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.

Duty Calls

Well, the talk or rumor of a possible deployment ends now. My unit got the official order to deploy. I'm heading for the sandbox for the 3rd time. I will be leaving very shortly. All I can say is that this day next week I will most likely be in a country you hear about each day in the media. I can assure you that the running shoes will be packed. I'm not sure how much running I'll be able to put in, but I hope it is some. If I'm lucky I may be able to run a few fun races while deployed like I did the last couple rotations.

For now, I say so long. Thanks to all who have visited this site. It's been a great pleasure being a part of the running blog-land. My blog will still be here, but I most likely will not update it till I get back (whenever that is). Good luck to everyone in 2007. Run hard, run smart.

It's not about the bike

Instead of a white Christmas yesterday, it was a wet Christmas. I opened the door ready to head out for my Christmas run at 6:30am and all I see and hear is the pouring rain. A strong downpour, a 10-15 mph wind and 42 degrees temperature ...... Should I run? I'm in my last week of recovery from the marathon, so I don't think it will hurt to skip out on a run. Not wanting to get soaked in the cold rain I got on my bike, which I've used more indoors than outdoors, and rode for an hour while watching my favorite running movie Chariots of Fire. It's always been a tradition for me to run on special days (b-day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, etc.), so I was feeling guilty during the day. Since it stopped raining in the early evening I ended up putting in an easy 30 minutes of running.

This morning I ran on the Cape Fear River Trail. Either everyone was back at work or they all had a long christmas and are sleeping in. During the 9 miles of running on this trail I only saw a couple walkers. It was surprising noone else was out running because the trail is normally busy with walkers, runners, and bikers. As I trotted along on my run I tried to focus on running easy with good form. I must have gotten in the zone around mile 3, because I was cruising along at 6:40 pace. Going out the breathing was easy, inhaling and exhaling every three steps. On the way back I increased the pace just a little to where I was breathing in and out every couple steps. As I approached the last mile I picked up the pace again just to break an hour for the run.

Today's run: 59:54 (9 miles - 6:39 pace)

Monday: 29:56 (4.2 - 7:08 pace)

Out and back

After having an awesome time running Duke Forest yesterday, I'm back running in the local area. I did an out-and-back course from home to post (Ft Bragg). This is one of my routine routes when I don't feel like driving on-post to hit the trails. The route is all grass/dirt so it's easy on the legs. As I got closer to the Reilly Road entrance gate to Ft Bragg, I came across the intersection where a tragic accident, which left 3 dead, occurred earlier in the week. The sides of the intersection were filled with flowers. It was a sad scene. As I ran past the intersection I remembered that as runners we must be cautious of our surroundings. Even though we run against traffic and off of roads there are still those foolish drivers who have no courtesy for runners.

I went out comfortably easy hitting the 6-mile turnaround point in 40:48. On my way back I could tell that the legs and breathing got into a steady rhythm. I ended up coming back faster in 39:06, an average pace of 6:31. The 12-mile run almost felt like a tease. I wanted to run more. This morning's run completes the second week of marathon recovery.

Have a wonderful Christmas.

Today's run: 1:19:54 (12 miles - 6:40 pace)
Weekly mileage: 53.8 miles

Al Buehler Trail - Duke Forest

A rock displaying Buehler's accomplishments

Al Buehler Trail

Wanting to get away from the Fort Bragg/Fayetteville area and have a change of running scenery, I decided to drive to Durham to run in the Duke Forest. The Duke Forest comprises of 7900 acres of land and lies adjacent to the Duke University campus. There are many different trails in the forest that are not only good for running but also for hiking, horseback riding, and biking.

