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4 Miles 24:44

State Farm, Boone NC

Happy New Year!  I'm getting an online training blog and a new year started right by struggling through a modest 4mile run in the 8pm blackness of night with punishing winds and bitter coldness.  God bless Boone NC and the wide open fields of State Farm.  I am also quite hungover and can probably count the hours of sleep from the previous 2 nights one hand.  Well maybe it takes two hands but it's still not enough.  It's enough to resolve for the new year to drink no more than 26 times. 

10 miles 60:02

Bass Lake, Boone NC

Ran my typical Boone run.  10 miles at Bass Lake doing the Manor, Blackbottom, Maze, and an extra mile around the lake.  Even though I do this run for 90% of my 10 milers in Boone it never gets old.  Here's a loop description:  The first 2.5 miles are a gradual uphill to the manor house (which is the retirement home in the Stephen King movie "The Green Mile").  Those miles tend to get hammered out for some reason.  Then you follow it up with about 3 miles of gradual downhill which allows one to get their "legs" back under them.  Just in time for a steep uphill coming out of blackbottom road and up onto the maze.  Once on the Maze it's another gradual mile of uphill then a gradual mile down to Bass Lake.  The loop around the lake is 1500m.  Just back to the parking lot is 9 miles (some of my other splits don't add up but it's real) so a full mile around the lake is required for the 10 mile run.  Which is nice because you can get a final pace of your run.  It's easy to run this everyday though because the entire run is on a fine packed gravel which resembles a cinder track that runs through constant Appalachia forestry.  It's also the friendliest place on earth to run.  Everyone you see always greets you with a "howdy" or sometimes a "my horse isn't even that fast."  Solid ego boost.

Bass Lake

Workout Day.  The big plan was to tempo the normal 10 mile loop at Bass Lake but I got way too ambitious early in the run and opted to make it a 4X8min fartlek run with 2 min recovery.  Even with the 2 min recovery jog I hit the manor house in 14:00 which told me I did indeed start my tempo too hard as my fastest ever to the manor is 12:40 and that was an all out attack.  On normal runs I range from 16-17:30 at the house.  The 4X8min ws good though as it got in a longer interval workout with minimal recovery.  I was pretty spent at the end. 

13 miles 78:50

Bass Lake

Another favorite run from Bass Lake is "The Firetower."  If life were a movie then every time someone said "The Firetower" a bolt of lightning would strike in the background or at least scary theme music would be cued.  Firetower also starts at Bass Lake and goes to the manor house but from there it continues to go up hill for another 3 miles getting steeper and steeper as the air gets thinner and thinner.  It's about 5.7 miles of constant uphill from the lake to the top step of the tower but the view makes it more than a rewarding journey.  I get to the top today in 34 min and climb up the tower steps to the top passing a friendly cowboy couple halfway up who tell me that I "just burned more calories than their horses."  The way down is a huge negative split of course and I add on the maze to get my 13 miles in.

10 miles 59:13

Bass Lake

Normal 10 mile loop.  I went out and had a few drinks the night before making it time 1 out of 26 (1/26).  I almost didn't want to count it because I had so little but I'm being strict on myself. 

10 miles 61:56

State Farm

I dogged a 10 miler at state farm.  At state farm it's completely flat which was just what i needed.  Why?  Well I went out drinking for time 2/26 last night.  Definately earned the right to count this one too.  When I arrived home at my parents house the mom was already awake and doing laundry.  That was a short and incoherent conversation.  I'm ready to go awhile without adding any to the 26.

15 miles 89:39

Bass Lake

Last run in Boone.  Got up early(ish) to get in a long run before riving back to Daytona.  9 isn't bad, it's just hard to call that early.  Did the last option at bass lake for the week which is going up to the manor house and then heading down to trout lake and up to Rich Mountain.  I turned around a little before the peak of the mountain because I don't ever feel good running in the mornings and 15 seemed like enough.  Especially since I was about to spend 9 hours in my car. 

