Bret

Back in ATL from St. Pete.  Headed home on New Years Day to avoid traffic - so no running the last two days because of scheduling and not having access to the Alter G.  I did cross training today on the indoor rowing machine and indoor cycling trainer - which I equate to approximately 7 miles of running.  Plan  to stay off of running for a while until the foot issues are completely resolved.  No practical access to Alter G treadmills in ATL (too far to drive; inconvenient hours and much more expensive) I will cross train instead.

No running or cross training today.

AM - early start this morning with cross training equivalent miles in rowing and indoor cycling.  This is a full week of not running on full body weight.  Last week I did 3 days of Alter G running at 50% or less of body weight running - ending on Wednesday.  So following that, it has been 5 days of no running at all.  Foot actually feels quite a bit better.  Not 100% yet though.  My plan is to get to 100% and then give it a few more days.  It will be a challenge - for sure.

AM - same cross training as yesterday - perhaps with a bit more effort.

AM - same as yesterday.

AM - same again as the day before.  Was thinking I could consider a run to test the foot by the weekend - but was hoping there'd be 100%, not even the hint of anything happening by now; but alas that's not yet the case.  Patience.

AM - 6000 meters of indoor rowing, then 2 miles of running/jogging on the golf course, then 6 miles of indoor cycling - for an appoximate equivalent of 8 miles of running more or less.   I failed to keep myself from testing the foot for a run until the weekend or thereafter; what is it about me or about runners in general that makes it so difficult to resist going out to run either when injured or recovering from injury? Anyway, it was rainy and the grass on the course was soft - I jogged and walked for a bit until I felt as though the foot would be ok - which for the most part it was.  Still something going on there but it was not "painful" or causing any diminishment in strength or change in gait. 

PM - so I tried running again this afternoon - this time with the vibrams on the golf course.  First 50 meters I thought I was going to bag it, but as the muscles in the foot warmed - it felt better and I ended up going for about 4 miles.  I did some drills at various point - side step, backwards, high knees, butt kicks, skip/bounding and karaoke - the latter of which seemed to somehow loosen things up.   Foot was tight/painful as I walked back to the house and switched shoes for indoor rowing.  But as I stretching and manipulated the foot the pain kinda switched from an injury pain to just a sore/fatigue kind of sensation. Taking that as a good sign.  Did around 6000 meters of rowing too.

PM - a little over 6 miles on the treadmill yesterday.  Still having issues with PF but seem to be managing it with good stretching in warming up - and then lots of post run active release type of self massage.

AM - early start to the day - with work meetings all week.  Very cold outside in the low 20's so I stayed on the treadmill and did some indoor rowing as well.

AM - another early start 3.5 miles on the treadmill before another full day of management meetings and team building.

AM - early start again - treadmill and some indoor rowing before work.

PM - 6 miles on the treadmill after work.

Day of travel - day of rest. 

PM - 7.5 miles late afternoon in Asheville.  Took Tracy to stay for the long weekend at the Inn at the Biltmore.  Ran along the French Broad River and trails up to the mansion.  Chilly out but a  decent easy run.  

PM - Got a dusting of snow in the early morning hours in Asheville and cooler temps and winds so I did not head outdoors; instead I did a little over 6 miles on the treadmill at the Inn fitness center while Tracy was getting a spa - treatment massage.  I watched Carolina eek out the victory over Seattle in the second half.

PM - 7 miles on the treadmill back at home.

AM - 2 miles plus some indoor rowing for an easy start this morning before work.

PM - 4 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime - turned it into an impromptu short tempo after the first mile or so to elevate the HR.  

PM - 7 miles on the treadmill at the gym next to my office.  The gym must be doing a promotional video or something more significant because there was an entire crew of about 30-40 people with equipment and camera etc; which was fine except they were shooting in the area of the treadmills and had "actors" using the machines I like to use - and so I was relegated to inferior equipment - and it was a bit distracting with production crew milling about and directors shouting "action!" ever few minutes.  

Saw this post elsewhere - even though it seems to be an ad for running wear - I like the film - https://www.tracksmith.com/nodaysoff-film

AM - 2 miles easy on the treadmill and some indoor rowing before work.

PM - 5 more miles on the treadmill at lunchtime.

PM - 10 miles on the treadmill very easy - slow but enjoyable run.

PM - 7 miles on the treadmill at an uptempo pace.  Dusting to maybe an inch of snow over night - but super windy outside today.

PM - 10 miles very slow and easy on the treadmill. 

AM - 3 miles easy with some indoor rowing before work.

PM - 6 more miles at lunch - slightly faster effort.

AM - 4 miles on the treadmill and some indoor rowing before work. Have to travel late today - not sure if I will get a second run in or not.

AM - in DC on business - decided not to attempt a run outside with snow melt still underway and many sidewalks a slushy/icy mess - 8 or more miles on the treadmill in the hotel.  My youngest daughter's birthday is today - she turns 20.  I now no longer have any teen-aged children...

PM - 10 miles on the treadmill after work.

PM - 4 miles tempo effort on the treadmill, with a mile warm up and mile cool down.  

PM - 9 miles outdoors to day - really pleasant weather in the 60's.  Ran about 4 or so miles then connected with Delaney and Riley who were home for the weekend, and we ran about 3.5 miles together with Finn on the Milton Trail and then I ran the rest of the way home.  Foot hurts on downhills on the roads - but grass or trails are good. 

Somewhat planned day of rest.

