SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2007

So my running times have been improving. Example: A week ago running partner Lynn and I ran 7 miles with the 3 in the middle a tempo run at 7:38 pace...and this was a held back pace. (On May 6 I did 2 X 2 miles tempo on the trail at 7:36/7:36 and 7:30/7:30 - and was working much harder.)

Here's the problem, I have yet another injury to fend off. At track last week I broke out the new DS Trainers for only the second time. Fine workout. But the next morning I was limping around with Plantar Fasciitis in my right heel. Darn! It obviously abated quickly - note the run times above. But after track this week (where I wore my more supportive 2120s and ran many laps at a held back 1:48-1:51 pace, per Coach Spivey, who was trying to get us to understand how slower paces now can help with faster racing later), I again was limping around the following morning. And it did not abate as much by this a.m. I still managed to keep up on the 2 mile warm-up, the 12 X :40 on/1:00 jog at varied pace, and 2.5 mile warm-down, but I was clearly slowed.

After coffee with Rick, Lynn and I went to Dick Pond. She tried on racing flats to see what she wanted to wear for her upcoming road mile in Oregon. I tested inserts to see what I should wear to give me more stability in the 2120s for now and later in the DS Trainers after I heal. I now have Sof Sole Graphites, which I have been wearing all day and which feel great.

We'll see what happens. Tomorrow morning I plan to drive to Rockton to ride the Blackhawk Country Roads Metric Century as a training ride, so long as the rain we are currently having abates. (It started right before I spectated briefly at the end of a crit race in Lombard where buddy Todd was the announcer.) Monday I was going to run a 10 mile race in hilly Elgin (a Memorial Day tradition for me), but instead I have been thinking about running only a local 5K with a longer warm-up and cool-down to make it a long run with little tempo in the middle. I figure it will be easier on my sore heel. We'll see...