12.22.2015

Merry Christmas! (17M / 5 runs)

Monday, December 21st
Rest day

Tuesday, December 22nd
5M on the Katy Trail (8:40, 8:01, 8:06, 8:07, 8:05).

Wednesday, December 23rd
3M on the treadmill.

Thursday, December 24th
3M on the treadmill.

Friday, December 25th
3M on the treadmill.

Saturday, December 26th
3M on the treadmill.

Sunday, December 27th
Rest day.

Travel Time (19M / 6 runs)

Monday, December 14th
Rest day

Tuesday, December 15th
3M on treadmill.

Wednesday, December 16th
2M in the neighborhood.

Thursday, December 17th
5M in the neighborhood.

Friday, December 18th
3M on the treadmill.

Saturday, December 19th
3M on the beach.

Sunday, December 20th
3M on the beach.

12.14.2015

First 5k in over a year! (21M / 6 runs)

Monday, December 7th
3M run + 4 strides. Run felt terrible; strides felt good.

Tuesday, December 8th.
2M run. Went to visit grandpa and didn't pack for 39 degrees so I stopped early. Too cold.

Wednesday, December 9th
4M run. Finally a good run; cut down every mile. 9:00 pace down to 8:00 pace.

Thursday, December 10th
Rest day.

Friday, December 11th
~3M. Ran the 5k course plus a little extra. Ankles stiff and achy again.

Saturday, December 12th
~3M + 3 strides. Ran the 5k course plus a little extra. Strides felt better than run; still stiff on run. Might be due to old shoes that I packed.

Sunday, December 13th
2M warm up + 5k race. 20:34 for the 5k (6:37 AP). WAY faster than I expected... I was really stretching myself by aiming for 22:30 in my mind. Just felt like I hadn't been doing much of anything. Super happy with the time/ pace. Probably in 20:20ish shape as I backed off on mile 3 when I knew I was over a minute ahead of my goal time and I wasn't going to catch the girl in front of me.

12.01.2015

Trying to stay healthy! (15M / 4 runs)

Monday, November 30th
Rest day.

Tuesday, December 1st
2 sets of LH December Strength WO1.
4M run on the track. 9:00, 8:28, 8:11, 7:36. Still dealing with left foot, left shin, and right hip.

Wednesday, December 2nd
4M run on the trail and roads at DBU. No splits, just ran for 35 minutes (definitely past 4M). Left foot, left shin, and right hip.
3 x 150m build-ups.

Thursday, December 3rd
4M run on the treadmill. 8:50, 16:14 (miles 2 & 3), 6:48. I wanted to see what sub 7:00 felt like, so I started at 8:57 and cut down by 0.2 mph every half mile. I ended my third mile at 7:47 pace, so it was a good minute drop in pace going into the last mile. I never lost control of my breathing, by my legs felt like they were out of control trying to keep up. Left ankle and foot are still bugging me.

Friday, December 4th
3 sets of LH December Strength WO2.

Saturday, December 5th
3M run on the sidewalks in Tyler. Unplanned trip to visit grandpa at the hospital.

Sunday, December 6th
Rest. Felt terrible on Saturday's run... Ankles were super stiff and achy.

11.28.2015

Happy Thanksgiving! (20M / 6 runs)

Monday, November 23rd
35' bike with HIIT.
4M run. 34:25 on treadmill.

Tuesday, November 24th
35' bike with steady state.
3 x Strength WO1.

Wednesday, November 25th
4M run. 33:30 on track. 8:59, 8:16, 8:17, 7:58.
35' elliptical.

Thursday, November 26th
2M run. 17:20 on treadmill. 9:20, 8:00.

Friday, November 27th
30' run. Ran with Jake on Brunes Mill Rd in Columbus. Felt awful - hilly, high humidity, didn't wake up first, etc, etc.

Saturday, November 28th
30' run. Ran on treadmill. Came thru 3.5M in 29:55, last mile in 8:00.
2 x 6 of 8 different free weight upper body exercises.

Sunday, November 29th
30' run. Ran in the neighborhood. Still need to work on my right hip flexor and IT insertions.

11.16.2015

Trying again! (12M / 4 runs)

Monday, November 16th
3M run. 9:11, 8:39, 7:58 on the track at lunch. Only pain was front of left shin. Felt fine other than burping and stomach sloshing.
4M outdoor bike to warm up for strength.
2 x Strength WO1.

Tuesday, November 17th
3M run. 9:06, 8:41, 7:59 on the track at lunch. Only pain was front of left groin. Felt fine other than burping and stomach sloshing.
35' indoor bike.

Wednesday, November 18th
35' bike.
2 x Strength WO2.

Thursday, November 19th
30' run. Slight foot pain.

Friday, November 20th
20' run. Foot pain.

Saturday, November 21st
30' elliptical.

Sunday, November 22nd
8M bike.

11.09.2015

Looking forward to good health & good weather! (7M / 2 runs)

Slowly easing back into things this week! I just took seven consecutive days completely off (no cross training, no weights, no running, no nothing!), so I don't want to fling myself back in everything on day one!

Monday, November 9th
2M run. Ran in the neighborhood in Hoka Clifton 2's. Felt very light (that's too be expected after losing 8 pounds last week!) and felt lots of pep (also to be expected after seven days of rest). Left foot still had some achiness, as did my outer left knee and shins. Nothing was nearly as bad as last Sunday though, so that's a positive!
WO1 strength.

Tuesday, November 10th
4M run. Originally planned on 3M, but I felt good and didn't expect to get to run on Wednesday or Thursday due to a last minute colonscopy. Shin still hurt.

Wednesday, November 11th
Nothing.

Thursday, November 12th
Nothing. Anesthesia hung around pretty much all day.

Friday, November 13th
Nothing. Drove to Columbus early in the morning. Busy afternoon + unsettled stomach from travel schedule = no workout.

Saturday, November 14th
Nothing. Felt like I had indigestion from the time I woke up. Tried yoga in the morning, but kept burping.

Sunday, November 15th
Nothing. Drove home during most of the day. Stopped at urgent care clinic for the chest pain (what I thought was indigestion on Friday and Saturday). Probably from a biopsy taken during Thursday's EDG... Will take a couple weeks to heal.

11.08.2015

Sick!!! (0M / 0 runs)

Monday, November 2nd
Scheduled rest day. (cleanse day - which turned out to be a blessing! woke up at 1am with a stomach bug of some sort.)

Tuesday, November 3rd
Rest day. Ate 5 saltine crackers.

Wednesday, November 4th
Rest day. Temperature starting to go down, ate more crackers and a bar.

Thursday, November 5th
Rest day. Temperature still going down. Ate a lot more, but not because I wanted to!

Friday, November 6th
Rest day. Lost 8 lbs so far. Temperature finally normal! Ate better. Walked 15 minutes (very slow... it was tiring!) twice.

Saturday, November 7th
Rest day. Walked 1M twice. Feeling more energy, but still not much of an appetite.

Sunday, November 8th
Rest day. Walked 2M. Energy is back. Appetite is not back, but food is no longer gross!

