Brian Lyons'
Training Log
Hospital Hill Training Log
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Hey everyone, this is a first for me making my training log public…not that it was any big secret or anything. 2007 wasn't a great running year for me. I set some minor PRs, but never felt like my training was coming together. I dealt with several nagging injuries throughout the year and a job that didn't compliment running. 2008 has already been better. I haven't raced much but I feel like I can train properly for a couple of races this spring, Hospital Hill being the big goal. You will see that I'm doing some faster stuff on the track early on. This is in preparation for the Bridget Schutzman Festival of Miles on April 28 th . I'll be the rabbit through 800m so I need to make sure I have enough speed to help the guys out trying to break that elusive four minute barrier. I hope you enjoy keeping track of my progress. This will be my first half marathon so I'm guaranteed to PR!
Monday, April 7, 2008 : 7 miles/47:15 from the South City Store. Ran easy with the group: CJ, Mike, and Ben Murphy. This was my first run since last Wednesday if you don't count the 10 minutes I ran Friday morning.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008 : 7.5 miles/47:14. I ran home from the office. It was the last day for my rental van, which was my transportation to work this morning. Enterprise picked it up so I didn't have a ride home. Coz (our Race Director) and I worked pretty hard all day cleaning up some of the trash along the marathon course and the downtown site so I was looking forward to just getting the run over with. I ran a bit quicker than I intended but it wasn't too bad.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008 : 10 miles/64:10. 33:42 warm up from home to DuBourg, around Francis Park Twice. Then back to the track to help Carter through 400m of his 800 in 59s. That was all I had in me so I was happy to stop at 400. After the 400, I jumped in 2 x 1k with Drew and we went 2:58, 2:54 with 200m rest. Followed by 4 x 200m in 29.7, 28.8, 28.3, 27.4. Felt fast today for some reason. Just cooled down for 10:07 b/c the girls were waiting on me to finish. It was great to see Carter's workout go well. He's getting fit.
Thursday, April 10, 2008 : 9 miles/57:14. Ran the Des Peres bike path and the Christy Park Greenway. Took it all the way to Lansdowne. It was a rough one after the workout yesterday.
Friday, April 11, 2008 : 9 miles/59:30. Ran out and back on the River Des Peres Greenway. Went 30:18 out against the wind, then headed home. Feeling a bit better since the track workout.
Saturday, April 12, 2008 : 12.5 miles/75:05. On the track at WashU to pace Carter through 600m of his 1200m time trial. It was cold and windy (36F, 30mph). Not ideal conditions for any kind of running, let alone a time trial in the track. We warmed up 17:12 then I went 1:31 for 600m. Carter ended up going 2:01 at the half, then 3:06 for the full 1200. We stretched a bit then jogged to the 2 mile tempo loop at Forest Park ( 16:55 ). The tempo splits were: 5:40 , 5:42 , 5:16 , 5:23 . Then 15:48 back to the car. The tempo went well. We wanted to hit 5:30 's and it was difficult to find the pace early but we settled in and the second two miles were easier than the first.
Sunday, April 13, 2008 : 15+ miles/ 90:18. I ran mostly with Matt Albertson this morning. Some of the other guys were there: Carter, Drew, Whitehead, Dave. Matt must have been feeling pretty good because he hit the door a couple of strides ahead of us. After a late night for me that wasn't ideal. We were soon ahead of the group and Matt was still pushing. I didn't feel real great; I've got a knot in my left quad that's been aggravating me for about a month now. I came out of it though about 45 minutes into the run. We went through the hills of downtown Clayton, then on Delmar through U-City. I caught miles 17 and 19 on the marathon course and clocked 11 minutes over the two. It was a quality run, but a little quick from the start. I felt great at the end. I caught up with the rest of the group and added on a bit more in the park to make it an hour thirty.
Week 1 Total: 70 miles
This was my first week of consistent training in a month. It went well and I am just happy to be running daily again.
