TransTo4: 2-3

3.1 miles in 24:35 (7:55/mile)

This was as close to a BUAL(tm) workout for me as I've gotten so far. As I go look at my log, apparently my midweek workout turns into a speed workout. Assuming trying to run as fast as you can, and not die counts as a speed workout. (Other people sure seem fancier. :)) This was race pace for Beat The Bridge, which amazes me because there was no way it was possible I could run 2 more miles once I was done.

Once I made it a back to the office my left calf was a little talkative, but seemed to settle down after being sprayed for a few minutes with cold water like an unruly prisoner.

I've been thinking a lot about my rapid performance increases from the couch to where I am now, and honestly I have no clue where the hell this is coming from. I have some ideas, but I don't even have a clue what is 'normal'. Yes I realize that's a whole separate ball of worms which people being so different, but still...

Here's what I think is helping, in no particular order:

Faster runners in group:
I'm getting real tired of being dusted by the gazelles in the group. Until his feet started bothering him even my boss was faster than me. I enjoy running alone. A lot. But there's something about having to dig to satisfy your ego a little. :)

Races jump start me:
The races seem to be a way to show myself that I can run faster/harder than I am right now. My really big speed increases seem to come right after I have done the races, and have done well. Admittedly 3 races isn't statistically significant, but it seems to make sense. They also give me some better experience for pacing and feeling how much I need to leave in the tank.

Did run before:
I don't know if it's even possible for your body to remember what you did 15 years ago or whatever it is, but I did run. A reasonable amount, and at a pretty good clip. Average 2 mile PT test was at 6:45/mile. My best was 6:15/mile. Even if my body doesn't remember it, or doesn't have any of that muscle tissue left, I think my brain remembers that I can run, and faster than I am now, and that makes it easier to work through some of the discomfort.

Weight loss:
I don't think I can discount the weight difference here. My troublesome shoes, even those dammed ASICS seem to be working better for me, I don't have the aches and pains I had 5 months ago, etc. I'm just over 30 pounds down for the year, so far. (Thanks for the nice comment about the pic, Dani.)(I'm planning to post some before/current pics as well as some personal motivation pics soon) I ran the 10K in Tacoma at 176, and didn't weigh myself for Beat the Bridge, but that was probably pretty close. I certainly didn't lose 20 pounds in a week. :)
I think not hauling all that weight around has made a huge difference in performance, and it helps my body work properly. I started the year at 208, and am shooting for 165. I'm probably not going to get there completely if I start training for the marathon in June and start eating 'normally', but I'm planning to keep an eye on calories and should be there by the marathon.

What I do worry about is that I may be working too hard, too early and biting myself in the ass. I love getting faster, and it SEEMS like it should be OK to work on my speed at these short distances, and then work on endurance as my 'long' runs get longer. But I do worry that I'm not 'properly' developing my cardiovascular system and that I'll pay for it in a few months as I start tor run long. I have never had a good handle on that whole talking while running thing, even when I was in the Army. I was the guy that was taken to task for not singing cadence, etc. I don;t talk a lot on group runs either. Some of it is that I want to keep track of what my body is doing, some of it is that it can be a challenge, even on a run that is really low on the perceived exertion scale

What is a long run BTW? 10 or more, 15 or more? I know I need to slow down and run them slower than my short runs when I finally get to them, and obviously I'm not running the 6 I have planned for Saturday at the pace I did today, but is a 6 a 'long' run (yes, for me, anyway). Hmm. I guess I need to figure out what all those other numbers on the McMillan Calculator mean.

As an aside, I found THIS, which looks to be a pretty comprehensive master list of sites that have races listed.

splits:
mile1 - 8:07
mile2 - 8:00
mile3 -7:47
0.1 - 0:42 (excel says this is a 7:00/mile pace. Are you effing kidding me?)