Jay Silvio's Blog

Jay�s Week That Was: Baltimore 7 of 16

Jay Silvio — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:14:16 GMT

Week 7 (8/4 - 8/10)
This entry will be different (and much shorter) because almost all of my workouts were exactly the same. No need to get repetitive with the daily details. I was away on vacation this past week with my family (including my amazing in-laws) in Massanutten, VA. We spent five straight days at a water park where my daughters were in absolute heaven swimming, sliding, and floating the hours away. There was a gym where we were staying and it had elliptical machines. They were not the style I was used to, so it took me a couple of days to get really comfortable on them, but they certainly were sufficient for my rehab training needs. I laughed when I read (and promptly ignored) the signs asking folks to limit their time on the machines to no more than twenty minutes. That just wasn't going to cut it and it didn't really matter because there was only one day when all of the machines were in use (and there were still many open bikes and treadmills). I did an hour of elliptical training (plus a five minute cool down) Monday through Saturday and after we got home on Sunday I did a 90-minute spin on my bike trainer while watching some of the Olympics. It certainly would have been nice to run on some of the mountain hiking trails or the ski slopes, but my calf was in no shape for it. As is, I probably over-worked it running up the many flights of stairs to get to the top of the water slide. It doesn't look like I'll be able to get many runs in during the next couple of months so I guess I'll have to try and gut out the marathon on my base fitness that I'll keep trying to maintain through cross-training. I have a PT appointment coming up on Thursday and hopefully that will provide me with some ways to get this calf strain healed up. Even it goes exceptionally well I am realistic enough to know that I will not be putting in nearly enough long runs for optimal marathon training. I did finally break down and order a pair of 2XU compression calf guards that should arrive by the end of the week. The Baltimore Marathon is in exactly two months, so anything to promote the healing process...
As always, thanks to my sponsors:

And let's not forget the prize at the end of the long journey:

And since I don't want people to think my life is all injury and misery, here are some pics from the water park:

Jay�s Week That Was: Baltimore 6 of 16

Jay Silvio — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 18:32:51 GMT

Week 6 (7/28 - 8/3)
This was another week that was primarily cross-training in an attempt to rehabilitate my strained left calf. It was also the last week of summer school teaching. I told my co-worker, Peter, that if I was busting my hump on the elliptical trainer every day to stay in shape so that I can pace him to a BQ at Baltimore, he darned well better be ready to run on October 11. I plugged in his time from the Frederick Half-Marathon into a race converter and it spit out a 3:04 full. Since he has increased his training, we decided to shoot for three hours as our Baltimore goal time. By the end of the week I was not experiencing any tightness or pain in my calf so I attempted a run. This was a major mistake and may in the end prove to be a very costly setback. I am currently on vacation with my family in Massanutten, VA and don't have easy internet access so I had to make some of this quick and dirty.

Monday - An hour-long elliptical session. Tired from last week's double workouts, I faded during the second half.
Tuesday - A 50-minute reverse elliptical session (+ 10 minute forward cool-down). It was a fairly decent workout.
Wednesday - An hour-long elliptical session. I tried to push since Wednesday is my usual tempo day, but I again faded during the second half.
Thursday - A 50-minute reverse elliptical session (+ 10 minute forward cool-down). I kept the effort relatively relaxed and my legs felt pretty good.
Friday - An hour-long elliptical session. Best workout of the week. I faded again but was still able to hold on for a respectable distance.
Saturday - A 2-mile swim. I had planned to swim 5K for my "long" day, but I got pulled out of the water just after 2 miles when there were rumbles of thunder.
Sunday - A 5-mile run. This run started off with my calf doing just fine. There was no pain and I was actually more focused on my stomach issues (I went out too soon after breakfast) than my legs. I felt great and my first few miles were almost effortless. I hit splits of 6:18, 6:10, 6:07, and 6:08. Then, as I pushed it in for the final stretch, I felt my calf seize up with just a quarter-mile to go. I limped in to finish the final mile in 6:03. I headed towards home with a heavy heart and a feeling like something was being ripped out of me.

At this point it is hard for me to write about how things are going. After the Frederick Marathon I had hoped to create this blog as a way to provide advice and motivation to my fellow members of the running community (and to help promote the Maryland Double). Now my calf injury is three months old and I may have put my healing process back to day zero. It is frustrating to grind out mind-numbing elliptical, pool, and spin sessions for so many days in a row only to have to reset the rehab routine without even making it all the way through a single run. Knowing that much of it was due to my own foolish mistake of pushing the final mile (it felt so good to run again and my calf gave me absolutely no warning signs that it was going to tighten up) does not help with my sense of despair. Having recently completed my best ever season of running at age 38, I feel like a brand new gift has been snatched away from me. Self-pity, however, will not help me cross the finish line in Baltimore on October 11. Be prepared to read about more cross-training next week...

Jay's Week That Was: Baltimore 5 of 16

Jay Silvio — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:45:36 GMT

Week 5 (July 21-27)
This week I had an orthopedist visit and x-rays on Monday, an MRI on Tuesday, and a podiatrist visit on Wednesday. The x-rays were negative (thank goodness!), but the MRI revealed a "Strain injury of the myotendinous junction of the lateral head of the gastocnemius muscle." I guess it's nothing I didn't already know, but it's good to know there are no other issues (no stress fracture, tendon or ligament damage, etc.). The bad news is that I have been told that if I want this strain to fully heal (which I obviously do) I will need to rest it for 5-6 weeks.��Since my wife and daughters were away at the beach for the week, I had plenty of extra time for training (and preparing lots of whole-grain vegetarian meals and banana-strawberry-avocado smoothies).��What does one do when training for a marathon but not allowed to run?��Why cross-train, of course.��I decided to make it my goal to complete a full week of two-a-day workouts.��Here's how it went:

