Day # 20: Hilly 6 Mile Run

I got up at 8am this morning and ran my familiar 6 mile loop, which has some pretty rough hills. It was already humid out, but equipped with my trusty Ipod Mini, I took my mind off sweating and pounded out the miles. I felt good for the first 3 miles, but the 1 mile hill from 3 to 4 took a toll on me. However, I kept up a decent pace up the hill, so when I got to mile 5 and 6, I got a second wind that carried me home in 48:55---just over an 8 minute mile pace, which I am very happy with considering the big hills where I probably ran 9:30 pace.

Day # 18: 3 Miles on the Maine Harbor

A summer outing to Portland, Maine was the perfect opportunity to put in my 3 mile run in the afternoon, while enjoying the smell of the ocean, a great breeze, and some fantastic sights. I started at the Eastland Park Hotel, ran a 1/2 mile down to the harbor area, and ran by some beautiful powerboats and yachts as I completed the easy 3 mile jog. I finished the workout today in 31:18, well over the 3 mile goal without pushing it. Felt good all the way today!

Day # 17: 4.4 Miles in the Humidity

I was planning to run this morning, but when my alarm went off at 6:30am, my body was telling me otherwise. After two straight days of minimal sleep, I needed the extra hour this morning. I'm glad I got it because I ended up working at the office for 10 hours before getting home at 6:30 this evening. According to the program, I needed a 4 mile run tonight, but the problem is that I know two different 3 mile loops, a 6 mile loop, and a 9 mile loop. So I took one of my 3 mile loops, and added on a couple of extra streets going further away from the house. It worked....
I finished my run in the 78 degree humidity in 33:22. I didn't feel all that great, but I pushed hard as you are supposed to on Wednesdays on this program. After I got home, I went out and drove the course to measure it and it came out to be 4.4 miles. 4.4 miles in 33:22 means that I averaged about 7:35/mile, which was fine considering the temps, hills, and running through sand for 1/4 mile on one of the roads.
Well, I'm off to a 9:30pm soccer game! Nothing like a little cross training after a 4.4 mile run.

Notes: Multi-vitamin this morning, drank accelerade before my run, and drank protein after. Not sure how I'll fit in a run next 2 days---I'll be in Maine and waking up real early both days.

Day # 16: Running Through the Tough Days

There will be days like these. I woke up this morning still a little jet-lagged from my west-coast trip, and having only slept about 5 hours, but I still feel the need to stay comitted to running. I hit the streets at 7:40 this morning with 67 degree humidity, and started my 3.2 mile loop. The irony is that when I don't feel too well on a run, I always have the tendency to push too hard to overcompensate. That is precisely what I did this morning. I fought through my fatigue and ran hard, finishing back at the house with the watch stopped at 24:48 for the loop. I'll take that time and look to get a good night sleep tonight.