John Kerl’s running log

2, cut short from a planned 3. I warmed up and stretched good and long; my calves were better than last time but still tight. The outside of my right knee (same spot as last time) was sore the whole time, & moreso at the end & which is why I stopped. Feet also not quite right. Basically: minor versions of much the same sorenesses as on marathon day. And the last 3 runs before tonight have been not good either.

What I think happened is that I overstrained a lot of things during the race; recovered a bit but not all the way with that week off; then lost ground since then by running on things that hadn't been quite healed. So it appears I have no choice but to take, say, a couple weeks off & let everything get back to normal.

5 — not particularly good. Calf-tight about the first three miles, despite plenty of warm-up and stretching; very localized twinges on the outsides of both knees toward the end; stepped into not one but two squishy dog plops. Aaargh! :/

7.5, slow. I’d gotten a sore lower back from overlong efforts in the garage Saturday, and so hadn’t run for a couple days. Tonight my calves were ridiculously tight the first mile and a half, and didn’t really loosen up until mile three. I did a lot of stopping, standing, and stretching the first couple miles. So, since I certainly wasn’t getting a workout in terms of level of exertion, I decided to stay out a little longer. :) It’s clear, chilly (for the desert ... 40°) and starry.

2.5, cut short from an intended 4. My left shin hurts — odd since I haven't run that much recently. I have to remind myself it's still soon after the marathon, in which I ran through a lot of soreness. Any time taken off right now is probably a good idea.

6, easy — very good & much like Monday. :)

6 miles, 9:30-ish pace. Using the full-body form (as described a week ago) the pace was OK but without my breathing hard or getting very sweaty — although I did pick it up a notch in the last mile. My knees and all else were fine; my calves were the first to tire. I had no hurries and no worries; took my time stretching; kept the pace gentle; stretched and watered after miles 2 and 3. It was about 50° and I was dressed right for it; the air was refreshing and the stars were sharp and clear. Everything felt so marvelous — it was one of those runs that feels every bit as indulgent as a long hot shower. Life is a gift, a series of chances which are not to be missed.

5 miles. I felt sluggish; my knees were good, but I was calfsore for all but the last mile.

4.5, pretty easy. I didn't push the heart rate (so it was easy in that sense), but since about a month ago I've been modifying my form. The effect is increased stride length; tonight's pace was probably closer to 8-minute miles than 9. It's hard to describe ... basically, not just wiggling my legs, but running with my whole body — using my arms more, twisting a bit to use my whole torso for push-off. (Having solid core muscles from swimming seems to help.) Also, doing a little give-and-take with gravity, having a little spring in my step; and, landing with the ball of the foot just before the heel.

The outside of my right knee has been fine the last couple days, but became just a little touchy toward the end tonight — less so than last time. As I recall, this was the same spot that was sore after the half marathon last year. So, based on that, I expect another week for it to return entirely to normal.

My 2nd marathon won't be until June at earliest — the next thing is the Ragnar Relay at the end of February. (Our team is a bunch of math geeks, and friends thereof.) The relay is 3x5 miles (approximately) per person so after a month of post-marathon recovery, I will work mainly on tempo runs and a little speedwork. Probably nothing over 10 miles for a couple months.

3.5, easy pace. I felt spectacular tonight — no, reverential. Everything felt quite good, except the outside of my right knee was a little post-race tender at the end.

Today was the long-awaited marathon — I’ve been working toward this specifically since August, and have had it as a goal for the last year and a half. And: I did it! :)

At packet pick-up I found to my pleasure that my bib number was 641: one of the two prime factors of the first Fermat false prime, 2³² + 1. :)

Time: 4:54:37; average 11:15 pace. It was beautiful the first 16 miles; then it got interesting. Then, after about mile 21, things just plain hurt. But there is nothing like having set the goal and reaching it. Much of the appeal of a marathon, for me at least and for others as well I think, is that one goes to one’s limits — taking every ounce of physical and mental preparation, and using it up.

I definitely slowed down over the course of the race: my average paces over the first, second, third, and fourth quarters were 10:01, 10:55, 11:43, and 12:19. (This includes walks of a minute or so at water/gatorade stops.) I’m quite sore and probably won’t run for a week or so.

It had rained Friday and Saturday — fortunately today it did not. It was perfect running weather. I planned well, but forgot one thing: sunblock. So my bald head is red. :)

I saw several familiar faces and chatted with many delightful people. My favorite quotes: (*) At the starting line, one guy declared “Anything under ten hours is a good time”. (*) About a minute after the start, when those of us in back were still walking, with the traffic jam not over the start line yet, a guy near me turned to his buddy and said, “Are we on pace?” (*) I checked my watch and my new acquaintance Bert asked me, “Is that GPS?” I replied: “No, Timex.”

I almost didn’t go (family issues) but family members were encouraging me to go ahead and do it. I’m glad I did.

1.5 easy — almost as much stretching as jogging. The goal is not to be too stiff tomorrow. I meant to do a couple miles last night but things got a little crazy, and a lot rainy. :)

5 miles: odd ones easy, even ones medium-hard. The marathon is five days away!!! :)

6, easy pace; I took quite a few little hills at a nearby park. It is chilly and there is a glorious halo (ice crystals in the upper atmosphere) around the just-past-full moon.

2.5 easy, 2.5 tempo. This was untimed but pretty peppy. :)

6 at 8:55; heart rate 150. I’ve been doing some extra stride length and increased arm / upper-body motion these last few runs — this seems to pull things along nicely. It was a little nippy — I was glad for gloves and ear covering. :)

5, easy pace — 9:00 this time though. Last time was two days after the 20. :)

4, easy pace (10:00); heart rate 130.

