Everything You Didn't Want to Know About My Runs

Upper body workout.

Lower body workout plus 30 min on stationary bike.

 Had a minor medical procedure last Saturday which has put me out of commission for a while.  The workouts actually make me feel better so I'm back at it. 

60 minutes on stationary bike.

Lower body workout.  Gym was packed this morning.  January is always the worst month.  It will die down in a month or two.  Had two groups of people monopolizing the leg press machines so I had to do an alternate workout but later there was competition for the quad machines.  I had to do my single leg lifts on the double leg machine.  No big deal.  

30 minutes on exercise bike. 

Yesterday we woke up to a dead van battery and I felt like crap.  Sore throat.  Headache. Tired. So I skipped the workout.

Today I did upper body.  I'm getting stronger.  Particularly in my arms where I don't need it as much.  I don't know why my arms respond so much better than my chest and shoulders.

30 minutes on the stationary bike.

Hamstring pain was back after my lower body workout.  I had wanted to do leg presses which seem to help.  What really seems to get it is driving for 30 minutes with the seat warmer on.  I may need to drive with an ice pack, but I'll have to wait until it warms up. 

Marathon is less than 20 weeks away.  Time to start training or to decide I can't run it this year. Nothing I've done or not done has made much difference with the high hamstring tendinopathy.  It comes and goes.  It felt the very worst when I sat around and did nothing for a week while I had the flu.  It seems to go away the day after doing leg presses--which hurt like crazy on the first set.

I've been doing a lot of strength training and a lot of stationary biking.  I'm stronger, a little bit lighter, and a lot less fat.  I decided the hamstring pain is there no matter what I do so I might as well try running and see if I can manage it or if it gets a lot worse.  I did 30 minutes on the rowing machine.  I decided that isn't the best thing to do for the hamstring.  Sitting seems to be the very worst thing for it.

Then I did 3 miles on the treadmill.  I did them at a 10mm pace--which was still easy, but I tried to keep my turnover rate high.  My cycling cadence has been 90 so I think I was at that tempo, but I wasn't measuring it.  I do know I would slip out of it if I didn't focus on it.  It felt good to run, but it got difficult after a couple of miles.  I guess there really is no substitute for running.  I actually started to stitch a bit towards the end.

First run in my new flows.  So far, I love them.  They are so light.  I could feel how my feet were striking much more than in any other shoe I have ever worn.  It seemed to help.  I need to give them a few more runs to make sure it isn't just because I want to love them. 

The hamstring hurt a little bit, but the rowing contributed.  The ankle was fine--which was very nice.  I'm not too excited yet because it was only three miles, but hopefully the strength training will solve the ankle and shin problems.  I probably need super advanced physical therapy for the hamstring thing.

Upper body workout then 3 miles on the treadmill.

Left shoe was too tight and my foot was hurting.  I hope it isn't a problem with the shoe.  Next time I'll try not to tighten it too much and see if it is better.  I still love the right shoe.

Was a little warn out from the weights and I felt a little sick while running--mostly because I had water with me and drank too much after 5 minutes.  I stopped drinking water and felt better after a while.

Hamstring was not quite so bad this time.  I think the rowing was a major contributor to the pain last time. 

Lower body workout.  Didn't get to the gym until night time and only had time for the workout. Workout was very intense, though.

Upper body workout.  Did the shoulder-heavy workout.

Then ran for 35 minutes. Just tied my left shoe normally without tightening it and it was great.  I love these shoes.  Ran 10m/m for 10 minutes, then 9:13 for 5, then 8:57 for 5, then 10 for 10 more with a 5 minute walk.  Hamstring hurts a little, not as bad as last week, though.  Legs were a little sore from playing basketball/floor hockey last night.  There was some very minor ankle soreness.  Whoops.  No more basketball.

Oh, I almost forgot.  Before my hamstring-induced-hiatus, I was trying, and struggling, to work on a 180 bpm cadence.  I've been doing a lot of cycling at a 90 bpm cadence (which is the same thing when you count one full pedal revolution.)  Last week, when I was running on the treadmill I tried to run at the same rate and thought I was close because it seemed like the same turnover rate.  I also said I had no idea, though because I wasn't using a metronome.

