Today was the first time I was able to run since Thursday. On Friday night, I was starting to get sick. That sickness ran all the way into Saturday. On Sunday, I headed up to Tobyhanna State Park to run on the trails. I forgot how much snow they had in the past storm. Even with all the rain, there was still a good six inches to a foot on most of the visible trail.
Even today's run didn't go very well. It has been a miserable few days weatherwise. It has been rainy and chilly. Walking back from work this evening, I got fairly wet. I knew that would make clothing selection tough and sure enough it did.
Because my jacket was already wet, I opted for ColdGear as a base layer. I didn't want to freeze if I was out for long and water started coming through the jacket. It turned out, the rain died down before I actually started running. The extra layer on top, combined with gloves and tights, caused me to be very hot.
I was able to get up early this morning, but couldn't get myself to start running. I was planning on a long and hard run and didn't want to do so before work. Plus, I hoped that the weather might clear up in the evening. It didn't and getting out the door at night was tough. As soon as I knew I was wearing too much, I backed off and elected for the regularly scheduled day. It was an easy 6 miler.
The first mile was very slow and sluggish. The extra clothes, combined with the long layoff, made it tough. I seriously thought about quitting early on. I just kept battling though and plugged away. I was able to catch a cute girl at one point.
It was still fairly windy. Even though I was hot underneath, I did need the wind protection. I'm really not sure how I should've dressed for this one. It was just one of those tough days. I eventually, somehow made it to the 3 mile point.
Shortly before turning around, a cute girl passed me going the other way. I ran pretty hard to catch her. She was actually moving at a good clip though. It took awhile for me to catch up to hear. Eventually I did though and also passed her. I continued to run hard through the finish.
One of the interesting spot along the run was at the Columbia Bridge. It is a low section of the river and must've been flooded over the weekend. There was a significant amount of water and mud on the path. I never really considered not running through it, even though I didn't have my trail shoes on. It was sloppy, but fun. Luckily, the river doesn't flood much and that is one of the few sections that does.
I need to work on getting to bed earlier and getting up earlier. That's a focus of mine this week. I want to get my runs in in the morning. Even though I'm running in the evening with the run club, I want to get in a morning workout tomorrow as well. I have an interval session scheduled. Hopefully I can crank that out before work.
Although I haven't run much lately, I still should be good to go for the half marathon this weekend. These last couple weeks have provided a nice taper of sorts. How I'll get back to high mileage afterwards is another question.
6 miles - 47:51 (7:58 pace)
Monday, March 15, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Back on the Roads
Other than Tuesday, when I ran with the run club, I haven't been on pavement since my injury. Today, I got back out onto Kelly Drive and ran an easy 8 miles. I went just past Falls Bridge and then back. It was a solid workout.
I put on my new shoes. They are the same shoe as my old ones. I want to break them in a little before my half marathon next weekend. There is nothing like the feel of new shoes. They make running seem so effortless.
I went out at a nice and comfortable pace. Perhaps I could've gone out easier, but I wasn't working that hard. I was running at night and I always enjoy that more than during the day. It was a little chilly though. There was a slight wind as well. I wore short sleeves with my compression sleeves. That worked out pretty well.
I felt good at the turnaround point. On the way back though, my legs started to become sore. My left calf, right hamstring and right IT band became minor problems. I think the lack of time on hard surfaces, combined with the difficult run that I put in yesterday, took its toll. I still had some energy, but my legs were beat.
I'm just glad my ankle didn't bother me at all. I think that was actually my problem and not my Achilles. Either way, it felt fine throughout the run. I hope I'm completely healed. I really think the Five Fingers contributed partly to that, so I'm going to stay off them in the near future.
Because my legs were so sore and I did a lot of hills yesterday, I elected to skip the 10 hill sprints. That was a good choice. I don't need to overdo it and get injured. Just adding more hilly trail runs should be a big help.
Tomorrow, I have another run down by the river. I'd like to run in the morning, but since I'm still quite sore, I'll likely wait until after work. I need to allow my body to recover. I'll probably head to my parents house for the weekend. I want to do a long trail run in the Poconos on Sunday. I might run a shorter trail run on Saturday as well.
