Training Log

3 pm - 18.25 mile mountain bike ride at shelby farms on the technical end of tour de wolf trail.  Fun!  Happy New Year!

4 pm - 7.8 mile lake loop in collierville.  Nice day, warmer temps.

3:45 pm - 18.25-mile mountain bike at shelby farms again.  Nice day - fun ride!

4 pm - back to winter again - getting cold and rainy this afternoon.  7.1 - mile run in Cordova - ran a new course down Walnut Grove Rd to Shelby Farms Park, down the trail to the new parking lot where there are extensions of the paved trail (new).  Will have to explore those on the mountain bike!

8:30 pm - raining but warmer than it has been all day - 7.2 miles in Cordova, two loops.

8:30 pm- two 3.6 mile loops in Cordova - staying on the well-lighted streets!

Quick 6.6 mile run in Cordova after work and before sushi party.

3 pm - 11.57-mile mountain bike.  Very challenging course - lots of natural water obstacles and very steep grades!  Had to run/walk the bike up a lot of them.

6:30 pm - Carbon's first agility class of the year at 6:30 pm that went just a little long.  One of my other dogs was sick at home and had to take care of her and the mess.  Left not time to run after work.

 I know I'm taking too many days off and my mileage is not where it should be -

Looks like I need some help with my Boston training plan.  Not sure exactly where I should be.  Can anyone help?  Thanks in advance!

5:15 pm - 7.5 miles in Collierville.  Chilly and windy, but still nice for a run.  Right IT band hurts significantly.

8:30 pm - it was a nice day - 50 degrees, but because of other commitments, I had to leave the run until the cold front started to come in - windy and a little chilly but not too bad yet.  2 3.5-mile loops in Cordova.

7 pm - 6 miles on the treadmill - outside there are record cold temps and wind chill that we hardly ever experience in this area of TN.  It is going down to the single digits tonight!  Another cold day tomorrow, then warming over the weekend.  I haven't run on a treadmill in about a year and a half - very boring but the positive side is I can regulate my speed more accurately.

6 pm - 4 miles on treadmill.  Boring.

3 pm - 11.6-mile mountain bike - shelby farms trails - Tour de Wolf

6:20 pm - 7 miles in Cordova.  Trying again to run 6 days straight - hoping the weather and my very busy schedule cooperate!

9 pm - 7 miles in cordova

8 pm - 7 miles in cordova

6:30 pm - 7 miles in cordova

6 pm - 7.3 miles in Collierville

4 pm - 7 miles in Cordova.  Yay - finally made time in the schedule for 6 days in a row!  Now, let's see if I can repeat it next week.  On vacation at the middle to end of the week, so it may be a challenge.

7 pm - 7 miles in Cordova.

7 pm - 7 miles with Carbon in Collierville; raining and a little cold, but he had a great time running with me.

It snowed last night, and we are traveling today to New Orleans - no opportunity to run.  Got to NOLA late.

7 miles on the treadmill in the hotel.  Weather is nice,  but I don't know this area.

7 miles on the hotel treadmill again.  Decided to register for the New Olreans Mardi Gras half marathon since we are in town til Sunday.

5 miles on treadmill. Lots of walking in the afternoon

7 am - Mardi Gras Half Marathon in New Orleans.  Nice, flat course.  I didn't "race" this one, just wanted to use it as a training opportunity to ramp up the training for Boston.  Saw my triathlon team-mate, Scott, who was running the full and trying to qualify for Boston.  Ran the first half with him.  It was his first marathon.  Looks like he missed BQ by about 8 minutes.

rest day

5:45 pm - 5 miles on the treadmill then rushed off to dance class.

7 pm - Collierville lake loop with Carbon.  Cold night!

5:10 pm - ran 7 miles from work down to the YMCA, then back to work.  Then rushed off to dance class again.

5:30 pm - 7.3 miles with Carbon

5:30 pm - 7 miles in Cordova

Rest day - took the small dogs (Ruby, Clarice, Flipper, and Kirby) to Shelby Farms Park and walked around with them and threw the tennis ball - they had a blast!  It feels like springtime!  Next time, will have to take Carbon and Luke (the big dogs).

5 pm - 4 miles with Carbon then took him to agility training.

5 pm - 7.3 miles with Carbon in Collierville, around the town hall lake.  Nice evening!  I have spring fever!

5:30 pm - 7.3 miles in C'ville with Carbon.

8 pm - 7 miles in Cordova, then walked Kirby for another 1/2 mile.

