Maria's Running Blog

Happy New Year, everyone!

I'm back from my trip to US, and went running today for the first time in about a month. It was pretty pathetic, just I expected. I'm glad I decided upfront not to go longer than 3 miles. Didn't take Garmin, just ran 15 min. out and back.

Total time: 30 min.

I know I haven't been updating my blog, although I had all intentions to get back into regular running routine. Some things happened that prevented me from doing so.

After my flight back to London from NY (6 hour flight) I noticed a pretty severe pain in my right calf. I was puzzled as to the cause, since I haven't run in preceding days. But I figured I must have somehow strained my calf going up or down the stairs or something like this. I went running with it even (see my last recorded run on Jan.6). The pain lasted about 10 days and finally subsided. I was okay for about 2 weeks after that, but then past weekend, I was walking with my daughter, and we had to run a few steps to beat a changing street light while crossing the street. After literally 5 running steps, my heart started pounding like crazy, I couldn't get enough air to breathe and felt a bit light headed. This scared me a lot - it was definitely not normal for me, no matter what shape I was in physcially. I also started feeling some vague chest pain, especially while taking deep breaths. I started thinking, what could it be? First I thought, maybe heart problems. But then I looked it up on WebMd and it mentioned pulmonary embolism. Somehow, immediately, I decided it must be it - I put together recent long flight, pain in the leg and my present symptoms, and I knew I had to go get checked out right away. So I called a taxi and went to the nearest A&E (equivalent of US ER in the hospital). I told them I have chest pain and shortness of breath and was taken to triage immediately. I told the doctor to test me for PE. She was surprised why I am so sure, but after hearing my story, she agreed that it was a sensible conclusion, and did a D-dimer test. The test came back extremely positive for clotting activity. They started me on heparin injections and Warfarin (Coumadin) to prevent further blood clots from forming. I spent 3 days in the hospital while Warfarin was kicking in. The CT scan confirmed multiple PE, i.e. I have a lot of small clots in my lungs, which undoubtedly broke off from the ones in my leg and traveled up.

So that was a pretty unexpected turn of events, but I am sure glad I went to the hospital right away. PE is dangerous and can be fatal instantly if a large clot blocks the artery. Now I have to have blood tests every few days until the Warfarin dosage is stabilized. I feel fine, the chest pain is mostly gone, but I still feel my heart rate going way up, even with regular walking, or when walking up the stairs. I thought that medication will break down the clots I have, but this is not the case. "Thinning" the blood prevents new clots from forming, but it does nothing to break the ones that already exist. In time (few weeks or months), my body will either break them down itself, or it will adjust. Right now, I was told to take it easy next week, because my heart is working extra hard to compensate for lack of oxygen in my blood. It looks like I will need to be on Warfarin for at least 6 months, but I may also need to take it for life, because there is a history of blood clots in my family. 

I asked the doctor when I can start running again, and couldn't get a definitive answer. He said it may take up to 6 (!) months. I hope it's not the case, but I don't want to start too soon and cause more damage. I was also told to avoid falling as it may cause extensive bleeding now that my blood is so thin. For the same reason, contact sports and sports like skiing where probablity of falling is relatively high, are not recommended while on Warfarin. Running is not too bad, as I fell only 3 times in 7 years. I will just have to see how I feel, I may have to start with walking, and move to running when I'm ready. The main question is whether my lungs sustained any permanent damage from this. If yes, then my ability to run will be compromised because I won't have full lung capacity. If no, I may be able to recover completely.

Thanks for the comments, everyone! I still feel very crappy, but the doctors are teling me to be patient. I had to go to the hospital second time last Sunday because I had an episode of my heart pounding like crazy which scared me a lot. That resulted in another 3 days in the hospital which included my 40th birthday :(. Good news that cardiologist cleared me, and there are no more clots in my legs. Now I just have to break down the ones stuck in my lungs! Bad news is that I get elevated heart rate and shortness of breath from simply moving around the house, so even going to work is out of the question for now :(.

Since I can't run now, I have to share about some running related things that may be entertaining to others :).

Before I went to the hospital, earlier in the day on Jan.28, I attended my company's annual FKOM (Field Kick-off Meeting). It was mostly listening to boring speeches, except for one invited guest, CEO of one of UK's publishing companies. He was brilliant, and if he wasn't a CEO, he would have made a great stand-up comedian. Some of his British-rooted jokes went over my head, but otherwise he was just awesome. He got almost a standing ovation at the end. Then there were more boring speeches, and then, at the end, they announced a "surprise" speaker. It was none else but Seb Coe!!! I just about fell off my chair - that was the least expected speaker at this corporate function.

Seb was talking mostly about his efforts on the London Olympic Games committee and his work in popularizing sports in local communities. He said he is trying to resurrect traditional sports, including track and field, in UK, talking about how football (soccer), cricket and rugby are so much more popular than anything else in England. He is a pretty good speaker with a sense of humor. He showed couple of videos that were presented to the IOC as part of London's bid to host 2012 Olympics. I've never seen them before, and they were great. The first one focused on London's cultural value and had a lot of funny moments and was very entertaining. The second one, which was shown in the final round, was a very emotional clip about the influence that Olympic Games have on young generation. It showed 5 kids watching the London games on TV, one in America, one in Russia, one in Africa and two others I don't remember from where. Then it showed how these kids picked up one sport and made it to the next Olympics. It was very well done (all set to music, no narration), and it undoubtedly influenced the IOC. Seb also showed the tape of IOC's announcement to grant 2012 Olympics to London. I've seen the pandemonuim that broke in the auditorium, but I havent' seen the reaction of Londoners who were watching the announcement live in various parks, squares and pubs on large screen TV's (because I was still in US). It was really something, people were screaming, jumping and going crazy with happiness.

Anyway, it was a real treat to hear him speak. I wanted to get his autograph, but he left right after his speech, unfortunately. He didn't speak about his running at all and whether he still runs, but he looks very fit.  

Update: went for a 40 min. walk yesterday. I've been going outside for a little while before, but this was a first longer walk. Hmm... not so good. Although I was able to walk at a brisk pace (still slower than my normal walking pace, I'm sure), I was feeling intermittent chest pains, a little breathlessness and a lot of anxiety.

Anxiety is really driving me crazy and I'm just now realizing that it is a nasty post-PE effect. It is also extremely common. Because I still get chest pain sometimes, I can't help but worry that I'm developing new clots, although it is highly unlikely because I'm protected by warfarin now. The pain is more likely from the scarring in the lungs and lungs repairing themselves and healing. And it increases with activity. This is a logical explanation, but of course there is no way to prove there are no more clots short of doing another CT-scan. The doctor told me they are going to do another one in a few months, not now. So I guess I just have to live with it and try to calm down. But I have a follow-up appointment on Wednesday, so I will ask the doctor again.

Today I had to go to the hospital for my INR check. It was in the range and I can keep taking the same dose of warfarin. But the whole trip to the hospital on public transit and then waiting there in line for an hour, didn't help one bit. Oh well, it's going to be a long road, but it will end sometime.

Thanks everyone for the comments and thinking about me - Bonnie, Brent, Bill, Kate! Another update: things are getting better very slowly, and sometimes they are getting worse. I went to work this week for the first time, and I managed two days. Tuesday I was fine, but on Wednesday I developed a bad anxiety attack on the tube (mainly, racing heart and frightened feelings). It took me 2-3 hours to recover from it after I made it to work. Yesterday and today, I've been having chest pains, especially when I'm walking. And I haven't had chest pains like this when I actually had clots in my lungs! It's frustrating, but docs are telling me it's going to take months to get back to normal. I had miltiple PEs in both lungs, and there has been damage, so maybe the pains I feel now are actually my lungs repairing.

I had a bunch of tests done last week, and all my blood tests were good this time. My oxygen saturation is at 98-99% which is very good. It was reassuring to hear all that, because I haven't been feeling all that great. I talked to PE specialist, and he said it's pretty normal to feel like this, and anxiety is common after PE, but he did not recommend to medicate it. He said it will only create a dependency on the drug. But he doesn't think I'm having any new clots, because all the test results are good. Also, he said I might be feeling worse than average person since I was very fit before my PE, and so a large chunk of my fitness has been taken away, therefore I'm noticing it more than someone who has not been so fit. He said that  in time, I will be able to run again, and I should regain my lung function fully. He will run some breathing tests in a few more months to assess my lung function.

So, there is nothing to do but wait. Last weekend, I felt great, and so I thought I can go to work. But today, I really am not sure, maybe I pushed it too much. I want to go to my daughter's swim meet tomorrow (it's a big county championship), so I hope I'll be okay in the taxi on the way there. Then it's mostly sitting waiting for her to swim. I keep telling myself there is nothing new wrong with me, and if I feel short of breath, it's mostly from my nerves and anxiety. Still, I wish I didn't feel like this.

My first run post-PE! I saw my pulmonologist yesterday, and he cleared me to start running, as long as I start from 1 mile and build up gradually. I have been feeling remarkably better last 2 weeks, almost back to normal, so I was ready to give it a go. I was a little afraid I was going to get short of breath, but I just figured I will go only a mile and I can always stop if I don't feel good.

