THOU SHALT BE A COMEBACK

8:56 AP.  The usual 4:30am Monday stagger.

6:45 AP.  A little more up, a little more down today.  Treadmill at the Y.  

.5 mile warm up 8:27 pace.  2.5 miles 4% incline 7:30 pace.  5.87 miles -2% decline until my one hour limit 6:27, 6:22, 6:18, 6:15, 6:11, 6:07.  This wasn't hard until about the last two miles it began to feel like a tempo run.

8:29 AP. From the downtown Y along the west side of the river and back--a little more shade for the sticky 91 degrees.

Track trial day.  A storm blew through last night and cooled things off to 75 this morning, but the humidity was 94%.  My quads were a little heavy from Tuesday still, but since running fast on a track is more about my hamstrings and butt they really weren't an issue.  1 mile warm up 9:01.  3 miles in 19:12, 12 seconds faster than last week, but splits were dismal.  I started too fast and promptly died and struggled for the rest of the run.  1:30, 1:32, 1:34, 1:36, 1:36, 1:37, 1:36, 1:38, 1:39, 1:39, 1:38, 1:33.  4 mile cool down 8:16 AP.

8:33 AP.  Ran in the morning after work on the dirt roads by home.  They were pretty muddy from the storms that rolled through last night.  I enjoyed the cooler temps again but the humidity was crazy.  It was fun to have my legs that dirty after a run.

7:48 AP.  I took the privilege of sleeping in through the morning thunderstorm and got started on the back end of it.  The drizzly 78 degrees felt really good.  I ran on the dirt roads around home but did run through to the end of town and back on the sidewalk.  I had my usual 9:02 opening mile and ran pretty slow the first 8 miles and then picked it up a bit, settling into a pace that was aerobically easy but kept the leg turnover strong, which ended up being right around 7:20ish to 7:30ish pace.  Felt great!

8:36 AP.  It was a beautiful, early, early, beautiful morning.  It was only 77 degrees, not as humid as it has been, and very clear and starlit.  Pace was a little better than my usual Monday morning stagger.

7:48 AP.  Ran easy along the river.  It was 78 degrees with a nice south breeze and it felt cool and crisp.  The break from triple digits has been really nice this week!  I felt really, really good.  So, I'm running a half marathon Saturday, first half in a really, really long time.  I have ran more marathons than half marathons I think!  It is a hilly course with a lot of dirt roads, about 600 feet up and about 600 feet down all said and done.  Should be challenging and a good fitness gauge, but it starts at 6:30 am so we may get it all run before temps hit 80.  Hopefully.

Track day.  At 4:30am the storm was brewing and I knew I had limited time so jogged one lap then launched the 3 mile trial.  Total time 19:01, 11 seconds faster than last week.  By lap 8 it had started to sprinkle and the thunder and lightning was getting close.  I considered stopping but decided to be an idiot and run in the storm.  The last two laps it was full blown storming, with some killer wind on the backstretch.  As soon as I was done I bolted to the car for cover and drove to the Y to finish out 4.75 on the treadmill, all at 8:34 pace except the last two quarters I picked up to 7:30 and 6:40 pace to hurry and finish.  Splits for the trial were 1:35, 1:32, 1:33, 1:33, 1:33, 1:35, 1:34, 1:37, 1:37, 1:36, 1:36, 1:35.  I wish I could have seen my watch and known how close I was so I would have had a little incentive to bury that last quarter and get under 19.

8:23 AP.  The alarm went off at 4, but at 69 incredibly wonderfully cool degrees I'm not complaining.  Enjoyed the clear starlit sky, two shooting stars, and a magnificent lightning show well to the south.

8:54 AP.  4:30am.  Ran really easy because I am running a half tomorrow.  I'm not sure how to pace it--it is hilly, a net uphill of like 15 feet or something goofy like that, and runs a lot on gravel roads(that'll feel like home).  I know it's not going to be a persay "fast" course but I want to run a good time and there's really no excuse not to, other than not being fit.  I don't even know what a good time is.  I don't know.  I guess I'll just hope that it stays under 80 degrees and I am feeling "it". If nothing else, it will be a solid hill-training run.

I am pretty happy with this one!  HUGE PR and HUGE breakthrough on a tough course!  Disclaimer, I measured it .08 short per Garmin but a solid sprint would have still put me through under 1:30 so I'm claiming it!  This course rolls and rolls and has a slight net uphill.  Anyways, got there way too early, sat in my car, registered, then warmed up 1 mile at 9:00 with a few very short strides throw in.  It was 98% humidity, but at 65 degrees I felt pretty comfortable.  I felt more than comfortable, I felt good.  It was going to be a good day.  We lined up, prayer, gun, and we're off.  I fell right into position behind the first two guys, third overall, and maintained throughout.  

