last hill, maybe....and....HOLY cow

The guys did quarter repeats tonight. It was pretty standard for the most part. They time themselves and were pushing pretty good. Not many slacked off. That is good, they are basically self-efficient, I'll be offering more once we get farther into the season. I felt bad for not running with them, but glad I saved it for my own workout later.

Tonight is basically my last hill workout. I was supposed to be up to fourteen by now, but only made it up to six, so I was hoping for 10. Ran three miles and there wasn't much snap in the legs. That usually changes once I run a nice hill. So I started the workout, hoping to do 6 back to back, then run some more and do the rest. A slight twinge in the right ham, under the knee to be more precise, almost convinced me to quit the hills after two. But on three it was non existent and seemed to just disappear. That was nice, it let me know I could still get in some quality work. So up and up again, jogging down for full aerobic recovery. By 5 I was feeling it by the top of the hill and had a hard time sprinting to the mailbox I had chosen up there as the finish mark.

It was already late and the sun was beginning to set, so I did the rest. Each time I breathed a little heavier, especially 3/4 of the way up where I was taking full deep quick breaths just to stay alive. The legs felt great using their power, especially at the start of hill since it is steeper than the rest. I could really feel the toes pushing off using the strength in my calves. The rest of the hill was pretty much just maintaining. I'd like to find an even steeper one, (the one I ran during my long run, haha) and use that instead. It goes up higher and is very steep the whole way. The huge hill is steep, slightly levels, then is slightly steep. I like that though, because when it levels I carry the form from running uphill into the "flat" part. So I finished up and ran another two miles just for good measure, plus I haven't ran a good 10 in a while.

Tonight was my last scheduled hill, but I'd like to do at least one more before the race. Maybe even two, with one being fast sprinting, and the other being medium sprinting focusing on building the quads. Next week is sprint work. I'll probably be able to work that in at practice with the guys. It is hard because the guys are training for short fast racing, and I'm doing long/basically slow training (in comparison). I'll catch up to them soon enough though. The thing I'm hoping is that I won't be running into the dark anymore. I usually get back by 5:30, and that gives me less than an hour (if I need to get ready to go out) to run before sunset. God has given the gift of extra light later thankfully or this wouldn't be an option. I shiver in disgust at the sun setting at 5:15- but hey what better time to build a base.

Thurs. 10(10.75)miles. 35 degrees. GM 293

Holy Cow! it's been a million days since I posted a blog. I guess it's been a busy week. There is still a lot to do.

Wed. 8(8.75)miles. 32 degrees. GM 283
All that happened was a dog came at me at the end of my run, and basically re-pulled my ham again. Stupid dogs. Snow was getting in my eyes making it difficult to see during the run. Forgot shorts to run with the guys.
Tue. 1 mile. Freezing. GM 275
Ran a warm up with the guys. Got home and fell asleep on the couch. It was a miserably cold day and not good at work as well.
Mon 8(8.75)miles. 54 degrees beautiful. GM 274
Thought I was going a lot faster on this one than I was, trying to do better than Saturday.

3 points

We lost our basketball game by only 3 points today. I played my heart out. Multiple 3's, steals, rebounds, jumpballs, assists. I was on my game today. The only thing I didn't do was make all my layups, I missed a key one at the end of the game, and numerous others where I was trying to draw a foul. Oh well, it was a heck of a lot of fun. I was smiling and happy after we lost. It was a great game.

Then home. We were going to go for a run together, but those pesky raindrops started falling. I probably would have went out in it, but the thought of getting sick after the past few weeks I said forget it. Back to the old treadmill. 6 miles felt like a lifetime, but I got them in. Just a steady state run, nothing crazy. 7:36 with the cooldown included in that - which is like 8:00 pace. Had some pizza from subway and watched "bee movie". It was funny. I spit my applejuice back in the cup because I was laughing at joke and couldn't hold it in. Now I'm blogging and about to read some more, then look over the guys running sched for this week. I may just take it to school tomorrow and ponder it while I'm there. I seem to be getting back into the groove of things. One more long long run left, then I cut back and starting getting fast. Yay.

