Bump, Bump, Bump It Up!

I'm referring to training volume and intensity. This past week was another great "test week" that went about as well I could have hoped. The weeks mileage passed without any difficulties or soreness to speak of. My Sunday long effort went well but did manage to leave me with a bit of a sore low back and minimal tightness in the hamstring. I did some stretches after and that seemed to lick it. Part of me thinks that now that I have had the injured hamstring I am over sensed to that area and any twinge or tightness makes me very aware, as compared to months ago it may have gone unnoticed. That may be a good thing, I prefer to think, or that may be something I just need to press a bit to see how things are going to progress. I will mix a bit of those two thoughts as I press forward in my training and see how things iron out. On paper I am scheduled for some light repetitions this week as well as a 20 miler on Sunday! My first of the year!

Here is the weeks summary:

Monday: 32:00 easy jog
Tuesday: 52:30 w/ 7 X 30 sec @ 5K pace
Wednesday: 0 miles
Thursday: 55:00
Friday: 37:00
Saturday: 51:30 *harder pace run sub 7:00's
Sunday: 2:03:00  17 miler rather hilly route.

Weeks Total: ~ 49 miles

Years Total: 653.5 miles

A Week of Progress = Smiles!!

The past week has been wonderful to me. I continue to bump up my runs by time  and soon hope to be back on track to fitness.  It's really hard holding back as I continue this venture and progress is great, but I really just want to start hitting the miles and doing some up tempo work. In due time...

I took last Monday off to give myself the extra rest and then have run six days in a row with runs varying from 30-50 minutes with weekly long effort of 90 minutes this morning. The therapists have really got me in line. Near weekly chiro visits, deep tissue massage, acupuncture along with my strength program at home has been my recipe and I can't remember the last time I felt so fresh while running. I mean, wow, no hamstring pain, no hip pain, no back pain, no achilles pain, NOTHING! Is this how you should feel when you run/train for a marathon? I hope so, and I hope I can keep the ailments to a minimum as I continue to crank up the volume over the next month.

Here is a brief summary of the week:

Monday: 0 miles
Tuesday: 50:00
Wednesday: 39:00
Thursday: 29:00 with 8X100 meters pick ups
Friday: 45:00
Saturday: 56:00
Sunday: 1:30:00
*most weekly runs @7:30/mile pace

Total: ~41 miles

Years Total: 604.5 miles

The 80th Mile and Mad Treatment

The past week was a good indicator that all the treatment I have been getting on my hamstring has me going in the right direction. I haven't run over a hour yet but at this point it really isn't about going out and seeing how much I can do, rather doing what I can do in the proper amount and stay injury-free and continue to progress back to overall fitness!

The early part of the week had me running in the evening at the local YMCA on a treadmill next to ultra runner Chris Gardiner in efforts to keep him company, albeit a short run for me, as he continued on his quest to run 16 hours straight in efforts to raise money and awareness for the Strong Kid's Campaign. At the end of a long day Chris raised over $7000.00 and a lot of eyebrows as people walked in and out of the lobby. Together we rolled the 80th mile and he finished with a little over 95 miles for the 16 hour jaunt. Job well done Chris!

The rest of the week I sprinkled half hour runs in between my many treatment appointments. I did a Chiro/deep tissue appointment on Monday. Acupuncture and massage on Tuesday allowed me to focus on stretches and strength work for the remainder of the week. By the time the weekend rolled around I was feeling like a caged animal. I did an hour run on Saturday under beautiful sunny skies along with my lovely wife and my buddy Dave. What a great run. It's crazy to get so excited about a hour run but it's been so long since running with no pain in that leg, I have to go back to January to remember. Too long...

This week will actually look much the same in efforts to ensure I am on the right track and to keep those hamstring demons well behind me. It's exciting and exhilarating to think that in 12 months I will be the one getting nervous and preparing for Boston Marathon. Tomorrow will be excitement for 25,000 runners and I wish you all the very best!

Here is how the week looked:

Monday: 30:00
Tuesday: 0 miles. leg sore from all the work.
Wednesday: 34:00
Thursday: 37:23
Friday: 36:16
Saturday: 58:08
Sunday: 32:20
*all runs completely pain-free!!

Weeks Total: ~28 miles
Years Total: 563.5 miles

Creepin' Back

I spent the week off of running and doing only lower leg exercises. I was all fired up to get a fluid-trainer and put my bike on it, then I was going to buy a new "gravel bike", then I was just going try some road biking this weekend and see where it takes me...  I just ended up taking the week off and running two really easy jogs Saturday and Sunday.

I want to be able to run a good marathon by the end of the summer and if I take it easy now that will happen. The races I had planned are now a distant memory and I need to take one day at a time and make sure I am healed and going to be stronger for future build-ups.

As far as the biking thing goes, I'm still going to look for a decent gravel-bike and a fluid trainer and start supplementing with some bike efforts. It would be good for my hips and legs to have that type of work included in my weekly routine. I just need time...

Monday-Friday: 0 miles running

Saturday: 24:00 trails, no pain

Sunday: 32:00 trails, no pain

I hope I am on the right track.

Game of Frustration

I guess it's time to call a spade a spade. I am injured and it's keeping me from running. I can't run, so I will stop trying. There, I said it. Now I have to act on it.

I had so many plans for this spring and summer racing coupled with an unbelievable winter of training and loads of running buddies to rack up the miles with I just didn't want to see all the work go to waste. There doesn't seem to be a day that goes by without having to answer the question, "when is your next race?" I can now answer that without hesitation and just say, "i don't know, i'm not training right now."

So, I may be a bit edgy for a few days and I plan to fully cross train as much as I can just to keep some form of fitness, but let me tell you, I am a runner. I will always be and I will fight, once again, to get back to the sport I do love, even if it's full of frustration right now.

My week looked like this:

Monday: 24:00, walk home
Tuesday: 0, Chiro work done
Wednesday: 0
Thursday: 8 minutes, walk home, massage after work
Friday: 0 miles
Saturday: 19:00 all running, oh, so sad...
Sunday: 24 minutes, walk home

*Game Over for now...