Blame the Pain on Shane (and the Weather)

I did not run on Monday, February 7. We had to leave work early to try to get home before the roads were covered with snow. When we left work, it was sunny and not a flake was falling. It seemed kind of stupid to be leaving, but we knew some schools toward the west were closing. We were about halfway home (30 miles to go) when the snow began pouring down. The flakes were snow big that it looked like somebody was throwing snowballs at the windshield. The snow was literally building up on the interstate as we traveled. The roads were white for the last 10 miles, but we didn't have any problems. Well, my problem was that I didn't get my 4 mile run in.

We didn't go to work on Tuesday, but I didn't too much about making up Monday's run. Besides, our road was still white and somewhat icy.

I went to work Wednesday and left later than I actually planned, because I knew snow was coming again. I had taken the Xterra to get new tires, an oil change, a new battery, and the heater fixed. It was around 2:00 before they had finished and I could get somebody to drop me off at the mechanics. By the time I reached Briley Parkway, it was already snowing. It wasn't a fun drive home. One vehicle was in the left lane on the interstate driving 30 miles an hour and would not get over. The cars in the right lane were about the same speed. Finally, after I don't know how many miles, I was able to switch to the right lane, get ahead of the car that was going to cause problems for everybody behind us, and zip back over to the left land in front of it. I drove 60 mph. Safe, but not too safe. The interstate was white and the snow was beginning to build up. I made it home without any incident, except for the car that would not go fast enough to avoid other cars lining up behind it while the snow built up making the conditions worst. If I had to drive 30 mph all the way to the exit, the roads closer to my house would have been much worse than they were. The snow kept me from running once again.

On Thursday, we once again did not go to work. I once again did not run.

I did go to work on Friday, but did not run since I was planning a long run on Saturday.

Saturday. I had to run. I finally got myself on the road about 11:30. I ran 12 miles last Saturday, and this Saturday called for 14 miles. However, since I had not ran all week, I decided that I would fall back to 10 miles. While I was running, I got to thinking that Shane did 12 miles last Saturday, too. I had completed every scheduled run for 5 straight weeks; he had not, but still did 12 miles. I must run 12 miles today! I kept thinking about it. "What if he does 14 miles today? I will be behind." I MUST do 14 miles! Well, I was barely moving and hurt from the hips down, but I shuffled my feet for 14 miles. My time was horrific. It took me 2:37:26 (a 11:15 pace), 30 more minutes than it should have. My fastest miles was Mile 1 at 9:00; my slowest mile was Mile 13 at 14:45. I believe I could walk a mile faster than that. Heart rates: 165 avg, 183 max, 58 rest. Recovery was from 173 to 130.

It was because of Shane that I pushed and suffered pain. I have to thank Shane for the pain. No pain. No gain. No fame.

A Windy Long Run

We didn't get the 1 to 2 inch snow as predicted. I waited until about noon for the weather to warm up. I started out at 11:45 and it was 34 degrees. The strong wind made it much cooler. The wind was blowing so hard at times it took all I had to keep moving forward. The temperature reached 38 degrees and was at 36 when I finished.

I fought to keep my pace under 10:00. I knew with my 4 mile failures that it would not be easy to do so on this long run. It looked bad from the beginning. Mile 1 was okay at 9:29, but Miles 2 and 3 were a different story - 10:10 and 10:14. Miles 4 through 6 were pretty good - 9:45, 9:22, and 9:32. Miles 7 and 8 slipped - 10:00 and 10:42. Luckily, I was still under 10:00 with 1:19:15. Then out of nowhere came Mile 9 in at 8:52. Sad thing is that it was my only mile under 9:00. Mile 10 was at 9:31. Mile 11 was 10:04. I tried to push myself on the last mile and Mile 12 was at 9:02. My total time was 1:56:44 for a pace of 9:44. Mile 9 was a great help.

My heart rates: 160 avg, 180 max, 58 rest. Recovery 180 to 120. As you can see, my max and recovery from are the same number, that's because I only pushed on the last mile.