6(7.25)miles. treadmill. Zoom 101

getting faster

You know you've been working when you run you're fastest 10k without trying. I was just thinking, man those were fast consecutive runs today, I should see how I compared to when I was "in shape" before the summer... I knew I hit my fastest 10k around May 5 and hadn't done better than that for a heck of a long time. So I checked my nike site, and what do you know, a new nike plus pr of over a minute!

previous
Not sure which run it was, probably the second since only my first lap was a 7:00 pace, everything else was below. More records will be coming- this was a completely aerobic run!

red pill

Well I had written a few blogs, but I guess there wasn't a lot of motivation this week to actually post it. Lets see what all happened this week. Wednesday was a bad day at school, nothing seemed to go right. Practice was good, the guys started their first workout. I skipped so I could keep times and watch. I ran a mile warmup, but didn't get anything more than that. Thursday and Friday were off due to sickness in knox county. Yes we have some sort of plague. Thursday was a day off where I did nothing. We had found out at Wednesday's practice that there would be no school and so we gave the kids a rest day. That made good sense because of the first workout. They needed the recovery I'm sure. Friday it rained all morning. I stayed in and read books. I got some nice one's from the library about running. I hope I can find more. I read "Pre" in one day, and I'm working on running with the Buffaloes now. It's a bit longer so I'm taking my time.

I also watched movies, lots of movies. There really is nothing to do around the house. I cleaned all day Thursday as well, so I finally feel good about things again, and that is part of the reason I have my motivation back. The other part is obviously the books I've been reading. I also found that my form work has not been in vain. I've researched enough now to see where my main flaws are and found some nice drills that are better than what I was doing. Most of it actually has to do with my head starting to slump because I'm looking down, whereas I assumed it would be something wrong with pushoff/landing.

Friday I went to the school anyway. The guys had an informal run around 3. I crapped around and got there just as they were heading out. I talked to one of the injured guys, Adam, who is taking a needed break, then I said adios and caught up with them. The guys went into a park I'm not too fond of, due to a lot of switchbacks. I had other plans, so I went with the 2 girls that actually showed up. I think some more came, but did their workout already or something like that. Running with the girls was not fun. They talked about guys and things that I remember from a million zillion years ago. Haha, I guess high schoolers never change. Anyway I stuck with them for a mile, then went off in search of giant hills, they said "good luck, we won't be going that way". I found the one I did during my long run and did that 3 times. It's a long slow hill, with a few more dips directly after it. So it was kind of a multi-hill workout. Like short hill, short recovery, long hill, long recovery, short hill, etc. I definitely was breathing hard at the top.

That was good, but it left me out in nowhereville. I ended up getting somewhat lost. I knew I was going in the right direction, but it was at a slight angle, so it just took longer than I had anticipated. It also gave me the opportunity to go up some more steep hills, which made for a well rounded hill workout day. The funny thing about today was bringing my ipod and wearing my nike frees...and I forget the sensor :) Yet another run lost. Not really. It was nice to be "unplugged", and I felt a lot like I was in a Matrix situation. Fortunately I was smart enough to bring my watch. At an hour I was on my way back. I'm not sure how far I went, but I was moving pretty good. So I'd say somewhere between 9-10 miles.

Today I was motivated. All the reading about training programs and fast times will do that I guess. So I got up early. REAL early, yep, 9 a.m. early. That's really sad considering I went to sleep at 9:30 hehe. No breakfast, just got dressed and headed out. It has been cloudy the last 50 days, and that held true again. Not a great day, but the run was fun. I felt at times like I was pushing it, but other times felt relaxed. I think a lot of it is because of not using my ipod headphones. NO music, totally unplugged again. I definitely get a better sense of my footfall cadence, but breathing wise it's kind of bad. Because I'm listening to my breathing, I tend to control it, whereas with music it just sort of happened naturally without thinking about it. Still, my pace these past few days have been much faster than what I was running previously, and rightly so, I have only a month left of training.