AM - 2 miles on the treadmill before work (limited time).

PM - 8 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime - somewhat up tempo.

PM - 10 easy miles on the treadmill.  

PM - 7 miles on the treadmill after work. 

PM - 10 miles easy on the treadmill after work

AM - decent tempo effort on the treadmill this morning - 2 mile warm up then 5.5 miles at tempo (which is still relatively slow) with a short cool down.  Faster pace than last week at the same HR - with more consistency - and longer effort.  Good progress.  Foot:  no worse, no better.

PM - 13 miles slow on the treadmill. 

PM - 3.5 miles on the golf course with Finn.  SB party at my house those evening - so very little time to squeeze in any miles today.  

PM - 8 miles on the treadmill at lunch at about 1/2 effort - decent pace progress on the same treadmill week over week at the same HR.  

PM - 10 miles easy on the treadmill at lunchtime on a snow-flurried day.

PM - 8 miles on the tm - same effort as Monday.

PM - 11 miles on the treadmill after work.  Bit of a grind today.  

PM - tempo run on the treadmill at lunchtime.  Effort was consistent or slightly faster than last week, and a little longer - 6 miles.  

PM - roughly 14 miles; first half with Finn outside and the rest indoors on the treadmill.  Not feeling all that great today.  

PM - 9 miles with Finn this afternoon- mostly on the golf course and the sides of roads.  Longest run ever for him.   

PM - just time for 5 miles on the treadmill at lunch.  

AM - couple of miles after some indoor rowing before work.

PM - 7 more miles at lunchtime.

AM - indoor rowing and 2 miles on the treadmill before work.

PM - tried doing a workout at lunchtime on the treadmill.  4 x 800 @5k pace with an 800 rest/jog between.  Not too bad.  Foot hurt a bit, but no more than it has been. 

PM - 6 miles on the golf course after work with Finn - then 4000 meters of indoor rowing.

AM - 2 miles on the treadmill with some indoor rowing before work.

PM - long run 16.5 miles.  Felt decent for about 2/3 of it but the foot fatigued into a bit more pain and made the rest a grind.  

PM - 5000 meters of indoor rowing along with some treadmill running.  Thought after yesterday's long run that I would need the day off to give the foot a rest - but 24 hours I guess was sufficient - and I actually felt better today than I did yesterday on my run.

Unplanned day of rest - Work schedule today simply left little or no time for a run today.

AM - 2 miles with some indoor rowing before work.  

PM - lunchtime - workout.  2 mile warm up then 5 miles at MP on the treadmill - avg pace 6:53.  1 mile cool down.  Used some Sportscream on the foot before I started and it actually helped quite a bit.  I felt good on this workout.  Self diagnosis is inter-metatarsal bursitis.  Thinking I need an anti-inflammatory / steroid injection in the effected area.  Scheduled to see the doc on Friday.  

PM - around 9 miles on the treadmill at lunch.  Have a slight cold - rather unenjoyable run.

PM - a couple miles on the hotel treadmill in Philly.  

AM - only time for 3 miles on the hotel treadmill before business meetings today.

PM - 10 miles on the treadmill at the gym next to my office.  Saw the doctor today about the foot - He thinks it is peroneus tertius tendonitis.  Got some cortisone injected and had a decent - relatively pain-free effort.  Evidently the tendon is "supplemental" and if it were to atrophy as a result of too much cortisone - the doctor said he could just remove the tendon entirely.  Who knew.

AM/PM - long run of just under 20 miles - started mid morning and finished after lunchtime.  Chilly but pleasant sunny weather - foot tolerated the run much better than last week with the cortisone injection.  I am still fighting a cold so I kept the pace slow - which meant I was out for a long time.  

PM - so I wanted to take Finn for a run today, but it was so nice outside, that the golf course would be crowded with golfers and not conducive for a dog run; instead we ran around the neighborhood with a shorter distance in mind since he normally runs on grass.  For training, I was planning an easy 8-10 miles but once we got going and my foot felt up to it, we ended up with a bit of a short progression run with the last 2 miles at sub 7 pace - and really had fun.  So - less miles, better quality and more fun with my dog for an enjoyable afternoon.  

PM - traveled to Palo Alto today for business meetings tomorrrow.  Headed out later in the day for a run, which turned into an impromtu tempo/hill effort as I explored the area and found myself on the Standford Dish Hike - which was really pretty scenic and steep.  Great views from the top.

AM - 5.5 miles easy and early around the neighborhood trails in Palo Alto before a day of business meetings.

AM - very early morning run around the somewhat sketchy area near the airport hotel in SFO - there appeared to be a path/promenade along the bay, but it was not well lit and went behind some older / abandon looking buildings and so I just ran around the safest parts to get a run in before a long flight back home.

PM - had a good workout today.  6 x 800 at what worked out to 2:57 avg with an equal rest between each, and then finished with a mile at 5:56 - all on the treadmill.  Warm up and cool down.  All things are relative of course - I don't know if this TM is properly calibrated, but I do run on this one a lot - and so by comparison to other workouts and runs on it, this is a good/high effort with solid improvement on times that I did not think I would see too much anymore.  

PM - about 7.5 miles on the treadmill after work with some indoor rowing. 

Unplanned day of rest/no running.

PM - just enough time for a moderately quick and hilly 6 miles with Finn on a really pleasant afternoon.

PM - 10 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime.

PM - felt a bit tired / fatigued today - so just easy 6.  The effort yesterday while classified as "easy" was more like steady-state and combined with the quick run on Sunday - perhaps is the reason I am dragging today. 

