Been a while since I talked to myself (actually I do it all the time) so a bit of catching up here.
Been battling the usual demons over the last month- sore muscles on my upper right leg. Quad muscle, hip, groin muscle…it sort of rolls around but usually during a run it will work its way out and feel OK. In the mornings, a lot of limping around from the pain. It comes and goes so I have given up trying to change workout patterns and just moved on.
A week or so ago was the TARC 50k, and on a lovely Saturday (low 40’s and rain getting heavier as the race wore on) I ran three loops of the race for 19.65 miles. A nice workout, but was hoping of course to work through it all. All those muscle issues mentioned above seemed to thrive during the cool and wet conditions and it wasn’t worth pushing through (I think).
I have realize one thing; my aspirations to run long Ultra’s- 100 milers- has waned and I want to enjoy shorter races in which I can run fast (MY fast) and succeed. Based on the revelation, I will finish out the year doing the Oil Creek 100k but in 2012 focus more on ½ Marathons, Marathons, maybe a 50k with a mix of road and trail. I never expected to get leg healthy again and powering on painfully for long races and limping around during the day isn’t how I want to enjoy it- for now. I do have bigger plans for 2013…but need to get there first.
I have been motivated by two friends, Mike and Dean, who have both been very successful at changing their approaches to eating and lost a lot of weight. I finally threw down- I am committed to changing my eating patterns and in week 1 have lost 6-7 pounds. At a high I was 207- exercise alone had stabilized me in the 190’s. At 187.4- I am lower weight wise than I have been in as long as I can remember…..
For now, it’s the final week of working out hard for the Pineland 50k (I dropped from the 50 miler due to the aforementioned revelation of sensibility) and things are going (shhhh) well. Legs feel fresher and less achy than usual. Saturday has a 20+ miler scheduled and a follow up 9 on Sunday and a run tonight as well. Signed up for a 12k in the next couple of weeks to work on my speed a bit- it’s sort of non-existent right now. My goal for Pineland- the general goal- is to destroy my very weak 50k personal best. Hard not to, it’s so slow, but I have to start somewhere…. I’ll publish my goals post-race; call me superstitious… Pineland is race #1 for 2011 that matters and all the hours must go towards a good showing (based on my abilities and work). No excuses, no half efforts- lay it all out there or risk having wasted my time so far. All of this has been about testing myself, and my limits, and my mental and physical toughness….there’s no excusing leaving anything on the trails.
Been battling the usual demons over the last month- sore muscles on my upper right leg. Quad muscle, hip, groin muscle…it sort of rolls around but usually during a run it will work its way out and feel OK. In the mornings, a lot of limping around from the pain. It comes and goes so I have given up trying to change workout patterns and just moved on.
A week or so ago was the TARC 50k, and on a lovely Saturday (low 40’s and rain getting heavier as the race wore on) I ran three loops of the race for 19.65 miles. A nice workout, but was hoping of course to work through it all. All those muscle issues mentioned above seemed to thrive during the cool and wet conditions and it wasn’t worth pushing through (I think).
I have realize one thing; my aspirations to run long Ultra’s- 100 milers- has waned and I want to enjoy shorter races in which I can run fast (MY fast) and succeed. Based on the revelation, I will finish out the year doing the Oil Creek 100k but in 2012 focus more on ½ Marathons, Marathons, maybe a 50k with a mix of road and trail. I never expected to get leg healthy again and powering on painfully for long races and limping around during the day isn’t how I want to enjoy it- for now. I do have bigger plans for 2013…but need to get there first.
I have been motivated by two friends, Mike and Dean, who have both been very successful at changing their approaches to eating and lost a lot of weight. I finally threw down- I am committed to changing my eating patterns and in week 1 have lost 6-7 pounds. At a high I was 207- exercise alone had stabilized me in the 190’s. At 187.4- I am lower weight wise than I have been in as long as I can remember…..
For now, it’s the final week of working out hard for the Pineland 50k (I dropped from the 50 miler due to the aforementioned revelation of sensibility) and things are going (shhhh) well. Legs feel fresher and less achy than usual. Saturday has a 20+ miler scheduled and a follow up 9 on Sunday and a run tonight as well. Signed up for a 12k in the next couple of weeks to work on my speed a bit- it’s sort of non-existent right now. My goal for Pineland- the general goal- is to destroy my very weak 50k personal best. Hard not to, it’s so slow, but I have to start somewhere…. I’ll publish my goals post-race; call me superstitious… Pineland is race #1 for 2011 that matters and all the hours must go towards a good showing (based on my abilities and work). No excuses, no half efforts- lay it all out there or risk having wasted my time so far. All of this has been about testing myself, and my limits, and my mental and physical toughness….there’s no excusing leaving anything on the trails.
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