Plan A was my previous "best" training schedule - Two rest days, two workout days, two natural run days, and one hard long run day. Unfortunately, my body has not taken too kindly to the method during this quick build up. Plan B is going to be lots of "easy" mileage. No hard scheduled workouts, just two rest days, three moderate length natural runs, and two long runs. We figure if I want to run a half, I need to at least be able to finish it.
You can't bake a pie in a microwave, so we're going to have to pick the next best treat that you CAN make in a microwave. Finishing the race is better than flying down the streets for 8 miles and stepping off, so it's time to prepare for completing the full 13.1.
Sunday, January 27th
Planned rest day #1
Monday, January 28th
6M (half pavement/ half gravel)
Physical Therapy
*I ran with Jake today and he said it was a good run, so at least I'm out of my 9 minute mile phase!! My knee and ankle bothered me a lot on this run, but I have PT tonight so hopefully they are a little better tomorrow!
Tuesday, January 29th
6M with 4 strides (pavement)
*I ran with Jake again today. It was ridiculously windy so I decided not to look at my watch until we finished. Turns out we averaged somewhere around 7:20 pace - No wonder it felt so hard! :) My ankle and foot were extremely painful today though... particularly after the run. My phone rang in the other room a couple hours after we finished and I didn't know if I'd get there in time!! Strides got better with each one.
Wednesday, January 30th
11M comfortable (treadmill)
Physical Therapy
*I opted for the treadmill for this one since it was below 40 degrees and 16+ mph winds! Started very pedestrian and picked it up frequently over the first couple miles. Once I got to the lower half of the 7:00 pace range I just settled in. Splits were 8:30, 7:45, 7:26, 7:22, 7:16, 7:12, 7:12, 7:11, 7:09, 7:03, 7:00. I stopped after three miles to use the restroom and try taking a GU (which by the way seemed to have no effect other than quenching my hunger). I picked it up a tad the last couple miles just because I was ready to be done. My left knee got very, very painful starting around 6 miles and my ankle was bad as well. :/ Thankful that Friday is off (but I am happy with this run!)!
Thursday, January 31st
Planned rest day #2
Friday, February 1st
6M with strides (some pavement, mostly gravel)
*I ran to the gravel trail at DBU, did three big loops and two small loops, and then ran home. I stopped my watch at the intramural fields on campus to get in my strides on a soft surface. I still get really tired on my runs about 4.5 miles in. Possibly worst ankle pain I've had in a while on this one.. :/
Saturday, February 2nd
13M comfortable (gravel)
*I waited until the last minute to get this run done because I was dreading finding out how my ankle would feel and I was pretty tired from two late nights in a row. Thankfully, me being tired didn't really affect the run. If the wind had been about 15mph less I would've really had a perfect running day! ;) My ankle is continuing to bother me, especially when I turn right (right ankle). Hoping to find out more about it this week. My right hip flexor and left knee are beat up as well. I intentionally did not make myself push the pace today because it honestly took everything I had to convince myself it was okay to run. Even still, I averaged 7:18 pace which was very promising to me. I added 10 miles this week compared to last week, so we'll see how I feel the next few days!! :)
1.26.2013
1.19.2013
Thank you Green Oaks PT! (31.5M)
I have to admit, I was skeptical of their back and tendonitis theories at first, but am beyond happy with the way things have been improving! Last week I went from terrible pain walking on Sunday to very low level pain running on Saturday! And I didn't miss a single mile!
I have only been back to running for three weeks, and last week I got in 32 miles, a 5 mile run averaging 6:54 pace, some solid hill repeats, and an 11 mile run averaging 7:09 pace. I'm a happy camper and very thankful to my husband for his coaching expertise! :)
Sunday, January 20th
4M, 5x100
60' bike
*I ran 4 minutes and had so many achey joints that I called it quits. Then, I started driving to the gym to bike, but my ears were hurting so bad I just turned the car around. I figure with Jake having the flu it's not worth me tiring my immune system for a recovery bike. Especially now that I have long runs. I'll make up the 4 miles later this week.
Monday, January 21st
2M warm up, 4M hill climb (pavement)
Physical Therapy
*I ran extremely slow for my warm up, so I was worried about how the pace transition would go when I started the climb, but boy was it smooth!! I looked down when I heard the 800m beep and I was at 6:34 pace... I put the brakes on quick! :) After that, it was a mix between, feeling strong as I reached the tops of each climb to practically walking when I was on several of the longer/ steeper parts. I started choking on mucus again after the first mile and had to make a quick pit stop at 2 miles to clear my nose, throat, and mouth (it did not help for long!). Miles this week were 6:39, 6:44, 6:31, 6:37 (6:38 avg). Normally slowing down in a run would bother me, but with the elevation changes in each mile, the faster ones make sense. Very pleased with a 25 second improvement in pace compared with my 3M climb two weeks ago!
