Run-Walk Success

You guys, I did it! I ran yesterday!

Without PAINNN.

Take that, ITBS – you pain in the ass knee.

At my PT appointment on Tuesday, I asked my doctor to get real with me about when I could start trying to run regularly again. It’s been a couple weeks since my last real run, and I’m only a month out from the Chicago Marathon now. Sure, I’ve been biking a lot, doing some PT exercises to build strength, and working on my core muscles…but to complete 26.2 miles by foot, I need to get some lots of miles in on these legs. Plain and simple.

If my knee wasn’t hurting me, she said, I could try it, but shouldn’t go overboard. And of course, if it started hurting, I promised myself I would stop immediately and walk, so I don’t make things worse.

Naturally, on Wednesday I decided it was time to try a little running. Even after some massaging, exercises and stretches on Tuesday night, I didn’t have any pain or tenderness around my knee or IT band. The other doctor in the clinic had suggested I look up a run/walk plan for the marathon (since I told her I was getting nervous about it), so I figured I might as well start out run/walking now.

I started my workout with a 45-minute bike ride, since I knew I needed to put in some real cardio time, more than I would be able to run. Plus, I figured this would be a great way to get my legs warmed up and loose, which would help to stretch them before I ran.

After the biking, I did some foam rolling on my IT bands, and then stretched really well.

Then I was off, almost holding my breath with each step I took. Except, you know, I was running and all, so I had to breathe.

I decided I would do 2 minutes of running, followed by 1 minute of walking, and repeat that. I didn’t really have a set time or distance in my head, as I had no clue how my knee would feel, so I just trotted off without a plan, happy that it seemed the run would go okay as I took my first steps.

I continued my run/walking iterations until I got to about 12 minutes. Ecstatic that I wasn’t feeling any pain or anything at this point, I decided I better turn around and start the 12-minute jaunt back home, just in case. I didn’t want to push myself too far, right away.

By the time I got home, I was grinning like a freak, sweating like an even bigger freak, and restraining myself from jumping around. In total, I did 24 minutes of run-walking (16 minutes of running/8 minutes of walking). Not a ton, but, 16 minutes of running was longer than I could run this past Saturday, and without any aches or pains. I’ll take it.

We’ll see tonight at my next PT appointment if the little workout did anything adverse—I bet I will probably be a little tighter than the last several days, but hopefully the doc can continue to work out the tightness and knots in my IT band.

I’m taking this all as a reminder that when you start losing hope and wonder when things will turn around, you should never really worry—because before you know it, a little miracle just might happen. 🙂

Thanks for all encouraging responses to my last few posts & on Twitter, folks! And to my everyday friends and runner pals who’ve heard me yak on and on about all of this. You poor souls. I lova ya.

Running Withdrawals

Hi all! I realize my blog posts haven’t been as exciting lately—mostly due to the fact that I can’t run. Womp.

{However, I shall uplift this post with a sprinkling of funny runner memes.}

Ryan Gosling makes everything better.

I’ll admit, I’ve been trying to stay positive, but it’s been tough. I was sure everything would be okay the first week my knee started bugging me. I thought I’d just enjoy several days’ rest and then take my runs easy for a few weeks, and I’d be A-OK and back on my way to marathon training bliss.

Then the next week moseyed on by and my knee was still bothering me. Not to worry! I’d just take the whole week off, go see a PT, and all would be fixed.

But, no. Now I’m on week three of injury patrol and it’s starting to wear on me. Gone are the positive thoughts and relaxed attitude. Enter the psychotic, cliché, injured runner symptoms of worrying and obsessing over the fact that I can NOT run.

I find myself constantly googling things about my injury online, reading articles, posting on message boards, babbling the ears off of anyone who will listen, and seeking out advice from every other runner I know. I’m doing all of this while already seeing a professional physical therapist…who should really be the only person I’m asking for advice from, not the interwebs.

But alas, I’ve arrived here, to the injured-runner-exile, where self-pity and crabby pants abound. And I am so not about self-pity and crabby pants type of person, so on top of not being able to run, you can imagine how much this all annoys me.

So forgive me, dear friends and fellow readers, for my lack of oomph and passion and fun posts lately. You see, I choose to just keep my crabby pants to myself, to spare you from the headcase that I’m slowly becoming. You don’t need to see the slow unraveling of wits that is starting to fray at the seams.

