Start time: 8/31/10, 7:30am
Location: North Arlington
Distance: 5 miles
Average pace: 8:46min/mile
Total Miles For August: 73 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 465 miles

More mornings than not, I find it slightly amazing (afterwards) on just how much I am able to stall getting ready for a run. Today, it was a solid hour before I even got out of bed… yeesh. Sooo sleepy. Or something.

(8:54, 8:49, 8:49, 9:04, 8:13)

Start time: 8/25/10, 7:15am
Location: North Arlington
Distance: 5 miles
Average pace: 8:49min/mile
Total Miles For August: 56 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 448 miles

A mile longer and two seconds per mile faster than Monday, so I’ll take that as a minor victory.

(8:49, 8:56, 8:38, 8:53, 8:49

Start time: 8/19/10, 8:30pm
Location: North Arlington
Distance: 5 miles
Average pace: 9:09min/mile
Total Miles For August: 39 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 431 miles

I have a confession to make: I not only don’t like running in darkness, I actually am slightly scared of running in darkness. I’m always imagining myself running into a hole, or tripping over an uneven edge. It’s the fear of the unknown, always going to plunge into disaster. So when I’m not only running in the dark, but also wrapped up in a thick shroud of humidity? It’s an unpleasant at best experience. I spent the entire time second-guessing every step, when I wasn’t squinting at car headlights on the road coming in my direction.

I also really need to get all my runs in each week. Lately I’ve had a knack for missing one of them (usually the Tuesday one) and that is an extremely bad habit. Bah. Not pleased.

(8:51, 8:52, 8:52, 9:31, 9:39)

Start time: 7/20/10, 6:30am
Location: North Arlington
Distance: 5 miles
Average pace: 9:06min/mile
Total Miles For July: 34 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 366 miles

Not my most stellar run. Humidity’s already up to 68% and I am starting to wonder if we could create a different sort of wind farm that is really just a massive fan to blow all the thick air out of the area. I know it’s not the only reason for my sub-par-for-me performance, but it’s a convenient scapegoat this morning. Really felt myself losing ground those last two miles.

(8:45, 8:59, 8:44, 9:20, 9:38)

Start time: 6/30/10, 6:40pm
Location: North Arlington
Distance: 5 miles
Average pace: 8:38min/mile
Total Miles For June: 48 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 328 miles

I really wanted to go running this morning, when it was ridiculously cool outside. I got to bed too late though, and this morning just couldn’t get up. Still, the weather after work was a thousand times better than anything we’ve had the past few weeks. Went for a five-miler though, and despite being a huge sweatball by the end (it was awfully sunny even though it wasn’t thick air) I feel happy with my pace. This is back where I was in the spring. Yay!

(8:35, 8:45, 8:26, 8:43, 8:42)

Start time: 6/17/10, 7:30pm
Location: North Arlington
Distance: 5 miles
Average pace: 8:45min/mile
Total Miles For June: 25 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 305 miles

Took a few days off due to a strange cramp/ache in one of my quads, coupled with trying several times to make it over to the pool and the rest of the world getting in my way. Finally got my run in today, though, after work. Humidity was low and I didn’t feel sick, or unusually tired, or anything. A nice relief.

I did, however, decide not to run the DC Tri on Sunday. I feel ill-prepared at best, and as the temperature is being forecast anywhere from 94-98, well… I’m just not going to enjoy it on any level. Part of me sad to decide not to do it, part of me is relieved. But I just felt disaster on the horizon and sometimes you need to know when to sidestep it. My friend Beth and her boyfriend Chris might be doing the mini-tri that I did last July, and if so I’ll sign up for that. Since my killer-course Olympic tri this year was a 3:36 finishing time, and last year’s not-very-well-trained mini-tri was a 1:16, well, I think I can still handle that one just fine. It’d be fun to try and beat last year’s time.

(8:42, 8:35, 8:54, 8:39, 8:52)

Start time: 6/10/10, 7:30am
Location: North Arlington
Distance: 5 miles
Average pace: 9:14min/mile
Total Miles For June: 12 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 292 miles

Another crappy, tired run. Went to bed early last night to try and get some sleep. We’ll see. I know there’s no immediate fix but still, it’s hard to not wish there was immediate results. Also having serious doubts about the Washington DC Triathlon in 10 days. I’m starting to think it will be a really bad idea if this doesn’t right itself soon. As it is I haven’t swam since the Columbia Tri on May 23rd, and I’m trying to think if I’ve made it to one or two spin classes since then. I think just one. Not good.

Need to call Pacers today and find out wheremy new shoes are. It’s been 11 days now, that’s more than enough time…

Start time: 5/20/10, 7:30am
Location: North Arlington
Distance: 5 miles
Average pace: 8:38min/mile
Total Miles For May: 27 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 266 miles

Wasn’t able to get to spinning last night for a variety of reasons, argh. This morning’s run is the last one before Sunday’s tri; we’ll see how it goes. I feel like I am in not as good shape for it as I should be, but as long as I don’t go splat I’ll take it as a victory.

(8:30, 8:42, 8:34, 8:43, 8:39)

Start time: 5/13/10, 6:30pm
Location: North Arlington
Distance: 5 miles
Average pace: 8:31min/mile
Total Miles For May: 15 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 254 miles

Plan A was to get up before work, run 5 miles, call it a day. Got up. Stretched. Tendon to the right of my right knee was feeling much better. Changed. Started walking across parking lot.. and a different spot on my right knee started really hurting. *sigh* Decided to postpone the run until the evening, wondering if it was maybe the 50 degree temperature messing things up a bit.

Well, the good news was that everything was fine after work. No idea what the mystery twinge was. Ah well.

(8:31, 8:12, 8:27, 8:40, 8:45)

Start time: 4/22/10, 12:00pm
Location: North Arlington
Distance: 5 miles
Average pace: 8:35min/mile
Total Miles For April: 43 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 224 miles

I had an early morning meeting downtown, which in terms of timing meant there was little chance for a morning run. Instead, I went and tackled it when I got home. About 75 degrees out, something I will be no doubt yearning for in a few months, but with the sun high in the sky was still something I’m getting used to all over again this season. Despite my brief transformation into sweatzilla, though, it was a nice enough run. No landspeed records, but pretty consistent save for that slight climb in mile 4. Now here’s to not as much rain this weekend as they’re predicting…

(8:31, 8:24, 8:36, 8:54, 8:32)