Monday: 8:00 PM - 6 Miles, 40 min
After yesterday's run, the pain and tightness in my hamstring had moved down into the gastroc. When I got up this morning, there was a lot of discomfort and I decided to hold off on the run. I worked on it throughout the day to loosen it up and by the evening it was feeling better. I went for an easy run after work and felt pretty good. Kept it short and made sure not to over do it.
Tuesday: 7:00 PM - Track Workout @ Reggie
21 min warm up
2 x (800, 800, Mile) w/ 2.5mr, 4mr between sets
2:17, 2:18, 4:37
2:17, 2:17, 4:35
23 min cool down
Total = 11 Miles
Solid workout. Felt comfortable throughout. I still had some tightness in the hamstring and the semi-tendinosus but nothing compared to last week. I felt really good on the last mile and felt I could have run under 4:30 comfortably. I'm encouraged by this but will continue to be cautious and make sure not to over do anything.
Wednesday: 0 Miles
Got up in the morning and everything was tight from last nights workout (hamstrings, semi-tendinosus, calves). Put some heat on the problematic area which helped but still held off on the run. Instead, I did PT exercises and core for about an hour. Things loosened up throughout the day and might have been up for an evening run but I got home late and decided to hold off til the morning.
Thursday: 8:00 AM - 6 Miles, 41 min
Felt ok, not great. I'm having some trouble with my left leg. I think it might be the sciatic nerve and/or the piriformis muscle. It comes and goes and just tightens up during certain movements. I'll keep monitoring it and hopefully see some improvement.
Friday: 7:00 PM - Track Workout @ Reggie
24 min warm up
6 x 1200 w/ 1mr
3:33, 3:33, 3:33, 3:32, 3:31, 3:29
24 min cool down
Total = 11 Miles
Good workout w/ Roland. Felt really comfortable on the first 4 and then started to work a little harder in the last two. Legs were tightening up towards the end and on the cooldown, but nothing too bad. I took an ice bath when I got home which I felt was needed. I also met with my chiropractor earlier today and he worked on my legs quite a bit, which seemed to help. He also doesn't think the tightness in my left leg is related to the sciatic nerve but rather to tightness in the abducter, which can have similar symptoms. Brought the foam roller to practice and did some good hammy work with that.
Saturday: 10:00 AM - 7 Miles, 48 min
Out and back on the minuteman trail. Legs were heavy, left calf was really tight, hamstring was bothering me and generally felt like crap so I kept the pace easy. Did a lot of core and strength exercises after the run. Stretched, iced, tried to mend things. Took a nap. Went for an hour walk along the river later in the evening.
Sunday: 0 Miles
Feeling like junk. I'm trying to fight off being sick and I'm still having problems with my left side. Did some more core exercises today but wasn't able to do any cardio. Watched the game with Maloney and Carter after work. Obviously not a good ending to the day, but I did get a call from Rupprecht informing me that his family just won 75 grand on the game which was good to hear. So congrats to them!
Week Total = 41 Miles
Third low mileage week in a row. Not good. It's been a rocky start to 2008 and there's been a lot of frustration. I've been able to pull it together for workouts lately but I can't seem to feel good on the recovery days. I'm trying to be smart and back off when things are bothering me, but it seems whenever I get over one obstacle, there's another one to follow, just waiting for me to stumble over it. I'm not giving up yet, I know my fitness is still there so I'm gonna put everything I can into this 5K next week and also make sure I'm healthy and fit enough to compete in Ireland. However, I may need to take a nice long break when I get back.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Terrier recap
Numbers...
Saturday, January 26th
Terrier Invitational
3000M - 8:17.62 - 12th place
400's - 67.5, 65.4, 66.0, 66.1, 66.6, 65.5, 66.9, 33.6
k's - 2:45.0, 2:46.6, 2:46.0
Sunday, January 27th
8:30 AM - 9 Miles, 60 min
Hamstring was pretty tight to start out but loosened up after a couple miles and was able to have a decent run. Semitendinosus flared up a little in the last few miles but not too bad.
Training Log (Jan 21-27)
Monday: 12 Miles, 80 min
Tuesday: 4 x 800 @ 2:14-2:16 w/ 2.5mr; 4mr; 3 x 300 @ 45-46 w/ 1.5mr; Total- 10 Miles
Wednesday: 0 Miles
Thursday: 0 Miles
Friday: 4 Miles, 28 min
Saturday: Terrier Inv. - 3K (8:17); Total- 8 Miles
Sunday: 9 Miles, 60 min
Total: 43 Miles, 5 runs
Another low week. More problems. One half decent race.
So let's talk about the race a little bit. I had a lot of mixed feelings about this result and therefore am not really sure if I'm happy with it or not. Considering the way the last few weeks have been going and the problems that have been popping up, I guess I have to see this performance as a positive. It was less than a second off my PR and was even paced all the way through. I felt comfortable running with those guys, I stayed focused for the majority of the race and I didn't blow up at any point. So it could have been a lot worse. However, when it came time to close and really go after a fast time with the rest of those guys, I just stuck my tail between my legs and let everyone blow right by me. I ran most of the race with Miller, Norton, and Roland. But as you can see in the results, all three of them beat me by 6+ seconds. With about 400 to go they put the hammer down and ran 60-61 for the last quarter... but I didn't move an inch. I just settled for another 66. Part of it was I just didn't have any gears to go to, but at the same time, I don't feel like I tried hard enough to find those gears. I didn't give up but I didn't fight either. I want to get that fight back. In order to do that, I need to first get my confidence back, which has been slipping lately. Pretty much everyone and their mother ran a PR this weekend and I just settled for mediocre. I look at my time and know that it is not indicative of what I can do. 8:17 is not good! It may be fine for where I'm at right now, but I really wanted to be a lot faster at this point in the season. I know I can run with all those guys in front of me and therefore it's discouraging to see them just run away from me like that.
Ok, back to positive. The good thing about this race is I felt comfortable running 66's. Again it was just that last 4-600 meters that got away from me. So I feel like my strength is definitely there. At certain points in the middle of the race, I felt like the pace was lagging and I actually thought about pushing the pace at times. But rather chose to be safe and stay with the pack. This should be a good set up for a fast 5k in a couple weeks. While I would love to improve on my 3k time, I feel I need to go after a fast 5k this season. That's the main focus this year and therefore, putting up a 14:15-14:20 indoors would set me up nicely for the spring. So I'll keep nursing these little injuries and try to get ready to run my ass off in that 5K at Valentine.
Before I conclude this, I'll also say that this will be my last "journal" entry for a while. Rather than rambling on each day about useless details in my everyday life, I'm going to focus my entries more on what this blog was intended to be: a training log. I think it will be better for everyone if I keep more of my emotions to myself and just take care of business. I'll still throw in some insight here and there, but the daily posts will be more of a simple training log format. I may decide to go back to the old format again in the future but for right now, I think this is the best thing to do.
All for now.
Saturday, January 26th
Terrier Invitational
3000M - 8:17.62 - 12th place
400's - 67.5, 65.4, 66.0, 66.1, 66.6, 65.5, 66.9, 33.6
k's - 2:45.0, 2:46.6, 2:46.0
Sunday, January 27th
8:30 AM - 9 Miles, 60 min
Hamstring was pretty tight to start out but loosened up after a couple miles and was able to have a decent run. Semitendinosus flared up a little in the last few miles but not too bad.
Training Log (Jan 21-27)
Monday: 12 Miles, 80 min
Tuesday: 4 x 800 @ 2:14-2:16 w/ 2.5mr; 4mr; 3 x 300 @ 45-46 w/ 1.5mr; Total- 10 Miles
Wednesday: 0 Miles
Thursday: 0 Miles
Friday: 4 Miles, 28 min
Saturday: Terrier Inv. - 3K (8:17); Total- 8 Miles
Sunday: 9 Miles, 60 min
Total: 43 Miles, 5 runs
Another low week. More problems. One half decent race.
So let's talk about the race a little bit. I had a lot of mixed feelings about this result and therefore am not really sure if I'm happy with it or not. Considering the way the last few weeks have been going and the problems that have been popping up, I guess I have to see this performance as a positive. It was less than a second off my PR and was even paced all the way through. I felt comfortable running with those guys, I stayed focused for the majority of the race and I didn't blow up at any point. So it could have been a lot worse. However, when it came time to close and really go after a fast time with the rest of those guys, I just stuck my tail between my legs and let everyone blow right by me. I ran most of the race with Miller, Norton, and Roland. But as you can see in the results, all three of them beat me by 6+ seconds. With about 400 to go they put the hammer down and ran 60-61 for the last quarter... but I didn't move an inch. I just settled for another 66. Part of it was I just didn't have any gears to go to, but at the same time, I don't feel like I tried hard enough to find those gears. I didn't give up but I didn't fight either. I want to get that fight back. In order to do that, I need to first get my confidence back, which has been slipping lately. Pretty much everyone and their mother ran a PR this weekend and I just settled for mediocre. I look at my time and know that it is not indicative of what I can do. 8:17 is not good! It may be fine for where I'm at right now, but I really wanted to be a lot faster at this point in the season. I know I can run with all those guys in front of me and therefore it's discouraging to see them just run away from me like that.
Ok, back to positive. The good thing about this race is I felt comfortable running 66's. Again it was just that last 4-600 meters that got away from me. So I feel like my strength is definitely there. At certain points in the middle of the race, I felt like the pace was lagging and I actually thought about pushing the pace at times. But rather chose to be safe and stay with the pack. This should be a good set up for a fast 5k in a couple weeks. While I would love to improve on my 3k time, I feel I need to go after a fast 5k this season. That's the main focus this year and therefore, putting up a 14:15-14:20 indoors would set me up nicely for the spring. So I'll keep nursing these little injuries and try to get ready to run my ass off in that 5K at Valentine.
Before I conclude this, I'll also say that this will be my last "journal" entry for a while. Rather than rambling on each day about useless details in my everyday life, I'm going to focus my entries more on what this blog was intended to be: a training log. I think it will be better for everyone if I keep more of my emotions to myself and just take care of business. I'll still throw in some insight here and there, but the daily posts will be more of a simple training log format. I may decide to go back to the old format again in the future but for right now, I think this is the best thing to do.
All for now.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Giving it a shot
Thursday, January 24th
0 Miles
Friday, January 25th
4 Miles, 28 min
Winchester w/ Donny
So things haven't changed too much with the leg situation. My hamstring has loosened up some but the tendinitis is still bothering me. I saw my chiropractor on Wednesday and he confirmed my diagnosis of it being the semi-tendinosus. He worked on a lot of stuff which I think was helping the overall situation but ended up making me more sore on Thursday as a result. Last night I went to see the premiere of "Spirit of the Marathon", a new documentary with Deena Kastor that follows the ambitions of long distance runners. It was a great movie and was very inspiring. After the movie, I hung out with Fenton, Karina, and Mark from Flotrack. This was pretty cool and just made me more eager to run fast. I want to be as positive as I can about everything going on so I'm trying not to worry about the small set backs now and focus on the big picture.
