Training log - Week ending 4/24/2022

This week was 62 miles of running, ~1500 yards of swimming and 18 "miles" of pool-running -- training log is here.

This was another week of steady mileage before pulling back during the upcoming week to taper for the Broad Street 10 Miler on Sunday.

I did my Sunday long run on the Mount Vernon trail this week, between Roosevelt Island and Alexandria, with the last five miles going north towards Roosevelt Island.  This route, though paved, is full of things that I struggle with - uneven pavement due to root heaves, wooden bridges, and some short rolling hills near the airport.  The good news is that my balance was much improved - there was only one point on the run where I felt like I might fall (a fairly steep downhill that lasted all of 20m).  Other than that, I was able to focus on the effort of my running, rather than worry about staying on my feet.

Similarly, Tuesday's workout was notable in that I felt like I was really working aerobically.  That hasn't been the case in the past - I've been in this weird limbo where my legs simply wouldn't move fast enough to challenge my heart and lungs.  Now my coordination has improved (and I've also lost fitness) and so I'm able to work hard during a workout again.

One change that I've made in the past several weeks that I think is helping a lot:  I've started doing Ethiopian-style running drills on a daily basis (on pool-running days, I do them after pool-running).  I've always done running drills, but generally only a few, and only for about 10 seconds at a time. Now I do a wider range of movements, and I time them with my watch, doing 30 second slots.

[an example of the types of drills I'm doing is here.]

The 30 second duration seems to be key - I'll get about 10 seconds in, and then the signals will start getting garbled to my legs and I'll start to lose coordination - similar to what happens when I run.  30 seconds is long enough that it forces me to work through that point, and re-establish coordination.  

Separately, I used my Friday workout to test out different shoes.  I did the first 2 miles in the Asics Metaspeed Edge, and the second 2 miles in the New Balance RC Elite 2.  Then I swapped back to the Edge for a "300" and a "200" - both using marks on the road of questionable accuracy.

My verdict was that the Edge is best for short fast stuff where you are moving your legs quickly.  At tempo effort I tend to land further back on my midfoot and roll through my foot, and the Edge did not work for that at all. The RC Elite 2 was much better than the Edge at tempo effort (as seen by the notable pace difference between the two shoes) but I still think that shoe is best at the marathon distance.  For Broad Street, I'll likely go with my Takumi Sen 8s, which feel like a middle ground between the Edge and the RC Elite.

Dailies:

Monday:  9 "miles" of pool-running and streaming yoga.   Foam rolling at night. 

Tuesday: 12 miles, including a track workout of 1600, 1200, 2x800, 400, 2x200 in 6:53, 4:56, 3:14, 3:11, 91, 44, and 45.  4:50 recovery after the 1600; 2:4x-3:0x recovery after the 1200 and 800s; full recovery for the rest.  Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 yards recovery swimming.  Foam rolling in evening.

Wednesday:  8 miles very easy (9:57); upper body weights/core, and then 4 miles easy (9:30) plus drills and strides.   Foam rolling in evening.

Thursday: 9 "miles" pool-running and streaming yoga.  Foam rolling at night.

Friday: 12 miles, including 2x2 miles in 14:07 (7:08/6:59) and 13:43 (6:54/6:49) with long recovery in between (to swap shoes - I was testing different shoes).  Also did a "300m" in 73 seconds and a "200m" in 46 seconds (distances approximate). Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 meters recovery swimming. 

Saturday: 8 miles easy (9:59), followed by streaming yoga and 4.5 miles easy (9:41) plus drills and strides.  Foam rolling at night.

Sunday: 14 miles progressive, split as first 5 miles averaging 9:44, next 4 miles averaging 8:22, and the next 5 miles averaging 7:44 before a cooldown.   Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 meters recovery swimming.

Training log - Week ending 4/17/2022

This week was 60 miles of running, ~1500 meters of swimming and 18 "miles" of pool-running -- training log is here.

I decided to sit out the BAA 5k this weekend in favor of getting in a consistent week of training (and not having to travel).  I was pretty happy with how things felt - things are definitely improving.

