| Location: Spring,TX,USA Member Since: Nov 17, 2007 Gender: Male Goal Type: Boston Qualifier Running Accomplishments: After a 24-year hiatus from running, I started back again at age 40 in March 2007.
PERSONAL RECORDS
5K - 20:13 (3/22/08 Run The Woodlands #197)
10K - 44:58 (3/15/08 Lookin' Good Shamrock Strut)
HLF - 1:46:09 (5/19/07 Ogden Half Marathon)
MAR - 3:40:18 (10/6/07 St. George Marathon) Short-Term Running Goals: 2008 Ogden Marathon - 3:30 (Blew up big time! IT band = 4:24 finish!)
2008 St. George Marathon - 3:20 (*BQ) Might need to revise based on injury but I'm not giving it up quite yet.
2009 Spend Patriots Day on course in Boston. Personal: http://todayirun.blogspot.com
Favorite Blogs: |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 79.29 | 5.34 | 24.44 | 3.10 | 1.00 | 113.17 |
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| Night Sleep Time: 16.00 | Nap Time: 3.00 | Total Sleep Time: 19.00 | |
| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 6.80 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.80 |
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| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 17.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 17.00 |
| It was very nice to get back with the group for a run this morning. Stephanie, Laurie, Randy, Biff, and I started from Memorial Park at 6:30. They were scheduled for 20 miles and I had 17 on my training plan. I wasn't sure what to expect given the recent issues with my IT bands ... yes, it's both legs now. I figured I'd go out with the group and see how far I could go. I was fully prepared to walk it in if necessary. I just hoped that if I had a problem that it would happen early or late in the run to make the walk shorter! The ITB's started flaring up around 4-5 miles. It wasn't the sharp, intense pain that I've had before. It was more of a dull ache. I kept going. We went down around the Rice University campus. The ITB's were getting progressively worse and my pace was falling off. At 13.5, I broke from the group to head back to the park. This is where I planned to leave them to shorten my run to 17 miles. Once I was away from the group, I got slower and the strain on my knees became more persistent. I finished the run but it wasn't a strong one. 17 miles @ 8:50/mile I wore my old blue Mizuno Wave Rider 10's today. I haven't worn them in a long time. I just wanted to change shoes to see if that helped my ITB's any. It's hard to say .... I also took 800 mg Ibuprofen before starting and "rolled" my legs with a rolling pin. During the week, I also did stretching and strengthening exercises hoping to alleviate the problem. |
| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 4.10 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.10 | 0.00 | 7.20 |
| 1.5 mile warmup over to the Klein High track this moring at 4:30. WORKOUT: 5 x 1000 meters @ 3:55 w/ 400 meter rest interval 3:59 3:45 * pretty sure the Garmin fired early on this interval ??? 3:47 3:57 3:56 1.6 mile cool down back home Lately I've enjoyed my weekly interval workouts. But today I think I came back too soon from Saturday's long run. My legs felt heavy. ITB's flared a bit but I found that by going clockwise on the track they weren't so bad. 1000 meters somehow seems to offend my left brain concept of wanting everything symmetrical. |
| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Race: |
Ogden Rgnl Medcl Cntr Thanksgiving Run (5 Miles) 00:33:17 | | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 1.00 | 4.50 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5.50 |
| The temperature at race time was indeed 24 degrees making it the coldest race I've run. I wore tights, gloves, hat, and three layers on top. Before it was over, I'd be too hot! The good news is I clocked in at 33:17 - well, ahead of my 34:28 goal. The bad news is that the course was short and there was no "official" timing. There was a great deal of confusion leading up to the start of the run. Apparently, the race organizers did not have the appropriate permits in place with the South Ogden police to run the scheduled course. Therefore, some last minute course changes were made and no one - runners or race officials - seemed to know the course or even where the run was going to start. A moment for perspective ... this was a charitable fun run. Admission to the event was a nonperishable food item that was donated to three local organizations. The run did receive a good bit of news coverage from local television stations and print media. According to the local newspaper, over 1,000 people participated in either the 5-mile run or 2-mile walk. I was very impressed with the turnout given the cold temperature. At the start, I was in a huge mosh pit of walkers and runners. No one seemed to know if the run was starting to the north, south, or east (at least one direction was ruled out!). I saw Tim Grubb, a friend and strong Utah runner. We talked briefly until his group decided they were in the wrong place and began moving to the front. I hesitated and missed my opportunity to move with them but suddenly the mass of humanity was moving. I heard no gun, whistle, shout, ... anything but it was clear that the run had started ... and I was in a very poor position. I began working my way through the crowd. For a section of a couple hundred yards, I was on the grass at the side of the hospital's driveway. Finally out on the road, I checked my GPS. My pace was okay but I wasn't feeling too good. I don't know if it was the cold or the energy spent working my way through the crowd but I knew I was in for a