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I’m currently on Week 7 of my “Return to Running” program, which includes:
- 3 to 5-minute walking warmup
- 30-minute run /1-minute walk
- 15-minute run / 1-minute walk
- 10-minute run / 1-minute walk
- 3 to 5+ minute walking cooldown
Tuesday AM Run (Day 44)
I met Nathan at the Bellevue Church of Christ parking lot, and we ran through the streets of Bellevue, and a couple of miles on a stretch of the Harpeth River Greenway that we don’t frequently use. As it stands right now, the Greenway exists in several separate sections, though it is eventually supposed to be all connected. There are three ongoing construction projects that are extending parts of the Greenway, including the section we ran on Tuesday. After about 3 1/4 miles we reached the place where they are working, and actually spent a few minutes talking with one of the workers. The new section will include a hairpin turn that leads to a steep down-hill going closer to the river. As we were talking to the construction guy, he kept saying over and over again “They call this section ‘The Switchback,'” and it was quote obvious that he was proud of that name. Anyway, it will be awesome when all of the sections are finally connected, and we will have access to all those miles of greenway in the Bellevue area.
As for the run, even though the humidity was tough, my legs kept feeling better and better throughout, and this was evident as the average pace of each running segment got progressively faster (8:50, 8:23, 7:53). In total we finished 55 minutes of running and just over 8 minutes of walking for a total of 6.94 miles completed, which was my longest effort since coming back from injury.
- Miles: 6.94
- Time: 1:03:22
- Pace: 9:36
- Shoes: Saucony Kinvara 3 (#7)
- Route: Belle Meade / HR Greenway
Tuesday PM Run (Day 44)
My orthopaedist has talked to me about adding some doubles into my training plan on the day before a rest day, as a way to get in more mileage without sacrificing the extra day of rest I’m planning on taking each week leading up to NYC in November. Well, Tuesday was the first day I gave this somewhat of a try. My daughter Kate and I went out to the White trail in Percy Warner Park for a 2.5-mile run/walk. I knew this would be a very easy effort since Kate would not be able to run the whole way on the hilly terrain. Even though I didn’t keep track of specifically how much time we spent walking vs. running, I would estimate it was about 50/50, and it was a quite enjoyable time spent with my daughter. In total we finished 2.5-miles with a pace of 15:04 per mile.
No running on Wednesday (Day 45) – Scheduled rest day
Thursday Run (Day 46)
Nathan and I met in the parking lot at the Bellevue United Methodist Church, and ran through the surrounding neighborhood, and made a big loop on the HR Greenway. The humidity was crazy intense, and my legs felt pretty trashed throughout. This was one of those runs where I was just glad that I stuck with it until the end, because I absolutely didn’t have it. In total we finished 55 minutes of running and just over 7 minutes of walking for a total of 6.57 miles completed.
- Miles: 6.57
- Time: 1:02:32
- Pace: 9:32
- Shoes: Saucony Kinvara 3 (#8)
- Route: Belle Meade / HR Greenway
Friday Run (Day 47)
I couldn’t get my lazy self out of bed to do a solo run on Friday morning, so I ended getting this one done in the late afternoon. I again started from parking lot of the Bellevue United Methodist Church building, and started out through the surrounding neighborhood. I ended up running an out-and-back on the middle, disconnected section of the HR Greenway, and then another out-and-back on the initial section by Ensworth High School. The humidity was nasty, and storms were threatening, but this was by far the best I’ve felt from start to finish on any run since coming back from injury, and I actually wanted to keep going when it was time to stop on the last interval. During the last interval, I passed by the spot where they are expanding the initial section of the HR Greenway. There is a Danger…Construction sign at the start of this expansion, but it was obvious that it was now paved. I decided to ignore the sign, and ended up running the entire length of the new section, which unfortunately comes to an abrupt dead-end, with no option but to turn around and come back. I was hoping this new extension would connect with the middle section that was finished last year, but it looks like we’re going to have to wait a while longer for that. Anyway, In total I finished 55 minutes of running and just over 12 minutes of walking for a total of 7.42 miles completed, which was my longest effort since coming back from injury.
