dedication, perseverance, self-discipline

I just kept things easy today, running to school in 1:04:59, and running home in 1:05:59.

I ran to and from school again.  Another 17.2 miles total.  On the way to school I ran 3 x 70s hard, with recovery varying due to stop lights.  Recovery at about 4:30-5:30.  Based on effort I think I would have gotten to 400m in about 65 sec if I was on the track.  After the third repeat I ran another 2:30 hard trying to keep the effort a little easier in order to practice running fast, but running relaxed.  I imagine an 800 at that effort would have been between 2:22-2:25.  Kept everything easy on the way home from school.

Before running home I also ran another mile on the alter-g treadmill that we have in the lab so that I could get accustomed to its use as we have a study that we will begin data collection on soon, so I needed to know how to use the thing.

10 miles easy on the trail again.  I felt tired this morning.

I wanted to simulate marathon pace this morning, so at the beginning of my run I went to the track and ran 5000m, hitting the first 4200 right at goal marathon pace, and then ran the final 800 in 2:19 (71, 68).  16:12 total for the 5k.  Effort felt a little harder than marathon effort, but I was happy with the results, as I am at (slightly) higher altitude than Indianapolis is at, I was alone, there was a little wind slowing me down, and it was hot.  It is true that I was on a track, which probably makes things a little faster, but overall I think this indicates that I am where I want to be heading into the last 2 months of marathon prep.  I ran another 2 miles hard near the end of the run in 5:29, 5:24 just to get a little fast mileage in closer to the end of my run.  20 miles total in approximately 2:23:00 (not sure on the total time as I restarted my watch after the 5k).

10 miles easy this morning.  I kept the pace around 8:00 for the first half, and then sped up a little the second half of the run.

I ran too and from school today.  I ran fairly fast both ways, because I was playing around with my stride length/frequency (yes I am weird, but at least I acknowledge it) during the morning run, and I ran a couple fat miles during the evening run.  I will need to make sure to run slow tomorrow.  The total distance for today is a little longer than normal because instead of running home, I ran to pick up Kimia from a relief society activity, so it added a little extra distance.  17.7 miles total.  Total time of 2:09:00.

I was really good this morning and I didn't run too fast.  I ran to school in a time of 1:08:32.  I will run home in a bit to finish off my day.

I ran home after school.  Another 8.6 miles in 1:08:50.  It was super windy outside, and I would have finished slower, but the last mile has a fairly steep downhill grade on it, so I sped up some. 

I ran to school in Crocs this morning.  I decided to finally take the plunge and buy some.  I got a pair for $15 at the Crocs outlet store here in Vegas.  On the good side, they are very light, and I think the cushioning is adequate for someone who wants to be close to barefoot without wanting to go all the way.  On the bad side, I needed to buy them a size too small so that they wouldn't fall off of my feet, and the right shoe had a strap that was just a little smaller than on the left, and it took about 7 miles before it finally started to feel a little more comfortable (whereas up until that point it felt like my toes were being jammed into the front of the shoe).  The plastic hinge also was digging into my foot, and it left a red mark on the right foot, and a blister on the left.  Maybe Crocs will make a shoe in the near future that is a little more running friendly, as there is potential, but right now they take a little getting used to.

PM:  6 miles at the group run put on by the village runner, as Kimia picked me up at school.  My right calf felt pretty tight at the end, and was a little sore afterwards.

10 miles easy this morning before heading out to LA for a wedding in the evening.  My calf felt fine for the first couple miles, and it felt tight up until mile 5 or 6.  After that it started to hurt, and I had to stop a couple times to massage it out.

I ran barefoot on the beach in Marina Del Rey this morning.  I was hoping that it would help with the calf pain I have been feeling, and for a while things seemed to be going pretty good.  I was planning on only running 10 miles because of the calf pain the day before, but I decided to run 12 instead when I was 5 miles out.  I ended up turning around earlier only because there was an amusement park on the beach that got in the way.  That ended up being a blessing in disguise for me, as around 6.5 miles into the run my calf started to hurt, and I had a decent amount of pain from there to the finish.  So, overall I would say the calf was better than the day before, but not by much.  I ended up with 11 miles on the day.

