Yesterday:

22 mins on the stepper
10 mins standing abs
10 mins Upper body


Today:

Dynamic Flexibility
1 mile @ Recovery Pace
12x400@ 1 mile pace
1x800 @ HM Pace
1x800 @ M Pace  

16 mins Strength Training using Prevention 2 weeks turnaround DVD

Wasn't quite sure what to expect upon waking up this morning since yesterday was my first double which was following a hard workout on Sunday. After last night workout, I did massage and use the stick on my legs and made sure I was thoroughly cooled down before heading to bed, slept like a log. Woke up fine with no aches or pain and my body no protesting the double.

Today's workout is a 40mins tempo at 10k pace but I have come to realize that it wasn't the best approach and was a rememdy for disaster, since I started the program in the middle I have not gradually built up to the 50 mins time and realze that was the main cause of my shin pain last week. Instead sandwich the tempo between my base pace, no shin pain and was able to hold the pace without stopping, so did

11 mins @ recovery pace, wanted to get to 1 mile
9 mins @ mid base pace
20 mins @ 10k pace
10 mins @ high base pace ---- 5.2 miles

Montenegro Power #3 - this workout pack a punch and so perfect to do after a run with all those lunge variation/squats.

Next race is a 10k in Miami, Florida on Thanksgiving Day while spending time with my inlaws, I also plan on getting a long run of about 16 miles in that weekend to help prepare me for my 30k in Arizona, so probably no holiday shopping for me.

After my experiment of one, I have come to realize that my body absolutely hate more than 4 days of running, after just 2 weeks of trying to run for 5 days, not 5 days straight , just a easy/hard/easy/hard/xt/long/xt my legs were in pain, I was sensing the start of multiple injuries enough to cause me to take Thursday and Friday off. My left shin, my right foot, both ankles and knees, cross train on both days and did lots of icing, felt better enough on Saturday so I went for my trail race.

The goal for the 5 mile trail race was simple, avoid getting pass by the leader, this is a 2 loop race, and keep up with the 60 year old guy that blew by me at the first race. I was able to accomplish both and got a 1+ mins PR in the process, but I still believe I can run this race faster, so I have 1 more chance to prove it in December. Got back home from the race and did hours of gardening cleaning out the beds since the weather was beautiful for November in Ohio.

Sunday decided to do the workout I skipped on Thursday, well a modified version of it anyway
1 mile Recovery pace
2x400@ 1 mile pace
2x400@ 3k pace
2x400@ 10k pace then realize I forgot 5k pace
2x400 @ 5k pace
1x800 @ HM pace
1x800 @ M pace  then walked around to cooldown.

So instead of running 5 days, I am going to go back to doing doubles as time permit during the week and closely monitor for injury again.

Today's workout
6.2 miles @ base pace
Montenegro Power #1

Hoping to get in another 3 miles after work and then some yoga.

After  work got in the 3.1miles at base pace and did some stretches on my own.

Kovas @ Midwest Multisport  asked if I was overdoing it based on the recent pains am having this was something I also wondered so I combed through my log yesterday. Mileage wise am low and I haven't ramped up fast since I am nowhere near what my schedule is calling for but I did noticed that since I am doing shorter races my training paces are faster and I may not have given my legs adequate time to adjust or build up to the pace. So the training program will be revised to do more of a ladder program for tempo and 400 meters intervals.

Today's run was a reset, so I did 3.1 miles on the treadmill barefoot, I do this to help reset/adjust my form, when I start out am landing so hard you can hear every foot landing mainly heel striking but by mile 2, it is almost like am gliding no shaking or pounding of the treadmill, tried one of my fastest pace 7mph and was able to keep my form. No pain on foot or shin but will continue to ice and massage.

Added on Cathe Butts & Guts floor work to finish things off before showering and rushing to the airport to pick DH up.

Perfect Fall Day, I think we got up to 60 degrees

Dynamic Flexibility 10 mins

10 mins Recovery Pace
20 mins @ 10k pace
10 mins @ HM Pace
10 mins @ M Pace
5.4 miles - 50.02 mins

Reebok Cardio Sculpt 2 - 10 mins
Montenegro Power #2 - 14  mins

Stretch on my own.

Pain on my left Shin@10k pace, icing and doing some shin exercise.

Lack of sunshine, is having  the usual depressing effect this year again, was suppose to do 12 miles on Saturday even though fully dressed I couldn't get myself out the door so I ended up calling it a rest day. Sunday repeated the same process, got dressed and sat until about 5pm when I decided to just go out and worry about running 12, just go, walk if needed but go, so I did and got in 6 miles before calling it a day since by 6pm it was already dark and my body was shutting down. Noticing pain on my right foot again, not sure if it is the shoe or socks, so will start trying other socks with the shoe and different lacing techniques, left foot is fine.

Today, drag myself out of bed and got in a base pace 3.1 miles, I just need to keep moving , sticking to my routine as much as I can, eventually it does get easier. Can't wait for my Thanksgiving trip to Florida.

First Snow of the Season

View from my front door.

26.2 is my Cooldown is going a Garmin Giveaway

Plans for November

Since I still have 4 races left before the end of the year which include a 30k in December, I realize I need to put together a training program, since I have been using Matt Fitzgerald's Brain Training for Runners program for almost 2 years now, I decided to take a break from it and use one of Hal Higdon's 10K advanced program with modification. I do not run 6 days a week so I dropped one of the run and both base miles are limited to 3 miles which means no long midweek run since I normally only run 4 days a week and now trying 5, if I start to have issues, drop one day and increase the mileage for the single run. The long runs are also longer to capture the 30k, so starting at 12 miles since I ran 10 hilly miles with the turtles recently, so the plan is designed for speed and endurance, first test will be my 5 miler on 11/13 wow that's next weekend. All my paces stays the same, no change to them since I have yet to achieve the 4hr marathon and I still struggle with them sometimes.

For strength training using Montenegro Method, Cathe Butts and Guts plus anything that meets my fancy occasionally from the library. The intention is also to add yoga and pilates back in, hoping this will help with flexibilty and prevention of injury from the additional running day. Still doing the Hardcore workout.

October Recap

October was a recovery month from the Akron Marathon, I know there are people out their that can run marathon every weekend, well, my body and I are just not one of them. So I use Hal Higdon's Post Marathon Training Plan, to get me back into running, I was fine with my recovery no excess pain or injury. Joined the Crooked River Trail Group for trail run and the Towpath Turtles for some long ones on Sundays. Added back strength training and paying closer attention to my weight, I think I got flabby during marathon training, did a 5 miler trail race and wasn't very happy with the result but had fun none the less.

101.2 miles for October, leaving me with 197.8miles to reach 1000 miles for the year which will be my first time getting there, the biggest goal thou is to continue to train smartly since this will be the first year that my body is almost injury free , with 4 races yet to do and I am beginning to put together my plan for next year.