tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87625400963940172462024-03-13T12:45:12.436-05:00Family AthleticsCapturing the fitness aspirations, goals and accomplishments of our Texas family as they occur.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762540096394017246.post-22594813847164434422009-04-27T15:05:00.003-05:002009-04-27T15:10:05.445-05:00Stats are in on the Country Half MarathonI fared well. Finished in the top 15% in my age group in a little over 2 hours and 7 minutes. I have the full story on another blog. <a href="http://indianspringsguy2.blogspot.com/2009/04/country-marathon-and-half-marathon-in.html">Click here to read about it.</a>indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762540096394017246.post-46128143122741846492009-04-25T12:09:00.004-05:002009-04-25T13:52:08.803-05:00Nashville Country Half MarathonI rolled to the finish line, rock'n and roll'n to fine country music this morning, arriving about the same time as those Kenyan runners in the full marathon. They were vying for the 10,000 prize and the $10,000 bonus on who crossed the finish line first. The ladies were given an 18-minute head start to make it a contest. This is an interesting event from many angles. It has gotten better every year in its 10 year history. This year they opened up a pasta dinner cruise for contestants the night before the race. They also made the course more difficult by adding the famous streets in downtown Nashville. That added steep hills near the end of the race. I was physically stressed to the limit and made sure I kept myself a survivor at the end. I saw one girl collapse and felt I could do the same if I was not careful. It was too hot for a marathon, 15 degrees higher this year than last year. At the last minute, they added several water stations and had fruit at several places. There was location where a resident turned on their water hoses and was giving cooling showers. I went into it and came out soaked. But of course I was already soaking wet from sweat. How great that water spray felt!!! <p>
The preliminary stats gave me a 2 hour and 8 minute finish. I wanted a 1 hour 53 minute finish but that was not in the cards today. 36000 contestants lined up in corrals (it felt like we were cattle as well.) I could not see any end to runners in either direction - behind or in front of me. I was in the 6th corral, with runners expecting to complete their race in 1hr and 53 or so minutes. I lost the 8 minutes when I nearly collapsed going up the hills. Three times I walked part of an uphill section. The street was crowded all the way. Very little space to run past people. At the end, there was insufficient space to properly cool down. Everyone came to an abrupt stop, but I did find a place to sit down and stretch.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762540096394017246.post-30545970954612449602009-04-21T13:44:00.002-05:002009-04-21T13:49:30.551-05:00Calf CrampsI have been fighting calf cramps off and on during the last two months of training. I believe mine are from two issues: dehydration and strain. These two excerpts apply to me and may help you as well:
<p><b>Calf Cramps: Causes and Solutions</b><br>Calf cramps can be exceedingly painful, and everyone has experienced this pain at least once in their life. The most agonizing pain comes at some point during your sleep, but painful cramp pain can also occur during athletic training.<br><a href="http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/218563/calf_cramps_causes_and_solutions.html">http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/218563/calf_cramps_causes_and_solutions.html</a>
<p><b>Calf Cramps: Causes and Solutions</b><br>Calf cramps can be exceedingly painful, and everyone has experienced this pain at least once in their life. The most agonizing pain comes at some point during your sleep, but painful cramp pain can also occur during athletic training.<br><a href="http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/218563/calf_cramps_causes_and_solutions.html">http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/218563/calf_cramps_causes_and_solutions.html</a>indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762540096394017246.post-10614438670233670122009-04-20T15:25:00.000-05:002009-04-20T15:26:34.504-05:00Training finally completeThis week is rest week. I will run a little just to exercise some muscles. Last week, I ran over 40 miles including two full half marathons. This is recuperation week. Saturday is the big race in downtown Nashville. I am in the 9 minute mile corral, as well as I recall, but worry a little that I said 8 minutes. Anyway, this will be a new and interesting experience with live country western music at each mile marker. This event has a normalization factor for age. They will compensate for times of older contestants by factoring their time with a speed/age curve so that runners will know how they did relative to age brackets.