I noted a few weeks ago that my adductors and inner hamstrings were extraordinarily week, so I've started working to strengthen them.  It seems to be helping with my stability, as does thinking about using them when running.

Dailies:

Monday:  9 "miles" of pool-running and upper body weights/core.   Foam rolling at night. 

Tuesday: 12 miles, including a track workout of 6x800 in 3:24, 3:17, 3:14, 3:12, 3:14, 3:13.  2:2x-2:4x recovery after the 800s.  Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 yards recovery swimming.  Foam rolling in evening.

Wednesday:  Streaming yoga and 11 miles easy (9:41) plus drills and four hill strides.   Foam rolling in evening.

Thursday: 9 "miles" pool-running and streaming yoga.  Foam rolling at night.

Friday: 11 miles, including a 4 mile tempo on the roads in 27:46 (7:05/7:01/6:55/6:45).  Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 meters recovery swimming. 

Saturday: 11 miles easy outside (9:33) plus drills and hill sprints, followed by upper body weights/core.  Foam rolling at night.

Sunday: 14 miles progressive, split as first 5 miles averaging 9:49, next 4 miles averaging 8:17, and the next 5 miles averaging 7:23 before a cooldown.   Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 meters recovery swimming.

Training log - week ending 4/10/2022

This week was 44 miles of running, 500 meters of swimming and 18 "miles" of pool-running -- training log is here.

I did a second round of platelet lysate injections in my back on Tuesday, plus some bonus prolotherapy in my SI joint.  As with the first set of injections, I took a day off, a day in the pool, and then started ramping back up.  I also felt fairly sluggish in my first runs back - I had the same experience before, so I think that's just PRP - the reaction in the first days after drains some of your energy.

I was entered in the BAA 5K this coming weekend but have decided to skip it.  Three 5Ks in four weeks just doesn't seem like a great idea, especially when the off week was dedicated to back injections.  Additionally, Boston is an expensive trip, and I really don't feel like traveling right now.  So I'll just enjoy a few days at home (I'm still taking Monday off to watch the marathon).

Dailies:

Monday:  9 "miles" of pool-running and streaming yoga.   Foam rolling at night.  

Tuesday: 10.5 miles, including a track workout of 2x1200, 2x800, 2x400 in 5;13, 5:02, 3:13, 3:12, 92, 93.   2:2x-4:0x recovery after the 1200s and 800s, 80 second recovery between 400s.  Platelet lysate injections after. 

Wednesday: Off.  Just some foam rolling in evening.

Thursday: 9 "miles" pool-running and upper body weights/core.  Foam rolling in afternoon.

Friday: 9 miles, including 4 hill repeats up a 350m hill with a 5% incline; full recovery between each.  Followed with leg strengthwork.    Foam rolling at night

Saturday: 10 miles very easy outside (9:52) and streaming yoga.  Foam rolling at night.

Sunday: 12.5 miles progressive, split as the first 4 miles averaging 9:50, the next 4 miles averaging 8:28, and the next 4.5 miles averaging 7:22 (plus 2 miles jogged at 9:09 pace).  Followed by injury prevention work and 500 meters recovery swimming.  Foam rolling at night.

Training log - Week ending 4/3/2022

This week was 42 miles of running, 500 yards of swimming and 18 "miles" of pool-running -- training log is here.

Yup, more steady improvement.  I arguably did a bit too much this week, with four hard-to-medium-hard days (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday) with just one easier day after each.  I'll be the first to admit I did a bit too much on a race week.  OTOH, my goal right now is to re-establish my running gait, not to optimize my performance in races, so I was fine with the trade-off.

Some big positives this week - especially in how much more stable I felt during Sunday's 5K.  I still have a long road in front of me, but things are improving.

Two things that have really seemed to help are a) working on my pelvic floor with some simple exercises that take less than 5 minutes a day and b) playing with my armswing to keep my hands higher and closer to my chest (I tend to swing them a bit lower).  I discovered the latter during my race on Sunday, and it really helped.  I'll test it out again during my track workout on Tuesday.

