Doug's Running Thingy

Started the year off with a little workout in the neighborhood.  1.5 mi warmup and then six times two minutes on and one minute off.  Mostly in the 6:30-6:45 pace for the "ons" - 1.5 mi cooldown back to the house.  Spent all day cleaning up the yard and taking down decorations - brutal outside today.  Just barely got over 70 degrees and the sun was just soooo bright  :)

Neighborhood hilly fiver - nice and easy.  Take tomorrow off and then six on Fri and seven on Sat for a thirty mile week - woooo!

Neighborhood six miler before dinner.  Actually had to wear a hat and gloves this evening - upper 40s  :)

Another massive 7 miler in the books.  On the trails again, so nothing real speedy.  Will take tomorrow off then 8 on the road on Monday evening - see if I cant hold right at 8 min pace.  Decided to "race" a 15K next Saturday - should be fun.

On the neighborhood roads before sunup for 8 miles easy.  Ran this 8-mile loop many times prepping for my two and only marathons back in '04-'05.  Forgot how hilly it is - bleh.  Managed sub-8 pace for three of the miles and about 8:15 overall average - about what I expected.

Nice easy few miles in the neighborhood this evening to work out the soreness from 8 hilly miles yesterday.  Did two with the dog then another on my own.  A little foam rollerizing afterwards and legs are feeling pretty good.

Decent workout on the neighborhood roads this evening.  Six times two minutes on and one minute off sandwiched by 1.75 warmup and 1.25 cooldown.  Major heat wave going on, so that was less than ideal, but hit all the "ons" between 6:30 and 6:45 - that'll do for now. I'm majorly stressing out over the 15K this Saturday - keep telling myself its just a step up in training on the way to the half in Feb, but nine miles is a long freakin way for me, and to NOT race it just seems unlikely.  Hopefully I can stick to my plan of just going out easy for the first half at 7:50-8:00 pace and then coming back steadily picking it up - we'll see.

Well that worked out nicely - good confidence builder for Saturday - whew.  Did six somewhat hilly miles in the neighborhood. All miles between 7:50 and 7:57 and quite under control.  We'll see how it goes with three more on top of that.  Gonna take tomorrow off.

That was fun.  Awesome canopy road out and back 15K just north of Tallahassee on mostly clay roads.  First and last two miles were paved.  As Travis' coach had warned me, the hills are not brutal but they get your attention.  I had planned to go out in 7:50-8:00 pace to the turnaround - first five miles all were between 7:41 and 7:55, so not too bad.  At the turnaround I felt pretty good so I adjusted my goal from 1:14 to 1:12 and started increasing the effort a bit.  Last four miles were 7:54, 7:46, 7:37 and 7:09 - yah, got excited at the end - actually dropped under 7 pace for final 0.3 miles - pretty fun.  Another three weeks of training now before the half - I think I'll make it.

Travis ran a good strong tempo with his assistant coach.  They went out easy, just a bit ahead of me through 3rd mile.  After that, and especially at the turnaround, they dropped about 15 seconds per mile to finish at about 5:30 pace in 57 minutes - Trav placed 9th overall.

Going to try to start getting my runs in before work.  So far so good.  Thomasville Rd 6-miler this morning.  Little rough (achy lower back of all things) after the race Saturday, but finished up nicely right at 8 flat avg pace.

Fairly miserable no energy run this morning in the neighborhood - chalking it up to insufficient sleep.  Got out there and ran at least.

Three days in a row up and at em early for a run - not too bad.  Much better run this morning than yesterday.  Thomasville Rd loop in reverse.

Wimped out for morning run - 38 degrees too chilly for me.  Got in a neighborhood workout at lunch in a balmy 52 degrees.  Two miles warmup and then six times two minutes on and one minute off, with the ons between 6:30 and 6:40 pace.  Good week so far - planning on 10 tomorrow morning - we'll see.

Planned this run for the half marathon course - flat, straight and boring.  Its a half hour drive out to the course as well.  Opted instead for my regular trail routes and was pleased with it.  Certainly hillier, twistier and slower than I'll be running in a couple weeks, but I averaged 8:19 pace and did the tenth mile at fastest pace in 7:53.  Ran very conservatively and felt I could easily go another three.

Got to bed too late to get up and run this morning, so did my neighborhood 8 this evening before dinner.  Ran it about two minutes faster than last time.  The decent effort last weekend in the 15K finally made me realize its time to ease down from the 8 min pace for most of my mileage - off we go.

Chilly neighborhood six before dinner.  Decent run.

Bailed out of work a bit early to get my run in on the trails before dark - almost made it.  It was a bit touchy finishing up the last mile - made me go fast  :) 

Lunchtime workout on the trails.  Six times 2 on/1 off.  Got them all under 6:40 pace with the last two at 6:28 and 6:07 pace.  A bit warm for running, but gorgeous for late January  :)

Off to Gatorville in the morning to sit in the O-Dome all day long watching age group indoor track meet.  Travis is slated to run 400 and 800 tomorrow and then the mile on Sunday as a college showcase event.  Tweaked his knee yesterday doing hill sprints, but icing and rest should do the trick by tomorrow afternoon. 

Yo, Bret - San felasco in gainesville is now well marked and well maintained! I ran two 5.8 mi loops and didn't take a single wrong turn. It rivaled my best deer per mile runs on tally trails too -big fun.

After breakfast we headed over to the odome for travis' mile race. He did well yesterday running the 400 in 54 and the 800 an hour later in 2:04, winning his heat and feeling very much in control. His plan for the mile today was to go out in 2:15 and he hit it perfect and was mid pack. He worked the fifth and sixth laps hard and moved up to third, before zoning out for the seventh lap fading to sixth. Snapped out of it halfway through the final lap and walked down all the guys he let go by him to finish third in 4:33.

We are now in a complimentary room at hampton inn in jax for an official visit with unf tomorrow - pretty cool.

Lots of walking around (no running) yesterday helped ease the soreness from going 12 on the trails on Saturday.  Averaged 7:42/mi for the six neighborhood miles this morning and felt great.  Actually looking forward to racing the half on Sunday.

Easy four in the neighborhood this evening before the squall line cranked through.

Easy run around the neighborhood at goal pace for the half on Sunday - 7:45-7:50.  Felt easy and strong.  Gonna do the same tomorrow mid-day and then see how it goes on Sunday.

Well, my first half marathon as a race went quite well... considering my less-than-ideal training.  With just six weeks of pretty consistent running, I was able to crush my goal of 1:45 and successfully hit every mile sub 8:00.  I went ahead and allowed the crowd to pull me through the first couple miles too fast at 7:16 and 7:19, and I had two fairly strong miles at the end (7:21 and 7:20), but all the others in the middle were between 7:42 and 7:54.  Actually, the 7:54 was mile #8 after the turnaround and into a stiff breeze - no other miles were over 7:50.  The start includes one mile around FSU campus which is not done on the way back, so the turnaround point was actually at about 7.5 miles.  I had gone through the halfway point at just over 50 minutes, so I ran pretty even splits overall.  Our little local marathon is really stepping things up over the past few years.  We had over 1,000 total entries this year in the full and half, with a surprisingly large purse too - $1,200, $800, $400, $200, $100 for top 5 men and women and a decent masters purse too ($500 for winner I believe).  Top three guys all were sub 2:25 and top master was 2:42.  Weather was nearly perfect with gun temp at 45 and maybe 60 when the marathoners started finishing.  Wife, boychild and friends manned an aid station too, so that was cool.  A really good day.

