Chasing my Dreams

Did 7.5 miles. My glutes hurt initially going up the hill but didn't bother me after that. I surprisingly still found deer in the fields I normally see them even though it was literally mid-day. Towards the end of the run my right foot started to hurt in the arch, and I am pretty sure this is from the left side of the road crown all week long. I also had crazy gastrointestinal problems today. Ended up averaging about 6:11 to 6:12s.

Easy 6 miles in the AM. First half mile was sluggish but good after that. My right arch hurt the whole run, but it isn't getting any worse. I'm going to take some ibuprofen to see if that will help get rid of what may just be inflammation

Ran a two loop course for my run today. My right arch ache was interesting. It was off and on throughout the run, but never got to a point where it would slow me down. This alone makes me think that it is just the shoes, plus it was a lot worse on the downhills. The hill by the stadium a little over half way was hard, and it took me a good mile to fully recover from it. I tried to push the last couple of miles, and ended up averaging 6:15s.

Went out for the 8.3 mile loop. My first two miles were way too fast, which was a combination of being excited at the beginning of a run and seeing the university guys doing their workout as well. I got a gnarly side stitch right before the long uphill which may have slowed me down there a little bit. My breathing was off the whole first half of the run. Luckily my foot didn't hurt like it did last week. Towards the end of the run my lower legs started to hurt a little, and the last two miles I had to focus to keep my form together. The temperature really dropped though so I think that was part of why I lost my form. 6:18 average.

The run was aerobically more challenging than I wanted to be. I mentally told myself to relax but the hills and cold didn't really help me in that regard. My right arch hurt a little on the couple of the downhills, but it never got very bad. The fact that I averaged 6:11s probably attests to that as well. I can't wait for some new shoes to come, as well as Tom to get healthy again.

My calves have been killing me the last couple of days, which I'm pretty sure is the shoes. I tried to not push too much on the run and make it an easier effort. I'm not very good at doing this on my own though. 

Ended up running later than I had planned because I studied chemistry with a guy in my ward. However, NEW SHOES!!!!! I ran 7 miles in the dark in the snow, so I didn't really care how fast it was. The effort felt about right aerobically, but it was probably a bit slow because of the snow. My left lower leg on the inside bothered me a little, but otherwise things felt good.

Went out in the morning, and my first mile was slower than normal. Things were pretty slushy so my feet got wet. The snow patches really messed with my momentum though. My legs were tired at the end of the run, so hopefully they will have more energy tomorrow

I tried to time my run so that I wouldn't have extreme problems as a result of the rain. Luckily it didn't start to rain hard until the second loop of my run, which at that point I didn't really care if I was wet because I knew it wouldn't really hurt me at that point. My right arch did bother me a little on the first loop on the downhills. The uphill by the stadium was just as hard as it always is. While running south on 8th East I had to fight the wind both times, and on the last mile between the wind and the rain, I couldn't really breathe through my nose, but I was able to finish it out. The time was just under 80 minutes, averaging 6:09s.

My first mile split was a 6:20 with the stadium uphill, so I knew it was going to be a faster run than I would have liked ideally. I tried to keep things relatively relaxed for the first half of the run, but it didn't work very well as I had a girl on the USU XC team out in front of me that I ended up passing. I actually passed another one, the girl from Lehi, later on in the run. Aerobically things were a little hard on the uphills, but the last couple of miles felt pretty good. I ended up averaging right on 6 flat miles.

The first half of my run was basically trying to rein things in and not bust things out. My right arch did hurt during the first few miles though. Obviously the long hill is always a fun one to run up as well. The second half of my run I felt really good and was able to hold a solid pace feeling comfortable. Ended up averaging 6:05s.

Went out for an easy seven miles. I didn't wear the watch, so that helped me mentally to not feel like I needed to push it at all, so I just ran what felt right. It started to snow on me the last few miles. When I went up on the dirt path, I just had to keep the legs churning through the snow. My right arch still was still a little achy, but things overall just felt good. Mentally the first 2.5 miles felt like forever though.

Back in West Point for a few weeks. Went out in the morning, and felt really relaxed and easy for the first two miles, and then started to pick it up a little more with the uphills. About four miles in my legs started to feel tired, but it didn't really slow me down. I opened things up a little the last two miles. Averaged for the run was 6:02

Went out for an easy six miles on the good old small road. I was fighting the wind for the first half, but that was fine because it kept things in check. My lower legs were bothering me a little, but nothing bad.

It was pretty windy this morning, so I ended up just having to run two loops to try and minimize running against the wind. The nice thing is that there aren't any crazy uphills to slow me down in West Point. I also drank some Gatorade halfway through my run for the first time to start experimenting with fueling. That didn't really bother me at all. My right hip started to bother me the last mile, but it should be fine. Was 6:15 pace for the first 7 miles, and 6:09 average for the whole run, so that would work out to 6:03 average for the second 7 miles.

Ran in the early morning while it was fairly cold and in the dark. Didn't wear a watch, but things felt decent and it was a decent pace. My form didn't feel completely on, as my legs were probably a wee bit tired. I also noticed that I seem to be swinging my left arm too much.

Went out in the early morning again and did 8 miles again. Not much to say about it other than it felt faster than yesterday, I didn't wear a watch again though. My lower legs have had some minor aches, but nothing serious. 

My legs felt really flat and didn't have any energy. I got shot in the leg with salt from a snow plow too.

I did not feel like running this morning, but I went out there and pushed through that. My right big toe has been dealing with some tendonitis or something, so that still hurt but nothing too concerning. Hoping to get recovered before my long run on Saturday.

Went out for an easy and controlled 7 miles. I tried to just keep my heart rate in check, and things felt pretty good as a result. I did feel the left lower leg a little towards the end, and my toe still hurt a bit, but things felt good. I tried to stride out a little at the end of the run, and I realized my legs haven't ran fast in a long time and it felt pretty weird.

It was fairly nice weather, it was above freezing with a little bit of wind. My legs were tight through the first half, and when I tried to pick it up for the second half my legs were not feeling ready to run any faster, so I let up a little bit. I started to feel a lot better for the last three miles, and was holding around 6 flat pace. Average pace for the run was between 6:11 and 6:12 miles.

The run felt harder than I would have liked it to be. I have been taking some anti-inflammatory to try and help my toe get better. My lower legs were pretty tight and a little sore today for whatever reason.

I decided I needed to do something to help me recharge today, so I ended up not going out and running. I did 7x10 minutes of biking, with some body weight exercises between each repetition of biking. I did one-legged squats, RDLs, air-snatch, push-ups, Y's, bicep curls, calf-raises, hips, and core. Hopefully this will help me be more motivated to run and be productive with my life.

Went out for seven miles in the early morning. It felt a little harder than it should have. My left lower leg is definitely on the edge of being something bad it feels like. I also had to make a stop to relieve my water bowels in a port-a-potty too.

I probably shouldn't have ran today, but I had some pretty bad tendonitis hurting in my left lower leg. I think it's from running early in the morning in the cold on crowned roads and then not taking care of my legs after. I probably may not be able to run tomorrow..

Did a strength workout in the morning, but that's it.