable, at six so I decided to pick up the pace for the last couple miles. Splits for the workout were 5:52, 5:53, 5:53, 5:49, 5:54, 5:51, 5:48, & 5:45 (46:45 - 5:51 pace). It was a nice confidence booster to finish the workout knowing I could have gone longer.

Here's the training log for last week.

08-14 Sep

Mon: Noon - 7M @ 6:55 pace; PM 6.5M @ 7:06 pace (13.5M total)
Tues: 10M @ 6:41 pace
Wed: Noon - 6.5M @ 6:50 pace; PM - 10M including 6 x 1Km w/ 200m easy; splits: 3:22, 3:16, 3:16, 3:14, 3:14, & 3:15 (16.5M total)
Thur: 8M @ 6:56 pace
Fri: Noon - 5.25M @ 7:03 pace; PM - 6M @ 7:02 pace;
Sat: 3M very easy; 5 hours on the feet (walking and biking Rotterdam)
Sun: Fortis 1/2 Marathon Rotterdam - 1:13:39 (PR)

Weekly Total: 76 miles

Fortis 1/2 Marathon Rotterdam: 1:13:39 (PR)

Day before the race
I neglected to do the necessary preparation such as finding how to get to the registration and race site, and even having a pre-race strategy (resting, where and what to eat, etc.). After checking in to the hotel around noon I went on a mission to find out more info on the race. I packed up my bike just before leaving the house knowing that it would be easier to get around the 2nd-most populated city in the Netherlands. About thirty minutes on the bike I finally found the VVV tourist information and was told that everything from late registration to packet pickup took place on the morning of race day. I thought that since I'm already in the heart of Rotterdam I might as well take a tour of the city. Fast forward..... I took the VVV-recommended walking tour (2 hours), biked the city cycle-route (~45 min.) and spent some time at a festival. So about 4:30pm I decided to head back to the hotel to give the legs some rest. Well, I ended up finding my hotel another 30 minutes later because smart-me only had a city map which did not cover streets to my hotel. Funny thing is that the hotel was only an 8-minute walk from the centrum. At that point my legs were feeling a bit stale, so I decided to go for a short 25 minute run hoping it will feel better. After a nice shower and some relaxing, I rode my bike back into the centrum to get something to eat. I wasn't up for the typical two hour three course Dutch meal so I stopped by a pizzeria near the festival and ordered a delicious Hawaiian medium pizza. I had planned to eat it back at the hotel, but that was modified to stand-and-eat when I came across a fashion and modeling show. I called it the night around 9pm.

Race day
Pre-race meal: Marathon Snicker bar, peanut-butter and jelly sandwich, & gatorade. Temperature: 52 degrees at 10am. The race has two half-marathons; one that starts at 11:00 and labeled Fortis 1/2 Marathon Elite and the other which starts 50 minutes later and labeled Fortis 1/2 Marathon. At about 10:45 I found out the 11:50 start was a "fun run". Don't ask me what the difference is. So I made my way to the 11:00 start, but was stopped because I had a 4-digit bib number "3406". All the other runners at the start had a one, two or three-digit bib number as well as the same number pinned on the back of their singlet. I was finally let into the start line when the race director asked me what my goal time was and told him that I run around 1:14-1:15. I felt a bit intimidated because here I was lined up with only about 100 runners, mostly Africans and Europeans.

The gun went off just as I was about to turn on the GPS on my Forerunner 405. This was a mental breakdown because now I would have no clue what mile splits I'd be running. Remember that European races use kilometers and not miles. I tried to calculate my pace in the first few kilometers, but that turned out to be a difficult task. I hit the 5k mark in 17:25, which I figured would be somewhere just under 5:40 pace. I knew coming into the race that my PR was at 1:15:42 (5:47 pace) so I was already in unknown territory. To be honest, I was really just trying to stay with the pack of runners. I didn't want to be the last runner especially that I had an odd bib number and none on the back. Approaching the 10k mark I could see the timer closing in at 35 minutes. Crossed 10k in 34:59 (10k PR is 34:58). I was feeling very good and wanted to pick up the pace, but knew I still had another 10k+ remaining. At about 12-13k it seemed like the pace was slowing a bit. Noone in our pack of about 10 was interested in picking up the pace, so I decided to. I put in a little surge and noone followed. I then began my mission of picking off runners who where within distance. Within 3 kilometers I managed to pass 3 runners. 15k was 52:38. Interestingly, my 16k split was 56:14 and equates to a 56:30 10-miler, a few seconds faster than my 10M PR. At 18k I could not believe that I still had something left in the legs. I somehow managed to run the last 6.1k faster than any 5k split in the race. I crossed the finish in 1:13:44. Chip time was 1:13:39, a 2-minute PR. Splits below and complete results here. I'm wondering what I could have ran had the legs been a bit more rested. Maybe the secret is not to rest the day before the race.

5k: 17:25 (17:25 - 5:36 pace)
10k: 34:59 (17:34 - 5:39 pace)
15k: 52:38 (17:39 - 5:41 pace)
21.1k: 1:13:44 (21:06 - 5:34 pace)

The leg has a mind of its own

It seems like the legs know when to respond. They tend to feel flat and not interested in running on the easy days, but on the key workout days it's game on. Yesterday was a prime example. Before I got out the door I thought that it was going to be a two hour struggle. A few miles into the long run the legs got into that enjoyable feeling of cruise control. I was clicking off 6:25-6:30 pace after 5 miles like it was a stroll in the park. Hopefully, the legs will play and respond (but at at a faster pace) this coming Sunday as I plan to run my first race in the Netherlands, a 25K as part of the Mergelland Marathon in the municipality of Meerssen. It will be a tough race as the course is supposedly hilly.

Last week's training:
1-7 Sep

Mon: Noon - 6.6M (47:40 - 7:13 pace); PM - 6.6M (47:23 - 7:11 pace)
Tues: Noon - 7M (50:16 - 7:11 pace); PM - 10.4M (1:08:34 - 6:36 pace) including 12 x 1' hard/easy; legs very tired.
Wed: 11M (1:14:41 - 6:47 pace)
Thur: Noon - 7M (49:11 - 7:02 pace); PM - 8M (55:58 - 7:00 pace)
Fri: 12M including 2 x 3M tempo in 16:38 & 16:24; 2' rest in between tempo
Sat: 10M (1:09:14 - 6:55 pace)
Sun: 18M (1:58:56 - 6:36 pace) steady long run; last 13 miles in 1:24 flat.

Weekly Total: 96.6 miles

Fighting through fatigue

Throughout the week the legs felt heavy, flat and tired. I sort of expected it as I came off a 100-mile week last week, which was followed by 13 on Mon, 17 on Tues, 11 on Wed and 15 yesterday. The runs were doubles with the exception of Wednesday's. Tuesday's workout also included a fartlek run of 12 x 1' hard/easy.

The workout I had planned for the day was 3 x 2-mile tempo at 5:36-5:40 pace with 2' rest in between. After a 3-mile warm-up and a few strides I circled the track hoping that the legs would have some pop in it. When I hit the first mile in 5:31 and the legs feeling okay, I thought to myself that it just might be a good day for the legs. A couple laps later (about 1.5 miles into the tempo) I began questioning myself whether I should be running 3 x 2-mile tempo or 2 x 3-mile tempo. The two workouts may produce the same results, but I was easily convinced that the longer tempo would be more beneficial for marathon training. The 3-mile tempo is not only a tougher workout physically, but also mentally. I'm sure marathoners would agree that mental fitness is as important as physical fitness during marathon training and the actual race. I ended up having a good workout. I ran the 3-mile tempo runs in 16:38 (5:31, 5:33, 5:34) and 16:24 (5:26, 5:31, 5:27), an average pace of 5:33 and 5:28. I'm very satisfied the legs held up after battling fatigue throughout the week.

