Christoph F. Eick's Running Training Log
December 21, 2013 to June 30, 2014


Long Runs Easy Runs Steady Pace Marathon Pace LT-Pace VO2-Pace 1M-Pace Hills Swimming
8:20-10:00 8:40-10:15 8:30-8:40 8:10-8:30 7:20-7:45 7:00-7:15 6:45-6:55 Trails SBY-STR-Y

Day Distance WO Time Place Shoe Comment
12/21, 7:45a 8.8M 12K of Christmas 1:04:34(8:39-pace; 9:04 8:35 16:32(2M) 8:49 21:40 (2.45M; 8:44-pace)) Downtown & Midtown, Houston PURFL T=72, very humid, and mostly in drizzel rain; basically, started with 8:52-pace, followed by 8:20-pace for 2 miles, which I could not keep, and then finished with 8:45-pace over the last 3 miles. Ran a decent race considering my lack of speedwork and the somewhat challenging conditions. 2/10a, 142/695o. This was my 213th race lifetime! 176.8p.
12/22, 1p 6.0M easy 57:32 MemPa WR16 T=57-; beaten up and sore from yesterday's race.
12/24, 7:40a 20.4M easy 3:18:04 (9:43-pace; 24:41 51:58(L1) 50:12(L2) 50:00(L3) 21:11) East Beach Loop, Galveston 3 times! WR16' T=40-44 with strong 15mph north east wind, making the first 2.3M and the first 2M of each of the 3 loops quite tough; with water carrier which felt quite heavy in the first half. Traversing East Beach was somewhat challenging as there was a lot of standing water and I had to run slalom to reach Apfel Park Road. Overall, was somewhat slow but handled the distance well, and the wind and water carrier presented additional challenges. 176.0p.
12/26, 7:45a 10M easy 1:37:01 (9:42-pace; 34:24 29:25 33:10) H-Mem(1)-H WR16 T=50-54, H=80%, sunny and not much wind; running kind of slow, partially due to back soreness off and on.
12/27, 6p 25min Y-STR**2 176.8p; very sore hip and left hamstring and a tight left calf; not sure if I can manage tomorrow's 11M hike.
12/28, 11a 220 minutes Major Hiking 11.2M From Townwood Community Center west on Sims Bayou for 5.6M and back! HB 178.2p: getting fat!
12/29, 6:30a 15.4M easy 2:27:38(9:38-pace; ran the first 11M in 9:45 pace, but finished strong running the last 1.75M in 8:30-pace) John's Looooong Run in West Houston. DEF6 T=42-47 and partly cloudy; ran the John's course backwards to the 13.1M marker, and then turned around; with water carrier. Had a very good run in almost ideal conditions. Surprisingly, I felt good and not sore after the run, enjoying the food and company at John's house. Following the John Keston Approach: just 3 runs and 1 hike but 20.4+10+15.4+10.2_Hiking=56 miles in one week!
1/1, 8:15a 20.3M easy 3:22:12 (9:57-pace; 1:43:42|1:38:30 (16:00|14:30 49:30|46:41 38:21|37:19) 1.5|4.85|3.8M) Town Lake Loop, Austin WR16' T=42-61 and partly cloudy; two 10.15M loops around Town Lake starting at MoPac1 foot bridge turning around at Longhorn Dam. Running a twenty miler just 3 days after running 15M did not turn out a good idea—even after a double restday: I was tired and sore and had serious doubts if I could go the distance in the first hour; ran the first 6.35 miles quite slowly, somewhat picked up the pace in the next 10.15M loop, and was somewhat tiring the last 3.8M, slowing down a bit. 176.0p.
1/3, 11a 80 minutes Hiking 4M Enchanted Rock, near Fredrickburg, Texas HB Made it up the rock in 19:20—and I even didn't rush up the hill!
1/4, 7:50a 5.0M easy 46:12 Llano, Texas WR16' T=56+, running on the shoulder of Texas 29/71 going west from the outskirts of Llano—not a good road to run on due to the narrowness of the shoulder and the low quality of the pavement.
1/5, 6:30a 10M t: 2.8M 1:33:30 (16:46; then 2.8M in 23:20 (8:18-pace); jogged the last 4M!) RivOK PURFL T=63-, started to rain in the second half as the beginning of the arrival of a cold front. Expected to run the tempo run faster; therefore, probably running 8:20-pace in the Aramco Half looks too fast; however, my back was somewhat sore during the tempo run. First regular BCRR Sunday run since July 21, 2013! 177.4p.
1/7, 3:45p 5.5M easy 49:48 UH_DT LAU T=43- & partly cloudy! Decided not to run in the morning as the temperature would have been 24, perhaps the coldest morning of the whole year; ran okay today. First run for LAU! 178.6p.
1/9, 3:50p 5.4M easy AllenR WR16 T=68 and overcast; makeup for the long run that was moved to Saturday. Stuggling with a cold and also feeling quite tired the last 2 days!