20 miles — my last and longest long run before the marathon. I feel better after this than I did after the 18 two weeks ago — but then tonight I took it a little slower. I timed mile 4 at 10:30, & I think most of it was at that easy pace; the last 4-5 miles I was getting tired & I timed mile 17 at 11:30. Pretty much everything that could be tired is tired, but no one thing in particular. I got a big smile on my face halfway through mile 19 — there’s nothing like finishing, when “I can, I will” turns into “I can, I did.” :)

Twelve quarter miles — whee! Very invigorating. :)

My right heel is a bit tender the last couple days — tonight I was mainly up on the balls of my feet. A couple days off (again) might not be a bad idea; PFs recover slowly. Also these last few weeks have been my highest mileage ever, so some caution is due.

I’ve not stationary-biked in a couple weeks — I stopped when I was having the knee discomfort (which is happily gone). But recently I’ve been biking to the park to run, rather than driving. This is feasible since I recently equipped myself for commuting by bicycle & for biking at night, which in turn is thanks to advice/prodding from C., S., S., and S., and due to D. being a good role model. Biking to the park is about as much exercise as stationary-biking was; the scenery is way better; it probably saves me time, since biking a couple miles isn’t that much slower than driving; and it functions as a warm-up and cool-down for my run. Good all around! :)

6 miles, easy pace. Perfect weather!

Today was the Old Spanish Trail Half Marathon. This was very nice — November cool but not cold; out by Saguaro National Park East with awesome desert and mountain views. And a paved road. :)

It was a little uphill on the way out, with a very stiff headwind — but I told myself that unless Mother Nature has a sick sense of humor, I would be glad for the tailwind and the downhill on the way back. She was indeed kind — so it was a double blessing on the return. There’s something about being on the move in a tailwind (whether running or biking) — when you’re in motion with the air, it becomes still and silent, almost dreamlike.

I paced myself pretty well — right about 10-minute pace on the way out, with maybe 2-3 minutes total walking at hydration stops. The way back was quicker, of course, and I only walked about a minute. The last mile and a half I had plenty of reserve and picked it up a notch. This felt fantastic. It feels much better to be conservative and finish strong than to do too much and then drag to the end — which is what I did in the last mile of last year’s HM. I finished at 2:09:11 which is 9:52 pace — I am very happy with that. I guess the long runs are paying off — today's HM felt like about the same difficulty as a 10K used to’

I spoke with a woman who has run marathons in 39 states — she said that at the pace she’s going, she’ll do all 50 by the time she turns 50. I love stories like that.

One guy is doing a marathon (his 1st) in January with his father and grandfather.

I also chatted with a guy who said this was going to be his last long-distance run. I asked why (he didn’t look much older than me); he said that he’s had two knee surgeries already and there isn’t much cartilage left — nearly bone on bone. I didn’t need much reminding (I’d already learned the lesson over this last year), but this was a good reminder to me of the importance of not pushing overly hard. I want to be running for many decades more and, with care and some luck, I will.

There was a woman running with her golden labrador retriever (he was also named John, which gave me a start when she called out to him in a person-calling-out-to-dog voice). They were even with me for the first 8 miles ... then her husband came and picked the dog up. He looked like he was having a blast, though ... :)

Many of the people I talked to at this race, and at last month’s 20K, are going to be doing the Tucson Marathon. So I should see lots of familiar faces there. Also this is a good way to get tips from veteran marathoners.

One woman said (when I told her it would be my first) not to feel fooled by how good you feel at mile 8, nor by how bad you feel at mile 18.

Someone at the 20K told me that the first half of the Tucson Marathon is even more downhill than the second half (which is precisely the HM course I ran last year). I said, The more the better. She said, Well, you'd think, but when it's very steep, you can burn out your quads early on. Good to know ... .

After finishing, I stood there and drank some water and cooled off — so I figured, why not stand at the finish line for a few minutes and clap & cheer for people coming in. It was great seeing them with the smiles on the faces — not only for finishing but for seeing their family and friends there waiting for them.

I saw a guy with a T-shirt that said <body> on the front and </body> on the back. It's an HTML joke ... I chatted with him a few minutes & told him that I loved the shirt, and that it had been an awesome morning but that that was the cherry on top. :)

As with the 20K, I pushed myself just enough but didn't overdo it and as a result feel very good right now.

So ... a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful race. :)

4 miles total: 2x0.5 in 4:00 and 3:45, then 3x1 in 7:45, 7:45, and 8:00. I feel spectacular ... I already felt great today, but even moreso during and after this run. It was a short, quick one; the weather was cool and refreshing.

18 miles — 6 laps at the park (2.9 each), preceded by a half mile to make 18 even.

It was pretty easy overall — I paced OK but maybe went a bit fast in the middle. (I timed the first mile at 9:30, 8th at 10:00, 11th at 9:30, 14th at 10:30, and 17th at 10:30.) The last four miles, though, were hard. My feet were sore; knees tired; left hip a bit tired. Thigh and calf muscles were just fine, though.

I chopped up some Clif bars into pieces ahead of time — one piece for each lap. This also made it easier not to lose count of laps. :) I think I went through about two and a half quarts of fluid — and a good thing. My weight was nonetheless 3 pounds less after the run than before. So, there is definitely something to replenish. And not just fluid loss from sweating and exhaling: according to what I've read, the burn rate is about 100 calories per mile. That depends on speed and age, but for me at my long-distance pace that was about the number.

