Planning

Went out for a solid seven-miler this morning, in great weather conditions. Light wind and cloudy, with temps in the 60s. I went out about 10:30, after eating two slices of buttered toast and half a glass of water.

I'm pleased with the result-- my average heart rate was 149, average pace 9:11. I've been working on keeping my HR lower, and this is a positive step, attributable, in part, to taking a bottle of water out with me. I also ran past the spigot in the park where I can refill. 

I also want to give a big shout out to whomever put a 2x4 down at a particularly muddy crossing point near the train trestle I cross underneath. This spot is popular for photographers, so perhaps someone put it down for that reason. Anyhow, it stays muddy there long after the rain has left town, and I used to have to slow down to find a stable enough place to plant and cross. Having that board there is big time and allows me to keep my stride.

This brings the weekly total to 20. I missed a three-miler Friday morning, but no worries, since there is no real plan to work. I'm starting to think I need a maintenance plan to stay accountable to myself and be a little more practical about building mileage. 

Saturday

The weather is officially starting to change here in Alabama-- chilly mornings and mild days. Chamber of commerce-type stuff. This is the type of weather that gets none of the headlines, and it'll be what we can expect for the next six weeks or so.

So I ran a six in shirt sleeves and shorts for the first time this season, and it felt great. I ran a chilly four-miler Friday morning in a Nike reflective vest and arm warmers, and needed it all. Today, I didn't.

I also tried to keep my heart rate below 150, and it worked for the first three miles or so. I have a hard time keeping the effort even once I climb a hill or two, so when effort has to increase, the heart rate typically stays there. This time I throttled back on the pace (my average pace was 9:16, but it's a long run and pace doesn't matter as much), but the HR stayed in the low 150s. I was pretty thirsty for the last little bit, so I'll try to change that for the next time.

That made 10 miles for the week. My right calf has felt fine, so I may hit 20 or so next week. Weight is the thing I'm chasing right now-- I was at about 157 when I ran the half in Huntsville, and I'm closer to 165 these days. Still healthy by many standards, but I'd like to get rid of these 7-8 pounds.

Easy Week

My left calf is feeling a lot better, but this is still a week of easier running. I'll hit the treadmill tomorrow afternoon, then hit the road Friday and Saturday mornings. Likely three five-milers.

This is the same left calf that acted up about seven years ago, when I lived in Kansas. I was training for the White Rock Half Marathon in Dallas, and even had a snazzy training plan drawn up by the cross country coach I met through work. I fell behind on my training plan and tried to check off every run on the plan, and I felt a jolt of electricity shoot into my calf one Monday afternoon at the start of a nine-mile long run. It healed, but it's one of the first things that go wrong when I overtrain.

I did ramp up mileage too quickly after my break, and my calf told me so. It's not too big a thing to me, since there is no big race on the horizon. The Mayor's Cup 5K is in six weeks, and I'll work to set another PR on what should be a flatter course. Spending time as a volunteer on the course really whetted my appetite for another half or full marathon, but the calendar is a little thin for now unless I want to travel.

So there really isn't a reason to go too far. The 'too fast' is something we'll get to.

Back Out There

After running the half marathon in Huntsville back in November, I took a five-week break, hiding behind the fact that I was starting a new job. It cost me a lot of fitness (although I drank a lot of Saturday morning coffee). 

Now I'm a little more used to the tides at work, and I'm starting to get back out there. Mileage is still on the low side, low 20s (though I'll show that even that may have been a bit too high). This meant that I was on the sidelines for the inaugural Run For Recovery, Tuscaloosa's inaugural half marathon. Though I was in no shape for a half, I wanted to be a part of it, so I volunteered to be a course marshal, clapping and encouraging those who came by. 

This turned out to be harder than running the half-- I got to my spot just past mile 12 at about 7:15 for an 8:00 am start. This meant I had nothing to do for about two hours, so I stood and waited in 35-degree temps. I'd run the three miles from my home to the race, so I did some road work of my own by then. Thankfully, I had overdressed for the run there, so I was a little warm on the way, but thankful for every layer as the sun continued to rise but the temperatures did not. A good friend (MVP of the day) handed me a pair of hot hands, which turned out to be the most important piece of gear I had. All the clapping meant the hot hands kept doing their thing, and I stayed pretty comfortable.

The down side was having to wait four hours for the last runner to pass my post. This meant I stayed out there for nearly five hours, which turned out to be harder than running the actual race. But I was still glad to be a small part of the event.

Anyhow, my mileage has gradually climbed into the 20+ range, though at a bit of a price. I broke my Saturday long run into two pieces, since I had to work 9-1. 4.3 to get there and 3.7 home after a bit of a short cut. At the beginning of the return trip, my left calf acted up again-- the same one I've had problems with in the past. Increasing weekly mileage too quickly was the cause. I did make it home, but today was and tomorrow will be rest days, before we begin a week of easier running. 

I also had a small pack with me, so I was carrying some extra weight, and doing it unnaturally, since it wasn't steady on my back. So it wasn't my best run. But it was an eight-miler. And I'm starting to feel like a runner again.