10.25.2015

Hoping to settle into a routine (23M / 5 runs)

Monday, October 26th
5M run. Hoka Clifton 2's in the neighborhood. Felt good on this one. Shins were definitely a B+ this time as opposed to a solid C all week last week.

Tuesday, October 27th
4M run. Hoka Clifton 2's in the neighborhood. Almost exactly the same as Monday. Except shins were slightly worse.
Strength WO1

Wednesday, October 28th
Rest

Thursday, October 29th
4M run. Hoka Clifton 2's in the neighborhood. No big changes from Monday/ Tuesday, other than some strange aching in my right ankle towards the last half mile.
Strength WO2

Friday, October 30th
Rest day - Still feeling sick?!?

Saturday, October 31st
7M run. Hoka Clifton 2's on Katy Trail. Left foot randomly had sharp and shooting pain during the first 1.5 miles. Eased up over the run, but it came out of nowhere. Right ankle and left shin still sore, but not as bad as earlier this week. Right hammie/ glute got tight during the run. 8:34, 8:33, 8:08, 8:04, 8:02, 8:10, 8:03.

Sunday, November 1st
3M run. Hoka Clifton 2's on White Rock Lake. Left foot was very dull today, nothing sharp. Right ankle was still a slight ache. Right glute/hammie is tight. Biggest ache today is outer left knee. Next two days are off though, and I will roll and soak multiple times before Wednesday! Sub 8:30 avg pace today; 8:5x, 8:12, 8:11.

Full week of travel (16M / 4 runs)

To Columbus, to Houston, to Columbus, to Laredo, to Columbus, to Dallas! Won't sleep in my bed for over 10 days. Whew!

Monday, October 19th
Rest day - Traveling to Houston.

Tuesday, October 20th
4M run on treadmill. Shin pain and had to stop and rush to the bathroom twice. Stomach is still upset!!

Wednesday, October 21st
4M run on treadmill. Shin pain and messed up stomach still. Shins were slightly better though (been using oils).
10' strength work.

Thursday, October 22nd
Rest day. Stomach was really bad yesterday evening so I went to bed early and then I overslept in the morning. Rest of the day was a travel day so took it off.

Friday, October 23rd
4M run on treadmill. Similar to Wednesday's run. Shins and stomach a bother, but not as bad as they have been.
Strength WO3. Finally a full weights session.

Satruday, October 24th
3M run on treadmill. Shins and stomach still, but this run was the fastest I've done all week. Averaged 8:20 pace; last mile was 7:35.
~1M running at cross country meet. Definitely uptempo pace and all on road. Shins hurt bad on the road.

Sunday, October 25th
Rest day. Storming in the morning and spent the rest of the day driving, so another off day.

10.12.2015

It's about to get chaotic around here! (22M / 5 runs)

I am so frustrated, haha! I wanted to hit 20M each week for 4 consecutive weeks, and thought that's what I did, but as I updated my log, I realized I got in 19 instead of 20, ha! Maybe I will just do 21 this week! :) The next 2 weeks are going to be very chaotic, so we'll see how things shake out!

Monday, October 12
40' bike (avg HR 155) + Strength WO1 (avg HR 135) + 45' bike (avg HR 150). WO1 is not too bad, but the plank up downs are very challenging.

Tuesday, October 13
6M run (avg HR 157). Treadmill again... First mile was about 9:30; HR was all over the place. The next five miles I kept it set to 7.0 (8:34 pace). HR was mid 150's until the last two miles, then upper 150's and low 160's. Shins were sore today.

Wednesday, October 14
4M run (avg HR 161). Slow run for such a high HR... It was all over the place again on the first two miles; wondering if my monitor is going out. Dropped from 180 to 157 in three steps, then up to 164 after a few more steps. Took 37 minutes to run 4 miles on the track in cool weather and no wind. At a higher HR than my other runs have been. Just felt crummy today; ankles and shins both sore.
Strength WO2

Thursday, October 15
Rest day - upset stomach.

Friday, October 16
4M run (avg HR 161). Shins hurt and bottoms of feet feel like I'm running on concrete. Going to use only my Clifton 2 for the entire next week and see if that helps. Stomach is still upset so run was not pleasant.

Saturday, October 17
3M run (retreat)... Stomach still messed up.

Sunday, October 18
5M run (retreat/ leave for work)... Shins hurting today and stomach still not great, but weather was perfect and time allowed, so I ran an extra mile.

10.04.2015

Can I go 3 in a row? (19M / 5 runs)

Monday, October 5
Hurt my right knee this morning trying to stand up funny. Deep pain on the outer part of the knee cap, mostly while sitting and standing.... slight pain while biking too. Hopefully it's fine on my runs and strength work this week!
60' bike with Jake during lunch. (avg HR 114)
80' indoor bike after work. (avg HR 143)

Tuesday, October 6
3M run. (avg HR 162)
Strength WO1. (avg HR 151)
Knee bugged me on both, but I was able to use it.

Wednesday, October 7
6M run. (avg HR 159) Started at 9:41 pace, bumped it every quarter mile for the first 3 miles, then every half mile for the last three miles. Final half mile was 7:35 pace... total time was 50:14. Hamstrings are tight from yesterday's strength work, but knee was fine.

Thursday, October 8
3M run. (avg HR 153) Felt stiff and heavy on the first mile; better after that.
Strength WO2. (avg HR 142)
Cleanse starting at 8AM.

Friday, October 9
Rest day - Cleanse.

Saturday, October 10
3M run. (avg HR 168) Started WAY too fast for having just rolled out of bed.
Strength WO3. (avg HR 164) Wanted to quit on this one... It was tough!

Sunday, October 11
4M run. (avg HR 160) This one was probably my worst run in months. Very very fatigued... Ran so slow I may as well have been walking and it was still hard! But I was also standing in the sun ALL day yesterday at the fair, and I haven't gotten even 7 hours of sleep in the past several days.

9.27.2015

Still going! (20M / 5 runs)

Monday, September 28
45' elliptical. (avg HR 154)

Tuesday, September 29
WO1 strength.... KILLER. (avg HR 147)

Wednesday, September 30
5M run. (avg HR 157)

Thursday, October 1
9M bike with Jake, including 5M at 5:00 pace. (avg HR 143)
4M run. (avg HR 159)

Friday, October 2
8M bike easy with Jake. (avg HR 107)
3M run, including 0.13M at 6:35 alternating with 0.12M at 8:00 for the last mile. (avg HR 158)
WO2 strength.

Saturday, October 3
5M run. (avg HR 160)
60' indoor bike. (avg HR 148)

Sunday, October 4
14M bike with Jake. (avg HR 138)
3M run. (avg HR 162)
WO3 strength. (avg HR 155)


9.20.2015

Stress & Rest! (20M / 6 runs)

Most things get stronger when you stress them and then rest them, so I'm hope that logic applies to bones as well! Foot started to get worse last Thursday so I took off Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Planning to get back in the swing of things this week!

Monday, September 21
40' elliptical.
3M run + Strength WO1.

Tuesday, September 22
3M run.
50' outdoor bike.
60' indoor bike.

Wednesday, September 23
3M run.
60' elliptical.

Thursday, September 24
Strength WO2.
45' indoor bike.

