Running is a means and never merely an end

35 minute progressive tempo, from 7:40 --> 7:03. I started out more like 7:30, though, and thus ended up with a 7:16 average for 4.82 miles. I feel like I worked hard (but not too hard) and relatively enjoyed it though. Then, full body circuit followed by a mile cool down. Hiking/swimming with my little sister later! 2 days till LP

AM- 6 miles easy all around Western. 8:05 avg.

PM- 5 miles easy at rec and back down Speedwell Rd/Tilley Creek. 7:56 avg. 2nd run was only supposed to be 4 miles, but I am gonna be super crunched for time tomorrow morning and I'd have to wake up at like 5:30am to get my full warm-ups and cool downs in for the workout before I drive 6 hours to Myrtle Beach (LP tomorrow!!!). So I figured I'd start at 6am instead and just do a mile warm up and a mile cool down tomorrow instead of 3 warm up and 2 cool down. There's just no way I could wake up at 5:30 and do a workout and then drive 6 hours without falling asleep. Adding a mile today just made me feel a tad better about that because I hate missing out on mileage.

Fartlek run before I left for LP! 2 mile warm up into a fartlek of 5min, 4min, 3min, 2 min, 1 min "comfortably hard" with a 1 minute jog between each. Cooled down back to my house. 

6 miles easy - first run in Myrtle Beach. Kind of sucked, to be honest. It's hard to breathe this humid air and there isn't really anywhere nice to run that I've seen (I hate running on the beach) so I just out-and-backed 3 miles down the sidewalk. In any event, LP is AWESOME so far.

9 mile progressive tempo. Worked my way down from a 7:39 first mile to a 7:23 last mile. Again, felt pretty sucky from the combo of it being hard to breathe and just not having a good place to run other than sidewalks. Averaged 7:31.

6 miles easy. Not really enjoying running this week. Luckily, I think part of that is because I am enjoying my daily life so much that running almost feels like it's just something in the way. LP is soooo fun. 

I don't have wifi at our hotel, though, so I may be pretty inconsistent about updating my blog on time for the next 7 and a half weeks. I'm gonna have to do mass updates when I get to this coffee shop with free wifi that I'm at right now.

8:20 pace

Mile warm up, 40 minute progressive tempo run, 1.14 mile cool down. Went from 7:40 down to 7:00 for the tempo, averaging 7:19. Ran smoothly and felt good! 5.48 miles for that.

First run in my new shoes! Love them! Also, first day of ADP. Not sure how I feel about it....the program really just isn't fit for cross country runners. I was exhausted from the weight lifting place by the time I started my run. We'll see how that all shakes out eventually.

3 miles warm up, fartlek run, mile and a half cool down. The fartlek was - in minutes - 5, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1 "comfortably hard" (around 6:45 pace) with 1 minute jog between each hard section. Did this on the track at Myrtle Beach high school at ADP. Pretty sore from yesterday.

Aqua-jogged today because I am so sore, and it is so hot, and I just felt like it. Did it by time for the equivalent of about 5 miles, plus some wall kicks for leg toning via resistance.

Run sucked. Supposed to be 10 mile progressive run from 8 down to 7:20 (averaging 7:40). My splits were 7:59/7:35/7:40/7:46/7:48/7:56/7:54/8:03/7:49/7:33, averaging out to 7:48. Never got below 7:30, and had to stop at least 3 times from side stitches. I must not be hydrating well. I do sweat a lot more here at the beach than I do in the mountains of course...I need to be more dilligent about that. It was just all-around miserable and felt so long.

7 at 7:51/mile

7 at 8:25

rest

watch died in the middle. not sure what pace, guestimated on distance

3 mile warm up, 3.25 mile fartlek at 7:23 average, .8 mile cool down (ran out of time).

7 at 8:22

10 mile easy tempo at 7:37 average. Had to stop a few times cause I was side stitching.

??? not sure. Not saved on my watch

Guestimating on distance because watch died after a mile. Ran with Ryan, first bit on the beach and then down to the bridge and back. We kept a good pace, maybe 7:45-7:50 average.

Top 3 worst runs of my life. Terrible on every level. Warmed up a mile, then felt fine for the first 3.75 miles, slowly dropping time on pace with how I should have been, then all the sudden got these awful side stitches I couldn't run through. Walked half a mile or so and then gave up and didn't try to keep tempoing. Jogged a few trash mile back to project.

Jeremiah died last night. Today is awful

8:22/mile. Explored all around and found the dopest new (albeit sketchy) backroad a mile and a half off of the interstate where ISI is. Can't wait to run it again.

Missing Jeremiah but I'm not angry anymore. Today has been a little better.

On continuous on the treadmill. 20 minute warmup, then 3x10min comfortably hard (7:15 pace), 5 min easy (8:55 pace). Workout felt pretty easy, but productive. Maybe should have done my easy harder.

8:22 pace

Had to leave for work at 6:30am, so I didn't want to wake up at 4:30am in order to run beforehand, so I figured I'd run after. After though, it was like a 105 heat index and straight sun. Honestly not even safe to run in, much less for my hard workout day of the week. So I moved my easy day to today, which was 6 miles. Cross-trained and did what I considered the equivalent by treading water for a full hour.

6 easy + 6x15sec stride. Watch must have short circuted or something in the pool yesterday....I can't get it to do anything but tell time. It won't link or show my my previous workouts or even stopwatch. Had to run with my phone as a stopwatch today so I'm really not sure on distance. Hopefully my watch will come to.

10 mile modified tempo on the strip from 8 min down to 7:20, target averaging 7:40. I didn't really progress in the tempo, but I did average like 7:43 so that was close. I shouldn't feel like this but I was really just happy I finished without stopping - it was soooo humid. Well earned nap!

8 miles easy. 8:15 pace. Did the first 5 on the beach, then a mile on the strip, and the last 2 miles on the boardwalk and back to project. Felt alright. I haven't really enjoyed running in a while. Really hoping I get out of this funk.

Missing Jeremiah today 

1 mile warm up outside, then did my progressive tempo inside on the treadmill (long story but my watch doesn't really work much anymore...). 50 minutes from 7:40 down to 7. I just cut it about 10 seconds every 10 minutes, averaging out to 7:19. Felt challenging but good! Mile cool down outside afterwards.