10:15am. 70d. 6 miles. BF 372
Left calf hurt a little bit more than usual. Felt good and was really windy and rather cool. Got to eat breakfast before this run so it was a little later when i got out.
9:00pm. 70d. 4 miles. BF 376
Leg hurt really really bad on this one- kinda worried. Had to cut it short and even that was hard to finish. Icing tonight.
yesterday- no run
8:15p. 82d. 9miles. BF 366
BUGS GROSS. I was slapping and brushing and flinging bugs off the entire run tonight. Most of them were dead because of the sweat, which made it even more gross. When I got home I still had 5 bugs on my neck, and one in my ear. They are sort of like ants, but with wings- kind of like little sweat bee's. Great run though, felt nice and fresh the whole time- turns out the past few days off have helped the calf as it didn't cause too much problem. Hip was about the same as usual.
no run yesterday- rested the calf.
4:30p. 88d. 4 miles. BF 357
Ran today at the soccer complex. Ipod didn't read the miles correctly ended up with .45 even though I ran about 5. Kind of getting fed up with it. Calf felt better though and I ran this one in the heat with little exhaustion although I sweated buckets.
8:30a. 70d. 6miles. GM 440
Got some good sleep last night. Today is April and I's anniversary, 3 years! She got me running shorts, haha. I am getting her gift this afternoon and surprising her. Nothing big really, but it's a secret. Miles went by fast enough this morning. Wore different shoes which helped the sore calf. Running the opposite way of opposite now, so back to normal. Haha, turn left right hip hurt, turn right left calf- which to choose, which to choose? Cooler this morning and although I sweat my heart out it was a nice moderate effort.
8:30p. 82d. 6miles. GM 446
Was going to run at the soccer complex, forgot my ipod and turned around. I got a new monitor today and I had moved it to a drawer. What can I say, out of sight out of mind. Run went well, but left calf is killing me. Big toe joints along the inside of the foot hurt, but not when running for some reason. Other than that this one felt good, especially after the sun went down.
8:30a. 74d. 6miles. BF 347
Just another typical run where I'm dying in the heat. It wasn't even that hot, but I guess after last night it's all relative. Anyway not much to say, normal single HH loop, said hi to the neighbors.
8pm. 79d. 6miles. BF 353
Bah. Forgot to click my ipod! duh. Left calf was sore/hurting through this run. Good run but said that I forgot to click the button. How am I ever going to catch all the nikeplus guys if my miles aren't even being counted? oh well.
Okay this is how it goes- you can buy cotton socks like 8 pack for $10. That will do you fine, but if you're a runner your feet will suffer the consequences. EVEN IF they seem like a good deal, they are not. They are the worst kind of socks in my humble opinion. So what to do? We'll I've been lucky enough to find a few pairs of nike socks that have worked well. But there are many kinds and you can get shafted with a pair that say "dri-fit" or whatever when really they are 70% cotton.
Up until I started running for serious back in October, I was wearing cotton socks half the time, and suffered giant blisters and all kinds of other toe problems. Since October I purchased another pair of "technical" socks, much like the nike dri-fit (good kind) giving me a total of 3 pairs of good socks which are mostly acrylic/nylon. This has severely reduced the amount of blisters I have, and although I may still get a blister they go away quickly and don't completely obliterate my toenails.
So now that I'm dedicated to running again, I went ahead and bought 10 pairs. The cheapest I have found is $8. A pair. yes I bought $80 dollars worth of socks and it's been totally worth it! Not only do my feet feel great with minimal pain, but I don't have to wear the same socks all the time. When you run 2x a day you obviously can't wear the same pair because even if you don't wash them, they won't be dry (although technicals stay much drier than cotton!). So basically I was rotating 3 pairs of socks on a nearly daily basis, wearing them 2 or 3 times before getting washed just out of necessity. pretty sad.
So yay for me for making my life easier whoohoo!
8:10a. 74d. 6miles. BF 333
Nice easy morning run. HH just once because I though I would go eight, but it wasn't in the books for me. It's frigging amazing how much going the opposite way on turns has helped. It's almost like my hip was never hurt. Maybe it's just getting better-still a little sore when i push it, but I'm pretty sure changing that one thing did it. Might go to the gym tonight, but I'm doing well running, so maybe run then gym; we'll see.