Tuesday, January 22nd
45' bike and weights
5M (pavement)
*Felt like trash - Ankle, foot, and heel hurt a lot and my legs were extremely heavy and week. Needless to say, I shuffled thru most of the run, but finally started feeling a little more smooth towards the end.
Wednesday, January 23rd
35' bike before work
4M, 4x100 during lunch (gravel)
Physical Therapy after work
*Very tired, stiff, heavy, tight, weak, and achey today. Would you like any more adjectives? :) Needless to say, I slogged through this run and am hoping tomorrow is a different story! PT was especially painful as they did a lot of deep tissue work on my foot. I literally started sweating it was so painful!
Thursday, January 24th
15' bike before work
2M warm up, 2 x 1.5M, 800m jog recovery after each (track)
*Woke up extremely fatigued and with terrible foot and ankle pain, so I biked 15 minutes and that's it. Jake chose to do his run with me when I did my workout at 5, which I certainly enjoy - though I do feel particularly bad for him after tonight's run. It's been two hours since we finished and my cheeks, arms, hamstrings, quads, and calves are all still shaking. And my stomach is still twisted up. I am very embarrassed by the times, but this is the most deep I've dug in a long time. Warmed up, 9:40, 4:40, 9:42, 4:10.
Friday, January 25th
Rest (tired, weak, and achey... not in the normal hard training way)
Saturday, January 26th
11M with last 3M uptempo 10.5M (gravel)
*I just flat out felt empty, as I have almost all week. The aches and pains aren't slowing me down at all; they hurt and are annoying, but they don't slow me down. It's as if my legs and arms are full of lead, my stomach is twisted up at full tension, and my lungs and throat are being squished inward. I stopped at 10.5 - pretty sure by that point I was doing more damage than good. I'm still not feeling better. Next week we're changing the plan of attack. No more "workouts". Just more mileage and getting in natural runs. Paces today were 8:37, 8:03, 7:39, 7:35, 7:27, 7:25, 7:20, 7:23, 7:04, 6:52, 6:53(.5M) for a 7:31 average.
I have only been back to running for three weeks, and last week I got in 32 miles, a 5 mile run averaging 6:54 pace, some solid hill repeats, and an 11 mile run averaging 7:09 pace. I'm a happy camper and very thankful to my husband for his coaching expertise! :)
Sunday, January 20th
*I ran 4 minutes and had so many achey joints that I called it quits. Then, I started driving to the gym to bike, but my ears were hurting so bad I just turned the car around. I figure with Jake having the flu it's not worth me tiring my immune system for a recovery bike. Especially now that I have long runs. I'll make up the 4 miles later this week.
Monday, January 21st
2M warm up, 4M hill climb (pavement)
Physical Therapy
*I ran extremely slow for my warm up, so I was worried about how the pace transition would go when I started the climb, but boy was it smooth!! I looked down when I heard the 800m beep and I was at 6:34 pace... I put the brakes on quick! :) After that, it was a mix between, feeling strong as I reached the tops of each climb to practically walking when I was on several of the longer/ steeper parts. I started choking on mucus again after the first mile and had to make a quick pit stop at 2 miles to clear my nose, throat, and mouth (it did not help for long!). Miles this week were 6:39, 6:44, 6:31, 6:37 (6:38 avg). Normally slowing down in a run would bother me, but with the elevation changes in each mile, the faster ones make sense. Very pleased with a 25 second improvement in pace compared with my 3M climb two weeks ago!
Tuesday, January 22nd
45' bike and weights
5M (pavement)
*Felt like trash - Ankle, foot, and heel hurt a lot and my legs were extremely heavy and week. Needless to say, I shuffled thru most of the run, but finally started feeling a little more smooth towards the end.
Wednesday, January 23rd
35' bike before work
4M, 4x100 during lunch (gravel)
Physical Therapy after work
*Very tired, stiff, heavy, tight, weak, and achey today. Would you like any more adjectives? :) Needless to say, I slogged through this run and am hoping tomorrow is a different story! PT was especially painful as they did a lot of deep tissue work on my foot. I literally started sweating it was so painful!
