February 28 (76 miles/week)

PM: 15+ miles easy

The lack of sleep is catching up to me. After waking up at 3:45 AM to fly home, I met Liam and Kevin for a run through Duke Forest. I was crawling by the end and finished the last 3.8 miles solo.

It wasn't an ideal running week all around, but it was an extremely productive work week, so I feel like I made the best of it. Unfortunately, the next two weeks are also going to be filled with a ton of both work and travel, which may mean that my spring racing season becomes a crap shoot. Running is going to be a little unpredictable. Fortunately, I'm fairly low-maintenance as far as that's concerned, just as long as I make the time to fit it in.

We'll see. I've put in some good work in the last couple of months. I'm hoping that still carries me through to a few fast races.

February 27

AM: 11 miles easy

I ventured from the hotel, past the TPC and down Scottsdale Blvd for an out-and-back, which I disappointingly found was basically a desert version of Rockville Pike. Lots of suburbia out here.

February 26

AM: 6'/5'/4'/5'/7' at 10k pace effort with 2:00 recovery, 10 miles

I ran again on the canal shoulder in the morning before working all day at the tournament. I'm happy just to get some sort of other uptempo effort in this week. It's been hectic.

February 25

AM: 11 miles easy/moderate

PM: 3+ miles easy

I warmed up 4 miles on the hotel treadmill with the intention of doing a workout, but 60 seconds into my first 5:00-pace rep, I blew yet another fuse. Dejected, I went outside but actually found a respectable place to run on the soft shoulder of a canal just past TPC Scottsdale.

After working at the tournament all day, I went out for an easy 25 minutes with Jackson, one of the guys I'm working with out here in AZ, just to get the legs moving some more.

February 24

AM: 8 miles easy/moderate

Started early on the hotel gym treadmill, which blew a fuse 8 miles into my run, cutting it short.

February 23

DNR - 0 miles

Travel day for work. I got up at 4:00 AM for a 6:00 AM flight and hit the ground running with meetings when we got into Scottsdale. First down day of the year in what looks to be my lowest mileage week of 2010 thus far.

February 22

AM: 12 miles w/ 65 min progression

PM: 6 miles easy

Another chaotic day that started early (5:00), but I felt good enough to push the pace on the treadmill. I gradually sped up until I hit 15 minutes at about half-marathon goal pace before backing off for a 10-minute cooldown. After class, I jogged an easy 45 minutes on the WaDuke trail from the LSRC.

Off to Scottsdale in the morning to hang out at a PGA event for six days. As far as travel assignments for work go, I've had worse.

February 21 (104 miles/week)

AM: 13 miles easy

I ran and out-and-back on the ATT with Liam and Kevin, starting from the baseball stadium. We were in shorts and shortsleeves for the first time in what seems like an eternity.

Kevin ran in the '04 marathon trials and is one of those guys who can not run for weeks at a time and then jump into a 13 miler on a lark no matter what kind of shape he's in. He's finishing up dental school, so it's the first time we've run together in a while.

This morning's run caps off another week I'm pleased with as I look toward racing next month. Since I'll be gone almost all of this coming week in Scottsdale, AZ, I'll be happy to hit 80 miles, but I'm due a recovery week. I'm tired but feeling energized after a couple of nights of quality sleep and some phenomenal mid-day naps mixed in amidst a mountain of school work.

February 20

AM: 18 miles moderate

Joey and I headed to Duke Forest and the WaDuke trail for a decently paced long run. We hit 18 in 2 hours even, which is an honest pace given all of the hills and trails on the route. We were treated to beautiful weather: 55 degrees and cloudless azure skies. It's hard to believe we had snow just last weekend.

February 19

AM: 10k tempo @ goal HM pace, 11 miles

PM: 6 miles easy

I met Liam and Joey for a tempo run on the track this morning with crisp but pleasant conditions. We locked in nicely, trading off the lead every 2 laps. Liam kicked it up a notch in the last 2k, whereas I stayed even. I felt strong during this one and should be ready to roll in a month despite any time missed traveling.

Joey gets the BAMF award for the day for setting PRs at 10 and 8k during the workout.

