Maria's Running Blog

easy run with last 10min. at half-marathon pace. I think I did it a bit faster, 1.3mi in 10:00 (7:38 pace). Total time 1:17:55. Weather is weird, drizzle and wind, but very warm, upper 50s.

longest run in months, and I was very tired at the end of it. This is the highest mileage week since last winter. I felt okay for the most part, stopped for gel and water after 8.5mi., but my legs were definitely feeling all the miles. Total time 2:18:35 (8:56 pace).

Fartlek 5x(3' hard + 3' easy). Garmin was in and out, so last split was not recorded. I pushed a bit too hard on the 4th, and had to slow down on the 5th. Speeds: 7:07, 7:02, 7:04, 6:55, ?? Total time 1:00:42. This week will be a bit lower on mileage to recover from last week. I felt my left achilles a bit today, I have to stretch calves more, they're still tight from last week.

very easy run today, 54:50 (9:08 pace). My Garmin was misbehaving for the second day in a row. This time, it not only lost the signal, but started counting the distance backwards!! This is the first, it showed 1.2 mi, and then 1.15, 1.04, etc. until it got to 0.84mi, at which point it regained the signal, I guess, and started incrementing the distance again. I was wondering what would happen if it went all the way down to 0? Would it go into negative territory? I wouldn't be too surprised. I hope it's just the weather that is to blame for this erratic behavior. It's been extremely cloudy and rainy this week, plus serious winds up to 25 mph. If it's not the weather, then the unit might be breaking down. I ended up with only 4.5mi on the Garmin, but I know the route I went and it was definitely 6.

steady medium long run, planned for 11mi, but came up 0.1 short. At least Garmin cooperated today, but it's sunny for a change, so should be easier to pick up the signal. Total time 1:33:15 (8:33 pace). I ran most of it at 8:27 average, but last 1.2mi I go through Primrose Hill, which has, umm, the big hill, and it always slows down my average. Not that it matters much, even 8:33 pace is fast enough for me right now. Legs still tight from mileage last week.

Scheduled day off today. I got my rejection "Sorry" magazine from the London marathon - more or less what I expected, despite bequeathing my entry fee for an additional drawing. So, now I have several options: get a "Gold Bond" place from one of dozens of charities and be obligated to raise a lot of money (about 1500 GBP), which I don't think I can do, so I don't think I'm going this route. Or, I can run another UK marathon, there are several alternatives. Yet another option is to run one of the European spring marathons (Rotterdam, Hamburg or Prague. Paris is already full) - all of them seem pretty fast. Then hopefully I can get into London next year as "good for age", I need < 3:45 time, run in the last 2 years. If anyone knows anything about any of the marathons mentioned above, please let me know. I'm also checking marathonguide.com for feedback.

Fast finish progression run. 5mi. easy, then 5min. at 5K (0.73mi in 5:05 - 6:58 pace), and 1.3mi. cooldown. Felt good after a day off, and the wind was much quieter today after a tornado we had yesterday. Total time 1:01:55 (8:35 pace).

long run in 1:56:51 (8:53 pace), most of which was at 8:45 pace until the last hill in Primrose Hill park. Couldn't get water (and consequently, gel) because the restroom was closed today. Got tired last 2 miles with tight calves/achilles developing at the same time. It was the coldest day of the winter so far with temps at whopping 45F.

very windy again today, which made it harder to maintain the pace. I ran easy, and again, my lower calves got tight towards the end. Total time 1:02:13 (8:38 pace).

I ran around outer circle of the park today, trying to stretch out the distance of each loop. To my disappointment, it measured only 2.75mi (the inner circle is 2.4). I felt very good and my pace increased without any effort on my part. I started at 9:00 pace, but by the end I got 8:35 average. I hope this week gives my legs more rest and I can ramp up the training again next week. Total time 1:35:09.

fast finish progression run. Ran 5 miles easy, then 0.74mi in 5:11 (7:03 pace) and jogged home 1.3 miles. I felt very good today and was moving at a good pace. Total time 59:35.

Long run in and around Regents Park. I kept alternating outer loops with inner loops, mainly to keep myself from getting bored, but also because there is water inside the park. Started off feeling not so great, my left soleus was still tight (but didn't get worse during the run). Had Honey Stinger gel with water after 7 miles and felt a lot better after that. Kept going at a faster pace, and at the end, had enough energy left to pick up the pace even more. Much better run than 2 weeks ago. Total time 2:15:17 (8:50 pace).

