Week 11 -- Remembering why I train!

Sunday- 9.25.11
Easy, Long Run: 15M

• Surface: Memorial Park  dirt loop (9M), streets (6M)
• Total Time: 1:46:46 (7:03 AP)
• Pace Progression: 8:34, 7:52, 7:44, 7:18, 7:00, 6:54, 6:48, 6:50, 6:49, 6:40, 6:27, 6:54, 6:43, 6:44, 6:25
• Comments: Nice run this morning... got in miles 7-11.5 with a group and took a Clif Bar gel at 6M. Other than that, a typical solo run without stops. Ready to see this new volume take effect in a few weeks.

Supplemental Work: 2x12 Strength session

Monday- 9.26.11
Rest Day
Easy, shakeout: 2M in 15:55 with Jake

Tuesday: 9.27.11
Workout: 2M warm up + 6M progression + 2M cool down 6x1M (60" rest) + 800m + 1.5M cool down

• Surface: Memorial Park trail/ paved street for mile reps
• Total Time: N/A
• Pace Progression: 6:08, 6:08, 6:05, 6:04, 6:01, 5:55 (6:03 AP), 2:40
• Comments: Very controlled workout. Could've done several more reps easily... 1' rest was more than enough. Glad to have Jake there to set the pace!

Supplemental Work: Form Drills before workout + 2x12 weights in PM

Wednesday: 9.28.11
Easy, Medium Long: 12M

• Surface: Memorial Park dirt loop
• Total Time: 1:32:30 (7:42 AP)
• Pace Progression: 8:15, 7:51, 7:45, 7:36, 7:39, 7:34, 7:36, 7:40, 7:51, 7:39, 7:25, 7:36
• Comments: Ran the first 7 miles with Amanda Barth - she's definitely a great person for me to run with as we are about the same fitness level! It was nice to pass the run talking rather than zoning out. :) Stopped at 7.5M to relieve myself in the bushes... It was getting bad... And spent the rest of the run recovering and getting back into rythym! Hah. My foot seems to be healing somewhat, but my hip flexor (which I've found is actually my groin) is still where it was before. Another run down, regardless!

Thursday- 9.29.11
Easy: 7M
Strides: 6x100m .5M of strides- varied lengths

• Surface: Rice dirt loop - similar to Memorial Park Trail but with several curbs/roots to watch for
• Total Time: 56:30 (8:04 AP); 2:20 (4:40 AP)
• Pace Progression: 9:16, 8:07, 7:48, 7:57, 7:49, 7:37, 7:58, 4:40
• Comments: The run was a bit rough today... My joints are feeling stiff and achy and my groin is definitely still an issue. The pace was more even than it appears, just had several turns/ water puddles/ people to dodge so some miles had more of a stop-and-go pace to them. Glad to have Jake to keep me from totally loosing it mentally because I was definitely ready for a break today. Got in the .5M of strides again, I believe it took about 7 strides altogether.

Friday- 9.30.11
Shakeout: 2M easy + 1.2M with pick ups (AM)
Workout: 2M warm up + 2x3M (6:15, 6:10) + 4x400m fast, 400m slow

• Surface: Paved roads/ sidewalks
• Total Time: 18:38 (6:12 AP), 18:22 (6:07 AP)
• Pace Progression: 6:08, 6:13, 6:12, 6:11, 6:05, 6:04, 77, 80, 81, 79
• Comments: Scratched the workout in the morning due to major lack of sleep this week. Not much more alive this afternoon, but at least I was warmed up and awake enough. Jake paced me perfectly so it wasn't a bad workout at all - the second loop was much more comfortable. Starting to get settled with this pace.

Saturday- 10.1.11
Easy: 6M  3.5M
Strides: 6x100m

• Surface: Memorial Park Loop
• Total Time: 29:10 (8:20 AP)
• Pace Progression: 8:45, 8:20, 8:10, 7:57
• Comments: Called the run after 3.5M because of pain in my Achilles. It has been hurting since last night's workout, but got increasingly tight over the run. I'll spend today trying to take good care of it. Very disappointed though, as my arms and legs felt surprisingly loose and fresh (could have been because I was running so easy though!).

