About 1/5 of the Way There

Thursday, March 26
Nike+: 4.81 @ 41:30 (8:37/mile)
I used this run to calibrate my watch. The actual distance was 5.0 on the trail with a 41:30 time (8:18/mile).
Weather:about 55 degrees
Gear: black shorts, white t-shirt, ear band to keep hair back
Ran this one with Posscoon after work. I wanted to calibrate my watch so I reset it to the factory settings before we started. It ended up being about .20 miles under the actual distance on a 5.0 mile run.
It's time to rest for the longest run of my life this weekend.
Posscoon saw some deer on the north side of the trail after we finished. They're keeping an eye on me.

Over the Hills and Far Away

Wednesday, March 25
Nike+: 10.24 @ 1:32:49 (9:03/mile)
Maymyrun: 10.36 @ 1:32:49 (8:56/mile)
Weather:about 50 degrees. The weather was perfect for a 10-miler. I hope it's similar in St. Louis at the Big Show, but who knows.
Gear: new Brooks shorts, white/black phoenix wicking tee, 1/2 Marathon St. Louis hat, gel in back pocket which I ate at mile 7.
Ran this one w/ Posscoon after work.
We took it fairly easy on this one and kept things at my steady pace of about a 9-minute mile which isn't to say that I wasn't hurting b/c I was. My damn knees and thighs were feeling it pretty good. I stretched out good last nite, but woke up a few times with leg pain. I just need my knees to heal up and I'll be alright. Maybe 3 weeks of tapering will help solve the problem (after our pending 20-miler this weekend).
On a sidenote, I realized earlier this morning that today is my dad's birthday. He was born on March 26th and died in his mid-50s. We never saw each other after I turned 16 years old. I could say a lot of things about him, but today, on his day of birth, I'll say that he loved me.
I'm fortunate to have been raised by a strong woman who kept me on the righteous path. As I've said before, any good that I have to offer, comes from my mom. I'll assume liability for the bad.

Throw some Hills on It

Tuesday, March 24
Nike+: 5.17 @ 44:16 (8:33/mile)
Mapmyrun: 5.24 miles @ 44:16 (8:26/mile)
Weather: about 55 degrees
Gear: black shorts, 'Beer is Good for Body' t-shirt, 1/2 Marathon Hat

14 in Omaha at Lake Zorinsky

Saturday, March 21
Nike+: 14.01 @ 2:04:30 (8:53/mile)
When I mapped this route on mapmyrun, it came out to be 14.3 miles which would be about an 8:42/mile.
Weather: 65-70 degrees
Gear: just short shorts
Got sun burned on this one.

5 with Posscoon and Dark Horse (briefly)

Thursday, March 19
Nike+: 5.01 @ 44:15 (8:49/mile)
Weather: mid-50s to about 50 degrees
Gear: black shorts, black wife beater, St. Louis 1/2 Marathon hat
I lost my necklace on this run (the puzzle piece that I bought for Mary several years ago in St. Louis). Bummer.

9 on a Treadmill

Wednesday, March 18
Nike+: 9.0 @ 1:20:29 (8:56/mile)
Treadmill: 1:17:40 @ the 9.0 mile mark (8:38/mile)
The treadmill actually read about 9.3 miles but I kept running until my watch hit 9.0
I thought it was going to rain outside so I ran on the treadmill. After I finished, I weighed 166.4 lbs at the gym and 166.0 at home. This means I lost 10 pounds since the previous Tuesday when I ran with Dark Horse at the Rec Center on the track. This run was much for difficult than my previous 9-miler on the trail. I don't trust the treadmill.

5 Miles Before The Eagles

Tuesday, March 17, St. Patrick's Day
Nike+: 5.01 @ 44.38 (8:53/mile)
Weather: warm, between 75-80 degrees
Gear: just short shorts

18 and Ready for Battle

Saturday, March 14
Nike+: 18.35 @ 2:46:04 (9:03/mile)
Weather: 35 at the beginning and 45 at the end
Gear: Tights, black/red long-sleeve top, black head band, one glove on right hand for H20 bottle, new shoes
Started run about 8:45 in the morning. This was the most difficult run of my life. I ended up running just shy of 50 miles this week and my body felt it. Two words: pain and agony.