Makes Me Wanna Cry

No, it is not an injury - not even soreness - that makes me want to cry, but how slowly I ran the 4 miles tonight. It was 30 degrees and windy, but not as windy as yesterday, when I headed out at 5:15 pm. My legs were (still are) sore about half between the knee and ankle. It is kind of funny, because the soreness circles around the leg, not just in the front or back, and it's like that for both legs.

I ran the first mile in 9:14 - I can live with that. The second mile was in 10:25 - I shouldn't be that slow on just Mile 2. Once again, Mile 3 was my slowest mile at 11:15 - yes, 11:15. Mile 4 was 10:56 - at least it was under 11:00. My total time was 41:50 for a pace of 10:28. Those times would make anyone want to cry.

For the second day in-a-row, I set a new personal record for "Recovery To". Today, I hit 100 even. I'm not sure if it should count, though. As you can tell by my times, I didn't exactly exert myself. My average heart rate was only 150 (the lowest ever); My max heart rate only reached 163 (the lowest ever); and my Recovery From was 146 (second lowest ever).

Hatin' the Wind Again

After a beautiful weekend, the temperature has been dropping. I almost had myself talked out of running, because it was so cold. Somehow, I made it out the door by 5:00 pm. It was 27 degrees with a windchill making it feel 12 degrees colder. No snow here, but to the north snow runs 2,100 miles across the United States. And not just a dusting, but feet of snow. New York has even seen record snowfall.

This 6 mile run was miserable run. Due to the horrific wind, one nostril was running like crazy and the other was stopped up. I guess it was stopped up. It was like nothing was in it, but I couldn't breathe in or out of it. It was one of the worst feelings I've ever dealt with. I forgot to put chapstick on before I left; it wouldn't have mattered unless I applied it to my whole face, though. I think my nose may have gotten frostbitten.

The numbers: 8:53, 9:17, 9:15, 9:38, 10:08, and 10:08, for a total time of 57:19 (a 9:33 pace). Heart Rates: 163 avg, 178 max, 72 rest. Recovery 159 to a new record low of 104.

So Tired

I had a day off after my decent 11 mile run on Saturday, but I was still feeling it. My whole body was tired for today's 4 mile run. I thought about taking a day off, but I don't need to miss a run if I don't have to, because there may come a time that I have to. Being tired isn't enough of an excuse!

It was 47 degrees at 5:15 pm, but it felt cooler than that. I guess the 60 degree temp on the last run has already ruined me. It was another bad 4 mile run, even though I did manage to keep my pace under 10:00 minutes at 9:54 (total time: 39:36). My heart rates: 157 avg, 169 max, 58 rest. Recovery 158 to 116.

God Showed Me

Well, it didn't take long for God to show me that I APPRECIATE the wind. When I started at 11:30, the temperature was a nice 58 degrees; when I finished about an hour and 45 minutes later, it was an amazing 64 degrees. I almost wore pants with a short sleeve shirt, but opted for shorts and a long sleeve T-shirt. Thankfully, I carried along a short sleeve shirt. I drove to the Salem United Methodist Church to run. When I got out of my truck, I changed into the short sleeve shirt. I wasn't far into the run when the sweat began. The breeze was a little too strong at times, but I welcomed it. After all, it was only hurting my aerodynamics :).

After my horrible last run in which my pace was 10:02 for a 4 mile run, today's 11 miler felt good. I was still at a 9:00 (1:20:57) pace after 9 miles! However, it was gone in a flash - LOL. My slowest mile (not Mile 3) to that point was Mile 9. I struggled to keep the pace under 9:00 during that mile. The only thing I had eaten all day was some Starburst Gummies on my drive to the church - I guess that was breakfast. Now, it was going on 1:00 - way past my lunch time, too. I had ran into "the wall" at about 7.5 miles. The times until then:

1. 8:44
2. 9:06
3. 9:03
4. 8:41
5. 8:38
6. 8:52
7. 8:59

My total time was about a minute faster than what I needed for a 9:00 pace, which means I could run the last 4 miles in about 9:15 and finish with my goal pace. Mile 8 was close - 9:21. I tried to push Mile 9, but just couldn't do it - 9:35. I then gave up. I was barely moving at times for the last 2 miles - Mile 10 was 10:11 and Mile 11 was 10:14. Even though I failed at my goal pace, which didn't come about until about halfway through the run, because after the other day's 4 mile disaster I was originally hoping for under 10:00, I was proud of my time. And I believe the great weather played a major role in my time. My total time was 1:41:22 for a pace of 9:13. My heart rates: 174 avg, 187 max, 58 rest, recovery from 185 to 137.