Splits: 5:20, 5:19, 5:19, 5:15, 5:13, 5:14, :75 (32:59)

My evening run was both on the WaDuke trail and unbelievably slow. The uptick in mileage has left me pleasantly sore. It's been a hellish week for work, but this only seems to make me want to run more and run faster. That being said, I haven't been doing much other than working, running, eating and sleeping.

February 18

AM: 11 miles easy

PM: 4 miles easy

Tired again today. ATT in the morning with Liam, and then the neighborhood loop in the evening after class. I'm shooting to get to bed early tonight.

February 17

PM: 20 x 1'on/1'off, 12 miles

Another long day at school. I'd been working or in class since 5AM, and still had more work left to do on an assignment when I took off to run at 4:30. I ran from campus to the WaDuke trail for a hilly fartlek. I felt pretty strong, with my effort in the 3k/5k range for the reps. I used the cooldown to run home to get my car to avoid a cold, dark ride home later in the evening. Good call.

February 16

AM: 11+ miles easy

PM: 4 miles easy

Not a lot today other than running, studying, and meetings. Easy in Duke Forest in the morning with Liam, and a quick neighborhood loop after school.

February 15

AM: 8 miles easy, treadmill

PM: 6 miles easy

Busy today at school, so I was happy to be able to get in a double. That being said...I was dragging ass all day. I'm tired!

February 14 (106 miles/week)

AM: 20+ miles easy/moderate

Solid long run this morning and better than last week. I started by running all of the north section of the ATT with Liam as an out-and-back. I then went solo back over to East Campus for three loops; my last 6 miles were under 6:00 pace without any real discomfort.

This morning's run caps of my best week in a while. Training is on the up-and-up for my shot at a sub-1:11 half marathon at Shamrock next month.

February 13

AM: 12 miles easy

Snowy easy run through Duke Forest with Liam. We got maybe an inch or two last night, but it doesn't look like it's going to stick around for very long. The streets are already cleared.

February 12

AM: 5 x mile w/ 400 (3:00) jog recovery, 11 miles

PM: 4 miles easy

I wasn't sure where my fitness was because it's been a while since I've hit the track for a workout. I'm happy to see that it's coming along nicely. I don't think the workout necessarily means I'm in "great" shape, but it at least shows I'm not in bad shape.

Liam and I shared the lead for almost half the time exactly, with us sharing the work on #5. He threw down and dropped me on the fourth one in 4:46 thinking it was our last until I told him that I was up for doing 5 reps. Given that I felt pretty crappy on the fourth one and positive splitting while trying t hang with him, I was happy to find that the last rep felt smooth and strong.

Splits: 4:58, 4:55, 4:55, 4:58, 4:56 (4:56 average)

I went out again in the afternoon and took it really slow in the neighborhood before hitting some core work and pull-ups.

February 11

AM: 12 miles easy

PM: 5 miles easy

Easy in the morning with Liam on the ATT. After classes and work, I ran easy with Valerie on East Campus.

It's looking like I'm going to have a few weeks of solid miles under my belt before two long weeks of traveling later this month and early next month. While traveling and running can be a headache, my trips are 100% going to be worth it, and I'll get to work and run in some cool places.

My first trip is with three other students and a couple of professors to conduct an environmental impact analysis for a PGA event in Scottsdale. Then, two weeks later, I'm heading to San Francisco for a field trip over spring break before spending the second half of the week in Steamboat Springs for great skiing, long hills, and 7,000 feet of altitude with my family.

Between now and then I have heaps of school work; a bunch of miles; and for tomorrow morning, five or six mile repeats.

February 10

AM: 10 miles easy/moderate, treadmill

PM: 6 miles easy

A fairly uneventful day with another 6 AM run on the treadmill and a windy, chilly run on the WaDuke trail after classes. Because of my 5 AM wakeup calls, my Mondays and Wednesdays are quickly becoming three-coffee days.

February 9

AM: 7+ miles easy, 8 x 200m w/ 200 jog, plus cooldown; 10 miles

PM: 6 miles easy

I ran with Liam for a short loop through Duke Forest before heading to the track for some glorified strides. I pushed it a little bit last weekend. I'm going to push my main workout this week to Thursday, but I wanted something short and quick to hold me over.

