First Tempo

Last week I was supposed to start integrating tempo runs into my training, but since I was forced to take several days off, I missed my first tempo workout...so I decided to run it today instead. I was scheduled to run 800 repeats today, but upon further consideration figured a tempo run would provide greater returns than an interval workout. I will run an interval workout next week.

So I needed to run an 8 mile tempo run with 6 miles at tempo pace (8:30/mi), flanked by (2) 1 mile cool down/warm up. I didn't have time for the full 8 due to family time constraints, so I opted to run a 6 mile tempo with a 1 mile warm up and 1 mile cool down. I started running South in the Park for what ended up being a 1.1 mile warm up at just under a 10 min pace then accelerated to my tempo pace and tried to hold it for the duration of the first loop. I came through the 5.2 mile mark at 44:40 (4.1 miles at tempo pace and 34:40 time... this is an 8:27 pace. Perfect). I finished up with a 1.5 mi cool down. Total time for 6.7 miles was 58:19.

Sidenote: My time for the tempo portion is a PR for 4 miles. My fastest 4 mi race was a 8:39 pace (this past July)...Pay Dirt!

For Good Measure

I had originally planned to run a few easy miles today just to round out my injury/down week. I was actually feeling fine, even after Friday's effort, but decided to take the day off in preparation for a hard week. A few easy "junk" miles would not do me a lot of good anyway, other than to make my running log look good...which I don't care about. 

Day Off

We spent the entire day visiting my sister and her husband today in PA...apple picking, safari tour/petting zoo, and playground. I was glad to have the day off after yesterday's effort. Still feeling pretty good. I iced my shin again for good measure. I hope to get in an easy run tomorrow and start another new week Monday...

Pay Day

Call me crazy, but I decided to attempt my 18 mile long run today while pushing my son in the running stroller...that's about 45 pounds of baby+stroller. I knew it was ambitious, especially considering my week but I just had to get in my long run today no matter what it took.

I timed it such that the bulk of my run would coincide with my son's usual nap time in hopes that he would sleep for most of the run. It was, after all, going to take me 3 hours to complete. He does enjoy riding in his jogger, but perhaps not for 3 solid hours. My plan was to make 4, 4 mile loops in the park, then tack on an extra 2 at the end if I could. I have never run farther than about 5 miles pushing my son...

The first three miles, luckily, were not indicative of the rest of the run. When I first started off, my shin actually felt okay...almost like a memory. I could tell that it had been hurting, but while I was running it was not painful or bothersome. It was sort of like when you get a bruise and it doesn't hurt until you press on it. The surprising thing was that I had a pinching feeling in my right pelvis...the exact same pain I felt when I injured myself training for my last marathon. Great. What in the world had I done?

Happily, the pain in my pelvis subsided and my shin never bothered me. My first two laps seemed like a breeze. I was feeling good and not really struggling with pushing my son. It's true, I was running very slow (a sub 11 pace when I typically run a sub 10 pace...not shocking). He had fallen asleep by the time I started my third lap, 8 down 10 to go. Around mile 10 I started to fade, however. The added strain of running with the jogger was taking its toll. I pushed on. By the time I got back around to the park exit where we live, my husband was waiting to take my son to the playground on his lunch break. I had completed nearly 14 miles. I hammered out another 1.4 and called it a day at 16.2 miles. I was tired, but mostly from pushing the stroller. My legs felt great and never bothered me. Although I wasn't able to complete all 18 miles, I attributed that to the stroller and felt confident that taking the 3 days off had paid off. I am relieved that my marathon training is back on track and I can get right back into next week. 

Struggling

I hate it when my circumstances dictate my attitude...it should be the other way around. But, I am increasingly frustrated with not being able to run and today it has become evident to me that not running makes me cranky. It started this morning with my son being a bit difficult and escalated this afternoon. I was thankful when my husband came home from work. I am really hoping I can run tomorrow. I plan to try my long run tomorrow, partly because I have had 3 days off in a row and party because we have plans all day Saturday. I am cautiously optimistic...

Another Day

Another Day off. Still icing and taking motrin with little improvement (sighs)

For the Best

After the past 2 days of running and my shoe snafu Sunday, I have decided to take a few days off. I have been icing my shin and taking motrin to hopefully reduce the inflammation and heal quickly. It is really hard to resist going out for my run, especially since I am scheduled to run my first tempo run today. So frustrating. I talked through all of my options with my husband and we both came to the conclusion that in reality I would not lose any of my fitness by taking a few days off and it will help me get back on track sooner by running less. Seems counter intuitive, but I think it will work...

Too Close

My memory lapse may have caused me to inadvertently negate one of the cardinal rules of running: don't run in  worn out shoes. A few hours after my long run yesterday, I began to feel sharp pains in my right calf and shin. These pains got progressively worse as the day passed. I iced my shin (the worst area of pain) and took some motrin in hopes that I had just irritated it...well much to my chagrin the pain has not subsided today. Could I have really caused an injury with one long run in my old shoes? Surely not. I hope.

So all I had to run today was 3 miles easy, thankfully, but even that was a challenge. My right shin was on fire the entire run and it took me 32+ minutes to run the 3 miles. So discouraging. I am going to ice it again and load up on the motrin...we will see what tomorrow brings. I am hopeful that this is just inflammation so I can carry on with my training...I'm too close now to suffer an injury.

Toast

Thankfully this blog title describes my shoes for today's long run and not my legs. I was scheduled to run 14, a distance that at this point in my training is not daunting. I had neglected to remember that after last week's 16 miler I told myself I needed to break in my new Asics for today's long run. Ooops. I remembered this around mile 9 when all of my joints started aching...I knew this feeling and I knew it was not from mileage but from pounding on worn out shoes (around 500 miles).

I already was kind of winding around the park because there was a charity run/walk being held there today, so when it was evident that I needed to cut the run short to spare my legs, I took note of my time at various points around the park and then mapped it out when I got home to see exactly how far I had managed to run and at what pace. This is what I determined (building cumulative):

5.5 miles - 51:59 (masses better than last week at a 9:27 pace)

9.8 miles - 1:34:00 (9:35 pace)

11.6 miles - 1:51:59 (9:39 pace)

13.3 miles - 2:08:36 (9:40 pace)

Clearly I slowed as my shoes caused added stress, but I am really encouraged by my overall pace (9:40). I was scheduled to run a 9:58 pace and despite the aches/pains the 9:40 felt good. Overall I am pleased with today's run...now I have to gear up for my 18 miler next week. Bring it.

Deferred

I felt like crap this morning and did not sleep well last night. I knew there was a reason I moved my long runs to Saturday: so I can defer it to Sunday when I need to! Long run deferred. Today I ran an easy 3 with the hubs and my son biking alongside. What a perfect way to start a Saturday morning.