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Today’s run was a late-night effort through the streets of Bellevue in my Saucony Hattori shoes. Even though I got a really late start, it turned out to be one of the best runs since I started back, and was also the final run/walk in “Step 3” of the “Return to Running” program:

1. 4 min run / 2 min walk x 4
2. 5 min run / 2 min walk x 4
3. 10 min run / 1 min walk x 3
4. 15 min run / 1 min walk x 3
5. 20 min run
6. 25 min run
7. 30 min run

Looking back on the 10 days I’ve completed since my return, I guess I should be pretty pleased. Sometimes it mentally feels like I’m starting over, but I have to remind myself that so far I’ve been pain free, and I also got in almost 25-miles this week.

Tomorrow will be a running rest day, and then “Step 4” should begin on Tuesday. 

Beast Mode…ON!

Now that I’ve had a few weeks to tryout the new Saucony Hattori LC I wanted to share some of my initial impressions. The LC is a 4.4 oz, zero-drop shoe, and is the successor to the original Hattori that came out in mid-2011. I was a huge fan of the original, and initially started running in the Hattori as a means to improve my bio-mechanics and strengthen my feet.

It has been said on my blog many times that since adding these Hattori runs to my schedule one or two days a week, I have been able to get rid of all my orthotics and also make the lightweight Saucony Kinvara my full-time training and racing shoe. I really only had two criticisms of the original…

(1) The heaviest wear on the outsole seemed to be just inse the small ovals of rubber under the big-toe. It seems like a slight modification to the positioning of the rubber sections could greatly improve the durability without adding weight to the shoe. However, even with this I was able to get approximately 250-miles out of my initial pair, which is WAY more than I expected.

(2) The material in the upper is so thin that my big toe in each shoe eventually wore a hole through the top. This was partially exacerbated by the fact that the size I selected was very snug on me. I’m actually right in between a 10 and a 10.5, and decided to go with the 10 in the original. This put a little more pressure on the material over the toe than was intended.

The new Hattori LC made two significant changes to the original, though the outsole remains unchanged…

(1) The upper now contains laces to provide a more secure fit, rather than the velcro strap on the original. I know this was a frequent complaint on the original, though the velcro strop seemed sufficient for me.

(2) The material over the toe has been reinforced to provide extra durablity.

I was initially skeptical about the laces, since the fit of the upper worked really well for me in the original. However, I ultimately decided to give them a shot instead of simply re-ordering another pair of the original. For the new LC, I went with the size 10.5 to see if that would also help with the “big toe” problem in the upper.

While this has nothing to do with performance, the LC is a much better looking shoe than the original. I loved the original Hattori, but it does look a bit more like a water shoe than a running shoe. The new LC definitely looks more like a running shoe. With that being said, it is a bit disappointing that Saucony only offers this shoe in one color for men and one color for women. The original Hattori was available in a plethora of color options.

Like the original, the upper is made of a very thin, stretchy material with flexifilm overlays to provide a little more strength and structure. This material hugs the foot like a glove, and is very comfortable while running. This shoe can be worn sockless, though I generally prefer running with socks. The new re-enforced material over the toe is a bit disappointing, because it is really more in front of the toes than over the toes. However, moving up to a size 10.5 has taken a lot of the pressure off the upper material in the toe box, so this may end up being a moot point anyway.

As for the new laces, during my first run in the LC one of the shoes came untied about 2-miles into the run. This was a bit frustrating since I had not dealt with this in the original. However, now that I’ve completed several runs in the LC, I really appreciate the laces. The fit is a lot more customized to my preference, and it is actually a lot more comfortable than the original.

The outsole is made of EVA+ foam with strategically place rubber under the heel and big toe for added durability. As I mentioned early, it is unchanged from the original. This is good and bad. It is good because it retains exactly the same feel. It is bad because it does not attempt to improve the durability of the outsole based on overall wear patterns from the original.

