Training Run

Time: 30 min
Distance: 5.5 kilometers

Comments: I woke up feeling pretty ass-like today. A bit of a headache but sinus-like, not hangover-like. Since this is a shorter day I decided to gird myself and make a go of it.So I got out and got warmed up and started slow. I didn't eat super well yesterday so I didn't feel particularly strong. But, before I knew it, I was zipping along at a pretty strong pace and feeling pretty good about it. And, even more surprisingly, it didn't really fade.In the end it was a very good run and I felt better for having done it afterward. I'm a bit worried about Sunday's long effort, though.

Training Run

Time: 60 min
Distance: 10 kilometers

Comments: Well, I felt better this morning heading out. Been busy so that's kept me from freaking out a bit too much over the situation with my lower right leg.So got down to the beach and got on with the running. Good solid workmanlike effort. Not a super-powerful effort or a injury-riddled crapfest, just putting one foot in front of the other for the full 60 minutes.I'll try and crank out a half-hour effort tomorra and then gird myself for the long run on Sunday.

Training Run

Time: 60 min
Distance: 10 kilometers

Comments: A strange run. Felt strong and ready for it but these nagging injuries/anxiety really are throwing me off my game. I've got an interview tomorrow morning so I juggled the schedule around a bit. That meant bumping up the mileage today in case everything gets crazy later in the week. And, since I was going to put in a full mile I took it down to the waterfront.The idea being the dirt surface will be nicer to the oddness in the ankles. Despite that, there was a stretch a third of the way in that was not pleasant at all. But it eased up and the second half of the run went pretty much ache-free.I'm hoping the mid-week rest day does a bit of magic.

Training Run

Time: 30 min
Distance: 5 kilometers

Comments: Slow and easy. Felt strong, great form and a boatload of anxiety over my ankle.The idea is to go slow this week, building up mileage while monitoring my lower legs and put in the big run on Sunday if all goes well. On the one hand, this was a great run from a physical condition standpoint. On the other hand I'm now officially freaking out over my right ankle/shin thing.It's kinda like when you catch that first mosquito on ya and then, after that, you think they are everywhere. AUGH!

Marathon Training Summary: Week 11

Time: 2 hours 40 min
Distance: 29 kilometers (18 miles)

Comments: This was supposed to be a building week with a ten percent push on last week's effort. Instead it turned out to be a pull-back week with me coming in at about 56 percent of Week 7's total.But, unlike the dog days of June, I'm not upset over this. A bit anxious, but not upset. Well, not yet, anyways.

And now we are less than two months with a solid four weeks of work left to get to the 20-mile long run monster. Part of the reason I pulled back last week was trying to avoid the push I felt obligated to do last time at this point. I'm now convinced that hard-headed insistence on completing the two 20-milers was where my plans went most awry.So I'm babying my ankle/shin with ice, ibuprofen and prayer. I'm trying to get three stretching sessions in each day and I'm doing my damndest to stay off my feet as much as possible.My nerves, though, are a bit on edge. Need to work on that.The plan this week is to start slow and proceed in that spirit throughout the week. My original schedule called for last week to have along run of 16 miles and a pull back this week. I've bumped up the long run to the 17-miles and will try to push that effort through into next week if I can.

Injury update: I've really noticed the lower leg ache during runs and, after the effort on Thursday, there was a noticeable bruise-type pain right above the shin. That led to icing and two days off.But I woke up today feeling dragged out and tired. Headache as well. That's the classic symptoms of overtraining right there, buddy. So I popped a couple of ibuprofin and slapped the ice on the ankle and made, that the plan for the day.

Training Run

Time: 45 min
Distance: 8 kilometers

Comments: I first intended to put in a half-hour run but decided to go for the 45 minute effort I originally penciled in the training schedule. The logic being that I'll run the half-hour tomorrow if I feel good but I can now give myself two solid rest days if i need to.The run was plagued by a sore right ankle (see below) but in terms of strength and form it went very well. I can tell I am getting into my race shape at last. I just hope I can fend off injury long enough to get to the starting line.

Training Run

Time: 70 min
Distance: 13 kilometers

Comments: Didn't eat really well last night and had noticeably less in the tank than normal. Felt pretty strong but my legs are clearly worn down a bit from all the miles.So it turned into a workman-like effort. Which is good in the sense that I'm not having to grit my teeth and try and hold it together for the duration of the run like I was a month ago. It's more of a 'keep focused and keep moving forward' kind of thing. And that's good experience for the race.

Training Run

Time: 45 minutes
Distance: 8 kilometers

Comments: I was very sore yesterday and a bit stiff this morning but got out and got to it with surprising ease this morning. This was a really good strong run where I actually kind of had to hold myself back at a couple of points because i want to recover completely from Sunday's big effort and have a consistency this whole week.The one thing that is clear is I am much stronger than I was just a few weeks ago. There is power in my stride and very little of the sloppiness my runs in May and June were marked by.With this run I've totaled 122 miles for July. That's more than double the 56 miles I put in for May and almost six times the 22 miles I did in June.

Marathon Training Summary: Week 10

Time: 5 hours
Distance: 51 kilometers (32.7 miles)

Comments: A LOT of miles this week. My first time to top the 30 mile mark since last year. Although I was shooting to get regularly in the 50 miles per week range for the January marathon, I don't really plan to get this much above the 40 mile per week mark.But this week went very well. I was pretty responsive the whole way. Had a tough day, moved my extra off day to recover and came back blazin.

I also went to the grocery store and stocked up on munchies. Things are at the point that the calorie intake has to increase significantly.Overall, I feel good and I believe the rest of the training is doable. The ""parrot"" predictor is putting me at just more than a 4 hour marathon which, given my conservative estimates on mileage and pace, should put me right below that mark - my best hope for this race.

Injury update: There hasn't been any pain this week substantial enough, to call off a run or eve

A friend of mine has started marathon training using the format set by Jeff Galloway. I've given Galloway's main book Marathon: You can do it! a gander before and, I have to admit, I wasn't impressed.It's very typical of books written for novice runners in that it seems to feel the need to water down the instruction with some type of narrative, in this case a  group of runners and their progress through training for a marathon.The intent, I assume, is to create a personal connection for the new runner to help them over the psychological hump. This seems somewhat an outdated concept to me since today you have tons of very active message boards and fo

Long Run

Time: 2 hours 30 min
Distance: 25 kilometers

Comments: Now we are getting into the long runs worthy of the name. I was working all week to prepare for this bad boy and even had the pre-run insomina get me up at 3 a.m. this morning. All the carbs and stuffing my face since Wednesday really made a difference. I had what I needed to get out there and do it so the run became a battle about what I could endure.Things started off brisk and strong. I put the hills in on the front end, knowing I'd be suffering at the end. I kept a very strong pace through the first half and felt pretty confident going into Part II. Things got a bit hairy just before the 2 hour mark. My legs made me well aware of the fact this was more miles than I'd done since January. But I packed the pain into