Catching up

Yes I have been running 5 times per week, only not blogging much.

Wednesday December 11th -  I ran easy for the most part. Ran after work at 7:30 p.m. or so, In the last lap or a bit more ran with a guy and did around 4:03 for that last lap (4:30 per km), did not feel that hard, but not easy either, felt ok. Ran 7.2k (8 laps ) in 41:56, so Good average pace given that I sped up in the last part of the run. No intervals since I was trying to ease up into consistent running after one week off because of the sickness.

Thurday - Off

Friday - After work at 7 something pm, did an easy run of 8 laps to the Blasco park, I always say that I was going to run in the morning on Friday so that I have more recovery between that run and my Saturday`s morning tempo, but I always end up running in the evening, its not a big problema I think, since I am learning to run fast when " tired". I dont remember the exact time of this run, I think it was high 45s. Dont matter much though.

Saturday -  At around 10:00 a.m. I headed out to the Turia park to do my 5k tempo. Warmed up 15 mins including 5 x 50m accelerations. I felt Good in the easy portion, but when I started doing the strides I knew right there that the tempo was going to be a struggle. My legs are not having it on tempo runs. On intervals I feel pretty Good, but on tempos I feel flat, I really dont know the reason, but I suspect because I am giving my body less than 14 hours between one run and the other, but Friday`s run is always easy, so I dont know.

I wanted to negative Split big time, go out conservately and really hammer in the second half. I negative Split, but I almost drop out and call it a day after 3k, but stayed tough and decided to finish at whatever pace. First km was in 4:47, second km was 4:52 or something like that, halfway was 12:04 and felt tired and flat, I knew that running sub 24 mins that day would be very hard. 3k came in 14:24 decided to remain strong mentally, 4k in 19:16, if I wanted to run sub 24 mins I would have to run 4:43 last km, and I was not having it, last km came in 4:47 and I could finish in 24:03, garbage workout, huffing and puffing, walked some to catch my breath and then started my cool down jog to home. The soreness lasted till Wednesday morning of next week.

I really dont understand the inconsistency of tempos, one week I run sub 23 mins, the other run 24 mins and the other run 23:30. I am putting in the effort though and I think that is the most important thing. Around 10k total for the day, or a bit less.

Sunday -  Out at 10:00 a.m. to the Turia park to do my 80 mins long run, felt Good on this run and I was running sub 6 mins per km, so my easy pace has increased, but my workout pace has not. Felt strong though and happy to have completed my week of training. 5 runs for the week.

Monday December 16th - Off

Tuesday - Did 8 laps in the Blasco park after work at 7:xx something pm, weather was Good and I did not wear my windbreaker. Incorporated 6 strides from laps 6 to 8, did 44:16 or something like that for the run.

Wednesday - I did an Interval workout after work at 7:05 p.m. or so, the plan was to do 2 mins repeats in the Blasco park. The initial plan was to do 5 repeats, but if I felt Good do 6 repeats, I felt Good and the weather was awesome so I went with 6 repeats. I could have done more, which was Good. This workout really gave me confidence since those tempos were destroying my confidence, but the intervals really get me the confidence back. I did around 5 laps in 22:01 including the recoverys for  the fartlek. Did 3 laps to warm up in 17 mins and after the 22 mins of fartlek did 3 more laps very easy to cool down in 17:11. I think I did around 10-11k for the day. Felt pretty Good and the weather helped inmensely.

Thursday -  Off

Friday- In the evening again I got my run in. This time I left the watch at home and just ran 8 laps in the Blasco park at a very easy pace, just to get the mileage in and to prepare myself for Saturday`s tempo run. Felt Good on this run.

Saturday (Yesterday) - I warmed up 15 mins easy to the Turia park to do my weekly tempo, I felt flat in the warm up and I was mentally prepared that this was going to be a grind, wanted to get in a Good effort though. Did 5 x 50m strides and felt flat. When I started the workout I did not feel Good, but did not feel terrible either, I was mentally prepared to see another 24 mins 5k in my watch. This time I was only going to see the first km and then was not going to look at the watch until the end. First km was not that bad in 4:37, but I knew that I was not going to sustain that until the end. Then I just told myself that I had to run at an effor that I think I could sustain in the 10k. Did not feel that bad in the halfway, but  I thought that the second half was going to be hell, but susprisingly it was not, did not got any worse than that. I finished very tired, but under control. Finished the 5k in 23:33 ( first half in 11:43 pressed the Split button, but did not look at it), did a slightly positive Split, but that is ok. After the tempo, walked for a couple of mins, and then decided to do 2 x 200s, 1st repeat came in 40.12, then decided to back off in the second one, no need to run that fast given my current fitness, second one came in 42.25. Then started my cool down jog home, took me 15:17. Around 10.4k total for the day. My confidence is coming back and today as I type this I dont feel soreness whatsoever.

Sunday -  Today I was out at 10:20 a.m. or something like that to the Turia park to do my 80 mins long run of the week. In the first few kms I could see I was running 6:04 - 6:06 per km, but in the second half I started running 5:55-5:56 at the same effort, so that is Good. In the first half of the run, felt tired and thought that it was going to a struggle, but after 35-40 mins of running I started feeling better and better and finished feeling pretty strong. I turned around when the watch read 40:45, that is 81:30, but got home in 80:10, so I negative Split the run by 80 seconds, not bad at all. I felt pretty satisfied at the end of the run, this was a Good week of training.

I am contamplating the idea of getting out this evening to do another short run, I am bored here at home, so I think that would be beneficial, We Will see. Either way, very satisfied with this week`s of training and I am starting to like long runs.

Have a great end of the week.

Zapping the zero

Yesterday I took the day off since I did not feel very Good.

Today I ran at 7:00 p.m. after work, feeling better from the flu. I did 6 laps in the Blasco park at an easy pace. However, from laps 4-6, starting each lap, I did 40 seconds strides to add variety. I felt really Good today, maybe I am recovered from the flu, so its time to ramp up to my normal 45 mins runs. Did 32:51 for 6 laps (5.4k). Those long strides really helped my overall pace. I needed to run since today it was a stressful day at work, and tomorrow looks like the same.

Have a great start to the week!

Sick week!

This week I only have run today, so bascally 1 week off. This was not because I wanted to, in fact I am very motivated in my training. The reason was that I finally got sick after 1.5 years without experiencing even a flu or cold. I rest on Mondays mostly, but Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday rained the whole day and I got to work with the shoes soaked, so that was basically the reason I think. On Thursday I knew that I was getting the flu, and I dont like to run sick, so this time the rest was going to be on purpose.

I was going to give running a try on Saturday, but I was caughing a lot, so decided to give the body extra rest.

Today I woke at 8:45 a.m, started cleaing the house (this week is my turn), and then at 11:30 a.m. I headed out to the Blasco park to test the body and to see how my body responded. The plan was to run an easy 30 mins. I did 6 laps in the Blasco park and did 33:46. The pace in the first lap was 5:52, but then worked my way down to 5:30s for the second half of the run. A gal  made this run more enjoyable, since I was Racing her at an easy pace, not that I was pushing, but I did not let her to pass me. I could have completed my normal run, but wanted to play it safe and call it a day at 33:46.

So 1 run this week, not Good, but life happens! Hope to bounce back well next week.

Good week of training

Monday -  Planned day off.

Tuesday - Woke up at 5:50 a.m. and was out running at 6:10 a.m. in the Blasco  park. uJst an easy run to start the week. 8 laps easy incorporating 6 strides in the last 2 laps. Felt Good. Did 44:28 for 7.2k.

Wednesday -  I did not wake up early, decided to sleep in since I have been feeling tired and Saturday`s tempo was a disaster in my book. Anyway, it was just an excuse I did in my head at the momento to stay on bed. I was supposed to run easy in the evening afte work, but as the day progresssed I planned a 1 mins fast and 1 mins slow fartlek, I would start with 5 repeats and then evaluate from there if I should run more repeats, the goal for this day was to at least run though. I ran at 7:15 p.m and had a great workout, felt very strong an completed 9 x 1 mins and 1 x 2 mins. That 2 mins fast really hurted and my lungs were burning at the end. I did 3 laps (2.7k ) warm up in 17:08, then started the 20 mins workout, then did 20 mins warm down (3 + laps). I did around 10k for the day. It does not matter that what time you run as long as you get your run in. Anyway, I felt much better in the morning, since in the evening I generally feel very tired. Wednesday was not the case though.

Thursday - Took the day off.

Friday - I ran in the evening after work, and thought that I could get away with it and have a great workout on Saturday ( more on that later). Ran around 8 p.m. in the Blasco park.Kept the effort very easy and did not feel bad. Finished 8 laps (7.2k) in 45:42. First half in 23:12, second in 22:30 or so. Left work later than I had planned.

Saturday - I was up at 7:00 and was out running at around 8:45 a.m. barely the sun raising. In the warm up, I knew that I would struggle again in the tempo, because in the strides pre workout I was feeling tired on the legs. I at least prepared mentally to have a poor workout and to battle through it to make it half decent. I warmed up 15:20 incorporating 5 x 50m strides. Then started my 5k tempo. First 1km was 4:41 and I was working, at that point I just wanted to run sub 24 mins, I kept trying to maintain effort and I did not look at the watch until the end. Pressed the button in the halfway point though. In the  last 2k I was really working, and that point I saw an ocean of runners in line ( it looked like a maratón), they were all runner shaking out for Suday`s Valencia maratón, I had to made a lot of zig zags and combine Grass running and dirt running to pass because the path is very narrow.It costs me a lot of time and I was dead in the last km. I stopped the watch in 23:31 for the 5k. No 200m repeats as there were too many runners in the path and the 200s were not posible. Then I started my cool down to home 15:16. Around 10k total for the day. I thought that I was going slower to be honest, but I am working too hard for that time. On this week, I decided to back off on the potatoe chips and substitute that for bananas. I think that Will work, since I am  feeling better ( hence Wednesday`s workout) and that Will give a lot more benefits than the chips plus way hundred less calories.  Anyways, I am getting the work in though. Did not wear my windbreaker on Wednesday  nor today since the weather was not cold enough to wear it.

Sunday -  I was up at 5:40 a.m. to get my long run in before watching the maratón in the streets of Valencia. Was out at 6:05 a.m. or so and did the same route as last Sunday`s.. From my home to the Turia park, and then to the end of the Turia (had 41:54 at halfway when I turned around) and finished the run in 81:17, so did 2:30 negative Split. Very few runners at that time of the morning runner ( or maybe most of them were goint to run the 10k or maratón). Very happy to have gotten my run in early so I can relax the rest of the day. Took a 2 hour nap. WR in the 10k for Cheptegei in 26:38 and course record in the maratón 2:03:50. And 4 women did 2:18. This maratón is very fast and every year is getting more popular. It was very fun to watch live and encourage runners of all levels.