8 miles - 1:00:59 (7:37 pace)
I put on my new shoes. They are the same shoe as my old ones. I want to break them in a little before my half marathon next weekend. There is nothing like the feel of new shoes. They make running seem so effortless.
I went out at a nice and comfortable pace. Perhaps I could've gone out easier, but I wasn't working that hard. I was running at night and I always enjoy that more than during the day. It was a little chilly though. There was a slight wind as well. I wore short sleeves with my compression sleeves. That worked out pretty well.
I felt good at the turnaround point. On the way back though, my legs started to become sore. My left calf, right hamstring and right IT band became minor problems. I think the lack of time on hard surfaces, combined with the difficult run that I put in yesterday, took its toll. I still had some energy, but my legs were beat.
I'm just glad my ankle didn't bother me at all. I think that was actually my problem and not my Achilles. Either way, it felt fine throughout the run. I hope I'm completely healed. I really think the Five Fingers contributed partly to that, so I'm going to stay off them in the near future.
Because my legs were so sore and I did a lot of hills yesterday, I elected to skip the 10 hill sprints. That was a good choice. I don't need to overdo it and get injured. Just adding more hilly trail runs should be a big help.
Tomorrow, I have another run down by the river. I'd like to run in the morning, but since I'm still quite sore, I'll likely wait until after work. I need to allow my body to recover. I'll probably head to my parents house for the weekend. I want to do a long trail run in the Poconos on Sunday. I might run a shorter trail run on Saturday as well.
8 miles - 1:00:59 (7:37 pace)
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Killer Trails
I made my way out to run some trails again today (technically yesterday I guess). This time, I ran the trails around Forbidden Drive. The schedule called for a progression run with 2 miles easy to start and 8 miles hard after that. Running trails is hard, so I didn't quite follow the workout, but I think I got the same effect.
I started off at Valley Green with a big climb. I tried to take it easy, but I knew it would be tough. I ran this early section before and it was flat after the beginning rise. That part was fun and I ran at a good clip.
It was after that where things got interesting. I went up and down and up and down, over and over again. I ran through an assortment of different areas, including next to a golf course and through a section of pine trees. I even ended up hitting a dead end to the trail in someone's backyard.
I led the run club on Tuesday night and felt like I was in good shape. I am, when compared to most of the running public. Trail running is a whole different animal. All the rises and descents are very taxing. I was incredibly gassed by mile 5 and unsure how I would even complete the run.
My times dropped significantly with each mile. I still managed to run most of the uphills, but they took a lot out of me. I did have to walk briefly over a couple of them. What really was tough was when you would descend and find the trail ended and then you would have to run back up it again. That happened a couple times.
I figured I wouldn't get lost, but I elected to take my cell phone with me in a small holder that I had. I wanted to have it, just in case I fell or something like that. There are some steep and dangerous sections of the trail. I dropped my phone on a downhill and luckily didn't break it.
I was so lost once again, but it was fun anyways. I knew there were really only a few trails and they all generally ran along the creek. I did end up crossing the creek at some point. I'm not even sure how that happened.
As I was close to the finish, I came across the small creek that I encountered last time I ran the trails there. This time, I decided to cross it. I couldn't find a good spot to go across without getting wet. The water was only ankle deep though. The best section appeared to be directly across the trail. I ran over there and found the water to be cold.
After that, there was another steep uphill. I was burnt out by that point, so I walked briefly. When I got back to Valley Green, I then ran a short out and back to complete the final 3/4 of a mile.
It's amazing that I'm considering running a 50 mile race on trails that I'm sure will be much tougher than this. I'm glad that this workout and that type of race provides quite a challenge. It's a whole different level of conditions from where I'm at now. I need to make it a point to get at least 2 of these tough trail runs in a week. They should really improve my road running. This workout seemed almost as taxing as the marathon itself and my body didn't get the wear and tear.
Trail running has become so much fun, but now it is back to the roads. Tomorrow will be an easy 8 mile run. Most likely, I'll head out after work. I was out pretty late tonight and don't think I'll be recovered by tomorrow morning. I'll probably head back out to Kelly Drive. Hopefully this weekend, I can get to some trails in the Poconos.
10 miles - 1:44:58 (10:29 pace)
I started off at Valley Green with a big climb. I tried to take it easy, but I knew it would be tough. I ran this early section before and it was flat after the beginning rise. That part was fun and I ran at a good clip.
