AM: 7 miles easy plus strides
PM: 45 min. elliptical, core
11.30.2007
11.29.2007
Nov. 28
AM: 60 min. elliptical w/ 5 x (6:30 on/:90 off)
PM: 8 miles easy with Fleg
Ran with Fleg after work in the cold and dark through the Chevy Chase neighborhoods. Solid cross-training workout in the morning.
Looks like I'm headed to Ohio to run an XC 10k at U.S. Club Nationals weekend-after-next. I didn't think I'd be ready by now, but given my race on Thanksgiving, I'm not quite as rusty as I thought I'd be. I'm flying out next Friday after work, racing Saturday afternoon, and then driving back Sunday.
I've done a little research on the course, which is near Cincinnati. It's as flat as a pancake (looks like they put in hay barrels to slow it down--sort of like the boxes at Arkansas' Chili Pepper course). However, if it rains on the days leading up to it, the course could be sloppy.
Sure enough, it's supposed to rain--and possibly snow--on the days leading up to the race.
PM: 8 miles easy with Fleg
Ran with Fleg after work in the cold and dark through the Chevy Chase neighborhoods. Solid cross-training workout in the morning.
Looks like I'm headed to Ohio to run an XC 10k at U.S. Club Nationals weekend-after-next. I didn't think I'd be ready by now, but given my race on Thanksgiving, I'm not quite as rusty as I thought I'd be. I'm flying out next Friday after work, racing Saturday afternoon, and then driving back Sunday.
I've done a little research on the course, which is near Cincinnati. It's as flat as a pancake (looks like they put in hay barrels to slow it down--sort of like the boxes at Arkansas' Chili Pepper course). However, if it rains on the days leading up to it, the course could be sloppy.
Sure enough, it's supposed to rain--and possibly snow--on the days leading up to the race.
11.27.2007
Nov. 27
AM: 75 min. pool run w/ 4 x (6'/4'/2') on 1:00 recovery
PM: 45 min. elliptical
This, I hope, was my last pool run for a really, really long time.
PM: 45 min. elliptical
This, I hope, was my last pool run for a really, really long time.
11.26.2007
Nov. 26
AM: 7 miles easy recovery
PM: weights, core, stretching
Yesterday's run didn't come without a price: my legs felt like someone had beaten them with a sledgehammer this morning, especially my quads. The foot felt OK, however, it was just the rest of me that gave a collective "what the hell, man?" when I rolled out of bed this morning.
I should have expected this. My longest run in two months, plus lots of hills, and then stir in a little progression run on top of that--yeah, I could see how that might make me sore.
PM: weights, core, stretching
Yesterday's run didn't come without a price: my legs felt like someone had beaten them with a sledgehammer this morning, especially my quads. The foot felt OK, however, it was just the rest of me that gave a collective "what the hell, man?" when I rolled out of bed this morning.
I should have expected this. My longest run in two months, plus lots of hills, and then stir in a little progression run on top of that--yeah, I could see how that might make me sore.
11.25.2007
Nov. 25
AM: 14 miles long/progression over hills
My first long run in about two months, and my last run while home in Atlanta before my flight back to DC this evening. My foot, in addition to everything else, felt just fine. The progression run isn't rocket science. It's just a run split up into thirds: easy, moderate, and finishing hard. The last third starts to feel pretty uncomfortable, and the hills did a good job today of mixing up effort and intensity. The pace of the overall run ends up being roughly around marathon pace.
My first long run in about two months, and my last run while home in Atlanta before my flight back to DC this evening. My foot, in addition to everything else, felt just fine. The progression run isn't rocket science. It's just a run split up into thirds: easy, moderate, and finishing hard. The last third starts to feel pretty uncomfortable, and the hills did a good job today of mixing up effort and intensity. The pace of the overall run ends up being roughly around marathon pace.
