The long run.

Marathon pace run.

Tim Ragan — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 13:31:37 GMT

I'm going to try to make these runs a weekly thing going forward. I'm using my projected marathon pace as a target. So today I was shooting for 4 miles @ 6:06 pace in the middle of a 10 miler. The first 3 miles easy over to the bike trail with a few strides, then 2 miles out and two miles back. Since this is my first attempt at this workout, it was tough to find the pace. The first three were all a little too fast at 6:02, but it felt OK. I relaxed in the last mile and hit 6:06 right on. This pace should feel easier as the weeks go by, but for today it was work. The last 3 back to the house were nice and easy, total time for 10 was @ 67 minutes. Physically, it wasn't too bad, but mentally, this was a victory. To get up on a Friday morning and bang out a run like this solo is always a confidence booster, I just need to work on dialing in the pace more accurately, so I have some fine tuning to do.

Early.

Tim Ragan — Thu, 31 May 2012 11:55:29 GMT

Up and out nice and early this morning. It was cloudy and humid and not too hot when I left, and by the time I got back from a recovery 6 (@46) the sky was clear and it was warm and humid. My legs definitely felt yesterday's workout, so tomorrow might have to be another easy day instead of a marathon pace run. We'll see how I feel? A nice dip in the pool to cool down, now I'm ready for the rest of the day.

Sticky!

Tim Ragan — Thu, 31 May 2012 01:05:50 GMT

Good workout tonight. The heat was reasonable but the humidity was pretty gross. By the end of the warm up I was in a full sweat. 2 miles easy, then a few strides. The workout was 12 x 400/100 @ 80s each (though the first one was 76, my mistake, then we pushed the last one down to 76 too finissh strong.) I was surprised at how good I felt, especially given how completely exhausted I felt all day. Kenny and I alternated laps, which helps a lot too. Mentally, it almost like you're only doing 6 instead of 12. Another easy 2 too cool down made it 8 for the day in under 58 minutes.

Not too bad.

Tim Ragan — Tue, 29 May 2012 21:17:53 GMT

Given the forecast for today I was not really looking forward to my afternoon run today. But being able to run on the boardwalk made it more than tolerable, it was actually pretty nice. The very strong SSE wind cooled it down A LOT. And even though it was tough running into the 20mph headwind on the way back, at least it wasn't hot. 6 easy miles @45:35.

Recovery.

Tim Ragan — Mon, 28 May 2012 14:06:20 GMT

Wow, I got a relatively early start today and it was already 80! After running hard Saturday and long Sunday, today was a much needed recovery day. My legs really needed it. I started out running close to 8 min pace out to the bike trail (too late for the boards) but by the last few miles I felt comfortable closer to 7:30. No pushing at all, just ran as easy as I felt I should. 8 sweaty miles @ 61 minutes, then a glorious swim in the pool!

Long.

Tim Ragan — Sun, 27 May 2012 16:09:56 GMT

After a very solid sleep last night, I was ready for some long "easy" miles today. I started out up the Sea Girt boardwalk and was surprised to find it was pretty crowded despite the clouds. The humidity continued to make things uncomfortable, and didn't let up at all as I headed inland to the bike trail. Since the boards were so crowded, I decided to go a little extra out into Allaire so on the way back I could just go directly from the bike trail to home. I felt very good today easily cruising through 14 @ 1:41. Just knowing that the pool is the end point of the run makes the last few miles much more tolerable.