PM - tempo of 7 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime.  Felt much more rested than yesterday.  Pleased with the effort - avg pace was 6:35.

AM - in Cleveland today on business - ran a few miles on the hotel treadmill - dreary rainy/foggy day.

PM - 10 miles at lunchtime.  

PM - 5 miles today after spending the late morning at Piedmont Park with the dog and then the Atlanta St Patrick's Day parade.   Headed back down this evening for a Shakespearean play - Much Ado About Nothing.  

PM - 20 miles on the treadmill with a fast finish for the last 3 miles. Good effort today. 

AM - some indoor rowing and an easy 3.5 miles or so on the golf course in the dark (thanks DLS) with Finn before work.  Travel later today.

AM - 7 very slow miles in Richmond VA this morning - rainy and cool.  Foot was particularly sore today - probably DOMS from Sunday's long run - I hope. 

AM - a few miles before work.

PM - 5 more after work. 

PM - good workout.  10 x 800 with an equal rest/jog averaged 2:53 per rep on the treadmill.  

AM - 5 easy miles. 

PM - 6 miles with some indoor rowing.  

Planned day of rest.

AM - 4 easy miles with some indoor rowing before work.

AM - 3 miles and indoor rowing before work.  Expected to get a second run in yesterday, but the day got away from me.  Hope to keep on track with a second run today.

PM - good workout - treadmill tempo after work - 9 miles avg pace 6:35-6:40. 

PM - 6 miles easy after work.  

PM - 7.5 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime.  Although the temperature outside is nice enough - the pollen count is really high; like all of the cars have a yellow /green dusting of powder on them if they sit outside for a short time - and I just did not feel like breathing it today - so I stayed indoors on the treadmill.

PM - 6 miles easy. 

PM - 19 miles - bit of a grinder of a run. Never felt terrible but never felt very good either.    

PM - 9 miles on an Easter afternoon of dog and light rain.  Good run compared to yesterday.  

PM - 5 miles at lunch - just enough time to squeeze it in today.

AM - 3 miles easy with some indoor rowing.

PM - another 7 at lunchtime - felt slow and lousy. 

PM - decent workout - 2 x 2 miles at HM pace - with an 800 rest between.  Avg'd 6:27 for the first rep and 6:22 for the second one - though my HR was pretty high on the second one.  These were on the treadmill since yesterday felt so bad outside - I think although I don't have symptomatic allergies to the high springtime pollen - it might have had something to do with feeling off.  

Saw someone in Piedmont Park running with one of these breathing masks a couple of weeks ago.  http://www.muscleandfitness.com/features/gear/breathing-easier-training-mask-better-cardio

While the science suggests that it won't duplicate altitude training - it may filter out pollen.

PM - 7.5 miles easy recovery type pace.

Unplanned day of rest.  Extremely long and busy work day and then family stuff in the evening.

PM - total of about 11 miles including a long hike in the Chattahochee National Park - Raven Cliffs Falls area with Tracy and two of my girls, one of their boyfriends and my dog who was the trail blazer.

PM - some easy miles and finished with tempo miles - at marathon pace.

PM - in DC on a business conference and bumped into my friend Ken - and so we ran before dinner on the Rock Creek Park trail for about 6 miles in light rain. 

AM - 5.5 chilly miles out and back on the Rock Creek Parkway and along the river.  Temps in the 20's and teens with the wind chill.  Hearty souls out with crew teams on the Potomac.   Tough running uphill and into the wind coming back.  

PM - 3.5 more miles on the golf course with Finn after returning from DC this evening.

PM - good workout.  3 x 1 mile with 2 min rest between reps on the treadmill.  6:06, 5:57 and 5:53 were my splits.  HR was super high - but got these done.  Could have done one or two more if I'd had time.

No running today - but a good amount of walking - as I got to check off a bucket list item - by attending the first round of the Masters at Augusta National.   Really cool experience.  

PM - 5 easy on the treadmill after work.  Felt fine - just did not feel like running today.  

PM - 6 miles on the treadmill- foot was hurting a good bit more this week.  

Foot hurt a lot this morning and yesterday after the run - so I took the day off.

Indoor rowing - foot improving - but took another day off.  Seeing the dr. tomorrow.

PM - saw the doctor this morning got another injection in the foot.  Felt great - so I went for a short run on the treadmill - and it was quite tolerable.  As I sit here typing though, it hurts now in the area of the injection but not where the pain previously was located.  Probably should have waited a bit more time before running - like a day or more for the cortisone to settle in.  With the prior injection I only waited a few hours and had no problem  so, it seemed liked it would be fine... Maybe just have a bruise where he poked the needle around - Perhaps things will improve with time.

Giving the foot some rest.

AM - 3 easy miles with  the dog this morning to test the foot.  It's not without discomfort - but it is also not so bad that its not functional.  Need to make a decision regarding next Monday in Boston. Know it won't be a fast time - the question is whether make sense to go.   Oh yeah, sore throat began yesterday too. 

AM - 3 miles with some striders.  Foot not very cooperative.  Head cold not helpful either.  Richie let me know late today that work commitments will prevent him from running on Monday; so without him going, I think I am going to pull the eject lever too.  No fun by myself if I know I am less than 100% healthy.  It would be a grind.

Sick -  hurt - no running.  Trying to heal.

No running - just healing.