11.24.2007
Nov. 24 (45 miles/week plus 6 hours cross-training)
AM: 90 min. elliptical w/ 10 x (4:00 on/1:00 off)
PM: 5 miles easy/moderate, stretching
Probably stayed out too late last night with my friends in Atlanta--I had definitely had some Friday-night sins to purge this morning. I really tried to crank it in the morning cross-training workout, pushing my heart rate way up there. I felt great afterward. Fortunately, there are multiple recorded species of hummingbirds and small marsupials that have a higher tolerance for alcohol than me, so I'm pretty good about not overdoing it when I actually do opt to stay out late. Typically a long, hard run or hard workout is exactly what I crave the morning after a long night out, and it rarely fails to return me to some sense of normalcy.
I suppose "overdoing it" is fairly subjective, especially regarding the consumption of alcohol. Let me put it into personal context: while I was cooking Thanksgiving dinner with my family on Thursday, I casually drank about a glass and a half of champaign. Shortly thereafter, I had to step out of the kitchen and take a seat, and before long I was dozing on the couch, while the turkey had yet to even come out of the oven.
Some names I have been called in the past, including last night: "cheap date"..."lightweight"..."pretty lame." Those are all more or less accurate. I've accepted this.
PM: 5 miles easy/moderate, stretching
Probably stayed out too late last night with my friends in Atlanta--I had definitely had some Friday-night sins to purge this morning. I really tried to crank it in the morning cross-training workout, pushing my heart rate way up there. I felt great afterward. Fortunately, there are multiple recorded species of hummingbirds and small marsupials that have a higher tolerance for alcohol than me, so I'm pretty good about not overdoing it when I actually do opt to stay out late. Typically a long, hard run or hard workout is exactly what I crave the morning after a long night out, and it rarely fails to return me to some sense of normalcy.
I suppose "overdoing it" is fairly subjective, especially regarding the consumption of alcohol. Let me put it into personal context: while I was cooking Thanksgiving dinner with my family on Thursday, I casually drank about a glass and a half of champaign. Shortly thereafter, I had to step out of the kitchen and take a seat, and before long I was dozing on the couch, while the turkey had yet to even come out of the oven.
Some names I have been called in the past, including last night: "cheap date"..."lightweight"..."pretty lame." Those are all more or less accurate. I've accepted this.
11.23.2007
Nov. 23
AM: 30 min. stairmaster
PM: 8 miles easy recovery, core
Got in a recovery run with my old buddy Fellows, who I ran with in high school and during some of the summers in Atlanta in college. I took it nice and easy on the back trails on the Chattahoochee River (one of my favorite running haunts in Atlanta), just shaking the legs out. The downside to not running hard in two months is that my legs are ridiculously tight today.
PM: 8 miles easy recovery, core
Got in a recovery run with my old buddy Fellows, who I ran with in high school and during some of the summers in Atlanta in college. I took it nice and easy on the back trails on the Chattahoochee River (one of my favorite running haunts in Atlanta), just shaking the legs out. The downside to not running hard in two months is that my legs are ridiculously tight today.
11.22.2007
Nov. 22 - Happy Thanksgiving
AM: 5k turkey trot (Marietta Gobble Jog) in Atlanta, 16:05 for 5th, 8 miles total plus core work at home
Like I said before, today was just a rust buster, so I accomlished that much, even if I was a full minute behind the winner. This was just 8 seconds away from my track PR, so considering I didn't run a step for four weeks, basically all of October, I suppose I can't complain too much. Moreover, I haven't run faster than a 5:30 mile or anything resembling a "real" workout in about two months.
It was an interesting course, and I mixed it up with some collegiates and local guys. Two compontents were definitely lacking: hill strength, which doesn't surprise me given I've only resumed weight-bearing exercise for about four weeks now, and speed (which I've never really had, anyway!).
The course was pretty average--a rolling first mile, a second mile that was nearly entirely uphill, and a last mile that was downhill for the first half before hitting one last uphill with about 800m out, and then flat to the finish.
I didn't have much of a shot at the leader. I went out in second place through the first mile in 4:55, and he was at least 10-15 seconds in front of me. At about mile 1.5, a group of three caught me, and I spent the rest of the race hanging on to them. This is where my absence of speed definitely showed its ugly head.
