Fail
So I hit my intervals on Wednesday I didnt run Thursday and only ran Friday with my wife. I think I have less than 10 for the week. Blows

Big Week
Looking back at last weeks mileage I ran about 23.5 miles. The mileage is was 5 days in a row. Let's see if I can beat it again.

Back at it
I was able to run saturday. No pain. Ready to get after it!

So I have done two MAF runs both on Tuesday. I ran at 143 bpm with about a ten minute pace. The second run was too fast. I was doing group run and just wanted to keep up. I should have slowed down.

He Finally gets it...

Intervals: An Apology to the iPad: "On the weekend of April 30 th , several friends and I got together in the city of Boston to run together. It was an amazing experience of..."

Ha! If you have listened to Steve lately you have been bombarded by the Apple vs. Droid sections of his pod cast. At first it was funny but the 1000th time warranted me skipping forward. Even when I had to step off the dread-mill to hold steady. I am glad that he get it!

On a related topic, a Steve Runner recommended online workout tracking site Buckeye Outdoors had a major "crap hit the fan" moment when in the matter of a few days, both their servers swallowed all our data.  I hope that it can be recovered.  I guess that shows the fallacy of storing important things via the "cloud".  That begs the question of how much back up is enough.  I have my home computer backed up via Carbonite.com.  I back up some stuff at work but I guess we need back up for back up.  I hope that they are able to recover the data....

New Plan: Slow Down to Speed Up

For several years I have been running and getting faster.  The last several years have kind of slowed down.  I think this plateau is because I have been basically doing the same thing.  I have not increase my mileage by much over the past three years.  I do the same or simular types of training every year.  Long runs, track and some tempo.  No cross training.  If anything I have been doing less cross training than in previous years.  I used to go to cycling classes on a regular basis.  I bet I have not seen the upstairs work out rooms to Red's in several months.  I need something new.

Starting the week after Festival International's Courir du Festival 5K (current 5K PR), I am starting from scratch.  I am going to try to develop a base that will carry my into the fall at a faster pace with better fitness than I have seen before.  I am going to try to train at MAF (Maximum Aerobic Function) as percribed by Maffetone.  You can read more here or here or here or numerous other places.

My MAF as calculated by 180-rule is 143 BPM.  If I look back at my training that currently equates to about 9:30 mins per mile.  That is also un-heat corrected.  It was cool that morning.  I imagine under duress (running in S. Louisiana in the heat is duress) it will be closer to 10 mpm.  (See run at Pinelog)

Plan
1.  Run at or below MAHR (133-143 bpm) for 8 weeks.  Running at least four times per week with one 90 minute run, two 45-60 minute runs.  9 mile and 5-6 mile respectivly. 
2.  Perform MAF test at once every three weeks at the track with 4 mile distance.
3.  Review progress after 8 weeks and adjust as necessary adding some tempo and speed.
4.  Set a goal race for late 2011 or early 2012 (1/2 Marathon Distance).
5. Trace and document all progress.
6.  Add two weight sessions minimum per week.

Running Week

Last week saw only three runs but I totaled out just over 24 miles.  A new recent high mileage.  We didn't go to the track on Tuesday so that was my first seven.  I ran the normal seven on Thursday.  Both were right at 8 min pace which was great.  Then Saturday I ended up running over 10.  Saturday's run started about fast but finsihed DEAD.  I started with two guys who are much faster than me.  By five miles I was pretty much done.  I finished the second half of the run around 9:30 pace.  I was happy with the finish. 

This week has not been so great.  On Monday and Tuesday, I thought I was hitting snooze and not waking up.  When I finally heard the alarm, it was too late to make it to run.  I later figured out that my alarm was set to the time I was waking up and I was not hitting snooze.  I got that corrected and made it to Red's for the 7 mile run this morning.  I was slower than last week but my quads are tight from weights. 

I think that I am going to work on building a new base this summer.  I would like to run but work on keeping my HR in the lower zones.  I think I will have to walk or slow down when it gets too high.  That is going to be hard. 

Weekly Decline

Seems like just yesterday I was running over 20 miles in a week.  It seems like the on comming warmth has resulted in a stead decline of mileage over the past three weeks.  In reviewing my Buckeyeoutdoors.com running log shows that my last three weeks have been 17 miles, 19 miles and 13.5 miles.  Last week I had a trip to Houston that kepth me from seven on Thursday and 4 on Friday.  I have the same trip this Thursday but hope to be back to run Friday & Saturday.  But that will only put me at 18 IF I get 8 on Saturday. 

My "long" Saturday run keeps getting shorter.  We went out for 10 but I faded fast after 5 and made about 8.  I think with the temps climbing the way that they are, I will be lucky to make 8 in up comming weeks.  Oh well, more inside stuff.  I need to do some weights anyway.

Bike Race

I just had to post this video after watching it on Frayed Laces.  This looks like fun (to watch).

Running this week is at 19 miles.  I have gotten two 7 milers and a 5 today.  I won't make it Saturday as I am working the massive Race for the Cure (6-8000 "runners").  It is mostly walkers with a few runners thrown out in front.  We will time the first 500 or so that run across then it gets too crazy to do anything else.

Today's run was a seven miler instead of the track. The track man was not there to direct us to the track so the rest of us decided to continue on with the group. The temperature was just about perfect at 50 deg F with a slight breeze. That temp is not too cold so you can dress in shorts and short sleeve shirt. I broke a sweat but at not time was I uncomfortable like when temps start pushing 70 and above. I wish it souls stay that way. I ended up finishing 7.1 miles at 8:13 pace. It felt good.

