Month 2 In The Books

February is at an end and it's been another successful month on the running and exercise front for yours truly. The short and sweet recap goes like this:

• Ran 128.6km, averaged 32km per week (goal was 120km, 30km per week).
• Weighed in at 193.0lbs (started the month at 195.5lbs).
• Didn't miss any runs while listening to the ole creaky body.
• Continued weight training and am seeing improvement everywhere, especially core and leg strength.

Like I said, successful.

For the month of March the goal is to average 35km per week, which will require a total of 155km of running. Now that cross-country skiing is over it means that I don't have to do back to back days of running more than once per week, and I think this will help the knee feel better. The plan is to run Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. As long as I continue to be smart about how much, how fast, how soon, and all that, I can't see why the coming month can't also be a success. The knee will determine whether or not I will be able to incorporate some better pacing, or just stick to the slow and steady routine that's been working okay so far this year.

Now I have a tonne of laundry to catch up on after two weeks of Olympics taking over my life. So what if Canada didn't win the overall medal count - a record number of Gold Medals is pretty sweet! Going from being the only host nation to not win a Gold Medal, and doing it twice, to holding the record for most home Golds in a Winter Olympics as well as most Golds ever in Winter Olympic history is not a bad consolation prize indeed.

And that hockey game was one hell of a way to cap it off!!!

Oops...

My plan for holding back during yesterday's weight training worked well and I was feeling pretty good...

... up until I got to Owen's school and took a tumble down some stairs! It was one of those accidents where time seems to stand still just long enough for one to consider all the potential outcomes while flying through the air, and all signs pointed to broken bones for yours truly. Luckily I don't seem to have cracked anything, though my left shoulder is sore as hell and I have a big bruise on the palm of my left hand that aches constantly. I did think that my collar bone had cracked when I first landed, but by the time I walked home it was feeling better and I'm quite certain that nothing is broken (other than my pride, of course).

Anyway, after that little mishap I watched Owen play scooter hockey (they sit on these little four-wheeled platforms and move an orange puck around with a paddle) at his school's Olympic celebration. His team lost in the final and they had a great time, but standing around for three hours did not do my shoulder or lower back much good. Boy, it sure sucks getting old, doesn't it?

So today I was wondering what kind of run I would have, if any. Toronto was hit by a small snowstorm and I ended up not biking to work, which would have been very painful given the bruised palm and such and I likely would have chosen to take public transit even if the weather had been perfect. The lack of biking meant that I really, really wanted to get my run in and so I trekked through the snowdrifts to the gym before lunch and had a go.

After doing some core exercises, as usual, I hopped on a treadmill and started off at an easy pace that I felt my body could handle, and that was also in keeping with the whole recovery week theme. I ran 6km at a pretty easy and steady pace setting of 6.5mph, which works out to 5:44/km on level ground and at 2.0% incline it's about equivalent to 5:25/km according to hillrunner (I always set the treadmill to 2.0% incline, and I'm starting to forget why, but I see no reason to change). The shoulder and arm didn't bother me at all, though it was tough doing some stretches before and after the run because I couldn't lean palms down on the floor or pull on my ankle to stretch the quad properly on the left side.

At least I was able to run! Here's hoping people around the city clear the snow off their sidewalks for my run tomorrow.

Recovery Weeks Piss Me Off

On my new and improved training plan (insert sarcasm on the heavy side here) I am not even two months in, still feeling pain in the ole right knee, and am finding it really hard to hold back during the recovery weeks. What's up with that?

Am I not training hard enough in the three weeks leading up to recovery time? (My answer is clearly NO!, but I do think I am training as hard as my body will allow without being sidelined with major injury or injuries.) Or, more likely, is my brain continuing to try and write cheques that my cannot cash?

Don't know how others do it, and based on the running sites and blogs that I've read over the past year or so, taking recovery seriously and actually doing it right is not an unusual issue. That being said, I am trying my best and have laid out a plan for the entire year that has me running three weeks "on" followed by a fourth week "off". And "off" is the right word, because recovery weeks are pissing me off.

Today I walked to work 6.2km, did upper body weights at lunch, and ran 8.2km home (well, to get Owen at school actually). Now that's what I call recovery! Though I must say that these recovery runs, slow and easy as they are, leave me more stiff and sore than I would like. Perhaps it's the leg weights that I've been doing that has led to this because I have not been including weight training as part of the whole recovery plan. Or maybe NOT running isn't particularly good for me, just like running too much.

