Knocking Down the Wall

Distance: 2 miles
Time: 18:47

Things finally took a turn for the better tonight. My 2 mile times have been horrid lately, mainly due to some back pain brought on by playing basketball over the weekend. But today my back felt great and I felt much more ready and willing to run than I have in almost a week. To illustrate, since last Friday my 2 mile times have been 21:16, 21:43, and 22:27. I really shouldn't be running 2 miles in over 20:00... at all. But, again, my body lately has been aching and stiff all over and I just couldn't get any sort of quick pace going at all. But all that changed tonight.

I made a conscious effort to quicken my pace right away tonight. With my back feeling good I was able to get a fluid rhythm going, and I took advantage of it. Since increasing my mileage on June 21, my fastest 2 mile was 19:18. But I blew that out of the water tonight with an 18:47. My mile split was around an 8:50, which means my second mile was pretty slow, but I really pushed it for the first mile. There is definitely still a lot of soreness in my legs, which never seems to want to go away. But everything else felt great tonight. And it was surprising because I usually rest on Sundays, but because of a busy weekend I had to run Sunday, which means tonight was my third straight distance run, so I wasn't expecting tonight's run to be the fastest.

Tomorrow I run 1 mile and then I rest on Thursday. Hopefully I can do some major recovering over the next couple of days and come back better than ever on Friday.

Summer Evening in the Park

Distance: 2 miles (roughly)
Time: 22:27

I seem to be feeling the wear and tear a little bit more each day. Since Sunday's basketball games my body has been racked with stiffness and aches and pains. I went swimming this morning hoping that it would loosen my body up, but if it offered any relief it was only temporary. Being stubborn I forced myself to get my 2 mile run in tonight, even though the smarter thing probably would have been to rest. I decided to head back to Horsemen's Center Park, where I had a great run on Friday morning, and avoid the monotony of running around my neighborhood.

My wife came with me and did her own run/walk workout around the park. We didn't leave until 8 pm, so the sun was setting as I began my run. However that twilight sky, half light, half dark, made the run quite pleasant. All the lights in the valley below were appearing as the sky darkened, and the silhouettes of the surrounding mountains could still be vividly seen. But as scenic as the run was, my performance wasn't much to speak of. For the first 1/2 mile or so, I ran as if I was tied to a large stick. My back was stiff, my joints tight -- I couldn't get any sort of fluid rhythm going. My pace, then, was ridiculously slow. After awhile, though, I began to loosen up. My back no longer bothered me, and I picked up my speed a tad. Still, the up and down terrain, as well as the diverse ground I was treading on, made it hard to shift gears. I felt myself tired quickly, and in the end my time of 22:27 wasn't much of a surprise.

My only hope is that with time my body will heal. I know my back pain is solely due to playing basketball, with all its quick stops and sloppy movements. Hopefully by just running, swimming, and possibly using some machines at the gym, I can let my back recover. My endurance is still improving, but I need to have a healthy body to allow the endurance to reach its full potential. At almost 6 weeks into my training, I guess this is my first real obstacle. If I can clear this hurdle, the sky's the limit!

Running Empty

Distance: 2 miles
Time: 21:43

Tonight was just about getting a run in at all costs. It was a rather jam-packed weekend: my nephew's birthday was Friday and a friend's wedding on Saturday, then today we visited my in-laws and I played a couple hours' worth of basketball. By the time we got home I was exhausted, yet I knew I had to run since I wasn't able to yesterday. Plus, I hadn't played basketball in a year, and so I had already practically depleted my energy. My lower back was feeling stiff and achy, too. So, needless to say, I didn't feel at all like going on a 2 mile run. And yet, thankfully, my mental will took over and demanded that I go.

I kept the pace slow out of necessity. As I said, my back wasn't feeling too great, so I had to really rely on my legs to get me through this run. If it wasn't for my aching body I probably could have logged a pretty good time tonight. My breathing was very calm and relaxed for almost the whole run -- no wheezing, no gasping for air. I was even able to muster a kick at the end. But I simply couldn't maintain a strong pace without feeling it in my back.

Tomorrow morning my plan is to swim laps in hopes that it will help the stiffness and tightness in my body. I won't have another day off from running until Thursday, so I have to find ways to get through these next few runs without injury.