Just go with the flow

That's basically what I did in today's long run. The plan was to go 18 miles or 2 hours. Going into the run the legs felt okay, definitely not fresh or rested. As I strolled on the cycle path the Forerunner split my first mile in 6:48. This is about 30 seconds faster than what I normally hit the first mile in my daily runs. I thought that I shouldn't worry too much about pace if it feels easy and relaxed. The 2nd mile split at 6:26 so I decided to just go with the flow. I settled into a good rhythm at low-6:30ish pace for the next 7 miles. To my surprise the pace slowly increased (i.e. faster) for the remainder of the run. I ended up doing 20 miles in 2:08:40, a little over 2 minutes faster than last week's 20-miler. The 5-mile splits for the long run were 32:56 (6:35), 32:35 (6:31), 31:46 (6:21), and 31:23 (6:16). An average pace of 6:26 for the 20-miler.

It was a good run to end the week. In fact, I hit the magical 100 mile/week. I'll have to look back on the logs because I don't recall the last time I had a 100-mile week. Here's a recap of this week's training.

25-31 Aug

Mon: Noon - 6M (42:50 - 7:08 pace); PM - 6.1M (43:20 - 7:07 pace) easy run; 12.1M total
Tues: Noon - 4.2M (30:44 - 7:19 pace); PM - 7M with 1200 & 1K intervals (1200s = 3:44, 3:43, 3:46; 1K - 3:02, 3:02); 11.2M total
Wed: Noon - 7.1M (50:01 - 7:03 pace); PM - 9.2M (1:02:05 - 6:46 pace) surprisingly the HR was consistent in the mid to high 130s at 6:40ish pace; 16.3M total
Thur: Noon - 7M (48:34 - 6:56 pace); PM - 9M (1:01:58 - 6:53 pace); 16M total
Fri: Noon - 6.2M (44:07 - 7:06 pace) easy but legs felt crappy; PM - 10M (1:02:40 - 6:17 pace) including 6 mile tempo in 34:32 (5:45 pace); 16.2M total
Sat: 9.4M (1:05:44 - 7:01 pace) was only planning on 6 miles but it turned into 9+ miles.
Sun: 20M (2:08:40 - 6:26 pace) steady pace; 5-mile splits: 32:56 (6:35), 32:35 (6:31), 31:46 (6:21), and 31:23 (6:16)

Weekly Total: 101.2 miles

Planned workout gone out the window

There are just about 7 weeks of training that remains before the marathon. I'm pretty happy with where I'm at in my fitness. Today, I decided to get on the track to practice some marathon pace. I was sort of concerned about the workout (6 miles at MP), because I had no clue how the legs would respond. The last couple days I had put in 32 miles (16 on Wed & Th); this was following the track workout on Tuesday. Also, I had just finished running 10 km during my lunch hour. The goal was to hit the mile splits at 6:00 pace. After a couple miles of warm-up, I headed off for the first of twenty-four laps. I looked at my watch just as I hit the 400m mark and saw 1:22. I could not believe it. The pace felt very comfortable, but a bit too fast. From there on I decided to just go with the pace which felt comfortable. Feeling relaxed I came through the mile in 5:49. It seemed like the legs were in cruise control as I followed through the next 4 miles in 5:52, 5:47, 5:47, and 5:46. Feeling unreasonably good I made the decision to pick up the pace in the last couple laps finishing off the 6th mile in 5:31. The workout ended up being more of a tempo workout (on the slower end) versus a marathon pace workout. Okay, the initial plan of marathon pace went out the window, but it was still a good workout.

Today's run: Noon - 6.2M (44:07 - 7:06 pace) easy but legs felt crappy; PM - 10M (1:02:40 - 6:17 pace) including 6 mile tempo in 34:32 (5:45 pace).

Yesterday: Noon - 7M (48:34 - 6:56 pace); PM - 9M (1:01:58 - 6:53 pace)

Wed: Noon - 7.1M (50:01 - 7:03 pace); PM - 9.2M (1:02:05 - 6:46 pace) surprisingly the HR was consistent in the mid to high 130s at 6:40ish pace.

A streak of Tuesday track intervals

Today was the second consecutive Tuesday linking up with the Dutch runners at the Sittard-Geleen track for intervals. The running group is coached by an older guy (Will - about mid-40s) who has a marathon PR of 2:25, so I'd say he knows how to coach. After a couple miles of warming up we do some stretching followed by drills, some of which I'd never done. Will yells out in Dutch the workout for the day. Just as I give him the lost-man's look he begins to explain the workout to me in English. The Dutch people speak fairly good English, so it's easy to carry on a conversation. Will tells me the workout: 1200, 1000, 1200, 1000, 1200 - each followed by 200m recoveries. Immediately, I try to calculate what I should be running the 1200 and 1K intervals in. With the legs feeling a bit heavy from the 20-miler on Sunday and 12 miles yesterday I thought I'd shoot for 3:50 for 1200 and 3:10 for 1K. I end up running the workout in 3:44, 3:02, 3:43, 3:02, & 3:46. It was a good workout, but the legs were certainly done.

Today's run: Noon - 4.2M (30:44 - 7:19 pace); PM - 7M with 1200 & 1K intervals (1200s = 3:44, 3:43, 3:46; 1K - 3:02, 3:02); 11.2M total

Yesterday's run: Noon - 6M (42:50 - 7:08 pace); PM - 6.1M (43:20 - 7:07 pace) easy run; 12.1M total

8 Weeks till Amsterdam Marathon

I'm finally situated and have internet access so I hope to post updates more frequently. Training the past three weeks has been fairly good. Felt good in today's long run as I was cruising along at 6:30ish pace after 4 miles. Oh, I'm officially entered for the Amsterdam Marathon on 19 October. The Dutch runners I linked up with on Tuesday's track workout all claim that the Amsterdam course is fast. I must not forget that the training must be put in first.

Here's the training log for the last 3 weeks.

18 - 24 Aug

Mon: 8.4M (58:20 - 6:58 pace)
Tues: AM - 5M (35:54 - 7:11 pace) short and easy run
Tues: PM - 7M including track workout; 4 x 300 (46, 49, 46, 49) + 5 x 400 (68, 68, 70, 70, 68) + 4 x 300 (50, 50, 51, 51); my first speed workout on the track in ages. legs were done in the end.
Wed: AM - 4.2M (31:18 - 7:27 pace) very easy; legs tired from yesterday's track workout
Wed: PM - 9.1M (1:02:31 - 6:52 pace)
Thur: AM - 8.4M (57:24 - 6:50 pace) easy on trails
Thur: PM - 6.6M (46:33 - 7:05 pace) easy run
Fri: 11.1M (1:13:06 - 6:35 pace) including 5 x 2' at 5k pace with 1' easy
Sat: 7.2M (50:37 - 7:01 pace)
Sun: 20M (2:10:56 - 6:33 pace) steady long run; last 10 miles in 64:02 (6:24 pace);

Weekly Total: 87 miles

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11 - 17 Aug

Mon: AM - 6.5M (44:07 - 6:47 pace)
Mon: PM - 4.3M (29:25 - 6:50 pace)
Tues: AM - 9.1M (59:49 - 6:33 pace) including fartlek 12 x 1' hard/easy
Tues: PM - 6.1M (41:19 - 6:49 pace)
Wed: 5.5M (39:11 - 7:07 pace) short and easy
Thur: AM - 10.1M (1:05:14 - 6:28 pace) middle 4 miles at 5:50 pace
Thur: PM - 6.6M (45:43 - 6:57 pace) easy; legs felt a bit heavy
Fri: AM - 7.5M (52:35 - 7:00 pace)
Fri: PM - 7M (47:41 - 6:48 pace)
Sat: 11M (1:13:53 - 6:43 pace) easy with a couple miles at 6:00 pace
Sun: 15.1M (1:36:22 - 6:23 pace) long run with miles 7-12 at 6:02 pace.

