Back on my Feet

4.3 Miles - 34:35 - 8:02 Pace

Back at it, on this chilly Wednesday. I felt good, actually had a hard time keeping it above 7:30 miles to start, eased into it as I went though. I had all the little "I haven't run in a bit" pains, but all in all I felt good. Hammy's were still a bit tight, need to concentrate on stretching those out. I'll rest it for a few days, then get in 8 or so on Saturday.

Grand Rapids Marathon - DNF

How disappointing, I am not sure exactly how to feel right now.  I put in a lot time and effort for this race, and to have an injury bring me down.  Felt good this morning, it was a little chilly, but I was pumped and ready.  Started faster than I should have, which may have contributed to my issues.  Started at about a 7:08 Pace, why, who knows.  I need 7:15's to qualify for Boston......Temporary insanity, not sure.  I was still feeling good though.  But at mile 11 I started to feel my hamstring getting tight, it has been giving my problems for a little while, but just a small pain.  So I started to pull back a little to see if it would go away, I think I was doing 7:15's once I slowed down.  It just kept getting worst and worst, and at mile 18, it just went, my leg stiffened up and I could not longer run.

I sat down in the grass and stretched and stretched, got back up, tried to run, no way.  I hobbled along for a while trying to run now and then, I just had no shot.  Found a med station, they had no way to get me out, so I had to walk 4 miles out (I was able to bypass a 2 mile out and back) to get back to the finish......and I never crossed the line.  

Not sure what I want to do from here, this was my first marathon, I did make a mistake of going out to fast, not sure if it contributed to ending my day, but it couldn't have helped.  I will learn from this, and I will be smarted next marathon.  Right now I am thinking that Boston may not be in the picture next year, I just need to finish a marathon right now, and not worry about qualifying.

So, a massage tomorrow, take a couple weeks off to let my body heal from all the training and the hard 18 miles I did run, and start back at it slowly.

Sore Again!

4 Miles Easy - 45:40 - 8:00 Pace

I am surely getting faster, my comfortable pace now seems to be right around 8 minutes.  It used to be my mind pushing me faster, and my body pulling me back.  Today it was my body just pulling me faster and my mind slowing it up for the recovery run.

My left quad did start to hurt again, it was really sore, not sure what that is all about.

Countdown to the GR Marathon

8 Miles Easy - 1:04:30 - 8:03 Pace

Felt a whole lot better today, ran the usual 8 miles around the block, which is hilly, but my quad felt great, hamstring felt ok....really need to fix that.  Getting really nervous about the marathon, just all those, did I not run enough lately, am I running too much, what about my diet, blah blah.

Amazingly I'm still sore

4 Miles Easy - 31:30 - 7:52 Pace

Still kinda sore today, my left quad and my right hamstring.  So I only went 4, good feeling getting back on the road though, looking forward to tomorrows run being a little longer.

Tempo Tuesday

4.39 Miles Easy - 35:01 - 7:59 Pace

2.26 Miles Tempo - 15:02 - 6:39 Pace

0.19 Miles Easy - 1:39 - 8:33 Pace

0.34 Miles Walk - 5:45

1.48 Miles Easy - 11:32 - 7:48 Pace

1.00 Miles Tempo - 6:24 - 6:24 Pace

Still sore from Tuesday, this seem impossible to me, but I guess it was a really hard run.  So I cut this one a little short, about 4 miles short.  Didn't feel too bad, and my paces were really fast, but my hamstrings and quads were really sore.