This was another slow week, still trying to get over the 'knee' pain. Actually, by the end of the week I started to realize that the pain was actually in my calf but was radiating to the knee area. I started massaging a sore spot on my calf on Saturday and on Sunday I was able to get in 8 miles with only mild discomfort. I took Monday the 29th off and this morning I did 11.5. The run wasn't without any discomfort though, after about 4 miles I started feeling it, and by 7 miles it had peaked, interestingly enough, somewhere after 7 miles the discomfort magically disappeared and the rest of the run felt pretty good!
Monday
Off
Cycle - 5.5 mi
Tuesday
Run - 7 miles, 8:26/mi, 143bpm
The knee/calf felt great for the first 6 then really started bothering me.
Cycle - 5.5 mi
Wednesday
Run - 3.75 mi, 8:27/mi, 139bpm
This wasn't the planned run but the knee/calf was not cooperating.
Thursday
Run - 4.22 mi, 8:24/mi, 130bpm
Nothing like starting Christmas morning with a run! Too bad I had to cut it short once again.
Friday
Off - Family in town, touring San Francisco
Saturday
Off - Family in town, touring San Francisco
Sunday
Run - 8 mi, 8:15/mi, 147bpm
Finally the knee/calf cooperated after some massaging. This run felt really good, I guess all this downtime gave my legs a little extra spring. The last few miles in the park felt like I was on autopilot. I was also testing out my new headphones that I got for Christmas and they are awesome! Finally a pair that stay in my ears and don't bother me. I hope these will last a while, I haven't had much luck with headphones.
Summary
Run 22.97 miles
Cycle 11 miles
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
December 15th - 21st 2008
Two weeks ago on Sunday the 7th, I had one of the best long runs I'd had in a long time, there was just one small thing that went wrong, near the end of the run my left knee started to hurt. I ignored it and finished the run but did slow down a bit the last few miles. After that run, my knee felt sore again for the next 3 runs but only going up hills and it felt better and better each run. A week ago on the 14th, I wanted to get in 11 or 12 miles along with a 5k. The pre-race warm up and race went well and afterwards I kept running another 6 miles to complete the run. With about 3 miles to go, the knee soreness came back. Of course, I kept running. By the time I got home it was really sore and for the rest of the day it hurt walking, bending, etc. Monday is usually a rest day which was good because my knee was still really sore. It started feeling a bit better by the evening but I decided to take Tuesday off as well just to make sure. Tuesday night it was feeling good except when walking up hills, so I took Wednesday off as well. Thursday I went to the track in the morning because I wanted to run on a flat surface. The first three miles were great, the knee was pain free. Then it started to get sore, slowly and I kept running. I ended up with 6 miles but the last three I was stopping to stretch, rub, etc. It would feel better for a lap and then start getting sore again. Friday I tried the track again and got in 2 miles before I started to feel it. Once again, I stopped, shook it out then got in one more mile before it intensified.
I had a race planned for Sunday and really didn't think I'd be able to do it. Saturday I took the day off of running on Jim's suggestion with the plan that I would go to the race and if my knee started to hurt I could shut it down and not finish the race. So on a total of 9 miles running this week, I headed to the race this morning. I warmed up with 1 mile of running and was feeling pretty good. The race turned out to be pretty hilly I thought. According to the Garmin, there was 350 feet of uphill, 1.25 miles of the race. My main focus was to keep my heart rate over 170 during the race. Here are the splits:
Mile 1, 6:37, 163 avg, 173 max
Mile 2, 6:25, 171 avg, 190 max (hit this climbing a hill, not sure if it is accurate)
Mile 3, 6:37, 171 avg, 175 max
.15, 1:03, 172 avg, 172 max (uphill finish)
This was a certified course so it was accurate, but of course since you can't always run tangent to tangent, I ended up with 3.15 for a 6:34 pace. Compared to last weeks race, I feel pretty good since this course was alot hillier. I was happy that I was able to keep my heart rate higher than the last race. I was also hurting a lot more at the end of this race. The last 1/4 mile was tough. Here is the summary from last weeks 5k:
Mile 1, 6:38, 161 avg, 169 max
Mile 2, 6:57, 167 avg, 169 max
Mile 3, 6:29, 168 avg, 178 max
.04, :16, 170 avg, 171 max
This wasn't a certified course and according to Garmin was a bit short. So I ended up with 3:04 miles at 6:41 pace.
