Week in Review: November 8-14

Monday November 8, 2010: No running today. Took the day off as planned. I hit the gym early in the AM before work to fit in my basic weight-lifting/ strengthening routine. Felt good but I was definitely a little sore from Sunday's run and feeling tight through my left hammy and calf. In the afternoon I did my Pedestal and Medicine ball routine. I have been really enjoying the addition of these exercises as I can thrown them in after most of my easy runs and fit them in as I please (which is usually 5-6 times a week). Thank you Jay Johnson and team for these.

Tuesday November 9, 2010: PM: Out in the evening after work for what I was hoping would be a solid workout. Turned out to be pretty disappointing. It was cold, wet, and dark by the time I headed out the door. 3+ miles of warmup as I made my way over to the track. I did 800m tempoes with 400m active rests. I had originally planned on doing 5 but ended up bagging it after just 3 (3:23, 3:20, 3:23) because my right calf was tightening up. I was able to keep my PE and heartrate reasonably low but felt as though I could not find another gear; there was a lapse between what my mind was telling my body to do and what it was willing (trained??) to do. Lots of work to be done. 3+ mile cool down. 7.5 miles total.

Wednesday November 10, 2010: AM: 5.5 miles (46min) Out the door by 4:45am for an easy shakeout/test of the legs. I felt much better then last night which was encouraging. PM: 4.5 miles (40min) Grocery run. Easy. Legs felt better once again. Pedestal and Medicine ball routine post-run.

Thursday November 11,21010: AM: 10.5 miles (1:30) No work today so headed out with Meredith for some easy miles and a few climbs after a leisurely morning. My energy was good today and my right calf was significantly better. Nice run.


(The type of trail surrounding Rice Lake)

Friday November 12, 2010: AM: Off work again today. 12miles (1:30). From my apartment I headed up to Lynn Headwaters, working, but generally just sort of cruising my way up. I was then surprised when I hit the gate in 29:30 (anything under 30 is solid for me) and the fountain in 36:30. Perhaps I was buoyed by the absolutely beautiful morning I was treated to. From there I headed over to Rice Lake for a couple mile repeats. The loop can be made a perfect mile and is constantly rolling with numerous sharp corners; it is a hard repeat for sure. First lap was 7:26 (HRA 156); Second lap 7:24 (HRA 157). My HR indicated to me that these were easy miles but I sure felt like I was working a lot harder. Legs just felt generally heavy by this point in the run. I ran the last miles home with an avg pace of 7:10 (HRA 153), however, these were downhill. Overall, a good run and the type of workout I need to be doing.


(The bridge at the entrance to Lynn Headwaters Regional Park; just after the fountain)

Saturday November 13, 2010: AM: 7+miles (1:06) Out in Port Moody doing a run clinic with IMPULSE. Easy run with lots of vertical. Fun morning exploring new areas. Each week I am amazed at the new trails we are able to find that just keep on climbing throughout the area. Core routine in the afternoon and pedestals after the run.

Sunday November 14, 2010: AM: 17miles (2:11) Another long run on the roads. I started off with Meredith for the first 10 miles. We basically just kept it tame, but honest completing the loop in 1:25. She was calling it quits after this. I quickly grabbed a glass of water and a gel from our apartment and was back at it. The goal was to tempo the next 5 miles. The first mile was uphill and just generally slow (7:47), however, the next 4 miles I found a bit of a second gear and finished them in a satisfactory 26:59 (6:45 avg pace). This was a full 1:43 quicker than I ran the same type of 4-mile tempo as I did last weekend. They were controlled but I was definitely working. 2+ miles of cooldown to finish. Followed this up with the usual Pedestal, Medicine ball and Myrtle routine for another 45+ minutes of work. Overall an encouraging workout and a good way to finish off the week.

Weekly miles: 64 (8+ hours) + lots of ancillary work
On the scale of things this was a decent week. It started off crappy but finished well. At this point I will take what I can get and what my body is willing to give. There is plenty of work to be done but I feel as though I am gaining a level of comfort with the faster miles. Just rolling with it. On a separate note I have included below a series of articles I came across this week via my usual computer time/ bus time on the iphone. Enjoy.


Articles worthy of a read:

http://wpblogs.runningtimes.com/blogs/natejenkins/ (good discussion in the October 25-31 on rest and recovery)

http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=21202&PageNum=1 (another interesting article on rest and recovery. More specifically, how many of the fueling tactics and post-run "recovery" methods that are constantly being touted as beneficial may in actuality hinder the proper process of adaptation that our bodies need to go through to improve. Really enjoyed this article as it reaffirmed many of my beliefs)

http://wpblogs.runningtimes.com/blogs/antonkrupicka/ (68 miles in one effort, solo! Shit, need I say anymore)

http://www.scienceofrunning.com/2010/11/speed-stride-length-x-stride-frequency.html (A good article on stride length and cadence. Interesting results from the study. Worth a read)