Yes. Wine does help.

The bike, foam roller & PT are my new BFFs, and while they’re all good listeners, they just doesn’t compare to my oldest friends…my running shoes.

I hope we’re reunited soon.

—

Since I can’t write so much about running right now, what would you like to hear more of? My PT & cross-training, other various workouts? Or something entirely different?

Wedding planning is on the upswing, so I’m thinking that will be making a regular appearance soon. Promise that I’ll get creative and come up with some happier workout posts & healthy eats soon, too, though.

Chicago Marathon Training, Week 12 recap

Week 12 gone, huh? I am trying to stay positive, but this injury is starting to get to me. I’ve had to take off most of the week, but at least I got to see a physical therapist a couple times. So I’m hopeful this coming week will mean more running…at some point…

Sunday, September 1^st: rest

Monday: 60 minutes cross-train
Bike ride.

Tuesday: 5 miles
No running. Had my first PT appointment after work so I didn’t have time to bike afterwards.

Wednesday: 8 miles • 50 min. bike ride
No running still, but biked. Ran into some friends just as I began my ride, so I joined them & that raised my spirits. Made the bike ride fun and took my mind off the lack of running.

Thursday: 5 miles
Honestly forget what I did this evening. I didn’t do any working out, besides my PT exercises and stretches. I think I worked late-ish and then did some blogging stuff. Looked forward to my Friday PT appointment, hoping to have good prospects for my Saturday run.

Friday: rest
Had my next PT appointment. Got more stretches and exercises to help with the hips (which I will fill you in on soon). However, when I asked advice for weekend running, my doc said nonchalantly, “Oh, well you can just try a mile and see how it goes. But I wouldn’t recommend more than that.”

A mile? ONE? HA. My PT is not a runner and, I thought snobbishly, doesn’t seem to understand how I’m training for a marathon, which I’m supposed to run in 5 weeks. So one mile, nope—that’s just not gonna cut it.

I figured since I was able to run 3 miles last Thursday, after only taking four days off, that at this point (10 days off) I would definitely be okay with three miles. So I decided that I’d try three miles Saturday morning, and if I still felt no achiness or pain, I’d keep going up to six miles, max…

Saturday: 13 miles • 1.75 miles
And then it was Saturday morning. I ran my one singular mile and felt great. Stopped to stretch and really took my time with it. Started the next mile and halfway in, the aching started on the outside of my left knee again. Already?! I had taken 10 DAYS off!!! Ugh, so frustrating, I can’t even put into words. I started walking back to where I began. Twice, I tried stretching and running a really slow pace back, but both times the pain started to flare up worse than before. So… I didn’t even get 2 miles of running in.

Not what I was expecting.

Talk about discouraging.

This week’s schedule:
This week’s runs are again up in the air. I hope to run AT ALL. Here’s what my schedule should be, if I were healthy…

• Sunday: 60 minutes cross-train
• Monday: rest
• Tuesday: 5 miles
• Wednesday: 5 miles
• Thursday: 5 miles
• Friday: rest
• Saturday: 19 miles (really hoping I can do 13 by then, to stay on track)

I have PT appointments on Tuesday and Thursday. I’ll have a third appointment sometime this week with the clinic director (who I had wanted to see in the first place, but was on vacation this past week). She is a runner and had come to speak at our running club meeting several months ago, so I’m hoping she’ll better understand how I hope to get moving again if I want to run this marathon. I am also hoping she will be able to tell me for sure that this knee pain I’m feeling is coming from my weak hips. Cross your fingers…

I am really trying not to be one of those runners, who gets injured and turns into an antsy freak that becomes obsessed with when they will be able to run again. I was doing really well with it, but now I’ve come to the 2-week mark and am starting to worry about timing with the Chicago Marathon. Will I be able to run the marathon still? Will my injury go away, or be under control in time to run 26.2 miles pain-free?

I’m really trying to stay positive, but after two weeks off and no results (in fact, feeling worse after 10 days off that I did after 5 days off)—it is tough!

Have you ever had an injury impede running a race? What did you do to handle being injured, but stay on top of your fitness? Have you ever had hip/knee/IT band issues? 

I think the biking is a decent workout, and all these new exercises are definitely pushing me, but I just feel like without running, I am losing my fitness. Fast.

