Decent Run Over the Snow

OBJECTIVE
7 miles : no pace

ACHIEVED
5.24 miles : 46:00 = (8:47 min/mile)


12:46 PM 28° 69% 16 mph


I had very limited time today due to family commitments but was able to work in a pretty good run. Although shorter than I would have liked .... I felt pretty good. I think the biking and lifting yesterday must have "loosened" me up. My legs were markedly improved over how they felt yesterday.

I think the pounding coming down the Adams hill on Wednesday really took a toll on my legs so I decided to run along an old road that kept me in the valley. It was a nice route but about 1.5 miles into it, I found unplowed roads with hard-packed snow and ice. This slowed my pace but that was okay since I wasn't worried about pace today ... just needed some miles.

My sleep and nutrition have not been good while I've been in Utah.

Also, while running it occurred to me that if/when I run the Houston marathon, I should not come to Utah over Christmas that year. Being here takes me out of "training mode" and would probably leave me ill-prepared to run a marathon a couple of weeks later.

PRE RUN
Ginger snaps & water

POST RUN
SlimFast & water
Later, pizza.

Rec. Center

Went to the South Weber Recreation Center today since it was very cold outside. I intended to pound the treadmill but only one was available and Paige took it. I hit the indoor synthetic track (15 laps = 1 mile). My legs were still feeling Wednesday's run on the Adams Toll Road hill - especially my ITB's. So I started by walking 4 laps. I ran 15 laps for a mile but the short, repeated turns weren't kind to my legs so I ended it after a mile. I walked a couple more laps then hit the bike for about 12-15 minutes at a pretty good pace.

After the run and cycling, I went through an upper body lifting circuit. I piled on the weight and did every lift for one set to failure. I mixed in 3 sets on the Roman chair which I don't have the benefit of at home. I'm sure my form was bad and it still burned my abs pretty good.

Up the Hill

OBJECTIVE
4 x hills : no pace

ACHIEVED
4.30 miles : 39:52 = (9:13)

3:08 PM 21° 87% 2 mph; light snow

This was a tough run. I didn't feel very good right from the start. It could have been a dozen things conspiring against me ... lack of proper nutrition or sleep, yesterday's air travel, the cold, the snow, the altitude, whatever ... I didn't have to look hard for excuses ... but I pressed on. I run from my parent's place over the toll bridge and up the huge hill into South Ogden then came back. The hill really slowed my pace! Starting elevation was 4,440' and maxed at 4,737' with almost all of the climb coming over 1 mile. Of course there's nothing close to this at home in Houston. After my heavy-footed and labored start, I considered knocking off at 1.5 miles and coming back but at about the 1.5 mile point I had topped the hill and went on to add another .65 miles as planned.

I thought I was going to be cold but my layers worked out fine and that wasn't a problem at all.

My calf bothered me most be the way and when I came back down the hill I was holding back because I was afraid my ITB's wouldn't appreciate the drop.

All in all, it turned out to be a decent run. I appreciate much better the conditions many of the Fast Running Bloggers run in this time of year!

Merry Christmas

OBJECTIVE
4 miles : no pace

ACHIEVED
4.01 miles : 31:46 = (7:55 min/mile)

6:19 AM 34° 81% 0 mph

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."
Steve Prefontaine

Merry Christmas

In Excel - sis De - o

OBJECTIVE
3 miles : no pace

ACHIEVED
3.01 miles : 23:17 = (7:44 min/mile)

5:42 AM 31° 61% 5 mph

Same old story ... I was up for a good run but my right calf wasn't. Happy to lay down negative splits while "singing" Christmas hymns in my head ....

PRE RUN
1/2 Clif bar & water

POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, Kashi GoLean w/skim milk; multivitamin, glucosamine, water

The Fine Line Between Mental Toughness and Insanity

OBJECTIVE
6 miles : no pace

ACHIEVED
6.02 miles : 50:40 = (8:25 min/mile)

5:51 AM 62° 86% 1.5 mph

It seemed freakishly warm when I walked outside this morning. Maybe just because it's the eve of Christmas Eve with such balmy conditions ....

I drove to the Y to run the bayou trail for today's six-miler. About 1/2 mile in, I had thoughts of shutting it down. My right calf was extremely stiff/tight. It seemed to be changing my stride and footfall. It is extremely rare for me to have the thought of stopping once I'm out on a run. Of course, I have slowed down but I nearly always get the distance. I pressed on hoping it would loosen up as it warmed up.

