The Daily Log 10/28/08

Distance: 4.28 miles
Time: 44:27
Pace: 10:22/mile
Weight: 200lbs
Terrain: Mainly flat, few gentle hills
Temperature: Cold and calm. Perfect conditions
Gear: Nike shorts, Long-sleeved Adidas Climacool t-shirt, Nike Air Zoom Vomero Shoes
Hydration: None
Fuel: None
Medical: Right shin and calf, left heel
Recovery: Stretches, Aleve, ice
Shoe Mile Count: 19.79 miles
Days until Marathon: 82

I ran a mile on my own, then three more with Jill. It was overall a pretty good recovery run, made more enjoyable by perfect, crisp weather.

My right leg was sore, particularly over the first couple of miles. Both my calf and shin were aching, and towards the end my left heel hurt for a short time. However, other than the heel, my left leg was basically pain free which I found interesting since at one time, that was the one that was causing most of the trouble. If the right leg cycles through its pain in the same way, that will be awesome.

During my run, when I feel pain, I ask myself if I've felt worse on any of my previous runs. It's a bit difficult to compare runs looking back, but I'd say the worst run I've done, in terms of pain, was perhaps the run to and from CVS on 10/15, and I've found myself measuring the pain level relative to that run. That was almost two weeks ago now, so I'm cautiously optimistic that I've correctly managed the issue. It should also be noted that even that CVS run was a cakewalk when compared to 2005, when I was training for the marathon that never happened. That time around, both of my shins felt like they were being kicked, hard, with every step I took, and finally, one day, I just couldn't run any more. Nothing has been close to that this time around, so I remain cautiously optimistic.

I've added another stat to the daily logs; a countdown to marathon day. 82 days and counting.