Steve - 3.5

39:00. Easy recovery run. Feeling pretty sore after yesterday's track workout. Just wanted to do a shakeout run. I'm hoping the muscle soreness subsides by Saturday so I can get in a longer run and be ready to go for the 5k on Sunday.

James - 3.55

28:42

Was planning to repeat yesterdays run, or something like it, but quickly got the idea that I should have been resting instead, so I cut it short. My legs were sore, but they aren't now. The fact though that nearly 30 mins of running is cutting it short (I decided at about minute 9) must mean progress of the mental flavour.

News: Vegan runners kicked arse in Sundays London Marathon!

And I'm sorry it's not particularly relevant to anyone else here, but from the above link I was very excited to find a group called Vegan Runners UK. They also have a blogspot.

Luke - 6.5

6.5mi, 48:01 (7:23)  Felt exactly how it should.  Easy, not too fast, not too slow.

Steve - 7.25

Another interval workout with the Flyers at Caltech. It was a bit cold in L.A. today and by the time the workout got going the sun was setting and the temperature dropped quickly. This made the workout a lot harder. I ended up running some good times, but it required more effort. I was laboring a bit on the last two sets. Thankfully, I had someone to alternate running in the front with for most of the workout. It's tough running in the front with the wind whipping at your face. He was doing more of the work, but I at least made myself lead for one of the three laps each time and it kept me motivated.

Here's the workout:

4x1200, 400r. We were supposed to run the first 400 at 5k race pace(, second at mile pace, and third at 5k race pace. My goal time for this weekend's 5k is 20:30, which is 6:36 per mile(1:39 per 400). My mile time is 6:09(or 1:32:25 per 400).

4:52(1:39, 1:37, 1:36) 6:29 mile pace
5:01(1:45, 1:36, 1:40) 6:41
4:52 (1:36, 1:38, 138) 6:29
4:47 (1:37, 1:37, 1:33) 6:22

So I was ahead of my 5k race pace for every single 400 and each interval for the 1200 except the second set. After the first set I pretty much gave up on running the second interval at mile pace. I just couldn't do it. I decided instead to try maintain even or negative splits. So I think I'll be a bit sore tomorrow because it was a tough workout and it was cold, but I think I got a good sense for the pace I need to run.

I am pysched to try and get a new PR(old one is 20:36) this weekend or at least come close to it. I think I am in good enough shape to do it. I'll just out there and see what happens. No need to put pressure on myself. Also looking forward to getting a massage on Satuday...

4.25 miles of warmup, recovery, and cooldown

Alison - 3

Distance: 5k; Time: 26:57; Locale: Treadmill

I've been running but have been bad about posting. I have been doing lots of 5Ks. I usually jog intervals one day and then run pretty steadily the next. I'll be better about posting though now I think.

(My whole blogger interface is in spanish which I find weird. I hope this stays in English. Do you know how hard it was to figure out how to log-in? For a Floridian, my Spanish is very mediocre and I am constantly mortified. Estudio español todos las dias pero todavía hablo solamente un poco español. Que lastima.)

CHALLENGE: Beat Luke's 2006 time! First one to beat Luke's ancient time gets a prize. I am out of contention because I am a girl and will never clock male cheetah speed.

Luke - 7

7mi, 52:56 (7:33)  5x100m strides at the end.  I was doing them on the track and there were some kids there, probably around 3rd grade, doing a sort of shuttle relay, one kid would go 200m and touch another kid's hand, who would go 200m and touch another kid's hand, who would go another 200m and touch the first kid's hand.  There were a dozen or so of them racing each other and I was doing 100m stride on the straight and 100m jog on the turn so I felt like I was racing them some of the time.  They really looked like they were having a great time.  Go running kids!

Also on the earlier part of my run there was a different group of a dozen or so kids, probably somewhere around 8th-9th grade, running at a moderate pace in front of me.  I was catching them and wondering how I'd go around them because they were taking up the whole trail and I'd have to call out "on your left" and then wait like an hour for them to assemble because people never know what to do when someone is passing them.  But when I was like 15m behind them one of them near the front told the rest to get over to the right side of the trail because a runner was coming through, and they all got in line fairly quickly and I thanked them as I went by.  It was a great display of Eugene courtesy/knowledge of running.

James - 5.33

44:18

Run started out hard, my legs feeling stiff, maybe from work. Kept adding longer bits on in an attempt to get to around 45 minutes or at least add 5 minutes to my previous run (managed 5:02), but must have been going faster. Not fast enough for my liking, as this is 8.5KM and the sort of time I am dreaming I will get for the whole race. Going to stay positive though. Going to run for the second day running tomorrow, which I haven't done in god knows how long. Looking forward to it.

Got called a dickhead by a white-van man for running in front of him. May survive until date of race.

Luke - 4.5

2mi w/u, 1200m TT, 1.75mi c/d

TT was 3:55 (78, 80, 76).  Went into another gear in the last 100m just to make sure it was there, then backed off again.  There was probably another gear beyond that one too.  I think I should be good for the race on Saturday.  If I hold the pace I ran for this 1200 for 5000 meters, it comes out to a 16:19.  I didn't feel like I could do that during the TT, but I do feel faster in my racing clothes and flats, and with competition, etc.

Easy runs the next 3 days, then 5k Saturday morning!

Steve - 4.8

Early AM runs before work really suck. They really make me hate running. I don't enjoy them at all compared to running after work or during the weekend.

I took this survey about how competitive I am. Here is the link. It's pretty interesting:

http://tiny.cc/compstyle

I have been thinking lately I am getting a bit too obsessive lately about running. I used to play basketball and tennis a lot and other sports here and there, but I lately I have been completely focused on running and achieving my goals. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but perhaps I need to have a little more balance.

Anyway, this is me:

Medium Personal Development Competitive Attitude
You see the value of competing because of what you can learn from it, but you don’t kill yourself to make it happen. People who score this way are often high achievers, but don’t base their identity on their ability to learn from their performance. Chances are that you derive a sense of satisfaction just from playing your game. You may not be highly motivated to improve your performance, but if you do want to, one strategy that might help is to seek out extra coaching and tips from your teammates.

High Hypercompetitive Attitude

You like to win and you are good at it! You are likely to see competition as a way of separating winners from losers, and it’s a big part of your identity. You tend to see opportunities for winning everywhere in your life, and you like to practice winning as much as you can. People who score this way are often high achievers, but sometimes lose opportunities by being hard on themselves when they don’t win. One way to improve overall performance is to plan a way of maintaining your sense of yourself as a champion that you can put into practice during those times when things don’t go your way. This can help take away some of the fear that might cause you to tense up and “choke,” and improve your performance by letting you be more responsive to the situation at hand.

Luke - 6

2mi w/u, 2mi flying 50s, 2mi c/d.

mmmyep

James - 4.54

39:16

I thought this would be an awful run as I had very little sleep, due to bastard work phoning me at bastard 9 o'clock in the morning (time of sleep, 5am) and asking me to come in. Couldnt get back to sleep (although am about to try and nap) so am fucked for both getting through a day at work and doing a good run. Or so I thought! I may well have been going slow, but I barely felt a pinch of exhaustion even by the end of this, the only noticable thing being my legs feeling stiff as boards. And on top of that, it was raining but not unpleasant.