Monday, April 14, 2008 : 9.75 miles/58:26. Ran to the store then the River Des Peres Greenway with a little add on.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008 : 10.5 miles/62:54. Trying to incorporate some hills in my easy runs. Ran from home up Fyler to Jamieson, Arsenal, McCausland, Southwest (a good hill) then to Tower Grove Park . I made my way to the Miklovics and at the rest of their food from dinner. I ran quicker than I wanted but that's ok.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008 : 10 miles/65:30. 18:36 w/u then 1:38 , 64, 31 (400m jog) 1:37 , 68, 31 (400m jog) 1:38 , 66, 32. 200m b/t intervals and 400m b/t sets. It was really windy today, news said 20-30mph. Otherwise it was a great day for a workout. The wind was on the entire home stretch of SLUHs track. I never felt relaxed. It was good just to get on the track before pacing the mile.24:13 c/d.
Thursday, April 17, 2008 : AM; 8 miles/52:03. Got up for a morning run. I think I've recovered from all the late nights. Morning runs are great if you can just get out the door. It was beautiful this morning and Tower Grove Park is a nice place to run on the grass. It's a mile from my house so I got 6 of the 8 on a soft surface - still soggy in some spots - but it was mostly in pretty good shape. PM; 4.5 miles/31:02. Ran to DuBourg Track for drills and strides.
Friday, April 18, 2008 : 9.5 miles/61:45. It rained the entire time. Not a bad run, just had to run in wet clothes and shoes. Includes Southwest Ave Hill, Macklind up to Forest Park , then back south on Macklind through the Hill. Saturday, April 19, 2008 : 11 miles/65:56. 3 mi w/u then 5:10 , 5:17 , 5:18 , 5:08 . 4 mi c/d. I did the 5k course from the GO! St. Louis 5k, then added the Mature Mile loop for the fourth mile. Miles 2 and 3 are hilly. I need to work on this if I'm going to survive Hospital Hill. Didn't feel awesome today. It rained the entire time. I also had to guess on the first mile split because I didn't start my watch over at the beginning of the tempo.
Sunday, April 20, 2008 : 17.5 miles/1:52:28 Started the long run from the South City Store. It works great for me because I can easily run to the store and meet the group then add on any mileage needed, if not, it's just a mile back home. Ran with Carter, Drew, Ben, and Whitehead. It was an awesome morning. Probably the best weather all year. The women's marathon Olympic trials were this morning in Boston . I was up early enough to watch the first 7 miles, then headed out the door. All-in-all a good run for me this morning. I felt strong the whole time. I think hills are becoming easier for me so I will continue to integrate them in my easy runs during the week.
Week 2 Total: 81 miles
This was my first week of doing organized workouts. The tempo run on Saturday didn't go as well as hoped. The long run on Sunday was great, one of those days I felt like I could run forever.
Monday, April 21, 2008 : 4 miles/29:19 AM; Ran easy in the morning to Tilles Park, then a couple of loops on the grass.PM; 10.3 miles/64:68. Ran from home to meet the group at Big River . I had about 15 minutes in before the run started. We did the standard 7 mile loop but ran down the gravel service road from Chippewa to Hampton then crossed over to the greenway. It was a good run with Helbig, Whitehead and Carter.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008 : AM; 3 miles/ 20:23 . Got up early this morning to do a little bit of a shakeout. I could have ran long this morning but Margaret had to leave early for a 7am appointment. It was a great morning weather wise and I surprisingly felt pretty good 10min into the run. I went to Sublet Park to do some strides on the grass. There is a decently maintained soccer field there that is good for strides. Just 3 miles total for the morning. I hope to be able to get another run in this afternoon. PM; 10.25 miles/65:16. I had my deep tissue massage at Noon today. It was rough to say the least. He worked on my back for most of the appointment and apparently I had some major knots in there. The run felt terrible the first four miles, but I loosened up a little and it turned out ok.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008 : 10 miles/65:42. 26:50 warm up, then 1.32.85, 29.00, (800m rec jog); 1.31.53, 28.09, (800m); 1.31.27, 28.87. 19:39 cool down. Carter had another good one. We were doing the 600's with the wind in our face twice. I'm not sure that was a smart move, we could have knocked a second or two off the splits but oh well. The wind wasn't too bad today. It was a good workout for both of us. Carter has 2 more gears than I do and he let me know it during this workout. He was about 1.5 seconds ahead on everything, including the 200's. It was a tough one for me, but I feel pretty good about it.
