Saturday 6/7

No run. Couldn't race. Very disappointing day. Woke up still sore and knew that if I ran, it would only make things worse. It also took just about all the will power I had not to go out for a bike ride. I hate days when I can't exercise. It drives me completely insane, but I felt like even riding my bike might make things worse.

Friday 6/6

No run. Too Sore. I knew if I ran it would make the problem worse. Still holding out that I may wake up Saturday with everything feeling better.

Thursday 6/5

Still sore today. Can't seem to shake it. I iced after my run yesterday and have been spending some extra time stretching. Woke up early and did an easy morning run before work to try and avoid the rain. Kind of worked but not really. The precipitation gradually picked up from a light mist in the first mile to a steady rain for the last two miles, but it wasn't a major issue since there wasn't a downpour and temps were in the low 60s. However, the weather didn't do much to raise my spirits. As far as running goes, I've been feeling like I've been in a bit of a funk since Tuesday Morning. Starting to question whether or not I'll actually be able to race Saturday.

I kept the pace slow again today at just about 6:00 pace and backed off the miles a bit. 8 mile out and back along the Charles in 48:14.

Wednesday 6/4

Another rocky start to the day. I was able to fall asleep earlier on Tuesday, but I was still sore when I woke up today. I could hear the rain outside, and a weather check told me, it was likely to continue for the morning and let up in the afternoon. So, I decided to hold off on the run until after work. By this point in the week, I am starting to get pretty nervous about the upcoming race and the state of my legs. I'm worried that I may have done one track workout too many in preparation for the race this weekend since I am still sore. It may have been better to just roll a tempo last weekend. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now. All I can do is try to give my legs the best chance to recover. That was the major factor in not running when I got up. Had it been sunny this morning, I probably would have gone out for my run, but running in heavy rain always seems to take the snap out of my legs for a day or two. The last thing I need right now is to compound the issue. Looking at the weather report, I may not have much of an option for Thursday and Friday though.

Still a bit sore after work when I ran, so I slowed the pace down to 6:0X for today. Trying to get ready for the race this Saturday. 10 mi out and back along the Charles in 61:02.

Tuesday 6/3

Just an all-around "meh" kind of day. Tried to go to bed early on Monday night, but ended up just lying in bed trying to fall asleep. Woke up for my run today with my legs feeling sore and tired. Decided to hold off for a lunch run since I had plans for after work. Things got hectic at work and leaving for lunch at all was out of the question. So, I had to postpone my plans until Wednesday to make time for a run.

The run itself was fine. Weather was great at 70 and Sunny. I still wasn't feeling back to 100% from the workout on Sunday and didn't push the pace. I tried to focus on running even splits which didn't really work out as I let off the pace a bit too much in mile 7, but I did manage to keep 8 and 9 (normally my slower miles) in line with the earlier miles. 10.4 miles in 58:24

My legs felt really tight a few hours after the run, so I went for a walk along the water in the North End to try and loosen things up. In retrospect, I probably should have held back more on the run today. Since the race this Saturday will be my first race of the year and will likely be my best chance for a fast 5k this summer, the paces I run during my training runs in the week leading up to it don't need to be anything special.

Bed early to try to get off to a better start on Wednesday.

Monday 6/2 - Plus some pics

I figured today was going to be a fairly rough run. I put in a quality effort during the workout yesterday, and today was the first day that temps hit 80 while I was running. Therefore, I was expecting a slogging run, but I was actually pleasantly surprised. My legs were tired, but not as sore as I was anticipating. I got out for a decent walk around the Boston Common at lunch which loosened things up. The first 5 or 6 miles of my run felt great. I held a normal training pace with what seemed like less effort than I've been putting in recently. During miles 7, 8 and 9, I could feel the effects of the heat as the sun beat down with no cloud cover, and I slowed down slightly. I stayed below 6:00 minute pace though while keeping myself relaxed, and I was able to pull things together in the last mile when I go back into the shade. Overall, nice easy run as I recover from the workout yesterday. I did feel a little tight afterward, and I'm planning on a morning run tomorrow. So, we'll see how fast I am really recovering then. 58:57 for the standard 10.4 mile loop around the Charles.

So, the majority of my runs are on the walking/running/biking paths along the Charles River in Boston, but I haven't had any pictures of that area to post up until now. When I went for my bike ride yesterday, I brought my camera along and took a few pics to give you a sense of what it looks like around there if you aren't familiar with it.

 

  Sailboats and crew teams are very common along my route. This is near the Esplanade. 

 

 Just an example of what the paths look like.

 

Most sections have a center line which people tend to ignore unfortunately.

 

 BU Boathouse

Ha'va'd Boathouse

Sunday 6/1 - Speed Workout

Didn't get up quite as early as I hoped today. Made it to the Charlestown track by 10am though, and luckily, there weren't any games going on in the infield. There were 4 elementary school track kids doing a workout with their coach, but they were really cool. I talked to them a bit during my recoveries. They were doing repeat 100s and working on their turns.

The weather was perfect at 65 and Sunny with no wind. I will admit it felt warmer than it was with no clouds, but it wasn't an issue. After a 2.25 mile warm up at 5:50 pace, my workout plan for today was 5 x 1 Mile with full recovery of 3.5 minute rest. When I do this workout, I usually just run 1600s, but I decided to do full miles today. So, for lap splits, I just counted the extra 9 meters all in the first lap since I usually start too fast anyway. For pace, I wanted to shoot for 71 seconds laps and 4:45 mile pace. Per usual, my splits were all over the place. During the 1st repeat, I started with two 69 second laps before finding the pace and finishing in 4:40. I hit my marks all the way through the 2nd mile for a 4:45. I felt good at that point, but I could tell I was going to pay the price for starting off to fast in the 1st mile. For my 3rd and 4th miles, I backed off to 72-73 second laps, and pushed the last lap to finish in 4:47 and 4:49. For the final repeat, I really wanted to bring it back down to 4:45. I was feeling fairly tired by that point and didn't think I could hold 71s the whole time. So I started off with 72s and made up the difference in the last lap to finish on pace with a 4:45. (4:40, 4:45, 4:47, 4:49, 4:45)

My pacing was inconsistent during this workout, but it averaged out to the goal pace. So while it would have been nice to run evenly throughout, I was happy overall. I ran some good splits for my current fitness level, and it felt like a very solid effort. I could definitely feel the effects of the workout during the 3.25 mile cooldown as I slowly made my way home at ancient marathoner pace. I think the average pace was around 8 minute pace. Definitely the slowest miles I've run over the last 2 years, but I didn't see any need to pick up the pace on the cooldown. 10.5 miles all together.

I also got out for an easy 15 mile bike ride later in the day. I had been sitting around doing a movie marathon all day after my workout and was feeling a bit lazy. I have also been itching to get back on the bike anyway. It was such a nice day that I couldn't resist. It wasn't much of a workout anyway. More of just a shake out. Felt really good after, so I did a quick core workout as well.