Buttsweat Towel© season has begun

8:20 pace.

I'm trying out a new harebrained idea tomorrow and running without arch supports.  Testing a theory.  Too boring to detail.

Good to be running again after a 3-day break.

8:08 avg.

I don't know about my foot.  Pretty much regressed to where it was before.  It's basically fine when I run on it.  It hurts 45 minutes to an hour later.  Maybe that's not a problem?  Nothing left to do now but ignore it unless it starts hurting during a run.  Then see the doctor medical..guy and maybe they'll have magic pills again.  No more mileage increases I think.

I cut this run short with foot pain.  Afterward, I went to the clinic again and actually saw a doctor this time, who confirmed anterior tibial tendonitis.  I think ideally he would like a couple weeks rest, but he took the position that I was probably going to run anyway and was behind me going for the marathon (or he at least accepted that this was what I was going to do, and would try to get me there).  He gave me more anti-inflammatories and said I probably wouldn't do any major damage to the tendon but advised it wouldn't really heal until I stopped running.  But I can run while on this meloxicam stuff, so I think I will give it a go in a couple days to see if the medicine has dulled the pain.  Apparently it will hurt bad enough, even with the anti-inflammatories in my system, to let me know if/when something is really wrong.  Anyway, the whole visit made me feel a lot better and now I have a gameplan...just hope I can get through the next 2 months without any major setbacks.  There's plenty of time to rest starting January 31.

Meloxicam = wonder drug.  Will be ready to go tomorrow.

7:57 avg pace.  Tried to go slow.  My legs were super-fresh from not running much lately, and the temperature was 48F (as low as I've ever seen it here), so given all that I think I did pretty good at reining myself in.  8:00 pace felt practically comatose today; I'm guessing this is what it feels like to be tapered for a race.  Hopefully I can re-create the feeling in a couple of months.

Tendonitis only made a short appearance toward the end of the run, but felt pretty non-threatening and went away after about 5 minutes.

7:48 avg.  I had a 3 x 2 MP run planned for this week, and I'm becoming confident the tendonitis will not be a factor so I decided to go ahead and do my last 6 at MP.  2 brisk warmup miles, then 7:41, 7:43, 7:42, 7:42, 7:38, 7:42.  Nice and steady, felt great.

I've decided to target 7:45 for MP runs.  My marathon goal is still 3:30 because I'm betting on an ugly finish (first marathon and all), but I think 7:45 makes sense for a starting pace...or at least a good training pace, even if I decide to play it more conservatively for the actual race.  McMillan says 7:44 pace based on my conservative projection of the not-quite-5K race a few weeks ago so why not.

Tendonitis made the same brief appearance today then went away.  I start weaning myself from the NSAID on Monday.