It's time to get serious! If I'm ever to race again, I can't spend the rest of my life doing 40 minute jogs. Something has to kick my ass to get it together enough to make the most of my 5 days a week that I CAN run, so I've decided to officially start a base phase, with some structure to motivate myself to get my act together.
For a significant amount of time, I'm going to be on the 5 day plan, due to the 2 x week allergy shots which prohibit exercise 4 hours before and afterwards. Since I get home from work late at night, it's fairly prohibitive towards getting up at 4 am to run sufficiently before the 9 am shot.
Anyways, the condition of my foot being what it is, I'm picking my battles so far as the 5 day week. I think at this point the ability to train 5 days without accumulating injuries is better than the ability to train 6-7 days a week slowly accumulating injuries... We'll see how this turns out.
Sunday 03/16: 1:06:04, Monterrey to RB and back on the other side. Something resembling a proper distance run. A fantastic day, with a nice breeze. Went a mellow pace, 33:36 out and 31:50 back plus jog to car. Felt really good. Longest run yet. A significant jump from last week's sunday run, but feet don't feel that bad. A little bit of tenderness between the big toe and the bad toe, but taping helps. Maybe a little bit stupid to go suddenly for a longer run, but here's the thing...
Sometimes when you run, nice and relaxed and without cardiovascular pain, you get to this place of existential peace and calm, where thoughts seem to move fluidly and resolve themselves, where one is at peace with one's life and one's existence. It's this phenomena that to me is the flip side of all of the competitive angst and striving for self betterment that running also represents to me. It's clarity and peace and calm that I only feel through running.
The past few weeks have come with a whole lot of changes, stress, conflict and its only recently that I've become really aware of the mental and physical toll its been taking on me. When the intended turnaround point came, I just wasn't ready to give up this healing sense of calm that I felt at that moment. So I kept going, past that one, then the next logical turnaround point too... until finally I came all the way to the RB and realized that sooner or later this run would end, like all other runs before it.
Monday 03/17: Off. Shot day. The best part about today is that my feet don't hurt despite the longer run yesterday :).
Tuesday 03/18: 43:21, 3 x Arroyo Tempo Loops, same deal as last week. 14:48, 11:59, 15:07 plus jog to car. Times did not improve, but HR was much better across all three loops... I suppose that is mildly encouraging. Lots of work to do today, not a lot of time to feel crotchety about this workout, so oh, well. Also, very very cold today... in the 40's... wore gloves, but legs still felt nice and frosty after the first loop, eesh.
Wednesday 03/19: 44:17, Monterrey to bridge loop. Oooooooooh boy... didn't feel particularly bad but clearly tired from yesterday. Had to park far away, but can't blame all 2 minutes of slowness on that. Apparently my short and longterm endurance is about -5 on a scale of "none" to "good", if 12 minutes of upper threshold running is enough to have consequences for the next day. Also, mildly turned my L ankle, which put this unpleasant torque on the bad toe, which has begun to feel worse and worse as the day has progressed (after about a week and a half of feeling really good) .... aaaaaaarrrrrrrgggghhhh.....
Thursday 03/20: 50:43, California to RB, to the top of Salvia Canyon until the trail ends. A new run! A bit longer than it was supposed to be, but I was really excited to go up the little side trail next to the bike turnoff to get to Mt. Wilson. It wasn't long, but really liked the uphill. Also, saw Feldman and Jesse going back to the Arroyo.
Toe still felt a little bit sore from yesterday's twisting, so wrapped them again. I'm trying to wean myself from this practice, but my feet feel significantly better in the hours after the run when they are wrapped during the run vs. not.
Friday 03/21: Off. Shot day. Peter gets in today! Made cookies instead of run early this morning.
Saturday 03/22: 44:17, Monterrey to bridge loop. Argh, woke up at 7 am by force of habit, but realized it was weekend, so went back to sleep. This was a really bad decision, because it was already 75 and sunny by the time I got up at 10 am, which is approximately 15 degrees hotter than running weather that I appreciate. I definitely prefer 15 degrees too cold (45) than 15 degrees too warm (75). Felt crappy, throat was dry and scratchy feeling... legs felt okay but just that internal overheating sensation was unpleasant. Felt better towards the end but wasn't enough to salvage the overall runtime. Bah, will make an effort to get up early for tomorrow's "long" run.