Friday, September 25
4M run. 3M cutting down, 4th mile alternating 6:39 pace for 0.13M with 8:00 pace for 0.12M.
40' elliptical.

Saturday, September 26
4M run. Progressed throughout run; last mile was 7:16.

Sunday, September 27
3M run.
Strength WO3.

9.13.2015

Bought some Hoka Clifton's! (11M / 5 runs)

Monday, September 14
3M easy run - neighborhood streets.
2M easy run - grass track.

Tuesday, September 15
2M easy run - MVCC track surface.
20' bike + Strength WO1.

Wednesday, September 163M easy run.
2M easy run.

Thursday, September 17
Strength WO2.
2M steady run.

Friday, September 18
Rest day.

Saturday, September 19
Strength WO3.

Sunday, September 20
45' bike.

9.08.2015

I'm going to stop counting weeks. :) (18M / 6 runs)

Monday, September 7
30' run in the morning.
30' bike with Jake while he ran in the afternoon.

Tuesday, September 8
30' run in the morning + General strength #7.
30' bike with Jake while he ran at lunch.

Wednesday, September 9
20' bike with Jake while he ran in the morning.
General strength #8 during lunch.
60' zumba in the afternoon!

Thursday, September 10
30' run in the morning.
50' walk during lunch.

Friday, September 11
20' run in the morning.
General strength #7.

Saturday, September 12
30' run in the morning.

Sunday, September 13
2M easy run - neighborhood streets.
General strength #8.

8.31.2015

"Week 12" (12M / 4 runs)

Sunday, August 30
30' bike with Jake while he ran.
Big 8.

Monday, August 31
6M bike in the morning.
30' bike with Jake while he ran at lunch.
15' run + general strength #5 at lunch.
30' bike with Jake while he ran after work.

Tuesday, September 1
30' run in the morning.
30' bike with Jake while he ran at lunch.
General strength #6.
30' bike with Jake while he ran after work.

Wednesday, September 2
30' bike with Jake while he ran at lunch.
30' run + two sets of 40" plank rotation.

Thursday, September 3
Unplanned rest day - Traveled to visit grandpa in hospital. Probably a blessing in disguise as my left hip is really bothering me.

Friday, September 4
General strength #5 + 30' bike with Jake while he ran at lunch.
30' run during lunch.

Saturday, September 5
30' bike + sprints and jogs during the XC meet.

8.23.2015

"Week 11" (13M / runs)

Sunday, August 23rd
Rest day. Left groin started hurting late in yesterday's run and is still sore today, so I'm thankful this is my off day. Hopefully I'll be good to go tomorrow morning!

Monday, August 24th
4M run in the morning. I don't want to wear a garmin most days of the week, so I ran 35' at Mtn View. Felt pretty good. Left shin started to hurt towards the end, but it wasn't awful.
General strength #3 + HIIT bike + 1.5M run at noon. Left hip is catching during some of the strength work and leg swings. Two sets of 6 x 10" all out, 30" relaxed during the bike. Ran 15' in the neighborhood afterwards. Felt fine, but left shin started hurting again towards the end.

Tuesday, August 25th
3.5M run in the morning. Ran 30'on the grass track in some intense humidity. Shins felt fine today... really did not notice them.
30' easy bike + general strength #4 + 1.5M run. Intended to walk 15' after my run, but was out of time and I had already done an easy bike with Jake while he ran his double. Shins felt fine on the shakeout, but the fifth metatarsal of my left foot had a couple random sharp pains in the same spot as on Saturday's run. I was wearing the same shoes as Saturday, so I may rotate those out for a few days to see if that gets rid of it. I don't want to mess with that metatarsal because it's where the stress reaction was this February when I shut things down.

Wednesday, August 26th
30' bike while Jake ran his double

Thursday, August 27th
3M run with 3 x 100, 200, 300 (100 jog recoveries) in the morning. 9:12 for the first mile, 16:14 for the last two, which included the intervals. I did not stop during the run, just went straight from easy running into the intervals. 20, 43, 64, 20, 41, 63, 20, 41, 61 for the hard segments, which puts me thru 1,800m in 6:13 (5:32 mile pace). So fun! I'm not doing these track days to get in shape... I know they are more detrimental than beneficial... I understand how the laws of getting in good aerobic shape work. BUT, when you spend five consecutive years running base running the whole time (because you keep getting hurt before you get to do the hard running), running starts to lose its excitement. I love running because I love testing my body and pushing my limits. You don't get to do that in true base running, so I've decided to take a break from following the running rules, and I'm going to have fun with it for a while. Because sometimes you just want to run hard, and while my body is still in one piece, I'm going to take advantage of that every once in a while! :)
30' bike while Jake ran his double + 1.5M shakeout + general strength #3 at noon

Friday, August 28th
30' bike while Jake ran his double at noon. No run because left groin is bothering me again. A day of rest helped on Sunday, so we'll see if that does the trick again this time.
General strength #4 + 20' HIIT bike in the afternoon. Same two sets of 6 x 10" hard, 30" recovery.

Saturday, August 29th
30' bike with four sets of 6 x 10" strong, 30" natural in the morning.
20' run in the afternoon. Still getting those sharp shooting pains on the outside of my left foot.

8.19.2015

"Week 10" (20M / 6 runs)

Things were going great up until I got sick. When I was coming back from that, my third "run" back was incredible. My shins and butt felt significantly better than they had in months. I decided that's what I want my runs to be like at this point. I'm not a competitive runner right now, not anywhere remotely close. I'm in no rush to gain fitness. I want to feel GOOD on my runs. I want them to be enjoyable right now. I do not want to spend my runs asking myself, "should I keep going?" or "is this bone?". I understand there will always be aches, but I want to do better at staying ahead of them while I'm still running on my own time.

Sunday, August 18th
3M easy run.

Monday, August 17th
10' moderate run during team practice in the morning.
General strength #1 + 20' easy run during lunch.

Tuesday, August 18th
30' power walk in the morning.
General strength #2 + 15' HIIT bike + 15' run during lunch. (2 sets of 10" all out, 30" rest during bike)

Wednesday, August 19th
25' high HR elliptical + 5' high HR stair climber in the morning.
20' with 7 x 600m run, 100m walk included. 91", 76", 72", 67", 63", 61", 61", then jogged to finish out the time. The first one is essentially a wake up lap, so this gave me 1800m at about 5:55 pace. Pretty sweet. I have been running these with the mindset that if I'm not relaxed while running hard, I'm not getting max benefit; so my main focus on them is to keep my form relaxed and my effort controlled. My right shin started hurting on the second to last one, but it felt fine finishing out the time jogging.

Thursday, August 20th
General strength #1 + 15' HIIT bike. (2 sets of 10" all out, 30" rest)
60' sports massage.

Friday, August 21st
4M run in the morning. Ran on a 2M rolling loop; 16:38 and 15:15 for the two loops.
General strength #2 + 30' walk during lunch.

Saturday, August 22nd
6M run in the morning. First mile solo, then joined Jake's girls. 8:17 for the average pace. 8:46, 8:30, 8:03, 7:54, 8:20, 8:06. Ran 2.5M out with the group, then turned around with one of his girls who had surgery this summer so we backed off for a while after we first turned around. I was thankful. :)
General Strength + 15' HIIT bike + 15' walk in the afternoon.