Monday - A 60-minute elliptical session and a 2500m swim.��I started off my week with a solid elliptical workout before teaching.��I maintained a decent pace throughout, but I had little left for any sort of "kick" at the end.��After work I went to the pool for a swim.��I didn't time it, but it usually takes me around an hour to complete 2500 meters.��I'm not a good swimmer but I know that swimming can be a great workout.��I took this one fairly easy.
Tuesday - A 50-minute reverse elliptical session (plus a 10-minute cool-down) and a 2500m swim.��I was tired and struggled early on in my morning elliptical session.��The afternoon swim went much better.��My body seemed to be trying to figure out how to deal with double doses of exercise.
Wednesday - A 60-minute elliptical session and a 90-minute spin on my bike trainer.��Wednesday is typically my tempo run so I tried to push my morning elliptical workout.��Unfortunately, I started out much too hard during the first 20 minutes or so and by the final 20 minutes I had nothing left.��It was probably a mistake to try and push any of these workouts.��In the evening I put in a very easy spin on my bike trainer while watching the new version of "Planet of the Apes".
Thursday - A 50-minute reverse elliptical session (plus a 10-minute cool-down) and a 2500m swim.��This day was very similar to Tuesday.��I was finding myself pretty low on energy and motivation in the morning, but I managed to grind out a below average elliptical session.��The afternoon's swim went a bit better, but I was defiantly starting to get bored of looking at the bottom of the pool (plus it's pretty gross when you're wearing goggles and you can see all the gunk that's floating around in there).��At least I can wear my iPod when I'm on the elliptical.
Friday - A 60-minute elliptical session and a 90-minute spin on my bike trainer.��I had another slow start on the elliptical as I continued to have a tough time getting going in the morning.��I managed to put in a pretty decent workout all things considered, but I was certainly glad it was Friday and I wouldn't have to wake up early the next day.��My shoulders had been feeling rather sore so I decided to hit the bike trainer rather than the pool, especially because I wanted to go for a long swim on Saturday.��I put in a relaxed 90 minutes while watching "Coach Carter".
Saturday - A 5K swim and a 90-minute spin on my bike trainer. I got to sleep in a bit and I went to the pool around noon. Saturday is my usual long run day, so I decided to make it a long swim. Given my pace and a couple bathroom breaks, it took over two hours and my back got a pretty good tan. In the evening I did a bike spin while watching UFC. I ate pretty much anything that caught my eye that day.
Sunday - A 90-minute bike spin and a 2500m swim. I did my bike spin in the morning while watching Sports Center and body was feeling fairly rough from Saturday's swim and over-eating. In the afternoon I went to the pool before dinner. I thought I was swimming at a relatively decent pace until another swimmer got in next to me and kept passing me like I was doing doggie paddle. I became even more humbled when I noticed that she wasn't even using her legs! Still, it was a good swim for me and it marked the completion of my final workout of the week.

So, I was able to get in 14 workouts in a week!��By the end I was pretty wiped out and was eating almost constantly, but I'm glad I did it.��I'd better get used to all this cross-training because 5-6 more weeks recovery for my calf doesn't give me much time before I need to start my taper for the Baltimore Marathon. It looks like I'll be running the race to finish so that I can complete the Maryland Double rather than shooting for possible prize money as one of the top Maryland resident finishers. If I can maintain my fitness through cross-training, I plan to try and pace a couple of friends who are hoping to run BQs at the marathon. Six weeks of elliptical training, bike spinning, and lap swimming, however, may just drive me insane...

Jay's Week That Was: Baltimore 4 of 16

Jay Silvio — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:20:04 GMT

Week 4 (7/14 - 7/20)
Sadly, this week was mostly spent cross-training as I am again attempting to rehabilitate my strained left soleus. At least this week was a recovery week so I did not miss any key workouts. I apologize if these reports of my injury are getting repetitive, but it looks like there will be a lot more cross-training in my future. Unfortunately, I have to write about the realities of my training.

Monday - An 8-mile run. I ran slowly with Chris Flynn on a morning that wasn't too hot but very humid. My calf was tight from my long run the previous Saturday and I was hoping it would loosen up after a few miles. It never got truly painful, but it didn't loosen up either. I decided that I needed to give it a bit more of a break and would stick to cross-training for at least a few days.
Tuesday - A 60-minute elliptical session. It's a pretty standard workout. My calf was fairly tight throughout the day, but it didn't bother me during the elliptical training.
Wednesday - A 50-minute reverse elliptical session (plus a 10-minute cool-down). I was tired and got off to a bit of a slow start, but I finished with a relatively decent pace. My calf was starting to feel a little looser and didn't bother me during my workout.
Thursday - A 60-minute elliptical session and a 1-mile swim. I was tired and having trouble with motivation, but I pulled off a solid morning elliptical workout. My calf was a little better and continued to be fine during the elliptical training, but it continued to be somewhat stiff during the rest of the day. In the afternoon, I took my daughters to the pool and was able to get in a mile of swimming (with a few breaks) while they were busy playing with friends. I decided to try and run on the following day to see how I would hold up.
Friday - A 4-mile run and 30-minute reverse elliptical session. I decided to test out the calf on a relatively easy paced 8-miler with Chris Flynn. It was still a little sore, but I hoped it would loosen up after a few miles. Needless to say, my calf failed the test. It did OK for a few miles and then it locked up at mile four. I stopped running and went inside for a half hour of reverse elliptical to complete my workout.
Saturday - DNR. I hate typing that, but I didn't exercise at all and ate way too much.
Sunday - A 90-minute bike spin. I did this session in the evening much too soon after my daughters' end of the season swim team picnic where I managed not to over-eat until the very end when a friend was trying to unload a tray of oatmeal-raisin cookies. I probably had ten. Needless to say, I spent the time on my bike mainly focused on not seeing those cookies regurgitated. A most unpleasant workout and somewhat fitting end to my week.

I have come to the realization that I'm putting too much pressure on myself to race well and it is causing me to make poor decisions (like not giving myself nearly enough time to heal) and taking much of the joy out of my training. I need to readjust my goals for Baltimore so that I can enjoy the experience and insure that I have a lot more running in my future. I have an appointment with an orthopedist and a podiatrist scheduled for next week to see if i can get some help for my calf. I'll be sure to fill you in next week.

