55 for the week

Easy 6 yesterday and 7 today give me 55 miles this week. Yesterday was tough mentally and physically.. I was tired after Wednesday's longer run and Thursday's faster effort and I just didn't feel like running. But I was glad that I stuck with it and got 6 miles. I felt much better today and actually enjoyed the run. I am happy that I reached 55 miles this week considering I had some faster stuff and I am still feel pretty solid.

7 miles

7 miles in 57:43 today. At 4.5 miles in I picked up the pace to 7:30 and brought it down to 7:00 pace over the next mile. It didn't feel like my legs wanted to go any faster than that so I held it at 7:00 pace for a mile. It felt harder today than I expected but that means it probably did me some good.

35 so far

Sunday - 14

Monday - 6 mile recovery run. My left knee was a little sore.. odd, but maybe from the harder Sunday run. I haven't had any IT band issues for a long time now so I wasn't too worried. The 14 on Sunday was all on pavement and I was outside for this run as well. I tried to run some on grass (golf course) but the frozen ground didn't make the best footing. I was going to go 7 but quit early because my knee actually hurt bad enough to make me think I should stop. Still managed 8:20 pace and had to work to slow myself down. Felt really good for a recovery day.

Tuesday - Should have iced after Monday's run! Ran on the treadmill and still felt some lingering knee pain. I was going to throw in a little faster stuff... build from a 7:30 mile down to 6:40 pace and try to maintain for a mile or so. I got down to 7:30 pace and managed that for a mile.. it felt like crap and I hung on thinking it might get better. It didn't and I realized going faster just wasn't happening for this run. I stopped at 5 because my knee was hurting and I knew I needed time to ice!!!

Wednesday- 10 miles at 8:45 pace. My legs felt great today and didn't notice my knee at all. Ran on the treadmill and struggled a little mentally to get 10.... it felt like I had already been running forever at 4 miles. I am not a big fan of treadmill running... especially after I get to run outside for a couple days in a row. At least I get to catch up on episodes of House =)

Merry Christmas!!

I haven't posted since Wednesday.. hmmm.... what has happened since then??

Thursday: easy 6

Friday: 7 miles with a 6:50 mile in the middle just to see how it would feel. I actually felt really good even on the treadmill. I thought 6:50 pace would feel like I was flying off the end of the treadmill but it was ok. I found that I was able to tick up the pace throughout the mile and could have continued for a little longer at that pace. It was encouraging but I can't imagine running even a couple of miles at that pace right now. I guess I will just build up slowly.

Saturday: Christmas with Eric's family... didn't take time to run. Ended the week with 45 miles on 6 days without a long run.


Sunday: I felt really good at the start of the run and decided to go with it. I ran the first few miles around 7:40 pace and was feeling fine. I had planned to run 15 or 16 but changed my mind and decided to go 14 but try to keep up the quicker pace. I finished the run in 1:48:19 (7:46 pace). I was definitely tired at the end and the last mile was a little tough but I maintained the pace. It seems like I am finding a different rhythm now that I have started incorporating some faster stuff.

The Plan?

7 miles yesterday with a few .5 mile pickups throughout the run. Nothing too crazy as the overall average pace was just under 8:30. Today was a nice 10 miler at 8:40 pace. I feel really good after (and usually during) these runs which makes me think I need to be running faster. Eric (Coach) and I were talking about the plan last night and he mentioned doing a long run (16-17), a longish run (10) and then spending the rest of the week running close to or at my goal 1/2 marathon pace for 30-40 minutes. I am not sure if I am going to be able to get in shape to run 6:30-6:40 pace for 13 miles but I am going to try. I think I will start next week by seeing how long I can last at 6:40 pace... even if it is only for a mile or so during a 40 minute run. Hopefully then I can just keep building on that until I am able to maintain for a couple of miles and eventually throughout a 40 minute effort. We'll see. If nothing else it will be a good test for me to see where I really am at right now.

