2010, My year to smash all of my PR's

Welcome to the blog. All of your times are just slightly better than mine except for your marathon time, which is like 5 times better than mine.

Love the picture, I never see the cameras so i have not been able to pull that off yet!

Best of luck with all of your running goals. You will do great!

Thanks Kelli! Your times are great! What part of Utah are you from? My wife's family is from SLC. We try to visit at least once a year. If it weren't for my job, I'd be living in Utah as well.

We live in a suburb of Salt Lake, way out to the south west (Herriman/Riverton). I have never lived anywhere BUT here, and I would actually like to move!!!

Welcome to the blog! :)

NICE workout! Which marathon did you run this year?

Enjoy your little run, the weather must be nice in SC!

You've got some serious speed Vinh.

Thanks! I ran the STG marathon this year and I underestimated for the altitude and hill/downhills. I ran slower than I wanted but I still had a great time. It was definitely my favorite marathon so far. The weather here in SC is in the 60-70's. Great running weather =)

Burt, it seems as the speed is there for the only the shorter distances. My achilles heel is the marathon. I'm pretty sure the reason is because I haven't been putting in enough weekly mileage. I need to get it up to 50-70 miles (or more) a week comfortably then I'll be ready. My next marathon is in February and I'm hoping I can finish in the 3:30-3:50 range. It is going to be a tough road ahead to get it down to 3:10 to qualify for Boston.

Nice speed for that 5-miler. Keep up the training and you'll be running a 3:30 at Myrtle Beach Marathon no problem.

Thanks for the encouragement. Hopefully I can hit my goal in February. Since you have already accomplished running a sub 3:30, any advice is greatly appreciated.

I'm not an expert, but I bet it's a good thing. You get your body used to not needing it. Then when it's race day, you keep yourself plenty hydrated and you're golden.

Great job on the run and good luck Saturday.

Thanks Burt. I guess I'll work up to a 2 hour run without water. Not sure if I can go more than that without water or a gel. How do your legs feel after a 60 mile week? I'll be ramping up my mileage in Dec/Jan. I would like to get up to 21/22 mile long run peak in January. We'll see how that goes.

My legs feel good. My feet are a little sore.

I think that's a good goal. Just be consistent and don't overdo it.

Just an opinion, but i wouldn't deprive myself of hydration on a training run if you need it. When its cooler temperatures out, 10-11 miles without drinking isn't too bad for me. Beyond that, i would carry or stash some drinks. (2 hours seems like too long)

Good luck on your race!

Thanks for the advice Cal! I'll definitely make sure to be careful about my hydration.

Look at you already posting pictures on your blog like a pro.

Solid run.

NICE JOB ON THE 2nd PLACE WIN!!!!

Those are some seriously fast split mister! Very impressive. I am sorry that you got a cramp and that slowed you down a bit. BUMMER! But you still pulled out a great race!

Vinh!! Nice job. Yeah, it looks like you may have started out a bit fast. Sometimes it's hard to not do that. 2nd place AD is always nice, too. Congrats!

Darn you Kelli! Commenting 4 seconds before me! GRRR!!!! I'll get you for that. At least I'm #1 on his friends' list, and you're #2.

Thanks Kelli and Burt! I definitely went out too fast. I still need to learn how to pace myself in the beginning. Have a great weekend you two!

ABC order I can do nothing about, but speed, that I have control over!!!

Both of you fine gentlemen have a great weekend! It is snowing so I am going to go curl up in front of the fire and get warm now.

Congrats on your race. You surpassed your time goal, great job!

CONGRATS on a GREAT race and placing 2nd in your division! Sorry about the cramp which just stinks! GOOD JOB! Happy Runnin'!

Thanks Cal, Smooth!

NICE recovery run yesterday and great plan for the 2-a-day! Keep it up!

Thanks for the encouragement! I will do my best!

Man, you get up early. :)

I'm at work by 6am so 4am is when I have to get up if I wanna squeeze in a run early. I'm used to it though...serving 8 years in the Marine Corps. At least now I enjoy running =)

Ah, the joy of 400s. And 10 in a row with a slight up hill. You should be hurting some today. I'm not much of a track speedster but those are fast splits.

Wow nice workout. That is some great 400s. I am no track start and just learning the ropes doing it too. Looks like you just started out a bit fast and slowed down after midway like I do more times then not. And finished really strong. But really dude your running them right around a 6:00min mile that is smoken. Your going to smash that sub 21 5k in Dec. Very nice job dude.

Thanks guys! I'm definitely feeling it today in my calves...hopefully a 5 mile recovery run will help.