In order to save my calf today, I decided to run on the anti-gravity treadmill in the lab at school.  Time was limited so I pushed the pace a little faster than I would have pushed otherwise, but I was at only 20-70% of my normal body weight (average of about 50%), so I figured that I was safe.  I ran in the 5:00-5:15 range for most of the workout.  The effort was definately not easy, but it was also not a 5:00 effort, so I have put it down as MP mileage.  5.3 miles total.

Today was my first run since Saturday where I was completely weight bearing, so I was a little nervous to see if my calf would hold up as I needed to run to school.  My calf held up ok on the way to school, and I made it in 1:07:19 for 8.6 miles.  There were some slight twinges on occasion, but otherwise things were fine.

PM:  I ran home from school as well, because my calf was not complaining during the day.  The calf did not hurt during the run, but just to be safe I had Kimia come and pick me up when I was a little less than 2 miles from home, because I did not want to wait until it started hurting before I stopped running.  Estimated total of 6.8 miles

I ran to school again today.  Felt much better than yesterday, as I felt much more fluid, and I did not feel the little twinges I was feeling yesterday.  I still kept the pace really easy, and I finished 8.6 miles in 1:07:31.

PM:  I ran home from school.  The pace was kept pretty slow again and I finished in around 1:08:00. 

I ran too and from school again, for a total of 17.2 miles.  I also participated in the deep water running study that we are working on right now, which gave me a bit of extra mileage on the treadmill.  Unfortunately, one of the leads went bad on the instrument we use for EMG, so my data was no good for any quantitative analysis.  However, if I ever want to I can always take a glance at it for other personal reasons.

I ran pretty slow for the first half of my run today, as I was pretty tired this morning.  I did speed up some the second half as I was heading downhill, but nothing spectacular.

I ran a long run today, running a tempo of sorts during the first half of my run when I was heading uphill.  I was only averaging in the 6:20's for pace, but as I was going uphill I figure that it was similar to a slow marathon pace for me.  I was planning another shorter, faster tempo during the second half of the run however my calf tightened up some as I was running back downhill, and I kept the pace slow from there to the finish.  1:09:00 for the first half of my run, and 2:22:57 total for what I will estimate as 20.6 miles (I found some mile markers on my way back downhill and realized that I had gone farther than planned, and based on pace I figured that I needed to add .3 each way).

My calf tightened up just a little bit this morning, and it was probably safe for me to run a full 10 miles, but as I was already scheduled to be a lab rat today I decided that it would be wise to cut the distance short in the morning.  So, I only ran 6 miles in 48:41, and in the afternoon I performed a study on the anti-gravity treadmill, and ended up with 2.6 miles more for a total of 8.6 miles on the day.

I ran to school this morning, and ran my first real speed workout in about 2 weeks.  I have decided that the calf issues I am having have little to do with the rest I get, or how fast I run, so I figure that I just need to train like everything is normal and back off if there is any discomfort.  So, I decided to run 2 x 2 "miles" hard followed by some short sprints at the end of the run.  If the calf felt good I would keep going, and if it hurt I would back off and run easy the rest of the way.  

Anyhow, the distance between major intersections in Vegas is approximately 1 mile, and after a mile warm-up I began my first 2 "mile" repeat, meaning that I ran from one major intersection, went through the second, and finished at the third.  This gave me a decent stretch of road with only 1 stop light in the middle.  Splits were 4:45, 4:39 for the first repeat (so, a little less than 2 miles total, but not by a lot) and I was able to get through the only stop light without any interruptions.  I took a 1 "mile" rest after the first repeat, and then began the second repeat running splits of 4:57, 5:10.  The second repeat had 3 lights, and I ended up needing to stop at 2 of them (one halfway through for about 30sec, and one about 3/4 into it for 3-5sec).  The last "mile" of the second repeat probably gives me the best indicator for how fast I was going, as this was the closest to a true mile that I ran.  So, I would guess that I was averaging 5:10-5:15 pace for the bulk of the time I spent running hard.  I was pleased with how my calf felt, as there was no tightness or pain, and I was able to run the short sprints at the end of the run as well, without any pain.  57:25 total time for 8.6 miles.