Thursday, April 24, 2008 : 10 miles/65:19. I felt surprisingly good this morning after the track workout yesterday evening. I took it pretty easy; it was a great morning for a run. This loop adds a nice, long hill heading east on Southwest St from McCausland from about mile 3 to 3.5.
PM: 7.5 miles/49:48. Ran again this evening with Ben. We did a couple
of loops around Francis Park and some laps at DuBourg track.
Friday, April 25, 2008: 14 miles/1:30:00. I was up at 5:45am and
out the door at 6:00 to get my long run in for the week. Since I'm
racing on Sunday morning (5k) and then pacing the mile on Monday doing a
medium long run this morning seemed to fit in the schedule. To me, it's
important not to miss my weekly long run, I can tank a workout, but I
feel the LR is very important. I also experimented with a GU 60 minutes
into the run to see how my stomach handled it. No problems. So it's
possible I may use GU during more of my long run days leading up to my
fall marathon.
Saturday, April 26, 2008: AM: 7.01 miles/47:47
Just an easy run this morning. This loop that goes through Wilmore Park
and Francis Park is one I used to do almost daily
PM: 5 miles/34:45
Ran to DuBourg track for drills and strides.
Sunday, April 26, 2008: 10 miles/63:31. Race - CASA 5k Blue Skidoo.
This was the Inaugural CASA Blue Skidoo 5k
( http://www.casastlcounty.org/ ) to benefit children served by CASA
advocates. Check out their website for more information on what they do
for the children in our area.
I saw a couple of the local guys; John Aerni, Whitehead and some others
during my warm-up. I raced in my Brooks T5 flats - THE BEST racing flats
I've ever put on my feet. The start was interesting for me. I was just
jogging back from a stride facing the crowd when the starter said "I'll
give you two commands, runners set then the horn." I thought I had at
least another 5 seconds before he would actually start the race. To my
surprise it was immediate. I had to turn a 180 as the horn blasted while
adjusting my watch. I think there were several of us caught off guard
and we got some laughs about it. The first mile had a short climb then a
steep downhill into a turn. I felt a little out of control heading down.
No one went with me, probably because they saw how out of control I was
and decided against chancing a face-plant on the pavement. It flattened
out through the first mile which was 4:42. Most of that first mile split
was on that 200m downhill. Then a tough climb through two miles in 9:43.
Two to three was up then a nice gradual downhill on Manchester in 14:38.
I eased it in the last 200m for the win in 15:16. I met up with some of
the guys and ran the 5k loop for a cool down. I felt ok on the ups but
out of control on the steep downhills. My strength is not what I want on
the up hills yet but it's still early in the segment. I did feel
stronger than in the past so I think the hilly routes I've incorporated
weekly have helped. Overall I'm pleased with the race. It was fun and
Lily and Margaret had a good time in the kid's fun zone at the family
area. Having something for the rest of the family is always a nice touch
to an event when you've got a two year old running around.
Week 3 Total: 91 miles
This was a good week of training. I got my last really fast track
workout in with Carter and it went well. I was able to increase my
mileage and still get in a semi-hard run in for the race on Sunday
morning. I don't feel too fatigued from the sudden increase in mileage
over the past 3 weeks, but I think I'll play it safe and not increase
mileage this week and focus on getting in one quality workout possibly
on Wednesday or Thursday and a quality long run on Sunday.