All-in-all, the Hattori LC is a solid update, and a great option for those wanting to slowly introduce more minimalist or barefoot type running into their training. As with the original, this is a shoe that forces a forefoot or mid-foot strike, and should be incorporated gradually to prevent injury. The laces in the LC are a great addition to what was already a well designed, zero-drop shoe.

My current Saucony Hattoris are just about at the end of their useful life, and I’m facing the dilemma or re-ordering the exact same thing again (which they will continue to offer) or trying the new Hattori LC (with laces) that was just released today…

Per Saucony, the laces were added to provided a more snug and secure fit than the velcro overlay from the original model. However, this has never been a problem for me with the original. The other change Saucony made was to re-enforce the material over the toe to reduce wear. This was by far my biggest complaint with the original, but is only addressed in the new LC version with the laces.

What to do? What to do? I think I’m leaning toward trying the LC, but probably won’t order until next week.

After last night’s boiling hot workout at the track, it was nice to get in a super chilled pace recovery run this morning with Nathan through Bellevue. This was the first time in 2 1/2 weeks that I’ve run in my Saucony Hattoris. I had taken a temporary break from “barefoot” type running since I started having shin splint twinges in my right leg. Now that I’m essentially symptom free I’ve decided to slowly start re-introducing it back into my schedule.

Even though it was not 102º like last night, it was still very warm and muggy even at 6am. This was probably the easiest paced run I’ve done on the road in 2012, but it felt really good to just take it very easy. The good news is that I didn’t feel any residual soreness from last night’s workout, and do not seem to be suffering any lasting effects from my brief illness in the middle of the week.

In total we finished 4-miles with an average pace of 9:37 per mile. Tomorrow, our group is planning on a long trail run, so it should be a good test for my legs.

Beast Mode…ON!

I ended up with early-morning work meetings today, so I decided to just decided delay my run until the afternoon. I guess I could have started at 5:00am but knew this would not be smart based on how things went yesterday. My run yesterday morning was less than stellar, and for some reason I just felt tired all day. With this in mind, I didn’t want to compound my fatigue by having to get up super-early.

With all that being said….I hate, hate, HATE it when I can’t get my run done in the morning for at least three reasons:

(1) It usually means that my run will cut into family time (in this case I was not able to eat dinner with them before we had to be ready for mid-week worship)

(2) It almost always means that it will be a solo run, without my friends Nathan or Paxton (again this was the case today)

(3) During the Spring and Summer it is often very warm in the late afternoon

The only good thing about today was that it gave my body a little more time to rest, and I could really tell the difference from yesterday. My schedule called for 60 minutes at easy pace, and I decided to make this a Hattori run through the streets of Bellevue.

Even though it was hot, I knew immediately that things would be better than yesterday. My legs felt pretty fresh, and the aches and stiffness I felt on the trails yesterday were mostly gone. After a first mile of 9:02, I settled into a very comfortable rhythm in the low 8:00s (and even one 7:58) for the remainder of the run.

As I was finishing mile two on Sawyer Brown Road, I saw an older gentleman riding a bicycle headed my way. I gave him a courtesy wave just as we were about to pass, and then he yelled “Wanna Run Together Sometime?” I had never laid eyes on this man before and was a little taken back by this question. Stammering for an answer I blurted out “maybe” and just kept running. I turned my head briefly and saw that he also kept riding. No idea what that was about.

Anyway, for 60-minutes I completed 7.29-miles at an average pace of 8:15 per mile.

Beast Mode….ON!

On a side note, I have now put 240 miles on my Saucony Hattoris. Since the Hattori has a mostly foam outsole (as opposed to rubber), I really thought it would wear down very quickly. The irony is that today my big toe finally wore a hole in the sock-like upper, but the outsole is still going strong. The hole in the upper is fairly uncomfortable, so I guess this means it is time for a replacement. I’m really curious about the new Hattori LC (with laces), but these do not come out for another three weeks. Not sure how many more miles I can get out of my current pair before they become unwearable.

