Fintness Run

Distance: not sure
Time: 30 minutes
Surface: concrete/asphalt 
Weather Conditions: warm, sunny, 80s, noon run
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru
Secret weapon: not a damn bit of good

Comments: Well, it has been a bit more than a week since I have been on the pavement. I had been feeling blah (not sick but not good), then there was my little adventure in Chile and, after that, dealing with the election. So I had lots of good intentions of putting in a good long run to make up for it today.

Dinna happen.

It turns out I was pretty much at the same spot I was when I left off on April 1. I got to half-an-hour with all the good intentions in the world and it just wasn't there. So I am not happy with the result but the run, other than that, went fine. No major problems, just nada in the tank.

So I am going to try going about it the other way this week. I will try and put in a half-hour run every day this week and see if that works. It certainly can't do worse than what I am doing already.

Fitness Run

Distance: 6 kilometers
Time: 30 minutes
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather Conditions: misty, cool, 60s, late morning run
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru
Secret weapon: Rinôçérôse

Comments: I felt very tight during my usual streching and situps. I was thinking of doing a normal run but then decided to cut it to half an hour and see how I felt. Since I will be travelling next week I want to get a good long run in this weekend.

The run was not pleasant. My knee felt uncomfortable and I didn't have much energy in my legs. The half hour was about as much as I could ask of myself by the end of it.

And there were some weird new aches as well. On some of the declines I felt an uncomfortable tightness in the upper calf muscle behind my right knee. It was sharp but not that really bad sharp that could be an injury.

Fitness Run

Distance: not sure
Time: 45 minutes
Surface: concrete/asphalt
Weather Conditions: cloudy, warm, 70s, afternoon run
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru
Secret weapon: Stone Roses Remixes

Comments: I got pretty busy the last two days with work and laziness so I skipped gym work and my run (that's a full week without hitting the gym, not looking forward to tomorrow). I also haven't been eating very well so I didn't have a lot in the tank when I hit the pavement today.

But I did my usual stretches and situps and tried to hit a pace and stick with it. My knee was unhappy to start and I felt like I was running through 3 feet of surf with every step. It turned into an unpleasant endurance test more than a real workout. I would have like to put in a bit more time or distance but it was clear I had done all I could do at the 45 minute mark.

Fitness Run

Distance: not sure
Time: 45 minutes
Surface: concrete/asphalt
Weather Conditions: sunny, breezy, 80s, late afternooon run
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru
Secret weapon: Electric Six

Comments: Pretty good workout. Started with the regular two sets of sit ups (400) and thorough stretching. Hit the pavement but remembered to hit the button on the chonometer this time. I purposefully stayed off the knee the whole weekend, not even going in for gym work. It was iffy to start and testy throughout the run but, once again, it never gave me any sharp pain like before.

I actually ended up running a slower pace than usual but the run itself went very well. Workmanlike, not too sloppy and never any point of despair where I wanted to give up or felt I couldn't go any further. My diet hasn't been the best due to deadlines but I seemed to have enough energy today at least.

Fitness Run

Distance: nfi
Time: nfi
Surface: concrete/asphalt
Weather Conditions: cool, overcast, 70s, late afternoon run
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru
Secret weapon: The Chemical Brothers

Comments: Started rough with an ache in the right side of my left knee rather than the left, as usual. I had done my usual 2 sets of 200 situps and thurough stretching beforehand but it didn't seem to help. So, I stilted my pace to compensate and it turned out to be almost perfect for the rest of the run. Of course then I almost got hit by some dumbass who had to pull out that extra three feet so he could dash out into traffic. Peruvian, as a rule, can't drive worth a damn.

A tad bit later, I discovered I didn't turn my chonometer in my watch on. And I did a slightly different route to start so I was unclear of the distance I usually run to make the 45 minutes. So I kind of winged it, guestimating the distance and time. I know I was somewhere in the 10K / 45 minute range and probably a bit over both.

Running wise, after that, things went very well. I had a good pace. I was focusing on the run (actually running with my head up for one of the first times) and not slogging through it. I am kind of glad I didn't have the timer otherwise I would have been tempted to go for the full hour and it's probably better just getting a solid run in.

Afterward there was an irritating development, though. I developed a cramp in my left calf that really sucked.

Fitness Run

Distance: not sure
Time: 45 minutes
Surface: concrete/asphalt
Weather Conditions: sunny with mists, 70s, noon run
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru
Secret weapon: Moby

Comments: After a week of feeling absolutely horrible about my progress and runs I just went out and did this one straight up. Sort of my "just do it" run. So I just concentrated on keeping a regular pace; no fast start, no late run heroics, no fretting about the knee. Just me vs the pavement, one on one.

