Best Pace So Far

Went to the gym at 9 pm this evening after a very busy day.  Ran 3.1 miles, despite the fact that I was bone tired and my body was ready for sleep. By the way, was able to run my personal best this evening, at a 9:37/mile pace, despite my thinking that it's easier to run earlier in the morning versus late at night. No pain at all in my legs, so am very glad that I've worked through that, at least for now.

Recovery Day, Then Back At It

Today, I was back at the gym, running as normal, after a down day yesterday.  We went to a party at a coworkers house, and needless to say, likely drank way too much.  So no running yesterday.  We needed the rest.

No pain today at all, and I was able to run 4 miles in 40 minutes, a solid 10 minute mile. Yeehaw! My wife on the other hand is now coming down with a bad cold, after her asthma attack on Saturday. This will put even more of a delay in her training. 

No rest for the weary though, if we intend to get our training in before the Lincoln half. It's now 12 weeks away, so there's no time to waste. I am still concerned whether my wife can do the necessary training or not though. She says she can, and can be quite stubborn about such things, and said she'll complete it if it kills her. Somehow, I believe it.

The Run Felt Good Today

Well, I just couldn't let a good day go to waste. Temperatures were in the mid 50s and the skies were sunny and bright. After a lot of stretching yesterday, my lower calf muscle felt really good today. So, I decided to try my long run around the east loop of Lake Zorinsky. The first mile gave me some minor pain in my lower left ankle on the front, but no pain on my right lower calf. Amazing. So, I ran.

The loop itself is paved asphalt, and is a really nice trail, but there still are patches of ice (despite the warm temperatures, with a new record high yesterday), and lot of snowmelt running onto the trail too. Sure gave my shiny white Nike shoes a run for their money, guess they can't stay clean and new forever. Only stopped running when I hit the occasional ice patch.

Anyhow, 4.5 miles later, I had completed the loop and was back at my car. The run felt good, time passed, I wasn't huffing and puffing, and it just felt, well, good! In fact, it felt great! I just love how I feel after a run, with a sense of accomplishment, a sense of "can do", and feel so proud of myself. Still seems strange that just 4 weeks ago, I didn't really "enjoy" my running, and looked at is as a chore. Today, I was excited. I was excited to be outside. I was excited to meet other runners on the trail. I was excited to hear the GPS watch tick off each mile and to be able to look at my pace. In fact, I wish I could have done more. Just have to remember, slow and steady wins the race. Complete, not compete! One odd thing, I saw a woman riding her horse on the Zorinsky trail. Didn't think that was allowed since it's such a crowded trail with runners, walkers, and bikers. Seemed a little dangerous to me.

My wife did her long run today too, but she didn't have as good of luck. She has asthma, and today it really hit her hard. In fact, when she got home, I was very concerned since she was still huffing and puffing (a good 20 minutes after her run), and couldn't catch her breath. I feared for her life for a minute, and have significant concerns whether she can complete the half marathon or not. She's going to her asthma doctor next week to discuss her options, and possibly adjust her meds if necessary. She's been dealing with severe asthma for the last 4 years or so. It has gotten significantly better since then, but perhaps this running regimen might be too much.

Pain is Decreasing

Today was a scheduled rest day, but it was hard since it warmed into the lower 60s. I ached to get out and run today, but knew I had to take it easy. I started an extended stretching routine today, to try and frequently stretch my lower calves. I did stop by the local Running Store, Peak Performance, to ask whether or not my shoes needed inserts. They felt that the pain was 1) expected, 2) sounded as if it wasn't that bad, and 3) think I should not train as hard.

This evening, the pain is almost gone, but the calf muscle and Achilles tendon still feel tight. So, perhaps the stretching is helping. Of course, not putting the strain on it with additional training is helping too. The running store did suggest I use a heel lift in my shoe to help take the strain off the muscle when I'm walking around too, so perhaps I'll stop at Walgreens to see what they have. He suggested that if I'm still having trouble in a week or two, to come back in to possibly look at different shoes. I'm using Nike Air Pegasus 25+ shoes now, and they feel good, but if they are they are the cause of the problem, I would definitely consider changing.

