Run Buffs Run!

An easy 13 miles today in 1:27. I felt a bit tired, but I also ran a bit early. When I run in the morning, it is not unusual for me to "sleep run" for a couple of miles before I really wake up. Besides that ordeal, though, a very good run. Snow is still a very big problem, too. For a decent portion of the run, I was forced to run on a skinny, slippery path. There was a lot of people outside, hinting that the post new year's "army of two week runners" will be hitting the trails soon.

Today was an easy day to recoup from yesterdays longer run. I ran 11x150 meter strides at the end at mile pace. I felt a bit tired but I think it was just one of those days.

An easy run today at 6:35 pace. It is about time to replace my shoes, and I was thinking about testing the Asics Gel Foundations. Does anyone wear these? I have heard that they are pretty good, but I need some first hand opinions. It seems like running shoes go out way too fast. After two months, mine seem spent.

Ten easy miles today in the wet and slick snow. Nothing too special, but the snow made the workout feel much harder than it should have been. I ran 11x150 meter strides at the end.

It snowed 10 inches again yesterday, which prohibited me from running. Today, however, I managed to find a plowed path to run on. I ran nine miles, and completed 10x150 meter strides at the end. I felt pretty good. I was supposed to only run 50 miles this week (my coaches plan), but I exceeded that by a couple of miles. Oh well, I guess a couple of extra miles never hurts anyone.

Only 7.5 miles today in the p.m. It was nearly dark when I finished, and it was becoming very cold.

Today was the long run day. I planned on only running 12.5/13 miles, but I guess I got a bit carried away. No matter, though. It was horribly windy and icy in spots, but I managed to make it through without suffering a fall. It seems like after a longer run I get very hungry. Tonight, I will probably "pig out" and eat a ton.

A short run today to recoup from yesterday. My fate finally caught up with me and I took a good spill. Ironically, it wasn't the snow that caused me to fall. It was the ridiculous amount of gravel that they put on the streets to prevent people from falling. I guess I just find creative ways to do things. Besides that, a good run.

I ran ten easy miles today, but had to do so later in the evening. I am moving into an appartment in Boulder tommorrow, so gathering everything up is a bit stressfull. I am moving directly across the street from the location of the CU time trial course (I didn't actually plan this). This will give me an opportunity to really run the course on a frequent basis and become comfortable with the terrain. With this type of advantage, it will be hard not to run a good race.

I ran 7.5 miles early this morning before I moved into an apartment. Moving is a ridiculous amount of work, and I am sure that this move will be the easiest of my life. Anyhow, my roommate and I are getting settled in, and the apartment is beginning to take shape. I like being back in Boulder where there is a over-abundance of running trails.

The temperature today reached a broiling temperature of four degrees farenheight, so I had to run on a treadmill. I ran 7.5 miles at 6:30 pace, but it felt like I ran at least double that distance. Apparently there are scientific studies about the psychology of a treadmill. Since they remain stationary, it makes the body feel like it is far more tired than it actually is.

I only ran six miles today due to the cold weather (will it ever leave?). I ran on a treadmill again, which was a huge drag. To make things a bit more interesting, I messed with the grade (fluctuated between one and three degrees), and increased my speed to over ten miles per hour (5:45 mile pace) for a couple of the miles. I dont care if it is cold tommorrow, I am going to go running outside and get some good miles in.

FINALLY, a very good run today! I have been cramped up inside by the hazardous cold weather for the last couple of days, so getting out for a long run really made me feel better. I didn't really intend on running this far, but once my body hit "coasting" mode at 1:15, I just cruised through the rest of the run. It was not as cold as I would have expected it to be, especially once I put on full winter running apparel. In all, a very good run!

Nothing too special today, mainly because I need rest after yesterdays run. I will probably go for 8-9 miles tommorrow with some strides thrown in once again at the end. I am beginning a new phase on the workout calendar. Beginning Thursday I will be doing mile repeats at threshold pace (approx. 5:40 mile pace), with a series of 200 meter strides at the end. I am looking forward to getting into some of the fast stuff again.

