Welcome to Sam Mackenzie's Training Log

AM: Three peppy miles in the morning through the streets of South Philadelphia. I wanted to run up the steps of the art museum but was too far away. New Year's Eve was a good time to say the least, but the events of such shall not be mentioned here.

PM: It rained most of the day, but I was able to wait it out for my afternoon track work. Did 1.5 miles in 7:18, had to drop trou under a tree (endured the unpleasant experience of wiping w/ pine needles), did 1 mile in 4:57 (worst feeling interval), lap jog, got my game face on, 1200 in 3:34, lap jog, 800 in 2:18 (driving well for these last two intervals).

Note: Given the wackiness of the pace switches, I've spread today's mileage across pace types. The workout was in the threshold range for pace but moved into an O2 uptake feel at times.

AM: 3 miles. Made the mistake of running out on the Rittenhouse trail behind Downs Elementary which was really wet. Picked it up a good amount on the way back.

PM: 8 miles late at night after teaching. Ran out Creek Road. The road was a bright white color which initially led me to believe that there was a car behind me lighting it up with its headlights. Soon after, I realized it was just the stars. I caught a few half mile splits (3:06, 3:02, 3:02) before I quit looking at my watch and just settled into pace. Lifted weights in the basement after.

AM: Easy Valley Road 5k loop to recover a bit. I picked it up to about 6:15 only for the last third of a mile or so. I've got a tough track workout this afternoon.

PM: Drove 4.5 hours up to Cornell and did a workout there on the indoor track.

400s in 60.5 (1 minute rest),

59.4 (1 minute rest),

59.8 (3 minutes rest),

400 in 63.0 (1 minute rest),

300 in 46.2 (1 minute rest),

300 in 44.6

Got a blood blister on my right big toe that slowed me down some across the second set. Legs a little bit dead.

After waking up just before noon (slept 12 hours), I didn't try to cram a 3 mile "morning" run in before the progression run I was doing in the afternoon. At about 3, I ran down to my old high school (about a mile) and talked for a bit with Coach Rhodes and Coach Weeks. From there, I did 7 miles fairly quick, came back to the track and did 6 strides with spikes on, running the straights, and walking the turns. Lifted and stretched then ran home. Cornell 800 tomorrow!

Shakeout run in the morning--legs felt dead. Ran an 800 at Cornell at night. Legs still felt really tired. Led from the wire and ran 1:58 for an easy win. Pathetic time, but a good taste of pace.

All around Cornell. Drove back to Delaware.

Ran 8 x 200 hills concentrating on good form w/ easy downhill jog between reps. Strength work after.

Ran Creek Road in the dark. Puddles everywhere, not as fun as the last time out. Most half mile splits were in the 3:05-3:10 range. I may take tomorrow off as I'm racing a mile on Thursday and have a big race on the 20th to think about. Still not feeling fresh.

As noted before (I think), I'm counting marathon miles as anything markedly more intense than easy pace. According to Daniels, as a 4:08 miler, my "true" marathon pace for training purposes would be 5:13 per mile and my easy/long pace would be 6:14. As a middle distance runner (i.e. speed/strength runner as opposed to pure endurance) with a background in running slow on non-workout days, I'm throwing times out the window for now as I'm easing into making my intensity (feel) match my pace (objective time).

Day off from running. Did my core strength work and some weight stuff like any other Tuesday. Some visualization stuff as well. Excited to race on Thursday!

Ran to Natalie's gym with her then back on my own.

AM:  2 miles shake out. 

First mile of the season was a strange one. I got the the Armory about two hours before my race, but ended up having to wait a bit to register. I started warming up only about 40 minutes before my event and then had to switch spikes (twice) because of what they were allowing people to race in. Basically I ended up with 10 minutes of jogging and some limited stretching and strides going into the mile.

I didn't see any of the people I expected to be there on the start line, so I took it out--against my original plan of sitting and moving when I felt like I could commit a sprint to the finish. Splits through 1200 were about 1:02, 2:05, 3:09. At 1200 I felt a little cramp on the outside of my left hamstring come on. Simultaneously I was passed by Karl Dusen who would go on to win. My time wasn't great obviously but I was more disappointed by the fact that I let a spotty warmup and small cramp get in the way of a winning attitude. Next week will be different. I will have to be a lot tougher and will do everything I can do to be ready.

