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.

Went to see the Sports Med doctor today.  Aside from identifying tight hamstrings and weak hip flexors, no definitive diagnosis to my adductor pain, although he did pinpoint the source as the tendon attachment to the pelvis.  Due to the nature, I'm headed for some Xrays and an MRI as soon as the insurance and scheduling get sorted out.  In the meantime, I was cleared to run easy miles/pace if pain-free, which when I tried I was not.

Instead, I did 60 minutes on the recumbant stationary bike, 19.55 miles, fat burner level 1.  Both outer hamstrings were pretty tired at the end, especially on the left leg.  Followed with some core exercises (avoiding the painful ones) and more stretching.

19.71 recumbent stationary bike miles in 1 hour, fat burner program, level 1.  Oh, the sheer boredom.

18.2 stationary recumbent cycling miles in 1 hour, Endurance Level 1.

29.14 stationary recumbent cycling miles in 90 minutes, Strength level 1.

20+ recumbent bike miles in 60 minutes, Endurance program, Level 1.

Diagnosis:  Osteitis Pubis.  

Time to fix:  Estimated at 6-9 months.

Ugh.  Well, on the good side, at least I've got a pretty definitive diagnosis, although there is still an outside chance its a hernia.  Evidently this is one of those injuries that are usually chronic in nature and take a highly variable amount of time to heal from.  Fortunately(?), it looks like the cause is biomechanical issues that can probably be corrected with the proper Physical Therapy program and I'm already on the books for my first PT session tomorrow with a PT that treats athletes in general and runners in particular. 

Okay, so I'm opening a 24 hour window (until noon tomorrow at my first PT appointment) where I'm going to allow myself to feel sorry for myself, then that's it.  After that, I'll devote my energies to something useful like recovery.

20.22 recumbent cycling miles in 60 minutes.  Core exercises and 45 minutes of PT prescribed stretching.

19.96 recumbent cycling miles in 60 minutes, Endurance Level 1.  Core Exercises Level 1.

30.54 recumbent cycling miles in 90 minutes, Strength Level 1.  Core Exercises Level 1, Stage 2.

20.04 recumbent cycling miles in 60 minutes, Endurance Level 1.

20.74 recumbent cycling miles in 60 minutes, Intervals Level 1.  Core exercises Level 1, Stage 3.

20.14 recumbent cycling miles in 60 minutes, Endurance Level 1.  Core workout level 1 step 3.

The good news is that the pain has subsided quite a bit, my hamstring flexibility has already improved, and my core strength is getting better as I progress thru the Core programs.  The bad news is that the weather has been so nice and I'm stuck inside on the stationary bike wishing I could be out running.  It's hard enough when it was painful to run, but not getting out in this weather when I feel like I could is akin to bamboo shoots under the fingernails.

20.47 stationary recumbent cycling miles in 60 minutes, Endurance Level 1. 

20.15 stationary recumbent cycling miles in 60 minutes, Endurance Level 1.  Core workout, Level 1, Step 3.

31.53 stationary recumbent cycling miles in 90 minutes, Strength Level 1.

21.33 stationary recumbent cycling miles in 60 minutes, Intervals Level 1.  Core Workout Level 1, Stage 3.

20.42 stationary recumbent cycling miles in 60 minutes, Endurance Level 1.  Core Workout Level 1, Step 3.

20.20 stationary recumbent cycling miles in 60 minutes, Endurance Level 1.

Sick. Flu.

Over the flu, which was actually pretty mild this time around and was only really bad for a couple of days and then just lingered for a couple more.  Still have a case of the tireds and an occasional dry cough, but otherwise unscathed.

Wish the running injury report was similiar but it's not.  It seems like all the gains I made while on the pain meds the first 2 weeks after seeing the doctor and starting Physical Therapy started being slowly erased once off the meds and today on my 1 month checkup, I'm back where I started.....same pain level, can't do some of the exercises and stretches I could do 2 weeks ago pain-free, and no end in sight. 

So the *new* plan is to completely rest for 2 week (to start) and go from there.  No more keeping semi-fit on the exercise bike, on the off chance that's been holding me back (although I haven't really cycled since last week just before I got the flu).  Minimal walking around.  Heck, I'm even supposed to try not to do a lot of standing from a sitting position since it triggers the pain.  Stretching only for 2 weeks and then progress as directed by the PT until one of two things happens:

1 - Good things happen, in which case I see the doctor again right before they have me try to run again.