11th week

This is the start of the 11th week since I have been running (seriously) again. I have been putting in a lot more miles than I have ever before but I have been doing so at a slower pace than I am used to. Yesterday I was crunched for time while at home for Christmas so I decided to give myself an hour to run rather than the 2+ hours it would have taken to do my usual long run. I wanted to see how a faster effort (7:30ish pace) would feel. I was hoping to get 8 miles in under 60 minutes. I ended up finishing in 58:39 with these splits: 7:26, 7:13, 7:21, 7:28, 7:27, 7:18, 7:09, 7:09. I really felt pretty good and probably could have hung on to that pace for another couple of miles. Considering how out of shape I was when I started this 11 weeks ago, I feel pretty good about this run. Even though it was a nice change from my usual pace, I sure missed my long run!

Today was an easy 7 on the treadmill. I was surprised that I wasn't tired at all from yesterday's run... my legs felt really fresh.

58 miles

Easy 7 yesterday and 6 today give me my highest week of mileage yet. I am feeling really good and the pace on the treadmill seems to be coming around for me now. I am able to run comfortably right around 8:30 pace. I will probably stick with that for now and gradually try to bring it down more as I make sure that I am still holding up well to the miles. We are off to see my family for Christmas which means the long run tomorrow will be at my parents' house. Hopefully I am still able to get out for 2 hours or so.

7 miles

Easy 7 for the day. Felt really good this morning after yesterday's 10 miler. I actually was able to run comfortably under 8:30 pace on the treadmill. I hope I am getting used to it now so that my runs can be at a more reasonable pace. 9:00 pace is just too slow for what I want to be doing.

Update

Monday- Easy 5 mile recovery run

Tuesday- Still trying to feel comfortable going a bit faster on the treadmill.. managed just under 8:30 pace for 7 miles. Felt pretty good.

Wednesday- 10 miles at 8:45 pace. Once I settled in the pace felt fine. Still slower than what I would run outside but maybe that's ok for now as I try to bump my mileage up a little.

38 miles for the week so far. 20 planned over the next 3 days.

Good run

I finished last week with 5 miles yesterday for 45 total. Today was a solid 16 miles (2:08:10). I felt pretty strong and finished with the last 6 all under 8:00 minute pace. I don't feel as destroyed today as I usually have been feeling after my long runs. I actually feel like I have quite a bit of energy left. It's a nice feeling for a change...

Late!

Yesterday morning the alarm didn't sound... Elle and Owen both like playing with the alarm clock and I didn't check to make sure everything was set back to normal the night before. I think it probably was a sign that I needed to take a day off. It was -9 with a wind chill of -23 and Eric was planning to run on the treadmill. I would have run outside but by the time I would have gotten all of my clothes on and out the door it would have left about 20 minutes for running. I usually am cutting it pretty close in the morning to get my run done and be ready for work at 5:30 so waking up 35 minutes late didn't work too well for me. Eric convinced me that I needed to take the day off anyway and even though I felt guilty most of the day it was probably a good thing. Today was an easy 6 on the treadmill.

Overwhelmingly overwhelmed

Easy 8 miles outside today (1:06:00). I felt really good but have been struggling the last few days with feeling overwhelmed about how much time I am putting in to my running. With taking care of Elle and Owen full-time, working half-time and running this much, I don't have many spare minutes in my day. I stopped feeling sorry for myself around mile 4 and decided to remember how lucky I am that I get to take care of my babies instead of having to send them off to daycare =) Running is my away time.. my time to relax and not think about the kids and everything that needs to get taken care of at home, work, etc... When I forget to really enjoy it and start thinking about what needs to be done, I get overwhelmed and feel like I need to be doing something else. Hmmm... I guess I just need to stop thinking while I am running.

