M'kay

Got a late start due to some home remodeling work that needed done in the AM.  So, started off a bit tired and hungry (one banana and a yogurt for breakfast/lunch).  Some left knee/quad pain on the uphill and steeper downhill stretches.  Snow started to stick in the 2nd half, making footing a bit tricky in spots.  Forgot to bring my sunglasses so kept getting snowflakes in the eyes, which made me drop my head, which worsened my form.  A bit slower pace than normal (8:07/mi avg).

Pylometric drills, lunges, and squats with stretching after run.

Crazy bad weather today.  Wind gusts up to 45 MPH with trees coming down across the road in spots.  Needless to say, I got some sprints in anytime I head the oh so familiar CRACK near the big trees.  Rain was sideways is places.  Middle 4 miles had plenty of leftover slush in the roadway making footing tricky (and wet).  Tired legs made this run difficult (not to mention the difficulty convincing myself to actually get out the door).  Almost talked myself into stopping at the 11mi mark (as I ran back past my house), but I kept at it for the full 13 miles.  Average pace was 8:09/mi, but it sure felt a lot harder today.  

Left knee in some considerable moderate pain in places on this run.  I'm considering going back on the full Cosequin dosage, but think I'm going to hold off for a few more days to make sure this isn't a fluke.  Tomorrow is definitely a recovery run day for me. 

Another crappy weather day. Fought gusting headwinds on much of the outbound leg (uphill, of course), then winds died on return so no boost there. Difficult to keep HR below 146 threshold. Some local flooding from all the rains and the snow runoff from increased temps today had me soaked above my ankles in about 5 minutes....felt like I was running cross country (not that I ever did run cross country) on the road. 2 dog encounters (same dog); 1st included a connection between my foot and it's jaw (just enough to let it know to back off); 2nd took about a minute for owner to finally retrieve pooch from our standoff, so overall recovery pace of 9:15/mi average is a bit off.

Time to retire my oldest pair of shoes today as the just hit 500 miles.

Much less left knee pain today.  Suspect pushed too hard on Easy run days this past week, so must continue to program in Recovery days.

Easy run at 7:56/mi average pace.  A beautiful day compared to the last few.  The winds I encountered were headwinds on the downhill and much milder than the gusting mess from the last few days.  Felt MUCH better after yesterday's Recovery day effort.  Some left knee pain (mild) 7-8 miles into the run, but much better compared to yesterday.  I'm taking this to mean that I needed to include more Recovery days in last week than I did, not that the Cosequin was having any real effect.
Last mile was 8x100m Striders w/ 100m rest in :17, :17, :19, :17, :18, :18, :18, :18. 
Run followed by plyometric drills, lunges, and squats.

Good running weather. Recovery run today; very easy to keep HR low enough today, even on most of the uphill sections.

Need to try Spenco insoles in these (Trance 7) shoes....some minor pain under ball on left foot. No wearing cushioned orthotics in these since they're smaller than the Adrenaline 7s I have. Not going to get Trances again...too cramped.

No knee pain today, so recovery sessions have done me good. Ready to tackle a Steady State run tomorrow.

Core exercises and stretching afterwards. 

Cooler and foggy today. Started with a 2 mile warmup at 8:02/mi average pace. Shed some clothing and started my 6 mile Steady State run. 3 miles uphill (progressively steeper), 3 miles downhill in 7:06, 7:18, 7:25, 6:24, 6:32, 6:40. Aiming for 6:55 avg pace, so effort was pretty even throughout. Felt pretty good and probably could've sustained for another mile or two, but that's for another week. Finished off with a 2 mile cooldown at 7:45/mi average pace (a bit fast as I unintentionally ran the first (slightly downhill) mile at near marathon pace before I backed off).

Plyometrics, lunges, squats, and stretching afterwards.

Easy recovery run at 8:35/mi avg pace, a bit fast for a recovery day.  No problems keeping HR down and speed was a bit faster than recovery zone.  Experiencing some minor pain in ball of left foot that I need to monitor so that it doesn't get worse.
Core exercises and stretching afterwards.

Left ball of foot pain this AM almost caused me to skip run, but it felt pretty good with shoes on, and didn't get any worse when I moved around. It's definitely being caused (or made worse) by Trance shoes I have, so I really need to stop wearing them. Decided to try run and bail if it felt worse.

4 miles on road, and decided to run the local logging trails. Figured my feet could use a break from the asphalt and I'd risk the odd painful foot-plant on the rocks. Started at 20% off MP and worked into 10% off MP halfway into run. Route had 2 very large hills, one early and one late, which definitely slowed pace, but took them much better than last time (few months ago). Overall pace in fast end of Easy range, with some miles at close to MP (downhills). Quads got pounded on extremely steep downhill section, and abductors sore towards end of run, but happy with the result.