Four easy miles in the coolish wetish morning.  Bit of tightness in the right calf to start, but everything felt pretty good at the end.  Guess I should have worked harder in the half on Sunday.

Five hilly neighborhood miles in 38:26.  Felt really good at the start on the couple flat early miles then settled in around 7:40 pace.  I'm thinking I may do a 12K race next weekend that takes place at the opposite end of the St Marks Trail from where I just did the half.  More easy flat stuff to make me feel like I'm getting faster  :)

Good run this morning in the neighborhood.  First and last miles easy around 8 flat, and the middle four between 7:30 and 7:40 pace, with some surges closer to 7:10 pace.  I plan on going out in 7:15-7:20 for the 12K next Saturday and see how I feel at the turnaround.  It is again a very flat course - not like my typical neighborhood or trail runs.

Took the beast out to the Greenway for some interval work - he loves the faster pace.  Did 8x 2 minutes on 1 minute off, bracketed by 1.25ish warmup and cooldown.  Decent workout, but rolled my ankle pretty good on the 6th rep so took it easy from there - feels ok now - we'll see.

I guess I was due for a really rough run - oh well.  Within the first 3 miles I knew things I was in for a long morning.  Ended up walking a few times and really just trying to enjoy the lovely morning on the trails instead of trying to run at any set pace.  Just over ten miles in 92 minutes.  Once I stopped fighting it, it was a nice slowww run.

And the Covert household is a much less stressful place today as well - Travis committed to run track and XC for UNF last night. Go Ospreys!  Swoooooooop!

Morning hilly five in the neighborhood.  Bounced back nicely from the misery that was the ten miler on Sunday.  Started a bit under 8 min pace and negative split each mile, finishing uphill at 7:38 pace for last mile.  Good deal.

Six easy miles in the neighborhood this evening before dinner.  No Garmin, no watch - just out for a little run.

Eight in the neighborhood with the middle four planned to be sub 7:30 pace.  Three (7:23), four (7:25) and five (7:25) went great, but then mile six, which is mostly uphill with a short steep section at the end, took its toll - 7:36.  Really quite pleased with the workout though.  No running tomorrow and then the 12K race Saturday - shooting for 7:20-7:30 pace throughout the flat asphalt course.

Low 40s, flat smooth footing, bit of a headwind on the way out so nice tail wind coming back in all added up to a 7:02 average for the race this morning - pretty pleased.  Was hoping to average more like 7:15-7:20 out to the turnaround but started out with the flow and ran 7 flat, 7:20, 7:16, 7:12, 7:04, 6:54, 6:52, and then 2:58 for the last half mile to reel in 4 more racers.  I real confidence booster feeling strong the entire way back from the turnaround.  Three weeks more of good training and then the Gate 15K - looking forward to it.

Hit the trails before dinner but not quite before darkness fell - a little sketchy on the footing towards the end, but a good run.

Easy 8 in the neighborhood - just a couple months ago, I never woulda thunk I'd put those words together in a sentence.  Its pretty nice being able to pop out for 8 miles without wondering if I would return...

Planned six miler in the neighborhood before work had to be shortened slightly due to odd center of back pinched nerve kinda thingy - deep breaths would trigger sharp pain - fun.  Can still feel it a bit, but no more pain with deep inhalation - I'll live.  Up until that point it was a nice run - two miles easy, then dropped it to 7:14 and 7:12 for three and four, then eased off again until my back exploded - hmph.

Pretty sure the back issue was just the old body complaining  about trying to run fast in 35 degree weather - thats cold for this old body. 

Bit longer and a bit slower than I anticipated this morning.  Left from the house and ran to the Maclay Gardens trailhead, did the Lake Overstreet loop and ran back.  Figured it was about 8, turned out to be 9 - ah well, didnt put me too late into work.  The extra mile and general tiredness also added time to the whole plan - will have to get out the door earlier if I do that run again.

Easy five on the Lake Jackson loop with the doggie.  Steamy mid morning run before more rain comes through.

Couple miles warmup and couple miles cooldown surrounding 8x two minutes on and one minute off at about goal 5K pace - 6:30-6:40ish

Ravine trail and Lake Jackson loop immediately after work, but not quite fast enough to finish before dark and spooky set in - good run though.

Six miler in the neighborhood after work.  Did the first couple easy and then worked a bit on miles 3 (7:24), 4 (7:20) and 5 (7:19) before cruising in the last uphill mile.  

We did Travis' signing ceremony at school today and then I hit the trails for a good run.  Lots to ponder and reminisce about.

Decent run around the neighborhood this morning.  Heading to track meet across town now.  Trav will pace a younger guy in the 1600, then go for the win in the 800 and finish up starting off the 4x400... long day.

Real good run this evening in the neighborhood.  Eased into race pace through first couple miles (7:38, 7:32) then ran comfortably at pace for 3rd and 4th miles (7:10, 7:06) before breaking it back down for last couple miles (7:20, 8:12 - that last mile is mostly uphill).  

Seems to be an awesome article on flrunners.com main page right now...  http://fl.milesplit.com/articles/101558-covert-stays-in-north-florida-signs-with-ospreys 

Very easy miles this evening in the neighborhood - 8-8:30 pace just chillin.

Stuck at work late late last night, so no running.  Got out early this morning for a quick five in the neighborhood.  Three decent hills on this run, so I worked them at goal pace for Saturday to simulate the bridges - woooo.  Felt pretty strong, so I guess I'm as confident as can be.  Will be in Jax all day tomorrow for big track meet, and then the 15K early Saturday.  Of course, Travis has been sickly this week so never know how he will perform - doing the 4x800 and the 1600.

I really enjoyed this race... along with 15,000 other finely tuned athletes. You know the ones, fully loaded fuel belt with 20 gel packets, compression socks and sleeves, and of course, Vibrams!  Then, theyre off - at 12 minute pace - ah well.  Fully 60% of the 15,600 finishers were over 10 minute pace.

Fortunately, my blistering 15K from mid January (1:11) allowed me to start in one of the seeded corrals, unfortunately, I did not register early enough to be in the first corral that I qualified for, so I was in the 4,000-5,000 corral... with all my Vibram-wearing buddies. This made for a very interesting first couple miles (7:48 and 7:27), but then I was able to at least breathe a little bit and work down to a comfortable 7:10-7:15 through to the 9th mile, which starts with a half mile on-ramp/bridge combo - brutal uphill, but nice and fun down to the finish (7:20 for that mile).

Great aid station enthusiasm and fan support through the neighborhoods and live bands every other mile - very cool.  Even with the painfully slow going for the first two miles, I ran about three minutes faster than in mid January, and was able to finish in the top 10% to snag a hapnin Adidas running hat - who da man?! 

Nice easy mileage on the trails after work. Would still prefer to run in the morning but at least it's light enough in the evening now if I fail miserably in getting up early enough.

Revine trail and Lake Jackson Loop today after work - bit chilly and dry dry - nose and throat were burning by the end.  Shouldn't complain - it'll be 90 degrees and 90% humidity soon enough.  Still a little soreness in the quads from flying down the bridge at mile 9 on Saturday, but thats about it.

Been pretty sick past couple days and busier at work than I like. Now I'm in Connecticut for a funeral blah. Got out for five very chilly miles amongst the piles of snow and ice - different.

Sickness mostly over, unexpected travel over, back in the saddle.  Pretty rough seven miler on the trails before dinner.  Seems we've gone straight from winter to summer again here in Tallahassee - ah well.