I think as the heat turns on I need to add some indoor stuff such as weights.

I forget how much I like working races. Today I substituted and worked the ST Jos Jog. It was a nice day, the race came out Ok. I didn't get my run in and most likely this will be the first sub twenty mile week in the last five. But that is ok

Two Ways to get 21

This is not a gambling post!  If it were it would involve me losing money.  I seem to do that when I risk money in a risky way.  This is about the last two weeks of 21 miles and how I got there.  Both weeks I ran four times in the week.  The first week was three shortish/easy runs around 4 miles plus a 10 miler on Saturday.  Last week was two shortish runs plus one day at the track and six miles on Saturday.  Looking at my two weeks I see that I could up my miles easily if I could just get out of the bed.  Tues track with 6-7 miles total, Thurs 7 mile loop, that 13 so far.  Friday 4-5 mile easy and Saturday 10 miles for a grand total of 27-29 miles.  If I could just get up!

Not too bad of a week running. I made it to the track on Tuesday ran Wednesday ran Friday and Saturday. I didn't make the ten as in past Saturday but it was a good run. Next week I know I can run one or two days but it should be a good week.

Two Weeks in Review

The last two weeks have seen 22 mile weeks.  Both were different in how I got to the final total.  The first week, I ran Tuesday, Thrusday, and Saturday.  Doing track run, seven mile run and 10 mile run.  All quality runs that pushed my limits.  Last week saw runs on Monday, Wednsday, Friday and Saturday.  All low quality "easy" runs that didn't really push much of anything.  The only thing that was simular was that I did 10 miles on both Saturday's.  The first was a 10 mile effort at about 8 minutes per mile and the second was at 8:20 ish per mile.  One final difference was the temperatures in week one were in the 30's and last week saw 40-60's. 

What will this week hold?  Since I didn't get up this morning, I am thinking that it could be a push it week with some Tuesday, Thrusday, Saturday runs.  Time shall Tell

Seven Miles and Trumped By a Girl

The plan for today was to go seven with two x 2mile tempos with a 1 mile in between.  The temperature was just right at 32-34F with a stiff breeze (not quite windy).  Once we got started I knew it was not be.  The lungs from the recent sickness said that they were not going to support this type of run.  The legs said they were OK with it but certainly would not protest on consistent run.  So off we went.  Finished seven with slight quad tightness in the right leg and no temps.  Hopefully next week will be better.

After I got done, I hit FB with a "7 miles done" and got hit right back with "14 miles done" from one of my friends.  She is a fast runner.  Good job on her part. 

Mardi Gras Mambo 10K PR

The Cajun Road Runner's Club took a bus trip from Lafayette to Baton Rouge for the Mardi Gras Mambo (MGM) 10K last weekend.  The temperature started out around 28-29F (Cold for S. Louisiana).  It was breezy and a bit warmer (32-33F) when we arrived.  By race time, I was sporting long sleeves and shorts with only gloves and ear warmers.  The sun was shining and only a slight breeze. 

The race started and finished at the LSU Natatorium parking lot, ran around campus, out around the lakes and back.  My goal for the race was to try to keep about a 7:30 pace.  That would put me in the good for a PR.  My previous PR was 46:47 at 2008 Crecent City Classis.  I didn't make it in 2009 and have not run one since.  My training started off OK but has been lack luster since the first of the year.  I have missed a lot of workouts and longer runs.

So off we start.  I started off running and feeling good.  I looked at my watch at about .2 and saw that I was way fast (7:00 ish) and I was ahead of a few people that I know are faster than me.  I made and effort to pull back a bit but I still finished the first mile in 7:17.  As the second mile came up, I still felt good and went at 7:26.  Mile three was about the same at 7:28.  It got a bit harder as I started warming up and the other runners thinning out.  Mile four was at 7:40 but part of that mile I stopped to stand up the mile marker sign.  Mile 5 was 7:18, not sure what went on there but it could have been a miss marked mile.  On the home stretch of six I this 7:38.  The last portion was down hill and make 6:50 pace for the point 2.  46:17 PR (7:28 overall pace)

Other stats: Average HR 182 (thumping!).  48 ft of elevation gain.

Good job to my sister who also finished plus all of my peeps with CRRC. 

Crappy Sleeping Kids and Affects On My Run

Since we had our first kid, I have been turned inti a morning runner. I had to so that the wife could get her workout in afternoon as someone has to watch kids. Well The Boy is four and still requires someone to lay with him to go to sleep. That is easy compared to his early years. I spent many nights swinging him in his car seat so he would sleep, many nights listening to him cry when the wife put him to sleep, and many nights not sleeping well because he was not sleeping. Now he only wakes up twenty minutes before my alarm goes off to run. I don't k ow about you but the last minutes of my sleep are usually the best.

The girl started out good. We thought she was to be the easy child. She actually slept in her bed! You could sometimes put her down AWAKE and walk away and she would go to sleep. What is that? She would sleep from about six to eleven then end up on our bed. Lately it is getting earlier and earlier that she wakes up and screams till she get her moma. That sucks because where I used to be able to lay down at nine a sleep a while, we now spend that time trying to get her to go back to sleep. You usually can get her sound asleep in your arms but heavenforebid if you make the motion to pit her down! That is instant wake up. I just is frustrating.