Going Long (again) in 2024

6 easy miles outside.  Temperature of -6C/22F with just enough wind to make it interesting.  Average pace of 8:39, but that was slowed quite a bit by my 9:30 pace for mile 5, which was slowed dramatically by running a quarter mile down an unplowed trail.  So THAT'S what it's like running through a foot of snow!

10 easy miles at an average 8:48 pace.  Well, the pace was easy at least.  The run a bit more challenging than expected.  It was relatively mild at -4C/25F, but there was a stiff wind from the West and a very fine freezing drizzle most of the time.

The 1st half was fine, as I run this section on the road and had the wind at my back.  At mile 5, however, I have to take to the sidewalks and had the wind in my face.  Although technically "plowed", they sure are not bare.  So, it was like running in mashed potatoes again (just like the race on Thursday night).  My legs were still a bit rubbery from that extra effort, and the next 5 miles kind of did them in.  Sore knee, hamstrings, etc.  Just using different body parts to power through the snow.

So, as long as I keep running outside, I think I'll do an out and back instead of a loop, so that I can stay on the roads.  So nice to have this mild weather.  

6 treadmill miles easy; 52 minutes running time at 8:40 pace.

Some speedwork on the treadmill today.  4 x 800 @ 6:23/mile pace.  

Although sunny today, the temperature is -21C/-6F with a windchill of -32C/-25F.  Not the best for speedwork when the roads are icy.

1.5 miles at tempo pace on the treadmill; the rest easy miles.

I took this easy 6 miles outside; 8:24 pace.  Not a bad morning for running, although the heavy traffic is back, now that the holidays are over.

Temperature was -1C/30F, with a light drizzle to begin, which turned into a light snow, then a bit heavier snow, and then back to a light drizzle by the time I finished.

I'm not running the trails anymore, but the roads are decent enough.

6 easy miles outside, at a pace of 8:30.  Still mild out:  -1C/30F.  Colder weather coming next week, however.  Still, it will be mild for tomorrow's long run.

Okay, today's run was just awful. And I don't know why.

It started off okay.  12 mile long run at sub 8:00 pace.  No real problem for the 1st seven miles, where I averaged 7:57/mile (granted, all over the map in terms of pace, but still ...).  And that was with very challenging conditions.  Mainly freezing rain, and the roads were like a skating rink.  I did my best to stay in the crusty snow off to the side, but not easy running.  A bit of a headwind too.

Then it was like I just ran out of fuel.  NO pep in my step at all.  I had to slow right down, and that was now with the wind at my back.  Ending up running almost a minute slower/mile.  Decided to cut off a mile (since I could) and ended with an average pace of 8:13.  Knees - sore.  Ankle - sore.  Stomach - felt awful.  It was even hard to walk at that point - not from pain, but from exhaustion.

So, I'm not sure what went down.  Maybe overtraining a bit?  Nutrition off?  Too much wine last night?  Started off a bit too fast?  

It's 4 hours later and I've had a nap, and my legs still feel like rubber, so I'm going with the overtraining theory.  I think I'll see if taking an easy week - no speedwork - helps.

6 easy treadmill miles at a steady pace of 8:50.  Just going to take it slow and easy this week, as my formal 18 week training program begins in 3 weeks and I don't want to go into that tired.  I took yesterday off.

Huge snowstorm yesterday; dumped over 21cm (8 inches) of snow on us, and today a deep freeze has moved in.  -19C/-3F with a wind chill of -30C/-21F.  A day for which treadmills were designed.

6 easy treadmill miles - same as yesterday - 8:50 pace.

I made a blood donation yesterday, so I'm not going to be doing any really hard workouts for a bit, but I had planned on easing back on those for a few weeks anyway, so it's all good.

6 easy treadmill miles; 53 minutes running time.

6 easy treadmill miles; 53 minutes running time.

6 easy treadmill miles; running time of 53 minutes.  First time all week that it felt like I had my legs back.

Had a good warm up too - our biggest dump of snow so far.  I had to dig my truck out and then get it to the street.  3 foot high drifts, plus the 3 foot high bank at the end the plow left behind.  Too bad it worked the wrong muscles!

5 easy treadmill miles; 8:42 pace for a running time of 43 1/2 minutes.

6 easy treadmill miles; running time of 52 minutes.

6 easy treadmill miles; running time of 52 minutes.

6 easy treadmill miles; running time of 52 minutes.

5 easy treadmill miles; pace of about 8:35.

6 easy miles - outside today.  I waited a bit until it was light out.  Not the best traction in the world, but not terrible either.  It was nice to be outdoors and off the treadmill for a bit.

The 2 miles North into the wind were not so fun, but going South felt almost tropical by comparison.  Temp was -15C/5F with just a very light snow falling.

Averaged an 8:45 pace.  Okay - time to thaw in a nice hot shower.

6 easy miles outside; pace of 8:46 for a run time of 52:35 - pretty much identical to yesterday.  It was a bit warmer at -11C/12F and virtually no wind.  It started snowing pretty steady about half way through.

This is, officially, the start of my 18 week training program for my Half Marathon in Ottawa the last Sunday of May.  This 1st week is all easy runs, however.  The speed work will begin a week from tomorrow.

Kept it inside today - it's actually quite mild out at -3C/27F, but there is a freezing drizzle and the streets are a mashed potato mess.  Slippery and slushy.

So, a very easy 9:10 pace for a run time of 55 minutes.

I'm following the Hanson's Half program.  I had success with their marathon program the last 2 times around when I qualified for Boston, so figured I'd see if they can bring me to a new PR in the Half.  I'm going to follow the paces exactly as prescribed, but have upped the mileage a bit.  They have a peak week of about 51 miles, whereas I'll top out at 59 miles.  I can always shave that back if I need to.  Adding miles the 1st time I used their marathon program led to injury.  Not adding extra miles for my Chicago Marathon training gave me my PR a few months ago.  Still, I want to cut 3 minutes off my best Half time, so I think I'll need to push it just a bit.  I'll know in a few weeks time, after my tempo runs begin, if I'm being too ambitious.

6 easy miles on the treadmill; 8:40 pace for a running time of 52 minutes.

5 easy treadmill miles; 8:40 pace for a run time of 43:30.

6 easy treadmill miles; 8:40 pace for a run time of 52 minutes.

We got hit with another whopper of a storm last night, and today it's just cold:  -37 with the windchill.  That's the same, by the way, in both Celcius and Fahrenheit.  Some days, treadmills are just your best friend.

8 easy treadmill miles.  Running time of 69 minutes at a pace around 8:40.  17 weeks to go to the Ottawa Half.

I decided to take it outside today, since it was SO mild compared to what we've had lately - it was a balmy 1C/34F and no wind.  That, plus there is virtually no traffic on an early Sunday morning, so it's a lot safer.

I ran the 6 miles in 51:53 at a pretty consistent 8:39 pace, so basically the same as I've been running on the treadmill.

Speedwork on the treadmill.  600 x 8 repeats with 400 recoveries.  Ran the repeats at 6:25 pace.  

Well, that didn't go so well.

Tempo run - supposed to run 3 miles at race pace (7:50).  I could only keep it there for 2 miles.  Maybe could have pushed for another half, but in the Hanson's program, it's not supposed to be quite that hard.  In their words, if you struggle to maintain a tempo pace for the shorter training distances, then maybe the race finish time has been set too fast.

So, maybe cutting 200 seconds off my PR from 2 years ago is too ambitious.  I think my speed work paces are okay, but maybe need to slow down my recovery days a bit, and readjust my goal time.  I'll have to give it some thought and decide if my training paces will need some adjustments.

6 easy treadmill miles; running time of 53 minutes (8:50 pace).

6 easy treadmill miles; running time of 53 minutes (8:50 pace).

I took it outside today, just because.  8 miles at an average pace of 8:24; running time of 67:16.

It felt good to get off the treadmill.  The streets suck, however.  It was snowing pretty steady and there was an inch or so on the road.  Under that was ice, and rough, patch ice at that.  So, uneven surface, and a lot of slipping and sliding.  Either that or closer to the snow banks, in which case it was like running through mashed potatoes.

Still, the fresh air was great.  It was -7C/19F, with a windchill of -15C/5F, so actually not that bad.  And the trees on the 1st half were heavy laden with snow and it was just awesome to run through that.

Back to the treadmill today.  More snow, and it's not ploughed yet.  Plus I'm a little sore from yesterday - amazing how running on uneven ice and through snow really impacts the muscles.

So, an easy 6 at 8:50 for a running time of 53 minutes.