Chicago Marathon Training, Week 11 recap

This recap of week 11 will only be summing up one thing: rest. If you didn’t see, I’m staving off an injury, so this week was pretty light on workouts…

Sunday, August 25^th: rest

Monday: cross train – biking
Since my knee hurt so bad after Saturday’s run, I thought a few rest days were in order to help it get back to 100%. I foam rolled, iced and did some PT exercises.

Tuesday: 5 miles • DNR
Rest + foam roll, ice, PT.

Wednesday: 5 miles • DNR
Rest + foam roll, ice, PT.

Thursday: 5 miles • 3 miles
After three days off, I was hopeful that I could do a test run and there’d be no pain. My knee did feel just fine until around 2.5 miles, then a dull ache started to settle in. By mile 3 I knew it was going to keep getting worse, so I stopped before that could happen.

Friday: rest
Rest + foam roll, ice, PT.

Saturday: 18 miles • DNR
I knew there was no way I’d get through 18 miles without any pain, so I called this run off. Rest + foam roll, ice, PT.

This week’s schedule:
This is all very up in the air. Here’s what my schedule should be, but I’ll probably sub most workouts with biking. I’m seeing a physical therapist on Tuesday evening so we’ll see what she suggests I should do, too… I’m feeling pretty optimistic that this second week of rest should help me get back to GOOD, so I won’t let this injury business get to me too much!

• Sunday: rest/PT
• Monday: 60 minutes cross-train
• Tuesday: 5 miles/PT – will substitute biking
• Wednesday: 8 miles – will substitute biking
• Thursday: 5 miles/PT – will substitute biking, or maybe try a run?
• Friday: rest
• Saturday: 13 miles (if I’m lucky????)

On a day off like today—sunny and a high of 70—I am just itching to go on a long trail run. You always want it more when you can’t run, don’t you?

How’s your training going? How do you deal with the frustration of injuries when you need to take time off? 

Chicago Marathon Training, Week 10 recap

Wow, week 10 is done already?! The weeks have really flown by, so I guess that means my training’s been going well. This week has had its ups and downs, though, as did my long run of 17 miles…and I might be dealing with a slight injury. 😦

Sunday, August 18^th: rest

Monday: 4 miles • 9:55/mile
I took some frustrations out on this run, so it was great to push it hard and feel accomplished when I finished. I ran the four miles progressively faster, with splits of 10:46, 10;33, 9:36 and 8:42. That last mile was fast!

Tuesday: cross train – biking
Met up with some lovely ladies for a medium-effort bike ride for an hour along the lake. Good time!

Wednesday: 4 miles • DNR
I wasn’t feeling a run and my legs were tired. I decided I’d run an easy couple miles on Friday to loosen up, but…See Friday’s recap.

Thursday: 8 miles • 10:43/mile
This run really pushed me. I met up with a couple people and we ran on trails for all 8 miles, which was fun. Trails are my favorite! Plus, it was great to give the legs a break from pounding pavement. The small hills and different muscles you use for trail running were really challenging, so by the end I was spent and glad to be done. Considering this was on trails, my pace per mile was quite fast; usually, I run around 11:15/mile pace for trails.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have pushed it so hard, because later that night my left knee started to ache a little. Usually my right knee gives me pain due to IT band issues, so it was weird that my left knee was yellin’ at me. I iced my knee, took some ibuprofen and figured it’d be fine, but it came back to haunt me Saturday…

Friday: rest
That trail run kicked my butt, and I was psyching myself out for Saturday’s long run, so I didn’t make up any miles from Wednesday’s missed run. I thought the more rest for my legs, the better!

Saturday: 17 miles • 10:38/mile
Well, I did it! In exactly 3 hours, I ran 17 miles.

I still can’t believe I actually ran that far!!!

My friend Jess ran with me, and thank goodness, because I don’t know if I could have done it without the support of another runner. I felt pretty good starting off, but by mile 6 or so my left knee started to ache again. I’m not sure how to even describe the pain, as it’s not the typical pain I feel from IT band issues in my other knee. This pain was on the side of the knee, on the outside, and sort of felt like what I’d imagine arthritis feels like? Sometimes it just felt achy, but then sometimes (especially after stopping for a minute to stretch) it was really painful. A few times it felt like my knee was going to simply give out. My left lower back was also tight and started to hurt, so I have to figure it’s probably all connected…

By mile 7, I could tell that the pain wasn’t going to go away, despite stopping to stretch, so I hoped for the best and gritted my teeth.

