Weekly Training Log February 23 to March 8 Soul Crush

  I'm not one for believing much in jinxing yourself by saying something out loud or in a public way but if I was….

  Anyway I have mentioned a few times on this blog that I feel relatively confident that I'm not getting hurt because since I have been going to yoga consistently I haven't been hurt.  I even pointed out that I haven't missed a day of running do to injury since early 2013.  What I haven't mentioned but I have been personally concerned about and you may have noticed is that in the time I have been posting this blog I have not been going to yoga every week.  I have found that if I go at least once a week it is enough to maintain but I might get a light niggle here or there and if I go at least 2 to 3 times a week.  Over the last two months I have been going every two weeks at best.

  I know this seems basic. You have something that works just go out and do it.  On some levels it is. Reality is I have a lot going on with work, running and the basics of trying to cook, eat and sleep.  Melissa and I joke that no one is allowed in our house until after Boston because it is such a disaster.

  At the finish of my last heavy week of training, which is posted here, http://nateruns.blogspot.com/2015/02/weekly-training-blog-february-16-to-22_22.html , I was certainly feeling banged up overall but I just hadn't got into yoga.  Monday I took a light day because I had meeting at work and it was a scheduled lighter/recovery week.  Tuesday I was doing my regular 10 and my right foot was painful.  I could tell it was hurt.  I took the next day off, first in two years off due to injury.  I went to yoga, it helped but the foot was still pretty sore.  I ran the next day and ran did yoga the next.  I did a mona on friday and it was ok but after the foot was quite sore so I decided not to do the much longer workout I had scheduled for Sunday.   A couple more trips to yoga and some regular running.  This past week Monday through I did either 11.1 or 11.2 each night, no morning runs.  I did yoga on Tuesday and Thursday.  I went to acupuncture on Wednesday and Thursday.  Saturday I did 20k in 1:16 after going to yoga in the AM.
 
  Today I raced the Old Fashion Ten Miler in Foxboro, MA. It was like having a nightmare while I was awake.  The foot was sore but not too bad, much as it had been the last few days. However not long after 3 miles my right leg started to get the old familiar feeling of fighting the coordination wanting to go.  By 4 miles I was having a few bad steps here or there.  By 5 miles, 25:22, I was pretty much done. The coordination doesn't go as completely now but I had little control and my leg kept buckling.  My last 4 miles were pretty much at 5:30 pace, walking in my current fitness.  There was a right turn in the last 100 meters.  I basically had to stop and pivot to avoid falling.  It sucked.

  I'm not 100% sure what the problem with the coordination was. I had the harness on and I felt I was doing a good if not perfect job of keeping my shoulders back and my back pretty upright.  Now the foot problem is tendonitis in my Flexor Hallucis Longus which means I'm not toeing off fully which may have meant I wasn't getting much range of motion in the ankle.  I don't really know.  There are some other possibilities but that is my best guess.

  This is bad news.  First off I'm at the point where I should be doing the meat and potatoes of the marathon prep.  Second the foot hurts.  I can run on it but it isn't great for workouts and what not.  Third if it means I can't do marathon work or long races that is a major wrench in my plans.

   If I get the foot cleared up in a couple of days and that is what caused the set back in coordination today than this has just been a big hurdle.  If not than I'm probably out for a spring marathon.  I mean perhaps I could sort stuff and get after it again for Grandma's but that is unlikely.  So I'm not in a great mood right now.

  Of course I could have trained less. That isn't going to happen.  One a tiger doesn't change it stripes.  I believe in training hard I've succeeded and failed by doing it.  I'll continue to do that.  However I know I needed to be going to yoga more. My schedule is full but the fact is I needed to make it happen and I didn't and now I pay a price, perhaps a heavy price.

I was going to post the day to day details here but that seems a bit repetitive. So I'll just add that on the Mona the roads were a bit icy which slowed things a bit but I did 3.9 miles in the 20mins.  For the 10 mile I ran 52:49.

  Hope your training is going better than mine!  Have a great week.

Sponsorship!! Team Skechers!

  I am super excited to announce that I will be a Go Elite Ambassador for Skechers Performance Division.  I have been training in Skechers since last April and I'm really happy to have their support in my return to the marathon this April.

  Currently I'm training and racing primarily in the GoMeb Speed.  These are actually my favorite shoe of all time.  Light flexible and with a great fitting upper.  They are not for everyone as they certainly are a light weight flexible shoe but for me they are perfect! http://www.skechersperformance.com/running/mens#/content/gorun-speed-mens

  The other shoes I mix into my routine are the GoRun Ride 3 and the GoRun Ultra.  I use the Ride 3 for most of my easy runs and as my second favorite behind the speeds and the Ultra work great for when the footing isn't very good which means over the last 6 weeks they have been getting a lot of work.  So in the snow lately they have been getting a lot of miles.  They are one of the most durable shoes I have ever run in.
http://www.skechersperformance.com/running/mens
http://www.skechersperformance.com/running/mens#/content/gorun-ultra-mens

  If you are interested in more information about Skechers performance on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SkechersPerformance
  or instagram = @SkechersPerformance or twitter @SkechersGO