My Triathlon Adventure

As I build up my run distance I have been required to run during the week.  With daylight in short supply, and work in high demand, my time for running has been limited.   Undeterred I have been running on the treadmill at work.  In the past I’ve had issues with my shins hurting while running.  In fact, last night I reviewed my run long from my first year of running, and even then I noted that my my right shin hurt while running, and that I thought I was landing harder on my right leg.

I had no shin issues while running last year, all of those runs were outside for short distances.  Even earlier this year my shins didn’t bother me at all while running outside.  Interestingly, however, the problems with my shins (especially my left one) started right away when I ran on the treadmill.  From about .5 miles to about 2.5 or so, my shins would kill.  They felt really tight, and really sore.  After 2.5 miles or so they would loosen up, and the pain was more tolerable.

On my quest to fix it, I found some comments on a running forum about increasing the slope of the treadmill.  I tried going to a 1% incline, and that seems to work.  My shins have been much better.  It isn’t perfect, they still get tight, just not as bad, and totally tolerable.  So, hopefully this trend can continue.  Next week I’ll reach 7.5 miles for my run (though I have an indoor tri next weekend, so we’ll see how that impacts my ability to actually get a full run in.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed that everything will work out alright.  Here’s to an injury free year.

My planned 6 mile run just happened to occur on the coldest day of the year to date.  The temps hovered at 8 degrees, with a windchill of -8.  Yikes, that’s cold.

I wore a knit cap, polypropylene thermal underwear, and layer 8 thermal tights.  On top I wore a thin long sleeved wicking shirt, a layer 8 thermal top, and a New Balance thermal zip up running jacket.  I also wore cotton gloves, and 2 pairs of wicking socks. Per my wife’s advice I also slather vasoline on the exposed parts of my face.

The first two miles my face was really cold.  I was really concerned with frostbite, but I thought that I could at least manage on 3.3 mile loop at the West Hartford Reservoir.  After about 1.5 miles I felt warm and toasty.  I was sweating, but not uncomfortably so, and I was neither cold nor hot.  I felt like as long as I kept running I would be in that nice toasty spot.

The first loop went well.  I had no pain or soreness at all.  Once I got warm my heart rate and breathing normalized, and I managed a 10:10 average pace with a 151 HR.

By the end of my run, my hat had accumulated a ring of icy frost from all of my head sweat.  Just goes to show how cold it was, brrrr.

Between a mile and 1/2 a mile or so from the end of the second loop I started feeling a weird twinge on the outside of my left knee.  It reminded me of my IT band issues, and it made me really nervous.  I sure hope that doesn’t flare up again.  That would make me miserable!  This week is a light week, no runs over 3 miles or so, so I’ll hopefully be able to recoup, and if all goes well my next long run will be great!

As of last week I was admitting to lack-of-dedication-syndrome. The only known cure for lack-of-dedication-syndrome is get-off-your-ass-therapy. Last Thursday was the first day of therapy and I managed to put in a VERY painful 3 mile treadmill run. I have such a hard time running on a treadmill. My shins get really sore and tight, I hate it! The first half mile was fine, then my shins tightened up, and for the next 1.5 miles it was making a deal with myself that I could make it to at least (fill in the blank). By the two mile mark my shins stopped hurting and then I was just slugging it out. I made it to 3 miles and was glad I did.

Then Saturday I did a short swim (about a 1/4 mile) and followed that up with an early morning (for me) group run of five miles on Sunday, and then another 1/2 mile or so swim.

The 5 mile run was surprisingly refreshing. I really got into my zone and had a relatively easy 10 minute mile zone 2 run. I pushed up the pace slightly over the last half mile or so. I was really happy with the results.

Now, this morning, I am surprised to find myself not sore at all. Woot!

Today is an off day from running, maybe some stretching is in order, what a concept.

Wow, since snowpacalypes 2011 I have been too busy to get any runs in.  That is sad…and pathetic.  Really, there will never be, and has never been, time to get runs in.  So, now that phase two of my marathon training plan has started (this is the first week of phase 2) I have no more wiggle room, and I have to make the time-like it or not.

My training plan has 3 phases.  The first was to get a base going with short runs, nightly stretches, and core workouts.  I started strong, but things ended when I had to take a week to clear trees, keep power going, and tend to the other insanity that inevitably crops up as a result of 9 days without power.

After that, worked kicked in, and a vacation popped up on the horizon as well.  Where did that come from?  Anyway, work is busy as ever, and I’m also doing a bit of remodeling work at a house for my grandparents.  Between that and all the kid activities, there is just no time to run.  So what am I going to do?  Actively make time to run.  I’m not going to let this year pass me by.  last year was pathetic.  Without a goal race I just let the year go, blah.

Phase 2 of my training plan has me building up the distance slowly to get to a spring half marathon.  Then phase 3 kicks in to prep me for the longer miles needed to make my marathon distance.  The third phase builds off the second phase and starts adding speed work and other niceties.  The good news is that the first phase had some wiggle room in it, and although I don’t have as strong a base as I wanted going into phase II, this still hasn’t interrupted the overall training plan.  Taking any more time off would really change that and put my marathon training in jeopardy.

I started the year off with a short run, and I hope this will get 2012 off to a great start.