Nice work on those 400 repeats. Looks like a successful running day.

Are you following a particular training plan?

Thanks Cal! On Tuesdays/Thursday evenings, I run with a running group who is training for a marathon next month. The other days, I'm on my own schedule building up to my marathon in Feb. Should I change anything?

Nice run. Legs recovered from your speed workout now I hope? Your putting up alot of miles. Awesome job.

Thanks Huans32! Legs are definitely feeling better today but still sore. We'll see how my run tonight goes. I'm just trying to be consistent with my mileage like a lot of the other runners on this blog. I think I've been too complacent in the past and now I feel like I'm actually pushing myself and I feel good. Any big races coming up for you?

Yep my turkey trot 5k.:) After that will be a few smaller races. And then Ogden Marathon is the next big race in May. So kind of slow right now. And like you wanting to build a good solid running base through the winter.

Speed PLUS hills????? Are you nuts!!!???

Seriously ... nice job!

Thanks Teena! I am crazy haha...I even did legs afterwards. I'm just trying to catch up to your level =)

That's a long TM run. Nice work!

Thanks Cal! Hopefully I won't have to do too much of those long runs on the TM. I've done 20 before lol. Looks like you had a great run today. I wish we had some trails to run here. I plan on moving to Utah within 2 years (hopefully).

No kidding? What would be bringing you to Utah - family, school, work?

I think I'd be happier (more stuff to do) in Utah plus my wife's family lives in Salt Lake City. I got out of the Marine Corps in 2007 and should have moved to Salt Lake then. Instead I took this job in Charleston SC. My wife has another year and a half of grad school left, then hopefully we can move. We'll probably take some vacation and see the family sometime next year.

Nice workouts!! You are a man with a plan.

I need the story behind your new picture. Who are all these men, where are you all running??? Is one of them you? Your other picture was a close up, so now I am just plain lost!

Thanks Kelli!

So this picture is of the 2008 Marine Corps Mud Run that my team (4 person team) ran in Columbia SC. I'm the one in the middle.

The mud run was 4.2 miles with 30 obstacles. It was more fun than challenging.

MUD RUN sounds challenging. What kind of obstacles? Sounds fun, actually. Maybe we need to do a snow run with obstacles (aside from the ice).

Kelli, here is a link to the mud run obstacles. A snow run sounds fun!

http://www.usmcmudrun.org/course.html

Those are some killer 800s today. To top it off you are only getting 90 seconds of recovery. I usually jog for 2.5 minutes between my 800s for recovery, which sounds kind of wimpy compared to your 800s. Do you have a race coming up?

Thanks Lyman! Those 90 seconds went by too fast! My next race is a 5k on Dec. 5th. Hoping to run it in 20:30-20:59 range.

Excellent run. All but that one you were hurting on. You did really well. That is like the Yasso's. That would predict around a 3:05 marathon. AWESOME

I think you've got a shot at a sub 20:00 5-k given the speed of your 800s for the Dec. 5th race.

Good speed on your 800's. Nice workout. You should have a killer 5k time in your race.

Huans - I wish I could run a 3:05 marathon lol. I'm not sure if the Yasso 800's are a good indicator for me. Hopefully I'm around 3:30 tho.

Lyman - That would be awesome if I ran a sub 20 but I'd still be happy with a 20:30. If the course is properly marked that is.

Cal - Thanks! Hopefully all goes well on race day. I always seem to train well but race poorly.

Something interesting I noticed for your 800s. Just kind of remembering the 400s. You holding on to the same paces if not faster then what you did your 400s. Dude that is smoken fast. Your looking right at the 20:00 mark. So if I was you plan your 5k to run around that pace wise. And you should hit very close to it.

Huan - For my 400's, I used my Garmin watch to get my quarter mile splits. I'm not sure that it was very accurate b/c I was going off the chime (maybe some delay somewhere). For the 800's, I used a stopwatch on a 400m stretch (I went up and back). I think the 800's were more accurate. What do you think? I plan to run some mile repeats next Tuesday to see where I'm at.

AWESOME pic!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to you! :)

NICE recovery run! What race was that pic from? Very COOL!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Thanks Smooth, it's from the Marine Corps Mud Run I ran last year. It was 4.2 miles with 30 obstacles. Very Fun! Hope you and your family have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey Vinh!! So ... you ran before and after the feast, huh??

:)

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! :)

Hey Teena! lol, yes I did. I had a great Thanksgiving. I hope you and your family had a great one as well. Back to intense training tomorrow...I think I want to try your hill run you did the other day.

Interesting. Upping the incline while keeping the pace the same. How'd that work for ya?