Ran easy all around the outside of Central Park then inside around the Res.  Did a little add-on down to Cornell Med School and came back.  Strength work and stretching to follow.  Hamstring definitely still cramped up a bit but loosened up as I went along.  Felt fairly tired but not more than you'd expect after an indoor mile.

Warmed up by jogging over to Central Park with Natalie and Kate.  Stretched the hamstring a bit and started on a six mile steady state around the Reservoir.  This ended up being about 3.75 loops as it's about 1.6 miles around.  Ran for 33 minutes and amazingly caught up with Matt Uzenski who was also running in the park for the last 5 minutes or so plus cool-down.

 
Clocked a 5:19 for 1600 yards late in the run which equates to about a 5:43.  Still, at no point in the run did I feel like I was laboring in the slightest.  Everything felt easy.

6 x 300 w/ 400 jog recovery.  42.9, 43.0, 41.8, 41.4, 41.6, 41.6.  Hamstring cramped up a good bit, but otherwise felt good.  Got a deep tissue massage from Vicki in the evening.

AM: 5k Valley Road loop. Easy at the start then picked up the pace a bit halfway through. Hamstring still crunchy.

PM: One hour easy running. Ran Iron Hill, back and out to first section of Rittenhouse, then returned to the field house. Did strength work there although I couldn't get into the weight room. Iced the hamstring.

I'm getting pumped for this Saturday's race. There are some big names coming to run and I'm feeling ready to mix it up. Everyone there will be helping me towards a PR and I have nothing to lose as long as I go out and execute, running first with my head and then finishing with guts. I don't feel like I'm in the best shape of my life, but I do feel as though I can walk away with a time I'll be happy with. More importantly, I'd really just like to compete within the second group if one happens to emerge. Just to give an idea of the field, here's the start list:

New Balance Elite Mile 2:40pm

1. Allan Webb USA Nike
2. James Thie Wales NYAC
3. Andy Badderly England New Balance
4. Jason Lunn USA Nike
5. Adrian Blincoe New Zealand New Balance
6. Eliud Njubi Kenya Westchester TC
7. Grant Robison USA Reebok
8. Shane Stroup USA Nike
9. Sam McKenzie USA Nike Central Park TC
10. Abiyott Endale Ethiopia Westchester TC
11. Alexandsr Skvortsov Russia Spartanik TC
12. Josh McAdams USA New Balance
14. Neville Miller USA NYAC
15. Richard Smith USA Unattached

(My name's spelled wrong but there are faster guys with the same problem, so I'm not complaining.)

8 x 200 w/ 200 meter jog on the outdoor track.  Ran the home straight and ended at the 1500 start.  Wind at my back.

29.7, 31.6 (may have started at 110 start instead of 100 start?), 29.7, 28.6, 30.4, 28.3, 29.4, 28.4
 

5 mile steady state around the neighborhood. Didn't push, didn't time. Just felt smooth. Ended at the top of a hill with a little extra kick for the last few minutes. Heart rate was 174, so I was pleased with my ability to gauge a good intensity.  Strength work afterwards.

Took a day off from running to rest the hamstring.  Did get strength work in which is something.

Getting pumped for the race!

Not many people get the opportunity to race against the field that gathered at the Armory Saturday afternoon.  In hindsight, I'm pleased that I didn't get freaked out by some of the names.  I believe that I can race with some of the best milers in the country--if not right now then certainly by this summer.  If I didn't believe that, I'd be wasting my time.  Splits were:  61 (440yd), 2:02 (880yd), 2:33 (1000m), 4:11.41 (mile).  First, I need to make 2:02 at the half (actually 2:00) feel more comfortable.  It didn't feel too terrible today but I certainly paid for it a bit.  Always need to get stronger...

Ran around the Reservoir with Natalie who was doing a tempo run.  Did 6:30 or just under for 3+ miles.  The rest of the day was easy.

Ran up to the grassy knoll.  Clocking off 6 minute miles all the way up Creek Road and back.  Strength work and a barefoot half mile around the indoor track after.

AM:  3 miles.  PM:  1.5 miles in 7:22, (3 minutes), 1 mile in 4:37, (3 minutes), 1200 in 3:31, (3 minutes), 800 in 2:18. Ran this on the indoor track in lane one and ended up with a blister on my left foot that kept me from getting on my toes the last two intervals. Still pretty pleased with the results. Need to get stronger!