18 miles didn't seem as long as the idea of 18 had seemed ... as I've noted before on previous long runs, expectations expand to meet demand. When I'm running three miles, I think: Almost there — just one more mile to go. Tonight after twelve, I thought: Almost there — just six more miles to go. The difference of course is that three is old hat by now — whereas 18 tonight is a lifetime first. :)

6.5 at 10:00 pace — again easy. Calfsore first 1.5 miles; stopped and stretched; fine after that. Full moon! :) Next run: Monday.

6 at 10:00 pace — it felt very easy.

My knees were a little sore before last week's long run & have been since as well. Nothing serious, but reminiscent of the start of last winter's runner's-knee (overuse) issue. (This is unsurprising — marathon prep is nothing trivial.) I'd planned to do an 18 and two 20's before the marathon — I think I'll just make that an 18 and a 20, and stretch the time between them out a bit. Also take a few days with no running or swimming this weekend and make it a real rest.

6.5 at various paces — first mile or two at 10:00; then 9:30 or so; some alternating hard/easy half-miles toward the end. It's just a little chilly out.

4 miles. A morning run — this is such a busy day that my only choice was to squeak in a run before class. As is often the case for morning runs, I felt a little heavy and sluggish. Also I'm just a bit residually sore from Tuesday. So, I didn't push it.

A bit of news from a recent check-up — total cholesterol 143. (It was a non-fasting test so I didn't get the HDL and LDL numbers.) This is down from 180 three years ago. :)

16 miles — a first. I took myself out for dinner afterward! :) After this, an 18 and two 20s (along with regular runs interspersed of course), then tapering, then the marathon.

Since I knew I was going to be out there for 3 hours or so, and since I don't like to run right after eating, I ran before dinner. I'm used to going to the park late; today I got there right about sunset. The place was hopping!

6 miles, 8:58 pace (I timed it carefully tonight). Very nice ... I pushed it a bit but not overmuch; I'm not sore afterward. I'd had a big meal 5 hours before — this is ideal, with plenty of time to digest. Why do we do races in the mornings anyway?!? :) It's a bit chilly out — 60°. In the hot months I run late at night to escape the heat; soon I'll need to go out sooner to avoid a chill, or start bundling up.

Eight half-miles, at or just over 8-minute pace. It felt really easy tonight ... which I guess I can attribute to running regularly, of course, but I also think the swimming and stationary-biking things have been helping.

One reason for the latter is that they give me a chance to get my heart rate up, without the impact of running. I've been swimming three days a week for over a year now — at first, 20-30 minutes of mostly breaststroke; in recent months 30-45 minutes; now 60+ minutes for the last couple weeks. In particular, I've been doing 800 meters of crawl as the last thing I do. (This takes 22-24 minutes; hard to say since it's easy to get off by one when counting laps.) Swimming is always blissful, but that long crawl at the end feels amazing — I get fully and utterly zoned. And I've finally got my arms strong enough that I can crawl that long.

Anyway, as a result my heart appears to be in very good condition now. When I run these days, my legs are the first to tire. This is the way I want it — I don't like it when the tightness in my chest is the thing slowing me down. I seem to remember a few years ago climbing (hurriedly) just a few flights of stairs, getting winded with that tight-in-the-chest feeling — I asked myself, Am I that close to dead? This is one of the (many) reasons I started exercising last year.

Autumn in the desert is so fickle! :) In the days it’s hot; tonight I’d have been chilly had I not been exercising.

6 miles, at a bit under 10-minute pace; last mile at 9. More beautiful, cool weather!! :)

Today was the 20K. I got up when it was still dark — with an old moon and Venus very bright in Leo. The race was at South Mountain Park in Phoenix — it was a little chilly but was OK once the sun got over the mountains. It was 6.2 miles out and 6.2 back — up (south) over a little pass and down into the valley beyond — which I had never laid eyes on before. It was really beautiful, and the weather was perfect for running: cool without being cold. In particular, I never felt overheated.

I chatted with several very nice people along the way. One of them started running in middle age, when she was waiting for her high-school-aged son to finish cross-country practice. Fifteen years later her son is long since out of athletics but she’s still going, stronger than ever. :) This is one reason I love doing races — I meet such outgoing people, with often a friendly little joke or an interesting story. Two of the people I talked to will also be at the Tucson Marathon in December — and since we were (evidently) running at the same pace, perhaps we’ll chat then as well.

The 20K, at 12.4 miles, was about the same distance as the half marathon (13.1 miles) last December — yet quite different. That one was mostly downhill, with some mild ups and downs; this one was quite hilly with some extended climbs. The mild downs were an opportunity to pick up speed, but for the steeper ones I felt like I needed to brake.

Since today was (for me) a 14-mile training run, I ran 16 minutes (so, about 1.6 miles) ahead of time. During the race per se I walked a total of 6-7 minutes, most of that in the first half and at the halfway point; I ran almost uninterrupted the second half. So, I paced myself pretty well. My most tired spots were calves, then feet, then hips. I found that I had plenty of cardiac reserve, so toward the end I was able to increase my stride rate a bit, if not my stride length. Something to remember for the future.

My time was 2:13 — way off from the HM last year. I was a bit mopey seeing that at the end; this was worsened later when I saw the results and found that I was dead last, and by a large margin, in my gender/age group, and close to last overall. I'd said all along that this would be a training run with scenery rather than a race, but that's easier said than done. This fall I'm cross-training more and running less, in an effort to avoid injury — I've succeeded at the latter (mercifully!) but today made me think I might be overdoing that. I thought, what have I been doing the past year if I've made no improvement at all?

