Long Run

Distance: 10 km (6.2 miles)
Time: one hour
Surface: asphalt/concrete/dirt
Weather Conditions: hazy, overcast, cool, 50s, late morning run
Location: Miraflores and Barranco, Lima, Peru

Comments: Intended a 45 minute run initially but I took a very different route today and getting back took a bit longer than I expected so I just ran the hour.

Half of the run was on the seashore and the second half on the malencon on the cliffs above the ocean like normal. That means there was a long hill to go down to start and a steep hill to get up in the middle. The idea is to start mixing more of this up and down work in the runs to condition better. 

Overall the run went well. I got into it and stayed steady at it the whole way.The hill, although a cruel and brutal bitch, wasn't as much trouble as I feared. I stayed with it the whole way keeping my steps short but my pace as close to normal as I could. No aches, pains or problems to speak of.

Fitness Run

Distance: 6.5 km (4 miles)
Time: 45 minutes
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather Conditions: hazy, overcast, cool, 50s, late morning run
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru

Comments: Well, the last run clearly took its toll on me yesterday and the effects were still there today. There just wasn't a lot of spring in my step for the whole effort. In fact, it felt like I was slogging through molasses the whole way. But, despite that, it was a pretty good effort.

I started by stretching pretty thoroughly. My left knee was a little sore yesterday and this morning. Kind of generally sore, not the specific soreness that I associate with the IB problems I have had. So I really concentrated on limbering up my hamstrings and quads.

On the street it was a battle the whole way. I didn't set anything on fire with my pace, thats for sure. It was a one-foot-in-front-of-the-other type of run. Even my secret weapons had no effect (other than to keep my mind off the struggle itself).

Although it wasn't fancy, it wasn't bad either. I didn't have any real problems at any point and I was able to keep at a steady - if not spectacular - pace the whole way.

The knuckle of my left big toe was kind of sensitive during the run and the ball of the toe was sore after. I think the former was due to my sock and the latter due to the humid weather in Lima that aggravates my arthritis.

Long Run

Distance: 11 km (6.8 miles)
Time: one hour
Surface: asphalt, concrete
Weather Conditions: chilly, overcast, 50s, afternoon run
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru

Comments: After slacking off for two weeks I finally broke down and used the infallable motivation that is my birthright as an American - financial investment. Or, more to the point, I went shopping. After dropping my iPod during the race, it is clear I don't need to be taking it along on my runs. As my primary way of enjoying my music, getting it broken or stolen is just too high a risk.

So I ambled down to the Apple store and bought an iPod shuffle. Of course buying it here in Peru means I payed WAY too much for it but most MP3 players sold here are similarly pricy and I already have all the software on the computer. And even given the expense, it's still a cheaper option than risking the regular iPod.

With the new toy I was pretty much obligated to run today. I hit the gym, stretched out and took to the road. I didn't feel at all ready but, given my long layoff, I was determined to put in a solid run this time. So I kind of put it on autopilot and just started putting one leg in front of the other. The goal was one hour - damn the mileage.

As one might suspect, I felt a number of little pains as I progressed but nothing critical. The ball of my left foot has been sore and I got a twinge in my right achilles tendon at one point. I am very achy afterward but thats probably due to the excessive time off.

Week Wrapup

Horrible effort his week. I got busy on the stories from Ecuador and never really left the house for the entire week. By the time I got any work done each day it was after dark and, while I might be less nervous about my safety in South America than most, I ain't going running in Lima unless it is daylight.I hope to get everything wrapped up at the start of next week and start back on the training schedule. My worry is that I have gone so long since working out that I may have lost any real progress I have made. But, on the positive side, my different aches and pains have had plenty of time to heal up.

Fitness Run

Distance: not sure
Time: 25 minutes
Surface: concrete/asphalt
Weather Conditions: cool, sunny/hazy, 60s, mid-afternoon run
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru

Comments: I have been hunkered down in front of my computer since my last run so I really didn't feel like running or even very much up to it. The workout chart called for two miles at a pretty light pace so I made myself head out and do it.

It started slow and sloppy. Not pleasant at all. There wasn't anything particularly "wrong" but it definitely wasn't "right" either. I stuck with it and at about the 3/4 mark I slipped into a nice pace despite myself. I put in a little bit of upper body gym work after just to work up a decent sweat and to make up for the lameness of my effort. 