2:16:39 @ 8:02/mi pace.

Flew today to Chesapeake, VA.  Up at 2:45 am for flight (ugh!)  Ran Recovery Run on treadmill in hotel this evening in 1:05:29.  Footpod mileage way off actual (4.9 versus 7.0).  Run felt easy from breathing perspective (never left 4-4 breathing pattern), but HR up over time and legs felt sore and tired; worse towards end.  Some pain still in left ball of foot, worse from being cooped up in flight.  Now I remember why I dislike running on treadmills.

Easy run in 56:12 (8:02/mi).  Run felt harder today than it should have.  Some definite soreness remaining from yesterday's travel and treadmill run.  Warm temps raised effort level.  Left foot didn't bug me during run, but I skipped plyometric drills to take it easy on it.  Squats and chair exercises, followed by stretching.

Humid morning and warm (63).  7.0 mile Recovery Run in 1:01:14 (8:44/mi pace).  Not hard to keep pace in recovery zone nor HR below 146, but effort still felt harder than when running back home (in Chesapeake, VA this week).  Also ran 8x100m Striders w/ 100m rest that I missed yesterday in :17, :19, :16, :19, :17, :18, :16, :19.  Guess which way was slightly uphill?

Missed yesterday's 12 mile easy run.  Decided to give my foot a rest to see if the ball pain would recede some more, since it seemed to be sticking around (unlike before).  Strategy seems to have worked a little, but I'll really see later today after the run.  Hope to be ready for tomorrow's Steady State.

Core exercises and stretching following workout.

Started with 2 easy miles in 16:16 (8:08/mi avg pace), then started 7 mile Steady State run.  SS run time was 47:59 (6:51/mi avg pace) with splits of 7:00, 6:52, 6:54, 6:52, 6:48, 6:45, 6:44.  Aiming for 6:55/mi avg pace, but had some obvious problems towards the end with pace control (felt like I was struggling to keep up w/ 6:55, when in fact I was faster).  Pacing more difficult than normal since I'm away from home and the area is very flat (I'm used to the rolling hills).  Leg muscles felt a bit sore today, and by the end of the SS run, my left abductor was pretty sore.  Finished up with 2 easy miles in 15:44 (7:52/mi avg pace).

Recovery run in 1:01:20 (8:45/mi pace) this morning on treadmill in hotel before heading to the airport for the trip back home.

Slept pretty well last night, but had some mild dehydration from long travel day.  Today is long run day.  Aimed to run first half at 20% off MP, and second half  at 10% off MP.  1st half in around 1:17, second half in around 1:11; pretty close on both halves (each a bit fast).  Overall time was 2:28:16 at 8:14/mi pace.  Muscles really started to complain around the 14 mile mark, but managed to keep pace throughout, so good run overall.

Recovery run in 1:02:23 at 8:54/mi avg pace.  Felt a bit sore and tired but after a couple of miles got into the groove and felt pretty good.  Dog encounter at 3 miles paused the run briefly but quickly resumed.  Considering last evening was a late night at an Xmas party, pretty decent run.

7 mile Easy run in 55:45 (7:57 pace) followed by 8x100m Striders w/ 100m rest in :17, :18, :17, :17, :20, :18, :17, :17.  Cold weather made for an early aggressive pace to warm up, but effort not too bad.  Striders felt smooth and form felt right, but late striders effort increased a bit.  Reverted to running in Trance 7s w/ stock insoles until they're retired, no foot pain during run.  Some afterwards, but nothing more than pre-run, and it feels like it's finally fading.

Late run today, extending after dark in 1:46:42 (8:12/mi avg pace).  Couldn't see watch in 2nd half, so entirely effort based at that point.  A bit slower than normal when dark, since didn't have a light and was a bit tentative on footing.
After, core exercises and stretching.

Recovery run in 1:02:10 (8:53/mi avg).  Nice and easy, nothing special.  HR monitor went a bit nuts halfway into the run, so I ignored it and kept the easy pace until it regained it's sensors.  Finished up with some leg strengthening exercises and stretching.

Annual physical this morning showed no matter how much exercise I do, my cholestrol will always be marginal.  Otherwise, all is good.