On the other hand, in addition to the terrain differences, there's the fact that last year the HM was the goal of my efforts; this run was just a relatively casual piece toward the FM which is this year's main goal. And I can congratulate myself for having run 14 miles for the first time in my life. More important is the following. Perhaps I can modify my training a bit, and today might have been a well-timed wake-up call. But given my preparation, I definitely ran at a good pace today. At the HM last year I pushed it hard the last 5 miles — and as a result I could hardly walk that day, was extremely muscle-sore for 3-4 days afterward, and was sore in the right knee and left heel for two weeks afterward. And right after that was the runner's-knee fiasco — an overuse injury. Whereas today, I'm a bit muscle-sore (calves and lower thighs) but I'm fine. I didn't overdo it and that is improvement.

6 miles, pretty easy — although I picked up the pace a bit in the second three miles. I would have done some 800s but I am still a bit calfsore from Tuesday's run. It was another wonderful evening, and another wonderful run. It was good to blow the cobwebs out of my head — I think too much. :)

6 miles, comfortable pace — right about my intended marathon pace which is at or just over 10-minute miles. Heart rate 150 at halfway which is spot-on.

It was one of those wonderful-to-be-alive kind of runs ... . Also it was nice and cool out. It had rained earlier so it was a bit humid — so I sweated quite a bit. But I like that ... I know it's a cliché but sweat is cleansing somehow. :)

12 half-miles (or “a dozen 800s” sounds hipper). This was a good workout (and with perfect cool weather). I timed one of the quicker-feeling half-miles at 4:00, and one of the slower-feeling ones at 4:30.

The 20K is next weekend — I think that's about 12.5 miles. So I'll do another 1.5 before it, or after. Again, it will be a training run with scenery and company — not a race per se.

12 miles, easy pace of course & with water/Gatorade & walking a minute or two every few miles. I timed the 4th and 7th miles at right about 10:00; the 12th was 11:00. That last one was hard ... and I am so tired now. And I wonder how I will ever be able to run 26 miles in December ... but, thinking about it, I'm not too much more tired tonight after 12 miles than I have been in the past after 6 or 7. So I guess this is growth ... and I still have two and a half months to go. :)

Eight half-miles — very, very nice. Again it's nice and cool out.

3 miles, easy. It turns out I am allergic to the antibiotic they put me on last week ... sigh, what a mess :). So I felt pretty crappy the beginning of this week, and I look like a spotted lobster. Tonight was nice, though ... I feel mostly back to normal; took a nice half-hour cruise in low gear. It's pretty cool out — nice September weather.

10 miles, with water/Gatorade stops about every 1.5. My calves were tight at first; I think this was due to insufficient warm-up. That cleared up after about 4 miles. I took it quite easy, and was glad did — the last two miles, my thigh muscles were getting very tired. I will be stiff and sore tomorrow for sure, and probably the next day as well.

I went to the doctor for the sinus infection ... it took a turn for the worse last week. With medication, it is again improving.

It had rained earlier today, and tonight it was cool and breezy out — absolutely perfect running weather. :)

Eight half-miles ... then the unexpected. I had locked my car keys in my car — along with my phone so I couldn't call anyone. Oddly, I did have my apartment keys. So I ended up jogging home — another three miles. :)

Today was the Kinney Road 10K — my second time. I got up before dawn — very much not my style. When I got outside, though, I was rewarded with a cloud-spangled sky beginning to lighten, a crescent moon with the dark part visible, and Venus unbelievably brilliant.

My head cold of a week ago turned, as usual, into a sinus infection. I told myself if it doesn't clear up by next week I'll go in for antibiotics. But the left maxillary sinus drained on its own Thursday, and the pressure in the right is greatly reduced; today I feel pretty good. Decongestants seem to help.

I didn't treat this as a race at all — rather, a long run with company, scenery, and drink stations :). Afterward I did another couple miles or so — totaling 8 miles. Last week's long run was 6; next week's will be 10. Preparing for the marathon, I made sure to stop and drink a bit at each stop (today, they were every 1.5 miles), and walk half a minute or a minute each time. In particular I want to make sure I can rehydrate and replenish carbs without getting a side stitch.

I think I'm going to stick with running three times a week up until the marathon, rather than four ... I'm getting plenty of cardiovascular exercise by swimming and stationary-biking, and this way I'll give myself two days off after these increasingly long runs. I've had enough injuries this year — if I can increase my mileage and keep myself uninjured, I'll be set.

It was so beautiful out there (on the other side of the pass, by the Desert Museum) — sunrise over the mountains, long desert views, Kitt Peak Observatory (I think) visible as distant mountaintop white specks. And it was cooler than my last race — thank goodness for fall. :)

4 miles: 3 easy, with two half-miles harder. Very nice out — 80° or so.

I'm not going to make weekly totals in my calendar for a while — the ever-longer long runs for marathon prep, and the irregularity of the schedule, are going to make weekly totals meaningless for a while. For example, if I do a long run on Saturday & the Sunday 8 days later, the week in the middle will look like nothing — but won't be. Likewise, if I do a long run on Sunday & the Saturday 6 days later, that week will look like I've overtrained — but it won't be much different from the previous case. Monthly totals, though, will be averaged over enough time to be meaningful.

6 miles — very, very, very nice. :)

The cold was at its worst Sat. & Sun.; pretty good today. I felt my best today while running.

