Running Aimlessly Around the Countryside

A little variety this week, none of that boring training talk. The leg finally become sore enough while not running, that I determined it was time to stop doing that. I've been resting and icing as much as my busy evening schedule has allowed. I'm now on rest day 4 and it seems to be improving, but of course I have my internal microscope out, analyzing every twinge. My current plan is to take this week off, then next week start cross training with swimming and aqua jogging. If I'm feeling okay with a little pressure, I may throw in a little biking. I will not run until I can walk without pain. This one has left me a little frustrated. I haven't built up my miles too quickly and I have mixed my training intensity between easy, medium, and hard. Admittedly, I did stretch my last pair of shoes too far, but I didn't start to feel this until I got the new pair of the same model, so I don't think it's because of that. I'm also fretting the potential loss of ...

Now for the lull after the event. Overall I felt fine after last weeks half, although that was a slow training run for me, so I wouldn't have expected otherwise. I was tired, but that had more to do with getting up for the race and then getting up just as early on Sunday to go to a swim meet for the entire day. Yes, we are back into the swim meet season, this time for long course (50m or Olympic size pool). I wasn't really into the swim meet, and part of it is the pool change from 25 yard to 50 meter. The seed times are converted, so they aren't a good representation and I need to relearn the different time standards. I was kind of in a slump, but have all of a sudden been very excited about hitting the roads again. I got in my 7 milers on Monday and Thursday this week. I missed Wednesday because of a corporate community service day. I didn't mind missing, as the project is all about giving back to the community. Thursday I altered my route a bit to cut through the ...

Thursday and Friday left us all on edge. The weather forecast had storms in the forecast, increasing from a 30%-60% chance, and the race website was starting to focus on it's safety flag procedures. The prospect of one lightning strike bringing out the black flag was not in the plans when the running group started to train for this race back in February. I didn't help matters on Friday evening when I began scouring the internet for backup races. I thought I was doing what I could to influence the weather outcome (like I could really do anything!), but it was viewed as negativity on my part. After a normal pre-race, poor night's sleep a quick check of the radar and forecast showed the front had moved through and we should be clear of the storms for the race, only a potentially windy day (hmmm, maybe I do have some influence). The rest of the group arrived at our house at 5:30 and we left for the race. Traffic was of course light - who else in their right mind is driving ar...

Yes, it's the final countdown, both to the end of track season and for the Geist Half. As I posted last week, I still don't know what I'm doing for a plan this week. I've been having some soreness since getting into the new shoes, so after running an easy 7 on Monday, I chose to take a down week after all. I took the week, because this isn't an 'A' race. I'm ready to run with Jil and one week off won't change that. It's also not important that I run a certain number of miles this week or this month, but that I get Jil through and start looking forward to my schedule for the fall. I'm hoping for an enjoyable morning on Saturday, sharing the experience with her the best way that I can, right by side every step of the way. What Jil thought was a mild virus turned out to be a tooth issue and required a root canal. She did miss some runs down the final stretch, but I think that may work in her favor, giving her some extra rest for her ITB. After...

Anna's final two track meets of the season took place this week. Since she now had a few 2400 meter races under her belt, the coaches decided to give her a chance to do a distance triple: an 800m in the 3200m relay, the 1600m run, and the 2400m run. Avon & Lincoln Tri: Based on last week's conference meet  including Avon and last fall's cross country meet against Lincoln, Anna figured she wouldn't have much competition. And in the end she was right. That brought her to new territory: how to run alone from the front. In the 4x800 she ran her slowest split of the season and wasn't pushed so she was just striding out. The problem here was that the race came down to a final sprint and lean from her teammate. Lesson to learn: the anchor is the only person in the relay that can give less than a full effort when running from the front. In the 1600m, she had a 6:00 goal. We talked a lot about running an even first 3 quarters, then dropping the hammer for the last...

So the first step down week before taper for the half, at least for Jil and her group. I haven't determined whether I will taper or not. Saturday may just be a training run for me. I've kind of found a happy balance in my weekly mileage around 30 miles. Lunch runs have, for the most part, been working for me. With that said, I didn't get my Wednesday run in because of a scheduled webcast. I did 7 on Monday, 7 on Thursday, and 10 on Saturday. Thursday was the first day in the new Landreths. New shoes are mixed bag, because you have the fresh cushion and all, but it seems to always take a few runs to get the shoe lacing adjusted and get the shoes to form to my feet. On Thursday I tried to keep an easy pace, and just focused on good toe off. I seemed to be sliding around a little bit and ended up with some hotspots behind my toes. On Saturday I laced up a little tighter to prevent the sliding and this time ended up with a little of the old numbness in my left foot, but no h...

Anna had two of her last 4 track meets this week. A dual with Westfield and the conference invitational. Westfield Dual: Anna figured the dual with Westfield to be challenging. They usually have a strong distance group and showed that during cross country season. The schedule for the for the meet included the 4x800 relay and the 2400 meter run. She was correct, but only to a point. The sprinter and Zionsville team dominated. The middle and long distance runners was a different story. In the 4x800, the Zionsville girls were able to maintain a solid 10 meter lead from the gun through to the final 400. For the last 1/4 it was a dogfight, with the Westfield anchor coming out on top after a fabulous kick finish. The team ran a season best 11:02, but Anna was off her PB split by a couple of seconds. I've had to learn more about Anna's abilities. I was imposing my youth running level on her, but have realized that  a) I wasn't a competitive swimmer, b) I didn't have the c...

Finally, the long awaited day arrived. Time to get new shoes. I probably waited too long, but after having to get out of my last pair of Brooks Glycerin 5's after foot injuries and only 200 miles, I decided I wanted to get my moneys worth out of the Asics Landreth 4's. And boy did I. Because of budgeting and trying to maximize my discounts at The Running Company , I ended up putting 530+ miles in them. The uppers still looked good, but I had worn through some of the rubber on the soles and the ride was getting pretty firm. But I also didn't have injury issues either. Regardless, the time has come to retiree another pair and move on. Since I haven't run any more than on the sidewalk outside the store, I really can't give a fair review, but I will after I put out some miles. They did feel really soft compared to the 4, but don't know if that is because of a shoe design change, or the fact that my 4's were really beyond their life. I did try both a pair of ...

The OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon (the mini) wasn't on my race card for 2009, but I still wanted to get a long run in on May 2nd, so on Friday night I decided to get up and do the Zionsville Anti-Mini Marathon (ZAMM). The ZAMM is an informal race held in Zionsville on the same day as the mini. The race has been held for the last seven years and is held on a local 5k wooded trail. April was a very wet month, so the trail promised to be quite sloppy. In the past, the race has gotten up to about 300 runners, but turnout was down a little this year, possibly due to the wet weather. I ran the first 5k with Anna, who was using the run to get her legs stretched out and get back on the trail. The trail is probably her favorite place to run, and she hasn't been on it since cross country season. The trail was in better condition than I expected, but we still encountered three water crossings. The first, and largest, had an alternative that would allow your shoes to stay dry. ...