Definitely a tough workout Burt, but I can tell that it is helping me get faster. I'm doing hills once a week now, but I might bump it up to twice a week sometime in December.

Nice VO2 Max workiut. Out hear in Utah its hard to do a run outside without it being a hill run. I do TM will I want a flat run.

Thanks Lyman! That's funny that you have to run on the TM for a flat run. How is it running in the snow though?

Hey great workout Ive done hills on the treadmill its hard work nice running :-)

Thanks Sandy! Glad to see you are happy with your results. Top 10 is always good.

5 and 6% incline!!!???!!!

You are such a diehard!!!

Alright ... I am going to have to try it. It'll likely kill me! :)

Nice job Vinh!

NICE RUN and a negative split to boot! I think it is very good to practice those negative splits, it makes you super fast in a race!!!

Hiya Vinh. Thank you for the warm welcome.I like your profile picture. All those hunky men! WOOT! Ha ha kidding. :) Looks like you had a great Sunday run too. I wanted to do more like 14, but had to contain myself.

Great job on your run. 14 miles with a negative split, that's awesome.

Hey there Vinh. I will try to make this brief. I decided that making up my running day to day wasn't going to get me anywhere. So last night I went online and picked a Half Training Program, since I will be doing a Half in St. George in January..8 Weeks out. So I am doing a hybrid of Galloway and Higdon's schedules. I really am not an experienced runner, so I am probably making up some crazy whack program. LOL

Lol, you're too funny. I'm sure your program won't be whack. What is your goal for the half marathon? I'm thinking you'd run in the 1:20's.

Great job on some xtraining. What is the goal for your 5k this weekend?

Thanks Huan! My goal for the 5k is at least sub 21, but shooting for 20:30. If I break 20, I'd be ecstatic.

Good luck on your 5k this Saturday.

Thanks Burt! I'll do my best.

GOOD LUCK on the Reindeer 5K. Based on your mile repeat tonight, you're on target for a sub-21 for sure! NICE WORK!!!

If you've trained in racing flats before...then by all means wear them in the 5K. They are lighter than most trainers and should make a faster time! That's my 2 cents! GOOD LUCK and ENJOY! Can't wait to read all about it!

Thanks Smooth! I think there is gonna be a couple thousand people in this 5k. Hopefully that won't pose a problem.

I do not know a thing about racing flats, sorry! I would say if you have never tried them, not to bother, but what do i know???

Awesome workout today! And to think that I was complaining about getting up at 4:40. You were about done at that time!!!

You will do great in this race, I look forward to hearing all about it!

OUCH 4am, how do you guys do that, I struggled to get up for 7am today due to the kitchen guys turning in early to template for the tops LOL

I agree about racing flats dont bother unless you have tried them on your fast training !

If they were ok in training wear them for racing theyre great :-)

oh and big good luck for the 5k I wouldnt do any more heavy sessions till the race save it for the race:)

nice total mileage for the day and nice speed on those repeats. great work!

If I were a betting man (which I am) I would bet you are going to hit somewhere between 19 and 19:30 for your 5k this Saturday...you are going to smash that 20 min mark. Now don't do any more speed work till the race.

Thanks guys! Hopefully I'll pull out a nice PR on this 5k.

As for the racing flats, I've trained in them when I did the 400, 800 repeats....however, my calves got pretty sore/tight during and afterwards. I think I might just play it safe and wear my Nike lunartrainers. They are only 10 oz anyway.

I'll try to take it easy till the race. Today I only ran 3 slow miles for a recovery run (I felt sluggish). I plan on running 6 tomorrow and then take Friday off.

Lyman - Thanks for believing in me but I don't want to let you or myself down if I don't hit that mark lol.

Racing Strategy - I plan on a 1-2 mile warm up before the 5k. As for the race, I'm not sure if I should go out strong or hold back until mile 2 and 3. Any suggestions on what I should do?

I absolutely suck at 5k races (I have only done one!) Short distances freak me out. I am not even warmed up until 5-6 miles.

That said, my philosophy is to go all out always and then just try to hold on.

You will be awesome, I am even more excited to see how you do than if I was running it myself!

I dont know if I will be much help. I have never raced in flats. Or even worn them before. As for the 5k strategy this is what has worked best for me. 1-2 mile warm-up with strides in it to get ready for the fast speed. Then as for the race. Keep slowing yourself down that first mile and don't stay with the rabbits that take off really fast. I would have your first mile be the slowest mile by like 10-15 slower then your goal pace for the race. Feel confortable in that mile and then kick it up to the race pace or closer to it in the 2nd mile. And then if you did the first mile right. Hammer down harder in the 3rd mile about 10-15 faster then goal pace. And last .1 give your best effort. That is what has worked best for me in the 8-10 5ks that I have ran. If I went out to close to goal pace then I just went to fast. But if I went slower the first mile then goal pace. I had alot more left later on.