3, easy. I have a bit of a head cold the last 24 hours — scratchy throat and runny nose. But my head & nose feel no worse for running, while the rest of me feels better. :)

3, pretty easy pace ... actually I took it easy, but it felt faster than that. Which is the way I like it. Everything felt very good tonight. The stationary-biking thing has been great for cardiac fitness — and I've only been at it for a little over a week. (My right heel is fine and has been for several days now.) Moving forward, I think biking will help me avoid overuse injuries while running — not only will I be fitter, and thus be able to run better without pushing, but also I won't need to push it as much in order to get a workout.

New shoes (Asics) and they feel good. Weather: It's still a bit hot out ... it's only August ... :)

The saying “What doesn't kill you makes you stronger” is a cliché — but it's been very specifically true for me with each injury: (*) Plantar fasciae issues got me thinking about good foot form and running on grass; (*) runner's knee showed me about race recovery and base miles; (*) the heel thing told me never to skimp on warm-up before a race, and got me started stationary-biking. All good things ... :)

I got the heel thing checked out — not a stress fracture as I'd suspected from reading about common running injuries. Rather it looks like a "stress reaction" which is something less serious. The advice was to stay off it until it doesn't hurt anymore — if it takes two weeks (or less) for that to happen, great; if longer, I should call the doctor's office & go from there.

So ... a couple weeks off running. I've been stationary-biking at the gym; quite pleasant & a very good cardiac workout. In fact I think I'll keep doing it a bit, even when I'm running again. On a stationary bike, it's easy to get my heart rate up to 160 and keep it at that level, without impact. And while swimming is a fabulous all-around exercise which works lots of systems (and which I enjoy greatly), it's hard to get my heart rate up — from what I've heard, this is because the water cools you off, making the body not have to work so hard. This accounts for about 10 fewer beats per minute.

Swimming has been a bit complicated by the fact that the U. pool is closed this week — but there is a city pool nearby, thank goodness ... :)

5, easy pace. Didn't really even sweat much; nowhere near winded. My right heel was sore yesterday — not plantar fasciae but higher up — in the lower shin bone perhaps. Odd, and unprecedented. I'm not sure if this had anything to do with the race ... I got to the race not quite as early as I would have liked and didn't warm up enough; I felt a little shinsore during and after. Then it hurt its worst yesterday (Tuesday). It was much improved today; I decided it was mild enough to run on. Verdict to be seen tomorrow. :)

My 3rd 5K, at South Mountain Park in Phoenix. It is hot out! :) Time 25:59; 8:22 pace. Just a few seconds better than last time.

R was there, with her friend; also the friend's dad and a buddy of his. So, two kids and three adults. We got to chatting; it turns out these two guys have gotten into running 5Ks recently and are doing about one a month. We will be doing a few together (all in Phoenix). So ... running buddies! :) There's a 5K the week after the 10K next month; I needn't treat it as an all-out race but rather as a social occasion. Also there is a 5K/20K in October. I will do the latter (also not at an all-out pace), as it will be right in line with marathon prep — a long run with new scenery.

0.75 easy, 4 faster quarter-miles, 0.75 easy. I didn't push it much, as I am running again tomorrow — then tapering for the race.

6, easy. It was overcast and relatively cool (85?), with a nice breeze to freshen things.

1 easy/medium (9:00), 2 tempo (8:15), 1 easy/medium (9:00). The middle two were hard work — the hardest I've run in quite a while. After the month off I built mileage back up, then added some easy long runs, then some speedwork; tempos are the last to add in, since they're the hardest — for heart/lungs as well as muscles and joints. Tempo runs are neither short nor easy; hence the benefit in doing them.

8:15 pace — if I can hold that for another mile at the 5K (9 days away!) then I'll have a new 5K PR (old one was 8:25 pace).

Again hot and humid ... the light from the street lights was all glinty, sparkling through the sweat beaded on my eyebrows. :)

0.75 medium, then 6x0.25 hard, then 0.75 medium. For the intervals: I got my heart rate up to 170-180 (!), then stopped till it went down to 100, then started again.

It's rained so much that soil and gravel is washed out into the streets ... everything feels and smells earthy. :)

4, easy/medium. Full moon! :)

6 easy; hot and humid. My resting heart rate as I fell asleep last night was 48 — the lowest I've measured since the 48 the night after the half marathon in December. A few months ago, right after the month off, it stayed above 55. It's interesting to see the tangible effects of running, even when I am not running at all — just lying there falling asleep.

2.5 slow, 1 tempo, 4x0.25 fast; max heart rate 180. Whee!! Who would have thought the Sonoran desert could be such a swamp?? But if you combine monsoon season, the heat-island effect, and irrigated grass and shrubbery — there you go. :)

4 miles, at an easy stroll. It was moonless but the clouds were low, and alight from the collective glow of the city. The trees were dark, leafy silhouettes against them as I ambled underneath; porchlights twinkled in and out through the bushes. It was quiet, with the only sounds being the general background city murmur and the chirping of crickets. I have never known greater peace ... and just when I thought it couldn't get any better, at the very end it started to sprinkle. Sigh ... :)

2 miles easy/medium pace, 1 mile harder (8:15). It is outright soggy after today's pounding rain — it's not coming down anymore but it might as well have been for as wet as I got with my own sweat. Stuff like this makes it more interesting. :)

I didn't run Saturday due to circumstances — so I did 13 miles last week rather than 18. This is OK — a reduced-mileage week once a month is a good idea.

2 miles easy, 1 mile hard.

3, medium-hard: 1 at 8:45, 2 at 9:25. It's quite clear I haven't worked on speed for a while — I've been upping my distance after that month off, back to (and a little past) my weekly mileage from last year. I'd like to be at about 25-30 miles a week as a norm.