"Week 9" - Still sick (8M / 3 runs)

Flu-like virus hung around until Wednesday. I did some walk-jog's on Wednesday thru Friday to sweat without bringing down my immune system. I rested on Saturday I ran hard on Friday and am trying to be careful with my shins.

Wednesday - 2.25M of 100m run, 100m walk
Thursday - 4M of 150m run, 50m walk
Friday - 1.5M of 300m hard, 100m walk (worked down and finished at 64"; most were mid 70's... finally felt smooth and strong!) + about 3M of diagonals during Dawn's workout 

8.02.2015

Week 8 - Sick!! (10M / 3 runs)

Down week!

Monday, August 3rd
Rest day

Tuesday, August 4th
3M easy. [Track, Hokas, DP 68, H 65%, T 81]. Average pace was 8:42. 9:06, 8:41, 8:18. This run felt like a marathon. No joke! I felt like I was running completely on empty! Thankfully, my foot was fine today, which is way more important than feeling good! :) Butt and shins are the big issues still.
4 x 100m strides. Started easy and kept them all very controlled. Didn't want to strain as the last time I did I stirred up my Pectineus. 27, 25, 23, 21.
2M easy. [Treadmill, Launch 2]. Average pace was 8:23. 8:27, 8:19. Felt much better energy-wise on this run. Butt and shins still an issue. 
Weights. 3 x 5 reps.

Wednesday, August 5th
Rest day

Thursday, August 6th
3M easy. [Track, Launch 2]. Average pace was 8:56. 9:31, 8:52, 8:24. Still feeling completely, terribly, totally awful. Heavy legs that feel like lead. Weak body, etc. etc.
2M easy. 17:00 on the gravel trail at DBU. Felt terrible still. Plus stomach cramps from being hungry.

Friday, August 7th
3M easy.
4 x 100m strides.
2M easy.
Rest day - Sick; flu-like virus or strep... doc says it will last a week or so.

Saturday, August 8th
Rest day - Sick

Sunday, August 9th
6M easy.
Rest day - Sick

7.27.2015

Week 7 (32M - 4:26 running, 2:35 x-training)

Monday, July 27
4M with last mile strong. [Track, Adistar Boost, DP 71.6, H 78%, T 78.8]. Average pace was 8:14. 8:59, 8:31, 8:12, 7:14. I felt much better on this than I expected to. In fact, during the first mile my stomach flipped and I thought I'd have to make this my double in order to get to a bathroom!! Came through the second mile feeling fine and decided to finish it out. No kick on the last mile... Trying to practice strong, not hard! Feet and pectineus were the two bigger problem spots today.
1.5M walk.
2M easy. [Treadmill, Launch 2]. Average pace 8:30. Set it to 8:34, then 8:27. Felt good... Amazing how much easier it is to run midday after you've already loosened up.
0.25M walk.
Weights. 3 x 5 reps.

Tuesday, July 28
Rest day.
CES Appointment.

Wednesday, July 29
.75M walk. Did this before my run instead of after because I wasn't sure if I should run today yet.
6M easy. [Track, Launch 2, DP 71.6, H 74%, T 80.6, W 9.2]. Average pace was 8:22. 9:01, 8:41, 8:27, 8:14, 8:01, 7:48. I wanted to run a zero pressure easy run today. Rhonda did a lot of deep, deep tissue work yesterday and I wasn't totally sure I should be running. I decided to enjoy the run and not look at any splits so that I wouldn't be tempted to run hard. On the third mile I estimated 9:30 pace because I was keeping so relaxed and my breathing was good. I had no problem with the slow pace because this is such a big jump in mileage. Turns out I had a textbook progression during the run without even trying! When I saw my last mile as I stopped the watch I was super pumped!! Left pectineus and left foot were the primary pains today.

Thursday, July 30
Rest day. Technically, 20' of 100m jog, 100m walk. Pectineus was really sore so I decided to swap Thursday and Friday so I could get in my chiro treatment before digging the hole deeper.
Chiropractor Appointment.

Friday, July 31
4M with last mile strong. [Katy Trail, Launch 2, DP 72, H 71%, T 82]. Average pace was 8:17. 9:04, 8:25, 8:20, 7:07. Pectineus felt night and day better on this run compared to when I tried yesterday. My legs on the other hand didn't feel so great. Yesterday they felt strong and peppy, today I was feeling super heavy and sluggish. Oh well, miles are in the book regardless! Left shin was bugging me so I'll treat that these next couple of days.
2M easy. [Treadmill, Launch 2]. Average pace was 8:30. 8:34, 8:27. Left foot and left shin were the only things that really bothered me. Left hip has been popping during leg swings before both runs today.
0.25M walk.
Weights. 3 x 5 reps.

Saturday, August 1
4M easy + strides. [Katy Trail, Launch 2, DP 62, H 51%, T 82]. Average pace was 8:27. 8:48, 8:15, 8:28, 8:15. Kept it nice and easy because my glutes/ hamstrings were tight and my shins were achy. Effort level was consistent the entire run, but the 2nd mile is a steady descent, so naturally the third mile is a steady gradual climb which explains the slower 3rd mile. 
1.5M walk.
2M easy. [Treadmill, Adistar Boost]. Average pace was 8:30. 8:34, 8:27. Both shins, left foot, and both glutes are still the culprits. BUT, if you go Sunday to Saturday instead of Monday to Sunday, I've just finished a 32 mile week!! :)
0.25M walk.

Sunday, August 2
8M easy. [WRL, Launch 2, DP 60, H 50%, T 80]. Average pace was 8:13. 8:35, 8:31, 8:26, 8:26, 8:19, 8:03, 7:46, 7:41. The first mile surprised me a bit. I was spooked on the first half mile and picked up the pace just to get to a more open area, and then I guess I settled at quicker pace than I normally would. I decided to try keeping the first six miles around 8:30 pace, but changed that to 8:20-8:30 on my third mile. Then I got mixed up mentally on the sixth mile and thought I had two to go. I picked up the pace and realized halfway through that I had three miles left, not two! So technically the last 2.5 miles were strong, not just the last two miles. Today my left foot hurt (new place... more to the outside) pretty bad for the first half of the run. My butt (I'm guessing the same ligaments) was stiff and and achy as well. Pectineus was good today!

7.20.2015

Week 6 (26M - 3:40 running, 2:50 x-training)

Monday, July 20th
4M run with last mile strong. [Treadmill, Launch 2] 8:15 was the average pace. 8:46, 8:30, 8:13, 7:30. Started at 8:49 and bumped the pace by 0.1mph every half mile. At the start of the last mile, I set it to 7:30 and left it there. No part of this run was too fast today; everything felt very controlled. Pectineus was actually better than yesterday, but my ankles were sore today.
2M walk. Took 28 minutes and HR ranged from 120 to 135.
Chiropractor Appointment.

Tuesday, July 21st
60' walk.

