6.25 miles in 48:17, 7:43/mi, HR 148. Felt much better than expected after yesterday's Fartlek workout, especially since I didn't sleep well (common for me after a hard workout/race). Short pause .35 miles and .95 miles into run, as I encountered a stranded motorist in need of water for his radiator, so I took ran back to the house and returned with a gallon of water (which got heavy quickly!). After ensuring he was okay, continued run in light misty rain (much better than hail from yesterday), feeling pretty good and keeping a faster pace than normal. I can tell my fitness has improved quite a bit lately, as my pace was usually 15-20 seconds slower at the same effort a short couple of weeks ago. A good sign. Had a 6-month checkup with the podiatrist today. The left foot ball pain I'd been having late last year has almost completely faded, but he was able to find some type of nodule in that area that was suspicious, so foot xrays were take to determine whether it was in the tendon or a bone spur. Also, its been a year since I was fitted for orthotics, which helped quite a bit. I've read that you should periodically be re-examined as your gait changes over time (with increased fitness and strengthening), so I asked about it and he agreed. Lo and behold, even I could tell on the fancy schmancy computer image where you step onto the pressure sensitive pad that things had changed.....last time there were blotches of red (high pressure areas) everywhere and my arches were pretty flat. This time around, one tiny red spot on my left foot, but everything else was smoothly graduated and my arches seemed higher. So new orthoes are going to be on the way in 4-6 weeks, which will also provide a bit of lift to take the pressure off my left foot metartarsals (where the nodule he found is located). I'm encouraged that actively working to correct strength weaknesses in my core and legs has obviously paid off in more ways than just running faster. Things are feeling like they're really coming together. Enough so that I may adjust my goal for the spring marathon downward a bit, but it's still a bit early that take that leap.
Brooks Trance - 383.75 miles. | 