Easy five after work - ridiculously hot and humid on the Lake Jackson loop - sheesh

Decent little workout on the trails.  Two mile warmup, then 8x two minutes on and one minute off - right at 7 flat pace for the "ons" - kinda sorta goal pace for 10K race in a couple weeks.

Pretty bummed I didnt get a run in yesterday.  Couldnt drag myself out of bed in the dark and then worked half day and straight off to the FSU Relays.  Well worth it - Maclay had a really good day, and Travis did ok too.  Getting healthier and stronger again - five weeks til State!  He went 2:00.88 in the open 8, and came back today with a really good 1200 - shame he was running 1600.  Much positive to take from it tho - pretty much the first time he ever really hammered the 3rd lap - came through right at 3:20 - right where he needs to be in a few weeks when he's fully healthy and fit again.  Unfortunately today he finished up with a 75 - ah well.

Trav ran in the rain delayed morning session today and then I zipped home for a quick 8 miles in the neighborhood - 6 of em were even rain free - running in the rain is good... as long as there's no lightning, hail or tornadoes - eh, Bret?! 

Trav and I ran a little bit with the doggie, played a little bit at the track and ran a little bit more.  Well, Trav and doggie played at the track while I ran a few 200s in 38-40 seconds - good to be back on the track for a bit, even though I felt fat and slow - workin on that.

Lake Jackson loop plus the ravine trail this evening before dinner.  

Did the perimeter trail around my usual trails this evening before dinner.  Gloves and a hat would have been nice - winter is trying to hang on here - couldn't have been more than 45 degrees out there!!

Little workout on the trails - 3 mile warmup, then 8x two min on and one min off - all pretty easy between 6:45 and 7 min pace.  Had no motivation to actually work hard - maybe next week.  

Early run in the neighborhood before heading to an all day track meet - shooting pics for flrunners.com today - should be fun.  And Travis runs 1600, 800 and 4x400 - what a deal.

Well, the boychild came through with a legit sub-4:30 PR, going 4:26.35 - not too shabby.  Came back an hour later with a 2:02 in the 800 and another hour later ran a 51.6 second leg in the 4x400 - pretty good day.  And I successfully shot 2,300 pics during the just under 8 hour meet - getting too old for this stuff. 

Made the mistake of running a trail that I haven't run in several months - Red Bug mountain bike trail. Well, it used to be quite runnable and a lot of fun. Apparently they have done tons of work to get it back to a true mtb technical trail - lots of moguls and sharp turns and banked features. Kinda cool but my fastest mile was about 8:45. Legs are sore already - glad I'm not racing until saturday

Lovely sunrise run in the neighborhood this morning.  Proud of myself for getting out the door after a fairly late night of photo processing after the City Championship meet.  Travis ran a decent strategic 1600, placing 2nd in 4:28.  He and another kid cruised through 1200 hitting 68, 68, 68, and then Travis made the first (and unfortunate) move with 300 to go - he came off the turn and tried to surge past the other guy down the backstretch... fail.  He tucked in to start the last turn and then regrouped and looked like he may take him down the homestretch, but legs were shot with 20 meters to go.  He then put it in cruise control for a 2:06 5th place finish in the 800 and a 10:36 5th place in the 3200 - more of a workout kinda evening after the 1600.  A good evening all in all.  He gets 10 days of no racing now before Districts next Friday.

Planned a nice easy 5-6 miles as my last run before racing on Saturday.  At 2.5 miles my left achilles exploded... well, thats kinda what it felt like at first.  Flat, straight, level trail with no rolling of ankle or anything - very strange.  Walked for a while and then walked/ran back to the jeep.  Iced it and will see how it goes tomorrow - likely a race morning decision to run or not - bummer.

Pretty good race this morning on the hilly 10K Springtime Tally course.  A bit crowded for first half mile, but went 6:38 for the mostly downhill mile 1.  The mostly downhill last mile was 6:44, and all the hilly ones in the middle were between 7:10 and 7:15.  Really felt fine the whole way and think I could have gone sub 42 if I was in the mood.  Just kinda ran this one for the fun of it - and that it was.

A few easy miles to get back in the swing of things after 9 days of resting the legs with some cycling, lifting and light stretching.  This run started my assault on Boston 2014 - let the adventure begin!

Easy run around Lake Overstreet with the puppy dog.  Long day tomorrow of driving to and from Jax for the all day Region Meet.  Trav's only competition in the 1600 is really himself - 4x8 should win, and he should easily be top 4 in the 800 to qualify through to State - hes freaking a bit because he thinks he is less heat acclimated than the guys 6-8 seconds behind him in the 1600 - supposed to be low 80s at race time.  Of course, he has zero basis for his fears... I'm gonna build him one of those fancy ice vests that the pros use these days - yah, thats the ticket.

Nice cool down for a couple days here - easy run around the Lake Jackson loop.  Nothing yesterday other than spikes in the hear trate during Travis' races.  He anchored the Region Champion 4x800 relay, finished 2nd in the 1600 with 4:30 and took 3rd in the 800 with 2:01.  Accomplished the main goals of qualifying through to State in those events and helping the team win the Region title - good day.

A few miles on the trails to continue ramping back up.

Nice gathering of folks in support of Boston this evening.  We ran "5.2 at 5 for Boston" to mimic finishing the marathon for those who got turned away at 21 miles on Monday due to the attack at the finish line.  The organizers first announced the run on Tuesday expecting 40-50 people... by Thurs, they had to change the venue and add sherif's dept and city permits and liability insurance and porta potties and course marshals because the facebook event page had grown to 500.  By this morning it was over 1,000 - it ended up with just over 1,000 running/walking, and over $12,000 raised to send to the Boston Red Cross.  Felt good to do something - we had 4 local Boston finishers at the start line and several Marines and ROTC kids.  I kept it between 7:30 and 7:45 pace fairly comfortably on a rather warm humid evening.

Blog post by the organizer 

Lake Jackson loop after work

Mile warmup then 8x two minutes on and one minute off at about 5k pace (6:45 for me right now). Finished with another mile cooldown.

Nice run on the trails after work - spent the whole time going over and over how Travis should race tomorrow - sheesh, I think I'm more nervous than he is.  4x800 at 1:45, 1600 at 6:57 and 800 at 7:48 - supposedly will be a link to live stream posted at flrunners.com.  Gonna go try to sleep a while now.

Ran an easy 1.5 with the doggie and then another easy 4 on my own.  Three days off was too many, but the State Meet in Jax was awesome and the weekend was spent basking in the glow.

Our girls went in as slight favorites for the title and they proceeded to totally dominate with 4 gold medals, a silver, three bronzes and a couple other top 6 finishes.  Our squad of ten girls accumulated 76 points to win by 23 - an impressive effort,

Travis started the day as anchor of the 4x800 at about 1:45 in the afternoon.  The guys had an outside shot at top 3 in the relay, but for the first time in coach's 20 years, the baton was dropped in a 4x8! Our second to third leg transition did not occur successfully, and we went from 4th to 8th in an instant.  The freshman third leg rallied quickly, but blew up in the last 100 to hand off to Travis in 6th, 40 meters out of 5th and 60 meters out of 4th.  Trav reeled in one and was closing fast on 4th, but the team got 5th.  His 1600 early in the evening session went much much better.  As expected, it was a very strategic race with all the guys ending up a few seconds off their PRs.  Trav was never far out of the lead running 66, 72, 69, 61.  With the 72/69 in the middle, we knew it was setting up perfectly for Trav's kick - indeed he went 61 and came off the final turn in 4th right in line with the top 3, but a couple team mates from Holy Trinity in Melbourne battled each other down the line to finish a couple seconds ahead.  Trav went 4:28.39 for the bronze medal and hasn't stopped smiling since.  Well, he didn't smile during the last 200 meters of the 800 he had to run 40 minutes after the 1600... he stayed in the mix through 600 but then was totally done and went 2:10.