challenge. By the end of the first mile, I clocked in at 6:59 and finally had good running room. I had hoped to cover the first mile in something closer to 6:30. I quickly revised my upcoming splits to try and hold 7 minute miles for as long as possible. That came to a quick disappointment as the hills started. A lot of up and down over mile 2 and 3. I'll be interested to see what the elevation changes were when I download back at home. The uphill sections of course slowed me down and the downhill got my IT bands screaming so I wasn't able to capitalize like I wanted to. Somewhere along the way, I set aside all goals and just tried to race. My style of racing isn't complicated, find someone in front of me to pick off and don't let anyone behind me pass. I was successful for the most part. A young male runner passed me with about a mile to go. I stayed with him and when I tried to pass him back he stayed with me. I pushed it a little harder then harder still. He stayed with me. I backed off a bit but thought to myself that I had probably pushed him enough that I'd be passing him again before the end. I did ... attributing it to my experience and his lack of it. Coming in front of the hospital, a group came up behind me. This was going to be a contested finish but I didn't know who the players would be but planned on being one of them. My legs weren't feeling great but my cardio was good. I felt ready for a push. I picked up the pace and picked off two runners. Turning into the back parking lot, there were foot steps along side. A tall, younger female was along side and pushing hard. I stayed with her. Her strides were long and smooth; powerful. Mine were choppy and flailing but I wasn't prepared to let her go. Side by side, it went. Then, I relaxed. This had a great consequence. I was faster; my stride lengthened and I was on my toes. It felt good. I shouldn't be surprised that relaxing helps in this manner but it never crosses my mind in the heat of the challenge. Frankly, I just stumbled upon it. She stayed with me. I had a fleeting moment of doubt. I didn't think I'd be able to shake her. I'd used all my gears but was determined to stay with it until the end. Finally with about fifty yards to go, she dropped back slightly. I kept pushing to the timekeeper who was calling times. She faded slightly and I crossed about a second ahead of her. No matter how a race goes. Finishing strong makes it seem like a good race. Sure, I didn't make my goal time today. It wasn't in the cards. The conditions and the course weren't right. I should have been smart enough to pull off the attempt ahead of time. But pushing for the goal, always helps me stay focused. And, finishing strong makes the run feel successful. 4.56 miles - 33:17 (7:21/mile) Okay, now for the fun stuff. Congratulations and thanks to the following! Colorado Cousins - Amy and Julie (using this as speed work for upcoming Las Vegas half marathon) Wife - Paige (said she felt good and could have gone faster; that's after two 7-milers earlier in the week) Sister - Wendy (took a break from Thanksgiving kitchen duty to run; her homemade rolls were the absolute best this afternoon and she looked strong in the run ... a true dual threat!) Brother-in-law - Brandon (started out on the walk with his wife and kids before "transferring" over to run course. Skiing Utah cousins - Ryan, Stephanie, and their kids (walked the course; a long-time family tradition for them) Sister - Becky and 4/5 of her kids made the walk (one in a stroller); her only kid not to walk is new to the whole walking thing being around a year old. Aunt Debbie, Uncle Clayton, & Mom - our loyal and excellent cheering section. Incredibly, they were not deterred by the icy condtions! Clayton also served as the family's race photographer (Thanks, Clayton!) And, finally Dad - in a surprise effort, he lined up at the very back of the runners at the start. Known for his comedic antics, this wasn't a shock to anyone. The surprise came when he actually went out with the runners and finished the course. Great job, Dad! And thanks to Brandon and Tim for circling back to bring him in. |
| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
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Wonder where I've been?
Frustratingly, I've had to admit that I'm injured and that "running through it" wasn't going to be the right thing to remedy the problem.
After the Thanksgiving race, my right calf remained very tight. It feels like a pulled muscle only more persistent. I felt it on the course. I thought it was just the cold temperature, my failure to warm up properly (although I did make good efforts to warm up in the frigid conditions), or what I call an overcompensation injury from my IT band problem. Bottom line is that I don't know what caused it or what it is but it's still bothering me a week later.
In addition, my IT band problem has only worsened with running over the past few weeks. So I'm taking some time off to rest and hopefully recover.
My latest theory in the IT band problem is that the cause was due to starting the FIRST training program without the proper base. The program was intense and I like it but I don't think my body was ready for it. Therefore, I'm shifting gears. After the rest period, I'm starting back next Monday. I'm going to cut the mileage and intensity in an attempt to build a solid base and not aggravate my IT bands. I plan to build the base over six weeks. Instead of the 3 or 4 running days per week, I plan to run 5 or 6 days each week. Hopefully this plan gets me out of the bad cycle that it seems I was following.
