middlemann 3.0

I probably shouldn’t be announcing this publicly, but I’m making plans to train for a 10k in September. It’s been a little over a year since I’ve run that distance, so I’m hoping for an injury-free couple of months.

As you know may from my occasional griping and removal of the running log, I’ve been battling an ankle injury that happened about 7 months ago. After exhausting all conservative options, I’m heading in for an MRI tonight to try to get to the bottom of all of this. Nothing about this has been encouraging so far, but I’m hoping for the MRI to show something. I’ve had a slew of inconclusive tests with other medical issues that have yielded “live with it” treatment plans. I’m hoping for better with the ankle.

Running it tomorrow and hoping for good weather although it’s looking doubtful. This one is usually a pretty fun one though – tons of people and lots of post-race goodies. They even have Starbucks :O)

The half marathon is over. It turned out to be nice weather for a run, and Dan and I both ran a good race. I think we were both pretty tired and sore afterwards, but that’s all part of it. Time to start planning for my next race…

On Saturday it’s time for another 13.1 mile road race. This will be my third and Dan’s first, so I’m probably more excited for him than I am for myself. I’m pretty pumped though. We knocked out 10 miles last Saturday and both felt pretty good afterwards, so with a little extra race adrenaline and crowd support we should be able to push through the extra 3.1 miles.

This is bad news for anyone who enjoys music while racing. I can understand that there are some people who endanger others or themselves by being in their own world while with their iPod, but for everyone else who does it responsibly, it’s a disappointment. Article here.

The running log has been a bit sad recently, mainly because of my recent cold. I ran the past two days and it felt really good to be back to it. It’s been almost a month since my last “long” run so I’m a little concerned about that for training. I’ve also been running mostly on the treadmill which while good exercise is not the same as being out on the roads. Travel this winter has also impacted the long runs since a.) it’s freezing cold in northern VA and b.) I don’t know the area that well. Griping aside though, the race is really for fun anyway and just a reason to try to stay in shape, even if I have to walk a little longer at the aid stations.

Dean Karnazes is training to run 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. Some of his recent “training runs” have been the toughest ultramarathon competitions in the world. Summer training isn’t fun anyway, but when you’re gearing up to run 1,310 miles in 6 weeks, I’m sure it get’s pretty intense.
>>See Dean Run