How Much Discomfort Can I Tolerate?!

It rained most of the night but by 8:00am it had stopped, so I went out under gray skies, about 45 degrees, for a 7.5 mile run. Was planning to run it at a moderate pace, but I was feeling good so at various points during the run I would do threshold pickups which lasted from 800meters to 1 mile. The last 1.5 miles my lungs and legs were under control so I pushed as if it were the final segment of a race. This was one of my best runs since the marathon. I should mention that after the marathon at the end of July I was feeling so beat up that I didn't run for 6 weeks. When I started running again in mid September my body was feeling great but I had lost a lot of fitness. Most of my runs since then have been short and slow, from 3-5 miles. These past 2 weeks I have finally seen an improvement in my fitness, and I have been picking up the speed. I ran a 10K last weekend, my first race since the marathon, in 44:20, which is about right for where I am fitness-wise. I kept thinking during the race that I was going to slow down and crash, because I hadn't trained long or hard enough. I am planning to work my long runs up to about 12 miles. I don't think I want to go further than that, I remember how dead my legs were from 20 milers, and I was always walking around with a sore heel and mashed-potato quads. I don't see the point in that, I must have a body which is sensitive to runs over 2 hours. I am planning on racing Da Deer Run in early December, a 5 mile cross country slog near Bloomington. My time won't be great, but it feels awesome to be training again. After the 7.5 miler today I did 4 sets of pull-ups, dips, push-ups, crunches, and calf raises, then 40 minute walk home.

Another warm day for Illinois, 62 degrees with a slight cloud cover. I planned to do an easy 4 miles, but after the first half mile I realized I had a large amount of energy in my legs, so I decided to pick up the pace, and ended up doing a 3.5 mile tempo run. I ran to the arboretum and looped back to Carle Park. The trees along the damp streets were arresting - half full of yellow and orange, and a big circle of color at the base of each tree. Perhaps it is the beauty of the season which is inspiring me to run harder each time out. The last half mile I still had control so I pushed harder, and sprinted the final 400 meters. I then did 3 sets of strength exercises, stretched, and walked 20 minutes home. 

I need to take an easy day, and since I usually can't stop myself from pushing hard on any given session, the best way to get rest is for me to take a zero. Most runners I have read don't like to skip days, but it is the only way I can recover from my hard runs. I especially like taking 2 consecutive days off, because on the third day my energy is bursting and I can't wait to hit the trails. If I take 3 consecutive days I find my fitness drags a bit. I plan on doing an easy 5 miles tomorrow....

Weather : 55 degrees, cloudy, with a heavy west wind. Ran 3 easy miles to begin the run, then without halting went right into 6 150 yard strides on the 7th fairway at the country club. Last week I took a 60 second walking break between strides, today I decided to jog for 30 seconds during the interval. Obviously this was more difficult than walking, and after the 6th stride I continued to run another 3 miles without a break. Not having time to recover from the final 2 hard strides caused me to go over the imaginary "red line" and I was not able to calm my breathing for the rest of the run. I considered stopping for a couple of minutes to allow myself some recovery time, but I thought it would be best to get accustomed to extended discomfort. I was able to dig deep and sprint the final 400 meters. Afterwards 4 sets of strength exercises, and a 40 minute walk home.

Weather - 38 degrees, some wind, cloudy. Didn't really want to go out in this, as I don't do well in cold weather, but this is just the beginning of a long 3 months to come. So I recalled Zatopek who once said

"When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed in more ways than physical. Is it raining? That doesn't matter. Am I tired? That doesn't matter, either. Then willpower will be no problem."

and I knew I had to go, even though I was tired and I knew I would be cold. Once I started I braced against the wind and headed to Busey Woods. Once I reached the forest I began my normal 800 hard 400 easy routine, this time it lasted about 3 1/2  miles, and I sprinted the last 800 meters. Afterwards 3 sets of strength exercises and 40 minute walk home.

I decided not to run today. I noticed that my miles for the week are already at 23. I plan on running tomorrow and then a "long" run on Sunday. If I run today I'm afraid I will be increasing my mileage too quickly. I have been averaging about 24 miles a week, and I'm already there. So I think I will head to Brookens gym tonight for jump rope and strength exercises while watching the Lakers/Detroit game. 

I fell asleep early last night while reading "The Possessed" by Dostoyevsky, so no Brookens Gym session, and no Lakers game. Got up around 6:00 am and decided to ride my bike to Brookens, did 8 sets of strength exercises. Weather was nice and I had a lot of energy, so I was looking forward to the days run. I decided I would do my first real speed training in 4 months. It has been a while since I have really put my legs and lungs to the test, so I didn't want to overdo it. Ran an easy 1.5 miles to Urbana H.S. track, stretched, and then did 8x 200m repeats. I was able to hold all the repeats with my form in control, although the last 50 meters for most I could feel my legs on the verge of wobbling and my lungs were burning. After each repeat I walked 200 meters for a full recovery. After the 8th repeat I walked 200m. then ran an easy 3 miles to the arboretum. Walked 30 minutes home. Beautiful day, about 52 degrees, sunny, and a slight wind. Tomorrow if I am not too sore I hope to run 8 miles.