For 10 more miles.

I have to say, I kind of feel like a badass since I could deal with that pain for 10 miles. But, maybe I could also be called a dumbass for continuing to run with the pain, as afterwards my knee hurt so bad I was pretty much hobbling around all day.

I got in a [really wimpy] ice bath for 10 minutes when I got home, which I think helped all of my muscles. Matt thought the whole concept of the ice bath was pretty funny I guess, because he was quite eager to help pour all of the ice in and then take pictures of my reaction…

Brr.

The ice bath must have helped, because today (Sunday) I’m not sore and my knee is barely hurting at all when I walk, go up & down stairs, etc. Nonetheless, I think I’ll just be cross-training for a few days, and doing some detective work on what might be going on and how I can help it.

This week’s schedule:

• Sunday: rest/PT
• Monday: 60 minutes cross-train
• Tuesday: 5 miles/PT – will substitute biking
• Wednesday: 8 miles – will substitute biking
• Thursday: 5 miles/PT – will probably run a very easy 3-4 miles to see how my knee feels
• Friday: rest
• Saturday: 18 miles

Any ideas on what might be wrong with my knee? How do you deal with injuries during and after your runs? Any advice? 

Chicago Marathon Training, Week 9 recap

Week nine of Chicago Marathon training was pretty decent. I skipped one run, but I’m not going to worry about it too much. The upped mileage is starting to make me more tired than usual. In the beginning of training, I slept so well, and 8 hours of sleep each night was enough. But lately I haven’t been getting 8 hours each night, and even when I do, it doesn’t seem like enough. More miles = more sleep to recover. That’s my goal this week.

Sunday, August 11th: Bike (cross train)
I was cooped up inside all day. I decided to do my cross-training for the week so I could get some fresh air. It was good to loosen up my tired, tight legs after my 15-miler on Saturday.

Monday: rest

Tuesday: 4 miles • 10:23/mile
Had a group run with my running club. I felt really good for the first two miles of this run, but the last two miles I really struggled for some reason. I was glad when it was done…

Wednesday: 4 miles • DNR
I had to run some errands right after work Wednesday, so I didn’t get home ‘til 7. I was sooo hungry and tired by that point, I just blew off my 4-miler. If there’s ever a run to blow off, I guess it’s probably these easier, shorter ones.

Thursday: 7 miles
I ended up being glad I blew off Wednesday, because I was excited for the 7 miles of trail running on Thursday, and physically I felt great for ALL of it. It was one of those runs that leaves you giddy & smiling at the end, feeling like you could go run 7 more miles. (No pace recorded, I forgot to charge the Garmin.)

Friday: rest

Saturday: 13.1 miles • 10:17/mile (2:14:44)
I had a half-marathon on my schedule, so I met up with some people who are slightly faster than me in hopes they could push me along for a pseudo-half.

We ran on a beautiful trail with miles & miles of crushed gravel, some slight rolling hills, and gorgeous scenery of forests, wetlands & wildflowers. It’s my new favorite place. When we met there at 6:30, there was a heavy fog still lazing about, and brr! It wasn’t even 60 degrees.

The fog cleared as we started our trot, and eventually it started to warm up as the sun rose…

I started the run trying to stay up with the other ladies, but after a bit I realized I needed to hang back at my own “hard” pace so I wouldn’t burn out over the first 6.5 miles. When we turned at the halfway point, I stuck with them on the way back to push myself. I definitely ran hard, and my last mile was a 9:47! The last half was (for the most part) progressively faster:

A half time of 2:14 definitely beats my last half marathon time this year (2:28) back in late January, when I ran the Naples Half Marathon with my sisters in Florida. (That was a rough one, can’t say it was a good time at all.) 2:14 is also right around the times I put up for a few different half marathons last year (2:15 in April 2012, 2:11 in May 2012), so now that I look back, I’d say that was a solid run considering I wasn’t in racing conditions.

This week’s schedule:
• Sunday: rest/PT
• Monday: 60 minutes cross train
• Tuesday: 4 miles/PT
• Wednesday: 8 miles
• Thursday: 4 miles/PT
• Friday: rest
• Saturday: 17 miles (eeek)

Now that mileage is really starting to move up, I’m getting nervous. Those mid-week longer runs are kind of tough, and this week it’s upped to 8 miles. Remember when 9 weeks ago, 8 miles was a ‘long’ run for me?! Also, the 17-miler is the first long run that’s making me nervous. 17 MILES. That is a long ass way. I just need to remember how great I felt during my 15-miler, if I was good then, I will be fine for 2 more measly miles…

What was the highlight of your training this week? How do you deal with runs that psych you out?

