Initial Track Work

I've outlined a plan that should bring my speed up to snuff by the time the 20k rolls around in 73 days. An important part is a weekly visit to the track. Today afer a mile warm-up, I ran 4x 800's with a 400m jog between each, then a mile recovery jog.
My times were 2:56, 2:52, 2:49, and 2:47. (State record pace for the 20k is 3:03 per 800).
Over the next 10 weeks, I plan to gradually increase the reps. The final 2 weeks before the race I should be doing 12x 800's at faster than race pace.
This is the recipe I've followed for many years. Hopefully I can follow it through.

Tuesday 10

Got home , geared up, and hit the road. 10 steady miles. 6:50 ave. out, 6:36 ave. return Grade B+.
Beat darkness by a minute or so. Being on the threshold of winter, I know I won't be able to do that many times in the next couple of months.
Left foot is still painful before and after running but 'numbs out' during run.
74 days to 20k

!! miles

With Thanksgiving travel, visiting, eating and playing with Will and Emory, little time was left for running. I did manage to get an eleven miler in this evening after getting home from the long trip to Berea Kentucky.
Back to work tomorrow.

cold drizzle

12 miles on a cold, late autumn day. the cold drizzle is the cousin of precip to come in the not to far distant future.where's that wool cap?

32 miles for the week
83 days to 20k

Wind and Hills again

Running is like that. Get ready ,run,cool down enter numbers in running log.Do it again.and again..and again....
10 miles in the wind and hills.
85 days to 20k
Going camping for the week-end.

Good Coffee I Guess

On my way home, I gave Brenda a call and had her get the coffee brewing so I could down a cup before throwing my gear on and heading out. Had a very encouraging 10 miler in the hills on a cold, windy day.

87 days to 20k

Mission Impossible?

Cue the Mission Impossible theme song.
Your mission Hawk, should you decide to accept it, is to set a new Oklahoma State age group (55-59) record in the 20k on February 11th 2012.
The record currently stands at 1:16:09
Nocus McIntosh (Oklahoma Wall of Fame Inductee) was 55 in December of 1980 when he set the record.
To beat that time you must run an average of 6:05 for 12.4 miles.
You have 89 days to prepare for this mission.
Good Luck Hawk.

8 is enough

Got home from work, jumped in my gear and hit the road. Got back before dark. Eight miles on a breezy Friday evening. Now for a cold beer to celebrate the week-end.

The test begins

Once again winter has begun (for me when the clock is turned back, it's winter). The long dark road ahead shows no promise. Promise must be conjured up in the mind. The darkness and the cold and the lonliness challenges the will. There is no warm breeze. There are no singing birds. There is no friendly wave from other runners or bikers.
Inspiration will have to come from a falling star or the hoot of an owl.
 You question your own sanity as you rush to put your running gear on before the last hint of daylight drops out of sight. That is how it is done.
 An old dog gets older but still knows it's way home through the dark night.
 On the other side of winter a stronger ,better runner will emerge.
10 miles on this first night of winter.

12 after a 5.6

That's 12 miles on a mild,cloudy,breezy day the morning after a 5.6 earthquake!
Oklahoma got rattled by a 5.2 on Saturday morning (2:15 am) then got a state record 5.6 on Saturday evening . Different from severe weather because you sort of see that coming,but an earthquake is totally out of the blue (under a beautiful starry sky)!
Anyway quite an experience to say the least.
The 12 miles is the most I've gone since early summer.
The 5.6 is a lifetime P.R. I'm good with that, dont want anything bigger.

Friday evening 10

I had planned to run 6 miles yesterday to stay on an every other day running schedule. Laziness jumped on the first excuse available. I ended up napping then watching tv. oops! So I jumped right into it after getting home from work today. After a quick cup 'o java I hit the road figuring 5,6 or maybe 7 miles. Things warmed up and smoothed out nicely on a beautiful sunny ,'no wind' day so I just kept on rolling! 10 in the books.

1/1/11

The Tulsa Run has come and gone. One year ago after healing from a lengthy gluteal injury, I ran the Tulsa Run with the idea that it would be a 'take-off point' for a return to greatness. The hard baked humble pie was difficult to swallow(finishing well back of runners that had never beaten me before), but it served as a real motivator. I vowed to be back in championship form by the time this years' Tulsa Run rolled around. My training improved. My motivation level through the winter was great. My spring races didn't draw exceptionally fast times out of me, but I was very pleased with the intensity and my desire to compete. I had made a great deal of progress and was beginning to advance into the next lvel of fitness when I had a bike wreck in early August. I seperated my shoulder, bruised my ribs and sprained my neck.It may as well been a train wreck. I missed the majority of two months worth of running.
I am now starting again. I will keep you posted on my progress.