It's kind of weird that I was a bit anxious to get out and run today, since only 3 weeks ago, I approached my runs with some trepidation. Even with the pain yesterday, I otherwise felt really good, before, during, and after the run, and was excited to be outside running for the first time. Just wish I could have taken advantage of the warmer weather today, but these days will come again soon.

Lower Calf Strain

Here we go again. I'm a dumbass! Yesterday, I complained about some minor pain in my lower right calf. Well, today, the pain had diminished. It was still there but just barely noticeable, so I decided to do a light run to see how it felt. Plus, it was bright and sunny and temperatures had warmed into the mid 40s, and I was extremely anxious to not waste the day. So, I put on my Forerunner 305 (GPS pedometer) and went for a light jog through the neighborhood. First, let me say that the run felt awesome. It felt good to NOT be running on that stupid treadmill, and the time seemed to pass by very quickly. The Forerunner watch was very cool and worked flawlessly and definitely glad we made the purchase (now we might have to buy another one, hmmm). The pain in my calf wasn't too bad, just a low dull ache, but I was able to run through it.

At about mile 2.4, it hurt a little more, so I walked for a couple of minutes, but was able to start running again and completed 3.1 miles (5k). This was after being awake for 17 hours, so it was my evening, and it just felt good. The bright sunshine sure helps knock down the case of SAD I've had the last couple of days.

Now, back to this pain. After a 5 hour nap, my lower calf is very tight, just like it was yesterday. It's not an extreme pain, just sore. After doing some research, it seems that I may have just strained it, or it could be a case of Achilles Tendinitis. The cause is probably the combination of not enough stretching, too much mileage and too many hills too fast, and possibly the way I run (over pronating more than my shoes allow). I did test my foot type and it seemed to be neutral, and my shoes fit that profile, but perhaps when I run, that changes. I believe there are some shoe inserts that I can use to try and fix that. Anyhow, the remedy is RICE, or rest, ice, compression, and elevation, taking a break from training, and more (a lot) stretching.

I've come so far, and I'm actually looking forward to the running now, and certainly don't want to back down, especially if the weather is nice. But, if I'm injured, it will only get worse and I'll never get back on track. So, despite my anxiousness about continuing my training, I guess I'll have to ease off for a few days and let this heal.

In retrospect, I definitely have pushed it too much. I still have 12 weeks left until the race, and I've been able to accomplish a lot more in just 3 weeks of training than I ever had envisioned, so taking a few days off now is probably not the end of the world. Slow and steady wins the race.

No Pain, No Gain...Um No Way

There's that old adage, "No Pain, No Gain." But, that doesn't sound fun. Today during my run, I started to get a sharp pain in my right calf about halfway through. At that point, I decided to ease down, and end the workout since I didn't want to strain any of my muscles any further. I had run about 2.3 miles, short of my 3 mile goal, but at the same time, you can't train if you're injured. I was doing a hill-setting on the treadmill, running about 6.3 mph when I started to notice the pain, so perhaps it was just too much too fast, and was my body's way of telling me to back off. So I did.

I also really started to stretch for the first time after my 4 mile run yesterday too, so perhaps I just put too much stress on that calf muscle. Now, it's not that I can't walk, or have a limp, it's just that my right calf muscle feels very tight, even well after the workout. So, I'll give it a couple of days to heal and will begin again.

The run was particularly hard today since I felt as if I had the weight of the world on my shoulders, and just couldn't let it go. I was also tired, after only getting about 5 hours sleep (stress will do that), so all in all, it just wasn't a good day. Temperatures are supposed to warm into the mid 50s the next couple of days. While that sounds like a great opportunity to get out on some local trails here in Omaha, I'll just have to take it easy and definitely not overdo it.

20.1 Miles This Past Week

Week 2 of the training is complete, with a total of 20.1 miles on the treadmill. I did my second long run today, of 4.2 miles, in 45 minutes. That's not bad, and I just have to keep telling myself, "baby steps." Remember, Complete, not Compete! Amazing how that one letter (l) can make a huge difference. I've registered for the Lincoln 1/2 in early May, so now there's no backing out now. Bring it on!