Tuesday Run Log

Tuesday was an early morning 8 mile run. The weather was actually very warm considering the season, and the run was a nice easy/standard run. My pace was under 11min/mile, I ran my 8th mile in under 10 minutes. No other comments really.

Sunday Run Log

Yesterday I ran my first 'LSR' on the new plan. This run reminded me a lot of what I like about running. One of the things I like about a good 'LSR' is it gives me an opportunity to go explore new areas. On Sunday I ran through a neighborhood called Eldorado Hills. In this neighborhood there was a 500ft elevation gain in roughly a half mile. The end result was some outstanding views of Dye's Inlet, and even an 'I can see my house' moment. From there I continued through rural Kitsap, before looping back down to Silverdale and finishing on my usual stretch through Chico. The run was 12.5 miles which puts me at 32.5 miles for the week.

Saturday Run Log

Alright, today was another good Saturday run. So far my Saturday runs have been relatively short (4 miles each) which has been a good opportunity for me to stretch out my legs a bit. I ran later in the evening today, but it was still quite warm despite the early sundown. The first two miles were a bit slow as I climbed to my high point, then the return trip was pretty quick. I finished my final mile in under 8 minutes, which brought my average for the 4 miles to about 9 minutes each. These weekend short runs are something that is in the new plan (Pfitzinger) that wasn't in the old plan (Hal Higdon Novice I). In the winter morning runs are cold and dark, which usually means a slow pace for me. So the Pftizinger plan has allowed me to push myself more than HH Novice 1 did, and I like it.

Edit: I almost forgot the best part of this run! While I was running past a local park, I noticed a grassy area that was well lit by a streetlamp. Sitting in that grassy area, probably no further that 10-15 yards from me was a large owl. I would put it between 1ft and 2 ft tall, it watched me curiously as I passed with my glowing headlamp.

Thursday Run Log

Yesterday was a nice 9 mile run. This was an early wakeup for me to be able to get my run in. This run plan will probably have many more early mornings than my last one. My pace was 11:33, which I don't consider too bad for an early morning run. Th weather held up except for a bit of light rain on the way back from Silverdale. On track for now, let's see how I do through the busy weekend.

Run Back-Logs

So I just started and I'm already doing pretty terrible at this. Well here's what I missed:

Thursday, December 8, 2011:
Almost didn't make it out to run today. I woke up a few minutes before my alarm, literally changed it for a few hours later so I could get some extra sleep, then rolled over and went back to bed. Luckily I woke up again about two minutes later and forced myself to get up and run. My run distance was 6 miles at a nice snail pace.

Saturday, December 10, 2011:
Got in a nice 4 mile run down around the Air Field at Fort Lewis today. The run was fantastic. It was my first run outside the early morning hours so I actually kept a good pace. Endomondo wasn't cooperating but I estimated my pace around 8:30min/mile.

Sunday, December 11, 2011:
I didn't run today. Yup should have been a nice slow 10 mile run, and I missed it. Shame on me.

Tuesday, December 13,2011
Today was freezing, right around 25F! The run was a 7 mile run, once again at an easy pace, but it does look like my easy pace is creeping up a bit faster again. Hopefully this will be the coldest morning in a while.

Run Log

So today is my first run on my new training program... sort of. I'll be using the Pfiztinger 18/55 training plan for my second Marathon, however I've had to crunch the timeline slightly. In order to get in a full 18 weeks before the Yakima River Canyon Marathon, my week 1 would have been the week immediately following the Seattle Marathon. So I've adjusted the plan to include less mileage in the first couple weeks, and all my runs will be at a easy pace for a few weeks to ensure proper recovery from my last race.

Anyway, today was actually a fantastic day for a run. It's overcast, but that usually means it's a bit warmer in the early morning. My calf muscle was still a little tight from Seattle, but I was feeling great after my first mile. My goal distance was four miles, and I ran for five. I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I ran at a 12 minute pace, but I really shouldn't be. These first couple weeks will be about easing back into things without hurting myself.

As a bit of a confidence booster I decided to look back at my first day training for the Seattle Marathon. On August 30th, 2011 I ran 3.37 Miles averaging a 12 minute pace. So on the bright side, my super slow recovery runs are still much better than where I started. I can't wait to see what I can accomplish by the end of March!

Leading by Example

So a little over a week ago I finished my first Marathon. I decided to run the Marathon mainly because of my son. I hope that in his life he loves God, loves learning, and stays fit. However, I also realized that if I want these things for my son I need to be living by that example. For me fitness has always been the biggest challenge of the three. Over the years I have had highs and lows in my overall fitness, but in the months after Eli was born, I let myself get pretty out of shape again. The Seattle Marathon was the first step in the right direction, I'm certainly much healthier than I was before. But what I want for my son, is a healthy lifestyle, not months of laziness punctuated by short bursts of motivation. So running will be my new hobby, and it's time to start working on race number two!

To start off I'll post my running goals for 2012

• At least two full marathons
• Complete a marathon in under 4 hours
• Total distance of over 1300 miles ran (An average of 25miles per week for the year)

 Let's go!