5 miles 30:02

Daytona Sidewalks

After being in class from 7:30 to 4:20 with a just 2 hours of break we were informed at 1:00pm that after we got out of class at 4:20 we'd have to go straight over to the clinic for student clinician orientation.  A close to 3 hour process.  I managed to get in a 5mile out and back run from my apartment.  Every step of it, as well as every other run I do in Daytona is on sidewalks.  ie, in a day I've transitioned from running heaven to running hell.  At least this time of year the weather is incredible.  I feel obligated to say that but I'd give anything right now to go for a 10 mile run in 8 inches of fresh snow.  I miss winter and as luck would have it while at home over my break the only snow I saw was a flurry the day after Christmas.  Oh well...maybe next year

10 miles 58:47

Daytona Sidewalks

And as I have a run I do everyday in Boone so too do I have a run I do every day in Daytona beach.  I just leave from my apartment and do the same sidewalks weaving in and out of neighborhoods over and over again seeing the same people who either will give me a friendly wave or give me a harrassing heckle.  I don't have a name for this loop so from now on I'll call it....wait for it....oh the suspense...."Daytona Sidewalks."  Wow.  If that isn't the most creative thing ever created then I know nothing.  I've mappedmyrun.com'ed and it's a pretty accurate 10 miler and I've run it enough to get pretty dead on splits at all the mile markers.  My 10 mile runs range from 58-63 minutes everytime and I could give you my time within a minute of what I ran without a watch.  I'm my own clock.  The clock got in some pull ups today as well.

Daytona Sidewalks

Workout day.  Did 8X3min with 1 min recovery back and forth down the sidewalks along Big Tree Rd with a couple around the little league baseball field for some hot soft surface action.  Fartlek's are a mainstay in the Daytona training regime.  They're good because I've got limited access to tracks, especially during the week, and they give me a good effort without beating myself up.  For example...on a track you're got times to hit and I'll easily overdo it to hit those times.  Fartlek's offer a solid workout without pushing it too hard.  That's the positive way of looking at it.  In reality to make any break through you need that redlining experience.  The fartlek is a nice thing to mix in but as a main stay it's not going to get me anywhere. 

10 miles 60:13

Daytona Sidewalks

Yet another run on the same loop on the same sidewalks of Daytona.  Today I only had 2 hours of classes but I went over and spent about 6 hours in the clinic.  The net outcome was my first ever legitimate legal chiropractic adjustment.  woo woo. 

10 miles 59:30

Daytona Sidewalks

Just because the weekend is about to begin it doesn't mean there's something good to look foward to.  This weekend will be jammed packed with board reviews.  Tons of information crammed at you for about 8 hours a day.  But after a long day of classes it's nice to pretend like it's the weekend and enjoy a run on a sunny day.  PS.  I need sleep and bad.

Atlantic High School track

Workout.  It's Saturday which means it's Woods' day to sneak on to the track.  Since I was in board review all day I've got limited daylight remaining and am quite exhausted already I want to get a cheap workout in with a little bit of quality.  So I decide to do 400m repeats with limited recovery.  4 sets of 4X400 with 30 seconds rest and 400m after each sets going 68,66,64,62.  Workout went well hitting 68, 67, 67, 67; 66, 66, 67, 66; 63, 64, 65, 64; 63, 62, 63, 62.  I took 45 seconds recovery on the last set.  Not a bad showing overall.  I kept the rest short and pretty much hit my times.  The last set was tough but it's the fastest work I've done in over 6 months so for my first taste of any speed it went well. 

15 miles 92:37

Daytona Sidewalks

After getting up at 7am and going to Part 2 board review from 8am-4pm I get home and quickly change to get out the door in time for a long run in the daylight.  What a fun day.  It's days like these that make you want to quit school, quit running, and move into my parents basement and mooch off of them for another decade.  The run was fine, a little tight from the workout but nothing inhibiting my running.