Today I realized I was on a treadmill.  With a clock.  I could just count my steps for a minute. So I counted left foot strikes for a minute and was dead-on 90.  Amazing.  Like before, I had to concentrate to keep that rate up at 6 mph--especially later on.  However, at the higher speeds it didn't require much concentration at all.  I was excited about that.

Lower body workout (3 sets):

Single-leg leg press: 15-20 reps

Fast squats

Single-leg hamstring curls: 15-20 reps

Partial leg lifts: 15-20 reps

 Rubber-band side steps: 20 in each direction

40 step-overs

I used to just do 2 sets.  Today I did 3.  I was sweating heavily by the end of the third set.

Exercise ball crunches

Planks 

30 minutes on stationary bike. 

Upper body workout then running.

3set circuit:

• Chest press
• Lat pull-down
• Front shoulder rows

2 set circuit:

• Flys
• Weight-assisted pull-ups
• Shoulder press

2 set circuit 

• Curls
• Tricep Press 

Marathon Training

Weighed in at 192 lbs this morning. 

3 easy miles on the treadmill.

I ran at 5.5 mph pace with a turnover rate of 174 steps/minute.  It was hard to keep the cadence up to 180 spm at this pace and my heart rate went over 160 on the last mile. I think I need to relax the cadence on the easy days. 

I was going to alternate shoes today, but I left my flows in my bag. Whoops.

Did a lower body workout:

Squats

Step-up

Hamstring Curls

Single-Leg Squats for balance

Then the spreader machines that are kind of embarrassing to be seen on.

Then I ran 5 miles on the treadmill.  First mile was at 6 mph.  2-4.5 were at 6.5.  Then finished the last half at 6.0 with a 5 minute cool-down.  It was hard to keep the cadence up, and I had to concentrate to do it, but I think I did OK.  It feels good to run, though. 

Core workout then 3 mile recovery run on treadmill at 5.5.

Upper body workout.  No running today.  Fast miles tomorrow and long run Saturday. 

Since I love my new shoes (last years Pure Flows), I decided to try to get another pair before they disappear.   I found a deal on Amazon and picked up a pair for $60.

Sick today.  No run.

Ran 10 on the treadmill.  I haven't run that far on a treadmill since ever.  I haven't run that far on any surface in a long time.  My St. George Glyceryns are done.  My feet were feeling funny and going numb after just a mile.  I switched to my Ghosts after 2 miles.  I'm going to need another pair of long distance shoes.   Not sure what to do yet--I don't really want to throw down $140 for a new pair of Glyceryns.  For now, the Ghosts will have to do.

3 treadmill miles on my new green Flows at recovery pace.  I really dragged my feet getting going this morning.  I had a dentist appointment at 8 and was wondering how much I could get away with doing beforehand.  The inner turmoil went on until the gym was no longer an option.  Soon I would be running out of time to run at home.  I went for it and ended up being 10 minutes late to the dentist with teeth not as clean as I would have liked.  

 (Going to the dentist is always like taking a final exam where I haven't done any of the homework.  This time I didn't even cram.  Every time I swear I'll do better and the next appointment will be different, but it never is.  My bedtime routine is almost always to brush as fast as I can and then floss tomorrow. Maybe I need a flossing blog so I can be held accountable somehow.  But who wants to read that?  Of course, who wants to read this?)

 Weighed in at 195.  Ate way too much this weekend.  Way too much.   I'm going in the wrong direction.

Leg workout and then 5 miles on the treadmill with a 1/4 mile cool-down.

Upper body workout focusing on shoulders.

 3 treadmill miles at conversational pace.  (11 mm) 

Lower body workout.  Left quads are stronger than right.  Is that because my left hamstring is tighter?  I need to stretch, but stretching seems to aggravate the hamstring thing--which seems to be getting better since I started running again.

Ran 5 miles on the treadmill. 

Upper body workout in the morning, then I had to run up to Layton to watch Jane's cheer competition.  She was really good. 