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762540096394017246.post-26411318931211328042009-03-15T20:09:00.002-05:002009-03-15T20:19:25.117-05:00After several days of rainI don't know about you, but I had a hard time getting myself out of the house and on to the road this week. I did need a little rest and break but 5 days? I got out when it was dry enough this morning, but guess what? After about one hour, I heard a clap of thunder and whack! Down came the rain. I was not carrying my cell phone this time but was carrying my wallet which got soaked! I turned into a frog. Been thinking about doing that anyway with so many contiguous days of rain. As it turned out, I enjoyed running in the rain. I wore a long sleeve running shirt this time and a cap. That kept me warm. Yet on arriving at the house, I stepped in the shower with the cold water running and wham! It felt like it was boiling! The surface of the skin was super cooled by the rain and cold even though it wasn't but in the 50's. A few minutes later I adjusted to the water and even got take a real warm shower in the end.<p>
I resumed the alternating sprints in the distance strategy. I ran 12.98 miles at a 8.9 pace. Full stride sprints occur on downhill and a slower shorter stride pace on uphill. That is Ok. Slower than I want to run a half marathon, but ok considering I was playing it safe on the wet surface.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762540096394017246.post-60436253406194276082009-03-07T13:50:00.002-06:002009-03-07T14:01:43.558-06:00Randy has broken his speed record - now under 8 min/mileThis has been a pretty good week for training. Despite the heavy pollen count, I have finally managed to break 8.0 min/mile in a decent length. I went out this morning on a relatively short course speed training run. I was not consciously trying to break my record, just get a good workout. It was 7.36 miles. This ends a week of two long and one short run for a total distance of over 36 miles in 3 runs. The longest was more than 15 miles. I am happy with this progress. I am proving to myself that I can run under 9 minute miles in the half marathon. Other runners tell me that I should be ready now for the full marathon, but I have not really been seeking extreme sports as my goal. Now I see I can do that and probably will make that the full marathon my goal before I turn 65. The only problem I experienced this week was some wheezing. That occurred on the 15 mile run, right after I drank while running. So I decided to stop that practice and only to take a drink while walking. That is defined as three gulps and no more. I carried my own water on the 15-mile trip. That was extra weight and it helps to further strengthen the leg muscles. All of this training is done on the Woodlands hills. My course is quite challenging for runners in this area. I will need it in Nashville! Today I will also cross train on a bicycle.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762540096394017246.post-65660356484649213482009-03-01T09:24:00.003-06:002009-03-01T09:30:13.766-06:00Next for Randy comes NashvilleI am planning to run the half marathon in Nashville, Tennessee in late April. The setting will be downtown on the river. The venue will of course be Country Music! It includes an evening party the night after the race. We will run to the music as there will be music stations along the way.Refer to the site below for additional information, for those who might be interested in running his with me. <p>
<a href="http://www.cmmarathon.com/home.html">Nashville Country Music Marathon -April 25th </a>indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762540096394017246.post-47137413577613607272009-02-28T19:54:00.004-06:002009-03-02T10:48:15.961-06:0010K Results for RandyI was the only one of our family to participate today. Reed had a grandson birthday to attend (flu got him earlier also) and Sarah had a migraine headache and soreness from a softball game. I did something the night before but went with the program anyway. I was sore from dancing at a party.<p>
The good news for me was a record breaking race. I surpassed the best speed of all my races, short and long. This 10K run had a very slow start and I did not think it was possible to improve my speed over other races, but I did. My best 5 mile speed to date was 8.1 minutes per mile. Today I finished with a 8.07 minutes per mile over a distance of 6.2 miles (10K). That put me in the top 20% of my class. I was the oldest in my age bracket but finished 9th in a peer field of 56 runners, Best time in my class was 42 minutes, 28 seconds by a runner from Angleton, Texas. I finished in 50 minutes, 31 seconds. If I had been one year older, this speed would have gained me sixth place in a field of 27. Overall, I finished 757th of the 2518 men running in the 10K.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762540096394017246.post-47317279450722911872009-02-22T08:31:00.003-06:002009-02-22T08:40:46.556-06:00Sarah posts excellent time in Houston Park to Park 5-miler<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-oXDrCB0Cwm4FifnuNDo7EUsqV6IgMAYXPZPiU9J44fFR6vv9Y_YtwDZaJOFJysRoetsKN-1a8HQvTHyyyMKvo9BKmtF5ylBVz1UiCe9IRxw1cF_YBToXYmqP0whfHjr3DLe_VOUZXE/s1600-h/Park+to+Park+2009-122.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-oXDrCB0Cwm4FifnuNDo7EUsqV6IgMAYXPZPiU9J44fFR6vv9Y_YtwDZaJOFJysRoetsKN-1a8HQvTHyyyMKvo9BKmtF5ylBVz1UiCe9IRxw1cF_YBToXYmqP0whfHjr3DLe_VOUZXE/s200/Park+to+Park+2009-122.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305630995438569906" /></a>
