DEHYDRATION SUCKS, PART II

The "exclusive" Hollister Trail.

My long run this weekend ended up being a flashback to the run I detailed in this post last summer. Basically I got super dehydrated and ended up having to cut the run short because I just couldn't run anymore.

I'll preface this story by saying we've had AMAZING weather the last few days. Not just sunny, but sunny and WARM. It hit 80 degrees yesterday. EIGHTY! In March. That is unheard of here. We smashed the daily record and almost set an all-time monthly high. Needless to say, going from 50 degrees to 80 degrees can be quite the shock on the body.

I slept in again so I didn't start running until after 1pm in the heat of the day. I could tell it was going to be hot but I just decided to go for it and see what happened. I had to wear a black shirt because it was my only Nike shirt, more on that later, so I wasn't dressed appropriately.

The run started out great. My goal was to run 12 miles at a good clip. It would be my last serious training run before the Corvallis Half Marathon in two weeks. Despite the heat the run actually started out fantastically. I was feeling good, the weather was beautiful, I was running a new route... life was good!

My route had me going up through the powerline parks and then wandering to the Geoff Hollister Trail, adjacent to the Nike World Headquarters. Nike owns this open chunk of forest and they recently put a running trail in. Technically it is supposed to be for Nike employees only, but it is RIGHT next to the sidewalk in many spots and everyone just kind of runs on it anyways.

Saturday's 11 mile route.

When it first opened they actually had security at times patrolling it but got some bad press and backed off a little. Honestly, it is such a tease, what do they expect. Anyways, now it seems they are more lax, but they still check it out from time to time and if you are decked out from head to toe in Adidas they might kindly ask you to leave.

I had a Nike shirt, Nike shorts, and Nike socks all in anticipation of running on this trail. I still had my Brooks shoes on though so I felt like a bandit. Anyways, I figured I had enough Nike and I've dumped enough money into that company I'd tell them to shut the front door if they gave me any trouble. Well, they actually rarely have anyone "monitoring" it, so I ran through it fine, along with many other runners. It was pretty!

It was right after getting done with that, about eight miles in, that I started to hit a wall. All I could think about was water and my body was starting to really complain. I could feel my energy depleting and my mile times were plummeting. I was determined to hit 12 miles, but that 11th mile was one of the longest in my life. I just couldn't do it. One of the biggest mistakes you can make in training is pushing yourself to the point where you can fuck something up, and I was getting close.

After spending the entire 11th mile crafting letters in my head to the City of Beaverton about lack of public water fountains I finally gave it up once the phone hit 11. No need to be stupid. Luckily a quarter mile up the road was a church baseball diamond that had TWO water fountains. I made love that fountain. Why Beaverton can't place a water fountain in a fucking park to save their lives I'll never know.

Anyways, in conclusion, great run until the last few miles, then hell. Need to start bringing water or incorporating known fountains into my runs. That, or it needs to get 50 and overcast again (much more likely).

Felt really good those first seven miles, eight was okay, the rest sucked.

NEW SHOES!

My new shoes!

Well, the time has come for new shoes. I've eclipsed the 400 mile mark in my Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12 shoes I won at PRC running group this summer. The same thing that happened to my previous pair of Nikes I detailed in a blog post here is starting to happen to this pair of Brooks. Not even close to as bad of deterioration as the Nike pair, but that same exact spot on the left shoe was wearing down. I was starting to run on a "mini slant" again and feel tired and sore after my runs.

Apparently while I pronate on both sides, I do it way more on the left. My left side is the one always having issues, my sore left knee last spring, my repeated calf troubles since the 15.4 mile jaunt last June, my weird left ankle problems, etc. Luckily none of these things have been major, but it does make sense that my shoes wear down a lot faster on the left shoe and it's always the outside edge that goes first.

Anyways, I just ordered two more pairs of the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12's online from the Brooks website. I was planning on just buying another pair from PRC, but the current model is the 13 and I overheard someone at group saying you could get the 12s for cheap. I checked the Brooks website and they were indeed clearing the old model out. $72 instead of the $110 for a pair of the new model.

Well, I like the 12's, they work for me, so why not? I'm sure the 13's are fine too, but if I could get the 12's for almost $40 less, why not? The problem with this is that they were only available in limited sizes and colors. They didn't have any size 11, but they did have size 11.5. My toes have felt a little crammed at times (mostly on long runs when my feet swell probably) so I decided to just take the half size up. Shouldn't be a problem. The only colors were the blue you see above and an ugly all black version. I ended up buying two pairs of what you see above.