For me it was a Good week of training, the only complain is Saturday`s tempos are not feeling controlable and easy anymore, maybe Wednesday`s workout are stressing me a lot, maybe it is Friday`s night easy run that is tiring me. I Will run in the morning on Friday or move the run for Thursday. We Will see.

Decent week of training

This week did not start very Good as I did not run on Monday and Tuesday. Monday was a planned day off, but Tuesday I intended to run in the early morning, but slept in. Of course felt guilty, the rest of the day.

On Wednesday, I did my planned workout. Got out at 5:50 a.m. to the Turia park, warmed up 15 mins including 5 x 50m strides and then did 5 x 800m with 400m jog in between each repeat. It was cold when I went out, but warmed up during the workout. Splits were 3:23,3:21,3:21,3:15,313. The firt one was very cold, but then warmed up and got progressively faster. In the last repeat I felt tired though and was huffing and puffing. I am struggling at the end of workouts as opposed to a couple of months ago, where I basically could run way faster in my last repeat, I dont have that geat. I suspect is because I have gained some weight. I have decided to decrease my potatoe chips consumption, because as I have been running early in the morning, and in the evening when I get home from work I am downing  a 1000+ calories bag of potatoe chips besides my dinner. That needs to end, because I thought that I could get away with it, but  I certainly cant. I have decided to substitute that junk food with bananas ( I seldom eat fruits). My performance has not decreased a lot , but I can note that my times in workouts are not improving.  15 mins easy cool down home. Total 10k or so.  I have found that running early in the monring pumps me in the morning, but when 2-3 p.m. come I am tired and I have experienced headaches on several occasions. However, that is the Price to pay, because I just get too tired from work and I struggled (on Thursday and Friday that I ran in the evening).

Thursday - I am not sleeping well, so I moved the run for the evening. and I ran 8 laps at 7:30 p.m. in the Blasco park, I did not feel bad, but experienced a side stitch and finished in 44:50 for 7.2k ( Had around 4 weeks without running in the evening).It was a hard day of work.

Friday -  I did not feel pretty Good. I again ran in the evening at 8:20 p.m. I left work very late, but since I skiped the first two days of the week, I had to run. I was not motivated and it was pouring a bit of rain when I started, but you have to do what you have to do. I did 8 laps and I incorporated 6 strides from laps 6-8. Felt like crap on those. I only felt Good durin the first 20 mins of the run, after that I felt like I had no energy. Finished in 45:25.

Saturday -  I ran in the morning at 9:30 a.m., and it was my tempo day, I thought that the run 12 hours before would not affect my performance, but I think it did, because I ran terribly and felt very tired at the end. Felt exactly like the first tempo run of the cycle. The Good thing is that I only watched my watch in the first km and then it was by feel. I did a positive Split, but at least I finish my 5k tempo. First km was in 4:35 and I thought that I would maintain that pace until the end like previous week, but I jut got worse and worse, first half was 11:43 (pressed the Split button, but did not look) and finished in 23:41. I was very surprised when I saw that time on my watch at the end, I thought that I had run 22:xx given the effort that I put in. My legs felt tired on the warm up and it certainly did not have any pep on them. After the 5k, I stopped for  a couple of mins and then did 2 x 200s in 43 and 43, but felt way faster.

Warmed up to the Turia park 15 mins including 5 x 50m strides and Cooled down to home 15 mins easy for a total of 10k or so for the day.

Today I ran at 9:30 again, I wanted to run earlier, but I went to the Asian buffet yesterday when I woke up this  morning still felt full, so I took my time before going out. The plan was to do 80 mins of easy running and I did just that. Average pace was around 6 mins per km and I felt pretty Good. The Good weather makes this longer runs more enjoyable and managable. Around 13.4k for the day.

Solid finish to the week, but I am not happy with how my workouts are going. My easy pace has improved, but my workouts are getting worse ironically. I would rather run slower on my easy days and faster on my workout days.

5 runs this week

Have a great finish to the week.

Another solid week of morning running

Monday -  Planned rest day

Tuesday - I was out running in the Blasco park at 6:10 a.m. The plan was to do 8 laps as usual incorporating 6 strides from lap 6-8. I Will have to add one more lap like I did in the previous cycle. Total time for the 8 laps was 42:57 for 7.2k. Felt really Good and fresh.

Wednesday -  I did intervals in the morning. This is the first time that I do intervals in the early morning in years. When I headed out the door at 5:50 a.m. ( I woke up earlier since this workout was going to take me around 60-65 mins), I saw that it was pouring rain, I almost got back to bed , but I was already awake, dressed and out, so I decided to go no matter what. I dont regret the decisión, since the rain stopped soon after, but there was too much wind. The warm up to the Turia park was unconfortable with the cold and the rain, but felt better as the warm up progressed. Did 4-5 x 50m strides very controlled since the roads/dirts terrain were slippery and wet. The plan for that morning was to do 4 x 1000m with around 400-500m recovery rest ( I think I recovered around 450m between each) The first 2 were with a headwind, the last 2 I think there was a bit of a tailwind. Splits were 4:13,4:18,4:06,4:01. In the first 2 I thought that I was very out of shape, but in the second 2, I realized that I was just not warmed up. Anyway, if you dont use it you lose it, since I was huffing and puffing in the last 2 and the last 400m were very unconfortable. I had not done intervals since October 1st or something like that, so around 6 weeks without doing intervals workouts. This was a Good come back. I am happy with the splits. After the workout, cooled down 15 mins to home. Around 10-10.5k total I think.

Thursday - Planned rest day.

Friday - Was out in the Blasco park at 6:10 a.m. again to repeat the 8 laps that I normally do. Pace was easy to recover and get ready for Saturday`s tempo sesión. Did 44:33 for the 8 laps (7.2k) feeling pretty Good.

Saturday -I was out at 7:20 a.m. to the Turia park to do my tempo run, when I went out it was still dark. Its getting lighter around 7:40 a.m. before that its dark. Anyway, 15 mins warm up including 5 x 50m striders to loosen up, the weather that morning was 8 Celsius, so it was very dark, even warming up 15 mins, my hands were very cold and did not feel enough warmed up. The plan was to do a 5k tempo like the last couple of weeks, but this time I would incorpórate 2 x 200m, I have been neglecting those 200m after the tempos in the last few months, those really help with the finishing kick. The plan was to only look at the watch in the first km and then ran by feel the rest of the way without looking at the watch until the finish. I would still press the Split button for post run view. First km was in 4:37, feeling Good, but felt very cold and because of that felt a bit unconfortable, after that just ran by feel and to my surprised finished in 22:55 with a 18 seconds negative Split. Halfway was 11:37. I think there was a headwind in the first half and tail wind in the second half, or maybe I just warmed up in the last 1 mile and increased pace. I noted that in the last km my hand were no longer cold, so I warmed up with 1 km to go, ha. I was pleasantly surprised with this tempo, I did not think that I could run sub 23 mins, but I was working, no way I could sustain that pace for 10k. However, I felt the same way 2 weeks ago when I ran 23:35 and finished with the same disconfort. In 2 weeks I improved 40 seconds at the same effort level. 2 weeks ago also I was still sore on Wednesday and when I type this (Sunday post run) I am feeling fresh and Good. Maybemy fitness was asleep for the last of workouts in the past month. If you dont do workouts, you are not going to improve, period.  Then did 2 x 200s in 42.50 and 41.78. Felt better in the second one . After the 200s, I just went home to finish 15:10 of cool down. Total for the day was around 10.5k or so. Felt really satisfied, maybe that cold weather help.

Sunday (today) - I did 80 mins of easy running, that was the plan since yesterday. I was out at 7:40 a.m. today barely some brightness. The weather was again 8 Celsius, and my hands were no longer cold after the 40 mins of running, ha. I felt very Good though and you dont even break a sweat in this weather and dont get dehydrated, like you do in summer. You feel you could run forever in this weather. I went to the Turia park and until the 5k mark and back. I turned around at 40:30 and finished in 79:16, so I did 1:44 negative Split. I completed the 80 mins though. I started to look at my splits when I got to the Turia park and first km that I looked was 6:08, then worked in the 6:02-6:03 for a while and after the halfway started to run sub 6 mins per km, hitting 5:54,5:54,5:52 and then left the Turia park and ran home for the last 13 mins, which were maybe faster, because I was calculating to get home in 80 mins, but got here in 79:16. I felt really Good and it feels Good to know that my easy pace is getting quicker at the same effort. I dont care much about easy pace though. Workouts are what really improve you. Felt very strong today.

I am really liking this morning running thing, I am feeling fresh in the morning and feeling free in the evening, although a bit bored sometimes. It feels so Good to get the run in the morning.

5 runs this week and 2 workouts, very Good week of running. I Will have to keep training hard to accomplish my goals.

Have a great Sunday!

Week of morning running

Last week I ran 5 times and every run was in the morning. I want to start running in the morning since I am very unmotivated to run after work with that darkness after work, and my brother is partially retired from running, so its hard to run alone. I decided to give the morning running a go. I had a lot of time without running right before work, but you have to start somewhere.

On last Monday I rested as usual.

On Tuesday I started my morning running quest, I was up at 5:50 a.m.,  I did not wear my windbreaker but it was cold, I did 8 laps in the Blasco park,  a lot of drunk youngster at that time in the park. I had stomach problems, but felt really fresh and finished the 8 laps in 44:19 , both halves were 22:19, 22:00. Felt really Good.

On Wednesday up again at 5:50 a.m. I thought about doing intervals (I would have to get up at 5:30 to ge the intervals in), but decided to start slow with this transition. I incorporated 6 strides in the last 2 laps though. I did 8 laps again , so 7.2k. Me and the drunk youngsters once again. Total time was 43:30 and felt really fresh as well, much better  Both halves were 22:23 and 21:07 or something like that.

Thursday was an off day.

Friday was up again at 5:50 a.m. and out around 6:10 a.m. again my bread and butter 8 laps in the Blasco park, 44:16. Pretty much the same run as Wednesday and the same pace.

Saturday -  Was up at 6:30 a.m. and was out at 7:15 a.m., or so its very dark at that though, I went to the Turia park jogging to do my warm up , did 15 mins warm up with 5 x 50m strides, felt really Good, but I was worried that I would have to abort the workout due to GI problems, because the previous night I was in the all you can eat buffet, but ironically, I did not have any problems and I could complete my 5k tempo without problems. The goal for today was at least to feel better tan last week. I  only looked at the watch in the first km and then did not look again until the end, I pressed the Split button in the halfway though. First km was 4:38, half was 11:46 (did not look until the end though), finished the 5k in 23:23 felt much better than last week and no soreness at all. It was a night day difference and that really increase my confidence, because I thought that I was losing a lot of fitness, but given how I felt on Saturday, I am heading the right direction. Then did again another 15 mins of easy running to cool down. Around 6 miles or 10k. Felt really Good overall.