Target Training this week: 3 hour 30 minutes
Actual Training: 4:08:42
Consternation Index: Moderate
Monday, March 17, 2008
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Week of 03/09/2008 - 03/15/2008 (Mystery Week 2)
The Mystery continues...
On Sunday, about 10 minutes from the end of my run, I felt this intense rush of pain travel from the tips of all five toes on the left foot, radiating up towards my ankles. At first I thought, AAAARRRGGGGHHH! I've finally done it, this must be some invisible stress fracture turning into a real fracture... but miraculously, the pain was fleeting, and I kept running just fine after that. There were a few smaller aftershocks, but I finished my run with both feet feeling strong.
Feet didn't feel great for the rest of the day, but strangely every day after that, I've seen measurable improvement. For the first time in over a year I actually feel like its getting BETTER instead of that I'm struggling daily to prevent the condition from worsening into a state of not being able to run or walk at all. Wednesday's run had no pain at all... when I walk, I don't take steps anticipating pain or trying not to favor the left side. It's weird!
I hope I haven't jinxed it by noting the improvement, but I feel cautiously optimistic about this. I'm actually not sure if this has anything at all to do with the mystery pain on Sunday, or whether its a function of only running 4 days a week instead of 6... its not really clear.
Sunday 03/09,: 48:46, "long" run down to the third bridge and back on the other side from Monterrey. Tried to wake up earlier than yesterday, but still REALLY HOT. Meh. I felt pretty stiff and horrible when I started this run, but I realized that my upper body cramped and my legs felt tired in an unfamiliar way bc of the riding yesterday. As the run went along, felt increasingly better, but took it real easy anyways.
Monday 03/10: Off. Shot day. Also a lot of work, meh. Took Peter to airport at 5 am. Did not feel good after that. Want to maximize awake time together, but we need to go to sleep earlier.
Tuesday 03/11: Off. Slept through alarm. Lame.
Wednesday 03/12: 43:12, 3 x Arroyo Tempo Loops with middle one as a pick-up. 14:46, 12:06, 14:52 plus jog back to car. Soooooooooooo slooooooooooooowwwwwwww.... g-damn. Didn't feel like I struggled, breathing was pretty even, but HR was so alarmingly high, I really didn't want to push harder. Felt kind of antsy, legs really wanted to go faster. I really dislike that feeling that feeling, that the rest of me can't keep up with my legs. Its like suddenly I got transported to a parallel universe where I haven't exercised a day in my life.
Thursday 03/13: 44:02, Monterrey to bridge, gah did NOT feel good... I guess trying to run fast yesterday was tiring. Felt just groggy and out of sorts. Sometimes its hard to believe how little my body will handle... also really sleep deprived. Stressed and discouraged feeling.
Friday 03/14: Off, shot day. Also Oxy Distance Carnival day. Good to see all of the peeps, but jealous of all the folks who are racing :-/. I don't really remember what racing feels like anymore. Ankle also really bad today. Meh. Really exhausted, had to go home right away after meet was over.
Saturday 03/15: Off. Slept until about 1 pm, then took another nap from 3 - 7 pm. Dreamed fitfully of work... Something is seriously wrong with me. Mentally and physically exhausted. Felt really unwell.
Target Training this week: 3 hours
Actual Training: 2:16:00
On Sunday, about 10 minutes from the end of my run, I felt this intense rush of pain travel from the tips of all five toes on the left foot, radiating up towards my ankles. At first I thought, AAAARRRGGGGHHH! I've finally done it, this must be some invisible stress fracture turning into a real fracture... but miraculously, the pain was fleeting, and I kept running just fine after that. There were a few smaller aftershocks, but I finished my run with both feet feeling strong.
Feet didn't feel great for the rest of the day, but strangely every day after that, I've seen measurable improvement. For the first time in over a year I actually feel like its getting BETTER instead of that I'm struggling daily to prevent the condition from worsening into a state of not being able to run or walk at all. Wednesday's run had no pain at all... when I walk, I don't take steps anticipating pain or trying not to favor the left side. It's weird!
I hope I haven't jinxed it by noting the improvement, but I feel cautiously optimistic about this. I'm actually not sure if this has anything at all to do with the mystery pain on Sunday, or whether its a function of only running 4 days a week instead of 6... its not really clear.