I am seeded in the fast heat of the 3000m tomorrow at the Terrier Invitational and my plan is to be in that race. I plan on getting in there with the race strategy that I've had all along and just find out where I stand right now. I figure I at least owe it to myself to give it a shot. After the race, I can re-evaluate my situation and adjust accordingly if needed. It should be a very exciting weekend with a lot of great things lined up (Terrier women tonight, Terrier men tomorrow, Indoor Games, awesome after party at Game On, NB Boston getting onto Flotrack, fun people visiting, and the list goes on). I just hope that I can add to the excitement by running something respectable.
0 Miles
Friday, January 25th
4 Miles, 28 min
Winchester w/ Donny
So things haven't changed too much with the leg situation. My hamstring has loosened up some but the tendinitis is still bothering me. I saw my chiropractor on Wednesday and he confirmed my diagnosis of it being the semi-tendinosus. He worked on a lot of stuff which I think was helping the overall situation but ended up making me more sore on Thursday as a result. Last night I went to see the premiere of "Spirit of the Marathon", a new documentary with Deena Kastor that follows the ambitions of long distance runners. It was a great movie and was very inspiring. After the movie, I hung out with Fenton, Karina, and Mark from Flotrack. This was pretty cool and just made me more eager to run fast. I want to be as positive as I can about everything going on so I'm trying not to worry about the small set backs now and focus on the big picture.
I am seeded in the fast heat of the 3000m tomorrow at the Terrier Invitational and my plan is to be in that race. I plan on getting in there with the race strategy that I've had all along and just find out where I stand right now. I figure I at least owe it to myself to give it a shot. After the race, I can re-evaluate my situation and adjust accordingly if needed. It should be a very exciting weekend with a lot of great things lined up (Terrier women tonight, Terrier men tomorrow, Indoor Games, awesome after party at Game On, NB Boston getting onto Flotrack, fun people visiting, and the list goes on). I just hope that I can add to the excitement by running something respectable.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
In need of a boost
Tuesday, January 22nd
7:00 PM - Track Workout @ Reggie
21 min warm up
4 x 800 w/ 2.5 mr - 2:16.3, 2:16.6, 2:15.1, 2:14.8; 4 mr
3 x 300 w/ 1.5 mr - 45.2, 46.0, 46.2
22 min cool down
Total = 10 Miles
Not a very hard workout but still solid for two days after a race. I worked out with Roland and the track was packed as usual, forcing us to weave in and out of traffic on every interval. My legs were a little heavy on the first couple 800s but seemed to loosen up more as the workout progressed. We were hitting the 300s pretty quick and it felt fine. Until the 3rd one when I felt a twinge in my right hamstring. It may have just been from doing some faster stuff, or from the race on Sunday, or possibly connected to the tendinitis that I have on that side. Either way, it didn't feel good! So I decided to skip the last 300 and call it a night. I ran the cool down outside which felt ok, but the hamstring was really tight. The fact that the sidewalks were glazed over with ice and I was slipping all over the place didn't help any. When I got home, I worked on it for a while trying to get the knots out, and then iced before going to bed. Getting in there with my hands was pretty painful but it seemed to help.
Wednesday, January 23rd
0 Miles
When I got up this morning, both the tendinitis and the hamstring were pretty sore and seemed to be generally unhappy with me. So as much as I hate to do it, I decided that I should just bite the bullet and take the day off. I'm getting pretty frustrated with things lately and am starting to lose patience. I feel like I am so far behind where I want to be right now and I just can't seem to catch up. I don't want to rush things but at the same time, I want to make more progress in my fitness. My body just isn't cooperating right now. I feel like I'm in a huge rut that I can't get out of. My mileage hasn't been very high and the workouts that I've been doing aren't that hard, so I don't really know what the problem is. I had some bad luck with that fall just before new years and I've had some added stress in the last few weeks (some from outside variables and some being self inflicted), but I should still be able to handle this kind of work load. In the next 4-5 weeks, I have some pretty big races on the schedule and I've set some pretty big goals for all of them. These are all very important to me and I'm just not sure if I'm ready to hit those goals yet. I feel like my confidence has been on a downward spiral since coming off a great cross season and I just can't seem to get things back to the way they were. I want to get back to feeling strong everyday and feeling confident in myself again. I find myself in desperate need of a confidence boost and just don't know where to look for it.
Enough ranting for today. Hopefully tomorrow's post will be more optimistic.
7:00 PM - Track Workout @ Reggie
21 min warm up
4 x 800 w/ 2.5 mr - 2:16.3, 2:16.6, 2:15.1, 2:14.8; 4 mr
3 x 300 w/ 1.5 mr - 45.2, 46.0, 46.2
22 min cool down
Total = 10 Miles
Not a very hard workout but still solid for two days after a race. I worked out with Roland and the track was packed as usual, forcing us to weave in and out of traffic on every interval. My legs were a little heavy on the first couple 800s but seemed to loosen up more as the workout progressed. We were hitting the 300s pretty quick and it felt fine. Until the 3rd one when I felt a twinge in my right hamstring. It may have just been from doing some faster stuff, or from the race on Sunday, or possibly connected to the tendinitis that I have on that side. Either way, it didn't feel good! So I decided to skip the last 300 and call it a night. I ran the cool down outside which felt ok, but the hamstring was really tight. The fact that the sidewalks were glazed over with ice and I was slipping all over the place didn't help any. When I got home, I worked on it for a while trying to get the knots out, and then iced before going to bed. Getting in there with my hands was pretty painful but it seemed to help.
Wednesday, January 23rd
0 Miles
When I got up this morning, both the tendinitis and the hamstring were pretty sore and seemed to be generally unhappy with me. So as much as I hate to do it, I decided that I should just bite the bullet and take the day off. I'm getting pretty frustrated with things lately and am starting to lose patience. I feel like I am so far behind where I want to be right now and I just can't seem to catch up. I don't want to rush things but at the same time, I want to make more progress in my fitness. My body just isn't cooperating right now. I feel like I'm in a huge rut that I can't get out of. My mileage hasn't been very high and the workouts that I've been doing aren't that hard, so I don't really know what the problem is. I had some bad luck with that fall just before new years and I've had some added stress in the last few weeks (some from outside variables and some being self inflicted), but I should still be able to handle this kind of work load. In the next 4-5 weeks, I have some pretty big races on the schedule and I've set some pretty big goals for all of them. These are all very important to me and I'm just not sure if I'm ready to hit those goals yet. I feel like my confidence has been on a downward spiral since coming off a great cross season and I just can't seem to get things back to the way they were. I want to get back to feeling strong everyday and feeling confident in myself again. I find myself in desperate need of a confidence boost and just don't know where to look for it.
Enough ranting for today. Hopefully tomorrow's post will be more optimistic.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Self analysis
Monday, January 21st
Minuteman Trail - Arlington/Lexington
It was a very cold morning but I dressed accordingly and was ready to hammer out a solid long run. My legs felt great and therefore I was entertaining a brisk pace through most of the run.
However, the pain that I've been getting in my right leg was getting worse (most likely aggravated by the race yesterday) and put a damper on what could have been a great run. In the last 5-6 days, I've been having tightness and pain on the medial side of my leg just above the knee and closer to the hamstring. I figure it's an aggravation of the medial hamstring tendons, probably due to tight hamstrings and possibly over extending during speed work.
I'm not sure exactly what tendon is causing the problem but by looking at my muscle and tendon diagram, I can probably narrow it down to the semi-tendinosus or the semi-memranosus (or both). These connect the hamstring muscle to the tibia bone and play a key role in the extension of the leg and medial rotation of the knee. After my fall a few weeks ago, I was favoring my right leg quite a bit and therefore when I started running again, I put extra strain on that side which in turn caused a lot of tightness in those muscles. This is most likely the cause of irritation to these tendons. So like most cases of tendinitis, I'm running through the pain, icing when I can and massaging often. I'll see how it feels after tomorrows workout and see if I need to doing anything further.
New Shoes - 1223s
7:30 AM - 12 Miles, 80 minMinuteman Trail - Arlington/Lexington
It was a very cold morning but I dressed accordingly and was ready to hammer out a solid long run. My legs felt great and therefore I was entertaining a brisk pace through most of the run.
However, the pain that I've been getting in my right leg was getting worse (most likely aggravated by the race yesterday) and put a damper on what could have been a great run. In the last 5-6 days, I've been having tightness and pain on the medial side of my leg just above the knee and closer to the hamstring. I figure it's an aggravation of the medial hamstring tendons, probably due to tight hamstrings and possibly over extending during speed work.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
GBTC Invitational
Sunday, January 20th
GBTC Invitational
21 min warm up
2:35 PM - Invitational Mile - 4:17 (66, 61, 63, 67), 5th place
15 min cool down
Total = 6 Miles
7:30 PM - 6 Miles, 39 min
The race didn't go quite as planned but I guess it wasn't terrible either. It went out slow in the first quarter and most of us were stepping on one another and I found myself really chopping my strides. At the 400, Ned moved up to the lead and I followed. We hit that next quarter in 61 which strung things out a little but was still bunched up at the front. At this point I was a little frustrated by how things were going and found myself taking the lead at the half. I had planned on making a move with 600 to go so this was a little earlier than I wanted. Once I was out in front I figured I had to run hard. I ran the next quarter in 63 hitting the 1200 in 3:10. At that point, Miller went around me and I tried to latch on but just couldn't respond. All the moving around and gear changing had zapped my legs and I just ran out of gas. Shortly after Miller went by, DeWitt and Taye followed, then Roland got me right at the line.
It certainly wasn't the time I was looking for but I can at least look back and say that I made a race out of it. I took chances and put myself in the mix to see what I could do. It was my first race and not a distance I do very often so I can't beat myself up over it. Based on the workouts I've done, I have to at least be happy with the fact that I could respond to those early moves and change gears like that in the middle of the race. I'm sure if it had gone out faster and stayed more consistent, I probably could have run 4-5 seconds faster, but that's what happens in racing, things don't always go the way you want them to. So it was a missed opportunity to run a fast time, but it got some of the rust out of my legs and gave me something to build off of for next week.
There were a lot of other great performances at the meet and overall the NB Boston squad was represented pretty well. Also, on the road, our buddy Mario was getting it done by winning the frostbite 15K in a new PR of 48:40. So congrats to all of them and I look forward to an exciting weekend of races next weekend.