Total Mileage for the Week: 63.5M

Cumulative Seasonal Mileage: 495.5M

Week 10 of Training... Patiently Building Up

Sunday- 9.18.11
Long: 12M w/ 10x400m pick-ups every mile starting at 2.5

• Surface: Memorial Park Loop
• Total Time: 87:49 (7:19 AP)
• Pace Progression: 9:06, 8:11, 7:33, 7:25, 7:19, 7:10, 7:09, 7:04, 6:54, 6:42, 6:37, 6:38
• Comments: So grateful to get in this run despite the hip flexor and foot pain I have been battling. Decided 2.5M in that I needed something to break up the monotony today, so I threw in a 400m pick-up at the 1/2M every mile. Definitely a good choice as the run passed much more quickly. No Gu this week- just a sip of water at 6M and a rice cake before the run.

Supplemental Work: Strength Session

Monday- 9.19.11
Rest Day
Easy, shakeout: 2M @ 7:30 AP
Supplemental Work: 2x60" pedestal routine

Tuesday- 9.20.11
Workout: 2M warm up + 6xAlt Miles (6:45/6:15) + 2M cool down w/ 6 pick-ups

• Surface: Memorial Park dirt loop
• Total Time: 16:50, 38:35 (6:25 AP), 14:45 (7:01 AP for the full 10M)
• Pace Progression: 6:35, 6:13, 6:44, 6:13, 6:38, 6:09
• Comments: Very nice workout. I did not expect the 6:45 miles to feel so comfortable... had I known how much recovery they would give me I may have picked up some of the miles in the middle rather than trying to stay close to the goal paces. I was too hesitant to push it because I expected things to get much more challenging by the end. Dropping the pace for the last mile was perfect, though- Jake pulled me through the last 400-800m at a good pace which (in my opinion) made the workout a success. I still don't feel like I've gotten in a good day of work if I'm not feeling some tension and burning by the end.

Supplemental Work: Strength Session

Wednesday- 9.21.11
Easy, Medium Long: 11M

• Surface: Memorial Park loop and trail
• Total Time: 90:00 (8:10 AP)
• Pace Progression: 9:58, 9:00, 8:50, 8:21, 8:28, 8:04, 7:44, 7:38, 7:35, 7:38, 7:35
• Comments: Felt TERRIBLE today. Woke up with a stomachache because of hunger- ate an extra rice cake before the run- had an uneasy stomach the entire run/ felt weak- am now sitting at work, still feeling poor. Not sure what the deal is today. Maybe just need a night of early to bed?! Hopefully! Still pain in the hip flexor and foot...

Thursday- 9.22.11
Easy: 7M
Strides: 0.5M of strides (7)

• Surface: Memorial Park dirt loop
• Total Time: 53:20 (7:37 AP)
• Pace Progression: 7:57, 7:48, 7:43, 7:31, 7:26, 7:31, 7:26; averaged 4:42 pace for the strides.
• Comments: Nice comfortable run with Nicole Richardson. Great to hear about her training and catch up with her before her big marathon this Sunday. Looking forward to seeing how it goes! Still a lot of pain in my right hip flexor and foot, also noticed pain beneath my left knee today. Blehhh.

Easy Shakeout: 2M at 7:45 on gravel loop near apt

Supplemental Work: 2x12 Push-Ups prior to run, Form Drills prior to strides + Myrtyl routine after strides; light core in PM

Friday- 9.23.11
Workout: 2M warm up + 15'@HMP, 10'@10k, 5'@5k, 3'@3k + 1.6M cool down

• Surface: Memorial Park dirt loop + pavement for the 3' segment
• Total Time: N/A 10.23M total - (6:46 AP for workout portion - 6.62M)
• Pace Progression: 8:47 w/u, 6:11, 6:03, 5:53, 5:30, 7:40 c/d
• Comments: Paces are close but not exact (I got different results when I put in the times/distance in my logarun.com website than what my Garmin says. Regardless, this was a tough workout for me. Each hard segment felt like it should be my last but Jake kept challenging me to do the next. Glad to have finished it out - and definitely thankful for the switch to the road for that last rep. Still needing to work on my hip flexor and foot...

