Overview

I survived my first Mountain Goat in 2 years, having missed last year after my broken foot. I did not do my best, nor did I do my worst. Two things happened, I believe: The training for a triathlon means I haven't been totally focused on running; and, I have no hills to run on around the house. So I need to rededicate myself to hill work. Still, I am thankful that the swimming I did throughout the left-hamstring idiocy kept my cardio up to snuff.

I also have had a nagging hamstring pain, and I know for sure that held me back.

So today is a day off, and then back to weights and swimming tomorrow. Now that I have cleared the 10-mile hurdle, I can focus on half-marathon training, and add distance up to that wonderful 13.1 miles.

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I attempted my first tempo run in five months today, and did OK. For 4 miles I was able to sustain a mid-8-minute mile pace. Is it my fastest? Not by a long shot. But I've been working on building endurance first, then speed. Now that the snow appears to be gone, I can head to a school track to do speedwork there. Our high school track has been under construction for a few years (long story; don't ask), so I have to drive to another nearby town to get on a track. I miss the days of warmup and cooldown attained while jogging to and from the track.

But the track I go to attracts its share of wildlife, and spying foxes at 6 a.m. is well worth the drive.

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Gee, I didn't realize I had let so much time go between posts. I've been busy training--weightlifting twice a week, running four times, swimming twice, biking once, yoga when I can. I keep waiting for warmer weather so I can bike more. The time change certainly helps--dark after work is no longer an excuse.

I ran my longest in months this morning, 8.6 miles, quite slow but I kept reminding myself that long runs are about the miles, not the pace. Endurance seems easier to build than speed. On Thursday, I am planning a 4-mile run that I will attempt at tempo pace. I ran a 6-miler last week, finally under a 9-minute/mile pace, so I'm slowly getting there. My big focus right now is the June 7 sprint-distance triathlon. The speed will come; it always does, if you work at it. No more snow also means I can hit a local high school track for that vital speed work.

Tomorrow is a rest day. I have had to rejigger the schedule because I found that Mondays at the pool were way too crowded; now I will swim Wednesdays and Fridays, and lift weights on Sundays. My long run day will be Mondays. It's all good!

I hope the snow is behind us, but I know better. We'll get another blast before May; we always do.

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Well, I sure did luck out with the timing of being able to run again. After a very snowy December and January, I have had clear conditions to start back up again in February. I really appreciate a clear shoulder when I am running at 5 a.m. I am starting very slowly--6 miles, 8 miles, and 10 miles this week. I will top out at 6 miles on Sunday and back off a bit, using the build for three weeks and do 10% of the highest-week's mileage on week 4.

My strategy is to build up to 10 miles as a high-mileage day before our big local race, the 10-mile Mountain Goat on May 3. Then I'll start building mileage for the Ottawa Half (if I am up to it). Some days when I am slated to swim, I feel like running instead. It's actually a good thing I am training for a tri, because it forces me to not run like an idiot during this base-building phase.

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A week into running again, and it's been difficult starting from scratch. The swimming I did while injured definitely helped with my cardio capacity, but the muscles used are quite different. Today I ran 4.5 miles at about a 10.5-minute pace. That's the "fastest" yet, and I know it will get better. Funny thing is, I still have the discomfort in my left leg. Not my hamstring, I know, but it's definitely distractring. I think I may just have to deal with this. Or, if it gets, worse, see the doc.

But I'm happy to be running again!

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The MRI results were in on Tuesday, and they show no damage at all to the hamstring or to my pelvis. Since the doc says the hamstring isn't injured I can start running again, and if I do experience discomfort at least we know it's not the hamstring. If the pain becomes unbearable, he's thinking I could have a back problem. But we'll wait and see what happens.

So naturally I ran Wednesday morning, but I was very careful--I did 2.2 miles by walking five minutes and running five minutes. I will do that again tomorrow, and then up the distance on Sunday. By week three I should be OK to just run, and I will start building up my mileage. At the same time I need to add back biking, since I am also training for a few summer triathlons. The swimming I'm sure has helped keep my endurance up, and I am looking forward to finally getting a plan in order and marking my calendar as to what I will be doing when, and where. This way, if the kids need to reach me, they always know where I am--on the road or at the gym. I swim at lunchtime, so they're highly unlikely to have to find me then.

I am really grateful to have my health back, and so happy to be able to run again. It truly is my great love (physically, anyway), and I have missed it so very much. I don't know if I'll have as good a year this year as in 2008 and 2007, when I PRed at several distances, but at almost age 48, it doesn't matter as much as being able to do it.

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I had the MRI on Thursday, and it was quite a strange experience! The ping-pongs, blip-blops and crash-bangs were at first disconcerting but actually lulled me into a nap over the 25 minutes of the test. I was told it would take two business days for the results, and now I am waiting. I know I'm anxious; it's likely I won't hear anything until tomorrow. Maybe I'll be running by the end of the week!

Meanwhile, yesterday was beautiful, a "balmy" 47 degrees, so I took a long walk.

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I saw the doctor this morning, and he wants me to get x-rays and an MRI so we can finally get to the bottom of this problem. He warned me that this could turn out to be a chronic condition, meaning I'll always have to deal with it. I will try to stay positive, though, and wait and see what the pictures show. I hope I can have the tests done this week.

Meanwhile, I didn't swim yesterday since Barack Obama was inaugurated at the same time. So I'll hit the pool today; the warm water feels so good on a 10-degree day.

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