I'm also getting the second round of platelet lysate injections in my back on Tuesday, so that will be another few days off.

Dailies:

Monday:  10 miles gently progressive, split as first 4 miles averaging 9:52, next 3 miles averaging 8:32, next 3 miles averaging 7:42.   Foam rolling at night. 

Tuesday: 9 "miles" of pool-running and streaming yoga.   Foam rolling at night. 

Wednesday: 9 miles, including a track workout of 6x800 in 3:30, 3:25, 3:25, 3:23, 3:23, 3:23, with 2:2x-2:3x recovery between each.   Foam rolling in evening.

Thursday: 9 "miles" pool-running and upper body weights/core.  ART session in afternoon.

Friday: 8 miles, including some random 100s, 200s, and 400s with full recovery (just working on form and gait).  100s were 22-23 seconds, 200s were 47-51 seconds, 400s were 1:39-1:42.  Foam rolling at night

Saturday: 5 miles very easy outside (9:45).  Foam rolling at night.

Sunday: 3.5 mile warm-up, and then a 5K race in 21:08.  3.5 miles easy after (9:53), followed by injury prevention work and 500 yards recovery swimming.  Foam rolling at night.

Race Report: Cherry Blossom 5K, April 3, 2022

I ran the Cherry Blossom 5K this morning (otherwise known as the low key 5K run-walk associated with the internationally renowned Cherry Blossom 10 Miler) in 21:08, which was good enough for the female win, so that was nice.  

[This race was also the latest episode in my spring season, where I methodically focus on learning how to mechanically run again on a variety of surfaces and in a range of scenarios without losing track of where my feet are relative to my body or faceplanting.  It's been a fun past few months, y'all.]

The weekend started off with a misfire when I arrived at the race expo and realized I had brought neither my driver's license nor a print-out of my race confirmation.  All I had was my credit card, my metro farecard, and a mask.  

(The reason is that I ran from my house to a red line metro station, before taking the red line to the expo.  Post-expo, my plan was to take the red line to the orange line back home.  So I had been focused on having everything I would need to take the metro each way, and totally forgot about what I would need while at the expo.)

Fortunately, a helpful volunteer looked up my number for me once there, and then another friendly volunteer handed me my bib number without checking my ID, so that was an issue resolved.

***

Race morning went more smoothly.  Since the 5K didn't start until 9 am, I didn't leave my house until 7:30.  I drove to Georgetown, about 1.5 miles from the 5K start line, parked there, and jogged over.  It was a bit disconcerting to see the 10 miler in progress (it had started before 8 am) as I jogged, and I had to remind myself that I was running a different race.

Once at the start, I finished my warm-up with my normal fartlek - 3:00 at marathon effort dropping down to half-marathon effort, then four sets of 30 seconds at 5K effort, finishing with four sets of 10 seconds at mile effort.  I did this on the first mile of the race course, with some difficulty.  I hadn't realized how broken up that stretch of Independence Avenue was.  Lovely.  

But the whole point of running this race, as with every other race I've done this year, was to force myself to deal with things that made me uncomfortable and wobbly, and to work through them. So we'd just add this to the bucket.

I finished up about 15 minutes before race start, and then did strides randomly until it was time to line up.  Once in the corral, a running friend I hadn't seen in a while came over to impart some breaking news. 

"Did you hear that Susanna won the 10 miler?"

"She was top American?  Oh my God, that's great!"

"No.  She won the women's race.  Ran 52-something."

"HOLY SHIT!"

I said that last part a bit too loud, and got a few odd looks.  But wow.  It was a perfect weather morning to run, and a good friend had apparently just made the best of it.  Outstanding.  But now it was time to focus on my own race.

***

They gave us a 10 second countdown, and then yelled the g-word and we were off.  As I have done in other races, I started off to the side - that way if I struggled with my balance or started to fall, I could lean that way and not screw up the race of others.

The first half mile was a bit rough.  It was downhill, crowded, and the pavement was broken up.  No less than 7 other women pulled ahead of me, along with a lot of men.  But I had to let them go and just concentrate on navigating the road and staying relaxed and steady.  (The good news is that through this start was scary, it was notably less scary than either of my previous 5Ks - things are definitely improving).  

