TEXAS Paul - Out to Pasture - Healing

Awesome 15 mile run today with Karen F.  Warm temps at 64 degrees and humid when we started.  We met at Austin HS tennis courts parking lot at 6:00 AM and ran the Mt. Bonnell, to Balcones, to 2222, to Shoal Creek, to 45th, to Speedway, to UT, to the state capital, down Congress to Town Lake Trail, and back to the start.  A real nice run.  Lynn and I went to breakfast with Karen over at Maudie's after the run.  A great start to a weekend.  

In Nashville this week.  Worked the starimaster in the hotel fitness center for 104 stories which I'll credit for 4 miles running.  Good and sweaty when this one was done. 

Still in Nashville doing ISO 9001 audit.  Temps outside are cold, so I ran on the treadmill in the hotel for 5 miles.  The first 3 were faster than marathon pace, and then the last 2 miles were about a 6:45 pace.  Felt good.  Got good and sweaty.

Met Karen F and Karen H at Townlake & Mopac at 6:00 AM.   The temperature in Austin, TX was still real warm, about 65 degrees or so, and it was humid again.  We ran the Mt. Bonnell loop and then ran the I-35 loop on Townlake trail.  This was a nice run.  Boy did I need it after an easy running week in Nashville.

A cold misty evening in Austin, TX.  A cold front blew in yesterday and dropped the temperature about 40 degrees.  I put on my running shorts and a singlet, and long pants, and two long sleeve shirts, and my running hat, and gloves.  Did 2 miles warm-up and drills and then Tam asked me if I would do a tempo run of 4 miles at an 8 minute pace. 

After doing the 17 miles yesterday I didn't expect to be doing a tempo run tonight, but good news as all systems felt good and I told Tam sure I would do it with him.  Tom joined us.  I removed both long sleeve shirts and did the run.  We averaged 7:55 for the 4 miles and had a really great workout.

It is really surprising to see how the body can recover from some of the long runs.  Yesterday at this time there is no way I would have imagined doing a nice tempo run tonight. 

Cool start to the day in Austin, TX.  Met Karen F & Karen H at Mopac and Townlake at 6:00 AM.   I thought it was real cold so I put on my running pants to start our run, but by 3 miles I was getting way too hot so I took them off and wrapped them around my waist. 

We did the 10 mile Longhorn Dam Townlake loop and then the 5 mile Congress Avenue loop.  A nice run.  We saw Bob B during the run and after the run.  Good to see Bob.  Then we went to Maudie's for breakfast.  A real nice start to the weekend.

A really nice running night at McNeil HS in Austin, TX.  Temps about 50 degrees, no wind at all, just a nice night.  Got in 2.5 miles easy warm-up.  Then we did drills.  Then Donnie had us do a "ladder" drill.  1 mile at 5K pace, then faster 800M, then faster 400M, then faster 200M, with 100M recovery in between each.  Karen F led us with 1 mile at 7:03, 800M at 6:40 pace, 400M at 6:12 pace, 200M at 5:48 pace.  Just a great workout.  Then Karen and I did 1.5 miles cool down. 

A beautiful day in Austin, TX.  Mid day temps at 72 degrees with sunshine.  Seems more like April 20th instead of December 20th.  I went over to Wells Branch Park and did a mid-day run.  First the north 2.2 mile loop, then the south 2.2 mile loop, then the south loop again and then the north loop again.  A really nice fun run.  It took the guilt trip off my back for missing the Wednesday night run at Brushy Creek.

Looking forward to doing 16 miles from the new RunTex store in Georgetown on Saturday with Karen H and a bunch of the team.  I think this will be Donnie's first official group run from the new RunTex store location. 

Awesome run of 16.6 miles.  Typical heart rate was between 145 and 150.  Relaxing 8:45 to 9:00 pace most of the way.  A fun enjoyable run with no soreness at all after the run.  A few weeks ago after our 17 mile run I was very sore, so this is a good sign that some level of conditioning is returning.   

This was the first group run from the new RunTex store in Georgetown.  Donnie is going to manage the new store and he was hoping to have a nice kick-off run today.  He and Jill and Sunshine got up at 4:00 AM this morning and took out the coolers and tables for the aid stations at 4 or 5 locations on the route, lots of work.