Training Log (Jan 14-20)
Monday: 10 Miles, 70 min (treadmill)
Tuesday: Mile @ 4:42, 3.5mr, 8 x 400 @ 63-64 w/1.5mr, 4mr, 400 @ 60; Total- 10 Miles
Wednesday: 6 Miles, 40 min
Thursday: 6 Miles, 40 min
Friday: 8 Miles, 54 min
Saturday: 5 Miles, 35 min
Sunday: GBTC Inv. - Mile (4:17); 12 Miles
Total = 57 Miles, 7 runs
Low mileage week since I've had a lot going on and my legs have been feeling pretty tired. I should be able to bump it up a little more in the next 2 weeks before starting my taper leading into Valentine and Ireland
GBTC Invitational
21 min warm up
2:35 PM - Invitational Mile - 4:17 (66, 61, 63, 67), 5th place
15 min cool down
Total = 6 Miles
7:30 PM - 6 Miles, 39 min
The race didn't go quite as planned but I guess it wasn't terrible either. It went out slow in the first quarter and most of us were stepping on one another and I found myself really chopping my strides. At the 400, Ned moved up to the lead and I followed. We hit that next quarter in 61 which strung things out a little but was still bunched up at the front. At this point I was a little frustrated by how things were going and found myself taking the lead at the half. I had planned on making a move with 600 to go so this was a little earlier than I wanted. Once I was out in front I figured I had to run hard. I ran the next quarter in 63 hitting the 1200 in 3:10. At that point, Miller went around me and I tried to latch on but just couldn't respond. All the moving around and gear changing had zapped my legs and I just ran out of gas. Shortly after Miller went by, DeWitt and Taye followed, then Roland got me right at the line.
It certainly wasn't the time I was looking for but I can at least look back and say that I made a race out of it. I took chances and put myself in the mix to see what I could do. It was my first race and not a distance I do very often so I can't beat myself up over it. Based on the workouts I've done, I have to at least be happy with the fact that I could respond to those early moves and change gears like that in the middle of the race. I'm sure if it had gone out faster and stayed more consistent, I probably could have run 4-5 seconds faster, but that's what happens in racing, things don't always go the way you want them to. So it was a missed opportunity to run a fast time, but it got some of the rust out of my legs and gave me something to build off of for next week.
There were a lot of other great performances at the meet and overall the NB Boston squad was represented pretty well. Also, on the road, our buddy Mario was getting it done by winning the frostbite 15K in a new PR of 48:40. So congrats to all of them and I look forward to an exciting weekend of races next weekend.
Training Log (Jan 14-20)
Monday: 10 Miles, 70 min (treadmill)
Tuesday: Mile @ 4:42, 3.5mr, 8 x 400 @ 63-64 w/1.5mr, 4mr, 400 @ 60; Total- 10 Miles
Wednesday: 6 Miles, 40 min
Thursday: 6 Miles, 40 min
Friday: 8 Miles, 54 min
Saturday: 5 Miles, 35 min
Sunday: GBTC Inv. - Mile (4:17); 12 Miles
Total = 57 Miles, 7 runs
Low mileage week since I've had a lot going on and my legs have been feeling pretty tired. I should be able to bump it up a little more in the next 2 weeks before starting my taper leading into Valentine and Ireland
Saturday, January 19, 2008
The first race
Saturday, January 19th
9:30 AM - 5 Miles, 35 min
The Rockies, NY
I'll try to keep this short since I am exhausted and need to get to bed. Today was an exciting day as I was in NYC to watch the famous New Balance Games, an experience I had not had before. It was even more exciting because my good friend and teammate was competing in them. More on that in a bit.
So I had an ok run in the morning with Rupprecht and his team. When ran out at the rockies, which was cool because I was on trails again, but my legs were feeling sluggish and heavy. I tried doing some strides afterward but I only got in about 3 as the pain in my right leg was getting worse from them. No big deal though, I'll worry about that later. The point of today was to be supportive for Jess. She was running in the very prestigous NB Games Elite Mile which is a very big deal and is viewed as one of the biggest races in the world. I was very nervous for her leading up to this and just wanted to be as supportive as I could through everything and hope to see her happy with the experience. The race went out very hard and she found herself on the tail end of the field. She made a few attempts to move up but just didn't have the extra gears she needed to close on the other girls and finished with a time of 4:50. Unfortunately, she was not very happy after the race; this was very evident. However, I think as the day progressed, she was able to turn it around and see a lot of positives from the weekend. It was her first race of the season and we all know that when we put too many expectations on the first race, we usually end up walking away disappointed. I believe things will be different for her next weekend and she'll show us what she really is capable of.
So speaking of first races, mine's tomorrow. Crap! I am not really nervous about it, which is actually making me more nervous as a result. I am running the Mile at the GBTC Invitational and have set a public goal of 4:10 but am unsure of my ability to run that right now. There are some pretty fast guys in the race and I can assure you that I will not be intimidated, I will be aggressive, and I will run as hard as possible from start to finish. But that is all. I don't know what result come from it. Since I have no idea what I'm capable of for that distance right now, there is a possibility that my finish will not be pretty and I could walk away disappointed. But that is a risk I am willing to take in order to find out some answers. So I'm gonna get some sleep now and just hope for the best.
More on that tomorrow.
9:30 AM - 5 Miles, 35 min
The Rockies, NY
I'll try to keep this short since I am exhausted and need to get to bed. Today was an exciting day as I was in NYC to watch the famous New Balance Games, an experience I had not had before. It was even more exciting because my good friend and teammate was competing in them. More on that in a bit.
So I had an ok run in the morning with Rupprecht and his team. When ran out at the rockies, which was cool because I was on trails again, but my legs were feeling sluggish and heavy. I tried doing some strides afterward but I only got in about 3 as the pain in my right leg was getting worse from them. No big deal though, I'll worry about that later. The point of today was to be supportive for Jess. She was running in the very prestigous NB Games Elite Mile which is a very big deal and is viewed as one of the biggest races in the world. I was very nervous for her leading up to this and just wanted to be as supportive as I could through everything and hope to see her happy with the experience. The race went out very hard and she found herself on the tail end of the field. She made a few attempts to move up but just didn't have the extra gears she needed to close on the other girls and finished with a time of 4:50. Unfortunately, she was not very happy after the race; this was very evident. However, I think as the day progressed, she was able to turn it around and see a lot of positives from the weekend. It was her first race of the season and we all know that when we put too many expectations on the first race, we usually end up walking away disappointed. I believe things will be different for her next weekend and she'll show us what she really is capable of.
So speaking of first races, mine's tomorrow. Crap! I am not really nervous about it, which is actually making me more nervous as a result. I am running the Mile at the GBTC Invitational and have set a public goal of 4:10 but am unsure of my ability to run that right now. There are some pretty fast guys in the race and I can assure you that I will not be intimidated, I will be aggressive, and I will run as hard as possible from start to finish. But that is all. I don't know what result come from it. Since I have no idea what I'm capable of for that distance right now, there is a possibility that my finish will not be pretty and I could walk away disappointed. But that is a risk I am willing to take in order to find out some answers. So I'm gonna get some sleep now and just hope for the best.
More on that tomorrow.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Road Trip
Thursday, January 17th
8:00 AM - 6 Miles, 40 min
Arlington loop
Friday, January 18th
8:00 AM - 8 Miles, 54 min
Winchester loop plus a couple miles on the minuteman trail
After a decent run and a decent day at work, I went home to grab a quick bite to eat and packed my things before hitting the road and journeying to the great state of New York. Tonight, I'm staying in Yonkers with this guy, and tomorrow I'll be going to the armory to watch this girl run in this race. It should be a good time and will hopefully give me some added enthusiasm for my race on Sunday. Now I'm gonna chat with Rupprecht a bit more before getting some shut eye.
All for now ....Wish Jess luck!
8:00 AM - 6 Miles, 40 min
Arlington loop
Friday, January 18th
8:00 AM - 8 Miles, 54 min
Winchester loop plus a couple miles on the minuteman trail
After a decent run and a decent day at work, I went home to grab a quick bite to eat and packed my things before hitting the road and journeying to the great state of New York. Tonight, I'm staying in Yonkers with this guy, and tomorrow I'll be going to the armory to watch this girl run in this race. It should be a good time and will hopefully give me some added enthusiasm for my race on Sunday. Now I'm gonna chat with Rupprecht a bit more before getting some shut eye.
All for now ....Wish Jess luck!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
A full day
Wednesday, January 16th
8:00 PM - 6 Miles, 40 min
Arlington
So today was my day off and you may be asking why I didn't get a run in until 8:00 PM on my day off. Well, per usual, my day off was the busiest day of the week. After a late workout last night, I got up this morning fairly early and left the house at about 8am. Then I didn't return home until after 7pm. I did get a lot done though. I took care of a few things at the store before Tony came in and then went over to Brueggers for coffee and a nice little chat about recent events. I then voyaged west to Hopkinton where I had an overdue visit with Glenn.
Furthermore, since I was out in those parts, I opted to pay a visit to good friend and fellow 'mate, Mario. We were able to grab lunch together and talk for a couple hours at the store about various things that have been going on. I really value Mario's input through all this since we do have a lot of similar goals and can appreciate the efforts we each put into them each day. I would have liked to stay longer but I had other things to get done today. So I proceeded to made the trek back east. First back to Melrose to finish up a couple things at the store, followed by various errands that I've been putting off. These included hitting up the New Balance outlet for some shoes and cheap apparel, picking up some things at staples and target, followed by a Whole Foods visit in which I spent way too much money on food.
Finally, I got back to Medford a little after 7pm. I unloaded the groceries, responded to a few important emails and got out the door for a run around 8pm. Before doing this, I had about 2 seconds in which I considered taking a zero for the day since it was getting late and I was tired. But then I snapped out of it and threw on the ol' trainers. I'm glad I did because I actually felt great. I probably would have gone farther if I wasn't starving. I hit about 4 miles at a decent clip and my stomach started yelling at me. As I thought about all the food I just bought, I quickly took the fastest route home and called it good at 6 miles. I had a much appreciated dinner followed by a very friendly phone call that concluded my day on a positive note. So my day is now complete and I am off to bed.
Goodnight!
8:00 PM - 6 Miles, 40 min
Arlington
So today was my day off and you may be asking why I didn't get a run in until 8:00 PM on my day off. Well, per usual, my day off was the busiest day of the week. After a late workout last night, I got up this morning fairly early and left the house at about 8am. Then I didn't return home until after 7pm. I did get a lot done though. I took care of a few things at the store before Tony came in and then went over to Brueggers for coffee and a nice little chat about recent events. I then voyaged west to Hopkinton where I had an overdue visit with Glenn.
Furthermore, since I was out in those parts, I opted to pay a visit to good friend and fellow 'mate, Mario. We were able to grab lunch together and talk for a couple hours at the store about various things that have been going on. I really value Mario's input through all this since we do have a lot of similar goals and can appreciate the efforts we each put into them each day. I would have liked to stay longer but I had other things to get done today. So I proceeded to made the trek back east. First back to Melrose to finish up a couple things at the store, followed by various errands that I've been putting off. These included hitting up the New Balance outlet for some shoes and cheap apparel, picking up some things at staples and target, followed by a Whole Foods visit in which I spent way too much money on food.
Finally, I got back to Medford a little after 7pm. I unloaded the groceries, responded to a few important emails and got out the door for a run around 8pm. Before doing this, I had about 2 seconds in which I considered taking a zero for the day since it was getting late and I was tired. But then I snapped out of it and threw on the ol' trainers. I'm glad I did because I actually felt great. I probably would have gone farther if I wasn't starving. I hit about 4 miles at a decent clip and my stomach started yelling at me. As I thought about all the food I just bought, I quickly took the fastest route home and called it good at 6 miles. I had a much appreciated dinner followed by a very friendly phone call that concluded my day on a positive note. So my day is now complete and I am off to bed.