Jay's Week That Was: Baltimore 3 of 16

Jay Silvio — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:26:38 GMT

Week 2 of my training schedule ended very well so I was looking forward to maintaining a routine and continuing to build up my mileage. I'm getting used to exercising in the morning before I teach and I enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes with finishing my workouts before 9am. Unfortunately my calf is flaring up again today as I'm writing (I have strained the soleus in my left calf), but I guess I shouldn't be surprised given how I'm trying to increase my mileage.

Week 3 (7/7 - 7/13)
This is what SmartCoach had scheduled for me:

Monday - An 8-mile run. I ran fairly relaxed on a humid morning. The time was nothing special, but it's a fine way to start the week after a long run (16.5 miles) the previous Saturday.
Tuesday - A 60-minute elliptical session. It goes pretty well. Similar to Monday, it's not a record setting workout but I'm pleased with my performance and my body is feeling good.
Wednesday - An 8-mile tempo run. I head out in the morning while the temperature is still only in the mid 70s but it's humid with a very light drizzle. I push the early pace a bit too hard and fade slightly near the end. I probably averaged around 6:10 pace which is nowhere near the SmartCoach recommendation. While I don't have the speed I had back in April near the end of my training for Frederick, I feel good about this run since I have not done many intervals or tempo runs over the past couple of months. I'm fairly confident that my times will come back down if I am able to continue with my training schedule and get in consistent speed sessions.
Thursday - A 50-minute reverse elliptical session. Another solid, if unspectacular, workout. I go for 50 minutes in reverse and then follow it up with a 10 minute cool down in the normal (forward) direction.
Friday - An 8 mile run. I go out nice and easy for the first half and then pick up the pace a bit near the end. Chris Flynn ran with me for 5 miles or so and it's always nice to have someone to talk to.
Saturday - A 19 mile run. This one was much slower than last week's 16.5, probably due to the temperature that was around 90 degrees. Last week my miles were all between 6:20 and 6:30; this week my splits were mostly in the 6:30 to 6:45 range. I did not bring enough fluid (just a half liter amphipod filled with nuun) and was pretty dehydrated by the end. Thankfully, a college soccer team was practicing near where I finished and offered me a bottle of water for my jog home (I poured half of it over my head to cool down). I wouldn't say that I hit the wall, but I was certainly dragging through this one. I had difficulty keeping my head in it as I went through miles 7-9 thinking about how I wasn't even halfway through. Long runs in July are quite different than when I was training for the Frederick Marathon back in January-April. It was certainly a learning experience. I took an ice bath when I got home and then mowed the lawn. I tried to take in fluids during the rest of the day. My left calf is stiff again. I'm thinking that this may be related to continued running when my legs are fatigued and this one really sapped 'em. It isn't painful (yet), but I'll be keeping an eye on it.
Sunday - A 1 hour bike spin. I'm pretty tired from Saturday's run and my calf is tight. I hit the bike trainer in my basement for an hour and watch some bad TV.

The week went well for the most part and I was able to complete all of my workouts at a satisfactory level. The slow pace of Saturday's long run is probably to be expected in such heat and because I have been sustaining a fairly rigorous daily regiment. I am frustrated, however, that my calf is again tightening up on me (it was an issue again during my 8-mile run on Monday the 14th). I will have to be careful to make sure that it doesn't get worse and severely impact my training. Luckily, I have a cut-back week coming up so I'll try and make sure that I allow my muscles to build back up. Here's a preview:

My sponsors:

My reward:

Jay�s Week That Was: Baltimore 2 of 16

Jay Silvio — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 03:06:18 GMT

After having a tough time last week getting my training started due to a calf injury (strained left soleus), I seem to be back on track (at least for the time being). The past week started off rather poorly, but ended well. Without further ado, here's week two (Hey, it rhymes!).

Week 2 (6/30 - 7/6)
This is what SmartCoach had scheduled for me:

Monday - An 8 mile run. My first run of the week goes poorly; possibly because I ran too soon after a dinner that included two large bowls of salad (and I also ate two bowls at lunch). I felt like I was working fairly hard, but my splits slower than I expected (all around 6:30). My legs never seemed to loosen up and my calf was a bit tight. I had hoped to end the month of June on a higher note. The most redeeming aspect of the run was the presence of fireflies.
Tuesday - An 8 mile run. I was able to hold an extremely consistent pace, but it was even slower than the day before (every split I took was 6:31). My start of July is even worse than my end of June. I had planned on making this my tempo run for the week, but after a couple of miles it became apparent that my speed just wasn't there. Even after I decided not to push the pace it was still a struggle both physically and mentally. My calf was a bit stiff, but it did loosen up after a few miles. After two sub-par runs in a row, I'm feeling tired and flat.
Wednesday - An 8 mile run. I was at my school for the day to get set up for summer classes. I attempted to do my usual sets of pull-ups and chin-ups and I simply quit about half way through because I had no energy. I ran 8 miles again and it was slow for the third straight day. My body felt drained. On a positive note, the weather was wonderful and I ran with Chris Flynn (who won the last 5K I raced). It was nice to be able to talk to someone and get my mind off the pace so I could simply enjoy the running. I'm hoping that Chris (who is actually teaching in my regular classroom for the summer) and I will be able to train together regularly once we start teaching next week.
Thursday - An 8 mile run. I drop my girls off at swim team practice and head out for yet another 8-miler. I had decided to pretty much pack it in for the week, just do slow recovery runs, call it my cutback week, and try again the following Monday. My warm-up and first mile were pretty quick (6:15) and easy, however, so I decided to push the pace and see if I could make it a tempo run. The next four miles were 6:10, 6:07, 6:03, and 5:57. It's hardly a banner day in terms of times, but I gladly take it after the previous three and I believe it to be fast enough to count for my weekly speed session (even if SmartCoach recommended a very tough 5:47 pace for my Week 1 tempo run). I am not ready to declare my slump over after a single run, but it sure was a relief. Also, my left calf flared up briefly (for about 100 meters) near the halfway point of the run. When I arrive back at the pool to pick up my daughters I am treated to a few delicious slices of watermelon (from melons that had been used in silly practice relays).
Friday - Another 8 miler (that makes five in a row). This turned out to be a nice recovery run while my daughters were at swim practice. It was humid but I still managed to run relaxed at a pace that averaged a little under 6:20. I'm glad to have more bounce in my legs.
Saturday - A 16.5 mile run. This run went much better than expected. I wanted to go even farther, but I decided to stick with what SmartCoach recommended for my first long run in two months (since the Frederick Marathon on May 4). Since it's only Week 2, I have the time to build up at an appropriate and gradual rate. I spend about four hours of the morning on my feet as a timer at my daughters' swim meet. The morning's early rain clears by the end of the meet, but it leaves a high humidity in its wake. After the meet, I didn't have a full lunch, but instead I down a Clif Bar and some trail mix. I popped a nuun tablet in my water bottle and put another Clif Bar in my shorts because I like to get practice taking fuel and fluids on long runs. I didn't bother taking a shirt, however, since I knew that it would simply become soaked and heavy within the first few miles given the humid weather. I went out and settled into a comfortable pace I hoped I could maintain. I was surprised that my first mile was a fairly quick (for a long run) 6:25, but I ended up running relatively steady as my fastest mile (two) was a 6:20 and my slowest (thirteen) was a 6:30. After such a poor beginning of the week, I was thrilled to have such a strong performance. When I got home I ate some Kashi Go-Lean Crunch cereal and jumped in an ice bath. Later on my wife and I had a wonderful walk through downtown Frederick.
Sunday - A 2500-meter swim in the afternoon and an hour of easy bike spinning at night. It's my cross-training day, so I swim slow and untimed laps in the afternoon and then some very relaxed spinning on my bike trainer after the girls go to bed.

