M'kay

2 mile treadmill warmup in 17:31.  5 Steady State treadmill miles in ~ 35 minutes, HR ~173.

Yesterday's scheduled workout today on the treadmill after getting 8 more inches of snow dumped overnight.  Just not feeling it today, and only managed 5 Steady State miles or so with a couple of 15-20 second breaks to get the HR back down.  Decided to pack it in when the effort to keep a 7/min pace was way too high today.  Glad the holidays are now really over....maybe I can actually get back on a consistent schedule.

18 miles in 2:25:57, 8:06/mi, HR 147.  A mix of packed snow & ice, slush, and a few bare spots on the roads today, so did my best to ignore pace and focus on effort.  Easy first half, moderate second.  Interrupted at 14.5 to help free a stuck driver from the snowbank he managed to find when he tried to turn around.  Left leg ITB and quad were bugging me most of the second half, so some definite stretching to follow.

6.5 miles in 51:02, 7:51/mi, HR 150.  Cold (33F) and very icy.  Footing very slippery today, so the pace doesn't really reflect the effort.  Hopefully tomorrow will bring warmer weather.

8 miles in 1:00:22, 7:32/mi, HR 155.  Slushy late afternoon run today after a long day of driving, waiting, and medical stuff.  Amazing the traction difference between a little bit of slush and wet pavement.  It looks like enough of my hill is clear for me to do hill sprints outdoors tomorrow, as long as we don't get more snow and the temps don't plummet.  Fingers crossed.

11.05 miles in 1:24:24, 7:38/mi, HR 151.  3.4 mi warmup, 28:27, 8:22/mi, HR 145.  8 x 90 sec hill repeats.  3.53 mi cooldown, 25 min, 7:04/mi, HR 150.

Warmer temps (44F) & some rain washed away most of the slush and ice.  Some headwind gusts, especially on the later repeats.  Second hill repeat workout of this buildup....better this time around.  Average repeat pace of 6:04/mi, 30 sec/mi better than two weeks ago.  Still felt like I was in a bit of slo-mo, but happy with the way this workout went.

4 treadmill miles in 31:52, 7:58/mi, HR 152.  I finally convinced myself that the footpod mileage just isn't correct for my treadmill effort and fixed the digital display after the run....the little magnet thingie had slipped out of it's spot.

9 miles in 1:09:26, 7:43/mi, HR 148.  Rainy and warm (49F) with some streams running over the road in a few places.  Legs were pretty beat from yesterday, so it was tough going for the first couple of miles, and even then only got marginally better.  Still, it felt good to be tired and still running, so now that the weather is "nicer", I think my body is turning itself around.

12 miles in 1:22:50, 6:54/mi, HR 163.  2 mile warmup in 16:00, 8:00/mi, HR 146.  8 miles Steady State in 6:46 (up), 6:59 (up), 7:03 (up), 6:59 (up), 5:56 (down), 6:00 (down), 6:00 (down), 6:00 (down).  2 mile cooldown in 15:08, 7:34/mi, HR 152.

Didn't get as much sleep last night as I wanted to so I was afraid today would be tough.  Rainy and warm (42F) but the roads were a bit clearer today.  Kept the warmup very easy.  When I found myself sub-7 for the first mile, I thought I'd gone out too hard, but I kept focusing on positive thoughts, good form/running tall, and deep belly breathing.  When the second mile passed in around 7 min, I knew I was having a good run and just wanted to keep the effort even so I didn't die the last couple of miles.  When the first downhill mile went by sub-6, I knew this was my best Steady State run ever.  The last couple of miles were a bit tough and I started to feel like I was fading on the homestretch, but I'm very happy about this run.

Unfortunately, the cooldown was another story.  1/2 mile from the end, I started getting "need a bathroom" cramps, and instead of the usual 2-3 mile grace period, today was an emergency with nowhere to go.  No idea why....none of the food I ate this morning should've caused this problem (i.e. no lactate).  No need more any more details here...

