How Much Discomfort Can I Tolerate?!

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.