After those first few moments, the downhill flattened out and I was able to find a rhythm and start reeling in the early sprinters.  I noted with some satisfaction that I was having much less trouble running near people than I had in the past.  By the time I approached the first mile marker, I had pulled up with and then eased in front of a pack of about 3 men and 4 women.  As I pulled ahead, another woman went with me - she and I would trade the women's lead for much of the rest of the race.

The course had us cross the Memorial Bridge into Virginia, do a small loop, and then return into DC to retrace our route to the start/finish line.  I struggled a bit with the turns that took us onto the bridge, and then a bit more with some joints on the bridge surface that I'm sure were no issue to anyone but myself.  I was running side by side with the other woman, and I could tell my breathing was a bit more relaxed than hers.  But every time we hit a joint, it would disrupt my stride and she'd pull a bit ahead, and then I'd catch back up on the smooth pavement.

Then we got off the bridge and were in Virginia, and I assumed that we'd just loop Memorial Circle and then head back.  Nope.   We had a bit further to go, including a stretch of cobblestones.

Oops.  I had forgotten about the cobblestones.

They weren't very big or difficult cobblestones, but still.  I told myself again that I was doing these races to make myself work through the things that really screw with my gait and balance, and adding cobblestones to the mix was a bonus.  I forced myself to look ahead instead of at the ground, and focused on staying relaxed and feeling my feet rolling on the ground, and managed to navigate the cobblestone section out, and the cobblestone section back after hitting the 180 degree turn on the far side.

After cobblestones part deux, it was back over the bridge (with its damn joints) and then a tight turn before descending a gentle hill down to Independence Avenue, from which it was a straight shot to the finish.

The other woman pulled a bit ahead of me when I struggled with the turn, and then more when I had to carefully navigate the downhill.  As we turned onto Independence (and a patch of broken up asphalt), she threw in a surge, pulling about 30 meters ahead.

Depression slapped me pretty hard at this point.  I had just come through the 2 mile mark of a 5K in 13:55, as announced by a volunteer (I really wish they hadn't done that - I ignore my watch for a reason).  And now, even running at that pace, I was getting dropped.   And it wasn't like I wasn't breathing hard.

For a split second I really wanted to step off the course.  Then I pulled myself back together - my whole goal in running this race was to finish it on my feet and learn how to manage myself.  So I was going to finish this one and do the best damn job I could, regardless of what pace I was running or where I was going to place.

So I forged on.  And then, as the pavement smoothed out, a slight headwind picked up.  And wonderfully my stride locked in, and I started feeling like my old self.  I pulled up with the other woman and then passed her and took the lead.

The last mile of the race was fantastic.  My legs were swinging freely and my feet falling right where I expected them to.  My breathing was hard and I could tell my heart rate was exploding and it was glorious because my legs and mechanics were letting me hurt instead of holding me back.  5K suck never felt so awesome.

The final stretch to the finish line was a gentle uphill (a match to the decline that started the race).  All the better - I feel much more comfortable on uphills than flats.  I hammered to the finish because I could, and noted as I approached that they were raising a tape.  For me?  I got to break a tape again in this lifetime?  Yay!

Of course, the downside of the issues I'm dealing with are that things like finish mats and finish tapes are also balance challenges.  But I managed to navigate both without tripping and falling, so we'll add that to the list of today's achievements.

***

Since I didn't think there would be mile markers, I took autolap splits with my Garmin.  Those were

Mile 1: 6:59 (navigating the start and rough pavement)
Mile 2: 6:51 (turns and cobblestones, oh my)
Mile 3: 6:30 (feeling good)
Last .14: 51 seconds (6:08 pace according to Garmin - again, it's so much easier to run uphill than flat).

My final official time was 21:08, rather than the 21:11 of my Garmin - I suspect this is because I started my watch a bit early, and didn't stop it until after I had broken the tape and steadied my balance.