Feeling better

Yesterday was an easy 5 on the treadmill.. I actually felt pretty good after a mile or so and would have gone 6 but I got kicked off the treadmill again =) Today was 7 at a slightly faster pace than normal (which on the treadmill meant 8:30 average). I still am having trouble feeling comfortable on the treadmill running much below 9:00 pace. I have been working my pace down from 9:30 to just under 9:00 pace for a recovery type run. Today, I started out just under 9:00 pace and settled in to 8:30 pace after a mile or so. I gradually worked my way up to under 8:00 pace for the last mile and a half. I feel fine after the run so I know I really wasn't working very hard but for some reason it still feels much faster while I am doing it. Irritating.

Not today

14 today in 1:54:20. It just didn't feel very good today... I had a tough time mentally and was ready to give up at 12. I had decided before I went out that I was running 14 so I am happy that I stuck with it considering how I felt. I tried to throw some faster miles in the middle of the run to see if I could get things rolling a little. Miles 1-4 were around 8:20 so I dropped down to 7:46 for 5 and 6. It felt ok and I came back with 8:16, 8:15, 8:06 and then decided to throw in another 2 at a faster pace. 7:54 was all I could come up with for mile 10 and mile 11 beat me mentally and I ended up backing off. I was surprised to see that I still ran 8:03. I was still feeling rough mentally during mile 12 and felt myself slowing down as I thought about turning back and heading for home. I decided to suck it up and get 14 even if I had to slow down.. somehow making that decision was enough for my legs to feel a little better and I finished with 8:03 and 8:12. I realized after I ran that I really hadn't eaten much before I went out and it was alreay 10:00 by the time I got out the door. I was pretty preoccupied with the kids this morning and only had time for a piece of toast and a cup of cocoa pretty early. I also didn't finish my gatorade during the run because it turned to slush after about 30 minutes and I was too cold to take it in. I feel pretty beat...

Good week

Overall, this has been a pretty good week. I have been feeling good, and with the exception of a few weather-related issues have been able to get in as many miles as I was hoping. 7 today gave me 54 for week. As Elle would say.. not too shabby.

Stinkin snow

There is a nice layer of ice outside right now and a light snow on top this morning made it too slippery for Eric to get out and run outside. That means shared time on the treadmill again so I quit at 5 to give him plenty of time. My legs felt good today and 7 would have been easy enough.. oh well, I'd rather see him get his time in =)

Tired morning

3:30 came too early this morning and I found myself tired and pretty slow moving today. It took me a long time to even make it down to the treadmill this morning as I kept forgetting things and in general felt like I was in a fog. I planned on 5-7 this morning with the hopes that I would feel up to 7... but it just wasn't in me today so I stopped at 5. Hopefully that means I will be feeling fresh and ready for 7 or so tomorrow.

The week so far

This week started with my 16 miler on Sunday, followed by a recovery run (5 miles) on the treadmill on Monday. I actually felt pretty good on Monday and am hoping to eventually get that run up to 7 or 8 miles. Tuesday was supposed to be a 7 mile hardish run but we had an ice storm which meant Eric and I shared time on the treadmill. I ran 4 at just over 8 minute pace (which on the treadmill feels pretty fast) and did another 3 later while the kids were napping. I did the middle 1.5 miles of that run at 7:30 pace. I need to get myself adjusted to the pace on the treadmill a little better. I always feel like I am working way too hard for the pace that it tells me. Today I ran 9 miles at 8:50 pace.. once I got going it actually felt pretty easy. I think I will just start trying to tick up the pace on my runs until I am running something closer to what I would be doing if I were outside. The good thing is that I seem to be holding up to the miles fine now and have been working on increasing the pace as well. Things seem to be going pretty well right now...

Sunday: 16
Monday: 5
Tuesday: 4, 3
Wednesday: 9

37 miles so far this week. I should be able to get 18-20 over the next 3 days for a total of 55-57.

Catching up

I finshed last week with 50 miles. 8 on Thursday, 6 on Friday and 5 yesterday. All were pretty easy efforts and I was feeling good at the end of the week.