Anyway, tomorrow I have leg weights on the agenda and I might actually take it down a notch and do an easy workout for a change. Things always seem to change once I'm at the gym and I end up doing more than I'd planned, but I am seriously thinking of holding back a bit. Here's hoping...

So Far So Good

The third week of February is now finished and I am staring straight down the barrel of another recovery week feeling like I don't even need it! No worries about ignoring the plan and running longer and harder than I should since I know the consequences of such a decision will be injury somewhere in the next two to three weeks. Instead, I am just happy knowing that I am on track with my training for the second straight month.

My plan to average 30km per week for the month of February is, in fact, ahead of schedule. This week I completed 39km after running the longest training run of the year on Saturday at 15km. That was a great run and felt easier than I'd anticipated, even though it included the longest and steepest hill I've ever had to run at around the 10k mark. I ran from Variety Village, where Owen has indoor baseball practice every Saturday evening, down to the Beaches and along the boardwalk all the way out to Ashbridges Bay Park, turning around at 7.5km. When I got to the descent down from Kingston Road to the shore I was really concerned about my chances of making it back up the hill without walking. I guess all the leg weights I've been doing are paying off because I made it up no problem, even if my pace slowed considerably. Not caring about pacing yet it was just gratifying to be able to run up a kilometre long hill without completely dying.

Today I cross-country skied for nearly 12km and then we all went out for a massive meal at an all you can eat place up in Barrie. I feel a bit guilty about all the food that I ingested, but sometimes you just have to.

In the coming week I only have to run 15.6km to get to my goal of 120km for the month, so I suspect I will blast past it by a few clicks. I'm limiting myself to just three runs, and won't run until Wednesday, giving me two full days off.

Also, I purchased a patellar tendon strap for my knee and am finding that the knee feels about the same when I run, but nowhere near as tight afterwards. I will continue to use it and monitor the situation for a couple of weeks before I fully decide whether it's worth continuing to use it long term.

A Typical Wednesday

And by "typical" I mean walking to work (6.5km), doing some weights at lunch (just upper body stuff), and then running home on freshly fallen snow. Seems like once a week we get some snow, it always lands on Wednesday, and I always seem to have less than ideal footing for my run home. Oh well... The picture says it all.

Although that image is from last week's run home, it's been typical for pretty much every one this year. Today it snowed all day, but luckily none of it stuck! The sidewalks were wet, and I did have to navigate around quite a bit of black ice, but I'll take today's conditions over a slushy, snowy mess any day. I ran a total of 9km with the first 8.45 on my own and the last 0.55 with my five year-old since he wanted to "run with Daddy" and told anyone who would listen that that's what he was going to do. It was fun, naturally, even if a bit slow.

Where does the time go?

Man, I can't believe I went through an entire long weekend (Family Day holiday here in Ontario) and couldn't find a spare moment to update the bloggage on my running. Between the rather disappointing Opening Ceremonies, featuring the unique inferiority complex apologetic rhyming stylings of neckbeard man and the questionable dancing abilities of our First Nations, more Birthday Parties that the boys attended, skiing, doing work for work on a weekend (blah!), and house related duties the three days just went by and I woke up this morning wondering what the hell happened.

Anyway, as far as running went I managed 6km on the treadmill on Tuesday; I walked to work and then ran over to Owen's school at the end of the day for a total of 8.3km; and then I ran 8km on the treadmill last Friday. Both of the treadmill runs were at a setting of 6.8mph and at 2.0% incline, but the Friday run felt much easier than Tuesday's for some reason. I think I was overheating of Tuesday or something. However, by Friday night my right knee was not cooperating and I was pretty down thinking that my running "career" was in jeopardy.

I am over that little lull somewhat, but I still am wondering when this bloody joint will hurry up and heal already! On Saturday morning I was faced with the prospect of missing my run, but by the afternoon I talked myself into trying it out. For the first time since last Summer I wrapped up the knee (don't even know if it helped the knee, but my brain appreciated the extra support) and decided to run laps of the neighbourhood just in case I had to bail and crawl home. I ran super slow and gingerly four times around the same rectangle for a total of 11km and even though it was near walking pace I was happy to have finished it. The knee felt no worse afterward, so I took that as a good sign, and am now icing the sucker on a regular basis. Also, I am still on track to average 30km per week for the month of February since I managed to run 33.4km during this past week (32km the week before). I just hope I can run about the same amount this week, but with less pain.

