hi          Linda, I'm pretty good, thanks,   a bit overwhelmed by life so I am not keeping up anywhere, esp. posting.     sending you hugs and patience.  

Mike that is very exciting.   which marathon?   I think you may have said, but I forget.  sorry.     heh, we're almost synchronized again.  I did 13 last Sunday.

Amy, how are you?   I know, I have to be careful with speed work too.   hard to id the line between tough (suck it up) & too much (back off).    did you get either book?  I'd like to hear about the second one you mentioned.    

have to get back to work.     my kitty isn't doing well at all, & I actually brought him here today.  i'm holding him, half hidden by a jacket (one boss knows, the other isn't supposed to) while I'm trying to type.

take care everybody.

I promise to post soon! Got the flu right now. Too weak to write or run.

Mike - Oh no!!! what happened?

HF - feel better soon!

Okay so at work this week, we started a wellness challenge & it last for 13 weeks.  So, I've been walking everyday at lunch with coworkers for 30 minutes.  Hey at least I'm doing something every day.  Yesterday I also came home and did a 2 mile run/walk outside.  It felt good, but my neck was mad at me a couple of hours later...     doing massage treatments, and maybe the daily walking will help.

Thanks TW.  You know I might need to consider just walking for awhile...  I don't want to though!   Have actually been thinking of trying the elliptical at the gym, shocker! lol  I usually avoid the gym and do exercise at home or outside, but they do have a variety of crosstraining options.

Hello to everyone here

I was feeling better, but have relapsed - BOO!

Deb, very sad about your kitty - definitely know how that feels. (((Big Hug)))

I got the books. The Runner's Literary Companion is a collection of short stories and poems and I've really enjoyed it.  The Matt Fitzgerald book "Run: The mind-body method of running by feel" is terrific. I'll let you know more when I can think more clearly. My brain is fried from this bug.  I didn't get far in the Chi Running book. The method is a bit too contrived for me and the book didn't hold my interest like Fitzgerald's book. I'll let you know more when I pick it up again since I think there are some valuable bits in there.

In terms of speed work, right now, I've just been doing what I call progressive runs. I start slow, like at 12 or 11:45 mpm and work up incrementally, with my last one to two miles at 10:20 mpm. I'm hopeful I can get to 10 mpm by May.

I have discovered the cause of my TM-related right AT problem....yay!   Apparently on the TM (but not outside) I land flat-footed with my right foot and don't flex the foot enough. I keyed into that during my last TM 8-miler when the AT wanted to lock up at about the 2nd mile. So I worked on flexing the foot and push-off - with near miraculous resolution of the problem.

(((Mike))) What a very disappointing turn of events!  How long  before you can run again?

If you are allowed to walk and have access to a TM, in Matt's book, he says you can maintain your running fitness during rehab by steep uphill treadmill walking. Maybe you can do this and pick up your training program in time for the event?

To quote:

"Research has shown that the human brain uses the same motor pattern to run or to walk briskly on steep gradients. In other words, when you crank the incline up to 12-15 percent, running becomes walking and walking becomes running.  Therefore walking on a steep incline is a highly specific way to maintain running fitness. But impact forces are reduced drastically compared to running, so steep uphill walking is possible with most injuries."

Mike I'm so sorry!    I almost yelled at you a week or so ago.... looked at your log.   You were building up so fast!!!    didn't yell because... a) maybe you weren't keeping up with your log.   b) whatever I would say you already know!   c)   I have just the slightest tendency to over-mother hen.  At any rate, .      So happy to see you already making lemonade.         take care of yourself & heal.

Amy, ok, get better again.   That is cool that you figured out your TM AT problem!  I love it when that happens.  Sometimes it's just the simplest things..       I'm really glad that you like the book!    I'm reading it for the second time.          good idea I think for the progession runs.   I'm not doing quite the same thing, but lately I've tried to have my last mile be the fastest, at least if it's just a regular base-paced run.   I'm also doing intervals and things.    I love doing striders & they help a lot but they can backfire so quickly.       Thanks for the kitty hugs.  It was sad.  And I feel sorry for my one remaining cat... she does seem lonely.   We lost my dog in November.   too much  at once.      

Hi tw & Laurie & Linda      .     Linda did you say you did the elliptical?   wow.    I actually think that's pretty useful.   a good way to practice form and alignment and everything.    boring boring but helpful.    sorry your neck keeps bothering you, that's a tough one.

Overall I'm doing pretty well.   tired & a little maxed out by a few things, but no major injuries.  just twinges.  sitting is iffy today, so I'm making sure I get up often while I'm at work.   which I will do in just a moment!   did 8 this morning, & 10 last Sunday. 

Hi also to anybody just lurking!  

Amy, this is what I remember.  the 6 seconds may be just about right, in a way.   They typically are 100 meters, including the acceleration.   then float to the end. :-).    The main difference (I hope I'm right) is the goal...   intervals are more for endurance of one kind or another, depending on the target pace, so usually shorter rests.   Striders are for leg turnover, neuromuscular training.  running economy.  so the rests should be long enough to maintain good form for the next one.  they're kind of like chocolate, very yummy, but indulge with discretion.  I've re-injured my hammies & piriformis at least twice that way.