Sunday 03/09,: 48:46, "long" run down to the third bridge and back on the other side from Monterrey. Tried to wake up earlier than yesterday, but still REALLY HOT. Meh. I felt pretty stiff and horrible when I started this run, but I realized that my upper body cramped and my legs felt tired in an unfamiliar way bc of the riding yesterday. As the run went along, felt increasingly better, but took it real easy anyways.
Monday 03/10: Off. Shot day. Also a lot of work, meh. Took Peter to airport at 5 am. Did not feel good after that. Want to maximize awake time together, but we need to go to sleep earlier.
Tuesday 03/11: Off. Slept through alarm. Lame.
Wednesday 03/12: 43:12, 3 x Arroyo Tempo Loops with middle one as a pick-up. 14:46, 12:06, 14:52 plus jog back to car. Soooooooooooo slooooooooooooowwwwwwww.... g-damn. Didn't feel like I struggled, breathing was pretty even, but HR was so alarmingly high, I really didn't want to push harder. Felt kind of antsy, legs really wanted to go faster. I really dislike that feeling that feeling, that the rest of me can't keep up with my legs. Its like suddenly I got transported to a parallel universe where I haven't exercised a day in my life.
Thursday 03/13: 44:02, Monterrey to bridge, gah did NOT feel good... I guess trying to run fast yesterday was tiring. Felt just groggy and out of sorts. Sometimes its hard to believe how little my body will handle... also really sleep deprived. Stressed and discouraged feeling.
Friday 03/14: Off, shot day. Also Oxy Distance Carnival day. Good to see all of the peeps, but jealous of all the folks who are racing :-/. I don't really remember what racing feels like anymore. Ankle also really bad today. Meh. Really exhausted, had to go home right away after meet was over.
Saturday 03/15: Off. Slept until about 1 pm, then took another nap from 3 - 7 pm. Dreamed fitfully of work... Something is seriously wrong with me. Mentally and physically exhausted. Felt really unwell.
Target Training this week: 3 hours
Actual Training: 2:16:00
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Week of 03/02/2008 - 03/08/2008 (Mystery Week 1)
Judging from the quantity and quality of foul substances my left sinuses are producing... I haven't quite kicked the sinus infection. However, the subsiding of headache, fever and facial pain meant that I embarked tentatively on my first run in just about 2 weeks.
Let's see how well I do for the rest of the days....
Sunday 03/02: 44:07, Monterrey to bridge loop, veeeeeeeerrrrrrry slowly. Didn't feel as terrible as I expected, but still felt kinda tired and out of breath. Legs sore towards the end, upper body/shoulder felt cramp-y. Also a lot of snot. Not really feeling that great, but it was such a nice day that I felt it would be a shame to not get out there. Did PT and abridged core strengthening afterwards. Really hard, its been a few weeks. L foot felt so-so. Taped it before the run, seemed to help.
Monday 03/03: Off. Working kicking my ass. Sinuses really bad today.
Tuesday 03/04: Off. Wanted to get up and run in the morning, but its not that easy when you are still a little sick and are get home from work at midnight. Came home a record early 8:45 pm today in order to make it to my Wednesday morning rematch with Slow Jogging.
Wednesday 03/05: 41:58, Monterrey loop again in the AM. Hard to get up, but glad I did. Feeling much less sick than earlier in the week. Ran a couple minutes faster to show for it. Breathing is still not great, but much better than Sunday. Felt like I really had to concentrate to keep my form, pace. Not a fantastic run by any means, but I'm encouraged by the improvement.
Thursday 03/06: Off. Allergy shot day. I'm thinking that the 5 day week is going to be inevitable for a while... at least until Minion needs less supervision... or I get promoted to the once a week shot schedule instead of the twice a week shot schedule. It's kind of a toss up as to which will happen first.
Friday 03/07: 40:55, Monterrey loop in the AM. It's damn hard to wake up after insufficient sleep, but its a really good feeling to run in the morning. I feel happy when I get to work. Running doesn't quite feel as natural or as relaxed after an extended layoff, but things are getting better. No soreness today. Feet hurt a bit, but I think it was because I wrapped the toes too tightly today. Wondering if I should wean myself off of that.