Thursday, January 24th
15' bike before work
2M warm up, 2 x 1.5M, 800m jog recovery after each (track)
*Woke up extremely fatigued and with terrible foot and ankle pain, so I biked 15 minutes and that's it. Jake chose to do his run with me when I did my workout at 5, which I certainly enjoy - though I do feel particularly bad for him after tonight's run. It's been two hours since we finished and my cheeks, arms, hamstrings, quads, and calves are all still shaking. And my stomach is still twisted up. I am very embarrassed by the times, but this is the most deep I've dug in a long time. Warmed up, 9:40, 4:40, 9:42, 4:10.
Friday, January 25th
Rest (tired, weak, and achey... not in the normal hard training way)
Saturday, January 26th
*I just flat out felt empty, as I have almost all week. The aches and pains aren't slowing me down at all; they hurt and are annoying, but they don't slow me down. It's as if my legs and arms are full of lead, my stomach is twisted up at full tension, and my lungs and throat are being squished inward. I stopped at 10.5 - pretty sure by that point I was doing more damage than good. I'm still not feeling better. Next week we're changing the plan of attack. No more "workouts". Just more mileage and getting in natural runs. Paces today were 8:37, 8:03, 7:39, 7:35, 7:27, 7:25, 7:20, 7:23, 7:04, 6:52, 6:53(.5M) for a 7:31 average.
1.13.2013
Week 3 on an iffy foot and ankle (32M)
Sunday, January 13th
4M in the afternoon (treadmill)
60' bike after the run
*Middle to front outside of my foot is still very painful, as is my ankle. I'm hoping it's all just peroneal tendonitis though - in which case I can run through it. My legs were sore today as well, not sure it's from the new strength exercises I did last night or from the mileage or intensity (please don't laugh at either of those possibilities!) from last week. At any rate, hoping to feel much better for tomorrow morning's workout! :)
Monday, January 14th
30' bike, stretching, foam rolling, icing, & heating before work
6M progressive during lunch (treadmill)
Physical Therapy after work
*Almost did not run today, but decided that with PT being tonight and tomorrow being off, it's the best day for me to choose to run through a pain. I did the first two miles by bumping up the MPH .1 every minute, then for the rest of the run I bumped it up .1 every half mile. Splits came out to 8:07, 7:13, 7:01, 6:49, 6:40, 6:32 for a 7:06 average. I did the math and if you take out my warm up mile, it's a 5M progression in 6:54 pace... huge jump from my 7:16 average two weeks ago. Granted, that 7:16 pace includes the warm up mile from that day, so it really isn't that drastic of an improvement. Happy to have gotten the quality in today regardless. If I hadn't had the pains or boredom from a treadmill, I should've been able to continue one more mile.
Tuesday, January 15th
35' bike, weights, and foam rolling before work
35' bike and foam rolling during lunch
*Still icing and heating the foot and ankle, though the physical therapist thinks it may actually be pain from a nerve problem stemming from by back.
Wednesday, January 16th
35' bike before work
5M and 4x100 strides during lunch (mostly gravel, some pavement)
Physical Therapy after work
*Foot pain was slightly less today, which means rest helps (a good sign, I think!). I was definitely dragging on the run today, but my strides felt awesome. I did them on the uphill street in front of our house, which makes them feel much more smooth to me. Now if only I can get rid of this tightness, soreness, and fatigue!! :)
Thursday, January 17th
2M warm up, 5 x 3' hills (pavement)
Weights
*I think the PT is helping! I am feeling much more sure footed and my range of motion is improving in both my hip flexors and my ankle. Just have to be sure the PT improvements continue at a faster rate than my training can wear them down. :) Workout was solid and I went farther on all 5 repeats than I did two weeks ago, but I did a poor job gauging effort. Tightened up to the point of slow climb for the last few seconds of most reps.