I will at least do the Tucson Half Marathon in December for sure; perhaps the full (!). I have another month or so to decide before committing to the ramp-up which would be necessary to complete a marathon: 4 months or so of increasing mileage.

News, though: R.S. ran a 5K with a friend of hers a few weeks ago! I am quite proud of her — she doesn't run regularly, but swims a lot and has always been active in sports. And for a 9-year-old to be out there having fun exercising is fantastic. [44:04 — she walked a bit. :)]

Anyway there is a local series of summer 5Ks. I mentioned that there is another one on August 11, and she's interested. So, we are both going to run it. I asked her what her preference is — for us to go side-by-side, or each trying to do our bests. She preferred the latter, and she'll have her same-age friend by her side. So, this will be a race for me per se — not just an outing. I'd not planned to race again until fall, when it's cooler, but this will be a great experience — I'm excited about it. I have about 3 weeks before then, allowing a few days for taper. I'll keep my mileage flat and do a bit more speedwork, and some 1-2 mile tempos. With a few days' recovery, that plan fills the next month ... after that, I'll continue upping my weekly mileage.

4, easy; muggy out. I ran through a long archway of sprinklers for refreshment. :)

3, mostly easy. I plan to do a 5-day week — my first since, well, the very beginning when I had no clue. Slow and steady ... .

I got that rain I wanted — and so wasn't able to swim, since the pool was closed. :)

First six in months. I just kicked back and cruised for an hour — no worries or hurries.

I started out with a mild headache. I don't think I've ever run with a headache before — surprising, since I've been running for a year now. It was gone by the end.

There is a stiff breeze tonight. It feels like rain blowing in, but overhead it's mostly starry. Maybe rain tomorrow ...

3/4 mile easy, 2x1/4 medium, 2x1/4 hard, 1/4 medium, 3/4 easy. Very exhilirating! :)

4 miles, easy.

4.3, medium pace (about 9:10). I took a new route — kind of exciting! Nothing I haven't driven along before, but you notice so much more on foot. I like the route: dirt and grass almost all the way.

4, mostly easy — two of the half-miles a bit harder. It's windy, and just enough so — leaves rustling, wind chimes chiming, chances of rain blowing in.

5 miles, easy pace. The moon is waning gibbous (yes, I was out that late). It is still hot — it's cooled down to 97° — as well as humid.

3 miles, alternating hard/easy. It's hot and muggy out! :)

4 miles, easy (base) pace; HR 150.

It was another lovely night, and again all systems feel well. This is a good kind of repetition ... last year, I was pushing too hard, too often, and had little injuries frequently. Now, having found out the importance of base miles, and of limiting one's hard miles, I can run enjoyably and consistently.

In the heat of the summer, there are three options: run before sunrise, suck it up in the heat, or run late at night. The middle is absurd (although I see people who somehow do it). Morning is coolest, but I am far more a night than a morning person. I enjoy the nights, of course, but one problem is that a late-night run inches close to sleepiness and bedtime. And it would be easy to say to myself, Forget it, it's late. But exercise takes so little time and confers so many advantages ... so, how to make it happen? The key is to get myself out the door and walking for a few blocks. Then, I'm ready for a little jog. After a few blocks of that my pulse rate is up, I'm taking more oxygen into my lungs, and I'm ready to stretch and then put in 30-40 minutes of exercise.

3.5 easy-to-medium, then two half-miles harder (HR 170). First fast in a while — exhilirating! Jupiter and Venus both brilliant.

I like measuring exertion subjectively, and/or by heart rate — rather than always against the clock as I did last year. If my heart is beating 170 times a minute, then I am working hard — no matter what the elapsed time. And if I keep exerting myself at 70% maximum heart rate (145) most of the time, 80% (158) maybe a quarter of the time, and 90% (170) for a mile or two a week, then the times will improve as the weeks and months go by — without overstressing.

5, very easy pace. It's the hottest time of year — with a high of 110 today, and still 92 at midnight. How odd to think of 92 as cool ... :)

3 miles, medium pace (HR 160+).

3 miles, easy-medium pace (final heart rate 150). A bit cool out, with a nice breeze and a near-full moon.

3 miles, medium pace. At sun-up — a first, and quite nice.

3 miles, easy pace. Left heel (and all else) quite nice. Warm out, with a waxing crescent moon deep in the west.

4 miles. A bit touchy in the left heel ... not outright sore; it felt somewhat like a tight muscle does. Fine otherwise. It's warm out there, even at night — full-on summer, and an opportunity to sweat.

5 miles, very easy pace — first 5 in a long time. :)

4 miles — it felt quite peppy, especially after the sluggish run yesterday. I slogged up the hills but other than that kept the pace up; it averaged out to 9:30 pace.

4 miles, untimed — easy pace the first two miles, then medium pace the last two. It was a bit warm out; I ran in the daytime for a change. Nights are nicer. :)

4 miles, around the campus, at a notch-above-easy pace. Jupiter is in Scorpio ... .

3 miles or so meandering at easy-to-medium pace through the Lower Park; then 1 mile at 8:25. Wow, that felt good!

Same route as last night; another good, easy run; windy.

3 miles. Feeling a little off ... a little muscle-sore from the weekend. But only a little. Still a pretty good run. :)

4 miles: 1.5 easy, 2.5 faster (heart rate about 160). I moved this weekend — not too big a deal, given my lightweight, quasi-Thoreauvian lifestyle :). I swam a bit at dusk tonight to cool off ... swimming on my back as the stars come out is one of my favorite things. Then ate, did more unpacking, and ran a bit. The summer nights here in the desert are unspeakably exquisite ... .

