Snowflake Run (Week 1 - Day 3)

EZ Run: 2miles @ 9:05
Planned: 2miles @ 9:10

This run was more like what I was expecting of on Monday. Quick and easy, no discomfort at all.

The weather has turned cold, as in well below freezing, since the bulk of the next 6 weeks runs are short, I my end running the next six weeks on the treadmill.

Snowflake Run (Week 1 - Day 2)

Speedwork: 5miles - 3x800m @ 3:26
Planned: 5miles - 3x800m @ 3:27

This was the first time in weeks that I ran any distance at any real speed. I was a bit concerned that It would be hard, or bring back my knee problems, but I am happy to say it smooth sailing.

I think this lighter program is going to work out well.

Snowflake Run (Week 1 - Day 1)

EZ Run: 2miles @ 9:05
Planned: 2miles @ 9:10
It seams two weeks of not running have effected me more then I would have imagined. Bringing both positive and negative effects.

First the bad:,I have not run this slow "on purpose" in over a year, and yet it was not the cake walk I was expecting. I never felt like I needed to stop, but the fact that I felt any discomfort at all tells me I have fallen quite out of shape.
Also, I cant help but notice I have gained almost 10 pounds since the marathon, only 5 weeks ago. This is entirely my fault, but that wait dose not help my comfort Laval. I think It may be time to go back on a diet. I was hoping to avoid this, but what must be done, etc.

Ont the good side, I did not have any problems with my knees, sure it was a short slow run, but afterword I was able to go up the stairs without any hint of trouble. I think this lighter schedule is just what my knees asked for. I also have to admit that I kind of like being able to run in the morning without it taking a over a hour, 2 or 3 miles seams to be the sweet spot, for a morning run, if you want to finish it feeling awake and empowered, not beat up and exhausted.

Well, I'm back on track, or maybe I should say treadmill, the weather has already turned to full out winter outside, so it looks like most of this program will be done in the basement. Now the challenge is to push on through the winter.

Snowflake Run

On Sunday I will not have run for 2 full weeks, this is the longest I have gone without running since I started running back in April of 06. I was have been having some problems with my knees, so I wanted to take a bit of a brake from doing long distances, so now with a few weeks off under my belt, I'm ready to start back up, and I'm going to force my self to take it easy for a while.

I spent some time looking around for a local 5k in January, a bit hard to fined in Michigan, and found the Flushing MI, Snowflake Run, on January 13th 08. This is a 5 and 10k races, but I have decided to stick with the 5, since the entire point is to cut my mileage for a bit. This only gives me 7 weeks to train, starting Monday. Once again I terned to RunnersWorlds SmartCoach for a plan.

I think this schedule is quite realistic, and should allow me to get back in the swing of things, and I should be able to use my race time as a baseline for a my next program, starting on the 21st of January, when I begin taring for the Cincinnati Marathon in May.

2000 Miles, some ups some downs...

10Miles @ 10:00
Planned: 16 Miles @ 9:10

Well the good news first. This run Finlay put me over the 2000 mile mark on my Nilke +. My only complaint is that with the runs I have lost I should probably be more like 2200, but hey, I cant complain. I think I can officially say that the Nike + was worth the money. ;). I have know sure way to know, but I think I am at around 2500 hundred miles total since I started running back in April of 2005.

The bad news is less encouraging. I purposely was not blogging over the last 2 weeks because I was trying to decided if I was up to going to Vegas on December 2nd, to run the Las Vegas marathon. After Detroit I was feeling pretty positive, and wanting one last crack at a sub 4hour marathon in 2007. For some reason my knees are not to keen on this Idea.

It has been 3 weeks since the Marathon, I took 6 days off completely, and then tried to keep my miles down over the last 2 weeks. This seamed to be working well, but today's run went like poop. I think I am fighting off a cold, and perhaps losing, because I had to stop about 4 miles in because I thought I was going to puck. After a bit I realized I felt better if I just continued to run, and took it EZ. So I slowed my pace and cut my run down by 6 miles. Now that I have had a hour or so to think on It I think this problem was caused by not eating all morning, then downing some Gatorade and running out the door.

What this boils down to is I need a bit more recovery time before I start doing any kind of scheduled running. I am going to take next week almost completely off, and see what happens. The last thing I want to do is give myself some sort of serious knee enjoy, when a week or to of recovery should solve the problem.

So It looks like it will be 2008 before I get my sub 4 marathon. Currently I'm looking at Cincinnati, in may. But I can leave that decision for a while. Ill be back with more in a week or so.