I'm back...sort of

Well, my running is starting to come back. I am getting the miles in but I need to work on my speed. Two weeks ago I did 18.5 miles at a 8:24 place and then this past weekend I did 20 at 8:32 pace. The good news is that the 18.5 was pretty easy....the 20 was not too bad...the last 3 miles went a bit slow (near 9 pace) as I was getting pretty tired.

I ran 7 last night. The first 2 miles were slow with the dog then I did 5 at 7:18 pace. I plan on hitting the track friday for some 800's. I need to hit the track more and work on my speed.

The good news is that I have bounced back from the funk I was in and feel like I can work up to training hard. I still feel like I have a long way to go to be in marathon shape...but I am on my way.

I have been pretty good about hitting the pool as well. I swam Monday after doing 20 miles on Sunday....I was glad I did it as it worked some of the lead out of my legs but it was tough. I was getting a bit crampy (in my feet) by the end. I am sure it is just a bit of a 'hangover' from the long run. I will be back to the pool tonight.

The masters coach spent some time on my mechanics...basically being long and watching my reach. As I get tired, I tend to have my arms crossing in front of me instead of going straight out. I noticed a big difference. Going to try to concentrate on that tonight.

Thanks for helping me work thru this!

Not sure what is wrong?

Well, 2 weeks ago, I had a crappy 16.5 mile run where I was hurtin' the whole time. I took it pretty easy during the week to give my tired/sore legs a rest. So this Sunday, I was planning on running 18. My thinking was run it nice and slow to see how you feel. I ran at 8:30 pace and my legs still felt very heavy and tight. I ended up stopping at mile 10. If I would have pushed through, I would have been in the same boat as last week and be crushed at the end. I figured I would stop before I did major damage.

WTH? I have never felt like this on my long runs before. I have never struggled like this. Last night I went out to do an easy 5 miles and stopped after 3 with the dog as my legs were still very tight! I have had bad runs before, but I can bounce back the next time and feel fine. This is a 2 week stretch where my running has been terrible...my legs feel like they are swollen and tired..

Cleveland Marathon is on May 20th, I am officially behind on my traning schedule and I am starting to think it isn't going to happen if I can't get out of this funk. Maybe I should just focus on the HIM in June.

Sorry for the complaining...just venting my frustration of being in this rut....and not sure why. The only thing I am thinking is that I put in alot of miles on the treadmill and these did absolutely nothing to translate to 'real' outside miles? Even as I sit here, with a measly 3 mile run last night, my legs are sore!!!!

Going to hit the pool tonight with the masters group.

Any suggestions would be welcome!