5:20 pm - 7.3 miles in C'ville on my own.  Today is my birthday, and I move up to the next age group...here's to another year of running!  I celebrate my life every time I run, and I'm thankful I can do this!

1 pm - 7 mile run with hills in Riversedge in Cordova.  Beautiful day.  53 degees, sunny, windy, lovely!

2 pm - 14 miles with lots of hills in Cordova

Went to work in the morning and planned a short recovery run but got sick during the afternoon and had to get antibiotics to treat a respiratory infection.

feeling better, having taken the antibiotics but still very tired so did not run...did take Carbon to agility class.

7.3 miles in collerville after work

8 miles in collierville after work

7.3 miles in collierville after work.  Felt like there is a pulled muscle or ligament in the right groin.  Worked it out a little during the run.

7 miles in collerville after work then rushed off to dance practice.

Went to work at 6 am and didn't get done until afternoon; by then it was snowing so did not get a chance to run

Cold but beautiful day - sunny in the afternoon, lots of kids out playing in the snow.  By afternoon, it has melted off the roads - good thing, because the Memphis area does not have any way to clear the snow! 

Had to wait for the plumber who came over at 5:30 to give a quote on replacing the copper pipes in the house.  Ran at 6 pm, the usual 7.3 mile route around the town hall lake.

Only 5 miles tonight - had to rush to get to dance class on time, so ran a shorter distance.

8:15 pm - 7 mile run in Cordova. 

8 miles in Collierville

7.5 miles in Cordova

7 miles in Cordova

6 am - 15.33 in Collierville

Rest day - cold and rainy

7 pm - cold and rainy 36 degrees.  7.3 miles in C'ville.

Ran right after work then rushed off to dance again.

6 miles in Cordova.  Tomorrow is Germantown Half Marathon.

7:30 am - Germantown Half Marathon. This is my first race in my new age group.    Now I am also a grand master when they have that category in a race.  Germantown Half is a money race with nice prizes for the top 3 in Overall, Overall Masters, and Overall Grand Masters. 

Cloudy and a little chilly today, with high humidity.  It has been raining the last few days in the Memphis area.  My goal was to try for a time close to 1:40 and also to keep a steady pace throughout.  Doing hill work about 3 weeks ago, I pulled a groin muscle, and it has bothered me since then.  So my other goal is to not injur it further and ruin my Boston run.

There's one long, somewhat steep hill at mile2, and after that, it is pretty flat until the last .1 mile when you have to run up a hill to the finish.

The race was pretty uneventful - I was able to keep a steady pace - 7:53 for the first half and 7:54 for the second half.   I would like to have gone a little faster, but my legs threatened to cramp in the last 2 miles, so I didn't push it at the end too much.

Result - 2nd Grand Masters female - finished in the money!  I'm happy.

Did a short, slow 1.5 mile cool down run.

Rest day - crazy busy at work, felt like I had the start of a stomach virus, was super tired and went to bed early.

Wish I had felt good enough to run yesterday - my legs felt very sore - from lactic acid buildup maybe?  Ran 4 miles in Collierville before dance class.

8:15 pm - about 3.5 miles in Cordova with my rat terrier, Flipper.   Other commitments earlier pushed out the run time 'til late -fortunately is was a warm evening - enjoyed the run with Flipper.

rest day

6.9 miles in Collierville

6.5 miles in Cordova

7 am - 19 miles in Collierville.  A little slow, but felt good. 

7 pm - 7.3 miles in Collierville.  Legs still feeling good.  The pulled muscle in my left leg hurts a little when I'm starting out, but it seems to work its way out by one mile or so.

rest day - it is raining hard.

Today is Ada Lovelace Day.  She is considered one of the first computer programmers, and a programming language used by the DoD is named after her - Ada.  Celebrate women in technology today!

8 pm - 6.9 miles in Cordova

6 pm - 7.3 miles in collierville

no chance to run - at work by 7 am, all day meeting, not home until 5:30 or 6, then social obligation in the evening.

7 miles in Cordova with hills

7 miles in Cordova - right knee hurts very badly - may be the hills.

6 pm - 7.3 miles in Collierville where there are hardly any hills - knee did not hurt as much running here.  Left groin muscle still sore.  Putting off the long run another day or so to make sure this is not going to get worse.

rest day - did weights instead of running.

Long run after work in Collierville.  6 pm - felt pretty good most of the way.  Got pretty tired at 18 - 19 miles but kept going. Left groin muscle hurt a little now and then.  Concentrated on keeping the right knee straight and not allowing right foot to turn outward, which seems to be one of the causes of the knee pain.  Overall, pretty good run.

severe thunderstorms in the area until 8:30 or so - not able to run

6 pm - 7 miles in Cordova.