Sunday -  I was up at 5:50 a.m. because I was going to a trip ( yea, the trip that I could go last week, I could go this week), Had to squeeze a quick 7.2k (8 laps) run in the Blasco park before departing to the trip at 08:00. I felt really Good during the run, but had stomach problems in the last 2-3 laps. Did 44:15 for 8 laps, then kept running until home to complete maybe 46 mins.

I had to wear my windbreaker after Wednesday in all my runs since weather is very cold already (10 degrees Celsius).

I am feeling really good in these runs. Its hard to wake up, but once you warm up you feel really fresh and Good.

On work  I feel sleepy after 2 p.m., but that Will pass I think.

Today I rested again and I Will start my morning journey again tomorrow morning again.

Have a great start to the week!

Early morning hour

Yesterday Iw ent to bed really early for me, around 10:30 p.m. definetely, too early for a Saturday, but I was sleepy and wanted to test if I went to bed early, if I would wake up easier. That was the case, since I woke way earlier than my alarm clock that went off at 6:45 a.m., at that time here is still very dark.

Anyway, when the alarm went off, I got dressed and felt very rested, the only problema was again my stomach, it seems that  I ate a lot of past yesterday. Had some stomach problems during the run, but nothing crazy. The plan today was to do run 60 mins at an easy pace to recover from the tempo that I did yesterday.

I decided to go to the Turia park and when my watch read 30:30, I would turn around and got back home, that was exactly what I did and I finished in 60:02, so my calculation was very spot on.

I checked 3-4 kms there in the turia to have an idea of the pace that I was running, and I was surprised with how fast I was running for an easy run. I was running at 6:00 with a strong headwind, and when I turned around that I had the wind on my watch, it was 5:54, then I decided to go easier, as I wanted to recover well from my workout yesterday, got back to 6:00 per km and stayed at that effort till the end of my run.

I am really liking those morning runs, before you know it, you have completed 10 kms and you have the rest of the day to relax and do other things, that honestly can  be a problema when you dont have plans and have to stay at home the whole day. However, I find that I am much more energized in the morning than in the evenings where I am just tired from work or the motivation is low. Now I have to test these runs when I have a full day of work ahead of me, the last 3 morning runs has been off from work and basically I have relaxed for the rest of the day.

10k or so for the day. Felt really Good and easy. Although I started the week without running, I finished the week with 3 runs that went really well. Today I am much more sore than I expexted for a 5k tempo, but I am really sore, maybe as I said yesterday I lost some fitness in that break. Anyway, got my mojo back and ready to start training hard again for next year.

ah, I forgot to mention, that I am not going to the trip  that I mentioned yesterday, when I was going to buy my ticket, they put in the door that the trip was sold out, I got pissed off, but it is what it is. I Will have to watch the NYC maratón after all.

Have a great Sunday!

Early morning tempo run

Today I woke up around 6:20 a.m. way before my alarm at 6:40, but did not run until 1 hour later, reason being that I ate 2 kebabs last night and that did not set me weel, so I felt my stomach a Little bit full, so took care of that before going out. I still went out at 7:20 a.m., which is very early for me these days. Streets were for me. I ran easy to warm up to the Turia park and included 5 x 50m strides to get back to routine. I wanted to do a 5k tempo run, but did not care too much about the time, just wanted to get back to the routine of doing workouts.

Felt really Good in the warm up and in the strides. Then I started my tempo and felt great for the first 500m, first 200s were in 54-55 seconds, so I said that I had not lost any fitness in this break, but after the 500m things were not that easy and my legs got progressevely heavier. Luckily, my pace did not slow down much and I even did a negative Split, but I felt very tired, was huffing and puffing and no way that I could have kept that pace for another 5k ( I did the same pace in a 10k 3 weeks ago). Anyway, I hang tough and could complete the intended workout and surpassed my goal for today. Then caught my breath before starting my cool down, which was the same distance and route as the warm up and I even threw a 50m strides to loosen up the legs.

Splits per km were 4:45, 4:46 (9:31), halfway in 11:49.90, 3rd km in 4:37 (14:08), 4rd km 4:47 (18:55), I was very tired at that point, but stayed tough, finished in 23:35 with the last km being in 4:40. Felt satisfied with the workout, but that pace felt way easier during the race than today. Happy to get back to workouts and very happy to have gotten my run in the morning, which is not easy.

Total for the day was around 6 miles -10 kms. Tomorrow I Will have to run even earlier, since I Will go to an excursión  the whole day to meet some Valencia towns, it should be fun. I Will miss watching the NYC maratón, but I Would rather live myself than watch other lives.

Have a great Saturday!

Catching up

I have not been running much, since I decided to do my break and to start training full force next week. Its also lazyness, its true that when you rest a couple of days, the streak just go on. The opposite is also true.

Last week, I only ran Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so rested Monday until Thursday. I have not lost any fitness though.

Friday October 25th did 8 laps in the Blasco park after work, did 44:33.
Saturday October 26th did the same, so 8 laps in the Blasco park in the evening at 7:00 pm. or so did 44:23 or something like that.
Sunday 27th -  That morning was the Valencia half maratón, the one that I wanted to race, but when I signed up on July it was already full, my brother right away, put himself in the waiting list, but I did not do right away, in the end He could run the half maratón and I just put myself too  late in the waiting list and I could not make it. My brother did not run so well, and He has run 3 half marathons in October, I told him that that would affect him negatively. Anyway, the race was won by Kejelcha and it was a 4 sprint to the finish. Good race. In the evening at 7 p.m. I went out to do 8 laps once again, but in the 7th lap had to call it a day because I was having stomach problems. The pace was Good though, did 6.3k in 38:18, including 3 strides in that last lap, wanted to do 1 more lap and 3 more strides, but the stomach got the best of me.

Ran 3 times that week, I dont remember last time that I only ran 3 times.

This week is the same, I rested from Monday until Thursday and today (Friday) is holidays here in Spain so I opted for morning running, I think that I Will have to start running in the morning, since at the end of the day after work, my motivation to run is low, and now more that I leave work already dark, for the hour change past Sunday and also because my brother cannot do workouts on Wednesday,  I Will have to do it alone. This break has given me a lot of lazyness. Next week I have to start training seriously again, since I dont want to lose the fitness that I have gotten this past year.

Today I ran at 08:00 a.m. which is early for me these days, I loved those morning runs in the Dominican Republic, but I can count the few times that I have run in the morning here in Spain, given how I felt today I should give these runs a go.

I ran in the Blasco park today for a change ha, I did 8 laps today, but the first lap was 5:32, I was kind of surprised, because its very rare that my first lap there is so fast, but I went with it while keeping the effort easy. 4 laps came in 21:43 feeling pretty Good and fresh. In the end finished 8 laps in 42:55, last lap in 5:10 and second half in 21:12 or so. Felt like a million of bucks and the weather was very nice. It seems that I have not lost any fitness and these break has helped me.

Tomorrow I ll again run in the morning, I Will try to do a light tempo, something like 5k at 5 mins per km (with warm up and cool down of course), to see how the legs respond . This hopefully Will be in the Turia park. Looking forward to it already.

Week of easy running

I decided during this week, that I would take a break fro workouts for a couple of weeks before starting a new cycle. I want to be in Good shape by January and February, so its better to take my break now.

Monday - Planned rest day.

Tuesday -  I ran after work at 7:30 p.m., did 8 laps in the Blasco park at an easy pace . My legs were very sore, especially the quads, kept the effort really easy. 7.2k in 46:16.

Wedneday - Felt better than Tuesday, kept the effort easy, but once I warmed up, I let myself loose, but keeping the effort easy. Finished 8 laps in the Blasco park in 44:27.

Thursday - Took the day off and went to the All you can eat Asian buffet with my brother.

Friday - I ran after work although I had zero motivation, I even ate a donut 1 hour or so before running, but it seems that that donut really helped with the energy, because once I started running I felt really Good. Finished 8 laps in 44:51, this run felt much faster than Tuesday run, but running is like that. Anyway, felt real Good. The soreness is gone.

Saturday - In the evening at 6:15 p.m. I went to the Turia park with my brother and We did 8k at an easy pace, I started the first km in 6:44. and decided to went ahead, however, my brother caught me with 3k to go or so. I finished the 8k in 49:39 keeping the effort really relaxed.

Today at 6:15 p.m.I ran in the Turia park once again to run with my brother, but pretty much this run was solo, since I dropped my brother very early in the run and He was only doing 5k, I was doing the same as yesterday so 8k. I kept the effort easy like yesterday, but today it was faster, first km was 6:28, but from the second km till the end I kept the pace between 5:56-6:02 per km. Finished the 8k in 48:18 feeling very relaxed.

The weather the last few days has been amazing, I pretty much dont sweat, as opposed to last week where I sweated even at night running. It seems that the summer is gone and the cooler temps are coming, so that means that probably workouts times are going to improve.

Good week of easy running. I Will do another week of easy running and that Will be my break. 3 weeks without workouts. I did not do workouts between the half maratón and the 10k, so I am counting that as a recovery week as well.

Dissapointing 10k race: Sanitas 10k race:47:32

I ran the Sanitas 10k race this morning.

I have to say that I am dissapointed with my performance today, I was aiming for sub 46 mins, given that I ran 46:36 in May, I am in much better shape right now and the course was much faster, since it was in the city and few turns. Very fast course. My tempo runs and my intervals are way faster than back then. So yeah I am very dissapointed. It was not a disaster, but I gave a great effort to run such a slow time. Maybe I was tired from the half maratón, or maybe it was not my day.  I felt strong, I could sing the anthem, but my legs would not go any quicker and I could feel the burn in my legs at 2k and from that point on, a lot of people started to pass me, in that momento I knew that I was slowing down, but I thought that at least I would pull a 46 mins 10k.

I ran from my home to the start of the race as the warm up, around 2-2.2k, then there I did 2-3 x 50m race pace strides ( I had done a couple before getting there). Then got in the corral of sub 45 mins and stayed patiently until start time. The Good think that I like about this race is that there is not a lot of people, but I stayed 14 seconds back, which is back given the quantity of people in this race. Anyway,  I started at a pretty Good rythm and I felt confortable, but I found that I had to turn my legs very quick to maintain that pace, once we hit the 1k mark, people started to pass me. I dont wear a watch in races, but I think I cross the first km in 4:20 to 4:23 more or less, because I saw the leading car with a big clock when I was approaching the 1k mark, I think that I went out too fast. In my last 10k I went out 20-25 seconds slower and worked my way from there, this time around it was the total opposite, I went out fast and payed the Price. I think I kept a Good rythm until the 3k, then my pace progressively got slower, it was Good that I do not wear a watch, since the decreasing in pace would have played with my mind, at least I realized that I had done a disaster at the end and I had given my best effort already. Anyway, tried to hang on the best that I could, people that passed me built a gap, but I kept the gap under control in the second half, so my bonking was not that disastrous. In the last 2-3k I could regroup myself a bit and increased my effort, but when you have the quads burned from the 2 kms, there is not much you can do to increase pace. As I said I felt Good cardiovasculary, but my legs were screaming because of lactic acid built up. In the last km, I was running with a couple of guys and I tried to finish strong, they went ahead, but I was just saving myself for the big sprint. When I saw the clock 200m away, I saw a 47, and I could not believe it, all that effort and pushing, for that time, after I saw that time I accelerated and then I sprinted, just to not get over 48 mins. Final time was 47:32. I felt strong, but the legs did not cooperate. I want to say that I was tired from the half maratón last Sunday, but I felt Good on Friday and yesterday, but a half maratón is not an easy feat, maybe I went out faster than I should and payed the Price. Who knows! Its better to not think much of it. The weather was humid, because I was very sweat when I finished. However, I find that the weather was Good, unlike the half maratón last week that the sun was in full force.