My splits were all over the place, given the nature of the course. Like I said, 4:55 for the first mile, and hit two miles in 10:38. I was horrifed at this point, thinking I had totally blown up on the long uphill. Fortunately, I stuck to the group in front of me, regaining composure and hitting 3 miles in 15:29. My guess is that the markers were a bit off, but even so, I held it together enough to run my last mile about as fast as my first.
Since this is really the "beginning" of my winter/spring season, I have to think this is a sign of good things to come, given how much running I've missed over the last two months (Needless to say, I'm now a pool-running convert. It works.) The winner today has run in the 14:30s this fall, but was only 15:02 on the course today.
I may be in better shape than I think. Depending on how the next few weeks go, I might be able to set some more ambitious goals this spring. I race again in two weeks at a pancake-flat 10k in DC. If there will be some people to run with, I don't think it's unreasonable to threaten my PR there.
Like I said before, today was just a rust buster, so I accomlished that much, even if I was a full minute behind the winner. This was just 8 seconds away from my track PR, so considering I didn't run a step for four weeks, basically all of October, I suppose I can't complain too much. Moreover, I haven't run faster than a 5:30 mile or anything resembling a "real" workout in about two months.
It was an interesting course, and I mixed it up with some collegiates and local guys. Two compontents were definitely lacking: hill strength, which doesn't surprise me given I've only resumed weight-bearing exercise for about four weeks now, and speed (which I've never really had, anyway!).
The course was pretty average--a rolling first mile, a second mile that was nearly entirely uphill, and a last mile that was downhill for the first half before hitting one last uphill with about 800m out, and then flat to the finish.
I didn't have much of a shot at the leader. I went out in second place through the first mile in 4:55, and he was at least 10-15 seconds in front of me. At about mile 1.5, a group of three caught me, and I spent the rest of the race hanging on to them. This is where my absence of speed definitely showed its ugly head.
My splits were all over the place, given the nature of the course. Like I said, 4:55 for the first mile, and hit two miles in 10:38. I was horrifed at this point, thinking I had totally blown up on the long uphill. Fortunately, I stuck to the group in front of me, regaining composure and hitting 3 miles in 15:29. My guess is that the markers were a bit off, but even so, I held it together enough to run my last mile about as fast as my first.
Since this is really the "beginning" of my winter/spring season, I have to think this is a sign of good things to come, given how much running I've missed over the last two months (Needless to say, I'm now a pool-running convert. It works.) The winner today has run in the 14:30s this fall, but was only 15:02 on the course today.
I may be in better shape than I think. Depending on how the next few weeks go, I might be able to set some more ambitious goals this spring. I race again in two weeks at a pancake-flat 10k in DC. If there will be some people to run with, I don't think it's unreasonable to threaten my PR there.
P.S. That is my old high school coach on the left giving me a quick pre-race pep-talk. Man, did that bring back some old memories!
11.21.2007
Nov. 21
AM: 9 miles very easy, strides, stretching
I just was just going for an easy jog around my home neighborhood in Atlanta, when I ran into my old high school coach, who I still stay in touch with. I was only planning 6 or so, but I started catching up with him and just added on a little bit. My legs were still stiff from the flight home last night, but the run really loosened them up, as did the strides I did afterward with my family's energetic yellow lab, Dewey. Got in a good stretch afterward.
It's so nice to be home. I had a strange dream last night: I pictured myself standing in front of a mirror, getting ready to go to work. I stood in the same place every day in the dream, buttoning my shirt to get ready for work, except that days ticked off like seconds. But there I stood, getting ready in the same mirror, buttoning the same shirt--every single day.
Freud I am not, but to me it sounds like maybe I'm overdue for this brief break from the daily grind. I shot awake from the dream, and I can't tell you how relieved I was to find myself in my bed in Atlanta. When I fell back asleep shortly thereafter, I fell hard. Last night was one of the best quality sleeps I've had in weeks.
Glad to be home.
I just was just going for an easy jog around my home neighborhood in Atlanta, when I ran into my old high school coach, who I still stay in touch with. I was only planning 6 or so, but I started catching up with him and just added on a little bit. My legs were still stiff from the flight home last night, but the run really loosened them up, as did the strides I did afterward with my family's energetic yellow lab, Dewey. Got in a good stretch afterward.