It was after that where things got interesting. I went up and down and up and down, over and over again. I ran through an assortment of different areas, including next to a golf course and through a section of pine trees. I even ended up hitting a dead end to the trail in someone's backyard.
I led the run club on Tuesday night and felt like I was in good shape. I am, when compared to most of the running public. Trail running is a whole different animal. All the rises and descents are very taxing. I was incredibly gassed by mile 5 and unsure how I would even complete the run.
My times dropped significantly with each mile. I still managed to run most of the uphills, but they took a lot out of me. I did have to walk briefly over a couple of them. What really was tough was when you would descend and find the trail ended and then you would have to run back up it again. That happened a couple times.
I figured I wouldn't get lost, but I elected to take my cell phone with me in a small holder that I had. I wanted to have it, just in case I fell or something like that. There are some steep and dangerous sections of the trail. I dropped my phone on a downhill and luckily didn't break it.
I was so lost once again, but it was fun anyways. I knew there were really only a few trails and they all generally ran along the creek. I did end up crossing the creek at some point. I'm not even sure how that happened.
As I was close to the finish, I came across the small creek that I encountered last time I ran the trails there. This time, I decided to cross it. I couldn't find a good spot to go across without getting wet. The water was only ankle deep though. The best section appeared to be directly across the trail. I ran over there and found the water to be cold.
After that, there was another steep uphill. I was burnt out by that point, so I walked briefly. When I got back to Valley Green, I then ran a short out and back to complete the final 3/4 of a mile.
It's amazing that I'm considering running a 50 mile race on trails that I'm sure will be much tougher than this. I'm glad that this workout and that type of race provides quite a challenge. It's a whole different level of conditions from where I'm at now. I need to make it a point to get at least 2 of these tough trail runs in a week. They should really improve my road running. This workout seemed almost as taxing as the marathon itself and my body didn't get the wear and tear.
Trail running has become so much fun, but now it is back to the roads. Tomorrow will be an easy 8 mile run. Most likely, I'll head out after work. I was out pretty late tonight and don't think I'll be recovered by tomorrow morning. I'll probably head back out to Kelly Drive. Hopefully this weekend, I can get to some trails in the Poconos.
10 miles - 1:44:58 (10:29 pace)
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Run Club
Today was my first time leading the City Sports run club. It was a blast. We started off at the store and ran to Lloyd Hall and back. It was gorgeous weather for a run.
Running down Walnut Street with everyone out was quite interesting. We had to dodge a lot of people and cars. As I stopped at a light, there were several people still with me. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to go down to the Schuykill Banks loop from our side of Walnut. That wasn't a problem though.
When I started on the loop, I was really able to pick up the pace. A lot of people started dropping off. One guy hung with me quite well though, so I kept the pace fairly quick. I'm not sure if in the future, I should hold back a little bit.
As we hit the short hills, I could tell he was laboring. I slowed it down a bit then. It was really funny because I didn't realize that we were going to stop at Lloyd Hall. The pace was a little difficult for me, but I could've definitely kept it up for the rest of the run. Instead, we waited for the entire group to get to Lloyd Hall.
We then turned around and headed back. This time, in addition to the guy, a woman hung with me. The two of them ran together at a pretty good clip. I could tell the run was taking its toll on them though. They started to fall back, so I slowed the pace a bit. They basically wanted to walk up the stairs, while I preferred to run them. I waited at the top for them to catch up though. We ran together down Walnut Street. The woman backed off quite a bit towards the end.
I was impressed to hear that she was 42 years old. She looked about 10 years younger and was in good shape. The pace definitely wasn't easy for her, but I'm sure it was a good workout. She said she had run some marathons before, including Boston.
I was worried before the run that the pace would be too slow or that we might have someone very fast that would make me work really hard. The workout was actually perfect. It wasn't too easy, but wasn't too difficult either. I'll run with them again and likely add it as my second run of the day. I might have to work on pacing a little more, but that'll come with more runs.
It was fun to socialize a bit too. I got to talking with the woman and guy that I ran with for most of the run. I also had dinner with one of the employees from the store and also the Mizuno rep who ran with us. All in all, it was a good time.