This led me to thinking about each person's unique pain threshold. There's really no good way to compare one person's to another's (I think there have been scientific studies on this and, maybe there are ways to truly compare people that I'm not aware of yet.) I believe almost all runners from elite and "masters" hacks like myself have reached that precipice where they have to decide whether they're going to push even more, keep it where it's at, or pull back. For many this probably has occurred during a race. During challenging workouts it also happens. There's only one way to answer the question, "what's on the other side of this 'agony'?". However, there's danger in pressing. Will pushing through the barrier lead to euphoria on the other side or will it lead to injury or the inability to properly recover? This is all a very complex conundrum. Is my training partner feeling the same thing on the eighth repeat that I am? I doubt it. Is his pain tolerance higher than mine? How does my diet or sleep impact what I'm feeling today?

None of these questions will be answered today but it did give me something to take my mind off my throbbing right calf. The calf loosened/numbed? slightly over the last half of my run.

I picked up my leisurely, calf-mandated pace over the last mile or two as I passed member of the ChampionsFit group going out for their run. My last mile was 7:58.

The good news of no ITB issues continues. The calf my be a blessing in disguise since it's keeping the intensity of my runs down ....


PRERUN
Kashi GoLean cereal with skim milk, water

POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, water, multivitamin, oatmeal with flaxseed, brown sugar, and skim milk.

Stiff Calf = Lead Foot

OBJECTIVE
35 minute Tempo : no pace

ACHIEVED
4.11 miles : 35:03 = (8:32 min/mile)

4:22 AM 43° 87% 0 mph

The story of this run once again was my right calf. It started out tight and stayed that way for the whole run. It felt somewhat different than in the past. Today was more of an intense stiffness rather than the deep soreness I've been having. Hopefully that's an indication that it's healing ... ??? ... Or maybe it's an indication it's getting worse ... ???

I finished the timed run. I know that calling it a tempo run with a "no pace" goal doesn't make any sense. Okay, so it was a timed run based on "feel".

I gave myself the day off yesterday. I had the idea of running to make up for the lost day on Tuesday but decided I would be better off resting the right calf.

Good news ... no ITB issues.

Yesterday was our departmental holiday party. Which means we all went to a Mexican restaurant. I REALLY GORGED myself! Not what I planned but it just happened. I'll punish myself for it later. I suppose the sluggishness during today's run was probably a direct result ....

PRE RUN
1/2 Clif bar and water

POST RUN
SlimFast, 800 mg Ibuprofen, multivitamin, Kashi GoLean cereal with skim milk
Later, whole wheat English muffin, poached egg & water

Another 3

OBJECTIVE
3 miles : no pace

ACHIEVED
3 miles : 24:26 = (8:09 min./mile)

approx. 5:15 AM 55° 98% 0 mph


I'm not sure what's wrong with my Garmin but, just like Sunday, the battery was tapped before I even started my run ... even though it had been fully charged. I hope this is not the beginning of the end!

First the good news, my ITB's have not bothered me now for a few days. This is great news and hopefully an indicator that I'm on the road to having this problem completely behind me.

Now the bad news, my right half was trouble from the beginning of this run. It was very tight and painful. I had hoped it would loosen up as I warmed up but it didn't.

I gutted out the run with my trusty IronMan watch. I did look at it a couple times .... Enough to know that my pace today was steady over the miles.

Had a decent post run stretch. Did some ITB-specific and general stretches.


PRE RUN
1/2 Clif bar, multivitamin, 800 mg Ibuprofen and water

POST RUN
oatmeal with flaxseed, brown sugar, and cinnamon; water

Hampered by Right Calf

OBJECTIVE
4 miles : no pace

ACHIEVED
4.00 miles : 33:57 = (8:28 min./mile)

5:21 AM  52° 85% 0 mph

I missed yesterday's run due to pain in my right calf.  The problem flared up during Sunday's run.

I figured I would test it today no matter how it felt.  I resolved to keep the pace slow.  It bothered me the whole run.  My new theory is that I seriously pulled the muscle at the Thanksgiving run.  Over the 10 days off, it was recovering but not all the way back since I still felt it occasionally.  Then I re-injured it Sunday morning in the cold at a faster pace than I probably should have been running.  I'm not exactly sure how to nurse it back to 100% while maintaining my training schedule but that's what I intend to do.

The weather was nice ... warmer than I expected.  I extended the Kleinwood Loop to Stuebner-Airline to add an additional mile.  I truly ran by "feel" today and maintained a virtually constant pace.

Had a decent stretching series back at the house.

PRE RUN
Homemade fudge and water!!!

POST RUN
SlimFast, oatmeal, multivitamin, & water

December 16 - 22 Training Schedule

Sun. - 3 mile
Mon. - 4 mile
Tue. - 4 x Hills
Wed. - 3 mile
Thu. - Rest
Fri. - 35 minute Tempo
Sat. - 6 mile

Still running with no preset pace.

