Mon - 7 miles
Tue - 6 miles
Wed - 8 miles
Thu - 6 miles
Fri - 8.5 miles
Sat - 5.5 miles
Sun - 10 miles
Total: 51 miles
Great week! I say that not because I had anywhere near what I would call an ideal week of training but simply because I was able to run all seven days and for the second week in a row exceeded my own expectations. As far as my knee and shin, I wasn’t completely pain free, but towards the end of the week I was as close to being 100% as I’ve been in over four and a half months. I’m not out of the woods yet, but I’m definitely excited that things seem to be headed in the right direction.
In terms of the specifics, as has been the case the past few weeks, there’s really nothing worthy of mention. Basically I tried to rotate a harder day with an easier day, but everything was pretty similar. I did have a breakthrough type run on Sunday, however. The plan for the day was to hit 9 miles to cap off a 50 mile week, and to be honest I was a little nervous about it when I started. Not only was it going to be my longest run since starting back, but I had been on my feet a lot the day before and would be running lots of hills. I felt great from the start though, so much so that I decided to do my first double digit run since November. Everything after mile 3 was well under 7 min pace, and the last two were 6:31 and 6:41 respectively to finish with an overall average of 6:55 per mile, no easy feat after an opening mile of 7:51 (the Pace Nazi would have been proud!). I felt like a real runner again, and most importantly I didn’t even have so much as a twinge from my knee or shin. I did get fussed at by my loving wife when I finished, and she was right to do so. I’ve made a pledge to be smarter, and this was definitely on the aggressive side. It’s ok every now and then, but I need the reminders so I don’t start to do it consistently.
Anyway, the plan for this week will be to hit similar mileage with maybe a slight increase to the mid-50’s. I really didn’t expect to hit 50 miles for another week or two, so I see no need to go beyond that for several more weeks. I’ll probably even take a drop-back week before too long just to be on the safe side. In the meantime, I want to start working on the quality of my runs. I’ll start out by doing a few strides this week and go from there. I definitely want to ease back into faster running, but at the same time I want to start incorporating it as soon as possible to help with my form and efficiency. I feel like I’m finally making some progress both in terms of my injuries and my fitness level, so I just need to be patient, always err on the side of caution, and let it happen. Hope everyone has a good week!
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