Run Buffs Run!

Today was another easy run with a few strides  (8*150 meters) at the end to make things interesting. My foot still hurts pretty bad, but a little ways into the run the pain dissipates, and I am ok. I am hoping that it quits here soon, as I have a workout tommorrow. This is one of those things that typically runs its course then goes away. I have been stretching it, too, which should help out a bit.

Alright, who knows what is going on with my body at the moment? Today I ran a five mile threshold run in 27:08 with a hurting foot. It was also windy and pretty hot outside. This is close to ten seconds off my race time this last weekend! Whaaat? I am in a bit of confusion. Apparently my body just decides on a whim when it wants to run well and when it feels like sandbagging. Who knows? I ran 4x200 meter strides at the end (all under 32 seconds) and jogged for a three mile cooldown. I guess I should be happy!

I got some easy miles in this morning up in the Boulder foothills. Every time I think I have what it takes to run really well up there, I get knocked back down. There are so many steep hills and hard to climb places that running with good and steady pace is near impossible. Good run, though!

Today was a mvo2 workout consisting of 5x1000 meter repeats. My coach assigned the time at 3:12 per interval, but I ran a bit faster every time. My splits were 2:57 (oops too fast), 3:07, 3:06, 3:08, 3:06. I got in a bit of a groove after the first interval and kept hitting some really close times. In all, this was a pretty good workout. My foot really hurts now and I really don't even know why. Originally, the whole shoelace thing tripped me up a bit, and I began to run a different way on my foot to alleviate pain. The problem is that this new way of running made my foot hurt in a different spot, thus, I have two spots that hurt. Unfair!

An easy run today after my workout yesterday in the foothills. I am going to ice my foot tonight to see if it helps alleviate any pain.

I got a few days confused, sooo I did this run last Saturday, followed by the mvo2 workout on Sunday, and the seven easy miles on Monday. This workout was pretty good. I ran just over ten miles with some strides at the end.

Today, I did an economy workout, but my foot felt teriible so it was pretty unproductive. My coach and I felt that I should recover before some type of full blown injury occurs, so I am taking two days off. It will probably be a bit hard, but in the long run, this is a much better option. Plus, any work I am doing now will not effect Bolder Boulder (which is my target race), so this time may serve as a bit of a recovery period. Apparently I have tendinitis at the top of my foot, and it hurts like crazy. This is easily the most I have ever hurt while running. I had some IT stuff a little while ago, but this blows that out of the water (in terms of pain). Hopefully it recovers pretty fast!

Nice and easy miles today to "test the water" with my tendinitis. It seems to be feeling better, but still not 100%. Tommorrow will probably be easy again, and I will probably hit a good workout on Sunday.

Alright, the foot is feeling better so I decided to see how it handled more miles. It did great, so I am hoping (crossing my fingers) that I stuck this whole ordeal through without any real damage to training. The heat today made me feel like an out of shape dog. When winter ends, it takes my body some time to acclimatize itself to the new temperatures. In a few weeks I should be fine. I didn't get many miles in this week, but I am thinking that this will serve as some recouping time. The next two weeks have some workouts to keep sharp, but not too many miles.

I did a five mile continuous threshold run today. It was very hot (about 90 degrees and very sunny), so I felt less than ideal. Nevertheless I did the workout and did 2x200 meter strides at the end. Whew, way too hot!

Some easy miles today to give the foot a break. It did hurt a bit today, so I decided that going short would be in my best interest. Tommorrow will probably be a decent workout.

Today was a compilation of multiple types of workouts. To get things moving, I did a two mile tempo in 10:32 (5:15, 5:17), then did 4x800 meter repeats. I had a bit of a mental block today, so pushing hard was not too fun. I am glad to have done the workout after the fact, though. I finished with an easy three mile cooldown. blah.

An easy ten today turned out not to be so easy when a tornado erupted in the stomach...

Today I decided to let myself run free and do what pace feels right. I started with a 5:50 mile (a bit fast for an easy day). I toned it down a bit and ran the next four miles at 6:00-6:05 pace, but I still feel pretty fresh. I decided to let myself go for the rest of the run. I don't quite know how fast I went for the last two, but I know I did the last 800 in 2:45 to finish in 47:15. I have a workout tommorrow, so I decided not to throw anything more in today. I am beginning to feel pretty sharp, which is convenient because BB10k is a bit more than a week away.