Total for the week: 51

for the year: 910

Spring Lake 5

Tim Ragan — Sat, 26 May 2012 22:26:42 GMT

One word describes today's race, HOT! With the humidity, conditions were pretty brutal. But I had definitely factored that in my head and ran smart. First mile is always fast, though today I managed to not get too crazy in 5:41. Mile 2 still felt ok into the slight W wind even felt slightly cooling. I kept back from my friend Kenny through this point. Just after the 2 mile (5:50), I caught him up, then gradually passed him. I passed three miles in 17:25, so 5:53 for that one. I was definitely feeling the heat by now, no amount of water poured over my head offered any relief. Mile 4 is always my slowest, probably because of the combination of fatigue and the turns on the course, it's just enough to mess up any rhthym you may have going. So I ran 6:07, slowest mile of the day. I rallied a bit in the last mile in part because I thought I spied Kenny coming back up on me, and I was not about to let him beat me. I turned the next to last corner an saw the his yellow singlet close behind. During the penultimate stretch I could hear the footsteps trying to pass on the inside so I cut in. Then onto the home stretch I started pouring it out, but slowly because it is a long stretch. The yellow singlet passed me pretty soon, but then I realized it wasn't Ken. I let the guy go at first, saving it up for one final push, and I almost nipped him in the end with a really strong finish. I came through with a gun time 29:33. I was more than pleased with that.

Shake-out.

Tim Ragan — Fri, 25 May 2012 22:09:00 GMT

Felt OK on my 6 mile shakeout run this morning. The humidity was thick, but with some strides thrown in I only had to be out there for about 43 minutes.

Easy.

Tim Ragan — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:23:27 GMT

A little faster than recovery, but still easy. 6 this morning @ 44, felt good, the rain was actually kind of nice, it lets me have the boardwalk mostly to myself. I could feel yesterday's workout in my legs a bit, but I'm sure by Saturday I'll be at 100%.

Evening at the track.

Tim Ragan — Thu, 24 May 2012 01:18:25 GMT

After sitting through 6+ hrs of lecture today, I finally made it over to the Wednesday track workout at Point Boro. Nothing too crazy tonight, I am racing Saturday after all. After a couple miles to warm up, Ken and I rolled into 12 x 300 with 100 recovery. I felt good throughout, 60s for 300 was no problem, the humidity was a little rough so early in the season. Only the last 2 or 3 felt a like work. With the cool down, it was 7 miles with a running time of @ 50 minutes.

Soft start.

Tim Ragan — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:09:52 GMT

Today is the first day of the summer semester, but it's kind of a soft start. 10:00am, meet and greet with new professors, then some lecture. Tuesdays normally will be a clinical day starting at 7:00 and lasting until 4:00.

So today I was able to get in an easy 6 without having to get up too early, @ 43:07. A stiff NE wind made a few of those miles a little tough, but the last few on the way home were fast and easy.

Easy recovery.

Tim Ragan — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:58:53 GMT

Woke up to what sounded like a pretty solid rain. When I checked the forecast, it said there would be a chance of a slight break @ 10:00. They were actually right. The NE wind didn't let up, but the rain was just a drizzle, if anything. So I mostly had the boardwalk to myself for an easy 5 @ 38.

This is my last day of "vacation" since school starts again tomorrow. I'm thinking that I may actually go see The Avengers, it's clearly a big-screen movie, and if I don't do it now, I'll probably miss it.

Good 10 miler.

Tim Ragan — Sun, 20 May 2012 15:13:01 GMT

I met up with a few guys at the reservoir this morning for a 10 mile progression run. It didn't go as it would have if I were running solo, but it's always nice to run with a group. The first loop was a little faster than normal @ 34:57, but it still felt easy. Then I dropped it down to @ 6:15 for mile 6 and Joe fell off. The next mile I settled in to about 6:20 pace which is where I kept it through 10. Somewhere in mile 7 I lost Ken, but then before 8 Joe casually came back up on me and left me in the dust. The timing was perfect though, because by 8 I was struggling, so having Joe just ahead to focus on kept me from slacking off. The second loop was done @ 31:13, so 10 miles this morning @ 1:06:11 (and was done before 10AM!) Now I'm going to grab my book and a towel and settle in by the pool.

Total for the week: 33

for the year: 859

Short workout.

Tim Ragan — Sat, 19 May 2012 13:52:53 GMT

After just jogging for this entire week, I decided I needed to mix in some fast running. The summer racing season is here, and I need to get used to some fast running again. I read a good quote in an article the other day that explained the problem with long periods of building base with too little fast running included. The author said that when you do this, "you forget how to hurt." Physically you may still be able to run fast, but mentally, you don't accept the pain that you have to in order to push through to a fast strong finish.