That 6:30 for the third mile is obviously still way off my old 5K PR pace.  But progress is progress, and so much about this race felt like a success that it's hard to be anything but happy.  Hey - I ran a race on cobblestones (partially) and didn't fall down!  I ran well with people close to me!  

These are all little victories, but they keep me believing that the way out is forward.

***

Other notes:

• It was just a perfect day for a run - high 40s, overcast, little wind.
• My heart rate hit 187 in this race - higher than even what I saw last week.  It's good to see that my mechanics have improved enough that I am able to hit that level of effort.
• I wore my Takumi Sens again for this race - I think of all the shoes available to me right now, these are working the best in terms of having some speed to them, but still being low enough and flexible enough that I can feel where I am on the ground in them.
• I got a nice trophy for my efforts and got to participate in the Cherry Blossom awards ceremony (I got my trophy at the end, after the 10 miler winners got theirs).  I noted with some amusement that my 5K trophy and Susanna's 10 miler trophy were essentially identical (the only difference was the distance of the race, in a small dark font).  But of course, she also walked away with a very nice payday, since she was both the overall winner and the top American.  Such is the difference between a 52 minute 10 miler and a 21 minute 5K.  [I will say that it is very nice of the Cherry Blossom organizers to make sure the 5K winners got nice trophies - much appreciated].
• I made the Cherry Blossom Instagram account, so I'm showing it off here.  Absolutely narcissistic, but so is having a running blog.
  
  
  
  

Training log - Week ending 3/27/2022

This week was 46 miles of running, 1000 yards of swimming and 18 "miles" of pool-running -- training log is here.

Everything seems on the right track, so that's good.  Better coordination, better balance, and I was pretty happy with Tuesday's track workout.  Even Sunday's race felt much improved in terms of balance and how hard I was able to push.  I was a bit surprised by the time, which I felt didn't reflect the effort, but I guess that happens sometimes.

Dailies:

Monday:  9 "miles" of pool-running and upper body weights/core.   Foam rolling at night. 

Tuesday: 11 miles, including a track workout of 2x1600, 2x800, 400 in 7:08, 6:42, 3:11, 3:12, and 91. Recoveries of 5:17 and 5:42 after the 1600s, really long recoveries after the 800s (3:20 and 3:40).  Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 yards recovery swimming.  Foam rolling in evening.

Wednesday: 8 miles easy (9:36) plus drills and four hill sprints.   Foam rolling in evening.

Thursday: 9 "miles" pool-running and upperbody weights/core.  Foam rolling at night.

Friday: 7 miles, including 1600m uptempo in 6:45 and then 2x200m in 48 and 47.  Foam rolling at night

Saturday: 4 miles very easy outside (9:29) plus drills.  Foam rolling at night.

Sunday: 4 mile warm-up, and then a 5K race in 22:11.  8 miles easy after (9:30) and 500 yards recovery swimming.  Foam rolling at night.

Race Report: Scope It Out 5K, March 27, 2022

I ran the Scope It Out 5K this morning, finishing in a time of 22:11, which was good enough for second place female.

This 5K was the next installation in my recurring series of "put yourself in situations that trigger your wobbliness/whatever issues and force yourself to deal with it."  Two things that really aggravate my issues are running in groups and strong side or tailwinds.  This race promised to have both, so yay.  And I was supporting a cause - colorectal cancer research - that is very important to my good friend Jillian, so that was an extra bonus.

The race started at Freedom Plaza at 9:00 am.  I've done enough races at Freedom Plaza to know that you need to get there fairly early to get a decent parking space, so I left my home at 7:30 and found parking a bit before 8 am (after circling around a few times).  Then I put on my shoes and started warming up.

For this race, I decided to go with the New Balance RC Elite V.2.   This shoe has felt great at marathon effort, but arguably a bit soft and slow to turnover at anything harder than that.  However, I'm currently running 5Ks at my previous marathon pace, so I thought they were worth a shot.  Also in their favor - they are the only carbon plated shoes I seem to be able to handle right now.  Everything else is too unstable and bouncy.

