I woke up this morning, Sunday, with a bit of pain in my left foot. I noticed a slight discomfort in my left achilles as I was walking. I presumed it was loosely associated with the overall soreness my legs were feeling from yesterday morning's 18 mile run. However, the discomfort in the arch of my left foot is still there this morning. Hopefully with today as a day off I'll be able to recuperate a bit and be back on track tomorrow.
Yesterday's run was decent overall. My legs, in particular my quadriceps, were sore from Friday's simulated "race." I don't think I ended up writing that much about Friday's run. Seeing as this blog is as much a running journal I am supposed to look back upon as a training guide (many people keep running journals to look for patterns in success or injury - so if my left foot turns out to be more than just a slight discomfort I may be able to see how my training has changed or not by re-reading this blog), I should note that Friday's run was a tough one.
I wasn't terribly interested in facing yet another chilly morning on Friday and opted, instead, to run at lunch from my office. I postponed my departure there a number of times, and finally got out the door around 2pm. I headed towards the Potomac River and the George Washington Parkway trail, which is a straight downhill shot from my office. I set out at a blistering pace, somewhere in the 6:00-6:15/pace. The wind was at my back, the sun on my face, and my legs felt relatively fresh. Unfortunately, once I hit flat ground, down by the river, and the wind made itself apparent, I'd expended myself quite a bit. I was supposed to simulate an 8-15k race, and instead had pushed myself hard for 5k. Nevertheless, I persisted and managed to make an overall successful run. However, I was quite spent at the end, and my quads felt the strain.
Come Saturday morning I found it much easier to get out of bed and hit the roads. 18 miles doesn't even phase me anymore. I convert it all into hours and minutes and know a number of routes, locally, that accommodate those times (and distances). I just put one foot in front of the other and go until it's done. I don't have to push myself too hard, seeing as I am supposed to run the long runs 10 - 20 percent slower than my marathon pace.
One thing I did notice about yesterday's run was that I had to use the bathroom more frequently than usual. I downed my usual cup of coffee before taking off and carried my water bottle in my hand as I've done on every run over 14 miles this year. I usually have to use the bathroom within an hour, but yesterday it seemed to come on within the first half an hour. Then, I went again about an hour and 10 minutes in, and finally one last time around the 2 hour mark.
My legs felt strained and a tad sore, but I still found myself able to push my pace in the middle of the run (specifically Hains Point, which is miles 7-10). However, by the time I'd reached 15 miles my hips and quads were aching. I easily finished the run, but didn't feel incredible at the end. Not bad, but just not incredible.
I was sore most of yesterday, and pretty tired too. I went out shopping with my friend Morgan from Sweden, who is in town. We were on our feet most of the day. So, the Friday sprint and yesterday's long run, coupled with an entire day on my feet, could be what's causing the strain in my left foot. On my shopping excursion I did buy a new pair of running shoes (Asics 2130). Though it seemed strange to replace last pair of shoes after having only run in them for 2 months, I believe I've read that a good measure of a pair of shoes is 500 miles. If I've had the last ones for 8 weeks and have gone almost 70 miles each of those weeks, I am right at that 500 mile mark.
So, this week will start tomorrow with an easy 6 miler in the am, and then a 4 miler in the afternoon/evening. Hopefully that schedule, coupled with my new shoes will allow me to keep on track for the next four weeks of running before the almighty BOSTON.
Yesterday's run was decent overall. My legs, in particular my quadriceps, were sore from Friday's simulated "race." I don't think I ended up writing that much about Friday's run. Seeing as this blog is as much a running journal I am supposed to look back upon as a training guide (many people keep running journals to look for patterns in success or injury - so if my left foot turns out to be more than just a slight discomfort I may be able to see how my training has changed or not by re-reading this blog), I should note that Friday's run was a tough one.
I wasn't terribly interested in facing yet another chilly morning on Friday and opted, instead, to run at lunch from my office. I postponed my departure there a number of times, and finally got out the door around 2pm. I headed towards the Potomac River and the George Washington Parkway trail, which is a straight downhill shot from my office. I set out at a blistering pace, somewhere in the 6:00-6:15/pace. The wind was at my back, the sun on my face, and my legs felt relatively fresh. Unfortunately, once I hit flat ground, down by the river, and the wind made itself apparent, I'd expended myself quite a bit. I was supposed to simulate an 8-15k race, and instead had pushed myself hard for 5k. Nevertheless, I persisted and managed to make an overall successful run. However, I was quite spent at the end, and my quads felt the strain.
Come Saturday morning I found it much easier to get out of bed and hit the roads. 18 miles doesn't even phase me anymore. I convert it all into hours and minutes and know a number of routes, locally, that accommodate those times (and distances). I just put one foot in front of the other and go until it's done. I don't have to push myself too hard, seeing as I am supposed to run the long runs 10 - 20 percent slower than my marathon pace.
One thing I did notice about yesterday's run was that I had to use the bathroom more frequently than usual. I downed my usual cup of coffee before taking off and carried my water bottle in my hand as I've done on every run over 14 miles this year. I usually have to use the bathroom within an hour, but yesterday it seemed to come on within the first half an hour. Then, I went again about an hour and 10 minutes in, and finally one last time around the 2 hour mark.
My legs felt strained and a tad sore, but I still found myself able to push my pace in the middle of the run (specifically Hains Point, which is miles 7-10). However, by the time I'd reached 15 miles my hips and quads were aching. I easily finished the run, but didn't feel incredible at the end. Not bad, but just not incredible.
I was sore most of yesterday, and pretty tired too. I went out shopping with my friend Morgan from Sweden, who is in town. We were on our feet most of the day. So, the Friday sprint and yesterday's long run, coupled with an entire day on my feet, could be what's causing the strain in my left foot. On my shopping excursion I did buy a new pair of running shoes (Asics 2130). Though it seemed strange to replace last pair of shoes after having only run in them for 2 months, I believe I've read that a good measure of a pair of shoes is 500 miles. If I've had the last ones for 8 weeks and have gone almost 70 miles each of those weeks, I am right at that 500 mile mark.
So, this week will start tomorrow with an easy 6 miler in the am, and then a 4 miler in the afternoon/evening. Hopefully that schedule, coupled with my new shoes will allow me to keep on track for the next four weeks of running before the almighty BOSTON.
posted by Mike Mowery at 1:40 PM
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