Running Chick

I had a decent run last night. I'm only grading it as "decent" because it started out like crap, then ended well so I figure that averages out to be "decent". My first two miles were uphill and into the wind. That sucked. Then, my right calf tightened up so much that my right leg felt like it had a board strapped to the back of it. There was very little flex in the ankle, which meant that my push offs were slow and weak and my landings were flat instead of flexed. I finally decided to stop and stretch at the 2-mile mark. My calf felt so much better after that and my running got lots better too. I ended up with a split in the 9-10 minute/mile range, which is pretty much unheard of for me. Still, I'm a bit apprehensive about this calf issue. This morning it was pretty tight and weak feeling, even after 5 minutes on the slant board. I'm not sure what's going on with that. I brought my ice packs in with me today and I'll see how it responds to some ice treatments.

Aside from the wind, the temperature was a balmy 43 degrees and I was able to head out with only two light layers instead of the usual three heavy layers. This morning I woke up to see around 3" of heavy, wet snow on the ground, which means that the roads will be wet and yukky for the rest of the week. Joy.

I had a good run this morning. The sun was shining, temperature was perfect and I went out early enough that I encountered very little traffic. I did meet two very friendly dogs on Denton Road. One was a giant Saint Bernard and the other was a large mixed breed. They both thought I was there to play with them and were thrilled to see me. I stopped and petted them for a few minutes until their owner called them back. I'm sure they would have followed me down the road if their owner hadn't been around. My run ended at the BP gas station in Houghton and Josh gave me a ride back home.

I've been experiencing some soreness in my calf the past few runs so I replaced the insoles in my shoes. I don't know how many miles I had on the old ones - I think around 260. When I took the old ones out, they were hard as a rock. Running that many miles on them had completely compressed the foam and there was no longer any support left. Duh, no wonder why I'm having lower leg issues. I could feel the difference immediately with the new insoles and I didn't have any lower leg discomfort at all during my entire run. I've started tracking the miles on the insoles now to try to get an idea of how long they last.

My totals for this week:
15 miles @ 2:465:26
Average pace 11:06 (5.4 mph)

Not too shabby.

I've been running in Mizuno Wave Creation 7s for a few years. I was fitted for them at the Fox Valley Running Company in Appleton and I love them. They fit well, they're comfortable and they don't aggravate my shin splints. I also love that I can put them on straight out of the box, run 5 miles and won't get so much as a slight rub on my foot. Anyway, it finally happened, Mizuno discontinued the 7s. I was fortunate that my running store had a pair in my size last summer so I was able to avoid having to switch shoes in the middle of running season last year. I was not as lucky this year, however, and I had to take the plunge and upgrade (I'm hoping not a downgrade) to the Wave Creation 8s. I should get them next week. I'll probably wait until next month when the roads dry up to start using them. I don't want to get them all dirty just yet.