One Week Out

So it's race week.

For weeks, I have been hesitant to post. Not sure why. I think, in part, it is because I was not thrilled with my last weeks of the buildup. I did not pop the workouts the way I would like, and I did not roll my last long run of the cycle the way I like to (although a workout of 4 by 2 miles was fairly successful, the details of which are below.) Partially, I think this can be explained by the fact that the end of the buildup had more than 4 weeks up in a row. During those last two weeks, perhaps my body was calling out for rest.

Then, in the first week of my taper, on Wednesday, I was heading out M Street enroute to a 13-miler and felt a strain in my leg -- the kind you cannot ignore -- the pain fairly compartmentalized above the ankle. A tendon strain -- I knew it because I had felt the same thing in early 2006. Back then, as I recall, the area hurt a bit in the early minutes of a 20-miler. I thought it would loosen up, as most daily aches and pains are wont to do. Instead, I ended up walking home and not running for two weeks.

So, this time around, three weeks out from my goal race of the year, I knew the thing to do was shut down the run immediately. I iced, got on Aleve, took the next day off and by Friday I was good to go -- logging two 60-minute runs and 17 miles on Sunday to end the week.

Heading into week two of taper, the sluggishness was more pronounced than I am used to. Though sluggishness is common at this stage of the game -- the body has to readjust to lower mileage as it must adjust to higher mileage -- I felt it even more because my mileage plummeted even quicker than planned. On Wednesday, though, I met up with teammates at the BCC high school track and did my 3 by 1-mile, 10-days out workout better than I ever have: 4:59, 4:58, 4:59 in terrible weather. Compare that to 5:01, 5:04, 5:04 before running 2:29.

Of course, these are small things, but it helped put me back in a positive place. For now, let's just execute (I guess I am talking to myself now) and look ahead to Wednesday's dress rehearsal.

Oct. 19 - Nov. 1

AM 10 PM 5
T – 12
W – 13 with 8 by 2 minutes on, off
Th – 10, 5
F – 18 - 10 minutes easy, 20 minutes tempo, 60 minutes easy, 20 minutes tempo
S - 12
S – 20
Total - 105

AM 10 PM 6
T – 10 PM 6
W – 5, 10
Th – 15 - 4 by 2 miles with two minutes rest in Hains Point. Measured it out with my car. For a solo effort, 10:43 average was not bad. Got out a bit too hard in the first two reps.
F – 6, 5
S – 13
S -22
Total 108

Nov. 2 - 15
M - 10
T - AM 6 PM 4
W - AM 2, strain
Th - rest
F - 8.5
S - 8.5
S - 17
Total - 56

M - 9
T - 8
W - 9 - 3 by 1 mile with 400 jog - 4:58, 4:59, 4:58
Th - 8
F - 8
S - 7, strides
S - 14
Total - 63