I wasn’t able to get in my schedule 30-minute easy paced run before work this morning, so I decided to hit the streets of Bellevue for a run in my Saucony Hattoris after putting the kids to bed tonight. We had a pretty nasty storm move through Nashville shortly after 5:00pm, which cooled things off a bit into the low 70s, but cranked up the humidity to 11…

Even with the intense humidity, my legs still felt fantastic. No leftover fatigue from the tempo run yesterday, and very little residual soreness from P90X Legs and Back last night. For the thirty minutes I completed 3.83-miles at an average pace of 7:51 per mile. This is a little bit faster than most of my recent “easy” or “barefoot” Hattori runs, but it felt very comfortable. Each mile was progressively faster throughout the run.

Beast Mode…ON!

Last Updated October 12, 2012

Running Shoes – All Saucony, All The Time (Find Your Strong!)

Training Shoe – Saucony Kinvara 3

Considering how much I LOVED the Saucony Kinvara 2, I was extremely nervous about all of the changes in the Kinvara 3. However I now think that the K3 is even more perfect for me than the K2. The new features I like best in the 3 include:

• Single layer upper. The 3-layer upper in the K2 sometimes would catch against my big toe, and was not a comfortable.
• Larger toe-box – It is only a touch wider than the K2, but feels much better.
• Sock-like fit is very cozy

Minimal Shoe – Saucony Hattori LC

About a year ago I started running one day per week in the very minimal, original Saucony Hattori (4.4 oz) with the goal of strengthening my feet and lower legs. Since adding these “barefoot” type runs to my schedule I have been able to get rid of all my orthotics and have moved from the bulky Nike Vomero to the Saucony Kinvara as my day-to-day training shoe. Now I usually run one or two days per week in them. The Hattori LC improves on the original with the addition of laces and a little more reinforcement on top of the toe (which was a problem for me in the original).

Trail Shoe – Saucony Peregrine

The Peregrine is made on the same last as the Kinvara, so this seemed like the perfect trail shoe for me when it came out last spring. Just like the “barefoot” runs mentioned above I also try to get in at least one trail run per week to help with lower body strength and balance. The only problem I have with the Peregrine is keeping the laces tied (I need to change them out), but otherwise love this shoe. Great traction and stability, even on rough terrain. Even though the Peregrine 2 came about this spring I probably will not need another trail shoe until next season. I’m curious about the Kinvara TR, but I wonder if it will be substantial enough to handle the trails at Percy and Edwin Warner Parks.

Apparel

Shorts, Tops, & Tights – Pearl Izumi & Lululemon

While I wear lots of different brands while running, by far my two favorite are Pearl Izumi and Lululemon. If I had to pick between the two I’d probably choose Pearl Izumi for two reasons (1) They have lots of colors for men (2) Their fabric tends to be a little lighter and dry faster. As much as I love Lululemon, it baffles me why they don’t have more colors for men. Most everything is only available in various shades of gray.

Socks – RRS DryMax Dry-As-A-Bone Medium Low

I LOVE these socks. Have been running in them almost since the beginning and have NEVER had a blister while wearing them. One pair tends to last me for about two seasons as long as I have several pair in the rotation.

Accessories

Sunglasses – Tifosi Tyrant

I switched from Oakley to Tifosi last year for three reasons (1) They are super lightweight and do not slip (2) The red lenses work well in lots of different light conditions, even when running trails under a tree canopy. They are also fototec lenses that get darker as the conditions are brighter. (3) There is a slit at the top of each lens which helps to prevent fogging up.

