Neat! My Mom got her very own shout-out at the end of this week’s Running With the Pack podcast. You’re a real runner now, Ma!

This week was a return to my half-marathon preparation in earnest after the shorter recovery workouts last week. On Tuesday and Thursday I ran on the treadmill at the apartment. It was the first time I’d ever used the Nike+ on a treadmill, and I was prepared for it to be pretty inaccurate. Instead to my surprise it agreed pretty closely with the machine itself. Huh. Anyway, today I did my long slow run – 8.5 miles – around my sister’s house in Petaluma. Quite a lot of the run was on walking and bike paths, which made for a pleasant change of pace. I tried to stay in the shade as much as possible since it was turning into a hot and sunny day. I picked up a bottle of water at the halfway point and swigged a mouthful every time I slowed for a walk break (which became increasingly frequent as I progressed). Still, I managed the distance at a 12-minute pace, which is pretty good considering the heat. I feel great right now.

Week 3 distance: 13.4mi (21.48km)
Week 4 distance: 9.7mi (15.6km)
Week 5 distance: 16.45mi (26.3km)

That’s a 22% increase over my last long distance week two weeks ago. I made sure to have a nice cool-down walk at the end of my long one today, and I took the time to stretch in the backyard afterwards. My lower back is still feeling pretty good. My left hamstring and shin were giving me a little trouble today, but nothing too serious. Here’s to staying healthy all the way until October 12!

This week was fortunately a shorter week. (My training plan cuts back every third week so you don’t get worn out.) Instead of a long slow run on Sunday, I was meant to do 4 x 800m speed intervals. I went down to the treadmill in the hotel last night to do them… and just didn’t have the energy. I managed one of them, but after that I just did a slow jog for a while. I was pretty worn out from all the walking I did earlier in the day though, so I don’t feel too bad about it. (Plus, you know, I did spend 13 hours on a plane the day before.)

Week 3 distance: 13.4mi (21.48km)
Week 4 distance: 9.7mi (15.6km)
Week 4 distance (including walk): 14mi (22.57km)

So in terms of running, that was a decrease of about 27%. I feel pretty good about that. Tomorrow I’m going to do my morning run along the beach, I think!

I was so busy yesterday getting ready for the presentation that I forgot to post my training update!

Week 2 distance: 12.4mi (20.01km)
Week 3 distance: 13.4mi (21.48km)

That’s a much more modest distance increase of only 7%. Good, huh? Unfortunately I did feel some pain in my lower back on the second run. Stretching and anti-inflammatories seem to be helping.

This surprise work trip to L.A. means I’m going to miss the Bay Run next weekend. I’m sad about that, but at least I’ll be back for the City 2 Surf. The company apartment over there apparently has gym access, so I should be able to run on a treadmill in a pinch.

I’ve just finished Week 2 of my training for the Melbourne Half-Marathon. I’m feeling good!

Week 1 distance: 10.8mi (17.37km)
Week 2 distance: 12.4mi (20.01km)
Fastest mile so far: 10:41

That’s a distance increase of 15%. I know that’s higher than the 10% most runners aim for, but that’s because I’m still ramping up the length of my daily training runs. They’re at 35 minutes now, but in a few weeks they’ll top out at 45 minutes. Then the only increase will come from my long runs on the weekend.

I’m still going nice and slow on most of my runs (as per Galloway’s book), and I’m loving it. I did my long run yesterday at a 12:00/mile pace, and that included taking a minute’s walk break after every kilometer. I didn’t feel too tired at the end at all. In terms of injuries, my left hamstring has been feeling a little tender lately (I’m trying to remember to ice it each night) and my right shin started to feel a little sore towards the end of the run. My lower back pain is almost completely gone. I’ve been trying to pay more attention to my form, and I think that’s really going to pay off in the coming months.

I ran a “magic mile” on Monday night and managed it in 10:41. According to Galloway, that means I’m capable right now of running a half-marathon at a 12:30 pace. That’s actually a little bit slower than I ran it in May, so I’m not putting too much stock in his prediction right now. Or maybe I didn’t run the mile as quickly as I could’ve. It was hard to pace myself over the distance, and I was running on the sidewalk in Newtown (and therefore dodging people). Maybe for my next one I’ll make a trip over to the proper athletics track…

This past week was the start of my Melbourne Half-Marathon training. I did easy half-hour runs on Tuesday and Thursday, and I was happy to note that my lower back pain was almost completely gone. On Saturday I had a long, leisurely walk with the Snook. On Sunday, I headed out for a 5-miler. I’ve been reading Jeff Galloway‘s Book on Running and I’m already trying to put a few new things into practice. The big one is speed. My pace on the long runs has been way too fast. My goal pace for the actual race is 10:00/mile, therefore I’m supposed to do my long runs at 12:00/mile (including walk breaks). It seems counterintuitive to slow down now in order to go fast later, but as I understand it, the biggest factor in gaining speed is not getting hurt. I can be patient. The other thing I’m working on is FORM. Galloway gives the helpful mnemonic “CHiPs”: Chest up, Hips forward, and Push off. I think I’m improving, though I still get annoyed when I check myself in shop windows and catch myself leaning forward too much. (Check out this Phedippidations episode for a great discussion about running form.) Anyway, I did my five miles at 12:00 pace pretty easily. The biggest problem I had was my perpetual bugbear – hydration. I thought I’d had enough to drink but the sun was hot and I got parched quickly. I hit every water fountain I could find but still my mouth was dry. I really need to work on that.

