There are pluses and minuses to being married to a massage therapist. Plus- your spouse can massage places (that really need it) that a normal massage therapist would probably get arrested for massaging, (at least in Utah). Or you'd get arrested for asking :). Minus- it's like pulling teeth to get a massage, sometimes it would be easier to just fork out the $65 at a spa than dealing with all the fighting and anguish of asking your wife for a favor. Anyway I convinced Britt to work on my "problem areas" last night which seemed to help quite a bit.
Tried to keep a slow pace but just wanted to get through my run, so I kept a pace that seemed like it wasn't pulling anything, legs were pretty sore and I can tell I've lost some fitness over the last 2 weeks, my lungs were burning, which my lungs never burn, but I made it through.
Forgot my watch today.
Distance
Time
Avg Pace
5
35:00
7:00
10
1:09:30
6:54
Total
1:09:30
6:56
I just signed up for St. George Marathon, basically been training for it now for 2 1/2 years but I'm a sure in this year, 3rd times a charm. I'm going to put it all out on the line for St. George, everything else is just build up.
I was hurting pretty bad yesterday and wasn't really sure I should run today, but I told Ryan I would run with him and I hate no-showing. I told him I needed to run slow, which also meant short since I needed to get done for 8:00am soccer games. 800mg of ibuprophen seemed to do the trick, felt OK but could definately feel it the entire run. Kept it pretty slow, I could tell Ryan wanted to go faster but I kept holding him back. Hey, he told me slow was probably a good thing for him too.
Glad I got a longish run in, I feel bad that I still haven't run over 20 miles this year and really think this is going to be bad come marathon day.
Here is my crazy work schedule for the next 2 months.
Monday, Bejing China for 2 weeks, come home for 1 night, fly to San Francisco for 4 days, home for 5 days then off to Rio Brazil for 1 week, come home for 1 week then Istanbul Turkey for 2 weeks, then 3 at home until UVM. Schedule subject to change but that's what it's looking like now. Pretty hard to train like that, but pretty neat to run in 4 different continents over the next 2 months.
I'm not sure how my running is going to be for the next 2 weeks so I wanted to make sure I got a decent run in this morning. Pushed pretty hard and Riverton Paul said I was limping. Felt OK, but my HR is still about 8 - 10 bpm over what it was 3 weeks ago at the same pace.
Sitting at the Airport now waiting to sit on an airplane for 22 hours, in couch. Fun Fun.
Somehow missed a whole day, woke up this morning in Bejing China and completely missed Tuesday all together. Today (the 6th) is my 38th Birthday, I have been in China for my last 3 birthdays working, kind of lame.
My leg was hurting pretty bad from sitting on the plane for 22 hours and only got about 5 hours of poor sleep last night so I just did the elliptical trainer in the hotel gym this morning for 45 minutes. I wanted to try and run outside this trip but the air quality is really terrible, my eyes and lungs are burning just walking outside from the car to the hotel so I'm not sure if it's even a good idea to try and run outside. I really don't like this place, wish they could pick a different city other than Bejing.
Getting runs in is going to be difficult, the hotel Gym doesn't open until 6:00am and we have to meet for work at 7:30. I'm going to need to get brave and run outside I suppose.
Yesterday it rained here in Bejing and for the first time in probably years you could see the sun. People were out in the streets just staring at the sun wondering what this big ball of light in the sky was. Turns out when there isn't a blanket of smog covering the entire city it gets light at 5:00am. Interesting trivia, all of China is on 1 time zone and they don't have daylight savings, so after sporatic jetlaged sleep all night at 5:00am when I noticed light coming through my window I couldn't pass up the chance to go run outside. My leg is hurting really bad still, and walking around an enormous convention center all day just isn't giving it time to get better. So I ran out to the Olympic Park and around and back to the hotel, I was really slow 4 miles in 32 minutes 8:00/mil pace and then I went to the hotel gym and did 30 minutes on the stationary bike.
I am trying to relax a bit more today so I can get some better outside mileage in tomorrow morning, I guess we'll see.
I am trying to take advantage of being injured and out of training mode, and being in China with horrible food to try and loose some weight. I would love to drop 10 - 15 lbs for when I am able to pick up my training again.