Week 4
Monday, April 28, 2008: AM: 4 miles/27:35. Up this morning for a short
run. Today is the Brigette Schutzman Mile. I'll be pacing this evening
through 800m. It should be a good turnout. I'm glad to be a part of such
a cool event with a great cause.
PM: 5 miles/35 minutes. What an awesome event. The stands were packed
from the beginning during the opening ceremonies all the way through the
men's elite mile. The mens master's mile was pretty exciting with a
couple of tough moves by Pete, Jeff, and Mitch. It was cool to see those
guys get competitive out there. The elite mile was fun. While it wasn't
likely anyone was going to run under 4 minutes due to the weather (low
40s and windy) it still was going to be competitive. When the men's
elite field is called to the start line and one year removed from my
last track meet I forgot that sometimes it takes a while to get the
timing system reset and the officials to get everything ready. I had
removed all my warm-ups and was doing some light strides to keep warm in
my shorts and singlet while the race was delayed another 5 minutes.
Still, I felt properly warmed up but very nervous. The starter called us
to the line, gave us the commands and we were running. I moved to the
front quickly and was settled ahead of the group easily by 50 meters in.
The first 200m (or 209m) was right on at 30 seconds flat. I had gapped
the group at this point by a few meters. I hadn't glanced back yet but I
could tell they didn't commit to running behind me early. I was 60 flat
through 400m (or 409m). I took a look over my shoulder and saw I had
gapped everyone by at least 10 meters. I slowed up a bit just before the
back stretch to see if anyone would move up but I think the wind and
cold was too much of a factor and no one wanted to move from the comfort
of the pack. I was 1:30 through 600m, then 1:59-2:00 at 800m. The crowd
was great! They totally pumped me up down the home stretch and I know
the rest of the guys appreciated their enthusiasm. I stepped off at 800m
and jogged back to the final turn. They were well behind pace for 4
minutes but the race had turned tactical, which is also cool to see. It
was a fun night and more importantly we raised a lot of money for
Brigette and she had a great time. I regret not introducing myself, but
she was definitely in her element surrounded by obviously some of her
closest friends and her family.
*Tuesday, April 29, 2008:* AM: 8.2 miles/53:58. I was wide awake at 6am.
This was after hanging out at the R Bar (a non-smoking establishment)
until around 11:30 with the guys. It was cool for a while but it's a
club and I'm not a 'club person'. Once Margaret returned from her run I
headed out for mine. I was able to get in a little over 8, which is good
for a morning run. I meant to run again in the evening but we decided to
go visit Joe, Lauren, and their new baby Jillian. It was great to see
them and that they are all doing very well.
*Wednesday, April 30, 2008:* AM: 4 miles/26:55. I was up early again
this morning. Mainly due to the inability to sleep because my throat is
on fire. Not sure if it's allergies or I'm getting a cold. Hopefully not
the latter.
PM: 9 miles/56:08. Drew and Whitehead came in for the workout. We had 20
x 400 scheduled on the track tonight. Unfortunately there was a girl's
soccer game. So, instead of getting on the track we decided to do a
tempo run on the Des Peres Greenway path. The surface is paved but a
little uneven. We did an out and back with the wind in our face on the
out. I wore my T5's without socks and got blisters on both Achilles
tendons. Not bad ones but this is the plan for the half and I don't want
to take any chances of getting a blister 5 miles into the race. Here are
the splits: 14:30 w/u then 5.23, 5.15, 5.19, 5.03, 4.59. 15:37 c/d.
*Thursday, May 1, 2008:* AM: 8 miles/51:07. I was up early so I decided
to get my longer run for the day in this morning. I headed to Tower
Grove Park to get on the grass.
PM: 4.5 miles/27:56. Easy run from the South City Store, two loops
around Francis Park then back to the store.
