Endgame

A black toenail is apparently a runner's badge of honor. It's called a subungual hematoma. I'm hoping the thing doesn't fall off. It doesn't hurt. I'm actually glad I put this photo up here--I keep looking at the toe to see if it has changed/progressed, and it's really staying the same. I think I'm actually going to keep the nail.

TUE: Did 2 quick miles at work during a break. Wore the new blue Ghosts. Some soreness in the front lower legs--not pain, just sore. Mostly a test of what to wear. Prelim results:

• You will bake in your Saucony running pants. It was 47F and I was toasty. Ran the last half mile in shorts only and it was fine.
  
• The new Nike top is almost too much. Consider that blue Addidas (worn in previous 5K/10K races in the high 40s/low 50s) or use the short sleeve Nike.
• Headband = not necessary.

WED: Did a 3-mile tempo run at about 8:28/M pace. It was hard. A little less soreness in the front lower legs. No pain in knees. My legs just felt spent, but not as bad as Tues. This run was on the indoor track at Genesys, and it felt pretty good at the end.

THU: Today is a day off. I see that tomorrow morning will be in the mid 40s with a 30% chance of rain. I think I'll do an outdoor 3-miler at race pace to see how the clothing feels. Right now I am going back and forth on shoes. I've only put a few miles on the Blue Ghosts, and since the Red ones only have about 150 miles on them, I think I might just use them. It's new cushion vs. broken in. Since I don't think the Reds are shot, I think they are the safer bet. I'm also thinking Reebok shorts instead of the Nike ones.

FRI: Did a nice 3 mile tempo run on the usual route. I wore exactly what I think I will wear during the race. It was about 42F when I left, and I was fine in shorts and short sleeves. The first half mile was a little chilly, but no problem. I will find some pants and a shirt to wear to the race that I can ditch later. I went a little fast this morning: 8:13/M. I need to take it down a bit in my next few runs and really watch myself during the first 5 miles of the race.

SAT. Decided against doing a 4-miler today and stuck to 3. Wore the new Goodwill Track Suit and shed the top after 3/4 of a mile and the pants at 1.5 miles. That is going to work fine--I went back in the car to pick them up. On race day, they'll be gone. Did the first mile at approx 8:30/M but backed off; a slight pain in lower front left leg. I think that's from going fast yesterday. Take tomorrow off, then do the Minnesota 4-milers super slow. Sounds like a plan. Overall pace was 9:08/M. No running faster than that until next Saturday!

SUN: Off.

MON: Ran an easy 4 here in Minneapolis--great route around a lake. 9:09/M pace, so I wasn't pushing it too much; I consciously backed off. Felt much better this morning than last night when I scouted out the route. I am tempted to do 6 tomorrow, rest on Wed, then do an easy 4 on Thurs. Hmmmm. Maybe I just do 4-4-4. Who knows.

TUE: Resisted the temptation to do 6 this morning, and just did the 4. Not really enough daylight to get it all in before the conference started anyway. Besides, the lower L leg is a little soft in the front outside. I didn't even take the watch, but I guess my pace was in the high 9:00/M range, maybe even 10:00/M, which is good. Going to take tomorrow off. I'm debating what to do about THU. My guess is that a 4-miler will be fine for that day; maybe just take it super easy.