M'kay

20 mile bike ride (hilly & 4x4 roads) in 1:39:28, 4:58/mi, HR 135.  Sunny and hot (87F).  Rode up into state forest land, with some serious hills, logging one 11:03 minute mile.  My lowest gear on my 24 gear bike nearly wasn't low enough, so it was a sweat-fest on the way up, and something of a terror ride on the way back (hands started cramping from riding the brakes).  Survived unscathed and saw some nice meadows and forests.  Only marred by the two idiots drinking beer and shooting their rifle from the roadway about 6.5 miles in.

LM/LL warmup, 8 easy miles in 1:03:44, 7:58/mi, HR 163, 1 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs, McM Core L2 workout, stretching.

Sunny and hot (84F).  Felt tired again this morning before the run and the legs were dead.  After getting started, felt better and by 3 was feeling good and strong. Did have some twinges from my left hip/groin area but nothing too significant.  Kept me focused on form over the last few miles, and I noticed it worsened when my mind drifted away from keeping my hips from internally rotating. Can't say it felt too good doing exercises, but not hitting the panic button yet.  This week will be a recovery week and I'll keep things easy before diving into a new training schedule I've yet to write the following week. 

LM/LL warmup, 5 mi easy in 39:50, 7:58/mi, HR 158, followed by 6 x 8 sec hill sprints, 1 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs, PU/Crunches ladder, Myrtl, stretching.  

Sunny and pleasant (78F).  Left hip feels better today, although there is still some minor popping coming from it.  Need to baby it was stretches and maybe get the roller out a couple of times this week, plus keep up the strengthening program for it.

LM/LL warmup, 6 easy+ miles in 47:30, 7:55/mi, HR 162, 1 mi cooldown walk with dogs.  Later in the evening McM Core L2 & stretching.

Sunny and a pleasant 74F.  Easy+ since it felt a bit tougher than easy but not quite to the moderate level....not sure why.  Left hip okay but still some minor pain while exercising/stretching.....not as good as a couple of weeks ago.

LM/LL warmup, 5 mi easy run in 39:16, 7:51/mi, HR 158, 1 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs, 2 x LM, PU/Crunch ladder, Myrtl & abbreviated stretching.

Overcast and pleasant (61F).   Felt poor this morning....tired, left hamstring tight, just blah.  Rolling out the hamstring in the am made it feel marginally better, so considered bagging today's run.  Once about 25 paces into it fell into an easy groove, form felt great, nice and easy and pleasant.  Molly Hatchet tune from the radio stuck in my head so cadence was nice and quick.  Great run.

LM/LL warmup, 6 easy miles in 47:45, 7:57/mi, HR 153, 6 x 8 sec hill sprints, 1 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs, McM Core L2, stretching.

Overcast and pleasant (65F).  Run felt even easier than yesterday, probably because the Molly Hatchet song I couldn't get out of my head yesterday wasn't driving my cadence today.  Hill sprints felt good too, but I had some left hip/groin pain I had to be cautious of.  Noticeably worse during core workout and stretching.  Really hope this is a transient setback but its the worst it's been in some time. 

Shifting my off day from tomorrow to today.  I need it.....tired and grumpy.

LM/LL warmup, 5 easy miles in 39:04, 7:48/mi, HR 152, 1 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs, PU/Crunch ladder, Myrtl & stretching.

Overcast, cool and humid (62F).  Felt much better after rest day yesterday.  Still some pain twinges from injury, even a couple during the run.  Feels like it's coming from the muscle/tendon attachment.  Concentrating on form and activating deep core muscles helps to eliminate it while running, so more of that.  These shoes already worn thru the tread on the left foot!

LM/LL warmup, 9 miles in 1:11:15, 7:55/mi, HR 155, first 6.5 miles easy, last 2.5 miles moderate: 3:35 (down), 7:01 (down), 7:48 (up), 1 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs, McM Core L2, and stretching.

Cloudy w/ sunbreaks and humid (70F).  First few miles very easy, last moderate miles felt pretty good but started tiring towards the end.  Felt good during run, some pain during core/stretching.

LM/LL warmup, 6 miles easy in 48:26, 8:04/mi, HR 155, 6 x 8 sec hill sprints, 1 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs, PU/Crunches ladder, Myrtl, and stretching.

Overcast & humid (70F).  A couple of twinges from the hamstring attachment during the run, but post run hip/groin was definitely bugging me.  

LM/LL warmup, 7 easy miles with 8 x 20 sec Fartleks in 56:00, 8:00/mi, HR 158, 1 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs, McM Core L2, and stretching.

Overcast with some misting (68F).  Felt better today, no pain during run or even Fartleks (was ready to punt if pain had manifested today).  Some during exercises & stretching, but seemed like it was back to normal.  Focused on keeping deep core muscles active during the run, which may have helped.  Or maybe it was the stability shoes.  Or maybe just Tuesday.

