Slick Ending of Week

I made another trip out west to Jeremy's house. The four of us had some slick roads to deal with but we got it done. A few hills to challenge the legs a bit and we made the loop back home.

My body felt much better than last week. I can't believe how much the human body can improve in one weeks time. Crazy! Hopefully next week will feel as good and I can squeeze out a few extra minutes to the long run.

Total: 1:33:00 11.8 miles

Weeks Total: 43 miles

Years Total: 96.9 miles

Strap on The Snowshoes

I woke up pretty tired on Friday morning but got my butt downstairs and made my way out to the trials of Hartley in yet another balmy January morn. (22F) I started off a bit sluggish but soon I was ready to hammer and need to keep things calm as it is not "hammer season" yet. I didn't see any animals but I saw the usual deer tracks and some rabbit tracks to go along with some fox tracks. They are out there. They're just not willing to show their faces. I added a bit to yesterdays loop plus a repeat up and over baldy. I have done this three times this week and may try to sneak in some extras this next week.

Total: 51:40 5.8 miles

Saturday I woke up to ~4" of fresh, dry powder and realized that running on the roads or trails would be very difficult. (my Yak's are shot and new ones due any day so that wasn't an option) I made the quick decision to take out the snowshoes for a trip on the snowmobile trails. The trip down towards Amity was decent but boring! On the return trip I made it a bit more interesting and took the SHT from Hawk's Ridge to Vermilion. A good choice! My legs felt super, but my breathing, and I'm sure my heart rate, (no HR strap today) was spiked most of the return trip. I'm ok with that for one day, as it was a super workout.

52:00 ~5 miles HIGH HR!

Green Eyes in The Thickets

I've been hitting the stellar single track of Hartley everyday this week. The weather has been close to perfect, as far as January goes, and the wild animals probably agree. Hartley has tons of deer and lately I have been getting freaked out by all the green eyes watching me from the edge of the trails. I'm referring to the large herds of deer. I normally see between 4-6 deer each trip out. At least I'm not alone out there.

Tuesday:

I continued to feel great and added a bit to the loop from Monday. I managed to keep the pace very close and I'm sure the HR followed but I forgot to put on the monitor strap. My legs are taking on a new feeling for the better and my stride is following. Nice!

49:47 5.4 miles

Wednesday:

Another superb trip out to the trails. I was wondering at what point in the run I would start to fatigue but it didn't happen. I turned home because I figured I had to be cautious. A good move based on years of doing too much too soon.

Getting older I listen to my instincts a lot more and usually I am pretty close to being right. I know my body. Spending a few more weeks running very conservative will benefit me come the middle of the racing season.

56:55 6.2 miles HR=127 bpm

Thursday:

I knew I needed to be cautious yesterday and I am thankful I did. Hitting the trails this morning felt a bit "off" compared to the first part of the week. My legs were just a bit heavy and my stride was not as peppy as I would have liked. Good thing I had planned my run to be a short one and just shake out the lactate. Job accomplished.

Yak's are a must for grip. The temperatures are getting too warm and the added grip allows one to relax on the corners and downhills compared to sliding off into the rubarb.

38:55 4.3 miles

Need For New Yak's

I took off this morning for my usual warm up heading into the Hartely trails. It's all uphill from my house so I usually crawl up so I don't spike the HR too soon. As I entered the trailhead I noticed my right Yaktrak slipping form under my foot. I had forgotten to tighten the strap in my morning fog. What I also noticed was the right coils were broke in two spots and the left also is broke in two spots. I guess it's time for a new pair as I have a solid three to four seasons on them.

The trails were in great shape and I had a subtle wind of -5F to deal with in the open spots. Hardly noticeable compared to yesterdays negative digits. I was happy with how my legs felt considering I had run my two longest runs in over a month on back to back days. Tomorrow I will focus once again to keep the HR ultra low and just squeeze out some additional time. It's still several weeks away but I am already getting excited for the next phase of running to fall into place.

Total: 40:06 4.3 miles HR=126 ave.