Supplemental Work: 3x12 strength with light weights

Saturday- 9.24.11
Easy: 7M 53:00

• Surface: Dirt/ poor footing at Buffalo Bayou XC course
• Total Time: 53' (about 7M)
• Comments: Ran 4M in the heat, solo, and followed it up with the guys while they cooled down. Not a bad run. I waited until the evening to see if my hip and foot would ease up a bit with the extra rest... might've helped some!

Supplemental Work: 4x15 Push-Ups


Week 10 Total Mileage: 62M (1 long, 2 workouts, 4 easy, 2 shakeouts)
Cumulative Seasonal Mileage: 433M

Week 9 of Training... Praying for a healthy foot!

Sunday- 9.11.11
Easy, Long: 15M

• Surface: Memorial Park loop
• Total Time: 1:53:11 (7:32 AP)
• Pace Progression: 8:53, 8:33, 7:54, 7:41, 7:21, 7:45, 7:37, 7:30, 7:25, 7:20, 7:15, 7:13, 7:04, 6:58, 6:42
• Comments: Very grateful to have gotten this run done with the way my foot is feeling. I was really sluggish and fatigued for the first several miles, but woke up on the last 4 or 5. Took a Gu at 6M with some water, stopped for another sip at 12M. Longest run ever completed! :)

Monday- 9.12.11
Rest

Tuesday- 9.13.11
Workout: 2M warm up + 6M steady (6:45-6:35) + 2M cool down

• Surface: Memorial Park dirt loop
• Total Time: 39:10 for steady portion (6:27 AP)
• Pace Progression: 6:43, 6:32, 6:23, 6:23, 6:29, 6:17
• Comments: I had a really hard time judging pace so some it wasn't a very even run. There were several miles where I checked the pace halfway through, was running too fast or too slow, and over-compensated for the second half. Aside from that I felt strong... There were even several points where I had to tell Jake to slow down or not go faster because we were sub-pace. BIG TIME hip flexor pain today!

Supplemental Work: 3x12 strength workout

Wednesday- 9.14.11
Easy, Medium Long: 11M 90 minutes

• Surface: Memorial Park dirt path
• Total Time: 90:00 -- about 11M (8:10 AP)
• Comments: Decided to stop wearing my Garmin on the true easy days... I know the distance of most trails at the park anyways so I still have an idea of what I'm running. Kept things VERY relaxed today as my hip flexors are causing a lot of pain, but other than that it was a great run.

Thursday- 9.15.11
Easy: 6M
Strides: 6 x 200m 5 x 25 seconds

• Surface: Memorial Park Loop
• Total Time: 47:05 (7:49 AP)
• Pace Progression: 9:00, 7:39, 7:39, 7;39, 7:36, 7:22
• Comments: Nice relaxed run but still very, very strong pain in my hip flexors. Can't lift my knees or do leg swings at all!

Friday- 9.16.11
Workout: 2M warm up + 3x10' @ 6:15, 4' recovery + 2M cool down

• Surface: Memorial Park Loop
• Total Time: N/A - 10M for the day - 6:40 AP for fartlek/ 6:11 AP for hard segments
• Pace Progression: 6:11, 6:10, 6:12
• Comments: Felt pretty good muscularly but still struggled with my breathing. Much easier mentally than the 4x 8' workout. Still very terrible hip flexor pain.

Saturday- 9.17.11
Easy: 6M
Strides: 6x200m 4x17" 

• Surface: Spring Branch ISD XC Meet course (dirt and grass)
• Total Time: 45:08 (7:31 AP)
• Pace Progression: N/A
• Comments: Need to figure out what's going on with my hip flexors... that's about all I can comment on right now...

Week 9 Total Mileage- 58M (1 long, 1 medium long, 2 workouts, 2 easy)
Cumulative Seasonal Mileage: 372

Week 8 of Training... Focusing on health!

Really looking to take some pressure off of my right foot this week. I intend to make it into a slight down week in terms of mileage and intensity, and I am hoping to stay on softer surfaces for all of my runs. Better to nix this ache now than fight it and be sidelined later!