This week had me very worried early on. Three poor days in a row was a huge psychological blow. It felt like I was completely sapped. I know that there are many people who would be very happy if they could run my slow pace, but that wasn't providing much comfort; I want to continue to improve as a runner and find the edges of my potential. I'm extremely grateful that I was able to bounce back and end the week well. I'm hoping that I will be able to recover quickly from my first long run.

Jay�s Week That Was: Baltimore 1 of 16

Jay Silvio — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:15:24 GMT

I am now officially in training for the Baltimore Marathon on October 11. I hope that this blog will illustrate what training to race 26.2 miles can look like, at least for this 38-year-old husband/father/teacher. There is no way to know how (or even if) I will finish, but this will be the real journey. As the saying goes, "The will to succeed means nothing without the will to prepare." I use the SmartCoach program as a rough guideline for my workout schedule. In general, I have found it to be an excellent tool although many of the times for intervals and tempo runs are simply beyond my ability and I find the recovery pace to be too slow for my liking. My input data is here:

This is a look back on the first of the sixteen weeks on my training schedule as well as the week leading up to it (we can call it "Week 0""). Coming into this period my body was feeling a bit rundown with some lingering aches and pains from the Frederick Marathon in early May (I did not give myself a sufficient recovery period). On a side note, my wife was away for an autism education training/conference in Houston for most of these two weeks but I was able to find time to workout during my daughters' swim team practices or in the evenings.

Week 0 (6/16 - 6/22)
Monday - A 10 mile run. A solid maintenance run at a decent pace and a good way to start the week.
Tuesday - An 8 mile run. I was able to hold a decent pace, but I never really felt loose. My left calf, which had been giving me trouble for a few weeks, flared up briefly and seemed very tight. I added 4 strides at the end of the workout.
Wednesday - A track race/workout with my running club (the Frederick Steeplechasers). I arrive late and only manage to get in a mile of warm-up. The "main event" is the two-mile and I get badly out-kicked on the last lap so I finish a distant second. My time is 10:51, which is slower than some of my two-mile splits at spring races. Afterwards it's 3x 800 meters (with about 8 minutes of recovery jogging between each one) and my times are 3:35, 3:32, and 3:28. I didn't have a whole lot of speed, but I can consider it a decent track workout. I probably put in 6.5 miles total when warm-ups, cool-down, and recovery jogs are added.
Thursday - An 8 mile run. My legs felt tired and I ran slowly. My calves tightened up pretty badly on the last mile or two.
Friday - Another 8 miler. My calves were tight/sore but did not seem to interfere with my running too much once I got warmed up and I was able to maintain a reasonable pace. I noticed them (especially the left) on turns and when the surface wasn't flat. They felt better when I was "lifting" my legs rather than "driving" off the ground.
Saturday - A 10 mile run. This was a fairly typical maintenance run. My legs were a little tight at first, but they loosened up.
Sunday - A 90 minute spin on my bike trainer. I take it easy and pedal away while watching the Euro Cup. Sadly, my beloved Italy loses to eventual champ Spain in penalty kicks.

Week 1 (6/23 - 6/29) 
Here's what SmartCoach had scheduled:
Monday - A 4 mile run and an hour spin on bike trainer. My first run of my "official" training goes horribly wrong. I head out nice and early for a 10 miler. My left calf tightens up so badly after 4 miles that I can't run and have to walk/limp back home. My attempts to jog even 10 meters bring on so much pain that it causes me to jump up and down on my good leg. To make matters worse, it's my anniversary and my wife is still in Houston. I'm pretty depressed at this point. While I'm at my daughters' swim practice I talk to another parent who's a PT and she pokes and prods my calf and has me do some balance moves. She diagnoses my problem as a strained soleus (Who knew that trying to run through a tight and sore muscle for about five weeks would lead to an over-use injury?) and prescribes stretches, ibuprofen, and a few days of non-running. In the evening I try and salvage the day by spinning for an hour while watching "The Princess Bride" with my girls. They had never seen it before and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Tuesday - A 2500-yard (1.42 mile) swim in the afternoon and an hour of easy bike spinning in the evening. I am a terrible swimmer and I hope my first pool workout of the year didn't strike fear in the lifeguards. I do a lot of stretching. I'd rather be running but I don't dare try more than a couple of easy 50-meter strides. After I put my daughters to bed I do an easy bike spin to get my legs moving at a good clip.
Wednesday - Another 2500 yard swim and hour of spinning. See Tuesday.
Thursday - A 3500 yard (1.99 mile) swim. How do swimmers keep count of their laps? I'm constantly playing mind games to try and help me remember what lap I'm on and I still keep losing track. I guess this is my long workout for the week. I am able to run a couple 100-meter strides without any real pain.
Friday - A 7 mile run and a 2500-yard swim. I get out early for my run and it goes as well as can be reasonably expected. I do an easy warm-up, then a solid five miler (splits of 6:30, 6:20, 6:10, 6:10, and 5:55), and I finish with an easy mile of cool-down. It's not my best workout ever, but it feels wonderful to run again. I constantly monitored my calf and it was tight at times, but didn't become painful. My right knee was a little sore, probably because I'm over-compensating for my stiff calf. In the afternoon I swim my laps and then go to pick up my wife at the airport. She's back home after two weeks. What a great day!
Saturday - A 10 mile run. I run in the morning, but it's already warm and very humid. My calf starts out a little tight and then it loosens up nicely after a couple of miles. I have no pain in my calves or knees. I am scheduled for a long run of 14 miles this week, but I think that would be pushing my luck. Psychologically I needed this to complete Monday's run.
Sunday - A 1250-yard swim and 90-minute spin on my bike trainer. I don't think it would be wise at this point to try running three days in a row so I do some more cross-training. This gets me back on my SmartCoach schedule. In the afternoon I started a slow swim, but I had to stop halfway because of thunder. Therefore, I finish up my day with another spin.

