Rough week last week. I'll be making some phone calls in the morning to try to get into a doctor soon and then I'll have some decisions to make. I absolutely hate giving in on a fight before it knocks me out entirely. I'd rather run on a fractured bone right up until it breaks in two than stop early on. A big part of this is because I've had some very painful injuries in the past that went un-diagnosed and I got tired of people not believing me when I said how bad they were. Once an injury knocks you flat out, there's no denying that it was bad. But, at the same time, I think sometimes you have to swallow your wants and your pride and do what's best for your body. It would be so much easier for me to make a call if I was no longer fit or if I could not complete runs anymore, but every time I get ready to throw in the towel, I go sneak in a solid run. I'm still surprised that after three weeks of no running and then a month and a half of ten to 25 mile weeks I can still walk out and run three miles in sub 6:00 pace. I really, really, really want to hang in there for two more weeks so I can run a relay with some of the ladies in Dallas on December 9th, but I also don't want to jeopardize their record by not going into it fully fit or healthy enough to finish. If people are counting on me, I have to make the most responsible decision I know to make.
Sunday, November 25th
Core + 30' walk in the morning, finished with a half mile jog
4M: 2M easy, 2M of 32", 32" in the afternoon (7:17 AP)
COMMENTS: The pain on this run was pretty significant in the first mile but then eased up a bit in the second, so I decided if I was going to keep running I might as well throw some quality into it. My watch timer was set to beep every 32 seconds, so I started the timer and just alternated hard, easy. Mile splits were 8:43, 7:38, 6:28, 6:22. Definitely all that I needed to do today in terms of my leg, but I'm pleased with that. If I can string together two more weeks of this, that's the same thing I've been doing up until now and it's worked fairly well. No sense in getting greedy!
Monday, November 26th
Rehab exercises + core before work
4M naturally progressive during lunch (7:12 AP)
COMMENTS: I started the run with Jake and then decided to stop after a mile because it was too painful. After going inside to get a core mat and coming back out, I realized the pain had already released significantly so I decided to get in the rest of my run. Waited for Jake to come through his second mile and then jumped back in with him for his last two, finishing my fourth mile solo. Mile splits were 8:15, 7:10, 6:55, 6:30.
Tuesday, November 27th
4M easy with Jake (no Garmin)
COMMENTS: No Garmin or workout today; it was actually an unplanned run. I was supposed to get some groceries during lunch and take today off, but Jake wanted company and I've got to be able to run more than 3 days at a time eventually, right?! It felt like a normal run to me, but Jake said he thought it was one of the best runs we've had together... maybe it was faster than I thought. Who knows!
Wednesday, November 28th
Rest day. Core & rehab exercises only.
Thursday, November 29th
Core workout before work
4M with Jake during lunch (no Garmin)
COMMENTS: Ran on the gravel loop at DBU with Jake. Lots of pain on this run, maybe just because of the unstable surface? We started relatively easy but got to rolling pretty good by the end.
Friday, November 30th
Core workout before work
4.6M with Jake on the streets in Grand Prairie (no Garmin)
COMMENTS: Very good run if it weren't for the bad knee pain. I felt so fresh and strong - probably because I'm running so little these days and I haven't done a quality workout this week since I'm running with Jake on his doubles. I may try to slip in some 30/30's or cut down miles tomorrow. Anyways, not sure the total distance or pace today but we ran just shy of 33 minutes and the last bit was probably sub 6:30 pace for me.
Saturday, December 1st
30' with Jake at Prayer Mountain trails (no Garmin)
COMMENTS: Tolerated the trails much better than I expected... pain really wasn't any different than on a normal run. Only big difference from what I've been doing is the slower pace from frequent turns and watching roots.
**Update: I'm much more confident after this week in the relay! I have no doubts that I'll be able to get in a good warm up and complete ~4+ miles at a good pace. Just have to be tough mentally! :)
11.25.2012
11.20.2012
It's the week of giving thanks! (19M)
Sunday, November 18th
rest day. 2 sets of push ups, bicycle kicks, superman, 60" dynamic plank
Monday, November 19th
20' HIIT bike + 2 x strength circuit before work
4M: 2M easy, 2M progressive during lunch
dry needle session after work
COMMENTS: Almost stopped before I finished the first mile today as I had a lot of pain in my right ankle and still in my left groin, thigh, and knee. I decided I've already messed it up, though, so I might as well get some work in?! 2M easy in 15:50 followed by 2M progressive uptempo in 6:29 and 6:13.
