Through Illness and Injury

Today's Run: 6.94 miles through Bath (work)
Time Finished: 55 minutes, 6 seconds (7 minutes, 56 seconds per mile)
Type of run: Easy - relaxed pace
Miles this week: 6.94

(Picture:  Saturday's run in Portland.)


I won't sugar-coat it; it's been rough for the last 5-6 days.

Only today have I felt 100% on my run after the calf strain I suffered on tuesday. Part of it probably has to do with overuse and part of it with very old shoes as the heel area starts to disintegrate. (I need to break down and buy a new pair; I've almost logged 1,500 miles on these shoes.) I ran 2 runs more than 3 miles from that point until today, both times the muscle reminding me that it was not ready to go.

During this time struck a cold that knocked me for a loop. It wasn't until Saturday night that it really struck full-force but it kept my energy much lower than normal for much of the past week. As debilitating as it was, it may have been a blessing in disguise as it forced me to rest and recouperate a couple of extra days and not try to risk running though all of what I had.

Today I'm mostly over the sickness and, after gauging my leg with a relaxed 7-mile run, over the strain as well. It was a bit of a stumbling block in my training but with some discipline I should overcome it pretty quickly.

Oh, and I officially registered for Hyannis yesterday. It was a bit earlier than I usually do but with the registration closing within the next 48-72 hours I need to sign up now if I still wanted to go.

Believe me, I still want to go.

Easy Means Easy

Today's Run: 9.01 miles through Bath (work)
Time Finished: 72 minutes, 37 seconds (8 minutes, 4 seconds per mile)
Type of run: Easy - relaxed pace
Miles this week: 9.01

The run was slower than what I've been doing the past few weeks, but there's a good reason for this, thanks in part to RK's advice yesterday.

Every so often I get myself into these stretches where I have a lot of energy and push my legs harder than I need to. I'm not at injury-risk stage yet but at the same time I'm not greatly improving my endurance as much as I'm wearing my legs down. A typical training week consists of a speed workout, a long run, and easy runs the other days. The easy runs are what I've been missing for the most part.

This week will be dedicated to getting myself on that more structured track, while there's still time to make adjustments. Less than 6 weeks until Cape Elizabeth, less than 7 to Somesville, and less than 9 until Hyannis.

Straight On 'Til Christmas

Today's run: 8.08 miles through Bath (work)
Time Finished: 62 minutes, 50 seconds (7 minutes, 47 seconds per mile)
Type of run: Easy - moderate effort
Miles this week: 8.08



So there was a little snow in Bath. Not much, but enough to make me wish I brought my YakTrax.

Don't get me wrong; today's run was good. I definitely felt the burn in my legs as I ran through the slush and packed snow. However, that packed snow made it difficult to maintain good speed as I was constantly losing traction every time I had to acommodate for traffic. Today definitely felt like a sub-7:30-pace run even if the total time didn't reflect that.

One thing I do like about running in Bath - at least from a training perspective - is the barrage of rolling hills. I'm beginning to notice what hills work me harder than others by watching my times on certain courses. The twists and turns on those hills provide extra challenge. The sharp downhills really work my quads out. The wind from some of the open fields...alright, well it's difficult to find a pleasant side to that.

All of this, including the wind, is great for winter race prep though because I do not know how weather will be like in February, especially for the 2/28 Hyannis Marathon. It could be 50 and sunny, 40 and rain, 30 and snow, or 20 with windchill warnings. Cape Cod is funny like that.

Chillin'

Today's Run: 9.01 miles through Bath (Work)
Time Finished: 67 minutes, 10 seconds (7 minutes, 27 seconds per mile)
Type of Run: Easy - moderate effort
Miles this week: 24.91

It's a bit...brisk out there.

I resisted the urge to run in dangerous windchills yesterday (mostly it was an all-day service call that stopped me) but I haven't missed mich of a beat even with the frigid temps and dance show. The miles this week are down slightly but I should be able to approach 40 again this week.

This run was not easy at the start - in fact this is true for all runs at 20 degrees or colder. When the muscles aren't warmed, I begin to question my sanity. After a few miles, I figured there isn't enough sanity left to care and just keep going. There are parts that do not feel good in a sharp windchill (for modesty's sake I'll refrain from mentioning where) but that's why I get the extra layers on. When I eventually warm up, the run actually begins to feel good. The tears streak the face in a wind gust and evaporate/freeze within seconds. The air is so dry and cold that no water can exist in liquid form for long. If I don't completely cover the ears, I will inevitably get an earache (fortunately they have been covered this year).

I won't sugar-coat it: it's brutal out there. I would not recommend these conditions for outdoor running until you've been doing it for a while or have someone go with you in case something bad happens. While it's alright during the run, you do not want to get caught outside if you can't run anymore and your body temperature starts to drop. Bad things happen.

This, however, is winter running in Maine. Here, it's always go time.

Snow!

Today's Run: 7.3 miles through Yarmouth (home)

Time Finished: 56 minutes, 31 seconds (7 minutes, 42 seconds per mile)
Type of Run: Easy - relaxed effort
Miles this week: 36.51

An enjoyable run with very light snow. However, note to self: START RUNNING EARLIER. There were no incidents but it does get kinda scary running with little visibility, even if I did wear the loudest shirt in my inventory (thank you, 2008 Bucksport Bay 5K). 3:30-4:30 PM is past sunset in a Maine December; you'd think I would know that by now...

There's just one day left in the week but I feel confident of reaching my mileage goal for the week, even if Sunday appears to be a very long day physically. Between dancing and running this weekend I am and will be getting thorough exercise - and having some fun doing it.

Thanksgiving Prep

Today's Run: 5 miles through Bath (work)
Time finished: 37 minutes, 16 seconds (7 minutes, 27 seconds per mile)
Type of run: easy - moderate effort
Miles this week: 19.01

I'm still running like I'm on fire. I'm not entirely sure I understand why I have this burst of energy and regular adrenaline, but if it continues in the morning, I will have no complaints.

My goal(s) for the 4-miler? Well, first and foremost, set a PR (personal record). By finishing the race I should set that considering I have yet to run a 4-mile road race. With this much energy, I have set my secondary goal aggressively: try to finish the race at or close to a 6:30 per mile pace. It's an ambitious goal at best, but I'm going to try as hard as I can to get there. This may be my last race before my dance show. (The Freeport Jingle Bell run may be off-limits due to its proximity to the show's tech week, but we'll see.)

For now, sleep. Then wake up and head to One City Center in Portland. At 9AM, it's go time.

The Tuesday 9

Today's Run: 9.01 miles through Bath (work)
Time finished: 1 hour, 8 minutes, 26 seconds (7 minutes, 36 seconds per mile)
Type of run: easy - moderate effort
Miles this week: 14.01

It's definitely good to see my steps with a bit more speed this week. Normally I've been averaging a 7:45-8:00 per mile pace in my regular runs. Energy and a new padding in my crumbling running shoes have certainly helped me this week - that is if they haven't been the cause of it. Combine this witht he 7:20 per mile pace I had on Monday and things are looking pretty decent for the Turkey run.

For those who don't know, I am running the 4-miler in Portland on Thanksgiving morning. (details here) This will be my first run on Thanksgiving Day. I am aiming to get as close to a 6:30 per mile pace; this run will be a good indicator of how well my speed is holding up. This run will also be a good way to help get the metabolism going for the turkey, too. It'll be a hard day to resist food.

(Also, this is an abnormally late post for me but I wanted to make sure I got it out. There are just some things I have to get done before bed, you know?)