After having an extremely light week last week, I headed out in my new shoes this morning to test my shins. I went very slow, and I took a short walk break every five minutes. I felt great! No pain at all while running. I massaged in some Voltaren after the run, and I could feel some residual pain (especially on my left leg) then. I’ll take it easy until I’m fully recovered.

This week: 10.11km (6.3mi)
Last week: 25.83km (16mi)

Yeah, big drop there. I swear I’m going to take it slow.

I got some new shoes! This morning the Snook and I caught a bus to Rozelle so I could go to Running Science. My physio had recommended the place, and even given me a referral voucher for 10% off. When I got there, the staff had me take off my shoes and socks and walk barefoot on their treadmill. (I was a little intimidated by this part. I kept waiting for him to go: “Boy, you walk FUNNY!”) A video camera was positioned behind me pointed straight at my feet, so the monitor above showed exactly where I was striking and how far I was rolling with each step. I was happy to learn that I have fairly neutral pronation, which was backed up by the wear pattern on my old shoes. My left foot rolls in a tiny bit more than the right, but other than that I was fine. To him, this indicated that my shin splints aren’t really due to any mechanical problem other than too much running in very deflated shoes! He brought me out two pairs of shoes (New Balance and Brooks) to try that both offered moderate stability. I walked around and ran on the treadmill in both pairs, and they both felt great. In the end I went with the New Balance, just because they seem to inspire greater devotion on the running blogs and podcasts I listen to. They’re New Balance 1224s, and I’m wearing them around the house now to break them in. I also picked up a couple new technical T-shirts (half off! only $20!) and a stick of Body Glide. Today will be my third day off running, and I’ll go for an easy jog tomorrow and see how I feel.

This kinda sucks. I’d been feeling some little niggles in my left shin for the past week or so, but nothing too major. I mentioned it to the physio last week and she said to just keep an eye on it and make sure it didn’t become worse. I did some research on it the other day so I knew what symptoms to look for. Today at lunch, I headed out for a 45min jog around the Domain in the winter sunshine. I walked for about 5 minutes to warm up, then start slowly jogging up the hill to the Art Gallery. I picked up my speed a little as I got into the park with all the other runners. I was feeling really good as I was rounding the tip of the peninsula at Mrs. Macquarie’s chair, when suddenly I started getting sharp little shocks in that left shin with each footfall. It wasn’t terribly painful, but it felt like a needle was poking me in the leg with every single step. I knew enough to back off. I stopped to stretch, and I ended up walking pretty much the whole way back to the office. I’ve done some more reading, and the good news is it seems like I’ve managed to catch it early. I don’t really have any intense pain (except when I’m massaging it, and then it hurts like hell). I iced both shins tonight, and I took an anti-inflammatory and massaged Voltarin into both legs. I think the causes are fairly obvious: over-training, running on concrete, and running in really old shoes. (I was sure I’d gotten these last October before the Melbourne Half, but upon further checking, it looks like I got them last May for the Sydney Half. They’re a year old! EEP! No wonder.) So I’m going to take a couple days off, and on Sunday we’ll be taking a trip to Rozelle to visit Running Science. I’m going to get my gait examined and hopefully get myself some new wheels. In the meantime, let me know if you have any tips for faster recovery or keeping fit without aggravating it…

I pushed my workouts to four days this week (plus one cross-straining session at Spudds), so I had a bump in distance. I’ve been noticing lately that I’ve gotten extremely comfortable at my normal slow pace, and that I can easily run longer than 30 minutes without getting winded at all. My guess is this is a sign that I need to start pushing a little harder, maybe trying to bump up my speed a little bit. So I’ve been trying to incorporate some speedwork at least once a week. Last week I included some intervals in one run, and this week I did 20 minutes of fartlek as part of my Saturday run. The biggest limiting factor in my progress right now seems to be all the niggling aches and pains I’m fighting: my back, my hamstrings, mild case of shin splints, etc. I’m doing what I can for those, but frustratingly I think the biggest help would be to drop some weight. Having all these extra kilos pounding the road isn’t doing me any favours. It’s just hard, especially because all the exercise tends to make me hungrier than ever.

This week: 25.83km (16mi)
Last week: 19.86km (12.4mi)

I took an extra day off last week due to my lower back pain and general feelings of crappiness, so my weekly total went down a little. I’ve officially signed up for the Running Festival Half-Marathon though, so there’s no backing out now. I’m on Week 5 of my 20 week training program, so I’m 25% of the way through. I’ve got plenty of time.

This week: 19.86km (12.4mi)
Last week: 22.39km (14mi)

The Sydney running season is upon us and I’ve started to ramp up my training a bit. My ultimate goal is the Half Marathon at the Running Festival in September, so I’m using the 20 week training plan from that site. There are also a number of shorter races along the way this winter. First was the Mother’s Day Classic 8K I ran a few weeks ago. Next up is the Bay Run on August 2nd, a 7km run around Iron Cove Bay. I’m running it as a team with Shane, Tim, and Stef. The following Sunday will be the City 2 Surf, where once again I’ll try to break the elusive 100-minute barrier. I just have to talk the Snook into running with me…

This week: 22.39km (14mi)
Previous week: 17.41km (11mi)

One difficulty this year is some general lower back pain and stiffness. I think I injured it trying too hard on the rowing machine at Spudds. I’ve been to the physio last Wednesday and today, and she’s given me some exercises and stretches. A big part of it is my right hip being way too tight, as it was last year.