Friday, January 18th
Physical Therapy before work
35' bike during lunch
Saturday, January 19th
11M at midday (gravel)
Physical therapy exercises and short strength work after run
*Finally a long run without any major aches and pains! It was very windy, but the warm air and sturdiness of my legs made the run well worth it! 7:46, 7:34, 7:25, 7:16, 7:10, 7:04, 7:03, 7:00, 6:54, 6:50, 6:41 for the splits, making it a 7:09 average pace. If I run first thing in the morning next week, I can be very confident I won't come close to this... Breakfast and hours walking around do wonders for those first few miles! :)
4M in the afternoon (treadmill)
60' bike after the run
*Middle to front outside of my foot is still very painful, as is my ankle. I'm hoping it's all just peroneal tendonitis though - in which case I can run through it. My legs were sore today as well, not sure it's from the new strength exercises I did last night or from the mileage or intensity (please don't laugh at either of those possibilities!) from last week. At any rate, hoping to feel much better for tomorrow morning's workout! :)
Monday, January 14th
30' bike, stretching, foam rolling, icing, & heating before work
6M progressive during lunch (treadmill)
Physical Therapy after work
*Almost did not run today, but decided that with PT being tonight and tomorrow being off, it's the best day for me to choose to run through a pain. I did the first two miles by bumping up the MPH .1 every minute, then for the rest of the run I bumped it up .1 every half mile. Splits came out to 8:07, 7:13, 7:01, 6:49, 6:40, 6:32 for a 7:06 average. I did the math and if you take out my warm up mile, it's a 5M progression in 6:54 pace... huge jump from my 7:16 average two weeks ago. Granted, that 7:16 pace includes the warm up mile from that day, so it really isn't that drastic of an improvement. Happy to have gotten the quality in today regardless. If I hadn't had the pains or boredom from a treadmill, I should've been able to continue one more mile.
Tuesday, January 15th
35' bike, weights, and foam rolling before work
35' bike and foam rolling during lunch
*Still icing and heating the foot and ankle, though the physical therapist thinks it may actually be pain from a nerve problem stemming from by back.
Wednesday, January 16th
35' bike before work
5M and 4x100 strides during lunch (mostly gravel, some pavement)
Physical Therapy after work
*Foot pain was slightly less today, which means rest helps (a good sign, I think!). I was definitely dragging on the run today, but my strides felt awesome. I did them on the uphill street in front of our house, which makes them feel much more smooth to me. Now if only I can get rid of this tightness, soreness, and fatigue!! :)
Thursday, January 17th
2M warm up, 5 x 3' hills (pavement)
Weights
*I think the PT is helping! I am feeling much more sure footed and my range of motion is improving in both my hip flexors and my ankle. Just have to be sure the PT improvements continue at a faster rate than my training can wear them down. :) Workout was solid and I went farther on all 5 repeats than I did two weeks ago, but I did a poor job gauging effort. Tightened up to the point of slow climb for the last few seconds of most reps.
Friday, January 18th
Physical Therapy before work
35' bike during lunch
Saturday, January 19th
11M at midday (gravel)
Physical therapy exercises and short strength work after run
*Finally a long run without any major aches and pains! It was very windy, but the warm air and sturdiness of my legs made the run well worth it! 7:46, 7:34, 7:25, 7:16, 7:10, 7:04, 7:03, 7:00, 6:54, 6:50, 6:41 for the splits, making it a 7:09 average pace. If I run first thing in the morning next week, I can be very confident I won't come close to this... Breakfast and hours walking around do wonders for those first few miles! :)
1.06.2013
Week 2 for TWM 2013 (27.5M)
Sunday, January 6th
4M and 3 strides in the morning (half pavement, half gravel)
60' bike + Big 12 in the afternoon
*Foot and ankle pain on the right side and slight shin pain on my left leg, but my knee was fine. Kept things relaxed today to see if I would feel any better tomorrow. I don't think I'll lose the soreness, but if I can knock out the fatigue I'll be good! No knee pain on the bike!!!!!!!! :D
Monday, January 7th
2M warm up, 3M uphill climb in the morning(pavement)
30' aqua jog during lunch
15' x-train + weights in the afternoon
*It was FREEZING cold this morning which made it very hard for me to breathe freely. I literally choked on junk several times because I couldn't cough it out and my mouth was so full of the sticky stuff. It's been three hours since I finished and I have not stopped blowing my nose or spitting stuff up - GROSS! Aside from that, the run felt good. I thought I was running great on the first mile, so needless to say I was disappointed to hear the split. Second mile was the hardest by far, especially on the second big hill. Third mile was perfect - If I had been able to breathe freely, I would have been able to tack on another mile or two. 7:09, 7:09, 6:50 at the mile markers. I didn't feel any foot pain this morning; ankle was a bit worse than it has been, but it was very cold and it was early, so I'm sure that had a little to do with it. Same slight shin pain on my left leg.
Tuesday, January 8th
35' aqua jog during lunch
35' bike + 2 sets of the core routine after work
Wednesday, January 9th
4M and 3 strides in the morning (pavement)
35' aqua jog during lunch
Physical Therapy after work
*Very solid rain during the entire run... I don't think I've ever done a run in that before - Sprinkles, yes, rain, no. It wasn't bad other than the fact that I felt like I was working really hard and really moving, and then my total run time came out to close to 8:30 pace (not sure how accurate my loop was though). I'm glad I didn't have to use a treadmill though. My strides were good as I did them on our uphill street, which forces good form. Ankle still hurt pretty bad but other than that nothing else seemed to be a problem today!