It's so nice to be home. I had a strange dream last night: I pictured myself standing in front of a mirror, getting ready to go to work. I stood in the same place every day in the dream, buttoning my shirt to get ready for work, except that days ticked off like seconds. But there I stood, getting ready in the same mirror, buttoning the same shirt--every single day.
Freud I am not, but to me it sounds like maybe I'm overdue for this brief break from the daily grind. I shot awake from the dream, and I can't tell you how relieved I was to find myself in my bed in Atlanta. When I fell back asleep shortly thereafter, I fell hard. Last night was one of the best quality sleeps I've had in weeks.
Glad to be home.
11.20.2007
Nov. 20
AM: 85 min. elliptical
Got in a morning workout before work. I'm flying home to Atlanta this evening, so this will be about all I'm able to get in today. I can't wait to get home--a few days of kicking back are definitely in order.
Got in a morning workout before work. I'm flying home to Atlanta this evening, so this will be about all I'm able to get in today. I can't wait to get home--a few days of kicking back are definitely in order.
Nov. 19
AM: 80 min. pool run with 24 x (2:00 on/1:00 off)
PM: 8 miles easy/moderate
I really felt back to my old self during the evening's run.
This morning was--I hope--my last pool run for a while. Can't say that I'll miss it, but I know it's been a major help because the process of coming back so far has gone about as smoothly as I could have hoped.
PM: 8 miles easy/moderate
I really felt back to my old self during the evening's run.
This morning was--I hope--my last pool run for a while. Can't say that I'll miss it, but I know it's been a major help because the process of coming back so far has gone about as smoothly as I could have hoped.
11.18.2007
Nov. 18
AM/PM: 7 miles easy/moderate followed immediately by 75 min. elliptical
It'll still be another week or so before I get a "real" long run in, so this will have to do for the time being. Writing this now, though, I'm pretty damn tired. It sure felt like a long run to me.
It'll still be another week or so before I get a "real" long run in, so this will have to do for the time being. Writing this now, though, I'm pretty damn tired. It sure felt like a long run to me.
11.17.2007
Nov. 17 (30 miles/week plus 8+ hours cross training)
9 miles easy, weights, core, stretching
This was my longest run in about a month and a half. Everything felt fine.
I desperately need a haircut. If I run my fingers through my hair and open my eyes really wide, I look like the lovechild between a treasure troll and an episode of Dragon Ball Z.
This was my longest run in about a month and a half. Everything felt fine.
I desperately need a haircut. If I run my fingers through my hair and open my eyes really wide, I look like the lovechild between a treasure troll and an episode of Dragon Ball Z.
Nov. 16
AM: 7 miles easy plus strides
PM: 50 min. elliptical w/ 4 x 6:30 on/:90 off
The strides were pain-free, and my legs even had some pop to them. Good sign of things to come.
Shitty nutritional day today. Mexican food, if consumed without moderation, will wage a war with the body. And 9 times out of 10, the body will lose.
PM: 50 min. elliptical w/ 4 x 6:30 on/:90 off
The strides were pain-free, and my legs even had some pop to them. Good sign of things to come.
Shitty nutritional day today. Mexican food, if consumed without moderation, will wage a war with the body. And 9 times out of 10, the body will lose.
11.16.2007
Nov. 15
AM: 75 min. pool run w/ 7 x (3'/2'/1') on 1:00 recovery
PM: 45 min. elliptical, core
Lots of cooking ahead this weekend and next week. Good times.
I also plan to jump in a 5k on Thanksgiving to see where my fitness is right now. I hoping at best to be pleasantly surprised, and at worst not to be embarrassed. The original plan was to run the Thanksgiving half-marathon in Atlanta, but that's totally out of the question now. Even though my speed for the 5k sucks even when healthy, coming off of a month of pool running it will probably be my best option. The longer stuff can wait for '08.
I've been cross-training intensely for more than a month now; it'll be an interesting experiment to see how it translates to running fitness.
PM: 45 min. elliptical, core
Lots of cooking ahead this weekend and next week. Good times.
