try to make me go to rehab I say no no no

Recovery runs are boring. There's no getting around it. They're slow, they're dull, they're boring. I'm sure I've said this before and I'm sure I'll say it again.

5.5 miles this morning in shoes that are past their prime. Not even 400 miles on them. I know they're done cause all my bad parts hurt when I run in them.

While running this morning in Central Park, I was thinking about the men's olympic trails. Loren and I headed out early last year to watch, we were at mile 3 when everyone came by still in  a pack. We them rode our bikes down to a 1/4 mile from the finished. Each lap, the field would thin out so we really didn't think anything of not seeing Shay again. I was totally shocked when I learned he died at mile 5.

Totally shocked.

Later that morning, I went out for a faster than marathon pace run. The park was full of would be marathoners since the NYC marathon was the next day. There were still lots of folks milling around after the trials as well. I was about 3 miles into my run, at about 8 minute pace, when Dathan Ritz came flying past me. I mean flying. He had just finished 2nd in the marathon and was cooling down at a pace that seemed blistering to me and having an easy conversation while doing it.

Totally amazing.

Today, however, was not that day.

intervals!

Ok, I have not done speedwork beyond the tempo runs in months. Months I say.

So this morning was 8 miles with 5x600 with 90 sec. rest. After yesterday's not so great run, I wasn't too thrilled about this. I'm usually not thrilled about speed work anyway.

I started out with a 3.75 mile warm up then hit the track.

It went pretty well. I averaged about 7:18 pace or there abouts. The weather has been great. Warm and the sun has been strong through the humidity has been much lower.

So I would say yes, my run was better. My ass still hurts from PT. I'm tired, I thought I'd feel a bit better in the cut back week. Next week is going to be a bear but let's get through this one first.

suck....eggs

Somedays the runs are just not good.

Today, the run was just not good. I had PT yesterday, my ass still hurts, I had a mini leg stroke at 4am so I didn't sleep well.

Whine one one

Anyway, the 8 miles are in the books. It's done and that's really all that matters.

15, 12 at MP

With all the leg stroke craziness, I was really worried about this run. 15 miles, 12 of them done at marathon pace. I didn't do it this morning because I really just did not sleep well. My leg was nagging me all day. I waited til this evening and did a good part of it with Loren and my friend Hilary. That was also nice since I've been running so much on my own.

THe first 3 were a nice warm up, then off I went. My marathon pace for 3:45 is 8:35. Over 12 miles, I averaged 8:31, so ahead of pace.

I've been worried about this run for a few reasons. It comes at the end of 3 pretty intense weeks, most of my running is not anywhere near this pace, except for the few tempo runs here and there, and of course, LEG STROKE. By the way, Loren loves that everyone is now calling it leg stroke. When it's not so late, I'll go into the story behind that, beside it just feeling like my leg is stroking out. It was not as hard as I thought it would be, while running with my pals, I was mostly able to hold a conversation. The last 2 miles I had had about enough.

When I got home, I went into a routine that rivaled the profile they had on Dara Torres'. I foam rolled. I stretched, I took an ice bath, I used my friend Hilary's e-stim machine with more ice. Phew!

I popped some advil and I'm gettin ready for bed. I hoping the leg stroke stays away so I'm not in the living room at 2 am on the foam roller.

Again.

Leg Stroke

ok, I'm back from maine. While gone, I did a 6 mile run and a 7.3 mile run. I did not do my 14 mile run. I figured the 9.5 mile hike that took 8 hours was enough.

Ok, so not all of it looked like this picture. That's Loren on the Knife's edge. It's pretty much a boulder field with swatches of blue paint so you know where to go and not plummet down 1000' to your death. And there's me doing the butt scoot down the cliff.

Anyway, all my runs felt pretty good in Maine. I came home and ran an easy 6 with striders yesterday with a friend who is rehabbing and her dog.