6.5 miles in 49:35, 7:37/mi, HR 156. Beautiful day outside: 39F, some sun and dry.  Body definitely feeling yesterday's effort with some general soreness in the legs, but nothing specific or extreme.  May try to do 4 more tonight.

4 treadmill miles in 30:20, 7:35/mi, HR 154.  Turns out the footpod says I got further faster when compared to the newly repaired treadmill display.  I'll stick with the footpod....guess I just really hate treadmill running.  Something about the heat and all the sweat.  Otherwise, fine.

90 minute Progression Run, 12.22 miles, 7:22/mi, HR 151. First 30 min, 3.62 mi, 8:17/mi, HR 137, some uphill.  Middle 30 min, 3.86, 7:46/mi, HR 151, mostly uphill.  Last 30 min, 4.74 mi, 6:19/mi, HR 166, mostly downhill.  Good steadily increasing effort run.  May have doled out a bit much a bit early in the last third as the last 10 minutes were pretty tough, but overall managed to steadily increase the effort throughout the run to end in the Steady State range (maybe a bit too far into that range towards the end though).  Good end to the week. 

6.5 miles in 50:08, 7:42/mi, HR 149.  Legs & body sore from yesterday's run and apres run wood cutting work.  Just a nice easy run in some misty rain and warm (48F) weather.

8 miles in 1:01:27, 7:40/mi, HR 149.  Warm (51F) and dry.  Heat training from having too much clothing on during the run.  Legs still sore and tired....guessing tied to splitting more wood yesterday.  Some of the bigger pieces required several whacks with the maul just to get started and I found myself using my whole body in the effort.

4 treadmill miles in 30:58, 7:44/mi, HR 151.  Typical treadmill run only a bit warmer than normal.  Plenty of sweating involved.

14 miles in 1:44:22, 7:27/mi, HR 148.  Cool (35F) and crisp.  Early run to accomodate lunchtime teleconference to good effect....felt good throughout and only really started getting a tad bit tougher the last 3 miles or so.

4 treadmill miles in 30:56, 7:44/mi.  Forgot my HRM strap, otherwise the same as every other treadmill run.

9 miles in 1:09:04, 7:40/mi, HR 141.  Crawled my way through the first mile or so before I warmed up, then normal.  Left ITB feels like it's tight as a drum and "twanging" when I first start out, but no knee pain or any other for that matter, so I'll keep on stretching it.

11.92 miles in 1:31:53, 7:42/mi, HR 152.  28:17 warmup, 3.42 mi, 8:16/mi, HR 147.  10 x 90 sec Hill Repeats.  25 min cooldown, 3.44 mi, 7:16/mi, HR 150.

Started the run in a fogbank and cold (34F), got to the hill and cooked in the sun for much of the repeats, then descended back into the fogbank on the cooldown to freeze some more.  Tired on waking this morning in general and a bit tough to get going.  Otherwise, the repeats themselves felt fine.....didn't really start struggling until the last few, although I was a bit mentally distracted for the first 4 or so. Average pace was 6:07/mi, which was a bit slower than last week (6:04/mi) under slightly better weather conditions, but with 2 extra repeats.  What does this mean?  I dunno.

This morning I sat through a 2 hour and 45 minute work teleconference....my teleconferencing muscles have atrophied because it was exhausting and mentally draining.  Yet another factor in my performance today, I imagine.  The distraction was probably enough that I wasn't as focused on running-related suffering as much as I normally do.  Instead, I was focused on work-related suffering.

6.5 miles in 50:11, 7:43/mi, HR 149.  Cold (32F) and foggy, then sunny, then foggy.  Just plain tired from yesterday and this week so took it easy.

4 treadmill miles in 30:41, 7:40/mi, HR 156.  Boring.