2 - Bad things happen, I don't get any better and get fed up waiting and am ready to try an injection.  This is really a two-parter, since I asked the doc today about Prolotherapy versus Cortizone injections and it sounds like it really boils down to my choice (great).  Actually, he was more helpful than that, and the modality he was intending to try was the Cortizone but when I asked about Prolotherapy he told me some of the history, the science (or lack thereof), the hard facts (most insurance won't cover), and the different types.  So if anyone knows about Prolotherapy and would like to chime in, I'm all ears.

In the meantime, I'll be resting.....

Still down and out.  Nearly 3 weeks of complete rest haven't produced much in the way of concrete results.  On the plus side, some chiropractic adjustments managed to help alleviate the % of time I'm in pain.  Some PT work has helped me figure out the exact movements and muscles that cause the pain (and how to avoid them as much as possible).  Moving from ice only to alternating ice and heat modalities has helped eliminate pain under certain conditions (mostly static).  But the big freaking down side remains:  the pain is pretty much at the same *intensity* when it does happen.  Nights are the worst....sleeping tends to aggravate things so first thing in the morning, things hurt worse than they do later in the day.

Tomorrow, I'm going for a corticosteroid injection.  One one hand, I'm not at all excited about it.  When the lady making the appointment asks me twice (just to make sure) if I really want a shot in that area, I'm guessing it'll be a tad uncomfortable.  Plus, I like healing naturally if at all possible, and the rounds of Aleve did nothing other than hide the pain for a while.  On the other hand, the hours I've spent researching this thing indicates one thing:  corticosteroid injection of the pubic symphysis *can* speed recovery.  At this point, I just want to feel like I'm on the road to recovery, and the lack of progress while under total rest helped make this decision for me.  Here's hoping the short-term pain tomorrow results in some long-term gain.

New diagnosis:  adductor tendinitis.  Before injecting the corticosteroid, the doc examined the afflicted area again and determined that the pain was now originating from the adductor tendon origin on the pubic bone, essentially down and to the left of the area I was supposed to get injected in.  Looking back at the MRI results, there was evidence of a Grade 1 adductor strain, along with the indicators of Osteitis Pubis.  Best guess:  I had both and the OP has calmed down from the rest and rehab, but the tendonitis is being stubborn.  Makes sense as I injured the adductor at virtually the same spot 2 years ago and went thru rehab that didn't quite fix things completely in my estimation (still had occasional pain even after the doc/PT said I was good to go).

So we tried what I'll call the "Therapy of 1000 needles".  The idea was to stimulate healing by repeatedly poking the tendon where it attaches causing microtraumas and blood flow to an area that has little bloodflow.  I'm also on a nitroglycerin patch on the tendon to help increase bloodflow to the area.  Both may help stimulate the healing process, but lurking over the horizon should these new attempts fail is the possibilty I'll need surgery.  Here's to hoping that's not required.

So not much progress but I feel better about this diagnosis revision since they allow new treatment modalities that might help speed things along.

Walked 6 minutes at 3.2 MPH at Physical Therapy.  Wow.

Actually, things seem to be improving.  The pain is still there with certain actions but the trigger points are receding.   Where last week I couldn't squeeze a soccer ball between my knees without pain, this week I can get a decent squeeze going before the pain hits.  Small victories.  My hope is that things will accelerate going forward.  On the plus side, with all this focus on seldom used core muscles, I now know what they are and do and have gotten strength I've not had previously.  On the down side, I'm at +10 pounds and counting.

Test run on the treadmill at the PT.  6 minutes of walking to warm up, then 4 minutes of an easy jog, then 2 minutes of walking.  Boy, I felt like I was running like Phoebe (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_0Ta_DIWuU) and I'm pretty sure my PT agrees after watching my gait with poorly disguised horror.  

So adductor strength has improved somewhat and the pain has faded from being sharp to being slightly less sharp, but 4 hours post-run I've already got soreness.  Hopefully upping the nitro patch dosage will help speed things up.  Next monday's PT session is the earliest possible next run in my future.