Weekly Total: 88.8 miles

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04 - 10 Aug

Mon: AM - 9M (1:01:44 - 6:51 pace)
Mon: PM - 6.3M (46:17 - 7:21 pace)
Tues: Did not run
Wed: Did not run
Thur: AM - 8.1M (55:28 - 6:50 pace)
Thur: PM - 10M (1:04:15 - 6:25 pace) progression run; last 5 miles in 31:19 with the last mile in 5:43
Fri: AM - 8.6M (1:00:27 - 7:01 pace)
Fri: PM - 8.4M (1:00:05 - 7:10 pace) easy run on treadmill
Sat: 10M (1:07:03 - 6:42 pace) mostly easy with the last 4 miles progressively faster
Sun: AM - 16M (1:47:26 - 6:42 pace) steady long run
Sun: PM - 7M (48:07 - 6:52 pace)

Weekly Total: 83.4 miles

The Netherlands

In the Netherlands. South Limburg, the southern-most Dutch province, will be called home for the next three years. The region is beautiful and offers a great deal of places to run and bike. It's a runner's dream place to run with tons of trails. Unfortunately, there are not much runners as cyclists. I’m lucky if I cross paths with another runner during my runs.

Here’s how the last 3 weeks of training went.

14 - 20 Jul
A frustrating week of running as the right ITB and knee was acting up again, probably from all the pounding on asphalt and concrete over the past couple weeks.

Mon: DNR; giving the ITB and knee some rest
Tues: 6.5M (48:39 – 7:29 pace)
Wed: 7.1M (50:03 – 7:04 pace)
Thur: 7.3M (51:04 – 7:00 pace)
Fri: 8.6M (1:00:48 – 7:04 pace)
Sat: 5M (37:55 – 7:35 pace); still feeling some pain on the right leg.
Sun: DNR;

Weekly Total: 34.5 miles on 5 runs/5 days
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21 - 27 Jul
Lots of flying early in the week. The 2nd half of the week of running went well. Trying to get in more double runs. The right leg felt fine this week. Hitting the core exercises hard again.

Mon: DNR; an entire day of flying from Guam to NC.
Tues: 7.5M (52:15 - 6:58 pace); easy run + 3 x hills
Wed: DNR - travel day to the Netherlands
Thur: 9.3M (1:06:10 - 7:07 pace)
Fri: AM - 6.5M (45:33 - 7:00 pace) lots of core and stretching
Fri: PM - 6.2M (42:36 - 6:52 pace)
Sat: AM - 9.1M (1:04:10 - 7:03 pace) drills and core exercises
Sat: PM - 7.1M (50:02 - 7:01 pace) on treadmill; weights and core
Sun: AM - 13.5M (1:34:17 - 6:58 pace)
Sun: PM - 4.5M (33:12 - 7:22 pace) very easy

Weekly Total: 63.7 miles on 8 runs/5 days
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28 Jul – 03 Aug
A much better week of running. Almost an increase of 30 miles each of the last couple weeks. Definitely not a mileage increase I’d normally do, but I think the base fitness is there.

Mon: AM - 9M (1:03:31 – 7:03 pace)
Mon: PM - 3.5M (24:45 – 7:04 pace) on treadmill and core afterwards
Tues: AM – 10M (1:07:44 – 6:46 pace) with 10 x 1’ fartlek w/ 1' easy
Tues: PM – 5M (37:26 – 7:25 pace) easy run; core exercises
Wed: 9.5M (1:06:43 – 7:01 pace); drills, strides and core afterwards
Thur: AM – 10M (1:07:54 – 6:47 pace) avg'd 6:26 pace for last 4 miles
Thur: PM- 6.4M (45:00 – 7:01 pace)
Fri: PM - 8M (54:31 – 6:48 pace) last couple miles at 6:20 & 5:50
Sat: 8.7M (1:01:13 – 7:02 pace)
Sun: AM – 16.2M (1:48:47 – 6:42 pace) last 5.2 miles at 6:34 pace
Sun: PM – 4.7M (33:01 - 7:01 pace) easy; core afterwards

Weekly Total: 91 miles on 11 runs/ 7 days

Running on different surfaces

I've been taking this week a bit easier on mileage after feeling some tightness and lingering twinges on my right ITB following Sunday's run. I feel that the right leg is only about 80-85% healthy since the injury. On Monday I gave the legs a break from running. Since then I've kept my runs at about 50-60 minutes while running on different surfaces. Ran on the treadmill on Tuesday, beach on Wednesday, track on Thursday and mostly on grass today. Tuesday and today's run was lovely as I took in the beautiful scenery of Guam's water.

View of Tumon Bay from Two Lover's Point

Yesterday's run on the track was fun. Instead of just circling the track at an easy pace, I decided to add a little speed with some circuit training. After 20' of easy running I did 400s at 5k pace with some core exercises (pushups, situps, crunches, leg-raises, etc.) and plyometric drills between each 400. Did only 7 x 400s as I didn't want to aggravate the ITB. Splits (80, 80, 79, 78, 77, 78, & 80) were fairly consistent at about 5:20 pace

Missing the running trails.

It has been a successful last couple weeks of running. Following a week of recovery from Grandmas I'm slowly building my base mileage. One thing I realized is how lucky and spoiled I've been while stationed at Fort Bragg. The Army post has many running trails (grass, dirt, and sand) and roads to run on giving runners an option to run on soft or hard surface. I think most runners would choose to run on trails versus asphalt/concrete any day of the week. This hasn't been the case for me over the past two weeks as there aren't much running trails in Okinawa and Guam. All of the last 130+ miles has been on asphalt/concrete. There is no doubt that I could feel the extra stress and pounding on the legs and knees. I'm missing the trails.

30 Jun - 06 Jul
Mon: DNR;
Tues: 8M (56:58 - 7:07 pace)
Wed: 8.9M (1:03:23 - 7:07 pace)
Thur: 9.2M (1:04:24 - 7:00 pace)
Fri: 10.1M (1:10:08 - 6:57 pace)
Sat: 10.6M (1:12:35 - 6:51 pace)
Sun: 10.1M (1:10:38 - 7:00 pace)

Weekly Total: 56.9M in 6 runs

07 - 13 Jul
Mon: 7M (1:00:37 - 8:38 pace)
Tues: 10.1M (1:09:22 - 6:52 pace)
Wed: 12M (1:23:07) - 6:56 pace)
Thur: 10.6 (1:14:56 - 7:04 pace)
Fri: 10.2 (1:12:13 - 7:05 pace)
Sat: 11M (1:16:40 - 6:58 pace)
Sun: 14.6 (1:44:23 - 7:09 pace)

Weekly Total: 75.5M in 7 runs

Finally an update

After some convincing from friends, It's time to get back to updating my blog. I have no reason not to blog now, especially that I've recovered from my ITBS and back on the roads and trails. Here's an update of what has taken place since my last post a couple months ago.

Injury
I was sidelined with an IT Band Syndrome on 1 April . After 7-8 weeks of almost no running, plenty of core exercises and weights, nightly foam roller tortures, and lots of stretchings I managed to get healthy and put one foot in front of the other. All I can say is that it was a great feeling to run for 10 minutes, then 15, then 30 and so on.