I figured I might as well not wear headphones anymore. I wont be using them in the half, so I need to get used to that. So if I'm awesome I won't use them until after the race. It is refreshing to be free of them I will say, and I don't even notice the ipod at my hip. I wore my "big" shoes tonight. I just though that with my toe joint hurting so much lately it could use a break. The cushion was nice, but it still hurt. I just call it my broke toe now. I know that it won't heal running on it, but it doesn't hurt bad enough to make me quit. I'll either get stronger or wind up having to not run, but I'll take my chances. The right side just above the hip is also sore lately. It won't go away either. I'm beginning to think that it was from basketball, but I'm not sure. It doesn't hurt during runs so that is fine. The tight tendons haven't bothered me today. I think getting these miles in has helped whip them back to form. I can bend the knee all the way today and there is little if any tightness at all. Yesterday I could feel it, so that is a good sign.

I ordered some new running stuff, can't wait to try it out. I did buy an $80 jacket,(without sale price) that is sweet and is working great for this wet weather, as well as another pair of running shorts I already had, but a different color. Next I've got some new shoes, socks, and toe protectors ordered. My left toenail fell off, well it's still hanging on, but I can lift it like a car hood. Kind of funny the first time I did that. I'm leaving it there until it goes naturally, but it's only hanging on by the cuticle for now. A new toenail awaits underneath, but the vessels re-burst so it is black and I can't tell whats going on. To think I thought that toe was getting better, it was all nice and normal last week. The other two on the right side seem to be going through the same process, but it will be a while I before they get there I think. A website said it could take about 3 months for new nails to grow. Sorry, no war pictures anymore.

the rundown
Saturday PM- 8(8.74)miles. 44 degrees. Zoom 95 (7:00 was slowest mile)
Saturday AM- 8(8.75)miles. 38 degrees, slight wind. GM 266
Friday. 9 miles. 36 degrees, wet with light sprinkles. BF 108
Thursday- rest

5

Run on the track tonight, but not for speed. One of my guys has some knee pain and the doc advised cushy surfaces only. So I did 3 miles with him, then ran a few more with another guy who was running 5, and a little bit on my own. The middle school girls were trying their 800's today, so we had some good rabbits to chase down.

Still a lot of pain in the toe. I'm not happy about it, but I've been taking plenty of rest days and that didn't help, so I guess I'll just deal with it. The right tendons behind my knee are still tight. I feel it the most when the leg is completely flexed with knee bent. Something in there just doesn't feel right. The other problem is some back pain also on the right side. I think I may be overcompensating. That pain has only been there a week or so, but still it has not really gone away any even with being massaged.

Good pace tonight for the run. Wish I had gone a bit further, but it was windier today than it was yesterday. Tomorrow looks to be rainy, but I hope it is just cloudy instead.

5(5.6)miles. 6:59 pace. 35 degrees with super wind. GM 258

A little overconfident

Today was my long run. I went out to where me and the gang usually run and started from there. This was fine, there was a lot of scenery to look at. I passed by construction guys, up huge hills overlooking the city, and by gurgling creeks every now and then. One hill in particular was quite demoralizing, although I was up it without a hitch. I ran all over the town, hoping to get in 26.2. Yes my expectations were extremely high considering I was coming off a sick week and my last long run was 3 weeks ago if I recall. Either way I thought I could do it.

I simply went too fast for the first 13-14. It wasn't that I was going fast, but going fast UPhill that knocked a lot of my energy out. Breathing wise I was fine, although a little light headed. There were tons and tons of hills. Too many to remember and each time I went up one it knocked a chunk of my stores out. By 11 miles I was already feeling the emptiness of hunger. I just felt weak. I guess that's what happens when you only have a bowl of cereal for energy, and that was 2.5 hours before the run started. So I was well into the run before the real drain started after I passed the half marathon mark somewhere. Even after a few good swigs of water there wasn't much to work with. I kept on, getting as much mileage as I could, then just said "enough for today". The effort was certainly there. I should take some photos if I remember of a few of the hills I ran.