5 after 5

Thursday, March 12
Nike+: 5.00 @ 41:32 (8:17/mile)
Weather: little above 30 degrees
Gear: Tights, black long-sleeve top that Mary gave me, black wife-beater underneath, neon cap, gloves, OLD shoes
Ran this one with Posscoon. He attributes my presence to his thighs chapping. In his words, "You make my thighs wet." Ol' Posscoon didn't believe my watch, either. Mine read 5.0 while his read 5.3, which means we ran somewhere between a 7:47 and an 8:17 mile.
Hung out a little afterwards and looked at Annie Leibovitz's book, Women. That woman can shoot.
This weekend: 18 miler.

Tulsa Run...but in Columbia (15K)

Wednesday, March 11
Nike+: 9.01 @ 1:16:28 (8:28/mile)
Weather: about 30 degrees
Gear: Tights, black long sleeve top that Mary gave me, black wife-beater underneath, neon cap, gloves, new shoes, no H20 bottle
I still think my Nike+ system is slightly underestimating my distance, but I ran until it said 9 miles anyway (over ran the 1/2 markers to reach the required distance).
When I was a sophomore in high school, my wrestling coach, Mr. Wilke, made the team run the Tulsa Run. It was a 15K which is 9.3 miles. I don't remember my exact time, but I still own the booklet w/ my official results (my mom ran it, too) and I know I ran much faster on this run today. Kind of weird to go out after work and run 9 miles, but all in all, it felt pretty good. I was worried about heating up but eventually by body cooled off a little. The extra hour of daylight was great. I felt relatively strong on this run.

Round n' Round @ the Rec

Tuesday, March 10
Mizzou Rec Center
Nike+: 4.01 @ 32:33 (8:07/mile)
Gear: Shorts and black wife-beater
Weight: 176.0 (before run)
Ran this one w/ Dark Horse on the track at Rec Center (inside). Although the track is 1/6 mile, I ran an extra lap (25 in total) to reach 4.0 on my Nike+ watch. My pace was pretty good for an ol' man with a gut.

Windy, Hilly Motherf---er!

Sunday, March 8 (ran on Sunday instead of Saturday)
Nike+: 13.20 @ 2:00:18 (I think my new sensor is a little off. I outlined this run on mapmyrun.com and it read 13.29). This means I averaged about a 9:03/mile.
Weather: slightly under 50 degrees, but very, very windy (up to 30 MPH)
Gear: Black shorts, black/red long sleeve top, neon cap, new shoes, H20 bottle entire trip, no gels
This run was hilly as hell and out in no man's land w/ some serious wind. It was difficult, challenging and all of that...but not as bad as last time we went down down to Cooper's Landing.
After running 10 miles, we encountered some serious hills for the remaining 3. My pace was so slow on the last hill that I was basically walking. I removed my cap and made sure to make use of my water bottle. It wore me out, but I made it another day.

It's Getting Hot Out There

Thursday, March 5
Nike+: 5.03 @ 42:59 (8:32/mile)
MapMyRun: 5.17 @ 42:59 (8:19/mile)
Weather: between 65-70 degrees
Gear: short running shorts, no shirt

8 on Trail w/ Posscoon

Wednesday, March 4
Nike+: 8.15 @ 1:13:33 (9:01/mile)
MapMyRun: 8.39 @ 1:13:33 (8:46/mile)
Weather: between 50-55 degrees
Gear: Shorts, long-sleeve white shirt, neon cap, headlamp

Tuesday's Gone

Nike+: 3.91 @ 32:34 (8:18/mile) **I used this run to calibrate my NEW running shoes. This was actually a 4.0 mile run on the trail in 32:34 which would have been an 8:08/mile).**
Gear: Tights, black/red long-sleeve top, neon cap, no gloves
Weather: about 35 degrees

Sweet 16

Nike+: 16.32 @ 2:24:22 (8:50/mile)
Weather: 25 degrees (started run at 6:55 a.m.)
Gear: Tights, black wife-beater, black long-sleeve top, neon cap, gloves, H20 bottle from 6.0 to finish