8:40p. 78d. 8miles. BF 341
8 miles tonight in a surreal environment. Well for the most part. There were huge nimbus clouds above that were carrying a storm behind them. It was fun to watch them change color from white to red then dark, each time I came around the loop at the complex. The contrast was awesome. A clear blue sky with a few clouds, then a huge upburst of puffy whites and underneath all that in the distance I could see the sheets of rain falling on the mountains under dark blue storm clouds. Occasionally I would even see a few flashes of lighting. It made the run interesting and relaxing at the same time. I kept wondering if the storm would head my way, but it never did.
It also helped that this was a late run and I ran until almost 10. Cool weather made it seem like I was CHEATING! I hardly felt like I had ran a mile other than my legs were getting sore, mostly in the shins. A good run.
5:30p. 85d. 5miles. BF 327
Ran this one in the heat of the afternoon. Actually didn't tire out like normal. I was wanting to run again later on, but today was a weird day and it didn't work out.
11:45a. 79d. 4miles. BF 315
Pretty wasted by the heat so I kept this run short. Legs were feeling drained.
8:00p. 77d. 7miles. BF 322
Normal loop with 2 x HH at home. Actually didn't feel too bad on this one. Ran the turnarounds in reverse and my hip felt better!
9am. 72d. 8miles. BF 304
Ran smart this morning and conserved all energy for the hill trips. Actually ran farther than my normal 2 loops so I got 8 miles in! My farthest run since time off. I really needed it too. This morning conditions were great though. Really light cloud cover with the sun barely poking through made for a bright, but cool day. There was also a light breeze which felt good and made you feel like you were going faster than what you probably were. Hip seems to be fine as long as I keep everything straight so I'm not too worried about it for right now. I must have been favoring my right side or something, but I seem to be correcting it. Heck it could have even happened during basketball or stretching there is just no real way of knowing.
8pm 75d. 7miles. BF 311
Looked like rain, but it only sprinkled a few times. Pretty cool around 75 degrees without the sun though. Hip was acting up, but nothing really painful, just that nagging. I think it might be all the right turns I take, I may start running the opposite way for turns (i can't normally because traffic would come up behind me and I wouldn't be able to see them)
8:45a. 70d. 6miles. BF 294
What can I say about this run....remember all the awesomeness of yesterdays, well this was the complete opposite. I felt like I had never ran a mile in my whole life. Ready to quit by 3 and just struggled to finish this one out. The good news?...I stuck it out and got it done. Two reasons - heat/thirst and two trips up the HH. The HH is not to be taken lightly folks, especially when you're trying to get back to running 10 milers. I miss the "easy 10".
8:00p. 80d. 2miles. BF 296
Bad lunch decision and worse dinner- a entire milkshake was just about the worst thing ever. NEVER AGAIN ...before a run! Stomach just sloshed around and ended up hurting so badly I slogged (slowjog??) the whole 2.5 miles. UGH. Very disappointed, but hey I'll never do it again so lesson learned right.
8:15am. 64d. 6miles. BF 281
Nice run today as it was so cool outside, although it hardly felt like it in the sun. Felt like I was going really slow, but effort was medium so what can you do.
8:15pm. 72d. 7miles. BF 288
Best run so far this month. A little wind and a cool night just got my lungs breathing again. I felt so good on this one. Not as fast as I was, but I didn't feel like I was crawling along- as has been the case. Turnover felt a million times better and I could definitely tell the difference in speed. Just a great night for a run. I didn't want to stop, but it was getting darker and you gotta save something for tomorrow.
no miles today. Calf was cramped up this morning/afternoon. Then we didn't eat till 8 p.m. when i normally run so there was no time before it got too dark. I suppose I could have ran earlier, but between being hungry and the calf thing maybe it was better to have rest. I'll be ready tomorrow morning though.
9:30a. 74d. 3miles. BF 271
8:25p. 84d. 4miles. BF 275
Hurts to lean over and do anything to the side. Good old hip bursitis. I suppose the good news is it didn't hurt during the run today. That doesn't make leaning down to pick anything up fun, but at least it's something. Hot run later on. I ate mexican with April and my mouth and throat were on fire. Hip felt better, especially if I work on running tall and really keeping my hips tucked in. So that is good news. The bad news was only 4 miles, but I don't want to push too hard just yet so meh.