I chose to run the Al Buehler Trail. The trail is named after Al Buehler, former head coach of Duke University's men's track & field and cross country team for 45 years. The trail, used by Duke varisty runners and weekend warriors, consists of a 3-mile loop around the Washington Duke Golf Course and a 1-mile fitness trail added on. After completing the 4 miles just under 27 minutes (26:51), I was making my way around the trail for a 2nd time. That's until I saw another trail that went off course. I took this trail, called "Old Footpath Trail", and just kept running. I was feeling great running steady at 6:30 - 6:45 pace. At about 2.5 miles out, I decided to turn around and head back to the trail head. I'm not sure how much longer the trail went. When I got back to the trail head I asked this runner who looked competitive how far the trails go. He said that you can put in 15+ miles without overlapping. I'm sure I'll be back here some time to put in the miles.

I must say that I could not be happier with the way my recovery is going. I'm beginning to think that my fitness is carrying over perfectly to the next training cycle. This was the situation after last year's Marine Corps Marathon. Recovery after MCM went very well that I was back running key workouts 3 weeks after the marathon. I eventually doubled up my fall fitness into a great marathon training cycle, in which I ran a PR at Austin.

Today's run: 59:48 (9M - 6:39 pace)

Zonk

This morning was sort of strange because there was almost noone out running or doing PT (physical training). I'm not sure if it was the slight mist of rain that kept everyone indoors or if it was all the First Sergeants thinking the same. It's 0600 in the morning and my 1SG walks into my office and says..... "Hey sir, what do you think about zonking the guys? I don't think anyone will be doing PT this morning. You saw Monday, we were the only guidon running out there." I stop what I'm doing and begin to think to myself "that's even a better reason to do PT." Because it's the holiday season and we weren't able to take leave, I told my 1SG that it would be a morale booster for our Troopers. Minutes later my 1SG yells ZONK.. 5,4,3,2,1. I can assure that everyone had disappeared by the count of 3. They all probably went back to bed.

I saw zonk as an opportunity to get out the door for a nice peaceful run. Peaceful it was. The run was free of cadence. It almost seemed like everyone had decided to extend their Christmas 4-day weekend to 5 days. I'm not complaining. I prefer being out there running alone. Today's run made it 3 consecutive days of ~8 miles. I think the legs are getting used to running close to an hour. If all goes well the next couple days I'll end this week at about 50 miles and then begin building my base the following week.

Today's run: 55:21 (8.1M - 6:50 pace)

60-50-40

My recovery is falling into place perfectly. The legs feel like they are back to normal and ready to run more. This morning's run was 8 miles at a steady easy pace. Holding back and not running faster than easy pace is getting tougher each day. About 2 miles into the run I found myself running 6:40 - 6:45 pace. The effort felt easy, so I just went along with the pace. I decided to pick up the pace in the last mile. After my run I did some pushups, abs, and lots of stretching.

In one of my recent posts I was asked by a fellow Army Soldier, Cakmakli, to post my pushup and situp workout. Since I've entered the Army in 2001, I have not scored below a 366 in the APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test) extended scale. In fact, 366 is my lowest score and 402 is my personal best. I think the biggest mistake Army Soldiers do to prepare for a PT test is they do lots of pushups and situps everyday. If you do pushups and situps everyday then you don't give your muscles a chance to recover and build. Same concept applies in running, you don't run hard everyday because you're legs and body will not recover. I think once you've gotten into good muscular endurance shape, then all you'll need to do is maintain a certain amount of work. My unique pushup/situp workout I'm about to describe only takes about 10-15 minutes and is conducted every other day, sometimes once every three days. I normally do this workout following my easy runs.

I call this workout 60-50-40. When doing the pushups do not worry about how fast you can do it, work on proper form. When all is done you've completed 200 pushups and 200 abs.

60 regular pushups followed by 60 crunches
50 regular pushups followed by 50 obliques (each side)
40 regular pushups followed by 40 reverse crunches
30 daimond pushups followed by 30 unassisted situps
20 daimond pushups followed by 20 toe touches (back on the ground, feet straight up)

Today's run: 53:44 (8M - 6:43 pace)
Yesterday's run: 51:16 (7.5M - 6:50 pace)