TheRunningRev.Com

Feeling Great: 20 Miles

It's amazing the difference a week can make. Last Monday I was dying a slow death on a 13 mile run, one week later 20 miles seems easy. Today's 20 was run at a 8:19 pace and was very comfortable, I chose to walk a couple of the tougher hills and that cost me a couple of minutes but it was well worth it as it allowed me to finish feeling great.

Another lesson in the anals of training, even when it things feel like they aren't going your way, stick with it and it will get better.

Off the treadmill and outside again

Thankfully the weather broke and I was able to run outside today. The sky was clear, it was 40 degrees and the sun was setting. I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful February evening for running five miles.

As I was running my mind wandered to the National Marathon at the end of March. Even though I haven't entered it yet I found myself thinking about finishing times. For sure I would want to beat my 3:43 that I ran in Richmond. Then I realized that if I ran an 8:05 pace I would beat the pace I ran a 5k at a little less than two years ago. Now that would be cool to translate a 5k pace into a marathon pace in under two years. Then there's the 8:00 pace that would bring me in seconds under 3:30, yes that would mean I'd see a 3:2? on the clock, that would a phenomenal achievement. Of course there's always the BHAG of running a 3:20 time and qualifying for Boston. I don't think that's realistic for the National Marathon but perhaps it could be this fall!

Anyway, it was a great run at 7:30 pace and that's what I was thinking about.

Eighteen Miles on Treadmill with U2

The air temperature was twenty degrees and the wind chill was three, it was the day for my long run, eighteen miles on the schedule. The thought of running outside in this weather was more than I could stand, but the thought of eighteen on the treadmill was surely drive me to the edge of sanity (many of my friends already question my sanity).

It was off to the treadmill. The good news was that I had a new DVD to watch, it was a U2 concert DVD that came as part of the special edition boxed set of the remastered Joshua Tree album. It was absolutely fabulous! Singing along to the U2 tunes from the mid-80's made me feel like I was in my late teens again and the time flew by. Before I knew it I had covered my eighteen miles none the worse for wear, invigorated for all that life has to offer me. I wasn't sure if the cost of the boxed set would be worth it, but I would highly recommend it to any fan of U2.

Of course, no matter how much I enjoy U2, I pray for good weather whenever my schedule calls me to  go long.

Seventeen today

I'm one step closer to running the National Marathon again this year. Seventeen miles at a 7:59 pace. It wasn't an easy run but it was encouraging. It was a beautiful day for running, slightly overcast shy and 50 degree temperature.

4 Miles to start the year

4 miles today, all run inside on the treadmill. I'm loving the new treadmill but its hard to run in your basement. We're finding that our pace slows when we run at home, I'm not sure if its the heat (30 degrees warmer in the basement than outside) or the mental aspect of running in our home. Either way it's still nice to have.