5 miles 31:06

Daytona Sidewalks

Recovery day.  All recovery days are an easy 5 mile run.  This is an especially easy day for me since we don't have classes in order to honor MLK jr.  It's a much needed break after the long hours of class last week and the full weekend of part 2 Board review all day saturday and sunday.  Recovery day indeed

AM 10 miles 60:59

Daytona Sidewalks

I've got a 2 hour break in classes on Tuesday so I race home to cram in a 10 mile run and lunch before racing back to school.  I do my normal sidewalk loop without much exciting happening.

PM 5 miles 30:11

Daytona Sidewalks

After getting in an adjustment for Price I come home and do a 5 mile out and back.  When done I do 3 sets of 15 pullups, sit ups with medicine ball, and "pedestal" leg drills.  Wow, what an ambitious day.  2 runs and upper and lower body strengthening.  WOW.  What's gotten into me?

Daytona Sidewalks

Workout.  I wanted to do a little more this workout since I don't feel the need to back away too much for this weekends race.  Unfortunately I was running out of daylight by the time I got out of the clinic.  I still managed to get in a 3 mile warmup and 3X5min with 1 min recovery on the sidewalks going down Big Tree Rd.  From my estimates of normal runs and workouts I was getting in slightly more than a mile each time and each 5 min interval I made it a little bit further than the previous.  Solid pre race workout.  I guess.

10 miles 60:40

Daytona Sidewalk

Another 10 miler on the sidewalks.  I was pretty lazy afterwards...no pullups or drills or anything.  It's especially lazy since there's no class today or tomorrow.  You'd think I could at least get in a little extra since the big event of my day was winning the 2010 national championship with NC State on NCAA 07 and then recruiting the greatest class of all time (12 5* and 10 4* I even had a 4 *walk on).  I also watched NBC's must see tv.  Big day for me!

5 miles 30:07

Daytona Sidewalks

Pre race 5 mile run.  Since I already got in a double run this week and I'm planning on a shorter workout after this race I can take two recovery runs this week and not have it kill my mileage.

AM Seasons 52 Park Avenue 5k, Orlando FL

Trackshack Grand Prix Race #5 of  7 (8 miles)

Won in 15:20.  Second Place was 15:50.  Splits were 5:01 and 9:51.  Last year I ran 14:59 and won by 1 min.  Last year I was 6 seconds faster at the mile and was 9:45 at 2 miles.  Thus this year's last mile was significantly slower ~15 seconds.  Kind of disappointing to be that much slower than last year.  I suspect that I was in better race shape last year because the first weekend in January I raced a 10k in Charlotte in 30:40 with solid competition and this year the race was postponed and this race was my opener and I was solo by the mile. 

PM Atlantic High School track (7 miles)

I had originally intended on doing 3 or 4 sets of 3X300 but with the poor showing at the morning race I wanted to test myself more anaerobicly.  I decided to do a mile in 4:20 (~64, 65, 66, 65) 500m recovery, then 2 sets of 3X300 with 1 min recover and 500 meters after each set in (47, 45, 43; 47, 46, 43).  I felt good about this workout.  The 4:20 started stiff but I settled in and got through it well.  I was worried about hitting the 43's for 300 but I fought my way down to it.  I have not done speed work that fast hardly at all since living in Florida so I'm happy to have gotten down there even if it wasn't the smoothest feeling 300meters ever run.

15 miles 90:12

Daytona Sidewalks

Went out and weaved my way through some of the nicest neighborhoods near my apartment and before the river.  My legs are a little beat up from the race and workout but it isn't slowing me down.  I take a couple of breaks to stretch out my calves especially on the left leg because my plantar is aching.  Other than that the soreness is mild and easily run through.  It's a nice day for a run though.  Fairly warm, about 70 and sunny.  Enough to get some sun, develop a few more sunspots to get lectured on, and have a mild sweat going but not enough to soak your shorts.  I give the day 5 stars for running long.  Also there's NFL conference championship games waiting for me at the conclusion of my run to add to my pleasure.  That addition is just enough to cancel out the pain in the legs and left plantar.

