Straggler for a "Short" Long Run

OBJECTIVE
14 mi.@ 8:08-38/mi.

ACHIEVED
~13.7 mi.@ ~8:12/mi (1:52:16) No Garmin today due to "Low Battery"

~6:05 AM ~42° ~78% ~1 mph

Josh and Stephanie ran the Sunmart 50K so they weren't with us for this morning's run. Congratulations to each of them for very strong finishes in that event! Josh took 4th in his age group and 28th overall while Stephanie won her age group by a large margin and was 6th overall. Yes, I am very fortunate to hang with such accomplished athletes.

Today's group included Randy, Laurie, Stacey, Kevin, and me. We started at a slow-ish pace in the cool morning air. My Garmin performed its occasional "Low Battery" routine with me so I was left with my IronMan and no complete data from today's run.

I was okay for about 6-7 miles then I just started feeling worn out. I think it's the two hard races in the last month and the mileage buildup. It didn't feel like things were going to improve so I just focused on holding on. Laurie and I planned to cut it short at 14-15 miles while the others were going for 19-21 miles. When it came time to separate, everyone ended up going back to the park and the others just added on with a loop (or loops) around the park.

My ab/groin injury seemed slightly improved today. It seems that a slow but sure recovery is occurring. Hopefully that trend continues and I can get back to 100%. I'm also hopeful that I will have my legs back under me soon!

PRE RUN
weight = 162#
FRS liquid concentrate & oatmeal w/brown sugar & 1% milk

POST RUN
2 SlimFast
Later, water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/1% milk

Falling Down on a Cool Morning

OBJECTIVE
6 mi. Easy (8:08 - 38/mi.)

ACHIEVED
6.21 mi.@ 8:34/mi.

5:35 AM 32° 93% 0 mph

It was a cool, clear morning. I wore a long-sleeved tech shirt over a short-sleeved tech shirt, tights, gloves and knit cap. I felt comfortable once I got going.

I stopped at Randall's but Aaron didn't show up for about 10 minutes so I went on without him.

My cardio condition felt stressed today as did my leg muscles. The ab/groin strain is still a problem and seems to be impacting my stride now. The entire left side of my abdominal down to the inside of my left leg feels weak, strained, and sore. Hopefully it improves some over the next 24 hours.

PRE RUN
Clif bar & water

POST RUN
weight = 160.5#
SlimFast, brown sugar muffin & multivitamin
Later, water, calcium, Vitamins A & D & oatmeal w/flax, almonds, brown sugar & 1% milk

Dana Point 5K Finish

This was taken near the end of the Thanksgiving 5K. I had already run the 10K and wasn't feeling great during this race. I turned it into the tempo run and kept telling myself there wouldn't be any reason to kick at the end ... just take it in at an even pace. Right! As I got closer to the finish, I naturally picked it up. The two guys in front of me in the picture really started picking it up and were dueling with each other. Of course that just spurred me on. As they were in their final dash, I gave an extra effort and pulled up along side. They didn't even see my coming. Once I edged in front, the guy on the left found a little extra in his tank and really put down the hammer. I'm proud to say that I held him off and finished ahead of both of them ... at the wire.

I love the finish line of races!

Still Trying to Recover

OBJECTIVE
4 mi. Slow (>8:38/mi.)

ACHIEVED
4.03 mi.@ 8:46/mi.

5:42 AM 46F 71% 12 mph

I am still feeling beat up from the race last Thursday. My legs are sore but improving. The bigger problem seems to be a lower left abdominal strain that extends down into the groin. I observed this problem last week days before the race. I think it may have resulted from over-aggressive core work while doing a physical therapy session. Racing seems to have aggravated the problem. I suspect kicking the final stretch of the 5K may have been when it occurred. Running two races back-to-back was stupid ... especially after putting done a personal best time in the first race. Note to self: don't do anything like that again! It's now compromising my training.

Aaron is still out of town for the holiday so I ran alone today. He'll be back tomorrow.

PRE RUN
Clif bar & water

POST RUN
water, multivitamin, brown sugar muffin, 5-grain hot cereal w/brown sugar, flax & 1% milk