Sunday we went skiing, but because of work that I had to prepare I decided to stay in the cabin while Monica and the boys hit the trails. Giving myself the first full day off since early January was a good idea given the knee, or so I consoled myself.

Monday I headed off to the gym and did my usual leg and upper body routine. The legs are definitely getting stronger, but I am still feeling less than confident that this will provide my knee with the support it requires to finally heal completely. I will give it another month, but if I am still feeling pain at my scheduled physical in the middle of March I will ask my doctor for a referral to a knee specialist of some sort. Maybe there is a tear or something that will never heal on its own? I sure hope not, and I hope I am completely pain free by then and this becomes a moot point.

Today I had meetings all day and could not fit in my usual treadmill run so I went out in the evening. Once again, I wrapped up the knee (and thought of buying a sleeve for the knee to give me support) and ran an easy 7km while Malcolm, Owen and Monica attended the annual Scouts pancake dinner (on Mardi Gras, so I suppose it fits). The idea of eating pancakes for dinner makes me ill and I was happy to skip the festivities. I ran nice and easy at the beginning, kind of feeling out the knee, but picked up the pace as I went along. It was fun, and really, that's the best thing one can say about any run.

Registered!

Today I took the plunge and registered for my first race of 2010. It's not for a while yet, but I am very excited to run (if all goes well) my first half-marathon! It will be during the Ottawa Race Weekend on Sunday, May 30th and I can't wait.

Well, I can wait because there's a lot that I have to do between now and then to ensure that this will be a fun and worthwhile experience. It's far enough away that I can continue on my present course of building a solid base and yet comes at the perfect time, just when the base building phase is finished and marathon training begins. I don't think I will be running this race with any specific time goal in mind, but the main objective is to run it strong and finish without any injury or problem. In short, it will be a nice solid reward after many months of diligent base building.

Also, as I looked back upon the Friday treadmill run that left my right knee in a painful and worrisome state, I did some research on what the pace equivalents are on the treadmill based on incline settings. I realize that this is an issue perpetually to be debated, but I did find the chart at hillruner.com to be somewhat helpful in explaining why my knee balked. Turns out that at the 7.5mph, 2.0% incline setting that I ran at the peak of my pyramid the equivalent pact was not 8:00/mile, but rather 7:40/mile (not 5:00/km, as I believed, but the much more challenging 4:45/km). Anyway, I don't know how accurate this chart is, but I will use it to plan my treadmill runs in the future and hopefully avoid adding too much speed to my training before my body is ready for it.

Oh yeah, today at lunch I did a nice session of leg weights, and it was good! I'm slowly getting stronger, but still pathetically weak in the lower extremities. Tonight I plan on a moderate effort stationary bike ride for a half-hour, as usual.

February off to a Good Start

Week one of February has come to and end, at least from my exercise perspective as I hear there some sort of a football game on later tonight (BTW: Go Saints!). As far as my running went it was a very successful week, with and asterisk.

The success was completing a total of 32km for the week, my highest total since last summer. I am on track to average 30km per week this month, as planned. I've already posted about the first two runs of the week, but the other two went like this...

After an off day on Thursday, when I did leg weights and rode on the stationary bike for a half-hour, I hit the gym and the treadmill at lunchtime on Friday for what turned out to be 7km. I went a bit too hard in retrospect (resulting in the asterisk mentioned above) and paid for it with worse than normal pain in the right knee. I started off at a relatively easy 6.5mph and had notions of sticking to that pace for 6km, but feeling pretty good I decided to shake things up a little and ended up running a pyramid in this fashion:

• 5 minutes @ 6.5mph
• 5 minutes @ 6.8mph
• 5 minutes @ 7.1mph
• 10 minutes @ 7.5mph
• 5 minutes @ 7.1mph
• 5 minutes @ 6.8mph
• 2:14 minutes @ 6.5mph

The whole thing ended up taking me 37:14, which meant I ran at an average pace of 5:19/km. Although in and of itself this should not have posed a problem, I think the fact that the treadmill was set at a 2.0% incline means that I actually worked harder that the pace would have indicated. In any case, by the time I got home my knee was tight as a finely tuned banjo string and I was forced to pull out the ice pack for the first time in months.

By Saturday I was feeling better, though not 100%, and went out for another run through Rosedale. It was pretty cold out, but nice and sunny and pretty still. The only time I was really chilled was when I ran over a few bridges and had the wind blow right through me. I ended up doing a nice and comfortable 11km at a (for me, and for the moment) decent pace of 5:43/km.