Western Roads

I wasn't planning on this particular run this morning but it was a pleasant surprise and I will take it. Last night I got a message from Jeremy that if I wanted in on a 80 minute run come on out to his house for the 8am start. I decided to give it a go. Having the temps in the -15F range wasn't exactly what I wanted but that is what they made winter running gear for.

We ran a nice road loop up Highland to Proctor and returned home via West Skyline. With the exception of my left big toe, how important is that toe anyway, (i know, really important, as I know folks that have lost their big toe and its a new walking game) I felt really good. For the first ten minutes of the run I thought I was going to loose that left toe but I finally loosened up and had the blood rush to my digits much to my liking!

The time of the run was at my max for sure. I hadn't run that long since October and as long as the pace remained mellow I was able to complete the loop with minimal damage. (tomorrow will be the real gauge on that) Overall a very nice way to get a medium longer run in.

Total: 1:27:17 ~11 miles

Weeks Total: 31.6 miles (5 days)

Years Total: 54.1 miles

Cool Trail Running

Last weekend was a wash. To be honest, I tried to hang with a few 20-somethings (i did pretty well) for a night on the town. I had a few too many sociables and had to wipe Sunday off the fitness plans. Oh well, as long as those weekends are far and few in between I will be OK.

The laziness poured over into Monday and Tuesday of this week. I sat and stared at the window Tuesday morning and finally made a cup of coffee and made the lunches for the day. I got back on track (trail) on Wednesday and have been going strong since. My plan is to carry the momentum into next week and try for all seven days.

Monday: 0 miles

Tuesday: 0 miles

Wednesday:

I finally made it back to the trails and what a wonderful morning. I always feel so comfortable on the trails of Hartley in winter. (not so in the summer) It's funny because I was not feeling too peppy on these runs, but more of a "let's just get it done" kind of mode. I tried to keep the HR low but I think I failed.

38:49 4.3 miles

Thursday:

As I ventured out the door I figured I would cross paths with CG but we missed each other by a mere 10 minutes or less. I tried some new trail across the pond to Hartley Estates and looped back to the visitors center and CG had popped out of the trail and made his way for a second loop ahead of me. Next time!

I was feeling a bit better than yesterday but I was pushing the HR as well. I need to get back to controlling the lower rates better. My stride remains to feel choppy and I can't wait for that morning when I feel fluid again.

44:52 5.1 miles

Friday:

I woke up to the thermometer reading -20F without windchill! Easy decision. Stay indoors. I opted for a TM run later in the day. That didn't happen at work so I hit the 'mill at home after work.

What a terrible run. I was struggling with paces between 7:40 and 7:30 per mile. My legs were just not willing to flow lightly and I called it a run at half an hour. Better than a zero.

30:50 4 miles

Saturday:

Stellar run! It's funny how come late spring or summer I will look back at this run and say "big deal" but today it was a big deal. I ran a hour and felt great doing it. It was still -15F windchill but the woods of Hartley protected me for the most part. Now this was the run I have been waiting to have for two weeks. I can carry this energy into the next week and keep pressing the time of each run until I am over an hour a day. That will be great and then I will be ready for some easy fartlek workouts. Still a month away though.

1:02:39 7.2 miles

New Challenge

I managed to hit the trails one more time on Thursday and found myself working really hard to keep the HR down in the proper zone. I like that feeling. When things start to click I will become quicker at a lower HR and soon I will find myself looking to up the volume of my runs. I ran the same loops in Hartley and was loving every minute of it. We did get a light layer of fluff-snow but not too much to mess up the trails, yet.

Total: 45:09 ~5 miles HR= 128 bpm average

Friday I woke up to 3-4" of fresh powder and the temps were in the mid-teens. This usually makes a really good recipe for terrible running. I didn't want to get locked in the single track with poor conditions so I opted for the roads. I don't think it made any difference as the roads sucked just the same and I struggled the entire loop. Lots of slippage and I had a terrible time keeping the HR in the zone.

When I finished the run I felt my mid back tightening up and after a half-hour of shoveling things stayed the same. I spent the entire day and evening with a sore back and had to opt out of a Saturday morning run because of it. It looks like my best bet for a workout on Sunday will be a ski somewhere.