Tuesday, November 20th
5M easy Last minute decision to travel to The Woodlands when I got off work... no chance to run.
Wednesday, November 21st
4M easy with 30", 90" for the last ten minutes
COMMENTS: Didn't have too bad of pain in my leg until I got to mile 2 and then it kicked in pretty bad. Finished out the run with my 30" surges and felt much less tired after those than when I started run.
Thursday, November 22nd
2.3M of easy running to warm up
5M turkey trot race --- 3M turkey trot
COMMENTS: I knew when I started my warm up that I had an uphill battle ahead of me. It was extremely painful... I haven't run in the morning since all of this started and I think that was a big part of it. I told Jake before the start that I didn't know if I could run, but we decided I would line up and try. I came thru mile 1 at 5:59 - Perfect. Mile 2, 5:54 - Even better (goal was to avg 6:00 pace for the full 5 miles). Turned a corner, and bam, a sharp pain in my hip and knee that I'm all too familiar with now. I knew I was running perfectly pace wise and I was surrounded by other people that I figured could pull me to a great run, so I decided to give it a chance to fizzle out. At 2.5 it was getting worse and I was having to alter my stride quite a bit. I looked down and saw I was averaging 6:14 pace. At that point I knew I was in a lose-lose situation. There were 6+ ladies in front of me (no way I was going to place), I was well off PR pace (no chance of bettering my running resume), and I was in serious pain. I decided that I would finish out mile 3 at a good effort and call it a day. Came through mile 3 in 18:01 and stepped to the side. I walked for quite a bit and then got restless about the pain of walking and how far I had left to get back, so I tried to "trot" back - That's when I knew without a doubt I made the right choice. Oh well - no loss with trying. Got in 3 miles harder than I would've if I went out for a five mile run, so surely it did something good for me.
Friday, November 23rd
Rest day... too much pain to run on.
Saturday, November 24th
30' easy with Jake at the soccer fields
COMMENTS: Felt just fine physically, but terrible pain from step one. Made for a pretty miserable experience. :( Hopefully Monday's treatment will help some. :(
rest day. 2 sets of push ups, bicycle kicks, superman, 60" dynamic plank
Monday, November 19th
20' HIIT bike + 2 x strength circuit before work
4M: 2M easy, 2M progressive during lunch
dry needle session after work
COMMENTS: Almost stopped before I finished the first mile today as I had a lot of pain in my right ankle and still in my left groin, thigh, and knee. I decided I've already messed it up, though, so I might as well get some work in?! 2M easy in 15:50 followed by 2M progressive uptempo in 6:29 and 6:13.
Tuesday, November 20th
Wednesday, November 21st
4M easy with 30", 90" for the last ten minutes
COMMENTS: Didn't have too bad of pain in my leg until I got to mile 2 and then it kicked in pretty bad. Finished out the run with my 30" surges and felt much less tired after those than when I started run.
Thursday, November 22nd
2.3M of easy running to warm up
COMMENTS: I knew when I started my warm up that I had an uphill battle ahead of me. It was extremely painful... I haven't run in the morning since all of this started and I think that was a big part of it. I told Jake before the start that I didn't know if I could run, but we decided I would line up and try. I came thru mile 1 at 5:59 - Perfect. Mile 2, 5:54 - Even better (goal was to avg 6:00 pace for the full 5 miles). Turned a corner, and bam, a sharp pain in my hip and knee that I'm all too familiar with now. I knew I was running perfectly pace wise and I was surrounded by other people that I figured could pull me to a great run, so I decided to give it a chance to fizzle out. At 2.5 it was getting worse and I was having to alter my stride quite a bit. I looked down and saw I was averaging 6:14 pace. At that point I knew I was in a lose-lose situation. There were 6+ ladies in front of me (no way I was going to place), I was well off PR pace (no chance of bettering my running resume), and I was in serious pain. I decided that I would finish out mile 3 at a good effort and call it a day. Came through mile 3 in 18:01 and stepped to the side. I walked for quite a bit and then got restless about the pain of walking and how far I had left to get back, so I tried to "trot" back - That's when I knew without a doubt I made the right choice. Oh well - no loss with trying. Got in 3 miles harder than I would've if I went out for a five mile run, so surely it did something good for me.