The training schedule calls for a regular repitition of double rest days. I'm not completely content with that and might recalculate the thing next week. For now, I plan to go heavier on gym work those days if I can get these stories finished and out of the way.

Fitness Run

Distance: not sure
Time: 40 minutes
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather Conditions: cool, clear, 60s, late afternoon run
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru

Comments: First run since the race and it felt very good. I planned on just half an hour at just more than a jog pace but I felt good enough to go a little farther and faster than that. Honestly, I could have done much more but I felt it best to reign it in for now.

The week-and-a-half off seems to have helped a bit. My toe seems healed up and I don't have any of the nagging weariness. For most of my trip in Ecuador I battled digestive issues that had begun about a week before the race. I seem to be better and, if so, that should make training a bit easier.

I was very sore after the race but, luckily, my visit to Ecuador started in a little resort town that is famous for its thermal spas. Two days of afternoon immersion really helped get the aches out. Then I spent a lot of time walking around Quito for the rest of the visit. Not a workout, I know, but at an altitude of 2,850 meters (9,350 feet) above sea level, that was plenty.

Carrera RbK 10 Kilometros

Race: Carrera RbK 10 Kilometros
Start: 9:00 a.m.
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru
Weather: clear, sunny, cool, 60s
Official Time: 46:52
Actual Time: 46:15

Well, it was every bit as tough and grueling and nasty as I expected. It was awesome. This was a great race for me; I had everything I needed in the tank, the blisters didn't act up and I came in with a slightly better time than I was shooting for.

Although the race was at 9 a.m., registration started at 7:30 a.m. The starting line was only about 3 kilometers from my house so I walked over, got my number and race shirt and came back home to stretch here, go to the bathroom and bandage my injured toes. I used non-latex band aids and lots of neosporin, completely omitting the medical tape. I also relaced my left shoe to losen the fit along the part where the toe is.

I wandered back to the race area at about 8:30 a.m. I stretched some more, really concentrating on my ilitobial band and hamstrings. I drank water throughout the morning so I left off right prior to the race. When I originally walked over I ate a powerbar so I figured that would give me what I needed during the race itself.

Races in Peru are pretty much the same as in the US with your usual assortment of race rats, amateurs (like me) and excited teenagers. But there are some unusual differences. The weirdest is the shoeshine guys working the crowd before a race offering to clean up your running shoes before you head out. I was also a bit surprised by a number of older ladies with as much makeup on as they would wear to a state dinner. I guess a 10K is a social event here as well as an athletic endeavour.

One thing that really threw me were a few dozen really frightening old guys that had to be in their 70s but were running the thing in a flat out sprint. It was simply incredible to behold. My favorite guy in the whole race was the aging punk rocker whose mowhawk had noticiable bald spot. He seemed a little confused when I said "YOU TALKIN' TO ME?" when he passed me during the race.

Pretty much everyone was cool and the whole experince was really nice but there were a couple things things I didn't dig about Peruvian racers.

First, it is normal for everyone here to wear the race shirt during the race. Given, it's a nice breathable running shirt (and for an entry cost of about $5 US, a steal!) but, come on, earn the thing before you wear it. And, more irksome, there is a penchant for cutting corners like you wouldn't believe. I mean cutting out whole half blocks if they can get away with it. I'll hug corners and hop sidewalks as much as the next guy but, at a certain point, you gotta get in the full distance to have a realistic time.

The race got off on time with about 3,000 runners total. I was a bit back in the pack and it took me about a minute to get through the starting gate. That initial crowd was a bit of a pain for me since I really wanted to hit a steady pace to start. I had my iPod on and trusted the shuffle option.

The weather was cool with that morning mist/fog near the cliffs. It was clearer in the streets of Miraflores, particularly as the morning drew on. (Here are some photos of the event that give a good idea about the conditions.)

After about a kilometer and a half the pack thinned out and I was able to find a good spot to work in. The start of the race was almost entirely uphill, which was good given the initial adrenaline rush but bad after the first big turn where you got out on this street and the reality of the race hits you. Luckily, my iPod decided to play Love and Rocket's "Ball of Confusion" at that point and I slipped back into indestructible mode.

