227 Miles in 2 Weeks and Still on My Feet

As you can tell from the title of the post, I've done a lot of running since my last detailed post. It hasn't all been sunshine and roses though. The afternoon of the post about the trip to Boston, Charlotte and Greenville I went to the track to do 12 x 400 on two minutes rest. The session went really well but something went wrong in my digestive track and in a 24 hour period I lost about 6 pounds. Needless to say, I didn't feel well and I took Friday the 13th off. It was my first day with no running in about 24 weeks, since I was on the road with the boys in Hahatonka. It was a much needed day of rest but thanks to the sickness it took me a few days to feel normal again. .................... I ended up with about 83 miles that week and got back on track the next two weeks with 114 and 113 respectively. Those are the two highest volume weeks in my life and I've been able to survive some quality sessions during that time too. I'm not really any worse for the wear. My "groin/ab injury" hasn't gotten worse but I'm in the process of losing one (maybe two) toenails. It's the first time since I started running that it's happened but it doesn't seem to be a big deal. .................... I think a big reason for the additional miles is my new roommate, Nate Jenkins. He's training well and running about 140 miles per week since he moved in. We're focusing on different events but since he's always ready for a few extra miles it's easy to add on when I wouldn't otherwise. Combining that with my long time friend, Tommy Neal, running the highest mileage of his life and we're all going at it pretty hard right now. I'm a little worried that the extra volume (and accompanying fatigue) has taken some of the race specific effort out of the workouts but it has been good work so with a little rest the intensity of the workouts should come right back. .................... The weekend that I was sick was good for another reason. My family made the trip out from Iowa so I got to spend the weekend with my older sister, Margo, her husband her their two wild little boys. Avery (five) and Quinten (three) had a couple sleepovers at the apartment and thankfully they brought my furniture so we all had some place to sleep. Having my bed here in Colorado Springs has definitely helped with the recovery so it was a win-win trip for me. Unfortunately, the truck broke down just before they got through Kansas. My mom's car broke down too on her way to visit back in January so if you're headed through Kansas be sure to have your car checked out before you leave. The truck's issues put a hamper on the weekend but we all made the best of it. .................... The two weeks since my family visited have been pretty uneventful since Fountain Valley has been on "interim" for the last couple weeks. Since I haven't had practice in the afternoon my days haven't had much structure but I have been somewhat productive. In addtion to finally finishing the first submission of "Fifty Years From Iffley Road" for RunningTimes.com, I have committed to open the outdoor season at the Blue Shoes Mile in Greenville, SC on April 11. It's hosted by Furman University and I'm looking forward to getting back to see the Kattoufs, who live near the track. Speaking of Rick Kattouf, I recently spent five days logging my diet to give him an idea of how I can improve my nutrition. That process in itself was a learning experience and has helped guide me when making decisions about nutrition and diet. I owe Rick and email and hope to get back to him after my track session this afternoon so that I can start improving how I fuel myself. .................... I'm off to the track to fight a strong wind and tackle the 12 x 400 session again.