***

I warmed up with my standard 15-20 minutes of jogging, followed by 3:00 at half-marathon effort, 4x30 seconds at 5K effort, and then 4x10 seconds at mile effort.  I noted a strong wind from the west that would be a tailwind to start and a headwind to end.  About the time I finished, I saw some old running friends (Jake, Brent, and David) and got to catch up with them, so that was nice.

Then we lined up, and after a moment of silence, the race started.  Mindful of my balance issues, I lined up on the far left side of the race start, so that I could angle off to the side and avoid most of the early race chaos.  Of course, what I hadn't planned on was a bunch of high school kids that were doing the whole "sprint, slowdown, swerve, sprint, slowdown, swerve" thing.  My first quarter mile of the race was spent navigating around them, which was both scary and exactly why I signed up for this race.  So I dealt with it.  

After that first quarter mile, things settled down, and I could relax into the action.  I had a very strong tailwind behind me (20 mph) and the course was also slightly downhill.  Both of these were balance challenges, but I was really happy with how well I handled them - I felt so much more stable than before.  Stable enough that I was able to look around for other women runners.  There was one woman about my age who I reeled in pretty easily, and another younger woman ahead.  For a while I was holding steady behind the younger woman, and I had some hope that perhaps she was going out too fast and I would be able to run her down later in the race.

Then we went around a turn and the tailwind became a crosswind, and I had to work a bit to stay on my feet.  Another turn, and we were back into the headwind for a quarter mile before a 180 around a turn.  At some point here, the younger woman started pulling away, and then I only had other men to run with and chase.

***

I'm familiar with this course - at least I thought I was.  My 5K pr was set in a race starting and ending at Freedom Plaza, just like this race.  However, somewhere in the second mile, the course took a right hand turn to route us near the Capitol - a bit of a surprise, but I went with it (I think Jillian told me this would happen, I just didn't process it).  

Eventually we made our way back to the course I knew, with a mile-long push up Pennsylvania Avenue into the headwind.  I had been running with 2 other men for most of the race, but once we hit the headwind, they fell back and I was solo for the last mile.   It took some digging into my mental tool box, but I was able to stay tough in that final mile and push to the finish.

I crossed the finish line as second female, stopped my watch, and checked it.  22:11 was the time - a bit of a shock (and not in a good way).  This race had honestly felt like a better and stronger performance than my last one.  I felt much more stable on my feet this time, and also felt like I was able to push harder as a result.  According to my Garmin, my heart rate was 180 or above for the last half-mile, and peaked at 183 - significantly higher than I saw in my last race.  At the same time I ran this 5K about a minute slower than my previous one - I wasn't expecting to see that number.    

In one sense, the time doesn't matter at all - I'm nowhere near PR shape, and my goal was truly to stay on my feet.  On the other hand, I had been fairly sure that I was going to run a bit faster than my previous 5K, so there was a moment's disappointment and doubt upon seeing that I had not come close to even that time.

But it is where I am.   I do feel really good about the fact that I felt so much more secure on my feet than I did before, and also that I was able to push myself a bit harder.  

***

I never saw mile markers 1 or 2 for the race, so I could only take a manual split for mile 3.  My Strava of course broke down my splits by mile - from that I see that my splits were:

Mile 1: 6:51
Mile 2: 7:01
Mile 3: 6:54
last .20: 1:25

(Strava/my Garmin say the course was 3.20 in length.  I don't think this version of the Freedom Plaza 5K course is certified, so maybe it was this long).

Other notes:

• The temps were great for this race - 45 degrees.  The wind did make things colder.  I wore thin tights and a tank top plus arm-warmers, and that felt like the right clothing choice.
• I talked some friends into watching me as I finished, and got some valuable feedback.  Apparently I'm not rotating my hips when I run - so that's something else to consider and work on.
• On reflection, I don't think I like the RC Elite V2s for this distance (which matches what pretty much all the reviewers have said).  I think it's back to my Takumi Sens for this distance until I get my stability in a better place and can start using Vaporflies again.
• I got to cooldown with a group of friends (Rachel, Brent, and Jake) after.  It was really fun to catch up with them.