GPS Watch – Garmin 405

I have a love/hate relationship with this watch. The “touch bezel” is just horrible. It will not work when it is wet so I’m forced to keep the bezel locked while running. If I don’t lock it, it will just start doing random things as my arms move. Over time I’ve learned to manage the bezel, though it is frustrating to not be able to manually change screens during a run. Other than the bezel, it has a nice feature set, and does just about everything I need a running watch to do. It is much more comfortable and lightweight than my previous Garmin 305. At one point I was having trouble with the battery life, but corrected this by charging it only when it is fully drained. Note….The 410 corrects the bezel problem.

Friday

After a hard effort at track last night, today’s scheduled 50 minute run was a very, very easy shakeout run through Bellevue in my Saucony Hattoris. The weather was awesome with sunny skies and temps in the low 50s. This felt very nice after the hot conditions last week and early this week.

As the run started my legs and ankles felt pretty achey, so I kept everything extremely chill with an initial mile of 10:15. Slowly the aches and soreness began to leave my legs and the run ended with things feeling much better than when I started. I guess this is the sign of an effective shakeout effort. Overall I got in just over 5 miles in the 50 minutes with an average pace of 9:48 per mile. I haven’t gone back and checked, but I’m guessing this is one of my slowest runs of the year (if not the slowest).

Saturday

Our group run this morning consisted of the 11.2-mile main drive through Percy Warner Park. This is a busy day for the park because of the annual Steeplechase horse race (which is more of a socialite / partying event than a race), and we were hoping to be able to run by the course before the crowds started rolling in.

My schedule called for 12 to 14-miles at an easy pace, and I was initially hoping to land in the upper part of this range by adding a little extra before or after the group run. The temps were again very mild with overcast skies and temps in the mid 50s. I was only able to get in about a 1/4 mile before the group started, but just figured I would add a little bit to the end.

Our pace started off very easy and we slowly picked it up throughout the run with some fluctuation due to the significant elevation changes (a single loop of the 11.2 has a cumulative 1,500 ft of elevation gain). My overall pace for the run was 8:45 per mile with a range from 10:10 at the start to 7:54 at the finish. Throughout the run my legs felt very good, even when going up some of the more significant climbs. However, even though my legs felt great, I could tell that my body was tired and I decided to not try and push the run to 14-miles. I added just a bit to the end of the group run to finish with 12-miles total and am happy with the decision to not keep going.

Right now I’m in the middle of a couple of easy recovery weeks before John and I get started on more targeted training for the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon in October. For some reason this has put me in a bit of a reflective mood. My total mileage was just under 44-miles on an “easy” week, and that made think back to when I first started running. I remember the first official running goal I set was to complete 10-miles over 3-weeks. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined running 44-miles in a week, much less 50, or 60+.

Beast Mode…ON!

Well….today’s planned 18-holes at Hampton Cove in Huntsville was again a washout. So our 3-day, 72-hole golf trip turned into a 3-day, 46-hole golf trip. However, we still had a good time and I was able able to get in my scheduled 50-minute easy run earlier than expected this afternoon once I got home.

I decided to run in my Saucony Hattoris because I had not used them since last Wednesday. Overall I would say this was the worst I’ve felt on a run in a while, though it was kind of up and down throughout.

The first 10 minutes I felt tired, my legs were stiff, and my pace hovered around 9:30. I’m guessing this had something to do with playing 36-holes of golf yesterday followed by a 60 minute run. I briefly thought about just turning around and running home, but decided to give it a few more minutes to see if things improved. Well, they did improve dramatically for the next 20 minutes, and my pace dropped into the 8:20s. Then…BAM…I started feeling tired again and for the next 20 minutes my pace slowed back toward 9:00. Finally, I felt pretty good during the last 10 minutes and my pace dropped back down toward 8:30.

Looking back a few hours later I know that I was already tired when I started the run. Also, when I think back through my day, the only fluid I had consumed prior to the run was caffeinated coffee and iced tea. Not exactly good hydration for an afternoon run with full sun and temps in the mid 70s.

Whatever the case, the run is in the books and tomorrow will be another day.

Beast Mode…ON!