Near the end a lorry driver honked his horn and pushed his fist up in the air at me (probably because I was wearing this shirt, from the Portland, OR part of the world). Was it solidarity or taking the piss? We'll never know.

What might have also helped the run beside the robotic nature of my limbs was that I was wearing different shoes today. Not new ones, but better quality ones. They are grey and white Nikes with shiny yellow swooshes on the side. My friend Gary gave them to me and they are comfy.

Luke - 10

10mi, 74:01 (7:24)  At the beginning of the run I felt awful and figured it would be one of those runs where I just can't go, and I really didn't want to do that today, so I decided to try and push early.  It's my long run (the shortest long run in a good while, since I'm racing next weekend) so I'm supposed to go easy, but I'd rather push a little and feel better than slog through a terrible run.  Did a good portion of the run at 6:30-7:00 pace.  My insole was slipping a ton, and my stomach started hurting at about mile 7, so I had to stop a few times to re-set my insole.  My roommate's girlfriend has a needle and some thread that she's gonna bring by tomorrow, so hopefully that works out and I don't have to deal with that any more.

Steve - 9

Well I have been called progressive before, and never more was it reflected than today's run. I didn't enter into politically-themed debates, but I had one hell of a run that Barack Obama (a noted progressive) would be proud of (and Bush, too actually. He always ran every morning according to that god awful documentary "W", which you don't need to waste your time watching.)

I ran 9 miles, starting at a barely moving 10:25 min/mile pace and finishing at a scintillating 7:45 min/mile pace. The 7 miles in between each were faster than the previous mile. Here are the splits:


10:25, 9:56, 9:49, 9:15, 8:50, 8:28, 8:24, 8:07, 7:45
9 miles in 81:03(9:00)

It wasn't as hot out today and there was a bit of a breeze for half the run. I felt pretty good after it was all over. It was definitely a good workout. The frst 4-5 miles were pretty easy and I did have to work a bit hard on the last two, but I wasn't dead when I crossed the line. I went out and had a massive fruit juice smoothie from Robeks and then called it a day.

Luke - 6.25

3k TT in 10:38.  Splits: 82, 86, 84, 85, 84, 83, 85, 44.

Pretty happy with it.  Also my insole didn't slip for some reason, so that's cool.  It was a bit windy, but to make up for it there was a HS football game on the next field over and I think the cheers helped me out.

Steve - 7.91

Talked with Luke earlier in the week and he told me I need to do my tempo runs every week so I did one today. Went out the grass median in Brentwood where all the West L.A. residents like to get in their running. Since I am training for a 5K right now, I thought it would be a good idea to move my tempo distance up to 4 miles. Based on some times I inputted on McMillan's Running Calculator, I chose 7:15 as my goal time. Wearing my Nike Frees I felt like I could achieve this time without burning myself out. (sidenote: Has anyone seen those stupid commercials on TV for Nike Frees where some instructor is talking about the new version of the shoe and they are sitting their naked? Not funny. Another one with Kara and Adam Goucher (last 20 seconds of the link). Also Not funny. The stuff they can't show on TV is kind of funny, though) OK, so back to the workout. It went exactly as planned. I had to rely on MapMyRun again for distance, but I came in at 4.21 miles in 30:08 (7:09). Just what I needed. Wasn't too tired at the end. It was a hard effort, but it didnt kill me. Add in the 3.7 miles in 32:46 of warmup and cooldown and that puts me up to 62:54 (7:51). My first 30 mile week in 3 years!

James - 4.1

33:19

Wasn't feeling good about today at all, but pushed myself and ended up with this result. It is getting hot here now, so was sweaty. I am starting to learn that running further gives you more interesting anecdotes, and that's a good incentive.

For example, today I spat on a 4X4, called the driver a wanker and an arsehole, and stuck two fingers up at him, multiple times. Because he acted in a way that deserved it, of course! I was about to cross a side-street on my way towards a park, and he is coming up that street. And he can't wait the 1.5 seconds it would take to let me cross, ohhhhhhh no. He has a machine that lets him go fast so he is going to be an impatient, selfish bastard (even though he then has to go as slowly as I am running once he gets into the street because he's driving a car that is stupidly big near to a park - well worth being insulted!) I had that lovely, disgusting runners spit in me too, so it was poetic spit. Y'know? I wish I'd seen his reaction when he got home and saw it on his side panel. He peered at me out of his window as I ran alongside him hurling abuse but he didn't respond. Out of shame maybe. Or just bemusement. Once again, nearby kids loved me, or something similar.

About a minute later, in the park, some kids football came towards me, and in an attempt to step over it, I accidently did a fancy looking heel kick.

Slightly less exciting was later on when I went past a guy on a bike and shouted "Hello Dave!" only to instantly realise it wasn't someone I went to school with, and, with us having passed each other now, turned around to shout "sorry, wrong person!" Cyclist grinned.

Luke - 6.5

6.5mi, 48:38 (7:28)  Again felt good and easy.  Wore mismatched shoes.  It was nice to not have to stop every couple miles and put my insole back in place, but the shoe is falling apart.

Did this run at noon, between classes, and then at 5pm I played Ultimate Frisbee for an hour.  I was definitely wearing out the defense, who had to try and chase me around a lot.  I seemed to be the only one who still had energy at the end of the game (and I never subbed out).  I was able to get three or four touchdowns by sprinting the length of the field and having someone throw it as far as they could...but we ended up losing 14-13 after having been leading 13-10.

Steve - 3.7

Legs are pretty sorry from Wednesday's track workout. Another crappy AM run. Decided to do it early instead of trying to do it at night after work. Ran along a nice mile long stretch of grass on another street a little ways from the house.

36:38(9:51)

Chris - 3

I was interested to see how this run would go since I haven't run since the long run I did on Saturday. Tried to start out slow, then stretched after about 5 mins - boy does that make me feel looser - I'm going to keep doing that. Felt real good until about 11-12 minutes in, I think I turned up the pace a little too much since I was feeling so strong (hip started feeling a little weak also). Had to push after that, but no big deal. Actually the route I ran I forgot part of it has no sidewalk...and of course it's on a windy part of the road with no streetlights. So I tried to run that part pretty fast to minimize the chance of getting hit by a car. The danger definitely made the run more exciting! haha. Felt pretty strong again toward the end and really pushed myself hard; especially when I noticed I could possibly beat my 5k PR of 20:50 (yes I realize I didn't actually run quite a 5k, but hey motivation is motivation). Almost! Finished in 20:51 for a pace of 6:57

Luke - 7

7mi, 52:54 (7:33)  Felt a lot better today.  Did 5x100m strides at the end.

James - 3.33

28:35

Yeah! 5 minutes longer than the other day. I am going to rather rapidly increase the amount of time I am running for by about 5 minutes each time, short of there being a major reason for not doing so. Once I get to around 10K I will concentrate on time and start going more than 3 times a week. Despite running further, today was not as hard.