The meet was at UNF, and his coach for next year complimented him on his 1600 - made him feel purty good.

Hilly five-miler in the neighborhood before work... trying to establish the morning run thing again.

Two days in a row!  Got out the door before work for a few miles.  A bit chilly and crazy humid.

Raining and a bone chilling 58 when I planned to run this morning, so bailed on that and got my 5-miler in at lunch.  I will count that as getting it out of the way before evening.  Trav's future team comes to town this evening to race at FSU in the Seminole Twilight Meet.  We'll pop over and watch a little college track and field - wooooo.

Misty, rainy, chilly all day, but finally got out to the trails this evening before dinner for the Lake Jackson Loop plus partial Red Bug trail.

Half overstreet loop plus the ravine trail this evening before dinner. Nice and easy.

Four and a half on the trails after work.  Easing into 16 weeks of training before marathoning in September in PA!

Lake Jackson loop after work - failing miserably at morning workouts because I've been up late working on track senior gifts... 9 of 13 finished now - I think I will make it before banquet on Sunday - whew

Lunchtime five on the trails - couldn't drag out of bed this morning.  Glad to get it out of the way before this evening at least.  'Twas about 80 degrees, on the way up to 86 later - bleh

Ravine trail plus north loop before dinner with the fam - little break from banquet prep - whew.  

Hilly five in the neighborhood on this record breaking low temp morning.  It was 45° as the sun rose on my run - nice.

Another lovely morning of low temps and low humidity.  Unfortunately it was pretty low on energy too on the trails - should have eaten half a banana or something when I first got up.  Was fine until right at 4 miles and then it was pretty rough the final couple miles - ah well, I'm new to this whole running thing.

Victory!  Three mornings in a row out the door for a cool few miles.  Ravine Trail plus North Loop back to trailhead.  Creeping closer to 90 in the afternoons, so will try to stick with the morning runs.

From the Gardens trailhead out and back to the dock on Overstreet - flat part of the loop.  Slow and easy in anticipation of 8-10 tomorrow.

Total distance covered indeed was ten, but the last 1.5ish were a therapeutic run/walk combo.  Haven't done more than 8 since the Gate River run in early March.  Would have been fine I think except for not getting out the door before 10am - ugh hot and humid.

Morning run on the trails - Overstreet/Ravine trail figure 8.  Got a bonus upper body workout swatting deer flies the entire run - nice.

Nice workout in the neighborhood this morning.  Warmup then six times 3 min at 10K pace or so (7 flat ish) with 1 min jog/walk.  Plan was to be more like 7:15-7:20 pace, but felt pretty good so just went by feel - last one was 6:29 pace.  Cool down 1.5 mi back to the ranch.  I've opted for a local coach to get me through the marathon in Sept - young guy that is asst coach at Trav's school.  I like his plan through 8 weeks and then we'll tweak for the next section.

Four easy miles on the trails this morning.  Humid and buggy, but temp was reasonable - good to get it out of the way before work.

Nice easy run on the trails this morning - Greenway from Fleischman Rd trailhead out 2.5 and back.  Havent run that in a while - hillier than I recalled and than I desired, but was a good run.

Ten miles in 90 minutes with a 62 second break at 5 for some gatorade and half a bar of some sort.  Felt pretty good the entire run intentionally keeping it easy at 9 min pace.

Six in the neighborhood this morning.  Pretty creaky to start after 3 days of yard work, but then everything right on target at 7:50-8:00 pace.  Down two pounds in two weeks - slow and steady assault on being down 10-12 by Sept 8.

Hit the trails again early this morning... well, early for me - just after sun-up.  Eased into it for first three miles then sneaked under 8 and pushed down to goal marathon pace (7:45) for a couple miles before backing off a bit to finish with average 8:08 pace for the run.

Easy 4 on the steamy wet trails this morning.

Usual figure 8 five miler on the trails this morning.  Garmin informed me its battery was low at a bit over 2 miles in, so I decided to steadily press it to try to beat the clock... 8:03, 7:56, 7:48, 7:37, 7:18.  Felt really good after the day off yesterday and even with only 5 hours sleep - I chaperoned the graduation night lock-in at Fun-Station (putt-putt, laser tag, go carts and video games kinda place) for Trav and his classmates - big fun.  He's officially out - empty nest here we come!

Easy run on the trails with a bit faster finish.  Bounced around between 8:41 and 9:12 pace for first six miles then pushed a little bit to finish with miles of 8:22, 8:17 and 8:03.  Starting week four of this adventure down 5 pounds - good deal.

5.0 in 40:41 easy around the neighborhood this morning.  First and last miles were 8:20ish and the middle rolling miles were 8 flat.  Sat up too late last night chatting with Trav and one of his running buds that stayed overnight with us.  Just glad to get the run out of the way this morning.

Nice little workout on the trails this morning.  Counterclockwise around Overstreet up to 2-mile loop than backtrack clockwise around Overstreet - exactly 7.0.  Miles were 8:33, 8:22, 8:23, 7:53, 7:33, 7:26, 7:44.  Continued dropping the pace a bit through 6.5 but then backed off for last half mile.  Slight tweak in the right knee on one downhill section – will monitor that.

Easy miles on flat portion of my usual trails.  No knee issues today.  Will take tomorrow off and then back at it Saturday.

Easy four on the flat part of my usual trails.  Still no further knee tweakage.  We'll see how it goes tomorrow for 12 miles.

Made it to the trails by 7 am to get the long run in.  Surprised myself at 4 miles by thinking ONLY 8 to go.  A mere 8 months ago, 8 miles would be the longest I'd run in a couple years!  Took it easy and felt fine the entire way.  Pretty encouraged starting the fifth week of this training schedule.  Couple more weeks and we add a sixth day to the weekly running schedule to ease the milage up through 40 toward a peak of 50ish for a couple weeks.  Hey, thats bigtime for me - quit snickering!

later 

Neighborhood six this morning before work.  Easy miles to just keep on keepin on.

Good workout in the neighborhood this morning.  1.5 mile warmup and then 5x5 min at half marathon pace (7 flat pace on all of them) with 2 min jog in between reps.  A little over a mile back to the house for cooldown.  Ridiculously humid but ONLY 78° - bleh.

The heat and humidity has set in for good...  Time to load up the car with towels and shirts and socks and shoes.  Five easy miles on the trails at 6:30am and was soaked two miles into it - bleh

Easy five on flat part of Lake Jackson Loop this morning.  One gopher tortoise and one bunny - a good start to the day.

Got the fairly long run out of the way early this Fathers' Day morning.  Nice and easy with no issues - can't beat that.

Pretty creaky mile to start things off in the neighborhood, but then eased into comfortable 8 flat pace for the remaining five.  Should have started with a bit of walking, but didn't roll out of bed early enough.  Pleased that 8 min pace is feeling so comfortable... after working out the kinks.  Goal pace for Sept marathon will be 7:45-7:55.