I ran outside for the first time this year.  It is always a shock to run on the road after a month or so on the treadmill.  The sun was out.  It was nice.  I'm trying to keep my long runs at about a 10mm pace.  I ended up averaging about that, but my pace varied with the terrain.  I tried to focus on cadence.  It was more difficult to keep up than on the treadmill.

I don't know what the new shoes are doing to my feet, but my feet were sore and numb for the first 5 miles.  It is like they are ruining my older shoes.  I don't know if it is that my other shoes are worn out or something else.  I have run on shoes that were gone before and didn't have these kinds of problems.

The hamstring flared up more.  I think it was the strain of running outside and uphill more than the distance.  I ran farther last week on the treadmill without much trouble.  I expect this to be with me the whole time.  I was encouraged that it seemed to be getting better, but I'm not optimistic enough to think it will just go away. 

Strava

Core workout.  Legs are still sore/tired from Friday and Saturday.

Ran on treadmill.  

10 minute warm-up.  

4x5min at 9mm with 3 min rest.

15 minute cool-down. 

194.5 lbs 

Recovery run on the treadmill at home.  My feet were going numb, but this time in my newest shoes.  

Upper body workout.

6 treadmill miles.  Since I learned the foot problems weren't shoe-specific, I decided to try the Glyceryns again.  No numbness today.  I can feel the cushioning like I didn't before I started running in the Flows and it felt nice.  Maybe it is just I am paying more attention to my feet now. While they do feel nice, they also do feel pretty worn out.

I was planning to run a little faster than 10mm and I did for 5 minutes after a 10 minute warm-up, but after the weight training, it was too much and I had to keep it slow. 

Lower body workout.  Increased the weight on my squats by 20 lbs.  10 more on step-ups. 10 more on adductor exercises.

5 miles on the treadmill.

I'm 42 today. 

I'm two days into my 43rd year and I've already put in over 17 miles.  I think I've run more in my 40's than every other decade combined and I'm only three years in.  I also set a new treadmill record.  It felt good.  Until I was finished.  I should have taken an ice bath, but it was late.

Lower body + core workout.

3 sets:

• Single leg press
• Fast squats
• Single hamstring curl
• Short motion leg lift
• 20 side steps
• 40 step-overs

Had to find alternate machines for my third set.  I hate that.  And I hate it when people camp out on stuff. 

Core workout.

8 miles on the treadmill.  Miles 3-6 were at marathon pace--which is just over 4 hours (9:13mm) right now.

 Missed yesterday.  Was supposed to do upper body and a short recovery run.  Felt like crap in the morning.  Ended up playing some basketball with kids in the evening.  I was trying to just stand there a lot, but nobody on my team could score so I had to start asserting myself.  I was wearing street clothes and my shoes are terrible so I ended up with some toe and arch blisters. 

St. George.  Ran 5 miles with Stacie.  It was nice to run with her again.  It was also nice to run outside.

Strava 

Ran 14 miles in St. George.  It was a little cold until the sun came out, but not too bad.  After the sunrise, it was nice.  My shins were a little stiff for the first 2-3 miles, but once I warmed up it wasn't too bad.  The last couple of miles were difficult, but I focused on turnover rate and was able to push through the difficulty in spurts, but it was hard to maintain focus.  Running well takes such mental strength. 

Strava

Lower body workout.  Intense.

Treadmill running: 15 minute warm-up.  15 minute 10K pace.  15 minute cool-down.

My calves and shins were tight--especially on the right side.  I had to stop and stretch a couple of times.  It was difficult after the workout and the long run Saturday, but I'm starting to think I might be able to handle bumping up the 10k pace a notch.

Ran outside.  It was cold.  I'm not sure if you can call it running.  I was trying to go at recovery pace.  My shins felt like they were going to explode.  I've had this problem since running slow outside in St. George.  I don't know what the deal is.  Running slow should not be causing pain.  I guess I need to stretch my calves.  

My gps battery died and it looks like my phone lost satellite connectivity a couple of times.  I didn't really know how fast I was going.  When I looked at the clock when I got home, I went a lot slower than I thought.

