Alright, It's Resolution Time

As I read my post from August 5th, I realized that I hadn't followed through on my own advice. So...this year I intend to do just that. I still dream of completing another marathon...but I'm not sure how realistic it is at this point. I know that there are somethings that I need to change...and so I will set about changing them.

Ideally, I'd like to run a fall marathon. I recognize now that might be too ambitious a goal. I'm not sure that my body can hack it. Instead, I want to finish a "major" race. Perhaps it will be a 1/2 marathon...or a 10k. To get there, I need to do the following:

1. Lose 10 pounds. At 2 pounds a week, this should be done by mid-February.
2. Lift weights 3 times per week.
3. Cardio workouts. 4-5 times per week using the heart rate monitor. These can include intense walking as well as running. The goal being fitness and avoiding the stresses of long runs while I lose the 10 pounds and strengthen my legs.
4. Have fun.

Well that's it. Those are my goals for the next month. We'll see how it goes!

Running Goals After Injury

Injuries are frustrating things, but if there is one benefit to them they cause me to do some thinking about what my goals are when it comes to running.

1. Physical Fitness. Aerobic fitness is important. It feels better to be in shape that out of shape.
2. Thinking Time. It is good to have some time alone outside to think or simply let the mind wander.
   
3. Personal Challenge. Big goals motivate me. Having never been particularly fleet of foot, running goals have generally been about distance rather than time.
4. Lifetime Sport. I want my running to be a lifetime thing. I want to be that old guy you see running.

The frustrating thing for me is that I seem to keep breaking down physically when I get up to a certain mileage...somewhere in the 10 mile long run range with a 25 mile week.

I'm not quite sure what to think about it. I completed three marathons in my late twenties and would like to do another one, but I'm not sure if this mid-forties body can handle it. This last injury I can attribute in part to not changing shoes quickly enough which can lead to shin splints, but I don't think that shoes were the lone culprit.

I need to do is think about what has changed over the years. Is there something missing?

I can think several things other than the simple fact that I am older:

1. When I was marathoning, I also went to the health club 2-3 times a week and worked out on the weight machines.
2. I was about 15-20 pounds lighter.
3. I was more flexible.
   
4. Many of my miles back then were run on a converted railroad line...which means that there was very little crown to the surface. My current routes are on the shoulders of country roads. There isn't much crown, but there is some.

So what to do? I guess part of it is reorient my thinking when it comes to running and come up with a plan that takes these things into consideration.

• Lift weights regularly. Dust off the weight bench in the basement.
• Lose weight. It's really not hard if you put your mind to it.
• Stretch. Get some information on the best ways to do this.
• Cross-train/rest more regularly. The problem is I really prefer running.
  

I also have scratched my marathon plans for this year. Instead, I'm going to try to incorporate these changes into my plans and get ready for a fall half-marathon.

Trainging Log - August 5

Went for a 10k run today. It is actually the second one since my last post. Both have felt good, but long. My left hammie is a little tight, as usual, but the shin and foot issues seem to have disappeared.

Training Log - July 26

Zoiks! Look how long its been! I ran 3 miles today for the first time in a long time. My foot bothered me for a few days...then I was on vacation...then I was lazy.

My three mile run felt good, but I was amazed at how long it felt mentally. That is one of the more curious things about running. Physically, I could have gone much further, but mentally it was a long time.

Now I'm really not sure what to do with my training. I'm going to try a longer run (10k on Monday and see how my body responds. I'm really trying to gauge just how much I've lost. If the 10k goes well, then I'll try a longer run on Saturday, and maybe I'll still enter the 1/2 marathon. We'll just have to see how it goes.

Training Log - July 8

I went for a three mile run today. Had no problem at all with the shin. The new shoes felt great. In fact, my legs felt fresh from the time off and the extra cushioning that new shoes provided really made me think that the shoes might have been part of the problem. (It couldn't have been overtraining, could it?)

I did have a small problem with my foot. I was at my mom's place last week. Every time I'm there the toes on my right foot start to ache, particularly the second toe. I'm not sure why other than the fact that she has a super thick pad under her really plush carpet. It always seems to take a few days to recover from the carpet. Weird.

Now I am faced with what to do with my training schedule. I had been up to 10 milers on the weekends, but have taken some time off. I don't want to reinjure myself, but I would like to do a marathon. I suppose I'll ease into things this week and see how it goes. The half-marathon in August may be a good barometer of where I am at

Training Log - July 7

It's been a while since my last entry because I haven't been running. I decided to wait until my shin stopped hurting completly. It took longer than I thought. It didn't actually stop hurting until about July 3. We were in the Cities and I was able to find a pair of running shoes at store there and was planning on going running after work today. Unfortunately it looks like it is going to rain. Hopefully I'll be able to get a run in tomorrow. I want to test my shin...and my shoes.

Training Log - June 25

Today is a scheduled off day. My right shin hurts simply going down the stairs. It's not bad when I am walking around. When I run, it hurts. When I go down stairs, it hurts. If I increase mileage like I had planned, I think that it will hurt more.

I'm going to cry.

Training Log - June 24

80 degrees today. I went for a three mile run. My right shin is bothering me still.

Nuts.

Nuts. Nuts. Nuts.

I should probably take a full week off, spend a lot of time icing, do some serious bike riding to maintain my cardio and then ease back into running.

I really don't want to. I want to run. If I wanted to bike, I'd be a biker.

I'm going to go pout.