Elite Jogging For Dummies

Thinking that the morning would be warmer, I had planned to run up City Creek Canyon, but the thermometer read just 12 degrees at 6:30 am, so I ran the Bonneville Golf Course loop.   The air was cold and sharp, but was entirely gunk-free!!  The lack of gunk seems to have increased the circulation of oxygen, as I was able to run a fairly aggressive pace; alternating in the middle of the run with some fartlek, mixing sub 6min pace followed by 6:30pace. 

 Still wary of my ankle issues, I busted out a new pair of shoes before running this morning, and put in my Sorbothane insoles, which are soft and offer moderate support (nothing close to the PowerStep).  The new shoes seemed to make a difference, I didn't really feel the ankle for much of the run. But it's still talking to me.  The discomfort has migrated up my foot a bit. I iced when I got home.
 

The little ankle problem is not improving much.  Since the discomfort appears when my foot rolls through the push off, I decided that it would be good idea to go to the gym and try the elliptical machine.  It worked fine, I used it for 30 minutes, and it said I went 3 miles. Ankle felt fine. Then I decided it was ok to do at least a little bit of running, so I got on the treadmill and ran two tempo miles back to back: 6min and 5:45.  Then one cooldown mile as the ankle started to talk to me. Afterward, the ankle felt fine and no pain yet.  The discomfort seems to emerge later in the day for some reason.  

Liberty Park run, from home.  I didn't have my footpod today, so I gmapped the run here to get the right mileage.  I felt fairly spry once I reached the park.  I ran 2 loops (2.8 mi total) in sub 17:45, and I didn't feel like I was working too hard.  Ankle was fine for most of the run, until the last 25 minutes or so, when it started talking to me.  I iced when I got home.  It hurt quite a bit once I stopped running and even after icing.  I am afraid that I am only aggravating it with more running and I should probably lay off, but I also have a serious case of SAS (Stupid Athlete Syndrome) that prevents me from doing the right thing.  If only I were a better swimmer . . .

Radda run, small turnout.  Pace was easy, which was good because I'm still wary of this ankle.  Since I had very little pain during the day yesterday, I figured more running would be OK (symptom of SAS).  And it was.  Virtually no pain or discomfort. I am tempted to say that it's improving. In fact, I think that the improvement is the result of not trying to stretch and manipulate it so much throughout the day, and just let it heal.  

Easy stroll through the 'hood in some of the gunkiest gunk I have ever had the pleasure of inhaling. 

Winter Series 5k. They started the race at Saltair--I have only run the winter series races from the Marina, but it's a decent change. It's a big indoor space, which is nice when it's 14 degrees out.

I ran an easy warm up of 3.1 on the course with Mark Holland (running bandit) and Julia Cassidy (who would go on to win both the women's and masters divisions).

I had three goals: 1) finish in the top 5; 2) run as close to 17 minutes as I could muster in the cold, and 3) meet the two other goals while still using this as a training run that I use to gauge where I'm at right now.

Went out fairly fast but at a pace I was comfortable with. I didn't recognize any of the other runners that I went out with in the lead group, except BJ Christensen, who won in 15:20. First mile was 5:28 and I was satisfied with that. I was in 5th, but just a few meters from the 3rd Guy and 4th Guy. In the second mile, I got sidetracked thinking about these other runners instead of concentrating on pace. With the 180 degree turnaround thrown in (which sucks at least 3 seconds off), I ran the second mile in 5:42. Too slow! I picked it up in the third mile, catching 4th Guy and then 3rd Guy. So then I was 3rd Guy, but it didn't last. About 150m from the 3 mile sign, the former 4th Guy passed me and then the other fellow did too. My split for mile 3 was 5:36. I know that I had another gear to drop into, but I couldn't find it right at that moment. So I cruised in a few meters after 4th Guy, finishing in 17:23.

So here are my thoughts on this first race of 2007: First, I am not disappointed with my effort today considering what a strange week of training I have had and the effects of my little bouts with injury. The ankle felt fine today and I have every reason to believe it is healing normally. The IT band has not bothered me for several days. Also, my overall training foundation feels fine. That's not where I need the work at this point. I have plenty of base miles under my belt. Although I can hold a decent pace, I need to work on the top end speed so that I can summon that extra gear when I really need it. I need to concentrate on adding more strides into my weekly runs to get the feel of fast turnover. Also, I need to mix in longer tempo work that will push my aerobic threshold. I have tended to treat a lot of these winter runs as just fun, easy miles and if I feel good enough to run hard for a mile or two, then great, but otherwise, no big deal. Assuming I have proper rest, it's time to start picking up the pace for some real tempo work even when it's not comfortable.

Five easy miles to cool down afterward; mostly with Julia, Mark, Scott Browning and Taha.