7.27.2015

Week 7 (32M - 4:26 running, 2:35 x-training)

Monday, July 27
4M with last mile strong. [Track, Adistar Boost, DP 71.6, H 78%, T 78.8]. Average pace was 8:14. 8:59, 8:31, 8:12, 7:14. I felt much better on this than I expected to. In fact, during the first mile my stomach flipped and I thought I'd have to make this my double in order to get to a bathroom!! Came through the second mile feeling fine and decided to finish it out. No kick on the last mile... Trying to practice strong, not hard! Feet and pectineus were the two bigger problem spots today.
1.5M walk.
2M easy. [Treadmill, Launch 2]. Average pace 8:30. Set it to 8:34, then 8:27. Felt good... Amazing how much easier it is to run midday after you've already loosened up.
0.25M walk.
Weights. 3 x 5 reps.

Tuesday, July 28
Rest day.
CES Appointment.

Wednesday, July 29
.75M walk. Did this before my run instead of after because I wasn't sure if I should run today yet.
6M easy. [Track, Launch 2, DP 71.6, H 74%, T 80.6, W 9.2]. Average pace was 8:22. 9:01, 8:41, 8:27, 8:14, 8:01, 7:48. I wanted to run a zero pressure easy run today. Rhonda did a lot of deep, deep tissue work yesterday and I wasn't totally sure I should be running. I decided to enjoy the run and not look at any splits so that I wouldn't be tempted to run hard. On the third mile I estimated 9:30 pace because I was keeping so relaxed and my breathing was good. I had no problem with the slow pace because this is such a big jump in mileage. Turns out I had a textbook progression during the run without even trying! When I saw my last mile as I stopped the watch I was super pumped!! Left pectineus and left foot were the primary pains today.

Thursday, July 30
Rest day. Technically, 20' of 100m jog, 100m walk. Pectineus was really sore so I decided to swap Thursday and Friday so I could get in my chiro treatment before digging the hole deeper.
Chiropractor Appointment.

Friday, July 31
4M with last mile strong. [Katy Trail, Launch 2, DP 72, H 71%, T 82]. Average pace was 8:17. 9:04, 8:25, 8:20, 7:07. Pectineus felt night and day better on this run compared to when I tried yesterday. My legs on the other hand didn't feel so great. Yesterday they felt strong and peppy, today I was feeling super heavy and sluggish. Oh well, miles are in the book regardless! Left shin was bugging me so I'll treat that these next couple of days.
2M easy. [Treadmill, Launch 2]. Average pace was 8:30. 8:34, 8:27. Left foot and left shin were the only things that really bothered me. Left hip has been popping during leg swings before both runs today.
0.25M walk.
Weights. 3 x 5 reps.

Saturday, August 1
4M easy + strides. [Katy Trail, Launch 2, DP 62, H 51%, T 82]. Average pace was 8:27. 8:48, 8:15, 8:28, 8:15. Kept it nice and easy because my glutes/ hamstrings were tight and my shins were achy. Effort level was consistent the entire run, but the 2nd mile is a steady descent, so naturally the third mile is a steady gradual climb which explains the slower 3rd mile. 
1.5M walk.
2M easy. [Treadmill, Adistar Boost]. Average pace was 8:30. 8:34, 8:27. Both shins, left foot, and both glutes are still the culprits. BUT, if you go Sunday to Saturday instead of Monday to Sunday, I've just finished a 32 mile week!! :)
0.25M walk.

Sunday, August 2
8M easy. [WRL, Launch 2, DP 60, H 50%, T 80]. Average pace was 8:13. 8:35, 8:31, 8:26, 8:26, 8:19, 8:03, 7:46, 7:41. The first mile surprised me a bit. I was spooked on the first half mile and picked up the pace just to get to a more open area, and then I guess I settled at quicker pace than I normally would. I decided to try keeping the first six miles around 8:30 pace, but changed that to 8:20-8:30 on my third mile. Then I got mixed up mentally on the sixth mile and thought I had two to go. I picked up the pace and realized halfway through that I had three miles left, not two! So technically the last 2.5 miles were strong, not just the last two miles. Today my left foot hurt (new place... more to the outside) pretty bad for the first half of the run. My butt (I'm guessing the same ligaments) was stiff and and achy as well. Pectineus was good today!

