Dixies Dashing Diary

Humbling workout this morning. I planned on doing a 6x800 today at about a 3:10 pace. My first was 3:12 and I was shocked. The second was 3:15, third 3:16, and fourth was 3:17. I just kept going slower. I can't figure out what happened because I just ran 800's a few weeks ago between 3:05 and 3:12. Was it just a bad day? Am I getting slower?

All thoughts to ponder. My conclusion: a bad day running beats a wonderful day rehabbing an injury. I just kept running. I will just keep running. Some day I will run fast!!!

Time: 6:30 am  Total Time: 1:15 

Temp: 77º  Humidity:  81%

No running today. Got to bed at midnight, slept till 7 am and had to be at work early. Left work at 5:45 pm but the boys and I were supposed to be at a friends house for "man movie" night at 7 pm so with the communte home, picking up the boys and the pizza etc. I didn't have time for a run.

However, I did get my 5th seven hour night's sleep this week. I never thought a sleep goal would be my one victory for a week but I'll take it.

Time: 7 hours  Temp: 75º

Got up this morning fully intending to run first thing. First thing ended up being 9:30 am. Fortunately it was over cast with a little bit of breeze. I decided that I would run anyways and try to make up some distance on my overall milage base for the week. I missed two days this week so I started this morning with only a little over 18 miles. Ran 7 miles at an easy pace and hopped in the pool for a refreshing dip.

I'm planing on running the midnight tonight so with warm up and cool down I should finish the week with just over 30 miles. The 40 mile week may be out of reach but I've hit my rest goal of 7 hours per night. Now if I can get to 8 hours per night and 40 miles per week, I should see over all improvement in everything.

Time: 9:30 am  Total Time: 1:00:41 includes 2 water stops

Temp: 78º   Humidity: 87%

Did 1 mile warm up and stretched long enought to tighten my shoe laces. First mile was 6:50. Just before we hit the bridge I saw Mark pass me. I knew at once that whatever pace he was running, I had no business being anywhere near him. I cautiously backed it down a smidge.

Hit the 3 mile mark at 21:08 and told myself that was a little aggressive and that I better save some for the last bridge (the bigger of the two) which is right at about 1.2 miles to the finish. I was at 28:33 at the 4 mile and 35: 45 at the 5 mile. As I entered the final turn toward the finish a guy passed me. I passed him back and picked up two more.

When I first looked at the timing board I was extatic to find that I had finished 1st out of 16 in my age group. And then I noticed that I was first in the... women's division. They had me down as female even though I checked male on the entry form. Fortunately we got it changed and as it turns out I was 43 over all and 5th in the men's 45-49 age group. I even got a plaque!

Time: 12:15 AM  Race Time: 44:39 (7:12 avg)

Temp: 76º   Humidity: 99%

Ran in the rain by myself this morning. The rain was great. The run was fine. My legs were still sore.

Time: 6:00 am  Total Time:53:49

Temp: 74    Humidity: 100%

Started kindof late tonight but it just seemed like a perfect night to run. It rained tonight for about 4 hours. It was just stopping as I finished my first mile. Not much breeze but the temp was cooler and the humidity was lower. I just got in a groove and cruised. I really wasn't paying much attention to pace but rather form and ease of effort. It was really quiet tonight except for the sound of frogs and crickets everywhere. Truly a symphony of nature! I am blessed to be able to run and blessed to see the sights and hear the sounds most people hurry by each day.

Time: 9:15 PM  Total Time: 1:00:00 (8:17 avg)

Temp: 78º   Humidity:  74%

No running. Just rest.

Good run today, just too tired to blog.

Both early and long day at work. Decided to get a decent night's sleep and be ready for Saturday run.

I knew it was going to be one of those days when I arrived at the "meeting" place. Mark and I were supposed to meet at about 5:35 am at Longleaf to get 5 miles in before joining the rest of the group at Starky Park. I prepared as usual the night before...except for my shoes.

My wife and children have long since forbidden the storage of my running shoes anywhere in the house or any enclosed area where people might have to enter. I found that by removing the inserts, rinsing them out and haning them on the towel rack out on the pool deck makes for the least offensive and most convenient way to care for my shoes and preserve peace in my home.