Even though tonight’s run was with the JSRC at the Vanderbilt track (as usual), I did not participate in the normal workout due to the Country Music Marathon on Saturday. My schedule called for 4 easy miles with 4 x 100m stride outs. I ended up with just over 5-miles around the track in my Saucony Hattoris trying to keep the pace around what I will need for the 4-hour pace group on Saturday. My first mile was in small segments since I stopped frequently to open the lane gates around the track. The final four were continuous laps with Bill and Jenny who are also running on Saturday. After these easy laps my need for speed was screaming, so the final stride outs were around 5:10 pace. The weather was warm and humid tonight, which I guess is good practice for Saturday since the forecast looks nasty. 

Overall things felt good during the run, though I did have a few aches to work through in the first mile. Early this morning I was walking through our bathroom and slipped and fell awkwardly on a wet spot on the tile floor. While nothing was hurt badly, I did twist my knee and stretch my hip in a funny way as I fell. My knee and hip flexor felt sore during that first mile of the run, but thankfully this quickly subsided and was not an issue. In related news, a few minutes after my fall, Olivia had an accident of her own. She was putting up clean dishes into our kitchen cabinets and dropped a glass as she was reaching up to an overhead shelf. The glass fell to the counter below, bounced, and shattered directly into her hand. Even though she had to pick pieces of glass out of her hand, luckily none of the cuts were bad enough to need stitches (though she was in obvious pain).

I’ve got my fingers crossed that we’ve gotten all of the accidents out of our system for today at least 🙂

Well, it is finally Country Music Marathon race week and honestly this feels much different than any other marathon race week so far. Normally I’m in the final part of my taper (bouncing off the walls) and very nervous about my strategy or an ambitious time goal. For this race the “goal” is to actually run my slowest marathon so far. As the 4-hour pacer I’m supposed to finish the race between 3:59:00 and 3:59:59. This would be my slowest finish time by 6 minutes (3:53 in my first marathon – Chicago 2009) and slower than my last marathon (3:12 – NOLA 2012) by 47 minutes.

All of this leads me to a bit of uncertainty about what Saturday will be like. Part of me thinks this will be like a long, slow, training run and that maybe I’ll be able to enjoy a marathon for a change. Another part of me wonders how well I’m going to deal with being on my feet for almost 4-hours in the aerobic heart-rate zone when I have never done a run this long before (by time). Whatever the case, it is guaranteed to be a new experience all the way around, and I’m looking forward to it.

While this week will not be a complete taper, my total mileage M-F has been slightly reduced the past two weeks. For this week I’ll actually be taking Wednesday off in addition to my normal Sunday rest day. Today’s schedule called for 4-miles easy with 4 x 100m stride outs at the end. This morning was cool and windy with temps around 40 degrees. I wish that the cooler temps would hang around for a while, but weather predictions are for temps in the 80s on Saturday (Yuck).

Since I will not be running on Wednesday, I decided to do today’s run in my Saucony Hattoris. This was a solo run through Bellevue, and I really just made up the route as I went along. I didn’t really feel comfortable during the first two miles, so my pace lagged around 8:45. At the beginning of the third mile my legs finally started to feel good and my pace dropped to just under 8:00 for the final two. I finished up with stride outs in the Bellevue Church of Christ parking lot which felt a bit strange due to the strong winds. One direction I was getting a good push and the other direction was like running with a parachute behind me.

Overall, it was a good easy-paced run that I hope will get me ready for a harder effort tomorrow.

Beast Mode…ON!

Today’s schedule was for an easy 4-miles with 6 x 100m stride outs at the end. I met Nathan at Bellevue Church of Christ after he had already completed 3 miles. As usual for Friday I ran in my Saucony Hattoris. This was by far my easiest-paced run of the week with miles one and two in the 9:40s and miles 3 and 4 in the 9:10s. I think the reason for the slow pace was two-fold:

1. It had only been a little over 12 hours since my 8.4-mile track workout last night, so I was still a bit fatigued.
2. I kinda got lost in conversation with Nathan and never really thought about pace or how I was feeling…I just went out for a run. Nathan was probably thinking “why are we going to slow?” but he never said anything.

