Winning Back What I Lost

6AM: Woke up a little earlier than usual so I could hit my daily mileage goal in one run. I'm so glad I did. Felt really good throughout the run. No stomach/nausea problems thanks to a Pepto tablet I'd taken just before leaving the house. The day off helped me feel light and run strong. My breathing never seemed to get away from me even though I picked up the pace in the second half of the run, finishing the last half mile @ 7:38/mi. Best run I've had in weeks. Shooting for the 60 mile mark this week. 

6AM: Extremely foggy, wet & slippery outside so I hit the gym. Gradually increased the pace until I topped out @ 8:00/mi for the last half mile. 

830PM: I really struggled to get this second run in tonight. Fell asleep on the recliner for about 10 mins while I was watching the SOTU and, surprisingly, I felt refreshed when I woke. Did a little bit of core and leg work as a warmup then a nice easy run on the TM topped off w/ the last 3 mins @ 7:30/mi pace.

Checked out a copy of Advanced Marathoning from the Public Library. I think I'll start Pfizinger's 18 wk 70 mpw program on Monday.

630AM:  Very mild temp this morning (32F) w/ a slight breeze. Took me about 2 miles to wake up. I decided to keep it nice and easy. I'm trying to transition toward a workout regimen built around Pfitzinger's theory that easy runs should in fact be easy.  IOW, non-speed/tempo runs should be easy. I often fall into the trap of not really running hard when I don't have a specific workout/run planned but not exactly taking it easy either.  I don't know why. Maybe its because I'm worried that if I'm not breathing hard then I'm not improving my fitness. It sounds counterintuitive but sometimes it really does take a fair bit of discipline and will to run slow and easy so that, on another day, you can run fast.

10PM: Late evening TM run. Wanted to leave earlier but I couldn't pull myself away from watching the amazin' Jimmer & the Fredettes. So I've been doing a little research regarding proper running form. I've known for quite awhile that my form is seriously lacking. It just hit me after looking at some of my race photos that none of them show me in a position where my trail leg is any higher than a few inches off the ground. I have almost no toe-off or extension. My gait is more akin to a running shuffle than a running stride. Soooo, I've been consciously trying to bring my trail leg up to horizontal w/ the TM or the road. Right now it seems awkward and a little exhausting but I'm hoping I'll adjust to it and run stronger very soon.

640AM: Not enough sleep last night. I was actually going to skip this morning and then run a 10 miler this evening but my 4 yo son was already up and doing cartwheels so he kinda made my decision for me. Legs were tight and heavy. Still feeling those squats and lunges from a couple of days ago. Very slow pace. Wore my heart monitor for the first time in forever. Tried to keep my HR in the 140's and I was more or less successful.

6AM: I got a great night's sleep last night. Skipped the evening workout and went to bed at 9PM. First time that has happened in forever. I wish I could do that more often but that's probably not very realistic. Got a 1 hr massage yesterday too. I'm not sore like I usually am afterward. This particular massage therapist actually asked me if the pressure was too hard, a novel concept.

Interval run on the TM: 1M warm, 4 x 880 @ 7:03/mi pace; 2 x 440 @ 7:03/mi; cool.  I thought this would be a moderately tough interval session but the effort didn't seem to match the pace. I'd like to think that is because the TM isn't properly calibrated but the more likely reason is that I'm in worse shape then I thought.

830PM: Quick upper body weight session then an easy 3.6M on the TM to get my daily mileage to 10M.

3PM: Long slow, easy run. Weather was pretty decent. Temp around 40 w/ a little bit of wind out of the west. Like last Saturday, I was able to run in shorts w/ a long sleeve and gloves. So nice to be able to run in the daylight. Tried to keep my pace even throughout but fell off toward the end. Felt sluggish and heavy. In hindsight, probably not a good idea to do a speed workout + a double the day before a medium long run. Looking forward to a day off.