Kelli - Thanks. I will do my best for you and run this 5k for both of us since you hate them =)

Huan - That sounds like a good plan. The hard part is executing it. I think we all get anxious at the start and the adrenaline kicks in. It's hard to take it semi-easy the first mile. I'll do my best though and just give it my all.

THANKS!!! It will be the first 5k dedicated to me. Man, I hate those things.

HEY, Vinh..That was my run today too...3 easy miles. Feel totally trashed from the speed yesterday..Oh, and thanks for believing on my Whack Half Program! ;) 1:20's would be sweet, My fastest is 1:30:28..anything that beats that time is my fantasy! My goal is pretty lofty..want to shave off 30 seconds per mile. Will keep trying till I get there. The Half is my fav distance.

Great workout yesterday. And you could feel fluggish and tired after that. Great job.

Nice listening to your body well done, especially with a race coming up, :-)

vinh, take a look at this. It's a link Riverton Paul showed me before one of my 5ks : http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=12065

Hope the sluggishness has left the building.

Nice job getting in the miles.

Missy - I know you will hit your goal. I have no doubt =)

Huan - Thanks, hopefully I didn't push too hard this week before my 5k

Sandy - Thanks. My body was telling me to not run at all though lol.

Burt - Thanks a lot! That site was very informative. I will definitely give it a try. There is going to be a lot of runners though, hopefully I can find a spot to do some strides and warm up.

Teena - Thanks. Today's 6 mile run felt a lot better. After tomorrow's rest day, I should be good to go.

Thanks Vinh. Since you said it, you are now my Lucky Rabbits Foot! Yay! I will be fast in January! :D

Perfect taper run to keep the legs fresh! GOOD idea to refrain from drinking. BEST LUCK on Sat. Can't wait to see the pix! :)

He he I wouldnt go the party, Id be a party pooper, and moan all night about how I cant drink then prob drink too much alcohol cos I couldnt which I have done before and was still drunk at the race, so not very good as you can read I go on sometimes LOL.

Great 6 miles, and Good Luck for the Race its gonna be a pr but no pressure hey :-)

oh and which person are you in your piccy looks like a nice race/run ?

Smooth - Thanks! I definitely won't be drinking tonight... only some H20. Last x-mas party, they actually carded me lol. I am 28 now!

Sandy - Thanks. It's kind of a mandatory x-mas party since the owner of my company is going to be there, but I won't stay too long. Haha, I know the feeling of being drunk on a run. I had plenty of those days while I was serving in the military. Oh and I'm the one in the middle of the picture (with the short black shorts lol). It was a Marine Corps Mud run...4.2 miles with 30 obstacles. It was quite fun.

NICE JOB!! I am sorry it rained on your parade, the weather really can mess things up especially in a short distance like that. And the 15 minute delay did not help either. What matters is that you did your best, and you had a darn good sprint to the finish, AWESOME SPLITS!!!!!

Awesome job on the race in the rain. Got to love getting a PR. And next time under better conditions you will do even better. Great report and race again.

Thanks Kelli! The rain did suck...but what can you do. At least I'm improving my times so I'm happy about that and also that I got your support =)

Huan - Thanks man! Hopefully on our next 5k, we'll both smash our 5k and break 20 mins (not sure if you have already). I think my goal is to actually get sub 19 sometime next year.

Have a great weekend to both of you!

Vinh! Just think how much you would have shattered your PR if it wasn't raining. You'll probably have a break out 5k soon. Awesome job!

Excellent race. Good strong effort. Too bad the weather did not cooperate. Wet shoes and socks will slow you down.

AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!!!

Congrats on the PR and the wicked fast time.

Very nice.

Burt - Thanks! I guess I'll just have to wait till next time (probably won't be till sometime next year after my marathon). Shaving off over a minute isn't too shabby though. Let's see if I can do it again next time.

Lyman - Thanks! Sorry I didn't meet the time that you gave me. It would have been nice to break 20 mins. I will next time though. I agree that wet shoes/socks suck. I was just soaked and felt weighed down.

Teena - Thanks! I need to start swimming again too. I probably can't swim 100m without taking a break. I have a huge problem with my breathing when I'm swimming.