Anyway, I Will try to keep training normally and accept this as a bad day, which is not easy.

14.5k or so total for the day. 2k + warm up + 2 k+ to cool down 5 runs this week as usual. Good week of training!

On to the next one.

Recovery week

OnWednesday we had festivities here in Valencia, so day off from work. In the afternoon I went to the Turia park and We did 10k at a very easy pace, since We were still tired and sore from the half maratón. I felt really Good nonethe less. The pace was very slow though. 10k in 64:19.

Thursday - I had a headache and was very hungry so I took the day off, that meant that I would have to run the remaining days of the week to accomplish the 5 days per week of running goal.

Friday - After work at 7:30 p.m. I went out to the Blasco park and did 8 laps at a very easy pace, first lap was 5:59 and I kept the effort easy to complete the 8 laps in 46:39. Still not fully recovered. At least not sore anymore.

Saturday - This morning I ran at 11:15 a.m. or something like that after watching Eliud Kipchoge run 1:59:40 for the Marathon. First man in history to do that. That does not count as a world record, but the purpose of that was to show that human is limited. I had eaten breakfast at 8:00 a.m. so I had plenty of energy. Did 8 laps in the Blasco park, the initial plan was to do 6 laps, but felt Good and did 8 laps, and last week I did 8 laps the day before and the race went really well, so I wanted to repeat the ritual. Although I felt easy today, I feel that my legs are not fully recovered from the half maratón. Did 8 laps (7.2k) in 45:27, almost 1 min slower than last Saturday, first lap today was 5:51, then never looked at the watch again and kept the effort very easy. Tomorrow I am Racing a 10k race ,the course  is fast and great and expected last year and the field is not too Deep, but its a flat course here in the city, so it should be fun. In terms of time, I dont know how I Will run, since I am still tired from the half maratón, Will do my best though. The race is called Sanitas 10k.

Easy recovery run

Monday -  I took the day off to recover. I was sore, but felt much better than expected. Quads are very sore, but thats about it.

Tuesday - After work around 7:30 p.m. I headed out to do a very easy run. 8 laps in the Blasco park to see how my legs responded. They were sore, but I felt very Good. kept the effort and pace very easy though. Did 8 laps in 47:04 at a very low effort. Felt Good. I think I Will feel Good at the end of the week. I registered for the Sanitas 10k on Sunday, so no workout this week, only easy recovery runs to recover from that half maratón and to be ready to race hard again on Sunday.

Half marathon PR without trying

1:49:01 in the Alcudia half maratón on Sunday. PR by 2:45. Previous PR was 10 years old and I could finally could break it without training specifically for it and without trying.

Easy recovery running

Yesterday  after work, I was very hungry, but forced myself to go out because I already had taken my  days off, so no excuses. I went out and did my planned 8 laps in the Blasco park. It was already dark night when I went out.

First lap was very easy in 5:54, that is common these days, since I am only running in the Blasco park for recovery days. Then I never looked at the watch again, but felt Good on the run and kept the effort very easy as I am running a half maratón on Sunday, as I said. Finished the 8 laps in 46:06 feeling ok. A bit tired, but ok.

Today I woke up at 7 something and ate a slice of bread with peanut butter and waited till 09:30, which Will be the tomorrow`s race start, to see how that peanut butter on toast would let my stomach. It worked very well, since it did not bother during the run, and I need to eat something tomorrow morning, since I Will wake up very early and the race is at 09:30, plus its 21.1k a distance that I have only done once (training and Racing) in my 17 years of running. So tomorrow I Will try a peanut butter sándwich to give me some energy for the HM.

The plan for the run was to do only 6 laps (5.4k) in the Blasco park and be rested for tomorrow, but decided at 6th lap that I would do my normal 8 laps (7.2k). The sun was shining hard, but the weather was Good. I started the first lap in 5:40 feeling a bit tired, but fresh at the same time, decided not to look at the watch anymore, but finished in 44:30 the 8 laps. That surprised me a lot since I was running at the mínimum effort and compared to yesterday it was way faster basically at a lower effort. Maybe the 2 can of sardines are helping me , I ate that for lunch (potatoes with 2 cans of sardines and 2 slices of cheese) for the 6k tempo that I did last Saturday in 27:16. Before my workouts I like to eat healthy. Anyway, felt pretty Good today, fresh and ready to go. I thought about the race during the run and I am definately intimidated by the distance, I have only run that distance once and it was in a race, my longest run has been 90 mins and I am afraid of those last 6.1k. It Will be a mental battle, but I Will do it. As I said before, I want to race a 10k next well where I want to run sub 46:36, which was the time that I ran in my previous race, so I really dont know if treat tomorrow as a long run, or give 100% effort with the risk of still being tired on next week`s race. Probably that Will be a decisión that I Will take during the race. I could just do an easy long run tomorrow( that for me Will be a hard workout because of the extra distance), or follow my brother at his pace until I can, or do it as a progression run.

It Will be fun!

Catching up with good workouts

Its been almost a week since I posted here.

Saturday - After been up all morning buying a new running shoes, since I have  pair, but all  are broken, it was time to buy another one. I bought a cheap pair of Asics and so far they have been Good. They only have  week though. I felt tired when I got home around  2 p.m., but I had a tempo run to do at 6 p.m. my brother was doing 15k at 5:20 per pace, but I dont like such long workouts, I prefer faster and shorter tempos. Anyway, I ran in my new kicks and in the warm up I felt real Good. I warmed up to the Turia park as usual and got there in 15 mins including 5 x 50m strides. I was feeling real Good, but I thought I would run 6k in 28:20 or so, I was prepared to run that kind of time.

Long story short, I ran my best tempo in 10 years and I crashed my 6k time from 3 weeks ago. I ran 6k in 27:16, with first half in 13:41 and second half in 13:35. I was very surprised and happy, because I ran faster than I thought, but also felt real strong. I think the new kicks had to do with it, but also maybe my fitness is showing up. Splits per km were 4:37,4 :37 (9:14), 4:27 (13:41), 4:31 (18:12), 4:37 (22:49), 4:27 to finish up in 27:16. When I saw that time in the 5k, that is my fastest 5k tempo in 10 years. This workout was really a success. My brother ran pretty Good, He did 15k in 79:20 or so. He is preparing for a half maratón on October 13th. I did 11-12 mins for cool down. Around 10-10.5k for the day.

Sunday - In the morning I watched the Berlin maratón where Bekele ran great and almost break the world record, so I posponed my run until the evening. Started running around 5:45 p.m. and the plan was to do 90 mins at an easy pace. I never looked at the watch, just when I had 89:07 and finished the run in 90:35. Felt real Good, but after the hour I just get too thirsty. Felt strong nonetheless.

5 runs that week and feeling pretty Good.

Monday - Planned rest.

Tuesday - After work I ran at 7:45 p.m. in the Blasco park and did 9 laps total and did my usual 6 strides between laps 6-8. I just looked at the watch in the first lap in 5:52 and then never looked again, but pressed the Split button in the 8th lap. 44:02 for 8 laps and 49:41 for 9 laps (8.1k). Felt really Good and the weather is getting better, the heat is going away.

Wednesday - Today after work I did my intervals.This time I had to do them alone and I Will have to do them alone from now on, since my brother is taking a french class on Wednesday. I did pretty Good though and was motivated before the workout, but way too hungry. I did 1 x 1600s, 3 x 800s and 2 x 400s, all with half distance recovery , so 800s after the 1600s, 400s after the 800s and 200s after the 400s. Splits were 6:46, 3:15,3:21,3:16, 1:33,1:32.  Warmed up to the Turia park including 5 x 50m strides and cooled down the same route in 15 mins. I did around 11.2k total for the day.

At lunch time on Wednesday my brother called me and invited me to run a half maratón on Sunday in another town. We were going to cheer for a friend in the half maratón anyway, and I had to do my long run, so I thought of it better and signed up for that half maratón. Although, now I am regreting it a bit, lol. I could have pushed more in the intervals, but I had the half maratón in mind the whole workout and just wanted to run fast, but relaxed and dont hammer in the last repeat, since I can need that energy in the half maratón. I have not decided yet, the effort that I am going to put in , not sure if take it as a long easy run, or treat as a progression, or try to run a PR. The problem is , that I want to run a 10k next Sunday (October 13th), that I want to run well in and its in the city, and forcing myself in an event that I am not even training for would be foolish, maybe I should take the half maratón as  a long run and really do my best on the 10k. We Will see.

My brother Will run Sunday`s half marathon and next Sunday He Will run another half marathon. Since the half marathon is going to be a mega long run for me, I Will treat it as a workout, so I wont run hard on Saturday as usual.

Today I took the day off, just because I was very hungry when I got home, but that means that I Will run Friday, Saturday and Sunday to complete my 5 runs per week.

Easy recovery run

Yesterday as I said I took the day off.

Today after work I ran at 7:45 p.m., I ran in the Blasco park and ran 8 laps at an easy relaxed pace. I found this run boring and very long mentally. However, you have to do what you have to do. I felt tired also, but at the same time the run felt very easy and I kept things real easy.

I looked at the watch in the first lap only and never looked again until the end. Ran the first lap in 5:56 and did 8 laps in 46:14. 7.2k total.

The tempo is planned for tomorrow morning, but I felt more tired than necessary on this run, I hope to do a decent workout tomorrow. It seems that I am still tired from Wednesday`s intervals.

Weather was Good and effort was really easy.

Catching up

 Monday -  I was very sore from the weekend running, I felt like I had ran a race. I took Monday off.