*Friday, May 2, 2008:* 8 miles/51:26. I ran to Tower Grove again this
morning. After 25 minutes into the run I did 10 x 20 seconds hard with 1
minute recovery. It is basically incorporating strides within an easy
run. Nothing taxing but it's good for the turnover. I did all the
presses on the grass.
*Saturday, May 3, 2008: *9 miles/60:18. Margaret and I got to run
together this morning. That is becoming pretty rare. It was nice because
it forced me to run a little slower. The run was nice but I was out
late. Ben and I went to the Cards/Cubs game last night. The game went
into extra innings because of a blown save by Izzy but they pulled off
the win anyhow with a HR by Schumacher. We felt like celebrating along
with thousands of others so we headed to Paddy O's for a bit. The rest
of the morning was spent getting ready for Lilian's 2^nd birthday. We
had a blast. Lilian loved the presents and playing with her cousins. The
day was a success, but she crashed at 5:45pm. She slept all night and
didn't wake up until 8 in the morning. I guess she played hard!
*Sunday, May 4, 2008:* 18.5 miles/1:56:02. Today was a fast finish long
run – one of my favorite workouts when I'm feeling good. I ran from home
to meet the group at the Forest Park Visitor's Center. We did the
Clayton Loop which is part of the Marathon course. We started picking up
the pace once we got out of downtown Clayton and headed into U-City.
Carter caught one of our mile splits as 5:45 when we were heading
through the Loop. I started my fast finish at the Visitor's Center after
a quick stop for water and a GU. My last 4 miles were 5:24, 5:23, 5:33
(up Macklind), 5:12. I felt really strong after the first two miles. I'm
a little disappointed in the slow split up the Macklind hill. I think
what killed the pace was the initial steep 150m hill at the beginning. I
did the entire run in trainers. For the next one I may try finishing the
run in flats. The GU seemed to help late in the run and with my
recovery. I felt great the rest of the day .
*Week 4 Totals:* 78 miles. I wanted to take a slight down week this
week, but not that low. I was hoping to keep the mileage around 85.
There were a couple of days that I meant to get in a second run but
couldn't. The week was probably my most intense so far with a good
effort in a 5k last Sunday, a hard 800m on Monday, tempo run on
Wednesday, then a fast finish long run on Sunday. There was some good
quality work this week so I'm definitely still pleased with the segment
so far.
Week 5
*Monday, May 5, 2008:* 10 miles/61:06. Ran some before the group met
so I could meet Margaret and Lilian at 6:45. It was a huge group tonight
so we started a few minutes late. It was great to see so many people
out. The Monday night group has really become a social event in the
neighborhood. I did the 7 mile loop with the guys. I had to pick up the
pace to make sure I wasn't late meeting the girls. The loop time was a
PR in 41:49. The pace was conservative until we reached the greenway
path where Carter and I picked up the pace. We made it back with some
time to spare, and then headed over to the Macklind Avenue Deli for a
sandwich and some Mexican beer.
*Tuesday, May 6, 2008:* 12 miles/76:35. I needed a change in my running
routes so I ran to the Kirkwood High track from home. It was about 10
miles so I added the last 2 on the grass with Mike B after his workout.
It was the first night for Big River's Tuesday night track workout.
There were 95 people running 400's – a pretty cool site. Everyone seemed
to be having a great time.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008: 13 miles/1:18:41. Tempo work today - one of my favorites: 1 mile hard, 6 mile tempo, 1 mile hard. I had to get this workout in before a dinner meeting at six. Ideally the first and last miles would be done on the track, but it's track season and all the local track teams are using their tracks from 3:00 to 6:00 every evening. This wasn't a problem, I adjusted the workout to where everything was done on the running path at Forest Park. All but two miles were done on the gravel which is a little easier on the legs. Unfortunately it had been raining all day and there were parts of the trail that were under water. It was raining pretty hard during the workout so I was soaked either way. I ended up having a pretty good one considering the conditions. It wasn't too windy. I actually couldn't really tell which direction it was coming from, more of just whipping around. I still felt strong late in the tempo and seemed to be pretty well recovered between the tempo and the final hard mile. Here are my splits: 17:05 w/u, then 1 mile in 4:53, 3 min rest, 6 mile tempo: 5:02, 5:07, 5:13, 4:57, 5:08, 5:10. 3 min rest, 1 mile in 4:49. 14:49 c/d.
