Long Time Away

It’s been a year now and unfortunately, I haven’t been able to overcome my achilles problem. Although I’ve found some relief by running on my treadmill and in Nike Frees I’ve only been able to manage 15 -20 miles per week without causing more problems. To add insult to injury, since the end of March, my allergies have kept my HR jacked up to racing levels every time I approach an 8 minute pace.

For now, I’ll have to focus on short term goal – like getting to the point where I can jog a few miles on consecutive days without causing more discomfort. In the meantime I’ll have to experience running vicariously by following my favorite bloggers.

Longing to Run
We’ll I haven’t bounced back yet but I haven’t died either. The other day Mark was kind enough to ask how my running was going so I thought I’d post an update of the past 6 months. Since Boston I’ve made several attempts to start up again but each one has been derailed by an aching achilles. I started by only running 3 days per week, then 2, then taking a week off, then 5, all to no avail. Each time I tried to jog - to call it running would be disingenuous – I had to quit due to the pain and discomfort. I’m been doing some fairly high intensity circuit training and some cycling in the mean time to burn calories although I’ve gained 10 lbs. (I’m sure it’s all muscle). I miss running and training toward a goal.

I’ve since channeled my goal setting my energies toward teaching my 5 year old how to read and can truly say it has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve done in my life. We read together every day and we both love the time spent together. To see her progress from knowing only 14 letters of the alphabet to reading beginner books in the span of 3 months has been a wonderful experience.

Last week I had a consultation with a podiatrist who diagnosed me with insertional achillies tendonitis. He seemed pretty confident that I can get back to running on a regular basis fairly soon. I’ve responded very well to Ibuprofen therapy and icing and have an appointment with a PT this week.

With some luck, I hope to be able enjoy the sights, sounds and feel of autumn from the perspective of a runner.

Great family time in Boston. Disappointing race.

I'm not in the mood to write much about my race. I came in with decent training, a conservative race plan and a positive attitude. I left wondering WTF? For some inexplicable reason I started to feel my quads grow increasingly numb at mile 8. It was all downhill (or uphill?) from there. I never had a chance. Everything else felt good but my quads simply shut down. This despite going out conservatively.

I just don't know what happened. Falling apart is one thing but after 8 miles?

I need to regroup mentally and not think about running for a while.


Congrats to all Boston Marathoners.

Biding My Time 'till Race Day


A hilly 14 miler capped off my 49 mile taper week. During the 14 miler I averaged 7:38’s with widely varying splits due to the hills and blustery conditions. My wife has had to work 12 hour days due to a situation at her work leaving me with the bulk of the childcare and household duties. It actually hasn’t been that bad and I am enjoying the “quality” time with my daughter. Sunday we bought a tent for the backyard and she has gotten a kick out of “camping out”.

2 weeks from today I hope that I’m sitting in my hotel room typing out the story of my new PR.

Cheers.

Let the Taper Begin

A 20 miler on Saturday topped off a 61 mile week and 702 for the year. Will it be enough for me to crack 3:10? Who knows? No matter – the hay is in the barn and my only goal now is to carry the fitness that I have to the 21st and not f***k it up. I’m getting excited now. What seemed so far away on January 1st is rapidly approaching.

I’m still dealing with some minor issues with my left Achilles but I’m sure that this will dissipate as I begin to reduce my mileage. I’ll be shooting for 50 miles this week with a 15 miler on Saturday followed by a 43 mile week and then 25.

Time to focus and get ready people.

Boston Training Update

Last week started off slow due to the onset of illness beginning late Sunday and lasting through Wednesday. I did manage to get in some 8 milers during this time despite feeling crappy and actually felt "okay" while running. The weird thing was that once my illness abated I started to feel better, my next few runs felt crappy. Oh well, you can’t have it all.

I finished my week with a 17 mile progressive run averaging 7:46’s and 55 miles in the bank.

One more hard week of 60 miles should set me up for a nice gradual taper. On a 1-10 scale, I put my training for these past 13 weeks at a 6.5.

Minimal goal for Boston – re-qualify.
Secondary goal – exceed last years time of 3:15:33
Terteriary goal – crack 3:10.

Got Sick Again.

I’ve been sick since Sunday. Nothing major but its kept me from sleeping soundly and makes me feel crappy and cranky. My daughter was sick a couple of days ago and I'm sure my immune system was compromised after my 20 miler on Saturday. I managed easy 8 miler on Monday and Tuesday and felt better during my run than during any other part of my day. Hopefully this crud will dissipate soon.

Boston bib numbers are up. I’ll be #7053 in your program, moving up one corral from last year.