Back on Track, Perhaps?

The mental shift from “no pain” to “run regardless and find ways to address the pain” may have been the kick-in-the-butt I needed.  In the last 14 days I ran a total of 23 miles in the first week and 26 miles in the second week.  So, I am back on track with my high-level training plan which calls for 25 miles per week by the end of May.  

I have had to be more intentional with stretching, foam rolling and trigger point massage.  I start out some runs with concerning discomfort as I walk out the door.  But once I get 100 meters or so into the run, I am fine.  Until I stop running and the stiffness and soreness returns.  Keeping the weekly mileage goal in mind, however, I have been finding ways to manage the discomfort and prepare for the next run.

 

The Bolder Boulder 10K is also less than two weeks away now.  I want to try to finish in under an hour.  To be able to do that, I need to keep building aerobic capacity up until the day before we fly to Colorado.  Running 4 out every 7 days has improved my pace.  My last run of 5.6 miles was at a 9:28 per mile average.  Boulder, Colorado, is about 5000 ft. higher than Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  So, I should expect to run 15-20 seconds slower at altitude.  In addition, the Bolder Boulder course includes hills much steeper than anything I run around home.  So, I expect I will need 30 seconds per mile to cover the high altitude and course elevation.  I need to run 9:41 to break an hour, so I need to train at 9:11.  I still have some work to do in the next 10 days.   But this will be a good challenge to see what my body can handle.

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