At this point in time I am tentatively optimistic. I ended the week with some solid workouts and am no longer being hindered by my calf. While I doubt that I will be able to replicate my performance from Frederick (so many factors came together almost perfectly on that day), I hope to have a solid second leg as I attempt to complete the Maryland Double.

Jay�s Week That Was: June 9-15, 2008

Jay Silvio — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 02:26:18 GMT

This was the last week of the 2007-2008 school year and things were a bit chaotic with proctoring final exams, helping my wife get ready for her two-week trip to Houston for an autism training, and helping our girls finish their school projects. Despite the craziness, I was able to carve out time to workout each day and I'm proud of that:

Monday - A 40 minute reverse elliptical session (followed by 15 minutes of forward cool down). It's a strong workout and I'm able to set a new best distance. Who cares if the old one was "soft"? Certainly a good start to the week.
Tuesday - An hour forward elliptical followed immediately by 40 minutes of reverse (with an additional 15 minutes of forward cool-down). My "long run" of the week is almost two hours on an elliptical trainer. I bring a Clif Bar and a bottle of nuun and go to town. Even I find the puddles of sweat that I produce to be pretty disgusting.
Wednesday - An 8 mile run. It was a truly beautiful day: 80 degrees and sunny with relatively low humidity and a nice breeze. I ran easy and didn't push the pace. Each progressive mile got a little quicker. My legs seemed good so I added a few strides on grass at the end (for no real reason other than I felt like it).
Thursday - Another 8 mile run. I didn't feel as good as the day before even though I ended up running about 5 seconds faster. I started off quicker, but didn't have as much at the end. I'd have preferred to have had more left in my tank, but that's often how it goes for me two days after a tough workout.
Friday - An hour-long elliptical session. Since it's my last day of work until I start teaching summer school, I decide to get in a "final" elliptical workout. I blast the pace from the start and push for a new best distance. It's a great way to end the school year!
Saturday - An 8 mile run. I spent the morning at my daughters' first swim meet of the summer and I was a timer so I was standing out in the sun most of the time. I was pretty exhausted, but I had a late lunch and went out for my run before dinner. It was hot and muggy with a light rain falling. My times were better than I expected given the conditions
Sunday - A 10 mile run on Father's Day morning. I got up around 5:30 and made lattes for my wife and myself. I don't usually like caffeine before I run, but it was Father's Day so I treated myself. I had a light snack and went out the door just before 7:00. It was sunny, but not too hot (about 70 degrees) with relatively low humidity. I ran smoothly at a somewhat brisk pace and really kicked it in for the last mile or so. After I got back and showered, we had homemade sour-cherry dump cake for breakfast (with sour cherries from the tree in our backyard). Yum!

This was another good week. I set a couple of elliptical "PRs" and had a couple of very enjoyable runs. My only concern is that the backs of my heels are pretty badly blistered from some chaffing that occurred last week and it's taking them quite some time to heal up. It doesn't seem to have affected my running up to this point, but it's something I'll have to keep an eye on. Next week will be very busy with my wife out of town, but my in-laws have already scheduled times to come over and watch the girls so I can get in some good runs. It will be my last week before I start my scheduled training program to prepare for Baltimore...

Jay�s Week That Was: June 2-8, 2008

Jay Silvio — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 14:35:14 GMT

My spring racing season ended last weekend, so this week was a time to recharge my batteries. I'll be doing mostly maintenance workouts for a couple weeks until I begin ramping back up to prepare for the Baltimore Marathon on October 11:

Monday - A day off. My first full rest day in a couple months. I went to the Maryland Science Center as a chaperone for my eldest daughter's field trip. The MSC is in Baltimore, so I took some photos of the harbor to help keep me motivated for the marathon.
Tuesday - An hour long elliptical session. I felt good early on, but was pretty tired during the last 20 minutes or so. I was able to hold on to a decent pace and finish with a respectable distance, but I ended up working harder than I had wanted to.
Wednesday - An 8 mile run. It was humid and in the 80s. I ran easy and didn't push the pace. My legs didn't feel good, but at least nothing outright hurt.
Thursday - An 8 mile run. Schools were closed because severe storms caused widespread power outages so I didn't have to go to work. I was able to run in the morning before it got really hot, but it was still warm and muggy. My legs were a little tight, but the run went smoothly. I ran a relaxed and consistent pace. I felt good about this workout.
Friday - A 40 minute reverse elliptical session (followed by 15 minutes of forward cool down). A fairly routine and uneventful workout.
Saturday - A 9+ mile run. I took my family down to Chincoteague Island to spend the weekend with my parents. I got up early and ran to Assateague Island in a thick morning fog. I ran around a wildlife loop where my father caught up with me on his bike and then we headed back to the house together for a pancake breakfast. I ran a moderate pace on the flat terrain (the only "hill" is the bridge between the islands) and felt good.
Sunday - A 9+ mile run. A repeat of Saturday, but at a slower pace. It was sunny and hotter this morning. I had also consumed a couple of stouts the night before and since I don't drink very often I was feeling a bit sluggish. My father joined me on his bike for the entire distance and it was nice to have company since I usually exercise on my own.