Speedwork on the treadmill.  8 x 600 at 6:25 pace, give or take a few seconds, with 400 recoveries.

Six miles on the treadmill - 3 at Tempo Pace.  A much better effort than last week when I only hit 2 miles at Tempo.  Focussed more on diet, 'can do' attitude, and grit.  Gives me a shot of confidence re: my goals for this year (sub 7 minute/mile Half).

7 easy treadmill miles at just under a 9:00/mile pace.

7 easy treadmill miles; pace just below 9:00/mile.

Meanwhile, with the windchill, it's -27C/-17F outside.  

Okay, it's just crazy cold today.  -34C/-29F.  With the windchill, it's -47C/-53F.  

Needless to say, I was on the treadmill.  Nine easy miles for a run time of 78 minutes.

I ran this event 2 years ago when it was incredibly cold.  One day earlier, and it would have been a repeat.  But on race day, it was all the way up to -8C/17F.  And the roads had virtually no snow and were mostly dry.

I did not plan on running this hard - wanted to use it as a training run, and planned on a pace around 8:00/mile.  Ended up running an official pace of 7:37/mile, and at no point did I feel like I was pushing it.  I felt great the whole time.

My splits were all around the same, and early on I was even making a concerted effort to slow down.  My body just fell into this groove and wanted to keep it there.  So, even though I ran it a bit harder than planned, I'm happy with the result.  It was a long drive down on Sunday (6 hours) for the Monday race and then back today (Tuesday) through a snow storm.

A tall runner passed me at about the 2 mile mark, and then seemed to slow down, as I followed him most of the rest of the way - about 40 paces behind him.  I didn't make an effort to keep up - he was just running my pace.  At the 8 mile mark, he passed 2 guys who were quite a bit ahead of us initially.  I passed one of them and could tell he was gassed.  His friend kept ahead of me and behind the tall guy, and the 3 of us kept close for the next 2 miles.  I really didn't want to race them or anyone, but it was just a natural pace for me.

At the 10 mile mark, the tall guy pulled up to a tree to take a leak, and at the 11 mile mark, I reluctantly passed the other guy and took the lead.  I didn't bother looking back, as I didn't care if he passed me again.  Turns out he faded.  The tall guy tried to pass me I found out later, but ended up coming in 23 seconds after me.  At the finish line he told me he tried to catch me, but couldn't make up the distance.

Anyway, what this race did do for me was to boost my confidence.  I wasn't happy with the way my Tempo runs were going on the treadmill.  Now I believe it's just a treadmill issue, as I had no problems on the road.  I still have 15 weeks of training to go, so if all goes well (no injuries), and if I can get to the roads in the next month or so, I'm thinking my Ottawa Half might even go as planned, and I might get under 1:30 after all.

Speedwork on the treadmill, which I moved to today because of Monday's race.

6 x 800 @ 6:23 interval pace with 400 recoveries.

It was iffy whether I would run these today, after Monday's Half.  But I pushed through and think that it was okay.  I had a foot cramp after the 5th interval and was going to stop then, but I walked it out and then finished.  It cramped again during my cooldown, but again I was able to walk it out.

6 easy treadmill miles.

3 mile Tempo (race pace) run on the treadmill, plus 3 easy warm/cool.  I thought I might feel something after the Monday race and Wednesday speedwork, but I feel great.

11 easy miles - and I took it outside today.  It's 1C/33F with a mix of snow and rain and some gusty wind at times.  The streets were sloppy - mix of snow and slush.  I opted for an out and back route in order to avoid a section that I knew would be very bad.

Still, I'm glad to be off the treadmill for these longer runs.  Ran an average pace of 8:23 for a running time of 1:32:12.

6 easy treadmill miles; running time of 54 minutes - 9:00/mile pace.

Speedwork on the treadmill.

1,000 x 5 with 400 recoveries at a pace of 6:23 or 3:58/interval.

4 miles at Tempo (race) pace of 6:55.  On the treadmill.  Total run time of 55 minutes.

7 easy treadmill miles; running time of 52 minutes.

8 easy treadmill miles; running time of 70 minutes.

12 miles outside today.  Average pace of 8:14/mile, for a running time of 1:39.

It wasn't too bad - we are sitting between 2 storms ... one that hit us hard on Thursday, and another coming in tomorrow.  The streets are a bit icy, and I altered my normal route a bit to avoid the worst sections.  All in all, it was decent enough for running.  And I actually passed 4 other runners today - unusual to see that many on my route.

Temperature was -11C/12F with the windchill.  I dressed just about perfectly for it - even my hands were warm enough.

I took the 7 miles outside again this morning.  Bitterly cold wind, and the start of the blizzard that is hitting us today.  The 3 miles into the wind was pretty awful, but the return 3 was great.

Anyway, 8:28/mile average for a running time of 59:20.

Speedwork on the treadmill today.  4 x 1200 @ 6:23 pace with 400 recoveries.  No problems.

4 miles at Tempo pace today.  Flamed out after 22 minutes for some reason - heart rate was way too high.  Had to pause for a couple of minutes and then finished.  Not happy about that.  Hopefully just a temporary glitch - had no problems with it last week.

8 easy treadmill miles; 70 minutes running time.

Same routine as yesterday:  8 treadmill miles.  Running time of 70 minutes.

12 mile long run, which I took outside today.  Colder than I thought - the sports drink and water I was carrying on my belt froze solid by mile 2, so I went the distance without hydration or nutrition.  It was -14C/7F, but with very little wind, so I didn't expect it to feel quite so cold.  I was wrong.

Anyway, I kept an average pace of 7:30, so covered the 12 miles in just under 1:30.  Didn't feel particularly difficult, except that I was thirsty at the end.

And now that I'm showered and all thawed out, I'm heading into town to participate in my 1st polar dip - will be jumping through a hole in the ice on Lake Ramsey early this afternoon to raise money for the Special Olympics.  I'm not sure what will be worse:  running 90 minutes in the cold (even my teeth froze!), or jumping into an ice covered lake for a few seconds.  I'll soon find out.

I took it outside again - stunningly beautiful ... thick fog rising from the snow, and the trees were laden with a heavy hoar frost.  So was I when I was done!

Ran an easy average pace of 8:19, for a running time of just over 58 minutes.

Speedwork on the treadmill today.  Three x 1 mile repeats at 6:25 pace with 600 recoveries.  

My first outside Tempo run this training cycle.  I've been finding my Tempo pace challenging on the treadmill, and so wanted to see how it felt on the road.  It went okay, mostly.

4 miles, aiming for a 6:50 pace.  I wasn't very consistent.  My splits were 6:51, 6:45, 6:42 and 6:34.  However, within each split, I was all over the map, running as fast as 5:14 at times.

Mile 2 was the most difficult.  Of course, I had to come to a screeching stop when a dumb dumb pulled his truck out of the driveway without looking.  That threw my rhythm off.

Then in mile 3, my shoelace came untied.  That never happens - weird, because in my cool down mile, the other lace did the same.  Odd.  Anyway, going from tempo pace to a complete stop and then bending over to tie a shoe lace is not a good idea.  Very light headed.

Then in mile 4, I discovered the side streets I use at that point were an icy mess.  Still, it was my fastest split somehow.

Anyway, all in all, a good run.  And it gave me a shot of confidence that my race pace goal is still doable in May.  As a bonus - my knee felt fine.  It started to ache after my massage on Monday.  Yesterday's rest didn't seem to help much, and it was still achy this morning.  But it didn't bother me one bit while running, and the ache seems to have gone away.

8 easy miles outside; average pace of 8:38 for a run time of 69 minutes.

Icy!  I had to be careful to avoid the bare pavement, as it was slick with a thin coat of ice due to freezing rain.  Fortunately, there is a wide band of sand on the road sides from the winter ssanding.  It was okay as long as I ran on it.

7 easy miles outside.  The thin layer of ice melted, so no slipping and sliding today.  Easy pace of 8:33 for a running time of just under one hour.

12 easy miles outside on the Linden Rd. Loop.  Most of it is now bare pavement - just a few icy patches here and there.  The trails are still impassable, so I have to stay on the roads, but it won't be long before everything opens up.

Average pace of 8:21 for a run time of just over 100 minutes.

7 easy miles outside on my BAC route.  Average pace of 8:30 for a run time of 59:30.

Absolutely stunning sunrise, and I was running right into it for 2 miles at its peak.

Speedwork on the treadmill today.  

5 x 1000 @ 3:57/km pace with 400 recoveries.

Tempo (race pace) work out - didn't quite go the way I would have liked.  Darn wind!

