All week I have been struggling on the run.  Actually, more accurately, I have been struggling on the last mile of my runs. I did three runs earlier this week.  8 miles, 6 miles and 5 miles.  The runs have all started out great, but after 7, 5, and 4 miles respectively, I fell apart.  The last mile of each run was over a minute slower than the rest of my miles.  While my average pace on each run was above average for me (7:45, 7:58, and 7:57), I finished each run mentally defeated because the last mile was so much slower than the rest of the run.

Today, however, was different.  I embarked on my weekly long run.  I set out with Jennie on the bike for 12 miles; my longest run since Steelhead.  It was only 80*F, but the humidity was 82% which meant I was dripping with sweat after the first mile.  I started out nice and easy.  The first 8 miles were between 8:30-8:40 min/mile.   After that, I picked it up a bit and finished the last 4 miles between 8:00-8:15.  So, not only did I get in my long run for the week, but I also was able to pick up the pace at the end without falling apart.  Redemption!

I think the biggest difference was having Jennie on the bike carrying water.  I went through about 32oz of water on the run stopping at every 1 or 2 mile mark along the way.  Even so, I was down a couple pounds when I got home so I chugged some more water and chocolate milk to refuel.

But that isn’t even the biggest news of the day.  The biggest news of the day is that Jennie did her first brick workout! After biking along with me for 12 miles, we went on a 1.5 mile run immediately afterwards.  So, now Jennie has felt the feeling in her legs that is a brick workout.  And not only that, but she is looking at getting her own RoadID.  She has a birthday coming up, so well have to see what happens.

In my opinion, she looks too good for having just done a brick workout.  At least I’ve never looked this good after a brick workout.  Come to think of it, I don’t look this good on a normal basis.

I generally look like a sweaty mess after my workouts.  In this case, I left a nice swass mark on the deck after I got up.  Yep, these clothes aren’t allowed inside until they have air dried.

Now, we are spending the day vegging out on couch and watching TV.  Jennie is currently engrossed in some Gilmore Girls reruns during which she has seen ice cream sundaes, fresh strawberries, hamburgers/fries, donuts, and baskets of fresh bread; all of which are leaving her with insane cravings.  It is only a matter of time before she starts baking…

Today had a crappy start.  Quite literally.  Our toilet sprung a leak and needed attention.  Thankfully it wasn’t a big leak and was fixed by replacing the wax seal.  Whoever replaced the seal in the first place did a shoddy job at best.  Despite being a relatively easy job, I still managed to make quite a mess of the bathroom.  Anyways, the trip to Lowes, repair, and subsequent cleanup took most of the morning. 

As much of a pain as the repair was, it was just what I needed to bust me out of my funk.  My last two days of workouts were lackluster at best and today was looking to be that way too.  However, the frustration and work of the toilet repair got me in the mood to workout.  Nothing like a good swim and run to de-stress.

Saturday is my last day of major workouts before I begin my taper, so I wanted to finish strong before the mandatory rest.  I had initially planned on an open water swim this morning, but the weather was iffy (rain and possible storms) and I didn’t want to drive over there only to not be able to swim.  So, I hit up the pool at the normal lunch hour.  I did an easy continuous 2100 yards.  I finished in just under 38 minutes.  I think hope I’ll be a bit faster in the open water with a wetsuit at Steelhead.  Last year’s time was 39:25 and I think I can top that.

After the swim, I got to work on the bar area.  I am finally to the point where I can start assembling everything.  I ordered the laminate for the countertop while I was at Lowes, so I’ll finish that up next week when it comes in.  Other than that, the only “problem” I only had was that I only had room for one of the two shelves.  When I designed the shelves, I didn’t factor in the space needed for hanging the wine glasses.  Oh well, I already have a plan for the second shelf elsewhere.

After getting as much done with the bar as possible, I headed out on my run.  The run went surprisingly well.  Despite the insane heat and humidity I still managed to do 6 miles in just over 46 minutes.  I was pretty drained by the end and chugged a bunch of water afterwards.  After a short break, I ran 2 miles with Jennie as her coach and water bottle carrier.

Overall, I’m glad to have gotten in two solid workouts today.  I have a short bike ride and run (in a non-brick format) scheduled for tomorrow.  Hopefully the heat breaks a bit and I can have one last day of good workouts before Taper Time.

Good luck to everyone doing (Kristin),  or volunteering at (Jon, Caratunk Girl) IM Lake Placid!

You’ve all been there.  I’m sure of it.  You’re out on a run when you notice a sound behind you. Quiet at first. 

Thump, thump. 

Then louder. 

Thump, thump, thump. 

Soon, the thumping is accompanied by heavy breathing.

Thump, huff, thump, puff, thump, huff.

And this point there are only two options. 

#1:  Yield to sounds and allow yourself to be passed.

#2  Run faster.

Today, I chose to run faster.

I was in the middle of a tempo run (44 minutes total with 24 minute tempo).  I had done my warm up and settled in to a 7:08 pace when out of no where two runners were behind me.  The chase was on.  They were not going to pass me.  I kicked it into high gear and hit the next mile at 6:52.  I could still hear the steps behind me.  A bit fainter, but they were still there.  I pushed harder, the burning in my lungs increasing with every breath, my legs absorbing the pain with each step.  As I approached “The Hill”, I feared that my legs and lungs would fail me.  I charged to the top.  My watch beeped the next mile.  Another 6:52!  Still 3 more minutes at tempo pace to go.  I checked over my shoulder and my competition had disappeared.  I still don’t know where they went. They must have turned around because there weren’t any side streets for them to turn on.  I finished the final 3 minutes at a 7:27 pace before settling back down to an 8:15 pace for the warm down. 