I felt good about this week and was please that I was able to get in so many runs without my legs becoming too sore. It is a bit strange to not have any races on my upcoming schedule. While I imagine that I'll find some small events to run this summer, the next race I have on my calendar is the Parks Half-Marathon which is not until the middle of September. I am trying to find the right balance of intensity vs. recovery that will allow me to re-energize while maintaining my fitness.

Race Report: Deer Dash 5K

Jay Silvio — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:35:57 GMT

On May 31 I ran the inaugural Deer Dash 5K at Deer Crossing Elementary School in New Market, Maryland. This event was the last one in my running club's (The Frederick Steeplechasers) Spring Grand Prix series. Since I had missed a few of the other races due to my training and recovery for the Frederick Marathon, I needed to place well at the Deer Dash in order to win the GP title. I had not been feeling well due to recurring cramping and tightness in my right hamstring and left calf over the past couple of weeks as well as the fact that I was up all night on Wednesday because the rest of my family was getting violently sick and I was constantly cleaning up puke. I can not recall another event that I have been so unexcited about running. I simply wanted to get it over with without hurting myself; I didn't even bring my racing flats preferring to run in my comfortable (and more supportive) Adrenalines.
I got up around six on Saturday morning and made my wife a latte and myself a bagel with peanut butter and sliced banana. I left the house around seven to head over to the race site in order to register and warm up before the 8:30 start. As I get ready to start jogging I noticed that the field looked more competitive than usual for a local 5K; not exactly what I was hoping for. The course was mainly on winding, moderately hilly roads with some stretches along connecting bike paths that were rather patchy and a couple momentum crushing out-and-back sections into neighborhood courts. This is no course for a PR (not that I had any shot at one on a fast course) and a post race analysis of times indicated that average finishes were 56 seconds slower that a previous week's much less competitive 5K. After I did a couple miles for my warm-up with Craig Shearer, a 27 year old teacher who was hoping to run around 17 minutes, I did some strides in the parking lot and got ready for the start. The sky looked very grey, but luckily the rain held off. When the race started, a large pack took off at a quick pace. I quickly found myself in a rather unfamiliar tenth place behind a half dozen high school runners and a few serious looking adults (so much for cruising to an easy win). From that position, I watched the inexperienced high schoolers take wide turns as I cut all the corners as tight as possible. The group hit the first mile at the end of an out-and-back stretch in around 5:30 and I'm able to pick up a few spots by simply turning sharply at the cone rather than running around the court's perimeter. Amazingly, Chris Flynn, another teacher and an excellent coach/runner who led the entire race, modeled the proper technique but the high schoolers decided to go wide. Right after that the course went up a hill and I almost plowed into the back of another high schooler that was fading fast from his early pace. I see some of the other Steeplechasers and we exchange cheers. By the top of the hill I am in 4th place behind other adults. The course took off down a steep and bumpy bike path and then picked back up in another section of the neighborhood. The group stayed fairly tight and I was worried I would have to settle for 4th place and hoped that would earn enough points in the GP standings. Things stayed pretty static for a bit and I missed the two-mile split. I passed Craig and moved into third place around that time. On the next hill I moved up into second (which was a good sign since I'm not a strong uphill runner). We then hit a long stretch of rolling and winding bike path that included some patches overgrown with bushes and vines. I kept Chris in my sites, but I wasn't able to make any major dent into his lead. I tried to surge the last half mile or so, but my legs didn't have that kind of speed left in them and my stomach warned me that it was ready to vomit if I pushed much longer. When the end of the course went through all three rows of the parking lot rather than going around the edge, I ran out of gas. Chris finished in 17:57 and I came in seven seconds later at 18:04. The top four finishers were all clustered in about 20 seconds. On a side note, the top three were all wearing Brooks and four of the top five were teachers! After the finish I did a couple miles of cool down with Chris and we talked about his coaching and then another couple with Craig. I got back to the school and talked with other Steeplechasers for a bit. I received a small trophy for my second place overall finish and a bag filled with around a hundred dollars worth of gift certificates. I went home feeling relieved to have accomplished what I had set out to do and proud of the effort I put forth (even if the time was less than spectacular). I am looking forward to some relaxing recovery runs over the next week or so and trying to regain some energy and enthusiasm. Serious training for the Baltimore Marathon starts in a few weeks!

Jay�s Week That Was: May 19-June 1, 2008 (a double dose)

Jay Silvio — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:52:53 GMT

I have not had much time for writing recently, so this will cover the past two weeks. They have been full of ups and downs. I am still not fully recovered from the marathon, but I was able to take second place in a fairly competitive local 5K this past weekend in order to secure my local running club's Grand Prix Series title. The biggest news is that I have received membership into the Brooks I.D. (Inspire Daily) program http://www.brooksrunning.com/Athletes+%26+Events/Brooks+I.D.+Program/

Here we go:

Week 1 (5/19 - 5/25)
Monday - An hour long elliptical session. This was a fairly strong workout as I settled in for another week of rehab for my hurting left calf. I was pleased with my performance and how my calf held up.
Tuesday - A 40 minute reverse elliptical session (followed by 15 minutes of forward cool down). A decent workout with no major calf issues.
Wednesday - An hour long elliptical session. Nothing particularly exciting about it and my calf feels decent. I am getting bored of the elliptical machine.
Thursday - An elliptical two-a-day. In the morning I put in a hard 45 minute session and set a new best distance for that time period. In the afternoon I do 40 minutes in reverse (followed by 15 minutes of forward cool down). I am please by both my morning's speed and by how well I feel during and after a second workout.
Friday - An hour long elliptical session. Afterwards I head outside and test my legs with four strides on grass. My calf feels like it is on the mend.
Saturday - An 8 mile run. I run fairly relaxed most of the way and pick up the pace a bit on the last couple of miles. My calf feels a little stiff afterwards, but nothing serious.
Sunday - A 1 hour spin on my bike trainer. I get up early so that I can get it in before I very full day of family activities.