Grandmas Marathon
After 4-5 weeks of pain-free running, I decided to continue with my planned trip to Duluth, MN for Grandmas Marathon with my friend Bobby. Bobby and I registered for Grandmas so that we can finally say we ran in the same marathon. I ended up running the marathon despite no training. My longest run was a 10-miler on Wednesday the week of the race. I know many people disagreed with my decision to run the marathon, but I truly didn't want it to be my first DNF in a marathon or in any race. I could have easily decided not to make the trip, but then it would mean I'd waste a few hundred dollars and abandon a friend. There were no regrets making the trip. I had lots of fun and still broke 3-hours. Finished in 2:54:08.

Okinawa
I spent a week in Okinawa visiting my brother and playing tourist. Okinawa is beautiful and reminds me of home. The only thing I'd hoped for was that it be a different time of the year. It was just too hot and insanely humid....but again what place isn't this time of the year. I was able to get in at least an hour long run each day, thanks to these drink machines. I was very impressed to see these drink machines (Coke, coffee, juice, tea, water, gatorade, etc.) about every 1/4 mile along the roads. I'd run into these drink machines in places that I'd never thought they'd put one. And they all worked too. 120 Yen was enough to get me through a hot, sweaty hour run.

Guam
Currently in Guam visiting family and friends before heading out to my next duty assignment in the Netherlands. The weather here is nice, around 70-80 degrees with some humidity. As far as running goes I'm trying to put in as much base running as I can while home. So far I've managed to get in 65-85 minutes of easy running each day. These next few weeks will serve as my base phase in preparation for a fall marathon (hopefully ING Amsterdam Marathon).

Don't forget to include those supplemental workouts

Eric brings up an excellent point on strengthening and weightlifting. I truly believe that my ITBS was caused from a lack of core/strength exercises, weightlifting and stretching. I'll admit that I've neglected to include these supplemental workouts with my running over the past 6 months. Not intentionally, but mainly due to limited amount of time to work out during the deployment. In most cases, I would have about 90 minutes to work out, so I chose to use it entirely for running.

Many folks may think that I raced too soon following my deployment. I personally don't think so because I've been able to put in some quality running (60-80 miles/week) from Nov - Mar. It was mostly base mileage, but I did include at least one fartlek workout and/or a 20 min. tempo run. Now what I didn't mention in my earlier post was that I ran an 11-miler at 6:30ish pace the day after the race (which was a total of 18 miles for the day). I definitely knew it was a mistake when I finished that run. In fact, I wrote on my runlog "What was I thinking!".

So, what was the cause of the injury? I'd say a lack of core/strength exercises, weights, and stretching, lack of recovery from a race, and stupidity. A lesson learned. Don't forget to include those supplemental workouts.

Good and Bad News!

(Good) I ran my first race (Inside-Out Sports Classic Half-Marathon) last Sunday, only 10 days following my arrival from Iraq. I'd say it was a 13.1M time trial vs. a race. I placed 2nd overall in 1:15:45 running just about the entire race alone from mile 2 to the finish. The course was very challenging as it was mostly rolling hills. I had a hard time getting out of my comfortable zone and pushing myself as I knew there was noone close behind me. My splits were 11:46 (2M), 5:39, 5:45, 5:53, 5:59, 5:49, 5:49, 5:39, 5:30, 5:47, 5:41, 5:55, & :33.

(Bad) I would write more about my race, but I'm not so much motivated to. The reason being is because I'm in a depressed mode due to an injury. Two miles into my run on Tuesday I felt some pain on the outside of my right knee. The outside of the knee would hurt each time I bend it or push off. It turns out that I encountered an Iliotibial Band Syndrome. For now, I'll take a few days off of running and hope to get healthy very soon.

(Good) In other brief news: I signed up for Grandma's Marathon (21 Jun). I also have about 3 more months (till end of June) remaining stateside before I head out to my new duty assignment (Brunssum, Netherlands). Can't wait!

15 months later....

My 15-month deployment to Iraq has finally come to an end. It is great to back stateside and breathing in some clean fresh air on my runs. Despite being very busy during the deployment, I was able to get out almost every day for a run. I put in some good base mileage from Nov - Mar which led to a good base fitness. I'll see how good the fitness is as I attempt to run my first race (1/2 marathon) since last October.

Why run?

Sometimes I wonder what it is with runners that compel us to get up each morning to put one foot in front of the other. My motivation for running has been at a record low over the past couple weeks. Snoozing the alarm 3 or 4 times and then finally turning it off has become a routine. But the body still somehow finds itself stumbling to the door into the dark and cold morning for a run. I know it's not because of upcoming races because there is none for me, at least for the next 4-5 months. It's not because a training partner is waiting because I don't have one right now. Is it guilt, is it the fear of gaining weight, is it the feeling of accomplishment, or is it because we love our sport? I’m sure every runner has their personal reason. For me, there are many reasons and so far the mind has done a good job of choosing one each morning. On Saturday, I will run and dedicate the first 5.5 miles of the run to Ryan (Shay). Feel free to comment on your reasons to run.

Not a whole lot to write about on training. This week consisted of mostly easy one hour runs. I did get in a fartlek on Tuesday and a 3 mile tempo this morning, so there's still a little motivation to run fast.

Mon: 9.3M easy (1:03:34 - 6:50 pace)

Tues: 10M (1:06:20 - 6:38) including 10 x :30 with 1' easy

Wed: 9M easy (1:04:36 - 7:11 pace)

Thur: 10M (1:06:03 - 6:36 pace) w/ 3M tempo in 17:39 (6:00, 5:52, 5:47);

Updated

Fri: 4.5M including APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test): Push-ups: 128, Situps: 103, 2-Mile Run: 11:23; 2 mile WU and .5 mile CD; hip flexors and quads were done after the situps.

Sat: 8M (53:20 - 6:40 pace) fairly easy; ran the last 1/2 mile in 2:45.

Sun: 15M (1:40:30 - 6:42 pace) long steady run; first 7 miles easy at 6:55 - 7:10 pace, then settled in at ~6:36 pace for the next 4 miles. cruised the last 4 miles in 6:25, 6:10, 6:05, & 5:49. still felt very good and comfortable in the end.

Weekly Total: 65.8M in 7 runs

Rain, rain stay away

It's been about two weeks since I've been back. Not a whole lot of excitement on the running side and I don't think there will be until I complete this deployment. The weather right now is wonderful for running, low-60s in the morning and dry. I mention dry because in about 3-4 weeks the rain will touch ground and it will be ugly. I will have no choice but to run on the dreaded mill. The dirt/sand will turn into mud and will not dry up till around March. Yes, you got that right.... it will be a few months of treadmill running. The plan is to run easy with maybe one key workout and the mileage somewhere around 50-55 miles/wk. Hopefully this will keep me in decent shape.

Thur: 9.1M (58:51 - 6:28 pace); ran a 4-mile tempo at slower than tempo pace. splits: 6:06, 5:52, 5:47, & 5:40; really didn't feel like running any faster so I just went with it.

Wed: 8M easy; (56:17 - 7:02 pace)

Tues: 10M (1:06:15 - 6:38 pace) Fartlek workout: 3 x 3-2-1 @ ~3k-5k pace; felt good to get in some fast pace running.

Mon: 8.5M easy; (1:00:04 - 7:04 pace)

Sun (28 Oct): 10M easy; (1:08:36 - 6:52 pace)

Sat (27 Oct): 10M easy; (1:07:39 - 6:46 pace)

American Tobacco Trail 10-Miler - 56:35 (1st Overall)

It's been an amazing two in a half weeks of rest and recuperation leave and now it's time to head back to Iraq for the remaining 5 months of this marathon deployment. My leave was wonderful as I was able to visit family & friends both in hometown Guam and in NC. To make things better I was also able to run 3 awesome races in 3 weekends: Army 10-Miler (DC), Guam Ko'ko' 20K, and the American Tobacco Trail 10-Miler (Apex, NC) this morning. Oh, I can also say that I've won two of the three races.