Today I recieved a large envelope from the 10K people in question, the Great Manchester Run (33,000 runners). It featured my race number, a magazine, loads of leaflets and my ankle microchip. The surprising news is I am starting with the fastest, earliest wave of amateur runners (out of 5 waves), which means I start the same time as the pro men! Wow.

Steve - 8

Twas my second foray to the Los Feliz Flyers track club at Caltech. Today's workout was a mile time trial (with a 400 beforehand to gauge pace) and two 1600 intervals at 5K race pace.

My main focus was to run relaxed and to steadily build up the pace with each lap. I did a pretty good job staying on pace, running negative splits for the most part

400(1:40), 400r
1609(6:09- 1:33, 1:35, 1:35, 1:26), 400r
1600(6:54- 1:53, 1:43, 1:40, 1:38), 400r.
1600(6:50- 1:46, 1:42, 1:41, 1:41)

I did a 2 mile warmup and 2 mile cool down and if you add in the recovery laps, that puts me up to 8 miles. So I got in a lot of good quality work and also was able to pile up some significant mileage. I didn't tax myself too much on the speed work either. I would have liked to run the TT a little faster(under 6), but I think it will do me as much good (if not more) to run a more relaxed, evenly, paced effort than to just try and kill it for 4 laps. I'm finally learning the times don't necessarily matter as much as the effort you put in to achieve them.

Luke - 6

Was supposed to do a 5-mile Time Trial.  Was feeling pretty slow on the warmup, especially when I tried strides.  Also it was really windy.  I was hoping to be under 30 minutes, so 6-minute pace.  First mile was 6:01 but felt tougher than it should have and I knew I wouldn't be able to hold that for the full length.  The wind was really strong on the way back, and for some reason it was also in my face on the way out.  I'm pretty sure that's physically impossible.  Second mile was 6:28, and I wanted to stop at the end of it.  My stomach started feeling a bit unwell about halfway through it, but it wasn't quite bad enough to stop at the mile mark.  Third mile I was dying, it took 7:35 (2:01 last 1/4 of it), and I decided to cut it there and head to the bathroom...but the toilet was backed up and unfit for use.  Jogged home.

Luke - 10

10mi, 80:28 (8:04)  Up in the hills again.  My right arch has been hurting a little bit lately, and I realized today it's probably because of that issue with my insole...when it slips back it leaves an open section under the last couple inches of my foot, which I think is stretching my arch out a little more than it should.  Gotta get that fixed...might have to go buy a needle and some thread on Thursday.  Tomorrow morning I might try wearing the right shoe from my last pair of Frees (with the left shoe of my current pair) and see how that feels.  I'll probably look a bit silly since the new pair is black and white and the old pair is lime green and gray...

Steve - 4.67

Early AM runs suck during the week. 20 minutes in I had horrible stomach pain because of nature related causes. Was able to overcome it thanks to a neighborhood 7-11. I did about 60 percent of this run on a grass median that spans a mile or so near my house. The park is closed for 6 months for gopher season(I called the park rec center and they said there is a gopher problem. All the grass has turned yellow because of all the gopher poison I guess). I need to do one of these runs every week if I want to hit 30 miles a week, so I'll have to suck it up. About 4.67 miles in 50:00 (10:42).

Luke - 3.25

Was supposed to do 6 miles with flying 50s, which is a pretty short, easy workout.  But when I started running I felt like I couldn't move.  I didn't feel sore or tired or anything, I just couldn't go.  I started out at about 9:30 pace and was only getting slower, so I cut it short.  Hopefully tomorrow's run will be fine.

James - 2.9

23:37

I feel good about this because it was fucking knackering. But luckily in the right places and not in my injured legs. I know I am going to have to feel the pain from now on because I don't feel ready for the 10K, which is now in a month. I will, in a week or so maybe, start running that far and see how long it takes me. I ran past the danger zone with caution. I ate curry afterwards rather than before (silly Luke).

Respecting the kids moments of the day:
1. Ran past a couple of 13ish year old boys with a football. One said "Safe man", to which I stuck a thumb up and said "safe as fuck!" He said "thanks man!" I said "you're welcome!" It's worth noting that this was near the same park that, last year, a bunch of teenage girls coo-eed at a running Luke when he said "Hey" and sounded super-American.
2. Ran past a couple of 15ish girls and as I ran away from them heard one say "Run Forest Run" (do those of you without long hair and beards hear this?) I stuck my fists up victory style and gave a positive "Wooo!" They laughed. This was towards the end when I was dead, but still found space for comedy.

Note: It is not important whether these kids are trying to make fun of you for your ridiculous running clothing or not. Once you interact with them, rather than ignore them like other adults, they love and respect you, and you do the running community a cool-image service. It is not their fault they are taught to tear people down for admirance and success, then told they are anti-social little shits by anti-social millionaire newspapermen.

Alison - 3

Distance: 3 miles; Time: 24+mins; Locale: Treadmill

I hated every second of this run.

But I did it anyway.

Luke - 13.5

13.5mi, 1:48:46 (8:03)  Lots of hills.  Pace on flat portions was under 7:30 pace, but hills killed it.  Also very hot.  First shirtless run of the year!  Got a good number of catcalls from motorists.

Steve - 7.25

It was in the 80s today when I got to the wood chips at Manhattan Beach. But that didn't deter me from attempting a challenging workout. My plan was to warm up with 2 miles and then run 4 miles at a steady state pace right around 8 min/mile. Everything went as planned until about mile 3 of the steady state portion. I got a horrible cramp in my right abdominal muscles. With the high temperature and the cramp, the workout probably became more than a steady state. But I pushed through and finished the 4th mile. Had a bit to drink to last night as well. That probably didn't help...The times weren't quite what I wanted, but it's OK. Solid workout. Oh, also some idiot almost ran into me. The trail is built into this huge median that goes through MB. Occasionally I have to cross through an intersection. Some moron at a stop sign didn't bother to look before going through the stop sign and I had do a little dance to the side to avoid getting hit. I scolded the car, saying "stop sign" like 3 times. I'm usually not one to use profanity or flip off strangers in these type of situations. They were probably just thinking something like "Stupid runners". This was near the end of my steady state portion, so it kind of took something out of me. Oh well. Life as a runner..

8:28, 8:04, 8:14, 8:06
Total: 65:06 (8:58) 2 mi warmup, 1.25 mile cooldown

Luke - 10

10mi, 81:48 (8:10)  Lots of hills, but not too hard.

