Second Wind

Don't remember why I took this day off.

Rest.

Rest

Decided to try some really easy running today.  Ran 3 miles at about a 10:00/mile pace and then walked an additional mile.  I can tell I have lost some serious finess and the road back will be rough.  The back seems to be feeling better and the hip is doing okay as well.

Ran a full 4 miles today and felt really good, however my fitness is gone.  Heart rate is way up for the effort and calfs are feeling tight from yesterday.

Increased the mileage to 5 today and ran them at a very slow pace.  Calfs are really getting sore due to the layoff but everything else is feeling good.  Have noticed a decrease in the tingling down my left leg and foot.  Have also noticed an improvement in my hip.

Increased mileage again today and ran slow again today.  My plan from now until the marathon is to run only base miles and cut out all hills, intervals and other speed work.  I will plan on doing some strides now and then during runs as well as run a fast mile (7:30ish) once in a while but that will be the extent of it.  My realistic goal for the marathon is probably around 4 hours but I thing that 3:45 is still a slight possibility if I can run a smart race and if things feel good on that day.

Joined Meg today on her 20 mile run at her 10 mile mark and paced her at a pretty good clip for several miles.  We tried to keep the pace right around 8:00 per mile and ended up averaging 8:24 for the 10 miles.  I felt really good during this run and it was a nice confidence builder going into the last week of real training before the taper weeks for SGM.

Rest.

4 miles today and decided to add a fast mile just to see how it felt to run under 8:00/mile pace.....felt pretty good.  Everything is feeling good and confidence is good.  Calfs are still sore, need to really work on loosening them up and stretching during the day.

Decided to go a bit longer today and through in a couple of faster miles just to test out the legs and back and hip.  Other then my lack of fitness, everything seems good.  Was planning on running six today but our neighbors dogs got out so I ran another mile around our subdivision looking for them.  Turns out they ran to the next subdivision and she found them before I did.  Oh well, I needed the extra mile anyway.

Another increase in miles today and everything is well.  The calfs are still sore but they loosen up during the run.  It's amazing how much you lose in just a few weeks of time off.  I hope this soreness goes away during the taper because I really don't need to be cramping up during the marathon.

Seven fairly easy miles today.  Still just piling on the base miles to try and rebuild some fitness in the shortest time possible without re-injuring things.  All the injuries seem fine but I could tell my legs were feeling a bit of fatigue due to the everyday training so far this week and part of last week.  I imagine this is normal as I am getting back into things and hopefully the taper will bring some life back into these old muscles.

I cut back the mileage to six today to try and give the calves a small break.  Spent a little extra time stretching after the run today to try and really loosen up those tight muscles and get some of the soreness out.  I am finally starting to feel some releif but it is slow in coming.  The back and hip felt average today and I was able to step up the pace for one mile today and really get the heart rate going.  I have been trying to concentrate on my form the last few runs and staying relaxed when picking up the pace.  Sloppy form may have been one of the causes that caused all the aggravation in my back and hip so extra attention to form will hopefully pay off.  Based on my plan for tomorrow, I should end the week with 47.1 miles.  My first taper week won't be much of a cut back with about 42 miles, after that it drops to 30 and then 13 in the final week before the marathon.  Depending on the level of soreness I may cut that 42 mile week back a bit further to gain some extra recovery but at this point I can't afford to cut back too much and lose fitness.  I will just have to take it a day at a time and listen to the body.

What a great day for a run.  This is a race report but I also logged 12 miles as a long run to keep the marathon training going.  The temps were almost chilly this morning at 73 degrees and a light breeze.  It was a very pleasant change from the usual 80's.  The 12 mile run went well and I really tried to stay well hydrated today which is something I really don't do well when I run.  A rarely drink anything on runs 10 miles or under and I think my performance suffers a bit due to this.  Today I drank every 2 miles and felt really good the whole way.  Meg and I started our run about 4:45ish and ended just in time to jump in the car and drive across town to the Candlelighters 5K race at Mountains Edge Exploration Park in Southwest Vegas.  My plan for the race was to run hard but back off if anything felt out of place with my hip or back.  The scheduled start of the race was 7:30 am but due to major parking shortages and slow check-ins and late registrations the race didn't begin until 8:10.  Needless to say, it was hot and I was very worn out already from our earlier run.  I went out pretty hard for me and clocked the first mile at around 7:13.  The second mile turned up hill and I really started to feel the fatigue in my legs.  Realizing that we would be finishing on a nice downhill for the last mile I just coasted up the hill as best I could and hit mile two in 7:55.  One we started on the down hill I really tried hard to find another gear and was able to push hard with a 7:01 mile and finish time of 22:59.  I was hoping to run a little better than that but after the 12 mile run earlier I will take the time and it is a PR for me even though it is not a great time.  I havn't run enough 5K's to really figure out a racing strategy and establish a good PR.  That will be something I will work toward next year after the marathon.  Meg ended up taking 2nd in her age group and so we each took home some really nice hardware.  The Candlelighters had children suffering from cancer create paintings on canvas and then the paintings were framed in very nice frames which included a small inscription of our place, age group and the date.  It was a very fun event and rewarding to take home some hardware for once.  I doubt that will happen very often so I will take it when I can get it.  This was a pretty heavy mileage week for me after coming back from injury so I wil probably look to cut back just slightly next week and try to stay healthy for the ultimate goal of SGM.