- Miles: 7.42
- Time: 1:07:19
- Pace: 9:05
- Shoes: adidas Energy Boost (#8)
- Route: Belle Meade / HR Greenway
No running on Today (Day 48) – Travel day for vacation
A New Threshold
Even though I only ran 4 days this week, it was still my first time to cross the 30-mile threshold for weekly mileage since coming back from injury. Feels good to be building back up:
Cross-Training
- None – Gotta do better on this front.
For students in my Wednesday night class on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians: Handouts and Notes for Ephesians Chapter 1 are now available online. Lord willing we will begin covering this text during class tomorrow night at 7pm at Bellevue Church of Christ!
Today’s Run (Day 43)
After a schedule rest day yesterday (Day 42), today I started Week 7 of my “Return to Running” program, which includes:
- 3 to 5-minute walking warmup
- 30-minute run /1-minute walk
- 15-minute run / 1-minute walk
- 10-minute run / 1-minute walk
- 3 to 5+ minute walking cooldown
I met Nathan in Percy Warner Park near the Iroquois Steeplechase, and we ran a modified version of our normal “Steeplechase Loop” though Percy and Edwin Warner Parks. The temps were a little more mild than last week, but the humidity was still intense. My legs felt pretty good throughout, even through the first couple of miles which were mostly uphill. We finished up the opening 30-minute running interval near the end of of a long downhill, and took the 1-minute walk break just as we reached the bottom. Right when we started off the 15-minute interval, a chipmunk came shooting across the road right in front of Nathan and directly at my feet. I actually had to hop on one foot for a second to keep from squashing the little guy. Right after this another another chipmunk came flying across the road a little bit ahead of us. This lead to Nathan saying that they looked like “Chipmunk Torpedos” that were being launched across the road.
Anyway, we thankfully avoided any subsequent chipmunk encounters, and kept the pace fairly chill throughout. In total we finished 55 minutes of running and just over 9 minutes of walking for a total of 6.69 miles completed, which is my longest effort since coming back from injury.
- Miles: 6.11
- Time: 1:04:10
- Pace: 9:36
- Shoes: Saucony Kinvara 3 (#8)
- Route: Steeplechase Loop
Cross-Training
- Balance Squats x 25 reps (each leg)
- Calf Raise Squats x 25 reps (2 x 20lb dumbbells)
- Wall Squats – 90 Seconds
- Step-Back Lunges x 15 reps (each leg with 2 x 20lb dumbbells)
- 3-way lunge x 15 reps (each leg)
- Chair Salutation x 2 (30 sec each)
- Toe Roll Iso Lunges x 20 reps (each leg)
- Hip Hike 2 x 30 reps (each leg)
- Monster Walk with Band 3 x 12 reps (each leg)
- Clamshells with Band 2 x 15 reps (each leg)
- Toe Flexor x 75 reps (each leg)
- Dorsiflex Raises x 75 reps
Back in April I posted a preview of the first track from the upcoming, self-titled Queensrÿche album called Redemption, and then in May I posted another preview tracked called Where Dreams Go to Die. Well this past weekend they released their third preview track called Fallout. All of these tracks are quite good, and they definitely sound much more like the Rÿche of old. Looking forward to the new ablum on June 25th. Enjoy!
My sweet little Sara singing “Days of Elijah” before going to sleep tonight…one of our favorite songs to sing together.