Almost forgot I also worked out before i ran tonight, which kind of lowered the prospects. basketball 20 minutes.
70 lbs 3x12 leg extensions
130-150-170-190 x12 sitting squat
70 lb 10x2 deltoid pull downs
70 lb 10x3 shoulder raises
ab crunches 90lbs 10x2, twisting abs 30lbs 10x2
8:15p. 84d. 7miles. BF 268
Feeling a lot better during runs but they are still tough. Found my pace a few times. Hip "bursitis" is already back and seems to be getting worse each day I run. I guess I had become immune to the pain, but it is definitely there. Too bad that 3 weeks didn't help at all :-( I may have to go see the doctor about my hip. It is located along the right side of the hip bone and where it rounds downward to the waistline. It is quite painful when i push on it, so I know there is some kind of bruising below the skin I cannot see. Also got a nice painful bulbous blister on the tip of my toe as if I had never been on a run before in my life.
8:30p. 75d. 6miles. BF 261
Actually stuck this one out and went for 6 straight miles. Looking forward to being in shape again- at least I have some perspective on how hard it was to get started as I had long forgot.
9:30a. 88d. 3 miles BF 252
8:30p. 80d. 3 miles BF 255
Am was much harder medium-high effort, later it was "cooler" 82 degrees and was much easier. Still felt 3 was enough for today.
8:30am. 75 degreees 70%H. BF 249
pretty humbled this morning as this run felt three times as long. Quite a ways to go but I'll get there.
In order to save some time I'm just going to keep the posts shorter from now on unless there is something important to note like an injury or race.
1pm, 2.2 miles. 90 degrees 50%H. BF 246
I really should have seen it coming. Today I am even more sore. It's that two day effect. Well I can barely lift my arms and I sort of feel like I've been in a car accident. Everything just hurts. Hopefully tomorrow it will be bearable enough to actually do something.
Okay now that summer is finally here I've really taken advantage of my time off.
The computer is built. I am very happy with it. The only problem is that I'm using Vista now and it comes with differences. Not really problems, but they become problems until you figure out what the heck is going on. Well that's not really my fault. The only problem that I can't seem to fix is the front headphone jack. For some reason it isn't working. I could solve this easily by buying a sound card- but honestly speakers work just fine and I already spent enough to build the thing- over 700, but If I were to buy a computer with these specs it would easily be 1100-1200$. So yeah I'm happy. The biggest difference is that my CPU isn't screaming anymore. It used to be at 100% all the time, which I thought was normal. Now that I have two, they both run at 40-50% and everything loads/saves twice as fast.
So that was a lot of fun and at times frustrating. I attempted to overclock the computer which was a failure originally as I had no idea what I was doing. But I believe if I tried again it would work better. There were some fundamental elements I certainly hadn't grasped. The past few days I've just been transferring all my info from the other computer to the new one. The oversight was that now I have two computers - I had hoped to use the old one, but now it doesn't seem like that will happen. It can't even double as a dvd player as there is no sound input on my tv for computers, oh wells.
So this is a running blog. Ha, kind of got off track. Okay well obviously I've had fun this past week, but I also had some fun yesterday too. Not so much running, but lifting. It was intimidating at first, with all the guys walking around with their chests out and glancing down at their biceps, but after I hopped on the first machine and did a few reps I was right at home. I normally lifted twice a day in high school- even and especially during cross country season. Most people thought I was a wrestler because of my build, but I would just smile and say "cross-country". That doesn't happen anymore. Now most people ask me if I'm hungry.
So I started off with some legs and just kind of did a bit of everything (I was getting used to the machines). This is how the day went down:
leg extensions 3 sets x10 @90lbs.
standing bicep dumbells 3x10 @18
incline benchpress 1x10 @45, @65, @75, then back down
seated squat press 3x10 @ 130,150, and 170
shoulder press 3x10 @70
calf raises 3x10-15 @125
lower back reverse push 3x10 @85
So yeah, I am utterly sore. But I'll be back for more tomorrow.
The last thing I want to write here is that I am feeling great. The time off has really helped my body recover. I have no pains anywhere. Toes are fine, toenails are nearly regrown to normal, hip bursitis has disappeared, and the legs don't feel heavy or tight. So now that I'm recovered its time to get back out on the road faster and stronger.