Rest.

Woke up late today and was only able to slog out 3 slow miles.  Probably okay though because I was still feeling some soreness from the long run and 5K last Saturday.  I have stopped taking the 800mg Ibuprofen every 8 hours so I can test how the back and hip are coming along.  My last dose was Saturday morning before our long run and today I could feel a few more aches and pains here and there and my hip was hurting a little more than usual.  This was to be expected since I have been drugged out on Advil for the better part of a month now.  We'll see how it feels tomorrow and go from there.

One dose of Ibuprofen yesterday around dinner due to the aches and pains, but none this morning before our run.  The hip and back actually felt pretty good, but my legs still felt dead.  I had to make a bathroom stop just before mile 7 and when I went back out, the last 1.4 miles felt really good and I was able to step up the pace.  I think I still have some lingering fatigue from last Saturday.  I know I am still trying to get some fitness back and the 47 miles last week was only 2 miles short of my all time weekly mileage high, so I think I can attribute some of the fatigue to that as well.  This week I am looking to log around 40-42 miles as I will be going into a slight taper mode for SGM.  Hopefully the legs find some zip soon as the marathon is fast approaching.

Another 8 base miles today.  Things felt a little bit better today and the legs were not quite as fatigued today but nowhere near where I want them to be.  I imagine things will start feeling progressively better as the week goes along.  It was another chilly one today by Las Vegas standards, the starting temp was about 71.  I think summer is finally over and we have probably seen the last of 100 degree days.  I must be getting climatized to running in Vegas when 70 feels cold.  I am gonna freeze at the start of SGM where the temps can be below 40.  I'm going camping this Friday night up on Mt. Charleston and there is a chance of rain and temps could be around 40......I should get up and run that morning just to get the lovely feeling of running in the freezing cold......NOT!  I think I will wait until I get home in the evening to run.  I have run up there before and running at 8500 ft is not fun and the dirt roads are a mess.....don't need a sprained ankle at this stage of the game.

Another 8 miles of aerobic base today.  Hip and back felt remarkably better today.  Have been trying to do a bit more easy stretching during the day at work and maybe that is helping a bit.  I know my hamstrings are always really tight so lossening thing up a bit can only help.  The temps continue to fall as our run this morning was around 67; a bit chilly at first but just right once you get going.  Tomorrow we may do a marathon pace run of about 4 miles plus a mile warm-up and cool down.  8:00/mile is our/my new goal for the marathon but I am having doubts as to my ability to hold that pace for the whole marathon.  We'll see how tomorrow goes for 4 miles and maybe make some goal adjustments after that.

Well my marathon pace didn't work out as expected.  I think fatigue is still giving me some problems and some dehydration this morning was a bit of a problem.  Ended up running a couple of miles in a light rain shower this morning and it was much more humid than anticipated.  I also realized too late that I really hadn't had any water after dinner last night and I could feel it this morning.  Thought about stopping at 4 or 5 miles but decided to slog it out to the end and at least be able to s.....log the miles.  Not much of a confidence builder this morning, I'm starting to doubt my ability to maintian an 8:00/mile pace for SGM.  I keep hoping each day will get better and for the most part it has but not to the degree that I have been hoping for.  Hopefully as my modified taper progresses, some of the fatigue will give way to a bit more energy in the legs and more will power in the mind.  Tonight I am going to 11 year old scout camp with my youngest son and it is gonna be cold with rain a very good possibility and snow a slight possibility.  I don't get to excited about camping anymore with the thought of sleeping on the ground, or on an air matress.  I just don't sleep well out of my normal comfort zone.  Besides the fact that we will be freezing.  I am planning on doing a 10-12 mile run Saturday evening when we get back from the camp.

Literally slogged and sloshed through this wet run.  I shouldn't complaint too loud though because it only rains about 2 days a year here in Vegas.  Really struggled on todays run.  Nothing wanted to go, the legs were tired, the knees were a little achy and my mind just wasn't into it.  It was another one of those runs that really is a confidence killer for the upcoming marathon, especially when you don't feel good the whole way.  I am really hoping that I can attribute most of my fatigue and pain on the last two week of getting back into training and that the coming days will bring some much needed releif and energy.  Only time will tell but today I would have never been able to finish a marathon.

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.

Rest