January 27, 2011

It was a rough 4 miles. My legs are so tired. The lower sections of my legs are sore. My right ITB was also hurting a little. Well, those are my excuses for running so slowly. The first mile was 9:18. After that, they were all over 10:00 - 10:07, 10:07 (mile 3 not the slowest), and 10:35. My total time was 40:07, a pace of 10:02. The slow running has gotten me close to setting personal heart rate records. 157 avg (3rd lowest); 171 max (2nd lowest); 58 rest (didn't check); 149 recovery from (2nd lowest); 112 recovery to (tied for 1st).

Have I Mentioned That I Hate the Wind?

Have I mentioned that I hate the wind? I know when summertime arrives I will be begging for the slightest breeze, but right now, I hate it. (We didn't go to work today, since we got 4 to 5 inches of snow). The good news is that half the time it was at my back. The bad news is that the temperature was 30 degrees and the windchill made it about 10 degrees colder. There were a few times the wind gusts were so strong I couldn't exhale - I almost lost my breath. I had to turn my head to the side to breath out. Enough complaining. Here are the numbers - 8:49, 9:06, 9:31 (slow #3), 9:13, and 8:31. I haven't seen 8:30 or better in awhile. I saw I had a chance for a 9:00 or better pace, so I really pushed Mile 5. I didn't make it, though. I finished in 45:10, a pace of 9:02. My heart rates: 172 avg, 188 max, 62 rest. Recovery from 186 to 126.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Another later than I wanted start (5:30 pm). It was 44 degrees and the streets were wet from an earlier rain. I had a descent temperature with no rain and no strong winds to run in. My legs were still tired from Saturday's 10-miler, and my lower shins were a little sore. My times: 9:10 (felt like I ran it faster), 9:38, 9:52, (my slow 3), and 8:56. A total time of 37:36 for a 9:24 pace. My heart rates: 162 avg, 182 max, 58 rest. Recovery was from 179 to 112. The 112 is my lowest recorded recovery number. The 67 point difference is also the best. As I posted before, it must be the cold weather.

My 6 lowest "Recovery To" numbers have been within just over the last month:
Jan. 24, 2011 112
Dec. 22, 2010 115
Jan. 11, 2011 119
Dec. 21, 2010 120
Jan. 10, 2011 120
Jan. 13, 2011 120

Three of my best four differences between "Recovery From" and "Recovery To" have been this month:
Jan. 24, 2011 67
Sept. 6, 2010 64
Jan. 11, 2011 62
Jan. 13, 2011 62

January 22, 2011

I was dreading this run, because I didn't think I was ready yet. I put it off until the afternoon (12:30), because the weather would be warmer (36 degrees). I drove up to Salem United Methodist Church to run Salem Ridge Road, because it is a flatter course than what I usually run. From the church to the end of the road and back is 5 miles, so I would have to run it twice. The first 2.5 miles were into a horrible wind; coming back was not so bad. I had planned on getting a drink at the halfway point, but felt pretty good so I turned and headed back into the wind. The wind on the 3rd 2.5 seemed to be as twice as bad as the first 2.5 miles, but at least I would have it to my back for the final 2.5.

Nothing special, just slow. Miles 6, 7, and 8 were all over 10:00. The first and last miles were barely under 9:00 (8:56 and 8:59). The rest were in the 9:00's toward the 10:00 side. My overall time was 1:37:28, a pace of 9:45. Heart rates: 163 avg, 181 max, 62 rest. Recovery 181 to 134.