Friday, November 23rd
Rest day... too much pain to run on.
Saturday, November 24th
30' easy with Jake at the soccer fields
COMMENTS: Felt just fine physically, but terrible pain from step one. Made for a pretty miserable experience. :( Hopefully Monday's treatment will help some. :(
11.12.2012
Pressing on... (25M)
I'm going to try running three days on, one off this week. My knee is holding steady (thank you!!) but my ankle is getting progressively worse, particularly in the early mornings. I'm hoping to get it checked out again this week.
Sunday, November 11th
4M run with Jake in the neighborhood (7:26 AP)
COMMENTS: Nothing fancy on this one... I felt terrible (stomach-wise) so it made the run feel pretty crummy, BUT it was my first time to run three days straight so I'm pleased with that! I tried to do a couple of Jake's form drills with him after the run but my ankle wasn't allowing it. I tried to push off for a high knee and nope, not happening. So then I tried a butt kick and no, that wasn't happening either. Ouch. It's so strange because when I was resting for those first few weeks after my knee blew up, high knees and butt kicks were two of my staple keep busy and moving exercises.
Monday, November 12th
rest day. 5' jump rope + 2 sets of a strength circuit
Tuesday, November 13th
20' bike with 7 x 30" sprint, 90" recovery before work
5M: 2M easy, 3M of 30", 30" fartlek in the neighborhood during lunch (6:55AP)
COMMENTS: I am likely off on the AP for this run as I didn't have a Garmin to use. Very good quality regardless; I am guessing around 6:30 pace for the first mile of the fartlek portion, cutting down slightly from there. Not much pain during the run itself, only before and after. :)
Wednesday, November 14th
10' bike + 2 sets of same strength circuit as Monday... very good mix of exercises
5M: 2M easy, 3M time trial in the neighborhood during lunch (6:47 AP)
COMMENTS: Made a last minute decision (as in at 9:40 in the morning while eating a second bowl of oatmeal and drinking coffee) that I would time trial a 5k during lunch. Ran two miles easy with Jake and then we set out for the 5k. Very glad he was out there because his twig like body at least resembled (in my mind) some form of protection from the wind every time we got to the long uphill stretch. :) Warm up averaged 8:05 pace, then ran the 3 miles in 5:54, 5:56, 5:55. Did not run 5K as my late and large breakfast was not thrilled about the intensity level and I did not want to taste breakfast twice... three miles was close enough for me. :) As I am writing, however, my leg is killing me. Ice and advil have already been started.
Thursday, November 15th
4M run with Jake during lunch (~7:30 AP)
COMMENTS: Very painful knee, hip, and groin today, but other than that, felt very good. No garmin... we ran on the gravel trail at DBU... first time off the Capella Park paved loop! Woohoo!
Friday, November 16th
rest day. 30' interval bike before work + 10' warm up and strength circuit during lunch
Saturday, November 17th
7+M with Jake on Trinity River Corridor (~7:15 AP)
Total Weekly Mileage: 25M
Sunday, November 11th
4M run with Jake in the neighborhood (7:26 AP)
COMMENTS: Nothing fancy on this one... I felt terrible (stomach-wise) so it made the run feel pretty crummy, BUT it was my first time to run three days straight so I'm pleased with that! I tried to do a couple of Jake's form drills with him after the run but my ankle wasn't allowing it. I tried to push off for a high knee and nope, not happening. So then I tried a butt kick and no, that wasn't happening either. Ouch. It's so strange because when I was resting for those first few weeks after my knee blew up, high knees and butt kicks were two of my staple keep busy and moving exercises.
