How Much Discomfort Can I Tolerate?!

Weather - 18 degrees, windy, clouds and snow. Ran 1 mile in the cold and wind to Brookens gym, then ran 7 more miles around the basketball court. I was planning on running 4 miles in the gym, but I fell into a hypnotic-type trance and just kept going. I felt I could have run 11 or 12 miles but decided against it, because it was supposed to be an easy run, and tomorrow will be plenty tough, as I am planning to do hill repeats. After the run I did 8 sets of strength exercises and stretching, then 15 minute walk home. 

Weather - 11 degrees, windy, sunny. Very cold, with the wind it felt about -10. I wore about 5 pounds of clothing and ran to the arboretum to do some hill repeats. When I got to the hill my toes were numb, and so I started the hills without a break. I was planning to run up and walk down for a recovery, but I thought I would be too cold so I decided to run down instead. My endurance held up, I ran 10 x 125m hills, with about a 275m recovery jog between each. After the 10 hills my, ummm, "groin" region felt ice cold and painful - yow! I decided to run a hard 2.5 miles at threshold pace to finish off the run, and I was hoping to get home quick to warm up. I felt good overall during the threshold run, I recovered nicely from the hills and my legs still had some strength to push. Overall a pretty good session.

The Siberian Express 7.3 mile trail race is this Saturday, so I plan on running short and easy for the next two days so that I will feel fresh on race day. It is suppose to be in the 40's by Saturday, if it is I should have a pretty good day, as I run better in warmer temperatures. It will probably be quite muddy, so I am not going to set a low goal time. I will try for something modest, say, an 8:00 per mile pace, which should equal about a 1 hour run. My fitness and strength seem to have improved since the 5 mile X-country race last month, although I am not sure if I am ready to run a hard 7.3 miles.  It should be a fun one.

Weather - 23 degrees, cloudy. Ran an easy 3 miles, felt ok. I can't run comfortably in cold weather, I don't have much lung power most of the time. Because of that I have no confidence about racing in 2 days. I will just have to swallow my pride and wait for spring to arrive.

Weather - 35 degrees, windy, cloudy. Easy run of 4 miles to the rental car agency. Tomorrow is the Siberian race and I am feeling excited and energetic. I am not going to worry about my time and will just try to enjoy the feeling of pushing myself to the edge. Weather is supposed to be wet and about 40 degrees, which is not bad for January. 