So I didn't reach my goal, but I didn't really prepare well for it either. I should have ate more last night and probably been chugging gatorade and water. The other thing was the new areas. I didn't know what hills lay ahead when I started off in a direction, so I just had to take them when they came. I did find a nice relatively flat area where there are a bunch of million dollar houses to run by. I'd say I put in a good 4-5 miles just there alone. It was nice looking at all the wealth. It really makes you consider the possibilities and wonder how those people got there. Also there was a Huge Hill x2 over there. This thing is a beast, very steep and just keeps on going. It will definitely be my new hangout once or twice a week. I also found the greenway which was very close to it, but didn't run on it. I was having too much fun exploring, plus it was time to turn around to get rehydrated.

Great effort run, did I mention there were 12 mph winds.... Got a new sensor for my ipod and it works fine. The only thing that sucks is the total stats don't go together, so you have to click each individual sensor to find total miles, time, and calories. Things to note were tight right ham and again with the right turf toe pain. The pain was part of the reason I dropped off the last 3 miles.
18(19.01)miles. 7:17 pace. 40 degrees 12mph wind. GM 253

Getting closer

6 weeks to train. As of late it has sort of withered, but things like that happen. I'm trying to move on, but it's kind of a one step forward two steps back kind of deal right now. Today I wanted to get on the treadmill, but it just didn't happen. Our basketball game had many things in store for me. First we were down by 30 points. yeah, that's just horrible. Most of it was due to the fact they never missed a three, and we never made a layup. You do the math on that one. I did end up with about 10-12 steals. I am not exaggerating in the least. You can ask my wife on that one, she will tell you the truth. I was demoralizing the other team. They couldn't pass it in my direction or I would either kick it, send it flying, or steal it and run. I brought the team back within 14 by the end of game, we never did make those layups.

Injuries today... Well first i pulled my tricep doing something or other right before the half. I sat for a few minutes and massaged it and finally it didn't feel as bad as when it first happened. It was a charlie horse sort of thing I think, where the muscle tenses up. Kind of wierd spot on the outside of the tricep, it feels fine now. The last play of the game I jammed my middle finger. It swelled up and I put ice on it, but there's not much else you can do. I've had hundreds of them from all my bball days. The good thing is it doesn't affect running. As far as legs go I was perfectly fine. I was flying around a lot and for the most part it was me against 3 guys every trip down the court. So yeah, I did a lot of sprinting today.

Tomorrow I'm going to do my long run. I was going to go to the school, but then I remembered other teachers are having inservice and that might not be the best way to go. I could park at the nearby park, or go somewhere entirely different, like up a pretty busy road that has nice sidewalks along it and visit April when I'm done since she lives along that road. Lots of options. One thing I am going to try that's more important than the where and the how far is getting up early. I would really like to get this run in around 9 a.m. That shouldn't be hard since April has to get up around 7, so I can get up, eat and decide where to go.

So another rest day technically. The reason I didn't run on the tread was due to the fact that I sprinted during bball today as well as the fact that I'd have a long run after working out 10-12 hours before. Probably not the best idea to do that. The other nice thing is that it leaves me the option of running later in the day (slowly).

Yesterday I ran 6 miles after getting back from the seminar. It was quite fast, but very controlled and enjoyable. After that I ran 2 slow miles with April. She wasn't feeling good or we probably would have went a little faster. She seems to be better today though, she ran at the track above the bball courts while the other team had their game. We had went to Dick's Sporting Goods after church and picked up running clothes while we returned her sensor, it said "low battery" and she's only used it 17 miles! That's her 3rd now in 6 months. Mine just happened to say low battery too (but after 1000 miles), so she said I could just use the new one. She doesn't really use it anyway, so I told her if she wanted to start using it again I'd buy her one. Okay enough novels for today. Tomorrow looks to be great, I'm excited about the run.

finally

Finally I felt like I've been doing something the last 5 months. Tonight was a 6 miler, the farthest we've gone. A group of guys took off in another direction, but I stayed with the main group. Up a hill and an abrupt turnaround at 3 miles. At 3.5 I felt like we were going way too slow. It may have been they were planning to cross, as we eventually had to get to the other side of a relatively busy road. Not real sure, but it felt great to get out in the clear wide open.

