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Monday, August 8, 2011

7/25-7/31 & 8/1-8/7: Consistency

7/25 Mon: 11.29 km, 4:47/km - hilly easy/moderate run at Standley Lake on gravel roads & trails
7/26 Tue: AM - 3.25 miles, 8:28/mile - on treadmill with 1% incline
PM - 8.18 km, 5:01/km - easy run
7/27 Wed: 7.25 miles - 2 mile warmup with a few drills, 3.25 mile tempo @ 6:14/mile, 2 mile cooldown
7/28 Thu: 8.88 km, 5:07/km - easy run with 4 x 100m strides
7/29 Fri: 22.89 km, 6:05/km - on Eldorado Mountain trails with 900+ ft of climbing in first 5 miles - pacing a friend from work through a long run and we had to slow throughout run.  Longest run in a long time!
7/30 Sat: 4.99 km, 5:34/km - recovery run, my legs were very heavy and tired from the night before
7/31 Sun: planned rest day

Weekly Totals: 7 runs, 45-46 miles

8/1 Mon: AM - 3.25 miles, 8:22/mile - easy run
PM - 5.25 miles, 8:35/mile - recovery run, still feeling the effort from the Friday before
8/2 Tue: 4.5 miles, 8:00/mile - easy run on treadmill with 1% incline
8/3 Wed: unplanned rest day
8/4 Thu: 7.86 miles - 1 mile warmup, 5.25 mile high-end aerobic run @ 6:44/mile, 1.61 mile cooldown
8/5 Fri: AM - 3.25 miles, 8:19/mile - easy run on treadmill with 1% incline
PM - 5.11 miles, 8:38/mile - recovery run, legs were heavy and tired and I had a hard time keeping them moving
8/6 Sat: 11.05 miles, 8:09/mile - horrible run!  I was hoping to run about 8 minute pace, which should have been easy, but I could not even get on pace the first few miles.  The effort was much greater than it should have been.  I told myself to just find a comfortable pace and get through the run.  The last 4 miles were a death slog!  I really fell off the pace the last two miles because they were all uphill.  I almost passed out afte 10 miles.
8/7 Sun: 4.1 miles, 8:14/mile - easy, barefoot run on grass/trails

Weekly Totals: 8 runs, 44.37 miles

4 of the last 5 weeks have been 40+ miles.  The one that wasn't was a cutback week.  The plan is to get 40+ in this week as well and then take another cutback week.  I'm starting to add strides back in one day a week.  Hopefully this will provide a little more added efficiency to my stride.

I have noticed a marked improvement in my strength.  What I mean is that I finished up the tempo run and high-end aerobic run the last two weeks feeling strong versus the straining I experienced on my first few tempos back.  It's nice to end a harder effort with a feeling of confidence and steady progression.

My malalignment continues to be an issue.  My left achilles is still sore and tight after almost every run and when I wake up in the mornings.  I continue to focus on doing the eccentric calf raises.  I am reading the book my doc recommended called "The Egoscue Method of Health Through Motion."  The next day or two I hope to start performing the exercises to realign my pelvis and shoulders.  I also have a few appointments to schedule to receive manually therapy to assist in this process.  This remains the key as to whether I will be able to "get serious" again.

I am planning on running the Coal Creek Crossing in Louisville the first weekend in September.  I plan to just try and maintain a 6:30 pace, and go after it the last few miles if I'm feeling good physically.  I've wanted to run this race for a few years, so I figured why not.  It'll be a good gauge as to how far I've come in the last 4 months.  Plus, if by some miracle my alignment improves, I'll have a good starting point for future workouts.

I continue to be encouraged by my progress.  Not only that, but I feel as though I have a plan in place that will provide a more concrete answer as to whether my physical health will allow for a return to training and chasing my goals.

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