Wednesday Dec 6, 6 miles indoors

NCP Community Center track 6 mi, 53:51, pace 8:59. I wimped out today. Schedule says run with the Woodbury gang tonight, but the weatherman was talking about an Alberta Clipper (Canada’s blustery, frigid gift to the Great Lakes) due this afternoon and evening. A & S wanted to go to the club, so what the heck. I wore the heart rate monitor again, and tried to peg my pace right on 9:00, just like last Sunday. The HR leveled out at 132 for the first four miles, just like Sunday’s run, which ended at four miles. Then today it crept up to 136 in the last two miles. So why was it 146 yesterday? Quite possibly just the difference in pace; yesterday I averaged 8:37 per mile. Also I ate a gel every four miles yesterday, and drank 5 oz of water every two, thus adding the stomach to the list of customers for blood flow. Tomorrow’s schedule shows four miles; I’ll go to the club again and check the HR at 8:06 miles, right about MP. Today’s splits: 8:57, 8:57, 8:59, 9:00, 9:00, 8:59. Breathing 5 footfalls per full breath throughout; easy pace.

Unfotunately, I heard from the right hamstrings again today. Not a sharp pain, just a dull ache which appeared briefly a couple of times. Now that the run is over I can feel the ache every time I walk, but for the life of me I can’t find it by palpation. I wonder if it’s really nerves, not a muscle or tendon problem at all. Well I’m going to run until it hurts enough to take it to a doctor or therapist, but still building back up to 40 MPW in a fairly conservative manner.

The club was really a nice place to be today. There are windows on all four sides of the track, so we watched snow showers one minute and blue sky sweeping in from the west the next. And we got out of there before the Jazzercisers cranked up their loudspeakers. I wonder how much outdoor running I’ll do this winter. I need some, for hill training, but that can wait until the hamstring issue gets resolved. Saturday morning with the SCV runners for sure.