A strong East wind.  Well, I didn't think it was too bad during my 2 mile warm up, but when I turned East, it really hit me. It doesn't look bad on paper:  45 km/h/27 mph.  But for some reason, it hit me hard and really sapped me.

Anyway, I ran the wind miles at 7:06 and 7:11.  Not terrible, but it sapped me.  I ended up stopping to get my wind.  Then I finished the final three at 6:54  6:44  and  6:45 (on pace).  Those were easy, because the wind was either at my back or cross side me, and I even laid off so as not to go too fast.

Anyway, average pace of 6:56.  

Temperature wise, it was great: 1C/34F.  Ran without my outer vest for the 1st time this winter, and my fingers in the thin gloves did not turn numb.  All good!

So, I'm still left wondering if my 1:30 Half goal is too ambitious.  I'll need some race pace runs that are consistent and more comfortable before I know for sure.

Eight miles easy on the BAC route.  Running time of 1:08:20 for an average pace of 8:32.

8 easy miles; 8:19 pace average for a running time of 1:06:32.

Back to vest, mitts and touque.  A strong and very cold north wind.  My 1st and last miles were into it, and it was bitter.

42km/h (26mph) wind and -18C (-1F).  Brr.  Clear skies at least!

13 mile long run on the Linden Road loop.  Average pace of 7:36 for a run time of 1:38:50.

Cold, again.  And a bit of a north wind.  -13C/8F    -20C/-5F with the windchill.

So as not to have my sports drink freeze up again like last time, I wore the belt right next to my skin under my 2 layers.  That worked well enough to keep it from freezing,  But getting to it while wearing those big mitts was a challenge, so I made a full stop twice in order to get to it.  Ah well.

I just got some Injinji glove socks - I really like them.  Ran in them yesterday and today.

8 easy miles; 8:36 pace for a run time of 1:08:50.

Cold out still;  -19C/-1F.  Have to thaw myself out now.

Speedwork on the treadmill.  6 x 800 @ 6:23 pace with 400 recoveries.  No problem - felt strong throughout.

5 miles at Tempo (race pace) of 6:48.  Easier to hit the pace this week without that strong headwind.  Splits of 6:58  6:51  6:49  6:41  and  6:40.

Gorgeous full moon setting as the sun came up.  Cold - still just -11C/13F with a wind chill of -21C/-5F.  The wind WAS strong, but from the North, so never really in my face except for my warm up and cool down miles.  Blowing at 33-44 kph, or 20-28 mph. 

8 easy miles - managed to get them in before the snow storm hits us later this morning.

8:41 pace for a running time of 1:09:30.

Almost got hit twice.  One idiot blew through a stop sign without even slowing down.  I saw him coming and stopped, otherwise he would have hit me.

Then another idiot backed out of his driveway at some speed without looking both ways.

I guess it's a full moon!

7 easy miles on the treadmill; major dump of snow yesterday and during the night.  About 25cm/10 inches.  The roads are most unpleasant this morning, so I opted for the safer choice indoors.

12 easy miles; pace of 8:40 for a running time of 1:44.

A bit messy in a few places still after the big storm, but mostly it was clear roads for running.  A bit colder than I anticipated - I only got to drink about 2/3 of my sports drink before the rest of it froze.  Still, the sun coming up was nice, until fog rolled in at around mile 7 and pretty much blotted out everything.

8 easy miles.  8:27 pace for a run time of 67:38.

Now into the second half of my formal training program; 9 weeks left until my Ottawa race.

Nice morning for running, even with the fog.  Virtually no wind, very quiet, and a reasonable -8C/17F.

Speedwork on my treadmill this morning - 5 x 1000 @ 6:23 with 400 recoveries.

This was my final speedwork session in this training cycle.  My Mondays now switch to what the Hanson's call "Strength Sessions" ... longer segments run ten seconds faster than race pace.

5 miles at tempo pace of 6:52.  Very little wind, so pretty good conditions.

Hard, cold rain today, so I took it to the treadmill for my easy seven mile run.

8 easy miles; 8:20 pace for a run time of 66:45.  Cold morning, but dry:  -8C/17F.

14 mile long run at a pace of 7:40 for a run time of 1:47;17.

There was some fresh snow on the ground and a thin layer of ice on the road, so I had to be careful.  Cold - just -12C/10F with the windchill - a slight northwest wind.  

Instead of doubling back on the Linden Rd. extension a couple of times, I ran a bit down the highway and then down Suez Rd.  Turns out that road is exactly one mile and straight and flat, so I have a new route to use for some variety.

Eight weeks to go to the Ottawa Half.  So far, I seem to be  holding my own.  No injuries and not really any aches either.  My massage therapist just had a baby, so I'm seeing a new one on Monday - hopefully is as good at working out all the kinks.

7 easy treadmill miles; a good bit of snow overnight makes everything a mess outside.  Plus it's -26C/-14F out there.  There is still a layer of ice on the roads below that, so I opted for the safety of the treadmill this morning.

Run time of just over 61 minutes.

Mondays are now for 'strength work' instead of the speed intervals of the past 8 weeks.  In the Hanson's program, strength work means mile intervals at a pace 10 seconds faster than race pace.

Today it was 6 x 1 miles with 400 recoveries.

Challenging day for it, with a cold North wind (most of the intervals were either East or West, so the wind wasn't a huge factor) and icy roads.  Temperature was -19C/-2F.

Anyway, I nailed the splits at:  6:37  6;35  6;34  6;39  6;37  and  6;45.

Tempo pace on the treadmill ... 6 miles at just under 42 minutes.  We are at the front edge of a major storm - they are calling for up to 30cm/12 inches of snow.  Ouch.  It started earlier this morning and I didn't want to take a chance running faster on the slick roads.

With 5 minutes of tempo race running left, my treadmill came unplugged and I almost went over the top.  Fortunately, no injuries resulted.  I'll have to watch that though - it was quite a sudden stop.

8 easy miles on the treadmill - 71 minutes.  That spring snowstorm is still pounding us.  It's just miserable out there.  

7 easy treadmill miles.  Hope to get outside for my 12 miler tomorrow.

12easy miles; 8:30 pace for a run time of  1:42.

COLD!  Just -16C/4F with a windchill factor of -25C/-14F and a cold North wind blowing at 31 km/h or 19 mph.

And the roads are just a crazy mess.  No bare pavement - just ice, packed snow, ruts, frozen slop - just a not nice running surface.  Oh, I sure hope that was the last storm of the season.  We are due for warm.

Oh, and I have a niggle on the outside of my right shin a few inches below the knee.  It's a new pain for me, so am not sure what it is.  It didn't affect my stride at all, so I ran the whole 12 miles with it and it didn't get any worse.  I'll try some ultrasound on it later today.

Well, that niggle I felt yesterday is a lot more than that today.  The pain in that shin muscle got worse and worse as the day went on.  I stretched, iced, used ultrasound and took ibuprofin.  It was still there, but not quite as bad when I woke up.  I decided to head out for a shorter run of 5 miles, instead of 7.  But, I barely could run at all.  Literally, I took maybe three strides and had to limp back to my house :(   And that was even after I took ibuprofin this morning.

My best self diagnosis is Exertional Compartment Sydrome.  I hope I'm wrong.  But that seems to match up best with where the pain is located.  For sure it's in the muscle and not the bone.  It doesn't quite line up with how ECS normally presents, however, so that's my glimmer of light.  The pain came on too quickly, didn't subside as it should have (actually got worse) and I didn't make any of the training mistakes associated with it.  So, I'm still hopeful it's just a muscle strain.  I'll do more research later when I have time to see about other possibilities.

For now, however - no running at all.  I'm drowning my sorrows this morning with eggs, toast and sausage.  Yes, it has come to that!  :(

One hour on the spin bike.  Tried to run slowly on the treadmill first, but the pain is still there.  After the one hour spin, I walked one mile fast on the treadmill.

Still not sure it's ECS.  The sore muscle is the Tibialis Anterior.  I can't believe I'd have 'shin splints' at this point in my running history, but that would be a far better diagnosis than ECS.  I'll keep icing it and stretching and will hold off running until the pain subsides.

1 hour on the spin bike, followed by a 1 mile walk on the treadmill.  No improvement.  If anything, it might be worse.  

1 hour spin bike; 1 mile fast walk on treadmill.

Same routine:  1 hour on the spin bike and one fast mile walk on the treadmill. 

Icing and stretching ongoing.  Maybe a slight improvement in what I now believe to be simple shin spints in my Tibialis anterior.  Pretty sure it's NOT Exertional Compartment Syndrome, for which I am incredibly grateful.

