Back to 4 Miles

I was able to run 40 minutes (about 4 miles) this morning. My calf felt a little tight at about the 6 minute mark (for about 20 seconds or so), but everything was fine after that.

By the way, I am blogging from a Cincinnati Reds game at Great American Ballpark!

25 Minutes

I ran again today, but this time decided to try doing some hill work. I ran for 25 minutes (about 2.5 miles), with about half of the distance uphill. I was hoping to run a little farther, but I was starting to feel a little sore, so I decided not to push it. I also avoided running down a big hill, as I have pulled muscles running downhill in the past. So far, so good!

3 More Miles

I completed another run today without any pain in my calf. I did about 3 miles (30 minutes). I avoided hills and stuck to a flat route, even though it meant running part of the route more than once (which I normally like to avoid).

Back on the Run

After not working out at all since my bike ride last weekend, I decided to try running again. My calf has not bothered me for a couple of days, so I figured it was time. I decided to take it easy, and did a flat 2 miles. My time was 18:50, and more importantly, my calf did not bother me at all. I am going to keep it easy for a while, and build up my distance very gradually. I honestly don't think I'll be able to build up to as far as I had hoped to before race day, but hopefully I will still be able to complete the race.

Not Quite Another Run...

Yesterday I decided to ride my bike since my calf hurt too much to run. I rode 9.09 miles total, leaving from home and going to a bike trail near my work. It was primarily downhill on the ride out, which meant the ride back was primarily uphill. It wasn't too bad except for one stretch, where on the way out I got up to 30 miles per hours, but on the way back I only went about 3 MPH! It definitely wasn't a run, but it was definitely a good workout (I think it took me about 39 minutes to cover the 9 miles).

BIG Problem

I ran again yesterday and had a major setback. My calf had been feeling better, but I still made sure I stretched out well before running. The first mile or so was flat, and I felt pretty good except for 1 or 2 times when I felt a little tightness in my calf - but it stopped after a couple steps. Then I ran up a long hill. Just before the top, I took a step and then felt a sharp pain in my calf. I had to stop running (just under 16 minutes) and walk back down the hill to get back to the gym. It really hurt walking down the hill, and it has hurt to walk ever since (especially on stairs). I guess I will take some more time off from running, then see if I can overcome this problem. I am not too hopeful that I will be able to get over this injury and build up to be able to run 13.1 miles in the next month or so before race day, but I'll give it a shot.

Update

I'm falling a little behind on my training. I did run last Thursday. I did 27 minutes and 17 seconds. I had hoped to run a bit longer, but I was away on business in San Diego, and I didn't want to get lost and not be able to get back to my hotel. I did not run over the weekend because I was too tired to get up early enough to beat the heat. It was still pretty humid today as well, so I skipped once again.

The good news is that this has given my calf time to heal (hopefully). The bad news is that I am just over a month away from race day and I haven't done a long run for a couple of weeks. However, I plan to revise my training schedule a bit so that I can hopefully build up to an 11 mile long run by early September. I will try to do a 4 mile run either tomorrow or Wednesday, then a 6 or 7 mile run over the weekend, to at least get in another long run in the short term.

A Couple More Runs

On Saturday, I ran for a little over 53 minutes. I didn't feel great, but didn't feel like stopping earlier. The last block or so I was running, I picked up the pace and slightly strained my right calf. It has been a little sore since.

I got up this morning and did an easy 2 miles in 19:09. My calf hurt pretty bad the first quarter mile, but then it felt a little better. Hopefully a day or 2 off will help.