Well, the sun has once again been engulfed by smog, crazy how polluted the air can get here in one day. I woke up at 4:30 for a 5:00 run and it was pitch black where yesterday it was completely light. My eyes and throat were burning and my leg was still hurting, I ran 3.2 miles alone circled back to the hotel and met one of my co-workers and ran another 3.3 with him. He has really improved since he started running last summer, I remember in San Jose last year he couldn't run 1/4 mile non-stop, now he is up to 3-5 per day. Good job Danny. We circled the Birds Nest and Olympic Village and back to the hotel. I decided I was done running and went to the hotel gym for 45 minutes on the Elliptical.
20 minutes on the stationary bike, and some weights with stretching. Feeling pretty good today. Finally got 8 hours of sleep last night for the first time since I got to China, I should be all caught up just in time to come back home :)
I woke up at 2:00am, like normal and had a weird sensation in my leg, it didn't hurt for the first time in 3 weeks when I moved, I then dozed in and out of sleep and kept having dreams that I didn't hurt anymore and I could run effortlessly for ever. I was so excited I could hardly wait to go running this morning. Finally got up at 4:30, did some stretches and realized it was all just a dream, I still hurt. But that wasn't going to get me down.
Headed outside, to actually a beautiful morning ran out around the Olympic Park and then back and out around the Birdsnest and Olympic Village. 7 slow miles was about all I had in me but it felt good despite the pain.
Went back to the hotel gym and got on the eliptical trainer and watched the last 3 holes of the Masters.
I have a love hate relationship with the eliptical trainer. I hate it, yet at this point I am really glad there is something I can do that actually makes my leg feel better when I'm done. I seem to be in a pattern where I don't run one day feel better the next so I try and run and end up hurting again. I better do what people have been telling me for 3 weeks now and just stop running until I am completely better.
It's really annoying that I can't take advantage of the sun coming up at 5:00am but even walking is a troublesome task. So ready to come home.
45 minutes on the elliptical, followed by weights and stretching.
45 minutes hard on the elliptical. I set the resistance to 15 and tried to keep my cadence above 100, I dropped down to around 90 towards the end but my HR sustained around 160 for the last 20 minutes. About as good of a tempo simulation as I could do, actually felt like I had done a hard run when I got done. Did a full leg workout after, lunges, extensions, and real full out muscle man squats. I haven't done real squats in probably 2 years. After doing them I realized I should have been do them all throughout my injury period. I probably would have been better by now, it totally stretched out the infected area and strengthens the supporting muscles.
Pretty happy with my workout today. The conference is done today, we are taking a tour to the Great Wall tomorrow and then come home. I'll post a nice photo of the wall tomorrow.
I want. http://sites.garmin.com/forerunner610/?lang=en
Really great day today, we planned an extra day in China to go sightseeing, so myself and the 3 guys I came here with booked car with guide to the GreatWall. I had been there 2 years ago and wanted to go further in both directions this time. Convinced 2 of my Co-Workers to go with me, I would love to go with a group of runners and do a long 20 - 30 miler along it but we had fun none the less. It really wasn't much of a run but was the best workout I've had in 2 weeks so I thought I'd count some miles. I did get a few miles in.
I don't care for China so much, but going to the Great Wall is actually one of my greatest adventures in life, it's really beautiful and a ton of fun to just walk for miles with such awesome views.
Oh! I did 45 minutes on the Hotel Elliptical this morning too :) No real comparison but hey what ever.
I didn't realize I had a cheer leader until after I watched the video here. Funny!!
Got home from China yesterday morning, so I'm a bit jetlaged but not as bad as I would have thought. Slept pretty good last night and went to the gym this morning, I got on the treadmill thinking I was going to be able to get an easy 10 in. Immediately I realized it was a bad idea, leg started acting up so I got frustrated and was sick of the Eliptical so I went and swam 32 laps instead.
Now I'm sitting at the airport waiting for my delayed flight to San Francisco. Nice to see my family for 12 hours. Starting next week my work schedule becomes more "accomodating" so starting Monday I think I'm just going to start running through the pain, I feel at this point that my fitness is in a downward spiral.