I wore Garmin so Icould see my heart rate. I ran very easy, definitely could have gone faster, but didn't want to push it at all. Felt a little discomfort at the top of my lungs, but nothing bad. My breathing was fine and I felt okay, but my heart rate was through the roof - 170!! And I was going a little faster than 10 min/mi pace. Wow, I didn't expect it to be that high. My normal heart rate on easy runs is 140-145. The combination of de-training and PE certainly kicked my butt.

I'm not too worried though. The doctor told me I can get my fitness back and most likely I will not suffer any permanent damage in my lungs. It will just take time. He scheduled spirometry and blood gases tests for August, so that means they don't assume you're back 100% until full 6 months after PE. The tests supposedly will show whether I got my full lung capacity back or not. In any case, I hope to build up the distance first and speed second. I am jsut happy to be able to run again :).

Total time: 11:46 (9:48 pace).

Decided to go a little longer today. Garmin was late picking up the signal, and HRM was out of sorts as well, showing range from 85 to 140. So bad day in technology department today!

I turned around after 9:30 thinking it must be about a mile, and finished in 19:20.  Tried to map the distance on gmap-pedometer,com, but couldn't pinpoint the location I turned around exactly. It was in the middle of London Business School building, but there are no intersections there. Got approximately 1.9 miles - close enough. My adductors are very sore after my first 12 min. run - haha, that's how little I need these days! But at least it wasn't crazy windy like yesterday. Still cold though - 4C, wind chill 0C. Where is the spring??

Total time: 19:20 (10:10 pace) - approximate.

Maybe it was a bit much, but I went 3 miles today. My lungs hurt whenever I sped up (usually due to slight downhill), so I had to back off the pace even more, as if I wasn't going as a turtle already. I made it, but I don't think I will increase the distance anymore until some weeks later. My heart took half an hour to get back to normal after I finished and I'm still a little short of breath. I didn't wear HRM because I wouldn't be able to see my HR in the dark anyway. I think I got a little carried away, so happy that I can run again.

The weather is still cold - there was even wet snow yesterday! I coudln't believe it, it's so rare to get snow in London, let alone at the end of March. Today I ran wearing wind breaker and gloves. But the forecast has steady warming this week, and 1 April is supposed to be 16C (~65F). Of course, it's 1 April, so not putting too much faith into this forecast.

Total time: 28:53 (9:37 pace).

It took me couple of days to recover from my last run, as I definitely overdid it, both in terms of pace and distance. Didn't feel great last 2 days (some chest pain). So today I made sure to go super slow and shorter. Felt okay, but I now strongly suspect my HRM is garbage - it was showing 186 at one point, and 111 at another. All the while I ran even pace, although I instinctively slowed down even more after seeing that 186. I think I'll just leave it at home from now on, and run by feel. I don't want to get scared seeing heart rate in 180s or even higher. I certainly don't need the additional stress. The weather got a little warmer, but today there is crazy wind, so back to the windbreaker I went!

Total time: 21:08 (10:34 pace).

Finally, the spring is here! Beautiful weather today, warm, dry and no wind. I left my HRM at home, and just enjoyed the run. Went a little further than the other day, felt okay, no chest pain. Pace was faster than before, probably due to no HRM to scare me :).

Total time: 21:42 (9:26 pace).

 My daughter surprised me yesterday by doing this work in her art class:

www.flickr.com/photos/m_imas

I might have gotten carried away again today - the weather is still nice and warm, and I had tail wind on the way out. When I turned around though, I kind of had second thoughts. Ended up going just under 3 miles. I hope I feel okay tomorrow.

Total time: 27:42 (9:47 pace).

Today was a very good run. I felt marked improvement - my breathing was easier, I didn't get tired as much, and I even ran negative splits! Also, felt stronger and as if my running mechanics were better, probably due to slowly improving economy and my body remembering how to run. I wasn't faster than on Sunday, but felt a lot better.

Total time: 21:43 (9:26 pace).

I'm going to a screening of film "Endurance" next Friday - about Haile G. It's an older film, 1997, but I didn't see it before. Best of all, the screening will be followed by discussion on what makes Ethiopians so fast and whether Haile can win in Beijing - with some top runners who are here for the London marathon. Interestingly enough, the event is at the British Museum (not sure what it has to do with running). In any case, I booked myself a ticket! I'm wondering who will be there from the elite athletes.

My longest run so far in this comeback. I got tired, but made it okay. I slowed down a little after 2.5mi to make sure I don't push too hard. I can feel that I'm limited by my conditioning now, not my legs. But it is getting better, I just have to be patient.

Yesterday I learned about another interesting running event in London. Next Thursday, the Hanson brothers will be giving a talk in one of the running stores in central London. Some of their athletes will be with them and will be answering questions. There will also be some Brooks giveaways. I'll try to make it after work, but it's at least an hour's commute, so we'll see.

Total time: 39:02 (9:38 pace).

Had a decent run today. The weather is ridiculously cold today, and on Sunday we had heavy snow!! I couldn't believe my eyes when I got up and looked outside - there was at least half an inch layer of snow on the trees and cars. It's gotten marginally warmer since then, but still in the single digits (Celsius, of course). I didn't wear gloves today, and my hands froze. Oh well, one of these days there will be spring.

Total time: 29:00 (9:21 pace).

Had a choice today: go see movie "Endurance" about Haile G. and listen to some superfast Africans discuss Ethiopian running, or go for a run. I debated and changed my mind several times, and in the end decided to go running. I missed 2 days already, the weather was great (after some torrential rain and hail earlier in the day). Now I'm really glad I went, because I feel good after the run, and I feel good about getting out! NowI can sit back and watch "American Idol Gives Back" and results of the last round (they run here 2 days after US, or maybe a week after, not sure).

I ran the same pace as before, but was able to kick in a little at the end, and more importantly, I recovered much quicker than before. Only a week ago it took me 15 min. to get back to normal heart rate, and today it was maybe 5 min., pretty much normal. Still have some chest pain, but it doesn't seem to get worse while running.

Total time: 28:53 (9:19 pace).

Rather eventful run today. As soon as I started it began drizzling and about a mile into my run, it started pouring heavily, and with hail, too. Horizontal rain, ridiculous wind, the whole nine yards. It lasted only 10-15 min, but I was totally soaked and it made the run less than enjoyable after that. I ran a pretty good pace, compared to my recent runs, probably because I unconciously tried to get out of the rain sooner. But my lungs hurt for a few hours afterwards. I don't know why 3 miles is okay for me, but 4 miles is too much. Maybe it was the pace, or maybe it's because yesterday and today were my first back to back runs since I started building back.

But conditions are looking good for London marathon. I'm thinking of going out to watch it! Temperature is perfect for the race, about 48-50F, only if rain stays away.

Total time: 36:29 (9:07 pace).

Went to watch London Marathon today. What a day! I knew there should be fast times, because the weather was great, around 46F at the start and 51F at the finish, almost no wind. But there could be showers. I mainly wanted to see Ryan Hall run in person. I was wondering if looks as great in real life as on video, with that long, smooth, effortless stride. I thought of a place to watch, and decided on the Embankment,  after Blaskfriars bridge - around mle 24.5. I was afraid it would be very crowded, but it was actually very easy to get a good watching spot, at least before the masses started going by.

First, I saw elite women (they started at 9:00, 45 minutes before elite men and the masses). As I got out of the tube, it was raining, and then it started pouring, much like yesterday, sans the hail. The elite ladies looked very lonely, there were all going one by one, with large gaps in between, few minutes gaps. Some looked pretty strong, others pretty miserable. I later noticed that faster women that started with the mass start, looked stronger than these elite women. At least they were surrounded by guys and had a lot of company. So I'm not so sure this separate start for women is so great. I also paid attention to their foot strike, and almost all were landing on midfoot.

Finally, I saw leading motorcycle, a bunch of support vehicles, so it was clear the elite guys were approaching. I was very disappointed not to spot Hall in the first three from about 150m - they were three Africans running side by side. When they got closer, I realized they were Martin Lel, Sammy Wanjiru and Moroccan Gomrie. All running abreast and looking like they were just out for a Sunday stroll (at 24.5 miles). It was hard to judge their pace, but they looked strong, for sure.

Then, about a minute back was Mutai, another guy, and then finally, there was Ryan. I have to say, he did NOT look as good as at the end of Olympic Trials in NYC. His stride was not as impressive as on TV, but he wasn't grimacing in pain either. He was holding his own, and he appeared to be speeding up somewhat. Mainly, he just looked focused. Oh, and he was definitely running on his toes, no doubt. Not midfoot, but clearly on the forefoot. His heels were never touching the ground. I thought it was amazing for him to do this so late in the race. Of course, now I know he ran 2:06:17, an amazing time, and it only got him 5th place, this was a great year in London, and I'm so glad I got to witness it. Very fast times, but arguably could be even faster (maybe even world record) if they didn't start so fast - 14:21 first 5K. Geez! Although it's a little bit downhill, but still! I think it was too quick for Hall (but not for Lel, who put in a sick looking sprint last 385 yards - 57 seconds!!!), and he paid for it in the end. But of course, he had a terrific race, 2:06:17 is an awesome, world class time, and a PR by 2 min. for him. Brian Sell commented today in his training log: "Felt sort of pointless after seeing London results.". I guess he felt a little disheartened by the blistering speed of the first 7 or so guys. He will have to face them in Beijing, but it will be a very different race there, with the heat and tactics determining the outcome.