Race Day Weather – 40 degrees, cloudy, windy. I woke to gray skies, but mild January weather. I ate a banana, oatmeal, kiwi, and drank 2 glasses of water 3 hours before race time, then drove to Kickapoo State Park near Danville and arrived about 75 minutes before race time. After registering I started my warm-up at 10:00am. I ran to the Mountain Goat Hill course and traversed 2 of the larger hills. I felt comfortable and strong, and was confident that I could put in a good race effort. I was surprised that nobody else was using the Goat hills as a warm-up, but I always seem to seek out the places which afford the most solitude, so I was happy to run alone, focusing my thoughts on the upcoming battle of wills. Although it was 40 degrees, the stiff wind made it seem colder, it felt about 30, so I needed to wear gloves, and was uncertain if I should wear a hat for the race. I did not wear a hat during the warm-up, and I felt ok without it. After 30 minutes of easy running I did 4x150m strides, then stretched in a dry picnic shelter with 10-12 other runners. When I returned to my car it was 15 minutes to race time. I was jumpy and energetic, which was a good sign. At the last minute I decided to wear a hat, and I emerged from the car wearing shorts, 3 light shirts, hat and gloves. I made my way to the start line, listening to the muffled voices of the 476 assembled runners. I stayed at the edge of the large group, focusing my eyes not on the faces or landscape, but upon my emotional reaction to the minutes leading up to the start. I saw the group moving towards the start line, and as I began to follow, a young runner kicked mud at his friend, missed, and it splattered on my shorts and legs. I looked at him, and then said, “well, by races end it is going to be a lot worse than this.” Relieved, he laughed and resumed his mud play. I inserted myself into the middle of the throng, for the first time feeling warm because the wind could not reach me. People talked, stretched, and I jumped up and down continuously, feeling a solid mass of energy which needed to be spent. The starter finally sent us on our way, and we circled a large field which would also be the finish, and made our way into the woods. Upon reaching the single track path, mud began flying in the air. My shoes sunk into it and sprayed the runners behind me. At a narrow, steep descent a line of runners came to a complete stop, and each runner in turn had to stop, then resume running. I found myself muttering “come on” as I waited to resume. My pace during this initial mud slog was quite slow, I was in no particular hurry, because I knew 56 more minutes of running awaited me, and I would have plenty of time to put in surges and go as fast as my legs would carry me. I had set my iPod to count down from 60 minutes, so my goal was to come in at 59:xx, which was around 8:00/mile pace. I had run this same course 2 years ago in an autumn race and averaged 7:30/mile, but with the mud and the cold and the wind I believed 8:00 was about all I could hope for. The first half mile a few people passed, which did not bother me. I was feeling relaxed and strong, and knew when I finally decided to make my first move that I would begin to pass numerous people. When we finally emerged from the first set of woods onto a 400-600m straightaway, I made my first surge and passed quite a few runners. The mud however, never let up, it was going to be a constant throughout the entire race. Entering a second woods the single track began again, and I did my best to maintain the surge pace. A lot of curves had to be carefully navigated because of the slippery conditions, and it reminded me of running in the snow, it seemed about as difficult, but more pleasant because of the warmth. We exited the second woods and came out into a large meadow, which is about 800m in length. This was the only part of the course which was not very muddy, but there were numerous ice puddles and potholes to contend with, so it was not that much easier to get a firm footing. I continued passing people, my pace was continually getting faster, and nobody had yet to pass me since the ½ mile mark. After the field we entered the third woods. For about 1-2 miles it was more slogging and trying to find a good pace - I would surge, then upon reaching a runner who was holding a comparable pace, I would tuck in behind and slow down to his/her pace, which allowed me to recover, and when I felt strong again I would push myself past and look for the next runner to surge to. Sometimes I would surge by as many 5 or 6 runners within a 100m distance. The woods began to get quite hilly, and it was here that a good sense of balance and strength had to be maintained so as to avoid falling and injury. Some of the smaller hills were ridiculous because of the mud and uneven, sloping narrow paths. One particular hill which sticks in my memory consisted of an almost vertical 6 foot descent, followed immediately by a 6 foot vertical ascent. One comes upon this situation with only 1-2 seconds to decide how to navigate it. I slid down trying not to fall, but having to immediately begin the uphill upon reaching the bottom, I reached out with both of my hands and dug into the