8 whole minutes of running on the treadmill at PT today.  Will see how things feel over the next couple of days (I already know because I'm a couple days behind, but you all have to wait in suspense!!!)

Not good.  Felt a bit sore the morning after Monday's short run.  Was given clearance to run 6 minutes today, but I self-terminated the exercise at 4 when the pain started back.  It felt just like it did about a week before I stopped running back in Jan (?) when the injury first hit.

So today, we did more gait analysis.  I have a screwy left foot....well, left leg.  My foot when held straight is very supinated and when I dorsiflex it, hits a resistance point and wants to rotate externally (turn out).  So when I'm running, my foot lands relatively straight all the way to toe off, where I get a rather extreme heel whip.  The lower leg/foot externally rotates to about 30-45 degrees and doesn't straighten again until it's moved under me and is no longer dorsiflexed.

This is important because of what it's doing to my hip/groin.  Essentially, I'm adducting pretty violently with every stride to bring my foot back in line with my running path.  So much so that my PTs initial take on this is that I should *stop* aligning my foot forward and just let the foot splay (as my right foot does, but to a lesser extent). 

Unfortunately, this introduces some other issues....namely, some pretty severe overpronation (not to mention the loss of efficiency from the whole ankle/achilles lever).  So the solution.....orthotics.  Color me not enthusiastic.  I already have 3 pair of prescription orthoes and am not a big fan.  Of course, *these* orthoes will be much better....right. 

So, aside from the mild-to-moderate depression I'm in now going from finally starting back to running to sidelined indefinitely again, now I am faced with no clear path to resolving the issue satisfactorily.  Part of me is tempted to go find a surgeon to take my lower limbs apart as needed to rebuild me the way the human body was designed.  It worked for the bionic man, right?

As an aside, forgive me for not closely following some of your blogs like I used to.  Honestly, its tough for me to read about all the miles everyone is putting in and the races they're going to when I can't even jog to the mailbox.  Okay, enough self-pity blogging for one day...

1 miles in 8:01, HR 171.  Sunny and warm (60F).  After my return from 2 weeks vacation touring Greece and Turkey, I returned to a new PT plan which involves attempting a very gradual return to running (3 days/week, 1 mile/day), resetting the allowable pain threshold from none (old plan) to some (new plan).  The pain was reduced following 2 weeks of no stretching or other PT work aside from all the walking/hiking/swimming.  Today's mile was okay....I felt completely uncoordinated and didn't dare look at my HR for what felt like a reasonable pace, but it was a run in beautiful weather so I can't complain.  Here's hoping the *new* plan works!

1 mile in 8:00, HR 175.  Sunny and warm (~65F).  A tiny bit less uncoordinated and little pain running.  The pain came in stretching afterwards.

1 mile in 8:01, HR 175.  Sunny and warm (63F).  Cooldown walk with the dogs afterwards.  More stretching and icing.

1 mile in 8:02, HR 177.  Sunny and warm (61F).  My heart is working overtime even at this "easy" pace.  Some minor pain but nothing significant during the run.  Some pain during side plank and metronome exercises afterwards, and definite pain during the butterfly stretch.  

This week I'm running 4 times, with Wed/Thurs back-to-back run days, to see how things go.  If it works okay, next week I'll run 3 x 1.5 miles.  Excitement abounds!

1 mile in 7:51, HR 170.  Sunny and warm (~70F).  8 minute walking warmup with some light stretching, the run, and then into my PT appointment.  Everything felt pretty much the same.....little pain while running, moderate pain while stretching.  But I am getting a better range of motion from my adductors, so that's something.  

1 mile in 7:44/mi, HR 177.  Warm & sunny (72F).  Today's run felt good....form coming back a little at a time.  Focusing on keeping my knees straight and apart is helping keep the rest of the chain (hips, legs, ankles, feet) in better alignment.  Monday's run is 1.5 miles....yeehaw!

2 miles in 15:32, 7:46/mi, HR 177.  Warm & sunny (75F).  Oops.  Supposed to run 1.5 but higher math while running isn't my strong suit.  Neither is higher math while standing still, lying down, sitting, or in any other position for that matter.  But things felt pretty good and I tolerated it well, so my PT pronounced that 2 milers instead of 1.5 milers this week would be okay, but no more.  Also, PT sessions reduced to 1 x week since I'm sooooo compliant with the exercises and stretching.  Oh, how the road to recovery is sweet but slow.