Held that pace for a good while before looking over the shoulder and seeing nobody. They must had crossed sometime between the slowdown and then. I saw the place we came from on a little path through a woods, and quickly crossed the street while I had time. Not the funnest thing, but I got it done. Stayed with 2 guys until we got the incline at school. I thought of sprinting it for a hill workout, but I was already pushing most of the run, and it wasn't necessary.

The best part was taking the lead and getting my old stride back. I finally felt free. The legs were turning over just like they have been, but the pace was right there too. Shoes don't seem to be a problem anymore, although I know I could shave plenty of seconds with lighter ones. I'd say these are well between 12-13 ounces, where my Moire's were like 6-8. It adds up, believe me. It's well worth it for the cushion though. It was a great run, average pace on my ipod (yes i remembered to click it this time!) was 6:30.

Tomorrow is the Seminar, so I won't be back until Saturday night. Not sure about running, I will take my gear and see what happens. I just realized that tomorrow would have been my 10k. I guess today was pretty much equal to a race, haha! So taken into consideration I didn't really race, I'd say subtract a few minutes from today (42 something i think) and I'm right around 40 minutes. Have a good weekend readers.

(6.43 @ 42:08)
6.5 miles with cooldown. 47 degrees, little windy. Zoom 87

the deal

Okay so I figured out one of the problems today. I have been forgetting my ipod lately, and when I did remember it, the thing was dead. So today I had the ducks in a row and took it out. Too bad I forgot to start it till we were halfway down the first mile. So anyway the pace was pretty fast. I think the guys just wanted to get it over with. It was cold and you can't really blame them. I told them from the start I was going to hang back. The right leg didn't have any pulling today, but instead I get the left calf. I CANNOT catch a break. Anyway I looked at the pace afterwards and it was 6:30 or something. The funny thing is I was walking/standing still for who knows how many minutes at the end of that. We were definitely close to 6 I would think. I'll have to remember to stop and start it better next time.

Another workout tomorrow, then Friday and Saturday I'll be at the coaching seminar. Not sure if I'll run Friday night, probably not, but there is a slight chance. I really need to make up some miles and get back to normal form. I guess these things happen when schedule changes happen. I'm still running though, so no big deal. Sunday it is supposed to be rainy, but if the weather men are as accurate as they have been, it'll be nice and I'll be able to get my long run in.

Secondarily I've been doing core work more often. I got some sittups and other ab drills working pretty good, and I plan on getting a routine down soon. I also have been working on sleep. I'd like to get to bed earlier so I can eat a better breakfast and eventually get it to where I can get up early enough to put in 4-5 miles in the morning. I think morning runs will help prepare me for raceday in addition to bulking up the mileage. I had initially planned for Sunday long runs to be in the morning, but since there is church now, that won't be happening. Daily morning runs should take care of it though.

4 miles. 25 degrees, double layer with gloves. Zoom 81

linger

Another 5 miles with the distance guys. This time we ran into the wind, so the pace was slightly slower for the first few miles. Then we turned up a huge hill and I took the lead for a few steps. The distance guys took it as a challenge and went back ahead of me, which was fine by me. Two packs formed, I was in the lead pack. High school guys like to race, although a few of the ones in the lead pack were conversational, another was breathing pretty hard. I stayed with them pretty good till 4 miles, then my tendon started acting up and getting tight. I could feel it with each step.

I slowed down and kept them 25-50 meters away. I think I might need a few nights off of running with them until all this hamstring/tendon junk gets worked out. I keep wondering when it will go away, as that is what seems to happen with my injuries. I think not running my own pace is why it's taking so long to get back to normal. Learned a few more kids names.

5 miles. 50 degrees strong wind. Zoom 77

to be a high schooler again

Well tonight was the first track practice. I was nervous, but when I suited up in my running shoes, shorts and t-shirt, the nerves went away and I knew I was in the right place. After the normal talk, where afterwards you ask "are there any questions" it was right to business. A two mile warmup, stretching, and then distance guys had a choice between 2-5 mile run. At first I thought, hey 2 miles isn't too bad. I went back and forth a few times, but when the guys took off for the 5, I instinctively went with them. It was a good feeling knowing that you're coach can run with you. My coach did during cross country. Granted he tried, but he was a lot older and couldn't really keep up with my pace. I didn't look down on him or anyone else though, I remember only running for myself, nobody else really matters when you're out there running. It's you against you.

