yesterday my left calf tightened up at the half-mile point, and there was no way to stretch it out or run through it. it was an actual injury. i think i may have changed my stride thinking about "barefoot" running and not landing on my heel. today i just ran normally; i didn't try to control my stride in any way. i also took the first half of the run slow, taking it easy with my leg. the first 1-1/2 miles was 18:34; i felt fine at that point, so did the 2nd half in 16:06. i do need new shoes, but more importantly i need to just let my body take care of business without letting my head get in the way.

(dang, i got the course a bit wrong, so i ran a bit under 7 miles. still the time was better than i hoped for.)

this run felt harder, heavier & slower than the past two days. at about 1 mile, i had to force myself to slow down, not that i slowed that much. it was a very slight change, but just enough. and when i was done, i was faster than ever, by 15 seconds or so (i have to start hitting pause on the stopwatch when i get stuck at a light). so 3 days of 3 miles, faster than ever; tomorrow is rest & then we'll see how 7 miles go on Saturday.

4 seconds faster than yesterday! it took some pushing; my body's inclination is to plod more than necessary. i have to work hard to keep the breath within aerobic boundaries. and as i'm learning, that works best when i don't focus on it. i can get the process going when i start running and everything is rough anyway. but as i get rolling and get into a good rhythm, my breath will do ok with minimal oversight.

to be able to do 2 days at an 11-minute pace is very encouraging. what will be interesting is to see what happens Saturday when i do 7 miles. i don't think i can do the same pace, but sub-13 should be possible (i need to avoid hills; perhaps i'll go down to the river & do a few laps. we'll see.

i decided to see if i had been running too slow. i didn't set out overly fast, i think, but it was a bit brisk. i went as fast as i could maintain, having to slow down a bit a few times. but never had to walk. i have no trouble inhaling when running hard; what i struggle with is exhaling fully, or feeling like i'm able to exhale. so i have to work to push it all out and then take another breath.

of course, the less i pay attention to my breathing, the less trouble i have with my breathing. so my real need is to just keep running and get my body used to it again.

despite the big improvement in pace, i was not wiped at the end. i was fine. so i think it's clear i have been taking it a bit too easy; i just need to run hard the next two days and see how i am on Saturday.

i haven't run 6 miles in about 20 years. i ran 4 miles last week, so that gave me some hope i could survive. and i did. i had to walk several times, especially going from 20th to 28th or so on Harrison: that's a long, slow incline after the 4-mile mark. but run-a-block, walk-a-block worked fine. and i ran to the very end. can't feel too bad about that; it's early in the training. a month from now i should be stronger and well on my way to being able to finish the 'thon.

but damn, it's been a long time since i sweated like this, too. i think my body purged itself of crap in the pores. not a bad thing, either.

8am - wanted to run before the rain came. first time i've run in the morning in a very long time. i actually felt less creaky getting up this morning. i'm stretching a lot more during the day, and especially after the run. i walk a few blocks when i get home.

the run took another minute — 20 seconds slower pace — part of that was running up the steep hill on Chavez from Brooklyn to Woodward; i had to walk once i'd crossed to get my heart rate down. next time i'll just wait for traffic to clear. otherwise, the body was fine, and the last mile, like yesterday, felt strong. i can see improvement in more than just my pace; my body feels better and is getting looser and stronger.

wow. whether it was a week just to work the kinks out or the bike ride yesterday or talking to Jesse, i kicked it up a notch today. 3 miles with no aches; i did stretch pretty thoroughly before. but i was able to push harder than i have yet; maybe that was just a desire to do so. i don't know. but it was a good run, didn't have to wait at Chavez Blvd. a great way to start official Marathon Training.