Goodnight!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Speedier stuff
Tuesday, January 15th
7:00 PM - Track Workout @ Reggie
23 min warm up
1 Mile @ 4:42.4, 3.5 min rest
8 x 400 w/ 90 sec rest
64.7, 64.2, 64.2, 63.1, 63.9, 63.2, 63.3, 63.8; Avg = 63.8
4 min rest
400 @ 60.0
23 min cool down
Total = 10 Miles
Pretty decent workout tonight w/ Roland. Mile felt real easy and the 400s weren't too bad. The first couple felt quick since I just haven't been doing anything that fast yet, but as we got a few under our belt, they felt more comfortable. The place was a zoo tonight so it was hard to find room on the track... we constantly had to weave in and out and do a lot of work out in lane 3 & 4. Even though the effort on those were probably more in the 62 range in most cases, I still wanted to get something in that would actually be faster than my goal mile pace this weekend so I took a little longer recovery after the 8th 400 and ran another one at a harder effort. Not all out but close to it. Again, considering all the weaving involved, I think it shows promise. Now, I just need to string 4 of these together on Sunday (maybe a little faster) and I'll be in good shape.
7:00 PM - Track Workout @ Reggie
23 min warm up
1 Mile @ 4:42.4, 3.5 min rest
8 x 400 w/ 90 sec rest
64.7, 64.2, 64.2, 63.1, 63.9, 63.2, 63.3, 63.8; Avg = 63.8
4 min rest
400 @ 60.0
23 min cool down
Total = 10 Miles
Pretty decent workout tonight w/ Roland. Mile felt real easy and the 400s weren't too bad. The first couple felt quick since I just haven't been doing anything that fast yet, but as we got a few under our belt, they felt more comfortable. The place was a zoo tonight so it was hard to find room on the track... we constantly had to weave in and out and do a lot of work out in lane 3 & 4. Even though the effort on those were probably more in the 62 range in most cases, I still wanted to get something in that would actually be faster than my goal mile pace this weekend so I took a little longer recovery after the 8th 400 and ran another one at a harder effort. Not all out but close to it. Again, considering all the weaving involved, I think it shows promise. Now, I just need to string 4 of these together on Sunday (maybe a little faster) and I'll be in good shape.
Monday, January 14, 2008
An indoor day
Monday, January 14th
8:00 PM - 10 Miles, 70 min
Treadmill
7:20 pace at the start down to 6:30 pace at the end
Nothing exciting happened today so I'll keep it short. It snowed a lot and I worked all day. There weren't many customers in the store but with all the changes being made, I had a bunch of stuff to do (paperwork, sorting through old product, preparing for new inventory, etc.). After closing the store I had some more stuff to get done and then I jumped on the treadmill for a solid ten. I figured after what happened a couple weeks ago, it would be smart to stay off the roads. Definitely the longest I've ever run on a treadmill, and wasn't have bad either.
8:00 PM - 10 Miles, 70 min
Treadmill
7:20 pace at the start down to 6:30 pace at the end
Nothing exciting happened today so I'll keep it short. It snowed a lot and I worked all day. There weren't many customers in the store but with all the changes being made, I had a bunch of stuff to do (paperwork, sorting through old product, preparing for new inventory, etc.). After closing the store I had some more stuff to get done and then I jumped on the treadmill for a solid ten. I figured after what happened a couple weeks ago, it would be smart to stay off the roads. Definitely the longest I've ever run on a treadmill, and wasn't have bad either.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
A few changes
Saturday, January 12th
7:30 PM - 6 Miles, 41 min
Winchester loop
Another busy day so I didn't get out for a run in the morning. I also had to stay late at work to talk things over with my boss, so by the time I got home, I wasn't very motivated to get out for a run. I was exhausted from the week so I just did an easy 6 miles and called it good. I was able to make it through most of the Pats game and at least see them get a comfortable lead before I passed out on the couch in the 4th quarter. I woke up a couple hours later and went straight to bed which is why I didn't get my post up on here.
So I've been talking about all this stuff going on but haven't filled you in at all. The reason things have been crazy at work was because Tony has been planning to sell the store. I've known about this for a while now and thought things were pretty much settled with the buyer that I had met with several times and was already considering my new boss. However, on Friday, Tony came into the store shortly after lunch and told me he had just sold the store to a different buyer. This took me completely by surprise and still has not really set in yet. So currently, I am no longer the manager of Runner's Edge, but rather the manager of Marathon Sports (the Melrose Branch). I now work for Colin Peddie and Tony works for me. It was not an ordinary day.
Sunday, January 13th
11:00 AM - 13 Miles, 84 min
Fells (Trails!)
I was able to sleep in a little today and recover from a busy week. It was a great day for a run and I was finally able to get back onto the trails (something I probably won't be able to do tomorrow). There were still some icy spots here and there and parts that got pretty buddy, but overall, the conditions were pretty good. It was certainly nice to get off the roads for a change.
I felt comfortable through most of the run as I was running a decent clip, but started fading towards the end and feeling a little energy depleted. When I got back, I had a huge brunch (eggs, pancakes, a bowl of fruit, and a few spoonfuls of peanut butter while cooking) ...I was pretty hungry! I used to feel guilty about eating so much after a run, but I have come to realize that it's necessary for me at times and my body is just telling me I need more calories when I fall into that energy deficit (Rupprecht has helped me understand this more as well). Even on days that I don't run as much (or at all), I know that my body is still working hard to recover from the days before so I know now that I don't need to worry about cutting out extra calories or a whole meal just because I ran 6 miles less than I did the day before. I've certainly worked hard in the last year to lose some weight and in turn make myself a faster runner. I am quite a bit thinner than I was at this time last year, and I have improved my times quite a bit in that period. However, this isn't the only thing that's contributed to that. I have changed a lot of things about my lifestyle, including my job, my attitude towards my training and my overall work ethic. In the last few weeks, I have been doing a lot more core exercises and strength work in order to build faster and stronger muscles... something that will hopefully move me around the track a little more efficiently. But as I'm doing all this, I need to also be careful about my calorie intake. I can't be putting myself into deficit the way I have in the past. I am the lightest I've ever been and now I need to focus on my strength. I can't expect to build that strength or run those times if I'm depleting my body of the energy it needs. So I have gotten better about eating more often and not worrying about whether or not it will add another digit on the scale. Because I realize it is what will make me stronger.
The start to my track season is just around the corner and I am both very excited and very nervous. I feel like I have a lot more to do before getting out there but have to realize that my outdoor season is the main focus this year and everything I do now is just a stepping stone toward that. I have quite a few things coming up in the next week... I'll be discovering more about my roles at work with my new boss, I'll be starting with a new chiropractor (Dr. John Marchase), I'll be going to NYC to visit Paul and watch a great race at the armory, and I'll hopefully be running fast in what should at least be an interesting mile race at Harvard.
So that's it for now but I will certainly have more to talk about soon. Right now, I'm heading down to the great "Ocean State" to visit my lovely sister, Christine.
Training Log (Jan 7-13)
Monday: 7 Miles, 47 min
Tuesday: 4 x 1200 w/ 3.5 mr, avg = 3:23.2; Total- 10 Miles, 69 min
Wednesday: 12 Miles, 75 min
Thursday: 8 Miles, 56 min
Friday: 5 x mile w/ 1 mr, avg = 4:51; Total- 12 Miles, 73 min
Saturday: 6 Miles, 41 min
Sunday: 13 Miles, 84 min
Total = 68 Miles, 7 runs
Decent week considering my hip thing and everything else that was going on this week. Again, I'm looking forward to this next week and hope to be feeling a little stronger.
7:30 PM - 6 Miles, 41 min
Winchester loop
Another busy day so I didn't get out for a run in the morning. I also had to stay late at work to talk things over with my boss, so by the time I got home, I wasn't very motivated to get out for a run. I was exhausted from the week so I just did an easy 6 miles and called it good. I was able to make it through most of the Pats game and at least see them get a comfortable lead before I passed out on the couch in the 4th quarter. I woke up a couple hours later and went straight to bed which is why I didn't get my post up on here.
So I've been talking about all this stuff going on but haven't filled you in at all. The reason things have been crazy at work was because Tony has been planning to sell the store. I've known about this for a while now and thought things were pretty much settled with the buyer that I had met with several times and was already considering my new boss. However, on Friday, Tony came into the store shortly after lunch and told me he had just sold the store to a different buyer. This took me completely by surprise and still has not really set in yet. So currently, I am no longer the manager of Runner's Edge, but rather the manager of Marathon Sports (the Melrose Branch). I now work for Colin Peddie and Tony works for me. It was not an ordinary day.
Sunday, January 13th
11:00 AM - 13 Miles, 84 min
Fells (Trails!)
I was able to sleep in a little today and recover from a busy week. It was a great day for a run and I was finally able to get back onto the trails (something I probably won't be able to do tomorrow). There were still some icy spots here and there and parts that got pretty buddy, but overall, the conditions were pretty good. It was certainly nice to get off the roads for a change.
I felt comfortable through most of the run as I was running a decent clip, but started fading towards the end and feeling a little energy depleted. When I got back, I had a huge brunch (eggs, pancakes, a bowl of fruit, and a few spoonfuls of peanut butter while cooking) ...I was pretty hungry! I used to feel guilty about eating so much after a run, but I have come to realize that it's necessary for me at times and my body is just telling me I need more calories when I fall into that energy deficit (Rupprecht has helped me understand this more as well). Even on days that I don't run as much (or at all), I know that my body is still working hard to recover from the days before so I know now that I don't need to worry about cutting out extra calories or a whole meal just because I ran 6 miles less than I did the day before. I've certainly worked hard in the last year to lose some weight and in turn make myself a faster runner. I am quite a bit thinner than I was at this time last year, and I have improved my times quite a bit in that period. However, this isn't the only thing that's contributed to that. I have changed a lot of things about my lifestyle, including my job, my attitude towards my training and my overall work ethic. In the last few weeks, I have been doing a lot more core exercises and strength work in order to build faster and stronger muscles... something that will hopefully move me around the track a little more efficiently. But as I'm doing all this, I need to also be careful about my calorie intake. I can't be putting myself into deficit the way I have in the past. I am the lightest I've ever been and now I need to focus on my strength. I can't expect to build that strength or run those times if I'm depleting my body of the energy it needs. So I have gotten better about eating more often and not worrying about whether or not it will add another digit on the scale. Because I realize it is what will make me stronger.
The start to my track season is just around the corner and I am both very excited and very nervous. I feel like I have a lot more to do before getting out there but have to realize that my outdoor season is the main focus this year and everything I do now is just a stepping stone toward that. I have quite a few things coming up in the next week... I'll be discovering more about my roles at work with my new boss, I'll be starting with a new chiropractor (Dr. John Marchase), I'll be going to NYC to visit Paul and watch a great race at the armory, and I'll hopefully be running fast in what should at least be an interesting mile race at Harvard.
So that's it for now but I will certainly have more to talk about soon. Right now, I'm heading down to the great "Ocean State" to visit my lovely sister, Christine.