Flatfooted

OBJECTIVE
3 miles : no pace

ACHIEVED
3.00 miles : 23:20 = (7:45 min./mile)

8:16 AM 36° 70% 5 mph

I felt slow and flatfooted for the whole run today. It seemed I never really loosened up and got going. Based on how I was feeling I would have figured that I was around 8:45/mile. I only looked at my watch once - when the 2 mile indicater sounded. I was very surprised to see that I was at 7:48/mile. I suppose this just goes to show that I really can't "feel" my pace very well at all.

My right calf was very, very tight the whole run. It became progressively worse. Interesting to note that the first time I encountered the right calf tightening was in Utah on Thanksgiving Day while racing in similar weather conditions. Somehow the cold seems to be "activating" this problem.

Oh well, I suppose the big science experiment that is my running continues!

I had a very good stretching session after the run. Including regular and side planks; bicycle crunches; ITB and calf stretches.

PRE RUN
1/2 c. oatmeal w/brown sugar and skim milk, water & multivitamin

POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, PBJ smoothie & 800 mg Ibuprofen

Waterlogged

OBJECTIVE
7 miles : no pace

ACHIEVED
7.7 miles ≈ 70 minutes ≈ (9:05 min./mile)

7:02 AM 60° 89% 10 mph (20 mph gusts) rain

I slept in this morning and didn't start my run until 7. It just so happened that this was the peak of a downpour. About a mile in the rain eased up. From that point there was light rain most of the way until the final mile when it really started to come down again. Fortunately the temperature was moderate.

When I strapped on the Garmin, I was surprised that a warning popped up that it wasn't charged (not exactly sure how that happened since I have a routine that should prevent this). So I ended up with the opportunity to practice "not looking at my watch" in a much deeper way ... I didn't have a watch! That's right I was running naked!

The run was uneventful for the most part. I went out and back along the bayou from the Y. I did see a huge blue heron along the bayou. With two miles to go, my right ITB started flaring. This caused me to wonder if 5 miles is my ITB's conditioned limit. I've been running 3's each day for a couple weeks now with minimal problem (just sore and achy throughout the day after running). Today's 7 may have touched the current limitation. I suppose this concept will be tested somewhat next week as I mix 4's with 3's. Hopefully the slow, steady buildup pushes the limitation out farther (if in fact that's really what's going on ... yes, this is frustrating!)

PRE RUN
Clif bar & water; multivitamin

POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, pancakes, maple syrup, & milk

All Nighter = No Run

Sadly, I did not run today.

I ended up pulling a Thursday all-nighter to prepare for a 9 AM meeting at the office. I must say that even in college it was extremely rare for me to stay up all night. Usually I'd stay up very late, get up very early, or both but my body just wouldn't really allow for an all-night effort. Not much has changed! Today felt like the longest day as I sluggishly slogged through it! My efforts weren't rewarded as the problem is still unresolved. Frankly, I've been working on this issue off and on for over four years and it still remains a problem. However, time is running out and the rubber is going to meet the road most likely during the next six months. Oh the joys of making a living. Ironically, annual bonuses were paid out today.

Overdressed

OBJECTIVE
3 miles : no pace

ACHIEVED
3.01 : 24:36 = (8:10 min./mile)

4:17 AM 45 89% 7 mph mist

I missed yesterday's hill workout due to work commitments and an evening meeting for Cameron's High Adventure trip next summer (I just may go on that trip. It involves running and biking among other things.). The day off from running may have been good for me ...??? So I went out this morning for an easy 3 miles. It had been raining throughout the night and it was around 40 with high humidity so, naturally I expected it to be cold ... and therefore overdressed! Two layers top and bottom with gloves and knit cap. It was too much!

Not much to report about the run. I felt sluggish throughout and tried to pick it up a bit over the last mile. My ITB's offered no problem during the run but were achy throughout the past two days.

Two items of note from today. First, Cameron broke his nose lifting weights after school today. It's a long story which I'm sure we'll never completely know. Seems though that it was an incredibly fluky situation.

The second item is that I had lunch with Jonathan today. It was great to have the chance to talk about his debut marathon in Dallas last weekend. He had a fantastic run with a strange situation at the end ... hyperglycemia and hypothermia! But he's feeling great and ready to go. He'll be running the Houston marathon in 5 short weeks so he's getting ready for that upcoming effort.

Jonathan got me thinking. While talking about my injury situation, he posed the possibility that my recovery may be influenced by my nutrition. I hadn't really given that idea any consideration. But it led me the think about it. The thought process led me to the question, "What am I doing different today than I was doing during marathon training?" Two things were obvious - nutrition and weight training.