X-Country Revisited

Distance: 2 miles (roughly)
Time: 21:16

I definitely pushed my limits today. I ran 2 miles, but it wasn't just any 2 miles. Today's run was an "adventure run" through desert, trails, grass, rocks, and hills. It was the type of run I had envisioned when I finally worked up the motivation to start running again about 5 weeks ago. I love the idea of running in exotic locales, through a variety of terrain, seeing new things around every turn. Up till now I had pretty much just been running around my neighborhood, which was fine just to get back in shape a bit, but I'm ready now for more exciting runs -- like today's.

I've been wanting to run at Horsemen's Center Park for weeks now. But every time I'd try (which was usually on weekends) it was swarming with people. But now that I'm on summer break, I figured I'd go see what the place was like on an ordinary Friday morning. And I was delighted to see that I had the entire park to myself! Horsemen's Center is a picturesque natural area in eastern Apple Valley that incorporates a park, a bike track, a horse riding ring, and many trails, all nestled under impressive rock formations at the base of the Granite Mountains. And it's only a couple of miles from our house. I had mapped out a course on mapmyrun.com, but because I was dealing with trails and not clear-cut streets and roads, it was difficult to chart the mileage accurately. So I charted a route that was roughly 2 miles. In all likelihood it was more than 2 miles with all the unanticipated turns and moments of uncertainty over where the trail went. And it was a tough 2 miles, for this was more like a cross-country course than anything. It was the first time in my recent training that I dealt with uphill terrain and what was essentially trail running. Therefore my time was a dismal 21:16. But I have no regrets, for I fought through every one of those minutes.

As far as the actual run went, it was definitely a challenge. It was about 11 a.m., and it was already 90 degrees outside! The first 3/4 of a mile went well. I kept a steady pace and muscled my way over the diverse terrain. But once I got up into the northern trail section, I began to feel the fatigue set in. All the direction changes and the calculating of each step began to take a physical toll. I got a little relief during the brief downhill section at about the mile marker, but as soon as I turned to go uphill again I began to hit a wall. By the time I got up to the northern trail again I was out of gas and floundering. I stopped to gain my composure and relax a bit, but then I made sure to finish strong. It was definitely the most exhausted I've felt yet after a run. But it was well worth it, and I can't wait to tackle this route again!

Afterward I drove around to various points along the route and took some pictures. It was quite a scenic run. One of the coolest things about the location is that it sits up on the elevated eastern edge of the Apple Valley, and so for most of the run I could see clear across the Apple and Victor Valleys, all the way to the San Gabriels and the still-snow-covered Mt. Baldy. It made for good motivation.

Muscles On Fire!

Distance: 1 mile
Time: 8:37

Tomorrow's rest day will probably be my most needed since I started running again 1 month ago. The past two days I have increased my distance, and the result is increased soreness in my legs and an achy feeling in my feet. Today, as the tradition is shorter runs on Wednesdays, I opted for 1 mile. But the speed I was hoping for just wasn't there. Last time I ran a single mile I got a 7:58, and so of course I was hoping to break 8:00 once again. But my legs weren't cooperating. My lower calf muscles especially were burning with soreness. The good news, of course, is that after resting, those muscles should come back stronger.

My wife rode her bike as I ran tonight, but she left me in the dust this time. It was a very hot day today, and the night was warm and quite still. Tomorrow is my last day of work until August, which means I will be able to devote more time to my training. I'm planning on doing two-a-days on most days during this summer vacation: a trip to the gym in the morning and a run in the evening. Hopefully by summer's end I will be ready to enter my first 5K!

A Full Day's Run

Distance: 2 miles
Time: 19:50

What a day! After getting off work in Barstow I quickly drove the 80 miles to Upland to be there for the birth of my niece. After spending a few hours at the hospital I drove back up to Apple Valley in time to eat a quick dinner. Finally, at about 9:30 pm, I went on my run. I left much later than usual, and I wasn't feeling mentally or physically into it. But thankfully I willed myself to go anyway. I ran the same 2 mile route from yesterday. I ended up with a slower time, but I still feel good about the run. I started out very tight and stiff. My left calf was still bothering me and I had a lot of soreness in both Achilles tendons. But after the half-mile mark I began feeling more comfortable. I sank into a rhythm and my breathing relaxed. For the rest of the run I maintained a nice, steady (though rather slow) pace.

It's only been 2 days since I increased my distance, but I feel it's going well so far. The 2 miles didn't feel all that difficult tonight. I think it's all a matter of getting my legs used to the distance. Tomorrow, though, we'll see if my 1 mile time has been affected by the increased distance.