22 miles in 2:48:20, 7:39/mi, HR 149.  Cold (32F) but clear.  Shady parts of the run really cold but the sunny parts had me roasting.  First half in 1:26:29; held back which was easy since my body didn't really want to go.  So I was surprised when I tried to pick it up for the second half it was easy to do so.  Finished feeling pretty decent....not nearly as bad as I was counting on.  First good 20+ run in a while.

6.5 miles in 50:19, 7:44/mi, HR 144.  Heat wave at 44F and sunny.  Slow first mile but then warmed up.  Kept effort very light today since this was a high mileage week.

8 miles in 1:01:44, 7:43/mi, HR 146.  Sunny and cool (36F).  Another slow start that lasted all 4 uphill miles today.  Legs were a bit tired from standing out in the cold at the barn for a few hours yesterday.  Opened up a bit on the downhill return.

4 treadmill miles in 30:24, 7:36/mi, HR 153.  Felt pretty strong all things considered.

13.02 miles in 1:40:00, 7:41/mi, HR 153.  30 min warmup, 3.72 mi, 8:03/mi, HR 140.  Fartleks: 20 x 1 min on, 1 min off, average pace 5:46.7/mi (< 5K pace).  30 min cooldown, 3.87 mi, 7:45/mi, HR 150.  Sunny and pleasant (44F).  Felt pretty tired on the warmup, moreso than usual which is probably why I crawled through the first 2 miles.  Repeats got tough going quickly, partially because the first 9 were uphill (then 5 flat, 6 downhill), but mostly because it's been awhile since I've run this workout.  Managed to stay pretty strong throughout most but perhaps the last couple.  The cooldown was an effort just to get the full 30 minutes in....if I run 4 more tonight, it'll definitely be at recovery pace.

9 miles in 1:09:31, 7:43/mi, HR 147.  Left adductors stiff and sore from yesterday's workout.  Barely got under 9/min pace for first mile.  4 uphill miles were tough but things finally loosened up about 2.5 mile in and got tolerable.  Felt pretty good on the flats and the return, but started tiring at about 7.5 miles in.  Need to take it easy today and hope I'm rested enough for tomorrow hill repeats.

4 treadmill miles in 30:52, 7:43/mi, HR 151.  Felt better after this afternoon's run, so I decided to get another short one in tonight to help stay loose.

12.93 miles in 1:40:52, 7:47/mi, HR 148.  28:46 min warmup, 3.40 mi, 8:28/mi, HR 143.  12 x 90 sec Hill Repeats w/ downhill rest.  25 min cooldown, 3.40 mi, 7:20/mi, HR 146.

 Tough day.  Woke up tired again.  Warmup started off okay but slow.  Left hip (site of sore adductor that felt pretty good pre-run) started "snapping" on the outside for a few minutes about 5 minutes into the run.  Last evening, I'd discovered that there is a tender spot on the outside of my hip/leg near where the snapping was occurring, and from the research into the snapping phenomena, it seems I've got an imbalance in my flexibility between my abductors and adductors.  Makes sense because the adductors are pretty sore and difficult to stretch well.

Got through the warmup and to the hill.  I wanted to get the workout in and the adductor felt better than it had since Tuesday's session, but part of me wondered in the wisdom of this workout.  All that meant was that my heart wasn't really in the first few.  They felt sluggish and I lost good breathing early in each repeat, something that doesn't usually happen until the last repeats.  Interestingly, my average & max HR for the repeats is a few points below other recent Hill sessions.  Halfway through, got a bit mad at myself for wavering and committed to finishing as strongly as possible, which worked mentally until the last few, when I got cautious again about not straining my adductor.  Average pace of 6:05/mi, which I was shocked to discover afterwards was actually better than last week's pace with 2 extra repeats this week.  Kept the cooldown easy and started feeling the sore adductor again for the last 15 minutes or so.