Week 2 (5/26 - 6/1)
Monday - A 10 mile run. Another major setback. This time my right hamstring locks up on me. By the end my calf is also aching. I thought I was getting better, but it seems not. I am incredibly frustrated.
Tuesday - A 40 minute reverse elliptical session (followed by 15 minutes of forward cool down). My hamstring and calf were tight throughout the day, but didn't cause any major issues during my workout.
Wednesday - An hour long elliptical session. I set a new best distance for the hour. While I am getting rather tired of being on the elliptical almost every day, I am please to see that I am not losing fitness.
Thursday - A 30 minute reverse elliptical session followed by an easy mile on a treadmill and 4 strides on grass. I am exhausted due to the fact that the rest of my family is sick and I was up all night taking my daughters to the bathroom and cleaning up puke. Not exactly how I wanted to feel a couple days before a race.
Friday - A 4 mile pre-race run. I try and stay relaxed and my calf feels a little tight, but there is no major pain (just some tingling). I put in 4 strides at the end.
Saturday - A 5K race. I have a hard time recalling a race I have been less excited to run. Between injuries and not getting enough sleep, I just want to get it over with and finish high enough to grab the GP title (I don't even bother bringing racing shoes). If I didn't need the points, I never would have run. I do a couple miles of warm up, run the race (I finished second in an unusually competitive field for a small local race), and then do about 4 miles of cool down. I am glad when it is all over.
Sunday - A 5.5 mile run. I feel tight and both physically and emotionally drained. I run slow and easy.

While I am still recovering from the Frederick Marathon and my legs continue to need to be rehabbed, I can not overlook the highlights of the past two weeks. Gaining sponsorship from Brooks is a major honor for me and I am excited to represent such a great company. I am also pleased that I was able to gut out enough of a race to win the Grand Prix series. I am planning on taking a bit more recovery time (hopefully with more running being integrated back into my training) and hopefully will soon have more energy and enthusiasm.

Jay�s Week That Was: May 12-May 18, 2008

Jay Silvio — Mon, 19 May 2008 15:52:12 GMT

This was the second week following my marathon and it was a disaster. It started off poorly and then got worse. By the end of the week I realized that my left calf was really injured and I'll need to take at least two weeks off from running. I am not overjoyed by the prospect of nothing but elliptical and bike training for a good chunk of time. At this point I am still determined to run a 5K on May 31 because I need the score for my local running club's Grand Prix series. I hope that I have enough time to heal. Here is what happened:

Monday - An hour long elliptical session. This workout is a struggle from the beginning and, unlike last week's recovery workouts; it never gets better once I warm up. My ending distance is my worst one in many months and I'm surprised that I had better sessions last week. I had hoped that I would be stronger given that more time had passed since the marathon.
Tuesday - An 8 mile run. It's a beautiful and sunny day that is perfect for running. I take it easy and have a pretty good time. My calf flares up for miles 6 and 7, but at this point I wasn't too concerned; I even had a strong last mile. My time was not too far below average which I took as a good sign.
Wednesday - A 40 minute reverse elliptical session (followed by 15 minutes of forward cool down). My calf is still tight and it takes me a bit to get going. Once I'm warmed up, however, I have a fine workout.
Thursday - An 8 mile run. I start off slow, but work up to a decent pace after the first couple of miles. Then my calf cramps up again around mile 6 and this time it never lets up. I even get pain shooting up my leg. I make it through the last couple of miles and even finish a few seconds faster than Tuesday's run, but I can no longer believe that this is just simple post-marathon soreness. When I try to jog in the halls, the pain comes back immediately.
Friday - An hour long elliptical session. After I had a poor strength training routine in the morning, I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to achieve a decent distance during my afternoon workout. My calf was tight and I continue to need more time than usual to get warmed up, but overall it went fairly well. My calf starts to tingle after 50 minutes, but that never turns into any real pain. I am still unable to even start up a light jog, however, without pain so I realize I need to take this injury seriously. I make the decision to go into rehab mode.
Saturday - A 2 hour spin on my bike trainer. I'm bummed to not be out running. I take a short break at the hour mark to go to the bathroom and grab a bite to eat. I watch a lot of ESPN.
Sunday - A 90 minute spin on my bike trainer. I watch game 7 of the Celtics-Cavaliers series. My calf actually feels its best right after these bike workout because it's nice and warmed up.

A disappointing and frustrating week. I know that I can get decent workouts on the elliptical and bike trainer, but it's not the same as running. I miss it and didn't realize how much I run throughout the day: to the mail box, up the stairs, to the copy machine at work. I'm always in motion and I hate having to walk everywhere. I always want to test my calf in the hope that it might be getting better and it is a struggle to stop myself. I also tend to eat a lot more when I am feeling sorry for myself so I've put a few pounds on (which isn't all that bad considering where I was at). Looking back at the last few reports, it's amazing how quickly everything can change. I really hope I can run by the end of the month as I want to win the GP series, but now I'm not sure this will happen. I worry about the risk of even further injury to my calf. In order to stay positive, I did register for the Parks Half-Marathon on September 14. I think it will be a good final tune-up race before Baltimore.

Jay�s Week That Was: April 28-May 4, 2008

Jay Silvio — Mon, 05 May 2008 19:22:13 GMT

Marathon Week at long last! I continued to cut back my mileage for my taper and by the end of the week I have so much energy I can't sleep at night. The marathon was a fantastic experience and I exceeded all of my expectations. It will get its own blog entry in a few days when I have time to give it the attention it deserves. So we shall move on to the week:

Monday - A 45 minute elliptical session. Just like last week, I am cutting back for the taper (these are usually an hour long). I go pretty easy.
Tuesday - A 4 mile run. These runs are getting so short that I have trouble considering them full workouts. I add four strides at the end because I need to feel like I've done something.
Wednesday - A 7 mile tempo run. I run fast! I try and hold something back, but I still clock a training course record. I'm excited with how easy it felt to run fast and I know that I've got enough time to get rested up before Sunday.
Thursday - A 4 mile run. I run easy and I intentionally don't bring a watch. I follow the run with 4 strides on grass.
Friday - 30 minutes on the elliptical in reverse. I stay relaxed and make sure not to push hard. I skip my usual cool down and go outside to run six strides. They feel a bit funny after spending half an hour spinning my legs backwards.
Saturday - 3 miles of jogging (just enough to work up a sweat) and four strides at the local community college soccer field. My good races have often followed pre-race workouts that felt a little tougher than I had expected. I'm worried because on this day it feels too smooth.
Sunday - The Frederick Marathon! I run 2:41:46 and place 2nd overall. I receive a plaque for being the second place male, a trophy for being the first finisher from Frederick County, and I've got a check for $400 coming in the mail. I'm even quoted in Monday's Washington Post! How freakin' cool is that? I'll provide details in a future blog.