Easy run on the trails this morning.  Overall average of 8:34 with miles 5 and 6 at 8 flat and 7:56.  

Downright chilly this morning - 72°!  Stuck to a flat out and back section of trail from the high school track.  Eased into things with a 8:30 pace first mile and then maintained goal marathon pace (7:45-7:50) fairly easily for the next four.  No running tomorrow and then a 5.5 mile trail race on Saturday morning.  Not gonna hammer it or nuttin, just want to support the club for putting on this first ever trail series of races.  Should be fun.

Although my training schedule had me doing 5-6 easy, I really wanted to do this race.  It is a very technical mountain bike single track trail that I rarely run.  On the start line were mostly triathlete and cross-fit types... lots of Vibrams, fuel belts and Camelbaks - yes, it was only a five miler, but ya never know if you might get lost in the woods for a couple hours.  I didnt want to hammer the legs too bad, but I also didnt want to be stuck behind tammy trail runner with limited room to pass, so I went out fairly strong - hey, 7:40 pace is pretty strong for this trail!  Ran strong through the turn-around and then just held position running 9 minute pace - nobody passed me until the last half mile when a 6'8" high school xc kid went by saying good job down there little fella - ok, he only said good job.  It was fun - we'll see how the 12 miler goes tomorrow with toasted quads and calves.

After the trail race yesterday, I went to the straight flat, asphalt, shady St Marks Trail for my 12 this morning.  Nice temperature, fairly peaceful trail, good ten miler... of course I was running 12!  Last couple miles got pretty rough, but got in the long run for the week.

Slow and steady on the trails this morning.  Right calf a bit sore and stiff to start, but eased off so no concern.  Nice little deer encounter to start the run - cant beat that. 

Progression run around my usual trails going from 8:30 down to 6:45 pace.  Uphill miles at 3 and 5 were pretty tough to maintain pace, and I really wanted to get closer to 6:30 on the last mile, but the hills and the weekend efforts wouldn't quite allow it.  Felt mentally strong and ready, but legs couldn't get there.  Nice workout showing progress - overall average under 8 min pace for first time on a run longer than 5 miles - thats something.

Easy four in the neighborhood this morning - will do a bet more this evening at summer track.  Grand Prix event this week is the 800.  I skipped the 100, 200 and 400, but hope to finish out the series through July (800, 1600, 3200 and 5K).

Two more in the evening, including a slow and steady 2:38 in the 800 meter run. 

Easy five on the trails early before 8 hours cutting logs and splitting firewood from a few trees we had cut down last week - fun fun.  Fourteen tomorrow could be interesting.

Fourteen miles in 2 hrs 6 min - world class if it had been a marathon!  Felt pretty good on this easy long run on the trails.  Sick humid, but the sun didnt break through the gray skies until last mile or so.

Easy six on the trails this morning - bit less easy for the last mile (7:30) just to keep motivated for racing the Midnight Run.  No run tomorrow morning, then work 'til noonish and off to Dunedin - yay!

Great to be back on the Causeway for the Midnight Run again.  The plan going in was to run both the 5K and 10K at slightly negative split efforts.  Mostly worked out, but the return trip on both races was into pretty good winds, so it was more like negative split for first half and then try to hold on coming back in.  Second place oldish guy to Bret was a nice surprise looking at results this morning - pretty cool (we'll just ignore the fact that it was because all the fast old dudes ran the 10K).  In the 10K I felt way too comfy heading out at 7:30, 7:24, 7:22, and then lost focus at the turnaround and let the pace balloon up over8:00 for a mile and a half or so.  I finished a bit stronger with a 7:34 6th mile and sub-7 pace for the last 0.2 for 68th overall and 8th place 45-49 age group.  Total for the evening was right at ten miles including a bit of warmup and cooldown. 

From the folks' house down Mich Ave to Hammock Park and back.  Nice run in the old stomping ground.

One more little run in the folks' neighborhood before heading back to Tally.

Thirteen on the trails - pretty good work through ten, but the last three were a bit rough. 

Relatively eventful little run on the trails this morning.  Had a nice staring contest with a young buck that had little 3-inch velvet antlers sprouting - had to navigate a huge sweetgum tree that had fallen across the trail overnight - got swarmed over by the FSU cross country campers - ran with and chatted a bit with FSU track/xc coach Bob Braman.  Pretty good start to the day.

Lake Jackson loop plus 3-mile loop and a little tack on for the 8.  First time on Lake Jackson in a few weeks - managed the big hill coming up from the lake quite well.  Good run to get things going.  No deer, but three! armadillos - interesting.

Neighborhood roads this morning to try for an even pace.  First creaky mile and last uphill mile at 8:30, with the middle miles all between 7:43 and 7:53 at fairly well controlled effort.  Goal marathon pace on flat pavement is starting to feel quite comfortable.

Will run a 5:40 in the summer track 1600 this evening - he says confidently. 

Quite a bit of rain past two days left the mostly single track course slick and muddy in parts - fun fun.  The rain also left the weather coolish but humid - not too bad.  It was billed as 4.5 miles and likely was right around there - Garmin reported 4.58.  With the twisty turny slick course, I was quite pleased with the 8:25ish overall pace - much better than the over 9 min pace for the first race in the series a month ago.

I went out strong to escape the vibram/cross-fit crowd (not that theres anything wrong with that), and was only passed once during the whole race - always fun.  I witnessed only one bad ankle roll, and had no issues myself.

Long run of 16 on tap for tomorrow - off for a nap now. 

Easy 16 at the St Marks Trail.  I ran it as two out-and-back pieces - one at ten miles the other at six.  Each return trip I pressed the pace a bit below 8 min pace - fastest mile was my 16th at 7:48.  Quite pleased with the effort, especially considering the rough long run last Sunday, and considering the technical trail race yesterday. 

Nap time again - Rob says its okay.  zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz 

Started at the track this morning to meet up with my coach and chat a bit about how things are going... just over 7 weeks to go before the marathon.  Alls well.  Did six on the trails at 8 flat pace.  Wee bit of soreness in feet and right quad remaining from 16 miler on Sunday.  Loosened up after a couple miles.

Slow steamy miles on the trails this morning.  Yesterday was the first day in about 3 weeks that we didnt get any rain.  Temps are expected in the upper 90s today - felt like they were already there during my run this morning. Heading to UNF tomorrow for orientation with Travis.  Nice to already have over 30 miles in this week, since I know not what the next couple days will bring as far as running opportunities.

Neighborhood five before heading to jax for orientation. Got it in the books but it was rough - no energy hot steamy yug.

Treadmill at hotel was occupied at 0630 so I took an easy run around the area - off to orientation day two now.

Back in Trailahassee today for a steamy run on the trails.  Easy six with the last ten minutes in a light rain - always good.

The planned 18 was reduced to 16 due to rapidly diminishing returns after 13 miles.  Didnt get out the door early enough on yet another steamy morning.  Changed shoes and socks at nine miles, but was soaked again at my little break at 13.  Never really got rolling again after that and decided to bag it at 16.  Actually covered about 17 miles in nearly 3 hours, but much walk/running over last 2 miles.  Got in a huge chunk of time on the legs so will just move on and hope for better efforts during the week.

Neighborhood run this morning to get some marathon pace miles in after the rough long run on Sunday.  Easy first mile then 4 at 7:45 pace and then an easy uphill finish to save something for tomorrow's workout.