Chris - 5.4

This weekend I went up to Mt. Vernon in WA to visit one of my best buddies, so I brought my running stuff with me. That's pretty cool because normally that's not something I think about when going on a trip! This was the first run in a long time that I didn't plan out the route before I ran, so that was pretty fun. My buddy and his dog and I all went running together so that was cool too. I had told him I wanted to run for about a half hour, figuring that'd be about 4 miles. But we ended up running a bit more, which was fine but I was fairly concerned about my hip, it started feeling weak after about 20 mins or so, but I was able to finish okay and it doesn't hurt much now. I'm still not sure exactly how far we ran but I guessed with the hills and my buddy being a litle slower than me that we averaged about an 8 minute pace. I ran with him for most of the run, but a few times I started striding out more and got ahead, especially on this fairly long downgrade on a city street. We also ran up a really steep bark trail in a park, which kicked my ass. After we got to the top I felt like I couldn't move my legs, but after a bit they came back and I was fine. I definitely enjoyed running in a different locale too. Total time of 43:03 for a pace of 7:58

Steve - 6.7

There is a big Nike race in 2 weeks, so they have a bunch of training runs on Saturdays in Venice. I went to check it out, but it turns out they just run on the streets. So I asked someone there if they knew a softer spot to run. He recommend a grass median near Brentwood where a bunch of people run. So I drove another 5 miles north and parked. The grass was actually pretty soft and there was a little bit of an indent in the grass because so many people run there. So it's a great place to run, but it's kind of far from my house. I ended up doing an out and back that spanned 6.7 miles. I then went and got a massage. I needed it badly after the speed workout on Wednesday and the all the miles I have been racking up. The masseuse worked some magic on my calves and they finally loosened up and I am ready for another long run tomorrow. Not too bad of a way to spend a Saturday morning!

Here's the breakdown: 58:40 (8:45). Did the first half in 30:49(9:12) and came back in 27:51(8:19). Last mile and half I picked it up. Probably about 7:30-7:45 pace. There was some girl way ahead of me in the final 800 meters or so and I decided I was going to catch her with a mad dash to the finish. Always good to finish strong

I calculated the distance on mapmyrun.com. Here is the link if you want to check it out:

http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/us/ca/santa%20monica/482124009237883211

Nike Plus was off by .4 miles

Luke - 4.75

4.75mi, 35:52 (7:33)  Strides at end.

James - 1.2

12:16

I returned to running on Friday after 7 days straight off (maybe Luke will move this to the right day?) I also haven't checked the blog since my last update (sorry) but now I have so be sure to go back and see comments I have made! This light run proved successful as my knees were fine. It is probably best that I rested, as my legs were pretty bad, but I have been aching to get out. This distance is only a guess as it was hard to remember my exact route. I have enjoyed showing people my running wounds that are now lovely and scabby.

Steve - 4.5

Ok so I guess the tubby park nazi wasn't bluffing about the "poison". Went back to the park today to get in a run. There were like a million signs plastered all over the fence. No trespassing. Herbicide treatment in progress, etc, etc. So I decided against hopping over and running. You win, you chubby bastard.

Ok, so instead I ran in the crappy part of the park on the grass adjacent to a sidewalk. I did like like 4 of these crappy loops before heading out onto a sidewalk. I found a grass median to run for about a mile or so. It stops every quarter mile or so but the grass is soft and I'll take what I can get at this point. If this damn park really isn't going to be open again until December, that really will mess up my training schedule. I might try to join up with other runners from the Flyers for a long run at a park a few miles from where I work one day a week.

4.5 miles 49:30. Slow, easy recovery run after yesterday's speed workout. Two long runs coming on Saturday and Sunday.

Luke - 9.5

2.5w/u, 2x5x400, 200/400r, 3.25 c/d.

67, 73, 75, 76, 76 / 78, 77, 74, 75, 79.

There was a meet going on at the track I was going to use, so I had to do these on the bark instead.  As I was getting to the trail, Galen Rupp was rounding the corner at a good pace and Alberto Salazar was behind him on a bike.  As they passed me I heard Alberto tell Galen "4:37" (the loop is one mile).  As I was finishing up my warmup, they finished and I overheard them talking about his workout; as far as I could tell it was a 5-mile time trial, because I heard Alberto say it was a 23:20 8k.  Blazing!  Galen had a full beard starting, and the two were joking that he shouldn't shave now, because the beard is doing him well.  Galen started his cooldown just before I started my workout, so I was able to pass him, which of course means I'm faster than him.  I think I might have been trying too hard, since I dropped way off after that first one.

As I was finishing up my cooldown, my roommate's brother passed me going the opposite direction, so I turned around and ran with him for a mile.  He was going faster than my cooldown and I hadn't planned on doing an extra mile, but I think going a bit faster (~7:15 pace) and a bit longer was good for me.

Steve - 5.25

Ok so now for the much anticipated wrap-up of my visit to Caltech to work out with a local running club, the Los Feliz Flyers!

The track at Caltech is mondo, which is a pretty hard, fast running surface. Michael Johnson's former world record in the 200m was set on this surface (in Atlanta). Today I also wore my Nike Frees in a final test to see if I am going to keep them. I wore them for the entirety of the warmup, workout, and cooldown. They passed the test. I am keeping them.

Everyone was pretty friendly and I think I'll have some good opportunities to make some running buddies. On the workout:

3x4x400, 100/400r. (Click here to see Luke's explanatory post if you need a definition of the notation) According to a 5K time of 21:30, which is probably a slightly conservative estimate of a 5K I could run today, they recommended I run my 400 repeats at 90 sec (6 min/mile pace). That sounded like no problem for me since I used to run 400 repeats about 25-30 seconds faster a few years ago in college. But I wasn't really concerned with hitting times. I wanted to run in a way that I didn't need to really push to hit the times. I think its better to not tax myself too much on these intervals and instead keep a steady, challenging pace. And that's exactly how it went pretty much. Here are the times:

1. 92, 96, 97, 89 2. 96, 95, 93, 86 3. 92, 80

So I did only 2.5 because the rest of my group stopped after 2. The third set was optional. The fast group was lining up when I was hesitating to decide if I should do a third. They had only 2 reps left so I ran with them for the last two. They were were way ahead, but I wasn't concerned with racing. I finished last in that group both times. The fastest guy closed with a scorching 62! I just tucked in behind the last guy and ran a solid 80. I had to work hard in the last 100, but it wasn't all out. After I was done I actually felt pretty good. I'm a sprinter by nature so these kind of workouts aren't anything new to me. I could have run a lot of my intervals faster, but I'm training for a 5K right now and it doesn't really make any sense at this point to go any faster since it would require a lot more effort. I'm also still getting a feel for pacing. I want to be able to run a 5K at 6min/mile pace within a month or so, so this workout helps me see what it would feel like. Definitely not ready for it yet, but with more mileage I'll get there!

Luke - 6.5

6.5mi, 49:01 (7:32)  Easy run.

Alison - 2

Distance: 2 miles; Time: 19 mins; Locale: Treadmill of Death*

I am back from a 5-day hiatus or so because I ended up taking a lot of days off for my birthday, unlike Luke/Benito who runs more on his. Saturday we did hiking and other naturey activities on Caladesi Island near Dunedin (near Clearwater) and that was neat and I did jog on the Osprey Trail, where we did in fact see osprey (and snakes, rabbits, eagles and gopher tortoises).

I meant to start back yesterday but a monsoon of epic proportions made going outside even to get to my car completely unfeasible and scary. Lots of wind and thunder/lightning for hours and hours, but this area has had severe drought for the last few years or so, thus we really needed the rain. I think hurricane season starts earlier every year.

So how do y'all combat the running malaise you feel after a hiatus?