Yesterday, Sarah ran in the Houston 5-Mile Park to Park race. This is the annual race which several of us ran last year from downtown Houston to Herman Park. She is now running competitive, having achieved 12th place in a peer field of 43 runners. Her time was 8.7 minutes/mile. Next is the 10K Rodeo run next weekend.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762540096394017246.post-84597703374025912642009-02-08T13:03:00.003-06:002009-02-08T13:09:33.248-06:00Thought I was doing better. Got to work harder!Today, I pushed for speed in a 7.7 mile run. Of course that is more stressful than a 10K, but still, I expected a better time. I did it in 8.7 minutes/mile using long strides. This is in preparation for the Houston Rodeo 10K coming on February 28th. This tells me that I need to work on speed. I am shifting towards the morning to prepare my body for the race as well. I expect that will have something to do with the outcome, so I am now officially in training for a specific event. Reed and Sarah should be in this with me. I got my race packet this past week. I am really looking forward to this.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762540096394017246.post-79648480900886054332009-01-27T12:52:00.002-06:002009-01-27T12:54:56.121-06:00Houston Livestock and Rodeo 10KRandy just signed up for the 10K on Feb 28th. This will be my first 10K. Starts downtown Houston. Can catch a bus from the Astrodome area to downtown and leave the truck parked at the Livestock show.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762540096394017246.post-59879246685034807732009-01-24T10:55:00.002-06:002009-01-24T11:00:56.850-06:00Programs - we all should be in oneWell, Sarah is signed up for several more races and I need to sign up for some. Kelly and Russ supposedly are now into boxing training. Reed is working towards a race. Jeff started his running program, but I have not heard if he has continued with it. I started running 2-3 times a week, 8 or more miles. This week in two runs, I totaled 21 miles. Yesterday I did fairly well, running 11+ miles at a 9.4 pace. I hope everyone is doing something aerobic for their health this year.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762540096394017246.post-8319677515055829342009-01-19T09:17:00.004-06:002009-01-19T09:23:48.453-06:00Sarah's First Half Marathon - Houston Marathon 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwBpo36jtKHdgEda0YDqIgOE0bSm24PUa7-6ZcIyQCxMeSg1bh9zid6U0AMtd6xFcDrf_h-5_Qd67JNFgQR4anuNwXHFLy8Z-g_uw22OwL-56W2LvY2sKZwxIUAxp5RcWsEHfxJi1iBU/s1600-h/Houston+Marathon+2009+96dpi-2090.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwBpo36jtKHdgEda0YDqIgOE0bSm24PUa7-6ZcIyQCxMeSg1bh9zid6U0AMtd6xFcDrf_h-5_Qd67JNFgQR4anuNwXHFLy8Z-g_uw22OwL-56W2LvY2sKZwxIUAxp5RcWsEHfxJi1iBU/s400/Houston+Marathon+2009+96dpi-2090.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293025274126789682" /></a><br>
I was a lucky dad yesterday to be able to see my daughter run her first half marathon race. She did it in about 2 hours 10 minutes, finishing in the top 10% of her peer age group. Her time was about a 10 minute mile average, maybe even less. Congratulations to Sarah for such a high accomplishment! This photo is four miles into the 13.1 mile race.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762540096394017246.post-63110126076902640272009-01-13T22:08:00.002-06:002009-01-13T22:13:05.537-06:00Sarah getting ready to run half-marathonSarah is gearing up to run in the Houston Half Marathon on Sunday. I have registered to be notified when she crosses 6.2 miles(10K), 9 miles(21K) and finishes at 13.1 miles. This service is provided free and is an automatic text message sent as as an athlete passes over the detection pad at those locations.