My PT is running his first marathon this weekend.  Unfortunately, his training the past few weeks has been 2 days running/week with some long bike rides on the weekends.  I've tried to gently suggest reining in his expectations for his first event but I don't think he quite grasps how painful the last few miles can be if undertrained.  I'm almost looking forward to next Tuesday's session already.....

2 miles in 15:19, 7:40/mi, HR 181.  Sunny and hot (84F).  Injury felt good during the run and not a lot of pain afterwards either.  Butterfly stretch still pretty painful, but that I can live with.  Core workout afterwards.

2 miles in 15:17, 7:38/mi, HR 182.  Overcast and pleasant (64F).  Everything felt good except my feet.....the VFFs on pavement just don't cut it over 1 mile.  I'll try to wear them around the house and when walking the dog more often.  Cardio fitness still sucks but that'll come around soon enough (I hope!)

2 miles in 15:27, 7:43/mi, HR 175.  Cloudy and misty (~62F).  Decent enough run despite feeling a bit under-the-weather.  

2 miles in 15:15, 7:37/mi, HR 170.  Sunny and pleasant (71F).  Supposed to be an off day, but I couldn't help myself.  And I felt really good.  Still a bit sore afterwards, but I think I'm trending upwards.  Just wish my HR wasn't so much...

2 miles in 15:17, 7:38/mi, HR 179.  Overcast and warm (72F).  Things didn't feel as smooth today and the hip ache was back after the run.  Not going to read too much into this.

2 miles in 15:47, 7:53/mi, HR 176.  Cloudy and pleasant (72F).  Soreness before the start, but just some stiffness on the run.  Still feeling pretty uncoordinated early in the run but got better.  Stretching and icing afterwards. 

2 miles in 15:19, 7:39/mi, HR 172.  Felt pretty good today.  HR still up there in the stratosphere, but the effort is coming down a bit.  Form felt decent and very little soreness afterwards, even while stretching.  Moving it up to 3 miles tomorrow.

Got my BOSU balance trainer yesterday.  One of the biggest realizations I got from PT is that I have no balance.  Rather, I had no balance, no I just have terrible balance, but I hope to improve it, along with strengthening all the little muscles that go into maintaining balance.

3 miles in 23:26, 7:48/mi, HR 171.  Cloudy and cool (54F).  A bit stiff to start the day.  Injury sore to start.  Warmed up into the run and felt decent throughout.  Core exercises and stretching afterwards, with icing.

3 miles in 23:43, 7:54/mi, HR 179.  Mostly cloudy, humid (60%) and warm (72F).  Today's 3 felt harder than Sunday's, probably the weather.  Plenty of core work and stretching afterwards.

2 miles in 15:50, 7:55/mi, HR 171.  Overcast and cool (63F).  Some lingering leg soreness from yesterday's run and workout.  Better at keeping today's run easy.  Some more balance and PT related exercises and stretching afterwards.  Some left shin pain.

3 miles in 23:04, 7:41/mi, HR 178.  Rainy (61F).  3 miles seems so far....especially when it rains.  Iced the right shin because of some pain afterwards.  A couple of balance and core exercises, but mostly just stretching.  Injury feels pretty good.

2 miles in 15:35, 7:48/mi, HR 170.  Cloudy and cool (65F).  More right shin pain after the run, so icing followed the core work and stretching.

3 miles in 23:30, 7:50/mi, HR 172.  Uphill sections still very tough.  One uphill acceleration and fast .1 finish felt pretty good.  A bit achy in spots today, so other than some minor balance work, just stretching and icing.

3 miles in 23:17, 7:45/mi, HR 177.  Sunny and pleasant (67F).  Felt good today....virtually no pain and well rested.  Threw in 5 short uphill sprints which all felt decent (although not too fast).  HR and effort are still way high for the distance, but it'll get better with time.  A few exercises and stretches afterwards, then the icing.  Hope to feel this good tomorrow too.

3 miles in 23:37, 7:52/mi, HR 177.  Partly sunny and warm (78F).  A bit more soreness today.  Right shin pain after the run.  Is it tied to my Adrenaline shoes?  Something to watch, but it went away after an hour or so.  Core work and stretching afterwards.

