Last Day

I crawled through the 3 miles in the morning. This evening's Fairfax 4-miler is going to be...

A Day after Yesterday

I'm supposed to race tomorrow. However, this morning I was barely able to finish short 3 miles shake off. I almost considered walking. Dude, I'm tired. Really tired. This is not related to the overall tired feeling, but I decided to give up my plans to run a 26.2-miler in the Masters World Champs (to be held in Finland in 2009). This is mainly due to my relationship with marathon which is nowadays something else that it used to be. So instead, I will enjoy racing in the US during the next and our last year here. Go Boston!

The evening run felt much stronger than expected, 5+ miles (6.52/mile) including 4*20 sec strides.

Same Old

Things are turning back to normal. Yesterdays warm weather (60s) is only a memory and running is rolling okay. Morning shake off was only a 6-miler (7.10/mile). In the evening there is room for some core training, but no running. As a "club runner" I may confess that the expiration date of these worn-out legs is getting closer and I gotta save some miles for the next year.

Back Home

We are back from NYC. We left on Thursday and spent there two nights. On Thursday before we left we ran an easy 5 miler. On Friday I did fartlek in Central Park. I mixed my normal routines by doing 5*3 min. (5.50-5.15/mile)' 2 min. easy + 5*1min. (5.05-5.00/mile)'2 min. easy. I really enjoyed that. The rest of the day was just walking and walking so there was no chance for another run.

On Saturday we did an easy 6 miler at the Riverside Park just to see other places while being there. Morning was warm and foggy. Today I did 10.5 miles on really muddy and wet trails. Had fun! Week 63 miles.

Merry Christmas!

Xmas morning run ~9 miles with sweetie. I was hurting a lot even if the pace was bearable.....

Leap Like a Deer

I just rolled 5 miles (7.04/mile). Around 2 miles mark I met (again) 5-6 deers running relaxed across the trail. No matter what I like that sight. In the evening it's again time for a group run. Hopefully today I feel better than a week ago...

In the evening I ran 10 miles of which 7.5 miles were slightly faster (6.37/mile) with the group. I consider that as an easy tempo run.

Chilly Monday

A week ago it was 66 degrees and today it's 14s added with a chilly wind. Man! It was like North Pole without snow. Seven miles (7.05/mile) which included 5*20 seconds strides.

Slippery Sunday

Just had a nice long run with Jason and sweetie. We did ~14 miler with easy pace due to yesterdays race and icy roads. At the end sun started to shine.

Celtic Solstice

Last year I was sick and injured during this race. Compared to that today went fine and I clocked 27.30 (5.30/mile), which makes it decent race and an excellent workout for me. After last weeks problems I'm quite happy with this after all. Next phase is to improve the race pace to ... 5.20-5.10s. Tough talk. Today was around 8,5 miles.

Steady, steady

I started to enjoy these easy, but tired days. Morning offered an easy 3 miles. Tomorrow it's time for one 5-miler.

The Riddle is Back

All of a sudden, after a couple of glorious weeks, I'm proceeding on a downward spiral. I'm tired as whatever and the mysterious hollowness in my hamstrings is back. I'm not gonna stop here that's for sure. Maybe this is again just another bump on the runway... I've had worse. Today consisted only a 3 miles shake off and 5*100m strides and some streching.

Wednesday Group Run

Morning included easy 3 miles and in the evening I really don't know what happened. Actually nothing much happened. I ran with other couple of miles and that was it. I was hoping to increase the pace towards the end, but legs just got too tired. In all 10+ miles (of which 9 miles 6.34/mile). Tomorrow and Friday have to be easy days.

Tired Old Fart

During my close to 20 years of running I have changed to the planned schedule only some 10 times, tops. So today makes it eleventh time. These worn-out legs were just so tired that there was no use for any easy tempo nor for any hill repeats. Thus in addition to a 6-miler, I did ONE hill "repeat" and called it quits. Afternoon is dedicated to rest. I'm gonna enjoy that.

[edit:] This year CB10M registration was closed within 3 hours. WOW.

Easy Week

I rolled an easy 6 miler (7.00/mile). Tomorrow, instead of fartlek, some easy tempo run (rendoo) and couple hill repeats. Then on Wednesday HCS group run if I'm able to get back from Fairfax before they start... and on Saturday it's time for Celtic Solstice 5M. That race I missed last year due to flue and hamstring injury.

Those GRC guys have again produced a nice race video - now from yesterdays JAW10k.

34... Jingling All the Way

It's tough. To realize over and over again that this may be it. 34.04 in 10k with 17. place. Well, I was able to race, so why complain. But 33.59 would have been much better... At least my result was 7 seconds faster than last year. In all, I was such a sissy today by sort of giving up the effort 5k during the next 3k. That does not help your race at all. But even if todays run was this slow, I'm confident that there is a progress going on. I gotta continue this present path for a couple more weeks and then I'm ready to... be a real club runner. However, as you may see even this slow time is not effortless for me (photo by Robert Jarrin).