mud, but I stretched the top of my body too far forward and my lower back suffered a slight spasm. I have had these spasms before, and sometimes it can take weeks to recover from them. As I came out of this dwarfish mud canyon my back felt stiff and within a few seconds I would know if I had to crawl, walk, or run to the finish. Fortunately the stiffness seemed to ease as I continued to run, and so I pushed ahead, not seeming to lose any of my speed or momentum. More of these types of hills continued to appear, and they forced my mind to concentrate on things other than my back. One of the hills was longish and steep, and with absolutely no traction. I had to lean forward and pull myself up the hill, digging my hands into the mud, similar to climbing a ladder. I saw 2 runners decide to try a different route, hoping for an easier go of it. However, one of the runners let out a loud scream, and then “!@#$#@!” I watched him crumple to the ground in obvious pain. Fortunately a race volunteer was nearby and rushed to give aid to the fallen athlete. I soon forgot about my spasm and just kept running hard. I was about 4 miles in and still feeling strong and energetic. My lungs felt at full capacity, and were in control, so I knew that I would most likely be able to maintain this kind of surge/relax style of running for the remaining 3.5 miles. At about this time I saw Matt, who leads the Wednesday speed sessions in the summer. I was surprised to see him walking, and said hi to him as I passed, wondering if he was injured or just taking a short walking break. In most races he finishes ahead of me, so I took that for what it was worth, and kept running hard. When I reached the only asphalt area of the race, about mile 5, I remembered what Melinda had told me while we ran at Clinton Lake last week– “when you reach the parking lot you have 2 miles to go, but it seems a lot longer than 2 miles.” I heeded her advice, and told myself it was probably going to feel like 3 miles. It felt nice to have a firm surface to run on and my pace immediately picked up, and images of running 200m repeats floated through my mind. I passed 4 or 5 runners during this 400m stretch of parking lot, they seemed to be laboring, not being able to take advantage of the only firm surface on the course. Seeing runners lagging, out of breath, slowing down, made me want to go faster, so I continued surging. Off the parking lot and back into the woods, I soon approached a runner who looked familiar. His bare calves were encrusted in thick brownish mud. I could not see his face, but I thought it might be Andrew, another Wednesday speed session runner who runs 18:xx 5k’s. I have never beaten him in any race, so I was thinking maybe it was not him. I slowed down a bit and decided to follow him for a while. He was moving smoothly, but I could sense a bit of struggle in his pace. After 200m I felt recovered and decided I needed to surge again. As I passed I saw that it was Andrew and I said hi. I don’t think he knew who I was, but he returned the greeting. Passing him gave me more confidence, and I began a long final surge which I was able to maintain until the end of the race. I passed numerous runners during the final mile and a half, yet nobody had yet to pass me. With a mile to go the best thought of the race occurred to me – “all the runners near me at this point in the race have a similar running level to myself, therefore, the only runners who are going to pass me in this final mile are the ones who have worked harder than me – the person who has run for 50 consecutive days; in ice and snow storms; in below zero winds; run hill repeats on ice; practiced surge pace in 4 inches of snow; worked on their speed with 200m repeats. If they have done this and more, well, then they can pass me, but they are going to have to prove it!” I started to run loose and wild, with passion, following a strong runner ahead of me, slowly gaining on him. During the final steep hill ascent which the runner ahead of me walked, I was directly behind him, trudging up the hill. I said to him as we crested the hill “this is it, we made it, this is the home stretch.” He nodded in agreement, and I followed him for about 150M, then passed him with 800 meters to go, running as hard as I could. I was gaining on 2 runners ahead of me, but with about 100m to go they took off in a wild sprint, battling each other, arms flailing, it was fun to watch, and I followed them into the finish shoot about 5 seconds behind. The runner I had passed finished 20 seconds behind me, which made me feel good about my final effort and kick. Unbelievably, I finished in 59:35, which is an exact 8:00/mile pace. In the race results it reads 7:60.0, which made me look twice, and then laugh – I had hit my race pace goal spot on. After the race I recovered quickly and ran a 1 mile cool down. I then stretched and realized my back had tightened since the race had ended. It does not seem too serious, so hopefully it will only take 7-10 days to fully recover. I will be careful with it, doing special stretches for it. Running seems to help it, so I probably will not have to alter my training in any way. My overall place was 62, and in my age group 6 out of 50.

