Wesley Hunt

4 Miles Easy on treadmill set to 1.0 incline followed by 6 acceleration strides at 30 seconds/stride (30 seconds recovery between strides); legs are fatigued, and left hip and hamstring are a little sore.  I need to focus on a healthy mix of strenuous and less demanding workouts (like today). 

Wesley 

2 Miles Easy followed by 8 Mile MP / Tempo Run at the following splits: 

2 Miles at 7:13

4 Miles at 6:40

2 Miles at 7:13

2 Miles Easy with 4X100m strides worked into final mile.  This was a pretty tough treadmill (1.0 incline) workout, particularly given some stomach issues I was battling throughout the run.  I took a gel before the run and after Mile 6.   

Looking forward to a scheduled day off tomorrow. 

Wesley

8 Miles at 6:36/mile on a surprisingly still, 50 degree morning in Little Rock; looped through neighborhood and hit a couple pretty steep hills on latter half of run; felt great.  

Because it is consistent with our Little Rock Marathon training schedules, which calls for a 13-14 Mile long run next weekend, my Dad and I decided to register for the inaugural Fayetteville, Arkansas Half-Marathon, scheduled for December 12, 2010 on the beautiful University of Arkansas Campus.  The race course has some pretty steep inclines, but it also has a really cool finish--a lap around the John McDonald Outdoor Track.  McDonald, of course, is the legendary Arkansas Track Coach who led the Razorbacks to numerous national championships before retiring a couple of year ago.  Good times...

Wesley 

12 Miles at 6:53/mile on a cold afternoon of 42 degrees in Little Rock; very hilly double loop through my neighborhood and adjacent neighborhood; stages gel and water at Mile 7.  

Last week, I learned that I will need to run a sub 1:30:59 half-marathon at the Fayetteville Half (or any half prior to January 15, 2011) in order to qualify for Corral A in the Little Rock Marathon.  This will be challenging, particularly given the hilly course, but I think I have a puncher's chance.  At a minimum, I am confident that I can comfortably qualify for a Corral B assignment.  

Wesley 

9.5 Miles at 6:40 - 6:45/mile on a nice, cool noon run in downtown Little Rock.  Run included tough 2-Mile uphill stretch (Miles 14-15) of the Little Rock Marathon, up Markham and Kavanaugh to Lookout.  My legs were a little fatigued at Mile 6 after two hard weekend runs, and the trusty Garmin lost reception at 7.65 Miles, so unfortunately, I do not know my exact pacing.  I was on a 6:40/mile pace through Mile 6 and felt pretty comfortable. 

Looking forward to a bitterly cold, possibly snowy Fayetteville Half-Marathon on Sunday.  As such, I'm planning to do most of my mileage on the treadmill for the remainder of the week in an attempt to give my legs a little extra rest and a break from the hills to which they have become accustomed. 

Wesley 

3.5 Miles Easy (8:00) followed by six strides (5:30) at 30 seconds/stride with 30 seconds rest between strides; treadmill set to 1.0 incline.  

Wesley 

1 Mile Easy followed by 8 Mile Tempo Run on treadmill set to 1.0 incline:

2 Miles at 7:13

4 Miles at 6:40

2 Miles at 7:13

1 Mile Easy to cool down following solid workout. 

This was my last hard training run prior to this weekend's half-marathon in Fayetteville, Arkansas on the University Arkansas campus.   

Current Forecast for Sunday's Race:  17 degrees with 32 mph winds.  It may be difficult to push myself if this forcast holds, but my goal is to maintain my target Marathon Pace of 7:15/mile and finish under 1:35:30.  Despite the bitter cold and winds, I should be able to shatter my personal best from back in December 2004, which incidentally, was the only half-marathon I have every completed. 

Wesley 

Wesley 

4 Miles Easy on treadmill. 

I modified my training schedule slightly to allow for a day off tomorrow prior to Sunday's half-marathon in Fayetteville.  Weather forecast for race morning has backed off a bit, and while I'm still looking at 20 degrees and 15 mph winds, anything is better than what was being forecasted earlier in the week. 

Big thanks to Rob for some solid cold-weather running tips.  My head is in a good place, and I have trained hard the last few weeks.  I'll be ready. 

Wesley

This morning, I set a PR in the Fayetteville Half-Marathon in Fayetteville Arkansas.  

Finish Time:   1:27:40    

Average Pace: 6:42/mile

Age Group:   2nd

Overall: 6th   

Given the bitter cold and sustained wind gusts of 20mph, I was certainly pleased with the result.  I accomplished an intermediate goal, and advanced one step closer to my ultimate goal of qualifying for Boston in March.  My finish time qualifies me for a Corral A starting position in the Little Rock Marathon.  

My dad, Mark, also ran a great race.  In his first event longer than a 10K, he finished second in his age division, running just over 1:46:00.  If he keeps this up, he may be looking at a Boston qualifier as well!   

Enough for now...I'm heading to my Sunday School Class Christmas Party with the family for some much needed fun and relaxation.

Best,

Wesley 

1 Mile Easy followed by 6-Mile Tempo Run at 6:40/mile on treadmill set to 1.0 incline; 1 Mile at 7:13 (MP) and 1 Mile Easy to cool down.

My legs seem to have recovered pretty well following Sunday's race.  A little soreness in my right knee carried over this afternoon, but I felt fine, and I actually think the smooth tempo run worked out any remaining soreness.  

 Wesley 

4 Miles at 7:13 followed by 6X30-second strides (5:30) with 30 seconds rest between strides; 5 Miles total on treadmill set to 1.0 incline.

I'm intentionally hitting the treadmill pretty hard this week to fully recover from Sunday's race.  I am scheduled for a pretty tough speed workout either tomorrow or Friday and a nice 12 miler this weekend.  Looking forward to getting back out on the streets...

