Dead Legs and a Long Run

Tuesday I had the XMP weekly workout, which was three reps of the "double silencer," basically going up a hill and down the other side, then turning around and going up and down again. I was pretty happy with the effort and got in a great workout. It was about two miles of hard running.

Wednesday I lifted for the first time in forever, and despite trying to take it super easy I was so sore the next few days after I could barely run. My legs just felt like bricks. I did a mid-week longer run of 10 on Thursday and couldn't get going very fast so I just got through it at around 7.10/mi. Friday was more of the same on an easier run.

I was pretty worried about completing my long run on Saturday with my legs feeling so shitty, but nonetheless I set my alarm for 5:40 am and headed out the door for Barnes and Noble in Bethesda to meet the group. It was a 14 mile run with an interesting course: some CCT, some Rock Creek, and two altered Mormon Temple loops in the second half. I actually felt great throughout the run, and got stronger during the hill loop section. Felt solid and strong going back up the CCT to end the run.

Got in 55 for the week, looking for something similar or a bit more next week depending on whether or not I take a day off.

Injury + Marathon

The last two weeks have been a bit frustrating due to some significant shin pain that got a lot worse after the cross country 5k I did a week and a half ago. After a few days off I went to an orthopedist who gave me the very relieving diagnosis of posterior tibial tendonitis, and after a different shoe approach, some anti-inflammatories, and a ton of mental relief I'm pretty much 100% pain free at this point.

This past weekend was the first long run for the experienced marathon program Danny and I are doing (ironic, since neither of us have ever run a marathon). I wouldn't say it went well, but I did stay up fairly late the night before and have a little too much to drink...lesson learned. I could do that shit in college but it doesn't look like I can handle it anymore at the advanced age of 25. Either way, I got in 15 strong miles and am ready to hit it again next week.

Tonight, however, was the big night where I actually committed. I've paid the non-refundable entry fee for the Philadelphia Marathon on November 17th. Time to sack up and finally get this whole marathon thing going. Stay tuned...

Run with the June Bugs 5k

I ran another cross country race this past Friday. It had rained heavily the previous two days, and when coupled with the fact that I'm in way worse shape than I was in October 2009 I knew I had no shot at my PR for the course of 18:02. But, there were standings points to be gained and I can never turn down an XC race. So I was all in.

I started out feeling pretty good, although I let Danny and the small pack of runners chasing him go pretty much right away. I knew the soggy ground and copious amounts of grass on the course would zap me at some point, and I had no intention of blowing up halfway through. So I stuck behind Jordan and stayed relaxed through the first mile.

The pack of four ahead began to decouple and I hoped to catch a couple off the back and sneak into one of the top spots, but it wasn't to be today. Jordan built throughout the race and finished third after he caught Danny, and I couldn't muster enough to catch some high school kid who died halfway and stumbled his way to the finish. Despite my best efforts, my last mile was pretty slow and I did my best to hold it together with Mark Whalley hot on my tail. I was able to hold him off to finish sixth, and fifth in the points as the high school kid ahead of me wasn't a member.

I was pretty happy with the effort. The time was terrible (over 19), but I definitely feel as though I've improved every race and I'm on the way back to something resembling respectable.

Getting Faster...or Better Weather?

The recent heat really wore me down as I'm sure it did most runners in the D.C. area over the last week or two. I did 16 on Friday and really fell apart in the last four miles, with the last mile being a death march of sorts. Feeling pretty worn down over the weekend, but thanks to an ice bath Saturday night and a slightly faster pace than I've been doing on a run with Danny George on Sunday I went into the week feeling rejuvenated.

Tuesday evening I headed over to Lock 7 for my now weekly 10 miler on the Canal. I'm trying to do these a bit faster than my easy run pace to try and get used to running a little quicker, but nothing close to tempo yet. Last week I ran a little under 7.00/mile at 69.12 and it was pretty tough. This week was much, much better, I'm sure partly due to the cooler temperatures. After averaging around 7.00 for the first four miles, I ramped up the intensity and finished at 66.49 for 6.41 pace. The last three miles were under 6.30, so nothing special but certainly some progress.

Last week was 60 miles, and I plan for this one to be 60 as well.

Back to the Blog

I'm going to resurrect this blog from the dead as I attempt to train for a fall marathon. My running has slowly been on the decline over the past two years due to various factors such as inconsistent training, lack of motivation, injuries, and work conflicts. The first 3+ months of 2013, I barely ran at all and was horribly out of shape. Since the second week of April, however, I'm back on the horse and training well. I'm way ahead of where I was, but still have a lot to accomplish to get back to where I'd like to be.

Since I've been back running again, I've participated in the American Odyssey Relay as part of an ultra team and "raced" the following: Spin in the Woods 8k, Run Aware 5k, Run for the Animals 5k, and the Memorial 4 Miler. Its been difficult humbling myself to the point where I can hold my head up high and get out there for these, but they have been instrumental in progressing my fitness more quickly. My initial goal was to run the Twilighter in under 30:00 and take it from there, but it looks like I'm far ahead of schedule on that front.

I've mainly been doing base mileage since I began running again, with an emphasis on the long run. I've stepped up from 12 miles initially the week after the relay to 14 and now 16 last week. I'll do 16 again this week and try to do it a little faster. I've also started hitting the track just for some fast strides in spikes as a form of leg prep. I could definitely feel the benefit during the race earlier this week. I'll alternate those with some hills and begin some light workouts in the next two weeks.

The picture above is from my most recent race on Memorial Day.

Weekly Mileage in May:
4/29-5/5: 40
5/6-5/12: 50
5/13-5/19: 55
5/20-5/26: 60