Training Log - April 29, 2008

Ironman Louisville training window - 824 days
Columbus Marathon training window - 173 days

My recovery continues...... I was able to get a walk in on Saturday and was able to walk today at Creekside.

Saturday was my 3 miler at Antrim. It was nice to get back to that park again. The weather was not as good as it has been over the last few days. It was around 65 and began to drizzle as I began my first lap around the lake. I was able to finish the 3 miles without discomfort in 52:34 and a pace of 17:31 min/mile. I was elated to be able to get the distance in. The rest of the weekend was quite busy. Saturday afternoon was my niece's first birthday!! Not that Rebecca or Riley will remember it - but it was a great party with about 50 people showing up. Sunday was their baby dedication/baptism. I was asked to stand as Riley's godfather. An honor. It was also my brother's 40th birthday so we had lunch at their home.

Today I was excited to get another 3 miler in on the heels of the weekend. The walk started good - but I was only able to get 2.75 miles in before my hip started hurting again. Kind of a let down but I came close to hitting the goal. My time was 46:45 and a pace time of 17:00 min/mile. Now that I am back at work, the hip is not hurting so I think that I will be OK.

Training Log - April 24, 2008 The Road to Recovery

Ironman Louisville training window - 828 days
Columbus Marathon training window - 178 days

Today was another beautiful day here in Central Ohio. The picture perfect Spring day. It was made even better by the fact that I have not had any hip discomfort today.

I was eager to get to the park and see how well it went. I was able to do 2 miles with very little discomfort. I had plans to try to do 3 miles but decided not to try to push it. My time was 36:13 with a pace of 18:06. Not quite back to my usual pace but better than the 19-20 min paces for the last few outings. Will set myself the goal of 3 miles with a pace no greater than 18:10 min/mile for my walk on Saturday.

Training Update - April 22, 2008 - Let the Healing Begin

Ironman Louisville training window - 830 days
Columbus Marathon training window - 180 days

I can't believe that it has been over 2 weeks since my last post.

Here's the catch-up for you. I mentioned in my last post that my left hip had been bothering me. I thought that it was a tight IT band. Wrong. I continued to try to train but was not able to do anything beyond about a mile and a half before the pain began. Ended up not walking in the Dam Fool 4 Miler on Sunday because I couldn't see attempting a four mile race if I couldn't get beyond 2 miles. I finally decided to call the doctor last week after the pain didn't ease up after my last "training walk" on the 15th.

I went today and he believes that I have a pinched nerve in my lower back and that is what is causing the problems. I am now on anti-inflammatory meds for the next 2 weeks. He wants me to continue to walk until the pain hits but not to try to walk through it. He hopes that with the meds - I will be able to gradually add more distance in the next weeks. If not and the pain continues, he said that imaging might be necessary to see what is going on.

So today I hit Creekside park for the first time in over a week. It was a beautiful day - sunny skies with temps in the 70's. I was able to do about a mile with some discomfort. The hip still has some aches even now. We'll have to see what happens over the next week.

An update to Run Happy 5K

Just a little update to my results from the Run Happy 5K. I went to the mailbox on Saturday and there was a package from Run Wild Racing waiting for me. I opened it and found an award plaque for placing third in the race for the men's walking division. When I checked the results online, I was surprised to see that I was listed as third. Last weekend I was shown as placing fourth in the division. Not sure what happened -- but I'll take a third place finish!!

Started doing some stretching of the IT band and have noticed that the soreness is beginning to lessen. Yeah! I want to get started on the training.

Inspirational VIdeo - Evan Morgan

I was sent this link by my brother Mike. Evan is the cousin of Mike's wife Patty. His is an awesome story - I hope that you are as inspired by it as I am.

This story comes from KGET 17 in Bakersfield, CA.

I have added a link to the Challenged Athletes Foundation in my links area.


Training Log Update - April 2, 2008

Ironman Louisville training window - 850 days
Columbus Marathon training window - 200 days

The start of a new month also brings the start of my 28 week training program for the Columbus Marathon. Unfortunately, it didn't begin with the strongest of starts. Instead of the 3 mile walk yesterday, I was able to complete only a little over 1 mile. I have been dealing with hip pain for the last 2 weeks off an on. It really came back on the walk. Not sure if the problem is a tight IT band or what. Decided to ease off this week and concentrate on doing some stretching and see if that helps.

Completed the Run Happy 5K on Saturday with a time of 52:46. Not the best but not too far off from where I should be. Look forward to getting into the training stride.