An easy nine miles early this morning at 6:15 pace. I measured my pace using mile markers on the Boulder Creek Path, and found that for a couple of miles I was hitting sub 6:00 min pace. This was weird, mainly because I did not feel like I was working to hard to achieve these times. Since I have been doing some longer runs and easy miles, I feel like my endurance has greatly improved, making up for the lack of speework. I feel that once I begin some faster workouts (i.e. mile repeates, tempo runs and VO2 max workouts), my speeds will greatly increase. I am hoping that my added endurance will allow me to extend the period of time at which I can perform at my maximum level. Beginning tommorrow, my coach has scheduled some speed work to begin working towards this goal.

I began today with an easy three mile warm up. I then did mile repeats (cruise intervals as Daniels Running Formula describes them) at 5:40 pace with a one minute rest between intervals. I ran the first mile in 5:27 (a bit too fast), second in 5:39, third in 5:33 and fourth in 5:38. What felt very good was the amount lack of effort I needed to put forth to achieve these times. I remember in high school (junior year) a 5:30 mile was tough, but today, this mile time was no hard task. It felt as if I was just "floating" through the workout. I guess that is the payoff of training. To finish, I did 4x200 meter strides at 4:40 mile pace. By some freak chance, Alan Culpepper was running on the same track as me (Potts Field). It is weird to actually see an olympic runner in person, but that is what you get up here in Boulder. You could tell that he was a terrific runner by his long, effortless stride, even when doing sub five minute miles. I finished with three more easy miles back to my appartment, and in the process had to walk across a frozen stream. I ended up falling in up to my knees in frigid water. Bad news. Needless to say, I ended up running back to my appartment with 3 lb water filled shoes.

Just an easy day after some good running this week. I ran the rocky mountian shootout course, where the time trials are held. I have ran this course a couple of times now, and I am planning to run it quite a bit more to familiarize myself with it. 

A longer run today to begin the week. My coach has me only running 40 miles this week, so I am going to have to tone it down a bit to hit that mark. It was snowing very hard today, but surprisingly it was much warmer than the past week. In all, a good run. 

I ran some miles early this morning before class. It was still dark when I left, and getting out of bed was near impossible. A decent run, though. 

An easy nine miles today at 6:05 pace, with 10x150 meter strides at the end. I felt very good, and the weather actually cooperated a bit today. It was a mere 24 degrees (F) as opposed to the usual five, so that put me in a good mood. I really need to slow down the mileage to not exceed the 40 mile limit by too much. I am excited for the "heat wave" coming. According to the weathermen, it should reach 40 degrees (F) later this week (if they can be trusted at all).

I ran easy today, and the weather finally decided to cooperate! I wore shorts for the first time in three weeks. Anyways, I finished the run with 10x150 meter strides. It almost feels like cheating doing strides at the end of a run. They seem far easier than if you were to just go out and run them without running before hand. Knowing this, I am going to take full advantage. Minimal pain for the gain!

I ran four mile repeats today at 5:35 mile pace. Like last week these seemed decently easy, but I think that they will help out my threshold pace a good amount. I then ran 4x200 meter strides on Potts Field track. I finished by running three miles back to my apartment.   

I ran only six easy miles today, and finished with 8x150 meter strides. I far exceeded my coaches designated mileage goal this week, but I couldn't help it. I've become an addict!

I ran the long run today to begin the week. At the beginning, it felt as if I were laboring a bit too much, but as time progressed my body seemed to "numb" out and cruise with ease. This was my first day wearing the Asics Gel Foundations. They seem to be very supportive and comfortable. Unfortunately I stepped in five or six large mud puddles with them (doesn't this always happen with new things?). I guess they will get gunked up at one time or another, so I got a early start.

An easy 6.2 miles today to recover from yesterdays long run. I felt a bit tired, but overall, pretty good. It is becoming colder again, which is a huge disapointment. Back to the tights, I guess.

I ran ten miles today and did 8x150 meter strides at the end. I ran up into the flatirons, which was cool. It's amazing how quiet it is up there with such a bustling city in close proximity. It provides a good escape from the clutter of school and stress.

I ran just over ten miles today, but had to do so in the dark. Conveniently, I got lost in some backwoods section of Boulder. I had to stand and look at a trail map for a minute or three to comprehend where I really was. I only varied from my normal route by a small amount, but this "small amount" ended up leading me way off course. At least I found my way back!