I ran into Paul Petersen this morning on his way to Boston, that was pretty exciting. I talked with him for a good 30 minutes about running, work, family balance and training. He really is a great guy and I was honored to meet him. Wished him well, I'm really excited for Boston this year, I really wish I could be there. I also want to wish everyone running the Salt Lake Marathon today good luck looks like a perfect day for a marathon.
I'm in San Mateo for a few days, Last October when I was here I found a great trail up by Crystal Springs Resevoir, called Sawyer Camp trail, it runs through a game preserve so there is wild life everywhere and a beautiful lake, one of the neatest trails I have ever run on. While reading Ryan Halls book Running with Joy he actually talked about running on that trail, and I noticed that he ran a tempo run on it just last week getting ready for Boston. So this morning I took 3 of my Co-Workers with me and we all ran the trail, I ran 7 my Co-worker "Danny" who I ran with in Beijing last week ran 6 and the other 2 ran 4. Great morning, perfect temperature, a bit humid but very nice. My leg was killing me the whole time but just running on that trail made it enjoyable.
I've decided I must have tendonitis in my groin area, contemplating getting a cortisone shot. I've never had one before, I've heard they are painful but I kind of think nothing could be more painful than just they everyday pain I have been going through.
For the first time in 2 years, I was absolutely and completely just lazy this morning and didn't do anything, just laid in bed until it was time to work, so I posted the funniest video I've seen in a while instead. Oh, I watched the Boston Marathon which was kind of like working out. Ryan Jonson ran it in 2:37, man I need to get healed, I'm a sludge.
6 very painful miles on an absolutely gorgeous morning along the Sawyer Camp Trail in San Mateo. Perfect temperature with an early morning sea mist in the air. I wish I could run normal.
Sitting at the Airport waiting for my delayed flight home, what do I expect it is SFO. I'm finally going home after pretty much 5 straight weeks of being a road warrior. 3 weeks at home and then off to Istanbul.
Ah, back in Utah for a few weeks. Tried to get back on the old schedule, so I woke up at 4:30 and went to the gym. Lap swim today, I did 4X500's (10 Laps each set) and 1x400 to finish off the 48 laps or 2400 meters. Did it in a little under 1 hour, I didn't really keep good track.
I noticed that when I swim all I think about is running, weird huh? At least I know I haven't completely lost my drive. Fitness yes, but the drive is there.
Ahh! Progress. Spent yesterday resting a lot and stretching, felt pretty good this morning when I got to the gym so I stretched out really good and did some leg press and extensions before my run. Started out slow and worked up to a 7:00 pace kept it there for most of the run and then bumped it up to around 6:45 for the last 2 miles. I also shelved my Nike Free's and pulled out the big clunky cushy Saucony's to see if the cushion would help. The pain was still there but manageable, and I can still walk after my run. Probably has something to do with sleeping in my own bed finally.
If I play this right I feel I may be able to get back to pre-injury fitness within 5-6 weeks of smart training. It was really discouraging how hard a 7:00 pace was, I was sweatin and breathing up a storm just trying to hold it, not sure if it's all lost fitness or the fact I've been at sea level the last 6 weeks.
On a different note, I'm not sure of the exact date I signed up but this is my 1 year anniversary week from signing up on FRB. It's been really great, I've got a lot of really great advice and even made some new friends. So thanks everyone for letting me into your little club.
I really wanted to run this morning but my leg was feeling a bit tweaked again and I want to try and get a longish run in tomorrow so I decided to take yet another day off from running. 45 minutes on the elliptical and then some weights. If I can find some free time today I may dust off the old bike and try going for a bike ride. I haven't been on my bike in years.
2 miles as a pacer/motivational runner at the kids school Try-athalon
Well to sum up todays run, I had leg cramps, side cramps, blisters on my feet, sky rocketing heart rate and I was sweatin' like a pig. And it was awesome, I finally felt like a runner again after over a month. Groin hurt for the first 7 miles then miraculously it seemed to disapear, by that point I had all sorts of other issues but the faster I went the better my leg felt so even though my HR was through the roof it felt great to be running with a normal stride at a respectable pace again.
