7 miles hard

I felt just about able to run again on Tuesday evening, which indicated a faster recovery from Sunday afternoon than I had expected, but I decided a single run on Wednesday would be safer than runs on Tuesday and Thursday and spent about half an hour on the exercise bike at home instead. I wasn't significantly better by Wednesday but thought I would tackle my usual 7-mile route via Garscube Estate. I went for the Newton Distance S again as they seem a bit safer than my other shoes at the moment, although I noticed the heels were a bit scuffed.

I hobbled through the first hundred metres or so before the pain started to wear off, leaving a familiar dull ache on the inside of my right shin. Got through the first mile in a reasonable 6:24, feeling decidedly nauseous. HR was also on the high side, but I felt OK otherwise and pressed on. I crossed the Kelvin comfortably inside 20 minutes which suggested a route PB was on the cards, but this seemed like a bad idea so I tried to ease off a bit instead. Finally started to feel a bit better near the 5-mile mark, and my average mile pace was still hovering around 6:20 so it looked like I would manage sub-45 for the route for the first time in ages, in spite of the constant dull pain which made me feel like I was limping. I had some good luck with the traffic in the last mile and got back home in 43:59 for the 6.95 miles, average pace 6:19/mile, HR 172. This turned out to be only about 20 seconds outside my route PB. Also set a new maximum HR of 183 although I didn't feel like I'd been pushing myself excessively. Lower leg tightened up soon afterwards.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 6:24 (155), 6:20 (171), 6:06 (174), 6:33 (174), 6:20 (172), 6:19 (177), 6:15 (178)
HR zones: 0.6%, 1.1%, 4.8%, 89.9%, 3.5%

5.8 miles hard

After Thursday I had been trying some ankle mobility exercises and shin taping, with varying degrees of success, and on Saturday afternoon I spent about an hour on the exercise bike at home. By Sunday afternoon I felt able to try another few miles, this time in the Newton Distance S. The outside of my right shin was playing up for the first few hundred metres but it soon settled down, leaving me with just a mild, dull pain on the inside of the shin. I wanted to get onto the canal as early as possible for softer underfoot conditions so I headed up Baird's Brae. As soon as I got onto the towpath I found myself battling a strong headwind. My splits looked quite reasonable but I seemed to be putting in a lot of effort, most likely due to the wind as well as loss of fitness. I turned round when I got to Lambhill Bridge and took a slightly shorter route home, coming off the canal at the fire station. Got back home in 36:16 for the 5.82 miles, average pace 6:14/mile, HR 172. I apparently managed to get my heart rate briefly into zone 5 when the wind seemed to be at its strongest on the canal, so the reading is most likely correct.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 6:39 (165), 6:06 (172), 6:04 (173), 6:16 (174), 6:16 (175), 5.59 (175)
HR zones: 0.6%, 0.3%, 0.6%, 98.1%, 0.5%
Weekly total: 10 miles

4.6 miles tempo

Didn't quite feel up to training with the club but I thought I would give it a try, relying on Tiger Balm and the adiZero Tempo to get me through it. The route was either 6 or 9 miles, intended to be run at a fairly steady pace. I still had some lower leg pain but survived the first mile OK, along Maryhill Road and down Cowal Road, although I had some doubts as to whether I'd manage the full 9. After Cleveden Road, with the pace increasing, we were supposed to cross Great Western Road and head up Anniesland Road towards Knightswood, but I got slowed down on the central reservation and ended up at the back of the pack as we approached Anniesland Station on about 3 miles. The effort it would have taken to return to the front was fairly daunting on account of the ongoing mild leg pain, and it occurred to me that I would probably have to maintain that for the rest of the run, so I took the opportunity to bail out and head back up Crow Road. Distance was 4.59 miles, time 31:45 for a 6:55/mile average, HR 158. My right instep was sore as I drove home but undoing the laces helped a bit.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:16 (146), 7:05 (160), 6:23 (162), 7:08 (162), 6:33 (162)
HR zones: 1.2%, 2.9%, 49.4%, 46.5%, 0%

Gym

Went to the gym where I used the cross-trainer and exercise bike for about 45 minutes.