1/9, 7a 1/11, 6:45a—Long run moved due to having a cold and bad rain on Thursday! 22M 20M easy 3:16:59 (1:29:30 (9.3M 9:38-pace) 1:05:34 (6.7M 9:47M) 24:54(2.2M walked most of mile 18) 17:00 (1.8M 9:25-pace)) Hershey DEF6 T=60-66 and initially somewhat foggy and then sunny; wind shifted to north which made the conditions more bearable. Due to the sickness earlier this week I decided to run easily and also shortened the length of the run by 2 miles. Surprisingly, I didn't get tired in the second half of the run, but rather was slowed down by lower back soreness. Anyhow, I succeeded to complete 20 miler, which was not certain at all! Having Parisian Benedict at the Egg&I at Kirkwood after the run. Strange pain/tightness of the lowest muscle over my left heel after the run. Last long run for DEF6!
1/12, 11a 165 minutes Major Hiking 10.0M Down Green's Bayou going south from Beltway 8 near Wilson Road 2 miles east of HW 59. HB With the Houston Area Trails and More Meetup Hiking group. Kind of beaten up, although stardard walking worked out fine, but doing major steps on uneven territory hurts; moreover, my back was still quite sensitive. 178.0p
1/14, 7:45a 7.1M ftl: 9x2min f|s 1:05:25 UH_DT3 LAU T=49-53 and sunny; still felt somewhat stiff from the 30M at the weekend and the lower back still seemed to be sensitive, but things improved a little during the second half of the workout.
1/16, 7:40a 5.4M easy Allen WR16 T=48+; kind of stiff and tight the first 3 miles. 176.4p.
1/17, 7p 25min Y-STR**2 ...
1/19, 7:00a 13.8M Aramco Houston Half Marathon 1:51:33 (8:30.9-pace; 7.05 miles/hour; 8:54 8:56 8:51 8:30 8:27 8:28 8:28 8:20 8:19 8:32 8:17 8:33 8:03 :49; 5K-Pace: 8:53 8:30 8:23 8:28 7:46(1.1K)) Houston PURFL Last race for PURFL! T=52-54 H=100-63%, almost no wind, mildly foggy, then sunny! I basically ran the first 5K in 8:53-pace and the next 10 miles in 8:23-pace. Back was only slightly sore at the before and at the beginning of the race, but I had no more problems starting mile 3 and after the race. 1342/10516o 19/195a. The race felt like a piece of cake and was over for me very quickly: with all this hoopla---I liked the DJ's at the early miles---,the crowd support and the favorable weather for running! About 17,600 finished both races; 800 more than in 2013! 178.2p.
1/21, 7p 20min Y-STR**2 ...
1/22, 7:20a 6.3M easy 57:56 Allen DEF6 T=35+; another run in tights!
1/24, 4:20p 7.1M t: 4M 1:02:20 (estimated 4M tempo run pace: 8:10) Allen LAU Had to run in the afternoon due to freezing rain in the morning. T=35 and overcast; in tights again; ran okay, considering that I felt nauseated and tired the hours before the run.
1/26, 7:25a 21.5M easy 3:19:09 (9:16-pace; 25:05 27:50 33:29 (9:20-pace for 9.3M) 4:39 46:17 (9:15-pace for 5.0M) 15:42 29:32 15:53 (8:49-pace for 1.8M)) Hershey WR16' T=49-63 partly cloudy then sunny; warmed up quite quickly; left heel was fine but right ancle was somewhat sore for most of the run. Happy that I was able to complete all four 20 milers, without having to cancel one; finally, a faster 20-miler after 3 quite slow ones; moreover,the last 5 miles of the run, I felt good finishing strong! 178.2p.
1/28, 7a 6:35p 5.4M easy Allen DEF6 T=34-; rare run after dark on Allen Parkway, as rain and sleet with tempertures around 28 was announced for the morning, but this forecase was wrong. Was wearing my sking gloves which turned out to be much to warm for temperatures in the lower 30's! Another run in tights!178.4p.
1/29, 7:15a 4:40p 6.4M ftl: 9x2min f|s 58:15 Allen PURFL T=40- and sunny; had to overcome some friction to move my legs faster; moreover, getting warmed up takes much longer when it is quite cold. Anyhow, I succeeded to complete the workout, after some doubts in the beginning. Another run in tights!
1/31, 7a 17M easy 2:43:41 (9:41-pace 10:07|9:15; 34:44 41:57(4M!) 27:24 27:58 31:35) H-MemPa(3.33)-H WR16' T=59-64, H=94-83% overcast and drizzle then partly cloudy; felt kind of stiff and tired and ran very slowly the first half, but then picked up the pace. Quite a contrast in conditions compared to the TU/WE runs!
2/2, 7a 5.2M easy Allen DEF6 T=67-68 cloudy with a few drizzels initially. 177.4p
2/3, 7:10a 6.4M easy Allen WR16 T=40-41; okay run on another cold morning.
2/5, 4:40p 7.0M ftl: 10x2min f|s 1:02:17 UH_DT3 PURFL T=48- and sunny; ran okay!