I'm looking forward to having a positive report next week. |
| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.39 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.39 |
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OBJECTIVE
3 miles : no pace
ACHIEVED
3.39 miles : 27:17 = (8:03 min./mile)
It was cool this morning for my 4:30 start from the house. 47° with 54% humidity and north winds at 14 mph. It felt like the forecast cold front from the north is definitely on its way. We're supposed to have mid-30's tomorrow morning. Of course the weather conditions are completely relative. I'm reminded of this as a read the training blogs of several Utah-based runners on fastrunningblog.com. They're running in snow and freezing temperatures much of the time. I reminded myself of this as I embarked this morning after changing from a short-sleeved to long-sleeved shirt.
This has been my longest break (10 days) since last March. I am hopeful that the rest gave my legs a chance to fully recover. In addition, I've taken the intensity out of my workouts altogether for the next 6 weeks. My goal is to build a solid, strong base.
I think the rest was good. My legs felt particularly "springy" today. This is rare for the now 41-year old version of myself. I had to rein it in a bit reminding myself that I'm not pushing for a target pace like virtually all of my most recent workouts have done. I just tried to run based on how I felt without looking at my watch. ... I only looked twice and that was for distance rather than time. Although I found myself sneaking a peak at time and subsequently calculating. This new base building effort is going to require patience and discipline on my part. I'm generally okay with the discipline part of the equation but not so good with the patience. This will be an interesting mental test.
As for my legs after the run, they felt good. I didn't observe any ITB issues in either knee or hip and my right calf seemed fine.
I did 2 x 15 ab bicycles once I got back to the house but didn't stretch like I should have.
I'm eager to see how I'm feeling later today.
PRE-RUN SNACK
Immediately prior: ½ chocolate brownie Clif Bar with water
POST-RUN REFUEL
Immediately after: ¾ c oatmeal with skim milk; drink H2O; multivitamin
It's good to be back. I'm looking forward to pressing forward. |
| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 2.98 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2.98 |
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OBJECTIVE
3 miles : no pace
ACHIEVED
2.98 miles : 24:27 = (8:13 min./mile)
Hit the road at 4:30 again this morning. The temperature was cool (33° 90% humidity with no wind). I geared up in tights, gloves, hat, and two layers on top. Like yesterday, I wore the ITB strap above my right knee. (I'm have a curiosity about how the weather impacts running performance. I recently found the following link on the topic. This table doesn't exactly correlate to other things I've read but it's close ... and it also has cold temperature conversions which are the first I've seen. TINMAN TEMPERATURE TABLE) I have some concern that almost all of my cold weather gear is black which makes me nearly invisible when running in the dark. Surprisingly, I saw another runner about a half mile into my run. He made me feel a bit overdressed since he was in shorts and t-shirt. He also didn't look like he was doing that well. Hopefully he was near the end of his run! I'm sure many people have had occasion to think the same of me! There've been a few long runs where I barely been crawling near the end (my first 20-miler comes to mind!).
Anyway, this morning's run was pretty much uneventful. My knees felt fine but my right calf was very tight. I was quite pleased with myself for not looking at my watch once. I just kept telling myself there was no point and that it didn't matter.
I should mention that my knees (primarily right) and right calf really tightened up on me yesterday in the office. I'm concerned about this since it gives me an uneasy feeling that something is lurking beneath the surface. I'm taking my ice bag to work today so I can ice throughout the day while sitting at my desk.
After the run, I did plank and superman stretches. I also did Reynolds (?) ITB stretches.
PRE RUN SNACK
Clif bar & water
POST RUN MEAL
oatmeal, milk, water, multivitamin
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| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.01 |
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OBJECTIVE
3 miles : no pace
ACHIEVED
3.01 miles : 23:34 = (7:50 min./mile)
Unfortunately, work conspired to keep me from my scheduled hill workout yesterday. I had planned to run hills downtown after work but ended up with a 12+ hour day so just went home (1:35 round trip commute). I had to meet a neighbor at the church for a little year end project that lasted until after 11 pm so I wasn't able to get out once I got home. It looks like work will continue this way for another couple weeks then let up through the holidays then go really bad for 3½ months! ... happy to have a job ... just not looking forward to this upcoming stretch ...!
Today was supposed to be an off day but since I missed yesterday I was back out at 4:30 this morning. The temperature was very nice with a breeze (52º 77% humidity with 8 mph wind).
The run felt harder than it should have. This makes me think that I lost conditioning with the time off for my knees. Speaking of which ... my knees felt okay today. I had the urge to push it just to test them but resisted for the most part. However, I succumbed to the temptation to look at my watch 1 mile in to the run. I didn't want to do it ... really. But the mile alert sounded and I was very curious about my pace ... especially since it didn't feel easy this morning. I was right the first mile was slow. Of course this had the effect of spurring me on for the rest of the run. It wasn't ever uncomfortable but I was probably pushing slightly harder than if I had not looked at the watch. ... I really shouldn't have done that but old habits die hard I suppose.