I’m still in Week 6 of my “Return to Running” program, which includes:
- 3 to 5-minute walking warmup
- 25-minute run /1-minute walk
- 15-minute run / 1-minute walk
- 10-minute run / 1-minute walk
- 3 to 5+ minute walking cool down
Friday’s Run (Day 40)
Since this was going to be the first time in several weeks where I was actually going to get in my full 5 days of running, I decided to do a slightly shorter run on Friday. Nathan and I started from the Bellevue Church of Christ parking lot, and did our normal 4-mile route through the streets of Bellevue. As part of this we did a 25-minute running interval before taking a 1-minute walk break, and then running 5+ minutes back to the parking lot. Once there we walked a loop around the church building for our cool down. We kept the pace extremely chill, and overall it was a pleasant effort except for the intense humidity. In total we finished just over 30 minutes of running and just under 10 minutes of walking for a total of 4.1 miles completed.
- Miles: 4.1
- Time: 40:26
- Pace: 9:52
- Shoes: Saucony Kinvara 3 (#7)
- Route: BCOC Loop
Saturday’s Run (Day 41)
I started with our running group in the Bread and Company parking lot to join them for at least part of their planned route through Belle Meade. The humidity was super-intense, but my legs felt really good even running mostly uphill for the first couple of miles. When I reached the point of my first walk break, most of the group took it with me, which was a very pleasant surprise. They even took the next one with me, which was awesome. It is so nice to be able to run with my group again! Their plan was to do a 10-mile loop, so I broke off from their route after about 5 miles. It ended up that several from the group broke off with me, because they also only wanted 6 to 7 miles. This included Brian, John, Dan, Andy, and Dennis. In total we finished 50 minutes of running and just over 12 minutes of walking for a total of 6.46 miles completed.
- Miles: 6.46
- Time: 1:02:22
- Pace: 9:40
- Shoes: adidas Energy Boost (#1)
- Route: Belle Meade
Today (Day 42) is a scheduled rest day, so no running!
2013 Murfreesboro “Middle” Half Marathon
On Saturday I added to my planned race schedule for the fall (October 12th), signing up for the 2013 Murfreesboro “Middle” Half Marathon. This has become one of the premier race events in Middle Tennessee, and will be my 4th time to participate. Two years ago the race sold out in 11 hours. Last year it was just over 6. This year’s race sold out in 2 hours 11 minutes. I actually registered on my phone while I was on the elliptical machine at the YMCA after my Saturday run!
Cross-Training (Day 40)
- None
Cross-Training (Day 41)
- Elliptical >> 1-hour completed
Cross-Training (Day 42)
- None
Thanks to my wife for sharing this with me. I doubt there are many men who are married or in a relationship who can’t relate to this video…hysterical…enjoy:
It’s Not About the Nail from Jason Headley on Vimeo.
From the creator…
“Don’t try to fix it. I just need you to listen.” Every man has heard these words. And they are the law of the land. No matter what.
Today’s Run (Day 39)
After a schedule rest day yesterday (Day 38), today continued Week 6 of my “Return to Running” program, which includes:
- 3 to 5-minute walking warmup
- 25-minute run /1-minute walk
- 15-minute run / 1-minute walk
- 10-minute run / 1-minute walk
- 3 to 5+ minute walking cooldown
I met Paxton at Bellevue United Methodist Church, and we ran a big loop through the surrounding neighborhood, the Harpeth River Greenway, and Edwin Warner Park. The temperature at 6am this morning was 78°, which I think is the highest for an early morning run so far this year. I could definitely feel the heat and humidity during the run, but we were saved a bit by a consistent breeze. We kept the pace pretty chill throughout, though it was a bit quicker than Tuesday’s effort. I was tired by the end, but overall my legs felt fairly decent today. In total we finished 50 minutes of running and just under 8 minutes of walking for a total of 6.11 miles completed.