2/7, 5:25p 5.5M easy 53:06 27:31|25:35 Allen DEF6 T=37; did not get colder after 6p; in tights, mostly after sunset, finishing on the partially illuminated new darkness route from home to the Wabbly Bridge and back.
2/8, 11a 190 minutes Major Hiking 9.8M Down Green's Bayou going east starting from Crowley Park 1M north of Lauder just 1M west if HW 59. HB With the Houston Area Trails and More Meetup Hiking group; slowed down by a bush wacking in the first houur
2/9, 6:30a 10M t: 2M 1:29:49 (9:25(5M)-8:13(2M)-8:50(3M)) RivOk LAU T=47-48, H=100% and foggy; was kind of stiff after the hike and originally wanted to cancel the 2.8M tempo run, but felt a little better at the halfway point and just did 2M. 177.4p.
2/11, 4:45p 5.5M m: 4M 48:11 (paces: 8:45 8:40 8:25 8:25) Allen DEF6 T=38 and light drizzel on slippery course, Pearl Izumu tights turned out to be quite suitable for these awful conditions; had a scare this morning as there was a dark blue spot on the back of my left heel, but it looks like it was just a blood blister that formed on the slightly tendonitis-elevated portion of the heel; had no problem with the workout in the afternoon and ran quite well, so I hope everything will work out... Last run for DEF6, the shoe that turned to be much better than my initial assessment.
2/12, 4:40p 5.3M easy 49:20 Allen WR16 T=50- and sunny; ran okay in my last "real" run before the Austin Marathon. 176.4p.
2/16, 7:00a 26.2M Freescale Austin Marathon 4:23:15 (10:01-pace; 2:01:14|2:22:01 9:18|10:46-pace; 9:19 9:05 9:28 9:54 9:21 9:28 8:40 8:40 9:13 9:21 9:29 9:38 9:27 9:49 9:21 10:19 10:44 9:25 12:45 8:55 11:05 11:41 11:33 11:26 11:49 10:45 2:14) Austin, Texas LAU T=59-68 H=94-75% first foggy, then overcast. Did not handle the quite challenging weather conditions and the hills well, althoug I put up a fight until mile 15 to get under 4 hours, and put up another fight at mile 20 after walking more than half of the uphill mile 19, but starting at mile 21 I felt cramped up, stiff and sore and jog-walked the last 6.2 miles, also dealing with cramping in my left calf during the last 3 miles. Anyway, I was happy finishing my 28th marathon although with the slowest time I ever ran in a marathon, but, on the other hand, my training period for the race was quite short as I started training for it in late November, and the race course and the weather conditions were really tough; for example, it took only a 3:55 today to place third in my age group!! 17/56a; 1578/3628o.
2/21, 7p 21min Y-STR**2 178.6p
2/23, 8:30a 7.0M easy 1:05:25 UH_DT3 WR16' T=64 and quite foggy; back somewhat sore.
2/25, 7:35a 10M easy 1:36:26 (9:38-pace; 33:50 30:04 32:32) H-Mem(1)-H WR16' T=63-64, H=100%, not in the mood today...
2/27, 5:35p 6.5M ftl: 11x2min f|s 59:15 Allen PURFL T=55-51; H=41 and sunny; had a good workout on a cold day with the temperature dropping fast and my lower back felt okay the first time in the last 3 weeks! 179.2p: Time to lose some weight!
2/28, 6:30p 23min Y-STR**2 ...
3/1, 11a 230 minutes Major Hiking 12.92M Brazos Bend State Park HB With the Houston Area Trails and More Meetup Hiking group. Nice hike with interesting people; should visit this park more often!
3/2, 7:05a 10M easy 1:37:37 (9:46-pace; 35:25 29:46 32:26) H-Mem(1)-H WR16' T=68-71, H=100-90% and overcast, overslept and missed the BCRR run! Somewhat slow after the 13M hike!
3/4,7a 5:40p 6.1M ftl: 16x1min f|s 56:43 Allen WR16 T=40- and H=100%, damp and overcast after a lot of rain; so so workout, was feeling kind of sluggish! Another run in tights; maybe the last one for this winter!
3/6, 7:05a 5.5M easy 54:06 Allen WR16' T=45-56, H=87%; taking it easy! 180.6p.
3/8, 7:15a 14.0M easy 2:07:16 (9:05-pace; 49:48 (5.2M 9:37-pace) 46:01(5.2M 8:51-pace) 16:07 15:19 (1.8M 8:30-pace)) Hershey DEF7 T=59-63, H=80% and overcast; started slowly but ran the last 9 miles in a quite fast pace also facing average-minus conditions. First run for DEF7!
3/10, 9a 6.2M easy on beach 57:30 (30:18|27:12 9:42|8:45-pace) Surfside Beach, Texas WR16 T=52-57 H=90% 8mph North wind and overcast; with water carrier; first 3.1M were into the wind; ran I quite good clip coming back; last run for WR16! Running miles 2-4 and 23-25 of the Surfside Beach Marathon Route. 179.0p.
