Running Log 2011: Week #18

Well, it seems I found an old weekly log I forgot to post on here, so here it is. This is the log of the week leading up to my 1500m race I had scheduled, but was forced to skip due to an inflamed Achilles. This week saw me work far too much, neglect my recovery and crank out two challenging workouts (one of which I believe didn't help my achilles....kids, be careful when taking sharp turns down a gravel road, don't use your outside foot as a stopping and pivoting mechanism, your Achilles will hate you for it).

Running Log 2011: Week #21

Wow, the last running log I posted was for week #17...apparently it's been 4 weeks since I last recapped my running.  Yikes!

Well, what's happened since then?  I had to scratch out of my first 1500m race of the year and then put running on hold for over two weeks as I recovered from an Achilles injury and traveled through Italy.

I got back last week and here we are now. I put in a solid week considering I traveled back from Italy, recovered from the jet lag and had to settle back into our normal routine. I ran for a total of 52 kills in 5 days and though I am a little achy, my achilles is feeling great and I'm excited.

Where oh where did time go?

Manarola, where we stayed for 4 nights while in Italy

Bah, it's been ages since I've written on here it feels.  Just over 2 weeks ago I was slated to run a low key 1500m race to mark my triumphant return to the sport, but I had to scratch last minute due to a self-diagnosed case of bursitis (stupid bursa) on my achilles tendon.

After that I could barely run and did all I could to make sure I could walk when I landed in Italy for our 2 week dream vacation through Venice-Bologna-Modena-Parma-Cinque Terre-Pisa-Florence-Rome. I tried running when we arrived in Bologna, I ran about 4km but had a constantly nagging pain in my achilles. The pain flared up the next day, making even walking around problematic. So I shelved running for the duration of our trip.

You might recall my tender shins from last month, so I figured I may as well just rest up from all the impact and come back to Canada healthy and ready to resume training. I'm happy to report that my shins are feeling 100% now and I have no pain in my achilles. My soleus muscles are still very tight, and I'm working on fixing that, but now it's time to get back in the saddle and knock off some killage in style.

I really don't know when my next race is right now, I'm forcing myself to re-align my goals so that I don't get hurt again. My #1 priority is above all, to stay healthy so I can keep running.

Race Recap: RCLDS #1 - 1500m

Well friends, it was a bust. I never toed the line. I woke up this morning with a wicked pain in my achilles and felt it best that I postpone my 1500m return to a later date.  I'm not impressed, and I have much to say, but I'm sleepy.

Here are the results from tonight: http://www.londonrunner.ca/page.php?content=2011RCLDS1Results

My first Metric Mile in ages...

my 1500m idol, Canadian Kevin Sullivan

Well, last year when I had planned out my physical goals for the coming years, the big one that hung over my head was my competitive return to the track after 10+ years away from it all. I had slated the big date for some time before August of 2011, and it seems that now, on May 8th 2011 I will be putting the goal to test, and rest.

Yup, I'll be racing in my first 1500m on the track since putting it all behind me in high school. I ran regionals that summer and won handily in 4:06.80, but don't expect to see those times anytime soon.  I'm eeking close to my aerobic abilities in the 5km, but I've yet to sharpen up enough to crank out anything under 5km at near my lifetime PBs.

Last Saturday's workout was a stark reminder of just how cruel 1500m can be, and I am definitely nervous, scared and excited to put my body through the paces this weekend. It will certainly be painful from about 200m to 1200m. But I know that the 1500m is simply a test of how much pain a runner can withstand, and I am (in my humble opinion) one of the best at handling pain. 

All I can say, is BRING IT ON! I'll be sure to report the results following my race, and hopefully I've have some epic stories to tell and some epic pictures to show.

Farewell to April, I'm glad to see Thee go...

And so it is time to recap the month that was. The coldest, wettest and generally most despicable weather I can ever remember having for the month of April was upon us, and I'm damn glad to see it go. Bring it on May, I'm still waiting for my first topless run of the year!

April was a great month of running for me. It saw me hit the track consistently for weekend workouts, I hit my heaviest volume of running (96 kills), I also hit my lowest volume at 44 kills (with 60km of biking), I set a new personal best over 5km on the road (race report here) and I've generally gotten fitter, stronger and faster. I fought with tight calves, showed you what it's like to run through my eyes, and showed you my super awesome racing outfit.

As is customary with my monthly recaps, here's an updated killage chart. I had a slight dip this month, but as we're now gearing up for a hot and heavy season of racing, I think it's expected.

And so May is upon us and I'm excited to see what it brings me. I'll be racing as much as possible, which isn't very much since I'll be in Italy for half the month, but I think I can live with that. wink.

Running Log 2011: Week #17

Blah, what a crummy week this was. After the race of a lifetime last week I got sick this week and had to scale back my volume and intensity a touch.  My shins are feeling 100% today, though they were just a tad sensitive on the track yesterday. I'm optimistic that the issue is all sorted out.

This was an amazing weekend for racing in Ontario. London saw the Forest City Road Races go down in style with LRDC winning the Men's and Women's half marathons. Matt Suda ran an impressive 1:15 and change to capture his win, and Leslie Sexton dropped 2 minutes off her last half marathon race (Run for Retina).

I started to get sick on Tuesday and decided to curb it by working from home, sleeping in and running a workout. Haha, yup. The workout was a fun fartlek to be done at hard effort level (I averaged 3:35/km pace for the intervals) and managed to hang with the tough young guns on our club.  The head cold took ahold of me on Wednesday, I ran easy, but canned the workout Thursday in hopes of recovering quickly. Thanks Steve for your sage advice. Saturday it was back to the track for the first time in two weeks and we did a wicked interval workout which consisted of 3x(400m,200m,400m) at 1500m goal pace.  Blah, I had a tough time as I was still coming over my cold but mentally I was able to hang in there and push through 72sec 400m repeats, equivalent to 4:30 pace over 1500m.

I forgot how brutal 1500m race pace was, I am in for a massive world of hurt this Sunday as I hit the track at TD Waterhouse stadium for my first competitive 1500m in 11 years. Yikes.

Today I ran a long run, and my foot is now hurting me. Sob. Hopefully it recovers quickly.

A total of 85km for the week. The goal was 90km, and considering my sickness and my missed workout, I'm satisfied.