So we take off and I'm already behind since I waited a few seconds to decide which way. We start off well enough, and get stopped at a traffic light. I tried to stretch. This was by far THE WORST soreness I have felt in a long time. My calves were utterly tight and hams weren't being kind either. Even my shin muscles were tight!! So I stayed in the back of the pack most of the time. One runner, Steve, talked to me during the run for a while. He is a senior and just told me a little bit about who the guys were. Pretty good to talk to someone during the run. Still in agony, going up and down hills. We are going faster than my normal pace, so my aerobic line is taking longer to reach. I can feel my body overworking, but I push on.

Another stoplight and we're in the homestretch. The legs have loosened up a bit, but for the part I think I've just become accustomed to the pain. We reach the school and up a final incline. I'd call this a medium hill workout. If there had a been a few more or one slightly higher I'd say it would qualify as a full hill workout. So I kept up with the pack pretty good considering I was just back from a 2 day rest with basketball yesterday after being sick all last week : ) The legs were just overfilled with lactic acid. I felt like I had just run a mile as fast as possible from the very first step of the run. 5 miles seems pretty lenient to me, but I didn't have my watch. Since we were going at a faster pace than I normally run, I'd say it's a pretty close estimate.

I got to chat with coach Jacobs and it seems the seminar is in fact this weekend during my 10k. So I guess I'll have to count the 20 dollar entry fee as a donation on my taxes. I tried to extract some more info about the seminar and what not, but for the most part I still have no idea what is going on. It'll be fun.

I should have ran a few more miles, but it looks like tomorrow will be treadmill. I may have to bring the old running shoes though, since distance guys still run in the rain ! yahoo!

5miles, 1 mile warmup/cooldown
46 degrees. zoom 72

right to left

The right hamstring/behind the knee area is feeling better today. The tightness is all but gone. During basketball I ended up doing something to the left one. This time it feels like a muscle along the outside of the left thigh. It doesn't hurt and I could probably still run, but I'm playing it safe again. This will also give me an extra day to rest the right one.

Tomorrow is the first track practice. Pretty exciting and I am little nervous. Will be running tomorrow, not sure if it'll be with the kids or not.

learning to rest

All the recent drama with sickness and soreness has been rather painful. I absolutely hate not running. It isn't always fun to run, but it just makes you feel good to get out there even if you didn't want to. There is a sense of accomplishment after each run, even if it was a 10 minute per mile pace and a half a mile long. Because the hamstring was tight last night I thought I would run easy today. That turned into me thinking, why should I run easy? There is no real point in stressing the tight tendons any more than they have to be. Do I really Have to run? The answer is a resounding, No. I do not have to run. The benefits here are few and the risks high.

So I took it easy today. I guess this is a recovery week, whether I intended for it or not. I still got 3 consecutive days of double digits, so I know the fitness level won't be dropping. Tonight I also will be doing core exercises, which I have been downplaying as of late. Tomorrow is basketball, and that always surprises me with some sort of malady. So a rest day is good, a rest day is great.

So since I have no run to report, I'll shift the focus to shoes. Although we don't really have bad weather here in TN often, in Ohio it is quite often. So what do you do when you live in an area where cold, ice, and snow are predominant during the winter months? My signs point to the Screw Shoe. Check out here and here. What an ingenious and direct idea. The screw shoe is a definite weapon in the running arsenal. I would actually like to make a pair just to run through a woods or something in and try them out. The greatest part about them is no rocket science degree is needed. Just stop by the hardware store, get your worn out shoes and go to town.