Of the three races I've ran, the American Tobacco Trail 10-Miler wins the prize for best race. Reasons include: trail race, nice flat course, excellent competition, perfect weather, and good race performance. I went into the race with the mindset to have fun and run a sub-59 since the race was on trails. The race started and I immediately found myself in 3rd place. The two runners up front took off and I had no intentions to follow. They were wearing their running club racing singlet so I knew they had to be pretty good. I came thru three miles in 17:23 (5:44, 5:49, 5:50). The first guy had about a 100 meter lead and the second guy only about 25 meters in front of me. At the 3-mile mark I was feeling too comfortable and I told myself that I'd better put a little more effort into the race. I caught the 2nd runner with a 5:29 4th mile and was still feeling very good. At that point I knew it was going to be a good day. The course is out and back so I knew I'd get a good look at how far I was from the lead runner at the turn around point. I came across mile 5 in 28:27 (5:36). I could now see the lead runner coming back to me and it was only a matter of time before I'd catch him. My 6th mile split was 5:32. A half mile later I caught the lead guy and ran with him for a few seconds. Still feeling good I took the lead and kept pushing never looking back. I came across the 9th mile marker in 50:48, at which I knew a sub-57 was well within reach. I slowed in the last mile (5:47) and finished with a 56:35. The 2nd place runner ended up almost a minute back. I did not know until I got home that my PR was sitting at 56:35. It was a kick in the butt knowing that I definitely could have broken my 10-mile PR. It was my best race this year as I ran negative splits of 28:27 & 28:08. Mile by mile splits were 5:44, 5:49, 5:50, 5:29, 5:36, 5:32, 5:39, 5:31, 5:38, & 5:47. I was awarded a gift certificate which was used to get some new shoes (Saucony Progrid Trigon 5 Ride). It was a good day to end R&R leave.

Ko'Ko 20K - 1:13:40 (1st Overall)

My race went fairly well despite the humid conditions early in the morning. I won the race in 1:13:40 with the 2nd place runner a little over 2 minutes back. Coming into the race I was not expecting to run a fast time because of the conditions. I had to remind myself that running in Guam year around is like running in the Southeast during the summer time.... hot and very humid. The race also had an Ekiden (4-person relay) race, which started 15 minutes after the soloist. Personally, I liked the idea because it prevented me from going out hard with guys who may only be running a 5k leg. The gun went off at 5am in the dark. After a couple hundred meters the course took us up a decent hill in which I found myself and two other runners already alone in the front. My plan was to go out at 6:00 pace for the first couple miles. Even with the hill the three of us came across mile 1 in 6:01. A half mile later one runner dropped off the pace and it was just me and a high school runner Chris (later found out he won All-Island Cross Country). After hitting the 2nd mile in 5:59 (12:00) I asked the kid if he wanted to take turns leading every quarter-mile; however, he passed up the offer. I think he was new to the distance and didn't know that exchanging leads would help him. For the next 4 miles (5:53, 57, 56, 54) we ran comfortably stride for stride. I knew that if I kept running at 5:50+ pace then I was only keeping him in the race for the win. Following the 6th mile, I decided to start picking up the pace. We came across miles 7 & 8 at 5:46 pace. After 8 miles I could hear Chris' breathing rate become faster so I increased the pace a bit more. A 9th mile split of 5:44 was enough to put him back about 10 meters. Another 5:46 split and I knew the race was in the bag. Here is an article on the race. My GPS watch registered the course at 12:52 miles.

It felt great to run a race back home again. It also reminded me how tough it is to race here in the beautiful island.

Back home in Guam

Wow! It's been a month since I last posted. Last Sunday I ran the Army Ten-Miler in DC. It was a bad day for racing. Ran 57:28, 54th overall and 20th in my division. It was hot and humid. I know I could have dealt with the heat since I was training in it in Iraq. But the humidity was the problem. It was 87% humidity. Splits were 5:30, 5:37, 5:34, 5:38, 5:43, 5:40, 5:52, 5:57, 6:03, & 5:54. As you can see, everything went downhill after the 6th mile. The good side was that Fort Bragg's men and women's team placed 2nd overall.

I'm currently in Guam spending my last week of R&R (rest & recuperation). What a wonderful feeling it is to be back home with family and friends after 4 years of absence. This morning I went for a short easy run at the War In The Pacific National Historic Park in Asan. I played tourist and took my camera along with me. Below are some pictures. Tomorrow, I will run the Guam 20K Ko'Ko' Road Race. It will be an early morning race as it starts at 5am.

Torpedo missile

A walk into the ocean

Kid drinking on the ride

Running path

Inspiration

This post is dedicated to Mike Mann, an Air Force running friend who recently lost his battle with cancer. I first met Mike at the Marine Corps Marathon in '03 when he ran for the Air Force marathon team. He was someone who really loved to run and compete. He was also a fast runner with a marathon PR of 2:28. More importantly, Mike was an inspiration to many people. He underwent chemo and battled back running the 2006 Shamrock Marathon in 2:54.

A few links about Mike.
Running Carries Airmen Through Chemo Treatments

Washington Running Report

Running community mourns Mann's death

What's one more mile...

The original plan was to get in 15-16 miles. It wasn't going to be an issue because my unit doesn't do a morning BUB (battle update brief) on Sundays. Well, that changed when one of my soldiers woke me up at 2am to tell me that there will be a BUB at 0800. Okay, I can still get in about 13-14 miles. I headed out at 0520 for a steady easy run, which turned out to be 14 miles in 1:34:18 (6:44 pace) with the last mile in 6:06. The shoes, socks, and shirt were off within minutes of finishing the run. As I walked out to the shower trailer with a towel and hygiene bag in hand my battle buddy stopped me and told me that our meeting had now been pushed back to 0900. Great! I immediately did a U-turn and put my shirt, socks, and Boston Classics back on. I intended to run only a couple more miles to reach the original plan of 16. I got to 16 and decided to get in one more; 17 miles and a running time of 1:54:00 later I thought to myself "what the hell, six more minutes and I'll be at 18 in 2 hours". I can honestly tell you that there were no thoughts of going any further. The legs felt fine as miles 16-18 were comfortable at 6:25 pace. The body just had no energy left. According to my Garmin (Forerunner 205), I burned 2422 calories for the run. Not sure how accurate the Garmin is with calories burned, but I do know it had to be a lot with the run leaving my body feeling depleted.

Weekly Summary
Mon: 10M (1:12:22 - 7:14 pace) nice and easy

Tues: 13M (1:25:05 - 6:33 pace) 20' tempo (3.45M @ 5:48 pace) followed by 3' easy + 3 x 400m (77, 79, & 71) w/ 400m rec. + 2 x 1-mile tempo (5:33 & 5:37) w/ 1' easy; Legs really didn't get going until about the 3rd mile of the tempo; the 1-mile tempo felt comfortably hard but I could feel fatigue creeping into the legs in the end. Overall, a good workout.

Wed: 11M (1:18:00 - 7:05 pace) easy run

Thur: 13.2M (1:25:47 - 6:30 pace); 4 x 1-mile cruise intervals (5:34, 5:32, 5:22, & 5:23) w/ 2' easy + 6 x 200m (36, 35, 38, 36, 36, & 37) w/ 200m rec. + 2-mile acceleration run (12:35) - started out easy at 7:00 pace and increased the pace every 1/4 mile; last quarter in 1:21. Going into the run I was expecting the legs to be a bit tired. Ended up feeling pretty good.