Totals: 35:41 4 miles HR= 129bpm ave.

Saturday I did not run. Moved snow for an hour or so. Maybe a ski tomorrow.

Total: 0 miles

Weeks Total: 22.5 miles

Years Total: 22.5 miles

More of The Same

As long as the trails stay runnable I will continue to sneak on them in the morning darkness lit by headlamp. Today I was allowing myself 5 beats higher of heart rate and I found myself finishing with an average of just 2 heartbeats faster. I ran the loop with an average of 128 bpm compared to yesterday's 126 bpm. My legs continued to thank me and they responded nicely!

We are currently getting a bit of snow but I doubt that it will amount to much more than a dusting. Just enough to gain bragging rights of being the first out in the am to make the circuit.

Total: 40:12 4.4 miles HR= 128 bpm

Keepin' The Heart Rate Low

I have followed this type of training before and had good luck crawling out of the cellar. I am not too far out of fitness range but I could use a period of super-low heart rate training and now is the time.

The theory is to train all heart rates and start low and slowly introduce faster heart rates as you build stronger mitochondrial paths in the muscle. Arthur Lydiard was doing this long ago with his base-building phase.

This morning I ran the similar loop as yesterday but kept the heart rate (HR) as close to 125 bpm as possible. That was very difficult but I felt great afterwards. It just showed me that the day before I was pushing the pace just a bit. I hope to be up and running 40-50 mile weeks within the next three weeks then if all is well I will try to ramp up the mileage as much as my schedule allows for Feb, March and April.

Total: 43:00 4.6 miles HR= 126 ave.

Headlamp Single Track

I was surprised to bounce out of bed as easily as I did this morning and make my way for the "running change room" in the basement. I decided to wear 'get-a-grips' and that was the correct decision for the trails, you just have to remember not to put them on upside down as the spikes don't do any good pushing up to your shoes!

The single track of Hartley is amazing and I will continue to loop there until they become a mess. We are expecting some snow throughout the next 24 hours so maybe a snowshoe will be in store one of the mornings.

I felt decent this morning but was exhausted very quickly. At 25 minutes things were slowing down but I pushed on to do a loop nearing 40:00. A very good effort this morning!

Total: 39:40 ~4.5 miles

Remount

About 10 or so hours after my last post I was hit by some two-ton virus train and it rolled right over me. I got the flu or something associated with it and sat on/off the toilet for some 14 hours before the train slowed down. I continued to be down with little energy until Friday and Saturday.

I guess I will "remount" and start fresh this Monday. Today I spent the day with my son on the ski hill for near 4 hours and he has mastered the snowplow and is skiing independently. I'm so proud of him, as he listened and took the lessons learned from his Spirit Mountain class and applied them today and he saw success! For me, I could feel the legs and arms getting a workout and after he and I were done my sis and I did a half-dozen runs before calling it a day.

Looking forward, I know I was doing all this talk about skiing but once again, I have shifted mind-sets and will try to run at least 30 minutes per morning and if I have time will add skiing in the evening. I may dedicate one morning to skiing on the weekends but I guess I will see how the legs respond to the daily runs. Either way, I am looking forward to gaining some fitness and it's nice not to have any long "marathon" goals anytime soon.

Totals: 0 running for week, one day downhill skiing, sick the rest.

Hartley Tracks

I made my way out to Hartley with Rod and Bau and did a couple loops of classic skiing.

When I classic ski it is often an act of balancing my Anerobic threshold since I am way out of tune with form. I'm getting better and I have to believe that it is good for me to red-line a couple times a week in other ways but running. A great afternoon! Afterwards I got the enjoyment of pounding down a fresh bowl of turkey-noodle soup. Yum, yum!

Two days in a row. Next week should be interesting as I have a few hurdles with my sons birthday and a little travel involved.

