Day 374 -- Push up Day 8

• 1.68 miles
• 6:41/mile pace
• 2020
• From/To Home
• Streak extender, up tempo

• 25 Push ups, standard, streak extender single set in the driveway 
• Felt affect of yesterday's push-ups as this was harder than it should've been...pretty weak, but guess I had to start somewhere?

Day 369 -- Push up Day 3

• 3.42 miles
• 6:46/mile pace
• 1820
• S. San Francisco, CA
• Pretty fired up after the end of my golf binge (another 36 holes today, too many of which were bad), felt like running hard, which I did.  
• 50 push ups -- 1 set before run, 1 set after...I think the pre-run push ups got me into the run hard mode, plus the poor golf helped.   Did these push ups in the hall outside my hotel room...not even sure why, just felt like it.

Day 274

• 8.77 miles
• 6:51/mile pace
• 1635
• Arrowhead CC
• Well, I take back my boastful comments about surely being able to figure out how to use the Garmin 405 on still very appreciated loan from the Rosenlof's -- I haven't been able to figure it out at all yet, so I went to the gym.   As usual, maintaining a sexier than usual looking pace on the treadmill was not nearly as hard as real running, so above figures are to be taken with that knowledge, but overall I'm still happy with the run.   10 minute warm up at around 8:10/mile pace, then dropped it down to around 6:40 for 40 minutes and then did a semi-cool down at 7 somethin pace.  
• This was my first run in my new shoes, which are about a billion times more comfortable and seemingly faster, but then, that could have to do with the fact that I ran in the afternoon when I always find running to be much easier than pre-sunlight.   I do think the shoes made it more comfortable though, which means I should probably switch out my shoes at maybe 325 miles instead of 350 miles...or perhaps I should just go down to 300 miles?  
• This reminds me of my Dad's answer to what size waist he has with relation to buying pants..."I wear 34's, but 36's fit so well, I buy 38's." -- Jim Wein

Day 267

• 7.02 miles
• 6:59/mile pace
• 1710
• Arrowhead CC
• Though, due to the fact that it was on a treadmill, it can definitely be discredited as a good performance or a good pace, I am very happy with this effort as it is the hardest I've gone in weeks and I didn't stop breathing.   I am feeling better for sure, still a bit of a sore throat, but actually, I might be over all the illness and the sore throat could be stress related.   Anyway, I did 3 hard miles in the middle at sub 6:30/mi which I am pleased with considering that I also had the treadmill set on 1.0 incline.   Again, this cannot be considered anything more positive than being able to run hard again, but that is plenty for me right now.  

Day 204

• 2.8 miles
• 6:47/mile pace
• 0540
• Westbury, NY
• A quick streak extender -- as is often the case when I travel within the U.S.A. I failed to look at any weather forecasts before beginning my trip.   Running fastish helped me tolerate the chilly temperature and additionally finish my 2.8 miles faster than I most probably would have.   Sure, I could've just run on the treadmill, but then, per previous promise to faithful reader and 2012 LMI Champion, JEC, I may have needed to run further or longer, neither of which I was eager to do this morning.   Anyway, happy enough with this run, probably mostly because it is now done.

Day 199

• 5 miles
• 6:54 mins/mile pace
• 0710
• From/To home
• Ran hard this morning.   Started off thinking I needed to average sub 7:15/mi pace since I won't be doing a long run this weekend (traveling for work), I at least needed to make myself hurt a little bit.  Well, first mile was 7:10, so I figured I needed to hold onto that...then I relaxed a bit and sped up.  Legs felt fine, but the lungs weren't very strong, I was breathing pretty hard and was unable to push the pace on the last mile beyond what I settled into during miles 2-4...I take this to mean that I was pretty much done as I wasn't averse to making myself hurt the final mile, I just couldn't sustain an increased effort.   Anyway, I was very pleased with the overall pace considering I didn't believe I could hold sub-7 minute miles for more than about 2 miles, but then I started realizing things like:   I need to average 4 seconds per mile faster than that, for 5 times as long and then for 1.2 miles after that if I'm going to break 3 hours in a marathon.  Being unable to push the pace at the end means that I was done, so, while I stopped the run because I didn't have time to run anymore and still make Case's soccer game, it's just as well since I wouldn't have made it much farther anyway.  Not sure how I'm going to get the speed aspect of my sub-3 hour goal down, but at least I have some time [Still targeting Tucson marathon in early December, though I haven't signed up yet]...and at least I finally decided to pick up the pace a bit.    That is also good in relation to the effort Craig and I will make in a few weeks, which is really what I should continue thinking about instead of some race months away, I guess. 
• Current shoes now have 417+ miles on them, need to get a new pair...

Day 144

• 2.59 miles
• 6:30/mi pace
• 1910
• From/To Home
• I always run faster at the end of the day and today I guess I felt OK because that's the fastest pace I've run in a quite a while -- could also be all the tapering, no matter how unintentional it may have been.   Didn't feel hard, but then, when it does it is never as fast as it felt it should have been.   Off traveling again tonight, if I make it through March 5 with this streak then I should really have no excuses after that.   We shall see.