3/12, 7:15a 16.8M easy 2:46:48 (9:55-pace; 36:55(3.55M; head wind)-53:20(5.3M; had to run 0.1M extra avoiding a lake that had been formed by the wind)-22:05-21:00(2x2.2M=4.4M)-33:27(3.55M; tail wind)) East Beach Loop, Galveston 1.8 times! WR16' T=63-60, H=97-56%,overcast for 90 minutes, then sunny; 15mph wind, then 28mph north wind for the last 2 hours; starting from Commodore on the Beach this time! Running into this strong wind was quite bizzare, there was a 1 foot high sand storm when I ran Boddeker Road the second time! Ran kind of slowly today, even considering the wind and the fact that I carried a water carrier; perhaps, I was not completely recovered from the hard run 14-miler 4 days ago.
3/14, 7:40a 6.4M easy 1:00:12 Allen DEF7 T=55-56, H=81%. 179.0p
3/16, 3:45p 8M 2.4M 11x2min f|s easy Allen PURFL Run 135 minutes after having a big lunch due to rain earlier, and had to abort the (planned speed) workout due to stomach cramps.
3/17, 5:40p 7.1M ftl: 12x2min f|s 1:04:44 Allen LAU T=60- and sunny on a generally cold day; ran pretty well; probably because the unplanned double rest day!
3/19, 6:05p 6.9M easy 1:02:48 (9:06 pace; 12:45 12:22(to_UH_DT) 12:08(from_UH_DT) 16:59(to_long_Bridge) 8:32) UH_DT3 DEF7 T=74-72, H=50%. Ran pretty well in warm but not too humid conditions after a rough day at work! 178.8p
3/20, 11:10a 5.4M easy Allen_IR WR16' T=65-67 H=38%; okay run although felt in suprisingly good conditions for 11a, but kind of exhausted during the run, and the front of the right knee and the back of the left knee hurt somewhat.
3/22, 8a 8.0M Houston Law 8K Run 42:12(8:29-pace; 8:16(short) 8:38 8:39 8:03(short) 8:31(long; 1M minus 42 meters) Houston, Texas LAU T=68+, H=94%-; did not get up early to get breakfast and did feel like picking up the pace after 3M! Perhaps I should join a training group to get used to running faster than marathon pace again! 11/19a 170/?o.
3/23, 12:50p 6.1M easy NW UH_DT2 WR16' T=63-, H=78%; 176,8p!.
3/29, 12:50p 7.1M easy 1:05:12 UH_DT3 WR16' Had to take 5 restdays due to very bad allergies and other health problems! 180.4p!
3/30, 11a 190 minutes Hiking 8.2M Sim's Bayou SPC3 Through quite thick and long grass, seeing a lot of small flowers! Quite slow pace due to the thick grass!
4/1, 6:15p 6.3M ftl: 12x2min f|s ? Allen PURFL Quite slow and still not 100%; lungs still feel somewhat tight and still feeling somewhat weak! Decided not to run the Angie Grazy Half Marathon in Clear Lake on Sunday!
4/3, 7:30a 6.3M easy 1:02:12 Allen DEF7 178.6p.
4/4, 6:30p 5.3M easy Allen WR16' Relaxed run, after a stressful day at work!
4/6, 7:50a 10 16M easy 2:39:22(9:57-pace; 35:02 30:50 30:41 29:39 33:09) H-Mem(3)-H DEF7 T=59-61, H=94% overcast and drizzel the first and last ten minutes; decided as I was feeling okay after 60 minutes to run 6 miles more than planned, so that I can run a 19-miler next weekend, as the conditions were unusually cool and good to run in spite of the humidity; did quite well, considering the messed up running the last 2 weeks, although I felt quite tired after the run. 178.6p.
4/8, 7:05p 5.3M easy 1:02:12 Allen WR16' Still quite congested and therefore not 100% okay!
4/10, 6:50p 6.1M easy 56:12 UH_DT2 DEF7
4/13, 7:40a 11M easy 1:48:39(9:52-pace; 35:26 30:50 30:49 9:44 32:28) H-Mem(1.333)-H DEF7 T=68+, H=94%- overcast and tough conditions. 177.6p.
4/15, 6:30p 6.1M steady 54:25 (8:54-pace) UH_DT2 WR16'
4/17, 7:30a 5.3M easy Allen DEF7
4/19, 11a 180 minutes Major Hiking 10.7M Along Green's Bayou about 4M south of IAH SPC3 With the Houston Area Trails and More Meetup Hiking group. Nice hike with interesting people, also seeing a lot of flowers.
4/20, 6:30a 10M easy 1:33:03(9:18-pace; 36:17 24:40 (8:50-pace) 32:05) RivOk WR16' T=64-68; H=95-92%. Running with the BCRR Group today; tough run; could not keep up with the 10M group; not sure if the hike yesterday had something to do with it, or if I just not used to running somewhat faster anymore. Felt kind of exhausted for 36 hours after the run. 177.2p.
4/22, 7:15a 5.4M easy 52:55 Allen DEF7 Ran quite slowly as I was not feeling that great!