Total: ~50:00 min. of classic ski in Hartley

Bring on The New Year

I'm not sure why it is, but beginning the new year I feel motivated again to get out the door 7 days a week. I will run when I can. Ski and snowshoe as much as possible. Continue to do the core/leg exercises 4-5 days per week and hopefully get myself out of the hurt-locker.

I started the year fresh with a trail and road loop I made up as I ran the different terrain. I started in Hartley and the trails are in good shape it just was a bit difficult with the fresh 3" of powder so I made my way to the roads to finish out the loop.

My breathing was labored more than I wanted and my upper hamstrings remain to have the nagging pull with each step. That's got to go away!

Overall a decent opening to a new year. Windy, 4F, and fresh powder everywhere.

Total: 39:40 ~5 miles

*most workouts will be focused by time for the next couple of months.

2010-Masters Years Begin

Little did I know, I could have written this review back in early November and it would have said much the same, with the exception of the long break from running. I wanted to take a break after a long season but I wasn't expecting a near two month break!

The year was definitely one of ups and downs. I came into the year fresh off a new marathon PR late in 2009 and was ready take off from there and do some serious running in the new year. I was using the coaching services of Greg McMillan and my training was going to new levels. I didn't run big mileage during the spring, maybe 70 miles per week, but the workouts were great and I was feeling fresh each day. My focus for the spring was Grandma's Marathon. Along the way I put myself out of my comfort zone and entered a Thursday night MILE race in Minneapolis and managed to run decent and take home top masters title. Grandma's Marathon just didn't work out as planned but I ran a respectable 2:41 and saw $1000.00 slip past me with less than 3 miles to go. I would finish 4th master and 3rd in my age-group.

It took me a good month to recover from Grandma's and I was fresh into Greg's fall marathon plan feeling very motivated again. The second week of the plan was under way and I did my Tuesday 11 miler with 6 sets of hills. The workout went great and I was excited for the week. Then at work, just after lunch I developed some upper abdominal cramping along with a little queeze. Later that night I would find myself in the ER and soon reporting to the OR to have my appendix removed. When I woke up on the post-surgical floor I knew that the summer and fall had just been swept from under my feet. I would push the line of pain for a few weeks and found myself racing on the winning team for the Ragnar Relay some 5 weeks post-operatively. (This decision would ultimately ruin the rest of my fall but the memories made were great!)

As I said, the Ragnar race may have been a bit early in my rehab phase but I did it and I will have to live with that decision. I never recovered after that day and would spend the rest of my summer and fall running in pain. My low back was the main culprit on day by day runs, but my right hip flexors and bilateral hamstrings were a mess anytime I would do uptempo running. The plan for the fall was to run in my first Masters Marathon Championships held at the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. I was going to opt out but after getting some steady weeks of running, 0nly ~50 mile weeks at best, I decided to give it a shot. Many people told me that I could have a good race. "All the time off might help you..." "You never know, things could just go your way, give it a try..." Well, I sure was happy a lot of people had confidence in me because I sure didn't. I ran the marathon and had one of those days we all want in a marathon. The weather was near perfect! I had a bad patch near 18 miles but regrouped and ran solid the last 10K, good enough for me to run my second best marathon EVER! (2:40:18) I got a good ol' fashion ass-kicking as far as the Masters placement, but the good folks at Marathon Sports support the "local" masters and I placed second MN master, good for $150.00!

I had just enough left in the tank to race one more time on Halloween and place 1st Master at the Monster Dash 1/2 marathon. (That race would also give me an edge on the ROY points and put me in a solid lead for the year) The race felt just horrible, my second slowest half-marathon ever,(1:15:20) and that would be the last serious effort for 2010.

Looking at my blog it looks like I haven't been doing much. I haven't! But, I have been doing more that what's posted. I lost all motivation to run, as well as blog. Most of the weeks in December have included two or three days of 30 minute running but mostly I have been doing 4-5 days a week of core/strength workouts, 30 minutes in duration and much of it on the fitness ball. As soon as I got this into my weeks routine my low back improved. I still have some discomfort in my back, but the main issue remains to be my hamstring attachments. The plan going into the new year is to run when I can, but ski and snowshoe as much as possible. (I got new Rossi nordic skating-skis for Christmas and used them once) During this time of the year I also enjoy adding one day a week on the treadmill so I can do some sub-6 min/mile pace running just to keep things fresh.