Miles 1-6:   6:43, 6:56, 6:48, 6:57, 6:41, 6:34.

First 3 miles on gravel, some rolling but nothing major, one big hill in mile 4 moving into town and onto pavement, back onto dirt around mile 6.  I just told myself to run comfortably hard but don't push because I need to save gas for the second half, which is much harder.

7-9:  6:56, 6:56, 6:41

Back on the dirt, a few rollers but still maintaining, still feel good

10-11:  7:12, 7:00

Steep hill, moment of weakness, then recovery

12-13-the end:  6:58, 6:56, then forgot to stop my watch at the end.

This is where the steep little hills just ricochet up and down relentlessly.  My legs were definitely having a harder time getting up but I just kept plugging away and kept the pace suicidal on any opportunity to go down.  Caught up with second place guy, but he mounted a good surge and pulled ahead.  We turned the last corner and the finish line was like right THERE so I sped up but didn't get too much of a sprint.  I saw 1:29 on the clock and was totally pumped.

Never took any fluids or fuel, just ran, avoided looking at my watch.

Talked to the male winner, he ran 1:22 something, has been running a long time and is familiar with local races, he said the course is very though and he thinks my 1:29 is worth 1:25 on a flat course.  I don't think it's quite worth that, maybe 1:27 or so.  Anyways, I have settled my score with this course and I still feel quite good!!!

8:29 AP.  Another early Monday morning.  My legs are not at all tight or sore.  I can't tell I ran a half on Saturday.

7:47 AP.  83 degrees. 65%, dew point 70 degrees. Ran the first 10 easy and last 2 comfortably hard 6:35, 6:48, although that last mile the heat and south wind and little hill got to me and I was pretty uncomfortable.

Worked a 12 hour night shift. Came home, got the kids, brought them to their first day of school.  Slept for 2 hours.  Ran slow with no watch.  It was hot.  Went and visited some home health clients and then picked all the kids up .  Time to collapse.

8:25 AP.  Pulled an Allie and ran at 3:45 am so I could meet my carpool by 6.

8:17 AP.  Took it easy at lunchtime from the downtown Y along the river.  It was 95 degrees to start and who knows at the finish.  I'm looking forward to 18 tomorrow at dark thirty in the cool, thick humidity.

7:57 AP. Great run today!  Hooked up early for a leisurely start with Shane and Mark, met up with Winston, Scott, and Eric about 6 miles in, started picking it up slightly around mile 10, last 4 6:38, 6:39, 6:47, 6:37--felt surprisingly strong and comfortable for this.  Hit the gatorade bottle twice and other then that ran through.  Aft first it was 80 degrees and humid but then the rain started and cooled things off into the 70s for the rest of the run and the cold light rain really helped things feel better.

7:51 AP.  80 degrees, overcast, and and drizzly with a south breeze.  It felt cool and refreshing and I really had to keep holding the reigns in because my legs wanted to go faster.

7:59 AP. Supposed to be 10 easy plus 2 hard.  I noticed  a little shin splint in my left leg, it is down on the lower lateral side of the shin, nowhere near where my stress fractures where.  I have since poked, prodded, hopped off 2 foot walls onto concrete, bounced and bounded, and determined that it does not feel or act like a stress fracture.  Impact does not hurt.  Flexing my foot is what reproduces pain, and the pain disappears when I run fast because my footstrike moves forward and I don't flex as much.  Still, it is there and it bothers me.  I have been so careful.  I have run easy, made sure I recovered, never pushed or gotten sore.  Everything has felt great, I really haven't been sore at all, haven't pushed the envelope.  It doesn't seem fair to have this.  Anyways I ran my 10 easy and then mile 11 in 6:24, then kinda had a meltdown freaking out about the shin and shut it down and jogged in.    No need to push mentally or physically.  We shall see how it does with easy jogging and some ice the next few days.  There is a chance it is just an ambulance bite, because I did notice a little scratch in the area.  Sometimes I hit my legs and get bruises jostling in the back of the rig and don't notice until the next day.  If that is so, then it is just a little hematoma under the skin that gets sore with jostling, and will go away quickly.  I'm encouraged that impact is no bother, but discouraged that anything hurts at all.  My plane tickets and entry fees to Saint George are non-refundable.  I want to cry.