Today was cold and windy and for the first time I wasn't really looking forward to getting out for my long run. Things started to click once I got started and I was running just over 8 minute pace for the first few miles. I ran some loops down in the park to stay out of the wind as best as I could. It ended up being a great run for me... 16 miles at 8 minute pace average (2:07:55). The last 5 miles were all sub 8 and I felt pretty good all the way through. That's all for now... Mr. Buddy is getting frustrated with me!

New shoes

I ordered a pair of Asic 2080s that are not agreeing with my feet. I was wearing the 2110s and had worn the 2080s before but for some reason this particular pair seems to be too narrow. I started wearing them last Friday and since then have had a number of minor issues with my feet and right achilles. The most worrisome was a burning and pulling sensation on the bottom of my foot and some tightness in my achilles. I went back to my old shoes yesterday and iced my foot and achilles... things seemed to be better this morning. Anyway, those shoes will go back. Yesterday was an easy 5.5 (had to get rid of the .5 from the day before) and this morning was an easy 6. Hopefully I will have time for 8 tomorrow and with a couple 6 milers to end the week I should crack 50.

*Niggles*

I had a hard time getting the niggles (as someone calls them) out today. My legs felt pretty good last night after a massage and some ibuprofen but they were stiff this morning and didn't really want to be on the treadmill. After 20 minutes or so, things seemed like they were coming around a little and I thought 5 miles seemed pretty reasonable. At 4.5 I started having some weird pain in the back of my leg behind my left knee... not sure what it would have been but that combined with my general discomfort was enough for me to call it quits for the day. I am encouraged because my Sunday runs are getting longer and faster and yet I am still making it a bit longer with each following Monday. I really don't like the .5 mile though..

I hate titles

I finished last week with 6 on Friday and 4.5 on Saturday. Saturday was a busy day with me trying to fit a run in on a short break that I had from work in the morning. I cut it a little too close and had to stop at 4.5 instead of the 5.5 that I had planned. The week ended at 47 miles with everything feeling good. The IT band tightness that I had been experiencing seems to be under control as long as I stretch well and ice with some regularity.

This morning I ran 15 miles in 2:03:14 (8:13 avg) with the last 6 in 8:04, 8:35, 7:53, 7:55, 7:45, and 7:39. I was trying to stay around 8 minute pace at the end and then finish the last couple with whatever I had left. I am not quite sure what happened at mile 11 (8:35) but overall it went pretty well. It was a solid effort and my legs actually feel pretty good right now. I have been thinking about what races I may want to run in the spring... Eric is convinced that I should run the Fargo half marathon in May. He might just have me talked into it...

7 and 5

Wednesday was an easy 7 and today was an easy 5. I had planned 8 for yesterday but ran out of time. Daylight saving time still has Elle messed up and she wakes up pretty early these days. No big deal.. I am anxious to get to 50 miles/week but know that it is just a number. I think I should hit 48 for the week.

Progress

An easy 6 miles on the treadmill this morning found my legs feeling surprisingly good. Last week on Tuesday my legs still felt sluggish from my long run.... I must be making progress!

Sunday's Run

It was a great morning for a run... 32 degrees and sunny. My legs felt really good and I had a hard time keeping the pace slow from the start. I finally quit worrying about it around mile 6 and just made sure everything stayed feeling comfortable. I was still feeling really good at mile 10 so I picked up the pace a bit and ended up with 8:13, 8:08, 7:45 and 7:24 for the last 4 miles. 14.5 total for the day (8:27 avg). My legs were a little sore and pretty tired for the rest of the day. A nice leg massage from my wonderful husband was a great end to a great day!

My legs were pretty tired this morning and 4 miles was enough to get all of the kinks worked out. I was happy to not have any soreness in my knee which is a first after a long run.

Brrrrrr....

I had originally planned to run 6 today but 5 (41:34) felt comfortable and I wanted to be ready for the long run tomorrow. I am happy with how the week ended.. 44 miles and everything feeling good! It was pretty chilly running outside because of the wind. I'm not ready for winter...

