I ran my hilly 10 mile loop this morning and added on a little 1/2 mile extension for 10.5 hilly miles at a 7:15 pace. Overall I felt pretty good. Tomorrow run may be more interesting as snow is forecast for tonight and tomorrow morning.

Victor

Cross-training: 0.0 miles
Running: 10.5 miles
Shoes: Burn
WTD running: 10.5 miles
WTD total: 10.5 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 1:09 PM | 0 comments  

I ran an out-and-back 18.5 miler today heading south into an incredibly strong breeze. The "out" portion of this run goes generally uphill, so between the hills and wind I slogged through some slow miles on the way out. At some points, when I was running along the top of a ridge I felt like almost came to a complete stop when an especially strong gust would stand me up. I was averaging close to 8:00 miles on the way out, but managed close to 7:00 miles on the way back for and aver pace of 7:29.

I didn't get a run in yesterday due to guests and other holiday events getting in the way.

Victor

Cross-training: 0.0 miles
Running: 18.5 miles
Shoes: Burn
WTD running: 56.5 miles
WTD total: 65.0 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 9:26 PM | 0 comments  

The overeating hit me this morning on my early morning run. I ran 9.5 miles and it took me a while to feel good. Oringinally, I thought I'd cut this run down to 8, but I started to feel better so I added 1.5 back on.

Victor

Cross-training: 0.0 miles
Running: 9.5 miles
Shoes: Pegesus
WTD running: 38.0 miles
WTD total: 46.5 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 9:50 AM | 0 comments  

Some rowing (10 minutes), weights, core strength, and spinning (45 minutes). Count it all as 6.5 miles.

Victor

Cross-training: 6.5 miles
Running: 0.0 miles
Shoes: n/a
WTD running: 28.5 miles
WTD total: 37.0 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 10:32 AM | 0 comments  

Today's long run ended up being 12.5 miles, which is just a half mile more than planned. I felt a bit tired and slow today and didn't really get the pace to below 7:30 till late in the run.

Victor

Cross-training: 0.0 miles
Running: 12.5 miles
Shoes: Flash
WTD running: 28.5 miles
WTD total: 30.5 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 11:16 AM | 0 comments  

Today's mid-morning run was at mid-morning because I am taking the week off. It is nice to run when the sun is shining. I turned this into a 11 miler instead of 10. That gives me one less mile to run tomorrow when I do have to get up early to run. Pace was at a relaxed 7:27.

Cross-training: 0.0 miles
Running: 11.0 miles
Shoes: Pegesus
WTD running: 16.0 miles
WTD total: 18.0 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 9:36 PM | 0 comments  

More of the usual Monday routine: rowing, weight, yoga, core strength exercises, and 5 miles of running. Hips are fine after being tight on Sunday.

Cross-training: 2.0 miles
Running: 5.0 miles
Shoes: Puma Complete Heras (retired)
WTD running: 5.0 miles
WTD total: 7.0 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 11:27 AM | 0 comments  

Today's Sunday long run was 16.5 miles at 7:22 pace. This out-and-back course is my Boston simulator and is mostly downhill on the way out and mostly uphill on the way back. Still, I managed to to run the second half faster than the first. Miles 13-15 were at MP: 6:58 (almost all uphill), 6:47 (mostly up hill), 6:38 (mostly down hill).

My right hip is still sore so I had to stop three times to stretch.

Victor

Cross-training: 0.0 miles
Running: 16.5 miles
Shoes: Flash
WTD running: 54.0 miles
WTD total: 64.0 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 9:36 PM | 0 comments  

10.5 miles today at a relaxed 7:30 pace. I may have tweaked something yesterday when lifting weights or doing yoga and now my left hip is a little sore. It hurts more when I'm sitting down than when running and didn't interfere with my stride.

I'll also go for a four mile walk at lunch.

