Distance: 43 miles
Time: 6 hours 17 minutes
Comments: One third of the training down, two thirds left to go. I probably should feel some sense of accomplishment but that's pretty intimidating, actually. A good solid week with a lot of quality miles. I had a lot of good runs and some of the others, although difficult, couldn't be called necessarily 'bad.'
I eschewed the speed training in order to get the mileage back on track. I'm still a bit confused on the best way to integrate speed work into my regimine and I think it might be better to prioritize hills.
Because the lack of hills seems to be the big reason for the boost in my times. Most of the routes around here are gloriously flat. Which is wonderful for the day-in, day-out stuff but not great for longer-term development.
But, anyway, this was a solid week and I'd like to match it and increase by a bit for next week but no crazy jumps in miles or intensity.
Last week I took an hour to head over to the local used book store and wander through their sports section and see what running books they had in stock. I picked up The Competitive Runner's Handbook by Bob Glover and Shelly-lynn Florence Glover and was happily surprised.
This is the book I should have gotten six months ago. It's a complete resource for the dedicated runner. Next eek will be along the lines of last week for me. Lotta miles culminating with a long run in the 16-mile range. The information on speed training in this book has me reconsidering adding it to my regimen so I'll be looking into that this week as well.
The book is aimed at runners who are looking to actively compete in distance races which might make it a bit beyond the scope of a new runner looking to get through their first big race. That said, the specific information this tome provides will come in handy for them as well.
And, the style of writing is relatively pleasant. There is a bit of the runner's posturing here (OK. You have been running longer than most readers have been alive. We get the picture. Can we move on now?) but it doesn't get in the way of the message.
Unlike most running books which rely too much on personal anecdotes to prompt the beginning runner along, it's chock full of facts, tables and information that answers your pressing questions.
Because I don't really care about the personal triumph of Mary Sue in Oshkosh, Wisconsin when I'm trying to figure out why my quads hurt like hell and if I need to change my running schedule to resolve it.
Injury update: The shoulder, although still achy, is nowhere near as bad as it was a week ago. Due to a screw-up at the chiropractor's office I didn't get the massage on Friday I was hoping would work the problem out a bit more. But, I visit the doctor tomorrow for the re-alignment and we shall see how it goes.
My left leg has been very very tight and my quads in particular. I am doing extra stretching on this side but it hasn't helped very much. It is worrisome given the amount of miles I am putting in now.
The right leg has been doing fine but there are some seriously irritating muscle aches that are popping up due to the mileage. Nothing that alarms me but it's clear I'm pushing myself pretty hard here.