Strong 6 miler - Getting back into form

Time: 46:10
Est Mileage: 6 miles
Est Pace: 7:35-7:40

I started my trot about 6:16 AM this morning. The weather has become cool at this time of morning as summer has officially ended. With light winds and 59-61 degree temps, the conditions were as about ideal for me as it can get.

Route summary:

I ran off Wolfpit to Route 1 and headed toward the sunset. Passed the Stew Leonard's and flew down Dry Hill over to Newtown. Newtown quickly connected to Grumman - and I ventured off to Ellen - then back on to Newtown. Feeling bold and strong, I decided to head North up Newtown to Algonquin. This was a new path for me. I ran up the Algonquin hill all the way past Pocono court -- then did a 180 to head back down. Pace up the hill was swfit. After re-tracing my steps on Newtown, I veered left on to Cranbury which took me back to familiar ground -- up to Partrick. Then 1.2 miles up Wolfpit back home.

It was a glorious morning. I hadn't run a six-miler since before the Fairfield 1/2 Marathon I did at the end of June.

I run according to time - and not distance. I've become extremely skilled at estimating my pace for any given run to determine a distance. This morning felt close to the range of a 7:35-7:40 pace.

I feel good about my progress in the past few weeks. Now, I need to decide what my next major long-distance race will be.

I need to be cautious not to fall off-track. With my new job at work, I expect I will be traveling far more frequently over the next several weeks. Planning and commitment will be key.

The hockey season is also about to start in October. How would I train for a marathon while playing hockey once per week? Well, I did it last year and ran a 3:24 in Houston in January.

Another key area of focus has to be my eating habits. I am currently about 174 pounds. I'm in much better race form at 169-170 (yes, I can feel a 4-5 pound difference). Need to find a way to cut back on the beers and plan my dinners more effectively.

Next up is the Darien 10k on 10/18.

This week's plan including progress to date:

• Monday - 5 - COMPLETE
• Tues - 6 - COMPLETE
• Wed - Cross-train @ gym
• Thur - 5
• Fri - 4
• Sat - Rest
• Sun - 6

Planned Mileage: 26 miles

Recent week activity:

• Last week, I ran 5 times for a total of 18 miles
• The week before, I ran 5 times for a total of 21 miles.
• Each of these weeks has included a single, thorough strength training work-out.