This week was 52 miles of running, 3 "miles" of pool-running, and 1000 yards of swimming -- training log is here.
Things were a bit jumbled this week, but I got everything done. The jumbling started on Tuesday morning - it was a foggy morning before the sun came up, so I basically couldn't see anything. Which meant that my balance was really tenuous. Combine that with a right adductor/hamstring that felt a bit tight when I did my strides, and....I decided to push this workout back a day rather than risk another injury.
[Sadly, I think the pool-running on Monday, though short and with a belt, was what triggered the adductor issue. I'm going to have to skip pool-running for a few more weeks.]
Of course, I'm also in the midst of another round of PT sessions - once or twice a year I do several weeks in a row of intense PT focused on addressing some of my Parkinsons issues. I actually really enjoy the PT because it's challenging, it works, and I feel like I've accomplished something after. However, it is also tiring, both mentally and physically. This time, I scheduled all my sessions for Tuesday afternoon, which meant that my legs were a bit tired on Wednesday morning. I had planned on doing 3x1200, 3x400, but I ended stopping after the first 400 when it felt like I might be pushing things a bit far.
The good news about cutting Wednesday short was that I was rested for Friday. My right leg was a bit "nervy" when I warmed up (meaning I could feel a tight string running down the back of my right leg from hamstring to calf, with some buzzing). However, I've learned that if I gently work through "nerviness" it goes away, while resting it makes it worse. So I warmed up carefully and then ran a 4 mile tempo and sure enough the nerviness was gone by the end, and gone on Saturday.
I planned to do a progressive long run on Sunday, but I screwed up my meds. To explain - I take a med called Rytary several times a day to keep my muscles working decently. Each dose lasts about 4.5 hours (more if I'm not working out) and if I don't take it, my legs (especially quads and ankles) are very stiff and I have no power in my legs.
Rytary (and all similar meds) have a quirk in that they can't be taken with protein. Basically, one's intestines use the same "gateways" (my own made up term) to absorb protein and the medication, with a preference for protein. If you eat protein too close to a dose of Rytary, then it's the protein that gets processed while the Rytary passes through.
And of course, clever me overslept slightly this morning, so I ate my morning oatmeal, waited 30 minutes, and took my Rytary. Forgetting that this brand of oatmeal had a fair amount of protein from chia seed and quinoa.
So...I started my long run and quickly confirmed that legs were not working well today. I couldn't take a second Rytary because I would have risked too much in my system. Too little just means I'm very stiff and slow; too much means that muscles are randomly contracting - which is a big injury risk when running. So I switched my focus to getting the miles in while trying to keep my running form as good as possible. Since I'm still building my mileage back up, it was still a productive morning.
As for Isabella, who was sick last week? She's doing better, though not 100%. Thankfully an ultrasound and an x-ray on Monday did not note any tumors or similar, so it seems that this is some combination of a UTI, pancreatitis, and kidney disease. None of which are great, but each of which is more manageable than cancer.
Monday: 30 minutes pool-running and streaming yoga. Foam rolling in evening.
