Total Miles – 26.87
Today starts a strange week since I am traveling. The team at XPlora modified my schedule accordingly since I will be going to Puerto Rico for an extended weekend. I was scheduled for a 2 hour long run and that will just not fly in that Puerto Rican heat. I learned my lesson when I did something similar in Miami a couple of years back. You have to be used to that heat.
Run 17 – 1/11/21 – Back to it, today, I ran with little to no pain or discomfort on my right arch. So it was a good day. I wound up running at lunch and on the clock. I did not have much time in my schedule to fit in the 55 minutes I was slated to run. I opted to do it simple. So I did a semi loop, that takes me to Bronx River Trail and back. The Trail parts are an out and back affair, but I start and end in different places. Always loop when you can loop!
Being on a time crunch sucks, because I knew I had the lunch hour and the meeting awaiting was not going to take itself. Luckily, the person I had the meeting with was understanding. Other than experiencing no pain, there was nothing to today. It ended with the now common strides, which I am beginning to enjoy. They play a mental game to push you to get ready to go hard when the tank is seemingly near empty.
Run 18 – 1/13/21 – Semi Long / Half Marathon Pace – Because of my trip to PR this week, and not wanting to run extended miles in PR, a real long run just does not scream Caribbean getaway weekend. I had to pick up Martha to do our COVID tests before the trip. Thankfully it was negative and the place Martha selected to do the test was an in/out affair. The moment I dropped her off at home, I suited up, and headed out. The semi long run was 75 minutes, so I figured about 8 miles. I decided to do what I did a couple of weeks ago and loop Central Park which is 6 miles, plus the mile from her house to Central Park and back was the perfect distance. Remember what I said about loops. Well, to do this specific loop I have to undertake the massive Morningside Mountain, it’s a mountain NOT a hill. Last time I did it at the end and it hurt. Today I decided let me tackle it at the start. Guess what STILL HURT! It’s no fun regardless how you do it. Today it crossed my mind to not do it at all, but then no loop!
Once I got into Central Park the idea was to wish upon wish that the Half Marathon pace moments did not come in any of the big hills. And thankfully neither did, but they both finished with them so it was a false sense of hope. I will say my mind was not ready for the midweek long run and as I was tackling it I was thinking wait, I have to run again tomorrow. This sucks!
The two points when you have to push for 8 minutes at Half Marathon pace, about a solid 8:00 minute pace. You question, Can I push? Then after I push and slow down. You kind of think, I am done? My body is shot and I don’t want to do that again.
It was 29 Easy, 8 hard, 20 Easy, 8 Hard, 10 Easy.
When I slowed down the first time, I hit the brakes too hard. Meaning it was about a couple of minutes before I stabilized my pace. Just dreading as I made my way up the East Side of Central Park when I would have to speed up again. When I did, everything was against me, the willingness and my mind. The body was yelling too. Yet I took off too fast and had to work to bring the pace back down. Working hard to bring the pace down. It’s like I was just complaining and now I seem to be running too fast and can’t figure out how to slow down, without feeling like I am coming to a screeching halt.
The run ended on the lower flat side of Morningside and was I happy for that. While the Arch no longer HURTS., I still felt discomfort damn near the whole run. Yet no pain. I’ll take it as still healing. I get the Asics tomorrow so I hope that I can do my short run with those if they come in on time.
Run 19 – 1/14/21 – Today was a final easy run before I head out for the weekend. The shoes I have been waiting for got in today. Bright and early in the morning. I got a brand new last years model of the ASICS GT2000 8. This year’s model are the 9’s.
Funny story, I went into the ASICS store in the city, right before the pandemic started to buy these. I had done my research and knew that these were the shoes I wanted and needed. They are the most closely resembled the shoe that I have been using for over the decade, the Brooks Adrenaline GTS line. (Go To Shoe). When I got to the ASICS store the sales person fitted me. Had me run on the treadmill, had me stand on the thingy that measured whatever and said. Yes, the GT2000 would be good BUT, the Kayano’s offer more support, more this, more that. All for only an extra $40. In other words, he upsold me heavily. I went in with an idea and left with another. I bought the Kayano’s and honestly was not overly happy with them, I felt like they wore out so quick, I barely got 300 miles out of them.
Fast forward to last week. I speak rather consistently with Sal Aguirre. A Mexican dude I met while he lived in my hometown in the Dominican Republic. Anyway, I was telling him my show woes, and he said, dude I never buy this year’s model and I swear by the GT2000’s but also use other brands. The GT’s being what I have the most of. I was going to buy the GT2000 9 but found a great deal on Zappos for the 8’s. Those are the shoes I ran with today.
I will say that I did not feel discomfort or pain in my arch at any point in the run today. I did after, but I think that is a product of having an area that is still sort of raw and healing. During today’s 45 minute run, no pain, no discomfort. They felt stiff the first 10 minutes or so, but that is to be expected. I am sure they will continue to mold themselves to my foot. Also, they have a cloud like sense to them. They feel very squishy while still feeling supportive. An extremely good blend.
On the run end, my body was extremely sore after yesterday’s semi long run. By mid run though, the roughness went away and it was an uneventful loop. Great final run before the trip. Now I wait to get my credit from RoadRunners and I will also get the New Balance 860v11… So I will be running with three different brands. A nice change of pace.
Run 20 – 1/16/21 – Long Run Puerto Rico – Today I will say I almost died and that is not me overreacting. I have been training in very cold weather. Usually when I run a warm day is the low 40s. I came to Isabela, Puerto Rico for a long extended weekend and had to do a long run. Of course I spoke to my coach and as you probably already read he had me do a semi long run midweek. So that this weekend I had a short long run. By short long run, we are talking about a whopping 8 miles in this heat and sun.
I told myself I would wake up early and run. Yet, I did not leave until about 8am. The sun was already out and the heat was gradually increasing. I started at an easy 10m pace and even that was a struggle as the heat started to press. I guess, you get accustomed and acclimated. I was far from acclimated!
The view though was amazing! VERY AMAZING. They have a trail that hugs the ocean and all you see is the waves splashing on the water. Yet, you still get drowned out by the heat. By mile 4 the turn around point in my out and back venture. I could no longer properly breathe, I was shuffling. This lead to me pausing and cursing at mile 6. Where I berated myself for stopping with 2 miles to go. I again stopped at close to 7 miles and here I thought long and hard about walking the rest of the way back. Yet, I chided myself and soldiered on! At mile 7.7 I hit a massive hill, right when I knew the end was over the bend. I paused, composed myself and attempted to finish strong.
Now the positives, I had no pain to speak off. I started the run with a tinge in my left knee as always, but it quickly disappeared. My arches never screamed or yelled at me either. So winning all around.