Winning Back What I Lost

AM:  Speed interval workout on the TM; warmup; 6x600m @ 6:39/mi w/ 1000m jog in between; cool.  Tweaked my left calf. It started hurting during Saturday's long run but got even tighter today. Surprisingly, it hurt more during the jog portion than the intervals.  I was able to get through it but I'll take it easy the rest of the week.  Running a half on Saturday as a long tempo run. Goal is to run it 20 secs faster than goal marathon pace.   

PM:  Medium-long run. Ran the first 9M right at current MP then I had to back it off because my left calf started to become too painful.  It's now painful to the touch.  I'm sure this is a byproduct of the above avg (for me) mileage I've been logging this year.  Crossed the 1k mile threshhold tonight which is a couple of months ahead of my typical workload.

Noon: Tried to run at lunch but quickly turned around and shut it down. Left calf is super tight and painful. Walking is ok but the impact of running is just too much.  More than a little dismayed right now. I'll do some intense therapy tonight and see where I'm at. 

PM: Took yesterday off to rest my ailing left calf. Massaged it, rolled it out good on a foam roller, iced it, used a heating pad and dang near threw the kitchen sink at it. It feels better. Still a little tight but not painful like it was yesterday.

Took me a bit to warm up but I was able to run the last 4.5M @ 7:35/mi pace. Another beautiful evening for a run and it looks like the race on Saturday will be the warmest day of the year so far. I'm a little worried because that was the scenario last year and it didn't turn out so well. Granted, I'm only running the half this year so I should be done before it gets too warm.

PM:  Easy run on the TM to keep the legs tuned. 4M in 33 min w/ 6 x .1M strides @ goal HM pace (7:10/mi); cool.   

Today was really nice but the evening looked like it would storm at any minute. The wind just ended up blowing real hard and a light sprinkle.  Probably just as well that I ran inside and kept the impact on my calf to a minimum.  It's feeling better but not all the way back yet.  I'm hopeful that it will hold together for tomorrow's race.  I guess we'll find out soon enough. 

Ran this race as part of my training w/ no real taper.  Took Wednesday off this week but that was due to calf tightness and not any conscious effort to decrease mileage.  

The course is mostly flat to gradual downhill course.  A good crosswind was blowing from the Lucky Peak Canyon until we reached Barber Park. It then seemed to turn around and hit us in the face once we were in town until the finish at Ann Morrisson Park. 

I was supposed to do a 14M goal marathon pace run last weekend but I figured that running a Half at greater than goal MP might be even more effective.  My A goal going into the race was 7:10/mi pace and the B goal was 7:15/mi pace- so I fell right in the middle of both goals.  I was on pace for the A goal through 10M but I started to fade in miles 10-12 due to multiple factors including a horrible stomach ache, a slight headwind, dodging 10kers and slow marathoners, etc. I also walked through at least 3 aid stations to make sure I got enough fluids down later in the race. It wasn't super warm but probably a little warmer than ideal.  Despite all that, I was able to recover and finish the last mile @ 7:15, so evidently I did have something left in the tank.

Pretty happy with the result- a 3 1/2 minute PR.  I always feel like I could have done better but I suspect I'm not alone in that regard, especially amongst runners.  Now its time for a great couple of weeks of training and focusing on dropping some more weight before the taper for UVM in 4 weeks.