Alright folks I'm outa here. Can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store for me.

you never know

Yesterday I had the pain at the top of my shoelaces. It was pretty painful. Today it was there again. But this time it was accompanied by tight tendons by my hamstring. Yeah, it's those ones that connect to the bottom of the knee. Tight tight tight all day. I tried stretching softly, but that didn't help at all. It either happened from having my shoe too loose yesterday, or maybe I overstretched. I don't think it was the stretching as I do the same one's everyday for at the last 2 months. Still, you never know. I am almost sure that is from the loose shoe. I think I overcompensated the entire run and ended up overstressing the tendons. All the same I went for my run today. Although I thought I held back a lot, my ipod told me I ran a 7:08 or something crazy minutes/mile. Yeah, I don't think that's right, but it hasn't really been off before so go figure. The tendons were fine the whole run, but toward the end they got tight. I had planned another 10, which would have made 4 straight days of double digits, but alas I cut two of them off before I even headed outside.

Not much else to report other than the tendon thing. Tomorrow should be a better indicator of the seriousness. Even if I didn't run slow, it still FELT easy, and that is all that really matters to me. Maybe a rest day is in store again, but I really doubt it. I think I'll go out and just see what happens like I did today.

8(8.71)miles. 50 degrees shorts and t. Zoom 66

new shoes=new blisters

Not that the old blisters hadn't gone yet! Now they have friends. The toenails are by far the worst though. I can handle blisters, but toenails that are 3 or 4 layers high is pretty ridiculous. They hurt a little after the run and felt like they were being "peeled" upwards during the cooldown. About the only thing I can do at this point is trim them. It's seems to be fine, but they still don't look or feel normal. I did see these awesome toe caps in Runners world. I really wish I would have known about them Before I started running. Now I'm not sure if they would help or not, but I think I could at least try them and see.

Two things I didn't realize today. 1. I surpassed the 1000 mark on my ipod miles. That is kind of amazing since I really just got back into running again. And 2. I forgot about a clinic that I told coach Jacobs I would attend with her next weekend. She told me a long time ago, and I said yes not realizing that is the weekend of my 10k! Well I should have asked for some info. I'm pretty sure it's next weekend, Friday and Saturday so that sucks and it is in Nashville. But there is a small chance I have the date wrong and it's the week after. I already turned in my money for the race a few days ago too. I'm not sure but if it is the same weekend, it looks like I won't be driving back to Knoxville to run it, I think you just have to take the hit sometimes I guess.

Single layer long sleeve and shorts was perfect on this run. I did have a tank top, but it caused too much heat. The second part of the clothing issue was shoes. Yesterday I had tied my right one too tight at the top and it caused bruising right beneath the where the tongue of the shoe is. I started the first mile in a lot of pain from this, hoping the shoe would loosen, but it didn't. So I stopped real quick and gave a bunch of breathing room. It still hurt after that for a little while, but went away soon enough. Shoes are starting to get worn in a little better, but still not comfortable yet. Maybe a week or two more before that happens.

10(11)miles. 45 degrees. Zoom 58

a few hills

Normal loop. 3 miles, 1 hill, 3 miles, 2 more hills, and finished at 10 miles. Tonight was crAAZY. It was so windy I almost couldn't breathe. The worst part was running uphills INTO the wind. 24 mph + 8-9 mph is not fun by any means. That's why I could only do 2. I wanted to do maybe one more, but it was just to rough for me. The rest of the run was the same, all the running into the south wind really took a lot out of me.

I cannot believe the 10k is next weekend. It's here already. I wish I had got some more hill workouts in before it, but I suppose it's just a gauge run so it doesn't really matter. Still I want to do well and be prepared. I remember the one I did last summer and it was pretty tough. Mostly I remember just not having "it". The legs just never seemed to respond like I wanted them to. I have two great things going for me this time though. 1- It's not 70 degrees, and 2. More (and probably better) training. So I think I should at least be able to match my last one. It will be 3 months from my last 5k, so I'm excited to see how much I improve on that too.

Last thing to note is my toe is still sore. I tried out the zooms for todays run and there was a lot more stability. I also didn't experience any pain in the forefoot, so I'll try these for a few weeks and see how things go. They are a lot heavier than my other shoes too, so it will be an added weight that will make racing feel lighter and easier hopefully.