Training log - Week ending 3/20/2022

This week was 60 miles of running, 1500 yards of swimming and 18 "miles" of pool-running -- training log is here.

Tuesday's workout was in the dark again (thanks, daylight savings time) and I really struggled with my balance until the sun came up for the last 800.  From then on, things were much better

Friday's workout (after sunrise) was better, though still a bit wobbly due to shoe choice.  I decided to test myself with the New Balance RC Elite 1, which in the past was a shoe I just could NOT run in - I managed to run in it on Friday, albeit with a lot of concentration and some wobbliness.

Today's long run felt like a big step forward.  I decided to challenge myself with the unholy trifecta of a) supershoe (the New Balance RC Elite 2 - slightly more stable than the RC Elite 1), b) downhill running, and c) windy conditions.  These are three things that make running hard for me right now.  And....I stayed on my feet and actually didn't ever feel like I was going to face plant.  It was amazing.  I don't care that much about the pace.  I care a ton about how I felt while running at that pace.

In other news, I finally saw the back surgeon on Thursday.  He looked at my MRIs and told me that I had the lumbar MRI of a 20 year old.  In his words "it would be criminal to operate"  (absolutely fine with me).

Like everyone else, this doctor thinks I need to get a second neurology opinion (when I told him which neurologist I saw, he noted that I had already seen the really good guy, so he wasn't sure where I should go for a second opinion).  He also thinks I should get checked out for Lyme disease, so I guess that's now on the list.

Next Sunday I'm going to jump into another 5K, so we'll see how that goes.

Dailies:

Monday:  9 "miles" of pool-running and upper body weights/core.   Foam rolling at night. 

Tuesday: 12 miles, including a track workout of 6x800, 2x400, 2x200 in 3:27, 3:26, 3:23, 3:20, 3:18, 3:15, 93, 92, 45, and 45.  2:2x-2:5x recovery after the 800s, ~80 second recovery for the 400s and 200s.  Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 yards recovery swimming.  Foam rolling in evening.

Wednesday: 10.5 miles easy (9:37) plus drills and four hill strides in the morning; streaming yoga midday.   Foam rolling in evening.

Thursday: 9 "miles" pool-running and upperbody weights/core.  Foam rolling at night.

Friday: 11.5 miles, including a 4 mile tempo on the roads in 28:08 (7:12/7:05/6:57/6:54), 20 minutes jogging, and then 2x"200m" (approximate) in 47 seconds each.  Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 yards recovery swimming. 

Saturday: 8 miles easy outside (9:31), followed by streaming yoga and then 3.5 miles very easy (9:27) plus drills and two hill strides.  Foam rolling at night.

Sunday: 14 miles progressive, split as first 5 miles averaging 9:44, next 4 miles averaging 8:14, and the next 5 miles averaging 7:15 before a half mile cooldown.   Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 yards recovery swimming.

Training log - Week ending 3/13/2022

This week was 61 miles of running, 1500 yards of swimming and 18 "miles" of pool-running -- training log is here.

Things definitely improved this week - my coordination is better and I have notably more power.  On Friday I ran at sub-6 minute pace for the first time in a long time in my last 200m repeat.  Now granted, there was a time when I was running sub-6 minute pace for mile repeats.  But that's not where I am right now, and this felt like a step forward.  My limitations have been mostly mechanical, not fitness, so anything that shows improved top end speed is a victory.

I ended up running on the treadmill all weekend due to weather (very high winds on Saturday; very cold and dry air on Sunday).  In one sense, this wasn't ideal.  On the other hand, I think there are benefits to occasionally doing a progressive long run on the treadmill due to the very steadiness of the effort, which is great for aerobic development.

Incidentally, I've also noted improved energy levels since getting my back injected - I think that feeling unsteady on my feet was tremendously draining, at least emotionally.  Now I feel much more steady and secure, and that results in feeling more energetic and confident.

Dailies:

Monday:  9 "miles" of pool-running and streaming yoga.   Foam rolling at night. 