Good workout this morning in light-to-moderate rain.  Ran 7x7 min at 1/2 marathon pace with 2 min rest jog.  I did the workout on a nice flat neighborhood loop near the house that is prezactly one mile to facilitate little water/gatorade breaks at each rep.  My goal pace for the workout was 7-7:15 per mile, so the 1-mile loop was great.  The 4th rep was in a downpour but still managed 7:13 pace.  All others were sub-7:10 pace, with the finishing reps at 7:06, 7:02, and 6:56 pace.  With the warmup and cooldown laps, right at 9.5 miles total - whew.

Easy slow miles on the trails.  Bit of tightness in right calf and then right shin late in run.  Will take it easy next couple days.

Medium pace trail run on flat portion of my usual trail route.

Easy 5 on the Pinellas Trail this morning.

Decent effort at a 14-mile progression run.  Ran it on the Pinellas Trail from Wall Springs County Park - who knew?  Did it in sections - out-and-back to the truck for fuel at six miles and then fuel, shoes, socks and shirt change at ten miles.  Ridiculously warm and humid, so wasn't too irritated that the progression didnt progress all the way down to goal half marathon pace (7:15ish).  Went pretty well going from 8:20 down to 8 flat pace for first six mile stretch, and then from 8 flat to 7:45 pace for next four mile stretch.  Longish break at ten (5-6 min) resulted in low motivation during mile 11, but got back on it to go 7:33 and 7:21 for 12th and 13th, then jogged on in the last 0.6 back to the park.  Walked around the impressive little park for a while before heading back to the folks house to pack up and head home to Tally.

Easy trail run back in Tallahassee. Running evenings this week for various reasons unrelated to running - bleh.

Another evening run - slow and steady on the trails.  

Had to run after work again, but this eve it was following a nice heavy shower.  Still humid, but low 70's and a breeze - pretty nice.  A bit of up and down, but the last 2 flat miles actually were the fastest right at marathon pace.  Good run.

One last evening run today and it was back to unbearable heat and humidity - oh well.  Did five easy in the neighborhood.

Easy 4 on the trails to finish of an easy week in prep for tomorrow's 20-miler - oh boy.

Well that was both encouraging and potentially deadly I believe.  Got out to St Marks Trail and on the run as the sun was rising and it was already 77 degrees - hmph.  Cloud cover stuck around for a couple hours, but then at about 16 miles into my planned 20 miler, it became sunny and ridiculous.  Probably should have bagged it right then, but I was actually feeling pretty good about the run at that point (all miles easy between 8:30 and 8:45 pace).  Miles 17 and 18 started the struggle and steam was really pouring out my head as I neared the end of 19 so I stopped the watch and walked slowly on back to the trailhead.  Stood under the outdoor shower there for a while and drank copious amounts of water and gatorade until I stopped seeing stars.

I'm trusting that mid-50s to mid-60s and low humidity at racetime in PA will be a cakewalk compared to all this hot humid training.

Nice sweaty run on the trails this morning as the sun rose... 82° heat index.  Just getting the miles in.

Nice little progression run this morning - almost felt like a real runner again.  On the neighborhood roads for seven, with the first four dropping from 8:18 pace for first mile down to and through marathon pace (8:03; 7:58; 7:39) by the fourth.  The fifth mile starts with nearly a half-mile uphill, so it bubbled up to 7:54 pace before going 7:25 for sixth and 6:45 pace for first half of the final mile... kinda spent at that point so jogged on in from there. 

Yes, we call a 90-foot incline over a half-mile a hill around here - what about it?! 

Mostly easy six miles on the trails with last couple at marathon pace.  Getting easier and easier to settle into MP on demand... even with this heat/humidity and trail surface.  18 scheduled for Sunday - need to find nice flat route in Prattville, Alabama - heading to the inlaws for the weekend.

Four in the inlaws neighborhood in prattville bama

Pretty good long run in 'bama - lower humidity and only about 72-75 degrees over the 2 hr 40 min run - best long effort yet.

Easy three on the trails this morning to shake out the 18 from yesterday.  Felt pretty good after the first half mile.

Easy four on the trails from the track this morning.  Track and XC records boards being updated this week to reflect the 3rd place all-time 15:59 5K for Trav and the distance medley record as well - what a deal.

Didn't get the run in until this evening after a nice rainshower.  Good 8-miler in the neighborhood. Rain returned for a couple miles and soaked me pretty good, but at least it was coolish.

Pretty decent run on the trails this evening.  I haven't really done a whole lot of marathon pace running, so decided to do this run all at mp - worked out pretty well, especially considering it was on trails and about 88 degree heat index.  After the first creaky and uphill mile (8:11), all miles were under 7:55 and overall average was 7:49.  I think I'm settling in on a plan to go between 7:45 and 7:55 pace through the half and then either maintain that or drop to 7:40-7:45 for several miles before just holding on after 20.  We'll see.

Easy 4 on the trails to loosen everything up for 22 tomorrow - oh boy.

Twenty miles in 3 hrs 4 min - thatll work.  Not sure I could have gone another 6 at any pace, but it was up over 80 degrees by the end and I was fried.  Hoped to do 22, but bailed out at 20.  Three hours on the legs made me happy.

Easy five on the trails with final mile at marathon pace.

Bit more than 9 miles on the neighborhood roads early this morning.  Mostly 8:30 pace with last 1.3 at marathon pace (7:55).  Felt pretty comfy... except for the dripping wet shirt, shorts, socks, and shoes after about 7 miles.

Medium paced 7 on the trails this foggy steamy morning.  Overall average of 8:14/mi - I'm relying on that being equivalent to 7:50ish on mostly flat pavement and cooler drier weather - just go with me on that.

Easy 4 out to a preseason XC meet/community trail race, then a mile or so fartlekking around the course yelling at kids and parents, then a mile back to the car.  Travis did his first run with the team in Jax - 12 miles at 7:20 avg on the beach - said he was good through 9 but struggled a bit after that.

Fourteen mile progression run that went about as well as it could have.  Dropped from 8:45 to 8:15 pace in first 4-mile section, then down to MP (7:55) for next 4, then down to 7:30 over next three, and finished up 7:28, 7:22, 7:16 for an overall average of 8 flat.  The marathon pace miles actually felt really comfortable, even though it was heat index 84 degrees - something which pleases me greatly just 2 weeks out from my race.

Easy six in the neighborhood at sub-70 degrees!  Heat index still over 80, but its a start to Fall weather maybe.

Rolling nine on neighborhood roads this morning at overall average 7:56 - all miles under 8 flat except one killer uphill mile (#7 @ 8:08).  Mostly had to hold back to keep pace at 7:50-7:55 - good run.

Easy 6 on the trails this evening after work.

Easy couple and moderate couple running around the UNF golf course and trails before Travis' meet in Jacksonville this morning.  

Trav did ok for his first college race.  It was a low key 5K with only 4 complete teams and several unattached - total of 44 runners.  Coach could only run ten guys in uniform and Trav was one of the 5 that ran unattached.  He finished 11th overall and 9th on the squad in 16:27.  He was 5th freshman of 8 on the squad - not a bad start considering he really didnt put in the work he should have this summer.  Onward and upward.

Easy ten on the trails in 94 minutes this muggy morning... low of 55 projected in Allentown next Sunday  :)

Five on the trails this evening at overall average just above marathon pace - nice run.

Six on the trails after work - easy running with last couple miles at marathon pace.