I'm guessing that 12 mile run on the frozen slush last Saturday is what caused this.  It has been 5 days, so I should start to notice some improvement happening.

Spin bike for one hour, followed by one mile walk on the treadmill.  Pushed the speed a bit too much on the walk and it hurt.  

Tried something different today (didn't want to spend another hour on the spin bike), so I wrapped my lower leg with a tensor and walked on the treadmill for one hour instead. 3.75 miles.  Twice, when I pushed the speed above 4 mph, I had to quickly back down due to pain.  Today is 7 days since I hurt the leg.  Is it any better?  Don't know.  Everything I've read says 6 weeks to recovery.  More ice.

1 hour on the spin bike and 1 mile fast walk on the treadmill.

I wanted to see where my leg was at, so I decided to slow run on the treadmill.  

Ran ultra slow:  1 mile at 12:00, walk 400, 1 mile at 11:00, walk 400, and 1 mile at 10.

I was going to go another mile, but opted for caution.  There is still some lingering pain in the tibialis and the last thing I want is to make it worse.  

Still, after 9 days of no running, it felt good to go even that little distance at that slow speed.  I'll know better tomorrow if I can keep it up, or if I'll need to back off again.

4 x 1 mile with a quarter mile fast walk between.  Ran the 1st three at a 10:00 pace, and the last at a 9:30.  For sure not there yet ... still a dull ache in the tibialis anterior.  However, I prefer the slow run to the spin bike any day.  I'll try picking it up a bit more tomorrow, and then will take it outside on Thursday if all goes well.

5 easy miles at a pace of 8:48 and a running time of 44 minutes --- outside.

The leg was feeling okay, and so I decided to chance it outside.  I'm glad I did.  I didn't push it at all, and was able to keep the run continuous.  I could feel a dull ache from about mile 2 onwards, but nothing I would call pain.  The real test will be how I feel tomorrow.  I'm hoping I can bump the distance up a bit every day.

Up to 6 miles today, and I picked up the speed - average of 8:26/mile, but it ranged from just under 9:00/mile for the 1st to just under 8:00/mile for the last.  Still have that dull ache in the leg, but again nothing I would characterize as pain.  So, I'll keep doing what I'm doing - icing and stretching - and see if I can get back on track for training.

8 miles outside - feeling stronger, as there was even less of a dull ache in that tibialis muscle.  

I planned on running 7 with the one mile extension a possibility.  At the junction, I decided I was feeling well enough to go the extra mile.

Average pace was 8:02. I ran the 1st mile at 8:30, then next 3 miles around 8:20, then picked it to 8:02, 7:45, 7:27 and 7:35.  The faster speeds did not seem to make the leg feel any worse.

So, it is just 2 weeks ago today that I injured the leg, and it seems to be on the verge of being healed.  I'll likely have to adjust my workouts downwards a bit next week, and then hopefully can return to full training.  Of course, at that point I'm only 4 weeks away from race day.

5 easy miles; average 8:30 pace.

I'm hoping I'm back on track and will try to follow my training schedule for this week with the following adjustments:

First, I'm going to reduce my race goal speed from 6:50/mile to 7:00/mile (sub 1:32 finish).  I'm pretty sure a sub 1:30 is pushing it too much for the Spring, but I'll take another run at it this Fall.  So, all my training paces will be adjusted accordingly.

Second, I'm going to reduce my mileage.  I've actually been running more miles than scheduled, by tacking on 2 miles to all four of my easy and/or long days, for an extra 8 miles/week.  So, I'm going to cut those out, and just stick with what my training program provides.  I'll still be above 50 miles/week, which is pretty good for me for a Half program, but I'll reduce the risk of injury.

Anyway, that's the plan.  Tomorrow I'll know if it's realistic, as I'm scheduled for a 10 mile fast run (strength workout).  Today, my tibialis was a virtual non-issue.  Not even a dull ache, except for a few moments here and there.  I'll continue it ice and stretch it, and am going to resume my plyometric strength routine this week.

Strength workout:  2 x 3 mile repeats at a goal pace of 6:50.

First set was into a light wind of 19 km/h or 12 mph.  Struggled with my pace:  6:54, 7:05 and 6:52, for an average of 6:57.

One mile recovery, and the did better with my pacing for the next set:  6:43, 6:48 and 6:48 for an average of 6:47.

The really GOOD news, however, is that there was NO pain in my shin - not even a dull ache.  That is really what I was hoping for today.

Tempo run.  7 miles at race pace.  It wasn't easy, but I did it.  Managed to run an average pace of 6:53/mile.

This was really the first tempo run I have done where I didn't have to fight the wind or navigate icy roads.  A bit cool at -9C/15F, but not bad once the pace picked up.

5 miles easy; 8:44 pace.

6 easy miles; 8:29 pace.  There seems to be no lingering effect from the tibialis strain.  Good news!  Hamstrings have been tight since Wednesday's tempo run, but I think I have them under control - icing them right now.

14 mile long run; 7:49 pace.  Kept it pretty even.  Right hammie still tight, but no worse during or after the run.  Pretty good running day at 2C/35F and pretty much no wind.  For sure I feel that 2 week loss in training though - my 14 mile run 4 weeks ago felt easier.  Still, it could have been worse and I'm just happy to be running again.

7 easy miles; pace of 8:36.  Iced that hamstring both before and after the run.  Still tight.  Will have to keep paying attention to it.

Finally into above freezing temps:  4C/39F.  And the long range forecast points to that being a continuing trend.

"Strength" workout.  Supposed to be 3 x 2 miles at 6:50 pace (10 seconds faster than race pace) with 800 recoveries.

First 2 miles okay at 6:46 and 6;46.  Next mile okay at 6:46, but then I came to that big hill and decided to break up that sequence, so did a 400 recovery and then ran mile 4 at 6:37.

So far, so good.  But then I gassed out.  Ran just a half mile more and could only keep a 7:00 pace, and was getting slower.  So, instead of pushing it (and my right hammie was sore from the start), I decided to let it go and just cruised the final miles.

So, not terribly happy with the result.  Very inconsistent in my pacing.  Although the splits look good on paper, it was far from a steady effort and I was running "speed" interval paces at times.  Maybe that what caused me to gas.  Or maybe it was the terrible heat wave that has settled upon us:  running in a sweltering 7C/44F.  Whew!

Yuck!

Was supposed to be a 7 mile tempo run.  I managed to crack off 3 and then I crashed.  

I had decided to run just over 7:00/mile for the first two or three miles, and then to pick it up.  Well, the first three went okay, averaging just over 7:00/mile, and then I just ran out of steam somehow.  Seriously - I could barely shuffle.  It was like every ounce of energy left me, and my legs felt like lead.  It was all I could do to run an easy pace to get in the 10 miles.

Is it possible that I lost THAT much fitness in those 2 weeks when I was injured?  I don't think so.  I should only have lost about 5%, and I already adjusted my program accordingly.

My best guess is I'm overtrained.  The signs point to that:  just sleeping 5-6 hours/night, when I normally get 6-7.  And my resting pulse rate is up over 50, when it's normally just below 50.  And of course the last few harder workouts I just could not finish with the effort I needed.

I'm 3 1/2 weeks out from my race, so no disaster here, I suppose.  My next 4 days are all easy running days, so I'll just run easy and see what happens.  Maybe running easy is the best I'll be able to do for the rest of my training.

6 easy miles; 8:40 pace.

Although the legs were heavy, I never felt I was pushing it.  Hopefully I can, at the least, keep my mileage up here at this pace, even if I opt out of doing any more speed work before my race.

5 easy miles; 8:20 pace.  Legs not feeling as heavy, so that is good.  Also good news:  hamstring is no longer sore.  Still tight, and I'm working on it every day - but not sore.  Days are warming up steadily.  Mornings nice and cool for running:  8C/46F.

10 easy miles; 8:30 pace for a run time of 85 minutes.

First time running in shorts since the Chicago marathon last fall.  It's a balmy 10C/50F.  Almost broke a sweat at one point.  Or maybe it was the rain - it was falling steadily pretty much the entire run.

5 easy miles; 8:30 pace.  Snowed most of the way - guess we haven't quite gotten over winter yet.

Well, so much for my speed work.

Was scheduled to run 1.5 x 4 with 800 recoveries, at 10 seconds faster than race pace.  I don't know any more what my race pace is going to be, so I decided to just run relaxed and see what happened.

Well, I ran the 1st 1.5 mile at a 6:55 pace, and the second one at a 6:46 pace - so actually not that bad.  But then, nothing.  I think I felt the way The Flash did when Zoom stole his speed force.  Nada - Nothing - Zip.