2 miles Easy in 16:21 (8:10/mi, avg HR 148) warmup.
8 miles Steady State (4 uphill, 4 downhill) in 55:08 (6:53/mi, avg HR 174) with splits: 7:09, 7:10, 7:16, 7:17, 6:33, 6:23, 6:39, 6:38.
2 miles Easy in 15:47 (7:53/mi, avg HR 157) cooldown.

Brief snowstorm from mile 1 to 2 in Steady State, followed by clouds, then sun, then clouds again. SS felt good and easier than last week (despite the hills and the extra mile, a good sign). One of those runs that inspires confidence that your fitness is improving!

Went to the Chiropractor today for the first time in ~ 15 years.  Came home with another appointment, some exercises, and some explanations as to why parts of my back are stiff and I seem to have continual issues with my left side. 

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 107 miles.

7 miles Recovery in 1:02:19 (8:54/mi, avg HR 137).

Run felt very easy and light. A bit stiff and sore from my Chiro visits initially, but worked itself out in about a mile and got that feeling that my fitness has suddenly improved just like yesterday. HR easy to maintain under the recovery threshold, and pace felt very very easy today, even on the uphills. Unfortunately, two more dog encounters, so today I got fed up with trying to work with my neighbor and finally called Animal Control. Of course, it's a recording and by the time they call back, I'll probably be feeling guilty for turning them in, but I have tried working with them for more than 6 months now and no luck.

Speaking of Chiro, my initial visit was yesterday. Xray's revealed that I can bend to the right fairly well, but bending to the left, my spine is all messed up. Some vertebrate aren't bending at all (between them I mean), and overall my spine is being pulled and twisted to the right. The doc gave me some exercises to perform in a 3-to-1 ratio to help correct the muscle imbalance that's causing this, in addition to an adjustment. I went back this AM for a second adjustment before my run, and boy was I stiff and sore and needed it!

I also had this test that measures the electro-muscle activity on either side of the spine, at points starting at your neck and descending to the base of the spine. This nifty test spit out a computer image that shows my muscle activity around most vertebrate as red (bad), indicating a bunch of imbalances (muscles working too hard to stay aligned), in addition to the spine being pulled to one side or another depending on which part of the back it's on. Now, I'm a bit of a skeptic about most of this stuff, but I've had good results from a chiro in my past, and this particular one appears to believe in not only adjustments but getting the patient to correct muscle issues as well, and so far so good. We shall see how this goes, I suppose.

Brooks Trance - 251 miles.

19 miles Long Run in 2:35:41 (8:11/mi, avg HR 152).

When I woke up to the wind howling, I knew I was in for a tough run.  Needed to get it done relatively early so I could make an eye doctor appointment at lunchtime.  Swirling winds greeted me in the beginning 6 miles.  Those were joined by the rain-front that moved through, with the rain changing to sleet and hail at different points.  Had to make a quick stop at 8 mile point to call my insurance company (5 minutes) which I realized would be closed by the time I got done since they were on east coast time.  Got back to it and slogged through the wretched conditions.  Towards the end of the run, started feeling like I was running out of gas, likely because I hadn't eaten anything since the evening prior and I was probably approaching the wall.  Good mental test today, aside from the physical benefits.  Soaked thru and a bit chilled by the end.

Brooks Adrenaline (Blue) - 352 miles.


 

7 miles Recovery in 1:00:31 (8:38/mi, avg HR 138).

Pretty stiff from the Chiro adjustments on Friday. He's obviously hit on a problem area, because the tingly leg sensation I'd been getting on long runs in the past is now in full force and obviously emanating from my lower back. Once I got on the road today, though, things loosened up nicely and the run felt super-easy. Wound up running a bit faster than my recovery pace allows but just couldn't help myself, and since my HR was well below the 70% threshold, why not? Perhaps the feeling that I'd gotten a few days this week that my fitness had suddenly jumped was right on.

Merry Xmas to me. Got my personalized training schedule from Greg McMillan today, along with some light reading material. Before I blog about any sort of specifics, I've asked if there's anything he'd like me not to write about, and there's nothing worse than making your coach mad I suspect, so I'll withhold details until I get the okay, but I'm well and truly excited. It starts tomorrow with an Easy Run, which is much less exciting, but still has me pumped. I was somewhat bummed to see that there is no "Run This Workout Twice And It's Guaranteed To Halve Your Marathon Time" workout included, but I'll get over it :)

Brooks Trance - 258 miles.

8 miles Easy in 1:04:23 (8:03/mi, avg HR 158), followed by 8x100m Strides w/100m rest in 17.9, 19.7, 21.6, 21.1, 19.8, 19.6, 19.9, 19.8.