Those should last me about a year or so. Maybe a bit less... this last pair lasted just over six months but I wasn't training for a marathon like I will be this summer. Anyways, two pairs for $144 instead of $220. Score!

*EDIT* These literally got here the next day. For someone used to "Free Super Saver Shipping" this was quite the shock. Shipping was free on orders over $75, so total score!

10 MILES & 18 HOLES

Lately I've found the need to start running "new" routes. I guess having daylight isn't enough for me anymore (I spent all winter swearing if it was just light outside the same thing over and over again would be way better!). Running in new locations definitely helps pass the time, since you pay more attention to the new surroundings than the monotony of your run.

Saturday's "new" route. Blue=Usual,
Red=New!, Orange=Backwards!

Unfortunately, new routes are time consuming to plan and can be hard to remember when you are trying to store it all in your brain. The result is something like I did Saturday for my long run of ten miles. About 1/3 new turf, 1/3 the usual route, and the final 1/3 of, get this, running the usual, but BACKWARD! I know, I know, crazy. I like to live on the edge.

As for the actual run, it went alright. I woke up and started at 10:15am so I play golf at 1:00pm. Nothing like running ten miles and then hiking 18 holes of golf. Got to listen to Car Talk and Wait, Wait though, so that helped pass the time. Overall I was still a little beat from Shamrock so I just took it easy and averaged 9:43/mile.

Afterward I played 18 holes at King City Golf Course. I had never played there before but I have to say I really liked the course. Fairly wide open and not too many hazards. Cheap too ($26 for 18) and pretty well maintained. There were some yucky spots, but we just played "winter rules" which means you can basically blame any shitty lie on the weather. Score!

I hadn't played golf since August but I picked up right where I left off in terms of ability. That is the good thing about sucking at it, you don't have skills that wither away. I ended up shooting 105 over 18... not great but not bad for me. Hit an 8 foot putt on 18 to tie my friend, who is usually about 20 shots better than me. He was completely off his game.

One hilarious shot happened on the 7th hole. The one water hazard on the whole course is located on this hole, so naturally I have to target it. I took out my 5 wood from the fairway about 140 yards from the hole. I had been hitting that wood from the fairway pretty well and been getting a lot of air. The water hazard covered yards 40-70 on the shots approach to the green. Completely doable! So of course I top the ball and it goes screaming toward the water about five feet off the ground. Well, I hit it at such an angle and which such pace that it SKIPS across the water, bounces off a rock on the shore, and pops onto the fairway right in front of the green. Pro!

This is the 7th hole and my nemesis... water.

My best hole was a par on a par 3. It was about 180 yards and I hit my tee shot about 150 to the right behind a pine tree. It's about 15 feet tall and I'm probably 10-15 yards from it, so I took out my pitching wedge and somehow hit a beautiful, high arching shot right over the tree that landed about 10 feet from the hole. I then actually made the putt to secure the par. Oh! And one more shot! On another hole I was about 20 yards away from the cup, 10 yards of fairway and 10 yards of green. My pitches were betraying me, as usual, so I opted to just putt. Needless to say, I hit the perfect putt and it curled into the cup much to the surprise of everyone. That was definitely the second furthest shot I've ever made, only the 70 yard pitch in when I was 13 beats it.

Sorry for the boring golf talk. I like to play golf though and if I don't write this stuff down I'll never remember it! :)

GOOD RUN, BAD CHEESE

I actually stopped briefly on my run to take this picture!

A couple weeks ago I had one of those "why do I even do this" runs where I was not enjoying myself. Yesterday, I had the exact opposite type of run. I set out to take it easy because of still feeling a little worn from my race Sunday and then group run on Monday. After a really slow first mile (9:40) my body warmed up and I was feeling on top of the world. I ended up averaging 8:30s over the last four miles of my five mile run.

I decided to freestyle a run because I really wanted to run about 5.14 miles to hit 12 total before my long run on Saturday. I ran 6.86 on Monday, so being that I am anal, I needed to run at least 5.14 to get to 12.0 before I would be happy with my running for that week. I really wasn't feeling that same damn 10k again, so I decided since I'd have to modify that anyways to shorten it (I didn't want to go much over 5.14 to make sure I continue to recover) so why not just 'freestyle' a route from my house.

