How Bad Do You Want It?

I just ran 4 days in a row for the first time in a while.  I plan on running tomorrow afternoon with my Five and Dime group, so that should be 5 days in a row.

I ran an easy 5 miles today.  Obviously, it was hot again.  Mid 90's which is on par this week.  I started around 10 minute pace on the first mile, which was my warmup.  I didn't stretch.  I just kept going.  Nice and easy.  I didn't want to push myself, because I wanted to make sure I would finish the 5 miles as I intended.  I stopped twice.  Once for a quick water break (about 20 seconds) at the 2.5 mile mark which is one lap around Lake Ivanhoe.  I then stopped at 4 miles to bring my core temperature down just a little.  I was overheating.  I think I stopped for about 40 seconds.

I finished up in 45:12, which is about 9:02 average pace.  I didn't stop my watch for my breaks, so including those, I ran the last 4 miles in 35:12 or 8:48 average pace.  Not the greatest speed, but it was smooth.

Another day of putting miles in the tank.  This is going to really pay off come fall.  I can feel it.

And how bad do you want it?  Today, while I was running, I saw a squirrel rolling an apple in the gutter.  He tried and tried to lift the apple over the curb.  I was ready to help the little fella, but what would be the point if it couldn't carry it up the tree anyway?  That was really funny, though.  That squirrel really wanted it bad.  That would probably be like a person trying to carry a moose.

Hitting the Road... on Wheels

I ran 2.5 miles just after noon today and my legs felt heavy and my knees hurt the entire time.  I ran the whole thing between 10 and 11 minute per mile pace.  I knew that I wanted to keep working out, though.

I hit the road on my bike.  Now this may seem quite normal to triathletes, but I don't have a road bike.  This is my road bike...

No gears, fat tires, wide handlebars.  This is good for trolling your neighborhood about 5 miles and then it starts to wear on you.  I got 18.4 miles logged.  DailyMile says that my run and my ride came out to 1900 calories.  My legs are tired, but I feel really good about it.

5 Miles, Easy Style

I usually take Wednesday's off, because my legs need the break between speed sessions on the track.  I just felt like I needed to get out there tonight for some reason.  An easy run would do.  I want to knock off a few pounds before summer when it gets hot, which should help speed me up, too.

I knew that I needed to take it easy or I would definitely pay for it during tomorrow's track workout.  I started with an 11 minute mile warmup.  I didn't feel like stopping to stretch, so I just kept slowly going.  I barely cracked the 10 minute mile barrier the rest of the way, because I finished up the 5 mile run in 50:33.

The weather was perfect again.  It was warm enough to break a sweat, but cool enough to feel good, too.  I'm not sure what the temperature was, but it felt like it was between 66-70 degrees F.  I hope it stays like this for at least a month, but I'm probably only dreaming.

Easy Run Day

I haven't run in almost a week.  It was nice to be a couch potato.  I didn't plan on taking that many days off, but we had 3 days of almost non-stop rain and then very windy conditions this weekend.

I got 2.5 miles in this evening.  1.5 mile warmup and 1 mile around 9 minute pace.