Fitness Run

Distance: not sure
Time: 20 minutes, morning run
Surface: concrete/asphalt
Weather Conditions: cool, humid
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru

Comments: Not a horrible effort. I didn't have the endurance or the ability to keep the quicker pace I wanted but overall it was a solid run and I didn't feel completely beat afterward. I kept this one short due to my longer runs earlier in the week and concerns over the persistant stiffness in my left knee.

Long Run

Distance: not sure, around 10 kilometers
Time: 58 minutes, morning run
Surface: concrete, asphalt
Weather Conditions: humid and cool, 70s
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru

Comments: I was aiming for the distance not the time but it turned into a major run by the end of it all. Secret weapon - Underworld.

It was not my greatest effort but I got through it pretty well. I felt sloppy and clumsy the whole way but not exhausted like before. (Speaking of exhausted, I was shot yesterday afternoon. I took a 3 hour nap and was not able to do anything else)

The knee was worryingly sore to start and has been achy since. I am not happy about that. I will try and hit the gym tomorrow and concentrate on upper body work then take it easier on the Friday run.

Fitness Run

Distance: not sure
Time: 42 minutes
Surface: concrete
Weather Conditions: 90s, hot and humid, late afternoon run
Location: Miraflores; Lima, Peru

Comments: I was determined not to succumb to the desire to cut the run short so I brought along the secret weapon - The Pixies. Typically I am a bit wary about carrying my iPod in Peru but desperate times call for desperate measures. 

The cliffs over the ocean are one of the most secure areas in Lima and the view is often a big help in getting through the hard parts.

But make no mistake, it was a tough run. The heat and humidity really are a factor. I got through it but didn't feel like it really was that spectacular a run. I struggled to keep a pace and never really hit a stride that I was comfortable with. But there was no real complications such as knee aches or persistant stiches in my side. I hope that is a good sign for my progress.

Fitness Run

Distance: not sure
Time: 20 minutes, morning run
Surface: concrete
Weather Conditions: cool, humid
Location: Lima, Peru

Comments: Another run I wanted to be longer but just didn't have it in me. I wanted to put in at least half an hour but it just wasn't there energy-wise. 

This turned out to be a good thing, though. I spent most of the day walking all across Lima and I must have put in at least ten miles. If I had completed a full run I would probably have messed up my knee or something.

I plan to start integrating a weight workout into the training starting tomorrow.

Fitness Run

Distance: not sure
Time: 23 minutes, early afternoon run
Surface: concrete
Weather Conditions: hot and sunny. 80s
Location: Lima, Peru

Comments: I planned to put in 45 minutes but it became clear that was not realistic and possibly dangerous. I had only 8 hours sleep over the prior 48 hours, I was not acclimated to the hot, humid conditions and I had not eaten anything that day. And there is the fact I just got over being ill.

So I decided cut it back to half an hour but stopped completely at 23 minutes when I started getting a headache. Not a good sign given the situation. I felt weak and never really got a good pace. 

But it really wasn't a bad run when all the factors are considered. It was soooo nice to be back in the Summer that I really couldn't be upset with any run in the sun, no matter how pathetic my pace.

The route I took was along the clifftops over the sea in Miraflores. It was the first time I had run on an uneven surface - with inclines and dips. It undulates slightly and that was tougher to handle than I thought it would be (my runs in Arizona and Florida were completely level surfaces).

Fitness Run

Distance: about two miles
Time: not sure
Surface: concrete/asphalt
Weather Conditions: cool and cloudy, 60s
Location: Chandler, AZ

Comments: My first run in more than a week due to my illness. As expected, it was not my best effort. I got a stitch in my left side pretty early in and I never hit a comfortable stride. The worst part was the resurgence of my cough due to the exertion. Yay.

But, comparitively, it went well. I had a pretty good energy level and my pace was solid, probably about half speed. I didn't use the clock on purpose, due to the rehabilitation aspect of this effort.

No knee problem at all. The new patellar tendon strap seemed to work pretty well. With it and the illitobial compression band I have been using the knee certainly felt much more secure.

Long Run

Distance: not sure
Time: a bit more than one hour, morning run
Surface: grass/asphalt/dirt
Weather Conditions: chilly, 40's
Location: Middlesburg, Fla.

Comments: Cold as the bejezus at the start. 36 degrees or so. To make matters worse, I woke up very stiff. I stretched extra but still it was tough going to get going. Pretty much stumbled through it to begin with.

Just when I thought it would be a complete disaster of a run it evened out. At about the 25 minute mark I found the right stride and ten minutes later dropped into a good pace for the first time since starting running again. From that point on I was able to concentrate on the technical aspects of my stride and measure my gait rather than simple survival.

I toyed with the idea of tacking on another half hour but didn't think it would be a good idea to push the knee that much. No real problems out of it this run at all.

Due to travel and my training schedule, I think I am going to skip two days and run again on Wednesday. The extra rest will probably be good for the knee and I need to start integrating the strength exercises into my schedule as well
.

Fitness Run

Distance: not sure
Time: 20 minutes, morning run
Surface: grass/asphalt
Weather Conditions: 50s, chilly
Location: Jacksonville, Fla.

Comments: Not a fun one. I was very stiff beforehand during my stretches and the chilly conditions were brutal to start. Just about the time I got warmed up I developed a stich in my side that stuck with me the rest of the way.

I decided to do a shorter run following the hour-long adventure on Wednesday but upped the pace to, I guess, about 2/3 race speed. That had a lot to do with the problems I had.

Despite all the other issues, there were no real problems from the knee at all. Outside of the runs themselves, I am cautiously optimistic. Although it has been stiff and with that continual pre-pain ache since I began running, it has not developed into a full-on pain that I have had to deal with in the past.

Long Run

Distance: not sure
Time: one hour, noon run
Surface: asphalt/grass/dirt
Weather Conditions: sunny and warm, 60s
Location: Jacksonville, Florida

Comments: I originally intended only to put in half an hour but I felt pretty good and had great surfaces for running (but no real way to guage distance) on so I decided to try and put the hour run in. I felt pretty good the whole way, no suck-it-up or god-let-this-end moments. Just a regular pace the whole way.

I kept on soft dirt most of the way although I did at least a mile and a half on asphalt and grass embankment. I was less concerned about the hardness as the incline. My left knee had no problems at all but my right ilitobial band was kind of achy toward the end.

It was perfect weather, a bit chilly to start but ideal after I warmed up. There was a slight breeze but nothing that I had to work to overcome.

It was nice being back in the South and seeing all the pine trees, dirt roads and cleared acreage I remember from those bike rides as a teenager. But of course there was also the protective dogs, beer bottles strewn carelessly on the roadside and epithets hurled from inbreeds at the wheel of oversized vehicles.

Fitness Run

Distance: about 2 miles
Time: 16 minutes, mid-afternoon run
Surface: Concrete/Asphalt
Weather Conditions: sunny and warm, 80s
Location: Chandler, Arizona

Comments: Shorter distance due to the new insert, the chiropractic adjustment and wanting to cut back after my longer run on Saturday. 

Started strong but really dragged mid-way. Felt sloppy and weak. Made an effort to keep a regular stride and finish strong but it took more out of me than I expected. It was a gorgeous day to run, though, and that made it possible to finish.

No real problems out of the knee today. I didn't get a good pre-run stretch either.