*(My treadmill abruptly shut off during my run like in the movies)

Chris - 3.9

Oh man what a great run! I stared out a little slow, but that never lasts long; I'm anxious to get up to pace. Weird thing that's been happening off and on - my left little toe gets a sharp pain when I push off. Maybe I have a strained ligament or something? It's weird because sometimes it will hurt at the start of a run and go away (like tonight), or it will only hurt toward the end of the run. Anyway, the last half of the first mile was along this long stretch of path where there's no lights. You never notice how bumpy terrain is until you have to run it in the dark and find yourself picking up your feet even more just in case there's unseen branches or tree roots coming up through the pavement. I think it might've helped my form though! Either that or I just looked ridiculous to anyone who could've seen me. The entire run I felt generally in control of my pace, which is great because my last couple runs I've really struggled with my stamina and stomach and lack of "spring" in my legs. I ate some carrots with PB beforehand, that might've helped my stomach a bit since I was hungry before I started the run. I also noticed that a lot of the less traveled roads/neighborhoods around here have very little in the way of streetlights. So I guess it's good I'm not a tiny little girl or else I probably would've been a bit nervous. I finished in 29:46 for a pace of 7:37, which makes me really happy cuz during the run I decided to try and finish under 30 mins, and I still had enough left for the short sprint I always do to the finish in the parking lot.

Luke - 7.5

3mi warmup, 5k "Time Trial" (85% effort), 1.5mi cooldown.

This workout is called a time trial but it is not an all-out effort.  I didn't sprint at the end, and I was holding back throughout the run.

My 400m splits were: 83, 88, 85, 85 (5:43), 86, 86, 85, 85 (5:42), 85, 84, 85, 86 (5:42), 43 (last 200).  Total time: 17:51.

I was really happy with my consistency.  Helps to run on a track and check the split time every 200 meters.

Luke - 5

3mi warmup, 1 mile flying 50s, 1 mile cooldown.

Flying 50s are running 50 meters on, 50 meters off continuously.  I actually stopped 3/4 the way through and took off my shoes because the right insole was slipping out the back of the shoe, leaving my foot in an awkward place, partially off the insole.  I'd stopped twice during the warmup to re-set the insole, and tied my shoes extra-tight, but it still slipped.  Oddly, I had the same problem with my last pair of Frees, but only the left shoe did it; this time, it's only the right shoe.  I tried superglue but it didn't hold it.  My only other idea is sewing it in, but I don't have a needle and thread.  Anyway I ran the last 1/4 mile in socks, which wasn't too bad but the track was a bit hard and wet.

Steve - 6

Headed out to the wood chips trail in Manhattan Beach. I chose a pretty bad time to run, right at noon. It's starting to get pretty hot in L.A., so it was not a good idea. I wanted to do a nice long run with a few harder miles. After the third mile I felt like crap. I slowed down considerably and had to fight the urge to quit during the fourth mile. Started feeling a little better after that, but I kept the pace down the rest of the way. Last week was my biggest mileage week (23) in three years, and my body is starting to feel it. Both knees are hurting some and my right achilles and calf are really tight. My left foot also started hurting a little. Gonna take two days off before running with a track club at Caltech on Wednesday. Splits are below

6 miles, 53:36 (8:56)
9:25, 8:17, 7:43, 9:34, 9:38, 8:58

Luke - 8.5

8.5mi, 68:35 (8:04)

Steve - 5.17

Well I didn't win any races like other esteemed posters, but I do have a story to tell. It all started with my desire to run at the park near my house for a nice steady state run. If you'll recall from previous posts, the park has been fenced off so I have to hop the fence in order to get in my run. There is a big area adjacent to the park where people hold parties and other gatherings. Today there was a big party there so there were lots of people milling around. So there was an additional element of risk of being caught today since someone might actually see me running loops over and over in the gated area. I've never been discouraged by such odds before though. I hopped the fence in an area where a lot of people wouldn't notice and proceed to start running to my 10 laps around the park. On about the third lap, some guy called out to me and said: "Hey you're going to get a big fine if you get caught"! I said "Yeh?" and just kept running. I still had a lot of ground to cover. I completed my 10 laps without further incident and started walking toward a nice clandestine spot to exit. Only 100 yards from freedom, I notice some guy kind of looking at me standing next to the fence. He's pretty far away so I'm not sure what to think. I just keep walking and then jump the fence in an area where he can't see me. Not be outsmarted, he dispatches his son of about 4 or 5 years to investigate my whereabouts. In order to get out I have to cross through an area where some kids are playing. Lo and behold, he comes walking toward me. As he gets closer he starts shrugging his shoulders dramatically and then says "What are you doing? The park is closed." I say, "I was just running. I run every week. This is public property. There aren't any signs that say 'no trespassing' or 'this area is closed'." Befuddled, the crusading defender of Los Angeles Parks then proceeds to say, "Do you know how much poison is out there?" My response is an unpersuaded "No. There's no signs that would indicate as such." Dismayed that he has been unable to scare me straight, the portly park watchdog then says, "Well there will be Monday." At this point I am getting pretty bored. Luckily some woman asks the both of us if some building is open today. I start walking away because I could really care less about anything this jackass has to say or ever will say in his life. Then in one last gasp effort as he watches me walk away without a care in the world, the rotund defender of all that is holy has one final thing to say. "It won't be open again until December." I turn around momentarily and then continue my walk of disobedience. If this mound of righteous incredulity has any further plans for engaging me in any way, I'll just start sprinting and leave him in the dust. I take a slightly circuitous route back to my house to avoid any chance he follows me and arrive safely. Now I guess I just have to wait until all that "poison" starts to wreak its havoc.

Total time was 41:14 for a distance of 5.17 miles. The steady state portion encompassed 4.22 miles in a time of 33:09 (7:50), near the faster end of my steady state range. Since my Nike Plus is usually off when I run this pace, it was probably more like 8:00 min/mile, which is fine. It was a pretty smooth effort but definitely more difficult than an easy, slow run. Stay tuned for further updates as I continue to skirt the law in my quest for running glory.

Chris - 2.5

Stretched after about 5 mins on today's run. Hip felt a little more solid today. Accidentally cut the run short by about a half mile, oh well. Stomach started yelling at me after about 12 or 13 minutes; guess I should eat more than eggs and milk before I go running on Saturdays! I'm hoping one of these days I feel really good and can keep running, I'd like to get in some longer runs before the 5k in May. Apparently I'm shooting for second - the time that won it last year was 20:36, so if I can beat that and tie Luke's ankles together when he isn't paying attention, maybe I can get first! Final time today was 18:24 for a 7:21 pace.

Luke - 11

This morning was the Oregon Marathon Relay.  Teams of 2-6 can run a marathon, teams of 2-3 can run a half marathon, and there is also an open 10k.  Marathon teams run a 10k, then 5k, 7k, 5k, 10k, and 5k; half marathon teams go 10k, 5k, 6k; the open 10k runners run with the people doing the first leg of the relays.  The course is a 5k loop, so the people running 10k do it twice, and the people doing 6k or 7k do a little extra section in the middle of the 5k loop.

I ran the leadoff 10k for our half marathon team, Ancestors of Lazarus.  We got the name from this Google search.  Jenny ran the second leg (5k), and her boyfriend, my roommate Patrick, ran the last leg (6k).  Here is a report of my race, you can skip to the end for results if you want.