Training Log (Jan 7-13)
Monday: 7 Miles, 47 min
Tuesday: 4 x 1200 w/ 3.5 mr, avg = 3:23.2; Total- 10 Miles, 69 min
Wednesday: 12 Miles, 75 min
Thursday: 8 Miles, 56 min
Friday: 5 x mile w/ 1 mr, avg = 4:51; Total- 12 Miles, 73 min
Saturday: 6 Miles, 41 min
Sunday: 13 Miles, 84 min
Total = 68 Miles, 7 runs
Decent week considering my hip thing and everything else that was going on this week. Again, I'm looking forward to this next week and hope to be feeling a little stronger.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Ending better than it started
Friday, January 11th
7:00 PM - Track Workout @ Reggie
21 min warm up
5 x Mile w/ 1 min rest
4:48.4, 4:51.9, 4:51.7, 4:52.3, 4:51.1
23 min cool down
Total = 12 Miles, 73 min
I had a pretty crazy day today that affected me both mentally and physically ...actually the whole week has been that way. I'll explain more on that tomorrow. The workout went ok. I was solo tonight and still feeling pretty tired so it was more difficult than I would have liked it to be. After practice I had dinner and hung out with a good friend. Overall recap of the day was stressful craziness at work, tired but ok performance at practice, then quality dinner and relaxing post practice evening. So the day got progressively better and ended on some good notes ...therefore, I can't really complain. But I am very tired so I'm cutting this off here and getting to bed asap.
7:00 PM - Track Workout @ Reggie
21 min warm up
5 x Mile w/ 1 min rest
4:48.4, 4:51.9, 4:51.7, 4:52.3, 4:51.1
23 min cool down
Total = 12 Miles, 73 min
I had a pretty crazy day today that affected me both mentally and physically ...actually the whole week has been that way. I'll explain more on that tomorrow. The workout went ok. I was solo tonight and still feeling pretty tired so it was more difficult than I would have liked it to be. After practice I had dinner and hung out with a good friend. Overall recap of the day was stressful craziness at work, tired but ok performance at practice, then quality dinner and relaxing post practice evening. So the day got progressively better and ended on some good notes ...therefore, I can't really complain. But I am very tired so I'm cutting this off here and getting to bed asap.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Showing weakness but believing in strength
Thursday, January 10th
8:00 AM - 8 Miles, 56 min
Winchester/Arlington, Minuteman path
Today was a long day. I had a bunch of things to do in the morning, I felt pretty tired on the run, and I worked a very busy/semi-stressful 10 hours at work. I just felt very worn down today, probably for many reasons. I did run easy this morning, and instead of doing a shake out tomorrow morning, I may take advantage of the 36-hour trick, get some sleep, and wait til practice tomorrow night, hopefully feeling a little stronger.
Sometimes our ambitions and dreams can lead us to do too much... maybe even do things we wouldn't normally do. We do these things because those dreams are so important to us and have been for so long. But sometimes, we are blinded by those very dreams and end up making some mistakes along the way. Sometimes we do go too far and don't know how to step back to where we first crossed that line. But where is that line and how do we know what is too much? Some lines are so fine that we don't know we've crossed them until it's too late. In this sport, at this level, we flirt with those lines everyday and need to be cautious not to cross the wrong ones. It can certainly be tough, but I believe we are strong enough to get through those battles, smart enough to admit when we've made a mistake, and I believe we will eventually be rewarded for those strengths ...for not giving up where so many others have. We have to keep that faith in ourselves.
Quote of the day:
"It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? That maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and maybe we can actually never have it. No matter what. How did he know that?"
- Chris Gardner, The Pursuit of Happyness
8:00 AM - 8 Miles, 56 min
Winchester/Arlington, Minuteman path
Today was a long day. I had a bunch of things to do in the morning, I felt pretty tired on the run, and I worked a very busy/semi-stressful 10 hours at work. I just felt very worn down today, probably for many reasons. I did run easy this morning, and instead of doing a shake out tomorrow morning, I may take advantage of the 36-hour trick, get some sleep, and wait til practice tomorrow night, hopefully feeling a little stronger.
Sometimes our ambitions and dreams can lead us to do too much... maybe even do things we wouldn't normally do. We do these things because those dreams are so important to us and have been for so long. But sometimes, we are blinded by those very dreams and end up making some mistakes along the way. Sometimes we do go too far and don't know how to step back to where we first crossed that line. But where is that line and how do we know what is too much? Some lines are so fine that we don't know we've crossed them until it's too late. In this sport, at this level, we flirt with those lines everyday and need to be cautious not to cross the wrong ones. It can certainly be tough, but I believe we are strong enough to get through those battles, smart enough to admit when we've made a mistake, and I believe we will eventually be rewarded for those strengths ...for not giving up where so many others have. We have to keep that faith in ourselves.
Quote of the day:
"It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? That maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and maybe we can actually never have it. No matter what. How did he know that?"
- Chris Gardner, The Pursuit of Happyness
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Building confidence
Tuesday, January 8th
7:00 PM - Workout @ Reggie
21 min warm up
4 x 1200 @ 67-68 pace, 3.5 min rest
3:23.1, 3:23.7, 3:23.2, 3:22.9
23 min cool down
Total = 10 Miles, 69 min
After Friday's workout, I proved that I was healthy and able to get back on the track without aggravating anything. Today, I needed to find out where my fitness was at. Coming into practice, I thought about suggesting to Kevin that I do something a little more substantial than he might have planned. After seeing the workout plan, I didn't think I needed to say anything. I worked out with Roland, which was helpful. I knew I would struggle with this one if I were by myself. While doing strides, I felt like crap. My legs were extremely heavy and were not turning over at all. I was pretty nervous going into the workout, but was also determined to hit the times. My legs kept the feeling of being pretty heavy throughout the intervals but didn't really get any worse. As each interval started, I thought to myself that this would be the one where I'd fall off... but it never happened. I showed that my fitness is good and that I can hit those times even when my legs aren't turning over very well. It was certainly a good test to see where I'm at and I would say I passed that test rather well. I then had a quality cool down followed by a quality get together in Cambridge with some old friends.
Wednesday, January 9th
10:00 AM - 12 Miles, 75 min (hard)
Winchester Figure 8 loop
This run consists of two 6 mile loops that are adjoined in the center, hence the "figure 8". It is also one of the hillier loops that I do in this area and can be rather challenging. I wasn't planning on running as hard as I did, but it happened anyway. It was by far the fastest I've ever run that loop. This may not have been the smartest thing to do after a workout or after coming off an injury, but again, it just happened that way. After the run, I had a nice long ice bath followed by a huge rewarding lunch. Now, I definitely think it's time for a nap. So I'll have to put my to-do list off for a little longer and hopefully be more productive after getting some shut eye.
As I said before, I won't be running Dartmouth this weekend so I'll take tomorrow pretty easy and focus on having another solid strength workout on Friday. I definitely need to get in the strength work first but I hope I'll be able to get in some speedier stuff next week in preparation for my season opener, which will be the Mile @ GBTC on Jan 20th. I have no idea what kind of mile shape I'm in right now since I haven't done anything faster than 64 pace but I think 4:10 should be a reasonable reach for me based on my strength. My confidence is building as each day passes and I'm getting anxious to fly around that oval a few times - 15 to be exact!
Quote of the day:
"Don't ever let someone tell you... you can't do something. You got a dream... you gotta protect it. People can't do something themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want something, go get it. Period."
-The Pursuit of Happyness
7:00 PM - Workout @ Reggie
21 min warm up
4 x 1200 @ 67-68 pace, 3.5 min rest
3:23.1, 3:23.7, 3:23.2, 3:22.9
23 min cool down
Total = 10 Miles, 69 min
After Friday's workout, I proved that I was healthy and able to get back on the track without aggravating anything. Today, I needed to find out where my fitness was at. Coming into practice, I thought about suggesting to Kevin that I do something a little more substantial than he might have planned. After seeing the workout plan, I didn't think I needed to say anything. I worked out with Roland, which was helpful. I knew I would struggle with this one if I were by myself. While doing strides, I felt like crap. My legs were extremely heavy and were not turning over at all. I was pretty nervous going into the workout, but was also determined to hit the times. My legs kept the feeling of being pretty heavy throughout the intervals but didn't really get any worse. As each interval started, I thought to myself that this would be the one where I'd fall off... but it never happened. I showed that my fitness is good and that I can hit those times even when my legs aren't turning over very well. It was certainly a good test to see where I'm at and I would say I passed that test rather well. I then had a quality cool down followed by a quality get together in Cambridge with some old friends.
Wednesday, January 9th
10:00 AM - 12 Miles, 75 min (hard)
Winchester Figure 8 loop
This run consists of two 6 mile loops that are adjoined in the center, hence the "figure 8". It is also one of the hillier loops that I do in this area and can be rather challenging. I wasn't planning on running as hard as I did, but it happened anyway. It was by far the fastest I've ever run that loop. This may not have been the smartest thing to do after a workout or after coming off an injury, but again, it just happened that way. After the run, I had a nice long ice bath followed by a huge rewarding lunch. Now, I definitely think it's time for a nap. So I'll have to put my to-do list off for a little longer and hopefully be more productive after getting some shut eye.
As I said before, I won't be running Dartmouth this weekend so I'll take tomorrow pretty easy and focus on having another solid strength workout on Friday. I definitely need to get in the strength work first but I hope I'll be able to get in some speedier stuff next week in preparation for my season opener, which will be the Mile @ GBTC on Jan 20th. I have no idea what kind of mile shape I'm in right now since I haven't done anything faster than 64 pace but I think 4:10 should be a reasonable reach for me based on my strength. My confidence is building as each day passes and I'm getting anxious to fly around that oval a few times - 15 to be exact!
Quote of the day:
"Don't ever let someone tell you... you can't do something. You got a dream... you gotta protect it. People can't do something themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want something, go get it. Period."
-The Pursuit of Happyness
Monday, January 7, 2008
The JC Review
Monday, January 7th
7:30 PM - 7 Miles, 47 min
Mystic lakes
So I know this is a little late but I guess it's better late than never. So without further suspense, here's what you number nerds have been waiting for...
The JC Review: 2007
In 2007 I totaled 2,610 miles, averaging 217.5 mi/mo, 50.2 mi/wk, and 7.2 mi/day. I ran 24 races and won 4 of them. I PR'd 15 times over 10 different distances, ranging from 1500m up to the half marathon (3 indoor, 5 outdoor, 1 cross, 6 road). 2007 was a year of changes and a year of discoveries. It was certainly better than 2006 but also showed room for improvement in many areas. I would say it was a productive year; however, in many respects, I was not satisfied with what I accomplished. I know I can do better! I have some big goals set for 2008, some that probably seem unrealistic or even impossible. But I plan on working harder than ever this year and will do everything in my power to accomplish those goals. I know I can be successful at this and I invite you all to be a part of this journey as I continue my quest for greatness.