It was a really odd feeling, because the 1st two splits were not a problem.  Same as last week though - I just could not go further.  So, I slowed right down and ran the final 4 miles at an 8:38 pace - and I felt like I was pushing to go even that speed.

So, presuming I'm correct in that I'm suffering from overtraining, I've decided to just eliminate all the speed work left before the race (just 3 more sessions) and run everything easy.  Maybe that will give me my legs back for the race - which is 3 weeks away.

Opted for 7 easy miles today instead of Tempo work.  Pace of 8:46.  Trying to keep my heart rate around 130, which is what one site on recovering from overtraining recommends.  Seems that my normal easy pace pretty much puts me in that zone anyway.

I'm leaving today for Ottawa - going with 4 parishioners to the Annual March for Life, which is tomorrow.  Will do 2 runs of 7 miles in Ottawa; coming home Friday.

7 easy miles along the Rideau Canal in Ottawa.  8:42 pace.

7 easy miles along the Rideau Canal in Ottawa; 8:45 pace.

14 easy miles on the Suez route.  8:46 pace.

It was great running in Ottawa the last 2 mornings.  The trail along the canal is gorgeous, with lots of other runners and nice scenery.  Hot though, in contrast to this morning when it's just 6C/42F.

Anyway, it's also good to be home.  Two weeks and I'll be back in Ottawa for the Half.

7 easy miles; 8:43 pace.

Back into cold weather running; just -7C/20F with the wind chill.

11 easy miles; 8:25 pace.  I'm starting to get my legs back.  I felt like I had more pep in my step for this run - not dragging like I have been.  But I'm going to continue to run easy until race day.

8 easy miles; 8:29 pace.

This was supposed to have been my final tempo run, but my legs are still not there.  My resting heart rate HAS returned to below 50, which is a good sign, but I still don't have the mojo I need.

I did try to pick up the pace around mile 4, but I found even a 7:30 pace hard to maintain for more than a quarter mile.  Weird feeling.

Anyway, I have ten days until race day, and will just run easy on all of them.  I don't have a clue what pace I plan on running for the race.

6 easy miles; 8:45 pace.

5 easy miles; 8:31 pace.  Threw in a 75m stride at the end, just because.

8 easy miles; 8:42 pace.

5 easy miles; 8:14 pace.  Late afternoon run for a change.  SO nice out - hot, actually.  20C/68F.  I suspect it will be much like that in Ottawa next Sunday.

5 easy miles; 8:35 pace.

6 easy miles; 8:41 pace.

Threw in some strides in  miles 3, 4, 5 and 6 just to get the legs moving.

5 easy miles; 8:41 pace.

So, I guess I need to decide my race pace for Sunday.  I sure won't come anywhere close to my original goal of 1:30, or even my secondary goal of 1:32.  

I'm still unsure how my body will respond after my little bout of overtraining.  Plus, the forecast is for HOT:  30C/86F on Saturday and 26C/79F on Sunday.

I do want to follow a pace group, at least to start, so that I keep my initial speed under control.  Also, given my PR in the Chicago Marathon last fall, my time adjusted goal for the Half is in the 1:37 range.

So, with all of that in the mix, I think I'm going to start off in the 1:40 pace group and see how I feel a few miles in.  If I'm up to it, I can pick up the pace.  If not, I'll be happy coming in with a 1:40 time, all things considered.

Super easy pace of 8:55.  Actually did this run last night, as I'm leaving early for Ottawa.  Report on the race when I get home on Tuesday.

Super easy run in Gatineau Park.  Started on a trail through the woods, figuring I'd go out half way and then back, but after climbing a hill non-stop for a quarter mile, with no end in sight, I turned back and ended up just running laps on a track.  Not a day to do hill work!

So, ended up running a 9:05 average and called it a day just as it was getting hot and steamy.

I arrived in Ottawa on Friday night - stayed at an airbnb in Gatineau, just across the Ottawa River in Quebec.  Decided to just rest that night.  Then decided to go out to Boston's Pizza for dinner and to watch the Blue Jays beat Boston.  The dinner was okay, and I even splurged on a beer, but the game was not on their screens - I guess a Toronto team does not rate that highly in Quebec.  Received an e-mail from the race director - they are thinking of cancelling the races because of the unusual heat and humidity. Today it hit 32C/90F.   Crap!

A morning shake out run on Saturday, and already it was getting hot.  It's going to hit 32C/90F again today, and even in the early morning it's uncomfortable.  Left late morning to pick up my package and visit the Expo.  Busy place - there are just under 47 000 runners registered for all the events this weekend, and they are all here today, it seems.  I'm number 20137.  

I've already made the mental adjustment that I will not be running hard tomorrow and certainly not setting a PB, so I am relaxed big time and spend more time than usual at the Expo - checking out most of the displays.  I don't need more shoes at this point, but I do find an interesting display rack for my medals - which are currently living in a shoe box.  So, I buy it for $25.  As a post note, it's now hanging in my house, with all 39 medals displayed.  Cool.

Today the 5k and 10k events are being run, and they are watching them closely to get a hint of what they should do re: cancellation.  Turns out the 5k goes ahead as planned and the 10k is pushed back 30 minutes to 7pm.  They have already announced that my event has been moved up from 9am to 8:15am in the morning, and the Marathon is going as planned at 7am.

The 5k gets the brunt of the weather.  32C/90F, with a humidex of 39C/102F.  I don't know how they even ran in that.  Some heat related issues for quite a number of runners, but the 10k still goes ahead.  They lucked out - the skies opened up big time just as it started, and the downpour lasted for a half hour or so.  Still steamy, but at least everyone is soaked down.

Went to Church, then the pasta dinner, and then home.  Will have to leave earlier than planned tomorrow because of the change in start time.  The pasta dinner, by the way, was spectacular - one of the best I've been to.

Sunday morning and it's a lot cooler than expected.  It's overcast and there is a breeze.  It's just 19C/66F at 7am, so we may have caught a break (although for me, I still consider it hot).  Turns out, although the high today will still hit 32C/90F, it will only have gone up to 21C/70F by the time I cross the finish line.  Plus, they have added misting stations along the route, and have hand delivered letters to every house on the route, asking the residents to set up their sprinklers along the road.  Turns out, quite a few of them do just that.  It was great.

Since I had to arrive early, I get to watch the start of the Marathon - I've never done that before.  It was quite interesting.  As the pacers ran by, I made note of where I might be in the crowd of runners.  It went on and on and on ...  Too funny watching the people at the back.  There was an older man with a walker!  I wondered if that might be me in the future. :)

So now, my warm up routine and final porta potty visit, and I'm making my way into the Blue Corral at the front.  There are almost 15 000 racers in this event.  Now I have to decide where to place myself.  At the start of my training, way back in the winter, I was hoping for a 1:30.  Then, having lost a few weeks of training due to that injury, I had set a 1:32 goal to keep open the possibility of a New York Marathon qualifier.  Then, with my overtraining issues, and having lost the last 3 weeks of quality runs, I went to a 1:35 and then a 1:40 goal.  And last night, with the heat warnings, I kind of set my heart on a very conservative 1:45.  Now, however, with the day starting off cooler than expected, I'm putting 1:40 back on the table.  I park myself next to the pacer holding that sign, and we're off.

I'm going to take water at every aid station, and I'm running through every sprinkler that is set up on my side of the road.  I'm not even sure what a 1:40 pace is, so I quickly do the math and figure it's about a 7:35/mile pace.  Mostly, I'm sticking like glue to this pacer as we work our way through the crowds in the first mile.

By mile 2, I'm comfortable at this pace, and I let myself move ahead of the pacer.  It's not really intentional - more, it's a matter of focussing on running the tangents and trying to stay in the open as much as possible.  But this is Canada - unlike Chicago where I had my bib ripped off, here people apologize if they so much as brush against you.  :)

So, by mile 3 I'm running free of the pacer, and I seem to be nailing my splits right around a 7:30 pace, and I feel fine.  Around mile 5, a spectator is giving out bottled water, so I grab one.  It's great - I feel like an elite!  :)  Even better, I'm able to sip it as I go and end up downing most of it over the next mile, and dumping the last bit of it over my head.

It's right around here that we catch up with the slower Marathoners.  Up until now, we are all running at basically the same pace.  But now, things get clogged up a bit, and there is the constant stepping around of the Marathoners.  There are 3 points where their route branches out and back, and even at the first of those, there are some who are cutting the course.  I don't blame them in this heat, and it turns out later that the organizers cut off about 6 miles of the Marathon route for the slower runners - after about 4 hours.  It was a smart move, as the day will turn blazing hot later on.