AM - 4000 meters of indoor rowing and a few minutes on the bike /indoor trainer.  No running.

AM - 3000 meters of indoor rowing - and equal time on the bike.  Cold symptoms nearly gone.  Foot pain is still significant particularly after a period of inactivity - such as getting out of bed in the morning (stiff, weak and painful) - but improves functionally after the tendons are warm.  Gonna give this some time to resolve itself before resuming running. 

PM - swam about 1000 meters - the ventilation for the indoor pool is either poor or I have some inner-ear issue going on - as I actually got nauseous - as if motion sick after I finished with the workout.

AM - in San Francisco on business today.  Got an hour in on the elliptical.  Although it is no impact - it did engage the foot tendons a bit - but I think it was ok to not do any harm or exacerbation of the tendonitis.  I like the ellipticals called AMT's - adaptive motion trainers - for getting my HR in the right range to equate to a run - but otherwise very much dislike the equipment as it feels unnatural and robotic.

Travel day back from the west coast.  no running or cross training.

PM - 5000 meters of indoor rowing and then 30 mins on the AMT elliptical in the gym.

PM - 25 miles of cycling.  Really nice day out - discovered how NOT in shape I am to be cycling particularly on steep hills.  Foot still not good.

PM - about 15 miles of cycling - beautiful day outside - and the effort was less taxing than yesterday - although obviously a good bit shorter.  

No activity - running or cross training.  Long workday and business dinner following.

AM - cross training.  Indoor rowing and cycling on the indoor trainer before work. 

AM - 2 miles of jogging on the golf course before work followed by some indoor rowing.  Spent a good while doing self massage and trigger point release of the peroneal muscles on the anterior and lateral side of my lower leg yesterday - which remarkably resulted in a significant decrease in pain and discomfort in the foot where the peroneal brevis and peroneal tertius tendons meet at the stylus of the 5th metatarsal. Good enough to try a run this morning even.  Did some stretching of the peroneal muscles before going out and fair amount of foam rolling after I finished.  Fingers crossed - I am on the mend.

No running - travel day to Gainesville. 

AM - 2 easy miles in Gainesville- daughter number 2 graduates today from the University of Florida.  Magna Cum Laude - communications degree and minors in French and Italian.  Really proud of Miss Riley.  

AM - 3 miles in Gainesville this morning.  Really do not miss this humidity and heat.  

No running - travel late

In flight - lost a day going to India 

Solid day of meetings and events with 4 hours of sleep ...

AM - Bangalore time - easy 5k on the treadmill.  

AM - just short of 5k on the treadmill in Bangalore.  Heading home in the morning tomorrow.  

Zero running.  20 hours of flight time back to the States.  

No running.  Family hosted a cookout for our church.  

AM - about 3 miles on the golf course with the Vibrams.  Experimenting with what may result in the least amount of problems with the foot. This actually was pretty good.  Minimal post run issues too.  

AM - 3.5 miles with the vibrams on the golf course followed by some indoor rowing.  Pleased with how this feels with the foot issue.  Actually a little surprised that it is working so well.

AM - in Philly today for a meeting.  No options for a golf course or turf run - and rain was threatening - so I went to the hotel gym.  Started out on the eliptical - but had foot discomfort, so I removed my shoes and continued without really any discomfort.  I shifted to the treadmill with just socks on my feet with no shoes and did an easy mile - felt great.   Need to figure out if my issue is with my current footwear (Saucony Kinvara) or with shoes in general.  More likely the former.

AM - just about 3 miles on the golf course this morning before work in the Vibrams.

AM - 3.5 miles in some new vibrams on the golf course (got a blister on one of my feet from the new vibrams).

PM - 5000 meters of indoor rowing and some weights, sit ups and stretching at lunchtime.

PM - 3 miles in the vibrams on the treadmill. 

PM - 4.5 miles on the golf course (vibrams).  

AM - 4.5 miles on the golf course.  So after a week of running - it appears that I can run with the least amount of discomfort in the foot if I use the vibrams on the turf.  Not pain- free, but quite nearly.  I tried on 4 different pairs of shoes at the running store and tested them all - ranging from an 8 mm drop to a 4.  The less the drop, the better the foot felt.  I even tried two Hoka models.  So I will continue to stay with what's working.  

Was up part of the night with either a stomach bug, or a GI issue with something I ate the night before.  No running today. 

AM - feeling better this morning but it was raining with lightning outside, so I did 4 miles in the Vibrams on the treadmill.  Tried on a pair of Altra's yesterday - for the zero drop - with cushion, but was not feeling like it was a real solution so I did not buy them. 

PM - did another 3.5 miles or so on the indoor track at the gym since it is a softer surface - used the vibrams there too.

AM - 4 very slow miles on the golf course this morning.  Perhaps the second run yesterday sapped my legs a bit.  No drive this morning.

PM - lunchtime - ran about 2.5 miles more or less on the indoor track at the gym, but was getting a blister from the new pair of vibrams on the left foot - (which is weird because yesterday, I had no issue with a blister there at all) - and so I shortened what I thought I would run and instead did some indoor rowing followed by some extended foam rolling and stretching.

PM - 5 miles on the treadmill at the gym - wearing vibrams.  Celebrating my 26th wedding anniversary this evening with my bride.

PM - 5 miles on the treadmill after work.  First 2 miles with vibrams and then the next 3 in the Kinvaras.  No noticeable change in pain in the foot with the change - but it is easier to run with the cushion of shoes.  

