Day Two

Today was the second day of "testing" out my foot after taking a week off due to a little twinge.  Normally small aches, pains, and twinges don't derail me, but this was in a spot where I previously suffered an injury and missed a lot of time.  I wasn't willing to gamble with this one.  Anyway, it went well.  Actually, I think it felt better than yesterday, which was particularly encouraging as there was some snow covering during the run and I didn't know if any slippage would negatively affect it.  I'm still going to take a few more days on the easy train, but am looking forward to shortly ramping things up.  Hope you had a great day today.

Test It Out

Today, I tested out my foot after taking almost a week off from running...prognosis?...good.  I can't say I didn't feel anything in the ball of my foot (but that would be weird too, no?), but it wasn't bad.  I felt it every now and again, which isn't too bad for being overly focused on it.  It was a little sensitive post-run, but not much a bit later into the night (although I've been babying it).  And, again, I was so focused on how it felt that perhaps it wasn't too far from normal, but since I don't normally "dial-in" on it, I may just have noticed a difference that may (or may not) always exist.  I'll see what tomorrow brings and just try to slowly progress things.  Either way, the break was probably good...I'm really excited to start training for Boston and it ensured my being rejuvenated going into that training.   

Respect the Recovery

The other day, while running a loop craftily named TL8--that's "town loop 8" and the name pretty much says it all--I was thinking about how important recovery is to a training plan.  I complimented myself on how I've slowly become better at following this concept, but also reminded myself that I need to continue to incorporate it.  I need to view it as an equal partner with work and not as an unwelcome guest. 

Perhaps this was merely mental prep work, as I've been out of commission the past few days.  I felt a twinge under the ball of my foot.  Normally a twinge would not make me alter my plans, nevermind temporarily hang up the shoes, but it was in the same spot and similar in feeling to a prior injury that kept me out for over 4 months.  I was planning on running a track race today, but it just wasn't winning on the risk v. benefit scale.  I'm hoping a few days off clears it up and am thinking it will.  Unfortunately I'm not sure what caused it--perhaps running on snowy roads, doing some speed work, some slippery uphills--from my understanding it could be any, none, or a combination of these things. 

That being said, my run was really nice.  It's a great rolling loop that is mostly on back roads, many of them packed dirt and lined by the woods.  There was a decent snowfall this last week and the trees are still covered in snow, so it made for a pretty run.  I love feeling a part of nature and definitely felt it during this run.  Bonus!

Hancock, NH (Jeffrey Newcomer)

Welcome to my Running Blog

Welcome to my running blog!  Through blogging I hope to share my running and racing experiences, while providing a platform to promote my sponsors.  I have been fortunate enough to meet many great people and develop some wonderful relationships through running, so it is my hope that this will also be a silken thread added to reinforce that web (or network, but that sounds too contrived) of friendship.  Also, I'm often asked about my training and thoughts on training and the racing scene, so perhaps this will provide some insight.  I hope to have regular posts, but I'm still in the process of getting it "up & running", so there may be a few format changes along the way. 

That being said, welcome!