Sunday, July 31st . . . fartlex time . .

80 min. fartlex run with varying paces including several 600-1,000 meter surges at 5k pace. All feels good.

Harry

Friday, July 29th . . . nice recovery run

Nice 45 min. medium effort run after yesterday's 2 mile race. I feel great!

Harry

Thursday, July 28th . . . 2 mile PR

Had a 2 mile trail run this morning and set a new 2 mile PR in 11:11 (5:35 pace).

It was an effortless run again. I ran hard but controlled and never lost control of my breathing. I have no idea how/ when exactly I arrived at this place in my running but my god is it awesome. It also confirms that I don't need a watch (or Garmin) to know what/how I'm running as the "running by feel" approach is working awesome for
me.

I'm also a big fan of the "Van Aaken Method" which is based on only doing "race pace running at small fractions of your racing distance each week," and specifically at a ratio of 20:1, that is 20 easy/ medium miles to 1 race pace mile. I run between 50-60 miles each week so I've cut back my race pace running to 3-4 miles per week. This is significantly less than I use to do but I haven't lost any speed and in fact, I'm running faster as a result of the focus on doing almost all my running in my aerobic zone and my aerobic pace has increased (no wonder the Kenyans are so damn fast after establishing that huge aerobic base running back and forth to school).

Harry

Is this a different Ryan Hall or what?

http://ryanhall.competitor.com/

I'm becoming a bigger Ryan Hall fan each day. He sure seems to be in a good place.

Harry

Tuesday, July 26th . . . just floating along . . .

40 min. easy/medium effort run. Nice, smooth and fun.

Harry

Monday, July 25th . . . just runnin' free . . .

40 min. semi-recovery run. Started slow but ended at 10k pace. Let my body control everything as I let it come naturally and easy. I still can't describe the bliss I experience running each day. No pain or anything. Just so effortless. I can see ever running with a watch, garmin or some pre-set/determined running schedule. I just run . . . some days fast, some days slow, some days a little of everything.

I'm starting to believe this is how it is suppose to be. I think we've let technology get the best of us when at the end of the day, no technology is as good as the human body.

Harry

Sunday, July 24th . . . long intervals

80 min. run (about 11 miles) including 4x800 meter surges at 6:00 pace, ending with 1.5 mile temp at 6:15 pace. Finished just before it got too hot. Everything felt good.

Harry

Friday, July 22nd . . . just heavenly

45 min. nice easy cruise run; felt like I was floating

Harry

Thursday, July 21st . . . all trails

55 min. all trails run including 5 min. barefoot warm-up. The common theme which I love is all my running is feeling effortless. What a great place to be. Ran through some really wet grass and the Nike XC's were awesome as they are definitely designed for XC running . . . water went in and right out and dried quickly.

Harry

Wednesday, July 20th . . . another easy day at the office

40 min. easy run; again felt effortless; it's all about understanding your body; this is essentially a recovery day for me . . . nice to work up to the point that a 40 min. run is a recovery day :)

Harry

Tuesday, July 19th . . . takin' it easy

easy 45 min. run; felt effortless . . .

Harry

Monday, July 18th . . . it's becoming effortless (with a big smile) . . .

My running is becoming effortless, and oh so enjoyable . . . a beautiful 40 minute easy run with 20 minutes of barefoot strides on a baseball field. I have to wonder if it's the 4 years of continuous committed running that I"m now benefitting from as well as learning how to listen to my body.

I've averaged 50-60 miles per week for 4 years and I've had several milestones along the way but recently, my shoe selection has been finalized and I let my body (and feet) decide which footwear and combination is best and my stride is becoming so easy and effortless.

Harry

Sunday, July 17th . . . beautiful long run . . .

75 min. long run. Just loved it. Everything felt nice, easy and in rhythm. Ended with the last 10 minutes starting at 10k pace, ending at 4k pace. It honestly has taken almost 4 years for me to master my stride. I've had many defining moments along the way but now it's just so easy to run.

Harry

Saturday, July 16th . . . it's all clickin' . . .

55 min. run on packed dirt trails and roads. The last 3-4 days I feel like I've had the best running form since I started running regularly about 4 years ago. Everything is clicking, my choice of footwear has significantly narrowed, my arm placement, foot placement, and everything is in rhythm. I'm not sure how/why this occurred but I'm loving it. I feel like it's all coming together as a result of 4 years of continuous and committed running.

I've averaged 50-60 miles per week for over 3 years and I feel like I'm finally getting the pay back.

Harry

Friday, July 15th . . . getting back on track . . .

A nice easy 40 min. run this morning and things are getting back on track after a few days of running at off times to accommodate my daughter's tennis venture. She had a great tournament and all is well.

Harry

Thursday, July 14th . . . evening sneak in run . . .

I was able to sneak in a 1 hr. easy/medium run. I'm not a huge fan of evening running as I much prefer running in the morning but at this point, I'll take what I can get as I work around my daughter's tennis schedule. However, I have to say, it was an awesome run!!!

Harry

Wednesday, July 13th . . . kids rule!!!

A forced day off as I will be driving my daughter to a tennis tournament and I won't have time to sneak in a run so I'll be taking today off, and perhaps tomorrow although I'm going to try to sneak in a early evening run tomorrow night. The thought of taking 2 consecutive days is just frightening to me as it is not something I do. I love to run every single day :) although I have to admit, spending time with my daughter trumps everything.