Then I walked to Westminster, past 25 mile mark and watched as more and more people started to go by. Saw some interesting costumes: few guys in tutus, tons of guys in various wigs, Scooby-Doo, 4 guys wearing jail striped uniform and physically chained to each other. But the "best" was the guy wearing a Borat-like costume, if you know what I mean. He was practically naked, with some strips of neon green material covering some parts (actually, just one part). So yeah, pretty much naked all around - he drew the loudest cheers from the crowd.

When I finally decided to go home, Westminster tube on my line was closed due to overcrowding, and it took me the whole hour to get home. But it was great watching the race. I know I said last year that I will not run another marathon until I get faster in shorter races, but I was so inspired today, that I entered an online ballot for 2009 race. It's only a lottery, so no guarantee of getting in, but I entered. I'm still upset about missing "good for age" standard by 45 seconds last year in Rotterdam sauna, but what can I do? We'll see if I get in next October.

 PS One important observation I forgot to add: a LOT of elite women were wearing compression socks, a la Paula Radcliffe. Some men too, but more women. I just read in Running Fitness magazine (a running magazine that runs parallel to Runners World in UK) that some studies have shown that compression socks improve blood flow back to the heart along with multiple other benefits. The artcile said that for a 3:30 marathoner wearing compression socks can make 6 minutes difference in final time! I'm not sure I buy this, it seems really large time difference, but maybe I should look into these socks for other reasons, like preventing more blood clots in my legs!

Had my INR blood test scheduled, so I'm working from home today. I got out at lunch and ran my usual 3.1 mi. Beautiful spring weather, I was even a little too warm in long sleeves! I kept noticing my time was better than last week, all along various checkpoints on the course. When I finished, I had 28:06 on my watch, more than 40 sec. faster than a week ago. I'm honestly surprised at my progress on so little running. I still feel every little incline, and 4 mi. runs are still causing lungs to hurt (while 3 miles are not), but things are looking pretty good. I'm hoping to get my mileage up in the next few weeks.

Total time: 28:06 (9:03 pace).

Did my usual 3.1mi course, another back to back run. I felt ok, saw a group of runners on the other side of the road going the same direction, so I tried to keep up with them. It worked to some extent, they were going slightly faster and gradually pulled away from me, but it was a good distraction from the long incline I have on the way back. I love daylight time - now I can actually see colors when I run!

Total time: 28:23 (9:09 pace).

I was expecting to be slower since it was my third consecutive day of running. Indeed I started slower, half split was 14:17, but got a little faster on the way back. Maybe because of the weather - it was cold and windy, my hands were freezing and I wanted to get back home.  Noticed that I did a little better on the long incline (mind you, it's a very tame incline, maybe 1%, but these days I feel every little bump).

Tomorrow will be off, since I have to go to Heathrow to pick up Lisa from her flight back. She has been moaning about the training and how tired she always is there. No wonder - she is swimming 4 hours a day in doubles, plus land training. She has competition this weekend, and I think she will swim a bunch of PRs, although I'm preparing her for a possibility of no PRs as well, in case she hasn't recovered from heavy training.

Total time: 27:55 (9:00 pace).

Had chest pain today for some reason - ran a little less because of that. It was also rainy, cold and very windy. Blah. I ran in one of my winter tops lined with fleece, and it was just right! Wearing gloves at the end of April seems ridiculous, so I didn't, but got frozen hands instead. Temperature is about 45, but with the cold wind, it's really not that pleasant out.

Total time: 25:35 (9:08 pace).

Finally, it's getting warmer - nice 50F weather, but very windy. I'm enjoying running in daylight and opportunity to go inside the park (because it closes at dusk).  I decided to try and run 4 miles a day this week. I may have some interruptions in a way of evening meetings with old friends in town from US and Russia, but I don't have anything set up yet.

Felt pretty tired by the end, but manageable. No chest pain and quick recovery. It felt good to move after sitting on my bottom for many hours this weekend, and at the hot pool, too. But I think it was worth it. My daughter got one PR (in 200 free), and swam a very respectable debuts in 200 fly, 400 IM and 400 free. Her sprints were shot, though, probably due to heavy training in Cyprus (70km in 9 days!). I think she did great being so tired and untapered. Next up - London Regionals, where she is swimming 50 and 100 fly, first time ever in a long course.

Funny story from her Cyprus training: there was some Russian team training at the same pool, in a time slot right after her team, and her coach was very curious whether it was Russian National team. So he made Lisa translate and talk to them. Turned out they were not a national team, because they had swimmers from all over CIS (Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Belorus, etc), but her Russian was not enough to really find out much more. She should have talked to them more, but she is too shy and self conscious, knowing her Russian is not fluent.

Total time: 37:12 (9:18 pace).

After a 2 day break, felt pretty good. I will try to hit 20 miles total for the week. Planning to go to a track meet this Saturday. The team captain put me in high jump (!), javelin and 4x100m relay. I'm excited!

Total time: 36:39 (9:09 pace).

Don't remember anything special about this run, but that is good!

Total time: 36:06 (9:01 pace).

We got beautiful day for a track meet - sunny and warm, around 70F. I even got sunburned from being outside for a few hours.

I did high jump (pathetic, but I remembered how to do "flop" after 25 years!). Of course, I pulled a muscle in the right hip flexor while jumping, but I pretty much expected it. If you're not using certain muscles for 25 years, chance of inury is pretty high. I felt it for the first few hours, but by evening it was okay. Lucky this time.

Then I did javelin, also pathetic, but lots of fun. I did only one throw, and had to leave for the 4x100m relay. I was running the 3rd leg. Not having done almost any strides, I had no idea how I was going to run or feel. When I got the baton, I almost tripped over myself - I think my brain was firing faster than my legs could move forward! I caught myself and ran the rest of it okay. I didn't lose any ground on the third place woman, and we finished fourth as expected. It was all great fun. I was tempted to try hurdles, but I'm afraid of falling. Not so much falling, but bleeding, since that could be troublesome now that my blood is so thin. Our team captain is trying to organize a jump and hurdling coaching session, which would be great. I want to get some confidence I can safely clear the hurdles before I'll try it in a race. Right now, no one is willing to give it a try and we're losing to other clubs simply because of no shows. I've seen some women just jogging through the hurdles, it's still better than having no one in the event.  So we'll see it. All in all, a fun day out. I managed to jog about a mile in between my events.

Man, did I feel sore from the track meet! Ran 5 miles today and felt okay, aside from sore legs.

Total time: 45:35 (9:07).

After 3 days of constant rain I was able to get out again. Felt pretty good, I will try to keep 5 mile distance on my daily runs now.

Total time: 46:05 (9:13 pace).

Shorts and t-shirt weather!! Ran 5 miles and felt good. Also, felt pretty strong today!

Total time: 45:25 (9:05 pace).

The plan was to try 7 miles today for a sort of long run. However, I felt crappy from the start. Just tired, dragging, not smooth. I have no idea why - maybe because I ran only 16 hours after the previous run and wasn't recovered yet? Who knows. So I waited to see if I'll feel better, but it never happened, so I abandoned 7 miler idea and decided to just stick with 5 for now. The stangest thing was that my split times were all faster than yesterday, even while I continued to feel bad. It was one of those weird runs. To make things worse, my stomach cramped up in the last mile, and decided it would be a great time for a bathroom stop. Of course, there are no woods in central London, so I had to slow down to make sure I make it home ok! I still got a faster time than yesterday. Go figure. I will most likely take a day off tomorrow as I will spend it in the pool (Regional Championship for my daughter).

Total time: 45:11 (9:02 pace).

Did my regular 5 mile run. Didn't feel as bad as on Saturday, but not great either. It was good to get moving after spending all Sunday at the pool for Lisa's regionals. She didn't do well, and was pretty upset, but then she talked to the coach, and he said it is to be expected. It looks like the high volume training in Cyprus helped her endurance, but killed her speed. She also had slight leg injury last week, that caused her to pull all her sessions (using pullbuoy) and not use her legs at all. I like that in swimming - you can isolate the legs and still put a decent cardio work in. It seems to have cleared up now, and she even did 800m run time trial in PE, beating all girls and all but two boys in her class, which cheered her up a little after a dissapointing performance in the pool.

Total time: 45:53 (9:10 pace)

Very warm out. I went out late so decided to run a little shorter.

Total time: 28:18 (9:07 pace).

Today it was simply too hot, must be 75F. First, we get no spring, then we get middle of summer! I attempted 7 miler, but again was stopped by stomach issues. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow. Hopefully, it'll will be a little cooler, too.

Total time: 38:59 (9:03 pace).

Ran in the Vets League meet. I did 100m non-scoring, and 400m as a scoring W35 A string. 100m was a lot of fun, I had a good start (without the starting blocks, but still good), but after 20m I got passed by a speedster in our club, Pam - a tall slim girl who is just built for running. I don't have official times, but I think I ran around 16.5.