I got in a second run in the rain after school and before some indoor soccer. Soccer tired and running tired, as it turns out, are two very different forms of tired.

February 8

AM: 10 miles easy, treadmill

PM: 1:00:00 easy bike

One more treadmill run. Between my 8:00 class and two weeks of traveling ahead of me, I'm just going to have to learn to enjoy the treadmill for the time being.

After class, Valerie and I went out for a quick ride. She has a sweet new Specialized.

February 7 (99 miles/week)

AM: 12 miles moderate/progression

I met Liam out at Umstead Park. We started at an honest pace on the way out with the first 5 miles close to 6:30 pace. We ended up picking it up on the way home to marathon pace over the park's hills, logging 1:15 even for 12.

This makes 99 for the week--my highest week since October--and I'm fine with that. I felt so much better today than yesterday.

February 6

AM: 19 miles moderate

I met Liam and Victor of the Carrboro Athletic Club at the golf course for a run through Duke Forest. The pace was pretty honest today at points, and I was hurting desperately from what I'm speculating is a lack of sleep. I've been averaging less than 7 hours per night; with mileage creeping up close to 100 mpw, that's just not going to cut it. Crisp long runs are usually a go-to, bread-and-butter workout, so it irks me when I struggle on one.

I've also had a nagging head cold all week that's filled my restless nights, mornings, and the back of my throat with little dark green men incubating in my nose and sinuses. Consequently I felt like poop by the end of the run and had to take the last couple miles super easy while Victor, who's shooting for 2:23 in Boston this April, left me in the dust.

DC is getting hammered with snow right now for the second time in two months. I'm a little bummed because, while a monster pain in the butt, these huge weather events come around only so often. I don't even know what 2 feet of snow looks like. I've been compulsively checking the Washington Post, Facebook, and GRC blog for eye-witness accounts. I was supposed to be in DC this weekend, but Duke cancelled its scheduled event, keeping me home (but snow-bird Valerie here in Durham, so that's a plus).

February 5

AM: 10 miles easy

PM: 4 miles easy, treadmill

Liam and I hit the ATT in the morning, which is finally clear of ice. I got in a quick double on the treadmill after school before dinner.

February 4

AM: 10 miles easy

PM: 5 miles easy

Liam and I went exploring in North Durham this morning, eventually coming to the part of the sidewalk that not so much stops as it dies a slow death. Turning around, we looped around the baseball park (right next to the beautiful performing arts center...and the county jail) before heading back.

I was planning on heading to DC, but thanks to SnOMG! and the impending 1-2 feet of snow, my interviews were postponed until later in the spring. Since I'd suddenly found 4 hours, I took a nap and then went for a shakeout run right before dusk.

February 3

PM: 13 miles w/ 7 miles @ 11.0 mph (5:27 pace) @ 2% grade, treadmill

Good Lord, if I never have to do another 13-mile treadmill run again it will be too soon. I overslept this morning (overslept = 6:00 AM because of my 8:00 class), so I had to wait until after school to get in a workout.

With three miles easy on the front and back, I felt just OK on the treadmill. The air was getting a little thick in there toward the end. I stepped off at 7 miles without really going into the well. I'm dying for some VO2 or LT interval work right now, but that's realistically going to have to wait until I can get on the track again next week.

February 2

AM: 11+ miles easy

PM: 5 miles easy/moderate, treadmill

I met Liam in the morning. We stuck to the roads on campus, looping around West a couple of times, because of the snow and ice on all of the sidewalks. Plowed streets? Check. Plowed sidewalks? Not so much. God bless 'em: we're still on the learning curve down south when it comes to dealing with snow accumulation.

February 1

AM: 10 miles easy/moderate, treadmill

Even if it weren't pitch-black at 6:00, the roads and trails of Durham are still sheets of ice. No matter: all of this early morning treadmill running is going to let me appreciate the spring even more when I'm getting into racing shape. No PM run because of school work, but the plan is to get in more doubles this week.

I'm not sure what a Wednesday workout will entail because the track and trails aren't going to be clear by then. I'm thinking a Daniels' treadmill workout?