4/23, 6:45p 6.1M easy 55:45 UH_DT2 WR16' 178.4p; decent run after a tough day at work in quite warm conditions: T=83-.
4/25, 6:50a 14M easy 2:20:55(10:04-pace; 35:16 42:00 30:31 33:06) H-Mem(2.33)-H DEF7 T=69-74, H=92-83% foggy, then after 90 minutes partly cloudy; felt hyper and somewhat tired and as it also was quite warm I decided not to run 17 miles, and not push the pace; not a good run in challenging conditions!
4/27, 6:30a 11M easy 1:39:19 (9:01-pace; 36:02 24:48 (8:52-pace) 29:43 8:46) RivOk PURFL T=74-76; H=89-87%; second run with BCRR group; ran much better in very warm conditions today, even adding an extra mile honoring Sheela's long run in preparation of the Comrades 89K Race in South Africa. 179.2p; this must have been a really hard run for me, as I slept alot on Sunday. Oh no: had too many little meals yesterday.
4/28, 6:50p 5.3M steady 47:12!!(under 8:40-pace the last 4 miles) Allen WR'16 T=88-85, H=19%(!!); warmest day of the year so far but with extremely low humidity; ran miles 2-5 really well, particularly considering the hard run yesterday!176.8p
4/30, 6:25a 18M easy 2:44:41 (9:08-pace; 58:43(9:23-pace) 45:00(9:00-pace) 15:57 29:07 15:53(8:48-pace)) Hershey DEF7 T=61-64;H=51-40%, 5-10mph NNW-wind! Ran really well and had no problems with the distance and the last 2 miles were the fasted; the very good weather conditions definitely helped a lot! .
5/3, 8a 8.5M 36th Lone Star Stampede 10K 53:25 (8:36-pace; 8:23 8:36 8:49 8:29 8:46 8:37 1:40) Galleria area, Houston LAU T=63-67; H=74-58%; was very flat lagging spingy legs on a course with a lot of turns; ran 2 minutes slower than what a I was expecting to run, but it looks like the 18M long run 3 days ago provides an explanation for my slowness; won an age group award, anyway: 3/14a. 178.8p. This was my 217th race life time!
5/4, 7:40a 7.1M easy 1:06:53 UH_DT3 DEF7 T=62-68; H=85-78%; ran okay, although I was feeling somewhat tired near the end of the run. Time for a rest day!
5/6, 6:50p 20M 5.4M easy 50:35 (9:20-pace) Allen WR16' T=78-;H=58%; decided to move the long run to Sunday due to too much stress from writing a DHS proposal.
5/7, 7:05p 5.5M easy 49:10 (8:56-pace) UH_DT1 DEF7 T=79-;H=76+%; ran pretty well in warm semi-humid conditions.
5/9, 6:45p 7.7M easy 1:11:33 AllenR DEF7 T=69-68, H=85-92% mostly in drizzel rain with the last 10 minutes in heavier rain. Decent run in surprisingly, good conditions after some heavy rain showers at 6p!. Tried out the new trails on the south side of Elenor Tinsley Park (walked 0.7M when traversing non-finished parts of the trail). 180.4p: stress caused me gaining weight instead of losing it!
5/11, 6:30a 10M easy 1:35:54 (9:35-pace; 36:50 26:18(9:24-pace) 31:44) RivOk PURFL T=75-76; H=92-89%; quite a miserable run in daringly bad conditions; felt tight the whole run; perhaps it would be a good idea to do a lot of stretching, stength traing and swimming the next 2 months.
5/13, 6:20a (downpour with 20mph wind) 10:50a 11.5M 14.9M easy 2:41:00 (walked 2x15 minutes; ran 51:23 (9:50-pace) on 5.2M loop; first 6M were into 15mph East wind)) East Beach Loop, Galveston once but starting at Hilton Resort (2x2.6M extra) WR16' T=72-76, H=97-91%,overcast for 90 minutes, then occasional drizzel; 15mph east wind, then 8mph wind after an hour, also turning from east to north; quite miserable conditions in the second half of the run as the tail wind combined with T=76 and high humidity created the feeling of running in an oven; also missjudged the distance ending up 3.5 longer than planned. Ran okay in spite of the walking, which was okay,considering the tough conditions and the unplanned extra mileage, also ran a decent pace the last mile.
5/16, 12:15p 20 6 4M very easy 41:04 MemPa DEF7 T+78+ sunny & low hum.; did not run well at all during the run and decided to cut the planned 6M run short; also Tuesday's run turned out to be much harder than originally aniticipated, and I therefore moved the maybe 20M run to Sunday! 180.2p.
5/18 5/16, 6:25a 20M 15.0M easy 2:27:47 (walked mile 14, and ran the rest in 9:26-pace) Hershey DEF7 T=67-75; H=93-79%; couldn't pull of running 20M today; did not feel that great when reaching the 12M maker; after I walked mile 14, I ran mile 15 in a quite good pace; perhaps, I misjudged how I felt at mile 12. Neither a good nor a bad run today. Will try for 20M on Friday (or Saturday). Strange week in which I ran (with a few walks) two 15-milers.