At around mile 8 I grab a gel and down it.  It was more like water than gel in the heat, but it was timely.  I was concerned my over training issues would catch up with me at this point, but there is still some spring in my stride and I feel good.  We cross the Ottawa River into Quebec where we have about 2 miles to run - some hills here, but not too bad.  Then back across another bridge into Ontario, and just 3 miles to go.

Up until now, the crowd support has been very good.  I mean, not Chicago good - that was crazy loud the whole route - but steady and helpful.  Now however, the final 2 miles along one side of the Rideau Canal, and then the other, it reminds me more of Chicago.  Loud and enthusiastic.  I love it!  I pick up my pace and am running in the 6:30 range, but then realize I am still too far from the finish line to run that hard and I'm afraid of gassing my legs, so I dial it back a bit.  So, across the bridge over the Canal, a sharp turn to the right, and the home stretch.  I finish strong, and I feel fine.  I'm pretty sure I could have hit 1:35 without too much distress, but I have no regrets running a conservative race, given all the variables I was facing.

I spend a little time in the cooling tent, but I'm feeling no lingering effects and so make my way through the park quickly for my stretches and I'm done.  A 1:37:14 official finish.  My splits:

7:26, 7:32, 7:32, 7:31, 7:36, 7:22, 7:30, 7:24, 7:21, 7:14, 7:25, 6:59, 7:02 and the finish kick in 6:08.

575/14423 total.  Top 4%

496/6432 males.  Top 8%

32/877 category (50-54)  Top 3.65%

7:24/mile pace average 4:36/km

Oh, my sister ran her second "Half" in Toronto at the same time.  She's the one who I ran with in her 1st Half last summer (picture of that on my blog home page).  The Toronto race was a women's only.  Turns out they reduced it to a 12k because of the heat, but she did well and finished and is already planning her next Half this Fall.

As for me, I'm going to take the next 2 weeks off from running.  I want to be sure I'm past the over training issues and all healed up.  Then I'll get into base training mode.  I may run some short events this summer, and maybe even a half this Fall, but I'm not going to do all the speed work I had planned previously.  I want to move smoothly from base training to Boston Marathon training this winter.  Boston is now going to be my primary focus.

Easy 8:45 pace.  My first run in 8 days, post Ottawa Half.  Other than a bit of rust in my legs, no issues re: pain or stiffness.  All seems good to go.

I'm going to ease back into it over the next couple of weeks.  I'm looking at two possible races in the Fall ... both on October 1st.  There is the Collingwood Half, which I paced 2 years ago and hit my PR in the 10k 3 years ago.  I can run that in the morning and still make it back for my Saturday night Mass, so no need to find a replacement.

Or, there is Run for the Toad in Cambridge, which is a trail race - both a 25k and a 50k.  I'd like to run my 1st Ultra there next year, and thought doing the 25k this year would give me a good leg up by running 2 laps of the 4 lap Ultra.  It's a bit further away, however, and so I'd need to find a replacement for my Saturday night.

Either run would be fine, as it gives me a goal for my summer training, and would give me a good foundation for my Boston Marathon training which would begin soon after.

Easy 8:44 pace.  

Easy 8:59 pace.

Easy run; 8:51 pace.

Easy 8:48 pace.

Easy 8:57 pace.

Easy run at a pace of 8:54.

Easy run; 8:57 pace.

Easy run; 8:48 pace.

Easy pace; 8:51/mile.

Easy run; 8:47/mile pace.

Easy run; 9:00/mile pace.

Decided to pick it up a bit to Tempo pace for a couple of miles, just to see.  Figured that would be about a 7:15 pace, or at least that's what I'm sort of thinking of for a Fall Half Marathon.  The one I'm looking at is 15 weeks out.

Ran 3 easy, then one at 7:14 and the next at 7:04.  A bit faster than I wanted.  Was going to go easy for 3 more, but was REALLY thirsty at that point, so cut it down by a mile.  Felt hotter than it is; 20C/70F.

Anyway, I'm going to run easy the rest of this week and then on next Monday, jump into a 14 week training program.  I'm hoping that by cutting back my pace a bit from what I did in the winter will let me avoid some of the fatigue issues that hit me.

I have the next 5 days off, and so am riding my Vulcan to London today to meet a friend, and then tomorrow up to Kincardine on the East shore of Lake Huron for a few days at a cottage he rents there.  It's a good place for running too, along the lake.  I'll catch up with my blogs when I get home on Friday.

In London, Ontario.  Rode my bike down yesterday in a fierce wind storm.  Staying with a friend on the Thames River.  Easy run along the paved trails.  Beautiful!  Super easy pace of 9:22.

Rode up to Kincardine last night and will be here at a cottage along the East shore of Lake Huron for a few days.  Easy run on the trail that runs along the lake.  8:55 pace.

Same Lake Huron run as yesterday; 8:36 pace.  Ran one of those miles at tempo pace, so my actual average pace was closer to the nine minute/mile mark.  Home tomorrow, and so Friday will be my 'off day'.

Easy run; 8:49 pace.  Back home yesterday and back to my back road/around town routes.

Easy mileage; 8:48 pace.

Ran 3 of the 8 at Tempo pace.  6:57, 6:56 and 7:15.  The third was a bit slower only because I was only going to run two, but then changed my mind after running a quarter mile at a slower pace.  Anyway, I'm counting it as three.

Mid day run in the heat (24C/76F) only because I drove someone to the airport first thing this morning, and then got to working in my garden before I realized how late it was.

Easy run; 8:48 pace.

Easy run; 8:50 pace.  Finished it off with 4 striders.  A little rusty on the speed, I can see.  Will be trying to incorporate more this summer.

A new PR for me in this distance - not that I've run it that often.  Still - I'll take it.

Same race as 2 years ago, but I ran it over a minute faster this time.  Mind you, it was a lot cooler than last time - just 16C/60F and with little wind.  And I was better prepared.

Today is Canada Day - the 149th "birthday" of our Country.  So, a national holiday.  I napped for two hours this afternoon, and ate a meal at 3pm - 4 hours before the race.  I messed up on that 2 years ago.

I arrived right at the registration deadline of 6pm and then went for a 1 mile warm up, and then ran 8 striders.

I went out fairly easy, and covered the 1st mile in 6:45.  Then the hills section.  Some of them are pretty steep, but I still managed to average a 6:45 for the second mile.  For the third mile, I picked it up.  I was afraid I started that too soon, but I managed to hold on.  Whereas the little bit of wind was in my face for the middle mile, it was at my back for the final mile.  I ran it in 6:17 and held on for a PR at this distance.

So, I'm pleased with my fitness level at this point.  I'm 13 weeks out from the October 1st race:  either a Half in Collingwood, or a 25k trail in Paris.  Haven't decided yet.  Either way, it's looking good for an injury free summer.

Super easy pace; 9:08 mile.  Took about 5 miles until I got all the kinks worked out from yesterday's race.  I was pretty tight.  Actually ran most the distance around a 9:15 pace, but then ran harder at 8:10 for the final mile, just because I wanted to come in under 92 minutes - for no good reason.

Easy mileage; 9:01 pace.

I had to bring my bike in to be serviced this morning, so I dropped it off and then walked up to the University to run on the track.  It was rebuilt recently, and so is in great condition.  Soft, for these old legs to run on.

The walk was just shy of 2 miles.  Then I ran 7 miles on the track at a 9:00 minute/mile pace.  Then walked back to pick up my bike.

I'm leaving Thursday for a road trip to visit a friend in St. Cloud, MN.  Two days to get there, two days to visit, and two days to ride home.  I'm going to do the circle route around Lake Superior.  Did that once on my old Honda.  This will be my 1st riding it on my Vulcan.  Will camp along the way.  And hope to keep up the running too.  We'll see how that goes.

Easy run; 8:34 pace.  Later in the morning for the run, since I'm on holidays.  

Tempo pace for 4 of the miles:  7:00  6:48  6:48  6:46

A bit faster than I wanted on the final 3 (I was aiming for a consistent 7:00), but I'm still okay with this workout.

I'm heading out on a road trip to St. Cloud, MN tomorrow, so don't know how consistent my running will be.  I'll do what I can.

Easy miles; 9:05 pace.

I rode down to St. Cloud, MN over the last 2 days on my bike - in the rain, as it turns out.  Oh well.  I camped over night in Michigan in my tent and took yesterday off.  Today, I hit the track, since it's right across the street from where I'm visiting my friend.

