Hello March

I've been slacking on keeping this updated over the last couple of weeks. Every run, I think about all I want to write about, and then I come home and have to go straight back to work after the shower. See, I got a new job, and I'm getting lots of overtime, which is great. Not so great for blogging. Well, the job is slowing down now, so I'm back.

I have some practicing to do, so this will be quick. Today, I had a 6 mile tempo run: 1 mile warm up, 4 miles at midtempo pace (for me, 8:15/mile was the goal), 1 mile cool down.

The snow was coming down pretty hard, but it wasn't too bad. I was getting used to the sunny 40° weather. Today was the first day I had to run with my gloves in a few weeks. It was cold enough that I didn't want to take off my gloves until after the second timed mile, so I'm not sure how fast I ran the first mile. Here's the breakdown:

Miles 1-2: 17:46 (8:53/mile)

Mile 3: 8:20

Mile 4: 8:39

Overall average: 8:37/mile

I'm falling a short of the goal, but that's fine. I can tell I'm working hard, and that's the point, right? In January, the best 4-mile run I completed averaged a 9:20 mile. I dropped an average of 33 seconds off each mile, all while running an easy mile on each side of the 4-miler. Not too bad. It's good to keep track of these things so I don't feel too discouraged when I don't meet the daily goals.

The last two long runs (9 and 10 miles), I ran at or below the goal speed, so I feel great about that. I can tell the tempo runs and the speed training is paying off.

Another victory: I made it through January and February without running on a treadmill! Every damn mile was outside, and it was great. Take that winter.

Overall, no stomach issues, no knee problems, no injuries at all right now. I still hate speed training, but the long runs are fantastic and I actually look forward to them. I'm doing pretty damn good. I know this training process will have its low points, so it's important to note the good times.