Steve in a Speedo?! Gross!

Testing my Calf on a "Long" Run

>> Saturday, April 25, 2026

After not running for a week and then doing some easy runs last week, I thought it was time for a little test for my sore calf.

My Monday runs are usally long runs: 11+ miles with the middle 6 faster/harder. I wasn't going to just jump up to that distance and intensity, but I still used that as a guide for this run. So I planned to run 8 miles with the middle 4 faster/harder. And I altered my course from being a strict out-and-back to one that put me a mile from home at mile 4, then also just about a mile from home at mile 5.5 as well - I had a way to get home easier if there were problems. (My normal route still has me about a mile from home at mile 4, but then if I just turned around at that point, I'd still be running hard at mile 5.5 and I'd be 2.5 miles from home at that point, and things could go south there!)

So I did this weird route to stay close-ish to home as I was wrapping up my harder miles, also adding on a little jaunt to the west (split 11) to avoid having to go up a bigger hill to the south:

Half-mile splits, running hard from split 4-12.

The colors on the map show that I still negative split the harder miles like I normally do, starting as more yellow/green and turning more orange/red. And that was after starting out with a 3:04 opening half mile split! I was thrilled to see that, and then super curious if I'd be able to hold on! So my speed didn't totally die after 2 weeks of either no running or no hard running. I was SOOO curious what that opening split was going to be: I figured it would be around 3:20, and did NOT expect a 3:04!

The half mile splits of my harder 4 miles in the middle were:

3:04, 3:06, 3:03, 3:00, 3:01, 2:58, 3:05, 2:53 = 24:14 (6:03.50 / mile)

Mile splits of 6:10, 6:04, 5:59, and 5:59

It was a bit uphill to split #11 when I headed west to add in a few more blocks, and that REALLY showed up in my pace. That's a bit concerning for my fitness level (or "loss of fitness" from being injured) as this drop in pace near the end of my harder middle miles is WILD for it not being a big hill:

I'm talking about the drop in pace around 35 minutes in.

But other than that VISIBLE slow-down in my pace chart, I like I how it generally trends perfectly upward (sort of matching my heart rate as well). That's a nice sign that I was able to keep speeding up.

My left calf got a LITTLE sore later that afternoon, but I kept it under control. I've been massaging it a lot, and foam rolling too. And I'm still wearing the night splint as I sleep so my calf won't be super tight when I wake up in the mornings.

I'm FAR from "out of the woods" yet with this calf issue, but this was a hopeful sign that things are moving in the right direction.

Friday Funny 2588: Not My Job!

>> Friday, April 24, 2026

Lots more funnies on SportsAndLaughs.tumblr.com. HAPPY WEEKEND!!

Friday Funny 2587: Women Sharing Photos of Their Clueless Men

Some of these are a bit funny, but most of these are red flags to me! Women, get out now!!

“My Husband Got A Little Carried Away With The New Vacuum Sealer. This Is A Dozen Croissants.”