Totals for 2010:

~2175 miles

Moonlight and Headlamps

I managed to piss another week away with minimal running but did manage to have a spectacular weekend of training.

On Saturday I connected with Tony and we hit the trails of Boulder Lake for a nice skate-ski on one of the easier loops just to get accustomed to the gear I purchased last weekend. I felt pretty decent for not skate-skiing for the last three years. The morning was good for just under 12K.

This morning I woke up feeling a bit under the weather and my wife and I decided to take the morning off of running and hit the stores for some last minute (her last minute, my first minute) shopping. When the late afternoon/early evening approached we dropped our son off at my mother-in-laws and we hit the moonlit trails of Hartley. Kari and I don't get many chances to run together so I was hoping to have a good night on the trails. What a wonderful time we had and she was running so strong and smooth. One complete loop of the trails and we found ourselves back at the car in 56:00. I hope to use this weekends energy as a spring board and start some consistent training going into the new year.

Happy Holiday's everyone!

Inching My Way Back

Since my last post things have improved greatly. My low back is mostly pain-free as is my hamstrings and glutes. The major difference is the addition of 4-5 days a week of lower and upper body strength sessions. I am really focusing on my abdominals and glute muscles.

I have been running three or four days a week at 30 minutes a shot. I did manage to get in an hour snowshoe run one day and just last Friday night Dave Schude and I ran the snowmobile trails and single track of Lester for just shy of an hour. The last run I did was on Saturday for 32 minutes on the treadmill. Once or twice a week on the treadmill will be a good idea for sometime as it will allow me to spice up some of the runs with a little faster pace running and keeping safe from the ice.

I hope everyone is keeping warm and safe on the roads. Happy running.

Years Total: 2163 miles

Not Quite Right

My last post was after the Monster Dash 1/2 Marathon. I was feeling very beat up. My legs, hip flexors, back, hamstrings and mostly my desire was beat down to a pulp. I took two weeks off of all activity and planned for a return to slow, easy running along with some new strength work to get myself back into the running routine. That didn't happen because I caught a virus that settled in my sinus and gave me an infection that would call for a 10 day run of antibiotics. So, in total, I took three weeks off of all running. Along the way I had one or two massages and several chiropractic adjustments. My back was slowly getting to where I thought I would see some vast improvements in regards to my running. Not so fast...

Starting on Saturday the 20th I ran 30-40 minutes a day and hurt every step of the way. On the 23rd I was beginning to feel better and then I had some disturbing news at the chiro's office. The x-rays they took showed I have a L5-S1 spondylolisthesis. What does that mean? My last lumbar spine is slipping forward (away from) over my sacrum. Not a good thing. I thought I had heard that term before and I went to work and signed a release to have my xray records sent to me and sure enough, back in 1999 I had the same diagnosis. Now what?

Here is what I take from all of this. Back in '99 I had gone through a really rough patch and I did a lot of rehab work to strengthen the abdominals and such and sure enough, along with regular chiropractic adjustments I managed to get myself back to running pain-free. I believe back in July, when I had my surprise appendectomy, I returned to running too soon and was trying to get back at regular mileage and my abdominal muscles were not ready and I fatigued the rest of my stabilizers and now I am paying the price. So, to get my self back on track I think I may need another month of easy activity and mostly core, strength training to get things ready to ramp up the mileage once again. I sure hope I am right.

For now I will be running very minimally, just enough to keep my foot in the door, and really try to get strong and do other activities as my back and hamstrings allow. I hope to see you on the road!

On the flip side, all this pain and agony gave me a little something to celebrate. For those who follow I have a stronghold on the 2010 USATF Runner of the Year for 40-44 age group.

The results of the races can be found HERE.

