April 2012 Summary

Runs - 27
Workouts - 0
Injured - 0
Running Days - 24
Average Miles Per Running Day - 8.8
Vert - 17,000 Feet

The Bad:

Work - Half the month was spent working extremely long hours.  Hours that could have been spent not so much running but rather with the family.  Work/Life Balance was nonexistent.  Thankfully that stretch is done.

The Good: 

Running - What can I say other then how absolutely excited I am to get back in the groove of things.  The month started extremely slow and conservative.  38 miles for week 1 of April.  The month ended extremely strong.  65 miles for week 4 of April. 

I'll admit though my fears of this month being tough was spot on.  Being conservative with my build up of miles was tough.  Accepting that my left calf was still healing even a month after treatment was tough.  Having dead legs after only 3 weeks of a training cycle (2nd week of Apr) was tough to deal with. 

It was also rewarding.  Building that tempo run back to 12 miles before the sun rises.  Those 18 miles and 4,000 feet of vert at White Ranch in just over 3 hours.  Entering the month of May feeling fantastic.  All rewarding.

Workouts - A big doughnut next to my workouts for the month.  First time that's happened since last August and something I'm totally fine with.  My days off were a must.  A must mentally and physically from the work grind and the running. 

However not accounted for were all those sit ups and push ups I did at the house.  All those hip exercises I worked on to help ensure my left calf doesn't go in the shitter again.  All those stretches and time spent on the roller.  It's the little things I'm hoping keep me strong thru the key stretch of summer training heading into August.

Look What Daddy Did -

Boulder Distance Classic - My wife wanted to run the 5K up in Boulder a week ago with a friend.  No way in hell I do anything other then support her for the race.  It was decided that I would run while pushing our little one in the B.O.B. 

What followed was my slowest 5K time ever.  30 minutes 2 seconds.  Those 30 minutes and 2 seconds were filled with laughter and yelling of excitement from the little one.  Never did I imagine she'd have that much fun.  Never did I imagine that a simple non competitive race would leave such a joyful memory.

Looking Forward:

The goal going forward is still pretty simple.  Continue to up the miles and effort all while listening to my calf.  The muscle is healing well but still requires heaps of stretching and ice.  My best guess is the muscle won't be fully healed for another month or so.  Which is fine with me as long as it progressively gets better. 

Quad Rock 25M is on the 12 of this month.  Earlier in the year, I had pegged this race as something I'd like to race, not just run.  With what has transpired over the past few months, I'm planning on entering the race with heavy legs and treating it as a long run.  My weekly mile build up has been running strong for 5 weeks now and I would love to see this continue thru May and into June.  I have no desire to rest or taper till a week or two before San Juan Solstice.