How do you handle The Chase?

Tomorrow, I am meeting up with a blog buddy (Rob) for an open water swim and bike ride.  Stay tuned for details!

Well, recovery week has come to an end.  I can’t believe that this was a recovery week and I still logged 10:45 in training: 106 miles biking, 23 miles running, 6,000 yards in the pool.  I’m actually looking forward to another hard week though.  I have two more tough weeks and then a week long taper before Steelhead.

Thursday

I had one of my best brick workouts ever.  I had a 1:15 bike followed by 30 minute run on the schedule.  Feeling uninspired, I stuck to just doing laps around Reeds Lake for the bike portion.  5 laps later, I finished with 23 miles at about a 19mph pace.  That is about as fast as I can average around the lake because of “The Hill” on each lap.  In case you couldn’t tell just by looking at my splits, I pointed out each split that included “The Hill”.  It really kills the average speed in the long run, but builds some good leg muscle.

After the bike ride, I quickly transitioned into running shorts and shoes.  As I headed out on the run, I was shocked to realize I had almost no brick feeling.  My legs felt great and weren’t heavy at all. I ended up averaging 7:37 over the nearly 4 mile run. 

Friday

Swam at lunch, ran 7.5 miles in the afternoon followed by 2 miles with Jennie.  Other than that I cleaned the house and did yard work.  Nothing exciting there, so I won’t bore you with the details.

Saturday

Saturday was a lazy Saturday in its truest form.  I did do a long slow bike ride in the morning, but after that, I spent the rest of the day napping, watching the Tour de France, and watching Tigers baseball.  I did manage to pry myself off the couch long enough to go to Target with Jennie though.  They had some of their C9 clothes on sale and Jennie needed some extra running clothes now that running business is turning into a daily bad habit for her.

She did find some actual running clothes, but she couldn’t pass up the shirt above.  In case you can’t read it, it says, “1 Glazed Donut = 6 miles”  and the donut is saying, “I’m sweating sprinkles.”  Too perfect.

Sunday

Again, another lazy day. I wrapped up my recovery week with a 6 mile run and then spent the rest of the day on wood working projects.  I made some more progress on the bar.  Only sanding, painting, and finishing touches to go now I think.  I also made a new shelf/monitor stand for my office. 

Here is one of the shelves with the stemware racks.  The stemware racks took some figuring on what would work best.  This design was actually the third design I tried and I think it will work best.  I haven’t assembled it yet because I want to get everything painted first.  The shelf itself is inspired by a Pottery Barn shelf that Jennie likes.  In fact, I had previously built a set for in the kitchen, so building the shelves was a piece of cake.  To compare, I built two 4 foot shelves.  The materials cost, at most, $30 for both shelves.  The authentic Pottery Barn shelves cost $85 each! I’ll take that savings any day.

Here I am cutting each of the stemware racks.  Jennie said that I looked really focused on what I was doing.  Apparently my please-don’t-let-me-screw-this-up-and-end-up-slicing-off-a-finger look makes me appear focused.

No, I was not drinking while operating power tools.  I was simply using the martini glass to calculate the spacing needed for the stemware racks.  I promise!

The new monitor stand.  I ‘m going to hold off adding trim and painting it until I am sure it is going to work.  If, after a couple weeks of use, I can’t think of any ways to improve it, I’ll finish it up.

And to top that off, I made one project.  This one was inspired by one my dad made last year and was easy to throw together with some scrap wood.  It is basically a lap desk for my laptop.  This way, when my laptop heats up, it keeps my legs (and boys) nice and cool.  It should also improve airflow for the laptop and circulate air better.

I made two of them.  One for me and one for Jennie.  I ran out of trim for Jennie’s though, so I’ll finish hers up next weekend.

Finally, here is one of the best race pictures I have ever had.  And it wasn’t even a race I was in!  This is from a couple weeks ago when I biked over to the Johan Tri-fest to watch a co-worker who was racing.  As I passed by the photographers, I said that I wasn’t a racer, but the woman said that I deserved to have my picture taken too. 

Ok, well, not really.  But it sure felt like it yesterday.  I was just getting started on a 6 mile run when I look down and stop this on the sidewalk.

That works out to just less than a buck a mile.  So, let’s see.  Last year, I ran just over 1,600 miles which would equate to under $1,600 a year.  Not too shabby, but I guess I can’t quit my day job yet. 

The only downside to finding the money was that I found it within the first mile so I had to carry a crumpled up bill in my hand for the next 5 miles.  I usually try and keep loose hands to, I don’t like running with fists.

I ended up with a pretty good run.  I did 11:20 warmup at an 8:12 pace followed by a 24 minute tempo run at 7:28 and a 11:20 cool down at 8:04.  About halfway through the tempo, my stomach started to act up, but I pushed through and it went away quickly.

The rest of the week is going to insanely busy.  2 hour bike ride this afternoon, 3.5 hour ride tomorrow with a 40 minute run, 2700 yard swim and 1:40 run on Friday, and then let’s throw in a 1:15/20 minute brick workout in on Saturday for good measure.  Oh, and I am thinking of a doing a 4.3 mile race (yeah, weird distance I know) on Sunday morning.  And to top that all off, the in-laws are going to be in town for the 4th.  Crazy busy and crazy fun!

Thankfully next week is a recovery week.  I need the rest!

Hope everyone has a Happy 4th of July!!!