Tomorrow, I'm thinking I'm going to hit the trails again. I'll like head over to the Forbidden Drive area. The short run today, didn't bother my injury, but I want to go out in the trails again anyways. The rest of the week, I'll try to get back on the pavement. This has turned out to be an excellent taper for the half marathon. Hopefully my Achilles is fully healed.
4.25 miles - 35:11 (8:17 pace)
Running down Walnut Street with everyone out was quite interesting. We had to dodge a lot of people and cars. As I stopped at a light, there were several people still with me. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to go down to the Schuykill Banks loop from our side of Walnut. That wasn't a problem though.
When I started on the loop, I was really able to pick up the pace. A lot of people started dropping off. One guy hung with me quite well though, so I kept the pace fairly quick. I'm not sure if in the future, I should hold back a little bit.
As we hit the short hills, I could tell he was laboring. I slowed it down a bit then. It was really funny because I didn't realize that we were going to stop at Lloyd Hall. The pace was a little difficult for me, but I could've definitely kept it up for the rest of the run. Instead, we waited for the entire group to get to Lloyd Hall.
We then turned around and headed back. This time, in addition to the guy, a woman hung with me. The two of them ran together at a pretty good clip. I could tell the run was taking its toll on them though. They started to fall back, so I slowed the pace a bit. They basically wanted to walk up the stairs, while I preferred to run them. I waited at the top for them to catch up though. We ran together down Walnut Street. The woman backed off quite a bit towards the end.
I was impressed to hear that she was 42 years old. She looked about 10 years younger and was in good shape. The pace definitely wasn't easy for her, but I'm sure it was a good workout. She said she had run some marathons before, including Boston.
I was worried before the run that the pace would be too slow or that we might have someone very fast that would make me work really hard. The workout was actually perfect. It wasn't too easy, but wasn't too difficult either. I'll run with them again and likely add it as my second run of the day. I might have to work on pacing a little more, but that'll come with more runs.
It was fun to socialize a bit too. I got to talking with the woman and guy that I ran with for most of the run. I also had dinner with one of the employees from the store and also the Mizuno rep who ran with us. All in all, it was a good time.
Tomorrow, I'm thinking I'm going to hit the trails again. I'll like head over to the Forbidden Drive area. The short run today, didn't bother my injury, but I want to go out in the trails again anyways. The rest of the week, I'll try to get back on the pavement. This has turned out to be an excellent taper for the half marathon. Hopefully my Achilles is fully healed.
4.25 miles - 35:11 (8:17 pace)
Monday, March 8, 2010
Ridley Creek State Park
I'm starting to become addicted to trails. Today was another fun one at Ridley Creek Park. It is in Delaware County and about 45 minutes away. The drive was worth it though and I'll definitely go back.
The weather was a beautiful near 60 degree day. I forgot to mention that Saturday was excellent weather too. I started near the parking lot on what I thought was the yellow trail. I think I actually had to get off a little bit to follow the actual yellow trail. I was very discouraged because this section was paved. Luckily, it was only a short loop back to the office.
I then hit the paved portion of the park in search of some real trails. I quickly found exactly what I was looking for, in a short muddy and snowy trail segment. I was disappointed that it ended so quickly and that I was back one of the paved park roads again.
After running down the road for awhile, I eventually ended up on the real yellow trail. It was quite a treat. I encountered some tough early hitting. That section of trail was pretty short as well.
It wasn't until a few moments later, when I found the white trail, that things became fun. The white trail was appropriately named for the section that I started out on. It was covered in snow. Of course it was uphill too. It was quite a trek to get up it. My feet didn't slip, but I had to work extra hard to get up the hill.
A lot of the various trails were then interconnected. From time to time, I had to cross a road, but most of the time, I was able to spend on the trail. The uphill portions were extremely tough. I definitely need to get stronger with running on those on trails. They took a lot out of me. I basically had to walk for a short stretch at one point.
The trails provided every challenge I could've asked for. In addition to the hills, there was a great mixture of mud and snow. It made for some interesting terrain to run on. One section had some sticker bushes that fell onto the trail. I had to be careful getting around them. Of course, there were plenty of rocks and roots around as well. Most of the water crossings had bridges on them. There was a small section of stream where I had to cross on the rocks. I didn't get wet though.