Thursday, January 9th
40' with 4x5',2' before work (track)
*I ran easy for 12 minutes and felt really weak, but decided to give things a go anyways. First 5 minute segment was around 7:00 pace based on the 400 splits I picked up, the second, 6:40ish, third, just under 6:40, the last 6:20ish. I never got to where it felt comfortable, but it was at least controlled when the wind was not against me. I couldn't have gone longer than 5' or done more reps this week though. Not a bad workout though!
Friday, January 10th
Physical Therapy before work
35' bike + core after work
Saturday, January 11th
9M, last 3 uptempo in the morning (gravel)
weights + core in the evening
*I have not had this much pain in my right for a very, very long time. :/ I'm hoping it just behaves like last week (small ache on Sunday and Monday, gone on Wednesday), but I am quite unnerved by it. Aside from that and my left hip flexor, I felt a little better today that I have. Certainly doesn't compare to past seasons, but for my second week back I felt just fine. 9:03, 8:13, 7:34, 7:35, 7:20, 7:23, 6:39, 6:36, 6:36 (7:26 avg). I had to stop several times for different reasons, so it was not truly continuous, but never more than 30" during my pit stops. Super happy to have gotten this in though. Just have to hope the foot is okay!
4M and 3 strides in the morning (half pavement, half gravel)
60' bike + Big 12 in the afternoon
*Foot and ankle pain on the right side and slight shin pain on my left leg, but my knee was fine. Kept things relaxed today to see if I would feel any better tomorrow. I don't think I'll lose the soreness, but if I can knock out the fatigue I'll be good! No knee pain on the bike!!!!!!!! :D
Monday, January 7th
2M warm up, 3M uphill climb in the morning(pavement)
30' aqua jog during lunch
15' x-train + weights in the afternoon
*It was FREEZING cold this morning which made it very hard for me to breathe freely. I literally choked on junk several times because I couldn't cough it out and my mouth was so full of the sticky stuff. It's been three hours since I finished and I have not stopped blowing my nose or spitting stuff up - GROSS! Aside from that, the run felt good. I thought I was running great on the first mile, so needless to say I was disappointed to hear the split. Second mile was the hardest by far, especially on the second big hill. Third mile was perfect - If I had been able to breathe freely, I would have been able to tack on another mile or two. 7:09, 7:09, 6:50 at the mile markers. I didn't feel any foot pain this morning; ankle was a bit worse than it has been, but it was very cold and it was early, so I'm sure that had a little to do with it. Same slight shin pain on my left leg.
Tuesday, January 8th
35' aqua jog during lunch
35' bike + 2 sets of the core routine after work
Wednesday, January 9th
4M and 3 strides in the morning (pavement)
35' aqua jog during lunch
Physical Therapy after work
*Very solid rain during the entire run... I don't think I've ever done a run in that before - Sprinkles, yes, rain, no. It wasn't bad other than the fact that I felt like I was working really hard and really moving, and then my total run time came out to close to 8:30 pace (not sure how accurate my loop was though). I'm glad I didn't have to use a treadmill though. My strides were good as I did them on our uphill street, which forces good form. Ankle still hurt pretty bad but other than that nothing else seemed to be a problem today!
Thursday, January 9th
40' with 4x5',2' before work (track)
*I ran easy for 12 minutes and felt really weak, but decided to give things a go anyways. First 5 minute segment was around 7:00 pace based on the 400 splits I picked up, the second, 6:40ish, third, just under 6:40, the last 6:20ish. I never got to where it felt comfortable, but it was at least controlled when the wind was not against me. I couldn't have gone longer than 5' or done more reps this week though. Not a bad workout though!
Friday, January 10th
Physical Therapy before work
35' bike + core after work
Saturday, January 11th
9M, last 3 uptempo in the morning (gravel)
weights + core in the evening
*I have not had this much pain in my right for a very, very long time. :/ I'm hoping it just behaves like last week (small ache on Sunday and Monday, gone on Wednesday), but I am quite unnerved by it. Aside from that and my left hip flexor, I felt a little better today that I have. Certainly doesn't compare to past seasons, but for my second week back I felt just fine. 9:03, 8:13, 7:34, 7:35, 7:20, 7:23, 6:39, 6:36, 6:36 (7:26 avg). I had to stop several times for different reasons, so it was not truly continuous, but never more than 30" during my pit stops. Super happy to have gotten this in though. Just have to hope the foot is okay!
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