Running Log for November 2009 ----------------------------- Sun 11/22 45 min easy. Slept late, had a sore throat from allergies this morning. Finally got out around 2 PM and it was beautiful outside, felt very good and surprised by my pace, really moving along. I will probably regret that tomorrow. This will be my first week over 25 mpw which is where I want to stay through the rest of the year. Sat 11/21 90 min long. Jim was away this weekend so I did my long run from the house, ran out of the subdivision and onto some of the back roads. It has been raining for a couple of days and the air felt great. It would probably be ugly weather for anybody else but felt great to me. The change in course made the time go by fast. Total distance 7.85 miles by my GPS. I'm thinking of adding more time to this run now, building back up to 2 hour runs which I used to do all the time. Not right away. Fri 11/20 Off day. Thu 11/19 45 min easy. I was not even sure if I was going to run today, woke up a little late, got the kids off to school, drank some coffee. Did not really feel like it but looking at the weather realized there's a 70% chance of rain tomorrow. OK, out the door with just enough time to do it. Wonderful run, perfect pace and great weather. And I came up with a solution for a work project that I have been stuck on for a while. Wed 11/18 60 min mileage. Very nice morning run. This run is at a pace that would be 70-75% MHR, where the easy runs are in the 75-80% range. At this pace I feel like I could run all day. Nice and cool this morning, took a lap around Blockhouse and another lap around the park, came back with plenty of time to get dressed because it's a work from home day. Enjoying it now before the nasty weather comes. Tue 11/17 45 min easy. Backed off on my pace today because my Sunday run left me sore and stiff. I ran a lot easier and felt better when it was over. I'll probably pick up the pace a little Thu but I needed a little recovery today. Mon 11/16 Off day. Sun 11/15 45 min easy. This was a hard run for me, legs a little tired after my long run yesterday. I guess in that sense it was a true recovery run and probably good for me. Would have been easier if I got out earlier, will do that next Sunday. Sat 11/14 90 min long. Ran with JimC at the park. Nice fallish weather (for Texas), felt really good. Sometimes I feel really wiped out when these runs are over but today I felt just like I would at the end of a 45 min run. My pace was a little better too, 7.98 miles at average 11:17. This has been a good week, should have 25 miles with tomorrow's run. There is a lot to be said for scheduled off days. Fri 11/13 Off day. Thu 11/12 45 min easy. Nice weather this morning. I felt really good on this run, ran at a good pace and only felt a little tired towards the end. Average pace 10:30. Hoping for more days like this. Wed 11/11 50 min mileage. A nice relaxed morning run. This is the run that will turn into a tempo run next year, just building mileage now. I run it at the same pace I run my weekend long run. The weather was really nice and I felt comfortable just cruising. Tue 11/10 45 min easy. Ran at lunch which was probably a bad idea. I always feel rushed during these runs and my stomach has been feeling irritated from allergies and from allergy meds, also from taking ibuprofen for a sore back (maybe or maybe not running related). Used my Garmin for the first time in a long time and it was nice, showed an average 11:00 pace but it was warmer. Mon 11/09 Off day. Sun 11/08 90 min long. Got out to Brushy Creek Lake Park this mornng for my long run. It was pretty out there but very foggy and a lttle damp because of it. The course I took was about half trail and the crushed gravel felt good on my tired legs. It was a really pretty run but still quite a bit of work, pretty beat by the time I got home. Sat 11/07 45 min easy. This week has not gone as planned but I should get in 4 runs anyway. Today I worked at home 7-3 and got out around 4. The weather was nice and I didn't have to worry about the restrictions of the morning. But I was a little tired, took me about 15 minutes to really get into it. Took an alternate path through the park on the way home for a little variety. Fri 11/06 Off day. Thu 11/05 45 min easy. Nice this morning. Still keeping my slightly reduced pace which is working out to be 10:46 (was 10:15). Not too comfortable (don't want that) but not quite as poundy. I think this is an important period for me because it was at this point last time that I started getting injured, where my C-V system started getting stronger and tempted me to push harder and break my M-S system. I feel great now. Slightly longer slower run tomorrow. Wed 11/04 Off day. Tue 11/03 45 min easy. Beautiful weather this morning. I slowed down my pace by about 30 seconds because I've been feeling a little pounded up lately and it worked real well, finished feeling much more relaxed. I did notice at the end that I still have a tendency to run harder, guess I'm just pumped up by the end. But I feel that's a good way to get injured, need to work on steady pace. Mon 11/02 Off day. Sun 11/01 45 min easy. A little warmer than I expected when I went out at 11 after lazing around all morning. I felt OK the first 30 minutes but started tiring out the last 15. I think I'm still tired from my long run yesterday.