I have been running on my winter routes lately, avoiding the farm roads and trails because of the dark at 5:30 AM, and now because it is hunting season here in VT. Well, this morning I was determined to run my favorite 10 miler, which includes about 5 miles of farm roads, hunters or no. I dressed up in a bright yellow coolmax shirt and an orange reflective vest, wore my headlamp, and carried a flashing red bicycle light. Only deer I could have resembled was Rudolph.

Victor

Cross-training: 4.0 miles
Running: 10.5 miles
Shoes: Burn
WTD running: 37.5 miles
WTD total: 47.5 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 9:53 AM | 0 comments  

Today is a scheduled rest day. I rowed for ten minutes, lifted some weights, did some core strengthen exercises, and did some yoga. I also went for a short 10 mile hike.

Victor

Cross-training: 4.0 miles
Running: 0.0 miles
Shoes: na/
WTD running: 27.0 miles
WTD total: 33.0 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 4:51 PM | 0 comments  

I am feeling a bit sore from yesterday's hill workout, so I did not push the pace today: 12 miles at a 7:33 pace. My left calf is a bit tight and my left medial shin is slightly sore again. I messaged my and stretched my calves after the run and they feel better now. I'll ice my shin during the day. I'm not too worried about it, but better safe than sorry.

It was warm again today (mid-thirties) so of course I overdressed again.

Victor

Cross-training: 0.0 miles
Running: 12.0 miles
Shoes: Pegesus
WTD running: 27.0 miles
WTD total: 29.0 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 9:48 AM | 0 comments  

Yep, hills, marathon pace, and lactate threshold training all in one run. Probably not so smart, but the MP and LT work came pretty easy so I threw it in. My original plan today was to run my usual 10 mile Friday loop, really hammer the hills and take it easy in between. This loop consists of a series of six short (100-400 meter) but steep hills in the first six miles followed by two miles of downhill; the first mile has a good slope, the second mile is very tame.

The hills felt good, but were hard, especially the fifth one which must approach 20%. There is also little rest between the forth and fifth hill. Still, after the sixth hill I was looking for more. So I took mile # 7, the mile with the good downhill, at a 6:30 pace and followed that with a 6:09 on the gradual decline. Neither of those two miles felt all that difficult. My target MP is 6:45 and LT is generally around 6:15 but given the downhill, I am guessing the 6:30 and 6:09 are pretty close.

I wore my new Asics Gel DS Racers today. These are sweet shoes: nice and flexible and reasonably cushioned for a racing flat. They probably have too much support for me, but then I don't think that makes much difference for a forefoot striker like me.

Victor

Cross-training: 0.0 miles
Running: 10.0 miles
Shoes: Racers
WTD running: 15.0 miles
WTD total: 17.0 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 11:25 AM | 0 comments  

Now that the recovery week is over, it is back to the weights. I really do not like strength training, but I know it is good for me; it increases my strength and therefor speed, helps with weight loss, and helps prevent injuries. And for these reasons it is resolution number five.

1. Train in racing flats at least once a week.
2. Work in a few miles of walking each week.
3. Schedule a recovery week every three or four weeks.
4. Message my typical trouble spots on a regular basis.
5. Strength two or three times a week with a focus on leg and core body strength.

I start out with 10 minutes of rowing to worm up and then proceed onto squats, heel raises, step-ups, presses, leg curls, leg extensions, stomach crunches, and a variety of yoga poses to strengthen my back and hip muscles. The whole routine takes about 20 minutes, so 30 minutes altogether this morning. During recovery weeks, I will probably not do any strength training.

I followed that up with a five mile run at lunch time. It was warm enough to wear shorts and a long-sleeve shirt but of course I went out with running pants, a shirt, and a shell. If Boston is warm this year, I'll be ready.

Victor

Cross-training: 2.0 miles
Running: 5.0 miles
Shoes: Flash
WTD running: 5.0 miles
WTD total: 7.0 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 4:53 PM | 0 comments  

Yes, it is hunting season in Vermont. Time to dress brightly and stay on the roads. I saw quite a few deer as I ran this morning (all does) and an equal number of pickups parked on the side of the road. No gunshots.