The result was a somewhat satisfying effort. I got through the full 45 minutes at a respectable pace. My knee was stiff pretty much the whole way although not actually hurting.

I did put in my usual two full sets of sit-ups (400) as part of my stretching before the run and tossed in two sets of 30 pushups earlier in the day for shits and grins.

Fitness Run

Distance: not sure
Time: 42 minutes
Surface: concrete/asphalt
Weather Conditions: warm, 70s, afternoon run
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru
Secret weapon: Love & Rockets

Comments: Psychotic run. Started great. I felt strong. Good pace. I was upbeat and feeling great. Most of the run was workmanlike and professional. Pushing a good pace and concentrating on the technique. 

But it ended like crap. I was planning to go 45 minutes but there just wasn't enough in the tank. at about the half-hour mark I started dragging and really struggling. I was deterimined to see it through but I had a stitch in my side and that weird flutter in my knee showed up. 

So I cut it short. Only three minutes but it's the point of the thing that bothers me. I have been at this since January. I really should be showing some kind of progress but my knee continues to be a problem and I can't seem to even get the routine runs done without struggling. When the hell am I supposed to show progress?

Fitness Run

Distance: not sure
Time: one hour
Surface: concrete/asphalt
Weather Conditions: misty, cool, 60s; morning run
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru
Secret weapon: Run Lola Run Soundtrack

Comments: One thing is for sure, getting off the treadmill and back on the road can be a bit of a shocker. I hopped on the pavement with that wonderfully perky gait I had been using most of the week and, lets just say it didn't take me long to return to reality.

Tough one. I had to really work on getting it done. But I was able to work on my stride and there is some evidence I am finally getting some strength in my legs. Although I could really feel the hills like I usually do, I didn't feel I was slogging my way through it when I hit them. But I am not getting my hopes up for a miracle surge in progress anytime soon.

I had a distressing couple of minutes when I could feel that distinctive pain when the ilitobial band and that bump of bone on the outside of the knee do that thing they do. I scrambled to alter my pace and it went away but a very worrisome development indeed. I did not develop the post-run knee pain I was dealing with in the past, so that, at least, is a good sign.

Prior to the run I did my two sets of situps (400 total) and a pretty thorough stretching regimen. Afterwards I did stretching for the warmdown as well. With the additional miles, I really can't be lazy and skip this anymore. My regular degree of flexibility, although impressive, is going to get to the point it ain't just enough eventually.

Treadmill Run

Distance: n/a
Time: 2 x 20 min
Surface: treadmill
Weather Conditions: indoors, noon run
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru
Secret weapon: Depeche Mode

Comments: Whoah baby. This workout may have been a case of biting off a bit more than I can chew. The idea was to get some speed work in so I did the first 20 minutes at a 7 minute mile pace and the second at a 7.5 minute mile pace. I can't say it was the hardest workout I have done so far but I was definitely working harder than I have done to date.

I did one set of situps (200) and stretched really well before I got on the machine. After the first 20 minute run I rested for a few minutes then did another set of situps (200) and stretched out again. Both time I really focused on the left hamstring with continues to be much tighter than the right. I don't know if this is connected to my wonderful ilitobial band fun or not.

After the workout I did a basic warm-down stretch before calling it a day. I felt as beat as when I finished the 90-minute run last week. The knee didn't give any specific pain at any point but it has been... in the background for awhile now. I still can't decide if it is messed up again and just waiting to manifest or if I have actually stabilized the problem.

: : Update : : Double Whoah. I am one sore monkey right now. Not any real "bad" pain but, Lordy, I can feel every step of that run. It is actually probably good since I am feeling aches in my ilitobial band and hamstrings and not my knee. Hopefully, this is a sign I am starting to gain some strength in these parts of my legs - a key to resolving this lingering problem, according to my chiropractor.

Treadmill Run

Distance: n/a
Time: 20 minutes
Surface: treadmill
Weather Conditions: indoors
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru

Comments: My opportunity to go run came around noon but it is a bit of a scorcher today. So that allied with my intention to be nice to my knees and have an easy run prompted me to use the treadmills at the gym. I was toying with the idea of a half-hour run but didn't feel like I had the energy for it and I had no intention of pushing myself at all following the monster run on Friday.

The run itself felt good. I concentrated on my stride and foot placement. I was a bit achy after two days off but not too bad. I definitely could feel the difference in my strength level even though I didn't push myself.