Fri: 11M (1:17:36 - 7:03 pace) easy run

Sat: 11M (1:14:10 - 6:45 pace) progression run; easy for the most part with the last 4 miles progressively faster (6:38, 6:16, 6:08, & 5:42); last 1/2 mile in 2:39.

Sun: 18M (2:00:25 - 6:41 pace) steady long run; miles 13 & 14 in 6:19, 6:06; miles 16-18 at 6:25 pace; body is done in the end; longest run since Nov '06.

Weekly Total: 87.2 miles in 7 runs

Tough lost

It was a tough week as I lost a good friend. Erick, a fellow commander and paratrooper, paid the ultimate price for freedom. He was an easy going guy who had a great sense of humor. Erick and I worked together as staff officers before we transferred to take command. He didn't go far though as our offices were only about 50 meters apart. I'm going to miss the mornings at Ft Bragg where we would come into work at the same time and yell "Another day in the double A". Erick, you will be missed!

It wasn't the best week of training, but also wasn't the worst. I missed two consecutive days of running due to operations. Taking a day off from running was probably a good idea as the legs were feeling fatigue on Monday's easy run. Well, not sure if I'd call it a day off since I spent majority of the time on my feet in body armor and in 115 degree heat. It's quite funny that I add on almost half of my weight (which is a whopping 120 lbs) with just my body armor , ammunition, and water. On Thursday I contemplated whether to run easy or put in a tempo workout. I hated the fact that I missed two days of running so it was an easy decision to run the tempo. The workout had me confident that my fitness is quickly improving (at least that's what I think). Ended the week at 60 miles on 5 runs so I'm pretty satisfied.

Weekly Summary
Mon: 10M (1:10:43 - 7:04 pace); fortunate to get in a run before heading out for a few days

Tues/Wed: unable to run

Thur: 13M (1:25:30 - 6:35 pace); 3 x 2-mile tempo w/ 2-min easy (11:24, 11:20, & 11:18) plus 4 x :30 fast w/ 1-min rec jogs; breathing was more controlled in last 2 tempo repeats; felt good on the legs when I added in the quick 30 sec. of fast running.

Fri: 10.5M (1:15:25 - 7:11 pace); last night was very tough and sad; good friend Erick passed away; ended up getting only a couple hours of sleep; really didn't feel like getting up to run, but it was necessary to clear the mind; God Bless Erick.

Sat: 11M (1:13:04 - 6:39 pace); progression run; averaged 6:56 pace for first 7 miles then 6:08 for the last 4 miles; ran last mile in 5:47

Sun: 15.5M (1:44:38 - 6:45 pace); mid-long run; pace slowly progressed during the run; average pace for 5 mile splits were 7:10, 6:46, & 6:25; finished strong with mile 15 in 6:01 and the last 1/2 mile in 2:48. Legs felt real sluggish early on, but better when I took in some Gatorade which I ended up carrying along for majority of the run.

Weekly Total: 60 miles i n 5 runs

Not my choice of running clothes

I was not looking forward to this morning's mid-long run when I stepped out the door to what felt like an outdoor sauna. The air was extremely warm with almost no breeze. Later found out that it was 90 degrees at the time of my run. It was another run that I finished in soaked PTs (physical training uniform). Shorts that are a few inches above your knees and have no breathing room, PT shirt that weighs a ton when drenched in sweat, white ankle socks with no logos, and a reflective belt around your waist to let the enemy know it's the same 'ol guy out running around the camp again and again. Gotta love the Army PTs. Maybe I should wear 'em in a marathon. I so can't wait to run in my choice of running clothes: splits or v-notch shorts, singlet, dry-fit or no shirt, long sleeve, running cap, beanie..... To bad I don't have the luxury of wearing my choice of running clothes. I've gotten over it so it's really not a big deal now.

About the run: I ran fairly easy for the first six miles which I averaged 7:05 pace. The legs were feeling okay, not fresh but also not too fatigued. I suddenly got into a good rhythm and found myself running steady consistently hitting the miles in 6:35 – 6:40. After a 6:28 13th mile I noticed that the leg-turnover slowly started to increase. I went along with it and the Forerunner alerted me that mile 14 was at 6:19 (.5M in 3:13 & 3:06). Wanting to finish strong I took the last mile 1/4-mile at a time hitting the splits in 1:29, 1:27 (2:56), 1:28 (4:24), & 1:21 (5:45). I got a little too excited in the last 1/4 mile. It was a good way to finish the week of running.

Weekly Summary:
Mon: 9.25M easy (1:06:00 - 7:08 pace)

Tues: 12M (1:22:35 - 6:53 pace); 5 x 1200m w/ 3' recovery jogs; (4:01, 4:05, 4:03, 3:59, 4:04); extremely warm at 91 degrees; struggled and never got into rhythm.

Wed: 10.1M easy (1:11:47 - 7:07 pace)

Thur: 13M (1:24:02 - 6:28 pace); WU, 3M tempo (5:47 pace) w/ 3' easy, 2M tempo (5:41 pace) w/ 2' easy, 1M tempo (5:31 pace) w/ 1' easy, CD; felt like the legs got going about 2.5 miles into the 3M tempo. happy with the workout. still very warm.

Fri: 10M easy (1:11:35 - 7:10 pace)

Sat: 11M progression run (1:13:04 - 6:39 pace); first 5 miles in 35:20 (7:04 pace) then last 6 miles in 37:44 (6:17 pace); last mile in 5:55.

Sun: 15M steady run (1:40:46 - 6:43); steady easy with the last couple miles progressively faster; last mile in 5:45; very warm.

Weekly Total: 80.35 miles in 7 runs

Run when you can

In response to Eric's comments: I wish I was running out of things to do, then it would mean I can put in more miles. In actuality I'm fortunate that I can even squeeze in an hour of running each day with my current deployed schedule. Here's a typical day for me: wake-up at 0515 (that's 5:15 am), out the door running by 0530 (body and legs still asleep for the first few miles), finish run and gym workout by 0700, finish personal hygiene (that's if we don't run out of water which happens every once in a while - thank goodness for baby wipes) and changed by 0730 in order to be at my command post by 0745; attend daily meeting at 0800; from 0800 to ~2200 (10:00pm) I'm doing my job as a commander which could mean numerous things from being very busy with support operations to the dreaded admin work; i'm usually in bed by 2300 which is normally interrupted by the sound of artillery throughout the night. Sunday's are much better because I don't have the 0800 meeting, which means I can put in an extra 1/2 - 1 hour of sleep and still run a little longer. I still try to finish my run by 0730 or else I'll be crawling in 95-100 degree heat.

Here's how the week went:

Mon: 9.1M (1:05:37 - 7:13 pace) easy; legs a little tight from 5k, but not sore.
Tues: AM - 11.5M (1:16:52 - 6:41 pace) 12 x 1-min w/ 1-min recovery jogs; PM - 4.5M (33:50 - 7:31 pace); very easy run at 9pm
Wed: 9.1M (1:05:41 - 7:13 pace) standard hour easy run. exact route and pace as Mon.
Thur: 11.5M (1:17:59 - 6:47 pace) 6 x 1-mile @ tempo pace w/ 1-min rests (5:50, 5:49, 5:39, 5:39, 5:37, & 5:37); felt fairly good
Fri: 10M (1:13:03 - 7:18 pace) easy run
Sat: 10M (1:08:31 - 6:51 pace) mostly easy w/ last couple miles in 6:14 & 5:55; body very tired with legs feeling like bricks; the last mile was a complete struggle.
Sun: 15M (1:41:18 - 6:45 pace) steady long run w/ last 2 miles in 12:12; a much better run compared to yesterday.