I was nervous about the 400m, because I'm not doing any speedwork, and my endurance is shot. But I started not too fast, and was able to kick in the end, and only felt that dreadful lactic acid flood in the last 70m or so. I managed to get 3rd place, too! Again, no times, but I think I did around 1:20. Not great, last year I ran 1:15.6, but not too bad for my current state.

Finally, the 4 of us did 4x400m relay. Somehow, our team captain got hold of everyone's splits. Pam ran the first leg in 1:12 and got a huge lead over the other team (there were only 2 teams in this event). Then, we had a lady who is 55 or 60, not sure, run the second leg. She is a good sprinter, but didn't have enough for 400 - she almost stopped in the last 100! She ran 1:31. Then it was my turn. We still had a big lead over the second team. I ran slower than in my individual race, because I didn't feel all that great, mainly my heart rate was still high, and I was worried about overdoing it and pushing too hard. So I kept the lead, but didn't kill myself - 1:23.6. On the last leg, we had a fast girl (she ran 1:16), but the second team had one much faster! She caught our girl and passed her!! Everyone was yelling and screaming, it was a classic relay scenario - even if the speeds were slow. So we lost the relay, but it was a lot of fun. Our team won the meet, though, by 10 points!

Now, as I'm writing this a day later, I'm very sore, of course. Was walking funny today, especially after sitting down for a long time. But these meets are so fun, it's all worth it (provided I don't get injured!).

A major "ouch" run. So sore still after Monday. Crawled along like a turtle, legs stiff like a piece cardboard.

Total time: 46:40 (9:20 pace).

Still sore today, but definitely better than yesterday. I ran faster, too. The weather was perfect - on the verge of rain, but not actually raining, about 55F. I think I'll be almost ok tomorrow.

Total time: 45:03 (9:00 pace).

Had a bit of a set back last Friday, with chest pain and heart palpitation on the way to work. I have no idea why. Felt like crap all Friday, and decided to take few days off. Maybe I pushed it too much with the pace, or maybe track meets are too much for me now. Who knows...

Ran very easy 3 miler and felt okay, but not great.

Total time: 30:09 (9:43 pace).

Feeling better, but now I caught a cold somewhere. Totally stuffed up and sitting next to the tissue box. Felt pretty good on the run though. I wore my HR monitor again, but again it was showing wild results. At one point it started showing desreasing HR until 64, which was defintiely not true. Towards the end, it showed 130-150, which I think is realistic. I was careful not to push the pace at all.

Total time: 29:39 (9:33 pace).

Sick, sick, sick... I couldn't sleep last night, couldn't breathe and kept waking up every half hour. Woke up already tired. Then spent all day at work sneezing and struggling to talk on the phone. As luck would have it, I was the only one on site today and had to deal with a broken web proxy on a remote connection that my German colleague was trying to use. After an hour of trouble shooting I gave up and did a Webex with him, giving him remote control of my desktop (because the server was up just fine on internal network).  Now, in the evening, I still can't breathe through my nose, and can only imagine the fun night ahead. I can't even take any medication for the cold, not even zinc, because everything can affect my INR. I have to even watch my diet.

Ok, I think I complained enough. Hopefully tomorrow will be better or at least not worse.

Still sick, but feeling a bit better. I slept better last night, and the stuffiness is not as bad today, but now it moved to my throat. I kept popping cough lozenges all day and I think they messed up my stomach.

Went out and ran one loop around the park. Didn't wear HR monitor and moved naturally faster. Felt okay except for the messed up stomach.

Total time: 39:49 (9:15 pace).

It was pouring all morning, and then suddenly it stopped. I quickly changed into running clothes and went out hoping to get my run in while the rain is at bay (it was supposed to be raining all day long). But the rain never started again, so I had a great run, even if a bit wet and splashing in the puddles.

My sister-in-law is visiting us from US, and I'm the main entertainer/guide. So yesterday we spent all day on the bus excursions of London, and today we went to the British Museum, which by the way, had fascinating exhibition on Enlightenment, and another one on the history of world religions, with so many artifacts and interesting exhibits. But I'm pretty tired from all this time on my feet.

Total time: 39:47 (9:15 pace).

Today was not a good day, for some reason. I didn't feel good on the run, had this heavy sloppy feeling, breathing was hard as well. Well, I did 5 miles anyway. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better.

Total time: 46:28 (9:17 pace).

Felt a little better today, but still not really good. I had some weird lung pain again, for no reason. It's so frustrating, I thought I would be fully recovered by now. Maybe my lungs became like arthritic knees, reacting to the weather changes. It was overcast and gloomy today, and some light rain would start and then stop all day long. Oh well... as long I can get some miles in, I should not complain.

Total time: 39:13 (9:07 pace).

Finally, I had a good day! Felt like I had a nice stride, and didn't strain except for some inclines. I hope to run both weekend days to bring my number of runs this week to 5.  I want to do some aerobic threshold runs and some strides, but I'm still nervous to push the pace. Altough I did run 400m all out in a track meet few weeks ago, so I should manage high heart rate, but 400m was only slightly longer than a minute, while aerobic threshold section would be 20 min. at least. The alternative is to get up to 6 runs a week/30 mi. at least before trying anything faster, which is safer and more consistent.

Total time: 45:39 (9:07 pace).

Finally managed some semblance of a long run, after trying for couple of weeks. It was a bit too warm, 70F, but no sun, so not too bad. I started off at a slower pace than yesterday, hoping to not get tired too soon. Felt pretty good after the first loop, then started the second. Unfortunately, after 40 min. I started feeling chest pain again, and after 54 min. it got so bad, that I stopped and walked for about a minute. Then started running again, very easy, and felt a little better, so was able to finish. But this run showed me that 7 miles is still too long, I probably should not have gone more than 6. I hope I don't feel any consequences tomorrow. I want to build up my mileage, but it seems that my body is not quite ready yet. Still, I finished May with a lot more miles than April (around 80), and this week is the highest mileage week, so there is definitely progress.

Total time: 1:05:36 (9:22 pace).

I had to take 3 days off again, because I felt crappy after my 7 miler. It was obviously too much for me. I had lots of lung pain and the anxiety is back. I had kind of a rough 3 days mentally, and I have to thank the blog and all the nice people that stop by and leave comments. If it wasn't for this community, I would be tempted to just give up and stop running, at least temporarily. It's taking me much longer to recover than I expected, and I don't know when it will end. I just want to feel like my old self, but it's not happening! It's been 5 months, but I'm not back to normal.

So I tried again today, running very easy pace intentionally, and somewhat shorter. I hope I can get out at least 4 times this week. I felt okay on the run, kind of sluggish, because I was running so slowly. I don't generally feel good rhythm going slower than 9:30 pace. But I have to leave my pride at home, and try to get out consistently. I know that exercise is good for anxiety, so I'm trying. But if some lung pain is caused by running, it is very hard to say how much pain is from running, and how much is from all the anxiety (it can cause chest pain too!).

Total time: 42:12 (9:48 pace).

It was an okay run today. The weather is wonderful, and it is really enjoyable to just run, even as slowly as I am running now. I tried to take it really easy, but still ended up about 10 sec/mile faster than yesterday. My stomach was cramping too, so sometimes I would slow down even more until the cramp went away.The goal for the remainder of the week is to run 5 a day which should bring me to 24 for the week. This would be a slight increase from last week.

Total time: 48:19 (9:39 pace).

Got out very late and only had time for 3 miles. But I'm glad I got out at all, and it was very pleasant outside, around 60F and clear - I have to enjoy this weather while it lasts! I'm planning a track meet on Monday, doing 200m, 4x100m and javelin. I hope it's not too much.

Total time: 29:49 (9:37 pace)

It was a beautiful day, but more for the picnic, than for running. A little too warm, 75-80F, but I enjoyed my run for the most part. I started faster than in recent days, and it felt very good, so I let it be. Unfortunately, after about 3 miles my lungs started hurtng again, and after 4 miles, my breathing got weird, and I stopped and walked for about 0.1mi. Felt okay after that and finished the run, but I'm sooo frustrated. Why is it that I keep getting this lung pain?? Yesterday I didn't run, because I had this feeling like something was stuck at the base of my throat and I can choke any moment. I was afraid to go running. Today was much better, but still I got lung pain during the run. Once I finished and got home, I was fine again, no pain.

Total time: 46:14 (9:26 pace).

This was a fun meet, held at St. Mary's University College in Twickenham. I was looking up directions on how to get there, when I noticed a link to some Open meet they held recently. Out of curiosity, I clicked on it, and was shocked to see the names of UK Olympic team members and other Olympic hopefuls. Mo Farah was listed, as well as Jo Pavey and Stephanie Twell.Upon further investigation, it turned out that this college is home to UK Athletics Endurance Performance Center and the college itself has a lot of sport related courses of study (like sport science, physiology, sport coaching, massage, etc.), so a lot of UK athletes actually study there for their degrees.

The college itself didn't impress me at all, compared to shiny facilities of many US universities. But the track is very nice, with a new surface (although no spectator seating). The weather was perfect, mid 70s and sunny. I had my usual lung pain since earlier in the day and decided to stick with my plan for 200m, javelin and 4x100m relay.

