Week Wrapup

Total Distance: 24.3 km (15 mi)
Total Time: 2 hr 15 min

Comments: And so ends the introduction. Two weeks had been barely enough time to prepare myself for the oncoming period of training but I think I'm ready. With my mid-week exhaustion and the litany of little aches it's pretty clear I am going to have to be very careful heading into this. I've got a new pair of shoes on the way as part of that and I plan to confer with the guru this weekend to finalize the plan.Injury update: Well, the hip issue seems to be stabilized but still there. But now I'm a bundle of nerves over this metatarsal pain in the foot. What seems clear is that the stretching/warmup is going to become a fixture of the workouts and I need to be icing as well. I also plan to start doing more upper-body work as well."

Fitness Run

Time: 45 min
Distance: 8 kilometers

Comments: Had a bit of debate in my head this morning. After dragging ass earlier this week and the number of little pains that have appeared in the interim, it would possibly be advisable to take a day off before the long run today. I finally laced up and went out with the thinking that 1) I feel pretty good today and 2) the two days off after this run will do me quite a bit of good. I got on the pavement pretty late and, given the soreness in my foot, I decided to head down to the beach to run. Not on the beach itself, which is very rocky here, but on the dirt siding most of the way. While not perfect, it's less brutal than the concrete sidewalk of the malencon. But it was a tough one the whole way. I really had, to push myself to get t

Fitness Run

Time: 30 min
Distance: 5.5 kilometers

Comments: I guess the training has taken more out of me than I expected. My tiredness the other day didn't ease up. I took a two hour nap and did another marathon sleep that night.When I felt dragging again yesterday morning I thought it would be wiser to skip the run and lay low. Didn't go out or anything. Just tried to stay off my feet and sleep as much as possible.As a result I felt better this morning but still not at my peak. I got on the road pretty early and it wasn't too tough getting out the door.The muscles were unenthusiastic about the warmup but it didn't take long into the run for things to click. I didn't eat very well yesterday so it was clear that I didn't have much in the tank but, despite that, I felt pretty good for most of the run.

Fitness Run

Time: 30 min
Distance: 5.5 kilometers

Comments: Feeling the miles now. Today was a tough one to get the shoes on and get out the door. I slept a good solid 10 hours again last night and that follows up on a 2-hour nap yesterday afternoon. Skipped dinner which, in retrospect, is really a dumb move. Woke up tired and irritable.But got out the door and started eventually. Deliberately set out slow but, despite all the obstacles, found myself getting into a solid run before I realized it.At the end of the thing I wasn't feeling chipper or energized but certainly satisfied for putting in a solid workout.

Fitness Run

Time: 30 min
Distance: 5.25 kilometers

Comments: A solid one. Not very fancy but not really meant to be. It was a bit chillier heading out so I put on the long sleeve shirt for the first time. Did the usual warmup but added a few hip stretches to try and loosen up the stiffness in the right hip that has been bugging me.Good steady pace the whole way. Never very fast but felt strong and consistent. Had to take a bathroom break tho. That pot of coffee in the a.m. may become an issue.

Week Wrapup

Total Distance: 28.6 km (18 mi)
Total Time: 2 hr 45 min

Comments: This was the test week. I decided halfway through that the Sydney Marathon was a realistic possibility and quickly altered the more laid back running schedule for something closer to a training workout. Which didn't mean more intensity in the individual runs - which I still did by time and figured out the mileage later - but in the number of runs. I put in three straight days of workouts and a proto-long run at the end.Overall, I feel it went well. My new pre-run warmup workouts seem to be addressing the litany of aches that were giving me anxiety although this hip thing remains a bit of a concern.I downloaded an excel spreadsheet running schedule tool from this website and have been very impressed by how it works. I plug in the data and it spits it

Fitness Run

Time: 45 min
Distance: 8.1 kilometers

Comments: Good solid run. Ate a lot yesterday and got a ton of sleep as well.  So I was ready to get up and get out there and get it done.Technically, this was my 'long' run of the week but I approached it like most of my other runs so far - by time. I figured 45 minutes would not be too far a push for my weary frame and far enough to cap my first solid week of work.It was very sunny out and a great day for running. I got into the groove pretty early and just rode it the whole way. It's just awesome when a run goes this well so I let myself enjoy it.