My highlight was running on that new trail, a 13.1 PR for the year, and not feeling sore today after yesterday’s hard efforts. 🙂

Chicago Marathon Training, Week 8 Recap

It was an up & down week…  But it ended on a high (long) note. 🙂

Sunday, August 4^th: rest
I was sore and tired from Saturday. Took the day off to get work done around the house, and planned to bike Monday instead.

Monday: 60 minutes cross train
I did some bicep curls with a beer bottle…? Don’t worry, I made sure to alternate arms.

Tuesday: 4 miles • 11:31/mile
Ran a solo trail run. Despite the slower pace, I felt like I was cruisin’ most of the time. There’s something about the solitude of trail running, it’s so peaceful and serene. I love taking in the views.

I seriously felt like a deer prancing around. It was awesome. My legs were certainly a bit sore the next day from the hills and terrain, so it was a great workout.

Wednesday: 4 miles • 10:08/mile
My legs were still a little sore and sluggish for the first mile of this run, but after I loosened up, my splits were fantastic:

Mile 1 – 10:24
Mile 2 – 10:27
Mile 3 – 10:19
Mile 4 – 9:21 (!)

After pushing it, I made sure to foam roll & stretch really well, and got some PT exercises in for the knee.

Thursday: 7 miles • DNR
I was supposed to meet up with some friends to run this, but had to go to the police department instead. Boo.

Friday: rest
This week was rough and very mentally draining. I was sore & tired every day. I meant to run 3 miles just to stay loose, but I took a nap instead. I don’t really even like naps. I guess I needed it?

Saturday: 15 miles • 10:31/mile
Okay, for as much as the week drained me, and how off-track my training seemed…this run was FANTASTIC! Mentally and physically, I felt really good the whole time. And look at that overall pace—it is faster than usual, and this has been my longest run yet. (Yay for new distance PRs!)

My usual running buddy, Liz, couldn’t run, so I was solo for this long one. I think running alone almost helped me, because I was able to settle into “the zone” and slow down when I needed to, or speed up when I felt good. 15 miles was a little boring sometimes, all alone, but it was also relaxing, too. After such a long week, it was good to have some solitude and not have to think or talk for a couple hours.

My splits were GREAT:

I ran faster for the last half than I did for the first half. Exactly how you want to complete a good long run. The only reason my pace slowed on mile 12 was my attempting to send a few text messages and run at the same time (probably just as dangerous as texting & driving, FYI).

And uhh that last mile? 10:05 on mile 15, seriously?

YES.

This week’s schedule:

• Sunday: rest/PT
• Monday: 60 minutes cross train
• Tuesday: 4 miles
• Wednesday: 7 miles
• Thursday: 4 miles/PT
• Friday: rest
• Saturday: half marathon

I’m so glad the week ended on a high note. I’m excited to start over this week and hopefully hit all my workouts and make ‘em count. The work is paying off. 🙂

I have a half marathon on my schedule for next weekend’s long run, but I’m not signed up for one, so I may just run 13 miles all out and see how I do?

How was your training this week? What are you looking forward to in the week to come? 

Chicago Marathon Training, Week 7 Recap

After last week’s marginal training, I came back with a vengeance. I got in all my workouts in some form, despite tired/sore legs some days. I even managed to do 2 days of PT for the knee, and some ab work throughout the week too. Feelin’ good about it!

Sunday, July 28th: 9 mile long run • 10:49/mile
This recap got its own special blog post. Went pretty well!

Monday: 4 miles bike ride • 35 minutes
After my 9-miler on Sunday (especially because my knee was acting up), I thought it might be a good idea to give my knees a rest from pounding pavement. I went on a bike ride with Matt instead. It was fun, and my sore legs needed some movement to stretch them out.

Tuesday: 60 minutes cross train • bike ride
I went biking with a group of lovely ladies all around town for an hour, despite some sprinkles off & on. It felt like a fairly hard ride (my legs must have been tired from Sunday still?).