So, 48 laps around the track of the Apollo Eagles.  Average pace of 7:50/mile.  Total run time of 1:34:07.

Back to the track.  This time, just 24 laps, and a more relaxed pace of 9:10/mile.

I'm home.  2 days to ride my bike from St. Cloud, this time going north of Lake Superior.  And this time, it only rained one of the 2 days.  Today was actually quite hot.

So, I took yesterday off, since I was on my bike for 12 hours.  Ouch.  Got home around 4pm today and went for my run.  It's really hot!  At least for us.  29C/85F  with a humidex of 36C/97F.

So, an easy 6 miles.  My GPS battery died after mile 2, so I don't know my pace.  Up to that point, it was 8:46/mile, so we can just go with that, I suppose.  Way too hot to care!

Easy run at a pace of 8:42.  Heating up again today; already it's 32C/90F with the humidex factored in.

Tempo run.  Still trying to hit a 7 minute/mile pace, and still going too hard.

6:55  6:52  and 7:03.  Looks good on paper, but very inconsistent pace, as I'm hitting 6:07 in every mile.  Anyway, was supposed to run a fourth, but the 95% humidity was hitting me hard by mile three and I decided to just coast home.

The heat advisory has ended; a cold front is coming in, so it will be easier to run in the days ahead.

Easy run in a light rain.  8:47 pace.  Much cooler too - down to 13C/56F.

Easy pace; 8:42/mile for a run of 87 minutes.

Surprisingly cold at the start - just 6C/43F.  It warmed up fast when the sun came up, however.

Easy run; 8:39 pace.  Cool morning once again, at 10C/50F.  Nice for running.

Speedwork at the track today - hadn't done speedwork since last March, and that was on the treadmill.  None at the track since last summer.

So, ran 6 x 800 m repeats with 400 recoveries.  In my mind, I was aiming for something around 3:15 for each repeat.  Ended up a bit faster:

3:12  3:11  3:11  3:09  3:11  and  3:10

So, a bit faster than planned, but close.  And I felt strong for every one of them, so a good workout.

Tempo work today - 5 miles at race pace.  Figured that should be around a 7 minute mile.  

Did my 2 mile warm up a bit different, and it seemed to help.  A strider or two, some faster pick ups and generally a good mix of pace.

Anyway, ran pretty even splits, all in the 6:55 range, except for the final one where I hit 6:43.  Was relaxed throughout and never struggled to keep pace, so all seems well enough.  If this keeps up, I may decide to go for a PR Half in October, instead of aiming for that 25k trail race.

Easy recovery run; 8:42 pace.

Easy run; 8:26 pace.  

It's going to be a hot one today.  Already it's 22C/72F with a humidex of 28C/82F.

Long run at an 8:49 pace, which I kept pretty much consistent throughout.  Rained the last 2 miles, which actually felt pretty nice.

Easy recover run; 8:57 pace.

Speedwork at the track today.  5 x 1 km with 400 recoveries.  Was aiming for a 4 minute/km.

I did it, but it wasn't easy.  It rained most of the night, but that didn't cool things down at all.  Even at sunrise, it was 20C/69F with a humidex of 28C/83F (99% humidity).  No wind.  I don't know how you guys run in this stuff year round.

Anyway, I hit my 1000m splits at:  3:55  3:57  3:58  4:00  and  3:56, so I was happy about that.  However, to do it, I had to take an extra little break after the last four splits to drink more water.  I don't think I could have finished the splits otherwise, and I figured taking a longer recovery in order to run strong was the better approach.

The goal was 5 miles at Tempo Pace.  Managed only 3 miles at that pace:  6:55  6:55  and 7:01.  Too bad, as I started off feeling pretty good and the 1st two miles didn't feel too hard.

I'm guessing I should have gone easy today and done this run tomorrow to give me an extra day recovery after Monday's speedwork.  It was 18C/65F with 96% humidity and no wind.  It didn't feel too bad to start, but I noticed I was sweating quite a bit even after my 2 mile warm up.

Probably the bottle of wine last night to celebrate the Blue Jays extra innings win didn't help either!

Anyway, I noticed I was breathing harder than I should be at the end of the second mile.  By the end of the third mile, I was really laboring.  I maybe could have pushed a fourth, but decided that was a set up for an injury and for no good reason.  So, I laid off and ran my final miles easy.

A good decision, as I noticed my legs were quite rubbery, even running slow.  I think the combination of elements just hit me harder than I expected.  No harm done - I think laying off when I did was the right move.  Back to try it again next week.

Easy recovery run; 8:39 pace.

Easy run; 8:34 pace.

Easy run; 8:25 pace.  Gorgeous morning for it.  Just 17C/62F, no wind and low humidity.

Another gorgeous morning.  Easy run at a pace of 8:26.

Speedwork at the track today.

4 x 1200 with 400 recoveries.

Splits were:  4:52  4:47  4:55  and 4:49

I was aiming for 4:50, so am pleased with the results.  For me, it was hot.  Up to 21C/70F which is 26C/78F with the humidex factor.  Not much wind.  Not terrible, but not my normal 'cool' running weather either.

Anyway, to compensate, I took an extra bit of recovery time after the second and third splits to drink water.  

Tempo run today - worked out much better than last week, but I'm not sure why.  Couldn't go hard for more than 3 miles last week, but I hit my 5 mile tempo pace goal today without a problem.  

Splits were:  7:00  6:49  6:57  6:48  6:43

It was actually warmer today than last week:  21C/69F compared to last week's 18C/65F.  Of course, last week it was 96% humidity, and just 76% today.  The only other difference was I ran with sports drink this time, so maybe I was dehydrated a bit last week.

As far as the run goes, I was actually in a bad mental place, and I didn't think I would pull the run off.  I decided to just run it easy and relaxed and take whatever came.  Maybe that helped, I don't know.  Guess it doesn't matter a whole lot - at the end of the day, I did it.

Hey, maybe I'm getting used to runing in the heat!

Easy recovery run; 8:41 pace.  

Had my monthly massage yesterday.  I was really tight in the left hamstring and my right hip had been sore for more than a week.  Well, whatever Jasmine did - I felt great when I left.  She released something in my hip that was all balled up.  Really noticed it felt better in my run today.

Easy run in the rain.  8:34 pace.  The rain was nice, as it was 21C/70F, and with the humidex factored in it was 29C/84F.  I'm hoping the humidity breaks for tomorrow's long run.

12 mile long run; 1:33:24 paced at 7:47.

Cooled off over night to 16C/61F, so a lot easier to run.

Super easy recover run; 9:04 pace.

Heading down to Toronto this afternoon for a few days.

I'm into what the Hansen's call the Strength Training portion of my program - done on Mondays now instead of speed work.  6 miles at various intervals 10 seconds faster than race pace.

I still haven't quite figured out my race pace, so I'm going with 6:55 - 7:00.  So, goal pace today was around 6:45.  6 x 1 mile intervals with 800 recoveries.

I drove down to Toronto yesterday; there is a dirt track not far from the apartment I'm renting, so I headed there for the run.

Ran my intervals strongly:  6:38  6:37  6:40  6:38  6:30  6:30

The last 2 were way faster than they should have been, but a cute girl started running laps and - well - I just ran them too fast.  Enough said.  A good workout in the heat though, and I felt strong throughout.

Was supposed to run 6 miles at Tempo Pace, but it didn`t happen.  I likely should have gone easy today and saved this workout for tomorrow.  I had a 12 hour drive back from Toronto (Jays beat Tampa Bay at the game I was at on Monday, but lost on Tuesday on my way home).  And I got home late - close to midnight to bed.

Anyway, I ran one mile at 7:04 and realized it was not going to happen today.  So I turned it into an easier run.  Ended up running the nine miles at an average pace of 8:14.  I think at my age, I need more than one day recovery after a hard run.

Easy recovery run; 8:48 pace.

Easy run; 8:49 pace.

The heat finally broke.  It rained all night and continues this morning.  Down to a much easier to bear 16C/61F.  97% humidity though.

Easy run today; 8:27 pace.

Easy run; 8:35 pace.

Off later today for my annual spiritual retreat, so no posting until next weekend.

Up extra early to head to the University track.  It's a 15 drive from the retreat house.  I found out last year that there are NO level stretches of road around here - great for hill work, if that's what you want.

Today calls for 4 repeats of 1.5 miles with 800 m rests.  My goal is somewhere around a 10 minute split.  I end up doing well, running 9:45  9:49  9:43  and  9:49.  That's a 6:30/mile pace - faster than I should have, but it felt good.  Tomorrow I'm off.