For a majority of my training for St. George I stuck to a very simple diet. I've since gotten away from it thinking that I was improving my diet but I may in fact be cheating myself out of nutrients necessary for quicker, more efficient recovery.

As for weight training, I tapered down leading up to the marathon then tapered out and picked it back up for a couple weeks then quit entirely thinking that it may somehow be contributing to my injury. Having arrived at this tentative conclusion, I've tentatively decided to scrap my current nutritional regime and go back to what I was doing for St. George. I'm going to hold off on a return to weight training for now because I want to try to isolate the variables as much as possible.

Thanks for being the catalyst for this concept, Jonathan. Hopefully this leads me back to where I want to be.

After my run, I had a decent stretch and did some high kicks on a step for my ITB's. No abs ... again.

PRE RUN
1/2 Clif bar & water

POST RUN
SlimFast, water & 800 mg Ibuprofen
Later: poached egg, whole wheat English muffin, & water

A Good Run

OBJECTIVE
3 miles : no pace

ACHIEVED
3.01 miles : 23:28 = (7:48 min/mile)

4:37 AM 73° 81% 12 mph

I had a good run this morning which was a nice change and a pleasant surprise. My ITB's have not bothered me running the past few days. However, my knees were really aching yesterday after my run and throughout the day. More and more it seems this is just going to be something I have to deal with. From the way I felt yesterday, I didn't expect much different today. But I was wrong. I felt good. The weather was great.

One thing I've done during these short "no pace" runs is allow my mind to wander. I've taken time to consider work and personal matters. In the past when I've done this my pace and form have suffered. I usually run better when just focusing on running. While I'm sure this is still true, I've had some success just putting my run on "auto pilot" while engaging my brain in other things. For at least half of the run today, I was thinking about other things yet my pace was good and generally steady.

It looks like my hesitation in committing to the Texas Independance Relay due to my injury has cost me a place on the team. This is disappointing. If I was still running strong, I could have committed instantly.

I stretched after running ... half-heartedly. Wall busters, step ups, and traditional ITB stretch. I need to get more focused in this area. It can only help my legs feel better. ... no abs again today.

PRE RUN
1/2 Clif bar & water

POST RUN
Kashi GoLean cereal, milk, multivitamin, water

Oh Thou Sluggard

OBJECTIVE
3 miles : no pace

ACHIEVED
3.01 miles : 25:00 = (8:19 min./mile)

5:03 AM 54° 94% 6 mph mist/light rain

I walked out the door to run this morning and promptly went back inside to put a shirt on. Yesterday I ran without a shirt and expected the weather to be the same but it felt cooler and there was a very light rain today.

I felt sluggish the entire run today. Not sure what to attribute it to. At one point, I felt like pushing it but decided to just stay in a comfortable zone so held back. Finished it out and added a very lackluster stretch and no ab work. I took a break from the abs over the weekend and need to get back to it.

In running news, I offer a huge congratulations to my sometime training partner, Jonathan Bennett. I say occasional training partner because we started out running together with Power in Motion last March. At some point, his ability and fitness exceeded mine so we don't run together as much as we did. Yesterday was his marathon debut at the Dallas White Rock Marathon. He logged an amazing 3:11:53! His blog can be pretty entertaining. I'm sure his race report will be up soon. He also records his training which is of interest to me as well as local restaurant reviews (also of interest!).

Great run Jonathan!



PRE RUN
water

POST RUN
Grape Nuts, milk, multivitamin, water

Training Schedule: December 9 - 15

Sun - 3 miles
Mon - 3 miles
Tue - 3 x Hills
Wed - 3 miles
Thu - Rest
Fri - 30 minute Fartlek
Sat - 7 miles


Once again this week, there is no prescribed pace for these runs. Just running based on how I feel.

From Good to Sluggish & Sloppy

OBJECTIVE
3 mile : no pace

ACHIEVED
3.01 miles : 23:50 = (7:55 min./mile)

6:32 AM 70° 88% 4 mph


Slept in today. I felt surprisingly good to start the run. I didn't wear my ITB strap and my knees and hips felt fine. My right calf was a little tight but not a problem. I think I've become a bit hypersensitive to what I'm feeling lately but I suppose that comes with the problems I've had recently with my legs.

I felt sluggish and sloppy the second half of the run. I just tried to stay focused. I've been trying to work on my form a little bit during my runs. My perception is that there are times when I'm too upright - almost leaning back - and landing on my heels. When I feel this, I try to position my shoulders over the balls of my feet and have my footfall hit mid-foot. I can usually only hold this effort for relatively short distances as it requires a great deal of mental attention for me. Also, I really don't know if this is something I should be doing or not since I've just made the exercise up myself.