*Thursday, May 8, 2008:* AM: 6 miles/38:54. I was up early for a
morning run. It rained the entire time. At least it's not cold and
windy. I'm just running out of dry shoes.
PM: 8 miles/52:20. Easy run through the Hill then to DuBourg HS for
drills and strides on the track.
*Friday, May 9, 2008:* 14 miles/1:27:28. We closed the office at Noon
today so I scheduled an appointment at my chiropractor. I've been having
some dull pain in my left quad/ITB area lately. Nothing major but I can
tell there is something not right, my left leg just feels less
responsive during impact than it should. I had a 30 minute massage, then
an adjustment, followed by some active release therapy. So I guess you
could say I got the works today. I was really sore for the run this
evening. I meant to get in a quick one this morning, but I overslept so
I went a little long this evening. I did the fartlek with a long warm-up
and cool-down. I ran from home to the office to pick up some paperwork I
had left, then back home. It ended up being about 14 total miles. I felt
good the entire time aside from the leg being sore.
*Saturday, May 10, 2008:* AM: 8.5 miles/52:58. Did a hilly run that
included Southwest Ave, Sublette, and Macklind Ave. My left quad was
still a little sore this morning. I think it's on the mend though. I may
have it worked on again next week.
PM: 6 miles/38:16. Ran easy with Ben and Tim. We caught up with Tim on
his warm up for the Epiphany Race for the Stars. Tim was the defending
champ from '07. He ended up winning again tonight so he officially has a
streak going. Nice job Timmy.
*Sunday, May 11, 2008:* 15 miles/1:39:38. It was cold, windy, and
rainy this morning. The hardest thing was getting out of the house. It
was one of those mornings that I just didn't want to do it. Eventually I
bit the bullet and headed out the door. The rain was pretty much blowing
sideways for the first hour. I had left the house early (7am) so I could
be done by 9am when we were supposed to meet at the Miklovics for
breakfast. I met up with the 8am group at the south city store and ran
with Ben on the River Des Peres 7 mile loop. We saw a few trees had
blown over in the night and River Des Peres was high.
*Monday, May 12, 2008:* AM: 4 miles/27:19. I was up early enough to
get four miles in before work. I normally wouldn't double on Monday
morning after a long run, but yesterday's LR wasn't as far as I'd hoped.
I don't feel like it took too much out of me. It was tough to get going
this morning though. I was going off a cold start...out of bed; toss
some shorts and shoes on then out the door. I feel a lot better that
first mile when I'm up for 30 or 40 minutes prior to running that's for
sure.
PM: 8 miles/48:52. Ran with Matt, Carter, Whitehead and a new guy
Dave. We ended up running pretty quick for the 7 mile loop. The pace
was quick on the back-end after a slow first 2 miles. I think we ran
the loop in 42:30 or so. Carter and I added on another mile.
*Tuesday, May 13, 2008:* AM: There was another storm brewing this
morning, lots of lightning and thunder. I tried to get on the grass.,
but it was still soggy from all the rain we've been having. After about
4 miles on the grass I hopped on the path to finish the loop in Tower
Grove then headed through The Hill, St. Louis's Italian district. The
best time to run through here is in the morning. The streets are pretty
quiet and you can smell fresh bread from a small bakery on Marconi Ave.
I felt pretty good on the run, probably had some help from the baker and
closed the run with a 5:33 mile. Kind of un-intentional, but I guess I
just wanted to get rolling those last couple of miles.