January - 240 Miles
21 GBTC Invitational - 3000M - 8:29.87
27 Terrier Classic - 5000M - 14:31.98 (PR by 5.95 sec)
February - 172 Miles
3 Tufts Stampede - 1 Mile - 4:19.00 (technically a PR)
[Unofficially, I ran 4:12.9 in practice in 2006]
9 Valentine's Invitational - 3000M - 8:16.90 (PR by 3.75 sec)
18 USATF NE Championship - 5000M - 14:39.44 (1st place)
March - 217 Miles
18 New Bedford Half Marathon - 1:13:25 (PR by 4 min 2 sec)
* Started having problems with Plantar Fasciitis
April - 114 Miles
* Continued having trouble with Plantar Fasciitis, stayed in the pool most of April
28 Turned 24 years old
29 Brown Springtime Invitational - 1500M - 3:56.63 (PR by 1.93 sec)
May - 241 Miles
5 Oregon Twilight - 5000M - 14:49.33
26 Boston High Performance #1 - 5000M - 14:52.96
June - 240 Miles
2 Boston High Performance #2 - 3000M - 8:24.69 (Outdoor PR)
9 Boston High Performance #3 - 1500M - 3:54.41 (PR by 2.22 sec)
17 New England Mile - 4:04.80 (Road PR by 9.70 sec)
23 Flash Mile - 3:50 (unofficial PR)
28 JP Morgan Corporate Challenge - 3.5 Mile - 17:21 (Road PR)
July - 240 Miles
6 Aileen Meagher Track Classic - 3000M - 8:20.69 (Outdoor PR by 4.00 sec)
12 Quit my job at CDM
13 USATF Club Nationals - 5000M - 14:41.73, 3rd place (Outdoor PR by 1.49 sec)
21 Yarmouth Clam Festival - 5 Mile - 24:58 (Road PR)
28 Emily Fletcher Memorial 5K - 15:50
August - 150 Miles
4 Beach to Beacon 10K - 30:51 (PR by 28 sec, Road PR by 1 min 18 sec)
6 Started my new job as Manager of Runner's Edge
September - 254 Miles
29 Murray Keatinge Alumni 5K - 15:35
October - 276 Miles
28 Mayor's Cup - 8K - 24:30 (PR by 2 sec, Course PR by 51 sec)
November - 291 Miles
18 USATF NE Championship - 10K - 30:39, 1st place (PR by 12 sec, Course PR by 40 sec)
22 Thanksgiving Day 4 Miler - 19:32 (PR by 27 sec)
December - 175 Miles
8 USATF Club Nationals - 10K - 32:47, 33rd place
Progression
Event........2006.........2007
1500..........3:58...........3:54
1 Mile.........4:12...........4:19
3000...........8:36..........8:16
5000...........14:37........14:31
3.5 Mi.........NA...........17:21
4 Mi...........19:59........19:32
8K..............25:21........24:30
5 Mi............NA...........24:58
10K............31:19........30:39
HM............1:17:27......1:13:25
7:30 PM - 7 Miles, 47 min
Mystic lakes
So I know this is a little late but I guess it's better late than never. So without further suspense, here's what you number nerds have been waiting for...
The JC Review: 2007
In 2007 I totaled 2,610 miles, averaging 217.5 mi/mo, 50.2 mi/wk, and 7.2 mi/day. I ran 24 races and won 4 of them. I PR'd 15 times over 10 different distances, ranging from 1500m up to the half marathon (3 indoor, 5 outdoor, 1 cross, 6 road). 2007 was a year of changes and a year of discoveries. It was certainly better than 2006 but also showed room for improvement in many areas. I would say it was a productive year; however, in many respects, I was not satisfied with what I accomplished. I know I can do better! I have some big goals set for 2008, some that probably seem unrealistic or even impossible. But I plan on working harder than ever this year and will do everything in my power to accomplish those goals. I know I can be successful at this and I invite you all to be a part of this journey as I continue my quest for greatness.
January - 240 Miles
21 GBTC Invitational - 3000M - 8:29.87
27 Terrier Classic - 5000M - 14:31.98 (PR by 5.95 sec)
February - 172 Miles
3 Tufts Stampede - 1 Mile - 4:19.00 (technically a PR)
[Unofficially, I ran 4:12.9 in practice in 2006]
9 Valentine's Invitational - 3000M - 8:16.90 (PR by 3.75 sec)
18 USATF NE Championship - 5000M - 14:39.44 (1st place)
March - 217 Miles
18 New Bedford Half Marathon - 1:13:25 (PR by 4 min 2 sec)
* Started having problems with Plantar Fasciitis
April - 114 Miles
* Continued having trouble with Plantar Fasciitis, stayed in the pool most of April
28 Turned 24 years old
29 Brown Springtime Invitational - 1500M - 3:56.63 (PR by 1.93 sec)
May - 241 Miles
5 Oregon Twilight - 5000M - 14:49.33
26 Boston High Performance #1 - 5000M - 14:52.96
June - 240 Miles
2 Boston High Performance #2 - 3000M - 8:24.69 (Outdoor PR)
9 Boston High Performance #3 - 1500M - 3:54.41 (PR by 2.22 sec)
17 New England Mile - 4:04.80 (Road PR by 9.70 sec)
23 Flash Mile - 3:50 (unofficial PR)
28 JP Morgan Corporate Challenge - 3.5 Mile - 17:21 (Road PR)
July - 240 Miles
6 Aileen Meagher Track Classic - 3000M - 8:20.69 (Outdoor PR by 4.00 sec)
12 Quit my job at CDM
13 USATF Club Nationals - 5000M - 14:41.73, 3rd place (Outdoor PR by 1.49 sec)
21 Yarmouth Clam Festival - 5 Mile - 24:58 (Road PR)
28 Emily Fletcher Memorial 5K - 15:50
August - 150 Miles
4 Beach to Beacon 10K - 30:51 (PR by 28 sec, Road PR by 1 min 18 sec)
6 Started my new job as Manager of Runner's Edge
September - 254 Miles
29 Murray Keatinge Alumni 5K - 15:35
October - 276 Miles
28 Mayor's Cup - 8K - 24:30 (PR by 2 sec, Course PR by 51 sec)
November - 291 Miles
18 USATF NE Championship - 10K - 30:39, 1st place (PR by 12 sec, Course PR by 40 sec)
22 Thanksgiving Day 4 Miler - 19:32 (PR by 27 sec)
December - 175 Miles
8 USATF Club Nationals - 10K - 32:47, 33rd place
Progression
Event........2006.........2007
1500..........3:58...........3:54
1 Mile.........4:12...........4:19
3000...........8:36..........8:16
5000...........14:37........14:31
3.5 Mi.........NA...........17:21
4 Mi...........19:59........19:32
8K..............25:21........24:30
5 Mi............NA...........24:58
10K............31:19........30:39
HM............1:17:27......1:13:25
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Summing it up
Sunday, January 6th
12:30 PM - 11 Miles, 70 min
Winchester loop over to Arlington and onto the Minuteman bike path for a while. Felt pretty good, nothing bothering me (hip, calf, plantar, etc.) so I ran a pretty solid pace. A little tired towards the end but overall a good run.
So things have been looking up in the last few days. My hip is still pretty tender to the touch but on runs, I can barely feel it. I haven't talked much about my plantar lately, because it hasn't really been bothering me. I'm still doing some stretches and exercises for it and still wear my night splint pretty regularly but I haven't had to give it the kind of attention I have in the past.
As I discussed yesterday, things have been going well at the store and tonight I had a nice dinner with my boss as we discussed ways of moving forward in the next few months and what kind of changes will benefit us the most. I definitely feel like a valuable resource in this business and the feedback I've gotten has just reinforced that notion tremendously.
As for the numbers, here ya go...
Training Log (Dec 31 - Jan 6)
Monday: 0 Miles - saw Holly and had some treatment done on the hip
Tuesday: 0 Miles - not much improvement from yesterday
Wednesday: 4 Miles, 28 min - felt better with more mobility but was still pretty sore
Thursday: 9 Miles, 60 min - big improvement over yesterday
Friday: AM- 4 Miles, 28 min
PM- 5 x (600, 400) @ 67-69 pace w/ 90 sec rest, 2.5 min between sets; Total- 10 Miles, 74 min
Saturday: 7 Miles, 49 min
Sunday: 11 Miles, 70 min
Total: 45 Miles, 6 runs
Week started off pretty rocky but became more and more promising as the week went by. Obviously not the mileage I would be at had I not taken the spill, but still better than I had foreseen when the week began. It looks like we should be back to where we left off in a few more days.
12:30 PM - 11 Miles, 70 min
Winchester loop over to Arlington and onto the Minuteman bike path for a while. Felt pretty good, nothing bothering me (hip, calf, plantar, etc.) so I ran a pretty solid pace. A little tired towards the end but overall a good run.
So things have been looking up in the last few days. My hip is still pretty tender to the touch but on runs, I can barely feel it. I haven't talked much about my plantar lately, because it hasn't really been bothering me. I'm still doing some stretches and exercises for it and still wear my night splint pretty regularly but I haven't had to give it the kind of attention I have in the past.
As I discussed yesterday, things have been going well at the store and tonight I had a nice dinner with my boss as we discussed ways of moving forward in the next few months and what kind of changes will benefit us the most. I definitely feel like a valuable resource in this business and the feedback I've gotten has just reinforced that notion tremendously.
As for the numbers, here ya go...
Training Log (Dec 31 - Jan 6)
Monday: 0 Miles - saw Holly and had some treatment done on the hip
Tuesday: 0 Miles - not much improvement from yesterday
Wednesday: 4 Miles, 28 min - felt better with more mobility but was still pretty sore
Thursday: 9 Miles, 60 min - big improvement over yesterday
Friday: AM- 4 Miles, 28 min
PM- 5 x (600, 400) @ 67-69 pace w/ 90 sec rest, 2.5 min between sets; Total- 10 Miles, 74 min
Saturday: 7 Miles, 49 min
Sunday: 11 Miles, 70 min
Total: 45 Miles, 6 runs
Week started off pretty rocky but became more and more promising as the week went by. Obviously not the mileage I would be at had I not taken the spill, but still better than I had foreseen when the week began. It looks like we should be back to where we left off in a few more days.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Just another day at work
Saturday, January 5th
6:00 PM - 7 Miles, 49 min
Mystic lakes
I had a lot to do today and wasn't able to get out for a morning run before heading into work, but had a pretty good run later in the evening. My right soleus was rather tight in the last 2-3 miles and I had to stop a couple times to loosen it up. Other than that, things felt pretty good. The hip continues to get better and I would have liked to go further today but I think it's smart to take it easy and not get too greedy at this stage in the comeback.
We were really busy at work today but it never became stressful. Tony and I worked all day together and handled the store like champs. We never missed a beat and brought in some stellar numbers. There were a lot of cool customers that came today, which made it even easier. I had a lot of interesting conversations and felt like a great resource for many of our customers. I was even impressing myself with some of the facts I pulled out. As Mario has stated in the past, this job can sometimes get old or redundant, but it can also be pretty rewarding at times. Like him, I certainly value the days I don't have to work and would be fine with having fewer hours. However, I can honestly say that I don't mind going into work each day and generally enjoy my time there. I think I have benefited a lot from this job and have met some interesting people along the way. I have certainly expanded my circle of acquaintances within the industry, and it's always cool to have people come up to you outside of work and tell you how much you've helped them. Having the ability to make someone happy is a great feeling in any situation.