Weather - 53 degrees, cloudy, windy. Returned the rental car this morning and ran 6 miles from the agency to Busey Woods. My lower back was stiff from the spasm which occurred in the race yesterday, but after 2 miles it loosened up and felt ok. I am probably going to be able to avoid a big flare up with the back if I am careful. My quads were a bit sore, but other than that everything seemed fit and ready to go. I'm happy my right foot is holding up. I will probably make this an easy week, nothing too hard. Afterwards 4 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 40 minute walk home. 

Weather - 61 degrees, cloudy, windy. Planned to run 6 easy miles, or maybe less, thinking I would feel worn down from the race, but I felt energized and strong, so I ended up with 10 easy miles. The warm weather is a great respite from the winter days, I wore shorts and a singlet, I felt about 3 pounds lighter than normal, and my lungs were at full capacity. Maybe training in the cold is like resistance training for my lungs, since I am probably working at about 80% oxygen capacity when it is below 40 degrees. When it finally does warm up my body is supercharged from the extra oxygen that is flowing through my blood. I think when spring arrives I am going to be able to run some good times. I ran the 10 miles at about 1 minute per mile lower than my normal easy rate, yet the run still felt easy and relaxed - I love warm weather....

Weather - 55 degrees, cloudy, windy. Reality returned and I felt the effects of the previous 3 days of racing and training. Feeling tired and lacking energy I ran an easy 6 miles. During the run I thought about how I was going to give myself a chance to break 19:00 in a 5k race. My ideas came into rare focus and I was able to map a plan. Since I have no meaningful races to run until March, I decided that during January and February I need to work specifically on increasing my endurance through consistent daily and weekly mileage. I can forgo speed work during this time, so that should give my body a chance to remain healthy while I attempt to slowly up the mileage. My current weekly average is between 30-50 miles. By mid March I would like to raise the average to 40-60. It would be easy enough to will myself to run 7 miles a day 6 days a week, and run 12-14 miles for the one long run, but that would most likely lead to a physical breakdown. I need to be cautious and patient, and when I feel my body asking for less instead of more, I will need to heed it. Perhaps 2 1/2 months is not enough time for a moderate increase, but I will do my best to push my body safely to new mileage limits. I believe that if I can increase my mileage, the endurance I will have gained will then allow me to pursue speed work with more aggression. In April and May I will move into hill running and repeats, and in early June do some long intervals. By late June I should be ready to run a 5k in good fitness, and then I will see what I can do with it. 

Weather - 42 degrees, sunny, windy. Ran an easy 6 miles in cooler weather, but 42 degrees for January is still mild. Was a little sluggish so kept the pace slow most of the way, felt a bit looser during the last mile and the pace picked up accordingly. Afterwards 5 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 45 minute walk home. 

Weather - 41 degrees, cloudy. Felt a little better than yesterday, and put in 6 easy miles. My easy days now consist of 6 + miles, so it feels good to be running longer distances. It feels the same as 4 miles last month, so my endurance and strength are improving. Am planning a long run of 12 miles with Melinda either tomorrow or Sunday. 12 miles seems somewhat easy to my mind, so I may be increasing the distance within a few weeks if I continue to feel good on my runs. 

Weather - 32 degrees, cloudy, windy. 12 mile long run today with Melinda. We traversed the streets of Champaign/Urbana on the 2nd Wind's marathon training route. There were numerous arrows painted on the streets pointing us in the right direction. The temperature dropped as the run progressed, and during the last 2 miles we were fighting a bitter wind. Felt good the whole way, though, am looking forward to more long runs in the coming weeks. Afterwards 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 10 minute walk home. 

Weather - 29 degrees, sunny. Easy run to Busey Woods this morning. No soreness from yesterdays 12 mile run, so I am happy to be achieving a moderate level of fitness. Driving to Chicago today for pleasure, will spend the night at a downtown hotel. Plan on running 8 miles along Lake Michigan tomorrow morning. 

Weather - 30 degrees, cloudy, windy. Spent the weekend in Chicago, ran 6 miles yesterday morning before leaving, and in the evening hiked 9-10 miles around the north side of the city. Ate too much good food (Indian for lunch, beer and stuffed mushrooms for a twilight appetizer, Ethiopian for dinner, and Austrian pastries for a night time sweet snack), but since I was burning a lot of calories I did not mind. This morning got up at dawn and hit the downtown city streets, heading out through Millenium Park to the lake shore, and ran 8 miles to Addison Street. Turned around and walked 2 miles, doing some strength exercises and stretching, and took the 151 bus back to the hotel. I was concerned the 15 miles of running/hiking on Saturday was going to be too much work for my legs, but they felt good today, so I am happy about my improving fitness.

