Take care of yourself

As one of those "hardcore" people, I would retort this way: There are some hardcore people still awake at 11 p.m.!

 

I'm always the first one at the front door at 5 a.m. It's nice to have the run of machines that I like; some machines are better than others.

And I can pump the teevee volume up to 40 to hear Sportscenter.

 

I'm in my taper right now, which is always a strange place to be. It's odd to just sleep in because it's the right thing to do, especially with a sore hamstring that needs to get better in less than two weeks. I did run 15 miles on Saturday, at an 8:26 pace, which is around my normal long weekend run pace. It was uncomfortable - I wouldn't have tried to push the pace on it. Yesterday morning, we went on a two-hour hike. I could feel it, but it was fine. Today I didn't run or walk at all. Tomorrow I'm going to get up and do four really slow miles on the treadmill. I just want race day to get here. With me, the big fear is always packing on the pounds.

 

How are you getting around if you’re not walking today?

 

Sorry, I mean walking as in sustained walking for exercise, like yesterday. I'm still walking to my car and to the can.

 

Anyone got any quick remedies for a pinched nerve? I'm using heat and ice and putting a tennis ball under my back at the point of pain - but it seems kind of counterproductive since the point that the nerve is being pinched isn't where the pain is.

 

Today I did eight miles, mostly around an 8:15 pace or so. The hamstring seemed to loosen up as the run went on, so I decided to near-redline the final mile. I did it in 6:22. My hamstring didn't explode, so that's good.

I am dying to get this week's miles under my belt, then basically just rest next week for Sunday.

 

A great physical therapist showed me how an issue (such as a pinched nerve) OVER HERE leads to pain OVER THERE. I think the term is referred pain.

Work on the over here ... strengthen/stretch that area instead of at the point where the pain is.

 

6 more days in the book: 415 minutes, 8,855 calories, 30.93 miles.

Last 10 weeks: 3,714 minutes, 86,885 calories, 285.66 miles.

I have been to the gym 188 out of 239 days since September 1.

 

Eight miles this morning at a 7:46 pace. I have a 13-miler tomorrow that I am going to try to restrain to an 8:30 pace. Then two days off before a couple of tune-up runs mid-week. Main objectives now, nine days out: Keep the hamstring healthy. Don't get fat.

I was going to try to abstain for the next few days, but my kid had a late game last night (I'm a coach) that I had to have a stout just to come down a bit.

 

I fucked up my ankle this past weekend and couldn’t run more than a mile or so most of this week.

Then, yesterday, I decided to power through and got almost 5 miles in. Figured my ankle would be screaming today, but it’s as pain-free now as it was before I got hurt.

Weird.