Below you can read my days thoughts on running. Some days I will write about my day on the road. Some days I will write about thoughts on training, racing, efficiency, marathons, or whatever crosses my mind while I am on the road. Perhaps you will laugh. Perhaps you will be inspired. On occasion you may even be saddened. I post these thoughts just to keep the thought of today's run fresh... If anything below inspires you, drop me a line and let me know. comments@courseperformance.com

Wednesday, August 17
In recent weeks I have been building up my weekly mileage in preperation for this fall's marathon. I have been focusing on distance and weekly mileage. I have let speed work fall off. Yesterday I decided it was time to put some semblance of speed back into my training, so I ran a maxVO2 run yesterday. My time was off by about a minute (over 6 miles) from my best. The moral of the story is that speed training is important in every training plan, whether you are getting ready for a 5k or a marathon...

Monday, August 8
I tried something new last night. I didn't have time to get a long run in this past weekend, and suddenly it was 8:00 pm on Sunday night. My treadmill was staring at me. The thought of running 18 miles on a treadmill was just too much for me. I strapped on my shoes and grabbed my reflective vest and a flashlight, and I was off. There was no moon in the sky, and by about mile 9 it was pitch black. I ended up cutting my run short, as it was just too dark to keep going. I think I need a better flash light! On this run in the black, I did find one very useful attribute of running in the dark. It seemed like a great way to train yourself to run at a constant effort. I ran on a somewhat familiar course, but not so familiar that I new every hill, and corner. While I was running up a hill, I was not certain how long it would last, so I was forced to keep a constant effort so as not to tire in the middle of the hill. I am not suggesting anyone go running dressed in black in the middle of the night, but I thought I would share an interesting observation... Happy Running!

Monday, August 1
Well after a busy week last week I managed to get out this weekend for a nice long run. I put 15 miles under my belt on Saturday morning. I really surprised myself at the end of this run. I have been doing quite a bit of reading about hydration lately. You can read a wide variety of points of view about the amount of water or sports drink you should consume while exerting yourself. Some say you need need to drink 8 oz of water for every 15 minutes you exert yourself. Some say only sport drink companies say this. These people contend your body will tell you when you are thirsty. Saturday's run has helped me decide who to believe. For the first time, I have a scale that is accurate enough such that I could weigh myself before and after my run. I drank 32 oz of sports drink on my run, and 32 oz of water after, but prior to weighing myself. I was still 4.5 lbs lighter at the end of my run. I lost a great deal of water through sweat. This water loss did show up in my efficiency. My conclusion is to trust those who suggest higher amounts of water and sport drink!!!