Getting Back to the Group Thangs.....

So today was really my first day officially back to running with the group....Over the past couple of weeks since I had so much off time from work, I was really just focusing on piling on the miles. So when the alarm went off at 4am yesterday to get back into the routine it was really a SHOCK to the system. My back was still a little sore, and I kept the run short at 3.5 miles. Piling on the miles over the break allowed me to identify some weaknesses that I need to focus on strengthening! Mainly my abs and back. SHOCKING NEWS FLASH! My core is not very good, and really took a beating over the break with the added work load. So over the Sunday of watching football, I put the X-Mas tree away and got the Bowflex put into position so that I can get back to working on Core strength in the evenings. I had already started doing sit ups and push ups, but I really need to expand the workouts at night.

This mornign was yet another shocking 4am wakeup call to meet the group. Motivation at o'dark early is hard to come by when it's dark and freezing cold, but knowing that there were other Grinders out there got me out of bed. I didn't drive to the normal parking lot to meet the group, I went to the trailhead closer to my house which gave me a bit longer of a warm-up jog to the start. It's a little bit over a mile instead of the half mile at my normal parking spot. That warmup was crucial since it was so cold out there this AM. We had a above average turnout for the group this AM, which was nice to see. A lot of the group is getting ready for the Half marathon going in in PHX on the 18th.....Unfortunately its a race I just can't commit to at this time. I've got a LOT of money tied up in NFC Championship game tickets and SHOCKINGLY the Cardinals still have a shot at hosting that game! And no way am I racing a half marathon at 8am with a potential football game of the Century scheduled for 10:30....And even if we don't host it, I still don't want to miss the action should we win on Saturday Night vs the Panthers.

Anyways...Back to the workout! Today was session guaged at setting up racing speed sfor various distances. 1 mile at your Half Marathon Pace, 3/4 mile at your 10K pace, 1/2 mile at your 5K pace, and 1/4 mile at your 3K pace. Let me just go on the record and state that Mamma Michele chastized me for good reason after the first set. 7:15 is NOT my Half marathon pace! Yes..I buggered up that one! But I didn't let it effect the rest of the workout by running it too fast. I settled into the next set at my 7:30 10K pace. Actually ran it at a 7:27 pace. Then, the 5K pace at 7:00, I did run that a little bit fast and came in at a 6:45 pace. Finally, my 3K pace was pretty ridiculous fast, at a 1:32 quarter mile split. For those keeping track, that's a 6:08/mile pace. That one was a bit off the charts. But, my legs felt good, and I wasn't laabored in my breathing so I went with it. Yes, it's someplace where I want to train in the future, and it's good to know I have a little Spurt at the end of a workout. So, I'll take that one as an overall victory for the workout. In all, it was only 4.5 miles of running after the warm ups and cool downs were added in.

The cooleest thing of the entire workout came during the cool down. The temperature at the start of the workout accoriding to my car was somethign in the low 40s. Well, that only dropped into the 30s which brough on this really cool FOG effect on the path we were running in, and man did it move in FAST, but what was funny, was that it held off until after the workout.

Tomorrows going to be a mid week longer run....I may cap it at 7 or 8 just to stay with the consistency of keeping the week a little shorter as I work my way back into the grind. Until there......LIVESTRONG and TRAIN HARD!