#58 

Weather - 25 degrees, cloudy, windy. Easy 6 miles in cold conditions, felt like 10 degrees in the wind. Body is still feeling good even though my daily mileage is increasing. Jeff commented a few days ago that I should not avoid going fast while I am doing my endurance runs, so I have decided to include 5 or 6 strides in most of my upcoming runs this month. Today I did 5 x 40 second strides in the middle of the run, with a 1-2 minute jogging recovery. I am hoping the striding will keep my legs accustomed to faster movement as I put in the slow base work for the next 6-8 weeks. After the run 4 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 40 minute walk home.

#59

Weather - 15 degrees, sunny. Was hoping to run 8 easy miles today, about half way through the run I was feeling good and decided to push it a little further, and ended up going 9.1. Did 6 x 40-60 second strides at the 4 mile split. I can feel some overall improvement in my running strength, it is giving me confidence to keep at it every day. After the run went to Brookens Gym and did 6 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 15 minute walk home. 

#60 

Weather - 33 degrees, sunny. Weather warmed up a bit, which made my 6 easy miles feel pleasant. I had some pep in my stride today, ran it fairly quick, yet the intensity felt easy. Tomorrow will try for 8 easy miles with 5 or 6 strides.

#61 

Weather - 25 degrees, windy, cloudy. Tough day to run, the wind was wicked cold, and there were ice patches on the streets and sidewalks. I decided it would be safest to run at the arboretum, but I knew the wind there can be brutal. I ran 3 miles, then did 8 x 25-60 second strides, then continued running until I reached 8 miles. I had the wind at my back during the final mile, and I was feeling pretty good, so I decided to let my legs unwind and the pace unfold. I ran the last mile in about 6:15, of course, the wind helped out a lot, but it felt great to have the legs turning faster than usual. Tonight I am going to Brookens Gym to stretch and do some strength exercises while watching the Lakers/Suns game - should be a good one.

#62

Weather - 31 degrees, windy, sunny. A lot of wind made for tough running. Because I exercised at Brookens while watching the Lakers/Suns game yesterday evening I only got 4 hours of sleep. Consequently I felt horrible today on my run, and ran a very easy 6 miles, slower than my normal easy pace. After the run 4 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 40 minute walk home. Am looking forward to 8 hours of sleep tonight.

#63 

Weather - 5 degrees, sunny. Ran 10.20 easy miles this morning, felt decent enough considering the weather was rough and I was wearing about 6 layers of clothing. Had a good week with my mileage, I hope to continue with a slow upwards trend. Next week I am running the Riddle Run in Mahomet. It is an informal trail run, with a beginners race of 12 miles, and an advanced run of 28. I signed up for 12, if I finish I get a homemade cupcake. 

 #64

Weather - 13 degrees, sunny. Warmer than yesterday, but I still dressed in 6 layers for a 7.2 mile easy run. It is a peculiar sensation to be sweating profusely in extreme coldness, but it is definitely better than being too cold. Another night of little sleep, which caused my overall coordination to be sluggish, and the running pace suffered because of it.

#65

Weather - 25 degrees, sunny, windy. It seemed colder than 25 degrees because of the wind, so I wore 6 layers of clothing again. I am getting accustomed to running with an extra 5 pounds, I hope it helps my fitness. After 3 miles I ran  8 x 30-60 second strides on the golf course. When I finished the run I walked 15 minutes to Brookens Gym and did 5 sets of strength exercises and stretching.

#66 

Weather - 20 degrees, somewhat sunny. Fresh snow on the ground, only about a half inch, so it did not make running any more difficult than normal. Ran to Busey woods and did a few loops and ended up with 7.5 miles. My legs are still holding up to the strain of the slowly increasing mileage.