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762540096394017246.post-74777991205970480292009-01-07T17:03:00.002-06:002009-01-07T17:09:33.267-06:00REALLY back in the saddleWell I'm not going to sit back any longer and let the Scott family have all of the fun.....it's time to join the ride. Today I signed up for the Houston Livestock Show rodeo 10k at the end of February......I had to set a specific event to get the ball rolling for myself. My running has been so totally inconsistent I needed something that will make it consistent; nothing like a 6.2 mile run to do it!reedthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07474776131639799093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762540096394017246.post-61794780145599480742008-12-19T16:26:00.004-06:002008-12-22T15:40:51.540-06:00New record run distance in training programToday, I left it wide open for how far I would run. The course that I chose is 18.94 miles. I tried it but had to stop running at 14.7 miles due to a sharp pain in a knee. I have resolved to play it safe in such cases, so I just walked home from there. Now 14.7 miles at 9.5 minutes per mile pace is my highest achievement. This means I will probably not run a full marathon until next season. I have set a goal of 20 miles before I will register for a full marathon (26 miles). I still have enough energy and strength for a half marathon and am planning to run one, probably in the Austin Marathon this coming February. In the meantime, keep that training going!indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762540096394017246.post-66640127769241484742008-12-06T16:59:00.001-06:002008-12-06T17:02:11.381-06:00Back in the SaddleHey Folks! I’m back…. After a long siesta Jeff is back into training! Git-e-up! Thank you Sarah for the inspiration. On the way home from Cooper's Baseball we stopped to watch a StrongMan competition which also motivated me to get back into lifting and running. I have set a few goals and hit the pavement today. Short run to start... but will be back to prime condition in no time. :-)
JeffTexas Redneck Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04279280311918433597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762540096394017246.post-73747080361505620582008-12-06T14:20:00.004-06:002008-12-06T14:28:08.493-06:00Sarah is successful in 10 mile raceAfter preparing for the last month or so, this morning, Sarah competed in the annual December Pearland Jungle Jog 2008 race, finishing 4th in her age group. A 10 mile race is both a challenge and an accomplishment. She ran the entire distance and was in the top 1/3rd of competitors in her group. She does not yet know her elapsed time. Congratulations for setting a goal and exceeding it!indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762540096394017246.post-48036180041725445342008-12-04T14:45:00.003-06:002008-12-04T15:07:52.409-06:00StretchingI am wondering how others stretch to maximize training benefits. I stretch to keep limber and to minimize pulled muscles or ligaments. My Cuz Reed advised me to use the stairs in the house to prevent calf ligament issues. I have been doing that regularly for months now and it seems to help.<p>
The basic stretches I do these days take about 10 minutes before I run and 10 minutes after. (1) Leg bends where feet touch buttocks. I hold this for about 10 seconds and do it several times on each leg. I do it standing up and on the floor. (2) Calf stretch on stairs. Heels down and hold for 10 seconds several times. The opposite direction also is wise where you stand on your tiptoes for 5 seconds. That stretches the top ligaments. (3) Hip stretch where you put one foot in front and one in back to stretch the ligaments where the leg muscles connect to the hips, like a super long stride stretch. Hold for 2-3 seconds, Do several repetitions for each leg. This enables long strides without pulling muscles of ligaments. At first it can cause some soreness on the inside of the hips.(4) Top leg muscle stretch is putting a foot under your buttocks, stretching the thigh muscle and ligaments to the knee. Press forward to stretch out the muscles and hold for a minute. Do several times for each side. I like to put both legs under me and watch some TV to give this exercise more time to gradually lengthen the muscles in a relaxed position. (5) Touch the ground with knees not bent. If you are like me, this one is tough and it takes time. I learned to do this in Yoga. Go to the point of discomfort and just relax. Gradually seek the ground but not by sudden movement. Just seek the ground gradually. Do this for about 1 minute minute, repeating several times. I now touch the ground and hope to stretch further in coming months.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762540096394017246.post-34822986506827200402008-12-01T21:32:00.005-06:002008-12-01T21:46:53.139-06:00Next Step - 1/2 or full Marathon?Today I ran for 13 miles, but not at competition speed. This Spring the 1/2 Marathon was completed at a pace of 9.0 and today's practice run was 9.2. I finally stiffened up at about 11 miles but had no real trouble getting to 13. In two weeks, I want to try to run 15 or 16 miles. My goal is to get to a point so I can commit to a full Marathon or just leave it at 1/2 for February in Austin. I believe that requires me to run 20 miles once. I have never run more than 13 yet.
