The Routine Begins Anew

Well I think we are finally getting back into a routine. Granted it is coming in small steps but it is getting there. I have been keeping up on my running due to the training plan for the half marathon but have been struggling when it comes to getting up in the morning. I ran four miles on Monday and seven miles on Tuesday mornings then today we went up to the gym to get a quick swim in. The alarm went off at 5:45 but we weren’t out of bed until about 6:10ish. Fortunately my triathlon training doesn’t start until a week after my half marathon so by then it should be a bit easier to get up early and head out. Overall the half marathon training has been good, my shin hasn’t bothered me this week which I believe is due to a combination of starting out at a nice slow pace and walking to work (or driving then going for a walk at lunch). Hopefully by the time the race rolls around I should be good to go – really I would just like to run a good race with no leg problems. On Tuesday I ran negative splits with my first mile at 9:32 and my last at 7:02 so I know I can pick up the pace throughout the run; the only problem is that I’m not sure how long I can hold a fast pace. This weekend I have a 12 miler on the schedule and I would like to hold a pace in the low eights for miles five to twelve.

One thing that I really learned from this training is that any little thing can have a big impact on performance. It took me a while to realize what was missing from my daily routine during the time when I was having no leg problems and that was my daily walks (I used to walk to the train then from the train to my office in the city). Now that I have incorporated walking back into my daily routine I’m hoping that the shin pains become a thing of the past (not shin splints, but cramping in the muscle on the front of my leg). I didn’t even think about the walks until the cramping started in both legs – if it had just been in one leg then I might not have thought about it but when it happened in both legs I knew something was causing it that was not running related (very scientific I know).

To sum it up, training is good and getting better, still struggling with getting up in the morning but slowly making progress, legs are getting better – not cramping as often and the walks seem to be helping, blog updates are suffering which I am also planning on working on, but overall everything is on the up and up.