Wednesday, July 22nd
6M easy run. [Treadmill, Launch 2]. Average pace was 8:31. Started running outside, but my ankles were hurting pretty bad and I was worried about not being able to finish so I switched to the treadmill. Bumped the pace by .1mph at the end of each mile. 8:49, 8:41, 8:34, 8:27, 8:20, 8:13. Basically everything on the inside of my left leg hurt and everything on the outside of my right leg hurt. Plus both ankles. BUT, the efforts are feeling easy. I'm extremely pleased with how comfortable (effort wise) the runs are becoming.
0.5M walk. 

Thursday, July 23rd
4M run with last mile strong. [Treadmill, Launch 2]. Average pace was 8:25. 8:49, 8:41, 8:34, 7:30. Left foot hurt really bad today. As did my pectineus, ankles, etc. But that left foot was definitely the sore thumb after the run and throughout the morning. Legs were heavy and tired today.
1.5M walk.
Weights. 3 x 5 reps.

Friday, July 24th
Rest day.

Saturday, July 25th
4M easy run. [Katy Trail, Launch 2, DP 71.1, H 67%, T 82.9, W 5.8]. Average pace was 8:11. 8:40, 8:14, 7:59, 7:52. All of the same aches still, but nothing bad enough that it stood out over the others. Much faster run than I expected. I was 8:08 pace thru the first half of my second mile, but tried to put brakes on knowing that I didn't want to run as hard as last week.
1.5M walk.

Sunday, July 26th
8M easy run. [WRL, Launch 2, DP 69.1, H 65%, T 82, W 4.6]. Forgot my Garmin again, so I ran for time, just like last week. Pectineus is still sore, right shin is aching, both ankles are aching, and my butt ligaments are still aching. All that said, I was able to run the full 70 minutes without stopping. Fitness-wise, I'm feeling pretty good, just need to stay healthy so I can keep building.

7.16.2015

Week 5 (22M - 3:08 running, 1:32 x-training)

Monday, July 13
Rest day. Hip flexor hurt too bad to run.
Chiropractor appointment. Apparently it's my pectineus muscle that's messed up.

Tuesday, July 14
2M easy. [Treadmill, Launch 2] Average pace was 8:44. 8:52, 8:36. Felt good muscularly still and actually planned on doing the 4M progression run from Monday, but my groin started hurting at 1.75 so I stepped off at 2M. 
Weights. 3 x 5 weighted squats, calf raises, bench press, shoulder press, hamstring curl, tricep pushdown.
CES appointment with Rhonda. Lots of deep tissue massage in my lower back and IT band on the left side (same side as the pectineus problem). SI joint was out as well.

Wednesday, July 15
Rest day. Everything hurt still. Not worth pushing through aches at this point.

Thursday, July 16
4M easy. [Track, Launch 2, DP 69.8, H 83%, T 75.4, W 6] Average pace was 8:50. 9:25, 8:47, 8:42, 8:25. Pectineus got worse as the run went on. As it got worse, my right hamstring started bothering me. Didn't feel as fluid on this run, and neither did Jake. I expected to see 100% humidity and high winds based on how it felt, but the weather actually wasn't bad today.
1.5M walk. I've decided I want to try getting my body used to being on my feet for an hour straight, so for a little while I want to try following my runs with a brisk walk until I get to 60 minutes total. Today that left a 25 minute walk. 
Chiropractor Appointment.

Friday, July 17
4M easy. [Treadmill, Launch 2]. Average pace was 8:33. 8:47, 8:28, 8:14, 8:03. Same as usual, but I started .1 mph faster than usual. Every half mile I bumped the pace by .1. Still feeling good aerobically, but not as smooth in terms of form, nor as light in the legs. My butt is back to hurting, but by far the biggest issue right now is my pectineus. Definitely need to stay on top of that treatment. 
1.7M walk. Same as yesterday, just trying to stay on my feet and keep my HR above 60% for a full hour. Checked my HR every five minutes and it ranged from 125 to 135, so averaging right around 65%.
Weights. 3 x 5 weight squats (40lb bar), calf raises (40lb bar), bench press (25lb dumbbells), hamstring curl (69lb), shoulder press (53lb), tricep pushdown (79lb).

Saturday, July 18
4M easy. [Katy Trail, Launch 2, DP 72, H 74%, T 81, W 8]. Average pace was 7:56. 8:15, 7:55, 7:53, 7:40. First mile felt nice, but when I saw the split I knew the way back would be tough! Katy Trail is downhill going out and uphill going back. Thankfully, I managed to maintain just fine on the second and third mile, so it ended up being just a mile of working. My legs felt heavy today, and my pectineus hurt, but it wasn't a bad run overall.
1.5M walk.

Sunday, July 19
8M easy. [WRL, Launch 2, DP 70, H 71%, T 80, W 8]. I left my Garmin at home for this one, so I just ran for time and called it 8 miles. 70 relaxed minutes on the lake. Hip flexor (pectineus) was the most painful, butt ligaments hurt but were overshadowed by the pectinues; same for the shins and my left foot. 

7.06.2015

Week 4 (20M - 2:48 running, 20' x-training) + New shoes + Illness

Monday, July 6th
4M with last mile strong. [Treadmill, Pegasus]. Average pace was 8:11. 8:44, 8:23, 8:20, 7:30. Felt fine on the run. Nice and controlled. My chest is hurting today; similar to how it would feel with a URI. Left foot was the most painful thing on the run. Butt didn't really bother me; not sure if it was because of how I run on a treadmill or if it's because of how bad my left foot was. 
Weights. 2 x 5 reps squats (40 lb bar), seated hamstring curls (65 lb), calf raises (2 x 12 reps, 20 lb dumbbells), bench press (25 lb dumbbells), military press (10 lb dumbbells), lat pull-downs (2 x 10 reps, 45 lb)
Chiropractor Appointment. Dry needling (left lower back, left sacrotuberous ligament, left calf, left foot), ART (left sacrotuberous ligament), hot laser (left foot), vibration plate with foot roll. He also suggested I run on the treadmill for a few more days in case that is giving my ligaments a break. 

Tuesday, July 7th
Rest day.
CES Appointment with Rhonda. Lots of neuro stim again... She found hot spots all over my sacrotuberous ligament and hamstring tendon, as well as my foot and shin. She also did some massage on my neck and back.

Wednesday, July 8th
6M easy. [Treadmill, Lunar Glide]. Average pace was 8:17. 8:53, 8:36, 8:23, 8:07, 7:58, 7:43. I know this was scheduled as an easy run, but those last 2.5 miles did not feel easy.... I was very tired, ha. I have a weird thing with following patterns on my runs (so on progression runs, if I drop 30 seconds after the first mile and 20 after the second, I'll probably try to drop 10 after the third... that kind of thing), so on the fist couple miles I cut the MPH down by 0.1 every half mile, and then the pace got quick about halfway through but I wanted to continue the pattern. The first half mile was 8:57, the last half mile was 7:43. I wasn't ever breathing too hard, but it was my legs that were worn out. My feet hurt (both) and my butt hurt (both sides), but my shins felt pretty good today; and the pains were all less than they were this time last week.

Thursday, July 9th
4M with last mile strong.
Weights.
Chiropractor Appointment.
Rest day - Jake got food poisoning late last night; I hardly slept and spent the day feeling queasy myself so no running for either of us.

Friday, July 10th
Rest day. Ate crackers and broth yesterday - definitely not ready to run yet. 