At the finish of the 4-mile loop through Bellevue, we did our stride outs in the church  parking lot, and ran them pretty hard (5:40ish pace). Running fast in my Hattoris actually feels really, really good. I love getting up on my toes and just letting it fly.

Beast Mode….ON!

After a hard effort yesterday, it was nice to get in some easy recovery miles in my Hattoris through Bellevue on a pleasant and sunny morning. The schedule was 4-miles easy followed by 6 x 100m stride outs. 

I finished the first mile in around 9 min, before I settled into an 8:15ish pace for the remaining 3. At first my legs were really sore from P90X on Monday and the tempo run yesterday, but this quickly faded. My legs are definitely tired, but they still felt pretty good throughout the run, even during the 6 x 100m stride outs at the end which were at 6:18 pace.

I’ve got tomorrow morning off in prep for the track workout with the JSRC tomorrow night. It will be nice to sleep in a bit 🙂

Beast Mode….ON!

This morning’s schedule called for an easy 4-mile run with 4 x 100m stride outs at the end. My plan was to do this in my Saucony Hattoris since I’m trying to increase my total “barefoot” mileage. I woke up very late to meet Nathan, so I sent him a text to start without me and I would intersect him at some point on the route.

Trying to catch up with Nathan made my splits a little uneven, but all were very easy recovery miles. This felt really good after the hard track workout last night. I’m a little sore after track, but nothing that interfered with the run this morning. By the time we came to the 4 x 100m stride outs, my legs felt really, really good and I thoroughly enjoyed the short bursts of going fast.

It turned out to be a perfect morning with sunny skies and temps around 40 degrees. Tomorrow the temps are supposed to start going back up with lows only into the 50s overnight after 3 straight days in the 30s. Our group is meeting tomorrow at LP Field for a 12-14 mile run using the route for the second half of the Country Music Marathon that will be two weeks from Saturday. I’m glad to be getting this preview run since I’ll be leading the 4-hour pace group for the marathon. I’ve run the first half of the course many times, but have never run the second half after they changed it for last year’s race.

Beast Mode….ON!

Another day, another easy-paced run with Nathan in Bellevue. Today’s schedule called for 6-miles at easy pace followed by 4 x 100m stride outs. As has become somewhat routine for Wednesdays, I ran in my Hattoris which inevitably made the pace a little slower than the easy-paced runs on Monday and Tuesday.

I’ve done so much running in Bellevue recently that I suggested to Nathan that we mix it up a bit with a lap around the old, and empty, Bellevue Center Mall (it’s a bit depressing). Our first mile was just under 10-minute pace before we dropped it down to a consistent 8:40ish pace for the remaining miles. My legs still continue to improve after the race on Saturday, with no more lingering soreness.

We ended up doing the 4 x 100m stride outs in the parking lot of Bellevue Church of Christ. This is the first time I’ve ever done stride outs in my Hattoris, but it felt pretty good. I actually feel like I have the capacity for a much faster turnover when I’m up on my forefoot.

No scheduled run tomorrow morning, but tomorrow night is track practice with the JSRC.

Beast Mode…ON!

This morning I completed a 7-mile solo run through the streets of Bellevue in my Saucony Hattoris. Through the end of last year I was only doing four or five miles per week in my Hattoris, but I have been slowly increasing that this year to the point where I’m trying to use them for most of my recovery miles on Wednesday and Friday. I know I’ve said this several times, but it is amazing to me how much of a difference it has made adding these types of runs. I have stopped using orthotics, have moved to the Saucony Kinvara as my primary trainer and race shoe (was using the Nike Vomero), and no longer have aches and pains in my arch and metatarsals. 