I also plan to jump in a 5k on Thanksgiving to see where my fitness is right now. I hoping at best to be pleasantly surprised, and at worst not to be embarrassed. The original plan was to run the Thanksgiving half-marathon in Atlanta, but that's totally out of the question now. Even though my speed for the 5k sucks even when healthy, coming off of a month of pool running it will probably be my best option. The longer stuff can wait for '08.
I've been cross-training intensely for more than a month now; it'll be an interesting experiment to see how it translates to running fitness.
11.15.2007
Nov. 14
AM: 1:15:00 elliptical
Nothing fancy here, other than that the gym didn't have on ESPN as usual, which made the workout go by so much slower. The local news stations reminded me of just how bad and sensationalized local news coverage is nowadays. You'd think the NY Post is now running the local DC TV stations. "WHAT'S IN YOUR WATER? IS THERE LEAD PAINT IN YOUR CHILDREN'S TOYS? WHAT HAZERDOUS CHEMICALS ARE HIDING IN YOUR HOMES? Find out...news at 10:00!"
PM: 7 miles easy/moderate
Was planning strides, but there are still some phantom cramping and pains, so I'll leave those for Friday.
Nothing fancy here, other than that the gym didn't have on ESPN as usual, which made the workout go by so much slower. The local news stations reminded me of just how bad and sensationalized local news coverage is nowadays. You'd think the NY Post is now running the local DC TV stations. "WHAT'S IN YOUR WATER? IS THERE LEAD PAINT IN YOUR CHILDREN'S TOYS? WHAT HAZERDOUS CHEMICALS ARE HIDING IN YOUR HOMES? Find out...news at 10:00!"
PM: 7 miles easy/moderate
Was planning strides, but there are still some phantom cramping and pains, so I'll leave those for Friday.
11.14.2007
I am so ripped right now...
I started putting back in a weight routine about twice a week when I was out of action in October. I needed something aside from pool running to consume all of the pent-up energy I had. In addition to being a good supplement to my running, it also forces me to get into the gym, where it's harder for me to blow off the important "little things" like getting in a good stretch with a rope and staying on top of core work.
Here's my general weight-lifting routine, which is partially taken from what I used to do back in college. I usually super-set: I'll do one upper body set and immediately following with a lower-body set or a set of core work for an active rest period:
Here's my general weight-lifting routine, which is partially taken from what I used to do back in college. I usually super-set: I'll do one upper body set and immediately following with a lower-body set or a set of core work for an active rest period:
- 1 x push-ups to max with feet elevated
- 2 x pull-ups to max
- 2 x 15-20 lunges (alternating legs) with weight plate or medicene ball
- 2 x 20 incline dumbell press
- 2 x 20 hamstring curls
- 2 x 20 "Arnold Press" (sort of a twisting military press with dumbells) on stability ball
- 1:00 heel walks
- 2 x 20 dumbell curls
- 2 x 20 dumbell rows on stability ball
- 3:00 mirror runs with 2- or 3-pound weights (pumping your arms fast, like you're kicking at the end of a race)
- Then I usually finish with a good stretching session and core routine that includes some planks/bridges and supermans
That said, I love going to the gym. In college, I loved seeing frat-dogs waltz in, usually in pairs, often wearing matching wife beaters and/or gold chains and/or baseball caps turned askew and/or "old school" New Balances: walking, talking stereotypes. There aren't a lot of these type of bros in the gym where I go now, which is in a neighborhood where the people as a whole seem pretty friendly, happy and down-to-earth. Not that I miss vain assholes who love to monopolize the bench press, but it was always guaranteed comic relief.
Tuesday 11/13/07
AM: 80 min. pool run w/ 10'/9'/8'/7'/6'/5'/4'/3'/2'/1' w/ 1:00 recovery
PM: weights, core, stretching
The morning session is one of my favorite workouts. It touches on a lot of different intensities, and it's easy to add onto it to turn it into a long run-type effort in the pool. Long runs in the pool, even with interval workouts, are still more or less a miserable experience. Nothing will make you want to run on land like a two-hour pool run.
I interviewed an Atlanta-based coach, Roy Benson, last night for a freelance piece I'm writing this month about pool running. When I asked about how to combat the inherent boredom in pool running, he really didn't have much of a solution. "Maybe singing to yourself?" was the best he could come up with. This guy has been around for a while, so it seems fairly obvious to me at this point that there is not magic secret to making pool running exciting.
