Today: 3.0 miles on Severn Crossing Trails @ 06:20

Borg Scale: 3 / 10:39 mpm / 156 bpm at end.

week: 9.0 miles

69 F/79%

144.0 / 15.3%

Short run at early dawn in mist and light drizzle.  Running through the woods I started several robins, apparently sleeping on the side of the trail.  Presumably too early for them to be feeding.

This is the first run on a hard surface where I felt no indication of PF issues since I stopped running.  It has taken a while to heal.

I think my higher heart rate was due to maybe running a little faster at the end.

Abs: prone back bridge, bicycle crunch, V-crunch - all to failure.

Today: 3.0 miles on Severn Crossing Trails @ 06:15

Borg Scale: 3 /  10:58 mpm / 144 bpm at end.

week: 3.0 miles 

68 F/62%

Body fat: 16.2%

Its 6 AM and I have coffee in hand.  There's a cool breeze rustling the elms this morning.  I'm tasting fall in the air.  Sunrise is in 45 minutes.  My body is screaming: "Run!"

We had a cool front go the DC area last night.  My PF issues are nowhere to be felt.  The challenge this morning is not whether to run, rather its not to run too far too fast.

I'm scurrying around our home collecting running gear and playing Yes and Led Zepplin too loudly.  I'll be back with the day's running numbers in an hour.

17:30

Borg 3 / 10:53

today: 4.25 miles  

week: 11.25 miles 

69F/93% @ 0600 on Buddy Attick Park

body fat: 15.2%

I was surprised to have a 1.6 lb water loss during the run....it didn't seem that hot.

Brahani was there....doing more miles than me, again.

I ran it too hard for my level of fitness...roughly an 11 minute pace. 

today:  3 miles  

week:   7 miles 

65F/54% @ 0600 on Severn Crossing trails

body fat: 15.1%

Today is day four of my most recent come-back attempt.  For the past several weekends, I've done a "test" 3-miler with Denise around the lake at Buddy Attick Park.  Each week, I have left it at just that one run: even gentle runs on the park's soft surface, flat trail have mildly irritated my PF.

Sunday was different.  My PF continued to improve.

Monday, we slipped out for a pre-dawn 3-miler in the neighborhood.  It was warm and moist.  Mists hung low across the commons and the marsh we run past.

Tuesday was strength training.  I have a difficult time doing my strength training if I'm not running.  My mind says to me: "If I'm not running, what's the point of anything?"  Tuesday morning was different.  At 5:45 I was in my gym for a 1-mile treadmill warm up and a full body, 2-set per exercise, mostly compound barbell work out, done to Yes, Van Halen, Led Zepplin, and any other energetic rock my iPod library can serve up.

I woke up this morning with that wonderful feeling of every muscle in my body having been strenuously exercised recently.  I monitor my PF first thing every morning.  I could feel them very mildly strained.  The complicating issue was that Denise is traveling tomorrow.  Knowing that running with her is very motivating to her, I really wanted one last run to give her momentum to run while on her trip.

At 0600, we slipped out into the cool air of the pre-dawn.  A gust from the north was a harbinger of those blustery cold winter days six months from now.  For now, it was a pleasant run in the cool morning shadows.

Hitting 45 miles per week this spring altered my mind/body connection while running.  Ever since, even after a 13 week hiatus, I have this feeling of lightness and ease in my stride.  After 3 years' marathon training, running this spring became a very natural feeling.  Now, when I go out, my body just slips into a pattern it knows so very well, and does what comes so naturally to it.

Hopefully, I'm back to running for good.   I will know tomorrow morning when I awake and once again check my PF.

The plantar fascia are ligaments connecting the ball of the foot to the heel.  They hold the bones of the foot in an impact absorbing "arch", allowing us to run with minimal jarring.

Plantar fasciitis is an over-use injury caused by too much distance, speed, intensity, or hills too soon.  I caused mine by hitting 45 miles per week, then, a week later starting tempo runs, and then, 2 weeks later adding intervals.  Dr. Jack Daniels recommends 4 to 6 weeks at a particular level of training before increasing the load.  I obviously did not follow that advice.

My plantar fascia are 95% healed.  This morning brought disappointment because I could feel a little stress in my arches after several mornings pain-free.  I would probably still not run, but the MCM is 15 1/2 weeks away. 

So, I stretch twice a day, emphasizing my gastrocenius, soleus, and perennially tight hamstrings.  I am convinced of a soleus-plantar fascia relationship as I can feel my arch when I do stretches for the soleus.  Also, I'll run on soft surfaces until I'm 100%.  I'm hoping these two modifications to my previous training will allow me to ramp up miles and finish healing.

Training today: strength training in my home gym at 6 AM.

I've started running again:

Sa, 7/5: 3.25 miles around Buddy Attick Park with Denise.  It was a cool morning drizzle, like running through clouds.  I ran very gingerly, not wanting to get my plantar fascia irritated. 

Su, 7/6: Denise and I went to Buddy Attick, again.  The appeal is that it is a well-graded dirt path, thus minimizing impact and stress to the PF.  Bumped into several walkers and runners I knew from 2004 when I first started marathon training.  That was 30 lbs and 3 marathons ago.

Today: well, I had to drop my SL 320 off at the dealership to get worked on.  This evening its off to order flooring - we're doing the whole first floor and stairs in Pergo.  Otherwise, it would have been a strength training day.