PM:  I ran part way home, and then had Kimia pick me up, because I was late getting out of school, and I didn't want to come home any later than I had to.  Total of about 5 miles in about 38:00. 

I ran to school this morning.  I kept the pace slow, and finished in 1:08:29.

PM:  I ran home from school.  Kimia picked me up shortly before I made it all the way home, so only 6.8 miles on the way home. 

During the run to school this morning I decided to run some "400" repeats.  I ended up running   4 x approximately 80 seconds (stop lights shortened one, and I forgot to stop on another) during the run at what felt like 72-75 second 400 pace.  Near the end of the run I ran a "fat" mile.

PM: I ran to the library instead of running all the way home, because Kimia was already there, and we decided to meet there instead of at home.  6 miles from UNLV to the library.

I ran on the Pittman wash this morning.  I was in a little bit of a hurry to get home, so I kept the pace a little quicker than normal, and finished in 1:10:08 for 10 miles.

I got out late this morning because I had a late day yesterday due to Kimia losing her wallet (luckily we got it back, but minus the cash inside).  It has not been as hot lately, so I thought I might be able to handle the heat alright.  Just to be safe I drank some cold water before leaving the house, and then stopped at water fountains at approximately 4.75, 9.25, 13, and 14 miles.  At 14 miles I started a speed workout on the track at Green Valley High, with a goal of running marathon pace for 5 miles.  However, despite my attempts to stay hydrated the heat really got to me (it was 97 degrees outside) and while I never faded terribly and stayed relatively close to goal pace throughout the tempo, I decided to pack it in after 2.5 miles (800 splits of 2:41, 2:41, 2:39, 2:40, 2:43).  I then ran easy for a bit, and after getting some more water I ran one last 400 in 1:14 to finish the workout.  I then ran home to finish up 18 miles.  Total time of 1:43:45 for the first 14 miles, 13:24 for the 2.5 mile tempo.

10 miles this morning on the Pittman wash trail.  I ran a three mile tempo during the second half of the run hitting mile splits of 6:00, 5:29, 5:17.  Total time for the run of 1:10:48.  I am not sure what to think about the tempo, as the 5:17 didn't feel like I was killing myself despite the fact that the particular section of trail that mile fell on is slow.  However, the 6:00 opening mile felt much harder than it should have.  On top of this I have felt rather strange lately, almost as if I really have to push myself just to run at a pace that should come with little to no effort.  I wonder if the lack of racing over the past 2 months has effected me, along with the minor injury I had recently in my right calf.that limited my mileage and speed work.  Half of what I am going through may be just mental, so I think that I need to run a time trial or race to set things right.

I ran to school this morning.  I took a slight detour just before getting to the lab where I work, so I added a little extra.  I will call the run 8.8 miles.  Total time of 1:05:04.

PM:  I got out of school really late because I was studying for a test, so Kimia picked me up about 5.5 miles into my run as she had just gotten out of a relief society meeting of some sort with the RS president.  I ran a "fat mile" on the way home.  5:27 for the "mile" (although I think that the distance on this street mile was actually correct).  Still not sure what to think regarding the effort it took to run this time for the mile.  It was windy, I took a phone call mid mile, and I had stomach cramps throughout from needing to use the bathroom.  But still, even being generous and giving myself 20 seconds for the distractions and wind this mile felt harder than it should have.  Again, just like I said yesterday, I think that I need to run a time trial or race just to get myself back in order psychologically.

I ran to school this morning, finishing in 1:07:46.  I kept the pace easy throughout, however I did run a few 5-10 second pick-ups later on in the run.

PM: I ran 6 x 5 seconds +- a second or so just to get the legs moving.  Kept the rest of the run easy as I ran home from school. 

I ran to school again, and I ran 3 x 800 repeats (approximate distance, but it was consistently the same distance) in 2:33, 2:33, 2:31.  I was trying to simulate 10k race pace.  Not sure how good of a job I did, but the repeats felt alright.

PM: I ran home from school.  Kept the pace easy, but a little quicker than normal as I needed to get home because of the home teachers coming over.