Today we cross-country skied and it was great. It was cold when we started out (-12C), but sunny and no wind. The wax on our skis was working perfectly for the most part and we managed a really fun 13km before eating lunch and heading home.

The best part about the first week of February? I can't wait for the second.

Humpback - Summary of the Last Few Days on a Wednesday

Another Wednesday, and another successful day of exercise. Though the right knee still reminds me that I have to "take it easy" and "watch it" and "run less than you think you should", I cannot help but delude myself into thinking that all the weight training that I am subjecting myself to will ultimately shut that sucker up for good.

Case in point, for the past few days I have been feeling, and this is a poor description to be sure, somehow "properly packaged". Not almost any piece of cheap ass electronics that come in those impossible to open, never to disintegrate, clear, hard plastic, "g'damn it why won't you open without a chainsaw!!!" coverings, but rather like everything is starting to work the way it was intended to.

I had a great run last Saturday where I went way faster than I should have, but those 8.25km felt so very good, easily the best run of the year. I really felt like keeping going, but remembered that my body has a nasty way of slowing me down if I don't stick to the conservative plan and so I stopped, happy that I still had energy to spare.

Then, skiing on Sunday was fun and it was just cool to take things easy and not worry about "getting a workout", something I suffer from both in self-imposed guilt as well as physical injury. 12km on the trails with my better half while the kids were taking their lessons.

Monday I had a great leg workout at the gym (things are starting to feel like they are getting stronger, and I actually look forward to doing squats!). In the evening I rode the stationary bike for a half-hour to finish off the day.

Tuesday saw me doing more weights, this time of the upper body variety, and running on the treadmill, where I completed just over 6km holding a nice steady 6.5mph pace even though I had a huge urge to try and match the 7.0mph setting of the guy running next to me. The fact that I didn't inch my speed up to that level shows a level of maturity that surprised me. Am I actually getting smarter, or just old, lazy and complacent? Either way, I was proud to have held back. It also helped that my would be adversary had to stop and stretch out his obviously shitty hamstring at one point before making a failed attempt to resume his run. Ha!

Today was another walk to work, run home day. I walked just over 6km to the office after dropping of the boys at the school bus. I attempted to maintain a decent clip, though I was slowed down by the snow that had fallen overnight, making traction a real problem the entire way. At lunchtime I once again hit the gym for upper body weights and had a good time of it. I am even beginning to like doing ab exercises as I am really seeing progress. Now if only I could limit my intake of highly processed, and ultimately useless, carbs that six-pack of my swimming youth days may actually make a cameo. It's tough giving up sweets for me...

...because they're soooooooo sweet.

The run home from work was pretty good, all things considered. It took a while for the Garmin to locate satellites, which is always annoying, but once the watch was ready I took off at a slow and steady pace towards Owen's school. The snow from the morning, which had made walking a bit tricky, seemed to be completely gone and I was quite pleased with this until I hit the Viaduct and was faced with a slippery, slushy mess. For the entire second half of the run I had to contend with slush, snow, ice and all three combined. This made the run more of a challenge than it otherwise would have been, but I made it through OK, a bit overheated. In the end I completed a decent 8km, changed into a dry shirt at the school, and walked home without freezing my ass off too badly. Some stretching later this evening is definitely in order...

January Recap

The first month of 2010 is history, and so a recap of sorts is in order.

I started the month with the goal of averaging 25km per week, and with secondary goals of shedding a little weight while starting to improve my leg strength via a new gym membership. How did is pan out?

• On the running front I managed to amass 113.75km, which averages out to 25.68km per week. Check!
• On the shedding weight goal, I started off the month at 201lbs and weighed in this morning at 195.5lbs. Check!
• And in the weight room I am beginning to see some improvement in my leg strength even though it's only been two weeks, and four leg sessions. I think the month of February will really help out my troublesome right knee. At the very least I am sure hoping that it does. I give this one a Check! as well.

The running goal in February is to push the weekly mileage up a bit: 30km per week. I will have to run 120km this month, and given that it's shorter than January by three days this means I only have to add 6.25km to the previous month's total. Naturally it will be a little tougher because the time is compressed, but I look forward to the task. Again, the plan is to run the next three weeks at or above 30km before drawing back for the fourth week with the goal of recovery. I really have to stick to this plan because my body seems to break down after every four weeks or so of steady mileage increases, and I am determined to avoid this mistake the entire year. (Marathon training may make this a bit tough to achieve, but that is still very far off...)