5 miles 30:56

Daytona Sidewalks

It's sunny and nice out almost all day but with 15 min left in my last class the sky opens up.  But it was fairly warm out and today was a recovery run day so it made for quite the nice rain run.  At first it seemed like it'd just be a drizzle the whole time but i got the full on down pour after about a mile and a half and it stayed with my until the last mile.  Rain runs are quite nice though.  My plantar and shin were hurting pretty good early but loosened up after a mile.  I may have failed to have mention that but i've had minor shin splits for a few weeks.  The plantar has been off and on achey for about a week...since the 400m workout 9 days ago. 

10 miles 58:22

Daytona Sidewalks

I felt quite good today.  I didn't notice the plantar at all during the run and the shin pain made a late appearance and was sporadic.  The weather was perfect for running...65 degrees.  I got an adjustment in the morning which really loosened me up.  I even saw a bald eagle on my run.  There's one that lives in a tree on the 11th hole of the golf course so it was probably that one since I was within a mile of the course.  Still cool to see though.  I also was ambitious today and did some pullups and situps.  Way to go me.

Silversands Middle School Track

I did one of my two prerace workouts on the paved track at Silversands Middle school.  I did a 3200 in 9:49 (4:59, 4:50) then did 1 mile of straights and curves (sprint the straightaways jog the curves).  It's supposed to be a threshold 2 mile. I was a little quick but it felt very comfortable so i just ran with it.  I'm guessing threshold pace for me right now is somewhere slightly under 5 min.  There wasn't any other sorts of aching in the shin or plantar today so I'm thinking I'm in the clear on those issues.  The strides didn't exactly make me feel fast but they were alright.  I should be good to go for this Saturdays Mantanza's 5k.  Hopefully it'll be a good race and my first test of the year.

8 miles 48:46

Daytona Sidewalks

Ran pretty much a condensed version of my usual 10 mile run.  I'm backing off a little for this weekends race.  It's been very cool these last two days with highs around 60.  It's been great for running though.  There's an otter that moved into the lake across from my apartment apparently.  I saw it 3 times today as I did 3 loops around the lake. 

4 miles 25:42

Daytona Sidewalks

PreRace day.  I took an easy 4 mile run after school on the coldest day of the year in Daytona.  On the news last night they were interviewing people asking how they were dealing with the cold.  The low was 45.  The funny thing was one of the people they interviewed was having dinner outside.  She said she wasn't that cold and then toasted the camera with her wine and laughed.  It was a special interview.  Anyway, I've got Mantazas 5k tomorrow which should be the first race with some competition since the first weekend in November and back then I was still trying to build up my mileage to the 70's.  It'll be good to see where I'm at in my training.  I expect that I'll be a little rusty but hopefully I can still get the cash.  I won the race last year in 14:43 beating a recent FSU grad Ian Hornabrook by a few seconds.  Last year I pulled away from him with 1000m to go but he closed the gap back down with 200-300m to go before I opened up a kick and won by a few seconds.  Hopefully there will be some good competition this year and we can run a fast time.  We'll see how it goes though...

On a side note, I made a sweet Veal Parmisan tonight.  I really impressed myself with this one.

Mantanzas 5k

2nd 14:39

Took second place today at the Mantanzas 5k.  The time was good though and I ran faster than last year but lost to Irish runner Gareth Turnbull ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/5078012.stm ) as he put 13 seconds on my in the last 800-1000m.  I felt pretty good but was understandably rusty and in the late stages of the race I just didn't have the "go" needed to finish fast.  Splits were consistent at 4:40 and 9:21.  From 800m on it was just me, Gareth, and a Russian runner who spoke no english other than the word "marathon" in our post race conversation.  I interpreted his lone english word to mean that he's training for a marathon and that's why he fell of the pace half way into the race.  The excuses are the same from language to language.  Mine?  Well I was just plain outrun today.  Gareth controlled the race and I never made him hurt.  At least this year they decided to pay 2nd place as last year 2nd went home with nothing but sore legs and an empty tank of gas.  Hopefully after I get a few more races under my belt I'll get that finish down.  I haven't had a serious race since the first weekend in November and I had just started to do regular runs at that point.  For a starting race, even though I lost, I think it points to good things in the future.  To good things!