Back the to the morning. I arrive a little ahead of schedule and begin my routine of putting on my shoes & socks, applying Curad nipple guards, and taking those last few sips of morning coffee. That's when I noticed I had no inserts... In an effort to "be angry and sin not" I gained composure, put on a second pair of socks, and prepared for yet a new first in my running experience. I now have a new PR: 14 miles in shoes with no inserts!

The run was quite amusing with the Armadillo drive by and a turkey that actually ran with us 20 or 30 yards. I set a new record at BGP (that's Bathroom Goal Pace) right at the first 5 mile mark. It was a brief but timely stop and I am greatful to the good people of Pasco County for building such a convenient monument to indoor plumbing.

I made the call at the 9.5 mark to turn back and try to finish the last 4 miles in a comfortable yet faster pace. At that moment, a group of Suncoast Striders came blazing up. I thought, "I gotta go with em!" My thought was that I would hang with them for a mile or so just to stretch my legs and then drop back and finish in an 8:40 or so pace. As it turns out I got behind Katie & Dave and cruise the next mile at 7:40. After that, Katie and I just fell into a tempo and were literally stride for stride. Katie is a former collegiate rower and a deisal engine of a work horse. She was like a metronome. I just hung on for the ride. We finished the last there miles all in 7:30 to 7: 40 pace (For those of you that have forgotten, that's fast for a slow runner).

What a VICTORY!  This is the first strong finish to a long run that I have had in about 9 weeks. I've been crashing almost every long run somewhere around 11 to 12 miles. I just have nothing left. Today, whether it was the slow consistant pace which Mark kept us earlier or the adrenalin of running with a faster group, I just felt free. That sluggish feeling went away and I didn't think about how tired I was. AND I had plenty left at that pace. It seems that 7:35 to 7:45 is just a good stride for me.

Now, back to getting more sleep (7 hrs min.) and staying healthy one more week!

Time: 5:45 am   Total Time: 2:02 (8:43 avg)

Temp: 79º   Humidity:  77%

Restful day. Ran in the park with Mia (my oldest daughter) and just took our time. Ran on the boardwalks by the lake from which a beautiful, cool breeze was blowing.  We ran some and walked some. Just a great day to spend some daddy-daughter time.

Time: 11:45 am (after first service)  Total Time: 41:20

Temp: 88º  Humidity: 65%

Had to be at work by 7:00 am so I slept till 6 and decided to take one more rest day. Got home after 7:30 pm (very long day...) and decided to have dinner with the family and take in a movie at home one of my boys.

Took an easy warm up mile or so and then worked into a little quicker pace paying close attention to my effort. Tried to stay focused on form and staying loose in my shoulders. I have a tendency of raising my shoulders slightly for some reason and my neck and traps get really tight. Ran the last couple of miles under 8 minutes but for the most part I ran around goal marathon pace. Felt really good this morning.

Time: 6:00 am  Total Time: 57:40 (8:04 avg)

Temp: 84º  Humidity: 72%

Did a warm up and then 4 x 800. Ran too fast. Too fast for it to be July and my nearest marathon isn't till Oct/Nov.

1. 3:06 - Felt comfortable in stride and breathing
2. 3:17 - Tried to back off some...and was then shocked that I dropped 11 sec!
3. 3:04 - Tried to make up some time not really thinking that I didn't need it.
4. 3:04 - Felt REALLY tired so I had to push to finish

After that I realized it was foolish to push the pace on this kind of workout especially in this heat and this far out from the race.

My next repeat workout will be 6-8 x 800 at 3:20. If I can do those then I'll shoot for 10 and if 10 then I'll go back and try 6-8 @ 3:15 and so on. It's hard to be patient. It's harder to be injured, sidelined, and watching everyone else run fast...

Time: 9:30 PM  Total Time: 1:13

Temp: 86º  Humdity: 65%

Sleep, ahhh, sleep...

No run today. Had an after hour thing in Pasco. Didn't get home till almost 10:00. Decided to go on to bed.