5/19, 6:30p 35minSwimming First Swimm in 2014! Swimm Season I will be May 17-July 20, 2014 and Swimm Season II is scheduled for August 25-November 2, 2014 with a 5 week swimming break in between.
5/20, 7:10a 5.4M easy 52:35 AllenR DEF7 180.0p.
5/21, 6:00p 6.6M steady 1:01:52(41:26 20:26) RiceBraes WR16' T=84-82; H=56-65%; First WE BCRR Run on the BCRR Wednesday 6.57M Route which did not change much the last 15 years! Kind of tough on miles 2-5 as you mostly run on the sun-exposed Braes Bayou which feels like running in an oven, except the 10mph SE wind helped a little!
5/24 5/23, 6:40a 42min Swimming Overslept, and had to swap the swimm and the 20M long run!
5/23 5/24, 6:20a 20M 10.2M easy 2:05:05 (27:33 29:52 11:01 56:45(walking 3.4M)) Hershey DEF7 T=74+; H=94%-; was supposed to run 17-20M; running a few miles less would have been okay, considering the quite miserable conditions today, just running slidely under 10:00 pace initially. Anyhow, after 6.8M I experienced pain in my left hamstring muscle when running (I hope it is not a pull; but a pull typically would be much more painful), but decided to stop the long run, but still had to walk 3.4M back to my car. 180.4p.
5/26, 7.25a 5.4M easy 52:15 AllenR WR16' T=75+ and very humid; left hamstring was still somewhat tight, but did not hurt much, and I was able to finish the run!
5/27, 6:45a 5:55p (due to downpour) 5.3M steady 47:48 UH_DT3 PURFL T=76-75; H=87%; after a lot of rain rain also facing mud on parts of the bike path, as Buffalo Bayou creasted this morning. Ran the last 4 miles quite fast, after running the first mile in 10:10-pace. Somewhat tight left hamstring and calf...
5/28, 8a 45min Swimming ...
5/29, 6:20a 19M easy 3:28:50 (ran the first 11.7M in 9:33-pace, then run-walked the next 6.3M with 4.2M of walking, and then ran the last mile in 9:50-pace) Hershey DEF7 T=71-80; H=93-69%; did okay inspite of 4.2 miles of walking; left hamstring did not cause any problems today, but tightness in left calf continues to be a problem. Felt fine after the workout!
5/31, 11a 140 minutes Major Hiking 6.6M Jesse Jones Park SPC3 With the Houston Area Trails and More Meetup Hiking group through Jesse Jones Park with a few crossing through ankle-deep water after the strong rains this week; the park was surprisingly nice and it is located about 3 miles NE of IAH.
6/1, 6:30a 6:40p 10M 5.2M easy RivOK Palacios, Texas WR16' T=83-81; H=67-73%; started to run with BCRR in the morning, but aborted the run after 2 minutes, due to a very sore back; however, I was able to do a short and easy run in the evening, going NW from the Peaceful Pelican to Palacios' Shrimp Boats and Shipyard, returning on Main Street.
6/3, 6:20a 7.8M easy 1:12:57 (37:53 35:04) Palacios, Texas WR16' T=74-77; H=92-90%; going SE from the Peaceful Pelican on East Bayshore Dr. which is quite a long road which is good for long runs in Palacios as it is somewhat scenic, mostly going along the water of the Tres Palacios Bay; shortly after passing the last house in Palacios I turned around!
6/4, 6p 7.0M easy (walked 2.2M) ... RiceBraes DEF7 T=88-84; H=63-66%; had some spicy Thai food at 1:30p and started to get stomach cramps 35 minutes into the run, and the had to walk until a found a restroom with great difficulties on Rice Campus in the family room at the Rice Baseball Stadium, also getting lost and covering some additional mileage; on the BCRR Wednesday 6.57M Route which did not change much the last 15 years!
6/5, 7:15p 5.3M easy 50:43 (9:33-pace) Allen WR16' T=87-84, H=66-73%; rough run in very warm conditions: running 9:33-pace felt like racing! 180.0p; seem to stuck at this weight; hopefully can bring it down to 174 in 6 weeks.
6/7, 6:10a 20M 15.2M easy 2:56:50 (first 8M in 9:53-pace; walked 4.4M) Hershey DEF7 T=76-83; H=95-84%; decided to throw in a 1.3M walking break, but felt kind of exhausted after resuming running for 1.3M, and decided to cut the workout short also considering the challenging weather conditions.
6/8, 6:50p 43min Swimming 168.8p.
6/9, 7.25p 6:30p 5.3M easy 49:53 (WA2:; 9:22-pace) Allen WR16' Ran a little earlier as it was a little colder due to down pours 4 hours earlier. Decent run! 168.8p.
6/10, 5:40p 51min Swimming ...
6/11, 7a 6.4M ftl: 11x2min f|s 1:01:02 Allen PURFL somewhat sore back; had difficulties getting going. Second last run for PURFL.