First six miles felt *very* easy, followed by last two just easy. My sciatic nerve in left leg is bugging me, as a result of my Chiro adjustments today and Friday, but run was still easy. First six miles felt extra easy today, while last 2 just easy. Took the strides slower, since the nerve discomfort increased a bit with faster running, so I didn't push too hard. I think the 8 miles was a bit long today, since my Garmin decided to space out for a few tenths of a mile halfway into the run, but even at what I guess is the true distance (8.3 mi), was still in the Easy run range.

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 116 miles.

14 miles Easy in 1:52:43 (8:03/mi, avg HR 162).

A sleep in late morning today cost me when the winds and snow started just prior to commencing my run, making it tough running in spots.  As added incentive for keeping pace was the turkey dinner waiting my return home, so neither wind nor snow...sciatic nerve gave me some problems early on, but they worked themselves out by about the halfway mark, and my leg felt much better by the end of the run over when I started. 

Brooks Adrenaline (Blue) - 366 miles.

7 miles Easy in 57:50 (8:15/mi, avg HR 151).

Ran by easy effort today, looking at the watch as few times as possible. Road covered with slush and icy in spots resulting from snow yesterday and sun out today.  Wound up a bit below my Easy run range, but effort felt easy and I needed the recovery in prep for tomorrow's Steady State. All the extra sleep has done me good, but it's about time to stop sleeping so late. Got back to my core exercises and stretching following run.

Brooks Trance - 265 miles.

2 miles Easy in 16:47 (8:23/mi, avg HR 145) warmup.
9 miles Steady State (4 uphill, 1 flat, 4 downhill) in 1:02:07 (6:54/mi, avg HR 174) with splits: 7:02, 7:22, 7:25, 7:25, 6:52, 6:33, 6:17, 6:25, 6:42.
2 miles Easy in 16:12 (8:06/mi, avg HR 156) cooldown.

Blowing flurries and some winds to deal with today.  I've been having some mental trouble in that I find myself dreading Tempo/Steady State runs starting about a day prior.  Nonetheless, got to it today and upped the distance to 9 miles.  Harder than last week, in that uphill miles felt substantially harder (and were even run a bit slower) and the last 2 felt like I was about out of gas.  The 2 mile cooldown even felt somewhat difficult.  Need to take tomorrow really easy to try to recharge, and perhaps a nap today. 

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 129 miles.

7 miles Recovery in 1:02:51 (8:58/mi, avg HR 141).

Completely wiped by yesterday's Steady State, so I ran my scheduled Easy run as a Recovery run today.  Felt uncoordinated for the first 5 miles, last 2 finally felt a bit better but legs still very tired.  Will take it easy the rest of the day to prep for tomorrow's long run.

Brooks Trance - 272 miles.
 

20 miles Easy in 2:43:59 (8:12/mi, avg HR 154).

Today's run begins yesterday. After run yesterday, legs, hip, feet, everything felt bad. Would get sharp pains in left foot randomly, making me think I'd cracked something. Bunion was bugging me and big toe was almost immobile. Left leg, from hip to foot would get shooting pains, making me think the sciatic nerve issue I've been dealing with was more, and for once I could replicate by applying pressure in certain positions. Stayed up late and last thoughts on going to bed were to make today a rest day and attempt the long run tomorrow instead.

Fast forward to this morning. Felt much better, but still some sciatic nerve twinges depending on how I applied pressure to the leg. After taking it easy in the morning, I decided to try the long run, but abort and only run 7 recovery if things didn't go well. Things went well.  Road was slick in spots, with about 1/3 of the route covered with slush, 1/3 snow, and 1/3 just wet.  Sciatic issue disappeared after 2 miles and got back into the normal groove. Some very minor left big toe discomfort off and on, but much better than yesterday with full joint mobility. Tried to keep speed constant throughout on a 2 10 mile loop course, running the 1st half in 1:44, 2nd half in 1:40.  Back on track!

Brooks Adrenaline (Blue) - 386 miles.

7 miles Easy in 56:16 (8:02/mi, avg HR 153).

Plenty of snow overnight made for a slippery run, but felt good and kept good pace, especially after long run yesterday.

7 miles Easy in 56:45 (8:06/mi, avg HR 152).

Bad road conditions today....plenty of ice and treacherousness to go around.  Still managed a decent pace and easy effort to finish off my runs for the year.  By my calculations, this puts me at 2656 miles for the year.  So I guess my first resolution for next year is to log 3000 miles.  I'm also thinking about running a 5K tomorrow morning to get the New Year off on the right foot.

Brooks Adrenaline (Blue) - 393 miles.