LM/LL warmup, 8 easy miles (2nd half easy+) in 1:03:58, 7:59/mi, HR 153, PU/Crunches ladder, Myrtl, & stretching.

Overcast, humid, and rainy (63F).  First half kept the effort very easy in the cool but muggy weather.  Started picking up the pace on the downhill return, but when the skies opened up at mile 5, I found myself picking up the pace more.  Then I got it in my head to catch the 8 minute guy, which I did.....barely.

Last couple of miles I could feel my left hip flexor complaining, but by keeping my deep core activated, things were fine.  Been attacking the leg/hip/glutes with the roller the last couple of days and that's helped, so I need to keep it up.  This week will be a pretty significant mileage bump.

LM/LL warmup, 6 mi easy run in 47:51, 7:58/mi, HR 152, 6 x 8 sec hill sprints, 1 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs, stretching.

Cloudy and cool (63F).   Tired but once I got going felt okay.  Didn't have quite the normal pep in the hill sprints....maybe some mental caution imposed since I felt tired today.  Everything felt okay, aside from the odd pain here or there.  Like the spot high on the right lateral quad that is tender to the touch.  Huh?  Took a day off from core workout.

LM/LL warmup, 10 miles in 1:17:53, 7:47/mi, HR 161 with last 3 miles moderate (7:01 down, 6:59 down, 7:29 up), 1 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs, McM Core L2, and stretching.

Took yesterday off because I was pretty worn out.  Shifted schedule to the left 1 day so long runs are now on Saturdays, which makes Fri a normal off day.  Felt good running today....no pain or twinges, but pain was back during core work.  Off to work in the yard.

LM/LL warmup, 6 easy miles (last 0.5 moderate) in 48:02, 8:00/mi, HR 150, 8 x 8 sec hill sprints, 1.5 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs, PU/Crunch ladder, Myrtl, & stretching.

Partly sunny and pleasant (63F).   Legs & back aches from pulling up sod yesterday.  Kept the effort pretty easy, except for the last 0.5 when I tried to slip under the 8 min/mi pace (unsuccessfully).  Shouldn't have tried but I get compulsive about coming in under 8 min miles.  First hill sprint was tough....left hip really hurt when loaded, but 2-8 were fine.  Extra long cooldown walk w/ dogs since the day was so nice....plus, I'm avoiding the auto-mechanic work I need to do on the Saab.  Off to do that now.

LM/LL warmup, 7 miles in 55:48, 7:58/mi, HR 155, w/ 8 x 30 sec Fartleks, 1 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs, McM L2 Core & stretching.

Sunny and warm (78F).  Fortunately, I've retained some of my acclimation to heat despite our recent cool/overcast trend.  Hamstrings, back and neck all felt stiff and sore today from the ~6 hours it took me to replace the clutch cable in the saab yesterday (who knew leaning over the engine compartment wrestling with a couple pieces of rebar to lever the clutch open long enough to split the new cable end into the holder would strain your hamstrings?).  Once I got warmed up, felt pretty good.  The fartleks felt really good and went over a variety of terrain.  I was getting tired by the last couple though....could really feel it in my hip flexors, so I was glad to be done at 7.  Despite feeling some pain (again) during some of the core workout, I'm optimistic that as I increase mileage and intensity, I haven't triggered an injury relapse.

LM/LL warmup, 9 miles in 1:11:47, 7:58/mi, HR 164, PU/Crunches ladder, Myrtl & stretching.

Sunny and hot (84F).  Felt much hotter on the run....got a late start.  Tired legs didn't get any better and by the turnaround, I was ready to be done.  Probably a moderate effort overall given the tiredness, heat, and distance.  Skipped the cooldown walk w/ dogs since it was hot, the dogs looked hot, and they'd already spent plenty of energy at the vet today (as did I).  Left hip is tight and giving me issues.....I need to find more good hip stretches.  It's starting to pop often and loudly.

LM/LL warmup, 6 miles easy 50:26, 8:24/mi, HR 154, 8 x 8 sec hill sprints, 1 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs, stretching.

Sunny & hot (84F).   Managed to wake up 30 minutes late today by sleeping thru turning off my alarm, so definitely time for a *real* easy day.  No 8 minute guy chasing for me.  Legs tired and appreciated the break, as did my left hip.  First couple of hill sprints were closer to stumbles, but legs woke up for the last 6 and felt good.  Skipped core workout today to give more of a break.

LM/LL warmup, 8 miles in 1:02:41, 7:50/mi, HR 162 (first 6 easy, last 2 moderate in 6:49 (down), 7:38 (up)), 1 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs, light stretching.

Sunny and warm again (78F).  Last 2 miles were a bit tough because I was out in direct sun, but felt good for most of it.  Skipped core work again.....lack of motivation.  Tomorrow is off day, so I'll try to get back on the core workout horse then.