Back to the track today for tempo pace work.  Based on last week's experience, I was going to go easy today and do the tempo work tomorrow.  But I felt good on my rest day and I woke up feeling strong in the morning.  I figured part of the problem last week was the very long day on Monday - ball game and getting home late - and then the long drive home on Tuesday.  This week, I basically rested all day Tuesday.

So, I went.  And I was wrong.  Should have waited the extra day.  Did the 2 miles of warm up, and then knew right after the 1st lap that there was no way I was hitting tempo pace today.  Ended up running a 7:24 mile and decided to go back to the retreat center and finish off the last 6 miles running easy on the hills.  I just don't have the legs for speed today.

HILLS!  I had forgotten just how hilly those roads are.  I ran the 6 miles at an average pace of 8:53, but I was working hard to do it.  But I justified the hard effort by the fact that it was supposed to be a tempo day anyway.

Next 2 days are supposed to be easy recovery runs, but that's next to impossible on these hills.  I ran the 5 miles at an average 8:14.  And the legs are really taking a beating.

Same as yesterday, but I managed to slow it down just a touch and ran the 6 miles at an average 8:27 pace.  Tomorrow is a long run, so in essence I'll have run 5 hard runs this week - not good.

Long run today.  I'm home from my retreat, so back to the relatively flat roads I usually run on.

It's not terribly hot - just 20C/69F - but it's humid at 98%.  I felt it.  Plus, I found out just how much I had pounded on my legs this week.

I started okay, and ran the first 6 miles at a consistent 7:48 pace, but then it was like someone pulled a plug.  Nothing left down there.  Pushing was an invitation to an injury, so I just coasted the final 8 miles.  Ended up with a run time of 1:55 and change and an average pace of 8:16.  

So, I'm not sure if I'll even attempt intervals on Monday.  I'm wary of pushing to the point of injury, and I know I pushed too hard this week.  I'm going to take it day by day.  

There are a number of Saturday races coming up which I may or may not run in September - Toronto, Mackinac, Sault - don't know if I'll run them or not, as I've not even decided what my October 1st race will be.  I'm toying, however, with the idea of running a 5k fast in Toronto on Sept. 10th OR the 8 mile Mackinac race the same day.  Then, the following Saturday, I'm thinking of running a Half in Toronto.  If I do, then I'll run the trail race in October.  There's also the bridge run in the Sault on the 24th, so lots of options for racing.

AND, four weeks from now, I can finally register for the Boston Marathon.  Woo Hoo!

Easy run; 8:41 pace.  Nice to be back on the flats.  Legs are heavy today.

Okay, today I took stock.  My resting pulse rate is good - 48.  So I'm not overtraining.  But I am concerned about the pounding on my legs in the string of workouts last week.

So, although scheduled for 3 x 2 mile fast repeats, I opted instead for 10 easy miles.  I had to fight the urge to go faster, so I guess that's a good sign.  I'm going to just skip that workout this week, take tomorrow off, run easy on Wednesday, and then see if I can keep my tempo pace on Thursday.

The hot weather finally broke - this morning it was just 8C/46F.  But I ran in the afternoon for a change, and it's a very nice 21C/71F.

Easy run; 8:41 pace.  

And some decisions:  I registered for a 5k in Toronto on September 10th, and the 25k trail run near Cambridge on October 1st.  

I still plan on running a half in between those two, and am looking at the one in Toronto on September 17th, and also the Sault Ste. Marie bridge run on September 24th.  That would make four races on four consecutive Saturdays, but I don't plan on racing all of them hard.

Not the run I wanted.  Aimed for 6 miles at tempo pace, and figured it would be easy enough, after having gone easy this week.  Not so.  After 2 tempo miles, my legs just threw in the towel.  Like rubber.  So, I ran the rest easy.

Ah well.  I'm guessing a combination of not having fully recovered from last week's hills, and the simple fact that at my age, my racing times are not likely to get any faster.

On the bright side, yesterday I booked a room in Boston for the three nights around the Marathon in April!

Easy run; 8:28 pace.

Easy run at an 8:21 pace.

Easy run in a light mist; 8:27 pace.

2 repeats of 3 miles with a 1 mile recovery.

Aim was to run about 10 seconds faster than half marathon pace.

First set was 6:49  6:49 and 6:44  =  20:22

Second set was 6:48  6:48 and 6:46  =  20:22

So, happy about that.  Sore going into the run, because I'm back (as of Saturday) into my plyometric jump squats which I've been neglecting to do.  Aim to do strength work 3x/week, and I've been slacking off.  It shows - I felt it when I woke up today.  The good news - a one hour massage today at Noon!

Easy run; 8:43 pace.

Normally my rest day, but decided to go easy today, take tomorrow off, and then see if I can nail a tempo run on Thursday.

Had to wait for a big thunderstorm to pass by before I set out.  Some rain off and on, but I got home just before the big downpour, which is happening right now.

Was aiming for 7 miles at Tempo Pace.  Was close.

First 3.5 miles were good.  7:00  6:57  and  6:54.  But then I turned into the wind and came to the Highway Hilltop Hill in Hanmer.  And it wasn't the alliteration that slowed me down.  Just the mental game, I think, of hitting the hill and the wind.  So, I resigned myself to taking it home easy, until I got to the top of the hill and talked myself into pushing it for as long as I could.

So, I ended up running mile four in 7:40, but then ran miles 5 and 6 in 6:54  and  6:59.  So actually, my average pace for those 6 miles was 7:04, which is pretty much what I was aiming for.

Now, that's where it got sort of weird.  I've been fighting through an odd kind of pain in my right hip.  There must be a nerve involved, because it shoots down that leg, through the hamstring.  More tight than sore, but every so often, it feels like that whole leg is about to give out.  Well, just before mile 6, it hit me hard and the pain shot right down into my calf.  So, I eased off and coasted home for the rest.

I know I was cheating on the foam rolling for most of the summer, but I've been hitting it with a vengeance daily now for a week and will continue, along with the stretching and strength exercises.  I'm hoping I can work through whatever is causing this particular pain in the butt.  I mean, it's actually painful to just sit here and type right now!

Easy 8:27 pace.  Much cooler this morning at 7C/44F.  Could have used my gloves.  But nice for running.

Long run in the fog.  A lot colder than I thought it was going to be.  Should have worn gloves.  Oh well.  10C/50F.

Ran a pretty even pace which averaged out to 8:07/mile.  Sure went a lot better than last week's effort.

Another heavy fog morning.  Easy run at a pace of 8:23.

Easy pace today; 8:32/mile.

Super easy pace; 8:50/mile.  Since I'm running a 5k race on Saturday, I figured I'd skip my regular rest day and take it on Friday instead.

Easy run; 8:17 pace.

Easy run in a light rain; 8:33 pace.

All things considered, I'm happy with this race.

I drove to Toronto Friday afternoon - a 4 hour drive.  Picked up my kit and then took the subway to the Roger's Center for a Blue Jays vs. Red Sox game.  Wow - did THAT suck!  13 - 3 drubbing by Boston.  Ouch!

My supper:  a footlong hotdog, with 4 beer and a few cups of coffee interspersed at the ballpark.  I don't normally drink that much beer, but to understand why, reference the paragraph above re: the ball game.

Anyway, it was a sleepless night.  Long ride, sucky game, really bad dinner and too much on my mind.

I was up early to drive to the subway and then ride down to the start line.  Quite humid.  Temperature was 21C/70F at start time, with 81% humidity and a humidex factor of 27C/81F.

I positioned myself close to the start, and we were off.  It's a challenging course.  Start and finish at the same place, but a 115 foot elevation change along the way.

The major downhill portion was mile 1, and I ran a 6:13.  Then some up and downs where I ran a 6:52.  Then the inevitable up:  the fourth kilometer took back the 115 feet all at once.  I ran the 3rd mile in 7:04.  The final kick for the last half lap was done in 5:54.

So, a decent enough time for me under those conditions.  9th place out of 428 runners.  I think the worst part was the drive home right after.  Oh, my poor hamstrings!

NEW INFORMATION!  I was just re-checking the official results - I not only won my age division, but I also came in 1st in the Master's Division!  Cool.  I won a $300 gift certificate at The Running Room and a free entry into next year's race.  :)  Other than a couple of little trophies, I've never won a prize for running before - maybe I should drink more beer???  :)

Easy run; 8:40 pace.  

A little stiff from the race, but not bad.  Mostly the hamstrings are tight, but that has been an ongoing issue for some time anyway.  Gearing up for a half back in Toronto this coming Saturday.

5 easy miles; 8:33 pace.