So after the race today, I ran a mile to warm down and then I started feeling my knee a little bit, so I shut it down before it got any worse. I'm not sure what is going on with my knee, the pain is on the inside of the knee. I think it kind of feels the same way that IT band pain feels (its been a long time since I had IT band pain). But anyway, the IT band is on the other side of the knee. Nothing is swollen or sore to the touch either. So I am going to take another easy week of running and hope that it is all better by the 29th because that is when I start the 18 week marathon training plan for Avenue of the Giants. Can't wait!
A few comments about the race, I liked the course, and after finishing I headed over to get some water or a banana or something and found that they were handing out ice cream, yum :) It was funny that some people thought it was too cold for ice cream ... ummm I don't think that is ever the case ;) The temperature was in the mid 40s with light rain, but after a good run it didn't feel cold at all. After the race I met 3 other women who live in the area and are regular runners, one even works downtown in IT as well. So the four of us chatted for a bit while we waited for the awards. I finished 3rd overall and Tina finished 2nd overall, so we figured we should wait. Well, we waited and waited while they took a century to hand out the 1 mile race awards (which were really just printed certificates). We knew there were some gift certificates for the winners but we didn't know if it was just the overall winner or top three or what, plus they had door prizes, so it seemed worth it to wait a bit for the awards. Anyway, they finally finished the mile awards and then guess what??? They told us that the bibs were all hand written in ink that ran in the rain, so they had no idea what the names and ages of most of the finishers were! Ok, so I don't really care about getting an age group award (but it is nice sometimes and appreciate it when I do receive one), but the most important thing about a race is accurate timing and results! So I was a little disappointed with that. Also, since they knew that they could not announce any 5k results, they could have mentioned that right away so that those that wanted to leave could do so.
So the week summary looks like this:
Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday
0 miles running
no cycling
Thursday
6 miles running
Friday
3 miles running
Saturday
0 miles running
Sunday
5 miles including 5k race
Total:
14 miles running
No cycling this week because it was unseasonably cold due to s storm system coming down from Canada plus a couple of days of rain, so that on top of a sore knee meant no cycling this week.
On a side note, my wonderful mother and father-in-law sent us a Wii for Christmas and we've been having loads of fun playing it! I must say that you can get quite a workout as well - especially with boxing!
I had a race planned for Sunday and really didn't think I'd be able to do it. Saturday I took the day off of running on Jim's suggestion with the plan that I would go to the race and if my knee started to hurt I could shut it down and not finish the race. So on a total of 9 miles running this week, I headed to the race this morning. I warmed up with 1 mile of running and was feeling pretty good. The race turned out to be pretty hilly I thought. According to the Garmin, there was 350 feet of uphill, 1.25 miles of the race. My main focus was to keep my heart rate over 170 during the race. Here are the splits:
Mile 1, 6:37, 163 avg, 173 max
Mile 2, 6:25, 171 avg, 190 max (hit this climbing a hill, not sure if it is accurate)
Mile 3, 6:37, 171 avg, 175 max
.15, 1:03, 172 avg, 172 max (uphill finish)
This was a certified course so it was accurate, but of course since you can't always run tangent to tangent, I ended up with 3.15 for a 6:34 pace. Compared to last weeks race, I feel pretty good since this course was alot hillier. I was happy that I was able to keep my heart rate higher than the last race. I was also hurting a lot more at the end of this race. The last 1/4 mile was tough. Here is the summary from last weeks 5k:
Mile 1, 6:38, 161 avg, 169 max
Mile 2, 6:57, 167 avg, 169 max
Mile 3, 6:29, 168 avg, 178 max
.04, :16, 170 avg, 171 max
This wasn't a certified course and according to Garmin was a bit short. So I ended up with 3:04 miles at 6:41 pace.
So after the race today, I ran a mile to warm down and then I started feeling my knee a little bit, so I shut it down before it got any worse. I'm not sure what is going on with my knee, the pain is on the inside of the knee. I think it kind of feels the same way that IT band pain feels (its been a long time since I had IT band pain). But anyway, the IT band is on the other side of the knee. Nothing is swollen or sore to the touch either. So I am going to take another easy week of running and hope that it is all better by the 29th because that is when I start the 18 week marathon training plan for Avenue of the Giants. Can't wait!
