Day 312

• 3.69 miles
• 8:12/mile pace
• 0640
• From/To Home
• Now this is the way to get back on the training plan, with a "recovery day," even though I guess I was recovering from a 19 minute run the previous day :).   Definitely feeling better though, even if the pedestrian figures above may not show it.  

Day 265

• 5.37 miles
• 7:45/mile pace
• 1920
• Arrowhead CC
• Treadmill run due to fear of heat -- did not attempt to do the prescribed workout due to the fact that short sprints are difficult to execute on a treadmill.
• Health still an issue -- general sickness.

Day 264

• 3.7 miles
• 8:06/mile pace
• 0605
• From/To home
• Back on the training plan...I think.  I didn't actually look at the plan this morning, but I assumed it was a 30 minute recovery run as that is what previous Monday's have been...and I liked the idea of that much running today, so I'll look at the plan again tomorrow and see if I can actually follow it this week.
• Health is improving...

Day 263

• 4.82 miles
• 8:14/mile pace
• 0815
• From/To home
• My efforts to follow the McMillan training plan are getting worse, but I am starting to feel better (Probably aided by the boys and Becca letting me sleep in etc.).   Today's long run turned into the above...not very impressive, but felt like as much as I should do today. Anyway, hoping to resume in full soon.

Day 261

• 2.52 miles
• 7:58/mile pace
• 0721
• From/To home
• Didn't make up the hardish run that was scheduled for yesterday and put off to today.   Trying to reclaim my health, not having much success yet, though the pink eye is better at least.   Speaking of pink eye, my Uncle Fred is a cattle rancher -- some 2000+ head of cattle in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas -- and he says that cows get pink eye often too, which is a concern because when they have it they don't eat as much or something and it spreads maybe even more rampantly among a herd of cows than it does among a heard of kids...not 100% sure I believe him about that, but I was fascinated to hear how he treats the pink eye affecting his cows eyes.   He has a spray can of anti-bacteria that he says is the strongest stuff around, legally anyway, and he just sprays it right into the infected eye and walks away.   The cows wreathe in pain, but he says the bacteria is instantly killed, the cows are no longer contagious and they heal within a day or so.   Honestly, I want some of that spray, today.  

Day 258

• 6.14 miles
• 7:38/mile pace
• 0635
• From/To home
• 30 minutes at 7:45 pace (as prescribed by Mr. McMillan), followed by 12 x 25 second fast efforts with 1 minute recoveries between each.   Was tired before I stared, felt OK during and was tired after, feel fine now. 
• I have run without a shirt on a few times in the past week in an effort to reduce laundry in need of cleaning...this seems to be ineffective.   Whatever shirt I slept in is still in need of a wash, so taking it off to run is pointless, plus upon return sweat gets on many more things if it is still streaming down ones body rather than being contained by the shirt, even if the shirt is soaked.   I guess I'll go back to running with a shirt on...yes, I'm sure those were boo's you heard from all the neighborhood ladies.  Or I could sleep sans shirt, but I'll have to think about that.

Day 246

• 5.5 miles
• 7:15/mile pace
• 0700
• From/To home
• Back on the McMillan plan that very well may result in my death.   I don't know that the plan is that difficult, but I know that it is pretty difficult for me right now.  Today, the day after "National Running Day," which is a day I should've known about since I'm running every day now guy, the plan called for 10 minutes warm up followed by 20 minutes at 6:40/mile pace and finished with 10 minutes cool down -- actually, the warm up and cool down were probably supposed to be at like 7:40 pace or something, but I didn't read the plan that carefully because I didn't want to know...I was worried about the 20 hard for me minutes in the middle, so I decided I'd just go easy on both ends in hopes of making it.   Anyway, I made it...stats are as follows:
• 1st 10 minutes:                        8:27/mile pace
• 20 minutes at "Steady state":    6:40/mile pace (Yes, I was surprised that I got the pacing right)
• Final 10 minutes:                      7:31/mile pace
• I guess overall pace for a "work out" type run is a bit pointless, but I like my little format so I'll keep including it, besides, I'd be much more likely to not include it on the recap of a trail run than of an effort such as the above.
• My "issues" are improving, but not yet eliminated.   Buying salt in bulk is really a great value.