AM - dog got me up early and I could not get back to sleep - so I went out in the mist/drizzle on the golf course with Finn in the dark.  Foot hurt a bit through the night - so I switched back to the vibrams for the run this morning.  Very slow.  Not painful though.  Legs feel a bit fatigued perhaps from increased volume.

PM - after cutting the grass, I felt as though my foot was warmed up enough that it could tolerate a run on the roads with the Kinvara's.  Covered 7 slow miles - probably 2/3rds was on dirt roads or grass.  Not a great run but actually not particularly painful to the foot either.  Will need to monitor how it feels over the next few hours.  

PM - 4.25 miles on the golf course in the vibrams 

AM - 4.25 miles with Finn in the neighborhood.  Kinvaras

PM - lunchtime run - warm day just under 4 miles - Kinvaras.

PM - 6 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime.  

PM - 7.25 miles outdoors at lunch (code Orange smog alert - but I did not notice).  Extremely slow pace (never faster than 9 min per mile) but the foot is tolerable.  I would much rather run slowly with nearly no discomfort than not run at all, or run faster with pain.  I am intentionally running slowly to be controlled (so as to keep from injury) and not to have the effort get beyond aerobic.   But it is fairly warm (upper 80s) and my fitness is way down and my weight is up.  All fixable with time.  

Ran in the Murphy Candler park woods/trail.  Reminded me of the Hammock Park in Dunedin (Rob Murphy) except the vegetation is somewhat different (no palmettos or ear tree seed pods with which to fling at others).   

PM - 4 miles after work

PM - 7.25 miles - all on roads. Hot and hilly.  Foot was more achy after this one. 

PM - 7 miles on the Milton trail and Summit road.

PM - 6.25 miles on the treadmill.  

PM - a little over 8 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime. Oddly the treadmill yesterday and today - actually has my foot feeling better than when out on the roads - last week it was the exact opposite.  Two good/decent runs in a row - so I will take it.

PM - 9 miles today on the treadmill at somewhat faster pace/effort but still easy.  Longest run in quite a while. Foot seems to be tolerating the treadmill and the volume better than the roads or the golf course these last few days.

PM - another decent run on the treadmill - 10 miles.  Foot seems almost like it is getting better with the increased volume.

PM - 1.5 mile warm up then 5 miles at high aerobic effort - to just short of aerobic threshold on the treadmill - then a mile cool down.  Was not feeling that great to start - but kept this pace going consistently for 35 mins or so - before cooling down.   Good effort.

PM - 8.5 miles in the afternoon on a warm humid day.  Easy HR effort - slow pace on a hilly route. 

PM - 10 easy aerobic miles on the treadmill. 

PM - 7 miles on the treadmill after work.

AM - between 2-3 miles of easy jogging with Finn this morning before work.  He's been lacking outside time as it has been wet and rainy for the last few days - and so was in need of some exercise.  

PM - just under 10 miles at lunch - cool front passed through and though still warm out, the humidity and dew point dropped a lot, and it was breezey.  Made for a nice run.

AM - 3 miles easy with Finn before work 

PM - 9 miles on the treadmill after work meetings that finished up late afternoon.

AM - 3 miles with Finn before work - feeling really tired this morning

Yet another fascinating performance enhancing drug ruling - this one involving Sharapova.

She treated with a physician for years with as many as 30 vitamins/minerals/drugs - and then in 2013 stopped using that physician - started using a nutritionist - but yet continued to take 3 of the substances - one of which was Meldonium - but had no prescription for it (supposed to be a heart medication - and she doens't have a heart condition) did not disclose it to anyone - including her handlers and other doctors, or the WTA.  Claims she did not realize it became banned despite it being clearly publicized - and yet ONLY gets a 2 year ban and does not lose her endorsement deal with Nike?

"The contravention of the anti-doping rules was not intentional as Ms Sharapova did not appreciate that Mildronate contained a substance prohibited from 1 January 2016. However she does bear sole responsibility for the contravention, and very significant fault, in failing to take any steps to check whether the continued use of this medicine was permissible. If she had not concealed her use of Mildronate from the anti-doping authorities, members of her own support team and the doctors whom she consulted, but had sought advice, then the contravention would have been avoided. She is the sole author of her own misfortune."

PM - just had time for about 6 more at lunch on the treadmill.

AM - nice easy 3 miles with Finn before work this morning.

PM - good tempo effort at lunchtime on the treadmill.  2 mile warm up then 4 miles or so at high aerobic effort (avg 152 HR which for me is about 75% of my HRR) and then a mile or so cool down.  Not super fast or anything (7:30 pace) but decent progress - would like to see several weeks of base building and revisit this effort for comparison then.  Foot is tolerable - don't know if it will ever completely heal or if this is my new normal - as long as it is functional and not too painful, I am ok with it.

PM - 12.5 miles easy on the treadmill whilst watching the Euro 2016.  Shame on England for not closing the game out.

AM - only 3 in the morning with Finn.  Very hot outside today and so I did not want to run in the heat, and was not excited about another treadmill run.  Thought about running in the evening, but family committments took priority. 

AM - 3 miles with Finn before work.  He's pretty much expecting a run everyday now - and is awakening me at 5 am or so, to head out.  Cannot let him down. 

PM - 7.5 miles on the treadmill at good aerobic effort.  Pleasant effort as far as HR is concerned with improved pace.  