Started out in front, 2 other serious-looking guys also in front, the three of us got out to a good start and were alone in a group by 1/4mi in.  Guy in yellow leading, guy in red ~5m behind him, me ~2m behind red.  1/2 mile in the 3 of us were in a tight group, yellow, red, me.  Red took the lead at about that point and I went with him, just stayed as close behind him as I could, and we put ~5m on yellow.  Came through the mile in 5:30, I felt really good--my breathing had been a little labored to start out but it had settled down.  A little after the first mile marker yellow caught back up to us and re-passed us; we stayed with him for maybe 1/8mi before red fell off and I just tucked in right behind yellow.  He led through the 2-mile post; I split 5:42 for that mile and it felt pretty easy.  I figured I would stay right behind him through the first lap (5k) and then pull away if I still felt as good.  He led through almost 3 miles, but I decided to pass him a little before that because I was really feeling good.  Third mile was 5:39.  It's a downhill into the start/finish area and I threw a little surge in and I'm pretty sure he slowed down when I passed him; I think I came through about 10 seconds ahead of him for a 17:25 5k.  I was going to throw my mittens to Patrick and Jenny after the first lap but I didn't see them, so I just threw them off to the side instead.  I was all alone, and had to make myself keep concentrating.  I came through mile 4 and my watch said 5:01 and I said "Jesus!" and then realized I had hit my watch at the 5k so it was really a 5:35 mile.  There was an official pointing the way at the 4-mile mark and as I passed him he said, "Next guy's about a hundred yards back."  I was still feeling pretty good, and came through mile 5 with a 5:31 for just under 28 minutes--probably had an 8k PR since that's 4.96 miles and my PR there is 27:59.  The course has a lot of turns in the third mile, so you can see people behind you pretty easily, but I didn't see anyone as I passed the point where I would have seen if someone were about 200m behind me.  I still wasn't feeling too tired, but I didn't feel like I could go faster--probably because of my lack of speedwork in the past year.  Came through mile 6 for a 5:30, and finished the last .2 in another 65 seconds for a total of 34:34, a PR by 25 seconds.  The next finisher (yellow guy) was in the Open 10k and I think ran 35:47.  Red guy came in around the low 37's I think.

Jenny had hoped to be under a half hour, and I told her she could be under 27 but she didn't believe me.  While she was running I was talking to Patrick and said I thought she'd come in under 9-minute pace, so like 28 minutes.  She ended up running 26:50.  A guy from the red team passed her with about a mile to go, finishing about 2 minutes in front of her.  Patrick ran his 6k in 28:37, and one person passed him about a mile in, so our team ended up third overall in the Half Marathon Relay.

After the race we commented that we should have gotten one more person and run the full marathon relay, me doing 10k, 7k, and 10k and the other 3 doing 5ks...I'm pretty sure we would have won if we had, actually.  Probably by about a half hour.

We waited around for awards and pretty much everyone got medals, no matter the accomplishment.  I don't even think the 10k "winner" got anything more than that, so I wasn't too unhappy about not being noticed for being the fastest person there (I'm pretty sure my 10k time divided by 2 beat all the 5k times).   The shirt is pretty slick though, and Jenny for some reason got a dri-fit shirt even though she only paid for the regular cotton.  Good day!

Recap:

10k race in 34:34 (PR by 25 seconds).  Splits: 5:30, 5:42, 5:39, 5:35, 5:31, 5:30, 1:05 (.2mi).  5k splits of 17:25, 17:09.

Luke - 6.5

6.5mi, 46:59 (7:18)  Had leftover curry for lunch and felt the heartburn again on this run...other than that, felt very nice.  Race tomorrow!

Luke - 4.5

Did 4x200m, 200r in 32, 33, 33, 33.  I felt better after the 4x1000 than after these.  Could be because I had a bunch of curry for dinner and ran only a couple hours later, and was feeling a bit of heartburn.

Steve - 3.8

Easy recovery run. 36:22(9:33 pace), although it might have been slower since my Nike Plus is usually too long for my slower paced runs. But it doesnt really matter. I just wanted to go out and do something easy after a relatively hard workout yesterday. Did it on the grass so it would be less impact. I felt some aches and pains from the run in the Nike Frees yesterday, so I need to be a bit careful. After my frostburn heels(pun intended), I'll start icing my foot again...

James - 1.6

This was going to be a longer run. But you can be put off from such adventures, when after 3 minutes or so, you trip, on a downhill slope, and eat a plateful of tarmac, gravel and concrete. FUCK! My knees are sore. I ripped the hell out of my trousers. It looked so bad a motorist even pulled over to check if I was alright (just enough though. No actual lending a hand to help me up). You won't believe it, but at that very moment I was thinking "I wonder if Luke would recommend running along the canal sometimes to practice, since the 10K next month will be on flat, unlike all these roads". Then wham.

I walked for a few minutes, and the pain didn't seem too bad, even though the blood was starting to stain my trousers. So I did a short jog, covered in blood, wearing a filthy shirt, and wondering if it was going to piss down with rain on the clothes I had just put on the washing line at home.

Luckily I had an electrolyte cocktail waiting for me when I got in. You're supposed to poor it into open wounds, right Alison?

0.35 - 3:20
1.25 - 10:45
--
1.6 - 14:05

Alison - 2.5

Distance: 2.5 miles; Time: 22 mins; Locale: Treadmill

I've been in a terrible mood for the last few days (due to lack of finding a job) but today I forced myself to trek over to the gym. Once there I had a decent run so I guess I will go back tomorrow. I have some new sparkly hot pink soccer socks so that will make tomorrow fun and less blah.

I did my first half mile on the incline treadmill. That sucker is hard.

Chris - 2.7

I mapped out a new loop on mapmyrun.com, since I worked a bunch of OT today and was feeling pretty tired - I didn't want to run up that huge hill that I did last Thursday. The first part of the run I just tried to take it easy and concentrate on my form and trying to keep my left hip in place and firing the same as the right one. I got to a long stretch of road about the 1 mile mark and was feeling pretty good. But then I got confused because my route took me up a big hill I thought I didn't have to go up (didn't want to go up, lol). Well I did anyway and worked up a pretty good sweat, which was nice until the hill kept going and going....so I decided I was going the wrong way and turned around and looped back home. Only to find out when I got home and checked my route that I almost came to the street I needed before I turned around! Apparently I'm an impatient runner, I seem to always take the turn before the one I actually need. Oh well. Final time was 21:54 for an 8:06 pace.

Steve - 5

Shrugging off my lingering frostbite, I decided to take my Nike Frees for a second spin. I decided to run again on the mill to keep them in decent shape in case I want to return them. Knocked out a nice 3 mile tempo run at 7:19 pace with 1 easy mile sandwiched around it. Felt pretty good. It looks like I am going to keep them. They fit really well, unlike my stupid Asics. The Asics already have a hole boring into my heel cuz one foot is a little bit smaller. Total time was 40:30.

