Chaire Herodikos Selymbriaios!

First competitive race (ever!), felt pretty good about it. 7:30 has been my usual pace, and it was nice to come just under that in race conditions. The course was pretty hilly (full marathoners complained on the bus) but running up Queen Anne hill in Seattle seems to have worked--I felt OK on the inclines.

Main concern at this point is staying power. Kind of lost steam the last two miles or so, and since I've been training at around 25 miles a week, it's clear I'll have to increase that pretty quickly between now and marathon day at the end of July.

Took a couple days off after the race. My lower left calf is still feeling very stiff, but that's the only lasting soreness. Will keep an eye on it--same calf went into spasm when I was taking my shoes off on Sunday. Poor stretching, I think.

Went about as fast today as I felt comfortable, just over 7:30 (ran a new course, and don't have the milestones figured out precisely yet). 6.5 miles was 0:52. Starting speedwork at the track this weekend, until then will just go at the usual pace.

Same route as yesterday. Calf was really tight when I started out, then it loosened up at mile 4 so I pounded Madison, feeling pretty darn good. 50:55.

First speed workout ever. 4x400 with intermediary cooldown laps at half speed (ok, the first two were more or less walking). No idea about pace, so after a light run to the track and stretches I did a lap at about marathon pace. Seemed to go fine, so I thought I'd turn it up a notch. Cave dominus videt!

Splits:

1 - 1:13 (dying!)

2 - 1:15 (gorge in my throat!)

3 - 1:22 (tasting that yogurt and granola!)

4 - 1:20 (put a fork in me!)

Clearly there are some conditioning issues. Before we left the track my 80-year-old stepfather challenged me to a 200 (he did it in 0:45, which I find pretty impressive)

Postscript: Thinking about it now, while I definitely have to work on tolerating elevated HR, I wonder if part of the problem wasn't my breathing. I was still doing the 3-2 pattern I use for strenuous (e.g. hilly) long distance, and there was probably some extra anoxia, which would have contributed to the nausea I think. So maybe it's technique as well as conditioning.

Blakely route. Very hilly. Took it pretty easy, hoping to avoid a recurrence of shinsplint issues after my first 30 mile week. Wyatt and Eagle Harbor (2.5 mi) 19:00; Eagle Harbor and far outlet of Rose Loop (4.12 mi) 40-something; Blakely and Oddfellows Road (7.65 mi)-1:02 something. Just before I hit Hall's Hill (6.3 mi) my HR, whatever it was, was just peachy--felt like I could run forever. Nice timing! Recovered "Good HR Feeling" pretty quickly after ninety seconds of, like, 25-thousand percent grade, which seems encouraging. Great view (7.3 mi) of sunny Rich Passage after the early-morning rain.

Overall time 1:41-something (button error before the cool-down lap), for 8-minute pace.

I'm thinking it could be a good idea to space out speedwork and long runS. Legs felt a little cranky after a couple miles on the track yesterday. Maybe Wed mornings would be better than Sat. Experimenting with icing the left shin right after shower, will see if that helps.

Update - Shins fine. Heel sore.

On the treadmill to give the heel a rest. 1.25 mi s l o w l y to the gym, 1.25 at 8:00 pace (HR up to 160 stabilized at 154), then 5k at 6:40 pace (HR up to 170 stabilized around 167). Somewhat strenuous, but not much problem sustaining it.

Heel isn't bruised, must be a muscular or tendon issue. Doesn't seem too serious, probably needs more stretching. Rest day tomorrow. Bicycle commute!

Training accident: drank a sprite in the late am. Haven't had any refined sugar in ages, and the extra miles have clearly changed the way I process it while at rest. Not fun, particularly before I figured out what was going on. Moral: avoid refined sugar.

Biked 20 miles @ 18-20mph except Broad St. hill.

Waving the brown shirt today--looks like I've signed up with the Fasciitis-isti. Stretching the arch doesn't seem to help much, and since I've been running hills with few problems since I got back from Switzerland I'm betting it's the new shoes. Recommendations from the crowd for a new make&model (slight over-pronator) would be gratefully accepted. Seems to go away after the first mile or so, but I definitely feel it before and afterwards.

In a nod to orthopedic reality went a sludge-slow 8:45. Had planned to run Grand Forest, but after zestfully zipping around a couple of loops I realized that uneven ground and steep inclines probably weren't the best thing for the heel at this point, so did two laps around the Little League ballfield (poor first baseman totally botched a grounder as I rounded right field) and called it a night.

Splits - 5x ballfield = 10:00

Today's run started out as a funeral procession and ended up as Mardi Gras. Babied the foot all day then got home and taped it up good. Ran about fifty feet before it started to throb, then ache, then something worse. Stopped after about half a mile, put my tail between my legs and started to walk home. Suddenly it felt better. Broke into a jog again--same thing. Started to walk again. Better. Finally I just said screw it, and kept on going at the Plantar Pace out to the ballfield. Must have stretched out or something, or maybe the foot settled into the tape job, or a combination of the two, because after 1.7 miles of cautious sluggery I hit the field running at a really good clip and just started flying (for me anyway) at a 6:45 pace. Running on the grass felt great. Did five laps and chugged on home at about 7:25, even going into a kick on the last 400m. Cooldown lap around the garden and wouldn't you know it, all in all I feel like a pretty satisfied customer. Total time 40:00.

Biked 20 mi @18-20mph except Broad St and Eastlake hills.

Sigh. This mission is scrubbed. Plantar really burning + favoring right leg mucking up mechanics. On the elliptical until inflammation goes down. Alas and alack!

Lessons:

1) Shouldn't have run track and hills back to back.

2) Should have paid more attention to creaky foot in the morning.

In retrospect looks like a generic overtraining injury rather than a shoe problem, but maybe I'll take advantage of the hiatus to go shopping.

Bike ride tomorrow out to Point No Point.

Met DG at the ferry for year's first real ride, out to Twin Spits via Suquamish, Port Gamble and Hood Canal. Sweet day: overcast with sunbreaks in the early AM resolving to wispy upper-atmospheric doodads around noon. Rather miffed about the foot and cranked fairly hard on the rollers and headlands--by the time my quads have recovered enough for serious running the plantar'll be fine!

Dropped DG off at Kingston dock and ran into Bill Abbey of the West Sound Cycling Club on the way home.

64.95 mi avg 16.2 mph

Elliptical 45 min resistance 11 avg HR 143

Walked 3 mi

6 x 30 sec towel pulls

6 x 30 sec table leans

20 toe curls

15 min frozen bottle roll

Took a while to stretch out the injured foot this morning, and I could feel my ankle getting sore from having changed my gait to accomodate it. Once I corrected that walking felt good until the last half mi when the heel started swelling up a bit. Basically I feel some improvement, but can tell that it's not ready for full speed on hard surfaces. Water running this week, then will see how it feels on the ballfield at a moderate pace next weekend.