So I went through the powerline parks that were only an option on weekends before daylight savings time and then just kind of wandered my way home. I needed to hit 5.14 and you know how far my freestyle took me? 5.16. About 2.5 miles in I plotted the rest of my run and as soon as I was done running it, literally I hit the corner I told myself I was going to stop because the rest of the run would just be up a giant hill, and I looked at my phone. 5.16 miles. Nailed it! Stupid thing to be excited about, but that was kind of exciting! Hey, us runners need to do whatever it takes.

Thomas is pretty good at freestyling distance.
Pretty, pretty, pretty good.

The only bad part about this run, which I was loving for some reason, was that I was congested. I just got over my sickness from Las Vegas and now I am congested again. And you know what did it? Cheese. I swear. I was in the breakroom at work and there was a package of pepperjack cheese in there. It had been in there a while, but it looked fine. So I took a slice. Well, one end tasted great, but the other end was starting to turn. I smelled it and it was off. I figured cheese was just mold anyways though, so being the pig that I am, I shoved the rest of the piece in my mouth. It tasted like a sweaty gym sock.

Instantly my throat started feeling funny. Like a sore throat was coming on. The next day it felt the same (Wednesday). And then, when I woke up on Thursday, full out congestion in my head and weird feeling throat. Ugh. It's stupid to think the cheese did that, but honestly, I don't know what else could. I haven't heard of bad cheese causing this though! Whatever. I'm feeling better today so hopefully it was just a short blip. My lungs felt fine last night despite this too, so it's nothing too serious.

Ten mile long run this weekend.  Then shoot for 12 or 13.1 the next, 8 or 9 the weekend after that as part of a "mini taper" for the Corvallis Half Marathon the following weekend.

SHAMROCK REFLECTIONS

Finisher's medal, which doubles as a bottle opener. I don't run for the medals, but this one is pretty cool.

It has now been two days since Shamrock and I can look back and reflect on what was a pretty successful race for me. Setting a PR was pretty exciting, especially given the layout of the course (read: very hilly for a long time) and the crowds. Had I been able to run a more direct line I could have shaved 90 seconds off my time (10/sec mile of weaving per Endomondo, which I can believe). That would bring me down to about 1:11:00. I figure with a flatter course I could slice some time off my mile splits as well, so I am not that far from a sub 1:10 15k.

My traffic plan.

That will be the next step on my 15k quest. The question is, when will my next 15k be? It's not a super common distance but it does pop up. Definitely Shamrock every year, but if I really want to gun for a great time I'll need a flatter course. Zena is out in that respect too. So I'll keep my eyes out for a smaller, flatter event to try. A sub 1:10 is 7:30/mile or less, which would be a huge challenge. Right now my 10k PR isn't even that good, so I'll just keep having to work at it.

It would also help if I wasn't stopped by traffic. I went back an looked at a map to make sure my outrage was justified and it totally was. I could see them not closing that ramp because some people live right off that offramp. There are a couple of stoplights before you hit Naito Parkway, where the race was and I got stopped. Basically you force everyone to take a right where all that red meets the green. That way local traffic can find their way home, and people trying to access the city can loop back down on Moody Avenue and re-enter on I-5 North and choose a better route.

Considering the fastest 15k people aren't even a threat until 45 minutes after gun time you'd only really need to keep this in effect for 90 minutes at the most. This intersection doesn't even come into play for the 5k or 8k. FIX THIS!

I went to run group on Monday night, the day after the race. I felt worn on Monday but not too sore. I planned to run 3 miles but ended up running almost seven (!). Bad decision. It was one of those things where I got to the turnaround for 3 miles and I was in a group of people and we were talking and I still felt fine and I didn't want to be that person, so I just continued on. A mile later my body was like "okay, enough" and it started to suck pretty hard. Those last three miles were a slog.

Luckily, the next day (today), I didn't feel too bad. Just the same worn but not sore feeling. Going to take a few days off and recharge. I also did something to my left ankle. It started to hurt about mile five at group run and by the end I was limping. It got pretty bad once I stopped running, I was walking like an old man. Really hurt. Luckily today it feels much better, still a bit weird, but nothing like yesterday. I probably just strained some tendon and inflamed it or something, so I'll just take it easy and keep an eye on it.

2013 SHAMROCK RUN 15K RACE REPORT

My unfavorable starting position. This is mere seconds before the horn.

I BEAT MY 15K PR BY 1 SECOND! :)

Ahem. Now that the lead is out of the way, onto the report!

This race got off on a really bad foot the night before. I finally was able to settle down and play the new SimCity that came out a couple weeks ago. I was a huge fan as a kid so I was excited about the new one but didn't have the time to play. Finally found the time and before I knew it midnight rolled around. Crap! So I went to bed, but I wasn't very tired and I was excited and nervous for the race. I ended up FINALLY falling asleep at 2am.