I got unlucky with 6th lane assignment in 200m - the outermost lane on the track, so I had to run away from everyone rather then trying to catch other people. I was pretty happy with how it turned out - I ran 33.64, which is 0.5 sec. off my PR from last year, but is a better result than my 16.6 100m a month earlier. I started tying up the last 50m and couldn't catch a girl that passed me with about 80m to go. She ended up with 32.9.

Then I went to javelin competition. They had only one javelin that was normal 600g weight, and the rest were some specially weighted javelins designed to go over 50m. I figured they are more likely to land flat, and didn't use them, so I had to wait for the one normal one to be retireved by the officials. I managed to somehow foul my first throw! I think it's because I was trying to time my runup to get close to the line, and I looked down rather than up in the direction I was throwing, and that caused the javelin to fall flat. My next 3 throws were each better than the previous one, and on the last one, I got 13m. 74cm (45 feet), which is a PR! I was pretty happy about that as well.

Finally, we ran 4x100m relay. One girl on our team just finished 3000m 5 min. prior to the relay, but she still ran very well. I was the anchor leg, and we did well, beating the only other team in the competition. Our first leg lady opened at least a second gap on the other girl, and we kept it to the end (and didn't drop the baton or got DQd in any other way!).

I got home at 11PM, dead tired, and my lungs aching like crazy, but it was a lot of fun! The next match is in couple of weeks on June 23.

I'm still sore from Monday, but it didn't interfere with my run today. I felt better than I expected, and that is something to celebrate! Usually, my lungs start to hurt midway through my run, but today, they hurt in the beginning, but after couple of miles, there was only mild discomfort left. After I finished one loop around the park, I considered extending it to make it 5 miles, but then decided against it. I don't want to push my luck and go over the edge. I'm still not able to run 25 miles a week. Maybe if I stay conservative early in the week, I can get there. The pace was slow, but it doesn't matter. I should really leave my watch at home, but I love numbers too much, so I'm always checking my splits, calculating my finish time and other silly nonsense.

Another interesting thing I noticed since last week: my resting heart rate is back to what it was before PE, and maybe even lower - 52-56 during the day, almost certainly below 50 when I sleep. I remember in the hospital when I was hooked up to the heart monitor 24x7, I would wake up and look at it right away, and it never read below 64, and during the day it was always 75-80, even though I was lying in bed all day long. 

Total time: 41:17 (9:36 pace).

I started off not looking forward to today's run - I felt crappy all day, my lungs constantly aching since morning. I had my INR check, and asked the doctor why my lungs hurt so much, and if I should worry. He said it's pretty common, the reason is scar tissue, and it's probably nothing to worry about, since the chance of me having another clot is very, very low because of anticoagulation therapy. My INR is 2.7 which is very good (therapeutic range is 2.0 - 3.0), so my blood is thin enough for new clots not to form.

The run was blah, for the most part due to the constant dull pain in my chest. But it never got worse, and I took a risk and did the full 5 miles. I found that I felt a little better at a slightly faster speed. Interestingly, now, after the run, the pain is almost gone. I'm beginning to think that running does not make the pain worse, the pain just has a mind of its own and appears and disappears as it pleases. The weather was great for running today, low 60s and overcast. If it wasn't for the rain, London has one of the best climates for running year round I've lived in. SF Bay area is still number one in my book.

Total time: 46:07 (9:13 pace).

I felt great today! My lungs didn't bother me at all the whole day, and only started aching after 4 miles on the run. I was even considering going 7 miles, but then decided to be patient and stopped at 6. Perfect weather again. So, despite Friday the 13th, it is a good day to me.

Total time: 56:04 (9:20 pace).

I was aiming to do 5 today, but part of the road around Regent Park was closed with barricades, including the sidewalk. There was also tons of police around that area. I had to go on a detour, and then I added on to compensate, but came up a bit short. Distance is approximate, I just figured I could not have run 5 miles faster than 9:00 pace - not there yet. Felt relatively good for running 4th day in a row.

Total time: 44:45 (9:19 pace).

Felt pretty good today, and even ran last 0.2 mi. at 8:05 pace. Hopefully, I'll feel good the rest of the week.

I signed up for the Nike Human Race 10K on August 31. It's a huge event, when they are attempting to kick off races in 24 cities - at the same time, I assume. In London, it's going to be at Wembley Stadium (start and finish), and Paula Radcliffe will lead. Afterwards there will be a free concert by Moby and some other artists. I have no idea who Moby is, but it's going to be a massive race :). They are planning 4 starting waves with a total of 30000 runners. When I was registering I had a choice of wave and I picked wave 1. Maybe I won't be trampled by hordes of people, LOL. Of course, it's more of an event, than a competitive race and no one should expect to run a PR there, but it should be fun. Even if I don't run, Ill get a nice technical shirt and maybe some other goodies, so that should be worth a rather steep fee - 30GBP. But maybe I will actually run, Wembley is not too far from me, only about 20 min. on the tube. Full details: www.nikeplus.com

Total time: 46:34 (9:18 pace).

Another good run. Felt good, lungs only barely noticeable. Again, perfect running weather, low 60s and overcast. I remember how I suffered on my summer runs in NJ! Today also marks the day when I ran 6 days out of the last 7 (starting from last week) with a total of 30 miles.

Total time: 45:38 (9:07 pace)

I felt very good again on my run. I even considered going 7 miles, but decided to be cautious this week. I found myself speeding up during the run, and in the last mile, I threw in 3x80m strides at about 5K pace, just to see how I would feel. Felt fine, although my lungs complained a little at the end of it. My Garmin was showing 8:40-8:45 pace on the last 2 miles, but because I started slower the overall pace is slower as well.

I'm afraid to even say it, but I'm beginning to feel like my old self. I have to see how the rest of the week goes, but I'm getting pretty excited! Maybe I can finally start building my base again.

Total time: 53:47 (8:57 pace).

Decided to go easy today to make sure I'm recovered from my "blazing" fast run yesterday. Also, I increased the number of day running and the mileage, so just wanted to be cautious. To be honest, I didn't feel like running today and my legs did not feel fresh - not really surprising in light of the circumstances above.  I got home and started reading everyone's blogs - NOT a good idea before your own run! There are so many good blogs I want to read now, that it's very easy to get carried away and never go for a run (especially if you are looking for a reason not to go). Finally I peeled myself away from my laptop and got out. I felt okay on the run, tried to take it easy. Legs were a little heavy as expected, but not too bad. I wanted to run 9:30 pace, but ended up faster. Oh well, hopefully the shorter distance will compensate for not slow enough pace.

Total time: 39:45 (9:14 pace).

Today I decided to test the waters and push the pace a little. I decided to do the mildest workout I could think of - 2 miles aerobic threshold run. I wasn't sure I could even do 2, just wanted to see how I would feel. Warmed up for 15 minutes and picked up the pace to what felt like a sustainable faster, but still comfortable, pace. I didn't look at my Garmin till several minutes later because I wanted to run by feel and not try to hit any particular pace. I thought that maybe I can do 8:20-8:25 pace. What I saw was 8:10 pace! First mile was comfortable, but the second one got tougher. I just tried to relax and focus on maintaining the same effort. I was able to finish two miles in 16:20. I had side stitch coming on in the second mile, and generally feeling fatigue - all signs of poor fitness, but I'm still pleased with this run. Finished up with 15 min. cool down.

Total time: 44:07 (8:47 pace).

I didn't know if I could do all 8 miles, but decided to give it a try. Surprisingly, I felt good, and managed the entire distance without too much difficulty. I was tired at the end, but not exhausted, and I could have kept going if I had to. I'm very pleased with this last week, I ran 33+ miles for the week, and this was my farthest run in 7 or 8 months. The weather was windy, but it was 70F and sunny. I had to dodge a lot of people around te park, but that's just inevitable in a large city on a nice summer day. Few times I had to stop due to people overcrowding sidewalk around traffic lights, but it was only for a few seconds.

Tomorrow is another masters track match. I think I'm doing 100m, medley relay (200m or 400m) and javelin.

Total time: 1:12:51 (8:59 pace).

Masters match at Battersea Park track. I ran 100m, 400m leg in the medley relay and did javelin - all scoring in W35 category.

I had time in the beginning to do a mile warmup, and then some stretching, drills and strides. Javelin and 100m were scheduled at the same time, so I was afraid I would have to skip a throw to do 100, but men's javelin was very late, and I ended up doing 100 first. There were 3 ladies in my heat, and I finished dead last! It was the fastest heat, though, so there is my consolation. One woman ran 15.3, another one 15.8 and I did 16.5, 0.1 better than a month ago.

The javelin didn't go so well, either, as I was unable to throw more than 12 meters. Still, I got second place in my age, which was good for the team score.

