Monday, August 15th:
Unplanned day off. Penny decided at 4:00 am she didn't want to sleep anymore. Was dealing with her, and by the time she fell back asleep it was too late in the morning and I was too tired to run. Probably for the best since work turned out to be a 12+ hour day today! Get back on the saddle tomorrow morning.
Tuesday, August 16th:
5:00 am, 67 degrees, 90%, 0-10mph. Kilmer Loop. Nike Pegasus 27+ (Red).
6m easy - 7:56 average.
Nice first day back in the neighborhood. Felt rested from yesterday. Temps a little cooler, but still very humid. Legs finally feel like they are back under me after Saturday's long marathon workout.
Wednesday, August 17th:
4:30 am, 67 degrees, 85%, calm. Cherry Hill West Track. Nike Lunarfly.
2m warm up, 10x800m w/200m slow jogs, 1.75m cool down
Goal splits: 2:49-53
Actual splits: (2:51 51 51 50 51 51 51 51 51 48)
Very mystical, foggy morning at the track. I settled in to the workout pace nicely after the 2nd rep and just found a great rhythm. I was concerned about the stray pit bull who sometimes shows up at the track for my early morning workouts, but for the longest time it didn't look like he would make an appearance. I also thought about doing only 6-8 reps to take it easy on my heel and to give my body more time to recover from last Saturday's epic marathon workout. Wouldn't you know, after the 6th rep, the pit bull shows up at the track! But this time, all the gates are locked and he isn't able to make it onto the infield. I start thinking of the dog as a symbol of my fear - ever present, but for this day locked out. I gain strength after the 8th rep and decide to do the whole 10. Wouldn't you know the last two were the easiest? I locked out my fear, believed in myself, and accomplished another milestone workout. It's pretty much all easy runs from here to the half-marathon next weekend, and I know I don't have to be afraid if I don't want to.
Thursday, August 18th:
4:45 am, 69 degrees, 80%, calm. Cherry Hill Blvd Loop. New Balance 890.
6m easy (BOF) - 7:57 average.
Slow going at first, but didn't force the issue and let the run progress gradually. Warmed up by mile 3, and was on cruise control the last mile. Nice recovery from yesterday's workout.
Friday, August 19th:
5:45 am, 69 degrees, 90%, 0-5mph. Jim Price's house-MHS. Saucony C2.
8m easy (BOF) - 8:05 average.
Great easy run, got to catch up with JP. Did a nice slow warm up with him to MHS track, then did 3m on my own around 7:50/pace while he did a workout on the track, then a nice cool down back to his house. Very controlled, conversational pace.
Saturday, August 20:
6:15 am, 70-77 degress, 90-70%, 0-10mph. 2x Lloyd Hall-Belmont Hills-Strawberry Mansion Loops. Adidas Marathon 10.
20m easy - 7:50 average.
Hills, hills, and more hills! Nice easy pace long run with Jamie and Rich. Great "time-on-your-feet"/strength run. Took my usual gu gels at 6m/12m/18m (strawberry-banana is a great flavor, btw!) but didn't carry gatorade to practice deleting glycogen stores. Took about 12-16 ounces Gatorade at the 12 mile mark after the first loop but none otherwise. Felt very strong the entire way, especially on the uphill segments. Last 3 miles were in the low 7:30s. Left heel was very sore for the rest of the day, even after the ice bath and time spent in Al's pool. See how I feel in the morning.
Sunday, August 21st:
7:45 am, 74 degrees, 90%, 0-10mph. Maple Shade loop (M). Nike Pegasus 27+ (Red).
6m easy - 7:34 average.
I promised Janine I would let her sleep in this morning, but I was up at 6:15 am anyway. My left heel was very sore/tight the first 10-15 minutes - I could barely hobble around the house. I drank my coffee and did a ton of strengthening/stretching exercises for my heel that I researched last night. I also cut a slot out of the back of my left shoe (they are an older pair with maybe 50-75 miles left of life in them) to relieve pressure on the heel when I run. The exercises and the heel slot made a TREMENDOUS difference during the run this morning - no pain whatsoever, and a much greater range of motion and push off during stride! Usually it takes me about 1/2m to a 1m to get moving, but today I was strong from the first step and was like a metronome with my splits after the first mile. I am encouraged by the quick pain relief this morning, even if it helps just during the run. I'll probably wear these same shoes for several runs in a row this week to see if symptoms fully dissipate or at least start to subside.
Weekly Total: 56 miles
I am starting to sense the anticipation of next weekend's half-marathon. While I would prefer to be 100% pain free at the starting line, I would be happy if I just felt the way I did during this morning's run - we'll see what these exercises and modified shoes will do for me during this sharpening week. Very happy with the hill running I got in yesterday, as it gives me greater confidence for the hilly marathon course I will be running in October.
1 week to half-marathon, 8 weeks to the marathon.
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