I was actually kind of lost for most of the run. I just kept randomly following trails. I figured that I'd eventually find a familiar road. Sure enough, I did and decided to run back along the road. I went by some horse stables and finished up where I started. It was just over an hour after the run began. There are 12 miles of trails at the park and I hope to eventually get to know them well. Today was a blast and I'll be back.
I'm definitely addicted to trail running. I wish I could find sections where I could run for miles and miles. The problem with that though is I could get lost. Nice and short routes like this are very helpful. Eventually I will get stronger and learn how to navigate trails better. Then I can really have some long adventures.
My left big toe hurt me during the run, but the rest of my body felt good. My hamstring is a little sore now, but my IT band only had very minor problems today. I had no issues at all with my Achilles. The softer impact on trails is definitely a big help. I am going to run them more frequently now, in an attempt to stay healthy. I will just have to travel a little.
I actually walked around the John Heinz Wildlife Sancuary before my run. That has some flat trails, which I might run in the future. I'm considering heading to the Forbidden Drive trails in the morning tomorrow. I am leading the run club at City Sports at night. I might want to get in a better workout on a softer surface before that though. We'll see how I feel in the morning.
6.31 miles - 1:00:21 (9:34 pace)
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Batona Trail
Well it has been awhile since I got out and ran. I decided to just completely rest my injured Achilles all week, rather than bike. The weather wasn't terrible this week, but it was windy, so I passed on cycling.
I've been reading a lot about trails lately. Instead of hitting the hard roads, I decided to head out for some trail running. I wanted a soft trail and also a flat one. Therefore, I headed about 40 miles east into the New Jersey pine barrens and ran on the Batona Trail.
It is nearly a 50 mile trail through the pine barrens. The parking lot was still covered in snow and the dirt road into the trail was rough. I don't think I actually found the trail itself. I believe it has white blazes. I saw those with a hiking sign, but I never did see the main trail head. I did pick up a map where the trail head is supposed to be. That wasn't a help though.
A guy with a 4 wheel drive wished me good luck when I started. I was wondering what he was driving around for. I started off south down a dirt road. I then found and trail and started running through it. My GPS didn't get a signal, so I ran without it.
I quickly found out that this section has many trails in it, so it could be easy to get lost. I turned a couple times, but tried to mostly stay in a straight path. I didn't have my cell phone on me, so I wanted to stay safe.
The trails themselves were a blast. Most of the soil is the typical sandy type found in New Jersey. Since it is somewhat wet still, it makes for good running in most sections. There are also a lot of sections that are covered in pine needles. It looked neat and was a refreshing change from the boring city loops.
There were just so many challenges on the trail. Some sections still had snow. There were a lot of areas where trees had fallen onto to the path. I often had to leap over them, run under them or go around them. It made for a fun obstacle course.
One nice thing is that there are a lot of dirt roads running through the forest. Even if I got lost, I'd eventually come to one and it could help me find my way to a main road. After running through the trails for awhile, I came to a paved road. I'm still not actually sure what it was. I crossed it and stayed straight on the trail for most of the remainder of the run.
Since I haven't run in awhile, I started to tire out. After 30 minutes, I elected to turn around. I didn't have too much trouble following my path back. It was helpful that I had made footprints in the snow.
Eventually, I lost track though. Thanks to the sun, I still had a good idea which direction I was heading. I just kept heading west. I came out to one of the dirt roads. I then found one that lead to the highway. I thought it was the road the I parked on.
It turns out, it was south of that. I ran north, hoping I was going the right direction. I came across another runner. He was the only guy that I saw the whole time. It turned out that it was the guy who was driving around earlier.
I turned up the road and found my car. I ended up finishing in around an hour after the short detour. I talked to the guy for quite awhile. He is big into orienteering. That is a way to navigate through the woods to find different markers. Sounds like fun, but I would get lost. I was just glad that didn't happen today.
My Achilles held up fairly well. Towards the end of the run, it felt sore at times. That mostly happened when I pushed off on the uneven footing. I'm now using the foam roller to work the tension out of there.
