No races this weekend, but I got a nice 13 mile run in yesterday. Keeping with the not-too-hard but not-too-easy theme that I'm on now, I did it in a little under 1:30, so about 6:55 a mile. Some of the middle miles were 6:30 pace, which was a little too quick.

This morning I logged 9 miles at 7 min pace, but I was feeling the effects of yesterday and running faster than intended.

I'm really enjoying this training, though. I pretty much run how I feel, and don't have to stress about an interval workouts, etc. The proof is in the pudding, and we'll see how the racing goes this summer.

ROCK THE RED!

If you know me at all, you know I love me some Washington Capitals hockey. Tonight commences the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, with the Caps are welcoming the hated New York Rangers to town. Hopefully the Caps knock them out of the playoffs like they did two years ago!

Go Caps!

Today marks the first time in 2011 where I've come home from a run drenched in sweat! I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. But hey, I'm glad I don't have to put on 10 different articles of clothing before heading out (shorts, shirt, running pants, jacket, gloves, hat, 2 pairs of socks, etc)...

Today was 8 miles at easy pace (7:00/mile).

Ed Whitlock, 80, runs a 3:25 marathon!

Canadian racing legend Ed Whitlock, 80 years young, ran the Rotterdam marathon in 3:25 over the weekend. That's 7:50/mile for 26 miles. Jaw-droppingly impressive!

Ed has an extremely unusual training regimen: He runs 3 hours a day, all of it in a cemetery. He covers a one-third-of-a-mile loop on a paved path. He doesn't count laps, stopping when his watch indicates three hours. He said he will not run the roads because drivers "aim" at him. Besides, Whitlock prefers running in circles. "You don't have to face the wind for very long," he said.

Read more about Ed's latest record here: http://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/blog/2011/04/ed-whitlock-onto-montreal/

I'm going to take a break from interval running for a month or so, maybe longer. I think I pushed it too hard the previous few months and I'm paying for it with tired legs. For the time being, I'm going to run 1 hour a day at a moderate pace (6:45-7:15 per mile), with a weekly long run and a tempo run. I've got a lot of road races coming up this summer, and being fried from running intervals too hard is not conducive to a good season.

So, this morning I did just that: 1 hour at a moderate pace. Riveting to write, riveting to read.

I was on-call over the weekend and only got one call, but that one call came at the 2 mile point of my run Sunday. Yes, I have to carry a phone when I'm on-call. I ran back home, changed, drove to work and spent the next few hours fixing a problem. No, I didn't go back to finish my run. I don't enjoy it THAT much!

Race Results: CRC 5K

At my age I don't win many races, but I managed to snag one today. The CRC 5K is a nice little race put on by some great people at Galilee UMC.

The race itself has a heckuva start: The first quarter mile runs straight up a hill on a very steep grade. I ran neck and neck with Rich V. last year, but he didn't post this year. This time around, I ran the first few minutes with a couple of guys whom I don't know, but they both quickly fell off the pace and I found myself all alone. At the 1 mile marker I turned around and couldn't see anybody, which is a feeling I'm not accustomed to. I ended up chatting with the race director, who was on his bicycle leading the race. Won by about 2 minutes in 17:50. Not a fast time, but for a roller coaster course and running alone I'm satisfied. Plus, it was over 30 seconds faster than I ran it last year.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Do not drink 6 year-old Diet Coke. Ever. You're welcome.

Cruised an easy 6 miles this morning as I wind down and get ready for Saturday's race. I just found my 25 year old high school track singlet. It was white at one time, but has yellowed over the years. I'm going to bleach it and if it looks presentable I'll wear it Saturday.

Just a few days away from my first race of 2011. I'm going to take a different approach to racing this year. Rather than focus all of my training for just a few key races, I plan on doing around 20 races this year. I'm gonna take a 1970's-style race-every-weekend approach, ala Bill Rodgers or Frank Shorter. I'll have to cut back substantially on the number of track workouts, tempo runs, etc. Not that I am complaining. As they say, "racing is the best speedwork."

This morning I cruised 7 miles in 49 minutes.

*Note to self: Do not consume a "5 Hour Energy Drink" at 9PM EVER AGAIN IN THIS LIFETIME!!! The bottles are little and cute, but they work as advertised. Sometime around 3AM I found the sweet embrace of sleep.

This morning called for intervals: 14X400 at 5K pace. 3 mile warmup, 2 mile cooldown, roughly 9 miles for the day.

8 miles around Algonkian Park. As I ran near the front gate I saw a line of cars, and guys collecting $10 per car. There were hundreds of cars parked in the lots along the Potomac, with grills already fired up and smelling delicious! And this was at 8AM on a Sunday? Normally, this early on a Sunday the park is empty, save for a few other runners and early golfers. Turns out it was the Persian New Year celebration. We frequent some of the local kabob places, so I know how good their food is.

Abbreviated long run today as I've got a race next weekend. Logged about 12 miles in an hour and a half. Easy pace, easy weather, easy day. Nice.

Fun workout this morning! 3 mile warmup, followed by 4 X 2KM (1.25 miles) at 10KM race pace, and 2 mile cooldown. I ran the 2KMs repeats on a hilly loop near my house. To add to this morning's festivities, it was 35 degrees and raining. I should have taken up racquetball or something.

All in all, though, the workout was a success and I felt strong. No idea what kind of times/pace I was running as I have decided to no longer time my intervals. Instead, I'm going to "run by feel." Shorter workouts will be at either 2 mile or 5K race pace, and the longer work will be at 10K or half marathon pace. When I time my workouts I tend to compete with myself, always trying to run faster than the last workout, which leads to fatigue, burnout, and injury.

10 miles for the day.