Now that I have worked out the tightness and shin pain in my right calf, I an now feeling it in my left calf. It is nothing that will take me out, however. It just means that it is time for more message. Which brings me to my fourth resolution. Here are the first four so far:

1. Train in racing flats at least once a week.
2. Work in a few miles of walking each week.
3. Schedule a recovery week every three or four weeks.
4. Message my typical trouble spots on a regular basis.

This, I hope, will help prevent injury. I don't have the money or time to go see a message therapist so this will mean self message. I use a tennis ball, The Stick, and my hands to message my calves, quads, hip, and lower back muscles.

Oh, so about today's run. When I got started, I was very tempted to just turn around and go back to bed. I ate to much last night and I felt as if I still had much of my dinner bouncing around in my lower belly. I also overdressed (what's new) and that didn't help. Still, eight miles rather hilly miles at something around 7:45 per mile and a very low average HR of 144.

Victor

Cross-training: 0.0 miles
Running: 12.0 miles
Shoes: Pegesus
WTD running: 41.5 miles
WTD total: 47.0 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 10:16 AM | 0 comments  

Well, I spent a good amount of time messaging my right calf last night and the right medial shin pain is gone. If I do some deep tissue message I can usually work out any calf knots causing any shin pain goes away. I do this by gently messaging my calf at first and then progressively messaging deeper and harder until I find the muscle spasm. I don't know the name of the muscle, but the usual culprit is on the medial side near the shin bone. I then press hard with my thumb for about a minute and a half and follow that with more gentle message. That usually takes care of any shin pain. Now, let me say, I am not a message therapist and have no medical training. I am merely describing an approach that works for me. If you choose to try it yourself, feel free, but you are on your own. Please read the terms and conditions for using this site if you have not done so already.

I took the dog out for the usual 5 mile recovery run. No pains.

Victor

Cross-training: 0.0 miles
Running: 5.0 miles
Shoes: Burn
WTD running: 29.5 miles
WTD total: 35.0 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 2:50 PM | 0 comments  

The recovery week is coming to an end. I am always tempted, in these recovery weeks, to take it easier than I should. So it is out for an eight miler today, down from the usual ten.

My right medial shin hurt me some and my right calf was tight. I always seem to be able to solve shin pain by messaging my calf, so I will have to focus on that later today. Other than that, I felt a bit stiff and clunky today. That may have been exasperated by my wearing the Mizuno Phantom's. These are good flats but I find that when I am plodding and not running lightly, as I was today, these feel especially firm.

Victor

Cross-training: 0.0 miles
Running: 8.0 miles
Shoes: Phantom
WTD running: 24.5 miles
WTD total: 30.0 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 1:30 PM | 0 comments  

Nothing interesting today…only a cool breezy lunchtime walk of 4 miles. I went on a new route, climbed a lot and ended up with good fall views. No pains, no strains.

Victor

Cross-training: 4.0 miles
Running: 0.0 miles
Shoes: n/a
WTD running: 16.5 miles
WTD total: 22.0 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 3:56 PM | 0 comments  

What a beautiful morning. No I'm not talking about the temperature, which was a chilly 20 degrees when I started out. I'm talking about the display in the skies.

When I first got outdoors I turned to the east to say good morning to my three training partners: the thinning crescent moon, Jupiter, and Venus. Who says it is lonely running first thing in the morning. I then turned to the north and was greeted by the Northern Lights…and quite a display too: columns of blue/green shifted slowly from east to west while pink rollers drifted from north to south before getting lost overhead. After seeing that I decided to alter my route and head north first so that I could enjoy the view as long as possible. The show didn't last long, though, as the sun soon brightened the sky and a front moved in from the west.