7.20.2015

Week 6 (26M - 3:40 running, 2:50 x-training)

Monday, July 20th
4M run with last mile strong. [Treadmill, Launch 2] 8:15 was the average pace. 8:46, 8:30, 8:13, 7:30. Started at 8:49 and bumped the pace by 0.1mph every half mile. At the start of the last mile, I set it to 7:30 and left it there. No part of this run was too fast today; everything felt very controlled. Pectineus was actually better than yesterday, but my ankles were sore today.
2M walk. Took 28 minutes and HR ranged from 120 to 135.
Chiropractor Appointment.

Tuesday, July 21st
60' walk.

Wednesday, July 22nd
6M easy run. [Treadmill, Launch 2]. Average pace was 8:31. Started running outside, but my ankles were hurting pretty bad and I was worried about not being able to finish so I switched to the treadmill. Bumped the pace by .1mph at the end of each mile. 8:49, 8:41, 8:34, 8:27, 8:20, 8:13. Basically everything on the inside of my left leg hurt and everything on the outside of my right leg hurt. Plus both ankles. BUT, the efforts are feeling easy. I'm extremely pleased with how comfortable (effort wise) the runs are becoming.
0.5M walk. 

Thursday, July 23rd
4M run with last mile strong. [Treadmill, Launch 2]. Average pace was 8:25. 8:49, 8:41, 8:34, 7:30. Left foot hurt really bad today. As did my pectineus, ankles, etc. But that left foot was definitely the sore thumb after the run and throughout the morning. Legs were heavy and tired today.
1.5M walk.
Weights. 3 x 5 reps.

Friday, July 24th
Rest day.

Saturday, July 25th
4M easy run. [Katy Trail, Launch 2, DP 71.1, H 67%, T 82.9, W 5.8]. Average pace was 8:11. 8:40, 8:14, 7:59, 7:52. All of the same aches still, but nothing bad enough that it stood out over the others. Much faster run than I expected. I was 8:08 pace thru the first half of my second mile, but tried to put brakes on knowing that I didn't want to run as hard as last week.
1.5M walk.

Sunday, July 26th
8M easy run. [WRL, Launch 2, DP 69.1, H 65%, T 82, W 4.6]. Forgot my Garmin again, so I ran for time, just like last week. Pectineus is still sore, right shin is aching, both ankles are aching, and my butt ligaments are still aching. All that said, I was able to run the full 70 minutes without stopping. Fitness-wise, I'm feeling pretty good, just need to stay healthy so I can keep building.

7.16.2015

Week 5 (22M - 3:08 running, 1:32 x-training)

Monday, July 13
Rest day. Hip flexor hurt too bad to run.
Chiropractor appointment. Apparently it's my pectineus muscle that's messed up.

Tuesday, July 14
2M easy. [Treadmill, Launch 2] Average pace was 8:44. 8:52, 8:36. Felt good muscularly still and actually planned on doing the 4M progression run from Monday, but my groin started hurting at 1.75 so I stepped off at 2M. 
Weights. 3 x 5 weighted squats, calf raises, bench press, shoulder press, hamstring curl, tricep pushdown.
CES appointment with Rhonda. Lots of deep tissue massage in my lower back and IT band on the left side (same side as the pectineus problem). SI joint was out as well.

Wednesday, July 15
Rest day. Everything hurt still. Not worth pushing through aches at this point.

Thursday, July 16
4M easy. [Track, Launch 2, DP 69.8, H 83%, T 75.4, W 6] Average pace was 8:50. 9:25, 8:47, 8:42, 8:25. Pectineus got worse as the run went on. As it got worse, my right hamstring started bothering me. Didn't feel as fluid on this run, and neither did Jake. I expected to see 100% humidity and high winds based on how it felt, but the weather actually wasn't bad today.
1.5M walk. I've decided I want to try getting my body used to being on my feet for an hour straight, so for a little while I want to try following my runs with a brisk walk until I get to 60 minutes total. Today that left a 25 minute walk. 
Chiropractor Appointment.

Friday, July 17
4M easy. [Treadmill, Launch 2]. Average pace was 8:33. 8:47, 8:28, 8:14, 8:03. Same as usual, but I started .1 mph faster than usual. Every half mile I bumped the pace by .1. Still feeling good aerobically, but not as smooth in terms of form, nor as light in the legs. My butt is back to hurting, but by far the biggest issue right now is my pectineus. Definitely need to stay on top of that treatment. 
1.7M walk. Same as yesterday, just trying to stay on my feet and keep my HR above 60% for a full hour. Checked my HR every five minutes and it ranged from 125 to 135, so averaging right around 65%.
Weights. 3 x 5 weight squats (40lb bar), calf raises (40lb bar), bench press (25lb dumbbells), hamstring curl (69lb), shoulder press (53lb), tricep pushdown (79lb).