Week 60 miles.

Njaa

Last night it was time for arising soreness - in throath this time. I ran 3 miles easy today, but I'm still hesitating about tomorrows 10k. Damn!

Unexpected Friday

Today is one odd day. I was planning to do some fartlek, but nothing has happened. Only easy 4+ miles in the morning. Afternoon may consist of 3 miles and some strides. Sunday it's racing time.

The real reason for stepping on brakes is my lower abs. They are worse than before and I have to take it easy to able to continue running with less pain and to keep it rendo.

Rescheduling

Yesterday I did an early bird 4+ miles and then in the evening we did a group run which was for me 10.5 miles (~6.45/mile). Of that run I count some 8+ miles as an easy, rendo tempo run (~6.20-6.30/mile), and hence, I did NOT run any fartlek today. Instead, I ran with sweetie and paced her tempo run.

In Europe the forthcoming weekend is exciting. It's time for the XC European Championships in Belgium. I hope that our Annemari Sandell-Hyvärinen succeeds on her great comeback.

Different Type of Pain

No Pain, No Gain? I quite sure that the pain that I was carrying this morning is not THE pain, but something else that should be avoided. Lower abs are extremely sore, and the same goes with the right hamstring/buttock area. They both suck! This morning (and most likely todays only run) was an ez 6 miler....

Chilly Monday

Monday started with an easy shake off run. Today I gotta run faster tempo run (that was supposed be yesterdays race) already during early afternoon, since in the evening we are invited to celebrate the 91th Finnish Independence Day (which actually was already on Saturday) at the Finnish Embassy in D.C.


I'm back (the update this blog...) from "faster" tempo run. I ran steady 5k on the Bagel Run course (between mile 1 and 4.1) in time 16.45 (~5.24/mile). I'm quite happy with that except that same hamsting/buttock pain from last December is back. There is only one (or maybe two) four letter word to describe that one. But still, I'm happy. And 36.

No Race for Sunday

Metric Marathon was cancelled due to rather slippery conditions. Instead we did our run - not fast - on trails. 7 miles, pace unknown. Nice way to get older. Week 60 miles.

Bagel Run, no bagel

9+ miles (7.24/mile) in a crispy morning. Included also couple of strides. Felt about okay.

Happy Independence Day Finland!

Nature's Revenge

Ok. I felt great on Wednesday and yesterday but that was then. This morning was something completely different. Only 5 miles (8.15/mile). Lower abdomen is really out of control, and now it is really painful to run. Not in a good sense that is. But I hope that it is only temporary... On Sunday it is time for 5k. The goal is undefined. To finish, that's a start.

Rendo Tempo

Rendo. That's close to easy one, but done in a relaxed way, with relaxed mind and loose legs. Trust me it works. Despite of the still slow pace, the feeling was just great. I did 6.2 miler with 3 miles warm up and cool down (in all 9+ miles 6.33/mile).

I ran with certain heart rate level until the two last miles. I was throwing in some 5.55s with lower HR than before (10k 36.51, ~5.56/mile). This "test time" has dropped with 2 minutes in a month. What a morning!

Easy Wednesday

Easy Wednesday is back. Morning run was roughly 3.7 miles (hah) due to tired legs and mind. In the evening it's time for group run. I'll have to fight against being late - again. Tomorrow is still open, I originally had planned to run a easy tempo (rendo tempo in Kenyan-Finnish) (6-8 miles), but let's see.

In the evening I felt like flying, but then I got lost. Carlos, Tom, Phil, Bob, HCC 5th guy, and Jason just flew faster and I waited for Austin since he has stayed here only couple of week. Did not find him and the others, but after a while I found my way back to start. 9+ miles (6.54/mile).

Tuesday & Fartlek

Another Tuesday, another fartlek. This one sucked. I did 10 times 2/2 (Off: 7.30-6.50 /On: 5.58-5.20). Slightly slippery trails at Elkhorn and wooden bridges did not ease the pain. The average pace was somewhat faster than earlier even if I ran a bit longer fartlek but who does count that...

In the evening we did some core/circuit exercises.

Slow start

Monday morning was grey and lazy. Yesterday I felt so heavy/tired and decided to give yet another easy day for my body. Tomorrow it's time for something else. Next weekend it's time to race again. I'm really looking forward to forthcoming races even if my shape is what it is. Next Sunday there is 5k at the Metric Marathon in Columbia, then Jingle All the Way 10k in D.C. and then I'll finalize this year with Celtic Solstice 5M in B-more.

Slow and painful 6 miler. Happy to be back home.