Hoping for Fall redemption

Good to see you over 40 with no issues! Enjoy the step back and keep the foot and knee feeling good.

Thanks Julie, and both Jim's!

I started off the step back week with a tired 6 miler. I'm coming of a high mileage week (high for me), and having worked a 13 hour day yesterday, and then a late evening upper body/core workout. All those factors would probably account for the tired run. In addition, my knee has definitely been achy during the last few runs. I guess it's a good time for a step back week.

While the storm wasn't as bad as it could have been, looks like it still affected many peoples lives in an adverse way.



Great to see you went over 40 without any major hiccups. This cycle is seeming to be going well which is fantastic!



Hope your step back week goes well also.

Take it easy Seth - no messing it up, ok?

yeah be careful of the knee before it turns into something! Enjoy the step back week!

Seth,

You have BQ'd with little mileage so if need be cut back a bit until knee feels stronger. I want you to be healthy for our LSD together!

Very good! Teach that old body how to hang together.

It sounds like a step back week and more sleep is in order.

Thanks for the concern everyone. The knee is definitely achy, so as I said, the step back week comes at a good time.
I missed yesterday's speed workout because of very early and long day at work, but it was probably a good thing with the way the knee is feeling.
I did the workout today, and it was tough workout in the middle of the day (I had a few hours between work so I squeezed it in). With the knee being a bit of an issue, Coach Mike had me do hill repeats on the trails. The hill repeats were definitely easier on the knee.
Seven miles total, with 5 x 3 min. repeats on what I'm guessing is about a 5% to 6% grade. I did them all at about 7:35/mile.
It's funny how 80 degrees with only moderate humidity isn't even an issue after the summer we've had.

On another note, Tropical Storm Irene (it was downgraded from hurricane status by the time it hit NY) made a total mess of the preserve. Some of the trails are closed temporarily and the ones that are open are pretty beat up. Another reason to be grateful for the step back week. A really long run on the trails that are passable would be difficult as even those trails are in rough shape. They usually do a great job of getting things cleaned up, so I'm confident that by next week things should be more of less back to normal.

Nice workout today, Seth. Sorry to hear the trails got so beat up.

Just checking in - Stop it Knee! Hill work might be a good thing if it gives the knee a break.

I hear ya on the aching knee. Mine is slightly noticeable, but always gives me a pause for some concern with each twinge. Hope you are ok and have a good recovery week.

I hope the clean up from Irene goes well. Take care of the knee! Probably very good you skipped the speed workout. I think that's what made my knee worse.

Thanks everyone...
Solid step back week long run. 12 mile progression run. The first 8 miles were a bit faster than LSD pace, than I picked it up for the last 4 miles and finished under MP. I wasn't feeling it for the first part of the run, so I was really happy to finish so strong. Unfortunately the trails on the preserve are still in very rough shape, so I did today's run on my weekday flat trails.
The knee was considerably better today. I started taking glucosamine chondroitin a couple of days ago. I haven't taken it for a couple of years, and I've always been unsure of its efficacy, but there's no question the knee is less achy than it had been, so I'll assume it's making a difference and keep taking it through Philly.
Here's today's splits:

One of your better runs I would say. If the trails are bad for sat should be hitting the flat trails?

Very nice progression run, Seth. Good to hear the GC seems to help.

Kenny B. wrote:One of your better runs I would say. If the trails are bad for sat should be hitting the flat trails?

My coaches girlfriend did an 18 miler up there today, so I'm sure we'll able to get in our run in the preserve next weekend Ken.

Jim Lentz wrote:Very nice progression run, Seth. Good to hear the GC seems to help.

Thanks Jim. I wouldn't have thought (and I still have my doubts) that the glucosamine would have such an immediate effect, but the knee didn't bother me very much during the run, and I haven't felt it one bit all day. I'm also mindful that today's run comes towards the end of a step back week, so the knee has gotten some extra rest. Whatever the reasons, I'm happy with the way it feels.

Five recovery miles this morning on anything but fresh legs. I think yesterday's hard run may have defeated the purpose of the step-back week. While the mileage was reduced, the intensity wasn't. Live and learn....

Did you increase your intensity while reducing the mileage or did intensity stay same as prior weeks? I ran pretty hard this week also with reduced mileage but not sure how much of a step back week it was because of the intensity. I have to look at my schedule to evaluate! Although I feel pretty good and HR has been on the low side of things for the most part!

Kenny B. wrote:Did you increase your intensity while reducing the mileage or did intensity stay same as prior weeks? I ran pretty hard this week also with reduced mileage but not sure how much of a step back week it was because of the intensity. I have to look at my schedule to evaluate! Although I feel pretty good and HR has been on the low side of things for the most part!

I decreased the mileage but the intensity was about the same. I think in my case it's just a case of tired legs after 7 weeks good of training in which I haven't missed a workout and my mileage build-up has actually been above what it had been in past cycles. There's also the reality that while I've hit every workout, my legs haven't been 100% as I've dealt with some long standing niggles. I think that's put some additional stress on the legs. I'll see how they feel after tomorrow's scheduled rest day. If they're still feeling really fatigued, than I may decrease the intensity for this coming week, especially since next Saturday I'm planning on that 18 miler, which will be my longest run since coming back after Boston.

Glad your knee is feeling better, I hope you can keep those niggles at bay and avoid getting a all-out injury.

Julie wrote:Glad your knee is feeling better, I hope you can keep those niggles at bay and avoid getting a all-out injury.

Thanks Julie. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can continue to train at a pretty high level while keeping the niggles at bay. So far so good.


Eight miles with 4 at tempo pace in the rain and 63 degrees this morning. I have to check back in my logs, but I'm pretty sure this is the fastest tempo pace I've ever hit. According the McMillan, based on my marathon PR of 3:29:35, this was at the fast end of where my tempo runs should be. Even though the tempo portion of the run wasn't that long, I was pleasantly surprised by how it went.
Here's the splits:

Great tempo effort there Seth!

I definitely think that easy/recovery runs should be the plan the rest of the week until the long run. Give those legs a chance to recover from the beating they've been taking and aren't necessarily used to yet. Eyes on the prize!

mul21 wrote:Great tempo effort there Seth!

I definitely think that easy/recovery runs should be the plan the rest of the week until the long run. Give those legs a chance to recover from the beating they've been taking and aren't necessarily used to yet. Eyes on the prize!

Jim, that's exactly my plan. A 5-6 mile recovery run tomorrow, rest Friday, and than a hilly 18 miler on Saturday as Kenny makes his way up the Jersey turnpike and to the northern suburbs so we can go for a long run together in the preserve.

I hope your long runs go well this weekend! hilly 18 sounds like a good workout, I hope you're staying injury free..