I can't believe it's only been 5 weeks

It feels so good to have running be such a routine thing again. It has only been 5 weeks since I have been doing this consistently and I can't imagine my day without it anymore. Thursday and Friday were each an easy 5 miles on the treadmill. With the exception of a little soreness on Monday, my knee has held up great this week. Hopefully if I continue to ice and take things slow, it won't be an issue anymore.

Good run

7 easy miles this morning on the treadmill. I should hit 45 miles for the week even with a 3 mile day on Monday. It was a fun run.. everything just felt good today.

Recovered

My legs felt great today after a few minutes of getting the last kinks out from Sunday's long run. Just an easy 5 miles today on the treadmill although I was tempted to go a bit more. I only got 3 miles in yesterday because my knee went from tight to sore at 2.5 miles. So I decided not to push my luck today as I want to go 7 tomorrow. Still icing, taking ibuprofen when I remember, and running sloowwww...

2:00:00

14.13 miles (8:30 pace) with no knee problems. I am tired but very happy. My legs felt pretty good and I only had a little tightness in my knee at two different points in the run. Most of the run was on a dirt path along the river so it was nice and soft. The last 2 miles were 8:07 and 8:00 even though it felt like I was just hanging on at the end. Good run... time for a nap!

It doesn't take long

4.5 miles for the day in 38:20. Running outside brought the pace down to 8:30/mile. I really don't even feel like I ran but my knee was starting to get a little tight so I quit at 4.5 to make it an even 35 miles for the week. I'll take it. I really want to get 2 hours in tomorrow. It's funny how just a month ago, 4.5 miles was a longish run for me and now I feel like it's hardly even worth logging anything under 5 miles.

Feeling Better

5 miles for each of the last 3 days.. I am pretty happy with how my leg has been feeling but am still trying to be a little conservative. I will try for 6-7 tomrrow and then 2 hours on Sunday. I have been keeping the pace at 9.5 minutes/mile which is dreadfully slow but is what feels really easy for now on the treadmill. I get myself in trouble on Sundays when I run outside because it's easier for me to run at a faster pace and still feel comfortable. The 12 miler I did last week was at 8:20 pace. It felt great but I think I am paying for it a little now with my knee problems. Anyway, I will try to keep things slow so that my legs hold up to the mileage considering that I am not used to it yet.

Training Again

Well, I am back running seriously again for the first time since before I became pregnant with my now 2 1/2 year old daughter. So far things are going well with the exception of some IT band tightness and resulting soreness in my left knee. I ramped up the miles a little too quickly as I have only been running 15-20 miles per week for the past few years. Here is how October looked:


Oct. 8-14 :: 34 miles for the week with an 8 mile long run

Oct. 15-21 :: 42 miles for the week with an 11 mile long run

Oct. 22-28 :: 30 miles for the week on 5 runs with a 12 mile long run. I was going for mid to high forties for the week but opted to take a couple days off because of the soreness in my knee. I was trying to be careful as I wanted to go for my first 2 hour run on Sunday.

Oct. 29 :: The goal was 2 hours but I only managed 9 miles (1:15:35). My knee was already bugging me at 1.5 miles in and I probably should have stopped earlier than I did but I was hoping that it would go away. It actually got to a point where it was affecting my stride so I knew I needed to pull the plug.

Oct. 30 :: 1.5 miles... I decided before I started that I would quit as soon as it hurt. Lots of stretching, ice and a steady low dose of ibuprofen to help reduce the inflammation.

Oct. 31 :: 5 miles! I was excited to make it 5 without any soreness... just a couple twinges to let me know it's still there.

Overall I am pretty happy with my start back. It has been quite a few years since I have been in racing shape so I am hoping to build a base this winter and run some races next spring and summer. We'll see what happens. Running slow is frustrating for me because in college we focused on quicker paces and low volume. I want to see what will happen if I put in some long efforts and right now my body is telling me the only way that will happen is if I run slow.