6.1 miles tempo

Although not 100% I thought I would try to get into double figures for the week with a run along the canal. Wore the Newton Distance S. Shin pain was a minor nuisance and I felt quite slow but my mile splits looked not too bad from the second mile onwards. I turned around after about 3 miles, near Possil Marsh, and finished the 6.07 miles in 39:07 for a 6:26/mile average, HR 160. Lower leg stiffened up a bit afterwards but I may be OK to run again by Tuesday or Wednesday.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:01 (148), 6:30 (157), 6:25 (158), 6:23 (163), 6:19 (166), 6:04 (168)
HR zones: 1.0%, 1.6%, 49.4%, 48.0%, 0%
Weekly total: 10 miles

Gym

I might have been able to do the Clydesdale 5K, but it would have set me back a few more days, so I decided against it and went to the gym instead. Spent 45 minutes on the cross-trainer and the exercise bike.

3.8 miles tempo

After a few days of stretching and icing I decided I had probably recovered enough to try a few miles, down Garscube Road, over the footbridge and up the steps to the canal, then along the towpath to Shakespeare Street and back down Maryhill Road. Went out in the adiZero Tempo as they seemed to be the most trustworthy of my shoes. I could feel a little tightness in the lower leg which didn't go away, but it wasn't too much of a problem. My second mile was faster than I had intended and I made a few attempts to ease off so I didn't end up overdoing it in order to get my average pace into the "hard run" bracket of sub-6:25. Finished the 3.82 miles in 24:44, average pace 6:28/mile, HR 157. My right calf was inevitably worse later on, but still better than it was last week.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:04 (141), 6:15 (162), 6:15 (164), 6:17 (164)
HR zones: 2.4%, 10.1%, 24.0%, 63.5%, 0%

2.5 miles slow

Felt a bit better so I went out with Natasha before breakfast as far as Kelvinbridge, before continuing along Great Western Road and up Queen Margaret Drive, mainly just to test my injury. Ran in the death boots for added stability and cushioning. It was probably better than Wednesday evening's run but I hadn't recovered enough to try running on it again later on. Just like the previous Saturday morning run with Natasha, I had some unusually high HR readings, this time until I was halfway up Queen Margaret Drive, although I had no other symptoms at all. If I'd noticed the HR reading at the time, I would have checked my pulse. Got back home in 20:36 for the 2.49 miles, average pace 8:15/mile, HR 149. I was still mostly in HR zone 4 and even 5 (briefly) for a mile after Natasha had headed down South Woodside Road to meet Meggan, so it can't be interference from anything she's wearing. I suspect a problem with the chest strap (poor contacts or weak battery).

Pace splits (ave. HR): 8:44 (159), 8:00 (142), 7:50 (141)
HR zones: 1.1%, 32.0%, 40.8%, 24.9%, 1.1%
Weekly total: 19 miles

Gym

I was able to get a physio appointment at fairly short notice on Thursday, and the diagnosis was medial tibial stress syndrome (the typical cause of shin splints). There was also a large knot in my right calf which was most likely the root of the problem. My IT bands were a lot better so rolling them out with a wooden massage roller seems to be helping. After so many weeks of high mileage I could certainly afford a few days off running altogether, so after some calf stretching on Thursday and Friday I went to the gym on Saturday afternoon, where I spent about 45 minutes on the cross-trainer and exercise bike. I had a go on the treadmill for a few minutes but it wasn't much better than trying to run on the road.

3.9 miles steady

Had a go at my West End route extended via Cleveden Drive. Lower leg was a nuisance all the way round. Finished the 3.85 miles in 26:44, average pace 6:57/mile, HR 142.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:00 (137), 6:48 (143), 6:58 (145), 7:02 (142)
HR zones: 2.1%, 23.5%, 74.4%, 0%, 0%

5.9 miles tempo

Dodged the club's "whistle reps" and went for a longer run with Joe. My right shin was a bit dubious, although better than on Monday night, and I only decided to go for a run at the last minute. I wore the adiZero Mana as the adiZero shoes seem to cause me fewer problems. The pavement on Maryhill Road at the shopping centre is closed for 30 weeks so we took a detour down Garrioch Road, which has been fenced off, although the gap will be too narrow for the club to be able to run that way on Thursday evenings. We headed back up Shakespeare Street, then down Queen Margaret Drive and back to Garscube Estate via Anniesland Cross. Pace was pretty brisk but not uncomfortable. Finished the 5.94 miles in 38:50, average pace 6:32/mile, HR 150.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:27 (135), 6:28 (148), 6:13 (151), 6:13 (157), 6:24 (157), 6:29 (157)
HR zones: 1.8%, 6.7%, 84.4%, 7.0%, 0%

