piriformis care

My runs have slowly increased in mileage, but twinges in the morning have been keeping them spaced out for recovery sake and intimate time with the ol softball to the buttocks.  

My times have been a steady 4:04 minute km for my 15 k runs! Very exciting!  Th Th th-at's all i gotta say today!

Boston Marathon Qualifying?

Well,my last long run of 35 km was a very strong run for me.  It felt slow, but my overall time was under 3 hours.  That was quite shocking, as I am seeing the last few kilometers in the distance left to hoof out.  Then it dawned on me, what is the qualifying time for my age group in Boston, the mecca of running standards for so many endurance runners?  For me, it will be 20 minutes more than yesterday's 35 km long time at 3:20:00 .  Can I doll out 7 km at the end under 20 minutes?  Wow, suddenly that goal doesn't seem so far off!  Qualifying for Boston, although I doubt I would get there in the next couple for years, would be powerfully satisfying to me.  We will see how the next few weeks of training pan out to solidify this as a possibility.

This distance is truly humbling.  as I feel the weight of it when I set out, the prep it takes from trial and error and other runners' wisdom becomes a survival skill.  I must respect the distance as I note the toll it takes on my hips (especially after climbing stairs!) I ended up really tired yesterday and walking like a cowboys with saddle sores all day.

I am hydrating well, listening to music for maybe a quarter of the time, taking Gu at about the 1.5 hour mark.  I realize I must watch how I eat the rest of the day as it will not only affect my recovery, but I am feeling hunger all day and thirst all day long after these longer runs.  My wife noted that i expended over 2000 calories during my 35 km run!  That is almost a full day's  intake right there.  I could stand to lose maybe 8 pounds or so for speed sake, but this is new territory for me.  I ate quite randomly yesterday, which for my world is fun, but after the leftovers of my wife's birthday party are gone (including Purdy's chocolate fondue and fruit! :O ) I should really follow a plan in the next few weeks as I need to concentrate on recovery and fueling.  

Another note:

Last week as I ended my long run of 33 km, I was going up the long ill to my road and something deep in me needed a push, so I began out of gut level instincts to talk myself up the hill.  "You can do it, you can do it, you can..."  I rarely do this while running, but hill seem to do this at times to me, when I am digging deep. 

Improved Running This Week

I am happyto report a much better 33 km run (21 miles) today.  I hydrated before leaving.  I had my gatorade and ran pretty much a great run.  2 hours 54 minutes 47 seconds clocked.  That would make a 5:16 pace, which is a great improvement from last week's lame-oh.

My training for the fall marathon has taken a good turn, and I am adapting well, my hips feel releatively great and my body is not feeling as traumatized as the last week weeks.  Could hardly walk a couple hours after.  

This is me on the same route I took today.

I took a cold bath and forgot to take a recovery drink.  Oops!

10 KM time 41:49

41:49It was a good day to run.  The second half had a stiff wind into your face.  I petered out from a strong sub 4 minute km by km 6.  By Km 8 I was feeling a wee bit queezy.  All in all a strong run, I beleive I will need to lose about 8 or so pounds to top a sub 40 minute 10 km race.  My last years race time was 43:40, so that shaves off almost 2 minutes, a good improvement in a year. :)

New PR!

It just felt right.You ever had one of those days.  The sun was out, the temp was warmer and I knew if I went and applied myself I could make a PR.

New PR:

5 Km : 19:49
10 km : 41:02

This brings me so much closer to realizing my goal of a sub 40 10k.  I felt pretty tired just before the 5 km mark, but I pressed through and let up a bit adding over a minute to my second split time.  But that being said, I still rocked my previous bests.

Cycling up or Down in Training

Cycles.I found an article in my research that is helping me tremendously to understand possibly why I had injuries this year.  Its about cycles, and the explaniation is pretty logical.  I went from doing 13 km in the winter for my longer runs- 15 km to 24 km.  This buildup with no real reprieve is immensely problematic to the need for our bodies to recuperate and rest.  True of life as well. We are not machines, impervious to wear and tear.  We are organic.  Resting is a part of growing, of strengthening and of producing.  Its as important as the actual work.  Swing to either side of the pendulum and there will be trouble. So I am realizing there is much more to learn about preparing for a race, about planning for improvement and for making gains in life.  To everything there is a season.