Week of Feb.20-26: 42 miles in five runs.
  Monday: 8.2 at 7:35/mi.
  Tuesday: off
  Wednesday: 8.2 at 7:26/mi.
  Thursday: track workout (see below)
  Friday: 8.3 at 7:44/mi.
  Saturday: 8 on a treadmill at 7:34/mi.
  Sunday: off

This turned out to be an odd week. I was planning a return to speedwork this week, but I didn't get to it until Thursday because I was worn out from back-to-back hardish days last weekend. Then, after my Thursday track workout, I both started getting a cold and wanted to baby a sore hip that has caused me trouble in the past. (I think it's high hamstring tendinitis, but compensating for that may be causing other problems as well.) Since I wasn't up to the hilly 13-miler I was planning on Sunday, I decided simply to take the day off for recovery and call it a sort of down week. My track workout on Thursday went fine enough: 5 x [2 x 200 (200), 1 x 400 (400)], with the 200's around 41 and the 400's around 82, and resting briefly after each of the five (mile) intervals. This is one of Jack Daniels's early repetition workouts (starting at his VDOT 54 paces). My form was horrible at first but became less bad about halfway through when I started getting used to the pace and became more aware of how much energy my bad form was causing me to waste. Tightening up form, strengthening muscles, and adapting to a fast pace are the main goals of short repetition workouts like this, as I understand it. I'll only try to do maybe 4 of them over the next 5-6 weeks before switching to longer intervals (mainly 1200's) around 5k race pace, if my hip hangs in there.

Week of Feb.13-19: 55 miles in 7 runs over 6 days:
  Monday: 8 miles at 7:31/mi.
  Tuesday: 5.2 miles pushing a stroller at 8:04/mi.
  Wednesday: 8.2 miles at 7:14/mi.
  Thursday: 11 miles at 7:21/mi.
  Friday: off
  Saturday AM: 1.5 mile warm-up, then 5k (sic.) race (see below)
  Saturday PM: 5.1 miles at 7:35/mi.
  Sunday: 13.1 miles on a hilly course at 7:38/mi. (hills the day after a race were a bad idea)

PVTC By George 5k on Saturday, Feb. 18: I have no legitimate and official time because the lead runner cut the course accidentally, and the next few runners, including me, followed him. At the end my Garmin said I ran 2.94 miles at 6:04 pace in 17:48. That should translate to 18:5- if my watch had the distance right. Anyway, I hadn't tried running fast in over a month, and it was a shock. I wasn't able to push very hard because I was unused to how it feels. But it's a good sign that I was able to run that fast anyway. A return to speedwork should now help me handle a faster pace.

Week of Feb. 6-12: 56 miles in 6 days of single runs, all at an easy pace averaging in the mid-7:30's. So pretty much like last week, though this week I added a slightly longer run (13 miles) on a hilly course. The other runs were 8 miles (4 times) and 11 miles (once). Feeling strong and ready to see what running faster again feels like at the end of next week.

Week of Jan.30-Feb.5:  Total of 55 miles in 6 days of single runs, each between 8 and 11+ miles, all at a mostly consistent easy pace averaging in the mid-7:30's. No races. No faster running. Just base training for another couple weeks.