#67 

Weather - 20 degrees, sunny. Since I have been diligently working at slowly increasing my mileage, I decided it was time to ease back a bit for the next few days, because this Saturday is the Riddle Run, a quasi 12-28 mile race/training run in Mahomet. I signed up to run 3 x 4 mile loops around the prairie trails, and it would be nice to feel fresh and strong. Today I ran for as long as it felt easy, which was 6.5 miles. I was thinking I would be stopping at 5 miles, so I was pleasantly surprised to have gone an extra 1.5. After the run I walked to Brookens Gym and did 6 sets of strength exercises and stretching. 

#68 

Weather - 3 degrees, windy, sunny. I decided to run indoors today because of the cold, so I ran 5 miles around the basketball court at Brookens. Afterwards 5 sets of strength exercises, and stretching. It feels good to have run less miles the past couple of days, as my body is starting to feel less fatigued.

#69 

Weather - 23 degrees, cloudy. The afternoon warmed up, so it was a pleasant enough 4 mile easy run. Tomorrow the Riddle Run, I plan on running 3 loops for 12 miles. 

#70 

Weather - 26 degrees, windy, gray skies. Ran 3 loops around the Lake of the Woods prairie trails for the Riddle Run. The winds were brisk, so it seemed cold, and there was a 1/4 inch of snow on the trails. The final loop I paired up with a woman named Nancy, and we ran a 8:15 pace for the 4 miles, and we had a good conversation, she told me about her various marathons, and it was nice to listen about her race in Honolulu as we trudged through the snow. I planned to run the 3 loops in a comfortable time of 1:45, and I came in at 1:43. When I finished the race I ate my prize - a homemade cream filled cupcake - the best one I have tasted! It was a solid long run, nothing hard, just a moderate steady pace at an average of 8:35/mile. I don't feel tired, or sore, so I think my next long run will be 14 miles, either next week, or the week after.

I am planning to run the Lovin' the Hills 15 mile trail race in Louisville, KY on February 16th. That distance should fit nicely for my current fitness level. As the race name implies, there are a lot of hills to cover, so I am not sure how I will tolerate it, since my training is mainly on the flats.

#71

Weather - 45 degrees, sunny. Nice to feel some warmth and see the sun, I ran an easy 8.3 miles around Busey Woods and the cemetery. Yesterdays 12 miler did not take much out of me, so I am hoping to have a good week of training. Afterwards 4 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 40 minute walk home.

#72 

Weather - 37 degrees, raining, windy. A bit cooler today, but it felt warm when compared to last week, so I wore shorts for the second consecutive day. My body (back, legs, and feet) stiffened yesterday a few hours after running, and I went to bed earlier than usual, getting 12 hours of sleep. I woke today feeling pretty crappy, so I figured I would be running a maximum of 6 easy miles. However, after 3 miles my body began to feel better, and I ended up with 7.3. I will try for an increase in mileage this week, since I have been holding steady for the past month - 51.45, 52, 53.60, 51.70. I will hopefully hit 56-58 miles by Saturday. 

#73 

Weather - 49 degrees, gray skies, windy. Beautiful running weather, wore shorts and 3 light shirts. Decided today I needed to run further than normal, after the first couple of miles I felt good and knew it would not be difficult to run 10 miles. When I reached the golf course at mile 3 I did 8 x 30-90 second strides on the fairways, then returned to Busey Woods and did 3-4 loops, then ran to Brookens Gym for a total of 10.50 miles. The warm air had a positive effect on my lungs, I was running a faster than normal pace and my breath was effortless. At Brookens I did 6 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 15 minute walk home. 

#74 

Weather - 18 degrees, sunny. A lot colder than yesterday, so I had to go back to wearing multiple layers of clothing. I ran a very slow pace today, I was trying to make 8 miles seem as easy as possible. The last two miles I felt pretty good and went a bit quicker, so I seem to be holding up to the increased mileage. Afterwards 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 20 minute walk home.

#75 

Weather - 22 degrees, cloudy, snowing. 6 easy miles in a snowstorm - fun! Afterwards 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 10 minute walk home.

#76