The start of a new routine / training week 8/25-8/31

This week, I ran during my lunch hour to mark the beginning of a new daily running routine. As a guy who loves high mileage--particularly of the triple-digit variety--I have found that getting in a second run in the evenings is virtually impossible with all the responsibilities I have as a husband and father. And so surpassing 75-80 miles per week has been all but impossible without evening runs to complement my early-morning workouts.

If husband, dad and full-time employee Michael Wardian can run 100-mile weeks with two-a-days in the early mornings and during his lunch hour--all while winning races left and right--why can't I get in triple digits?

But when I listened for a second time to an insightful and inspiring interview with ultrarunning great Michael Wardian, who is a husband, father, full-time employee and 100-mile-per-week guy who also wins tons of marathons and ultramarathons and holds the marathon baby jogger record (with his son, Pierce), I realized that, even with a baby, it's possible to stay on top of my game. But how? I got to thinking about my daily schedule and where there were opportunities for extra mileage beyond my early-morning running. This is what I came up with:

4:50 a.m.-5:25 a.m.--prepare for morning run (light breakfast, coffee and water, stretching)
5:25 a.m.-6:30 a.m.--a.m. run
6:30 a.m.-7:30 a.m.--breakfast, get ready for work, help Anne and Noah get going
7:30 a.m-8:15 a.m.--commute to work
8:15 a.m.-12:00 p.m.--work
12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.--lunch (aha!)
1 p.m.-4:45 p.m.--work
4:45 p.m.-6:00 p.m.--commute home, pick up Noah
6:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m.--dinner, help feed and bathe Noah, miscellaneous tasks, prepare for next day, get ready for bed, etc.
9:30 p.m.-5:00 a.m.--sleep

Short of losing sleep, which I'm not about to do, there's not a lot of flexible time in there to run. If you're thinking there might be some time in the evenings to run, trust me--there's not! But there is an extra hour a day during lunch of which I never took advantage! Why not use it to log some miles?

So, like Wardian, Mark G., Tim C. and a few other hardcore guys I know, I'm now out and about every day during my lunch hour getting in anywhere from 6-8 miles. It sucks not having access to a shower afterward, but oh well. I just sponge off and am good to go. This new routine now makes it possible to get in 100 miles per week (though this week major scheduling conflicts on Thursday and Friday prevented the century mark).

Monday
Wasn't planning an off day but a tidal wave of unexpected stuff got in the way of my run. I resolved this day that I was going to start running during my lunch hour, allowing me to get the miles in without the miles encroaching on our life.

Tuesday
AM: 9 miles at home
PM: 6.2 miles during my lunch hour through University Circle, Cleveland Heights and Little Italy. Going from running in the country, where we live, to an urban environment was interesting to say the least. I liked the change. It gives me new scenery to enjoy and new places to get to know.
Total miles for day: 15.2

Wednesday
AM: 9-mile track workout (week 3 of 3-week cycle)
3x1600 at 5:40, 5:39 and 5:40 with 800-meter recoveries. I was hoping to break 5:40 for all three repeats. Overall, I felt in control and economical in my leg turnover. The sub-5:40s will have to wait three more weeks as I work through my cycle.
PM: 6.25 miles during my lunch hour down Martin Luther King Blvd. in Cleveland with Dave S.
Total miles for day: 15.25

Thursday
AM: 6.1 miles
PM: 5.25 miles on my treadmill
Total miles for day: 11.35

Friday
AM: 9.25-mile tempo run (7.5 at tempo pace)
My tempo run was going great until I got hit with a killer side stitch almost seven miles in--likely due to the extreme humidity of the morning. Usually, I can battle through side stitches but not this one--it forced me to stop for 45 seconds as I struggled to breath. I quickly regrouped and was able to resume my run. The side stitch notwithstanding, this was a good run as I was able to keep most of my splits under 6:20: 1) 8:44 warm-up, 2) 6:11, 3) 6:21, 4) 6:22, 5) 6:16, 6) 6:16, 7) 6:16, 8) 6:37 (side stitch), 8.5) 3:10, 9.25) 5:59 (cool-down).

Saturday
AM: 15.1 miles in South Chagrin Reservation
Ran with Jeff U., Ted F., Jeff T., John L. and John S. Easy pace. Ran the last 6 miles by myself.

Sunday
AM: 16.3 miles in Solon with the Southeast Running Club
Probably ran too long with the next day's 5K.

Total miles for week: 82.45
Total miles for month: 365.98
Total miles for year: 2648.93

I'm running a 5K tomorrow--the Aurora Labor Day Classic 5K--and will shoot for a time of better than 18 minutes, but, realistically, I think I ran too many miles this weekend for that kind of time. I'll just give it my best. This is my first 5K in about 3 1/2 years and I'll be looking to shatter my PR of 19 minutes and change.

My goals this week are:

1) Strong 5K on Labor Day

2) Track workout of 5-6x1600 at better than 6:00 pace each
3) 8-mile tempo run under 6:20 pace
4) 80+ miles for the week (I may not be able to log more than 20 miles on the weekend due to other priorities)

I will report in tomorrow on how the 5K goes.

Onward and upward!