Finally, there was the relay. It was 200, 200, 400, 800. I was supposed to do 200 leg, but the woman who was going to do 400 was absolutely dead from doing 400 earlier followed by 1500. She is faster than me (she ran 1:11 in the 400), but she just didn't have anything left, so I switched with her and ran 400. This was the greatest relay this season! I got the baton about 2 seconds behind the other team (only 2 teams were running), and I could feel in the first 100 that I can pass the woman in front of me, but I was afraid of using all my energy so early and blow up later, so I relaxed a little and just followed her for the first 200. Then, on the second turn, I could feel that she is getting tired and so I pushed the pace a little and by the end of 300 I passed her and went into the second lane to get clear. I was hurting myself, but not to the point of losing all control of my legs, so I just kept pressing while my team was yelling and cheering me on. When I finished, my hamstrings cramped up, but it wasn't important, because I was done! Our 800 leg girl made the gap even bigger and we won by at least 50m. Our timer whom I asked to time me, because I was curious, told me that I did 76 sec. on my leg. I was very happy, because this is 5 sec. improvement from month ago, and I attribute it to last couple of weeks good running. Another confirmation that even in 400m, aerobic aspect is very important.

We also won the entire match, but only by 6 points, so next match is going to be decisive (we are 2:1 against the other team this season).

I am sore today, but less than couple of weeks ago. Mostly my hamstrings and hip flexors. But I was able to do an easy 6 miler. It was slow, but I got the distance in.

Total time: 55:41 (9:16 pace).

Easy 5 miler, nothing unusual. Had some GI issues, but not too bad. I met another girl from my running club, running in the opposite direction. We usually meet at masters track meets and joke that we never see each other running, although we are both running around the same park. But today we met. Then had an unexpected break when a lost biker asked me for directions.

Total time: 45:06 (9:01 pace).

Did a little workout - ran easy and then tried to speed up to 5K pace for the last 5 minutes. I ended up with 0.54 mi. in 4:01 min. (7:30 pace) - it was hard! I haven't run at a fast pace in at least 6 months (not counting track meets). I think 7:30 now is about right for the 5K pace.

Total time: 54:11 (9:01 pace).

I spent all weekend, both days, at the pool with my daughter. She was swimming in the long course championships. We came home around 7PM both days, so technically I could have run, but I felt so exhausted that running was the last thing on my mind. It's very tiring sitting for 9 hours on your butt (on a stiff bench with no back support, no less) in a noisy pool. I also didn't get my weekend sleep, since we had to get up at 6;30AM both days.

Today I just went for an easy 5 miler. Didn't feel particularly well, 2 days off broke the rhythm.

Just checked my miles for the month of June: 95.5mi vs. 79 in May and 49 in April. I hope to break a 100 in July.

Total time: 45:32 (9:06 pace).

It was pretty hot today, even at 8:30PM when I got out for my run. It was still around 75F - too hot for running (yeah, I know, I'm insane and terribly spoiled by cool London summers). I was sweating like crazy and didn't feel all too great. But did my 5 miles, and that's all that counts. I also got the coolest time ever for the run!

Total time: 44:44 (8:56 pace) - how cool is that, four "4"s?!

I continued my streak of lucky numbers today! I got 44:22 - how about that?!

Did my usual 5 miler. I am noticing that my runs get faster as the week progresses, it's been a pattern for 3 weeks now. I don't know why this is, one theory I have is that the body becomes more efficient as the week goes by, since Monday's run is often after a break over the weekend, and is usually the slowest run of the week. It also helped today that the "heat wave" abated, and it's back to cool 65F and it was even raining a little earlier in the day.

There were lots of people running around the park today. Several passed me, but only one was a woman. She looked like elite runner to me, very slim, maybe even too slim, her legs were all muscle and sinews and she ran on her toes. I estimated she was going at least 8:00 pace, maybe faster. The only thing she did that I wouldn't consider good technique, was that she carried her arms too far out from her body, as if she wanted to guard space around her as she ran. I couldn't see her face as she came from behind me and was quiet, so I didn't have any warning, but looking from behind I would say she wasn't very young, possibly over 40. She must have been really fast in her youth!

Total time: 44:22 (8:52 pace).

Did fartlek workout today: 14 min. warmup, 8 x (1 min. on + 1 min. off), cooldown. It was a fun workout, and already on the warmup I noticed that I was running faster than all the previous days this week. Fast segments were pretty hard, and I think I ran them too fast, but not sure of the pace - Garmin went haywire in the middle, but seemed to right itself by the end. Overall, I felt good and it was a fun workout. These are the splits I have:

1. 0.14mi - 7:10 pace

2. 0.15mi - 7:00 pace

3. 0.15mi - 6:57 pace

4. 0.17mi - 6:05 pace - this is where it started showing crazy splits

5. 0.15mi - 6:51 pace

6. 0.14mi - 7:13 pace

7. 0.15mi - 6:56 pace

8. 0.13mi - 7:40 pace - had to weave and run on the road to pass crowds of people spilling onto the sidewalk from Regents Park.

There must have been some upscale party at the restaurant in Regents Park, because I ran by some glamorous looking ladies in cocktail dresses and stilettos that were coming out with their handsome husbands in suits and ties. And there was I, dirty and stinky runner doing my fartlek! I got a few bewildered looks, but I'm sure people know that there are runners around Regents Park. It was just funny how out of place I (or them!) looked.

Total time: 43:44 (8:44 pace).

I had only a short time for a run today, due to food delivery between 8-9PM, but I wanted to still do something, rather than skip a day.

I went out and right away, did not feel good. Legs were dead and heavy, and I felt like I couldn't find a good rhythm. Probably consequences of faster running yesterday and 5 th day of running in a row. So I just slogged through my 3 miles. I'm hoping for better tomorrow!

Heard tons of very loud fireworks around 9PM - the Americans in the neighborhood were celebrating! We live in a heavily American neighborhood, complete with a grocery store that sells lots if imported stuff from US. Hearing fireworks was nice - we felt like the American spirit is alive and well, even though we had to go to work, and it's not mentioned anywhere else.

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

Total time: 27:40 (8:55 pace).

Did my longest run of the year today. My stomach was giving me trouble last few days, so I was worried how it will hold up for my planned 10 miles. I was careful with what I ate today, and my stomach actually behaved! I held back a little of the first loop, and after that I just kept running the same effort and felt surprisingly good. Sure, my legs got tired on the last loop, but my breathing was fine (although I felt that funny pressure in my throat - my lungs letting me know they are not 100% yet) and my energy level was fine too. I didn't have any water or gel. Overall, I'm very happy with this week of training and feel like I've made good progress last 3 weeks.

Total time: 1:31:29 (9:08 pace).

Did steady state run today. Warmed up for 15 min, then did 20 min. at a pace 1 min. slower than 5K pace. It came to 2.48mi in 20:02.8 (8:05 pace). It wasn't comfortable, but I was able to maintain the pace. Then cool down about 7 minutes. Pretty happy with this run.

Total time: 42:35 (8:31 pace).

Stride workout today. I ran 6 miles including 10 strides about 20 sec. each, at 6:30 - 7:15 pace. I felt pretty good, it was nice to get the legs to turn over faster, but I'm not happy that I got two fat goose eggs this week already. Monday was purely my lack of organization and discipline, and yesterday was... basically the same, but the weather was my big excuse - it was pouring rain all day yesterday, 24 hours without a break. I still should have run, but my motivation was severely lacking. Now I have to try and make the best of what days I have left this week.

Total time: 52:58 (8:49 pace).

Did 6 miles in the pouring rain. Not really enjoyable, but if I have any hopes of advancing my fitness, I have to stay above 30 miles a week, and so I had to go out and do my miles for today. I saw only one other runner (usually I see at least 5). The positive side was that the streets were deserted and I got the sidewalk to myself! I have to give credit to one product that comes very handy in a weather like this: Sealskinz socks. While I was totally soaked, my feet stayed warm and dry! Having wet feet is one reason I dislike running in heavy rain - I tend to get blisters if my feet are wet. Sealskinz are completely waterproof and reasonably breathable. I can't say the same about jackets: I have yet to find a jacket that would be waterproof and breathable enough for the summer. I have one, but it gets too hot when temperatures are above 60F, and so I'm soaking wet from my own sweat if not from the rain! Microfiber jackets are light enough, but not waterproof at all.

Total time: 53:53 (8:58 pace).

Didn't feel all that great, but made sure I did 10 miles to keep my long run for the week. Next week will be low mileage again, since I'm doing two races, so I have to do the best I can now. Legs felt dead.

Total time: 1:32:15 (9:13 pace).

Final track meet of the season (before the final). I ran 200m in 33.6 - no change since the last meet, and 4x200m relay. We had a strong team again, 3 ladies around 33 sec. speed, and one lady over 60 years old that runs 35 sec. for 200 - pretty darn good if you ask me! We won by 50 meters! Now we have to wait until the final score is calculated to see if we made the final. It was very close with another team in our division, so it can go either way. If we got into the final, it will be in Ashford, Kent in September.

I managed to do 4 miles of warmup and cool down, which I was happy about, since track meets are usually a waste of time in terms of putting in the miles.

I ran the first race in the club Grand Prix, which consists of 3K, 1K, 1 Mile and 5K races, all run over the two week period in July. All races, except 1 Mile, are on roads, while the mile is run on the track.