Great Pr, and great job in the horrible rain, sorry about that although I am 99.9% sure you'll pr again on your next race if the weather is right, it makes huge difference the weather and having soggy feet :-)

Swimming helps allot with your breathing for running, although if you want to become a faster and better runner-running is the way to go. I did do allot swimming when injured and it helps so much in training you to breathe rhythmically ;)

vinh!!! AWESOME job! CONGRATS on the PR! Sorry it rained on your race and what's up with the 15 min delay! That's a huge field for a 5K. VERY NICELY DONE! Can't wait to see you improve even more under better condition!

Thanks Sandy and Smooth! I'm feeling very good with my training the past two months. I will continue to train hard and I plan to shatter my PR's next year =) Thanks for all your support.

Very nice, but there's one thing that's bothering me. You call yourself a former marine. I have a friend, Ox, that I work with who says once a marine, always a marine. Never a former marine. What do you have to say about that?

Thanks Burt! It is true that once you're a Marine, you're always a Marine. The only reason I put that I'm a former Marine is b/c I'm not active duty anymore. Just didn't want to confuse anybody..that's all.

Heres Burt again LOL great run Vin those miles are nice and even too well done, and by those times your half marathon pr is due to be broken :-)

Thanks Sandy! I plan to smash my last half marathon time lol, we'll see by how much...I'm thinking sub 1:40 now.

Yeah as the adrenalin with races too, so I wreckon on a good day with good weather a sub 1.40 is on the cards for sure :-)

Nice run yesterday!! I love that last mile, WOW!!!! And I bet you were not even running down hill!

Thanks Kelli! No, it wasn't downhill =P I just felt really good yesterday, surprisingly...even after that 5k.

you aiming on any mileage this week or just how you feel :)

I'll be running probably a lil over 50 this week. I've made up a set schedule (till Feb) that I try to stick with. Do you have a schedule or do you go with the flow?

nice early morning run again Vinh, just like clockwork. oh yeah, and nice running in your 5K over the weekend - great improvement over previous PR - excellent!

Thanks Cal! I follow a set schedule on all my training. This works best for me since I still have a military mindset and am somewhat still disciplined haha.

Great workout, everyone's doing core work, I havent had time this week at all, been hard just fitting the running in but hey at least Ive done that !

keep the miles going :)

4am, what is that about, why so early ? great running though :)

Thanks Sandy! 4am is the only time I can squeeze in a run before work. I'm at work by 6am. I know, I'm crazy but I gotta make the sacrifice =)

You are AMAZINGLY speedy.

I love the "if it ain't raining it ain't training" part.

Thanks Kelli! How about you decide on the number of push ups and we'll do it together. 2010 is gonna be a great year for both of us!

nice run(s) Vinh. good practice for your half.

push ups add up much faster than miles, so you'd better make it a big number

VERY AWESOME 2-a-day runs!!! IMPRESSIVE splits! GOOD LUCK at the Riverfront Half next month. Some of us are running the St. George Half next month. Your training is looking GOOD!

Thanks Cal! I will definitely be doing way more push ups than mileage.

Smooth - Thanks! Good luck on you half marathon as well. I know you'll do awesome.

Vinh Nice consistant splits well done, shows you held pace very well and did a pr in training fantastic :-)

I know sacrifices and early hours do go together, I am not a morning person I rarely jump outta bed LOL

but marathon training starts in Jan 2010 twice a day running, although my training is 18 weeks from 20th Dec, but gonna leave the early mornings till the new year hey hey

Cheesy motto vinh. Great workout.

Nice Sunday run!

Nice running I bet the weather was lovely huh :)

Kelli - Thanks!

Samantha - Thanks! The weather wasn't that great. Raining a lil bit and humid. =)

Great pace for a long run. Looking strong.

Thanks Huan! I'm feeling stronger/faster than ever. Hopefully it'll show in my next few races.

nice run vinh. good solid pace.

Holy smokes! Great run Vinh! (Just in case nobody told you.)

Thanks Lyman!

Burt - Haha, thanks!

Nice job.

I definitely need to get in some more strength training.

Sounds like a cop out to me LOL only kidding well done :)

Thanks Teena =)

Sam - lol...This week I start my 6 days a week of running. I'll stop being a baby for you.

great speed work. 800s (1/2 miles) are by far my favorites. It gets alot of looks on the TM.

NICE speed work! TM is great for intervals; mixing it up makes it fun. Your training is looking GOOD!!!

BTW, don't you like running in the rain? I LOVE it! NICE mileage so far this week!

Lyman - Thanks! I get weird looks on the TM all the time lol. 800's are awesome, but they are rough. I can't wait to eventually run them 10-11 mph range.