Finally Some Distance

Distance: 2 miles
Time: 19:18

I increased my mileage from 1 to 2 miles today. I didn't think the extra mile would feel too much different (after all, 2 miles isn't exactly heavy mileage), but it felt like I was dealing with a whole new animal. I was hoping to at least get under 20 minutes, which I accomplished, but my final time of 19:18 was close to what I used to run 3 miles in, so I've got lots of work to do. I tried to make my route a little more diverse than my out-and-back mile, and I think the varied nature of the route helped me through the drudgery.

There were some positives and negatives about today's run. On the up side, my breathing and overall endurance seemed to be getting a lot better. In fact, my breathing seemed to calm down and get comfortable after the 1 mile mark. And when I finished, I didn't feel as winded and exhausted as I usually do after a single mile. Of course, I was taking it down a notch since I knew I was running more than just a mile. But my split was an 8:50, which is actually a lot better than my mile times just 2 weeks ago. The down side was the muscles in my legs. For some reason they felt very strained and sore today. I hadn't run since Saturday afternoon, and aside from some swimming over the weekend, I hadn't done anything but rest my legs for the past 2 days. Yet, almost right away on my run my left calf was feeling tight and sore, and my feet and ankles were "burning." I hope this is something that will get better with time.

All thing considered, though, I count tonight's run as a success. It felt good to be out there for more than 10 minutes, and, especially, to work up a real sweat. Running one mile now seems like not nearly enough to constitute a legitimate workout.

Ending With a Bang!

Distance: 1 mile
Time: 7:58

All I wanted to do today was keep my mile below 9:00. I didn't think I'd be breaking 8:00 for the first time since I started running one month ago! And yet somehow, today at Granite Hills High School, I managed to run a 7:58. This caps a week of much progress. I told myself that if I can prove that I'm done running 9:00 miles by keeping my times sub-9 for a whole week, I would begin tacking on more distance, which is what I now plan on doing starting Monday. I'll probably begin by simply upping the distance to 2 miles. But at least it's a step forward.

Today's run was a mixed bag. I was looking to perform well, but I didn't know what to expect. It was much hotter than last week when I ran an 8:09, and it was windier. The first quarter, which heads west, was tough, as the wind was strong and I felt myself running noticeably slower. When I turned south for the second quarter I didn't pick up the pace as much as I hoped I would. My split was a little over 4:00. But as soon as I headed east, with the wind now helping me, I made a conscious effort to kick it up a notch. And one marked difference about today's run came in the last quarter: I felt like I still had a lot left in me! Usually that last stretch is a pain-filled, "why-am-I-doing-this?" moment. But today I was determined to get a good time and I felt that my legs carried me through to the end. After rounding the last corner and heading down the final stretch I checked my time and saw a 6:23. I knew that I'd be getting under 9, but I realized that I had a pretty good chance of breaking 8. So I kicked it into high gear and barely scraped by with a 7:58. I have a feeling my last quarter was my fastest, which tells me I have a lot of improving still left to do.

The top picture above is looking north up the home stretch, the last quarter mile, with the desert mountains of eastern Apple Valley in the distance. The picture below that is one my wife took of me hydrating post-run. My wife, who's been on her own training regimen, ran a half-mile today. I was glad to have her there with me and proud of her effort.

Ready For More

Distance: 1 mile
Time: 8:25

This has been a successful week. I haven't yet run a mile over 9 minutes, which makes this week the first noticeable sign of progress in my training. I set a new course record with tonight's run, an 8:25. I've found it's much tougher to get lower times on my standard mile route, and I think it's due to the nature of the run, a plain and boring out-and-back. I think I lose a lot of time and momentum when I reach the half-way point and have to do a 180 degree turn. Whereas my Saturday route tends to produce much better times and it follows a square course, so I'm changing direction every quarter mile without losing momentum.

I can't say that I felt great on tonight's run. My left calf muscle was feeling sore and my right foot was aching. There was a steady wind pushing against me on the last half, and I felt that I may not even break 9:00. When I saw my time at the finish line I was very surprised. If conditions are right, I think I may be able to finally break 8:00 tomorrow on the Granite Hills route.