After a lot of research and more poking and prodding, I think this may all be from tying my shoe to tight that day.  Shin splint is about 70% gone today. I decided that a few days of crosstraining now may save me heartache later.  Sooo...

am.  one hour recumbent bike

pm: 20 minutes cybex bike.  jogged  a few laps on the indoor track, felt pretty alright.  10 minutes elliptical.  10 minutes rowing machine.  stretching.  deep painful self-massage--felt great afterward though.  One more day of crosstraining, then I am going on a normal run.  Hoping for 100% gone tomorrow.  I am more and more confident that this is a fluke and will disappear quickly.

6:47 AP.  Before you ask what I was thinking running like that on a shin splint, let me explain!  Since the pain reproduces by flexion of the foot at a certain angle, and downhill running minimizes flexion, then theoretically it should be pain free.  Sooo, I tried it out...Voila!  No pain running downhill!  After continuing research I am 99.9% sure of my self-diagnosis.  On that bad day, I tied my shoe too tight, which caused a slight but far-reaching effect on my footstrike and pronation.  This alteration angered my tendon and muscle on the lateral side of my shin.  If I had a stress fracture, the workout I did today would have been excruciatingly impossible. In fact, it was quite comfortable and I had no increases in pain.  I am going to proceed carefully forward with my aggressive shin splint self-rehab program(with more loosely tied shoes!) and am hoping the inflammation will ride itself out in a few weeks.  

Treadmill at the downtown Y over lunch.  .5 mile warm up 8:34 pace.  2.5 miles up 4% incline 7:30 pace.  5 miles down -2% 6:22, 6:18, 6:15, 6:11, .5 at 6:07, .5 at 5:56.   Gentle calf and shin stretching.  Self-ART, wrapping my hands around my ankle and driving my thumbs in hard and painfully into the shin muscle and dragging up while gritting my teeth and grimacing.  Toe points up and down, circles in and out with my feet, a little heel walking, ice, hot shower, supportive tape.  Walked out of the Y with the shin feeling better than when I had walked in.

And in other news, I was contacted by our local running store about a racing team they are putting together, that may involve some sponsorship--information meeting Sunday evening.  I am looking forward to hear what they are proposing.

8:34 AP.  Shin is about 90% back to normal!  Ran on the dirt roads near home.  Didn't feel my shin during the run.  Stretching, toe points, alphabet circles, deep massage(this and heel walking is the only thing that induces pain now), hot shower, a little tape, and off to work.

7:42 AP.  Great run!  Went with the GoRun East group.  Took it pretty easy from the start, started naturally picking it up around 10, then started my final 4 tempo uphill on the first mile 6:51, 6:35, 6:35, 6:37.  No problems from the shin-whatever it was it's going away!  Afterwards stretching, toe points and circles, deep massage on the shin(this is the only thing that hurts) and some fruit.  Felt pretty smooth and controlled during the tempo although I was tired at the end.  Temps were 70 something at the start and it was pretty humid.

*3 years since I had my last cigarette*

34 days to SGM.  Watching my diet really close now on the final countdown--if it's not nutritious, it's not going in my mouth.

will be attempting sub-3.  There.  I said it.

8:16 AP. Easy along the river at lunch. 91 degrees but the south breeze made it feel cooler.

9:13 AP.  94 degrees.  Worked all night.  Brought the kids to school, slept 4 hours, then stumbled out of bed to run on my shadeless dirt roads.  It was more of a stagger than anything else.

6:57 AP.  Treadmill at the Y.  I decided to combine my midweek 12 with my hill workout since I work nights Friday, Saturday, Sunday.  My long run will have to be Friday before work.  I did a sorta simulation of SGM miles 7-19.

.75 warm-up flat 8:34 pace

1.25 up 4% 7:30 pace(Veyo)

1 mile decline -2% 6:40 pace

2 miles incline 4% 7:30 pace(Dammeron)

7 miles decline -2% 6:40, 6:40, 6:35, 6:31, 6:27, 6:22, 6:18

The 6:35 to 6:40 miles feel like a marathon pace on a decline.  Under 6:30 is too fast for marathon pace.  I hope 6:40 pace feels like MP at SGM. 

So, I have to retire the green shirt.  I will now be wearing my black and white GoRun racing team shirt for all races.  It's a cool deal though.  I represent at races, promote the store, show up at group runs and clinics(which I do when I can anyway) and I get 4 pairs of shoes, singlet, shorts, and race entry fees.  They said we could think about it and I was like "WHERE DO I SIGN!?"