6.6 miles easy

Returned to my longer Monday night route, via Craigton Road, Stockiemuir Road and Kilmardinny Avenue. Went for the Wave Musha 2 again. Clober Road was closed to traffic so I was able to avoid a tricky narrow lane with cars parked in it. Otherwise, the going was pretty slow and I had some lower leg pain. Finished the 6.62 miles in 48:27, 7:19/mile, HR 143.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:43 (142), 7:13 (144), 7:05 (147), 7:18 (146), 7:09 (141), 7:22 (142), 7:31 (139)
HR zones: 1.9%, 25.3%, 72.8%, 0%, 0%

4.5 miles slow, 11.1 miles steady

Went out with Natasha before breakfast for one of our usual routes through Kelvingrove Park and Yorkhill, along the river and back via Anderston. Wore the death boots again. 4.47 miles in 38:50, average pace 8:41/mile, HR 125.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 8:48 (126), 8:39 (125), 8:25 (124), 8:59 (126), 8:30 (128)
HR zones: 10.3%, 89.7%, 0%, 0%, 0%

This left me a target of 9 miles to reach 70 for the week, prior to easing off a bit for a couple of races. On Saturday afternoon I had glued the Brooks Racer ST4 back together with Shoe Goo so I dragged them out of retirement to repeat the previous week's run along the canal. Quads quite sore again, right calf still a problem but nothing I couldn't run through. I half-expected to run out of steam but managed to keep it going at a fairly steady pace as I tried to get my average pace below 7:00/mile - splits didn't improve in the second half quite as drastically this time. Finished the 11.13 miles in 1:17:39, average pace 6:59/mile, HR 145.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:38 (140), 7:07 (143), 6:59 (141), 6:57 (141), 6:50 (144), 6:58 (145), 6:54 (148), 6:50 (149), 6:52 (150), 6:55 (151), 6:49 (148), 6:26 (151)
HR zones: 1.0%, 9.2%, 89.8%, 0%, 0%
Weekly total: 72 miles

6.1 miles slow, 6.1 miles hard

Went out in the morning with Natasha down to Botanic Gardens where we met Tanya, then ran up Queen Margaret Drive and up Maryhill Road to the locks, where I headed back along the canal as far as Speirs Wharf, down the steps, over the footbridge and back up Garscube Road. It came out at 6.07 miles, time 51:51, average pace a leisurely 8:33/mile, HR 131. HR a bit higher than I would have expected in the first mile or so. Wore the death boots (Nimbus) for better ankle stability.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 8:36 (144), 9:39 (122), 9:19 (121), 8:04 (132), 7:50 (136), 7:53 (137)
HR zones: 11.9%, 69.8%, 17.6%, 0.8%, 0%

In the afternoon I repeated last Saturday's route, in the adiZero Tempo as before. I was aiming for somewhere inside 6:45/mile but managed a faster pace without any trouble, although three hard runs inside a week is pushing it a bit. Calf felt far better than at any time since Thursday. Finished the 6.10 miles in 38:52, average pace 6:22/mile, HR 160.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:05 (163), 6:24 (157), 6:14 (155), 6:12 (156), 6:13 (163), 6:05 (164), 6:31 (166)
HR zones: 0.2%, 0.1%, 47.3%, 52.4%, 0%

2.5 miles easy, 7.6 miles steady

I didn't have much time for a run before breakfast so resorted to the Queen Margaret Drive route, 2.50 miles in 19:16 for a 7:43/mile average, HR 130. Still some calf problems. Ran in the Wave Musha 2.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 8:16 (124), 7:23 (132), 7:17 (140)
HR zones: 7.3%, 83.5%, 9.3%, 0%, 0%

In the evening I ran a longer loop via Canniesburn Toll and Anniesland Cross, again in the Wave Musha 2. Distance was 7.60 miles, time 52:15, average pace 6:53/mile, HR 146. Calf pain got a bit better in the last couple of miles. 70 miles for the week starting to look achievable after all.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:16 (132), 6:50 (145), 6:36 (146), 6:55 (149), 6:55 (148), 6:58 (150), 6:46 (151), 6:41 (153)
HR zones: 1.4%, 12.4%, 86.2%, 0%, 0%

3.3 miles easy, 7 miles hard

I felt sufficiently better to try this week's morning route which came out this time at 3.30 miles. Wore the Wave Musha 2 which might turn out not have sufficient cushioning for what are theoretically recovery runs. It's also noticeable that I put in more effort to achieve a slower time than in the Newtons on Tuesday morning. Finished in 24:03, average pace 7:17/mile, HR 140. Foot and calf were a bit sore afterwards but improved as I walked around.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:52 (131), 7:06 (142), 6:55 (144), 7:16 (149)
HR zones: 2.4%, 32.6%, 65.0%, 0%, 0%