Saturday 03/08: 41:22, One trail perimeter of the RB at almost noon. Remembered that I do not handle warm conditions well. Just felt inordinately warm, but in retrospect, maybe it wasn't so hot, maybe I'm just out of shape. Felt like I ran really slow, but the overall run time wasn't disasterous. Nose sunburnt. Nuts.
A beautiful day for riding though, joined Peter for 5 laps of the RB veeeeeeeeerrrry slowly. Turns out it was perfect temperature for cycling, really nice and fun. Felt pretty weak though on the bike. Legs not liking this unfamiliar activity... wrapped the bad toe up really tight for the pedaling, which sort of cut off the circulation a bit unpleasantly, but my toe didn't feel sore and bruised afterwards which is the usual after-effect of cycling these days.
Felt good about this week. 4 days of running, my feet are still in one piece, my legs feel good, the breathing is still bad, but my sinuses are loads better than at the beginning of the week.
Target Training Time this week: I really don't know how I'll be feeling. If I run 3-5 days and get healthy, I'll be pleased.
Actual Training: 2:48:22, 63 minutes of riding
Let's see how well I do for the rest of the days....
Sunday 03/02: 44:07, Monterrey to bridge loop, veeeeeeeerrrrrrry slowly. Didn't feel as terrible as I expected, but still felt kinda tired and out of breath. Legs sore towards the end, upper body/shoulder felt cramp-y. Also a lot of snot. Not really feeling that great, but it was such a nice day that I felt it would be a shame to not get out there. Did PT and abridged core strengthening afterwards. Really hard, its been a few weeks. L foot felt so-so. Taped it before the run, seemed to help.
Monday 03/03: Off. Working kicking my ass. Sinuses really bad today.
Tuesday 03/04: Off. Wanted to get up and run in the morning, but its not that easy when you are still a little sick and are get home from work at midnight. Came home a record early 8:45 pm today in order to make it to my Wednesday morning rematch with Slow Jogging.
Wednesday 03/05: 41:58, Monterrey loop again in the AM. Hard to get up, but glad I did. Feeling much less sick than earlier in the week. Ran a couple minutes faster to show for it. Breathing is still not great, but much better than Sunday. Felt like I really had to concentrate to keep my form, pace. Not a fantastic run by any means, but I'm encouraged by the improvement.
Thursday 03/06: Off. Allergy shot day. I'm thinking that the 5 day week is going to be inevitable for a while... at least until Minion needs less supervision... or I get promoted to the once a week shot schedule instead of the twice a week shot schedule. It's kind of a toss up as to which will happen first.
Friday 03/07: 40:55, Monterrey loop in the AM. It's damn hard to wake up after insufficient sleep, but its a really good feeling to run in the morning. I feel happy when I get to work. Running doesn't quite feel as natural or as relaxed after an extended layoff, but things are getting better. No soreness today. Feet hurt a bit, but I think it was because I wrapped the toes too tightly today. Wondering if I should wean myself off of that.
Saturday 03/08: 41:22, One trail perimeter of the RB at almost noon. Remembered that I do not handle warm conditions well. Just felt inordinately warm, but in retrospect, maybe it wasn't so hot, maybe I'm just out of shape. Felt like I ran really slow, but the overall run time wasn't disasterous. Nose sunburnt. Nuts.
A beautiful day for riding though, joined Peter for 5 laps of the RB veeeeeeeeerrrry slowly. Turns out it was perfect temperature for cycling, really nice and fun. Felt pretty weak though on the bike. Legs not liking this unfamiliar activity... wrapped the bad toe up really tight for the pedaling, which sort of cut off the circulation a bit unpleasantly, but my toe didn't feel sore and bruised afterwards which is the usual after-effect of cycling these days.
Felt good about this week. 4 days of running, my feet are still in one piece, my legs feel good, the breathing is still bad, but my sinuses are loads better than at the beginning of the week.
Target Training Time this week: I really don't know how I'll be feeling. If I run 3-5 days and get healthy, I'll be pleased.
Actual Training: 2:48:22, 63 minutes of riding
Week of 02/24/2008 - 03/01/2008 (Dying Week 2)
Contrary to popular belief, being a boss if freakin' hard work.