PM: weights, core, stretching
The morning session is one of my favorite workouts. It touches on a lot of different intensities, and it's easy to add onto it to turn it into a long run-type effort in the pool. Long runs in the pool, even with interval workouts, are still more or less a miserable experience. Nothing will make you want to run on land like a two-hour pool run.
I interviewed an Atlanta-based coach, Roy Benson, last night for a freelance piece I'm writing this month about pool running. When I asked about how to combat the inherent boredom in pool running, he really didn't have much of a solution. "Maybe singing to yourself?" was the best he could come up with. This guy has been around for a while, so it seems fairly obvious to me at this point that there is not magic secret to making pool running exciting.
11.12.2007
November 1 - November 12
Thursday 11/1/07
AM: 55 min. bike w/ 5 x 4:oo on/1:00 off, plus 15:00 easy running on grass
PM: weights, core, stretching
As it turns out, my neighbors in the unit below me didn't appreciate me hammering on the indoor bike trainer at 7:00 in the morning. When they started banging on the ceiling with broomsticks, I got the idea, and headed out for a short run to finish up.
Friday 11/2/07
AM: 26 x 2:00 on/1:00 off, pool, 90 min. total
PM: core
I'm going to keep up the pool workouts. They seemed to keep me relatively fit, and it doesn't seem like a good idea to abruptly abandon them just because I'm running again.
Saturday 11/3/07
AM: 20:00 easy plus 70 min. elliptical
Sunday 11/4/07
AM/PM: 180 min. bike
I did most of the ride outside, much of it with Patrick. We managed to find some pretty rough hills. Then, I came really close to getting hit by a car when I made a U-turn without looking behind me first. As a runner, I'm not used to cars tailing me on the side of the road. While it was entirely my fault for not looking, there was also no traffic to speak of, so there's no reason the driver couldn't have gone around me. Anyway that left me a little shaken, so I did the last 40 min. or so indoors.
If there's one lesson I could take away from today's ride it's this: I'm sticking to running. My inherent clumsiness has no place on a bike, at least not everyday.
Monday 11/5/07
AM: 9 x (3'/2'/1') w/ 1:00 recovery, pool, 85 min. total
PM: 5 miles easy, core
Another pain-free run. Good stuff.
Tuesday 11/6/07
AM: 25:00 hard/5:00 off/10:00 hard/5:00 off/10:00 hard, elliptical, 90 min. total
PM: weights, core, stretching
Wednesday 11/7/07
AM: 6 x 8:00 on/:90 off, 6 x :30 on/:30 off, plus 10 min. kicking, pool, 80 min. total
PM: 5 miles easy/moderate
I'm feeling pretty tired by the end of this week; getting up every day at 5:30 gets harder as the week goes on. I added three days of cross training doubles, which likely explains why it's getting tough to get out of bed in the morning.
Thursday 11/8/07
AM: 75 min. elliptical
PM: 45 min. bike, spinning class
I tried a spinning class with Valerie after work. While it was a decent workout, I just felt goofy the entire time following the instructor's direction choreographed to awful techno. I guess it's just not my cup of tea.
Friday 11/9/07
AM: 7 x (6:30 on/:90 off) plus 3:00 all-out, pool, 75 min. total
PM: 4 miles easy
20 miles this week. Slowly but surely, I'm building the miles back up. The foot feels slightly sore, but not in the same way when it was injured. These are more phantom pains, and I'm definitely not limping. It's nothing I didn't expect.
Saturday 11/10/07
PM: 7 miles easy, weights, core, stretching
Today was my first day of just running since early October. I just took it easy on the soft, flat surfaces of the Capital Crescent.
Sunday 11/11/07
AM/PM: 2:15:00 elliptical
Unfortunately, I don't get a real long run for a little while, which means I'm stuck inside for the long efforts unless I want to bike for three or more hours. That wasn't happening today. At least with TVs in the gym and football season, there's something to keep me from killing myself out of boredom on the elliptical.
