Not a Good Week for Running

This was not the best week for running. Since last Tuesday, I have felt slightly run-down as I am fighting off some type of minor illness. I have felt about 80-90% of what I should feel. Now I have a bad nighttime cough, so I am finally seeing a doctor today. With that I have only had two days of running since the Applefest 1/2 marathon last week. I ran last Monday and I did the track workout on Wednesday. The track workout was 2 X 800m, 1600m, and 2 X 800m. I did not get a warmup in and ran the first interval slower as my right calf was very tight. The calf remained tight throughout the workout. I think I did (off my memory) 3:08, 2:53. 5:51, 2:53, 2:51.

Of course the next day, my calf was very tight and with the cold I haven't run since. I don't want to mess with the calf as about once or twice a year I get this and I can be out from one to three weeks of running. The strange thing is that two nights ago I had calf cramps in my left calf and then was woken up an hour later with cramps in the right! The last time that happened was in the Spring when I also had to take a break from running due to muscle spasms in my back. That is wierd, but maybe the inactivity keeps the calf muscles from stretching.I hope to get this cough taken care of and get back to running very soon.

Pete McGill, an elite coach and masters runner, has posted some running form drills on the Running Times website. These are worth watching, although the humor is somewhat "runner-dorky". Younger Legs for Older Runners is Pete McGill's bery informative blog. We did many of these drills a few years ago before the Gate City Striders Wednesday night track workouts. I found them very helpful at the time, but the club doesn't include these anymore, and I don't do them because they make you look "runner-dorky". Maybe I should not worry about what other people think! Ceci St. Geme is one of the elite masters demonstrating the drills. You may recall she was known as Ceci Hopp when she was a high school and collegiate champion. It looks like she can still hop! The video cannot be ebedded so you will have to click on the Running Times link. Maybe we can get some Striders to work on these drills together next year!