Years Total Miles: 2132.6 miles

2010 Season Officially Over

This last week was one long week. I was just counting down the days to the Team Ortho Monster Dash 1/2 Marathon so I could get it over with. Not the attitude one wants when they are lining up for a half-marathon. As I told my wife once I got home, "I will never take a half-marathon so lightly ever again." More on that later. The week was long because we had some difficult weather and more importantly I have been feeling like shit. My back and upper hamstrings/glutes are a mess and I need to get them fixed soon.

My week was something like this:

Monday I had no intention of repeating my Sunday run in high winds and rain so I skipped the run. Plain and simple. I was being a big wuss!

Tuesday I made my way out and had a little precipitation to deal with. The winds were still blowing but it seemed like they let up some. My loop out on Kenwood and surrounding neighborhoods kept me protected as much as I could and the miles clicked fairly well.

Total: 44:00 6+ miles

Wednesday we woke up to three inches of wet snow. School was cancelled and the scramble was on to find someone to watch Lucas for the day. Thank you Grandpa Dick. Once again I hit the wuss button and stayed indoors.

Thursday the snow was gone at our house but remnants remained in the 'upper elevations' of Woodland and such. The loop felt great and I know I was running some quick miles but I kept the Garmin at home to avoid monitoring the pace and pounding myself into the pavement just two days before a race.

Total: 49:00 6.6 miles

Friday I made the short loop out near Kenwood and felt good once again. Maybe, just maybe the race will go well....

Total: 31:30 4+ miles

Saturday was the race. I chose to run the Monster Dash 1/2 marathon because I have not run one in 2010 and needed the distance to gather some points in the USATF ROY points series. It worked for that purpose but nothing more than that. It was my second slowest half marathon to date. I once ran a half a bit slower when I did a pace run after just 4 weeks of ultra-low (HADD) hear rate running just to see the progress, or lack of progress.

The race was blessed with exceptional weather and the course was stellar, with the exception of the third mile as the half-mar runners caught the ten mile runners and it was mass chaos trying to pass all the runners until our paths split some ways up the course. I doubt it cost me any time, in fact that mile was my fastest mile of the morning, but annoying when you are trying to concentrate on pace, rhythm, breathing and all.

I read afterwards there was a lot of "issues" at the race but I'm not going to badmouth them as all races have their low points. It seemed to me they did more good than bad so it was an acceptable race. I'm not too sure I will run it again anytime soon, just because of the time of the year but I will monitor this event and see if they iron out some issues and if they do, I may be back. They won't miss me as there was close to 9000 participants in the three races that morning. That's kinda cool that all those people were out there exercising on such a wonderful morning and I got to participate in a very successful morning of exercise! Don't loose focus of why we are out there people. We love to run and sharing that with one another at a common place is called a race and nothing more. The problem is when you have to pay a fee to exercise, aka "race", one starts to feel like they owe you something. They do. The provide, hopefully, you a safe, secure racecourse. They provide drink at aid stations. They provide mile markers so you can gauge your effort, and hopefully, they provide a refreshing finish line. Monster dash failed at that point but maybe they will work on it. It's easy to get all worked up about a race and what they "didn't" provide, but usually they provide enough. If not, don't go back. Choose another race. That's reasonable. All I can say is Monster Dash had over 500 volunteers! A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU!

Here is how my race unfolded:

miles: 5:39,5:37,5:27,5:35,5:41,5:42,5:48,5:44,5:44,5:49,5:49,5:49,5:51,:56

Time: 1:15:15 1st 40-44 age group

4th overall

total: 14+ miles

Sunday was a nice walk in the park with Lucas and trick or treating later that evening.

Weeks Total: 30 miles

Years Total: 2112.6

Hangin' On By Threads

The plan to line up at the Team Ortho Monster Dash 1/2 Marathon is still on. My last week of running was nothing spectacular. I managed to get out and run most days and some were very easy. The main issue continues to be some extensive lower abdomen discomfort that wax and wanes. Some days it feels like I am ready to get going and do some serious training and others it makes me feel like I should hang it up now. Thankfully the last week had more good than bad days. I had two great days of Chiropractor visits and that relieved a lot of tightness. I have one more visit this week and hopefully that will get me ready.