And now for the next phase in my training. When I first set out training 4 weeks ago (on May 20th), my plan was simple: run 1 mile a day until you can run it easily. I knew it was going to be a struggle at first, but I don't think I realized how far out of shape I had fallen. The first mile I timed was a 9:36, the absolute slowest mile I've ever run on record. So I set to work. I got my mile down to the low 9's and I finally broke 9:00 on June 5th. But the following week saw a relapse as I clocked in three separate miles over 9:00. But starting with an 8:09 mile on June 12th, I clocked in three separate sub-9 miles, each one faster than the next. And so I began assessing where I stand. I can't say that I'm running a mile "with ease," but I can say that it has become easier, and I'm able to get better times without killing myself. I made a silent wager with myself that if I could keep all my miles this week under 9:00 I would move on to the next stage in my training. So that leaves tomorrow's run. If I keep it under 9:00 tomorrow at Granite Hills then starting Monday I will begin new routes and longer distances. I figure if I start running longer distances, then a single mile will start to seem like nothing, and then I can really get my times down. So it all hinges on tomorrow. If I screw up and run a 9+ mile, it's back to the drawing board on Monday.

Speed Wednesdays

Distance: 1/2 mile
Time: 3:51

All of my goals are rather lofty, but I think one of the toughest is going to be setting a new half-mile PR. I need to somehow get a better time than 2:23, which is going to require speed. It's going to require a different type of training than, say, preparing for a marathon. So far I've been reserving Wednesdays for my half-mile run. Of the three half-miles I've timed so far I've gotten a 3:39, a 3:59, and tonight's 3:51. Dropping those 90 seconds or so to get below a 2:23 is going to be tough. I think what I'll eventually do is make Wednesdays my official speed day. Once I increase my mileage the rest of the week, I'll keep Wednesday's runs short but fast. I may even begin interval training, which I think will be essential to lowering my half-mile time.

Tonight's run felt pretty good, and I actually was expecting a better time than 3:51. I had a good kick at the end, but I must have slacked too much up to then. It's a good thing tomorrow's a rest day because my feet started to ache tonight, and I felt a particular soreness in my Achilles tendon. Luckily, though, everything else is feeling great.

Goodbye Nines

Distance: 1 mile
Time: 8:42

As soon as the Lakers defeated the Celtics in an exhilarating game 6 of the NBA Finals, I was off on my run. My time yesterday was 8:44, and as I said in my last post, I'm aiming to be permanently out of the 9 minute range so that I can begin increasing my distance. Even though I didn't feel like I would be sub-9 tonight, I somehow ran an 8:42. As soon as I set out on my run my legs felt stiff and achy. Also, it was windy tonight and I was afraid that would cause me to tire more quickly. But inexplicably I ran 2 seconds faster than yesterday. Tomorrow I'll be working on my half-mile again, and Thursday's a rest day, but Friday I'll be back at my same old mile route to try my hand at one more sub-9 mile.

Breaking Through

Distance: 1 mile
Time: 8:44

I ran my standard route again tonight, though I was tempted to change it up. I'm beginning to get bored of my same old out-and-back route. However, when I began training I told myself that I was going to run the same mile long course until I could run it with little effort. To date, I'm still clocking in slow times, though they are slowly improving. I think I need to stick it out a bit more before I can reward myself with more interesting runs.

Tonight I ran an 8:44, which is actually the fastest I've run this route (though only the 3rd fastest mile since I started training). I had heretofore never even broken 9:00 on this route, so I do consider tonight's run a breakthrough. If I can keep it sub-9 tomorrow and Friday as well, I will be one step closer to moving on to the next stage of my training, which will be to increase distance.

I think a couple of things helped me get a better time tonight. For one, it was a perfectly calm evening. With no wind pushing against me on the second half of the mile, I was free to keep a steadier pace. And two, I did a much better job of pushing the pace for the first half. Whereas before I always felt like I started off too slow, today I made a conscientious effort to run fast to begin with and just leave the rest up to fate. I did feel the extra fatigue at the end, but overall the extra speed didn't ruin the run. I was able to maintain my pace and improve my time for this route.

2010 PR

It turns out I run my best on Saturdays. To kind of sum up my training so far, after over a year of non-activity I began running again 3 weeks ago. About 2 1/2 weeks ago I timed my mile at 9:36. And today, I recorded an 8:09 mile. While all of these times are quite slow, and quite a drastic decline from my running days in high school, it's nice to see such progress. I shaved almost 90 seconds off of my mile in under 3 weeks.