Smooth - Thanks! I don't mind running in the rain if it is light rain. I'm not to fond of running when it's pouring and I'm totally soaked and my shoes are soggy. I know...I'm a baby lol. I think I've gone soft after leaving the Marines.

Great job getting in some easy miles after that tough speed workout yesterday. What do you need to run btw for a BQ??

Thanks Huan. I need to run a 3:10 for a BQ. I'm still a young buck. I think 35 is when it changes to 3:15. I think I can do it before then tho...hopefully lol

Good luck to you on it. I am lucky enough to get a 5 min break. So 3:15 for me. You will get it before your 35. Riverfront should be a great race for you. I think my next half is the same weekend.

Just looked it up. It will be the week weekend after yours. What kind of course is Riverfront Festival??

I'm not really sure about the course. I think this is the first time they are doing this half marathon. Supposedly it is pretty flat though. It would be nice to beat my last half by 10 mins. How is the course you are running? Your half PR is pretty dang fast!

Thanks for the welcome to the blog. A 4 am run is very impressive, that is true dedication!

I finally found the one that your running. It kind of looks flat with a few loops and a out and back. So that is nice to see how far ahead or behind someone is from you. Are you going to be able to check out the course well before hand??

As for the one I am running its not a PR course. The one that I have got my PR on is a very fast downhill course. With only a couple hills. After the first mile it is very fast for a couple miles and then stead downhill. And knowing the course sure makes it alot easier to make a race stratagy. Hopefully too with it being a flat course you wont beat your legs up to bad for your marathon a month later.

Michelle - Thanks! I'll be sure to check up on your blog to see how you are doing =)

Huan - That is a pretty good idea about checking out the course before the race. I think I'll probably drive it within the next couple weeks. January is gonna be pretty intense for me but hopefully it'll prepare me for my best marathon yet. Myrtle Beach is a pretty flat course. There are some gradual inclines but nothing too serious. It seems that you've been pretty busy lately, hopefully it doesn't hinder any of your training. I'm sure you are going to do well on your race.

NICE doubles Vinh!!! That 4 am is SOOOOOO early! Such dedication!!!

Smooth - Thanks! lol, it is early! Everyone who drives by and sees me running with my headlight/glow belt probably thinks I'm crazy. I do however, sneak in a lil nap after I get home from work before I do my evening workout =) If I ever decide to run 8 miles before work, I gotta wake up at before 4 am...

Glad you could sneak in a lil' nap. GOOD LUCK with the doubles tomorrow!

Oh I LOVE your quote "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum." :) Everyday is a new adventure, isn't it!

Your runs before work sounds like what I have to do if I want to do one that way too. Great job.

Nice job on getting the prescribed 5 that you decided on yesterday. Hopefully after those nice and easy miles your legs are feeling lighter again.

Hey hope the legs feel lighter, nothing worse than heavy legs, take it easy dude :)

Thanks Sam, Huan! Legs felt a lot beter in the PM.

NICE MILES!!! 4 am, though. Y-U-C-K-Y!!!!

So what is MP again?? You shooting for 8:00 for a 3:30??

Thanks Kelli!

Huan - Yea, I'm shooting for around a 3:30. I think I can keep a 7:45-8:00 average. I guess we'll see.

Very nice Vinh. Your going to do great. I havent ran a flat marathon yet. So I cant wait to see how your splits come out for it.

I am surprised by all of this, I would have thought you were shooting for a 3:10 or so. I think you may surprise yourself. EITHER WAY, you will do great.

Thanks Huan and Kelli!

Kelli, thanks for believing in me but 3:10?! lol, I don't think I'm there yet. The marathon distance is my achilles heel by far. Hopefully since this will be my 4th marathon, I will have actually figured it out. I've never trained hard for any of my previous marathons. I maybe ran like 40 miles a week when I was peaking. Since I'm out of school now, I've put a lot of work and heart into my running.

Here is what happened to me on my previous marathons.

1st marathon - pulled both calf muscles at mile 18. had to walk quite a bit and finished in 4:19

2nd marathon - overtrained (ran 20 miles the Sunday before my marathon and a 20 miler 2 weeks prior to that) Finished in 4:25

3rd marathon - STG 09 (didn't train for the hills/downhills/altitude) Finished in 4:06

Well, you have learned a lot in those three marathons I am sure! It is definitely a learning experience each time, AND it takes a lot of planning and preparation to get it all just right. I am still waiting for that perfect marathon---I think it was in reach twice aside from a few minor annoyances.