To say that this week went well would be a dramatic understatement. The marathon was my greatest athletic accomplishment to date. I'll just leave it at that for now.

Jay�s Week That Was: April 21-27, 2008

Jay Silvio — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:09:18 GMT

This was the second week of my taper for the Frederick Marathon on May 4. Unlike last week, this one was a noticeable reduction in mileage. It was weird having to stop runs "early" and I am trying to watch my calorie intake since my needs are now reduced. I'm used to eating constantly (small and healthy snacks, I admit, but the calories add up) and I don't want to add too much weight but I also want my body to get the fuel it needs. Yesterday I received my first ever sponsorship/pro-deal from nuun. I'm psyched because I can honestly say they are a great company and I have used nuun during almost all of my training runs of 16 miles or more. If you don't already know about nuun, check out the link: http://www.nuun.com/nuunis/whatisnuun.html
Anyway, here's the week:

Monday - A 45 minute elliptical session. These are usually an hour, but I am cutting back for the taper. It felt good as I worked hard, but not too hard.
Tuesday - A 6.5 mile run. The mileage is down and I run controlled.
Wednesday - 4x mile repeats with a half mile recovery. After starting off last week's 5K with back-to-back 5:19s, I had high hopes. My goal was to average 5:30 or better and that seemed reasonable given that I'd have recovery between each mile. Unfortunately my times are 5:31, 5:28, 5:35, and 5:33. While that's a pretty good workout (especially considering I hadn't done any intervals since early January), it appears I'm getting greedy and expecting every day to bring a new record of sorts. I soak my legs in a cold water bath when I get home and after a quick lunch I go mow my lawn.
Thursday - 30 minutes on the elliptical in reverse (+ 15 minutes forward for a cool down). This is another tapered workout (I usually go 40 minutes) and I feel strong, especially considering yesterdays hard speed session.
Friday - A 5.5 mile run. The mileage cut down continues. I move through this run at a fairly brisk pace and feel great. Afterwards, I run a few strides on a soccer field.
Saturday - An 8 miler. My "long" run for the week is now down to the length of my usual weekday workouts. I get up early to make my wife a latte and am out the door my 7:15. The run goes very well and there are even pancakes waiting for me when I get home (after I shower at the request of my wife and daughters). Yum!
Sunday - An hour spinning on my bike trainer. I probably should have just taken the day off, but I've got a nice streak going. I put in an easy spin while flipping between a college lacrosse game and "True Lies" on the TV in my basement.

The week went well and by the end of this coming week I will (hopefully) have finished my marathon. It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that something I have been focusing my training on for over a year will be over so soon. I seem to be in good health with most of my blisters, tendonitis, etc. pretty well healed up. I am just hoping to stay this way for at least one more week so that I can run my best next Sunday. Please wish me luck (and I love to get comments)!

The Week That Was: April 14-20, 2008

Jay Silvio — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:00:43 GMT

This past week was the start of my three week taper for the Frederick Marathon on May 4. It will be my first marathon since I ran Columbus as a college freshman in 1987. It will also be the first time I run a marathon with a target time (2:50-2:55 and hoping to break 2:50 if I feel good in the second half) and a goal of placing. I have been training with this event in mind for over a year now and I'm having a hard time believing it will happening in less than two weeks. The first week of the taper period is not that much different than most of my previous weeks, it just has a much shorter long run. Sort of a let down, but I felt pretty good by the end of it. Here it is:

Monday - A relaxed 8 miler on a sunny day. I am still recovering from a 5K race two days earlier.
Tuesday - An hour elliptical session. I feel tired and reaching my target distance for the time is a major struggle. I am concerned that Wednesday's tempo run will not go well.
Wednesday - An 8 mile tempo run. Wow! I have an absolutely amazing run today and knock almost 2 minutes off my previous training course record. That seems a staggering amount of time to drop.
Thursday - 40 minutes on the elliptical in reverse (+ 15 minutes forward for a cool down). This workout goes well and I easily surpass my target distance. I thought I might be tired, but I often feel strong the day after a hard workout; it's the second day after that usually nails me.
Friday - An 8 mile run. This one also goes better than expected. I'm surprised how effortlessly the miles go by (and how quickly given the ease). I'm starting to think that Wednesday could have been one of those rare "breakthrough" workouts.
Saturday - A 12 miler; my long run for the week (a significant drop from the 16-22 milers that made up the bulk of the weekly long runs). The weather was fantastic: 80 degrees and sunny. I moved easily through the first half of the run. For the second half of the run I was doing laps at the local community college (each lap is 1.11 miles) and there was an ongoing walk to raise money for Diabetes research on my usual path. I should have found somewhere else to run, but I am a creature of habit. I simply work harder weaving through the walkers as I cross to run on the grass shoulder when passing. I probably exerted too much effort and I'm pretty tired by the end. I get home and jump in the tub for a 20 minute cold water soak of the legs.
Sunday - An 8 mile run. I have fun running in a steady rain storm. On a side note, this morning my seasonal allergies flared up for the first time this year. I'm really hoping this doesn't have any effect on my training or race. What a disappointment that would be!

Overall, this was a very good week. I had a great run on Wednesday and seem to have had little difficulty bouncing back from such a hard workout. This coming week marks the first real cut back in mileage and I'm looking forward to having a little extra time eat my lunch each day.