Libbie and I waiting for MAX before race.

My alarm went off at 6am, so I got four whole hours of sleep. Not a good base to try and run a hard 15k race, but oh well. Once I had showered and ate some cereal I was feeling better though. Libbie met me at my house and then we drove over to the Lloyd Center and took the MAX across the river. Unlike last year, we were doing the 15k, which starts at 7:40am instead of 9:20am for the 5k. So it was still pretty dark and cold. 38 degrees when the horn went off - luckily it was dry unlike last year.

I was unable to get into the 7-8 minute corral, which really helped me avoid the crowds last year with the 5k. Libbie and I rolled up just a few minutes before the start (good timing with the weather really) but the chute was already packed and you could only get in from the back with the 10+ minute people. Needless to say, 7,600 people were packed in there and it wasn't easy to move around. A frantic struggle forward got me near the front of the 8-9 minute pack before the gun went off. Good enough.

Once the horn went off they let everybody to about the 8-9 minute sign go and then held us up for another 90 seconds. It was a "hold and release" to help alleviate the crowds. D'oh! Chip timed though, so who cares. It actually helped me not get stopped by an Amtrak train as I rolled up right as the gates were going up, and as you'll see, I needed every second. So really, looking back, it was good I got stuck back there.

The start was way more crowded than last year. I am not sure if that was just my corral or if the 15k was just more densely populated, especially with the more serious contingent of runners. My first mile was below expectations because I was bobbing and weaving like a champion boxer. I was not running the optimal line. I don't understand why people line up way up there and then run a ten minute mile! Oh well. Anyways, I would say the first two miles were not ideal because I either had to slow down or weave like a drunk around people. I did the best I could though.

The first 2.8 miles were the same as the 5k but this year for the 15k we just headed up Broadway even further and hooked into Terwilliger. Now I got to experience the famous hilly Cascade Run Off/Shamrock Run 15k course. Honestly, it wasn't too bad. As you will see with my times, it was definitely uphill but it was pretty manageable. It wasn't too steep (yet) and my hilly training really paid off. I was passing people left and right.

Mile five is where this race really tested you. This mile was HARD and the steepest uphill. I really started to struggle and I wondered if I had it in me. At one point I almost slowed to start walking. My lungs were burning up. My legs were fine, but I was having a hard time breathing. I just couldn't let myself do that though, I had to soldier on or I couldn't live with myself.

Finally, around mile six, the course flattened out and we eventually started downhill. The famous bagpipers at the top of the hill marked this transition. Sweet relief! I will give Terwilliger credit, that hill was a tough climb at race pace. Definitely harder than the Zena Road Run. It was four miles of sustained uphill running. Not too many flat breaks. Definitely a huge challenge!

Me after finishing. Sexy, I know.

From that vantage point we were high on the hill and could look back at downtown Portland. Looked so far away, but I knew in 3.3 miles we'd be right back there. Down the hill we went, it was as constantly downhill as the first part was uphill. My legs were taking a pounding but I kept it at a controlled enough pace where I wasn't going to totally trash them. Nothing too much to note there, I was gliding downhill, loving life really. Such a break after that uphill!

By mile eight I was ready to be done. The downhill was starting to hurt my legs and I had expended a ton of energy on that climb uphill. The most ridiculous part of the race was about to happen. With a quarter mile to go they STOPPED US to let traffic pass. They said it was "backed up all the way to I-5" (it was the Naito Parkway exit ramp). Umm, could you close that damn ramp? You closed every other freaking street in the city. Absolutely stupid. That ate up about forty seconds, no joke. I might have yelled "I'm trying to get a PR here!" to nobody in particular.

So I might have started the whole wave of runners to run across this stop before the cop was ready. There was a break in the cars coming off the on ramp (like someone had put their car in park and took five or ten seconds to realize the line was moving) so I darted across the road. As soon as I took a step, about a dozen other people did, and then pretty soon the whole wave. The cop held out both hands and yelled "nooooo!" but it was too late. Sorry!

Anyways, after that it was a dead on sprint the final quarter mile to the finish line. The little break at the traffic crossing gave me some energy to do this, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to. I figure I lost 40 seconds on the traffic and gained 20 back. I stopped my Endomondo when I crossed the line. Unofficially I timed myself at 1 second over my PR time. Dammit! I was pissed because the traffic issue right before the finish probably cost me my PR time.