Crummy night sleep. Kept waking up. Got up at 5:30 and felt like I hadn't slept a wink. Decided to post pone running till tomorrow and have a good night sleep tonight. I'll miss the milage this week but be thankful for some added rest.

Met Matt for a loop around the bay this morning. Got started right on time (5:45) and for the second week in a row, I actually managed to keep a slow and steady pace through most of the run. The bridges were no big deal (they never are until late in the run after I ran them like they were no big deal only to discover they in fact were...) mainly because I didn't try to attack them like normal. I'm finally learning how to run long runs instead of trying to race them. I'm learning that race speed comes during the weekly tempo/intervals/ or hill repeats NOT during your long runs. We actually ran negative splits the last 4 miles and finished the last mile in the 7:50's. Great run.

Time: 5:45 am Temp: 80º  Humidity: 70%

Total Time: 1:55 (8:27 avg)

This morning was HOT & Sweaty. It felt harder running 6 miles this morning than 13 miles on Saturday. I stopped for a quick drink at the tennis courts and just finished the run. I had planned on doing 8 but just couldn't bring myself to it. I'll make it up some day...

Time: 6:30 am  Total Time: 50:44

Temp: 80º    Humidity: 85%

Debated whether to get up and run this morning or sleep in and run tonight. Decided to run this morning and then, if I get home early enough, run again tonight!

Felt a little better than yesterday but still felt sluggish. Felt really tired at around 4 miles but just kept running. Began thinking about the long runs ahead and wondering how I would get through them...and I just kept running. Felt better the last mile or so. I've got a long way to go to get to marathon distance again. Until then, I'll just keep running.

Time: 6:15 am  Total Time: 57:49 (8:08 avg)

Temp: 80º  Humidity: 81%

This morning I ran with Mark & Jenny. What a great send off for their trip to the dryer climate of Utah for a mid summer's day marathon. It was hot and sticky and a great reminder of why there are no marathons (or halfs...) in Florida during the summer months. To make matters worse there wasn't even a breath of breeze. So they ran, I squished and squashed (I was wearing my fat Thorlo's) and we sweated out an easy 6 miler.

Unfortunately I had to pass on the dip in the pool and the four course vegan breakfast I'm sure Jenny had planned as some of us actually have to go to work while it's still morning. All in all, it was great company, a few more stories told and maybe a new one to tell.

Best of luck to you, Mark & Jenny. You both have trained well. Go run the numbers and enjoy the ride!

Time: 6:30 am  Total Time: 58:57 (8:34 avg)

Temp: 80º   Humidity: 85% (the highest humidity of the day!!!)

Today's run was kind of an accident. I took today and Friday off to spend some time with my family before the work gets even busier and preparations for back to school begins. Last night we stayed up late and then slept in this morning. I had the opportunity to get my usual 4.75 hours of sleep and get up to run with friends early this morning...I passed. So today was beach day. I decided to wait on my run till we got to the beach as that was the lowest humidity of anywhere in the Tampa Bay area. Made sense at the time. We found a spot to park, unload, set up on the beach, and for me to decide that now is the time to run.

The time was 2:15 pm, the temperature was 90º and the humidity was a wonderful 52%. No wind! No cloud cover. My goal was take it out at about 8:45 pace and after a mile, do a 4 mile tempo which would include two bridge climbs, finishing with a 1 mile cool down. I stopped before I finished mile 2. Dude, it was sooo hot, I could not believe it. Breathing was hard and my heart rate was up past normal. I found a spot in the shade to cool off for a minute and get a drink (luckily I was carrying a fuel belt with water, cell phone, and debit card). Got back started after about a 5 minute break and headed up Sand Key bridge. Kept good form and pace although my heart rate was skyrocketing. I just tried to keep everything together and get over the top without stroking out. I cruised the downhill side and about a quarter of a mile later, cruised into the Marriott Sand Key to refill my bottle and take another break (I was only at mile 3 here and I was taking my 2nd break) this time in the air conditioning. 

