Edmond Runner

1:30 pm run with JB & JH; 83 with mid 50's DP; S wind 0 to 10 mph; 1584

Nice easy run with about 1/2 mile of 6:20 pace to stay ahead of bikers!

ART

4pm with JH and Blake; partly sunny and hot; 86; 1582

Easy to recovery pace except 10 x 17 sec hill sprints 3K pace; recovery over hill

Legs felt good today; DS Trainers

Lifted lower

ART

4:15 pm run with JH and Blake; 88 w/SSE 10-20; 1664; DP 56; Partly cloudy; High allergens; Adidas Adios orange

Weary mind from work; tired legs from training; running with great friends = let's run fast!  Amazing the power of having people that pick me up and keep me going when I didn't feel like it...and solid runners that keep me doing the right things in training.  

Went with speed today but less distance due to heat/wind, 5K last week and 10K this week.  6 x 600 (from tree and back) with 400-500 meter recovery.  Out and back pace alternated between 5K and 10K effort.  Hit mine at mile paces of: 5:10, 5:55; 5:41; 6:05; 5:36; 5:39.  Solid effort all things considered.  I did have a tough time breathing today and getting heart rate down (especially after 1st repeat where just pushed and didn't look at watch).

Crazy Kenyan Double  = Kenyans are known to double up with about a 3-4 hour rest; well I took only 45 min (thus crazy).  Court needed someone to help her get out the door and started so went to OC and ran 3 with her; recovery pace; DS Trainers; 82 degrees. 

Lifted upper

ART

4 pm run w/JH at Hefner; 93 w/13-22 mph; 61 DP; 1540; sunny

Easy progression run; tough going out into wind; hot day and cumulative fatigue legs but the way JH was running strong kept me going; we have both come along way in fitness this summer because we were cruising along talking and going faster then we knew.  Did feel like today was finishing up a marathon, but also felt strong and it was all managable.  Did find it hard to breathe deep and wonder about the air quality as there were fires in the area and pollen count high.  Hopefully that will all settle out as we taper back a couple of days to prep for the Tulsa Zoo Run!  

Lifted lower

ART  

Fun run with JH and Blake; & The Wilp!

83 --> 72 as front moved from NW; 12-36 mph; part clouds; 1576; New Adios 2 which seem like a different shoe vs 1 and all for the better!

Easy?  Felt like a pinball with crazy wind; Blasted by blowing sand; haunted dam as ran into swarm of wasps (or ran away from at PR pace...JH!); 6 x ~200 all sub-5 pace with a Wilp led and I chased him down 4:10 pace repeat!!  That guy is like the kid in school you can talk into doing anything...and will then talk to you about 4:13 traffic!  He is growing on me and kind of fun to have around.

Nice taper day.

ART

Saturday 9am 10K race in Tulsa OK.  Left OKC about 6:15.  Got there and realized this race continues to grow in popularity especially on nice weather day.  Early morning 40's turned to low-mid 50's during race with full sun.  Not wind and low DP.  Did get hot and wish race was a 7:30 gun time.  But still...this is a weather day in Oklahoma where you hope to be in shape and on the right course...we were!  JB blew it out an took the overall in a new PR.  JH who isn't having a typical rookie year hit a PR of sub-40 while running a controlled race (looking ahead to TR pacing).  Blake likely set a PR for least training effort and still having a TR qualifying time. 

I didn't want anything to do with last years race where 4 Masters passed me in the last 1.5K.  I raced last year trying to see how close I could stay to a super fast 55 year old; went through 5K with a reasonable time and then fell apart as it was a warm/humid day and the first 5K took it out of me.  This year I am in better shape and better weather.  I went out 1st mile with a pack of 6-8 runners and the pace was right so never looked at my watch other than 5K which was 18:34.  Thus still fell off on back half but the last K of this course isn't ideal with a slight hill in the full sun and winding (jig-jogging) around in the zoo.  Felt strong the entire time and passed several runners.   Today was my all-time PR for at the 10K and at age 47! I also went through 8K at 29:47 which is unofficially another all-time PR.  Never know what you can do unless you try.

P.S. We barely made it back to the start for the gun after taking the small-loop for a warmup and it was longer than thought!  JB and I were there with about 2 min to go; but JH and Blake less than 20 seconds!  Cutting it close.  I looked back and averaged 6:30 pace over 3K hurrying to make it back.  I thus ran a 13K!  This is how memories are made!!

Ended day by eating at Panera and driving the new Tulsa Run 15K course.  Luckily "Butler Black"
kept JH awake as he gratefully drove us on this trip.