Wednesday 11-1-07

Since I decided to let my left heel rest for a few days, I did not run today. I instead went to the Y and did an elliptical machine workout for 45 minutes. At the speed I was going it worked out to 4.3 miles traveled.

Tuesday 10-30-07

Although the past couple of runs have been good ones, I believe I have hurt my left heel. It appears to be some kind of bruise, maybe just a stone bruise. But, in either case, the pounding hurts it. I have had to alter my running style to avoid the pressure on it. When I run up on my toes it relieves the pain but it is not a natural running position for me and is probably going to cause other problems. I ran an easy 3 miles this evening but after today I have decided to let my feet rest for a few days. I am not going to run again until this weekend. Hopefully this will give the bruise (if that is what it is) time to heal.

Monday 10-29-07

My training schedule has gotten a little out of sync the past couple of days but I am still going to maintain the minimum distances so I guess it really doesn't matter. I have been out of town today so I ran in the afternoon in the hotel fitness center on the treadmill. I typically hate running on a treadmill but I was determined to make this a beneficial workout. I somehow sense my training becoming stagnated and a creeping fear that I am not getting in proper shape for the marathon is growing. I decided to go ahead and do Tuesday's 7-8 quality run on the treadmill so I could get a better feel for my speed capability. I varied my speed from 6 mph to 8 mph for various periods of time as well as throwing in a few changes of incline from 3-5%. I ended up running 8-1/4 miles at a little over a 9 minute per mile pace. I am pretty psyched about it because I was able to see an improvement in my leg strength and ability to recover from a winded state. Man, it is hard to believe those runners averaging 6 minute miles because at the 7-1/2 minute pace I ran it felt like the treadmill was about to throw me in the floor. This was a another milestone workout for me.

Sunday 10-28-07

No running today but my son and I rode our bikes on the Riverwalk. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time. We rode from downtown to Ft. Benning and back for about 27 miles. I will probably let this count for my weekly cross training day and run instead on Monday. I have managed to stay on my marathon training schedule as I finish up week number 10. Only six weeks to go for the race in Huntsville, AL on December 8th.

Saturday 10-27-07

I was back at the Riverwalk this morning for a long run. It was a beautiful morning, a little chilly with temp around 48. My plan called for a 15-16 mile run and I managed to make a little over 16. I ran from Rotary Park to Ft. Benning and back. There wasn't much traffic out there this morning. I met a few runners and cyclists but otherwise it was a quiet time on the river. I felt good that I was able to complete this run, but my feet and legs really hurt by the end. My left heel took a beating causing me to alter my running style to move the impact to another part of the foot. I hope this pain will subside as I pile on more mileage and better condition my feet.

Friday 10-26-07

My training schedule got off track slightly this week and this is supposed to be a rest day. I ran an easy 4 miles, however, since I missed Wed. run. Tomorrow is a long run ( 16 miles) so I need to get psyched up for it.

Thursday 10-25-07

After taking off on Wednesday, I was anxious to get back out and put in the miles today. I got up before 4:00 and was out the door before 5:00. It was a beautiful morning, temp around 45, clear with a gorgeous full moon. I ran 7 miles in 62 minutes for less than a 9 minute per mile average. It was a great run and a great start to the day. My training schedule calls for Fridays to be off days but since I skipped Wednesday I will probably run tomorrow. Saturday is a 16 mile day so I need to get pumped up for that.

Tuesday 10-23-07

After the 1-1/2 hours of cross training yesterday evening I wondered how I would do on my quality run this morning. I was tired. I did make 8.3 miles in 1:20 which is much slower than I wanted to run but two factors played in today; tired legs and very humid weather. The high humidity zapped my strength. At least this run is over now, thank goodness.

Monday 10-22-07

Today was cross training day for 90 minutes. I swam for 30 minutes after work then rode bike on Riverwalk for an hour. Weather was threatening rain but I made the whole ride without any. The swim went well as I covered 3/4 mile in 31 minutes which is the fastest pace yet.

Sunday 10-21-07

I slept late today and we got up and went to church. I ran in the afternoon, around 5-1/2 miles. I felt good; it was one of the better runs in a while.

Saturday 10-20-07

What a beautiful morning we had here today! Clear and temp in the low 50s. The best running weather yet. I went down to the riverwalk at Rotary Park and set off on what was to be a 10-11 easy run. I felt pretty good and ended up running 12 in under 2 hours; 1:51:51 to be exact. I can tell my endurance is growing. Two weeks ago I ran the same course and ALMOST DIED! This week was much improved. Left side still hurts with a vengeance and left achilles starting cramping towards the very end but in all it was a good run. Passed my friend Mike for the third time in as many weeks just finishing his run as I started. He is a good runner, his endurance amazes me.

Thursday 10-18-07

I ran today after work. Weather was threatening rain but held off for the run. A tempo run was scheduled and I attempted to pick up the pace and turn in a faster time. I managed to cover 6.8 miles in 62 minutes for a 9:07 average pace. I was hoping to be able to break the 9 minute threshold but I was running about as fast as I could. More runs like these, however, are going to increase my stamina significantly. I considedr this to be a successful run.

Wednesday 10-17-07

I was lazy this morning so my running was put off until after work. I ran 5 miles in the evening in 46 minutes. Not too shabby. I don't typically like to run at this time of the day because of the heavy traffic in Midtown but sometimes that is the only way to do it.