AM - very early 3 miles with Finn - then management meetings all day long followed by a dinner - no time for a second run as I did not get home until 10:30 pm

AM - 3 miles with Finn quite early again - more work meetings today and tomorrow - which is really cutting into my running time :).   The good news is the foot feels about 95% normal.

AM - 3 miles with Finn before work.  Happy Bloomsday.

PM - 8.5 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime.

AM - 3 miles on the golf course with Finn.

PM - treadmill tempo - 2 mile warm up then 4 miles at MP then 1 mile cool down.

AM - 3 miles with Finn

PM - around 11 miles on a pleasant afternoon.  

AM - 3 miles before church with Finn

PM - spent the afternoon with my family for Father's Day and then had to travel to DC for business.  4.5 miles after arriving at my hotel.  

AM - easy 3.25 miles in DC before starting my day.  

PM - 7 miles early evening in DC - ran out to Georgetown and then up the Rock Creek parkway trail.  Hot out but dry.  

AM - 3.5 miles easy around the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.  Warmer and more humid - foot was bothering me more today for some reason.

PM - estimating about 6.5 or 7 miles - planned to do more but the weather deteriorated quite rapidly with a pretty heavy/severe thunderstorm - which was both scary and exhilarating at the same time. But my shoes were waterlogged and the pavement was mostly deep puddles, so I called it a day and headed back to the hotel.

AM - 8 miles up Rock Creek Park and then back down around the Lincoln Memorial.  Travel later today.

AM - about 3.5 miles at home with Finn this morning.  Switched to the old Saucony Triumphs which have the 8 mm offset - to see if my foot tolerates it better now.  Not much was too noticable during the run but subsequent lack of soreness may be promising.  Will try them again later today. 

PM - 10.50 miles on the treadmill after work. 

AM - 3.25 miles on the golf course with Finn before sunrise.

PM - treadmill tempo of 4 miles.  Slightly faster and with a little better heart rate.  

AM - 3.25 miles with Finn on the golf course before sunrise.

PM - around 7 miles on the treadmill at the end of the day very hot outside (100 degrees) - had planned to go further, but just got bored and figured I had enough.

AM - 3 miles with Finn before church this morning.  Busy day ahead - probably only run for the day.

AM - 3 miles with Finn before work.  Travel midday today.

PM - 7 miles from my hotel in Marina Del Rey up Venice Beach to the Santa Monica Pier and back.  Ran too fast for my level of fitness.  Tuckered out when I finished.  

AM - 10 miles on a foggy morning up the beach again - a little further north than yesterday.  Pushed too hard again at least for the second half.  Long day ahead with an overnight flight.  

No run. Had a red-eye flight back to ATL then to Norfolk and was in court all day then a flight home where I arrived at about 10 pm.  

AM - 4.25 miles with Finn.  Ran into Dan who was running with his dog - ran about 2.5 miles with them.  Good catching up.  

PM - 7 more on the treadmill at lunchtime

AM - 3 miles with Finn this morning.

PM - 3 more miles with Delaney and Finn this afternoon. 

AM - 3.25 miles with Finn on the golf course early this morning.  

PM - picked up our race numbers for the Peachtree race on Monday.  Got to meet Jeff Galloway.  Since my foot feels relatively good - decided not to run this afternoon - hoping it'll feel decent on Monday

AM - 3 miles early with Finn

I ran the Peachtree Road Race 10k this morning.  My three daughters also ran - but had different starting waves than me.  It was very warm and humid this morning and with very little fast training in months, my mindset was to just get a baseline of where I am - still dealing with a little discomfort in the foot as well.  I was really expecting to be able to run around 7 min pace at least for the first half of the race which doesn't have any significant uphill.  

I was able to do just that for the first half - although my heartrate was indicating that the heat and humidity and pace were showing much more strain than I had expected.  

As the race moves to a series of uphills just prior to the end of mile 3 - and the temperatures also started to rise - I began to moderate my pace to compensate for the effort.  I really thought I was managing the effort well, but my splits for the next two miles were just over 8 mins and my heartrate monitor was indicating numbers way higher than even my max (so I think the monitor was a bit wonky).  I was quite surprised at how much more slowly I had run when I saw my time at the finish than I had expected the time to be.  In hindsight, I think though, if the course had been flatter - I would have maintained the sub 7 min pace for the second half. 

I waited at the finish for Riley who's been training and this was her first 10k ever - and she did well - coming in at 58 mins; and then Bradlea and Delaney - basically ran the first two miles and walked the rest (actually really enjoyed the event and the people and all the "free stuff").

My takeaways - I generally did not feel much if any pain in my left foot, and so I feel that is a positive.  I never really felt as though I had gotten into the redzone - though my HR monitor says otherwise (so I am going by the actual feel, rather than the device) - and as result, I think my conservative approach perhaps was an underestimate of how slowly I was moving without realizing it.  

Nevertheless - as I am recovering from this injury I wonder if my training paces which have been so much slower, was part of the reason for slow time today; and that I need to begin to mix in some faster turnover efforts, even just striders - because I am getting older and losing fast twitch muscle mass - and need to compensate for that.    

AM - 3 miles easy with Finn before work.  A little soreness in the upper legs from yesterday's race.

PM - 3.25 more at lunchtime.

AM - 3 miles with Finn before work.  Tired this morning.

PM - 7.25 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime. Put the HR monitor away for a while.

AM - 3 miles with Finn this morning before work.  Traveling down to the Florida Keys for a boys fishing trip with some of my high school and college friends.  Running later today and over the weekend may be a challenge...