6/12, 5:40p 5.3M easy 47:08 (10:22-16:03 14:05-6:36) Blauer Vogel, Hofheim, Germany DEF7 Good steady run in the second half. 82.1kilo.
6/14, 5:40p 6.4M easy 59:01 (30:20 28:41) Wismar, Mecklenburg, Germany DEF7 From Alten Hafen going eady on the bike route nach Zierow durch Schrebergaerten, passing the Seeblick Hotel, to the waterfront, also passing a small beach and back!
6/16, 7:30a 19.3M easy 3:03:07 1:36:00|1:27:07 (10:26 19:10 29:27 (Bahai Temple) 36:55 (halfway) 36:14 42:43 8:09) Hofheim, Germany DEF7 Blauer_Vogel-Langenhein_Radweg-Schw_Y bis Brehmstal and back; handled the distance well after starting very slowly, although my legs were no longer springy in the last hour. Also stopped at the Bahai Temple which is on the northern outskirts of Langenhain which is a place of reflection and meditatation, particularly for people who dislike organized religion... (as myself; 7 other Bahai temples exist in other parts of the world).
6/18, 6:40p 5.6M easy 50:53 26:00|24:53 Karlsruhe, Germany. R7 Rudolf_Str.-Uni_K'he-Hagsfelder_Allee-Radweg_Waldstadt-ueber_Tulla4&back. Good, relaxed evening run going by Schrebergaerten; first run for Saucony Ride 7.
6/19, 6:50a 5.7M easy 52:47 27:00|25:47 Karlsruhe DEF7 Rudolf_Str.-Uni_K'he-WW_kl_Kirche-Radweg_Nordstadt&back; surprisingly cool conditions; took it easy!
6/19, 3p 110 minutes Major Walking 5M Leine nach Freiburg, Germany. R7 ...
6/20, 9a 95 minutes Major Walking 3.5M Freiburg, Innenstadt R7 ...
6/21, 6:50a 7.5M easy 1:12:36 37:00|35:36 Freiburg DEF7 T=56+; Breisgauer_Str-NE_entlang_Dreisam&back with water carrier; slightly sore back!
6/22, 2p 130 minutes Major Walking 5.5M Wuerzbug, Germany. R7 ...
6/23, 7:00a 20.0M 15.6M easy 2:32:11 (walked a few bad footing/uphill sections totaling 1M) Hofheim, Germany DEF7 Blauer_Vogel-Blauer_Punkt-Sch_Y and back; not a good run as I felt flat and somewhat tired; moreover, in today's run I had to backtrack a lot and to cope with long uphill sections; was supposed to run 190 minutes today, but decided to cut the run 40 minutes short; perhaps 52M= 38M_running+14M_walking in one week was too much to handle for me! 82.7kilo.
6/24, 2:30p 100 minutes Major Walking 4M Roskilde, Denmark. R7 ...
6/27, 6:50a 14.0M easy 2:10:23 Roskilde, Denmark DEF7 On Regional Bikeroute 40 going 1M north-east then going the other direction (west) going by the Roskilde habour along the water and then through fields and even a dark forrest; about 5M of the run on (occasionally muddy) trails.
6/29, 6:30a 10M easy 1:40:31(35:27 24:30 (8:46-pace) 40:34(walked 15+5 minutes) RivOk WR16' T=79-82; H=96-88%; ran the second leg quite well, considering the weather change and yesterday's 19h travel, but then felt completely exhausted and decided to walk about half of the third leg of the run. 182.2p (gained 4 pound in Europe, but some might have been due to 31 hour day on Saturday)
6/30, 6:05a 5.2M easy 52:12 (WA3;) Allen R7 T=78-79, H=94-90%, on traditional route.

The Path to Austin

We., Nov. 20: 11M
Su., Nov. 24: 14M Terry Hershey Park
We., Nov. 27: 16M H-MemPa(3)-H
Sa., Nov. 30: 9.4M
Sa., Dec, 7: 10.2M Hike
Su., Dec. 8: 13M
Fr., Dec. 13: 18M Terry Hershey Park
Su., Dec. 15: ftl: 9x2min. f|s
Tu., Dec. 17: ftl: 15x1min. f|s
Sa., Dec. 21: 12K of Christmas Race
Tu., Dec. 24: 20.4M East Beach, Galveston
Th., Dec. 26: 10M
Sa., Dec. 28: 11M Hike
Su., Dec. 29: 15.5M John's Loooooooong Run West Houston
We., Jan. 1: 20.3M Town Lake Austin
Su., Jan. 5: t: 3M
Th., Jan. 9: 22M Terry Hershey Park
Sa., Jan 11: 6x800 f|s
Su., Jan. 12: 11M Hike
Tu., Jan. 14: 16x1min. f|s
Su., Jan. 19: Aramco Houston Half Marathon Race
Fr., Jan. 24: 6x800 f|s
Su., Jan. 26: 21M Terry Hershey Park
We., Jan. 29: 10x2min. f|s
Fr., Jan, 31: 17M H-MemPa(3.33)-H
Tu., Feb. 4: 7x800 f|s
Sa., Feb. 8: 10M Hike
Tu., Feb. 11: 15x1min. f|s
Su., Feb. 16: Freescale Austin Marathon

Shoes

SPC3:= Salomon Speedcross 3, pop green color; red with fell-like bottom, size 11, trail running shoe god for hilly and wet trails, not so good for running on the road and rocky(??) trails; bought on Sept. 20, 2011, first run Dec. 8, 2011.