The last time I ran a sub six minute mile was during the TCM and on Saturday I will be asking myself to run thirteen of them much faster than six-minute pace. A bit aggressive? Maybe, but I have to at least try. If I manage to hang on to the pace I should be in the mix. We'll see come Saturday.

Here is a breakdown of the last week. The weather has been stellar until this past Saturday and Sunday where the days were filled with mostly rain and fog. Sunday was very wet and if the temps would have been ten degrees cooler there would have been a foot of snow on the ground!

Monday:

One of those "get out the door" kind of runs.

31:00 4+ miles

Tuesday:

Feeling better I ran a bit of Kenwood and Arrowhead areas and managed to rip a good mile in there, and felt strong doing it.

45:00 6+ miles

Wednesday:

Back to the easy loop where I almost got sprayed by the cemetery skunk again. Damn, I've had some close calls.

30:00 4+ miles

Thursday and Friday

0 miles

Saturday:

Trails in Hartley. I felt really good. One of those runs where I had to concentrate to keep slow.

45:00 6+ miles

Sunday:

Torrential rains and winds kept things close to the house. I ran down to Hawks on the SHT and ran roads back home. I had a period of time on Jean Duluth where I looked down at the Garmin and it read 6:25/mile pace and I was just cruisin'. That's a good feeling. Just maybe I can pull off this half in a week...

58:00 8 miles

Total: 28 miles

Years Total: 2082.6 miles

Back On The Road...Barely

It has been a bit of a struggle to get my body to allow me to train a bit longer into an already LONG season. Since the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon I have had some serious muscle aches in my low back and right hip area. This is nothing new, but this time it is really taking a toll on my psyche. I just want to make it one more race. The plan, which is always a bit of a dream, was to recover off of TCM and go run Mankato Half-Marathon. Well, anybody who was planning on that event and didn't sign up, like me, was thrown a curve ball last week when an email went out that the race had filled it's capacity. What? The web site stated that they would be accepting day-of race registration and no where did it mention a field cap! (I would later get an email stating that they screwed up but couldn't change their mind now.) OK, I guess I have to respect that.

On Saturday my wife was spending a little time on FB and one of the side advertisements was from Team Ortho trying to get people run their race at the end of the month. A ten mile race was filled but there was a handful of slots left in the Half-Marathon. Count me in!! I quickly signed up and that is where I will focus my energy for the next two weeks. Then some serious down-time!!

As long as I can get my back to and low abdomen to loosen up I will be able to make a good race out of it. The weather should be great and the course looks like a lot of what I just ran on the TCM course. I'm looking forward to it.

Here is a very short recap of the running I have been doing since my marathon.

I took a week off then resumed running on Friday the 8th.

Friday 8th: Easy, slow run out on Woodland and side streets.

31:30 4 miles

I was planning on continuing my training and all of a sudden on Saturday morning I was out taking pictures of my son and when I went to stand up my back went out and locked me tight! It took most of the day to loosen and on Sunday night my wife figured out I had an extremely tight PSOAS muscles pulling my lumbar off to the right. I did a few stretches and things were a bit better. I took off Monday and Tuesday and had a massage Tuesday night. Things improved a bit but still a lot of stiffness and discomfort. For the rest of the week I focused on stretching and sleep. I am once again fatigued beyond myself and sleeping 9-10 hours a night. That's 2 plus hours extra per night than i am used to.

Friday: I was feeling better and ran a nice road loop to loosen up. Not too bad.

31:27 4 miles

Saturday: I hit the trails on a beautiful, sunny afternoon and completed the Hartley loops before making my way home via Rock Hill. I felt great and had a super run.

1:02:26 7.1 miles

Sunday: Waking up this morning didn't feel so good. I was feeling a lot of soreness that I had been feeling all last week and blame it on the terrain. Since I am planning a road half-marathon I should stick to the roads. My out and back this morning was a bit stiff and sore but I managed to feel a bit better at the runs end. That is a good sign I think. My plan is to run easy most of this week and do some pick-ups as my body will let me.

40:11 5.8 miles

Years Total: 2054.6 miles