The Week of 02/10/2014: Our winter of discontent

I got a lot more miles in this week, but it didn't stop me from petering out later on in the week.  The missing workout thing is still early enough on in the program that I can bounce back from it, but the trend started in January is not a good thing.  I really need to buckle down.  Skipping a swim in favor of rest here and there is not going to kill me, but not getting my miles in is a recipe for a repeat performance of the 2012 TCM.

I'm really getting sick of the sidewalk conditions around home, and more to the point the association's lack of diligence in keeping them clear.  We pay good money for a service that is not being provided in a timely fashion.  I think that most residents are shellshocked at this point and staying indoors and thus are indifferent.  I can't wait to be able to run on a clear path again.

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Monday 02/10/2014

Scheduled:  4 mile Recovery run
I ran my scheduled recovery run this morning.  It was -11º & cloudy, I ran it @ 12:15 pace overall.  What really happened was that I ran the first 2 miles at or slightly under 12:00 and I ran the second half around 12:30.

The cold didn't bother me much, but my body required a lot of convincing (about 1.5 miles of it) before it acquiesced and accepted the fact that the run was going to happen whether it liked it or not (Yay, endorphins)

Tuesday 02/11/2014

Scheduled:  7 mile R+s 5x 100m strides
Ran my workout as scheduled/designed.  7.27 miles, 12:20 overall pace.  I have discovered that if you find yourself outside in the dark at 5:30 AM running 7 miles when it's -12º, it really isn't all that much crazier to toss in 7x100M striders.

The only real problem with running in the cold is that after 5 miles my base layers are pretty well soaked, and it's only then that the cold actually bothers me.  Not the type of cold experienced by the majority of people who just bolt between their car and a door for a few seconds, but a profound cold that really hits your core.  The kind where when hot shower water hits you, it's room temperature by the time it runs down your legs - know what I'm talking about?

Wednesday 02/12/2014

Scheduled:  6 mile Recovery run
16°, cloudy with light snow.  Almost a 30° difference between this morning and yesterday.  Nevertheless I felt clunky all through this run:  Tight in the knees and ankles at the beginning and an added bonus of soreness in my lower back right above the hips.   As per usual, the ankle and knee stuff went away after I got warmed up, but the back thing was still bothering me late in the run.

I will remember to include the affected area in my light stretching  that I do throughout the day I don't really set aside a designated stretching time or routine that I follow religiously.  I tend to do it more ad-hoc.

The sidewalk conditions were still bad, and the new snow didn't make them any better.  So to error on the side of caution, I listened to my body and kept it down to a near walking 12:45 pace.

Thursday 02/13/2014

Scheduled:  8 mile GA run
My body said "Go back to sleep," this morning, and I listened.  I will try to get in a makeup run on Sunday.  Not sure how that will go considering the distance I intend to cover on Saturday.

Friday 02/14/2014

Scheduled:  XT:  Swim
Another "Go back to sleep" morning, so I did.

Saturday 02/15/2014

Scheduled:  10 mile Long run
19º, Cloudy, light snow.  Recovery run @ 13:00 pace.  I tried the old Sauconys to mix things up, this was apparently a mistake.  My left shin really acted up and took three miles to settle down.  By that time I had already made up my mind to cut the run short at 5 miles, regroup and try again tomorrow.

Sunday 02/16/2014

Scheduled:  Rest day
Once again I observed my Sunday tradition of late & kept it a rest day.  Weather-wise the temps were OK but I slept in in the morning, got caught up in things in the afternoon, and at least for the forseeable future, sunday nights are 'Walking Dead' nights.