LM/LL warmup, 12 miles in 1:26:13, 7:50/mi, HR 164, first 8 mi easy, last 4 moderate in 7:01 (down), 7:58 (up), 7:55 (up), 6:58 (down).  1 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs, PU/Crunch ladder, Myrtl & stretching.

Late start today (~ 3:30 pm) as I slept in late and had to do some running before stores closed.  Felt okay the first 4 miles or so and then started to tire early.  Uh oh.  Eased off a bit on the next 4 (downhill), took a quick water break, then got into the moderate section.  Once I got going, not too bad, but I was ready for it to be over at 12.  Small garmin glitch lost a mile somewhere, but got the totals right.

After about 15 minute, my left hip started hurting on the outside.  Got worse quickly, so the dog walking was slower than normal and with a slight limp.  Decided on Myrtl instead of the hard core workout day I'd planned, and will hit with the roller tonite.  Seems like if I take a down day, things can get worse with the danged hip quickly.  Seems obvious it's still not quite right, but I don't know what to do to make it right, and the doctor doesn't seem to either.....

LM/LL warmup, 6 easy miles in 48:44, 8:07/mi, HR 153, 8 x 8 sec hill sprints, 1 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs, McM Core L2, & stretching.

Overcast and pleasant (62F).  Taking the roller to my hip last night hurt badly but did wonders....felt pretty decent today.  Unfortunately, still enough pain when I turned while lying down to make sleeping difficult, so pretty restless night.  Better today, so I decided to try 6 miles easy and had no troubles.  The 8 sec hill sprints were unspectacular....took the first 4 to get my legs out of the molasses they were evidently soaking in and then the next 4 were just okay.  But a workout complete is a good workout.

LM/LL warmup, 7 miles in 55:18, 7:54/mi, HR 157, w/ 8 x 45 sec Fartleks.  1 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs, Myrtl and stretching.

Sunny and pleasant (73F).  Kept the warmup, cooldown, and recoveries easy and wound up with nice strong Fartlek repeats (all in the mid 5s to low 6s, depending on the terrain).  Not too taxing either.  Hip felt good today, but need to attack with the roller later to keep it that way.

LM/LL warmup, 10 miles in ~1:19:08, 7:54, HR 152

Busy day.  Late start and stopped 2.3 miles in to talk w/ neighbor about some wood he asked if we'd like removed from our property....wound up getting way off topic and started again about 45 minutes later.  Felt pretty good the 2nd half, especially considering the past day's been stressful & with little sleep.  Got back in time for the landscape contractor to arrive to discuss an estimate for some work we want done, so no proper cooldown or core work today.  Plus, garmin seems to have dumped my data, so stats above are from memory.

Garmin decided to return my lost workout to me today (Wed, Aug 26), so the above stats are the correct version.

LM/LL warmup, 6 miles in 48:06, 8:01/mi, HR 148, 8 x 8 sec hill sprints, 1 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs, McM L2 Core workout, & stretching.

Still tired and some soreness/tightness from not stretching (or cooling down) yesterday.  Hip was tight and complaining the most, but got thru unscathed (short stretch stop at 3 mi mark).   Notably, first time in months that groin stretch didn't hurt.  Small victories.

LM/LL warmup, 6 miles in 48:15, 8:02/mi, HR 158, last 0.5 miles moderate in 3:24.5, 0.75 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs, PU/Crunches ladder, Myrtl, & stretching.

Sunny and hot (85F).  Ugh.  Supposed to run 8 total, last 2.5 at moderate effort. First 2 felt good, next 3.5 dragging, started moderate and legs turned to concrete blocks fast.  Just wasn't happening today....significant neuromuscular fatigue.  Shouldn't be surprised since yesterday's hill sprints weren't spectacular either...a sign of carrying too much fatigue around.  So went with Plan B to just survive the 1/2 mile moderate, tomorrow is an off day I *was* going to move Sunday's workout to since I'm flying Sunday, but I'll just take it off instead and if I miss Sunday too, so be it.  Next week recovery week so I need to map out the plan and stick with some reductions to get some rest, especially since I'll be traveling.

LM/LL warmup, 13 miles in 1:43:15, 7:56/mi, HR 155, with last 4 moderate in 7:05 (down), 7:54 (up), 7:43 (up), 6:59 (down).  1 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs & stretching.

Felt decent thru 8, started tiring but not too bad.  Last 4 got steadily tougher but not overly tough...a bit closer to moderate than the last couple of tries.  Now into a travel and recovery week.

LM/LL warmup, 8 mi in 1:03:42, 7:56/mi, HR 160, w/ 8 x 1 min Fartleks, & stretching.

70-ish & 100% humidity.  At least I avoided the rain.  Moved to early morning runs while on travel for work...ugh.  Fartleks went well, but easy pace was slow due to...travel? time of run?  extra gravity?