Saturday, July 11th
6M easy.
4M easy + 3 strides (easy, medium, hard). [Track, Launch 2, DP 71.6, H 76%, T 80.2] Average pace was 8:37. 9:03, 8:35, 8:33, 8:16. This was not a fast run by any means whatsoever, BUT it was probably the most comfortable and smooth run I've had in a long, long time. I finally felt like I had a normal stride; my butt wasn't killing me, my foot wasn't killing me, my shins didn't hurt... It was so relieving. I flipped tomorrow's easy run with today's long run since I've lived off of broth, crackers, and soda for the past two days. Strides were easy, medium, hard in 21.88, 20.60, 18.21.

Sunday, July 12th
4M easy + 3 strides.
6M easy. [Treadmill, Launch 2] 8:56, 8:44, 8:37, 8:25, 8:16: 8:06. Another great run in terms of fitness (aka, not out of breath... super comfortable and relaxed), but my left hip flexor started bugging me in the first mile and got worse and worse over the run. And my butt hurts again. On both sides. Boooooo. I was smarter on this run, though, and bumped the pace by .1 every .75M instead of every .5M. It worked just perfectly and I recovered very quickly. HR dropped to 125 by 55 minutes, whereas last week I had to continue walking until 63 minutes! I planned to do some cross training after my run, but since my hip flexor was so painful, I opted to come home and soak in epsom salt instead. 

7.02.2015

Week 3 (24M - 3:23 running, 1:15 x-training)

Monday, June 29th
4M with last mile strong. [MVCC, Lunar Fly, DP 71.1, H 79%, T 78.1]  Average pace was 8:24. 9:09, 8:35, 8:34, 7:16. I felt fine on this run, but not like yesterday. My "butt" hurt on every step (hamstring tendons) and my shins hurt. I still feel heavy (makes sense) and choppy in my stride as well. All of it makes sense... I am heavier than I was last time I ran and I'm out of shape. No rolled ankles today, though, so that's a plus!
Weights. 5' warm up on bike, 2 x 5 leg press, hamstring curl, bench press, shoulder press, calf raises.
15' lap swimming.
Chiropractor Appointment. Dry needling (left lower back, upper hamstring), massage (left shin), vibration platform, hot laser (left shin).

Tuesday, June 30th
Rest day.
CES Appointment with Rhonda. Lots of Neuro Stim, plus some hamstring and back massage.

Wednesday, July 1st
6M easy. [MVCC, Lunar Fly, DP 70, H 84%, T 75] Average pace was 8:38. 9:26, 8:48, 8:26, 8:35, 8:22, 8:13. Crummy crummy run... but mostly for mental reasons. Everything hurt so bad that I felt like I couldn't run any better (faster) and up until the last mile I wasn't out of breath... I felt like I was wasting time and almost stopped. My paces were way faster than I expected them to be though. I really hope I can get rid of these pains soon. Left foot, both hamstring tendons.

Thursday, July 2nd
4M with last mile strong. [Track, Stinson, DP 71.6, H 100%, T 71.6] Average pace was 8:36. 9:17, 9:01, 8:43, 7:26. Left foot was really bad today, right foot also started hurting for the first time (same place). Both hamstring tendons still very bad as well - left is worse than right. Left shin hurts on the upper half, right shin hurts on the lower half. Run felt fine. Windy outside today... but I was running easy so it wasn't a big deal. Finally ran the last mile "strong" instead of "hard".
Weights. 5' warm up on bike, 2 x 5 leg press, hamstring curl, bench press, shoulder press, calf raises.
15' lap swimming.
Chiropractor Appointment. Dry needling (left butt ligaments), stim (left foot and lower leg), massage (both), and hot laser (left butt ligaments), KT tape along left calf and left hamstring. 

Friday, July 3rd
Rest day.

Saturday, July 4th
6M. [Trinity Trails Loop, Lunar Glide, DP 70.5, H 70%, T 81] Average pace was 8:31. 9:21, 8:45, 8:32, 8:19, 8:04, 8:03. I felt pretty crummy on the first 2 or 3 miles; mostly because of aches and pains. After that I started to settle into the run. My "butt ligaments" (we found out it is not my hamstring tendons, but some really long-named ligament) are still really painful when running, but I can tell that the work Midlothian Spine and Sport did on the left side made a huge difference. Same with my left foot. It still bothered me, but there was significant improvement compared with before Thursday's appointment.

Sunday, July 5th
4M easy + 3 strides. [WRL, Structure, DP 73.0, H 82%, T 79]. Average pace was 8:11. 8:10, 8:09, 8:26, 7:59. I ran the first two miles with two of Jake's girls, hence the 8:10 first mile. At the end of the run I really didn't feel any different than I do after any of my other runs, and honestly, the second mile didn't feel terrible; but I just am not at a place where I can start runs sub 8:30 these days. I think next week I'll have to run a mile first then meet up with them. Butt ligaments felt terriblleeee on and after the run. Strides were really painful and choppy because I felt like I couldn't run right with the way my butt felt. Left foot is still bad, as are both shins (left is worse).

6.22.2015

Week 2 (22M - 3:06 running, 1:40 x-training)

Monday, June 22nd
4M progressive - 2M easy, 1 moderate, 1 hard. [MVCC, Lunar Glide, DP 69.1, H 76%, T 77] Average pace was 8:20. 9:16, 9:00, 7:37, 7:27. Had a crummy night of sleep, allergies were bugging me, it was windy and hot outside... Let's just say I didn't set myself up for a good run mentally today. Did a 2' jog to wake up, drills, then got started. First 3 loops were clockwise on my .88M loop, turned around before the 4th mile thinking I'd been running the direction that had more uphill portions... Wrong!! :) The counter-clockwise direction was primarily into strong winds and was much more uphill than downhill. Poor choice on my part. Had to work on that last mile and still only dropped 10 seconds from the one before it. Oh well. 2 miles easy, then two cutting down... in the books. Left shin bugging me and both hamstring tendons bugging me. Chiropractor today, CES appointment tomorrow.
T25 Beta Core
T25 Alpha Speed
Chiropractor Appointment (dry needling on hip flexors and left shin, deep hip flexor stretch, vibe plate)

Tuesday, June 23rd
Rest day (Planned to do some T25, but I felt like trash all day so I took a full day of rest instead. Went to bed before 8:00!)

Wednesday, June 24th
4M easy + 2 strides. [MVCC, Stinson, DP 73, H 79%, T 80.1] Average pace was 8:41. 8:52, 8:40, 8:33, 8:36. I started the run faster than I have been since I ran it with Jake, so that mile felt a bit uncomfortable, but for the second and third mile, my breathing was under control and I felt decent (legs are still heavy). I rolled my ankle on the last mile and after that I started struggling again. Up to that point, the last mile decent as well. Hamstring tendons and left shin are still my main/only aches.
T25 Alpha Cardio
T25 Beta Total Body

Thursday, June 25th
4M progressive - 2M easy, 1M moderate, 1M hard. [Track, Lunar Glide, DP 71.4, H 88%, T 75.2] Average pace was 8:08. 9:05, 8:50, 7:35, 7:03. I learned two things on today's run. One, I think 8:50s to 9:10s is truly my easy pace right now (at least in our current weather). I jogged for a good 15 minutes prior to starting this run, but when I finished my "easy effort" miles, I still wound up with those splits. They did not feel too easy, either. Two, I haven't quite learned moderate effort level yet. I know easy and I know hard, so I've been running easy, easy, hard, hard with extra digging. Today's third mile is honestly what I should be running for my last mile, given that the last mile should be around tempo effort. I just haven't found that "in-between" effort so I'm left with no option but to dig deep if I want to cut down on that final mile. At any rate, pains were about the same today. Still only dealing with the left shin and both hamstring tendons.