Monday 11/12/07
AM: 8 x (4:00 on/1:00 off), stationary bike, 80 min. total
PM: 7 miles easy, core
I managed a solid workout on the stationary bike before work, getting my heart rate way up there. I ran in the dark on the Capital Crescent with Patrick after work, icing afterward.
AM: 55 min. bike w/ 5 x 4:oo on/1:00 off, plus 15:00 easy running on grass
PM: weights, core, stretching
As it turns out, my neighbors in the unit below me didn't appreciate me hammering on the indoor bike trainer at 7:00 in the morning. When they started banging on the ceiling with broomsticks, I got the idea, and headed out for a short run to finish up.
Friday 11/2/07
AM: 26 x 2:00 on/1:00 off, pool, 90 min. total
PM: core
I'm going to keep up the pool workouts. They seemed to keep me relatively fit, and it doesn't seem like a good idea to abruptly abandon them just because I'm running again.
Saturday 11/3/07
AM: 20:00 easy plus 70 min. elliptical
Sunday 11/4/07
AM/PM: 180 min. bike
I did most of the ride outside, much of it with Patrick. We managed to find some pretty rough hills. Then, I came really close to getting hit by a car when I made a U-turn without looking behind me first. As a runner, I'm not used to cars tailing me on the side of the road. While it was entirely my fault for not looking, there was also no traffic to speak of, so there's no reason the driver couldn't have gone around me. Anyway that left me a little shaken, so I did the last 40 min. or so indoors.
If there's one lesson I could take away from today's ride it's this: I'm sticking to running. My inherent clumsiness has no place on a bike, at least not everyday.
Monday 11/5/07
AM: 9 x (3'/2'/1') w/ 1:00 recovery, pool, 85 min. total
PM: 5 miles easy, core
Another pain-free run. Good stuff.
Tuesday 11/6/07
AM: 25:00 hard/5:00 off/10:00 hard/5:00 off/10:00 hard, elliptical, 90 min. total
PM: weights, core, stretching
Wednesday 11/7/07
AM: 6 x 8:00 on/:90 off, 6 x :30 on/:30 off, plus 10 min. kicking, pool, 80 min. total
PM: 5 miles easy/moderate
I'm feeling pretty tired by the end of this week; getting up every day at 5:30 gets harder as the week goes on. I added three days of cross training doubles, which likely explains why it's getting tough to get out of bed in the morning.
Thursday 11/8/07
AM: 75 min. elliptical
PM: 45 min. bike, spinning class
I tried a spinning class with Valerie after work. While it was a decent workout, I just felt goofy the entire time following the instructor's direction choreographed to awful techno. I guess it's just not my cup of tea.
Friday 11/9/07
AM: 7 x (6:30 on/:90 off) plus 3:00 all-out, pool, 75 min. total
PM: 4 miles easy
20 miles this week. Slowly but surely, I'm building the miles back up. The foot feels slightly sore, but not in the same way when it was injured. These are more phantom pains, and I'm definitely not limping. It's nothing I didn't expect.
Saturday 11/10/07
PM: 7 miles easy, weights, core, stretching
Today was my first day of just running since early October. I just took it easy on the soft, flat surfaces of the Capital Crescent.
Sunday 11/11/07
AM/PM: 2:15:00 elliptical
Unfortunately, I don't get a real long run for a little while, which means I'm stuck inside for the long efforts unless I want to bike for three or more hours. That wasn't happening today. At least with TVs in the gym and football season, there's something to keep me from killing myself out of boredom on the elliptical.
Monday 11/12/07
AM: 8 x (4:00 on/1:00 off), stationary bike, 80 min. total
PM: 7 miles easy, core
I managed a solid workout on the stationary bike before work, getting my heart rate way up there. I ran in the dark on the Capital Crescent with Patrick after work, icing afterward.