Luke - 7.5

7.5mi, 55:12 (7:21)  Felt really good!  The last week or two I haven't been feeling too good on my runs, but last night and tonight I've felt...I guess "sharper" is the word.  I think it's because I did an interval workout, it felt good to go fast.  Hopefully the good runs continue through the weekend, when I'm running that 10k.  Goal is sub-35.

Luke - 7.25

First interval workout in a long time: 4x1000m, 600r: 3:20, 3:20, 3:13, 3:10.

Ran at 11:30pm...funny thing was there was someone else running on the track at almost midnight, too.

For those of you unfamiliar, the correct way to read my workout is "four times one thousand meters in 3:20, 3:20, 3:13, 3:10 with six hundred meters jog rest between sets."

Oh, almost forgot to mention: got new running shoes today!  They're the Nike Free 3.0 version 2.  I called the Nike Store in the morning to see if they had any 3.0s or 5.0s in size 11½ or 12, and they said they had the 5.0s only.  I came to the store later and asked to try the 5.0s and I tried them on but didn't like them.  I told the employee that I had liked the 3.0s and she said she could order some from another store, and just as she was about to, mentioned that they had gotten the 3.0 version 2s in that morning (about a half hour after I'd called).  So I asked to try them instead, of course.  They are only slightly different from the version 1s: the part that came apart on my old ones now has an extra strip of material on it, so I don't think it'll fall apart there; the front of it has a weird thin clear bit covering the cloth which I think will prevent it from ripping in front, which my old ones had also started to do; the tongue is longer--too long, in my opinion, as it touches my leg when I dorsal flex my ankle--and has a big fat cushion in the middle, where the laces used to sometimes hurt the top of the foot.  The feel is almost the same, but I think not quite as good (though the external changes are definite improvements).  I will see how they feel once they're worn in a bit, but they did feel very nice on today's intervals.  I might cut an unnecessary ½-inch off the tongue with a razor.  I may either take a picture of them or find one online for you.

Steve - 4

Plan was to do an easy 35-40 min easy run after Sunday's 5K. I was going to run around the park near my house. However, for some reason they have fenced it off and apparently closed it the public. Being the dedicated runner I am, I hopped the fence. It was no easy feat considering there was no bar on the top of the fence and it was a really lightweight fence, so I couldnt dig my feet in. I somehow made it over unscathed and preceded to get my run in. I did about 4 loops and then realized there was a sign on the outside of one part of the fence. I thought maybe it said something like: "Please stay off of the grass for pesticides" or something like. So I had to jump the fence in order to see what it actually said. It was just an advertisement for the stupid fencing company. So the good news was that my entire body wasn't covered with deadly pesticides. But the bad news was I needed to jump the fence again. I didn't feel like it so I just decided to run around the sparse grass area that wasn't fenced off. I ended up logging 40 minutes and what I imagine was at least 4 miles. I didn't bring my Nike Plus for this run, so who the hell really knows. In keeping with Luke's theme, it was also probably the slowest run I have ever done. But the night had one more tragic event in store for me. I iced my achilles because its been bothering me for awhile now. However, I guess I was holding it too tightly directly on my skin and I ended up with a minor case of frostbite. The area above my ankle has red splotches and they burn a little. I'm hoping it goes away soon.

Luke - 10.75

am - 3.25mi, 29:00 (8:55)  Probably one of the slowest runs I've ever done.

pm - 7.5mi, 59:11 (7:53)  

James - 2.3

I did this run on Monday but haven't had good computer access since then. I did a somewhat different run because I had to go to the local job centre, to drop off a form saying I had found work. Which I already told them on the phone. Anyway. It also gave me chance to check up on some nazi-squashing work Luke and I did when he was here. And guess what Luke? After 10 months it's still there! The colour is utterly gone thanks to lovely rain, but it's still visible. This is because a) we used fantastic glue, b) people like "vandalism" when it's something positive and hard to disagree with, or c) some combination of both. For those unaware, we stuck a piece of red card with the words "Love Each Other" cut out (lovingly done by Luke's steady hand) over a swastika graffitied on a public street (with words like "immigrants out" accompanying).

It would have been better if I had run along the canal, not just because that is my usual walking route to the job centre but because that's where Luke liked to run, but it was a muddy deathtrap due to it having rained that day. I stopped for less than 60 seconds to drop off the form, so below are the two parts (different route home). I wonder if the stopping had anything to do with my legs being in large pain on the return of this short outing.

1.2 - 8:55
1.1 - 8:26
---
2.3 - 17.21

Alison - 3.3

Distance: 3.3miles; Time: not sure; Location: Crescent Lake 

Crescent Lake is near Evos, my favorite healthy fast food restaurant in St Pete. The trail around the lake is lovely, and there are always tons of people running and walking around it, so it is safe for me as a petite female to frequent alone.

I am not sure how long my actual run was because I kept stopping to pet dogs that were walking with their owners, to run around ducks and turtles that were on the trail, and to coo at the ducklings that were waddling nearby. The animals seem to gravitate toward me even though I was running because I'm like Snow White like that.

This is probably my favorite outdoor place to run. One lap = 1.1 miles, so I went around three times. Most of the trail has a little bit of palm tree shade, so that coupled with the across-lake breeze made for a decently non-sweltering run.

Luke - 13

13mi, 1:44:39 (8:03)  Some hills.  Knees felt like they got a bit hammered on the (asphalt) downhills.

Chris - 1.7

So this was supposed to be a 3 mile run, since I didn't go running yesterday. I figured I would just try to do that loop that I got lost on Thursday night. Unfortunately I was offered a leftover hamburger during the Blazer game, and since I like to snack, after that I had some carrots and a glazed Hostess donut. So with that in my stomach I figured I'd start off slow and see what happened. At about a half mile my knee started acting up and I had to stop and stretch it. I ended up cutting into a different loop once I figured out there was no way I was going to run all of those hills with my hip being weak and stomach stuffed. A little fun part at the end - a kid turned onto the sidewalk across the street from me with about 100 yds to go, so I made myself push and pass him before I got back to the apt driveway...which was cool until I stopped and felt like I was going to hurl, lol. Final time was 12:38 for a 7:25 pace

Steve - 4.5

On a hot and windy 5K run right along the Pacific Ocean, I failed in my quest to crack the elusive sub 21 time that I had so earnestly been targeting. I came in at a disappointing 21:51. The time itself was not what was most disappointing, it was more how my legs felt in the last mile. When I got to the 3rd mile, my legs were shot. My lungs were ready for the final push, but my legs were like jelly. I had deliberately run the first mile slow so as to make sure I could finish with a strong mile. Now you might think I'm crazy when I reveal the mile splits because it doesn't make any sense.

7:20
7:28
6:23
:40 (for the final 200 meters)

What I think happened is the course was not correctly marked and the second mile was actually long. Because I know I ran it faster than the first, and I also know there is no way in hell I ran the final mile in 6:23. I did my mile time trial in 6:20 last week! It was probably more closer to 7:00, but it just felt really slow because I was pushing my legs hard and they weren't responding the way I wanted them to. Anyway, I need to rethink some of the runs I am doing. I'm probably going to do an actual speed workout every week, something like 1600, 1200, 800, 400, 200 at either race pace or touch faster than race pace. My tempo run should probably be either a bit faster(maybe right at the edge of McMillan's suggested pace) or a bit longer, or both. Regardless, I want to increase my mileage while also adding a quality workout that will prepare my legs better for race day. If you've made it this far, my sincere apologies. I have rambled on for quite a while but I felt like I had to after today's disappointment.

