Bret

AM - yesterday was a very long travel day of over 26 hours -- so although I was back home by 3 pm - I was too tired to consider a run and instead took a nap.  Daughter #2 was in her high school's homecoming court, so I had to be rested to escort her across the field at halftime during the football game.  Sleep cycles are altered from multiple travel days in different time zones and so I was up early this morning after only 5 hours of sleep but decided to get a short run in to shake things out.  Weather was very pleasant with a cool front having blown through last night. 

Rest day

PM - back at the office after 2 weeks of travel left me very little time for a run and still jet lagged.  Was able to get on the treadmill after work and before a church meeting - 5 moderate miles followed by 2 miles at MRP - which was good to get the blood flowing.  Very lathargic though later and struggling to get back on a routine sleep schedule. 

PM - after work - another busy day back in the office.  I have been too tired in the morning to get up to do an early run - so my mileage will suffer a bit this week while I readjust time zones.  This was a pretty good workout for me.  2 mile warm up and 2 mile cool down.  6 x 5 mins at threshold pace with a 1 min rest between.  Have been doing similar workouts to this on the treadmill, but decided to do this one outside.  The treadmill keeps me locked into the threshold pace of 6:21 to 6:24 but doing this outside was a bit of a challenge to find the right feel for the pace.  The first 4 were well below that pace 6:07, 6:13, 6:08 and 6:18 with the last two at 6:29 which averages to 6:17 - and I was "feeling it" on the last two - hopefully still got what was intended out of this workout despite perhaps going a little too quickly.   

Looked back at last year's workouts from this time period and this seems consistent with what I was doing then - though just going by memory of the workouts, I think I feel more depth to my endurance than last year at this time.

PM - 9.0 miles recovery run outside midday.  Not as warm as it was a few weeks ago, but certainly warmer than the runs I did in Australia and NZ - Felt somewhat weak in the quads and overall still dragging a bit. 

PM - lunchtime - 10 miles on the treadmill at 7:35 pace.  Nothing special - felt ok.

PM - on the treadmill.  20 miles.  Did it as a workout.  2 mile warm up then 4 x 5 mins at 6:24 pace with 2 min rest; then 10 miles at 7:30 pace; then 3 x 5 mins at 6:24 pace with 2 min rest and 1.5 mile cool down.  Very good workout after having some GI issues yesterday that kept me from running.

PM - lunchtime run around the Carillon office park and Feathersound for and easy 8.25 miles. 

PM - on the treadmill - Good workout -2 mile warm up then 10 x 800 meters at 2:50 with equal recovery (Yasso's 800s); then 1 mile cool down - I sometimes do this workout in my marathon build up to check to see where I am.  This was by no means easy - but I was solild in the effort. 

PM - easy 8.0 miles on the treadmill.  No soreness or discomfort from yesterday's workout.

AM - easy 4 miles this morning - work/life committments yesterday kept me from running. 

PM - lunchtime - 6 miles around Feathersound and Carillon office park.  Miles 4 and 5 were at 6:25 pace.  Felt crappy.  Plan to do my last 20 miler tomorrow.  Have to travel abroad again beginning on Sunday for 10 days.  India and England. 

PM - 20 miles mostly at 7:30 pace -- my Garmin's battery expired at about mile 15 - so up to that point with the exception of the first 3 miles all of the miles were at 7:30 or better.  Last 20 miler I will do before NYC.  Felt pretty good about the run except that I had no water or gatorade (or gels) on this run and the last 4 miles were a bit rough as a result.

PM - Easy 4.0 miles on a treadmill at a hotel in Mumbai, India following a 17 hour flight. Quite late here, 11:30 pm when I started - but wanted to get a shake out run in to help me get on a local time sleep schedule. I have been told that I probably do not want to consider running outside for a number of reasons, including some very serious pollution - the sulfur content evidently corrodes air conditioning units in this city rather frequently. Here for 2 days then down to Bangalore for 2 days.

AM - got up early before business meetings and did a treadmill workout. A bit travel weary - but wanted to get a decent speed workout done before the day got away from me. 2 mile warm up then 4 x 1000 at 3:30 with a 3 min rest then 4 x 200 at 40 with a 40 second rest then 1.5 mile cool down. I was really at my limit on the 1000's - but glad to get the run done and in the log.