After that I went to the beer garden, had my free beer, and also ate a cup of the free salmon chowder. Delicious! I rode the MAX train up and down to stay warm while Libbie finished. Once she was done we met up and then headed back to my car.

It wasn't until about 5pm they posted the results and I saw that my official time was 1 second under my PR. I beat it! Woohoo! I might have done a little happy dance right then and there. Running an extra quarter mile almost due to crowds and a 40 second traffic stop didn't stop me from getting a PR. Barely. Like, the closest you can get. But hell, I'll take it!

Wow, didn't expect that to be such a book. Just really excited to set the PR and do it by so little after such a challenging race. Validation for sure!

Official Results: 1:12:21, 7:46/mile. 977/7678 overall. 790/3688 all males, 146/576 males 25-29.

Course map. Click to enlarge.

Mile Times: Since I ran an extra quarter mile, due to crowding, I wanted to see what my splits on the actual course were. I used the official map of the course and then matched the time I arrived at those mile markers with my corresponding Endomondo run. As you can see, I did the first three miles way slower than what my phone said, mainly because I weaved so much in those first three... I ran way more than three miles!

Mile Number: Course Spilt (Endomondo Split)
Mile 1: 7:58 (7:35)
Mile 2: 8:12 (7:33)
Mile 3: 7:43 (7:14)
Mile 4: 7:58 (7:32)
Mile 5: 8:12 (8:19)
Mile 6: 7:58 (7:50)
Mile 7: 7:00 (7:33)
Mile 8: 7:29 (7:23)
Mile 9: 7:28 (7:18)
Avg mi: 7:46 (7:36)

12 MILE RECAP & SHAMROCK RUN 15K PREVIEW

I will not be lining up with these people when the 15k gun goes off at Shamrock.

Last weekend's twelve miler was one of the harder runs I had done in a while. I'm not sure exactly why, but I have a few theories...

• Still coming off my sickness. I am still hacking up some of the stuff that settled in my lungs. It is nearly gone but there is something still there. Coupled with that, I took nearly two weeks off and it's only been two weeks since then. This is my second long run since getting sick. So I am not quite back into the shape I was in.

All my runs over ten miles ever.

• This is still historically a long distance for me. While I like to think a 12 mile run is no problem, if you rank it in terms of my longest runs ever, it clocks in at a tie for 4th. So, it is a long ways for me. Also, look at my pace (8:46) compared to other similar long runs. Aside from my race and the half marathon practice run I did right before I got sick (those were the days) this was a historically fast long run. Just ignore 6/9/2012, I must have smoked a bowl of meth or something before that run.

• I need to hydrate/refuel on runs over 10 miles. I didn't drink a lick of water the whole run or eat any Gu or anything. No wonder my body felt like it was breaking down and exhausted toward the end. I'm probably going to have to buy a hydration belt or start planning runs that incorporate water fountains or loops back to my house where I can pitstop. In addition to hydrating, I need to practice eating stuff on long runs since that will be key when I do my marathon in October.

In reality, it was probably a combination of all three. Despite the difficulty, as you can see, I clearly kicked ass. Twelve miles at a 8:46 pace. It was more of a 8:35 pace until the final 5k or so too. I did a loop from my house to the Fanno Creek Trail out to 99W and back. The weather was AWESOME for this time of year, 55 and brilliantly sunny. I'm surprised I didn't get sunburned. I slept in until 1:30pm and didn't get started until 2:30 or so. Oops!

The run went pretty well, I just got really exhausted towards the end. Way more than a normal run. I'll admit, I paused at crosswalks and hit the button when I knew I could get the maximum break. My muscles just felt empty. I did the miles though and it was really a great day to be out there. Afterward I collapsed at home and got an intense headache that wouldn't go away. I drank lots of water and fell back asleep less than 12 hours after I woke up.

SHAMROCK RUN PREVIEW AND GOALS

This year at the Shamrock Run I'll be doing the 15k. It was this run last year that convinced me to do more than a 5k. Here it is, a year later, and I have multiple longer distance events under my belt including a kick ass half marathon. So in a way the Shamrock Run this year will be the one year anniversary of me deciding to become "serious."

For those not aware, the Shamrock Run will have 35,000 participants this year. Not everyone will show up, and it is divided into three events, but still, this is a HUGE ASS event. The largest running event in Portland (I think it might even beat Komen).

An example of the crowds. The 15k at 7:45/mi won't be nearly this busy though.