*Triax: 8 miles

Today was a mvo2 workout day. I did a three mile warmup, then did 3x1 miles (coach told me to do 5:10-5:15 pace). This was not to hard, and I finished the workout pretty strong. Miles were 5:07, 5:11, 5:13.

*Triax: 18 miles

I ran up waterton canyon today at some nice and easy pace (about 6:30-6:40 mile). It was pretty hot outside, so that made the effort a bit harder. This week is going to be really easy and should get me prepped for memorial day.

*Triax: 29 miles

I ran really easy today. I did a couple of easy miles, with a slight pickup in the middle. When I finished, I weighed in at 134!!! This is my lowest weight yet, so I am going to chow down some serious grub tonight.

*Triax: 35 miles

Today was rainy and pretty cold, so I had to wait for a break in the bad weather to run. I forgot my watch so I went by feel on my workout today. I did two repititions of 400 meters and 800 meters. My workouts are now more aimed towards keeping sharp, rather than building fitness. In all, a good run. Just turned 20 today!

*Triax: 43 miles

An easy 8.5 today with a pickup in pace around mile four (overall pace was approx. 6:30).

*Triax: 54 miles

Today was the final workout before BB10k consisting of 2x1 mile at 5:30-5:35 pace, then 2x1000 meter repeats at 3:10 pace (10k pace). I did the workout fine, but had some issues with my left leg. It hurts a bit from my knee to my hip, but is more of a dull ache than a sharp pain. Who knows, but I am definitely not letting this get in the way of the race Monday. If I have to take three or four motrin beforehand, so be it.   

Today was an easy run with 4x100 meter strides thrown in the middle. I am going to do three or four miles tommorrow with some strides.

Last day of the taper with some strides thrown in. Ready to roll!

Bolder Boulder 10k today! The race was huge this year, over 50,000 people and probably the deepest field in Bolder Boulder history. Prior to the race, my coach and I set up a plan; he would pace me out to two miles and let me take it from there. When we went to the start, the initial line was packed with people, so we ended up a few rows back. There was a $250 prize for the first runner through the mile, so when the gun went off it was like a mad dash. Some guy finished the mile in 4:18 and dropped off the course directly after). My coach and I hit the first mile in 5:27. Seeing this, I wanted to really pick it up get moving, but my coach told me to wait and be patient. The second mile was 5:26, which again was not too fast. After this mile, however, my coach pulled back and let me take the reins, telling me told me to catch as many people as I could. Being in no better than 70-75th place, I knew that I would need to run strong to even make the top 50. So slowly but surely I began to take people down. I hit the 5k in 16:52ish (not too blazing fast, but it set me up to run weel the second half). From here on out, I took on the "hunting" mentality. Within the last three miles I caught about 20 people, and finished the race with barely negative splits in 33:43. I definitely know that I could have gone a bit faster in this race, but I think the mental lesson is just as important as the physical one. By hanging back at the start, I could really finish strong. By being patient and not over agressive in the beginning, I had some juice (maybe a bit too much) at the end to catch some people. After some post race analyzation, my coach and I concluded that I probably had the ability to go faster, but played it conservative and ran a smart race. All things considered, I did run about five minutes faster than the previous Bolder Boulder, and my time is based off a single year of running. Knowing this, my biggest hole is still aerobic ability. I am definitely much stronger at the 5000 than the 10000 solely because less aerobic ability is involved. Once I can double my current 5k time, I will be a much stronger 10k runner. My also told me to take a week off of running. He said that typically after a goal race, motivation and will power are lost. By taking a bit of time off, you will feel refreshed and "hungry" for the next session of training. Without this type of break, athletes can burn out or not train to their full potential because of mental barriers. As hard as it may be to not run, I do agree with this strategy. I am already looking forward to taking a "fresh" start to a new training cycle. Heres an example: After Bob Kennedy (the American record holder in the 5k) finished a goal race, his coach would tell him to take time off and come back to see him when he felt ready to train again. Sometimes he would come back in two weeks, sometime in six. Regardless, the down time allowed him to take a mental break, and make him really want to power through the next training session. The amount of physical ability that is lost is far outweighed by the amount of mental ability gained. Knowing this, I will begin training again at around the beginning to middle of next week. I am already excited to see what results may come from my next training period...