Weekly Total: 80.7 miles in 8 sessions

Army Ten-Miler

It looks like I'm going to make it to the start line of the Army Ten-Miler on Oct 7. I'll be on my R&R (rest & recuperation) so I'm treating myself to this race. It will be fun and exciting, especially that I'll be running with the Fort Bragg team in hopes of bringing back the Commander's Cup. I have a little less than 8 weeks to get ready so I need to get down to business.

This morning I did cruise intervals, 6 x mile at tempo pace with 1-min rests. The goal pace was 5:41 - 5:50 based off of my 16:51 5k on Sunday. I might have underestimated my fitness because the first couple mile cruise intervals felt like a walk in the park. After hitting the first couple intervals in 5:50 & 5:49, I let the body run what felt like comfortably hard. I hit the remaining cruise intervals in 5:39, 5:39, 5:37, & 5:37. The workout gave me a lot of confidence. If things work out well then I should be able to knock out a 55 on race day.

Today's Run: 11.5M with 6 x 1mile @ tempo pace w/ 1-min rests (5:50, 5:49, 5:39, 5:39, 5:37, & 5:37)

Feels good to finally run another 5k

Ran a 16:51. Time wasn't anything spectacular but I was satisfied with how things went considering it was 90 degrees at the start (0700) and noone to accompany me up front. The goal going in was to break 17 minutes. I knew this task would be a challenge because I didn't decrease the miles going into the race and also haven't been doing much speedwork. A perfect way to determine base fitness.

When the race started about 10 guys took off like it was a mile race. I knew that these were folks who either never ran a 5k or wanted some glory of leading a race. About a half mile into the run I found myself running alone. I hit the 1st mile in 5:24. I was hoping to see 5:18-5:20 for the first mile. I tried to pick up the pace on the 2nd mile but a right turn into a slight headwind got me struggling to maintain the effort. I came through mile 2 in 10:50 (5:26). On the third mile the legs were feeling okay, but the breathing started to get heavier. When I reached the 3rd mile mark in 16:18 (5:28) I gave it all I got knowing that it would be close to running sub-17. Looking back I ran a fairly even-pace race. It would have been nice to run negative splits, but how often does that happen in a 5k.

Overall, it was another good week of running. Two consecutive weeks at 70 miles has me confident that my fitness is coming along.

Here's how the week went:

Mon: 8.5M easy
Tues: 11M w/ 5 sets of (2 x 200m hard w/ 200m recovery + 400m hard w/ 400m recovery); avg'd 35-36 sec. for 200s and 74-75 sec. for 400s
Wed: 8.5M easy
Thur: 11.6M w/ 5 x 5min. @ ~10k pace w/ 2min. recovery jogs
Fri: 9.5M easy
Sat: 8.1M easy
Sun: 13M w/ 5K in 16:51

Weekly Total: 70.2 miles in 7 sessions

Not much to report

The week of running has gone fairly well. I managed to get in some decent mileage with a couple good workouts. There is a 5k next Sunday which I plan to run to see what my fitness is like.

Here's how the week went.

Mon: 1:00:17 (8.2M - 7:21 pace); easy run
Tues: 1:14:03 (11M - 6:44 pace); fartlek workout - 12 x 1 min. w/ 1 min. recovery jogs
Wed: 1:01:12 (8.25M - 7:25 pace); easy run with the last 1.25M at 6:05 pace
Thur: 1:15:58 (11.5M - 6:36 pace); 4 x 1M at tempo pace with .25M recovery jogs
Fri: 1:10:16 (9.5M - 7:24 pace); easy run with the last .5M at 6:10 pace
Sat: 1:03:55 (9.25M - 6:55 pace); easy run with last .25M at 5:28 pace
Sun: 1:34:44 (14M - 6:46 pace); steady run with miles 8-10 in 18:27 (6:09 pace)

Weekly Total: 71.7 miles in 7 sessions

90 degrees isn't that bad

I think my body is acclimated to the high temperatures. It was 90 degrees at run time (0515) this morning, but it felt more like in the mid-80s. The morning temps for the last 3 days were at 94 degrees, so it could be the four degrees difference. The high two days ago reached a blistering 125 degrees.

Since I'm not able to put in the long(er) runs (16-20M) like I normally would do back in the rear, I need to start incorporating some threshold running into my Sunday runs to make the best of it. After 3 miles of easy running I ran 2 x 12 minutes at tempo pace (which I’d say is ~5:48 pace with my current fitness) with a 2-minute rest in between followed with 45 min easy. My average pace for the 12-minutes was 5:40 & 5:50 respectively. I slowed in the last minute of the 2nd repeat when I encountered a side-stitch. These side-stitches are a mystery. They seem to show up when they want to…..in most cases, during our big races. The last one I had was around the halfway mark of Rocket City Marathon. The last 45 minutes of running felt good as I cruised along at 6:40 pace.

Here's how the week of running went:

Mon: Unable to run.
Tues: 1:13:32 including 4 x 5min @ 10k effort w/ 3min recovery (11M - 6:41 pace)
Wed: 1:00:41 (8.2M - 7:24 pace)
Thur: 1:05:24 (10M - 6:32 pace); middle 4 miles (4-7) in 24:20
Fri: 1:07:10 (9M - 7:28 pace)
Sat: 1:03:10 (9M - 7:01 pace)
Sun: 1:33:39 (14.1 - 6:39 pace); w/ 2 x 12 minutes @ tempo pace

Weekly Total: 61.3 miles in 6 sessions

Running On The Sun

The temperature has not dropped below 90 degrees the past three days. I don't think it will for the remainder of July and most of August. Here's what it was like yesterday: 5am - 92 deg; 10am - 104 deg.; 3pm - 119 deg.; 8pm - 107 deg. It's to the point where easy running is not so easy because of the heat. I think there will be benefits of just putting in some mileage of easy running to stay fit and sustain a good base.

Yesterday, I ran 11 miles which included 4 x 5 min. at 10k effort with 3 min. recovery jogs. I intended to run easy the entire run, but felt the need to elevate the heart rate. By feel I think the HR hovered around 85%. This morning I did an easy 8-miler.

I watched "RUNNING ON THE SUN" (Badwater 135) and could only imagine what those endurance runners went through. If you haven't watched it I suggest you do. It's grueling! The temperature reached a high of 122 degrees today and I thought about what it would feel like to be running in these conditions for 24 - 48 hours straight. No thanks!

Today's Run: 1:00:41 (8 miles - 7:24 pace)
Yesterday's Run: 1:13:32 (11 miles - 6:41 pace); w/ 4 x 5 min. @ 10k effort

Not a bad week

Today ended a good week of running coming off of minor issues with the Achilles. I was able to put in at least an hour of running each day this week. This morning's run was mostly easy running with the last four miles at 6:30ish pace. I got in 90 minutes of running which to tell you truth is the longest I've ran since being deployed in January. Hopefully the Sunday runs will increase in miles over the next few weeks. It will be tough though because the temperature is still rising. Today's high was 118 degrees. Temperature at run time this morning was 88 degrees; still very warm but better than Thursday when it was in the low-90s. I hit the gym immediately following the run to do some stretching, push-ups and an ab workout. I wanted to test my upper body strength so I did my so-called 100 push-ups test. I time myself how long it will take me to do 100 push-ups without getting up or dropping to my knees. This is no easy test. I started doing this test about two months ago, about once every 2 weeks. I did it in 64 seconds. I was smoked afterwards. 100 push-ups in 64 seconds was a PR for me. My previous best was 69 seconds.

