Bryan's Running Blog

36:30 ==> 8:07 pace. I took it nice and easy, running on about as flat a course as I can find around my house. I stretched my calves before and after the run and then took some ibuprofin and iced my achilles for 10 minutes or so during breakfast. I plan to take it fairly easy this week.

I ran slow half mile on treadmill, stretched, then ran another half mile on treadmill, stretched, and did one set of 10 calf exercises. Then I went outside and ran 5.5 miles in 50:55, which is about 9:15 pace per mile! My achilles felt fine the entire run (and now). Towards the end, my right knee was a little sore -- I'm not used to running so slow, so I take smaller steps, and my form is quite different. But my knee is fine. I'll probably try to go a little faster tomorrow, but again keeping the pace pretty slow.

Played basketball in the evening for 1.5 hours. I took it fairly easy, but I'll count it for 2 miles of running. My achilles felt fine.

1:02:53 ==> 8:37 pace. Faster than yesterday! I ran in the area just south of Charlotte Pike and west of 440. Not the nicest neighborhood and too many hills.

Achilles feels fine. After my run I did one set of heel raises to work on calf strength.

36:19 ==> 8:21 per mile. Two loops around Carondolet subdivision, up Shenandoah to Ford and then down Davis. I felt pretty bad this morning. My throat is a little sore, meaning a cold is probably coming on. Also I am stiff in weird places (stomach, quads) from basketball Tuesday night, and my calves are stiff from my calf exercises.

4 miles in 34:50 => 8:43 pace. Slow run around my neighborhood. I still feel a little sick, although my muscles are no longer sore. It was raining and after the run I did one set of ten calf exercises.

Basketball this evening, without any subs. We won by one point (a guy on the other team shot 5 free throws after time had expired -- 3 for being fouled on a 3-pointer at the buzzer and two for a technical, but he only made 1 of the 5 -- lucky us). I will count this as 2 miles, because I am quite tired.

1:18:25 ==> 8:34 pace. I ran along Old Smyrna, then Holt Road, and then through the Stone Ridge neighborhood to Edmonson Pike and then back through my neighborhood. It was a nice loop, particularly because half of Holt Road was closed because of construction. There were a few very steep hills in the Stone Ridge neighborhood that I didn't particularly enjoy.

I've been going pretty slow this entire week, but I've still gotten in nearly 40 miles, which I feel good about. My achilles doesn't hurt, but it is still a little stiff, despite my slow runs. I have done one set of calf exercises (heel lowerings) almost every day this week. I plan to do two sets every day next week. I've been making a conscientious effort to stretch before and after each run. After most runs, I have iced my achilles and taken two ibuprofin. Anyway, I feel like I'm putting in a valiant effort to get better. I miss the faster runs. Hopefully I'll get in one or two next week.

45:24 ==> 9:00 per mile. I ran through Crockett Park and up Arrowhead Drive. Unfortunately, my achilles has been sore ever since Saturday's run.

46:34 ==> 7:18 per mile. I did my basic Carondolet loop once (2.16 miles) and then ran from my house out along Old Smyrna Road until the start of the big hill (2.11 miles) and back.

I decided to pick up my pace today. I probably started a little too fast with a couple of the first miles under 7:00. I slowed down a little and went really slow when running up the (minor) hills of this run.

My achilles feels about the same now as it does after running 9:00 pace -- maybe a little stiff, but no real pain. I'll probably do a weekly run like this.

55:52 ==>7:59 per mile. I ran the treadmill today. First mile around 9 minutes, next 3 at 8 minutes, next at 7:30, the next got down to 6:58 for about a half mile, but then I thought I should probably be going slower so I went up to 7:30, and then the last mile varied between 8 and 8:30 pace.

I felt fine, but I got a little bored. The TV monitor is to the side of the treadmill, so it is difficult to stay on the treadmill and watch TV. A guy next to me was trying to watch TV and ended up falling off the treadmill. So it gets a little boring, and the best way to entertain myself was to change around the speed a little, although today was supposed to be a slow run.

In other exciting news, a skunk must be living in our crawl space under the house because we woke up this morning to an awful smell. We got someone to come out and set up traps. Apparently it's skunk mating season. You learn something new every day....

41:52 ==> 8:17 per mile. I ran the same run as Monday (Crockett Park and Arrowhead Drive). I bought shoes last night -- there goes another $100. They are Brooks brand. I think I'll like them. I plan to rotate shoes every other day for a month or two. However, my achilles was sore today while running -- typically it isn't sore during the run. Must have been from my last couple of runs. I particularly felt it around hills. Unfortunately, it's hard to avoid hills on my runs. My neighborhood is an area of rolling hills. I can usually avoid the steep ones and right around my house is quite flat. But I'd get bored running the same quarter mile around my house over and over and over.

No skunks in the skunk traps this morning, although our house still stinks.

38:32 ==> 8:58 per mile. I ran two laps around the Carondolet neighborhood. I am getting very annoyed with my achilles. I'm tired of running these slow, boring runs. Ran in the old shoes today. My achilles felt OK.

Basketball game in the evening.  I'll count that as two miles.  My achilles always feels fine playing b-ball.

1:28:11 ==> 9:23 per mile.  Blazing speed!  I went down the river trail to the end and then through a neighborhood out there by a golf course.  I'm happy that I was able to do the run though, and my achilles didn't hurt (although it's a little sore now -- 5 hours later).

I've decided to give my achilles a chance to heal. It has been hurting off and on for a month, and I'm tired of doing very slow runs, which may be helping me keep my mileage up, but don't seem to be helpig me get over this achilles problem. I'll try and do some cross-training like activities for the next week or two. I was going to go bicycling this morning, although I didn't. It's a little harder to motivate myself to ride a bicycle when it's dark outside and below freezing. I'll have to work on that. I'm still doing calf exercises to improve their strength and hopefully avoid future achilles problems.

I played basketball last night. I feel pretty good today. My achilles isn't back to normal yet, but it's not too bad. I'm pretty sure it is related to some soreness on the bottom of my foot, near the arch. It seems that my left foot is a little flat footed, and running on it has strained both the bottom of my foot and my achilles.

I haven't been doing my calf exercises for the past week, because after doing them once last week, my achilles was starting to hurt. My current plan is to start doing the calf exercises again next week and hopefully be ready to start running again the following week. I've missed running a lot (although I have enjoyed sleeping in an hour each day).