Cleared to run again
10/31/07
AM: 5 x 10:oo on/2:00 off plus 10 min. kicking, pool, 80 min. total
PM: 15 min. easy
I saw the podriatrist today, and my x-ray was clear. As suspected, I'm a quick healer. Just four weeks earlier, there was a big crack in my second metatarsal, but that's now nicely patched itself up. As I had suspected, my podiatrist thinks that I got it wearing a pair of thin and beat-up 5k flats during a half marathon. The good news is that I hit 10-mile and half-marathon PRs in the race (54:52 and 1:13:04...I can't believe I couldn't find five more seconds), so at least my brief hiatus started on a high note. If you're doing the math on the 10-mile and HM splits, then you're correct--the last three miles of the half marathon fell horrendously off pace. But I did have a crack in my bone, so give me a break (pun horribly intended).
I've been meaning to start putting my training online for a while now, and coming off of four weeks of injury seems like an appropriate place to start.
I've been pool running like crazy over the last four weeks. Surprisingly, I trimmed off about 4 or 5 pounds in the process, which came as a pleasant surprise, especially since I don't have too much extra to lose, anyway. I'm down to about 155 now, which, given that I had to cut weight to get to 152 pounds my senior year of high school (5 years ago this winter), suggests that I'm pretty trim.
During my time off, I started lifting again a couple of times per week (careful to stay off of the foot, though), stretching, adding more core work, and icing diligently. I feel like I did everything I could to take care of myself, so we'll see how it pays off in the weeks and months to come.
Naturally, the first thing I wanted to do after getting the OK from the doc is to go out for a run, so that's exactly what I did, even if it was still shorter than a pre-race warmup. My legs had a surprising amount of pop to them, bolstering my blind faith in the benefits of pool running.
Glad to be back, even if the weeks to come are still going to have a lot of cross training. To play it safe, no serious mileage for me until the first of the year, and my hard days will still have to be cross-training for the next month. Fortunately, I have some other cross-training options other than the pool now that I can resume weight bearing excercise (i.e. the bike and the elliptical). Pool running definitely works. But, it's not the most exciting thing in the world, I have reeked of chlorine for a month, and my hair is so dry that, if stranded in the wilderness, I could rip it from my scalp and use it as tinder for a fire.
AM: 5 x 10:oo on/2:00 off plus 10 min. kicking, pool, 80 min. total
PM: 15 min. easy
I saw the podriatrist today, and my x-ray was clear. As suspected, I'm a quick healer. Just four weeks earlier, there was a big crack in my second metatarsal, but that's now nicely patched itself up. As I had suspected, my podiatrist thinks that I got it wearing a pair of thin and beat-up 5k flats during a half marathon. The good news is that I hit 10-mile and half-marathon PRs in the race (54:52 and 1:13:04...I can't believe I couldn't find five more seconds), so at least my brief hiatus started on a high note. If you're doing the math on the 10-mile and HM splits, then you're correct--the last three miles of the half marathon fell horrendously off pace. But I did have a crack in my bone, so give me a break (pun horribly intended).
I've been meaning to start putting my training online for a while now, and coming off of four weeks of injury seems like an appropriate place to start.
I've been pool running like crazy over the last four weeks. Surprisingly, I trimmed off about 4 or 5 pounds in the process, which came as a pleasant surprise, especially since I don't have too much extra to lose, anyway. I'm down to about 155 now, which, given that I had to cut weight to get to 152 pounds my senior year of high school (5 years ago this winter), suggests that I'm pretty trim.
During my time off, I started lifting again a couple of times per week (careful to stay off of the foot, though), stretching, adding more core work, and icing diligently. I feel like I did everything I could to take care of myself, so we'll see how it pays off in the weeks and months to come.
Naturally, the first thing I wanted to do after getting the OK from the doc is to go out for a run, so that's exactly what I did, even if it was still shorter than a pre-race warmup. My legs had a surprising amount of pop to them, bolstering my blind faith in the benefits of pool running.
Glad to be back, even if the weeks to come are still going to have a lot of cross training. To play it safe, no serious mileage for me until the first of the year, and my hard days will still have to be cross-training for the next month. Fortunately, I have some other cross-training options other than the pool now that I can resume weight bearing excercise (i.e. the bike and the elliptical). Pool running definitely works. But, it's not the most exciting thing in the world, I have reeked of chlorine for a month, and my hair is so dry that, if stranded in the wilderness, I could rip it from my scalp and use it as tinder for a fire.
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