Tuesday - After work at 7:30 p.m., I did my weekly run with strides, so I went to the Blasco park and did 9 laps there, incorporating strides from laps 6-8 and running the last lap as cool down. I felt better than expected and while I was still sore I felt pretty Good. Only looked at the watch in the first lap in 5:52, then did not look at the watch until the end. pushed the Split button in the 8th lap and did 44:08, finished 9 laps in 49:40, so much faster than the last few weeks and felt strong. I kept things easy though, since I wanted to be rested for my intervals on Wednesday. 8.1k total for the day

Wednesday - After work I did intervals with my brother, We did 5 x 1000m with 400m+ jog recovery ( I sometimes jogged around 450m, since I do the recovery faster than my brother). I am happy with the workout, felt pretty Good and strong. My brother wanted to run sub 4 mins in the first one, but for me that is not posible these days, I start workouts pretty slow and I can run faster in the last 1-2 repeats. I ran faster as the run progressed, which is always the plan for me. Splits for me were 4:11,4:17,4:06,4:05 and 3:50. In the last one felt strong and kept Good form, never broke my form and I ran my fastest time in 1 km in over 8 years, so I am heading the right direction. I Will have to enter a race soon to see where I am at. I Will probably run the Sanitas 10k. on October 13th, which is the same day that my brother is Racing a half maratón. Warm up was 15:30 to the Turia park including my usual 5 x 50m strides and after the workout cooled down for 16 mins or so, so did around 10.5k total for the day.

Weather these days is not so hot, very managable

Today I took the day off as well, felt somewhat tired and was very hungry after work, that means that I Will have to run Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but its way easier when you dont have to go work on the weekends.

Have a great Thursday!

Solid week of training

Monday - I took the day off as I was tired from the weekend and was kinda sore, so I rested.

Tuesday - After work, around before 8  p.m. I did 9 laps in the Blasco park and included my usual 6 strides from laps 6-8, and then did another one for cool down. Did 50:14 for 8.1k (9 laps). I did this alone and it got dark very fast.

Wednesday - I did my intervals at around 7:20 p.m. after work, I left home running to the Turia park for my workout as usual. Took me around 15:30, and I incorporated 5 x 50m strides as my usual warm up. To be honest, my mind was not into it, as my mind was into a problema that  I had at work, so I was mentally asbest and that might explain that sub par performance. I did 1 x 1600s, 2 x 1000m, and 3 x 400m, all with half distance recovery, so 800s after the 1600s, 500s after the 1000s and 200s after the 400s. Splits were 6:59,4:09,4:04,1:34,1:32,1:33. The times were just average, but I just wanted to get the stimulus, as I said I was absent mentally. The cool down was the same as the warm up and was very tired by the end, did around 10.5k total.

Thursday - I took the day off as I got home with a very strong headache and I did not want to run in those conditions, so I decided to bag the run. I could not affort to rest any more days so that meant that I had to run Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Friday - After work I did 8 laps at an easy pace. At first felt sluggish, but after the 3rd lap felt better and better and finished feeling very well..Did 8 laps (7.2k) in 45:35 (23:09,22:26).

Saturday - I ran in the evening with my brother and did my weekly tempo, this week I got back to my 6k tempos and my brother would join me. In the warm up I did not feel very Good, but sometimes that is normal in me and I feel quiet Good during the workout, but today was not the case. I warmed up 15:35 from my home to the Turia park and incorporated my usual strides to loose my legs.

As soon as I started the tempo I felt tired, the first km was 4:41 and I felt like I was working, as opposed to last week where I ran 4:45 for the first km, and the tempo was 10k in length, but I kept at it since in the second half I generally feel better, second km was 4:48 (9:29), I knew that sub 28 mins today was out of the wáter, at that point my brother was ahead and He crossed the 3k in 14:10, I came back later in 14:16, and had to wait around 3 seconds for two runners to pass before I could turn around, that always happens since there is a lot of runner in the Turia park. After the second half I started running better, but my legs never left that burn in the quads , 4th km came in 18:58 (4:42 for that km including the 3 seconds that I had to wait, so maybe sub 4:40), my brother was closer and closer, with 1.5k I passed him and I tried to keep my effort, 5k came in 23:42 (4:44 for that km), then I tried to get back to 4:30s in the last km, but without straining, with around 50m to go, my brother past me like a bat since He sprinted, and I stayed at the same pace, He finished in 28:18 and I finished in 28:22, running 4:40 for the last km. I did 10 seconds negative Split, but I am really dissapointed with today`s tempo, especially with how tired I felt throughout. It was far from a disaster, but not what I was hoping for. Around 10.5k total.

Sunday - We decided to run at 10:00 a.m. today since its the start time of my brother`s half maratón in 3 weeks. He was doing 2 hours and 15 mins and I was only doing 90 mins, so was in the meeting point at 10:45 a.m. when We met He built a gap inmediately as He was warmed up and I was cold and tired, He built a gap of 100m after the first 2k, however, that gap got smaller and smaller as I felt better and better, I decided not to look at my watch , at least until after the 80 mins and that worked very well. Just before my 6k I passed him and started to build on him, I had no idea at what pace I was running, but I suspected it was around 6:00s or something like that.

I pressed the Split button in the 12k and then went to the Churchill and back (14.4k) I looked at my watch and it read 1:26:51, then ran some more and completed 90 mins. My broter did 2:01, He was so tired that He could not complete the 2:15. The heat was very strong today. I felt pretty Good despite being tired from yesterday`s tempo, somehow felt fresh and felt Good, was surprised with my first 12k being in 72:13, so at 6:01 per km. Then I think that pace got faster when I did the Churchill lopp in 14:38, which when I run it first thing I do it around 16+ mins. Anyway, the effort was easy and happy to have finished that strong. Around 15k for the day. Maybe those potatoes, beans, beef and cheese for dinner gave me the energy that I needed today. I also ate breakfast today at 09:00 a.m. breakfast was one turket and cheese whole wheat sandwuch and chocolate milk, thats my daily breakfast. Solid week of training despite being a stressful week at work!

Hope you had a great week!

Finishing up a good week of training

On Saturday evening at 6:something p.m. I ran with my brother and We did a 10k tempo run. As I said I wanted to run 48-49 mins. I did just that, but it was not easy. I finished 48:40 and I feel satisfied with that time, but I went out at 4:45 the first km, feeling very fresh and easy, by then I had built a gap on my brother and I practically ran alone the whole way. He was not far behind though. In the first 5k I only had 15 seconds on him, and I thought that He was going to pass me, I was not feeling dead, but I was not confortable either and my legs were injected at that rhythm. I could keep pace, but could not speed up anymore. I found a second wind after the 7th km where I was flirting with the 49:00s and I could open up a bit in the last couple of kms to run sub 49 mins.

Splits per km were: 4:45, (9:38) 4:53, 14:33 (4:55), 19:25 (4:52), 24:20 (4:55), 29:16 (4:56), 34:06 (4:50), 39:00 (4:54), 43:53 (4:53), 48:40 (4:47).

The splits were very even and I felt pretty Good, but the legs were just locked into a rhythm, in the lungs felt fantastic. My brother finished in 50:48 after crossing the first half in 24:35, a 10k tempo must be respected though. As I type this I am sore, not race type, but I am sore. For cool down We did around 13 mins. I did around 14k + for the day, which is my long run for the day.

On Sunday I ran in the evening with my brother, not much going on today, so I let my run for the evening. The plan today was an easy 60 mins run, the long run was Saturday, but I wanted to keep this run decent since you have to take advantage of weekends.

The pace of this 60 min run was very easy conversational pace. Maybe around 6:20 per km pace, no idea really, just wanted to get in the miles.

5 runs for the week and around 50k for the week, not bad.

Today I took the day off, I was going to run but got home very hungry, so I posponed my run for tomorrow. I just wanted to be less sore as well, so that the strides are more smooth.

Catching up

Tuesday was off.


Wednesday after work I did my intervals. I started my warm up from home and went to the Turia running including 5 x 50m strides. The warm up today was slow, took me around 16:xx something. However, the weather was very Good and just wanted to hit a stimulus.

Did 6 x 800m, with 400m jog rest in between. The times were not as fast as I would have liked, but I felt really Good and the weather was awesome. Splits were 3:22, 3:25, 3:15, 3:20, 3:17, 3:00. In the last one I was tired, but wanted to push a Little to see if I could run sub 3 mins. I felt Good, but my legs was turning over as quickly as they could. Colled down 13 mins, so I ran around 10.3-10.5k for the day.

On Thursday I ran at 8:10 p.m. with my brother in the Blasco park. We did 8 laps in the Blasco park and I felt that We were moving in the second half, but the time was pretty slow, 47:14. I was very surprised with the slow time. It was a recovery day though, so I did not care. Weather was Good.

On Friday I planned my second rest day of the week, and it was nice because the whole day was raining due to thunderstorms here in Valencia.

Today is Saturday as I type this, and for this evening I have planned my tempo run, my brother and I are going to try a 10k tempo today, slower than the usual 6k of course, but We are aiming for 48-49 mins. We Will see how it goes. Weather is cloudy, but it seems that there is no much rain in the horizon for today.

Stay tuned!

Another solid week of training

I ran my tempo 6k on Saturday with my  brother and it went very well. The weather was great also.  We lost some time due to reparing some areas of the Turia park, but even then I ran sub 28 mins, which is a great accomplishment for me these days. My brother ran awesome as well.

I warmed up 15:40 including 5 x 50m accelerations to the Turia park. I started out slow as always, but after 300m I started to get into a Groove and felt pretty Good, at the 400m mark I built a gap on my brother and kept that gap until the end. That gap was of around 100m in the first half, but in the second half remained the same eventhough I ran the second half faster, He did it at the same as me. I finished the 6k in 27:53, which is pretty much the time that I wanted to run a couple of months ago. I finally did it and finished feeling pretty Good. My brother finished in 28:20, which is a great breakthrough for him as well.

Splits were: 4:40,4:47 (9:27, ran longer due to the obstruction in the running path), 4:42 (14:09), at that point I knew that it was going to be a Good run due to run pretty much at the same pace as last week with all of those unnecesary turns, in the second half I felt better and better, 4th came in 4:37 (18:46), 4:37 (23:23) and 4:30 to finish up in 27:53 feeling full of energy and strong. As I said the weather played a big role I think. Around 11-12 mins for cool down. Did around 10.5k for the day.

On Sunday I did not want to run in the evening, because no point in staying at home the whole day  on weekends , because you have to run in afternoon. Its better to get it out of the day and enjoy your evening on other things. We are not profesional after all.

I ran my long run at 11:40 a.m. the weather was not so bad. I decided not to look at the watch after the 11:07 that took me to run from my house to the Turia park. This time my brother did not run with me, He did 2 hours later in the evening, so He ran 30 mins more than I what I did on Sunday.

It was Good not looking at the watch, you just ran, ran and ran, well I looked at the watch at 84:23, so from 11:0 to 84:22, that was what took me to run 12k (73:15). I was very surprised with the fast pace, I thought that I was running 6:20s per km, not 6:00s, anyway, just went by feel and the most important thing on this run was to finish it. I was very thirsty by the end and just wanted to be done. Felt great though when I finished at 90 mins. Felt strong overall.