3 miles in 23:41, 7:53/mi, HR 174.  Sunny and pleasant (64F).  5 short hill sprints sprinked into an easy run with a fast .1 finish.  Some soreness beforehand, probably from increasing the weight for adductor exercise on Wednesday, but nothing too bad.  A lot of core work afterwards with stretching.

3 miles in 23:31, 7:50/mi, HR 170.  Sunny and warm (70F).  Once I get over the fact that it feels like I'm crawling instead of running, I noticed things felt easier today.  I think holding back the first mile more helps.  Some mild right shin pain today, probably because I forgot to stretch my calves yesterday.  Good stretching and icing afterwards.  Tomorrow is 4 miles.

4 miles in 31:49, 7:57/mi, HR 172.  Partly cloudy and pleasant (62F).  First 4 mile/30+ minute run in months!  Felt pretty good running today, not as labored even with the added distance.  Some notes:

• Noticed some right shin 'discomfort' as soon as I started running, again with my Adrenalines.  Has my form changed that significantly that I now have a whole new set of muscle pains to deal with?
• When I start to tire, my hips start to swing instead of staying parallel to my direction of travel.  Basically, I start twisting my body to help move my active leg forward.  Focusing on keeping my knees straight (and apart) has gotten easier, so now I'm onto keeping my hips aligned.
• By keeping my hips aligned, I notice my hip flexors tiring more.  My hip abductors too.

Off running day.  After getting the bike prepped yesterday, decided to crosstrain a bit today.  8.8 bike miles in 34:51, 3:57/mi, HR 156.  Could barely walk afterwards and my left hamstring is still complaining a bit.  Hmmmm.....perhaps I overdid it a tad?

4 miles in 31:43, 7:55/mi, HR 170.  Sunny and breezy (69F).  Nice and easy with 10 accelerations (6 uphill, 2 downhill, 2 flat).  HR doesn't reflect it, but easy is slowly becoming easy again.  Plenty of core exercises and stretching afterwards.

4 miles in 31:53, 7:58/mi, HR 171.  Sunny and warm (74F).  Thankful for the self-generated breezes on the downhill stretches.

Recovery/cross-training day.  12 mile bike ride in 47:58, 15.0 mph, HR 152.  Core exercises and stretching schedule for this evening.

4 miles in 32:13, 8:03/mi, HR 171.  Sunny and hot (78F).  Scorcher for this part of the country (when I'm sweating walking in the shade, it's a scorcher).  Easy pace was tough because of the heat, especially in the exposed sections.  10 accelerations, 5 uphill, 2 flat, 3 downhill.  Missed the core workout yesterday, so off to do it now.

28 mile easy bike ride with Dianna.  Sunny and hot (84F).  Decided to stick with cross-training today as my left knee hurt after some of the core work yesterday.  

4 miles in 31:38, 7:54/mi, HR 166.  Sunny and hot (78F).  Another milestone reached....first run where my avg HR was under 170!  Today's run didn't feel too bad so I guess things are still getting easier.  This is the 8th week of my return to running program and I'm aiming for a total of 20 miles.  I think the bicycling sprinkled throughout the week is really helping with boosting my aerobic work....I find it easier to take it easy on a ride versus as run.  Core workout & stretching afterwards.

Cross-training day.  14 cycling miles in 1:01:10, 4:21/mi, HR 141.  Overcast with intermittent drizzle (61F).  Rode up into the state forest lands, so some hills, logging roads and a couple of miles just trying not to wreck on the return downhill.  I'm actually enjoying my cross-training days.

4 miles in 31:07, 7:47/mi, HR 168.  Overcast and pleasant (62F).  Easy run with 12 short accelerations, 6 uphill, 3 flat, and 3 downhill.  Felt pretty good the whole time, so I guess fitness is slowly coming back.  I seem to to thrive the day after a cross-training (biking) day, although it's probably too soon to draw a firm conclusion.  Core workout & stretching afterwards.

4 miles in 31:18, 7:49/mi, HR 165.  Overcast and cool (61F).  Took the dogs for a warmup walk (1+ mi), then the run, then some stretching.  Injury site a bit sore during stretching and hip was popping and grinding some today.

Crosstraining day. 16 cycling miles in 59:29, 16.2 MPH, HR 154.  Cooldown walk with the dogs and some stretching.