Back at the house after the run, I stretched somewhat halfheartedly and did a couple good sets of bicycles. I should mention that yesterday wasn't a total loss. Before going to work, I went through a long series of new ITB stretches that I found. It didn't feel like I was doing much at the time but later in the day I was feeling it! I need to continue that effort.
PRE RUN water
POST RUN
Immediate - chocolate Slim-Fast recommended by Greg McMillan
Later - Kashi GoLean Cereal, skim milk, water, multivitamin |
| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 2.00 | 0.84 | 1.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.84 |
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OBJECTIVE
30 minute tempo run
ACHIEVED
3.84 miles : 31:36 = (8:14 min/mile)
8:53 8:16 7:41 6:43 (.84 mile)
58º 95% 1 mph
It was a beautiful morning for a run. I was expecting it to be cooler when I stepped outside and had put on a long-sleeved tech shirt. I think the weather is supposed to stay like this over the weekend.
My goal for this tempo was to start slow and progressively increase the speed through the first 20 minutes. From that point, I wanted to gradually slow the pace and bring it in easy.
I took what's becoming my typical morning route during this "injury recovery period" - over to the high school. Knowing I needed 30 minutes today rather than a certain distance, I extended the run past the high school. At the turn around, I practiced a racing U turn. In the past, I've generally tried to stay tight through the U turns encountered in races but I've read that going into the turn wide then coming out of the turn tight with strong acceleration is the better way. I'm going to keep working on this technique as I think there's something to it. I know turn technique can make a difference when racing. I benefited from a good U turn in August and passed a runner I'd been "jousting" with at the Bouchard 10K in August. However, a couple of weak U turns at the Earth Day 5K hurt my race standing. Which raises the question, what's the deal with a 5K course having 3 U turns!!??!?!
Anyway, I felt pretty good this morning. I forced myself to stay easy early in the run. I only looked at my watch twice ... not for pace but for time. Running for time is a different concept for me. I usually run for distance. I think I need to employ more timed runs as the mental exercise is good for me.
My knees didn't bother me but my right calf was extremely tight early on.
I was happy with the negative splits and a bit surprised by the gaps. I felt like I was picking up but not that much!
Back at the house, I did 3 sets of wall busters for my ITB's and 3 sets of crunches for my six-pack (ha, ha, ha).
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
POST RUN
SlimFast, water
Later, oatmeal, brown sugar, skim milk, water, multivitamin
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| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 6.02 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.02 |
| OBJECTIVE 6 mile run : no pace ACHIEVED 6.02 miles : 53:18 = (8:51 miles/minute) 5:24 AM 72° 89% 5 mph Since it is Saturday I slept in a bit before driving over to start my run from the Y. Sleeping in means I got up a little after 5 instead of 4:15 - 4:30. Boy was it steamy this morning! Had to keep reminding myself that it didn't matter how fast I ran today. It's all about time on my feet and seeing how my legs hold up. My legs were generally fine today. I didn't have any "spring" in my legs but apparently that's the purpose of running the tempo run the day before the long run. It forces you to run slower. It seems strange to be considering 6 miles a "long run". It was just a few months ago that I was doing 9 miles during the week. When I think about that, it makes my current injury situation all the more frustrating. But I'm hopeful that I'm following a good course to get everything straightened out and back on track. I wanted to come in between 8:45 and 9:00 minute per mile pace so I was happy that I hit it. I saw several people from the various ChampionsFit groups this morning. However, I think many of their faster runners where either running a 30K in Sugar Land this morning or the 50K in Huntsville tomorrow. As I was enjoying the Christmas light displays in the neighborhoods, the thought occurred to me that these displays are not very environmentally conscious. I wonder how the inventor of the Internet, Al Gore, feels about them. From that thought, I decided it wasn't that great of me to drive to a location so I could start my run. I'm sure there's a better way for me but I'm not exactly sure what it is. Maybe ride my bike over to the Y ...? Or just do all my runs from the house .... Or maybe run to the Y or catch the trail at a different spot closer to home. I'm riding the bus to work more now. So I'm making an effort but should still be more aware and better informed. The run took me though the neighborhoods then on to the bayou trail down to the bridge then back. Back at the car I completed a nice series of stretches at a leisurely pace. I have recently been inspired by Paul and Marci among others at fastrunning.com. So I tried a nap once back at the house. It was 7 am and I was sure that I wouldn't be able to sleep. I haven't tried this before and figured my elevated heart rate and just general "awakeness" wouldn't allow for it. Much to my surprise, I woke up at 8:40. So while I'm sure I'll never make the Top Runners or High Mileage boards on the blog, I think if a Nap board is ever instituted that I could make a serious run at being a top napper! PRE RUN Clif bar and water POST RUN Slim-Fast and water |
| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.01 |
| OBJECTIVE 3 mile : no pace ACHIEVED 3.01 miles : 23:50 = (7:55 min./mile) 6:32 AM 70° 88% 4 mph Slept in today. I felt surprisingly good to start the run. I didn't wear my ITB strap and my knees and hips felt fine. My right calf was a little tight but not a problem. I think I've become a bit hypersensitive to what I'm feeling lately but I suppose that comes with the problems I've had recently with my legs. I felt sluggish and sloppy the second half of the run. I just tried to stay focused. I've been trying to work on my form a little bit during my runs. My perception is that there are times when I'm too upright - almost leaning back - and landing on my heels. When I feel this, I try to position my shoulders over the balls of my feet and have my footfall hit mid-foot. I can usually only hold this effort for relatively short distances as it requires a great deal of mental attention for me. Also, I really don't know if this is something I should be doing or not since I've just made the exercise up myself. PRE RUN ½ Clif bar & water POST RUN SlimFast & water Later, Kashi GoLean cereal, milk, multivitamin, water |
| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 3.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.01 |
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OBJECTIVE
3 miles : no pace
ACHIEVED
3.01 miles : 25:00 = (8:19 min./mile)
5:03 AM 54° 94% 6 mph mist/light rain
I walked out the door to run this morning and promptly went back inside to put a shirt on. Yesterday I ran without a shirt and expected the weather to be the same but it felt cooler and there was a very light rain today.
I felt sluggish the entire run today. Not sure what to attribute it to. At one point, I felt like pushing it but decided to just stay in a comfortable zone so held back. Finished it out and added a very lackluster stretch and no ab work. I took a break from the abs over the weekend and need to get back to it.
In running news, I offer a huge congratulations to my sometime training partner, Jonathan Bennett. I say occasional training partner because we started out running together with Power in Motion last March. At some point, his ability and fitness exceeded mine so we don't run together as much as we did. Yesterday was his marathon debut at the Dallas White Rock Marathon. He logged an amazing 3:11:53! His blog can be pretty entertaining. I'm sure his race report will be up soon. He also records his training which is of interest to me as well as local restaurant reviews (also of interest!).
Great run Jonathan!
PRE RUN
water
POST RUN
Grape Nuts, milk, multivitamin, water |
| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.01 |
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OBJECTIVE
3 miles : no pace
ACHIEVED
3.01 miles : 23:28 = (7:48 min/mile)
4:37 AM 73° 81% 12 mph
I had a good run this morning which was a nice change and a pleasant surprise. My ITB's have not bothered me running the past few days. However, my knees were really aching yesterday after my run and throughout the day. More and more it seems this is just going to be something I have to deal with. From the way I felt yesterday, I didn't expect much different today. But I was wrong. I felt good. The weather was great.
One thing I've done during these short "no pace" runs is allow my mind to wander. I've taken time to consider work and personal matters. In the past when I've done this my pace and form have suffered. I usually run better when just focusing on running. While I'm sure this is still true, I've had some success just putting my run on "auto pilot" while engaging my brain in other things. For at least half of the run today, I was thinking about other things yet my pace was good and generally steady.
It looks like my hesitation in committing to the Texas Independance Relay due to my injury has cost me a place on the team. This is disappointing. If I was still running strong, I could have committed instantly.
I stretched after running ... half-heartedly. Wall busters, step ups, and traditional ITB stretch. I need to get more focused in this area. It can only help my legs feel better. ... no abs again today.
PRE RUN
1/2 Clif bar & water
POST RUN
Kashi GoLean cereal, milk, multivitamin, water
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| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 3.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.01 |
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OBJECTIVE
3 miles : no pace
ACHIEVED
3.01 : 24:36 = (8:10 min./mile)
4:17 AM 45 89% 7 mph mist
I missed yesterday's hill workout due to work commitments and an evening meeting for Cameron's High Adventure trip next summer (I just may go on that trip. It involves running and biking among other things.). The day off from running may have been good for me ...??? So I went out this morning for an easy 3 miles. It had been raining throughout the night and it was around 40 with high humidity so, naturally I expected it to be cold ... and therefore overdressed! Two layers top and bottom with gloves and knit cap. It was too much!
Not much to report about the run. I felt sluggish throughout and tried to pick it up a bit over the last mile. My ITB's offered no problem during the run but were achy throughout the past two days.
Two items of note from today. First, Cameron broke his nose lifting weights after school today. It's a long story which I'm sure we'll never completely know. Seems though that it was an incredibly fluky situation.