Here's how the week of running went:

Mon: 8 miles in 1:00:40 (7:35 pace); easy run
Tues: 10 miles in 1:09:04 (6:54 pace); last 4 miles at 6:35 pace.
Wed: 8.1 miles in 1:00:08 (7:25 pace)
Thur: 11 miles in 1:14:55 (6:48 pace); ran miles 8-10 at 6:07 pace
Fri: 9 miles in 1:07:26 (7:30 pace);
Sat: 9.1 miles in 1:00:40 (6:40 pace); ran miles 5-7 at 5:54 pace
Sun: 13.3 miles in 1:30:35 (6:49 pace); last 4.3 miles at 6:35 pace

Weekly Total: 68.5 miles in 7 sessions

Easy running

I’ve been taking this week fairly easy making sure not to anger the Achilles. I can honestly say that running a bit slower than normal easy pace feels good. It got me thinking that I previously should have been running my recovery runs a few seconds slower. This morning I ran 7 miles with one of my soldiers averaging 7:44 pace before continuing on for a couple more miles. I was feeling really good and couldn’t resist the urge to finish the last mile strong. I finished with a 6:18 mile, which felt very comfortable. (9 miles in 1:07:26 – 7:30 pace)

Thursday: 11 miles steady with miles 8-10 in 18:22 (6:07 pace). Achilles held up pretty good with no problems. Temperature at 0530 was approximately 90 degrees. (11 miles in 1:14:55 - 6:48 pace)

Wednesday: ran an easy 8 miler starting at 8 min. pace and progressing to a last mile of about 6:35. The goal for the week is to put in at least one hour of running each day. (8.1 miles in 1:00:08 – 7:25 pace)

4 Kinds of People.....

While everyone’s (Mike, Eric, Greg, and everyone else) running and training is going very well, I’m on the other side of the world trying to stay healthy and injury-free. Don’t worry there’s no whining or crying on this end. I’m satisfied enough that the Brooks Axiom is laced up each morning and put to use.

Last night, before hitting the sack and while the booms went off, I watched “JACK DANIELS – The Art and Science of Running” presented by McMillan Running. This DVD is educational and worth purchasing, especially if you’re a fan of Dr. Daniels training philosophy. In one of his sections, he explains that there are 4 kinds of people (runners):

1. A/M: those who have ability and are motivated
- Champions

2. A/NM: those who have ability, but are not motivated (no desire)
- Coach Frustrators

3. NA/M: those who have no ability, but are motivated
- Self Frustrators; he/she will do everything the coach tells him/her to do and more to improve; easily over-trained

4. NA/NM: those who have no ability and are not motivated
- Forget about them; not interested; Losers (he didn’t say this in the DVD)

Which one are you? I think we all would like to be Champions, but were not fortunate to be born with all the ability (talent). I believe that as long as you make the most of your ability and are motivated to reach your goals, then you’re a Champion in my eyes.

Today’s run: 1:09:04 (10 miles – 6:54 pace)
Yesterday: 1:00:40 (8 miles – 7:35 pace)

Much better

This morning's run was much better than the last couple days. I managed to put in 10 pain-free miles at a fairly easy pace. After Friday's leg problems, I started to get back into the habit of stretching at night before hitting the sack. I think it helps keep the leg muscles loose. Eric brings up an excellent point in his comment about the legs needing to get enough blood flow. I think I get enough blood flow to the legs because I'm constantly on the move throughout the day. I'll just need to ensure to take in lots of fluids as it is very easy to become dehydrated in 110 degree temperatures.

This is how the week went:

Monday: 8.1 miles in 56:18 (6:57 pace); Last 4 miles were painful.
Tuesday: No running
Wednesday: No running; lots of stretching
Thursday: No running
Friday: 5 miles in 33:50 (6:46 pace)
Saturday: 8.1 miles in 55:45 (6:53 pace)
Sunday: 10.2 miles in 1:10 (6:52 pace); Miles 7-9 at 6:20 pace.

More problems...

On Monday, I went on my normal one hour easy run. Halfway through the run my Achilles began to act up. It was bothering me to the point where I had to change my stride to relieve some pounding on the right Achilles. I really wanted to stop and walk back but that would mean 4 miles of walking. The run was painful and it left me thinking that I should take the next few days off from running. Later that day, I had treatment #5 of iontophoresis and treatment #6 the following day. I took Tues - Thurs off from running hoping that the leg will get better.

This morning I ran 5 miles to see how the leg would hold up. The Achilles felt fine, but everything else on my right leg didn't. The calves, hamstring, and soleus muscles were very tight and giving me hell. It may have been lack of fluids and stretching. This was one of those runs where if it wasn't one thing it was another. I was just glad to get the run over with.

Today's Run: 33:50 (5 miles - 6:46 pace)

First week of July

Here's how the week of running went. I ended the week with 56 miles on 6 runs. I'm happy with whatever runs I can put in.

Monday: Easy one hour run. The legs really appreciated the easy effort. Yesterday’s run ended the week at 64 miles, my highest mileage in about 7 months. (8.6 miles in 1:00:04 – 6:58 pace).

Tuesday: 10 miles including 5 x ½ mi with ½ mi recovery. It felt good to put in some fast pace running. I started to feel a little irritation on my right Achilles during the cool-down. (10 miles in 1:06:19 – 6:36 pace).

Wednesday: 6 miles very easy with my NCO. The right Achilles still feels irritated. I had it checked by a physical therapist and underwent 15 minutes of some type of electromagnetic treatment. The PT put two pads on the achilles and attached some wires to it which felt like needles to the skin. Will undergo five more treatments. (6 miles in 45:45 – 7:37 pace)

Thursday: Thought of not running to give the Achilles a break, but my stubbornness led me out the door. Took it easy the entire run. Same exact route and pace as Monday. Underwent treatment #2. (8.6 miles in 1:00 – 6:58 pace)

Friday: 10 miles at aerobic pace. Ran the first 5 miles easy averaging 7:00 min/mile. Ran the second half in 30:58 (6:12 pace). The Achilles was feeling okay so I picked up the pace to get in some faster leg-turnover. I'm really asking for trouble. Treatment #3. PT asked if I ran and I told her yes only a few miles. (10 miles in 1:05:58 – 6:36 pace)

Saturday: Took a day off from running to give the Achilles a break. Rough and busy day. I missed my treatment.

Sunday: With a ¼ mile of visibility due to dusts and temperatures in the low-90s at 5:30 in the morning, I chose to run on the treadmill. Ran majority of the run very easy. In the middle of the run I did 4 x 1 mile at 6:00 pace w/ ½ mile easy in between. Overall, the entire run felt easy. Underwent treatment #4. (13 miles in 1:31:30 – 7:02 pace)

Weekly Total: 56 miles

Six Months Later...

Wow, my first post on running blog-land since leaving stateside six months ago to attend an unplanned vacation which was extended to 15 months. The workload has settled down so I hope to drop a post once or twice a week to let you know how the running is going. Yes, believe it or not, I’m able to put in some runs despite the unsafe environment. In fact, running has been consistent over the past few months after not running a single mile in January and February. Getting back into some type of running shape was a bit painful at first, but the fitness seems to be coming along fine. On Sunday I ended the week at 64 miles, my highest weekly mileage since last December when I ran Rocket City. The goal for now is to just run and sustain some type of base, hopefully around 50-60 miles/week. With no Running Circles to accompany me on my runs, I had no choice but to adopt a friend from the Garmin family. His name is Forerunner 205. Forerunner keeps me motivated, accompanies me in every run and even measures the run route for me. I never have to worry about him sleeping in too.

Well, enough about Forerunner, this is about me. Yesterday, I ran easy for an hour covering 8.6 miles (6:57 pace). This morning I put in 10 miles which included 5 x ½ mi with ½ mile recoveries. The splits were all over the place at 2:48, 2:39, 2:46, 2:41, & 2:42. It doesn’t really matter since there are no scheduled races on the calendar, at least for the next nine months. The thing that does matter is that I’m still able to put one foot in front of the other.