Luke - 14

am - 6.5mi, 44:45 (6:53)

pm - 7.5mi, 58:23 (7:47)  4x100m strides at end.

I saw Galen Rupp three times today: once at the beginning of my am run, once at the end of it, and then this afternoon I went to a track meet at Hayward Field (he was there watching, not running).  The track meet was fun.  There was a student section with a lot of us all dressed in yellow cheering for the UO runners (they won) and there was free pizza (of which I could not partake...8 days away...) and they were giving out shirts and tote bags and stuff.  I got a pretty cool dry-fit long-sleeve shirt which will be nice for running in.  And I was able to explain to my friends what the Steeplechase is and stuff like that.  Only downside is that I got a sunburn--first hot sunny day in Eugene this year!

Alison - 8K

Distance: 8K; Time: ~45; Locale: Someone else's treadmill

Today I tried to run outside. It was 93*. I went inside and grabbed a treadmill. "That's my treadmill," said some moronic gym rat.

"Sorry, I didn't see your stuff here," I said looking around my treadmill to find where he had placed his stuff. Then I looked back at him and he was holding all his stuff. 

He must have noticed the quizzical expression on my face because he said: "I haven't started running yet, but everyone knows this is the treadmill I always use."

Sometimes I hate being a member of a gym.

James - 3.1

27 mins 45 secs.

I don't normally fall for these health exercise things, (like Gatorades animal-tested UK cousin, Lucozade), because they are bumpkum, but last week I bought a single Energy Bomb! at a health food shop. I wanted to try it and see if it helped catapult me out of my running slump into a really good progression. Also it came in a shiny packet and had a cool name so I am a consumer sucker.

It says to eat it 30 mins before exercise, but I didn't feel much different until about 3 hours later, and I've spent the last hour dancing like a mad bastard to ska punk. Maybe that's to do with the long run and massive feast that followed it, I'm not sure. Anyway, the thing tasted way better than I thought it would, so I may give them another go. It's possible this bite-sized-bomb DID help me run further, but I never felt the "burst" of energy I was hoping for (given its price!) I decided my goal today would be to run through the pain barrier and keep going towards the half-hour mark, but the pain was a sort of unpleasant constantness throughout. Feel good now though!

Steve - 3

With the recent death of Luke's Nike Frees, it was only appropriate that I went on my first run in my brand new pair of Nike Frees. I decided to run on the mill so I dont make them too dirty in case I need to return them. They actually felt really good and I didnt have any discomfort. They are so light it really feels like I am not even wearing shoes. The stupid directions say I am supposed to wear them around the house for two weeks before even trying to run in them, but who the hell has time for that? I started out real slow to see if I was going to suffer any crippling injury, but I gradually brought the pace up to 8min/mile pace by the end which is moderate intensity for me. Finished up with 3 miles in 26 min. (8:40). I have a 5K on sunday but will most likely run in my clunky trainers and work the frees into another short workout next week. Sub 21 or bust!

Luke - 10.75

am - 3.25mi, 26:30 (8:09)

pm - 7.5mi, 60:46 (8:06)  Was coughing throughout the run, but that didn't bother me so much as the terrible stomach pain I had the latter half of the run.

Alison - 4

Time: 36 mins; Distance: 4 miles; Locale: treadmill

I feel a little intimidated by the larger numbers you boys are pumping out routinely, but that's okay. I don't have any other girls to compare to so the disparity between us seems massive.

Anyone tried my electrolyte cocktail yet?

Chris - 4

So tonight I was looking forward to my run because this week has been stressful and I wanted to get out on the streets and away from that. But I'm also fighting off a slight cold I think; I've been feeling a little drained the past couple days. Anyway, the training schedule Luke made me says 3 miles today! So I get on mapmyrun.com and figure out a route to do that's about that distance in the neighborhoods around here....and end up getting lost twice and ran about 4 miles instead! Slightly aggrevating since it was dark and a bit chilly, but whatever. The route I ended up taking did have a bunch of hills, so that was a nice change of pace. Basically the first half of the run was uphill (varying grades of it) and the second half was downhill. My hip started feeling weird about a mile or so in, but ended up being mostly okay for the entire run. I walked a little when I was lost, and down part of the steeper hills, but 95% of the time I was running. I think I also stopped my watch when I was walking to make up for that. Final time was 31:59 over 4 miles or so, so about an 8 minute pace.

Luke - 11

11mi, 83:14 (7:34)  My left shoe fell apart about 8 miles in, and I couldn't run normally, which was annoying.  I was a bit afraid of injuring myself by running weirdly, but I made it back okay.  Guess I gotta get new shoes this weekend; in the meantime I'll go back to my old Brooks.  The Nike Free 3.0s lasted about 370 miles.  The soles are fine; it's just the stitching ripping and coming undone.  Probably designed that way to make us buy more...

Luke - 3.25

am - 3.25mi, 25:49 (7:56)  I wrote my HILARIOUS April Fools' Day entry after running this, and it proved to be a little bit too prophetic, as I didn't run in the evening, just because I didn't feel like running.  Happens about once a month, but I always try to avoid it.

Steve - 5.69

I decided to take two full days off after knocking out 11 miles in 2 days during the weekend. My right foot is pretty messed up. Have some PF, achilles, and calf issues, but nothing too debilitating. Anyway, it was time for a steady state run. Got in an easy warm up then ripped off about 4 miles right around an 8 min mile pace. That's the pace I was shooting for. I'm trying to run by feel instead of looking at my nike plus to see how my pace is. 5.69 miles in 47:18 (8:18)

James - 2.3

That's miles according roughly to Google Maps. It took me 18 mins 23 seconds, which is not an unusually long time, but it felt like I ran harder than usual. At least at the beginning. Needless to say it's a decent morale boost over last Thursdays baby-run (that I only posted about yesterday).

I'm now looking forward to running further and getting back into going every couple of days. Around shitty part-time work that is. In a way, even though it cuts down on the number of free days I have in which to run, it helps, because I want to feel physically good after feeling knackered as hell on the work days. I had my first shift yesterday and that's the impression I got from today. Still not sure about running before work, though. Also I forgot my water bottle today, unusual.

Luke - 2 and I'm done

Got up at 5:45 this morning and didn't feel like running at all. Threw on my running stuff anyway and dragged myself out the door, and trudged away for my morning run. I realized that a lot of my runs are like this...I'm running just because I feel like I have to. And about a mile into my run, I decided I don't need to do that any more, so I turned around and went home, deciding that I'd stop running forever. I'm not ever going to make any money running, and it's really hard, so why do it? It would be Foolish to continue. Right when I decided to quit, I felt a great weight lifted off my shoulders, and coming home was the only "fun" running I've done in a long time.

You guys can continue this blog by yourselves if you want. I'll be sleeping in tomorrow.