Me vs. The Wind for 3 miles

felt great this morning even though I was woken up at 4:30 am by some heavy rain hitting my window this morning. I was ready to tackle a 3 mile run even though it was quite windy this morning. I headed out to the Salt Creek Trail and started my run. I felt very comfortable with the pace that I was at and attempted to stay completely steady. I didn't want to rush myself or hurry through my run. But with that said, I slowly felt myself run a little bit faster and faster throughout the run even with the wind. There was no point when I was running faster that I felt tired or struggled. By the time I finished, I felt completely fantastic, but started to feel the effects of my run in my left ITB and knee. I knew that I had to ice and hit the foam roller when I returned home no matter what. I am thankful for a rest day tomorrow, but might make it an active rest day on the bike depending how my knee feels in the morning.

Mile 1 9:04
Mile 2 8:49
Mile 3 8:27 - WHOA!

Avg Pace - 8:47/mi

It's beginning to look like FALL....

It was another perfect running weather day. It finally reached below 60 degrees overnight, which brought a very cool and comfortable run this morning. I started out my run with a warm-up mile before hitting hard on the path. I was ready to run all out and finish fast. I was lucky to see a deer this morning on the trail, which always brightens my day. The air smelled like fall, which brought a lot of positive memories from my childhood. It was an awesome feeling. Now I just have to rest up and yoga up for my 18 miler on Saturday morning.

Mile 1 9:28
Mile 2 9:00
Mile 3 8:33

Avg Pace - 9:00/mi

Let's Recover and Give Me 3

I enjoyed a very nice morning to do a recovery 3 miler. The weather is finally starting to cool down and not feel like I am walking around in hell's sauna. I started my run a little bit later instead at the butt-crack-of-dawn for the first time since May. I was not concerned about the temperatures since the humidity was at a very comfortable rate. As I ran, it was nice to enjoy the scenary of the Salt Creek Trail. I enjoyed the sounds and smells of the trail. Once I finished my run, I felt really good about what I accomplished and walked it off in order to cool down.

Things have slowed down a bit now that Josh's back to work. It's nice to have the alone time right now so re-center myself and be ready for the next step.
Mile 1 9:20
Mile 2 9:11
Mile 3 8:52

Avg Pace: 9:08/mi

Let us return to our regular outdoor running...

...starting today.

It was a great run. The weather was finally not beating me down and making my totally uncomfortable. I had much lower humidity. I loved it! It was my 1st non-treadmill run in my new Saucony Kinvanas. They felt like butter as I started to run. I made sure that I didn't come out too fast in the 1st mile, but really let the house out of the stable afterwards. My legs felt great 'cept for a slight left calf soreness. I was able to pass Josh up and finish stronger at an awesome mile split. My run was just perfect!

Mile 1 9:16
Mile 2 8:56
Mile 3 8:37

Avg Pace - 8:56/mi

Nice 3 miler

It was another great day, but still slightly humid outside. I felt great completing my 3 mile run just days after my last long run. It is going to be an interesting week for my running especially because I will be running two long runs in the same week. I already swam on Monday and plan to hit the pool again tomorrow afternoon before heading to work. It's less than two weeks until my next HM so I need to be gentle on myself and not push the mileage. My goal is to finish in awesome time and PR.
Mile 1 - 9:09
Mile 2 - 9:08
Mile 3 - 8:42

Avg Pace - 8:59/mi

Another awesome (and speedy) 3 miler

It was another nice day to run. The humid was not as bad as yesterday. There was a nice breeze blowing to just keep me cool while I ran. It was nice to get my run in this morning and satisifed with how I did. I am looking forward to a rest day tomorrow in order to recharge my legs.

Mile 1 - 9:11
Mile 2 - 9:03
Mile 3 - 8:56

Avg Pace - 9:03/mi

Recovery 3 mile

It was an awesome recovery run this morning. The air felt very nice and cool even though it was a little humid from the morning fog. It was so humid that the sweat on my back was visibily evaporating off. I felt really good during my run. It was also nice to have a deer greeting me at the start of my run. I am looking forward to another run tomorrow morning.

Mile 1- 9:20
Mile 2- 9:11
Mile 3- 9:00

Avg Pace - 9:11

It's a HOT, HUMID 3 miler

This morning I woke up at a normal wake up time to run before the heat. This morning was an exception to that rule. It was a morning that I woke, saw the temperature, and just said "Ok....f*** it!" It was already 76 degree by 6 am. So I declared it a hot weather training day and lowered my mileage to 3 miles like yesterday. Once I got started on my run, I struggled at times because of the heat, but I pressed on.

After I completed my run, I was happy to get some coconut water to drink in order to prevent any muscle cramps. Tomorrow's a rest day, which is well deserved. My next running day is on Thursday with some humidity predicted, but not as hot. Whoohoo!
Mile 1 9:32
Mile 2 9:34
Mile 3 9:17

Avg Pace - 9:28/mi

Another speedy 4 miler

It was another day of perfect running weather. We had very low humidity in the air. Unfortunately, I had put together an evening run instead of my usual morning run. It was due to serious side effect from my new asthma inhaler causing heart palpations. After a nice 90 minute nap, I went out with Josh to run. I managed to go sub-9:00 on all of my mile splits.

I have a cross-training/rest day set for tomorrow. Then I have 12 miles on tap for Saturday morning before heading out of town for the holiday weekend.

Good night!