6:00 PM - 7 Miles, 49 min
Mystic lakes
I had a lot to do today and wasn't able to get out for a morning run before heading into work, but had a pretty good run later in the evening. My right soleus was rather tight in the last 2-3 miles and I had to stop a couple times to loosen it up. Other than that, things felt pretty good. The hip continues to get better and I would have liked to go further today but I think it's smart to take it easy and not get too greedy at this stage in the comeback.
We were really busy at work today but it never became stressful. Tony and I worked all day together and handled the store like champs. We never missed a beat and brought in some stellar numbers. There were a lot of cool customers that came today, which made it even easier. I had a lot of interesting conversations and felt like a great resource for many of our customers. I was even impressing myself with some of the facts I pulled out. As Mario has stated in the past, this job can sometimes get old or redundant, but it can also be pretty rewarding at times. Like him, I certainly value the days I don't have to work and would be fine with having fewer hours. However, I can honestly say that I don't mind going into work each day and generally enjoy my time there. I think I have benefited a lot from this job and have met some interesting people along the way. I have certainly expanded my circle of acquaintances within the industry, and it's always cool to have people come up to you outside of work and tell you how much you've helped them. Having the ability to make someone happy is a great feeling in any situation.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Thankful
Friday, January 4th
8:00 AM - 4 Miles, 28 min
Winchester/Arlington
7:00 PM - Track Workout @ Reggie
21 min warm up
5 x (600m, 400m) w/ 90 sec rest, 2.5 min between sets
1:44.6, 68.7
1:44.2, 69.8
1:44.0, 66.6
1:43.0, 66.8
1:41.2, 64.9
21 min cool down
Total = 10 Miles, 74 min
Things continue to improve with the hip so Kevin and I decided I could jump into a workout tonight with Roland, Maloney, and Mayall. Justin and Mark did 4 sets, Roland did 6. The workout was just to get me back in track rhythm and see how things felt at moderate speeds. It took a couple sets to get comfortable but once I got going, things felt great and each set seemed to get easier than the previous one. Even though this wouldn't be viewed as a hard workout, I was very pleased with it and very thankful that I am back on the rebound and able to train comfortably again.
Even as late as Wednesday morning of this week, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to run today, let alone do a workout. Holly and I had talked about trying pool and bike workouts through the remainder of the week and maybe start running after that. I know my fitness was probably set back a bit with the time off that I had, but I think things will still work out pretty well this season. I am still a strong believer that everything happens for a reason so this "set back" may end up being a blessing in disguise and help things turn out even better in the big picture.
I came home from practice tonight already feeling pretty good about my progress. That was then made even better when I found a very nice email in my inbox. It was an email from a good friend and was filled with many positive and heart felt remarks. This was just a simple email from one friend to another but when combined with everything else, it really made my day. In the last few days, I have been overwhelmed with inspiration and motivation from some pretty cool people in my life and it makes me feel pretty good about where things could be going. I am feeling more ambitious than ever now and can't wait to see what awaits us all in the coming weeks, months, and years!
Thanks!
8:00 AM - 4 Miles, 28 min
Winchester/Arlington
7:00 PM - Track Workout @ Reggie
21 min warm up
5 x (600m, 400m) w/ 90 sec rest, 2.5 min between sets
1:44.6, 68.7
1:44.2, 69.8
1:44.0, 66.6
1:43.0, 66.8
1:41.2, 64.9
21 min cool down
Total = 10 Miles, 74 min
Things continue to improve with the hip so Kevin and I decided I could jump into a workout tonight with Roland, Maloney, and Mayall. Justin and Mark did 4 sets, Roland did 6. The workout was just to get me back in track rhythm and see how things felt at moderate speeds. It took a couple sets to get comfortable but once I got going, things felt great and each set seemed to get easier than the previous one. Even though this wouldn't be viewed as a hard workout, I was very pleased with it and very thankful that I am back on the rebound and able to train comfortably again.
Even as late as Wednesday morning of this week, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to run today, let alone do a workout. Holly and I had talked about trying pool and bike workouts through the remainder of the week and maybe start running after that. I know my fitness was probably set back a bit with the time off that I had, but I think things will still work out pretty well this season. I am still a strong believer that everything happens for a reason so this "set back" may end up being a blessing in disguise and help things turn out even better in the big picture.
I came home from practice tonight already feeling pretty good about my progress. That was then made even better when I found a very nice email in my inbox. It was an email from a good friend and was filled with many positive and heart felt remarks. This was just a simple email from one friend to another but when combined with everything else, it really made my day. In the last few days, I have been overwhelmed with inspiration and motivation from some pretty cool people in my life and it makes me feel pretty good about where things could be going. I am feeling more ambitious than ever now and can't wait to see what awaits us all in the coming weeks, months, and years!
Thanks!
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Making progress
Thursday, January 3rd
9:00 AM - 9 miles, 60 min
Temp = 6, windchill = -9
Winchester loop w/ Rupprecht
So last night was the first time since Friday that I had tried running on this injury. It went fairly well so I was planning on going a little further today. When I woke up this morning, I was still sore but seemed to be feeling quite a bit better. I was hoping to get in about 6 miles with Rupprecht, knowing that the conditions were not going to be ideal (you know it's cold when you put the temperature in the training log). Despite the conditions, I actually felt pretty good and we ended up turning it into a 9 mile run. Considering my hip injury and the fact that it was probably the coldest run I've been on since college, it was a great run. It was also great to be out there with my old training partner again. This whole time that Paul has been visiting, I felt bad that I wasn't able to go running with him each day. So I'm glad we had that chance this morning before he left. I didn't have to go into work until noon today so we were able to take plenty of time to stretch, make breakfast, and just hang out for a while after the run. That concluded Paul's visit to Boston and he took a train back to NY this afternoon. As I said before, having him around this week has been really great and definitely gave me more motivation to get everything back on track.
As for the hip progress, I have been doing everything possible to speed up this healing process. I've been icing it every chance I get, stretching and massaging around the bruise whenever possible, taking Ibuprohen pretty regularly, drinking plenty of fluids, and I've almost polished off an entire crate of clementines. I actually think the clementines are what's done it for me because I had about eight of them today and the hip is feeling dramatically better than yesterday. I would have eaten the last four left in the crate but I didn't want my skin turning orange ...which I've been told is not a myth (at least with carrots anyway). So things are definitely improving faster than I originally thought, which is good ...obviously! Even though it's only been a week, I'm really itchin' to get back on the track. Hopefully I can do a moderate workout tomorrow and see how things progress from there.
More news to come....
9:00 AM - 9 miles, 60 min
Temp = 6, windchill = -9
Winchester loop w/ Rupprecht
So last night was the first time since Friday that I had tried running on this injury. It went fairly well so I was planning on going a little further today. When I woke up this morning, I was still sore but seemed to be feeling quite a bit better. I was hoping to get in about 6 miles with Rupprecht, knowing that the conditions were not going to be ideal (you know it's cold when you put the temperature in the training log). Despite the conditions, I actually felt pretty good and we ended up turning it into a 9 mile run. Considering my hip injury and the fact that it was probably the coldest run I've been on since college, it was a great run. It was also great to be out there with my old training partner again. This whole time that Paul has been visiting, I felt bad that I wasn't able to go running with him each day. So I'm glad we had that chance this morning before he left. I didn't have to go into work until noon today so we were able to take plenty of time to stretch, make breakfast, and just hang out for a while after the run. That concluded Paul's visit to Boston and he took a train back to NY this afternoon. As I said before, having him around this week has been really great and definitely gave me more motivation to get everything back on track.
As for the hip progress, I have been doing everything possible to speed up this healing process. I've been icing it every chance I get, stretching and massaging around the bruise whenever possible, taking Ibuprohen pretty regularly, drinking plenty of fluids, and I've almost polished off an entire crate of clementines. I actually think the clementines are what's done it for me because I had about eight of them today and the hip is feeling dramatically better than yesterday. I would have eaten the last four left in the crate but I didn't want my skin turning orange ...which I've been told is not a myth (at least with carrots anyway). So things are definitely improving faster than I originally thought, which is good ...obviously! Even though it's only been a week, I'm really itchin' to get back on the track. Hopefully I can do a moderate workout tomorrow and see how things progress from there.
More news to come....
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
A little bit of running
Wednesday, January 2nd
7:30 PM - 4 Miles, 28 min
Outside/Inside @ Reggie
The hip was feeling better today and as the day went on, I decided I would try running on it at practice tonight, just a little. I ran 3 miles with Rupprecht and Maloney on their warm up and it actually felt decent. I also tried doing some light strides and drills to test it out at different speeds. The bruised area is still very tender to the touch and is painful at times, but the swelling has gone down and general mobility seems to be improving. I think easy running on flat surfaces should be fine. However, I should probably stay away from stairs, hills, or any overstriding for the next couple days. Those are the things that seem to aggravate it the most.
I was definitely pleased to be able to be running today, something I wasn't planning on yesterday. It gives me some hope that I'll be back in the swing of things before too long. However, I'm sure I'll be dealing with some discomfort for a while longer. I watched my teammates and friends workout on the track tonight and I got very excited/jealous. Jess and Erin looked really great out there in their thousands, Rupprecht looked very smooth doing some speed work and there was just a general buzz in the air with everyone.. I was really glad to see them having good workouts and it just made me more eager to get back at it. I will be patient however and continue to take it one day at a time.
Lastly, I made the decision to scratch the Dartmouth Relays from my racing schedule tonight. This brings me down to three track races this indoor season. That isn't much, but I think it was definitely the right call and I'll still have opportunities to run fast. I think I should be ready to race by the 20th and will hopefully have enough time to get in the kind of racing I'm looking for. I know I have a good base built up and should be able to regain any lost fitness rather quickly. Therefore, I am still very optimistic about the upcoming season and will put everything I can into making it a success.
Stay tuned.
7:30 PM - 4 Miles, 28 min
Outside/Inside @ Reggie
The hip was feeling better today and as the day went on, I decided I would try running on it at practice tonight, just a little. I ran 3 miles with Rupprecht and Maloney on their warm up and it actually felt decent. I also tried doing some light strides and drills to test it out at different speeds. The bruised area is still very tender to the touch and is painful at times, but the swelling has gone down and general mobility seems to be improving. I think easy running on flat surfaces should be fine. However, I should probably stay away from stairs, hills, or any overstriding for the next couple days. Those are the things that seem to aggravate it the most.
I was definitely pleased to be able to be running today, something I wasn't planning on yesterday. It gives me some hope that I'll be back in the swing of things before too long. However, I'm sure I'll be dealing with some discomfort for a while longer. I watched my teammates and friends workout on the track tonight and I got very excited/jealous. Jess and Erin looked really great out there in their thousands, Rupprecht looked very smooth doing some speed work and there was just a general buzz in the air with everyone.. I was really glad to see them having good workouts and it just made me more eager to get back at it. I will be patient however and continue to take it one day at a time.