Wednesday: 4 miles 3.29 miles • 9:47/mile
There’s running in the rain…and then there’s running in a MONSOON. During this run, I was keeping a speedy pace (for me) and feeling great, when suddenly I noticed a massive amount of dark clouds barreling in my direction… I stopped to snap this picture:

Hmm, that doesn’t look good…

And two minutes later, the storm was unleashed upon me. Normally I would run in the rain, but it was coming down so hard, I could barely keep my eyes open, and my contact was floating around in my eye! I booked it home a mile in the torrential rain. So, if you saw a wet rat traipsing about in a neon yellow tank top Wednesday afternoon—not to worry, that was just me.

Thursday: 7 miles • 11:14/mile
This was an enjoyable, jumbled run. I met up with my marathon training buddy, Liz, and we did a mix of bike trail, road & grassy trail miles. I heart trail running. The first several miles on pavement were at a good clip; but the trail miles really slowed us down (which was just fine!). Also, FYI: A small ice cream cone after a tiring 7-miler tastes SUPERB.

Friday: Rest
My legs were ready for some rest. Proud that I accomplished some great workouts all week, as well as ate quite healthy. (Did I just write above that I had an ice cream cone?) I lost a pound this week, too. Boom.

Saturday: 14.3 miles • 10:55/mile
I DID IT! My longest run ever.

Until next week, when I run 15. Ha. Oh my…

The pace is off for this run; my Garmin started when I did, but only tracked time instead of distance, for some reason? The first .3 miles weren’t calculated in. Adding in the stop to try to fix the darn watch, it said my first mile was 15 minutes! I feel good knowing that I would have been happy with a 10:55 pace, but I did even better…even if I don’t know exactly what it is.

This run was kind of up-and-down, which showed me how important it is not to get too into your head when running this far. I felt great the first few miles, even said so out loud to Liz, but during mile 4, my hips and legs started to feel very achy. I was kind of nervous how they’d fare for the following 10 miles, but I pushed it out of my mind and just focused on putting one foot in front of the other, and got lost in the random music playlist I had put together. (Note: Good music can make such a difference!)

We had been stopping quite a few times to stretch out achy limbs, adjust water belts, take bathroom/water breaks, etc. It’s always tough for me to get in the groove again after stopping mid-run, so as soon as I refrained from that, it seemed to help me feel less achy. From now on, I’m going to stop during my long runs as little as possible, only if I need to stretch something out or refill a water bottle, and see if that makes a difference!

When we finished, I was pretty excited—I mean, 14 miles is just long! But despite the long distance and running for about two and a half hours, I can’t say I ever really got “bored” during the run. Plus, it was so fun to be greeted by my running club members with applause and congratulations on my longest run PR. Even though many of them have run marathons and can run a pace WAY faster than me, they all understand that feeling of pushing yourself to new heights, and setting & reaching goals. It is so great to have that kind of support group. If you aren’t in a running club, join one!!

Now here’s a gross picture of me & my post-long-run celebratory mimosa:

My hip flexors and quads are a bit sore today (Sunday), but the rest of my body feels pretty good. Best part: No pain in the knees. I better keep those PT exercises up this week.

This week’s schedule:
• Sunday: 60 minutes cross train
• Monday: rest/PT
• Tuesday: 4 miles
• Wednesday: 7 miles
• Thursday: 4 miles/PT
• Friday: rest
• Saturday: 15 miles

How were your workouts this week?

Sunday RunDay

After a busy weekend in Chicago at BlogHer ’13 (more on that coming later this week) I was anxious to get my long run in on Sunday. I slept in quite late, since I knew the temperatures were supposed to stay in the cool 60’s all day. I needed some extra zzz’s for sure…I conked out for almost 11 hours!

I figured that meant I was well rested and ready to run, so I took off in the early afternoon for my 9-miler. I was grateful it was a step-back week, as I did still pretty drained mentally from a crazy busy workweek & conferencing all weekend.

I took my run to a nearby trail. Two miles on the road and I arrived at the shady, pretty path. I don’t think I could have asked for a better day to run. I love the scenery, and the sky was so blue.

On days this beautiful, I never want to stop!

About 3 miles in, my right knee started to have some pain in it. UGH. I had already stopped to stretch, so I took my run to the grassy sides of the trail. It felt like it slowed me down a bit (the long grass needed mowed!) but it DID make the pain go away.

