Training Summary: 8/17 - 8/23

Mon - 6 miles
Tue - 6.5 miles
Wed - 0, started and bailed
Thu - 0
Fri - 3.5 miles
Sat - 5 miles
Sun - 7 miles
Total: 28 miles

This week didn’t exactly go the way I hoped it would, but at the same time it didn’t go too bad, and towards the end I did finally start to see some light at the end of the tunnel. I already recapped my first couple runs of the week and what I did thereafter, so I’ll pick up with the last three runs of the week.

Friday was more of a test run, and it went pretty well. I wasn’t 100%, but I was the closest I’ve been since all this mess happened six plus weeks ago. I knew the real test, however, would be how I felt the next day, and the good news was I felt decent on Saturday. Decent aside from almost dying in the heat/humidity that is. I waited until mid-day to run, which just so happened to coincide with the sun coming out after a morning of hard rain, not a good combination when you’re out of shape. I wore my HR monitor, and it was pathetic. I averaged 167 bpm for the run, which is normally around what I hit in tempo runs. More on that later. I finished the week off with the longest run I’ve done since July 12th, a whole 7 miles! Again, I felt pretty good, probably even better than the two days before. The pace was about as quick as it’s been yet too, though far, far, far away from being fast (or even reasonable for that matter).

Anyway, I’m not totally willing to say that I’ve finally conquered this thing, but I definitely think I’m getting close. Now it becomes a matter of getting fit again while continuing to do the things I need to do to prevent another injury 10-12 weeks down the road. I honestly think I may be on top of that, but only time will tell. I’ve at least got a plan and have learned some valuable information (and lessons!).

I’ll conclude by saying that I have no doubt that I’m as out-of-shape as I ever remember being. My pace is pathetic and the effort required to run that pace is even more pathetic, as indicated by the HR data from Saturday’s run. I’m obviously going to have to concede the fact that it will be quite a while before I’ll be able to run fast, much less race, and I’m going to have to accept in advance that it’s going to be a long, hard struggle. If I don’t accept that, I’ll try to push too much too soon and wind up right back where I’ve been over and over again. So don’t expect anything much from me for quite a while, but if I do what I need to do, I’m confident that I WILL eventually get there. Onward!