Mileage Reporting 6th Week 2014

8km and a bit on the beach this morning. Nasty wind and a U-shaped route meant that I went tailwind, side wind, head-wind, tailwind, side wind, head-wind, with the last 2km into the wind making it a bit of a plod home.

3.5 mi / 5.6 km;
-2F / -19C;
no windchill.

Set out around 3:40am, sockless in Sockwa G4s, beautiful serenity in the cold, dark, winter wonderland. Left foot got a little numb in the big toe's met head towards the end. Much farther and I would've put on my back-up Drymax socks.

I feel like I'm starting to come out of hibernation though. Hopefully I can get in 2-3 more 3-5 mile runs this week, and then start to shoot for 30mpw mileage next week when temps are supposed to get back up around seasonal averages. I can hardly wait to start running bare more consistently. My plantar skin is still calloused, but definitely thinning. Nonetheless, my new G4s have really helped me get over my aversion to running in shoes--I can feel pretty much every bump and contour underfoot, and I'm able to maintain my barefoot form/foot-landing without having to think about it.

These days I've been running without any gadgets, except for on my back-n-forths up in the fairgrounds. It's too much of a hassle to wait for the satellite lock in the cold, and there's no real need for my Garmin anyway on these shorter routes, as the distances are pretty well-known and/or Googlible. Even when I get back to longer routes, I may forgo the Garmin and just look up the route distances on Google Maps™. Perhaps my December-January slacking has gotten me into more of a Zen-like mood, helped me let go of goals and moved me even closer to doing everything by feel rather than numbers.

But without the discipline of goals and numbers, I'll need to deploy the discipline of daily practice. Run and lift everyday, but let the feeling of the day determine how far I run, and how much/hard I lift. I know from experience I need some kind of disciplinary protocol, otherwise sloth will pounce and pin me down again, for weeks, months, maybe even years. I think I'll set the daily minimum at two miles for running, and 10 minutes for lifting. It's amazing how easy it is to lose momentum after just a few days off.

Speaking of which, nothing Sunday, then yesterday, two 1-mile run-commutes and a "Push" ST session (bench press & biceps curls). Now that I'm no longer worried about weights screwing up my left shoulder, I'm edging up closer to my old maxes again. Almost got in a decent pump but I think I'll hold back for at least another week while I figure out where I'm at conditioning-wise.

My daughter says her teacher said the groundhog didn't see its shadow, so spring is on its way.

The colder weather has let up here this week so kicked of my 2014 running...keeping it short and easy for a couple weeks.

Monday 20 minutes slow pace mid 50'sF.

Today 20 minutes slow pace low 40's with a cold breezy wind...feets were cold but not numb.

sunday: swim, under an hour
2.5 mi outdoor walk/run. painful. I have a soreness that's developed from driving (I think), in my right low low back (in fact I would say glute but the muscle seems to be ok since I can do squats and other exercises without making it worse). It hurts to run, though, and I feel like I can't use my glutes as much. Pinched nerve? Dunno. But it hurts like crazy when driving.
monday: 2 mi on the square track at the gym(in thin socks, as usual), a few abs & weights, then 45 min swim
tues: swim, 30 min, then 1 mi on square track, a couple shoulder exercises, abs.

4.4 miles in 41 minutes, covering the last mile in about 8:15 because I realized I was running out of daylight and needed to get back before it got too dark on the roads.

A spectacular run to work this morning on a bright, snowy morning at about -5C. Every branch in Central Park had 6 - 8" of snow on it and, with the low sun, the scenery was gorgeous. The roads had been ploughed, but not salted, so a thin layer of ice on most of the first 3 miles kept my awareness on the surface a little more than on the scenery! The siped sole on my Altra Samsons handled the conditions fine.

Been a little busy trying to juggle family work and running so have neglected posting here. Anyhow, ran 1.611 miles of hill training today on my lunch and it started dumping snow on me. Weird....

I h

Scratch said:

4.4 miles in 41 minutes, covering the last mile in about 8:15 because I realized I was running out of daylight and needed to get back before it got too dark on the roads.

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I hate it when it starts to get dark and I'm not done yet!

NickW said:

Been a little busy trying to juggle family work and running so have neglected posting here. Anyhow, ran 1.611 miles of hill training today on my lunch and it started dumping snow on me. Weird....

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1.611 miles.... but I know that feeling of wanting every bit of credit.

scedastic said:

sunday: swim, under an hour
2.5 mi outdoor walk/run. painful. I have a soreness that's developed from driving (I think), in my right low low back (in fact I would say glute but the muscle seems to be ok since I can do squats and other exercises without making it worse). It hurts to run, though, and I feel like I can't use my glutes as much. Pinched nerve? Dunno. But it hurts like crazy when driving.
monday: 2 mi on the square track at the gym(in thin socks, as usual), a few abs & weights, then 45 min swim
tues: swim, 30 min, then 1 mi on square track, a couple shoulder exercises, abs.

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Have you done your trigger point research on the pain?

Sunday: 7.75 miles barefoot. I was going to rest again, but the weather was a sunny 45°F, so I knew I would regret it if I didn't get out. Ended up being asked about barefooting it by 2 people. I must look approachable.

Monday: 20 minute swim in the afternoon, then spin bike with hubby in the evening for 60 minutes

Tuesday: 8 miles, but 29-30 degrees with an icy wind. Dry, but I wore my Moc3's. Did a few short fartleks, or sets of strides? Can't decide if I *should* have done it barefoot at least part of the time, but I was wimpy, I guess.

Just started readying Daniel's Running Formula, 2nd edition. Am feeling encouraged by what I read, particularly after reading the part about MAF running being particularly a good way for "older" runners to train.

happysongbird said:

1.611 miles.... but I know that feeling of wanting every bit of credit.

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Oh thats just what my donation app said today (donation for each mile I run). It loads faster than my garmin, whether or not its very accurate remains to be seen.

Forgot to mention I'm kinda really digging not knowing my pace while running. I know I'm running a pretty good clip, but no idea what that clip is. Maybe I'll get a surprise come my weekend long run and will be running at a faster pace...

8km (shod) tonight with my wife in 30F. The park was still pretty, even in the dark with snow hanging heavy on tree branches. Start was a bit rough—still tired from the longer run on Sunday—but loosened up and felt good throughout.

m-weights and some body weight work.
t-just over 1hr run. a little body weight work. felt great after the run that i didn't feel like doing in the first place. so glad i did it anyhow. i've read that work out you don't want to do is likely the one you need. today that was true.

First time in years I run in the afternoon, and I did not enjoy it. My legs felt heavy.

I still managed to run 10.8km/6.6mi, first run of the week !

happysongbird said:

Have you done your trigger point research on the pain?

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nope.
gotta figure it out soon. it's getting worse and the winter isn't getting better.
lots of driving in nasty conditions.
right now I'm just trying to keep working that area and also to sit differently in the car.

It's snowing today! Glad I already had indoor spin bike on the schedule. Almost done with my 75 minutes.

If anyone is interested, the story of my batefoot walk in crocodile territory published today:

http://dailyimprovisations.com/helpless-female-goes-crocodile-hunt-costa-rica/