Friday, June 26th
Rest day
Chiropractor Appointment

Saturday, June 27th
4M easy + 2 strides. [MVCC, Stinson, DP 73, H 88%, T 77] Forgot my garmin, so I just ran 35 minutes. I rolled my ankle and felt it pretty bad mid shin on the outside, but I was still able to finish the run. Did my two strides, but they felt forced and awkward. Starting a strength plan next week - 2 days in the gym, 3 days of T25 videos.

Sunday, June 28th
6M easy. 9:08, 8:38, 8:35, 8:25, 8:06, 8:01. [WRL, Stinson, DP 73, H 88%, T 77] Average pace was 8:29. Finally a run that truly felt easy! I have been calling my daily runs "easy", but they have not been feeling easy. Today's run finally felt like a true easy run! For some reason it felt very cool, but it was only a couple degrees cooler than usual. I think it was less humid. At any rate, I was worried my splits would be 9:30's today because it felt so relaxed during the run! My hamstring tendons are a major problem still though, as are my shins (both of them now). Back to the chiropractor tomorrow, so hopefully they can help!

6.13.2015

Week 1 (22M - 3:08 running, 1:40 x-training)

Switching from minutes to miles, adding some quality, adding some mileage, and adding some structure to the cross training. Hoping my CES friend and chiropractor friends can help me kick this upper hamstring mess to the curb.

Monday, June 15th
4 miles progressive - 2 miles easy, 1 moderate, 1 hard. [MVCC, Lunar Glide, DP 72, H 84%, T 77] Average pace was 8:289:10, 8:55, 8:13, 7:35. Ran on a hilly grass loop at MVCC. Windy this morning and I was super stiff on the first two miles, but after that things got a little better. Wore my lunar glides instead of my Hoka's. Heels still hurt some and upper hamstring tendons are the same. Nothing is getting worse though!
T25 Cardio

Tuesday, June 16th
T25 Core + T25 Speed

Wednesday, June 17th
4 miles easy + 2 strides. [Treadmill, Stinson]. Average pace was 8:21. 8:34, 8:23, 8:15, 8:10. Ran on the treadmill because it was pouring outside. Lots of pains from the hips down, but it was all joints or tendons/ ligaments. No bones. :) I felt good aerobically. 
T25 Total Body
Epsom salt soak

Thursday, June 18th
4 miles progressive (2 miles easy, 1 moderate, 1 hard) + 2 strides. [Track, Stinson, DP 69.1, H 84%, T 74.3] Average pace was 8:24. 9:11, 8:52, 8:18, 7:18. I did a full warm up before my run today thinking that would help my first mile some. Nope! Haha! I actually felt really good on it though... I didn't feel stiff and I felt like I was running a normal pace. The good news is that I was still able to bring the pace down on the moderate and hard miles. Strides felt much better this time. I like my Adidas flats way more than my Nike ones.
Dry needling therapy at the Chiropractor

Friday, June 19th
Rest day

Saturday, June 20th
4 miles easy + 2 strides. [MVCC, Stinson, DP 72, H 79%, T 79] Average pace was 8:46. 9:15, 8:54, 8:29, 8:23. Felt like I was breathing through saran wrap today. Seriously... If you ran beside me on my last mile, you would have thought I was doing a tempo run based on my breathing. Hamstring tendons felt a little better after Thursday's needle treatment, but they still hurt. Strides were on a slight incline; 21 seconds each at about 5:25 pace.

Sunday, June 21st
6 miles. [WRL, Stinson, DP 69.1, H 76%, T 77] Average pace was 8:43. 9:10, 9:00, 9:06, 8:26, 8:23, 8:13. Felt absolutely terrible running out. Not from breathing.. from dizziness and leg fatigue. I felt so light headed and my legs felt like it took everything in me to move them. Hamstring tendons still hurt, as does left shin. Stopped for about a minute after the second mile to see if I could pass the dizziness; didn't work, but once I turned around at the 3 mile mark, things improved a little. 

I owe myself an apology

From April 19th, 2010 up until February 28th, 2015, I recorded every single day of my training on this blog. I was nineteen days short of four consecutive years... That would have been 1,461 straight days!! Unfortunately, this cycle of injuries finally took its toll on me and I just fell away from all of my old habits.

So... to quickly catch you (and mostly my future self) up on what's happened these last two and half months, I'll write a short summary for each month. :)

April 2015 - A very slow, conservative return. I ran 4 to 5 days each week, never more than three days in a row. I started with 15 minute runs and progressed to 20 minutes, never broke 20 minutes during the month of April. I also started T25 workout videos; I followed the low-impact versions of all exercises and did not have any problems.

May 2015 - Still only 4 to 5 runs per week. Started with 25 minute runs, progressed to 30 minutes, then 35, then a handful of 40 minute easy runs on the last week of May. I also had two runs with the last five minutes uptempo and those were just under 7:00 pace. The uptempo portions are my only timed/measured runs so far.

June 2015 - Started with a full week off of running... My upper hamstring tendons have been bothering me since January, but it got to be way too much. Saw my therapist and she said I was out of alignment and my SI joint was messed up, so we worked on those. Started back this last week with some 25 to 30 minute runs. Still have the tension, but not nearly as bad as at the beginning of June.

I'll pick up with my normal training log this coming week!

2.23.2015

It's snowing and we are stuck in the house...

Impromptu rest week due to snow and ice. I can't get to the AlterG and my hamstring tendon isn't ready for more of the bike yet. Might as well make this 7 days of total rest. I've had 10 days of low impact training since I stopped running, so adding 7 days of total rest and then 10 more days of low impact training would put me at 27 days and it would be time to start running on land again.

Monday, February 23rd - Friday, February 27th
Total rest. Planks and core exercises on a couple of the days.

Saturday, February 28th
Warm up drills, 10' progressive bike, Myrtle routine, 10' fartlek bike, back strength circuit, 10' fartlek bike... ~65 minutes of continuous work


2.17.2015

Trying the AlterG (12.75M)

Monday, February 16th
30 minutes on the AlterG in the morning (avg HR 130, avg pace 7:30, total distance 4M)
70 minute bike in the evening

Tuesday, February 17th
50 minute bike (avg HR 160)

Wednesday, February 18th
30 minutes on the AlterG at noon (3 x 1M @ 6:00 pace, avg HR 164, avg pace 6:38, total distance 4.6M. Foot felt fine but insertions behind my knee are feeling a bit strained.)