Over the course of the thing, I found my pace was changing with the music but thats OK cause the elevations - although none were extreme - were monkeying with it too. I just tried to keep a steady even rhythm and not overextend on my stride. I kept a running inventory of my danger spots - the toe, the knee, the stride - but things stayed humming along pretty well. I dropped my iPod at one point so there is probably an iShuffle in my near future.

I really started feeling the toll of the thing at about the 2/3 mark. Luckily, the Nine Inch Nails came on and gave me a God-like adrenaline boost I sorely needed but, on the downside, it probably arrived about five minutes too early. I didn't have as much in me for the finale as I was hoping. I stroked it home but not with anything truly special.

Afterward I had a bit of ache in my knees standing in line waiting to get my post-race goodies (everyone got a medal!) and I took a huge honking nap in the afternoon. But no knee pain, no blister issues and no suprise aches at all. But, oh yes, I am certainly creaky and moving slow. All in all a good effort. A solid time to base the rest of my training on and a good performace to measure what needs to be done in the future.

For now, I take a week off. I am heading to Ecuador on work and so running will be out of the question (the altitude different makes it inadvisable as well). I will get back to Lima at the beginning of June and re-start training then.

Week Wrapup

Distance: 20 kilometers (12.42 miles)
Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Comments: Strange week. Not the most auspicious for preparing for my first 10K in years but I guess I can't be picky. It would be a bit naive to expect my 37-year-old body to respond to race training like it did two decades ago.

I didn't complete a single workout I planned on when I set out on my individual runs but, looking back at the week in retrospect, I probably trained harder than I should have - particularly in light of my illness last week. I have felt pretty sore the last two days and have slept inordinately hard at night. That's not what I need to be doing before a race.

Injury wise there is good news and bad news. The bad news is that I have developed a real blister issue on my left foot. I will be going into this race with two toes rubbed raw and in a spot where the band-aids tend to come off after about 20 minutes of running. The logical option, tape it better, has led to other spots being affected.

The better news is that my knee has not been a problem at all. No real aches or stiffness either during the runs or afterward. I have even played around with some range-of-motion exercises searching for the "hot spots" but have come up empty. Again, I am not about to declare this thing "solved" but it is the best progress I have made in years.

So now I just wait and take it easy until the race itself. I already have a bit of pre-race jitters and that's not helping my anxiety about my blisters and my conditioning. But there is nothing left but to see the thing through now...

Fitness Run

Distance: 6 kilometers (3.7 miles)
Time: 30 minutes
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather Conditions: sunny, warm, 70s, late morning run
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru

Comments: Another good day running sidetracked by blisters. My goal was to put in the 45 minutes and it felt very possible running wise but at about the 25-minute mark my toe started to feel raw and I stupidly held off another five minutes before dealing with it. Now both my pinkie toe and the next one have raw spots and I have only two days until my race.

The problem is that the point of contact between them is such that it pushes a bandage off after any prolonged running. The bandages - now a band-aid held in place with a strip of medical tape - may work to cover the bad spot but they also create other points of friction as well.

So now I haven't run a decent long run in half a month prior to this race. That's got me a bit worried. And the pre-race jitters probably are only going to get worse from here on in.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4.2 kilometers (2.6 miles)
Time: 20 minutes
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather Conditions: sunny, warm, 70s, early afternoon run
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru
Secret weapon: none

Comments: The good, the bad and the ugly of runs. 

The good was I started strong, held a good pace and felt I had scads of entrgy. The bad was I got another blister from the bandages intended to protect from the prior one. The ugly was giving in at the 20 minute mark rather than go the whole 45 minutes I intended

So what happened? Well, I started great and was in the perfect mood to run. The glorious boon of a sunny fall day in Lima just added to that. But, I added a few things to my repertoire that caused problems. First was the blister taping. A single band-aid on the pinkie toe doesn't do it. But, now, it looks like the medicine tape rubs the bottom of the next toe raw. 

Next, I wore a butt pack for the first time and it needed a ton of ajusting to fit right during the run. The addition is to carry some of the stuff I will be needing as I start to get into longer runs. Working through the problems these changes bring is to be expected but it really kept me from a satisfactory run today.

And so, when I stopped to address the pain in my toe I just let the run go. Prior to that, though, I ran a strong pace for the whole way - probably 2/3 my race pace or so. Pushing that pace across a full 10 kilometers is going to be a real test of my ability at this point and, to be totally honest, right now I am more than a little bit anxious about it.