Great week. Saw tons of improvement in my leg each day. Last week I feared my summer running season may be done for, and this week I’m back at it. I’m incredibly grateful to be running again, realizing that things can change at any time.

I’ve got some catching up to do, but feel like things are heading in a positive direction for sure.

MONDAY
Activity		Bike	Miles		27.3		Time	1:30	Avg HR	148
Took the mountain bike out on the roads for my hour of power workout. Not very creative. Warm up, go hard for one hour, cool down. It’s a good strength builder when done on the mtb. Thought I would be hard pressed to crack 18mph, but ended up with my second fastest ride of this nature for the year. I flipped the watch over to the lap stats display with 10 minutes to go and was surprised to see 19.7 for the average speed. I turned myself inside out for those last few minutes into a headwind to bring the average up to 20.0. The leg was a little sore, but nothing too bad.Split: 20.0mph / 1:00 / 156avg
TUESDAY
Activity		Run	Miles		7		Time	1:08	Avg HR	126
10 day delay of game, then back in action. This is what I gambled on with finishing the CP 50 miler after tearing something in my leg at mile 12. I knew from previous muscle tears that after 10 days I would probably be able to run again. I had to take it very easy and be mindful of my footstrike, but it went ok. I wore my beefy trainers to protect my injury, and they felt huge compared to the light shoes I normally run in. Those shoes made me feel like I was wearing the cone of shame:
WEDNESDAY
Activity		Run	Miles		10.1		Time	1:27	Avg HR	147
Very gimpy to start, but felt a lot better after a mile or so. Didn’t have to favor the leg too much, but I’m sure it’s going to feel pretty worked after this one. Back in the Minimus today.
THURSDAY
Activity		Run	Miles		7		Time	1:08	Avg HR	128
Carbon copy of Tuesday. Was limping a bit last night, leg was very sore. Rolled out the calf a bunch, felt a lot better today. Back to the beefy shoes, though.
FRIDAY
Activity		Run	Miles		12.2		Time	1:47	Avg HR	148
Good-ish. Tight calf. Started to get really tired after 11, shut down a little early. Got about 1,000′ feet of climbing. Not much, but glad to do some bigger hills for a change.
SATURDAY
Activity		Run	Miles		15		Time	1:54	Avg HR	160
Pulled that one out of somewhere….opened with a downhill 8:15, then loosened up and got rolling to come in with 7:38 pace overall. Nothing special for most guys, but considering where I was a week ago this was most excellent. Felt good to cruise along like that.
Two weeks later:
SUNDAY
Activity		Run	Miles		9.3		Time	1:25	Avg HR	142
Calves super tight again. Took it slow and babied them. Everything else felt fantastic.
TOTALS
Total Time	10:22
Foot Miles	60			Foot Time		8:52
Bike Miles	27.3			Bike Time		1:30

Pic of the week:

My walking buddy. We total around 6-8 miles a week together.

This week was all about letting the damage from Saturday’s race settle while still trying to maintain a small level of activity. The leg is feeling ragged, but has been improving. I was really happy with a small jog this morning on the treadmill. Real running is a long way off, but I felt like I am getting back to a level where I can at least have a little bit of mobility to work with.

Hoping for some steady progress this week. Focusing on what I can do, rather than what I can’t. I’ll plan on getting out on the bike quite a bit if the weather allows.

Pretty slim numbers, but far better than zero.

Pic of the week:

The goodies arrived from the La Sportiva photo contest. Nice!

Took it pretty easy this week leading up to the 50 mile race on Saturday.  Had some major mechanical issues during the race, but felt awesome otherwise.  Despite the physical problems, I had a great time on a beatiful course and got to see lots of friends.

Monday Run – 7.1 / 1:06 / 136avg Mostly easy. Threw in a couple of surges, then 2 x .5mi. 5:40 pace on first, 5:50 pace on second. Harder than I would have liked, but gotta start somewhere. Will be happier once those are mile repeat times…

Tuesday Run – 6 / 46:12 / 149avg Very hilly. Coughing less finally. Legs aren’t feeling too snappy, tried to push things a little – but just felt blocked.

Wednesday Run – 6 / 1:01 / 132avg Very easy jog at the boneyard. Feeling just a tiny bit better overall today.

Thursday OFF

Friday OFF

Saturday Run – 50 / 9:17 / 146avg Collegiate Peaks 50 miler. Felt something snap in my lower leg at mile 12, should have stopped but didn’t. Will be wearing this name tag at the next ultra reunion:

Sunday Ouch

Total Time – 12:07 Bike – 0 Run– 69.6 / 12:07

Pic of the week:

Looks like it’s back to the bike for a while.