Pete Tanguay

Ran 15 this morning, 5 on my own and 10 with the slower running group.  Actually couldn’t keep up with them in my mile 13, their mile 8 but I almost caught them by the end.  I walked about 1/2 mile total but finished my 15 which was my goal (I didn’t leave my watch on when I was walking as I want to know my running pace).  My goal is to run longer and longer until I can do a 22-25 mile run and then work on getting it faster starting with speeding up the last miles.  The way I ran this morning worked well as I started with the group when I had already run 5.  I enjoyed running with them and didn’t have to grind all of those later miles out alone.  I really don’t enjoy long runs that much so hopefully that will be a result of all this, that I enjoy them!  A good 8.5 mile run yesterday followed by a 15 today is a good running weekend.  Now if I can figure out why my left ankle is so swollen.  My body is such a wimp!

Didn’t go too fast but I didn’t hurt either.  I feel myself coming back and today was kind of a turning point I think.  I ran the full run without feeling injured at all.  I didn’t go fast but feel like I am slowly building back to where I was.  It was a beautiful Spring morning in the 60’s, ran the bike path and then out to the old Morrilton Highway and up the back of Nob Hill so we got a couple hills in as well.  Very enjoyable and relaxing.  Going to run long tomorrow – again, slow but work on staying on my feet for longer periods of time. 

Nice hour workout in spin class.  I’m hoping that biking will help build my leg muscles back and give me my base for running.  It’s a good cardio workout and good for the hamstring and butt muscles.  Bought a helmet yesterday and am looking forward to getting back out on the bike for some long rides.

Had a good run today – still feel sluggish but also feeling better.  Trying not to focus on the watch but just listen to my body.  I’m in the base phase of the Berlin marathon training and trying to get a good strong base so I can build and then peak.  Last week, same tempo route, I had to cut it short because my leg hurt and I was done.  Ran to the top of the hill today and then did a mile and a half cool down run.  Felt good to run sub-8 again but it was with effort as it should be.  Weather is perfect for running this time of year and I’m happy to be up early and out in it. 

Hadn’t planned on running today but got an email last night saying a group was going to run at 5:30 and couldn’t pass it up.  Did the Centennial route but I cut it short to 6.6 miles, leaving the group just before the 5 mile mark.  Felt a little better during the front part of the run but the body still can’t go fast like it used to.  I’m trying to focus on my surroundings more and less about how fast I’m going or how far I’ve gone.  Had no kick left at the end – I used to run hard the last mile or so and keep a sub 8 pace, sometimes sub 7 min/mile.  Today I just roll on in at about an 8:50 pace glad to finish.  I’m sure it will come back but now I’m just learning to listen to my body and run the pace it can run. 

It was a beautiful morning, wet streets, light mist and some rain, high humidity and temps in the 60’s.  It’s a fresh Spring day with everything colorful and green, before the heat of summer arrives.  Looking forward to a relaxing Memorial Day with the family, getting ready to put a brisket on the smoker and enjoy everyone coming over.  Life is good and life is full.

It was a perfect morning for my first long run after the marathon.  Light rain and in the upper 60’s.  No thunder or lightning.  Set out to do a slow long run but started with a couple of faster runners because the other group was only going to do 7 miles.  Ran with them for a couple of miles and then just slowed down to a pace that was comfortable.  I really need to learn to run my long runs slower and longer.  Everything I read says to do slower long runs and I always run with the faster runners and after 8-9 miles of 8:30 pace I’m wearing down.  Today I tried to focus on running the distance no matter what the pace and trying to run at a pace where I was not fatigued or exhausted.  Felt good the entire run, relatively speaking, and picked up the last 3/4 mile.  I think I am going to focus my training on how long (time) I run and not really how far I go.  If I can get to where I can run for 3.5 – 4 hours then I can try to work on the time. 

Beautiful morning to run.  Ran the tempo route and picked up the pace but didn’t feel real fast.  Nice to be running in the 7’s but looking forward to bringing the times down some more.  Cut the run at the 4 mile mark as my upper thigh and butt muscles were feeling tight.  Goal now is to run consistently, but less, and not run through any pain or discomfort until I feel 100% again, which hopefully will be by June.    Walked some and then ran an additional .7 miles with Stacy to get 5 miles. 

Went to the track with the group and did a modified ladder. The others did a 1-2-3-4-3-2-1 lap ladder and I did a 1-2-3-3-2-1 ladder. Overall felt good but didn’t want to overdo it. Felt good to run fast again, although it didn’t feel real fast. Top of my legs at the back and inside right leg was tight but didn’t hurt bad. Can’t wait for this pain to be gone and to feel healthy again. Definitely not going to run tomorrow – will do spin class instead. Should be back to racing within a month and bet I’ll be in marathon training by then as well. Need to find out whether I have a flaw in my form that is causing these issues. All in all, it’s good to be back getting up early and running – it’s a great way to start the day.

Was great to get back to spin class – nice aerobic and leg work. Great since there is no impact on my leg and I think this will help build up my leg muscles, heal my abductor tear and get me back running sooner. I’m committed to 2-3 spin classes a week and 3-4 runs a week for awhile. I need to get this leg healed and get back on track. Being injured or fatigued leaves me with this feeling of “I’ll never be strong again” but the strength is coming back. It was great resting, sleeping until 7:30 or 8 and now it’s nice to be jumping out of bed at 4:40 again, heading out into the dark. Who knows what lies ahead?

There’s nothing like recovery. Three weeks ago today I was beat up by the OKC marathon and thought I would never recover. I’ve run twice since then but both times all I wanted to do was stop. My body was fatigued, I was mentally defeated and my right leg was clearly injured. I went to a doctor and physical therapist and found that I had a groin injury that turned into a tear in my abductor muscle in my thigh and that is why I had so much pain in my leg. Looking back now this definitely played a role in the train wreck I had at mile 20. But that’s all past now.

Went for a nice easy run today – ran just under 6 miles and felt good. I can feel the deep injury in my leg but also feel it getting better. I’ve learned some exercises I need to do to strengthen it and have been doing them daily. I’m ready to ease back into running and should be able to reset some goals by June. It’s great to feel rested. Right now I see more cross training, more core and overall strength training and more long runs in my routine. It’s definitely good to be back and feel like there is hope for feeling strong again. One sign that I am coming back is this desire to go back to OKC next year and beat that course. That’s a long way from never wanting to go to OKC again – for any reason!