As has become tradition, I ran today at Granite Hills High. It turned out to be an ideal day. After a week of scorching temperatures up here in the desert, today was comfortable, a little cloudy, and not windy at all. The picture above is looking down the first quarter mile section of the route, and as you can see it was a pretty picturesque day.

I wasn't at all expecting to get an 8:09, or anything close to it. In fact, all week long I had been clocking in pretty slow times (9:03, 9:06, and 9:12). Last Saturday I ran an 8:38 and I thought I would be out of the 9's permanently. But I learned quick that I needed to be more patient. But then, inexplicably, I dropped about a minute from Thursday's run to get my PR since I began running again. Perhaps my day of rest yesterday helped, or perhaps I just run better earlier in the day. I will admit that when I run at night, even though the cooler temps feel nice, I tend to feel more "full" and less light on my feet. Whereas today, I had eaten only some oatmeal and I wasn't feeling weighed down by food. At any rate, I was happy with my run today and I hope to build on it next week.

Glass Half Full

My mile tonight was 9:12. I've regressed with each run this week, and I'm not entirely sure why. My only guess is that as the week progresses I tend to lose energy as lack of sleep catches up with me. Today especially was a lackluster day. I felt tired all day and I fell asleep as soon as I got home from work -- not a good sign. I was tempted not to run, which is a first in three weeks of uninterrupted training. I quickly resisted the temptation, though, and my next thought was to run without timing myself, since I figured it would be a poor performance. But, again, I resisted that thought and went ahead with my normal routine. The reason I can look at tonight's run as the glass being half full is that I very deliberately "took it easy." I practically jogged the first half of the run, and I really didn't feel fatigued until the 3/4 mark. I gave a slight kick, but overall it was a pretty easygoing run. And yet I got a 9:12, which is 24 seconds faster than my first timed run 2 and a half weeks ago. That run, a 9:36, was a painful struggle. I hurt the whole way and I was breathing like I was dying. Tonight's run, in comparison, was a breeze, and I ran it quicker. When I think of it in these terms, I feel rather pleased with my progress.

My wife accompanied me again on her bike. Unfortunately, though, we didn't see any shooting stars tonight. It was pretty breezy again, which I think also has contributed to my slower times. The first half of my run, heading east, is great, but as soon as I do an about face, it's like running against a wall of wind. I plan on resting tomorrow, and I'm hoping Saturday's run will be a lot better.

3:59. Ugh!

I ran my mid-week half-mile tonight, to disappointing results. I ran a 3:59, which is 20 seconds slower than the half-mile I ran two weeks ago. My first quarter felt strong tonight, but as soon as I turned at the half way point to head back, I was met with a steady wind, and I just couldn't seem to build any momentum.

I may switch up my routine this week and run a mile tomorrow night and rest Friday. I have to help put on a track banquet in Barstow Friday evening and so I may not get a chance to run. I think the things I really need to work on are breathing and pushing my pace. I'm still working out where exactly my breaking points are. I'm looking forward to school getting out (2 more weeks) when I can go to the gym in the morning and run at night. I think then my conditioning will finally improve at a faster pace.

Falling Stars and Slower Times

My wife came along with me tonight, riding her bike alongside me as I ran. The weather was perfect, as a string of intensely hot days began to cool. The sky was crystal clear, and just after the half-way point of the run, we saw a bright shooting star streak through the sky! It was like heaven was putting on a show! It happened right in the sky in front of us as we headed west. But what made it truly special was that Deborah had never actually seen a shooting star in real life before!! I threw my hands up in victory after it appeared, and it actually even gave me a boost of energy, as I still had half a mile to go.

As far as my run went, I was again perplexed (just like last night). I felt great. My breathing continues to improve and I didn't feel the same level of fatigue I have felt in the past. I had a bit of a kick, and I just felt overall that it was a higher quality run than any I've run in the past few weeks. However, when I finished I looked at my stopwatch only to see a 9:06. I ran 3 seconds slower than yesterday, and almost 30 seconds slower than Saturday! I guess I have some pacing issues to resolve. I must have felt so good because I wasn't pushing hard enough. Oh well, at least I saw a shooting star tonight.

