July 8 – July 14, 2013

I didn’t skip my run on Monday even after the crazy fall on Seneca Lake Shore Trail and ran 42m’50s’, approx. 6 miles.  It was a little hard to adjust after the Garmin is broken, but I survived.  Tuesday was an easy hour run around the Hais Point, approx. 8.1 miles.  I skipped Wednesday’s track workout, since I planned to run hard in Midsummer Night Mile on Friday evening; but I stroll around Tidal Basin easily for 45m’40s’. 

Thursday was the prescribed off day and it was raining.  Rain didn’t stop majority part of Friday and drove the temperature down to spring like condition.  I got out to the track as early and met up with few friends, then we off to warm up on Needwood Trail.  Before the my heat started, I did a few sets of stride around the track; second step of the very last set stride, I felt a sharp pain/sore on the outer side of left knee.  I start walking immediately, then stretch some, and hoping shake that off.  I wasn’t sure what was that, not sure was from the fall, or just too much warm up, or…

Times went by and I toed the line at seventh heat.  “GO” was called by Dan Lawson and we press forward.  Before the race start, I planned to run 80 seconds per lab for a time of 5m’20s’.  I was on track on the first lap by clocked 1m’18.51s’.  I felt great mentally, but not much physically and slow from second lap on.  I clocked 1m’22.73s’ and 1m’2409s’ on second and third, respectively.  While I made the second to the last oval, I felt the tingling tightness on my left knee, I felt scare, and slow down further more.  On the last oval with less than 110 meter to go, I really felt the tightness on that knee, and I clocked the last lap at 1m’25.31s’.  I crossed the line in pain with a time of 5m’28.3s’.  Not the exact time I was hoping for, but I improved some from Firebird Miler, where I ran 5m’34.6s’ – a month after Carmel Marathon.  I jogged with Paul and Mark afterward for a few near a cemetery.  I ended up running roughly 7.5 miles for the day.

With less than 12 hours sleep, I ran with MC half marathon trainee on Saturday morning for 11 miles.  During the second half of that 11-mile run, I ran into few XMP trainees, and did two set of marathon paced intervals with them.  Sunday was supposed to be an easy run with MCRRC teammates from Needwood and I got in approx. 10.6 miles.  Before bedtime on Sunday night, left knee was ached up and hard to bend when I try to go up to my room; it probably had a lot to do with the crazy fall and the high intensity of faster miles over the weekend.  I must get better for Rockville Twilight 8K on July 20.