July 2008 Training:

June 30th - July 6th: Move into new place early July!  :)

• Monday - 0 mi, took the day off
• Tuesday - 7.64 mi Target loop - ran with Brad, Cameron, Nick and Jeff from MHS in the evening.  Nick and Jeff turned back once we hit Target while Brad, Cameron and I continued the loop.  Felt good overall and both Nick and Jeff stuck with us till they turned around which was great.  Nice and easy run.
          7:20, 7:10, 6:52, 6:42, 6:44, 6:23, 6:29, 3:52 (6:01pace) = 6:44 avg
• Wednesday - 0 mi
• Thursday - 8.61 mi @ Castlewood - ran w/ Ben and John for the first half, then John left us and Andrew joined for the last half.  There was a section (approx .1mi) that I had stopped the garmin due to bike racing...so the run was about 6.11 miles total.  I then tacked on an extra 2.5 miles going to check on some of the runners to make sure things were good as they got back a little later - MUDDY and RAIN!
          7:23, 7:32, 7:32, 7:21, 7:15, 7:39, 0:03 = 7:27 avg (6.01mi)
• Friday - 5.88 mi @ River Des Peres loop - ran south from apt along the bike path, then came back via the gravel path on the east side of the river - crossed over on the bridge past Gravois.  Drills after the run.
          7:20, 6:52, 6:35, 6:28, 6:25, 5:49 (6:34pace) = 6:43 avg
• Saturday - 6.12 mi @ Queeny Park - Race to Erase 5K in the morning, plus 1.5 miles for warm up and then the same for cool down.  The course was altered a bit this year, so not the same as year before as the 3rd mile now contained the 2 big uphills which kinda sucked.  Took first again, but slower time.  Felt nice, just kinda shut it down after about 1.5 miles as I was on my own.  If the garmin was correct, then the run was actually shorter...which was probably due to the change in the start location.
          5:39, 5:32, 6:03, 0:04 = 5:44 avg (3.02mi)
• Sunday - 0 mi, off day!
  • Weekly Total - 28.25 miles

July 7th - July 13th:

• Monday - 4.56 mi @ Apt - swam with Lauren after work for an hour going over a bunch of form stuff, then once I got home decided I needed to vent a little from events earlier in the day and opted to run (also it was rather nice out) so I ran down the bike path towards Gravois and decided to head East and then took Jamieson back north to Chippewa and then back to the apartment - nice little loop!  Felt good on it, and the entire way back was all long, gradual uphill.  Did drills and 4 strides on the path, then 5 min abs inside.
          7:49, 6:47, 6:21, 6:15, 3:24 (6:02pace) = 6:42 avg
• Tuesday - 0 mi, planned on running at practice but bad weather derailed that plan.  Instead I did some supplemental stuff while the kids ran inside.
• Wednesday - 3.47 mi @ Apt - morning staff meeting at work, then came back home and ran a new loop down Weil to Wehner park less than a mile away.  Pretty cool area - ran the perimeter (good grassy areas, may try some workouts later here?) and then headed out towards Murdoch and back via the Metro Link station and the bike path to complete the loop.  Very simple easy run, shady!  Didn't go too far as I had to work at noon - did 5 min abs again before work.  After work I went to the gym and did my "homework" for swimming...worked on legs and keeping my head in the water a bit better.  I timed myself for a 50 and got my time down by 15 seconds!!!  :)
          7:27, 6:43, 6:11, 2:53 (6:07pace) = 6:42 avg
• Thursday - 13.96 mi - 8.85 mi @ Queeny w/ Serena - morning run as we did 2 loops again just easy.  Good run overall.  Afterwards headed to my parents place for awhile before meeting Lauren again for more swimming lessons at 11.  Again, it is amazing the things I am learning from her on swimming, and to see how dramatically it impacts my swim!  I am excited now to see how the triathlon goes in 10 days!  Practice at Castlewood later tonight with the HS team, not sure if I will run a little again or not...
          7:56, 7:57, 7:18, 7:05, 7:26, 7:26, 7:10, 6:54, 6:04 (7:06pace) = 7:22 avg
      5.11 mi @ Castlewood w/ HS team.  Ran out along the washed out section now that the water had dropped back down.  Took it easy heading out using it as a shake-out run intending to just go out 2 miles and back, but after 3mi I ran into Ben and joined him on the final bit of his 15-13 workout so added a bit more to the run because of that.  Felt good overall though!
          7:01, 7:58, 7:23, 6:29, 6:13, 0:38 (6:08pace) = 7:00 avg
• Friday - 0 mi
• Saturday - 11.90 mi - 6.58 mi @ Wilmore Park - morning run from apartment to the park, ran 2 loops and then continued south to Gravois and took the bike path back home.  Easy run and felt good.  Nice park for loops.
          7:30, 6:46, 6:29, 6:17, 6:07, 6:02, 3:21 (5:48pace) = 6:28 avg
      5.32 mi @ Fenton FF - staff run from our new store in Fenton.  Ran the 5mi loop Jake made but was at 4.88 when we hit the store so Billy and I added a loop that just went around the buildings to get in a little more.  Nice loop, two good hills and some nasty cobblestones but not bad.  Ice cream afterwards!  :)
          7:45, 6:36, 6:50, 6:58, 6:47, 2:12 (6:48pace) = 6:59 avg
• Sunday - 12.22 mi @ Creve Coeur Lake - first time attempting to bike first and then go straight into a run, figure I best try this since the tri is in 1 week from today!  In the actual race it is to be a 7.4mi bike and 5K run, so I figured I would simulate that today, and bike 2 loops first and then run 1 loop as each loop is just over 4 miles.  Got in 8.07mi biking which went fine, nothing hard so it was pretty relaxed as I tried to get used to the bike and zig-zag around people.  Then I put the bike up and switched shoes and started running - wow that was weird!  Literally felt like I was not moving fast and hardly running anything faster than 8min mile pace....but I kept trying to tell my brain what it had to do and just went with it.  I glanced at the first mile split and was surprised, so I just kept maintaining that pace.  In some ways, the biking motion mimics my running motion so I wonder if that helped me out in some way.  Either way, the run went awesome!  Definitely did not feel the same way had I run these times straight from the gun in a race, this way actually felt ten times easier and felt like a slower pace!  :)  Went to work afterwards, and then hit the pool later that night for some swimming - went so-so, my legs let me know that after this morning they were exhausted, but I managed to get 100m of non-stop swimming in finally after 45min of trying.
         Bike = 4:41, 4:32, 3:42, 4:00, 3:43, 3:28, 3:13, 3:43, 0:20
          Run = 6:06, 5:47, 5:43, 5:36, 0:27 (5:41pace) = 5:47 avg for 4.08mi
  • Weekly Total - 37.97 miles