8 am - race delayed from 7 am because of thunder storms.  My first race of the local road race series but their second race - was out of town for the last one.  Finally felt better after having a nagging muscle pull that has lasted almost three months. I kept re-injuring it with hill work and racing too soon after the boston marathon.  Anyway, hoping that is behind me.  Not my fastest 5k on this course, but I ran without pain and am very happy with my time.  I cycled 60 miles yesterday, training for the upcoming MS 150 tour, and I think the cross-training really helped.  Good result - first in my age group and second grandmasters overall so far.  A good day.

7 am - 7 miles at Shelby Farms, around the lake 4 times.  Felt good; left leg muscle only hurt a little  on the last lap.  Stretched before and after.

rest day

4 miles with Carbon in collierville

6.4 miles before work at Shelby Farms.  Ran part of the 10k course for the road race series September races.  A little hilly, and my pulled muscle hurt afterward, which it usually does when I run hills.

7.3 miles after work in collierville with Carbon.   This course is mostly flat - one gradual incline on the way out and one short hill on the way back.  Stretched for a long time afterward.  Pulled muscle hurt just a little.

7 am - 40 miles on the bike.  Would have liked 50 + but had too much to do today.

4 miles at 6 pm - out and back on Humphries Blvd.  Took it slow since my left leg muscle hurt.

6:15 pm - 5 miles at Shelby Farms. It was very hot and humid, so I took the first 1.5 miles slow but then felt good after the warm-up and ran between 8:05 and 8:20 pace for the rest of the run.  Felt like I could have gone longer.

4 miles with Carbon in Collierville.

6 pm - 5..1 miles at Shelby Farms around the lake, flat course, tempo run the second half.  Very hot and humid but felt good.

7 pm - 6.77 mile hilly course in Cordova.  Took it slow because of the hills.  My left leg did not hurt until about mile 5.5, and then it was just slightly uncomfortable.  Walked another mile after 6.77 with the dogs to cool down and then stretched.

6:30 pm - fit in a short run before going to a family cookout.  Left leg hurt as soon as I started running - I can feel the hills and distance from yesterday's run.  Limited time necessitated running the hilly course in Cordova again, so I took it very easy and stretched a lot afterward.  We'll see how it feels on tomorrow's run.

6 pm - Cordova - route with a few hills.  Felt good and ran a fast interval at about 3 miles.

8 am - wolf river cafe ride from Rossville.  Nice morning for a ride.  By the end of the ride, temp was in the mid-90s.

7 am - Road race series 5 miler in Bartlett.  Just after the start, the car keys popped out of the back pocket of my shorts, and I had to circle back around to pick them up.  They fell into two pieces, and I carried them by hand the rest of the race but was able to put the two pieces together by mile 1.5, so it was easier to carry, but was a little sweaty.  The course winds through a neighborhood, with lots of turns and several small to moderate hills, then enters a municipal park at the end.  You can see the finish line on the other side of the park as you run around the baseball fields, which is very motivating and made me run faster at the end.  Overall I was happy with my time, which is from my watch - official results are not yet posted.

rest day

6 am Shelby Farms - ran part of the 10K route for the road race series but skipped the very steep hill.  Another lap around the lake at the end.  Stopped at mile 7 to stretch because the pulled muscle was hurting, then ran an easy .5 to cool down.

7 pm - the 7-mile route in collierville.  This was a slower run.  Left leg muscle started to hurt at the end. 

8 pm - 6.2 miles in Cordova.  Easy run.  Walked one steep hill because left leg muscle hurt and didn't want to re-injur it.  Stretched afterward.

6:15 am - 3.77 mile trail run with Ido and Flipper, my rat terrier.  Felt pretty good but turned my ankle coming back.  Fortunately, it did not hurt too much, no damage done.  Would like to have a chance to run a little more this afternoon.

6:55 am - 45 mile bike ride with a stop for breakfast in collierville.  Fun ride with some fast intervals, and some "touring".

rest day

6:16 am - 4-mile trail run with Ido and Carbon.  Beautiful morning.   Carbon got to run in the off-leash dog area for about .75 mile and loved it.

Forced rest day - severe thunderstorms after work until 9 pm.

6:30 am - 5 miles at Shelby Farms - the flat course around the lake.  No time for more than that before work - very busy work day ahead.   Looks like I need to get out there earlier.

6 am - 7 mile run at Shelby Farms.  

