run 20 miles a week

The heel pain’s subsided, the practice is habitual, and I run about 4.5 miles each time. I don’t know whether to amp up to 25 miles/week, or just cruise where I’m at; I’ll decide in a month or so.

The heel pain’s subsided, the practice is habitual, and I run about 4.5 miles each time. I don’t know whether to amp up to 25 miles/week, or just cruise where I’m at; I’ll decide in a month or so.

I only recorded a couple of runs this week. I know I did about four. The mileage was still pretty low—14 or 15—but all runs included my beeping buddy, the metronome.

The metronome’s been a true revelation. It turns out my stride’s been much too long all this time, like most people’s. The only way to keep on time is to reduce the length of my stride.

I like running with the device, but I worry every time I pass a dog: how will the animal react? So far most just perk up their ears.

I’m trying to learn ChiRunning, which has me wrinkling my brow over posture, foot placement, and cadence. The last is really giving me trouble: I bought a small electronic metronome, which, besides being annoying, beeps 85 times a minute.

Think you can match that beat? It’s pretty tough if you’re accustomed to taking long strides. So I’m taking shorter runs with smaller but quicker steps, knees down, just like the nice people taught me in the all-day workshop I attended last week. It’s slow going, and my mileage is way down, but I feel plenty worked from this new way to run.

Mileage: 17.57. Would’ve run today, but, dang, my heels hurt. I ice them (know what really works? A bag of frozen corn or peas), but they’re still irritated.

Mileage: 21.79. Ran today with the new Blister Shield powder—oh, such a difference! For a change my feet didn’t feel completely mangled:

http://www.2toms.com/products.html

I expect this product works really well with dance shoes also.

Mileage: 20.1.

When I started this ambition (almost one year ago!), I realized I felt too tender after running 4 or 5 miles to run again the next day. Well, I’m getting a little tougher—ran three days in a row, and, hey, I’m still ambulatory.

The good news is Danny Dreyer is coming to town:
http://www.chirunning.com/shop/pages.php?pageid=3

This week: 17.6. I’m trying to keep to running on Tues., Thurs., Sat. and Sun., and do the longer runs on the weekend, since I don’t have to commute to work on those days (trying to get my employers to accept my working from home is another 43 Thing). So a couple times this week I ran two days in a row, without incident. The longest run was only 5.8 miles or so.

Mileage: 15 or so. Bicycled 9.

Knees are okay; it’s the plantar fasciitis that bedevils me now.

I’m undone by my commute to my new job. If I want to run, I have to get up at 5AM, to have that luxurious hour or so. I get home too late most nights to go for a decent run. I do go ahead if it’s 8PM. Given that the latest muggings in my neighborhood all seem to happen between 6 and 7PM, maybe it’s safer to run later.

Mileage: 17.76. The longest run was 5.86, and I feel good after it. Knees are playing along for now; heels are getting irritated.