My Better Me than You Log

[twinsavsvikingsfan]

It's in Wisconsin. There is one in Michigan in September that looks very good, too. It even has a marathon option in addition to the 50 miler.

hmmmmm...

[twinsavsvikingsfan]

Thought I'd revive this log to post a link to a run I did on my first morning in Norway. Make sure the 'display elevation' box is checked to get the full story! This must rival some of Dave's training runs! MapMyRun.com | View Jim's First Run In Norway in Drammen, Norway

[BamaDave]

Nice run! You're ready for the Pike's Peak Marathon!

[GG300]

That was a serious hill climb Jim.

I have hiked some of the trails that are used for the Ice Age 50. Walking it was challenging I can't imagine running it.

[twinsavsvikingsfan]

2008 5/3 River Bank Run 25K

1:53:25 (7:18 avg pace)

26 seconds off my goal. 16 seconds off my PR set in 2006. I'm not happy about this. Here's a comparison of my splits over the past three years for this race. Last year was an anomaly because I was running a marathon two weeks later.

[RacerBill]

Hey, that doesn't look like a bad time to me. It's tough, though, when you're SO close to your goal and it's just a few seconds off.

Maybe we can chalk it up to Norwegian jet lag?

[BamaDave]

Jim, good race! I know it sucks to be seconds away from a goal time, but it was still a really good time. Especially considering how busy you have been with work.

[twinsavsvikingsfan]

Thanks, guys.

Well, it turns out that for the past few months, I've been running on a torn hamstring. My bout of plantar fascitis on my right foot last fall caused me to alter my stride and not push off with my right foot. This caused the calf to become pretty much a dead weight. Little motive power was coming from it as I was pretty much just picking it up and setting it down each step. The bulk of the work was being done by my left side, namely the hamstring. It had been bothering me the whole time I was training for the River Bank, and I new something was weird with my stride, but I didn't imagine this.

Anyways, physical therapy is on the docket, though I plan on doing 10 or so this morning. What the hell, I've been running on it all this time anyways. I won't beat myself up so much now because of my disappointing 25K. The PT I saw said I was using at least 50% more energy to run the way I was and could expect a 10-15 sec/mile increase in pace when I starting running correctly again. I don't know where she got these numbers, but I'm bound to speed up some after correcting.

She watched me run and, other than my calf and hamstring issues, said I had a great stride and form. She also said this could have been much worse if I wasn't as strong. Now, I haven't been in the gym in a looooong time, but I imagine all those weights I used to lift done me some good. Because of this deal, I'm sure I need to get back in to hit the iron. Maybe I should revive this log to keep me accountable. We'll see. Life is crazy as hell with school and work.

[twinsavsvikingsfan]

24MAY08

5.5 mile run

40:37 (7:23 avg pace)

Well, I might as well log something. I don't know if I'll keep it going, though. I felt good today, after taking 2 days off. I concentrated on pushing off with my dead leg. It felt fatigued so I didn't go with the long run. I felt extra strong in others areas of my body, thus the little quicker pace. I'm in the Milwaukee area visiting family, and usually do this hilly route in 43 to 44 minutes, so I'm pretty pleased with my time. Since the race a couple weeks ago I have been running at a faster pace, though.

[ToniL]

Wow, did the PT say how long and what needs to be done for recovery? Maybe this is an opportunity to hit the gym again. Anyhoo, I like rhesus but 3.141592............... is better!

[twinsavsvikingsfan]

Originally Posted by ToniL

Wow, did the PT say how long and what needs to be done for recovery? Maybe this is an opportunity to hit the gym again. Anyhoo, I like rhesus but 3.141592............... is better!

No time frame yet. I will be hitting the gym, probably when the spring semester ends in a few weeks. If I only have time to do one or the other (run or lift), running will almost always win out. Once it's just work, I'll be hitting it up two-a-day style. The PT hasn't filled me in totally as of yet- I've only been in for the initial visit.

Anyways, today was a totally awesome trail run. Like I mentioned, I'm in Wisconsin this weekend. There are tons of trails to run on around here. Today I did an incredible ~5.25 miler on the Ice Age Trail. It is quite hilly with lots of rocks and exposed roots. I loved it. If I lived in the area I'd say screw the roads and run it every day.

BTW, Toni, I like it, too.

[BamaDave]

Originally Posted by twinsavsvikingsfan

She watched me run and, other than my calf and hamstring issues, said I had a great stride and form. She also said this could have been much worse if I wasn't as strong.

Was she hot?? I was waiting for the rest of the story...

Sorry to hear about this, Jim! Injuries suck. Take care of the hammie!

[twinsavsvikingsfan]

Originally Posted by BamaDave

Was she hot?? I was waiting for the rest of the story...

Sorry to hear about this, Jim! Injuries suck. Take care of the hammie!

Can't say she was. She thought she recognized me, though. Hmmm.....

I'll take care of it Dave. At least I won't be doing it the way I normally would: ignoring it. Doctor appointment on Thursday. I'll get a prescription for the physical therapy from him at that time. In the meantime...


27MAY08

4.2 mile run
32:29 (7:44 avg pace)

My leg is bothering me pretty bad today. Not the hammie, though. It's my shin muscle- whatever that one is called. Definitely stemming from my issues. Maybe a day off tomorrow. At the morning. I have to be at work very early. Hopefully, if I wait until afternoon/evening time, I'll feel better. I do want to take time to do some stretching and rolling before leaving for work, so we'll see if I can roll out of bed with enough time to do so.

[twinsavsvikingsfan]

28MAY08

6.46 miles
51:17 (7:56 avg pace)
---
Ugh. This sucked. My leg continued to bother me all day today. However, I said screw the day off because it was so nice out. I was intending to do 9 or 10 but called it quits early. I'm glad I'm headed to the doctor tomorrow and will get this PT started soon.

[twinsavsvikingsfan]

Quick update (it sure seems hard to find time to post here with any regularity any more ) I started physical therapy. It has consisted if deep tissue massage, stretching, and electro-muscle stimulation. I'm still running- though only 20-25 mpw. My legs are feeling much better already. I wanted to get my mileage up to 65-70 in training for my fall marathon, but it seems I'll have to do another round of maxing out at 55ish. I'm also trying to rein in my diet and have been partially successful on that front. I WILL get down another 15 or 20 (at 180 now) for the marathon.

[twinsavsvikingsfan]

30MAY08

3.5 miles appx
32:00 mins

trail run
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31MAY08

8.96 miles
1:11:06 (7:56 avg pace)
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04JUN08

4.2 miles
32:41 (7:47 avg pace)

first run after first PT session
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05JUN08

5.1 miles
39:17 (7:42 avg pace)
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07JUN08

10.17 miles
1:21:14 (7:59 avg pace)

hot, hot, hot
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08JUN08

3.5 miles
27:19 (7:48 avg pace)
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09JUN08

6.57 miles w/15 100m strides
49:56 (7:36 avg pace)
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I seem to be speeding up a bit, now that I'm trying to use both legs to run.

[twinsavsvikingsfan]

11JUN08

9.27 miles
1:15:05 (8:06 avg pace)

This was really rough. it was hot, I had maybe 3 hours of sleep the night before, and had not eaten well throughout the day.
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14JUN08

11.27 miles
1:32:15 (8:11 avg pace)

The first few miles were agony. My legs were incredibly tight and my right arch was bothering me. I had to stop to stretch a few times. After 4 or so miles, I started feeling pretty good and this ended up turning out alright. It was also the longest run I've done since last month's 25k.