PRE RUN
½ Clif bar & water

POST RUN
SlimFast & water
Later, Kashi GoLean cereal, milk, multivitamin, water

Romp from the YMCA

OBJECTIVE
6 mile run : no pace

ACHIEVED
6.02 miles : 53:18 = (8:51 miles/minute)

5:24 AM 72° 89% 5 mph

Since it is Saturday I slept in a bit before driving over to start my run from the Y. Sleeping in means I got up a little after 5 instead of 4:15 - 4:30. Boy was it steamy this morning!

Had to keep reminding myself that it didn't matter how fast I ran today. It's all about time on my feet and seeing how my legs hold up. My legs were generally fine today. I didn't have any "spring" in my legs but apparently that's the purpose of running the tempo run the day before the long run. It forces you to run slower. It seems strange to be considering 6 miles a "long run". It was just a few months ago that I was doing multiple 9 milers during the week. When I think about that, it makes my current injury situation all the more frustrating. But I'm hopeful that I'm following a good course to get everything straightened out and back on track. I wanted to come in between 8:45 and 9:00 minute per mile pace so I was happy that I hit it. I saw several people from the various ChampionsFit groups this morning. However, I think many of their faster runners where either running a 30K in Sugar Land this morning or the 50K in Huntsville tomorrow.

As I was enjoying the Christmas light displays in the neighborhoods, the thought occurred to me that these displays are not very environmentally responsible. I wonder how the "inventor of the Internet", Al Gore, feels about them. From that thought, I decided it wasn't that great of me to drive to a location so I could start my run. I'm sure there's a better way for me but I'm not exactly sure what it is. Maybe ride my bike over to the Y ...? Or just do all my runs from the house .... or maybe run to the Y or catch the trail at a different spot closer to home. I'm riding the bus to work more now. So I'm making an effort but should still be more aware and better informed.

The run took me though the neighborhoods then on to the bayou trail down to the bridge then back.

Back at the car I completed a nice series of stretches at a leisurely pace.

I have recently been inspired by Paul and Marci among others at fastrunning.com. So I tried a nap once back at the house. It was 7 am and I was sure that I wouldn't be able to sleep. I haven't tried this before and figured my elevated heart rate and just general "awakeness" wouldn't allow for it. Much to my surprise, I woke up at 8:40. So while I'm sure I'll never make the Top Runners or High Mileage boards on the blog, I think if a Nap board is ever instituted that I could make a serious run at being a top napper!

PRE RUN
Clif bar and water

POST RUN
Slim-Fast and water

Tempo ... Higdon Style

OBJECTIVE
30 minute tempo run

ACHIEVED
3.84 miles : 31:36 = (8:14 min/mile)
8:53 8:16 7:41 6:43 (.84 mile)

58º 95% 1 mph

It was a beautiful morning for a run. I was expecting it to be cooler when I stepped outside and had put on a long-sleeved tech shirt. I think the weather is supposed to stay like this over the weekend.

My goal for this tempo was to start slow and progressively increase the speed through the first 20 minutes. From that point, I wanted to gradually slow the pace and bring it in easy.

I took what's becoming my typical morning route during this "injury recovery period" - over to the high school. Knowing I needed 30 minutes today rather than a certain distance, I extended the run past the high school. At the turn around, I practiced a racing U turn. In the past, I've generally tried to stay tight through the U turns encountered in races but I've read that going into the turn wide then coming out of the turn tight with strong acceleration is the better way. I'm going to keep working on this technique as I think there's something to it. I know turn technique can make a difference when racing. I benefited from a good U turn in August and passed a runner I'd been "jousting" with at the Bouchard 10K in August. However, a couple of weak U turns at the Earth Day 5K hurt my race standing. Which raises the question, what's the deal with a 5K course having 3 U turns!!??!?!

Anyway, I felt pretty good this morning. I forced myself to stay easy early in the run. I only looked at my watch twice ... not for pace but for time. Running for time is a different concept for me. I usually run for distance. I think I need to employ more timed runs as the mental exercise is good for me.

My knees didn't bother me but my right calf was extremely tight early on.

I was happy with the negative splits and a bit surprised by the gaps. I felt like I was picking up but not that much!

Back at the house, I did 3 sets of wall busters for my ITB's and 3 sets of crunches for my six-pack (ha, ha, ha).

PRE RUN
Clif bar & water

POST RUN
SlimFast, water
Later, oatmeal, brown sugar, skim milk, water, multivitamin