Thursday, February 19th
Rest day

Friday, February 20th
60 minutes strength + core in the morning (myrtl routine, back routine, upper body strength, core strength, etc)
30 minutes on the AlterG at noon (60" uphill surges @ 6:40 pace with incline 10%, avg pace 7:14, avg HR 158, total distance 4.15M, strain behind knees significantly greater. Glad I have a couple days off before I can use the AlterG again. Foot felt good though.)

Saturday, February 21st
30 minutes strength + core (Planned to bike but didn't feel well. Thought I had a fever but it was actually super low... 95.8!)

Sunday, February 22nd
Rest day

Stress reaction again... (6M)

Monday, February 9th
50 minute bike (avg HR 160)

Tuesday, February 10th
2M warm up, 4x800m, 400m rec. jog, 1M cool down (warm up 8:02 avg pace, 162 avg HR; 800's in 3:24, 3:23, 3:20, 3:19, avg pace for workout 7:19, avg HR 179; cool down 8:50 avg pace... ran on the hilly neighborhood loop; left foot felt worst at very end)

Wednesday, February 11th
60 minute bike (avg HR 162... x ray shows stress reaction in 5th metatarsal, doctor says it's mild and I can continue running, but given my history, running on a stress reaction seems like asking for longer recovery time)

Thursday, February 12th
90 minute bike (avg HR 162)

Friday, February 13th
Drills + body weight leg strength + 1M run (wasn't planning to run and stopped as soon as my foot started hurting... in Seattle for the weekend and couldn't pass up a perfect trail)

Saturday, February 14th
Rest day (no access to a gym... legs are sore from strength work yesterday)

Sunday, February 15th
Rest day (no access to a gym still)

Being cautious with an achy left foot (18M)

Monday, February 2nd
Rest day

Tuesday, February 3rd
2M easy + 5M steady (8:23 avg pace, 170 avg HR, 173 avg cadence... ran on the neighborhood hilly loop)

Wednesday, February 4th
4M easy + strides (9:10 avg pace, 166 avg HR... ran early in the morning on the track... rough day)

Thursday, February 5th
50 minute bike (avg HR 156. left foot is aching... decided to bike before I didn't have access to cross training equipment over the weekend)

Friday, February 6th
2M easy + 5M steady (8:01 avg pace, 170 avg HR... ran on hilly trails in Joplin, Mo)

Saturday, February 7th
Rest day... super achy foot, maybe from sperry shoes I wore yesterday. Resting to be safe.

Sunday, February 8th
Rest day... still achy foot.

1.28.2015

Taking a down week and upping my HR range! (24M)

Monday, January 26th
Rest day

Tuesday, January 27th
5M w/ first 2M @ 160-169bpm and last 3M @ 169-175bpm (8:20, 8:44, 8:11, 8:14, 8:23; avg pace 8:24, avg HR 171, avg cadence 174. Still have some sacral/sciatic pain like on Sunday, outside of left knee is weak, and both shins have minor pain... nothing major. It was HOT today. As in 80 degrees instead of the 40 degrees I've been running in!)

Wednesday, January 28th
3M @ 160-169bpm + 2 x drills + 60" pedestal rotation (8:33, 8:23, 8:32; avg pace 8:30, avg HR 164, avg cadence 174. 80 degrees again today!! Sacral pain wasn't as bad today, but I dropped the strides after doing drills because my left hip flexor was straining during high knees.)

Thursday, January 29th
3M @ 160-169bpm + strides (8:20 avg pace, avg HR 165, avg cadence 174... ran on the track)

Friday, January 30th
5M w/ first 2M @ 160-169bpm and last 3M of hilly fartlek up to 175bpm + drills (2M warm up avg pace 8:15, workout avg pace 7:38, workout avg HR 174, workout avg cadence 178... ran on the hilly neighborhood loop)

Saturday, January 31st
Rest day

Sunday, February 1st
8M @ 160-169bpm + strides (avg pace 8:05, avg HR 162... ran on the treadmill)

1.14.2015

Almost time for workouts! (33M)

I start workouts in two weeks! Ahh!! I can't believe I'm running 30+ miles a week already! I am so thankful to be making forward progress!

Monday, January 12th
Rest day

Tuesday, January 13th
4M easy + 4x20" strides (avg pace 8:59, avg HR 160, avg cadence 173, strides avg pace 5:18. cold, sore throat, stomach sloshing, had to practically walk on all the inclines in order to keep HR in range)

Wednesday, January 14th
7M with last 5M steady (2M warm up avg pace 9:15, avg HR 159; 5M steady avg pace 8:40, avg HR 168. Felt crummy physically again. Tight glutes/ hammies and shins a bit achy)

Thursday, January 15th
4M easy + 4x20" strides (avg pace 8:33, avg HR 159. Shins hurt and felt a bit uncoordinated, but other than that, it's nice to have a more decent pace on my easy day)

Friday, January 16th
7M with 4M @ 7:40 pace (2M warm up avg pace 8:40, avg HR 156; 4M tempo avg pace 7:39, avg HR 173; 1M cool down avg pace 8:40, avg HR 159. Shin pain and the absolute terrible, terrible stomach cramps. Lucky to have finished the run.... My HR will be way lower if I do this one again.)

Saturday, January 17th
Rest day

Sunday, January 18th
11M easy + 4x15" strides (avg pace 8:54, avg HR 162, avg cadence 173. Ran really even for the most part - Kept the entire run in a 14" range. 1st & 2nd toe on left foot hurt during the 2nd and 3rd mile. Outside of left knee and inside of right ankle hurt for the entire second half. Sciatic pain during strides, but was relieved with stretching.)

1.05.2015

I'm actually running at the beginning of a new year! (30M)

I think this is the first year since 2009 that I haven't been hurt around New Year's and unable to run due to stress fractures! Woohoo!

Monday, January 5th
Rest day (possible gallbladder problem- luckily it's a rest day)

Tuesday, January 6th
6M with 4M steady (ran on gravel trail to give shin a break; surface was too thick for fartlek so I swapped workouts with Saturday and did the steady portion; stomach was still bad. avg HR 165, avg pace 8:50, avg cadence 173)

Wednesday, January 7th
4M + strides (was supposed to be 5M, but got stomach pains so stopped at 4 so I'll add a mile to Saturday's 4 miler. avg HR 160, avg pace 8:10. treadmill run so no cadence recorded)

Thursday, January 8th
Rest day (went to ER... stomach pain got too severe. still no clue what's causing it)

Friday, January 9th
6M (forced in a very relaxed 6 miles but dropped the strides as I did not want to throw up; stomach still really upset but not as painful; left shin and left foot hurt, as does right hammie. avg HR 158, avg pace 8:51, avg cadence 174)

Saturday, January 10th
5M with 20" fartlek (stomach still bothering me, but the miles prior to starting the fartlek were in the 8:30's-40's, which I was pleased with. definitely still having problems with my shins, left in particular, and my right hammie. avg pace 8:51, avg HR 162, avg cadence 173)

Sunday, January 11th
9M (scratched the strides since my ankles and right hammie were bothering me so much. ran on the gravel trail at DBU which is pretty much like running at the beach right now... just such thick, loose gravel. not very fun, but it was my only outdoor soft surface option today. avg pace 8:36, avg HR 161, avg cadence 172)