Mostly easy run, with the last 10 min. at half marathon pace, which ended up being 7:41. Then jogged home the last 1.2 miles. I felt good today. My left calf didn't bother me, but I also took IB before. It is still okay now, after IB wore off for sure, so it's a good sign. Total time 1:07:06.

Decided to start doing one-legged calf raises on the stairs again. Since I'll be running a lot of hills next 4 weeks, I want to safeguard against achilles/calves damage, especially in light of my latest calf issues. I started with 2x10 on each leg today.

easy run today, 54:03 (8:43 pace). Felt good, calf held up and for the first time I didn't get pain in the forefoot running in the Nimbus. I still don't trust these shoes for anything other than short easy runs.

Progression run. Started with 2mi. warmup, then did 5mi. in 39:39 (7:55 pace), followed by 0.72mi. in 5:08 (7:06 pace). Cooldown 1.3mi. I felt very good today, 7:55 pace came easy, in fact I didn't believe my Garmin at first because it felt more like 8:10 pace. But it was right because the distance markers matched the watch. The 5K pace segment felt pretty hard, but still manageable. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with this workout. Total time 1:15:25. It was cold today, London entered "freezing fog" phase, which CNN highlighted today in their Heathrow nightmare story. It was around 30F when I ran. It took me couple of miles to warm up, but I was fine after that.

Did 2x10 each leg calf raises on the stairs.

Long run in and around Regents Park. It was a bit warmer than last few days, and I didn't take my gloves. My hands were freezing for about 3 miles! I started at about 9:00 pace, but soon found the pace dropping without any effort on my part. After 8 miles, I thought it would be a good idea to take a gel, so I turned into the park. To my great disappointment there was a sign that public restrooms are closed today. So I kept on running, trying to figure out what to do, and at about 9.5mi. I decided to take the gel anyway, without the water. I just didn't think I could go 16mi. without bonking. I've never done that before, but I had no choice. I thought it would be a good test to see if I would get stomach problems digesting carbs without the water. Lucky for me, Squeezy gel is thin enough that you can take it without having to wash it down with liquid. To my surprise, I didn't get any problems whatsoever with my stomach. Meanwhile, my pace kept dropping, and at 12mi. I was at 8:42 avg. Then, my Garmin decided to lose the signal, and I didn't know my pace anymore. But I was running measured loops, so it was no problem. I was just curious whether I'm slowing down towards the end or not, but I felt good. When I got home, I saw that total time was 2:23:57 (8:37 pace). So I kept dropping the pace the whole way. This run is significantly faster than my previous long runs, but I think it may have something to do with low mileage this week and a day off right before.

I did start feeling my knees, calves and hip flexors in the last 2mi, but it's perfectly normal on long runs. I also got significant swelling in my hands, which is a known issue for me on long runs. I assume it has to do with electrolyte (especially sodium) loss and body having to compensate. I am waiting for S-caps to arrive in the mail, and then I'll experiment with them. I think it should help taking 1 S-cap an hour on long runs and in the marathon itself.

very easy recovery run in 45:36 (9:08 pace). Did 3x10 leg raises.

Merry Christmas to all, and special thanks to Sasha for maintaining the site and all the feedback throughout the year.

easy run, 54:39 (8:48 pace). The streets were quiet, so it was very nice. I almost didn't have to stop at the intersections.

Hilly run in Primrose Hill park. Pushed the pace on 8 hills to 7:30-7:45. There were 2 hills in the loop, one medium steep that took me 1:00 to climb, and second, very steep, but short, that took 0:35 to climb. So I kept running loops accelerating on the hills. It wasn't a true fartlek, because the recovery was too long, but I felt like it was a good workout nevertheless. I did a lot of steep downhill running too, but at an easy pace. In the end, I felt tired, but not completely dead. We'll see if I have any consequences tomorrow. Total time 1:04:38.

Did 3x10 leg raises.

easy run, 52:58 (8:32 pace). No ill effects from yesterday's run, and I felt good.

I checked my statistics, and today I passed 2000 miles for the year. I'm sure this is the highest mileage I have ever reached in one year.

Travel day, going back to the US to see family and celebrate New Year with friends. I'll try to run when possible, but it will be sporadic. Don't know if I'll be able to update the blog as I'm not taking my laptop with me. I'm back on the 5th.