Tuesday 10-16-07

The run this AM was tough. I covered 7.6 miles which was not difficult in itself but my legs were feeling the effects of the workouts Monday. Starting out, however, I felt good for the first two miles but it went downhill from there. In addition to that, the course I ran had a couple of hills that are difficult. For the most part this was a disappointing run. Weather was warm and humid.

Monday 10-15-07

Monday is cross training day and I swam for 30 minutes and biked for 40 minutes. Both workouts were great and I feel much stronger. My side feels MUCH better. There is almost no pain in my groin and lower abdomen. I have been praying for God to heal this injury and I have faith that He is doing just that. Tomorrow is an 8 mile faster run so I hope my legs hold up.

Sunday 10-14-07

I went for an easy 4 mile run this evening. It is so nice to be able to exercise in the evenings without worrying about heat stroke. I was pretty tired. I guess the long run yesterday took a lot out of me.

Saturday 10-13-07

Every long run I do now puts me past the point where I have ever run before. Way back in high school when I ran cross country I did some 8-9 mile training runs but nothing longer. Today's run of 14 miles is another milestone. I actually felt pretty good considering my aching groin and feet that have never run for this long. I'll admit the 2:16 time set no blazing pace but I was running with more spring in my step...a far cry from the dead man shuffle I was doing last week. I ran at the Riverwalk starting from Rotary Park and heading south to Ft. Benning and back. There was a Juvenile Diabetes Foundation function at Rotary Park this morning so it was pretty crowded. I am now rested, fed and ready to go watch with my friend Paul the Tide play Ole Miss on TV. ROLL TIDE!

Thursday 10-11-07

For any of you golfers out there, you know the feeling when you hit the ball well. It is what keeps you coming back for more. The club face makes contact with the ball in the "sweet" spot and the sound is perfect...just a solid "tink" and the ball travels straight and true. Well, this is the way I feel when I have a good run and it has been a while since I felt that way. This morning I had that feeling after my tempo run for the week. It was a great run; 6.7 miles in 61 minutes. I had misgivings about the run before I started because I ran last night and when I went to bed, I was feeling sore and tired. Praise God for the strength to run this morning!
How was that for melodrama! Maybe a little, but it was a great experience and it motivates me to push on toward the marathon goal.

Wednesday 10-10-07

I was lazy this morning so instead of running, I slept. I did run when I got home after work; 4.1 miles in 38:45. I felt no different than I have; same aches and pains in the usual places.

Tuesday 10-9-07

Today's plan was for a 7-8 mile quality run so I was out a little earlier for a longer, tougher run. I actually made 8.2 miles through Midtown Columbus, this run was one of the best in a while. With a time of 1:18, it was still a slow 9:30 pace but that was with three 1 minute walking sessions mixed in along the way. If I can keep the pain in my side at bay and toughen up my feet without hurting them, I may be able to run this marathon.

Monday 10-8-07

Today's marathon training schedule calls for 60 minutes of cross training. I swam for 33 minutes at lunch at the Y covering 3/4 mile. I plan on riding my bike tonight to finish up the 60 minutes.

Later in the day...
After getting home from work and preparing dinner, I finished my 60 minutes of cross training with a 30 minute bike ride to downtown and back. This is the first time I have been on my bike since the Ft. Benning triathlon this summer. I felt great, having more strength in my legs than I remember.

Sunday 10-7-07

The easy run of the week was today. 4 miles. I felt better than normal; certainly better than yesterday. I almost got run over again by the ever-present motorist failing to look right at an intersection. I guess I'll learn just to run around behind idiots like this instead of trusting them. The Lord was with me again.

Saturday 10-6-07

I am really getting into the meat of my marathon training schedule now. Today is supposed to be a 12 mile easy run. Next week has two days of fast runs in the 6-8 mile range. So, you can see, it is time to see what I am made of. Well, the run today did little to boost my confidence concerning my ability to complete a marathon. The run went poorly, to say the least. My plans were to run the Riverwalk starting at Rotary Park and heading south for 6 miles and then back. I was prepared for the weather with my Camelbak (temp was in the mid 70s with high humidity). From the first steps, I knew it was going to be a long run. My legs felt like lead and my side hurt. That is the way things went for the entire run. And to make matters worse, my left shoulder pain came back and nagged me most of the run. To sum it up, this was not one of my better runs. I hope I can bounce back and keep up the training but this was a lousy excuse for a marathon prepping run. On the bright side, though, this was a great course and made running much easier. Up until now, I have been running on the streets and dodging out-of-control drivers. This gets old, especially once you get really tired.

Thursday 10-4-07

Today was scheduled for a 5-6 mile tempo run. The purpose of this type of run is to stretch your cardiovascular capacity by forcing you to run more out of breath. I have been able to do this in only a limited manner as other things have held me back such as pains in my side, legs and feet. I did run a good 6-1/2 mile course including the big hill on 13h St. but my average speed was still more than 9 minutes per mile. My goal is to run these tempo runs in less than a 9 minute mile.

Even so, I feel like I am getting stronger. I am praying that God will take away this pain in my left side/groin. I go to an internist in two weeks to get it looked at but I do not want to have to stop my training to get it worked on. Unless the doctor says there is a serious problem, I am going to keep running with the pain.