Last day of 2024

 Doing OK today - but happy to be rid of 2024.  As "Mark the restless" (Irish runner from Strava) said "eat shit 2024"

Had injuries from August onward. Went from the best I was riding to the worst after tripping doing some strides in Atherton. Tripping and pulling my left hamstring, I assumed I'd be good in a few weeks...but not how it turned out.  Instead I had to push the CIM December marathon until next year.  But...my bad luck was not over yet...

Next I developed plantar in my right foot, so that set me back. And to put a cherry on the top of 2024, I pulled my back on Dec 20th getting ready to move, so I could not walk fro a week at the end of the year. blah blah blah...bad luck+old age= long recovery.

So I'm beginning 2025 registered for three races:

1. Mountains to beaches April: I WON'T be ready for this race.  I'm going to change to a half marathon as I cannot get the $700 back from Marriott....we can drive down and do a LA weekend.

2. SF Marathon - this will be my BAA goal race in July.  I should be able to get back in good enough shape to run around 3:45

3. CIM 2025 - can I improve my performance and get in group 1?  probably not, but, should be able to improve and have a better starting position.

Let 2025 Begin!

Running again - Hallelujah

 

This has been about the worst series of events in running ever. I FINALLY was feeling good last summer. I was ready for CIM 2024.  I began the speed phase... and on Day 1 of speed work I tripped and pulled my left hamstring on August 9th..and have been injured ever since (today is November 29th)

I'm going to physical therapy. I'm doing leg exercises. I'm biking non-stop....but...my dream is to run again and do the Boston marathon in 2026. I will do that, but I need to qualify first. My plan was to qualify at CIM 2024, but that's next weekend and not going to happen ;)

Next plan is Mountains to Beaches in Ventura in 2025. so as of today I have 4.5 months to meet the Boston qualifying time for 65 of 4:05.  I plan to be much faster of course. 

Still nursing a hamstring injury

 All I could do today after 10 weeks of "rehab" (not really runing)

It's been a tough few months as I'm trying to recover from a the hamstring fall injury.  The biking keeps improving and I'm now biking to work daily (Mon-Thur) while the weather is good.  It's actually sort of fun biking to work in the dark in the morning;riding home during the 95 degree heat wave was not as fun..but will continue biking

I'm wondering if I should just start running every other day now, even prior the the morning bike like from 5:30 - 6:00 3 x 10 min miles as a warmup.  Maybe next week ;)

Approach for the next two weeks :

• daily stretch hamstring
• every other day strength (1-leg RDL, lengthening stretch)
• few times per week nordic curls
• Running early pre-bike to work..or...running at work for 30 min ez on the treadmill

Still Sore - max "jogging distance" is 1/2 mile

 After the labor day weekend with the family and only biking/elliptical/walking - (pain free) and a workday after commuting yesterday, I tried to see what improvement the left hamstring had made. Turns out very little.  

ran down ebener to roosevelt, then to vera...then about the time I hit Red Morton park it was sore again.  The pain was not specific and stabbing, but in the upper part of my left thigh and felt spread around the area. I was not specifically on the left side where the tendonapathy had been, but rather generally in the mid-to-upper hamstring. I then began walking and very light/easy jogging until I was home

I did a pain free 20 min on the elliptical and the swissball hamstring running exercises 1 time.

What a difference that hamstring pull made

 Just quickly - has been a struggle to NOT run and only bike/walk/workout/elliptical.  I re-injured the healing hamstring a week after the event trying to speed up.  Now i'm having trouble running even 9:30 miles

Recovery

I'm not taking ibuprofen, but I am icing nightly.  today when I intended to run 5 miles through Atherton it began to hurt after my warmup of about 1 mile. But the time I was turning on Valota it was feeling odd/painnful. By the time I crossed woodside (where I SHOULD HAVE TURNED LEFT AND HEADED HOME) it had become increasingly sore.  I ran one block, cut through the emersion spanish school, and back down Selby to oakwood and basically walked back. 

Maybe another week? 

Fell and pulled a hamstring on first day of MP training

Fastest run/pace since the SF Half in 2018

    but a hamstring injury happened the same day...due to a fall!

I began using (sort of) the Hal Higdon program which is a bit easier than my own plan.  Hal's week one (of 18 weeks) was rest day monday, 3 mile run ez Tuesday, rest day wednesday, 5 mile run (8:49 pace) Thursday,  5 mile run at MP (8:11) Friday and then a long run (10 miles) Saturday and a x-training day sunday.

I had run 6 miles Monday so skipped Tuesday/Wednesday ran ez 5 (8:35/mile) and was excited about beginning the structured running with a MP run on Friday at 8:10 or under. After a one mile warmup ran at 7:39 - 7:59/mile the rest of the way and came in at 8:01/mile. The SF pace in 2018 was 7:46/mile, and this felt mostly easy and my HR was never over 130.

So will keep up biking and weights until I can run easy again.  I'm icing it 2X per day and stopped taking ibuprofen after day one.  So going with turmeric for inflation reduction, biking/elliptical/weights for exercise 

2024 getting back to regular training

 

Welcome back Spassmeister! Having fun??

Well it's 2024 and I'm trying to get a regular rhythm back to my exercise program.  I may have overdone it as ramping up running/biking/weights has left me sore in many areas.  

But first - here's my Strava recording of workouts. I've begun including weights in what I post just for completeness sake as I've been falling behind on the spreadsheet. F

Here's mid-Feb to mid-March 2024 workouts.  I was ill, had some injuries and was traveling (MWC, Madrid) 

Now - here's the last 6 weeks 

The massive increase in running, biking and weights has taken a toll and when I work up today I decided maybe 1-2 rest days are needed.  Currently suffering from:

• a sore left knee - it's sore above my kneecap to touch and during some movements, but does not in any way impair ambulatory (running, walking) movements. Seems like when I was sick with a flu 5-6 weeks ago I somehow hurt the tendons around the knee in what I think was a mild tear. It has not healed and even seems to have spreada.
• Mild right hamstring tendinopathy - this has come up in the past week. sore when I ran a week ago  (was limping after a Sun run and on Monday at work). I've been doing glute-bridges and some one-leg extensions.
• Slower times - for some reason my times have been going from 8:30 pace ot 9:00 pace and I never really feel recovered. 

So - plan of record: No running/biking today or tomorrow.  Nothing at all today, and, weights tomorrow very early (5 am if possible).  Need my Whoop Score on recovery to improve so I can workout Fri/Sat/Sun this coming weekend.