A few comments about the race, I liked the course, and after finishing I headed over to get some water or a banana or something and found that they were handing out ice cream, yum :) It was funny that some people thought it was too cold for ice cream ... ummm I don't think that is ever the case ;) The temperature was in the mid 40s with light rain, but after a good run it didn't feel cold at all. After the race I met 3 other women who live in the area and are regular runners, one even works downtown in IT as well. So the four of us chatted for a bit while we waited for the awards. I finished 3rd overall and Tina finished 2nd overall, so we figured we should wait. Well, we waited and waited while they took a century to hand out the 1 mile race awards (which were really just printed certificates). We knew there were some gift certificates for the winners but we didn't know if it was just the overall winner or top three or what, plus they had door prizes, so it seemed worth it to wait a bit for the awards. Anyway, they finally finished the mile awards and then guess what??? They told us that the bibs were all hand written in ink that ran in the rain, so they had no idea what the names and ages of most of the finishers were! Ok, so I don't really care about getting an age group award (but it is nice sometimes and appreciate it when I do receive one), but the most important thing about a race is accurate timing and results! So I was a little disappointed with that. Also, since they knew that they could not announce any 5k results, they could have mentioned that right away so that those that wanted to leave could do so.
So the week summary looks like this:
Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday
0 miles running
no cycling
Thursday
6 miles running
Friday
3 miles running
Saturday
0 miles running
Sunday
5 miles including 5k race
Total:
14 miles running
No cycling this week because it was unseasonably cold due to s storm system coming down from Canada plus a couple of days of rain, so that on top of a sore knee meant no cycling this week.
On a side note, my wonderful mother and father-in-law sent us a Wii for Christmas and we've been having loads of fun playing it! I must say that you can get quite a workout as well - especially with boxing!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
December 8th - 14th 2008
Monday
Running - Off
Cycle - to/from work, 11 miles
Tuesday
Run - 5mi, 8:35/mi, 140bpm
Cycle - to/from work, 11 miles
Wednesday
Run - 5.16, 8:35/mi, 138bpm
Another easy run, legs feeling OK but not very peppy
Cycle - to/from work, 11 miles
Thursday
Run - Off, was very tired so uncharacteristically, I turned off the alarm and went back to sleep
Cycle - to/from work, 11 miles
Friday
Run - 7mi, 8:31/mi, 134bpm
Felt good, but the legs were not turning over very fast, in other words, I felt like I was running 8 min pace but it was actually 8:30's hmmm
Cycle - to/from work, 11 miles
Saturday
Run - 5.75mi, 8:04/mi, 144bpm
Felt really good on this run, had to slow myself down since I had a race planned for Sunday.
Sunday
Run - 11mi Total, warm up 2.2 miles, 5k race, then 5.8 miles to finish up.
The race was a very small race put on by a local running group, they organize races almost every weekend throughout the year. This one started at the Conservatory of Flowers so I could just jog over to the start from my apartment. The race is low key, no shirts, no awards (just ribbons) and no chip timing, they did have bananas, oranges etc at the finish which was nice. The race only costs $5 and its a good way to some racing in without having to drive somewhere, spend a lot more money, etc. While warming up I noticed there was a women there that looked like she could be pretty fast, when she lined up at the start with her racing gear on, I knew she was going to be fast. She finished the race in 18 something, 1st women. The race went down JFK then looped around the lake and back on JFK to the finish. My main goal for this race was to just get in a practice run before a race I'm running next week. I planned to focus on form and getting my heart rate over 170. My heart rate ended up being 167, 168 and 170. I think for the first time ever my third mile was the fastest of the race. I felt really good for the third mile and started picking off people. The second mile was the slowest, but I did not feel like it was because I was running out of gas because I felt fine, but that section of the race goes up and down and around the lake. Nobody passed me on the second mile and I didn't fall out of position, so I think a lot of people slowed down. The end result was a 20:22 for the race not bad considering I haven't done a 5k in a while so I am looking forward to next weekend's race to see if I can better this. I ended up as the 2nd women and came away with a fancy ribbon to commemorate the occasion :). A few minutes into the race it started raining and then it was pouring. I wanted to get my long run in so I was planning on running home after the race and changing out of my racing flats but since I was already drenched and knew if I went home I would not want to go back out, so I did my 'cool down' of about 5.8 miles in the pouring rain, it was enjoyable but at the same time bone-chilling. The nice hot shower felt really good when I was done!