AM - 8 miles in the heat and humidity of Islamorada - Florida Keys.  

PM - 4 miles in the afternoon following my return from the Keys.

AM - 3 miles with Riley this morning ahead of a long drive to West Virginia for a week.

AM - 4 easy miles along the trail in Moundsville WV along the Ohio River.  Coolish temps and nice scenery.  Will try to get out again later in the day for a proper run.

PM - the day got away from us - so Riley and I ran around town about 9:30 in the evening and got in about 4 miles.

AM - roughly 6 miles with Riley this morning - with several close encounters with a few deer on the trail.  Sticky and humid today.

PM - another 4 miles late in the day around the 12th street ball parks.  

PM - 5 miles in the afternoon heat along the Ohio river.  Was pleased that I was running as fast or faster than a coal barge going up river.  

AM - 4 miles at Wheeling Park - up the hill and back down. I arrived early to save picnic tables for Tracy's family.  From there I got a ride to play golf at Oglebay.  Have not played in 2 years.  It showed.  But it was fun. Beautiful course.  

Full day of a family reunion for my wife - literally played volleyball for about 5 hours and ate equally as long.   Good times.  

AM - around 8-9 miles this morning before church.  Heading to Park City later today.  

AM - 10 ambitious miles from Park City along the trails toward the Canyons - I knew that I was going mostly downhill on the way out - but did not fully appreciate the impact that the uphill wind and altitude would have on the return journey back to Park City.  Ouch. 

PM - middle daughter Riley and I went out around 6 pm and attempted a trail run near the Canyons - called Rob's Trail.  It was really more of a hiking and mountain bike trail - too tight and too many rocks and roots and fairly steep.  No tumbles but a few close calls.  Around 3 miles.  Pretty scenery. 

AM - 8 miles this morning.  Out the Poison Creek trail to the Union Pacific rail trail under I80 and back.  Ascent and descent were more moderate.  Altitude still crushed my spirit on the way back.  :)

PM - after a day of hiking in the Uintas - Provo River Falls and Mirror Lake (thanks Jake for the recommendation - it was really great) - Riley and I went out for an evening run of a little over 4 miles.  

AM - just an easy 3.25 miles this morning up to Deer Valley and back.

PM - spent much of the day hiking in Park City on the mountain with my family - a little over 5 miles at elevation - decided another run was not in the cards - especially with an altitude run with Rob scheduled for the morning.

AM - nice run with Rob at Alta this morning which included a close encounter with a moose - that I captured on video.  Very cool.  Nice run - probably should categorize my effort (not my pace) going uphill as tempo - based on my HR.  Got to meet his cross country runners thereafter.  

AM - easy 5 mile trail run with Riley.  

AM - 6.5 miles with Abby Rob and Riley at Jeremy Ranch.  Nice weather scenery and good conversation.   

AM - easy 3.25 miles with some striders this morning.

Des News Half - I turned 50 yesterday and so moved up an age group and earned an over "50 PR" this morning with a relatively disappointing time of 1:40.28 - (I ran 1:25 here 3 years ago to provide some perspective) but did win my age group - so that somewhat compensates for my assessment of my race today.  

I have been doing base training for several weeks and only in the last couple of weeks has my foot injury really begun to feel nearly normal.  Also not being from altitude - I resolved to make my race effort match a target heart rate instead of trying to aim for a goal pace per mile.  As the course flattened so did my pace - so to speak.   

I ran relatively well for the first half and was satisfied with the pace - but I could not maintain that pace at the same HR for the second half - in fact the HR kinda blew up in the last 2 miles even though I had slowed down.  Nevertheless I gave an honest effort today and could not have run any better than I did.  

Here's to hoping that the injury fully resolves itself and I can see some improvement in my racing times over the next few months with better training.   

AM - a little over 2 miles of easy running/jogging.  Not too sore from the race - but trying to be balanced in my approach - allowing for sufficient recovery.

AM - in Palo Alto this morning for business meetings.  5.5 miles - much more humid but cool.  Think I got a little kicker from running at altitude for 8-9 days and doing the race, because my effort at training pace resulted in a bit faster pace per mile today. 

Up very early for a 6 am flight back to ATL - and then just too travel weary to get out for a run once I got home.  So - a day off.

AM - 3 miles with Finn back at home.

PM - 7 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime.  Good pace.

AM - 4 miles before heading to the Ocoee river for some whitewater rafting.

AM - 5 miles with Finn before church this morning.

PM - about 6.5 miles at lunchtime.

Unplanned day of rest.  Work has been somewhat all-consuming of my time the last few days.

AM - 3 miles with Finn before work.

PM - treadmill workout after work.  6 x 800 @ just over 6 min pace with a 400 rest in between reps.  Surprisingly decent workout.  

PM - 7.5 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime.  Foot was slightly sore this morning after yesterday's workout.  Not sure if it was because of treadmill or because of the intensity.  Was mostly fine by the time I ran at lunchtime today.  

AM - about 3 miles on the golf course with Finn.

PM - 5.25 miles outside at lunchtime.  Very warm and humid.  Not too enjoyable.  Someone driving by stopped me to ask for directions.  I wonder how often that happens to me...maybe once or twice per month.  Just seems odd given gps/navigation on phones and cars.

PM - about 14.5 miles on the treadmill while watching Olympic cycling.  

Kind of a planned day of rest - though I felt fine - may not have needed it.