That front moved pretty quickly and after turning back south at mile 5 the clouds had spread over most of the sky, except in the east. At about that point the sun had come up just high enough to paint the bottoms of all those clouds red and orange.

Other than that, my run was uneventful: 10 miles at an easy 7:34 pace on generally flat terrain.

Victor

Cross-training: 0.0 miles
Running: 10.0 miles
Shoes: Heras
WTD running: 16.5 miles
WTD total: 18.0 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 4:35 PM | 0 comments  

I took my first run in this recovery week during my lunch break and had the fortune of running amid occasional bright sun and driving snow showers. At times the sun would shine through under the clouds from the south while snow whipped down from the north. That combined with the beautiful views of the snow showers marching down the valley with the Adirondacks and Greens as a backdrop made for a very enjoyable run. 6.5 miles at a 7:35 pace.

I've talked a little about my resolution for this training season. Here are the ones I've mentioned so far:
1. Train in racing flats at least once a week.
2. Work in a few miles of walking each week.

The first resolution is intended to accomplish two things: first I hope to run Boston in racing flats so I better well get in a good amount of training in flats, second I believe training in flats will make my stride more efficient. This approach is not for everybody (in fact all readers need to determine for themselves if any advice presented on this site is appropriate for them), but I find I have fewer knee pains when I run in flats. The tradeoff is that I have more foot and shin pains. Still, I have never missed a run due to foot or shin injuries but have due to knee injuries.

The second resolution spurs from comment in a Joe Friel book. He says "There is no such thing as a recovery run" or something similar. Of course he was writing this for triathletes, not for runners. Still, there is some truth in that statement. By walking, I will help strengthen my cardiovascular system without putting a lot of stress on my joints. I expect I'll get in 4-6 miles of waling in each week or 5-10%. That is not a lot, but it feels good and it is not as if I am substituting running for walking. If I were not walking during these times I would not be running.

The third resolution is to include a recovery week every three or four weeks. During these weeks I'll cut back on my mileage by 15-20% and cut out all weight training, intervals, repetitions, and tempo runs. For now, I am building in recovery weeks every four weeks, but as the mileage and intensity of the training increases, I'll schedule recovery weeks every three weeks. There are, of course, running books that advise scheduling recovery weeks but none with the frequency or regularity advised by Joe Friel in his tri and cycling books. If you are interested in this approach, then I advise you to read his tri book, even if you are like me and only plan on running. I have a review of his book here.

Victor

Cross-training: 0.0 miles
Running: 6.5 miles
Shoes: Flash
WTD running: 6.5 miles
WTD total: 8.0 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 4:08 PM | 0 comments  

Two miles of walking today…during a brief snow shower.

Including some walking in my training is the second resolution I am making to my training schedule. (The first resolution being to wear racing flats during training at least once a week.) I’m not talking about a Gallowalking run/walk approach. I talking about 2-5 mile walks during my lunch break. In my opinion, walking and running are like oil and water and should not be combined in a single session. There are some exceptions: new runners who are still working on building an aerobic base; ultra-runners and ultra-distance triathletes who need to spend massive amounts of time on their feet; and for people who like an especially slow warm-up.

Victor

Cross-training: 2.0 miles
Running: 0.0 miles
Shoes: n/a
WTD running: 0.0 miles
WTD total: 2.0 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 3:55 PM | 0 comments  

I ran my Boston simulator today. Although this loop features lots of hills, the most prominent are three long downhills on the way out followed by some flats and three long uphills on the way back. Given that I have been tired lately (due to either overtraining or too much Halloween candy, take your pick) I had a decent run: I averaged 7:35 on the way out (downhill, but against the wind) and 7:25 on the way back (uphill but with the wind).

I had no pains, so ITB pain I thought I felt earlier this week was nothing to worry about.

I get a recovery week next week, so 45 miles of generally slow running.