AM:  3 miles easy.  PM:  8 miles easy.  Feet feel sore from yesterday's pounding.  I'm glad to be off the track for a few days.

I ended up running my workout at 10 pm tonight.  My thesis work has been picking up a good amount (I'll be busy with data collection all weekend) and today was my little sister's birthday.  I let myself digest for a bit after the birthday cake and then forced myself out into the cold.  Real snow was on the ground for the first time this year and it sort of reminded me of running in Ithaca (except it was pitch black of course).  Tonight I chose a special hill for my repeats--one that I hate to see at the end of any Sunday long run coming back on Creek Road.  It's not too terrible:  a sharp rise followed by a short leveled off piece that gives rise to another sharp rise and then a gradual incline to the top.  Splits were 52.7, 53.7, 50.8, 48.4, 47.5, and 47.3.  I'm guessing the thing is 275 meters or so.  I tried to keep my back upright and get good knee lift with quick turnover, swinging my arms at the shoulders.

Steady state run all at 6 minute pace except for the last mile which I dropped to 5:45 range.  I did this on the treadmill since I really didn't want to run outside.  HR was about 180, five higher than the amount I weighed in at with shoes and clothes after stepping off.  Did strength work at the ice arena gym.

Day off from running.  I had been looking for a local 5k to run but instead ended up with a long day collecting data at the lab (starting with a 5 am wakeup).

Long run today after a hellish weekend of data collection.  My brain was very tired as was most of my body but my legs and lungs were grateful for the time out on the trails and roads.  Came back clicking off 6:40 then 6:30 then 6:20--all feeling very easy.

Early afternoon recovery run of 10 miles

AM:  Valley Road 5k loop in 20:20 after lifting earlier in the morning.  Just getting ready for tonight.  PM:  2 miles at 6:30, 4 at 5:45, and 2 more at 6:30.  Had to run on the treadmill at the Carpenter Sports Building but it went fine.  Felt good.

400's workout:  62 (1 min), 59 (1 min), 61 (5 min w/ jog), 61 (1 min), 62 (1 min), 62 (1 min).  Felt pretty terrible but not too disappointed with the results.  Had to run on the indoor track by myself but excuses only go so far.  Leaving for Australia in two days may have something to do with it--I've been a little stressed lately.

Easy run with Natalie around Manhattan.  Plane leaves today!

Technically I lose today due to the time change.  For the record, I don't think I went more than 30 hours with out running.

Shaking out the legs in Sydney.

Long day at the beach.  After getting 5 hours of sleep in the last 50 hours, I went to bed at 5 pm for a nap and woke up at 7 am the next morning!

Around Sydney's Royal Botannical Gardens and along coastline by the Opera House.

5k 'race' in south Melbourne with the Gunn Runners.  16:40 on a windy day around a lake down there.  Not bad considering I spent last night on a bus and the whole day today at a conference!  I couldn't find the hotel where the group was meeting up beforehand but eventually found it after about 40 minutes of frantic running from my hotel (thought I'd be late).  Race numbers were turned in afterwards in exchange for beer.

Spent the whole day at the conference and went out to dinner with the Maryland group afterwards.  Gonna try to get to the track/gym tomorrow.

Ran around Melbourne in the morning (skipping conference time) and lifted a bit at RMIT.

Legs dead from all the walking.  Ran a bit then did some swimming in the public pool (free to people staying at our hostel).

Beautiful run around the Royal Botanical Gardens in Melbourne.  Finished the run with a stop at the bus station to get my overnight ticket for a 12 hour trip back to Sydney (bus sleep is terrible by the way) and a stop at the IMAX to check the schedule there.  Never did end up going since my bus took off at 7...

Exhausted.  No other way to put it.  The sleep on the bus was once again horrible although to be fair I must have slept some amount since apparently there was a big storm on the way back to Sydney.  Today since I wasn't able to find a track that was open to the public, I did a workout at Hyde Park on a trail that went around a memorial for fallen Olympic athletes--pretty cool place.  Since I didn't have distances, I just ran hard for 4:40, 3:30, 2:20 and 1:10 with 3 minutes in between.  Had to go to the bathroom toward the middle--probably all the fruit I'm eating.