PM 5 miles 31:17

Daytona Sidewalks

Did an afternoon shakeout run.  I was pretty tight.  The plantar was extremely tight and the shins ached too.  It took a coulpe of miles for me to loosen up and feel kinda decent.  Got a good stretch in afterwards which should help in the recovery process.

17 miles 104:29

Daytona Sidewalks

It was sunny and warm which made for a nice day to run.  I felt really good considering I raced yesterday and felt absolutely horrible on my second run.  Then I spent about 6 hours on my feet at Daytona Speedway watching the rolex 24 hours of racing.  Nothing was really aching at all and I cruised through a fairly easy 17 miler.  Even by the end of the run my form hadn't broken down at all and I was running comfortable.  Well, mostly comfortable...the cool warm day was a chaffing waiting to happen.  But it was a good run and it was nice to shake of yesterday's disappointment.  I've got a 10k coming up next Saturday so luckily I won't have time to dwell on this race too much.  I'm hoping to get a solid workout in on Tuesday but we'll have to see how I'm feeling tomorrow and what my options are for track access. 

10 miles 62:00

Daytona Sidewalks

After a long day of classes I went out and struggled through a 10 miler. I am feeling the last two days of race/pm run and long run today. With that in mind though I'm still looking to front load this weeks work and get in a workout tomorrow so that I can get a good weeks training in and still back off a little for Saturday's Run for Kids 10k in St Pete. The pay structure for the race is 600-500-400-300-200 so even if I don't win I can still get paid well with such a small drop off per place. But today's run was uncomfortable and stiff.

Daytona Sidewalks

Did 8 X 3 min with 1 min recovery.  Was moving a little quicker than 5 min pace from the few sections that I run that are measured out.  Felt really good early considering the previous 3 day's efforts but eveventually around the 4th interval it seemed to catch up with me as my form fell apart a little and I felt flat.  It was the coldest day in Florida in 4 years but it was upper 40's when I ran which wasn't so bad for a workout.  It was good to get a legit workout in the week and beneficial to do it early so I've got time to recover and be ready to go for Saturday's 10k. 

AM 10 miles 61:06

Daytona Sidewalks

Another day, another 10 miler.  With morning classes then a 5 hour break until my next class I finished my sluggish feeling/never too comfortable run before noon leaving me an option of a second run today.  It's the 31st day of the month and I've as of right now run 311 miles for the  month which is almost exactly 10 miles a day/70 miles a week.  Seems pretty decent mileage but I really should have been up averaging in the upper 70's with only one race this month that I backed away for.  Over the next few months I won't be able to get the mileage up there so I'm hoping I've built a good enough base.  SICK!  Fuse channel is playing the Social Distortion video for 'Ball and Chain,' one of my favorite songs ever!  I've never seen this on tv before.  I love the Fuse channel.  One of my favorite lines from the song is 'you can run all your life, but not go anywhere.'  Right now I feel school is my ball and chain and I gotta get away.  I'm rambling. 

PM 5 miles 30:37

Daytona Sidewalks

Got in a double run after classes.  Felt ok not terribly great but still managed a decent clip.  The right achilles seemed a little sore which I guess could be expected.  The achilles is always the indicator for overtraining and by my count in the last 5 days I've logged 66 miles (>13 a day) while for the past month I've been averaging exactly 10 a day.  Throw in a race and a workout in those 5 days and the achilles is destined to get set off.  But I front loaded the week on purpose and now can take two big time down days heading into Saturdays 10k.