Cool Runnings!

AM - Nice, easy run to get back into the groove of things.  It is finally starting to cool down here a bit, and it was lovely out this morning.  Of course, it's all about perspective.  It was probably in the low 80's when I ran.  Took it out nice and slow, started around 9:00 pace, and tried to keep it in that range the entire run.  Found myself slowly speeding up as my run progressed and I got warmed up.  Total time was 35:01, average of 8:45/mile, so I'll take that as a good run.  No soreness in the calf at all.  Sinus infection is gone, although I have some lingering stuffiness - may be due to allergies.  I also got hit with a minor coughing attack when I got back from my run.  I can tell my body is still not 100%, so I will continue to take it easy this week.  No MP mileage, just recovery miles.  Next week I will think about getting in some MP miles to get ready.

AM - ran 5 easy miles.  Still no soreness in my calf, but I was coughing after my run again.  Today I finally awoke to a completely clear nose, which made the run more enjoyable.  Total time for the run today was 43:35, average pace of 8:43/mile.  Tomorrow I will bump back up to 6 miles, and will go from there.

AM - Ran 6 easy miles this morning.  For some reason, I was feeling a bit paranoid about my calf, probaby because there are only 3 1/2 weeks before SGM, and I would be crushed if something happened at this point.  Still took it easy, as I will continue to do the rest of the week.  I gained some weight from the forced inactivity the last week and a half, so I am seeing it slowly go back down.  I still do not feel 100% - my aerobic capacity is not at its normal level yet.  I attribute this to continuing to recover from being sick.  We will see how things go the rest of this week.  Total time for the run was 51:58, average pace of 8:40/mile.

AM - 6.1 easy miles in my new Adrenalines.  They felt like running on clouds.  I can tell that the cushioning in my first pair is pretty much worn out after running in the new ones.  These will be my marathon shoes.  I didn't really pay a whole lot of attention to the Garmin today, just glanced at it once in a while and adjusted my pace if it turned out I was going too fast.  I tried to pay more attention to how the run felt.  My body is probably at about 90% right now in terms of recovering from the cold/sinus infection.  Hardly any coughing after the run, and my energy level felt higher.  Total time for the run was 51:47, average pace of 8:30/mile.  My wife made an interesting comment this morning that reminded me of the comments of others - she mentioned that she didn't feel that good this morning after eating some junk food last night when she went out with a friend.  I can totally identify that.  We have been eating much healthier as a family, and whenever I eat unhealthy, I can feel it the next morning in my run.

AM - 6.0 miles by myself, total time was 50:24, average pace of 8:25/mile.  Then approximately .75 with Sparky (no watch).  He was pulling me the entire time.  Another item to mention about Spary:  he has the interesting behavior of barking at other people, and not at any other dogs he encounters.  This morning as I ran with him, I tried to encourage not barking by stopping every time he barked at a person, and making him sit quietly for a couple seconds, then praising him.  He really wanted to run (he was literally pulling on the leash the entire time), and I am hoping this may help his behavior to change.  We have a next-door neighbor who Sparky barks at every time they go out into their back yard, which is separated from ours by a cinder block fence.  I ended up pushing it a bit this run, and will definitely need to take it easy tomorrow.  Nothing special, somewhere between 10-15 miles tomorrow for my long run.  Best of luck to all the TOU runners tomorrow.  A special good luck to Sasha in his attempt to potentially reach an OT qualifier at TOU.

AM - ran 12 easy miles.  Did 8 miles, then took a break for a drink, then ran another 4 miles.  The first 8 miles were nice and easy, average pace somewhere around 8:45/mile.  The last 4 miles were a bit faster, I was working on hitting my stride, and had some miles closer to 8:00.  Average pace for the entire run was 8:35/mile.  I am waiting with bated breath to see how Sasha and the others do at TOU.  Additional info:  does anyone else have issues with being lightheaded, especially after a run?  This seems to happen most offen if I am crouching or kneeling down, and then stand up, but sometimes it really bothers me.  I don't think I am dehydrated - I have drunk 64 oz of Gatorade today already, plus several large cups of water.  I have also had enough to eat, and I have been taking my vitamins.  Maybe just low blood pressure after a long run?  Any ideas would be helpful.