I actually work at 8 hour shift tomorrow. I'm not sure if I am going to rest or get out and run or bike. Rest might be the best option. I am off Monday and Tuesday. On Monday, I'd like to do some more trail running. Tuesday, I'm going to run with the run club. I really hope my Achilles can hold up for a couple weeks. I'd at least like to get through the half marathon.
Today was a blast and the hour seemed to end quickly. I'm definitely going to incorporate more trail running into my training. It is certainly a good change up from the rigors of road running. Every step is different and interesting. I just wish I had more trails around here to run on. Most of them aren't very long.
I've been reading a lot about trails lately. Instead of hitting the hard roads, I decided to head out for some trail running. I wanted a soft trail and also a flat one. Therefore, I headed about 40 miles east into the New Jersey pine barrens and ran on the Batona Trail.
It is nearly a 50 mile trail through the pine barrens. The parking lot was still covered in snow and the dirt road into the trail was rough. I don't think I actually found the trail itself. I believe it has white blazes. I saw those with a hiking sign, but I never did see the main trail head. I did pick up a map where the trail head is supposed to be. That wasn't a help though.
A guy with a 4 wheel drive wished me good luck when I started. I was wondering what he was driving around for. I started off south down a dirt road. I then found and trail and started running through it. My GPS didn't get a signal, so I ran without it.
I quickly found out that this section has many trails in it, so it could be easy to get lost. I turned a couple times, but tried to mostly stay in a straight path. I didn't have my cell phone on me, so I wanted to stay safe.
The trails themselves were a blast. Most of the soil is the typical sandy type found in New Jersey. Since it is somewhat wet still, it makes for good running in most sections. There are also a lot of sections that are covered in pine needles. It looked neat and was a refreshing change from the boring city loops.
There were just so many challenges on the trail. Some sections still had snow. There were a lot of areas where trees had fallen onto to the path. I often had to leap over them, run under them or go around them. It made for a fun obstacle course.
One nice thing is that there are a lot of dirt roads running through the forest. Even if I got lost, I'd eventually come to one and it could help me find my way to a main road. After running through the trails for awhile, I came to a paved road. I'm still not actually sure what it was. I crossed it and stayed straight on the trail for most of the remainder of the run.
Since I haven't run in awhile, I started to tire out. After 30 minutes, I elected to turn around. I didn't have too much trouble following my path back. It was helpful that I had made footprints in the snow.
Eventually, I lost track though. Thanks to the sun, I still had a good idea which direction I was heading. I just kept heading west. I came out to one of the dirt roads. I then found one that lead to the highway. I thought it was the road the I parked on.
It turns out, it was south of that. I ran north, hoping I was going the right direction. I came across another runner. He was the only guy that I saw the whole time. It turned out that it was the guy who was driving around earlier.
I turned up the road and found my car. I ended up finishing in around an hour after the short detour. I talked to the guy for quite awhile. He is big into orienteering. That is a way to navigate through the woods to find different markers. Sounds like fun, but I would get lost. I was just glad that didn't happen today.
My Achilles held up fairly well. Towards the end of the run, it felt sore at times. That mostly happened when I pushed off on the uneven footing. I'm now using the foam roller to work the tension out of there.
I actually work at 8 hour shift tomorrow. I'm not sure if I am going to rest or get out and run or bike. Rest might be the best option. I am off Monday and Tuesday. On Monday, I'd like to do some more trail running. Tuesday, I'm going to run with the run club. I really hope my Achilles can hold up for a couple weeks. I'd at least like to get through the half marathon.
Today was a blast and the hour seemed to end quickly. I'm definitely going to incorporate more trail running into my training. It is certainly a good change up from the rigors of road running. Every step is different and interesting. I just wish I had more trails around here to run on. Most of them aren't very long.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Injury
Today certainly wasn't a fun run. I was hoping that the soreness in my Achilles Tendon at the end of Friday's run would heal by Sunday. As I was walking around, it became obvious that it hadn't. I wasn't in any real discomfort, but I did feel some minor soreness. Rather than risk running my scheduled hard long run, I took the day off on Sunday.
It was a decision that I regretted because I don't like missing days. However, after heading out today, I quickly found out that it was the right decision. I felt pretty good today and thought about running the hard run a day later.
