Getting back to Boston

Interesting day. Crashed early last night and slept for 12 hours; the rest of me felt great when I got up but my back had completely locked up and took more than an hour to loosen. Then my wife and I spent some time planning the trip that will include my flight to Oregon for the marathon, then I worked on my taxes and FAFSA for my son enrolling in college. (Yuck and double yuck). After all that, I was ready to run, but by now there was a time consideration. DW and DS wanted to go to the athletic club, but it was already past 6:30 and the place closes at 8. Got there and got on the dreadmill at 6:50; a little math told me that at recovery speed, I had time to run 7 miles but not 8. So I ran seven, maybe a little faster than I had wanted because of the time constraints. Averaged exactly 9:00 for the seven miles. 

Had to flip a couple of days this week. I'm supposed to attend a social event tomorrow night at the Governor's Mansion (unknown if the Gov will actually be present) for the agency where my wife works, which will eat up a good chunk of the evening. Thus, no time to do 14 miles tomorrow. So I did it tonight instead. Took me just a smidge under two hours on the TM, watching the Obama newser along with the punditry afterward. Folks, I don't like running for two hours on the dreadmill, but my schedule doesn't lend itself to doing anything else. So I suck it up, as I told Cindy in an email, and put up with the DM.

All in all, for two hours on the dreadmill, it was a pretty good run. Averaged obviously right at 8:30 miles. I've run 10Ks at slower paces than that. No fartlek this time, just steady, consistent 8:30 miles.

Had our Youth Home recognition dinner at the Governor's Mansion, or to be more precise, the banquet hall/ballroom attached to the back of the mansion, which I had no idea existed. Nice shindig. Pam got a door prize of a gift certificate from Bosco's, which is a restaurant we've been wanting to try, so that works.

The dinner broke up at 8, we went home, I changed and hit the TM at 8:30 for my GA run. Seven miles at just over 9:00 pace, then strides for a mile. Legs really took 6 miles to loosen up, although a little stretching might have helped in that area :) I think to get to my 70-mile goal for the week, I'm gonna have to get up early Friday and do 4 or so on the TM at the AC before work. But we'll see how that works out. Saturday's run has been moved to the River Market, which should be a little more favorable for my 8 miles of planned GMP in the middle of the 17 miles. Also gonna have to start early so we have time to get out of town and head for Fayetteville for our Valentine's weekend date. 

Another night on the dreadmill, while hoping the evening's Mexican dinner doesn't bite me...

Pretty much a steady 9:00, slowly accelerating until the last 800 when I bumped it up to GMP. Total time about an hour-46. Legs felt OK from the beginning, but they did not want to keep moving for nearly two hours. So just sucked it up and did it anyway. No attacks from the Enchilada Brigade, fortunately. 

Easy eight on the TM, except to baby the big blister I got on my right heel last night (never had one in just that spot before), I shifted to more of a midfoot landing, and thus got a big blister on the ball of my right foot. That one, however, is not nearly so tender, and I think the one on my heel is going to improve quickly.

Plan to get up early tomorrow to go to the AC for a quick 4 or 5 on their TM, then shower, dress and go to work. This is as close to doubles as I get, having finished tonight's run at 9 p.m. and start tomorrow's by 6:30. Then 8-10 Saturday morning before I leave for Fayetteville, and 17 sometime Sunday.

My version of a double -- after running 8 last night ending at 9:00, back on the TM first thing this morning. Weather was nice enough to go outside, but I wasn't sure how my legs or blistered feet would hold up -- and didn't want to be semi-stranded two or three miles from home with work looming.

As it turned out, the feet did OK, but the legs weren't that great. I guess I'm  not quite up to semi-doubles, although I guess I could get there with a few more sessions like this. Anyway, just a steady 30-minute run at 6.5, which comes out to 3.25 miles if you're not up to the math. Shower, breakfast, off to work.

Weird morning all around. For one thing, I got a good night's sleep, which is rare. Felt good, went out to meet the group -- but when I start running, my right fifth metatarsal is quite painful. Nice. Is this a stress fracture? Well, didn't hurt at all standing or walking, doesn't seem to be getting any worse, so I'll keep going. Wind is blowing 25+; got one gust between two tall buildings downtown that darn near took my legs out from under me. Seconds earlier, a guy running near me tripped on the trolley track and DID fall down. Finally, about the two-mile mark, the foot quit hurting. Run's going pretty well at this point, although the temperature seems to be falling (I dressed for mid-40s, not expecting it to fall further) and the wind is not letting up.

 Then I get back into downtown LR at the five-mile mark and my cellphone beeps. I'm on call, like I am every other weekend, but I have never once gotten called during my Saturday morning run. Until today. Medical exchange gives me a message to call a patient who was in clinic yesterday and wasn't doing very well. I cut off my run, head directly back to my car (fortunately not too far away) and call her. She's not doing well now either, and wants to come in to get her implanted pain pump adjusted. But she lives an hour away. I tell her to come in and meet me at the office. Then I go home, shower, get dressed, and go to the office to open up and get ready for her. We got the pump adjusted, I gave her a prescription for nausea, and then I'm able to proceed with my Valentine's weekend plans. But my planned 8-mile run (already abbreviated because of those weekend plans) got cut to 6. Oh well. I may run 15 or so tomorrow morning from my hotel, or I may take the day off and let that foot rest.