Easy four on the trails at about 95 heat index...  40 degrees warmer than predicted temp at start of marathon on Sunday in PA  :)

Jumping on the road tomorrow morning for 8 hrs to my sister's near Raleigh, then seven more on Saturday to PA - much water and frequent stopping in the plans - should be an adventure.

Pretty decent 22-miler and then a beautiful 4 mile walk along the river - oh well. Opted for DNF since just finishing was never a goal. Was on goal pace thru about 16 and still on BQ pace thru 20, but then my preconception of blowing up after 20 came to fruition. Onward to 5k and shorter training.

First actual run since the marathon - did some walking and run/walking over the weekend during Travis' first 8K race at UF golf course - pretty cool.  He did well, going 27:21 finishing pretty much exactly half pack (100th of 227 finishers).  He said he never got comfortable and had way too much left at end, so thats a good sign.  He is running unattached, taking a redshirt for XC this season - good plan, and he is fine with it.

My little run this morning was slow and still a bit achy in calves.

A few more easy miles getting back into the swing of things.  Left calf still tight.

Ramping things all the way up to 4 miles now - might go for 5 tomorrow!  I have nearly convinced myself to roll right back into training, and go for that 3:24.59 at the Tally marathon in Feb.  Will commit one way or the other on Oct 1... four months out from the marathon.

Easy run around the neighborhood before work.  Almost a hint of fall now that its the last day of summer.

Easy five on the trails not nearly early enough this morning.  Any hint of fall was well gone by 9am.  Its coming tho... just wait

Easy trail run in the light rain.  All body parts seem fully functional now, two weeks after the marathon effort.  Will take it easy one more week and then ramp things up a bit.

Nice little progression run this morning in one billion percent humidity.  Checking to see if theres any reason to go for sub-24 min in the trail 5K I'm planning to run on Saturday.  Managed to go 8:37, 8:06, 7:28, 6:57 without too much strain, and no lingering tightness in the calves anymore.  I ran 21:04 last year in this hilly little run on a south Georgia plantation - we'll see.

Easy run/walk in the neighborhood

Five in 41 minutes this morning in the neighborhood.  Rolled my ankle pretty bad last Wed evening and have taken it real easy until today.  Ran a bit Sunday and yesterday.

No pain while running, but it still is sore when I manipulate it by hand.  Will stick to smooth roads or the track for a while.

Late night working last night meant lazy morning, so ran this eve with summertime heat and humidity blah. Decent little workout of 5x four minutes on and two minutes off at 7 - 7:10 pace plus warmup and cool down.

Easy five in the neighborhood this morning.  Ankle still a little sore - gonna keep with the 36ish hour span between runs and no more than 40-45 minute runs for a while.  Doc/runner advised to try that as long as swelling doesnt return and pain doesnt increase - so far so good.

Easy 8 in the neighborhood - ankle nominally better.

Comfortable morning temps made for a nice comfortable six miles before work.  Eased into it at 8 flat pace then down to marathon pace for the rest.  Six in 47:18 - that'll work for now.

Added four striders for good measure - that was not at all comfortable - felt like a totally foreign concept - will definitely incorporate those more consistently.

Nice weather this morning for a nice easy 8

Upper 50s this morning!  Almost had to break out the gloves.  Easy 5 in the neighborhood with a bit faster last mile - 7:45.  Ankle much improved over last couple days.

Four striders after, and then a little stretching and core work.

Three miles before and during the huge FSU Invite XC meet - big fun.  Trav ran the 8K last eve and got a few second PR.  Failed to eat anything for 6 hours leading up to his race - grrrrrr.

Surprisingly decent 10-miler this morning in really nice weather... likely why it was decent.  Ran comfortably at 8:30 pace 'til last mile or so at marathon pace 7:45-7:50.

Morning run in the neighborhood at comfortable 8 flat pace.  

It's quite apparent that I am doomed, doomed, I say!  Two miles into my 8-miler this morning in the dark on neighborhood roads I rolled the same ankle I destroyed three weeks ago.  Not as bad as before, but enough to make me turn around and walk a bit before jogging easily back home - unreal!  Was running in the road facing traffic and a car approached - with its headlights in my eyes, I eased toward the curb and just happened to land where the asphalt was elevated a couple inches above the gutter - awesome!

Easy five testing out the ankle - no problem.

Back on the trails for first time in a while - easy 4 with no ankle issues - yay!

Lovely weather for a decent long run on the st marks trail.  Kept it at easy 8:30 pace through ten and then dropped to 8:03 and 7:48 to finish up miles 11 and 12.

Creaky start to a slow easy 5 miles in the neighborhood - I guess the 12 on Sunday took more out than I thought.

Nearly chilly this morning in the neighborhood - nice 8 miles at 8:15-8:30 pace with the last mile at 7:45.

Four in the neighborhood this evening

Basically flat out-and-back course in Boston, Georgia.  My second ever half marathon.  Intended to go fairly easy at marathon pace (7:45-7:50) to ten and then see what I had left.  Beautiful cool morning - felt real good on the way out and made it through ten at 7:43/mi pace with all miles between 7:38 and 7:48.  Pressed it on in and hit 7:15, 7:14, 7:08, for overall 7:35 pace.  Very pleased with how easy it was at MP through ten miles... 12 weeks out from Tally Marathon.

Easy five in the neighborhood this morning in 50 degree loveliness. Creaky achy start, but warmed up nicely.  Tightness in the calves is about all that remains from the half on Saturday.

Gloves would have been nice this morning... at least at the beginning of the 6-miler.  Was 49 degrees as I took off at 0630 - nice.  Unfortunately the cold added to my creaky slow first couple miles, but warmed up nicely to finish with a couple at marathon pace.

Fairly miserable ten miles after work.  Generally achy and slow and uncomfortable - taking tomorrow off.

Much better run than Wed - easy tour around the neighborhood on a steamy evening - cooler temps are taking a break this week - bleh.

Easy run on the trails before settling in for some football.  Go Noles!

Long run on the trails for first time in a few months.  Felt good, mostly because it was 50 degrees and sunny.  Finished up with a couple faster miles at 8 flat. Time to get busy now.

Daylight in the mornings - time to refocus and get serious about being in fighting shape for the Feb marathon and as I roll to 50 in March - wooo.  Nice six in the neighborhood this morning.

4x mile this morning with 400 meter jog rest.  Plan was to hit the first 3 at 10k pace (a bit under 7 min for me right now), and the last one closer to 5k pace (was shooting for 6:40ish).  First one felt pretty awkward, but was ok at 6:53, then 6:58 and 6:56.  Walked most of the rest interval before the last one and then gutted out a 6:33 - not bad.  Did the workout on a flat loop section of road in the neighborhood using the Garmin.  Never used the workout by distance feature before - didnt much care for it, but mostly because I'm just not fit/experienced enough to know how to run 7 flat pace or faster.  Will do these on the track next time - easier for me to check 200/400 m splits than watch pace on a fancy watch. 

Easy run this morning - calves a bit tight from the blistering mile repeats yesterday  :)  Four striders to finish up.  Bit of yoga and core work this eve.

Easy five after watching State XC Meet with Lisa and Trav - good times.  Cynda comes home tomorrow for a couple nights too - such a deal.

Longish run on the St Marks Trail with nearly perfect weather - almost broke a sweat starting at about ten miles.  Ran easy 8:45-9 pace through 12 then one mile at marathon pace and then easy on in.  So much nicer in cool temps than training in the summer.

