September 2006 Archives

Today was the first day of swim "class" for the new semester ... although technically a college PE course, I use it as my interval swim workout. It also makes an excellent post-long run recovery workout! It was good to see some of my old swim buddies back again after all of us having taken the summer off. The instructor is great, the pool is really nicely clean, and the water is a perfect temperature. The pool is on my way to work, so my routine involves getting up earlier than normal, at 5:30 to hit the pool by 6:20 for a warmup, followed by a 40 minute class that runs from 6:30 to 7:10. Mondays is typically a leg workout day with lots of kicking, but today was the first class of the semester so there was more talking than swimming going on ... Several of us were "alumni" from previous semesters so we were allowed to do our own thing at the beginning and end of class, so at least I got a good 7 x 100 intervals in. Then the instructor began a short series of 4 x 50s, so he could guage the fitness and skill level of the group, 1/2 were backstroke and 1/2 were freestyle. We were then allowed to swim for 15 minutes while he chatted to the new comers again ... so I got another 600 in, making it 1500 yards total for the day - less than I normally would do for a routine swim workout, but satisfying none the less.

My long run yesterday went better than I expected. 19 miles in beautiful, sunny weather along the Monterrey coast. I never felt so good after a long run before ... but it came at a cost, a cost of time. My goal is to qualify for Boston at the upcoming Silicon Valley Marathon (a flat, fast course) at the end of October. But I just can't seem to get the turnover I need and hold it all together for that distance. My training has been sporadic to say the least, and I never really gave up my triathlon training (swimming and biking) to the extent that I should have, or as soon as I should have, in order to focus on this race. Now I think I will be paying a high price for that BQ time ... IF I even get close. I need sub 4 hours to qualify. I did 19 miles on Sunday in 3:30 or so (not counting all my pit stops). That would leave 7 miles to go in 1/2 an hour - not possible for me. I know training isn't like race day, but as a guage of my fitness level it doesn't bode well. My post run health was due in large part I'm sure to the conservative pace I maintained throughout, as well as the recovery drink and 15 minute soak in the frigid ocean immediately post run. A big honking breakfast burrito was my reward for this training day and boy did it taste great!

I was going to do speed work yesterday (a series of 6 or 8 yasso 800's depending on how I felt) but as it turns out I didn't feel like doing any of that ... my shin has been twinging ever since my long run mileage has increased past the 13 mile mark, and speedwork typically doesn't help. So instead, I donned a brand new pair of Brooks Radius shoes, wrapped my shin with an elastic bandage the way my PT showed me, and decided to do a 6 mile marathon pace run on the treadmill. The shoes are the same make/model as I've been using now for the past two years, but I went up a 1/2 size and they felt a little floppy ... I'm just not sure they're the ones for the marathon. The sole is also quite different and they "squeak" like crazy when I walk. I may cross over to the Nike Air Pegasus, a shoe that my experienced running store owner and acquaintance is recommending.

I've been bad about stretching before and after runs lately, which I have to get more disciplined about ... and I am using my ice pack again to take down the little pockets of swelling along my shin bone. I am also getting fairly frequent sports massages. Hopefully these preventive measures will help stave them off. It has become a routine that my shins flare up when my marathon training hits a certain point ... so I'm not too surprised, or even disappointed by this latest development ... I know how to manage it now (after lots of past experience with the same issue).

I love training WITH people, especially for long runs. I felt so fortunate today when we had a larger group than planned, with two "extras" showing up to run with Amy, Julie , and I. Brenna completed Ironman Canada two weeks earlier, and Fred (an ex-TNT team mate) is training up for the San Jose Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon. I had a 16 miler planned, and knew the others probably wouldn't want to run that long, but in the end Julie and Brenna put in 9, Amy a whopping 15, and Fred stayed with me until the bitter end ... completing all 16 miles. THANK YOU! I would have done it without them, but it would not have been nearly as much fun. The time seemed to pass so much more quickly (though I know it didn't really) with everyone recounting stories and talking about future plans.

This week I've been travelling for work and decided to add on a side trip to visit family in Midhurst Ontario, Canada over the long weekend. I knew I would have to do a long run while travelling and luckily for me, my brother is also a runner ... he took me out on a system of beautiful alternating single track mountain bike trails and wider snow mobile trails, literally in his back yard. We ran for 2 and a half hours and only saw three other people, all hikers. The run felt difficult for me, even though I had done 13 miles the weekend before without any problems. But this was not one of those long runs where you launch auto pilot, get into a groove, and go.