The verdict - no stress fracture, just stress

Great news - I do not have a stress fracture. There is a small spot on my foot that looks like some stress on the cuboid bones. I was literally on the verge of a stress fracture but it didn't go that far. Word to the wise - pay attention to pain and listen to your body. I will be cross training this week. My plan is to try to ramp up running next week slowly and then taper to the race. Hopefully I can still eek out a sub-4:00 marathon. I'm asking for a lot but I am hopeful.

The PR that wasn't

Well, the Dick Beardsley half marathon just started a few minutes ago. It is an absolutely perfect day for a race - 53 degrees and beautiful blue skies. I have been training all summer and am in better conditioning than ever before. I was hoping to run a new PR today in Detroit Lakes. But here I am sitting at home sulking because of my damn foot. It still hurts. It hurts to walk. I know I can't run on it, though I was so tempted to go anyway. I think I will go crazy if I have to lay off the running for long. *sigh*

Dammit!

After a really great 12 mile run on sunday and a 5 mile run on Monday, I was feeling great. I was looking forward to a new PR at the Dick Beardsley half marathon this Saturday and blowing away my marathon PR in the Twin Cities next month. But all that may be lost. My right foot has been aching for the last couple of days. I went to the clinic this morning and the Doc thinks a stress fracture is most likely in the cuboid bones. I have a bone scan scheduled for Tuesday and will find out the results on Wednesday. Looks like no more running for me in 2010.

Fitness and Training

It's only a month until the Twin Cities marathon. I completed my 4th 20 mile run last Sunday. Training has been going really really well. You can see from my 8 mile run this morning (details below) that my pace is improving. Most importantly my heart rate is remaining lower. It used to jump up to about 175 or so when I was pushing this hard but now I can barely break 160. I think the chances of me blowing away my PR next month are very good. I have the Dick Beardsley half marathon on September 11 and I'm looking forward to a fast time.

Intervals (GPS Interval)
Type	Distance	Time	Total Time	Pace	Avg HR	Max HR
Interval				8:54	133	145
Interval	1 Mi	7:54.21	16:47.34	7:55	146	153
Interval	1 Mi	7:57.28	24:44.62	7:58	147	156
Interval	1 Mi	7:55.03	32:39.65	7:56	144	157
Interval	1 Mi	7:54.82	40:34.47	7:55	153	160
Interval	1 Mi	7:55.45	48:29.92	7:56	155	158
Interval	1 Mi	7:36.06	56:05.98	7:37	155	161
Interval	1 Mi	8:03.14	1:04:09.12	8:04	153	158
Interval	0.02 Mi	0:09.59	1:04:18.71	8:00	157	158

On the fitness front I have been working out a lot and really building my core. I feel a lot stronger and tighter though my weight loss has slowed significantly in the last month. I'm now down to about 215 pounds and I don't know if I'll hit 200 before the marathon. But that's ok. My body is still shrinking and I'm building muscle.

Effortless Running

What a difference a month makes. My training has been improving so much and in the last week or so my body has just exploded with energy. A couple weeks ago I did my first 20 mile run of the year. It went great. I was able to complete the 20 miles and still had some gas in the tank. Last weekend I took time off of running and focussed more on strength and core training. This has done wonders for me this week. My times have improved and my energy levels are through the roof.

This morning I had a great run. The weather was perfect - 65 degrees, low humidity and a nice easy breeze. I planned to do a relatively easy 10 miles at a 9:00 min pace but I just couldn't slow my body down. I tried but I just settled into an 8:30 min/mile groove that carried me through all ten miles and change. It felt great. I am planning to do another 10 mile run on Saturday and 20 miles on Sunday. If I feel good I'll go even further. This will be my highest mileage week for the year.

Intervals (GPS Interval)
Type	Distance	Time	Total Time	Pace	Avg HR	Max HR	Notes
Interval	1 Mi	8:43.58	8:43.58	8:44	133	145
Interval	1 Mi	8:46.42	17:30.00	8:47	141	146
Interval	1 Mi	8:40.06	26:10.06	8:41	145	151
Interval	1 Mi	8:27.81	34:37.87	8:28	150	154
Interval	1 Mi	8:25.64	43:03.51	8:26	151	157
Interval	1 Mi	8:23.14	51:26.65	8:24	154	160
Interval	1 Mi	8:30.2	59:56.85	8:31	157	160
Interval	1 Mi	8:23.13	1:08:19.98	8:24	158	161
Interval	1 Mi	8:29.36	1:16:49.34	8:30	151	159
Interval	1 Mi	8:29.78	1:25:19.12	8:30	158	162
Interval	0.25 Mi	2:06.23	1:27:25.35	8:25	163	165

MSUM 4th of July 10K

I got it done. It wasn't a perfect race by any means but I am overall pretty happy with my performance.

I finished in 51:33. I had a goal to beat my PR of 48:48 but it wasn't to be. The first half was right on target at an 8:00 pace but I had a bit of stomach distress in the second half and I was fatigued. It could have been the fact that I ate a banana and a gu gel before the race or it could have been all of the wine I drank last night. I also had a bit of a cough which didn't help the breathing at all. Anyway, here is how it shook out. Here is the breakdown according to my garmin 405. I'll update with the official stats once they publish the results.

An easy 5?

I am really looking forward to the 4th of July 10K race tomorrow at MSUM. I thought I would get out for a nice easy 5 miles today. But as you can see, the oppressive heat and humidity has reared it's ugly head. I did get 5.4 miles done but it was a very very sweaty 5. My pace slowed throughout but I finished with a 9:44 average.

I snapped a photo when I got back. I ran shirtless today. I am happy that I finally feel comfortable enough to run without a shirt. I know I ain't pretty, but I'm working on my body. The slobs passing me in their pickups, chewing on their big macs, yapping on their cell phones and laughing at ME can just go to hell. I don't care any more. If you don't like what you see, don't look.