Mile 1 - 8:59
Mile 2 - 8:49
Mile 3 - 8:58
Mile 4 - 8:32

Avg Pace - 8:50/mi

Speed demon on the loose

During this morning's run, the weather was absolutely perfect with low humidity and cooler temperatures. I didn't have to get up early this morning, which was very nice to do. After a quick breakfast, I headed out to the Salt Creek Trail for a 4 mile run. When I started my run, my legs felt great and was able to get a great start. I felt a nice breeze as I headed out, which felt great. When I reached the mile 1, I still felt great and impressed on my split time. By the time I got to my turnaround point, I was convinced that I was going to finish very strong. I was able to pass by a lot of people on the path and maintain my pace.

I ended up finishing very strong and felt great afterward. When I looked at my finish average pace, I was shocked at what I saw as well as thrilled. I definitely felt like I earned my rest day tomorrow and a chance to sleep in a little bit more. I hope that this is a good sign for this weekend's long run.

1 00:09:12
2 00:09:06
3 00:08:50
4 00:08:41

Avg Pace - 8:57/mi

Practice makes perfect

Yes, it's now perfect!

I woke up early this morning at 5:30 AM to run in very humid conditions. I kept my pre-run meal very simple to just a Marathon energy bar. I allowed myself some time to digest it since I am prone to acid-reflex (aka 2nd taste of my meal). I even hit the money for the timing of my new pre-run asthma rescue inhaler to 30-35 minutes and I think it made a huge difference this morning. I even took a packet of salt before I left the house (ack!) and chased it with a glass of water to combat the humidity since I knew I was going to sweat like a b**** today. Everything ended up making for a much easier run for me. I loved it!

After I finished my run, I found myself with my sunglasses being foggy along with looking like I took a shower in my own sweat. I was soaked. I just need to remember to pack a towel or two before I head out for a run - MENTAL NOTE! Now I deserve this rest day that I earned.

Mile 1 9:25
Mile 2 9:25
Mile 3 9:31
Mile 4 8:59

Avg Pace - 9:20/mi

It's time for early morning run...

...but it was something that I could not avoid any longer. The weather was getting more and more humid. It's unofficially summer and need to treat it as such.

I got up at 6 AM this morning. I did not want to wake up, but knew that it was not the time to delay this run any longer. I moved quickly and made sure that it was out of the house by 7 AM. By the time I got started, it was well worth the lack of sleep sacrifice because the weather felt cooler and did not overheat as fast during my run. But d*** I still felt the humidity. It was up there. There was no avoiding that part...period. I was so happy when my run was finished because I earned a chance to enjoy the rest of my day with no worries. Plus I earned a morning to sleep in before I have to wake up at 5 AM on Saturday morning.

Mile 1 9:27
Mile 2 9:26
Mile 3 9:29
Mile 4 9:21

Don't always make assumptions....

...about things that you see around you and when it comes to your running as well.

Well, it has been off and on rainy the entire weekend with it stretching into this morning. The rain finally stopped and moved out of the area just before 2 PM so I got my butt out of the house and hit the Salt Creek Trail again. It felt very cool and enjoyable when I got to my starting point. Well, that enjoyment only lasted for a short time, which was greeted by the humidity that heavily in the air. I ended up forcing myself to take it slow and not rush the first mile so I can finish my workout.

I am glad that I did things that way. By the time I got to the last mile, I was flying and was able to push myself to finish strong. I finished the workout, but I was drenched in humidity and lots of sweat. I hope things are better tomorrow when I attempt the same mileage.

Mile 1 9:46
Mile 2 9:30
Mile 3 9:33
Mile 4 9:07

Avg Pace - 9:29/mi

4 miler...DONE!

Well, it's late so I am going to keep this short. I had a very exciting night with the adopted hometown of Chicago celebrating the winning of the Stanley Cup. I stayed up pretty late to watch the post-game stuff. Then I woke up late this morning and hammered out 4 miles in the more shady path near the Salt Creek Trail. I did better than yesterday, but the pollen instead of the heat got the best of me during part of the run. Thankfully, I have a cross-training day before attempting 7 miles on Saturday morning, which looks to be a very humid, hot run.

Mile 1 9:29
Mile 2 9:43
Mile 3 9:33
Mile 4 9:18

Avg pace - 9:31/mi

Hot, humid 4 miler

Today was a very busy day for me. First, I was working on painting two rooms that I am finally getting to after living in our house for almost two years. I started the morning by taping all of the walls while it was raining wildly outside. As I headed out of the door to Home Depot to purchase the paint, I saw that the weather cleared up. So I quickly completed my shopping and headed home, then I changed into my running clothes and completed my 4 miles on the Salt Creek Trail.

Here's my splits:
Mile 1 9:15
Mile 2 9:09
Mile 3 9:08
Mile 4 9:11
Total time: 36:45
Avg Pace: 9:11/mi


After I finished my run, I picked a half-price Frappachino and heading home to start painting. I worked very hard and finished my project. I will post the before and after pictures tomorrow.

Post-Rainy 4 miler

It was a rainy night and morning here. I was forced to wait the rain out and see if the weather would clear up. Things cleared up around 12 noon so I ate a light lunch and prepared myself to head out around 1:30. I headed up to the Salt Creek Trail since I didn't want to deal with the rush hour traffic since it was already getting late into the afternoon. The temperatures were perfect even with the clouds. I also had no wind to deal with as well. The trail was wet, but that's expected. Then I set out for a very 4 miler before my rest day scheduled for tomorrow.

When I arrived to park the car in the lot, the weather drove out all of the people who usually use the trail during the day. That was fine because I knew that I had an empty trail to run on. And then I really ran. I think yesterday was just a warm-up.

Mile 1 9:16
Mile 2 9:03
Mile 3 8:56 <~~~ Where did that one come from?
Mile 4 9:00

Total time: 36:18
Avg Pace: 9:04/mi

I earned my rest day tomorrow.

Another awesome 4 miler

I am starting to really get used to running again faster than ever before. I kinda like it.