Lastly, I made the decision to scratch the Dartmouth Relays from my racing schedule tonight. This brings me down to three track races this indoor season. That isn't much, but I think it was definitely the right call and I'll still have opportunities to run fast. I think I should be ready to race by the 20th and will hopefully have enough time to get in the kind of racing I'm looking for. I know I have a good base built up and should be able to regain any lost fitness rather quickly. Therefore, I am still very optimistic about the upcoming season and will put everything I can into making it a success.
Stay tuned.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
2008 - Time to focus
I know I've been slacking here over the last few days so I apologize for that. The truth is I've been slacking in several areas, not all of which I've had control over. I'll try to bring you up to speed first on what's happening health-wise. As I said before, I had a pretty nasty fall on Friday and hurt my hip pretty badly, which has since kept me from running the last 5 days. I'm still not sure how bad I hurt it but I do know that it's going to be a little while before I can run pain free again.
I saw Holly yesterday and was able to get some feedback from her. On a positive note, she said that it is most likely NOT a fracture, but rather an inflammation of the bursae and a possible bruise on the bone. Also, the mobility of the actual hip joint is fine so there is no sign of misalignment or problematic issues there. However, since the impact trauma was directly on the bone, it is going to take longer to heal than a normal muscle impact trauma. If it is in fact a bruising of the bone, that healing process could take up to 4-6 weeks. If it is just inflammation of the bursae, I could be looking at a couple weeks of pain but probably be able to do some easy running after a few more days. Since this trauma is located at the point where all the glutius muscles connect, any time I fire the gluts or perform a hip stabilizing/weight bearing exercise, there is aggravation to the injury and inflammation increases, which then creates more pain and discomfort. So Holly told me to stay away from actual running for a couple more days, but said pool running is ok. However, with the holiday and limited resources, it is difficult for me to get that access. So that is the medical update with an overall conclusion of "let's wait and see".
In the absence of running, I have probably done the exact opposite of what I should have been doing. In this time I should have been seeking out alternative exercise, focusing on nutrition, resting more, etc. However, I decided to get frustrated instead, lose motivation, and extend my holiday filled distractions much further than planned. I focused on having fun with friends and doing what most non elite athletes (a.k.a. normal people) do around the holidays. I ate large amounts of foods... fried foods, chips, brownies, cookies, ice cream, brazilian bbq ...you name it, I ate it. I drank alcohol several nights in a row, I stayed out late... I had fun, but was not living the lifestyle that I had grown accustomed to. I let my focus slip away...
Today, I set things straight in my head. The last couple of weeks have been anything but productive for my running. Some of it was beyond my control, but I certainly could have done things differently. The great things that happened in that time was I had a chance to surround myself with some really amazing people, the same people that have inspired my life's passions and have contributed so much to my success. Once again, they helped me realize the importance of what I was trying to accomplish. Now that the holiday season is done, most of the distractions have passed and a new year has started. I can now focus on getting back in that mind set that I had all through the fall. One of my best friends, Paul Rupprecht, made the trip up to Boston this week and has been staying with me for a few days. We had a chance to talk about a lot of things today, which really set my head straight and reminded me of how important this is to me and how important my actions are. Mentally, I am ready to make this happen. I am ready to do great things. Assuming my body cooperates, I plan to be ready to race in the next 2-3 weeks. Everything I do from now through June 27 will be done with the consideration that it will affect my performances in the future. I can't get away with a half-assed effort here, I have to dedicate myself fully to this passion. I have to be focused 100 percent.
This past week was a bump in the road. I'm sure there will be many more bumps to follow, but when I encounter them, I will approach them differently. I will not steer myself in the wrong direction simply because the path I chose became more difficult. I must stay the course.
Lastly, since I've been slacking on the training log, here is a summary of the last few weeks which should catch us up to where we are now.
Training Log (Dec 3-9)
Monday: 6 Miles, 41 min
Tuesday: 7 x 400m @ 67-69 sec, 90 sec jog rest; Total- 9 Miles, 67 min
Wednesday: 8 Miles, 55 min
Thursday: 6 Miles, 41 min
Friday: 5 Miles, 35 min; strides
Saturday: USATF Club Nationals (10K) - 31st place, 32:47; Total- 13 Miles, 83 min
Sunday: Day off #1
Total = 47 Miles, 6 runs
The last week of the season. Finished strong and didn't feel like I was burnt out in the least.
Training Log (Dec 10-16)
Monday: Day off #2
Tuesday: Day off #3
Wednesday: Day off #4 (Hot fudge sundaes)
Thursday: Day off #5
Friday: Day off #6
Saturday: Day off #7 (NB Boston Party)
Sunday: 9 Miles, 60 min
Total = 9 Miles, 1 run
The week off. Lots of other things going on to keep me busy. I ended up taking a couple more days off than planned because of the weather and everything that was going on.
Training Log (Dec 17-23)
Monday: 8 Miles, 55 min
Tuesday: First workout back - 3 x (400, 400, 800) @ 68-69 (1st), 66-67 (2nd), 64-65 (3rd), 1.5 min rest, 2.5 between sets; Total- 10 Miles, 72 min
Wednesday: 6 Miles, 42 min
Thursday: 6 Miles, 41 min
Friday: 7 x 1200m (Avg = 3:37) w/ 1 min rest; Total- 12 Miles, 77 min
Saturday: 5 Miles, 35 min
Sunday: 9 Miles, 61 min
Total = 56 Miles, 7 runs
First week back. Easy runs, a couple solid workouts. Running-wise, the week was fine.
Training Log (Dec 24-30)
Monday: 10 Miles, 69 min
Tuesday: 7 Miles, 49 min
Wednesday: 6 x 800m (Avg-2:13) w/ 2.5 min rest; Total- 11 Miles, 80 min
Thursday: 5 Miles, 34 min
Friday: 4 Miles, 30 min (treadmill), fell and hurt my hip
Saturday: Gimpy
Sunday: still gimpy but did about a mile with Jess after her race in NH
Total: 38 Miles, 4 1/2 runs
Week was going well until Friday. A bad fall would keep me from running for the remainder of the week.
I saw Holly yesterday and was able to get some feedback from her. On a positive note, she said that it is most likely NOT a fracture, but rather an inflammation of the bursae and a possible bruise on the bone. Also, the mobility of the actual hip joint is fine so there is no sign of misalignment or problematic issues there. However, since the impact trauma was directly on the bone, it is going to take longer to heal than a normal muscle impact trauma. If it is in fact a bruising of the bone, that healing process could take up to 4-6 weeks. If it is just inflammation of the bursae, I could be looking at a couple weeks of pain but probably be able to do some easy running after a few more days. Since this trauma is located at the point where all the glutius muscles connect, any time I fire the gluts or perform a hip stabilizing/weight bearing exercise, there is aggravation to the injury and inflammation increases, which then creates more pain and discomfort. So Holly told me to stay away from actual running for a couple more days, but said pool running is ok. However, with the holiday and limited resources, it is difficult for me to get that access. So that is the medical update with an overall conclusion of "let's wait and see".
In the absence of running, I have probably done the exact opposite of what I should have been doing. In this time I should have been seeking out alternative exercise, focusing on nutrition, resting more, etc. However, I decided to get frustrated instead, lose motivation, and extend my holiday filled distractions much further than planned. I focused on having fun with friends and doing what most non elite athletes (a.k.a. normal people) do around the holidays. I ate large amounts of foods... fried foods, chips, brownies, cookies, ice cream, brazilian bbq ...you name it, I ate it. I drank alcohol several nights in a row, I stayed out late... I had fun, but was not living the lifestyle that I had grown accustomed to. I let my focus slip away...
Today, I set things straight in my head. The last couple of weeks have been anything but productive for my running. Some of it was beyond my control, but I certainly could have done things differently. The great things that happened in that time was I had a chance to surround myself with some really amazing people, the same people that have inspired my life's passions and have contributed so much to my success. Once again, they helped me realize the importance of what I was trying to accomplish. Now that the holiday season is done, most of the distractions have passed and a new year has started. I can now focus on getting back in that mind set that I had all through the fall. One of my best friends, Paul Rupprecht, made the trip up to Boston this week and has been staying with me for a few days. We had a chance to talk about a lot of things today, which really set my head straight and reminded me of how important this is to me and how important my actions are. Mentally, I am ready to make this happen. I am ready to do great things. Assuming my body cooperates, I plan to be ready to race in the next 2-3 weeks. Everything I do from now through June 27 will be done with the consideration that it will affect my performances in the future. I can't get away with a half-assed effort here, I have to dedicate myself fully to this passion. I have to be focused 100 percent.
This past week was a bump in the road. I'm sure there will be many more bumps to follow, but when I encounter them, I will approach them differently. I will not steer myself in the wrong direction simply because the path I chose became more difficult. I must stay the course.
Lastly, since I've been slacking on the training log, here is a summary of the last few weeks which should catch us up to where we are now.
Training Log (Dec 3-9)
Monday: 6 Miles, 41 min
Tuesday: 7 x 400m @ 67-69 sec, 90 sec jog rest; Total- 9 Miles, 67 min
Wednesday: 8 Miles, 55 min
Thursday: 6 Miles, 41 min
Friday: 5 Miles, 35 min; strides
Saturday: USATF Club Nationals (10K) - 31st place, 32:47; Total- 13 Miles, 83 min
Sunday: Day off #1
Total = 47 Miles, 6 runs
The last week of the season. Finished strong and didn't feel like I was burnt out in the least.
Training Log (Dec 10-16)
Monday: Day off #2
Tuesday: Day off #3
Wednesday: Day off #4 (Hot fudge sundaes)
Thursday: Day off #5
Friday: Day off #6
Saturday: Day off #7 (NB Boston Party)
Sunday: 9 Miles, 60 min
Total = 9 Miles, 1 run
The week off. Lots of other things going on to keep me busy. I ended up taking a couple more days off than planned because of the weather and everything that was going on.
Training Log (Dec 17-23)
Monday: 8 Miles, 55 min
Tuesday: First workout back - 3 x (400, 400, 800) @ 68-69 (1st), 66-67 (2nd), 64-65 (3rd), 1.5 min rest, 2.5 between sets; Total- 10 Miles, 72 min
Wednesday: 6 Miles, 42 min
Thursday: 6 Miles, 41 min
Friday: 7 x 1200m (Avg = 3:37) w/ 1 min rest; Total- 12 Miles, 77 min
Saturday: 5 Miles, 35 min
Sunday: 9 Miles, 61 min
Total = 56 Miles, 7 runs
First week back. Easy runs, a couple solid workouts. Running-wise, the week was fine.
Training Log (Dec 24-30)
Monday: 10 Miles, 69 min
Tuesday: 7 Miles, 49 min
Wednesday: 6 x 800m (Avg-2:13) w/ 2.5 min rest; Total- 11 Miles, 80 min
Thursday: 5 Miles, 34 min
Friday: 4 Miles, 30 min (treadmill), fell and hurt my hip
Saturday: Gimpy
Sunday: still gimpy but did about a mile with Jess after her race in NH
Total: 38 Miles, 4 1/2 runs
Week was going well until Friday. A bad fall would keep me from running for the remainder of the week.
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