4 miles in 31:33, 7:53/mi, HR 167.  Sunny and warm (77F).  Easy effort with 12 accelerations, 6 uphill, 3 downhill, & 3 flat.  Still trending in the right direction.  Core workout & stretching afterwards.  

Yesterday's cycling tweaked my hamstring at the upper attachment point.  Still getting acclimated to the bike seat, I guess.  Used the racquetball on the sore spot for quite a while yesterday evening, with some icing later.  I could feel it was still a bit sore today but didn't affect the run at all. 

4 miles in 32:00, 8:00/mi, HR 161.  Sunny and hot (81F).  Took it easy today after a warmup walk with the dogs.  Followed up with the Myrtl routine and some stretching.  Then a few hours of yardward, including weeding, digging, swinging an axe, and chainsaw wielding.  Fun.

5 miles in 39:25, 7:53/mi, HR 160.  Partly sunny and pleasant (68F).  Tired from yesterday's yardwork and could feel it in the first couple of miles.  Effort stayed pretty easy otherwise.  Core workout and stretching afterwards.

5 miles in 39:39, 7:56/mi, HR 170.  Sunny and warm (71F).  Easy with 12 accelerations (6 uphill, 3 flat, 3 downhill).  

2nd day in a row I've felt really tired all morning.  Plenty of sleep and no workout yesterday, so I'm not sure why.  

On the good news front, I've officially been kicked out of Physical Therapy.  Although we didn't meet all of the objectives (i.e. get rid of injury pain completely), most are complete and at this point, I'm pretty much doing all the exercises at home anyway.  Guess they didn't like me dragging down their stats :).  Whatever the case, it's still a good sign.

5 miles in 39:46, 7:57/mi, HR 170.  Sunny, warm (78F) and breezy.  Not quite as tired as yesterday despite lousy sleep last night.  Decided on 5 instead of 4.  Kept the effort easy and turnover high, which made the run easier the first couple of miles, but started getting tired at mi 3.  Finished up with a fast 0.1, then the Mrtyl routine and stretching.

5 miles in 40:31, 8:06/mi, HR 171.  Hot and sunny (84F).  Temps forced a slower pace today.  Legs got tired early and I actually walked a few steps in the last mile.  Probably more the heat than anything, but perhaps also the mileage increase.

Decided to crosstrain today due to some significant tiredness from the last 3 days of running and the heat outside (better breezes on a bike).  16 cycling miles in 59:12, 3:41/mi, HR 156.  Sunny and hot (87F).  Hope it's cooler tomorrow!

5 miles in 38:18, 7:39/mi, HR 169.  Sunny and hot (80F).  Extra sleep really helped recharge my batteries.  Even in the heat, the pace felt decent until late in the run after all the accelerations.  12 accelerations, 6 uphill, 3 flat, and 3 downhill.  Passed another runner on the road whom I didn't recognize....he was moving pretty fast on the downhill as I was headed uphill....wonder if he's just visiting the area or if there's a new resident in the area.

Followed up with the core workout I was supposed to do Thursday, then some stretching.  Also, added warmup Lunges to the routine.

5 miles in 39:26, 7:53/mi, HR 162.  Sunny and breezy (73F).  Glutes and hip flexors sore, but loosened up well.  Focused on keeping things easy today and was pretty successful.  Felt so good that 1/4 mile from the finish I picked it up for a fast finish.  Myrtl routine and stretching afterwards, followed up with some yardwork.

Cross-training day.  Legs feeling pretty tired and still sore in spots.  16 cycling miles in 59:32, 3:43/mi, HR 147.  Focused on keeping the effort easy the first several miles, then wound up pushing things a bit like normal.  A bit slower than last Thursday on the same route, but pretty close and with perhaps a smidge less effort.  Sunny and warm (81F), destined to get hot tomorrow.

Core workout and stretching afterwards.

5 miles in 39:44, 7:56/mi, HR 166.  Sunny and hot (82F).  LM/LL warmup, easy run with 12 accelerations, 6 uphill, 3 flat, 3 downhill, 1 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs, Myrtl routine, then stretching.  Legs a bit tired still and the heat didn't help matters, but kept the effort easy throughout, aside from the accelerations.  

