What? February is Almost Over?

OK, they tell you at the start line that there are photographers all along the route so when you see one, Smile! At least act like you're having a good time.
AND... No matter how tired I got, it was a good time.

Running?

I am!

I ran 29.50 miles last week. I've increased the elevation of the treadmill from always running at 1.0 to 2.0 this month. Next week it will increase to 2.5. I did increase the long run to 7 miles.
Best 5K time last week was 28:41, and the best 10K was 58:40.
I am still slow, but not as slow!

Here are some figures:

January- - - - - - - February- - - - - -TOTAL
_____________________________________________
27 runs...............18 runs..............45 runs
9:32 pace............9:19 pace...........9:26 pace
18,705 calories....14,394 calories...33,099 calories
110.2 miles..........84.8 miles.........195.0 miles

Now... How is that for some (well... trivial) facts! They do show an improvement.

10K race and the half-marathon are but 3 months away!

The Doldrums...

A dictionary might define “Doldrums” as a period of stagnation or slump.

Am I in a slump? Am I being inactive? No to both.

I use the term to describe a state where I am training but not actually for a purpose.

I am up to running 2 10Ks a week. Most weeks are 26 miles. I am slowly increasing the elevation on the treadmill as well as increasing my speed.

Is it giving me results? Yes. For instance, BuckeyeOutdoors.com reports that in January, I ran 110.20 miles total in 27 runs. Of that, I averaged 4.10 miles per run at a pace of 9:32 or 6.3 miles per hour.

Considering I trained for my marathon @ a 12:00 pace (and ran it at a higher number), I do believe that I am improving.

So far for 2009 (as of this morning), I have run 128 miles.

So, the doldrums. I will be happier when this “Einstein” runner can start to train for that elusive 10K at under an hour, and, at the same time for a half-marathon. That first half-marathon will be one week after the 10K. I am so happy when I can schedule and then check the schedule. Sometimes, the competition itself can be a let down. Wish me luck anyway.

More information in a bit. Thanks for reading!

How are your doldrums coming along?

And Remember...
If you are going to take up cross-country running, it is always better to start with a small country.