Today was my first step towards remembering how to hurt. With that in mind, I decided some 400s were in order. Since my mileage is relatively low, the amount of fast running needs to be in line with that. 6 x 400 in 78 seconds each with about a minute rest in between. I hit all of them right at 78 with no trouble, I'm sure I could have done more, but not today. Over the next few weeks I'll keep adding until I get up to 15-20 x 400. With warm up and cool down, 6 for the day @ 43.

Not so great.

Tim Ragan — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:32:46 GMT

I had high hopes for a great run on this beautiful morning, but it just didn't happen. I was thinking a nice easy 8 would be good, but my legs felt flat after so little running over the last few days. So an easy 4 on the boards as we wait for the new baby to make his appearance!

But at least the pool is warm!!

Time to hit the road.

Tim Ragan — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:29:26 GMT

Unfortunately, the weather this morning was the best so far. Big blue sky, dry, much cooler (barely 50 degrees.) So I just ran a last easy 3 and now it's time to pack up and hit the road. I am tempted to stay one last day, but with so little going on up here at this time of year, I'm ready to get going. Plus, I'd like to be home to meet the new baby Cole! (which, for the record, I'm pretty sure is a boy.)

Another 3.

Tim Ragan — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:30:57 GMT

Just another easy 3 miles to keep the streak alive. Plus, it looks like the weather is finally coming around, the sun is starting to peek out, so I'm itching to get going. Not sure yet where I'll go, I haven't been able to track down a Long Trail Map. No map = no wilderness travel. Maybe I might head over to Killington? or maybe I'll just stick around Hawk and explore the rest of the trails here? Either way. breakfast first!

Happy Birthday to ME!!

Tim Ragan — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:10:31 GMT

I woke up this morning to the sound of wind and birds and water. Not rain, just the sound of running water in springtime in Vermont. After some coffee, I headed out for an easy3 mile jog around the Ledges, mostly flat, but slightly rolling. The level of peacefulness on a day like today up here is difficult to describe, but the words that came to mind while I was running were glorious solitude! Now to make a little breakfast and fuel up for some hiking. The forecast has improved, less chance of rain, but for today, I still think I'll stay close to home base. Tomorrow is looking better.

DOMS

Tim Ragan — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:09:36 GMT

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS): I was surprised yesterday how good I felt during my run, I expected more soreness. But it came today instead. I believe it is symptomatic of not having been doing really hard workouts lately. Usually, when you body is used to getting beat up on a regular basis, the soreness comes pretty much right away. The delayed onset of the stiffness and soreness I felt on today's run tells me that I have a ways to go. But since this is to be a recovery week, it works out well. The soreness is really just the bodies way of telling me to back off a bit to allow for healing and super-compensation. So just 4 drizzly miles this morning @ 31:39 (probably my slowest run in months!) Now I'll clean up and hop in the car to Vt!!

Decent week.

Tim Ragan — Sun, 13 May 2012 21:00:07 GMT

Yesterday was the Newport 10K in Jersey City. I stayed up at Phil and Carol's on Friday night and had a nice dinner. The race started at 8:30, so I jogged over from Hoboken to warm up. I ran well, went out controlled @ 5:43, then I settled in for the next 2 miles 5:56 and 5:52. I had two guys right with me for most of the race, which was nice. We pushed and pulled all throughout. The fourth mile was 5:55 and started to feel not-so-great. Mile 5 and 6 were both 6:03, and they hurt. I was really just doing my best to hold on at that point. I felt strong through the finish, covering the last .2 in 71 seconds. Which put me at 36:46, which is officially my best 10K. (Although I probably split a faster 10K at that 10 miler I ran last December.) With the jog over, it was at least 8 for the day.

Today, I slept nice and late and then went out to breakfast for Mother's Day. Then I took some time to digest and clean the office. After that, I headed out for the week's long run. This week was kind of a short week so today's run was 12 miles. I took it nice and easy, and just tried to make the second 6 faster than the first six. I was able to do that without much effort. It's a good sign that 7:30 pace felt very easy today. The first 6 was done in 44:12, then easily picked it up to get the second half done 42:46. Early on in the run I almost cut it short, I think the heat made me feel a little crappy at the start, but by the end I felt excellent.

Total for the week: 48

for the year: 925