By the evening I felt fine to attend training, although I doubted I could run there and back as well, so I drove up instead. The route was a simple loop via St George's Cross and Anniesland Cross. It was billed as a tempo run with the first two miles and last mile at an easier pace. After successfully anticipating a traffic light change at the top of Cowal Road, I led the pack all the way to the fire station on Maryhill Road, possibly at too fast a pace although it felt quite comfortable in the now-exonerated adiZero Tempo. At this point Joe picked it up and I tried to hang on. The gap had grown to about 100m by the time Joe came to a halt at Anniesland Cross, and we took it a bit easier for the rest of the route, although not too easy as I wanted to retain a decent average pace for the whole thing. It came out at 6.95 miles, timed at 43:28 for a 6:15/mile average, HR 160. Calf pain came on after I stopped so it would have been difficult to run back home afterwards. Felt much better a couple of hours later, possibly even in racing condition, and the fast splits suggested the high mileage strategy is working. No quad pain any more.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:25 (136), 6:22 (151), 5:51 (164), 5:44 (170), 5:49 (173), 6:08 (171), 6:28 (165)
HR zones: 1.4%, 6.7%, 26.6%, 65.4%, 0%

4.1 miles hard

Woke up early enough but I still had some foot and calf pain and decided against going out for a run before breakfast. After doing some stretching during the day I felt a bit better by the evening, so I recklessly tried out a new pair of shoes (Mizuno Wave Musha 2 - I would have gone for another pair of adiZero Tempo but they were out of stock) for a fairly short run down Garscube Road, along Great Western Road and home via Kirklee Road and Maryhill Road. Started off fairly steady, aiming for an overall pace around 6:40/mile, but picked up speed all the way, assisted by the fact that I was just about able to get away with wearing shorts and a t-shirt. 4.13 miles in 26:17, average pace 6:21/mile, HR 148. Lower back was a lot better, foot and calf still a bit dubious but seem to be improving. 70 miles might not be possible this week.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 6:43 (133), 6:36 (146), 6:18 (153), 5:54 (159), 5:39 (166)
HR zones: 1.8%, 18.1%, 68.9%, 11.2%, 0%

3.3 miles steady, 7.6 miles steady

Ran the same West End route before breakfast, again in the Newton Distance S. It came out not too badly for a morning run, 23:47 for 3.29 miles, average pace 7:14/mile, HR 136.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:30 (133), 7:05 (138), 7:04 (137), 7:19 (141)
HR zones: 3.4%, 58.8%, 37.8%, 0%, 0%

I had noticed a gradual increase in lower back pain but thought I could run through it in the evening, starting in Garscube Estate, down Maryhill Road and Garscube Road to Cowcaddens, along Great Western Road to Anniesland Cross and back to the Garscube Estate via Crow Road. Back pain subsided after a few miles leaving just some pain in my right calf and right foot. Finished the run OK, 7.62 miles in 52:59, 6:57/mile, HR 143, but I couldn't even manage a jog afterwards and had a little trouble walking on my sore foot after I got home. I had thought the adiZero Tempo were maybe coming to the end of their life but it seems more likely that I have been using the Distance S too heavily and may have to find another general purpose shoe for the time being.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:25 (134), 7:04 (140), 6:53 (140), 6:51 (140), 6:57 (147), 6:45 (148), 7:03 (150), 6:23 (147)
HR zones: 1.5%, 24.3%, 74.2%, 0%, 0%

3.3 miles easy, 5.1 miles steady

Went out before breakfast for a slightly longer route as planned, via Shakespeare Street and North Woodside Road, giving the Newton Distance S a try for shorter, slower runs. Finished the 3.28 miles in 24:35, average pace 7:29/mile, HR 132.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 8:02 (129), 7:18 (132), 7:05 (134), 7:37 (138)
HR zones: 5.2%, 87.2%, 7.6%, 0%, 0%

My right ankle seemed quite stiff during the day, possibly not fully recovered from a bad sprain several months ago, but it responded well to some stretching. In the evening I ran the same route as last Monday, again in the Distance S. It came out a bit faster with no great effort, 34:52 for 5.09 miles, average pace 6:51/mile, HR 145.

Pace splits (ave. HR): 7:11 (133), 7:12 (139), 6:45 (148), 6:38 (151), 6:29 (154), 6:34 (159)
HR zones: 3.0%, 24.0%, 73.0%, 0%, 0%