At this point I realized the tempo was out of the question, completing the entire 6 miles was seriously in question, and "should I even attempt to run back over that stupid bridge" was my burning question. I did run the bridge. I did see some beautiful sights both Gulfward and Bayside. The water was several shades of blue, green, and I guess turquoise (ladies, is that how you spell it?). I saw people fishing, sailing, parasailing. Interestingly, I saw no one running...

On the other side of the bridge I made it to my earlier shady spot and decided to call it a day. It was just too stinking hot for this old man to be running. I'm still not doing a good job of maintaining pace especially when I'm supposed to be running slower. Had I stuck with an 8:50 - 9:00 pace I probably could have kept going. I decided the smart thing would be to use my cell phone to call my wife; my debit card to get something cold to drink at the Hess station; and to use my head to make note of what a disaster this was. NOTE TO SELF: Don't run in the middle of the day when there's no cloud cover and it's really hot..

The rest of our beach time was spent in the water which was a wonderful 88º, where I saw a young dolphin leap out of the water about seven times. I've lived here all my life and have never seen that before.

Our afternoon ended at Frenchy's Rockaway Grill where I had a recovery meal of Calamari and a Grouper Reuben sandwich. Not a bad way to come back from a bad run. 

 Time: 2:15 pm  Total Time:32.58 (8:01 avg)

Temp: 90º    Humidity: 52%

The boys and I spent the day tubing on the Rainbow River. A beautiful day with crystal clear water, bass, brem, an alligator gar as long as your arm, AND we got to see a family of otters playing.

So I didn't have much time for a longer run. I went out for a quick one when we got home. Felt great with no fuel belt. Just ran.

Time: 8:45 pm  Total Time: 29:49 (7:23 avg)

• 7:49
• 7:05
• 7:03
• 7:32

Temp: 80º  Humidity: 68%

This morning I ran with the Striders.We left the parking area around 6:30 am and headed out into the Starkey wilderness. Saw a young buck this morning. Someone saw a baby bob cat. I was too busy looking out for the mama bob cat that I didn't really notice the baby.

This was one of those days that I was both stupid and lucky. And let's face it, if you're going to be stupid it's always better to also be lucky. My stupidity was to go out with the group that was running much faster than I wanted or planned to run my long run. I have finally had success with my longer runs (12-15 miles) but only in recent weeks and only when I've started out slow (8:45-8:55/mile). Today after the first  4 miles, my slowest mile was an 8:09. Now for Sasha and the Salt Lake City crowd that's not saying much. For me, however, that's screamin fast. I really would like some one to weigh in on what your long run pace should be in relation to your race pace. Speak up because I really don't want to get injured and I really don't want to run slow the rest of my life. There's got to be a happy medium.

 My last 8 mile splits were:

• 8:07
• 8:03
• 8:03
• 8:04
• 8:09
• 7:55
• 7:55
• 8:05

This was more of an extended tempo run than my weekend long run. I could barely keep running the last 2 miles. I wanted to stop because it was so hot. Diane was leading me in so I stayed on her tail till the 1 mile mark and backed it down a little.

My luck: it was over cast the entire morning we were running. Had it been sunny, I would have had a long walk back to the parking lot!

 Time: 6:30 am  Total Time: 1:45:51  (8:11 avg)

Temp: 80.6º   Humidity: 84%

Missed my wake up this morning. Just as well in light of a late night to bed and an otherwise sound night sleep. A full night's sleep is never a bad way to start a week.

 Tonight I ran about 8:00 pm. Still a little sore from a hard run on Saturday, I tried to keep it slow tonight. Tried to focus on relaxed breathing and comfortable form AND keeping it slow. Not a bad start.

My right calf muscle just before it reaches the back of the knee started feeling weird. I cooled off in the pool after the run and stretched very lightly. Iced for about 15 minutes and will warm up a little longer than usual for the next few mornings.

Time: 8:00 pm  Total Time: 1:07:48 (8:28 avg)

Temp: 85º  Humidity: No Report

Planned on running in the evening so I could get some additional rest. Got a free ticket to the Rays game with one of my best friends so no run tonight.