5 miles in 39:03, 7:48/mi, HR 165.  Sunny and warm (74F).  Legs tired and a bit sore in spots, but warrmed up well with LM/LL.  Followed up with 1+ mi walk with the dogs, McMillan core routine #2 (first time), and stretching. 

My Garmin 405 turned 1 a few days ago, so its fitting that it was completely dead when I grabbed it to head out today.  No lights/power/nothing, despite being on it's charger.  Fortunately, my 305 didn't need charged too much to function as a backup, since my normal backup watch was also completely dead (leading me to think an EMP had been set off over my house for a few minutes....fortunately, swapping batteries on the watch worked wonders).  The bad news is the 405 is out of warranty, but the good news is that I bought it at REI for just this reason....their 100% guarantee.  Actually, the salesperson talked me into the whole purchase citing this as an example of why I should buy stuff at REI, so I've no guilt in exchanging it for a new one after 1+ years use.  Especially since it sat on my desk for nearly 5 months while I was out with an injury.  Garmin makes neat stuff, but their quality isn't the best...

5 miles in 39:40, 7:56/mi, HR 156.  Overcast and cool (62F).  In other words, wonderful running weather.  Things felt easy, aside from some right shin pain. Warmed up with LM/LL, ran, cooldown walk 1+ miles w/ dogs, leg circuit, Myrtl routine, stretching.

5 miles in 39:14, 7:50/mi, HR 167.  Sunny and warm (73F).  LM/LL warmup, 12 accelerations (6 uphill, 3 flat, 3 downhill) + fast finish, 1+ mi cooldown walk with dogs, and some light stretching.  Decided to skip the core workout today....everyone deserves a break, right?

But that's not the most remarkable thing about today's run.  Somehow, I was Mr. Consistent.  My garmin splits were 8:07.71, 8:07.87, 7:59.32, 7:29.63, 7:29.83 on my 2.5 mile out and back course.  How in the world did I manage that???

6 miles in 47:51, 7:58/mi, HR 168.  Sunny and hot (82F).  LM/LL warmup, easy run , 1 mi+ walk w/ dogs cooldown, McM Core L2, & stretching.  More hot days ahead.

5 miles in 39:28, 7:53/mi, HR 167.  Sunny and hot (86F).  LM/LL warmup, easy run w/ 12 accelerations (6 uphill, 3 flat, 3 downhill) + fast finish, 1+ mi cooldown walk w/ dogs (slow), Myrtl routine & stretching.  Longing for cooler weather!

6 miles in 49:15, 8:12/mi, HR 163.  Sunny and very hot (89F).  Just tried to survive today.  LM/LL warmup, easy run, abbreviated walk (.75 mi) w/ dogs, McM Core L2 workout & stretching.  Left ITB feeling a bit tight, so I need to roll it out tonite.  

5 miles in 39:49, 7:58/mi, HR 164.  LM/LL warmup, 4 miles easy, 1 mile moderate (6:55/mi, downhill), .75 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs, Myrtl routine, 2 x LM, stretching.

Sunny and very hot again today (89F).  Easy miles were slower due to the heat, but I did manage a good moderate pace for the last mile.  Time to start looking at putting together a training plan and ease into some faster paced running....I believe I'll re-read Brad Hudson's book and put something together from it.  The big question......what goal race to aim for.  I don't think a fall marathon is in the cards, since I fell so far from the mileage train, but perhaps the Seattle Half in late November might be a good target.

LM/LL warmup.  6 miles in 47:54, 7:59/mi, HR 159.  3/4 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs.  McM Core L2 workout & stretching.

Sunny, warm (83F) and humid, but better than yesterday's scorcher.  My weather station hit 101.7 yesterday, although we caught a break when thunderstorms rolled through starting at about 4 pm and knocked about 25 degrees off the temps.  Tired today so I considered taking today off, but instead decided to keep the easy run easy, and felt good throughout.  Average HR below 160 for the run despite the above normal temps is a really good sign that fitness is returning fairly quickly now.

My problem with easy runs is this.....I've got an 8:00/mi mental barrier.  If it's slower, I feel like I'm slacking, when I full well know that's not true.  I also have a hard time knowing exactly what easy is supposed to fell like, because sometimes no pace feels truly easy.  Case in point.....yesterday's last mile at a "moderate" effort didn't feel much different from the easy effort, save for the breathing rate, which didn't increase all that substantially.  So was I sandbagging the moderate or pushing the easy?  Or neither?  Guess I'll just continue to swag it and do my best.