First day at surf camp.  Today I got up at 6:30 and took a bus three hours south of Sydney where I spent two sessions of two hours each learning how to surf, which involves a lot of core strength.  Arms were pretty tired by the end of the day from pushing up on the board.  Without an hour to spare early in the day I ran after digesting dinner.  The terrain was surprisingly hilly.

Ran along the beach after the second two hour surf session.  Finished the day feeling incredibly beat down.  Shoulders and triceps are killing me.

DNR.  Just four hours of surfing.

DNR again.  I wanted to run once I arrived back in Sydney but after four more hours of surfing plus the trip home, I was just too tired to do anything worthwhile.

Mixed bag workout at the Sydney Olympic Complex.

26.7 (300 jog), 1:37.? (400 jog), 2:45.8 (800 jog), 1:34.0 (400 jog), 2:14.8 (600 jog), 57.8

I was really happy with this workout as it was sort of surprising after a mediocre week and I pretty much had to streamline my entire schedule to fit it in. I started the day with a train ride out to the Olympic Complex where a tour of the facility got my juices flowing again. The track has since been moved next door. After the workout, I stuck around to watch a free outdoor opera concert by the Sydney Opera Company. Great day.

Last day in Sydney.  Shamefully, I did not run once again.

After arriving back to JFK from Australia at 9:45 last night, I somehow thought it'd be a good idea to race in Boston the next day.  I took the lead at 300 in with a nifty inside move and lead through to the last 100 when I started to tie up.  I ended up second with a dismal last 50+ meters.  Although I think I'm in 1:52 shape give or take with full rest, I was actually sort of surprised I ran as fast as I did given the finish.

Ran easy in Central Park with Natalie then took a bus back to Delaware.

AGAIN, no run.  Shameful!  This will probably be the last day I take off for three weeks or so.

10 miles at about 6:30 pace.  Ran it all on the roads since the trails are super slushy.

Easy six with Brian after a long day at work.

Up-tempo four miles on the roads w/ some strides.

Shaked out at the Reggis Lewis Center getting ready for tomorrow's DMR.  Looking forward to getting back into some quality training after tomorrow...

For today's DMR, I got the baton with a huge lead thanks especially to some really quality legs by Kobe (48-low 400 going out in 22) and Jeff (1:52.6 800) and subsequently didn't have to run that hard.  I just kept a really even (slow) pace throughout to avoid blowing up--which would have been the only way we would have lost.  After the relay, I did 3 x 5 minutes at tempo pace.  I know that I really need to get back on track if I want to accomplish my goals for outdoors.  I'm ready for a good month of March.

Medium long on the roads at about 6:15 pace (timed Creek Road).  Slush everywhere.

Early afternoon: Today's workout went great. I ran out about four miles to a fairly steep hill that rises sharply at first, tapers just a bit, and then slopes up again toward the end. I experimented with all sorts of form variations including knee drive, stride length, arm swing, and where I was landing with each footfall. Initially, I seemed to be getting the most "bang for my buck" with a quick acceleration at the start followed by good solid leg drive going heel to toe followed by quick arms/up on my toes for the final third. As I was jogging down the hill after repeat #7, three high school kids passed me coming up the hill at about the half way point. When I got to the bottom, I told myself that I was going to catch them even though they were well over half way done by the time I started. I didn't think about form at all--just about running as hard as I could, trying to make myself see white. I think I scared them when I went by toward the top since I must have looked like a wild man. Below are the splits:

1:13.7
1:15.4
1:12.6
1:11.1
1:14.0
1:11.6
1:15.2
1:06.9

12 miles total.

Evening: 3 miles on the treadmill at 10 mph (6 min pace) then about an hour of weights. I hit the whole circuit. Definitely need to get in the gym on the regular.  (Hey look, I just matched last week's total mileage.)

AM:  3 miles really easy around the indoor track with some stretching and ab work in the middle.

PM:  8 miles around Newark at 7 min pace or just under.

Did the 6 miler on the treadmill since it was cold and pouring rain and

I've been coughing a bit as it is.  5:46, 5:45, 5:46, 5:45, 5:46,

5:29.  I gradually sped it up at the end over the last mile cause I

wanted the thing to be finished faster and it felt a little bit better

to change gears just slightly.  9 miles total for treadmill.  Got the

weight work in as well.  High reps, low weight, all muscle groups. 

Cooled down a bit on the bike, just moving the legs, not pressing at

all.