I wont call it a come back yet, we'll wait to see how my Monday run goes before I make any bold statements like that but it was great to run once again.
I met Rachel (RAD) today and talked to her for a few minutes. It's fun to meet other bloggers.
Run went well today but I'm definitely riding a fine line between recovery and training. Started out rough but about 2 miles in I started feeling pretty good. I realized something, the faster I went the better my leg felt and the better my leg felt the faster I went. There was a point at around 6:15 pace where I started having a cardio breakdown so my comfort pace seemed to be in the 6:40 - 6:20 range. I attribute this to being forced to run at a more natural stride the faster you run. When I run slower I tend to try and compensate for my achy leg but when I start running faster I have no choice but to run more natural. HR is still pretty high compared to pre-injury for the same pace but the weird thing is the effort doesn't seem as hard as when I was in good shape and my HR was at 170. 170 is where I was at like 5:30 pace 6 weeks ago, now it's at 170 at 6:15 but 6:15 doesn't seem as hard as 5:30 did back then so I'm not sure what to make of that. There are definitely other factors in play than just HR when trying to run at a fast pace.
I'm really struggling to find the right balance, I'm sure I could have forced my way through a run again today and I'm sure 2 miles into it I would have felt fine but I really want to be totally pain free again someday, but at the same time I don't think I can afford to loose any more fitness. The rest of my body says go but my leg still says stop, it would almost be easier if I was sick with the flu or something so I didn't have the desire to workout but other than my leg pain I feel great all over.
I've already told myself my sub-2:40 probably ain't going to happen at UVM, right now I'll be lucky to even match my best time and at that point you start to wonder if it's even worth doing at all. I guess we'll see how the next couple of weeks go, I know I was in at least 2:40 shape right before I did this to myself, everyone tells me you bounce back quick after a relatively short time off but I'm not so sure.
1600 meter swim in 35 minutes then I got bored, changed clothes and finished with 30 minutes on the elliptical.
Not a particularly pleasant run this morning, kind of achy all over. I do see a light at the end of the tunnel, another week and I may be back to normal, HR was a little more manageable today I had a weird blip in the 2nd mile but then it settled down.
I tried switching up my shoes the last couple runs, but I'm back to my Free's they are definately the most comfortable.
Distance
Time
Avg Pace
Avg HR
Max HR
1
7:04
7:04
142
174
2
13:52
6:48
159
186
3
20:32
6:40
153
158
4
27:02
6:30
157
159
5
33:28
6:26
160
162
6
39:50
6:22
162
164
7
46:20
6:30
161
163
8
52:43
6:23
162
164
9
58:56
6:13
164
166
Total
59:01
6:32
158
186?
My work buddy Danny has joined the blog. I have mentioned him a few times in my posts and dragged him along with me on my crazy world travel runs. Everyone Welcome Danny to the blog. dkrieger.fastrunningblog.com
A couple of days ago I said I wish I had the flu so I didn't have the desire to run. Well, I take it back, last night I started feeling like I had some stomach virus was up all night with an icky belly. Went to the gym as much as my body just wanted to stay in bed, tried running and quit after 1/4 mile. Went and swam 1600 meters instead and then sat in the hot tub and steam room for the next 45 minutes.
Due to early morning soccer games tomorrow I decided to try and do a long run today instead, plan was 16 so I asked Ryan if he wanted to run today instead. He agreed and since he is recovering from Boston and I'm recovering from Stupidity we also agreed to run slow. 4 miles in I realized I wasn't going to make it the full 16 so at Legacy Center instead of continuing on to Utah lake we headed West to Willow Park making it 12 instead of 16. After Legacy I slowed down a lot and then at mile 8 the pain finally went away, I tried to pick up the pace but my legs felt like I was 18 miles in to a 22 mile run, due to the low miles lately so my speed up was less than impressive.
Disapointing run, I really wanted to get in a longer run, but my body was telling me I wasn't ready yet.
I have received an answer to my running dilemma, I'm not going to disclose my premonition, all I'll say is that I wont be complaining about it any more. Just posting my daily results.
8 Mile run, followed by 15 minutes on the elliptical as a cool down.