4 miles, 10-minute pace — under a gorgeous full moon.

4 miles: 10+ pace for the first three miles, and the last mile in 9:00. Finally I am getting back to some more interesting distances — I could feel my thigh muscles working tonight.

2.5, 9:30 pace, sweaty. :)

3 at 9:50. An early morning run — not my favorite, as my activity level peaks in the evenings. I warmed up and stretched more than usual; that helped.

4 miles, right at 10-minute pace as intended.

2.5, at just a bit easier pace than last night. All systems still quite well!

2.5 — at 8:25 pace! Heart rate 150 at the end, so it was a medium effort. It felt peppy throughout, and I feel splendid now.

3 miles, CC route. There's a hill at the start and end — a bit of work going up, but reeeeally nice coming back down. :)

A rather ... soulful run tonight, somehow. I'm still ten-percenting my way back, and haven't run over 3 miles in a while ... that's not a long distance, but long enough to get in the zone. Well timed, too ... today was a bleary day at work; this was a great way to brighten it up.

3 miles, with the middle one quicker (8:30). Yet another beautiful night — surprise, surprise ... :)

2.5, a little quicker than last night. I felt light and strong throughout. I wasn't winded at the end, nor leg-tired; I could have gone another mile or two but — patience and the 10% rule. :) Eleven miles this week; twelve the next ... .

2.6 in a nice, cool evening.

2.4 miles — and HOT out. Today is a busy day, and tomorrow busier — so I wanted to make time for a run, even if it was in mid-afternoon. I felt pokey, but it got me sweating and got my heart rate up — so I must have been working at it. :)

3 miles. Left heel was touchy last time; better this time.

1 mile, 7:55 — the fastest I've run in quite a while!

2.5 — feeling good. :)

2.7 miles. It is gorgeous out there! Clear and cool with a full moon.

3 miles, in the morning. It's hot already! Back to running evenings/nights for the summer.

3 miles — and a spectacular run! Everything felt great.

2.3 miles, 10-minute (very easy) pace. I didn't entirely feel like running before I went out ... but as usually happens in such cases, after half a mile or so I did feel like it, and was glad I'd made time for it in my evening.

2 miles! :)

12 minutes! :)

Eight minutes! :)

Half a mile! :) :) :)

I saw an orthopedist today — great news. My X-rays were completely normal; I told him nothing hurts anymore; he lifted, bent, straightened, prodded, etc. and nothing hurt then either. He said everything is as normal as normal can be.

I'd told him my concern was the intermittent rice-krispies sounds (technical term is crepitus) in my knees. He said that in his 30-some years of experience, including a study he did some years ago, knee noises are completely uncorrelated with knee problems. Crepitus is caused by motions of soft tissue around the joint, not by cartilage damage — he has seen teenagers with noisy knees, and people with advanced arthritis but quiet knees. There is a lot of information on the web, and also a lot of disinformation ... talking directly to someone with expertise in the field gives me peace of mind.

His advice was to ease back into it, and to be concerned if there is pain. The ten-percent rule makes a lot of sense to me — except if I've not run at all for the last few weeks. Ten percent of zero is still zero — so then what? The advice he gives people is to return in 5-minute increments — run for 5 minutes for a few days, then 10 for a few days, etc., until one is back to one's normal routine. (Once I'm back to 10-12 miles a week, I will ten-percent from that point forward.)

I won't be running too soon though ... I (minorly) sprained my right big toe (in a non-running incident) a couple weeks ago, and will be letting that recover for about another week. :)

This time off is kind of a bummer — I also didn't swim Friday; the pool was closed due to rain. I've been feeling kind of ... lethargic. Today, though, I had an awesome swim — I worked it rather hard for a while, then stayed just short of muscle burn for the rest of the time. I felt completely and fully blissed out and in the moment.

The 5K was today — 26:04. The first two miles were downhill or level; the last mile was uphill. Very nice weather and beautiful surroundings. The kids were there to cheer me on at the finish line — that was an extra picker-upper! :)

2x1, 9:40-ish. Focus: soft footfalls.

By the way, paces and corresponding times for 5K:

3 times about 2/3 miles each, rather fast. Mostly quick stride rate. Another very nice, cool night.

My knees have been feeling fine for some time now, and I was beginning to wonder if I was being overly conservative. I ran too much last week; also, on Saturday, during my last mile, my left knee began to feel sort of warm. Odd ... no pain, nothing localized — just as though the joint fluid were warm. It was not unpleasant, and went away within half an hour or so. So I thought little of it at the time. Starting the next day I noticed some faint rice-krispies sounds when standing up. These have happened on and off the past few months, gradually reducing over time — this is part of runner's knee. But the increased volume Sunday morning seemed not coincidental. So now I know — or at least suspect — that that warm feeling is an early-warning sign which I can now heed.

The 5K (my second!) is Sunday. I'll run easy on Thursday and do the 5K — then take a week or two off.

4 leisurely miles. It is a beautiful night — it's cool out, and the air is a little moist. The latter is a pleasant surprise, since the sky is cloudless. Arcturus and Spica are the brightest things overhead.

2 miles, moderate pace. I ran two days ago and will do a longer one two days from now — so, since I am still being conservative, tonight was just for mileage.

This weather is perfect — cool and refreshing. It is a beautiful, starry night — a good time to be alive. :)

2 miles — 1st pretty easy, probably 9+; 2nd quicker in 8:35.

4 miles. Very gentle pace (9:50) but nonstop — for the first time since late December. Another windy day in a windy winter. Things felt easy; my heels tired first.