Victor

Cross-training: 0 miles
Running: 16 miles
Shoes: Burn
WTD running: 52.5 miles
WTD total: 61.0 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 9:27 PM | 0 comments  

The ITB in my left knee is fine, so I seem to have narrowly missed that injury, but I am still paying for running too fast on Wednesday. I am tired. So no weights again today and next week is a recovery week.

I went out for an easy five miler today on gravel trails...nice and slow with no pains. I wore my Brooks T3's today. These are one of the lightest racing shoes available. Nice arch support, but other than that, there is little to them. But given the weight, they do have a reasonable amount of cushioning.

One of my new resolves is to run in racing flats at least once a week. Today was the day for the T3's. But nothing fast. I concentrated mostly on form.

A 16 miler tomorrow and then a recovery week.

Victor

Cross-training: 0 miles
Running: 5 miles
Shoes: T3
WTD running: 36.5 miles
WTD total: 45.0 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 2:17 PM | 0 comments  

The Limb Kiln loop has become a Friday staple, but lately it has been done with racing flats, at a moderate pace, and with a dozen strides thrown in. Today, I took it very easy (7:55 pace and 144 HR) and wore a soft pair of Nike Pegasus. The right ankle seemed fine, but I am concerned about my left ITB, which hurt after the run, but not during.

Walk 2 miles at lunch.

Cross-training: 2 miles
Running: 10 miles
Shoes: Pegasus
WTD running: 31.5 miles
WTD total: 40.0 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 11:27 AM | 0 comments  

Nice 4 mile walk at a good pace through Shelburne Farms. So far the only consequences from yesterday’s hard run seems to be a slight right ankle injury. The pain on the lateral right ankle only kicks in when walking up hill and doesn’t hurt when running. I’m not too worried about it.

Cross-training: 4 miles
Running: 0 miles
Shoes: n/a
WTD running: 21.5 miles
WTD total: 28.0 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 10:17 AM | 0 comments  

Nothing like a little anger to help push the pace. When my first mile ended up being 7:03 or something near that (usually my first mile is closer to 8:00), I knew this was going to be a fast run. Although I should have probably let up on the pace I kept cruising, except for some stops to yell obscenities into the dark woods. (OK, so now everybody knows where I stand on presidential elections.)

My effort only increased as I went into the hills and I was generally able to maintain or improve on the opening pace and ended up with a average pace of 6:59 for the 13 miles. OK, so I was generally running at just under my LT for the entire 13 miles. I hope I don’t pay for the fast run with injuries in the next couple days.

The Heras’ seem to only improve with age. This is a great shoe for people who like lots of flexibility, light cushioning, and no support. All my runs with this shoe end up being fast. They are coming up on 300 miles and show little sign of wear. They will be retired at 300 miles, but a new pair are an option for Boston.

Victor

Cross-training: 0 miles
Running: 13 miles
Shoes: Heras
WTD running: 21.5 miles
WTD total: 24.0 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 1:16 AM | 0 comments  

Received my pair of Asics DS Flash yesterday. I don’t think Asics could have made an uglier pair of shoes. It is a good thing these shoes will mostly be worn in the dark. Aside from the bright color, these seem like great shoes. I took them out for 8.5 miles and they flow nicely and are well cushioned. The heel is not overbuilt so they did not get in the way of my toe-heel stride. The heel is well cushioned, however, for those of you who do land on your heel. The flexibility is also great. Lots more miles before I draw any conclusions.

The eight miles today was mostly easy (7:30 pace) with 8 strides thrown in.

Victor

Cross-training: 0 miles
Running: 8.5 miles
Shoes: Flash
WTD running: 8.5 miles
WTD total: 11.0 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 1:06 PM | 0 comments  

Only some rowing, upper body weights, and core strength exercises today. Log as the equivalent of 2.5 miles.

Victor

Cross-training: 2.5 miles
Running: 0 miles
Shoes: n/a
WTD running: 0 miles
WTD total: 2.5 miles

posted by Not So Competitive Runner at 2:05 PM | 0 comments