So tomorrow...should I run today's easy run or tomorrows tempo...?

Went to the Rays game last night and watched a great game that ended with a batter hitting into a double play with two men left on base. Go Rays!

So I didn't run last night and I didn't run yesterday morning. The question in my mind was, should I run the 7 easy that I was supposed to run yesterday OR the 4 mile tempo that's on my Wednesday schedule. I opted for the tempo.

I've decided it's going to take a long time for me to learn how to run at certain paces. I feel like most of the time I'm running out of fear. I'm afraid if I run slow I'll race slow. I've got to slow down and train the numbers so that in the fall I can speed up and race the numbers.

I did a 1 mile warm up, 4 mile tempo, with a 1.2 mile cool down. The miles looked like this:

1. 8:55
2. 7:16
3. 7:15
4. 7:18
5. 7:12
6. 8.27

I showered off in the hose, jumped in the pool and just floated for a while. Got out and iced right calf from mid way up to just behind the knee. No pain yet just a tinge that says something needs attention.

Time: 6:15 am  Total Time: 47:51 (7:43 avg)

Temp: 82º   Humidity: 85%

Got a late start this morning but I got in an easy 6 miler. Not much to talk about other than the fact that my easy pace seems to be faster than it use to be. My first mile was an 8:31 which felt like a shuffle for the first half. After I got warmed up everything was 8:10 or under. I even past a guy in my neighborhood just on instinct and sent my last mile down  to 7:44.

The encouraging thing is that I still have like 12 weeks till the race... If I can stay uninjured and stay consistent on the long runs, I should see vast improvement in my times.

 Time: 6:45 am   Total Time: 49:56  (8:06 avg)

Temp: 80º  Humidity: 87%

Still not sleeping well. I'm waking up feeling like I've not really rested. My legs feel dead.

After a couple of snooze hits and a couple more spent on the couch, I finally got up and did a quick 6. Today was supposed to happen Tuesday. I missed my Tuesday run so I'm making it up on my rest day.

Time:  7:00 am  Total Time:  49:50 (8:06 avg)

Temp: 81º  Humidity:  79%

I am no expert when it comes to nutrition. I have learned some valuable lessons through out the years and today I intend on starting a spreadsheet entitled "Thing You REALLY Should Not Eat The Night Before Your Long Run." I will begin with #1 on the list: Nuclear Boneless Chicken Wings from Beef O'Brady's. Now it's not that I'm against chicken (I am quite a fan of the wing) but something about fried and the word "nuclear"  in the same sentence says that "nothing good will come of this."  While the wings seemed like a very good idea in the moment (after all they were only .55/wing), later that night and early this morning...and later in my run...and later after the run I learned that this is a gift that just keeps on giving. From now on I will stick to the old fashion, highly reliable, boring pasta meal that so wonderfully fuels and never burns twice!

So my run started a little later than planned this morning. We did the beach bridges. Matt and I headed out from Coachman Park toward the bridge and came up on the West Coast Y Runners just emerging from the City Hall parking lot. There was a bunch of them and fortunately they were starting out slow. We ran about a 9:00 pace the first mile and gradually worked down into the 8:20's. Saw Diane, Renee, and Katie from the Suncoast Striders; I actually took the time to look at the beautiful sights over the bay and sunrise as we ran over the Sand Key bridge; caught up with and were promptly left by a group of guys that were running sub 7's for the last half of the course. It was truely an eventful run.

I didn't crash today. On the contrary I actually ran negative splits my last 4 miles. Last mile was a 7:36. I actually felt good today throughout all phases of the run (with the exception of that last port-o-pottie experience which was really post run, but bad enough to warrant a mention). Next week: Rest, run, continue with the SmartCoach plan. I am blessed!

PM:  I realized I was .40 away from hitting my 40 mile mark for the week so tonight after my youngest son and I finished the lawn, we went out and did an easy 1 mile before jumping in the pool. What a great finish to the day as the sun had just gone down.

Time: 6:01 am   Total Time: 1:50:30  (8:23 avg)

Temp: 82º    Humidity:  85%