10(11)miles. 60 degrees 24mph wind. Zoom 48

a little setback

Ah...well. Okay things didn't seem to work out like I thought, but oh well. Let's see. Sunday's long run.... it didn't happen. No running happened. We went out to eat after church, I took a nap after that, and then it rained. Either way I wasn't going to run, the motivation just wasn't there after coughing all week. So I sat that one out. I wish I run a little, but it simply wasn't going to happen.

Monday. Another horrid day. Rained all day. Made me feel even worse. Monday was by far the worst day congestion wise. I was sniffling and sneezing and coughing, and so was everyone else in the classroom. One of the students went home sick, and the others were sneezing bandits. Started getting a headache toward the end of the day. Got home, again no motivation. No one kicking me out the door. Headache had gotten even worse. I decided to put off running for the treadmill later. Ate dinner and then thought a nap might help. Woke up 3 hours later to an even worse headache than before.

At that point I went in to the bed (I took a nap on some blankets and a pillow on the floor) and went back to sleep. I awoke at 3 a.m. to a throbbing headache which penetrated from behind the eyes and up and around and all over. I tried to sleep. It didn't happen. I just lay there with my head thumping and bumping, and a few coughs for good measure. 5 a.m. Still awake. Completely miserable. Went to the couch. Got back up and took some medicine. Back to the cough. I curled up into a ball and moaned for a good 15 minutes. Then I started to shiver. That is the first sign for me. Yes, the sign that I'm about to vomit. So I go the sink and try my best to force it, but nothing happens. For about 20 minutes I go from the floor to the sink trying to make something happen. Nothing, which feels even worse. Head still throbbing. And finally I do the deed. Wipe the face, rinse the mouth, and happily climb into the floor bed. Rest at long last.

Today was much better. I still had some residuals of the headache this morning, but after lunch the stuffiness was gone. I am STILL coughing after one and a half weeks, but not all the time. Felt good enough for a run tonight. It was nice at the soccer complex, and rightly so at -70- degrees. I was sweating! That's different. First 4 miles were stiff and the calves were yelling at me for letting them think they had gone back to sedentary life. Sorry fellas. After that things went well. The only issue was the forefoot, mostly the right, but a little on the left. That same old toe pain. This time it was more pronounced as it being forefoot though. Instead of the side of the toe, it was more of the middle of the forefoot on landing/pushoff. I think I need different shoes, or to buy some inserts for extra forefoot cushion. It was painful, but not enough to keep me from running. Looking into new socks as well, although tonight I had nike elite cushion ones, so I don't think that is it. Hopefully I can get it minimalized. Then I can at least make it another few months through the half and take time off after that if needed.

13(14.5)miles. 65 degrees. GM 235

getting better

Well yesterday's day off seems to have helped a little. I have had congestion in my chest and nose since last Friday, when I was on the ice at Special Olympics all day, literally. I have been able to run with it and only cough maybe one or two times during my runs, so it wasn't a big deal. I figured it would be gone soon, but it kept up so I took a day off yesterday. I am still coughing a bit today, but I feel a lot better and think it is almost gone.

Tonight was a great run. Went out to the complex and it was very nice 50 degree weather. Shorts and t-shirt in fact. That was great, but I decided to run a lot tonight, so once the sun set my arms froze off. I ran well after sundown. That was mostly due to my ipod not being charged, so I had to wait around 20 minutes to get a decent charge. No big deal there really, I forgot to take out my sensor since I didn't run yesterday and I guess that ran it down.

Couldn't have asked for a better run, did the first 7-8 miles just passing people on the normal loop, then figured 8'd and turned around to finish the rest in the opposite direction. By the time I was ending the run there was nobody out there but me. Sweet. Legs felt fine up till 11 miles. My right knee area was tight for the last few miles, and the toe joint was acting up too, but no real pain in it. It kind of feels like a jammed thumb, the same kind of bruised feeling around the joint. Tommorow is my long run. I know today was a half marathon, but honestly I think it's well within my capabilities at this point.

12(13.5)miles. 50-44 degrees. GM 222