On Monday I did not leave work that late, so I ran at 7:50 p.m. in the Blasco park, I did not want to rest two days in a row and then have to run 5 days in a row, so I opted for my typical plan this week.

Did 9 laps in the Blasco park, which totals 8.1k and the time was 50:15. From laps 6-8 did 6 strides which felt Good despite having run long yesterday. I experienced gases the whole run today, it seemed like my esophagus wanted to turn back the food. When I started the strides though I loosened up, and felt much better. Only looked at the watch in the first lap in 6:01, then it seems that I sped up without trying, because took my 8th lap splits and the Split were 44:38 and last lap was 5:37. Felt pretty Good at the end. A nice recovery run!

Today I took the day off, I had 6 days in a row running, so it was Good to rest today.

Have a great start to the week!

Catching up

Monday and Tuesday I did not run, so that meant that on this week again, I have to run 5 straight days if I want to accomplish my goal of running 5 times per week. Monday was planned, but Tuesday I went with my brother to indulge in Kentucky Fried Chicken, later felt bad because prefered binge eating tan running, thats life, ha.

On Wednesday I did my Interval workout in the Turia park at 7:30 p.m., I felt really Good in the warm up, felt fresh and I knew that it was going to be a Good workout. Indeed, it was, but I did not like how tired I finished in the last couple of repeats. I did 2 x 1600m with 800m recovery, and 2 x 800m with 400m jog recovery, to complete 4800m worth of fast running. I felt strong in the first 2 x 1600, but in the last couple of 800s I felt very thirsty and my legs felt dead, I kept strong though and battled it out, my brother did another workout, He did 4 x 10 mins at threshold pace, so I pretty much ran alone. We did the cool down together though. Splits were 6:49,6:52, 3:18,3:19. I opened hard and probably I would have run faster, but some areas of the dirt road were closed so I had to take another route, sometimes I shortened the route, and sometimes I lenghtened the route, the effort was around 6:40. I took splits in the first 1000m of the first 2 repeats and they were 4:14 and 4:13, not bad, because I always open very slow. Very satisfied with the workout given how hard I am working (long hours).

Thursday and Friday I ran after work with my brother at 7:30 p.m., I did 8 laps in the Blasco park very easy, on thursday I did 46:06, feeling very relaxed, although the first lap was a struggle as I felt sluggish and sleepy before starting, felt great the end. On Friday, I did the same thing, but incorporated strides from laps 6-8, and those strides felt really Good and I felt really efficient. finished in 45:07 for the 8 laps. So 7.2k each day.

This evening I am running a 6k tempo with my brother in the Turia park, I hope that we dont have to cut the run short, or run longer tan 6k because of the work being done in the dirt track of the Turia. Weather is cloudy and not too hot, we Will see how it goes.

Ending solid the training week

On Saturday I ran my tempo run in the evening at 6:15p.m. I started my warm up from home and went to theTuria park. Warmed up 15:40 including 5 x 50m strides or so.

The plan was to run 6k faster than last week, but feeling better. I knew that it was going to be faster, since in the evening I tend to run faster. I was doing this workout alone, since my brother was doing a 12k threshold run. I like to stick to the shor versions of tempos.

I ran pretty Good and felt better than expected. Finished the 6k in 28:07 with splits 4:40, 9:26 (4:46), 14:06 (4:40), 18:47 (4:41), 23:31 (4:44), 28:07 (4:36). Felt much better in the second half. In the second km, I felt like if my legs were full of lactid acid, but after the 3k, they cleaned up and was running pretty loose for the second half, feeling pretty strong. This is the time that I was seeking for 6k tempos, since the 6k tempos that I have doneare very slow. I still think that I can run sub 28 mins at the same effort. After the 6k tempo, ran 2k for cool down in 12:58. Around 10.3k for the day.

On Sunday, I did not want to run in the evening, that meant that I had to stay at home patiently waiting for my run, not today, I wanted to walk in the evening and do other things besides running, so after I woke up at 9:00 a.m. I decided to run at 11:a.m. even if that meant running in the heat and sun. It was not so bad though.

Ran with my brother in the Turia park, went to the "Churchill" in 15:48 and then my brother started his run, He did 60 mins. I did 80 mins. I did around 12.5k. I felt really Good, but very thirsty after the hour. However, the effort was very low and I felt very strong. Its Good to get over it in the morning.

5 runs for the week eventhough working like crazy.

Today I rested because I left work too late, I Will make sure to leave work early enough tomorrow, so I that I can get my run in.

Night easy short run

Today I left work very late and I almost skip the run, but decided to head out at 9 p.m. for a short run.

Only did 30 mins, around 5:30 per lap in the Blasco park. Did 5 laps in 27:56 and then completed 30 mins. In the last lap thew 5 strides to loosen up. Felt pretty Good today despite all I worked. A 30 min run is way better than a no run. I did not want to run less than 5 times per week. Good run and Good shake out for my workout tomorrow.

Weather was a bit hot, but just fine. Legs felt fresh.

Easy does it

Today  I ran at 8 p.m. after work,  I was not very motivated because I was tired, but I cant affort to have more off days this week, because I did not run Monday and Tuesday.

I ran in the Blasco park very easy today, since I was tired from the intervals yesterday. Did 8 laps (7.2k) in 46:00. First lap was 5:54 and then stayed in the 5:40s range. Felt Good and easy and the weather was pleasant. The heat is leaving us behind. Happy to have run.

1000m repeats

I did not run on Monday and Tuesday, so I cant afford to take any more days off this week.

Today I did 5 x 1k intervals with 400m jog recovery, I did them with my brother. Splits were 4:22,4:16,4:06,4:02, 3:51

Good week of training

On Friday I took the day off as usual.

On Saturday my brother and I did a 6k tempo run at around 10:30 a.m. because in the evening the run could not be done, so it was at that time or never. The heat was not so bad though. I decided to leave the watch at home and run the 6k tempo off effort and my brother would take my time.

I paced this tempo by effort, so was not stressed by pace during the run, just when I felt Good I sped up, and when I felt tired I slowed down. The plan was to run a huge negative Split, since the first half was somewhat relaxed, but in the second half, although the breathing was fine, the legs would not run the legs quicker, so I did both halves at exactly the same time, 14:30 for both halves, finished in 29:00 according to my brother`s watch. My brother finished 28 seconds later. I passed him with about 1.5k to go or so. First km was 4:46, so it was slow. The time was slower tan I planned, I expected at least sub 28:30, but I felt very strong and that reflected on next day`s long run. Maybe my natural tempo effort is just that. Warmed up 15:40 including 5 x 50m strides to the Turia park. Cooled down the same back home. Total was around 10.5-10.8k

Sunday - We ran long in the evening at 6:00 p..m. My brother would do 1:45, but I only did 80 mins. Today the weather was pretty Good and because I did not push too hard in the tempo on Saturday, this run felt pretty Good and I felt fresh. The pace was quicker from the get go. I did 12k in around 73:30, then kept running till complete the 80 mins, so I would guess 13.05 kms or so. This run was done in the Turia park, and I felt Good the whole run. My brother did an excellent job doing his 1:45, He is training for a half marathon.

Intervals and an easy run

On Tuesday I took the day off as usual these days.

On Wednesday I did intervals with my brother at 7:30 p.m. in the Turia park. I did what He was doing, He is following the method of Jack Daniels and He is in phase 2, so the priority is R pace, so We did 5 x 600m, 2 x 400m and 1 x 400m to complete 4k worth of fast running. My brother did only 200s after the 600m. I told him that I am already fast, I need endurance at a fast pace, so I opted for 400s instead of 200s.

To be honest this was a light workout for me as mentally it was not draining and phisically it was managable, the weather was Good also, so no that oppresive heat. It was pouring the whole workout though, but I just forgot about it, I was just focused on the task at hand. I ate a banana 1 hour before the workout, I pretty much never eat that close to running, and I just felt in the warm up and in the first couple of repeats.

I warmed up from home to the Turia park, met my brother on my way to the Turia park. Total warm up time was 15:40 including 5 x 50m strides. Then did 5 x 600@2:29, 2:30, 2:22, 2:20, 2:19, then did 2 x 400s @ 1:28, 1:28 and 1 x 200s@42.90. I felt tired in the first 2 repeats and I thought that it was going to be a bad workout, luckily, I felt much better and looser as the workout went by and felt pretty Good by end. Was very surprised with those 400s, felt much slower. My brother beated me in most 600s so He is in great shape. I felt pretty Good by the end and the weather helped inmensely.

For cool down I did the same as the warm up, but to home. Took me 16:50, it was very slow, just to cool the legs down.

I am satisfied with that workout. Around 10.5k or so for the day. Its incredibly how fast kms pass by this way, but in the long run where We run 12-13k it takes forever.


Today I ran after work at 7:30 p.m. I did 8 laps in the Blasco park at an easy pace. To my surprise, when I had 200 into the run I saw my brother and We ran together for a couple of laps, He was very tired from yesterday`s workout so the first couple of laps were very easy,12:27, then He left as had time runniing in the park when I got there. After He left I just ran at my normal pace, which is 5:40s per lap, as I was not that tired from yesterday`s sesión. first half of the run was 23:55, second lap was 22:40, so 75 seconds faster, finished the 8 laps in 46:35, with the last lap in 5:33, feeling much better than the first one (6:20). Weather was pretty Good today also. Felt a bit tired from the workout, not sore, but I feel it. 7.2k easy.

Monday`s run

Yesterday I ran after work at 7:50 p.m., I have zero motivation and the run was very boring, but once I started doing the strides felt much better, but it was one of those days when you dont want to run. Did 9 laps total in the Blasco park and did 6 strides from lap 6-8, then did 1 lap for cool down. First lap was very slow since I felt tired and lazy, it was 6:06, but then worked my way down to 5:40s, 8 laps were in 44:54 and 9 laps came in 50:22. Weather was ok.

As I said I did not feel the least motivated for this, but motivatio is useless, willpower and discipline is what make you do things. 8.1k total.

Today I took the day off as I am doing lately where I rest on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Evening humid 80 mins"Long" run

Today I ran in the evening at 6:30 p.m. with the sun shining hard. As I was running alone today, since my brother was in a tour, I decided to run in the Blasco park close to my home. 80 mins would take me more tan 14 laps in the Blasco park, but that was more attractive than to walk 20 mins to the Turia park and 20 mins back after my long run, so I opted to run close to home.

I wore confortable clothes because I knew that it was going to be hot. wore my hill runner singlet, which is very confortable. I felt flat in the first 2-3 laps but the pace was pretty Good, faster than it felt. First lap was 5:48, then worked my way down to 5:39, in the second lap, so I knew that it was going be a Good day and eventually I started to feel better and better. 3 laps came in 17:07, 6 laps came in 34:00, 8 laps came in 45:07, then turned around and did 6 laps clockwise to change things up, 10 laps came in 56:16, 11 laps in 61:52, 12 laps in 67:26, 13 laps in 72:56, 14 laps in 78:34, and then completed the 80 mins. Those splits are off my memory, I pretty much memorized all my splits, kept my splits from 5:33-5:36 for most of laps, last lap came in 5:28, feeling very Good, but was very thirsty, no problema as I was 5 mins away from home.