We met at 6:00 AM at the new RunTex store and by the time we took off there were over 40 of us.  Donnie had the runners sign a log register so we would know who to be looking for to ensure everyone made it back okay. 

The temps were about 55degrees with a bit of a wind and lots of fog down by the San Gabriel River crossing in the park.  Donnie had prepared sheets of paper with instructions and a map of the route so everyone could find their way in case they lost sight of one of the groups.  Karen H and I led one of the groups for 5 miles and then we decided to do our normal Saturday method of running 8 minutes and walking 1 minute.  Even with our run/walk method we still kept catching the running group at each water aid station.  We ran in shorts and singlet and for the first 8 or 9 miles we were much colder than we had expected.  Our hands were really getting cold but finally the sun came up and things got a little warmer.  Anyway, just a really nice run.

Then after the run we went to breakfast with Tam, Karen, Lynn and I over at the Monument Cafe.  Way too much food.  Next time we won't order so much.  Then Lynn and I went shopping at some of the small shops there in the center of Georgetown.  A nice morning.  Merry Christmas. 

Left work at 3:30 PM to go to Brushy Creek so I could get in a long run before the sun set.  Temperature about 50 degrees.  Ran alone for 10 miles and then did a 1 mile cool down with Richard.  I saw Bill from RunTex 3 times on this run.  The sun was setting on the horizon as I finished mile 9 running across the Brushy Creek Dam.  Then I did the drills with Richard and 3 new runners. 

During the 10 mile run the HR for the first 5 miles (general downhill) was generally about 153 and for the last 5 miles (general uphill) was generally about 162.  Pace was typically 8:45, but I pushed it on the 10th mile to 8:15 and pushed hard for the last 1/4 mile up the trail hill and got the HR up to 172.  A nice run.   

The good thing about this run is that it again confirmed that more of the base is returning, which is what we were happy about last Saturday after doing the 16.6 mile run in Georgetown.  And now with Christmas behind us and New Years Eve next Monday we are almost through with the holiday interruptions so I can get back on a regular schedule of running. 

And when I got home my wife showed me the postcard from the Boston Marathon committee that confirmed my registration for the 2008 Boston.  Its always good to officially have the registration confirmation card in hand.  I checked the Boston Marathon web page for entrants and it also has me listed, a good thing. 

For anyone who is interested in a link to another wealth of running knowledge that reinforces many of the principles that Sasha Pachev preaches, see item 3 below.

1.  A beautiful afternon in Austin, TX with temps about 55 degrees.  The goal for this run was to get in 10 miles and keep the heart rate below 150, just a nice easy run.  After a mile warm-up I set out for 9 more and met RunTex Bill who was out for a similar run so we ran my last 9 miles together and had some great conversation and got better acquainted.  Bill coaches some running groups, but also does many longer runs alone which seems to be when I see him the most.  Running together and telling stories really made the 9 miles go fast. 

2.  A nice run where the heart rate stayed where it belonged for the first 5 miles, but got above 150 for the last 5 miles which is generally an uphill slope.  We also noted that the deeper we got into stories about running Pikes Peak and the like it seemed that we would naturally get running faster, so I would have to consciously force myself to slow down.  A fun run.

3.  Bill told me about a web page that is an awesome resource for running information and guidance.  http://www.letsrun.com/
This web site has a wealth of running information.  If you scroll about 2/3 of the way down the web site you will get to the section titled:  Training Advice:
A wealth of the training advice reinforces what Sasha Pachev suggests as the keys to a life of successful running and achieving your running potential. 
A few of the articles that I have looked at are noted below:
- Top 10 Training Tips
- No Shortcuts
- Wejo Speaks:  Why I Sucked in College  (an awesome article)
And looking at the titles of many other articles suggests there is a wealth of great reading here. 

Enjoy,  Paul

Met Karen H at Brushy Creek park at 7:00 AM.  Temp about 30 degrees.  We really thought that we were cold.  Did 1 mile warm-up, then headed out on the trail across the dam and ran easy for 6 miles with heart rate about 135 to 140.  Then on the way back on the uphill slope trail we pushed it hard for 3 miles and got the heart rate up to 165, a nice effort.  Then finished up with a 1 mile cool down and then headed to breakfast with Lynn.  A great way to start the last weekend of the year.

This makes 3 runs at Brushy Creek for me in the past 4 days for a total 31 miles.  This is a good way to finish the year.