Ran to the field house and then ran another warm up with PJ and Mike D who were doing an 8 mile tempo on the track. My workout was 12 x 400. There was some good and some bad associated with today. In terms of conditions, it was great to be running in warm weather again (shorts, thin long sleeve and Nike Marathoners), but the wind was gusting up to 30 mph--pretty typical for the UD track. I was supposed to hit 64-67 but this was tough at times with the stand up wind. The big theme, however, were the crazy GI issues during the workout despite going twice before starting. I ended up taking three trips to the porta-potty during the reps which made it pretty tough to get into a rhythm not to mention being freaking annoying.

67.9, 66.6, 68.3, 66.3, 69.1, 67.8, 68.5, 68.0, 66.5, 67.1, 66.5, 63.8

All in all, some reps felt good and some felt really hard. I think it depended mostly on if a gust of wind came through and how my stomach was feeling, but sometimes, the only difference between a tough effort/slow time and easy effort/faster time was form. I think the legs were just a little sluggish from the weights this week. Cooled down sort of long with PJ and Mike who ended up averaging somewhere around 5:15 for their run. Although they're both stronger endurance guys than me, I'm hoping to get some work in with them both as I prepare for my 5,000 opener.

Ran super easy today--probably about 8 minute mile pace--for 1:09.

Initially, the plan was to do this loop today:  http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=741696  two times.  Given the fact that I was still coughing a bit today (slowly improving), I opted instead to just do today's workout on the treadmill.  Grade was .5% and speed was 10.8 mph--about 5:33 pace.  The first three miles felt pretty good.  HR came back down pretty quickly to the 120-130 range but took 4:30 to return to under 110.  The second three miles was a little tougher but still manageable.  Legs got a bit tired over the last mile and a half especially.  HR took 7 min to dip below 110.

Ran 3 easy miles in the morning, picking up the pace a bit for the second half.  Did not run in the afternoon for two reasons:  I'm hoping to work out fairly hard tomorrow and would like to be rested up.  Also, I'm hoping taking it easy today means the last of this cough that's been sticking around.

AM: 3 miles. Freezing cold outside with much wind.

PM: So cold...had to run this after class at about 9:30 pm. Ran out to the very start of Creek Road before the start line for the tempo where the hill is. Starting at the bridge, I ran up to the road after it levels off a bit. For those that don't know, this is about 300 meters of sharp rise, brief leveling off over old railroad tracks, another shorter sharp rise, then gradual incline to the "top". Every rep was about 98% effort with jog down for rest. I was really close to throwing up on my cool down, as I could feel lactic acid in every part of my body.

I'd like to compare this to a few months back (see January 25th when I did 6 of these babies) but only ended up timing the 9th one (49 something) which was probably par for the course today. It was just too cold to run with an exposed wrist. : ) One difference was that the last time I did this, I wore road flats whereas today I wore old Kayanos. I do think that I'm getting fitter if not measurably faster.

Just a comment about the blog: I'm loving the ad that has the wrinkled old looking woman on it who morphs into a younger, more attractive woman. The ad says something like "What's your 'REAL AGE'? Take the test." Wouldn't it be great if that same rule applied to your race times...

Recovery run on Rittenhouse trails, all covered in snow.  Abs after.

AM: 3 miles with legs at the gym. I did not get the chance to run in the afternoon despite the best of intentions as I had to work then drive up to Groton, NY for a visit at Upstate tomorrow (picking Natalie up in NJ along the way).

AM:  3 miles around Groton.

PM:  8 miles really slow with Natalie around Syracuse.

5 x 1000 in Barton Hall w/ 3 min jog recovery. 2:54, 2:53, 2:51, 2:51, 2:46.  Full abs and legs.

DNR for the first time in a while.  Spent the whole day in the car pretty much.  Went straight to work after and got home around 10:30.

Super muddy Rittenhouse (aka Junkyard) Trails.

3 sets of 5 400's on the outdoor track w/ 100 jog between reps, 6:30 between sets.  Weather was beautiful.  Ran the first and second set out front with Mike D with him leading most of the second set.  For the third set, Gregg, Brad, and Kyle joined us.  I felt good for the most part, about a 6 on a 10 point scale.  Feet were sort of sore--not sure what to do about that come 5,000 time.