Wesley 

1 Mile Easy followed by 3 Miles at 6:00 (5K Pace) on a treadmill set to 1.0 incline; 1 Mile jog to cool down.  

This was probably a little too fast for a mid-week, treadmill run on the eve of a speed workout, but I was strapped for time and had been stuck in a chair all day, so I needed a couple fast miles to boost my spirits.  I actually felt pretty good, tiring a little at 2.5 Miles, but finishing strong and relatively comfortable.  

Wesley 

2.5 Mile warm-up at 7:30/mile followed by 4X400m repeats at 87 seconds (5:48) and 4X800 repeats, three at 2:57 (5:54) and one at 2:45 (5:30).  I jogged easy for 200m between the 400m repeats and 400m between the 800m repeats.  "Cooled down" with 1 Mile at 6:50.

8 Miles total.   

Perfect evening, still and cool, and I pushed it pretty hard because I was enjoying myself.  

Looking forward to a scheduled day off tomorrow followed by a 12 miler on Sunday.  

Wesley 

On what was scheduled to be a day off, I couldn't resist a very pleasant 6 Mile run with my brother at 7:42/mile on a perfect, cool day in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Nice to relax and not worry about pace for a change...and who wants to take a day off when an early, Christmas feast is on the menu for dinner?  We certainly indulged.  

Wesley 

12 Miles at 7:07 on a cold, 30 degree mid-morning run on Hwy. 171 between Malvern and Hot Springs, Arkansas.  Pace reflects a 90-second pit stop that included a bio break and layer shedding, so all in all, I was pretty happy with the workout.  My knees and legs are a little fatigued after 6 straight days of running (a lot for me), so a scheduled day off on Monday comes at a perfect time.  

GPS lost satellite reception on the latter half of the run, but because I ran an out-and-back, I was able to stay on track and finish relatively strong.  

Wesley 

10 Miles total on treadmill set to 1.0 incline.  Today's workout included the following:

1 Mile warm-up;

3 Miles at 7:13;

4X800m Repeats at 3:07 (6:15); 400m recovery jog between repeats; and

3 Miles at 6:35.

I felt good today despite drinking coffee all morning and being a little anxious due to work, holiday plans, etc., etc., etc. 

Wesley

4 Miles at 7:03 on a beautiful evening of 41 degrees in Little Rock; bright moon and clear skies made this an enjoyable run, despite the late start (11:00 pm after a long day at work and dinner/movie with family); followed-up with six sets of pull-ups and some ab work at the neighborhood park near my house.  

This was a scheduled, easy run, but I incorporated 6X30 second strides into Mile 4, which pushed my pace down below Marathon Pace; first three miles at 7:30.  

For you movie lovers out there, I definitely recommend "The Fighter."  And no, it is not a Rocky remake.  It is well-written and wonderfully acted, and while it does share a certain grittiness with the original Rocky, it is a bit darker and more serious than Sly's classic boxing film.  Amy Adams and Christian Bale will be nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Actress, respectively, and the smart (and early) money says Bale will take home the Oscar.

Wesley 

10 Miles at 7:03 on a long loop through West Little Rock that included a number of brutal, lengthy hills; two forced stops at intersections pushed my pace up a little (and messed with my mojo), but other than being a little low on energy, I felt pretty good.  

Wesley 

6 Miles at 6:58 in route to Grandpapa and Grandmama's House (my parents) for Christmas number two with the family in Hot Springs, Arkansas; ran into a strong headwind and some strange looking white stuff (just a dusting) in the air.  

Merry Christmas!

Wesley 

14 Miles at 7:07 on a cold day in Hot Springs, Arkansas; last day with family before returning to the real world.  While cliche, it is true that the "hustle and bustle" of the holidays is draining, and my energy level was a little low all weekend.  In particular, my diet (ate and drank pretty much everything that was put in front of me) and lack of sleep were the primary, contributing factors, but I wouldn't change a thing...life is about enjoying the simple things.  And I soaked up every moment with my beautiful wife, crazy kids, parents, brother and sister-in-law, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and last, but certainly not least, my nephew, Henry, the baby of the family.    

I ran the first four miles today with my brother, Luke, who is returning to snowy D.C. with his family later this evening.  A runner and solid triathlete (kicked my butt in the Nation's Tri last September) in his own right, it was great to work in two runs with my bro during the 10 days he was back home in Arkansas.   

Wesley 

10 Miles Easy on treamill set to 1.0. 

After two days off to rest a sore right knee, which I have been icing on and off for a couple of weeks now, I worked through a 10 miler on the treamill at 8:00, comfortably above my target Marathon Pace.  My knee, which, at a minimum is agitating and at times tormenting, held up, but I am going to have to be very careful and really consider ramping it down for 2-4 weeks, a luxury I can ill afford with a race on March 6, 2010.   

Any thoughts out there on a good knee brace or strap that will absorb some of the pressure? I do not know much about running injuries, but all signs point to iliotibial band syndrome (runner's knee).  The vast majority of my outdoor training runs are on hills (contributing cause), some of which are pretty severe, and the pain itself is isolated to the outside of my right knee (obvious symptom).   

Wesley

2 Miles Easy followed by 6 Mile Tempo Run on treadmill: 

3 Miles at 7:13 and 3 Miles at 6:40. 

1 Mile recovery jog for 8 Miles Total, a modest victory and a good effort given the lingering pain in my right knee. 

I tried out an "Ace" knee brace for the first time today, and I think it helped.  Perhaps it was a placebo effect, perhaps it actually helped me physically.  At this point, I am less concerned about fully grasping the mechanical or psychological benefits of wearing the knee brace.  I just need it to contribute to the successful completion of critical training runs, as it did today. 

Just want to run... 

Wesley