Two weeks and one day left

Here's a helpful hint to anyone planning to travel and break out of their usual training schedule with little time left before a big event: don't do something dramatically different, or risk consequences.

I went to Ohio last weekend (see my other blog, swingstatejournal.blogspot.com) for details). The first day, I ran a little but had some asthma problems so quit. The second day was blustery and cold, so I decided to try the elliptical thingy in the hotel gym. It was the kind where the platforms your feet are on can tilt to simulate hills. I did a hard workout for about 45 minutes and felt great. A few hours later, I was walking around the streets of North Royalton, a suburb of Cleveland, and notices my calves starting to hurt - a lot. At first I thought my shoes weren't supportive enough but soon realized that my muscles were seizing up as a result of the unfamiliar workout. If I walked long enough they'd loosen, but we were getting in and out of the car constantly - every time I sat for more than a few minutes they'd tighten up horribly. The pain lasted about three days - by my last day I was fine again, but I didn't do any more running until I got home - just a LOT of walking. Now I know what it's like to be on my feet for three hours straing (or more!).

Back in the groove now: did 2 easy miles on Thursday morning, and a couple of fast miles yesterday (the first mile in about 10:40 - surely the fastest mile I've ever run. Give me hope that I can improve my speed over longer distances if I keep at it.) Tomorrow, my last really long run - hopefully 11 miles - and then I'll focus on speed and form for the next two weeks til the big day!