The most important change since last January is a new master's PR in the Half Marathon, set last October. That was the beginning of the end, at least for the next few months. I finished the race in 1:21:07, then hobbled back to my hotel room, barely able to walk. It was a great race, and I was very happy to bang a series of miles just over 6:10, with one or two under that. I took nearly 2 minutes off my prior best from 2010.
Then I switched game plans and got ready for indoor track, running off the Jack Daniels 800m plan. I was going fast -- following the plan's workouts pretty much to the letter, until the weather turned cold and I was forced to go indoor. A few weeks of sprint type workouts on the treadmill did my knee in, and my entire indoor season was out the window.
Naturally I gained 10 pounds, lost most of my conditioning, despite trying to use the bike or elliptical, and completely lost any chance of running well this spring.
Then I got the flu. I coughed for 4 weeks, and was not feeling well for 6. However, I was so sick that I lost the 10 lbs. I started running with Jim Johnson, who was kind enough to let me run 8:00 pace for the long runs because that was all I could do.
As the weeks went on, the 40-50 mile weeks got easier, and the workouts started. I raced a couple of 5k's, hitting my all time worst times for road races, but persevered. The long easy distance got a little easier, and the mile repeats went from 6:07 pace (still in the snow) to 5:40 pace. The 19:04 5k went to an 18:01 track 5k tempo run, and the 45-55 mile weeks were now supported by 2 hard runs per week, including either a race, a tempo, or a track workout.
And today, I did my first 4 x mile workout of the year, 5:40, 5:43, 5:34, 5:29 with a couple miles WU and WD and 400m jog/walk between each.
So now I feel I am getting somewhere.
It helps that Melissa placed second at the Wilderness League Championship meet with a 5:42.5 mile, a good time for a freshman, and then came back for fourth in the 2 mile. She is competing in the division championship this weekend. Also, Nick won his first Wilderness title in the 2 mile, after running a second place 4:29.8 mile, then throwing down a 54 second 400m in the very next race. He will be racing the 800m at the D2 meet on Saturday, along with the 4x400m relay.
If I can stay healthy, I may start getting some solid times again. Until them, having experienced many injuries and watched others suffer through them, I must remind myself to be thankful that I am at least out there running every day!
Darin