Sunday- 9.4.11
Long, Easy: 12M + .7M easy back to the car

• Surface: Memorial Park dirt loop
• Total Time: 85:09 (7:05 AP)
• Pace Progression: 9:01, 7:13, 7:20, 6:59, 7:05, 6:49, 6:42, 6:48, 6:52, 6:51, 6:41, 6:48
• Comments: Actually got in 12.7 for the day, but jogged the last .7 at 8:00 pace for recovery to get back to the car. Not a bad run at all with the cooler weather, but it was definitely a bummer to fight the wind again. Haven't had to deal with that since we left Dallas! Ate the usual rice cake before my run and took a Gu at 4M with a sip of water, as well as another quick sip of water at 7M.

Supplemental Work: 3 x 12 of 4 strength supersets

Monday- 9.5.11
Rest

Tuesday- 9.6.11
Workout: 2M warm up + 6 x alt miles (7:15/6:15) + 1M cool down

• Comments: In effort to hold true to this week's commitment of focusing on health, I am refraining from any running again. I spent yesterday and today in my walking boot and have taken 1 Ibuprofen with each meal. If I get the opportunity I will cross train and mimic the workout; tomorrow is slated to be similar to today until I am confident that my foot is ready to train hard again.

Supplemental Work: 3 x 12 of 4 strength supersets

Wednesday- 9.7.11
Medium Long, Easy: 10M
Cross Training: 85' bike w/ 4 x 5' at 110+ RPM

• Comments: Beyond ready to run tomorrow, but also very thankful for the chance to get in a good effort this morning on the bike. I am frustrated with missing two runs this week, but I am also very proud to have remained patient and confident in the training I have done. Cross training and rest are never easy for runners, but this is the first time I have had the maturity to put long-term health and fitness before my immediate gratification of accomplishing a workout. Making progress!

Thursday- 9.8.11
Easy: 6M
Strides: 6 x 100-150m
Easy: 8M w/ 6 x 200m pick-ups

• Surface: Memorial Park dirt loop
• Total Time: 62:35 (7:50 AP)
• Pace Progression:8:51, 8:17, 7:55, 7:48, 7:45, 7:30, 7:32, 7:02
• Comments: I did not want to do any full out sprints this week with my foot still sore- so I opted for pick-ups during my final mile of the run... LOVED this! It felt great to run in the cooler weather and I am hoping to be on the downhill slope of this "healing" week!

Supplemental Work: 10 x 60" core exercises

Friday- 9.9.11
Workout: 2M warm up + 4 x 8' @ HMP, 3' recovery + 2M cool down

• Surface: Dirt path at Memorial Park (less loose than the loop)
• Total Time/ Distance: 32' hard running- ~5.2M (6:07 AP)
• Pace Progression: 6:06, 6:07, 6:10, 6:01
• Comments: Ended up with about 9.5M for the day, but really struggled through the workout. As Jake pointed out, I feel strong muscularly and I am recovering fairly quick; but, I loose breath and have great difficultly with the longer reps mentally. Unfortunately I know how to improve my muscular strength- I don't know how to improve my lung functioning/breathing and I don't know how to get over the mental barriers of longer reps. Always something to work on, I guess!

Saturday- 9.10.11
Easy: 8M w/ 5 x 200m pick-ups in the last 1.5M
Strides: 6 x 100-150m

• Surface: Memorial Park Loop
• Total Time: 62:23 (7:46 AP)
• Pace Progression: 8:40, 8:08, 7:50, 7:55, 7:40, 7:29, 7:25, 7:05
• Comments: Enjoyed taking an easy run around the loop with my Ipod playing. I find it so relaxing to just go for a comfortable, "lazy" run with my music! I think I will start running 1M natural, restarting my watch, and then getting in my daily run after that.

Week 8 Total Mileage- 55M (1 long, 1 medium long, 2 workouts, 2 easy)
38M + 8.5M x-training (1 long, 1 workout, 2 easy, 1 cross-training)


Cumulative Seasonal Mileage: 314M