Spent Sunday also entirely in bed, and tried very hard to be somewhat presentable for my new Junior Resource's (henceforth referred to as "Minion") first day. Did not succeed in that. It is very, very hard to retain the presence of a competent, individual that's got their shit together, when you are coughing violently, pale, and wheezing as we toddled up the one flight of stairs. Somehow, I got through the day and Minion still seemed enthused about coming back tomorrow. I guess I'll call that a victory.
Coughing gradually subsided over the course of the week, but the feeling of being perpetually out of breath took a while longer to depart. Towards the end of the week I felt optimistic about trying a run again, but then I acquired a sinus infection. Apparently my left side is cursed, because only those sinuses were affected. That is also the side with 1/2 an ACL, a metal plate holding my ankle together, and the bad toe.... wtf?
Unfortunately, the major symptoms of the sinus infection were fever, headache and radiating pain in the left side of my face, which also makes for poor running. I was starting to get pretty freaked out by Saturday, but was much improved after Herr Doctor Meinhold's mysterious voodoo remedy, the Chamomile Tea Inhalation.
Will the dying ever stop? No runs this week.
Spent Sunday also entirely in bed, and tried very hard to be somewhat presentable for my new Junior Resource's (henceforth referred to as "Minion") first day. Did not succeed in that. It is very, very hard to retain the presence of a competent, individual that's got their shit together, when you are coughing violently, pale, and wheezing as we toddled up the one flight of stairs. Somehow, I got through the day and Minion still seemed enthused about coming back tomorrow. I guess I'll call that a victory.
Coughing gradually subsided over the course of the week, but the feeling of being perpetually out of breath took a while longer to depart. Towards the end of the week I felt optimistic about trying a run again, but then I acquired a sinus infection. Apparently my left side is cursed, because only those sinuses were affected. That is also the side with 1/2 an ACL, a metal plate holding my ankle together, and the bad toe.... wtf?
Unfortunately, the major symptoms of the sinus infection were fever, headache and radiating pain in the left side of my face, which also makes for poor running. I was starting to get pretty freaked out by Saturday, but was much improved after Herr Doctor Meinhold's mysterious voodoo remedy, the Chamomile Tea Inhalation.
Will the dying ever stop? No runs this week.
Week of 02/17/2008 - 02/23/2008 (Dying Week 1)
I think I ran once this week, right after coming back from Denver. Monterrey down to the bridge loop, for about 42 minutes. I remember that my chest felt kinda tight during this run, and coughing became worse after that.
The next day, blood clots were coming up with the cough, so I decided maybe I should lay off the exercising... Basically got worse and worse, peaking on Saturday, which I spent entirely flat on my back in bed. Dying. Literally.
The next day, blood clots were coming up with the cough, so I decided maybe I should lay off the exercising... Basically got worse and worse, peaking on Saturday, which I spent entirely flat on my back in bed. Dying. Literally.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Week of 02/10/2008 - 02/16/2008 (Pre-base week 14)
The Good: Peter and I hiked up past the old campground, and it seems that the blockage from last winter's storms has been cleared out of the Bailey Canyon trail. My favorite run has been restored yet again. Hooray!
The Bad: Toe and also supporting ligaments in the L ankle are feeling pretty shaky, particularly bad on the hike.
The Ugly: Everything to do with my fitness and running.
Sunday 02/10: 26:39, some jogging around the North Fields with KB, good company helped time go by... was feeling very crappy and exerted despite slow pace. Hiking in Bailey Canyon with Peter beforehand. Wanted to show him the running path, but didn't make it to the top due to lack of water and physical disabilities. Man, we are halfway to a wheelchair... seriously.
If I were a normal person, I would say that the plague has mostly gone away. Still some snot and etc. but its really only when I try to run or climb stairs or something that I still feel the respiratory ill-effects. From previous experience, it kinda takes a while for that to go away. Blech. Core strengthening starts again. Felt not as bad as I expected, but not pleased that the balancing leg lifts were wobbly.
Monday 02/11: Off. Interviewing potential minions. Whole body feels sore from hiking and core strengthening for the first time in a while.
