Training Sept 7 - Sept 13 2009

Total Miles: 52 miles
Total Time: 6:44

Monday: 3 miles easy with my dog

Tuesday: 10 miles. Warm Up 2.5 miles easy 7:42 per mile at 144 bpm. On the track, 5 x 1000 w/3:00 recovery jogs: 3:42, 3:41, 3:40, 3:43, 3:39, Cool down 2.5 miles

Wednesday: 5 miles easy

Thursday: Off - other obligation

Friday: 6.5 miles easy. Horrible run the pace was sloooow and HR was high

Saturday: 22.5 miles. Some of this was easy, some was quick, and some (miles 16 - 20) were a struggle. Overall the pace was 7:33/mile

Sunday: 5 miles easy 7:30/mile average.

Early in the week I had more of the same from the last couple of weeks with hip/ hamstring pain and crappy heart rates. Saturday I "ran" 4 by myself and was really frustrated with the pace/ heart rates combination. Coming off of the bad run on Friday, I decided F(*k it and took the HR display off my Garmin and ran hard with the Katy Fit ATP guys. I suffered to hold the 7:00 and sub 7:00 minute miles with them while trying to look as stoic as possible. After 15 miles I dropped to a 7:30 pace for a couple of miles and then struggled with 7:45 - 7:50's for a couple miles. Finally I was able to bring the pace back to 7:30 for the last couple of miles.

I was surprised that my hips/ right hamstring did not bother me after this run. Very surprised. I wonder what this means?

Sunday I put the HRM up and have deided to leave it up for a while. The run felt easy, though a little too quick at one point, but I reigned it in with a slow mile.

I may be putting too much pressure on myself with the heart rate monitor. I trained on it for San Antonio's marathon last year and ran a 2:51:41, which was my best in 12 years. This year, training with it just doesn't seem to be doing the trick. We will see what the next couple of week brings in terms of running and hip/ hammy pain.