Training Log Archive: TomN

Drumm loop.

Core strength and stretching. Always hate starting this, but feels great when I'm done.

Walked with Mei-An to her bus stop, then ran to the end of Plyers Mill Road, picked up the Rock Creek trail back over Cedar Land and Conn. Ave, then up Kensington Parkway, crossing the tracks right back at the bus stop, and then McComas back home. A couple of short walking breaks. Legs pretty tired.

Easy run around the Drumm loop.

Approx 10 min warm-up jog to track and a couple laps with strides.

Interval workout at Einstein track with Addie. I guessed at VDOT 33 for her, which says 2:11 for 400m. She did 4x400 in 1:53, 1:53, 1:48, 2:05. (~2 min walk between). The first two were with me pacing. The third I ran in 1:40 and she went off too fast, confused by my pace. I think she's probably at VDOT 35, which would put her at 27:00 for 5K. But she hasn't raced recently, and hasn't really run well in past races.

I ran 6x400 in 1:53, 1:53, 1:39, 1:38, 1:36, 1:39.

Approx 10 min cool-down jog back home.

Greenbelt Park Perimeter Trail. Meant to cut off at the park HQ onto the Blueberry Trail, but spaced out and didn't notice I had missed it until I hit the marshes at the south end. OK, nice day, legs feeling tired.

Drumm loop again.

Met Mei-An coming out of the house as I was going in, turned around and accompanied her to the bus stop, jogged back.

Another lap around the Drumm Loop. A little faster than last time. There seems to be some improvement in the glute injury, but it sure has been a longer process than I expected. Let's review: the injury occurred on April 11 during an interval workout, but I didn't feel it at all when it happened, and it only gradually emerged into my consciousness after that. I didn't take it seriously enough even to record it here until 5 days later. I gave it a couple of weeks and ran a 2-mile race on April 17. That aggravated it and then I knew there was a problem. From what I've read, it seems to be a minor gluteal tear.

It's basically been rest and light running since then (OK, and a couple of orienteering meets). The upper hamstring is noticeably tight. I've been stretching, and doing the sitting-on-a-tennis ball exercise, but probably not enough of either one.

There has been weird pain in the affected leg, something like sciatica, but probably not actual sciatica. Sort of a wooden feeling running all the way down the leg, from the upper posterior to the lower lateral. Early on, it would happen when walking, then in the last couple of months only when running or stretching. In mid-July, I took 2 weeks off with no running, but still did some walking.

Today's run started out fine, but by 3 miles there was some discomfort in the affected leg, not in the region of the injury but lower down, in the hamstring and calf. I interpret it as an improvement. It's less wooden and more like weekend-warrior muscle soreness. No soreness in the actual region of the injury.

Core strength and stretching.

Drumm loop, easy run.

Perimeter Trail at Greenbelt Park, with a cutoff on Blueberry Trail to shorten it up a little.

Back from Thailand and Cambodia. Now a couple days of ugly jet lag to get through.

Easy run with Addie. It was hot, and the first time running in quite a while for both of us. We took 3 walking breaks, but when we were running it was about 10:00 per mile.

Biking in a neighborhood park in Bangkok. This was different. Up at 6:30 a.m., drive 15 minutes to the park, parking lot is jammed. Rent bikes from the vendor for 20 baht per day (about 60 cents). They dig up the tallest bike they have and charge me 60 baht. It's still way small. The paved path has bikers in one direction, runners in the other, 2500 meters long.

I wasn't counting, but I must have done at least 8 loops. Both the bike lane and the jogging lane were packed. The challenge was to keep up a decent pace while avoiding wobbly kids and daydreaming runners, as well as speeding cyclists coming from behind. At 8:00 a.m. the loudspeakers blare and everybody comes to a screeching halt. The Thai national anthem plays. Then we get back on and ride.

Drumm loop. Off tomorrow to Bangkok, no running for 2 weeks.

The dog didn't want to walk this morning, so I had time for a run. A different route through the neighborhood this time: up to Wheaton Plaza, south parallel to Ga. Ave then over to Flora Singer, back up along Brunswick. Mileage and time are guesses.