The second item is that I had lunch with Jonathan today. It was great to have the chance to talk about his debut marathon in Dallas last weekend. He had a fantastic run with a strange situation at the end ... hyperglycemia and hypothermia! But he's feeling great and ready to go. He'll be running the Houston marathon in 5 short weeks so he's getting ready for that upcoming effort.
Jonathan got me thinking. While talking about my injury situation, he posed the possibility that my recovery may be influenced by my nutrition. I hadn't really given that idea any consideration. But it led me the think about it. The thought process led me to the question, "What am I doing different today than I was doing during marathon training?" Two things were obvious - nutrition and weight training.
For a majority of my training for St. George I stuck to a very simple diet. I've since gotten away from it thinking that I was improving my diet but I may in fact be cheating myself out of nutrients necessary for quicker, more efficient recovery.
As for weight training, I tapered down leading up to the marathon then tapered out and picked it back up for a couple weeks then quit entirely thinking that it may somehow be contributing to my injury. Having arrived at this tentative conclusion, I've tentatively decided to scrap my current nutritional regime and go back to what I was doing for St. George. I'm going to hold off on a return to weight training for now because I want to try to isolate the variables as much as possible.
Thanks for being the catalyst for this concept, Jonathan. Hopefully this leads me back to where I want to be.
After my run, I had a decent stretch and did some high kicks on a step for my ITB's. No abs ... again.
PRE RUN
1/2 Clif bar & water
POST RUN
SlimFast, water & 800 mg Ibuprofen
Later: poached egg, whole wheat English muffin, & water
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| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| ALL-NIGHTER = NO RUN Sadly, I did not run today. I ended up pulling a Thursday all-nighter to prepare for a 9 AM meeting at the office. I must say that even in college it was extremely rare for me to stay up all night. Usually I'd stay up very late, get up very early, or both but my body just wouldn't really allow for an all-night effort. Not much has changed! Today felt like the longest day as I sluggishly slogged through it! My efforts weren't rewarded as the problem is still unresolved. Frankly, I've been working on this issue off and on for over four years and it still remains a problem. However, time is running out and the rubber is going to meet the road most likely during the next six months. Oh the joys of making a living. Ironically, annual bonuses were paid out today. |
| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 7.70 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 7.70 |
| OBJECTIVE 7 miles : no pace ACHIEVED 7.7 miles ≈ 70 minutes ≈ (9:05 min./mile) 7:02 AM 60° 89% 10 mph (20 mph gusts) rain I slept in this morning and didn't start my run until 7. It just so happened that this was the peak of a downpour. About a mile in the rain eased up. From that point there was light rain most of the way until the final mile when it really started to come down again. Fortunately the temperature was moderate. When I strapped on the Garmin, I was surprised that a warning popped up that it wasn't charged (not exactly sure how that happened since I have a routine that should prevent this). So I ended up with the opportunity to practice "not looking at my watch" in a much deeper way ... I didn't have a watch! That's right I was running naked! The run was uneventful for the most part. I went out and back along the bayou from the Y. I did see a huge blue heron along the bayou. With two miles to go, my right ITB started flaring. This caused me to wonder if 5 miles is my ITB's conditioned limit. I've been running 3's each day for a couple weeks now with minimal problem (just sore and achy throughout the day after running). Today's 7 may have touched the current limitation. I suppose this concept will be tested somewhat next week as I mix 4's with 3's. Hopefully the slow, steady buildup pushes the limitation out farther (if in fact that's really what's going on ... yes, this is frustrating!) PRE RUN Clif bar & water; multivitamin POST RUN SlimFast Later, pancakes, maple syrup, & milk |
| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| OBJECTIVE 3 miles : no pace ACHIEVED 3.00 miles : 23:20 = (7:45 min./mile) 8:16 AM 36° 70% 5 mph I felt slow and flatfooted for the whole run today. It seemed I never really loosened up and got going. Based on how I was feeling I would have figured that I was around 8:45/mile. I only looked at my watch once - when the 2 mile indicater sounded. I was very surprised to see that I was at 7:48/mile. I suppose this just goes to show that I really can't "feel" my pace very well at all. My right calf was very, very tight the whole run. It became progressively worse. Interesting to note that the first time I encountered the right calf tightening was in Utah on Thanksgiving Day while racing in similar weather conditions. Somehow the cold seems to be "activating" this problem. Oh well, I suppose the big science experiment that is my running continues! I had a very good stretching session after the run. Including regular and side planks; bicycle crunches; ITB and calf stretches. PRE RUN 1/2 c. oatmeal w/brown sugar and skim milk, water & multivitamin POST RUN SlimFast Later, PBJ smoothie & 800 mg Ibuprofen |
| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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OBJECTIVE
4 miles : no pace
ACHIEVED
4.00 miles : 33:57 = (8:28 min./mile)
5:21 AM 52° 85% 0 mph
I missed yesterday's run due to pain in my right calf. The problem flared up during Sunday's run.