Had to break out the gloves this morning for the sunrise run in the neighborhood.  Six miles and then some striders in front of the house... interrupted briefly by the escaped wild-eyed two-yr-old border collie that no fence can contain when his master sprints past in the road - ugh.  Must remind Lisa to leave him in the house until I finish my run.

Easy little workout in the chilly neighborhood this morning. 5x 5 min at 1/2 marathon pace with 2 min jog rest.  Hit the first four at 7:02-7:06 pace and the last one at 6:52 pace - comfortably hard effort. 

Easy five this evening after driving down and back to Orlando for work.  Dog was cooped up most of the day so did about two with him and then another three.

Nice 5 on the trails midmorning before a little yardwork and then some football.

Long run on St Marks Trail.  Out and back ten, quick bite and stretch and then out and back six.  Everything between 8:45 and 9 pace except tenth mile at 8:03 and 15th at 7:48.  Good effort.

Chilly morning run on the roads.  Creaky first mile and slow uphill last mile, but all others at comfortable marathon pace ~ 7:50

Nine mile progression run on rolling neighborhood roads.  Eased it down gradually from 8:30 to 7:15 pace, with a couple miles of increased effort but slower pace due to hills.  Pretty satisfying ninth mile at 7:09, and then cruised in the last half mile.

Took yesterday off with tired achey legs.  Better this morning, but lack of energy resulted in a mediocre 7 miles at a little better than 8:30 pace.

Five easy on the trails - legs feeling a little more alive today.

Rolling tour of neighborhood roads and trails - mostly easy, but marathon pace on a few of the flat/downhill sections - overall average 8:21 pace.  Gonna take it easy until turkey trot and see what I can run for the 15K.

Just a few easy miles this evening in the light rain.  Was heavy rain this morning so missed the run, and then only had time for a few before dinner with the fam - kids rolled in for Holidays and my folks are due in tomorrow.

Easy pre-race day on the trails plus a few striders.

Goal pace was 7 flat to 7:10, so 7:13 will work pretty good.  Made it through five a bit under 7 pace and then all the 10K runners (the ones I was running with) peeled off and the 15K turned up a hill into the freezing wind - bad combo... 6th and 7th miles blew up to 7:25, but I worked the finishing couple miles a little better to finish fairly strong.  Lisa, Cynda and my folks all walked the mile, and Travis jogged the 5K with a couple buddies on a very chilly morning.  Now we nap while the turkey cooks.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Easy five on the trails.  The folks and Cynda took headed home today - now its just us and Trav for one day and then we take him back after long runs tomorrow morning.

Another long run tour of roads and trails leaving from the house.  Easy 16 to start the week.  Now its into the truck for the 6-hr round trip returning Travis to UNF.

Six on the neighborhood roads - pretty much perfect weather for a few days... mid-50s in the morning mid-70s for highs.  December in Tally - gotta love it.

Nice progression run on the roads this steamy foggy morning - definitely not Christmasy this week in Tally.  First couple miles at 8:15 pace, then steady drop down through marathon pace to 1/2 MP, and last mile in 6:46, closing in on what is likely my current 5K pace.  Got the blood pumping pretty good. 

Six in the neighborhood in 46 minutes - good run at marathon pace.

Easy 4 on the trails before 18 miler on Sunday - ugh.

Planned on getting several marathon pace miles on this long run - thought I might do six easy, six at MP and six easy.  Mostly worked out except for mile #7 was a bit slower than planned after making the turn and eating a couple fig newtons.  Got back on it for 8-12 and then a little slower than hoped for final third.  Got the miles in though, so its all good.

Easy run in the neighborhood with last mile about marathon pace.  Calves a bit sore from long run on Sunday.

Chilly trip to the track this morning for 20x200 at 5K pace with 200m jog rest interval.  Two mile warmup in the dark before digging into the 200s.  Nover done this before, so wasn't real sure how to run that many 200s... 5k pace for me right now is likely 6:40ish, so I figured I would start at around 50 seconds each.  Seemed way too slow, so wound up doing most of the first ten at 48 seconds, with right at 80 seconds for the 200m jog.  Felt fine at halfway so dropped the next ten to 47-48 and last couple at 45.  A nice mental workout for me more than anything.  Quite a bit more enjoyable than just running the neighborhood for 7-8 miles.  Pleased that the temps are dropping down again - 80 is way too warm for December.

Couldn't drag out of bed to run this morning, so headed out before dinner.  Really nice run at marathon pace with temps back below 60 again - whew. First mile at 8 flat and the rest at 7:45-7:50 with the 7th at 7:39 feeling quite comfy like I could go a few more at that pace.  Quite pleased after the challenging 18 on Sunday.

Good marathon pace run on the trails this morning before the rains set in.  

Terribly enjoyable long run with a mix of roads and trails.  Last couple miles worked it down to marathon pace with no trouble.  Much better effort than the 18 last Sunday... 15 degrees cooler was a big part of that, I'm sure.

Very chilly (sub 40!!) run in the neighborhood this morning.  Slow first mile and then marathon pace.

Today, I officially have a 22-yr old daughter - sheeesh.  Celebrated with 7x7min at 1/2 marathon pace with 2 min jog rest interval and 10 min warmup/10 min cool down.  Barely 40 degrees again this morning, so took a bit to get rolling, but after the first 3 at 7:20ish pace, I finished up the last 4 right at 7 flat pace.  The loop I use is a hair over 1 mile, and I completed the loop on the last rep for a 6:50 pace... according to my handy dandy Forerunner 610.  Pretty good way to start the day.

OK, 31 is too cold for this Florida boy to be running outside.  I survived - barely!

Little shake-out run with some striders in prep for tomorrow's 6K trail race, the Tannenbaum Trail 6K.  It is run at the awesome Apalachee Regional Park "Cross Country Playground" home of the High School State XC Meet, NCAA DI South Region XC Meet, and future home of the DI National Champs!

Fun little race at the ARP this ridiculously steamy morning - 68 degrees and 100% humidity at 9am gun time.  Pretty good first mostly downhill mile (6:36), but then mostly at 7-7:15 pace not pressing too hard at all.  Lots of elf hats and reindeer hats etc - very fun.  Travis ran chatting with a buddy for the first half and then worked it a little bit to finish 4th overall just under 22 minutes... his 52-yr old high school coach beat him by 40 seconds  :)

Mostly decent long run... until about 14 when I broke back out of the woods into the 75 degree sauna - Christmas in Florida!  Supposed to be 29 Christmas morning - I'll complain about that then.

Six marathon pace miles in the neighborhood this morning - back down to North Florida winter temps - low 40s  :)

Lovely mid morning workout on the track. Four sets of 3x 400 with 200 jog between reps and 200 walk between sets. Eased the pace down each set from 1:40 to 1:35 to 90 and then 86, 84, 79 to finish. Two mile warmup and 1.5 cool down. Last couple were fairly tough, but probably could have worked the first set a little harder.

Six chilly damp miles on the trails midmorning - no work today or tomorrow, what a deal.  Well, no work at the office that is... plenty to do around the house cleaning up the Christmas aftermath.

Nice five miler on the trails.  Saw a couple does and a healthy 4-point buck... no porch sheep tho.

Pretty decent long run this morning.  First ever racoon sighting on the trails.  Wonder if maybe he was rabid.  Toted along enough fig newtons to munch one every 30-40 minutes.  Could be the reason for the better effort than the past couple 18-milers.

Six marathon pace miles in the neighborhood this morning.  Quite pleased that I can do this run at mp in my sleep lately.