Saturday, July 18
4M easy. [Katy Trail, Launch 2, DP 72, H 74%, T 81, W 8]. Average pace was 7:56. 8:15, 7:55, 7:53, 7:40. First mile felt nice, but when I saw the split I knew the way back would be tough! Katy Trail is downhill going out and uphill going back. Thankfully, I managed to maintain just fine on the second and third mile, so it ended up being just a mile of working. My legs felt heavy today, and my pectineus hurt, but it wasn't a bad run overall.
1.5M walk.

Sunday, July 19
8M easy. [WRL, Launch 2, DP 70, H 71%, T 80, W 8]. I left my Garmin at home for this one, so I just ran for time and called it 8 miles. 70 relaxed minutes on the lake. Hip flexor (pectineus) was the most painful, butt ligaments hurt but were overshadowed by the pectinues; same for the shins and my left foot. 

7.06.2015

Week 4 (20M - 2:48 running, 20' x-training) + New shoes + Illness

Monday, July 6th
4M with last mile strong. [Treadmill, Pegasus]. Average pace was 8:11. 8:44, 8:23, 8:20, 7:30. Felt fine on the run. Nice and controlled. My chest is hurting today; similar to how it would feel with a URI. Left foot was the most painful thing on the run. Butt didn't really bother me; not sure if it was because of how I run on a treadmill or if it's because of how bad my left foot was. 
Weights. 2 x 5 reps squats (40 lb bar), seated hamstring curls (65 lb), calf raises (2 x 12 reps, 20 lb dumbbells), bench press (25 lb dumbbells), military press (10 lb dumbbells), lat pull-downs (2 x 10 reps, 45 lb)
Chiropractor Appointment. Dry needling (left lower back, left sacrotuberous ligament, left calf, left foot), ART (left sacrotuberous ligament), hot laser (left foot), vibration plate with foot roll. He also suggested I run on the treadmill for a few more days in case that is giving my ligaments a break. 

Tuesday, July 7th
Rest day.
CES Appointment with Rhonda. Lots of neuro stim again... She found hot spots all over my sacrotuberous ligament and hamstring tendon, as well as my foot and shin. She also did some massage on my neck and back.

Wednesday, July 8th
6M easy. [Treadmill, Lunar Glide]. Average pace was 8:17. 8:53, 8:36, 8:23, 8:07, 7:58, 7:43. I know this was scheduled as an easy run, but those last 2.5 miles did not feel easy.... I was very tired, ha. I have a weird thing with following patterns on my runs (so on progression runs, if I drop 30 seconds after the first mile and 20 after the second, I'll probably try to drop 10 after the third... that kind of thing), so on the fist couple miles I cut the MPH down by 0.1 every half mile, and then the pace got quick about halfway through but I wanted to continue the pattern. The first half mile was 8:57, the last half mile was 7:43. I wasn't ever breathing too hard, but it was my legs that were worn out. My feet hurt (both) and my butt hurt (both sides), but my shins felt pretty good today; and the pains were all less than they were this time last week.

Thursday, July 9th
4M with last mile strong.
Weights.
Chiropractor Appointment.
Rest day - Jake got food poisoning late last night; I hardly slept and spent the day feeling queasy myself so no running for either of us.

Friday, July 10th
Rest day. Ate crackers and broth yesterday - definitely not ready to run yet. 

Saturday, July 11th
6M easy.
4M easy + 3 strides (easy, medium, hard). [Track, Launch 2, DP 71.6, H 76%, T 80.2] Average pace was 8:37. 9:03, 8:35, 8:33, 8:16. This was not a fast run by any means whatsoever, BUT it was probably the most comfortable and smooth run I've had in a long, long time. I finally felt like I had a normal stride; my butt wasn't killing me, my foot wasn't killing me, my shins didn't hurt... It was so relieving. I flipped tomorrow's easy run with today's long run since I've lived off of broth, crackers, and soda for the past two days. Strides were easy, medium, hard in 21.88, 20.60, 18.21.