Tuesday 02/12: 1:02:51, holy moly, longest run yet! Wasn't really planned, got on the track for some easy jogging in lane 6, joined by Markkimarkkonnen, gradually accelerated to about 15 minutes of cardiovascularly uncomfortable running, then some more jogging. Thankfully didn't really check a lot of lap splits, so no idea if horribly slow. Felt alright, first time in a while that running didn't feel like complete basura. Feet were okay during, but actually pretty beat up afterwards. Core strengthening at the gym afterwards.
Wednesday 02/13: Off. Unexcused absence. Bah. L foot feels pretty crappy, but taped it around the ball of the foot per KB's suggestion, which made walking around feel a LOT better!
Thursday 02/14: More slacking. Happy Valentine's day to all! Successfully managed to hire a minion, woo hoo! Had to get allergy shot, then started driving with Peter. Arrived in vegas around 1 am.
Friday 02/15: Driving all day. I guess this was alright bc of a random and crippling pain in my R heel. Almost fell down when I stepped out of bed, bc I was not expecting that sensation. Feet feel pretty crappy for having 3 days off. Mmrrrrghhhhh... Arrived in Denver around 1 am.
Saturday 02/16: 50:13, up and running again. Not liking this whole going to bed super late thing. Have not been sleeping well. Also very dehydrated and at altitude. An interesting adventure run. Found trailhead from street, and started off into the open space. Packed trail rapidly became narrow, extremely muddy with puddles and snow. Shoes almost sucked off repeatedly, rather intractable along several dimensions. Gradually, shoes accumulated mud weight and by the time I reached some packed snow, it felt like having lead weights strapped to both feet. Pretty slow going, but determined to make it at least 15 minutes out, I was rewarded for my perseverance by emerging out onto a nice, wide, packed dirt and gravel trail that wound up a steep little hill then off into the distance. Followed the trail out until its trailhead out onto a dirt road, then back the way I came. Wished I had more time on the bigger trail, liked the rolling hills. Feet not so great bc of the muddy sections, ankles kinda unstable didn't really handle all of that torque particularly well. Glad to get out there though, not a lot of running this week.
Target training time this week: 3-4 hours, its gonna depend on the moving trip
Actual training: 2:19:42
The Bad: Toe and also supporting ligaments in the L ankle are feeling pretty shaky, particularly bad on the hike.
The Ugly: Everything to do with my fitness and running.
Sunday 02/10: 26:39, some jogging around the North Fields with KB, good company helped time go by... was feeling very crappy and exerted despite slow pace. Hiking in Bailey Canyon with Peter beforehand. Wanted to show him the running path, but didn't make it to the top due to lack of water and physical disabilities. Man, we are halfway to a wheelchair... seriously.
If I were a normal person, I would say that the plague has mostly gone away. Still some snot and etc. but its really only when I try to run or climb stairs or something that I still feel the respiratory ill-effects. From previous experience, it kinda takes a while for that to go away. Blech. Core strengthening starts again. Felt not as bad as I expected, but not pleased that the balancing leg lifts were wobbly.
Monday 02/11: Off. Interviewing potential minions. Whole body feels sore from hiking and core strengthening for the first time in a while.
Tuesday 02/12: 1:02:51, holy moly, longest run yet! Wasn't really planned, got on the track for some easy jogging in lane 6, joined by Markkimarkkonnen, gradually accelerated to about 15 minutes of cardiovascularly uncomfortable running, then some more jogging. Thankfully didn't really check a lot of lap splits, so no idea if horribly slow. Felt alright, first time in a while that running didn't feel like complete basura. Feet were okay during, but actually pretty beat up afterwards. Core strengthening at the gym afterwards.
Wednesday 02/13: Off. Unexcused absence. Bah. L foot feels pretty crappy, but taped it around the ball of the foot per KB's suggestion, which made walking around feel a LOT better!
Thursday 02/14: More slacking. Happy Valentine's day to all! Successfully managed to hire a minion, woo hoo! Had to get allergy shot, then started driving with Peter. Arrived in vegas around 1 am.
Friday 02/15: Driving all day. I guess this was alright bc of a random and crippling pain in my R heel. Almost fell down when I stepped out of bed, bc I was not expecting that sensation. Feet feel pretty crappy for having 3 days off. Mmrrrrghhhhh... Arrived in Denver around 1 am.