67.2, (31.6), 66.0, (32.5), 66.0, (34.0), 67.3, (32.1), 66.3

Coach Fischer said we were jogging too fast so we slowed it down a bit... 

65.8, (40.3), 65.1, (43.7), 65.9, (43.1), 66.5, (39.9), 65.8

64.6 (opened in 30 point feeling awesome--oops), (43.1), 65.5, (40.6), 65.1, (41.8), 71.4

For that last one, I sort of just shut down and started running awkwardly.  I didn't go out much slower but something switched and I didn't want to press so I finished the workout there.  14 total.  Hopefully the decision pays off and I bounce back for whatever's coming on Thursday.

AM:  3 miles really easy.  Stretching.

PM:  Lifted before the run for the first time and felt OK.  8 miles medium easy with Paul (his first run since the marathon) from the Nature Center, out a ways, and back.

Workout at Georgetown Prep on their indoor track. Paul and a few spectators present.

200 - 28.1 (400 jog)
600 - 1:34.3 (400 jog)
1000 - 2:43.5 (800 jog)
600 - 1:34.6 (400 jog)
800 - 2:08.6 (600 jog)
400 - 58.1

(I'm pretty sure those recoveries are correct.) Great workout! I felt sluggish going into it with the quarters on Tuesday and the lifting yesterday, but came out on top. I think it helped that I cut Tuesday just a bit short.

It's interesting to compare this to the workout that I did in Australia at Sydney Olympic Park, because it's the exact same one:
26.7 (300 jog), 1:37.? (400 jog), 2:45.8 (800 jog), 1:34.0 (400 jog), 2:14.8 (600 jog), 57.8

Feet are sore. Will get them a soak once I get back to DE.

Foot got really swollen today and hurt a lot to walk on. It's red across the top with the pain not coming from one localized spot but rather fairly diffuse. I'm hoping this isn't anything serious but I'm taking today and tomorrow off to rest it and hope it comes back for me on Sunday. Two full workouts in spikes this week with a day in between--one tough one on the indoor track--may have just been too much.

Foot feels a little bit better and I think the swelling has gone down just a bit.  It's still pretty red across the top and hurts to touch it but I can walk on it fine.

Last easy day.  Foot is less swollen but strangely bruised.

Five miles around the neighborhood really easy.  Switched into a new pair of Kayanos and didn't press off the foot much at all until midway through the run.  Legs felt so fresh.  I think I'm almost out of the woods as there was no pain in the foot and the swelling has subsided completely.  Iced afterwards just to be safe.

DNR.  On top of the foot thing (which seems to be gone at this point), my R achilles was really sore today for some reason.  It hurt a bit on the run yesterday.  I don't think it's a big deal but want to be cautious.

AM:  3 miles around Valley Road Loop.

PM:  10 miles on trails w/ UD guys.  Pretty hilly and at a nice clip.  Had to jump into the woods with about ten minutes to go but otherwise a nice run.

AM: 3 miles

PM: 6 x 800 w/ 400 jog: 2:19, 2:18, 2:22, 2:21, 2:20, 2:20. Really windy!  Strength work.

Up at 4:30 am to drive to Montreal.  Did not get a chance to run.  Fairly pathetic as I told myself I wouldn't let this weekend hurt my training.

Around the park in Montreal.

Shameful day. Brian's bachelor party + bountiful casino winnings = awful hangover.  I can't have any more days like this. Drove back to Manhattan. DNR.

AM:  Fairly brisk 1:06 in the morning.  Ran with Columbia guys for part of it in Central Park.

PM:  6 miles with Natalie and Kate really slow.  Legs did not feel as good as they did this morning.

Great workout today!  Rest in parentheses:

28high (200) 2:37mid (600) 63mid (300) 63low (300) 61low (600) 2:36 (200) 28

AM:  3 miles with lifting and core stuff.  The gym's closed for spring break so I did everything in the basement.

PM:   8 miles easy.

Out on Rittenhouse trail from the lab pretty quick then back from the turnaround to the footbridge as fast as possible. Fun!

AM: 3 miles easy.

A really relaxed hour plus on White Clay trails.

Hills!  8 x hill on the road going up to Iron Hill before you make the left toward the shady park.  Kept it relaxed.  Abs and core after a long cool down.

Pretty quick run on Creek Road.  Legs felt good.  Lifted legs after.