I felt really Good after the 3rd lap and started to feel better and better, was soaking wet at the end though, singlet and shorts wet, so the humidity was very high. I have found that tht terrain is very favorable to run since my knees did not suffer and I felt awesome, the only problem was that I needed water after the hour since I was feeling very thirsty.

Around 12.8-12.9k total. 5 runs this week as planned and feeling better and better. Around 49 kms for the week, which for 5 runs is not that bad. Have a great Sunday!

Saturday 5k tempo run @23:02 + 2 x 200m @41,43

On Friday I took the day off. I was very tired at work in the evening and even walking felt flat, but I was going to rest anyway, but that was not a Good sign for my Saturday`s tempo run.

On Saturday my brother and I did our workout in the evening, since in Friday night We went to the all you can eat Asian buffet and when I woke up still felt full. I was feeling Good energy wise though. After I ate lunch, I started to feel flat and tired, and when I started my warm up, I knew right there that it was going to be like last Saturday, hold on for dear life and do the best you can, so I pretty much rule sub 23 mins out of the picture. I prepared myself for 23:30 or something like that.

Did my 15 mins warm up to the Turia park including 5 x 50m strides, in the middle of my warm up met my brother because He lives on my way to the Turia park. In the warm up felt flat and in the strides I did not have it, but this time I was prepared mentally to run bad. The heat was not that high, but it was high. The plan was to run a 5k tempo and if I felt alright, I would include 2-3 x 200m.

15:40 for warm up, then the workout started, my brother was doing intervals, so He went out like a bat in the first repeat ( He did 3:47 in the first 1k repeat), I stayed back at my effort, I crossed the first km in 4:30 and did not feel that flat like last Saturday, so I tried to keep that pace and see if at a Good effort level I could run sub 23 mins, note that this is not a time trial, the goal here is to run at an effort that think you can sustain for 8-10k, so that is the main goal for me. 2nd km was 4:42 (9:12), right there I knew that it was not going to be that easy since effortwise the 2nd km felt as hard as the first one, then I tried to accelerate a bit, since in the turn around point you lose time, did not look the watch until the 3rd km, but pressed the Split button at halfway and it was 11:29, so I was right on pace right there, 3rd km came in 13:49 (4:37 for 3rd km), and that point I did not care too much about running sub 23 mins, I just wanted to stay at that same effort and finish feeling strong. 4th km came in 18:30 (4:41 for 4th and triying to keep pace), I knew at that point that to run sub 23 mins I would have to make it a race and that was not going to happen, I just maintain the same effort and tried to lose the least time posible, tried to stay relaxed and and fast strides, finished the 5k in 23:02 , the last km was in 4:32, but finished pretty tired, I would prefered to finish way stronger and I dont understand how I could sustain that pace two times in a row to run 46:30s in the 10k in May, and feeling very fresh. After the 5k, I jogged 400m, but I was huffing and puffing, so I did not start the 200s very recovered, then did 2 x 200s in 41 and 43 seconds. The second repeat was in a strong headwind so I would take it. Anyway, the meat of this workout is the tempo and I think I did Good despite not feeling well in the warm up. Its time to build up to 6k tempo again and remain there for a while. Then did 12 mins for cool down.

I did around 10-10.1k total. Feeling Good today (Sunday) as I type this, no soreness at all, and in the evening I Will run my "long" run.

Easy recovery run

Today is holidays here in Valencia, so no work today. I ran a bit earlier today at 6:00 p.m., but at that time the sun is still hitting hard. I ran with my brother today, but in reality I ran alone, because I built a gap as soon as We started and I almost lapped him, eventhough my pace was very slow today because I was recovering from my workout yesterday. I did 8 laps in the Blasco park at an easy pace, and the heat was not really strong today, in fact, there was a nice breeze.

First lap was 5:55 or so and I kept pretty much that pace till halfway point in 23:23, then I sped up a bit in the second half as I felt better. Kept the effort very easy though, finished 8 laps (7.2k) in 46:00. My brother said He was very full from lunch, so thats the reason He ran that slow. Drinking a beer as I type this, enjoying the day off from work.

Catching up

Sunday - On Sunday I ran with my brother at 6:30 p.m. in the Turia park, not much going on today, thats why We decided to do it in the evening. My brother would do 90 mins, but I was up to only do 80 mins. Good decision, since I was very tired from Saturday`s tempo and by the 3rd km I knew that it was going to be a long day. I endured though and could finish the 80 mins. Too hot and humid, but I made it till the end. After the halfway, my brother built a gap and that gap got bigger and bigger. Crossed the 12.1k in 75:30 or so, then completed the 80 mins, so around 12.7k total.


5 runs for the week. That is a frecuency that I am satisfied by now and it seems that is not affecting my training.


Monday - I ran after work at 8 p.m. or so, did 9 laps in the Blasco park, and as usual did strides from laps 6-8 and then 1 lap for "cool down". First lap was 5:50, halfway 23:00 something, crossed the 8 laps in 44:36 and completed the 9 laps (8.1k) in 50:08. I was a bit tired from the long run the day before. The heat was not that strong on Monday.

Tuesday - Planned rest day

Wednesday - Yesterday I did intervals. I warmed up from home till the Turia park and met my brother haflway into my warm up, since I cross his house during the warm up. Warmed up 15:40, including 5 x 50m strides as usual, during these strides I knew that it was going to be a good workout because I felt fresh during these strides. I was not sure about the workout that I was going to do, but I was sure that I was going to do 1600m for the first Interval, after that Interval I was not sure if I should do 800s or 1000s. However, I wanted to do at least 3 miles worth of fast running. I did 2 x 1600s with 800m recovery and 2 x 800s with 400m recovery. I felt good in this workout, after a long day at work and a hard week of work, so I am not complaining. Splits were 6:57,6:46,3:18,3:16. My brother was doing a shorter repeat workout, but I feel that I have the speed and these long workout are gonna move the needle more than shorter workouts. I felt real strong in these workout and was very happy with those 2 x 1 mile splits. That 6:46 is my fastest 1600m repeat in years and was faster than the 6:48, I did 6-7 weeks ago. I have not lost fitness even running 5 times per week instead of 6 times. After the repeats I cooled down for 12 mins, so around 1.7-1.8k. Total for the day was around 10.9k or so. It was hot, but not like Satuday or Sunday. Today We could run fast.

Saturday`s tempo run: 23:46@5k too hot and humid

I rested on Friday. As I have said, I am running 5 times per week these days, but still getting my hard workouts in, so I dont expect to lose much fitness. However, yesterday`s tempo run was the total opposite of last week`s tempo run.

Last week, I felt fresh and finished strong. Today I just could not maintain pace and finished very tired, wanting to quit after 3k. In the warm up I knew that it was not going to be a good day, I was sweating a lot in the warm up and my legs felt flat and tired. My brother wanted to run 22 mins in 5k, but I told him that today it probably was not going to be posible, the heat was very high and the humidity was crazy. On Friday the temps were in 41 Celsius, on Saturday it was 30s but it felt way hotter than that.

I wanted to go out at a good pace and see how my body felt, the answer is terrible. The first km was in 4:35, but right there I knew that I was not going to be able to maintain that pace until the end. I felt flat and was huffing and puffing already, so I eased back a Little bit to see if I could find another gear, second km came in 4:50 (9:25), right there I knew that I was dead and I would have to work hard to even run sub 24 mins in the 5k, my brother and I crossed the halfway head to head in 11:46 (2:21 for that 500m), then after the turn around I built a Little gap, but after the 3k that came in 14:08 (4:43), that gap became bigger and bigger, 4th came in 4:52 (19:00), I knew that I was running terrible and feeling even worse, at that point it was mental battle to remain strong and finish the thing despite the time would be slow ( that is the reason I dont wear a watch in races), tried to finish strong while keeping the effort steady, but trying to close hard in 4:30s the last km. but 4:46 was the fastest that I could muster given the conditions, finished the 5k in 23:46 feeling like crap. I was going to do 2-3 x 200s repeats, but I decided to not do them, and just do my cool down, I was feeling too unconfortable to stress my body even more. My brother did a disaster in the last 2k and finished in 24:58, but at least He finished. After the run, We both complained about the conditions, but also We were pleased with remaining tough and finishing the thing despite things not going our way. For cool down We did 12 mins at an easy pace, so around 1.8k. Total for the day was 9.1k or so.

This evening We are going to do our long run for the week, We Will see how the heat behaves and how We feel. Its amazing how from one week to the other doing the same workout can bring totally different outcomes given conditions and how your body feels. Effort is what matter though, and the effort was there.

Intervals and an easy run

 On Tuesday I took the day off

on Wednesday evening at 7:15 p.m. I went out to the Turia park to do a workout with my brother, which was  8 x 400s in 1:39,1:37,1:37,1:32,1:32,1:34,1:32,1:23. The heat and humidity was very high, and We were soaking wet at the end of the workout, it seemed that We were out off a pool. I honestly wanted to run faster on these, especially in the first 3 repeats. The first one felt fast and I only ran sub 1:40, which was slower than some of my 1 lap repeats that I did last week in the Blasco park. Anyway, I think the heat had to do with it and I did not feel bad. I pushed in the last one and could muster a 83 seconds 400m, I probably should not do that because that would compromise my Saturday`s tempo run. Warmed up 16 mins incl. 5 x 50m strides and cooled down around 16 mins to home. Around 9.2k total

 On Thursday I did 8 easy laps in the Blasco park in 45:29. Felt tired today and my legs did not have much today, just an easy relaxed run as a recovery run. Just realeasing stress from work while putting in the miles. 7.2k total,

Zapping the zero

Today I left work at 7 p.m. and I was running at 7:50 p.m. or something like that. The motivation was zero because I worked a lot today. However, you have to get things done if you want to progress. I know right, that after the first lap things improve a lot, pretty much always is like that.

I did 9 laps in the Blasco park today and from laps 6-8 I incorporated 6 x 100m (or so) strides. In the first stride felt very sluggish and heavy, but as the strides went on I felt smoother and smoother. I only looked at the watch in the first lap in 5:52 and in the 8th lap, but pressed the Split button in the halfway (23:01), 8 laps came in 44:14 and finished the 9 laps in 49:46. Almost like last week, where I ran 49:48. The weather was hot today, but not too much!

8.1k total.

Morning "Long run" with my brother

Today I was up at 6:55 a.m. which is very rare this day , and almost went back to sleep, but decided to run with my brother in the morning in the Turia Park. We met at 8:00 a.m. to run and the plan was to run 80 mins at an easy pace.