Saturday 02/16: 50:13, up and running again. Not liking this whole going to bed super late thing. Have not been sleeping well. Also very dehydrated and at altitude. An interesting adventure run. Found trailhead from street, and started off into the open space. Packed trail rapidly became narrow, extremely muddy with puddles and snow. Shoes almost sucked off repeatedly, rather intractable along several dimensions. Gradually, shoes accumulated mud weight and by the time I reached some packed snow, it felt like having lead weights strapped to both feet. Pretty slow going, but determined to make it at least 15 minutes out, I was rewarded for my perseverance by emerging out onto a nice, wide, packed dirt and gravel trail that wound up a steep little hill then off into the distance. Followed the trail out until its trailhead out onto a dirt road, then back the way I came. Wished I had more time on the bigger trail, liked the rolling hills. Feet not so great bc of the muddy sections, ankles kinda unstable didn't really handle all of that torque particularly well. Glad to get out there though, not a lot of running this week.
Target training time this week: 3-4 hours, its gonna depend on the moving trip
Actual training: 2:19:42
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Week of 02/03/2008 - 02/09/2008 (Pre-Base Week 13)
Oh, the calamities of life... all I'm saying, is that if you're even THINKING about making a snide comment about the Event That Shall Not Be Mentioned, then don't even think about it. Or, better yet, just pretend that you made your comment and then read my response below:
FUCK YOU.
(if you don't know what i'm talking about, its better that way. just ignore, and proceed below)
Now, onto running. Sports with balls are stupid anyways.
Sunday 02/03: 55:35, about 6.5 miles up to the aquatic center and back on Orange Grove from house. Second "long" run accomplished. Felt similarly to the one on friday, felt kinda groggy in the beginning, but just ran slowly enough to feel comfortable, then picked it up towards the end as I felt better. Held 8:30's again, so slowly and painfully I am approaching acceptability. Soreness in L toe kinda came and went throughout the run, still trying to figure out if that is a result of the new shoe, or the new therapy or something else.
Monday 02/04: Off. Allergy shots. Trying to establish a routine. Driving to Disneyland on a school night is a bad idea. Remember to vote tomorrow!!!
Tuesday 02/05: 40:42, my weekly dose of discouragement: 3 x Arroyo Tempo Loops, with the middle one run hard (13:52, 11:37, 13:50). Did not get very much sleep due to sore throat, woke up feeling very poor. Somehow dragged my sorry ass to work, drank a LOT of tea, and felt moderately better. Left early to go vote and run. Pretty much same deal as last week, jog, run, jog. This week I forgot the HR monitor though, so I'm pretty sure the run part was just at a higher exertion level than last week and doesn't really represent any improvement. Tried to force myself to breathe out of my mouth, as it occurred to me that this may be making it harder at higher HR levels to run faster.
Took a lot of zinc tablets, but not sure if I'm going to be able to dodge this round of the plague. Sucks. I also really dislike that feeling where it becomes really hard to breathe prior to there being muscular exertion in your legs. Yet to feel any lactic acid, but felt like drowning anyways. Its frustrating to know that there's so much more power in your legs that can not be tapped without further acquisition of fitness. Also, L toe hurt on the jogging laps but not the running lap. Weird, weird, weird.
Wednesday 02/06: 42:29, Monterrey to bridge and back. First time in a while, its always delightful when you learn that absolutely NO improvement has been made since a month ago. I don't even care anymore... its never going to get better, so I'm just going to go ahead and get really, gloriously, fat. Still having a lot of trouble sleeping due to sore throat, congestion, etc. Really cantakerous today.
Thursday 02/07: 41:06, one trail perimeter around the RB. Super slow. Felt fine except for the very unpleasant feeling of air against a raw sore throat. Felt ratchety. Also very odd pain in the space between the ankle bone and heel on the inside of my foot. Not sure exactly what the source is, went away gradually as the run went on. Forgot to do Andre's PT. Having the plague kinda sucks.
Friday 02/08: 34:55, Monterrey to rock and back the same way. Was supposed to be the full loop around the bridge, but just felt so much like crap in every imaginable way, decided to call it a short day. Dry cough has kinda cleared up, but now there's a lot more mucus to be expelled, and that's not so hot either, for running... its also mysteriously hot out these days, which also feels crappy on top of the semi-head-achey, muscle-achey state. Jury's still out on doing a harder run tomorrow.