3 x 800 w/ 400 jog, 3 x 600 w/ 300 jog, 2 x 400 w/ 200 jog, 1 x 200

2:21, 2:20, 2:18, 1:37, 1:37, 1:37, 64, 62, 28
 

Crazy day with work and a drive to Princeton. Did not run as much as I would have liked but opted for sleep and not to run at 11 pm.

Race at Princeton. The opener 5,000 did not go so smoothly to say the least. I was out where I wanted to be with a 4:39 first mile and the next two laps were on pace as well. (The goal was 14:30.) Things went downhill fast from there, as I just could not turn my legs over. Once the time was out of reach and I was back from the pack, I sort of bagged as I just couldn't get my legs to respond. Not a good way to start the season but I know I'm in better shape. I will try again with the 5,000 in two weeks.

Day off from running. Worked at the lab from 7:30 through to the afternoon and tutored at night. Good to get the head together. Will go long tomorrow.

Pretty quick 12 miles shifting between 6 min pace and 7:20 pace.  Out fast at the start from home to the Nature Center then slowed it down a bit.  I picked it up again on the way back through Creek Road.  Legs feel tired especially R hamstring and R quad.

Weights and painful massage after.

Marathon pace between 5:40 and 6:00 per mile.

First, the plan was to workout.  The weather prevented that, however, as I figured it would be better to do the workout tomorrow.  (It's a doozy.)  Was going to do ten but cut it short.  I don't know what it is but my legs just aren't responsive these days.

AM:  3 miles easy.  Ran to work.

PM:  Workout.  I wore a HR monitor so that I'd know if the fatigue I felt was physiological or psychological.  Here was the workout and the results:

2 miles:  10:04, HR peak 192 for last 800 or so
(400 jog)
1.5 miles:  7:12, HR peak 194 for last 600 or so (high!)
(Full recovery (8 minutes walk/jog))
1 mile:  4:37, HR peak 188
(600 jog)
1000:  2:42, out slow, closed fast
(600 jog)
400:  59 point

Today I learned that my lactate threshold needs improvement.  The first two intervals should have been in the 180's, yet they were pretty close to max HR (I'm guessing about 195 for me).  This is likely the reason for why I blew up in the 5,000 last Friday.  In 8 days from now, I'm going to try again, but try to be more relaxed through 2 miles.  If this means I need to slow down a bit, I will.  Once I've got a mile to go, I'm not taking no for an answer!
 

Was going to double but didn't since my Achilles is hurting a bit.

Rained HARD all day.  That, combined with the Achilles = no run.  I did lift and do abs.

AM:  3 miles in the drizzle.  Felt great!

PM:  11 miles easy with some bursts thrown in uphills.  Felt pretty good.  Achilles sore in the beginning. 

Warmed up on the exercise bike for 15 minutes.  I was going to just do bike today to rest the Achilles a bit but opted to move over to the treadmill after.  I did 4 miles starting at 6 minute pace, working down to about 5:40 with 3 miles cool down.  My Achilles just takes some time to warm up most days as it's sore at the beginning of most runs for about ten minutes.  Since I bought new shoes for walking around last week and threw out a few old pairs, I'm hoping it gets better soon.

A little better than last time out but still not where I want to be.  Out fine (4:40, 4:48) but faded over the last mile once again.  More mental toughness this time at least.  Going to wait a bit until I run another 5k.  Time for some shorter stuff!

Really easy hour on trails.

Really easy on trails again with Natalie.  The run felt loooooong.

AM:  3

PM:  7 

AM: 3

PM: Workout at the track. 1600 in 4:31, (3 min), 1200 in 3:27, (3+ min), 800 in 2:09, (3+ min), 400 in 60. Ran the first two intervals in flats. The 1200 was fine until the last lap (71) even though I didn't feel like I was slowing down a whole lot. The wind made it a little tough. Lifting, abs and core.

Busy day!  Off to the DR tomorrow.

After getting up at 4 am, we arrived at the resort sometime in the late afternoon. Just shook out the legs a bit with a run on the beach. The coastline here is actually very short and for the first time in my life really, I feel like there isn't a good place to run outside.

Treadmill time!  5 miles at 5:35 pace.  Lifted afterwards.

3 sets of 3 400's up hill.  Jog down hill between reps and walk down between sets.  Tough!

Easy run in the morning then back to the U.S.

DNR.  Stomach feels pretty bad.  Something's in the water down there!

