Best 16 miler Ever!

I wish February would never end. This has truly been one of the best running months I have ever experienced. Each run has been fun. No pains. No wimping out. Nothing. Perfect. Today, my goal was to do 14 miles. I had done 10 miles the week before and have been on such a great high, I decided to do at least 14 miles, if not 16 miles. We ran out at Moraga Commons, which was no push over. The trail was filled with lots of long inclines and decents. I ran again with Margarita and Andrea, same folks as last week. It just was a good fit since last week's run went so well. Margarita, just like me is done for the season, but she just wanted to push herself. That we did.

Long story short, we finished 16 miles and loved every step of it. I had no calf cramping issues which was a big shocker. Everything felt fine. I felt slightly fatigued at 14.5 miles when we had to go back out to do 0.75 and 0.75 back, but other than that...no pains or real muscle soreness. The hips and hamstrings were a little tight, but that was it. I felt like I could have done 20 miles. More amazing is that my legs are still not sore. The muscles are not even warm or on fire. I'm beginning to think i'm superhuman.

Bummer.

With it being such a nice 60 something degree day, I decided to go do laps. First time in the pool since that frigid swim the first week of Dec. I'm not sure what my expectations were; however, since i've been running, I figured I should be in okay shape. My last swim workout was like 4 x 500 yard (2oo0 yd) swim. A 500 yard swim is about 10 laps or 20 lengths. I had no problems doing that non-stop during my Tri days. Since i've been out of the game, I figured i'd do a 300 yard swim, take a minute breather and do 200 yards.

Well after my 300 yard swim, I was exhausted. My minute break was more like 3 minutes before I attempted the 200 yard swim. I finished the 200 yard swim and felt like I was going to pass out. I couldn't keep going. I changed the workout and just did drills: Finger tip drills, Side Body Balance, Front Body Balance, etc. I finished all the water in my water bottle. 30 minutes had passed and I made what I think was the wise decision....to call it a day. I did a 2oo yard cool down...which almost killed me. I may have done a total of a little over 1000 yds.

So it's sad. I'm back at square one. The depressing part is that I still remembered how well I did the last time I came to the pool and now I no longer have that swim conditioning. Sad panda indeed.

No Rain?

I'm still amazed I have not run in the rain yet this winter season. Tonight was to be the night. It poured cats and dogs all day. So much I busted out the spandex (that I only wear for cycling) for running. Yup 2nd time for running. I also wore my bright orange water resistant cycling jacket. When I got to the Lake, it was completely dry. Not a raindrop from the sky. It was still cold, so I still wore the get-up. Two minutes into the run I was hot. By the time I finished the run I was drenched. You would have guessed rain, but it was all sweat.

I Still Got It!

Since i've been feeling great the past few runs, I decided to challenge myself to do 10 miles on Saturday. Mind you have not ran more than 3 or so miles since RNR AZ in mid-Jan. So I was a little apprehensive. What made the run potentially more challenging was that it was suppose to rain. I was going to run regardless. Fortunately no rain, but very cold - lower 40s. I gave myself an out that if I wanted to stop at the mile 4 turnaround and do a total of 8 miles...i'd be okay with it. We ran the Lafayette/Moraga trail and since I hadn't ran there in a while...I completely forget it was all an incline going out. Still I felt great. Time flew by fast because I was running and chatting with Margarita and Andrea. By mile 4, I felt great and decided to do 5 and turn around. Coming back was easier because it was all downhill. However, my legs were getting slightly tired with a mile to go. Still I was amazed I still got it. I'm so excited, I think i'll shoot for 14 next week!

Feeling Great

I had another great run last night. I joined the buddy run in Pleasanton and ran to Main Street downtown. Granted, i've only been doing around 3 miles the last few runs...but i've felt really great each time. Perhaps the time off from being sick was a good thing? It kept me away from running for 2 weeks and was the rest I so desperately needed? This weekend, i'm gonna shoot for 8-10 miles. Hopefully the good runs keep on coming!

Good ride. Good run.

Saturday was a Coached workout in Mill Valley. The team, which has shrunk down to 12 people did anywhere from 14 to 20 miles. I was on bike taking photos. I covered about 18 miles. Parts of the course was really not safe for bikes. Still I managed to survive down very steep, off-road, descents. On the ride back, I saw the Death Ride team and got a surprising shout out from BK who somehow recognized me.

Sunrise in Mill Valley

View of Golden Gate Bridge from Tiburon

Tuesday, I joined the buddy run at Lake Merritt. A whole lotta people showed up. It was the Spring Team's first buddy run. The Winter team just had 3 peeps including myself. I just went around the Lake once. It was slightly drizzling, but it felt great. In fact the overall run felt great.

Buddy Run #2

It's very rare I get to do 2 buddy runs in one week. The DV side of our team is now switching to Thursday buddy runs. For the next month or so, i'll have the option to do 2 buddy runs in one week or maybe swap one of the buddy runs for a track workout. Tonight I joined the P-town buddy run and was anticipating a torrential downpour - actually the first rain run of the Winter season. We've been so fortunate this training season - absolutely, positively, no rain! It started to gently sprinkle when we started. It then went away after a few minutes. Another mostly dry run. I ran with a mentor, and a participant who just completed Kaiser (technically "finish" for the season). Still we were out there and were willing to run in the rain. I stuck at their speed and I think I finished a little under 3 miles in 33 minutes or so.

Phil is Back!

New month! New beginnings! January was a tough month. I'm glad that February is finally here. Sunday was the Kaiser Half Marathon and the team did so well. A part of me wished I was running the course, but a larger part was happy to see everyone succeed. On the cold front, I think it's nearing its end. I'm probably at 97%. I still have some congestion, but I wouldn't let it stop me from running tonight. I hadn't ran since Jan. 22, so I was itching to get a run in.

I headed out to Lake Merritt (only to later find out the buddy run was cancelled). About 2/3 of the way into the run, I hear "Phil". I looked back and it was Rocky in his car. Pretty cool to bump into him. I think it happened one other time before. I gave a wave back and continued to finish the damn thing. I punched out 3 or so miles in 27 minutes. My best Lake run to date.

So i've scaled back the number of events this year. It's definitely going to be more quality than quantity. My 3 big events for the year include a century ride, a half ironman, and a marathon. I just signed up for the Chicago Marathon and have already set a goal of finishing sub-5 hours. I'm looking foward to strengthening the core. That's my main focus this year.