Second Wind

Rest.

WOW!!  What a difference from Saturday to today.  Everything just felt better and the fatigue, while still noticable, has diminished substantially.  By the last two miles of my run today I was able to pick up the pace and knock out a 7:50 and a 7:24 mile.  I plan to log about 35 miles this week, with no speed or hill training, just base miles and hopefully that will be enough of a reduction to put some of the spring back in my legs and some air into my lungs.  Weather was even more chilly than normal today with 61 degrees at the start and a brisk north wind.  Although this run was only 6 miles it does help with the confidence a little bit.  Just knowing I can run sub 8:00/miles is huge for me at this point.

Another nice run today.  Took me a couple of miles to get really warmed up but was able to pick up the pace to one sub 8:00 mile today and felt really good by the end.  Meg is having a little trouble with her arch lately and tomorrow both of us are going to see our podiatrist for a cortizone shot in the arch area.  My arch isn't near as bad as hers as she has had a couple of surgeries to relieve some of the tightness in the fascia.  I usually need to go in every 8-10 months for a cortizone injection and then I am good to go.  She rode her bike today while I ran.  It was cold and breezy again today with temps in the low 60's.  When I got to work my arch had really tightened up so I am looking forward to the cortizone tomorrow and the anticipated relief.  I am completely off all other meds right now and everything else if feeling pretty good.  Only 11 days to go until show time.

Rest.

Rest.

Two days off did wonders!!  On Tuesday Meg and I went in for our cortisone shots in our left feet....man those things are painful.  I must admit that this doc is really good at taking his time with the injection and keeping the pain to a minimum.  He is a former collegiate track middle distance runner and really relates well to the things Meg and I are going through.  My injection continued to hurt worse than normal on Wednesday morning so I took the day off.  Part of the reason I took the day off was because we just got our new computer from Dell and I spent half the night setting it up and getting it up and running.  Foot continued to ache on Thursday as well and I took that day off too just as a precaution.  Needless to say I was ready to run again today and it was a great run.  The first thing I noticed was I felt none of the usual little pains (other than a very small ache in my cortisone foot).  The back and hip are feeling better and my breathing and heart rate were very  much under control.  I was very comfortable for the first six miles.  Meg ended her run at six and I continued on to do 8....kinda to make up for the two missed days a little bit and kinda because I felt so good.  I decided to step up the pace for the last two miles to sub 8:00/mile and was very surprised at the ease with which I was able to run sub 8.  After getting back to running over the past four weeks I think my fitness is about back to where it was before my back and hip injuries that started at the beginning of August.  I wish I had another couple of months to train for St. George but I will have to be satisfied with being healthy and able to attempt the marathon at all.  I feel so much more prepared and healthy this year compared to last year when I was suffering from shin splints/stress fractures and nagging knee pains for the entire 26.2.  I am excited to see what I can do even it is going to fall short of my original goal of 3:15.  I will be satisfied with a sub 4 and would like to attempt to push it closer to 3:30 but that may be a little far fetched.  Great weather this morning.  Temps were 65 and there was basically no wind.  Too bad St. George will be at least 20 degrees colder than that at the start.

Todays semi-long run felt so much better than last weeks 12 mile run.  The form felt good, the breathing felt good and all the usual aches and pains were gone.  A bit of the confidence is back now and that should be a posative going in to the final week of training before SGM.