My next order of business is to rearrange my mileage back into a weekly schedule. Maybe 4 miles on Saturday, and 2 each on Tuesday and Thursday. After that, add a couple miles per month; at some point (maybe a couple months from now), rearrange it into 4 days per week.

3 miles: 1 medium-easy, 1 harder, 1 medium-easy. A little chilly out but well moonlit! A very, very nice run — I feel grand.

4 miles: 2 easy, then a few minutes' walking, then 2 more easy. I've been doing 3 miles every 3rd day for several weeks now. I'll see how an additional mile per week goes.

3 miles: 2 at 8:35 (whee!); one slower one to finish up. Both knees feel solid today. It is a moonless night: cool and pleasant.

3 miles — I felt sluggish in the first, pulled through in the second, felt great in the third.

2 miles, easy pace; chilly and breezy out.

2 single miles at base-mile pace (just over 9:00), with two quarter miles (about 2:00) in between. I'm still gradually increasing my mileage, and was careful not to overdo it — but I opened it up a bit and got my heart going tonight for the first time in several weeks. Whee! :)

Of course I cut back my mileage to keep from hurting my knees — but, I kind of like it. And there's some sense to it — after all, one has rest days; one can (and should) take easy weeks every so often. Likewise it makes sense to have some seasonal variation as well — for simple variety, if nothing else. And I like the idea of increasing distance in preparation for a half-marathon or marathon, then easing back for a few weeks or months, then lengthening again.

2.5, just under 9:00 pace — and a very nice evening.

I registered for a March 18 5K. I've run 3 miles several times recently (post-runner's-knee) so I should be good to go by then. Regardless, it will be very easy to beat last year's 32:58. :) Tonight's pace, extended forward another 0.6 miles, would make for 5K in 27:35 — and tonight was not all-out.

3x1 miles — stretching in between miles. This was my first time in T-shirt and shorts in several months, after the long cold spell. I felt as light as a feather! :) The Catalinas were rosy with the sunset ... life is good.

2x1 miles, with a walk in the middle. Very nice. I wasn't hurrying but checked the time and found 9:00 both times.

I have a bit of a head cold, but past experience has shown that running with a head cold doesn't significantly worsen the experience. And, if anything, makes me feel better. (The same with less-than-ideal weather — rather than being an excuse not to run, it's an opportunity to do something interesting.)

This is why the knee situation of the last month has been difficult mentally — I am so accustomed to finding reasons to run, rather than reasons not to, that taking an entire week off feels uncomfortable.

I spent too much time on my feet last weekend and my knees were sore. So, I waited until my knees were thoroughly discomfort-free, and then took a couple more days, before running again today. I've learned that with the knee thing (or during any future joint problems), I can't really comment on the quality of the run until a day or two afterward. Only then will I know how soon to go out again.

Lesson learned over the last month: Let my body tell me what it's ready to do, rather than the other way around.

2.5 — a good little run. :)

3 miles, or a bit over — a marvelous run. I kept it at a gentle 10-minute pace. No shin problems — a wee tight the first mile, but that is not unprecedented. I will attribute the improved shin situation that to the pint or so of fluids with lunch — certainly, I now know to always hydrate well an hour or so before running.

Also I was out on the streets this time, not in the gym. It was brisk but not too cold; I ran into a stiff headwind heading east, but that made it effortless heading back west. :)

Finally I feel like I'm getting back into the groove after the knee issue — 3 miles is a near-normal run (although a bit short), and I felt great during and after. I'll keep it conservative by adding just a mile or two a week for the next several weeks.

3 miles, with quite a bit of shin tightness again (but otherwise a glorious run). This despite a lot of warming up and stretching. Well ... thinking back through this log I realize that there were several runs last fall where I had shin tightness that loosened up only after the first couple miles. Whereas for the last few weeks I've stopped after those first couple miles. Also the last several runs have been at the gym; I'll go out on the road next time.

2 miles, with a rest in between the two — each at exactly 9 minutes, as it turns out. These felt rather gentle. However, I had tight shin muscles again (although not quite as bad as last time). Does this have to do with running right after swimming? I will experiment with this.

4 half-miles. All felt quite good — except for absurdly tight shin muscles. My knees feel almost back to normal — only when I squat can I feel something not quite right. This is my sign to keep taking it easy for a few weeks more.

3 half-miles — pretty quick ones at that. My knees felt fine, and the rest of me was very much ready to go. Before that, swam 20 min. and biked 20 min. — during the latter I noticed a little popping still in my right knee, but none now in my left.

First swim since the break (3 weeks) — marvelous! Also stationary-biked (my first time ever!), for 15 minutes. This was enjoyable — it got my heart rate up and my legs feeling aglow, with no impact. I'll be doing this again. At least I needn't worry about falling entirely out of shape while my knees recover.

3 half-miles tonight — with very short strides, so I didn't flex my knees much. They feel quite good. Although I still don't want to do deep knee bends any time soon. :)

Jogged 1/2 mile today — an accomplishment, considering! :)

Runner's knee: not fun. It hurts behind my kneecaps (equally on both sides), more when my legs are bent. (Walking doesn't hurt much, but standing up does.) Also I can sometimes feel a little pop when I swing my knee joint. I had a little discomfort on the 30th, but it was mild by that evening and I went ahead and ran; by the next day it was bothersome, and hasn't improved much since.

I haven't run since the 30th and probably won't run again for several more days at least. (Apparently I can expect several weeks until full recovery.) This is a bummer — I'm restless and want to get out there. But, it's one of the best things that could have happened — it got me finally doing more reading, and it has turned out to be a learning experience.