Use it or Lose it

SW Day: Ran a warm-up mile, then

1/4, 1/4, 3/4, 3/4, 1/4, 1/4 @ 6.5 mph (TM 1.5%)

1/8 mile recovery jog after the 1/4 mile reps
1/4 mile recovery jog after the 3/4 mile reps

Then ran easy for the rest of my run.  Did two sets post running stretches. 

Next week I'll either repeat this SW, or I might add another 3/4 mile rep.  The following week I will try to increase one or more of the 3/4 mile reps to 1 mile reps. 

(In about a month I'll try introducing some faster speeds into my SW.  Maybe try 10 reps of one minute hard (7 mph), one minute easy (slow jog), followed by some longer reps of 1/2 mile to a mile at 6.5 mph.)

I'm still hacking and coughing a lot, but think the worst of my cold is over.  I was sweating a whole lot more than usual during today's workout - I must be sweating all those darn germs!!! 

Just a short easy run before work. 
3 miles at 5.5 mph (TM 1.5%).  Two sets post-running stretches afterwards.

Hill workout - warmed up for 1.25 miles at 5mph (TM 1.5%), then:

Started at 5.5 mph with a 1.5% incline, then adjusted the incline every 1/4 mile as follows:

1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 4.5, 4, 3.5, 3, 2.5, 2, 1.5, 1, .5, 0%

Then I cooled down for 1/2 mile at 5mph (TM 1.5%).  This was different from my last hill workout where I ran 1/4 mile hill repeats.  This was more of a sustained effort - I would call it a "tempo hill workout" if such a name exists. (I must confess, it got pretty hard in the middle, and I took three 10-15 second breathers after the 4.5, 5, and 4.5% sections.)  Logged all mileage over 4% as "fast miles" as the effort level was comparable to fast running.

Had a weird thing happen at the beginning of my post running stretches.  Had just stretched my calfs, then started stretching my quads (standing on one leg pulling the foot on my other leg back towards my butt), and I got an excruciating intense pain near the inner bone 3-4 inches below my right knee of the leg I was stretching.  It was debillitating and almost unbearable - I could not stand on it, or move it without it HURTING BAD!  I was thinking crap, is this a stress fracture?!  The pain started subsiding after a minute so I hobbled to the stairs and gingerly started stretching my hamstrings, the pain subsided more, and after about 5 minutes the pain was ENTIRELY GONE!  Well, I finished my stretches (except for my quads), took an ibuprofen just in case, showered up and went to work.  The only think I can think is that I somehow pinched a nerve??  Some weird combination of leaning forward hard to stretch my calfs, then torquing something during the one legged quad stretch??  Well, I'll be more careful next time for sure.  Am so glad the pain went away - hope it never  returns!

Just a short run outdoors - past city creek a ways.  Easy pace.  Got to hurry into work now!

8 outdoor loop to SE corner of capital, then to the 1.5 mile marker in city creek canyon, then home.  Did a 1 mile cool down on TM once I got home because I was breathing hard from running uphill to my house. I felt good running today -  I think it helped that I fueled well with a peanut butter & honey sandwich and juice about an hour before running.  

It was really cool - I was running up city creek canyon and a coyote loped along with me for a couple minutes - he was on the hillside about 100 yards from the road.  I howled at him a couple times, but I don't think he was as impressed as I was!!

Need to do some stretches now. . .