<p>
I think I should sign up for the Austin Marathon pretty soon either way I decide. I rested two full days this time after the five mile race to run a 1/2 Marathon practice. Hopefully I can do another 1/2 Marathon in April like I did this year. That also could turn into a full marathon race for me.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762540096394017246.post-27520668179520014162008-11-29T19:08:00.006-06:002008-11-29T19:40:12.986-06:00Randy Placed fourth in the Run Through the WoodsI did improve on my time and placement this year. I <b>placed 4th</b> out of 20 contestants in my age group, was the oldest person in the top 11 in my age group and placed 413th overall of 1670 contestants in the 5-mile race. Prizes went to the top three in each age category (darn! just missed). <p>I did my best. Therefore, a finish in the top 25% of all runners is enough for me. Had I competed in the man's age 35-39 age group, I would have won the 36th spot out of 105. My time was <b>8:10 per mile </b>. If I had trained exceptionally hard, I would have never made first place in my age group, but might have gained second place. First place ran a very fast 6:56 per mile average. The best pace in the entire race was 4:55 by a Houston runner and second place was 4:56 by a Dallas man. Very close finish! Must have been a fast sprint the entire way! I exceeded my goal of 8:15.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762540096394017246.post-61594966191358116052008-11-24T20:12:00.002-06:002008-11-24T20:25:03.514-06:00First Race of the season for Randy - Run through the WoodsI ran this YMCA race last year and did well. It will be a challenge to do as well this year. The race is Turkey Day, in the morning. Many people will run in this 5 mile race. <p>There have been too many interruptions in my training this year. This last one was a double whammy. I worked out with a new program of weights as designed especially by a YMCA trainer for my running. That was just bad timing, because it stiffened all my muscles right before this race. Not good. Then the next day, I helped a neighbor to recover her son from a fall, trying to get from his wheelchair to his sofa. He was in dire need and I did not think about what I was doing to help him except for his pain and necessity. Trouble was, the guy weighed a lot and I pulled something in my back in the process. That put me out of training for 4 days less than two weeks before the race. <p>So here I am back again. I have run twice without hurting the back at all. Yesterday was a day of testing my back and laying off of speed. I bought new shoes today and ran a decent run with them - 8.7 minutes per mile average over 5.8 miles. I still did not put a lot of speed into the run, so I have more to give. I will run the next couple of days also but not much on Wednesday. I plan to run significant distance tomorrow but not with speed. It is hard for me to run at a slower pace but I can and will.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762540096394017246.post-65495433045367503662008-11-18T16:48:00.004-06:002008-11-18T16:56:12.134-06:00InjuryThis is likely to change tomorrow. I was making rapid headway using my new routine and had big plans. However, a lady came out of her home on my way back today and asked for immediate help with her son who had fallen trying to get out of his wheelchair. What was I to say? I told her I would see if I could help him even though I was sweating and had not cooled down from my run. So I went inside her house and found this young man in a terrible position on the floor. He was big but I did not think much about it. I just got one side and tried to help her raise him and get him on the sofa. We did but when I stood up straight I had to say "oh oh". I noticed a slight pain in my lower back. It is now considered by me to be a moderate injury. I can still walk with some pain but doubt if I can run for several days. I think it will be nip and tuck to make it by Thanksgiving day.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762540096394017246.post-39085787003108978342008-11-16T12:25:00.002-06:002008-11-16T12:30:41.399-06:00Two more weeks until the RunThrough the WoodsOn Thanksgiving day, Randy plans to run this race for the second year in a row. It is on Thanksgiving morning. What better excuse for gorging oneself than having run five miles for charities the same morning as the feast? You get a pancake breakfast after you run and does that taste good on a chiller morning after a race! <p>
I am ready to run the race now but want to continue building strength and speed. I have discovered that I need to change how I land on long strides to make more efficient use of that stride. I will try that new technique this week. I am notably slower than I was this past Spring.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762540096394017246.post-80632688474535748882008-11-09T12:45:00.004-06:002008-11-09T13:56:36.914-06:00Seem to be getting the pattern down againSeems that work brings rewards. Today, I continued to push myself but not deliberately. Like Forest Gump, when I reached my goal in half-distance today, I said "well, I feel OK, so I might as well keep running". And that I did. I ended up running 12.58 miles at a 8.4 minutes per mile speed when my intention was 9 miles at an 8.8 speed. My legs felt it when I got back, but all in all, I am happy about it. Strength and stamina are coming back rapidly. After working hard for one week, I have gone from 7 to 12+ miles by going further every time I went out. In five days now, I have rested for one day and ran a total of 33 miles. This was the first day that I started at racing speed. The pattern will be a short run of about 5-6 miles one day and a longer run of about 8-10 the other days. I am ready for competition on Thanksgiving and will probably be ready for the 10 mile race in December in Pearland by the time Thanksgiving arrives.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0