AM - 3 miles easy with Finn before work.  Delaney heads back to college today - Tracy is helping move her into the sorority house.  Bradlea's students have their first day of the fall term today as well.  

PM - 5 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime.  Things are feeling good regarding my foot.  Although yesterday I banged one of my toes on a stool in our basement - and it is completely bruised up today.  Not too impactful in terms of running at all. 

PM - treadmill workout - 2 x 2 miles at HM pace with a 600 rest.  Mile warmup and short cool down.  Pretty decent effort.  Initially I was hesitant to identify HM pace as anything faster than I had run at Des News about 10 days ago - so started out at 7:30 pace - but moved to 7:15 then 7 then 6:45 pace for the last mile all of which seemed manageable.  HRM wasn't working - but going by feel - this was fine.  I think part of my slowness this summer has been a bit of a strength deficit in the foot due to the injury, but that's really close to resolved now, and with it, my pace has improved.

Note to self:  make certain to inspect the running shorts I pull out of my drawer in the morning in the dark and stuff in my gym-bag before I head to work to make sure they are mine, because it could be that someone mistook my daughter's running shorts for mine when they put them in my drawer... result:  embarassingly short shorts for today's run at lunchtime.  :-)

PM - a little over 3 miles with Finn on the golf course after work.

PM - 7 miles easy on the treadmill at lunchtime.

AM -  3 miles on the golf course in the dark with Finn before work this morning.

PM - second workout of the week (a little nervous about doing two in a week but the intensity has not been high and I don't feel like I am forcing anything or being reckless) - this was 5 miles at MP on the treadmill - which to my surprise was at 6:53 pace at the proper HR for MP and I felt solid.

PM - 8 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime - good easy run.

PM - 16 miles on the treadmill.  

PM - 5 miles on the treadmill at lunchtime.

AM - 3 miles with Finn outside - then 5 x 800 on the treadmill with a 400 rest.  Busy schedule the next few days, so I did this workout this morning instead of later in the day.  Legs feel a bit fatigued - would have liked to have had a few more reps in me, but decided that was good enough - did not want to push it too much.

Planned day off

AM - 3.25 miles with Finn on the golf course in the dark.  Seriously dark now that the sunrise isn't until after 7 am and we started the run at 5:30.  I let Finn off lead and at one point I did not know where he had gone as my headlamp basically is only good for a few yards in front of me.  But he knows the way - and knows where I am, it seems - all the time.  

AM - about 3.5 miles with Finn this morning in the neighborhood.

PM - lunchtime - treadmill tempo at MP - for 5 miles with a short warm up and cool down.

AM - 6 miles easy.

PM - 3.25 miles with Finn on the golf course.

PM - 18 miles on the treadmill today - I had recorded the Olympic marathon during church - and then avoided any newfeeds until I could watch it and get my long run in.  

PM - 3.5 miles at lunchtime on the treadmill.  A little tired today, but no soreness or fatigued muscles.

AM - 3.25 miles early in the dark on the golf course with Finn before work.

PM - lunchtime workout - outside 7 x 400 at 5k pace with a 400 rest.  Used the Garmin workout feature - only had planned to run 6 x 400 but I lost count.  Warm outside, but a solid effort.  First couple of reps were slow and awkward-feeling, but the middle few were better. 

Looking on the Garmin Connect site for the data - it give you options to identify the type of activity, e.g. running, cycling etc. but one of the categories is "Wingsuit Flying".  Interesting.  Wonder how often that comes up.

PM - 5 miles very easy on the treadmill at lunchtime due to an unpredicted thunderstorm.  Listened to part of a podcast with Scott Douglas - editor at Runner's World.  

Nice after-work race in downtown Alpharetta - with a food truck event as well.  Had a decent race tonight.  Not that the time sounds fast, but going into this 5k I looked at my time at the Des News half a few weeks ago and plugged that time into Daniel's tables and also McMillan's predictor - and they showed a predicted 7:02 pace and 6:58 pace respectively - and as it turns out - I ran just a little bit better than that 6:54 per mile on a fairly hilly course. Also, Daniels said I should avg 170 HR - which is exactly what my Garmin recorded.  So I was pleased with that.

I am having a somewhat difficult time re-calibrating my expectations of times/pace (not sure if over age 50 this is where I am - or post-lengthy injury battles over the last 1.5 years, it will just be a slow progression to faster times).  

Splits were 6:32, 7:09 and 6:58.  Middle mile was mostly uphill.  

Good competitve feeling in the race too.  I was never passed by anyone I did not eventually overtake - and I finished strong.

Riley was working at South Main Kitchen - and Tracy and Bradlea met me there after the race for a food truck dinner (Philly cheesesteak...mmm).  

Great evening overall.

AM - 3 mile shake-out run with Finn on the golf course.

PM - 17 mile long run on the treadmill.  Significantly better pace this weekend.

PM - 5 miles easy to moderate outside at lunchtime today.

PM  - workout 6 x 1000 with a 600 meter rest.  In Philly for business - ran along the Schuylkill River trail.  Pretty solid effort.  Splits were 6:42, 6:11 (too fast), 6:33, 6:52, 6:47, 7:04 pace per mile.  Was quite tired on the last one.  So avg of 6:42 ppm overall.  

AM - 4 miles easy this morning along the river in Philly. 

Flew into Madison Wisconsin for a meeting late yesterday - only to find out that my meeting for the next day was no longer necessary - so got home late in the evening.  No run today.

AM - 5 miles of fartlek with Finn through the neighborhood before work.