I'm pretty sure I've found my ragged edge.  I'd guess I'm close to getting into the overtraining zone, needing a bit more rest, and with some minor injuries that could really flare if I'm not careful.  Luckily, next week is travel for work, so I was planning on a recovery week anyway.  I'll take the long run this weekend easy (pace-wise) and cut things back next week to get myself away from the cliff.

6.5 miles in 51:37, 7:56/mi, HR 145.  Left hip & adductors still stiff and sore, so another slow start.  Cold (29F) and damp air today didn't help matters any.  Hopefully, this run loosened things up a bit and tomorrow will be better. 

Time to face facts.  It didn't even take 1/4 mile today to figure out my left hip/adductor and now glutes are officially "screwed up".  Things haven't gotten better and have frankly gotten worse so that I now can't fool myself into thinking it's just some soreness that'll work itself out if I keep running.  I knew if I would've gone past 1/4 mile today, I would've run the 18 to 22 scheduled, which would probably have made things much worse in the long run, so I'm officially bailing on today's and tomorrow's runs now.  I'll re-evaluate Monday and see about easing back into things then.  Unfortunately (fortunately?) I'm traveling for work starting tomorrow through next Friday, so a doctor's visit is out of the question, so here's hoping rest and stretching helps fix what ails me.

Another unscheduled off day to rest my adductors.  Did some stretching for them a couple of times but the hours spent in an airline seat probably didn't help much.

7 miles in 55:31, 7:55/mi, HR 149.  Nighttime run in VA.  Chilly (34F).  Some soreness in my left adductor still but not too bad and it didn't affect my gait.  Felt the effects of the travel, the off days, the off-time, and running on the flats instead of the hills though.....keeping it easy barely had me under an 8 min pace.  More rigorous stretching again today and some easy adductor strengthening exercises that got easier after the first couple.  The real test will be how things feel tomorrow.

12 treadmill miles in 1:32:54, 7:44/mi, HR 158.  Some left adductor soreness to start but faded quickly.  Opted for the softer indoor treadmill surface in some warmer conditions over the cold and rain outside, offset by treadmill boredom....at least the hotel has a TV in the workout center.

7 miles in 57:09, 8:10/mi, HR 148.  Crazy weather....74F this evening.  Ran with a co-worker who wanted to keep an 8:20/mi pace, so we kept things easy.  He sounded like he was fine, I felt labored...go figure.  About 5.5 miles in, the winds went from breezy to stiff gusts and then the skies dumped a river of water on us for the remainder....back at the hotel the weather channel was issuing a warning for thunderstorm with hail and high damaging winds.  Yeah.

2 treadmill miles in ~ 16:00.  Pushed the hill repeats until tomorrow....mostly just tired from travel and not excited about attempting repeats on a treadmill.  Also, give my adductors one more day to recover.

5.2 miles in 42:05, 8:04/mi, HR 153.  Warmup was 15:57, 1.95 mi, 8:09/mi, HR 153. 6 hill repeats (:61, :62, :61, :61, :61, :61).  Cooldown was 9:29, 1.17 mi, 8:07/mi, HR 142, will several stops and starts before I finally started walking back.

Decided to try hill repeats today, but limit them in # (6-8) and time (60 sec versus 90 sec).  Also aimed on a closer hill, in case my adductors game me trouble, and decided I'd bail at the first sign of trouble.  Warmup was okay...a bit tired since I flew back from the East Coast this morning.  First few repeats were fine...a bit slow but I was holding back some to feel things out (in addition to being worn out from travel).  No real pain or discomfort until I hit the top of the hill after #6 and dropped to a jog to head back down the hill that the pain hit.  I punted on the rest and headed back for home but it got worse quickly and I wound up walking about 3/4 miles back to the house to avoid more damage.

Made an appointment for the doc for Feb 10th (closest appointment) and I'll probably head to the chiro this coming week.  I'm probably punting on the races I've got scheduled, including the marathon in April, since I'm headed into my 2nd week of affected training and no end is in sight.  No running this weekend to try to undo what I've done today.