9/30 run

I ran 7 miles today. The first 3.5 loop I ran with my sister. We were going relatively slowly (close to 9s), but it was a good warmup to loosen up my legs. On the second loop I ran right at 7 min miles. My legs felt good and the weather was great. It was nice to sleep until 6 instead of 4:45. I'm feeling well rested and ready for the next phase. I'm a little nervous about the long run on friday and bike ride over the weekend, but I know I'll feel accomplished when the week is over. I'm going to steel from Kamran and start doing pluses and minuses for the day....
pluses: slept in; great weather; have a new adult volunteer for youth group
minuses: wasn't prepared for class, again; nutrition (didn't eat dinner until 9:45pm)

9/29 medium long run

Today I ran 11.8 miles. I had intended to go closer to 13, but when I got back and mapped the route online I came up short, oh well.

The run was so-so. I didn't run until 1:30 so it was pretty hot. Despite the heat and bad allergies/sinuses, I survived. My legs actually felt fine, I just wasn't feeling really too great overall.

Looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow!

9/27 long run

Campus loop extended to 18 today. My legs felt pretty heavy at first but I expected that after the massage on Thursday. After about 10 miles I really felt good. Miles 10-16 felt great. I was in a rythm and felt like Angie and I were pushing the pace. The last two miles were fine too...just a little harder to get started again after the bathroom/water break at 16 miles. I ended the run feeling very positive. I rolled out when I got home and I'm feeling good. Pace for the run was a bit over 8 min/mile.

9/25 run

We did the Enfield Loop 4 mile tempo run today. I was much smarter this time around than when we did the run two weeks ago. My first mile was 6:49, second 6:48, and mile 3 and 4 combined for 13:43 (I didn't get the split). So each mile was around the same pace which was a big improvement from last time where I started with a 6:20 and then died after that. I was pleased with the consistency and even more so than that, I know I could have comfortably kept running. I felt smooth and my leg felt good. I noticed it a bit on the hills but it was more of an annoyance than actually pain. I went to Lisa today to get a massage and got good news from her. She said I look more like someone who's had a lot of marathon experience just b/c of the way my body is taking the mileage. Considering I have little actual marathon training experience, this was a pleasant surprise. She worked on my vmo because basically of that tissue was just sticking together b/c it's a muscle and tendon insertion point. It already feels looser, but will probably be sore tonight. I'm looking forward to a day off and the long run on Sat.

9/24 medium long run

I went about 12 miles today (12.3 according to map my run). I didn't wear a watch, but I'd say I was running a bit below 8 min/mile. I felt a little tight the first few miles but then I was able to loosen up and felt good for the rest of the run. I didn't notice my leg bothering me at all which was really positive. I'm kind of tired, so I need to make sure to actually go 75% tomorrow for the tempo.

9/23 run

Back to some speed work. Today we did a min on and a min off on the way out to steve's truck...then came back at tempo pace. My goal was to go about 75% as to not push it too hard on my leg/knee. I felt fine on the warm-up and the on/offs were not too bad. It took me 21:57 to make it out to the turn-around. I kept finding that I was pushing it too hard, then I'd ease up until it didn't hurt...and as soon as it'd feel good I'd push it again. Finally, I just realized I needed to swallow my pride and take it easy. I was pretty conservative on the way back. I kept a pretty steady pace because I knew accelerating below 7 min miles would not be smart. I made it back in 20:26. My leg is kind of tight...but that's kind of what I expected. I really need to learn that it isn't worth it to push it on a Tues/Thur workout if that means I won't be able to run the next few days. I need to be more disciplined and listen to my body. After talking to Steve during office hours I have a better understanding how important my medium long runs and long runs are going to be from now until the marathon. I need to back off on Tues/Thur so I can get the most out of the other workouts....

9/22 run

Today I ran about 7 miles...probably a little short of that. I went at a comfortable pace (8:15s). I ran in the Twin Creeks neighborhood which was really nice. Great weather, great views, and my leg is feeling a lot better. I only noticed it when I was trying to pick it up towards the end. It feels a little tight when I stop...but not too bad.