I figured I would test it today no matter how it felt. I resolved to keep the pace slow. It bothered me the whole run. My new theory is that I seriously pulled the muscle at the Thanksgiving run. Over the 10 days off, it was recovering but not all the way back since I still felt it occasionally. Then I re-injured it Sunday morning in the cold at a faster pace than I probably should have been running. I'm not exactly sure how to nurse it back to 100% while maintaining my training schedule but that's what I intend to do.
The weather was nice ... warmer than I expected. I extended the Kleinwood Loop to Stuebner-Airline to add an additional mile. I truly ran by "feel" today and maintained a virtually constant pace.
Had a decent stretching series back at the house.
PRE RUN
Homemade fudge and water!!!
POST RUN
SlimFast, oatmeal, multivitamin, & water |
| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
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OBJECTIVE
3 miles : no pace
ACHIEVED
3 miles : 24:26 = (8:09 min./mile)
approx. 5:15 AM 55° 98% 0 mph
I'm not sure what's wrong with my Garmin but, just like Sunday, the battery was tapped before I even started my run ... even though it had been fully charged. I hope this is not the beginning of the end!
First the good news, my ITB's have not bothered me now for a few days. This is great news and hopefully an indicator that I'm on the road to having this problem completely behind me.
Now the bad news, my right half was trouble from the beginning of this run. It was very tight and painful. I had hoped it would loosen up as I warmed up but it didn't.
I gutted out the run with my trusty IronMan watch. I did look at it a couple times .... Enough to know that my pace today was steady over the miles.
Had a decent post run stretch. Did some ITB-specific and general stretches.
PRE RUN
1/2 Clif bar, multivitamin, 800 mg Ibuprofen and water
POST RUN
oatmeal with flaxseed, brown sugar, and cinnamon; water |
| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 4.11 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 4.11 |
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OBJECTIVE
35 minute Tempo : no pace
ACHIEVED
4.11 miles : 35:03 = (8:32 min/mile)
4:22 AM 43° 87% 0 mph
The story of this run once again was my right calf. It started out tight and stayed that way for the whole run. It felt somewhat different than in the past. Today was more of an intense stiffness rather than the deep soreness I've been having. Hopefully that's an indication that it's healing ... ??? ... Or maybe it's an indication it's getting worse ... ???
I finished the timed run. I know that calling it a tempo run with a "no pace" goal doesn't make any sense. Okay, so it was a timed run based on "feel".
I gave myself the day off yesterday. I had the idea of running to make up for the lost day on Tuesday but decided I would be better off resting the right calf.
Good news ... no ITB issues.
Yesterday was our departmental holiday party. Which means we all went to a Mexican restaurant. I REALLY GORGED myself! Not what I planned but it just happened. I'll punish myself for it later. I suppose the sluggishness during today's run was probably a direct result ....
PRE RUN
1/2 Clif bar and water
POST RUN
SlimFast, 800 mg Ibuprofen, multivitamin, Kashi GoLean cereal with skim milk
Later, whole wheat English muffin, poached egg & water
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| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 5.02 | 0.00 | 1.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.02 |
| The Fine Line Between Mental Toughness and Insanity OBJECTIVE 6 miles : no pace ACHIEVED 6.02 miles : 50:40 = (8:25 min/mile) 5:51 AM 62° 86% 1.5 mph It seemed freakishly warm when I walked outside this morning. Maybe just because it's the eve of Christmas Eve with such balmy conditions .... I drove to the Y to run the bayou trail for today's six-miler. About 1/2 mile in, I had thoughts of shutting it down. My right calf was extremely stiff/tight. It seemed to be changing my stride and footfall. It is extremely rare for me to have the thought of stopping once I'm out on a run. Of course, I have slowed down but I nearly always get the distance. I pressed on hoping it would loosen up as it warmed up. This led me to thinking about each person's unique pain threshold. There's really no good way to compare one person's to another's (I think there have been scientific studies on this and, maybe there are ways to truly compare people that I'm not aware of yet.) I believe almost all runners from elite and "masters" hacks like myself have reached that precipice where they have to decide whether they're going to push even more, keep it where it's at, or pull back. For many this probably has occurred during a race. During challenging workouts it also happens. There's only one way to answer the question, "what's on the other side of this 'agony'?". However, there's danger in pressing. Will pushing through the barrier lead to euphoria on the other side or will it lead to injury or the inability to properly recover? This is all a very complex conundrum. Is my training partner feeling the same thing on the eighth repeat that I am? I doubt it. Is his pain tolerance higher than mine? How does my diet or sleep impact what I'm feeling today? None of these questions will be answered today but it did give me something to take my mind off my throbbing right calf. The calf loosened/numbed? slightly over the last half of my run. I picked up my leisurely, calf-mandated pace over the last mile or two as I passed member of the ChampionsFit group going out for their run. My last mile was 7:58. The good news of no ITB issues continues. The calf my be a blessing in disguise since it's keeping the intensity of my runs down .... PRERUN Kashi GoLean cereal with skim milk, water POST RUN SlimFast Later, water, multivitamin, oatmeal with flaxseed, brown sugar, and skim milk. |
| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.01 |
| In Excel - sis De - o OBJECTIVE 3 miles : no pace ACHIEVED 3.01 miles : 23:17 = (7:44 min/mile) 5:42 AM 31° 61% 5 mph Same old story ... I was up for a good run but my right calf wasn't. Happy to lay down negative splits while "singing" Christmas hymns in my head .... PRE RUN 1/2 Clif bar & water POST RUN SlimFast Later, Kashi GoLean w/skim milk; multivitamin, glucosamine, water |
| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 4.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 4.01 |
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OBJECTIVE
4 miles : no pace
ACHIEVED
4.01 miles : 31:46 = (7:55 min/mile)
6:19 AM 34° 81% 0 mph
"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."