Day 245

• 3.68 miles
• 8:09/mile pace
• 0700
• Mobile, AL
• Another "recovery run," as this is supposed to be a "recovery week."   Yes, I realize I took it easy last week too, but since the McMillan plan says this week is to be easier I decided to start following the plan again :).  Anyway, the streak goes on.
• Poverty is easily seen in the neighborhoods around downtown Mobile, AL.

Day 241

• 4.58 miles
• 7:41/mile
• 0950
• Arrowhead Country Club
• Treadmill run for safety purposes.   Felt I needed to push a little further than the past few days and maybe even run 8 minute miles just to make sure I wasn't going to get all the way to South Mountain for my planned long trail run with Dean on Sunday, have a disaster and end up in the hospital.   So that's what I did...not the disaster/hospital part.   This run went really well, felt easy, gave me confidence that I could do the Sunday long run without hurting myself...that stated, I still decided to go to the doctor later in the day.   Doc said he thinks I will probably eventually need surgery, but first try to reduce swelling with salt baths and some prescription Preparation H kinda stuff.   I think the stuff works better than Preparation H, so on to the Sunday run I went...with half confidence at least.  (Oh, yes, I asked the doctor if running and running hard would have an effect, he said it would not...he cautioned against sit-ups though, which is fine with me for now)

Day 238

• 4.44 miles
• 8:26/mile pace
• 0610
• From/To home
• 30-40 minutes "easy" was on the schedule, I decided I would do short of 40 at a slow pace on account of the fact that I was/am worried about the fact that I've developed hemorroids.  Yeah, seriously, woke up fine yesterday, somewhere around mid-afternoon I started feeling something and by night and through to today I have I guess inflamation?   Anyway, this is a bad subject, I will stop typing about it now.

Day 237

• 7.1 miles
• 7:29/mile pace
• 0627
• From/To home
• 38 minutes at "easy" pace, which turned out to be 7:31/mile pace, followed by 11 x 20 seconds fast with 1 minute recovery between each.   Pretty hard overall, but thankfully not devastating.   Mid-week mileage definitely climbing now that I'm following a specific marathon prep plan.  
• Not worth your time, unless you're at work:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9bt6V6v-JY

Day 231

• 5.2 miles
• 7:43/mile pace
• 0630
• From/To home
• Training plan said 30-40 minutes "easy," but unfortunately I decided to look up the authors definition of "easy," which turned out to be not what I would consider easy.   His definition is 30-60 seconds slower than race pace, which means I needed to run 7:50ish per mile pace, which isn't real easy....once again thinking that my goal may be too ambitious, but whatever, I've set it, so now I must keep pressing on.   Haven't looked at tomorrow's prescription, think I'm just afraid to. 
• 231 is what I remember Bo Jackson weighing in college.   I really loved Vincent "Bo" Jackson.   I still do.

Day 230

• 5.31 miles
• 7:57/mile pace
• 0650
• From/To home
• The plan I am still following (two days and counting) called for a 30 to 40 minute easy run followed by 8-10 x 20 second sprints with 1 minute recovery after each...I didn't spring out of bed this morning as I haven't been feeling great, so I had to do the minimum of 30 minutes on the first portion and then did 9 of the 20 seconds followed by 1 minute recoveries.   This was not too taxing overall, but if the write up about the 20 second intervals of hard running is accurate then perhaps it will help improve leg turnover and speed...guess we'll see eventually.

Day 229

• 3.07 miles
• 8:43/mile pace
• 0645
• From/To home
• A "recovery run," per the plan that I may or may not continue following...I followed it for today and we'll see, I still haven't really looked at it, other than what it said to do today, so I won't make up my mind fully until I feel I have reviewed it in full.