Strava 

Upper body workout.  Was supposed to run 6-8 today, but my shins hurt and I needed to get to work this morning.

Core workout.

Was supposed to cross-train today, but I did that yesterday.  My shins are still sore so I broke out the calf sleeves.  I need some new ones.  My two pair are all stretched out.  Ran 4 miles easy and then 2 at marathon pace.  I had to stop and stretch after mile 1 and mile 2.  I'm not sure what to do about this.  I guess I'll do compression sleeves and calf stretches and see what happens. 

Upper body workout.  Difficult because I'm still sore from Wednesday.  Ideally, I'd wait another day for upper body, but I'm doing a long run tomorrow and weight training ideals must be sacrificed for run training ideals.

5 miles on the treadmill at recovery pace.  I could be running outside now, but I have to weigh several things.  One is time.  I'm already spending too much time with the increased mileage + the weight training.  Running outside requires more preparation and more clothes which then results in more laundry and more mess.  It is easier to just hop on the treadmill at the gym since I'm already there.  The treadmill also helps me regulate pace, but that is like riding a bike with training wheels.

I wore my compression sleeves for 24 hours.  I'm still wearing them now.  It helped.  My shins were uncomfortable after about 8 minutes, but not so much that they would feel like they would explode.  The pain was less intense and I got over it more quickly.  I did not have to stop and stretch at all.  Maybe the slower pace helped. 

14 miles on the road.  I started out sluggish.  I figured I'd be a little slow since I ran 6 miles instead of resting on Thursday followed by 5 yesterday.  The shins are still a problem, but not as bad as last week.  They are getting worse when not running.  I'm afraid they might force me onto a bike for a while again.

I tried a new route because I am tired of running south from my house on long runs.  I came up with a 14 mile loop that goes just inside I-215 and Wasatch Boulevard.  The last 7 miles include a double hill section.  The first bit is mostly downhill and should have been easier.  I was worried about my ability to train this hard.  At five miles I at a GU.  It made a big difference.  I took two more in 30 minute intervals.  That made a big difference.

I didn't eat a lot last night.  Last week, I had a big plate of Thai noodles the night before.  I had lots of energy last week.  Not so much today.  The lesson: prepare for the long run by fueling adequately.  I'm not as worried as I was now.

I forgot to weigh in on Monday.  I didn't expect it to be good given the St. George trip last weekend.  I weighed in this morning at 193.4.

Forgot to charge my phone and it died with half a mile to go. 

Time change screwed me up and my shins hurt.  I'll have to see about training tonight.

193.2 lbs. 

Didn't get to the gym last night.  I planned to but felt sick after dinner.

Upper body workout.  Then 50 minutes on a stationary bike at HR of 140-150.   I think I'll try swapping my easy runs for biking for a couple of weeks and see if I can get my shins to calm down.

I was supposed to do 8-10 this morning. But my shins hurt. I don't know why I thought if I just kept running it would go away, but I did and it didn't. 1.5 miles in, I just knew I had to stop. So I walked home, forlorn and dejected wondering what I am going to do about the marathon against the constant flow of the entire Albion carpool convoy.

The thing is, I need a schedule. I need a routine. Training for an event provides that and incentive for me. I can defer the marathon until next year. But what do I do in the mean time? This is so frustrating. My hamstring was finally starting to get better. And then I overdid it again and blew up my shins. Running too far too soon. I should know better. I really should.

Back to the bike, I guess.

AM -- Lower body workout

4 sets

• Box Jumps
• Stationary Lunges

3 sets

• Kettle Bell Swings
• Single Leg Squats
• Heavy Squats

PM 3 miles on the JRP

I have a half marathon in a couple of weeks.  I guess I ought to try to get ready for it.  Running was difficult, but the lower body workout this morning contributed.  Shins are still tight.  I don't know about this. 

Strava 

Core workout.

30 min on stationary bike at 90+ rpm.   HR around 160 and then dropping to low 150's.

I am really sore from yesterday. 

Upper body workout.

