Two More Runs - Trying To Stay Sane

This week is going by pretty quick, but on the running front it's all about maintaining sanity while waiting for marathon day to finally arrive. Although it is tough waking up in the pitch black of morning when throughout the Summer it was light out by 5:30am. However, I have tried my best to stick to my usual running routine while reducing the mileage a bit. I've also decided that I would do weights all this week and then back off next week, although I think Thursday's leg session might get axed if I am still feeling stiff and sore. I think next week I will do a couple upper body workouts and leave the legs completely alone.

But enough about that! Tuesday morning I woke up and had my now typical trouble getting out of bed, but once up and ready to go I had a fairly decent slow run. I think I was still feeling some lingering effects from Sunday's 24km effort and Monday's leg weights and so the pace was really nothing to write home about. Best thing about this run was that I felt better at the end than I did at the beginning. The total was 7.8km as I had to cut things just a little bit short because I was late getting out the door and the mornings are pretty rushed these days since Owen has started running cross-country and we have to get him to school a half-hour earlier for training.

This morning was another tough getting out of bed sort of thing on account of our late dinner the night before to celebrate Malcolm's 6th Birthday. My diet was pretty crappy and there were lots of sugary treats consumed and this definitely affected how my run went. I started off a bit stiff and sore, but loosened up faster than normal. By the second kilometre I felt pretty normal. Halfway through the run my gut was starting to feel that uncomfortable tension and I began to look around for a washroom "just in case". In any case I made it home without incident, though the discomfort only got worse. My pace quickened as well and I was pleased to run the last three kilometres at 5:00/km (8:03/mile) pace without too much effort. The heart rate remained pretty steady in the high 140s bpm during this stretch, only trickling up into the low 150s toward the end when I had to run the last kilometre at a slight incline toward home. I managed a decent 10.2km despite the fact that much of the route was along streets that had garbage out for collection and, as a result, made things very stinky.

The heal still feels stiff, especially in the morning, but by the end of the day I can't even feel that there is a problem. Clearly something is still inflamed down there, but I figure by the time of the marathon things will (should) be 100% and I will be able to run without worry. Here's hoping anyway!