We started together, but soon He started to drop me, within the first 300-400m of the run, and I never caught me again. He is fresh because He is returning from a break and not doing stress workouts, I just did a tempo sessions with some 200s yesterday evening, so I literally had 12 hours between that run and this run. I ran pretty good though, since I was running faster than expected given how tired I felt, but at the same time felt fresh once I warmed up.

Started out slow at 6:36 the first km, then the second 6:21, 3rd 6:17, 4rd 6:13, and then started running after that 6:00s and in the last 2-3 kms did sub 6 mins per km (5:58-5:59 per km), negative Split for 90 secs +. Did 12.1k in 74:41, and then kept running at the same pace till completing 80 mins, so I did around 13.05k or something like that. My brother crossed the 12.1k in 71:21, so He was running 3:20 faster than me at that point. I felt pretty good and strong albeit a bit tired from yesterday`s session.

The heat was strong but managable, overall a good morning run. Now I have the afternoon to drink a couple of beers:)

5 runs this week, and around 50k total. Not bad considering how work has been lately. And next upcoming week wont be any easier I guess, since there are workers on vacation.

Anyway,  I Will keep my training going since I have worked very hard to reach that level of fitness again.

Happy Sunday!

Evening 5k tempo@22:56 + 3 x 200s@ 41,43,39

Yesterday I took the day off. I left work late and had a headache and was very hungry, so I decided to rest to be ready for my tempo run today.

Today I walked a lot in the morning buying a cell pone with my brother since my cellphone`s battery died, so no option but to replace the phone altogether. We walked a lot in the sun, but that did not stop me from doing my workout in the evening. Just before going out though I felt a light headache, but once I did my warm up to the Turia park, I felt great.

 At 7 p.m. I warmed up 15:37 to the Turia park, including 5 x 50m strides as usual to loosen up. The plan for today was to run about the same pace I ran last Saturday, I knew that today it was going to be more difficult, since today I was more tired due to the hard workout on Wednesday, past Wednesday`s workout was somewhat light, so this week`s workout would take a lot more from my body. No excuses though, since I was going to run normally, forgetting about the outcome and focusing on feel.

I got out at a good pace and felt somewhat fresh, ran strong and felt good till about the 3rd km, from 3rd km to 4th km, pace slowed down, but felt good. In the last km though I regrouped and could get back to the pace I was running in the first half. Did a positive Split, but I am satisfied with the result, that indicates that I have not lost fitness from this month`s decrease in training load.

Finished feeling good, but a bit tired. Splits per km were: 4:32, 4:37 (9:09, 4:32 (13:41), 4:42 (18:23), 4:33  to finish in 22:56 (halves were 11:22, 11:34), which is the exact time I ran in my last 5k tempo. It seems that I run better in the summer where weather is 30-35 degrees, as opposed to when the weather is 10-15 Celsius, where you feel much better, but the overall pace is the same or slower. I am used to the heat though, since I come from the caribbean.

After the tempo run, jogged easy 400m, then did 2 x 200s in 41.97 and 43.50, when I saw that 43.50 I was surprised because it was very slow, so I decided to do a 3rd 200s that came in 39.56, much better  I said. Then I walked 200m and then started my cooldown to home. Which took me around 15:38. Around 10.5-10.8k total.

As I said felt pretty good and I am satisfied with my current shape, after Wednesday`s workout, its not a surprise that I could run well today.

Evening easy recovery run with my brother

Today I left work early just before 6 p.m. but ran at 7:30 p.m. with my brother after a mini nap. Today the goal was just recovery so I just ran easy to recover from yesterday`s intervals.

Mentally this run flew by, this run really felt short. The first 2 laps were in abour 12:05 or something like that, We were just talking and running easy, I felt so confortable that I even forgot that I was running. First 4 laps were 23:41 or something like that. Second half was around 22:56 or so, did not pay much attention, I just kept the effort easy. Finished the 8 laps in 46:37. Weather was pretty good. I felt pretty good from the workout, no soreness, felt much better than expected.

Probably I ll leave work as early or earlier than today, so I Will probably run tomorrow again, so this week I might get back to 6 runs per week. However, to be honest, I am running very well off 5 runs per week, according to workouts lately.

Have a great Thursday night!

Why not? lap intervals (900m) in the Blasco park

Today I left work at almost 8 p.m., I had been thinking about doing a workout today, but since I left work so late I eliminated that possibility. I had zero motivation, but since I did not run yesterday, I forced myself to get out the door at 8:40 p.m. to at least run easy. However, when I ran 1 easy in the Blasco park in 6:02, I felt better and better, in the second lap I decided that I would try a workout, no need to run easy again. I incorporated 5 x 50m strides in the second lap and completed 14 mins of warm up, then stopped for a 1 min or so before starting my 4-5 x 1 lap in the Blasco park, around 900m. This was a good workout since I have done this workout every once in a while, so its easy to track improvement. So today I improved in all fronts, ran the repeats faster and ran a 5th repeat. In the previous 2 occassions that I have done this workout I did only 4 repeats.

I got out at a hard effort, but an effort I could sustain for 4-5 repeats. First repeat came in 3:48, not bad and I knew that as soon as I warm up, I would run faster and faster and fortunately, that was the case.

2nd repeat was 3:46, was feeling pretty good at that point, 3rd repeat came in 3:42. At that point I was surprised with the splits, because the effort was high, but very controllable. 4th repeat came in 3:
44, I eased up on this one so that I could run a 5th repeat faster than the rest. 5th repeat came in 3:30 after pushing, but without losing form. That was a 17 seconds PR for lap repeats in this park. Last time I did that workout, I was really pushing to run 3:47, but today I could run 17 seconds faster at the same effort, that is motivating and all of that after a full day of work.  Recovered between repeats 3:30 at an easy pace. After the 5 repeats, I did 2 laps for cool down and completed 14 mins. I did around 10.5k or so, so it was a long day at the office and it was not planned, since I had eliminated the possibility of running a workout today.

When you put your mind into something, you really can do it, and today I showed that even when you dont feel like it, you can run an excellent workout by just showing up and trying. Of course, if I would have started the workout and felt like crap in the first repeat I would have aborted the workout, but to be honest I felt awesome and fresh the whole workout, never felt heavy legs or lactic acid, so I am pretty satisfied. The weather at that time was cool, so the heat did not bother  me much.

Tomorrow Will be an easy run just to absorb today`s hard work.

Zapping the zero

 Yesterday I ran after work at 7:30 p.m. or so.  I did 9 laps in the Blasco park for a total of 8.1k. Included 6 x 100m strides from laps 6-8, and the last lap was something like a cool down.

First lap was 5:57, never looked at the watch till the 8 th lap, but pressed the split button at halfway in 23:07, 8 laps in 44:16 and last lap in 5:32. Felt tired today, the strides loosened me a Little, but overall felt tired. Happy to have run though.

Today I took the day off, as I have said before 5 runs per week is more than enough, when you spend most of your day working. I ll try to do a hard workout tomorrow , I Will see at that time I leave work.

"Long run" in the Blasco park with my brother: 68 mins

Today I ran with my brother in the Blasco park at 6 p.m. The plan for me was to do 10k in around 63 mins or so, just easy enough to recover from my tempo yesterday. I felt pretty good today though, no soreness from the workout, so I kept the effort easy, but let myself go after the first half. I looked at the watch at every lap just for fun, but never reacted to it, just guided the run by effort and always kept the effort easy, even though I was running way faster in the second half. 1st lap was 5:52, first 4 laps were in 22:53, 8 laps were in 44:59, so 47 seconds faster than the fist half, 9 laps in 50:20 (5:21), 10 laps in 55:41 (5:20), 11 laps in 60:57 (5:16),12 laps in 66:15, just kept running till 67:45, that was the time that my brother`s watch read 11k, I would say We ran 11.1k or so. Last 4 laps were in 21:16 or something like that, so the last 5 laps or so were way faster than the first few laps, the effort felt easier running faster. Felt good overall despite the heat. I am in good shape and these weeks without quality training have not made me to lose fitness, I am feeling good and running strong, so I can`t ask for more.

Good week of running, 5 runs this week and 2 stress workouts, the ideal is 6 days of running, but with all this work, 5 runs is fairly decent.

Tempo run: 25 mins in the Blasco Park

Yesterday I took the day off, because when I left work I had to cook dinner with my housemate, so no time to run in the evening and as I pretty much run in the evening on the work week, I missed the run.

Today I had planned to do a 5k tempo or something like that, I am feeling good this week, so it was a good idea to include my usual workouts, the intervals that I did on Wednesday and today a tempo run. I slept in today so I did not run in the morning. I ran in the evening when the heat was not so high, but it was still high, there was a nice breeze though, so the heat did not bother me so much. I headed out at 7 p.m. to the Blasco park, and the plan was to do 2 + laps (6:00 and 5:28) easy including 5 x 50m strides or so to warm up,completed 14 mins, then stopped, did some walking and drills and I had planned to do a 25 mins tempo run, I was expecting to run the 5k around 24:00-24:15 today since I have not been doing any workouts lately and the mileage is pretty slow, I thought that that pace would be enough. I would 25 mins worth of tempo running no matter the pace, I started out at a pace that was challenging, but that I could sustain for the 25 mins and beyond that, since I evaluated myself and put an effort that I would maintain for the 10k. The workout turned out great, I felt great throughout and it was a great tempo, much better than the last 28:37 that I did in the 6k, felt much better and was 1 mins, if I would have finished the 6k. First lap of tempo in the Blasco park was (900m) in 4:10 and feeling under control, then tried to keep the same effort pace without losing form, 2nd lap was 8:21 (4:11), at that point I knew that I could sustain that pace and I was not slowing down, 3rd lap came in 4:09 (12:30), at that point I said, in the 25 mins I have to do 6 laps, 4th lap came in 16:37 (4:07), I was getting tired there, but felt very strong and I knew for sure that I would maintain that pace till the end of the 25 mins, I was feeling relaxed and the pace was way faster than expected. 5th lap came in 20:47 (4:10 for that lap), then in the second half of last lap I put the hammer a bit without struggling and finished the last lap in 4:04 to complete 6 laps in 24:51, I kept running though to complete the 25 mins, so I did 5.4k in 24:51, which is 4:36 per km pace and the 5k in 23:00. I could have not asked for better workout. Last tempo I felt flat from the get go, today I felt fresh and fresh, that is due to the low mileage as well and myself adapting better to the stresses workout, that tempo was slow, but put my mind into it and salvaged what could have turned into a disaster. After the 25 mins today I walked for a couple of mins before starting the cool down. Then did 2 laps easy to cool down in 5:38 and 5:30, man those felt very easy and was surprised because those were fast given how slowly I was moving, then decided to complete the 14 mins of running such as the warm up and called it a day. Total was around 9.6k or 6 miles. Felt very satisfied and happy with this workout, today`s workout indicates that I have not lost any fitness. Today I felt like in the 10k race where I surpassed my own expectations.