Harry

Tuesday, July 12th . . . just feeling good . . .

45 min. run in Nike XC's. My feet needed a rest, so I opted to run in more traditional running shoes, although the Nike XC's are pretty minimal as compared to most racing shoes (I also remove the insole . . . it's tricky since it's glued in but I know how to do it :).

Nothing earth shattering to report. I feel good. My stride feels good. My body feels good. It's "all good."

Harry

Catching up . . . times flies when . . .

you are having fun running in the mountains:

7/9 - 40 min. easy run at 8,000 ft.

7/10 - 55 min. medium effort run at 7,000 ft.

7/11 - back home running at a nice easy 5,200 ft. 50 min. easy run but I switched from the Luna sandals to the Vibram Bikila's just for a change of pace and it was a very fun run. It was my first good run in the Bikila's which are practically new but they don't look new anymore :).

Harry

Friday, July 8th . . . got nothing today . . .

40 min. run at 7,500 ft. I had nothing left after yesterday's race pace workout. Just nothing left in my legs at all.

Harry

Thursday, July 7th . . . rain sends me to the treadmill

55 min. treadmill workout consisting of 20 minute warm-up, 15 minute tempo at 6:27 pace, 5 min. recovery, 7 minute session increasing pace every minute down to 5:26 pace, then 8 minute warm-down.

Harry

Wednesday, July 6th . . . dirt road fartlex

55 min. fartlex on mountain dirt roads. I run hard for 3 blocks, recover for 2 blocks, 6 sets, then run hard for 2 blocks, recover for 1 block. All at about 7,500 ft. in the Luna's.

Harry

Tuesday, July 5th . . . day off

took the day off; I don't know why but it just felt like a good time to take a day off given the 4 days of consecutive high elevation mountain running . . .

Harry

July 4th!!!!

45 min. recovery run in the early morning at the base of a beautiful mountain range . . . breath taking.

Harry

Sunday, July 3rd . . . livin' la veta loca . . .

I've had 2 wonderful days running in the Leadville's over some difficult mountain terrain (mountain trails and rocky country dirt roads) that has been too tough for all the previous minimalist footwear I've tried the past 3 years (it even ripped up the MWU3's in the past).

However, today I decided to use my Luna Originals (instead of the Leadvilles) and run the same trails/dirt roads in the Originals as I did in the Leadville's. I wasn't sure if it would be a wise decision as I wasn't sure if the Originals would provide sufficient protection. However, the Originals were awesome and I ran for almost 2 hrs. over tough and rocky stuff (trails and dirt roads) and I ranwith a full relaxed stride.

I was blown away. The plan was a recovery day where I'd run for 30-45min. but I was spending so much time amazed that I could run over this terrain in the originals that I finally looked up and I was 1 hr.from the house at the base of the mountains so I had to get back home butit all worked out wonderfully.

The Leadville's are great but I'll have to reserve them for even nastier stuff. The Originals are lighter and the ground feel is
supreme. I could see using the Leadville's for some hiking also.

HHH

Saturday, July 2nd . . . God's creation and Mental Fortitude

[CLICK PICTURE TO ENLARGE]

60 min. run including 6x600 intervals at 9,000 ft. on hilly dirt roads. This is the most challenging interval workout I do and I don't get to do it that often. It's a combination of God's creation and mental fortitude. The views are strikingly beautiful looking at the famous Spanish Peaks (La Veta, Colorado) but at the same time, running 5k race pace at this elevation is a challenge in its own right.

This is what pushes me through those tough 5k races when the pain sets in and I think of this specific workout and I realize all is good because no race is as tough as this.

The Luna Leadville sandals performed beautifully yet again!!! I finally have minimalist footwear for the tough stuff.

Harry

Friday, July 1st . . . finally

This morning was my first test of the Luna Leadville sandals. As many of you know I've been searching for true minimalist footwear for over 3 yrs. that I can use when I'm running in the mountains. I have my favorite spot in the southern Colorado mountains and my paths and trails range from 7,000 - 14,000 ft. over rocky trails and pretty rocky country dirt roads. This terrain has proven too much over the years for all the previous minimalist footwear I've tried including KSOs, Treks, Bikila's, Evo's and Ultra's.

Well, I just finished a 1 hr. run this morning at about 8,000-9,000 ft. in the Leadville's and all I can say is "Finally!!!!" They rock big time. I immediately took them to the toughest parts of my runs and it was exactly what I've wanted which is too feel the rocks but not risk a metatarsal injury especially as a forefoot runner. The gives the minimal amount of protection I need for this terrain which is exactly what I've wanted.

They have significantly more cushion than the Luna original which I normally run in now and they aren't great on roads but that's not what they were designed for. They were designed for the tough stuff and they are great in the tough stuff. They force you to stay alert and pay attention which is a requirement of any shoes I run in. I never want to float along without also being alert and I always want to run by feel and feel the ground as I move along.

Nothing matches pure barefoot but I've finally found true minimalist footwear for the easy stuff (Luna Originals) and the tough stuff (Luna Leadvilles). Of course, once my run was over, I had to take off the Leavilles and put on my Luna Originals for walking around. Other than running on the tough stuff, the Leadville is too much shoe otherwise but it's perfect for exactly what it's designed for. I suspect my feet will never tough a pair of regular shoes, not even racing shoes ever again!!!

More to come later . . .

Harry