It was a little too warm for racing, around 70F and sunny. It's considered hot in Lodon :). I got to the park early and did 2.1 mile warmup. My legs did not feel god at all. I was hoping that I wouldn't be sore just yet (after doing sprints yesterday), but I was already stiff and sore by lunch time. This was a very small race, only 70 runners, and once the race started, everyone just shot off like loose canons!! I was really afraid I would be left so far behind that I could get lost, because I didn't pay attention to the route. Usually there is always someone I can follow, but in a race so small, and being so out of shape I started to worry. When I looked at Garmin a minute after the start, it said I was going at 6:30 pace. I panicked and tried to back off. Still, I went anaerobic very early, within first 3 minutes, I would say. So the rest of the race was pretty horrible. I forgot just how much 3Ks and 5Ks hurt! I did manage to pass two girls who started even faster than me, and died. I thought I was breathing heavy, but they were literally wheezing when I went past them. I took my splits every kilometer and they were 4:26, 4:37, 4:32 - 13:36 total time. The kilometer markers were very accurate. My fears of being last did not materialize, but I was 60th out of 70, so pretty close to the end. I got second in 40-45 category, but there were only 2 women in that category in the race :). Full results: http://www.serpentine.org.uk/rdb/showrace.php?race=4442 

This was my first long distance race since last year, and since my PE in January. I didn't really have any expectations, but secretly was hoping for around 13:30 at least. Didn't quite make it, but at least now I put a stake in the ground, and know where I stand. I should get additional clues from mile and 5K races next week (not doing 1K since I'll be out of town this weekend). For comparison, I ran 12:57 a year ago on the track, and I think these races can be compared, because this 3K was flat and accurately measured and the weather was similar. Based on 13:36, I think I'm looking at around 23:40 5K - not encouraging, but again, it will be a stake in the ground. I don't know how much of my slowdown is due to being out of shape, and how much is due to possible lung damage. I will need few months of consistent training to tell. I want to believe it's a matter of training.

Went for a slow 6 miler this evening. Legs are pretty sore after my two days of racing, especially hamstrings. So I plodded along the best I could.

I discovered a "health assessment" machine at work, and decided to use it (it's free). It scared me - it said my body fat percentage is 30.7!! That's terribly high, although my BMI is within the normal range. And my blood pressure is 149/80 - I never had it so high in my life! It just so happens I have doctor's appointment tomorrow to discuss my cholesterol test and some other blood work, so I will ask her to measure my blood pressure again. My usual readings were about 125/75 a year ago. 149 is way too high for a systolic pressure for a person who is not overweight and running 30 miles a week. Geez. The machne also said my heart rate is 45 - too low, it may be that low first thing in the morning laying in bed, but not in the middle of the day walking around just prior to the test. So I'm not sure how accurate this machine is, but I can do this assessment again tomorrow to compare.

Total time: 55:58 (9:19 pace).

Still sore, but feeling better. Ran another easy 6 around Regents Park, a little faster than yesterday, but still slow.

I went to the doctor today to discuss my last week's blood tests. I was very happy to hear that all tests were normal, even my cholesterol! In fact, my cholesterol is at the lowest level it's ever been recorded in my life. It is 4.8 in mmol units (used in UK), which converts to 185 mg units (used in US). My last reading in January was 240, so this is a major reduction. I credit the blog with a lot of my improvement. I didn't learn anything new on the blog that I didn't already know, but it helped by keeping the focus on nutrition, especially Sara's recipe blog. So thanks to everyone who contributed to many of the healthy eating discussions here! My LDL is still high and HDL relatively low, but I can work on bringing the HDL higher (through running) to make the ratio better.

Total time: 54:50 (9:08 pace).

I wanted to go 10 miles, but felt very tired and stopped after 7. This may be my last run of the week, as I'm leaving town for the weekend - going to my daughter's swim meet in Southampton. It's end of season meet, an equivalent to Nationals for those kids who didn't qualify for Nationals, so lots of expectations. I hope she does well.

Total time: 1:04.19 (9:03 pace).

I feel like I need another weekend to recover from the this one, after getting back from Lisa's swim meet! I couldn't run at all Saturday and Sunday as I spent 8AM - 8PM on a very hot pool deck, without air conditioning. But it was worth it, because Lisa swam 3 PRs, including a breakthrough 100m butterfly - 1:11:87! All her coaches were stunned as no one expected that much improvement (her previous PR was 1:14:02) . This time is well into the regional qualification. National time is in 1:05 range, which is still miles away, but she is still improving, so who knows... She got 4th place and missed bronze by 0.2 sec. I was so shocked after her heat that I kept staring at the electronic scoreboard in disbelief. I'm very happy for her, because it's a nice reward for all that very hard training she did all year. Swimmers train harder than runners, I think, maybe because it's less impact and their bodies can take more punishment without breaking down.  Her current load is 14 hours of swimming every week in 7 sessions.

My run was an easy 5 miler in 45:36 (9:07 pace), nothing exciting.

Went to my club championship 1 mile race (on the track). Based on my 3K time last week, the calculator predicted 6:50 mile, and that's what I was expecting. However, it went a little better than that. Maybe I had some training effect from the 3K, I don't know. I went into the slower heat and was able to keep contact with other girls the entire way, finishing fourth in the end. My quarter splits were 1:40, 1:41, 1:45 and 1:37, overall time 6:44. It felt very hard, but not as excruciating as the 3K. And now, a day later, I am not sore at all, which is rather strange for me. Last year my time in this race was 6:28, but all things considered, I'm happy with my time.

I decided not to do the 5K on Thursday - it's supposed to be a hot day (for London, at least - around 80F), and I know that I will not get time better than 23:20. I also need to be home before 10PM since Lisa is leaving for US Friday morning, so I want to make sure she packs everything and is ready. 3K and 1K gave me enough of a feedback about my current level, and I can use these times to gauge my training paces.

Instead, I will go to a track meet on Saturday (my club is asking for more people to fill all events) and then on Sunday, there is a 10K in Regents Park - right in my own backyard. It is so close and so convenient to get to, I can't miss it. I don't think I will truly race it, but I'm planning to use it as a tempo run. I will try to run first 5K at aerobic threshold, and the last 5K as lactate threshold. It should be a good hard session, and with warmup and cooldown, hopefully give me a nice mileage.

I tried to compensate a little for the last 2 days of no running. Felt okay, but I'm dead tired and need more sleep. Yesterday was stressful with late day at work and then getting my daughter ready for her trip to US this morning, staying up till midnight. I didn't get more than 6 hours of sleep this whole week.  Today I struggled to stay awake in my meeting at work.

I will try to run tomorrow morning before going to a track meet at Battersea Park. I will only do 100m, long jump and javelin at the meet, so I won't get any mileage unless I run early in the morning before going there. My goal is to get close to 30 miles this week.

Total time: 1:03:53 (8:59 pace).

I ran in the track meet today, and it was a lot of fun, as usual. Besides, I got 3 PRs out of 3 events I did, so what's to complain about? I did long jump for the first time since high school, and I jumped 3.55m, which is better than I expected (my lifetime PR is 4.40m).  I lost a lot of technique in these 20 years, because every time I landed I kept moving forward, falling on my hands in the sand. It means that I could have jumped further, but didn't have the strength (probably abdominal strength) to bring my legs forward enough to jump the full distance I was capable of.

Then I ran 100m and got 16.1sec, which is a PR in recent years, and a full half a second better than I did in the last meet. After 100m, I had 2 hour break before javelin, so I went into the park and ran 6 miles. That was great, because I got my miles in and didn't have to do it in the morning (sleeping instead). In javelin I managed to get 13.98m in the second throw, which was also a PR! In the third jump, I wanted to break 14m so badly that I tensed up and screwed up the whole throw, getting only about 10.40. Oh well, I'll try again next time.

So, all in all, it was a great day, despite pretty hot and humid weather. I'm doing 10K race tomorrow, probably as a tempo run rather than racing. I feel my quads hurting already, so it's not going to be an easy run. I may be able to get close to 30 miles for the week after all!

I woke up already sore from the track events I did yesterday. My quads, hamstrings and even my butt were hurting. The butt thing is probably from long jump. Also, my right arm and shoulder were sore (that's from javelin). So, I was in a  perfect condition to race a 10K :).  All the more reason not to race it, but use it as a tempo run as I planned earlier.

The great thing about this race is that it is in Regents Park, where I train all the time, so I was able to just run to the meeting place as my warm-up. I got 3 miles in by going the longest possible route. It was already too warm at 9:00AM. The race started at 9:30 and it was just getting warmer and warmer, I think it was around 80F and pretty humid. This is heat wave for London. There was also no wind whatsoever, which didn't help at all.