Still feeling pretty icky.  Opted for an easier workout than planned to go a bit easier on the bowels.  Paced Mike D. (who was doing hurdles in lane two) to 2 x 1000 in 2:53 and 2:49 then did 8 x 200 in 32 dropping down to 29 with 200 jog.

Easy run in White Clay with PJ and Mike.  A bug stung my eye and tried to burrow into it.  The worse bug experience of my running career by far.

Only a morning run today.  The schedule has been nuts.

A step in the right direction even though I didn't compete like I wanted to.  Next week I'll be rabbiting Kip Keino in Ithaca and then no more mistakes.

Drove back from NY through Princeton to watch Heps even though I should have been back Saturday night given all the work I've got to do for school.  Taught at night and ended up not running.

Not trying to make up for yesterday, but it was good to get a long run in.  Ran easy in the morning (3) and then did 14 or just under in the afternoon with Mike at White Clay.  Great run.

8 x 300 on the track.

AM:  4 easy.

PM:  8 easy.  Lifting.

 

Just lifting today.  Stayed up late super last night prepping for a presentation then was busy all day long.  Tomorrow I'll double, then Saturday is easy prep for Sunday.

3 x 8 minutes on Creek Road w/ 3 minute jog recovery.

Getting ready to pace tomorrow.

Set pace for the Kip Keino mile on a windy day in Ithaca.  Was ready to run faster but wanted to make sure I was blocking wind for guys behind me.  Did some 200's after.

http://www.letsrun.com/2007/keinomile05137.php



 

Trail run in Ithaca.  7 + pace to start, 6:30 for the last half.

AM:  3 miles.

PM:  2 warmup, 4 at threshold (felt pretty crappy), 2 cooldown. 

Ran late at night after an exhausting day.  Ended up getting locked out of the track and opted to work out tomorrow.

AM: 3 miles

PM:

SET 1
31.10 (Ran into lane 4 to avoid big lawn mower on the track)
(46.92)
2:37.32 (Out OK to start but through 400 in 1:04 thanks to mower. Guy moved it by the time I came around again.)
(5:04.82)

SET 2
29.94
(48.00)
1:30.61 (Felt tough.)
(7:35.20 - Rest too long due to porta-potty trip.)

SET 3
29.87 (Are you kidding me?)
(49.43)
57.94 (Asking my legs for a lot here.)
(2:39.19 )

SET 4
28.76 (Again, that's it?)
(1:04.86)
44.26 (Pressed with everything without going absolutely overboard. Had Saturday in the back of my mind.)

Overall impressions: B+ I didn't feel awesome but I felt OK and I battled. Just hard to run quick at the end even if 30 second pace felt smooth. It was sort of a hot day but there wasn't a whole lot of wind--just a few gusts on the backstretch from time to time. I'm excited for Saturday.

1500 at St. John's (Icahn) in the rain with no comp.

Long run around Central Park.

Ran easy in the morning with Natalie then went back to Delaware.  No afternoon run.

44.68, 45.37, 43.76

61.00, 58.86, 58.07

27.81, 27.19, 26.75

Road flats by myself with 200 walk/jog recovery between reps, 400 between sets. Took some extra recovery before starting the 200's since I wanted to make sure I hit my times without blowing up.

White Clay by myself.

2:05 through 800 then picked it up. Felt good closing but a bit tired after moving up from last throughout thanks to slip at start.

Took a bus back from NY to Philly, walked a few miles to my car, drove home, and went to work.  It was good to get a day off.

Fairly quick on my own.  Out Creek Road, passed the Nature Center, passed the sign at the trail split a little ways and back.

Track workout.  300 in 42, 1000 in 2:36, 300's in 44, 44.00, and 42.

Got a massage from Vicki today.  Found a few pains in some previously unknown areas.

Took a day off to rest my calf.

No real thoughts on this race.  I went out to Nashville day of and the gun went off at midnight EST after being up since 6 am.  Not ideal but I should have run better.

Flew home after a long walk around Nashville to clear my head.  Feeling exhausted.

Feeling beat after all the traveling and lack of sleep. Used yesterday and today to recharge.

3 x 8 minutes at tempo pace w/ 3 minutes rest in between.

Ran covered bridge with Mike D.

8 x 200 on the track pretty much all out w/ 200 walk in between reps and 800 jog after 4.