But now...I want to talk about what we here at Dog Pound labs have been calling the Leg Stroke. It first happened Thurs. night. I woke up with the terrible pain in my inner thigh and down my knee. Like I wanna throw up pain. And it's hit me 4 or 5 times since. Like I can't walk pain. THough running has been fine. I have been icing, stretching, foam rolling, adviling.  I am pretty sure it's from the combo of the hike and being in the car so friggin much. Today I have a 15 mile run with 12 at MP scheduled. I should be out the door already but I did not sleep well. We'll see how this goes. Like I said, no pain running. Tomorrow I'm calling my PT guys. This has me a little bummed out.

my weekend runs

2 for 1 this time around.

Yesterday I had an easy recovery run of 5 miles. I ran with a friend of mine who's been hurt for almost a year. She's rehabing and this have her first run outside.

We were in Central park and did a few loops of the rez. It felt  really good after the 20 on Friday. I'm starting to get the hang of this recovery run thing.

Today,  I was in Philly. I went down for a birthday party last night. I stayed up a bit later than I should have. Luckily, the weather was so much nicer than it's been. Not nearly as hot, not nearly as humid. Running in Philly also means FLAT. That's a nice change. I had 12 to do this morning. Loren came with me for the first 4, stretched and hung out the 2nd 4 mile while I ran the along Boat house row and admired the young fit bodies of the rowers. I love running there. I always have. I dont know what it is about that place, it's just really nice. Of course now it does have that bittersweet memory of my drop out of the Philly Marathon. I pass that spot whenever I run there, it's unavoidable. The upside is I still hear the words of support of the people who were with me that day, and of course of my friend and coach Kelsey who was running with me when I decided to call it a day. After I turned around and headed back and passed the spot AGAIN it occurred to me:

I am totally committed.

This year, I am. As I said a few weeks ago in my non running blog: I am not fucking around people.

So at mile 8, I picked loren up again and we ran the last 4 mile back.

It was big days for both of us: I had run 37 miles over 3 days, she ran 2 days in a row (she's been coming off some injuries herself).

And now tomorrow, off to Maine!

20

I swapped my running around this week so I dont have to do 20 miles the day after a party and the day before I go on vacation. So I did it today. It has been really hot and humid lately.

I woke up just before 6 and was out the door at 6:20. I couldn't really get myself to eat a whole lot, piece of toast, a mojo bar, and a glass of Clif stuff.

I headed out, not really sure where I wanted to go. I knew I didn't want to do the whole thing in Central park and it would be too hot once the sun really got going to go down the West Side. I headed north along the Hudson towards the little red lighthouse. Then I decided to run over the George Washington bridge. It is such an amazing thing to have. I'm willing to bet I've been over that bridge more on foot or bike than in a car. Even with rush hour traffic heating up, there's something about being up there, the air, the view, that high above the water. It's really cool.  I hit the Jersey side and headed back. I figured by the time I got to CP, I'd have at least 11 miles done. 

It was really heating up. I didn't notice that it was actually hot, I was just soaked with sweat. I had taken a salt pill before leaving the house so that spared me the chalk face I can get in weather like this. Around 7.5 miles, I took my first shot. I think I took my 2nd one somewhere around 13 miles. I had sucked down most of my 2 fuel belt bottles worth of electrolyte drink. I think I should have drank more sooner. For my last 7 miles, I had a bag of luna moons. That is the dumbest name for something ever. It's like a prize you'd find in a box of tampons or something. But they're really good. 

My last few miles were a bit of a struggle. I was really to be done. Since it's hilly up here in the hood, sometimes I reward myself by having one of my last miles be down hill. The other side of that is I then make myself run up hill for a half mile in the last mile.  Today, being it was my first 20 miler of this training cycle, I decided to give myself the down hill and forgo the uphill. That was nice of me. 

I was really glad when I was done. While my over all pace will not be winning any awards, this was a good solid run. Last week I had a 50 mile week, this week it's 54. Coming from more of a triathlon background and running less, this is a lot for me. I think I'm adjusting well. I'm tired. I know I'm suppose to be. My big runs I was worried about this week are in the book.

Oh and since July is now over, I'd like to report I ran 177 miles for that month.