You are certainly capable of a great finishing time, so 3:30 is easily doable (and if the stars align and you are feeling good, you just never know!!!) You have a great goal, it will be GREAT to see you achieve it.

Good runs! Twice a day is impressive especially at 4 am. I am excited to see how you do on your marathon, it looks like you have learned and improved each time. Are you training for a specific marathon?

Thanks Michelle! I have a half marathon next month and then a full marathon in Feb. I'm excited as well b/c this is the best I've ever felt. Ever since I've joined this blog and saw how other runners were training, I've pushed my training to the next level. Definitely a lot of great people here on this site who are very supportive! I'm very grateful.

Vinh~ VERY AWESOME RUNS! Doing doubles definitely takes you to a new level! Your mileage is very impressive!!! Very intelligent training! Your hard work and dedication will pay off at Myrtle Beach, I'm sure!!! 3:30 here you come!!! :)

WOW! You're approaching 70mpw! AWESOME!!! You're a running machine!

Thanks Smooth! Just trying to be like you =)

great hill workout. I find that more core and upper body workouts are much more effective before I run. In addition, I usually so sweaty that I don't want to sit on any of gym equipment.

Nice hill workout. Where I live there are hills everywhere, you can't avoid them. At first I hated them but now they aren't so bad and they make me stronger. Good luck with your 17.

Thanks Lyman and Michelle!

Lyman - I just do a semi-light weight workout (lots of reps) with hardly any rest. I try to keep my heart rate up after my run. I do get all of the gym equipment all sweaty tho, but I do wipe it off haha.

Awesome run Vin! The MP finish to your long runs is going to get in great shape really fast. Way to go.

Thanks Lyman! I think I'm going to finish off my long Sunday runs like that from now on.

Awesome job man. 7 miles at 8:00 is just awesome. Your going to do awesome at Riverfront.

You're really coming along Vinh. Great finish to a long run.

WOW! EXCELLENT long run! AWESOME strong finish. 7 mp miles at the end of a long run is a confidence booster. Keep up the good work!

Great run! I am impressed that 8:42 is an easy pace. I am just not that fast yet to have 8:42 be easy.

Thanks everyone! I was surprised how good I felt during the run. I'm not even that sore today. I think I might just run every day this week.

Christmas is around the corner! Hope everyone has a great Christmas and New Years.

Great running Vin, and nice new piccy too!

Nice pace for the end of the long run, really strong running :-)

Very nice!

Love the new pic! :)

Thanks Teena! Hope you and your family have a great Christmas!

Great job sticking to the plan. Nice and easy recovery run??

Huan - Thanks! Yea, it was a nice and easy recovery run. I plan on doing some hill/speed work tonight. Hopefully my legs will cooperate. They aren't feeling too bad though.

Another new picture, another darn 4 am run!! ICK. Are you so very tired???

Once again, great dedication with a 4 am run. I don't know how you can consistently wake up that early to run. Good job!

Kelli - I'm okay. I went to bed around 8:30 pm last night. My legs are pretty tired though. Today's evening session is going to be a lil rough today.

You need to squeeze in a lunch time nap. I think I am gonna try for that, and I am not even going to run later.

I am for sure going to be throwing in a nap after work. Tonight I plan on playing some BB at 9-11pm then getting up at 4am to run if weather permitting. So a nap is a must.

I like your new picture...some serious guns you have there!

AWESOME 4am run again. HAVE a successful speed session tonight.

Kelli, Huan - Today's nap for me did wonders, haha

Smooth - what guns? haha...My session went great. Thanks!

I've only heard of one song on your power list. I guess I'm not jiggy with it. My all time power song is Hang Tough by Tesla. Took a shot to the chin, looks like you just can win...

I thought you said that your afternoon run would be "a lil rough". You managed to clock some excellent times, again. Very nice 14 mile day.

BTW, unlike Burt I got all those songs on my i-pod (Vinh's Power Songs) except Survivor - Eye of the Tiger. Really Vinh, come on, really?! I'm going to have to find you a song to replace Eye of the Tiger.

Burt - who is Tesla? I'll have to find this Hang Tough song.

Lyman! You are inching ever so closer to coming off my Favorite Blogs list. Who is Tesla??? Blashphemy! These greatest heavy metal band of all time! Please tell me you're kidding. And Eye of the Tiger is then #2 power song of all time.

I have NO COMMENT about Eye of the Tiger, but I have all of those other songs on my iPod as well (I think--there are so many songs it takes a while to recycle through them. I only here each song once every few weeks.) Nothing beats the beat of those songs for running.

