The Daily Log 10/29/08

Distance: 5.1 miles
Time: 47:04
Pace: 9:13/mile
Weight: 200lbs
Terrain: Several inclines over first two miles, mostly flat after
Temperature: Warm and sunny
Gear: Nike shorts, Adidas Climacool t-shirt, Nike Air Zoom Vomero Shoes
Hydration: None
Fuel: None
Medical: Right shin and calf
Recovery: Stretches, Aleve, ice
Shoe Mile Count: 24.81 miles
Days until Marathon: 81

My right calf was the main concern over the first couple of miles. After that, everything seemed to loosen up and although I could feel a dull background pain in it and the shin, this was generally a pretty good, comfortable run, in surprisingly warm conditions. My left leg was pain free, even the heel didn't hurt this time. Long may that continue.

I have, with the help of www.mapmyrun.com, mapped out a number of runs that start and end at my house, and just like with any workout, variety is essential to avoid burnout. Some of the runs I do just once, some I do a number of times, but I never do the same run twice in a row, and I regularly map new routes out to keep things fresh.

This was the second time I'd run the first 4 miles of this route (I also added a mile loop to the end to get to the target distance), and it's one of my favorites. Quiet roads allow me to run on the asphalt instead of the harder concrete, and I can even run in the middle most of the time, to avoid the challenges of the camber. The neighborhoods are tree-lined and pleasant, and aside from a fairly long uphill section about a mile in, it's pretty flat.

I was aiming for around a 9:30 pace, so I ran a little faster than I intended, but at least I didn't go too crazy. My schedule (barring injury or weather concerns) essentially calls for three slow runs (two short, one long), and one tempo run at a slightly faster pace, per week, with two days of cross-training. So far so good this week.