Happily, my lower back felt pretty good after the run and I had a great final session with the physiotherapist this morning. My pelvic alignment is rock solid and my core strength is improving. I think I’m pretty much fixed! I actually feel kind of stupid for suffering through so much back pain when all it took was a couple sessions to correct. I can highly recommend Michael over at Peak Physique for any exercise-related injuries.

I had my third session with the physiotherapist yesterday morning. I’d taken a few days off at the end of last week, so I was curious to see whether that helped or hindered my pelvic alignment issues. The verdict? It hadn’t budged since he’d straightened me out last week! So that was good. There was still a slight twist in my lower back, but that was quickly put to rights. I went through my exercises and stretches and Michael said he could already see an improvement in my core stability. He gave me a few new things to do, including a simple little exercise to work the glutes (which left me with a SORE BUM all day long). Michael said that by the time I run my next race, I’ll be one of those runners with a strong and stable upper body instead of looking like a floppy marionette. Sounds good!

Today marked the official start of my Melbourne Half-Marathon training, so I headed out for an easy 30 minute jog. I immediately noticed a difference in my form. My core muscles were engaged and I could tell my pelvis wasn’t moving around so much. I felt like I was running more upright. I was also going a little bit faster than usual, so I decided to push it and see how quickly I could do the second mile. I did it in 10:56. I know the iPod is slightly miscalculated, so my real mile time should be slightly less than that. Not bad! (I wonder how much faster I could do it if I actually ran it as a sprint…) I could tell that my form suffered a bit as I started to tire towards the end. I’ll get better.

Isn’t my Nike Mini-Me cute? I discovered them over on Max’s site. You can build them on Nike+ if you’re a member.

Runners for Obama. I’d buy that T-shirt.

Miracle of miracles – I got the Snook out on the road again! He hasn’t done any running since the 9K Bridge Run in September of last year. His company is entering a team into the City 2 Surf though, and he’s feeling the pressure not to come in last. So Sunday he headed out on a short half-hour run around the neighbourhood with me. My back was still feeling quite tender from the physio earlier in the week, but I managed. My lungs are in great shape now. I didn’t feel winded at all. I may have even been pushing it a bit, trying to impress Snookums with the improvement in my fitness. He kept up with me the whole way, but I think a lot of that was male pride. He’s hurting a lot worse than I am today. Anyway, now I just have to keep him motivated for two more months.

In other news, I went back for another session with the physiotherapist today. My back was starting to lock up again (as he expected), but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it was last week. He put everything back in place and then showed me some simple Pilates exercises to start strengthening my core. I’m still restricted to short 30 minute runs, but I’ve got another week or two before I begin my Melbourne Half-Marathon training in earnest.

Lastly, I was getting caught up on my podcasts this morning and was happily surprised to get a shout-out on Brandon’s Marathon. Brandon ran a triathlon earlier this month, a feat that I can only dream about right now. Well done, Brandon! Good luck on whichever of the fall marathons you decide to do…

Last night I officially registered for the Melbourne Half-Marathon on October 12th*. I also booked us into a hotel for that weekend. My friend Kylie told me about this “secret hotel” thing where you can get a reduced rate at a 4* CBD hotel, but the catch is you don’t know which one it is till after you book. (Presumably it’s whichever one has a room to fill.) Now me, I like surprises. So I made a reservation and we ended up getting the Batman’s Hill on Collins. Not bad, considering we’re saving $70/night off their regular rate. Anyway, now we just need to get some plane tickets and I’m all set. Well, except for that pesky TRAINING part…

On that note, I went for a short, slow 4.5k run this morning. My lower back had been feeling a bit bruised from the manipulations, and it got weirded when I ran. I felt like my whole “caboose” was moving around a lot more than normal. I suppose it probably was, given that he’d freed up a lot of muscles that had become frozen in place. I noticed that it was easier to run without hunching. It’s a few hours later now, and I’m feeling some uncharacteristic soreness in my abs. I suppose these are the core muscles that are meant to be engaged when I run, but due to my misalignment I haven’t been able to use them properly. It’s a little weird to have to get to know your body all over again.

* I will be doing this as part of the Phedippidations Worldwide Half Marathon Challenge. The idea is that thousands of runners around the world will all set a goal to run a set distance (5K, 10K, or the half-marathon) around that date in October. You don’t have to do it in an official race; you can run it on your own on the treadmill if you want. There are about half a dozen Australians signed up so far. If you’re a runner and you need a goal, I really recommend you consider taking part. It doesn’t cost anything and you get access to some great training plans and running forums. Check it out!