I decided I would head out and let my body decide whether I would do the hard day or easy day. It was much warmer than recently, but still very windy. I knew I'd have trouble running hard against the wind. I also didn't feel that great as I started off. After a mile, I sped up a bit. I quickly realized that wasn't going to work though and opted for the easy 5 mile day.
I felt alright as I headed out along West River Drive. Going against the wind wasn't a lot of fun, but I've had worse days. The Achillies did feel a little stiff. It wasn't until shortly after the turnaround point that it really started to bother me. It got worse and worse as I ran on. I wanted to make it to mile 4 and if I really pushed it, I could've.
It was really becoming a problem though, so after 3.65 miles, I shut it down. I walked back Lloyd Hall and tried to stretch the muscle out. I know it is wise not to push through, so I didn't. I really think lifting weights and combining that with the hard pounding of running took its toll. Hopefully I caught it before it was too late.
I don't want to put my long term running in jeopardy. Therefore, I am going to rest for at least the remainder of the week. I will get out and do some non impact cycling instead. Hopefully that'll allow the Tendon time to heal and recover. I'll try to cycle for as long as I would normally run. That'll keep my fitness up. I might test the injury out on Friday, but until then, I'm going to back off.
I'm starting to reconsider my marathon plans too. Going out to Minneapolis is going to be expensive. I'm also not crazy about signing up for the marathon if I might get injured (like I am now). I feel like other than the injury, my conditioning is good. I know I still need some long runs of over 20 miles and to fine tune my speed. Other than that, I think I'm right where I need to be to qualify for Boston.
I might try readjusting my schedule and running the Pocono Marathon in May instead. I still will have time to put in the training that I need to in order to make it to Boston. The Caesar Rodney Half Marathon in three weeks might be the deciding factor on whether I opt for the May or June marathon.
I'd really just love to get a BQ so I can sort of relax over the summer. I'll rest longer after the marathon if that is the case. I'll still keep my miles fairly high when I come back, but I'll concentrate on faster stuff and the Blue Eagle 5K.
3.65 miles - 28:24 (7:47 pace)
It was a decision that I regretted because I don't like missing days. However, after heading out today, I quickly found out that it was the right decision. I felt pretty good today and thought about running the hard run a day later.
I decided I would head out and let my body decide whether I would do the hard day or easy day. It was much warmer than recently, but still very windy. I knew I'd have trouble running hard against the wind. I also didn't feel that great as I started off. After a mile, I sped up a bit. I quickly realized that wasn't going to work though and opted for the easy 5 mile day.
I felt alright as I headed out along West River Drive. Going against the wind wasn't a lot of fun, but I've had worse days. The Achillies did feel a little stiff. It wasn't until shortly after the turnaround point that it really started to bother me. It got worse and worse as I ran on. I wanted to make it to mile 4 and if I really pushed it, I could've.
It was really becoming a problem though, so after 3.65 miles, I shut it down. I walked back Lloyd Hall and tried to stretch the muscle out. I know it is wise not to push through, so I didn't. I really think lifting weights and combining that with the hard pounding of running took its toll. Hopefully I caught it before it was too late.
I don't want to put my long term running in jeopardy. Therefore, I am going to rest for at least the remainder of the week. I will get out and do some non impact cycling instead. Hopefully that'll allow the Tendon time to heal and recover. I'll try to cycle for as long as I would normally run. That'll keep my fitness up. I might test the injury out on Friday, but until then, I'm going to back off.
I'm starting to reconsider my marathon plans too. Going out to Minneapolis is going to be expensive. I'm also not crazy about signing up for the marathon if I might get injured (like I am now). I feel like other than the injury, my conditioning is good. I know I still need some long runs of over 20 miles and to fine tune my speed. Other than that, I think I'm right where I need to be to qualify for Boston.
I might try readjusting my schedule and running the Pocono Marathon in May instead. I still will have time to put in the training that I need to in order to make it to Boston. The Caesar Rodney Half Marathon in three weeks might be the deciding factor on whether I opt for the May or June marathon.
I'd really just love to get a BQ so I can sort of relax over the summer. I'll rest longer after the marathon if that is the case. I'll still keep my miles fairly high when I come back, but I'll concentrate on faster stuff and the Blue Eagle 5K.
3.65 miles - 28:24 (7:47 pace)
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