Burt - I've never heard of that song lol...sorry. I tried to listen to it, but never heard of it before. Don't take me off your blog list lol.

Lyman - Thanks! I think the nap did the trick. Lol, come on! Eye of the Tiger is a classic, but you are free to find me a song to replace it. We all need to come up with a playlist (we each pick some songs, it'll pump us up when we train/race)

Kelli - I only put about 20 songs on my ipod shuffle. I've been listening to some of the sames songs for a couple months lol. I need some new suggestions.

Okay, so I am looking through my iPod music, and I have no DJ Tiesto. The name sounded familiar, but I am looking at the music on iTunes and I have never heard it before. I have the Harder/Faster song, but not the dance remix, the Kanye West version So, we have similar taste kind of, right????

Here are some of my favorites for running:

Akon and Kanye West---pretty much anything (kind of a little slower, but perfect beat for long runs)

Echo by Gorilla Zoe

You Can Do It by Ice Cube (this is my husbands contribution, but it is always good at the end of a tough run)

Money Maker by Ludacris

Closer by Ne-Yo

All the Right Moves by One Republic

Fire Burning by Sean Kingston

Bout Ta' Bubble by Tech N9ne

The Way I Are by Timbaland and someone else

And then there is the weird stuff that I am sure no one but me runs to: Big and Rich, Michael Buble, Snow Patrol, Josh Turner, Enrique Iglesias, Justin Nozuka, Jason Mraz, Lily Allen, The Fray, and Keith Urban.

How is that for a start???? Maybe you will like 1 or 2 of those.

Isn't Kanye West the guy that interrupted that other chick at the whatever awards? Why would you even listen to a guy like that? I'm proud to say I don't know who 80% of the people on your list are.

My playlist - Van Halen, Motley Crue, Journey, Boston, Eurythmics, Heroes Del Silencio, Tiffany, Ozzy, Europe, Def Leppard, you know; the classics.

I do not know, I am sure he was. I am sure they are all jerks, but the music has a good beat. I tried running to AC/DC for a while, but that heavy metal stuff just makes me angry while I am running. Honestly, the more I run with music and have learned to get past the beat, the more I like country!

Good job on your recovery run. And awesome job on 40 miles already this week. You are racking up the mileage!

Finally, a well deserved recovery run. Have a Merry Christmas Vinh!

Thanks Michelle, Lyman! Hope you two have a wonderful Christmas!

Merriest Christmas!!!

Enjoy your time off of work!!! :)

Perfect timing for taking time off from running. Merry Christmas.

hey Happy Christmas and Im off work too great isnt it.... :-)

Thanks everyone! Hope you all had a great Christmas with your families.

Sam - Being off working is great =) Hope you are enjoying your vacation too!

Sorry to hear about the knee injury/pain. Good idea to take a few days off. You have been pusing it pretty hard the last month. It may just be an over use injury that will correct itself with some down time. Good luck.

Sorry to hear about your knee. It is funny that you could only stand to take one day off. Running just calls to you doesn't it? I get it though. I hope it gets better soon.

Lyman - Thanks. I think you are right. I've been pushing it pretty hard with little rest. I just hope it doesn't take too long to recover from this. I'm going to try to swim to keep up my cardio for the next few days. We'll see how that goes.

Michelle - Thanks. If I could, I'd run/workout as often as I could but I know it's not safe. I know I'm crazy. Haha, look at me now...I'm hurt b/c of it (overtraining) I hope I get better soon too. I can't stand this.

Sounds like some inflammation from overuse. Looks like you got a good plan with rest and xtrain w/ swimming. GOOD LUCK! I'm sure it will heal up soon. Here's to a happy and healthy new year!

Oh man!! That doesn't sound like fun at all. Well at least your listening to your body and resting. Hope you have a speedy recovery.

Very cool! :)

Good work out! How are your injuries feeling?

How are you, and the injuries, I swim when Injured its good for you, keep it up its worth it :))

Thanks everyone. My knee is feeling a lil better. Hopefully I can get in a run by the end of the week. I'll keep you updated. Hopefully I'll be okay for the half and full marathon.

Vinh, I'm really thinking you're going to shatter that 10k time the next time you run one.

Vinh, how's the knee doing? It looks like you are doing the right thing and not stressing it.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year:)

Burt - as long as I don't hurt myself, I think I will. Thanks for believing in me.

Lyman - Knee is doing a lot better, ran for the first time (been a week) and no pain. I have a half marathon 2 weeks from tomorrow, full marathon about 6 weeks. The injury kind of put a kink in my training...I wonder how I should prepare...

Sam - Thanks!

Happy New Year to all of you and your family!