Today in CJ, I ran 1.85 miles with some girls on the team -- Caitlin, Kylie, Kara, and Heaven -- in about 8:48 pace, then about 2.25 miles downtown and back. I ran 37 minutes -- about 9-minute pace and felt very good. I an feeling light and fresh with some good endurance. I don't think I'll run better than about 24-25 minutes Saturday, but I am going through the right process.

4 miles today -- 4 for week

37 miles on new shoes

I've been riding my bike a little more lately, which has been excellent to balance the running. I rode out to Eastlake Saturday morning and ran 4 miles, then pedaled back.

The run was a lap warmup around the Eastlake road loop. Then out of the park and down the road to the gravel road and back, plus two laps of the Eastlake road loop. So altogether, it was 4 miles. I ran a pretty steady pace, pushing it at times, then concluded with a bit of a slower lap on the Eastlake road. 5:56 for the warmup lap, then when I came back, I ran 5:23, and concluded with 5:36.

4 miles for the day, 10.65 miles for the week in three runs.

33 miles on new shoes

Excellent effort

Last Sunday I started my weight-loss effort, and I already have shed a couple of pounds. I'm sure it's just psychological, but I felt lighter and quicker today on my run. Of course, I had run only 22 minutes Tuesday, just walked about 41 minutes yesterday, so I was nice and rested.

I ran the 3.75 mile bike path-Eastlake route in 33:40, which is the best time I have produced, as I look through past entries. It was about 8:57 pace, and it was a little tough in the heat (85 degrees but not nearly as humid as the past few weeks), but it was a steady run and I felt no aches, pains, tweaks, stiffness, etc.

Then I cooled down with about 5 minutes easy.

4.15 miles -- 6.65 for the week.

Miles on shoes -- 29

Run cut short

I ran the bike path this morning -- 2.5 miles -- until a thunderstorm zoomed in and cut my run short. I felt good -- 22 minutes.

2.5 miles

miles on shoes -- 25

Next two weeks

Tuesday, June 22 -- 30 minutes (3.3 miles)

Thursday, June 24 -- 35 minutes (3.8 miles)

Saturday, June 26 -- 40 minutes (4.4 miles)

For the week, about 11.5 miles

Monday, June 28 -- 35 minutes (3.8 miles)

Wednesday, June 30 -- 44 minutes (4.8 miles)

Thursday, July 1 -- 22 minutes (2.2 miles)

Saturday, July 3 -- 4.1 miles (Grandview run)

For the week, about 15 miles

Goal for Grandview race: Break 25

Goal for Muscatine race: Reach last year's time: 23:15

Goal for Run for the Schools: Break 22 minutes.

Good end to good week

Today I ran in the hottest of conditions -- 88 degrees and very humid at 4 p.m. But it was a good run. I approached it with the idea that I would go slow, whatever it took to run 35 minutes. And that worked pretty well.

Down at the track, I ran two loops repeatedly -- one lap of the track and one loop around one practice field, then one lap of the track and one loop around the other practice field. That way I mixed some grass and more firm surface (the track). I did this for 33 minutes -- or about 3.6 miles. What I liked is how steady I ran. I timed a lap in lane 1, and it was 2:14 -- 8:56 pace.

Then I ran 4 x 100 -meter strides in about 21 seconds each. It was a good way to end.

I would like to keep my figuring simple about running my 5:30 mile goal. If I average 21 seconds per 100, I hit 5:36. If I average 20 seconds, it will be 5:20. That's 80 seconds a lap. So eventually, I will have to get my repeats that fast and occassionally a little faster.

But just like with learning, sometimes you need some scaffolding. So I start with 100 second lap pace, then inch down to 90, and finally 80.

I like my goal of 5:30. I heard somebody once say that a good goal is to run 1 minute slower than your fastest mile ever. So that would be just about right.

One thing I will have to do to get there is lose weight. I will keep that simple, too. 1 pound a week, so that by the time I run the Muscatine race, I will weigh 178. And by the time I run the Run for the Schools, I will be about 170. I can do this.

Miles for week -- 13

Miles on shoes -- 22.3

Sunday weigh-in after run -- 186

Early morning run

This morning I got up and ran at 6:30, the prison-MHI route. 3.7 miles. I felt very good in a difficult conditions. 72 degrees, 78% humidity. 35 minutes.

The pace wasn't very good, 9:12-9:20, but I think it's just my morning pace.

Lately I've been thinking, wow, it's just good you are out running at age 50. I'm seeing kind of the benefits on my body that running affords.

9.3 miles for the week, 18.6 miles on new shoes.