Steve Prefontaine
Merry Christmas |
| Night Sleep Time: 8.00 | Nap Time: 3.00 | Total Sleep Time: 11.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 3.30 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.00 | 4.30 |
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OBJECTIVE
4 x hills : no pace
ACHIEVED
4.30 miles : 39:52 = (9:13)
3:08 PM 21° 87% 2 mph; light snow
This was a tough run. I didn't feel very good right from the start. It could have been a dozen things conspiring against me ... lack of proper nutrition or sleep, yesterday's air travel, the cold, the snow, the altitude, whatever ... I didn't have to look hard for excuses ... but I pressed on. I run from my parent's place over the toll bridge and up the huge hill into South Ogden then came back. The hill really slowed my pace! Starting elevation was 4,440' and maxed at 4,737' with almost all of the climb coming over 1 mile. Of course there's nothing close to this at home in Houston. After my heavy-footed and labored start, I considered knocking off at 1.5 miles and coming back but at about the 1.5 mile point I had topped the hill and went on to add another .65 miles as planned.
I thought I was going to be cold but my layers worked out fine and that wasn't a problem at all.
My calf bothered me most be the way and when I came back down the hill I was holding back because I was afraid my ITB's wouldn't appreciate the drop.
All in all, it turned out to be a decent run. I appreciate much better the conditions many of the Fast Running Bloggers run in this time of year! |
| Night Sleep Time: 8.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 8.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 1.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.00 |
| Went to the South Weber Recreation Center today since it was very cold outside. I intended to pound the treadmill but only one was available and Paige took it. I hit the indoor synthetic track (15 laps = 1 mile). My legs were still feeling Wednesday's run on the Adams Toll Road hill - especially my ITB's. So I started by walking 4 laps. I ran 15 laps for a mile but the short, repeated turns weren't kind to my legs so I ended it after a mile. I walked a couple more laps then hit the bike for about 12-15 minutes at a pretty good pace. After the run and cycling, I went through an upper body lifting circuit. I piled on the weight and did every lift for one set to failure. I mixed in 3 sets on the Roman chair which I don't have the benefit of at home. I'm sure my form was bad and it still burned my abs pretty good. |
| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 5.24 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5.24 |
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OBJECTIVE
7 miles : no pace
ACHIEVED
5.24 miles : 46:00 = (8:47 min/mile)
12:46 PM 28° 69% 16 mph
I had very limited time today due to family commitments but was able to work in a pretty good run. Although shorter than I would have liked .... I felt pretty good. I think the biking and lifting yesterday must have "loosened" me up. My legs were markedly improved over how they felt yesterday.
I think the pounding coming down the Adams hill on Wednesday really took a toll on my legs so I decided to run along an old road that kept me in the valley. It was a nice route but about 1.5 miles into it, I found unplowed roads with hard-packed snow and ice. This slowed my pace but that was okay since I wasn't worried about pace today ... just needed some miles.
My sleep and nutrition have not been good while I've been in Utah.
Also, while running it occurred to me that if/when I run the Houston marathon, I should not come to Utah over Christmas that year. Being here takes me out of "training mode" and would probably leave me ill-prepared to run a marathon a couple of weeks later.
PRE RUN
Ginger snaps & water
POST RUN
SlimFast & water
Later, pizza. |
| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 79.29 | 5.34 | 24.44 | 3.10 | 1.00 | 113.17 |
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| Night Sleep Time: 16.00 | Nap Time: 3.00 | Total Sleep Time: 19.00 | |
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