Monday, November 12th
rest day. 5' jump rope + 2 sets of a strength circuit
Tuesday, November 13th
20' bike with 7 x 30" sprint, 90" recovery before work
5M: 2M easy, 3M of 30", 30" fartlek in the neighborhood during lunch (6:55AP)
COMMENTS: I am likely off on the AP for this run as I didn't have a Garmin to use. Very good quality regardless; I am guessing around 6:30 pace for the first mile of the fartlek portion, cutting down slightly from there. Not much pain during the run itself, only before and after. :)
Wednesday, November 14th
10' bike + 2 sets of same strength circuit as Monday... very good mix of exercises
5M: 2M easy, 3M time trial in the neighborhood during lunch (6:47 AP)
COMMENTS: Made a last minute decision (as in at 9:40 in the morning while eating a second bowl of oatmeal and drinking coffee) that I would time trial a 5k during lunch. Ran two miles easy with Jake and then we set out for the 5k. Very glad he was out there because his twig like body at least resembled (in my mind) some form of protection from the wind every time we got to the long uphill stretch. :) Warm up averaged 8:05 pace, then ran the 3 miles in 5:54, 5:56, 5:55. Did not run 5K as my late and large breakfast was not thrilled about the intensity level and I did not want to taste breakfast twice... three miles was close enough for me. :) As I am writing, however, my leg is killing me. Ice and advil have already been started.
Thursday, November 15th
4M run with Jake during lunch (~7:30 AP)
COMMENTS: Very painful knee, hip, and groin today, but other than that, felt very good. No garmin... we ran on the gravel trail at DBU... first time off the Capella Park paved loop! Woohoo!
Friday, November 16th
rest day. 30' interval bike before work + 10' warm up and strength circuit during lunch
Saturday, November 17th
7+M with Jake on Trinity River Corridor (~7:15 AP)
Total Weekly Mileage: 25M
11.04.2012
The blind training continues! (22M)
It looks like we've now made it to week 4 of training without any idea whether or not I'll be able to finish a day's run. And, so far, there have only been a handful where I wasn't able to! Wow! I won't say any of them felt good or that I am pain free during the daytime now, but, I am at least able to run an average of 4 miles at a time before I have to call it a day (which I consider worthwhile)! I figure if I can keep stringing together 20 mile weeks with half the mileage at AT pace, then I'm at least going to come out of this ready to train when my leg can handle it. Keeping things simple and short again while we try to figure out how to get me healthy enough to KNOW I can finish my runs when I set out for the day! :)
Sunday, November 4th
5M: 2M easy, 3M steady at noon (7:01 AP)
18M bike around the lake while Jake ran
COMMENTS: Once again, the effort level was controlled, comfortable, but still a run; unfortunately, the legs/ ankle weren't being very amicable today. Mile splits were 8:01, 7:34, 6:37, 6:34, 6:24.
Monday, November 5th
Rest day. Didn't cross train at all; only did core exercises. Trying to "really" give my leg a break when I don't run.
Tuesday, November 6th
35' stationary bike with 15 x 30" hard, 90" easy
4M naturally progressive with Jake at noon (7:23 AP)
COMMENTS: Definitely still having a lot of pain in my hip, along my IT band, down my inner thigh, and in my right ankle. It's driving me crazy because I'm used to injuries that you can run through feeling better after some down time and this doesn't seem to do that. Everyone keeps telling me that IT bands take a really, really long time to heal though, so I just have to be patient! :/ Anyway, our mile splits today were 8:04, 7:30, 7:10, 6:50. I was glad I got to run with Jake and have some time to catch up about our days, but unless my daily runs drop to about 30" faster this will probably be the last one we do together! It was just perfect for me though... Hard enough effort at the end to make it worth the run, but not so hard I'm huffing and puffing or tight after we're done.
Wednesday, November 7th
5M: 2M easy, 2M of 30" quick, 30" recovery, 1M easy (7:08 AP)
30' bike after work
COMMENTS: I did not expect to run today as I had a lot of pain all morning, but every mile I felt like it would hold up for one more so I just kept going! So thankful!! :) I've been going into the 30"/30" workouts with more anxiety than the steady or naturally progressive runs (I suppose because I don't know what will happen when I try to run hard?), but they've all gone surprisingly quick and have been really enjoyable. Mile splits today were 8:36, 7:49, 6:18, 6:06, 6:55. If nothing else, I can at least encouraged that all of my workouts have improved every time I've repeated them.
