Outside-inside run

Today, after only running once in the last five days because of a cold and heavy days at work, I was itching to get out. It is still cold and slushy-snowy outside, hard to find places to run, but I also hate running more than a half-hour on the Wesleyan track. So I went outside, running some loops at an up-tempo pace around Wesleyan, for 24 minutes, then running 22 minutes on the track. It was definitely more than 5 miles, and my pace on the Wesleyan track, at times, was better than 8 minutes a mile. I think I was doing 7:40-7:45 pace at times.

5.2 miles --147 miles on shoes.

3.5 steady miles at IWC

Yesterday, on our 7th snow day from school, I went over to Iowa Wesleyan to run on the 12-laps-to-a-mile track. I did a steady 9-minute a mile pace (about 45 second laps). I did 32 minutes. I have a cold, so I didn't feel like going any faster. It was a good midweek run when you have few other options. I took an extra rest day with the cold and a long night Monday.

Miles on shoes -- 142

My tentative schedule

I am putting in the miles now so I can run the Drake Relays on the Road 8K at the end of April. For a tuneup, I want to do the Mount Pleasant prediction run out at Eastlake Park. Goal in Des Moines: 36 minutes. Follow the 8K training schedule.

Then I would like to taper and get faster, shooting for the master's mile on the Augustana track in Rock Island at the end of June. Goal -- break 6:00.

Then I'll start doing some good summer training, running maybe once a week up at Columbus, and getting in great shape.

From there, I want to run a fast 5K at the Watermelon Stampede in Muscatine in August. Sub-22 minutes.

Then I run the Iowa City Road Races Run for the Schools in 21 minutes in October.

Longest run

Today I did a steady 55 minutes -- about 6 miles -- on the trail. It was a pretty easy pace, but it was just a matter of continuing to run for 55 minutes. The first lap was 23:06, the second lap about 22:40, then the half-mile up the trail to the high school and back. My hip hurts a little now, and so does my knee. I'm 50 years old and have an imperfect body, what can I say?

miles on shoes -- 138.5

Hard run through CJ

Tonight Seth, Logan and I ran 3.1 miles downtown CJ and back -- 26:47. It was a pretty tough pace, especially on those hills, for me. But it was good -- kind of a steady state run. I need that.

Then on the way home, so I could get to 30 minutes, I got out of the car and ran another 4 minutes on the county road for 30:28 total. 3.5 miles -- 8:42 pace. It feels good.

132.5 miles on shoes

Raw February run

I ran after school -- Columbus City loop -- (2.85 miles plus .2 up and down block for 3.05) plus downtown and back (add 1.7) for 4.75 miles. Hilly, raw, cold run.

9-minute pace. I felt this was pretty good for these conditions.

129 miles on shoes.

Great way to end January

I did two laps of the trail around the high school, past the pond on Linden Drive, and down Linden Drive tto home. Then I ran around the block in our neighborhood. It felt great, especially on the second lap. I did a surge up the hills on the trail, feelilng very strong. It was a total of 5.3 miles, 47 minutes.

Friday morning at 5:45 a.m., 30 minutes.

124.4 miles on new shoes.