Summary
33.91 miles running
55 miles cycling (commuting)
Running - Off
Cycle - to/from work, 11 miles
Tuesday
Run - 5mi, 8:35/mi, 140bpm
Cycle - to/from work, 11 miles
Wednesday
Run - 5.16, 8:35/mi, 138bpm
Another easy run, legs feeling OK but not very peppy
Cycle - to/from work, 11 miles
Thursday
Run - Off, was very tired so uncharacteristically, I turned off the alarm and went back to sleep
Cycle - to/from work, 11 miles
Friday
Run - 7mi, 8:31/mi, 134bpm
Felt good, but the legs were not turning over very fast, in other words, I felt like I was running 8 min pace but it was actually 8:30's hmmm
Cycle - to/from work, 11 miles
Saturday
Run - 5.75mi, 8:04/mi, 144bpm
Felt really good on this run, had to slow myself down since I had a race planned for Sunday.
Sunday
Run - 11mi Total, warm up 2.2 miles, 5k race, then 5.8 miles to finish up.
The race was a very small race put on by a local running group, they organize races almost every weekend throughout the year. This one started at the Conservatory of Flowers so I could just jog over to the start from my apartment. The race is low key, no shirts, no awards (just ribbons) and no chip timing, they did have bananas, oranges etc at the finish which was nice. The race only costs $5 and its a good way to some racing in without having to drive somewhere, spend a lot more money, etc. While warming up I noticed there was a women there that looked like she could be pretty fast, when she lined up at the start with her racing gear on, I knew she was going to be fast. She finished the race in 18 something, 1st women. The race went down JFK then looped around the lake and back on JFK to the finish. My main goal for this race was to just get in a practice run before a race I'm running next week. I planned to focus on form and getting my heart rate over 170. My heart rate ended up being 167, 168 and 170. I think for the first time ever my third mile was the fastest of the race. I felt really good for the third mile and started picking off people. The second mile was the slowest, but I did not feel like it was because I was running out of gas because I felt fine, but that section of the race goes up and down and around the lake. Nobody passed me on the second mile and I didn't fall out of position, so I think a lot of people slowed down. The end result was a 20:22 for the race not bad considering I haven't done a 5k in a while so I am looking forward to next weekend's race to see if I can better this. I ended up as the 2nd women and came away with a fancy ribbon to commemorate the occasion :). A few minutes into the race it started raining and then it was pouring. I wanted to get my long run in so I was planning on running home after the race and changing out of my racing flats but since I was already drenched and knew if I went home I would not want to go back out, so I did my 'cool down' of about 5.8 miles in the pouring rain, it was enjoyable but at the same time bone-chilling. The nice hot shower felt really good when I was done!
Summary
33.91 miles running
55 miles cycling (commuting)
Sunday, December 7, 2008
December 1st - 7th 2008
Monday
Off
Tuesday
1.25 warm up
6 x 400
92, 93, 94, 93, 93, 93
1 mi cool down
Heart rate monitor did not register correctly, so no data
4.87 miles
Wednesday
Recovery run - slow
5.25 miles
Thursday
5 miles, 8.25/mi, 139bpm
Friday
2 mi warm up
3 x 1200 (wanted to do 4 but got out the door too late)
4:59(162), 4:56(165), 4:55(166)
1 mi cool down
5.75 mi
Saturday
Group run
6.7 mi, 8.04/mi, 148bpm
Sunday
Long run
12.08 mi, 7:36/mi, 152bpm
Happy with this run, the legs were turning over well and the first 7 miles felt effortless.
8:23 (111)
7:57 (140)
7:24 (150)
7:02 (156)
6:57 (161)
6:53 (167)
7:18 (160)
7:44 (156)
7:40 (158)
7:51 (160)
7:37 (155)
8:14 (156)
Summary
40.5 miles running
55 miles cycling (commuting)
Off
Tuesday
1.25 warm up
6 x 400
92, 93, 94, 93, 93, 93
1 mi cool down
Heart rate monitor did not register correctly, so no data
4.87 miles
Wednesday
Recovery run - slow
5.25 miles
Thursday
5 miles, 8.25/mi, 139bpm
Friday
2 mi warm up
3 x 1200 (wanted to do 4 but got out the door too late)
4:59(162), 4:56(165), 4:55(166)
1 mi cool down
5.75 mi
Saturday
Group run
6.7 mi, 8.04/mi, 148bpm
Sunday
Long run
12.08 mi, 7:36/mi, 152bpm
Happy with this run, the legs were turning over well and the first 7 miles felt effortless.
8:23 (111)
7:57 (140)
7:24 (150)
7:02 (156)
6:57 (161)
6:53 (167)
7:18 (160)
7:44 (156)
7:40 (158)
7:51 (160)
7:37 (155)
8:14 (156)
Summary
40.5 miles running
55 miles cycling (commuting)
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