Sunday, July 12th
4M easy + 3 strides.
6M easy. [Treadmill, Launch 2] 8:56, 8:44, 8:37, 8:25, 8:16: 8:06. Another great run in terms of fitness (aka, not out of breath... super comfortable and relaxed), but my left hip flexor started bugging me in the first mile and got worse and worse over the run. And my butt hurts again. On both sides. Boooooo. I was smarter on this run, though, and bumped the pace by .1 every .75M instead of every .5M. It worked just perfectly and I recovered very quickly. HR dropped to 125 by 55 minutes, whereas last week I had to continue walking until 63 minutes! I planned to do some cross training after my run, but since my hip flexor was so painful, I opted to come home and soak in epsom salt instead. 

7.02.2015

Week 3 (24M - 3:23 running, 1:15 x-training)

Monday, June 29th
4M with last mile strong. [MVCC, Lunar Fly, DP 71.1, H 79%, T 78.1]  Average pace was 8:24. 9:09, 8:35, 8:34, 7:16. I felt fine on this run, but not like yesterday. My "butt" hurt on every step (hamstring tendons) and my shins hurt. I still feel heavy (makes sense) and choppy in my stride as well. All of it makes sense... I am heavier than I was last time I ran and I'm out of shape. No rolled ankles today, though, so that's a plus!
Weights. 5' warm up on bike, 2 x 5 leg press, hamstring curl, bench press, shoulder press, calf raises.
15' lap swimming.
Chiropractor Appointment. Dry needling (left lower back, upper hamstring), massage (left shin), vibration platform, hot laser (left shin).

Tuesday, June 30th
Rest day.
CES Appointment with Rhonda. Lots of Neuro Stim, plus some hamstring and back massage.

Wednesday, July 1st
6M easy. [MVCC, Lunar Fly, DP 70, H 84%, T 75] Average pace was 8:38. 9:26, 8:48, 8:26, 8:35, 8:22, 8:13. Crummy crummy run... but mostly for mental reasons. Everything hurt so bad that I felt like I couldn't run any better (faster) and up until the last mile I wasn't out of breath... I felt like I was wasting time and almost stopped. My paces were way faster than I expected them to be though. I really hope I can get rid of these pains soon. Left foot, both hamstring tendons.

Thursday, July 2nd
4M with last mile strong. [Track, Stinson, DP 71.6, H 100%, T 71.6] Average pace was 8:36. 9:17, 9:01, 8:43, 7:26. Left foot was really bad today, right foot also started hurting for the first time (same place). Both hamstring tendons still very bad as well - left is worse than right. Left shin hurts on the upper half, right shin hurts on the lower half. Run felt fine. Windy outside today... but I was running easy so it wasn't a big deal. Finally ran the last mile "strong" instead of "hard".
Weights. 5' warm up on bike, 2 x 5 leg press, hamstring curl, bench press, shoulder press, calf raises.
15' lap swimming.
Chiropractor Appointment. Dry needling (left butt ligaments), stim (left foot and lower leg), massage (both), and hot laser (left butt ligaments), KT tape along left calf and left hamstring. 

Friday, July 3rd
Rest day.

Saturday, July 4th
6M. [Trinity Trails Loop, Lunar Glide, DP 70.5, H 70%, T 81] Average pace was 8:31. 9:21, 8:45, 8:32, 8:19, 8:04, 8:03. I felt pretty crummy on the first 2 or 3 miles; mostly because of aches and pains. After that I started to settle into the run. My "butt ligaments" (we found out it is not my hamstring tendons, but some really long-named ligament) are still really painful when running, but I can tell that the work Midlothian Spine and Sport did on the left side made a huge difference. Same with my left foot. It still bothered me, but there was significant improvement compared with before Thursday's appointment.

Sunday, July 5th
4M easy + 3 strides. [WRL, Structure, DP 73.0, H 82%, T 79]. Average pace was 8:11. 8:10, 8:09, 8:26, 7:59. I ran the first two miles with two of Jake's girls, hence the 8:10 first mile. At the end of the run I really didn't feel any different than I do after any of my other runs, and honestly, the second mile didn't feel terrible; but I just am not at a place where I can start runs sub 8:30 these days. I think next week I'll have to run a mile first then meet up with them. Butt ligaments felt terriblleeee on and after the run. Strides were really painful and choppy because I felt like I couldn't run right with the way my butt felt. Left foot is still bad, as are both shins (left is worse).