Insert Title Here

My current running plan is to do 3 runs this week for a total of 12 miles. Next week I will switch to 4 days a week also totaling 12 miles. Then I will increase a mile a week for a few weeks until I am consistently running 15-20 mpw.

Last night I did a 4-mile run in 37:13 (9:18 pace). That’s my fastest run since I got back, and it wasn’t that difficult. It wasn’t an easy run, but it wasn’t a hard one either. I’d say it was a moderate effort, maybe 6 out of 10.

This is making me rethink my goal for the Run to Remember in May. That’s a 5 mile race, and I was going to shoot for 45:00 (9:00 pace). But I wouldn’t be surprised if I could do that right now. Maybe I will shoot for 40:00 (8:00 pace). That might be a little more than I can handle, but I do have 3 months to train. I think something like a 42:00 might be more reasonable. I guess we’ll see how I feel when May rolls around.

I’ve been back running for a month and a half now, and I’m just finally getting my wind back. That is, I’m just now starting to go on runs where I don’t run out of breath or feel overly tired at the end. I’m getting back to that stage where I feel like I could run forever at a reasonable pace, which is a really great feeling.

My knee/hamstring has held up with no noticeable change from when I started. My hamstring still feels tight, but it’s not getting any worse, and it doesn’t affect my running. So I’m going to keep it up while focusing on my stretching.

I’m currently running around 10 miles per week – 3 runs a week, 3-4 miles each, at around a 10:00 pace. I’d like to add a 4th day soon, and then perhaps a 5th day once it gets warmer and I feel more comfortable with my running.

I’m planning to do the 5-mile Run to Remember in May. If I were in shape, I would shoot for 40:00 (8:00 pace). I’m pretty sure I could do that, since I ran a 4-miler in November 2005 in 32:30. However, I’m not going to be in great shape for this race, so I think I’m going to shoot for 45:00 (9:00 pace). A year ago that would have been a typical training run for me, but I have to accept that it will take many months to get back into running shape. But it will come.

Last summer, before I got injured, I was shooting to run a 22:00 5k (7:04 pace) sometime in the summer. Maybe, if I work hard and put in the miles, I could do that late this summer. Maybe October in the Samaritans 5k. Yes, maybe I’ll shoot for that.

Edit: Just got back from a 4.5-miler with Catherine. Felt great! Even the 4 degree windchill didn’t bother me.