Tuesday: 12 miles, including a track workout of 1600, 5x800, 4x200 in 6:54, 3:16, 3:14, 3:17, 3:16, 3:16, 47, 48, 46, 47.  5 minute recovery after the 1600, 2:3x-3:0x recovery after the 800s, 80-90 second recovery for the 200s.  Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 yards recovery swimming.  Foam rolling in evening.

Wednesday: 5 miles easy on the treadmill (9:40), upper body weights/core, and then 6 miles very easy (9:30), plus drills and four hill strides.   Foam rolling in evening.

Thursday: 9 "miles" pool-running and streaming yoga.  ART session in afternoon.

Friday: 11 miles including a track tempo workout of 4x200 moderate with 200 recovery, then 5x1200 at slightly faster than tempo with 200 recovery, and then 400 jog before 2x200 at mile effort with 200 recovery.  Splits were 48, 50, 49, 48; 5:07, 5:06, 5:03, 5:00, 4:57; and then 45 and 44.  Eash 200m recovery was in about 80 seconds.  Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 yards recovery swimming. 

Saturday: 8 miles easy on the treadmill (9:49), followed by streaming yoga and then 3.5 miles very easy on the treadmill (9:33).  Foam rolling at night.

Sunday: 15 miles progressive on the treadmill, split as first 5 miles averaging 9:39, next 5 miles averaging 8:26, and the next 5 miles averaging 7:33 before a half mile cooldown.   Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 yards recovery swimming.

Training log - week ending 3/6/2022

This week was 54 miles of running, 1500 yards of swimming and 18 "miles" of pool-running -- training log is here.

I'm definitely noticing some improvement from the back injections already - I'm much more stable and less wobbly when running.  I still have some issues with running downhill or on uneven sidewalks, but it's less than it was before.   My speed hasn't jumped up the way I had hoped it might, but I probably need to give it time.

My wobbliness now seems to have been replaced by a general lack of power, which I think stems from lack of stability when pushing off.  So my focus for the next few weeks is on fixing that.

To that point, since I don't have any plans to run any races longer than 5K in the next 2 months, I decided I'd get more out of skipping my long run this weekend in favor of focusing on running mechanics.  So I subbed in a Sunday morning track workout, starting with 4-6 laps at tempo effort to get me truly warmed up (I needed 6 laps, as it turned out), and then shifting to 200m repeats with equal distance recovery, focusing on running smoothly and playing with different aspects of my form.

This workout ended up very beneficial - I feel like I learned a lot.  A very strong gusty crosswind and having to navigate around others on the track (there were several joggers in lanes 1 and 2) gave me an opportunity to figure out exactly what I do that makes me feel unstable in certain circumstances (like crowds, high winds, and low visibility).

I identified two key things that I do when I get distracted or concerned about my stability:  1) I invert and lock my left ankle, so that I'm no longer pronating on it and 2) I lock up my shoulders. Focusing on fixing both of those things helped me keep a smooth stride while passing others or being buffeted by the wind - I'll experiment with those some more in my track workouts this week.

Dailies:

Monday:  9 "miles" of pool-running and upper body weights/core.   Foam rolling at night. 

Tuesday: 11 miles, including a track workout of 4x1200, 2x400 in 5:08, 5:02, 4:53, 4:54, 92, and 93.   1 lap jogged recoveries after each in between 2:28 and 3:21.  Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 yards recovery swimming.  Foam rolling in evening.

Wednesday: Streaming yoga and then 10 miles easy (9:34), plus drills and four hill sprints.   Sports massage in evening.

Thursday: 9 "miles" pool-running and upper body weights/core.  Foam rolling in evening.

Friday: 11 miles including a track tempo of 6400m in 28:15 (7:17/7:06/7:00/6:50).  Jogged for 4 minutes after, and then did 2x200m in 46 seconds each.  Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 yards recovery swimming. 

Saturday: 10 miles easy (9:37), followed by streaming yoga.  Foam rolling at night.

Sunday: 12 miles, starting with 2400m in 10:12, and then doing 16x200m, starting at 49, 50 for the first two, and then the rest all between 46-47.  Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 yards recovery swimming.