NYC: Week 1

Week 1 is in the books, but I'd probably do better to refer to it as "weak one."  The week started off well and on schedule, but some long days and then a very strange weekend culminating in an MRI on my ankles all conspired against me.  I failed to get my Sunday long run in, which is not a tragedy but weighs on the mind.

With no more planned travel or extraordinarily long days planned, I intend to get the fire lit and peel off a few good weeks of training.  It is amazing how fast one's body can betray him.  It has been seven weeks since the San Diego Marathon, and at this moment I feel like I am starting at the bottom of the mountain.  I've been here before, though.  I know what to do.

Hopefully, the MRI results won't suggest any need to restrict my training.  I really don't have time for that in my life.

110 days but a different mindset

It's almost cheating to start a new training grid on a "rest" day, but that is what Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays are for on my grid...rest or light cross-training.

Nonetheless, today is day one of a 16-week grid that ends on November 7 with the New York City Marathon.  Unlike my first two marathons, I'm starting off this training cycle a bit banged up and with concerns about my feet and ankles for the first time.

During San Diego, my left achilles tendon tightened up a bit.  I didn't think too much about it at the time, other than to shorten my stride a little bit.  I didn't want to obsess about it during the marathon because I didn't want something minor to take over my mind and make me lose focus on everything else.  Afterwards, I stretched as good as I could - considering it was hard to stay vertical in the first place - and then pretty much forgot about it.

When I ran in Seattle a couple weeks ago, there was tightness in the calf and achilles noticeable, but I stretched it a little afterwards and then shrugged it off.  Last week, I ran two times - only four miles each time - but the second time my calf tightened up big time.  Five days later, it is just now loosened back up but not 100%.

I also finally got the knobs on the front of my ankles checked, and the orthopedist is calling it anterior tibialis tendonitis for now.  However, she hadn't ever seen anything like it before, and I get the unmitigated joy of MRI's on both ankles to verify what is going on.  That tendon "almost never ruptures," and I'd like to verify that "almost never" doesn't transition to "might not" or "probably won't" or "it's a crapshoot."

For New York City, I am not going to try to set any records. I qualified for Boston.  I'm in.  There's no need to be a hero and hurt myself so I intend to run at a comfortable pace and soak up the Big Apple's atmosphere.  Therefore, my training regimen is not nearly hard as the last one.  Fewer miles and less aggressive pacing.

I'd like to keep doing this a while.  I hope my body cooperates.

Back in the saddle

One month has passed since San Diego, and I've enjoyed my time off.  I've run a grand total of 29 miles in 31 days and tried valiantly to eat all of the seafood in the Pacific Northwest while on vacation in Seattle.  18 of my 29 miles were last week on vacation so I feel a bit better about that, but according to my calendar it is now 122 days until the New York City Marathon.

I set a goal of 3 hours and 30 minutes for New York - slower than San Diego but still an 8:00/mile pace.  I don't need to try to break any records in NY and want to enjoy the sights and the crowds.  But I still need to be in shape for it.

July 19 is Day 1 of my new 16-week training grid.  Time to get back in the saddle.