Today was my third running of the Sydney Mother’s Day Classic 8K. (Previously: 2006, 2008.) There were a few new challenges this year: I’m heavier than I was the two previous times I ran it; I’ve been doing more strength training and a lot less running miles lately; and I was running this one on my own, without anyone else to pace me. It was also the culmination of a week of pretty intense busy-ness, and I hadn’t had much time to worry about race preparations. Despite my protestations, Snookums insisted on coming along to support me. (He’s the best.) My goals were simple: to run the whole thing without stopping, and to finish in under an hour. At 7:30am the gun fired and we were off.

It was already sprinkling when the race started, and it continued to drizzle down the whole time. It was nice though. I settled into my pace quickly. They’d changed the course from last year and it meant a lot more turns and switchbacks. There were still plenty of hills, but they were much shorter and didn’t kill you so much. I realised I felt pretty good. I was happy to pass my nemeses, the Peaky Striders, pretty early on. Because I was on my own, I listened to Steve Runner’s podcast from the Boston Marathon as I went. I got lapped by the winner as I neared the halfway point, but I didn’t mind because the rain had stopped and a beautiful rainbow appeared at the turnaround. It was glorious. I feel like I ran this entire race with a smile on my face. I kept an eye on my pace just to make sure I was going to meet my goal, but I didn’t feel any particular need to push hard. I kept getting passed by people who were going flat out, and then five minutes later I’d chug past those same people who were now walking to catch their breath. My mantra was “slow and steady.” I actually laughed as I climbed the biggest hill for the second time, wondering why I thought it was so difficult before. Finally were was only one kilometer left to go, so I did my best to pick up the pace. I saw Snookums about 200m from the finish line. “I did it!” I croaked to him. “I haven’t stopped!” And suddenly I welled up like I was going to cry. I put my head down and sprinted as best I could to the finish line. I crossed in 57:37 (according to Runkeeper), but that included that time it took me to get to the start. So call it 57 minutes. Not a blazing time by any standard, but given how much fun I had and now easy the run ended up being, I’ll take it. I’m feeling much better about my chances for posting a fast time at the Bay Run in a couple months.

Thanks to everybody who sent me supportive messages before and after the Race. And extra special thanks, of course, to the Snook, who never complains about getting up at 6am and standing in freezing cold drizzle for 2 hours just so I’ve got a friendly face cheering me on at the end. That’s worth more than a race medal to me.

Edited to add: Official race times have been posted. I finished in 57:01, which was firmly in the back of the pack. Still, a fun event!

No, it wasn’t me. I headed out this morning for a short jog around the neighborhood, and I headed up Wilson Street towards Newtown as I usually do. I felt pretty good. The sun was shining and it was cool but not cold. My hamstrings were a little sore from my workout at Spudds yesterday. (He made us do hill sprints.) I felt like I was moving at a faster pace than normal though. I came to the one big hill on Wilson and started powering up it. As I neared the top (and the next cross-street), I looked up to make sure no one was coming around the corner… just in time to see a girl at the corner fall to the ground hard. I tore off my headphones and sprinted up to her. A guy coming down the hill on a bike got there first. “Are you okay?” we asked her. She’d rolled herself against the wall of the house on the corner and was clutching an obviously bloody knee. She was in workout clothes, and she seemed pretty shocked and out of it. The guy said something about running to get a first aid kit, and I said I’d stay with her. He took off. So I stood there with her, dripping with sweat and feeling pretty useless. Other people stopped by to ask if they could do anything. “I think it’s cut really deep,” she said. “I swear I saw white. It could be bone.” I tried to be comforting and point out there’s no way she cut herself down to her kneecap on the sidewalk. From what I could gather, she wasn’t out for a run like I was; instead she’d been on her way home from the gym. I wondered to myself whether she might have been a bit dehydrated, or even have low blood sugar if she hadn’t eaten before her workout. The guy came back with the kit and set about cleaning her up with iodine. As expected, it was just a skinned knee. “I hate to leave you,” I eventually said, “but I’m going to be late for work if I don’t move!” She thanked me for staying with her, and with a wave I headed off. I finished the run and made it home.

I’ve read horror stories on running blogs about runners having accidents or getting hit by cars. I’m such a clumsy person in general, I figure it’s only a matter of time before it happens to me. Hopefully I got some good karma from the incident today, and if I’m ever in her situation, somebody will stop and help me too.

Best wishes to Steve Runner and anybody else running the Boston Marathon today. You guys are inspirational!

or TrainingBlog? …because it’s not so much just about running anymore, is it? I had a really interesting week. Monday was the power outage, which kinda killed my plans to go to Spudds. Instead I told myself that I’d go Tuesday. But Tuesday came and I felt crappy, and I whined to the Snook that between the rainy weather and my headache, I just wanted to go home. He wouldn’t let me. He told me over and over again that I’d feel better after some exercise. Reluctantly I went. It wasn’t a great session; my only goal was just to grit it out. Afterwards I felt emotionally wrung out and exhausted. I think it did do me good though, because the very next day I headed in for our lunchtime session full of excitement and pep. Venks and Omid came along for the first time, and I think having newbies there forced me to realise how far I’ve come. I’m so much fitter than I was three months ago! I can keep up with the workout without feeling like I’m going to pass out. I actually managed to hold the plank position for a full minute, which is unheard of for me. (My core is obviously getting a lot stronger.) Spudds also challenged me to get 100m in 20s on the rowing machine, which he said was a challenging target for a girl. And I did it! I was really proud of that. And then Friday I went for a short run around the Domain at lunchtime. I’m really starting to notice how much an effect these workouts have on my sleeping patterns and mood. Fit Kris is strong and happy Kris.