Saturday 02/09: 44:20, Huntington via Virginia.... unnnngggghhhhh.... felt very terrible and labored. Coughing. Throat felt much worse afterwards. This state feels like it will never end. Every day I think I feel possibly a bit better? But as soon as there's any little exertion, I feel really, inordinately oxygen deprived. Also very very hot and dry and ozone-y. Blech.
On a happier note, Caltech meet today, had to take times so didn't get to socialize much, but saw some neat old-timers from my days here. Pinkberry with Kamalah afterwards! Drinks and tacos at Margaritas with Peter, KB and Ian :).
Target Training time this week: 4:15
Actual training: 4:19:07
FUCK YOU.
(if you don't know what i'm talking about, its better that way. just ignore, and proceed below)
Now, onto running. Sports with balls are stupid anyways.
Sunday 02/03: 55:35, about 6.5 miles up to the aquatic center and back on Orange Grove from house. Second "long" run accomplished. Felt similarly to the one on friday, felt kinda groggy in the beginning, but just ran slowly enough to feel comfortable, then picked it up towards the end as I felt better. Held 8:30's again, so slowly and painfully I am approaching acceptability. Soreness in L toe kinda came and went throughout the run, still trying to figure out if that is a result of the new shoe, or the new therapy or something else.
Monday 02/04: Off. Allergy shots. Trying to establish a routine. Driving to Disneyland on a school night is a bad idea. Remember to vote tomorrow!!!
Tuesday 02/05: 40:42, my weekly dose of discouragement: 3 x Arroyo Tempo Loops, with the middle one run hard (13:52, 11:37, 13:50). Did not get very much sleep due to sore throat, woke up feeling very poor. Somehow dragged my sorry ass to work, drank a LOT of tea, and felt moderately better. Left early to go vote and run. Pretty much same deal as last week, jog, run, jog. This week I forgot the HR monitor though, so I'm pretty sure the run part was just at a higher exertion level than last week and doesn't really represent any improvement. Tried to force myself to breathe out of my mouth, as it occurred to me that this may be making it harder at higher HR levels to run faster.
Took a lot of zinc tablets, but not sure if I'm going to be able to dodge this round of the plague. Sucks. I also really dislike that feeling where it becomes really hard to breathe prior to there being muscular exertion in your legs. Yet to feel any lactic acid, but felt like drowning anyways. Its frustrating to know that there's so much more power in your legs that can not be tapped without further acquisition of fitness. Also, L toe hurt on the jogging laps but not the running lap. Weird, weird, weird.
Wednesday 02/06: 42:29, Monterrey to bridge and back. First time in a while, its always delightful when you learn that absolutely NO improvement has been made since a month ago. I don't even care anymore... its never going to get better, so I'm just going to go ahead and get really, gloriously, fat. Still having a lot of trouble sleeping due to sore throat, congestion, etc. Really cantakerous today.
Thursday 02/07: 41:06, one trail perimeter around the RB. Super slow. Felt fine except for the very unpleasant feeling of air against a raw sore throat. Felt ratchety. Also very odd pain in the space between the ankle bone and heel on the inside of my foot. Not sure exactly what the source is, went away gradually as the run went on. Forgot to do Andre's PT. Having the plague kinda sucks.
Friday 02/08: 34:55, Monterrey to rock and back the same way. Was supposed to be the full loop around the bridge, but just felt so much like crap in every imaginable way, decided to call it a short day. Dry cough has kinda cleared up, but now there's a lot more mucus to be expelled, and that's not so hot either, for running... its also mysteriously hot out these days, which also feels crappy on top of the semi-head-achey, muscle-achey state. Jury's still out on doing a harder run tomorrow.
Saturday 02/09: 44:20, Huntington via Virginia.... unnnngggghhhhh.... felt very terrible and labored. Coughing. Throat felt much worse afterwards. This state feels like it will never end. Every day I think I feel possibly a bit better? But as soon as there's any little exertion, I feel really, inordinately oxygen deprived. Also very very hot and dry and ozone-y. Blech.
On a happier note, Caltech meet today, had to take times so didn't get to socialize much, but saw some neat old-timers from my days here. Pinkberry with Kamalah afterwards! Drinks and tacos at Margaritas with Peter, KB and Ian :).
Target Training time this week: 4:15
Actual training: 4:19:07
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