There used to be a race every year in Portland around this same time called the Cascade Run Off. It was a 15k race that really changed a lot of things in the running culture and had a huge impact nationwide. If you are not familiar with its history, here is a good article. Eventually that race petered off and Shamrock added its 15k route as homage to that piece of Portland running history.

My dad ran the Cascade Run Off back in the heyday and his best time was 1 hour, 4 minutes. I'll have to confirm with him, but it was something right along there. Basically 7 minute miles for the whole thing. I am not going to beat that this time around, but eventually, if I get to where I want to be in running, I hope to beat that time someday.

Okay, so it's a huge ass race, I'm doing the 15k instead of the 5k this year, and my dad used to run it back in the 80s and he got a really good time. What are my goals this year? Funny you should ask. I've thought about it and here they are:

Race Goals:

"A" Goal: Beat my time at the Zena Road Runs 15k earlier this year. So that'd be 1:12:21 or less. 7:45 a mile. The hills in this event appear to be tamer than Zena, however they come in the middle 5k of the event instead of the first 5k. I believe it is also a more sustained uphill for a full 5k, where Zena was more of a big ass hill the first mile and then little bumps upward the next two miles. Overall, I think it will be a more challenging course so beating my time from Zena would be awesome.

"B" Goal: 1:15:00 or less. That is 8 minute miles or less. Anything starting with a "7" over the course of a hilly 9.3 miles is nothing to sneeze at. The final 5k of this race is all downhill, so my legs will probably be worn and I won't be looking to bomb down them. My average pace after 10k will likely be above 8 though, so that final downhill 5k will determine whether or not I can hit this goal.

"C" Goal: I guess 1:20:00 or less. Barring an injury, there shouldn't be a reason why I can't beat my "B" goal or at least get close. I guess I'll do the standard cliche "do my best and don't get hurt." Really though, there are a lot of variables in this race. I haven't done the course yet, it can be crowded, it's hilly, etc. Honestly though, if I don't at least get my B goal I'll be disappointed.

STEADY FREDDY

I noticed after my run yesterday that I have been very consistent with my 10k route times. Most weeknights when I run at home I run this same 10k route and I keep running the 6.2 miles in a freakishly similar manner.

Some nights, like last night, I felt great and I thought my time would be better. Other times I felt worn down but still managed a good time. Funny how they all ended up so close though.

51:55
52:47
52:34
52:48

I guess they are varied a little bit, but the last three have been within 13 seconds of each other. After six miles!

Reminds me of Mario Kart and how you can race against yourself as a "ghost." If ghost Thomases were running around they all would have been bunched up. Wish they would invent that, so you could race against yourself. Would be very motivating!

Got to run 12 miles tomorrow. Not really looking forward to that, but I feel better than last week. I'm not going to set my alarm and wake up so I can do the whole Car Talk/Wait Wait thing. I'll just run whenever I wake up naturally. I need sleep bad!

TEN MILER - STILL MENDING

My long runs often follow the powerlines through these park paths.

Well, after a great run Monday I may have spoke a little too soon about feeling like my old self. I put off my next run until Thursday and it wasn't the greatest. I was really dreading doing it and talked myself out of it Wednesday to give myself an extra day to get recover. By the time Thursday rolled around I was ready to postpone it until Friday, but that was no longer an option because I now have a bowling league. Plus, I wouldn't allow myself to do that, that would just be lazy.

Today's lackluster 10 miler.

Anyways, I averaged 8:22/mile on Thursday and really struggled to that. First three miles I felt pretty decent and hit a sub 8 on the third, but after that I just felt drained. Really had to push myself to keep it up on the final 5k and I was proud of the effort I gave. It just sucked. I was NOT having fun. One of those runs when you wonder why you put yourself through that. Afterwards I coughed for about two minutes straight. A woman walking her dog pretty much thought I was dying right there on the side of the road.

So after that great experience I was not looking forward to my run this morning. It was originally going to be 11 miles but I revised it to ten after waking up. I just did not feel fresh in my legs and my left calf did not feel right. It was early the morning and I was cranky. You know what though? I forced my ass out there and ran it. I took it real easy on purpose because I felt so drained, running 9:50/mile. Normally that would be embarrassing for me, but frankly I didn't care. I was out there running ten miles when that was the last thing I wanted to be doing. So good for me!

Overall it wasn't the greatest run. I think my body just isn't fully recovered from my sickness. I am still coughing up crap from my lungs and just don't have that pep in my step at all. Going to take it really easy tomorrow and hopefully I'll be ready for group Monday.