6:30 pm - trail run at Shelby Farms with Carbon.  Left leg (groin) muscle hurt a lot - maybe it was the hills or running with the dog on the leash who pulls a bit at times. 

7 am - 53 mile road bike ride from Lifetime Fitness.  Nice route.  Left leg and hip hurt toward the end, so Ido and I did 53 instead of 62 miles.

7 am MRTC 5 miler in Bartlett.  Ran the trail around the baseball fields to warm up and see how the left leg would feel.  Everything seemed good even though it hurt like crazy yesterday at the end of the bike ride. 

I've come to really like this race - in past years, it was not exactly my favorite.  There are lots of turns in the neighborhoods that we run though, and it seems kind of fun now.  At mile 3, my time was 23:00 which was encouraging since it was better than the first 5 miler, so I just kept it up and finished in 38:20, which is not quite a PR.  Last year, same race was 38:15.  Stretched a lot after the race, especially the hip adductors. 

rest day

6:30 pm - 7.28 mile run in Cordova with a few gradual hills.  Ran with Carbon, the wonder dog, who got a little tired out but recovered nicely. Left leg muscle hurt for a little while but was better toward the end of the run.  Nice evening to run!

7 mile run in Cordova at 7:15 pm. Nice evening for a run. Some hills - left leg felt 'ok' but not great.

6 am - leg weights on the machine, 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps leg pushes and leg raises - hoping to strengthen the left leg.  Arm weights also.

7:15 pm - about 3.7 miles at a local high school track.  Nice, new track surface - comfortable run.

5 pm - about 5.2 in collierville after work.

7 am 55 mile bike ride to collierville, mississippi, etc.

8:30 am 8 miles or so run in collierville

rest day

6:15 am - 4 miles in collierville.

6:45 pm - 7.3 miles in collierville around the town hall lake.  Nice run, felt good, not much pain in left leg.

forced rest day - 7 am dentist appt, work all day, then social commitment at 6.  No time to run!  Yuck.  I'm doing leg weights and arm weights at 9:15 pm.

6 am - 7.3 miles in collierville.  Left leg hurt a little, maybe from too much weight training last night?

7 am  67 mile bike ride with Vic's group from Belz Factory outlet mall.  

8 am - Eden's 5k run at Shelby Farms on the Chicasaw Trail.  Nicely done race organized by a 13-year old and her family for her Bat Mitzvah project to benefit HIAS.  Funds go to helping provide supplies for an art therapy program HIAS runs for traumatized children at a camp refugees from Darfur, Sudan. 

Perfect weather for the race.  Went out fast and was passed by two other women, one before mile .5 and the other just after mile 1.  Felt strong and kept up a good pace.  Left leg did not hurt.  Finished 3rd female overall, 10th overall for the entire race.

9 am - Long run at the new Collierville greenway recreational area.  Nice gravel trails with some dirt mountain bike trails.   Beautiful area out in the country.   Felt very strong starting out.  The morning was warm, but not oppressively humid.  We planned a long run of about 10 miles, but we did not know the area since we had never been there before.   No problems on the trails until we decided to turn onto the dirt mountain bike trail which was somewhat of a relief on the feet from running on gravel.  We both thought the trail would somehow loop back around, but it just kept going and the vegetation kept getting thicker, so we finally decided to turn around, which was around mile 8.5.  We had run about .5 miles out on the bike trail, although it seemed longer because we were kind of lost.  When we had almost run back out of the bike trail, the morning had become much warmer, and I started to stumble over roots on the trail and felt tired.  By the time we got to mile 10, I felt very dehydrated and started to feel disoriented.  At mile 11, I started to feel cramps in my side, and at 11.25 I had to stop running. To make a long story shorter, I ended up walking the remaining 4.25 miles back, very very thirsty, feeling 'fuzzy' and disoriented and cramping.  Stopped at mile 12 or so to sit in the shade for a few minutes, which seemed to help. Ido walked with me for a while, but then offered to run ahead to get gatorade that was in the car, which I told him to go ahead and do.  He met me with the very welcome gatorade in the last .5 mile or so.  

Lesson learned which I should have known -  take the gatorade with you and take more of it, especially on a warm morning like today.  Poor planning on this run lead to a disappointing run and a potentially dangerous situation.

rest day

6:45 pm - long slow recovery run of 7.3 miles in Collierville.  Raining but pleasant.  Felt tired but left leg did not hurt much.

6 am - 5 mile run in Cordova - took it slow again.  Left leg hurt between miles 2 and 4 but then stopped hurting in the last mile or so.