*UPDATE* Week 4 Complete!

Hey there, Hi there, Ho there everyone...

So today week #4 officially came to a close with a 10 mile run at Lake Miramar. This was my first time running at Miramar, so I really didn't know what to expect. The running trail does, however, come highly recommended by my running doctor and his staff - so I figured "why not?".

Well, it is definately a tougher run than Lake Murray. It isn't too much harder, but enough to where I can definately feel the strain on the legs. The main difference between the two is that at Lake Murray you go out to the 3 mile marker and back, then out and back, out and back. There is no constant loop around the lake because the dam is blocked off (post 9/11). At Lake Miramar, they recently upgraded the security around the dam and re-opened the trail - so it is a complete 5 mile loop all the way around ~ with the final mile being across the top of the dam. Very nice and very challenging. Now - regarding my performance.

Overall, the performance was VERY good. I came in at a nice and crisp 1:57:04 (11:42/mi). Considering I am targeting 12:00/mi for the marathon, I am pretty pleased with that. For the entire run, the cartilage in my knee was really bothering me. Not painful, but enough to where I noticed it was there. From mile 5 to 10, my hamstrings were fairly tight so I had to be careful. From Mile 8 to 10, the outside of my hip was starting to tighten up and my left knee started getting just a little hint of weakness. The good news is that I am now rolling with no knee brace on the left side, which is a far cry from where I was at this point 6 weeks ago. My playlist was very good on my iPod and I actually had fun today (despite the pain) LOL.

MAJOR improvements are being made and the best I feel is yet to come. Next week is 3 mi(Mon), 4 mi(Wed) Lifting(Thur) and 11 miles on Sat. Total mileage for week #5 will be 18. w00+!!

-Bill