Note to self: Find more soft surfaces to run on.

(No, that’s not a tan, just a massive amount of freckles.) 

I ended up close to home at 9 miles, so I stopped at that point and walked several minutes ‘til I was back to home sweet home.

My splits were kind of all over the place, but I felt good at the end, as you can clearly see:

While a lot of my 20-something friends would be blowing up Facebook with their Sunday Funday pictures of drinks and shenanigans, I guess I have to nerd out and call this my version…Sunday RunDay. 🙂

I did, however, finish the run with two very important things at the top of mind:

1. Start doing some PT for the knee / overall strengthening ASAP. I was glad my knee stopped hurting during the run, but I kind of felt like that was a miracle. I probably shouldn’t push my luck.

2. We were ordering pizza for dinner.

Duh.

It’s back to normal this week with a full work schedule & healthy eating (I’m still trying to drop some pounds, but obviously relax those restrictions on the weekend…with pizza). Also, if you checked out my training recap with the upcoming week’s schedule, you’ll see my mileage hikes up a bit. I will complete my longest run ever on Saturday: 14 MILES. Eek!

Tonight, I’m meeting with a biking group for around 18 miles, and we’re having food + a bonfire afterwards. I love when my workouts turn into something social. It makes working out so much more enjoyable!

I think I need to start getting some additional fuel for these longer runs, besides the gummy deliciousness that is Shot Blocks. Any recommendations? 

And, what kind of overall strengthening do you do in addition to your running or workout routine?

Chicago Marathon Training, Week 6 Recap

After five weeks of stellar training, I had my first week inadequate training, to say the least. But, I’ll look for a positive: The slight pain in my knee is gone (for now) so I guess the unplanned rest was good for that…

Sunday, July 21^st: Rest day

Monday: 3 miles • DNR
I tried really hard to get this run in, but sometimes things just don’t work out the way you plan. I was at work at 6:30am to finish an important project that day. I hoped to run over lunch, then ended up having to work through lunch. No problem, I thought, I’ll just leave at 4pm and get in three miles before my evening plans.

…Then I got booked into a meeting until almost 5 o’clock. I had to meet my friends at 5:15 for a trip we planned to a running store about an hour away, so there was no wiggle room there. So, no run, despite all my good intentions. This whole work thing sure gets in the way of running! 😉 I did have an awesome trip to the running store, though, where I was evaluated and fit for new shoes (post to come on that sometime soon!).

Tuesday: 60 minutes cross train • DNR
My fiancé had come down with something a few days earlier and had to go to the doctor for antibiotics. I felt nauseous, had a headache and was so tired all day. By the time I got home, all I wanted to do was lay on the couch and go to sleep. Obviously no workout was happening that day, and I just crossed my fingers my body was fighting off whatever was attacking it.

Wednesday: 6 miles 3 miles • no pace recorded
Yay—I felt 90% back to normal. I only ran 3 miles because I didn’t want to push it (and my knee felt weird the whole run). My Garmin was dead so I just ran for 30 minutes at what felt like a fairly hard pace. It felt glorious to sweat.

Thursday: 3 miles •  DNR
Again—time was not on my side this day. I was prepping to go to the BlogHer conference, plus had to finish up not one but THREE “first priority” projects before I left work that day…which meant I was in early and stayed as late as possible. When I got home, I only had time to pack and then had to hop on a train to Chicago. I guess at least I walked a few miles once I got into Chicago?

Friday: Rest
I was up at 5am to get ready & leave for the BlogHer conference, and didn’t get home until about 10pm that night. Yawn.

Saturday: 9 miles  
The conference went all day, so there was no time to get in my long run. Planning to get the 9 miles in on Sunday (today) to make up for it!

This week’s schedule takes it up a notch:

• Sunday: 9 miles easy
• Monday: 4 miles
• Tuesday: 60 minutes cross train
• Wednesday: 7 miles
• Thursday: 4 miles
• Friday: rest
• Saturday: 14 miles

FYI: 14 miles will be my longest run…EVER! Wish me luck!

Let me know:
How do you deal with crappy training weeks? Do they get to you mentally, or do you just move on and not let them drag you down? 

I’m usually pretty good at moving forward & focusing on what I can do better this week, but there’s a small nagging in the back of my mind that says, I wish I could have at least gotten in a few more miles somewhere in there… But, I’ll just make sure this is a kick-ass week!