- Miles: 6.11
- Time: 57:48
- Pace: 9:28
- Shoes: Saucony Kinvara 3 (#8)
- Route: BUMC / HR Loop
2013 ING New York City Marathon Confirmation
Even though I already knew I was in the NYC Marathon this fall, it was still cool to get this email last night:
Cross-Training
- Balance Squats x 25 reps (each leg)
- Calf Raise Squats x 25 reps (2 x 20lb dumbbells)
- Wall Squats – 90 Seconds
- Step-Back Lunges x 15 reps (each leg with 2 x 20lb dumbbells)
- 3-way lunge x 15 reps (each leg)
- Chair Salutation x 2 (30 sec each)
- Toe Roll Iso Lunges x 20 reps (each leg)
- Hip Hike 2 x 30 reps (each leg)
- Monster Walk with Band 3 x 12 reps (each leg)
- Clamshells with Band 2 x 15 reps (each leg)
- Toe Flexor x 75 reps (each leg)
- Dorsiflex Raises x 75 reps
After a schedule rest day on Sunday (Day 35), Monday began Week 6 of my “Return to Running” program, which includes:
- 3 to 5-minute walking warmup
- 25-minute run /1-minute walk
- 15-minute run / 1-minute walk
- 10-minute run / 1-minute walk
- 3 to 5+ minute walking cooldown
Monday’s Run (Day 36)
Since I had the day off work (Memorial Day), I started my solo run a little later in the morning than normal (around 8:00am). Unfortunately this also meant that the temperatures were a bit warm, which made this a more challenging effort. I started off from the main gates at Percy Warner Park, and ran through the streets of Belle Meade. I think I’ve figured out that my ankle soreness is a touch of achilles tendonitis, which had flared up again on Monday after being better on Saturday. Thankfully this quickly faded during the first running segment. I picked up the pace a bit during each of the 3 intervals (8:45, 8:15, 8:08), but was toast by the end of the third with the heat and the hills. In total I finished 50 minutes of running and just under 9 minutes of walking for a total of 6.43 miles completed.
- Miles: 5.75
- Time: 58:41
- Pace: 9:08
- Shoes: adidas Energy Boost (#1)
- Route: Belle Meade
Tuesday’s Run (Day 37)
The Bellevue Trio (Paxton, Nathan) was reunited for this AM run after Paxton had taken a week off for a leg injury. We started from the Edwin Warner nature center, and kept the pace very chill throughout, though my legs were pretty toasty from the very beginning. Thankfully my ankles felt better than on Monday. In total we finished 50-minutes of running and just over 7 minutes of walking for a total of 5.89 miles completed.
- Miles: 5.89
- Time: 57:32
- Pace: 9:47
- Shoes: Saucony Kinvara 3 (#7)
- Route: Nature Center / Harpeth River Greenway
No running today (Day 38) – Scheduled rest day.
Cross-Training (Day 36)
- 2.5-mile hike / run with Kate and Sara on the White trail at Percy Warner Park. I expected this to be a leisurely hike, but the girls ended up running a significant portion of the route.
- 100 Push-Up Routine >> Week 4 / Level 2 / Day 1 – 102 total reps completed.
-After two attempts at Week 4 / Level 3, I decided to start week 4 over on level 2.
Cross-Training (Day 37)
- Balance Squats x 25 reps (each leg)
- Calf Raise Squats x 25 reps (2 x 20lb dumbbells)
- Wall Squats – 90 Seconds
- Step-Back Lunges x 15 reps (each leg with 2 x 20lb dumbbells)
- 3-way lunge x 15 reps (each leg)
- Chair Salutation x 2 (30 sec each)
- Toe Roll Iso Lunges x 20 reps (each leg)
- Hip Hike 2 x 30 reps (each leg)
- Monster Walk with Band 3 x 12 reps (each leg)
- Clamshells with Band 2 x 15 reps (each leg)
- Toe Flexor x 60 reps (each leg)
- Dorsiflex Raises x 75 reps
Cross-Training (Day 38)
- 100 Push-Up Routine >> Week 4 / Level 2 / Day 1 – 120 total reps completed.
- Pull-Ups >> 23 total reps
For students in my Wednesday night class on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians: Handouts and Notes for Acts Chapter 20:17-38 are now available online. Lord willing we will cover this text during class tomorrow night at 7pm at Bellevue Church of Christ!