Today’s run felt pretty smooth, and I didn’t notice the minor aches that I was feeling on Monday and Tuesday. I kept the pace pretty easy at around a 9min average since I put in quite a few miles yesterday (14). So far this week I’ve completed 28-miles after only getting in 25 last week while in Honduras. I’m hoping to land around 60 for the week after Saturday’s run.

Beast Mode…ON!

Easy 6.5-mile run this AM in my Saucony Hattoris with Nathan & Paxton from the EW Nature Center. Slightly faster pace than normal for a Hattori run, especially after the first couple of miles, but it felt pretty effortless. Legs actually felt better than they did yesterday. Really want to do more of my easy miles in these shoes since I can tell such a HUGE difference in my feet and calves since adding them to the rotation. Now will have a full 35 hours off before track tomorrow night.

Beast Mode…ON

I think I may have found my new racing flat for track workouts and shorter distance races. About a year and a half ago I started using the Saucony Kinvara for track days because I wanted a lighter weight shoe than my Nike Vomero trainers. Now that the Kinvara has become my primary training shoe, and now that I’m also running 4 to 5 miles every week in Saucony Hattoris, I’ve been seriously thinking about moving to a lighter weight racing flat for track workouts.

I had previously looked at the Saucony Grid Type A4, but just found out today that the Grid Type A5 is coming out in February, and the weight has been reduced from 6.3 to 5.6 oz! That is only 1.2 oz heavier than my Hattoris.

Add to this the fact that Saucony tends to fit me extremely well, and that these babies look really SWEET, and I think I might just have to add the A5 to my arsenal. What do you think?

Thursday (Oct 27)

Running: (7.5-Mile Track Workout) Tonight I finally felt some jump come back into my legs, and felt good throughout the workout. After a 1.5-mile warmup and 6 x 100m stride-outs, we did:

• 3 x 200m f (100) [400]
• 600m f+ (300)
• 3 x 200m f (100) [400]
• 800m Straights & Curves (300)
• 600m f+ (300)
• 800m Straights & Curves (300)
• 1000m f (400)

With an additional .75 mile warmdown, the total mileage came out to 7.5-miles. Paxton looked especially strong tonight, and even though I felt good he clearly had an extra gear. I’m really pleased with the workout, and am getting my confidence back.

Cross-Training: Tonight Olivia and I did P90X: Ab-Ripper X, and I followed that with a couple of sets of chest exercises.

Friday (Oct 28)

Running: (4-Mile “Barefoot” Recovery Run) Paxton, Nathan and I did an easy recovery run through Bellevue this AM in the pouring rain. Even though it was cold and rainy, the run was still a lot of fun, and it was good to have the Bellevue Trio together on a Friday morning. While the Hattoris offer no protection from water, they do drain extremely well which was good today.

Log for September 28 & 29 – Training for Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 9th.  Goal for the fall and winter marathon season is to break 3:15 for the first time. 

Wednesday

• 4-Mile Barefoot Run – Since I’m not running on Friday (tapering), I moved my normal 4-mile Saucony Hattori run to Wednesday night after Bible Study. I kept the pace very easy, and it ended up being a very enjoyable run (even though it was solo).

  On a side-note there doesn’t seem to be any ill-effects from my fall on Tuesday. Even though I was pretty sure I only injured my hands, I was afraid that when I woke up this morning something else would hurt.

Thursday

• 7.25-Mile Easy Run – Normally I do track with the JSRC on Thursday, but tonight is Olivia’s birthday, so I decided to meet Nathan for an early morning easy-run through Bellevue. I also didn’t feel the need for a speed workout since I have a tune-up 15K race on Saturday.

  Even through the temps were fairly cool, there was a thick fog which made it slightly uncomfortable. Our first mile was 9:30, but we steadily increased our pace as the run progressed for an overall average of 8:32. Even with the fog, the run was very enjoyable due to the easy pace and good company.

  It is hard to believe that the Chicago Marathon is now just a little over a week away!