PM - after work meetings and before dinner - easy 5 miles on the treadmill. Very tired legs.

AM - easy to moderate 7 miles on the treadmill in Mumbai again this morning. Meetings at our offices today and then heading down to Bangalore this afternoon - hoping that the conditions are better for an outdoor run there tomorrow.

AM - in Bangalore India. Easily the most unusual chaotic place I have ever run. Our local company guy told Richie and I that we could venture off the site of our hotel and office and that we would be safe to run along this road with "nice pavements and woods." Clearly we did not have a mutual understanding of those terms. I would describe this as a trail/adventure run. There was no "pavement" or sidewalk, but instead a dirt path with holes and concrete and various utilities (electric etc) amongst street dogs and people and garbage and livestock and gagging smells and....We sort of ran when there was room, and jogged to avoid obstacles and stopped at times for photos. This area is about 3000 ft in altitude so it was not as warm as Mumbai - but the pollution and dust was really crushing to Richie and his allergies. All in all - a good slow easy paced run - good for a start to tapering.

AM - last day in Bangalore India - played it safe by running on the treadmill this morning.  Easy to moderate pace - 8 miles.  Travel early tomorrow morning to London for 5 days - hoping for some cooler running weather.

PM - 10 hours of travel on a flight from Bangalore India to London which had me up at 3:15  am to catch a 6:30 flight, arriving at my hotel in London at about 1:30 pm.   Beautiful weather in the 50s and sunny.  Coincidentally staying in the same hotel as the Chicago Bears who are playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tomorrow (yes I am going to the game at Wembley) - as we checked in.  Was standing next to the coach and the elder Mrs. Halas.   Our rooms were not ready yet so Richie and I changed clothes in the restroom, had the bellman store our bags and I took Richie out on an easy 7 mile run through Hyde Park pointing out various sites, and then ran by Buckingham Palace and over to Parliment Square and Westminster Abbey.  Basically a down and dirty quick sight seeing/runner's tour of central London.  Did not sleep a wink on the plane and only got 3 hours of sleep last night, and so with the time change, I am starting to feel a bit drained. 

Will try to get a longer run in tomorrow morning - especially if the weather is as nice and I get a solid night's sleep.

PM - got a good 8 hours of sleep and went to breakfast and to church services here in London - and although I had decided to take the day off from running (my left hip has been hurting and I am really jet-lagged) the weather was so nice, I decided to do a short run in the park and I ended up running a bit of a short tempo run.  3 miles at MP after a mile at 7:18.  The cooler temps always seem to make those paces seem rather easy.

AM - very pleasant early morning run with Richie - from Mayfair along the River Thames and around Tower Bridge and back. 

AM - workout - 12 x 400 at 6-6:15 pace with full recovery after a warm up and then a cool down in Hyde Park.  Very nice run.

AM - quick run around Hyde Park before a day of travel back home.  Unintentionally ran a mile at MP - possibly because it was cold and had begun to rain rather steadily and I was just trying to get back to the hotel. 

Good workout - 1 mile w/up and c/d with 3 miles at 6:36 pace on the treadmill back in St. Pete in the gym next to my office at lunchtime. 

PM - lunchtime run around Carillon office park. Easy 5 miles at 7:30 pace.  Weather was comfortable, so I had to keep consciously slowing my pace because it felt so easy.  Taper seems to be coming along quite well.

PM - easy 6.5 miles on a glarey windy humid, but not too warm afternoon.  Kept it at 7:30 pace, but at times later in the run, this felt like more effort than it should have.

PM - on the treadmill in the afternoon.  1 mile warm up then 4 miles at MRP then 4 miles at 7:30 pace then a mile cool down.  Wore the HR monitor - but was a little concerned that my HR was higher than I need it to be at MRP.  Not sure if the TM is calibrated correctly - as my Garmin foot pod was showing a 5:58 pace - which likewise could have been mis-calibrated.  In any event - I did a very similar workout to this one last year at this time before NYC and was pleased with the effort and how my HR was comfortably low.  So, I am a bit concerned that if my HR is not where it needs to be for my goal pace, I may need to re-calibrate my goal! 

Planned day of rest.