9:03 (-:25)

Tonight was an important run. After a much improved performance on Saturday, this run would prove whether I made an official leap forward or my last run was a fluke. It ended up being somewhere in between. I did feel a lot better on my run tonight. I was breathing better and I didn't get winded as quickly. However, I clocked in at a 9:03 mile, a setback of 25 seconds. The one thing that didn't go so well tonight was the strength of my legs. At the start of the run they felt stiff, and soon the muscles felt taxed (something that hasn't happened yet). But I thought I was holding a nice, steady pace. Perhaps my breathing felt better because my pace was too slow. At any rate, a 9:03 isn't terrible compared to some of my other runs of late. But I'd much rather be out of the dreaded 9's for good. I'll have another chance tomorrow.

Sunset Run in the Apple Valley

Man, tonight was a great run! I didn't make it to Horsemen's after all, so I decided to hit up the route I ran last Saturday, 1 mile around the perimeter of Granite Hills High School. I set out just before 8pm, so the daylight was beginning to fade, the sun on the horizon, the temperature was thankfully dropping, and all the surrounding mountains were covered in dramatic shadows. I had originally wanted to get in more miles on today's run, but I figured with how much of a struggle one mile has been lately, I better not get ahead of myself. With all the perfect conditions I was really hoping for a much better time today, and I definitely got it. I ran an 8:38. This beats my previous best (since I started running again) by 22 seconds! That's the kind of progress I want to see. Plus, I'm finally out of the dreaded 9's (not that the 8's are much better). I felt much better on my run today than yesterday, mainly because my knee wasn't hurting. I didn't have much of a kick, though. I knew I was going to get a better time, and so I wanted to take advantage of that by shaving seconds at the end, but I had nothing left. I staggered over the finish line, completely beat. But as soon as I was done I took a deep breath and savored the surrounding scenery. What a beautiful evening, and what a great run.

Oh So Close

On the night of the first significantly hot day of the year up here in the high desert, I took a small step forward in my training by running a 9:00 mile. It reached a high of almost 100 degrees today, and by 8:30 pm (when I went on my run) it had cooled down only slightly. However, it was pleasant conditions to run in. I didn't really do anything differently tonight. I simply tried to stick to a steady pace, and I tried to boost my kick. It resulted in a 9 flat, which is my best time since picking up running again about 2 weeks ago (I ran a 9:04 exactly one week ago).

I know I'm making extremely slow progress, but I'm paying for taking so many years off. Even when I would have periods of dedicated running, I would never keep track of my times the way I'm doing now. I'm hoping that by doing it this way (as painful as it is to say I ran a 9 minute mile), I can more strategically train. I desperately want to get my mile time into the 8's, and then the 7's and so on. But I'm still at stage 1: conditioning. I still am huffing and puffing way too much for my liking. I'm hoping it will only take a couple more weeks of running to see improvement here.

One negative about tonight is I began feeling a slight pain in my left knee. I'm hoping it's just a beginning running ache. The last thing I need is my knees to go out. I know on the last big hike I took, my knees were killing by the end. It's a worry I have, that at my age something is going to give out. I just have to train smart and go easy when I need to. That said, I'm hoping to get in a longer run tomorrow; hopefully at Horseman's Center Park.

Nice Night

Not much of a run tonight. My wife came out with me, which is always awesome. We jogged about a 1/4-mile down our street and from there my wife timed me as I ran a half-mile. The only problem was as I ran down the street I came upon a crowd of people gathered around piles of garbage that had been dumped in the road. The commotion and obstacles interrupted my run, so I turned back and didn't get an official time. All in all it ended up being a short but faster-paced run.

And the night was perfect. It was a hot day up in the desert, so the night, though still warm, cooled down just enough to be at that perfect temperature for running. The sunset was stunning. I'm looking forward to these upcoming summer nights, when I can run for miles in the lukewarm night air and hear only my footsteps and the peaceful quiet of the desert.

Same Old

Another slow mile, but at least I'm racking them up. I wasn't able to get my time tonight because of human error (I hit the stop button twice without realizing it). But I am sure it was another mile in the 9 minute range, probably around 9:30 (so it's probably best I didn't know). I just couldn't turn it up tonight. My pace was too slow and I couldn't shake it. I had a small kick at the end, but it was too little too late. Mentally I am ready to move on to the next phase, to get out of the rut of slow miles. But physically I am not even close to ready. I'm still feeling too fatigued, and my breathing, though improved, is way too hard. But like I said, I'm in the middle of the hardest part.... getting back into shape. The good news is that my attitude is still positive and I haven't had one temptation to quit yet (knock on wood). Let's hope tomorrow's half-mile run is more promising.