1:00:00 :: 0 miles (haha)

First day in the pool. Getting used to the different feeling--it's similar to beginning cycling, with the slight burn in the quads and calf. Calves cramped up a bit toward the end, but otherwise it was uneventful. Hacked together a 'waterproof' iPod with a ziplock, a Boston Red Sox hat, and some athletic tape. Most impressive, and even better, it works! No boredom today whatsoever.

5:00 :: .75 miles

I'm having some problems, very schizophrenic problems. I'm having some on again/off again pain from my big toe, through my ankle, and high up into my calf. It's been with me for some time since the 10K, and has really been bothering me since the 400s (last post). For example, the pain was the worst it has been on Saturday, then completely gone on Sunday, then moderate yesterday, and bad again today.

I've tried all kinds of different strategies--icing, taping, supportive shoes, bare feet, soft surfaces, strength exercises, running through it, time off...nothing seems to get me down the path consistently.

At this point, I've decided to try my old standby, pool running. A week or so of pool running has always cured my ailments, as well as given me a new appreciation of what boredom *really* is.

To the pool...

30:00 :: 4.3 miles

Easy run. Another sore day for the toe and ankle, as well as the foot(!). Not as bad as yesterday, so it's improving. Outside of right foot (initially hurt back around April on a windy 20 miler) is flaring up again. Ran in cutout Ohanas, which eliminated the pain completely. Did 30 minutes of running, mostly on grass, and fifteen minutes of easy (still not so easy) cycling. Cold bath for the entire lower leg, and more ibuprofen today.

Found a cool article...
Beating the Heat (this one's for Mike)

14:00 :: 1.8 miles

Easy run. Having some pain in the toe and ankle still, and it is increasing as the run goes on, so I stopped. Not worried about it at this point, as it barely hurts, but still want to get rid of the problem before it gets bigger.

48:00 :: 6.5 miles

5-20x400 in 66-72 with 400 jog recovery. Was shooting for 12-16 reps, but had some pain in my toe and calf, so I stopped.

70.99 | 69.88 | 69.90 | 70.94
70.85 | 71.42 | 71.02 | 70.45

Felt smooth overall, but found a definite line in the sand around 71 seconds. Faster than that caused some burning in the legs (forgot what that feels like!) and some oxygen debt. Slower didn't cause much of a burn at all, and just some heavy vents.

Cold bath for the toe/calf and hourly ibuprofen today. It felt better after the cold bath, but did the ibuprofen as an extra measure.

1:07:35 :: 10 miles

Easy run. Averaged 127HR for the run, which is nice and low at that pace. Last mile 6:18 with 139 average HR. Interesting. I think I'm doing some speed tomorrow. Maybe?

1:40:20 :: 15 miles

Long run. Pretty easy overall, with a couple of 6:20-ish miles toward the end (140-145HR). A bit warm and humid when I ran, but not too bad.

1:09:00 :: 10.3 miles

Easy run. Legs feel good, no post race issues to speak of.

MSUM 10K :: 32:34 - 6th Place

Rust buster for sure. Got out well the first two miles, then had a tough third mile into the breeze (5:20) before putting together a solid second half of 16:14.

5:11(160) | 5:08(172) | 5:20(170)
5:13(170) | 5:14(170) | 5:12(171)
1:18(174)

The last bit of the race came out to .27 miles on the GPS, which, interestingly is .21 plus what seems to be the 'Garmin Factor' of .01 per mile. Based on my experience, the Garmin is extremely accurate, as long as you accept that every mile is recorded .01 short. Why this can't be corrected in software, I don't know. It's so consistent, it should be.

Had a good battle in the last two miles with the seventh place runner. That definitely kept me in the race mentally.

Have a good holiday! Cheers!

55:00 :: 8.5 miles

Mini-taper workout. Missed out on doing it yesterday--wasn't putting it together that the race was on FRIDAY and not Saturday--so I cut it a little bit short.

Two mile warmup
3 miles at ~MP
5:50(146) | 5:45(152) | 5:39(156)
One mile steady
6:20(147)
3x1000m on 5:00
3:09(164-:65) | 3:04(163-:65) | 3:08(165-:72)
Short cooldown

Felt comfortable, but overall not very energetic. 1000s were definitely better as far as stride and mechanically feeling faster, but energy level was low, so they didn't feel particularly easy. I described this feeling last year as 'running through toothpaste'. After reading some of last year's workouts, I am encouraged that things will come around quickly, so I'm not stressing at all. Still a good workout!

Man, what an 800 in the Olympic Trials! Even though he didn't get through to the Olympics, KD is still the man. I have a lot of respect for him based on the interviews I have seen. He is a class act.