July 14th - July 20th:  Ballwin Triathlon Sunday the 20th!!!

• Monday - 0 mi, swimming
• Tuesday - 3.65 mi, swimming
• Wednesday - 0 mi, swimming
• Thursday - 4.48 mi
• Friday - 0 mi, swimming
• Saturday - 8.14 mi @ Castlewood w/ Serena - ran the "Mickey Mouse" loop for an easy run early morning before work.  Worked 10-2, then went to my parents place for dinner, then headed over to Jake's for Jason's going away party that evening.
          7:56, 7:31, 7:56, 7:54, 7:24, 7:51, 7:18, 7:12, 0:58 (7:07pace) = 7:37 avg
• Sunday - 5.1 mi @ Ballwin Triathlon - finished my first triathlon!  The swim went okay, not the greatest, but I wasn't the last one out of my wave.  I started my watch a little ways into the bike ride, and that went decent for the most part.  Due to cars and other bikers had a near wreck after the first loop, but avoided it.  On the run I managed to run down a competitor who had a mile or more lead on me when I started, and beat him by almost 30sec.  By far my run was the best segment obviously.  Felt like I wasn't going faster than 6min pace, but ended up negative splitting the whole thing.  Finished 19th overall of 247 and took 1st in my age group.  2mi worth of cool down afterwards.
          Bike = 3:34, 3:05, 2:50, 3:00, 3:22, 3:09, 3:07, 1:28 (includes transition into the run)
          Run = 5:48, 5:47, 5:26, 0:09 (4:46pace) = 5:39 avg for 3.03mi
  • Weekly Total - 21.37 miles

July 21st - July 27th:

• Monday - 7.5 mi @ Fenton FF - ran after work from the store in Fenton, headed out north along the outer road by 141 and took a trail that connected up to the 5 miler loop Jake made that goes to Fenton City Park.  Ran a loop around that and then since it was really dark heading back I took the way back via Jake's loop that involved the cobble stone hills rather then take the trail - both ways had a hard time seeing the footing, but at least I was familiar with how the road went. 
          7:19, 6:59, 6:52, 7:33, 6:24, 6:32, 7:30, 3:16 (6:32pace) = 6:59 avg
• Tuesday - 6.15 mi @ MHS - ran at practice w/ Brad and Billy on the Lix loop.  Brad went out about 2.25mi then turned back as we hit Hutchison road, while Billy and I continued and took Clarkson road back to school.  Easy run, felt good.
          7:23, 6:59, 6:40, 6:30, 6:24, 6:20, 0:56 (6:23pace) = 6:42 avg
• Wednesday - 0 mi
• Thursday - 7.98 mi @ Castlewood w/ Brad - due to weather most of the kids did not show for practice, so Brad and I did the Mickey Mouse loop as he already had gotten in 7.03mi in before hand.  Had rained all day long so the trails were very muddy and sloppy as footing was not the best.  Took it nice and easy - weather never got any worse so that good.
          7:45, 7:21, 7:42, 7:31, 7:25, 7:25, 7:04, 6:37 (6:46pace) = 7:22 avg
• Friday - 7.96 mi Francis Park / Wilmore Park / RDP Trail - ran to Francis Park and did one full loop, then zig-zagged my way through the park and completed another loop before leaving that (4mi) and ran along the outer loop of Wilmore Park and crossed over at Gravois to take the RDP (River Des Peres) trail back home.  Good run overall but felt a little tired at the end - think lack of eating earlier in the day.
          7:06, 6:28, 6:36, 6:27, 6:33, 6:20, 6:19, 6:06 (6:23pace) = 6:32 avg
• Saturday - 3.73 mi @ Carondelet Park - ran the outer loop on the path, then zig-zagged my way through the park on the roads and grass.  Nice park overall, except for my unwanted encounter by a local...
          6:58, 6:26, 6:16, 4:27 (6:08pace) = 6:28 avg
• Sunday - 0 mi, off day
  • Weekly Total - 33.32 miles

July 28th - August 3rd:

• Monday - 9.72 mi @ Fenton FF - ran after work out to Westside Park, then out to Fenton City Park and back via the cobblestones, so made a figure 8 loop.  Some good hills on this route.  Warm!
          7:02, 6:59, 6:37, 6:20, 6:33, 6:30, 6:22, 6:27, 6:55, 4:31 (6:18pace) = 6:37 avg
• Tuesday - 0 mi, thought of running but took day off instead
• Wednesday - 12.5 mi @ Fenton FF - after work ran to Westside Park, then headed out Bowels towards 44 and over to the Soccer Park and headed north from that to a park, then back south to Fenton City Park and back via the cobblestone way.  Great run, overcast and cool.  Started to rain while running, but not heavy - that came later tonight!  My garmin missed the first .28mi of the run, so the first split is actually 1.28mi and not 1 mile.
          9:11 (7:10pace), 6:57, 6:12, 6:13, 6:12, 6:20, 6:26, 6:19, 6:16, 6:22, 6:42, 6:24, 1:25 (6:19pace) = 6:29 avg
• Thursday - 5.3 mi @ Castlewood - 1.87mi warmup before practice to see how the body felt, and then 3.43mi loop during practice.  Went to Six Flags all day before hand, ate food about an hour before practice and decided to try and run - didn't feel so hot.  Took it real easy, and by the end of the second run started to get the stomach cramps but finished.  Got the feeling that I wanted to throw up but just couldn't.  Later out to eat with the other coaches and headed home to crash.
          7:49, 6:21 (7:19pace) = 7:35 avg for 1.87mi
            7:29, 7:06, 7:05, 2:58 (6:54pace) = 7:11 avg for 3.43mi
• Friday - 0 mi
• Saturday - 0 mi
• Sunday - 12.89 mi @ Apt - AWESOME weather!  70 degrees and overcast, huge change from the 90+ degrees the last couple days, so took advantage of it.  Made a new loop from my place by heading out to Big Bend through the back roads, then to Sappington and on to the Grant's Trial.  Took that to Gravois, which along the way ran past Matt K. out on his 13mi, and took Gravois back to the River Des Peres trail.  That segment however was the most boring, 3 miles of it.  By about 10-11 miles I needed a restroom so veered off into the woods along the trail thankfully.  Then continued my way back home.  Felt great the whole time, just nice and relaxed.
          7:29, 6:54, 6:39, 6:39, 6:34, 6:29, 6:20, 6:29, 6:33, 6:32, 6:42, 6:35, 5:42 (6:26pace) = 6:39 avg
  • Weekly Total - 40.41 miles