Thursday, November 8th
20' bike
Still in a lot of pain, so really not motivated to workout.. I feel like I'm halfway doing things because I don't want to be "hurting" myself and I'm still not convinced that that's not what I'm doing.
Fridaay, November 9th
20' walk & rehab exercises before work
4M: 2M easy, 2M steady at noon (7:21 AP)
COMMENTS: Went by the trainer's office at DBU today before I ran to see what they thought about my ankle. They said where it hurts is where two bones meet, but that since I can turn my ankle without pain that I probably don't need to be concerned. I still have significant pain with walking or any weight on it though, ESPECIALLY in the mornings, so I'm not sure what I need to do. I ended up running after all and got in four on the treadmill before getting back to work. 8:40: 7:39, 6:38, 6:30. Weird to do this on the treadmill and not running on land without knowing pace!
Saturday, November 10th
4M naturally progressive on the treadmill (7:37 AP) + core & rehab exercises
COMMENTS: Got it in again... I'll let you guess the rest of the details. :) Mile splits today were 8:20, 7:55, 7:25, 6:50. Again, very hard to do this on the treadmill... takes a lot more patience and self control!!
Total Weekly Mileage: 22M
Monday, November 5th
Rest day. Didn't cross train at all; only did core exercises. Trying to "really" give my leg a break when I don't run.
Tuesday, November 6th
35' stationary bike with 15 x 30" hard, 90" easy
4M naturally progressive with Jake at noon (7:23 AP)
COMMENTS: Definitely still having a lot of pain in my hip, along my IT band, down my inner thigh, and in my right ankle. It's driving me crazy because I'm used to injuries that you can run through feeling better after some down time and this doesn't seem to do that. Everyone keeps telling me that IT bands take a really, really long time to heal though, so I just have to be patient! :/ Anyway, our mile splits today were 8:04, 7:30, 7:10, 6:50. I was glad I got to run with Jake and have some time to catch up about our days, but unless my daily runs drop to about 30" faster this will probably be the last one we do together! It was just perfect for me though... Hard enough effort at the end to make it worth the run, but not so hard I'm huffing and puffing or tight after we're done.
Wednesday, November 7th
5M: 2M easy, 2M of 30" quick, 30" recovery, 1M easy (7:08 AP)
30' bike after work
COMMENTS: I did not expect to run today as I had a lot of pain all morning, but every mile I felt like it would hold up for one more so I just kept going! So thankful!! :) I've been going into the 30"/30" workouts with more anxiety than the steady or naturally progressive runs (I suppose because I don't know what will happen when I try to run hard?), but they've all gone surprisingly quick and have been really enjoyable. Mile splits today were 8:36, 7:49, 6:18, 6:06, 6:55. If nothing else, I can at least encouraged that all of my workouts have improved every time I've repeated them.
Thursday, November 8th
20' bike
Still in a lot of pain, so really not motivated to workout.. I feel like I'm halfway doing things because I don't want to be "hurting" myself and I'm still not convinced that that's not what I'm doing.
Fridaay, November 9th
20' walk & rehab exercises before work
4M: 2M easy, 2M steady at noon (7:21 AP)
COMMENTS: Went by the trainer's office at DBU today before I ran to see what they thought about my ankle. They said where it hurts is where two bones meet, but that since I can turn my ankle without pain that I probably don't need to be concerned. I still have significant pain with walking or any weight on it though, ESPECIALLY in the mornings, so I'm not sure what I need to do. I ended up running after all and got in four on the treadmill before getting back to work. 8:40: 7:39, 6:38, 6:30. Weird to do this on the treadmill and not running on land without knowing pace!
Saturday, November 10th
4M naturally progressive on the treadmill (7:37 AP) + core & rehab exercises
COMMENTS: Got it in again... I'll let you guess the rest of the details. :) Mile splits today were 8:20, 7:55, 7:25, 6:50. Again, very hard to do this on the treadmill... takes a lot more patience and self control!!
Total Weekly Mileage: 22M
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