PURFL:= Brooks PureFlow, size 11 medium, 110107 1D 499, light, low lying shoe for tempo runs, pickups, and races; bought on November 3, 2012; 320.8M as off June 30, 2014; to be retired on July 9, 2014.
WR16:= Mizuno Wave Rider 16, very loud egg yellow, 8KN-30227 410511.3X5R, size 11; bought on January 11; first run on February 25, 2013; retired on March 10, 2014 with 479.9M.
DEF6:= Brooks Defyance 6 medium, white/silverish with traces of metallic blue, 110132 1D 456, size 11; bought on March 7, 2013; first run on April 2, 2013; retired on February 11, 2014 with 472.0M.
WR16':= Mizuno Wave Rider 16, white top with red/black sole and inside, 8KN-30227 410511.3X5R, size 11; bought on July 20, 2013; first run on August 12, 2013; 383.3M as off June 30, 2014.
LAU:= Brook Lunch medium size 11 110065 1D 041 in carribeansea blue; bought on Dec. 30, 2013; first run on Tuesday, January 7, 2014; 79.4M as off June 30, 2014.
DEF7:= Brooks Defyance 7 medium, width D, electric/silver/nightlife, 110155 1D 793, size 11; bought on January 17, 2014; first run on March 8, 2014; 280.1M as of June 30, 2014.
R7:= Saucony Ride 7 medium, BLU/BLK/CTN, S20241-1, size 11; bought on June 10, 2014; first run on June 18, 2014; 10.9M as off June 30, 2014.

Running Routes

Allen:=Allen Park Way 4.75 miles loop; mildly rolling mostly on asphalt, also called Eleanor Tinsley Park and Buffalo Bayou Trail
UH_DT:= going to Sabine Bridge and then continuing north east on a new narrow bike path along Buffalo Bayou to the door steps of UH-Downtown and back---a 5.5M run from where I live; the slightly longer route UH-DT2, returning via the Montrose foot bridge, finishing on Clay is 5.9M, and UH_DT3 going back via the long, new bridge is 6.9M
UH_Allen:= 7.7M doing the Allen Parkway loop with a side trip to UH Downtown.
MemPa:=Memorial Park 2.93 miles packed dirt trail loop
RiceHerm:=Rice University and Herrman Park Loop
RiceBraes:= BCRR Wednesday 6.57M Route going from Rice University to the Medical Center via Braes Bayou turning of the bayou at Montclair(?) and then turning right/left into Swift/Stockton.
RivOk :=River Oaks Loop
RivOkAll := River Oaks Loop with Allen Park Way Loop continuation
Hershey:= going through Terry Hershey Park (TH-Park Map) and also running on Barker Dam on the other side of Highway 6.
Blalock:=Starting from Memorial Park or from Elenor Tisley Park going on Memorial towards Blalock and back.
HoChi:= Ho Chi Minh Trail south of Memorial Park, is a jungle-like trail going through dense bushes and forrest with ups and down; however, the purple trail (estimated length 1.93M) has very good footing and can even be used for speed work.
H-Mem(Y)-H:= from home going to Memorial Park via Montrose/Pedestrian Bridge, then doing X loops in Memorial Park and back the same way; 10M, 12.9M, 15.9M, 18.8M for 1, 2, 3, 4 Memorial Park loops.
TownL:=10.2M loop around Town Lake in Austin
Shoal-Cr:=going down Shoalcreek in Austin towards Town Lake usually starting at Northcross continuing east on Foster Kane and then going south on Shoalcreek and back, running on the bike lane.
East Beach= Going from your Galveston hotel via Seawall to the east end of Galveston Island, then following the 5.2M East Beach Loop: south on Boddeker Drive, continuing on the beach going west for about a mile connecting via Apffel Park Road going north then west and then north again back to Seawall, possibly repeating this loop multiple times, and then running back to your Galveston hotel, usually seeing a lot of fisherman and birds along Boddeker Road.
TM:= on treadmill

Yearly Summaries

Yearly Mileage: 1996:1511; 1997:1619; 1998: 1689; 1999:1877; 2000: 2125; 2001: 2157; 2002: 2392.5; 2003: 2101.0

Past Training Logs

Beginning 2000, Beginning 2001, Beginning 2002, Beginning 2003, Beginning 2004, Beginning 2005, End 1999, End 2000, End 2001, End 2002, End 2003, End 2010, Mid 1999, Mid 2000, Mid 2001, Mid 2002, Mid 2003, Mid 2004, Early 2010 , Late 2010, Early 2011, Late 2011, Late 2012, Early 2013, Late 2013.

last updated: June 30, 2014.