The race was 3 loops around the park, all flat with minor undulations. I saw several fast girls drop out after 4K, so I wasn't the only one suffering. It was also a very intense 2 weeks of races for the club, so some girls were really tired. I went out at about 8:20 pace, and felt very comfortable, aside from the heat. I caught up to a girl I know and chatted with her for couple of minutes before I went ahead. I was surprised at how conversational I was at this pace. On the other hand, I had no desire to push the pace any further, it wasn't like I was holding back a lot. My legs ached, but it wasn't too bad once I was in the groove. At 5K my split was 25:59 (8:19 pace). The plan was to speed up to about 8:00-8:05 pace at this point. It wasn't easy to push myself, but I thought that if I don't get moving, I'll get 52 minutes for the entire race, and I know I can do better than that, even if it's a tempo! So I started running faster, and after a while, settled into a 7:55, then 7:50 pace, and felt quite decent. I started catching and passing runners who went out too hard and were now dying. I was holding 7:50 average until 7K mark, and then it got significantly harder to maintain. I hit some inclines and the average dropped to 8:00 in the last 2Ks. I was definitely working hard by then, and I was overheating, the sun was out and it wasn't too much fun. I managed to kick the last 200m or so, and got 24:32 for the second 5K (7:58 pace). Total 50:32 for the 10K. I think that if I truly raced it from the beginning, I could have run 49 minutes or better, but it was also hot so who knows. Afterwards, I was tired, but I recovered relatively quickly. I kept gazzling water (probably 4 cups immediately after I finished, and 2 more later), and I was dripping with sweat.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with this race/tempo run. It was a great workout despite the heat, and my longest tempo since I started back after PE. It was also a very fun way to put in 10 miles of training.

After the race, there were relays of 4x500m on grass. I had the sense not to do them, I just watched (lots of fun!). When I finally started jogging home, I was SO stiff, it wasn't even funny. My legs hurt like crazy and I hobbled at 10:00 pace until my legs loosened up a little. Now, few hours later, I feel tired, but good!

I took a day off yesterday, but even today my legs are still sore since the weekend. I didn't feel all that great on the run today, but put in my miles, and that's what counts. I warmed up for 15 min, and ran 2.4 mi in 20:04 (8:22 pace), then cooled down to home.

Total time: 53:02 (8:50 pace).

Fartlek run, 8x (1 min. @5K + 1 min. slow). Fast segments were about 7:00 - 7:20 pace. I still didn't feel great, but better on fast portions than on slow. My legs are still a little sore, especially right quad.

Total time: 53:58 (8:58 pace).

I have a day off from work today, yay! I had a good 8 hour night sleep, and was able to do my run in the morning. Unfortunately, I haven't been feeling great lst few days, my lungs are acting up again for some reason, but I wanted to do my long run since I have the time. I decided to play it by ear, and run easy for as long as I can. Didn't feel great on first and second loop (up to 6 miles), but then suddenly felt better on the third - go figure. I felt good enough to extend a little after the third loop, and ended up with 11 miles in total. Time was slow, 1:40:51 (9:10 pace), but time on my feet is more important. My right leg still hurts since last weekend, and I think it's not soreness anymore, I might have strained my quad (or IT band?) AND hamstring at the same time! It's very unusual for me, there is localized pain in the quad on knee bending and occasional localized pain in one spot in the hamstring, but somehow I'm not too concerned. None of this makes me change my stride, so I'm hoping both of these things will work themselves out if I don't do anything crazy next week or two. I thought of running club handicap 4.3 mi. race tomorrow, but I'm scratching it now.

Ran in the light rain and cool temps. I was freezing again on the way to work - 55F!!

I ran 15 min. warmup, and then 25 min. at 8:16 pace average (3.04 mi). I felt okay, I think I made progress from last few weeks, because I ran longer and faster today. In fact, 8 sec/mile faster than last week. But my lungs are hurting since last night, maybe because of the weather change. Didn't affect my running though.

Total time: 52:42 (8:47 pace).

This week is really not what I planned running wise, but I had a big emergency at work (my client had produciton down with 17 factories world wide not able to do business for 6 hours). I didn't get home till 10PM and didn't get out of course. I ran today, but it'll likely be my last run of the week. I'm going to Boston/New Jersey tomorrow 7AM and staying with my cousin in Boston first 3 days. Running is not very likely.

But today I experimented with a new toy - Nike+ SportBand. I got it for free (about $80 value) when Nike reps came to work to promote the Human Race 10K and were giving out these bands in return for signing up to upload your runs to Nike website. There is a team challenge, and I'm in a team with my colleague who is not a runner but decided to run this 10K on a whim. The SportBand consists of a bracelet with removable USB-compatible chip and a foot sensor that attaches to the shoe. Of course, Nike being Nike, is pushing their own shoes, because they have a special compartment in the midsole for the sensor. But I don't run in Nike shoes, and there is no way I'm buying them just for this! The sensor doesn't have any string to attach it to the shoelaces (very clever, huh?). But people are very resourceful - I looked on the web, and found a special adapter device that allows you to attach the sensor to any shoe you want. I bought it on eBay for 5 GBP, and now I'm in business. I wore the SportBand and the Garmin today to compare the measurements. I also ran my measured 5 mile course. I felt like such a geek with 2 devices on both arms, and it was annoying having to pause and restart 2 watches every time I hit a traffic light and had to stop. I heard that the SportBand is very inaccurate. On this first run, it was a little off - it measured 4.73 mi instead of 5. I will use for this challenge, but I won't use it afterwards. It shows mileage, pace, time and calories, but you can't have splits and there is no backlighting which is a problem at night. The plus is that the band is lightweight, and the sensor does not interfere with the shoe. Overall, though, it's a gimmick, can't compete with serious training watches.

Total time: 45:39 (9:07 pace).

3.6mi in 30:09 (8:19 pace)

Total time: 52:03 (8:40 pace)

Total time: 53:17 (8:52 pace)

Total time: 38:16 (8:53 pace)

Did tempo intervals 3 x 1 mi. with 3 min. jog rest. I did better than expected, except for the first mile: 7:56, 7:48, 7:48. Jogged home slowly due to GI problems.

Total time: 51:59 (8:39 pace).

Asics Nimbus 9 - 250 mi.

So our team made the final by winning our local division, and off we went to Ashford, Kent to compete in the league final. We were clearly outclassed by a number of specialized track and field clubs (as opposed to our road running club), but we did the best we could and finished 6th out of 7 places.

I did all the sprints, javelin and 4x100m relay. The weather was a factor with a couple of torrential downpours and very strong winds on the fnal stretch, unfortunately. It was not the day for PRs. I was running in A string of all the heats (the strongest heats), and I finished dead last in all of them. I did 17.4 for 100, 36.3 for 200 and 1:18.9 for 400m. All much worse than I did in the season. I got some revenge in javelin, because it was done with the tailwind, and I got a PR of 14.67m and did not actually finish last for a change. Then I did 4x100m relay where our team was last again.

But overall it was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed a day out with the team!!

As expected, I was horribly sore and hobbled around for 7 miles. Took it easy, but noticed that right achilles bothered me sometimes. I first noticed it yesterday at the meet, after 200m. Hopefully, it's nothing serious, but with achilles you always have to be on guard. I'll see how it is tomorrow.

Total time: 1:04:34 (9:05 pace).

Ran an easy 5 before lung function tests tomorrow morning. My achilles was fine,although I felt it slightly around mile 2.5, but the discomfort went away in a couple of minutes. I was told not to do any strenuous exercise, so I figured 5 miles easy should be okay. Hopefully the tests will show that my lungs are fully recovered now. I'm seeing pulmonologist immediately after tests.

Total time: 45:04 (9:01 pace).

Asics Nimbus 9 - 261 miles

Had a good run, 51:56 (8:39 pace).

Ran 15 min. warmup, then 3.6mi in 30:03 (8:15 pace), and 15 min. cool down. I felt good, but overdid it in the middle of my tempo. I passed a big, overweight guy with jingling keys in his pocket, and then noticed that he was staying right behind me. Apparently he decided to try and keep up with me and make it a workout, but I was annoyed by his loud breathing, spitting and jingling keys, and so I kept increasing the pace, hoping to eventually drop him. He did drop back, but it took him almost 7 minutes. At that time, my average tempo pace was 8:10 - too fast. I slowed down a little after that, for a final average of 8:15. Other than that, it was uneventful run.

 Total time: 1:00:24 (8:30 pace)

Adidas Supernova Cushion - 293 miles

Starting back again after another 3 week break due to business trip to Germany. I went for an easy 4 miler and felt as good as can be expected. I was slow, but not slower than I thought I would be. I will try to go to some cross country races this fall and winter, to help me with motivation. I was actually supposed to run 10 mile race tomorrow and was registered and got my number in the mail, but had to last month when it was clear that I will have to take Lisa to a swimming meet both today and tomorrow.

Total time: 39:43 (9:14 pace)

Asics Nimbus 9 - 275 mi.

Easy 4 miler, nothing special. Felt a little heavy and got some weird pain behind my left knee. Probably some ligament in the hamstring.

Total time: 39:57 (9:17 pace).

Went a little longer today. It was wet, but the rain stopped by the time I got out. Perfect running temperature, around 50F. Felt pretty good!

Total time; 46:28 (9:17 pace).

Easy 4 miler around the park. Sidewalks are covered by piles of leaves, which park officials cannot cope with sufficiently enough to have clear paths. It was drizzling and wet, but I didn't slip, and that was good. I ran very easy and enjoyed the colors. It was nice to run in daylight!

Nothing exciting. Weather is nice, low 50s. Lots of runners out, I almost bumped into a few, considering how the path is unlit at night.

Total time: 40:27 (9:24 pace).