Week in Review

50 Miles
8M with 4 x mile repeats at 549, 548, 550, 547 wiht 60s jog rest
14M with 10 miles at 644 - 620 pace with Max

I can tell that I'm finally starting to get back into shape again. I was really pleased that I was able to knock out a solid long run with Max on Saturday.  While it definitely felt much harder than it normally would, I held my own just fine.  There really isn't much to report except that I've been doing yoga, lifting weights, and rock climbing once a week to ensure that I stay healthy.  Gearing up for the Bay to Breakers race in May!

Week in Review (Calf Setback)

47 Miles
12 Mile MLR
1 day off


I take one step forward and two steps back.  Change one word and you have a nice Paula Abdul song.  Well, that's how I feel right now.  I was feeling optimistic about my calf tightness going away until it came back after 8 consecutive days of running.  I'd been enjoying the runs with some friendly folks here in my new town (mainly Jenna Boren) and then my calf gave me the middle finger. After a 12 miler on Saturday, the calf tightened up again, so I went into emergency mode.  I called Garrett, looked up all sorts of ankle mobility drills and began a strict regime of foam rolling, lacrosse ball massage and KB massage before and after all runs.   I took Sunday off as an extra precautionary measure, in hopes that next week will prove to be more successful.

I really just want to know if I'm healthy or not. I hate this middle ground and that is probably the most frustrating.  I've talked with Terry and at least have a plan, with several options depending on how my calf holds up to mileage through the rest of the month.

(Sick) Week in Review

47 Miles
2 Day off
14 mile long run

I got a little overzealous on Monday, my first full day back in the states after 16 hours of time travel across the world.  I felt just great: I got 8 hours of sleep Sunday night, worked a full day and was totally ready to hit 70 miles for the week.  With my grand plans to hop right back into training, I was smacked right in the face with my own ignorance.  Tuesday's run came and went, along with my pride and energy.  I spent the rest of the week with a stomach bug, without a voice, and sleeping like a cat from 12PM-5PM.  I struggled through every run and decided finally to take Wednesday off. I didn't go to the doctor, but instead waited until Thursday to finally pop a miracle pill Passport Health had given to me before my international travel.  Expecting the pill to work miraculously in hours, it didn't.  I almost had a meltdown on Friday, swearing to myself that there was no way I could run Richmond in just two weeks.  It's funny how quickly your mindset can go from being in the total dumps to being right back to normal. Saturday morning, I woke up and I just knew that today would be the day I would be normal again.  Despite my refusal to go to a doctor, I do sometimes make intelligent decisions.  I took my second day off from running even though I felt 100 times better. I wanted to let my body finally recover, without the additional stress piled on my garbage legs with a run.  I was able to close out the week with a 14 mile medium long run with Billy and George.  While it wasn't amazing, I got the job done and closed the week feeling good about my prospects for Richmond.

Week in Review

52 Miles
8 runs
1 Day off
2 Lift Days
36 Hours in a Plane, Train or Automobile

While I had grandiose plans to run 60 miles this week, I sort of knew it wouldn't happen.  The focus of this week was on family and celebrating the wedding of my brother Ben to his wife Nathalie.  To complicate matters, it was hot as hell all across the midwest and I traveled more hours in more modes of transportation than I ever have before. Starting Monday, I was at home in Illinois, in Ohio on Tuesday, at home on Wednesday and Thursday, back in Ohio on Friday and Saturday and finally back in Charlotte on Sunday.  You could say that I took a tour of the Midwest, of sorts. 

I'm still just running base mileage, which made it easier and less stressful since I didn't have workouts looming over my head.  Instead, I enjoyed some quality time with my parents and siblings.  I could have opted for a long run at 6PM on Sunday night, but instead I decided to read a book and cook a healthy meal.  It was well worth it.

You can learn about the rest of my week through pics.



A visit to see my grandma

My favorite little man with his unbuttoned shirt