LM/LL warmup, 5 miles in 38:45, 7:45/mi, HR 160, w/ 12 accelerations (6 uphill, 3 flat, 3 downhill) and fast 1/4 mi finish.  1 mi cooldown walk w/ dogs, PU/Crunch ladder, Myrtl Routine, stretching.

Sunny and cool (73F)?  Since when is 73F cool?  Since it's preceded by 80/90+ degree weather!  Felt tired again this morning but once I got going felt fine.  12 x 12 sec accelerations throughout the run went well. 

First 6 day running week since pre-injury went well (also first 30+ mile week).  Next week, I'll commence on a program I'm going to put together for building to the Seattle Half Marathon in late November, which gives me 17 weeks of training time.  First race back should be the Northwest Trek 8K in Sept, which will be the 4th anniversary of my first road race.  For now, I'll enjoy tomorrow as an off/cross-training day before picking things up again next week.

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?

LM warmup, 6 mi easy+ run in 45:28, 7:34/mi, HR 153, stretching.

A nice morning...65F & pleasant.  Ran with a co-worker (Jim) so we wound up pushing the pace a bit.  Fortunately, it's a recovery week and tomorrow is only a 4 miler, so when my legs are toast later today, I won't be dreading tomorrow morning too badly.

LM/LL warmup, 4 miles easy in 32+ min, 8:15-ish/mi, 9 x 8 sec hill sprints, & stretching.

Legs feeling the effects of running in VA, despite the recovery week. 

LM warmup, 8 miles in 1:04:08, 8:01/mi, HR 134, last 2.5 miles moderate, & stretching.  

Ran w/ Jim.  First 5.5 miles at very easy pace which still felt less than easy.  Accelerated for last 2.5 and felt okay (better than I'd expected) to finish the last 2 miles in 7:17 & 6:53.  Flat most of the way.  Tomorrow's a rest day.

LM warmup, 10 miles in 1:19:03, 7:54/mi, with last 2 moderate (7:19, up) and hard (7:00, up).

Ft. Eustis visiting w/ aunt & cousin.  Warm weather and I didn't feel much like running.  Short break on the course to talk w/ my aunt (out for her own run) and to look at a Huey modified with jet engines on the sides that evidently broke (unofficially) a speed record (~ 313 MPH).  Also a short break between the last 2 miles....effort definitely hit the hard area for the last one.  Later in the day, the drive to PA to visit Mom & Dad.

Punted on the scheduled 6 mile easy run.  Slept in (needed it badly) and it was already hot and I was still tired.  Long day of visiting with the family.

LM warmup, 7 miles in 59:55, 8:33/mi, with 2 miles easy warmup, 8 x 1 min hill repeats with jog down recoveries, and 2.33 miles easy cooldown. 

Definitely a hilly run today, even on the easy parts.  Still very tired and a long drive ahead of me again today back to VA via DC & my brother & family.  Focused on running the hill repeats well, but I held some back since it was a similar workout that put me out of action for so many months.  All ended well.

LM warmup, 10 miles in 1:16, 7:38/mi, with last mile moderate in 6:55.  

Got up to run this one at 6am, hit the hotel door, and stopped before stepping out into the downpour with significant gusty winds....just couldn't bring myself to face it.  Fortunately, I got another chance in the pm and the weather was still lousy, but tolerable.  Felt really good to start and started ticking off sub 8 min miles from the start......perhaps the pm start?  Felt so good moved into moderate for the last mile, which really didn't feel all that hard at all....breathing under control at 3-3 for all but the last 0.2 or so.  Aside from a forced bathroom break (fortunately, the library was close and open) at 7.25, no issues.  Now I'm tired.

LM warmup, 6 easy miles in 46:51, 7:48/mi, with 10 x 10 sec hill sprints on a wimpy hill, & stretching.

Legs a bit tired for the first 2 miles but still a decent groove.  Ran the hill sprints a little over halfway thru the run at the only incline I could find....a poor excuse for a hill.  Finished up the run feeling good, all sub-8 miles again.