3 miles slow around the neighborhood.  I felt a lot better running today.  Of course, I wasn't pushing it at all.  Just ran at recovery pace.  I felt like I could just keep going when I was done--which is good because I need to up the mileage tomorrow.  I'm thinking about 6.  Maybe 8?  I have a 1/2 in two weeks so I need to do something significant.

I think I'm going to stay at the easy pace until the race and then just see what happens. 

Did an easy four mile loop twice.  I didn't really want to do the crazy hills on my normal 8 mile route so I kept it close to home.  Plus, the loop gave me the ability to drop the mileage if I wasn't feeling good.  I did feel good, though.  It was good to run some distance.  I felt better about doing the half in two weeks.  It would have been tough today.  I know I could have done one more loop, but it would have been difficult and I don't think I'd feel very good after.  A couple of weeks of training ought to make a big difference, though.

Strava 

Easy three.  Felt pretty good today.  The 8 miles really made a difference.  I actually was running at a faster pace.  That might not be good, but I just ran at the pace that felt good today.  I probably should back off that pace a bit.

Strava 

Upper body workout--mostly shoulders and back.

 Then a quick sub-4 miler.

Strava

60 minutes on a stationary bike.  Had to push hard to get my heart rate up.  It was difficult to maintain 90 rpm at the higher level.  Hamstrings were sore at the end.  Biking is so much easier than running.

Core workout.

3 miles at recovery pace.

Strava 

Last long run before the half.  I felt good about being able to do 3 more, but I was super slow today.  The encouraging part was that I was able to run harder the last three miles.

I ran with my heart rate monitor for the first time in a long time.  When I first put it on, I was getting rates in the high 160's.  I hadn't even started running yet.  There was obviously something wrong with it so I just ignored it. 

Strava 

The 10 miler was good, but my shins are flaring up.  I wore compression sleeves all day yesterday and overnight.  (I have some new non-streched-out ones on order.)  I decided I can best prepare for the half Saturday by not running.  I might do 3 miles slooooow Wednesday.  So I did my intense lower body workout today and then 30 minutes of stationary bike.

Stacie was out running this morning and I was on my way out when my 3-year-old daughter came out of her room and told me she was hungry.  So I stayed home with her.  I ended up running to the gym at night after a meeting at the school and doing 30 minutes on a bike before they closed.

Did the upper body workout I was going to do yesterday and then did 30 minutes easy on a bike.  This half marathon is going to be interesting Saturday.

This was a fun but difficult race.  This was my slowest half marathon which could be expected because it was run in a loop instead of down Provo Canyon, but it had more to do with my physical condition.  If you are reading this, you can easily check my recent running history and see how unprepared I was for this race.

To summarize how I got here: I signed up for the Utah Valley Marathon in October.  In November, my right hamstring started to hurt right at the top where it attaches.  In December I decided to stop running for a while and see if it went away.  I did a lot of stationary cycling and weight training to stay in shape.  It didn't go away.  I started running again in February to see if the marathon was still possible.  It started getting better.  My schedule called for a half marathon this weekend so I signed up for this one.  In March, my shins started hurting.  So, I stopped running again knowing that the marathon was out, but I figured I could still do this half.

The course was fun.  I really enjoyed it.  I wasn't sure what to expect for a time, but was pretty sure 2 hours was out of the question.  I really had no goals other than to finish and to line up and see what happened.  I ran this as well as I possibly could have, so while my time wasn't great, I am very happy with my performance.  If someone had told me that I would come in under 2:05 at the start of the race, I would not have believed it.

Details 

Lower body workout.  Calves still sore from the half Saturday.  I'm going to take some time off from running and then ease back into it.

Upper body workout.  I need to start doing some outdoor biking.

My shins still ache at night, but not as much.  This might be stupid, but I decided to see if running slow and then stretching would help.  Of course, running fast wasn't even an option.  I'm out of shape.  Shins still ached after stretching.  I need to give it more time.

Strava

This morning's workout:

• Weights (Upper body--shoulders)
• Running

 After the weights I did some heel/toes and then ran 3 miles.  I focused on stable core and upper body and fast feet while running from the hips, if that makes sense.  I feel slow and out of shape, but I was faster than I thought.

Strava